Okay so to begin with I'm a fairly reserved quite guy that tries to be helpful at work, however tonight was different. Over the last couple weeks I've dislocated my shoulder on 3 seperate occasions (I'm going to the doctor so don't worry about that), and tonight the pain was really getting to me so I stayed pretty silent throughout the shift so I wouldn't upset anyone. This however, may have upset people more than I thought it would. I learned this after my shift when I was venting to some people close to me and I was describing how the shift went and my close friends told me that even though I was quite and didn't yell with my personallity being silent and icing people out could have been considered worse then yelling. Idk what to really think I thought I was doing good by not being overtly angry and yelling at people, but now I just feel bad because I really don't want to create an uncofortable work environment. Should I appologize to people that may have been effected, or what, I really don't want people to misunderstand my feelings and I really don't want to have upset anyone.

I'll try to simplify things as much as possible. I'm a fresh college graduate with a BS in Electrical Engineering. I had a really light senior year of college, so I used that as an opportunity to pick up two different internships to get experience in two different fields I was interested in since I wasn't really sure what I wanted to do for a career. Both were aware that I was working at two different internships. I worked at both for the better part of a year, and I must have impressed both because they both made really good offers. I like both jobs equally, they both have their pros and cons, so I thought I would simply just go with the job with the best offer.
I got them both on the same day, actually one of them was kind of unexpected as I didn't expect to get an offer from this job. Initially one was lower than the other, but then HR stepped in last second and surpassed the other job offer quite significantly in my benefits, I let the other job know and I was initially told that the offer they gave me was the best they could do. So, I sat on it for about a day and then Friday I let my boss know that I was taking the other offer since it was better than what they were offering me, no hard feelings from either party, my boss even came in as I was packing up my stuff to let me know if I ever changed my mind he would make a position available. I thought things were all good.
This is when things took a turn, HR at this position then asked me to do an exit interview. The HR representative I was talking to was clearly annoyed at me that I turned down such a good offer and was asking what things this other place was offering that made me turn down the position. I go ahead and tell them, and they said things among the lines of "there is sometimes wiggle room for these cases" and "you should have reached out" and was trying to give me life advice if this situation were to ever happen to me again, understandably so. To be honest, I was just scared to ask for more because I've had a couple friends get offers pulled just because they asked for more and I didn't want to risk losing this one or leaving on bad terms. I stopped her and let her know that I hadn't signed the other offer yet (I tried, but I needed my work badge to actually log in and sign it and my badge was at home) and that I hadn't given the other place my decision. So, she then stopped my exit process, asked me to send her my other offer and my resume, she wanted to see if she could maybe match or counter the offer somehow, but it was going to take a day or two and that I was going to still be an employee temporarily while this was sorted out. I'm sure I just created a frantic scramble in this jobs HR department inadvertently.
I then have to call the other job that I was about to accept and tell them I need a few days to reflect on my decision (the offer letter said I had until the 22nd to accept or decline it), but they were expecting an answer from me Friday because they were hoping for me to do some training on new stuff this week. The tone I got from the call wasn't the best, they did not sound happy. Especially since they initially weren't going to offer me anything due to company conditions then scrambled to make me an offer last second after I asked if there was a way for me to still work there post-graduation making a plea to higher-ups.
This whole situation was not my intent, I didn't expect them to start counter offering each other, it doesn't help they both did it last second. I simply just wanted to pick the job with the better offer and leave the other on good terms. Now I feel like whichever job I pick I'm going to be starting on thin ice with HR and I will be burning the bridge of the other job opportunity I didn't take. Crazy enough, I think this whole thing could have been avoided if they had just sent me the offer back in March like they supposedly planned to, but I didn't receive anything until the day before I graduated apparently due to some error. Nobody communicated this to me so that's why I asked the other job to see if there was any way they could offer me something as I had no confirmation if I had a job or not at this other place, next thing I knew I had two offers handed to me the same day. I was just trying to avoid being jobless right out of college.
As of right now technically I only have the one job offer as the other one expired yesterday, however HR at that place is working on making a counteroffer. I'm also just worried that this job offer might get pulled because of all this back and forth, it is stressing me out. Even if that were to happen, I'm pretty sure this other place would reinstate their initial offer for me to sign even if HR couldn't beat the other offer, especially since they are going to all this trouble last second.
Thanks for attending my Ted Talk to the handful that actually read all that. Sorry, this has been stressing me out all day and sometimes writing these things out helps me unscramble my thoughts. Also, thanks the HR person for the life advice.

Hello, my wife is going for an H4 visa stamping next week and has used my I797 extension (that starts in September 2024) while filling her DS-160.
We need the visa's validity to start earlier because we need to head back in July 2024 itself to prepare for kids' school, etc. For this, we are planning to include a letter to the consulate in the dropbox application sharing my current I797 receipt number which is valid through September 2024 (after which the extn kicks in).
Along with adding the letter in her dropbox application, do we need to include anything else? And, is this even possible that the VO gives an earlier start date by taking into consideration the I797 receipt number that is NOT in the DS-160 application?
Please let me know if you need any other details on this.
PS - she is eligible for dropbox because she still has a valid H-1B stamp in her passport (she quit working late last year and moved to India)

This is my first script. Please be kind. If it sucks, it sucks, but I had fun writing it nonetheless. Please link me if you use/fill it. I would love to hear your take on it. Free to monetize, Youtube, Patreon, whatever, I just want to hear it. :)
P.S. I know people hate seeing other characters lines a lot -- so I just covered them for other people and if you want to see them, just click on them -- there just little responses that helped me continue writing the script.
Speaker: You are Killian James a.k.a. Hook. Your eyes are the color of the sea, your hair is dark as night, and you are dashing, troubled, and flirtatious. The lilt of an accent gives you a melodic tone, and your personality is dark, playful, and direct. You are comfortable in three-piece suits, and are a dangerous man with many secrets.
Listener: Your name is Wendy. Your friends have convinced you to go to a bar downtown in the more dangerous part of the city due to rumors, only they end up bailing without you. You are going to go home after you finish your drink. The bar is called Never Land, Where, according to your friends rumors, the owner is a mysterious man that they all seem fascinated with. Apparently, he is tall, dark, and handsome – a devil of a man that goes by a strange name. They call him… Hook.

Scene setter: Italics
SpeakeVA: Plain text with "quotes" outside of the sentence/phrases
Internal monologue: Bold/italics
Action of character or SFX: ((Double Parenthesis))
Response from a character: ((pause))

((SFX – The club is above this basement 'torture chamber' area-you can hear the music of the club playing muffled. The basement area is clean and not dungeon-y but is more of a modern torture chamber with drains for easy ah… clean up))
SCENE: There is a man chained/tied up. Hook enters the room, looking almost bored that he needs to be there. He takes off his jacket, handing it to one of his henchmen, leaving the vest on, before he unbuttons his cuffs and starts rolling the sleeves up.
“I’m not pleased that our shipment is late, Mr. Jukes. It was supposed to arrive on a super yacht named the ‘Jolly Roger’ today with a bunch of rich snobs who were none the wiser. Your men guaranteed me that it would arrive with the staff and be loaded off on the dock shortly after, however, that is yet to come to fruition, and I am not a patient man.”

--

((SFX: VA puts on leather gloves, stretches fingers and gets comfortable in them))
“I am aware that they have taken a detour due to a storm, Jukes – but your mismanagement of my time, and my money, are not to be forgotten. Bad form, Jukes! Bad form!”

((SFX: dragging knife sound – //our character uses a tactical Hook knife. It’s typically for gutting deer – not really necessary to know, it’s just to flesh out the character for you//, Hook approaches slowly))
--
“I know it won't happen again. Don’t worry, Jukes, since this is your first time having erred with me, I shall simply leave you with a small reminder. I expect the shipment to be directed to our port swiftly, otherwise,” ((small cruel laugh)) “I won’t be nearly as lenient again.”

