I 19 female, I've been in a long distance relationship for 3 years with John (fake name) 19 male. I was diagnosed with depression and anxiety when I was 16. For context, John and I met in a group and since then we started talking. (I was dating my ex, but when I realized that I had developed feelings for John I ended that relationship.) In this group he was a big womanizer, and he talked to his ex, which didn't bother me since I never thought there was anything malicious about it. 4 months later I asked John if he felt anything for me, because he was acting romantic and sweet toward me, he said yes and then we started dating. (Note: he was jealous of my friends). A few weeks after we started dating, and all of our mutual friends knew about our relationship, and he didn't feel uncomfortable with people knowing about it, I sent him Intimate photos, he went on and sent these photos to our group, where there were more than 100 people, including our friends. When I saw it I was shocked and immediately left the group. My friends came to talk to me and so did he. He apologized, said he was going to send these photos to a group that was just him because according to him it was easier for him to see. Reading this now I realize it's a strange thing... but at the time I was so in love that I excused him. That same day we made a video call until I went to sleep, he praised me a lot, dedicated some songs to me, it was very romantic.During the next few weeks we made video calls every day, watched movies, listened to music, talked a lot until the early hours of the morning. There was a day when a girl joined the group where we were, and she and I became very good friends, there ended up being a lot of confusion because she wanted to date John, but he didn't want to. However, he always asked for intimate photos for her or for another girl in the group, he said it was to make me jealous, he ended up sending some intimate photos to her too. Well, a few months passed and I was suffering with my mental health, a few months before I met him I had tried to take my life, and I was under psychiatric care. During that time I started smoking and hurting myself, but he always helped me not to do so and always asked me to stop smoking and never use drugs. Until one day I was having an anxiety attack and felt the need to hurt myself while I was on a call with him, so he asked me to write his name on my skin with the razor. I did, he laughed. Some more time passed and I experienced what I think was an attack of schizophrenia, I saw and heard a person talking to me and asking me to do certain things that would hurt me. John stayed on video call with me while he tried to calm me down and said everything was ok and asked me to pray. That day my mother had gone to work, so I was alone at home, she wouldn't come back until 1pm. A few months later he asked me to buy some sex toys, I initially refused and was a little afraid, but then I agreed and bought my first vibrator. He always asked for videos and photos, or even for me to use the vibrator on a video call, as he always sent photos and videos and even did things on a call, I accepted. It turned out that I got sick, I couldn't walk, I felt a lot of pain, very strong cramps, I went to the hospital but it didn't help. I took some medication but none of it helped. Jonh was worried about me and asked me to go back to the hospital, which I did, but once again it didn't do much good. Then in December he asked me to buy another toy, but this time it would be a dildo. I was very afraid to buy it since I didn't have much privacy at home, but I bought it. When it arrived, he asked me to use it but I said I wasn't going to use it at that moment because I wanted to wash it first and then use it but my mother was in the living room so there was no way. He was extremely upset, he said that I had promised to use it the day I arrived and that he was tired from work and just wanted it to cheer him up a little. We argued a little and went to sleep.Cut to a few months later when he got a new job (he worked with his father), met some new people and completely changed. He became cold, distant, wanted everything his way or he would get upset and give me the silent treatment. Since then we started fighting almost every day, sometimes several times during the day. He always said he would break up with me if I didn't do what he wanted or the way he wanted, as I was "blind", so to speak, I always did everything. I don't want to go into too much detail but this but one thing you need to know is that during one of those fights he told me "welcome to hell". Since then everything has gotten worse. For me to achieve the minimum I had to do everything he wanted, how he wanted and when he wanted, in his time. If he wanted videos, I had to record them and send them to him, otherwise he He said he was going to break up with me or that he wouldn't talk to me until I sent the videos. I'm not a saint either, I often freaked out because of jealousy and when I saw that he had followed his ex I got really upset, because she was the only one who made me insecure, and he knew that. One thing I forgot to mention was that he told me at the beginning that he only followed some friends and family (he told me who was who and that if I wanted I could remove someone). Another thing I forgot to mention was that he's been in a group for a few years where his friends who are in that group always hit on him, he's kind of reciprocal with them. He never let me go there because according to him I wouldn't like the type of humor they have there... a group that sends a lot of videos and photos of naked women, women dancing.. But he refuses to leave because he "is already a long-time member there, and his friends are there", in his words. Coming back, he told me that he only followed her because she followed him first and I told him that if she followed him it was because he unblocked her, he was upset that I said that and blocked her again. Some time later I returned to the hospital with some urgency as I was unable to cope with the pain, I needed to stay there overnight whilst receiving medication. He wasn't happy about it at all since that meant there would be no videos or photos. The doctors asked me to do some tests as quickly as possible to try to find out the cause of this pain, which they thought was the kidneys (but it wasn't).This meant I had to leave the house and go to the clinics to schedule exams and take them. He was never happy when I needed to leave the house or when I went out with my family. Cut to a time later when we broke up (my initiative) and I put all the toys in the trash. He was super upset and we kind of talked back and forth (I know what many off you will think But I couldn't really break up with him. So he made me buy all the toys again. That is what happened. Well, I bought not only the toys but also some lingerie. He really liked that and it seemed like we were finally okay. But it didn't last long. Soon we fought again and broke up, once again I put everything in the trash, he came back, he forced me again Buying but he was the one who bought the things. He continued to force me to record the videos and send them to him. During this time of ending the relationship and coming back, ending the relationship and coming back, I called his friends to ask for help. John was super upset with this attitude of mine. He told me that I made a mistake and broke his trust. Then time passed and he went on a trip with his family when he returned home, it was on a day when there was a party in his city and his friends were going. When he got home he told me and said he was going to sleep. I was suspicious so I went to look at his friend's profile and guess what? His friend had just post a story where John appeared. Same t-shirt, same cap. The same face. Obviously I confronted him about it and he told me it wasn't him because he was sleeping at home. I didn't believe it but leave it behind. At this point, my best friend couldn't take it anymore, almost every day of me crying to her about John and his actions. A few weeks went by and I asked his friend if it was really John or not, he said no (I believe he was covering it up.So he went to get a tattoo, on his neck. When it was over he went to sleep. I don't remember that day well but I remember that I called him many times that night and when he answered I heard moaning.. so I hung up and told my best friend. I called again and again and when he answered I heard the sound of a car. I was devastated, I couldn't believe it. The next morning he freaked out at me, and said he was sleeping. First he said that his mother had answered the phone, then he said that he had answered the phone and that the moans were his because of the tattoo. I pretended this situation hadn't happened and we moved on. (note: I was emotionally dependent on him) Cut to January of this year, when he asked me to open up the relationship as this wasn't working. I said no, and that in my view it was like cheating but without the burden of conscience. So he continued to treat me badly. He admitted that when he first started treating me badly it was only because he wanted me to break up with him. (he thought traumatizing me and triggering me was a good idea) He told me he didn't want me to see his Facebook so I wouldn't see his relatives' profiles. When I asked about some people he followed that he had already said were cousins, he said that they were friends or that he didn't know that his friends had asked him to follow them and sending messages to them. When I followed someone he always freaked out and asked who he was over and over again, for example: I followed someone, John saw it and sent me a message asking who it was, I replied "he's a friend of mine" Then John would go on "who is he?" and again "who is he?" and again and again... Two months ago he said he wanted some time, I said very badly, he said it could be but that we wouldn't be with other people nor would there be flirting with other people. He agreed. But then we got into a big fight where he threatened me with a lawsuit, he didn't give me reasons or anything, he just said he was going to sue me. I insisted on knowing why he only said he was going to have to pay him a high price and I would probably go to prison. So for the next 3 days this was our topic of conversation, him threatening me, me crying, and asking why. Then I reached my limit On the day of the last lawsuit threat, I told my mother about him, the way he treated me and that I wanted a new cell phone number.(She didn't know, I never told her about him. Although he tried to contact her a few times. But I blocked him) So we went to buy a new contact for me, as he couldn't call me or get in touch with me anywhere. He asked some people to call my mother and my friends. My friends were talking to me and sending me screenshots of everything, so someone sent him the link to our group and he went in there and found out my new number. I was weakened when my friend told me that he was crying and that he told him that he loved me and that he was afraid of losing me. So I said okay I could talk to him. He told me some things like that he was sorry for making me suffer. I tried to understand his side. We came back. But I told him that the first thing he did I would leave. I did not go. And I regret it. He was never affectionate, or cute with me again. He continued to force me to send him photos and videos. And doing what he wanted. He was upset when I left. He didn't like me posting full body photos or showing more. Whereas he could go around shirtless, send shirtless photos to his group, post shirtless photos online. Once he published a photo of a photo with his cousin and hid it from me so I wouldn't see it (I knew he was going to this party, he had told me, it was a family party) Since then, I went to lawyers to ask for advice. One of the people I managed to talk to, as it was online and free, told me to contact the police and that what he was doing was wrong. Every time I ask him something he gets upset and says they are useless questions, that I'm stupid, I don't understand anything. Whenever he forces me to record something, he never sends anything. He always says he's tired, But if his friends ask him to go out or go to dinner or do anything, he'll go, even if he's tired. This is it. I don't know what to do anymore, I'm really afraid that he'll do something, after so many threats, and all the lies. I have the support of my family and friends. I'm sorry if there are some mistakes, I used the translator and tried to explain more or less all the information you should know. Please be friendly.

I wanted to make the ultimate BG3 skill monkey, and this post is the best I’ve been able to come up with so far. I’m looking for feedback and any ideas I’ve overlooked.
[I try not to spoil anything with this post, but you may be able to infer some things from the names of abilities or items I mention, so proceed at your own risk, I guess]
This build gets proficiency in every single skill, expertise in 13 skills, and ends the game at 19 STR, 20 DEX, 8 CON (lol), 17 INT, 18 WIS, and 20 CHA, and can do it all while being a useful support character in combat (you’re going to want someone else in the party to be your carry). In addition, they can buff their own skill checks with Guidance or Enhance Ability, and get 1d10 Bardic Inspiration and/or Guidance or Enhance Ability from a party member. With this character, the vast majority of your consequential skill checks will be made at advantage with a +12 flat bonus and at least 2d4 added on top of that.
I make a few choices that may seem suboptimal at first glance, but I actually think are optimal because I value expertise very highly (this is basically an exercise in seeing how many skills I can get expertise in at once), but don’t value Reliable Talent as much. Scroll to the bottom of this post for my treatise on why Reliable Talent isn’t as good as Expertise in BG3.
If you prefer Reliable Talent, then a Githyanki Rogue 11/Cleric 1 will be a great skill monkey. But I posit herein that it will not be The Ultimate Skill Monkey. The Ultimate Skill Monkey would have Proficiency in every skill and Expertise in every skill possible, and only miss it on the least consequential skills.
How do I do it? With Knowledge Cleric 2, Rogue 6, Bard 4.

Ability Scores

Start 8, 16, 12, 8, 14, 16. As you get certain items, buffs, and feats you’ll respec to slowly dump that CON into other key stats. At the endgame you could use the CON necklace at the expense of your WIS.

Leveling Steps:

Level 1:

• Race: Rock Gnome (History proficiency and expertise). Don’t want to play a gnome? Well guess what, you’re going to be disguised 90% of the time anyway!
• Background: Urchin (Sleight of Hand and Stealth proficiency) [note: we pick this to avoid backgrounds that give WIS skills that would overlap with Knowledge of the Ages, and CHA skills that overlap with Illithid Expertise or the Actor feat]
• Class: Knowledge Cleric (Arcana and Religion proficiency and expertise, Insight and Persuasion proficiency, Guidance)

Proficiencies: Sleight of Hand, Stealth, Insight, Persuasion
Expertises: History, Arcana, Religion
Level 2:
Rogue 1 (Perception and Deception proficiency, Persuasion and Sleight of Hand expertise)
Proficiencies: Stealth, Insight, Perception, Deception
Expertises: History, Arcana, Religion, Sleight of Hand, Persuasion (bold means it just came off the proficiencies list because expertise got added)
Level 3:
Cleric 2: Knowledge of the Ages WIS (Animal Handling, Medicine, and Survival Proficiency)
You can use tricks to get the Shapeshifter’s Boon ring this early without risking the cow or Dammon in future acts (attack the cow with mage hand, then offer to bribe it to apologize, which opens up the trade window where you can buy the ring). I’d also recommend you get the Whispering Promise ring off Volo and start applying it with this character to buff your carry. You can also pick up the Warped Headband of Intellect, which amounts to a +4 to all INT-based skill checks for the rest of your career.
Proficiencies: Stealth, Insight, Perception, Deception, Animal Handling, Medicine, Survival
Expertises: History, Arcana, Religion, Sleight of Hand, Persuasion
Level 4:
Bard 1
Level 5:
Bard 2
Around now is when most people can get Hag’s Hair. With Hag’s Hair you can respec to re-optimize your key Ability Scores and eventually get DEX to 20, but if you want to save HH for your carry, you can also skip Khalid’s gift and just make your +2 WIS ASI into a +1DEX +1 WIS and accept the 1 point loss on WIS-based skill checks in the final build.
Level 6:
Lore Bard 3 (Acrobatics, Investigation, and Nature proficiency, and Insight and Perception Expertise, and you can now cast Enhance Ability)
If you haven’t already, go get The Graceful Cloth from Esther and put it on, for permanent +1 to your DEX skill checks and permanent advantage on them as well, for the rest of the game! You can also get the Club of Hill Giant Strength and Titanstring Bow now, which will simultaneously boost your Athletics checks by 5 and allow you to do competent attack damage when you’re done buffing your carries.
Proficiencies: Stealth, Deception, Animal Handling, Medicine, Survival, Acrobatics, Investigation, Nature
Expertises: History, Arcana, Religion, Sleight of Hand, Persuasion, Perception, Insight
Level 7:
Bard 4: feat: Actor (+1 CHA, Performance and Deception proficiency and expertise)
Respec to accommodate the +1 CHA and to replace Deception at Rogue 1 with Athletics
Proficiencies: Stealth, Animal Handling, Medicine, Survival, Acrobatics, Investigation, Nature, Athletics
Expertises: History, Arcana, Religion, Sleight of Hand, Persuasion, Perception, Insight, Deception, Performance
Level 8:
Rogue 2
Around now you’re getting into Act 3. Choose to become ugly so you get proficiency and expertise in Persuasion, Deception, and Intimidation, allowing you to respec out of those skills in your build (picking up redundant Medicine proficiency at Cleric 1 and Investigation expertise at Bard 3).
Proficiencies: Stealth, Animal Handling, Medicine, Survival, Acrobatics, Nature, Athletics
Expertises: History, Arcana, Religion, Sleight of Hand, Persuasion, Perception, Insight, Deception, Performance, Intimidation, Investigation
Level 9:
Rogue 3 (subclass doesn't matter to me, pick your favorite)
Around now you can get Khalid’s Gift, an amulet that can increase your WIS by 1. It’s not required, but if you want to really max your skil checks, it does allow you to break past another WIS threshold without giving up another important skill check ability score.
Level 10:
Rogue 4 (feat: +2 WIS, or stats of your choice)
Somewhere around now you’ll be ready to access The Mirror of Loss, which, with a little planning/respecccing/save scumming can get you +1 CHA and +2 to another stat. If you don’t/can’t scum or don’t want to put in the effort, you can adjust your ability scores down accordingly.
Level 11:
Rogue 5
Level 12:
Rogue 6 (Stealth and Acrobatics Expertise)
Proficiencies: Animal Handling, Medicine, Survival, Nature, Athletics (final count: 5)
Expertises: History, Arcana, Religion, Sleight of Hand, Persuasion, Perception, Insight, Deception, Performance, Intimidation, Investigation, Stealth, Acrobatics (final count: 13)

Gear:

Almost all of the gear is available in Act 1!

