Insignia on fire company class a uniforms

I’m a 26 year old girl. Eldest daughter in my family. I moved to the US 2 years ago from Africa all by myself. I was running away and escaping severe trauma (still haven’t processed it entirely because it’s so hard to even believe that it happened) sometimes I feel so shocked by it that I have looked into parallel realities and such and what if I am in a coma and I am dreaming this…even two years later lol. At the time it happened, I somehow had a visa to the US on my passport so I made a decision in my dissociated mental state to make a permanent move 8000 miles away where I knew no one, had nothing. It all happened in a matter of two weeks.
All my life I think I had it good. I am not the type of person that wants or needs much, I am easily happy as long as people around me are happy, don’t care for external validation or such (someone that practices in the psychology field has told me that I exhibit autistic traits and this one is heavily one of them: i knew I was neurodivergent but not necessarily for that particular trait)I had a good job, had my bachelors in Software engineering (wasn’t a fan lol), loved, loved, loved my friends and family and just life. I thought it was colorful and pretty but I also always had guilt for having it so good while the rest of the world suffered so I have always had a problem with gratitude.
Growing up, they thought us to practice gratitude by reminding us of how many people lacked basic needs, how many people lacked health etc…and I HATED IT. To me that felt like every time I say thank you to God/source/universe i was thanking “him” for making me “special”, “a chosen one” to be able to have food when other kids didn’t. Even as a kid I asked “I am the same as them though, I did not do anything special to earn it, so why” I didn’t think I didn’t deserve it, i always acknowledged that it was my human right. But it was theirs too. So it felt off. For me gratitude felt like something to practice in extraordinary, like a lottery. Because that is excess, not really a human right. So I could say thank you for something that “special”. Moments of the day that are set apart for gratitude to me were so uncomfortable: a reminder that something bigger than us somehow chooses to nurture me with my basic rights while denying others exactly like me from their basic rights. My heart hurt. In hindsight most adults hated when I challenged them like this. It was as if I was bursting their bubble.
Living in Africa, there isn’t really any middle class. Its either upper or lower. And those two are forced to co-exist together in the same space everyday. You walk out of your mansion and you see someone who hasn’t eaten for 3 days. That’s what shaped my stance on gratitude. I DID feel lucky, but just couldn’t give thanks. It felt I was ignoring the self fortunate. I had always said if there will ever be a day where the world is fair and just and everyone is fed, that will be the day you hear me praise a higher power. (Ik this was long lol I hope the point is clear now, i usually used to be misunderstood on this).
Fast forward to 2022, moving here with only my savings. I reach out to ppl I had known in good faith. I state that I expect nothing from them in terms of welcoming me as I literally popped out of nowhere and I have heard repeatedly the US lifestyle is so busy. Many are shocked by my move, they say they can cosign my apartment for me since I still had paperwork and SSN work being processed and such and some even offer I stay with them for a month or so. Up until that point I have always had such smooth, loving, deep relationships with people with zero to none bad experiences (besides my trauma but I have good practice of being careful to not project, deflect or make society pay for my traumas) so I had zero trust issues at the time. And then begun the hell I have not left to this day.
What I have experienced since then genuinely feels like a movie and writing it here is the first time I am seeing it from an outsider point of view and it feels even crazier. My first ever and only other post on here was my first time that I experienced severe mental and emotional abuse. By someone that knew very well the amount of trauma I went through AND by someone that actually heard I was out here and voluntarily reached out to help. To this day I haven’t gotten an answer for that. I was so in shock but I was in no contact with my family, no friends, having panic attacks by the day. I also immediately got diagnosed with an incurable eye disease that you don’t usually discover until its in the late stages. I spent most of my savings on just the diagnosis stage only for it to be incurable. Meaning, I wont be able to drive anymore.
When I finally escaped from that person, another person that heavily volunteered to help me cosign a place, switched 100% on me the day they signed. They made me watch sexual acts between them and their partner, bodyshamed me in front of men, forced me to host strangers (men) in my home b/c they “co-signed” (didn’t happen, I refused but they put me on blast the next day saying I am stingy), would come to my home unannounced and enter without knocking, having sex on my pillow and let me sleep on it and would just laugh at me the next morning, would send me on errands for their lux activities with only my savings even though they knew I had no job, and just severe mental abuse. I can never get through it all. Even their s/o would say “hey thats too much” to some of the things. To clarify, by co-signing i mean as a guarantor. They have never spent a single cent, not even the co signing fee. I was still in a state of shock and dissociation so I couldn’t stand up for myself. And the fact they offered to be my guarantor just cornered me. The couple of times I tried to they would make sure to say what they did for me and would verbatim say “i will drop you like you don’t exist”. Eventually I walked away. As an eldest hyper independent daughter that has always been scared to accept help but had to unlearn that and for this to have been my first experience of being open to help was beyond traumatizing.
Since then I have just cried every single day, gotten into a lot of debt just to pay rent, bills and food. Sometimes I dont have anything eat for three days and my belly hurts. I used to have longgggg hair, i am basically bald now. I’ve lost 50lbs. I can’t recognize myself in the mirror. I have applied to more than 2000 jobs, but having no Corporate America experience its so hard to stand out in this job market. And for other “regular” jobs, I dont drive due to my eyes and I am not in a walkable city. I go weeks/months without stepping outside/not even seeing sunlight. I am sooo happy to still be housed but this is a complete 180 from the life I had and mentally I am crushed. Not even sure what is making me push. I give myself credit for not falling into “bad” habits and addiction. The few times people have heard me out they suggest I date a “rich” guy because I am a “catch”. That doesn’t feel right to me. Transactional love is just wrong in my eyes. I am a lover girl. I would be able to get back the tangible qualities in my life, true, but at what cost? Another person’s heart? Idk.
I managed to get a retail job near where I live. I was doing well. It barely overed rent but it means I wasn’t borrowing money so it felt good. It belonged to a big corporate and they were struggling with their marketing. I would offer my knowledge since I used to be a marketing manager for a big company back home. I wasn’t doing it to get promoted but I wouldn’t have hated that. I was just happy they gave me a job and this was me giving it my all even in areas that aren’t covered by my role. My managers were terrible at their job but they found my inputs valuable I guess. Guess what they started doing lol….they started giving me their login information to their work accounts and would tell me to “do my thing” while I was sitting in the shop I worked at. I was doing it, I didn’t mind. I thought its just adding to my experience. And one night one of them invited me to their home and gave me soup and bread and butter (I try to clean up well but you can tell I am malnourished). I wasn’t a fan of the food but I ate it because it was a nice gesture. They added one more bread and said in a “sweet” voice “now that’s enough for tonight”. I find out minutes later that the soup and bread was them paying me for doing their corporate job for them that week. The dehumanization I felt is just something else. But I just smirked it off and went and cried at home. (To clarify…they did that bc if they paid me in cash I won’t get taxed and that is just wrong according to them. They are a patriotic American).
Next thing you know. One night I was walking back from work I got assaulted by an old man. The worst trauma so far. Its been 6 months but I haven’t recovered still. The police were called by neighbors and such but he had already left bc i screamed and fought him off when ppl heard started showing up.
Just experiences like this over and over and over. I lost the job bc the shop shut down. Although I am still on their payroll because they want to be able to call me whenever they need my services. Not even sure if that is legal but I am still learning about things out here, I have no guidance, things are sooo different here and that’s probably why I have been taken advantage off so much.
Recently I got into the law of assumption and such bc I am just so so so so tired. I miss my family. I miss food. I miss TV. I miss people and physical touch. I miss not crying every night. I miss feeling protected. I dont feel like an adult i feel like a little girl out in the woods. Two years is a long time to be stuck in this. I never thought I would have debt but here I am. I have so much potential in this world but I feel stuck and so unseen. no one sees me. And when they do they abuse me. Physically, emotionally whatever. I have tried meditating, eft tapping, all of it but that is so hard to do when you are starving. The law of assumption gave me relief. The entire concept of you create your reality made something click in me.
All those years that I empathized with the less fortunate, the people that starved, the unhoused people, me refusing to not identify with them because I didn’t wanna be out of touch….is this a result of that? As someone who has never liked putting blame on others (I try my hardest not to because my focus is change and blaming will never give me the results I want so I usually turn to what can give me change and if that is myself that is such a relief bc the one thing I can change is me) that’s why I loved this LoA thing. But once again I am EXTREMELY tired. I joke with myself sometimes that if my brain was a bladder it would have been out if use a long time ago lol not even sure what I am trying to achieve with this. My phone bill cuts iff tomorrow so I guess this is me trying to maintain connection with the world until further notice.
But truly I am tired. I’m soooo tired. I dont see the light at the end of the tunnel anymore. I’ve fought so hard with zero reward but now I just want to rest. I have tried everything under the sun. What can I possibly do?

Safety Pro family, I need your help. Long story short- current job has an end date as company is changing direction, need a new job.
Option 1- job close to home (10-15 minute drive), lots of benefits (employer is really selling this aspect of the compensation package, although I know I won’t use most benefits), job security, kinda corporate and I expect (based on interview) red tape, bureaucracy, politics and overall not a lot of motivated people. Job comes with option of going down pension path or 401k, this job will have some aspect of flex working (hybrid 1 day a week, or 9/80 schedule or 4/10s, etc. job otherwise has a set schedule (9-5 or similar) with minimal “emergency responses”. Pay is considerably much less than I currently make ($20K+). Raises are based on yearly performance reviews.
Option 2- job further away (commute of roughly 1 hour each way), job will have emergency responses to attend to, job will have travel at times to other cities using a company vehicle, job has some duties that I despise, employer doesn’t have a great reputation with regards to business practices but would be shielded from that as this position is in the corporate office. Compensation is where I am currently and offers a yearly bonus, raises based on annual performance reviews.
Option 3- keep looking.
I do not have any BCSP certs (work schedule was all over the place and never had time), just lots of experience and classes I have taken. I have a good reputation with my work ethic and my resume demonstrates that I am a valuable employee with skills/experience. My area is tough and there are never any jobs around here as it is just not an area with a lot of industry/manufacturing/construction/etc. I cannot move for family reasons.
TIA!!!

