I had quite the weird roommate experience. To preface, my situation wasn’t terrible, but did have a major impact on my mental health, academic performance, and socialization this past freshman year of college.
To start off, I met my roommate through a college bios page. What seemed great over the phone turned into a quick nightmare as soon as the end of august rolled around. The first day we were in a room together, you could feel the awkwardness and disconnect and it never went away, even at the end of the second semester. Basically my roommate became good friends with this girl down the hall, and started to treat me and the other girls roommate like garbage.
Long story short, I became friends with the other girls roommate who was in the same situation as me. There was a football game the one day and I was getting ready with my friend in my room, and my roommate was getting ready with my friend’s roommate in her room (2 doors apart). My friend went to grab something from her room and prompted me to get out in the hallway. Not even a foot out of the door, they are blowing us up in that room to some random chick. Mind you, they had NO reason to be talking about us. Their reasoning was that my friend and I came home late and made “too much noise while they were sleeping.” HELP ME NOW BC THEY WERENT EVEN SLEEPING, AS HER ROOMMATE WAS AT A PARTY THAT NIGHT AND I DIDNT EVEN SEE HER LMAO. As for my roommate, she was in her bed on her phone with the big light on. You weren’t sleeping. It was nearing 10pm on a Friday night.
I know this sounds ridiculous up to this point but it’s just hypocritical, because she would have her friend in my room or would be in my friend’s room all the time making noise. My roommate used to let her friend in early in the morning because we all had an early class together, and she would literally come and start socializing when i wasn’t even awake yet. Talk about disturbing someone’s sleep. Well anyway, this may have been wrong on my part as im being fully transparent here, but I muted her contact that day because my friend and I were about to go to the football game, and my roommate and her friend were going separately. I saw them in the lobby and glared at them when they smiled and waved because they had no clue ts I just heard them say. I partly muted her contact for the day so I didn’t have the urge to send her something nasty if Im gonna be honest. I had simply had enough of her.
Well come the next day, I’m laying in my bed feeling so alone. I wanted for the life of me to be able to be friends with my roommate, but after hearing what she said about me, it was pretty disheartening. I put a lot of work into our room. I was the only one who ever cleaned. I was the one to buy the fridge and microwave because she was out of state and I didn’t want her to have the hassle of transporting those things. I was just in a really bad headspace and missing home that I didn’t get out of bed that morning until late. Well, I start to hear fingers slamming the keypad. You don’t have to use the keypad unless you’re in a lock out situation. Here it comes…
This annihilation of a human being bursts into the room and goes, and I quote, Is there a reason you fing blocked me? (Because I wasn’t getting her calls as she was still muted). And I straight up said, yeah there actually is, I heard all the sht you said about me yesterday. The woman was too stunned to speak. But she spoke. “Still that isn’t a reason to not answer my calls. I’m not obligated to you. I swear if you touch any of my s**t, I’m gonna call the cops.”
Runs out and slams the door
Gave me no room to talk whatsoever. And what’s funny about the last part is that my roommate and her friend, while they were talking about us, did in fact touch my friends stuff as her closet was rummaged through, her shoes were messed with, her mirror was broken. Not to mention my stuff was starting to be out of place too. She was really just reflecting herself. She helped herself to all of my food, ate an ENTIRE box of chips my mom had gotten me to take to college. This chick was loaded with money too, there was no reason she was eating my food when I could barely get by.
There’s a lot of small things that happened after that. She apologized the same night but I never saw her the same after. What really burnt me was the fact I gave her a phone wallet for her student id and she never even put it on to this day. She had no reason to be locked out given the fact she wanted the wallet and never put it on. That’s entirely her fault. And up to that point, I’m honestly glad I had her contact muted. This was her karma.
Another comical karma story was when it was a Sunday or something, and I went to the library that day for 6 hours. That’s not terrible long for me for a weekend, but that day I was exhausted. I was heading back to my room when she texted me, “how much longer will you be out of the room?” because her boyfriend was there and she wanted time alone with him. He was also from out of state and would come see her. Mind you, at this point, they weren’t even in the room. They were at a sporting event. I’ve honestly had it up to this point because I would give them PLENTY of time alone all the time, whether they were on the phone together or in person. She never did the same for me, and my relationship is longer than hers.
I simply replied “well I just got back but I guess I can leave again” which was honestly kind of passive aggressive but like atp I was so fed up with her garbage. She had my location and purposely made it a big deal that I was going back to the room. I just grinded for 6 hours, and she never even told me her boyfriend was coming that day. On the way to the room she sprained her ankle and had to be taken to urgent care. Needless to say I got some sleep that day actually. But I walked into my room and her packages were thrown all over my desk, because my space was just hers i guess lmao.
Karma is real. Don’t be a terrible, inconsiderate roommate. Also here is a list of less explained occurrences that have happened throughout this unforgettable freshman year
-took multiple pictures of me while I slept
-she got so sick and coughed all over everything, blew nose loudly all night but complained when I got sick to my face
-bribed me with a stanley cup after threatening to call the cops on me for not answering her
-flooded our room with water from the bathroom when i wasn’t there and posted about it on her instagram story without even texting me about it (the water was mostly on my side and she tried blaming in on someone else)
-left old food in the fridge, the fridge that I bought (and im talking like months old food and drinks
-would call her bf for hours every day but not talk (he could just hear and see me and i wouldn’t even know he was on the phone)
-offered me to live with her next year and oddly enough backed out last second (we were on semi good terms at this point)
-would make me feel unwelcome in my own room
-would look at me weirdly if I came in during one of her day and night long phone calls with her bf
-would be loud asf while getting ready and then expected me to tip toe around her when I got ready
-posted a picture of me on her instagram complaining about having a roommate because she couldn’t cry over her chem grades with me in the room, when she never even left the room for me to do so when I experienced 2 deaths in the span of a few months
I’m sure communication on my end could have helped some, but it came to the point where it was pointless. I didn’t care for her at all. What burnt me is that she started being super nice to me the last two weeks of school which made it hard to just block her like i originally had planned. Would I look like a bad person for doing so, or is this completely validated with my experiences with her. I’ve never met someone so oddly unaware of themselves. It makes me cringe DEEPLY whenever I think about her and what I had to put up with. I also want to mention I did go to my RA and Res Director about this early on, so it’s not like I blatantly didn’t do anything about it.

This story was written and emailed to me by an anonymous source. And it’s one of the craziest most bizarre stories I’ve ever read. Ever! 😆 Enjoy the read. It’s long and ridiculously wild. ☘️ Also, in advance, no one can use this story. These stories are written and emailed to me for me to turn into a Video Narrative for my YouTube & TikTok channels. But I would like to share their tales as reading material as well. Thank you for understanding.
I hope you enjoy. 🫶
Story by - “Alex” & “Shane”
Okay so…
I went on vacation to Ireland with my brother last year. And had the most wildest experience of my life there.
Or should I say, we both had the most…wildest experience.
But More so me. And to Tell you the truth, I don’t think I’ll ever go back again after what happened.
As a matter of fact, no, I won’t go back.
So, it’s a Sunday night and it was pretty much our last day of vacationing.
My older brother Shane, wanted to go out… And I’m quoting him - “let’s get fuckin wasted tonight!”
So… We’re on vacation right? Why not? We had rented an Airbnb for the week, we had a rental car - we had a great week so far and we were having…
A proper vacation.
He was already dressed up and ready to go. I wanted to take a quick shower and shave so I told him to head out and I’d call him when I was ready for him to pick me up.
He says cool. He leaves, and I jump in the shower. He’s the one that knows the hot spots in Ireland better than I do. I mean, this was my first time ever coming here. So…
I take a shower, shave, and I get dressed. As I’m about to call my brother, the front door to our Airbnb opens up.
And Its my brother with two bad ass Irish women! They both jump on the couch and they’re laughing their asses off and my brother is just standing there looking at me with a sly grin on his face.
He looks over at the ladies and says - “Give me a minute please” walks over to me, puts his arm over my shoulder and walks me to the bathroom. He then whips out a bag of mushrooms and smiles. Ya know… The psychedelic kind.
I look down at the bag and I shake my head.
He says to me - “come on bro. We got two hotties out there who are trippin and they want to party. Don’t be a flake. This is our last night. Let’s make it special.”
I don’t like disappointing my brother but I was kind of hesitant.
I opened the bathroom door and take a look at these gorgeous women who were both sitting upright now and both looking at me as I opened the door. Both smiling. I smiled back. Closed the door… I looked at my brother and said - “Alright dood fuck it! Let’s do it!”
He gives me a huge hug, kisses me on the forehead, pours me a handful of shrooms and does the same for himself.
We both looked at each other to see who would go first. He counted to three and down the hatch they went. But they were the most unpleasant tasting mushrooms I’ve ever eaten in my life. They were disgusting.
I ran to the fridge and grabbed a bottle of juice because I was having a hard time chewing these nasty things.
But my brother Shane? No, he’s a pro. You give that guy a barrel of hay and he’ll eat it faster than a horse. The guy can eat anything.
40 minutes go by and I’m still straight as a pin. However, my brother on the other hand? He’s already trippin.
I think he had already taken some beforehand.
But in the next 10 minutes… These shrooms hit me like a ton of bricks! It was like this intense wave of cool and hot went completely through my body.
And I’ve taken mushrooms quite a few times but have never felt anything like this before. It was so sudden!
And I feel fantastic!
The next hour went by so fast because we were having so much fun! And these Irish girls? Man… I had the sexiest one! A beautiful Redhead by the name of Katrina.
She was kind of short though. About 5’1” maybe? But good things come in small packages, right? Well, not really. And you’ll know why soon enough.
I don’t recall anything else that happened for the rest of the night after my brother left with the other girl. And before I continue with the rest of the story. My brother’s name is really not Shane. And the redhead girl I was with is not named Katrina.
You see I had to make up these names to protect me and my brother. Because what happened during the rest of the night? I don’t remember. But also, I’ll never forget either.
Okay so, let's get back to the story…
I do remember my brother leaving with… Let's just call her Gloria, Katrina’s friend? And me and Katrina, the redhead, stood behind. I do remember us making out in the bathroom together, but…Everything else after that? There’s nothing there. Nothing. I don’t recall anything from that point forward no matter how badly I try to remember.
This is what my brother told me he witnessed as he arrived back at the Airbnb five hours later with Gloria.
And until this day, I still don’t want to believe this happened. But according to my brother…
It truly did happen.
My brother is going to write this part of the story because he’s the one that has this locked in his memory for life. And for the sake of the story, my name will be Alex.
Here is my brother Shane’s point of view - his perspective on what he witnessed that crazy night. Wow man… This is so fucking nuts. So buckle up and be prepared. I understand you don’t know who I am, but I swear, I’m not a bad person. Okay.

• “Shane’s” story on what he witnessed.

Yeah so, I guess I’m Shane now. Unreal…
Okay. Here we go. Meat and potatoes.
We arrive back at the Airbnb and I see Alex outside in the front of the house wearing only socks and he’s running around on top of the grass like an animal yanking out handfuls of grass from underneath him.
I look at Gloria and we’re both baffled at what we just saw.
First thing I said was - “Oh yeah! This dood is off his rocker right about now - as I parked the car.
We both hop out of the car and walk up to the front door. I slide the key into the door, it unlocks, but there’s a chair behind the door and it’s tipped over blocking the entry way and only leaving enough space for a crack. We both awkwardly look at one another and as I’m about to call out for my brother, I hear someone sprinting towards the door and bang!
The fuckin idiot shuts the door on us.
I then knock on the door softly because It’s almost 1 in the morning as I don’t want to make too much noise. God only knows what this kid has been doing since me and Gloria left.
After I knock on the door a few times, I hear the chair getting pushed to the side and my brother slightly opens the door. I take a peek inside, and his nose is broken, lips are bubbled up and his left eye is completely shut, black and blue and swollen.
He then drops to his knees, and begins crying but no sound is coming out of him! You know… Like when you get smacked by your parents when you’re a kid and it shocks the soul of you? Yeah, that kind of cry.
I don’t react to what he’s doing to not scare the shit out of Gloria, because she’s right beside me. So I push the door open and tell Gloria to hang on a second and shut the door and lock it.
I pick his busted ass up and sit him on the couch. I look around the house and it’s in complete shambles. Our clothes are everywhere, there’s food all over the fuckin walls. It was chaotic. And my brother is now sitting up breathing frantically.
I ask him - “what in the fuck happened?”
He looks at me. Face looking like he got into a boxing match with Rocky Marciano and whispers to me.
“Dood… There’s a leprechaun in the bathroom.”
“A fuckin what now?” - I said with the most bewildered look on my face. I mean I must have… I wish I would have taken a picture of my face at that very moment. I should have taken pictures of everything so this idiot could see the havoc he wreaked on that night.
My imbecile brother continues - “I’m telling you. There’s a fuckin leprechaun in the fuckin bathroom and this little lucky charms motherfucker won’t tell me where he hid the gold!”
“A leprechaun in the bathroom. What the fuck happened to you?” I said as I felt my blood beginning to boil.
The Imbecile then says - “Don’t worry. Don’t worry! I hogtied that little bitch and stuffed my underwear in its mouth. It’s in the bathtub. But don’t go in there. Don’t go in there. This thing fucked me up!”
And now I can hear someone fumbling in the bathroom moaning very softly. I looked at my brother and said - “What in the fuck did you do Alex?”
He replies - “I’m telling you. It’s a fucking leprechaun.”
“Okay. Okay.” - I said. “Stay right here and just, don’t move. Don’t do anything. Just keep still.
His eyes were so huge and dilated. He was so fuckin high. He had heartbeat pulses pumping from the top of his head.
I rushed back over to the front door and told Gloria that my brother got into a fight with a couple of guys at a pub while me and her were out and that her friend Katrina left because she got scared. She told me that was the first time she met that girl tonight so she really didn’t care and shrugged it off. Which was a huge relief to me. I told her thank you for a wonderful night. She understood. W said our goodbyes. I shut the door. And now… What the fuck is in the bathroom? Or better yet, who, is in the bathroom? Because let’s face it. This motherfucker did not find and fight with a leprechaun tonight. No way. There’s just no fuckin way.
I rush over to the bathroom and my brother leaps at my legs, and he’s holding onto me for dear life, begging me!
He says - “Please don’t untie it! It’s got magical powers! PLEASE!!!
Now, at this very moment? I am sort of hesitant about opening the bathroom door. But I snap out of it and open it. What the fuck. A leprechaun? No, I don’t think so.
I open the door…
“Holy shit.” - I said while covering my hands with my mouth. The floor was smeared in blood as if someone was dragged, leading to the huge cast iron tub. Smeared bloody handprints were all over the tub. And now I hear the faint moan coming from the tub. My legs are shaking and feel like they’re ready to give out on me. I was scared shitless.
“What did my brother do? Who is in that bathtub? I pray to God Katrina isn’t in there right now.” - I said to myself completely freaked out.
I slowly walk up to the bathtub…
And sure enough, there is a hogtied person lying in it with my brother's underwear stuffed in their mouth with a ripped t-shirt tied around their head and mouth, but… It’s not Katrina.
It’s a little person. You know, a dwarf? And… He’s literally dressed up in a leprechaun costume…
And how, on God's green earth did he end up here?
He has no idea I’m standing above him. I reach down to begin untying him but he begins squirming and screaming. I told him to relax and that I was here to help him.
And then My imbecile brother Alex, rushes into the bathroom and tackles me down. Stands up and begins shouting at this poor bastard hogtied in the tub - “Tell me where it is you greedy little fuck! Tell me!!!
I jumped to my feet and slapped my brother back to his childhood. Grabbed him by the throat, tripped him and threw him to the ground and said - “are you fuckin crazy? Do you want to go to prison for kidnapping? What in the fuck is the matter with you? You dumb fuck!!”
He then looks up at me with this pessimistic look on his face and says - “It’s a fucking leprechaun dood. A leprechaun.”
I was absolutely dumbfounded and furious at this point. I have this stranger in my Airbnb rental, hogtied and gagged and squirming and screaming and my brother thinks that he’s a leprechaun…
I can’t make this shit up.
He was so fucking high on those mushrooms. He was absolutely convinced that this man was a leprechaun. So… I had to play the game.
It was the only way to help this poor son of a bitch that my brother had kidnapped and hogtied in our Airbnb rental.
I calmly whispered and told him to please leave the bathroom so I could interrogate the leprechaun and find out where he was hiding the pot of gold.
My brother slowly stood up to his feet, face busted up, his cock and balls all shriveled and tight, looked at the man dressed up as a leprechaun, smiled at him with an evil grin and just, walked away…
And as he walked away, I told him to go and please put some clothes on, lay down in bed, and that I would handle the leprechaun. That I, would find out where the gold was hidden…
And that’s all I’m saying. I’m giving the computer back to my dumbass of a brother to finish off whatever else he wants to write.