• Warped Headband of Intellect
• The Graceful Cloth (Esther)
• Shapeshifter’s Boon
• Whispering Promise
• Club of Hill Giant Strength
• Titanstring Bow
• Khalid’s Gift

Combat Strategy

There are a lot of options here, but I think the optimal thing is probably to either pre-cast or use your first action to cast Bless on 3 party members. Then on future turns use your BA to apply a weapon oil that will buff the fire damage from your Cleric, then use an Arrow of Many Targets to apply it (in less consequential fights you can conserve resources with a different weapon coating and cheaper trick arrow).
At any point in the fight, use Healing Word or just throw potions at people to apply Bless to the 4th party member with Whispering Promise, or to apply Bless to anyone without actually casting it.
Titanstring counting multiple times on trick arrows, plus sneak attack, and enemies will actually notice that you’re hitting them. And, more importantly, you're providing buffs that are relevant in combat throughout the game.

Party Comp:

Member 2: Monk
You may have noticed that while this Ultimate Skill Monkey covers an extraordinary range of skills and is competent in all of them, there are two skills I didn’t get expertise in that, from time to time, there will be pretty important checks you’ll want to pass, and often they’ll be passive: Athletics and Survival. You also need a strong carry to compensate for your relative combat weakness. Enter the overpowered Tavern Brawler Open Hand Monk/Thief.
Karlach and Wyll both start with Survival proficiency from their backgrounds and Athletics is a Rogue skill, allowing you to spend your 2x Expertise at Rogue 1 on Athletics and Survival.
Then use STR elixirs so you can pump WIS (which you’ll want to do by Act 3 anyway due to Boots of Uninhibited Kushigo), and now you’ve got someone who will spot every buried treasure and can turn valve wheels like a pro. Oh, and also does inconceivably devastating single-target damage.
Member 3: Bard
No skill monkey is complete without a separate bard to give them Bardic Inspiration. I prefer the 10/1/1 Swords Archer, but 10/2 SSB would be great too. Either one can do carry-level damage while abusing Band of the Mystic Scoundrel and Helm of Arcane Acuity to single-handedly trivialize any combat encounter. Can also cast Enhance Ability on you.
Member 4: Cleric
The only thing the team’s lacking is AoE damage, and someone to dump all the remaining caster, radorb, and reverb gear onto. Light Cleric 11/Storm Sorcerer 1 is my favorite option here, with Spirit Guardians applying gobs of debuffs, supplemented by fire spells that are buffed by oil your skill monkey can apply with their bow. I like the side benefits of Warding Flair, Aid, and other Cleric goodies here, but you could totally throw in a Sorcerer here, or swap to a lightning or ice variant with your skill monkey throwing water bottles on enemies as setup.
Thus ends the meat of the guide, thanks for reading and I’m looking forward to your feedback!
My Tiresome Treatise on Reliable Talent vs. Expertise in BG3
Reliable Talent is very good in a vacuum, but its value goes down substantially in the BG3 environment compared to tabletop.

• Inspiration exists: if you happen to get a low roll, you can use inspiration. Meanwhile, there’s no mechanic that allows you to pump up your maximum skill check that you aren’t already using (Guidance, SSB, BI).
• Enhance Ability: you can pretty much always have this up, and use it during dialogue. Advantage greatly diminishes the odds of a bad roll
• Similarly, you can add Guidance and Bardic Inspiration at will
• Also similarly, the more dice you roll, the less likely you are to get all 1s, and in BG3 you can add Guidance and Shapshifter’s Boon to every roll, plus potentially BI.
• Reliable Talent has a very high opportunity cost in BG3: compared to my build, to get Rogue 11, you have to give up 4 skill proficiencies and 3x expertise, as well as the ability to cast Enhance Ability yourself (or Disguise Self without having to swap your hat in and out): without Knowledge Cleric 2 you have to drop Rock Gnome for Githyanki, and you can’t take Bard 3. And that’s before considering actual combat utility of the builds.
• 55% of the time (at least) it does literally nothing. If you have advantage, which you will have most of the time, the odds of it doing anything at all dwindle to 20%. When it does do something, it will add +5 to a roll on average…which is just 1 more than expertise is guaranteed to add to every roll over proficiency alone. In practice, it’s better than expertise about 11% of the time.
  • Granted, those are the times you need it most, and when it’s at its best, it’s adding a whopping +9 to your roll.
  • But how often is it actually going to turn a failure into a success when expertise wouldn’t? If with proficiency you’re adding +8+2d4 to most skill checks, you still beat a DC10. If going for a DC 20, with expertise and 1s on the extra dice (6.25% chance), you’d have to roll below 6 twice (advantage) to fail, which is 9%. You have a 0.6% chance of that happening, and if did happen to you, it might be in another scenario where it didn’t end up mattering! But if you rolled average on the d4s, you’d have to hit below 3 twice (2.25% chance) . In that extremely unlikely event, use an Inspiration point. To put it in plain language: you have something like a 1/50 chance that RT will give you a success when Expertise would not on a DC20 check.
  • But what if the DC is very high? In that case, Expertise can cause success where RT would fail any time where a 10 on the die is still 1-4 short. If you’re only adding 13 on average to your roll, then you’d need a 17 to pass a DC30, while expertise brings that down to 13. With advantage you have a 36% chance to break 17, but a 51% chance to break 13. Forgive my napkin math, but that’s like 40% better odds, vs. the 11% chance RT will even be better than expertise, let alone the

To put it in plain language: in BG3, when the choice is between Expertise and Reliable Talent, Expertise is equal on DC10 checks and better on DC30 checks. On DC20s, you have something like a 1/50 chance that RT would save you when expertise would not. Do you think you can have an inspiration on hand for 1/50 of your consequential rolls?

I have PCOS and I’d love to get off birth control pill (bcp) but without it I have terrible symptoms. Western medicine keeps pointing me to weight loss but I haven’t had much success. So I wanted to try CM and see if that can help.
Also context: I live abroad in east Africa. I have looked into a CM doctor here but unsure how to judge quality here. So in addition to suggestions (diagnosis, herbs, etc) maybe any advice on what I can ask to suss out potential doctors here.
I couldn’t get a good pic, but I definitely have teeth imprints on the sides of my tongue
Other important info maybe:
Energy: I’m an early bird. Have no problems getting up and going at anytime in the morning but come 2 or 3 pm I’m ready to crash.
Appetite: I’ve tried to eat less and it works for like two or three weeks or so but then I lose the focus/motivation and it takes me a week to get back on it. I have tried very hard to improve my gut microbome and eat more veggies and fruits and less processed foods. I try to get protein at every meal.
Exercise: I am very active (former college athlete) I weight lift 2-3 times a week. Do Pilates or step aerobics the other days. Usually get in an active rest day with an hr walk or yoga.
Digestion: I used to take probiotics daily but once I increased my fruit and veggies I became pretty regular with healthy poops so now I just take as needed.
Sleep: I’m an insomniac. I’ve been prescribed adhd/blood pressure meds to help previously but I moved and haven’t found a new psychiatrist. I’d say I average 5-6 hrs a night
Female, no history of pregnancy. Poor history of menstrual cycles (lol pcos, so they are incredibly irregular, nonexistent if I’m not on bcp) and even when present extremely light.
Diagnosed inattentive adhd and anxiety.
Happy to answer any questions that would be helpful.

Hey everyone,
I could really use the advice of the sysadmin community on the next steps for hiring someone to help clean up an IT environment that is the result of multiple decades of organic growth and management by the same solo IT person, a person whose IT knowledge and curiosity peaked a long time ago. The IT person, who I will call Harry, probably should have gotten additional staffing help a long time ago, but the situation was historically kind of complicated.
Anyway, my situation is as follows. I was originally going to write an even longer history of our IT situation, and would be happy too if people are interested, but here is the gist of my situation. I'm sorry if anything is a bit disjointed, but I'm trying to refrain from writing a case study.
I have worked for the last 15 years at my family's business, and Harry has been managing our IT for the last 40 years. Harry was one of my father's first employees, had gone to school for music-related majors, took a non-IT job at a new manufacturing and retail company, then became our IT person as we developed IT needs.
Fast forward after a few decades of organic IT growth with Harry reporting to our prior CFO for the last 20 years (a CFO who was territorial, unpleasant to work with, and terrible with technology), and the state of our current IT environment is bad. I believe that is mainly due to a horrible combination of Harry not doing a great job at anything IT-related, and being our sole IT person, and having a tech-illiterate CFO managing Harry. Our CFO would also occasionally find small-time/hacky consultants to work with, but never wanted to listen to my input. After a few years of being at the company, I suggested we needed a ticketing system, but our CFO wanted to keep managing projects using a Lotus 1-2-3 spreadsheet...
After our CFO retired, we brought in a new CFO, and she came with a referral to an MSP her husband had used at the company he was at. That company had sold to a larger holding company since the CFO's husband started using the MSP, one that seemed to mess around in the crypto space, and I thought the lead was bad (based on a variety of things I saw). Over the last 15 years, a large part of my job has been doing due diligence on vendors, software solutions, web developers, and various agencies. Regardless, we spent a few months doing due diligence and a paid audit with that MSP. By the end of the audit, we decided not to move forward with that MSP.
In addition, our company decided Harry should start reporting to me rather than our new CFO. I have 15 years of experience at the company overseeing all of our internet properties, digital marketing, and was kind of a third wheel of the IT department when I first started at the company. I went to undergrad for Management Information Systems, have a graduate business degree, and basically consider myself an IT person who isn't pursuing an IT career. I know our internal companies well, what our users do and don't need, and understand the costs and opportunity costs to bringing (or not bringing) in new systems and technology.
I have also been tinkering with computers and technology for almost three decades. I build my own computers, built my own NAS running Unraid, run updates on our VMware-based servers, can read and modify code, wired my own home with CAT 6, had a brief stint as a Sharepoint developer, moved 100+ employees from our original POP3 email system to Google Workspace (when I started at the company), set up a UniFi-based dedicated WiFi and surveillance network, specced out and racked our new Dell servers, and have helped replace and migrate dozens of our users off of old Windows 7 machines. I also have personally undertaken onboarding our endpoints in NinjaOne, installing Defender for Endpoint, and bringing our various Fortigate firewalls up to date. My point here is that while I am not a Sysadmin myself (and definitely am not suggesting I'm an expert at ANY of those things), and definitely don't have depth when it comes to Active Directory, Azure, etc., I am a bit of a jack of all trades IT person, and am very well-suited to work with a real Sysadmin. For almost everything I do, I either find what the best practice is, know that I or we aren't meeting best practices, or will happily let our team/company know when I can't expertly speak to something.
With that backstory out of the way, here are a few extra points:

1. Harry basically works half the week, has health issues, wants to retire in a year or two, and I can't count on him to come up with any new or current solutions. Harry has been loyal to the company, and I consider him a friend, and there is still work and value he can add until he is ready to retire. That said, he is our "IT Director", but whoever we hire will not be reporting to Harry. I will figure out the structural and human/social aspects of not having our new hire feel bad having to comment on things Harry has or hasn't done, as well as figuring out work Harry can do a good job on that won't create extra work. I expect I would probably have Harry do work on the legacy ERP system he has helped support, which is something I don't expect our new hire to have much to do with.
   
2. There will probably be some people out there who feel there has been mismanagement, that Harry sounds incompetent, that we were understaffed, or that the ex-CFO did a bad job, etc. Most of that is probably true, but that is the past. As someone who generally knows a fair amount about IT, I HAVE known that our IT situation isn't great, but as I said, the situation is complicated.
   
3. Our current IT environment is a bit of a mess. We are just now finishing up replacing remaining Windows 7 machines, have a brand new ESXi cluster (set up pre-Broadcom acquisition) but have to set up a few new virtual machines to replace Server 2012 R2 (or worse) virtual machines, have to remove local admin privileges from almost all of our users (this is decades in the making), and have loads of best practices and management systems I'd like to see us have in place. There are way more projects than just this, but this is just a sampling. Outside of lots of overdue overhaul, I don't think we have a tremendous amount of break/fix at the company.
   
4. I am so understaffed right now with my original responsibilities at the company, basically being our main new IT person, and trying to plan for our next major ERP systems. I don't have enough hours in the day and am killing myself emotionally. I need to hire someone full-time, but I need advice on if that job title should be a Sysadmin, and how I should go about presenting this opportunity. I am NOT expecting whoever we hire to be an expert in everything, which is a common complaint I've seen in sysadmin. I would like to strategically hire partners (or continue to work with a person or two we already work with) when it comes to things like firewall expertise.
   

Our new hire would work directly with me to start overhauling our IT systems as needed. I have no expectations someone can come in and clean everything up in weeks or months, but I'd like to find someone talented who will seek out right-sized, best-practice-based solutions and systems, and work with me to transform an IT environment that was basically built under one person's watch. When hiring for the position, I'd like to be upfront that there is initially going to be a lot of project work required.

1. I have been looking through sysadmin for probably the last two years, and I often seem complaints about management not getting IT, managers being too frugal, etc. While our IT situation is messier than I would like to bring someone into, I feel confident I can give whoever we hire a collegial, bureaucracy-free environment. I am practical, am great at knowing what I do and don't know, understand project management (I'm used to working on year-long projects), and am very familiar with the common joke about "anything that plugs into the wall being IT". While the job I'm looking to hire for won't be turn-key, my goal and plan is to hire someone who won't be expected to know everything or work all the time, and that as we continue to improve our systems, that it won't need to be a rigorous IT job. I am planning to work closely with whoever we hire, will help cover any non-business-hours issues, etc. I love the idea of someone smart coming in, helping whip things into shape, and developing the job into a cushy one. I am willing to pay for someone talented, and one of my highest priorities will be to provide a great work environment.