Hey peeps, just a heads up as I know many of us are regularly asking about additional teaching platforms and opportunities (to escape from one living hell into another more fucked up version of it). Well, you can avoid further descension into the flames by staying clear of the turds at Lingostar. After teaching with them for some months, they have informed me they are withholding my entire pay for a class taught due to a "severe issue". My egregious offense you may wonder? "Not using enough visual aids during the class". The several visual aids already required to use on the platform (stars, confetti, fist bumps, high fives, stars, etc) are apparently not enough to satisfy these unethical scumbags. The bitch of a mom made the complaint, yet keeps booking classes. The same mom who- big surprise, stuffs her kids mouth with food during each class. There is no hide option from these toxic, robotic fucktards. Ironically, the student showed great progress during the class (somehow) without me displaying my Superman or butterfly visual aids. In summary, don't waste your time with this shit company.

Ok so due to mental illness, was pushed through High school and dropped out of college after multiple attempts. I worked at two jobs my whole life both for under 6 months. And one i got fired from. I have been working on intensive therapy for the last 7 years and have not worked. My symptoms have gotten a lot better, but I am afraid to drive, I'm terrified of strangers, to leave my house unescorted, and to be out in public without someone I trust. It is a problem I have worked on for years in therapy. This is the best I have been in a very long time. Got diagnosed with a Cluster A "Personality Disorder". Paranoia is one of the symptoms
I contact Delaware Vocational Rehabilitation to help me find a job. I had a phone call with a lady that I thought went well, but apparently, i interrupted a lot and was disrespectful somehow, DVR won't give me the details and shuts me down when I try and bring it up. They send me for a Psych Eval. The guy reports back that I am unstable. DVR is reluctant to work with me now. Tell them I need a stay-at-home job that is not a phone job. They tell me there are no stay-at-home jobs and one person has been on a waiting list for over a year looking for one. They strongly encourage me to find another path. I say I will try and get disability.
I try and get Disability. I think I got rejected because I haven't worked enough.
I have no sellable skills, I can't dance, draw, craft things, or sing/play music.
During a psychotic episode that lasted a while, I tanked my credit score. I can't get a loan.
I live with my Mother she supports me and takes care of me financially. But her finances are strained and she can not loan or give me money any more than she already is.
I cannot afford to take classes, even if I could take them all remotely.
I need (at least) a semi-reliable paycheck.
I am also Transgender and want bottom surgery and even with insurance, I am a long way away from being able to afford it. I also want to help my mother financially.
Now I'm not sure what to do next. Honestly, it feels like my best option is to sell pictures of myself. Which I don't feel bothered about doing but I am afraid of hurting future prospects. But also like what future prospects am i protecting really?
I was hoping someone would read this and maybe have some advice on what I should do next? Like is this a fair decision based on my options?

Yes, I get it, for many of us, India isn't the best place in the world. Like any other country, we do have our own issues. However, India is just what I need right now for my mental and physical health.
I spent the last 10 years studying and working in the USA. While USA was great for my academic and professional career, it was not so good for my mental and physical health.
In the last 10 years in USA:

1. I went from 92 kg to 122 kg in weight (Gained 30 kg).
2. Diagnosed with Type-2 Diabetes in 2020.
3. Diagnosed with Schizoaffective disorder (faced symptoms of Schizophrenia + Depression) in 2018. Went through terrible mental suffering for 8 months with hallucinations and delusions. The medicine for schizophrenia led to weight gain.
4. Diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder in 2021. Suffering from depression and mood swings as a result.

I returned to India permanently 3 months ago after my USA work visa expired.
In the last 3 months in Delhi:

1. I walked 10000+ steps every day in a garden near my home in Delhi.
2. I ate healthy, reduced the quantity of my food intake.
3. Cut down sugar and reduced processed foods.
4. Consulted a diabetologist who started me on a weight-loss medication.

In the last 3 months:

1. I have lost 13 kg of weight and now weight 109 kg.
2. My HB1-AC has reduced from 9.5 (January) to 7.2 (May).
3. My sugar levels are back to normal after 10 years.
4. My mental health conditions are much better with medication and therapy.
5. I am happy to be with family again after many long years.

I am also happy to share that I will be starting my new dream job next week which is a staff level data science role at a top US-based company. The job is in Hyderabad and I was able to negotiate a CTC of 48.32 LPA + relocation bonus of 3.5 LPA = 51.82 LPA CTC for 2024 - I have 8 years of work experience in data science & analytics.
I am writing this post to help those who are facing issues or suffering in life, As the Buddha said, there will always be suffering in life. But if we change our attitude towards life, we will suffer in the moment, but we won't suffer forever.
India isn't such a bad place. There are many positive things about this country which we miss out in the daily doom and gloom.
Some Pros of moving back to India from USA -

1. UPI - World’s most efficient contactless system for payments. Personally, I love using this great system.
   
2. Infrastructure in India 🇮🇳 is gradually improving. Examples are an improving road and rail network, Vande Bharat express (world class train), well developed airports, and excellent world class malls in cities!
   
3. You won’t have the stress and pressure of vacating the country in 60 days if you get laid off on H-1B.
   
4. As an Indian citizen, you can vote for whom you choose to (Unlike H-1B).
   
5. As an Indian citizen, you can work in any job role, regardless of your background (Unlike H-1B).
   
6. As an Indian citizen, you can start your own business venture/company! (Unlike H-1B)
   
7. The world’s best food available near you and very affordable!
   
8. Warm weather in most Indian cities.
   
9. Access to better and cheaper healthcare than the USA on average. You can communicate with your doctor through phone calls, which you cannot in USA - it’s an appointment only based system in USA.
   
10. Access to affordable house help for cooking, cleaning, washing and drying clothes.
    
11. Much better hospitality on average in restaurants and hotels.
    
12. Cost of living is much lower than in the USA 🇺🇸.
    
13. Salaries for senior level Tech roles in India 🇮🇳 are great, taking cost of living and Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) into consideration.
    
14. Being close to your culture and spirituality!
    
15. Common people are more welcoming and warmer in India than USA.
    
16. Cheaper higher education than the USA.
    
17. Last but not least, it’s a divine blessing to spend valuable time with our ageing parents who have been separated from us for many years as we were far away in America!
    

Let's take a moment and smell the flowers.
Best :)

(Sorry, this is going to be a longish read)
Arkane were one of my favorite developers out there. Dishonored 1 and 2 are among the best games I´ve ever played and Prey: Mooncrash is an amazingly brilliant little game.
I was looking forward to Redfall the moment I heard of it. Sure, making a multiplayer looter shooter seemed a little odd for Arkane Austin, but I figured innovation and experimentation lies in trying out weird new stuff, and while also not initially sold on the concepts that tie Mooncrash together, after trying it, I have to say it´s mechanically probably the best game they´ve put out so far (despite preferring the art, music and setting of the Dishonored series). So, despite already owning a PS5, I decided to purchase a Series X: I would get all the Dishonored games "for free" on GamePass, plus get to play Arkane´s future exclusives.
When Redfall came out and saw the whole debacle and read the reviews, I was bummed out. I tried the game for 5 minutes, saw it was janky and messy, and figured I wouldn´t ruin it for myself nor ask for a refund. I´ll wait it out: they´ll have to come around and fix it, and once that is done, it still won´t be Arkane´s greatest game, but I´ll try it as a finished product and evaluate it on its own merit. After all, if No Man´s Sky, a game made by 17 people at a tiny company could redeem itself and churn out an at least decent product then surely Arkane, backed by the might and wealth of Microsoft, could at least fix the game... I swore to not touch the game until they fixed it.
And so I waited... for over a year I waited, only to find out there will never be a finished product. They would never deliver on the things they promised. Hell, there would never be an Arkane Austin again... All those brilliant artists and game designers, fired...
So, seeing that finished product would never come, I decided to sit down and play Redfall as it currently stands. To at least see what parts of that Arkane DNA shined through a problematic product. This is my experience with it:
I boot it up, create a new character and start a new game. My first thought is that they seem to have fixed or tweaked the default camera movement. It still doesn´t seem perfect, it still seems a little too fast, but it seems better. Second thought is: wow, the Arkane character design and environmental art is like a cup of hot chocolate. This may be a messy, unfinished, janky game, but it still looks beautiful and the world looks somewhere between cartoon and realistic and brimming with magic and mystery.
I leave the ferry and make my way up towards the fire station. I evade some cultist goons. The stealth seems simplified and a bit silly but I don´t care, I´m enjoying myself. I get to the fire station, shoot up some goons outside. Again, the shooting is pretty simple, not brilliant, but I love the lighting and evironments, I love the little notes I find scattered around. This is nowhere near the MONUMENT that Dishonored 2 is, but it still feel´s like mommma´s cooking. I feel right at home.
I enter the fire station, clear up the various rooms and I´m told there is a vampire down in the basement. I get down there and I can see its shadow projected onto the floor as it devours its prey in an exaggerated fashion as it speaks in a "spooky", campy voice. Lol, so silly, I approach it from behind and fire my shotgun into it. Suddenly it zips to my left, then to my right, I´m searching for it with my flashlight, I realize that even though the game is campy and silly my heart is racing and I´m loving it. The vampire is upon me and I fire several shots into it, hitting a few and missing a few, and then I finally impale it and exhale a sigh of relief.
THIS IS BRILLIANT! I´m gonna tell my friends to download this. I love playing coop and this game may be unfinished and janky but it´s still gonna be a lot of fun!
I take on my first mission and leave the fire station. I think to myself: I need to save! Wait... What?!? I can´t save?!? Oh, right! This is one of those ALWAYS ONLINE games... Arkane Austin was days away from releasing a much requested offline mode but now they never will... Damn...
Ok, so the game will save itself at certain checkpoints... Well, that sucks but let´s roll with it. Let´s try to find those crashed helicopters.
I make my way down the spooky street, past broken-down ambulances and corpes strewn about and then all of a sudden...
I lose connection to the server and I´m back at the main menu...
Shit... I was having so much fun... This broke my immersion big time but I was having so much fun... Let´s get back inside.
I´m back in the fire station basement. Head upstairs, out onto the street, make my way down the spooky street, past broken-down ambulances and corpes strewn about. I reach a strange pillar and find a group of cultists around it. I easily put them down but a vampire is drawn to the gunfire. It drains my blood and almost kills me, but I manage to back away and heal. Now it´s coming towards me at full speed, I shoot it as it comes towards me and then... I lose connection to the server and I´m back at the main menu...
This time I´m slightly less enthusiastic to rejoin the game...
I´m back in the basement of the fire station, I head upstairs, out onto the street, make my way down the spooky street, past broken-down ambulances and corpes strewn about. I kill the goons and a vampire, I keep walking down towards a group of dimly lit houses only barely illuminated by a TV set emanating the speech of some monstrosity. It´s all very atmospheric and nice. And then I lose connection with the server again...
Fuck this game. I tried to enjoy it on its own limited terms, but even there it failed me.
And above all: FUCK MICROSOFT. I bought an Xbox when I heard they were purchasing Bethesda, the owners of Arkane, the best company for my favorite genre out there: immersive sims. Microsoft has all the money in the world, I want to see what comes out of this! Turns out they only bought the company to downsize? Should have never purchased Bethesda in the first place then. Fuck MS and fuck Xbox, crappy greedy company run by incompetent idiots lacking a clear vision for how to stand out in the videogaming market.

