(Sorry this will be long also sorry for the typos it’s really late while I’m typing this)
Long time lurker in this subreddit as I was hoping to get inspired by some of the users stories though the inspiration lasted only a few minutes. What I’m hoping to get out of this post is some guidance or a wake up call as I feel like I’ve hit rock bottom with no upward motion. I know I need to be better than this and I want to be better than this.
I’m a 26 year old African American male , still lives at home with his parents , no real job at the moment (currently applying) and I feel like all my life I have been persevering,inconsistent , and always playing catch up. But this officially feels like my last chance to lock in and stop messing around with my life. I’m currently on academic suspension from my 3rd year of a doctorate of pharmacy program and in the appeal process to get reinstated back into the program I also got my pharmacist intern license suspended until I get reinstated to school again which is kind of hindering me from getting a job in a pharmacy. I’m trying to take the steps to make myself ready to step back into school and get my act together though I DONT KNOW WHERE TO START!!! I have not told my friends or family about it because I feel like I’ve failed myself and them. I take full responsibility for this. however, the factors leading to this situation date back to 2020. My life felt like I was on the right trajectory I had a great physical and mental health relationship with myself, great connections with family and friends,I had investments, I was planning financially for the future ,I had my own business as a strength and conditioning specialist and worked at a physical therapy facility as an assistant I graduated college with a double major in public health and kinesiology with an emphasis in clinical movement i took the mcat didn’t do too well so I applied out of the country for med school was doing well for the first semester though I began having trouble with my significant other and felt as though we were drifting apart and the situation I felt we were all in at the time was a bit much and it took a toll on me academically and in the relationship trying to balance a fun romantic life with a medical program that I was supposed to dedicate 4-8 years of my life to ultimately lead to me getting dismissed from med school due to not passing to classes . Following this news my ex got a job out of state and moved while I was trying to find a new career shift or professional degree to obtain I immediately landed two pharmacy school interviews about a month after applying and got accepted to one of the schools this career choice was never in my cards as I’ve always wanted to have a doctorate degree and work on that level. Few weeks after that me and my ex had separated officially and it took a bigger toll on me than expected and manifested in the worst ways possible for me . Instead of seeking therapy I copped in other ways. It impacted me financially I bought a brand new Mercedes that took most of my money I was impatient with my investments and sold majority of my bitcoin thinking it wouldn’t go up again (L move) my credit score went from 750+ to low 500’s by placing myself into 15k credit card debt paying for alcohol & weed (exponentially more than what I had before), clothes , and random vacations and dates with women from hinge and tinder all on top of student loans for grad school. I developed a sex addiction and added over 100 bodies in a span of 2 years . Had a panic attack that put me in the ER . All while dragging my way through pharmacy school (I’m more than capable of understanding and implementing the material into practice my study habits and focus were always elsewhere). Not to mention I think I have a social media addiction and my procrastination and laziness has led me to feel more anxious and depressed. My physical fitness and diet has suffered thought not entirely that’s pretty much the only positive habit I have since 2020. I just feel like my life is leading to a path of no return and I’ll be homeless one day. I need to turn things around I can’t always think I’ll catch up I have to get ahead and stay ahead. I want to be person that makes myself proud and inspire other young African American men or anyone who’s had odds stacked against them. How do I turn this around?

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Full interview: https://www.youtube.com/live/0hIyE8jSzYg?si=iY6Rzyqe5upSJkBz

1. Seth confirms the PI's exit was due to Tony's involvement.
   
2. Seth said he likes Tony because Tony does whatever he tells him
   
3. Seth says the PI's didn't share all information with him and weren't checking up on leads. Seth says it's his operation, not theirs.
   
4. Tony and Seth say the Proudfoot's aren't working with them, and Tony's job was to get them on board with Seth.
   
5. Seth said the leaked phone call of Chris Proudfoot interfered with getting the Proudfoot's on board. Tony rebukes Chris Proudfoot for calling into Cluemaniti with fake voices. (note: there's still no proof this was actually CP. If anyone can link clear evidence of this please do so)
   
6. Tony claims Chris Proudfoot agreed not to do social media but did it anyway, said "he's not a good guy".
   
7. Tony said he was Seth's agent for the latest Nancy Grace appearance in regards to the polygraph he took.
   
8. Tony said he had an agreement with Nancy Grace's producers that the interview would not paint the Proudfoot's in a bad light. He said when the polygraph administrator said Seth told him he believes Katie accidentally OD'd Sebastian he advised Seth to hang up immediately, which Seth complied with.
   
9. Seth confirmed this account from Tony. Seth said the polygraph administrator ask for his top three theories on what might have happened to Sebastian. Seth said he said the OD theory and an additional two more, but the polygraph administrator only focused on that one.
   
10. Tony said he spoke with Nancy Grace's team afterwards and that's why this part was edited out later on.
    
11. When asked if Seth actually believes the OD theory he evaded the question.
    
12. Seth rebukes people for worrying too much about Chris Proudfoot's ex-wife and other drama.
    
13. Seth talks about his physical search during the first couple of weeks. Goes on to rebuke people "running their mouth". He's venting quite a bit. (IMO he deserves a break here)
    
14. Seth shut down the GoFundMe because of "grief" about it. Said he used the funds for flyers and other things like that. (Fair. I admit to thinking it was more nefarious than what it likely was)
    
15. Seth is being quite genuine during this venting. (I'd hug him, no lie)
    
16. Tony rebukes Pascal's chat.
    
17. Tony talks about how awesome he is, and what a saint he is for helping Seth.
    
18. Seth rebukes soical media vultures. (Even though he's on social media vulture Pascal).
    
19. Tony once again talks about how awesome he is.
    
20. Seth praises Tony for doing whatever he tells him
    
21. Tony rebukes social media vultures, on social media vulture Pascal. Tony says it's okay to make money off of Seth's missing child, and rebukes them, and then says it's okay again. Then rebukes them again.
    
22. Seth says he has no social media and listens to Tony to stay off of YouTube... While he's on YouTube. Seth rebukes someone for commenting on his weight.
    
23. Seth praises his volunteer searchers for putting their health and safety on the line.... Rebukes people that say bad things about him online.
    
24. Seth thanks the parents of the North Carolina boy that was thought to be Sebastian for giving him a few brief days of hope.
    
25. Seth has not seen all the footage the police have. Seth says there is dashcam footage the police have. Evaded all followup questions.
    
26. Tony says he has no idea about dashcam footage
    
27. Tony says neither of them have talked to Seth's mom about her Facebook posts, but they don't blame her. Tony says she is just venting.
    
28. Tony talks about how awesome he is for not blaming Calib's grandmother either. (Another case he worked on)
    
29. Seth apologizes for cutting Tony off, stands up for his mom. Says she's feeling very helpless, and he is too. Rebukes people for sending stuff to his both him and his mom.
    
30. Seth says he obtained Sebastian's CPS file. Says he won't share it, says his attorney told him not to.
    
31. Sumner county has this file. Seth says TBI didn't have it. Seth clarified he has a redacted copy. Says Tony hasn't seen it.
    
32. Tony speaks with authority on it even though Seth said he hadn't seen it.
    
33. Seth rebukes Pascal for prying the issue.
    
34. Something something Church. Seth challenged Pascal to come to the next vigil, Pascal agrees. Let's hold him to that. It's on the 19th!
    
35. Seth says if Sumner Sheriff and TBI won't clear him than they (meaning the Proudfoot's) aren't cleared either. (This is an interesting statement!)
    
36. Pascal than spends the rest of the interview making money from reading superchats priced $5-$50. He made good bank.
    

My thoughts, it's good seeing Seth sober and ready for these interviews. He's definitely trying to be more cordial. Even though I'm crapping on Pascal, and he deserves to be crapped on, he advocated for for a united front from Seth, Chris and Katie. He did however cowtow to the idea that Seth should just get to see all the evidence the police have collected. He's smart enough to understand why that can't happen. Tony definitely has Seth's ear, and he probably helped him out a great deal during the Nancy Grace incident... But I still don't think he's doing it for altruistic reasons. I meant it when I said we should hold Pascal to his commitment to come to the vigil. He made more money in an hour and half than I made in the 8 hours I worked today.
My last thought... An hour and 41 minutes. That's how long that live stream was and the majority of it was Seth and Tony addressing drama that Seth and Tony and basically everyone that wasn't the Proudfoot's created (with the possible exception for Chris calling in to Cluemaniti). At no point did the stream put up a picture of Sebastian. At no point did anyone say or show the number for the tip line. At no point did Seth mention what areas his volunteer searches have covered. At no point did Seth outline areas that still need to be searched. At no point did Seth give insight to Sebastian's personality that could help indentify him. If this was the very first thing I'd had seen about this case I'd know all about Seth and Tony and how they feel about things.. but Sebastian would be pretty much a mystery.