• Back to “Alex”

Pretty outlandish right? I know. I know. You must think that I’m bat shit crazy huh? Okay so, to make the rest of this long story short, my brother Shane never told me what he did with the poor guy I hogtied and, well… i don’t remember how this guy came to be in my possession. I really don’t.
The only thing my brother Shane told me was that he ungagged him, untied him, and that he was extremely pissed off. And that he had compensated him for his troubles.
Man, I felt so horrible. I felt so horrible…
What I do remember though is waking up that following afternoon with my face all fucked up. Dehydrated with a tremendous splitting headache. I had no clue as to why I looked and felt the way I did. It was terrifying.
All of our luggage was packed and my brother was just sitting there, legs crossed and his arms folded.
Hey man… Take it from me. Don’t do fuckin drugs.
Regards, “Alex” & “Shane”
Disclaimer- This story may not be used for anything other than reading, sharing your thoughts and enjoying it. It is now protected by the United States Library of Congress/Copyright Office. Thank you. ☘️

so half-asleep while writing this so please forgive any mistakes until moring.
found myself in another failed play by post game again, a sci-fi western game ala Cowboy Bebop and firefly taking place in a single sector of space that has a failed rebellion and barely leaving any useable planets remanded and most live either on stations, moons, or the "better" parts of the remain of the sector capital. the party would be freelancers, mostly bounty hunters trying to make a living in this space sector. the main gimmick is that each of us has a dark secret that still haunts us. the party was going to be a one-armed tech that ran away from a corrupt megacorp, an ex-cop/war vet turned bounty hunter, an "ex" smuggler trying to escape the mob, and Me as an old surgeon who was part of a worker's rights movement that was violently put down by the megacorps.
We all finalized character sheets, and on the day of the first post, I was taken to a private channel and told he didn't think I was a good fit. He found the public backstory to be too secretive for a game like this; I have put down that he was just known as a very good back alley Russan doctor who loved to party, as I was basing him off of some of the characters from Disco Elysium. he also told me that my character was overall vague, like he only saw one major connection to the setting itself and saw that as lacking interest and respect for the game or the DM running it. the party and I tried asking more about the setting as the setting doc was about 3 pages long, and most of it explained the war but not how much time had passed, who were the major players in the war, and if they were the same movers today. the factions were a sentence long, mostly "This is the remaining settlers who are dirt poor" and "This is what corporations look like?"
The setting document was indeed short and vague, and when anyone asked for a more specific part of it, they were only told, 'It's in the setting document; use it.' and he would leave it at that. The one major link was to a gas giant mining corp which only made up a sentence and a half of this doc, which was just the name and industry. I had taken the time to thoroughly read the setting doc, even quoting from it while trying to ask questions. I dedicated a weekend before my finals to finishing the character and background. The DM's response, 'if you had asked them like that, I would have answered them but it's too late for that now. in fact it seems like that's a red flag as a player,' left me feeling unappreciated. I tried explaining to him that finals would be done by the game start, as it was in the morning but he kept twisting it to show that I didn't really have time for the game. seeing the writing on the wall, I just opted out of playing like he wanted me to.
It's funny enough that talking to the other players who remained, it sounds like that game isn't happening as the ex-cops character was "to cowboy and not enough space." The one-arm tech revealed too much of their background to be a useable character, and the smuggler was too specialized in piloting and wanted it to be a general skill everyone had on top of everyone being able to fight.
TLDR; DM wants to have a sci-fi cowboy game but Me nor the other party member can make characters that fit into his barely baked setting and makes it an "US" problem,

so half-asleep while writing this so please forgive any mistakes until moring.
found myself in another failed play by post game again, a sci-fi western game ala Cowboy Bebop and firefly taking place in a single sector of space that has a failed rebellion and barely leaving any useable planets remanded and most live either on stations, moons, or the "better" parts of the remain of the sector capital. the party would be freelancers, mostly bounty hunters trying to make a living in this space sector. the main gimmick is that each of us has a dark secret that still haunts us. the party was going to be a one-armed tech that ran away from a corrupt megacorp, an ex-cop/war vet turned bounty hunter, an "ex" smuggler trying to escape the mob, and Me as an old surgeon who was part of a worker's rights movement that was violently put down by the megacorps.
We all finalized character sheets, and on the day of the first post, I was taken to a private channel and told he didn't think I was a good fit. He found the public backstory to be too secretive for a game like this; I have put down that he was just known as a very good back alley Russan doctor who loved to party, as I was basing him off of some of the characters from Disco Elysium. he also told me that my character was overall vague, like he only saw one major connection to the setting itself and saw that as lacking interest and respect for the game or the DM running it. the party and I tried asking more about the setting as the setting doc was about 3 pages long, and most of it explained the war but not how much time had passed, who were the major players in the war, and if they were the same movers today. the factions were a sentence long, mostly "This is the remaining settlers who are dirt poor" and "This is what corporations look like?"
The setting document was indeed short and vague, and when anyone asked for a more specific part of it, they were only told, 'It's in the setting document; use it.' and he would leave it at that. The one major link was to a gas giant mining corp which only made up a sentence and a half of this doc, which was just the name and industry. I had taken the time to thoroughly read the setting doc, even quoting from it while trying to ask questions. I dedicated a weekend before my finals to finishing the character and background. The DM's response, 'if you had asked them like that, I would have answered them but it's too late for that now. in fact it seems like that's a red flag as a player,' left me feeling unappreciated. I tried explaining to him that finals would be done by the game start, as it was in the morning but he kept twisting it to show that I didn't really have time for the game. seeing the writing on the wall, I just opted out of playing like he wanted me to.
It's funny enough that talking to the other players who remained, it sounds like that game isn't happening as the ex-cops character was "to cowboy and not enough space." The one-arm tech revealed too much of their background to be a useable character, and the smuggler was too specialized in piloting and wanted it to be a general skill everyone had on top of everyone being able to fight.
TLDR; DM wants to have a sci-fi cowboy game but Me nor the other party member can make characters that fit into his barely baked setting and makes it an "US" problem,

Hi Reddit, so I’ll try to keep this as concise as possible while still giving you all the facts. Let us start from the beginning, my at the time 21 y.o. step-brother, was going through his first big break up. Instead of confiding in others or taking time to understand his emotions he instead picked up a book about the stages of love. Let me also explain that my brother has never been the smartest guy and mainly gets by on his good looks and charm in his life. Anyway this book gave the usual “love requires fighting to work it shows that you care about the other” you know stuff everyone already knows. I’m guessing because it came from a book ,or because it was plainly saying what he was too naive to understand about what he was feeling, he became infatuated with every line. Anytime I would have relationship problems he would quote the self help books he had read since and recommend me ones to read. This went on for while but eventually I finished nursing school and moved out of my family’s house (which is my mother’s house, this is important for later) to start working.
Now fast forward to four years later. I’m living on my own with my the love of my life, working the night shift in the hospital like I’ve always wanted. On my way home on night I called my mom to catch up on my drive home. We started talking and eventually I asked about my step-brother. She explained that he was still living at home and had no plans on getting a job or moving out (for context my brother graduated with a master’s degree a year ago). I found that odd and asked what he is doing now. My mom explained that he just makes music and does podcasts with his friends. He apparently says he wants to be an entrepreneur. Which is fine everyone wants to make it big doing what they love doing however. My mother also explained that he constantly invites people she doesn’t know to her house to hangout and when she gets off of work she comes home to strangers that expect her to cook for them. My mother then started tearing up saying “I don’t feel like it’s my house anymore”. That’s when I got upset. I asked her why doesn’t she kick him out or at least start asking for rent so he has to get a job. She explained that she wanted to do that but my step father wouldn’t allow it. My mother and step father have a wonderful marriage and never fight, but because my stepbrother is his son he has attachment to him. My mom recently had to kick her daughter (my blood related sister) into the camper as well since my step sister (19 y.o.) lets her boyfriend stay on weekends in what used to be the girls room. My mother keeps explaining that all of these situations are putting stress on their marriage and by kicking out her daughter she feels like she betrayed her just so my stepfather’s kids can get their way in her house.
After this phone call I was livid so I called my step brother to confront him. After asking the normal “hi how are you” I asked if he has started looking for a job and he said “why would I?”. I responded “so you can work and move out”. Then he said “im in my 20s this is the time you are supposed to chase your dreams” he then pointed out that I always wanted to be a YouTuber or streamer and I should go for it. I then said you know I have a job now and I have to give that job a lot of my time in order to afford the life I live. He basically laughed and explained that there is always enough time. Not much important was said after that.
Now fast forward a few weeks later I see posts from his Instagram talking about how “social media is poison, take back your life, put down your phone, etc.” (Crazy to post that on social media btw). I have also come across his podcast which are just him and his friend who both have the combined IQ of a beheaded chicken explain that the universe is big and has like billions of stars and stuff. 0.0 his entire personality now is saying basic facts at the surface level and then acting like it’s deep as fuck. Furthermore the constant insistence on following your passion mixed with the complete ineptitude of being able to comprehend how smug and pretentious he is during any interaction has breed some real distain from anyone who can see through his act.
All of these posts about self help combined with the complete ignorance of how his actions putting a negative effect on our family has really put a barrier between us. I really don’t think I can take it anymore and I want to either try to explain that he has become a pretentious douche who only keeps around yes men who all think a fact for 5th graders they learn at the zoo makes them better than everyone else, but I honestly think he will just say I don’t understand or maybe I should read this book about stress. I’ve went over the situation with friends of mine and they all laugh when they see his posts and hear him talk now. For God sake he held his 25th birthday party recently and said for everyone to bring a book to exchange knowledge to one another and wear business casual.
I just want my mom to feel like the home she worked tirelessly as a single mother all those years to afford for our family is hers. I have always been so close to my brother and I want him back as a friend. I want my sister to be able to live in the house she was raised in instead of in a camper.
Well that’s everything as of now left out a lot of stories about him being directly wrong about facts he tells us or times he got called out and embarrassed about shit but I think I’ll just leave it here. I plan on confronting him soon I just don’t know what to say. Thank you for your time.

-Jack
Every kid growing up in Gympie in the early 90- 2000s knew about the Love Tunnel.
The love tunnel was located over the hill from the skatepark on the Riverbank. It was a massive storm water drain filled with spray paint and lore unbound throughout the generations; the glowing dick, whose name is the furthest in, the people who live inside, the bull shark that lived under the bridge just outside, all that fun stuff.
It collapsed in the late 2000’s in a flood and was eventually rebuilt, but it was all fancy, modern, safe and not the same. Back in the day it had decades of graffiti, crumbling cement, jagged metal pole framing bent and jutting out from the sides. You know, real character.
I remember when I was just a kid at the skatepark and I spotted a bunch of other kids at the metal grating of a drain. I joined them and gazed down a few metres to some older teenagers, they had trekked through this “love tunnel” under the massive hill all this way. Badass I thought. LEGENDARY.
I talked about it at school, about this mysterious “love tunnel”. It was in view from the road when I crossed the bridge everyday on my daily commutes from the backseat of mums car.
I would gaze down at the weir and see the top of the love tunnel, sliightly hidden from view by a hill. It fascinated me.
I learned all these mysterious tales; this person slept with this person there, someone took a dump at the entrance and some other girl stood in it and now she had a nickname, someone found needles, another found a homeless woman and she screamed at them. I was pumped for the next weekend. I was going to go see it for myself.
I saw too much.
Early Saturday morning I was riding my push bike through town and toward destination adventure! I started out at the skatepark, met up with a few of the regulars, a mix of 5-19y/o everyone on the half pipes and ramps had a code of comrady that I've never found in a public place anywhere else and you always had someone to hang with.
My usual crew slowly arrived through the morning, a bunch of other 10/11 year old misfits like myself and we headed on our first place on our journey, Hungry Jacks. Now we never technically stole, we found a loophole…
One or two would order a stunner meal, then we'd take privilege of the free refills and fill up the empty plastic 4L juice jugs that we all had prepped in our backpacks. Coke and red Fanta for days.
So we got our supplies and headed behind HJ, past the volleyball courts and headed down a bush track down to the river.
We walked along the banks to loop back down to where the bridge was, we passed a few teenagers fishing and a couple other groups of kids swinging from rope swings into the water or huddled in groups smoking things they shouldn't.
We eventually arrived at the weir and the stormwater drain that I had been so intrigued by. The Love Tunnel.
Climbing up the hill and seeing it up close when you were just a tiny human. It was like staring into the dark abyss of hell.
There was a small stream of water flowing out of the big grey cylinder and it was covered in multicolored quotes and crude pictures that was very eye opening at the time.
Our voices echoed as one by one we climbed up the grassy, eroding clay edging that was the makeshift path into the mouth that probably changed each time it rained. Each of us had pulled out clumps of grass that we thought were handholds. If you fell, you fell down an embankment of slippery jagged rocks poking out from the fast flowing river.
So were inside and began to walk a couple of metres in then around us the light abruptly disappeared into complete darkness. And I remember the way the sounds traveled you could feel it through your chest it was mesmerizing.
I remember bravely stepping into the darkness and taking five or six steps in. That thick darkness was something else, I ran myself back to that entrance and light, heart pounding from the adrenaline.
This turned into a game of who could go in the furthest. This stopped when one of the boys screamed out from the darkness in pain.
He was back in the light teary eyed a few moments later wet on one side and feigning a laugh. He'd slipped down and cut open his knee, it was hilarious. We teased him saying he was going to get gangrene and leprosy and a myriad of other ailments we had no idea actually was.
We decided to bail, we forgot torches, we didn't plan that part out too well, and enjoyed the rest of the afternoon being little menaces.
We met the next day with a game plan, we had an array of various sized torches, from small ones that didn't do anything, one of those giant rectangle ones that was our main light source, a couple of handheld ones, one which flickered and the other stopped working before we even got into the tunnel.
We got in safely and tested out our torches and began walking into the unknown. It was pretty much the same as before, but there were strange things, old makeshift bongs, shopping bags, random shoes, a shopping trolley, a mattress that was all moldy and rotted. I still to this day do not understand how people managed to get that shit in there.
We passed a section where someone had thrown a can of red paint all over the walls, the amount of those ‘S’ symbols was more terrifying.
We saw light up ahead, we were passing our first grate. It was kind of daunting looking up towards it. Even getting on each other's shoulders we couldn't reach. There was an array of broken beer bottles and glass was everywhere, under the grate was a dead snake amongst some debris.
We had a debate whether to go further, we ended up going on at least until the next grate, we came to a fork, one seemed like a smaller offshoot so we stuck to the bigger side.
There were more offshoots and we came to a part where the big pipes split off into three under another grate. We gazed up hoping to get an identifier of our location, but all we could see was blue. We called out to see if we could get anyone's attention.
“Cooooweeee” we shouted in unison, the sound echoing in all directions.
We were laughing and having a grand time until something shouted back, something that still shakes me to my core to this day.
Some yobbo crackhead chick in her fifties with this ratty pink tank top that was all stretched half showing her saggy titties. “What the fuck you think you little cunts doing down here.” This chick screeched at us through her few teeth or something along the lines of that. She just exploded at us with a barrage of threats.
We were shocked silenced moving together to make one mass.
One of the boys screamed when a skinny guy emerged from the darkness. He was covered in tattoos with scraggly hair and a beard, he was all crazy eyed and pantless.
Someone yelled out to run and it was all the motivation we needed.
We could hear them screaming and the guy ran after us, we heard glass shattering behind us, they must have thrown a bottle. We were legging it.
We got split up in our running, I fell down, tripping over some rubbish, one mate stayed back to help me, this left us without a torch. We came across the same kid who slipped over yesterday, he had slipped down again cutting open his other knee. He wore those with badges of honor at school, but he was blubbering like a baby at this point.
He had the flickering torch and it disoriented us more than helped, as it turned on and off every time he took a step. I thought we were lost but we found the other grate, then eventually the entrance.
The others were already climbed down, we were soon by their side panting in the grass and wiping away our tears so the others couldn't see.
We ran back over to the skatepark and immediately told every kid we saw.
That was the wildest shit we had ever experienced. Sure we’d seen crazy up on the street but to have it jump out at you from the shadows in a storm water drain was next level.
By that night one of the other boys had spilled to his parents about our escapades and a couple of other mums got phone calls, three got in trouble, two of us didn't, including me.
I never stepped foot back in that tunnel, I swam at the weir more times than I could count afterwards though and never encountered anyone else too sketchy.
I think only a year or two later I saw on the news people dying in storm water drains somewhere else in Aus, we never realized how dangerous they could be back then. Lol.
Every party or get together afterwards it was a crowd favorite to bring up. It was a good conversation starter and joined the tales amongst my friends of the weird shit that happens in ‘Helltown’.
Growing up and looking back they were probably just homeless drug addicts freaked out from a bunch of children's voices yelling out coooweee from the underground where they thought they were alone. That would have scared the shit outta me if I was them.
Good times.
.VJ
Tl:Dr kids go into storm water drain and find creepy couple who scream at them.