((SFX chains straining, screaming that becomes muffled screaming, as Hook takes his knife and leaves the man with a Cheshire Grin/Glasglow Smile up one side of his face, heavy breathing for a moment, as he returns and throws his knife down on the table)) --
“Get me my other three-piece suit from my office and a clean shirt. I’ve got this bastard’s blood all over me. He's not to be given his freedom until I hear that the shipment has come in from the Jolly Roger. If it does not go to plan – we will have to take further, more drastic actions and I don’t want to have to find this cad, Mr. Jukes again. Do I make myself clear?”
((henchmen answer))
“Good.”
((SFX – him pulling off the leather gloves and getting changed))
“One of you stay here and watch him. Tonight I’ll be on the club floor. I’m not to be interrupted until The Crocodile has made contact. Is that understood?”
((pause))
“Good. That is all.”
((he leaves))

((SFX – transition to this however you like))
\*modern day, bar scene/sounds (*no* jazz or classical music - it's a nightclub), people mingling in the background. In enters our VA/Hook.*

“Tinkerbell, pour me my usual, will you, dear?”
((Tink is quick, and slides him his drink. Sip, sigh, and pause as he looks around)) (( This internal thought is not necessary but if you want to, go for it ))
\*internal thought*\** Who’s this? Oh my, sweet lamb, you are definitely in the wrong place.
“Tink, one last thing, could you possibly tell me anything about that young woman there? The one in blue.”
((listening intently for a moment))
“Hm. Lovely. Thank you, dear.”
((SFX – he puts down his drink, footsteps/fine Italian leather shoes approaching the young lady who is at the bar))
“Well, well, well… Isn’t that a beautiful dress on an even more beautiful woman. That color of blue really suits you. You… are a piece of art. A fascinating and intriguing piece of art. However, you don’t quite seem like you belong here.”
((pause))
“Someone as divine as you, as *innocent* as you, dressed as you are, doesn’t really seem to fit in. Not in this kind of place. You look more like you would fit in one of the high-class jazz lounges uptown. Martinis, a piano player, velvet couches and the like. Do you think that you fit in amongst these gentlemen of fortune and these women dressed in their slinky club clothes? Look around, do you see the patrons here?”
((short pause as she looks around))
“Don’t you see? You are simply dressed too elegantly for a place like this. No, you, my dear, are definitely not the type that belongs amongst these fiends. You belong uptown. Not here, amongst the dregs of society like us. Your mannerisms are too graceful, you walk with pride and your chin up – this is not the body language of one of my people.”
((pause))
“Well, I happen to own this establishment, Never Land, so I am rather familiar with the likes of the people who tend to come through its doors, and I have never seen you before. You seem quite unforgettable. Could I have the pleasure of having your name?”
((pause))
“Wendy… What a lovely name for such a lovely woman. Well, Wendy, darling – my name is Killian. My friends call me Hook.”
((pause))
“So many questions! What an inquisitive slip of a thing you are. Perhaps, we could talk over a drink?”
((*VA snaps fingers* Bartender Tinkerbell approaches immediately and waits)) ((ListeneWendy begins to decline))
“Don’t fret, darling. It’s just a drink. Should you find yourself not interested in our conversation or in me, you are more than welcome to leave and go back uptown to the *safe* areas of the city, where the likes of people like me and my ilk will be of no bother to you ever again. But should I pique your interest, perhaps allow me the grace of your presence again in the future.”
((pause))
“Just one drink. And nothing more.”
((ListeneWendy accepts))
“Delightful! Tink, if you could get us another round. One of whatever the lady was drinking, and my usual.”
((short pause as he takes her in before sighing and leaning in closer to speak to her))
“Darling, do tell me, why have you wandered into the seedy underbelly of our city? What is it exactly that you are searching for? Mystery? Intrigue?"
((whispers // into her ear))
"...*Danger*?”
((VA leans back and there is a sly curling of his lips into a crooked smile))
“Mm, that blush really does make me think that you truly are as innocent as I originally thought, Darling. Albeit, I am sure you knew what kind of danger you could get into coming to a place like this. You may be looking for danger, but it seems danger has found you instead.”
((pause))
“Oh, yes, danger. There is plenty of danger here. However, it seems like that’s something you seem to be searching for. Should I inquire as to –“
((VA leans in once more))
“What *kind* of danger you are looking for? See, Darling, that’s the thing about danger… You may only want a little but you never truly know how much you’re going to get.”
((pause))
((VA - practically whispered across her lips or ear, you imagine how close you want to get))
“Ah, yes, Wendy, darling. I happen to be very… Very… Dangerous.”
((Listener steps back))
((he gives a low chuckle))
“Do I … make you … Nervous?”
((short pause and VA steps forward as Listener shakes her head defiantly))
“Or perhaps, I am not the kind of danger you are looking for?”
((closer))
“Do you even *know* what you are looking for, my little lamb?”
((dangerously close to her))
((pause))
((drinks come at this time delivered by Tink – VA returns to less invasive persona))
"Ah, thank you, Tink. You’ve impeccable timing. Shall we? I’d love to take this to a VIP booth I prefer to sit in. It will give us a little more privacy and won’t be as loud. Come now, pet."
((footsteps/music/whatever SFX have them move to a slightly quieter place, sit in a booth))
"Do you mind, Darling? I’d much rather be sitting next to you than across the table. That way I can hear you better. Yes, that’s it, just move in a little further."
((this gives no escape for Listener as James/Hook is between the easy exit and her – SFX of her moving over if you want to get technical and him sitting next to her))
((pause))
“Ah, *that*. The name Hook… It is simply from a childhood long ago. Raised in an orphanage with many other lost boys like myself. It’s a truly heartbreaking story, I’m sure, but I’d like you to remember our first meeting in a different light. Not melancholy and deep, dark secrets. Not yet, anyway. Perhaps, if you decide to embark on a journey with me in the future, or are willing to grace me with your presence again, we can discuss it then.”
((Listener nods, nervously))
((he leans in))
“But you, Wendy, darling –“
((whispered // reaches out to draw a finger down her jawline as he looks from her eyes to her mouth))
“You still haven’t answered me.”
((pause))
“About what *kind* of danger you are looking for…”
((pause // leaning in))
“Are you looking for something – just a wee bit threatening? Perhaps something that will get the heart pumping momentarily?”
((pause // leaning in))
“Or perhaps, a singular thrilling night before the sun rises and the fun is over?”
((pause // leaning in))
“Or… are you looking for something darker? Something much more dangerous. Something soul shattering that will devour you whole? Something that makes you question your morals… Your boundaries… Something that will burn you to ash and will leave you begging me for more even once I break you?”
((kisses Wendy))
“Do you know what kind of danger you want yet, darling? That last one… It is not a wise idea for a sweet little lamb like you, but I promise... You’ll love it.”

You know that some people you like might have overlaps with you but they still value something more than you did, and it's almost impossible to find a person who has the exactly same value with you.
The best way to solve this problem is to do things you like first then if you still got time you can satisfy others' values.
But I got a question, can a person truly love another? Or just love the imagination of that person? If you can't accept that person as a whole, how can you say that you love them? You just love some traits of that person, and it's totally like kind of like a trade, we trade different traits we have to get others' favors. It's somehow like the principle of economics, yeah people like to maximize their utility, everything is this simple….. Nothing fancy or romantic, people love what they love rather than love who you are.
So it's easy to understand why you feel so painful all the time as a kind of people who are described as "intp", you are born to have different kinds of values from the rest of the world. What you value is knowledge, creativity, critical thinking, curiosity, innovation, intuition, imagination, deep conversation….but others value senses much more than you did, that's why they focus much more on appearance and all that stuff that makes them "look attractive", also those activities such as hanging out and partying….also they value their "feelings" more so that they need other's recognition of themselves which means you need to constantly pay attention to their emotions and feelings so that you won't make them feel hurt.


Okay here are some reasons that I think makes who I am:
Objective: I spend a lot of time alone no matter at home or in school all my life, that is to say I spend less time than others playing outside, which makes me feel more comfortable and natural to be alone and think.
Subjective:
since I can spend time alone and don't need much companionship and interaction with others and don't feel bored that way that is basically because most my hobbies don't need others anticipation, such like reading books, writing diaries, watching movies, listening to music, and my favorite one---surfing internet….. So basically all of them make me tend to stay away from people around me.
I am super slow to react to environment stimulation, such like I hate noise since I can remember, I don't like activities that requires a lot of interaction with others like party or group chatting or something like that. I easily feel tired when I joined these kinds of activities.


