Counterpoint to u/team3dalpha's recent post.

1) IQ is real

This meaningless. IQ is about as "real" as the Dow Jones Industrial average or an index of socioeconomic status. Beyond that, basically anyone boasting about how "IQ is real" most likely doesn't even know what they're trying to say. "Real" in what sense?

2) IQ (fluid) doesn’t just measure how “smart” you are, it measures how fast you can learn and how fast you can solve a problem you’ve never seen before.

There is zero evidence for this. In fact, the evidence supports no effect of IQ on learning rate:

• An astonishing regularity in student learning rate
  
• Does fluid intelligence facilitate the learning of English as a foreign language?
  
• Predicting Long-Term Growth in Students' Mathematics Achievement
  
• Correlates of individual, and age-related, differences in short-term learning
  

3) IQ is largely genetic & heritable

IQ is not "largely genetic". IQ is "heritable", which is a specific statistical concept used in quantitative geneteics that does not mean "genetic".

4) there absolutely exists ethnic differences in IQ, largely due to natural selection and environment.

There is zero evidence for natural selection here. In fact, again, there is negative evidence; tests for divergent selection have been done and found nothing.

5) IQ (fluid) cannot be increased past your genetic limit

Lmao, there is no evidence for anything like a "genetic limit". And getting a degree can increase IQ by around 22 points.

Not allowing people to discuss IQ (I get in trouble every time I do)

Unfortuntate, but I don't know, might well be justified in your specific case.

actually HURTS men and societal progress.

Discussion of IQ is not remotely as important for "societal progress" as IQists delude themselves into believing.

Scientific truths should be discussed freely regardless of whose feelings it hurts.

I largely agree.

I (19f) have finished my second semester of college and have been looking for an apartment to stay in for the next year or so. I found my roommate Noah (early 20sm) through one of our shared classes. He said he needed another roommate for the exact time period I was looking for, so it seemed like a good match.
I visited his apartment twice before making a commitment, once in January/February (i dont remember for sure) and the other in April. My dad was with me for the second visit.
The apartment has some fire damage from a fire that broke out during December of last year. This includes a somewhat faulty door, soot in the carpets to the point that it must be replaced and smells horrendously, and soot/smoke stains all throughout the apartment. These issues worried both me and my dad, but Noah told me that since the fire occurred due to the apartment complex and not him or his roommate, the apartment's management was in the process of replacements and repairs. My dad and I believed this and committed to the apartment, trusting what Noah had to say.
Well, come to present day and I move into the apartment. I had not seen the lease until I had my furniture moved in, so I finally got a copy. Even though Noah briefed me on what he had signed already, I still read through the lease anyway.
Red. Flags. Everywhere.
Here are some of my favorite highlights in the lease:

• In the event of a natural disaster or fire, the lease straight up says that it is not required to fix or repair anything under any circumstances, even if the complex caused the fire or damages. It specifically states that the tenant must make repairs regardless of who is at fault.
  
• The lease says that tenants must replace or repair their own fuseboxes in the event of any electrical problems or hire their own electrician. The complex is not required to fix any electrical problems even though our electric bill is included in the rent.
  
• Even though pest control is included in the rent, the lease says that any damage done by pests is the tenant's responsibility to fix. So for example if you get termites, they'll kill the termites but won't repair whatever the bugs ate through.
  
• There is lead paint used in the apartment.
  
• Also, even though in the state I live in the law is to have a fire extinguisher in the kitchen of all apartments, there is no fire extinguisher in our kitchen.
  

It makes sense that the fire damage and soot carpets have not been repaired or replaced then since the lease straight up says that they won't do anything even though the fire department determined it was the complexes fault. However the problem here is that Noah either didn't read the lease when he signed it, was misled by management, or lied to me and my family. It is also important to know that I have severe sinus problems that have required me to have surgery and I must take lifelong steroids to prevent chronic inflammation and nasal polyps. Because of that, I need a very clean environment, and this apartment has proven to be very dirty and unhealthy for me to be in long term. Had I known that the lease straight up says management won't take care of anything, I would not have committed to this apartment.
Ultimately, my parents and I decided that I should not live here after reading that lease and seeing how the complex has a plethora of issues. Noah is very upset now, which to a certain extent I do understand; he was relying on us. The key difference here though is that I am still going to pay for my share of the rent for however long the lease would last or until Noah finds a different roommate, that way he and the third roommate I would have moved in with aren't screwed over financially.
This morning we did go to the leasing office and I was officially removed from the apartment entirely in all of their paperwork and it did not cost anyone anything extra, so I know for sure that Noah and the 3rd roommate are not in any trouble in that regard either.
So, AITAH for backing out?

I need advice if you can help. Last month I took one round of letrozole. I ended up taking it late into my cycle due to bleeding and the doctor getting back to me late. After I was done taking the letrozole they checked in on my follicles for any signs of it working. I had two on my right ovary that were about 15mm and one on my left at about 14mm. I was supposed to take a trigger shot to make sure I ovulated but was told that I couldn’t due to my lining being too thin.
Fast forward about a week later, I start experiencing throbbing pain in my right ovary and stabbing when I did certain movements. I waited like 4 days to see if it would go away before contacting my doctor. When I finally did contact my doctor they said I was just most likely ovulating and I need to come in for blood work to check (pee strips are always negative for me). Bloodwork came back that I ovulated. However, the pain never stopped and kept getting worse to the point where I had to hobble when I walked because moving my right leg made it hurt. After about 2 weeks of complaining to my doctor about the pain they finally took me in for an ultrasound and found a 3 almost 4cm cyst on my right ovary. They never checked in on it after that.
Fast forward to when I was at work about a week later, the cyst bursted while I was working. I ended up going to the ER and that doctor made me feel like I was stupid. The ER doctor told me there is no cyst so idk why you are in pain. I told my doctor about how I had that pain and they told me it was likely it had bursted. Ever since then sex has been painful and I get extreme cramping after orgasms.
Fast forward to this week, the cyst-like pain is back but on my left side (day 5 since the pain started). I went to my doctor yesterday to get it checked out but all she told me was that it most likely just pain from my cycle (I have not taken letrozole this month nor did she even do an ultrasound to check). She prescribed me anxiety meds because she thinks I have too much anxiety involving my health. Now here I am hobbling around work trying my best to keep this thing from stabbing me. I need help I feel like I’m being disregarded from my doctor.

I want to first preface by saying that this is in no way an attempt to brag about my financial situation. I am genuinely seeking financial advice to help alleviate the stress and anxiety that I have been having over potentially needing to sell my house. I have never posted on Reddit before so I hope that this is best place and an appropriate post. I also posted in personalfinance. My apologies for the length. Thank you sincerely for any advice.
Here's my background and situation: I am 32 and have been dating my boyfriend, 33, for 5 years. I purchased a house in central Maine in 2017 for $138k on a 3.750% RHS loan for 30 years. My payment is about $900 monthly for the mortgage and escrow. Currently, the loan balance is $116k. My home on online real estate websites has an estimated value of $260k. I own a 2013 Chrysler, which is paid off, and am going to have my second car, a 2017 Subaru paid off in July. I currently have no other debts. I earn $43,000 a year, but have been working as much overtime as allowed by my employer. This brings my potential annual earnings to nearly $60,000. My overtime earnings allow me to pay an additional $800 on my car loan every month. My boyfriend makes about $60,000 a year and has no debts. We both work for state/quasi-state entities, which we will receive a pension from when we retire. We also both contribute to a 401a and 457.
I would have never imagined being this financially sound ever in my life and would love to keep it this way. I have seen my own mother struggle and have worked hard to be where I am today. However, I may need to sell my home. My boyfriend wants to move back where his family is in Ohio. While I don't care where I live, I am incredibly worried about how smart it would be to sell. We may not be guaranteed to keep our jobs if we move out of state. Because of this potential problem, I have set up a financial plan to save $2200 a month for the next five years to put towards buying a home in cash so I am not tied down with two mortgages while I sell my current home. My boyfriend has also been saving as much as possible every month. However, we do not plan on getting a mortgage together. This way if we separate I would either have the home in my name or if it was in his name, then I would have the money I saved up. Again, my mother struggled and I don't want to end up in the same situation.
I truly love my boyfriend and can see myself spending the rest of my life with him, but I would love to be financially debt free before my 40s, which was my plan prior to meeting him.
Is it a wise choice to sell in my situation and take on a much higher loan? This would mean potentially losing our jobs with great pay and benefits and having to find new jobs. I would also be giving up a $900 a month mortgage/escrow, which could be potentially paid off in 5 years. I don't have family or friends that I can lean into for advice, so what would you do?
TL;DR - I am thinking about selling my house with a great loan to move out of state and potentially lose my job and have a much higher rate loan. Is this smart?

i (22F) matched with a guy on hinge and in the opening message he suggested that we should "hang." i said sure, then strayed away from that topic to make small talk, and then he gave me some days he's free. i think he's cute so i picked a day and an activity, and then he says he's down and asks for my number. i give it to him, and then crickets. it's been like this for a couple days. is this normal? why would you make the effort to ask someone on a date and get their number, and then just stop communicating? he was a standout on hinge so i assume he's talking to a fair amount of people, but i’m just confused. we don’t even have a location set or anything. at what point should i follow up and ask whether said date is happening? thanks!

