Since some politicians and Nepalese doubt the Late King (Crown Prince) Dipendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev, I wanted to say something on my behalf. Firstly do you guys think he’d be so enraged and blinded by love to kill his god-like parents and his siblings who he loved even more than himself? I do not think someone who’d be so drunk not even to be able to stand up properly would be so focused to aim at 9 people. It’s like so dumb of people to think someone would be so heartless as to kill his parents and siblings. The other thing, is RAW and CIA had opened their offices right near Former King Gyanendra Shah’s house right before 1 week, this was said by Wayne Madsen, an American. I am not blaming Former King Gyanendra but I am saying that it must be RAW and CIA’s plan to ruin the whole of Nepal. We all know King Mahendra was strictly against making Nepal a part of India and how much India resented Late King Mahendra for doing so. We also have been hearing that the reason King Mahendra died could be the brutal nature of India since they declared one part of Pakistan as Bangladesh. So King Mahendra thought if India didn’t leave such big countries like China and Pakistan, why would they leave a smaller country like Nepal was his thoughts and therefore he died. And if you all think I’m stating false things you can read a book named “RAKTAKUNDA”. Moreover, Bangladesh was formed on March 26, 1971, and King Mahendra passed away on January 31, 1972. You can see that King died right one year after Bangladesh’s formation. We’ve heard many theories in the last two decades, but are we still going to believe the lies fed by MR RAJIV SHAHI? The thing is three investigators had to look through the whole case but suddenly one of them backed out, not only that, but the fact that the investigators:- a two-man committee comprising Chief Justice Keshav Prasad Upadhaya and Speaker of the House Taranath Ranabhat investigated just for a week for a tragic incident that ruined the whole Nepal was so unacceptable. They could increase the time limit but they did not. Isn’t it evident that the Nepali politicians, investigators, and guards everyone took the massacre too lightly?? And why weren’t the royal guards questioned, why weren’t the royal family members who survived questioned? People say the guards weren’t allowed to enter the Tribhuvan Sadan(the place where the massacre took place) but the ADCs were present in a nearby office which wasn’t that far from the Sadan. You can watch:- Royal Massacre - Part 1 (3D Animation) and Durbar Hatyakanda - 3D Animation (Part 2) to understand my statements better. CP( Crown Prince) Dipendra’s ADC Gajendra Bohara stated that CP was already shot when the firings were still being shot and the other members. CP’s body did not have any guns beside him so how can one say he committed suicide? He was shot from behind. So, it makes no sense to blame CP Dipendra for the massacre. I’ll tell you guys one thing I read from Raktakunda:- CP Dipendra liked Devyani as per what we know, but King Birendra and Queen Aishwarya had already decided the date for CP Dipendra’s marriage with Supriya Shah. The worker who was appointed for the queen herself was told that Dipendra had agreed to marry Supriya Shah after much insistence since Nepalis consider it an omen to break off a marriage tie after looking for a suitable date. The marriage was supposed to take place after 1.5 years of deciding the date because the Panditji (the priest) said it would be better for CP to marry after he turned 31 in June 2003. Some rumors say:- Devyani and her parents performed tantric rituals on Dipendra, so he’d be totally over Devyani. Moreover, Devyani’s dad would send her abroad wherever CP Dipendra went so they’d initially develop a relationship. The fact that Devyani ran away to India right after the day the royal massacre took place is so suspicious. According to Lala Bd. Lamteri, a guard in the palace, Paras Shah( Gyanendra’s son ) went out and brought a few men dressed in black, what was the exact need of those men? Well, as per a few informers, Prince Nirajan Shah( Dipendra’s younger sibling) was in Pokhara with his friends a few days before the massacre, but Paras Shah insisted or let’s say forced him to go back to Kathmandu. In contrast, Prince Nirajan planned to visit Chitwan with his friends. Here comes another question:- Why did Paras insist Prince Nirajan to go back to the palace?? A worker named Shanta was also an eye witness who stated that she saw two CP Dipendra in the location. But how is it possible for one man to be in two places at the same time? The statement takes us back to the movie ‘The Matrix Reloaded’ which depicts the use of masks to look like the same man. So it could be two different people wearing masks to look like CP Dipendra and blame him for the tragic incident. This conspiracy theory has been all over Nepal, not just one person but more than two people have said that they saw two CP Dipendra whereas he was shot before anyone. Talking about the weapons not being beside his body, a guard threw a gun from his pocket saying:- Why’d a gun be needed in hospital? However, according to the ADC and the investigators, there was no gun found beside him, so the guard that placed the gun could be a part of the plan. Queen Ratna(Mother of King Birendra and Grandmother of CP Dipendra) was in a separate room chitchatting with Helen Shah. Well, she was the one who did not want the post-mortem of the Late King Birendra and other royal family members. If Dipendra had the motive to kill everyone against the marriage, he should’ve firstly killed Ratna since she was the first person to go against the marriage of CP Dipendra and Devyani Shah and provoke others to disapprove of their marriage. So why was she spared? And the fact that Gyanendra was absent during the party and his family did not even get injured so brutally, makes us question Gyanendra. Some people have confirmed he wasn’t in Pokhara either, so where was he? Paras even said in an interview, “When brother Dipendra was shooting everyone, we had eye contact, I begged him to let me go and he did.” Someone should ask him to stop using such lame excuses. According to another book namely “KAHALILAGDO RAAT”, Paras also immediately went to England after the massacre, and some staff in the hospital their Majesties were taken to say that Paras broke CP Dipendra’s ventilator when he was in a coma. And you guys reading this post, if you hear Dr. Rajiv Shahi’s lies that changed the whole perspective of the massacre, you can tell he’s lying seeing his body language and his tone. Even Ketaki Chester( King Birendra’s cousin) said that Rajiv had run away from the window so how can he even state such lies in front of the whole world?Dipendra was wearing the national costume when he was taken to the hospital, so it was not true that he had worn a combat dress. Films were removed from 'automatic movie cameras’ at the scene of the massacre and destroyed. This is all written in the book ‘Kahalilagdo Raat’. Late Princess Prekshya Shah who was a survivor of the massacre, decided to open all the secrets of the massacre, but unfortunately, she died in a helicopter accident. But few people like Krishna Abiral believe that was conspired by the murderers. I hope everyone reading this now understands that it was not Crown Prince Dipendra who prepared this tragic massacre. I’d also like to say that, People if we do not speak about the massacre now, if we do not demand justice for our late royal family then they’d never be able to get freedom from this world. We’ve cried for them but it’s not enough, let’s all speak up again even after 20 decades, our respect for the royals is still alive!!!
THEY DO NOT NEED YOUR SYMPATHY, THEY NEED YOUR SUPPORT, THEY NEED JUSTICE. LET’S NOT SILENCE OURSELVES. LET’S SPEAK UP AGAINST THE EVILS. THIS IS REPUBLICAN NEPAL AND WE HAVE TO DEMAND JUSTICE FOR OUR LATE ROYALS. DO NOT THINK THAT YOU’RE IN NO POSITION TO HELP THE ROYALS. SPEAK UP NOW OR NEVER. THEY’VE BEEN A MILESTONE IN DEVELOPING OUR NEPAL. SO SPEAK UP NEPALESE!!!

My (28F) brother (36M) wants to marry his gf of 6years and I'm not happy with that decision. So I'm wondering if I should talk to him about my concerns.
My siblings and me have a very good relationship, living far away but keeping each other updated in our lifes while accepting having our own. Recently my brother told us he wants to marry his gf and we are not happy with that, because of how she behaves around us and him (what he tells us). To make a short example list: - she does not want to work. She hates her job and have been on sick leave the last 1,5 years (since she was done with her bachelor after 8 years) - my brother works full-time at the university with a Dr degree, have a company (only him) on his own and some passive income from previous projects - she does not want to clean, cook, wash clothes etc either - she does not want to have kids (which isn't a problem, I just don't see how someone would stay at home for a reason if you don't want any of the 2above)
More specific occursions: - my brother was work related in a another country, she wrote him that she washed her clothes and it was so disgusting that she will never do It again (first time in 5years she washed clothes) - the day my brother got his doctor degree, she didn't manage to come to the defense in time, because she had to take a 2hour bath after a doctor appointment, interrupting his speech - when I visited, she wanted to go to a planetarium show, booked tickets. The day of the show she didn't wanted and asked my brother to stay home with him. We went anyway - when she visits us: we want to go out for a little work. We let everyone know 30min in advance to get ready. After 30min she was done scrolling on her phone and went shower. So we went without her, which made her upset. - she has a sensitivity to fructose, where you can just pills against. We try to accommodate that as good as possible but it's practically impossible especially going out. She is unhappy everytime she cannot eat what we eat. - the last recent meeting: they were staying 10extra days after christmas at our mom. One day they just left while she was at work without saying anything, because she didn't want to stay anymore and didn't want to wait until afternoon. This is not a usual behaviour of my brother. He is just such a pleaser to her.
There have been many more examples and I don't hate her. I can ignore her adult fits and if she isn't ready in time, I just go without. But I am also worried my brother is making a mistake and just marrying her because he is afraid to never find someone again :(
What should I do? Talk to him in a supportive way or let it be?

