This is an old story some of my friends told me (29F) I should share here.. so here I am. Sorry for the long text, but there's a lot to unfold.
This started a few years ago, after I got ghosted by my ex, I decided to switch careers and took the proposal of my brother to work for one of his friend in an organic grocery store in my area. I was 22ish at the time, maybe 21 turning 22, but anyways.
I started working in the fruits and vegetables aisle. Despite having a crazy director, I liked my job and my department manager. After a few months, I got the title of "third key" which is basically I'm the assistant manager when the assistant is gone. Then, they decided to hire a new customer service manager that I will call Linda. That woman was CRAZY. While I was 23 at the time, she was only 20 acting like she owned the world.
To give you an idea, in the span of 8 months being here, she got 11 employees fired for stupid reasons and since our director at the time was just as crazy... it was easier for her to get her way. Also, when I say stupid reasons, I'll give you a few examples: Benji got fired because he was "talking too loud" in the break room and it was disturbing her peace and supposedly making her harder to rest to come back fully ready to finish her shift. Marie got fired because she HAD to take off work to go to a relative's funeral and couldn't give her 2 weeks notice. Rose got fired because she was getting "too old to do her job properly and it was ruining the pace of the team's work" (which is bs, I've never seen someone cut veggies and fruits as fast as her). And I could go on. Yes, some of them could've been able to be protested against and even file a complaint against her. Mind you, outside of Rose, everybody was too young to just wanting to fight for a grocery store job. Even Rose just decided to take her retirement earlier and fucked off the work world lol.
Anyways, she took it too far when she tried to mess with me. To give you the context, we had a huge special on lemons and sometimes, those fruits can get rotten and you don't notice it because there's no smell. The only way you'd know is by going through the several small boxes of like 10ish lemons and look at them all one by one. Which I did regularly, but hey, I'm not a robot, sometimes some of them slipped out of my eyes. I was leaving the backstore with more boxes when I saw Linda with a customer that seemed more than pissed. So I go see both of them because mind you.. she has a LEMON box and I work in the fruits department. So it's kind of my job to help IF I CAN. That's when I asked her "Hey Linda, do you need help with the lemons?" And right away she told me "Fuck off, I don't need your help, I already spoke to your manager. Go do your job for once." My face was literally like this 😳 as I went to my department. Even the pissed customer did a bombastic side eyes.
A few minutes later, I go back to the backstore to fulfill the missing products and my manager pulls me aside. "Hey OP, stay out of Linda's business. I can't protect you all the time for talking back." I stopped him right away asking what does he means cause as soon as she told me to fuck off, I did fuck off. He looked at me surprised and said he'd come back to me with it, but only tomorrow because he's finishing his shift and for some personal reason, he can't stay longer to solve the issue. Since Linda was the manager on guard that night, he told me to stay in the back as much as possible to stay in her good graces. That's what I did.
One hour after my manager left, I heard my name being called in the front office (shared by the customer service manager and director). Big wtf. I go in the front and all of my colleagues are looking at me like I'm a prisoner going to their death sentence. Mind you, I know my laws and my rights. I might be young, but as soon as I got called, I started reciting in my head the main laws and rights she has to respect. I open the door's office and Linda is FUMING. And she is alone. She asks me to close the door and I tell her "No, it is my right to have someone in the room with us for this talk. I am not comfortable being alone with you." She starts freaking out and starts to speak louder, on the verge of screaming. "Linda. This room is recorded 24/7 and the customers can hear you talking to me like that. Lower your tone and find a witness to be in the room or I'll go back to work." She stands up to look outside the office and sees that indeed, there's a line in front of the cash looking to the office's direction. She takes a few deep breaths and calls Gabrielle who takes care of the finances of the store so she can be a witness. From the moment Gab got into the room, she seemed like she wanted to get away, so do I.
Gab took a seat in the back and Linda starts her whole speech. I'll be paraphrasing cause the meeting took almost an hour.
L: You know why I brought you here, right? OP: Not really, I've been in the backstore minding my business. Why? L: Well you disrespected my authority in front of a customer and that's a big no no for the company. OP: For the company or for you? L: OP, this is not the topic. You shouldn't be disrespecting authority in front of customers. It makes the managers look bad. OP: I was honestly just trying to help because you had a box of products from my department. I just wanted to help because the customer looked pissed and I didn't want him to ruin your fragile mood. L: My fragile mood?! Are you fucking serious?! OP: Linda, we are being recorded and we have a witness. I'm asking you to stay polite and not scream or I will file a complaint against you. L: Are threatening me??? OP: No, I am stating my rights and making you aware of where your attitude will lead you. I won't accept being talked like that by someone that ain't even my manager. L: Okay OP, let me remind you where your position stands in this business.
That bitch started to draw a triangle, put her name at the tippidy top and mine at the bottom. I didn't even let her finish what she had to say, I stormed off the office, went into the employees lockers, took my stuff and headed out. Linda ran after me, yelling like a psycho "YOU CAN'T LEAVE LIKE THAT! YOU'RE STILL SCHEDULED FOR THE CLOSE!" I stopped on my steps, making Linda almost run into me and said with the most blank expression I could have "Linda, you crossed a line and since you're so good at your job, close my department for me. I will be filing a complaint against you." And left the work place.
Next morning, I came to work as usual and had to see my manager and the director. I explained them the whole situation and showed the papers I was about to send to file a complaint against Linda. Also, this dumb bitch didn't even throw her pyramid in the trash. It was still on display when the director came in to work and asked me what it was. I asked her to look at the cameras, put the sound on and listen to the whole meeting. We watched it to my director's horror and who came in to work in the middle of our screening time? Linda! She came into the office and Linda being a poc turned white as a ghost. I've never seen her being so so pale. "W-what are you doing?" The director asked Linda to sit down and we watched again the video. Mind you, it took us one full hour to watch because she was in a never ending power trip. She used to be smart when she was bullying and making stories about past employees, doing it far from the cameras and usually using the other office that doesn't have cameras or a microphone, but she wasn't with me. I guess she got comfortable or whatever, but check mate on her ass.
My director said I could go back to work with my manager, that she would take care of the rest. Two weeks later, Linda still had her job, but our director resigned from her job right away. Which was hella weird, but whatever. We got a new director, she was a total sweet heart and she noticed Linda's crazy power trips right away. She decided to launch an intern investigation, but sadly, all the employees Linda bullied were fired. There was only me and my little complaint waiting to be served. When Nancy, our new director, came to me asking if I knew anything about Linda. I gave her the file, the time stamps of the video tape, all the employees she fired for stupid reasons with the old director and also phone numbers of those employees.
Flash forward 2 weeks later, Linda left work earlier, balling her eyes out yelling how Nancy was a bitch and didn't deserve her job. How she always came in earlier, put in the work and yadi yada. Nancy waited a few more days before asking me to come into the office and again, I'll be paraphrasing because a lot have been said.
N: HI OP, don't worry, you're not in any trouble. I just saw your CV and noticed you've had a lot of experience in customer service. OP: Yes, I used to be a cashier for almost 5 years, it was my first job. Why? N: I've seen your file, your CV and how you managed the conversation with Linda. We are actually looking for a new customer service manager since Linda have been let go. OP: What about my actual position? N: It's easier to find a fruits and vegetables commis than it is to find a competent service manager.. as you experienced.
I ended up accepting the position and all my co-workers cheered for my raise. I don't want to brag, but I've always been the one to defend everybody in the place, making sure I'll keep my job in the process and following the laws and rights. A few months later, Linda came back to the store as a customer and the look she had on her face when she saw me at the cash with the manager uniform was priceless. It was even more priceless when she asked me when I got the promotion and I told her the exact date, which matched her departure. "So you got my position when I left?" I just nodded and asked if I could do anything more to help have a better experience in the store. She didn't answer to that and just left after paying her things.
To this day, it's still one of my favorite moments to have been through. I'm not a petty person, but if I can ruin you in the process of me trying to defend my people, I'll be more than happy to do so. Last I've heard of Linda, she was working for the competitor, but never had any promotions.

"Box Score updated on 5/14/2024 at 9:56 EDT

Kansas City Kitties 0 - 0 Sopher McDophers

TEAM	1	2	3	4	5	6	R	H
KC	0						0	0
SMD							0	0

Box

#	Kitties	Pos	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	BA	#	McDophers	Pos	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	BA
1	At Bat: Bobert Hideyoshi	DH	0	0	0	0	0	0	.125	1	Due Up: Reservoir Butler	SS	0	0	0	0	0	0	.563
2	Dutch Boggs	SS	0	0	0	0	0	0	.267	2	Dingers McGee	DH	0	0	0	0	0	0	.588
3	Alexander West	1B	0	0	0	0	0	0	.273	3	Smitty Hoppenscotch	CF	0	0	0	0	0	0	.333
4	Noodle Arm Big Power ODoyle	RF	0	0	0	0	0	0	.625	4	Jeff Shagwell	1B	0	0	0	0	0	0	.571
5	Dave Steib	2B	0	0	0	0	0	0	.250	5	Spike Suzuki	RF	0	0	0	0	0	0	.333
6	Saul Pewald	C	0	0	0	0	0	0	.077	6	Copenhagen Black	3B	0	0	0	0	0	0	.333
7	Kenny Powers	CF	0	0	0	0	0	0	.357	7	John McDonald Jr.	C	0	0	0	0	0	0	.286
8	Antwan Zella	LF	0	0	0	0	0	0	.231	8	Dark Brother	LF	0	0	0	0	0	0	.278
9	Fatts Richard	3B	0	0	0	0	0	0	.273	9	Dan Gerzone	2B	0	0	0	0	0	0	.143

Pitchers

Kitties	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	6	McDophers	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	6
Brent Chillwater	0.0	0	0	0	0	2.12	December Beckett	0.0	0	0	0	0	4.97

Bench

Kitties	POS	HAND	McDophers	POS	HAND
Kegs Mabry	1B, UTIL	L	Tatsuyoshi Kazunami	2B, UTIL	L
Penguino	LF	L	Plack Attack	C, COF	R
Kancing Mutlak	P	R	Holden Tudix	CF	L
Leopold Pollersbeck	P	R	Texan Two Gloves	CF	R
Virgil Aegis-Gunther	P	L	Atlas Quin	P	L
Borg Torbjorgsson	SS, UTIL	R	Bartholomew Crumblepuff	P	L
			James St. Louis	P	R

"

Over the course of the past few months I’ve been working on compiling a list of my 500 favorite songs ever. I gave myself a few rules (only 5 songs per artist being the big one) and here’s what I’ve come up with. Just thought this was fun and wanted to see if this might spark any discussion about song placement or lack of certain things. Also wanted to see if anyone had any similar lists.