So yeah... this is a post where I review all 5 Cage The Elephant albums. Pretty simple. These are all reviews that I originally wrote on an app/website called "Musicboard" over the past couple weeks, but I've copy-pasted them here for your reading convenience. Hope you enjoy & I hope to to talk about these albums with you!
____________________________________________

Self Titled

Probably their weakest album to date, but still a pretty solid debut overall.
I hate to be so predictable, but the best song here is still “Ain’t No Rest for The Wicked”, and it ain’t even close. It’s extremely fun & catchy, it’s the album’s most sonically distinct piece BY FAR, and it’s storytelling/pacing are both absolutely flawless. A track that absolutely deserves it’s iconic status.
Even though the record’s best isn’t up for debate, there are some other pretty good highlights as well. “In One Ear” is a very solid opener for the project, “Judas” gives us consistently excellent lyricism, and “Tiny Little Robots” has an uncharacteristically super atmospheric bridge which makes it stand out quite a bit. It also transitions super smoothly into the following “Lotus” who’s engaging pacing, beautiful chorus, & satisfying climax make it another easy favourite for me.
But then beyond the lovably visceral energy of it’s closer, “Free Love”, Cage The Elephant’s self-titled debut really doesn’t give me a whole lot more to talk about. It’s got consistently great musicianship, a decent number of highlights, and some bizarrely excellent song transitions, but the album has a really bad case of being FAR too samey. Everything outside of the tracks I’ve already mentioned blend together in my mind almost completely. None of them are bad, but none of them are particularly memorable either.
This album is still pretty good at the end of the day, some solid garage rock fun, but Cage’s later projects would all feel a whole lot more distinct & purposeful.
Best Songs: Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked, Lotus, & Free Love.
Weakest Songs: Drones in the Valley, Soil to the Sun, & Back Stabbin' Betty.
This album gets a strong 7/10 from me.
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Thank You, Happy Birthday

It may be a little all over the place, but it’s still a pretty big improvement over their debut.
For one, the sound of this album is FAR more lush & vibrant than that of their debut. The guitars here are especially brimming with so much more life & colour than they were on their self-titled record. Another big improvement is that record is how much more variety this album has. It’s an incredibly stylistically varied project, and while that does lead to it feeling a little messy every so often, it’s all still held together very well by excellent & super aesthetically consistent production.
The album starts out quite strong with “Always Something”. The ominous guitars, raw vocals, & slight electronic elements all combine to make for a rather gripping opener. Other highlights include “Shake Me Down” which I love for it’s percussive acoustic guitars & personal childhood nostalgia, “Aberdeen” which I love for it’s super catchy melodies & powerfully mixed guitars, as well as “Right Before My Eyes” which has a similarly excellent sound & a surprisingly moving chorus.
This record also contains a lot of the most loudly abrasive material that Cage have ever released... to very mixed results. You have tracks like “Sell Yourself” & “Doctor Help Me” which are just sorta forgettable, a song like “Indy Kidz” which has a fantastic instrumental alongside an unfortunately & obnoxiously tryhard vocal performance, but then you have “Sabertooth Tiger” which is actually one of my TOP favourites here. The chaotic viscerality of this one feels so much more natural than those other tracks, as well as SO MUCH more invigorating. I really wasn't expecting to love it so much upon revisiting it today, but it very much surprised me.
On the other side of the coin, we also have a couple distinctly lowkey moments that I’d like to talk about. “Rubber Ball” is a very pleasant track with a slightly jaunty charm to it, but even more pleasant than that is “Flow”. My favourite song on the whole album. It’s not a particularly sad song, nor is it like STUNNINGLY beautiful, and yet… I often find myself close to tears when listening to it. If I had to put the feeling into words, I’d say that the atmosphere of this song is so perfectly tender & existentially content that it’s… genuinely overwhelming. I yearn to forever exist within the powerful sense of peace that this song provides, but I can only do so for 3 minutes at a time & that makes me wanna cry.
Overall, “Thank You Happy Birthday” is just a WAY more consistently enjoyable project than their debut. It has cleaner production, a far more memorable aesthetic, a greater sense of sonic exploration, better vocals for the most part, MUCH higher highs, and far fewer lows as well. Other than those “forgettably abrasive” songs which I talked about 2 paragraphs ago, the only significant lowlight for me would be the underwhelming closer that is “Carry Me In”. The record honestly should’ve just ended with “Flow” cuz these final 2 tracks which come right after just aren’t very interesting.
But yeah, other than having a significantly weaker closer, this album is an improvement over their first in every single way.
Best Songs: Flow, Sabertooth Tiger, & Aberdeen
Weakest Songs: Doctor Help Me, Carry Me In, & Sell Yourself.
This album gets a light to decent 8/10 from me.
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Melophobia

Don’t you love it when an overall “pretty good” discography randomly contains one genuine masterpiece?
I absolutely ADORE this record, and I don’t even consider Cage The Elephant to be one of my all time favourite bands. They probably wouldn’t make my Top 25, but “Melophobia” specifically is easily one of the best albums I’ve ever heard, and (now that I no longer listen to Arcade Fire) my personal favourite release of 2013. At the very least, it’s a stiff competition between this & Daft Punk’s “Random Access Memories”. I’ve gotta go track by track with this one in order to effectively convey my love for it so buckle in!
“Spiderhead” is a genuinely perfect opener for the record. It conveys to us ALL of the project’s best qualities while never feeling like it’s spoiled the album for you. The best is still very much yet to come. We’ve got scuzzy guitars that feel both authentically raw & immaculately produced, super catchy melodies delivered through a very precise yet slightly wild vocal performance, and also this really cool “glitched tempo change” at the end which gives this specific song a very unique flare.
“Come A Little Closer” is probably the most popular song here, and while it’s not my personal #1, it is still absolutely deserving of that status. The verses ease us in with a super slick bassline, some incredibly atmospheric guitars/synths, as well as a grippingly moody vocal performance. All of which come to a head on the track's spectacularly explosive choruses which still manage to fit the song’s moody tone flawlessly. The bridge here is also excellent with an extremely effective build to the song’s final & most explosive chorus. LOVE this track. Iconic shit.
“Telescope” is even more iconic though. It’s the best thing that Matt Schultz has ever written & it’s not even a contest honestly. We open with some tenderly playful synths which eventually give way to an equally playful yet distinctly melancholic vocal performance & lyrical story. This leads to the song’s incredible chorus which only becomes more emotionally powerful each & every time it’s repeated, but it’s the bridge here that really elevates the track into something truly spectacular. It’s so instrumentally frantic & vocally raw while still miraculously fitting into the song’s overall tenderly melancholic atmosphere. Such an evocative masterpiece. Unquestionably one of my favourite songs of all time.
“It’s Just Forever” is frequently maligned as the album’s one & only dud, but other than some admittedly awkward tonal whiplash between it & the last song, I still think it’s a fantastic addition to the record. We’ve got some wonderfully visceral guitars, a delightfully wild guest vocal performance courtesy of Alison Mosshart, and an outro that predicted the “Untitled Goose Game” OST six years in advance. What’s not to love?
“Take It Or Leave It” has a super chillaxed atmosphere all throughout, but never in a way that becomes boring. The chorus is super catchy, I enjoy the slight country-isms of the track, and the guitars sound amazing… but that’s definitely starting to become a moot point in this review. SUCH a vibe of a song.
“Halo” is probably the least uniquely remarkable song here. I don’t really have anything specific to say about it, but don’t think for a second that I mean to imply it’s even remotely weak. It’s still a banger.
“Black Widow” is an absolute BLAST of a song. The gritty rock’n’roll instrumentation along with those seductive vocals are obviously fantastic, but the star of the show here is undoubtedly the brass elements. The blaring horns on this track, whichever ones they are exactly, are sheer musical euphoria. That brief moment during the bridge where they completely overpower the rest of the mix is especially stunning. This is another one of those songs that I often hear people proclaiming as one of the album’s worst, but I think those people are weak. This song is nothing short of SPECTACULAR. Such a wonderful rush of visceral energy.
“Hypocrite” serves as a very nice change of pace for the record. The incredibly unique drum rhythms & overall slow pacing really make it stand out here. We’ve got a decently moving chorus, some nice brass elements yet again, and while said brass elements aren’t nearly as impressive as last time, these horns still fill out the mix very nicely & aid the song in having an even more unique energy than the aforementioned odd drumming was already giving it.
“Teeth” is the most perfectly unhinged thing that Cage The Elephant has ever released. In my review for their previous album, I talked about how certain tracks there often struggled to nail the balance of “controlled chaos”. Songs from that record which attempted this mostly just felt messy instead of compellingly scatterbrained. “Teeth”, on the other hand, achieves that balance effortlessly. Everything about this track is marvelous madness. The frantically abrasive guitars, evocatively strange lyrics, rivetingly unrefined vocals, and OH MY WORD that outro. After being a badass rock song for about 3 minutes, this shit randomly decides to basically become spoken word jazz at the end, and it works miraculously well. The lethargic bassline, the dour brass elements, the lyrics rich with meaning that’s hard to fully grasp. The whole thing is genuinely quite unnerving, but in a way that’s always still very enjoyable to listen to.
“Cigarette Daydreams” is a very interesting closer for this album. The acoustics & pianos are both incredibly pretty, the vocals & melodies are both really moving, and the whole experience is extremely immersive with it’s atmosphere. It’s a truly beautiful song on it’s own as well as an extremely anticlimactic ending for the record. But to explain why I actually mean that as a positive, I need to talk about “Teeth” again. Keep in mind that everything I’m about to say here has absolutely NOTHING to do with the lyrics of these songs. It’s simply my mind creating a story by interpreting the emotional atmospheres of both tracks.
“Teeth” is like witnessing or being involved in some sort of traumatic event. It’s a chaotic mess that leaves you deeply unsettled. Horrified even. Like being the bystander to a uniquely bad car crash. The kind where gorey death is very clearly visible. “Cigarette Daydreams” contrasts “Teeth” by being easily the most tender & simplistic song on the album. It’s very comforting with it’s musicality, but what I love here is that it’s not quite “cathartic”. It’s not a release of tension or an eradication of negative emotion. It’s like being frozen with shock after witnessing this crash before someone else eventually arrives to comfort you. This comfort feels nice & brings you back to your senses, but you’re still not ok. You still witnessed something horrible & a quick bit of comfort isn’t going to immediately fix that.
That’s the story I read from the tonal dichotomy between these 2 songs. A story of horror followed by incomplete comfort. It’s not a satisfying ending for me, but it’s such a specific & evocative kind of dissatisfaction that I can’t help but be fascinated by it. A super cathartic track full of positive emotion & grandiose beauty wouldn’t have worked here at all. Something quietly comforting that’s lacking in huge catharsis is the only way this could have gone. It’s the only ending that makes sense directly after a track as wild a “Teeth”. Again, NONE of this has anything to do with the lyrics. Just sheer emotion.
In conclusion though, I really fucking love “Melophobia”. It’s got perfect pacing, perfect production, tons of variety, so many excellent highlights, and one of the most memorable album endings I’ve ever experienced. The band’s whole discography is undoubtedly quite good, but this record is still LEAGUES above anything else that came before it, and so far, anything that has come after. Y’all better listen to it if you haven’t already.
Best Songs: Telescope, Black Widow, & Come A Little Closer.
Weakest Songs: haha no.
10/10. Masterpiece.
____________________________________________