Okay those are stuff I think randomly and I'm eating right now so there might be a lot of factors I missed. What reasons do you think that makes you who you are? ( I don't think anyone is better than others but I do find it's interesting to know the reasons behind the diversity of humans)
Welcome to share your opinions below! Good morning afternoon and evening whenever you see this post!❤️

I’d like to start off by saying I don’t expect a response, but I want to take full responsibility for my many wrongs throughout our relationship and offer the clarity and apology I failed to give you during our breakup. I’ve had time to think about our relationship and realize I at least owe you this.
During our relationship, I was lazy, emotionally unavailable, and failed to give you the support you deserved. I was so selfishly wrapped up in my own life, I didn’t truly acknowledge how little I was putting in and how much it was affecting you. When I should’ve been happy for you hanging out with friends, I made hurtful jokes due to my own insecurities, which put you through completely unnecessary stress and anxiety. When you needed my affection most I couldn’t even display it which must’ve made you feel horrible and so under appreciated. When you actually needed me most, I should’ve been there helping you progress as a person, but instead, I dragged you down, despite you showing me so much affection and support. You deserved so much more than how I treated you, and I should’ve never put you through that much pain and suffering.
No one should ever go through the heartbreak and disrespect I caused you. I’m so sorry for betraying your trust in the many ways that I did. After you trusted me so much to even be your first, I betrayed you because of my stupidly corrupt mind. Even if I didn’t plan on taking further steps, the fact I interacted with her in the first place was a complete betrayal of your trust and betrayal to our relationship. I’ve thought about some things that I believe led me down that path of not only betraying you but my own morals and have completely removed them from my life.
I often was too self-absorbed to even text you when all you were asking was the bare minimum, for me to check in with you throughout the day or text you back while with friends, and it made me realize how much I need to work on myself as a person. Not only work on how I need to treat others, but how I recognize and receive the affection and appreciation others give me so I never make someone feel as undervalued as I made you feel.
I’m writing this to take responsibility and to show the immense shame I feel for myself and my actions. If there was any doubt at all, I want to make it clear that everything was completely my fault. Because of my past experiences, my lack of respect for my time to heal, and my failure to acknowledge my unhealthy habits, I ended up hurting you. When I look back at our relationship, I reminisce about the amazing moments we had, but I am disgusted by the person I became towards the end, and can’t blame you for seeing me the same. I see now I was ignoring all the signs telling me I was doing things wrong out of my own foolishness, thinking that I was at peace.
You were the first person to ever show me unconditional love, and although I didn’t know it until it was too late, it showed me to appreciate everyone in my life while they’re in it as much as possible, because it can change in an instant. When you said, “I know you never said it, but I loved you since before we started dating,” it showed me how broken I really was. You gave me your all, and I couldn’t even recognize that.
After talking to my therapist, I’ve come to find out that I have a really hard time acknowledging and accepting affection because I’ve had a hard time giving it to myself. You treated me like nobody has before, and all I could give back was a half hearted job, broken trust, and had you questioning the reality of our relationship. I’m truly sorry. I wish I had correctly expressed myself during our time together so you knew how much you really meant to me.
The things I said in those messages weren’t my true thoughts or plans about our relationship. In the desperation to escape the situation I created, I said anything I thought might deescalate it. I’m sorry. I hope you didn’t think for a second I wanted to give you up so easily as I did, but I knew after what I did, I was in no position to ask for anything and wasn’t worth going back to as the person I was that day. I know I broke your heart, but if you ever give me the chance, I would spend every day for the rest of my life putting it back together. If you ever feel open to allowing me to show you the person I've been working to become, I think you’d be proud of the progress I’ve made and what’s to come as I don’t plan to stop. Regardless I would be deeply grateful for the opportunity to show you and to listen to your perspective whatever it may be.
I’m currently 45 days free from porn as I partially blame my addiction for my decision making and all drugs so I can be true to myself at all times. I’ve been working day to day to improve myself as a person, from my everyday life to my personal relationships with the ones in my life, with help from a therapist, because I’m serious about my change.
I hope this letter finds you well, if you take anything from this please understand that I’m truly ashamed and sorry for my actions and all the pain I’ve caused you, I’ve genuinely been working my hardest to change as a person, and if not for me, you are worth changing every bit of myself for.
Regardless of what the future holds for us thank you for all the love, support, and happy memories you gave me, and with my most sincere apologies, I’m sorry it ended the way it did and for all the way’s I’ve wronged you.

So, I posted this theory a while back but it seems that most people didn’t read through it due to it being too long. So here I am back again with my best to briefly summarize the theory with the major points of evidence from the comics that I have found. It’s still going to be a lot but, hopefully, this will help get the broad idea across. Then if you have any specific points you can hopefully find them answered in the sections beneath it.
For context, you only need to read the Basic Premise section to get the basic gist of the theory, all the remaining sections are where I outline the evidence to support it.
~Basic Premise~

Nightcrawler is the Winding Way is basically the idea that X-Men’s Nightcrawler got his soul ripped in half when he was a child by his adopted mother – Margali Szardos – who used the magical half of Kurt’s soul to form the source of her power, the Winding Way.
Nightcrawler would have inherited this magical power from Azazel, who he is still technically biologically related to, as well as potentially the combination of genes from Mystique, Destiny, and Baron Wagner.
Amanda Sefton – after seeing Margali use Illyana’s Soul-Sword to obtain power in the Winding Way, took over Limbo to study it before fusing it with Kurt’s soul in the hopes of being able to use the Soul-Sword to undo her mother’s work and restore Kurt to being whole again.
Ultimately, Destiny gave the baby Kurt to Margali knowing full well she would do this to him to hide his true power from Enigma (the Nathaniel Essex that became a Dominion), who she had Kurt concieved in order to defeat.
Additionally, she told Margali of a prophecy about a Soul-Sword falling into Margali’s hands knowing that Margali would attempt to steal Belasco’s Soul-Sword, that Belasco would turn his attention to Nightcrawler to steal that magical power for herself which would result in Illyana being kidnapped by Belasco after he gave up trying to steal the power from Kurt and thus create said Soul-Sword as well as – eventually – the Hope-sword.

