hey! i'm an industrial designer who recently graduated with a BFA from Rhode Island School of Design; i've been interested in biomedical engineering since high school, and am looking into programs where i can pursue a career in the engineering/design field. LEAP is the only program i've been able to find that prepares non-engineers for an engineering master's. i've heard mixed reviews about the program, but i would really like to talk with any current/former students in the program about their experiences. i'm happt to have a convo in this thread, DMs, or elsewhere, whatever is most convenient. thank y'all :-)

Hi!
I am having questions whether i should try to get US citizenship. I am wondering if I have covered all aspects before making a big decision.
About me:

1. Korean
2. Parents are in Korea
3. High income job
4. Living in the states for 8 years
5. GC holder for 7 years
6. No crime history
7. Late 20s

Things to think about: - tax implication - immigration status / possibilities for my family - travels - voting rights
Have I missed anything? I’d appreciate input if someone went thru something similar.
Pros - my husband’s greencard will be expedited (I-130 approved, I-485 dependent on visa availability. Applied in 2023.) - if I get into shit while traveling, US can pull me out of it - can vote in US - shorter processing time if Trump gets elected
Neutral - my husband has work and travel authorization - No urgent need for obtaining a greencard. - both US and Korea passports are strong - could invite my family to get GC. Although my mom has GC, so she can probably invite my dad if needed - jury duty - not much visa complication (from US and korea) if i wanted to live in korea long term
Cons - give up korean passport, citizenship, voting rights, etc - pay double taxes if we earn more than the limit outside of US (likely) - easier travel to more places with south korea passport - harder access to invest outside of US

Me (29F) and my husband (29M) have been together since we were 14 years old, married for 5 years. We have both only ever been in a serious relationship with each other and have no other sexual experience outside of our relationship either. We have two kids together, ages 4 and 2. Our relationship has been rocky for years but having kids felt like the nail in the coffin.
We both fell into a rut of parenthood and acting like roommates. We both had mental health issues that weren't being treated or regulated and ended up treating each other like shit. We're both medicated now, and doing the best we ever have been PERSONALLY, but we're still struggling to feel that connection between us. My husband has said he's pretty much ready to be done as he feels like I won't ever be able to really give him love in the way he needs it. I am so hesitant to give up on my marriage but feel so lost and unsure of how to move forward.
Part of me feels like I'm hanging onto the familiarity of our relationship because I literally don't know what my life is like without him and I'm terrified. But I also think of the fact that I didn't ever get to experience dating or even just getting to know people, and part of me feels like I'm missing out. I'm so scared of making the wrong decision though.
Has anyone else left a marriage with a high school sweetheart/someone you'd been with since a really young age? How did you know when you couldn't do it anymore?
I will always love my husband but I think we might have outgrown each other. We aren't the same kids we were when we fell in love 🥺

Hi everyone, I am a philosophy PhD looking to transition to high school teaching. I have a BA in comparative lit and three years of teaching experience in higher Ed, but that experience is teaching philosophy. Does anyone here know if NYSED would consider philosophy close enough to English Language Arts to approve the certificate? Another question is, how does one go about getting the recommendation from a school?

Im curious as to what is better between the two? I heard at one community college i reached out to that it was competitive to get into. The trade school doesn’t require anything but it looks like the tuition overall for a 2 year program is 30,000 . Is that too much ? i haven’t heard back from another community college . They will be having a zoom meeting on the 22nd. I wanted to meet with someone one on one but i’m assuming i can’t do that. Also with the other school it looks like your highschool GPA had to be 3.5 + to get accepted . I graduated from high school 6 years ago, i didn’t apply myself on how i do know. Because i just thought i would be doing trades my whole life, but now i came to the realization i wanted to switch it up.
What should i do ? im 25 now i dont want to waste anytime

So today it happened and we technically live together. I leave back to my place in August as plan was someone take over my spot so i could save for my car at his. Only thing I pay for is wifi and transportation if he's working. I was supposed to come back in Nov when lease ends but highly doubt we will be back together. He's more forgiving when he's horny so I know he'll want to be friends but conditional because I help him with his daughter as a single dad (the ex passed away n no relationship with his relatives). Anyways, I feel like when he's mad its not really about the thing we are discussing and that's the annoying part but i cant not talk to him lol.
We broke up today as his insecurities got the best of him. I apologized for not answering his calls as my phone has issues and i forgot to turn it back on and slept. He thinks i brought someone by the house....or left to be with that person. I said i can show him proof from friends messages telling her i didnt get any of her calls or texts as well but he's convinced! Told him I'll sleep in daughter's room or the couch and will take time away from the house doing hobbies with friends or visit my mom every other week (i cant stay with her). I have 3 months here I just want to be cordial and not get on each others nerves. It hurt and i cried but I think of the bad times and want to be clear headed when school starts so it's for the best. Plus my celibacy journey can begin.