Tell Me I'm Pretty

It’s a HUGE downgrade from the last album, but still a decent enough listen.
It’s a stiff competition between this & their self-titled when we’re deciding which Cage The Elephant album is the weakest. They both exist on pretty much equal levels of “unremarkably decent”, but I think I’d probably give “Tell Me I’m Pretty” an ever so slight edge over their debut. Even though I’m ultimately gonna give them the same rating, I think this record has a few more significantly notable qualities.
“Cry Baby” is a very solid opener & “Mess Around” is a delightfully nostalgic single in spite of literally just being a Black Keys song, but it’s only on tracks 4-7 where this album really hits it’s stride. “Too Late To Say Goodbye” is very methodically emotive, “Cold Cold Cold” has some super fun percussion & an engagingly dazed sense of atmosphere, and “How Are You True” is one of the prettiest songs in the band’s whole catalog. The choppy vocal effects are extremely immersive, and the lowkey energy of it all is wonderfully hypnotic.
It also transitions very naturally out of the song right before it. That song being “Trouble”. The strongest piece of this album by a pretty wide margin. The backing vocals are beautiful, the chorus is really impactful, the acoustic elements are particularly well utilized, and the whole thing truly feels “Melophobia quality” while still being sonically distinct from that project. After this 4-7 stretch however, the album’s final 3 tracks don’t give me a whole lot to talk about.
I enjoy the spaghetti western vibes of “That’s Right” decently enough, but “Punchin’s Bag” is one of the most forgettable songs that CTE have ever made, and even though it’s a decently fun track on it’s own, “Portuguese Knife Fight” has almost no real impact as a CLOSER. Which is particularly disappointing coming right off the heels of a record with one of the most impactful endings I’ve ever heard.
So yeah… “Tell Me I’m Pretty” definitely isn’t bad, but it definitely ain’t special either. It’s unenergetic in a way that mostly feels ill fitting of the band, Dan Auerbach’s production is solid but also extremely homogeneous, and lots of Matt’s vocals here feel way more “performative” than they do natural and/or “from the heart”. I do still enjoy this record for it’s excellent musicianship, generally solid song writing, and handful of wonderful highlights, but something definitely feels a little off about it all.
They just weren’t in peak form here. Which, again, is not a very pretty look right up against one of the most PEAK albums of the 2010’s.
Best Songs: Trouble, Cold Cold Cold, & How Are You True.
Weakest Songs: Punchin’ Bag, Sweetie Little Jean, & Portuguese Knife Fight.
This album gets a strong 7/10 to me.
____________________________________________

Social Cues

Not without it’s problems, but undoubtedly some of their strongest material to date.
This is pretty easily their 2nd best album if you ask me. It’s nowhere NEAR as good as 2013’s “Melophobia”, but it’s not like I ever expected them to reach those heights again. Cage The Elephant are an overall “pretty good” band with one exceptional masterpiece that came out of nowhere. But in terms of the rest of their “pretty good” discography, this is a very enjoyable album… even if it is VERY front loaded. Tracks 1-7 are all fantastic with only one exception, but then tracks 8-13 are all super forgettable outside of a couple key exceptions.
Let’s talk about that excellent first half though. “Broken Boy” is an immediately gripping BANGER of an opener with viscerally crisp production, The Title Track has a wonderfully psychedelic soundscape to it & one of the band’s catchiest choruses ever, and “Night Running” is a song that’s always gotten way too much hate in my opinion. I can KINDA understand the aversion to how sheerly radio friendly it is, but the vibes are again delightfully psychedelic, the Beck feature suits the track flawlessly, and there’s this extremely appealing sense of… idk “fuzziness” to the production on the chorus. Super sonically satisfying stuff.
Other great moments from this first half include “Ready to Let Go’ which was a perfect lead single for the record, as well as “Skin And Bones” which has a really moving chorus & some beautifully implemented strings, but easily the HARDEST banger of the whole project comes to us in the direct middle. “House of Glass”. This is one of the spectacularly wild things they’ve ever put out & it’s an absolute BLAST to listen to. The sly vocals, viciously vigorous guitars, and perfectly chaotic production all come together to create one of their best songs to date. LOVE IT.
Now for that relatively lackluster 2nd half. “The War Is Over” actually grew on me quite a bit this time around which I wasn’t expecting, but we still have songs like “Dance Dance” which feel distinctly lacking in creativity, “Tokyo Smoke” which frankly just feels kinda aimless to me, as well as “What I’m Becoming” which, in an attempt to sound soft & lowkey, just comes across as rather drab. These songs are all still “decent” at the end of the day, but they absolutely do not live up to the consistently high quality of that first half. Where this 2nd half DOES shine however are in it’s softer moment’s that aren’t “What I’m Becoming”.
“Love’s the Only Way” is SUCH a lovely track. The light guitars, the ethereal string sections, the tender vocal performance, the vividly “late night” atmosphere of it all! It’s easily one of the most beautiful glimpses into their softer side that the band have ever given us, but even more beautiful than that is the album’s closer & best song BY FAR, “Goodbye”. The lyrics are absolutely heartbreaking, the pianos are extremely moving in spite of being so very simple, and the bridge here is beyond fascinating to me.
There’s this part of it’s instrumental that’s either a muted piano or the pitched down plucks of an orchestral stringed instrument. Whatever the hell it is, it gives me chills damn near every time I hear it. There aren’t even lyrics during this part, but it still manages to be one of the most evocative depictions of sadness that I’ve ever borne witness to. Undeniable proof that sound alone can often speak SO MUCH louder than words. This has been my go to “depression song” for YEARS now & I don’t see that changing any time soon.
So that’s “Social Cues”! It’s definitely got some issues, but I still like it quite a bit. It’s got a really fun new sound for the band, a decent amount of variety, consistently excellent lyrics that are largely about Matt’s, at the time, recent divorce, and some of the highest highs in their entire discography. It’s undoubtedly frontloaded, but still a very satisfying album experience overall. I mean it’s kind of impossible NOT to be satisfied with a closer this stellar.
Best Songs: Goodbye, House of Glass, & Social Cues.
Weakest Songs: What I’m Becoming, Black Madonna, & Tokyo Smoke.
This album gets a decent 8/10 from me.
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Well that's the post! Hope you enjoyed reading it & I'd love to discuss any & all of my takes in the comments!