TL:dr- my guy got upset at me for having to haul a sectional down 3 flights of stairs, even though I didn’t KNOW it was on the third floor, and I’m simply upset he was angry at me over something I didn’t know and made something I was so excited to get into an unpleasant experience
To preface I adore furniture. Not only did I use to sell furniture, my mother reupholstered furniture and I wanted to be an interior designer. One of my proudest achievements in my life was decorating my first apt in amazingly nice furniture pieces over 3 years while living in poverty. One of the saddest things was having to sell all the furniture. I pintrest furniture. I scroll Facebook marketplace for furniture as a pass-time and daydream. At one point in my life it was the MOST fun hobby ever to go on day long trips to travel to other states to pick up cool furniture I’d found there. So you could say furniture is a deep love of mine.
What’s troubled me is in the last 4 years we had to downsize ALL my furniture because moving into a VERY small living area. The sale of all the furniture went into our saving. His hobby is house plants- a much easier hobby to fit in a home. So about half our living space is dedicated to his hobby. I’ve been pretty miserable unable to decorate for 4 years, and I’ve been pretty open about this. We’ve also been saving for a house so while I don’t begrudge him spending a 100 or so a month on his hobby; there’s no room to justify me spending say 200 on an antique writing desk we can’t fit here.
About 4 months ago I found my dream bedroom suite. When I saw it was a dream I mean I’ve been looking for this EXACT furniture set every week for almost 8 years. I found it, for $400 for what’s around 8k worth of furniture- it was a 6hr drive and a headache to pick up. Without help to move it I missed out on the set. I was devastated. It was actually really upsetting because it’s something I knew I’d never find again in my price range. He reassured it me wasn’t a big deal and that I’d find it again. I won’t, I know, because I’ve been looking for that set for a decade. I explained to him that this was a passion and a great love of mine, it makes me feel at home in my space and expressed where I live. Relaxed. I explained how important decorating my home was to me and how glum I’ve been not being able to do it for years now. I asked him if next time we found a piece that worked in our budget if he would REALLY make an effort to help me get it because it was really important to me that he support my hobby the way I support his: I’ve learned about every hobby he has and listen in earnest, memorizing all the little things so I can talk to him about it. He likes to collect mugs- I made him a mug display, he likes to garden-I buy him exotic plants, he likes dinosaurs-I take the day off work to drive 2hrs both ways to pick up some rare dino collectibles. He says he will and I’m ecstatic, and begin talking about all the great adventures we’ll have collecting interesting pieces for our home.
One day he says the couch is old and hurts his back, he mentions it for about a month. I’m exstatic! Because it’s the only piece of furniture we have to sit on in our small home. I’m dedicated to finding us a really really nice one second hand, one he’ll like too, one that has back support, one we can cuddle on. I hunt for a week and he vetos several that he doesn’t like but I find a $2000 couch in good condition for 100. I’m so excited it’s actually in our budget, it’ll fit in our small space, it’s perfect! I feel accomplished, I feel motivated, I feel EXCITED to decorate the house. This is the most excited I’ve been to buy anything in YEARS. I’m giddy.
When we get there to pick up the couch we realize the sellers didn’t happen to mention it was on the third floor. It’s a sectional but lightweight. I specifically picked so we could arrange it in our tiny space to have lots of little spots to read. And I can tell instantly this is going to be a problem. He’s going to get upset. I’m so worried he’ll be upset I try to overly positively handle everything- and get injured several times just trying to get it over quick and simple. And arm of the couch slams me in the throat and my hand gets rammed into a wall blood bruising my thumb. He’s uncharacteristicly unconcerned I’m hurt. All the climbing makes us both sick and shaky, so I suggest we sit and wait to fill better in the Ac before driving home.
When we head back I become very aware he’s not talking to me. He’s angry. I already know it. I try to apologize, to make things better, to explain I didn’t know that it was on the third floor and wouldn’t have got it if I had. That it was just a great deal and worked great for what we needed and it was in our budget (it’s almost impossible to find anything in our budget) and that we wouldn’t have been able to get anything near as nice so cheaply, that I’m sorry I know it was more than what he signed up to help me with and if I had known I would have paid family to help move it or thought of something else. I know his annoyance is justified. he explains it to me and to his merit he does it calmly, but he’s still upset at me- not just for the stairs, but for the drive, and for getting a sectional to begin with when “all we needed” was a cheap small love seat, he doesn’t GET IT and he’s pissed
He tried to be nice about it but he’s miserable and mad at me and doesn’t at all get why I was excited over it. By the end I feel a bit choked up, and teary eyed. I’m not a crier but I suppose he must have seen me tearing up because he clarifies he wants to support my hobby but doesn’t get it.
Yes things went arry but I thought it was almost a funny mishap, it wasn’t too bad getting the piece, we saved thousands of dollars, it’s the only NICE piece in our house and I was so excited to impress him with it. That he was angry, that he wasn’t even worried I was hurt- just ripped through me. Getting that piece of furniture, the first piece of furniture we bought together for our first home together meant a lot to me. To try to show him I wanted us to have something nice together I moved our old ripped up couch out by myself, scrubbed cleaned and arranged the new furniture by myself and moved every piece of it I could by myself. I also cleaned and arrange the living so that he could comfortably sit and enjoy the new seating in a well organized clean space. I stayed up for hours doing it alone till my body ached. But he’s still upset with me and I’ve lost all the “happiness” I had to decorate with him, I just feel embarrassed and sad. I don’t think I’ll be able to ask him to go with me again to get a piece, I don’t think he’d want to. It all just got so bungled. I just feel…. Like it was a missed opportunity to laugh and make a good memory, now it’s a bad memory I think will stick around.
I had hoped we’d travel together getting new pieces and making new memories. Now I just know we never will.

I had no idea that another me was a molecular physicist chemical engineer professor until some of their students got in trouble, I think along with them, for drawing nuclear bombs that I suppose they intended to use on the school. After the police searched my place twice for terroristic threats I never made I got banned from almost every internet platform for no reason that I could tell other than being sexual. The other day my Snapchat got a warning and timeout for posting nudes. I've probably been banned from reddit over a hundred times, never broke any rules but whenever I post nudes or talk about sex it happens. Banned from almost every dating app, 4chan, FetLife, and pretty much everything besides onlyfans which I can't advertise for because I have no platforms to do it on. I'm not counting Instagram, Facebook, Tumblr, twitter because none of those sites are sexual for me, besides Twitter, and I never learned to advertise my onlyfans from there. They almost integrated with me (meaning our personalities and memories almost became one) so now I think unfortunately for them, I know a lot about them. And I don't like them, if we integrated their personalities would be lost and overcome by my own and I'm pretty sure they don't want to essentially die. But that's really too bad because I would have never in a million years chosen the profession that they have and basically to be blunt, I'm after their money. It should compensate the lost funds I could have been making, but I didn't know I wasn't allowed to be sexual because the other me worked as a professor. I don't care how much the school needs me or any of the students need me, because I literally, read my fucking lips, have no clue who they are. But the other mes have been sharing bits of information, stuff that they know about, and frankly I don't care at all. Even a little. I have no feelings for the same people they do, in fact, I hate them actually. Especially one that they like too. I think he's ugly and exceededingly annoying. How do I sue myself for my own money so I can quit the job I never would have wanted?

I live in Eswatini 3rd world country in southern Africa. Which means poor quality Internet but we work with what we have. I've been interested in Internet businesses for years now and I have been exploring through YouTube and podcast.
For some reason I just have this edge to learn. Growing up I was never introduced to the Internet I started learning about computers in school. But at home we used to watch American movies and I think that's what planted the seed to what am interested in now.
I used to download YouTube videos through Vidmate to learn about entrepreneurship and productivity and I found a YouTuber Ali Abdaal. I used to download his videos to what I can and he introduced me to My First Million where my view changed.
I started listening to the podcast and I quickly learned that you can make a lot of money on the Internet doing things you are interested in.
So I started a newsletter from listening to the co hosts talk about how they sold their newsletters for a lot of money. Since I was first introduced to YouTube as source of valuable information, I started a YouTube newsletter where I share what channels and episodes to check out as an entrepreneur every week.
I've been writing as a way of practising to learn more about the newsletter space and if it be a valuable business in my part of the world.
I listen to the daily Stoic when they interviewed Sam Paar and he was said if it's good you should monetise. I use Substack to write my newsletter and they only allow Stripe payment only. Stripe is not available in my world and most of my audience is in the West.
So I've been thinking sponsorships but I just don't know where to start.
Am interested in this Internet thing, I think I have the potential to do amazing things with the right opportunity. If you have any advice on how I can tackle this please share.
The newsletter - https://anele.substack.com/