Finally, after all the points above, I would appreciate any constructive advice on who/what job title to hire for, what I should be looking for, etc. Do I look for five or seven plus years of experience? I want someone who has enough experience that he/she at least knows about deploying software using AD and Group Policy, making sure our fleet of machines is up-to-date using Microsoft-provided or paid tools available, etc.
Whenever I read through posts and replies on this subreddit, I see people who provide good answers (or who are smart enough to come to this subreddit to seek advice), and I think to myself how I'd like to work with someone like that. I don't know if that seems weird or like a low bar, but right now I'm used to working with Harry, and he definitely doesn't know about this Subreddit, struggles to use Google Meet, isn't big into 2FA.
Thanks to anyone who read all of this, and to anyone who posts any tips or advice!

Hey! I’m 26 F and I’d say I’m pretty smart and resourceful. I always struggled with school attendance as a kid due to crippling anxiety, and the majority of my high school career was completed virtually due to anxiety. Graduated with a 3.5, and a few scholarships. I dropped out of college because of depression. I am pretty social, but the dread of leaving my house every day to see the same people has my inner child shaking in her boots. I spent time in my early twenties wearing many hats. I started an after school program at age 19 which ran for 5 years, juggled that with work as an automotive sales person, and then transitioned to the low-paying non profit arena shortly after COVID. I’ve done odd jobs like event coordinator and alcohol sampler, and spent 3 years of my twenties dancing in heels in a bar. (Spicy Accountant)
From the very beginning of my work career I’ve been used to working in “high risk, high reward” settings. I was 21 clearing 60-80k a year as a sales consultant. As a spicy accountant I easily cleared 6 figures working 3-4 nights a week. I am hardworking & like to hustle, but I don’t like slaving away 5 days a week to have one day off to sleep and the other to clean. I simply don’t understand how people are working every single day to not meet their basic needs. 2 years ago, I gained some new skills and began working in reproductive health. It’s been very rewarding but draining and the pay is not anywhere equal to the amount of effort.
I want to become someone I can be proud of. I want to be someone who men will marry because I’m not doing “strange things for change” like OF or dancing, but I also don’t want to slave myself daily to barely make ends meet. A lot of my friends can’t identify with this because they’ve never touched over 80k a year regularly, only to reduce income for prestige.
Any suggested paths? Advice? Please be nice. 😊 Thanks.

There is a huge problem in my neighborhood with mosquitoes, so recently I’ve been looking into natural solutions to control mosquitoes here. Because of that, I’ve started looking into bat houses and have also been learning how important bat conservation is. I live less than a mile away from a small bayou. I am thinking about emailing my city council member or maybe the city parks department to ask if I could place some bat houses there. Or it would be great if the city would start some kind of program to place bat houses along the bayou. The way I see it, it is a public good because of how bad the mosquitoes are. Maybe even a public health issue. Honestly I’m not holding my breath that I will get a response from them, but I figure it could be worth a shot. But I’m wondering if people here have any ideas for where to start. Has your city ever done anything like this, or do you know of a city that has? Would love to find an example of a city/countywide bat conservation program or something like that. Thanks!

Introduction:
Red light therapy, also known as photobiomodulation, offers a promising avenue for enhancing skin appearance and managing pain. This article explores its mechanisms, applications, safety considerations, and potential medical uses.
What is Red Light Therapy?
Red light therapy, utilizing low-level red light, addresses skin concerns like wrinkles, scars, and acne. It's gaining traction in medical settings for conditions such as skin cancer and psoriasis due to its non-invasive nature and potential benefits.
How Does it Work?
By stimulating mitochondria in cells, red light therapy boosts collagen and fibroblast production, improves blood circulation, and reduces inflammation, promoting skin health and rejuvenation.
Skin Conditions Treated:
Red light therapy aids wound healing, reduces signs of aging like wrinkles and age spots, and improves acne by reducing inflammation and sebum production. Though more research is needed, it shows promise for various skin conditions.
Safety:
Generally safe when used correctly, red light therapy avoids harmful UV light. However, misuse can lead to adverse effects, emphasizing the importance of following instructions and seeking professional advice.
At-Home Use:
At-home red light therapy offers convenience and privacy but may differ in effectiveness from professional treatments. Consider device quality and safety certifications, and consult professionals for guidance.
Other Medical Uses:
Research suggests potential for managing chemotherapy side effects, pain relief in conditions like tendonitis, and preventing cold sore recurrence. However, further research is needed for validation.
Conclusion:
Red light therapy presents a non-invasive and potentially beneficial option for skin rejuvenation and pain relief. With proper usage and ongoing research, it could contribute to overall wellness and address specific health concerns.
Source: The Science-Backed Benefits of Red Light Therapy

I am planning a one-shot on Saturday May 18th, 6pm CST. The purpose of this one-shot is to find 2 more players (I currently have 3 players) for my upcoming campaign. I am looking to see if there is compatibility between all players before starting the campaign. Both the one-shot and the campaign will have some homebrew (Legendkeeper page below has a section going over it).
One-Shot Overview: In the small quiet town of Luxus, a party of level 3 adventurers have stopped at the local tavern, the Crying Lynx, and while they were enjoying their rest, a priest of Ordo has come asking for anyone able to help solve a confusing and worrying set of deaths that took place in the church's holding cell.
Campaign Overview: A brief overview of the history of the world is that gods suddenly formed and used a power that was in the center of Saevalux, the Essence of Creation, to become immortal walking cataclysms. A betrayal caused a divide between the gods who formed two different groups, the Gods of Umbra and the Dawn Deities. The Essence of Creation suddenly disappeared causing these powerful gods to find themselves unable to escape from the divine domains that they at one point created. This lead to one god, Andras, to rise to power for some time before losing in the War of Fang and Sword. Now centuries later, the world is still recovering from Andras' reign but the world is slowly stating anew. This is incredibly shortened and the history is better explained in the Legendkeeper (It is not 100% finished): https://www.legendkeeper.com/app/cl3mfsqwwglbr08087ng33t44
Our Group: We’re a group of 4 (23/M, 23/F, 25/M, and 28/M), who hang out and play video games almost every day, and would welcome anyone interested in joining the group.
Schedule: We play every Saturday at 6 PM CST for around four hours.
Player Requirements: We’re looking for players who can play consistently and who are 21 or older, with a desktop and a good mic. It is completely fine if you have no prior d&d 5e experience as long as you’re eager to learn.
Joining Process: Please send me a direct message on Discord with a brief introduction.
Commitment: This campaign is designed for the long haul, likely extending beyond a year probably even two.
Contact: Discord username is helixthehare.

Trigger warning: some instances regarding mental health.
I recently turned 20 and also just came back to the Philippines. After graduating senior high school and turning 18, my family sent me to study abroad and complete college/university/tertiary education in Australia.
My journey there was definitely an experience. I basically had to learn how to fend for myself in almost every aspect. There, I lived with an aunt that I was close with growing up. She happily provided for me the basic necessities like food and a place to stay, but every other expense I needed like transportation, tuition fees, savings, tax, bills, were all up to me. I made some friends along the way and grew close with some of my relatives there, but there were still those days where I felt so alone and I couldn’t bear the stress, pressures, and expectations of adulting in a completely different place and society pretty much on my own. My mental and emotional health was already low at the time, but having a strained relationship with both parents that never got resolved before I left, intensified the feeling of loneliness and the pressure to be independent. It was already a given that everything there was going to be difficult, but I was also so lonely all the time, until I met him.
We met on Tinder and thankfully when we matched, he was the one that initiated the first move. Our first conversation went by smoothly and we had out first date a week after that. After a couple months of dating and seeing each other, I asked him if he would be willing to enter a serious relationship with me, and much to my delight he agreed. I’ve never felt that way towards anyone before. I’ve had my fair share of intimate interactions ranging from failed talking stages to regular friends with benefits, but I eventually developed thick skin and lowered my expectations that none of those will lead to anywhere meaningful and long-term.
As always, there is an exception to every rule, and that was him. He showed me love like I have never received before. He’s always there when I need someone to talk to. He always reassures me that I’m doing my best despite the struggles of adulting in a new country. He’s always there to console and comfort me when I couldn’t take life anymore. He’s always there whenever I need to vent all my problems and stresses away. He’s always so patient and understanding with me whenever I have anxiety attacks or when I start to spiral downwards and lose control. He also always reminds me that I’m attractive despite all my insecurities. In short, he filled that empty void that I needed for the longest time. Someone to be there with and for me. Someone to love me and never leave me despite how difficult it gets.
We were pretty much in a very healthy relationship until one day I received news from my family that I’ll have to abruptly stop my studies abroad and return to the Philippines. I won’t delve anymore into the specifics of that because that’s a completely new story, but obviously, and for many reasons, the decision ruined me. It took me two months, a lot of tears, and dozens of hours of calls with people just to come to terms with what was going to happen to me. Despite being only a relatively short amount of time, I managed to build and maintain a life there. I have friends and a social life there. I had a part-time job that paid well and I enjoyed most of the time. I became close with some relatives there. I had complete freedom away from my parents like an adult. I had a clear path of what I’m going to do with my future. And most important of all, I had him.
It’s already a given that we both didn’t take it well at the start, but we also went through the difficult journey of accepting that I’ll have to leave eventually. We agreed to see each other as often as our schedules and finances would let us before I needed to leave. But it was also such a bittersweet experience. From then on, every moment I get to share with him, every time I get to hold his hand, every instance we share a kiss, every second I get to look at his handsome face was suddenly significantly more meaningful and precious, but at the same time, also grim and tragic, because at the back of all of those moments, we knew that our days are numbered.
Somewhere along the way of coming to terms with me leaving, we agreed to enter and maintain a long-distance relationship until we can be reunited again with my goal of moving back to Australia. Which brings us to where we are now. Over 5000 kilometers and 2 timezones apart, but still chatting on a near-daily basis and calling each other more than once a week. We also agreed that he’d come visit me here when he can, but he has to sort out a lot of stuff with his own life beforehand, and I completely understand and trust him that he’ll still make the effort to see me. I really miss my boyfriend. The sheer longing to feel him next to me and make more memories together makes me so depressed late at night. It’s so hard not being able to physically be with him now, but still, I love him ever so deeply, and despite it being difficult, I want to commit to doing my part to maintain and progress our relationship, just like how he does his part for us.

I'm seriously asking this because it's incredible how inconsistent spawn rates can be. I am cruising of difficulty 7 against the bots for the last few days to spill a little bit of oil for the MO. This is generaly a quite "chill" difficulty level with some spicy moments that are enjoyable, but this week-end especially, patrol and drop spawn rates went from trivial-difficulty to absolutely nightmarish.
I had an instance where after completing the main objective in a blitz mission, the spawn rates were simply spiraling out of control, the entire minimap was bleeping in red, there were probably hundreds of bots on us (we were in a 4-man squad) and we would get insta-gibbed if a pixel of us was out of cover for a second. The only way we managed to evac 3 of us out of 4 is by barely having enough time to throw our reinforcement beacons toward the extract zone before turning into mist and the map was always full red along the way. While the very next game, we maybe had 2 or 3 small patrol on the way back to the evac after 100% the side objectives + the fabricator bases, and no bot whatsoever showed up while waiting for the shuttle. It was so boring I tea-bagged on of my mates and jumped-off the cliff in front of him in pure despair.
Today, during all my games, it was back to a more consistent, familiar, but most importantly, very managable difficulty level (while still being in diff 7). Has anyone else had that much inconsistency in difficulty ? I really don't understand, is the spawnrate some kind of random mutator that can go from 1% to 1 bazillion% between games ? Is this intended or is this a bug from the last change ?

I (24 f) have always had lot of problems with relationships. I have been a terrible friend when I was younger and never really cared about anyone. Everytime I got bored I just cut them off and disappeared, without saying anything. It may is already clear, but my mental health was just so bad. I found a guy, we have been together (and still are) for 8 years now and thanks to him I finally decided to go into therapy. Therapy helped me a lot and now I am a completely different person. I love myself, I embrace my imperfections and my mistakes and I try to comunicate everytime something is wrong instead of just cutting him off. Here is the problem. As I started changing I decided that I really wanted to start some healthy friendship. I am into cosplay and I met some girls with the same hobby. I started talking a lot with them from August 2023 to January 2024, then things started to go wrong. They asked me to go to the cinema, but I was broke as hell and could not afford it. I clearly said it was a money problem, so out of my control, but I would love to join them after the cinema for a walk. They said they were not planning for a walk after the cinema so I just say "maybe next time then". Pure coincidence, the day before this conversation I asked one of the girls if she could give me the money for a cosplay I sold to her. She was pretty annoyed, but said she would give me the as soon as possible. I just said thank you and thought everything was fine.
Since those two events they started going out without me, not inviting me for anything, not a walk, nor shopping, nor cosplay events. They just started to be colder and colder. So I did the same. Since they were not looking for me I stopped looking for them after the second time they didn't answered me and didn't invite me. Now they asked to my boyfriend why I am avoiding them and why I never reach out. One of the girl suggested to meet together and I agree. They don't work, while I do, so I gave them some days and hours that I am free and they said they could not cause they were busy and to let them now if I could adapt to their schedule. I told them that I work, so I cannot just skip my job to go out and have fun and they got really offended.
Now I lost every contact with them. I have always helped them in every way I could (also economically when I could do it), so I really feel like they only used me when they needed and then throw me away when I was not useful anymore.
This situation is so hurtful and I feel so bad, but at the same time I think I should not keep giving them what they want until they don't show they deserve it... What are your thoughts about it? AITAH for not trying more to comunicate with them or should I just let it be?