After sixty-seven sessions of Curse of Strahd (read all about it here), it was time for a change. So into the wild we went...
My group is nearing the end of Hither, and along the way I've written summaries of each session ("What Just Happened?"), along with interesting/funny quotes from PCs/NPCs ("Certain Things Were Said"), and a list of new characters introduced that session ("Dramatis Personae").
My intention is to write the summaries for each of the five parts of the campaign in a different format. For the Witchlight Carnival, each summary was presented in verse (my own, no machine learning shortcuts!), using the metre and rhyming structure of various Lewis Carrol poems.
I'd like to share my summaries/poems with you all here, for posterity, and in the hope you'll find them entertaining.
For reference, the players are:

• Holafina (a harengon paladin who has lost three inches of height)
• Skerrek (a kobold druid who has lost the ability to lie)
• Arix (an owlin monk who has lost all sense of direction and is always hungry)
• Jexim (a brash fairy warlock who has lost his diary)
• Sylenos (a beatnik/slacker satyr rogue employed by the Carnival)

NOTE: Lewis Carroll was known to hide secret messages in his poems. I've done the same, revealing the campaign's big twist in one of the poems below. None of my players have picked up on it.

Part I: Welcome to the Witchlight

What Just Happened? (in the style of Jabberwocky)
’Twas twilight when the carnival Did open wide two golden gates, And those with tickets did arrive, Seeking things they had misplaced.
One harengon of curious size, A kobold with a slithy gait, An owlet who possessed two eyes As wide as Annam’s dinner plates.
Yet are we three or are we four? Let’s add vibrations rarefied: A Witchlight hand here to ensure That every guest is Satyrs-fied!
Enter now and taste the sounds, Feel these colours, smell those sights! Kaleidoscopic fun abounds This synaesthesiac’s delight!
Yet where’s the drama? Where’s the tension? Certainly we’ve had a switch (At least in here there is no mention Of that cad von Zarovich).
Instead let’s race a giant snail, Eat candied mushrooms by the pound, Or listen to a gnome assail The tightness of your mother’s gown.
Yet hark! A misadventure glum! Those not heroes please give berth! The best laid plans of love undone By Tasha’s wild unruly mirth
These mirrored halls! This desperate task, To find a luckless paramour A sweet-toothed lass with porcine mask That you could swear you’ve seen before…
’Twas twilight when the carnival Did open wide two golden gates And those with tickets did arrive, Now guided by the wiles of fate.
Dramatis Personae
Arix Specklefoot, a sweet-toothed owlin Holafina, a curiously short harengon Skerrek Tirael, a slithy kobold Sylenos, a cosmic satyr Nicholas Midnight, elderly goblin ticketmaster at the Witchlight Carnival Candlefoot, a mime and not by choice Rubin Sugarwood, a lovesick halfling Ween Sundapple, his laugh-sick paramour Glorange Turple, a poetry gnome
Certain Things Were Said
“I am worried about your ability to sense vibrations that I cannot.” - Skerrek Tirael
“Tymore, goddess of good fortune! Look well upon Shellymoo this day!” - Holafina
“Hate to say it, man, but that gnome really insulted your mother.” - Sylenos
“Snacks?” - Arix Specklefoot

Part II: Lost and Found

What Just Happened? (In the style of The Walrus and the Carpenter )
"The time has come," the Satyr said, "To talk of many things: Of poems—and props—and Jeremy Plum— Of crowns and pixie kings— And why things here keep getting lost— And what this pig-girl means."
"But wait a bit," the Owlin cried, "Before our minds do meet, For some of us are pretty spooked, And I would like a treat!" "No hurry!" said the Satyr, And kicked up cloven feet.
The Owlin and the Kobold Were walking close at hand, They smiled like anything to see The gates of Pixie Land. "If we could only stay a while,” They said, "it would be grand!"
The Satyr sighed so sulkily, Because he thought that Plum Had got no business to be there When all was said and done. (“It's rude of him," the Kobold said, "To try and spoil our fun!")
"Oi, Satyr," said the pixie king, "You've had a pleasant run! Should you be getting back to work?” But answer came there none And this was scarcely odd, because He had real beef with Plum.
Now Arix made a hamster friend Who offered up some clues. The others tried the riding-pug: A pleasant thing to do! (“The pug is fine," the Rabbit said, "But he’s no Shellymoo.”)
"How nice of you to come!” said Plum, "You all are oh-so kind!" Puddlemud said nothing as His teeth began to grind. The Owlin and the Kobold cheered: “That was our FAVORITE ride!”
“A wooden crown," fair Jexim said, Is what we need to come Our way along with golden paint For some un-princely sum.” The others stared, confused, and said: “Now where did YOU come from?”
‘Twas then the party dared approach The famous Mystery Mine Where psychedelic spectacles Broke the Satyr’s mind. (“I really wish,” Zephixo sighed, “You wouldn’t ride while high”).
Next Dirla pulled all kind of things Out of his wagon/portal: Bottles, bunnies, candlesticks, A shining blade of vorpal (Incidentally, there’s a word That kind of rhymes with purple).
“If you put your mind to it And searched for long enough, Do you suppose," the party said, "That you could find our stuff?" "I doubt it," said dear Dirlagraun, And gave a bitter huff.
Then he gave the Harengon The greatest gift by far: A copy of “Gnome On The Run” And bid them au revoir (Morgie would have laughed at that While trying to type slash “R”).
“I do believe,” the Satyr said, “That something is not right, And think we ought to pay a call To Messers Witch and Light.” “I think we ought,” the Owlin said “To first stop for a bite.”
But in their way old Thaco stood, A clown grown grim and surly: “Rabbit! Owlin! Pixie! Skink! You aren’t allowed to be-“ The Fairy interrupted him: “Wait, WHAT did you call me?”
Poor Thaco cried: “Things move too fast! And have since my debut In R-1: To the Aid of Falx From Nineteen Eighty Two! And if you’d seen what I have seen Then you’d smoke bubbles, too!”
Finally he stepped aside, At last the way was clear. The Satyr ambled stealthily With open eyes and ears And pressed them to a wagon large To see what he could hear.
"The time has come," Witch and Light said, "To talk of things galore Of prizes—plans—and kenku pests— and ever so much more— But first we’d better ask inside Those spying at our door!”
Dramatis Personae
Jexim, a puzzled, puzzling fairy Jeremy Plum, operator of the Pixie Kingdom and bestower of silly names Biscuit, a talkative hamster Pinecone, a riding-pug Zephixo, dwarven inventor and mastermind behind the Mystery Mine Ernest Wilde, middle-aged calliope master currently inhabiting the body of his pet monkey Marigold, his button-collecting goblin assistant Dirlagraun, a kindly but inefficient displacer beast, minder of lost children and property Thaco, a bubble-smoking clown who is long past his prime
Certain Things Were Said
"Worried I was, with talk of missing supper." - Arix Specklefoot
"Could you not just purchase a new pair?" - Skerrek Tirael "Not like this, man." - Sylenos
"If you'd see the things I've seen, you'd smoke a bubble pipe, too." - Thaco
"Is this it?" - Dirlagraun "NO." - Everyone

Part III: On the Trail of the Kenku

What Just Happened? (In the style of The Hunting of the Snark)
"Where the heck is our stuff? We just want to know This Harengon ain't getting bigger, Arix has no idea of where to go And lies send poor Skerrek a-quiver!"
"Would you get back to work?" Mister Light cried, Twirling his cane with a smile, "Otherwise find where this kenku pest hides; She's cramping this carnival's style!"
"Well, that was a bust," said our heroes, conferring, "Anyone got a suggestion? If we need to pull strings to get back our things Then there are some folk we should question."
"Time's an illusion, free will a delusion!" Sylenos' mentor decreed, "Get a contusion battling occlusions, Or relax and have some of this…wait, what was I saying?"
Sylenos proclaimed: "A genius flawed!" "A man/dragon ahead of his time." Skerrek looked at his claws; Holafina at paws, And the other two just rolled their eyes
"A centuar I'm not! I just made a bad trade The "Cloppinton's" just serendipitous, Now lend me your aid and you'll maybe persuade These horsies to drop some significance."
Then they took to the skies on a dragonfly ride (Holafina and Skerrek abreast), When you're this high there's just nowhere to hide (And to which Sylenos attests)
Now Skerrek honed on a runaway gnome Who was fleeing the carnage with glee, Holafina struck home and that's it for this poem For the gnome was the kenku, you see.
Dramatis Personae
Mister Witch, a matter-of-fact elf, devoid of pretense Mister Light, a flamboyant elf, luminous and coy Burly, a philosophical, pumpkin-helmeted bugbear Mandragon, a seeker of truth (and not much else) Diana Cloppington, a centaur who is apparently not, operator of the Carousel Northwind, a very forthcoming treant, operator of the Dragonfly Rides
Certain Things Were Said
"There’s something weird going on. For some reason everyone thinks I don’t do anything around the carnival." - Sylenos
"It's true, Miss Cloppinton! We've ALL lost things." - Arix Specklefoot
"Wait, when did we have biscuits?" - Jexim

Part IV: Through the Looking Glass

What Just Happened? (In the style of A Boat Beneath a Sunny Sky)
Now hear the Kenku’s strange reply (As Arix struggles to apply Triage to these pixie guys)
Asking questions, getting nought Set her on a different course: High sabotage without remorse!
And what has got her so irate Is what’s she trying to intimate: Zybilna has been quiet of late!
Ignore the rest, and let’s take flight To confront dear Witch and Light (Surprisingly, they’re quite contrite)
To keep the carnival in motion A tapestry of lies was woven: A deal with the Hourglass Coven!
Who take from those who can’t afford Entrance through the Witchlight’s doors Miscellanea adored
So THAT’s who taken all your junk! Time to find these Hourglass punks! Which way to this Feywild dump?
But first we’ll make a brief aside So Candlefoot can vocalise His mermaid love (now legalised)
Now the pair can tie the knot And while we’re passing time why not Ride the fabled Bubble Pot?
Yet ere you all are translocated (Everybody’s breath now bated) Arix must be coronated!
The time of truth has come at last Hesitation as you pass Though the hallowed looking glass
Are you afraid to lose your minds? What lies ahead? What lies behind? What do you expect to find?
Will Skerrek ever fabricate? Or Holafina emulate A bunny’s median height and weight?
Shall Jexim’s memoirs find acclaim? Can Monty locate Bobbitt Fane? (…hang on, that’s a different game)
Does Arix ever find the door? And will Sylenos flee the cause To study unemployment law?
Dramatis Personae
Kettlesteam, a mischievous patron of Zybilna Paleesha, a mellifluous mermaid, now reunited with Candlefoot
Certain Things Were Said
“Sylenos, perhaps in eight years you can come back and find your lost employment.” - Skerrek
“Ask me where the exit is.” - Arix Specklefoot “Where is the exit?” - Mister Light “I don’t know.” - Arix

Just spent eight days in Costa Rica. Learned a lot from this subreddit, so hoping this trip report helps anyone with future travel plans.
 
Airport

• We flew into Liberia.
• Customs (crowded, but quick) and bags were easy.
• Duty Free store prices seemed reasonable for a Westerner.

 
Car Rental

• I don't think there are any on-site car rental agencies.
• We rented through Hertz. Online quote was $297.55. Online said $18/day third-party liability, in-store they said $25/day. Also, everything is subject to another 13% tax. And another $18 for roadside assistance. Total was close to $600.
• None of this is delivered in any formal manner. The new quote amount is written on a business card and shown to you at the counter.
• We were able to waive the CDW by getting a Letter of Eligibility from eClaimsLine (I used a Chase Sapphire Reserve)
• They are very thorough with documenting the condition of the car. If you damage anything, they'll definitely notice.
• Probably the worst renting experience I've ever done. And I came in knowing all about TPL and CDW waivers, etc.
• Only drove from Papagayo to Rio Celeste to La Fortuna, then back to Papagayo. Roads and other drivers were great. Only one small stretch of road/dirt where I was glad we rented an SUV. A sedan got stuck on that stretch on our drive back.

 
Lodging

• Andaz Papagayo - Exactly what you expect. Reminded me of a more lush Park Hyatt St. Kitts. Easy to stay on property. Very sterile. People exaggerate how busy the carts are on the walking paths - it's like every other resort with carts. Probably not worth cash rate and maybe not even points. Food was fine. If you're Globalist, do all your breakfast at Ostra. All service staff (servers, bartenders, drivers) was excellent.

