Legends of Albatal is a whitelisted RP server which started on 25th May 2024.
Main features of the server include:

• Detailed server lore.
  
• EU-based, peak hours 7-10pm.
  
• MMOcore-based levelling and crafting professions.
  
• Customise your character with up to two crafting specialisations.
  
• New and rebalanced crafting recipes, food, weapons and armour.
  
• No crates, vote privileges or P2W elements.
  

Join our Discord server for more information or to submit an application - discord.gg/hPaKNvAd!

I know very very little about philosophy but I think about how I think and my values/beliefs a lot. So I guess this is a philosophy question? Probably a dead simple one, at that. Probably 101 level stuff. Haha.
I go through a process where I feel something but then look at it and sometimes go 'that doesn't align with my actual values. That's something that's coming from the society I live in.' I don't have a name for that process.
Example:
My value: I don't date. It's not worth my time and energy. I'm not against it if it happens on it's own but that's not very likely. I'm also unwilling to compromise on decisions I make regarding my body and I think it'd be unreasonable for me to expect someone else to consent to the potential consequences when I give them no input on the matter. I don't think not-dating says anything about my value as a person. I don't think it's a life less worth living. I would venture a guess that I have better quality friendships than the majority of people in my culture and subcultures.
Society's Value: If you're not dating, it's because something is wrong with you. You're undesirable. Your life will be unfilling and empty. You'll die alone. Etc etc etc we all know it.
Result: Occasionally I feel bad about some aspect of what society is telling me. But I step back and am able to see it's an external force. It's not actually in alignment with what I value or believe. It's just that no one is immune to the values of the society they live in.
I've always done this but don't have a word for it. The act or process is what I'd like a name for. I've tried searching it up occasionally but I never find an answer. I assume I'm just using all the wrong vocabulary.

Hoping to get max level and have full runes for future giveaways and ultimate build choice for dlc.

I think it would be great if I find the right person.
So I met some people for dates but as soon as I realize our goals are not aligned or we are different from what we value in our lives I dont try harder or I decide not to see them again.
I just start questioning myself that 'Is it worth to compromise it to make the partner happy? or is it worth to change my lifestyle that Im satisfied with right now?'
My answer is 'it might be' because I dont know the person in a deeper level yet and things might change the more I get to know the person.
But I usually just chose to be single rather than trying to get to know more.
I think this is the problem and the reason why I dont have a partner.
I know Im not going to have anyone with that mindset but I dont know. Its complicated.

Kernel: 5.15.0-70-generic.
I used to (parameter is_remap=0) in a similar task, upon receiving an input request bio, I formed my request bioto a higher-level device, and everything worked. But slowly. The writing speed to the flash drive was ~460 kb/sec. Then I decided to forward the request bioto the upstream device directly ( is_remap=1). If you do not try to modify the data, then everything works, and the speed increases to 1.8 Mb/sec, i.e. ~ 4 times. But if you start modifying the data (and this is necessary), then only recording works. When reading, dd receives undecrypted data, and bioin stackbd_end_io_read_cloned(previously cloned using bio_clone_fastin stackbd_io_fn_remap) generally has a zero size. In this case, the size obiois non-zero. How does this even happen, and how to do it right?
It’s interesting that if stackbd_end_io_read_clonedyou change the data after the call bio_endio, then ddthe decrypted data arrives, but I feel that doing this is not correct. Which is confirmed by the fact that fsckafter that mkfsthe system crashes.
For example, I read the sector: user@linux:~/git/stackbd/module$ sudo dd if=/dev/stackbd0 count=1 hexdump -C 00000000 63 d0 18 e5 e3 ee fb a6 ee e9 fc 88 8a a8 a8 88 c............... 00000010 8a 88 88 88 88 70 88 88 98 88 8c 88 88 88 88 88 .....p.......... 00000020 88 48 26 8b 88 b3 88 88 88 88 88 88 8a 88 88 88 .H&............. 00000030 89 88 8e 88 88 88 88 88 88 88 88 88 88 88 88 88 ................ 00000040 08 88 a1 57 55 08 9b c6 c7 a8 c6 c9 c5 cd a8 a8 ...WU........... 00000050 a8 a8 ce c9 dc bb ba a8 a8 a8 86 97 36 ff f4 24 ............6..$ 00000060 aa 48 fc 83 de 3c 86 33 8f 88 45 98 d6 63 78 ba .H...<.3..E..cx. 00000070 6c 45 9e 45 91 63 76 dc e0 e1 fb a8 e1 fb a8 e6 lE.E.cv......... 00000080 e7 fc a8 e9 a8 ea e7 e7 fc e9 ea e4 ed a8 ec e1 ................ 00000090 fb e3 a6 a8 a8 d8 e4 ed e9 fb ed a8 e1 e6 fb ed ................ 000000a0 fa fc a8 e9 a8 ea e7 e7 fc e9 ea e4 ed a8 ee e4 ................ 000000b0 e7 f8 f8 f1 a8 e9 e6 ec 85 82 f8 fa ed fb fb a8 ................ 000000c0 e9 e6 f1 a8 e3 ed f1 a8 fc e7 a8 fc fa f1 a8 e9 ................ 000000d0 ef e9 e1 e6 a8 a6 a6 a6 a8 85 82 88 88 88 88 88 ................ 000000e0 88 88 88 88 88 88 88 88 88 88 88 88 88 88 88 88 ................ * 000001f0 88 88 88 88 88 88 88 88 88 88 88 88 88 88 dd 22 ..............." 1+0 records in 1+0 records out 512 bytes copied, 0,0063565 s, 80,5 kB/s 00000200 user@linux:~/git/stackbd/module$ And this is what I see in the log: kernel: stackbd [task=00000000c60564d5] stackbd_io_fn_remap: HIT.r.1 kernel: debugbd [task=00000000c60564d5] debugbd_submit_bio: debugbd: make request read block 0 #pages 0 total-size 16384 kernel: stackbd [task=00000000c60564d5] stackbd_io_fn_remap: HIT.r.2 kernel: stackbd [task=0000000089abc07d] stackbd_end_io_read_cloned: HIT.1 kernel: stackbd [task=0000000089abc07d] stackbd_end_io_read_cloned: HIT.2: obio.size=16384; bio.size=0 kernel: stackbd [task=0000000089abc07d] stackbd_end_io_read_cloned: HIT.3 kernel: stackbd [task=0000000089abc07d] stackbd_end_io_read_cloned: HIT.4 kernel: stackbd [task=00000000c60564d5] stackbd_io_fn_remap: HIT.r.1 kernel: debugbd [task=00000000c60564d5] debugbd_submit_bio: debugbd: make request read block 32 #pages 0 total-size 32768 kernel: stackbd [task=00000000c60564d5] stackbd_io_fn_remap: HIT.r.2 kernel: stackbd [task=0000000089abc07d] stackbd_end_io_read_cloned: HIT.1 kernel: stackbd [task=0000000089abc07d] stackbd_end_io_read_cloned: HIT.2: obio.size=32768; bio.size=0 kernel: stackbd [task=0000000089abc07d] stackbd_end_io_read_cloned: HIT.3 debugbd is the same driver, but displays information about requests for debugging.
stackbd driver source code: ```

include

include

include

include

include // printk()

include // everything...

include // error codes

include // size_t

include

include

include

include

include

include

include "logging.h"

include "../common/stackbd.h"

define STACKBD_BDEV_MODE (FMODE_READ FMODE_WRITE FMODE_EXCL)

define KERNEL_SECTOR_SHIFT 9

define KERNEL_SECTOR_SIZE (1 << KERNEL_SECTOR_SHIFT)

define DECLARE_BIO_VEC struct bio_vec

define ACCESS_BIO_VEC(x) (x)

define DECLARE_BVEC_ITER struct bvec_iter

define BIO_SET_SECTOR(bio, sec) (bio)->bi_iter.bi_sector = (sec)

define BIO_GET_SECTOR(bio) (bio)->bi_iter.bi_sector

define BIO_GET_SIZE(bio) (bio)->bi_iter.bi_size

define BIO_SET_BDEV(bio, bdev) bio_set_dev((bio), (bdev));

//#ifdef CONFIG_LBDAF

define SEC_FMT "llu"

//#else //#define SEC_FMT "lu" //#endif
MODULE_LICENSE("Dual BSD/GPL");
static int major_num = 0; module_param(major_num, int, 0); static int LOGICAL_BLOCK_SIZE = 512; module_param(LOGICAL_BLOCK_SIZE, int, 0); static bool is_remap = false; module_param(is_remap, bool, 0);
typedef struct { char path[PATH_MAX]; fmode_t mode; // используется в aldcc_start / aldcc_stop bool is_bdev_raw_ok; struct block_device *bdev_raw; } stackbd_target_t;
/* * The internal representation of our device. / static struct stackbd_t { sector_t capacity; / Sectors / struct gendisk *gd; spinlock_t lock; struct bio_list bio_list; struct task_struct *thread; int is_active; stackbd_target_t tgt; / Our request queue */ struct request_queue *queue; } stackbd;
static DECLARE_WAIT_QUEUE_HEAD(req_event);
typedef void (* t_stackbd_io_fn)(struct bio *); static t_stackbd_io_fn p_stackbd_io_fn = NULL; static struct bio_set bs;
int buffer_read( struct stackbd_t *dev, unsigned long sector, unsigned long nsect, char *buffer ) { int result = 0; unsigned nsize = nsect << KERNEL_SECTOR_SHIFT; int npages = ((nsize - 1) >> PAGE_SHIFT) + 1; struct bio *bio; struct block_device *bdev = dev->tgt.bdev_raw;

