Thank you letter for internship at hospital

I really struggled in my first two years of college. I was at a religious university with relatively strict rules yet I wasn’t practicing the religion. That weighed heavily on my mental health as I dealt with guilt and fear. I also spent those first two years studying a STEM program that I felt pressured to be in by my parents. They were hopeful I would study something in the STEM field and I didn’t want to disappoint them. All of that being said, I was in a very hard place and didn’t do well. I wasn’t passionate about my school work and was actively phasing out of a high control religion, leading me to earn a 2.9 GPA after 2 years and 47 credit hours.
Eventually I gained the courage to leave the school and change my major to something I felt excited about. I transferred schools and started to doing a lot better. I just graduated from the university I transferred to with a 3.68 GPA from 83 credit hours, 1 published paper, and a semester of relative research experience. I made good connections and feel confident in my letters of recommendation.
My question is, how much will my experience and GPA at the first university impact my ability to get into PhD programs? Will that be weighed equally to my newer GPA? I plan to explain some of the reasons for my low GPA at my first school, but don’t know how appropriate my reasoning is (religious struggle, pressure to study something I despised) ? Is there a good way to explain this without sounding like a weak sob story?
Lastly, with my GPA(s) and experience, would I appear competitive for higher tier programs? I don’t plan to apply to top programs or any Ivy League schools, but would really love to attend a well respected university.
Thank you in advance. These are questions that I have struggled to find answers to without directly asking here myself.

I got into Berkeley for EECS and I got into Stanford too (I think transfers students go in undeclared? I haven't done much research bc I didn't think I'd get in)
The thing is, Berkeley was always my dream school since I started my CC years, not trying to be an a**hole but I applied to Stanford because I heard they're generous with the aid if you're low income (everyone knows Stanford is good, but like, all ivies are good but they're expensive -- that's why Cal was my dream school since it's a good school and affordable for a broke CA residents like me, when I found out Stanford might be affordable, I started liking them too).
However, now that I got into Stanford (still waiting for finaid letter), I don't know which to choose. Cal is affordable for me based on the finaid letter, idk about Stanford but hopefully they are too. My question is:

1. If I want to pursue a career in CS, if you guys were me, would you guys choose Cal or Stanford?
   
2. If I really love sports and want to work abroad in a sport-related tech jobs like F1, european basketball or soccer, MotoGP, etc. which one will help me reach that goal? Cal or Stanford?
   
3. I know posting this here is a bit bias, but so do I, Cal has always been my dream for the past three years, I even have a worn-out Berkeley hat I really love. And now, suddenly, I got Stanford, so I don't know what to do; I have been crazy-scared thinking if I could survive at Cal and now I got another pressure on me, please help guys, I'm just someone who wants a tech job abroad in the sport industries, don't even have to pay crazy amount -- I just love sports. Any advice on this too?
   

Thank you! It's sad I've been here as a CC students for the past three years and now I might not experience being an actual student in the Sub, Go Bears still sounds cooler though regardless of my decision!

This is the second megathread for the current ongoing conflict between HYBE and ADOR, which is both directly and indirectly related to NewJeans. Part 1 is linked here. We will continue to update this thread as relevant articles and news about this topic pertaining to NewJeans and their label ADOR are released. Feel free to contribute in the comments below if/when new updates are released. Thank you for understanding!
Please engage in civil discussions. We don't want to have to hand hold you and tell you what is right and what is wrong. This is your online space. Please make it safe for your self and for others. Report any incivil comments should they occur and we will get to them as soon as possible and hand out disciplinary actions accordingly.
Relevant Articles:

• 240422 Soompi: HYBE Initiates Audit Of ADOR's Management Including CEO Min Hee Jin
  
• 240422 Soompi: ADOR Responds To HYBE's Audit With Statement Involving ILLIT And NewJeans
  
• 240422 Korea JoongAng Daily: NewJeans comeback will proceed as planned, despite HYBE-ADOR drama
  
• 240425 Korea JoongAng Daily: HYBE to report ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin to police
  
• 240425 Korea JoongAng Daily: ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin to hold press conference at 3 p.m.
  
• 240425 Korea JoongAng Daily: LIVE UPDATES — ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin press conference
  
• 240425 Soompi: HYBE Announces NewJeans's Activities Will Continue As Planned + To Take Legal Action For Malicious Posts Against Members
  
• 240425 Soompi: HYBE Releases Statement In Response To ADOR CEO Min Hee Jin's Press Conference
  
• 240429 Korea JoongAng Daily: ADOR rejects HYBE's demand for board meeting, calls request 'illegal'
  
• 240503 Soompi: ADOR Releases In-Depth Statement In Response To HYBE's Stance
  
• 240510 Soompi: Min Hee Jin Releases Statement About Audit Of ADOR Employee + HYBE Responds
  
• 240513 Soompi: NewJeans Members’ Parents Letter Speaking Out Against HYBE Revealed
  
• 240513 Soompi: HYBE Releases Statement About Email Reportedly Sent By Parents Of NewJeans
  

I don’t know. I wanted to post here. I’m going to school for a job where nothing is guaranteed in the field I’m studying. Jobs are more so on a job to job basis and steady jobs are few and far between. My parents have been supportive of me up to this point but I don’t think they fully understand that job to job opportunities are how the field is. I understand this and am willing to take a risk, but I don’t think they are as confident. I’m going into my senior year. I’ve had zero internships or barely any jobs related to this (freelance stuff once or twice a year). I’m focusing on my own things, but no money is being made now. Part of this is on me for not giving 110% (writing letters to alumni, friending people on LinkedIn) and only applying via websites. I’ve asked professors for opportunities and all of their options rejected me.
As well, I quit my day job. I thought about accepting an unpaid gig, but it would have been a two hour commute one way. I told the day job I accepted the position. The window is still open for me to do it, but it would require me to move somewhere for the summer where the only free housing would be a two hour commute. As I’ve stated before, I’m working on my own things. I am in 90% control of the outcome of one and 60% of the other. Both could help me a lot if they turn out successful. I’m working on finding another wage slave job at the moment too, but all interviews have seemed unfruitful. Maybe it’s bad interviewing on my end? I seem confident when I interview, so maybe it’s because I’m a student? Even if I find a job, it would be less time spent on my personal projects.
Speaking of which, I try to do things for fun. I don’t really socialize too much with people. Most of the people I like have left the area for summer. The people where I grew up and I have grown in different ways (for the most part) and I don’t enjoy being with them too much anymore. It is a once in a blue moon thing. Where I live now, I have acquaintances but rarely hang out. Part of this lack of socialization stems from being a weird kid and also thinking everyone is judging me. I tend to zone out a lot so I maybe staring off at nothing and then realize I’m staring at someone. Trying to make conversation is weird because I don’t know what to talk about other than projects/work/school. I don’t like hearing about drama unless it affects what I’m doing. I don’t have anything going on in my life that’s worth more than a few sentences, so I have nothing to talk about. Even though, again, I’m not social, there still is a part of me that wishes I was doing these things with someone.
My free time is spent going on drives to nowhere (unfortunately my favorite leisure activity) which kills mileage on my car and eats up gas. The person I used to go on random adventures with is a year or two older and I think he’s reached the point where he can no longer do these things. I will be at that point soon because I will have student loans to pay off.
Even having a love life is hard because what I go to school for, personal and work lives are mixed. Acting on these feelings can lead to awkward work relationships and missed opportunities. You have to think about the long game.
Anyway, this has been on my mind for sometime and would love advice as to what I should do?

Hey I know we talk to each other all the time but this is so much more than the talks we have everyday, this is my way to say how grateful I am for the motivation and support that I’ve received from you through life and school itself.
Since I moved to the U.S I have moved to a lot of states before finding the stability I found when I moved to Hartford. The first time I got to Hartford I was with the expectation of enjoying it the least knowing that probably in any time longer I was probably moving again. It was post- covid so school in person was optional, when I started school I only had to go there for only a month because we moved really late in the school year. You were the only person who I knew, the only person who supported me when I got told that my credits wouldn’t work for me to be in 11th grade so I got lowered. You were so happy about it, we were gonna graduate together but you knew I wasn’t so happy because my biggest goal was to graduate. School sophomore year and I got to know your friends. My whole summer I wished for school to start so I could see that “friend” I made, but I suppose summer made me forget you had a life before I came to it. My second year of high school and the worst decisions of my whole life. “The people you surround yourself with are excellent mirrors for who you are” I don’t really know who said that but i’m pretty sure he didn’t lie with that quote. My sophomore year was surrounded with bad friends and a lot of skipping class and disrespecting teachers just because “school wasn’t that important in sophomore year”, you made my Bulkeley school years important. At the middle of the year you were there reminding me my purpose and that after finishing something another thing always started. There’s no more way of saying how thankful I am for you being my friend, for you showing me how to look better to myself. You gave me power to get to try things I was really scared to try before and even cheered me while doing those things. You made a group of friends who were comfortable with themselves and with each other and that is the most valuable thing to me. You made me feel like I was gonna stay forever with you all, and it didn’t happen. I knew that good things don’t last very long but I was never ready to let go of any of y’all. I’m so grateful I got to know y’all, Kharla, Martin, Jeremy, Zari, Jennifer, Natalie, and to me the most important, You. Thank you so much Dani for being the person who gives me motivation to be who I am right now. There’s no one else that I would dedicate a letter of gratitude to than to you. Thank You

