The Hanging Tree By John Westrick

The ball streaked towards little Jimmy Hanson, covering the distance uncomfortably fast. The scrawny boy two sizes too small with the aviator glasses, cringed out of the way. It landed directly where he had been standing, and like that the game ended.
“Damnit Jimmy, you're supposed to catch the ball not hide from it!” a fat kid with a glove on one hand cried.
A skinny boy with glasses turned from the pitcher's mound to look at Jimmy disdain clearly visible on his face, “This is the third run you’ve allowed, and you wonder why we never let you play with us. You’re dog shit! Actually, I apologize to all loads of shit out there, you’re even more useless. I’d prefer to have Roger Morris on our team and he can’t see a damn thing with those bug eyes.”
An easy-going boy with blonde shaggy hair and a confident smile strolled up to Jimmy, extending his hand to assist, and said, “Here let me help you up. After all, you're the best player on our team. MVP hands down. Come on boys, give him a cheer!”
The boys chanted Jimmy’s name in a mocking parade of triumph.
“I don’t need your help, David,” said Jimmy.
Dirt smeared and face growing hot, the embarrassed boy attempted to climb to his feet. The hand extended to help, struck lightning-fast, catching the smaller boy squarely in the chest. With a groan of pain, the dirty boy hit the ground for the second time that afternoon.
“Well, if I knew you liked to eat dirt so much, I never would’ve offered to help,” said David, a wolfish smile forming on the landscape of his face.
A chorus of cruel laughter echoed all around.
“I hate you David Baxly,” said the wheezing boy.
David looked at Jimmy with disgust, giving him a savage kick to his left kidney. “Why don’t you do us all a favor and die. I doubt even your family would miss you.”
The rest of the boys walked away leaving the bleeding Jimmy whimpering on the ground.
No longer crying from pain but seething anger, slowly he began to crawl to his feet. “I wish I could go somewhere else. Just pick up and move and never have to see those shitheads ever again,” said Jimmy speaking to no one in particular.
It was thoughts of revenge that occupied his mind, half-baked plans, he didn't have the courage to act upon. No matter, it wasn’t revenge he truly sought, but a friend. The idea of having people look at him and truly see him. Humiliation for David Baxly was just an added bonus.
The bloody boy was still fantasizing about these things, when he found himself staring at the intersection of Jackson and main street in the sleepy town of Brookhollow, Tennessee. Brookhollow is like many rural towns, so tiny that it doesn’t even appear on the map. There are 876 residents in the tight-knit community, according to the 2008 census. Main street boasts one general store, a gas station, the town hall, and Debbie’s Diner.
It was on the outside of the later building that he saw the missing sign of Jack Dunkin, a 12-year-old boy from a neighboring town a few miles to the west. Jack was from Polk, a slightly larger town and known rival to Brookhollow. Even though Jack was in the same grade as Jimmy, they had never met.
Jimmy looked at the picture and saw that the boy had been missing for nearly 3 months. He wondered how his mom would react if he was missing that long; he reached the conclusion that she probably wouldn’t even notice. Ever since she took that job at Debbie’s to pay for the remainder of her husband’s gambling debts, she was hardly even home.
She was gone when he woke and didn't come back too well after he was asleep. The only time Jimmy had any communication with Laura Hanson was on Sundays. Even this small exposure was tainted by the bone deep exhaustion. She may have been present, even so, she wasn't there. Laura wakes, eats, drinks, uses the bathroom; yet she isn't really living. She reminded the boy of those cheesy horror movies they sometimes play late at night. The walking dead.
As little as his interaction with Laura, at least she still lived in the ramshackle motorhome right off the main highway. His dad, if he even still qualified to be called that, left some time back, draining the joint bank account and leaving the two of them penniless. Jimmy didn’t even know where he stayed, let alone had a phone number for the bastard. A few years back he received a postcard from him. He was shelled up in some two-bit motel in the thriving city of Las Vegas. On the back of the card was a charming little note, it said, “Jimmy, I wish you could see the city. Maybe you could come out and visit. I’d love for you to come and hang with my friends. Ps. Could you have your mom send me some money, I’m in a little bit of trouble here.
This led to his first real fight with his mom. He was adamant on going and meeting his father, thinking that if he got to know him he could change him. Bring him back. His mom wanted nothing to do with the man, nor did she want her son to be hurt again. The argument got heated and words were exchanged. In the end, he stayed, but some things chafe over time. Things were never quite the same.
If the boy was honest with himself, he would have to admit there is no one in his life. He has no friends in school, there is no one waiting for him at home, and he is not a part of any extracurricular activities. He goes to school, comes home, does his homework, makes dinner for his mom, and goes to bed. It has never occurred to him that he is lonely, the fact is he has never known anything else.
Jimmy doesn’t actually live in Brookhollow, his house is about two miles north up highway 29. He lives outside of the school’s jurisdiction, so he is unable to take the bus. He walks to school every day. The walk is peaceful and he actually looks forward to it. The boy possesses an overactive imagination and gets lost in his fantasies. A little less today, his ribs ache with every step. But not even this inconvenience can ruin the solitary 2-mile trek back home. He makes no turns, highway 29 is main street. All he needs to do is walk straight and he will arrive at his house.
But he is not walking in rural Tennessee anymore. He is a pioneer exploring the Great Frontier. Native Americans and wolves stalk him at night, he must be aware of the dangers that lie beyond every turn. He can see his way through any situation with the help of his trusty companion and best friend, One-eyed Pete. Pete used to be an outlaw that robbed and cheated people, but changed his ways when Jimmy saved him from being hung on the hanging tree.
A shutter runs through his body every time he remembers the hanging tree. It’s the largest oak he had ever seen. He loves to climb trees but would never dream of climbing that one. It is twisted, not a single leaf on its branches. If evil was ever a location, it would be at the heart of that gnarled tree. Jimmy doesn’t like to think about it. It always seems to ruin his mood. Poison his mind. His fantasies always turn darker when he thinks of the oak.
Suddenly he is aware of exactly how alone he is. A full mile out from the safety of the town. No one is nearby. It’s just him, the trees, and his own tormented imagination. He wishes he wouldn’t have thought of that tree. He wishes he had a dad to pick him up from school, but there is no rescue for him. In Jimmy’s experience, heroes only exist in the story books.
“The hanging tree is in your mind, Jimmy, it isn't real,” he tells himself over and over as if to ward away evil. And why not? For that tree is most definitely evil, the hideous villain in an insidious plot.
In the primal portion of his mind, he senses danger. The same skittish feeling the antelope experiences shortly before the concealed lion pounces and feasts on flesh.
“Trees don’t eat little boys,” murmurs the frightened boy.
“Maybe so, yet that oak could hardly be classified in the same league as other trees,” responds his own treasonous thoughts.
The boy's mind splinters; warring factions jockeying for supremacy. Paranoia seizes him, inky black hands clawing the air out of his lungs. A young boy unaware of the inward mutiny happening amidst his own wits, completely left to his own demented imagination. Yet, the stakes of this adventure are a great deal higher than any he has yet to experience.
His mother was fond of telling him, “What you think, you become.”
A truly awful thought slinks into his mind unbidden. What if the stories his mind conjures could gain reality too? The thought overwhelms the boy. His eyes shift back and forth searching for threats. Jimmy’s senses are keen to his surroundings. Every twig snapping, a creature stalking. Every bush rustling, a hungry beast ready to devour. Yet, the petty fears of a child's tormented mind pales to the unearthly wrongness of the hanging tree.
“What if mom is right?” says the concerned boy to the emptiness. At this unwelcome thought the boy slams his eyes closed in a futile attempt to banish the horrific idea.
“The hanging tree isn’t real,” says Jimmy, knowing in his heart this isn’t true. In the back of his mind, the boy is certain that the moment he opens his eyes, he will see it. He will see the strands of rope dangling from the gnarled branches. He will smell the smell of decaying bodies. He will hear the creak of rope swaying gently in the cool breeze.
The boy doubles his efforts in a vain attempt to keep his eyes closed. He sees red due to the strain he is putting on his muscles. He hears the steady pulse of his blood rushing in his head. The boy also understands that all this effort is for naught. He must open his eyes at some point. Jealousy creeps into the boy’s heart. Envy for the man born without sight. For the boy understands the moment he sees, there will be no coming back.
The moment has come.
Jimmy can no longer keep his eyes shut. Seconds before his eyes fling open, he feels the gentle touch of someone's hand on his shoulder. This touch startles him, and the boy throws wide his eyes.
Sure enough a few hundred yards in front of him, stands the abomination. A lone tree on the top of a bald, scarred hill. Not a living thing to be seen. No vegetation growing on the hill, no squirrels scuttling about, just a great oak, standing; an obscene gesture to the god of this world. The only fruit of this tree the decaying flesh of dead men, and likewise, the only cup the curdled blood of those hanging. A final meal set for the boy, an unholy communion.
The hand, whose was it? Was it even human? The little boy left visibly shaking at the touch of the unknown. Is this death? The icy grip of the Reaper himself here to harvest with his scythe. No marriage, no children, not knowing the pleasures of true friendship. Life cut short, a lamentable state of affairs.
It was in this line of thought, where true courage was mustered. A strength measured not by the size of his muscles or the amount one could lift, but the more impressive type, the type quantified in the amount of shit one can wade. Identified in the amount of crap hands dealt without bowing out altogether. Young Jimmy Hanson did the unthinkable, he turned and faced death looking it in the eyes.
Eyes, yes, but death perhaps not. It was no titan of horror, nor was it the poster child of demented evil. Child it was, but this boy was familiar. Not anyone from his class, yet he knew the boy. In a moment of clarity, he recognized him. It was the missing kid, Jack Dunkin.
He looked identical to the poster on the side of Debbie’s Diner. He wore the same black and white Van’s tee shirt, ripped blue jeans, and some tattered Nike tennis shoes. The thoroughly terrified Jimmy stood staring at the missing boy, mouth ajar.
Jack with an easy-going grin plastered on his face, said, “It's about time, someone comes looking for me. I've been waiting for you Jimmy, far too long.”
With an audible click the boy shut his gaping mouth and responded, “Ja- Jack, you've been missing for nearly three months. Have you been out here all along? Are you alone? Are you hurt?” Jimmy fired these questions in rapid succession, growing more suspicious with each word.
“I’ve been right here, waiting for you to come and play with me. You see, I am like you. I never had anyone to play with either. Now you are here, and you must stay with me,” said the bigger boy with a smile on his face.
Jimmy’s mind quieted, for the first time in his life he saw himself clearly. A boy with no friends, no father, hardly a mother, bullied every day, and no way of escape. Clarity revealed the harsh truth. A day had not gone by that he wasn’t lonely. There was no one in his life. There was no life for him.
The undersized boy looked at the other with longing in his eyes. He thirsted for a friend, like a man lost at sea. He hungered for companionship, like a man stuck in the wilderness. It wasn’t just a desire; he was desperate for a friend. If the bigger boy would leave, Jimmy felt as if his soul would tear in half. His heart would shatter into a thousand pieces unable to be put back together. The boys' eyes were a mirror reflecting the same sad truth, they understood each other. Both had lived, and neither had anyone to share it with.
The boys bound by shared hardships grasped onto each other refusing to let go. The combined burden of loneliness lessened by two backs, instead of one.
With few words exchanged, the two of them created soul ties. Not the ties of lovers, but of lifelong friends. The type one dies for. The rare type of friendship that most people never form in their entire life. It was rich. It was wholesome. Jimmy felt as if his life was complete. The one thing he always desired truly fulfilled.
Jack grabbed the smaller boy’s hand and guided him towards the tree.
Jimmy, not wanting to get anywhere near that monstrosity, tried to pull back.
“Don’t worry. The tree is a good place. It will take us to a new land filled with boys and girls just like you and I. No David’s or bullies like him,” said a smiling Jack.
“How did you know about David? You’ve been missing all this time,” said a concerned looking Jimmy.
“Jimmy, I hear whispers. My friends tell me things. They will tell you secrets too. If you want to be friends with me, that is.” The bigger boy looked down at his ragged shoes. He looked so pitiful and Jimmy was so starved for companionship, how could he not follow the boy.
Jack led the two of them to the scarred trunk of the tree. Here he let go of Jimmy’s hand, telling the boy, “Do exactly what I do.”
Jimmy’s fear bottled up deep in his guts. He felt as if he was going to explode. The tree was sinister and twisted. Evil through and through. Yet, the little boy had never had a friend. He was not willing to throw that away so easily.
Jack walked to the lowest hanging branch. He reached up and grabbed one of the dangling nooses. He wrapped it around his neck and looked at Jimmy. “Don’t worry, no pain is felt. The hanging tree is magic. You’ll close your eyes on this world, and wake up in a better place with me and all of my friends,” said a smiling Jack.
“Ja-Jack, I don’t think I can do this. It seems dangerous. I need to go back home soon. My mom will be waiting for me,” said a terrified Jimmy.
A heartbroken Jack looked at the smaller boy and said, “Jimmy, I can’t believe you would lie to me. Your mom isn’t home and she wouldn’t even notice that you are missing. Come with me. I am the only one who cares for you.”
Tears streaming down the smaller boy’s face, he responded, “Please don’t make me do it! This place frightens me. Can’t you just come home with me?”
“No! This world despises people like you and me. We weren’t made for it. We were made for the hanging tree. This is where you belong,” snarled the bigger boy.
Jimmy, eyes still running, reached with trembling hands for the dangling noose. He seized it. With one final glance at his friend, the little boy placed the loop around his neck. Immediately the noose drew tight. It felt as if the tree was hauling him up by it. The boy kicked and squirmed. Trying to shout for help, but his airflow was cut off. He managed to make a choking noise, then with one final twitch all was still. Still as the glassy surface of a lake on a spring day.
Little Jimmy Hanson had finally made a friend.
The two boys remained dangling together, gently swaying in the stale autumn breeze.