1. Trash Panda - Aging out of the 20th Century
2. Djo - Roddy
3. The Beatles - Don't Let Me Down
4. Snail Mail - Heat Wave
5. Phoebe Bridgers - Savior Complex
6. Joji - SLOW DANCING IN THE DARK
7. The Shins - The Fear
8. Talking Heads - This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)
9. The Cranberries - Linger
10. Post Animal - Ralphie
11. Hop Along - Not Abel
12. The Beach Boys - Heroes And Villains
13. Electric Light Orchestra - Livin' Thing
14. The Monkees - As We Go Along
15. Blondie - Heart Of Glass
16. The Strokes - Oblivius
17. Chet Baker - It's Always You - Vocal Version
18. The Beatles - Rain
19. Electric Light Orchestra - Telephone Line
20. Husbands - Must Be a Cop
21. Faces - Ooh La La
22. The Flaming Lips - Do You Realize??
23. Frank Ocean - Nights
24. Harry James - It's Been a Long, Long Time
25. The Turtles - Happy Together
26. Etta James - At Last
27. The Zombies - The Way I Feel Inside
28. The Beatles - Here, There And Everywhere
29. The Beach Boys - God Only Knows
30. Kanye West - Father Stretch My Hands Pt. 1
31. Briston Maroney - Sinkin'
32. John Lennon - Oh My Love
33. Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass - Ladyfingers
34. Squirrel Flower - Headlights
35. The Backseat Lovers - Maple Syrup
36. The B-52's - Rock Lobster
37. George Harrison - All Things Must Pass
38. Snail Mail - Ben Franklin
39. Laura Elliott - Grass Stains
40. Djo - Chateau (Feel Alright)
41. Tame Impala - Eventually
42. The Backseat Lovers - Snowbank Blues
43. Claude Debussy - Clair de Lune, L. 32
44. The Weeknd - Save Your Tears
45. Talking Heads - Thank You for Sending Me an Angel
46. The Zombies - Time of the Season
47. The War On Drugs - Nothing to Find
48. Queen - Brighton Rock
49. The Dream Academy - Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want
50. The B-52's - Strobe Light
51. The Cranberries - Dreams
52. Fugees - Killing Me Softly With His Song
53. Molchat Doma - Тоска
54. Tyler, The Creator - ARE WE STILL FRIENDS?
55. The Mamas & The Papas - Dream A Little Dream Of Me
56. The Chords - Sh-Boom
57. The Beatles - The Abbey Road Medley
58. The Ronettes - Be My Baby
59. The Who - Baba O'Riley
60. Dr. Dog - Where'd All the Time Go?
61. M83 - My Tears Are Becoming A Sea
62. Billie Eilish - everything i wanted
63. Outkast - Hey Ya!
64. Nat King Cole - Orange Colored Sky
65. The Notorious B.I.G. - Hypnotize
66. Four Tops - Reach Out I'll Be There
67. Foreign Air - Shut Up and Show Me
68. Leonard Cohen - So Long, Marianne
69. dodie - If I'm Being Honest
70. Briston Maroney - June
71. Post Malone - Sunflower
72. John Lennon - Isolation
73. Buddy Holly & The Crickets - Not Fade Away
74. Phoebe Bridgers - I Know The End
75. Kanye West - All Falls Down
76. Alvvays - Adult Diversion
77. John Lennon - Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)
78. Clairo - Amoeba
79. The Beach Boys - I Know There's An Answer
80. Paul McCartney - Let Me Roll It
81. Frank Ocean - Ivy
82. Radiohead - Motion Picture Soundtrack
83. Djo - Mutual Future (Repeat)
84. Phoebe Bridgers - Scott Street
85. Childish Gambino - Me and Your Mama
86. Pink Floyd - Astronomy Domine
87. The Pied Pipers - Dream
88. The Beach Boys - All I Wanna Do
89. Djo - Change
90. Второй этаж поражает - Крайности
91. Little Richard - Lucille
92. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - Shanghai
93. Chet Baker - Deep In A Dream
94. The Beatles - It's All Too Much
95. Post Animal - Dirtpicker
96. The B-52's - Love Shack
97. EDEN - foreve/over
98. Kanye West - Ultralight Beam
99. The Zombies - Going Out Of My Head
100. Talking Heads - Found a Job
101. Snail Mail - Pristine
102. Tom Tom Club - Genius of Love
103. Tears For Fears - Everybody Wants To Rule The World
104. WILLIS - I Think I Like When It Rains
105. Chet Baker - But Not For Me
106. Naked Eyes - Always Something There to Remind Me
107. Tyler, The Creator - GONE, GONE / THANK YOU
108. Djo - Half Life
109. Trash Panda - Check Please
110. Briston Maroney - Deep Sea Diver
111. Beach Fossils - This Year
112. Momma - Medicine
113. Hop Along - Prior Things
114. Talking Heads - Road to Nowhere
115. Electric Light Orchestra - Turn to Stone
116. Briston Maroney - It's Not My Fault
117. Tyler, The Creator - NEW MAGIC WAND
118. Snail Mail - Headlock
119. Phil Collins - Take Me Home
120. Gotye - Somebody That I Used To Know
121. The Beach Boys - Do It Again
122. Tame Impala - Breathe Deeper
123. Ella Fitzgerald - Misty
124. Phoebe Bridgers - Waiting Room
125. Kanye West - Runaway
126. Daft Punk - Get Lucky (feat. Pharrell Williams and Nile Rodgers)
127. Dire Straits - Money for Nothing
128. Kendrick Lamar - Alright
129. Black Country, New Road - Concorde
130. George Harrison - If Not for You
131. Harry Styles - Cherry
132. Ms. Lauryn Hill - Doo Wop (That Thing)
133. Paul McCartney - Junk
134. Wings - Maybe I'm Amazed - Live
135. Talking Heads - Houses in Motion
136. Del Water Gap - Ode to a Conversation Stuck in Your Throat
137. Pixies - Where Is My Mind?
138. Queen - Seven Seas Of Rhye
139. Paul McCartney - Jet - 2010 Remaster
140. Sufjan Stevens - Death with Dignity
141. A Flock Of Seagulls - I Ran (So Far Away)
142. Tame Impala - Let It Happen
143. Led Zeppelin - Whole Lotta Love
144. Clairo - Management
145. Tommy James & The Shondells - I Think We're Alone Now - Single Version
146. Fergie - Clumsy
147. Childish Gambino - This Is America
148. Prefab Sprout - The King of Rock 'N' Roll
149. Joy Again - Looking Out for You
150. Beach House - Space Song
151. John Lennon - Mind Games
152. The Weeknd - Gasoline
153. Weezer - Buddy Holly
154. Phoebe Bridgers - Sidelines
155. Tame Impala - New Person, Same Old Mistakes
156. Lana Del Rey - A&W
157. The Dillards - I've Just Seen a Face
158. The Doors - Break on Through (To the Other Side)
159. Julie London - I'm Glad There Is You
160. 2Pac - California Love
161. Dean Martin - Everybody Loves Somebody
162. Snail Mail - Anytime
163. The Strokes - The Adults Are Talking
164. Jordana, TV Girl - Better in the Dark
165. Juice WRLD - Hide (feat. Seezyn)
166. The Wild Reeds - Get Better
167. Finom - Mine
168. Hop Along - One That Suits Me
169. The Killers - Mr. Brightside
170. Michael Cera - Clay Pigeons
171. Clairo - Bags
172. Prince - Let's Go Crazy
173. The Zombies - She's Not There
174. Blackstreet - No Diggity
175. Frank Sinatra - I've Got You Under My Skin
176. John Denver - Take Me Home, Country Roads
177. Harry James - I'm Beginning to See The Light
178. The Clash - London Calling
179. Charles Bradley - Changes
180. Buddy Holly - (Ummmm, Oh Yeah) Dearest
181. Eagles - Seven Bridges Road - Live
182. Moxie - Honey
183. Faces - Stay with Me
184. Post Animal - How Do You Feel
185. New Order - Age of Consent
186. Natalie Imbruglia - Torn
187. Lana Del Rey - Doin' Time
188. Twin Peaks - Blue Coupe
189. Kanye West - Gold Digger
190. Fruit Bats - The Bottom of It
191. Frank Sinatra - Somethin' Stupid
192. Lorde - Perfect Places
193. Martha Tilton - Exactly Like You
194. King Crimson - 21st Century Schizoid Man
195. Glen Campbell - Southern Nights
196. Claire Rosinkranz - Frankenstein
197. Guillemots - Made-Up Lovesong #43
198. Fleetwood Mac - Say You Love Me
199. Frankie Valli - Can't Take My Eyes off You
200. The Crickets - Don't Ever Change
201. Paul Anka - Put Your Head On My Shoulder
202. George Harrison - Isn't It a Pity
203. Trash Panda - Off
204. Super Besse - Holod
205. Beyoncé - Hold Up
206. Charlie Burg - I Don't Wanna Be Okay Without You
207. Eagles - Peaceful Easy Feeling
208. Ella Fitzgerald - It's A Lovely Day Today
209. PERMSKY KRAY - Дорогой Человек
210. The Little Dippers - Forever - Single Version
211. The B-52's - There's a Moon in the Sky (Called the Moon)
212. Patti Page - Old Cape Cod
213. Daft Punk - Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger
214. The Soggy Bottom Boys - I Am A Man Of Constant Sorrow
215. Trash Panda - Things Will Never Change
216. Hop Along - Well-dressed
217. Sixpence None The Richer - Kiss Me
218. TV Girl - Daughter of a Cop
219. LAUNDRY DAY - Jane
220. Tyler, The Creator - EARFQUAKE
221. Sigue Sigue Sputnik - Love Missile F1-11
222. Joji - Gimme Love
223. The Backseat Lovers - Pool House
224. The Weeknd - Take My Breath
225. Mild High Club - Homage
226. Doc Watson - Am I Born to Die?
227. Daniel Caesar - Streetcar
228. The Kinks - Sunny Afternoon
229. John Lennon - #9 Dream
230. Tame Impala - Elephant
231. Chuck Berry - You Never Can Tell
232. Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here
233. KIDS SEE GHOSTS - 4th Dimension
234. Soft Cell - Tainted Love
235. The B-52's - Song for a Future Generation
236. Gnarls Barkley - Crazy
237. Lana Del Rey - Blue Jeans
238. Billie Eilish - Halley's Comet
239. Glenn Miller - In the Mood
240. Kid Bloom - Control
241. The Cinematic Orchestra - To Build A Home
242. Marvin Gaye - I Heard It Through The Grapevine
243. Brenda Lee - If You Love Me (Really Love Me)
244. TV Girl - Lovers Rock
245. Art Lown - Knew You Well
246. Dean Martin - Ain't That A Kick In The Head
247. Miniature Tigers - Like or Like Like
248. Electric Light Orchestra - Sweet Talkin' Woman
249. The Hunts - Ages
250. The Cars - Good Times Roll
251. Bill Withers - Lovely Day
252. Drake - God's Plan
253. Kansas - Point of Know Return
254. The Neighbourhood - Stargazing
255. The Clash - Rock the Casbah
256. Hop Along - What the Writer Meant
257. Briston Maroney - Under My Skin
258. Jack Stauber - Buttercup
259. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - Ya Love
260. Ginger Root - Loretta
261. Thompson Twins - Hold Me Now
262. Frank Ocean - Pyramids
263. Kate Bush - Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)
264. Destroy Boys - I Threw Glass at My Friend's Eyes and Now I'm on Probation
265. Mild High Club - Dionysian State
266. Franz Ferdinand - Take Me Out
267. Kevin Abstract - Empty
268. The Frights - Crust Bucket
269. Stealers Wheel - Stuck In The Middle With You
270. The Shins - Fighting in a Sack
271. fun. - We Are Young (feat. Janelle Monáe)
272. Lil Uzi Vert - Money Longer
273. Miniature Tigers - Cannibal Queen
274. The Doors - Touch Me
275. Jean Dawson - Clear Bones
276. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - Catching Smoke
277. Molchat Doma - Люди Надоели
278. The Go-Go's - Our Lips Are Sealed
279. Billie Eilish - ocean eyes
280. BOYO - Crown
281. The 1975 - Somebody Else
282. Husbands - She's a Betty
283. Syd Barrett - If It's In You
284. Trash Panda - Atlanta Girls
285. Frank Ocean - Godspeed
286. Alice Phoebe Lou - Glow
287. Childish Gambino - Redbone
288. New Order - Blue Monday
289. Post Animal - Schedule
290. Harry Styles - Fine Line
291. Harry James - I'll Get By (As Long As I Have You)
292. Depeche Mode - Never Let Me Down Again
293. Chet Baker - I Fall In Love Too Easily
294. The Cranberries - Put Me Down
295. John Mayer - Edge of Desire
296. George Harrison - All Those Years Ago
297. Electric Light Orchestra - The Diary of Horace Wimp
298. Alex Clare - Too Close
299. Eric B. & Rakim - Know The Ledge
300. Peter Frampton - Show Me The Way - Live
301. Simon & Garfunkel - Mrs. Robinson
302. Black Eyes - Deformative
303. The Righteous Brothers - Unchained Melody
304. Bonny Light Horseman - Deep In Love
305. The Walker Brothers - The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore
306. Cage The Elephant - Cigarette Daydreams
307. Hot Flash Heat Wave - Raindrop
308. Clairo - Sofia
309. Kendrick Lamar - PRIDE.
310. Camille Saint-Saëns - The Swan
311. Weezer - Say It Ain't So
312. C418 - Sweden
313. Lana Del Rey - Let The Light In (feat. Father John Misty)
314. The Postal Service - Such Great Heights
315. Pickin' On Series - Those to Come
316. Lana Del Rey - Grandfather please stand on the shoulders of my father while he's deep-sea fishing (feat. RIOPY)
317. John Mayer - Moving On and Getting Over
318. Field Medic - POWERFUL LOVE
319. Cage The Elephant - Flow
320. Joji - Run
321. The Who - Won't Get Fooled Again
322. Boston - Peace of Mind
323. Ben E. King - This Magic Moment
324. David Bowie - Starman
325. Beastie Boys - Sabotage
326. Harry Belafonte - Banana Boat (Day-O)
327. Gene Krupa & His Orchestra - Rhumboogie
328. The Cardigans - Lovefool
329. The Kinks - You Really Got Me
330. The Zombies - She's Coming Home
331. Michael Jackson - Thriller
332. Moxie - Blue Skies
333. The Mamas & The Papas - Straight Shooter
334. Peter, Paul and Mary - Don't Think Twice, It's All Right
335. Green Day - Brain Stew
336. Dua Lipa - Levitating (feat. DaBaby)
337. The Police - Roxanne
338. Britney Spears - Toxic
339. Tears For Fears - Head Over Heels
340. Rex Orange County - Pluto Projector
341. The Strokes - Call It Fate, Call It Karma
342. Portugal. The Man - Feel It Still
343. The Black Crowes - Twice As Hard
344. Ted Nugent - Stranglehold
345. fun. - Some Nights
346. Wings - Silly Love Songs
347. Paramore - Still into You
348. Peter Frampton - Baby, I Love Your Way - Live
349. The Monkees - Last Train to Clarksville
350. Royel Otis - Oysters In My Pocket
351. The Backseat Lovers - Growing/Dying
352. Nelly Furtado - Say It Right
353. Post Animal - Goggles
354. Erik Satie - Gymnopédie No. 1
355. Childish Gambino - IV. Sweatpants
356. Steely Dan - Dirty Work
357. ABBA - Lay All Your Love On Me
358. Still Woozy - Goodie Bag
359. Arlo Parks - Black Dog
360. Goth Babe - Weekend Friend
361. George & the Handsomes - Sleepy Beats
362. boygenius - 20
363. The Mills Brothers - You Always Hurt The One You Love
364. Travis Scott - SICKO MODE
365. Pinegrove - Need 2
366. The Backseat Lovers - Sinking Ship
367. Franz Schubert - Ave Maria, Op. 52 No. 6, D. 839 (Arr. for Soprano, Harp & Chorus)
368. Zac Brown Band - Knee Deep (feat. Jimmy Buffett)
369. Justin Timberlake - Mirrors
370. Simon & Garfunkel - Cecilia
371. The Cranberries - Zombie
372. Daniel Caesar - Japanese Denim
373. Billie Holiday - Easy Living
374. ISLAND - By Your Side
375. Phil Collins - Tomorrow Never Knows
376. Bob Dylan - The Times They Are A-Changin'
377. The Four Freshmen - Day By Day
378. Fleetwood Mac - The Chain
379. Billy Joel - Big Shot
380. Billie Eilish - Happier Than Ever
381. Yot Club - down bad
382. Rihanna - Stay
383. Fleetwood Mac - Landslide
384. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky - Swan Lake, Op. 20, Act 2: No. 10, Scene. Moderato
385. The White Stripes - Fell In Love With a Girl
386. Alvvays - Easy On Your Own?
387. Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit - If We Were Vampires
388. Blackway - What's Up Danger (with Black Caviar)
389. Albert Hammond - It Never Rains in Southern California
390. Matt Maltese - Jupiter
391. John Denver - Mother Nature's Son
392. Childish Gambino - Sober
393. Claire Rosinkranz - Pools and Palm Trees
394. The Cars - Just What I Needed
395. The Doors - Light My Fire
396. Blondie - Tomorrow Never Knows
397. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - Hell's Itch
398. The Japanese House - Saw You In A Dream
399. Franz Schubert - String Quartet No. 13 in A Minor, Op. 29 No. 1, D. 804: I. Allegro ma non troppo
400. The Drifters - White Christmas
401. The 1975 - Robbers
402. George Harrison - Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea
403. The Frights - Tongues
404. Paramore - Ain't It Fun
405. Billy Joel - Pressure
406. Frank Sinatra - My Way
407. Art Lown - Going Back to Carolina
408. Bruno Mars - Just the Way You Are
409. Under The Rug - Lonesome & Mad
410. The Mamas & The Papas - Dedicated To The One I Love
411. Foster The People - Sit Next to Me
412. Weezer - Undone - The Sweater Song
413. Michael Jackson - Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'
414. Tia Blake - Plastic Jesus
415. Los Bravos - Bring a Little Lovin'
416. Lady Gaga - Bad Romance
417. Minnie Riperton - Les Fleurs
418. Billy Idol - Dancing with Myself
419. Cody Fry - I Hear a Symphony
420. Gringo Sapiens - Driver's Licence - 16LM mp3
421. Vacations - Relax
422. Glitter Party - time waits
423. Steve Lacy - Bad Habit
424. The Crystals - Then He Kissed Me
425. The Pied Pipers - Mairzy Doats
426. Mitski - Bug Like an Angel
427. James Ray - I've Got My Mind Set On You Pts. 1 & 2
428. Clairo - Bubble Gum
429. Masayoshi Takanaka - SEXY DANCE
430. Nat King Cole - (I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons
431. Sleigh Bells - Crown On the Ground
432. Olivia Rodrigo - favorite crime
433. No Doubt - Just A Girl
434. Foreigner - Long, Long Way from Home
435. Heart - Crazy On You
436. The Hunts - Darlin'
437. David Bowie - Heroes
438. Alice Phoebe Lou - Hammer
439. Thee Oh Sees - Toe Cutter - Thumb Buster
440. Roar - I Can't Handle Change
441. TV Girl - Birds Dont Sing
442. Laufey - From The Start
443. Chas McDevitt Skiffle Group - Freight Train (feat. Nancy Whiskey)
444. Metro Boomin - Am I Dreaming
445. Liana Flores - rises the moon
446. POP ETC - Speak Up
447. Jean Knight - Mr. Big Stuff
448. The Platters - Twilight Time
449. Derek & The Dominos - Layla
450. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - Homeless Man in Adidas
451. Charlie Burg - Lovesong (The Way)
452. Hot Flash Heat Wave - Gutter Girl
453. ABBA - Fernando
454. Mitski - My Love Mine All Mine
455. Savannah Conley - More Than Fine
456. Young the Giant - Mind Over Matter
457. Future Crib - Yer Movin'
458. Bob Dylan - Like a Rolling Stone
459. benches - Violent
460. Musical Youth - Pass The Dutchie
461. Olivia Rodrigo - vampire
462. Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone - City Of Stars
463. Maya Hawke - Thérèse
464. Current Joys - A Different Age
465. Wayne Newton - Danke Schoen
466. La Roux - Bulletproof
467. Jason Segel, Walter - Man Or Muppet
468. U2 - I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
469. The Raconteurs - Steady, As She Goes
470. The Ink Spots - Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall
471. Ace of Base - The Sign
472. Vulfpeck - 1612
473. Nordista Freeze - Hey GiGi
474. The Chainsmokers - New York City
475. Suki Waterhouse - Johanna
476. Pete Rodriguez - I Like It Like That
477. Calvin Harris - Summer
478. The Rare Occasions - Notion
479. a-ha - Take on Me
480. Rush - Working Man
481. Traffic - Dear Mr. Fantasy
482. Starbuck - Moonlight Feels Right
483. Van Halen - Drop Dead Legs
484. The Troggs - Wild Thing
485. Led Zeppelin - Good Times Bad Times
486. The Byrds - Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is a Season)
487. Cream - Sunshine Of Your Love
488. Justin Timberlake - SexyBack (feat. Timbaland)
489. David Bowie - Suffragette City "490. Ludwig van Beethoven - Sonata No. 14 in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 27, No. 2 ""Moonlight"": I. Adagio sostenuto"
490. Avicii - Wake Me Up
491. The Who - La-La-La-Lies
492. The Spinners - The Rubberband Man
493. MGMT - Time to Pretend
494. Hootie & The Blowfish - Only Wanna Be With You
495. Sheck Wes - Mo Bamba
496. Claire Rosinkranz - 123
497. Ringo Starr - Photograph
498. The Proclaimers - I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)
499. Duran Duran - Rio