Hey guys, I'm trying to finalize where I'm headed for uni, with the goal of doing grad school in the States for a Masters of Science in Anesthesia to then become a CAA in the US. My main goals for undergrad are maintaining a really high GPA, gaining the knowledge necessary for the MCAT (I still need to do the MCAT for the type of grad schools I'm tryna go to), and racking up internships, shadowing opportunities, and co-ops. I also value the social life and environment that I'll be in, which is why I'm really torn between Western and Ottawa. I know Western has a better atmosphere, and it would be really easy to make friends and connections that can be really valuable, but Ottawa is well known for its abundance of co-op opportunities. I've also heard Western's health science program is more inclined toward social sciences than concrete science courses like bio/chem. My idea was to just add those courses as electives, is this a common practice or would it be overwhelming? Would I be able to still attain internships/shadowing/co-op at Western or would it be much harder than at Ottawa? I also got Mac Life Sci, but because I'm not as good at physics/calculus, I know that structure would be challenging for me to get a really high GPA, so I've kind of ruled Mac out. Lmk if you guys have any thoughts about any of these options that you could pitch in, thanks

I've been smoking weed, listening to Post Malone and this popped back into my mind
I was in Grade 1 when I saw this so like late 2009 or early 2010 and I remember telling my friends about this funny song.
The show was live action, the malone character was in a costume of some kind, I can't quite remember the details.
I think the main characters of the show asked Malone about her name and she says something like "oh, malone is just a nickname" then she starts singing "My name is, binigan-banigan cinigan-canigan dinigan-danigan finigan-fanigan... zinigan-zanigan hyphen Malone"
The song went on for way too long. I don't remember for sure if they used every single letter of the alphabet or not. I think the song was sang twice in the episode and that accounted for a sizable chunk of the runtime.
This likely would have either aired on CBC or PBS, could have been Treehouse but this looked like a low budget show, something the Canadian government would've funded to get more Canadian media out to the masses. If it's not obvious, I'm from Canada if that helps narrow it down. I also think I watched it after school so around 4pm CST since I always watched the Bugs Bunny and Tweety Show at 8am before school.
Feel free to ask me questions, I may have missed something. Thanks in advance if you have any leads at all.

Hello Everyone,
I am in an interesting position and wanted to get your takes on the matter. I began my career journey rather young and have been working in corporate settings as a data analyst since 14, I was doing VBA work, basic Python, HTML, some JS…. I then began a position at 19 years old at a consulting firm that had me jumping around multiple financial and tech institutions tackling different projects where I would begin flirting with some ML concepts. During this time I’m actively pursuing a BBA in Finance hoping to secure a position as a quantitive analyst.
COVID hits and I frankly can’t cut it in the finance world so I end up taking a job as a Data analyst at a Fortune 500 utility company where I became a senior in a year and ended up devoting close to 3 years at the company. During this time I was miserable, I was using antiquated software/methodologies, the subject material was extremely boring and I had enough so I just resigned on the spot.
During this downtime I pursued a intense Data Science bootcamp in hopes of pursuing the “fun and challenging” data analyst/scientist positions. I gave this whole backstory just to say I have no idea what my trajectory looks like from here and this shitty job market is not making it any easier. All in all my questions are:
-Should I pursue senior positions since technically I have 10 years experience in data analysis?
-Should I start from scratch since I’m still relatively young (25) and look into ML internships?
-Is there a specific way you should apply to these roles?
-Should my resume be 2-pages long?
Any other advice is welcome and appreciated, I am always open to making industry friends so feel free to reach out.
Thank you all for your time.