Hi all, I had my lap this past Thursday and was prescribed gabapentin for nerve pain following surgery. I have taken one dose of 300mg for the past 4 nights now. I was hesitant to take it in the beginning because I’ve heard about negative side effects, but my surgeon encouraged me to take it at least for the first few days to help with the pain. Fast forward to today, the medication has been making me very dizzy, nauseous, and foggy. Also quite anxious.
My question is.. has anyone else been prescribed this after their lap and how long did you take it for? I looked online and apparently even short-term use can cause withdrawal side effects and I am wondering if I need to taper off of it? I sent a message to my doctor already, but no response, so I thought I’d jump on here to see if anyone has experience with this medication and getting off of it. Thanks in advance!

I started a new job a week ago today(5/13/24), and already I feel off and out of place. I’m honestly considering looking for a new job come the fall because I know you should put at least six months of time into a job before going to another one. I work at a daycare, and had applied for a teachers assistant for the pre school age. Previously I’ve worked with toddlers, but I wanted to try an older age group. Working with toddlers feels under stimulating to me as of late, and I wanted to change things up for myself. When I applied to my new job, I filled out two different applications: one for an assistant toddler teacher and one for assistant preschool. While I’ve mainly worked with toddlers, I’ve also worked with infants and preschool aged children as well. I had mentioned this during my interview. I imagine that despite mentioning this, I was still chosen for the toddler assistant based on my experience. So far, it’s honestly been difficult for me to actually get excited about getting up in the morning. The pay is slightly higher than my previous job, I do get great benefits(health,dental,vision, pto, sick, bereavement, maternity, and a 403b amongst other things) and it is a smaller setting compared to my last job; so it would feel like a shame to find something else. I want to speak to my boss about maybe moving to the preschool classroom, despite being paid less than what I’d be making now. Maybe that’s stupid, but I’d rather make less doing what I love than make more doing what I don’t. Adding onto not getting the age group I preferred, as I mentioned before I feel under stimulated by toddlers. Don’t get me wrong, they’re adorable- but I want something more than that. I’m tired of potty training, the “no biting” talk, diapers, and the pacifier talk. I want to teach kids their letters, writing, numbers. I want to do the things that the older kids can do. Not only that, but I’ve noticed there isn’t exactly any structure in the room I’m in. The toddler room is kind of..ran by the toddlers. There’s not much structure in terms of following a schedule/routine and I think that’s what’s making it so tough. I know I’ve only been there a week, but I’ve been in a setting where the children aren’t following their set routine and it was incredibly difficult for anything to actually get done. I don’t want to overstep any boundaries, like I said it’s only my first week. But I’m already seeing where this is heading and I’m afraid that I’ll hate waking up and going to work everyday. Also, not to play the race card- but I also feel out of place. I’m one of the only people of color in the building. Is it wrong to feel off because of that too??? I’m 25. I have no degree(yet) but I feel so stuck. I plan on going back to school in the fall for social work. But it feels like I’m just running out of time. Switching jobs like this feels too reckless. Am I being too quick to judge about this place????

Hello fellow forum members,
I hope you're all doing well! Today, I'd like to delve into the world of menstrual discs and discuss which ones are currently considered the best options on the market. With so many choices available, it can be overwhelming to decide which menstrual disc is right for you. That's why I'm hoping we can share our experiences and insights to help each other make informed decisions.
Firstly, for those who might not be familiar, menstrual discs are innovative menstrual products that are worn internally to collect menstrual fluid. They offer a discreet and eco-friendly alternative to pads and tampons, and many people find them more comfortable and convenient once they get the hang of using them.
Now, onto the main question: which menstrual disc reigns supreme in today's market? Here are a few top contenders based on user reviews, features, and overall popularity:

1. Flex Disc: One of the pioneers in the menstrual disc arena, Flex Disc has garnered a strong following for its comfortable fit and mess-free design. Made from medical-grade materials, it's known for its ease of insertion and removal.
2. Softdisc: Another notable option is Softdisc, which boasts a flexible, disposable design that molds to your body's shape for leak-proof protection. Its thin profile and comfortable feel make it a favorite among many users.
3. Nixit: For those looking for a reusable option, Nixit is gaining traction as an eco-friendly alternative. Made from silicone, it offers a high capacity and can be worn for up to 12 hours, making it ideal for busy lifestyles.
4. Ziggy Cup: While technically not a disc, Ziggy Cup deserves a mention for its unique flat-fit design that sits comfortably against the cervix. It's reusable and offers mess-free period sex, making it a game-changer for many users.

I invite everyone to share their experiences with menstrual discs, whether positive or negative, as well as any tips or recommendations you may have. Let's empower each other to find the perfect menstrual solution for our unique needs!
Looking forward to hearing your thoughts and insights.

Hello, my name is Lillian and I am looking for 1 trans fem player to join a ttrpg I am running on Roll20.Net. The communication for the game is handled via Discord [my discord name is lexshira]. Our game allows a lot of freedom for players for example one player we had recently who unfortunately had to leave the game due to schedule issues was Kryptonian Keyblade Master LOL.
What the Party Needs From This Posting: Someone who is math, organization and resource-minded who can aid the party in managing their HOMEBASE/RESOURCES. This would include helping manage the various departments of the base [Security, Logistics, R&D, Tourism/Economics/Treasury, Medical, etc.]
Game Info: The game is an adventure/horror game with heavy LGBT+ and Sex-Positive vibes and themes.
Since I live in Pacific Time then the playtimes will revolve around that. Game will be on Sundays starting at 1:30PM Pacific time.
Game System = The game system is my own creation but use the 5e Character Sheet as a base. In the spirit of honesty, my game system does have a learning curve as it goes beyond an RPG and contains elements/mechanics related to Community/Base Building/Management, Resource Management, Living World NPCs and Survivalism.
The Story = The story is based on my own mythologies but also draws influence and content from other sources such as a variation of Curse of Strahd, Murder House, Dark Sun, Cyberpunk, Elder Scrolls and Descent Into Avernus. Other Multimedia events and things likely to affect the world in some ways are things like Marvel Comic's 'Battle-World', House of M, and 'Secret Wars' events.
Game Setting = The game will take place on the newly forming world of Nouva-Terra. Nouva-Terra is a world born out of the ashes of Multiversal destruction. It is a world formed of the merged remnants of other realities and populated by the countless multiverse survivors of that apocalyptic merging.
Content Rating = Rated M due to violence, dark themes, heavy sexuality, and sexual themes of both a vanilla [Loving caring relationships, etc.] and of a disturbing nature based on context.
Gameplay Focus = Combat will be minimal but still present with most gameplay focusing on Player-Character Driven events and story with a focus on Interpersonal Intrigue, Political Intrigue, Mystery/Puzzle solving, Romance / Sexuality and Found-Family issues. There will also be focus on Survivalism and Community/Base Building/Management.
Game Frequency = Weekly or every other week.
NO ONE UNDER 18 YEARS OLD.
Currently Confirmed Realities That Have Already Begun Merging With Nova-Terra [Note the players do not need to be in any way familiar with any of this content but things from these realities exist in the game]:

1. The Prime Elder-Scrolls Timeline
2. The Prime Fallout Timeline
3. The MCU and Various Marvel Realities
4. Various DC Realities
5. The Prime Star-Wars Timeline
6. Various D&D and Pathfinder Timelines
7. The Prime Terminator Timeline
8. Various Zelda Timelines
9. Prime DBZ Timeline
10. Prime Star-Trek Timeline
11. Prime Code-Lyoko Timeline
12. Prime Kingdom Heats Timeline

Player Code of Conduct:

1. There is to be NO and I repeat NO PLAYER TO PLAYER Non-Con sexuality or Romance-Attempts.
2. There is to be NO UNPROVOKED PVP.
3. NO PROMOTION OF SEXISM OR HATRED OR ILLEGAL ACTIVITIES OR BULLYING BETWEEN PLAYERS.
4. There is to be no PLAYER TO PLAYER Kink-Shaming or Sexual-Judgment. We all have our kinks and it is important not judge. If you do not like a kink being shown in the game by another player then simply do not involve yourself or your character which those particular In-Game things happening.