~Part 1 – Margali Szardos is the Worst Adoptive Mother of All Time~
Margali Szardos is a powerful witch in Marvel comics who has shown being particularly hungry for magical power – doing everything from manipulating her daughter, Amanda Sefton, into getting her Illyana’s Soul-Sword so that she could use it in a killing spree to obtain magical power from her victims (Excalibur #85), to attempting to steal the power of a demon living under London nearly destroying it in the process (Excalibur #100), to forcibly mind-swapping with her daughter to save herself leaving Amanda to be tortured by Belasco (revealed X-Men: Unlimited #19), opening a magical rift to the World Beyond to obtain its power which forced her daughter to sacrifice herself to close it (4^th Nightcrawler series #1-4), to finally selling Nightcrawler out to ORCHIS to obtain the Hope-sword that was lodged in Kurt’s chest (Legion of X #7-10).
All of these villainous actions raise an important question – why did Margali adopt Nightcrawler? After all, it’s not like Margali went around adopting children – only Nightcrawler. In fact, outside of Kurt, the only other child that Margali has ever displayed an interest in obtaining was a young Scarlet Witch (Mystic Arcanum: Scarlet Witch) which is concerning given just how magically powerful Scarlet Witch is.
This all points to the idea that Margali only took Kurt in because she got something out of it – very likely magical power. This wouldn’t be nearly so concerning if Margali Szardos wasn’t also the Sorceress Supreme of one of the most mysterious and unexplained magical systems in all of Marvel.
~Part 2 – The Winding Way is WIERD~
So, I’m just going to come out and say it - the Winding Way makes no sense in the current understanding of magic in Marvel Comics. Even characters like Dr. Strange – one of Marvel’s masters of magic – has basically no idea how the Winding Way actually operates. There is a data page in Legion of X #9 that outlines the basics of what the Winding Way is and how it operates.
According to the data page, the Winding Way is an exocentric magic system – that is to say a form of magic that is powered by an external source to the user – which its various wielders experience cycles of power and powerlessness. As far as characters like Strange are aware, it remains unclear if there is a physical “Way” or if that is simply metaphor.
The strange thing about the Winding Way is that there is no other magical system in Marvel where this cycle of users having powers and being powerless is even a thing. Whenever an exocentrically powered sorcerer loses their powers, it is always a form of punishment. This is true with Dr. Strange when he lost 99% of his powers back during the War of the Seven Spheres story. This is true with Juggernaut who loses his powers whenever he and Cyttorak – the entity that powers the crimson gem that Juggernaut uses for his powers. It’s even true for someone like Thor and his hammer. No where else in Marvel is there a system of magic where cycles of power is a thing.
All of this raises the question of whether the fluctuating cycles of power the Winding Way are actually a natural part of the Winding Way or whether they due to something else – like, say the power source of the Winding Way trying to continuously punish the various practitioners but being unable to due to their attention being split up.
Ultimately, the only truth that we can glean about the Winding Way is that nobody but the practitioners of the Winding Way ultimately know how it works and even then, characters like Margali and Amanda have proven time and again that their word cannot be trusted.
~Part 3 – the Szardos Family, Cthon, & Wundagore Mountain~
Interestingly, a different Sorcerer Supreme Sgt. Sebastian Szardos – the Sorcerer Supreme of World War II – has his own insights about the Winding Way, though they are rather vague. Firstly, in the 8^th series of Avengers #50, Sebastian claims that the Winding Way has ties with Mt. Wundagore – which was famously the tomb of Cthon before Scarlet Witch absorbed him. This seems to suggest that the Winding Way originates either via Cthon or his creation – the Darkhold.
What is more interesting is that the Winding Way doesn’t seem to be practiced during the time of the Second World War as Sgt. Szardos states that only his great grandmother on his mothers side even knew about the Winding Way – Sebastian himself clearly wasn’t a practicing member. This is peculiar as Margali Szardos demonstrates an unusual amount of familiarity with the position of Sorcerer Supreme in Uncanny X-Men Annual #4 when she stole the Eye of Agamotto off of Dr. Strange with a mere gesture. Given that Sebastian and Margali share the last name and Sebastian was a known former Sorcerer Supreme while Margali – as far as I can tell – has never been, this would seem to suggest that there is some sort of familial connection between Margali and Sebastian. This in turn seems to suggest that the Winding Way experienced some sort of revival with Margali.
My theory is that the Winding Way started out as a sort of ritual that originated with the Darkhold and was initially practiced by the Szardos family over the centuries to siphon power off of Cthon to keep him in check and imprisoned - hence why there are other Szardos clan members such as Theodosia as shown in that run of Avengers. This would mean that if my theory of Nightcrawler being the Winding Way is true, then it would mean that he is only the current source of the Winding Way.
~Part 4 – Nightcrawler is still related to Azazel (and Azazel is a demon)~
Now a major aspect in this is that Nightcrawler is where exactly would Nightcrawler’s magical powers come from? After all, he’s the son of Mystique and Destiny – two mutants with no sort of magical capabilities, right? Well, that’s… complicated.
Firstly, it’s important to note that the X-Men Origins: Blue retcon is… frankly, not very well thought out. There are a bunch of things that it just gets plain wrong and contradict a bunch of previously established X-Men lore – everything from the fact that Destiny would have been too old to give birth to Nightcrawler, to Rogue’s age being way too young (she was adopted by D&M when she was 13 not 5), to the fact that Mystique canonically cannot mimic mutant x-genes - meaning Nightcrawler shouldn’t have teleportation with this retcon, and much, much more. On top of all that, the fact that the only evidence supporting the idea that it ever even happened is from Mystique and Destiny – two of Marvel’s most notorious liars – and you got yourself an extremely messy and rather dubious retcon.
Putting all that aside, going based on what the retcon has established there are a few ways in which Kurt might have inherited some sort of magical power.
Primarily, Kurt is still technically related to Azazel – yes, Mystique “mimicked” Azazel’s DNA in Kurt’s conception but given that in genetics it is the sequence of DNA that matters and not the source of that sequence, Mystique’s “Mimicked” DNA is still ostensibly Azazel’s DNA. Azazel is an established master of dark magic – specifically soul magic – and used to rule over a legit Hell Dimension during the time of Kurt’s birth – making him a legit hell lord similar to Mephisto or Dormammu. Given that Hell Lords are also considered the Sorcerer Supremes (as in the strongest) of their respective dimension, this would suggest that Azazel once held some major power, regardless of if he’s a demon or not. And as it has been established, magic is inheritable as shown with Clea (the daughter of Umar), Daimon Hellstrom (son of Marduk Kurios), and at least half the cast of Strange Academy, it would stand to reason that Nightcrawler could also inherit magical power from him.
Now, I know what you are saying – “But, Azazel isn’t a demon! Chuck Austen said so!” And while, yes, Chuck Austen has clearly gone on record to say that Azazel is only a demonic looking mutant instead of an actual demon, it’s been kind of invalidated by the thing that every other writer for Azazel – including the likes of Chris Claremont – have referred to Azazel as a demon at least once either on-panel or in interviews. And frankly, there’s nothing in the lore that says that Azazel cannot be both a demon and a mutant – after all, Magik is both a demon and a mutant at the same time. And let’s be real here, Chuck Austen doesn’t deserve nice things when it comes to the X-Men.
However, Azazel is not the only DNA that Mystique apparently mimicked – Baron Christian Wagner was also added onto that list for some reason. This is odd as why would Destiny and Mystique feel the need to include Baron Wagner at all in the genetic makeup of Nightcrawler unless there was something special about the Baron. However, the only uniquely genetic thing we learn about him is that he’s seemingly infertile – which may suggest that there is some sort of genetic anomaly going on with him, such as maybe a repressed X-gene.
~Part 5 – Amanda Sefton/Jimaine Szardos history in Marvel Comics~
Another aspect of this theory is that – if it is true – it suddenly explains a lot of what Kurt’s ex, Amanda Sefton has been doing in comics since she was first introduced in 1976. You see, Amanda Sefton followed Kurt back from Germany and began dating him under a different name – which Kurt was not aware of. She only reveals the truth after the events of Uncanny X-Men Annual #4. This unfortunately supports Kurt’s accusation in Uncanny X-Men #206 that Amanda used a spell to make Kurt fall in love with her to begin with – an accusation which Amanda has never confirmed nor denied.
Amanda’s peculiar behavior continued into Excalibur where she was manipulated by Margali into obtaining Illyana’s Soul-Sword from Kitty Pryde – who had previously given the Soul-Sword to Dr. Doom and then Darkoth, with it returning to her both times. Upon obtaining the Soul-Sword, Margali then used it to go on a killing spree against the other members of the Winding Way to obtain their power for herself. Following this, Margali’s failed attempt to steal the power of a demon beneath London, and Kurt and Margali rescuing Amanda from Belasco after Margali body-swapped with her daughter to save her own skin – Amanda ended up taking over Limbo, supposedly in the name of protecting earth.
However, then we have the smoking gun of Amanda’s meddling – during the 3^rd Nightcrawler solo series, it is revealed that Amanda fused the Soul-Sword with Nightcrawler without telling him. Her reason for doing so? “To protect the Soul-Sword from falling into the wrong hands.” This lie is so glaringly bad that not even Nightcrawler buys it and he calls Amanda out for not being honest with him.
~Part 6 – Amanda’s Bad Lie and What it Means~
And frankly why would anyone believe Amanda’s claim? Amanda is a sorceress – which means that she is infinitely more qualified than Nightcrawler to keep the Soul-Sword safe than he is. Even if she couldn’t do so, why didn’t she take the Soul-Sword to someone like Dr. Strange?
On top of that, Amanda took the Soul-Sword away from Kitty Pryde claiming that Kitty wasn’t qualified to keep the Soul-Sword safe due to her not being a trained sorceress. Well, guess who’s also not trained in sorcery and thus – by Amanda’s own logic - would not be able to keep the Soul-Sword safe? Nightcrawler.
Except, Kitty technically was able to keep the Soul-Sword out of the wrong hands – back during Excalibur #37 she phased the Soul-Sword into a rock which even Rachel Summers channeling the power of the Phoenix Force was not able to remove it from – it wasn’t removed until Doom came knocking and got Kitty to willingly remove it for him. So why couldn’t Amanda do something similar? Why fuse it with Kurt and endanger him?
And to top it all off, Amanda still needed the Soul-Sword. She was ruling over Limbo – a dangerous hell dimension full of power-hungry demons. Her magical powers are of the Winding Way – meaning that they wax and wane. So quite literally, Amanda needs the Soul-Sword – a weapon which every demon in Limbo fears – to keep herself in power; something which was proven in New X-Men #37 when Belasco walked back into Limbo and ousted her.
~Part 7 – Amanda took over Limbo to learn about the Soul-Sword~
So, what was Amanda really up to? Well, to understand Amanda’s actions in the 3^rd Nightcrawler series, we first need to go back to Amanda’s actions in previous series. What’s interesting is that Amanda’s interest in the Soul-Sword was first manifest through Margali – who reveals in Excalibur: Minus One that there is a prophecy that the Soul-Sword would pass first into Margali’s hands and then into Amanda’s hands but would result in both of their dooms.
However, Amanda doesn’t really demonstrate any sort of interest in the Soul-Sword until after Margali used it to obtain power in the Winding Way during Excalibur. While she didn’t get the opportunity to act after the events of Margali’s failed London project due to her mother mind-swapping with her, Amanda’s actions in taking over Limbo after X-Men: Unlimited #19 was more likely due to Amanda wanting to obtain and learn more about the Soul-Sword than about her trying to protect earth.
You see, as Limbo was in no position to even threaten earth until Belasco had obtained the Soul-Sword following Margali ending up there – meaning that if Amanda had simply obtained the Soul-Sword and left Limbo, Limbo would not have been able to endanger Earth. Instead, Amanda stayed. Why? Because if there was anywhere in the universe where you wanted to learn about a Soul-Sword and how it works, Limbo is the dimension to do so.
~Part 8 – Nightcrawler and Magik are… Soulmates?~
So, why did Amanda fuse the Soul-Sword with Nightcrawler? Well, ultimately because a major function of the Soul-Sword is that it can be used as a countercharm which can undo other spells – potentially meaning that Amanda could use it to undo the Winding Way and restore the two halves of Kurt’s soul back together again.
However, another aspect of the Soul-Sword is that it is dangerous to magical creatures and Kurt’s magical soul would already be weakened after years of being separated. Amanda must have figured that if she bonded the non-magical half of Kurt’s soul to the Soul-Sword would allow for her to bypass the more dangerous aspects of the Soul-Sword and allow her to restore Kurt.
And as a result of Amanda’s meddling, when a demonically possessed Pixie ripped the Soul-Sword out of Nightcrawler during X-Infernus, it left behind a void in Kurt’s Soul as established in Legion of X #10, which allowed for the Hopesword to later form. This also seemingly gave Illyana’s Soul-Sword a new ability to damage Techno-Organic beings which it did not possess before. This also means that Nightcrawler and Magik are… soul-mates(?) for the lack of a better term, as they are both bound together through the Soul-Sword after Amanda undid Illyana’s bond with Kitty, though this fact has never been established or confirmed in the comics.
~Part 9 – Destiny caused Magik to be kidnapped by Belasco~
Now, I noted in an earlier section that Margali’s fascination with the Soul-Sword was as a result of a prophecy – one that has at least partially come true. The prophecy as laid out during a flashback in Exalibur: Minus One was that the Soul-Sword would pass from into Margali’s hands and then Amanda’s but would result in both of their dooms. Illyana’s Soul-Sword was indeed obtained by Margali back in Excalibur #85 before she lost it to Belasco after falling to Limbo and the Soul-Sword was obtained again by Amanda after taking Limbo over in X-Men: Unlimited #19.
Now, this whole situation is peculiar as Margali herself is not a precog – outside of this one time, we never even hear her do anything similar ever again. However, we know that Destiny is a precog and we also know that she was the one who gave Kurt to Margali, as per the X-Men Origins: Blue retcon, meaning that this prophecy more than likely originates with Destiny. And really, this shouldn’t be a surprise – Mystique hinted at having some sort of a connection with Margali as far back as UXM #142 when she first met Nightcrawler, it was just never clarified what that connection was.
However, this prophecy would have been given to Margali before the Soul-Sword was ever made and before Illyana was even born, which means that either Destiny could predict Illyana being kidnapped by Belasco and creating the Soul-Sword as a result… or she caused Belasco to kidnap Illyana and create the Soul-Sword as a result.
Now, you may question how that’s even possible? After all, how could Destiny cause someone like Belasco to do something when the two haven’t even canonically met?
Well, for this, I would like to point out the unexplained animosity going on between Margali Szardos and Belasco. This is a rivalry that has been mentioned quite a few times – such as back in Excalibur: Minus One, X-Men: Unlimited #19, and the 3^rd Nightcrawler series. For some unexplained reason, Margali Szardos and Belasco have a lot of enmity for one another.
So, what’s the cause of this rivalry? Well, during the Dark Web event, Mary Jane Watson and Black Cat were captured by Belasco and sent to retrieve his Soul-Sword – which, as it is explained in the story is something that Belasco could not potentially use up until the events of Dark Web.
So here’s an idea – what if Destiny didn’t specify which Soul-Sword would end up in Margali’s hands, causing Margali to immediately assume that she was talking about Belasco’s (as that would have been the only one in existence at that point) and try to steal it from him.
This then drew Belasco’s attention and caused him to realize that Nightcrawler was somehow the source of Margali’s powers. This would be why Belasco even had his eyes on the X-Men to begin with and why there was a soulless Nightcrawler back in the original Magik series – Kurt was Belasco’s original target. However, the soulless Nightcrawler and Belasco’s obvious shift in attention to Illyana clearly points to the idea that whatever experiments Belasco tried to use to obtain that magical power from Kurt, it only ended in disaster – causing him to turn to Illyana as a replacement.
~Part 10 – the Big Picture… stopping Enigma~
So, if Destiny was ultimately the cause behind all of this – from orchestrating Kurt’s birth, to handing him off to Margali, to telling Margali the prophecy about the Soul-Sword, what is it all ultimately for?
Well, what it is almost certainly not for is the given answer of defeating Azazel. Simply put, Azazel has never been so major of a threat that creating a super special prophecy child was needed. Heck, he was killed in Dark X-Men by the demonic version of Nightcrawler, so how difficult would it have been for Mystique and Destiny to do it? No, Azazel’s defeat was a bonus that Irene used to justify Kurt’s birth to Raven, not the focus.
Ultimately, there’s only one answer as to who Kurt was conceived to stop – Enigma. The original Nathaniel Essex who transcended space and time and who Irene knew to be an existential threat to all Mutantkind.
This answer even explains some of Irene’s other past actions, such as why she was involved with the Black Womb project – yes, she was keeping an eye on Sinister, but she was also learning as much about the mutant x-gene in preparation for Kurt’s birth.
It also explains why she handed Kurt over to Margali at all – the Winding Way is described in the datapages of Legion of X as being something akin to a No-Place – something that Enigma and other Dominions famously have trouble seeing into. Thus, by hiding Kurt’s magical half in the No-place until the time was right and creating the means by which to release him from that prison, Destiny ensures Enigma’s defeat.
Or does she? Because as far as the current X-Men comics have been going, there is nowhere near the development needed to have my theory take place. At this point, only the Hopesword is established which begs the question of whether the Winding Way is meant to be the thing to stop Enigma or if the Hopesword is. As of this point in X-Men Forever (2024) #4, the Hopesword is what was needed to stop Enigma… for some reason. So far, all that the sword has accomplished is being handed off from Kurt to Exodus to Hope… who was then killed by the Phoenix and sent the Hopesword back to Kurt. We’ll have to wait and see if anything else comes of it.
Personally though, I kind of like the idea that everything Destiny did in orchestrating the creation of the Hopesword and/or the Winding Way was kind of a pointless thing in the end. It’s kind of poignant for Destiny’s character – being the same woman who thought that killing Senator Kelly would prevent the Days of Future’s Past Timeline when she was in fact going to cause that very timeline to happen – to have all her manipulations and schemes to create this weapon against the existential threat that Enigma presented… only to have that threat be dealt with in some other way, leaving Irene to deal with the consequences of her own actions and question whether it was worth putting Kurt through all of that. Maybe that’s just me though.
Conclusion
So yeah, that’s most of the evidence supporting this theory. There are a few other things – such as Margali potentially being the reason why Kurt was killed during Second Coming and potentially causing his mental break down during the Extraordinary X-Men story, but those are more auxiliary to these major points.
But yeah, let me know what you guys think down below. Do you think this theory is onto something or is it way off base?