//PINFO("begin; sector=%ld; nsect=%ld; buffer=%p\n", sector, nsect, buffer); if(unlikely(!dev->tgt.is_bdev_raw_ok)) { PERROR("bdev is NULL!\n"); result = -EFAULT; goto out; } bio = bio_alloc(GFP_NOIO, npages); if(unlikely(!bio)) { PERROR("bio_alloc failed!\n"); result = -ENOMEM; goto out; } BIO_SET_BDEV(bio, bdev); BIO_SET_SECTOR(bio, sector); bio_set_op_attrs(bio, REQ_OP_READ, REQ_PREFLUSH); { char *ptr = buffer; do { struct page *page; page = virt_to_page(ptr); if(unlikely(!page)) { PERROR("virt_to_page failed!\n"); result = -ENOMEM; break; } { unsigned op = offset_in_page(ptr); unsigned this_step = min((unsigned)(PAGE_SIZE - op), nsize); bio_add_page(bio, page, this_step, op); nsize -= this_step; ptr += this_step; } } while(nsize > 0); if(likely(!result)) { result = submit_bio_wait(bio); } bio_put(bio); } 

out: //PINFO("end (%d)\n", result); return result; }
int buffer_write( struct stackbd_t *dev, unsigned long sector, unsigned long nsect, char *buffer ) { int result = 0; unsigned nsize = nsect << KERNEL_SECTOR_SHIFT; int npages = ((nsize - 1) >> PAGE_SHIFT) + 1; struct bio *bio; struct block_device *bdev = dev->tgt.bdev_raw;

//PINFO("begin; sector=%ld; nsect=%ld; buffer=%p\n", sector, nsect, buffer); if(unlikely(!dev->tgt.is_bdev_raw_ok)) { PERROR("bdev is NULL!\n"); result = -EFAULT; goto out; } bio = bio_alloc(GFP_NOIO, npages); if(unlikely(!bio)) { PERROR("bio_alloc failed!\n"); result = -ENOMEM; goto out; } BIO_SET_BDEV(bio, bdev); BIO_SET_SECTOR(bio, sector); bio_set_op_attrs(bio, REQ_OP_WRITE, REQ_PREFLUSH); { char *ptr = buffer; do { struct page *page = virt_to_page(ptr); if(unlikely(!page)) { PERROR("alloc page failed!\n"); result = -ENOMEM; break; } { unsigned op = offset_in_page(ptr); unsigned this_step = min((unsigned)(PAGE_SIZE - op), nsize); bio_add_page(bio, page, this_step, op); nsize -= this_step; ptr += this_step; } } while(nsize > 0); if(likely(!result)) { #if LINUX_VERSION_CODE >= KERNEL_VERSION(4, 8, 0) result = submit_bio_wait(bio); #else result = submit_bio_wait(WRITE REQ_FLUSH, bio); #endif } bio_put(bio); } 

out: //PINFO("end (%d)\n", result); return result; }
static void stackbd_end_io_read_cloned(struct bio *bio) { struct bio *obio = bio->bi_private; PINFO("HIT.1"); if (bio_data_dir(bio) == READ) { DECLARE_BIO_VEC bvec; DECLARE_BVEC_ITER iter;

 PINFO("HIT.2: obio.size=%u; bio.size=%u", BIO_GET_SIZE(obio), BIO_GET_SIZE(bio)); bio_for_each_segment(bvec, bio, iter) { char *p = page_address(ACCESS_BIO_VEC(bvec).bv_page) + ACCESS_BIO_VEC(bvec).bv_offset; int len = ACCESS_BIO_VEC(bvec).bv_len; int i; print_hex_dump(KERN_INFO, "readed data (1-st 16 bytes) ", DUMP_PREFIX_OFFSET, 16, 1, p, 16, false); for(i = 0; i < len; i++) { //*p++ ^= 0x12345678; *p++ ^= 0x88; } //p += len; } PINFO("HIT.3"); bio_put(bio); bio_endio(obio); } else { bio_put(bio); bio_endio(obio); } //bio_put(bio); PINFO("HIT.4"); 

}
static void stackbd_io_fn_remap(struct bio *bio) { DECLARE_BIO_VEC bvec; DECLARE_BVEC_ITER iter; struct bio *cbio = bio_clone_fast(bio, GFP_NOIO, &bs);

BIO_SET_BDEV(cbio, stackbd.tgt.bdev_raw); cbio->bi_end_io = stackbd_end_io_read_cloned; cbio->bi_private = bio; //submit_bio_noacct(cbio); //trace_block_bio_remap(/*bdev_get_queue(stackbd.bdev_raw), */bio, // stackbd.tgt.bdev_raw->bd_dev, BIO_GET_SECTOR(bio)); if (bio_data_dir(bio) == READ) { PINFO("HIT.r.1"); submit_bio_noacct(cbio); PINFO("HIT.r.2"); } else { PINFO("HIT.w.1"); bio_for_each_segment(bvec, cbio, iter) { char *p = page_address(ACCESS_BIO_VEC(bvec).bv_page) + ACCESS_BIO_VEC(bvec).bv_offset; int len = ACCESS_BIO_VEC(bvec).bv_len; int i; for(i = 0; i < len; i++) { // *p++ ^= 0x12345678; *p++ ^= 0x88; } print_hex_dump(KERN_INFO, "writed data (1-st 16 bytes) ", DUMP_PREFIX_OFFSET, 16, 1, p, 16, false); //p += len; } PINFO("HIT.w.2"); submit_bio_noacct(cbio); PINFO("HIT.w.3"); } 

}
static void my_bio_complete(struct bio *bio, int ret) { if (ret) bio_io_error(bio); else bio_endio(bio); }
static void stackbd_io_fn_clone(struct bio *bio) { int res; DECLARE_BIO_VEC bvec; DECLARE_BVEC_ITER iter; sector_t sector = BIO_GET_SECTOR(bio); int size = BIO_GET_SIZE(bio); int nsect = size >> KERNEL_SECTOR_SHIFT; char *src, *p;

do { if (bio_data_dir(bio) == READ) { p = src = kmalloc(size, GFP_KERNEL); if (!src) { PERROR("Unable to allocate read buffer!\n"); res = -ENOMEM; break; } do { res = buffer_read(&stackbd, sector, nsect, src); if (unlikely(res)) { PERROR("i/o error while read!\n"); break; } bio_for_each_segment(bvec, bio, iter) { char *dst = page_address(ACCESS_BIO_VEC(bvec).bv_page) + ACCESS_BIO_VEC(bvec).bv_offset; int len = ACCESS_BIO_VEC(bvec).bv_len; memcpy(dst, p, len); p += len; } } while (0); } else { p = src = kmalloc(size, GFP_KERNEL); if (!src) { PERROR("Unable to allocate write buffer!\n"); res = -ENOMEM; break; } bio_for_each_segment(bvec, bio, iter) { char *dst = page_address(ACCESS_BIO_VEC(bvec).bv_page) + ACCESS_BIO_VEC(bvec).bv_offset; int len = ACCESS_BIO_VEC(bvec).bv_len; memcpy(p, dst, len); p += len; } res = buffer_write(&stackbd, sector, nsect, src); if (unlikely(res)) { PERROR("i/o error while write!\n"); } } kfree(src); } while (0); my_bio_complete(bio, res); 

} // stackbd_io_fn_clone
static int stackbd_threadfn(void *data) { struct bio *bio;

set_user_nice(current, -20); while (!kthread_should_stop()) { /* wake_up() is after adding bio to list. No need for condition */ wait_event_interruptible(req_event, kthread_should_stop() !bio_list_empty(&stackbd.bio_list)); spin_lock_irq(&stackbd.lock); if (bio_list_empty(&stackbd.bio_list)) { spin_unlock_irq(&stackbd.lock); continue; } bio = bio_list_pop(&stackbd.bio_list); spin_unlock_irq(&stackbd.lock); p_stackbd_io_fn(bio); } return 0; 

}
// Handle an I/O request. static blk_qc_t stackbd_submit_bio(struct bio bio) { /PINFO("stackbd: make request %-5s block %-12" SEC_FMT " #pages %-4hu total-size %-10u\n", bio_data_dir(bio) == WRITE ? "write" : "read", BIO_GET_SECTOR(bio), bio->bi_vcnt, BIO_GET_SIZE(bio) );*/

spin_lock_irq(&stackbd.lock); if (!stackbd.tgt.bdev_raw) { PERROR("Request before bdev_raw is ready, aborting\n"); goto abort; } if (!stackbd.is_active) { PERROR("Device not active yet, aborting\n"); goto abort; } bio_list_add(&stackbd.bio_list, bio); wake_up(&req_event); spin_unlock_irq(&stackbd.lock); goto exit; 

abort: spin_unlock_irq(&stackbd.lock); PERROR("<%p> Abort request\n", bio); bio_io_error(bio); exit: return BLK_QC_T_NONE; }
static int stackbd_target_open(stackbd_target_t *p_tdev) { int res = 0; char *path = p_tdev->path;