I woke up this morning crying after having this dream and immediately went to get my cat. I never had a dream like this before and I was wondering if someone can help interpret it. Usually when I dream or have nightmares I can understand it because all my nightmares are the same and my dreams relate to things I’ve thought about.
So in the dream there was 2 cats both looked like my cat (I only have one cat in person and she’s lovely) but in the dream they’re both mine but male and female but the female one barely shows up. The one that I try to kill later is the male. The way it starts off is kind of weird and illogical but basically this male cat lied to me and at my vulnerable state made me do things. After talking to my brother I realized the cat lied to me. So then I pick up a big knife and chase this cat around saying that it lied to me and tried making me do things. I would also say this same thing when my family was asks why I was trying to kill the cat in the dream. The cat kept running away from me.
For some reason in the beginning of the dream the cat was human like but while I was chasing it around it was just a regular cat. The whole time I’m trying to kill the cat I also struggle to find the courage to kill the cat and I get emotional in the dream. Finally I continuously stab the cat and it loses one of its legs, tail and gets skinned. However I’m unable to actually kill the cat. I didn’t have the courage to finish it off and it ran away. I ask my brother to kill it by shooting it and he says he’ll do it. When he goes to do it somehow he doesn’t have a gun. The cat keeps trying to come back for affection and I start crying feeling guilty in my dream. Then I talk to my brother again and turns out he was hiding something from me and it wasn’t the cats fault which makes me very sad in the dream and throws me into an emotional spiral where I’m crying in the dream.
Then I believe I woke up and started crying in person. What can this dream mean if anyone has an interpretation please feel free to reply.

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I live in a town of 50k, I guess we would be considered semi rural. There are also two other towns next to us about the same size and a lot of other tiny townships/communities sprinkled around.
My mom tells me how when I was little she would bike everywhere with me , and then when she had my brother and I was a bit older I would bike behind her. It’s sad that if I wanted to do the same here I would literally be putting our lives at risk. There are no sidewalks anywhere and no space on the side of the road for clearance for pedestrians. You have to be on the road to go anywhere and if a car comes speeding at you you can do nothing because there are ditches on both sides.
I kid you not if I wanted to go see the horses or cattle half a mile away from us I could not do so without a 2 ton truck almost smashing into us.
We have a commercial area with everything from grocery store to cafes to pharmacy to even a garden center about a mile away from our apartment , a state park in the other direction, and a library a bit further, but it is completely inaccessible unless you drive or want to risk your life on the road biking/walking.
When you live in a somewhat rural area outside the larger city like I do I think it’s reasonable for each household to be expected have one car, but we definitely aren’t in the boonies either, there are plenty of businesses and activities and parks around, there is room for so much outside of car dependency.
My husband drives to work 18 minutes away and for the time being I stay home with the baby. Unless I drop him off at work, carpool with someone, or it’s one of the rare days he works remote I am confined to our street. It really f*cking sucks.
We live in such a nice neighborhood with lots of farms and homesteads and woods and forget about going for a walk. And lots of carbrains will just dumbly go “nuh uh” when you bring up investing in car-free accessibility because “that’s for big cities”.
I personally think lots of families would benefit greatly, financially, socially, and in so many other ways, only needing one car instead of two or three and not being forced to drive to do every little thing but what do I know. Especially when you have kids and want to do anything of any kind with them (because they cant play on the streets without becoming roadkill or hang out anywhere near home) you MUST drive the car.