Content Warning:Mentions of Child Abuse & Gore
They called me a colic baby, meaning I was a seemingly healthy baby that was distressed for an unknown reason. The fits of crying mostly dissipated by six months, but they'd crop up every now and then into toddler-hood. When I became capable of babbling a few words, I would summarize my pain in a few words: belly hurt. Belly HURT!
My parents didn't have much money, but they took me to the doctor for a checkup anyway. After running a physical exam and blood test, they determined that I was merely an excessively gassy little girl and should probably eat a more gut-friendly diet. They also prescribed some medicine which would eliminate the gas and relieve my pain.
It was from that moment on that my parents gave me the nickname "Gas Girl" (which I despised). The name stuck for several years, and anytime I'd get a little stomach ache my mom or dad would say, "uh, oh. It's not Gas Girl returning, is it?" I'd glare at them with my arms folded and pout, saying, "I'm not Gas Girl. I'm Wonder Girl!" My parents would share a look, then burst out laughing. Just as I was about to shout a retort, my dad would open up his arms and bend down in that familiar pose which signaled liftoff, and all my childish rage detached like a racing sticker as I leaped into my dad's arms and he flew me around the living room shouting "Who is it? It's Wonder-girl! Here to save the day from Gas Girl!"
Anyway, just as the nickname wore off, the pain returned. I was about 7 or 8 when I had my first big episode. I was in second grade, and the class was cutting out shapes. The pain came on so suddenly I remember lurching back and falling out of my seat. The next few hours were a blur of adults: my teacher, the nurses, the principal, my parents. I remember how cold and alone I felt despite being surrounded by grown ups, and my stomach hurt so much I was crying pretty much nonstop.
My dad bought a bunch of OTC medicine to try and settle what he thought was a really bad gas episode. My mom laid at the side of my bed and did bicycles in the air with me. Hours passed in pain as my adolescent imagination conjured up images of an evil little elf blowing thousands of bubbles in my belly. I consciously pictured myself popping them, but every time I did, more were blown. My dad scheduled a doctor's appointment for the next morning, and my mom stayed at my side until I was able to fall asleep sometime late in the night.
I dreamed vividly a horrific nightmare. I was strapped to a black, metal box. A surgeon donning blue scrubs with white gloves and a mask entered the space in my peripheral vision. The air was cold but crisp, as if every bit of dust had been scrubbed out of existence. I could feel my breathing, my heartbeat, even my skin. The doctor stepped forward and I could see the distortion of a smirk in the folds of his mask. I expected him to say something, to tell me what he wanted, but instead he lifted my shirt so my belly was exposed. "It's cold", I said in a mumbly voice. He lifted his hand in the air, and I saw behind it off in the back of the room was what looked like the glass wall of an aquarium. I was confused for a second, but only a second. The surgeon plunged his hand into my stomach like a spear, splitting through the flesh as if it were the skin of a ripe fruit. The previously silent man began to cackle like a maniacal villain as I nearly passed out from the pain. I felt his fingers swimming through my guts like parasitic worms. My body shook as cold sweat and blood began to ooze from my pores. I wanted to scream but I couldn't make a sound. I could only lay there, paralyzed, as the evil doctor explored my insides.
Somehow I lost consciousness in the dream, but when I woke up, the memory came flooding back, and I screamed with all the force of a thunderstorm. My parents skipped the appointment and rushed me to immediate care, but by the time we arrived, the pain was gone. I explained my dream to the doctor, but he said it was normal to dream up reasons for the pain. They recommended a CT scan to screen out the possibility of an ulcer or internal bleeding. Despite my parents' scarce savings, they agreed to run the test. However, something deeply entrenched in my mind thought of the dream with the surgeon and I protested. "I don't want a test!" I screamed. "But, honey, how are we going to know what's wrong?" replied my mom. "Nothing's wrong now. I don't want a test."
Looking back now on my persistence, it should have been obvious that there was something wrong with me, but my parents, who were thinking of their finances, allowed themselves to acquiesce to my demands. The pain would continue into and throughout my teenage years, and the one benefit that I can credit to it was that it taught me how to endure pain and hide it well before puberty started. Compared to my childhood cramps, period cramps were around a B+. Very bad, but not end of the world bad. However, they'd stick around more reliably, and eventually the two began to combine until I could no longer discern between them. Occasionally I would have a nightmare and wake up with a pain that was a little higher in my stomach, almost approaching my chest, but it would always disappear by breakfast time, and the chaos of a teenage girl's life would once again reassert itself in the form of an outfit that didn't look quite right or the memory of every word of a conversation with a guy I liked or how my teacher was out to get me. Basically, I had become normal.
And then two weeks after I turned 16, my dad passed away from heart failure. Apparently the stress from a paycheck-to-paycheck life in sales added onto a bad diet and a penchant for alcohol was a recipe for disaster. He was only 49. I was crushed.
The weeks and months following his funeral were filled with teenage anger and resentment. I directed most of it at my mom, who I held accountable for not being strong enough to step up and help with the bills. One day, when I was searching the drug cabinet for some painkillers to deal with some bad cramping, I noticed a new prescription for a drug with a really long name. I looked it up. It was an antidepressant. From that moment on I stopped giving my mom shit, but I grew a bit distant from her. I started spending a lot more time with my friends. I became reckless, adopting a drinking habit and unsafe sex practices. I smoked a bit but I didn't really like it. I guess I was just trying to find a way to move on, as naive as it was.
Fast forward to my present situation, and I'm a college student. A junior to be exact. I ended up scrounging up enough money from working two restaurant jobs to see a therapist on my own dime, and managed to make peace with my mom before leaving. We both talked out all of our trauma and cried together, and from that moment on, I haven't had a drink. About six months ago I got on the pill. I was starting to see one guy consistently and I wanted to be safe, but also I wanted to know what it felt like to not have stomach cramps anymore. It was freeing. I remembered my dad lifting me up into the air as a child, and I figured it kinda felt like that. I still cry thinking about him, although I don't let anyone see.
Anyway, about a week ago I started having really bad pain again, but this time it was in my chest. I would wake up in my apartment (I share a 3-bedroom with some friends from the college) with heart palpitations. My heart felt like a snake had wrapped around it and was trying to choke it out. The pressure would give way to a burst of fast ba-dum's, then settle, then start again. I remembered my dad's prognosis and started to get really scared, so I scheduled an appointment with the on-campus doctor for the next day through the online health platform.
They told me that chest pain is no joke and scheduled to have me scanned at a nearby hospital. This was four days ago. My boyfriend, Kevin, drove me there even though I said I'd be fine going alone. I think I already knew our relationship wasn't going to work out long term, so I was kind of checked out. I felt bad about it though because Kev is actually a really good person, but our personalities just don't match. He's very introverted and doesn't like to go out, whereas I thrive in group settings. Anyway, he drove me and I ended up getting an X-ray. The doc came in to share the results and I was immediately put off by the dubious expression on his face.
"What do you mean the images are blurry?" I asked.
"Well, it's just… that. They're blurry. It's very unusual for this to happen unless you have a pacemaker or some other device implanted. Do you know if you have something like that?"
"No, never," I said with a quaver in my voice. For some reason I thought back on my childhood dream with the surgeon and felt the urge to vomit.
"Well, let's run a CT scan and see if we can make anything out." He soothed.
Normally the CT and MRI dock was booked for a week out but the doctor happened to have an open space for me that same morning, so I waited about an hour and then got in the big tube machine that took pictures of my chest and abdomen. He said he should have the results by Thursday. That was Yesterday.
I was driving onto campus for my 9AM class when I got the call.
"Hello, this is Dr. **** calling for Josie **** ." (names redacted for privacy reasons)
"Oh, yes, this is Josie," I said and fit the phone between my shoulder and ear as I tried to find a comfortable posture."
"Yes, hello," the male doctor said in grave way which made me feel like this wasn't going to be a short call. "I wanted to see if you were available to come in today for some more tests."
"More tests?" I asked. "What about the first ones?" Images of blocked heart valves and cancer presented themselves on my mental screen.
"Yes, well, I wanted to discuss the results with you in person. There was a bit of a … well, an inconsistency, and I didn't want to upset you—"
"Upset me!?" I blurted, my free hand flying out over the steering wheel, swerving my car toward the curb. I corrected, then lowered my voice, "sorry, I don't mean to be …" be, what? This is completely absurd. "Could you at least give me some indication of what's wrong with me? I'm just kind of panicking here."
The doctor was quiet for a moment, then returned. "Sorry, Josie, I didn't mean to spook you. Both the X-ray scan and CT scan are picking up interference which is unusual. It's possible it's just a flaw on our end, so that's why we wanted you to come back in—to do an MRI and really verify what the issue is. This one would be free of charge and we'd get you results same-day as we feel bad about the issues with the machinery. Do you think that would be possible?"
I took a deep breath. I still felt uneasy, but at least now there was some kind of explanation I could lean on. "Okay, yeah, I can come in. I have class until 9:50AM, but I can drive over after and be there around 10:15, 10:20-ish. Would that work?"
"That would work great. We'll see you then."
I spent the whole of my communications class thinking about what could be wrong with me, doodling my ideas down on a notebook. Heart disease. Cancer. Some kind of peptic ulcer. Maybe it was the pill? The drinking? Was this some kind of cosmic retribution? I didn't know.
An hour later I was back at the hospital. I expected to be ushered into the MRI prep room, but instead I found myself in one of the normal patient rooms, sitting upright on a bed. The nurse did the preliminary height and weight measurements and medical history. I asked about the MRI, but all she said was that the doctor will discuss that with me. Before she left, she handed me an assessment to fill out. It seemed to be a list of questions about the medical history of my family, specifically about our mental health. Does your family have a history of Schizophrenia? Have there been any instances of domestic abuse? Did you have vivid nightmares as a child? Etc. I marked the boxes, then set the clipboard down.
At last I heard the fated knock on the door, and my doctor came in holding an Ipad. The door was only open for maybe a couple seconds, but I could see multiple nurses and technicians peeking their heads in my direction, as if they were trying to catch a glimpse of me. That can't be good.
"Hello, Josie," the doctor said and clicked on the little TV screen. He didn't even look at me. I could see dried sweat along his hairline.
"What's happening? I thought I was going to get an MRI…"
"Well, actually we aren't sure if that's the best course of action." the doctor said as he clicked the screen and pulled up a series of images.
"Can you look at me, please?" I snapped.
The doctor raised his head and tilted it in my direction. His mouth was agape, his eyes wide as if only realizing I was here at that moment. "I'm sorry, Josie." He took a deep breath, preparing some kind of canned presentation, then let it out and said, "It's just easier if I show you." He pulled up the first global image from what I presume was my CT scan. It was a front-shot. I could see my organs as little geometric shapes and—
"Wait, what is that?" I asked, pointing at the screen.
"That—is the problem."
I spent the next minute just staring at it. Somehow, in between all of the organs, there was some kind of cylindrical mass—I thought it was my spine at first but quickly realized it was too wide and there weren't any vertebrae—and at the head of the mass was, very clearly, a hand.
"What the fuck is that" I said in a tone that was at once forceful and pointed.
"It appears," the doctor started, looking away again. "It appears that there is a mechanical hand in your chest cavity. It's attached to a piece of a forearm that begins at your stomach, here," he pointed, "and continues up until, well, it appears to be holding your heart."
Ten seconds passed in silence. Then I was hit with the equivalent of the laughing gas they give you at the Dentist's office. All the blood in my body surged to my forehead and I felt light as the very thin hospital air. "Hahaha!!! You expect me to believe that? What kind of fucking clown-show hospital is this? Am I at the circus?' I stood up and started toward the door. The doctor body blocked me.
"Please, Josie, that isn't it."
"Oh?" I said sarcastically. "Please, do tell."
"Could you have—oh, okay, okay,, let me explain."
I stood there with my arms folded, unrelenting.
"When we first had you do the X-ray there was a big blur. It was clear that something was blocking us from seeing the image. The CT scan was able to take some actual pictures of it. I know it seems, well, unusual—"
"Wait, what the hell is that?" I asked, gesturing toward the clipboard.
"What?" The doctor looked disoriented.
"Those questions. Are you trying to insinuate that my mom and dad implanted some kind of mechanical hand in my body?"
"No," the doctor raised his hands. "We were just trying to gather some more information… Josie," the doctor said as I once again headed for the door handle. "Please, there's more. From the blood test we conducted it seems that you're pregnant."
I was so done. "I'm on the pill, asshole." I sneered and swung the door open, ignoring the sets of eyes trained on me as I scurried to the end of the hall, ran outside, and climbed into my car. I expected to see a bunch of people in white coats running after me, but there was no one. I started the car as tears began to stream from my eyes. Fuck them, I thought and sped out of the parking lot.
I couldn't return to my apartment. I ended up driving for hours, working my way back to my hometown. I spent a long time thinking about all the things I had experienced growing up. The stomach pain, slowly working its way up to my chest. The vivid dream of the surgeon feeling around my guts. Was it really that crazy to think my body was trying to tell me something? Why had I decided against having a CT scan all those years ago? Why now? I didn't—couldn't believe what was happening to me. But was that just because I didn't want to believe it?
And then there was the pregnancy. I was definitely on the pill. I knew it wasn't Kev's, or at least I was pretty sure it wasn't. We haven't been having sex for a little over a month now. But did that mean that something else didn't impregnate me? My paranoia was at its peak. I considered the possibility that maybe it was me that was Schizophrenic. None of this made any sense. I wanted my dad. I missed him. I considered going to see my mom, but despite making up with her, I still didn't feel close enough to her to own up to everything. I wanted to be alone—needed to be alone.
I ended up getting a Motel about 10 minutes away from my house. It was around 1AM when I finally opened the door to my room and laid down on the bed. After hours of thinking, a single thought occurred to me like a kind of defense mechanism: if I really am pregnant, I'm not keeping the baby. I want it out.
Just as I was drifting off to sleep, I heard the notification sound go off on my phone, which was odd since I was sure I had set it to vibrate. I turned and grabbed it, unplugging it from its charging dock. I had received a text message from an unknown, 5-digit number: 66669. This is what it said.
66669: If you terminate my baby, I will crush your heart.
***
I haven't been able to sleep since. It's now 6AM and I've drafted this as a cry for help. Please, let me know what you think I should do. I'm too "in it" to see the details clearly. I feel alone and scared and paranoid. Someone or something is watching me. Maybe it has been my whole life.