Writing a post about what strongly seems like a scam ( I don’t want to say it’s a scam for legal reasons but…) I am seeing a lot of my CS peers fall for this on linkedIn and I wanted to warn others to be weary.
The company goes by the name of Radical AI and was ALLEGEDLY (more on this below) founded by
Joseph F. Krause, LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josephfkrause/
&&
Jorge Colindres, Linkedin:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jcolindres/
&&
Gerbrand Ceder:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/gerbrand-ceder-9b1b5721/
This the company website:
https://lab.radicalai.app/
company linked in page:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/radicalai-li/about/
Job postings on their website (all unpaid):
https://lab.radicalai.app/careers/ai-engineer
https://lab.radicalai.app/careers/software-engineer https://lab.radicalai.app/careers/ai-product-manager
https://lab.radicalai.app/careers/ai-product-designer
Here is a LinkedIn job posting for an intern position (unpaid of course):
https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/ai-engineer-intern-at-radical-ai-3921496808/
Allegedly claim to be a part of radical ventures which are a legit business:
https://radical.vc/teams/
But not listed as part of Radical Venture's companies:
https://radical.getro.com/companies
One of the "cofounders" of RadicalAI (Joseph F. Krause) posted this:
link to post: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7193987173241520129/
"
Big update: I have co-founded a new company with Jorge Colindres and Gerbrand Ceder that is changing the way materials are designed, developed, and discovered through the integration of artificial intelligence, engineering, materials science, and applied research. Jorge and I bring deep expertise in materials science, engineering, and building technical teams, and Gerd is world-renowned for his pioneering research in high-throughput computational materials design, and in the development of autonomous labs for materials discovery. Radical’s goal is to build self-driving labs: from AI-generated materials to autonomous, high-throughput experimentation.
We are thrilled to be supported by Kevin Ryan and the AlleyCorp team, who bring world-class experience in starting, building, and investing in startups. We incubated Radical AI at AlleyCorp, and are excited to remain in their portfolio.
We are hiring: if you work at the intersection of machine learning and materials science, please reach out.
“
Interesting 😒 that they created this company recently but so did another guy: Talha Sabri (more him below) several years prior.
It seems this company use to go by the name of RadicalX but they became known for their scam and had to rebrand with new faces as the CEO. Here are some posts on the original company:
Here’s a post talking about how they used to be Radical x: https://www.reddit.com/csMajors/comments/1cno28c/radical_ai/
Some past reddit posts discussing RadicalX:
https://www.reddit.com/nyu/comments/wuclrb/what_is_radicalx/
https://www.reddit.com/csMajors/comments/1856knw/radicalx/
https://www.reddit.com/webdev/comments/17akjvh/wtf_has_this_ever_happened_to_you/
The radicalX CEO: Talha Sabri (typing out names so that if someone googles any of them, they see this post and are aware)
Seems to work with:
Areeb Tariq
Ines Prates
Yunus Jamal
some info I found on Talha: https://theorg.com/org/radicalx/org-chart/talha-sabri
AND Here is his linked in with RadicalAI as his job Listing himself as chairman and CEO: https://www.linkedin.com/in/talhasabri/
Interesting that Joseph, Jorge, and Gerbrand claim they started the company yet Talha also started it 7 years ago…. and yes it is the same company Talhas page links to the same company page as Joseph and Jorge. They have the same logo and they use the same shitty AI art (you would think 7 years would give them more time to better their blender skills).
Note that Talha continues to say he works there, but he also now works at a new company RealityAI. I’m guessing now Talha felt the need to expand his scamming under the name RealityAI. I don’t know if we will be seeing unpaid job postings for reality or if it is the final product under a different name so that people who will use the service will not know its background.
Here is Reality AI’s website: https://www.realityai.tech/
(Notice the same art as RadicalAI)
Also I found this. But, I am nsure if it has anything to do with any of this: https://listingspy.net/token/0x8b762ca4746b342d131b64670a3a3a866326fb46/
In conclusion, this honestly all seems really scammy and predatory. A friend told me they are promising visa’s and college credit to foreign workers/ students, I don’t know if they are actually going through with it, but if they aren’t it is extremely messed up and all of these people should be black listed.
As an aside i found this comment in another post about radicalx and thought it was good advice to keep this in mind
Taken from a comment by u/beginning-comedian-2:
Red flags in job interviews (and sometimes dating):

• They ask you to send money.
• They won't talk on the phone.
• They are very interested but never want to meet you.
• They require a 2-day take-home assignment before they'll get on the phone.
• "We're a fast-paced shop." (meaning you'll be working all hours.)
• When you ask what they like about working there, they say "the insurance".
• They want to pay you all in stock.
• All the devs have been there less than a year.
• Beds in the office.
• When you talk to ex-employees and they start with "It might be different now, but when I was there..."
• They say, "We're like family" (meaning, we'll likely expect more from you than 9-5 work.)
• "We often buy dinner for everyone as a perk." = you'll be working late.

my bf (23m) and I (22nb) have been together 4 years this month. we live together and have shared an apartment for almost 2 years, after he offered himself to pay the rent if I helped out with groceries or any bills he needed me to pitch in on, but with the job he had when we were first together it was never an issue. I'm currently in school and have had trouble keeping a steady job because of my schedule and part times typically being pretty atrocious environments. he has always been understanding of this and has never made it a requirement that I need to work, just help out with the apartment.
last year he found out the plant he was working for was closing. he was making $25 an hour and doing great. he would play chess, read, and take me on dates. he has an amazing work ethic as much as I hate capitalist terms like that. every time he's done work for my dad/someone else they remark on how great he is at doing it and how quickly he gets it done even if he's paid hourly.
since he found out he was being layed off it was a struggle. his buddy immediately found a job through an Internet provider where they update people's Internet as independent contractors. he says he loves the job but from an outside perspective it is terrible. the pay is decent, he can make almost $1200 in one week; except, they barely keep him employed. it's always a fight between his bosses to get work and he only finds out last minute, he doesn't even know if it's going to be a day shift job or a night shift job. there have been several days where he found out only 3 hours before (if that) he had to go out to work that night then was told he'd have to go out the next day. there are times where he's forced to switch to night shift and he gets out in the field and suddenly they can't access the work they were specifically assigned, or it was given to another team, or maintenance had to shut it down and they won't get access to it for "a week" (which has sometimes turned into a month of waiting). the job depends on the weather, and things like the Superbowl happening. if it's raining or a certain event is happening he can't work. and it has been raining and storming close to nonstop the past few weeks. and when it finally is perfect weather for him to work in? it goes to maintenance for "updates."
at first he was looking for more jobs in the field he was last in, because he is so good at it and the pay is good. but he gave up because working in that environment is so toxic. I've worked in warehouses, and I understand more than anyone because I was a janitor and literally everyone bullied me. there were times I told my parents I either quit or I will kill myself. at least at his job he was working with his entire friend group, it was just his bosses giving him trouble, and that's what he doesn't want to deal with again: people he's gotta do their job for them bitching at them while they sit on their ass. there are also issues like the particulate/pollution he'd be breathing in, but I literally have respirators I've offered to give him and he refuses because no one else wears them.
he passed up a job opportunity months ago that would've put him back at $25+ an hour. paid for his certifications and he got a raise with each one he got. possibly a company truck. per diems. gas paid for. offered to help with his truck maintenance if he needed to drive his own. hotel rooms paid for when he has to travel. it's literally a job we talked about him wanting and dreaming about so we could travel a little more. and he passed it up. he said he'd rather stick with the job he's in now and pick up a side gig like, qdoba or being a waiter again (his first job was food service). and I said okay, as long as you make it work. since passing up that job he has not applied to food places like he said he would.
previously he talked about wanting to be a peer counselor. he's sober and it means a lot to him to help other people out after he struggled so hard. my dad's friend at work is married to a woman in a facility that does that kind of work. she said to give him her card and call, text, email her and she'd give him work immediately. the card is still sitting on the shelf in our bedroom. every time I ask if he's contacted her he goes "I've been on night shift and tired." i have to walk away every time he does that.
every time I bring up work or try to point out his current job is treating him like shit, he gets upset. it doesn't matter how gentle I am about it. as soon as I bring up work he gets agitated and says things like "it'll work out." or tries to get me to leave him alone or laughs it off or smiles and acts like I'm stupid. I know he's been depressed but recently he told me it's because he's only working with one friend, the rest of them gripe, and he has no time for friends now. he's been getting upset with me because I have friends inviting me out and he can't come with, and I've tried explaining it's rude to be invited on a whim and then ask to bring other people my friends aren't close with, that there will be more opportunities. i literally just started getting invited to things and making friends myself in college so it's been hard, I never got a social life in highschool so I'm only just now figuring it out in a city that's so cliquish and hellish you'd think I'm making it up. but, he tells me find despite also saying he keeps this job so he has more time with me and his friends. but family has also been an issue, there have been major events with his dad (life threatening towards both of us) and that side of the family beginning to shun him for not coming around as much despite them being toxic. his mom's side has also started telling him less about things and inviting him over and I can't really fathom why, but his mom at least is very supportive and loving of him and us both. he knows how the corporate world is so I know that's what's keeping him from looking for work. but I can't believe he passed up the opportunity from a place that actually seemed normal and decent and everything he wanted even if it's an industry he wants to leave; and not only that, a woman offered him immediate work he'd been dreaming about and he passed it up too. i even offered the idea he just gets started at one of these places and gets some money coming in at an actual normal pace and he can figure out what exactly he wants to do, he doesn't have to sell his life away to them. he just waves it off.
he's sold all his guns. we've dropped our grocery bill to $30-50 every two weeks. i have an art degree and our school refuses to help us get jobs and internships so I work jobs like being a barista that I can't even stay longer than 3 months at. I'm hoping this job I just got is more permanent but it's $9 an hour, and I plan on putting my head down to graduate with my thesis review coming up this fall because I've had so many circumstances push it off.
i don't know how to approach the conversation. I don't know how to tell him he is pissing away opportunities that will treat him better when he doesn't believe me. I've cried to my best friends about it, I broke down talking to my mom about it after she demanded to know what's going on with his job search. my parents are putting a lot of pressure on me because they want me to be with someone that can keep their promise to take care of me, like he said he would. he gets so angry when I mention my parents have asked about his job and say they're concerned. I don't want him to have that pressure because he's my boyfriend, not my caretaker, but he's genuinely causing me to be depressed in tandem to him not caring about anything. he at least still helps around the apartment but gets agitated when I come home from class after he hasn't worked in days and insists I should've gone to the store or should do dishes. i think he finally started doing things when I explained how mentally and physically exhausting for the hundredth time my classes have been because i have literally been fighting with professors that have been disrespectful to me left and right and my thesis review is coming up, and I have also literally been doing physical labor for them.
every time he comes home from being sent out just to not have work, or wait for him to be assigned just to be told he doesn't have work for an entire week, I want to cry. i want to put my head in my hands and cry. i want to shake him and ask him how this is better. i genuinely don't know how to approach this anymore.