Throwaway for obvious reasons...
Trigger warnings (SA, self harm)
So a bit of a backstory is that I have BPD and had an unusual childhood. I was adopted due to abuse from bio parents and have dealt with depression and anxiety my whole life. I'm very gullible and very easy manipulated - not that it justifies my actions at all.
I met my best friend around the start of covid and developed a great friendship with her. She means the world to me and I look up to her more than anyone else in my life. I don't have a good relationship with my mother and I've been very lonely because friendships rarely last long due to my borderline.
My best friend and I have always had a close friendship and she saved me from the 'void' in the past. I was groomed by one of our mutual friends when we had just met and it messed me up. I was very vulnerable and still am, but she has done nothing but show me love and care.
Her boyfriend used to dislike me and think I was dramatic and sort of pathetic because of my anxiety and my episodes where I'd get very depressed and self harm.
About three years ago I started receiving therapy and it made me stop self harming and become a better person. I started using techniques and ways to handle my emotions and not take everything personal. I wasn't fixed from day 1 but I became a lot better than I had ever been. I stopped using BPD as an excuse to blame or hurt myself and found peace with having these cards dealt at an early age and just having to recover and work on myself.
Now to the problem...
My best friend and her boyfriend has had a rocky relationship for the past year or so. Things has become a lot worse and my best friend isn't happy. She was burned out and he didn't put any effort into the relationship.
She wanted to give him another chance and I supported her through her decisions. I started becoming better friends with her boyfriend and would encourage him on a daily basis to make contact to her by calling, texting etc... I suggested date nights and was giving him ideas to surprise her and give her the attention she deserved.
We'd talk daily and we started building a friendship despite his early 'dislike' to me.
Now earlier this year I had some financial problems due to uni and my current living conditions and I told my best friend about looking for a job and how I wasn't able to pay my rent so I would have to move back to my mother. And her boyfriend heard this and decided to send me money, telling me it was for food and rent.
I declined and sent it back since I wasn't interested in having money between friends (from experience cause that can ruin friendships) but he kept insisting. So we spent a couple of hours where I'd send the money back and he would just do another transaction and tell me to keep it.
I gave in eventually and told him I'd pay him back, which he said was fine. About a week or two after that, he would start ranting about intimacy with my best friend and how he wasn't valued and I tried my best to suggest ways he could do it... but he started getting flirty with me.
He would ask what I was wearing and hint about being horny and needing to get off. I'd laugh it off and change subject by saying like "Yeah, that sounds bad. Should hit up 'best friend' and ask her out then."
Over the next few weeks he would try and flirt with me and ask for suggestive pictures which I declined and said it was inappropriate - which he would agree on and say he was sorry... only for him to do it the next day.
The next month comes and he sends me money again which I decline yet again, saying I don't want him to send me money and that I'd like to deal with my problems on my own. He again refused and we had the same situation where when I sent the money back, he'd return it to me again...
I argued a bit with him and said I was grateful but that I can't accept that much money. (It was like $1,000). And he said it was nothing to him because of his job and that he just didn't want to see me struggle.
I decided to just put it in a savings account and pay him back over time so he wouldn't get "upset" about me refusing it. I lied to him the next day and told him that I had gotten a job just for him to stop sending me money... which he seemed to accept at first... But now he started asking me for pictures of myself and would say my best friend would be fine with it. I wanted to tell her but he assured me it was fine and that I shouldn't worry.
I then told him I didn't want to but he kept being persistent and said I wouldn't have to worry about the money if I did it, so I was stupid and sent him snaps of myself... And then it just became even worse. He would ask me multiple times a day and at the same time I was trying to fix their relationship.
Every time he would ask me to send something, I'd try suggesting to see my best friend, which he would disagree on and say he'd rather want me and such... And it became too much for me.
I told him I didn't want to do it and that I'd rather tell my best friend about this because it was so wrong in my head. I started getting depressed and I was anxious all the time... and he didn't want me to. He told me I would ruin everything... I got drunk that night and blacked out just to sleep because I couldn't find peace.
Now 3 weeks ago he was heading home from working abroad and then wanted to spend a night in a hotel with me... So he booked a hotel and had reservations for a spa and then told me to come. I told him no a countless of times and he wouldn't listen... It ended up with me ignoring him and turning my phone off for a whole day.
When he hadn't been able to contact me, he decided to just go home to my best friend and I somehow dodged him.
Then two weeks ago he decided he wanted more videos and pictures so he sent me more money (Like $2,000) and told me he wanted a lot more... And I just broke down. I sent the money back and locked my account and told him I couldn't do this anymore. I had begged him over 10 times to come clean to my best friend and he would turn it around saying I would ruin everything and that I shouldn't feel guilty unless I told her...
This resulted in me not going to uni and missing my exams. I relapsed and self harmed and I called psych and had a voluntary admission to a ward because I was feeling very destructive.
I ended up staying there for a few days and when I got back out, I called up a mutual friend and just broke down and told him everything. I wanted to come clean and accept that I'd lose my best friend... And he said I had to do it because it was so wrong.
I've never felt worse in my life and have to take benzos to sleep because I'm a mental wreck. I indulged in this and have as much responsibility in it as her boyfriend.
I can't look myself in the mirror anymore. I can't eat and I can't even study. My group from uni haven't seen me for a week now and I can barely read a page before breaking down.
But what scares me the most is that I'm afraid I'll lose my best friend... I love her more than anything in this world and she's the only one I've ever had a connection to. I would die for her...
I have to tell her but I don't know how to do it. Our mutual friend suggested I told her before her boyfriend did because he would twist it around... But my head is a mess and I don't know what to do?
I don't know if I can make a TL;DR but basically my best friend's boyfriend forced me to take his money, would flirt with me and try to get nudes and sex from me. I ended up sending him pictures and videos because I couldn't pay him back and he wouldn't let me tell my best friend even though I'm feeling so guilty about it.

Hi people, first I thank everyone who read this all <3 I know it’s long but still like 1% of all. I need advice how to make my husband want to comunicate with me. We’re often arguing, bcz I’m slow and not skilled like him and not very clever, he has way better decision making etc. He taught me many things my parents didn’t. In some ways he was my parent more like my real parents, if you know what I mean. I know that I’m like this and now it’s way better when I realized it. But some things I can’t change even if I try. But we’re together since our 14years (now 12years, 1 married) so he knew me for long time before. Last argue he said that we should do some things separately, like go to gym etc, bcz I slow him and he don’t know how to live slow. There were many things, I can write whole book about this, but this is main problem - my stupidity and clumsiness. I drop things every day more than once. I’m learning to drive many months and I’m not very good after months (I have license, but didn’t drive bcz my fatherdidn’t want to teach me) and this os what made the whole thing worse and every drive ended in yelling and me making mistakes. We end yelling at each other and than we talk after hours in silence like nothing happened everytime. I thought that he was wrong, he thought I was wrong, but we love each other so we talked and many times I was apologizing. And than it is one big vicious circle. Because in 99% of cases he is in rush to spend more free time together. And he feels that I don’t give a ** about our time, but many times it is that I don’t realize my slowness, it’s not disinterest. We were always only me and him, families didn’t want us to be together. We couldn’t watch movie together bcz we could see each other only outside. Everytime we did all things together. And now (or it was always but I was blind, idk….) it’s more important where he is (or circumstances) than with who he is.
I give you example: Yesterday was our first wedding anniversary, we were in town and on the way home we went to buy food. He took one box of meat, I asked why only one (I wanted to do more food so that it would be ready for work the next day, as sometimes I am criticized for not caring enough) and he said that I should rather do more than speak. So I went back for the second one, he for something else, in the meantime he sent me to the cashier. We missed the bus by about 20-30 seconds, which I think would have happened anyway, since there were many people at the cashier. We arrived home about 20 minutes later than with 1. bus. Of course, he was nervous right away. We had a plan to go to the woods with the dog and then play a game at home. But the day ended for him because I slowed things, he is looking forward to when he will be at work and basically we had a fight and we haven't even talked since. In this case, it seems completely exaggerated to me. We could watch something on my mobile during that time, I had headphones, so we could also listen to something and have fun on the anniversary...he does mind a few extra minutes, but he doesn't mind hours and days of arguments and silence.
When I tell him my feelings, he’s like he doesn’t care because I don’t care. I begged him many times, that we should talk and not yell. So he talks but the same words that are killing me. And I want him to realize that it’s not all ONLY my fault. He sometimes make mistakes like everyone, but I’m not like this, I rather look for another solution and don’t make argument from this. But many times he didn’t do things he say, for example shopping, wash dish, do laundry (last time was my mistake I didn’t remind him while I was at work) etc…it was not important for him, but for me it was. Or he does things but than I listen for a week what he did. I don’t have cleanest home, bcz I rather spend time in other ways, but basics I try to do every day.
Many times after arguments he told me that he had depression or anxiety, because he want to be nice to me. But he says he don’t want to yell at me and than after few hours/days it’s the same. So he don’t want or want? In basic life he’s the best and cutest person I know.
He told me last argument, that he don’t know how to live different and that his father was rushing his mooooore than me. In past he wanted from me to slow him. And it’s my mistake I didn’t put more emphasis in it. But it’s rare that he do what I say, so I’m a bit used to not tell things. Now I realize, it can be result of me not keeping my word many times, bcz I thought that I can change myself, but some things I can’t or don’t know how yet. And I’m not very confident person and he’s like alfa, so I often think it’s pointless to say something, but I feel I need to change it.
I want to help him not to be so anxious and angry. And not in such rush. I want us to know how to enjoy life not only live. How can I start? He’s ignoring me completely.
tl;dr We are blaming each other for our mistakes, he’s angry because I’m not very smart and clumsy, so I slow him in life. But paradox is, that he’s in rush for spend time together, but than he don’t talk to me for hours. I think some things he’s blaming me for he should just accept like I accepted many his imperfections and accepted many similar situations. And need advice how to enjoy our life not only survive and make him talk to me.

Alex and Mary Drake found out about the “Millwood Massacre” and the A game being played. They planted Dr Sullivan there knowing she was the therapist in the original A games. To source further information for the games they’re about to play. They simply chose these 5 because their story coincided with their original layout and saw it as an opportunity to expand upon the games they played. Mona, Alison and Spencer step in and help the girls reverse the game on Alex and Mary, and finally put them away or end them for good. Dr Sullivan writes a book “Pretty Little Liars” under the name Sara and maybe the girls create a division to help prevent girls around the world who are being targeted by people who’ve been inspired by these A games in America. Then it creates an opportunity to have PLL stories told in different formats of victims of similar scenarios.