For context, I’m a 25yo female, that comes from a mixed background (my mother 56F is a white woman from southern Europe, my father is from the Balkans and migrated to my country when he was younger). This is relevant and you will understand later.
I moved away from home as soon as I could when I was 18 after a not so good childhood, and currently live in another European country. My parents are divorced, my father is not really in the picture, I keep in touch with my mother on a daily basis and come visit her and the rest of the family once or twice a year. We never had the best relationship but since I moved out it improved a lot. I’d say we get along better when I’m far away from home.
Anyway, back to the reason of this post. I’ve been seeing this guy for more than a year, he’s great, we’re slowly getting to know each other and see where this is going. We are not in a rush but of course this is a relationship and I felt it was time to tell something more to my mother. I’ve always been quite open about my relationships and people I was dating, however since getting older I started being more private as I don’t think it would be good to mention every failed date to my mother (lol). We come from a typical small town in southern Europe, where people are bigots and close-minded. The news on the tv are constantly complaining about immigrants coming to our country and jadajadajada. The government is mostly right wing. So yeah, I didn’t really mentioned much about this guy, first of all cause I’m trying to keep it private but also because I could imagine her reaction, since she’s the standard average middle age woman that you find on Facebook without much culture. She is ignorant not as an insult but as in the real sense of the word: she ignores, she doesn’t inform herself and just believes whatever the media tells her.
Anyway, she suspected I was seeing someone for a while, I never really said much but I’ve been giving her a few hints in the past weeks and now that I came back to my hometown for a week she started being very curious. The day after I arrived we were casually talking before bed and she just kept asking “C’mon, don’t you have a pic of this guy? Show me! C’mon c’mon! I’m your mother!” so, one side of me didn’t wanna show her, the other one was excited cause at the end of the day I’m proud of my relationship and I was happy to tell her more (maybe naively hoping for a good outcome…). So without thinking much I showed her one of the best pictures of him. Literally in the millisecond while I was showing her the picture she said something like: “hope it’s not a n****” (WHATTT???).
At that point the phone was already on her face. It was done. She said it, and at the same time she saw the picture. She was speechless and I was too. I was ashamed of her. And sad.
She didn’t say anything more for the following 10 minutes, she went to her room and I went to mine. Afterwards she just asked “does he even work?!” And I told her “don’t worry about it, he’s better off than the both of us” just to make her shut up about that question that I found so disrespectful. This made me just so sad, and disappointed.
But the worst had yet to come. We didn’t speak much about it at all until today.
We were having a casual conversation during the afternoon when the relationship topic came out. In particular, we were talking about how your partner should improve your life and not making it worse, meaning he should make you happy, he should bring good positive vibes, get along etc. that’s what I was thinking and referring to. But she started being very materialistic, she asked me “so, in which way is he improving your life?!” in a very aggressive sassy tone “I don’t see anything changing“ she said. I was mentioning that he makes me happy when the conversation degenerated. All sort of things came out of it.
She started by saying:
“well, I truly hopes this will be just a friend and you will keep it like that”
then she continued with:
“please take birth control precautions before you regret it”
“don’t come to me later saying I didn’t stop you”
and the cherry on top was:
“I would have preferred if you told me you were a lesbian cause at least that is cool nowadays”.
I was speechless and I still am.
I asked her what is it that she doesn’t like and what is she basing her opinions on, since she literally knows nothing about him. She couldn’t answer. She kept repeating the same things over and over and she also said she would never want to meet him.
I have to mention that the few guys she met that I was dating were of different cultures, but she never had a problem with them, I guess because the skin color was the same… and in her mind there are probably foreigners of Class A, B, C…
I knew it wouldn’t be easy, but I neither expected such a bad reaction.
All this hurts me so much.
I don’t know what to do.
In my mind it neither makes sense cause she married an immigrant but it seems like she never really came to terms with it, she never really accepted it. For instance, I know nothing about my father’s culture, I never learned the language or interesting facts about it because nobody ever thought me anything about it. I only learned about my mother’s culture, the one of the country I lived in. And I always felt out of place because this country is extremely racist. The fact that my father was not a good husband or father has nothing to do with where he comes from. If a person is an idiot, is an idiot no matter what. And I told her this when we were talking. The fact that she had a bad experience doesn’t mean that I will, just because I’m seeing someone from a different culture. I also explained to her that I am myself an immigrant, since I’m living in another country. But it doesn’t seem to click in her head. And when I told her, to her face, that she is indeed racist, she obviously denied it, because how can she be racist if she married an immigrant herself?
And of course during today’s conversation there was some victim behavior on her side, because every time I come back here it’s certain that we are gonna fight and every time it happens I say stuff like “let’s see when and if I will come back again!”. So she was bringing that up cause the other day I said “the first racist comment I hear I’m gone”. She mentioned that, saying I don’t care about her, that she has to beg for me to call her (mind you, we write good morning, good night, text here and there during the day and we talk on the phone 3/4 times a week…). She even said that “she lost me already the moment I left”. Honestly, I don’t know what else more than this she expects from me if what I do is not enough already.
I don’t really know how to handle this. And I’m also just venting and need some support. I wished we could all act as adults, respect each other, have a normal relationship. Am I asking for too much?!
Any advice is highly appreciated.
I’ll be stuck in her house for the next two days and finally I’ll leave on Thursday. I want her to think about her actions and realize where she did wrong before I leave. I don’t wanna put this under the carpet cause it’s unacceptable.
TL;DR: my 25F mother 56F doesn’t approve of my boyfriend 28M just because of the color of his skin. Her opinion is based solely on a photo I showed her and at the same time she plays the victim and claims she lost me the moment I moved abroad and I don’t care about her even if we talk everyday. I wished there was a way to behave like adults. Advices on setting boundaries?

For context, I’m a 25yo female, that comes from a mixed background (my mother 56F is a white woman from southern Europe, my father is from the Balkans and migrated to my country when he was younger). This is relevant and you will understand later.
I moved away from home as soon as I could when I was 18 after a not so good childhood, and currently live in another European country. My parents are divorced, my father is not really in the picture, I keep in touch with my mother on a daily basis and come visit her and the rest of the family once or twice a year. We never had the best relationship but since I moved out it improved a lot. I’d say we get along better when I’m far away from home.
Anyway, back to the reason of this post. I’ve been seeing this guy for more than a year, he’s great, we’re slowly getting to know each other and see where this is going. We are not in a rush but of course this is a relationship and I felt it was time to tell something more to my mother. I’ve always been quite open about my relationships and people I was dating, however since getting older I started being more private as I don’t think it would be good to mention every failed date to my mother (lol). We come from a typical small town in southern Europe, where people are bigots and close-minded. The news on the tv are constantly complaining about immigrants coming to our country and jadajadajada. The government is mostly right wing. So yeah, I didn’t really mentioned much about this guy, first of all cause I’m trying to keep it private but also because I could imagine her reaction, since she’s the standard average middle age woman that you find on Facebook without much culture. She is ignorant not as an insult but as in the real sense of the word: she ignores, she doesn’t inform herself and just believes whatever the media tells her.
Anyway, she suspected I was seeing someone for a while, I never really said much but I’ve been giving her a few hints in the past weeks and now that I came back to my hometown for a week she started being very curious. The day after I arrived we were casually talking before bed and she just kept asking “C’mon, don’t you have a pic of this guy? Show me! C’mon c’mon! I’m your mother!” so, one side of me didn’t wanna show her, the other one was excited cause at the end of the day I’m proud of my relationship and I was happy to tell her more (maybe naively hoping for a good outcome…). So without thinking much I showed her one of the best pictures of him. Literally in the millisecond while I was showing her the picture she said something like: “hope it’s not a n****” (WHATTT???).
At that point the phone was already on her face. It was done. She said it, and at the same time she saw the picture. She was speechless and I was too. I was ashamed of her. And sad.
She didn’t say anything more for the following 10 minutes, she went to her room and I went to mine. Afterwards she just asked “does he even work?!” And I told her “don’t worry about it, he’s better off than the both of us” just to make her shut up about that question that I found so disrespectful. This made me just so sad, and disappointed.
But the worst had yet to come. We didn’t speak much about it at all until today.
We were having a casual conversation during the afternoon when the relationship topic came out. In particular, we were talking about how your partner should improve your life and not making it worse, meaning he should make you happy, he should bring good positive vibes, get along etc. that’s what I was thinking and referring to. But she started being very materialistic, she asked me “so, in which way is he improving your life?!” in a very aggressive sassy tone “I don’t see anything changing“ she said. I was mentioning that he makes me happy when the conversation degenerated. All sort of things came out of it.
She started by saying:
“well, I truly hopes this will be just a friend and you will keep it like that”
She then continued with:
“please take birth control precautions before you regret it”
“don’t come to me later saying I didn’t stop you”
and the cherry on top was:
“I would have preferred if you told me you were a lesbian cause at least that is cool nowadays”.
I was speechless and I still am.
I asked her what is it that she doesn’t like and what is she basing her opinions on, since she literally knows nothing about him. She couldn’t answer. She kept repeating the same things over and over and she also said she would never want to meet him.
I have to mention that the few guys she met that I was dating were of different cultures, but she never had a problem with them, I guess because the skin color was the same… and in her mind there are probably foreigners of Class A, B, C…
I knew it wouldn’t be easy, but I neither expected such a bad reaction.
All this hurts me so much.
I don’t know what to do.
In my mind it neither makes sense cause she married an immigrant but it seems like she never really came to terms with it, she never really accepted it. For instance, I know nothing about my father’s culture, I never learned the language or interesting facts about it because nobody ever thought me anything about it. I only learned about my mother’s culture, the one of the country I lived in. And I always felt out of place because this country is extremely racist. The fact that my father was not a good husband or father has nothing to do with where he comes from. If a person is an idiot, is an idiot no matter what. And I told her this when we were talking. The fact that she had a bad experience doesn’t mean that I will, just because I’m seeing someone from a different culture. I also explained to her that I am myself an immigrant, since I’m living in another country. But it doesn’t seem to click in her head. And when I told her, to her face, that she is indeed racist, she obviously denied it, because how can she be racist if she married an immigrant herself?
And of course during today’s conversation there was some victim behavior on her side, because every time I come back here it’s certain that we are gonna fight and every time it happens I say stuff like “let’s see when and if I will come back again!”. So she was bringing that up cause the other day I said “the first racist comment I hear I’m gone”. She mentioned that, saying I don’t care about her, that she has to beg for me to call her (mind you, we write good morning, good night, text here and there during the day and we talk on the phone 3/4 times a week…). She even said that “she lost me already the moment I left”. Honestly, I don’t know what else more than this she expects from me if what I do is not enough already.
So I don’t really know how to handle this. Any advice is appreciated.
TL;DR: my 25F mother 56F doesn’t approve of my boyfriend 28M just because of the color of his skin. Her opinion is based solely on a photo I showed her and claims she lost me.