It is a man, old and scraggy. He wears a jacket that lays over the red plaid button shirt and blue jeans. He wears an old baseball cap and a pair of glasses. He yelled something to Dad, holding his hands up like he was pleading, although we couldn’t hear it over the truck engine. They talked, but we couldn’t hear what they were saying.
“Hey, what are they saying”, I asked, while petting Matt’s hair, calming him. The old man then put his hands down and came close to Dad in a cautious way. They seem to start having some kind of conversation.
“I don’t really know, hopefully, something good”, Mom answered. They talked for a little while, with daylight beginning to disappear, giving us a sense of dread, and making me more worried about what weird creature was going to show up. Eventually, the old man turned and pointed toward what I think is the northeast. They then shook hands and walked back to their respective vehicles. “What’s going on”, Mom asked as Dad got into the truck.
“Well, our new friend here invited us to dinner at his farm”, Dad replied.
“Does he have supplies?”
“Well, he says has supplies for us to make the journey.”
“Should we even trust him? We just met h-”
“Relax, he’s just an old man, living alone at his farm, feeding his cows. What could go wrong”, Dad countered. The old man then entered the truck that was running and drove slowly, expecting us to follow him.
“Alrighty then, but we have to be cautious”, Mom said, with her suspicions of the old man. We then followed the old truck along the dark, frozen road. It just feels like something is going to show up along the road, but nothing happened. Matt did eventually stop crying, but he is still upset about the Joe escape thing.
“Where are we going”, Matt lamented, with the prior series of events in mind.
“I guess somebody is offering us dinner”, I answered.
“Why can’t we just go home?”
“It’s only going to be a stop, like a hotel. After that, we go to our new home, I guess”, I said, taking another look at Matt and cradling to comfort him. “It’s going to be okay.” I stared out into the darkness. I looked to the sky from the window and I faintly saw something in the clear, dark sky, lit up by the waning moon. They were brilliant, green auroras that defy the bright moon, dancing across the sky like ribbons in the wind. The truck eventually took a right-hand turn into another road, with us following suit. I can see a bright, orange light emerging from a patch of tree. When we passed by, it seemed it was a house, at a farm, burning in a massive flame.
“I guess those people aren’t so, uh, lucky”, Dad said, taking a quick look at it before looking at the road. Passing by, we went on and continued to follow the old man’s truck. We passed onto another intersection until he turned into a driveway to what I believe to be his farm. Going into the driveway, I can see an old house, along with a dilapidated farm further away, barely visible by the headlights. The old man parked by the house, where there were a few other trucks there. We parked alongside the truck and we got out into the cold, near-silent night.
“Welcome to sanctuary, where all are welcome”, the old man bellowed. This is the first time I’ve heard his voice. Matt was the last to get out of the truck, slowly and clumsily climbing out of the truck.
“What’s your name”, my Mom politely asked the old man.
“Oh, I guess your husband didn’t tell ya. My name is Steven, but you can call me Steve”, the old man said, with some crackling in his voice. “I am very proud to host a dinner for you and your family”, he continued. “What’s your name, ma’am?”
“Oh, my name is Janice”, Mom replied, quite pleased at his politeness.
“Hello, Janice, and what are their names”, Steven asked, pointing to me and Matt.
“That’s my daughter Kate and my son Matt”, Dad said to Mom.
“Oh, what wonderful names for a couple of beautiful children you have”, Steve grinned. “Come, it is dangerous out here.” We followed him to the house, which looked like it had seen better days. He entered through the double-set door, the first a solid door and a screen door behind. Entering the house, it smelled like what you’d expect, old man. Looking onto the floor is made of glossy wood and walls with cracks, likely caused by the earthquake. It is dark in there, lit by candlelight from many candles, yet it’s fairly warm here. I don’t know why we went into the house, but Dad was right, Steve is just a lonely, old man. Matter of fact, there seems to be nothing wrong here, other than the cracks in the walls. “Sorry, the power went out. Had to resort to the candles. I knew my wife would come in handy”, Steve explained as he took his coat off. “Oh, supper will be ready right away. Had to use the fireplace to cook. Also, can you take your boots off?” We took our boots and set them aside. We went into what seemed to be a living room, with dusty old-style furniture.
“So, where do we sit”, Mom asked.
“Oh, well, follow me”, Steve commanded, leading us to the dining room, with a long, wooden table and six wooden chairs, along with their corresponding old-fashioned plates, glasses and cutlery, lit up in the candlelight. We noticed that everything on the table was covered in a thin veil of dust. “My apologies, the recent shocks dropped a bit of dust on the table”, he explained as he noticed us looking at the plates and moved into another room nearby. “Take your seats if you like.” We all settled onto the chairs, and blew off our plates of the dust settled there.
“When will we eat”, Matt impatiently said.
“Once Steve comes out with the food”, Mom answered. Matt sat there with a tired look on his face. Dad seemed to be in a better mood than before and it looked like he wanted to start a conversation.
“Hey, should we talk about something”, Dad asked. I then see Steve with a bowl and a silver plate.
“Here we go, may not be much, but at least it’ll fulfil the soul”, Steve said, smiling when he served us mashed potatoes and meatloaf. “So, shall we pray?” That came unexpectedly, as we are not too religious, but we were in his house and gave us shelter and food.
“Sure, we can do that”, Mom said and we all bowed our heads and put our hands together. Steve cleared his throat
“Thank you, Lord, for this good food to feed the soul in these hard times. I shall pray, in the name of the Lord and Jesus Christ, that these hard times shall be over, so we can get on with our lives. Amen.” We raised our heads and grabbed whatever food there was onto our plates. “Oh, there’s no gravy, so we have to deal with bare potaters and meatloaf.”
“Oh, not to worry. Thank you for the food”, Dad thanked Steve. We began to eat the food once we got it sorted.
“So, what brings you here”, Steve asked.
“Well, there is an evacuation order in effect for this area, so we had to go to Regina”, Dad explained, with Steve taking in every word. “So, we came from Strasbourg, we tried going south towards Regina, but we hit an obstacle in the way and we had to take another route, leading us here.”
“And we encountered a few odd things along the way”, Mom added.
“Huh, interesting. What do you guys think is going on”, Steve inquired.
“By the things we saw, we have no idea. Dinosaurs, devil dogs, hell pigs, the whole deal. I shouldn’t forget the earthquake. They told us a pipeline leak caused by the earthquake”, Dad clarified to Steve.
“Hmm… is that so”, Steve wondered. “Wonder what I think is happening? The Rapture is happening. Do you know how the Bible tells us of the end times? Good people sent to be with God and his kingdom, the rest here to suffer the Hell unleashed by Satan.” By this point, he was beginning to rant, but we couldn't stop it as we all began to feel tired and powerless. “So, the Devil will send his demons in the form of these illusions so that they can torment the sinners. It is happening, it is-” Steve manically continued as I drew towards blackness and his voice becoming less coherent. My vision is now all black.
I saw those same lights, but more rapidly than before. I then emerged onto the same clear sky, but something felt different. I can smell something in the air. I can smell what seems to be chemicals in the air. Looking down, I was terrified. Dark, grey rock in the shape of ropes and folds, similar to those I saw of lava flows on a volcano in pictures. This went on as far as the eye could see. I can see no tree this time, just the cooled lava everywhere. I then walked, feeling every bump and crag. I thought I walked forever until I heard a rumbling sound and woke up.
I am in total darkness. It is cold and it smells like cow manure. I tried to move my hand, but it seemed to be bonded behind my back by a rope. I tried to move my feet, but they were also bound by rope to the legs I tried to speak, only to realise my mouth was agape by a cloth in my mouth. I heard shuffling nearby but I could not see. It was then shone in light when Steve entered the door, holding a candle, revealing all of us in the same situation. I then can see what we are in. We are in that same wooden dilapidated barn we saw earlier and seems to be more damaged than the house, wood creaking can be heard.
“These sedatives are more effective than I thought. Maybe I should use them more often”, Steve smoothly explained, like he’s some kind of agent and began pacing. “Wonder why you are here? Well, I wondered the same thing to myself, why didn’t God take me to his heaven? When I first heard of the government telling us of those evacuation plans, I thought it was that, a leaking pipe. I began to notice things I couldn’t believe myself, at least at first. Earthquakes, weird creatures showing up, people disappearing, the whole spiel. I connected the dots. The Rapture is happening, for sure, but why me? Why was I the one left here on this Earth”, Steve calmly ranted, pacing around the barn, but it seemed to sound crazier and angrier the more he paced. “I thought I had lost my way. I’ve been unfaithful to God and his son. But, I realised that God always has a plan and he left me on this Earth to serve a purpose. I wondered what my purpose was until I had a moment.” He then stopped in place and calmed down. He turned to look at Mom with accusing yet crazed eyes.
“I’m supposed to keep the sinners here in line, to earn a place in God’s kingdom, or suffer in Hell. I know you are a sweet woman, Janice, but your treachery with Satan is over and I am going to do what’s right.” Mom then looked at all of us, with assuring eyes like that of an innocent yet caring mother we all know knew. I began crying and trying to speak through the cloth, but I was helpless to watch by. “Forgive me, Father, for what I am going to do.” He then pulled a knife from his pocket and plunged it into Mom’s neck with no mercy. I looked away once he did that, trembling, with tears pouring out and my vision glazed and I fell limp. I could see my brother tearing up, but he did not look away. I can hear Dad behind me, with his screams of agony and anger covered by the cloth. It felt like I was in slow motion, taking in every moment.
I then heard the chair, screeching as Steve dragged the chair containing Mom’s lifeless body towards the door, leaving behind a trail of blood. I couldn’t bear to see my mother like this. I shut my eyes very hard and hoped it would go away. The door then shut, leaving us alone with a candle, fearing what would come next. I stared at the candle, seeing it dance in the flames like a woman dancing in the darkness. Is this how it’ll end, I thought. End up dying to this sick man? My Mom was killed in front of me. I sobbed with that thought, then I began to think about the inevitable death of me. I hope there’s something after I die. Maybe I’ll see Mom again.
It was silent for a while, nearly no sound other than our moans. Dad seems to be fidgeting at the back of his chair, rocking it slowly. Looking past him, I shuddered at the glistening pool of blood, where Mom was last alive, could be my fate. I then see Dad release his arms from the back of the chair and remove the cloth from his mouth. He silently stood up and bent down to untie his legs from the chair legs. He then went to me and removed my cloth.
“H-h-how did you do that”, I silently wept, fearing that Steve would show up at the door and kill us all.
“My binding is loose. The old man probably took a liking to me”, Dad whispered. “I should remove your binds.” He untied them, releasing me, doing the same for Matt. “Now, we need to be quiet.” We then walked, quietly, along the painfully creaking wood in the near dark, following the blood trail, glistening in the candlelight. We cringed and dreaded each sound we made and watched the door in case it began to creak open. A few silent steps later, we made it to the door and we slowly opened it so as not to make any noise. What was revealed to us is nothing new, other than the blood trail continuing in the snow directing towards the back of the barn. “Okay, Kate, Matt, you guys run to the truck.”
“What about you”, I sobbed.
“Don’t worry about me”, Dad responded, giving me his keys and forcing them into my hand. “If I’m not back in a few minutes, leave. Don’t look back, take care of your brother, okay? I love you, no matter what happens.” He then kissed me on the head and ran to follow the blood trail. We quickly walked towards the black truck, stranded there for maybe hours. Getting closer, freedom is getting closer. When we got to a fair distance to the truck, I heard footsteps behind me and, the next thing I knew, I was knocked over to the ground into the hard snow on my face. A hand turned me over to give me a glimpse of a crazed Steve, his eyes wilder than before.
“Oh, yes, trying to escape”, he bragged. I looked at him, frozen in fear, like a deer in headlights and he caressed my face with his bloodied blade. “You do have a pretty face, but I’m afraid you are just one of Satan's creations, made to pull me to lust.” He then raised his knife in the air when a familiar side emerged, out of the blue.
Joe came and bit him in the arm that was holding the knife. Steve screamed in agony the moment he realised what happened. He shook Joe off and stood up to stand his ground. I stood up as Joe hissed and walked around the crazed being he wounded, not in fear but in aggressiveness. “Is this one of your pets, demon”, Steve screamed as Joe came in for another attack, but Steve countered that with a slash to the snout. Joe then ran away, whining, into the darkness. This sequence of events gave me the chance to enter the truck on the driver’s side. I had some trouble starting it, besides this is my first time driving a truck.
Steve menacelily walked towards the when Dad came barreling and tackled him to the ground. Dad was on top when he went limp. I finally put the keys in the engine turned it on and backed out, with memory serving me the instructions on such a vehicle. Steve pushed Dad’s body and stood up, but by that time, we left the farm.
“Turn back, we have to get Dad”, Matt cried, but I was very emotional, accepting what happened. I felt that, without my parents, I feel… useless.
“Dad’s dead”, I screamed at Matt and he began gagging uncontrollably in tears. I began to feel sorry for him. “Sorry, I, I don’t know.”
“It’s okay”, Matt sniffled. “I guess Mom and Dad are dead anyways.” It was silence for a few more minutes, tears welling in our eyes.
“Hey, our parents are in a better place”, I said, trying to make the situation positive.
“But we are stuck here, without them? Don’t we deserve to go to a better place?”
“Don’t say that”, I huffed and I paused for a bit. “I know we are in the, uh, right place now. Let me tell you something, once we get to Regina, I will take care of you, no matter what life throws at us.”
“What about Joe”, Matt asked.
“He’ll be fine. He probably found his girlfriend already.”
“Hey, don’t you have a boyfriend?”
“I, uh, I don’t have one. That I know of”, I spoke, bringing me back to Sam, remembering that she’s the only friend that I ever knew, and I left her. Without her, I felt alone, no one would ever relate. I began to tear up. “I don’t have any friends. I am alone,” I sobbed.
“What do you mean? I’m your brother!” I looked at Matt, and smiled, happy that he acknowledged that we were in this together.
“Thank you”, I thanked him. I slowly stopped on the road, just to hug Matt hard, crying my eyes out. We then heard what sounded like an elephant in front of us. We looked up to see a walking snow-covered brown fur wall with four pillar-like legs in front of us. Its curved tusks gleaned in the light and the eyes reflected in the light. The furry trunk waved around like a searching snake from a tree. We both knew what it was.
“Hey, look at that, a woolly mammoth”, Matt said, excitement running through him. At this point, we weren’t surprised.
“Yep, that is a woolly mammoth”, I added. The mammoth turned to us on the road, seemingly confused about where it was. It looked at our truck and seemed to growl, like an elephant. We are starting to realise this thing is becoming aggressive.
“Uh, should we move”, Matt asked. I remembered hearing something about standing your ground in case of an encounter with an elephant. I hoped it would work for a bigger, furrier version of one.
“No, we have to stand our ground.”
“But, it’ll attack u-”
“Trust me!” I then honked my horn and it backed up. It then rushed, then stopped, a mock charge. Eventually, it moved out of the road, disappearing into the darkness. We sighed in relief.
“That was close”, Matt sighed. I then continued to drive in the night, headlights leading the way. The road is bumpy, as noticed by every ditch and peak we hit, but surprisingly, Matt was fast asleep. I began to get comfortable driving and used to the road by that point. It was silent for a while until we hit a smaller intersection. That is when the truck shut down, completely and stopped. I tried the gas many times but with no effect. There is no light, nothing. It is near-darkness here, shone only by the moonlight.
“Shit”, I yelled, desperate to turn the truck on without much success. Matt woke up, confused.
“What happened”, he yawned.
“The truck turned itself off. I can’t get it back on”, I fretted and at that moment, Matt was just as panicked as I am.
“Why?”
“I-I don’t know. One moment, we were driving, another it just-”, I quavered, when I heard something rustle in the distance. We stood still, hoping whatever it was didn’t find us. I looked around, hoping to see something in the moonlight. I then see a long, walking animal. It looked like some sort of alligator at first, except for a dinosaur-like head. Once I strained my eyes to the darkness, my fear levels rose as I could see it walk on its hind limbs, with its forelimbs dangling nearly touching the ground.
It was wandering around on the road when I heard a near-crocodilian growl at Matt’s side of the truck. Another of those creatures appeared, seemingly looking into the window like a hungry bear, giving us a chance to see its scaly head. Its exposed alligator teeth gleaned in the light like knives, but more terrifying was the eye. Its serpentine pupil shone brilliantly in the light like eyes in the dark. It then ducked down, gave a hiss, and moved towards the other one. A few more showed up and formed a group.
“What should we do”, Matt asked. “Should we stay?” I looked around, hoping for another way to escape them without them noticing. I further strained my eyes and mentally mapped out the area. There is a cemetery on my right-hand side, a grain bin storage yard on my left and a series of trailers on the other side of the highway, which is ahead of us, from the storage area. There, I see a series of white, storage buildings, something we can go to and wait it out inside.
“Okay, so slowly open the door”, I instructed Matt. The click of the doors opening cringed us. We looked at the group, but there was no response from them. We then, as slowly as we could, opened the door and stepped out. Still no response. Matt then quietly ran to the other side, towards me. “Okay, we are going into the storage yard and go to the other entrance”, I said, pointing to the other right-hand corner. I wanted to get as far away from these things as possible before making a safe crossing. “Then, we cross the highway on the other side, run into the buildings and stay there for the night. Are you ready?”
“I guess”, he whispered, looking at me in fearful doubt.
“We are going to do this”, I whispered back. We then silently ran over, having to rely on our night-adapted eyes, to the corner, walking past the bins. We made it and nothing behind us so far. “We’re good so far.” We then crossed the road and noticed nothing. We noticed a tanker truck, leaking some sort of fluid across the road. I easily recognized it as fuel, based on its distinctive, sickly smell. I wouldn’t be worried about it if it weren’t for a collapsed light pole that is somehow still flickering with electricity near the area where the fuel would be flowing. We quickly avoided the fluid when I froze to see the group of the walking alligators, running towards us. “Run!” Matt tried to run, but one of those things appeared and clamped its jaws at the back of his neck. He yelped in pain and it took him down to the ground. “Matt”, I yelled, helplessly watching as the creature tore into him.
Matt reached out his arm before the others came to him, then a flash of fire came. At this point, I knew what happened, but I couldn’t even think before it exploded. It blew me towards the building, far away. I was knocked out for a few seconds before I regained consciousness, groaning in pain on the ice. I noticed something especially painful just below my chest. I reached towards the area with my hand. I pressed on it, more painful than ever and raised my hand, only to see blood, brightened by the fire. I realised I was wounded, maybe by shrapnel made by the explosion.
I looked toward where the truck was and all I saw was a blaze. Those things weren’t there, at least. I also noticed something else, too, there’s no Matt. I tried to look around for something, some sort of sign of my brother within the fire, but I saw none. I then wept, realising I had failed. I have failed to keep him safe. I have failed to give him a better life. I failed him as a sister. I could’ve done better. The thoughts poured in as tears glazed my eyes. At that moment, I failed to look around me.
I noticed a dark thing beside the blaze. I thought it was Matt, preparing to greet him back, even though I knew he couldn’t survive the explosion. The image became clearer and clearer as I noticed it was one of the walking crocs that, glazed by the fire, was coming towards me.
“Just kill me”, I screamed, preparing to painfully die to meet my maker. The creature was about to attack me when something large, silent as the wind, came charging and clamped down its massive jaws, filled with conical teeth on the hapless creature and raised it. The crocodile struggled before going limp with a crunch within its strong jaws. The big, dark and scaly monster that it is towered over me and is as long as a bus, possibly longer. Its large legs are a contradiction to its small arms that hide beneath its scarred, bulky body.
It turned to look at me with an oddly bird-like expression, revealing in the firelight numerous scars from battles I could never know and looked at me with its beady bird-like eyes, breathing out wisps from its nostrils like a dragon in the cool air. I recognized it as a creature I know too well, a T. Rex. I breathed heavily and sickly, looking at the thing, nearly expecting me to drop the body and go after me. Instead, it simply walked away, carrying its bloody prize with it, and steadily retreated into the darkness.
I then lay down in agonizing exhaustion on my back, thinking of the next step of action like I'm on a suicide mission I would never come back from. I looked in the direction of the graveyard and had one thought. I guess I am dying. a graveyard will do. I struggled to stand up, noticing my blood-soaked clothes and felt a broken left leg. I grasped my wound, limping step by step and enduring the sharp pain while shaking in the cold. Every step I took, I remembered all the memories, good or bad, that I had with my parents. My brother. My friends. My family. I eventually reached the cemetery and slouched at a tree.
“Guess I’m joining you, guys”, I said, speaking to the snow-covered gravestones, only to hear something. A familiar sound of chirping emerged and, lit by the blaze, it was a sight I can hope for. “Joe, what are you doing here”, I depressingly cheered as Joe went to me and curled up in my lap as if he were a cat. I noticed the new-found scar he had on his little snout, but I paid no mind as I petted him. “I guess you came back. Thank you so much for what you did”, I thanked him, not expecting such a loyal creature would be with me, comforting me, to the end, like what my mother used to do when I was a newborn. I heard another noise, this time a deep rumble.
I thought it was another earthquake coming, but it got louder the closer it got to me, becoming more animalistic only felt small vibrations I barely felt. Joe stayed put, oddly enough, as T. Rex, different from the first one, came. It walked towards us until it stopped short of us. It began to produce a low-pitched, bird-like purring, attracting Joe. I realised something, that this T. Rex is Joe’s parent. He joined the rest like him, whom they showed up and all chirped around.
The grown Rex then brought its snout closer to me, not to kill me, but to look at me. It did not reveal its teeth and was still purring. I put my hand out and its nose came close to it. It rubbed it against my hand and started to pet its cold, scaly skin as it breathed through its nose and put it on my chest. I rested my head on it before it pulled away. It gave out a hiss, but I knew it wasn’t that of a threat, but more of a thank you for bringing its small, sometimes immature, child home.
That gave me relief, as it felt like I at least did something for once. They walked away, along with Joe, towards the darkness amongst the gravestones in the cemetery. I glimpsed one last desperate look at Joe before walking beside his parent. I looked up at the sky and I could see all the stars, twinkling, and the dancing green auroras. I began to feel limp and felt the cold embrace of death coming over me, tears pouring out of my eyes. The sky then grew brighter and brighter, the stars faded into the light and I could see my family welcoming me to a new home. It then slowly went black, darker than a cave.
You would think this is the end of me. It wasn’t, or else I wouldn’t be writing this right now. I eventually woke up in a hospital in Regina. I was told I was rescued by a team that transported me while I was in a coma. The doctors said I was very lucky to be alive, as the shrapnel narrowly avoided my vital organs. After that, I was adopted into a new family, but I was only with them for a couple of years before finding a new job and moving out.
As for Sam, I don’t know what happened to her. I would like to think she is safe, somewhere else. As for my family, I think of them all the time. I was in a depressive period right after that. Eventually, over the years, I accepted that they were gone and went to a better place. For Joe, I would like to think he is all grown up, like his parents, and becoming the king of the jungle. I hope we meet again.
As for the evacuated area, it wasn’t some pipeline rupture that caused an evaluation, but an anomaly, with the exact reason not known. There are excuses for the claims of weird stuff going on in there, from disease to chemicals, to eventually a previously unknown geological event, but I saw through it all.
You may ask how, it's because I've been there. Take it or leave it, this is the story I have. As the decade came by, cover-ups were made to hide it, even walls were put around it. Since the incident, the exclusion zone grew from a mere 80 kilometers in diameter to 460 kilometers in diameter, emptying entire cities of the likes of Regina and Saskatoon. I had to move to North Battleford, by the recommendation from the same government covering it up, making me think that time will tell before the floodgates of truth open.
The anomaly didn’t have a name initially, however, over the years, everyone agreed on one name in particular: The Saskatchewan Anomaly.