After a scary awful winter and spring with my agoraphobia getting worse and worse and not even feeling safe in my home, I decided to go on a mission and read every book I could find about panic disorder.
I discovered two must-read books. DARE by Barry McDonagh and Hope and help for your nerves by Dr. Claire Weekes. Both have the same approach, they just word things a little differently. I've read each book twice and my panic disorder is improving tremendously. I still have moments of panic, but I get through them much quicker.
It's all about desensitizing the adrenaline fear and adrenaline that we've all trained ourselves to release. I haven't tried the dare app yet, but I can see it has a lot of great reviews on here.
These two books are changing my life, I wanted to share

Hi, I wasn't sure where to post this, so please let me know if there's a better sub for this, but I wanted to ask for multiple different opinions on this because I've been so confused about it. I might still be in denial? Hold on tight, this one is a doozy. And I'll probably delete it after a couple days or so.
So I was in an online relationship with this man for a couple years until we met in person in 2016, then married in 2019. I'm counting all 7 years as the whole relationship, but we were only married for 1. Some background information about him is he was abused as a kid. By his dad physically, and by his neighbor (SA). Now he was also in an accident involving a semitruck, which ruptured a couple disks in his back I believe? And this is why he told me he smoked marijuana. For his back, for medical reasons. I was ok with that. It was whatever. None of this seemed to truly bother him, so he seemed pretty easy going.
Fast forward to the marriage. (For informational purposes related to the story, I'm christian and don't believe in living with a man before marriage so I was unaware of a lot.) About 3 months in, he stops doing the marijuana and things go downhill fast. He only stopped because he knew I never really liked him smoking, but again, I was fine with it because his was for medical reasons. I told him this. He didn't want to smoke it again. Okay.
He starts taking up drinking instead to dowse the pain (he never went to the doctor for it and refused), but then some other issues started rising. He told me he wasn't drinking much, but I'd find empty bottles of alcohol stuffed into the couch, under the bed, behind the dresser, etc. It just didn't add up to the amount of times I saw him drinking. I told him we couldn't afford his alcohol, he kept buying it anyway.
Another point: I was the only one working and paying bills majority of the time. He couldn't hold a job and stayed home doing nothing I guess. No cleaning, no anything. I didn't know it was going to be like this before we got married. He seemed like he knew his priorities with saving money and getting bills paid and keeping things organized. That's what he told me anyway. But everything was always a mess when I got home and I was the only one making sure anything got paid.
Anyways, he also said he started seeing this... demon figure? Or something. In our apartment. It bothered him and freaked him out. I never saw it, but he'd sometimes see it in the closet or going from room to room or in the corner, and he even told me its name was Seth. One time we were arguing and he yelled out BEHIND me to "SHUT UP." And... to clarify... he made sure I knew he wasn't talking to me, but the thing behind me. There was no thing behind me. It was just us. So that periodically was happening through this entire ordeal.
Now when he started drinking, he started having these "episodes." They happened maybe once a week, once every other week? He seemed to get really frustrated about his past or something related to it, and he'd get so angry. So angry that he'd start punching things like the wall. And during these episodes he seemed like a completely different person. I NEVER saw anything close to this side of him before marrying him. Nobody warned me of this. None of his family. I didn't know what was going on. I'm not even sure if his family knows??? He just went on a rampage. I just tried my best to console him quietly for the longest time until he seemed somewhat normal again. Then he was ok in the morning again. These episodes only seemed to happen at night. Over the course of the next few months, these episodes only got more frequent to the point where they were happening pretty much every night (I think the alcohol just helps trigger it along) and more aggressive. I stayed around each time to try and calm him down, but it never really worked. So I just ended up losing sleep over it in the long run.
I mentioned several times that we/he should see a therapist or counseling or something, but he refused. He told me he was fine and that all he needed was me. He didn't believe in therapy... which sucked for me because he needed it majorly.
During these months while he was jobless, he'd find some way to fracture his fingers, whether it be punching a wall, or just... hitting something? Idk. I legit can't count how many times he had to put his fingers in splints. Idk if he was accident prone, or if he REALLY wanted to get out of finding a job, liked being the victim and getting me to feel sorry for him (which I did a LOT), or all of the above. He needed babying a lot, let me just say. When I said he needed a job to help me with the bills, he wanted me to come with him to this temp ageny place I went to to get a job, so I agreed. But every time I came home from work and asked to go, he said "tomorrow," or "next week." Always coming up with excuses of not feeling good or he fractured another finger, or something. Idk.
(Warning, sexual topic here) Another thing was happening during these months as well. During my sleep, he'd finger me in my sleep (and then proceed to try to put himself in me). At like 1am, when I had to get up at 4:30am to go to work and needed sleep (keep in mind, all his nightly episodes were ALSO happening still, so 1am is probably not too long after I ACTUALLY went to sleep. He kept me up a lot). I told him no several times but he wouldn't stop. This happened multiple times. I was exhausted. His excuse? "You were wet." Yes, because my body naturally reacted to stimulation. It took maybe 5-10 minutes or so until he gave up.
(More sexual topic) Whenever we DID have sex was fine. But obviously there were times where he wanted it and I didn't, and when I did and he didn't. The issue came when he wanted it and I didn't. If I said no, I had to say no several times. And eventually he'd stop. Everything. Stop cuddling, stop talking, stop everything, turn his back to me and just... lay there silently. The cold shoulder. Idk what else to call this but it seriously hurt. I didn't treat him that way. If he didn't want to, I'd accept it and stay cuddling. Over time this really messed with my thinking on whether or not he really loved me or just wanted to use me as a live in sex doll.
I made all the excuses in the book for his actions. His past abuse for one. I guess I felt like he needed me? Or I couldn't leave him? Idk.
There was one night where I stayed up for 5 hours straight, from 10pm to 3am, trying to stop him from punching holes in the walls. I stayed up trying to help him so often, it wore me out to the point where sex was off the table completely for aboouutt the last 4 months of our marriage I believe. I was drained mentally and physically. Frankly I was losing my emotional attachment to him. Then he started claiming I was cheating, because I didn't want sex with him, so I had to be "getting it from somewhere." Lol I went to work and came home. What cheating?
Also, suicidal thoughts. He had those too. He'd say things like "I don't deserve you. I'm better off not here. You deserve so much more. I'm a failure." frequently. I reassured him every time. Eventually I got tired of this too.
Towards the end I was speaking seriously with him. I bluntly told him things would need to change and he'd need a therapist or I'd be divorcing him. And I wouldn't throw that word around if I didn't mean it. I was on my last straw because I couldn't help him and he was dragging me down into depression avenue too and making me lose tons of sleep on top of everything. He didn't take my words seriously.
The last night that made me leave was the worst. Now, it started off with me going to bed because I had work in the morning. He wanted sex again. Surprise surprise. I said no, I need to sleep. He went quiet for a minute. My anxiety went up because I felt like something was going to happen, and sure enough....... he suddenly pops off the bed and says he can destroy his Pokémon cards to prove his love. What kind of insanity is that?
Firstly, this is the 3rd time he'd attempt to destroy his cards. Secondly, I knew how much they meant to him so I stopped him from doing that both times before. Thirdly, haha these were original Pocket Monster backed cards. Yay. Fourth... I didn't give a crap anymore and let him destroy them. He took them out of the closet and to the bathtub. He just submerged them all in water. I finally got out of bed and went "here we go again..." and went to go watch him so he wouldn't hurt himself. Idk. I couldn't stop him. I was dead tired.
After he successfully ruined all the cards, it's like a switch flipped and he was suddenly yelling "what did I do?!?!" Over and over again. He was in the tub with the cards and was throwing the cards up in the air. He was angry with himself.
This was around 12am. He decides to throw the cards in a trash bag and take them out to the dump at the front of the complex... now. Like he couldn't wait. (I also want to mention I hated when he stayed up later than I did because he always forgot to lock the doors even if I reminded him, so I always felt like I had to stay up. I woke up one morning with our porch door just... open. Not even closed. I couldn't trust it after that.) He also mentioned offing himself again, and then stuffed one of our glocks in his pocket while taking the bag (yes, stupid to have guns in this situation, I know). He claimed it was for protection while he went to the trash. While I believed that, I wasn't going to chance anything, so I managed to get the gun from his pocket and unload it. Then I quickly stashed it next to mine on my side of the bed.
Obviously he wanted to get it back, so I was wrestling him the whole way. Managed to keep him from it, so he got angry and punched the wall behind me, causing his knuckles to bleed. (This triggered me because by this point, I already cleaned up his blood numerous times before. Walls and my shirt because he flung his hand and it sprayed both) So I start crying and asking to take him to the bathroom to clean him up so I don't have to clean up anything else. I was tired, I wanted to go to bed and sleep so I could just get up for work. He refused, but I managed to push him there. Where... he proceeded to fling his hand and the blood splattered across the bathroom wall instead. sigh
This is when we hear a knock at the door and "POLICE." The neighbors called in domestic violence on us because we were so loud. I never had any run ins with police, so I got scared to open the door, but he opened it. I stood beside him. I had blood on my shirt from him pushing me aside and he had blood on him obviously. It didn't look good.
The police asked if they could come in and it was like another switch flipped in my ex's head (because he never acted like this around anybody else but me) so he started acting almost normal again instead of whatever his hysteria was. He told them it was completely fine and they didn't have to come in. But in that moment, my ex scared me so bad by that one flip of his personality that I told the police to come in. I was just glad to be able to speak to someone sane.
When they questioned us, they quickly realized I was the only one capable of answering their questions coherently and spoke with us separately. Eventually it ended with them waiting for me to gather my things and walking me out to my car so I could drive to my parent's house. Meanwhile my ex legit told the police "it's your fault we're separating." And I just told him that it wasn't, and walked out.
He later claims the police had to hold him back from going after me but I never saw this and don't know how true it is after his lies. He lied about his bills to me over the phone when we were still online dating. He also held back information about "almost sleeping with a random woman" when we were online dating. They "got naked" and "didn't do anything" and claims he didn't know we were dating at the time, but still felt guilty about it and told me about it after we got married?? Idk. And I still forgave him on the spot. Maybe that stuff doesn't matter so much, but still. Yes, I got tested. Clear.
I never went back. I was too scared. I still don't know what to make of it to this day because a lot of things were nonsense (a lot of craziness still left out, but this was the main stuff). I realize his past may play a major part of this, but I still feel messed up from it. (Yes I probably need to go to a therapist myself, but I've also doing forms of positive self therapy exercises as well for the time being until I can actually go. I'm MUCH happier now, don't worry.)
What are your opinions on this, if you actually made it this far? I'm just struggling to call it abuse maybe because he was abused himself? Or was this even abuse? What are your outside perspectives on it?
Tl;dr: Abused ex husband becomes enraged at night, punching holes in walls, causing me to lose sleep and sanity.