Gday team. I have a note I add to when I learn things about SM. I got sick of seeing the same questions so I every time I answered I added to the note and just pasted a generic reply. I’ve been invited to post it here, so here you are!
Here’s my ever-growing, non-specific copy-paste reply, built from my own notes:

• Remember, followers are only for your ego. If you’re a business, Would you rather have a million followers who never buy anything or 1000 followers who purchase everything? (Read Kevin Kelly’s 1000 true fans article). However, if you’re trying to build an account for a brand or human deals, you need as many as possible. I.e. athletes wanting future deals/contracts, actresses wanting future roles, etc
  
• Dollars are the only score that matters in business. You can sell 1 million $1 items or 1x $1m item, it’s still a million dollars
  
• How do you get your first ten followers/sales? ASK. Start with your friends/family/personal socials. “Hey, I've started this thing; I'd love for you to follow”. Then contact everyone you've ever known (see cold outreach later, but this is warm haha). THEN ask them all for referrals: “who do you know that could use my help?”
  
• Re: cold contacting. Have a framework, but don't automate. Solve their problems. Say something personal (” [mutual person] told me to reach out to you” / “I really like your x” /”congratulations on y”). I noticed that [problem]. Fix their problem. Wish them a nice day. Have an offer in your email signature.
  
• Your profile description should be a hook/tagline / USP and link to your offer. Remember you’re building your house on rented land if you use socials as your client base. Algorithm changes, and they’re gone. Try sending them off socials to your email list, learn storytelling in email marketing (Russell Brunson has good advice), and you will own that contact for life.
  
• Choose a monetisable niche, find the most successful person in that niche, and put your spin on what they’re doing (ask AI)
  
• Make GOOD content that is visually appealing, entertaining, and has hooks (you have 3 seconds to get attention), but most importantly, ADDS VALUE to your target market (ask AI for suggestions - you can even ask AI to create a customer avatar for you and then ask it how to make good, relevant IG posts for that avatar)
  
• Keep your ears and eyes out for trends. Can you throw a trending song over a clip?
  
• Leverage pop culture. Search for what’s trending daily. Can you combine a movie or album release with your product? For example, if you’re in the auto niche, create an image of a car covered in green slime coinciding with the new Ghostbusters movie
  
• Document your process. Humans evolved on stories & we love to feel part of something and/or have front-row tickets to the show. For example, If you post art, film yourself making the art, not just the final product; talk about your decisions along the way. Also, it is easy content for you, and you’re just filming something you’re already doing
  
• Share as many success stories/testimonials as possible, preferably videos. Tag them. Make it easy for users to share themselves.
  
• In a similar vein, and with permission, share your audience questions in your stories (and tag them)
  
• Remember the rule of 100 (you need to do something 100x before you get “good” at it). Have you posted 100x and made changes as you’ve observed what worked and what didn’t?
  
• Every 5th or so post, add a Call To Action
  
• Always have something to invite people to, such as an event (e.g. Facebook live, face-to-face), a giveaway, a new product, etc. Ensure all your social media banners, popups, CTAs & email sig reflect this (read Book Yourself Solid by Michael Port)
  
• Use the right hashtags (be discoverable)
  
• Post at the correct times for your target market (I like 6-630am so when they wake up and scroll, it’s on their feed, their lunch break and a story at 8 pm in the relevant timezone). Steven Bartlett credits the daily 8pm personal thought post the most important part of his success.
  
• Follow the top 100 people in your niche with between 10k & 100k followers. Engage with them daily. Share their posts. Comment on Their work. As always, be sincere and say something meaningful
  
• Comment relevant things on important people pages (Gary Vees $1.80 strategy)
  
• Spend $10 a day on ads of targeted content to targeted people (don’t “but I want to grow organically” - Do you want to be seen or not?). Start ad sets at midnight.
  
• Russell Brunson recommends ads are only for offers; posts that aren't offers aren’t to be paid for ads—two separate things. Ads get your customers into the funnel and upsell makes you a profit. Say you sell a $10 ebook and a $300 course. Spend $10 per click for the ebook, so it’s a break-even cost, and everyone who buys the upsell is pure profit. Ad budget for testing is the price/profit of ONE upsell, so $300 in this example. Then, reassess, test and adjust. If it’s working, keep it going, but also test variations regardless. Brendan Kane suggests 50-100 variations from memory. Again, get AI to help. Start with your headline. Ask for ten variations. Then your pic. Get ten variations. Then your hook. Get ten variations etc.
  
• Pay relevant influencers to share your stuff
  
• Read all of Gary Vees and Brendan Kane’s books
  
• Do these things 30-50x a day (Gary Vees' advice for new accounts, search for his eight tips 2024 YT vid) across all your platforms for months, maybe years, and you’ll grow. Perhaps someone famous will share your stuff, and you’ll go viral. But remember, each platform has its nuances, so you need to rework content for it (again, use AI - create one piece and ask AI to brainstorm how to recreate for each platform - you can start with the longest form, say a YouTube vid or blog post and ask it how to make tweets or IG posts from it) however you can still “push”. For example, you can post native Facebook content, but you can also put your YouTube vids and IG posts there
  
• Make at least three posts a day for a month, that's 90 posts, and report back what you learned, what worked and didn’t for everyone else’s benefit. *I've had some pushback on this: A) I don’t make the rules; this seems to be current best practice; B) 1st post = a BTS post of you developing the post, 2nd post = the post, 3rd post = a story summing up your day. OR make all your content in one day and schedule it to post throughout the week. If you don’t have money, you have time; if you have money, outsource it.
  
• Good luck!
  

Birthright Israel is real fuckin weird groomer cult behavior. According to Max Blumenthal they try to get colllege kids to fuck the military.
An old gf showed me a YT video of her group doing military exercises and demolishing walls with a hammer. Then they took the kids to a balls to the wall Tel Aviv rave with rampant ecstasy use. It technically wasn't Birthright sanctioned behavior but raves gonna rave. Immediately after the rave, they took the kids all mollied up to a bonfire where they spoke lovingly of Israel as their new home and then said prayers for the hypothetical Jews that never ever got to exist because of Hitler's extermination of so many Jews. Say all the prayers about em you want. You have a point but don't do it right after the rave. Don't have a rave.
My gf was a recovering methamphetamine addict. MDMA is chemically similar to methamphetamine. We had known eachother for years but just started getting together in the months before birthright. We were both bipolar and she was definitely the closest to a manic pixie dream girl I've ever been with and at 9mos is my longest relationship was with her.
I didn't question her on any sleeping around on birthright. We weren't that serious. We got serious after she returned with 4 Israeli flags and blue and white Christmas style lights. She still described herself as an anarchist communist but attempted to square that with zionism.
So we were bipolars and both had substance abuse issues. I was on probation for a DWI and had a most of a 12 pack a night pbr habit. However she was already a drinker. I ended up drinking less as the burgeoning relationship brightened my mood. We indulged in our Rxs sometimes. She was on so much meth and research chemical speed that she required both a Vyvanse and Dexedrine ER script. I had an IR Adderall script and clonazepam. All these are controlled substances but we controlled our use. I was finishing up a bachelors degree and she was in school to be an EMT for the exact purpose of saving drug addicts. That is natural empath. We were in the south in an area pumped with drugs. We were doing good..
After birthright and her MDMA and other RC use under the supervision of the IDF we started to slide. We were using more Rx speed then before. Getting 40s and Manischevitz. We argued Israel a lot. Because her views had changed on israel a bunch it was natural like she wanted to convince herself Israel were the good guys. We loved to argue for fun. We slid even more into drugs but I figured as she was okay as long as no meth. She started scheming to get codeine and hydrocodone cough syrups and getting more into weed and these legal highs called sleepwalkers and kratom. My grades slipped hers didn't
There are casualties to this program. It's crazy sketchy. A lot of Americans fight in the IDF and they die. There's probably other relapses and mental health conditions caused by this program. All her borderline, bipolar and substances seemed to start with birthright. I ended up getting blackout drunk and thrown out of a baseball games and fighting 2 of my friends.
T is brilliant and they still got to her. I had been doing standup comedy 3yrs and made a bit of a name for myself but T was better than me in 3wks.
One thing I'm proud of is an oped expose on the birthright program. It detailed how all of Israel is safer than NYC and London yet they randomly blare their sirens to keep the public in perpetual fear. I also detailed the young men that died fighting to keep an unjust situation intact. Birthright is just a microcosm of the sick society that Israel is.
If she or we seen like imperfect characters in this story. Please remember that Birthright kids are probably all running from something. They intentionally send out a call to Europe and the US for the lost kids, impressionable and malleable. They indoctrinate the ones who stay and make them fight their wars. There was this group Syria and Iraq that did the same thing. It's a tough uphill slog unless you've got the backing of the US and EU.

