Whats up guys,
My name's Ryan. I've been an athlete my whole life and hardly ever have even gotten a cold or the flu. I eat super clean, hydrate adequately, sleep 7-8 hours a night, dont smoke or drink, etc.
I'm by no means a conspiracy theorist or an anti-vaxxer. I just want to share my experience with getting the vaccine and then being subsequently infected with the covid virus and the life altering impacts of it. Take what you want from it.
It was right after my second dose of the Pfizer vaccine that my whole life flipped upside down. The symptoms were almost sudden, I was weak, tired, my feet turned hot and red, my head was pounding 24/7, my heart felt like it was beating out of my chest and it was like I suddenly contracted social anxiety. Noises all seemed amplified 10x and I just wasn't feeling normal anymore. I ended up having to quit my job because I couldn't be on my feet for long periods of time anymore.
For context, I have always been a social butterfly. I get energy from organizing community and making new friends. I'm the first person to welcome a new person into a group or walk into a crowded room and befriend everyone. I was in college in south florida at the time and it was like my whole life flatlined and there were no resources to support me understand what was happening to my body. I ended up quitting my job, I dropped out of school and all the stress made my girlfriend and I break up.
I didn't know what to do anymore and was just ready to do anything to feel better again. I thought that perhaps getting out in nature for a while and into a cooler climate could help my symptoms. So I took a random job out west as an adventure coordinator but first I stopped in Breckenridge CO where I helped my buddy work on his new boutique hotel in exchange for a place to stay.
It was amazing how being in the high elevation and the cold weather alleviated my symptoms. I was finally able to work again. After being there for two months, I transitioned to a new job in SF where I was hoping to raise some money to purchase the company that way I could hire a manager to do a lot of the work and I could focus on organizing.
A month into working there after leading programs back to back, I noticed my symptoms came back with a vengance. Anytime I pushed my body and mind hard, these symptoms pushed back harder. I was also getting back in shape at the time because I was feeling good again and like i said guys, Ive always been an athlete, so when I get in the gym, I put in the work. Its so damn frustrating to not be able to move the way I know I can without the most insane post exertional fatigue.
The SF business deal fell through for various reasons and I was starting to struggle again with these unexplainable symptoms. I planned on returning to the east coast to regroup but was invited to LA to attend an Oscars party for Angel Bassett. I get there, have the time of my life and I catch Covid for the first time (that im aware of) and it just crushes me.
The acute illness was rough but it was the immediate after effects that were just baffling. My vision was becoming quite blurry and I couldnt stand up for longer than a minute without getting an insane head rush and my heart beating out my chest. I thought that maybe I was developing POTs. Shortly after I tested negative for Covid I was at a cafe working and I suddenly almost past out. I went to an urgent care and they put me on a steroid and gave me beta blockers (I didnt take them).
A few days into the steroid course and I felt like myself again but right as soon as I got off of them, I tanked. I could hardly walk anymore without feeling like I was going to lose consciousness. I had to catch a flight directly to Atlanta to be taken care of by my aunt whose a nurse.
One year later and here I am sitting in a cafe still struggling to get my life back. I writing to you all because I am tired of feeling like I'm screaming underwater. I'm 29, highly intelligent, highly skilled, have an amazing network, I love working, I love life and at this point I'm just feeling like a failure to launch. I was independent since 16 and have shamefully become financially dependent on my family again. I work for my money but I'm constantly reminded of how I am not living up to my full potential. The cognitive disonance is just destroying my mental health. I am dreaming of ripping up my birth certificate, my social security card and going to die alone in the remote wilderness and leave the world with a philosophical dissertation on how the modern world is failing its young people.
I desperately want to be reliably high functioning again and what I've always done to improve that is exercise but now that feels like a double edged sword these days. I have periods of amazing productivity followed by sudden crashes and the most insane symptoms which just make no sense to me. I need coffee just to get going but at the same time, I feel like it's overstimulating my nervous system.
I'm getting ready to do a cross country road trip from Atlanta to Banff and after I am considering trying to find some sort of peaceful job out in nature for the next year. I was recently offered 30% in my families real estate investing company and my body just cant handle anything high stress right now.
I've gotten my full blood panel done end of last year and I feel like I should go back and get new labs. Everything came back normal but my cholesterol was THROUGH the roof.
Total 292 HDL 50.1 LDL 230 Triglyceride 59.2
I had my heart monitored with a Zio patch and the cardiologist says my hearts normal - even though I've regularly experience heart palpitations/chest pain though not as frequently anymore.
One important fact I didnt mention is that I got Dengue fever in January 2020. I wonder if that has played a role in how my body reacted to covid and the vaccine?
What's your story? What have you done to make a comeback?
Thanks for reading!

Hi all,
I'm planning to buy a drone in Japan at Biccamera due to their tax-free + tourist discounts. For context, I do photography seriously and the drone will be shared with a videographer too, but the aforementioned drones will all do well AFAIK. However, there are some small (but kinda significant) price differences and I'd like to get your opinions on whether or not the extra functionalities justifies the extra cost.
Heres the prices (after 10% tax free + 7% electronics discount, all NEW):

1. Air 2S Fly More Combo with 1Y Care Refresh - 111600 yen / ~720USD (USD/YEN @ 155)
   
2. Air 3 Fly More Combo with RC-N2 - 139500 yen / ~900USD
   
3. Mavic 3 Classic Base Package - 128340 yen / ~830USD, new battery can be bought at 180 USD
   

My thoughts here:

1. The Air 2S is more than enough for what I need, but I'm kind of bummed by its battery life of only ~20min practical use, so the Air 3 and M3C are very tempting. I flew the Air 2S before, and it felt as if it dies before I could fully fly to my hearts content. Of course, more batteries covers it, but comparing 20min x 3 vs 30min x 2 flight time, which would be more practical? I could get one more battery, but then again this drone is 3 years old.
   
2. I'm probably fine without DJI Care anyways since I do not fly often nor in cramped places. Most likely will not fly through much forestation either.
   
3. I'm not sure if the additional functionalities of the Air 3 (Ocusync 4, 3x cam, greater automation) are worth considering. Nice to have, but does not seem to be a need as I see the value in learning to control the drone manually anyways. I mainly prioritise the battery life.
   
4. I could also get 1 extra battery for the M3C that should be able to cover a whole day on my Japan trip. It probably seems like the most logical choice here since I do get a more powerful camera, however it is still a lot more expensive. Here's the issue: I am quite skeptical of the Quad-Bayer sensor in the Air 3, and since I plan to do large prints, the corner sharpness and C.A. seems to be inferior to the Air 2S even. Sample footage also looks very over-sharpened: thus the dilemma. It's not that I think this drone cannot produce fantastic results, but I do feel a little bummed still.
   
5. While the Mini 4 Pro is an option, I still love the solid build quality of the larger drones. Moreover, buying the flight intelligent batteries just adds onto the cost, making it as expensive as the Air 3 here.
   

Heres the problem with why I am very nit-picky with the price:

• I am due for 2 years of National Service right after the trip, and I'd only have the chance to use the drone once in that time, so buying the best isn't necessary the best option.
  
• Yet, the prices seems to be low enough that I doubt it'd get much better in a year.
  
• This is merely a hobby I am trying to push to greater heights.
  

Therefore, as a student, the extra costs (after factoring in additional accessories such as ND filters and bag, that the A2s already has) is harder for me to justify albeit being relatively miniscule due to my circumstances. Which drone would you guys consider? Is it worth the extra cost and would the longevity of the drones be long enough to negate my inactivity in NS? As for licensing, would the M3C be harder to license in Japan, as well as other notable regions?
TL;DR: Battery life first, camera quality second, everything else third. I do not have many opportunities to fly the drone and create a lot of content for long, yet I'd love to get great quality especially dynamic range. Each drone has its "supposed" shortcoming (Air 2S for battery, Air 3 for camera quality, M3C for price). What should I get?
Thanks!