To all those curious travelers who saw an excellent price on Google:
HotelsInAmerica.com (HinA) is at best incompetent, and at worst a massive scam operation.
TL/DR: Linked to several other scam sites, no help desk support, unless you confirm immediately you'll likely be stranded.
Allow me to take you more patient readers on my journey.
In February, I made my reservation for this summer at a Hilton in a major US city. Several days later, I called the hotel to verify my information. No record of my visit was in their system. Calling HinA support, I was told this was usual and it might take a few weeks. I repeated this cycle one or two more times, and eventually was escalated to the HinA "Amendment Team".
Success! I got an email from travelhelpdesk@super.com (who knows how much they're paying for that domain). They had a booking reservation number from Hilton! I promptly called the Hilton hotel to verify this number, and was met with confusion. No record of that reservation. I sent more emails back to both Super.com and HinA, heard nothing back.
Eventually, I called a more general Hilton customer support line. Through a lovely customer support agent, I found out a few things about this Hilton booking number. First, it was for the wrong hotel, about 20 miles away from where I had booked originally. Second, this reservation had been canceled a few weeks after I had created it! The cancellation was from a company called Illusions Online (iOL), and she provided me with two phone numbers linked to the cancellation. I was able to hunt down the company, headquartered in Dubai. I verified both phone numbers, one of which was linked to iOL X which seems to provide the business-to-business support for making the reservations.
I proceeded to continue calling HinA support, speaking with various members of this mysterious "Amendment Team", all of whom said my reservation was still booked and good to go, at the correct hotel. None of them mentioned their travel partners or would pass me to anyone higher up.
Eventually I got fed up and contacted the iOL X phone number that I got from Hilton. There, I was able to find that the reservation was, in fact, canceled. I was also told of yet another agency, HappyTravel.com, which seems to have requested the cancelation. No reason was given, but this customer support representative also told me they'd work with their unnamed "travel partners" to resolve the situation. I still haven't heard back.
Today, my HinA confirmation page is still showing a successful booking but obviously it's an outright lie. As best as I can connect the dots, one of the various "Travel Partners" under this umbrella made a mistake, canceled the booking, and left me with no update or additional information. There seems to be a web of these travel sites (HotelsInAmerica, Super, HappyTravel) that somehow get past Google's filters, and all fall under the web of Illusions Online.
Do yourself a favor and avoid these sites. You might get lucky. Or you might end up like me, cold-calling Dubai after months of hunting down your reservation.

You've finished all 5 LNs, and want more, well this thread has you covered. This will go over what you can read next.

Official Stuff

• Turn Around and Face Me

Well, you've read the LNs, why not read Turn Around and Face Me, the sequel series, set years after the original? May and Aleah Francois are now teenagers, going to an All-Girls Academy. This series is more lighthearted, and won't have any earth-shattering consequences to it. It's just two dumb teenagers in love with people who aren't interested in them. TAFM is still ongoing, and we should be getting chapter 3 fairly soon.

• I'm in Love With the Villainess manga.

Same story from the LNs, with a lot more detail. Aono Shimo's art takes what is already a great light novel series, and brings it to life in greater detail. There is a lot added on here, helping to make this a wonderful experience. It's currently in the Investigation arc, and runs monthly in Yuri Hime.

• Inori's Skeb Stories.

These are commissioned works she's done, and their canoncity is essentially TBD. Only a handful are translated here, I'm unsure as to where the rest are.

• Manwha....sorta?

Look, I'll be real here, there's no legal way to read it in english, nor any illegal ways. If you're Korean, or read Korean, it's here.

Fanfiction

It's the lifeblood of this community, and there are so many talented writers to share. This one will be broken down into a few different categories, to help direct people towards something they might love.

Alternate Universes.

• Before the Morning Rush, AKA Coffee Loop.

Rae Taylor is a coffee shop barista, who has a crush on a regular customer, named Claire Francois. It's your typical Coffee Shop AU, that was one of the first big fics in the community, and continues to influence AU works. The sequel "A Quiet Cup of Cheer" is very good, and I highly recommend.

• Even in the Next One

"Claire Francois awakens to find herself in Japan, where Rae once lived out her past life. It’s not hard to find her wife once more, and given a second life surely it will be easy to live that one out with Rae once again and help Rae as she had helped her in Bauer. It’s hardly as if Rae will need convincing, right?
Rei Oohashi has had a crush on the icy Francois-san ever since university classes started, she is just so pretty. One would not have expected those feelings to be returned nor to have Francois-san claim they were wives in a previous life. And does Francois-san have no memories from this life either… oh no."
Essentially it's a reverse isekai, with Claire being a fish out of water. And it's full of Persona and Dungeon Meshi references. This has a NSFW companion piece from the lovely brooklynapple, which I will not link here.

• I Fragged the Villainess "American high school student Claire Francois has always risen to the occasion in her every endeavor. Now, however, she's facing perhaps her greatest challenge yet -- a first-person shooter game??? Determined to succeed, she logs in every night only to be thwarted again and again by another player with a rather peculiar gamertag. How will she react when she learns that her mysterious rival is actually another student from her school?"

The same writer also did an ESO Crossover, which I recommend reading!

• "The Queen's New Life"

"Rei "Quinn" Oohashi has a decently normal life. A job she excels at, a bothersome sister, a hobby she is undefeatable at. Things start to change when a blonde-haired fashion designer enters her life."
The story isn't very far along, but the writer is definitely having fun with this one.

• Villainess Calling

"Two trans women with very different backgrounds, and personalities. Claire Francois, is the epitome of elegance and grace, her father a wealthy politician. Beneath the facade of elegance however, lies a painful past, that she fears coming to haunt her. The Violin becoming her means of escaping her world, if only for a moment.
Rae Taylor, is a Punk Rock Bassist, who found solace in the raw energy of punk, channeling her anger and frustration into the pounding rhythms of her bass guitar. Running from her past, she attempts to make a fresh start somewhere much different. Despite the lonely pain she feels, she pushes past it, in an attempt to pretend she's someone she's not: Someone confident, and able to hide the pain from everyone around her.
A chance meeting intertwines their paths, forcing them to confront their painful pasts, and embrace their true selves. Through their shared love of music, a bond is formed, that may just help them both find happiness."
Fully admit, this is a shameless self-promotion. The first few chapters are rough, but if you enjoy punk music, or just want to see what it would be like if Rae and Claire, were trans? You'll enjoy this! This also has a NSFW companion piece which I will not link.

• Steam Punk Loop "We enter an era where technology is advancing. Not many of the common folks are capable of magic. Machines are developed to make their lives easier. The discovery of Steam Power has greatly advanced the lives of the Lower Class, at the displeasure of the Aristocrats. Magic, however, is still regarded as a higher power which most Aristocrats still wield and follow traditions. As technology grows, magic starts to fade as a higher power for the Lower Classes and questions arise, why are they bowing to Aristocrats' Magic when Steam is far greater now? Tensions grow, unrest spreads, how will the growing chaos be stopped?

Rae Taylor is the daughter of the General Store owners who sell all kinds of items and are part of the middle class.
Claire Francois is the daughter of one of the most powerful and influential Aristocrats who has control on most of the trades in the metropolis.
How can two hearts from two worlds meet at a time of uncertainty?"
Easily one of the most creative AU series, it's a fun one!

• From Enemies to Lovers.

"Rae Taylor works for the Lilium Mafia House-one of their best agents, never failed a mission. She is send to the Francois House to act as a spy and eventually eliminate their sole daughter-Claire Francois. However, little did she expect that this mission would not be as easy as she deemed."
Mafia Gays? Say no more, I'm in.

• Half-Outlaw, Half-Villainess

"Four years after the Black Mesa Incident, a gang of Outlaws including former Bureaucrat Orla Maguire and her Physicist Step-Brother, Gustavo Freeman are decimated following a disastrous heist in Panama, scattering them to the wind, and sending Orla adrift to another world, with a blonde noble girl glaring down at her.
Claire Francois must now teach this upstart commoner, who appears to go by Rae Taylor, the proper ways to act in the Kingdom of Bauer, while attempting to truly decipher who she is, why she does what she does, and why she keeps talking about 'Home' as if it were some far away place. Rae, formerly Orla Maguire, must hold out and come up with a plan in the scheming shadows of Bauer if she wants any chance of seeing her old world and family again, all while continuing to work for Claire, and realizing they have a much deeper connection than she initially thought.
Meanwhile in Panama, Dr. Gustavo Freeman is surprised by the arrival of another Noblewoman, facing evidence of string theory, and the ever encroaching threat of the so-called 'Combine' Empire that is now aware of Earth's existence. Time will tell, the currents are swirling... can Outlaws and Nobles truly find redemption?"
Half-Life meets ILTV, in an unexpected crossover!

Canon Divergent

These fics cover stories set within the main universe, but diverge from canon in some way.

• In Search of Spring.

"Claire François is madly in love—and that's a problem.
All the things she once valued now stand in her way. The nobility could never accept her loving a commoner. The church could never accept her loving a woman. Her father would be so disappointed in her. None of that matters to her anymore, not as much as creating a future for herself and Rae Taylor. To do that, they'll first have to survive the coming revolution, and to survive, they'll have to change.
But, maybe, even with the entire world is standing against her and her love, if they can change themselves they'll have a chance to change the world. So that's what they'll have to do—whatever it takes."
It's the top rated Wataoshi fic, and for a reason. It's extremely well written, and there is so much care put into this series.