Species: Dog
Age: 13.5
Sex/Neuter status: Female / spayed
Breed: Beauceron / shepherd mix
Body weight: 50lbs / 22.7Kg
Clinical signs: Nonambulatory tetraparesis
Hi there. This morning, my elderly dog got up like normal, helped me get the kids ready for school, had her breakfast, and laid down for her after waking up nap, as one does.
Around 1130am, I went downstairs to wake her and take her out to do her thing. Usually I need to clap loudly or snap to get her attention, as she doesn't hear very well anymore. She got up with her normal grunts, and made it about half-way to the door (about 8-10 feet), and then collapsed.
She has fallen before, as she has pretty bad arthritis in the hips, and is on a daily dosage of carprofen. However, this wasn't a slip, she just dropped like a rock.
I go to try and help her up, but she will barely use her legs and won't stay up without help. I called my vet, and I had an appointment set to show up within the hour.
During this time, she was alert and didn't seem to be in any pain I could tell that was obvious. It's not obvious with her anyways, but she wasn't even panting heavy. Took treats fine, wanted pets, but just couldn't walk.
I have a younger dog who wanted to play while she was resting and waiting, and he started barking, which got her barking and she attempted to run to us. She got up, and fell immediately. Before I could rush to her, she got up again, and wobbled her way to us about 10 feet away and collapsed again. This was the last time I saw her walk on her own.
When We get to the vet, he does a couple physical tests, and tell us it's most likely a ruptured / herniated disc, and would need to go to the animal hospital / specialty services to further diagnose her. So, we take her there, and see her for 5 or so minutes and came to the same conclusion, stating her nonamulatory tetraparesis could be disc related, but couldn't rule out neoplasia, or even a vascular episode. She said it was PROBABLY herniated disc related, but wouldn't know unless we did an MRI, and said the disc issue would be best case. If it was cancer, there isn't much they could do for her age.
They aren't willing to do an MRI unless we agree to surgery, as they would just perform it while she was still under from the MRI, and even still, the MRI by itself is about $4,000....the surgery in total is $8,000-$9,000.
We were told since it's affecting all four legs, and because of her age and her bad case of arthritis in her hips, even if the surgery went well, recovery would be very, very hard on her. This was also the same reasoning she gave us that she isn't a good candidate for a medicinal route (I'm guessing anti-inflammatories and steroids?)
As of now, we have an appointment set up for an in-home euthanasia tomorrow evening, and were prescribed 15mg Codeine every 8 hours to keep her comfortable until then. Obviously we are grasping at straws, and know the end is near....but, is there ANY chance a medicinal route COULD work? She doesn't seem like she's in pain, and I don't know if this is something that would just be prolonging her suffering. Is surgery risky? I don't know if paying almost 10k for my pup to suffer for the rest of her days is a route to go, if the surgery is indeed not a good option? I honestly don't know what to do.
Thank you in advance