BARPOD relevance: WPATH files/surgical intervention, strange internet communities; gender identity, Body-modification (Helen Lewis’ former BMEzine interest in episode 210!), potential new kinks for Katie to tease Jesse about;
Initial warning: NSFW discussion of surgery (in medical context and self-performed)
A couple of “interesting” unrelated stories in the last week that "maybe" have some interlinking ideas (feel free to challenge my logic on this!).
Obviously starting with the "main event", in the UK a ringleader of a pay-per-view website where users could watch men “consensually” having their genitalia amongst other body parts removed (the full case reports are harrowing and not for the faint of heart) largely as a fetish practice* has been jailed for a minimum of 22 years (actually an extremely long sentence here; by contrast a high-profile acid attacker received a 6 years minimum and served just 9 but that’s another story!). Now live-streamed castrations aren't exactly my cup of tea for casual supper-time viewing (Dr Pimple Popper on YT is more my thing), but I suppose the saying “one man's meat is another man's poison” is rather apt! The ringleader himself had also had the “surgery” (done with a popular brand of kitchen knife I happen to own as the BBC had to share - mine's used strictly for culinary use) to become a eunuch or a “nullo”. The case has called to mind a few prominent legal precedents such as R v Brown 1993 (confirming once and for all that hammering nails into certain sensitive body parts for pleasure is a crime - we Brits are such prudes!) or R v Peacock 2012 (aka the “fisting trial”) and where the murky question on the legal thresholds of consent were discussed.
'Eunuch-maker' mutilator jailed for 22 years - BBC News (worryingly BBC's reporting is tamer than others!)
I found the above an interesting contrast with similarly timed news on other bodily amendment: the article on the complex case of the man with Body Integrity Disorder legally having fingers removed (shared by a fellow BARPOD member, linked below), and an article (it's Daily Mail, but is 100% legitimate) on a wave of novel reassignment surgeries for nonbinary individuals (or "bigenital" or "salmacian" genders) available in the States. I had heard of “nullo” surgery (i.e. the Ken/Barbie doll surgery) as part of the WPATH “Standards of Care 8 (Section 88 referencing Eunuch surgery), but this newer surgery offers the option of a hybrid to ultimately have both a penis and a vagina. What does shock me is how unlike with classic transgender surgeries where there is a much longer history of research into both Gender Identify Disorder and physical/psychological impact of surgery dating back to the early 20^th century (albeit much we are finding now to be low quality), with nonbinary surgery there really is…. pretty lacking. There is barely any scientific or even social consensus on how this identity is defined (no clinical thresholds like with traditional GID) – this truly is “experimental” treatment, much akin to the advent of puberty blocker use.

Looking into one of the leading surgeons in this space performing this surgery (I won't name here to avoid any pile-on and as I think this discussion is bigger than one surgeon alone) it doesn’t give much reassurance for me – obviously they have all the appropriate medical qualifications for surgery, but also a degree minor in Gender Studies. I’ll admit perhaps an unfair mental stretch on my part but it did make me wonder the extent the known capture on campuses/medical academia in general PLUS in this case the more radical/laissez faire ideas coming from Queer Theory in these sorts of "grievance studies" courses, could influence upon into the boundaries a surgeon feels comfortable pushing (is it a case of “anything to satisfy the patients whims”). My biggest hang-up here is how these surgeons have now accepted that an individual could "naturally" and "healthily" desire something that they themselves have had to invent on the operating table (not found in nature beyond maybe some intersex deformities) - it feels very far-removed from wanting the bodily appearance of a healthy member of the opposite sex (e.g. a transman wanting pecs as per a biological man).

In terms of the crossover, whilst taking place in different states (UK, Canada, USA), I can’t help but wonder how different the first-mentioned legal case would have looked had the individuals involved essentially performing somewhat similar bodily modifications to find their “true selves” had actively identified as “non-binary”, BID, or “nullo” in the trial (even if superficially as a sneaky legal defence). Would they have received lesser sentences for being higher up on the “progressive pyramid”? (I'd place good money saying yes and the guy should look sternly at his lawyers for not suggesting this tactic!) - if he did would Trans Rights Activists and the non-binary community protest fiercely on the streets for them to be pardoned? - would left-wing publications like Pink News describe the case with more sympathy (e.g. how they were "let down" by the medical system for failing to provide accessible surgeries)?
*BIG caveat with all the above: obviously for the "Eunuch-maker" this was very clearly a kink/fetish practice (whereas non-binary surgery would not necessarily have any sexual motive, and is coming from a place of compassion, even if arguably misplaced), but given the extremeness and permanence involved and seeming "contentedness" at the results for him, this for me does almost cross the line into a Body Integrity Disorder space as afterall that too can involve a paraphilia. I do think it poses questions about whether kinksters could fall into using these new legitimate medical channels, and exactly how far we should allow voluntary body modification. I'm a lefty-liberal so my gut always leans to "you have one life, do what you want with your body", however my fear with the nonbinary surgery is this could go the way of puberty blockers and trans reassignment surgery whereby it is no longer a last-resort but advocated as the first and most appropriate treatment.
Inside the bizarre rise of the 'phalgina': Cosmetic clinics are offering 'grotesque' £10,000 surgery to craft non-binary people a penis AND vagina Daily Mail Online (obviously coming from a particular bias, but summarises the surgeries)
Also mentioned:
Quebec man has two healthy fingers amputated to relieve 'body integrity dysphoria' : BlockedAndReported (reddit.com) (Eartern_Camera_2222's post)
R v Brown - Wikipedia
R v Peacock - Wikipedia (worth it for the cheeky photo alone)
Fantastic (and bizarre) long read on the Peacock case and others and this area: One lawyer’s crusade to defend extreme pornography Law The Guardian
WPATH World Professional Association for Transgender Health

Finally i've finished reading every volume and, as someone who loves writing, here i am writing this review just to share my thoughts.
So, it's undeniable that COTE is edgy as hell. Just take a look at Tsukishiro randomly talking about a guy he just killed, BUT at the same time i feel like it makes sense for the series to have edgy elements when you consider the target audience and the elements the story has. It's not an happy story if you dive deep enough in it and can be rather depressive at times. Either way it's better to fully embrace the edge and just enjoy the series how it is since it's a very enjoyable story if you turn off your brain
The characters are what i think is the main appeal of the series. The cast is huuuuuuge as frick and most of the characters, while not very developed, are each flashed out on their own way, which makes them and their interactions with others very enjoyable and fun to read. Just look at a character like Kito who went from a random dude with a scary face to a full-ass character in y2v8 who was a blast to read alongside his interactions with Ryuen. We have the same with other characters like Ishizaki who went from a random Ryuen's pawn to a whole bro, Sudo who went from the everage short-tempered guy to a chad and Ibuki who went from a girl with anger issues to still a girl with anger issues but entertaining to read with her intractions with Horikita and sometimes Kushida. I won't call the cast deep or amazingly written. The only characters who have a superior level of writing are probably Koji and Ryuen but even they aren't that amazing, but that's okay. You don't need to write Guts 2.0 to make an enjoyable character. But now, alongside the characters, two problems surface. One about the community and one about the author. The first one, the one about the community, is that people seem to care only about feats. No one is gonna talk about a character who doesn't outsmart everyone in a single volume just for him to get humbled by Koji five seconds later. And this is what i consider to be an huuuge problem. I get that they are less amazing inside the story but if they're fun to read then aren't they good characters? I get the shit with Yagatwink because he had a disastrous end but with the rest? Why call Nagumo a fraud in the end? The way he lost made sense with his character. I feel like the fact that people only care about feats is what makes more minor characters Kanzaki, Hashimoto or heck even Matsushita, Ibuki or Morishita to be less talked about. I get it when a character is straight up annoying like Ichinose, Yagatwink, Airi, Yagabitch, Ecchinose, Yagamid or Ichinose but the rest feels a bit unnecessary. The second problem lies in the author and his inability to focus on one character properly. I like a large cast, and it's normal not to develop every character but it doesn't make sense to have important characters like Ichika, Kei or even Fuka to not get development because they're important to the story and are even fam favourites. Ichika was abandoned and was left to be a simp, while there was an huge room for development when it comes to her inability to make friends. Kei will probably develop in year 3 but for now she's an NPC and Kiryuin sadly has few appearances and don't get me started on the first years. I'll leave characters like Ishigami, Tsubaki and Koenji out of the picture because it makes sense for them to be a mystery at this point in the story
I shall avoid talking about fanservice because i want to preserve the few mental stability that i currently have
COTE also does a good job with its antagonists. While sadly year 2 was a bit lacking with Tsukishiro amd Yagami, the rest were great. Ryuen was a threat and you wanted to see him continue and take Koji out in the open and GOSH that fight in y1v7 was amazing even in the light novel. Arisu was great with more of an anti-hero type of character? She'll clearly have more screentime as a villain in y3 but for now she still did a great job. Then we have Nagumo who, at least for me, was defeated almost perfectly for his character and it was even sad. You can see the difference from Nagumo in the beginning and in the end. Then there are other characters who will probably become antagonists. The one i'm looking forward the most is clearly Koenji, who's probably better than Koji physically, and could leave a mark. Then there's Ishigami who will absolutely be an antagonist even if not for long and they better not mess that up or istg. Then Tsubaki, the one who probably has the lowest chances to be an antagonist but someone who could still be interesting to see. And then Horikita who will be almost 100% an antagonist for Koji if he ever switches classes. Then there's Atsuomi who i don't wanna talk about because he's a bit disappointing unless he really doesn't wanna Koji to be expelled
I won't really focus on the special exams, not because they're bad but because even today i still don't understand how 90% of them work so bear with me
Going back to character interactions, i feel like that's something the anime, or at least season 1, kinda nailed. S1E7 is one of the main proves of this. I felt as if the pool scene was better in the anime (fanservice excluded) than in the light novel. That was one of the few times i felt the characters mostly acted like kids who wanted to have fun (fanservice excluded) and that small and faint smile they gave to Koji, even if technically nonsensical and not canon, felt great and feels even better the more i read and come to understand him more. Same thing for the time he smiled in y2v10. That scene was very short but it felt amazing to read nonetheless. Character interactions are also the reasons why i love volumes like y1v8, y2v8 or some scenes in the .5 volumes. They just feel fun to read. Seeing Koji skiing with Kushida and Ryuen, even if they wanna see him in the ground and then take a selfie on his grave, felt great and even more after reading about Ryuen chuckling after seeing Koji fall. Or even the scene with Arisu and Koji eating the cake, something so simple but great to me
Now i'd like to talk a bit about Koji's character because he's probably the deepest and most well written in the series. Due to the anime, those yt videos and the Ayanokoji wannabe he became the epitome of the "oh my god he's literally me" and the average edgy character, which i find to be horrendous. I like the jokes about that but i can't stand when one is serious. We all know Koji's main motive in that school is probably just live a quiet life in peace just like a normal high schooler and when you stop and think about him... Goddammit his story is depressing. He never had a normal childhood and he developed a toxic mindset while being in the WR which ruined his life. He's so depressed and traumatised he can't even smile properly and his normal and mundane happy life is constantly ruined by troubles and sabotages by his father (if he really wants to expel him). I know he clearly doesn't have a problem with any of that because he's perfect and all, but having to deal with all of that consistently must suck even for him. Dude can't catch a break and i won't be surprised if we see him breaking at some point in the story (something i'm looking forward to). I just want someone to defeat him just so his father could leave him the fuck alone
Now that we're here, i think i can finally end this. It was short, yeah, but it was fun. COTE is what i consider to be a flawed masterpiece due to the way it keeps you reading but also make you question what the author is doing at times. It's good but it's also bad and i expected much worse in y2. There are obviously many disastrous nitpicks in the series. Ichinose is a whole damn example, but other than those problems, this series is amazing to me. But maybe i have written all wrong stuff and i've completely missed the point in the story, but i don't mind viewing it like this. It's a fun story that i hope won't fall from grace

The abundance of dwarves, humans, and elves in The War Within thus far has ignited a whole new wave of debate across WoW social media on the supposed faction favoritism of the devs. This is a tale as old as time. Whether it was BfA showing "Horde favoritism" by repeating the Horde-centric story of MoP where the Alliance are just sort of along for the ride of a Horde rebellion, Legion showing "Alliance favoritism" for the prevalence of humans, elves, and draenei throughout its core themes, or hell, how BfA's "Horde favoritism" wasn't the "favoritism" the Horde needs because it makes them out to be irredeemable monsters regardless of player input, so BfA was actually "Alliance favoritism" and round and round it goes.
So now we come to TWW and the arguments have started up all over again. But both sides of this debate tend to overlook what exactly is going on with the story, and in the process being vocal about the wrong kind of problems with the storytelling that need to be addressed. What's been happening isn't any kind of faction favoritism. It's race favoritism.
The only playable races that get consistent advancements in story from expansion to expansion are humans, orcs, and elves. Anyone else typically spends their time waiting around for the devs and writers to glance in their general direction and hopefully toss them a crumb of content. A patch that uses their race's aesthetic. Possibly even an expansion that puts them at the forefront. And they just have to pray that whatever story they are given is good, because they won't be getting any more for years after. Otherwise we get something like the retaking of Gilneas: A story Worgen players had been begging for since Cataclysm that ultimately ended up being incredibly short and barely focusing on the Gilneans at all.
Generally what this means is that a race will suddenly get that aforementioned crumb of story, only to be surrounded by people of the opposing faction calling out faction favoritism, when the race in question has not had any story in years. It's happening currently with dwarves. TWW is finally doing something with story threads that were sewn and then left to dangle all the way back in Cataclysm. Dagran is no longer an infant. Dwarven politics are being explored. And a new tribe related to the dwarves is at the forefront of marketing. Again, this is the first time since Cataclysm that dwarves have been given anything to work with, but their role here is being decried as "Alliance favoritism" as if the dwarves had been getting story all along.
Often even when the story would theoretically be most suited to a certain non-human/orc/elf race, we will get new lore making them fit in, or otherwise attach a main character of those races to the story so that players don't get too "lost." The return to Argus, the home of the Draenei, should have been a huge deal for Draenei everywhere. And Velen himself was prominent. But we didn't really get any other Draenei stepping up to play major roles in this Argus storyline. Instead, we reintroduced Turalyon and Alleria. Turalyon is now the leader of the otherwise-Draenei group known as the Army of the Light. He actually is the one who introduced Elekks to their army. Meanwhile Alleria's connections to the void take center stage in Eredath: The zone that is the former main hub of Draenei civilization. Or look at TWW. An expansion entirely underground calls to mind none of the three "main" races WoW likes to focus on. Instead, it makes sense to shift the focus to dwarves, goblins, gnomes, and also other non-playable races. But a whole expansion not focusing on the faves of the writers is unthinkable, so we have to introduce Hallowfall: An underground civilization of humans, elves, and half-elves who have immediate ties to the main plot and quickly take over the focus of the story from the Earthen and Kobolds of the first two zones. Notably, every press release on TWW has said Anduin and Alleria are the main characters of the expansion, not Moira, Dagran, Magni, Gazlowe, or others.
It's also worth noting how the only allied race leaders who have consistently gone on to appear in important story roles after their introduction are the humans and elves. Turalyon and Alleria continue to be important, while Captain Fareeya (I'm sure you're asking "Who?") still has yet to get a defined personality. Thalyssra of the Nightborne immediately went on to play a major role in the Naz'jatar zone of BfA, and has since married Lor'themar, while Mayla occasionally shows up with glazed over eyes to say "Hey, Baine is pretty cool, right?" Talanji actually got a book after BfA, but then disappeared in the actual game in the following expansions. Her appearance in the background of the first TWW trailer turned some heads, only for it to be revealed that she was a placeholder for a new race that seem to be more tied to the Night Elves than anyone else.
There are a few different ways in which an underutilized race can get a story boost:
1) Human/Elf/Orc ties:
Often times we'll start to see a race appear more if they are given explicit ties to one of the three races I talked about. Genn Greymane did appear in many stories beginning with the Legion expansion, though none were really about the Worgen people or Gilneas. Genn himself prefers to stay in his human form, and he is far more invested in Anduin's story than the plight of his people for most of his run as a recurring character. The retaking of Gilneas saw Genn even abdicate the throne to his daughter, Tess, who does not even have a Worgen form. I would not be surprised if Gilneas became a much more prominent part of the story moving forward now that their figurehead is more human. Notably Darius Crowley, someone who is very important to Worgen lore, consistently stays in his Worgen form, and is canonically the leader of the effort to retake Gilneas from Cataclysm to Dragonflight, has been on the bench since his debut and was not even included in the ultimate culmination of his work.
Or how about the Forsaken? Most Forsaken story was not about them, but about Sylvanas Windrunner: An undead High Elf who by virtue of plot is able to not have any visible rotting or traditional Forsaken traits on her body. When BfA and Shadowlands happened, there was some hope among Forsaken players that future Forsaken story could actually be about the average undead, only for them to immediately be tethered to Calia Menethil, another undead who by virtue of plot is able to not have any rotting or traditional Forsaken traits on her body. And we all know how much people love Calia.
2) Complete separation from their race:
Sometimes a character from a race not usually focused on will rise to main story prominence, but only because they no longer have strong ties to their race. Therefore, they can get some story without having to also advance the story of their race. We've already talked about Genn staying in human form most of the time and acting as Anduin's advisor, but he's not the only example. When Magni returned as the "Speaker of Azeroth," there was no shakeup in dwarven society to address. The only place we actually saw some acknowledgement of the shakeups this could cause was in a short promotional comic for Legion where he wakes up, tells Moira he won't want the throne back, and leaves. From Legion to now, Magni has not had a hint of a connection to his people, and we're only now addressing that in TWW.
Baine's biggest roles in the story never have anything to do with him being a leader to his people. Instead, it's when he needs to play the diplomat to Jaina and Anduin. The uncertain foil to Sylvanas or Garrosh. Baine, and the Tauren as a whole, exist as supporting characters in stories not their own. In fact, there's a long history of races only existing to prop up the story favorites. They had to write into the lore that Gelbin Mekkatorque specifically chose to ignore his own people's plight and support the wider Alliance in the hopes they'd one day return the favor. They never have.
3) The story of their debut expansion is focused on them:
Finally you sometimes get an expansion that is dead set on tying its new playable race to the story of its expansion. I speak primarily of the Pandaren and the Dracthyr. Two races introduced in expansions focused on the introduction of their people to the Alliance and Horde, and the problems erupting in their homes. Unfortunately, as we saw with the Pandaren, the buck stops there. Once Mists of Pandaria ended, so did any drive to tell the Pandaren's story. They have remained playable. They remain able to occasionally appear as a background NPC who is drunk or something because that is the one characteristic they're now known for. But any focus on them as a people is gone. Time will tell if the Dracthyr will see the same fate once Dragonflight officially ends, but I don't like their odds.
Conclusion:
All of this is to say, I hesitate to paint with a broad brush and declare something like "Alliance favoritism" or "Horde favoritism." Because that would be to ignore how stagnant the stories of so many of the races in those factions have been for so long. To ignore that Dagran, the supposed next ruler of a united Dwarven people has only just now graduated from a generic baby dwarf model despite being introduced in 2010. To ignore that Gazlowe was casually handed leadership of the Bilgewater Cartel with one line of dialogue while humans and orcs get whole expansions dedicated to a transfer in power. To ignore that "For Gnomeregan" has been the battle cry of a still homeless Gnome population since Vanilla WoW. To ignore that the Draenei, introduced in 2007, are finally confirmed to be thinking about building a new home in our current year of 2024.
I'd like to believe things have changed. I'd like to be excited that Dwarf storylines are being told at the start of Khaz Algar, and there is seemingly setup for a Goblin-centric patch in our future. But I know this franchise's history.