   

• Tabacon - I think the rooms were nicer and liked walking the property more than the Andaz. On-site pool kind of disappointing. The thermal pools are down the street and open to the public. The first night we went it was a little too party/clubby than we expected. Bartenders were great.

 
Attractions

• Mega Combo Zip Line Tour and Volcano Hot Spring at Rincon de la Vieja. Price included round-trip transit from Papagayo. The ziplines were cool. We were ahead of a large group, so we got through all ziplines pretty quickly (which was fine). The waterslide was really good. I could have skipped the horseback riding, lunch, and the volcano hot spring.

   

• Rio Celeste - Easily the highlight of the trip. Walk the whole thing if you can. If you're late for your time, they'll let you in with the next group. They won't let you in early. We were able to park and swim just up the road from the park entrance.

   

• Arenal 1968 Volcano View - It's a fine hike. I think they said the full loop is around 3 hours and I think we did it in close to 90 minutes. The viewpoint is whatever and early into the hike. If you don't want to hike, you can just go to the cafe which is the last stop of the hike.

   

• SkyAdventures Ziplines & Hanging Bridges at Arenal Park was good. I think a more polished zipline experience than the one we did at Rincon de la Vieja, but a lot more waiting around between the ziplines because of the big groups. The hanging bridges walk was good, but they give you 2.5 hours to finish it (and a zipline ticket for that time). We did it in less than 90 minutes and they wouldn't let us zipline until our ticket time. I don't know how this compares to the Mistico Park Hanging Bridges, but I think I'd rather have just done ziplining here and the bridges at Mistico Park.

 
Food

• Mostly ate at the resorts. Probably not helpful for those not staying at the Andaz or Tabacon, so I'll post those in the Hyatt subreddit.
  
• La Ventanita in El Castillo (next to SkyAdventures) - Went here because sand-in-my-toes71 said they're the "Best burritos I’ve ever eaten". Apparently the owner is from California, which makes sense why you're getting Mission burritos in Costa Rica. Very good food for Costa Rica and great views.
  
• Blue River Brewery in Bijagua de Upala (next to Rio Celeste) - Went here because I wanted a beer after Rio Celeste. Food is fine, beer is good. The trees across the way have toucans. We saw a bunch. The lady who worked there told us that one of the best places to see sloths is at the Finca Verde Lodge (we didn't go, so unconfirmed).
  

Social Media and smartphones are warping how we see the real world and our reality is losing nuance rapidly.
Take the man or bear debate as a recent example. The whole premise is unhelpful and based on a glaring falsehood. It's like a 13-year-old's first essay on a topic they know next to nothing about. I'm pretty sure actual survivors of sexual abuse don't give a single damn about this "dilemma". They have real issues to deal with that those of us who are engaging in this discourse have the privilege of not having to deal with. All this fad is doing is spread the paranoid notion that there are male predators waiting around every other corner. How is that helping survivors of abuse with real trauma and fears that they carry with them in public places on a daily basis? It is absolutely not a show of solidarity to those who have actually suffered, yet people do genuinely believe they are "raising awareness", or "taking a stand".
I mean it's a far-less improbable yet ironic scenario to imagine someone walking the dim city streets at night alone with their necks bent square over their smartphones, going round corners oblivious to their surroundings while texting "I'll take the bear lol". Those same people will say they're afraid to walk alone at night and they yeard for the bear. I made that scenario up, but I've literally seen people bumping into walls and into other people in a smart phone-induced trance and just continuing like nothing happened and I've also seen people gleefully (not ruefully) opt for "the bear". What I mean is a lot of people are claiming to be terrified when they're not.
Like with the Tik-tok trend that's been dangerously telling people they have "high-functioning anxiety" without professional diagnoses, where if everyone is mentally ill then no one is mentally ill¹, it also stands to reason that if everyone is afraid, then no one is afraid. It's a dangerous way of "showing solidarity" to let pervade through society. I'm no Jordan Peterson fan, but this is a good example of the dangers of fake solidarity*. It's not just fake; it's damaging.
The whole bear vs man thing just seems to polarise people into two camps who perceive the other either as man-haters or rape-apologists. But you know what? it's not even close to being real and does absolutely nothing to bring people of differing views any closer to understanding each other. I also 100% guarantee you that those who "choose the bear" don't actually practise what they preach in their lives to even the slightest degree. One example I witnessed was at a recent social occasion where a female high school teacher whom I know quite well told her boyfriend and father to ask her if she was alone in the woods, what she would prefer... Before she even said the words "bear", or "man", I knew where where we were heading and intuitively knew what her answer was going to be.
It wasn't a debate from the very beginning. It was more like a joke - a weird joke about sexual assault told in the first person. Before she'd even got to her supposedly mind-blowing punchline (which was, in case you're a bit late to this party, "I'd choose the bear because the bear won't rape me!"), everyone seemed to know what it was going to be. Given the expectant grin on her face when she said these impactful words, It didn't turn out to be the “gotcha” she thought it was going to be. This was quite an awkward experience. I can only guess that the "gotcha" aimed at the men in the room was supposed to educate them to be ashamed to be male on the spot. It didn’t. I explained why I thought the whole thing was flawed and I was informed I needed to lighten up. I was definitely mistaken in thinking that it was a chance to talk philosophy (is it ever these days?), but perpetuating the idea that "male rapists are everywhere" while simultaneously trivialising real suffering of abuse goes completely unchecked because when we engage in this form of discourse we reduce ourselves to vacuous, infantile creatures who ironically think they're acting like fully-developed adults. Rape is light-hearted; yet - and this is where the cognitive disonance gets really odd - you're either standing up for it or you're standing up against it, but no matter what side you're on, it's funny. Instead of thinking, "why is she grinning?!", we're thinking, "what side am I on and how can I also somehow make it funny?". When in reality, it's surface-level shock-value statements with zero nuance that we allow to insincerely represent us (the wide-grinning rape denouncer doesn't practise what she preaches: she isn't a raging man-hater; she's a decent person, but for some reason, she's adopted an inane comic-strip view on something as serious as rape - and incredibly, it's all in the defence of victims!).
And this way of engaging in discourse is everywhere. On Reddit, Facebook, Twitter etc., the finger-pointing and artificial coralling of all of us into fake dualities of misogynist vs virgin-for-life simp, misandrist vs patriachy-enabler, racist vs communist and many others are rife and it's finding its way into real-life discourse at the dinner table, the classroom and the office.
If we artificially and insincerely self-separate into these 1s and 0s, are we making it easier for the A.I. on our devices to "understand" us, classify us, manipulate us and ultimately annihilate us?
OK, maybe I went too far there, but is this jarring lack of nuance really the only way we want to "talk about" serious topics now? Is it only going to get worse? I feel like it wasn't long ago you could have real discussions about issues, but this art is dying - and rapidly. You can probably sense my frustration at how society is organising itself right now and I'd love to know if anyone has any suggestions on what we can do to encourage healthy conversations and debate with each other. Maybe I'm the problem. I used to be surrounded by people who took part in stimulating, nuanced debate and now I'm not. We used to tolerate different viewpoints and we didn't confront and "block" each other on a hair-trigger. Maybe I'm old and the kids are actually all right. Let me know.
¹ ~https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5MCw8446gs&ab_channel=TheNewYorkTimes~
*I couldn't find a good quote for this, but similarly, he terms it "narcissistic compassion"