I posted this earlier under my normal account, but I decided I wanted a bit of anonymity.
I had a very traumatic emergency department visit last year. I wrote a complaint, and it was pages long. Most of the issues were resolved in some way, maybe not to my full satisfaction but enough. I won't go into those.
The part that they lied about were times medications were given and times when they checked in to take my vitals.
The vitals weren't taken... I was left in the isolation cell for over 9 hours without any in-person contact with any human being. There is no way I could have slept through them coming in because a) I couldn't sleep and b) The door opening is super loud because it is like a jail door. They claimed they took them throughout the night.
I wasn't given my medication in the morning until about 2.5 hours late, which I get happens. But they claimed I got it on time which was not true.
Basically they said that I was so emotional that I wasn't remembering things correctly. I WAS emotional, for sure, but I was very, very aware of what was going on during that period of time. Plus, I was allowed to have my phone with me, so I have multiple text messages throughout the night to a couple of loved ones with comments about waiting for a nurse to come in to check my vitals, and eventually of me asking my loved ones to call the hospital to push for more urgency regarding my medications.
I even requested the camera footage. Initially, the department that deals with the footage was like, "Yup, no problem. Should have to you within 24 hours because there were no other patients in the footage (because it was only me in the isolation room obviously)." Then I get an e-mail the next day saying that it was too late to get the footage. So they allowed the footage to get taped over even though there was an open complaint regarding the above issues along with a nurse threatening me with restraint twice for no legitimate reason. One would think that they would want the footage to help provide professional education to that nurse for future issues.
One Doctor also put another lie in my file which I won't even get into. I did get them to write a letter to somewhat resolve that issue, but the letter won't show up on my main health record, it would only be accessible to someone who was digging deep.
I don't normally care what people think about me, but to have inaccuracies on my record with no recourse, no opportunity to have my rebuttal officially on record, it just kills me. It is one thing if people dislike me because they don't like my personality. It is one thing if people are gossiping about me. It is one thing of some rando makes up lies and spreads them around. Those things would not be an issue for me. But for lies to be on my official record, and for them to only really be included to cover their butt once I made a complaint - well, that hurts and it scares me. Plus, my complaint was very specific that I did not want ANYONE to get into trouble, even the nurse who threatened restraints. I just wanted policies to be updates and professional development to occur. These are the people I am supposed to trust when I am at my absolute worst. Guess I was a little too idealistic.

Baby boy was born at 36 weeks gestation a few days ago. He is in the NICU due to having a pleural effusion that seems to be clearing. He also has pulmonary hypertension but they hope no surgery is needed right now. He is stable and doing well in the NICU. He doesn’t suckle or eat on his own because he is learning to swallow and breathe. Things we take for granted. I feel bad for my wife because she was looking forward to experience being a woman and breast feeding him.
They no longer have him intubated just on oxygen with the canula at 2 liters so we are making progress. Blood work came back positive for trisomy21. Asked Doctor about a microarray but she said he doesn’t need one?that he as tri21? I thought there were 3 types from what I am learning online.
Can’t say my wife and aren’t a little scared and confused. I did sign up today for down syndrome network news letter. I guess I just don’t know where to start since we are embarking on this journey.
I hope to give him the best life I can. I know early intervention is important but what exactly does that entail? What therapies should I be looking for to begin with? What recommendations or resources?
My wife is grieving and so am I a little because he is our first and I guess we had so many ideas of our marriage having a little one that would be our legacy in terms of growing up and growing older, college, girlfriends, maybe marriage and children for him but now I see he may never experience some of those things and we should be counting our blessings.
I have so many thoughts in my mind like what kind of life will he have and be able to live? Will he live a long quality life? Will he have independence? I get worried about who will take care of him when we die as I am 38m and wife is 36f. Then I read that I can expect his life expectancy to be maybe 50-60’s years of age and that some DS people live till 70’s maybe.
I know I should just enjoy the moment now of him being a baby but seeing the videos on you tube and realizing how much time and effort he will need to thrive scares me because he just won’t have a typical childhood. But I will do my best to be strong and be there for him and I want to give him the best start and base possible to thrive.
I see there was an institute for people’s potential and also know I will need to sign up for all the therapies I can. I know also I need him to have great nutrition and healthy lifestyle so he can carry himself with it for as long as he can because after my wife and I are gone he will really have no one else besides maybe a few nephews and nieces. Do I need to set up a trust or anything like that now or accounts to grow so he will have something in the future to use?
Thank you for reading my grief and cries here. I appreciate your experience and expertise on what I can do to give my newborn baby boy the best quality of life he can have.

A Silence Abroad
It was on my first night in Japan that I forgot I was alone. Tokyo’s Shinjuku district greeted me with bright neon lights illuminating flocks of tourists walking shops, arcades, and food stands. And somehow, I was a very small part of it, all by myself on the other side of the world. (Maybe with the occasional tout trying to follow me around.)
Solitude is a vulnerable state, and consequently, a compromise. You seize the moment for yourself, and the space is only yours to fill, but intrusive thoughts will covertly slip through and permeate like a disease. Underneath all the lights, humanity surrounded me, enjoying a drink with friends or snapshotting a moment with family. All these people congregated here from around the world, and in spite of their differences, companionship was what they all shared together. The streets filled with the sounds of their life.
But when you feel alone, the mind tricks you into believing that you are not part of it. And you become a silent spectator, watching the phenomenon that is humanity being orchestrated in front of you. It’s a hollow feeling.
And after not speaking and hearing the sound of your own voice for a while, it becomes replaced by a solemn tone whispering empty thoughts. I tried not to listen.
Nevertheless, Tokyo was beautiful (Senso-ji temple was stunning and my favorite Japanese dessert is now age manju). One night, I even went to a Japanese hip-hop show in Shibuya and it was a wonderful experience. Getting to watch such extremely talented artists so passionate about their craft inspired me and pulled me away from ruminating loneliness for some time. I met one of the performing artists after the show and told him how much I loved his verse (despite not understanding it) and we hugged and he cried. He thanked me over and over until he started apologizing for thanking me so much. It was a special moment and I will always remember his humility. (His band is KOMOREBI - check them out!).
I also went out with some other travelers that night, trying okonomiyaki in Setagaya for the first time (it was mouthful bliss) and then went out to a punk rock concert, and a night club. I wasn’t a huge fan of the clubbing, but the company was refreshing. And like all good things, it was fleeting, and I bid my farewell to everyone that night.
I packed my things, and took a bullet train to my next stop, Kyoto. I was anticipating it, as the train zoomed south with Mount Fuji in surreal, passing view. Looking out the window, seeing my own transparent reflection, I took a breath. The train was moving at around 300 km/hour, but everything felt still and quiet. Even the parts of me that wanted to cry.
Kyoto was rich with temples and vestiges of a long, cherished history. I visited the Kyoto National Museum where I saw sculptured deities with venerable auras, parables scripted in decayed scrolls, and art that embodied Buddhist principles. I saw elevated temples monumental and grand, and others more modest and reserved. But they all stood resolutely, bearing the resilience of time and constant revival. They have felt nature’s desecration during arson and natural disasters, but throughout history, the Japanese have rebuilt and renovated them. And somehow, after enduring all this, as long as time has persisted, here they stood before me, as a testament to strength and preservation.
The long-lasting principles of Buddhism and the culture that were so deeply rooted in this country’s history must continue to live on through the structures that stood before me. Purpose is enough to withstand the cruelty of time’s passage. And the cycle of destruction and restoration that traced centuries was felt in the emanating silence only occupied by the sounds of water trickling down a rill or the occasional soft, swaying of trees. I like to think that ancient silence had touched my existence in those moments and advised me to listen.
Solitude is painful because the empty space that comes with it is congregated by the deeper parts of ourselves that seek to dwell on the purpose of our existence. It is when we are alone and quiet that obtrusive questions confront us, invoking us to listen and contemplate. And when we fail to answer gracefully, that is when the loudest and most self-destructive parts of ourselves will answer for us. The parts that are so keen in stripping our humanity from us.
After my last day in Kyoto, I packed all my things once again, and went over to my final destination, Osaka. I had only one night there. And it was an abrupt return to bustling crowds in the metropolitan. Existential silences were replaced with the sounds of humanity again. But as I walked through Dotonbori on a Friday night eating lots of warm, delicious takoyaki and skewers of Kobe beef, that feeling still returned. I knew I was unwell. And trivialities started to begrudge me and I could tell that it was time. And there would be no escaping it.
I took a taxi back to my hotel and I laid in my bed earlier than expected that night. And everything finally spilled. I cried and I cried and I cried. I was finally listening and it hurt doing so.
This solo trip was supposed to help me escape my problems, but it didn’t. When I brought myself here, I brought everything, and that included problems I wish I could have left behind. And amidst my issues, I questioned myself and my place in the world, even my very reasons for existing during times I felt like I had nobody. And albeit having wonderful moments with people throughout my trip, even strangers who treated me with grace and hospitality, that feeling still lingered and it was revealing a deeper issue. An issue not with whether I was in Japan or back home. Or whether I had people around me or I was alone. It was a deeper issue with myself.
But the silence that comes after the storm is just as serene as the silence that precedes. The older I get, the more I begin to have a respect for emotions and their function. They must be felt and I don’t think they are there to harm or sabotage us, although it might seem like it. It is a need to be heard not by others, but by ourselves. Listening to our own cries for help is scary and uncomfortable, but the silence that follows is like an aged temple still standing after centuries of cyclical adversity. Like the calm flow of water down a rill. Like the soft swaying of trees.
My 10-day solo trip was coming to an end. It was coming time to go home. I spent my last day in Tokyo walking Yoyogi Park. The sky was a clear melancholy overhead scattered, naked trees around the park. I saw couples sitting together, friends circled on picnic blankets, and some reading a book by themselves. Humanity felt beautiful that day and I was grateful to be a part of it, one last time. I packed my things once more before taking my flight back home the next day.
I love Japan and I am grateful it carved a space for me to experience all that I did. This trip will forever hold a special place in my heart. But it was not an epiphany, as much as I wished it was. I did not return home as an entirely new person with newfound happiness or certainty. I returned with the same issues I left with, the same, flawed self that was proof of what it meant to be human this whole time. Only with new experiences. And I don’t think that will change.
My humanity lives in my constant struggle of self-preservation, as I continue to unravel and understand myself as I experience, feel, and change. And perhaps that is enough purpose for my own existence, to strive for those moments of silence, where I will continue to stand resolutely in my own imperfection, alone or not.