I'm starting to realize the past week that there's something that gotten a bit out of control. I don't really wanna say what it is yet, cause it's nothing bad, in fact if anything for many people it is only beneficial to their health. So I'm a bit hesitant to compare it to an addiction, as that feels a bit insulting to people who are addicted to stuff that destroys them.
But yeah for the past month I've started doing this thing a bit much. I barely do any of the other things I used to enjoy doing anymore, cause I'd rather just do this instead. I've fallen so behind on a bunch of things, like birthday gifts to family or tasks that I do really need to get done some time. I did my taxes a while ago, started doing them about 30 minutes before I absolutely had to send them in so I may have fucked up a few numbers. But most importantly, I've been sleeping about 3-4 hours every night for a month or so, too busy enjoying myself.
It's currently 3:30am for example, I gotta get up at 7:30am. But I'm having so much fun right now and feeling so happy, and I'm not tired at all yet. I'm just thinking I've only slept 4 hours for many days now and I feel fine, so I can do it again tonight. The thought of having to quit and go to sleep feels so sad to me. My girlfriend has long gone to sleep, she's always asleep by the time I go to bed and I am so scared of waking her up cause I don't want her to check the time.
Last week I went to sleep at 4am actually cause I did not have to wake up early the next day anyway. Then I woke up at 7am from having to pee, and the idea that I'd have hours of free time before work if I didn't go back to sleep just felt too good.
And I really don't want to be posting this cause I know what the responses will be, they'll tell me to stop it and get enough sleep. I really don't wanna hear that, and I don't know if I'll actually manage to follow any advice. I'm just feeling better than ever, it's so strange that that would be a bad thing. And I'm not really hurting anyone, and I don't seem to be hurting myself as far as I can tell, I'm mostly functioning. I'm doing my job perfectly fine and everything that's absolutely necessary, just everything that is somewhat optional is suffering.
Anyway I'll just mention what I'm actually doing all this time, it's really just listening to music. It's as simple as that, something I've really enjoyed all my life, but something has changed. I was on meds that greatly affect dopamine for about 6 years. I quit taken them, with approval and over time, about 3 months ago. And so many things felt better within weeks, not just music but being social, feeling emotions, playing with my cats, going outside. Nothing out of the ordinary really, I was behaving pretty normal and just finally enjoying life. But over time I slowly got more and more into music. It used to be just on fridays and saturdays that I'd stay up late, but it was so much fun that I quickly started doing that on workdays as well. Then I'd come up with excuses, can't go to sleep yet cause I still really gotta do dishes, at 3am...might as well have some music on while I do that. These days there are no more excuses, I just do it until I feel too ashamed at how late it is. And then I still feel terrible sad when I take off my headphones.
Well, I'm gonna get my 4 hours of sleep now. Too scared of replies confirming that I need to stop this right now anyway.

There are so many deranged communists that keep chanting "housing is a human right" in the comments of this subreddit.
Many of them get triggered to the point they start calling for violence against housing providers... However I think, as housing providers, we should try to foster some civil discussion and try to figure out what these people actually want.
My questions for the communists lurking in this sub are:

• What would housing as a "human right" in Vancouver look like?
• Who is going to pay for it?
• Who is going to build all of these homes and where?
• Who decides who gets what home and where?
• How do we house 40 million Canadians in the places they want to live, without any of them wanting to pay for it or build it?

I want to hear viable and realistic solutions, not deranged and vile calls for violence or some sort of communist insurrection against the Canadian state.
What does "housing is a human right" mean? Convince us.

I'm in S10 at my 4th rewatch on TWD but I never got this far since everytime I rewatched I dropped it bc something upset me (aka a loved characters death) but now I got it in my mind that I needed to finish the main show so I could watch TOWL, Daryl's show and Dead City
back to the point, I know that TWD's universe is not something you should think about too hard since it's purely bad writing (I love the show tho) for the convenience of the show, BUT. 7 years since they've settled in one place. 10 years into the apocalypse. WHY didn't they build any bombs or something like that? like mines or just stack a lot of grenades?? for the sake of situations like facing a huge hoard like alpha's. srsly bombs would've solved almost all of their problems in this entire season. "but they didn't know how to" they've built bombs before, plus there's Eugene, and books are also still a thing. "but they didn't have the resources" again, 6 years since they've settled, they probably had the chance to go in one huge haul looking for resources to build a bomb.
it kinda frustrates me and I just wanted to get it out of my chest rn
thanks for reading and sorry for any miscommunication here, english is not my first language

is good, but boring as hell. but, it’s easy to forget that fallout 3 has an even more boring story, and a lot shorter. new vegas story is for sure way better than the other two, but still that’s not exactly what the game is praised for, but all the underlying systems and factors at play that make up the main storyline and the rest of the game as a whole.
fallout 4 story is like a boring witcher. cinematic, decently acted, but unlike the witcher, you can turn your brain off. in fact, you probably will and won’t mean to.
that’s not to say it can’t get interesting. limited dialogue and a voiced protagonist hurt the game so much in so many ways, but embrace it for what it is, and you can enjoy it way way more.
regardless of how they’re portrayed outwardly, the institute can be a good villian and the synths are a great moral question with even more context and complexity when introduced to the far harbor dlc.
the brotherhood is arguably more accurate to the original games than ever before, and it feels good to dislike them.
the minutemen are pretty chill i can’t lie
long winded way to say yeah the main story is boring, but it’s not bad.
EDIT: forgot the railroad. they’re so boring. -5 story points.

Hey Reddit, this is a burner account because I just wanted to steer clear of people I know finding this.
I am a young adult who was in a long term relationship for 4 years since I was 16. That relationship ended about a year ago. She was horrible to me at the end (cheating and what not) but the first couple years were a blast. After getting out of that relationship I kinda hopped right into another one. She’s 2 years older and I met her at some random party at university, let’s call her Molly. She’s gorgeous, the exact girl that I would be into on paper. I was instantly attracted to her and we had an amazing night together which ended in a hookup. In the morning, I asked for her snap and she happily grabbed my phone and added herself. About a week later we went on a date. BEST DATE EVER! We could not stop talking and the sparks were flying. I could tell we both felt it because we were both smiling, laughing and poking fun at each other the whole time. Afterwards we had an amazing night together at her place. About a month went on with this kinda routine and it was thrilling. We were both all over each other going on fun dates and getting to know one another. Until she became really distant. At first I shrugged it off but then I started to get worried. She consistently apologized and it seemed genuine every time but I knew something else was up. It was around Christmas time at this point and I went back home to see my family. After the holidays I landed back in my university town and saw a text from Molly. She said she was sick, and that she had been falling behind in school and could hardly get out of bed. She had been going to the hospital consistently and had not been able to find time to see me, let alone explain her situation. I felt so bad for her. I made sure to tell her that I was there for her but she insisted that she couldn’t be able to hold up a relationship while trying to recover. She said “It’s what’s best for you, I can’t be there for you like I want to. Like I should”. I took it with chest and wished her the best, and said “if anything ever changes, I’d love to give us another shot”. At this point I knew I wanted to be in a relationship, I knew I was at the point in my life where I want to share it with someone. Although I wasn’t over Molly I went out dating again. About a month later I met the sweetest girl ever, Let’s call her Eva. She wasn’t someone I’d usually be attracted to but her personality was so kind and infatuating. We moved fast together. Going out for Valentine’s Day, surprising each other with gifts and writing notes. It was so wholesome and genuine. We actually made it official and she was my girlfriend, something I only wish I did with Molly. After two months of being together I decided I’d go home for the summer to be with my family (we were dealing with the loss of a loved one and I thought I’d be there for my siblings). The idea of being back home for 4 months got me thinking. I knew I didn’t want to do long distance with Eva but I did really love her, just not enough. I hadn’t been single since I was 16 and I knew I needed some time to understand myself. So, I decided I’d break up with her. Literally just as I came to that conclusion, Molly texted me. She said that she was out of ICU and things were looking up for her, she was also heading home (a different city then me) for the summer and wanted to catchup before I left. I was shocked by this text and dropped my phone and it cracked. I had no idea what to do. All the amazing memories with Molly came flooding back. I had already decided that I would break up with Eva, so is it really that bad if I say yes? I felt awful. I told Molly that I’d need a minute to think about that but I appreciated her reaching out. I then took a week to make sure I wanted to break things off with Eva and, a week later, I did it. She was heartbroken. I felt awful. She was amazing to me and I kinda blindsided her. But I knew it was the right thing for me. That night I got plastered with a bunch of buddies and went out to a club. I then texted Molly back and said something stupid like “God I missed you, we should go on a date”. She for some reason said yes. I woke up hungover out of my mind the next morning but happy as ever. We went out on that date a week later, which was 2 days before she’d head home for the summer. It was once again, BEST DATE EVER! We picked off right where we left off and the sparks flew so far we almost burnt the restaurant down. We went back to her place and, once again, had a great night. She said something during that date that haunts me. It was “I wish I never pushed you away, I’ve missed you”. Anyway, it’s a month into summer and Molly and I have been texting every day. It’s non-stop conversations and flirting. We’re texting as if we’re together. I’ve fallen in love with her again and I’m so far away from her. I don’t know what to do. I want to actually start a relationship with her but not over messages. I want to see her, I want to be with her again. I’m in love and I don’t know what to do next. Should I text her how I feel? Or wait 3 more months till I’m back in town and she is too then give it a shot? I’m lost and confused and madly in love. I can’t stop thinking about her. I know she cares about me and possibly is in love with me too but I’m definitely more head over heels.
TLDR: I got back with who’s girl I was kinda “with” and now we’re texting every day and I’m head over heels for her. We’re not dating or anything. Idk if I should tell her or what, I’m going crazy about it.
Thanks for reading, I’d love any advice. Cheers

I've never had an easy relationship with my queerness since I was an adolescent and had to contend with abusive, conservative parents that tried to torture it out of me. For me, queerness kept me apart, isolated with no hope for connection and love (and still does)
There's so many rites of passage that I had to miss out on as a teenager because my environment kept me constrained and repressed. I couldn't have honest friendships, I couldn't have crushes and I couldn't have free expression; all I could do is sit alone and plan to commit suicide (I attempted multiple times before I was 18).
Now, I'm 30 - just turned a few days ago - and trans, and death seems to become more and more appealing. I have resigned myself to the fact that love is not in the cards for me and that my gender identity keeps me cut off the rest of the world.
I wonder if I had been born cis and non-queer, maybe I could've settled down with a guy and started a family by now, but all I have is just hollow speculation of what might have been.
I don't really have anything to live for. My family continues to give me grief because of my queerness, and I have long grown disillusioned with the LGBT community because of how overly toxic it can be.
I'm just ready to die, and I'm grateful that my youth is quickly ebbing away and that I'm getting close to old age and death.
I hope there's an afterlife so I can finally live, so I can live with all the joy and relish I couldn't in this one. It would be wonderful to experience joy that's inviolable, to exist without others inflicting pain on me because of how I exist and to have eternal peace of mind.
And if there's no afterlife, that's ok to; at least all pain will cease and the world will never hurt me again.
No matter what the outcome, I'm just ready to die.