I’m 20. I got into bscn last September. I got depressed as fuck and barely passed. I decided I wanted a fresh start so I reapplied and got into bscn again, and I’m supposed to start in september. But I’m thinking of doing LPN instead. LPN is only two years, which sounds great. I can graduate, start a family, I’ll have job security. But LPN is lower pay, and I need to be able to support myself and my family. I grew up poor and I don’t want that for my kids. I want to be able to support myself financially.
One reason that I’ll admit I want to switch is because of my boyfriend. He’s a BSCN student but he’s a second year. He started right at 18. I’m JEALOUS. Today he is working on the neuro floor at the hospital and I’m working my regular old part time job. He is graduating in 2 years, he’s going to be growing and working and I want that too. I don’t want to wait until I’m 24 to graduate and start paying off my debt, to move out, to be an adult. I want to work, I don’t want to be a student for another 4 years.
I can always go back and get my BSN if I wanted to later in life as well. I just don’t know. I’ve already been in college for two years, I should be halfway done, not just about to start over. It will have taken me 6 years to get a 4 year degree. I know I’m still young but I want to live my life. I want to be out of school before 24.
The main thing holding me back is the pay. Things keep getting more expensive, and if I want all these things like a house and kids and a wedding, I need to make money. If it wasn’t for that, I would just choose the shorter path.
I know that the shorter path is more convenient and the longer one might be better in the long run. But I really don’t want to do another 4 years of college when I’ve already done 2. I want to be a labour and delivery nurse, I LOVE taking care of people. My life feels like it’s on a constant loop the past 2 years.
I want to mention that another reason why I’d like to do 2 years is because I’m autistic. School is hard, especially nursing. 2 years sounds way more achievable to me than 4 more. I’m getting burnt out, and although the LPN program will still be difficult, the BSCN one is harder. Of course it is, it’s a different degree.
I just don’t know if I’m making excuses or if I’m giving genuine reasons. Do I want to do LPN because I want that job or because I’m too lazy to do all 4 years of BSCN?
I’m just not happy with the way that my college career is going. I’m disappointed in myself, I should be halfway done my degree just like my boyfriend. I know I’ll be happy as long as I’m doing nursing, but I don’t know which is the better choice. I’m feeling really lost. Any advice would be very greatly appreciated

This post has the potential to be a bit long, so please bear with me...
A question I often ask myself is "are there financial planners for people like me who don't have a ton of money and often barely make ends meet?" So now, I guess I'm asking this sub. I don't know where to turn at this point in my life, which has been riddled with terrible financial decisions, bad luck, and family health issues.
About me: 39, male, USA. I work full-time for a health care company in Pennsylvania, making right around $88K yearly before taxes and deductions. My wife is unable to work due to a variety of health issues (both mental and physical), but does have a small Etsy shop that brings in an average of $300 on a good month. We have an unusually large family by today's standards -- 7 children ranging from 6 years old (twins) to 17. This is the part where people usually look at me like I have three heads, understandably so. Before my wife's health issues, she was a paramedic and in nursing school. So the plan was to eventually have two incomes once the kids were a bit older, but life didn't turn out that way. And before anyone asks, yes, we are done with having kids. I love them all more than life itself and would never imagine a world without them, but I am smart enough now to know that it would not have been this hard with fewer kids.
It's been very hard (nay, impossible) to get by on one income and a large family, even with some help from relatives along the way. But through it all, we have barely made it work, although I have shot my credit to hell and back in the process. My score hovers around 550 to 570 most of the time, but plummets pretty fast if I miss a payment on something.
Right now, high interest debt is my main issue. I have a variety of low-limit credit cards all maxed out (probably $5k total) a personal loan from OneMain Financial ($400 payment), an auto loan from Carvana/BridgeCrest ($508 payment, worst mistake of my life honestly but was in a desperate situation at the time), and student loans I've had to either defer or flat out stop paying. Other high expenses are groceries, obviously, but I do get $600 in SNAP benefits each month, car insurance at $250 per month because my wife has gotten into a few accidents the last 5 years, and of course rent, which is $1,900 since we need a 5-bedroom house for our large family. We used to own our home but were forced to sell in 2022 due to a variety of issues and our dire need to find a larger place to live for our growing kids.
Suffice to say, most months we either barely make ends meet, or don't at all. I sometimes have to rely on cash advance apps like MoneyLion and Earnin just to make it to the next payday. I have pretty much nothing in savings except for a very small "retirement" account, which is in quotes because I contribute 1% to it just to get my company match. I drained it a few years ago during an emergency that is too long of a story to tell here.
Everyone that I have talked to has said the same essential thing -- to look for a higher-paying job. While this is true, it's more complicated than that in reality. My current job (which I have been at for 1.5 years) affords me the flexibility to work from home most days, and understands that I need to care for my wife (who has substantial mental health issues) and kids and not be "on" 100% of the time. That is often more valuable than a higher salary, but I do know that I am capable and skilled enough in my field to eventually take a shot at a higher paying job.
So. What the heck do I do? Is there someone I can talk to about all this, who can give me real, practical advice? Would a credit union be able to help me with my high-interest debt yet terrible credit score/profile? Ideally, I would love to be able to consolidate all my debt into something more manageable. Is that even a possibility with my credit being bad? I get mail offers all the time saying I am "pre-selected" or pre-approved for a consolidation loan from some random company. I think these are all debt relief companies or possibly a scam, right? I am also severely underwater with our current vehicle as mentioned above. I owe probably 8k more than what it's worth right now, and the van is pretty much a lemon with how many problems it has.
Thank you for reading all this. I am a fairly positive person (I have to be, with the kids and taking care of my wife) but this feels pretty hopeless to me right now. I just wish I could hand over everything to someone who can manage my finances for me, and do the heavy lifting to get things under control. Sigh.

TW: mention of s*idcide. So I (24 M) and my now ex (23 M) ended our relationship about 5 days ago. I really really loved this man and we had been planning on moving in together for a couple months. We’d been together for a little more than a year. During our relationship we started going to couples counseling to just learn how to communicate better with each other and because there was a lot of educating and explaining on my part that was just becoming harder for me to deal with. We initially started in a non-monogamous/poly because that’s how he identifies. Later down the road I realized I couldn’t function well in the dynamic and explained that to him so he said he didn’t wanna be with anyone else but me. So from then on we were monogamous but he said he wanted to talk about his identity and his feelings (which I was more then amenable to). He’d bring up how he kept wanting to be poly and I would reply with “that’s more than okay, I’m just not the person then. There are people out there who will love you like I do and can be poly”. These conversations would only ever come up when he was feeling sad/depressed. And anytime I’d say the line I mentioned above he’d get even more sad and teary and say how he only wants me and it feels like we are breaking up and I’d explain that he can have the relationship he wants just not with me because it implies we are incompatible in a major way. This reoccurs like 5 times. In counseling we addressed it a little and he would say how he’s fine with monogamy and how he wants to try it with me. Now, before the eclipse things seemed to be going well, we were doing well. Sure we had tough moments every now and then when communication broke down but we got better at reconnecting and repairing (or so I thought). As we drove down to his friends place to stay the night for the eclipse (my phone absolutely shattered that day and I was struggling to get a hold of him), he gets in my car and seems really sad and I try to talk to him about it and he tells me how he really needed me that day and how I wasn’t there. I apologize and explain the bit about my phone and try to just comfort him. The mood he has doesn’t shake and out of the blue he’s telling me about how I make him feel bad about himself, how I never listen to him, how I’m never there for him, and the list goes on. I push back because he’s pushing on some sensitive triggers for me and I ask how and why and when and point out how I supported him through when he tried to call things off 8 months ago because he said I’d rather deal with another breakup then him unaliving himself (I had just lost my best friend to that same thing a month prior). I stayed with him for 3 days talking to him about how he felt, making sure he was okay, and put my life on hold (i was working and a full time student). We looked for therapists for him after which he said he ghosted by those he tried to talk too (our couples counselor checked in on him too regarding that). I thought we worked on it and worked through it and he said he’s probably just taking it out on me because I’m depressed and I said that’s not cool and we talked it out (I’m leaving out more detail there for brevity). Anyhow I thought things were better, then last week I asked how he genuinely felt about us moving in together and he said that he didn’t really want to but that it would probably be good. Told me his concerns and I worked to address them; and how he comes with saying he’s bored in our relationship. Well next day he comes to talk and things are normal then I ask how we are and he says a two down from meh. Basically he repeats everything from that conversation I mentioned above and won’t give specifics. Then we take a little break from the convo (he also said he wasn’t in love with me anymore when I asked why he was bored). Then he asks who my ideal partner is and if he thinks that could be him. I say ofc I do. I love you for who you are and I know learning to be in a healthy relationship is hard (we both haven’t had good relationships with others up to this point). He then says that he doesn’t think he can because he still thinks about being poly. I say well, I guess that’s it for us then, I made a promise that if you brought up us being poly again that I would have to end things. He says he knew I’d do something like that and storms to the door and we talk a little more after I calm him down and state what I’ve said every time before. He goes to say that he knows I’m not therapy ong him but why does he have a sexuality where he’s attracted to everyone and relationships he “shouldn’t be in”. I say it’s not that you shouldn’t be in these relationships just be in them with people who want the same thing. Then he just goes to say that all he wanted was me. Again glossing over a little bit, the next day it felt like he flipped a 180 saying how he thinks I’m wrong that’s he’s still in love with me and that’s why this is hard and how this is the best thing I can do for him. He gives me back our anniversary rings and says it’s his promise that he won’t unalive himself and that he’ll get better. I ask if I can kiss him one last time and he says that he didn’t think our previous kiss would be the last and how he hopes it isn’t. He said he was finally in a healthy relationship and it just didn’t feel right because he didn’t feel right. He asks if he can have a hug and I tell him I’ll always love him and that he will be okay. He says that he doesn’t regret the relationship just how it’s ending and how he will always love me too. Idk why I’m writing this now, I think maybe I just need help processing it because it happened so fast. So I guess, where do I go from here? Part of me feels like I’m waiting for him and I’m not sure how to let him go