Hi redditers I really need help wigh this one I'm an international student, doing master of public health at a so called "very reputable Russle group university " My experience has been nothing bad terrible Our department is run by a teacher who cares more about sociology than public health bcoz of his background That teacher never listened to me, always tries to skip my question with a nonsense response or discrediting what I argue In the first semester, i failed in 2 modules bcoz of plagiarism (which is something I had no idea about) Just to give you a background about me, I'm a clinical pharmacist with very strong clinical knowledge and experience in public health and training with the WHO back when I was working, no experience whatsoever in academic writing or plagiarism First formative assignment of 100 words, i got bad comments and nothing explained well, just vague comments and high plagiarism and that teacher didn't help me when I asked and I even asked to write it again as it was formative and only 100 words (i know silly but it was to see how our writing was) but his answer was that he doesn't have time for it First proper assignment of the course, got very low grade with no feedback or comment about it and I didn't know that I'm supposed to get one but it was too late for that Then I got failed in 2 assignments, one for plagiarism in the introduction (it was statistics and epidemiology and my data analysis was very well appraised by another teacher but I was failed bcoz of 20% plagiarism and it was smoking and COPD so i have good background info about it but didn't know how to check plagiarism and what to do about it) Another module I failed at and since then things started breaking down The comments didn't make any sense (I literally wrote about a strategy that's being implemented in the UK and they said that's not a strategy) or they mention something I should've added but when I went back to it, it was already there .... that kind of nonsense feedback I did these assignments again and things looked way better at first Today i got the marks and that teacher failed me in one assignment. His feedback was as follows: around 15 "missing citations" ..... but it was literally there.... a paragraph of 4-5 lines with 1 citation which included the exact word he highlighted Evaluation plan... very clear and step by step plan and he seems to "not understand it cuz it's "not well explained" One of the sections of the assignment was "the strategy to be used" with all relevant information about it, then he mentions pointd claiming I didn't include but they were literally in the first paragraph Justified everything really well then he says he doesn't see how my intervention would help solve the problem (intervention was farmers market in food desert areas where they don't have enough healthy choices and these markets have subsidized pricesand explained how everything works) my strategy is directly tackling the issue and it wasn't my first time working on strategies cuz I have good experience in the real world "Objectives of the strategy not clearly stated" but they were explained to the point a 5 year old can understand, yet he says not clearly stated "The strategy wasn't placed at a local authority" while it says in the first paragraph that the local authority is doing the whole thing It's not the first time he's done that, even when I try to ask he rushes to interrupt me and listen to someome else (a UK student) asking sometimes the same question but he answers them in a good way with patience and listens to them carefully without any interruptions Whenever I need help he starts blaming me for not coming to welcome week even tho I told him a million times the embassy took 2 weeks to send me my passport even tho I got visa approval in a week Never helped or listened, he even suggested that I quit at some point this semester, that's instead of supporting me through my studies I had a group presentation this semester and got marked very unfairly, mentioning things that are missin but actually were there in the presentation or saying things irrelevant to the presentation
In the past, I achieved really well in my studies back home, did really well in my work , always dedicated to my studies and work My past studies weren't easy at all, even in UK standards they were hard
Now, I need advice 😫 What should I do? I hate the arguments of him being racist and passive aggressive towards me bcoz of where I come from I literally checked every point in the assignment when I got the feedback He's the director of the department and he's marking another module I have this semester I know I'm in a disadvantaged position and he can easily fail me again with vague nonsense comments I'm really stressed and Idk what to do I'll be going to the guild of students tomorrow and ask for advice on this But I really want advice frkm you guys
Ps. Sorry for the long post but I just needed to let it out If anyone wants to see my assignments and tell me what they think, pls do text me and I'll send you everything for you to see

I have begun to view this through the lens of getting to watch a company (and individual leaders) I really respect make what may turn out to be a truly historic business mistake or triumph. I'm excited to be part of it! It is irritating that Sonos has done this in my home, with products I actually love. The upshot is, I am pretty confident this will turn into something others will have the opportunity to learn from. (Maybe even they can learn from it, if you they fast enough.)
What makes this a unique (and likely historically significant) mistake is that Sonos, who has extraordinary customer trust and goodwill, used that to do something that directly harms existing, installed, previously functioning customers, in their homes, with no action taken or required by the user to be affected. This is a luxury consumer appliance, not ad-driven business or something. Super sticky customer base. Impact is clearly widespread, although the most loyal customers with lots of equipment are likely disproportionately affected.
It's painful to see the years where Sonos has earned a much stronger market position also a somehow much weaker stock position relative to large companies that might have more of a "mistake budget". It's transparent to most people that they have a lot riding on upcoming releases. I have a lot of sympathy for Patrick and any CEO trying to hit numbers in hardware and beat the street's expectations. It's HARD. (it's in the name FFS.)
However, everything that has happened as part of this rollout has been an example of what not to do. Regardless of motivation or intention by Sonos, you have what are clearly a lot of customers who are feeling completely disempowered, disrupted, violated, and gaslit. You are quadrupling-down on this. From the outside, it looks completely insanity. (And, in the future, when we watch the documentary I doubt it will be portrayed as a moment of "courage". 🤣)
To that end, I was reminded of a few other are some other examples of historically bad product introductions that share common themes to this one. (note, I'm omitting ones that where people actually died like Boeing or the Ford Pinto):
New Coke (1985) - One of the most (in)famous examples is Coca-Cola’s introduction of "New Coke" which Coke itself calls "The Most Memorable Marketing Blunder in History. The company changed its original formula in an attempt to compete with Pepsi. The backlash from consumers was swift and fierce. Despite the negative response, Coke was initially reluctant to acknowledge their mistake. However, the continued public outcry forced the company to revert to the original formula, rebranded as "Coca-Cola Classic," just 79 days later.
Jawbone: The one that I fear is most relevant here is Jawbone - Jawbone, once known for its Bluetooth earpieces and fitness trackers. Their UP bands had high failure rates and syncing problems. These issues, combined with poor customer service responses to complaints and returns, led to customer dissatisfaction and alienation. Jawbone failed to and eventually went out of business in 2017.
Rdio: Rdio was a music streaming service that launched in 2010 but failed to compete effectively with Spotify and later Apple Music. Rdio made several platform updates that, rather than improving user experience, often removed liked features or made the interface less intuitive. This alienated users led to Rdio filing for bankruptcy in 2015. Its assets were eventually acquired by Pandora.
Digg: Digg was once a very popular social news website which predated Reddit. In 2010, Digg released a major update to its platform, referred to as "Digg v4," which drastically changed the site's user interface and core functionality. The update was intended to modernize the platform but ended up alienating its core user base who felt that the changes prioritized publisher content over user-curated content. The backlash was swift resulted to many people simply migrating to a little startup Reddit. The traffic decline was so significant that Digg never recovered and was sold in a fire-sale.
At this point, I'm at hoping that there is an internal document that was widely circulated and agreed to that says "We expect that, due to the current condition of the new release, there will be considerable backlash from our most valuable customers. We acknowledge that this release may irrevocably violate their trust, and we are willing to sacrifice every single one of those relationships and our existing goodwill if necessary to get this release out." If so, I hope that they are proven right!
Also, full disclosure, I bought a single share of Sonos stock last week to track how it goes.

I have an update to this horrendous life of mine and I am unable to find out what to do at this time, as I've been left floundering.
I've been informed this afternoon that my start date has moved to an as of yet unspecified date due to a death at the facility. It was not a malicious crime that occurred, but all the same I will not be going on May 21st as previously expressed to me.
While I do understand the position that the campus is in at this time, and I would love to give them time to mourn, I must now consider how my life compares in the balance. I have 8 days until I was supposed to leave to the location, and I only have secure shelter for that long.
I live in the desert, and already this week it has reached above 95°F, and it is only getting hotter. Soon, we will be reaching triple digits consistently. The city which I am in is currently cracking down more than ever on the homeless, loiterers, and even stopping those who have the misfortune to look a misfit, as I have discovered this month already. I will not even be secure within the heat relief centers - as those are being policed as well. I must consider my safety in this matter, because now I am back to wondering where will I stay? Will I be able to eat? Will I be medically sound? How long will I have to be on the streets again?
I do believe this to be an all around horrible matter, but, as crass as it is for me to say, life has already been lost - we should make sure another does not follow. I've expressed, in the past, the precariousness of my situation to my admissions counselor. He said he would ensure that I would not go back to the street - and yet here I am, anxiously waiting for a departure that isn't several hundred miles, but instead several hundred feet.
I've tried exhausting my options with the local hotlines for those in situations such as mine, however I've been informed that on such short notice - and for such an indefinite amount of time, which I likely cannot have a job for - they cannot assist me, as I do not fit the criteria that most shelters specify.
I feel physically weak and defeated, and though it is not anyone's fault to the best of my knowledge and it is absolutely disgusting of me - I can't help but feel hate towards the consequences of events.
Feel free to chime in with advice of any sort, or commiserate, or chide me. I do not have any current friends to stay with, my boyfriend is too far for me to live with, and I've no living family within 1,000 miles. What twisted luck has rolled the dice this way?

I am a graduating senior who has no internship experience. I really dropped the ball and honestly have never even done a leetcode question. I had some significant medical issues that caused me to take two years off of school, and it was a big enough challenge adapting when I returned.
As of right now, my only option that I have for this summer is an unpaid research position in a robotics lab. I would get experience working on computer vision/ML and also some hands on experience working with 3D printing and mechanical stuff if I'm interested. If I make significant contributions, they are happy to put my name on the paper they will be publishing at the end of the summer.
My concern is that it will take up a lot of time and I have heard that research is only useful if you are trying to go to grad school. If I didn't take the research position, I would probably spend the summer grinding leetcode and sending out applications. Will doing research just delay my preparation for interviews and add nothing to my resume?