• A Cleaved Soul

"In which Rae's Soul isn't simply a copy of the Demon Queen's Soul Data, but merely one half of the whole."
This has spoilers for LN5, so I recommend avoiding it, if you're reading this and have yet to complete LN5. In addition, the other has written "Memories of Another World" and "I'm in Love With my Best Friend"

• ILTV- Withering Begonia: Maybe in another life

"An exploration of Rei Oohashi's lives with Claire Francois. Major LN5 spoilers.
“Love never dies a natural death. It dies because we don't know how to replenish its source. It dies of blindness and errors and betrayals. It dies of illness and wounds; it dies of weariness, of withering, of tarnishing.” -Anias Nin"

• Head Over Heels

"Claire is accidentally hit with a love spell during magic class and suddenly can't keep her hands off of Rae. Rae doesn't know what to do now that Claire is giving her a taste of her own medicine. How will our heroine overcome this daunting challenge?"
Brooklynapple has also written "a day worth celebrating" a cute Claire birthday piece, and "what we deserve"

• Please Don't Leave Me

"Rae's Duel with Manaria goes wrong
She wakes up back in her old life in Japan
Claire is left alone"
From the author of Eitno, we have a tearjerker, that is excellent.

• Perfectly Flawed

"A collection of short stories concerning Manaria Sousse from "I'm in Love With the Villainess." I recommend reading this after at least reading Volume 2, or after reading the whole story."

• Right Person, Different Status

"Rei wakes up in Revolution like in the original but.... She's royalty?"

• Manaria Murder Mystery

"After becoming Queen, Manaria tasks have piled up. However, something sinister has happened. Someone from her family has been murdered! She has to recruit her friends to help her solve the mystery."

• Black Lilies

" As the dust settles, and the world begins to heal, the once mighty Demon Queen, Rei Oohashi has been defeated. But her story does not end with her defeat, it is only just beginning. Rei has been offered a second chance, a chance to repent for her actions as the Demon Queen. Despite her inability to forgive herself, despite her lingering scars, one person sees through them all: Lilly Lilium.
A girl who despite her own scars, from her time as her father's assassin, wishes for nothing more than to help Rei to heal, even if she's incapable of doing so herself. Together they begin a journey spanning the Kingdom of Bauer, and beyond, whilst battling their own inner turmoil."
Again, shameless self-promotion.

• Lilly Lilium Is Not A Princess!

"After deciding to take another pilgrimage, Lilly finds herself in Melica, where a certain chestnut-haired woman waits."
A fic dedicated to an underrated pairing. It's cute, check it out
I realize I am missing quite a few fics, but it's almost 2AM and I'm tired. Is there a fic you enjoy that should be on the list? Comment and I'll add it! Writing your own and need tips? Comment!

So I just finally finished LF a few days ago (after rotting on the library waitlist for months!), and I was really pleasantly surprised by the way Tanaka was written. Now part of that is just that I'm a big sucker - as both a reader and a writer - for taking apart characters who are irredeemable bastards and seeing what makes them tick. I was really curious to see other fans' takes on her, and it looks like she was pretty polarizing as a POV characters - some of you guys, like me, really loved to hate her (and maybe even dip a tentative toe into feeling sorry for her), and some of you just plain hated her (and that's fine - some people prefer being able to like their POV characters. I'm not one of those people) or thought her chapters were boring (what book were you reading?). However, I haven't seen anyone really say much about the significance of her interest in (love of, really) art and art history. So I wanna talk a little about that.
The takes I've seen have largely come down to either, "It didn't fit with her character and felt really random," which I'm about to disagree with HARD, or "It served as a device to show that there was more to her that meets the eye, and that she could have gone down a completely different path." This one, I agree with, but I also think there's a lot more to it.
(1) So let's talk about why art history specifically. Why not something else seemingly 180 degrees away from being a Marine, like gardening or culinary science? As an artist who takes myself unapologetically seriously, I have had a lot of conversations with an artist friend of mine lately about the intimacy of art. Art is both an expression of individuality and a vehicle of profound, often terrifying, connection. The former is what Tanaka regards as the core of her being, while the latter is anathema to her. She is drawn to art precisely because it exists in a space of tension between her comfort zone and her deepest fears. It is the razor edge that she loves to walk.
I've said before that I think of art as a form of telepathy - you are trying to capture something inside your own mind and externalize it in a way that it is transmitted into the mind of another person. When Tanaka begins experiencing this very literally in a manner she can't control, it's her worst nightmare. But she loves art because it is a version of this that she can control. It's an outlet for her to fulfill the fundamentally human need for connection when it's never been safe (both literally and psychologically) for her to do so through any other means. She learned that as a child when she sought a hug and got a slap in the face instead.
A number of the art pieces she contemplates are emotionally intense. The Third Miko in particularly is memorable because it is a heavy piece, full of vulnerability and grief and dread. These are the kinds of pieces that not only did the artist have to rip themselves open and pour their soul into in order to produce, but the audience is required to do the same to some extent in order to fully experience them. Turning soul-crushing sadness into usable rage isn't alchemy - it's more like a refinement process; it takes a lot of energy, and there is a lot of waste runoff that still has to go somewhere. For Tanaka, that's where it goes. That's the safe place to put it. Inside of someone else's pain, where no one will ever know it's yours.
(2) The other thing I wanted to talk about hinges on a "blink and you miss it" detail that, for me at least, completely reframed the whole picture regarding the "two roads diverged" aspect of Tanaka's life, and that's the casually dropped revelation that she never actually had a choice in the first place. The way this was written, I'm absolutely certain it was a very deliberate choice by JSAC to undermine the assumptions we as readers had been previously led to make.
The "two roads" framing comes up explicitly three times in the book. The first time is in Chapter 24: "Tanaka hadn’t thought about that painting in decades, or about what a very different life she would have lived if she’d made a few different decisions at the start." The next mention is in Chapter 31, when Dr. Ahmadi is reviewing Tanaka's file. She says, "You refused an advanced scholarship in order to enlist." Both of these references frame it very explicitly as a choice. But then, a few pages later, it's revealed that it actually wasn't: "If Aunt Akari had let her study art history instead of enlisting in active service, where would she be right now? And who would be tracking down the high consul? What else—how many thousands of other things—would be different?" (emphasis mine).
This detail and the way it was just slipped in there actually made me feel terribly sad for her because it reveals that this was, in fact, never where she wanted to be at all. This is more a matter of interpretation, but my takeaway was that the whole thing about her preferring a repressive society might be less the truth and more of a narrative she tells herself because she has spent her entire life deprived of any kind of real agency. It's true that someone who has never experienced life outside a pressure cooker environment might rapidly decompress like a blobfish upon being removed from it (I'm reminded of the memoir The Girl With Seven Names, where the author's mother and brother can't adapt to life outside of North Korea and want to go back), but that's less about being naturally well-suited to it and more about being deeply and maybe irreversibly maladapted.
When Tanaka tells herself she loves life under the boot because it gives her something to push back against, she's making the best of a bad situation by pretending her lack of agency is actually just a really sophisticated form of agency. It's because the only love she has ever known is the threat of consequences, with the only realistic alternative being complete apathy. It's the same mentality that makes abuse victims blame themselves - because, in some ways, the version of events where you were totally helpless and at the mercy of other people and a cold, uncaring universe is more distressing than the version where you brought it upon yourself through your own choices and actions. Wanting (and presumably asking her aunt's permission) to study art history, only to be forced to enlist in the marines instead is just another variation of her reaching for a hug and getting a slap. But if someone cares enough to slap you in the face, at least that means they care, right? "Laconia would put two in the back of my head because they care about what I think and do" is still a nicer story than "Laconia would put two in the back of my head because I'm nobody and nothing and completely disposable to them." It also made me wonder what was meant earlier by "if she’d made a few different decisions at the start." What does she tell herself she could have done differently to change a fate that was never in her hands to begin with?
TL;DR Tanaka loves art because it's the only way she can safely experience human connection and emotions besides anger, and it's implied she actually would have chosen to study art history if her aunt hadn't forced her to enlist.

(Ch. 15)

"Some men," Clarissa replied, louder and looking up at them now, "need to own everything."
...
"When I was a little girl, I remember my father deciding to buy up a majority share in the largest rice producer on Ganymede. Rice is a necessity crop, not a cash crop. You'll always sell everything you can grow, but the prices aren't high, because it's easier to grow than a lot of other things. And at that time, his companies had an annual revenue in excess of one trillion dollars. I remember an advisor telling my father that the profits from owning rice domes on Ganymede would add a one-with-five-zeroes-in-front-of-it percent to that."
...
"But the largest food producers were the rice growers. They had the biggest domes and farms. The most real estate. By owning a controlling share in their company, my father was in a position to dictate policy to the Ganymede Agriculture Union. It meant, in terms of Ganymede food production, he couldn't be ignored by the local government."
"What did he use that for?" Bobbie asked.
"Nothing," Clarissa said with a delicate wave of one hand. "But he had it. He owned an important piece of Ganymede, a thing he hadn't controlled before. And some men just need to own everything. Anything they lay their eyes on that they don't possess, it's like a sliver in their finger."
...
"My father would be the kindest, most generous and loving man. Right up until he wanted something and you wouldn't give it to him. I don't know why I think this, but Duarte feels the same. And these are men who will mercilessly punish anyone who won't comply, but with tears in their eyes and begging you to tell them why you made them do it."

(Ch. 26)

"A third of the stars of heaven," Clarissa said, as if she were agreeing.
...
"A third of what now, honey?" Bobbie said.
"From the Bible. Revelation. When the devil fell from grace, he took a third of the angels with him. It's described as the great dragon pulling a third of the stars of heaven down with its tail."
...
"Whatever story Duarte was selling was compelling enough to get a big chunk of the Martian military to buy in. The devil's story was freedom from the oppression of God's rules, and it was good enough to win a lot of angels to his side. Whatever Duarte's pitch was, it's a good one. Don't be so sure you wouldn't have bought it."