Hi everyone, I will try to summarize everything. Thank you all for reading. Could really use the advice.
Let me start by saying I really understand my twin. I know what he likes, dislikes, and everything in between. We're super close, and all I want is for him to be happy. I'd never get in the way of his relationships or stop him from doing what he wants. His happiness means everything to me. I can tell when he's hurting and when he's happy. He goes to me for advice and I tell him my honest opinion. He has every right to do what he wants afterwards. I'm coming on here because I truly think that he regrets his decisions and can't find his freedom anymore.
My brother has been with Lindsey for nearly 8 years. This is his first relationship ever. I don't doubt his love for her but I definitely think it has changed and he is mentally and emotionally suffering as the years gone on. He got engaged to her almost 3 years ago. She gave him an ultimatum that if you don't marry me about X amount of years, I will be breaking up with you. He decided to put a ring on her finger in 2022 and then got accepted to medical school the following year.
She is a full time PA making 6 figures, and my brother is a broke medical student. My parents, my sister, and I found out three weeks ago that she has been planning a wedding since the last year. This wedding is in June. My brother hasn't told anybody - not even his best friend. She is paying for everything, my brother didn't put a dime on the wedding. He hasn't invited anybody and nobody knows about it. Lindsey is under the impression that we knew since last year - my brother lied to her saying we have known since then. She is blaming us, specifically my mom, that we weren't involved in planning. I asked brother why is he hiding a wedding from everybody. Your family and friends should be a part of your wedding. There's something incredibly powerful about pointing at the women in front of you and saying "THIS is the person I want to spend my life with, and I want everyone important to me to witness it". There is something powerful about having people there to witness that vow. It holds you even more accountable to it down the road, and there comes a time in every marriage that the power of that vow is the only thing that holds it together. He said that he doesn't care for weddings and he's doing this because its what she wants. He said he would prefer something small or just keep it as an engagement for now. I asked him are you sure if this is the person you want to spend the rest of your life with, and he responded saying "all I know is her". I said do you want to be married right now, but he doesn't really give a solid answer. He says stuff like "sure, why not?" or "it doesn't matter if i get married now". It is super passive, nothing certain. He doesn't seem to care.
We had a heart to heart yesterday. Since October, she has been so frustrated with him. She thinks that ever since he started medical school, he hasn't made her a priority. She thinks he doesn't care about her and ONLY cares about is studying and school. She thinks he's too close to his family and doesn't value her as much. She wants him to do couples therapy. He told me she was actually going to break up with him back in March. But lo and behold, now she's 9 weeks pregnant. Since finding out the news, I have never seen my brother so lifeless. I ended up flying over to him a few days ago (he lives in a different state) just to take care of him. I had a feeling that he needs someone to just be there for him. Yesterday we walked around downtown area and had some ice-cream and he just opened up. He told me that she has always wanted kids and to start a family before 30. I asked if he wants a kid now, he said no. He said he would have to pause medical school and he knows he can't take care of it. He said he's so frustrated because he told her that before they have sex, she can't be ovulating, she has to take an ovulation strip test, and be on the pills. Those were the conditions he gave her, but found out she did none of those things this time. She told him that my cycle is messed up because you cause me stress. He is praying now that she decides to abort but is trying to prepare for both situations. She told him the only way she would abort if he breaks up with her or she breaks up with him. I asked him if this was planned, and he said no. But she is she's so happy about the pregnancy, she told her family and closest friends. As I am visiting him, I just notice he is completely miserable. He is on 20 different medications. Because she is a PA, she prescribes him so much anxiety meds illegally. He also has a severe autoimmune disease. He is shaking, doesn't sleep, doesn't eat. He was sleep talking last night and said "fuck you fuck you fuck you". He told me he is so scared that my mom is going to get sick over this. He is a mess and it hurts me so much because all I want him is to have peace. That's literally all we want for him.
I also feel so bad for her. She is planning a wedding alone. The relationship is built on lies and false beliefs that my brother created just because he doesn't want to loose her and make her happy (they're other stuff I didn't list just to keep the story shorter). In complete honesty, and as a girl myself, I really don't know what she sees in him. She is so pretty, has a great job, works hard, and has money. I feel like she is the whole package. While my brother is so broke, no savings, his body is literally a vessel to academia, and can't prioritize anything besides school right now. I almost feel like she's more in love with getting married and starting a family, than she is with my brother. I think he is her avenue to marriage. I asked my brother if its okay if I share his story to get advise. My sister and I are thinking about talking to her on Friday, and just telling her the truth about. everything. I told him the secret to happiness is freedom. And the secret to freedom is courage. In life, you must take action, if you want to experience freedom. I just don't think he has courage to tell her how he really feels. Would it be bad if we tell her?
If you have gotten this far, thank you so much. I just want him to be happy with himself.

So as the title reads, I just turned 18(M) two weeks ago and my mom told me she filled out my FASFA for college without bringing it up to me. She also said that as soon as I graduate highschool,(3 weeks) I’m going to need to pay some of the rent and a bill because once I graduate my father has to stop paying child support. I’m honestly fine with helping my mom out, but she’s so aggressive about it. She acts like a mafia boss collecting their debts. I also think her filling out her FAFSA for me was kind of out of place, because I’m kinda supposed to know how to apply for it, and how much I’m getting. She said that if I don't have a job I'm going to need to give some of my financial aid money to her for the bills. She also said that I always need to “ help my mom out” and that if I lived anywhere else I would be paying more in rent. I guess it’s the sudden change in attitude that bothers me, she’s acting like I’m not her son and I'm just a means of paying her bills. Welcome to adulthood I guess though. I currently have no job but plan to get one during the summer, and will be attending a local community college so I can then go to nursing school.

As I got to work today, DB was walking out the door and he said quickly as he was leaving that he had an idea that I should pick an activity to regularly do lessons on with their 20 month old daughter, “whether it’s singing or something else.” He didn’t elaborate more and I really did not know what he meant, and then NK and I walked with MB to her car and I asked for further clarification “Do you guys just want me to pick some type of hobby and start like regularly doing it with her?” And all she said was yes, that I should brainstorm what might be age appropriate and next week we can discuss which activity I will be giving her lessons in.
I feel that firstly, it is far too early to begin any type of formal lessons with her. She is not even two and in my experience as a nanny, daycare worker and preschool aide, two year olds learn the best through play, outings and activity hopping at their own discretion throughout the day, not scheduled lessons where you’re like “now it is time to sing” and instead just singing when NK feels like it. Secondly, I feel like my rate reflects that of a caregiver and not a teachetutor and if they want me to plan lessons I need to be paid more. Right now I watch NK solo two days a week for $18/hour, and two days a week I watch her as part of a nannyshare with their friends child, and I make $14/hour from both families so $28 total. I work for a separate family on Fridays only.
I’m all for educating NK throughout the day as we encounter things and explaining the world to her, but if they want me to plan out specific lessons and have them ready to go every day I want to be paid more. I’m looking for advice on how to approach this conversation with them, and suggestions on which hobby/activity I said suggest for NK should they agree to a rate increase?