Disclaimer: This will Not Involve all bad isekai tropes, these tropes are not present in all and sometimes even most isekai, these are not tropes that are not all always bad but are often bad when they are used.

• Complacency one of the most common ones also probably the least complained about on this lists also is a big issue with other tropes because they often involve complacency but on a more specific subject. Simply Most Isekai worlds are fucked up morally and not how the modern world is fucked up morally like the us is worse than 99% percent of fictional evil empires but most people don't realize that or are know it and don't care, But isekai worlds are bad in ways that are obvious to a modern human especially one from a country like Japan that is relatively well off were these protagonists are from. Counter Arguments i know some people will use the fact that change would cause bloodshed, war, and strife, and it will but so do these terrible systems war and bloodshed is a necessary part of societies progression. Now for time where's its okay and simply these are only if the characters moral compass meaning someone whose evil or doesn't care at all i was gonna mention people that are like stop imperialism by voting but their just idiots at least some of them are actually trying to make the world better.
• Slavery This is actually complained about a lot but their are a some things people get wrong so the basic thing against slavery is that the main character buys slaves and keeps them for his own instead of fighting against slavery as a system, fighting to free the specific slaves he comes across, just buying all the slaves and freeing them, or at least fucking freeing the specific slaves he buys. Counter Arguments. the first counter argument is that slavery was common in the time and thats not true most isekai take aspects from multiple time periods mostly the middle ages specifically the high and late middles ages mostly the late. Simply slavery was not common during that time period at least in western Europe where most isekai are inspired by. their was serfdom but not much slavery. The times where slavery was around was before the fall of the roman empire and after the slave trade to the late nineteenth century so if theirs an isekai during that period that's an okay argument. Note: I'm not against mixing time periods just don't use historicity as an argument. The Next counter argument is they would face discrimination if freed, and be roped into pseudo slavery for the discrimination yeah but they would also well left in bonds. As for pseudo slavery yeah but that's not 100% the case plus they can still stay as the protagonist's party member either for gratitude or because they know about the pseudo slavery and think its the best option. Scenarios where its good i think their is no good scenario for this unless its just an evil protagonist or at least cast as the wrong thing to do.
• Nobility This Is For when theirs a strict system of nobility and hierarchy this is really bad because its exploitive and bloodline doesn't affect the ability to rule a country and its when its cast in a good light and you just need to get rid of the bad nobles or when its shown to be bad but nothings done about it. Counter Arguments. Historicity yeah but a character with modern world views should still dislike it. the others are mostly monarchist arguments if theirs a case with royality with a special gift for magic or combat then some argument's claiming they should rule because their superior but that doesn't make sense strength doesn't effect how good of a leader you are. case where its okay theirs if the characters moral compass means they should be okay with it as well as using a parliamentary monarchy but that only makes it less bad.
• Legality Guards Almost never arrive and when they do their to late or ineffective i know the medieval period didn't have a complex code of law but stuff like murder, assault and battery, and worst of all tax evasion are punished even if certain things turned a blind eye to because of prejudice or bribery a fight in the middle of the town square for example should have guards crawling over it even if its not some demon or monster but just humans fighting should be a big deal. Counter Arguments. Narrative yeah but just because the narrative requires it you shouldn't just ignore common sense give a reason or change the setting in a way that still achieves the reason its in a public place with tons of guards if it needs to be seen by everyone use broadcast magic or say most of the guards are away fighting an army or monster or say theirs a magic barrier.

P.s Some of these arent just in isekai or even anime but their still common in isekai so i mentioned them anyways

In the very likely scenario that monero is outlawed, as I am sure it is on some places (esp. For goods and services), I think we should explore a mechanism to allow monero users to find one another and still use it as currency in a fashion that doesn't out themselves as Monero users.
I have talked about this before, and it's not the best, but I think is worth bringing up again, hopefully someone smarter than me can improve it:
there should be a messaging protocol that makes usernames or accounts based on the same exact address format as Monero addresses. Perhaps the private key of the messaging app is based on the private or public view key of your monero wallet.
This way you can signal to people: yes, I accept monero, more than likely, but have plausible deniability that you actually do accept monero.
The Jesus Fish, Ichthys, was used to signal to other Christians at a time when they were persecuted, that they were in good company.
"It has been claimed that Christians used it to recognize churches and other believers during a time when they faced persecution in the Roman Empire"
I can see where an online shop might have something like this:
Contact us on Ichthys: (XMR address) A buyer could then contact them: how much for this item plus shipping? Seller: "$100" (Buyer sends XMR to address) Buyer: oh, ok thank you. Can't afford that right now but I had one previously, I was wondering if I could get a free replacement? (Seller checks payment on blockchain and sees $100 was sent) Seller: in that case I am happy to send a free replacement.
(Ideally messaging app would be encrypted, but still as a sellebuyer act in such a way that the other could be an agent/Honeypot etc)
Admittedly it's kind of stupid, but the core concept makes sense to me: the one thing that reveals you are a monero user, or cryptocurrency user, is to send or display a monero address.
If we create other apps that also use monero addresses, then it's not strictly true. Maybe you only use the messaging app.
This arguably improves privacy of monero users outside of the protocol.
Would love others to put thoughts to this. Perhaps a scheme could be devised that looks entirely different than a monero address but a buyer could derive the XMR address from it that the seller has the private spend key to. That way it doesn't even seem monero-y

I currently have a pretty solid 1k list going but I'm think on expanding it to 1.5k and 2k eventually.
LEADER
1x Guardian of Souls (150)
1x Knight of Shrouds on Steed (130)
1x Spirit Torment (120)
BATTLELINE
20x Chainrasp Hordes (200)
10x Grimghast Reapers (150)
Other
10x Bladeghiest Revenants (160)
2x Chainghasts (90)
I've been considering simply using the fewest number of kits to speed up hitting the 2k mark.
Specifically getting: Lady Olynder (270) the vanguard box: [3x Spirit Hosts (130) 20x Chainrasps (200), 10x Grimghast Reapers (150)] , and a unit of Hexwraiths (170).
LEADER
1x Guardian of Souls (150)
1x Knight of Shrouds on Steed (130)
1x Spirit Torment (120)
Lady Olynder (270) ***
BATTLELINE
20x Chainrasps (200)
20x Chainrasps (200) ***
10x Grimghast Reapers (150)
10x Grimghast Reapers (150) ***
3x Spirit Hosts (130) ***
5x Hexwraiths (170) ***
Other
10x Bladeghiest Revenants (160)
2x Chainghasts (90)
1920/2000
*** = units I need to buy
The remaining 80 points I can use for Mortalis Terminexus or Glaivewraiths (which I have) or a unit of Crossboos (which I don't have).
How good would that list be?

So I am getting married at the Rosewood Mayakoba in Playa del Carmen, Mexico next March. This place was chosen because the area means a lot to both our families and we both grew up swimming in the ocean there. My dad even had his ashes spread nearby. We didn’t choose this to save money, in fact a wedding at home would have been MUCH cheaper for us.
There is SO much negativity surrounding destination weddings that I am starting to have some doubts/regrets. Contract is already signed, but I would really appreciate some feedback on my plans so I can at least try to make it as good of an experience as possible for my guests.
Plan is to host most of our guests at the resort from check in Thursday to check out Monday as well as cover transportation to and from airport. We are planning on covering costs for most of our guests but some are honestly pretty wealthy and I don’t think we will offer to them. Not sure how to politely say on an invite (or invite insert) “hey btw we know how expensive travel is so please come and we will pay for your room and food!” Besides the cost of a plane ticket, I feel like this covers most costs? Most or our guests would have to travel even if we got married at home so I don’t feel too bad about that.
The actual wedding weekend will consist of several events from Friday to Sunday. Friday we will be having a lunch pool party at a private villa on the beach for the younger crowd/my closest friends and siblings. This could get a little rowdy so we are keeping in 35 and younger! That evening there will be a welcome dinner at the resort’s chef’s garden for the entire invite list.
Saturday is of course ceremony and reception. Ceremony is in this jungle-y area and reception is on the beach but covered and with regular floors (not just sand). We will be offering LOTS of food options, cocktails, photo booth, and amenities like pashminas if it gets chilly at night or flip flops for dancing. I am currently looking into other vendors to make the guest experience even more fun.
Sunday will be a simple brunch around noon or 1 for any remaining guests who want to attend and say last good byes.
The resort itself is stunning and has a lot of activities and experiences to offer guests without even having to leave. I feel like I would LOVE to come to this but now I am filled with self doubt!!! Please help an anxious bride.
P.S. this is NOT a child free wedding, we are treating this as a hopeful family reunion and will be leaving it up to the parents whether to bring their kids or not. While luxurious, it is a very family friendly resort.