Please let me know what you guys think of this poem. It’s exactly how I feel about a new love but I don’t know if i should share it with them.
A thousand bolts adorn the door A door that I never asked for One that was built brick by brick Over time that has burned off a crumbling wick
So much time spent in front of this door I’ve grown quite familiar with what lies before A garden of sorts, filled with shrubs and ivy All the invasive things that make this life feel a little more lively
I feel like I was born without a key And a piece of my soul exists outside of me So I search and I search for that one wildflower The thing that could make centuries feel like days and decades like hours
Then you appeared, not just as a fleeting trace But as the sun redefining the entire space You inverted shadows and light, turned ounces into pounds The first one to open my mind to looking at my garden upside down
I can now see the flowers underneath it all You helped me dig just deep enough to uncover a remedy in my fall I’ve gone from “What good is a garden that’s all dug up?” To wanting to sit on my knees for hours; each plant I will pluck
Because with you it isn’t scary; you make me feel a calmness I’ve never felt before The silence that we share would bring the heavens to the floor You are the missing piece to a puzzle that is already complete You add something otherworldly—your protective fleet
I said it to my mom and I’ll say it again - I can’t believe you’re real The symphonies you breathe into me are ones I thought only Romeo and Juliets could feel It’s the kind of love that feels like a musical note perfectly in time To make you feel seen, I would make every aspect of you rhyme
I can say I’ve never been a builder and it would be true My hands more comfortable constructing barriers than building anew But I would build homes to give you space Teach my table to have a seat, to reserve for you a place
I’ve found so many wildflowers already in the places our love has grown I know our table will one day be covered in gardens that we’ve sown I feel the most beautiful peace when I lay my head on you to rest I wonder if God's trying to speak to me through the music I hear in your chest

**Index:**

1. Introduction
   
2. The Unique Ecosystem of Sundarban
   
3. Adventure Activities in Sundarban
   

- Boat Safaris
- Bird Watching
- Jungle Walks

1. Conservation Efforts in Sundarban

- Protection of the Royal Bengal Tiger
- Mangrove Restoration Projects
- Community Involvement in Conservation

1. Balancing Adventure Tourism and Conservation
   
2. Case Studies and Success Stories
   
3. Comparison Table: Adventure Activities vs. Conservation Efforts
   
4. Conclusion
   

**1. Introduction**
Sundarban, the largest mangrove forest in the world, is a unique destination where adventure tourism and conservation efforts intersect. Known for its rich biodiversity, including the elusive Royal Bengal Tiger, Sundarban offers thrilling experiences while emphasizing the importance of preserving its delicate ecosystem. This blog explores the adventure activities available in Sundarban, the significant conservation efforts in place, and how these two aspects coexist to protect and promote this incredible region.
**2. The Unique Ecosystem of Sundarban**
The Sundarban forest spans over 10,000 square kilometers across India and Bangladesh, characterized by an intricate network of tidal waterways, mudflats, and small islands covered with mangrove forests. This diverse ecosystem supports a wide range of flora and fauna, making it a critical area for biodiversity. The region is home to over 400 species of wildlife, including the Royal Bengal Tiger, saltwater crocodile, spotted deer, and various bird species.
**3. Adventure Activities in Sundarban**
*Boat Safaris*
Boat safaris are one of the most popular ways to explore Sundarban. Navigating through the narrow creeks and rivers, visitors can witness the stunning landscape and catch glimpses of wildlife in their natural habitat. The thrill of potentially spotting a tiger swimming across a river or watching a crocodile basking in the sun makes boat safaris an unforgettable adventure.
*Bird Watching*
Sundarban is a bird watcher's paradise, with over 300 species of birds recorded in the region. The mangrove forests and wetlands provide ideal habitats for both resident and migratory birds. Commonly spotted species include the lesser adjutant stork, mangrove pitta, and various kingfishers. Bird watching tours often take visitors to specific spots known for high bird activity, providing ample opportunities for photography and observation.
*Jungle Walks*
Guided jungle walks offer an immersive experience into the heart of Sundarban. Walking through dense mangrove forests, visitors can learn about the unique flora and fauna, the importance of mangroves to the ecosystem, and the challenges faced by the region. These walks are usually conducted with the help of local guides who share their knowledge and insights, making the experience educational as well as adventurous.
**4. Conservation Efforts in Sundarban**
*Protection of the Royal Bengal Tiger*
One of the most significant conservation efforts in Sundarban is the protection of the Royal Bengal Tiger. This apex predator is crucial to the ecological balance of the region. Various measures, including anti-poaching patrols, habitat restoration, and monitoring through camera traps, are in place to safeguard the tiger population. The Sundarban Tiger Reserve, established in 1973, plays a pivotal role in these efforts.
*Mangrove Restoration Projects*
Mangroves are vital to the health of the Sundarban ecosystem, providing coastal protection, supporting fisheries, and acting as carbon sinks. Restoration projects focus on planting mangrove saplings, rehabilitating degraded areas, and educating local communities about the importance of mangroves. Organizations like the Sundarban Biosphere Reserve and WWF are actively involved in these initiatives.
*Community Involvement in Conservation*
Involving local communities in conservation efforts is essential for the long-term sustainability of Sundarban. Initiatives such as eco-tourism, sustainable fishing practices, and alternative livelihoods help reduce pressure on natural resources while providing economic benefits to the local population. Programs that train and employ locals as guides and rangers also foster a sense of ownership and responsibility towards conservation.
**5. Balancing Adventure Tourism and Conservation**
Balancing adventure tourism with conservation is crucial to ensuring that the natural beauty and biodiversity of Sundarban are preserved for future generations. Sustainable tourism practices, such as limiting the number of visitors, regulating boat traffic, and enforcing strict guidelines for wildlife encounters, help minimize the impact on the ecosystem. Educating tourists about the importance of conservation and encouraging responsible behavior is also essential.
**6. Case Studies and Success Stories**
Several success stories highlight the positive impact of conservation efforts in Sundarban. For example, the increase in the tiger population over the past decade is a testament to effective anti-poaching measures and habitat management. Similarly, mangrove restoration projects have successfully rehabilitated large areas of degraded land, providing critical habitat for wildlife and improving coastal resilience.
**7. Comparison Table: Adventure Activities vs. Conservation Efforts**
AspectAdventure ActivitiesConservation Efforts Primary FocusExploration and thrillPreservation and protection ExamplesBoat safaris, bird watching, jungle walksTiger protection, mangrove restoration Economic ImpactTourism revenueSustainable livelihoods for local communities Environmental ImpactPotential disturbance to wildlifeHabitat restoration and species protection Role of Local CommunitiesGuides and service providersActive participants in conservation projects Educational ValueLearning about wildlife and ecosystemsRaising awareness about conservation challenges
**8. Conclusion**
Sundarban is a remarkable destination where adventure meets conservation. The thrill of exploring its vast mangrove forests and encountering its diverse wildlife is complemented by the knowledge that significant efforts are being made to protect and preserve this unique ecosystem. By balancing adventure tourism with conservation, Sundarban serves as a model for sustainable eco-tourism, ensuring that its natural wonders remain intact for future generations to experience and appreciate. Whether you're an adventure enthusiast or a conservation advocate, Sundarban offers a rich and fulfilling experience that highlights the importance of preserving our natural heritage.

I just started reading through my subscription copy of "Severed at the Root", book 2 of the Wardens of Wildwood Adventure Path and was struck at how along with the normal new magic items & important NPC writeups, there is a whole section in the back that describes a *bunch* of new character options for Wardens of Wildwood PCs, and in fact any Primal/Forest/Wooden Element type character.
Other Adventure Paths have given us new Archetypes or spells, but I think this is the first one that has given us whole new Character Class options!
We get:

• 10 New Ancestry Feats that can be taken by "Plant based Ancestries" like Leshy, conrasus, ardandes, etc. A few have traits that restrict them to just one of the above, but most can be taken by any "woody" PC.
• 2 new Barbarian Instincts, one focused around verdant growth and the other centered on decay, rot, and fungus. Both give anathema, Instinct Abilities, Specialization Abilities, and Raging Resistance powers but omit Instinct specific Feats. Their Rage damage mimics Giant Instinct, so you could easily just declare them variants of that Instinct & give them access to the Giant and Titan's stature feats, which you could make sense of by saying they grow into giant plant forms. Or not, & just let them take some of the other lvl 6 and 12 feats.
• 2 new Druid Orders, one about tending nature and the other about Fungi. Both are listed as Leaf Order variants and qualify for anything that has Leaf Order as a prereq, but the Fungus one has a new Order spell and they each have a lvl 6 Feat that gives a unique Focus Spell.
• A Kineticist Impulse with 2 Feats that draw on the Elemental Plane of Wood
• 8 new Deviant Feats to add to the ones from Dark Archive (and to give Gatewalker PCs wider options!), again focused on either verdant growth or decay

The Ancestry Feats, Druid Stuff, and Kineticist stuff are marked as Uncommon, and the Deviant Feats are rare (as are the other Deviant Feats we already have). The Barbarian stuff seems to be common, but that may be an oversight.
We also get a full writeup on the Green Men religions, allowing your Cleric to worship one of the Elemental Green Men with 4 full and 4 partial examples given. They are all basically demigods that embody an aspect of plant life. One represents the giant trees like Redwoods, one embodies seaweed and sargasso, another oversees erosion that creates new soil, etc.
This is a long way from what a book like Rage of the Elements or Dark Archives does, but as a little 7 page section at the back of an Adventure Path I don't think Paizo has done this before!
There is discussion about how these can be unlocked via all the primal magic being thrown around in this AP, but also mention that anyone with access to the Plane of Wood can be empowered by them. I'd have to digest these a bit more to really decide if I'd want to unlock them during play or allow PCs created for this AP to have access from the beginning.