My (ex)fiancé and I had been together for almost 6.5 years, engaged for almost 2.5. Over the last several months, my (ex)fiancé has sat me down to talk about our relationship about once a month. Before these conversations, he would shut down and barely speak to me for several days even when I would ask what was wrong. Then he would finally tell me he was ready to have a conversation and would express his frustrations with the relationship. By the time of our conversations, I would already be on the defensive from his recent behavior. I also generally do not receive feedback well. When he would try to tell me that he was unhappy in our relationship because I didn't compliment him enough, flirt with him enough, or tell him I loved him enough, I would shut down. I was not able to hear what he was really trying to tell me. Instead, I put up a wall and told him to love me for who I am. I basically asked him "If I'm happy in our relationship despite my frustrations, why can't you be?" I now realize that is not an appropriate or healthy response when your partner is trying to communicate with you.
I did try to hear him. I gifted him some lingerie for the first time and let him take a boudoir photo shoot of me wearing it. I started sending a few more cute messages. I tried to make more time to cuddle with him when he would ask. I tried to give him more hugs. I tried to thank him more for picking up around the house. I wrote him a cute letter and surprised him with a few gifts for Easter. However, about a month ago, we had another one of those conversations. Except this time the first things he brought up were 'wondering what else is out there' and talking about how other girls are always complimenting him. Again came the walls and extra defensiveness. I ended up writing him a letter talking about how I didn't know if I could ever be what he wanted me to be and that maybe he should think about calling things off. This was obviously a defense mechanism to try to beat him to the punch line and talk about a self-fulfilling prophecy. Three weeks later he would sit me down and tell me he wanted to know what else was out there again and that he didn't know if he could go through with marrying me. My efforts did not feel like enough for him and I understand why. I was having a hard time connecting my emotions with my actions which made my actions seem reactionary and not genuine or provoked by love.
I have been through a lot more trauma in my life than I realized. My dad was in the Navy while I was growing up. We had to move every three years. A very pivotal point in my life was when we moved when I was in the 6th grade. I lived right next door to my best friend. I was finding my love for math and theater. I also played soccer and was a Girl Scout. When we moved, I became very depressed, though I didn't understand that's what it was at the time. I stopped all of my extracurricular activities. I stopped getting too close to people because I knew I would have to move or they would have to move eventually. I mostly stayed in my room and kept to myself, even from my family. I also have struggled with anxiety for as long as I can remember. Then, in my senior year of high school, I got my first-ever boyfriend. We were in a relationship for over 4 years. In that relationship, I would always be the one to try to talk about our problems. I would be the one who would always want longer hugs and more cuddles. But it was not a healthy relationship. We broke up and got back together many times. I found several illicit texts to other girls on multiple occasions and he would always gaslight me by saying his younger brother stole his phone or I misinterpreted the messages. I think this caused me not to want to show my emotions because it wasn't reciprocated and resulted in heartache. Then, three years ago my younger brother died in a tragic car accident at the age of 17.
When I realized I could lose the love of my life, I realized that he was right about me not being affectionate enough. I had built up walls to protect myself. I thought I had made progress on my anxiety and depression, but I realized I was wrong. I also realized that I have issues with communication, trust, and vulnerability. I was a great partner in other ways and I did express my love in other ways. I moved across the country, coast to coast, with him to a state where I didn't know anyone so that he could attend his dream school. I take care of the household. I get the majority of the groceries. I do all of the cooking. I do all of the maintenance cleaning. I take care of our 2 cats and 1 dog. I say all of those in the present tense because we currently still live together but are sleeping in separate rooms. I also financially supported him by lending him money and letting him pay less of the rent because I made more money. I accept all of him including that he has terrible time management skills, he can have a hard time controlling his emotions at times, and he is disorganized and messy. I also accepted that I would have to wait for marriage and children because of his school and accepted that he did not have a lot of free time between school, work, and his hobbies. I supported his love for his hobbies by accepting his purchasing of expensive equipment even when he owed me money, traveling to watch several events that were important to him, and traveling to see him win an award from his job. I would write heartfelt cards for every holiday. I also bought him dozens of children's books about love that I wanted us to read to our children one day.
When I realized I could lose him, I felt something change inside me. It was like I could feel a hole being blown in the wall I had built up. I felt all my love for him overwhelm me. I couldn't hug him, kiss him, or tell him I love him enough. I tried to talk to him to apologize for my behavior and how badly I'd hurt him. I tried to explain how I felt like a different person and how I really wanted to work hard on improving myself as a partner to make our relationship work. I tried to prove my words with actions. I wrote a list of things I needed to work on including communication and being more affectionate. I also wrote out a list of ways to work on those things and actually started doing the things on the list. Some of the items I had already begun to do like hug and kiss him more and tell him I love him more. I also tried to ask more questions about his interests/hobbies/day. I was more vulnerable and talked with him about my feelings more. I even initiated intimacy, something I had really only done once in a blue moon when I was intoxicated.
Despite all of my efforts, over the next two weeks, he continued to say he did not know if he could be with me and wanted to know what else was out there. He was very wavering and said multiple times "I don't know what the right decision is." He said he could not trust that my changes would last and that it was probably too late. I begged him to try couples therapy, but he refused and said "Therapy takes too long" and basically said it wasn't worth the time. He finally broke up with me after 2 weeks of going back and forth and I was devastated. He later talked to a mutual friend of ours and changed his mind about therapy. I was so happy to hear that he had changed his mind. However, now I feel like I can't even trust him anymore. He's turning into a person I don't recognize and I don't know what he's capable of anymore. I don't know if the man I love still exists. When he told me he was now agreeable to try therapy he said "We're still broken up, but I won't talk to any other girls." and then promptly said "And it will give me more time to find a place to live if things don't work out." He deleted several Instagram posts that had photos of me after he agreed to try therapy which makes me think he's not actually that open to healing our relationship. He complained to me about how he might have to take out student loans after I told him he needed to pay me for half of the rent while we're broken up and not decreased rate he had been paying me. He also "checked on me" on the night of the 3rd year anniversary of my brother's death when he heard me crying. Then he just sat on the end of the bed scrolling his phone while I cried as if he was checking on me because he felt like he had to and not because he wanted to. When I asked him if he had some sort of deadline in mind for the therapy, because he had previously mentioned that it takes too long, he said July or August and I have a suspicion that is because a girl he likes is leaving for summer break but will be back at the end of August for the next semester.
I just feel like the way he has been acting is not how you act towards someone you were in a relationship with for almost 6.5 years. Especially after saying you still love them and have no negative feelings towards them. That means even though you don't think you are a good relationship match, you should still want to treat them with respect. You should care that they are hurting during this time. You should want to comfort them in their grief of a separate event. You should mean it if you say you want to try therapy.
TL; DR : Do you think therapy will help?