I really like these pieces of dialogue from Claire in the book because it gives light to her more intrinsic understanding and read of Duarte through her experiences with her father. If she went on to survive into the later books, it would have been super interesting to see how her fundamental views of Duarte and men like him would drive the commentary about him, or even the approach to fighting him.
TL;DR: I really like the little bits of Claire's poetic side coming through.

As the title says, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald completely tampers with my feelings and emotions regarding it's story, and I wanted to talk about it to see if anybody felt similarly.
Like most American high schoolers, I was required to read the book and watch the movie for my 11th grade English class. Now I usually enjoy English class and the books my school has to offer generally pique my interest, but something was incredibly off about this one in particular. My English teacher, who absolutely loves having me as a student, said it would be the best book we would read out of all four of our high school years, so hearing that you can imagine I was immediately intrigued. It seems like me and my teacher both usually enjoy the stories we read together when having graded discussions on the story because she will chime in every so often, but this time it felt like I was sort of taking a backseat. I also remember the second I picked up the book after it was passed out, it looked like a short, underwhelming piece with a cover that added to my disinterest even more with how confusing it appeared.
Fitzgerald's writing style quickly pushed me away from the story early into the book, especially since there are a good portion of events that don't necessarily appear meaningful in the grand scheme of the story. And that's not to mention the amount of commas Fitzgerald uses in his writing. Many lines in this book were a mouthful. By the time I got to the end of the novel, this feeling didn't change at all, really. It felt like I just read about a group of rich people involved in a love triangle and doing rich people things for 150 pages, and then someone dies and the rich people get upset at each other.
The day after our class final for the novel, we were all asked to take our books out to return them to the teacher. She didn't collect them immediately, though. She was reading emails at her desk or something along those lines. But anyway, it randomly came to me that I hadn't even tried to ever figure out what the purpose of the cover art was in the last 3 weeks I had spent reading between it. The green stroke doubling as both a teardrop and the light, the abstract flashing lights among the city skyline, the eyes and lips forming the face that could portray probably several different characters in the novel, the naked women curled up inside the eyes. What first looked like a jumble of contemporary mess seemed to transform its portrayal into a beautiful piece of calculated harmony. “I was within and without, simultaneously enchanted and repelled by the inexhaustible variety of life.” now seemed to describe this perfectly. Apparently, the cover artist, Francis Cugat, made the artwork before the novel was finished. This honestly makes so much sense that Fitzgerald could have been sparked by the piece, too.
After finishing both the book and more recently the movie, the more I catch myself thinking about its story elements the fonder I find myself growing to it. Even though the movie has definitely helped me grasp a further understanding of Fitzgerald's vision, I also want to say that after watching the movie I realize the book also without a doubt stands on its own, especially due to its attention to detail and charming individuality. It's hard to explain, but I see it as this piece of literature that is simply just life. Love, regret, despair, etc. It all seems so typical for a story at first. A bunch of rich people in the 1920s going through immature romantic and platonic issues? Sure, it sounds like you could rather watch paint dry., but every character is so beautifully crafted to represent us: the reader. Even Gatsby himself isn’t over the top likable as a protagonist, exemplifying the complicatedness of the human brain in moral dilemmas. But what I take Fitzgerald ultimately seeks to convey is that all these rich and extravagant facades in life will never cover up the fact that we are all just regular people with regular emotions and tendencies. In this way the book is absolutely timeless.
Of course, I feel like I've gone so far in depth in this post that I would be doing the work injustice if I didn't talk more about the mark this novel etches into my brain. "'Can't Repeat the Past? Why, of Course You Can!'”, "...and the holocaust was complete", and “So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.” are all brilliant lines that are extremely memorable. And sort of extra: the movie's hip hop heavy soundtrack to parallel modern hip hop to jazz of the 1920's is genius, and Lana Del Rey's "Young and Beautiful" makes me cry literally so much to the point where I have to avoid listening to it like the plague. Everything put into this work represents the meaning of the story itself perfectly: extravagant and lavish yet simple and grounding.
P.S. Thank you Francis Cugat.
TL;DR: I wasn't too fond of it at first, but The Great Gatsby has significantly grown on me since I first picked up the novel.