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Writing a post about what strongly seems like a scam ( I don’t want to say it’s a scam for legal reasons but…) I am seeing a lot of my CS peers fall for this on linkedIn and I wanted to warn others to be weary.
The company goes by the name of Radical AI and was ALLEGEDLY (more on this below) founded by
Joseph F. Krause, LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josephfkrause/
&&
Jorge Colindres, Linkedin:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jcolindres/
&&
Gerbrand Ceder:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/gerbrand-ceder-9b1b5721/
This the company website:
https://lab.radicalai.app/
company linked in page:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/radicalai-li/about/
Job postings on their website (all unpaid):
https://lab.radicalai.app/careers/ai-engineer
https://lab.radicalai.app/careers/software-engineer https://lab.radicalai.app/careers/ai-product-manager
https://lab.radicalai.app/careers/ai-product-designer
Here is a LinkedIn job posting for an intern position (unpaid of course):
https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/ai-engineer-intern-at-radical-ai-3921496808/
Allegedly claim to be a part of radical ventures which are a legit business:
https://radical.vc/teams/
But not listed as part of Radical Venture's companies:
https://radical.getro.com/companies
One of the "cofounders" of RadicalAI (Joseph F. Krause) posted this:
link to post: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7193987173241520129/
"
Big update: I have co-founded a new company with Jorge Colindres and Gerbrand Ceder that is changing the way materials are designed, developed, and discovered through the integration of artificial intelligence, engineering, materials science, and applied research. Jorge and I bring deep expertise in materials science, engineering, and building technical teams, and Gerd is world-renowned for his pioneering research in high-throughput computational materials design, and in the development of autonomous labs for materials discovery. Radical’s goal is to build self-driving labs: from AI-generated materials to autonomous, high-throughput experimentation.
We are thrilled to be supported by Kevin Ryan and the AlleyCorp team, who bring world-class experience in starting, building, and investing in startups. We incubated Radical AI at AlleyCorp, and are excited to remain in their portfolio.
We are hiring: if you work at the intersection of machine learning and materials science, please reach out.
“
Interesting 😒 that they created this company recently but so did another guy: Talha Sabri (more him below) several years prior.
It seems this company use to go by the name of RadicalX but they became known for their scam and had to rebrand with new faces as the CEO. Here are some posts on the original company:
Here’s a post talking about how they used to be Radical x: https://www.reddit.com/csMajors/comments/1cno28c/radical_ai/
Some past reddit posts discussing RadicalX:
https://www.reddit.com/nyu/comments/wuclrb/what_is_radicalx/
https://www.reddit.com/csMajors/comments/1856knw/radicalx/
https://www.reddit.com/webdev/comments/17akjvh/wtf_has_this_ever_happened_to_you/
The radicalX CEO: Talha Sabri (typing out names so that if someone googles any of them, they see this post and are aware)
Seems to work with:
Areeb Tariq
Ines Prates
Yunus Jamal
some info I found on Talha: https://theorg.com/org/radicalx/org-chart/talha-sabri
AND Here is his linked in with RadicalAI as his job Listing himself as chairman and CEO: https://www.linkedin.com/in/talhasabri/
Interesting that Joseph, Jorge, and Gerbrand claim they started the company yet Talha also started it 7 years ago…. and yes it is the same company Talhas page links to the same company page as Joseph and Jorge. They have the same logo and they use the same shitty AI art (you would think 7 years would give them more time to better their blender skills).
Note that Talha continues to say he works there, but he also now works at a new company RealityAI. I’m guessing now Talha felt the need to expand his scamming under the name RealityAI. I don’t know if we will be seeing unpaid job postings for reality or if it is the final product under a different name so that people who will use the service will not know its background.
Here is Reality AI’s website: https://www.realityai.tech/
(Notice the same art as RadicalAI)
Also I found this. But, I am nsure if it has anything to do with any of this: https://listingspy.net/token/0x8b762ca4746b342d131b64670a3a3a866326fb46/
In conclusion, this honestly all seems really scammy and predatory. A friend told me they are promising visa’s and college credit to foreign workers/ students, I don’t know if they are actually going through with it, but if they aren’t it is extremely messed up and all of these people should be black listed.
As an aside i found this comment in another post about radicalx and thought it was good advice to keep this in mind
Taken from a comment by u/beginning-comedian-2:
Red flags in job interviews (and sometimes dating):

• They ask you to send money.
• They won't talk on the phone.
• They are very interested but never want to meet you.
• They require a 2-day take-home assignment before they'll get on the phone.
• "We're a fast-paced shop." (meaning you'll be working all hours.)
• When you ask what they like about working there, they say "the insurance".
• They want to pay you all in stock.
• All the devs have been there less than a year.
• Beds in the office.
• When you talk to ex-employees and they start with "It might be different now, but when I was there..."
• They say, "We're like family" (meaning, we'll likely expect more from you than 9-5 work.)
• "We often buy dinner for everyone as a perk." = you'll be working late.

I'm from Brazil, and here someone who wants to have a bachelor's degree in technology chooses one of the following degrees:

• -Computer Science
• Information systems

The only difference between these two here in Brazil is that computer science is highly focused on mathematics and computer theory. The focus of the course is programming + mathematics
Information systems diverts the high focus from mathematics to business management, and the focus of the course is on programming + business
So, because the programming part is common for both, with the same classes and sometimes even the same teachers, companies here don't care which of the two degrees you have. Either one is equally well regarded and accepted and with the same salaries, there is literally no difference for companies.
But what about in your countries, how are Information Systems seen? In an interview do you compete equally with someone who studied Computer Science?
I once heard a guy from US saying that he sees information systems as a course for those who couldn't get into computer science and will end up working in technical support and customer service.

Got offered 12k a year in RSU’s as part of an offer and don’t know how to feel about it.
The vesting schedule is 25% after year 1, then 1/36 of the remaining balance monthly for 3 more years up until full vest after year 4.
It was sold to me during the interview as means of motivation to every employee to push the company forward…ok, I can see that
However I can’t stop worrying that this is just a rug they can pull out from under you to save money and recollect part of their compensation. If a company is so conscious of their stock price, that suggests they might do anything to pump it up - like firing employees before they vest 10s of thousands of dollars in company stock.
I’m probably just being cynical, but I’m extremely worried about some director being like “Hell, our numbers are down and earnings are up soon - we need to recover some cash quickly or the stock will tank” and canning a bunch of employees before big benchmarks on their vesting period.
What is your experience with RSU’s and accepting them as part of your comp? Am I overthinking this? I’m worried they will pull the rug out from under me.
Edit: I’d like to add that this position is in the Biotech/Pharmaceutical firm. Not sure if that changes much but context always helps.

Just curious how many of you work in an org where you have direct lines of communication with the Product teams?
We have a weekly product team call we started in 2022 and all agreed these weekly meetings were mission critical for our role. We have a live chat where we post questions as they come along. All product leaders and many lead designers/developers plus all CSMs are included in the call and the chat. Additionally, we do have an ideation section for our customers to post their requests etc. But one of the best changes we’ve made is having this consistent meeting with direct lines of communication in a group setting (to see what else is asked by others and vote on these things).
I should note we are publicly traded with over 3K employees, 25 years old. But also, before we started these calls, we were individually pinging different members of the product team in individual chats and often pinging the wrong person because responsibilities change so often and aren’t communicated well. These group calls and chat have become game changing for us. Less fire drills, better retention stats, better engagement survey results (employee sat), less stress, etc.
I’m aware we all come from different walks of life, different levels of experience and different sized companies. I wanted to share what’s been working for us in case your org hasn’t implemented anything and you’re looking for ideas. Happy to share more if you want to talk through this.