Schulich Builders Scholarship Are you planning on entering into a skilled trades program in the fall of 2024? You could be eligible for one of ten Schulich Builders Scholarships valued at up to $40,000 ($20,000 per academic year), supporting the costs of tuition, living expenses and tools. Scholarships are awarded to students enrolling in full-time, certificate and diploma programs within eligible skilled trade fields.Learn more at https://www.fanshawec.ca/schulichbuilders and be sure to apply by May 31, 2024
The Joyce Family Foundation Bursary Starting at Fanshawe this fall? You may be eligible or the Joyce Family Foundation Bursary. This bursary is available to students enrolled full-time in the first year of any post-secondary program at Fanshawe. To be eligible students must be a Canadian Citizen, Permanent Resident or Protected Person/Refugee and meet Ontario residency requirements, have graduated from an Ontario high school within the last three years and be able to demonstrate financial need.Learn more and apply by Friday, May 31 at: https://bursaries.fanshawec.ca/Details.aspx?OfferingId=1029
Canerector Scholars Program The Canerector Scholars Program is available to students enrolled in eligible skilled trade programs with an interest in leadership. Scholars may receive an initial $1,000 tuition payment, as well as a $1,000 tuition payment per academic term for the duration of their program (up to $7,000). $100,000 is available to be allocated annually to scholars. Applicants must be a Canadian Citizen, permanent resident or protected person/refugee; be enrolling in a full time, first year, eligible skilled trade program starting in fall 2024. To keep the scholarship, recipients must maintain a 3.0 GPA and demonstrate participation in a mentorship activity throughout every level of their program. https://fanshawec.ca/canerector
WSIB Scholars Program Announcing the WSIB Scholars program available to Canadian students (incl. PPP/R) in eligible business, information technology or nursing programs who have an interest in leadership. Two year diplomas and three year advanced diplomas are eligible for $2,500 (renewable each term), while four year degrees are eligible for $5,000 (renewable each term).Apply by Friday, May 31 www.fanshawec.ca/wsib_scholars
One more to be announced soon - also due May 31! Watch for updates.
Fanshawe Entrance Bursary - deadline June 30 for Fall 2024 Starting at Fanshawe this year? You may be eligible for funding up to $2000 and considered for other entrance opportunities. Learn more about Fanshawe's Entrance Bursary: https://bursaries.fanshawec.ca/Details.aspx?OfferingId=970Starting in fall?

At the age of 42, I am practically a dinosaur. I first learned Excel in my required "Computer Applications" class in high school, which I took in 1999-2000. I have used Excel a fair amount in every job I've had in the last 20 years. The fundamental concepts are not an issue at all.
However, I feel like I'm falling behind. There are so many things that I don't know, but would like to learn. For example, I keep seeing ads on social media for things like, taking a column of people's first and last names, and being able to separate the first and last names into different columns with only a few clicks. I had no idea you could do that.
Is there such a thing as courses/training for "Excel Updates in the Last 10 Years"? Because that's what I really need. Something that skips over core concepts and fundamentals, and teaches key features/options that have been added recently.
Or does anyone have any other ideas? The only other option I can think of is to take some online courses - starting at beginner and working my way up. Unfortunately, I hate this option. I have ADHD, and online courses are incredibly difficult for me to begin with. If I have to sit through lessons on things I've been doing for 20 years, I'll check out in the first 5 minutes. So I'm looking for any other options.
Thank you so much for any ideas or input!

The "welfare system" in the title refers to the logic of social operation in most parts of Europe, not just medical insurance and so on. Since I'm not a native English speaker, I can only give you an overview, and I hope you understand what I mean.
In most parts of Europe, society pays attention to the word "same". The most typical example is that the income of almost any profession is similar. For example, in Germany, the income of a programmer who graduated from the Technical University of Munich (a prestigious German school) is similar to that of the most ordinary employee in a factory. This phenomenon exists in most countries in Europe, including but not limited to Italy, the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, etc.
Let's see what happens in other countries? What I like most is the United States. Please let me use the United States as an example. In the United States, programmers in Silicon Valley can earn up to US$200,000, while Uber drivers in Silicon Valley may earn only US$100,000 per year. The difference between them is a full US$100,000. This is a very large income gap.
I know, people from Europe might say, isn’t our situation in Europe very good? We have more equality here.
Okay, the problem lies in the word "equality". If everyone's income is similar, then who is willing to study hard and then engage in high-tech industry? With the same income, why should I go to college? Why should I go into high-tech? Why should I be a scientist? Why not drop out of college and go straight to moving bricks on a construction site?
The income gap can effectively maintain people's motivation to learn, so American students are trying very hard to become programmers, doctors, and lawyers, instead of being like Europeans who treat learning as an insignificant thing, since their income is the same anyway.
Therefore, in the field of science and technology, Europe is falling behind more and more. I know Europe is still one of the most developed regions on earth, but how long can this remain the case? In the field of science and technology, Europe's weight is really not what it used to be. Of course I know that Europe's technology is also very advanced now, but if you consider that there are so many developed countries in Europe, their technological "level" seems a bit inadequate.
At this point, to be honest, Europe is not even as good as China. In China, factory workers earn only $1,000 a month. As for Chinese programmers, if you enter a large company such as TikTok, a monthly income of US$4,000 is the minimum. At this point, China is more like the United States. Therefore, no matter how bad China is in terms of democracy, China's scientific and technological level has indeed made great progress.
If you look around the world, you will find that countries with high levels of science and technology all have large income gaps. There are two examples in Asia, Japan and South Korea.