In the expanding world of e-commerce, niche markets such as wine have seen a remarkable surge in popularity and profitability. Among these specialized platforms, Vivino has emerged as a frontrunner, revolutionizing how wine enthusiasts explore, buy, and enjoy wine. For entrepreneurs aspiring to tap into this lucrative market, creating a wine marketplace akin to Vivino offers a promising avenue. This comprehensive guide will walk you through the steps to build a wine marketplace, emphasizing the essential features, technology, marketing strategies, and legal considerations to ensure your platform stands out and succeeds.

Understanding the Wine Marketplace Landscape

Before diving into the technicalities of building a wine marketplace, it’s crucial to understand the dynamics of the wine industry and the role of digital platforms. The global wine market is fueled by a growing interest in wine culture, facilitated by access to a wider variety of wine online. A successful platform like Vivino doesn’t just sell wine; it creates a community of wine lovers and provides educational content, making wine selection personalized and accessible.

Initial Considerations for Starting Your Wine Marketplace

Identify Your Niche
The first step in creating a wine marketplace is identifying your niche. Are you targeting casual drinkers or connoisseurs? Will you focus on local wines, eco-friendly wines, or rare vintages? Pinpointing your audience will guide your marketing efforts and product selections, creating a tailored experience that appeals directly to your user base.
Conduct Market Research
Thorough market research is indispensable. Understand your competitors, potential customers, and the latest trends in the wine industry. This research will help you craft unique value propositions that differentiate your marketplace from others like Vivino.
Define Your Business Model
Will you operate on a direct-to-consumer model, or will you facilitate transactions between sellers and buyers? Your business model affects everything from your technological needs to your marketing strategies. Additionally, consider how you will generate revenue — through subscriptions, a commission on sales, or premium listings for sellers.

Building the Platform

Choosing the Right Technology
Selecting the right platform and technology stack is critical for building an efficient and scalable marketplace. For a wine marketplace, you need a robust e-commerce platform that supports complex inventories and age restrictions. Technologies like React or Angular for the frontend, and Node.js or Ruby on Rails for the backend, are popular choices. Cloud services like AWS or Azure can provide scalable infrastructure.
Essential Features of a Wine Marketplace
Your platform should include the following key features:

• User Profiles: Both buyers and sellers should be able to create detailed profiles to facilitate trust and community.
• Product Listings: Detailed listings with high-quality images, descriptions, wine origins, vintage information, and pricing.
• Search and Filters: Powerful search functionality with filters for type, region, price, ratings, and more.
• Recommendation Engine: Like Vivino, employ machine learning algorithms to recommend wines based on user preferences and past purchases.
• Mobile Compatibility: Ensure that your marketplace is mobile-friendly or consider developing a dedicated mobile app, as mobile commerce is rapidly growing.

Secure Payment Gateways
Security is paramount in e-commerce. Integrate reliable and secure payment gateways to protect financial transactions and personal data. Options like Stripe, PayPal, or Square are widely trusted.

Legal and Regulatory Compliance

Navigating the legal landscape is essential. The sale of alcohol involves stringent regulations that vary by region. Consult with legal experts to obtain the necessary licenses and ensure compliance with local laws and international shipping regulations.

Marketing Your Wine Marketplace

SEO and Content Marketing
Optimize your platform for search engines to attract organic traffic. Regularly publish high-quality content related to wine, such as buying guides, reviews, and educational articles, which can help establish your platform as an authority in the wine industry.
Social Media and Community Building
Utilize social media to engage with your audience and build a community. Platforms like Instagram and Facebook are ideal for showcasing new arrivals, sharing customer testimonials, and running promotional campaigns.
Email Marketing
Develop a strategic email marketing campaign to keep your users engaged. Send updates about new features, special promotions, and personalized wine recommendations based on user preferences.

Measuring Success and Scaling Up

Monitor key performance indicators such as user acquisition rates, conversion rates, average order value, and customer retention rates. Use this data to refine your strategies and improve user experience. As your platform grows, consider expanding your offerings or entering new markets to continue driving growth.

Conclusion

Building a wine marketplace like Vivino requires a deep understanding of the wine industry, a strong technological foundation, and effective marketing and legal strategies. By focusing on niche targeting, user experience, and community building, you can create a successful wine marketplace that resonates with wine lovers worldwide. Remember, the key to success lies in combining passion for wine with smart business acumen. Cheers to your success in the thriving world of wine e-commerce!

For context: Vitus is a new world, only a few decades old. Everyone and everything has magic, the most prevalent and relevant contributing greatly to how hard it is to die from anything... Except for starvation.
Plants have one goal. Survive. When you can't effectively use poison or thorns, everything is on the menu. Here is the problem for farmers- food is tough. Incredibly, immensely tough. Unlike animals, which invest time and mana into honing mobility and perception, plants literally just sit around, getting stepped on and bitten. Plants have nothing but vitality.
My question is, when is a plant considered dead? Animals are easy, you can just say 'when brain activity stops.'
More importantly, what effect would plants being hard to harvest, and weeds hard to get rid of, have on a civilization? How can sapients adapt? How can plants protect themselves besides shear durability?
If you need any information on the world before you can properly answer, just ask.

Todays dream, it starts with “bomb night” a bar deal night me & my friends call it “bomb night” me, L, D, & maybe? (B)?, (& N potentially came)?, Anyways I end up waking up at my “fathers” house a white man, (by that point I’m not sure if I was me anymore (both my parents are black, so am I (lightskin) & I still was in my dream, I might’ve gotten kidnapped from bomb night), that man was a “mad scientist” or something of the ilk, that was my first thought at least, well maybe not mad but definitely pursuing perfection of some sort (maybe humanity), or again something of the ilk bare with me heh. I believe he did something to me & the others there, there was dark skin girl (with the face of one of my high school crushes, I met her somewhere in between my first - third blackout I think) she even had the same name of the same old HS crush of mine who she looked like, (Jasmine), there was another lightskin kid who was taller than me (unsure of his name) & my… my son (I don’t have any kids in real life), idk his name or his mother but for some reason I knew he was mine, don’t remember making him but… he had some of my features, apparently he was conceived with an unknown mother during one of my blackouts, he never called jasmine mom, she was the only girl that I saw around my own age there & for some reason I accepted the fact that she was his mother unsure why, I just felt it was her, (in this dream he goes from around 3 years old when I first meet him to probably 7 - 10 years old by the end), not sure how long I was there for, because I don’t remember arriving there, I blacked out during “bomb night” & when I woke up, I just was there, I’m not sure how much time had passed, these weren’t normal in dream blackouts where you wake up after either, (it’s like I was repeatedly getting knocked out) when I awoke from my second blackout (unsure if it was the 2nd or like the fiftieth) that’s when I found I had a son (he was a normal boy when I first met him,) & when I woke up from my 3rd blackout that’s when he had been turned into a superhuman, yes he had powers, super strength & speed I believe, (by that point me & jasmine had our own room gifted to us & we lived together (we may have been bf & gf or husband & wife) “father” did that for some reason… Now that I think about it I might’ve have already been turned into one as well (a superhuman) by that time, or even an android of some kind, the details are… weird & I’m a little foggy on all of it, (I JUST had this dream) we lived in some super mansion but it was also the work place for “fathers” company, I’m not sure what the company did but they had a LOT of construction vehicles, whatever he did to me fundamentally changed my critical thinking as well, (& not in a bad way), but for some reason I had the urge to escape, (when I woke up… nvm we’ll get there later), at one point I asked him to make me a superhuman like he did my “son” ((who referred to him as grandpa & me father), (still unsure of when he was birthed or even made) Jasmine may have been his mother, but he was too lightskin in my opinion to be her son or maybe he was brownskin (still foggy on the dream memories) & she was darkskin so idk, Im still unsure how he was even mine unless “father” created him solely from my blood, or made him using me & jasmine while I was unconscious, which is why it’s starting to seem more & more like he really let me go, whatever he needed/wanted from me… he must’ve gotten, anyways I asked him to make me superhuman & he denied me, but the tall lightskin kid & my son were both superhumans, one day as me & the tall… let’s call him Jay, as me & Jay where plotting our escape one day, he (Jay) flicked his finger & some power bar type thing appeared on my wrist not sure what it did but it stayed on my hand without disappearing even after I managed to “escape”, (let me not forget before I left a white woman was there as well & by instinct I knew to call her mother, (she even sounded like my own, & told me to eat all my chicken in the microwave right before I escaped (she didn’t know I was escaping I think…, they might’ve actually all known jasmine included, we said we loved each other before I left (me & jasmine) but the way she said it was… off she 100% didn’t mean it) eventually me & Jay (tall lightskin kid) decided to escape, sadly I took too long gathering my things, (or that’s what he told me when I arrived outside of the mansion which now thinking about it… was odd, (I think everyone in the mansion was in on it, & I was programmed to escape or something, to accomplish a wish or something of “fathers” but idk what) so he (Jay) was unable too in his words, & by that point for some reason I had this urging feeling that I needed to go that day, I NEEDED to escape, so I hopped in the nearest forklift when we got oustide, Jay tried to go back into the mansion but the doors where locked, which “mother had told me would happen right before I left the inside after I said goodbye to Jasmine, (my son was leading some seemingly rich black bald guy around the super mansion house, when I sortve… ran him over & mightve killed him on my way out, (the rich guy not my son) unsure I just heard him screaming as I ran him over with the small forklift type vehicle, but long story not so short I escaped the maze which was outside the mansion, not gonna lie it was one of those well decorated plant mazes, it looked great, Jay (the tall LS kid) told me that was where he’d fail, & that it was the most difficult part, (which is why I believe they let me go, it was all too easy… way too easy to escape from the man I called “father” who was creating superhumans & pursuing something he did something to me, & idk how long he kept me there, but it was definitely years, (I only saw him (“father”) 2-3 times during the whole ordeal), I only clocked that after I woke up, inside the dream it only felt like a few days (probably due to the insane amount of times I blacked out I have NO idea what was happening when I was unconscious in my dream, the black outs where like real life black outs, your eyes close & it feels like a second passes than you open them & the scenes change, but for some reason I knew I was getting knocked out, this was a 5pm to 10:50 pm nap, 5 hrs & 50 min but this dream…. It was different, even more different than the crazy dreams I write down to remember for the hell of it, I remember feeling ecstasy when I escaped & than I woke up, but after waking up & analysing everything it all seems off… & the dream itself was far, far too realistic, I knew it was a dream, subconsciously I knew, but normally when ik somethings a dream I wake up, before i can start doing crazy stuff cuz ik it’s a dream, but this time I didn’t wake up… OH!!, & I forgot about the barefoot snow part & the part where I actually got to know jasmine, (lol let’s call it the jasmine arc) she was slightly different to my old hs crush jasmine, she was younger than when I met her, oh & ik I was there for a long time maybe years because I only went outside TWICE, & the first time it was covered in snow, & the second time it could’ve been any of the other three seasons sides winter idk, & after the blackouts for some reason I knew I was waking up (months at minimum years at a maximum) “months” later, (again these weren’t normal blackouts), “father” was for sure experimenting on me, (probably how I woke up with a mystery son lol), I wanna see this as just a dream, but a feeling tells me it’s much… much more than that, maybe a warning? A precognition? Or just to inform me that I escaped something in real life. This one just didn’t feel normal at all it was so detailed, when I walked through the snow barefoot to help jasmine do something (during her mini arc) it felt real, I felt the chill of the snow on my bare feet, but it didn’t bother me how it does when I do it in real life just for the fun of it, I was composed & relaxed, even as I was escaping & potentially killed a guy, I was too calm & composed as if everything that happened was just supposed to, If anyone see’s this & can help me make sense of it, it’d be appreciated, ik dreams are supposed to have meaning but what does this mean? Who the hell did I escape from??