So my gf used to work a high paying job, she had a company phone, car, and even apartment but she lost it all after getting fired for getting mixed up in work drama. After that she started working as a photographer.
She says even though she didn't have to pay for a lot of things because of those benefits she didn't save much money up from her job because she used it to pay off her student loans. Sounded reasonable enough. I work as a dental assistant and earn more, so I would often split the bill or pay entirely. She would only occasionally even offer to pay for everything.
But it turns out she has a lot more money than she claims. About 2 months ago I found an atm slip with the balance visible and it said $68k. I didn't want to mention it immediately as she said she does have some inheritance she won't spend on regular things.
But last week I found out something I shouldn't have. Her dad is really good with money and is the type that never sticks to something for too long. For example he's currently importing Japanese brand car parts to the UAE with some friends, before that he sold seeds for a while. Turns out he included her in one of his deals and it made her a lot of money.
We had a patient that worked at a certain embassy and we got to talking. I won't get too specific but he told me that he knows she and her dad were involved in an international trade and that they were getting a very small percentage of the deal because her dad made it happen. Turns out that very small percentage was about 30k a month for about 18 months that her dad split with her. Basically 15k a month of passive income.
I confronted her about it and she didn't deny it or having multiple accounts. She just said that it's concerning that I gossip about her and that it sounds like I'm trying to get the guy fired.
How do I handle this?
TLDR gf lied about having lower income and let me pay to get things. What should my next move be?

Good morning, fellow working class,
As part of a few interviews I’m doing for a company I’m actually really excited for, there’s an assessment which involves Excel.
I’ve used Excel enough to put it on my resume, but I’m not that advanced with it.
Has anyone had an assessment like this? Any strategies or tips to help? I’ve just been watching a bunch of YouTube tutorials. Thanks!

I am F53 and engaged to M60. We've been together for nearly 3 years. When we first met, he said he was a Trump fan. I am not. He also is Morman, but told me he wouldn't ever push that on me. Because he's Morman, he doesn't drink (much). Again, he said it was fine if I did. I also smoked when we first met.
He is a good man, and we had fun together. Admittedly, I'd been single and lonely after ending an engagement just before COVID and I liked having a nice guy to hang out with. He treated me well, was funny and kind.
After 5 months, I got a job offer to move across the country, and when we spoke about it, he encouraged me to go and agreed to maintain our relationship long distance. I commuted to my job every other week from Feb. 2021 to Sept. 21 and then moved completely. He even said at that time he'd consider moving where I was "some day."
I traveled back and forth and was with him over the Christmas holidays in 2022/2023.
Then he came to visit me for a month in Feb/Mar 2023. We went on a cruise and then he worked from my house and I worked at home and at the office. During that time, his mother would call every day and berate him for leaving for so long. She has the beginnings of dementia, but it was difficult to hear their conversations, and I eventually just left the room when she called.
During that trip, he said he could never move that far from his parents while they're alive and that he probably didn't want to move where I was anyway. Also during that trip, he got mad at me for being too competitive when we played Wordle and Trivial Pursuit because I did a little trash talking. I tried to stop doing that, but he was very sensistive to it. Eventually, after two or three (IMO) stupid fights about it, he talked to his friend who told him to stop being such a p****. We've not argued about that since, but I also no longer play any games with him.
Then, in April of 2023, I was diagnosed with kidney cancer. I went on medical leave and had my kidney removed in June of 2023. I traveled to his house before the surgery and stayed for about a month, and then he came to stay with me for the surgery and took amazing care of me while I was in the hospital and recovered. By then I'd decided I no longer wanted to be so far away from my family, including my college-age kids so I rented out my house and moved fully in with him in July of 2023. By now, we agreed we loved each other and were working toward marriage.
Before I moved, I suggested we could rent out his condo and buy a place together. But when I started talking about locations and looking at houses, he said he couldn't move and wanted to stay close to his parents. I respect that, but my (new job) is more than an hour away from his house, and I have to go in 3 times a week. Nonetheless, I agreed we could just stay in the condo.
In December of 2023, we picked out and purchased an engagement ring. It sat in our home until the beginning of March. Some time in February he started talking to his family. His two adult daughters were supportive, but his parents and aunt were not. Though they all proported to love me, they just didn't see why at his age he'd even want to get married again. I have and make more money than him now, but he stands to inherit much more than me. We agreed to do a prenup to protect our estates for our children while also taking care of each other. He kept me aprised of his challenging conversations but eventually told me he got his parents and aunt to agree to support our wishes.
In March, while he came with me on a business trip, he proposed while we were out for dinner. I'll admit it was a big anti-climactic, but I suppose I felt that's sort of to be expected at our age. Btw we were both married for 10+ years and have two children. We were also both previously engaged but broke those off a year or so before we met.
Then, he never told anyone that we actually got engaged. I asked why, and he said since he told them he was going to give me a ring, they knew what the needed to know. I sat through at least two meals with his parents and one with his brother and it never came up. He didn't mention it, and they didn't notice. That felt uncomfortable, and I told him that. He didn't do anything different. We went to a family wedding, and his sister in law noticed my ring, and as I expected, made a big deal of it. It still didn't feel celebratory.
I guess I started to feel insecure and doubtful around this time and possibly started noticing (maybe even looking for) other things. We had a converation about how I was working with some colleagues to start an LGBTQ+ employee resource group at work and how I was frustrated that leadership, which is in a European country, did not support our efforst. I'd been an executive sponsor of such a group at a different job before, and I'm a passionate ally. When I expressed my frustration, he told me he understood why the company wouldn't want to set one up because they just want to focus on business. I tried to speak to him about the benefits of embracing these kinds of diversity efforts have at work, but it was clear he didn't want to hear it.
Then, and I think this was a different conversation, he said he believes being LGBTQ+ is immoral. I asked if that was due to his religion, and he said no, he's always felt that way. I reminded him that my daughter sees herself as part of that community, and his response was that he would never treat her poorly and would never say anything unless he was asked. That one hurt.
Over the next several weeks, we had more frustrating conversations. One began as a result of that viral bear in the woods question. I told him I too would choose the unknown bear over an unknown man and he could not in any way comprehend what we were talking about. I admittedly got frustrated, but I tried to explain about how women are disproportionately affected by violence, and he said "What about men. We get attacked too." I was incredulous but not getting anywhere.
I even started therapy again because I just wasn't getting past this. After my first session, I sat down and told my fiance that I was feeling disconnected and was worried about our different social and political ideologies. He asked me what other areas I felt we were different in. I reminded him about my passionate opinions about abortion rights. womens health issues, etc. And he said he knew I was kind of a feminist. I think we ended by saying we might need to stay away from some of these issues.
Then just last night, I asked how he was feeling about everything. And the whole thing started again, but got even worse. I told him I'm not kind of a feminist, but that I am a feminist. He asked me what that meant, and I reitterated several issues I'm passionate about. And he said something like, "what about issues facing men... it's not easy being a man." I said we weren't talking about men but that we're talking about issues that face women, including me. He said that was selfish.
I asked him if he had the same conversation with someone in a minority population and that person told him about things they've experienced because of their skin color. He said yes he'd had those converations and told a black person, for example, that if he thinks he has it hard, try trading places with him. My fiance grew up middle class, was well fed and clothed, had college paid for him, graduated, developed a good career, got married, moved to a upscale community and had children. Did I mention he is a POC? His parents are German and Phillipino, but he looks Samoan.
This let to a conversation about privelege, and he just could not understand it it all. When I suggested that he faced fewer obstacles than other people by virtue of the family he was born into, he said "OK, why does that matter. Am I supposed to feel bad?" I was just so frustrated at this point, and it felt like not only could he not understand or respect how I look at things, but that he was trying to poke holes in my thoughts.
So I know that was a long story, but it was a bit cathartic to put it down on paper. We spoke again this morning and both agreed these difference in social issues are serious and that we should step back and re-evaluate our engagement, and ultimately our relationship.
I guess I'm asking if I am the asshole for running through some red flags earlier in our relationship to end up now facing the prospect of moving for the third time 2.5 years. It's really been a crazy few years...

https://www.halowaypoint.com/news/canon-fodder-in-zane-in-the-membrane
Header Image ^[Imgur]
It’s not a Cypress Hill song, it’s a new issue of Canon Fodder!
By now, you’ll no doubt have made headway through the latest Operation in Halo Infinite —titled “Banished Honor”—which was accompanied by a new Waypoint Chronicle based around a simple question: “What would the story of a Spartan who joined the Banished be?”
We had the perfect character lined up to tell that story, one who hasn’t been seen since the end of Hunt the Truth's second season all the way back in 2015.
Welcome back, Ilsa Zane.

THE THIRD LIFE

Our ninth Waypoint Chronicle has arrived, which follows on from the concluding events of Hunt the Truth where a Guardian awakens on the colony world Laika III. Broadly, these events are concurrent with the story that unfolds in Halo 5 as Cortana lays claim to the Mantle, rallies AIs to her cause, and sets about imposing an imperial peace upon the galaxy.
Where Hunt the Truth saw the mantle of narrator pass from journalist Benjamin Giraud to undercover ONI agent Maya “FERO” Sankar in its second season, that torch is once again passed on to a character who made her presence felt in this story... the rogue Spartan known as Ilsa Zane.
Halo: The Third Life is available here on Halo Waypoint, as a free PDF, and in audiobook format on YouTube.
“October 2558. After being taken prisoner by the Banished as chaos erupts across the galaxy, Ilsa Zane’s hunt for the truth leads her to a new stage of life she never expected...”