Ok so I have ZERO serving experience and all the interviews and applications I’ve applied online all pretty only hire you if you have serving experience… where I currently work I applied as a server but they told me I would have to work my way up to become a server. I’m currently mostly running the role of busser for most of the shifts and sometimes food runner.. I’m responsible for the cleaning scores of the restaurant which basically means the guests rate how clean the score is. Only issue is I don’t want to be busser. I’ve asked multiple times and made it clear I want to be a server but they told me “since the clean scores are done I want you to master bussing before you can get any training at the next level” it’s bullcrap cause I want to move onto TO-GO a position that hires you with NO EXPERIENCE yet I’m filling in the busser position a job that pays shit and is a shitty Job no one wants. I decided screw that I don’t know how long it’ll take to become a server so I applied elsewhere where I can start off as TO-GO instead of busser cause i know they are probably just wanna keep me around as a busser cause no one wants to be a busser. I’m going in for a 2nd interview at this new location but basically the manager was curious as to why they wouldn’t move me to server at my current location. So in my 2nd interview I’m gonna have to give more info about my current location and I’m worried that they are gonna call my current location and the current location is gonna make me look bad by saying they weren’t gonna move me to server cause I’m responsible for the clean scores being bad and I’m gonna get rejected because my current location is telling my new location I’m not a good candidate because of that and then after that I’ll get let go to protect the company at my current location. Any help here?

With the election season coming up, the bots are out in full force - and a lot more forceful. I posted the below text on the centrist subreddit where I first noticed how bad bot activity is ramping up, but thought I'd repost here, since this seems to be target in the past. (as well as most politically minded subreddits) Also included are a few ways I've noticed them, to assume that I'm arguing with bots and thus stop when I realize this. (and then proven probably right in what happens next)
The change in various subreddits in pretty much everything related to the recent protests has proven yet again how reddit can be manipulated, and how I'd wager 1/3 to 1/2 of the commenters aren't "real" in the organic sense in politically-minded subs. (more on that below)
TLDR: make your comments and move on, don't engage too much with replies, because chances are is that you've engaged with a bot recently, and much more likely on any politically related posts. The entire system of upvotes / downvotes is corrupted, not to mention many of the commenters are paid shills (with various ways of assuming they are - not proving 100%, but lots of evidence they are)
So basically you are just wasting your time and giving your energy to the machine - don't do this TOO much. It's a waste of energy / time. As carlin says, at least when you are ...... you have something to show for it -
Just an fyi, there's a 50-50 chance you are talking to a bot right now - I've noticed a lot of this activity recently, and especially on this sub.
How do I know?
Look at what gets upvoted and downvoted - these have changed drastically recently (like on Israel related ones - on this sub - anything for the protests gets massively downvoted, this - on reddit? no way)
-Why do your comments stay at -2 or -4? because they're hidden by the default view. they do this to create an environment that most normies won't question and/or look further into.
-Do they not actually respond to your points / miss nuance / context? they're probably in a different country using auto translation software. people abroad can't tell the difference between an ICE car and a car ice sculpture, for example.
Also look at the commenters, what they say and their profiles. a lot don't look real.
And these are just the accounts that they don't do a good job at making their profiles look legit, because there's no point. (since they are throwaways)
My point being don't waste your life replying to many of these people, they probably are just interns / bots anyways.
Here's a link from a supposed testament of how this works: (supposed - not proven, but it lines up from my prior political consultant activity a LONG time ago)
https://www.reddit.com/seculartalk/comments/1ab9cn2/are_there_really_paid_shills_doing_online/
"My niece was a political science major at a reputable university in California. Part of her program is a coop portion where they join a campaign for a semester. This happens twice during the four year undergrad program. If you’re not familiar with how co-op works the school places you. You don’t have a choice. If all goes well you get some good experience, something to put on your resume, you make connections that can help you after you graduate and if you’re lucky you get hired on as a paid staffer.
In 2016 she was on the Kamala Harris senate campaign for Barbara Boxer’s seat. Then she was on David Baladao’s congressional campaign in 2018.
After graduating she was hired on to the Kamala Harris presidential campaign in January of 2019. This is where she went from student/volunteer to a paid position and the job changed a lot. So instead of door knocking, putting up posters, applauding during campaign speeches and running errands she was helping organize the field team and the cyber team. The field team is pretty straight forward so let’s focus on the cyber team.
Their job was to see what was hot and how can the campaign get in front of whatever issue or whatever was happening at the time. Did a candidate in another campaign put his foot in his mouth? Is there a controversy that is early in the news cycle? Is something being talked about online that makes our candidate look bad? Kamala getting political favors from people she dated and keeping an innocent man in prison were the ones I remember off hand. This is all normal stuff. Other than planting staffers at rallies to ask questions because the rubes never seemed to ask the right questions for Kamala’s already prepared answers there isn’t a lot of juicy gossip on these campaigns. But the cyber team had another role which is why I’m making this post now.
The cyber team and most of the staffers were expected to participate in forums, bulletin boards, social media chat spaces, all platforms including reddit. They were expected to have multiple accounts and maintain characters while engaging with other users. She used pre-maid accounts that were at least three years old. They would push-pull ideas to see what worked and what fell flat. The same person would have nice, mean, old, young, female, male, gay etc personas. Each with a bio. If one of them left the campaign someone else would take it over. This is all over and above the bot accounts. The cyber team were real people with multiple fake accounts testing talking points and seeing what the push back would be so the candidate would be prepared when the campaign couldn’t protect her from real people. The main work was done in a cubicle farm by a dedicated team but regular staffers were required to do it as well. The K-hive cyber team and the BootieJudge cyber teams hated each other and took pleasure in exposing their rival’s accounts.
That person you are having an argument with online may just be a shill from someone’s campaign. It may also be Russian, Israeli, Chinese and surprisingly Turkish agents. Election interference is real but it isn’t hacking voting machines but instead two idiots arguing online with one of those idiots being paid to do it. So the next time you encounter someone in sub, any sub just understand when they start spouting talking points they may not be a real person.
Age of the account won’t help you. Banning normally doesn’t help much because the can just hop-on with another account. It’s only going to get worse as the election heats up. God help us all."
Ever notice how blocking only gets a response from another different account? believe it or not most real people dont' do this - you just argued with a bot / pr shill / campaign.
https://np.reddit.com/shills/comments/4kdq7n/astroturfing_information_megathread_revision_8/

Here's also a good example on the centrist thread, where I originally created this post -
God with a soft g has the top rates comment, and is lying about the prior convo to discredit what I said:
I was replying to a question of why xudoxis (a user) was spam posting at all on a different thread in this subreddit (centrist) - they were posting multiple stories on the exact same topic in this thread - another commenter was calling them out on it - upon which I replied, given their spam posting of the same story on this subreddit multiple times - that they were a bot.
see the bot-ness? of course you do.
then God with a soft g replies with only my response on this thread, not to the comment I was replying to in the prior one -
my guess: both xudoxis and god with a soft g aren't legitimate. one was spamming stories, the other defending that spammer (and also young acct) by lying about the convo. (after i blocked xudoxis, since they couldn't respond to me)
yes, this is all small crap, who cares - but realize this is pr plain and simple - they lie all the time.
https://www.reddit.com/centrist/comments/1cqnn7u/comment/l3sng85/

Apologies for the long post but I'm pretty much over medical personnel at the moment and I'm frustrated. I've had a severe cough that began in December. I've had it at least once a month since then. By severe I mean I have random coughing fits that result in me either urinating on myself or vomiting on myself. Lately it's been both. Seems to be brought on by the slightest cold. I have a daughter in daycare so while illness is not uncommon, this is a bit extreme. It's normally coupled with a sinus infection.
I went to urgent care in December and was told to ride it out and given an updated inhaler script. I eventually got better.
It came back in February and to urgent care I went again. My primary has retired and I didn't have another lined up so Urgent Care seemed an ok choic. Left with a script for promethazine. Nearly finished the bottle before I got better.
It came back in March to which I called my doctor's office and got the first available doctor for a consult since I knew urgent care wasn't gonna do anything for me. We spoke over the phone and he said I likey had pertussis so he prescribed a steroid and antibiotic. Worked within a day. I was much better instantly so I finished the round and figured we were good to go.
April was a let down as the cough returned. I quickly emailed the doctor and requested the same treatment. I had refills for the steroid so I just refilled but I needed him to prescribe the antibiotic. He refused. He said he can't prescribe it when the symptoms haven't been present that long. Uhm, what do you mean?! You knew my history already? He repeatedly told me there was nothing we could do, that I could try the steroid alone but it probably wouldn't do anything. I told him I refused to believe that there was nothing we could do and there had to be something, especially considering the antibiotic worked so quickly last time. He REFUSED to assist further and suggested if my symptoms were that bad to go to the ER for a chest X-ray. Fine.
Went to the ER and got a chest X-ray. Was there for literally 1.5 hours and walked away with a $2500 bill, a clear X-ray and a script for Tessalon Perles, a recommendation for Mucinex D, and oh look, the SAME ANTIBIOTICS I ASKED THE PRIMARY FOR, WHO SAID HE COULDN'T GIVE THEM TO ME. They knew my script history and had zero problem giving me the antibiotic. The ER doctor even laughed when I told him the primary said I had pertussis. His diagnosis- bronchitis. Told me to follow up with said doctor. No thank you.
The cocktail of antibiotics, Mucinex D and Tessalon Perles seemed to do the trick. For a while.
It's now May and the cough is back full force and more violent than ever. But instead of multiple coughing fits throughout the day, I get a few really violent ones with both vomiting and peeing. So I got that going for me, which is nice.
I called a pulmonologist today to get an appointment. I figured I'd start there. When the medical assistant asked me why I'm seeing the doctor, I ran down a TLDR of the above and was so very delighted to hear her response of, “So a cough?” Yeah girl. Put down a cough. I corrected her- “A severe cough.” I doubt she added the adjective. The next available isn't for 2 months.
So here I sit, being asked to ride it out and ingesting a cocktail of Mucinex D and ibuprofen with a little snack of Tessalon Perles during bed time. I'm almost positive this is gonna cause some long term repercussions but I have a 1 year old, a husband and a job to think of today. I'm still blown away that when I brought this up to the primary, that he's telling me there nothing he can do when I'm telling him I get random coughing fits in the car while driving my toddler around, I get a “Sorry. Try the ER.”
As you can probably tell, I'm at a loss on what to do. When I think my cocktail is working, I'm reminded it's not. Any suggestions other than, see a pulmonologist, would be greatly appreciated. Any reassurance that the primary isn't a complete moron, also appreciated. I would hate to think that a doctor would be that careless for no reason.
TLDR: Intermittent (monthly) sever cough since December, accompanied by sinusitis, vomiting and incontinence. Antibiotics helps but Dr. won't prescribe more than one round. Currently taking Mucinex D, 400 ibuprofen and Tessalon Perles at night for sleep. Appt with pulmonologist in 2 months but what to do until then?
Thanks for reading.