Facts:

• 30 states have a higher minimum wage than Tennessee's $7.25.
• Tennessee last raised its minimum wage in 2009.
• Since then, inflation has risen by about 36.6%.
• A decent living wage for a single adult in Tennessee is about $13.25 per hour.

Steps to Raise the Minimum Wage

Step 1: Organize a Petition Drive

Form a Nonpartisan Group:

• Create or join a group focused solely on raising the minimum wage, without political affiliations.
• Use platforms like Zoom for virtual meetings. Schedule regular meetings and create a structured agenda. Use social media and local forums to recruit members.

Research Requirements:

• Signature Requirement: For statewide initiatives, the number of signatures required is significant and typically a percentage of the votes cast in the last gubernatorial election. The exact number can be confirmed with the Tennessee Secretary of State's office.
  • Phone: (615) 741-2819
• For local initiatives, like in Knoxville, a charter amendment can be proposed if at least one registered voter files the petition with the county election commission for pre-approval (TCA 2-5-151).

Create the Petition:

• Draft a clear and concise petition for a minimum wage increase. Here is a sample:

Draft Petition:
Petition for Increasing the Minimum Wage in Tennessee
To the Tennessee General Assembly:
We, the undersigned residents of Tennessee, believe that the current minimum wage of $7.25 per hour is insufficient to meet the basic needs of individuals and families in our state. Given the significant rise in living costs and inflation since the last adjustment in 2009, we urgently call for an increase in the state minimum wage to a livable wage of $13.25 per hour. This adjustment will ensure that all working Tennesseans can afford necessities such as housing, food, healthcare, and transportation.
By signing this petition, we express our support for this necessary change and urge the Tennessee General Assembly to take immediate action.
Name Address Signature

Step 2: Collect Signatures

• Host Community Events: Organize events like town hall meetings, local fairs, or farmers' markets to gather signatures.
• Utilize Local Networks: Leverage small-town connections where everyone knows each other to spread the word and gather support.
• Set Up Booths: Place booths in high-traffic areas like grocery stores, libraries, and community centers to collect signatures.
• Door-to-Door Campaigning: Go door-to-door in your neighborhood to ask for signatures.

Step 3: Raise Awareness

• Social Media Campaign: Use platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to inform the community and encourage them to sign the petition.
• Local Media: Reach out to local newspapers, radio stations, and TV channels to cover your campaign.
• Flyers and Posters: Distribute flyers and put up posters in local businesses and public spaces.

Step 4: Submit the Petition

• Verify Signatures: Ensure all collected signatures meet the requirements.
• Submit to Authorities: Submit the petition to the appropriate state or local authority for validation.

Deadlines and Requirements

• Submission Deadline: Typically, signatures must be submitted several months before the general election to allow time for verification. For 2024, check with the Tennessee Secretary of State for specific deadlines and the number of required signatures (Ballotpedia) (Tennessee Secretary of State).

Key Points:

• Local Efforts: It is more challenging to change the minimum wage at a local level like Knoxville due to state preemption laws, but local advocacy can still be influential.
• Statewide Efforts: For statewide initiatives, a significant number of signatures is required based on the last gubernatorial election.

By following these steps and working together, we can push for a living wage in Tennessee to ensure a better quality of life for all. For more detailed information on signature requirements and deadlines, you can visit Ballotpedia or the Tennessee Secretary of State's website.

Other Ways to Advocate for a Higher State Minimum Wage:

1. Legislative Advocacy:
   • Lobby Lawmakers: Work with advocacy groups to meet with state legislators and push for a bill to increase the minimum wage.
   • Public Campaigns: Use media campaigns, public rallies, and social media to raise awareness and put pressure on lawmakers.
   • Coalition Building: Form alliances with labor unions, community organizations, and businesses that support higher wages.
2. Electoral Strategy:
   • Support Pro-Wage Increase Candidates: Work to elect state legislators who support raising the minimum wage.
   • Voter Education: Educate voters about candidates' positions on the minimum wage and encourage them to vote accordingly.
3. Public Pressure:
   • Media Engagement: Write op-eds, participate in interviews, and use social media to highlight the need for a wage increase.
   • Petitions and Letters: Organize letter-writing campaigns and online petitions to demonstrate public support.
4. Local Government Initiatives:
   • City and County Ordinances: While state law may preempt local minimum wage increases, some municipalities might still be able to implement higher wages for city or county employees or through specific local initiatives.
5. Business Initiatives:
   • Encourage Voluntary Increases: Encourage businesses to voluntarily raise wages and create public recognition programs for those that do.
   • Partnerships with Businesses: Work with businesses to demonstrate the benefits of higher wages, such as reduced turnover and increased productivity.
6. Legal and Policy Research:
   • Economic Studies: Commission or conduct studies that show the positive impacts of a higher minimum wage on the economy and present these findings to policymakers and the public.
   • Policy Proposals: Develop detailed policy proposals outlining how a wage increase can be implemented and funded.