Here’s some context, I requested next Wednesday off more than three months in advanced as there is a high school graduation that I am supposed to go to, and I am supposed to watch the graduates child so she can graduate.
While I’m at work today, my boss tells me last second that I no longer can have next Wednesday off because he hast to go to his sons middle school graduation and he tried to tell me his son cannot graduate if his parents aren’t there as a response to me saying my person can’t walk to graduate if I am not there because I am to watch her child.
I’m very angry and I want to know if this is something he’s allowed to do, or how I should go about this situation. I do live in Colorado so please comment any links that might help me out too!

Credit to Blue for the wonderful cover art of Trilvri
Thank you to:
u/SpacePaladin15 for creating the Nature of Predators universe.
u/EdibleGojid, author of Dark Cuts, for proofreading.
EmClear, aspiring author, for proofreading
You, the reader, for your support. I love reading your comments.
Please consider reading the works of my proofreaders as they’re all authors of excellent stories and be sure to check the links below for more of my work and beautiful art from members of the community.
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Memory transcription subject: Sawvek, Junior Extermination Officer
Date [standardised human time]: October 5th, 2136
Hard foam presses uncomfortably up against delicate pressure points situated across the length of my entire body, building up to an unbearable ache that makes me shift and turn against the thin mattress pad. I yank at the rough old blanket I’d taken out of storage and clutch it even tighter around my body, trying to keep out the chill. The best racks, the ones near the heating vents, had already been claimed long before I’d decided to move into the Guild House’s Barracks and it doesn’t seem likely that the current occupants will be giving up their spots any time soon.
My mind is still racing from the events of last paw, replaying the scene over and over again in my dreams and in my head. The way my brother had looked at me… That look on his face when he’d seen the real me…
My paw gives a sympathetic throb in memory, still aching from where it had met the wall, but at least I had been able to wrap it up a bit and stop the bleeding. I feel like I should take it as a small miracle that it isn't broken. More medical bills are the last thing I need right now.
I turn about in the bunk once more, rolling around in vain to try and find a comfortable position that doesn’t seem to exist. Through a conscious act of will I try to empty my mind and sleep, but the very act of trying not to think about things only brings them bubbling back up to the surface of my thoughts. My heartbeat echoes in my ears, a damnable drumming sound brought about by the exertion of my own restless tossing and turning. Out in the hallway I can hear the muffled shuffling of feet and murmurs of conversation. The Guild Hall never sleeps, and it seems that neither would I this paw.
Electing to abandon the attempt as hopeless, I cut my rest claw short and get up, venturing out into the hallway. If I can’t sleep anyway then I might as well start my waking claw early, maybe get in a little exercise. It’s not so bad when it’s self-directed, almost fun in a way. If our family had the money to support it then maybe I could have been an athlete of some variety growing up. I had always possessed something of a natural physicality.
“Stop wasting time with worthless questions about what could have been, Killer.” The voice interjects, early and active today by the sound of it. “You’ll never amount to anything more than a wild predator kept on a leash.”
There’s nothing to do but sigh and carry on. It was right after all. This is it. This is my life now.
Making my way down the hallway towards the gym I find myself walking past a row of private offices assigned to some of the more veteran officers on staff. Most are empty at this claw, their occupants either asleep or off doing other work. One room in particular catches my attention though, the one belonging to our newest PRED Team Commander.
The door leading inside is open and ajar, seemingly forgotten in the midst of more pressing business and granting me a look inside. The entire room is a mess, papers and binders strewn about everywhere with official looking documents littering the floor. A map of the city decorates the otherwise unadorned and impersonal space. On its face it hosts a variety of multicoloured pins, all connecting seemingly arbitrary locations as well as photographs of people and places from the records department. The face of the former PRED Team Commander, Vrienna, looks out at me once again with the same cruel eyes that decorate the memorial wall. Beside her photo are another pair of eyes, a pair I recognise, but not one I would have expected to see here.
Trilvri, my brother’s creepy coworker, the one who’d brought him home the night he’d drunk himself into a stupor, stares out at me from the wall. He was younger in this photo, barely of age, if even that, and dressed in a regulation space corps flight suit, but I could still recognise him. Trilvri’s eyes appear somehow more lively than when I had met him in person, though it does nothing to improve his overall disposition, looking, as they are, as if behind them resides only hatred and a feral desire to kill and rend. Come to think of it, he had mentioned he used to be in the corps hadn’t he? ‘Used to’ being the operative word. When I’d asked he hadn’t seemed particularly fond of his time in the service…
Situated as he is next to Vrienna like that, their pitch-black wool and evil-looking eyes bear a striking resemblance. It was the exact same sort of predatory expression that bore into your soul, the kind that made me feel weak and exposed, the same kind that was worn by-
“What do you think you’re doing in my office?” A voice asks from behind, nonplussed, but with a casual depth of power and authority behind it that makes me freeze on the spot.
“Commander Glagrig, Sir!” I turn about on the spot, fixed at attention in the doorway as I stare up at the man himself. “I’m sorry to intrude. I noticed someone had forgotten to close the door so I was just going to secure it.”
“I see.” Glagrig doesn’t seem to believe a word of it, but neither does he seem inclined to press the issue. “At ease. Tell me, do you recognise the man in the photo there? Have you ever seen him before?”
“No, Commander.” I lie reflexively as I shift to a parade rest, not fully knowing why, but knowing that whatever is going on I want no part of it, for me or my brother. It’s only after the fact that it occurs to me that lying might be worse than telling the truth.
“How… regrettable.” The prestige officer says plainly and I can’t tell whether he believes me or not. “If you do ever catch sight of this individual, then be sure to let me know immediately.”
“Y-Yes, Commander.” I subconsciously swallow with apprehension, hoping that he doesn’t notice. I want nothing more than to run away as quickly as I can, but I haven’t been dismissed yet.
“Junior Officer Sawvek, was it?” Glagrig carries on, looking me up and down, dissecting me with his eyes. “You have quite the interesting record on file and Officer Intalran is quite adamant about your potential. Your simulator results speak for themselves, even if they are just simulations.”
“Thank you, Commander.” I can feel myself growing dizzy as I answer with uncertainty.
“Don’t thank me,” the all-consuming void in front of me replies with no hint of warmth, “just remember that your performance is under evaluation. It’s in my interests to keep note of promising young aspirants who might someday join my team, and I would hate to see you squander your talents.”
“I-I understand, Commander.” I flick my tail in agreement, straining not to look away towards the floor.
“Dismissed.” Glagrig brushes past me as he enters his office, moving to shut the door behind himself.
“Um, Commander?” I ask just before the door shuts, feeling a beckoning call of curiosity that even the predatory prestige exterminator couldn’t crush. “If you don’t mind me asking… Why do you have all that stuff up on the wall there?”