EMPTY THRONE

Last issue, we gave you a totally legitimate look at the cover art of Halo: Empty Throne. Art is in the eye of the beholder, and unfortunately the powers that be decided that we could do better than a screenshot made in Halo 3's Forge mode in ten minutes with some crudely edited-in elements... it was a close call, really, but we ultimately pivoted towards something with the vibe of it having come from an incredibly talented and brilliant artist—namely, Will Staehle, whose other work you can check out here.
So, here you go. Here’s the official cover art for Halo: Empty Throne, coming later this year.
Pre-order your copy of Halo: Empty Throne here!
Cover art of Halo: Empty Throne illustrated by Will Staehle depicting a young girl and a Spartan emerging from a blue explosion coming from a Forerunner structure
“2559. It has been a year since the rogue artificial intelligence Cortana seized control of the Domain, an otherworldly dimension housing a vast information network. With an array of Forerunner weapons at her disposal, Cortana set out to enforce an authoritarian peace on the civilizations of the galaxy. But as the United Nations Space Command flagship Infinity prepares to strike against Cortana at Zeta Halo, another plan has also been set in motion.
An ancient access point hidden on a seemingly insignificant human colony has become the focus of a parallel effort to claim the Domain and its immeasurable capabilities. The UNSC, however, needs a key: a living, forsaken product of an old war. As a new generation of heroes rise to meet this challenge and Cortana's pursuit of control reaches a desperate and sudden crescendo, a cunning, ruthless warrior emerges from the shadows of the Banished, who has vowed to fill the new power vacuum by any means necessary....”

THE BANISHED SPARTAN

ILSA ZANE
Cropped profile image depicting Ilsa Zane surrounded by fire and Banished banners ^[Imgur]
RANK: Bloodstar BIRTH WORLD: Kholo DATE OF BIRTH: June 11, 2528 APPEARED IN: Halo: Initiation, Hunt the Truth, Halo: The Third Life
Born on the Outer Colony world Kholo, Ilsa Zane was just eleven years old when she lost her parents and everyone she had ever known as the Covenant descended upon her home and reduced its surface to glass. Taken to the remote colony Asphodel as a ward of the state, Zane remained largely silent and solitary until coming of age in 2547, where she was conscripted into UNSC military service.
In 2550, Zane was selected as a candidate for the prototype phase of the SPARTAN-IV program. Though she survived the augmentation process, additional experimental cocktails caused severe neurological damage to Zane. After escaping the facility, she was recovered by Admiral Mattius Drake and integrated into the rebel group known as the New Colonial Alliance.
In the immediate aftermath of the Covenant War, Zane led a group of operatives who attempted to commandeer the UNSC Infinity —securing it as the flagship of the New Colonial Alliance and to prevent the UNSC from deploying it to police independent colonies. This plan was thwarted by Spartan Sarah Palmer, who ejected Zane into space where the rogue Spartan was once more rescued by Drake, who was on standby in a nearby Prowler.
Following this, Zane served as an acquisitions specialist for weapons and materiel, as well as a ruthless instructor for mercenary and rebel groups that joined the New Colonial Alliance, forging them into a veritable fighting force in preparation for a large-scale strike against the UNSC. However, the awakening of the Guardians in 2558 waylaid these plans, leaving Zane as a prisoner of the Banished—with whom she ultimately came to find both common cause and brotherhood.

BANISH THY HONOR

Halo: Tales From Slipspace - Hunting Party
Image ^[Imgur]
What does it mean to be Banished?
To be Banished is to seek to liberate oneself, to pledge loyalty not to false promises of divine ascension but to the fearsome might and will exemplified by Atriox.
Service is welcome from any species, of any previous affiliation or loyalty—from the lowliest Unggoy thrall to the mightiest Sangheili warrior, and all between and beyond.
Power is its own end. In the wake of the Covenant War, opportunity is rife to carve up the remnants of the fallen empire’s vast resources and obtain technology that furthers the prime directive of the Banished: to never bow again, a “reclamation” all their own of freedom.
Following decades of calamitous conflict that has left even the most capable commanders war-weary, it is the Banished that are energized and fortified in purpose and will. Payment for those who share common cause with Atriox comes in blood and sport and spoils.
But those who would choose this path must unshackle themselves from ties to the past—unbind themselves from old masters, cast off their piety, and banish their sentimental devotion to honor.
Only then can one become a true vessel for victory.
Only then is one truly Banished.

THIEVING MITTENS

Halo: Escalation Issue #3 page depicting a showdown between Spartan Scruggs, who has taken Admiral Hood hostage, and Spartan Palmer, Chieftain Lydus, and Arbiter Thel 'Vadam ^[Imgur]
Why would a Spartan go rogue?
It’s an apt question. After all, Spartans are meant to represent paragons of humanity in both strength and spirit. But across the generations of Spartans, there have been traitors, rebels, or those who simply wanted to leave the UNSC behind to live on their own terms.
For the Spartan-IIs, these examples came as a result of their training—of recognizing and rebelling against the horrific context of their situation.
In the “Homecoming” episode of Halo Legends, Daisy-023 and several of her fellow candidates sought to escape the program following the augmentation procedures that killed or maimed many of their brothers and sisters, but were ultimately brought back into the fold.
Likewise, in the Halo: Evolutions short story “Pariah,” Soren-066 was left disfigured by the augmentations and was gradually radicalized by a technician named Partch, eventually attempting to escape Reach and join the Insurrection. Indeed, the Spartan who sought to apprehend Soren was Randall-037, who later appeared in Halo: Nightfall where we learned that he had evaded the UNSC after the Battle of Vodin in 2532, even starting a family before ONI eventually caught up to him over a decade later, "reversing" many of his augmentations in exchange for release from UNSC service.
Looking to the Spartan Field Manual, originally released back in 2018, we can gain further insight into the risk of rogue Spartans as it applies to the SPARTAN-IV program:
STOLEN GAUNTLET
Nevertheless, the SPARTAN-IV selection process is not foolproof. Spartan-IVs are soldiers with preexisting philosophies and loyalties, and even the most carefully screened candidate can react to their augmentation and training in unexpected ways. Individual Spartans represent a strategically significant level of combat power and pose a major security threat if their loyalty is compromised.
The STOLEN GAUNTLET fail-safe protocol has been created to provide training and permissive rules of engagement for special agents tasked with tracking down and swiftly neutralizing rogue Spartans.
~ Halo: Official Spartan Field Manual, p. 86
Rogue Spartans
Halo Mythos artwork by Isaac Hannaford depicting Mickey's betrayal of Buck and Romeo in Halo: New Blood ^[Imgur]
Ilsa Zane represents the earliest example of this manifesting as a critical issue for the Spartan-IV program, and she is far from a singular example.
In Halo: Escalation, we see Spartan Vladimir Scruggs—another New Colonial Alliance defector—attempt to sabotage the peace talks between Arbiter Thel ‘Vadam and Chieftain Lydus.
Another prominent example is Michael Crespo in Halo: New Blood, who became disillusioned with being sent to kill other humans in the wake of the Covenant War and defected to the United Rebel Front with fellow Spartan Rudolf Schein.
Of course, defecting is one thing, but what is it about the Banished that would be attractive to a rogue Spartan? That is something wholly contingent upon the individual, and at present there is a specific example we can examine: Ilsa Zane.
Having been discarded by the UNSC after falling victim to experimental augmentation cocktails that ravaged her body and mind, she was eventually left for dead by Admiral Drake as well—she was herself “banished” from the places she had sought to belong. This, in combination with her proclivity for violence and a ruthless mindset, led her to discover a certain kinship with the Jiralhanae on Laika III, leading her to willingly pledge herself and the New Colonial Alliance to the Banished.
In the words of Spartan Scruggs: "I am a Spartan. But what you fight for isn't always the same as who you fight for."

ARMORY INFINITUM

The Ravager was a new weapon introduced to the sandbox in Halo Infinite, though it made its fictional debut in Halo: Shadows of Reach.
“The cacophony of gunfire was replaced by the sizzle of shock rifles and the thump-hiss of ravagers.”
~ Halo: Shadows of Reach, Chapter 21
Featuring a semi-automatic, three-round burst and a charge ability that can create a burning pool for area-of-effect damage, the Ravager quickly became a favorite tool of Jiralhanae warlords for its capacity to flush out garrisoned infantry.
A unique version of the weapon, the Rebound Ravager, can be found in the possession of Captain Arthoc—a high value target the Master Chief encountered on Zeta Halo. Rounds fired by this weapon have the ability to bounce, to which the words of Agent Washington from Red vs. Blue may come to mind: “It bounces? Who designs a gun that bounces?!”
Halo Infinite screenshot of Arthoc ^[Imgur]
ARMORY OF RECKONING CAPT ARTHOC FWD: RAVAGER
The Armory of Reckoning—it is a fitting name for the tools of conquest and destruction birthed from its forges.
When we advanced on the human remnants that had sought shelter within their crashed ship, I requested of Commander Bannix an augmented version of the plasma tossers produced by the Forge of Torograd.
Where we have mastered both spike and spear in our weaponry since before the Immolation, infusion matter remains an object of study for our alchemists. I was informed by the Screecleaver that there is a great savant stationed on Oth Liqattu who has sought to unlock further secrets of this fetid power, applying it to our own troops and many of our vehicles.
It is said that prolonged exposure to this corrosive bile can addle the mind and rot the body... that is good, for there are many small spaces in human ships. The capacity for this weapon to launch projectiles that bounce before erupting into toxic piles was of great use in flushing our foes from cover. How they flailed and danced to our battle song!
It is my understanding that pure infusion matter is pumped throughout Forerunner facilities, so we must dedicate resources to finding these wellsprings within the substructures of this ring. I shall bring this to Tremonius once he has returned from investigating a disturbance at his outpost.

MERIDIAN SLOANCOMING

Last month saw the arrival of Halo: Battle Born's rerelease, featuring two new short story “adjuncts” which we took a closer look at in our previous issue.
On April 30, the rerelease of Halo: Meridian Divide hit the shelves and—as folks have noticed—there's another adjunct in this one as well!
MERIDIAN HOMECOMING
Halo 5 screenshot of a Promethean Knight on Meridian ^[Imgur]
Completing the trifecta of new adjuncts in these rereleases is “Meridian Homecoming,” which is set in the immediate aftermath of Cortana’s final sacrifice on Zeta Halo in December 2559.
With the leader of the Created dead, the future of this fledgling faction has been thrown into doubt. High Auxiliary Sloan has returned to Meridian where he occupies a Promethean Knight’s carapace and wanders the vast glasslands of his home to find his own fate.
Of course, fans who followed the Precipice short story series last year (which accompanied Halo Infinite's recurring FIREWALL events) know that Sloan has emerged as a new leader within the Created and set into motion the creation of the Executors. “Meridian Homecoming” gives us a small moment in time with Sloan as he contemplates what the concept of home means to him, Cortana’s unfulfilled promise of salvation, his regrets over how he departed from Meridian, and the memories held within a Promethean Knight that set him on a new path.