"IL-PN JSABBAT SAQAJH U JOĦROĠ ’IL BARRA MILL-PARLAMENT WARA LI M’GĦADDIETX TIEGĦU
Id-deputati tal-Oppożizzjoni ħarġu ’l barra mill-Parlament wara ruling tal-Ispeaker biex issir diskussjoni urġenti dwar l-eżitu tar-rapport tal-inkjesta b’rabta mal-konċessjoni tal-isptarijiet.
Din il-mozzjoni, li ntalbet mill-Kap tal-Oppożizzjoni, ma ġietx aċċettata f’ruling li ta l-Ispeaker tal-Kamra. B’reazzjoni għal dan, Bernard Grech qal li l-Kamra ma fehmitx il-mozzjoni tiegħu biex eventwalment id-deputati tal-Oppożizzjoni sabbtu saqajhom u telqu ’l barra.
Dan ir-ruling mitlub mill-Oppożizzjoni, irreaġixxa wkoll il-Prim Ministru Robert Abela.
Il-Prim Ministru qal li, fil-mozzjoni tiegħu, Bernard Grech qed jistieden li l-Parlament jittrasforma ruħu f’Qorti u mhux jagħmel dan kontra l-liġi.
“Jien kont l-ewwel wieħed, ħafna qablu, l-ewwel wieħed li għedt li l-Avukat Ġenerali għandha tippubblika l-proċess verbal minnufih.”
Waqt li beda jitkellem il-Prim Ministru fil-Parlament kien hemm l-interruzzjonijiet, fosthom mid-Deputat Nazzjonalista, Karol Aquilina.
Il-Prim Ministru qal kif hu għażel li jwieġeb fl-ogħla istituzzjoni tal-pajjiż u mhux bil-kummenti moħbija fuq il-midja soċjali.
Il-Prim Ministru, kompla jinnota u jistaqsi, kif jista’ jkun li, waqt tfittxijiet partikolari, ikollok eks deputat tal-Oppożizzjoni li jkun jaf eżattament meta se jsiru dawn it-tfittxijiet.
“Jimporta? Sur President ħa nwieġeb lil Karol Aquilina. Jien il-kwistjoni veru mhux dik li qed ipoġġu huma, ta’ min għandu l-proċess verbal illum, min kien jaf x’se jkun hemm f’dak il-proċess verbal qabel ingħalqet l-inkjesta. Min waqt li għaddejja l-inkjesta kellu, u kien ikun jaf bis-siegħa u bil-ġurnata ta’ meta jsiru t-tfittxijiet, u ssibu wara l-bieb ta’ barra ta’ fejn se jsiru.”
Waqt li l-Prim Ministru kien qed jitkellem, bosta deputati Nazzjonalisti bdew itellfuh milli jitkellem u ħolqu kommossjoni fil-Parlament, tant li s-seduta kellha tiġi sospiża għal xi ħin. Wara, tipikament mill-Oppożizzjoni Nazzjonalista, li meta ma jiħdux li jridu, jitilqu ’l barra.
Dr Abela żied jgħid u jiċċara li l-Parlament mhuwiex il-Qorti u, bħala organu leġizlattiv, m’għandux jasal għal deċizjonijiet li jmorru kontra l-liġijiet magħmulin minnu stess.
“Però li qed ngħid ukoll hu li din il-Kamra, bħala l-organu li tilleġisla, ma jistax hu jipparteċipa f’ezercizzju, li tasal għal deċiżjoni li tmur kontra l-liġijiet li jgħaddi hu stess – dak li qed ngħid.”
Il-Prim Ministru stqarr li, jekk xi ħadd jista’ jgħid min hu l-establishment, dan hu Adrian Delia, hekk kif kien l-establishment li neħħih minn Kap Nazzjonalista, biex minfloku poġġa lil Bernard Grech.
Il-Prim Ministru qal li hu jifhem li l-Avukat Ġenerali qed tagħmel ix-xogħol tagħha biex tippubblika l-proċess verbali, filwaqt li qal li l-pubblikazzjoni ta’ dan ir-rapport għandha ssir illum qabel għada.
https://one.com.mt/il-pn-johrog-isabbat-saqajh-u-johrog-il-barra-mill-parlament-wara-li-mghaddietx-tieghu/
—
Today's Amazon Deals (Affiliate) - https://amzn.to/3FeoGyg
Becoming Catholic will give you a solid foundation for your eternal destiny. The Catholic faith represents the most complex, consistent, and complete system of ideas among all the competing philosophies of humanity. It is a veritable cathedral of human thought. The Catholic Church teaches that God loves us so much that he sent his only Son to die for our sins and rise again for our salvation. By believing in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we can receive God’s grace and live with him forever in heaven. - https://www.vaticannews.va/en.html
Radio Maria Greater China (Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan) - http://www.voiceofmary.org.mo/ - “Radio Maria is a gift from Our Lady. Through programming, every editorial product, and all our activities, we must be a radio of prayer and evangelization with a strong Marian imprint and a call to conversion.” (Fr. Livio)
Radio Maria responds to Jesus’ continual invitation: “Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature” (Mk 16:15).
The main themes of our programming are:
Prayer;
The call to conversion;
Evangelization;
Human and social formation;
News from Church and society.
VisitMalta: Get all the information you need for your trip to Malta! Book tickets, discover new places to visit, find amazing things to do and more! - https://www.visitmalta.com/
Disclaimer: This site is for informational purposes only and should not be considered legal [health, tax, profession] advice. We are not responsible for any losses, damages, or liabilities that may arise from the use of this blog. This blog is not intended to replace professional medical advice. The views expressed in this blog may not be those of the host or the management.
https://www.reddit.com/SinoMaltaNews
http://sinomaltanews.freeforums.net/
"
"國盟在議會未獲通過後雙腳失勢離開議會
在議長決定就醫院特許權調查報告的結果進行緊急討論後，反對黨議員退出議會。
這項由反對黨領袖提出的動議在眾議院議長的裁決中未被接受。對此，伯納德·格雷奇回應稱，眾議院不理解他的動議，所以最終反對黨議員盤腿離開。
總理羅伯特·阿貝拉也對反對黨要求的這項裁決做出了反應。
總理表示，伯納德·格雷奇在其動議中邀請議會將其轉變為法院，但不要違法。
“很多人都同意，我是第一個說司法部長應該立即公佈口頭程序的人。”
當總理開始在議會發言時，有人打斷他，其中包括民族黨議員卡羅爾·阿奎利納 (Karol Aquilina)。
總理表示，他選擇在國家最高機構回答問題，而不是在社群媒體上發表隱藏評論。
總理繼續指出並詢問，在特定搜查期間，怎麼可能有一位前反對黨議員確切知道這些搜查何時進行。
「有關係嗎？總統先生，讓我回答卡羅爾·阿奎利納。我才是真正的問題，而不是他們提出的問題，誰今天有口頭程序，誰知道在調查結束之前口頭程序會發生什麼。在調查進行期間，他已經知道並且會知道進行搜查的時間和日期，你會在搜查地點的前門後面找到他。
當總理講話時，許多國民黨議員開始乾擾他講話，並在議會中引起騷動，以至於會議不得不暫停一段時間。之後，通常來自民族主義反對派，當他們沒有得到他們想要的東西時，他們就會離開這個國家。
阿貝拉博士補充並澄清，議會不是法院，作為立法機構，它不應做出違反其本身製定的法律的決定。
“但我還要說的是，眾議院作為立法機構，不能參與一項違反其通過的法律的決定——這就是我所說的。”
總理表示，如果有人能說出這個建制派是誰，那就是阿德里安·迪莉婭，因為正是這個建制派罷免了他的民族黨領袖職務，並用伯納德·格雷奇取而代之。
總理表示，他理解總檢察長正在盡其職責公佈口頭程序，同時他說這份報告的公佈應該在今天之前完成。
https://one.com.mt/il-pn-johrog-isabbat-saqajhh-u-johrog-il-barra-mil-parlament-wara-li-mgdadidx-tieghu/
—
今日亞馬遜優惠（聯盟）- https://amzn.to/3FeoGyg
成為天主教徒將為您永恆的命運奠定堅實的基礎。天主教信仰代表了人類所有相互競爭的哲學中最複雜、最一致、最完整的思想體系。這是名副其實的人類思想大教堂。天主教會教導說，上帝如此愛我們，以至於祂派遣祂的獨生子為我們的罪而死，並為我們的救贖而復活。透過相信耶穌基督為我們的主和救主，我們可以接受神的恩典並與祂永遠生活在天堂裡。 - https://www.vaticannews.va/en.html
瑪麗亞電台大中華區（中國大陸、香港、澳門、台灣） - http://www.voiceofmary.org.mo/ - 「瑪麗亞電台是聖母的禮物。透過節目編排、每一份社論產品以及我們所有的活動，我們必須成為帶有強烈瑪麗亞印記並呼籲皈依的祈禱和福傳電台。 （利維奧神父）
瑪麗亞電台回應耶穌不斷的邀請：「你們往全世界去，向萬民傳福音」（可16:15）。
我們節目的主題是：
禱告;
呼籲轉變；
傳福音；
人類和社會的形成；
來自教會和社會的新聞。
VisitMalta：取得馬耳他之旅所需的所有資訊！預訂門票、發現新的遊覽地點、發現令人驚奇的事情等等！ - https://www.visitmalta.com/
免責聲明：本網站僅供參考，不應被視為法律[健康、稅務、職業]建議。我們對因使用本部落格而可能產生的任何損失、損害或責任不承擔任何責任。本部落格無意取代專業醫療建議。本部落格所表達的觀點可能不代表主持人或管理階層的觀點。
https://www.reddit.com/SinoMaltaNews
http://sinomaltanews.freeforums.net/
"
"国盟在议会未获通过后双脚失势离开议会
在议长决定就医院特许权调查报告的结果进行紧急讨论后，反对党议员退出议会。
这项由反对党领袖提出的动议在众议院议长的裁决中未被接受。对此，伯纳德·格雷奇回应称，众议院不理解他的动议，所以最终反对党议员盘腿离开。
总理罗伯特·阿贝拉也对反对党要求的这一裁决做出了反应。
总理表示，伯纳德·格雷奇在其动议中邀请议会将其转变为法院，但不要违法。
“很多人都同意，我是第一个说司法部长应该立即公布口头程序的人。”
当总理开始在议会发言时，有人打断他，其中包括民族党议员卡罗尔·阿奎利纳 (Karol Aquilina)。
总理表示，他选择在国家最高机构回答问题，而不是在社交媒体上发表隐藏评论。
总理继续指出并询问，在特定搜查期间，怎么可能有一位前反对党议员确切知道这些搜查何时进行。
“有关系吗？总统先生，让我回答卡罗尔·阿奎利纳。我才是真正的问题，而不是他们提出的问题，谁今天有口头程序，谁知道在调查结束之前口头程序会发生什么。在调查进行期间，他已经知道并且会知道进行搜查的时间和日期，你会在搜查地点的前门后面找到他。”
当总理讲话时，许多国民党议员开始干扰他讲话，并在议会中引起骚动，以至于会议不得不暂停一段时间。之后，通常来自民族主义反对派，当他们没有得到他们想要的东西时，他们就会离开这个国家。
阿贝拉博士补充并澄清，议会不是法院，作为立法机构，它不应做出违反其本身制定的法律的决定。
“但我还要说的是，众议院作为立法机构，不能参与一项违反其通过的法律的决定——这就是我所说的。”
总理表示，如果有人能说出这个建制派是谁，那就是阿德里安·迪莉娅，因为正是这个建制派罢免了他的民族党领袖职务，并用伯纳德·格雷奇取而代之。
总理表示，他理解总检察长正在尽其职责公布口头程序，同时他说这份报告的公布应该在今天之前完成。
https://one.com.mt/il-pn-johrog-isabbat-saqajhh-u-johrog-il-barra-mil-parlament-wara-li-mgdadidx-tieghu/
—
今日亚马逊优惠（联盟）- https://amzn.to/3FeoGyg
成为天主教徒将为您永恒的命运奠定坚实的基础。天主教信仰代表了人类所有相互竞争的哲学中最复杂、最一致、最完整的思想体系。这是名副其实的人类思想大教堂。天主教会教导说，上帝如此爱我们，以至于他派遣他的独生子为我们的罪而死，并为我们的救赎而复活。通过相信耶稣基督为我们的主和救主，我们可以接受神的恩典并与他永远生活在天堂里。 - https://www.vaticannews.va/en.html
玛丽亚电台大中华区（中国大陆、香港、澳门、台湾） - http://www.voiceofmary.org.mo/ - “玛丽亚电台是圣母的礼物。通过节目编排、每一份社论产品以及我们所有的活动，我们必须成为带有强烈玛丽亚印记并呼吁皈依的祈祷和福传电台。” （利维奥神父）
玛丽亚电台回应耶稣不断的邀请：“你们往全世界去，向万民传福音”（可16:15）。
我们节目的主题是：
祷告;
呼吁转变；
传福音；
人类和社会的形成；
来自教会和社会的新闻。
VisitMalta：获取马耳他之旅所需的所有信息！预订门票、发现新的游览地点、发现令人惊奇的事情等等！ - https://www.visitmalta.com/
免责声明：本网站仅供参考，不应被视为法律[健康、税务、职业]建议。我们对因使用本博客而可能产生的任何损失、损害或责任不承担任何责任。本博客无意取代专业医疗建议。本博客所表达的观点可能不代表主持人或管理层的观点。
https://www.reddit.com/SinoMaltaNews
http://sinomaltanews.freeforums.net/
"