Steps to Take Right Now:

• Form or Join an Advocacy Group: Find like-minded individuals and organizations to build a coalition.
• Contact State Legislators: Start a dialogue with state representatives and senators to gauge their support and educate them on the issue.
• Engage the Public: Use social media, community meetings, and local media to build broad public support.
• Prepare for Long-Term Efforts: Understand that changing the minimum wage may take time and sustained effort.

By using these strategies, we can create a multifaceted approach to advocate for a higher minimum wage in Tennessee.

Looking for advice on how to get the message through to my mum that she needs to take her meds or were out of her life.
Long story short - my mother was diagnosed with bipolar when she was 18. In my 28 years of life she has been in and out of hospital for manic episodes because she refuses to accept that she needs to take her medication to stay well. The effect that her relapses have on my family are immense and affected my entire childhood as she has always been unstable. We have had many conversations with her that she needs to take her medication, however she always breaks her promises and ends up going off her pills. It’s at the point where my brother and I have had enough. I had my first baby 3 months ago and during her recent manic episode she became aggressive towards me in front of my baby. I do not want my baby to experience the instability I did growing up.
I have written a very blunt letter which I am yet to give to my mum because I’m scared of the effect it will have on her as she is already depressed since coming home from the psychiatric hospital.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Hey y’all, curious & virginal teen lesbian here. I’ve combed the sub for answers to questions like “who here really uses dental dams?” And “what’s the point of a dental dam?”, but every post has had very mixed answers. So I wanted to poll a fresh crowd.
Do any of you use dental dams, habitually or otherwise? Did you use one the first time you gave/received oral? I’ve seen people claiming you can DIY them with condoms/saran wrap / how true is that?
Ty for any answers I’m incredibly afraid of STIs (even though I have no girlfriend to receive an sti from lol)

Welcome to the Reverse: 1999 Daily Questions Megathread!

Please use this thread to ask any general inquiries about Reverse: 1999. Also, kindly search keywords under this thread as your questions may have already been answered by other Timekeepers.
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Q1. Should I re-roll?

• This depends on how much time you have to dedicate to re-rolling. In general, all three of the beginner banner characters are great, and you have options of doing shortelonger re-rolls, as per this guide.

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• Try to answer with proper letter casing - the answers are case-sensitive.

Q3. When is the daily reset?

• The game resets at 10:00 UTC, please refer to this timer.

Q4. Does pity transfer over to the next banner?

• Yes, pity should transfer over to the next banner of the same type.

Q5. How should I build my team?

• In general, teams consist of a single damage dealer that get supported by support-type characters, but there are many variations. We encourage you to take a look at some of the guides above!

Q6. Can I re-watch the cut-scenes/story?

• From the main screen/lobby, refer to the left icon below the Bank, go to Atlas, then go to the Story Review. This does not currently apply for event stories, unfortunately.

Q7. Are multiple copies of a certain character necessary?

• This will depend on a character-by-character basis. In general, however, there should not be a large importance on getting duplicate copies of a character.

Q8. When should I stop leveling characters?

• Please refer to the investment guide listed above.

Q9. What should I purchase in the Psychube Shop (Thought Elements/Thoughts in Eternity)?

• Do not buy the 5-star psychubes, as we will eventually get enough 6-stars.
• Prioritization order:

1. LF Polarization
2. Englighten I
3. Enlighten II

Q10. What should I prioritize in the Oneric Shop (Oneric Fluid)?

• Prioritization order:

1. Monthy Brief Cacophony
2. Crystal Casket
3. Permanent Brief Cacophony (or Moment of Dissonance to craft Brief Cacophony if needed)
4. Sonorous Knell

Misc Questions
M1. Are macros and auto-clickers allowed?

• No. They are against the game's terms of service; any usage will risk the potential of being banned.

​

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https://ncode.syosetu.com/n5534co/
https://www.novelupdates.com/series/re-tale-of-a-hero/
https://forums.animesuki.com/showthread.php?t=141085
I don't really post much but I just want to know if someone in this sub already read about this isekai which for me one of the decent ones out there unfortunately it's not much translated.
It's a WN and have more than 2k chapters of main story and 1k+ chapters of sidestory back in earth.
Genre:Isekai,Harem,Fantasy,Scifi,Tragedy?(Flash back),PoV,Mystery
Main plot A whole school is transported to another world with our mc in it. Surprisingly enough all amenities are still working including water, electricity and sewage. People don't just get powers yhough amd yhey need to learn things to survive. The twist is the MC actually already get isekaid in this world , he even brought the former demon lord with him and is disguising as a student(she's his lover and she's not the only one)and is thinking of going back after creating the magic to do so, he thought it's a little bit early but surprised that he is transported back 500 years in the future. He now plans on guiding the whole school to survive in the background while hiding his powers, that mind you he doesn't really mind if discovered but it's easier for him if they don't know much about it( chaos will ensue if they think he can bring them home just because his op)
Characters: You can check the characters here but I'll mainly talk about MC Kaito Amane, the MC, normaly is a chill dude and level headed his your typical normal black haired mc the only difference is his been describe to be handsome instead of the usual loser mc has a circle of friends but is not one of those every body in school knows him type of popular. That is until he stops restricting his magic then he becomes brash and a little bit arrogant but not the douche type arrogant, just the confident one , he also is a battle maniac even if he doesn't want to admit it, and surprisingly this is actually his real personality the reason for him being so calm and collected type or quite type in his suppressed state is because mana is directly link to the psyche and suppressing it also suppresses his emotions or atleast lessen it.
Socially the guy know how to make friends, he hates slavers to his core (because of past experience) and think owning a slave is one of the worst thing a human can do(depending on how the slave state though , he understood that slaves can only survive as slave sometimes). On the Harem aspect of the story the guy is a chad , no rape (there's just that one time when schatach rape him because she's stronger that time), he don't engage sexual activities with minor(his older than he looks but there's a reason why he still go to highschool) and he does his best to givr time to each other harem mems(going on date and hanging out not just sex) and most of his relationships are actually just natural. Aside from that his a solid homie and us actually wingmans some other guy friends too.
The Story Story is freaking long, and slow burn fights Don't happened much but interactions are gold, when there's fights though it's actually epic and the power system is mwah frech kiss( I won't spoil this because this is one of the best parts although the different power systems are laid slowly). It has different PoVs and The MC don't just steam roll the problems and it make sense, the characters are very distinct to each other and have their own personalities. This WN have other guys not just the MC and not just MC harem and not everyone falls inlove with the mc. Something funny is that one classmate has his own unwanted harem and Kaito gets a feeling of comraderie( Kaito is not supposed to have a harem at first but the other worlds sense of value and sense of duty leads him to having one). Andy favorite part of the story os unveiling Kaitos past because every new thing we learned about Kaito new questions pops up. The story is also linked to earth which is cool. The PoV changes is one thing I enjoyed to here the PoVs are not meant to show the mcs opness (only sometimes) but to build the world to others eyes or just to show their daily life. The tone can change from a drop of a dime at one time it's fun and all and yhe next time you know theres death. The world itself is intriguing and the history for the 500 years that has beem skip is one of the biggest mystery in the story.
I think that's the point I caan think for now. I love it and the author is releasing regularly theres even a yime that he releases 3 chaps a day. It's a solid story that every isekai lover will love( I think ?)so give it a try.

Hi all.
When I first applied for Nalcap, I included prior teaching experience I had as a teacher in Vietnam.
After I submitted everything, I read this information about background checks/visas and panicked:
"If the applicant has lived outside the United States during the past five years, he/she must provide an additional criminal background check from every country where he/she has lived, authenticated with the Apostille of The Hague and translated into Spanish, with a notarized copy of both documents. If the country in which the applicant has lived in the past five years does not subscribe to The Hague Convention of 1961, the background check must by authenticated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the issuing country and then by the Consulate of Spain in said country."
I lived in Vietnam for 7 months last year, and I completley regret including this as experience because there is basically no way in hell I'll be able to get a Vietnamese background check. The Buracrcy over there is terrible, and incredibly confusing and I feel like this might kill my shot at getting in the program. On top of that, Vietnam is not a country included in the Hague Convention of 1961 so that makes getting this potential bacground check even more impossible.
It feels like I have two options:

1: Reach out to Nalcap, and explain my dilemna.