The door opens again, just a crack, and I can feel my superiors' weighty presence bearing down on me, almost suffocating in its intensity. “It’s simply a personal matter. I have reason to believe that the prior investigation regarding the kelach incident was conducted according to… insufficient standards. The predator responsible was never found and I intend to remedy that deficiency.”
“How hard could it be to find a kelach?” I tilt my ears in confusion. “They're huge!”
“Despite initial reports,” he answers with an ominous, cold tone that sends a chill up my spine, “it may be possible that we're dealing with something far more dangerous than just a kelach.”
“T-Thank you, Commander.” I flick my tail in appreciation and the door closes.
I breathe a sigh of relief as the malevolent aura recedes. That was too close.
“And you’re a complete moron going back to ask him more questions afterwards, Killer.” The voice rises with amusement. “What? Do you want him to figure you out and turn you to cinders? Only a matter of time, Killer.”
“Ugh, shut up.” I mutter under my breath, quickly turning back around to make sure Commander Glagrig didn’t hear me, but when no reprisal comes I quickly depart. If I’m gonna be stupid I should at least try not to do so right in front of his office.
As the imminent threat of our in-house prestige exterminator dwindles so too does the energy driven by the adrenaline of the encounter. It figures that the moment I roll out of bed I want to take a nap again, but I know the moment I lie back down I’ll be back to full wakefulness in an instant. That’s just how that sort of thing works. With that in mind there’s really only one solution, a big, steaming hot cup of tea.
Making my way towards the tea machine I spot Jonsco, the feisty little primitive that mans our dispatch centre, smacking the top of the dispenser with a clenched paw while holding a mug underneath it.
“Is the tea machine fixed?” I ask as I pull out a mug from the cabinet myself.
Jonsco sighs heavily and shoots me a combative glare. “For the last time it’s not my brahking job to fix this damn tea machine! You got a problem with that then you can go pester someone else about it!”
I shrink back under the harsh rebuke. Jonsco may be small, but there was as much rage and fury condensed into that little package as anyone else in this department. Maybe more.
“I… I didn’t mean to imply…I just wanted to know if it was working again or not… Sorry.” I sputter out, feeling properly admonished as I look away towards the ground.
Jonsco looks at me quizzically, his hard glare softening somewhat as he seems to truly see me for the first time before returning to his usual scowl.
“Right…Whatever you say…” With one final smack the machine coughs and chokes, sputtering to life with a struggle, and a small trickle of freshly brewed tea begins to fill Jonsco’s cup. “The machine is on the fritz again as usual, but if you hit it just right, do a little percussive maintenance, then you can get it started again.”
“Thanks, Jonsco.” I lean back against the wall and watch as the mug slowly fills, impressed by the primitives know-how. “That's actually pretty smart of you.”
“For a ‘primitive’ right?” The words are barbed and spiteful, but lack his typical enthusiasm, more of a simple statement of fact than a real question. I couldn't exactly deny it, those had been my thoughts, and so the silence drags on awkwardly, marked only by the splash of tea falling into the steadily rising pool.
“What are you doing here at this claw anyway?” I eventually ask, dodging the question entirely. “We’ve still got at least another half-claw until our crew's shift is supposed to start.”
“I could ask you the same thing, you know?” The angry little dispatch operator retorts. “I'm here early working an overtime shift so I can afford to put food on my family's table. It's expensive feeding that many mouths. What's your excuse?”
“I had a fight with my brother…” I rub the back of my neck as I turn away abashedly, “moved out of the apartment and into the barracks full time… couldn't sleep…”
“Well then you should hurry up and work on patching things up with him.” Jonsco looks at me with an uncharacteristic hint of sympathy in his eyes. “Your family are the only ones who might actually care. This Gods-damned place is a slyther’s nest and no one here gives a speh about you or your problems. If you want my advice, you should do your best to spend as little time in this cesspool as possible.”
With his cup now full, Jobsco steps back from the machine and begins walking out towards the main hall.
“Thanks, Jonsco.” My words stop him in his tracks as he walks away from me. “I appreciate it.”
“... You're welcome.” He says after a short pause, glancing back to look at me one more time before leaving. “See you around, Sawvek.”
Taking advantage of the tea machine while it’s still mostly working, I fill up my own cup and drink deeply of the warm, fragrant beverage. The taste is bitter and unpleasant, just about the quality I would expect of this Guild Hall, but even at the first taste it’s evident that it’s been loaded with an extra strength dose of caffeine. I down the drink quickly and rinse out the cup before continuing on my journey towards the training hall. Fatigue begins to fall away as I walk, bit by bit as the drug makes its way into my bloodstream, blocking off sleep receptors and energising me. I know I’ll probably pay for it later, no amount of caffeine can actually replace sleep, but for now it feels good and I can see how some people can get addicted to the stuff.
A loud, metallic clanging emanates from the gym as I approach, something unexpected for this time of paw. No one's reserved space in the gym for this claw and not many people are industrious enough to sweat on their own initiative. Peeking my head inside the door I spy Bikim, the perfect, privileged, ‘holier than thou’ brahkass occupying the otherwise empty weight room. His irritatingly handsome face is taut with strain as he performs a series of weighted squats, his back and leg muscles straining underneath his short-cropped wool, and he pants heavily under the exertion.
I’m half tempted just to leave and go back to bed despite the fact that there’s no way I’d be getting any sleep with the tea running through my system. It’s too early in the paw to deal with Bikim’s speh. Before I can slip away unnoticed though, he spots me. I give a heavy sigh and continue my way inside. There's nothing to be done for it now. Trying to back out now would only make things worse later, a sign of weakness.
“What… Do you want… Predator?” Bikim asks between gulps of air as he reracks his weights, practically hanging off the bar to support himself on shaky legs.
“Good paw to you too, Bikim.” I say, forcing civility into my tone. “I’m here to use the equipment. Same as you. I'm allowed.”
“Whatever…” He eyes me with suspicion. “Just keep your distance… I don't want to catch any of your taint.”
“Believe me,” I flick my tail out in irritation, “I intend to.”
Looking around the room for available spots, I march my way over towards a cable machine on the opposite side of the room. Not nearly as far from Bikim as I would like, but the farthest I can get without leaving the weight area entirely. Bikim watches me all the while as I seat myself down and begin adjusting the machine. Eventually he grows tired of watching me fumble around with the machine and returns to his own exercises with a displeased flick of the tail, quite obviously judging me for my lack of experience with the equipment.
A tense sort of quiet settles over the room as we each go about our business, trying our best to ignore one another. Bikim slowly winds his way around the room, cycling from station to station to exercise all the different parts of his body in sequence before repeating it all again. He seems to bypass my corner of the room, glancing over at me with each repetition of his pattern. For myself, I stay put where I am, taking advantage of the varied exercises offered by the versatile machine to experiment with different muscle groups. Occasionally I slip up, dropping the weights with a loud clang that always draws Bikim’s ire. Every time he seems just a bit more disgruntled, a bit less patient. Eventually, the constant disruption reaches a tipping point and the pompous, self-entitled jerk walks over to confront me.