I'm 22 right now. I can't remember a lot of specific obsessions that I've had throughout my life, although I've always had a shit ton of anxiety and things around me that controlled my life. Last year I took out my wisdom teeth and this year my teeth are my new obsession. I don't know what to do. I brush my teeth with a regular toothbrush, then an electric toothbrush, of course using toothpaste both times, then I use interdental brushes, I floss and finally I use my mouthwash. I do this after every meal. At first it started as me just taking care of my teeth after the surgery, but now it's been a year and I can't stop. I'm avoiding certain foods and drinks that might stain or harm my teeth and cause caries... I can't stop losing weight. But I don't know how to stop. It keeps getting worse with time and my teeth no longer feel polished after brushing because I've most likely completely destroyed the outer layer. They just never feel clean anymore, even after I do this whole ritual. It will help me relax in the moment but I still won't feel like I did a perfect job. It's been taking a toll on my mental health for months... I also wear my retainer every night, otherwise I can't sleep or I think my teeth will shift or I'll grind my teeth and wake up from the pain.
I have another obsession as well. At some point, I broke up with my girlfriend. I ended up stalking her twitter account, to see how she's doing. It's been 3 years since that time and I can't stop checking it, even though we're dating again and everything is fine. I check it every day, some times multiple times a day just to see if she posts something about me. The fear that she will break up with me again is always there. She doesn't even know I do that and I'm so ashamed of that habit but I just can't stop doing it or thinking about doing it. I've tried to fight it but I don't know how to stop and I need help.

New Features and enhancements
New AI-enhanced tools join Smart Tempo and the Pitch Correction plug-in to augment your artistry.
Bass Player and Keyboard Player join Drummer to complete a set of Session Players — all built with AI making it easy to create performances that respond to your direction.
Session Players can follow the same chord progression using Global chord track.
Add warmth to any track with ChromaGlow, an advanced plug-in with five saturation models designed to simulate the sound of vintage analog hardware.*
Separate a stereo audio file into stems for vocals, drums, bass and other parts with Stem Splitter.*
Session Players, ChromaGlow, and Stem Splitter also come to Logic Pro for iPad 2 — making it simple to move between projects created in Logic Pro for Mac.
Play any of six deeply-sampled acoustic and electric basses with Studio Bass.
Perform any of three meticulously-sampled pianos with Studio Piano.
Loops that contain chord tags will automatically populate the chord track when added to a project.
Three new Producer Packs are available: Hardwell, The Kount, and Cory Wong.
Original multi-track project of Swing! by Ellie Dixon available as in-app demo song.
Downmix and trim options allow custom mixing for non-Atmos channel configurations.
Exported ADM BWF files have been expanded beyond Dolby Atmos and can contain settings for stereo and other multi-channel formats.
Bounce in place adds automatic real-time recording for External Instrument regions or tracks that utilize external hardware using the Logic Pro I/O plug-in.
Route MIDI signals generated by supported software instruments and effects to the input of other tracks for creative layering during playback or recording.
Edit more efficiently using key commands for moving, extending, or resizing marquee selections.
The Nudge Region/Event Position key commands now also nudge Marquee selections.
The Transpose Region/Event key commands now also move or expand the Marquee selection up/down.
Pattern regions can now be created on Drummer tracks, and Drummer regions can be converted to Pattern regions.
New key commands include Trim Note End to Following Notes (Force Legato) With Overlap and Trim Note End to Selected (Force Legato) With Overlap.
Bounce in Place and Track Freeze can now be performed in real time, allowing for use of external instruments, I/O plug-ins, and external inserts.
Mastering Assistant analysis now can be performed in real time, allowing for use in projects that incorporate external I/O or instruments.
The Dolby Atmos plug-in now offers Downmix and Surround/Height Trim controls.
The Recent Projects list can now be configured to show up to 50 projects.
* Requires a Mac with Apple silicon.
Stability and reliability
Scripts with 1071 characters or more in Scripter no longer cause Logic Pro to quit unexpectedly.
Fixes an issue where creating a an event in a lane assigned to Note off in Step Sequencer could cause Logic Pro to quit unexpectedly.
Fixes an issue where Logic Pro could fail to launch with an Error Initializing Core MIDI message when the system is under heavy load performing other tasks.
Resolves an issue where Logic Pro could quit unexpectedly when a 64-bit floating point IR file is loaded into Space Designer.
Fixes an issue where Logic Pro could hang when opening a project while the Project Settings > MIDI window is displayed.
Logic Pro no longer quits unexpectedly when creating multiple Aux tracks with multiple existing Aux tracks selected.
Improves stability when bypassing control surfaces with Musical Typing open when EuControl software is installed.
Fixes an issue where Logic Pro could hang when quitting a project containing a large number of instances of Sampler.
Fixes an issue where Logic Pro could quit unexpectedly when replacing a playing Live Loops cell with another loop.
Performance
The UI is now more responsive when adjusting Flex Pitches directly on regions in Deviation mode.
Performance is improved when editing Transient Markers in Take regions with Flex enabled.
Performance is improved when making Flex Pitch edits in the Tracks area with a large number of selected regions.
Alchemy's Performance is improved.
Performance is improved when moving regions in projects with a large number of tracks and regions.
Projects containing a large number of flex-pitched regions now open more quickly.
Resolves an issue where loading a project saved with a Summing stack selected that contains Software Instruments that have no regions and/or with the tracks turned off could load the Software Instruments into memory.
Accessibility
VoiceOver now announces the state of Automation mode buttons on channel strips.
VoiceOver now announces the status of the Pause button in the LCD.
VoiceOver no longer announces hidden controls in the Smart Controls view.
VoiceOver no longer reads the values of pan knobs that are currently hidden in Sends on Faders mode.
VoiceOver now announces the state of the Details button and the Follow button in the Drummer Editor.
VoiceOver now announces left-click and Command-click Tool selections in the Control Bar.
VoiceOver now announces the name of the Time Quantize button in the Piano Roll.
VoiceOver now announces changes in value when the Next/Previous key commands are used to change Quantize values.
VoiceOver now announces state of key commands for Cycle, Mute, Track Solo, Input Monitoring, Track On/Off, and Lock/Unlock Track.
VoiceOver now announces the selection state of focused tracks.
Spatial Audio
Fixes an issue where adding a new 3D Object track for the first time to a Spatial Audio project could cause the Renderer to switch from the current model to the Apple renderer.
The Dolby Atmos plug-in now offers a 5.1.2 monitoring option.
Fixes an issue where setting a project to Dolby Atmos could output to 7.1.4 even when the mode defaults to Apple Renderer.
It is now possible to monitor Dolby Atmos projects directly via HDMI to a surround capable receiveamplifier.
The metering for Height channels now shows as post-fader on the Master channel as expected.
Loading a Master Bus channel strip setting in the 7.1.4 channel format now preserves the 7.1.4 channel layout as expected.
Session Players
Resolves an issue where loading a user-created Drum Machine Designer patch could set the input to a bus and fail to load the Drum Machine Designer instrument.
Using the Create Drummer Region command in a Marquee selection now creates a region that corresponds to the Marquee.
Smart Tempo
In cases where there is not an existing Smart Tempo Multitrack Set, selecting an audio file in the Smart Tempo Multitrack Set window and disabling the “Contribute to analysis” check box now causes the Update button to change to Analyze as expected.
Pressing the Space bar now immediately stops a Free Tempo recording.
Fixes an issue where projects previously open in the same Logic Pro session could unexpectedly affect “Contribute to Analysis” in the Smart Tempo editor.
Recording
Audio regions recorded to unnamed tracks now include the project name and track number in their name.
Mixer
The channel strip Stereo Pan control and the Pan menu now can be adjusted when Caps Lock is enabled.
Creating a single Multi-timbral Software Instrument in the New Track Sheet no longer creates two Software Instrument instances in the All view of the Mixer.
Resolves an issue where remaining tracks in a Multitimbral Software Instrument Track Stack could unexpectedly rename the channel strip.
Adjusting the activity status of a speaker in the Surround panner no longer causes the signal to unexpectedly mute.
Groups now immediately show as inactive when switched off for a selected set of channels in the Mixer.
Metering now correctly works on individual channel strips with plug-ins that send to more than two channels and are routed to a surround bus.
Option-clicking on a send in a selected group of channel strips now sets all corresponding sends to 0 dB as expected.
Fixes an issue where performing Undo after adjusting the fader values of grouped channels with Group Clutch enabled and then disabled could cause the faders to jump up to +6 dB when one member of the group is touched.
Setting multiple selected channels to No VCA now works as expected
Alchemy
The oscillator section in Alchemy offers a new Wide Unison mode.
All controls for Additive Effects now accept typed-in values as expected.
Values typed into parameters related to milliseconds (MS) in Acoustic Reverb are no longer interpreted as full seconds.
Resolves an issue where performance control destinations for modulation could show as duplicated.
Sampler, Quick Sampler, and Quick Alchemy
The Playback direction button in Quick Sampler now immediately updates when clicked.
The view now scrolls correctly when dragging the Trim marker in Sample Alchemy.
It is now possible to adjust the level of a group in Sampler up to +24 dB.
The Up/Down buttons for navigating zones in Sampler now remain available after adjusting the start or end positions of samples.
The general Zoom/Scroll key commands now can be used to trim the current view in Sample Alchemy.
Handles and Trim Handles in Sample Alchemy behave correctly when click-dragged, even when the plug-in window does not have focus.
The Ancient Vocal Chop and Baily Glide plug-in settings for Quick Sampler now open in Classic mode, as expected.
Plug-ins
The MIDI Scripter plug-in now shows in Logic Pro when running in dark mode.
Fixes an issue where clicking on Sampled IR in Space Designer could activate Synthesized IR mode unexpectedly.
Resolves an issue where repositioning the playhead could cause audio to cut out on channel strips that use Step FX.
The preset Note Repeater in Scripter now works as expected.
The wet/dry setting on Ringshifter is now always set to 100% wet when inserted on an Aux.
There's now a DI Delay Compensation switch in Bass Amp Designer to improve phase correlation when blending between Amp and Direct Box in the plug-in.
StepFX now includes presets using Sidechain.
The Beat Breaker preset called “Basic / 2 Slices, Speed 66%” no longer plays the slices at 50% speed instead of 66%.
Resolves an issue where ES2 could produce glitching sounds when using Sine Level or Poly Voice mode on Apple Silicon computers.
Mono > Stereo instances of Console EQ no longer can cause unexpected feedback.
Using the Delete all Automation key command while an Audio Unit window has key focus no longer causes the Audio Unit window to go blank.
The menu for the compression section of Phat FX can now be opened by clicking on the Up/Down arrows.
Beat Breaker now offers new default patterns divided evenly into 2, 4, 8, 16, and 32 slices.
Mastering Assistant
There is no longer unexpected latency with bounces from projects that use the Clean or Clean + Excite mode in Mastering Assistant.
Mastering Assistant analysis is no longer incorrectly triggered in projects that contain no regions, but are previewing audio from Ultrabeat, etc.
Mastering Assistant no longer allows the -1 dBFS peak limit to be exceeded in certain cases.
Automation
The Consolidate Relative and Absolute for Visible / Automation menu item now only displays when automation types that support relative automation are active in the lane.
Region-based Automation is now pasted as Track-based Automation when pasted to an area of a track that does not contain regions.
Pitchbend now works as expected with zones in Sampler that do not have Flex Pitch enabled.
Selecting Region-based automation points on a region now deselects previously selected automation points on other regions
Disabling Region-Based Automation no longer dims the Power button for MIDI CC data lanes in the Piano Roll.
The movie window now updates to show the correct frame when moving Region-based automation points.
The Autoselect automation parameter now works as expected when clicking any plug-in control.
Automation of the Gain plug-in no longer exhibits unexpected latency.
Region-based automation is now drawn correctly when recorded into projects that start earlier than 1 1 1 1.
Automation lane views for all tracks are now maintained when switching into Flex view and then back to Automation view.
Flex Time and Flex Pitch
Flex Pitched notes now play as expected when clicked while Record or Input Monitoring is active on the track.
Flexed audio tracks using Monophonic or Slicing mode no longer produce clicks at tempo changes.
Takes and comping
Fade-ins are now applied when flatten and merge is performed on Comps.
Renaming a take that encompasses the entire length of an audio file no longer unexpectedly changes the file name.
Comps in Take Folders are now preserved when performing Cut Section Between Locators on a section that includes the end of one Take folder and the beginning of another, with a gap in-between.
Track Stacks
Record-arming a Track Stack now arms grouped audio tracks in a Track Stack it contains.
Dragging a subtrack out of a Track Stack that is assigned to a VCA now removes the assignment for the subtrack.
Fixes an issue where Track Stacks could sometimes be dimmed when some, but not all, subtracks are muted or off.
It's now possible to replace stacked instrument patches that are inside a Summing Stack with single track patches.
Track Alternatives
Loading a patch on a Summing Stack containing sub-tracks with Track Alternatives no longer causes inactive alternatives to be deleted.
Track Alternatives can now be created for the Stereo Output track.
Selection-Based Processing
Using Selection-Based Processing on a Marquee selected section within a Take Folder no longer creates an unexpected comp.
Selection-Based Processing on a comp now retains the comp.
Score
The spacing of notes is improved in cases where there is a dotted note on a line with the stem is pointing upward.
Command + Z to undo now works after deleting a Score Set.
Upward bends in TAB staves now display correctly.
Importing an instrument track no longer can cause Score Sets in the current project to disappear.
Imported Score Sets can now be deleted from a project.
Live Loops
“Join Region and Fill Cell” now works as expected.
Recording a performance in Live Loops now temporarily puts all tracks into Automation: Latch mode.
Fixes an issue where changing patches for a Live Loop track could cause the length of cells to change unexpectedly.
It's now possible to paste MIDI notes into a Live Loops cell.
Step Sequencer
It's now easier to use the disclosure triangle to open sub-rows in Step Sequencer.
Pattern regions now play back correctly immediately after being nudged.
Pattern Regions now immediately play as expected after using the Slip/Rotate tool to drag their contents to the left.
The “Separate pattern region by kit piece” command on Drum Machine Designer tracks is now applied to the correct area of the Pattern Region, in cases where the left border of the region has been moved to the right.
The length and number of steps of a newly created Pattern Region accounts for Time Signature changes correctly.
The maximum possible pattern length of a Pattern region is now 4 bars of the current time signature.
Step Sequencer now allows pattern lengths to be added based on 5/4 and 7/8 time signatures.
The Step Sequencer Inc/Dec controls now work in Loop Edit mode.
Fixes an issue where Pattern Regions on frozen tracks be edited unexpectedly.
Region-based automation now displays properly on Pattern regions in tracks that have been partially frozen, and on regions that have been frozen and then unfrozen.
It's now possible to assign MIDI channels per step in a Pattern Region.
MIDI
Reset messages for Software Instruments now work correctly.
Sustain messages are now sent correctly when playing back regions with Clip Length enabled in cycle mode.
There is now an “Internal MIDI in” setting in the Track Inspector to allow for recording MIDI from any other software instrument or External MIDI Instrument track.
The “Send all MIDI settings” key command now sends program changes to external devices assigned to empty tracks.
Resolves an issue where 3 bytes of random MIDI data would be sent when playing back regions containing SysEx data with MIDI 2.0 disabled
New 'internal MIDI in' feature allows recording of MIDI from other tracks, including MIDI FX plug-in output and 3rd party MIDI generators.
The “Delete MIDI events outside region boundaries" key command now correctly creates a starting CC event in the region to match the last matching CC of the same type in the track.
Fixes an issue where Chase could cut off notes that are preceded by notes of the same pitch on tracks with third-party instrument plug-ins.
Editing
The Humanize transform set now works as expected when the Randomize functions for Position, Length, or Velocity are set to very small values.
The menu item Delete and Move in the Event List is now only displayed if regions are displayed in the window.
When MIDI 2.0 is selected in the Settings, clicking on an Event in the Event List no longer plays events back with MIDI 1.0 resolution.
Fixes an issue where using the Cut command in the Audio Track Editor could switch the view to another editor.
When a region in the Project Audio window is double-clicked, the Audio Track editor now opens as expected.
The content link buttons for the Piano Roll and Score show the correct color as expected when toggled using the mouse.
The Event List correctly updates to reflect changes made by using key commands to select notes in other editors.
Resolves an issue where the Velocity tool in the Piano roll could affect the values of non-note events.
Fixes an issue where applying the Transform set Double Speed could cause the notes to disappear from the Piano Roll.
Step Input
Extending the length of note entered using Step Input now works correctly.
Global Tracks
Adding multiple audio Apple Loops of the same key to different tracks of a new project now changes the project key as expected.
Clicked in Tempo points are now placed at their correct positions in projects that start earlier than 1 1 1 1.
Share and export
When No Overlap is enabled, regions bounced onto existing regions no longer overlap them.
Audio files bounced from Logic Pro now include the proper Encoded Date in the metadata.
Fixes an issue where MIDI regions could be truncated when bounced in place.
Fixes an issue where audio files including Volume/Pan automation exported from mono tracks that use plug-ins could export as stereo files.
It is now possible to bounce sub-channels of multitimbral instrument tracks as individual files.
Import
Resolves an issue when dragging multiple audio files into a project, choosing the “Place all files on one track” option could create a second track and places the first file on one track, and the rest on the second.
Output channels in the Mixer can now be imported from other Logic Pro projects.
Apple Loops
The Loops browser now correctly shows the same enharmonic key an Apple Loop was tagged with.
Apple Loops now preview using the Key Signature active at the current position of the playhead.
It's now possible to add Aliases to bookmarks and untagged loops.
Dragging an Apple Loop from the loop browser to an existing track no longer changes the input for the track.
Fixes an issue where MIDI Apple Loops could jump to the start of the nearest bar position when dragged from the Loop Browser to the middle of a bar.
Video Support
A secondary screen that is running a full screen video with Show Animations off will no longer remain black after closing the project.
Key Commands
The “Increase (or Decrease) last clicked parameter” key commands now work for controls in the LCD.
The “Record off for all” key command now works on Software Instrument tracks in cases where one or more audio tracks are also record-enabled.
There is now a key command to add to the current selection of regions or cells that are assigned to a toggle solo group.
The Zoom Toggle key command now works in the Step Editor.
Compatibility
GarageBand projects that use Pitch Correction now sound the same when opened in Logic Pro.
Undo
If Undo is used immediately after creating a project, the New Track Sheet is displayed as expected rather than leaving a project with no tracks.
Undo/Redo now works as expected with Audio Unit v3 plug-ins.
Changing the Automation Mode, or changing a Track On/Off state now creates an Undo step.
Performing Undo after adding a surround track no longer corrects Drummer tracks in the project.
Logic Remote
Logic Remote immediately updates to show time and signature changes made in Logic Pro.
Control Surfaces and MIDI controllers
Controls on Control Surface devices that use Lua scripts now provide feedback when learning assignments for them in Logic Pro.
Illuminated buttons on control surfaces now show the correct state for Show/Hide Track Editor.
General
The LCD now displays the Cycle start and end times in both SMPTE time and Bars/Beats when the secondary ruler is displayed.
Search in the All Files browser now finds matching items in bookmarked folders.
Fixes an issue where the visible editor in the Main window could unexpectedly switch when rubber-band selecting regions.
Audio Take folders created in Cycle mode now loop as expected after recording when Loop is enabled in the Region Inspector.
It's now possible to create external MIDI tracks when Core Audio is disabled in Logic Pro.
Resolves an issue where deleting a Flex marker from an audio region while a Marker List is visible could switch the key focus to the Marker List.
Track information pasted into a text editor now includes the TIME position when the Use Musical Grid setting for the project is not enabled.
Input monitoring buttons are now displayed on audio tracks when Logic Pro has fallen back to an alternate audio device because the selected device is not available.
Previewing an audio region in the Project Audio window no longer causes it to jump to the top of the window.
Command+Option clicking on the On/Off button of a track now toggles the button for all tracks, as expected.
Copy/paste of regions now works when Automation view is enabled.
Right-clicking on a looped segment of a region now opens the contextual menu as expected.
It's now easier to see when black keys are depressed in the Musical Typing window.
The right arrow key now reliably moves the text cursor in the Bounce > Save As file name panel.
Groove Templates created from audio regions now work in Smart Quantize mode.
Dragging multiple regions from the same audio file from the Project Audio browser to the Tracks area now works correctly.
Audio regions are no longer moved to unexpected positions when trimming, if absolute Snap mode is on, and the region anchor is moved away from the start of the region
Fixes an issue where pasting a Marquee selection with No Overlap and Snap Edits to Zero Crossings mode enabled could delete a non-overlapping part of an existing region.
Autozoom now triggers when a region's upper right corner is dragged in the Main window, or the Audio Track Editor.
The Playhead no longer may briefly appear to be in the wrong position when zooming horizontally.
The Time Ruler now immediately updates to reflect changes made to the “Bar Position [bar position] plays at SMPTE” setting.
The File browser correctly shows the full path when using Save As.