TW: mentions of suicide, self harm, brief mentions of physical, mental and child abuse along with a few other things that might trigger people.
I, (13-15 female) have a small group of friends. (All around 13-15, mainly female) But there has been some major drama in our friend group and I need advice on what to do.
I've had this friend who we'll call Sam. Sam and I have know each other since we were around 6 yrs old. We met in YeaPrimary 2. (For all the people not from the UK, that would be 1st grade)
We have known each other from then all the way until now. But this is when the drama starts.
For context, My group of friends has 4 people in it. (Including me) and one of these friends, who I'll call Rich, wanted to meet sam. But since Rich lives at least 4 hours away from us, I decided to set up an online game for us to play and for Sam and Rich to get to know each other and ask each other questions.
Sometime into the game I get a private message from Sam.
That's when Sam told me she had a crush on Rich. (We were less then 10 minutes into the game aka less then 10 minutes knowing each other) And she asked if she should tell him. I was (mostly) happy for my friend as she hasnt dated for a few years and told her to shoot her shot. And turns out, Rich liked Sam back. So they started dating.
BTW, Sam had just ghosted someone she dated online and did role-plays with, a few days before this happened. (Keep this in mind)
So some background, our entire group of friends play online role-playing games (In a private server) since we all like being able to make role-plays and storylines, except Sam. (She can be really picky)
This is how Sam and Rich basically went on dates. They also invited me to join them sometimes so they had someone else to play the "extra characters" in their role-plays. Their role-plays mostly consisted of guy x guy, mafia bosses and the typical cringe gacha storylines from 2018. I hated the 'maifa guy buys a slave' type tropes they did but I did it with them anyway because Sam always ended up getting mad and ignoring me if I said no or suggested something different.
This whole role-playing thing went on for a few months. That's when I saw Sam online with Mike. (Mike is the name of the person Sam dated online before Rich, I was friends with Mike and still was at the time despite their break up) I decided to join them and see what they were doing on a server together. (Sam had told me and Rich several times that she hated Mike and she always said he was a "alpha bad boy wannbe")
Once I joined I looked in the chat I saw a bunch of messages like Kisses softly (From Mike) and "You're sexy~" (From Sam) I was extremely confused and decided to ask Sam about this later when she wasn't on the server. She said something along the lines of "I was joking around, I never actually broke up with Mike 🤣".
So I was extremely confused and asked Rich if he knew about this.
That's where it all went to shit afterwards. (Don't worry, it gets worse)
To give a short rundown since this post is already long, Sam was cheating on Mike with Rich while also cheating on Rich with Mike as they both though that Sam dated them and had blocked the other person. When Rich 1st confronted her she said they were in a polyamous relationship. (They were not) This kept happening until eventually Mike blocked everyone (Except me) and really didn't talk to any of us. (Or so I thought.)
I always thought that Rich and Sam shouldn't be dating but I stayed out of it because Sam is the only friend I can really talk to and hang out with, without feeling anxious.
Then I found out that Sam was cheating on Rich AGAIN with a girl from her class called Jaime. Then she cheated AGAIN with a girl from my class who I'll call Autumn.
So not only did Sam cheat on Rich with 3 different people. She did it SEVERAL TIMES WITH THOSE PEOPLE.
I eventually distanced myself from the group as a whole. (I also was in hospital which helped me to ignore all of the drama as I was recovering from surgery)
That's when I found a message in the group chat. (The group chat had me, Sam, Jaime and one of Sam's friends in it as well) The message said "Imagine if Rich knew about you dating me and Autumn 🤣💀" from Jaime.
I told Rich literally everything including screenshots and evidence I had. He didn't believe me until he asked Sam which to that she laughed about it and told him that her adhd made her do bad things. Rich then went into a major depressive episode and he wouldn't respond at all to anyone.
Rich even cut himself and attempted suicide. (He has home issues and several mental illnesses, which Sam knew of) Thankfully he survived.
But here's the thing, Sam and Rich GOT BACK TOGETHER AFTER WHAT HAPPENED.
I was absolutely fucking horrified by this as it seemed to be a severely toxic and maybe even abusive relationship (Psychologically) since Rich had Bipolar and Sam used to blame him for acting weird and blamed him for her cheating.
Here's where I think I became the asshole.
I made a throwaway account and took screenshots of everything and sent them to Jaime, Autumn, Rich, our group of friends and basically everyone who knew of the drama. Which included most of the school. (And even random people from other school that knew some of the gossip)
Then it got revealed that Sam had ONLINE SEX WITH MIKE AND RICH WHILE SAM WAS DATING BOTH OF THEM AND AFTER MIKE SUPPOSEDLY BLOCKED HER!!
And then it turns out that Sam, who is bisexual, called Richs gay BFF( I'll call him Matt) a gay bastard and the F-slur. TWICE.
Ans then it turns out, after Sam had cheated on Rich the first or second time, Rich started DATING MATT AND THEY ONLY BROKE UP BECAUSE RICH FELT GUILTY.
Then Sam and Rich got into a massive fight which lead to Rich attempting suicide again. Sam said, and i quote, "womp womp🙄" when told about Richs second sucide attempt and also then Rich told her that his cat had died.
They then broke up and he blocked her on everything.
I felt horrible. I felt like I shouldn't of told everyone what Sam did and I shouldn't of put myself into their relationship..
I felt really depressed and guilty and I thought (and still do) that it was all my fault..
I honestly think I'm the asshole and I shouldn't of done anything considering I don't have any dating experience at all and I don't have any of the disorders Sam or Rich has...
But I've always been told to get a second opinion on everything so I wanted to ask Reddit. (Not the most logical way to do it but I'm desperate af)
So Reddit, AITAH?
I'm sorry if the spelling or wording is off, I'm writing this at 3:13 am and I have school at 8:30. But I am desperate to hear someone else's opinion on this as I feel i am going insane. I'll try and answer any questions as best as I can.
(Ps. Sam has dyslexia and supposedly has adhd as well which she uses as an excuse for why she cheated and blamed Rich. She also used the excuse that her home life is terrible. Which it is. Rich has autism, adhd, bipolar, lack of awareness and is physically and metally abused by his parents. And before I forget, my mother was walking home from work one night and saw Sam HITTING her MOTHER with a stick and laughing about it)
I will honestly appreciate ANY help or opinion given on my situation..

Throw away account. But I’m nervous. I just filed my first ever Medical Board Complaint against a doctor. I know the Medical Board won’t really do much. My understanding of the MB is they are more of a headache and hassle and rarely reprimand. But still I’m nervous. Cause do doctors not like MB complaints? Or do you not really mind them?
Basically what happened is I went to the ED for concerns of Serotonin Toxicity. Or Serotonin Syndrome (SS). I was taking vyvanse and just started prozac. And more recently just upped my prozac dose. Upon upping my dose, I began shaking, sweating, no appetite, didn’t sleep for 3 days, was having moments of disorientation and confusion. Spouse also said my pupils were dilated. As the days went on my shaking got worse. My muscles, specifically my legs hurt so badly. I wanted to sleep. But I couldn’t physically stop shaking to sleep. And by day 2, my eyes were shaking side to side as well. My prescribing doc had told me about SS. She said “you won’t have to guess if you’re experiencing SS cause it will truly be so awful, you won’t have to wonder. Before going to the ED I looked up SS on UpToDate to make sure I wasn’t being over dramatic, that it wasn’t something I could handle at home, and just make sure my symptoms even remotely matched up. And they did. So I was like well heck let me go rule it out at least cause I’m just getting worse as time goes on and the longer I take this new upped prozac dose.
In the ED my bp was 160/105, heart rate was 160’s. I told them I had concerns for SS because of the meds I take and how I just upped my Prozac dose. My symptoms. Etc. keep in mind. I’m trembling and jerking uncontrollably for 3 days now, haven’t slept in 3 days either. It was horrible. Doctor comes in, I reiterate everything to him ( as quickly as I can bc my teeth are chattering from my shakes) They do a full work up. CBC, CMP, TNT5, Urinalysis, chest xray, ECG. He listens to my heart and lung’s anteriorly for 5 seconds.
While I’m waiting for my results. The staff is outside my door talking incredibly loud. They are talking about a deceased pt a few rooms beside me. The pt name, dob, MRN, what they received as care, the patients ailments, etc. literally everything about this pt. And how we happened to have the same doctor that night (there was multiple dr in the ED that night, we just happened to share one). I thought to myself “Gosh that’s so awful. When the doctor comes in here, if he seems off or sad, I need to give him some grace because that must be really hard”
So the doctor comes in. And tell me looks like all my labwork is good, that I should just go home and get some rest and that I have 30 protein and 70 ketones in my urine so I should also drink water and eat something. I told him again, I would love to rest, but I have slept in 3 days and I can’t sleep bc of my symptoms. He then prescribes me a sleep aid and immediately walks out of the room. I was confused because he never once mentioned the SS concern? Like ever at all? Just said my labs looked good.
So the nurse comes in with my discharge paperwork. And I asked her if the doctor remembered which pt and concerns I was having. Bc I understood it was a busy night for them and mix ups can happen. But my concern for SS wasn’t mentioned. She said he definitely remembered me. That he just doesn’t know the reason for my shaking or my other symptoms and my labs look fine. I told her that’s reassuring my labs are fine but there’s not SS labs so how are we sure we’ve ruled SS out? She rolls her eyes and huffs and leaves. She comes back with the dr and he rips open my ED room curtain and punches the light on. And he goes “Look Kid. You’re going home! You’re not in any emergency whatsoever!!” I said “no that’s fine. I just want to make sure we’ve ruled SS out as..” and he cuts me off and says “Look. You’ve had a FULL work up. Your labs are fine. You being here right now isn’t going to get you the answers you want” I said “No I understand my labs are fine, but there’s no such thing as Serotonin Syndrome labs, it’s an exclusion dx so how are we sure we’ve ruled it out?” And he goes “You know what. Let’s have psychiatry come take a look at you and do a psych eval for you. But. How about this? I’ll be nice about it. You can do it inpatient tonight, or outpatient since you’re leaving. Your choice” I was absolutely appalled by this intimidation tactic. But I could see it for what it was. He was probably emotional over the other pt’s death. Or was on a power trip and hated me having questions. Or both. So I said “I’ll do it outpatient. Thanks” and I begin taking my monitors off so I can go on home. As I’m taking my monitors off he goes “Nope. Stop. Something doesn’t seem right about you. Are you safe at home? You seem really emotional and off” just to give him something to get off my back I said “I’m good. Just about to get my period I guess” and he goes “Mm makes sense. Well sounds good kid!!” And leaves.
I complained to the hospital about it. And told them about me hearing everything about the deceased pt. Literally repeated back to them this pt name, DOB, MRN, care, etc. Cause I thought that would be a Hipaa violation? But they said they found no wrong doings and that they are satisfied with the care and “psychiatric evaluation offer” I was “offered”. Which I get they have to stand by their employees. But I guess we’ll see what the medical board has to say. What I think is incredibly interesting is that according to the hospital they addressed my SS concerns during my ED visit. So this would now mean that SS can now be diagnosed via labwork and heart and lung sounds. And no longer being on one serotonin drug AND one Hunter Criteria. Never mind the fact I was on 2 serotonin drugs and had more than one hunter criteria. And the fact that UpToDate says “there are no labs to indicate serotonin syndrome” this is now a medical catalyst!!! A complete 180 has been found by this doctor and hospital. Truly a break through. But regardless, I hope this inspires him to stop treating patients that way. Do doctors not enjoy MB complaints? Or are they no biggie?
So I don’t get deleted-
Age 33
Sex female
Height 5’6
Weight 120lb
Race mixed
Duration of complaint 3 days
Location USA
Any existing relevant medical issues NA
Current medications prozac, vyvanse