My fiancé and I have 4 kids and he’s always been an active parent to our kids (as active you can be when you’re working overtime). Things in our relationship have been strain for awhile till about 2 months ago. How all my thinking of something is going on with a co-worker is that… one night during a snow storm after working a 12 hour shift I was stuck because my car fuel pump wasn’t working and he knew our car kept doing that at the time. The whole day I haven’t heard from him which actually started being unusually common when we would talk all day. I tried calling him multiple times and he kept ignoring it, I was stuck for 2 hours in a snow storm. I finally get my car to kick on and drive to the bar. My adrenaline was pumping he was at a bar ignoring my calls for hours when he was just supposed to have a meeting for 2 hours. He was there from 4:30 to 10:00 for this “meeting” with all his coworkers. The female coworker in question was hip to hip to him. Yes she’s 19 in a bar. How? I don’t know… he has his manager, He’s the General Manager and she’s his “apprentice”. I was very upset that night but they all welcomed me, not him 😂 she went and sat with him the whole time while he was glaring at me because everyone was hanging out with me and I wasn’t supposed to be there and I embarrassed him for showing up. Then another time comes where he ended buying me all the stuff I needed to finally do my hobby of acrylic nails (been wanting to do for years) I get all of it and he says I have to do her nails, not a want but have to because she wanted them done. I set up a time with her and ended up wanting to do it at her house. He freaked out called me names and everything because I wanted to do it over there. Not sure if it was because he thought I was thinking something? She ended up cancelling anyways! there’s multiple pictures of her in his phone that are work related but why so many of just this one coworker. He says she’s his apprentice! They text a lot and they text more than we do. The text of there’s compared to the other coworker girl he has is completely night and day and actually was laughable how dull he was being to the other female coworker compared to this one. I go crazy and read these texts over and over because I can’t get past something not feeling right. The quick texting back and fourth when he tells me he can’t even text at work due to being busy. They text I guess when they split off teams. He said he accidentally sent a “ok beautiful “ text to her, he deleted it and I saw it. He did text her he meant to send that to her brother right after that. And then there was this recent text. He’s helping her move up in the field and she went home to change her clothes and he said “ahhhh getting all sales girl’d up I see nice” . Shes inappropriate with her jokes with him, he sends her stuff she should get. On top of that he’s been in the field for 7 years and all of a sudden he wants to buy a bunch of expensive new clothes for just work ( makes he’s color coordinated which is different) he puts cologne on (wouldn’t be weird if in the whole 12 years of being with him him he never did that before going to a labor job), wants to get tatted up out of no where (I love tattoos, i have multiple and so does he) he wants to go get scheduled to get his chest and neck tattooed. Wants designer clothes just really materialistic out of no where with a big ego. Doesn’t spend much time with the kids anymore.. Never was like him before this job which started in February. He gets really mad anytime I bring her up in any way that’s not lifting her up. He praises her when he knocks everything I do. He lets her be as late as she wants everyday, definitely not like him. I have PTSD and ADD, not sure if I’m rationally thinking or not that’s the worst part of having this crap. I feel like at this point, I’m in the wrong for looking. I had a wake up call from this situation that I needed to do more for him. I can say our relationship has been strain for a long time. Since this situation it has been going a lot better, but just this co-worker girl. Am I going crazy y’all? Is he flirting, or you think somethings going on? Reddit I know you guys got my back 🩷

Just a small post to celebrate that I'm on holiday, and haven't had to fight hard to not drink! I'm in Canada, and me and my partner enjoy going to the big stores (because we don't have massive ones at home like Walmart etc). We walked through an aisle which at the start had a large selection of beers, and one of my favourite drinks used to be IPA's. Me and my brother would go to this small local shop which stocked rotating and random beers, and pick up a few we'd never tried before. We'd then have a wonderful evening with them. (He's super supportive by the way).
Anyway, I had those thoughts, but rather than a big ache or having to "fight", I managed to just accept the feeling! Even called over my partner and pointed out a Passionfruit IPA (she knows I love passionfruit). She said "I know, sweet. I'm proud of you." and we moved on.
IWNDWYT!

Getting an iPhone in India is basically a huge deal for an individual. It involves a lot of financial planning and timing to get the latest iPhone. I come from a middle-class Indian family and I am no different. When Apple released the iPhone 14 Pro series with the Dynamic Island, I was really into it. But, working as a tech writer and having the knowledge that Apple would add the same to the lower-end iPhone 15 models, I waited a year, and Apple did add the Dynamic Island to the lower-end iPhone models in 2023.
As I was already planning to get the iPhone 15, I had saved for it. Hence, without a second thought, I got the device in October 2023. It was a blue iPhone 15 and it was a big deal for me!
Fast forward to February 2024, I was going on a planned trip to Kasol with my friends. We had to catch a train from Sealdah, Kolkata, and to get there, we planned to take a local train to Sealdah station. So, we got to our nearest local station and were waiting for the train. During that whole waiting time, a person was standing right next to us and was fiddling with his phone but also giving questionable looks to us.
The train finally came and if you are an Indian, you would know the amount of struggle that one needs to go through to get on a packed local train. We all had rucksack backpacks and went through the struggling ordeal to simply get on the train. That was not all! During the whole ride, I could not move anywhere or any body part due to the sheer amount of people surrounding me.
When we reached Sealdah, our final station, I got down with my friends. Then, my mother called my girlfriend's phone to check on us and told her that she could not call me as my phone was switched off. I thought that my phone was not switched off and should be right in my pocket. I went on to check my pocket only to find out that it was gone! It most probably was the guy who was giving the looks to us when we were waiting for the train.
Naturally, I started panicking big time and went straight to the Railway Police station nearby to report it. By the time we filed a report, our main train left the station and as a result, our entire trip was canceled. Without a phone in my hand and after having a dreadful day, I went back home.
Find My [The Savior]
Now, as my girlfriend also had an iPhone 11 and was a part of the Apple Family plan, I used it to put the stolen iPhone 15 in Lost Mode via the Find My app. I checked the location of the phone in Find My and it showed a station that falls between our local station and Sealdah.
My aunt is in the police force, so I informed her about the stolen device. She told me that as it is an iPhone, it would be difficult to locate its position. However, she got the IMEI slots of the device blocked and said that if anyone puts a SIM card in it and tries to use it, the device will be marked. Only then the police could locate the user and grab him.
I knew that no one would be able to unlock it and put a SIM to use it. Apple has some great security features that prevent thieves from accessing personal information stored in an iPhone. Hence, I was sure that he would never be able to unlock or reset the device.
Someone once told me that stolen mobile devices are taken to Bangladesh and sold in black markets. If the mobile devices are locked, they even open up the parts and sell them individually.
Days went by and there were no updates about the phone, neither from the police nor from Find My. As I work with iPhones and as it was so dear to me, I broke an FD to get another iPhone 15 in the meantime. I also closed the EMI for the previous device with the same and accepted the situation.
Now, a few weeks ago, the stolen iPhone 15 started pinging locations in Find My on my iPhone. In the meantime, my girlfriend also got an iPhone 15 and started checking the Find My app obsessively on her device to track its locations daily. Some days it showed multiple locations, and some days it was stagnant.
The more regular locations from where the iPhone was pinging were near a place called Canning. The place is known as the "Gateway of Sunderbans" and is one of the biggest crime hubs. If you search for Canning on YouTube or Google, you will get a gist of it.
Citing the last known location of the iPhone showing Canning station, I and my partner went there one day despite the risks, dangers, and warnings. Although we did not get any further location updates that day, we scoured around the place but did not talk to anyone. While returning home disappointed, we stopped by the police station there to let them know about the situation.
The next day, the iPhone showed multiple locations near the city of Kolkata, though none of them were much closer to my home. However, the day after that, my girlfriend woke me up in the morning to show that the phone was pinging a location that was very close to my place. Not only that, the phone pinged the same location thrice since she started checking the Find My app. So, I immediately got up and went to the location.
It was in a place called Dover Lane (Kolkata), near a residential tower and a hotel. I went there, parked the car, and started hovering around the place, trying to locate the person who we suspect stole the phone. During that time, the phone pinged the location once or twice, and at one point, it even showed that the device was "With You" in Find My.
I stood at the location for four hours and tried to spot the suspect. During that whole time, I kept the Find My app open on my current phone to aid the stolen device ping the location. However, it showed location was updated 3 hours ago.
Hopelessly, I sat in my car, thinking of returning home without the device. Just then, I saw this guy with a red t-shirt passing by my car. He looked like a young migrant worker or a daily laborer. His t-shirt was a bit torn and his pants were pretty dirty. I don't know why I looked at him in the first place but that is when I saw him take a phone out of his pocket.
"Is that a pale-blue colored phone?" Yes. He turned on the screen. "Is that the iPhone's Dynamic Island?" Yes! "Why is he on a setup screen?" I have no idea!
Right at that moment, I check the Find My app. After 3 hours, the location was finally updated and the "With You" tag was back. I hurriedly got out of my car and followed the guy for a few meters. He stopped at a local shop to get a beedi. Just when he was about to light it, I went up to him and said "Show me your phone, brother!". He answered, that there was no balance to make a call. I said that I didn't want to make a call.
"Just give the phone. I want to see it once!", I said. He immediately got it out and handed the device. During my usage, I once dropped the iPhone 15 and that made a tiny dent on the chassis, just above the screen. I checked for it, and it sure was there!
I grabbed the phone tight and said "Let's go to the police, kid!" Bewildered, he said, "That is not my phone, I got it from a friend! My own phone was stolen a few days ago and my friend gave this to me for the time, until I get a new one. If you want to go to the police, I sure can but believe me I did not know that this phone was stolen."
Now, it is worth noting that this guy was not the guy who we suspected stole the device. He was 25-28 years of age. This guy was just 18! He was still a kid.
I asked him where does he live and what does he do for a living. He said that he lives near Canning and works as a housekeeper in the city. Then I asked him, you cannot use this iPhone whatsoever, it is in the setup-screen and is showing locked to owner, so what exactly are you doing with this device? He said that when my friend gave it to me, I liked this phone. So whenever I leave the house, I carry it around just for "fancy"!
We knew that if we took him to the police, they would lock him up and beat him. The kid was just 18. So, after taking his name, address, and father's name, we let him go!
I emailed the GRPS at Sealdah where I first filed the FIR that I got the phone back.
To be honest, I had zero hopes of getting back the stolen iPhone, and that too with Find My. But thanks to my girlfriend who never lost hope and also motivated me to try and retrieve the device.
After all this, I have a newfound respect for Apple's Find My network and am surprised that it works so very well. It is one of the most underrated features of an iPhone that more people need to appreciate.
So, that is my iPhone story. If you ever lose your iPhone or have it stolen, do not, I repeat, DO NOT underestimate the power of Find My, and above all, never lose hope!