PINFO("Open %s\n", path); { struct block_device *bdev_raw = blkdev_get_by_path(path, p_tdev->mode, p_tdev); p_tdev->bdev_raw = bdev_raw; if (unlikely(IS_ERR(bdev_raw))) { res = PTR_ERR(bdev_raw); PINFO("error opening raw device %s <%d>\n", path, res); } p_tdev->is_bdev_raw_ok = !res; return res; } 

}
static void stackbd_target_close(stackbd_target_t *p_tdev) { if (p_tdev->is_bdev_raw_ok) { blkdev_put(p_tdev->bdev_raw, p_tdev->mode); p_tdev->bdev_raw = NULL; p_tdev->is_bdev_raw_ok = false; } }
static int stackbd_start(char dev_path[]) { unsigned max_sectors; sector_t lba;

stackbd_target_t *p_tgt = &stackbd.tgt; strcpy(p_tgt->path, dev_path); p_tgt->mode = STACKBD_BDEV_MODE; if(stackbd_target_open(p_tgt) < 0) { PERROR("Error while stackbd_target_open(..)!"); return -EFAULT; } /* Set up our internal device */ lba = i_size_read(p_tgt->bdev_raw->bd_inode) >> KERNEL_SECTOR_SHIFT; stackbd.capacity = lba;//get_capacity(stackbd.bdev_raw->bd_disk); PINFO("Device real capacity: %" SEC_FMT "\n", stackbd.capacity); set_capacity(stackbd.gd, stackbd.capacity); max_sectors = queue_max_hw_sectors(bdev_get_queue(p_tgt->bdev_raw)); blk_queue_max_hw_sectors(stackbd.queue, max_sectors); PINFO("Max sectors: %u\n", max_sectors); stackbd.thread = kthread_create(stackbd_threadfn, NULL, stackbd.gd->disk_name); if (IS_ERR(stackbd.thread)) { PERROR("error kthread_create <%lu>\n", PTR_ERR(stackbd.thread)); goto error_after_bdev; } PINFO("done initializing successfully\n"); stackbd.is_active = 1; wake_up_process(stackbd.thread); return 0; 

error_after_bdev: stackbd_target_close(p_tgt);

return -EFAULT; 

}
static int stackbd_ioctl(struct block_device *bdev, fmode_t mode, unsigned int cmd, unsigned long arg) { char dev_path[80]; void __user *argp = (void __user *)arg;

switch (cmd) { case STACKBD_DO_IT: PINFO("\n*** DO IT!!!!!!! ***\n\n"); if (copy_from_user(dev_path, argp, sizeof(dev_path))) return -EFAULT; return stackbd_start(dev_path); default: return -ENOTTY; } 

}
/* * The HDIO_GETGEO ioctl is handled in blkdev_ioctl(), which * calls this. We need to implement getgeo, since we can't * use tools such as fdisk to partition the drive otherwise. */ int stackbd_getgeo(struct block_device * block_device, struct hd_geometry * geo) { long size;

/* We have no real geometry, of course, so make something up. */ size = stackbd.capacity * (LOGICAL_BLOCK_SIZE / KERNEL_SECTOR_SIZE); geo->cylinders = (size & ~0x3f) >> 6; geo->heads = 4; geo->sectors = 16; geo->start = 0; return 0; 

}
/* * The device operations structure. */ static struct block_device_operations stackbd_ops = { .owner = THIS_MODULE, .submit_bio = stackbd_submit_bio, .getgeo = stackbd_getgeo, .ioctl = stackbd_ioctl, };
static int __init stackbd_init(void) { PINFO("is_remap=%d\n", is_remap);

if (is_remap) { p_stackbd_io_fn = stackbd_io_fn_remap; } else { p_stackbd_io_fn = stackbd_io_fn_clone; } /* Set up our internal device */ spin_lock_init(&stackbd.lock); /* Get registered */ if ((major_num = register_blkdev(major_num, STACKBD_NAME)) < 0) { PERROR("unable to get major number\n"); goto error_after_alloc_queue; } /* Gendisk structure */ if (!(stackbd.gd = blk_alloc_disk(NUMA_NO_NODE))) { PERROR("unable to alloc disk\n"); goto error_after_register_blkdev; } stackbd.gd->major = major_num; stackbd.gd->first_minor = 0; stackbd.gd->minors = 1 << 4; stackbd.gd->fops = &stackbd_ops; stackbd.gd->private_data = &stackbd; strcpy(stackbd.gd->disk_name, STACKBD_NAME_0); stackbd.queue = stackbd.gd->queue; if(bioset_init(&bs, 64, 0, BIOSET_NEED_BVECS) < 0) //if(bioset_init(&bs, BIO_POOL_SIZE, 0, 0) < 0) { PERROR( "Cannot allocate bioset"); goto error_after_register_blkdev; } if(add_disk(stackbd.gd) < 0) { PERROR("unable to add disk\n"); goto error_after_register_blkdev; } PINFO("init done\n"); return 0; 

error_after_register_blkdev: unregister_blkdev(major_num, STACKBD_NAME); error_after_alloc_queue: blk_cleanup_queue(stackbd.queue);

return -EFAULT; 

}
static void __exit stackbd_exit(void) { PINFO("exit\n");

if (stackbd.is_active) { kthread_stop(stackbd.thread); stackbd_target_close(&stackbd.tgt); } del_gendisk(stackbd.gd); put_disk(stackbd.gd); bioset_exit(&bs); unregister_blkdev(major_num, STACKBD_NAME); blk_cleanup_queue(stackbd.queue); 

}
module_init(stackbd_init); module_exit(stackbd_exit); ``` https://github.com/zenboostestackbd/blob/5.15.0-70-generic/module/main.c

We ordered our 20th anniversary cake (a beautiful pink rosette cake) a month in advance and got a call 6 days before the big day saying they couldn't deliver our cake, citing production delays. When I discovered the item came from a bakery in Miami I spoke to them and turns out no delays, H&D LIED. I emailed multiple times to H&D hoping for a response from management after being referred by the former VP of operations and after MULTIPLE Emails to Ms. Gillory, Ms. Elliot and Executive Services not one response. NOT ONE! The lack of customer care, concern and level of dishonesty is shocking. Do not trust them with your special day or occasion. Luckily the bakery (We take the Cake) sent us a beautiful replacement at no charge along with a thoughtful card even though our day had already passed. You only get ONE 20th Anniversary in your life and Harry & David ruined ours with the stress and lies. After weeks of emails still nothing.😠😤

Hey y’all this might be slightly long. Thanks to anyone who reads it all lol. So I am a single mom of 3 kids. Their father went missing almost 3 years ago and we found out in the beginning of this year his remains were found. The investigation is ongoing. We are super grateful to have at least an answer but left with so many questions. That being said I needed to go back to work. I have a 7 year old and 2 boys 1 and 2 that are 11 months apart. I was able to qualify for state paid daycare and started working right away while the youngest were in daycare and the oldest in public school. After my husband left I moved my mother in with me to help. The boys daycare has the policy that if a child has a fever he must remain home until he is 24 hour fever free. Anytime one of them would get sick (and it was pretty often. They would catch fevers or green boogers and be sent home, daycares are just covered in germs. Adorable germy monster babies) the daycare would call me at work I would leave to pick them up take them to my mom and return to work. This worked out great until my mother got very sick. Her health continued to decline and anytime one of my kids would get sick I would have to go pick them Up and stay with them as she was no longer able to help. Doing that I was no longer able to maintain the required hours to keep my state paid care and I was dropped. I appealed. Showed proof of their father passing, my mothers health issues and the daycare wrote a letter to the state on my behalf as well. I was not denying I didn’t work the hours I was just asking for another chance. But was not given that. So my options are over nights or work from home. Over nights I don’t think are a good fit yet. My 2 year old doesn’t sleep thru the night and my mother would not be able to lift him or anything like that. So the reason for this post is I am wondering if there are any legit non mlm work from home jobs locally in east Texas? I have costumer services experience. I am a very quick learner and I love to work. I have to figure something out! My husband was an addict and moved us to a cheap neighborhood where I don’t know many people much less anyone I would leave my kids with. If I go to work working entry level jobs that i qualify for I would only be working to pay for child care. I simply can not afford rent bills and childcare. What do people do? So anyway sorry that this turned more into a rant. But if anyone has any ideas or resources I’d gladly accept them! Thanks y’all ❤️