Recently I decided to gave sobriety a real chance and now I have thoughts looking back on 6 months of sobriety, which I want to share. More recently, I started drinking again, which I'm afraid of. For some background, I have had around 15 years of what I would call “higher-than-normal” alcohol use, often peaking to very high levels and sometimes what I would call crisis levels. Sometimes I wish the crisis levels would have been higher so that I could have better identified them earlier. I generally enjoy alcohol and strive to be in a state where I am completely altered from my sober self: which is a person who is funny and a joy to be with. I think my sober self is rather harsh and negative, and not someone that anyone would want to spend time with.
I believe that a lot of my personal negativity came from my studies in International Realtions, and readings on wars, slavery, and colonialization. Utlimately you will have to decide based on the account below. My alcohol use would average around 5 pints of strong beer (~7.5%), or about 2 bottles of red wine. Sometimes it would get higher than I could count.
Alcohol use starting in 2023
Early in 2023, around march, I decided to stop drinking for a reason I can’t remember, and I had a good 2 months being alcohol-free. During that time I also decided to try out Betterhelp (tm) for a month or two and find a counselor with experience in addication. However, I had already set my mind on sobriety before I sought out the counselor, and she was just there to support my journey.
After 2 sucessful months of soberiety I received some bad news about a job I was excited about, and I was back to drinking for about 5 months. I would drink on average my usual quantity about 3-4 times per week, which was actually an improvement from before. In late September, the 5^th month, I started to read something that would be very important.
*Below I am about to summarize poorly a book by an expert on a subject which I am not an expert on. Please consult this book or other experts on sleep if you have any questions.
When I finally read the book Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker, something finally clicked about the damage alcohol was doing to my sleep, and why quality sleep was important for both phsyical and mental health. Most importantly, according to Walker, because of alcohol’s quality as a sedative, it puts you into a state of sedation, but this is only the first stage of the very important sleep pattern that our minds have evolved to use. The most important stage of our sleep, the NREM (non-rapid eye movement) sleep, which is our particular variant, is blocked in a state of sedation. During a sedated state, you are only experiencing a very low state of sleep that is ultimately useless and will result in feeling tired and a lack of sleep the next day.
Have you ever heard anyone say any variant of: ‘I can’t sleep without alcohol’? They are sedating themselves, and ultimately the lack of good sleep will catch up with them. But they probably can’t perceive it at that moment.
So finally I decided to stop in early October of 2023. What happened during those 6 months? During the first 3 months I started dreaming again. I started fairly well as far as work is concerned also. After only a few weeks, lo and behold, my sleep improved drastically and I began to dream like I had not for a long time. No longer did I think about how tired I was all the time, and finally I was able to devot time to the things that I wanted to.
Alcohol use in 2024
Eventually, January came around. January started great (and I actually regularly hit the gym during this time), but something else was missing. I began to feel a real absence in my life, and I wasn’t hesitant to tell those around me about it.
After the death of an aunt and a week of getting involved in an old past-time of video games, I was lost. A game by an independent developer with passion for his craft created Songs of Syx, which lets you build and manage a city of thousands of people with several different races of different creatures with their own preferences and personalities. Who could resist?
I love art. I love (some) video games, and consider them a form of art, but now I cannot deny that games can become a sort of addication as well.
But this and other less interesting distractions came at the cost of my personal growth. Soon I was lost in distractions again whether they be good or bad. In March I started having dreams where I would drink again, albeit mildly. In April, we had the first very nice day in a very long time. I was finally feeling better, and I desired a beer.
I spent months in these distractions, thinking of calling out to the people who had supported by sobriety but too ashamed to tell them the reality of what I was actually doing. ‘Well, this is better than drinking,’ I had told myself. And in a way, it was. In another way, this replacement deprived me of what I really wanted. I started painting, and listening audiobooks while I painted. All this was great, but I still somehow felt empty inside.
In mid-April, I had a beer for the first time in six months. I had lost 10 kg, the alcohol was much more effecitive on me in producing creativity. Everything felt right again! Until the next morning, when I essentially lost a day, which would be a prelude to several upcoming lost days…
So why did I start drinking again? A bit due to genetics, I’m fairly certain. In part because the weather was nice, and the thought that having a beer would be nice. In large part I’m certain that I wanted to be released from the negative thoughts that I have to deal with by myself. In my situation, there’s nothing better than seeing smiling faces and shaking a bunch of hands, and alcohol helps me feel that joy on my end, so that it’s not just a forced smile from my end but a genuine one. And that is a nice feeling.
My own health be damned for the moment, I suppose. But the feeling of connection is enough to keep me going. My only current hope is that I have at least demonstrated that I am sincerely commited to joining my lacent sober desire for connection with my my stupid drunk execution of it.
Appendix: On drinking and creativity
I’ve always told myself that I have the ‘Mark Twain’ syndrome when it comes to drinking. Mark Twain is a considered a classic among American authors, and he was known to drink a lot, especially while writing. I also like to drink and write, and I often do while my sober self is less productive. Now I have to ask myself at this point in my mid-30s, where are the publications? Where are the books? I have one co-authorship on a publication in an economics journal.
Was this ‘Mark Twain’ syndrom a lie that I told myself to continue drinking? As for Mark Twain and other writers who were infamous drinkers, were they brilliant because of or in spite of their drinking? Does the same hold for other drug use like pot smoking?
My personal thoughts are that any drug, whether it be alcohol or methanphetamine, gives its primary benefits near the start of use, but when an addiction starts to develop the creative potential of the drug drowns in just desire for the drug. Some people are apparently able to keep themselves in the state of "desire for the drug" which they are able to harness for creativity, but I have come to think the more likely outcome of the drug use is addiction and waste of creative potential.