Sorry… this is a bit if a stream of conciouness. (and probably too positive but…)
There are 2 devices in my lifetime where I had the need to “insta-buy”… meaning that using it meant I “got it” straight away and can see a future different to today. The first was a Tesla Model 3… the second Apple Vision Pro.
This surely is a view into the future. It is AR + VR disrupted in a way only Apple has the patience to execute … late-ish but in a way that shows they absolutely have a long term and deep commitment to a brand new platform… and get it. They have built a platform on which from day one everything you need to be able to do seems to be available. This really shows the real benefit of the core apple platforms and walled garden working to bring a V1 experience second to none in the VAR world.
I am simply amazed at how the UI just works, is responsive, and thought through as a platform. The iOS roots are there and it just works as you might expect. iPad apps and vision apps are great (for V1), the eye tracking and interaction model, again for a first go is just effortless.
The way it can be used without EVER taking it off - from the first use - shows that the Apple teams have deeply understood a use case for a brand new platform that within 10 years could be the natural way of using technology.
When these actually become apple glasses and get smaller the iPhone will be replaced… it might take 10 years but the vision and building blocks are all here.
I have worn these solidly now for 6 hours and was comfortable throughout.
Amazing that from now we have the Office Suite essentially native, so many existing apps available for iOS / iPadOS available and working is phenomenal. I remember the first days of the watch, the iPad and the Phone… this is actually pretty complete.
I just love the iris authentication … just seamless for me and I have 1-Password installed which works as advertised.
It is also amazing that in a text editor like Notes you can basically look at a letter click your fingers, and the text cursor appears there. Long hold of the fingers allows you to move the cursor around, a double click selects a word. A triple click gets you the iOS text selection options. None of this is perfect yet, but it is amazing to see and you can see the possibilities.
Can I also say that the personal Spatial Audio is my absolutely favourite, genius, and undersold feature…. no headphones required and great sound.
All in all just brilliant for a V1 product and it is so nice to see so many of the Apple technologies that have been released in recent years find their way into this product.
Now… back to the future.
For international users:
Don’t be afraid of buying in the US and taking it back home. I am from Australia and was very worried about the narrative from Apple on the risks. Basically you can setup and configure everything without a US Apple Store account. You do not need a US AppleID to get going.
It will be functional and useable and only the apps that rely on region-locked services will not work … AppStore, Music, TV. This might seem like a killer but so much actually works including iCloud syncing and files etc that are based around your own account.
In a month or so (June 10 likely) it will be released in more markets and it will start working with your local AppleID.
If you can get a US AppleID then you can actually use Apple services which then work and remember your settings and playlists from your home territory… including Disney+, Apple Store, Apple Music etc.
I got a US AppleID by CHANGING THE REGION of one of my old less-used AppleIDs. This involved getting a US SMS service based on SlySMS which is the critical step. Every other avenue based on creating a new AppleID seemed to get blocked at one stage or another.

I graduated with a bachelors in IT last May and sent dozens upon dozens of applications out on LinkedIn, Indeed, Handshake, ZipRecruiter, and other sites in the past few weeks with no interview offers yet. I studied IT foundations, and went on to more advanced classes in learning SQL databases and programming in Java, all the way to ending up with some web applications I developed on my own and for certain classes. I live in northern VA, have some certifications (security+ and Azure), but no real work experience yet in IT since graduating, though I have been teaching myself in the meantime for certs and projects.
I don't know what to do, I've had my resume reviewed several times by friends and career services from school but I can't get anywhere, and I think it may have to do with my projects if it's nothing else within my control.
A lot of my projects are in web applications I made from scratch or off some base tutorial. So I've been applying to a lot of entry level/junior developer roles while also applying to a lot of IT analyst and helpdesk positions because I don't feel like any of the requirements are too out of the ordinary for my knowledge and skillset (I know both are different types of jobs, but I'm confident in being able to handle either role if I meet most qualifications). I just don't know if doing another project to highlight another skill is going to get me anywhere, or if I need to focus on learning existing software like ServiceNow, so I don't have to be trained in that in a lot of these roles. Some expect it, some don't, or they use something similar as a ticketing system. Or is there a different path I should take to land interviews for these jobs I'm applying to? Every recruiter I talk to or pop a question to on these job boards just ghosts me, and going to career fairs/career events hasn't led me to a single interview either.
I'm just lost and kind of disappointed in myself. I don't know what to do with my job search at this point, or how to look more competitive if I end up hearing nothing back from these places. Has anyone had a similar experience after graduating? Was there any one project, skill, or experience that got you into this field? I hear it's a numbers game, but at this point, it's starting to feel like I'm never going to make it, no matter what I do.