Welcome back to my running series of WWF PPV Reviews from a ‘blind’ perspective (I have no idea what’s going to happen; the results, the feuds or how good any of the matches will be). I have always heard stories of the attitude era and golden age but never watched it myself so I set myself to watching every single PPV event chronologically. I am also watching Wrestling Bios ‘reliving the war’ series to keep me updated inbetween the events with the feuds, and to get excited about upcoming matches.
Before I review the matches, based on the past few episodes of raw and last PPVs I’ll let you know, going into the event, which match I’m most excited for and which feud I’m most excited to see.
Now this may surprise you but I’m most excited for the opener with edge vs owen hart. Although not over with the fans yet edge is a hall of famer and I really enjoy his in ring ability, and I think mixing him in with Owen hart is just a match made for success. Excited to see what they can do.
Feud Wise the triple threat is sure to deliver, Austin will have to pull out an absolute miracle to be able to get the win over Kane & Undertaker since they can’t pin each other. Everything to do with the main eventers is fantastic, although the steel cage match looks to be very good as well.
WWF Breakdown 1998 Match Ratings
Edge vs Owen Hart 2.5/5
Too Much vs Al Snow & Scorpio 1.75/5
Marc Mero vs Droz 0.75/5
Vader vs Bradshaw 2/5
D’Lo Brown vs Gangrel 1.5/5
Ken Shamrock vs Mankind vs The Rock Steel Cage Match 3.75/5
Dustin Runnels vs Val Venis 1.25/5
Jarett & Southern Justice vs X-Pac & New Age Outlaws 2.25/5
Stone cold Steve Austin vs Undertaker vs Kane 3.5/5
As I said in the intro an absolute dream match to start the ppv with edge vs Owen Hart. I genuinely think they’ll pull off something impressive here.
The crowd was pretty quiet for most of the match, but there were a few pops for the clean moves they pulled off and they got more into it by the end. This was just a classic wrestling match, although I have to say they were a bit off the ball, with their general in ring action being a little slow and unenthusiastic. I’m guessing edge wasn’t feeling as confident at this point of his career. AND WE SEE CHRISTIAN AT ONE POINT!! He appeared at the side of the ring and caused the distraction for Owen hart to get the sneak pinfall victory.
It wasn’t as good as I thought it would be but it was still a good wrestling performance, it’s just a shame the crowd really wasn’t behind them. You can’t blame them though there was no build up to the match.
Now I know a lot of people won’t like the whole silly Al snow gimmick going on at this point but to be honest I find some enjoyment in it. It’s funny and lighthearted and silly and I think it’s good to mix it up like this and not take everything super seriously. Too much is a good group to work with to make the silly gimmick funny as well.
First off I gotta say… what the hell is going on with Scorpios hair. Bro got one of the worst trims I’ve ever seen 😂 seriously needs to have a stern talk with his barber.
The crowd was much more into this match than the opener though, they actually enjoyed this more than Owen hart and edge which is crazy to me. But then again the wrestling, surprisingly was better in this one. It was fast paced, it wasn’t dragged out too long, it had some funny moments in it, just a decent mid card match. There wasn’t anything REALLY good in it so I won’t rate it highly or a must watch or anything but I found some enjoyment in it.
Marc Mero comes down to the ring and the crowd chants “sable”, of course. Droz makes his entrance and there’s is quite literally no reaction from the crowd, I haven’t seen him before so I’m guessing this is his debut.
This match however was very very boring I really didn’t enjoy it. There was one spot from Droz that was entertaining when he performed a good aerial move but other than that I don’t have much to say, just not a great match.
The crowd was REALLY quiet for the Vader vs Bradshaw match and honestly I felt bad for Vader as the crowd were being super harsh to him: calling him fat and giving him no appreciation, a sad thing to see how far he fell off. The match was SUPER stiff though, a lot of shots they did looked extremely painful and brutal, but in the way that it looked like there were hits out of frustration…
I thought they actually had a decent match though, it was just very stiff and the crowd was not into it at all; the crowd chanted boring and had no enthusiasm for anything happening in the match at all. This is a tough crowd tonight. I do like that Bradshaw changed his hairstyle though, strange seeing him with black hair though.
This random dude called Jason does impression of various superstars and to be fair he actually does a really good job, the Rock sounded bang on.
I say this again, D’Lo has actually been impressing me a lot recently, he’s really developed his in ring ability and looks way better. I think he’s really benefitting from being his own person in the WWF as well.
Gangrel I think is actually a good idea for a character in the wwf, I mean hey if you can make the undertaker work you can make Gangrel work, and the dude looks odd enough to pull it off. But it will only really work if his in ring ability matches his character; he’s a vampire so he has to embody that in his move set and how he does things, just like undertaker does with his deadman persona.
D’Lo hits a fantastic looking piledriver early on in the match as he took control, this looked really good and there was a loud audible gasp from the crowd when he hit it. But when they had the crowd behind them they decide to completely slow it down with rest holds in the middle of the ring and the stadium fills up with boos. To be fair it wasn’t that long that they held it it was just the crowd being very tough once again. D’Lo picks up the win in a match that had some decent spots but wasn’t really that great, it started well but finished poorly, the mark henry interference was random too and didn’t do anything for the match. Just an eh, you can skip this one.
Next we have the steel cage match and this should be really good. The rock has been on fire recently, foley has also been on top of his game and shamrock is someone I’ve grown to appreciate a lot in the wwf.
We get a promo from shamrock which was super average and then we get a promo from the rock, and my god talk about showing the prominent difference being good on the mic can make. The rock has now began his rise to superstardom not only from his amazing work in the ring but his mastery of the microphone. Mankind also cuts a good promo I swear my guy never stutters with his weird ass promos 😂😂. This is the difference between a star and a superstar though, just watch shamrocks promo and then the rocks… it’s quite amazing to see.
Shamrock makes his entrance and I think I’m hearing more boos than cheers, is he a heel right now? I don’t think so… the rock makes his way out and for one of the first times we hear the “Rocky” chants without the sucks after it! He gets a huge ovation here and it’s great to see. Finally there’s more than one mega star in the wwf right now again.
The match started a little slow with the three having a bit of a difficult time finding ways to fill the time in the ring as it is admittedly very limited what they can do: no outside ring work, three people with only the ring and the cage to work with. People were really behind the rock in this match though, like REALLY behind him, as soon as the rock started getting in any offence the crowd lost it, especially that double peoples elbow. There were thunderous chants of “rocky” as he started climbing the cage after that.
The match really picked up in the second half and eventually we get to see mankind doing ANOTHER big dive off a large steel structure. He’s done this before in a steel cage match but this time it missed and he lands straight in the mat, ouch that’s gotta take the wind out of you. I wasn’t sure how the match would play out but I was pleasantly surprised, Rock just can’t miss with his matches right now! Everything he’s involved in just seems to steal the show recently. Mankind hit shamrock with an absolutely thunderous steel chair shot after stopping shamrock from escaping through the cell door, foley climbs the cage and is about to escape but the rock pinned shamrock before he could hit the floor and the rock is the no 1 contender for the title! To be fair I would’ve actually enjoyed an even longer match than they had. Once they got going they really got going, but the rock was a highlight for this match he did fantastically. A great match for the mid card especially. It would’ve been even better with triple H instead of shamrock and to be fair I was disappointed to see he wasn’t on the match card, but in the future we definitely don’t have a lack of the rock vs triple H.
Man Dustin Rhodes just hasn’t had a good gimmick recently, this buildup for a match is quite literally that his wife cheated on him and because he’s a preacher he will make him repent. I suppose it’s an improvement over the artist previously known as Goldust. I personally hate home wreckers but I also hate preachy religious zealots trying to throw it in your face and convince kids they will go to hell if they ever do anything wrong so I’m not actually cheering for anyone in this match. I’m more routing for Dustin though, Val is just such an asshole 😂.
Marlena/terri comes out with Val and dances with him, and mah gawd she’s got next to naut on! The dancing is super cringy, COME ON DUSTIN PUT HIM IN HIS PLACE! To be fair to them I am invested in seeing Val getting beaten so they’ve done a decent job somewhere.
Dustin hit a great power bomb at the start of the match but then… that was kinda it and not really too much else happened. A chin lock is applied that goes on for way too long, Dustin fought out and hit two clotheslines, they battle a bit more and Terri uses the amazing power of the poontang to give Val a level up in strength and stamina. But Dustin manages to hit a bulldog for a two count that… the ref just stopped at? No clue what happened there. But then Val manages to get the win -.- the smug bastard. The crowd was more into asking Terri to take her clothes off than the match and you can’t blame them it was pretty dull. Not too much to say here. It would’ve been much better as a short physical brawl, which would’ve made sense for the heat they created between each other.
I’m very much hoping to see double J in the match for most of the time, I have no idea who Jaretts team mates are but they just look boring, not to be rude but they look like they’ll be slow and not entertaining. Double J has grown on me as a heel and that’s simply because of his in ring ability, he’s had a few entertaining mid cards recently.
I absolute love that choke hold exchange between x-pac and double J they seem to do every time they wrestle. It looks really good and really builds on the match hype. As I suspected jaretts team mates were very boring so they decided to have Jarett in for most of the match. Everything not involving those two was good. Billy Gunn has really grown on me as well and he works way better being involved with DX than he did before, it’s not that different of a role but I don’t know, maybe he just enjoys it more. Jarett absolutely nailed x-pac with a guitar at the end of the match on the outside of the ring which sounded insanely loud and looked extremely painful. He then says he’s injured his eye and honestly he does a great job because it was believable so I suppose we’ll see the outcome of that injury coming up.
The match was okay… it wasn’t anything great and I don’t know why they had it as a semi main event, they should’ve had the steel cage match as the penultimate match.
Austin then has all the odds stacked against him having to basically wrestle undertaker and Kane at the same time… and they can only win by pinning him… like what!? I’m very curious to see how this will play out.
Kanes entrance is fing awesome, undertakers entrance is fing the coolest thing ever and I really like his new theme with the rock mixup and I’m guessing this new version of undertaker will take him into his ministry arc.
Austin starts off smart by attacking undertaker from behind with a steel chair as he made his entrance. Ain’t no messing around with this match we get right off to a flying start! Kane gets control in the ring again and sends Austin to the outside where undertaker continues the beatdown, but Austin sends undertaker flying into the steel steps and counters Kanes attempts to bring him into the ring. My god he’s so over right now 😂. Austin hits Kane with a stunner but undertaker drags him out the ring to break up the pin.
The only way Austin can win this match is by getting kane and undertaker to turn against each other, and we see the early signs of this when taker accidentally clocks Kane across the jaw when Austin moves out of the way.
There’s a big pop when Austin attacks brisco for getting too close and watching on with glee as Austin got beat up by the brothers of destruction, so Austin taught him a lesson.
Eventually after a very very long beatdown on Austin he gets some offence in but undertaker hits Austin with a chair, but kane pulls him off, there’s definitely going to be some drama here. Once again the same thing happens but Kane is pulled off Austin this time. But then undertaker starts destroying Kane as they battle it out. And there’s a really cool moment of Austin and Kane working together to destroy undertaker. It’s quick fast paced back and forth action here!
Eventually Kane and undertaker get their alliance back on track and the brothers resume their assault on the rattlesnake. This match has been given much more time than any other match tonight and I am definitely not complaining!
But the issues between Kane and undertaker continue to show themselves as they both want to win the title tonight, and the stipulation could be working in Austin’s favour in the later parts of this match! There’s a double clothesline and a big pop as Austin is now the only one on his feet. Somehow, some way Austin is still fighting, with everything he has against taker and Kane but he can’t keep control over the power of Kane. But Austin counters a time stone by sending Kane into the undertaker who’s in the top ropes, he looks for a stunner but undertaker hits him with a huge boot to the face. Just brilliant booking in this match. He’s hit with a double chokeslam and both undertaker and Kane pin Austin… but who’s the new champion??
Vince makes his way to the ring and he steals the wwf belt and walks back down the ramp. Austin nails brisco with a right hook and Vince literally runs away to his limo which drives away and Austin destroys all the corpos as he goes to follow Vince but he’s already gone. I thought this was a brilliant main event which really showed Austin as the toughest SOB in the business. There wasn’t loads of crazy spots or bumps or anything like that but the story told was great and I thought the back and forth of the drama and action was really fun to watch.
Overall there wasn’t anything too crazy going on with this ppv but I thought the steel cage match and the main event were well worth watching. An okay mid card with the usual stinkers mixed in there, but I’m so happy to see edge finally making his presence known in the wwf. Excited to see where the storylines go from here. I wouldn’t say there’s any MUST SEE matches in this ppv and felt more like a weekly raw episode if I’m honest but it was still good fun, you wouldn’t miss too much if you didn’t watch it though.
Overall rating 2.75/5