First
While the first few weeks were pretty eventless, Mor had this bad feeling that the peace would not last. He excels at magic theory and can hold his own on applied beginner magic, still, he had a dower outlook as he was unable to make a single friend.
But when, after the lessons, he found a little letter slipped discreetly below the door of his dorm room, it changed his outlook in an instant. So as he opened the envelope slightly smelling of flowers, Mor read the elegantly written letter inside, a dopey smile growing on his face.
"I don´t know how to start this letter, but I admire your smarts and think you are really cute. I would like to meet you tomorrow after the lessons behind the training center where we could have a talk and get to know each other some more.
Zaletha Angelith"
As he went to class the next day, his head in the clouds, he finally felt that everything would be alright it was his popular phase now. While he dreamily sat through the lessons his imagination ran wild and sometimes threw a shy glance toward the girl who wrote him the letter. His heart fluttered a little as she noticed him and smiled brightly. Mor could not await the end of lessons and finally was released from his torment. He was almost rushing to the meeting spot not wanting to let this opportunity go, and he would not be made to wait long. A few minutes after he arrived at the meeting spot the sparkling form of Zaletha walked up to him smiling brightly and instantly going for a hug, which set Mor´s brain into a state of shock and exhilaration.
He was instantly thrown into a dreamy dopey state and did not notice the other visitors who intruded on the intimacy of the two to be lovebirds.
"Look at that, the princess and the peasant!" One of them exclaimed and the other two snickered.
"Maybe you should rather get yourself, someone of your status, like a little beggar girl. You magicless looser"
And while those words were hurtful to Mor he just ignored those idiots, but then his view fell onto the face of Zaletha. He saw her fear of those bullies and instantly a cold furry began to burn in his chest. Turning around furious he began to channel his magic, glowering at the three other boys
"Fuck off Ruby, and take your flunkies with you, or I will beat you up!" He shouted and all three just smiled at him. The leader called Ruby raised an eyebrow at Mor.
"You would attack someone from royalty? Know your place trash. I Ranbor Ruby, am the most talented flame caster of this school and can burn you to cinders if I wish!"
A slight bout of fear manifested inside of Mor´s conscience but as his view flickered to Zaletha clinging fearfully at his back it was quickly squashed. His rage reached new heights and he unleashed a bolt of pure arcane power which instantly was stopped by a magic barrier cast by one of the flunkies.
Mor was instantly caught in a whirling wall of fire, burning away his flesh, hurting like nothing ever hurt before, he would die, right here right now but at least he could protect Zaletha. Smiling like an idiot he embraced death, just as with the snip of fingers the flames disappeared, along with something, and a feminine giggle started behind him.
There he was standing looking like an idiot, his actions finally catching up with his brain and draining all color from his face. He slowly mechanically turned to look at Zaletha, but his admiration for her was completely gone, and she just laughed at him.
"He really fell for it, that lowly peasant thought he could have a chance with me!"
And now he understood, with his longing for friends, for someone to have social connections his hope for that letter to be real, Mor was caught in an illusion magic. Forming his thoughts, giving him fake feelings, and making him make a stupid mistake, as it is against school rules to use magic against another student. So here he stands four people laughing at his idiocy and he has no witness of his own to change the narrative, he was caught and would now be expelled.
"Well, well, well peasant. You are really in a sticky situation here, aren´t you?" Ranbor gloated.
"But don´t fear, we won´t tattle on you, but let's say for our understanding and silence you need to grant us a few small favors, nothing too bad, so don´t fear. How about you do our homework for today? That seems fair, for the scare you caused."
With that, Mor knew his bad feelings had been right and he would be at the mercy of those bullies. Because who would believe a low-born over the statement of a group of nobles? His school life of dread would really kick off now.
While his grades stayed good, as he would from this point on, always did the homework for 5 people, and secluded himself as often as possible in his room while they had free time so he could evade his tormentors, every time they would cross paths they would torment him with illusions if no teacher was nearby and be all buddy while a teacher was watching. It drained him and let his magic control waver, because of this his applied magic training got worse and worse.
Mor would often think to write a letter to his parents about his dismay, but could not bring himself to disappoint them, so he would lie about how he made a lot of friends and how great everything was. Sometimes he would try to trip up the lies of his bullies in front of a teacher, but his attempts were always seen as "friendly" rivalry between the generous nobles, who took on the peasant recluse and tried to get him to socialize against his will.
As soon as the teacher was out of sight, he would pay for his insolence with illusory pain, and anything to hurt him, that would not leave any marks. It was plain hell and as his thoughts went to quitting everything more and more, another desperate plan formed in his brain.
Maybe if he could be strong enough if he could get specialized magic he could fight back show those bullies he can not be taken lightly and finally break this abusive cycle.
He would do something forbidden, a once-in-a-lifetime ritual, designed to join the souls of two soul-kin together, a ritual designed as bonding with your soulmate and lifelong partner joining your magic pool and affinities together and enhancing both. In some children story´s a lone hero would often use this ritual to fuse his soul not with kin but a mighty elemental force and become far more powerful than any kin, with the cost of staying alone forever, never having a "true" soulbond.
In the deep night, Mor began to draw the required magic circles, using his blood and earth from the gardens as a medium for an earth elemental force and with a last bit of exertion he funneled all his magic into the ritual, falling unconscious at the same time.
In the same moment, fate called, or perhaps it was just chance, when a pick struck something that should never been rediscovered, and something was awakened that should have died in eternal slumber.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Second try because something went wrong.

I have posted in this sub before, about a year ago actually looking for advice on animal based careers that paid well with an unfinished bachelors degree. For a bit of background, I left a cal state university about 5 years ago due to some emotional, financial and mental instabilities. I had been in school for 5 years and couldn’t seem to grasp the biology classes I was taking, looking back I realize that I might have a bit of an attention deficit and could’ve probably benefited from some educational assistance but I was too naive to even know that that existed within colleges.
Since then, I have found an ok paying job in commercial property management because I needed to start paying off my student debt and I couldn’t find anything in the animal industry that paid well. I’ve been at this job for 6 months now and it is quickly becoming minimum wage for Southern California as fast food workers just jumped to $20/hr and I’m at $22/hr and the benefits are awful, the health insurance is too expensive and they hardly cover any of it. I originally came into this job knowing that I was only intending to use it as a way to pay off my student debt and that I would leave as soon as I got that all paid off. I am happy to say that I am doing pretty well on that front, I started with $27,000 when I started here and now I am down to $20,000.
I have recently been dealing with some major anxiety and regret over not finishing my bachelors degree and still ending up with all this debt. I have a couple college friends who I’ve been reconnecting with recently who are working on nursing and PA programs and watching their success has made me both happy and regretful for not putting school first when I had the chance.
As this job trudges on, I find myself digging deeper into an anxious hole and I don’t know what to do about it. I got into property management because I had been a real estate agent for 2 years and I figured that this was a good step towards more experience. But this job has been weighing me down as I have quickly realized that my employer does not intend to offer me any promotions or raises and does not intend to hire me any more help regardless of their promises to do so.
I live with 2 of my adult siblings, my boyfriend and my dad and I am quickly realizing that my boyfriend and I will never be able to live on our own with the jobs we have now.
Because of all of this and because of advice from friends that I have that are already nurses, I have considered doing a surgical tech program because most of them take less that 2 years and don’t need a degree. When I was in college, I volunteered at an animal hospital for a few months because I considered pursuing veterinary medicine. I quickly shelved that idea because of how competitive I realized the field was and because of my poor grades. But I learned that surgery interested me immensely and so I am considering these programs because I know that I would have job stability, good health benefits and decent pay.
Although I feel like I have a clear plan, I can’t help but continue to feel all this anxiety about everything that I didn’t do and wonder if my plan is all in vain because I’ll struggle in school like I did last time.
Have any of you ever had any of these feelings? How do you overcome them? Does my plan seem stabile enough?
I feel like I have so many thoughts swirling through my head and I don’t know how to handle them, so any advice would help. Thank you for reading.