COMMUNITY LORE CORNER

For this month’s Community Lore Corner, we kick things off with GammaCompanyMark who has put together a media order for the Halo series if you really, really want to experience it in some form of “timeline order.”
The fine folks at JumperScape have been adapting some of the lore and stories we’ve put out for Halo Infinite, beginning with the Intel drops we did for Season 2: Lone Wolves. (If you can believe it, it’s just passed the two-year mark for when this season launched!)
We recently discovered Lore VoidCat while checking out the latest Halo lore content on YouTube, and he has put together a fantastic series of videos about various expanded universe aspects—from every blade of the Covenant, to recounting the stories of various games and books, and more. Here’s one of his latest!
Would it be surprising if you learned that Covenant Canon has put out a new video featuring some... you guessed it, Covenant canon? In his latest release, we take a look at every known Arbiter throughout the Halo universe’s history.
Every now and then, the nostalgic longing for those halcyon days of 2007 return, which is exactly what you will feel when watching Meaning In-Between and Frogarchist's exploration of how mystery was a core thematic pillar of Halo 3.
And finally, David and Ian of Podcast Evolved have done a new “book club” episode on one of our previous Waypoint Chronicles: Saturn Devouring His Son.
With that, it’s time to sign off for this month’s issue.
If you haven’t already checked out Halo: The Third Life, be sure to do so—and if you have, well, go and read or listen to it again! Let the gears of speculation turn for what is depicted on the cover art for Halo: Empty Throne (don’t forget to secure your pre-order), and you can get your in-game Ilsa Zane cosplay sorted by completing the Banished Honor Operation Pass!
We depart with our favorite Ilsa Zane comic panel for your entertainment.
Halo: Initiation panel of Ilsa Zane shutting of the UNSC Infinity's original AI, Aine, saying "Quiet you." ^[Imgur]
This post was made by a script written and maintained by the Halo mod team to automatically post blogs from Halo Waypoint. If you notice any issues with the text output or think this was posted by mistake, please message the mods.

The next day finds the military part of the Bridger family waiting in one of the larger cargo bays. Paladin company and Shark Platoon are on hand, all in full power armor except for Makula, with the exception of Jaruna who's standing next to Jerry in a family uniform with her shotgun and sword slung over her back. Jerry had also elected for a dress uniform today, though he'd paired it with a 'ceremonial' curaiss that could still take a hit from a plasma cannon or two... and concealed a small shield generator. Mixed with his cloak and the Crimsonhewer war ax on his belt, Jerry thought he looked every bit the barbarian warlord... if a bit too clean cut for a Hollywood depiction of such.
The situation reminded Jerry of a similar reception back on Serbow... but this one was a bit less ceremonial and a bit more... dynamic. They didn't have any formal bonds with Clan Karchara, or their Khan, Komugai. So as a meeting of two new to each other factions, things could get... exciting. Which considering they were talking about Cannidor meant that things could potentially get very violent, very quickly.
They usually didn't. Not any more. Yet... it never helped to play it safe, even with a clan that had a decent reputation like the Karchara. More cut throat clans had been heard to disguise themselves for meetings like this for meetings so they could ambush their targets after all. Plus as always, there was tradition to observe and satisfy. Tradition which could be best summarized as 'Offer one hand, but arm the other.'. The Cannidor were ready to fight a war naked among any people but their own. They were beyond dangerous. So an armed society wasn't so much a polite society as the unarmed were likely mentally infirm, and to be politely left to their own devices.
A sharp whistle from the 1MC draws Jerry from his thoughts.
"Now hear this! The Clan Karchara envoy is arriving!"
The Karchara drop ship slides into view out of the black and makes it's way towards the docking day with all the leisurely grace of a terrestrial shark swimming towards a coral reef. Whoever's piloting it is clearly a hot hand on the stick because the ship moves as smooth as anything Jerry had ever seen out of Cruel Space, extending it's landing gear and coming to a halt with nary a hint of a bounce in it's suspension and shock absorbing gear.
"Hmmm. The Karchara..." Jaruna rumbles. "An interesting contact in Cannidor space to be sure. So to recap what we talked about, they're somewhat on and off again allies of my old clan. Decent types for the most part. No idea who the Khan is now, and a little searching online didn't turn anything up. Don't think the intelligence weasels had anything either. Save that they've been having some internal structural changes. Seized a new planet too, lighting raid, unconventional tactics, whatever that means. Gives them complete control of... ten decently populated and industrialized star systems I think. They're firmly in the middle of the power band for the Khans by that measurement, exact position depends on the number of warriors under arms they can bring to the Golden Khan's muster."
"Right. Well. Guess we'll have to see what Khan Karchara wants to chat about, and hear about this plan of hers."
The Karchara drop ship settles onto it's landing gear, and it's flight crew leaves the engines running. Tradition. You never knew if a reception was actually friendly after all, and it was also a mark of respect for the hosts. You might be asked to fuck off after all.
The forward assault ramp drops, and the honor guard warriors of the Khan march out, in power armor, but with their helmets off, fanning out to cover their leader. The lack of helmets was very much a declaration of intent, the human equivalent of open palms for a Cannidor in power armor.
Jaruna's brow instantly furrows as she scans the faces of the honor guard.
"...Wait. I know some of those girls. One of my aunts, Norkath is there on the left, and that's... but that."
Jerry can hear Jaruna's brain crunching that information.
"...Komugai. You said the Khan's name was Komugai? Not Jelvuna?"
"Definently Komugai."
"...Unless she changed her name... but then would Aunt Norkath join the Karchara proper without her...?"
Jaruna mutters to herself, clearly trying to puzzle whatever's eating at her out, when the sound of heavy boots on the assault ramp sound, and an utterly massive Cannidor woman starts to come into view. She cuts an imposing presence. Her uniform not too far off from Jerry's, a mix of barbarian warlord and modern dress uniform. The massive war ax over her shoulder tipping the scales on the barbarian - modern officer scale towards barbarian. It was easy to miss her other various weapons in the sheer scale of her. Her stark white fur, the three brutal scars across her muzzle, and another two over her left eye, which had a cybernetic replacement.
Khan Karchara stands for a moment, surveying the room silently... and before anyone can say anything, Jaruna breaks the silence;
"...Mom?"
Khan Karchara cuts loose with a booming laugh that reminds Jerry of Khan Isuras, and if this is indeed Jaruna's mother, he can immediately see exactly why the two women cut palms and swore sisterhood. He wouldn't be hard pressed to believe they were actual sisters.
"Heh. Glad to see all that time on Centris hasn't dulled your powers of observation! Always said you were a sharp one."
There's no sarcasm there, a little maternal teasing perhaps, but she's not mocking Jaruna. Anyone with eyes can tell Khan Karchara is damn proud of her child.
"And this'd be my son in law... bit small but hell just from your first date with my little girl I know you're a first class head kicker, plus you already gave me four grandbabies to spoil! Hahah. I suppose these bigguns here are the older girls? I... say. I thought there was three of you."
Karchara points at Makula.
"You're a bit old to be Hippolyta considering she was born a couple weeks ago. Who are you, girl?"
"Makula Sa'Bridger, I was adopted a few days ago. Honored Matron."
Karchara grins, her numerous teeth gleaming in the light of the hangar.
"Matron? Not Khan?"
"You are my mother's mother, standing in my family's clan hold. To refer to your title by right of blood is most appropriate."
Another bark of laughter.
"Well drilled and whip smart I see. You know the ways of our kind well, granddaughter." Karchara smirks, looking smug before turning to her honor guard.
"See girls? Five now! Haha! What a stud of a bull!"
Khan Karchara turns back to Jerry and Jaruna.
"Ah but I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's get the formal bit done so we can go jaw a bit and then hopefully I can visit with my eldest daughter, my son in law and these fine young ladies."
She quickly shifts her body a bit, drawing herself up to her full, imposing twelve foot height.
"I am Komugai, Khan of Karchara. I come to broker peace and fellowship between our clans, to join them in a bond of steel that will stand the sword storm for all time."
Jerry nods slowly. More than they'd expected actually. That was laying out intent to conduct some very, very serious negotiations.
"I, Jeremiah, Khan of Bridger, Admiral of this fleet, lord of these proud warriors before you, bid you welcome, Komugai of Karchara, bring your banner among ours, that they might rest together while we discuss the business of peace, and of wars yet to come."
"Well spoken indeed... and the steel in your eyes." Komugai nods slowly. "Yes, I see what you see in him, Jaruna, well past his considerable combat skills. All the better my dear son-in-law that you have already begun working on my grand design... but come, let us dismiss our warriors that they might go and eat, drink and enjoy themselves. We need only you, Jaruna, and perhaps my granddaughters for this business, so that they might learn the ways of leadership."
"I think we can accommodate that." Jerry says before turning and pulling the ax off of his belt and raising it high, an ancient Cannidor signal for attention from the leader of a warband to their warriors.
"Warriors, we walk with friends, show them to the promenade, that they might share our table while we discuss business."
Jerry and Jaruna guide Komugai to the conference room they'd prepared, while Joan and the girls quickly hustle to get their armor stowed and get their tails to the same spot. None of them wanted to miss a minute of this!
Still, the tension in the room's fairly heavy when the door closes, and Jaruna turns on her mother.
"Alright. We got a couple minutes till the girls get up here. What the hell, mom? You changed your name? Took over the Karchara? What the heck is going on?"
Komugai settles herself in a Cannidor scale chair, grinning all the while.
"You should be happier, daughter. This was inspired by you after all. When you left our band. Left the old clan... I knew you were right. We won't speak of that business, but we were obligated... and I should have been brave enough to refuse, but I lacked the standing... and perhaps the courage. So I did what any good Khan worth her blades would do and crammed it down their throats. Broke that clan, took them in, then subsumed the Karchara with my new band. They've got the older name, so I became Khan Karchara instead of remaining Khan Jormuntide. Your Aunt's got the title now. I'd offer it to you, but you've got your own clan now."
"So Jormuntide remains at least." Jaruna shuts her eyes for a second and lets out a slow breath. "You really did all this because of my idealistic and childish temper tantrum nearly a century ago?"
"Hardly childish. Idealistic? Absolutely. There's something to be said for actually trying to live up to our own ideals though. Especially as warriors. However, that is personal business, and we have business to discuss for the Undaunted first."
Komugai turns to face Jerry square on.
"Admiral Bridger, I'm prepared to offer two things to the Undaunted. One. I want to ally myself and my clan formally with the Undaunted. Second, I prepared to gift an entire star system to the same from my holdings. It is populated, but sparsely across three habitable worlds. Ripe for ongoing colonization and industrialization. To keep things fair, people within my clans will be given a chance to move to or from as they please if for some reason they don't wish for Undaunted citizenship. The Undaunted will then have the standing to select a Khan for your Cannidor population, both in Cannidor space, and Undaunted wide. A non voting position at first, but as the clan grows you will achieve that status quickly I believe."
Jerry stops dead. "...Did you just offer us a star system with three habitable worlds?"
"Yes."
"...Okay, I'm on board, but why?"
"Simply put, the worlds are marginal. They need investment. They need settlers. You need worlds. A strong alliance with humanity... and being the first Cannidor clan to extend that hand formally, even having your realm within my space... only benefits me. As I grow my own territory I might even cede another system to the Undaunted. If the Undaunted Khan helps me in those battles I damn sure will." Komugai chuckles. "We'll see how many Khans are stupid enough to try to fight me in the next few decades of course. The other thing I'm trading on is Undaunted naval power. As you just learned, we don't really do navies. I want a professional navy, the Undaunted have agreed to help me get it... and help secure my space once we secure them my end of the bargain, that, Admiral, is where you come in."
Jerry arches an eyebrow and gestures for Komugai to continue.
"Simply put, you need to do what you just did with that border bandit Khan Irgalas, but across Cannidor space. This isn't a done deal. It's up to the Grand Council and I'm but one vote. You already have an in with some of the other Khans, and the Undaunted are doing business with Cannid Solutions. That's an excellent start, and you just made a stellar formal introduction of yourself to Cannidor space. A flawless orbital and ground fight like that'll make sure word gets around that the Undaunted are here... and as dangerous as their rep says they are. I got a little list of the other movers and shakers you need to press the flesh with to win over key parts of the council. You make the rounds, and I'll be doing the same on my end. We meet on Canis Prime for the council meeting, and then we either have a huge brawl to make our point or toast victory with some top quality booze."
"You make it sound pretty simple." Jerry says, clearly not believing there's all there is to it.
Komugai shrugs. "It is simple in its concept. Pressing the flesh and winning the various Khans over won't be. They'll all have their little tests and challenges for you to get the measure of both humans and the Undaunted. We've seen a lot on the trivid as a species. A lot of us have heard stuff in the news or from kin. This is your chance to just straight up show people who you are and what you're about. Because now you're here, and therefore 'real'. If that makes any sense. Cannidor don't really care much about shit happening on the other half of the galactic disk. Undaunted, Humans, being here? Now? Now people will really start paying attention besides idly seeing if there's some interesting amateur porn or more combat footage available."
The Khan points over at Joan, Boudicca, Khutulun and Makula. "These four will likely be very critical to the warrior house's opinion of you... your next generation of warriors, your daughters. How are they treated? How are they trained? What's their mettle like? If they're strong, and worthy, you will impress the khans in a very good way. If my granddaughters are found wanting, they'd question a great many things... and could cause trouble when the Grand Council meets to discuss my little proposal, among other orders of business."
Jerry looks over at Joan and the girls, all four of them are suddenly looking very tense, especially Makula. "I have every confidence in all of my daughters to deal with anything the Khans can throw at them. Even Hippolyta if a trial suited for an infant is on hand."
That gets a chuckle from the girls, relaxing them a hair.
"Still. We'll burn that bridge when we get there. No sense borrowing trouble that hasn't come yet."
Komugai nods. "Wise words. Your diplomats have already approved this plan on their end, they'll send you the itinerary and all the fussy details shortly. Unless you have other questions for me?"
"I've heard there's a grand council of patriarchs too. Would getting in good with them help?"
That gets a full on shrug from the massive warrior woman. "Yes? I mean. Probably. No good way to arrange that though beyond asking my hubby, and I have. He said their council will handle things if it's deemed appropriate, and I don't need to fuss about it too much, and I know a polite way to be asked to fuck off when I hear one... so keep your head on a swivel on that one Jerry, I'm sure the patriarchs are well aware of the Undaunted... and are looking at a possible way to make warriors out of their sons without making their wives piss their frilly panties."
The khan's brilliant white teeth glitter in the room. "Back when we were the more traditional kind of savages back on our homeworld, the bulls did a lot of the leading and the fighting on an individual basis. Women however have always fought the wars. As we grew as a species, developed power armor, space travel, had our population bloom, a bull fighting another in single combat became less practical, and the other traditional male roles of shaman, guide, and brain trust came to the forefront. The council of patriarchs is an old body Jerry. Pre space flight. One of our first forms of international diplomacy between the khans. The matriarchs hold all the power... but when the council of patriarchs speaks, people know to shut up and pay attention."
Jerry nods slowly. Seemed like he'd just have to wait and see... and make sure he made a good impression when the opportunity presented itself.
"Well. I think that concludes everything we need to talk about professionally. Unless you have something else Khan Karchara?"
"Aww, just call me Mama like my big fuzz ball over here used to when we're not working! I've heard a bit about this little fortress of yours, could you all give me the tour? I'd like a chance to talk to all my new granddaughters after all."
Jerry shrugs. "Sure, we'll head up to the Den for a bit, then head down to the promenade to join the girls for some drinks and skewers. Our Cannidor eatery's got the best skewers in wild space whenever we're there."
"Don't I believe it, get to try some more Earth meats too! Bought a little sampler pack from a friend and good goddess, if you start exporting that bacon stuff in bulk, I'm going to invest in a chain of gyms, because there's going to be a lot of girls fighting to keep their girlish figures!"
First Last (SFW) Last (NSFW)