So this was a long time coming. So i was originally going to do this pitch awhile ago, all the way back near the start of the year (or at least when I first moved back to Ottawa) no less, at the time, it was going to be titled "The Spectular Spiderman: Team RED" based off the rumors that Ant-Man and Daredevil were going to be in it. But, then Born Again got overhauled, and I believe the stuff related to Ant-Man either wasn't true or it was, but his part got scrapped when Born Again was reworked (as in early set photos, it showed that Pym Particles at one point was going to be involved), and when they said Sony wanted it to be a Multiverse film like NWH, I lost faith and interest in it, and decided to do an Avengers 5 pitch instead (which I am still working on, and is basically going to be my equivalent to the Snyder Cut at this point, due to how big it is).
But, now that it's been confirmed they found a middle ground between Street Level and Multiverse in terms of its story, and also that my Avengers 5 pitch is going to take alittle bit, and my faith in MCU spidey 4 is back, AND that I've done pitches for post-NWH versions of Raimi Spiderman 4 and TASM 3, which I'll leave links to here:
Raimi Spidey 4: https://www.reddit.com/fixingmovies/s/TmHpOtOeWZ
TASM 3: https://www.reddit.com/fixingmovies/s/xMeDoZ9rYB
I think it only makes sense that I come back around, and try doing a pitch for MCU Spiderman 4 again, so without further ado, and no delay. Here is my pitch for MCU Spiderman 4, AKA, "The Spectular Spiderman: Back in Black and with Love".
Before the Marvel intro, we open to the night, that changed, everything. As Peter is seen trying to redeem a gift card he got in the newspaper to get Aunt May a necklace for her birthday, the jewler won't accept it, Peter tries to argue, but he just replies "I miss the part where that's my problem, now Beat It!" Peter leaves, just then, another man enters, with a gun.
You can guess what happens next, the burglar takes the jewlery and money, and on the way out, Peter let's him escape, the burgler says thanks and throws him the necklace he was going to get Aunt May. The mall security gaurd and jewler asks why he didn't do anything, Peter replies "I miss the part where that's my problem".
We get Uncle Ben's death, but I'd have it be closer to the alternate version of Ben's death in the first TASM movie, where Ben (played by Jeffrey Dean Morgan) only sees the burgler in the shadows, believing it to be Peter, he follows him in an alley way, only for shoots to be heard in the distance. Peter finds Uncle Ben's body, and we get this emotionally powerful showcase of Hollands acting, as he mourns over Uncle Ben.
We then cut to Ben's funeral, where see he is buried....right next to where Aunt May will be buried years later, we then cut to sometime after that, Peter on a Rooftop, listening to a phone message Ben sent him before he died, just then, he hears some commotion and goes to investigate, seeing the same man who shoot Uncle Ben in an alley way, behind the man, the shadow of Wilson Fisk slowly coming closer. The man pleads for Spidermans help, Peter simply says "You want my help, then you shouldn't have killed my Uncle". Peter then swings away, we then see Fisk beat the man to death, telling him that he warned Walter this would happen if he didn't pay up. From behind we see a little girl approach the scene, Fisk tries to comfort her, but she runs away in a panic.
Peter is now in his room, unsure if he did the right thing. We then cut to sometime after that, were we see Peter picking out a laptop from the garbage and returning to May's apartment to find...Aunt May talking to Tony Stark.
After the Marvel intro we then cut to more recent times. Where in a montage we get an idea of where Peter's life is, since the events of NWH. We see thay Peter's life as Spiderman is thriving. As he's earned the public and the law enforcements trust back, to the point where he's no longer a wanted criminal, and Damage Control has taken him off there black list, and we see him being the friendly neighborhood Spiderman, even bringing in some C and D-listers I don't see them using as villains anytime soon. These include Big Wheel, Stilt Man, Vermin, Swarm, Grizzly, Rhino (played by Paul Giamatti, though this is an MCU Variant, not the TASM version), Screwball (who is comedically revealed to be Liz Allen), the Real Moltan Man, Pot Paste Pete, and Hypno Hustler.
Though Jameson still slanders him whenever he can. However, we see that Peter's life as Peter Parker, is not going so well. He's way behind on his rent, to the point where his landlord is threatening to evict him, his apartment is very messy with pizza boxes and Chinese food boxes stacked in the corner, he can't keep a steady job, he's always late to his classes if not outright misses them and is failing collage, and he's become extremely anti-social. He doesn't interact with any or his fellow collage students and any if the neighbors in his apartment. It's only as if he's strictly Spiderman now. The only place where he acts like the Peter we know and love is at FEAST, as he comes by and helps and volunteers whenever he can. We also learn that FEAST is now being run by one Martin Li (played by Steven Oyoung).
However, things change when Fisk is elected Mayor of New York (which can be the cliffhanger of Born Again Part One, by the way), and makes Vigilantes illegal, creating a Anti-vigilante Taskforce, funded by Alchemax. Consisting off Vulture (ignore Morbius), Shocker (with a more comic accurate attire), Prowler (Aaron Davis, as last seen in ATSV), Scorpion, Hydro-Man (the real one, who was alluding too as existing in FFH), and Mysterio (somehow, still alive). Things get even weirder, when a new elusive Vigilante known as the Black Cat (played by Anya Taylor-Joy or Sydney Sweeney) comes into the fray, as well as a new student in Peter's collage names Felicia Hardy.
Basically the film would be Peter going up against Fisk and his Anti-vigilante Taskforce. Along the way, Black Cat tries to push Peter into abandoning his civilian persona and embrace being Spiderman. Ironically, neither of them know the others secret identities, and the two becomes close friends at collage, which leads to Peter to opening himself up to some of the others at the collage. Which leads to him making new friends in the form of Robbie Robertson, Carly Cooper, Flash Thompson, and Gwen Stacy (played by Thomasin Mckenzie). The latter of which, like Felicia, also forms an attraction towards Peter. Simultaneously, Spidey meets Daredevil who he finds out is Matt Murdock, and simultaneously, thanks to his Radar Sense, Matt finds out that Peter is Spiderman, and remembers even who he is.
Throughout the movie, Black Cat is the Devil on Peter's shoulder, and (like I said) is trying to push him away from bring Peter Parker and embrace Spiderman, for solely selfish reasons, while Matt is ironically the angel on Peter's other shoulder, trying to push him to keep his civilian persona and try harder to find that balance. Peter's good nature also ironically rubs off on Felicia, and while she starts the movie with bad intentions, she does grow to become a more heroic and selfless person throughout the movie, and becomes a better person by the end, respecting Peter for who he is and his decisions, and realizing why it's important for him to have a civilian identity.
Also, there is a subplot of Gwen trying to get closer to Peter, but Peter rejects her advances, not only because of his attraction to Felicia, but also because he remember what Peter 3 said about her fate, and wants to avoid that as much as possible. Also, yes, we find out the man who killed Uncle Ben was Felicias father, and yes Felicia finds out Peter basically let him die, which creates friction. Ultimately however, with help from Matt and Felicia, Peter defeats the Sinister Six, including Mysterio, who we find out isn't his Quentin Beck, but a Variant from a universe where Mysterio successfully defeated Peter Parker, who somehow ended up in 616, and the three fight Fisk, which ends in a stalemate, with Fisk agreeing to take end the Anti-Vigilante taskforce, and make a sort of middle ground. Though it's also made clear, the conflict is far from over (with this leading directly into Born Again Part Two, which I think will be the culmination of the Street level subplot now instead, by the way).
The film ends with a montage, of Peter improving his life as Peter Parker. Finally paying his rent, and sees he has new neighbors, this is where we meet officer Jefferson Davis (played by Terry Crews) and Miles Morales, Spiderman meeting with the new Captain of the NYPD, Captain Stacy (played by Aaron Eckhart or Josh Dallas), about helping out more and having better ties with the police, which he agree as assigns Yuri (played by Ming Da Wen) as Peter's partner, and Peter starts to get better acquainted with his new group of friends, yes, even Flash. He also takes Robbies advice and gets an internship at the Daily Bugle, where he reunites with Betty, sending videos of Spiderman to Jameson.
The last shot of the movie however, i have two ideasn first is Spiderman and Black Cat meeting on a Rooftop of Peter's apartment, and the two reconciling, and while they decide to call off there relationship (for now) the two decide to remain friends and allies, even revealing each other's identities to one another. Peter then returns to his apartment, he then hears a knock on the door, he answers to see it's Gwen with flowers. He asks Peter if he wants to go onna date, which Peter accepts and the two walk off hand in hand.
My second idea is the same, accept, Peter and Felicia remain in a relationship, and the two share a kiss, and still revealing there identities to one another, Peter is then left there on the Rooftop, thinking about everything that has happened recently, and smiles as we cut to black.
The film would obviously focus on the aftermath of NWH, and Peter struggling with balancing both his personas, it would also explore the idea of learning to let others in and not pushing them away. Yes Peter, shouldn't just let everyone knows he Spiderman, but that doesn't mean he has to isolate himself or decline help when he clearly needs it. It would also show how Peter's good nature can actually help seemingly selfish people change for the better, Felicia being a prime example of this. Anyways, I didn't have the Symbiote play that big of a role, because I didn't have room for it, but to make up for it, it will be the first, of six post credits scenes. Yep im pulling a Gaurdians 2.