Okay so I (15f) kinda dislike my cousin (17f) who we'll call Willow, because of what shes done to me in the past.
When we were kids (think like 7 and 9) she and i would always race with me to get the best spot at the lunch table. No big deal. Until she started shouting at me for being faster than her and getting to sit in that spot. She scared me a lot.
She also forced me to watch shows, that i'm pretty sure were for 16+ audiences, where there were cops and ambulanced and everything that comes with hospitals (i cant really say anything too specific because of the the rules)
She wouldnt let me out of the room until the episode was finished. I remember at one point just breaking down crying because the ambulance series horrified me.
The breaking point came when I was maybe 9 and she 11-12. It was someones birthday and we where all at her house. We kids decided to go play hide and seek. So it was me, Willow, her brother,her friend and two other kids. all of them ranging from the ages 11-16.
They took me to the courtyard of an old church and told me to go and hide while laughing about something. So i did that, but when after maybe half an hour it was getting darker and darker and i couldnt hear their voices anymore, i started getting scared. I went out of my hiding spot and sure enough: nobody was there anymore.
Now picture this: a scared, almost hysterical, 9-year-old in the courtyard of a church where we weren't even allowed to be, with no phone, only a basic idea about where i was and it was already quite dark. I've since gone back to the church and turns out we really were trespassing.
They actually abandoned me there. Now i realise that they were laughing about me trusting them not to abandon me.
I somehow found my way to the main road from which i knew the way back to Willows house. But it still took me maybe half an hour, in which it was now completely dark.
When i got back the adults were surprised to see me back alone. They questioned me where the others were but i just lied and told them they'd dropped me off before going off to the next playground. I was already terrified of what would happen when they returned home and saw me there. I really didn't wanna get into more trouble with Willow than necessary.
Fortunatly we left before the others returned and that was the end of that story. No one mentioned anything about that night ever again. I hope i gave them a good scare when they realised i was nowhere to be found in the courtyard.
Now i often simply refuse to speak to her more than i have to. My mother is very confused about this and says i should let go of the past (she knows about the outbursts and shows) but whenever i look at her i see the bully she used to be. Mother says i have no reason to dislike her because she was still a child who didnt know better. I think i might be in the wrong because i cant let go of something that happened over 7 years ago
So am i the AH for disliking her?

My boyfriend and I have been in an 8-year relationship, with the last 3 years being long-distance. He moved to another country for ‘our better future’. During the time he was deciding whether to move, I told him he should decide on his own, as I couldn't go with him due to needing to finish my university studies here, including my Master's degree. It's worth noting that when he was deciding to leave, we didn't know I would need to finish my Master's degree here in my home country, this realization came later in my career, making it the best option for me to complete it here. My main concern about him moving for his Master's degree was that he received a scholarship for it, as it was expensive, but as it is the situation and politics in our country there was a risk that maybe he should return all money back(it is a very large sum of money for us, which if we should return it it will cause very big financial issue and time to pay for it). The Master's degree wasn't crucial for his career; he needed it only to have a chance to move to a better country. My suggestion was for him to work in our country (he already had work here regarding his profession ) while I finished my studies, then decide together about moving. However, I didn't push this option on him; I just mentioned it once and let him decide, considering the pressure he had from his parents that he should move from our home country and I didn’t want to make mess in his head. So, I told him to decide, and he chose to take the risk and move for his Master's degree.
So, to summarize, this is why we are in a long-distance relationship.
I'll focus on the most recent situation that occurred. He decided to come here for our Easter vacation and stay for 10 days. I live and work in a different city from our city where our parents live. He arrived on a Friday and went directly to his parents' place, which was fine by me, as I planned to join him on Saturday evening to be in our city for Easter Sunday. On Saturday night, we went out with friends to a party. On Easter Sunday, we had lunch/dinner with both our parents, as we usually do every year. Normally, we start with his parents and then go to mine. However, this year, due to my mother's work commitments, I suggested we visit my parents first and then his. Every year, we start around 1-2 p.m., but this year he wanted to come earlier, around 11-12. I told him no, that we will start like every other year and he agreed with it. When he arrived, he ate less than usual, claiming he didn't want to eat too much because we should eat later at his parents house too. Every other year we would stay with his parents till 7-8pm and after that visit my parents for dinner, but this year, around 4:30 p.m., he said it was time to go because his parents were hungry. I didn't say anything and went along with it, not wanting to cause a scene.
The next day, Monday, I went back to my city, while he stayed with his parents. Again I was totally okay with this because on Tuesday night, I returned to his city, and he came to my city for a drink on Monday night.
On Wednesday, we went for drinks and spent time together. I planned to leave that night, but I decided to stay one more day and work from home next day because I knew he wanted to stay longer.
On Thursday night, we left his city, and he came to stay with me.
We came in my city Thursday night but didn’t have much time and went to sleep. On Monday, was my birthday. He mentioned since Saturday that he wanted to leave to see his parents. I was okay with that. Monday morning(my birthday), I suggested we grab coffee, but he said he wanted to visit his parents first and return when my work finished. I explained I didn't have much work to do since I wait for them to send me some files so i can work on my task and that I would be bored all day, but he insisted on seeing his parents before leaving the country and he said to be that he feel guilty that will leave me on my birthday to be bored but that he will be here till my finish work hour. At 5 p.m., I texted him asking when he planned to leave so for him to drive to my city, and he replied in an hour, which between this two cities he needs 40minutes for driving meaning he would arrive around 7:40 p.m. I was upset because I had been at home all day, so I told him not to bother coming as I will make plans with friends to go out for a drink instead of waiting whole day for him and being bored at home. for my birthday.He realized I was upset and said he was coming anyway, but I went out with my friends. When I returned, he was at my home with flowers, but I was already upset. He tried to talk to me sweetly, but I asked him to leave me alone. I told him he had ruined my day, and he got defensive, saying I was spoiled and only thought about myself. He said that he had parents and brother which he wants to see, that is not only me in his life. I understand that but he was 7days in their city from 10 days stay in our country…
So, am I wrong for feeling this way? All I wanted was to spend my birthday peacefully together, considering our long-distance relationship. Did I overreact?

Hello, everybody! I'm here with my story about an ongoing series of ransom emails I've been receiving. I'm not scared as they are obviously fake, I'm more between entertained and curious.
Let's start from the beginning. I received an email having the low-effort password I use for non-important sites as a subject. The body is a copypasta in German, only having my password, my email address, the amount to pay and the address where to send the money as the customized parts, written in bold. The text, for whoever is curious enough to analyze this absurd story in depth, is the "Hallo, mein perverser Freund" one.
To summarize the content, this self-declared Big Brother or the All-Seeing Eye ("Big Brother oder das alles sehende Auge nennen") claims to have installed an unspecified trojan on an unspecified device of mine, and with that they recorded me pleasuring myself to highly controversial videos using the webcam. They ask for €1200 in Bitcoins with a 48h deadline to stop them from sending those videos to all my email contacts as well as uploading them online.
What's ludicrous about that, aside from how generic the claim is in order to be a little credible for any victim, is they claims they gained access to all my devices by hacking one. In my case, that's even more comedic as my laptop has a killswitch for the webcam (meaning it always had a black piece of plastic obscuring it, since I never use it), while my phone is an Asus Zenfone 6, which has no front camera (the rear camera flips over when you need one). They have been really unlucky with me. Also, How can they film what I've supposedly been watching while engaging in self eroticism with my front camera?
Other criticalities are: I have no contact in my email account, nor in any application I use it with. That's not how people use emails in 2024, unless it is a business account. Plus, they claim the password they displayed as the mail's subject is my email account password. No, it is not. It is just the zero-effort password I used on some websites that have been breached (eg Linux Mint Forums and the defunct Linux Forums among the others) back in 2018-2020 (they sure took their sweet time to decrypt an all-lowercase 10 letter password).
Also, they say they sent the mail form a temporary account. They did not. They used a regular hotmail account, which has been pwned too (the poor sap, which has the misfortune of having a physical address linked to his email address on a google-able website, used the same password for his email and a website that suffered a data breach). They say, judging from my conversations, people think I'm a decent person. I have no human conversations in my email. Just notices of new replies on forums etc.
To get to the title of my post, let's skip to 3 days later (oops, more than 48h). I received another email. This time in English. This time, apparently from my own address (I suppose it is to show they really have access to my email account), even if it doesn't show in my "Sent" folder (if they want to convince me they have access to my account, they shouldn't delete it from there, I think). They say they approved "a new payment schedule" for some random practice number never mentioned before. This time, they talk about Pegasus. I'm honored to know they used a spyware that costs millions of dollars for each license, and that the DEA refused to use because of its high price, on me. Luckily for me, either they are a different party, or they lowered their price. This time, they ask for $850 dollars. I suppose they don't know much about leverage.
Anyway, I opened the email's header. They were lazy enough to modify the "from" field, but not the "return-path" one. What puzzled me? This field appears to be an administrative address belonging to a private-owned Spanish online university. I have to admit I don't know much about informatics, and I can't tell if that grants the fact that was the true sender behind the fake self-sent email. But the hypothesis alone has me in stitches. Please help me uncover this mystery.
Thank you for your attention!

I turn 18 soon and seeing all these people that i’ve known since elementary school become shells of themselves upsets me in a way i can’t explain. After highschool, there’s no more of this. No more hanging out after school, no more going to each others houses, no more stupid laughs. After this, we won’t know each other. I’ll probably enter a supermarket and see one of my old classmates working the cashier. These people that i’ve known for actual YEARS have become either such evil evil people or become someone that I have longed to be when I was smaller.
The feeling of seeing all your online childhood games lose their spark or shut down just hurts me so much. Little Big Planet servers were shut down a couple months ago, and I can’t be more disappointed. Minecraft, despite its still huge platform, has become something unrecognizable. You see all these new updates and mods and textures and you think… Wow. Nobody over the age of 14 remembers the Lite on the app store, or the tutorial worlds, or the mini games, or the old soundtrack. The sense of community that I got from all of these different games is just… Gone. All this love and care that went into all of our favorite games are now being forgotten.
I yearn to be small again. I yearn to be careless. I don’t want to adult. I made a playlist on spotify that captures me and my older brother’s childhood. If you want to give it a listen, i’ll give you all the link :)

I turn 18 soon and seeing all these people that i’ve known since elementary school become shells of themselves upsets me in a way i can’t explain. After highschool, there’s no more of this. No more hanging out after school, no more going to each others houses, no more stupid laughs. After this, we won’t know each other. I’ll probably enter a supermarket and see one of my old classmates working the cashier. These people that i’ve known for actual YEARS have become either such evil evil people or become someone that I have longed to be when I was smaller.
The feeling of seeing all your online childhood games lose their spark or shut down just hurts me so much. Little Big Planet servers were shut down a couple months ago, and I can’t be more disappointed. Minecraft, despite its still huge platform, has become something unrecognizable. You see all these new updates and mods and textures and you think… Wow. Nobody over the age of 14 remembers the Lite on the app store, or the tutorial worlds, or the mini games, or the old soundtrack. The sense of community that I got from all of these different games is just… Gone. All this love and care that went into all of our favorite games are now being forgotten.
I yearn to be small again. I yearn to be careless. I don’t want to adult. I made a playlist on spotify that captures me and my older brother’s childhood. If you want to give it a listen, i’ll give you all the link :)

I recently went through my mums bookshelf (18) and found 7 D novels, 2 autobiographies. These are Notes From The Underground/The Double, The GambleBobok/A Nasty Story, Uncles Dream and other stories, Poor Folk and other stories, House of the dead, and Netochka Nezvanova.the bios are Dostoevsky & the novel and the Undiscovered Dostoyevsky.
I'm not sure if this counts as a "shallow" question but with all this choice i was wondering if anyone has opinions on these books, or suggestions for what i should read next? Iv'e combed through some research and reviews on this subreddit for some of them but its a big decision considering the amount of books and i thought it would be nice to foster some conversation, especially if anyone has anything to say about the novellas, or the "deeper cuts" :>
Ps. I got her a two pretty cloth bound copies of Brothers Karamazov and C+P this mothers day and she loved them! Im not planning on reading those until i get paperbacks though because i don't want to ruin her fancy books, and also planning on reading supplementary material before the big BK.