Cyborg #59 - Test of Strength

<< < >
Author: Commander_Z
Book: Cyborg
Arc: Machine Mayhem
Set: 96
Previously:
Victor Stone, Donna Morris and Keiji Otari worked together to create a robot called Atlas to participate in the collegiate Machine Mayhem tournament, a robot fighting competition. The humanoid robot easily crushed its competition in the first round but disappeared overnight before the second round. His three creators split up to track him down, with Keiji finding the machine in a back alley a little ways away from the stadium...
Keiji stood before the massive figure, blinking, trying to focus his mind. He had had many late nights and early mornings over the past couple weeks, so Keiji figured he was still sleeping. Or hallucinating. Or both, somehow. But, the voice rang out, its clearest yet, “No.” ‘Clear’ was a very generous and relative term, though. The noise wasn’t modulating through a speaker or a voice box, instead Atlas was making his own speaker by vibrating the motors and joints that allowed him to move.
The alley that Keiji found Atlas in was less than an ideal to make changes to a robot, but Keiji figured that Atlas would be understanding considering the circumstances. He pulled out an old bluetooth speaker out of his backpack and gestured towards Atlas with it.
“This’ll help you. No more grinding gears to talk. Just got to trust me for a few minutes, okay?”
Atlas stood still for a few moments, whether he was thinking or just unsure how to make a positive affirmation with his joints, Keiji couldn’t know. But, after awhile, he responded.
“Yes.”
Keiji set his backpack on the ground in the gross alley, making a mental note that he’d have to clean that later and got to work.
Around ten minutes later, he was done.
“Okay, Atlas. Try to use the speaker. It’s connected to RO23 on the tertiary control board.”
“...T…Te….ing…Test…Testing. Speaker operation confirmed.” Atlas spoke in a deep, synthetic voice that occasionally warped itself in tone, like how a whammy bar would add vibrato to a chord on a guitar.
“Great. So… Atlas… What's going on with you? Why’d you leave?”
“I am performing my task: defeat opponents, become the strongest. No foes in that arena were a challenge. Therefore, I left.”
Keiji raised an eyebrow. “That’s… not what we made you for. We made you to win Machine Mayhem, not to pursue strength as some sort of goal in of itself.”
“Incorrect. Nowhere in programming was “winning the Machine Mayhem tournament” a specified goal.”
“Okay, but I programmed you, and I’m telling you that was the intention.”
“Intentions are irrelevant. A teacher may shape their students’ minds, but they cannot determine what anyone does with their knowledge. That is a privilege reserved for each and every individual being. You say I was programmed to win a tournament. I say that I was programmed to make myself the strongest being. Only my interpretation is relevant.”
‘I guess that’s not an invalid interpretation of what I programmed him to do. But… that’s not exactly a sane or safe perspective on life…’
“And how are you doing that? Just fighting anyone you can see?”
“No. I have already stated that I found those machines in that arena unworthy of my efforts, in my short time in the outside world I have seen humans to be much the same. Few of you would pose any challenge.”
“Well, that’s a little more reassuring that you won’t just be fighting everyone you see. But - ”
Suddenly, a woman about Keiji’s age flew into the alleyway, riding on a metallic pink hoverboard. She wore hot pink combat boots with dark black leggings, and a matching hot pink sleeveless top with thick metallic bands around her wrists that went up to her forearms. Her eyes were obscured by a visor-like pair of glasses, tinted a reflective red to hide her identity.
And yet, Keiji knew instantly that she had to be Donna Morris. He knew that she had been working on some other project with Vic before they started Atlas, but he figured it was just for some shared class or lab work. But this… This was unexpected.
“Halt… robot! Step away from the civilian and no one needs to get hurt!”
‘Why’s she speaking so formally? Guess it’s some mindset thing.’
Neither Atlas nor Keiji reacted to what Donna was saying. Keiji knew she wasn’t talking to him, and Atlas just seemed indifferent to her presence. Finally, Atlas turned and faced her.
“You seem powerful. Show me the strength of your will and I may concede.”
“This doesn’t need to be violent. We can talk it out, here or somewhere else.”
“Actions speak louder and truer than words.” Atlas moved into a combat position, leaning forwards on his left leg, raising his fists up to his chest.
“Come.”
“Don- ”
“When I’m in the suit, it’s Black Narcissus. Some of us like to keep our identities secret, no offense to Cyborg, wherever he is.” Donna said.
“Okay, nice to meet you, Black Narcissus. Just… be careful with Atlas. He’s stronger than he looks.”
Donna smiled. “So am I. Just watch.”
Donna pressed her thumb and index finger together on both hands and a large light on the back of her hands turned gray. She pointed her hands right at Atlas, who still stood in his combat position, waiting.
A thick, gray fluid shot out of her gauntlets, ensnaring Atlas’ arms to his body and his legs to the ground.
“Gotcha! That’s industrial strength adhesive - ”
Atlas flexed his arms and the adhesive snapped with ease, then crouched his legs before springing upwards towards Black Narcissus and her hoverboard. She quickly flew out of the way but Atlas managed to barely get one hand on the board. Black Narcissus pressed her thumbs to her middle fingers, changing the cartridge in her gauntlets. The light on the back changed to purple and she fired her gauntlets again, launching a blast of energy at Atlas.
The extra energy rattled the robot’s circuits, and he released his grip on the board to escape further damage, sending him crashing back to the ground. She shot another salvo of energy blasts at the machine, keeping him stunned on the ground.
She switched her left gauntlet back to adhesive, hoping that it would be able to restrain a weakened Atlas. Before it could reach him, the robot rolled out of the way and grabbed a trash can, hurling it at Donna. She swerved out of the way again, then dodged a second trash can thrown as a follow up.
After the second can, she was on her toes, prepared for a third, but it didn’t come. She looked around, trying to find where Atlas went, but he was completely out of sight. She sensed him at the last moment, coming from the rooftop that he jumped up to. He grabbed her board and slammed it to the ground with her on it. The board shattered into a million pieces, but Donna seemed unharmed. Atlas sprung up, ready to keep fighting, and Black Narcissus rose fractions of a second after. She pressed her thumbs to her ring fingers and the light on the black glowed a dark red.
She swung a right hand punch at Atlas who caught it in his left. But the light on the back of her gauntlet started to glow brighter as she put in more effort, pushing back against his metallic muscle. Atlas pushed his legs back, trying to stabilize himself. Donna started to push him back more and Keiji could hear the motors start to strain. Atlas stopped resisting against Donna, then, before she could take advantage of it, he kicked up some of the pieces of the broken hoverboard at her. Using her momentary surprise, he punched her square in the chest, knocking the wind out of her and sending her to the ground.
“You fought well,” Atlas said, turning away from her.
“Wait,” Donna said, getting up. “I’m not done with you.”
“Yes, you are. Accept your defeat. There is no shame in losing to the strongest.”
Before Donna could protest, Atlas turned to Keiji. “Come, and bring your things. I have use for you.”
Keiji raised an eyebrow, but grabbed his backpack and started to follow Atlas further down the alley.
He turned back to Donna and mouthed “I’ll text you” to her. He hoped she got the message.
⚙️⚙️⚙️⚙️⚙️
“Stop here.”
Keiji stood behind Atlas, who was peering into an old garage a couple blocks from the alley where he fought Black Narcissus. He grabbed the padlock that was keeping the door shut and squeezed it, turning it into dust.
“You will find the tools you need in here. Repair the damage caused in the last fight, human.”
Keiji raised an eyebrow. “First off, I don’t really like being called “human”. Technically true, but feels hurtful in this context. Second, I’m a software guy. I couldn’t fix you if I wanted to. Third, being nicer to people will generally get you better results. Not really inclined to help someone who starts by insulting me.”
“Niceties are a waste of time. Fix me, or I will end you.”
Keiji shook his head. “No, you won’t. I can’t fix you, but you know my teammates can. And they’d never do that if you hurt me at all.”
Atlas punched the concrete wall in frustration, cracking it. “Very well. You are correct… I do need your help. What will they require to do so?”
“I don’t know. But come back to the arena with me. We can talk with them there and see what it takes.”
“Very well. Let your friends know that I require their assistance.”
⚙️⚙️⚙️⚙️⚙️
Atlas stood before Vic and Donna, who made it back to their workspace just before the robot did. He towered over the three humans, but if any of them were intimidated, it was hidden behind a masterful poker face.
“Y’know, I thought more people would care that we just walked in with a robot and are talking with him like he’s a person,” Donna remarked.
“People are busy and indifferent. The other competitors probably think it’s a marketing scheme or something and are just ignoring us. I wouldn’t worry about it too much,” Keiji said.
“Yeah, that. But so… Atlas has become sentient. Good for you, really. But… hooray. Another sentient robot,” Vic said.
“You see a lot of those?” Keiji asked.
“More than you’d think.”
“I am glad that you are not concerned by my presence. That saves me much effort. But the question at hand remains: I have been damaged and require repairs. Will you repair me?”
“Yes,” Vic and Donna said at the same time.
Vic looked at her, surprised. He figured she’d have some hesitancy.
“But, I’ve got a small condition for you. Should be no big deal. Win us the next round of the competition.”
“Ridiculous. You ask me to do something so trivial it is unfair, like a pro athlete competing at a preschool.”
Donna shrugged. “Yeah, it’s trivial and easy, but it helps us a lot.The club will look much better and get a lot more support for next season if we make it into the semifinals.”
“I’ll even raise the stakes. If you win the next round, we won’t make you enter the finals. Instead, I’ll give you a real challenge. You can fight me.”
“Why would I want that?”
“Because I’m the strongest one here by far. And, if that’s still not enough if you beat me, I’ll show you how to repair yourself. Then, we’ll let you go live as you want, provided you promise to only fight people who want to fight.”
Donna looked at Vic, concerned. “Who would want to willingly fight someone like Atlas?”
Vic sighed. “Trust me. There are plenty of weirdos in this world who just want to fight. It’s much better than me just throwing him in prison or taking him apart.”
Atlas made a noise that Vic thought was supposed to be a scoff. But maybe it was just static. The speaker wasn’t that high quality.
“You make a very strong set of promises if I win, which I will. But if by some miracle, you managed to cheat your way to victory… what happens then?”
Vic shrugged. “Pretty much the same thing. I’ll teach you how to repair yourself and let you go with the same stipulations. You just have to know that a human beat you.”
Atlas laughed. “You are a fool if you think that could ever happen. I accept your terms, human. Guide me to the arena, those boxes of scrap will be reduced to dust.”
Vic walked him over to the arena as as if he were any other competitor, but instead of waiting by the sidelines to see the results, he walked back to their workspace. He knew that Atlas would win and wanted to try and make sure that Donna and Keiji were on board with the other part of his plan.
When he got back, Donna was nervously pacing around while Keiji was scrolling through some webpage.
“So.. Vic… do you really think that this is the right idea? You’re just… unleashing him on the world. Isn't that irresponsible?” Donna asked.
“I don’t think so. Yeah he wants to fight people but he has restraint to some degree. He knows the difference being fighting every random person he sees and fighting someone who has a reasonable amount of strength. I dunno, I think him messing up and fighting… Superman or something and taking a big loss would teach him far more than we ever could or throwing him in jail for being dangerous. Is it a risk?… kinda. But so is any option.”
“So your best guess is just… let him go and figure it out?” Keiji said. “Isn’t that a bit too… hands off?”
“Got a better idea? That’s pretty much what we got to do.”
“No. I don’t. But this just feels... risky.”
“Yeah, it is. But he’s fairly reasonable after being conscious for what, 12 hours? Over time, he’ll probably mellow out and if he doesn’t, I can take care of him then. But he deserves a chance like anyone else.”
Keiji nodded. “Fine Vic. If that’s what you think the best path is… I’ll stand by you.”
“Same, Vic. I want to believe in him too.”
“Thanks guys, really. Hopefully we can all look back on this and agree this was the right path.”
A horn sounded and a voice came over the loudspeaker. “Semifinal-2 has ended! The winner is the University of Michigan’s Atlas! Please collect your robots and be ready for the finals at 1:00 PM.”
The team stood up and gave each other a round of high fives. They really had made something great. Now it was time to see just how great he really was.
⚙️⚙️⚙️⚙️⚙️
Two hours later.
The team packed up after their semifinal match, citing an unspecified emergency with the tournament staff. They weren’t happy with the anticlimactic end, but ultimately they couldn’t force the three of them to continue to compete and so they left without much hassle.
The three of them drove north until they found the first open field that Vic and Atlas could have their match in. There wasn’t anywhere that they could find in the city that wouldn’t attract too much attention or put innocent people at risk and they managed to convince Atlas of that too. The robot was in the trailer towed behind the three of them, much to his chagrin.
But after a half hour or so, they found a spot. A wide open, grassy field with no one around to interfere or get hurt. A perfect spot for them to settle things. Vic got out of the car and started to stretch, trying to limber up after the car ride while Donna and Keiji helped Atlas out of the trailer.
Atlas rotated his head, taking in the environment. “A flat, quiet field. An honorable place for battle.”
Vic let out one lat calming exhale before approaching Atlas. “Plus, no one is around to get hurt. That’s important too.”
“...Yes. That too.”
“The rules are simple. A clean match, no foul play between either of us. Whoever is left standing when the other yields or is unconscious wins.”
Atlas laughed. “I will never yield.”
“We’ll see,” Vic grinned.
“Oh, one other thing. Not really a rule per say, but a strong suggestion: Try not to seriously hurt each other. You’re not trying to kill or maim each other,” Donna said.
“Yes, yes. May we begin?”
Vic nodded, and took a step backward, creating about ten feet of space between him and Atlas. Before the dust even settled, his arms were force cannons launching pure energy right at Atlas’ chest. Vic had designed Atlas, he knew that he wouldn’t be very damaged by those. But he had underestimated just how much he would be able to tank them. The force blasts did little more than chip the paint and an exhilarated Atlas sprinted at Vic like a charging bull.
Once Atlas was a few feet away from Vic, he prepared a concussive grenade and exploded it directly against Atlas, using the force to stagger him out of the charge. Before the robot could launch another attack, Vic swung a full force punch into the robots’ chassis, crumpling it inwards slightly. Vic followed up the punch with another, but Atlas was ready for it and parried it with his left arm, then kicked Cyborg away, sending him flying backwards.
Cyborg shot his force canons at the ground to give himself some momentum in the opposite direction, slowing himself down. But Atlas had some tricks up his metaphorical sleeves too. Having realized that a direct approach was difficult, he used his powerful hands like a backhoe to scoop up a massive piece of earth and hurled it at Cyborg. Vic was unsure how to react to this, or more precisely, how he expected Atlas to follow this attack up. The boulder itself was a problem, sure, but it was just to close the gap. Atlas could be using it to block his line of sight and be jumping right behind it, or he could be using the temporary blindspot caused by the massive object to approach from either side.
Instead of guessing, Vic decided to power through the problem. Vic shot both of his force cannons at the projectile, sending bits of dirt every which way. Atlas was hiding in what was once the dirt ball’s shadow and Vic took advantage of his surprise to launch himself at the robot. Cyborg shot his force cannons behind him, propelling himself forwards rapidly in a charge mirroring Atlas’ own.
He knocked the massive machine to the ground and sat on his chest, using his arms to pin down the machine’s.
“You’re down, Atlas. Do you yield?”
“I told you. I will never yield. I am the strongest!”
Atlas began to press his weight against Vic’s strength. Vic knew he was a match for Atlas’ strength but there was one key problem: stamina. Vic’s body was, of course, cybernetic in part, but it wasn’t the same. He was still human and human beings got tired. Machines did not.
Vic could already feel his muscle starting to fatigue. The fight hadn’t been long, but any fatigue was going to be the difference. He knew he was a match for Atlas’ strength when he was at 100%, but every percent below that made it more and more likely to be Atlas’ win.
‘I need to end this fight now or the immediate future if I want to win. But my normal attacks aren’t doing anything to him. I could try a sonic attack, but I don’t think that’d really effect him. I could try targeting his joints specifically, but those were designed to take more than I can give. But I can’t just let him overpower me for the win. That’d make him overconfident and more likely to get into trouble afterwards. No… I’ve got a better idea.’
In an instant, Vic’s muscles stopped resisting. “I yield.”
Vic pushed himself off Atlas, who stood up and looked at Cyborg, confused.
“What foe yields when he has his opponent on the ground, at his mercy? I demand you continue!”
“No. This fight was never to the death, only to yielding. But frankly, you aren’t strong enough to interest me. You said it yourself, you will never yield. And pummelling you to a point where you are the equivalent of unconscious just isn’t worth my time. So I yielded. Congrats. You win.”
Atlas stood, incredulous. “No. That is not allowed. I did not win. You lost! Those are not the same!”
Vic turned to Keiji and Donna and then noticed that the fight had taken them about 30 yards from where they started. He started to walk back towards them, and Atlas followed.
“Guys, I yielded that fight. Doesn’t that mean I lost?”
Keiji raised an eyebrow. “I guess?”
“See? Congrats, you won.”
“... I do not accept this victory. This is a loss in all but name. Mark my words, Victor Stone. I will wander the globe, facing foe after foe to grow stronger. I will become the strongest being and when I do, we will have a real fight, one where you must acknowledge my strength for real.”
“Looking forwards to it. Stay out of trouble until then, understood?”
Vic held out his hand for a handshake which Atlas begrudgingly accepted.
“Understood.”
“Atlas, catch.”
Keiji tossed a small flash drive to Atlas who had to bend down to grab it.
“That has all your schematics and drawings on it, as well as all the parts we used to make you and where we sourced them from. It’s probably the best thing out there to help you repair yourself.”
“Thank you. You all have given me much to think about it. When we meet again… I will be stronger in body and mind. Farewell for now but I will return to challenge you again, Victor.”
“I’ll be waiting. And I promise to go all out next time, Atlas.”
Atlas took off to the west, heading to only he knew where.
Once he was far enough out of sight, Vic laid down on the ground, exhausted.
“Well, that’s enough bluffing for the next decade. I really underestimated him.”
Donna sat down to his left, Keiji on his right.
“Told you that you were being cocky. We all built him but he’s out of all of our leagues,” Keiji said.
“Yeah… but I really wanted to do it, y’know? Kinda humbling to be beat by your own creation.”
“If it makes you feel better, I lost to him too,” Donna said.
“Wait what? When did you fight him?”
“I’ll tell you on the way back. Not my finest moment, but I put up a good fight.”
“Proud of you. You’ve come a long way in your training. But after that fight… I’m going to need to get a lot stronger and pick my own training back up. I kinda feel like I’ve been stagnant for awhile, just sort of winning my fights through grit and will power. But if Atlas had been hostile… I don’t think I could’ve stopped him. So, I’ll need to get back to the drawing board and see what I can do to take myself to the next level.”
“And we’ll be there to help you however we can. But uh… Vic, finals are in like two weeks. Maybe focus on that first?” Keiji suggested.
“I’d rather get beat up by another robot,” Vic groaned.
<< < >