• End credits scene 1: The Venom Symbiote arrives at Peter's apartment and attaches itself to him. Like in Spiderman 3, Peter finds himself hanging on a building with it on, and says "What The Fu-" cut to black.
  
• End Credits scene 2: Martin Li meets with a mysterious figure, who is revealed to be Roderick Kingsley, the CEO of Alchemax.
  
• End Credits scene 3: a comedic scene involving Jameson with his own homemade Spiderman cosplay.
  
• End Credits scene 4: a scene from Born Again Part Two.
  
• End Credits scene 5: a scene of MJ at her collage from Boston watching news footage of Peter, she now has dyed red hair. For whatever reason, all her memories coming flooding back, and she says "Peter?".
  
• End Credits scene 6: a scene with Kang/Beyonder that leads directly into Avengers 5.
  

Kind of a long post, sorry. TLDR; dm let's girlfriend be the BBEG and make all decisions about the game. Special cameo from alien Cyborg furry chimera from the future.
I just joined a group a couple weeks ago and have been meaning to make a post about it in RPG Horror stories, but here goes:
DM posts online looking for players. I haven't played or DMed in about a year and am desperate for a game, so I sign up. There's a few questions for me that I answer (standard stuff, how long have you been playing, what kind of character are you thinking about, are you OK with no evil characters, etc.) I answer them, but as someone who has DMed for a decade I have questions of my own.
How long have they been DMing? About a year. This is their second game and it started about 2 months before I joined.
How many players? They're trying to set the foundation for a living world where other people will be able to dm in the setting, so they currently have 20+ players but only about 6 or 7 show up for a given session. They run 3 days a week so if you can't make it, no problem. Everyone just uses their Discord names rather than real names.
Any homebrew or house rule changes to 5e I should know about? Yes, a few of them.
As they start to go into them I realize this is not going to be a great game, but I don't really care that much. Im just here to play, im not super invested. They tell me to start at level 2 with 150 gold. Okay, cool. Use DnD beyond for sheets. Sure. Roll for stats, cool. End up rolling really well, 17, 14, 17, 17, 13, 17. Dm watches me roll and is amazed. Put the 14 in Wis and 13 in int.
If an attack meets a creature's AC exactly, roll to dodge. Whatever, lots of newer DMs do this.
There are apparently glowing scrolls in the world that allow you to INSTANTLY level up, no matter how much xp you have. Red flag.
The campaign is going to Level 100, switching from Xp to milestone after level 20. Huge red flag. Pause. I ask how that's going to work. What features do you get at level 21 of fighter? 22? 47? They say they're going to be pushing for multiclassing at Higher Levels or using not class feature rewards for higher levels, so I'm assuming things like feats and epic boons. Still very weird though.
Everyone can suggest custom Race for their character and the DM will discuss with another person about it to see if they believe it fits the world (this other person helped design the setting). Okay, great! I've been wanting to play a sentient undead character for a while, we'll circle back to it.
Same as above, you can create a custom item for your character to start with. Cool. I ended up asking for a Greataxe with the finesse property and was granted it. Sweet. Barbarian/rogue, here I come.
There is a homebrew banking system in place, and in order to "encourage" players to use it, you cannot carry more than 2,000 gold on your person at once because "it is too heavy". Strength of 8? 2000 gold. Strength of 24 when the barbarian hits level 20? 2000 gold. But that's fine, my character is a vagrant who doesn't use money and scavenges for everything he needs, and carries everything he owns on his person in a torn up duffel bag.
There's some custom items that can be bought so I spend my starting 150 gold (with dm permission) to get one of them, which is a special gemstone. It says "gives advantage on perception, Stealth, medicine, and Insight checks. Allows for 2 points of advantage on listed checks". Fuck yes, barbarian rogue who rolls 3 times and takes the best on Stealth, Perception, and Insight? I'm set.
Now for my custom Race. I want to play a leng ghoul from the Sandy Petersen Cthulhu Mythos book. I know they're a little overpowered, so I even volunteer to lose the ability to gain Skill bonuses and to lose the claw attacks. DM tells me no, I'll need to pick a different race. Okay, that's fine. I knew it was a long shot. I decide to just be a half orc and ask "out of curiosity, was there something specific that was too OP?" "No, we just felt that the race didn't fit the world. Nothing wrong mechanically" fair enough I guess.
First session:
My character is introduced alongside another new player. They are a paladin. We decide we've been traveling together for a while after Paladin helped get my character out of a bad spot a while ago.
Every player gets a bag of holding my first session in. But wait, a bag of holding makes items within weightless. Can't I just put gold inside the bag of holding? No, you can't put money inside these bags of holding. Other ones you can, but not the free ones we're given. Whatever. Vagrant. Don't care.
We exit the tavern we were in after some fun RP. group is very friendly and fun, and they seem to gel really well together. As we are leaving, we notice something strange glowing on a nearby tree. "K <3 M" is written in glowing script. The other players have been playing for a few sessions so I'm thinking this is probably something important with some NPCs they met previously, so Paladin and I don't have any idea what it could mean. Other players talk it over for a while, and the DM just keeps repeating "think deeper about it" and "you're not thinking realistically. Think realistically". Literally says those phrases like 5 or 6 times each. Nearly 20 minutes of players trying to figure it out and the DM giving us nothing and it changes to be full names rather than initials.
One of the players finally puts it together. This is the DM announcing they started dating someone IRL. I get pretty pissed off at this point, saying I think it's pretty irrelevant to do this. The DM says "sometimes a literal irrelevance is needed". I respond "Yeah, I agree. But this is the first session for 2 new players and you decided to spend a third of it so far on a dating announcement. Like. Congrats dude, but I really don't care about your love life. I'm here to play Dnd, not make random guesses about your love life." Other players agree and are also angry, so i feel a little more justified. Again, we all use discord names, so most of us didn't even recognize the DM's name.
After a while DM has to take a break for 10-15 minutes and leaves us for a bit. Here's where things go incredible. Most groups I've been in, if left alone for 15 minutes, will either just go to the bathroom or check social media or whatever. But this group instantly falls into very natural and authentic role play, asking the new players what their characters have done up to this point, offering to help them learn about the new land we've found ourselves in, talking about wanting to teach my character how to make some nice stews out of foraged foods and rabbit or squirrel. Genuinely some of the best role-playing I've ever been part of.
DM comes back while we're talking about rabbit stew. Instantly cuts us off, says there's no rabbits, and jumps into whatever they were saying. I would KILL for a group that role plays that freely as a DM, and this one is actively squashing it.
DM decides we're going to another town. We get there and are asked to help with defending the city while they rebuild after a raid. Cool. Nothing happens though. We spend the day sitting at guard stations waiting for raiders to return and nothing ever shows up to the town. They thank us and send us on our way with some gold (I give mine to paladin).
DM decides we are returning to the first city. We have discovered that there was a lot of corruption there (the other party members in previous sessions). So we're coming up with a plan to take the city back from the organized crime ring that is running the place. We get to the town and apparently one of the other players is a VERY influential person in the world because they were able to call in an airship of dozens of fighters for backup with this operation.