By popular demand, I guess...
I was kinda just being a smart-ass, but some of you wanted more so here it is: epilogues for every NPC as if they didn't continue to travel with Gorion's Ward and instead just decided to live their own life. Obviously, there are some implied alignment changes here.
This turned out to be longer than I expected and I kinda just threw it all together while I was working. Please excuse any typos or sloppy writing.
I want to apologize for one thing, though. Viconia's epilogue really only works if GW is a male, so I had to make that assumption for the sake of her story. If it matters any, I easily play just as many female GWs as I do male GWs. In fact, I probably play more female GWs because I don't care for the romances, frequently play the canon party, and want to nip the lame Jah romance in the bud.
But, to have them all in one place, I included my original smart-ass epilogues with the additional ones I created. Now, every character from BG1 and BG2 has an epilogue. I don't have the EE characters, though, because I play the original games and don't really know them.
So, just for funsies, which one is your favorite and why?
"Anomen continued to wait at the Copper Coronet for a party of adventurers willing to travel with him. Maybe it was the grating sound of his voice, or perhaps the way he leered at women, but he continued to remain alone. Eventually, he needed to find work to make ends meet. With Gorion's Ward having disbanded the slave traders and pit fights, Hendak had to find a new form of entertainment for the patrons. As such, he invented an all male review ladies night, and Anomen found work as a 'dancer'. He left the Most Noble Order of the Radiant Heart to join the less noble order of the pole. He also renounced his faith to Helm and instead allied himself with Waukeen because if you wanna see some groin, you gotta have some coin."
"Despite Gorion's Ward clearing the trolls from her keep, Nalia was not able to reclaim her lands and instead lost her estate to Lord Roenall. The lord offered to let her retain residence in her family's ancestral home, but only in exchange for her hand in marriage. Nalia found the proposition to be repugnant. Instead, she salvaged whatever wealth she could from her family's keep and moved to Athkatla to start a new life. She no longer helped the less fortunate, as she was now among their numbers and had her own problems. Nalia's lack of any practical skills combined with her sense of entitlement sent her into a life of failure followed by drinking and debauchery. She now spends more time back at the Copper Coronet than anywhere else. It is hard to say where she squanders her wealth more, the alcohol, or on the dancers during Ladies Night."
"After the incident with the Planar Sphere, Valygar was finally free of his past, could retire to his cabin, and pursue his true passion: writing. Ironically, the only inspiration he found ended up stemming from his family's checkered past. Valygar's only works that even had middling success were 'Tuesdays with Lavok' and 'Dude, Where's My Planar Sphere', with the latter being made into a production at the Five Flagoons Theater."
"Haer'Dalis continued to work as a performer at the Five Flagoons Theater. Unfortunately, it struggled due to poor management. It might have turned out better if an outside agent with fresh ideas had stepped in, but Gorion's Ward had better things to do than be a bard. While the work was generally steady, the returns were not great and the material was a little low-brow for Haer'Dalis' liking. The tiefling realized he reached rock bottom when he was cast as the lead in a play about a buffoon who apparently lost a plane-shifting apparatus the size of a small castle and had to find it before his parents returned from Neverwinter. After the opening night, he took his own life in his dressing room. His body was found the next morning with a note saying, 'Art is dead and I am art, so I shall join art in death.' Biff the Understudy stepped in for Haer'Dalis despite never having an opportunity to read the script. Nevertheless, the production was a resounding success and launched Biff's career to new heights."
“A heartbroken Garrick found work as a character actor at the Five Flagoons Theater, but eventually gained more success as a writer and director. He found it to be a mostly agreeable situation, aside from a tiefling primadonna who would constantly belittle his work and call it ”trite" and “drivel”. Fortunately, that situation worked itself out in time and Garrick found Biff to be much easier to direct. With the tiefling gone, his ideas had room to grow. He invented a new kind of love story, one where the protagonist doesn't always get the girl at the end but the journey to that ending would be quite amusing. He labeled this genre “the Comedy of Romance” and the works were mostly based on his own life. His plays were quite popular among the commoners, with his top selling shows being 'Sleepless in Saradush', 'Silverymoon Linings Playbook', and 'Crazy Rich Aasimars'. He eventually fully transitioned off the stage into the director's chair. By the peak of his fame, he was married to none other than Queen Ellesime."
“Aerie continued to work at the circus and WOULD NOT SHUT UP ABOUT HER DAMN WINGS. Even Quayle eventually grew sick of hearing about it. This put strain on their relationship. Things took a turn for the better when Ribald Barterman acquired a new curiosity for his shop. It was a magical ring which he sold to Quayle at a reduced rate out of sympathy. This ”treasure" was actually a cursed Ring of Deafness, which Quayle found to be anything but a curse and wore it for the rest of his days."
“Xzar and Montaron were both slain at the hands of the Athkatla Harpers, but this is actually where their story begins. Xzar, as he had done so many times before, had a backup plan of an arcane nature should death befall either he or the halfling. Their mortal essences were pulled to a pocket plane he created. There they could be channeled into restored bodies cloned at his estate. With this particular round of ritual, Xzar had incidentally made a slight error in the incantation and the two found themselves in a time suspended state in Xzar's pocket plane. It was only five minutes for the rest of the world, but it was fifty years for them. This turned out to be a pivot point in their relationship. Having only each other's company in this shadowy void, they were finally able to work out their feelings for each other. When they had returned to the prime material plane, they discovered their mutual animosity was replaced with love. Rather than pick up their life where they left off with the Zhentarim, they decided to pack it all in, moved to Bryn Shander, and start a bed and breakfast. Montaron rediscovered his halfling roots and love for the culinary arts while Xzar would perform seances to connect guests with their late loved ones. Scones and Bones became an overnight success and was consistently listed as a “must see” in Volo's travel guides. In their golden years, the couple co-wrote a memoir of their journey, ‘Brokeback Montaron’, which is sold in bookstores everywhere."
“After briefly crossing paths with Gorion's Ward, Mazzy Fentan continued her crusade as a de facto halfling paladin. She eventually found herself petitioning for membership at the Most Noble Order of the Radiant Heart in Athkatla after she had singlehandedly saved a village from an ancient dracolich. Despite the extent of her virtue and accomplishment, her petition was denied on the basis that halflings could not possibly be real paladins. This inspired her next crusade, one to break down vocational barriers for all demihuman races. Why couldn't halflings be paladins or dwarves be wizards? And why did gnomes always have to be illusionists? It simply made no goddamn sense. She began to get traction with her quest when she attended lectures by the wizards of the (sword) coast in Candlekeep. With their help, she ushered Faerun into a new edition era where there would be no vocational barriers for adventurers based on their race. Soon, the world began to see roguish halflings that also venerated Helm, while tending to the wilds as a druid. Half-orc bards also studied as wizards while manifesting natural arcane abilities as sorcerers. Tiefling paladins took their crusades to the wilderness and served as rangers, while sidelining as clergy to Mystra. The world was now a liberated place, free to not make any goddamn sense in a myriad of new ways. At one point, Lady Mazzy Fentan of Trademeet (now formally a paladin) crossed paths with a dwarven shadowdancebard and in that moment she regretted everything. Seriously, just take a moment and picture that. It would look fucking ridiculous.”
“Yeslick's clanhome was flooded once again. Despondent and without options, he took work at a smithy in Baldur's Gate but never stopped dreaming of finding both a clan and a home. He found a way to bring this dream to life after a courageous halfling paladin broke down the barriers for, among other things, dwarves to be wizards. Yeslick had an idea. He studied magic diligently until he was able to cast two spells of great importance: Water Breathing and Permanence. He then searched the lands for other clanless dwarves who would be willing to try something new. With the new clan he formed, Yeslick permanently gave all his fellow clansman the ability to breath underwater. They then moved into the flooded Cloakwood Mines and built the first underwater dwarven stronghold. Using his arcane powers, Yeslick also developed the ability to speak with the marine life that shared this stronghold. And, with that, the clan Aquadwarf was born. At one point, Valygar visited and wrote a play based on Yeslick's story. However, he couldn't even get it to stage at the Five Flagoons Theater. The illustrious director Garrick was quoted as saying, “A hero that can breath underwater and talk to fish? Nobody would go for that!"
“Keldorn finally retired from the Most Noble Order of the Radiant Heart and looked forward to a much simpler life. He rekindled his marriage with Lady Maria and life seemed to improve. It was rather early on when the couple discovered that Maria had become pregnant again. It was also not long after that when Peony, the housekeeper, also became pregnant. Maria started to ask Keldorn about this, but Keldorn started to get defensive and asked, ”Hey, who's the Inquisitor here?" Then Keldorn started to do the math with her to track the conception of Maria's pregnancy. She certainly did not want him to get to the end of that equation, so she quickly changed the subject. She suggested getting a new maid, but Keldorn chastised her for abandoning someone in their time of need who had been like family for years. He forbade Peony's departure claiming that his god, Torm, would not stand for it. Maria then made a passive aggressive comment about Torm being the god of loyalty, but she was mostly just muttering under her breath to get the last word in. Eventually, both children were born and had probably the most awkward upbringing of anyone in Faerun."
“After Gorion's Ward helped Coran take down a wyvern, the rogue brought the beast's head back to the mayor of Beregost for the reward and accolades. He thought this put him in a position to be a hero of great renown and perhaps, just maybe, people would stop mocking him for his flashy attire and completely superfluous eye mask. They didn't. He only gained acceptance when he crossed paths with a ranger who seemed indifferent towards Coran's keen fashion sense. Coran traveled the Sword Coast with his ranger sidekick, righting the wrongs against the ‘little guy’ and taking the law into their own hands when needed. This partnership dissolved when he discovered that the ranger thought Coran was the sidekick. As if! Coran tried to correct the ranger, whose argument was, 'Really, man, if that outfit doesn't scream sidekick then I'm Elminster's twin brother.' The ranger was not related to Elminster and shared no resemblance.
“Kivan never was able to get his revenge on Tazok. Unbeknownst to him, that honor was taken by Gorion's Ward. His thirst for vengeance continued to eat away at him until he found himself in a bat infested cave in the wilderness. It was then he snapped. He turned the cave into his secret hideaway, put together a disguise and started wandering the sword coast looking for evil-doers to punish. He would leave his calling card wherever he saved the day, a token of a bat with longer ears like an elf. And bats already had rather long ears so these bat ears were almost comically obtrusive. Nevertheless, his deeds were generally appreciated and the people stared calling him Bat-elf. For a short spell, another elf tagged along with him and tried to help, but he was so flamboyantly dressed that one could pick his sidekick out of the shadows blindfolded. Kivan eventually had to send him on his way. Unfortunately, his vigilante crusade abruptly ended after receiving a cease and decist order from DC Comics. Kivan could fight both monster and marauder all day, but his 14 Constitution wouldn't hold up against a lawsuit for trademark infringement.”
“Skie was deeply affected by both the death of her brother and the assassination of her father. And yes, her father was actually murdered and didn't lol-jk back to life in some crappy DLC. In any event, through these traumas, she came to realize the puerility of what she thought was her brilliant criminal masterminding. Instead, she decided to settle down and live a more responsible life as an upstanding citizen of Baldur's Gate. She took the reins of her father's estate after his death and rose to prominence as one of the Grand Dukes of the city. She maintained her relationship with Eldoth for quite some time, inexplicably, as he refused to get a job because he didn't want to take attention from his band which he swore was going to make it. However, the bard spent most of the day either lounging at Skie’s estate or gambling away his allowance with games of three-dragon-ante at the Helm and Cloak. Eventually, inspired by the book “Men Are From Menzoberranzan, Women Are From Immilmar," she decided to call it quits with Eldoth and sent him packing. Shortly thereafter, she met a man who was nothing like Eldoth and they settled down together to start a family."
“Eldoth's dreams of being a world-famous musician fronting the greatest band in Faerun never reached fruition. This was partly because he didn't actually have a band and partly because he didn't have the talent to write music. Instead, he just had a lute he purchased at Lucky Aello's Discount Store that only had one A-string and was missing the E-string. Also, Eldoth could only play power chords and he couldn't really sing and play at the same time. Most of the time he would just strum a chord or two and then talk about what the song would do next, often describing a solo and half playing it on an ”air lute" (while he was still holding an actual lute, mind you) to give people the idea as to how the song would sound when it was finally written. Yeah, he was one of those guys. After Skie kicked him to the curb, he bounced between various barmaids who clearly had low self-esteem, but not low enough to keep him around for long. Eventually, he got one of them pregnant and was forced into a shotgun wedding by the barmaid's father. He now works in the kitchen at the same inn as his barmaid wife. She helps the customers up front and he cooks eggs in the back. Eldoth continues to tell himself that this experience will just provide inspiration for his music and that someday he was going to get the band back together."
“After being rescued by Gorion's Ward, Xan made his way to Baldur's Gate to regroup. He spent an inordinate amount of time beating himself up over his failures and trying to muster the gumption to continue his quest to unravel the political turmoil of the region. However, it took him months to get to this point, and by that time, Gorion's Ward already sorted out the problems in the region. Discovering this, he deemed himself a failure yet again and sunk into a deeper depression. He pulled himself out of it when he met a woman who lost most of her family to violent deaths during the iron crisis, yet she still kept herself together and became a local success in a few short years. Xan immediately fell in love with the recently single Skie Silvershield and began to court her. They eventually married and started a family. At Xan's insistence, and inspired by his wife's name, their two daughters were named Sunshine and Rainbow. Xan was a staunch supporter of his wife's career and stayed home to raise the kids. When they were older and needed less attending, he followed a new dream and became a motivational speaker.”
“Korgan had his revenge against his backstabbing crew and employer, but he felt...empty. It was done, but he felt no satisfaction. Disgruntled and disappointed, he decided to lose himself in his cups at the Copper Coronet. Even this did nothing to alleviate his malaise. One night, having passed out drunk in a peasant room at the Copper Coronet, he dreamt of that final fight but something was different. In the background of the battle, there was a glow coming from the door of a shack and he heard the whispering of a language that sounded like it was from Kara-Tur. When he woke the next morning, Korgan returned to the rooftop and found the shack from his dream. He knocked and was greeted by a priest of Illmater. Korgan told the priest of his dream and he was led into the backroom where he found a man from Kara-Tur infirm and huddled over a cup of tea. The priest explained that he had just reincarnated this man of the faith using a heart delivered by a passing adventurer. Korgan took this as a sign, converted to the faith, and the two paired up to help those in suffering as a result of the schemes of others. The tales of Korgan and Yoshimo were not only told in many of a tavern by the bards, but also collected in graphic serials that were popular among the children of Athkatla.”
“Ajantis' death sent him into an afterlife at Everwatch, the realm of Helm. For his honor and diligence, the devout knight was granted an audience with his patron. Ajantis then told Helm what utter bullshit the god was. I mean, c'mon, he's the god of protection, the Vigilant One, and he couldn't protect a group of knights from a dragon's cheap illusion spell that a mage even tried to dispel with True Sight? It was like Helm wasn't even trying. Helm was stunned by the confrontation but also had no valid defense. Ajantis called Helm to a trial that was mediated by Tyr. After careful deliberation, Tyr determined that Helm was sleeping on the job and the judgment was to demote him to a lesser deity. Now, Helm was the patron of guards, but not actual guards that ever see action, just the ceremonial ones whose weapons and armor are super shiny and probably not even real. Ajantis was then granted Helm's old portfolio and became a god that truly protected his followers.”
“Viconia left Athkatla's government district perplexed. She was rescued from burning at the stake by Gorion's Ward and then immediately dismissed. She found this to be unusual behavior for a male. She was accustomed to men either trying to bed her or kill her, but this casual indifference was completely new. Viconia came to be obsessed with Gorion's Ward from a distance. She spiraled into a fantasy where the two of them had a future together. It was pretty bad. There were some extremely embarrassing vision boards involved and that wasn't even the worst of it. When her mania reached critical mass, her obsession actually collapsed and she had an epiphany. She came to realize that she did not need this man, or any for that matter. She started on a journey of self discovery and took a moral inventory of her past relationships. She wrote about it in the book, “Men Are From Menzoberranzan, Women Are From Immilmar”. She then used the revenue from the book sales to open Athkatla's first feminist bookstore. In Her Words became a mecca for women, particularly those who felt trapped in bad relationships. The community that emerged here created the group, Friends of Galia, which strove to free women from abusive relationships. Eventually, the bookstore expanded to include an apartment block above that became a shelter for such women. Occasionally, the partners of these victims would come around to In Her Words in an attempt to drag their partners back home. You can probably guess how a confrontation between a drunken 0-level commoner and a Drow priestess of Shar ends."
“Faldorn was defeated by Jaheira in Trademeet and lost her title of Arch-Druid. In truth, she was relieved to be relieved of the position. Years of pushing forward the Shadow Druid agenda led Faldorn to realize that she had lost touch with the real Faldorn along the way. After some soul-searching, she reinvented herself as a lifestyle guru and developed an entire line of organic health and beauty products under the name, She-Wolf. Both her products and seminars were all the rage in Athkatla, specifically among noblewomen who clearly had too much free time. Faldorn eventually gave up her residence in natural environs for a lavish estate in Athkatla's government district. Her following soon pressured her to petition to join the Council of Six after the fall of the Cowled Wizards left the position open (aside from a short-term replacement). Her petition was a success and she soon found herself on the Council of Six. Under her leadership, she created created the FDAA, the Food and Drink Association of Athkatla. Now, instead of draconian rules governing magic in the city, equally restrictive rules and standards were applied to the food and drink that the people consumed.”
“Barely surviving being gravely wounded by Irenicus, Tiax left Spellhold for Athkatla where he intended to do what he did best: rule. Learning from his past campaign mistakes in Baldur's Gate, he changed his slogan from ”Tiax Rules!" to “Make Athkatla Great Again”. Of course, what he thought would make Athkatla great was putting himself in charge as a despotic leader. But, he toned down that aspect of his platform and instead focused on the history of scheming and backroom dealing of the Cowled Wizards (as if he was any less evil or scheming) and promised the people he would be different than all the other corrupt politicians. Miraculously, despite his obviously apparent character flaws, he succeeded in replacing the Cowled Wizards' representative on the Council of Six. He decided to take their stance on restrictive magic to the next level and banned magic entirely. Since he didn't study the arcane himself, it was no skin of his nose. This move undermined his support base leaving him with only the most backwards and ignorant followers. He was ultimately removed from his position when he insisted the city build a wall around the planar sphere and was expecting that the city's wizards would be the ones to pay for it. After his removal, his few remaining extreme supporters organized an invasion of the main government building under the guise of freedom of assembly. All nine of these “rebels” were rounded up, tried, and sent to prison. Tiax was convicted of treason and reincarnated in Spellhold, which was now just a common prison. After his eventual release, he was prohibited from seeking any position of power in Amn."
"Edwin Odesseiron continued to lay low with the Shadow Thieves for a while. The Cowled Wizards suffered a crippling blow as a side effect of the conflict between Gorion's Ward and Irenicus. Edwin decided to step in and finish the job. His thought was that he could wipe out the Cowled Wizard remnants and then take credit for their defeat, thereby gaining him more clout among the Red Wizards of Thay. After many conspicuous mage battles in the streets of Athkatla, he succeeded. However, the people who noticed his efforts the most were actually the people of Athkatla. They were tired of living under the Cowled Wizards' iron fist and Edwin was lauded as a liberator and hero. He even had a statue in his image raised in Waukeen's Promenade. Edwin was initially nonplussed over people finally giving him the credit he always felt he so rightfully deserved. But, he quickly came to accept their praise and bought in to being a champion for the people. Edwin continued his agenda of liberation when a clearly insane gnome who found his way on the Council of Six tried to ban magic entirely in the city. Edwin and his followers were primarily responsible for having the madman removed from his seat.
“Shar-Teel, Safana, Branwen, and Alora all happened to cross paths with each other at Elfsong one evening. Shar-Teel was looking to fight a man, Safana was looking to shag a man, Branwen was recently petrified by a man, and Alora was just excited to be somewhere new. The four got to talking with each other and, despite having wildly different personalities, seemed to hit it off. Shar-Teel was sarcastic and aggressive, Safana was self-absorbed and man-hungry, Alora was kind and sweet, and Branwen was the matriarch of the group. You wouldn't think this lot would get along, but they actually did, and their differences merely become the fuel for innocuous hi-jinks week after week.”
"With Gorion's Ward's help, Cernd was able to rescue his child that he then abandoned again at the druid grove near Trademeet. He promised that he would return to raise the child, he just needed to run to the general shop in Trademeet for some pipeweed. He never returned, but that was pretty obvious since he didn’t even smoke. Cernd continued to wander Faerun. It came to light in Cormyr that Cernd had actually married, and had children, with numerous women in Cormyr, Amn, the Sword Coast, Tethyr, Calimshan, Turmish, Halruaa, Icewind Dale, Chondath, Sembia, Impiltur, the Silver Marches, and even the Troll Hills (don't ask). Furthermore, it was discovered that Cernd was not actually a druid, just a werewolf that had a Ring of Goodberries. The druid con was so that he could have a reason to abandon his wives and children and move on to a new situation. You would be surprised at how many women could fall for a guy that can conjure an impromptu picnic in the park. Unfortunately for Cernd, Cormyr was not the kind of place to run afoul of the legal system. For the crime of bigamy, he was sentenced to life in prison. He never set foot near a druid grove again, but he was allowed to participate in a work-release program tending to the gardens of nobles.
“Kagain returned to his shop and grew even more bitter, but not over what the death of Entar Silvershield's son had done to his reputation and business. Instead, he resented that even the Enhanced Edition of the game didn't give him a remotely decent companion quest. By Moradin's hammer, Cernd even had a pretty involved companion quest and the story there both starts and ends with a deadbeat dad! Also, Kagain can regenerate! Korgan can't even do that. And another thing! He was sick of people confusing the two of them as if all dwarves look alike or something. Ok, granted, they're both old dwarves with greying beards, but Korgan's beard is tied while Kagain's beard is brushed out. Of course, none of this made sense to anyone, even to Kagain who never actually crossed paths with Cernd or Korgan. However, the dwarf had nothing to do with his time except stand in his shop, isolated and alone, until he was done in by insanity and plantar fasciitis.”
“The death of Khalid shook Jaheira to the core. She convinced herself that she could never love again, certainly not so soon after his death nor with anyone that would be a child in her eyes. That would be absurd and rather tacky. After her escape from Irenicus' prison and deposing Faldorn from the druid grove, she took over as Arch-Druid. Being a Harper just wouldn't be the same without Khalid. However, the grove would allow her to explore a new, but comfortingly familiar, phase of life. She had barely been installed as the Arch-Druid when Cernd dropped off his child and disappeared again. He did not even stay long enough to tell Jaheira the child's name. Knowing he would likely not return, she named the child Khalid after her lost love. Realizing there were other children our there without families to care for them, Jahaeira would send her subordinates to wander nearby lands and bring them to the grove for a better life. Perhaps not surprisingly, many of these children happened to be Cernd's. She eventually renamed the grove to Kinder Garden in honor of the grove's new purpose of giving these children a kinder upbringing. Jaheira's headstrong personality served her well with these lost children, who all loved her as they would any mother. The Kinder Garden became the most thriving druid grove in all of Faerun. Jaheira eventually died in 1547 DR, with hundreds of children haven been rescued in her lifetime, and a memorial was erected in her honor at the grove. The inscription read, 'Nature's Servant Awaits.'"
“After being freed from Irenicus' dungeon, Minsc put his boots on the ground at the Copper Coronet. Being the simple man that he was, he found himself unwittingly recruited into fighting in the gladiator pits (before Gorion's Ward was able to free the slaves). Yet again, Minsc took a blow to the head. But this time, its effects were something completely new. No longer was he the slow-witted evil-slaying ranger, armed to the teeth and packing a hamster. Instead, his intelligence and wisdom started to blossom and he explored, through dissertation, the impact of modern civilization on the overall ecosystem of Faerun. Indeed, before Minsc started his work, the people of Faerun didn't even have the concept of an ”ecosystem". He left Athkatla to pursue a residency at Jaheira's grove where he could study and work in peace. He published works like, “The Intersection of Geopolitics and Biodiversity: Living More but Dying Sooner”, “The Essential Symbiosis Between the Savage and Civilization”, and “Moral Urbanization: Seeking a More Comprehensive Prosperity”. Minsc continued his studies and writing and ultimately produced enough groundbreaking works to have his own annex in Candlekeep. It was shortly after the dedication of this annex that Minsc disappeared from Faerun, never to be seen again."
“Jan Jansen's fate was the most impressive of all as his endeavors shaped the very fabric of Faerun for centuries to come. His story truly serves as a moral lesson for everyone and we should heed its virtue quite seriously. Helping Lissa and Jaella planted a seed of regret in Lissa with regards to her marriage to Vaelag. Speaking of seeds, this reminds Jan of a time when he was helping his Uncle Scratchy with his turnip farm. However, Uncle Scratchy was hoodwinked and the seeds he received were actually purple carrot seeds. You can imagine Uncle Scratchy's surprise when they sprouted and he suddenly had a field of purple carrots. Well, as you probably know, you can't make turnip stew, or turnip casserole, or turnip pie with purple carrots. But it just so happened there was a mage tower nearby and the resident mage needed a vast number of carrots. Apparently, her plan was to animate them as a kind of vegetable army to combat a myconid infestation in cave system rather close to her tower. Of course, animated carrots are quite self-assured and were immune to myconoid's confusion spores. Anyway, Jan had a once-removed cousin, Bobil, that was lost in those caves when he was a young gnome. He had wandered so deep that he found himself in the den of a solitary xvart who was obsessed with a magic ring. Bobil happened to purloin that ring but it turned out to not be magic at all. However, it was still worth enough for Bobil to buy himself a nice cottage in Trademeet. He then started his own turnip farm and had better luck than Uncle Scratchy. Wait, what were we talking about, again?”
“Boo continued his mission to study the sentient life forms of Faerun and determine their potential impact on the metaverse. He preferred the continued company of Minsc due to the ranger's kindness and protectiveness. Boo found this to be quite valuable in his current miniaturized state. Even after Minsc's accident, where his intellect began to expand, Minsc never lost his good heart and inherent kindness and the two remained the best of friends. It was a number of years later that the term of Boo's mission was complete. A team of his fellow people arrived on a spelljammer to collect the giant miniaturized space hamster. Minsc (and Boo) were on a retreat in a remote part of the Neverwinter Wood when a vessel shaped like a giant acorn landed in a nearby clearing. A number of human-sized anthropomorphic hamster-like beings, who called themselves the Ysoki, emerged and met with Boo. One had a strange crystalline device which it used to restore Boo to his proper size. Minsc naturally remained composed while all this was happening. He and Boo talked often and he knew this day would be coming. Boo returned to the spelljammer with his brethren to debrief on the mission. The Ysoki wanted to bring a sample back to their homeworld for further learning and study. Boo offered Minsc for the task, as the exemplar human would fit in nicely with the Ysoki's advanced culture and society. Everyone was in agreement and made the offer to the ranger. Minsc felt like he had made every contribution he could to the people of Faerun, so he accepted and boarded the ship. Boo, excited to finally be on a spelljammer again, took the helm and plotted a course for his homeworld. At his side sat his friend and faithful companion, Minsc.”