Looking primarily for CE pieces, will bundle weapons, armor or apparel for CE Uny/?/wwr pieces depending on the second star. I am also looking to move some of the weight out of my stash so feel free to offer on the weapons and armor with consumables or apparel offers. Not looking to trade off the apparel or high value Grolls for anything but CE pieces everything else is available for offers.
offering 5mil in trade value on a Uny/AP/WWR CE pieces.
Also looking for Q/25ffr, 50c, E/25 HM
Apparel:
2xTFJ
Responders fireman uniform
2xResponders fireman helmet
Lvl 35 prototype hazmat (legacy)
USA mask
FSA mask
WPJS
Loon Mask
Weapons:

• Non Heavy guns

Q/E/dur HM
B/50c/15r HM
J/25ff25 HM
V/25ff/25 HM
Ari/50c/25 HM

Q/50h/25 Fixer
Q/E/250dr Fixer
Q/RepAP/25 Fixer
AA/E/15r Fixer
TS/E/25 Fixer
Ari/E/25 Fixer

Q/RepAP/25 Rail
Q/E/Ghost Rail
J/E/Dur Rail

TS/RepAP/25 Alien Blaster
TS/50h/15r Alien Blaster

AA/50c/90 10mm Pistol
B/25ffdur 10mm Pistol

B/50c/25 Elders Mark
V/25ff15 Elders Mark
Ass/50c/25 Elders Mark
B/50c/90 Elders Mark
Ari/50c/25 Elders Mark
Q/25ff90 Elders Mark

V/25ffDur EPR (aligned flamer, calibrated capacitor, stabilized stock, reflex)
B/25ff15r EPR (aligned flamer, stabilized stock, reflex, prime)

Q/50c/15r Ultracite Laser Rifle
Q/25ff15r Tesla
Q/25ff15r Assault Rifle
B/E/25 Hunting Rifle
AA/E/25 Western Revolver
J/50c/25 Radium Rifle
Q/50h/25 Pipe Rifle (level 10)
TS/E/25 Lever Action Rifle

• Misc heavy guns

AA/25ffdur Holy Fire
TS/50c/25 Auto Grenade Launcher
AA/25aim/90 Flamer
V/25aim/90 Gattling Plasma
Ari/25/dur Gatling Plasma
J/25/90 LMG
J/E/25 Gattling Gun
B/E/dur Pepper Shaker

• Melee

V/40pa/1s Chainsaw
V/SS/25 Chainsaw
Yellow bat (lvl45
Armor

Ass/Fire Res/Sent CE RL
Ass/Rad Res/Cav CE RL
Bol/1p/WWR CE RL
Bol/Poi Res/AWR CE RL
Uny/AP/AWR Heavy Robot CP
Uny/Fire Res/AWR Heavy Robot RL
Uny/Fire Res/WWR FSA CP
Uny/Rad Res/WWR Heavy Raider LA
Uny/Rad Res/Cav CE RA
Uny/Fire Res/Cav CE CP
OE/Int/Water Breathing CE CP
OE/Hunger and Thirst/Cav CE LL
OE/Cha/AWR CE LL
OE/hazard/FDCWR CE LL
OE/PeAWR CE RL
OE/Poi res/FDCWR FS LL
OE/1s/WWR Robot CP
Uny/Cryo/WWR sturdy Combat LA
Cloaking/AP/WWR CE LL

Hi all, want to see if anyone knows what happens to the parking lot, roads and fire pits this Saturday with bay to breakers happening on Sunday. I think the race is supposed to end right around where three beach chalet is. I’ve organized a bonfire around 6 for my kid’s kindergarten class on Saturday so not sure if I should move it to a different date. I saw that great highway between Jfk and slots is supposed to be closed at 9pm but we should be out of there by then.
Any information is appreciated!!