2: It looks like I can edit my documents in Profex: I suppose I could find a new letter of rec (the original one I sent was from my boss in Vietnam) and remove the experience. I'm not sure if this option works because I've already been admitted and now am just waiting on a placement...

Does anyone have experience with needing multiple background checks since they've lived in another country?
Sorry for the long post, I REALLY appreciate the help.

Title. Graduating 2nd year at an M7, been struggling to recruit for a full time role ever since I didn't get a return offer from my internship (corporate strategy at a F100). Pre-MBA background in healthcare consulting.
I cast a wide net, across a variety of different roles and industry, initially targeting tech Strategy & Ops, MBB & T2 consulting, and similar mainstream roles. However, I got completely rejected from them.
So I started throwing my apps into my 2nd, 3rd, and 4th tier options.
It was my last choice, but I got an interview callback from Philip Morris International, a Big Tobacco company, which owns extremely famous cigarette brands like Marlboro. They recruit on my campus. It was a strategy oriented role, and after a few rounds, I landed it! And what's crazy is that the pay is straight up a godsend in this horrible job market - it's MBB level pay, $210k+ in total compensation.
The issue, however, is that my role is genuinely a blatant, net negative to society. My role will contribute to strategies on getting more people hooked on tobacco, cigarettes, and nicotine products, which will directly contribute to lung cancer, second hand smoking, deaths etc.
I am worried because on my campus, this type of company and industry is completely against what's socially acceptable. Most people talk about how they want to be equity oriented business leaders, be pro DEI, be pro ESG and try to balance capitalism with giving back to society. Yes, industries like MBB or investment banking or even Big Tech have their demons and societal ills. But while McKinsey helped fuel the opioid crisis and prop up dictators, most of its projects are relatively "benign" and mundane where the people going into consulting have "plausible deniability" that McKinsey isn't completely evil.
That's why you have incoming McKinsey consultants post very pro liberal and progressive political comments on Instagram while not viewing that as cognitive dissonance. Most of my classmates are outwardly liberal, at least on social issues.
Big Tech, investment banking, and consulting is popular on my campus. I have seen people go into Oil & Gas companies like Chevron (they also have a major MBA program) and they've gotten socially ostracized for doing so. Same with someone going to work for a controversial defense or military contractor. CPG Brand Management is an option, with the reception being more mixed. People don't love PepsiCo but are neutral on say deodorant owned by Unilever.
From Wikipedia itself: "With tobacco being addictive and the single greatest cause of preventable death globally, the company is highly controversial, not least because of its history of obfuscating scientific evidence around the health effects of smoking. It has been the subject of litigation and restrictive legislation from governments."
The company claims it supports a long-term vision of a "smoke free future" where cigarettes are replaced with non-smoking tobacco products such as e-cigarettes, vapes, nicotine pouches, and heated cigarettes. But this seems like smoke and mirrors and for the here and now, cigarettes are an essential part of the company's sales strategy & revenue. And even non-smoking tobacco products are extremely addicting with net health negatives. It's the same as Big Oil companies saying they have a clean energy division.
I have a wife and and incoming baby. I need to pay back near $200k in MBA student debt. I didn't have a job lined up, and financially this is a no brainer for me. I don't like that it's unethical, but it doesn't bother me too much.
But people say the biggest long term ROI of the MBA is not just the initial job pivot, but the network. And I feel deliberately joining a Big Tobacco company in a role where I am essentially pro cigarettes and nicotine, would put a Scarlet Letter on my back. I fear people will be reluctant to refer me to future roles, and I could also lose many MBA friendships.
What are your thoughts?

I’ve moved workplaces recently, like about a month ago, my old job was retail, so while I got misgendered by customers constantly, my coworkers at least cared and gendered me correctly 99% of the time. After moving, I love the job itself a lot more, less customer contact which makes me super happy, but I honestly hate most of my coworkers.. I’d say like 3 of them are nice and try to get it right, I found my most unlikely ally in my 50 year old supervisor. But everyone else- it just really feels like they aren’t trying in the slightest. There’s only one girl who even bothers to correct people when she hears others misgender me.
My manager doesn’t get it right, ever, despite me telling her in the interview itself that I’m trans and multiple times afterward, she’s also one of those people who refers to her entire staff as “girls” when there’s multiple cis men who work there, so that feels like shit. I have a consistent problem with the majority of my coworkers where they’ll refer to me in a conversation with “she” and because I’m just so tired at this point I’ve stopped trying to correct people politely and I instead interrupted them multiple times in their sentence with “not she!” And even that does nothing. It’s like they don’t even fucking hear me bc they never even PAUSE their sentence to acknowledge I said anything. I snapped the other day as one girl walked down the hallway telling someone how I needed help, calling me a she in the process, I did my usual calling after her like three times “not she!” And as she kept doing it I just threw what I was holding against the wall and shouted “HOLY FUCK”. Not only am I getting constantly misgendered, but my workplace has hired like three new employees since me (and is continuing to do so as well) and bc THEY keep hearing me get called a she it doubles down and just reinforces the pattern.
I’m so fucking tired y’all. I come home crying to my girlfriend at least twice a week. I love the job itself and it’s a hard one to get into with no experience so I can’t even go to a different establishment of the same type. I’m so fucking done and I don’t know what to do.

I was tasked with writing about how a form of art had influenced me as a person, and chose to write about three anime series that had impacted me. The main one was Railgun, and how it inspired me to be more courageous and to ask people for help.
I submitted it, doubtful of a response, but sure enough, an acceptance letter showed up in the mailbox a few weeks later. For biomedical engineering of all things! Thank you Railgun

Sober Song #194
Year of the Cat - Al Stewart
​
My mental music video for “Year of the Cat” is a little hazy and blurry, like a fantasy dream or a movie from the 80s on VHS. That’s probably because it has the vibes of both those things. It’s very manic pixie dream girl in its description of the woman who “came in the Year of the Cat”. She’s enchanting, beautiful, spontaneous (“She doesn't give you time for questions / As she locks up your arm in hers / And you follow 'till your sense of which direction / Completely disappears”). She’s described in a lot of nature-based terms, making her sound otherworldly (“And her eyes shine / Like the moon in the sea, she comes in incense / And patchouli”). The other character in the song ultimately pushes aside pedestrian things like catching the bus in favor of hanging out longer with this amazing mystery person (“Well, morning comes and you're still with her / And the bus and the tourists are gone / And you've thrown away your choice and lost your ticket”). I think this type of story is common for a reason: we’d all kind of like to have an exciting stranger sweep us out of our boring lives into something more intense or romantic. It’s a desire to have one beautiful, all-encompassing solution to all of life’s problems. That desire, or rather having it thwarted, can be a drinking trigger if I get too invested. Especially if I am trying to find a person to fill all the gaps in my life. Life is messy and people are fallible, so how could the desire NOT be eventually thwarted? The Year of the Cat is from the Vietnamese zodiac cycle (replaces the rabbit from the Chinese zodiac). Zodiacs and astrology are yet more efforts to feel secure in a chaotic world, a wish to believe that the stars and the years influence human affairs in predictable ways. This song reminds me that neither the stars nor any other person have the power to fix all my problems.
​
On a morning from a Bogart movie
In a country where they turn back time
You go strolling through the crowd like Peter Lorre
Contemplating a crime
​
She comes out of the sun in a silk dress running
Like a watercolor in the rain
Don't bother asking for explanations!
She'll just tell you that she came
In the Year of the Cat
​
She doesn't give you time for questions
As she locks up your arm in hers
And you follow 'till your sense of which direction
Completely disappears
​
By the blue tiled walls near the market stalls
There's a hidden door she leads you to
These days, she says: "I feel my life!"
Just like a river running through
The Year of the Cat
​
Well, she looks at you so coolly
And her eyes shine
Like the moon in the sea, she comes in incense
And patchouli
So, you take her
To find what's waiting inside
The Year of the Cat
​
Well, morning comes and you're still with her
And the bus and the tourists are gone
And you've thrown away your choice and lost your ticket
So, you have to stay on
​
But, the drum-beat strains of the night remain
In the rhythm of the new-born day
You know sometime you're bound to leave her
But, for now you're going to stay
In the Year of the Cat
​
I wish I could stay in the Year of the Cat, but unfortunately, I have to figure out how to get along in the real world. I’m a little resentful about it sometimes, but that’s just because I’m such a fucking Scorpio. IWNDWYT <3