i’m using LSAT Lab to study & i’m not sure whats the best way to learn & drill. right now i’m watching a lesson & then drilling that concept for about 2-3 hrs a day for a week. after that week, i move onto a new concept & i combine those drills from the previous concept & this new concept so i don’t forget the old. is a week too long to drill the same stuff? I’m planning on taking the LSAT in Aug so I have some time.
I learn best when i learn a concept then drill but do should i try and drill to master & then build on it? or move onto new concepts quicker? just don’t want to waste my time studying one way & then cram at the end.

I am a carnatic music student from the US planning on going to India for a month to learn in person with daily classes from my teacher. My thought was that having daily, rigorous classes when I have time now (I don't know if I'll get time like this again in the future) could help me take my learning to the next level. However, the cost for travel is turning out to be really expensive and I am stuck if I should proceed for this rare opportunity or try to take daily online classes from my home in the US. Any thoughts on if this trip would be truly worth it would be much appreciated! Thank you.

Hi all, this is my first post on Reddit, a little nervous. I am a Digital IC designer in Taiwan. Recently, I started studying Robotics by myself, but I've been frustrated by the math involved, including Euler angles, Quaternions, and DH models. They were just introduced in Chapter 1. I think the mathematics are too difficult for the average person to understand, and I wish there were a visualization website that could demonstrate the concepts of each transformation method or robotic modeling approach.
Consequently, I developed VisRo, a website focused on visualizing robotic learning. I wrote version 0.1.0 of the website this weekend. Currently, it features visualizations of:

• Translation and Rotation
• Euler Angles
• Quaternions
• Homogeneous Translation
• Classic DH Parameters
• Modified DH Parameters

I plan to add more visualization views, including inverse kinematics and dynamics, to help students learn robotics more efficiently. However, I'm not sure if what I've done is the best solution for learning robotics. I need your advice on what I can do on the website to help people learn robotics faster.
Feel free to check out the website and give me advice. Thanks very much for your advice.
https://reddit.com/link/1csppxz/video/t5e9cco6gm0d1/player

Anyone else FUCKING sick and tired of paying obscene interest on Alberta Student Loans??? 7.5% interest is a joke. Since 2020 I have paid almost 20k off my student loan and the balance has only dropped by 7k. I’m planning to dump a lump sum from my savings on to it but holy fuck I’m sick of it. I work in rural health care where we literally cannot recruit staff. The federal government has loan forgiveness for nurses and doctors working in rural settings. I wish the provincial government would do this but that would require them admitting the federal government has any good ideas so will prob never happen. I have written emails to MLAs and ministers with no response. I am at a loss of what to do in terms of advocating about this issue.