My version of episode 8
The episode starts with a flashback of yue.. she is a child who's playing with other children and finds an injured baby sea lion. She tries to heal it but it doesn't seem to get better. She takes the baby sea lion to the oasis and puts it in the scared water and tries to pray to ocean and moon spirit to heal her.. she hears the whispers "heal" and follows the instruction and uses healing ability to heal the sea lion and it helps.. her friends witness this and they tell their elders about this. Everyone realizes that yue is blessed with special healing abilities, and only she can heal something serious in the scared oasis hence she is hailed as the priestess of the northern water tribe.
We cut to the present and we see her walking with sokka in the hallways of the town hall talking about stuff like how she feels connection to every waterbender and how the full moon makes her feel more alive than ever.. she talks about mystical stuff such as spirits and spirit world and how some spirits are dangerous while some are essential for life. Sokka compliments her and tells her her blue eyes feels so bright and entrapping. As both come closer to each other surt falls on them.. sokka recognises the danger and says ' they will be here soon'.
We cut to katara secretly training in a cave with some young waterbenders.. they taught her some drills which strengthened her basics and she developed new techniques while she teaches them the moves she created on her own. Aang is there but he's busy amusing some of the children student and he's not a great waterbender himself. Katara shows concern to aang telling him he needs to learn and show some progress. Aang shows a worried look and agrees with her as they position themselves to began the training the snow falling outside the cave turns dark. Confused everyone steps out and sees the surt. while most of them are unaware, just like sokka katara recognises the incoming danger and takes aang back to agne quela. The chief gather everyone in the hall and tells them about the imminent war and asks for volunteers to enlist. Sokka stands up fast and moves forward to receive the mark of soldier while aang, katara and yue look with concern. Sokka tells them he needs to prove himself to be a real warrior and that will happen only when he tests himself in the battlefield. Aang and katara assures sokka he doesn't need to prove anything but he insists.
Scene cuts to fire nation navy ship scouting for any incoming danger in the fog and spots appa incoming, alerting the ship but it's no use as the trio of aang, sokka and katara easily defeat everyone and disable the ship and it's weapon, as they ride Appa out of it and reach the clear sky, they get the view or the entire fleet that's heading to the city.. they quickly retreat to the city and inform them, aang hopelessly falling on his knees and starts to profuesly apologise that he's sorry he's not prepared for this. The chief assures him his spirit along with ocean and moon spirit will ensure the victory of the tribe, no matter the cost.
Scene cuts to the ships of fire nation where Zhao discusses the attack plan with iroh. He tells him that the geographical challenges in invading the north pole are immense but they can be bypassed by using different ways of travel. Iroh looks with confusing so Zhao shows him the air balloon being prepared to which Iroh questions his motive. Zhao tells him in order to win this war he needs to disarm the water tribe, completely and it's entirely possible because there's only one entity in the world that carries the power of bending for all waterbender and it's the moon spirit. Iroh questions feasibility of this plan and how Zhao plans to find the spirit and kill and how killing it is possible. To which Zhao replies that he came across some scrolls that he found in the library that he found during his serving in desert and the guardian spirit went to spirit world so he scoured entire library looking for ways to weaken other nations but only found fire nation and water tribe weakness. He dismisses the fire nation weakness saying that it's important that information dies with him for the safety of fire nation but every full moon, the spirits dance in the reflections of sacred places. He reveals a dagger, which he retrieved from roku's temple that Roku has collected over his life. The dagger belonged to avatar kuruk and has special abilities to bypass any spiritual barrier and kill any spirit because it is made from the bone of a lion turtle. Kuruk crafted this weapon in order to fight the dark spirits and he needed a weapon that could kill any spirit without resistance. This worries Iroh and questions zhao's motives and the implications that would arise with the death of moon spirit. Zhao dismisses it but Iroh doesn't push his luck so he can join him and act when he needs to. The scene cuts to iron explaining zhao's plan to a masked soldier who unmasks himself to reveal an injured zuko who survived zhao's assassination attempt. Zuko feels alarmed by zhao's progress and informs Iroh that he'll leave the ships immediately and go to north pole as the ships get near. Iroh asks him his plan to which zuko gives vague answers, worrying Iroh.
Scene cuts to the wall of northern water tribe where there's dead silence and gust of winds blowing... The silence is unnerving but suddenly a fire ball appears through the fog and strikes the wall. The soldiers scatter with the attack but gather and try to contain the rain if fireball that is being sent by the catapults of the uncountable fire nation ships. Katara helps anyone she can and approaches pakku. She tells him that there's need for every pair of hands in order for them to defend their home, he can carry on with his traditions later but now it is not the time to be stubborn. Yagoda agrees with and tells her while a fireball heads their way, katara, yagoda and bunch of female waterbenders stop it from impacting and freezing it in towering ice. Pakku realises their potential and positions them at exposed point in order for them to stop further damage from the fireballs. Aang also tries to stop the damage but it's too much yet he helps other soldiers retreive. The chief tells yue that there are soldiers that need immediate attention in the sacred pond and tasks sokka to guard her while she heals the gravely injured. They head to the pond and heal many of the soldiers who walk out of the oasis, as they leave and sokka and yue are about to head out they notice an air balloon descending towards the oasis. They hide in the bushes nearby and observe who is there and what they are trying to achieve. As aang is helping outside at the front, kuruk appears to him and informs him about the dagger presence, it's properties and how it can end the life of most powerful spirits and pleads him to go the sacred oasis where the most powerful spirits reside during events like full moon. Zhao looks around in the oasis reciting the words he read in the scroll about spirits. He sees two koi fishes circling each other, slightly glowing. He recognises the eternal dance and decides to kill the spirit. Iroh warns him that the spirits are something that should not be trifled with and threatens him force if he proceeds with his actions. While Aang heads for the oasis through kuruk's temple, zuko confronts him and asks him to surrender and come with him. Katara asks Aang to go ahead and stop Zhao while she takes on zuko. They both fight with their best but with katara sharpening her skills and catching zuko by surprises, she easily overpowers him after several bouts. Aang also arrives and tells Zhao how spirits are important for everyone, even fire nation. The spiritual balance needs to be maintained in order for life on earth to survive, without it everything will fall apart. Zhao steps back from the pond but at everyone's surprise jumps in with the dagger and stabs the moon spirit, turning everything grey and moonlight vanishing from sky. Yue faints and aang feels striking pain in his head as he senses the loss of balance. Iroh strikes Zhao several times but Zhao manages to escape. Iroh runs behind him while looking at yue and telling her you have unique life in you. Aang gets flashbacks of air temple, kyoshi's harsh words and kuruk's word about how he should walk alone on this path and there needs to be certain sacrifice in order to achieve the results. During all this, aang hears some somber chants. Those chants were something knew but very familiar to him. He senses the chants coming from the pond. The chant is "Na Mo A Mi Tuo Fo Shin Di" which translates to "I bow to infinite light". It's a chant that is used by spirits when they are in danger or need of help towards the avatar spirit. As aang moves closer to the pond the chant intensifies. Yue expresses her despair and how everything is destroyed and it's over, simultaneously aang enters avatar state and with thousands voices says "no, it's not over". Aang walks into the pond and stands near the ocean spirit which circles aang, starting a ritual of combining their power. Aang dips into the ocean and emerges as koizilla. This prompts the water tribe citizens to bow to their diety immediately and koi zilla recognises the fire nation forces and starts to wipe them out of the city.
As Zhao runs through the streets of ange quela, he is confronted by zuko who duels him in order to avenge assassination attempt. Zuko eventually overpowers Zhao and questions why he did it to which Zhao reveals he knows about his blue spirit identity thanks to his sister. He goes further and tells him that his father and sister think of you as a failure and your father used you to push your sister to new heights and now she's more powerful than ever. Zuko walks away in shame and sadness after hearing this. Seeing the opportunity Zhao tries to take a cheap shot at him but is immediately torched by Iroh and drops into the water channel that has glow of ocean spirit. Aang in koizilla wrecks havoc on fire nation fleet amid their constant attacks through the catalputs but he overpowers them and sends a wave huge enough to ruin the fleet. Katara tries to speak to aang and talk him out of this destruction but aang's sense of worldly concern is gone and he intends to help the spirit until they are at peace and balance.
We cut to oasis and sokka talks about the possibility of bringing back the moon spirit to which yue has flashbacks to how she was so extraordinary, and she finally accepts the fact that she needs to repay the debt. She gives sokka a kiss and while sokka is not looking she freezes his feet in order to immobilize him. She walks into the oasis pond and picks up the dead koi fish, while sokka pleads her not to and using her healing power with her spirit's concentration and disappears into the strong light, which after few seconds goes away and the moon spirit has returned in form of the koi fish. Sokka watches yue disappear like that and cries in loss. The moon appears back into the sky and grabs aang and the koizilla's attention. Katara tells aang how important he is to her and how aang is still needed by everyone. She tells him that he might have lost a family but also gained one in form of her and sokka. This convinces aang to stop his rampage as the balance has been restored and he is retreated back to the shore by the ocean spirit into katara's arms. The sun rises and everyone begins to face the aftermath of war by removing the debris, helping the injured and securing the corpses of the fallen. Aang looks at the mayhem and destruction and blames himself from not stopping it. Katara tries to comfort him by telling him the bad actions of other people is not your fault, but he tells her it's his job to stop them and flies away on his glider. later, a funeral ceremony is held. The chief thanks the Martrys and the injured for their courage and sacrifice and how their valiant effort stopped the fire nation. He pays respect to yue for restoring balance and speaks how proud he is of her sacrifice. Pakku also announces that some traditions are outdated, and they need to change like water. He announced that women will no longer be prohibited from learning waterbending combat and everyone is free to learn what they want to. Chief ends the speech with saying there have been losses but we always move forward from these because it's our nature to adapt and overcome difficulties and losses. Aang realizes that loss of life is part of the cycle of life and he cannot prevent everything but he can always try. He remembers gyatso's words about letting go. Sokka and the chief share the conversation of how yue was so courageous and how they feel after her leaving them in this world . Pakku tells katara how she reminded him of their core values and she's a commendable warrior and a bender. After the ceremony ends aang tells katara and sokka how he feels he needs to move forward and be the avatar the world needs. Katara expresses happiness while sokka shows sarcasm and tells him he's hungry and offers them to join in for the food and katara taunts his need to eat everytime.
We cut to omashu being heavily damaged and fire nation soldiers walking in. We see a shot of bumi being captured and trapped into metal casings to prevent him from bending. A warrior with face masks walks up to him and removes it.. revealing it was azula who has invaded omashu.
Episode ends with the fire nation sages revealing to Ozai model have developed to predict sozin's comet and informs him that it's arriving soon.