Hello! I am a graduating senior and im starting to think abt grad school applications again since summer is approaching. I saw another post on here that freaked me out, essentially saying if you don’t get through postdoc with a handful of publications you will never be able to advance your academic career. This sounds very fatalistic to me and hard to believe but what do i know, i am just first gen to even get a bachelors. I am very passionate about research (specifically plant physiology) and desperately want to be in academia. Does anyone have any advice on how i can make the most out of grad school so i dont end up doomed after post doc?
For example everyone says to just skip masters these days but honestly im starting to wonder if racing to the finish line asap will just mean i miss opportunities to gain experience. It seems the further you get in education the less opportunities you have, so if i know i want to be in academia, why should i rush out of it? Maybe its better to get a masters first especially cuz i can get a more diverse background by doing something i dont want to do my phd in thats still relevant (ie ecology or biogeochem).
This is just one thing i can think of but also during phd i am wondering if anyone has advice for how i can get the most out of it considering i want to be a professor. id really appreciate any advice and thanks so much !

Holy shit my mom is actually fucking retarded. Idk what incentive that police have to just lie and say that they're putting fentanyl in weed, but this shit really needs to stop because all the boomers are so lead brained they actually believe this. Even though anyone with a non-lead brain will just intuitively know that this doesn't make sense on many levels we need to protect our boomers as if they're retarded children because of how impressionable they are from what they see on their shitty cable TV news

I have been working part time as a personal trainer for nearly 4 years. The people I work for in that time and that own the business have been some of the nastiest, verbally abusive, and petty people I have ever known. They lie to clients, steal money, and are just down right scum. The only reason I have stayed is because I love my clients. They make the awfulness better and I have personally become friends outside of this job with many of them. But recently the owners went on a business trip and asked me to be on site for over a week (no extra compensation mind you) and make sure there were no issues, and to watch the small retail shop where they sell supplements and other things.
Well they just got back this weekend and since they have been back I have been bombarded with the nastiest messages about stupid things (like there was a spider in the window and someone left a waterbottle in the bathroom. One such message was a threat about inventory because "the stock of supplements better add up or else.") This is just how they are...
So I'm deciding to quit and move on. I have an opportunity to continue my work at my home (it is small and I don't have all the equipment I need, but it would work.) Or our biggest competitor down the street has asked for me to join them for years but I refused because "it would really anger my current employer."
Either way I'm leaving, but I want to have my bases covered. In my time working here I have been the longest tenured employee. I have seen about nine trainers leave (most of them have been rage quitting over the owners and the way they were treated.) But every single one of them has cautioned me that when I leave the owners will try to ruin me. One trainer was accused of stealing and had a police report filed, and they didn't steal anything. The other was threatened that if they did not delete all their clients off of Facebook there would be consequences. These people are sue happy and have about six active lawsuits over the smallest thing while I've been here. Not to mention the say derogatory stuff and spread rumors about the trainers that left with current clients.
I know me leaving will push clients to leave also. Most no doubt will follow me to wherever I end up. And I'm expecting my employers to come after me big time since I've been here so long and have made a big impact on generating business. I have never signed anything for them, no non compete, no paperwork, nothing. But I fear they may try to spin it and forge my signature or say I stole equipment. It is just a mess, but I am done being bullied by them because I very much cared for this business at first and made every effort for them to be successful, but it's time to leave.
What should I do before I quit? Should I have a lawyer on standby? What legally can they do to me? They have nothing from what I can see. All the other former employees got out of the business because they were so scared of them and what they could do.

This is going to be a long one so heads up.
A bit of back story; I started dating my husband when I was 15. I chased this boy thorugh hell and back just to get a chance. Problems between us were immediate but didn't seem significant at the time. A few months into our relationship he had an adult "friend" that was telling him he needed to get control of me or "put me in my place" (referencing he should hit me). He didn't but the ego it gave him was a hard battel. 8 months into our relationship my mother forced me to move states because I was starting the process of emancipation and she didn't like that. I was still going through with it, it was just a buffer. 2 weeks after I left he was flirting with my friends. We were on and off for 3 months long distance before I said I had enough. When my emancipation was complete (6 months after I moved and about 3 months after we officially split) I let him know because we were still in touch. It was a few days after that he decided he wanted to try things again and came to me. Just a few days of being with me he decided he wanted to go home, with or without me. I reluctantly agreed to go with him even though I was comfortable where I was. We stayed in a trailer for months in the snow with no power or heat but I toughed it out. Eventually we moved in with his family. During that time he broke up with me multiple times to mess aground with other girls. We ended up moving again and he would be gone all the time hanging out with his friends. There were nights I would beg him, crying, for him to just come home and he would refuse We ended up moving again and spent some time with my family (i was 17). 3 days in he called his mom to have someone pick him up. He regretted it and I went and picked him up and brought him back. A few months after that he decided to leave again. 3 days later I was feeling weird. I just had an odd feeling, I didn't miss my period or anything but I had a friend get me a pregnancy test anyway. It came out positive. I didn't want kids, I never did. But I decided to keep the baby because he wanted to. He promised a better life. So he comes and picks me up and we move back in with his family. Everything was going great. Then I miscarried. After the miscarriage he was upset, he was really excited about having a kid. We talk about it and he talked me into trying for one on purpose, his family agreed with this. He promised to drop the weed, drop the beer, get a job and work his ass off for us. That never really happened. So here I am 17, and 5 months pregnant, he has 3 tall cans of beer in his system and starts being an ass. We get into it and he lays his hands on me. I locked him out of the room that night. So he finally drops the alcohol for good. We end up moving again. We got married the day I turned 18 because of his religious family. We fought about the weed and he "quit". But in reality he was just doing it behind my back. He would get mad at me for calling people out on their fake service dogs (I have a service dog and the fakes put me at great risk). He held a job for a really long time, making good money, and spoiling the shit out of me. Eventually we argue about the weed again. I almost left but he said he wouldn't be doing it anymore. Then again we argue about the weed, this time I agree to let him have dab carts. 2 a week. He ended up with between 3-5 a week. Things were really good for a long time after that.
Keep in mind everything I listed was not the entire relationship. Between all these bad moments there are lots of great ones. I have thousands of happy pictures and videos of us.
Now to recently. We moved back to our hometown. He spent a lot of time hanging out with his buddies and leaving me with the baby. He started smoking flower again and had the sudden urge to drink again. I was alone 90% of the time. So where do I go? I have a boy best friend that has been through hell and back with me since the first day of middle school. So I spent a lot of time hanging out with him while my husband was off fucking around like a child. Then the weird questions came in. "Are you doing anything with him while I'm gone?" "Your not cheating on me right?" Ect. No I wasn't. About a week ago I told my bsf I was picking him up from work. While I was in the parking lot waiting my husband calls insiting I pick him up first. I told him no because I didn't have room in the car for both and I was already there waiting. Well that started this whole fit about how asking him to wait 10 minutes was prioritizing my bsf over my husband. Eventually we get to my friends house, and my husband was waiting for us. He was just talking shit and being an ass for 20 minutes before he decided to leave in MY CAR. We argue over text for a while and then he tells me he's done with me. Fine. I give up. I don't care anymore. Then 30 minutes later he's accusing me of cheating with my bsf. He has told all his friends and family that I'm a hoe (my body count is 2 including him and the other one is NOT my bsf). My bsf has been doing his best to take care of me and help me out. Feeding me, taking over the baby, putting gas in my car, letting me stay the night. He's been a life saver for me.
Now it's a week later and he's asking if there is a chance we can work things out in the future... I love him I really do. He has lots of issues tho but so do I. My BPD makes me hard to handle sometimes as do my other mental and health problems.
I'm sure I know what the answer is already but what do I do? I'm a mess.