“Do you always do this?” He asks rhetorically. “If you keep slamming the weights like that you're gonna break it. Your form is speh so either fix it or lower the weight so you don't have to keep compensating. Better yet, just leave. You’ve been monopolising the cable machine for almost half a claw now. I don't know why you're even here in the first place.”
“Oh, look at Mr. Know-it-all thinking he can just go around telling us what to do, eh Killer?” The voice rises to the challenge. “Where does a guy like that who's been handed everything his whole life think he can get off with telling us how we should be doing anything?”
“Brahk off Bikim!” I don't even try to reign in the predator inside, feeling justified in letting it roam free for once. “I didn't ask for your advice and you don't get to kick me out of the weight room just because you can't wait your turn! I'm here because I don't have anywhere else to go! Ever since Intalran dragged me into this stupid Guild this brahking job has taken over my entire life! I don't even have a home to go back to anymore!”
Bikim's body tenses at my tirade and his tail flicks out aggressively like a whip.
“That's your own damn fault, predator!” He shouts back, eager for the excuse to vent his own frustrations. “Maybe if you weren't just some blood-starved beast out roaming the streets then you wouldn't be here right now! I’ve read your file! You got a history of herdless behaviour and physical altercations! Someone should have institutionalised you a long time ago, but someone took pity on you and let you slip through the cracks because of your poor dying mommy! They should have known it would come back to bite them! A normal, functional member of the herd wouldn't even think to pick a flamer up off the ground and burn another person to death with it! But you? You did it instinctively! You revelled in it!”
“You think that was easy for me!” I get up and walk towards him as I yell incredulously. “You think I asked for that to happen! You think it was fun for me to get choked out and almost eaten! That thing I burned wasn't even a person anymore! It was a predator in the middle of a feeding frenzy! So yeah, I did what I did, and you know what? It's a good thing I did! If I wasn't a freak of nature then that thing would have kept on going and kept on killing! Last I checked, preventing that sorta thing was supposed to be your job, but I had to be the one to step up! Now I have to live with the consequences of my actions every paw, knowing that I’m a Protector-damned killer that doesn't belong anywhere! Maybe you, in your infinite wisdom, would've known the perfect thing to do in that situation, but I’m not you! I’ve had to work and struggle for every little thing I have! Not just had it handed to me on a silver platter!”
“Oh, so you got me all figured out do you?” Sarcasm drips from Bikim's mouth as he looks down on me. “You don't know me. You don't know my life or what I’ve been through, how hard I’ve worked to get where I am. You just see the end product from cycles of effort and assume that it's always been that way, that it's always been that easy. It hasn't.”
“Yes, I’m sure you had it so hard growing up Bikim.” Saying it aloud almost makes me laugh. “You’re such a child of privilege that it drips off of you with every move you make and every word you say. I hate people like you, thinking that you're better than everyone else just because you were lucky enough to be born into wealth and status. Try living like the other side for a change, scrounging for every credit just so you can afford to eat, and then try to tell me how hard you had it with a full belly and a warm home!”
“You’re right, predator,” Bikim says contemptuously, “I am a child of privilege. My family has a long and decorated military tradition, my father is a captain for the space corps, a brahking hero, and I’ve reaped the benefits of that. That privilege came at a cost though, and that’s called expectations. Second best is not good enough and I've had to put in ten times the effort as anyone else my whole life just to meet standards! At least you grew up with a father who was there for you and loved you without the condition that everything you do is perfect!”
“All that talk about reading my file and you didn't even get past the first page did you?” I snap at him with a snarl. “ I didn't grow up with a father at all! He's been dead since I was in elementary school! Killed in action! I barely even remember him anymore!”
That one seems to give Bikim pause, but I’m not done yet.
“If you and your whole family are such a bunch of brahking heroes then how come you're here, working as a common garrison exterminator in a run-down backwater city like this?” I taunt. “Shouldn't you be out gallantly fighting the Arxur with one of the fleets or on a colony pacification force rather than making my life here harder than it already is?”
“That's the price for failing to meet expectations,” Bikim quiets down, drawing away from the world and into himself, “the price for knocking up a beautiful, wonderful girl right after graduation and refusing to get rid of it afterwards. You get cut off. You lose that privilege, and you do whatever you have to in order to provide and try to be a good role model for your son.”
Now that one threw me for a loop. In the short time I’ve known Bikim I’ve had a lot of thoughts about him, few of them good, but never would I have expected him to be the type to take responsibility… For anything. Still, there is one thing about his story that doesn't line up…
“Oh really?” I take a step back as I watch for his reaction closely. “I seem to recall Jonsco mentioned just the other day that your wife had left you for a Human.”
“Don't you bring that brahking primitive into this!” Bikim's anger flares in an instant before returning to a subtle simmer of regret. “We’ve just been having a… a rough patch in our relationship. I’m not giving up on us. I’ll win her back. She's just… confused and being taken advantage of! It's all that damn predators fault!” Bikim sighs and sits down on a nearby bench. “You're not the only one whose had something taken from them because of this job. You're not the only one without a home to go back to.”
Looking at Bikim now, a sad, pathetic man moping on the bench with nothing better to do on his rest claw than to try to externalise his inner pain… I find it hard to stay angry at him. He's still a narcissistic brahk ass and a complete jerk, but it's hard to truly hate someone when you actually know them. I had made quite a few assumptions about him when we first met, and he certainly hadn't helped my impression of him since, but… perhaps I was wrong to judge him so harshly?
“Nah,” the voice chortles, “he’s a piece of speh that got what he brahking deserves for being an insufferable prick.”
Overhead the intercom crackles to life and I can hear Jonsco's voice reverberating over the airwaves.
“Officers Vaesh and Sawvek please report to the briefing area for assignment. Repeat. Officers Vaesh and Sawvek please report to the briefing area for assignment.”
“Sounds like it's time for your first field assignment, Kid.” Bikim says, staring up at the intercom. “At least it gets you out of my wool. Try not to brahk it up and make the rest of us look bad.”
“Hmph.” I turn to leave, muttering to myself. “Stupid brahkass.”
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A/N - Hello! Sorry this one took a while. Like I mentioned before I got delayed working on my Ficnapping chapter as well as a crossover One-shot that's still in progress (but hopefully will be done soon). In other news we have new art of Sawvek's life-changing encounter in the Builder's Lane Bloodbath as drawn by Miglove and you can still find that and everything else Nature of Family in the new Master Post linked up above.
If you like the story then please remember to upvote, comment, and use the “!Subscribeme” function to be alerted to all new posts. I post as often as I can but real life has a tendency of getting in the way and my job makes it almost impossible to keep to any kind of schedule. Your engagement and support go a long way towards helping to keep me on track and motivated, so thank you very much for reading and I hope you'll stay tuned for next chapter!