About me, Job compensation + benefits, CoL for reference

About me:

• Ethnicity + Name: Indian (south asian) as hell.
• Work experience: 3+ years of co-op / internships. (Didn't matter, read full post). No big name internships, just random startups.
• University: University of Waterloo (Mech eng Bachelors; robotics / AI / ML background)
• Graduated 2023, 2.1 GPA
• Applications sent: over 10,000; this is not a joke. Shotgun approach mostly.
• Interviews: 5. Not 50 or 500, but FIVE.
• Disabilities: Autism / Aspergers. Made the interviews hell for me.

Compensation / Benefits:

• $70,000 Base (salaried, boss doesn't care if I leave early as long as I get work done)
• Work as little time as you want as long as you get the work done. I work 5 hrs a day on average now.
• $10,000-30,000 Profit sharing + Bonuses (directly put into 401k / Roth, company does additional 4x matching for bonuses only; reaching bonuses literally made a senior engineer a multi-millionaire here over 20 years in his 401k).
• Guaranteed raise after 6 months of stay / onboarding finished.
• Subsidized Masters / Ph.D. sponsored by the company.
• Full health + life + vision + dental insurance.
• Contracted inflation pay raise every year.
• Weekly pay.
• Paid maternity + paternity.
• Vacations whenever, just make sure you get your job done on time and let manager know before hand. Any vacation over 1 week must be approved by HR and other management levels. Be reasonable about how often you take it (Senior devs often take 1-2 weeks off every 2 months unless tight deadlines).
• Boss literally told me to go the fuck home when I tried staying overtime out of guilt / confusion.

Cost of Living:

• Low? Breakdown below, idk how to determine.
• Studio apartment + internet + heat + water < $1050.
• Average food cost (groceries + eating out every other day + weekly pizza) < $400.
  • Loaf of bread for reference: $1.99
• Downsides: neighbor won't stop smoking weed; the smell is annoying every Friday. Ugh.
• Downsides: Extremely car-centric area; no public transportation.

Listen to the goddamn Boomers / Gen X folks here

As much as the older folks are 'behind the times', you need to remember who is still disproportionately in charge of companies and how they are structured, even in the tech sector. Hell, I had my dad (the BOOMIEST BOOMER I know) help me out.
I went to my 7th job fair after graduation about 2-3 months ago (Feb 2024) and my dad came with me as moral support. Just as usual with most job fairs, there isn't anyone there actively recruiting for engineering / IT / software roles because of the current market. BUT, my dad was having a 'fun' chat with the CTO of a random medium sized company and they both hit it off HARD. Both of them were born in the same part of India, went to the same temples there, and they just kept on chatting. Next thing I know, this same CTO came to me and asked if I was competent at engineering and he'd like to interview me on the spot, but sadly his company had no open software roles. I agreed.
I shit you not, this test was this simple and BLEW it:

1. What is Ohms law? (I got this right)
2. What is an inverter? (I got this wrong)
3. What is a diode? What is it's symbol? (I got this right)
4. Explain what an LED is and what it's symbol is. (I got this half right)
5. What is the purpose of a rectifier? (I got this wrong)
6. Questions about embedded C/C++ (I don't even know the language well T.T)

Thing is, the interviewer was really interested NOT in my capabilities or even my previous experiences. He was intrigued at just how many questions I asked and how I even asked some questions he didn't know the answer to, and how quickly I learnt the information. He told me to come to the company's HQ because he wanted me to meet the R&D manager.
1 week later
I met the R&D guy. Something I noticed is that this whole department was filled with dinosaurs. Not a single human within a 1 km radius appeared below the age of 50 outside of the technicians / trades folk. These dinos didn't even know how to post a job online without the help of HR (I'm sure everyone here knows how HR writes posts and filters applications). Just after half an hour of talking and the R&D manager apparently loved me because "this kid knows jack shit but he's a sponge, he'll learn faster than anyone else we got", which is apparently what R&D is actively looking for in fresh recruits.
Then bam-bam-boom, I got my position starting at this pay, with a guaranteed pay boost after onboarding + training is finished in 6 months, while I bombed every interview question / test. My position is as an R&D Engineer specializing in Embedded Design / Programming. Hell, one of my first projects is to tinker around and try to create and integrate a custom trained AI model with Altium to see if the autopathing system and autolayouts can be made better and human centric if possible.
I looked into this company's history and they have an average employee tenure of 10+ years without a single person ever being laid off ever since 1985. People wouldn't actively stay at a company that long without job hopping if the pay wasn't satisfactory or if it was toxic. Plus it was written into my contract that base pay is tied to inflation!
What are the lessons here?

1. Don't quit. It's a shitty market, but a 0.01% chance is INFINITELY better than 0% if you stop trying.
2. Have a boomer / gen x person help you network and connect you with other boomer / gen x people. Boomers and Gen X folks hire more based on word of mouth and interactions than younger folk like me who focus on the 'skills' part of the resume.
3. Become a sponge. The more absorbent you are and the more questions you ask, the more the senior engineers will love you and actively want you on their team.
4. Target industries that are filled with older folks in white collar positions (assuming you want white collar positions). Here are some examples:
   1. Metallurgy (filled with trades people and old engineers, they are actively looking for fresh blood in white collar areas).
   2. Agriculture (mechanization).
   3. Carpentry (same as metallurgy above).
   4. Welding companies (they have active R&D for building welding machines, just like metallurgy and carpentry sectors).
5. Learn, learn, and learn. Especially for the first job you get, especially so if you don't have internships / co-op experience, people will look for your ability to learn. How fast can you learn everything we teach you?
6. HR seldom knows what the company wants / needs when they post job listings. Getting out there and talking to NOT the recruiters but the engineers will give you that edge. Bonus points if you also do bullet point 2.
7. Be ambitious with your future goals. Not just pretend; you'll run out of steam. If you are ambitious despite your current situation, people will see it and engineers / senior developers will like it. That was also one of the things a senior there liked about me and explicitly said "you're ambitions behind closed doors, I love it, you'll go far and I hope you take the company there with you; more profits for all of us!".
8. Nepotism isn't the right word for how many here think of the job situation, it's just much MUCH more networking than previously thought. This has it's own issues like for those from disadvantaged / foreign backgrounds, but this world isn't fair, and that won't change reality.

Check my post history to know I was literally in your position just a few months ago. I hope this post helps people.

Never done one of these, but figured I got lots of info from here so I'd pass on what seemed to work for me. I'm not an expert in test-taking, so keep that in mind before accepting anything I say as absolute.
For background, I am an IM intern who also completed a surgery prelim last year (graduated from USMD school in 2022).
Step 1: 247 (2020)
Step 2ck: 242 :/ (2021)
I was lucky enough to have the 3 weeks prior to my test on a super chill rotation with lots of free time. I have learned from past test taking that I benefit most through exposing myself to topics in multiple different ways. Beginning of this intern year, I used Uworld to study for my ITE exam and did ~500 questions (scored 72%). I then stopped and started doing blocks here and there with my down time in the hospital the last 2-3 months prior to exam day. During the final 3 weeks of study time was my "dedicated." During this time I had majority of day off from rotations. I spent the majority of each day doing blocks of questions for time and then spending a good bit of time reviewing every question and why the answer was correct and why the other answers were wrong. I'd often go into rabbit holes googling pictures, looking up topics, or going back to Step 1 FA book to relearn basics. Doing this, I was luckily able to complete Uworld a few days prior to my test (first time Ive ever come close to this). Doing questions can get boring, so when I needed a break I'd go on walks and listen to Divine Intervention podcasts. Usually shelf review podcasts for my weakest subjects (OB/Peds). And also hit the most floridly HY ones from the excel doc (Risk factors, most common _____, etc.). I would listen to his podcasts in the car, while working out, and just about anywhere I had idle time by myself. Can't tell you how many times on test day I saw questions that I could literally hear Divine's voice in my head making a corny joke that'd they ask it. Also, at least a dozen questions were word for word from Uworld. So much so, that I saw the picture and just looked at the final question and was able to answer correctly in <10 secs.
I read through FA Step 1 sections that are most commonly tested (GI/Cards/Renal etc). I also read the biochem diseases section (don't do this; waste of time). Studying for ABSITE my surgery year (82%) allowed me to neglect any studying for surgery/trauma topics. I did spend disproportionate amount of time on Peds and OBGYN just because I do not see these pts in real life lol.
For Biostats, I did the Uworld biostats review once and would use FA Step 1 for all the equations and made Anki cards for the ones I'd habitually forget. I CANNOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH, biostats is free points. Know it so well that you get excited when you see a question on it. It had to be at least a third of the exam on day 1 and all easy free points. I don't recall a single WTF biostats question. All pretty clear.
For pharm, I knew I was weak on antimicrobials and chemotherapeutics. I just flipped through some of these old Sketchies and picked it up pretty quickly. (note: I had memorized these for step 1 in 2020). Drug side effects and MOA should also be free points.
For the multistep advertisement questions, I'd recommend skipping and coming back to at end of each block. For the first few blocks I would get bogged down and have to guess on the last question or two in block which turned out to be easy questions usually.
Day 2 is more clinical (Step 2CK/Shelf) questions and the cases. For cases, I bought the CCS cases and devoted my entire gap day between Day 1 and 2 to mastering the format and collecting points. I first learned the methodical approach that this guy describes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmxWuV4psFs . ( I legit wrote down the steps on my whiteboard). Then I ordered the CCS cases in order of high yield and did the top 20 then did the USMLE free ones as well. Of all my cases on the real thing, I really only had one that ended with me having no clue wtf was wrong w the patient. Don't be afraid to push time forward to see results!
Day 2 Clinical multiple choice questions is kind of hard to study for. It's really something that I very heavily leaned on my clinical experience as surgery intern and medical intern for. (ie in this presentation, what would we normally order next to diagnose the pt). Some scenarios I remembered seeing in real life less than a month prior.
In summary, this is a hard test w many questions where they expect you to see where they're pointing you without them giving you all the information you'd like. These types of questions will require lots of thought and may even result in incorrect despite much time spent. Because of this fact, to SUCCEED in step 3 you need to just collect all the "free" points you can. "Free" points are straight memorization questions that you know will be tested because they tell you on their website. (ie MOA, drug side effects, BIOSTATS, Screening, Cases). If you master these topics, then the tough questions will just be increasing your pass margin. Additionally, I'd argue that you'd be more relaxed and less pressured on the harder questions with the comfort in knowing you nailed those other topics.
UWSA1: 220 (5 days out)
Step 3 Free 120: ~70%
Uworld question bank completed: 70% correct (weeks up to test was averaging 75-85%)
Real Step 3: 250