Not sure the quote is this exactly, but I think the scene was at a high school or college party, and a guy whose about to leave looks around the room pointing at people saying, “that guy’s a dick, that guy’s a dick, that guy’s cool, that guy’s a dick…” or something like that. Sound familiar? Thanks!

I recently picked the third-party campaign Raiders of the Serpent Sea and in the player's guide they have a race elegantly referred to as 'Beastborn'. To summarize the race, a 'beast' has witnessed humanoids for some time and has decided to become one. This race does not have existing features but a point-buy system where you can buy features for so many points.
The concept seemed great, the idea that you could be completely different to another creature of the same race seemed great. Upon further reflection though, it could strip a race of certain features.
Out of respect for the original author, I won't quote the whole race but I will give a brief snippet:

Beastborn Traits
Beastborn have the following traits.
Creature Type. You are a Humanoid.
Age. You are only a few years old and will age quickly, reaching old age by thirty.
Size. You are Medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Beast Speak. You can communicate with other creatures of your original kind.
Unique. There is no one else quite like you in all the world—never has been, never will be. Use the becoming beastborn system below to construct a beastborn of Grimnir.
Becoming Beastborn
You start with a pool of 12 beast points.
Beast Features
Choose your beast type from these three options: Hunter & Gatherer, Fish, and Fowl. You now spend points to acquire features. Any beastborn can purchase from the beast features, below. You may also purchase from the list associated with your beast type (but not from the lists belonging to other beast types).

Now the point-buy system is not all-encompassing and does allow for the ability to introduce existing races but there is the ability to flavor a Beastborn to be an existing race through the point-buy system, effectively eliminating the need for that existing race.
It is here that I wish to gather the thoughts of others on the one hand this point buy system seems like great fun and if built upon further could allow for a multitude of unique creatures. With other systems divorcing background and 'heritage' from race, this would not be a bad idea in concept.
However, I can imagine this would lead to a lot of different creatures of similar races but without any of the same features. Effectively have a variety of Catfolk but none have Catlike Reflexes and none share anything in regards to features - only looking the same, which even then could be different.
With this perhaps badly worded concept in mind, what do you think about each character and race being Unique and effectively built from the ground up, versus an existing race that already has features baked in?

Hello. My name is Bungling-Worm. You may remember me from my highly condemned submissions such as "Socialists-The Moralist Busybodies Preventing You From Beating YOUR Cheating C\nt of a Wife and Annoying Children", "Profit or: Humanity's Raisin Deter (sic).", "Who Really 'Needs' Clean Air and Water Anyway?", "Hayek Was Right! - How Fascism Saved Western Civilization™ From the Bolshevik Menace" and "SWEATSHOPS!-The Greatest Gift to Third-World Youths Since the Polio Vaccine.*"
Today I'd like to address my fellow capitalists. It's no secret that, much like the U.S. military in Iraq circa 2003-2011, we're losing the battle for the hearts and minds of our intended slav..subje...vict...vassa...thral...our fellow men™. For this reason my employer, Generic Right-Wing Think Tank Inc., in partnership with our good friends in the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency and the U.K. Special Intelligence Service (formerly U.K. Military Intelligence, Section 6), have contacted the eminent propagandist conservative philosopher picnic-boy and gained his gracious permission to make an official Part 2 to his highly acclaimed How to argue in favor of capitalism and against socialism, a helpful guide the table of contents of which is freely available (for a limited time only) here: https://www.reddit.com/CapitalismVSocialism/comments/1cqvdsv/comment/l3wuegi/
Without picnic-boy's pioneering achievements in sophistry this work would not be possible. Now, without further add-do (sic) I give you a sneak peak into the table of contents of How to argue in favor of capitalism and against socialism, a helpful guide: Part 2.

1. State, often and always without evidence (because none exists), that socialists control all mainstream news media, organized religion (especially the Catholic Church, the Jesuit Order, the Hasidic Colleges and every sect of Islam), academia, K-12 public education, the entire U.S. civil service/bureaucracy (from the municipal all the way up to the federal), the FBI, the CIA, the Justice Department, the Democratic Party, the neoconservative wing of the Republican party, the Fraternal Order of Freemasons, Hollywood, all police unions, the AFL-CIO board, the entire federal judiciary, all the major drug cartels and organized crime syndicates, the Federal Reserve System and the governments of literally every single third and second world country, especially the far-right and non-white majority ones. At the exact same time, and this is really important so pay close attention, accuse socialists of being unpopular teenage losers living in their parents' basement who're too lazy to get a job.
2. When socialists remark upon how similar the claims in point 1 are to contemporary Neo-Nazi conspiracy theories and start to question how you feel about Jewish people turn around and accuse them of being "the real anti-semites" for "wanting to take all the Jews' money away ". In no way is this conflation of all Jewish people with rich capitalists a form of economic antisemitism. If someone points out that it is simply cherry pick quotes from Marx's "On the Jewish Question" out of context so that none of the parts where Marx makes it clear he is only critiquing Judaism as a religion while at the same time advocating for the political emancipation of the Jews as people are clear to the reader. After that go on to talk about how much you support Israel and how much happier you think diaspora Jews would be if they permanently immigrated there. Also and for no particular reason talk about the "failure" of the Kibbutzim apropos of nothing and don't elaborate on anything.
3. Always portray struggles of democratic socialists within ML states/the Eastern Bloc as struggles for capitalism. Yes, it is true the people who organized the East German Uprising of 1953, the 1956 Hungarian Revolution, the Prague Spring of 1968, and the Polish Solidarity Movement of the 1980's (before the Vatican and CIA hijacked it) all demanded democratic socialism, yes they all said that, but what they "really wanted" was capitalism and don't you let any so-called "historian" tell you otherwise.
4. Pretend that socialists invented the very concept of the state and thus that all state rulers from the Roman Emperors, Egyptian Pharaohs, Greek Archons, etc. to modern Kings, Kaisers, Tsars and Presidents were/are "socialists".
5. Don't forget to liberally pepper your psychotic rants with plenty of freudian slips and accusations in a mirror. For example, make the claim that socialists want to destroy the family so that they can isolate, abuse and indoctrinate women and children while at the same time assert that wives and children are nothing more than an extension of "the individual" who need to be shielded by this individual from an unrealistically hostile and confusing world (literally everything and everyone outside the home).
6. Assert that socialists invented taxation and ignore that the first taxes in recorded history took the form of land-rents set by the first governments (which were councils of militaristic landlords).
7. Defend rent-seeking and landlordism so long as it's done by private individuals. Remember rent-seeking is only bad when the government does it because they spend that money on social parasites and welfare leeches, unlike landlords who spend it on their second families in the next state over.
8. Claim fascism is a form of socialism but also defend the legacies of lesser known fascist regimes, military dictatorships and other totalitarian right-wing governments whose symbols and mottos the people in your country haven't developed a learned fear response to yet the way they have the Swastika and the Fasces.
9. When leftists point out that the main victims of things like the Great Purge and the Chinese Cultural Revolution were socialists, communists, anarchists and other left-wing intellectuals who opposed Stalin and Mao's cults of personality either ignore them and maintain that the "real victims" were the tiny minority of "innocent" religious extremists, ultranationalists (who were "definitely not" fascist collaborators or spies), and grain hoarders or do a complete one hundred and eighty degree pivot and actually defend the Great Purge and Cultural Revolution because "The more left someone is, the more violent/dictatorial they are, therefore anyone to the left of Stalin and Mao would have been more violent than them and it's a good thing they were killed."
10. If you think any of these points are self-contradicting just remember that doublethink is merely a tool and "communists" (Stalinists) shouldn't be the only ones allowed to make use of it.
11. Ignore the mountains of evidence that an anti-Stalinist left exists. Portray these leftists as right-wingers and edit their most famous works to leave out the many mentions of their own support for socialism.
12. Remind your interlocutor(s) that socialism is gay and cringe.
13. Remember that reading is gay but total illiteracy is still kinda cringe (unfortunately). Therefore read as little as humanly possible without going full illiterate. Our recommendation is to only read blurbs from ancap websites, your favorite conspiracy theorist podcasters' social media threads and your fellow "capitalists' " reddit posts and nothing else.
14. In keeping with point 13 let the only things you "know" or "learn" about socialism be things you absorbed through osmosis and half remember from your high school history textbooks assuming you even read them at all. Never look at primary sources, never listen to people trying to explain things to you in detail, always complain that quotes provided to you are "blocks of text" or "unoriginal" and can thus be dismissed without serious engagement on your part.
15. Remember that conformism, unquestioning obedience to authority, an unflinching belief in the correctness of the current socioeconomic status quo and conventional wisdom, and a general Panglossian worldview with a huge heaping of moral nihilism (which is definitely a real philosophical school of thought and not just a rationalization of one's own sociopathic tendencies) are actually somehow radical and that "conservatism is the new punk rock" of the 21st century.
16. Remember that guy begging for spare change you passed on your way to work? Tell everyone that he was a capitalist. Carefully explain to workers why capitalists are actually worse off than everyone else in society as hard to believe as that may seem. Remind them that when it comes to capitalists' they're "cash poor, asset rich" which means all their wealth is tied up in assets like yachts and sports cars and mansions and designer suits/dresses/jewellery and second summer homes and third winter homes and tropical island resorts where "nothing unethical ever happens so shut up about it already"...and talk about how they can't use these assets to buy groceries or clothing or even pay the "exorbitant" property taxes on their assets. "So you see the real unfortunates in our society aren't the homeless or the victims of police brutality or refugees or the working poor, it's capitalists. These brave men and women take (minor) financial risks by using what little cash they have to found businesses, not for their own benefit but for ours, so that they can give us jobs and provide us with products and services and then what do these generous souls get in return for their herculean efforts? Just a whole lot of ingratitude from socialists and a bunch of tacky junk they can't even use to feed and clothe their many, many illegitimate and adoptive children that they're definitely not doing anything questionable with on their tropical islands that aren't even worth that much anymore because of rising sea levels (which have nothing to do with climate change, which is just a Chinese communist plot to make Americans poor don'tcha know?)".

I want to take a moment to talk about the far left, like Stalin ( https://youtube.com/watch?v=8RsdncwrCGQ&si=FwhViAGVdgrHF7Sh ). In that video, he calls his listeners "comrads". In another video, https://youtube.com/watch?v=3nMDjKtTigQ , Stalin uses the words "fraternal parties and groups" and "friendship". My mom and dad met in Russia and my Dad calls my mom "comrad", "товарищ". An alternative translation is "friend".
I think it's important to know the difference between friends and acquaintances. Some people, they received a signed postcard from a politician or did a photo op [a photo opportunity] with a politician and think there is something there. Politicians are not really your friend, no matter how charming they may seem.
The same is true for your coworkers. A job is an exchange of your time for money. This is the case for you and for your coworkers. Sometimes coworkers will be like "we should totally grab a beer after work sometimes", but in reality the hangout you envisioned doesn't actually happen. I remember this one programmer (Tech Lead at https://youtube.com/@techlead ) talking on YouTube about how he got kicked out of Facebook for having a for-profit social media channel, and how he imagined that his coworkers would all resign in protest over his firing. LOL. Hahahaha. Just "No".
Everyone is acting out of self interest. The "good person benevolent sacrifice" thing is a myth. Sometimes they might do something that seems charitable, like give money to a homeless person, but really they're just making themselves feel good, happiness, and boosting their ego. I remember when I volunteered at a homeless shelter, there was a policy that formerly homeless people who received meals there were not allowed to volunteer there on the other side of the serving counter. Turns out the people who did the serving and volunteering on that side of the serving counter didn't like it when that happened. I remember another time a homeless guy asked me for money, and I felt bad for him, and then I sat at a counter, and then this gross smelly homeless guy sat right next to me at that same counter and ordered while I was trying to enjoy my food, and I was like "Uhh, waitress... I'd like you to get rid of this dude, please". But yeah, you don't actually care, what you actually care about is your feelings and how you feel. You're trying to make yourself feel happiness and an ego boost, and maybe cover your own ass in case you ever end up in that situation. And by "you" I mean "me". "If you repeat a lie often enough you are a Republican, but if you don't know you're lying yet, you're a Democrat." I created that quote, see previous posts.
This song "I am Africa" from The Book of Mormon musical comes to mind. Basically these rich White people are like "I am Africa" when really they just have a savior complex and are full of bullshit. Note that in real life, if you really know these savior complex people, they are actually total assholes and douchebags. Their beautiful lofty beliefs are actually bullshit, even if they don't realize (at a conscious level) that they're bullshit. This is true of a lot of beautiful left-wing beliefs.