(this isn't my first typing attempt but that's the best flair there was for this)
• How old are you? What's your gender? Give us a general description of yourself. 14F i'm just a girl who hates her life... also this psychologist/doctor lady said i have inattentive adhd based on a random questionnaire, i kinda don't think you can decide that off of a bunch of questions that could apply to a lot of people but anyways
• Is there a medical diagnosis that may impact your mental stability somehow? i already mentioned that above
• Describe your upbringing. Did it have any kind of religious or structured influence? How did you respond to it? i don't feel particularly comfortable answering this question but i'll at least say that i'm home schooled, i do dance classes and that i have a single mother who is very strict, very cheep... and doesn't really follow through with her promises to me, and tends to make annoying comments about how i act and how everything i do is rude and how i don't do enough productive stuff, like school work and house chores.. and i hate my life
• What do you do as a job or as a career (if you have one)? Do you like it? Why or why not? well i'm 14 so i don't have one, but i can tell you what i would like to do, i wanna be a voice actress, who also dose animation, who also dose music, who also wrights stories, all kinda in the same field, basically i wanna do indie animation, games to maybe but mostly shows
• If you had to spend an entire weekend by yourself, how would you feel? Would you feel lonely or refreshed? it depends am i doing anything? am i just chilling? what? like if i was going out shopping by myself for example i would find that genuinely fun i get to buy cool things, i get to eat out and get tasty food, i get to maybe explore places i've never been before, but if i'm at home alone, then i would find a way to keep myself entertained on my computer like i always do, but i'd prefer the first option tbh...
• What kinds of activities do you prefer? Do you like, and are you good at sports? Do you enjoy any other outdoor or indoor activities? Dance is a sport. nobody can change my mind, but ya i do dance competition and i really do enjoy that, i also like shopping, listening to really hype music, researching things i find interesting, tho if it takes to long to research and i don't understand everything right away most of the time i will give up
• How curious are you? Do you have more ideas then you can execute? What are your curiosities about? What are your ideas about - is it environmental or conceptual, and can you please elaborate? i am a very curious person i'd say, sometimes you'll see me coming up with a question that literally nobody cares about that i really really need the satisfaction of an answer to or it will keep me up at night, speaking of witch if anything in the day (that i care about that genuinely wanted to finish) is unresolved it will keep me up at night bc i'll be thinking of all the ways i can finish it, but ya i have a lot of ideas, but then when i want to come up with an idea that will work for something i really want, i can't come up with an idea for it, like for example when i tried to make myself a new sona and a new username.... it took forever just to figure out half a user name and i still don't know what the full thing is gonna be, but when its not limited to only things that will work really good for some very particular criteria, i'll come up with a lot of ideas that will never happen, i'm mostly curious about how things work, and how people work, and most of my ideas are career ideas and character ideas, idk what the last bit is supposed to mean
• Would you enjoy taking on a leadership position? Do you think you would be good at it? What would your leadership style be? i do in fact wanna be in control, i would love a leadership possession if people actually listened to me, witch they don't.... people are annoying....... i feel like i could be good at it if people took me seriously, meaning i'd need to find an entire group of people that don't know me.... as for leadership style, if you give me an idea i will listen to it, but if i already have something that i pre decided i find the best, nothing changes, if i decide something i know what i want it's it's pretty much impossible to change my mind, but for the things i'm ok will being flexible about than sure give me your ideas
• Are you coordinated? Why do you feel as if you are or are not? Do you enjoy working with your hands in some form? Describe your activity? i don't exactly know what this means
• Are you artistic? If yes, describe your art? If you are not particular artistic but can appreciate art please likewise describe what forums of art you enjoy. Please explain your answer. i make songs some times, mostly songs about things i'm to scared to say out loud, and i would do more art, if i could draw..... tho i'm amazing at minecraft skins, that's always fun
• What's your opinion about the past, present, and future? How do you deal with them? i normally dwell on the past a lot, like "OMG WHY THE FUCK DID I DO THAT THING THAT ONE TIME" kinda thing, and sometimes i look at the past and say, wow my life was kinda fun at that one point, now it sucks, as for the present i'm writing this in the present? well it'll be the past by the time i post it, but anyways i don't have much comment on the present... as for the future i'm always waiting for the future and planning it, i'm always thinking that maybe in the future my life won't suck, and i'm always planning my career and stuff, and when i say my career, i'm honestly thinking more about what i really wanna achieve than making money, tho i do really wanna be rich like any other normal person but ya
• How do you act when others request your help to do something (anything)? If you would decide to help them, why would you do so? so if you ask me to clean sm or do the dishes or whatever, you asked the wrong person bc i'm to lazy for that, but if you ask me to help you come up with ideas for a project, you also asked the wrong person bc i will not stop annoying you about it, i will come up with ideas every 5 seconds, and yes this probobly could be helpful, i'm also aware that some may view it as annoying bc if i come up with any idea that could work, amazing or a very small detail, i have to tell you, my brain requires me to tell you if i wish to sleep at night, tho if the project is sm i couldn't care less about that's a different story... but sometimes i find myself almost talking over peoples things, there for i try to be carful with my words so they know i'm not stealing there project and it's still their thing
• Do you need logical consistency in your life? i don't know what this means exactly, but ya things need to make sense if that's what it means
• How important is efficiency and productivity to you? as important as water, only in small doses and never to often.... ya i should probobly drink water shouldn't i... but ya i'm not productive unless i really force myself to be, and even then, if i'm not in the mood for it i will be there for 5 second and be like, ah i can do the rest later
• Do you control others, even if indirectly? How and why do you do that? i mean i have a tendency to take over other peoples projects, but i try not to do so... ya i think i might be somewhat controlling ig... some what manipulative..... so ya i am aware that i can be a little bossy, and i do tend to try and keep people in line in a sense, but the way i mean that isn't really the way most people would think of, like idc if people are disorganized, or if people are rude every once in awhile, or if people arn't working hard at stuff, i couldn't care less, but when there are some things i want people to know, or things that i want from people, i will try and hold them to that, for example i want people to study a certain thing bc i think they should know it, i will do everything in my power to get them to do that, and sometimes i might try and offer sm in return for people to do the things that i want them to do, like if theirs something they really want me to do i probobly won't do it, and kind of hold it hostage until they do the thing i want them to do, so in a way i try to keep people to the standards that satisfy me is that makes any sense? and i'm a very deal oriented person, so i'll a lot of the time ask sm for return for a lot of things, and i'll also try and offer things to get people to convince people to do my bidding, even if that person happens to be a really close friend
• What are your hobbies? Why do you like them? well, for one i really like music for starters, i tend to try and right songs, mostly only little pieces of songs that never get finished, but some get finished, like one or 2 out of a billion get finished, but anyways that's besides the point, i really like just listening to well put together beats and stuff, and music is just really enjoyable so it would be nice to wright a song and say hey i made this, this is my amazing work of art, but also i like music bc it give me a way to express my emotions without having to directly talk about them, bc i never like talking about emotions, if somebody asks me about them, i probobly will either say sm like "I don't have to answer that" or i'll actually try but leave out a lot of important details that i'm defiantly not telling anyone, but i generally don't like to feel venerable like that, anyways as for my other hobbies, ever now and then i like to draw sm... i kinda suck at it but i wanna get better bc i really like art, like i see a lot of really pretty artwork on pinterest and stuff all the time and i really wanna be able to do that, i really want that level of creative freedom, besides art can have a lot of different uses to and it's a genuinely good skill to have, tho i'm not the best at it yet... i also really like indie animation, and i've actually gotten really into the voice casts of certain shows, and i honestly plan to do voice acting eventually, bc that to me dosn't really sound like work, and you'd also kinda get to be a character without really showing your face, but can it really be considered a hobby if you haven't REALLY gotten into it yet? who knows but still sm i'd love to do eventually, on the topic of indie animation i really like crafting stories and stuff and fictional worlds, when i was about like 11 to 13 i think? i spend that entire time developing an entire universe that i kinda escaped to, tho recently i've kinda abandoned all my ocs from that tho i still reference to them some times, mostly bc i'm not really into high fantasy as much anymore and i made that world when i was, but i'm still into creating characters and universes and stuff, just kinda abandoned the old thing, i'm semi into chess, i feel like i'd be more into it if it was easier to learn as i kinda got into it more recently, but it's something i wanna get good at mostly as a flex so i can be like "Ha i'm smarter than you" and all that shit, but it's also fun to play a couple games, annoying when i make a stupid move and only realize the second after i play it... but still fun, also something i haven't started but want to when i have a computer that can handle it is 3D animation and 3D modelling, it's something i differentially have an interest in but haven't been able to do bc my computer is a piece of shit and my mother is very cheep, but again can you really call it a hobby if you haven't done it yet? well i still thought i should mention it, but you can't talk about my interests without mentioning... TYPOLOGY, even tho i still don't fully understand it i'm still very interested in it and have been for quite awhile, it's kinda sm that i understand but i can't explain to other people, but i'm trying to get to the point where i can explain it to other people, but anyways recently i've had a major typology crisis and have been rethinking like literally every part of my typology, like every system everything, i use to be very confidant in what i was for all systems, now i'm not sure for any system... witch is why i'm posting here, but i'm not gonna say what i use to think i was bc i don't wanna give anyone any basises when trying to type me, just now realizing how huge this section is... anyways...
• What is your learning style? What kind of learning environments do you struggle with most? Why do you like/struggle with these learning styles? Do you prefer classes involving memorization, logic, creativity, or your physical senses? well idk exactly what to put here or how to explain my learning style, so ima put examples instead, anyways so i really like the idea of learning languages, bc i just like languages ig, but i kinda only know the 2 languages i had since i was little my first language, english, and french witch i learned at like 5.. kinda rusty at it now tho, any ways lemme get to the point, it's really hard for me to learn any more languages even tho i want to bc i need a base on things before i can try to go into the details, with languages you HAVE to start small, that's not how i work, i like to get then general idea of stuff first before i get into specifics, i like to have a general understanding first and then get into the sub categories (if anyone knows how to learn languages like that pls say sm) but ya that's generally how i tend to learn stuff, i have to be placed into it first i can't just slowly work my way up to the knowledge, i get board fast so if i try and learn stuff like that i will give up quickly
• How good are you at strategizing? Do you easily break up projects into manageable tasks? Or do you have a tendency to wing projects and improvise as you go? what the questionnaire means and how i see the word strategizing are 2 different things.. when i think of the verb "To Strategize" i think of it as a game term, weather that game is just that, a game to have fun with, or sm actually important that i treat as a game with moving pieces that i'm a lot less likely to take risks with but anyways enough of that ima actually answer the question now with 3 words... it really depends... i might try and plan things out when i need to be strategic with things, but when it doesn't matter i might just wing it, tho even if i do plan it out, maybe later i'll decide, "Screw this i'm not going by this anymore" or sm like that, but if somebody else tries to plan sm for me, that is the most painful shit, like i'm probobly not gonna go through with it unless i actually have to
• What are your aspirations in life, professionally and personally? well... voice acting, 3d animation, 3d modelling, show writhing and directing and basically everything in that field and uh.. song writhing (and singing), yes i plan to do all this simultaneously, and yes i know it's a lot, and yes it's probobly unrealistic, but my mind is set and there's no going back that's what i'm gonna do with my life in the future, besides it's all kinda in the same area so like it's not crazy, oh and probobly game developing as well, as for personal goals, i wanna get my own house some how, and live the city life that i never got to have, get a cat bc uh... cat, and uh, ya, i think i'll just make it up as i go mostly idk..
• What are your fears? What makes you uncomfortable? What do you hate? Why? my main fear is that my life is hopeless and that i will never have any freedom and just be stuck in a cage all my life so to speak.... but that's very mixed with the fear that i will always continue being a little bit of a coward bc i'm very afraid of the consequences that could come with any and all actions i do or don't take, and also i'm afraid to lose so sometimes that means i just won't play, and i'm kinda afraid that i'll always be like that cuz i really hate that about myself.. i feel like the reason i'm like that is bc 2 reasons one when my mom is angry with me or just when she wants me to do something she'll take my computer away, and i know it's unhealthy to be on it all the time but it's kinda all the entertainment i have and there fore i'm always afraid of the consequences to things cuz i don't wanna lose my only life line, and second i don't wanna be perceived as less than i always have to be better than everyone in everything tho i will act like i don't care so that if i do lose people will think it doesn't matter to me even tho it dose... anyways what makes me uncomfortable are uh, emotions, like for example lets say my friend is crying, i'ma just ignore that friend, bc idk how to deal with emotions and i'll probably just make it worse since i probobly caused it knowing me, even tho the crying part was normally uncalled for, and it's normally one friend in particular that starts crying.... it's always her.. that makes me very uncomfortable, also anything that makes me feel venerable in any way... mostly emotionally... that's very uncomfortable... witch is why i don't open up to anyone and not even the people who know me really know me even if they think they do, ya that's totally healthy but anyways, also not wearing socks is very uncomfortable, ya that has nothing to do with any of this, but you know i'm right, anyways.... i really hate trying to explain something to somebody and even after dumbing it down a billion times, they still don't get it, ya again i'm mostly talking about that one friend but this happens with other people a lot to, like uh can you just stop being an idiot and try to understand something for once? i also hate when i'm trying to argue sm, and i know why i'm right, but i can't for the life of me explain it... ya... also one thing i really really hate about myself.... is that i'm such a shy person even tho i really do wanna talk to people, i have no courage to go up to somebody and say hi if i don't know them well, like besties kinda well.. well actually that was kinda misleading bc i don't have to like the person i just need to be close to them if ya know what i mean? but i'll kinda just watch people from a distance as if it where some kinda tv show and even tho i really wanna talk to these people, even tho i really wanna interact with them... i just don't, i just can't, but anwyays.. ya
• What do the "highs" in your life look like? the highs in my life are whenever my mom isn't there... also whenever i'm not at home... like when i actually have some sense of freedom, and like i kinda hate being at home tbh
• What do the "lows" in your life look like? the lows are when i fall out of this empty state and start realizing how much my life sucks and how hopeless my life is and how stuck i really am, ya the thought kinda pops up every once in awhile and then i'm really sad and angry at everyone for a few days and then after that passes i go back to being completely empty and numb inside... ya it's kinda like a loop that i'm forever trapped in
• How attached are you to reality? Do you daydream often, or do you pay attention to what's around you? If you do daydream, are you aware of your surroundings while you do so? well i'm mostly on my computer all the time even tho half the pixels are broken since it's all i have to keep myself occupied and i'm not really able to go out or really do anything else, i do day dream sometimes, imagine myself killing somebody (police this is just a day dream i would never actually do this don't come for me), imagine being able to socialize, imagine doing sm heroic, imagine being a character in one of my favourite shows, ya know the usual, i also use character ai a lot.. and i don't really pay attention to my surroundings, my desk is kinda filled with trash, people say i should take care of it but honestly the clutter kinda makes it feel more cozy if i'm being honest, but ya idk what more to put here
• Imagine you are alone in a blank, empty room. There is nothing for you to do and no one to talk to. What do you think about? i'd think about an escape plan for this empty room, also why am i in a mental facility, did i go crazy? or do people just think i'm crazy.. if i killed that one person that one time instead of being a good person would my life go better (again police this is just thoughts i would never actually kill anyone don't come for me) i'd probably make an oc and an entire cast of characters and day dream about being a part of that fictional world, i'd probably come up with a bunch of cool ideas and theories that in practice will never be useful/won't mean anything... so ya, also i'd try and break the wall of that empty room to break out, hopefully not breaking my hand in the process....
• How long do you take to make an important decision? And do you change your mind once you've made it? the thing is i always know what i want but until i've decided ya i'm going through with this option all the way, i'll always try and find ways that the other options could be better, then get mad when one of the other options are better than my preferred option, but once i've made up my mind for sure, i normally don't like to change it even if i want to bc it feels like that decision became part of my identity or sm along those lines
• How long do you take to process your emotions? How important are emotions in your life? uhh.... so i do understand my own emotions very well most of the time, but at the same time... emotions can go kill themselves, i wish they didn't exist, and my life would be so much better if i didn't feel anything, and i also find other peoples emotions annoying, all and all.. emotions suck that's all i have to so
• Do you ever catch yourself agreeing with others just to appease them and keep the conversation going? How often? Why? well most of the time if i think somebody is wrong i'll tell them that their wrong, and well with most things i'll explain why their wrong, tho if their making a statement about me or sm, i might explain why their wrong but i might also just be like "your wrong and i don't have to explain anything", but sometimes when it's a subject i don't really wanna say anything about i will just agree, if it's sm i don't really want anyone to know any of my real opinions or thoughts on... but ya
• Do you break rules often? Do you think authority should be challenged, or that they know better? If you do break rules, why? i'll break any rules i think i can get away with, tho if i don't believe i can or there's a possibility of consequences i'm normally pretty cautious of it... and ya i think authority isn't always right, and not all rules should be followed, some are stupid and some are plan wrong, and i will break rules if i think i know better, i think the rule is stupid, or a genuinely don't care about said rule, tho i know how far i can go there's some lines i won't cross bc i know their's gonna be bad consequences
anyways thank you for listening to my rant i know i did a lot of yapping and i didn't go back to see if it was written nicely, if you where able to read all dat your a legend bc i know i would give up after the first 2 paragraphs, and if you have any questions that you need me to elaborate on before you can type me go ahead