Having spent a few dozen hours in the game & menu loading a save file that had 230 gold bricks……. I realized how frustrating this game was and the potential it could’ve had. I just am at a loss for words on the game. This game had SO MUCH POTENTIAl but had too much focus on the toys, & bugs or game breaking engine problems.
I haven't touched dimensions in a hot minute but.. really wish lego added more PATCHES before they shut down the game & wish it got its own remastered lego game without the toys…. or some version with a % meter & better save system…. Feel like if TT worked longer on it, they could have been better fixes with the game & the other lego ip dlc’s.
I noticed a few times HOW ANNOYED I was when my many save files from 2019, 2023, & 2024 all were gone….. on ps4 I just gave up caring and was disappointed even after completing it & saving the game to my console. so furthermore after I just stopped playing, not sure if this is a bug but was annoying.
Starting with the dlc's i noticed things felt off like each dlc was the weakest or too short for a game entry story, or more specifically the simpsons one recreating the episode with homer & the chilli cook off, of all the new story levels it was fun but felt weird. All the other lego film games got it down very well gameplay wise so, why not do a lego batman movie or a lego simpson's game? & have it's own game... instead of dimensions? ALSO THE PUZZLES THE COLOR PUZZLES THE KEYSTONES all annoying. DOING THEM EVERY DAM TIME I GOT SOOOOOO BORED… decent game, fun worlds, annoying locking content in it and no 100% to finish. Only letting the player use a character…. That was Dedicated TO THAT SPECIFIC world locking you out… is annoying also cant access mini-kits without said character… This is not fun TT…. but moving on to a few other things, did not care for switching the keystones, and using vehicles for every dam puzzle or ramp.
The best level was probably fantastic beasts & that could’ve & should have been added in its own lego Hogwarts FB saga game.
I enjoyed the lego ninjago game more then I thought I would, & the first lego movie game was cool just felt weird they put Lego Batman movie in dimensions vs its own separate actual lego game.
The movie scene cutscenes for each dlc were recreated in the dimensions in-game engine & had a fun charm to them. But at times was very disappointing as the quality difference is very noticeable. On the contrary, The LEGO Movie Game used movie cutscenes beautifully and it worked out really well. Could be a licensing issue, but if not I have no idea why they didn’t just use movie cutscenes where they could. I understand not wanting to release 60% of the movie in the game, but they could always shape it around the scenes shown in the trailer. The batman story pack felt like devs rushed it…. Not bringing actors back for discount va’s. Robin sounds like a kid in this dlc not anything like Michael cera. I can understand if they didn't get every one back for the game for rights or contract issues but just was weird. & newt or the FB story were interesting using new keystone & magic abilties. The ghostbuster ones were weird since I never cared for the movie..
There are a few differences like In the dlc levels, Batman is picked up by Alfred outside the power plant and heads directly to Commissioner Gordon's retirement party. In the film, he heads home and the retirement party is the next evening.
Some of the voice work is off. Many characters don’t sound like they did in the movie (I know they’re different VA’s) Alfred sounds nothing like movie Alfred (Ralph Fiennes), Robin sounds nothing like movie Robin (Michael Cera), etc. Other LEGO projects have had fairly good voice replication.
The LEGO Batman Movie expansion is all and all a success. It’s given us the best portal base so far, as well as the first expansion to give us 2 mini-figures which are both great. The game is great and funny as well as a decent length. The game only suffers from occasional bugs and terrible voice acting.
Maybe I just really disliked the keystone puzzles but I was really disappointed in it overall. The scenes were funny bringing in joker & all the villains, I enjoyed seeing the gremlins & agent smith from matrix & sauron’s eye but wish they made a lego Batman game not within dimensions.
If you want to play around in the LEGO Batman Movie HUB world you can access to the HUB world for maximum fun. Id say just try the hub level if you are interested but I felt bored with the lego batman movie game dlc levels. Sadly its REPLAY-Ability was a 5… compared to fantastic beasts and others.
imagine what they could've done with a full roster of batman's villains & heroes in a full open linear game with gotham, & sure we've had tons of batman games but just loved will arnett's version of batman. I really love will arnett so felt like dimensions needed more of that batman.
Too much clutter & focus on building vehicles when they aren't all that interesting or useful…. Switching from the ecto car to the ghost trap each time felt stupid. Even tho they fixed it in 2016 with the characters instant traps. Flying characters freak out when you are next to the edge of the map & fall off repeatedly or just stand there hovering… did NO ONE THINK about patching that?
I also understand this is not a typical lego game & the audience is for kids but at least try to juggle both demographics for those who dont want to waste time?
No percent on gold bricks collected, or the items…. Why couldn’t they added a save system where if you lose your file you can save & quit with the bricks you found why is it on ps4 ps5…. Somehow deleting the game doesn’t remember where you left off?? Was this a patch that they never fixed?
Also, anyone else find it weird that the courtroom from Ghostbusters 2 isn't in the world? They even have the whole Titanic, something that only appears for 30 seconds in the movie, but one of the most important scenes isn't in the world at all or hell adding more side characters or locations why not explore inside of a building?
Also X-PO talks too much, every line of him talking during hints. I've made the choice to leave the main campaign unfinished just so he can stay silent while I play other levels. In the actual campaign and cutscenes he's fine but they made a huge mistake making him react to puzzles.
The bugs and lack of polish ruin the game..massively this is a massively outdated engine and the more they keep adding to it the buggier the games get. I'd love to see a new one built from the ground up for next gen capable created of anything they can think of with some impressive graphics. When you look at the fidelity of ratchet and clank on PS Pro there's no reason this game can't look as good as the Lego movies or very close, it's just laziness and greed (lack of investment from WB wanting to just churn out content quickly on the old engine) even on ps4 its annoying losing your save file deleting the game then reinstalling It AND LOSING ALL YOUR PROGRESS!!!!
In addition to that.... if your in game and you come across a character with some of the features or skills that you don't own and it doesn’t register or displays a hint message on your system with them… saying use this specific character, your forever locked out of hiring them when you need them, after it has taken them home & shows the ability… the game forgets…. you own them, while the game gets amnesia, even if you own the tag it gets stuck with missing features, forcing you to reload & quit, Really lame, as well as if you don’t own a certain character & need them for specific puzzle your just screwed.. it sounds like this would have been an afterthought amidst the torrent of further stand-alone level and story packs not being patched & lack of auto save or levels not being able to cloud save. >_< why? who knows...
So many boring hubs, & races locking variety or enjoyment, too many hubs that had New York…ghostbusters 1980 New York, ghostbusters 2016 New York……. FB New York…..Lego Batman movie Gotham hub just looks like New York.
Characters like the witch newt Gandalf all have the same magic ability, not interesting since they all do the exact same thing.
The vehicles are very boring, not very interesting too small. Why is chima here??? Random moments that just feel weird the battle arena was fun but after a while I got bored.
Also, I kinda wish there were in game unlockable characters: Like if you bought the Sonic dlc, beating quests would unlock the ability to buy Amy, Tails, Shadow etc. or The Simpsons allowing you to buy Marge, Lisa, maggie or each of the ghostbusters, etc. with studs.
Overall there were a few interesting levels but could’ve been cooler if we got a lego Batman movie game, or a lego bttf game, or a lego ghostbusters game, yada yada..... & just surprised at it not being its own game instead of within dimensions. I know sadly this likely wont happen tho.. it disappoints me that the game is mostly looking at build instructions, back & forth again and again….. I am very upset dimensions wont ever be remastered added with better patches because what I had played felt muddied & not crafted well. I don’t mean to be so negative but it was weird having these problems front & center. in the end too many glitches & gameplay loop moments.