Platinum End Theory: Who Is God And Those Mysterious Beings In The Finale Explained
Original link- https://reddit.com/platinumend/comments/sdw2rc/deleted_by_use
Repost cause the original was deleted. I'm not OP. OP is https://www.reddit.com/usemuphenz
Deleted Theory https://www.reddit.com/platinumend/s/b347iH85A7
Thanks https://www.reddit.com/usecompletelylostcase for the Pastebin link. https://pastebin.com/A8K4bJiD
DISCLAIMER: This theory will go over the entire story of Platinum End, so obvious spoilers ahead.Just a heads up, this theory is posted at the time that only a few episodes of the anime have been released. Depending on how much the anime stays like the manga, details may end up changing. Therefore, the entire theory will be based solely on the manga. I will also leave snippets of the manga with the highlighted text to support my claim. Please be sure to read those as it will help this theory make sense. This theory is completely my own original thoughts. If anyone shares this, please be sure to credit me, Muphenz. Thanks! Hello, my fellow Platinum End fans! If you’re like me, the ending completely caught me off guard and left my head-scratching. Do not worry! I’ve overanalyzed everything and made a theory to possibly explain who god and those beings at the end of the story are, so you don’t have to. Those beings at the end of the manga, chapter 58, are drum roll…humans of the future who have achieved many scientific advancements who existed well before the story of Platinum End takes place and are simulating their own world with fake humans, fake angels, and a fake god. Why are the real humans running this simulation? Simply put, they’re suicidal and no amount of therapy is going to help with that. Why are they wanting to die? In the future, it is predicted by Gaku Yoneda that within 500 years, humans will achieve immortality. Once they achieve immortality, they will eventually master time and space and will be able to do things like teleport, time travel, see the future, etc. And once humans achieve immortality and are able to know all of the future, they will discover that the future cannot be changed according to Dr. Yoneda. Just like Dr. Yoneda’s prediction, the real humans are wanting to die which is why it’s stated by one of the real humans how annoying it is that there is no death. Whatever the process was that made the real humans immortal, it seems that it cannot be reversed to restore one’s mortality. Although it’s not stated how humans will achieve immortality and allow them to control time and space, this will somehow cause humanity’s apocalypse as well, destroying the original Earth. What makes these creatures more human-like than god-like is that they admit they were born on another planet, most likely the original Earth. They are also aware that they too were created by something that is above them. How do we know Dr. Yoneda’s predictions are right? It was stated by Shuji Nakaumi that his past predictions came true. One thing to understand about science is that it’s extremely good at accurately predicting things. Example 1: With Issac Newton’s law of motion, scientists can predict the position of an object at any specific time, past, present, or future. Example 2: In the 1840s, Fitzner astronomer Urbain Le Verrier was analyzing the orbit pathway of Mercury and found that it is changing very slowly over time. With technology limited at that time, it was hard to provide proof. In 1915, the famous German physicist, Albert Einstein was able to calculate the influence of the curved space in Mercury’s orbit. That is 75 years later that science proved its prediction was right. Although science cannot tell future events like a psychic will attempt to, I believe this is what the author was using to help advance the plot for the ending. The real humans already know the future and they’re aware that no matter what they try, death is not a part of that. If they cannot do it, someone else can. That is when these simulations come in. The real humans will create simulated humans. In one of the simulations, the story of Platinum End takes place. This would not be on a computer. This process would involve terraforming an entire planet to support carbon-based life. The planet that the simulated humans live on will be similar to the original Earth as well as the history and advancement of science will be similar to the real humans. As the simulated human’s society progresses, like in Platinum End, they would eventually learn how to become immortal and learn how to control space-time which would lead to them wanting to die just like the real humans. But unlike the real humans, the simulated ones may actually achieve a way to kill themselves once they obtain immortality that the real humans could use. But as we already know stated by the real humans, this specific simulation was a failure. Nothing was created that was capable of killing them. Thus, the real humans will move on to a new simulation. Pay very special attention to this picture. Notice right after all of the humans disappear when the fake god kills himself, the buildings are slowly crumbling away since no one is here to maintain them. According to World Building, it would take an average of 250 years for a building to start to break apart since materials like wood and plastic would be destroyed by the environment if not maintained. Metal would be expanding and no longer able to keep the building's structure in place. This would cause things like windows to fall off and shatter. So after a few hundred years, the real humans return to the planet after the simulated humans disappeared due to the fake god’s suicide. It’s possible that during this time they’re running other simulations on other planets and returned when this simulation was completed. Since the real humans have achieved master over space-time, teleporting to anywhere in the universe would not be out of the question. Since they cannot die, the amount of time it would take for the real humans to travel anywhere in the universe is irrelevant as well. Even though Gaku Yoneda’s predictions about the simulated humanity’s end were wrong, he was technically right. It did come true for the real humans. If Shuji Nakaumi, as the fake god, did not kill himself and wipe out all of the fake humans, they would of most likely learned how to cheat death and to control space-time in the future. Gaku was wrong about the fake god being a product of human belief in order to live. He even admits that the composition of the fake god was wrong. If the fake god required human belief to live, then Shuji would not have erased the memories of those who were not god candidates as it would have affected the fake god's existence if fewer people believed in him. There is one thing that begs the question. Why is a fake god needed to run these simulations? Why do the simulated humans have souls? Why not just create the simulated humans and leave them to figure out how to create an immortal killing machine without the process of a false god? This is because God and souls are actually real and are necessary for life to exist. To clarify, the “God” that Shuji Nakaumi was transmuted into is not the true God that I’m referring to. I’m referring to the first cause of everything, a self-aware creator, a deistic God who existed before time and space who created the universe and does not intervene in its creation. This means no miracles, prophecy, answering prayers, divine revelation, etc. Everything in the universe is governed by physics and these laws cannot be broken. The real humans who are running the simulations are aware that they are a creation made from a creator. However, since a deistic God does not interfere in the universe, the real humans cannot know of him, at least while they are still alive. Considering the real humans can control space-time, I can say for certain at one point, at least one person went to the very beginning of time and saw something that would be evidence of an intelligent designer creating the universe. When the real humans are conversing with each other at the finale, one human suggests identifying what created them and the second one replies that seeking their creator will be a waste of time. If a deistic God won’t intervene in its creation, the real humans would be wasting time by attempting to contact him. Even though they can control space-time, if the creator exists outside of reality, they would not be able to reach this entity. Focusing on figuring out who created them means that time is wasted if they're not figuring out how to die which is why it would take them further away from death. Just as the simulated humans have souls, the real humans also have souls. At some point, the real humans discovered the soul. They are aware that this is needed for life to be sentient. The discovery of the soul could have played a key part in the real humans achieving immortality. The fake god is engineered by the real humans to create souls so that life can be sentient, mimic the universe's deistic God by allowing the simulation to run with no interference, and act as a mod to keep an eye on life with the red and white arrows. The celestial realm was created so the fake god would not be a part of the simulated world. Even though time moves differently in the celestial realm, it is the closest thing that the real humans can engineer to simulate a deist God that is separated from its creation. This fake god does not have the powers of a supreme being. The fake god does not know everything, is not everywhere at once, and does not display any sort of omnipotent ability. There is a lot of things that the fake god admits to not knowing, such as who created him, why are souls preserved, and how long does the merging process take. Although we do see the fake god have the ability to observe humanity, I would say that this is the equivalent of having admin privileges to watch humanity live-streamed on YouTube. The fake god is aware that he is created by someone. The fake god noticed that there are things that had already been created that he was not a part of just by observing everything in the universe. Although he seems to not understand what created him. He even acknowledges the idea that humanity could have created him. All the simulated souls come from the fake god. This is done through a process of emanation, which means to flow from. In the Abrahamic religions, specifically Gnosticism, Jewish Mysticism, and certain sectors of Protestantism, instead of your typical creator being separate from its creation, everything is a spontaneous outflow from God. As pieces of God emanate from him, it becomes less divine, but these pieces will eventually become an individual soul that forms into human spirits, angels, demons, as well as other things that come into reality such as heaven, hell, and the world of the living. Eventually, everything that came from God, will return back to the creator. (If you’re still confused on what emanation is, I would do more research before continuing to read as this will play a key role in understanding who the fake god is.) Emanation is how the fake god created the simulated human and their soul, the fake angels, and the celestial realm. The fake god took a piece of himself and used it to create life. Since everything emanates from the fake god is connected to him, as he is dying, most of the angels are dying too. Due to this connection, when the fake god killed himself, everything that was tied to the fake god disappeared. But because the creation of the fake god is not connected to the physical world, the planet and everything that is not life remained on it. When the simulated human beings die, the soul goes to the celestial realm. This is the returning aspect of emanation. The souls that came from the fake god are returning back to him. You always see all angels, regardless of rank, having the task of carrying the souls to the celestial realm. It seems that the main purpose of the angels is to help with the return part of the emanation process. The more that the emanence is divided, the less divine it becomes. This is why the fake humans are considered sub-celestial in the hierarchy.It appears that there is a certain order to the flow of emanation. The newest creations emanate from the fake god. Kids will be the first in the line for the emanate process and their parents will be behind them. This is why when the fake god committed suicide, the kids were the first ones to disappear, then the adults. All things that emanate from the fake god are returning to the original source in reverse order when the fake god takes his own life. When the fake god merges with a human, this appears to go against the set pattern of the emanation process by breaking the order in which the emanence flows. This is why when Shuji merged with the fake god, it felt like there was something foreign in the fake god's body similar to how an infected person's body acts when the immune system detects foreign bacteria or a virus. The only way to get around it is by the fake god merging with a simulated human and having the fake god take over the new body when the fusion is completed. It is stated by the fake god that it is nothing more than humanity's assumption that God cannot die. This may be true for the deistic God, but not for a fake god. It is already known that the real humans achieved immortality. Although the fake god could have been engineered to be immortal, that would just create another being who would eventually want to die. The fake god was designed to live a long life, compared to humans, that could be extended through the process of merging with one of its emanated counterparts until the simulation was completed. This has been done throughout time in the form of the god choosing process. The fake god confirmed to Shuji that his purpose was to create life. Professor Yoneda confirmed that the fake god was created by human imagination and that its purpose was to end life. On the surface, this may seem like a contradiction. But both of them are right. The fake god’s purpose was to create the simulated humans. God is metaphorically a creation of human imagination. It was not by the simulated human’s imagination as stated by Yoneda, but it was designed and engineered by the minds of the real humans. Since the purpose of the simulation is for the fake humans to achieve immortality and figure out how to reverse it, you can say that the fake god is a part of that process of killing humanity. Right as all of the humans are disappearing, Dr. Yoneda realizes that the composition that makes up the creature is based on a science that the simulated humans have not discovered yet. The composition of the fake god is Aether. In medieval times, a common study among scholars is alchemy, which can be best described as the forerunner for modern-day chemistry mixed with the pseudoscience of metaphysics. According to Charles Gillispie, a historian at Princeton University, in his book, The Edge of Objectivity, An Essay in the History of Scientific Ideas, Aether is the fifth element, along with earth, wind, fire, and water, that are the basic building blocks of the universe. During medieval times, Aether is the substance that is believed to connect the physical world to the spiritual one. It was even a common belief that the Abrahamic God was surrounded by Aether and that all of the angels, demons, and souls that dwelled in the afterlife breathed it in as humans breathed in the air. According to Jakob Bernoulli, a mathematician from the 1600s, believed that Aether is what allowed souls to interact with their human bodies. All of these characteristics of Aether match the composition of the fake god. Aether is what allows life to become sentient, connecting all of the simulated humans back to the fake god from the physical world to the celestial realm. It seems at some point, the real humans discover this element. This discovery most likely led to the discovery of the soul. Using this element, the real humans used Aether to construct the fake god needed for the simulations. Everything that is a part of the simulation, the fake god, angels, the soul, the arrows, is made up of this element. The red arrow is what allows the god candidates to make other humans fall in love with them so much that the person who is under the influence of the arrow will do literally anything the person who is in control wants, even die for them. The white arrow has the ability to kill any life while all inanimate objects are unaffected. These were limits placed on the arrows by the fake god. According to Ogaro, the fake god can use the full power of the arrows at will. The red arrow is more than just making someone fall in love. The arrow does this by taking away their free will. The god candidates were limited to using the arrow on 14 people at once for a period of up to 33 days. With the fake god able to use the full power of the red arrow, he can enslave any or all simulated humans with a snap of his finger for as long as he desired. The red arrow also played a role in creating the first simulated life as well. The fake god stated that if life was left alone, it would multiply. The desire of falling in love and wanting to procreate was implanted by the red arrow when life was created. The white arrow is the opposite of the red arrow. This arrow can kill life instantly. The limit that was placed on this arrow is that only one white arrow can be shot at a time. Just like the red arrow, this arrow has a maximum range of 31.6 meters. When cycling the white arrow, there is a cool down period of 0.3 seconds. If these limiters are removed, the fake god can kill all humans with the white arrows with virtually no limit on distance, any number of arrows can be used simultaneously, and there would be no mandatory cool down period. The creation of the simulated humans involves two key ingredients. The first is the soul which comes from the fake god. The second is a physical body for the soul to be attached to. The real humans asked if it was worth planting another seed and another god as those are two separate things. The making of another god is obviously the fake god. But what is the seed? The seed is what makes the physical embodiment of all plants and animals that all emanence is attached to. I.E., souls attached to bodies. According to the fake god, before he created life on the fake Earth, there was some sort of micro-organism. This seed would be that micro-organism, specifically carbon-based bacteria that is capable of evolution. Around 3 billion years ago, the first life on Earth was bacteria. There are two types of bacteria, a classification of anaerobic bacteria that ate other organic compounds and simple sugars to survive. The other kind is autotrophs bacteria which is capable of self-feeding. Anaerobic bacteria would evolve into modern-day animals. Autotroph bacteria would evolve into modern-day plants that still have the ability to self-feed through a process of photosynthesis. It is possible to send bacteria through space. According to a 2020 study published in the Journal of Frontiers in Microbiology, bacteria were able to survive in space for three years. If the real humans were able to transport the seed through space in less than 3 years, it could easily survive. Considering they achieved immortality, it is within reason to think this would be a piece of cake for them. At some point, part of the anaerobic bacteria would come in contact with the fake god, who was on the fake Earth at that time to make life, recognized the fake god as food, and attempted to feed off of him to survive. The bacteria that fed off the fake god would eventually evolve into Nasse. The bacteria that did not feed off of the fake god would evolve into more complex forms of life on the fake Earth. Since Nasse was accidentally created from this event, it most likely means that she is the first angel that the fake god created. This means that she could serve as inspiration for the fake god to create angels for the celestial realm. The angels don't seem to share any ability to reproduce with each other. There is never any mention of any family heritage. It means that all of the angels were created around the same time. Since Nasse is the only angel that came from the seed/bacteria, her biological makeup differs from all the other angels. While the majority of her is angel, part of the genetic makeup is similar to carbon-based life. Although I would not say Nasse is an angel-human hybrid, she could be considered a type of Nephilim. Due to this biological difference, Nasse is the only angel that can interfere in both the physical world and the celestial realm. Much research has shown that facial expressions are innate among all animals, not just humans. The same animals that display facial expressions when expressing emotions, lying, determination, etc. use similar muscles in the face as humans do. For example, a Psychologist, Paul Ekman, studied facial expression from hours of film and ventured on to multiple isolated tribes who have very little contact with modern society. He showed them pictures of facial expressions and asked them to interpret them. These people were able to match facial expressions and their meaning with high accuracy. This is one of the many studies that show facial expressions are genetic. Even though Nasse is single-minded, she is able to understand facial expressions due to her biological relationship with the simulated life on the fake Earth. But hey, this is just a theory."