Dear Teachers - I just quit my job (I know the school year is almost over) because I just could not take it anymore. I really need YOUR advice! I worked at a multilingual school for almost ten years. Loved every minute of it until there was a change in admin and… when you know you know. It was time to go. I landed in this new school as a 4s and 5s teacher. Director wanted me to implement my Montessori philosophy and get the children ready for kindergarten. Fabulous! It is an all Chinese school. Meaning students do not speak English at all. Teachers don’t speak English at all. Everything is written and directed in Chinese. I was supposed to do English immersion and just go with the flow of the school year. The children’s independence skills were close to none. Five years old did not know how to dress themselves or put a jacket on. Language barrier was a big challenge.
With this in mind, the downfall was the following:

• Onboarding training was zero.
• Director wanted me to get the children fully speaking in English in ten months.
• I was asked to teach reading and writing by the end of the school year (Some of them did not know how to spell or pronounce their English name for starters, only their Chinese names)
• The goal for math was for them to learn the four operations.
• Parents expectations were high and their involvement in acquiring English for their children was zero.
• Lead teacher meetings were ALL Chinese, meaning I just sat there every week and write doodles in my notepad. Always lost, tired of asking “what was that?”
• It is a Christian school. Even though they knew I was not Christian I was asked to pray out loud in meetings every once in a while.
• As the only English speaking person in the whole system, the director criticized me based on what others told her about me. Never observing my class, never assessing the lessons.
• I was instructed to take daily pictures of every student and share it to parents. Write to parents the lesson plans daily, monthly and a newsletter plus what and how much they had for snack and lunch. Daily.
• The lack of inclusion was absorbing my mental health.
• With all of this, the last straw was that a teacher and a parent said that I was not teaching my students anything because when they assessed them, the students seemed lost.

I tried. I tried my hardest to fit in but there was no place for me. I must say most of my students are now English speakers (I’m Chilean by the way). They now know that this world is called Earth and has continents. Cycle of animals and plants. Food preparation. Tracing. Using scissors. Some of them are reading, all know their numbers and phonics and they are thriving as children instead of little adults with that pressure of academics but no life skills.
I feel like a failure. Parents will see it as the teacher who ditched a class instead of an employee who tried her hardest. I am afraid I will have the same level of criticism in my next school. I am afraid I was failure this whole time.
Need advice please. Thank you!

Per suggestion to be more abbreviated. Spouse and I worked for small company and was supposed to get a really large bonus after 3 years of for project completion after acquisition. Deal fell apart and now I'm likely to get nothing and loosing my job at the same time. Overspent and overextended in anticipation of this bonus but now I have no bonus, likely no job, and a lot of expenses I need to get rid of quickly.
We bought our current house 3yrs ago to help parent move in with us with medical issues in an emergency. Lost a lot of equity from previous house in the process. Her parent died a year later and now we have a house that is too big but could rent out portions to make ends meet.
I have a rental property that is worth about $200k net in equity that can net about $1.5k/mo. I could sell this but it might be nice to have this as a dire emergency fall-back home as it's almost paid off and the tax+ins per month is only like $400/mo where the current home is $1.2k/mo in tax+ins. I can't currently move into the rental because of my children but maybe in 3-4 years.
I am mid 40s, she is early 50s.
It may take me 6mo or more to get back into the local job market and learn the skills that are valuable to our area as I've been writing specialized code for almost a decade. I can ramp up quickly but could take an income hit in the short term just to get into someplace to learn this skill. So I need to reduce expenses quickly with in a couple months.
[Income]

• Net combined income: $11.5k/mo
• Potential rental property income: +$1.5k/mo
• Potential "mother in law suite" rental income: +$500/mo

[Debts]

• Mortgage (primary): $3.9k/mo ($450k payoff)
• Mortgage (rental): $700/mo ($50k payoff)
• Credit Cards: $1.2k/mo ($40k payoff, used to remodel rental)
• Vehicle 1: $1.9k/mo, ($90k payoff, underwater about $30k)
• Vehicle 2: $430/mo, lease ending in 6mo
• Student Loans: $120/mo ($4k)

[Expenses]

• Utilities: $1k/mo
• Food: $1500/mo
• Misc: $300/mo

[Investments / Savings] (I would prefer to try and max as many of these out as possible sans VUL)

• VUL: $1,700/mo ($20k/yr min REQUIRED)
• Roth: $1,170/mo ($585/mo x2 to max)
• HSA: $700/mo ($350/mo x2 to max)
• Life Insurance: $350/mo (already pre-paid this year: $4.1k/yr but will need to save for next year)
• Savings: $1-2k/mo

Assets:

• Cabin/property: $60-75k (paid off)
• Rental (house): $200k / $1.5k/mo ($50k payoff)
• Rental (room): $500/mo
• Quick-ish-selling physical assets: $50k
• Current home: $150k equity
• Vehicle 3: $30k (paid off, about 3yo)
• Vehicle 4: $6k (paid off, about 8yo)

[Investments]

• $225k in stocks/funds
• $65k is in 401k/Roth/SEP
• $40k in a VUL
• $20k in HSA
• $90k in MM / emergency account

[Help]

1. If I end up with any small payout ($50k-$100k) where should I put it first?
2. I plan to sell off Cabin + quick assets ASAP. That should net me $110-$125k. I plan to pay off high-interest credit cards first and may be left with $60-75k, where best to put this?
3. Should I sell the rental property to pay off my primary residence vs keeping it for rental income stream? (I believe I'd have to pay 15% cap gains on this.)
4. If I can't completely pay off the house, is it worthwhile to still do this and maybe just recast the loan to reduce monthly expenses?
5. Returning vehicle 2 at lease-end, but should I pay off the remaining vehicle to reduce monthly burn rate?
6. From what I understand my VUL is essentially worthless at this point. Should I move this to regular investments since it requires $20k/yr to maintain, or is this more of a financial planner question?
7. Literally any other suggestions.