So for some backstory, I'm 13 year old boy and the entitled sister is 11. I have 3 sisters in total and I live a decent life. We have lived in Singapore all our lives.
Now this insanity has been going on for a few months now. So, my sister, who I'll call Emmy(thats not her real name), is literally always being a little spoiled by my parents. For instance, once I was studying for an examination and she wouldn't let me focus. Guess what? My parents took her side and scolded me. Another time, Emmy was being an absolute hypocrite, saying that we don't love each other when we always expect something in return. Guess what? She does that like even more than the rest of us combined. Anyways here's the thing. She has a habit of making small things into humongous deals. No early bedtime sine I need to do work? "DADDY! DADDY!" she goes over to my parents' room and starts whining about how her precious sleep being delayed like 30 min is going to ruin her life or something. Like she's always trying to get whatever she wants out of my parents and acts like she is supposed to have the authority over everyone in our house. Once, she blew up at our maids for not cooking what she wanted. Literally, she cried and screamed. Now, I have enough pain going to my insanely stressful school, and the last thing I need is for a jerk like her running around. Like, I know that I'm supposed to be the good big brother but she is making that impossible. Oh, and she actually has the nerve to ask me for help with her work sometimes.
So anyway, I've been putting up with this for a few months now, I remember another thing that she did. So I'm minding my own business, she comes in and asks for a favor. Now she has a habit of never helping people, and when she does she does the minimum effort required, So I'm like, what do I get in return? At hearing this, she starts crying and wailing about why we don't care for each other and that we're family, blah blah blah and starts complaining. At this point, I'm like excuse me, do you know that ur the one who does that the most, and always goes to daddy unless you get your way? I've met some people ike that, but she is on another level.
So Am I A Jerk for being mad? I have no idea what to do and am seeing counselors and psychologitts but it feels like life is closing in on me from every direction and I just feel so helpless

Im an introvert. I enjoy the company of my own family. My only friends are my brother’s wives but even they are considered as family. I hate small talk. I can’t keep a conversation going. I’m super quiet around people I don’t know.
My husband is the total opposite. He’s a big time extrovert. He can pretty much talk the shits with anyone he meets. He can talk for days!!!! He’s a big ball of energy.
So when he brings his friends or co-workers over, I have to muster up energy to be around them. Tbh I down a couple drinks to help me interact. Is anyone else like this? Do you need to be intoxicated to help relieve anxiety around people?

70's Alt Rock -King Crimson-Lark's Tongue In Aspic
80's Alt Rock - Talking Heads-Remain In Light
90's Alt Rock- Nirvana- Never mind
2000's Alt Rock-The Strokes-Is This It
2010's Alt Rock Tame Impala-Lonerism
Alt Country -Wilco-Summerteeth
Alt Hip Hop-MF Doom- Mad villainy
Art Rock-Dark Side Of The Moon-Pink Floyd
Brit Rock- The Clash- London Calling
College Rock-REM-Murmur
Emo Rock-My Chemical Romance-Welcome To The Black Parade
Experimental Rock-Swans-To Be Kind
Goth-The Cure Disintegration
Grunge- Soundgarden-Superunknown
Hardcore Punk- Black Flag- Damaged
Heavy Metal-Black Sabbath-Paranoid
60's Hard Rock-Led Zeppelin I
70's Hard rock-Led Zeppelin-Physical Graffiti
80's Hard Rock- AC/DC-Back In Black
90's Hard Rock-Nirvana-In Utero
2000's Hard Rock-Queens Of The Stone Age-Songs For The Deaf
2010's ˙Hard Rock- Tool-Fear Inoculum
Indie Rock-Joy Division-Unknown Pleasures
Indie Folk-Big Thief-Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You
Lo-Fi-Neutral Milk Hotel-In The Aeroplane Over The Sea
New Wave-Elvis Costello-This Year's Model
Progressive Rock- Tool- Lateralus
Punk- Ramones-Rocket To Russia
pop punk-Green Day-Dookie
Post Punk- Wire- Pink Flag
Shoegaze-My Bloody Valentine-Loveless
Blues-Nina Simone-Sings The Blues
Blues Rock-The Rolling Stones-Sticky Fingers
Avant Garde- Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band-Trout Mask Replica
Baroque Pop-The Beach Boys-Pet Sounds
Symphonic Rock-Moody Blues-Days Of Future Past
Comedy/Novelty album-Adam Sandler-They're All Gonna Laugh At You
Stand Up Comedy-George Carlin-Back In Town
Americana-The Band-The Band
Bakersfield Sound-Buck Owens-Best Of Buck Owens
Bluegrass-Old & In The Way-That High Lonesome Sound
Outlaw Country-Willie Nelson-Redheaded Stranger
Classic Country-Johnny Cash-Live At Folsom Prison
Country Rock- The Flying Burrito Brothers-The Gilded Palace Of Sin
Dance/Club-LCD Soundsystem- This Is Happening
Christmas /Holiday Album-Vince Gauralidi-A Charlie Brown Christmas
EMD/Techno-Burial-Untrue
Ambient-Brian Eno-Music For Airports
Electronic Rock-Radiohead-Kid A
Space Rock- Spiritualized- Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space
Synthpop-Depeche Mode-Violator
Synthrock- New Order-Power, Corruption and Lies
Industrial-Nine Inch Nails-The Downward Spiral
Krautrock- Can-Tago Mago
Folk-Bob Dylan-The Freewillin' Bob Dylan
Folk Rock-Bob Dylan-Blood On The Tracks
Southern Rock-The Allman Brothers Band-At Fillmore East
80's Hip Hop-The Beastie Boys-Paul's Boutique
90's- Hip Hop Wu-Tang Clan-Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)
2000's Hip Hop-Outkast- Stankonia
2010's Hip Hop-Kendrick Lamar-To Pimp A Butterfly
2020's Hip Hop-Run The Jewels-RTJ 4
East Coast Hip Hop- Nas- Illmatic
West Coast Hip Hop-NWA-Straight Outta Compton
Southern Hip Hop-Outkast -Aquemini
Midwest Album-Kanye West-My Dark Twisted Fantasy
Trap-Travis Sott-Rodeo
Instrumental Hip Hop- DJ Shadow- Endtroducing....
Indie Pop-Belle And Sebastian-If You're Feeling Sinister
Noise Rock-Sonic Youth-Daydream Nation
Post-rock- Godspeed! You Black Emperor-Lift Your Skinny Fist Like Antennas To Heaven
Acid Jazz- Medeski ,Martin, and Wood -Shack-Man
Trip Hop -Portishead- Dummy
Gospel -Aretha Franklin-Amazing Grace
Christian- Sufjan Stevens -Illnoise
Jazz-Miles Davis-Kind Of Blue
Avant Garde Jazz-Ornette Coleman-Shape To Jazz To Come
Swing/Bebop-Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers-Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers w/Thelonious Monk
Jazz/Fusion-Miles Davis-In A Silent Way
Jazz Rock-Miles Davis-Bitches Brew
Jazz/Funk-Herbie Hancock-Head Hunters
Jazz/Rap-A tribe Called Quest-The Low End Theory
Latin- Los Lobos-Kiko
Speed Metal/Thrash- Metallica- Master Of Puppets
Black/Death Metal-Deafheaven-Sunbather
Symphonic Metal-Haken-The Mountain
Glam Rock -T.Rex-Electric Warrior
Hair Metal-Guns N Roses-Appetite For Destruction
New Wave Of British Heavy Metal-Iron Maiden- Number Of The Beast
Sludge-Electric Wizard- Dopethron
Nu Metal-Korn-Korn
New Age-Popol Vuh - Hosianna Mantra
Pop-Prince-Sign O' The Times
60's Pop- The Beatles-Revolver
70's Pop- Carole King-Tapestry
80's Pop- Peter Gabriel-So
90's Pop-Madonna-Ray Of Light
2000's Pop-Madonna-Confessions On A Dance Floor
2010's pop-Robyn-Body Talk
2020's Pop- Perfume Genius-Set My Heart On Fire
Adult Contemporary- Billy Joel-The Stranger
Europop- ABBA- Arrival
Latin Pop-Ruben Y Seis Del Solar-Buscando America
Dance Pop-Dee-Lite-World Clique
Dream Pop- Mazzy Star-So Tonight I Might See
Power Pop- Weezer-Blue Album
R&B- Marvin Gaye-What's Going On
60's R&B-Aretha Franklin-I Never Loved A Man The Way I Loved You
70's R&B- Stevie Wonder- Songs In The Key Of Life
80's R&B- Janet Jackson- Control
90's R&B Album- Lauryn Hill-The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill
2000's R&B- D'Angelo-Voodoo
2010's-R&B-Beyonce-Lemonade
2020's R&B- SZA-SOS
Disco-Donna Summers-Bad Girls
Doo Wop- The Chantels- We Are The Chantels
Funk-Funkadelic-Maggot Brain
Motown- Marvin Gaye-Let's Get It On
Neo-Soul-Erykah Badu-Baduizm
Psychedelic Soul- Curtis Mayfield-Curtis
Soul-Aretha Franklin-Lady Soul
Reggae-Bob Marley- Exodus
Ska-The Specials-The Specials
Swing Revival-Big Bad Voodoo Daddy-Big Bad Voodoo Daddy
Rock N Roll-The Rolling Stones-Exile On Main Street
Acid Rock- Jimi Hendrix- Are You Experienced
Arena Rock-Boston-Boston
Cock Rock-Van Halen I
Math Rock-Slint-Spiderland
Stoner Rock-Kyuss-Welcome To Sky Valley
Jam Band- Grateful Dead-American Beauty
SingeSongwriter- Neil Young-Harvest
Surf Rock-The Beach Boys-Shut Down Vol II
Soft Rock/Yacht Rock-Steely Dan-Aja

Episode Description

Simba leaves Kiara in charge of the Pride Lands while he, Nala, and Zazu go to Kilio Valley to attend a funeral for an old elephant friend named Amanifu who has just died. Upon learning this from Mzingo, Janja decides to take advantage of Kiara's inexperience and comes up with a plan to take over the Pride Lands. Meanwhile, Simba is nervous about performing his eulogy in front of the elephants, including Aminifu's daughter, Ma Tembo.
Song: "Duties of the King" sung by Simba and Zazu