I (16M) have this friend group in my class that i sit with. I always thought i was close with them. Maybe its because they are the only people from school i talk with (This group is a 6 people group including me and all of them are the same age with me, 2 girls 4 boys).
For context, im kind of a shy guy. I dont talk much. My other classmates always call me the "quiet kid". Im only open to the people i feel comfortable with. My grades were always high and one of the bests in class, which is not a thing anymore. And im always called "naive". People also call me a formal person since i dont like joking around that much unlike other kids my age. I dont really like my looks, but im always called ugly anyway. And i spend nearly everyday sitting in my room looking at my phone or studying or playing video games, without going out.
Back to our topic, i have been in this group since the start of high school, around my age of 14. And i wasnt really bothered about anything during my first year other than a crush, which kept going until the end of second year and ended with a rejection. In my second year, i found out my friend group and some other people in our class have been playing video games online for a while until then. I wanted to join them. After trying to get them invite me for weeks, i was finally in. They had a discord server to communicate to each other and set some date to play, etc. etc. I was finally in it and was avle to join a game night. And that was my last game night with them. After then the server was dead. Maybe it was a server for one use, i thought. When i tried to join again, i was just ignored. And never got to play again.
The ignoring situation wasnt only limited with game nights. During conversations with each other, what i said was always ignored. My best friend, at least thats how i saw him as, gave more attention to other people and always ignored me. And i always felt sad whenever that happened. I got used to hearing them talk about the game they played, next to me. And the obly thing i did was to think why they never called me. I thought i proved myself to them that i can play too with that one game night. Whenever i asked questions about it, i was ignored.
I started listening to their conversations about them meeting outside school during weekends. Or sometimes weekdays after school. I always wondered to myself why they never called me. Maybe it was because they didnt think i could join them if they did call me? So i told them multiple times that they can call me too, that i can come. They said ok, and it was just one meeting during weekend. And i was never called again. Since i sit with them in class i kept listening to their conversations about their meetings i was never called to. Whenever i was to say something about it, i was ignored.
They were texting each other daily. I rarely got texts. Once in a week the best. Mostly i texted them, trying to start a conversation. Some of my texts were ignored.
During my second year, my mental health was getting worse by day and there were times i felt so overwhelmed so i decided to talk to them sometimes. Did they care? No. I mean ok, its understandable if you dont have an enough capacity to deal with some stuff. But they do care about others? Why not me? I always thought we were friends. Or at least, tried to think that way... since i had no one else.
Now, in third year, all of them still happens. They meet, im not called. They play online, im not called. They chat, im ignored. My grades are declining fastly and im failing many classes, and i feel like they are laughing at me. I feel like they are laughing at my shyness and social awkwardness like the rest of the class. They call me naive like the rest of the class.
And in this last few weeks, i found out they talk bad behind me. Not just me, about another boy too in my class who is like me. So they call me "autistic". For what? Being sad? Shy? Awkward? Ugly? After i heard about it, it was over for me. Over for the group. I have been always in a doubt for calling them friends since second year, but i still kept calling them friend because I still had fun moments with them. But no, even if that means im gonna be completely alone now, i deny to call them friends. They are not my friends. Never were. I was just tricking myself to not be lonely. But thats it. I would rather be lonely now. At least i have an online friend since few months. She is nice. She is the only person keeping me sane.
Im now distancing myself from them and going full ghost mode. I will be completely alone now. But i feel like im betraying them. Why? Why do i feel that way? They have done good stuff. But also all this i explained. It feels like im gerting hurt from this friendship. But idk if im overreacting or overthinking. They still smile to me and make up some small conversations even when im distancing myself from them now. So it makes me think, am i just overthinling as always and overreacting? Am i ending a friendship of 3 years over nothing? These days my brain is just not working so i might appreciate if i heard someone telling me if im the asshole or not.
Sorry for the long text.