Hi all, I'm going to take the leap and start applying but have a few questions. I know I'll be eligible for a work permit under CUSMA (formerly NAFTA). Do I indicate that somewhere on my resume and/or cover letter? What about being LMIA exempt? Advice on specific wording would be really appreciated, such as "I am eligible under CUSMA and LMIA-exempt" if that's the correct way to phrase it.
Also any advice on what cities or provinces really need social workers? So far, I've seen Manitoba (Winnipeg) advertising full time social workers, but a lot of postings I see for Vancouver or Toronto seem to be temporary for maternity leave, or part time. I have experience in hospital and renal. I really don't want to do child or adult welfare, or psych. I'd be really interested in outpatient community referral/resource linkage if that's a thing. But need at least $60k I'd guess so I'm not sure how those specialties pay.
Also, I am guessing I can indicate I'll get the provincial registration/license after a job offer, but will employers really require me to have it first before applying?
Anything else I'm not thinking of? The logistics are intimidating to me, even if I get a job offer, since I'd need to move myself, husband, 2 small kids, and 3 pets, and we'd be coming from halfway around the world (temporarily living overseas).
Thanks in advance!

Hello fellow members, Hope you're in good health and spirits.
Kindly need your valuable guidance and insight on my mother's application for Canadian Super Visa.
Information:

1. Inviting and applying for mother ONLY.
2. Mother's Age: 53 Years.
3. Mother's Status: Married since 1990.
4. Mother's Occupation: Housewife.
5. Mother's Travel History: UAE ONLY (January 2024).

Supporting Documents:

1. Proof of Relationship.
2. Proof of Canadian Citizenship.
3. Proof of Income (80K CAD) - NOA.
4. Paystubs of last 6 months.
5. Employment Letter (100K+ CAD).
6. Invitation Letter promising financial support.
7. Mother's Health Insurance.
8. Mother's Upfront Medical Test.
9. Mother's Bank Statement (6K CAD).
10. Mother's Police Certificate.

I am intending for her to visit me for one year, at least.
As I am unclear, what do you suggest I should write for the following question?
"Tell us more about what you'll do in Canada. Include dates."
I am intending to write that she will be travelling with me during my holidays throughout the year. Visiting tourist attractions and exploring different cities of Canada whilst taking care of her. I want her to meet my girlfriend also and spend time with her that I am planning to marry soon.
Is that a good response?
Also, please suggest or share your experience on how can I prove her strong ties with home country. She has no assets or properties. Just a living husband and a married daughter who got married recently.
I want to ensure that my responses are the safest with minimal chances of rejection; adhering to the requirements of Super Visa.
Thank you so much!

A Silence Abroad
It was on my first night in Japan that I forgot I was alone. Tokyo’s Shinjuku district greeted me with bright neon lights illuminating flocks of tourists walking shops, arcades, and food stands. And somehow, I was a very small part of it, all by myself on the other side of the world. (Maybe with the occasional tout trying to follow me around.)
Solitude is a vulnerable state, and consequently, a compromise. You seize the moment for yourself, and the space is only yours to fill, but intrusive thoughts will covertly slip through and permeate like a disease. Underneath all the lights, humanity surrounded me, enjoying a drink with friends or snapshotting a moment with family. All these people congregated here from around the world, and in spite of their differences, companionship was what they all shared together. The streets filled with the sounds of their life.
But when you feel alone, the mind tricks you into believing that you are not part of it. And you become a silent spectator, watching the phenomenon that is humanity being orchestrated in front of you. It’s a hollow feeling.
And after not speaking and hearing the sound of your own voice for a while, it becomes replaced by a solemn tone whispering empty thoughts. I tried not to listen.
Nevertheless, Tokyo was beautiful (Senso-ji temple was stunning and my favorite Japanese dessert is now age manju). One night, I even went to a Japanese hip-hop show in Shibuya and it was a wonderful experience. Getting to watch such extremely talented artists so passionate about their craft inspired me and pulled me away from ruminating loneliness for some time. I met one of the performing artists after the show and told him how much I loved his verse (despite not understanding it) and we hugged and he cried. He thanked me over and over until he started apologizing for thanking me so much. It was a special moment and I will always remember his humility. (His band is KOMOREBI - check them out!).
I also went out with some other travelers that night, trying okonomiyaki in Setagaya for the first time (it was mouthful bliss) and then went out to a punk rock concert, and a night club. I wasn’t a huge fan of the clubbing, but the company was refreshing. And like all good things, it was fleeting, and I bid my farewell to everyone that night.
I packed my things, and took a bullet train to my next stop, Kyoto. I was anticipating it, as the train zoomed south with Mount Fuji in surreal, passing view. Looking out the window, seeing my own transparent reflection, I took a breath. The train was moving at around 300 km/hour, but everything felt still and quiet. Even the parts of me that wanted to cry.
Kyoto was rich with temples and vestiges of a long, cherished history. I visited the Kyoto National Museum where I saw sculptured deities with venerable auras, parables scripted in decayed scrolls, and art that embodied Buddhist principles. I saw elevated temples monumental and grand, and others more modest and reserved. But they all stood resolutely, bearing the resilience of time and constant revival. They have felt nature’s desecration during arson and natural disasters, but throughout history, the Japanese have rebuilt and renovated them. And somehow, after enduring all this, as long as time has persisted, here they stood before me, as a testament to strength and preservation.
The long-lasting principles of Buddhism and the culture that were so deeply rooted in this country’s history must continue to live on through the structures that stood before me. Purpose is enough to withstand the cruelty of time’s passage. And the cycle of destruction and restoration that traced centuries was felt in the emanating silence only occupied by the sounds of water trickling down a rill or the occasional soft, swaying of trees. I like to think that ancient silence had touched my existence in those moments and advised me to listen.
Solitude is painful because the empty space that comes with it is congregated by the deeper parts of ourselves that seek to dwell on the purpose of our existence. It is when we are alone and quiet that obtrusive questions confront us, invoking us to listen and contemplate. And when we fail to answer gracefully, that is when the loudest and most self-destructive parts of ourselves will answer for us. The parts that are so keen in stripping our humanity from us.
After my last day in Kyoto, I packed all my things once again, and went over to my final destination, Osaka. I had only one night there. And it was an abrupt return to bustling crowds in the metropolitan. Existential silences were replaced with the sounds of humanity again. But as I walked through Dotonbori on a Friday night eating lots of warm, delicious takoyaki and skewers of Kobe beef, that feeling still returned. I knew I was unwell. And trivialities started to begrudge me and I could tell that it was time. And there would be no escaping it.
I took a taxi back to my hotel and I laid in my bed earlier than expected that night. And everything finally spilled. I cried and I cried and I cried. I was finally listening and it hurt doing so.
This solo trip was supposed to help me escape my problems, but it didn’t. When I brought myself here, I brought everything, and that included problems I wish I could have left behind. And amidst my issues, I questioned myself and my place in the world, even my very reasons for existing during times I felt like I had nobody. And albeit having wonderful moments with people throughout my trip, even strangers who treated me with grace and hospitality, that feeling still lingered and it was revealing a deeper issue. An issue not with whether I was in Japan or back home. Or whether I had people around me or I was alone. It was a deeper issue with myself.
But the silence that comes after the storm is just as serene as the silence that precedes. The older I get, the more I begin to have a respect for emotions and their function. They must be felt and I don’t think they are there to harm or sabotage us, although it might seem like it. It is a need to be heard not by others, but by ourselves. Listening to our own cries for help is scary and uncomfortable, but the silence that follows is like an aged temple still standing after centuries of cyclical adversity. Like the calm flow of water down a rill. Like the soft swaying of trees.
My 10-day solo trip was coming to an end. It was coming time to go home. I spent my last day in Tokyo walking Yoyogi Park. The sky was a clear melancholy overhead scattered, naked trees around the park. I saw couples sitting together, friends circled on picnic blankets, and some reading a book by themselves. Humanity felt beautiful that day and I was grateful to be a part of it, one last time. I packed my things once more before taking my flight back home the next day.
I love Japan and I am grateful it carved a space for me to experience all that I did. This trip will forever hold a special place in my heart. But it was not an epiphany, as much as I wished it was. I did not return home as an entirely new person with newfound happiness or certainty. I returned with the same issues I left with, the same, flawed self that was proof of what it meant to be human this whole time. Only with new experiences. And I don’t think that will change.
My humanity lives in my constant struggle of self-preservation, as I continue to unravel and understand myself as I experience, feel, and change. And perhaps that is enough purpose for my own existence, to strive for those moments of silence, where I will continue to stand resolutely in my own imperfection, alone or not.
https://open.substack.com/pub/tazwarf/p/a-silence-abroad?r=33upu9&utm_medium=ios
Link to my feedback comment: https://www.reddit.com/DestructiveReaders/comments/1cil5io/comment/l3xyw2a/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