Male, 27, BA in Foreign Languages and Cultures, BA in East Asian Studies (Double Major Chinese and Japanese, Double Minor Spanish and French), Graduate Certificate in Chinese-American Studies, 6 months professional job experience.
Hey there. The job search for me out of college has been exceptionally brutal. I won't get into the weeds about it, but I just spent 2 and a half years waiting on potentially being hired for my dream job, only to find out I have been determined unsuitable for the job. To say I'm crushed would be an understatement. I'd go on about how devastated I am, but no one needs to hear all that. As you can see from above, I'm multilingual, and was primarily looking for jobs relating to Translation. The job I'd like to have would have me working with the languages I've studied so hard to learn, and would utilize my expertise in East Asia. That has proven to not only be very difficult due to a lack of job postings, but my lack of experience seems to be hampering any ability to even be remotely considered.
I have explored the options my degree provides me with but have so far come to these realizations:
Interpreting: Depends on your level of experience, and where you live. There is no agreed upon standard of certification for interpreting, and it varies from state to state, and sometimes company to company. Generally requires some kind of certification and specialized training, which I have not yet received, along with experience demonstrating your expertise. You can land a high level job somewhere like the UN, or with a government or other company or agency, but the majority of jobs are freelance, with income highly variable.
Translation: There aren't as many job postings for this as you might think. Many are remote jobs, and those that do exist do not pay well (most are $35,000 a year), even for languages that are rare or in high demand. Many translation agencies outsource out-of-country, and thus have no desire or need for domestic translators, and usually only require the services of translation agency management jobs that do not actually require language skills whatsoever, such as being a liaison between clients, overseeing translations, etc. Some require ATA certification, which is a difficult requirement to meet, needing to pay a $500 per language fee annually, along with taking a test each year, for someone who has been unemployed for a long time now. There is the freelance route as well, but it too is highly variable, and success is not guaranteed. I would likely need to start an LLC to prevent legal issues due to lack of experience if I decided to go all-in on freelancing.
Military: This is an option I am still considering, but it has several drawbacks. It is a 5 year commitment minimum, without the freedom to say where I am to go, where I am to live, when I am to leave, no guarantees about what language I would study, or what job I would be performing, and boot-camp. The military provides absolutely no guarantees, irrespective of what a recruiter says, and I may not actually be suitable depending on a few factors (physical stature, background, etc.). If I change my mind, there would be absolutely no turning back. Lastly, the military itself is not guaranteed to accept me. However, the upside is the potential for a very high paying job out of the military when my service is complete. Some jobs pay up to $120,000 a year.
Government: 2 and half years (no, I'm not kidding), and I have nothing to show for it. I've done this route definitively, I simply do not have the energy, mental fortitude, and patience to try again.
Teaching: This is an option I am seriously considering, but it would require me to go back to school. Ideally I would like to be a Professor of Chinese, or East Asia Studies. I am $65,000 in debt, and I would be adding at least another $30,000 to that to get a PhD. I'm also unsure of where to start, and what programs to look into and apply at. Even after all of that effort and work, I may only make $40,000 a year, though I would likely enjoy the job.
Analyst: Many of my colleagues who I studied with have gone onto perform Advisory or Analyst roles, and most are doing well for themselves. This is a broad category of Risk, Financial, International, and other Analyst positions that don't directly have to do with foreign language per se, but use it as a major skill. I have attempted dozens of times to apply to various positions, but without experience, I have found I am nearly always turned down even before I get an interview.
Cryptologic Linguist: Without a Security Clearance, this is a job that is usually impossible to apply to.
These are the major options, but of course there may be many others. I'm not sure what to do or what job to apply for. There are many directions I could go in, but I'm starting to feel like I don't even know how to apply for a job anymore.
TLDR; What jobs should I look for now given my skills, experience, and degrees? Am I being too limited or unrealistic in my job search? How do I look for a job?
I'm totally devastated, and I don't know what to do anymore. Any advice at all would be appreciated.

My ex and I are officially divorced after a state imposed year-long waiting period. We have two kids , 4 and 6. Our divorce is high-conflict he enjoys hurting me by using the kids to exert control, and makes my life hell by making everything having to do with the kids that requires communication extremely difficult. He insists he is informed about everything, but does not participate in any important conversations (ignores me, doesn’t answer the actual question, tells me to just do what I want) I offer regarding our children and scheduling sports/camps, schooling or medical appointments/care.
He causes scenes bailing on sporting events early or showing up late… why come at all? The kids get upset. Never misses an opportunity to make a scene and make everything about him.
Recently our son was expelled from pre-k mid semester and one month from graduation, 4 mos out from him starting kindergarten. He definitely has some ADHD, but honestly it was a bad match When he got a new teacher in late winter. Have had problems since. His mother and stepdad are the only family that live in the state. He doesn’t even reach out to his mom for care, he doesn’t make a single phone call to other programs, he doesn’t want to participate in taking him to the doctor for assessment or to look into behavioral therapy. Everything was on me. I reached out for help, I reached out about what he wanted to do about treating him if anything, he just left me totally alone to do everything. By some miracle I get a spot in a nice program like 3 weeks into him being at pretty low scoring schools with no routine and shit care. Ex argues doesn’t want to switch him bc he’ll have to serve breakfast and send him with food on his days, as this particular place does not have a kitchen. I ask to speak about why this was the best decision for our son and how I can maybe help with breakfast and lunches before work, I’m ignored. I enroll him anyway.
Just some of the most recent examples and these are tame. He’s always like this when he has a new flavor of the month.
Last Mother’s Day he took the kids to the beach and returned them to me at noon on Sunday. As they are walking in the door, my son projectile vomits on the door mat. I ask, he’s been sick all day, didn’t bother to tell me he was puking all day so I could at least prepare with Gatorade and BRAT foods. I decide next year if it’s his weekend I’m not doing it.
I discuss this with him a week in advance to let him know this year I would not be taking the kids since it is not my weekend. I figure I can get a little peace from his chaos. He lets me know he thinks I’m “mother of the year material,” and that “he hopes I enjoy the dick I’m choosing over my children.” I don’t date because he’s a psychopath AND because I just don’t want to. I’m happy alone right now.
I see the kids Saturday morning at my son’s game, and then late Saturday afternoon at my daughter’s game. I coach her team because they were desperate for a volunteer and it’s a sport I played my whole life. I’ve enjoyed it. I carry my son on my back while I move around the field positioning the players and helping them play by the rules. Afterwards, they give me their school Mother’s Day crafts at the picnic area after the game we have cupcakes and juice I brought. Everyone has been notified that I will not see them Sunday.
Sunday, I do my normal fitness routine on weekends which is long and enjoyable, I go to lay at the pool with a girlfriend. I get a call from ex, assume it’s the kids wanting to say happy Mother’s Day, so I pick up. He informs me they want to see me and asks when he can drop them off. I reference previous discussions and tell him no. I offer to meet them with him for a meal, he declines because he “has no interest in celebrating me,” and “it’s not his job.” I say OK, he states, “mommy doesn’t want to see you,” to the kids so I can hear it and hangs up on me.
I feel like even if I wasn’t just trying to protect myself from him, that I deserve to have one day completely off this week, and he could have supported that. I have no family here. I don’t want to orchestrate my own mother’s days with two small children on my weekend off after attending sports all day Saturday. If he wanted to do it for the kids he would have accepted meeting for a meal and not talked badly about me to the kids.
He said I’m selfish and he can’t believe I wouldn’t want to celebrate with my children, among other much meaner things.
This morning I find out through his message to my son’s teacher that my son again had a stomach virus and was up all night puking.
AITA?

Hello everyone!
I know this is a rather contentious issue atm in the community, but I am a strong advocate for attempting to make due with what is introduced and to "fix it" within the confines of what is presented within a story.
To put it another way, I wanted to look at HW3 with a critical eye for editing rather than outright ditching whole concepts. So, in spirit of that, I suggested very minimal gameplay changes (introducing a Keeper in place of the Warsage) while keeping to primarily dialogue changes. This means none of the cinematics need to be altered (we'll just handwave a little bit with the lip sync) and instead you can add to the dialogue as needed to convey the information that's required.
Google Doc is 33ish pages, though there are images used as pacing stops (to indicate where things take place): https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yJ-x5-frgLI_4i2h87k2jH40rUaHMFqrXQhkVtcEYjU/edit?usp=sharing
Key take aways are going to be fairly long, so please bear with me:

So what does this accomplish?