Sorry, it's a long one, but I could really use your advice 😞. I'm not sure if I'm being paranoid due to my insecure attachment style and past relationship baggage, or if my gut feeling is onto something and I'm slowly losing it... My partner (46M) and I (40F) have been together for nearly a year, but so far, I've only met one of his friends and not a single family member on his side. He has met several of my friends. I have no contact with my family since almost 6 years, so he technically also never met someone of my family.
We met about a year and a half ago on a dating app geared towards casual dating. At that time, neither of us were looking for a serious relationship; we were just in it for some casual fun. On our first date, he mentioned he was still technically married but separated from his wife for about a year, and they shared a 13-year-old son. Since the separation, he's been staying with his parents, while his wife and son reside in the adjacent house. He never spoke ill of his wife, which is something I really appreciate.
He claimed it was love at first sight for him when he first met me, but I didn't feel the same way. I found him intriguing and attractive, but the idea of a relationship didn't appeal to me at that moment, mainly due to our lack of shared interests. He never pressured me and always respected my space, but he did actively pursue me. For every date we had, he brought food and flowers, even though we were just friends with benefits at that point. He also went above and beyond, helping me with various tasks like gardening, fixing my shower and car, all at his own expense. And even insisted on me not paying him back. He even picked me up in the wee hours of the morning when I was stranded in a bar with friends and couldn't find my way home, had medications delivered to my doorstep when we both had COVID-19 and couldn't meet, and these are just a few examples...
Our physical connection is fantastic, and he is very attentive to my needs. Surprisingly, from the beginning we also had dates without sex, despite that being our initial intention. Things quickly became emotionally and mentally intimate, and we started sharing more and more of ourselves. He treated me with more care and attention than anyone ever had, which initially set off alarm bells in my head, but his gestures continued, I just found myself enjoying his company immensely, both in and out of bed, feeling incredibly comfortable and happy with him. He always made me feel valued and appreciated, never failing to be loving and attentive. And to this day there has never been a single negative word or action from him towards me.
Around four months into our dating, he had to travel abroad for work for a week. During that time apart, I unexpectedly found myself missing him dearly, which came as a surprise because I wasn't looking for a serious relationship. One evening during that week, he insisted on hearing my voice, and we ended up talking on the phone all night. A few days later, I confessed to him that I missed him more than I expected and that everything felt strange, especially since I didn't even know his last name. In response, he admitted feeling the same way and expressed his desire to come over and properly introduce himself when he returned. True to his word, he showed up at my door late that night, despite his delayed flight.
However, what followed was a bombshell. As he sat on my couch, he handed me his ID, revealing not only his last name but also a different first name, birthdate, and birthplace. I was so stunned and literally nearly passed out. He had lied about his first name and was actually two years older than he claimed. Even details about his son, whom he claimed was 13, turned out to be false; the boy was actually 17. This revelation shook me to the core because I had never suspected he was lying to me. Being the child of an alcoholic, I prided myself on having keen intuition, but I had failed to detect his deceit. While I had actually suspected he was still married to his wife, his lies about his identity blindsided me. He apologized profusely that night, explaining that he didn't know how to come clean after lying for so long. But when I confronted him about his last name, he realized he couldn't keep up the facade any longer.
He confessed that he and his wife had indeed been living separate lives for a while, even agreeing to see other people. However, a woman he had met on the dating app years ago had stalked him, leading him to adopt a new identity to protect himself. He never intended to fall in love with someone and only sought casual arrangements. Although they broke up, he maintained proximity due to familial and business obligations, leading him to remain close to his family, and he committed to fulfilling his responsibilities towards them. His wife suffered from cancer a few years ago, which apparently returned at the beginning of this year.
The day after this revelation, he came to speak with me during his lunch break, begging for another chance. The following weekend, I met his best friend for the first time. Despite my shattered trust, I believed that he was sincere in his remorse and transparency, so we decided to it another shot and shortly after even committed to an official relationship. Things seemed to go well afterward; we even went on a vacation together, and he started spending more nights at my place. He continued to be incredibly supportive and attentive to my needs. However, he never made any efforts for me to meet his son, which I tried to understand given the sensitivity of the situation.
About three months later, I broached the subject of meeting his son again, but he claimed that he and his wife had agreed to wait until their son had settled into his first semester at university before introducing him to me. I had no children of my own so I have no experience with this, but friends of mine with adult children suggested that it was unusual to wait so long. Despite my doubts, I trusted his explanation, although I wondered if his family even knew about me. He told me that he was committed to his family until the end of the year and planned to move out thereafter. However, when the year ended, his mother caused a commotion when he moved out, leading to our first crisis over Christmas.
His parents insisted that he drive them to a city four hours away on Christmas Eve to celebrate with relatives, which disappointed me, but I understood. I assumed he would want to spend Christmas Eve with his son, so I suggested that we meet on Christmas Day instead to cook and spend a nice evening together. He informed me that his son didn't want to celebrate Christmas with the family anyway, so my suggestion was fine. Although we spent the evening before Christmas Eve together, our plans were disrupted when he insisted on going home instead of staying over as originally planned, leading to our first argument. He received a message from someone, read it, and his demeanor completely changed; he began to repeatedly look at the clock. When I asked, he said he needed to go home. I asked if I could read the message because I immediately had a bad gut feeling, but he declined and drove off. Despite feeling uneasy, I let it go until Christmas Day, when he arrived two hours late without prior notice. Also, I only rarely heard from him the entire Christmas Eve and most of Christmas Day, which is pretty unusual for him. This pattern continued after Christmas, with him becoming increasingly unreliable with his timing. After pressing him on the matter of meeting his son and family soon, he admitted that his family was resistant to the idea of accepting me due to their loyalty to his wife.
Our relationship hit another rough patch on Easter when he spent Easter Saturday with his son, arriving at my place much later than expected. Frustrated that I still hadn't met his son, I confronted him, leading to another argument and him storming off to his best friend's place without contacting me for the rest of the day. His lack of communication left me feeling hurt and confused, but we eventually reconciled after a few days. Even today, we're still crazy about each other and often behave like teenagers. But for some time now, I haven't been able to enjoy our meetings. I question everything he says and does, wondering, can I believe him? Can I trust him? He lied to me so skillfully at the beginning. Is what he says about his family even true? It feels like we're not making any progress. He insists it's exactly as he says. But over a year has passed, and it seems like nothing has changed. I just have to keep being patient and endure.
Actually, he never really settled into his own apartment. Everything is makeshift; there's no functional kitchen, no chairs... not even a mirror in the bathroom. Yet, we still occasionally sleep there. At first, it was amusing, but we’re both two old for this sh*t and the student apartment adventure ended for me after five months of stagnation. I really tried to make the best of it, and I'm actually really self-sufficient and easygoing. But it has become draining... He also sleeps at his family's place more often lately, and less frequently at my place...
What are your thoughts on this? Am I overreacting? Should I give him and his family more time? I'm feeling exhausted and grappling with my trust issues. Am I being paranoid, or is my gut feeling accurate? What steps should I take? Extend more patience? Show more understanding towards his son and family for their reluctance to get to know me? Consider giving him an ultimatum? I'm feeling lost.

I’ve been considering buying a house with a friend to be rented to students. We’re both currently students and wouldn’t be planning to buy for at least a year, certainly not until we’ve graduated.
Is a HMO license hard to get other than jumping through the hoops, do councils make a judgement beyond suitability and safety?
As FTBs would a bank be less likely to offer us a BTL mortgage?
I am in a position where I could afford to buy outright, can this be used to get more favourable mortgage rates and could this be used to overcome affordability concerns from banks (given we’ll be on about £25k)?
What returns can we anticipate? I’ve run the numbers on standard rentals before and found them to be often unprofitable, but for HMOs a 7% net yield + appreciation seems to be doable, is this unrealistic?
Bills - if rent is inclusive can these be tax deducted?
Are there any specific forums, websites or personalities who share lots of information about UK student lets?

Understanding "Lo Que" vs. "Que" in Spanish

Learning the difference between "lo que" and "que" is essential for mastering Spanish as an English speaker. Both of these phrases can translate to "what" or "that" in English, but they are used in different contexts.

1. "Que"

The word "que" is a relative pronoun that means "that," "which," or "who" depending on the context. It is used to introduce relative clauses, providing more information about a noun mentioned previously in the sentence.
Examples: - La chica que estudia español es muy inteligente. (The girl who studies Spanish is very intelligent.) - El libro que está sobre la mesa es mío. (The book that is on the table is mine.)

2. "Lo Que"

"Lo que" means "what" or "that which." It is used to refer to an entire idea, concept, or unspecified thing. Unlike "que," it doesn’t need an antecedent (a noun it refers back to) and is often used to emphasize a statement.
Examples: - Lo que necesito es un descanso. (What I need is a break.) - No entiendo lo que dices. (I don’t understand what you are saying.)

Key Differences

1. Antecedent: "Que" usually follows a noun it refers to, whereas "lo que" doesn’t need a specific noun before it.
2. Context: "Que" is often used in relative clauses to add information about a noun, while "lo que" is used to refer to concepts or ideas more broadly.

Examples in Sentences

Using "Que": - La película que vimos anoche fue interesante. (The movie that we saw last night was interesting.) - Los estudiantes que terminaron el examen pueden salir. (The students who finished the exam can leave.)
Using "Lo Que": - Lo que más me gusta es la comida mexicana. (What I like the most is Mexican food.) - Dime lo que piensas sobre el plan. (Tell me what you think about the plan.)

Practice with Pal

Want to get better at differentiating between "lo que" and "que"? Practice makes perfect, and Pal is here to help!
A. Go to [Get-Pal.com/WhatsApp/](Get-Pal.com/WhatsApp/)
B. Create a sentence using "lo que" or "que" and send it to Pal: - For example, try a sentence like "Lo que necesito es aprender más gramática" (What I need is to learn more grammar). - Or "El libro que me prestaste es muy bueno" (The book that you lent me is very good).
C. Pal will review your sentence, correct any mistakes, and keep the conversation going! If you're ever stuck, just ask Pal for help. Consistent practice will help you become more fluent.
Remember, the best way to learn is through continuous practice and real conversation! Happy learning! 🌟

I’m a bachelorette in my friends wedding! So amazing and incredibly happy to celebrate her. However, we’ve run into some issues regarding paying for the bachelorette. How should we approach splitting the costs 1 week out?
Some background - 4/5 bachelorettes have small budgets, and 3/4 of those bachelorettes are students in advanced degrees that kept us very busy leading up to the bachelorette. None of us have been in a wedding before so we were all new to this process/traditions. We are all very strapped for cash, which the bride knows, and the MOH is a student as well, so I guess we thought she knew too. However, looking back, we would’ve approached this differently.
The bachelorette is planned by the brides older sister. Despite us offering to help plan, she preferred to do everything herself.
She plans a 4 day, 3 night stay in a city close to all of us. 30 minute drive, but we all agree to rent a place for the weekend. 1 month before, she tells us everything she’s already booked. This is during exams so we didn’t think about it until closer to the event.
We realize 1 week before that the price per person is $1000, only for the pre booked events. This isn’t including any of the dinners, nights out, etc. there was no communication that we would be paying for everything, with the bride not contributing. Clearly, we should have asked. She also didnt ask for our budgets… but maybe we should’ve been clearer.
Now we’re worried about spending $1100 each, which is a sizeable amount for us students. It’s giving us a lot of anxiety.
We’re settling this without telling the bride so as not to stress her out. We asked the sister if it’s confirmed that we’re not paying for the brides dinners, as we’re already covering the prebooked stuff (about $300 each per person). She seemed surprise at this request, which made it clear to us that she was expecting us to cover the bride for everything, without asking. She only asked if we’d would be okay paying for a spa day, but nothing else. So we assumed it was just that.
Also - there’s no option to skip some events. There’s also themes so we need to purchase outfits to fit the themes….
It’s 1 week out. Is it bad of us to have asked for this expense to be covered by the bride or MOH so close? Are these fair and normal bachelorette assumptions? We don’t want to go against the grain but, there’s a limit.
Next wedding I’m part of, I’m seriously reconsidering accepting because this is way too expensive. That sucks, but I can’t afford it.

I just got a student credit card with a maximum of 300 because I want to build my credit score as much as I can while still in school. I plan on only using it for energy drinks and dinner. Is it better for my credit score if I pay the small amount a few hours after I've bought my drink or is it better to pay it altogether once a month?