Pros
-First off, I like the sibling dynamic in this episode, as somebody with a similarly aged older brother. Kion and Kiara's relationship has resonated with me, the way they have off days and arguments, but, obviously love each other and make it out strong in the end. I, for one, do not hate Kiara in The Lion Guard, and Kion gives her the same attitude she gives him in early episodes. I like watching their relationship go through ups and downs throughout Season 1.
-I know the opening scene, where Kiara and Kion are fighting over a tree to sharpen their claws is quite intense, because they would've probably gotten into a scuffle if Simba hadn't showed up when he did, but, that is siblings for you sometimes. I feel like anyone who's got siblings of your own can relate, at least a little bit, to that scene.
-I like the plotline of Kiara and Kion's sibling rivalry stemming from their roles in leadership. Kiara is clearly a reflection of her father, when he was a cub, which is interesting and so, she thinks that being the Future Queen is really swell and makes her the alpha, and Kion (who is no better than her) thinks that being Leader of the Lion Guard makes him more important than her. I like this mechanic in this episode. It makes me want to know if Scar felt the same way about Mufasa. I mean, Kion was obviously not resentful of Kiara, unlike Scar, but I wonder if a similar thing happened with the two brothers except, in this case, it drove Scar to insanity and wanting to murder Mufasa.
-Now let's talk about Kiara being left in charge of the Pride Lands (I mean, I do think the main conflict of the episode was Simba's fault, but we'll get to that later). So, I like the fact that Kiara is nervous about ruling the Pride Lands, even for a brief period of time. I like this because for one thing, she's still only a cub at this time, so, she's entitled to be nervous and anxious about being responsible for an entire kingdom. There's a lot of responsibility being placed on her at such a young age, but, she still remained likable, in my opinion. I do like how, in The Lion Guard, she takes her responsibility as Future Queen very seriously. I know this is unpopular to say, but, I headcanon that, as she's grown up into an older cub, she's realised that being queen won't prevent her from being herself, a concern she had at the beginning of TLK 2.
-I do empathise with Kiara, and Kion, because they are both being put into a huge responsibility of looking after the entire kingdom on their own, while all the adults are away from Pride Rock. This is still really early on in Season 1, so Kion is inexperienced as Leader of the Lion Guard, and Kiara only just started her training with Simba, in the pilot episode. I do feel bad at the fact that they have to figure everything without their parents around and I respect them for managing to work out their differences by the end of the episode.
-I really feel bad for Kiara because she gets a lot of crap from people in the TLG community, moreso than Kion does. I feel really sorry for her because people say they hate her for her attitude and that they think she's a self-righteous bitch at the start of the series, but, I don't. Even as a kid, I knew that a lot of Kiara's behaviour in this episode was down to the stress of being left in charge of whole kingdom for a few days without her parents around, while still being a cub at this point. I do really like her and it really upsets when I see people hating on her. I don't think Kiara really means to be controlling in this episode, she's just trying to do right by her father while he's gone.
-I like the fact that Kiara is really hesitant and nervous to have a huge weight on her shoulders, a role she was previously really excited to fulfil in the pilot episode. When Simba asks this of her, she's understanding feeling a lot of pressure to make him proud. I like the fact that Simba admits to her that he was also nervous about becoming king the first time. I like this because we only saw the side of him that was cocky, overconfident and optimistic about becoming king. I like the fact that she was nervous and that he decides to be upfront about it.
-Kiara still remained a likable character to me throughout this episode. I like how she starts out as nervous and how her confidence is slowly building up nicely during the episode. But, she never came off as mean-spirited, to me. Also, it becomes clear that the reason her responsibility goes to her head is because of Tiifu and Zuri's influence on her and the Lion Guard's inexperience and, in this case, plot-convenient incompetence.
-Beshte, "I'm sure she'll be a nice queen." Well, I'm glad at least one of you believes in her. I can't tell you guys how much I love Beshte, always the sweetest soul out of the group.
-Ono, "Thank you for the opportunity, my queen. And you.... err..... my Kion." That line was funnier than it had any right to be.
-Speaking of which, I thought seeing Ono in Zazu's position, temporarily for Kiara was interesting and I think was a great use of his character, outside of being a Member of the Lion Guard. I personally would've been down for more scenes like this. I think a cool send off for Ono would've been to have him be the Royal Advisor to Queen Kiara and King Kovu, in the future. I wish Ono had stayed in the Pride Lands in the series finale and had become Zazu's apprentice or something.
-Bunga, "Your majesty." {bows at Kiara}. Kiara, "Bunga, that's really not necessary." I found that whole interaction surprisingly funny. Also, strong feeling that Bunga has a huge crush on his best friend's sister at this point, and Kiara views him as her friend, nothing more.
-Kiara's plan about the Bees and the Eelands fiasco was actually very smart, and even when I saw this as a kid, I knew that she had a better idea than Kion. Her idea about moving the eelands away from bees' nests is smarter because bees obviously sting when angered. So, Kion was too proud to admit Kiara had the better idea.
-One of the funniest parts of the whole episode for me was Kion saying, "I say we move the bees". Then, the scene cuts to Kion, Beshte, Fuli and Ono running away from a swarm of bees, in terror. I obviously don't want them hurt, but, I just had to laugh because it was so predictable.
-Bunga, "What are you guys running for? Bees taste even better when they're mad!" Accurate behaviour from a honey badger. They can raid beehives without being stung due to their very thick hide and their stink sap.
-When the Lion Guard arrived back at Pride Rock covered in bee stings, if I were Kiara, I'd be laughing in Kion's face at that moment, like "Ha, ha, you were wrong. Only an idiot would decide to move a swarm of bees to a new place." But, in fairness, Kiara was right to be mad at him, in that moment, for his little screw up.
-"It wasn't a total disaster," Kion, while talking to Kiara. Kiara, looks at Fuli and Ono scratching themselves, "Really? It looks pretty total to me." I mean, she does have a point there. In this situation, Kion had everything to gain from taking her advice.
-However, I do like the fact this episode shows that Kiara and Kion are not perfect leaders yet, they're still fairly young and are only just finding their feet, so it's natural for them to have some minor slip ups, that they learn from, like every kid does.
-"Admit it. I was right about the bees and you were wrong." Kion, just admit it and save yourself the embarrassment. Kiara was not being rude to him whatsoever. She was speaking nothing but facts.
-When Kiara talks to Mzingo at Pride Rock, I like the fact that the latter is clearly higher up in the frame because he's the one dominating the conversation and is also the one who manipulates Kiara. I think it's a nice touch where he creepily approaches and blackmails her.
-*laughs "Janja wants peace?" I like the fact that Kiara is clearly sceptical and she's obviously suspicious of Janja's true intentions. I like this because it doesn't make Kiara out to be seriously wayyy too gullible and silly. The fact that was she was suspicious feels more in-line with TLK 2 and makes her decision to believe Janja, partially Kion's fault. Manipulation is also a very powerful tool, especially to done on a semi-young child, like Kiara.
-I like the fact that Mufasa appears to Kion, unprompted in this episode, for the first time in the series. I love this because it feels like Mufasa saw the argument that had just gone down and was like, "Right I need to put an end to this sibling drama before it gets out of hand. I need to make Kion see the error of his ways."
-I actually love the fact that Kiara is, at least partially willing, to give Outlanders a chance for peace. It feels like a nice bit of foreshadowing for her character arc in TLK 2, where she was able to give the Outsider lions a chance to fit in.
-Kion angrily to Tiifu and Zuri, "Ugh! Some advisors you two are!" That was more hilarious than it had any right to be. Because, let's be honest, they were pretty obnoxious in this episode.
-"Get away from the Queen!!!!" I actually love the moment where Kion comes bursting in like a superhero, to his sister's aid. I also love the fact that he calls Kiara his queen, at this point, because he clearly listened to Mufasa's advice, and also because he had felt somewhat responsible for her almost being killed by Janja.
-"Oh we can fight all right!!!" So badass. I personally would've loved to see Kiara fight alongside the Lion Guard. I think it would've been cool to see her help to fight off Janja's clan. I wanted to see what she could do.
-"Six on six..... Forget it!!!!" Yeah, you better run, Janja, you don't stand a chance against all six of these heroic friends. And one of them is a bloody hippo.
-I love Kion and Kiara's closeness at the end of the episode where they make up for their uncivil, squabbling at the start. Kion finally rightfully admits that he should've taken Kiara's advice about the bees and the elands, and Kiara admits that Kion was right about Janja being nothing but trouble.
-Kion, "And I should've listened to you about the bees." Ono, "Oh, sure {rolls his eyes}. Now he admits it." Oh, Ono, you knew all along, but, we love you.
-Kiara and Kion when Simba and Nala arrive home, are really sweet. I love the fact that Kiara wants to be honest about what happened, "Ruling the Pride Lands? It went..." I absolutely love the moment where Kion decides to cover for her and admits that she'll be a great queen, this is an incredibly sweet brother and sister moment. That moment feels like a precursor to the episode "Baboons" and even later "The Trail to Udugu."
-I love the moral of this episode about "being supportive of your loved ones efforts to help, especially when they are wrong," because it applies to both Kiara and Kion in two different situations. Kion was obviously wrong to go against Kiara's advice to move the elands, but, Kiara learned that she should've been more sensitive about that whole situation. But, Kion also learned that if hadn't been so dismissive of her acting queen for a few days and given her his utmost support when she was clearly nervous about ruling the Pride Lands. If Kion and Kiara been more sensitive to each other, then, they would've been able to be in charge of the Pride Lands together instead of arguing. Also, this episode shares another moral, "Communication is key to understanding each other and a successful team." Kiara learns this after Kion saves her and she realises she was wrong about Janja, and Kion learns this when the Lion Guard get stung by bees, and even later when he realises that he was partly to blame for Kiara going into the Outlands, and that if he had been upfront with her instead of outright yelling at her and running out on her, she wouldn't have needed to be rescued. These are two important lessons for kids going through school together, or with siblings and friends.
-Also, Janja is genuinely dangerous and scary in this episode. He traps Kiara in the Outlands to use her as a bargaining chip for Simba or else he and his would eat her. They would've gotten away with it if Kion didn't jump in at the last second. Janja threatened the freaking princess of the Pride Lands! Reason number #50 why he should never be allowed enter the Pride Lands, no matter if he is starving or not, because he clearly cannot be trusted to follow the rules.
-And now I'm finally going to talk about the B-plot of the episode. It wasn't as good the A-plot, in my opinion. I did love the worldbuilding aspect of this episode where we learn that different animals in the Pride Lands have their own customs and traditions that need to be respected. I like the idea of Simba upholding a tradition and it was interesting that he was never trained for it because obviously Mufasa died before he could complete his training.
-I like the idea of Simba, Nala and Zazu going to an elephant funeral. Elephants actually have "funerals" in real life. In real life, if a member of their herd dies, the elephants will crowd around them ceremoniously to pay tribute and they'll collect twigs and branches to cover the fallen elephant to pay tribute, out of respect for them. I love the way its portrayed as a ceremonial funeral in The Lion Guard and that Simba is upholding a tradition. I love the way he has to say it in Elephantese because the idea of the elephants' having a language barrier is a cool worldbuilding element.
-Aminifu is a cool worldbuilding character too who, we're told, played a big part in the Pride Lands' revival and bringing the circle of life into balance. I like to headcanon we was a childhood friend of Mufasa and Scar, and the rest of the Royal Family, and how he go on to be a good friend to Simba, Nala and the rest of Simba's pride. I like to think Aminifu was responsible for all the animals in the kingdom, similar to the Lion Guard, and how his daughter fills that role in Season 2.
-The Elephant Funeral scene looks cool because of how emotional and how heart-wrenching it looks from afar. I like the addition of all the elephants mourning in the background. It was a little dark this early on the series. One elephant hugs Aminifu and looks like their going to cry, another elephant and her calf are crying, while hugging each other.
-I like how you can see shades of Mufasa's death through Simba's voice in this episode, such as, "And now Aminifu has completely his part of the circle of life," and "Well, time for the tribute." I like this because I like to think Simba is obviously nervous about performing a eulogy in front of elephants, but, probably also a bit upset and mourning over his own father's death. I mean, in fairness, he never to give his father a proper send off when he died, so, this probably hit even harder for him.
-I like how this is Zazu's first main character moment in the series and how much of a hard worker and a loyal he is to Simba and Nala, his whole motivation is just to help Simba learn Elephantese properly so he can impress Ma Tembo's herd, during the tribute.