Subject: Request for Financial Support for Accessible Beekeeping Grant
I hope this letter finds you well. I am writing to express my gratitude for your dedication to the beekeeping community and to present an opportunity for your support.
My name is Justin Ruger, and I am the founder of Accessible Beekeeping, a registered 501c3 non-profit organization (EIN: 88-1338522). Our mission at Accessible Beekeeping is to provide training and resources for beekeepers with limitations, enabling them to participate in this vital agricultural enterprise.
Recently, Accessible Beekeeping was awarded a Sustainable Agricultural Research and Education (SARE) Professional Development reimbursement grant, set to commence on July 1, 2024. This grant aims to train agricultural professionals to assist consumers in adopting accessible beekeeping practices. Through our initiative, we will educate participants on various hive systems, practices, and tools to make beekeeping more inclusive.
The reimbursement grant model requires our non-profit to cover expenses upfront, with reimbursement provided by the USDA and SARE upon submission of eligible expenses. To facilitate this project, we are seeking financial support through donations.
Further information about the grant and our project can be found at the following links:

• Grant Details: https://projects.sare.org/sare_project/spdp24-031/
  
• Interview with SARE: https://southern.sare.org/news/ag-professionals-receiving-training-on-accessible-beekeeping-through-sare-grant/
  

Your support will not only contribute to the success of our project but also help us expand our reach beyond the SARE Southern Region to benefit beekeepers across the United States.
If you are inclined to support our cause with a tax-deductible donation, you may do so through our website: https://www.accessiblebeekeeping.org/donations.
Thank you for considering our request. Your generosity will make a meaningful difference in advancing accessible beekeeping practices and fostering inclusivity within the beekeeping community.
Warm regards,
Justin Ruger
Founder, Accessible Beekeeping
[jruger@accessiblebeekeeping.org](mailto:jruger@accessiblebeekeeping.org)

These all interest me, but I wanted the communities thoughts on what sounds most fun to them, help fleshing the character out, and what would be easy to roleplay. (Sometimes I have an interesting idea, but actually roleplaying it and showing the personality is harder). I’m still newish to actually playing. I’m playing with 6 total players (oof) and i dont know them well. I haven't really received any info about the campaign yet. If your first session starts in 3 days, don’t read this!!
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Character 1: Stitch
Class: Moon Druid
Race: Changeling
The character is pretty much Stitch. The idea is to have another character already have a relationship with mine, having just picked me up and thinking im a dog. And he’ll only say a few words at first, but will progressively get better at speaking. This characters bites his toes and rolls around to move around, will be chewing on his own hand, and gain a strong sense of family. He also will be able to change into other characters like, a butler he saw once, who will use vocab like stitch, but talk formally. His moon druid shapes will have the same blue aberration coloring as him.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Character 2: Fire Girl
Class: Wildfire druid
Race: Idk
This character is inspired by Megumin from Konosuba (She shouts “explosion!” and constantly wants to fireball everything, and then falls asleep). I see her holding hands with her pet fire spirit. Wanting to burn everything. Maybe the fire spirit can be like calcifer and talks. And maybe has a “before creation there must be destruction” them going on.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Character 3A: Prodigy Chronurgist girl
Class: Chronurgist Wizard
Race: Harengon
A 12 year old sassy prodigy girl who is shaping the fields of chronurgy magic. Uses Gen Z language. Thinks shes smartebetter than everyone, besides some of the people she looks up to at the academy. “Ugh whatever”. Shes adventuring because she needs field experience for her internship.
Hides her bunny ears under a red hood (like red riding hood, shes kind of fairy tale coded (like alice and the white rabbit too)) because harengons are not a respected race for magic and shes embarrassed.
Her parents are literally two rabbits.
Alternative personality is that shes super hyper and brimming with energy, goes crazy if she gets any sugar.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Character 3B: Old Grandma Chronurgist Wizard
Class: Chronurgist Wizard
Race: Harengon
Or, as opposed to the prodigy girl, this character is an old grandma harengon who’s still got it. She has kids that are rabbits. Jumps around. “When you get to be this old you understand time differently”. Maybe she accidentally ventured into the fey wild as a kid. Dated a fairy prince once. Has a lot of wild stories your grandma sometimes drops on you.
I love this idea, but idk i might get tired of roleplaying an old person at some point
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Character 4: Demon forced to be good
Class: Creation Bard
Race: Tiefling? Fallen Aasamir? Undecided
This character is some powerful old demon lord who is being punished for some reason, and that punishment is stripping him of his powers and forcing him to do good on earth. Maybe he just has to do more good than evil. But he hates that and wants to be evil so bad, but this is the reason he wont… usually. (Im aware of the problems of playing an evil character, or being antagonistic, so this reason should keep him in check i think!) Being good slowly brings his powers back, and he might just learn to not be so evil.
The creation ability is (like gilgamesh from fate) that he obtained so many things over the years, that he can just summon those items from his vault in hell.
He has a purr in his voice.
Bardic inspiration could be flavored as “i suppose i’ll lend you a fraction of my power” snaps
Or “here ill help you” *snaps* “there! Good deed done”
Dramatic character.
Thanks for reading!

These all interest me, but I wanted the communities thoughts on what sounds most fun to them, help fleshing the character out, and what would be easy to roleplay. (Sometimes I have an interesting idea, but actually roleplaying it and showing the personality is harder). I’m still newish to actually playing. I’m playing with 6 total players (oof) and i dont know them well. I haven't really received any info about the campaign yet. If your first session starts in 3 days, don’t read this!!
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Character 1: Stitch
Class: Moon Druid
Race: Changeling
The character is pretty much Stitch. The idea is to have another character already have a relationship with mine, having just picked me up and thinking im a dog. And he’ll only say a few words at first, but will progressively get better at speaking. This characters bites his toes and rolls around to move around, will be chewing on his own hand, and gain a strong sense of family. He also will be able to change into other characters like, a butler he saw once, who will use vocab like stitch, but talk formally. His moon druid shapes will have the same blue aberration coloring as him.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Character 2: Fire Girl
Class: Wildfire druid
Race: Idk
This character is inspired by Megumin from Konosuba (She shouts “explosion!” and constantly wants to fireball everything, and then falls asleep). I see her holding hands with her pet fire spirit. Wanting to burn everything. Maybe the fire spirit can be like calcifer and talks. And maybe has a “before creation there must be destruction” them going on.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Character 3A: Prodigy Chronurgist girl
Class: Chronurgist Wizard
Race: Harengon
A 12 year old sassy prodigy girl who is shaping the fields of chronurgy magic. Uses Gen Z language. Thinks shes smartebetter than everyone, besides some of the people she looks up to at the academy. “Ugh whatever”. Shes adventuring because she needs field experience for her internship.
Hides her bunny ears under a red hood (like red riding hood, shes kind of fairy tale coded (like alice and the white rabbit too)) because harengons are not a respected race for magic and shes embarrassed.
Her parents are literally two rabbits.
Alternative personality is that shes super hyper and brimming with energy, goes crazy if she gets any sugar.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Character 3B: Old Grandma Chronurgist Wizard
Class: Chronurgist Wizard
Race: Harengon
Or, as opposed to the prodigy girl, this character is an old grandma harengon who’s still got it. She has kids that are rabbits. Jumps around. “When you get to be this old you understand time differently”. Maybe she accidentally ventured into the fey wild as a kid. Dated a fairy prince once. Has a lot of wild stories your grandma sometimes drops on you.
I love this idea, but idk i might get tired of roleplaying an old person at some point
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Character 4: Demon forced to be good
Class: Creation Bard
Race: Tiefling? Fallen Aasamir? Undecided
This character is some powerful old demon lord who is being punished for some reason, and that punishment is stripping him of his powers and forcing him to do good on earth. Maybe he just has to do more good than evil. But he hates that and wants to be evil so bad, but this is the reason he wont… usually. (Im aware of the problems of playing an evil character, or being antagonistic, so this reason should keep him in check i think!) Being good slowly brings his powers back, and he might just learn to not be so evil.
The creation ability is (like gilgamesh from fate) that he obtained so many things over the years, that he can just summon those items from his vault in hell.
He has a purr in his voice.
Bardic inspiration could be flavored as “i suppose i’ll lend you a fraction of my power” snaps
Or “here ill help you” *snaps* “there! Good deed done”
Dramatic character.
Thanks for reading!