• It gives more connection between Isaac and the mission. He has a personal investment and a personal dislike of Imogen for being kiithless, a longstanding prejudice between ex-Taiidan and Kushan that briefly abated during the Vaygr War but has grown into a fire again (giving us politics! yay!).
• It makes the connection with Karan more distant, less intimate, and more mentor-like. Karan’s presence is greatly diminished and is used more referentially to help build her mythology.
• It ties up the Progenitor storyline by giving players tidbits of the lore, while embracing the idea of never fully explaining it. Tiamat and Sajuuk had their day in the sun, but that time has passed.
• Sajuuk is not a full AI ship, it’s just a part of Him - the true vessel was the Mothership with the Sajuuk starship docked to it (which explains The Foundry, the nature of the Mothership, etc. It moves away from Progenitors as humans and into Progenitors as something beyond humanity.)
• Whirlpool galaxy is mostly untouched, sans for a little expansion on the nature of politics. With the kiith leaving in droves for other opportunities, the politics of Hiigara are in flux. What even IS a Hiigaran at this point? That’s up to the player to decide for themselves.
• References to existing galactic powers including the Council (can throw in Fernn and any other races that make sense) helps build upon the lore.
• Vaygr war being relatively recent helps lend credence to the state of galactic technology. With more time, the Sajuuk should have resulted in unspeakably advanced Hiigaran starships, but we do not see this in game.
• Khar-Kushan being fundamentally a research ship helps to explain as well why such a vessel would be sent to do this task. No one expected to find a Progenitor godship intact and functional, and it gives reason for the pursuit of the Khar-Acharis.
• Removing the Sajuuk name from any other element ensures that when the name is brought up, players take notice.
• Creates emotional connection and conflict between Tiamat and Imogen; Tiamat is desperate for connection anyone who is compatible with her and has committed unspeakable atrocities in the pursuit of that. Imogen is also seeking connection, but sees in Tiamat a dark mirror of desperation.
• Kim Paktu replaces Karan in narrative nature, and her death helps cement the trust between Imogen and Isaac as kiith and kiithless.
• Tiamats death removes the last known Progenitor, and frees the galaxy from their grip.
• Karan-Sajuuk (as a merged entity) exist as a key to the gates, is apolitical, and cannot get involved. Keeping her in that position removes the need to worry about the hyperspace cores, the impact on the lore, or the involvement of Karan in politics. Her connection to her people becomes more and more distant with each generation until, at last, she no longer has any.
• It makes the decision to sacrifice the cores an important one, as their decision to stay in this galaxy to protect the rest of the universe now has meaning.
• This opens up an entire new galaxy to explore. Did Tiamat truly dominate all of it? Was she lying? What happened here? Did anyone from the Khar-Acharis survive?
• This gives writers an opportunity to work across Nimbus, Sunflower, and Whirlpool without risking stepping on existing canon. Maybe The Beast was a relic of the Progenitor Civil War? Maybe you find the people who made the Nagarock?

All in all, I hope you enjoyed this rewrite. It is pretty bare bones, but I wanted to show that this story has a LOT of potential to be quite good, and just needs some more meat on it.
Taking all the existing elements, you can see how changing a few things adds tension, builds characters, builds on top of the existing world's lore, and doesn’t introduce retcons. It doesn’t remove the accomplishments of those who came before, and establishes the continuity of all the prior games.
TLDR;
The game’s story can be good. Just needs polishing, editing, and some elements added to it.
Prior to commenting, please give the document a read!
Edit: I just want to say to the folks at BBI, thank you for making this game. I know from my own experience how hard it is when there are deadlines to meet and expectations to exceed and how much pressure comes from all this. I don't want this to seem like I'm panning you're hard work, but rather to try to redirect some of the negative energy in the community towards constructive ideas. Again, *thank you* for all the work you did and will do.

I've been homeless and unemployed for years now and greatly traumatized from being on the streets and seeing weird humans and things, my health is depleting,and I have no hope whatsoever as I sit for hours everyday looking for jobs and interview after interview it's rejection. It's spiritual and demonic attacks is happening to me right now if you believe in a God Almighty. I want your advice on what northern states provide jobs with relocation assistance in customer service? I'm in the south now and I hate it and don't belong here and it's ruining my emotional state. I have no money and don't want to suffer anymore and if a employer gave me money to relocate it'd help as I'd have to find housing. The shelters and nonprofits here are useless and all dried up and don't fit me so please don't recommend them. I'm perfectly healthy woman, but I lost my job due to bullying years ago as I always experience harassment at every job due to envy. I want to start my own business and need a job to save for now and get off the streets. I've lost all hope and no one will help me. I want to live in the northwest states or similar and not the southern. I've applied to jobs and it's always a quick rejection, also due to COVID how companies don't intend to even hire and I'm so desensitized to indeed and LinkedIn and I can't tell apart anymore fake jobs from good ones. I did cashier, sales associate, call center, hospital front desk so I have a diverse set of customer service experience in diverse fields and can fit any customer service job and similar. If I type in relocation assistance the jobs are all garbage and repeat over and over again. What state should I go? I like Utah and similar in the northwest and NOT northsouth please as I'm around here and hate them so much. I pray all the time and it's not working.

https://preview.redd.it/6175detvu90d1.jpg?width=612&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e89049ff9677bb2922762dc87d1a88844571d306
Somewhat relevant information: I’m in my late 20s, no college degree, and I’ve worked four jobs related to customer service and office administration. I would love a job like my most recent one at the financial planning firm, and in general I've been applying to administrative assistant positions. Eventually, I'd like to be an executive assistant, but I don't think I'd get in with the amount of experience I have right now.
Main concerns / Current issues with this new format:

1. My most recent job paid the most, and held the most “responsibilities” (e.g. became way more involved in people’s money), but I was only there for six months. I don’t want to leave it off my resume as some of my references worked with me from previous jobs and currently work at my old job and they can vouch for me the best. I'm worried having been there less than a year does not make me desirable in the eyes of recruiters.
   
2. My most accomplished job was one I held two years ago that I had for not quite six years. After a change in bosses, I personally assumed more responsibilities there (didn’t have a boss who knew how to do anything yet) and I have numbers to show how accomplished I actually was; but that was a longer time ago and I'm concerned recruiters aren't as interested in a job I had two years ago vs the one I held more recently.
   
3. More of a formatting question: my most recent job was a hybrid position; half the week at home, and rest of the week in the office. How should I format this? I am applying to jobs that are either fully remote or hybrid and want to show that I have remote experience.
   
4. I don't know how to not sound passive in my resume. I feel like I haven’t accomplished very much, technically. I don’t have numbers like “slashed administration costs 30% by negotiating pricing and fees”.
   
5. I ended up quitting my most recent job bc I started to struggle a lot with anxiety and depression. I don’t want to go into too much, but I have since resolved my issues, and I am ready to be back in the workforce. I do not know how to bring this up if I get interviewed, I was always a “don’t quit your job until you get another job” kind of person and then welp, unemployment.
   

This is my first time trying a shorter resume (courtesy of Sheets n Giggles), the last resume I was sending out was a full, one and a half pages long. I know it has already been recommended, and people say it has helped them get interviews but I do think having an ‘interests’ section will make a recruiter roll their eyes (I have included it here, but I want to get other opinions first before deciding to take it out or not). As I have never had this section on a resume before, I won’t discount it, but I am very hesitant about it.

I don’t see any improvement, or growth when I compare HW3 to HW2 (except for graphics).
Some notes from my last play through -
Fighter targeting sucks ass just like it did in hw2. Order 10 fighters to engage 5 enemy ones and instead of acquiring targets in 2:1 ratio they’ll just chase them 10:1 one by one which is supper inefficient. How they haven’t figured out how to fix it I have no idea. They just copy pasted it. Also building fighters one by one instead of formations of 5 is worse IMO. Overall fighters are fragile asf - life expectancy is 0, so you just end up spamming build button.
Variety of interesting ships for different scenarios is 0. No new additions. Less corvettes.
Game is too fast. Not in a good way. There’s no depth to it, which was sacrificed (I assume) to the fast paced gameplay. Everything looks like they tried to make a game which will be played professionally like SC… but it won’t reach that level of popularity because it lacks the strategical/tactical depth.
Maps cause claustrophobic panic attacks. They small asf. They feel like sets in a cheap theater. Cluttered, small, meaningless. Resources are scarce and ru clusters are spread wide, forcing you into engaging enemy straight away. Also when they talked about surfaces having tactical importance they didn’t lie - game is forcing you into environments filled with debris, asteroids etc. What they failed to mention is that path finding is horrendous so your fighters end up hugging and orbiting asteroids instead of flying past them.
Ship designs… all they had to do is take old ship designs and wrap them into the new graphical engine. They managed to f it up too somehow. Absolutely uninspired designs. Motherships in HW2 felt like huge behemoths, this one feels odd. Overall the sense of scale in not there. (That’s with nlips off. Nlips on is 1000 times worse)
I honestly think they spent 90% of the budget and time on cutscenes and fancy UI. 10% spent on dumbing down gamepla and cutting features in the name of no idea what, prbly. That pegi 7 rating doesn’t lie: game is really made for 7yo children.
I don’t care about denuvo, but after playing the game I’m 100% positive that the only reason they added it is because they realized people who usually “test drive” a game before officially buying it, won’t spend the money on this one. And the fomo edition of the game is nothing but a money grab.
How could someone make it worse instead of improving on top of what’s already been achieved with HW1 and HW2, I have no idea.
I just downloaded HW remaster and fired up skirmish in Complex… it’s a much better experience that this pile of… whatever it is. Good job on killing the franchise. Your target audience (whoever they are) will surely enjoy it for a week or two. In a year with so many great games, made by independent developers, being released, this is a huge disappointment.
Don’t forget that refunds are limited to 2 hours of playtime. The amount of absolutely useless cutscenes during the campaign is enough to get you past the refund time. It also spams steam achievements one after another, so be careful (feels a bit scammy, to be honest).
I’d rather spend my money on Falling Frontier, and Era One )both coming this year), check those out, they look like they have soul.

I have 2 cats and 3 dogs with my fiance and we live with his family who has 3 dogs and 1 kitten. This particular cat is named KiKi and she is 13 years old. She's my childhood pet that I had growing up.
She isn't violent with the other animals. She doesn't attack or cause any harm. There are 2 different issues going on and I'm not sure what to do.
The past 2 years, she started peeing on things. She'll be on the dog beds, in the dirty clothes, rugs, curtains, shoes, and she even peed on the TV multiple times to the point we had to replace it. She will pee on anything anywhere. And she sprays. She doesn't just squat and pee like she does in the letterbox. She still does use the litterbox regularly. She doesn't have any issues medically. I have done everything I possibly could to stop this. I scoop the litterbox daily and deep clean it once a week. I wash the things she pees on and spray it down with a cleaner that is meant for cat urine. I have tried all different types of positive reinforcement, she only started this 2 years ago out of the blue and no major changes had happened at that time. I don't know how to fix this. I've tried every recommendation from the vet.
The other issue is she keeps chasing down and attacking the kitten that lives in the house. She doesn't really get along much with other animals, but she has never instigated or attacked until now. The other animals in the house, don't pay her any mind and either avoid her or ignore her. She doesn't actively search any of them out to attack except for the kitten. This kitten avoided anyone and anything at all costs. She is a very skittish kitten and she likes more to be left alone. KiKi will not stop attempting to attack or chase this kitten. She only does it to this one kitten. Not to my other cat or any of the dogs.
I'm at a loss and have no idea what to do. I don't want to euthanize her or give her away because I'm the only person she has known and she's heavily bonded to me and my fiance. Is there anything I can do to change this or fix it? I don't want to lock her in my room, but it's looking like I may have to.