At some point during this, I I asked to make one of the relevant checks for the item I bought and so I roll with advantage. DM asks why I rolled 2d20s. I say "the item I bought gives advantage." The DM responds Yeah, advantage means +1 to the roll". I say no, advantage means you roll twice and take the better result, or it gives +5 if using the optional method. DM responds that "the double advantage means you get +2 to those checks. You don't get to roll more than once". So I tell them okay, but that they should really change the wording to just say it grants +2 because that is not what advantage means in 5e. They say that they know what it means so it doesn't matter.
Another player that is a rogue had a plan to use his extensive connections to trace the crime ring and find exactly how expansive it was so we can be sure to snuff it all out. DM just brushes over it and ignores the idea. Instead, we head directly to a front owned by the ring.
We show up to what is apparently the head of the crime syndicates' place of business and are prepared to fight. The DM "rolls to see how hard the fight will be" and gets a natural 1. The DM then narrates the player that found the place easily defeating the boss and the rest of us cleaning up the henchman. I once again was pretty upset. "So you just roll a single d20 and that means we don't get to do anything?"
"Yeah, they just were so confident that no one would ever stand up to them that they stood no chance. They didn't even have weapons or anything"
"An organized crime syndicate that has been running a city through force for years had 0 plans for if anyone ever tried to stop them, to the point none of them had weapons?"
"Yeah, that's just the way the dice roll sometimes". "You probably shouldn't be letting major plot points and large battles be determined by a single d20 roll that the players have no influence in." "Sorry, it's just the way things go sometimes." "Yeah but it shouldn't. The outcome of a major plot centric fight should be based on how well the party prepares and uses their resources, not by the DM before it even starts."
End of session 1. I message paladin and he agrees this was really bad but that he's gonna give it some time. I say the Same.
I find out between sessions that the DM has not read ANY of the books and learned how to play exclusively from the DnD beyond character sheet and watching live play YouTube videos (critical roll and dimension 20), and in fact they do not know how to read and have been teaching themselves. Yes, the DM never learned how to read as a child.
Session 2 is going to be much less in depth because literally nothing happens that any of the players have a say in.
Dm decides we're all going to the bank so my character can set up a bank account. "DM, my characterlives a nomadic lifestyle scrounging for scraps. Why would I go to a bank?" "To set up a bank account of course!" "Right. And I have 0 gold. So there's no money for me to put in a bank." "Well you might in the future, so you should set one up now!" "My character has already refused payment and charity twice in this game though. I doubt he's ever going to have any amount of money on him. He is a rogue though, so I guess he can find SOMETHING to do in a bank." DM quickly decides that there is zero reason my character would want to be in a bank and has the party leave.
We try to get horses from a stable so we can travel between towns faster (since the DM keeps deciding we're all leaving town multiple times per session) we are seeing if there are any horses that are trained to not flee from combat, like a warhorse. The DM says "No, you'll have to find a war horse out in the wild. Stables aren't going to have them." I'm a little confused as to why combat trained horses would just be out in the wild, so I ask about it. "The war horses are bright red and have manes of fire" "That's not a warhorse, that's the fucking Horse of War from the apocalypse" "Yeah, it's just a fun little reference" "So we can't have Combat trained horses because of Red Dead Redemtion and the Bible?" "Yeah, that's what the War Horse is" "So like, there's no militaries or militias in the country that ride horses then?"
Dm changes the subject. We're leaving town again!
We get to a new town and the place is being ransacked. We are hiding over a hill and watching the raid happen to try to get a good understanding of the situation when the BBEG appears. We know this because the DM says "and then, the BBEG appears. This is the BBEG for the campaign right here. She's very powerful, you do not wanna mess with her."
After the introduction, DM hands the game over to his girlfriend that he announced in the previous session, revealing she is playing the BBEG (she is also a player in the party, mind you) and is the person that helped design the setting, so is sort of co-DMing.
The BBEG starts talking to us. One of the players says "she's in the middle of town and we're outside the town on the other side of the hill, how does she even know we're here?"
"Great question. My love?" "OH, I can just see you guys." "There you go, she can see you"
"I had a 29 for my Stealth check" "I still see you" "Cool."
So the BBEG(big bad evil girlfriend) monologs about how powerful she is and how we are powerless to stop her and the DM asks if we want to stay and try to save the town or run away. I say "look, guys, I think we can take her". I've got 10 years experience DMing and more playing, and the DM obviously is not aware of how the game works. I am fully confident I can outmaneuver this enemy. Other players agreed they wanted to try to defend the townspeople.
"She's the maximum level"
"Yeah, but this is 5e. I'm level 2, I can probably take her. The difference in numbers between level 1 and 20 is like +10 at the max."
Another player interjects here. "You're level 2???? I'm level 8" "What?" Another player "Yeah I think 7 is the lowest level of any party memebers" "Oh, cool. I was told you were level 2 by the DM last week."
DM: no, I'm pretty sure I said to make yourself level 6 or 7. "Check our messages, it's like the first thing you told me. Dm: huh yeah, I did say level 2. Oops. Level yourself up to level 3 then."
We still want to try to save the Townspeople, maybe we can avoid her specifically or someone xan keep her busy long enough to help people.
Girlfriend declares she summons 150,000 troops to the city.
The DM narrates how we all run for our lives because we have no chance of beating her as BBEG calls in an army of thousands of soldiers who wear armor that resembles one of the other party members.
Now is a good time for me to say that I am absolutely not having a good time in this campaign, but that the other players make it more than worth it to deal with the DM.
Remember how my sentient ghoul was deemed "not fitting" for the setting? The other player asks "they look like me? Do they have the autobot or decepticon emblem?"
Record scratch. "Sorry, wait. Are you a transformer? I thought you were a bugbear." "No, I'm a half bear, half bat from the future that can transform into a robot because I'm partly cybernetic." "Okay. So ghoul that is intelligent is too far fetched for this world, but alien Cyborg furry chimera from the future is perfectly fitting. Gotcha."
The DM narrates us running away and going to the next town, where the invasion BBEG called is also happening. They narrate a girl being kidnapped and the party says that she is the love interest of another player who is not at the session, and the group agrees they want to try to free her bc party member would be upset if we let her get taken without even trying to save her. I agree and charge in.
"They're so far away, you wouldn't be able to reach them in time. You'd have to be able to move 45 feet at least."
"I'm a rogue. Move speed 30, cunning action dash 30, action dash 30. That's 90 feet. I can cover the distance there and back."
"Well. There's guards between you and her" "I'll take my chances. I've got a pretty good AC, with your roll to dodge mechanic AND uncanny dodge. I'm willing to risk it to save her"
"There's also 40 guards surrounding her" "They're have 40 guards escorting this 1 random girl? Is she like a princess?" "No, they just really want her kidnapped" "Okay, I guess I'll try to push through them."
The girlfriend interjects. "The BBEG teleports in. She laughs a wicked laugh about how futile your attempts are, and then teleports the girl away".
Oh. Cool. Great. Excellent.
Session ends. Another player messages asking what they missed this session. I respond "nothing that any player had any say in".
2 sessions in. 10 hours of "game play". 0 combats. 0 skill checks that weren't instantly nullified by an NPC immediately anyway (i didnt bother mentioning it, but i have rolled 3 total skill checks, all stealth, and all 3 i was spotted anyway despite getting 23+). 0 decisions made by any player. The DM just tells the party where they are going, asks what they want to do, and then makes an excuse to not let that happen and tells them what they actually do instead.
I would say the DM should write a book, but they can't read.