-Nala is such a sweetheart and a loving partner to Simba. I love her because she's pretty much exactly how she was in the original film. She's his loving and supportive wife, and I love the way he gives him moral support when he gets nervous. I love her snarky jab at her husband early on the episode too, by the way, "Worried about Kiara? Or are you worried about your tribute?"
-The song "Duties of the King" was decent enough, I suppose. I mean, it's not my favourite song in the series and I wouldn't be reaching for it. But, I don't hate it. I like the more cutesy, "miscellaneous" animals shown in the background, like the chimpanzees and the porcupines. Plus, it's nice to know that Simba doesn't just sit on his ass all day and that he does important jobs, like he assigns gazelles to their grazing grounds and songbirds to their trees. I love that he presides over aardvark wedding rites and then we saw Muhanga and Muhangus kissing behind some grass. So, I wonder if Simba did in fact, preside over their wedding before this episode. Overall, I like the cute scenes of this song and I like the fact that Simba actually has important stuff to do. I can see why kids would dance around to this song because it's very bouncy and energetic. The beat is fine, but, I don't like Rob Lowe's singing voice as Simba. I think they should've used Cam Clarke all along for The Lion Guard, who actually voices Mwoga the vulture. I don't mind the beat, but, I don't think Simba and Zazu are the best singers, at least in this series, that is. I'll give it a 5/10 because there are worse songs than it.
-Ma Tembo is such a sweetheart in this episode and I love her. She doesn't have a major role in the series as of yet, but, it's still clear in this episode that she has a great relationship with Simba and the Royal Family. I'm glad she had a bigger part in Season 2. I also love her voice actress, Lynette DuPree (R.I.P) and I think she's one of the best in the series. I love how she makes her sound genuinely sad during the procession and then a little bittersweet during the "poop" scene. Also, shout out to the moment where she wraps her trunk around Simba.
-Also, call me childish if you want to, but I actually love it when Simba actually says that Aminifu had "poop on him". I mean, it just gets me because that's not something you'd say at a funeral and the fact that the elephants took it really well and actually laughed hysterically is genuinely hilarious. Like, even his daughter admitted that he had always had faeces on him. It was funny because of how much Simba feels like he screwed up, but, then, the elephants had a really good sense of humour about it.
-Also, this episode makes me wish that at least someone went to the Elephant Graveyard during this series. Maybe Aminifu's funeral could've been there and Simba and Nala would've had to go the place where they almost got killed as cubs or maybe even Kion and the Lion Guard would have to go there. It's such a missed opportunity. Or if Janja went there then maybe he could've learn that Scar betrayed his ancestors long before the events of The Lion Guard. But, speaking of the Elephant Graveyard, I bet Ma Tembo's herd are going to wait for Aminifu to decompose and then carry his remains to the Graveyard because that's something that elephants do if a member of their herd dies outside of their designated area. I like to think that that's what happened after this episode. I just wish they had the funeral in the Elephant Graveyard and we got to see Simba and Nala go there as adults, but, I'm not going to fault this episode for not going in this direction.
-Zazu, "I'm not sure Sire, but, I think you just said he had.... {quietly} poop on him...." Try not to judge me too harshly, but, I just find poop jokes hilarious for some reason, as an adult.
Cons
-First off, I don't like how Kion and Kiara were both dumbed down for the sake of plot-convenience for much of this episode. I get that they're still kids, but, Kion's plans to move the bees instead of the elands was the most stupid idea I've seen in the series. The literally just had an episode where Kion calls out his best friend, Bunga, for making bad decisions and now it's Kion who made a really dumb decision. I mean, that should be bee rescue 101, don't try to move a swarm of bees, they do not like, and the fact that Kiara spells it out for them before this scene, "....if the elands step on the beehives, they'll get stung.... there could be chaos." She's speaking nothing but facts. Kion should've realised that they shouldn't have tried to aggravate the bees. I don't like the fact that he acts cocky and dismissive towards Kiara, when she was so obviously right. However, Kiara was dumb to go into the Outlands alone to see Janja. I mean, I admire her willingness to give strangers a chance for peace, but the fact that she had her suspicions about him and she already knew what he was like, in accordance to the pilot episode, wouldn't she see reason to bring Tiifu and Zuri along for backup.
-I don't like how this episode seems to indicate that Simba favours his daughter over his son. Between the pilot episode and this episode, it seems like he sees Kion as a just a Child Soldier and doesn't actually love him equally. I know it's obviously not through, but, I don't like how he gives off an impression that he has favourites. Parents don't have favourites, unless you're an evil lioness named Zira and you give your youngest son everything, but then treat your eldest son like dirt. But, Simba isn't like that. I don't like how he says "I have faith in you," in such a way that gives off Parental Favouritism vibes. I'm really glad he doesn't have this in any of the later episodes.
-I hate the way the writers tried to do the Kion/Scar and Kiara/Mufasa parallels in this episode. I just don't like it being used as a plot device. The series makes a point to say that Kion is nothing like Scar and how he would never take his anger out on his family and friends. I don't mind Kiara being like her grandfather because he was a great king in his day, but, I don't like how the writers made Kion and Kiara have a similar relationship that led to Mufasa's fall. Also, one thing I loathed early on in the series is the fanart of Kion brutally murdering Kiara in rage, just like Scar murdered Mufasa. I just hate it so much because it would happen since Kiara and Kion have a caring relationship, where they do bicker like siblings tend to do, but, they would never turn on each other.
-I don't like the part where Kiara and Kion were outright malicious towards each other. All the lion cubs in this episode were quite mean-spirited at times. Kion and Kiara for obviously constantly fighting and being horrible instead of admitting to being wrong in certain situations, like the bees and the elands and the Janja situation. Kion is too cocky and overconfident about the bees, for my liking, and Kiara allows Tiifu and Zuri's influence to get her head and ends up believing she's always right. Kion only adds fuel to the fire by yelling at Kiara and then callously running out her instead of being upfront with her about Janja's true intentions. I get that siblings don't always see eye-to-eye on things, but, I don't like Kion and Kiara constantly being scumbags to each other and not giving things a second thought until the end. Mufasa had to be the one to put an end to the "sibling drama".
-Tiifu and Zuri were the worst of all, in my opinion, and I think all of you guys will agree. They were pretty annoying and obnoxious in this episode. They were very disrespectful and condescending towards Kion just because he's not a queen, and they caused Kiara to be disrespectful right back. Kiara doesn't strike me as disrespectful without these two around. I'm glad she actually stands up to them in later episodes rather than being influenced by them. Zuri is my least favourite of the two of them, she comes off as super mean-spirited and bitchy, and Tiifu comes off as domineering and rude. I don't like the way they talk down and belittle Kion and how they throw shade at anyone who believes Kiara is wrong. They act like stereotypical Mean Girls, but, the annoying kind. Plus, they weren't very good friends to Kiara for letting her go into the Outlands alone without a second thought about the fact that it might be dangerous. That doesn't sound like Tiifu. Remember how in the pilot, she was deeply concerned when Kiara was trapped by the gazelles. But, here, the stakes are much higher, and she's up against a much bigger threat and Tiifu and Zuri don't seem to give a damn. I'm glad Kion called them out on this behaviour before leaving. What I wouldn't give for Tiifu and Zuri to be captured by Janja instead, not to get eaten, but just so they can see how dangerous it is. It's episodes like this that make me wonder are they her actual best friends or are they just using her to hang out with the Royal Family. Kiara deserves better than these self-entitled bitches, in my opinion.
-I feel like Kiara should've been the main focus of this episode instead of Kion. I know this only S1 Ep4, but, I still think this should've been a Kiara focused episode, rather than a brothesister episode. I would've been interested to see Kiara take centre stage and the Lion Guard take a back seat. Then, we could've seen more of Kiara's apprehension about becoming Queen and her trying to make all the decisions without Simba around to guide her, and most importantly, see her trying to decide what sort of Queen she wants to be. I would've loved if Kion tried to be supportive of her and tries to help her watch over the entire kingdom, instead of saying "Screw you Kiara, go get herself killed if you want to and my friends hate you." I would've liked to see that explored and maybe have them be a little bit annoyed at each other, but without making them really malicious. Also, have Tiifu and Zuri be in their annoying phase and for Kiara to realise that her "so-called" friends are not being very good friends to her, and have her ditch those bitches at the end of the episode. Then, have Kiara and Kion make some big decision together that really develops their relationship, in the future.
-I don't like how Simba is portrayed for much of this episode. I know, he was mourning the loss of an old friend, but I really don't like angry Simba moments in this series. I don't like the fact that all Zazu was doing was trying to help him practice his eulogy and Simba gets frustrated and roars in his face. I hate it when he throws tantrums, as a full-grown adult lion. I hate the idea of Simba regressing more into his evil uncle as of this series. I know he's not, but, I hate it when acts like it. Zazu, bless him, was just trying to help and Simba took out his rage on him. I do not like it when Zazu has to be the butt of all the jokes. I don't like Simba being a headstrong asshole in The Lion Guard.
-I also don't want to point fingers, but, if Simba hadn't left his semi-young daughter to rule over an entire kingdom for a few days, none of the conflict would've happened if he left Kion and Kiara with a responsible adult, like Rafiki or Basi or someone, just to keep an eye on things. I wouldn't leave kids their age home alone for even a day or more than an afternoon. If they had an adult in Pride Rock with them, the arguing wouldn't have spiralled out of control the way that it did. Also, this makes no sense with Simba's character in TLK 2. This is the same guy who sheltered his daughter the whole time she was growing up and wouldn't even let her explore more than 2ft from Pride Rock or even leave Pride Rock, at another point in the film. In this episode, she's still a cub and he's okay with leaving her to look after an entire kingdom for days on end! Yes, he did show hesitation, but that was after he and Nala had already left the Pride Lands. This episode fails to show just how okay he was with leaving his preteen daughter in charge of the kingdom for a few days with no adult supervision. Also, this episode and the series fails to explain how he regressed back into his over-protective state of mind in the second half of TLK 2.
-A minor complaint I have. This is a very minor nitpick. But, the distance between Kilio Valley and the Pride Lands that was established in this episode is very confusing. This episode implies that the elephants live approximately a two or three day walk from the Pride Lands, enough for Simba to outside of the kingdom, when in other episodes it's actually a part of the Pride Lands, just barely on the outskirts of the kingdom. I also don't get why the writers made it seem like Simba, Nala and Zazu took like a day or less to arrive at the elephants' funeral. There's no indication that they were travelling at night or that they ever slept. However, I understand, the writers just wanted to show some of journey and then transition to the day of the funeral, so I won't fault it to harshly. However, I do wish that the distance between Kilio Valley and the Pride Lands was consistent. This episode makes it seem like that whenever Kion and his friends have to help the elephants, it would take them a whole day to arrive on the scene. But, that's just a small criticism I had with this episode.
Overall
So, overall, I did always thoroughly enjoy this episode. Even as a kid, I could not stand the fact that Kiara got a lot of hate in the Lion Guard Fandom and that loads of people blamed her, just her, for a lot of the drama in this episode. Kion and Kiara shared 50% of the blame each and I think that Kiara is overhated. Anyways, I did like Kion and Kiara interacting like real siblings and slowly learning how to work together, it felt a little bit like a prequel to "Baboons" and "The Trail to Udugu", in that way. I like the lesson about learning to communicate well and to listen to one another and that they were both in the right and wrong, at different points. I liked the loving sibling dynamic at the end and the friendship with all the Lion Guard. I like the sense of family between Simba, Nala, Kiara and Kion at the end. Janja poses as a genuinely threat to Kiara. I think the humour was pretty solid as well and the educational value. I liked the worldbuilding aspect and the elephants' relationship with the lions. Aminifu is a cool headcanon character. The only parts I didn't like were, Tiifu and Zuri were unbearably annoying in this episode and weren't very good friends to Kiara. I don't like them being stereotypical Middle School girls. I hate their disrespect and belittling towards Kion and their toxic influence on Kiara. I didn't like Kiara and Kion's maliciousness at the start or the fact that the writers tried to draw Mufasa/Scar parallels. I don't like angry Simba at all in this series. I hate the fact that he gives off Parental Favouritism vibes in this episode. I don't like the fact that Kion and Kiara were hit with the idiot stick in this episode. Simba and Tiifu and Zuri are kind of at fault for all the drama in this episode. The song was just decent, not the best not the worst. Overall, I'll give this episode a 6.5/10, it's not perfect, but I think it deserves more love in the fandom and I think there are way worse episodes than it.