When looking at houses on Zillow they list the schools and their "rating" on the bottom of the listing.
Here's some of the ratings (elementary/middle/high school):
Manhasset - 8 / 8 / 10 (average = 8.6)
Roslyn - 6 / 7 / 8 (average = 7)
Herricks - 10 / 9 / 9 (average = 9.3)
East Williston - 10 / 9 / 8 (average = 9)
So based off the Zillow rating (from GreatSchools.org) Herricks is the best, then East Williston, then Manhasset and finally Roslyn.
But according to patch.com's "best" school districts: Roslyn is #2, East Williston is 9 and Herricks is #11 and Manhasset is #13 which is almost the opposite of Zillow/GreatSchools.org
Although they are all great school districts, its confusing how the two lists are so different in their listings.

Today I sat my ocr computer science and found it a breeze except for the ip and MAC address questions. However the person in the room with me did something so funny I thought I had to put it on here.
Back story. This guy is a cs genius he knows all high level languages extremely well and is also a best in assembly. He makes serious money freelance coding. For the sake of this story we will call him Richard.
Me and Richard today both took the exam sitting in a small room together. (This is what my school does for word processing) we both completed the paper in about 40 minutes and then at around the 1 hour mark I heard Richard start to type very frantically. This was odd as he hadn’t used the word processor for the whole exam even in the 8 marker. I thought this was odd so took a quick glance over my shoulder to see what he was up to.
He was in command prompt. Somehow he had managed to open up command prompt on a school exam only computer where you can only use exam write pad. On said command prompt he had typed in the commands from memory to find the ipv6 and MAC address of the computer he was using.
I tried so hard not to burst out laughing as I thought this was such a clever thing to do.
Is this cheating or just using your initiative to solve a problem?