This is a long one and it happened back in 2019, but I still don't know if I was the a-hole or just trying to be a good friend.
For context: In January 2011, my ex (M) and I (F) started dating in high school. We were off and on for most of 8 years but he broke it off for good in January 2019. Throughout our relationship, we had arguments, lying, and mistreatment, but we kept coming back to each other. We probably should have stayed away from each other, but we were teenagers and didn't know what we were doing. Ultimately, there were no blatant red flags like abuse or violence, we just weren't meant for each other.
After the breakup, I moved back home with my parents at 23 and my ex stayed at our apartment with some other roommates. I kept my distance because I was heartbroken. We spent 8 years together. I thought we would get married and have a family together. Of course, that didn't happen. Since we ran in the same circles, I would hear about his life and he would hear about mine, and sometimes we would bump into each other. My neighbors happened to be his childhood best friend's parents, so he was brought up often. They said I needed to give him just one more chance because they thought we belonged together, but I was hesitant. In April 2019, he called and asked me out to dinner so we could talk, and I agreed. I thought maybe we could just have a nice dinner and restore the friendship, but that's not what happened. We had a great dinner and conversation, then he suddenly started talking about marriage and showing me pictures of rings. I told him that's not what I wanted, and I could tell it broke his heart. I thought if he had miraculously changed in the prior three months, maybe we could work things out, but I could tell it just wasn't right. We didn't talk for a while after that.
Flash forward a few months to July, I was planning my birthday party. My ex's best friend's older sister offered me her beach house to throw an overnight birthday party, and I was ecstatic! I had been talking to a new guy, I reconnected with an old coworker who was a good friend, and it all felt like a new start. The sister mentioned my ex, and I froze up. She talked about how she knew we weren't going to end up together, but that he still cared about me as a friend because we had known each other for so long. She also mentioned that since her younger brother would be there (I was close friends with him, too), it might be nice to invite my ex so the guys could hang out and the girls could hang out. I reached out to my ex, invited him to the party, and made it clear it was just as friends. He said he understood and was glad I invited him. He showed up super late to the party but brought me my favorite beverages and candy so I said thank you and continued to hang out. Later in the night, the guy I was seeing mentioned something to me about my ex not liking him. I was honest and said that I had dated him for 8 years but we were just friends at this point. The guy brushed it off and everyone had a good night. Well, everyone but my ex. The next morning I woke up to see he had disappeared. When I asked the older sister what happened, she was emotional. She said my ex had planned a really sweet proposal but I had gone to bed earlier than he thought I would. He thought of waking me up to do it only to see I was curled up in bed with the other guy. I felt awful, but at the same time, WE WERE BROKEN UP! How was I supposed to know he was going to talk about marriage and propose a SECOND time?
Do I learn my lesson? Nope. In October 2019, I had been seeing the new guy for a few months and I was happy. Didn't think about my ex, didn't talk to my ex, didn't even entertain conversations about him. He randomly reached out to me one day asking if we could just talk to get closure, and I thought this would be the end of things once and for all. We sat down at a picnic table, and he started crying. I knew it was a mistake, I shouldn't have met up with him. He showed me pictures of engagement rings and asked for me to come back and be with him. I said no, told him meeting up was a mistake, and left.
Do I learn my lesson that time? Nope. At this point it's completely on me to keep falling for this trap. A friend (F) and I were moving in January of 2020 and my ex had a truck. Things didn't work out with the guy I was seeing, so my friend and I asked my ex if he could help us. This time, he and I had been chatting for a few weeks and things were good. We were talking like friends and the conversation was never more than platonic. He agreed to help, drove us between our old places to the new place to move in furniture and boxes, and everything went well. When we got settled at the apartment, I started cooking everyone dinner. I asked how much food he wanted, and he went quiet and left without a word. My roommate thought it was odd, but I knew immediately what it was. I texted him and asked if it was because of me, and he said yes.
Should I have learned my lesson after the first or second time? Yes. But am I the a-hole for wanting a friendship that whole time?
At this point, I'm happily married to someone else, living 2,000 miles away from everything. This randomly popped into my mind today, and I figured I would survey my fellow potatoes.

I (45f) have been with my bf (44m) for 3 years, and live together for 1. things were great before we moved in together, and I would say he's my biggest support in my personal growth. we have been having a lot of problems after we moved in together, and it seems like he's pissed off at me on a weekly basis.
yesterday he left some food on the coffee table and then went upstairs, and I was downstairs with the dog. I wasn't watching him for a bit and then saw him eating the tri tip from the bowl. by the time I got to it he already swallowed it. I knew bf would be mad but I didn't think he would be so upset to the point that he said he doesn't care anymore and refuses to talk to me. he also threw some pork chop onto the floor saying that's how I treated the dog (I really don't understand what he's talking about and failed to see the correlation). He then picked up the pork chop and put into his bad, and I had to clean up right away just to make sure the dog wouldn't get to it. previously he would be upset when he finds the dog walking/standing on carpet, and it got better after I threatened to move out with the dog, as I couldn't meet his expectation of me watching the dog like a hawk and follow his rules.
just 2 weeks ago he didn't talk to me for 2 days because I didn't fully follow his instruction on how to prepare the fish for cooking. I may have some undiagnosed ADHD and only read 75% of his text, and he accused me of not reading his text and there's no point of texting me. I didn't think it's such a big deal and not talking to me for 2 days was too much. is this a form of emotional abuse? is this relationship salvageable? I think he may have undiagnosed OCPD
tl;dr: bf is so upset that the dog ate the food he left on the coffee table that he threw pork chop onto the floor and refuses to talk to me.

I wish I was brave like you! I am completely content being alone . I’m ok with my own company, I have been alone for most of my life and I don’t know how to handle being with people sometimes. I get overwhelmed by the way I am and I don’t want anyone else to have to deal with my internal conflict and my mental health issues that have been a huge burden on me and my family. I swear sometimes I feel like I’m just too old and too damaged to ever try to get into anything with anyone ever again anyway. The last person wanted to marry me and we were engaged. They got down on one knee with a beautiful ring and proposed to me and I said yes. I was really happy but at the same time I was nervous and I knew deep down that they were not the right person for me and so I held back on telling anyone about it for a long time. He was really abusive and I never really knew when he was going to get angry about anything. I was not perfect but I didn’t deserve the way he hurt me. I never called the police, I never did anything but try to heal and help him with his anger and insecurity but eventually he ended up hurting me so bad that still to this day I have problems. I finally got to the point where I didn’t want to leave my daughter alone in the world because we did lose her father to a heart attack But I was starting to really fear for my safety in the end with this person so I gathered all of the courage I had and left. I’m still really lost though in all honesty. I have not felt like I am ever going to succeed in anything again. I smile and try but in my heart I really do feel that way. I’m almost 50 but no one believes that. They think I am still in my thirties. Good thing I don’t look like the way I feel most days. I get a lot of compliments and attention when I do put myself out there but that takes effort on my part that requires some kind of commitment to be able to give the other person the time and attention they need and deserve. I don’t know, but you know how it is if you do meet someone who you really like you will find the time and energy to make the friendship into something special. I think that I would like that, but I am just scared to be broken again. I just don’t want to get hurt or hurt someone else somehow , someway either, because that would suck too. I don’t know, I wish I was brave like you guys are and I could just go for it and get back out there.. Maybe someday, maybe someday soon.