Understanding the importance of engaging with suppliers

Engaging with suppliers is crucial for businesses, especially when it comes to bulk purchases and discounts. By establishing strong relationships with suppliers, companies can benefit from various advantages. Firstly, engaging with suppliers allows businesses to negotiate better prices and secure bulk discounts. This can significantly reduce costs and increase profit margins. Secondly, suppliers can provide valuable insights and advice on market trends, product availability, and industry best practices. This information can help businesses make informed decisions and stay competitive in the market. Lastly, collaborating with suppliers fosters trust and loyalty, leading to long-term partnerships that can result in exclusive deals and preferential treatment. Therefore, understanding the importance of engaging with suppliers is essential for businesses seeking to optimize their purchasing strategies and maximize profitability.

Benefits of bulk purchases and discounts

Bulk purchases and discounts offer several benefits for businesses. One of the key advantages is cost savings. By buying in bulk, businesses can negotiate lower prices and secure discounts from suppliers. This can significantly reduce the overall procurement costs and improve the profit margins. Another benefit is increased efficiency. When businesses purchase in bulk, they can streamline their supply chain and reduce the frequency of ordering, resulting in time and resource savings. Additionally, bulk purchases allow businesses to maintain a consistent inventory, ensuring that they have sufficient stock to meet customer demands. Overall, engaging with suppliers for bulk purchases and discounts can provide businesses with cost savings, increased efficiency, and improved inventory management.

Key considerations before engaging with suppliers

Before engaging with suppliers for bulk purchases and discounts, there are several key considerations that need to be taken into account. One important factor is the visibility of your saree business. It is crucial to ensure that your business is easily discoverable by potential suppliers, as this can lead to better opportunities for bulk purchases and discounts. By increasing the visibility of your saree business through various marketing channels, such as online platforms and social media, you can attract the attention of suppliers and establish a strong presence in the industry. Another key consideration is the reputation of the suppliers you are planning to engage with. It is essential to research and evaluate the reputation of potential suppliers to ensure they have a track record of delivering high-quality products and providing reliable services. Additionally, it is important to consider the financial stability of the suppliers, as this can impact their ability to fulfill bulk orders and offer competitive pricing. By carefully considering these factors before engaging with suppliers, you can make informed decisions that will benefit your saree business in the long run.

Finding the right suppliers

Researching potential suppliers

Researching potential suppliers is a crucial step in the process of engaging with suppliers for bulk purchases and discounts. As an entrepreneur, it is important to embrace change and adapt to the evolving market demands. By thoroughly researching potential suppliers, you can identify those who align with your business values and offer competitive pricing. Embracing change allows you to stay ahead of the curve and make informed decisions when it comes to selecting the right suppliers for your bulk purchases. Additionally, embracing change as an entrepreneur opens up opportunities for innovation and growth, as you are constantly seeking ways to improve your business and meet the changing needs of your customers.

Evaluating supplier reliability and reputation

When it comes to evaluating supplier reliability and reputation, it is crucial to conduct thorough research and analysis. This involves assessing factors such as the supplier's track record, customer reviews, and industry certifications. Additionally, it is essential to consider the supplier's financial stability and their ability to meet bulk order requirements. By carefully evaluating these aspects, businesses can ensure that they engage with reliable and reputable suppliers for their bulk purchases. This not only helps in securing competitive prices and discounts but also minimizes the risk of disruptions in the supply chain.

Assessing supplier capacity and capabilities

Assessing supplier capacity and capabilities is a crucial step in the procurement process. It involves evaluating the ability of suppliers to meet the demands of bulk purchases and provide discounts. By thoroughly assessing supplier capacity, businesses can ensure that they are partnering with reliable and capable suppliers who can deliver the required products or services on time and at competitive prices. Additionally, evaluating supplier capabilities allows businesses to determine whether suppliers have the necessary resources, expertise, and infrastructure to handle large-scale orders. This assessment helps in mitigating risks and maximizing the benefits of bulk purchases and discounts. Self-love for entrepreneurs is an important aspect to consider when engaging with suppliers, as it encourages entrepreneurs to prioritize their well-being and make informed decisions that align with their business goals and values.

Negotiating bulk purchase terms

Determining the desired quantity and frequency

Determining the desired quantity and frequency is a crucial step in engaging with suppliers for bulk purchases and discounts. By accurately assessing your needs and forecasting future demand, you can negotiate better deals and secure cost-effective arrangements. It is important to consider factors such as storage capacity, shelf life of products, and market trends when determining the desired quantity. Additionally, understanding the frequency at which you require supplies allows you to plan your inventory management effectively and avoid stockouts or excess inventory. By establishing clear guidelines for quantity and frequency, you can build strong relationships with suppliers and optimize your procurement process.

Discussing pricing and payment terms

Discussing pricing and payment terms is a crucial step in engaging with suppliers for bulk purchases and discounts. It is important to establish clear and mutually beneficial arrangements to ensure a smooth payment process. When discussing payment terms, it is essential to consider factors such as the preferred method of payment, payment deadlines, and any applicable discounts or incentives for early payment. Additionally, it is advisable to inquire about the supplier's payment processing system to ensure compatibility and efficiency. By addressing these aspects, both parties can establish a strong foundation for a successful business relationship.

Exploring additional incentives and discounts

Exploring additional incentives and discounts is crucial for businesses looking to optimize their procurement strategies. One effective way to achieve this is by engaging with suppliers who offer bulk purchases and discounts. By establishing strong relationships with suppliers, businesses can negotiate favorable terms and secure cost savings. Moreover, suppliers may provide additional incentives such as extended payment terms or exclusive access to new products. To fully leverage these opportunities, businesses should consider partnering with a reliable business banking institution that can offer specialized financial solutions tailored to their procurement needs. With the right banking partner, businesses can streamline their payment processes, access working capital, and benefit from value-added services. By effectively engaging with suppliers and leveraging business banking services, businesses can enhance their purchasing power and drive long-term cost savings.

Building strong supplier relationships

Maintaining open lines of communication

Maintaining open lines of communication with suppliers is crucial for businesses looking to increase profitability. By establishing clear channels of communication, businesses can ensure that they are able to negotiate favorable terms and secure bulk purchases and discounts. Regularly engaging with suppliers allows businesses to stay updated on market trends, pricing fluctuations, and new product offerings, enabling them to make informed decisions that can positively impact their bottom line. Additionally, maintaining open lines of communication fosters strong relationships with suppliers, leading to a more collaborative and mutually beneficial partnership. To increase profitability, businesses should prioritize effective communication strategies with their suppliers.

Collaborating on product development and improvement

Collaborating on product development and improvement is crucial for businesses looking to engage with suppliers for bulk purchases and discounts. By working together, businesses can leverage the expertise and resources of their suppliers to enhance the quality, features, and performance of their products. This collaboration allows for the identification of potential areas for improvement and the implementation of innovative solutions. Additionally, it fosters a strong relationship between businesses and suppliers, built on trust and mutual understanding. Through effective collaboration, businesses can not only achieve cost savings through bulk purchases but also gain a competitive edge in the market by offering superior products to their customers.

Providing feedback and addressing concerns

Providing feedback and addressing concerns is crucial when engaging with suppliers for bulk purchases and discounts. It allows businesses to maintain a strong and transparent relationship with their suppliers, ensuring that both parties are satisfied with the products and services provided. By providing feedback, businesses can communicate their needs and expectations, allowing suppliers to make necessary adjustments and improvements. Addressing concerns promptly and effectively demonstrates professionalism and commitment to quality, fostering trust and long-term collaboration. Moreover, open communication channels enable businesses to resolve any issues or disputes that may arise, minimizing potential disruptions to the supply chain. Overall, the process of providing feedback and addressing concerns is essential for optimizing supplier relationships and ensuring the success of bulk purchases and discounts.

Managing supplier performance

Setting clear expectations and performance metrics

When it comes to setting clear expectations and performance metrics, it is crucial for businesses to establish a solid foundation for their relationships with suppliers. This not only helps in streamlining the procurement process but also ensures that both parties are on the same page regarding the quality, quantity, and delivery of goods and services. One key aspect of this is credit card processing for tailors. By implementing efficient and secure credit card processing systems, tailors can offer their customers a convenient and hassle-free payment method. This not only enhances customer satisfaction but also improves the overall efficiency of the purchasing process. Additionally, by setting clear expectations and performance metrics for credit card processing, tailors can ensure timely payments and minimize any potential disputes or issues. Therefore, it is essential for tailors to establish a robust credit card processing system that meets the needs of both the business and its customers.

Regularly reviewing supplier performance

Regularly reviewing supplier performance is crucial for businesses engaged in bulk purchases and seeking discounts. By regularly evaluating the performance of suppliers, businesses can ensure that they are meeting the required standards of quality, reliability, and timeliness. This evaluation process involves assessing factors such as product quality, delivery time, customer service, and adherence to agreed-upon terms and conditions. One important aspect of supplier performance evaluation is creating a rate sheet. A rate sheet provides a comprehensive overview of the pricing structure offered by different suppliers, allowing businesses to compare and negotiate better deals. By creating a rate sheet, businesses can identify suppliers offering competitive prices and leverage this information to negotiate bulk purchase discounts. Additionally, a rate sheet facilitates transparency and accountability in supplier relationships, as both parties have a clear understanding of the pricing terms. Regularly reviewing supplier performance, including creating a rate sheet, is essential for businesses looking to optimize their bulk purchasing strategies and secure cost-effective deals.

Addressing issues and resolving conflicts

Addressing issues and resolving conflicts is crucial for maintaining a healthy and productive relationship with suppliers. Effective communication is key in this process, and it is important to approach any concerns or conflicts in a professional and respectful manner. One way to address issues is through email communication, which allows for clear and documented conversations. By utilizing effective email marketing strategies, such as personalization and targeted messaging, suppliers can be engaged in a more efficient and impactful way. For example, for a nail business, implementing an email marketing campaign that highlights the benefits of bulk purchases and discounts can be a powerful tool in engaging with suppliers. By emphasizing the value proposition and showcasing the potential growth opportunities, suppliers are more likely to be receptive and willing to negotiate favorable terms. It is essential to tailor the email content to address the specific needs and interests of the suppliers, ensuring that the message resonates with them and motivates them to take action. By employing effective email marketing techniques, the nail business can strengthen its relationship with suppliers and optimize its purchasing process for bulk orders and discounts.

Conclusion

Summary of key points

In summary, engaging with suppliers for bulk purchases and discounts is crucial for businesses looking to optimize their procurement processes and reduce costs. By establishing strong relationships with suppliers, businesses can negotiate favorable terms and secure volume discounts, resulting in significant savings. Additionally, effective communication and clear expectations are key to successful supplier engagement, ensuring that both parties are aligned on pricing, delivery schedules, and quality standards. Finally, leveraging technology and data analytics can further enhance the supplier engagement process, enabling businesses to make informed decisions based on real-time insights. Overall, by actively engaging with suppliers and implementing best practices, businesses can achieve cost savings, improve efficiency, and gain a competitive edge in the market.

Importance of ongoing supplier engagement

Ongoing supplier engagement is of utmost importance when it comes to bulk purchases and discounts. Establishing and maintaining a strong relationship with suppliers enables businesses to negotiate better prices, secure exclusive deals, and ensure timely deliveries. By regularly communicating and collaborating with suppliers, businesses can stay informed about market trends, product availability, and upcoming promotions. This allows them to make informed decisions and take advantage of favorable opportunities. Additionally, ongoing supplier engagement facilitates effective problem-solving and prompt resolution of issues, ensuring smooth operations and customer satisfaction. To optimize supplier engagement, businesses should implement effective calls to action, such as requesting quotes, participating in supplier meetings, and providing feedback on products and services. These calls to action serve as catalysts for proactive engagement and foster a mutually beneficial partnership between businesses and suppliers.

Benefits of long-term supplier relationships

One of the key benefits of establishing long-term supplier relationships is the ability to negotiate bulk purchases and secure discounts. By developing a strong partnership with suppliers, companies can leverage their buying power to obtain cost savings and competitive pricing. This is particularly advantageous for LLC service companies that frequently require large quantities of supplies and materials. Through ongoing collaboration and trust, these companies can establish favorable terms and conditions with their suppliers, ensuring a steady supply of goods at discounted rates. Additionally, long-term supplier relationships enable LLC service companies to streamline their procurement processes, reduce administrative costs, and enhance overall operational efficiency.
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The minutes, included in a draft version within the May 14, 7:00 P.M. board packet, https://ephraim.wi.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/24-5-14-Board-Packet.pdf#page=11, describe the DDC employee as stating:

DDC still has to by state law receive 70% of the room tax collection.

The title reflects my assumption that the draft minutes correctly report what was said on April 9. If this was misreported, I will delete the post right away.
There is nothing in the state statutes which requires that a single tourism entity receive the 70%. The 70% portion of the room tax money may be distributed to multiple tourism entities, if that is what the Door County Tourism Zone Commission desires. It happens that there is only one tourism entity presently receiving the money, but it doesn’t have to be that way. There is another option for Ephraim to look into.
https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/statutes/statutes/66/vi/0615/1/f states that tourism entities must have been created before January 1, 2015. The Ephraim Business Council was first registered with the state in 1963: https://apps.dfi.wi.gov/apps/corpsearch/Details.aspx?entityID=6E03737&hash=1855910145&searchFunctionID=00c8372f-e872-4732-87cc-d096cf086605
The 1963 founding means it is old enough. As a tourism entity, it would be required to spend 51% of its revenues on tourism promotion and tourism development, and provide destination marketing staff and services for the tourism industry in a municipality.
If the Ephraim Business Council received enough room tax money from the Tourism Zone, and passed it to the village of Ephraim for tangible municipal development, that would allow it to qualify for the 51% if it does not already. Eligible tangible municipal development expenses count as a form of “tourism promotion and tourism development”, according to https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/statutes/statutes/66/vi/0615/1/fm
The Ephraim Business Council maintains the Ephraim Visitor Information Center, and this 990 form indicates that it has one full time, salaried employee: https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/391539213/202311189349200636/full
That means it meets the “destination marketing staff and services” requirement.
The Ephraim Business Council could create a committee made up of entirely of unpaid Ephraim village board members. The council could receive a portion of the 70% directly from the Tourism Zone, and allocate it to the village for eligible tangible municipal development purposes according to the decisions of the committee.
That things could be set up this way is contradicted by what the DDC representative said at the meeting, according to the draft minutes. State law has restrictions about how to spend the 70% portion of room tax money, but her comment over-stated the extent of the restrictions. This is what https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/statutes/statutes/66/vi/0615/1m/b/2 states:

the commission shall contract with another organization in the zone to perform the functions of the tourism entity.