I have been with my boyfriend since high school, we are both later 20s now. We bought a house a few years ago but over the past year I just feel things have changed and I have opened my eyes to a lot of things.
I think because we have been together since so young he hasn’t had a chance to become independent.. a lot of that may also be my fault as time and time again I have stepped in to do things for him.
Over the years we have had variations of the same argument. Recently I felt I had enough after repeats of the same conversation and I sat him down for a serious talk.
I explained to him that I am tired of making every decision in the relationship it is making me miserable. For example, every holiday we have ever been on all booked and chose by me, including managing any money.. making sure he has clothes for the holiday, all restaurants/dates booked by me…I sorted and dealt with the house buying process and manage our money each month. I basically run the whole house making sure the place is clean, making sure we have food shopping in, I make sure all the clothes are washed and clean including his work uniform (we both work Monday-Friday full time) I deal with the car… basically you name it I am managing it. Our sex life is good, we both have a high sex drive and have fun together, however he can be quite insecure.. I have reassured him and reassured him over things he is insecure about but I can’t fix the insecurities for him, I feel this is starting to impact things too.
I feel terrible.. but Is it so bad that I want to feel taken care of by my partner? To be able to switch off and feel secure that things are going to be done? To trust that he’s not going to forget to do something required for his job or our life?
It’s not that I haven’t had these discussions with him before where I have said there needs to be a change it’s that he doesn’t follow through. This time I expressed if there wasn’t a change I would be seriously considering leaving - since then he has planned a few things and I feel he is trying to be more in control however I don’t know if the ship has sailed and it’s just too little too late as I just don’t feel myself getting better about the situation. This is causing him to be upset saying he wants things to go back to normal but I don’t know what I want anymore.
My issue is I just can’t imagine my life without him… I feel so conflicted about the relationship ending that anytime I consider it I convince myself to stay. The fact that we have a house together also hangs over my head.. we would need to sell.. I don’t know where I would go. He has been there for me at a best friend level like no other person has and has truly helped me through some hard times and I think this is why I am scared to lose him as I know we won’t be able to be friends if I end things. I worry about being lonely without him and I am scared it will be a decision I regret.. part of me feels like I will always love him but I don’t know if I’m in love anymore.

I am evaluating several schools in the top 50 or so right now, and Iv seen a lot of horror stories related to stress, and specifically just time management in law school-particularly in the first year.
I wanted to see if I could get any input from people who may have had a few years of work experience(or military) in a very high stress field like financial sales, accounting, mortgage, etc, before transitioning to law school. People who might already be adapted to stress levels well in excess of what undergraduate level academic programs at most institutions provide.
What was your experience stress wise transitioning to law school for your 1L?
How did you manage it?
Any tips or input?
To clarify this is not a veiled or passive aggression shot at KJDs. I wouldn’t have had the maturity to make the jump to law school at 22, but I’m in my early 30s transitioning out of a very intense and high stress environment, and I was wanting the perspective of others who may have a point of comparison between 1l, and those types of very constantly and high octane stress inducing fields I may have mentioned.
Is the stress as bad as advertised, and if so how did you mitigate or manage? Any comments or input is welcome.

I know its not super common to know your teachers birthdays growing up if you were to even guess what sign they were what would it be?
I was close with a few teachers throughout high school that I knew were a Taurus, Sagittarius and a Cancer. They were my favorite teachers/mentors ive ever had the pleasure of meeting you could probably guess the most chaotic and funny one was the Sagittarius they make great teachers!! id also like to note that my favorite track coach in high school was an Aries (he was such a stereotypical “DROP AND GIVE ME 50” type of coach but also very kind and compassionate)

AITA if confront the school counselor and/or admin? I've been working in a school (with a relatively high staff turnover rate) for over 5 years. I'd been pregnant since the beginning of the school year and most, if not all, of the students knew it. Fairly recently, the baby was stillborn and I was out for over a month.
During that time, I had a work friend (WF) reach out to ask if I was okay with them telling others so I wouldn't be overwhelmed when I returned to work. I was all for it, but suggested talking to the school counselor (SC) about what/how to tell the students since they're mostly tweens.
WF emailed SC and heard nothing back. Closer to when I was to return, WF talked to SC and was told that they would ask admin. I returned to work and was bombarded by questions from the students. Turns out, nothing was said.
At the end of the week, I emailed SC and admin myself. Told them I had students constantly asking questions and weren't satisfied with "we'll talk later" or "I was out." Asked what I was allowed to tell them. I never got an emailed response. Instead, admin saw me in the hallway the following week, said they saw my email, and told me to share whatever I was comfortable with. Admin thought I was talking about other staff members (except my email only referenced students). But anyway, I was told to either tell the students nothing (not an actual option) or to tell them that I had the baby and everything is fine (also not a real option). Everything is definitely NOT fine.
I didn't want to lie to my students or lose any of the rapport that I'd built with them, so I settled with truthful but generic answers. For those that kept asking and kept asking (or ones I thought could handle it): I used past tense or just let them know the baby "didn't make it." Kids being kids, I got some innocent, but not-so-empathetic questions like "what did you do with it?" and "did you poison your baby?"
In short, I feel like something could've been done/said and wasn't. I tried to let it go, but even more recently than my baby passing, another staff member (who works at the school part time and has only been here 8 months, but is friends with SC) lost their adult child. Less than a week after it happened, we received 3 emails from admin and SC asking staff for prayers, support, and empathy.
TL;DR ... AITA if I confront my school counselor and/or admin for throwing me (OG staff) to the wolves after I lost my baby when they sent 3 mass emails to staff asking for prayers, support, and empathy for the part-time/newbie/friend-of-the school counselor who lost an adult son?