Is it not just accepted knowledge that bots are much harder than the bugs?
I'm only level 41 and I stick to level 7 difficulty so maybe it's different at 8/9 but I see a lot of people trying to compare bot units to bug units, asking which is harder to deal with and the answer is 100% always bots, right? In my experience playing the game I can solo clear bug locations in a squad match but if I am on a bot planet I am basically hiding behind my team because I'm just dying over and over and over in the deadliest rave I've ever attended.
I will admit I have no idea how to fight the bots but the 1 thing people claim about the bugs is that there are more of them but that simply isn't accurate. I can not kill the bots fast enough to keep up with the swarm in the missions that require you to just eliminate enemies but the bugs all fry quickly to the flamethrower or arc thrower.
Anyway I am just struggling with this bot major order and wasn't even able to complete a full 3 missions without at least 1 defeat. I am sorry to fail all of you so terribly but I just don't "get them".

Eliminating Unwanted Sections in WordPress

Embarking on the journey of website creation with WordPress can be an exhilarating yet daunting task for beginners. The platform, known for its versatility and ease of use, allows users to craft websites tailored to their needs. Among the myriad of themes and plugins available, Astra, coupled with the Elementor page builder, stands out for offering a seamless design experience. However, users often encounter specific sections or elements, like the "Latest Update" field, that they wish to remove to streamline their site's appearance or functionality. This common hurdle can be frustrating, especially when conventional methods like using Elementor don't seem to work.
This introduction guides WordPress newcomers through the process of removing unwanted sections from their websites, specifically targeting the "Latest Update" field. The challenge might seem insurmountable at first, especially when direct options within Elementor appear ineffective. The key lies in understanding the underlying structure of WordPress themes and how Elementor interacts with them. By the end of this guide, you'll have a clear path to achieving a cleaner, more tailored website that aligns with your vision, ensuring that every element on your site serves a purpose.

Command	Description
Elementor Editor	Visual editor for WordPress, used to create and edit website content without coding.
WordPress Dashboard	The control panel for managing WordPress site content, themes, plugins, and settings.
Astra Theme Options	Customization settings provided by the Astra theme to adjust layout, header, footer, and other elements.

Customizing Your WordPress Site: Removing Unwanted Sections

When working with WordPress, particularly for beginners, customizing your site to match your vision is crucial. The process of removing unwanted sections, such as the "Latest Update" area, might seem daunting at first, especially when traditional methods like using Elementor don't work as expected. This is often the case with sections added by themes or plugins, which require specific steps to remove or hide. Understanding the structure of WordPress and how themes like Astra integrate with page builders such as Elementor is essential. These tools are designed to give you control over the layout and design of your site without needing to write code. However, sometimes they have limitations, especially when dealing with pre-designed starter templates like "Bestselling Author."
To effectively remove an unwanted section, it's important to identify whether it's controlled by the theme, a plugin, or the page builder. For sections added by the theme, such as the Astra theme, you might need to delve into the theme's customization options or use custom CSS. The WordPress Customizer is a powerful tool in this regard, allowing you to add custom CSS that can hide specific sections by setting their display property to 'none'. Understanding these aspects of WordPress customization not only helps in removing unwanted sections but also in tailoring your site more closely to your needs, ensuring a unique and functional online presence.

Disabling the Latest Update Section in Astra with Elementor

Web Interface Adjustment

1. Log in to your WordPress dashboard. 2. Navigate to Pages and edit the page with Elementor. 3. Find the "Latest Update" section on the page. 4. Right-click the section and select 'Delete'. 5. Click 'Update' to save changes. 

Using Custom CSS to Hide Sections in WordPress

CSS Styling Method

1. Go to Appearance > Customize in the WordPress dashboard. 2. Select 'Additional CSS'. 3. Enter the CSS rule to hide the section: .latest-updates { display: none; } 4. Click 'Publish' to apply the changes. 

Enhancing Your WordPress Experience: Eliminating Unnecessary Elements

Navigating through WordPress's extensive customization options can be overwhelming, especially for newcomers aiming to streamline their site's appearance by removing specific elements like the "Latest Update" section. The complexity arises from the myriad of customization layers offered by WordPress, themes like Astra, and page builders such as Elementor. While these tools offer significant flexibility, they can also introduce confusion regarding where and how certain elements can be manipulated or removed. It's important to approach this with a strategy that considers the source of the element you wish to remove—whether it's part of the theme, a plugin, or added by a page builder.
For instance, if the "Latest Update" section is a feature of the Astra theme, exploring the theme's options might provide a straightforward solution. Alternatively, if it's a part of a page built with Elementor, using the Elementor interface to delete or hide the section might be the right approach. Understanding these nuances is key to efficiently managing your site's layout and content. Moreover, for elements that are not easily removable through user interfaces, applying custom CSS through the WordPress Customizer offers a powerful workaround, enabling you to hide specific sections without directly altering the site's structure or code.

FAQs: Navigating WordPress Customization

1. Question: Can I remove any section from my WordPress site using Elementor?
2. Answer: Yes, Elementor allows you to delete most sections from your pages, but some sections added by themes or plugins might require additional steps.
3. Question: Is custom CSS required to hide elements in WordPress?
4. Answer: Not always, but custom CSS is a reliable method for hiding elements that cannot be removed through the theme or page builder settings.
5. Question: Can I use the WordPress Customizer to remove sections from my site?
6. Answer: The WordPress Customizer allows you to add custom CSS, which can hide sections, but it doesn't directly remove them.
7. Question: Do I need to know how to code to customize my WordPress site?
8. Answer: No, tools like Elementor and the WordPress Customizer enable you to make significant changes without coding knowledge, though CSS can enhance your customization options.
9. Question: How do I identify if a section is part of the theme or added by a plugin?
10. Answer: Check the theme and plugin documentation, or disable plugins temporarily to see if the section disappears, indicating it was added by a plugin.

Mastering WordPress Customization: A Final Takeaway

Wrapping up, the journey of customizing your WordPress site, particularly removing specific sections like the "Latest Update" from the Astra theme using Elementor, can seem intricate at first. However, this exploration reveals that with a bit of patience and the right approach, achieving a personalized website design is entirely within reach. Understanding the core concepts of how WordPress, themes, and page builders work together is crucial. Moreover, embracing the power of custom CSS through the WordPress Customizer can unlock new levels of customization, allowing you to hide or remove any unwanted sections efficiently. It's important to remember that each WordPress site is unique, and what works for one might not work for another. Therefore, experimentation, coupled with continuous learning, is key to mastering WordPress customization. Ultimately, the goal is to create a site that not only looks good but also aligns with your vision and serves your audience's needs effectively.
https://www.tempmail.us.com/en/wordpress/how-to-eliminate-the-latest-update-section-in-wordpress-using-astra-and-elementor

I'm over 50, with multiple industry experience in the private sector. I have a Masters. I stay current on industry knowledge.
Many of the nonprofit CEO's - Directors make $10,000 - $14,000 a month. I can do that kind of leadership level work.
But I'm overlooked.
Overlooked as overqualified, "you'll be bored" coming in as an administrator or office manager.
I need an income to cover housing and health, dental, vision and a car.
A woman I met recently who is married with grown children secured an office job at a nonprofit when she was 57 making $35,000 $16.82 per hour.
She is 72 and makes $29 per hour, no college degrees and time away earlier in her life as a stay at home mother.
I have my Masters and multi-industry experience and am over 50, and I can't get hired. If I started at her pay rate, from when she started, I would be living in my car.
She told me she married at age 24. I left a Red State in the South and moved to a Blue State and I'm experiencing institutionalized gas-lighting from agencies that tell me, "you HAVE to start at the bottom."
Women apply to jobs they're 100% qualified for and men 60% or less, and get them.
Employers are moving to self-funded insurance plans, and are evaluating their candidates in terms of costs.
While marital status and familial status shouldn't come up in the job, it does. Women bond over family and domestics. I don't.
So, while I have the skills, drive and self discipline, many employers (managers) want someone they can develop, who isn't over qualified, who can afford to live on the entry pay.
I wish I could get in at mid-level. I'm struggling financially because the jobs don't pay enough for me to qualify for a 1BR apt. Not everyone should be forced to cohabitate. It wasn't like that when I started in the workforce.
I even applied to a job with the U.S. Post Office. While it can be labor intensive, I responded to their a, b, c, d online situational work questions.
The contexts can affect the answer selected. I remained consistent and wasn't selected.
I'm open to feedback. I'm in West Chicago suburbs, DuPage and Cook counties.
I spoke with another woman who works in senior living sales. She met me and said I could be a sales manager or a director. She's divorced from a doctor and her children are grown. I have similar or greater sales background and contract knowledge.
No husband nor grown children to talk about, like their clientele would.
I'm open to feedback.