This does not expressly prohibit a commission from contracting with two or more organizations, each receiving part of the 70%.
The quoted comment from the DDC representative came as part of a discussion on whether room tax dollars from the Community Investment Fund could be spent on fireworks. Elsewhere, https://doorcountytourismzone.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Open-Session-Packet-April-2024.pdf#page=32, it is revealed that the village of Ephraim has accumulated a legal bill of $22,548 over their complaint regarding the Community Investment Fund. In responding to the complaint, the Door County Tourism Zone Commission has spent $4,903. Ephraim would like the Tourism Zone to pay the $22,548 so they don’t have to, but the Tourism Zone won’t pay it.
This is a waste of tax money. A democratic alternative to wasting more tax money on legal fees would be for a special joint meeting to be held for all board and council members, from all Door County municipalities. Together, they could write and vote on a resolution expressing their intentions to the Door County Tourism Zone Commission. The resolution could be more of a general nature if there isn’t much agreement, or it could spell things out more precisely if that is possible.
Topics they could consider:

• Whether more money should be spent on legal expenses
• What percentage of the 70% should be allocated to DDC
• Which other tourism entities ought to receive contracts with the Tourism Zone, and the proportion of the 70% which should go to each tourism entity
• Proportion of room tax which ought to go to tangible municipal development
• Which projects ought to be funded with tangible municipal development, and which tourism entity should be responsible for funding the projects

When writing the resolution, the votes could be taken by municipality, the representation from each municipality having one vote. A majority of all the municipalities could pass a measure. If a small number of the municipalities balked at participating, a meeting with a majority of the municipalities could be held anyway. When it is finished, each municipality could decide to individually approve or reject the jointly-written resolution. This could be done at the joint meeting, for municipalities which have a quorum present. For those lacking a quorum, or skipping the special joint meeting, approvals could wait until the next regular meetings.
A resolution written in this manner would not be legally binding on the Tourism Zone, but the Tourism Zone board members would be practically compelled to follow it. If certain board members don't comply, they could be removed and replaced, since they serve at the pleasure of the principal elected official in their member municipalities. Any members which are removed may be replaced by someone else chosen by the principal elected official, and confirmed by a majority vote of the board or council members who were present at the time of the vote: https://doorcountytourismzone.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Door-County-Tourism-Zone-Commission-By-Laws.pdf#page=2
Wisconsin's state constitution restricts the state government itself from being a party in carrying on works of internal improvements: https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/2011/related/wiscon/_18/_12
There are exceptions to this and a history of court cases. However, the clause only applies to the state. Municipalities are allowed to build internal improvements: https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/misc/lrb/reading_the_constitution/reading_the_constitution_3_1.pdf#page=7
This implies that any system of allocating tangible municipal development dollars must stem from municipal authority instead of the state’s own authority. Because the scope of tourism entities includes tangible municipal development, and tangible tangible municipal development includes the works of internal improvements, it would be unconstitutional for them to claim powers derived directly from the state.
The powers of the Tourism Zone to tax and distribute funds, and of Destination Door County and the Community Investment Fund to spend the funds distributed to them, are derived from municipal authority. Along with the method for appointing and removing Tourism Zone board members, the authority structure suggests that a resolution authored by a joint meeting of the municipalities would be regarded as compelling by the Tourism Zone.
The state does not forbid municipalities from holding joint meetings. This is a recent example of a joint meeting held by two town boards: https://townofoaklandwi.com/2024/04/28/joint-meeting-town-of-meenon-town-of-oakland-on-05-01-2024-615pm-new-town-hall/
This notice describes the meeting being held at a new town hall. An earlier article describes the towns considering the purchase of a property together to serve as a town hall for both towns: https://www.burnettcountysentinel.com/news/shared-town-halls-possible/article_9dcfb588-a30d-11ed-b60f-0fb4ae6c11d9.html
If two towns in Burnett County can hold a legally valid joint meeting, nineteen Door County municipalities are capable of doing the same.
If nothing is done and the status quo continues, will legal bills continue to increase? Besides the current dispute, a second legal issue has the potential to arise, resulting in more litigation. This would be if the Community Investment Fund were to grow too large. One person recorded in the draft Ephraim minutes described the fund as already being at a million and a half dollars. There are several annotations stating that tax money cannot be accumulated and kept as a surplus having no public purpose: https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/statutes/statutes/60/vi/40/5
Although this refers to towns, the authority to spend tax room money is likewise delegated, so it also applies to the Tourism Zone, Destination Door County, and the Community Investment Fund. Were they to accumulate a surplus with no public purpose, courts could intervene. Exactly how much of a surplus there would need to be for courts to get involved, I don't know.

We saw a post that mentioned that complaints aren't the end. The complaints comes from a place of care for the game and how they wish and can see how the game can be better. However, when the complaints are unheard and mocked some people working at AH, the apathy will set in and kill that game.
This was the first week where my SO and I didn't touch helldivers at all. Even with full jobs, we we're playing hours and hours everyday after work and clocked in with 200 hours so far. We looked forward to it. It was all we could talk about and we were just exploring how fun some weapons and loadouts were.
However, after the nerfs to weapons (that made no sense and removed all of the fun such as the Eruptor, crossbow, and slugger to name a few) patrol changes to screw with parties less than 4, frequent crashes, how some items are just useless (Thermite and machine gun sentry to name a few) and weapon/strategem bugs that still linger to this day, this game went from one of our top favorite games to one of our most frustrating games to play. When the community has a running joke to not mention the weapons they like using in fear of a nerf, you know the direction of the game is in a bad spot. It makes it feel like it's players vs devs instead of working together.
The new warbond just sealed the deal with the incomplete weapons and reskins of armors that made no sense to the theme of the warbond. It really shows how little any QA is done before shipping things out (Can't believe they ship out the tier 4 ship modules and the very first one was bugged). Also, something that expedited the apathy is how some of the devs are a bit out of touch of what the community wants (insert quote from a certain someone about how it takes 10,000 hours to test and nothing will be released until 2028 and how all of these weapons are all S tier). Why balance things for difficulty 4-6 if super samples and progressions is locked behind difficulty 7? That just makes no sense.
Love y'all. Love the community. It really shows that y'all care for the game and you just want the game to succeed. The game is still fun sometimes but it's just draining overlooking the glaring issues. Maybe we'll be back but there are so many good games out there that just aren't frustrating to play. Games should be fun and for a PvE game, the sole purpose shouldn't to nerf all of the enjoyment out of everything (and then call it an exploit when that's sole purpose was the only reason why people were using the gun). Buff the other stuff (like the blitzer or senator). See y'all at another time fellow Helldivers. It's time to return to civilian life for a bit.
Edit:
Just to make things clear and that was my bad. I didn't clarify what I meant about "we" in the rant above. I was just talking about my SO and I.
I wrote we a lot since I was referring to the experiences that my SO and I had together for this game. For example:
"This was the first week where my SO and I didn't touch helldivers at all. Even with full jobs, we were playing hours and hours everyday after work and clocked in with 200 hours so far. We looked forward to it. It was all we could talk about and we were just exploring how fun some weapons and loadouts were."
I was just talking about my SO and I. I just refer to us as "we" (again, my bad). Was not trying to speak for the community at all. Just stuff that my SO and I have been feeling lately and we decided to take a break from the helldivers to go back to deep rock to prepare for season 5.
But once again, my bad for not making that clear. If you're still having fun with the game, that's awesome! We wish we were in the same boat as you.

I just shot a wedding recently and was completely blown away by the restrictions they implemented for ceremonies. Before I explain, I should state that I'm Catholic, and a majority of my weddings are Catholic or in a Catholic church, so I know how to be respectful of the mass while capturing it. I've shot in small churches, cathedrals, and basilicas, and have never run into anything like this.
Anyway, I arrive after shooting the morning activities and am met by who I can assume is the event coordinator for the church. She's an older woman who was polite enough (to begin with) but she explains to me that I can stand no further than the 5th pew from the back for the procession, and must move to the back of the church and stay there for the remainder of the ceremony. I can move along the sides, but no further than the 5th row. To me, this is ridiculous, as the space is fairly large. My business is small, I shoot weddings with my wife, and we have one long lens capable of shooting a wedding from the back of a damn church between the two of us. This has worked just fine for us for the last 7 years of doing this since I generally have the freedom to move around. I bring up to her that this is going to be a problem for me since I won't be able to capture the photos that my client is expecting based on my prior work. She says "I don't make the rules, I just enforce them. The priest makes the rules." She mentions that a big part of the reasoning is that I would be in the way of their live stream of the ceremony. I find this hard to believe since they have several cameras in the back, all of which are at least 10-12ft above seating space, and a professional technician in a booth managing the stream (this is a church in a very wealthy city in case you couldn't tell).
I know the bride and groom quite well, so I was comfortable talking with them about the matter, asking the bride if she knew about these restrictions beforehand. She is shocked and tells me to just do whatever I need to do to do my job, stating that she cares way more about her pictures than she does a livestream. She also sends her attendants to talk to the priest about it, whom they know really well. The priest later finds me and says as long as I'm respectful and not distracting I can move further up as needed, which I of course would do anyway. I'm not sure if this was mentioned to the coordinator, but she was definitely with the priest when the attendants brought up the issue.
Cut to the ceremony and I do what I was told by the event coordinator as best I can. I'm kind of boy scout with rules and don't want to make enemies with anyone, so I just tried to make the best of it. However, it didn't take long to realize that this was going to be an issue. My second shooter (my wife) is basically useless for the entire ceremony. We can't get any photos of the bride and groom's parents or family since they're in the front row. I can barely get shots of the musicians because of the layout of the church. The way the decor and seating are arranged, we can't even get photos of the bridal party, even if we had longer lenses. By the time we get to the Marian Devotion portion of their mass, I have had enough. After struggling to get a shot that the bride and groom explicitly said they wanted, I send my second discretely up the front to capture it, but we were too late in the end.
Upon heading to the back of the church, the event coordinator walks up to my wife and sternly tells her that she's being disruptive and can't go up that far for photos, which drives me over the edge. I confront her (quietly of course) saying that their rules are hindering our ability to do the job that we were paid to do. She reiterates that she doesn't make the rules, to which I respond that I received permission from the person who does, as well as the bride. Her response is, and I quote, "Well that's just not cool." She then tells us that we're moving around too much and too quickly and being distracting. Apparently, casually and quietly walking around the edges of the church, as instructed, qualifies as such. Never mind the two dozen small children that are making noise and running around, or the crying babies being taken from their pews to the back of the church. We are the distraction. She spends the rest of the mass talking behind our backs to her little henchman helping her with the ceremony, both of whom stare daggers at us the rest of the ceremony.
I've never had to deal with something like this before. Sure I've worked with restrictions, but never anything this rigid. I fully understand that it's their facility and they can make the rules however they please, and I'm sure they're there for a reason. However, when you are permitted by the person who makes said rules to bend them a bit, I don't think there's an excuse to be made. To me, this was very clearly someone who was given a small amount of power and takes it to a level of seriousness that is completely unnecessary. Likely because she can't do so anywhere else in her life.
I also get that there's an argument to the made that if I'm going to shoot weddings then I should have all the necessary equipment to do so, which I believe that I do. Does it help that I have to share that equipment with my second? No, but again, it's worked out just fine for the entirety of my career. This is my side gig, and we all know how expensive equipment can be.
So, my question is whether I should reach out to the church with my experience in hopes of inspiring some sort of change for future photographers. Again, I know there are plenty of places that operate like this (if not worse) and at the end of the day, we all have to make do. This particular set of circumstances, and how it was managed on their end, just don't sit well with me though. I'm curious to hear your thoughts.

Right now I live with my ex. Literally just signed the lease. We broke up two, going into three weeks ago because essentially he drinks and it's a big part of his life, I don't drink and I have ptsd around it. He never drank around me the first 4months of our relationship. By the last 6months we didn't go out on dates, just whatever boring parties (no offense to anyone who likes that I just don't <3 ). Recently I was like, hey I've come really far with this but I'll get better and then you keep wanting more and more from me. (He wanted me to go to an adult themed bar and I'm like seriously). 8 months in on New Years he brought up maybe wanting to possibly be poly and have an open relationship which I immediately shut down and said, figure yourself out I'm not doing that and if you need that, I'm not for you. He never got back to me about any of it.
Digressing. We broke up because I was tired of him just not knowing what he wanted. He also hasn't had a job for 10months. I'm renting a room in the apartment he's in, so it's thankfully separated finances. Made that mistake ex before him.
I just? Feel really upset? I knew something was up before I moved in and he said he "didn't want to upset me" so waited until after I moved in to figure out if he, quote "still wanted to be with me, and figure that out" which after a week I said, essentially, no this is over. How long did he want me to wait? He didn't know.
Anyways. I live with him now. It's still safe. But I'm so emotional. I'm doing ACOA, going to church, did OT at work weekends till they said no more of that right now. I'm joining some rescue/animal organizations to help but that's just weekends cause thier all 2hours round trip.
I guess I needed to vent. But any advice is helpful? I have to keep setting boundaries. First three days after the break up He kept hugging me which I told him to stop, unless he asks first. And he was originally all, you can come cuddle with me to which I laughed in his face and said no. He can't stand people being upset but 80% of why I'm upset is literally because I live there and feel trapped about it.
TLDR: Advice for living with ex when they have zero boundaries and seem fine.

I am married to a (wayward) covert narcissist (M/51). One of the many, many things he does that drives me batty is narcissistic monologuing. If you're wondering what it is, here's a really good article about it:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-narcissist-in-your-life/202002/are-you-being-bullied-narcissistic-monologuing
I thought I was crazy for a long time, feeling beaten up and abused by covert narc's and his mom's incessant babble-fests, where they don't let anyone get a word in edgewise. While covert narc wayward husband is bad, the mom is AWFUL. She'll talk a blue streak for an hour straight. Covert narc husband, his sister, and their dad insist she must be permitted to ramble on and on, no matter what, lest she become "upset." Heaven forbid you have to take a piss at any point. But she'll just one-sidedly babble your ear off when you return. Are you permitted to ask a question? Interject? Sip water? No.
On one occasion, this poor guy was at her house to give her a quote, and she bent his ear until he practically ran out of the house. Some endless nonsense about her sisters and the old country that made no fucking sense at all.
I remember we "had to!" let her tell some impossible-to-understand, rambling story on Thanksgiving, which resulted in all of us having to eat stone cold food.
While covert narc husband isn't quite as bad about the verbal dominance in general, he can be sometimes, especially when he has to go on a long monologue about work. We've been in restaurants, and he'll babble for so long without taking a bite of his food that everyone else's plates are cleared, and he'll finally start to eat. I'm like, do you not think about other people's comfort, the timing of the meal, or anything like that? It's all about you HAVING TO tell some shitty, specific work tale that no one gives the slightest fuck about? Do you have any concept that other people exist, and maybe their comfort could be taken into consideration, just a little?
That made me think back to the second time I ran into covert narc husband, LONG ago. We were at a party, and he told some insanely long story about something that had happened at his job. After about five minutes of him running at the mouth about a topic no one gave as much of a shit about as he thought they did, everyone around him scattered, except for me. I was trying to be polite. Holy shit, he did not stop yammering for an hour.
So you have any experience with your spouse's monologuing?