Throwaway account for what will be obvious reasons, and apologies, but this is longer than intended.
I (38F) have recently decided to dip my toes back in to the flaming cesspool that is dating in this modern age. I joined an app, matched with a few guys, talked with a few less, and had a dinner date last night with F (40M) who I felt like I was vibing with via text.
F and I had agreed to meet last night at a nice but not stupidly-expensive steakhouse in a popular upscale district downtown. I had originally planned on driving my Jeep, but it has been at the shop for maintenance and they still hadn't finished by COB Friday. I live too far out of town for Uber to be reliable, so I decided to have fun and drive my new car that was just delivered this week. I got to the restaurant 45 minutes early, valet-parked (I would have done this with the Jeep too, parking in this district is a complete nightmare), and walked down the block to a stationary/book binding boutique I love to pick up a few things. When I walked back to the restaurant to meet F I was a little surprised to see my car was still parked out front of the restaurant in one of the reserved spots instead of being moved back to the designated lot. I asked and found out that the valet company policy was for any car over a certain value threshold be left in the reserved spots out front both to keep an eye on them, and so that the company wouldn't have the liability of a valet potentially damaging them driving. That made perfect sense to me, so I didn't ask them to move it to the back.
F met me at the host stand and after about five minutes got seated at our table. Hilariously to me, we got seated next to the window looking directly out at my car.
Dinner started off... ok? F started off pretty affable, but started making little comments early on about my dress, and what I ordered and how I wanted my steak cooked - he tried to insist to our server that I really wanted medium when I had ordered my steak cooked blue. I joked to the server that when I said I wanted my steak blue (for those who don't know, "blue" is extra-rare), that that might actually be too well-done for me, better just bring it out raw. The server laughed, but F was quiet.
Conversation after that was pretty one-sided. He did ask me "what do you do for a job" (my standard answer is working at an animal sanctuary. It's not technically a lie...), which he scoffed at and made a comment about how I "must not make any money doing that" and "are you sure you can cover your bill here?". I laughed it off, but definitely found it rude.
Once I asked him about his job he completely took over the conversation. He went on ad nauseam about his job in finance at a major corporation, but once he started in about what a great investment crypto is I knew for sure he wasn't getting a second date. Honestly, it felt like I was talking to someone completely different than who I had been texting, and I was not a fan.
I had ordered desert to go, when for some reason, probably trying to impress me? F pointed out the window at what just so happened to be MY car, saying that he was doing so well in crypto he had just picked it up at the dealership, and was getting another next week just because he could.
Now some important backstory: in my very early 20s I won a significant lottery jackpot. Initially I absolutely went stupid and was spending money like an asshole, but after a few months one of my uncle's (a self-made multi-millionaire) sat me down, made me run the numbers with him, and showed me how if I kept doing what I was doing I would be broke before I was 40. He helped me get a good financial planner, and to make long-term plans. As a result over time I've still been able to have and do pretty much whatever I want as long as I don't decide to do something stupid like have a jet for every week of the year, and my money has actually grown. I've helped my close friend's and family out (and only gotten burned once), invest in local small businesses, and donate to charities that mean something to me.
I now live on a large farm outside of our major Midwestern city. And while I do travel all around the world, I spend the majority of my time training and showing horses, as well as providing homes for horses that have been rescued from the slaughter pipeline and can't be repurposed back to work, or retired show horses that need a soft spot to land (and various other animals, like pigs, alpacas, and an absolute hoard of chickens. Someone offered me a giraffe once, and I had to politely decline). And yes, I do actually do a lot of the hands-on work myself, although I have other people who clean the stalls and help with the general caretaking of the retired crowd, which is why it's not really lying when I say I 'work at an animal sanctuary'.
Now don't get me wrong, I absolutely love the finer things in life like the latest tech and designer clothes, bags, and shoes, but as I've matured I tend to not go for the flashy "logo" option. Except for one thing...
I love fast cars. My daily-driver is a Jeep that I've had for 10 years, and I have a big truck for farm stuff (I didn't drive it to dinner because it is huge and will not fit in any of the garages downtown), but I also have a small collection of late-model Lamborghinis, starting with the Murcielago I bought during my "asshole spending" phase. I also have a Gallardo, an Aventador, a Huracan, and this week I finally had my Revuelto delivered after ordering it more than a year ago. The Revuelto is what I decided to drive to my date, because I just couldn't resist the excuse to drive the new toy.
Now, back to F trying to claim my car as his. On my best day I am a sarcastic bitch, and this opportunity was too much for me to pass up. I started playing along, asking him "omg, isnt that a Lambor-jeenie Hurricane?", which he confirmed it was, and "would he take me for a ride in it after dinner?" He said maybe on our second date he would.
Basically for the next 10 minutes until we settled our checks he bullshitted his way through my questions about the "Hurricane", and how he could help me invest in crypto so I could have nice things too, and "get some nicer clothes from somewhere better than Target, because my girlfriend should only wear designer". For the record, I love Target and have a lot of clothes from there, but I was wearing a dress from The Row to dinner and my bag and shoes were designer as well, just without obvious logos for him to pick up on.
We walked out of the restaurant together and he made a show of telling me and anyone who would listen (there was a small crowd looking at my car and taking pictures with it, which is fine with me as long as they dont lean/sit on it) that he had an errand to run and would be picking his car up from the valet later, but he would wait with me until my car got brought up. I agreed, walked away to the valet stand to pay my ticket, tip, and collect my keys. Then I walked over to my car, and watched his jaw hit the pavement as I opened the door. I said "by the way F, it's a Revuelto, definitely not a "hurricane", and not even a Huracan, but I have one of those too". Some of the people who had been looking at my car were laughing at F as I got in and drove off.
I had 17 texts when I got home from F, berating me for embarrassing him in front of people because I didn't tell him it was my car from the beginning. He also called me a fat bitch after I pointed out he never should have tried to say it was his in the first place and declined his invite to a second date...
Tl;dr I went on a date with a crypto-bro who didn't know I drove a Lamborghini, and he tried to pretend my car was his to impress me.
So AITA for letting him pretend my car was his, and then publicly showing him it wasn't?

Basically, for school, I had to submit a visual story for a public exhibit that was to be hosted at the school. But in order for it to actually make it into the exhibit you had to go through an anonymous panel of volunteers who were apparently people that “worked in the industry”.
The story I submitted was an interviewer, interviewing someone he knows about what it’s like to lose a loved one so he [the interviewer] could find out how to best deal with the approaching death of one of his [the interviewer’s] loved ones.
However, that’s not explicitly stated intentionally, for thematic purposes, [the theme being you don’t know what someone really goes through unless you can see past the surface and get to know them], and this fact of the purpose of the interview is only revealed subtly in the last 3 minutes of the 10 minute long story.
The audience is told explicitly the interviewer’s loved one has suffered multiple strokes. The last 3 minutes are an old interview between the interviewer and his loved one, before the loved one had strokes, talking about life and death. The visuals for this were representative of the interviewer’s internal struggle to take the wisdom he learned from his friend of trying to see the bright side and beauty of loss, and apply it to the situation with his loved one.
Ultimately, my story did not get chosen because of that, and the panel thought 10 minutes was too long for short stories. Even though the year prior, they let a kid submit a story that was 20 minutes long. Found out they were just stingy with time and made everyone cut theirs down to 8 minutes this year.
Was wondering if I was in the wrong because I tried to get a way to talk to the critic in an email today to my instructor, and was told that would not be possible in a very stern manner. And that I was “taking out of context” where the remark came from and that the people on the panel “work in the industry”.
IMO, I don’t care if it was Dr. Seuss saying the two events were unrelated it was still disrespectful from my view, for the critic to say that. If the critic said “I didn’t understand the connection between the two things and wish it was communicated better” I would have accepted that and that would have been a valid criticism.
But for him to have blankety stated the two interviews were unrelated and that it was a “disservice” to put both of those stories in the same short story. I thought wasn’t constructive at the least, and inflammatory and demeaning at worst.
Also, on the off chance that the critic is in this thread, you’re mean, lol.
AIW?

DAY: MAY 31 2024
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5-31-2024

OVER 300 MILLION YOUNG PEOPLE HAVE EXPERIENCED ONLINE SEXUAL ABUSE, EXPLOITATION, FINDS METASTUDY

It takes a lot to shock Kelvin Lay. My friend and colleague was responsible for setting up Africa’s first dedicated child exploitation and human trafficking units, and for many years he was a senior investigating officer for the Child Exploitation Online Protection Center at the UK’s National Crime Agency, specializing in extra territorial prosecutions on child exploitation across the globe. But what happened when he recently volunteered for a demonstration of cutting-edge identification software left him speechless. Within seconds of being fed with an image
5-31-2024

CYBERFLASHING IS A FORM OF GENDERED SEXUAL VIOLENCE THAT MUST BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY

Sexting—sending sexually suggestive or explicit messages and images—is now a widespread practice, and can be a healthy way to express and explore sexuality. However, there is a need to distinguish between consensual sexting and forms of sexual harassment like cyberflashing. Cyberflashing refers to the act of non-consensually sending sexual imagery (like nudes or “dick pics”) to another person. It is facilitated through communications technologies including text, AirDrop and social media applications like Snapchat and Tinder. Similar to flashing—when a person unexpectedly and deliberately “flashes” their genitals to others—that occurs in
5-31-2024

VIRTUAL TRAINING MAY BE AN EFFECTIVE, COST-EFFICIENT OPTION FOR CHILD EDUCATORS

Teachers and other child educators can benefit from regular professional development, but in-person training can be expensive. New research found that virtual training can be a budget-friendly alternative—and especially effective for certain groups of educators. The study—a collaboration between researchers at Penn State and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and published in the International Journal of Professional Development, Learners and Learning—found that educators who took a virtual training reported feeling more confident in their abilities to implement practices shown to support positive youth development. In particular, after-school providers who did not
5-31-2024

HUMBLE LEADERS BOOST EMPLOYEES’ WORKPLACE STATUS AND LEADERSHIP POTENTIAL, FINDS STUDY

There are many different types of workplace leaders, from those who prioritize the needs of team members and the organization above their own, to authentic leaders who foster openness, trust and transparency. A recent study by the University of South Australia published in the Journal of Organizational Behavior has highlighted the significant benefits of humble leadership in the workplace. According to the study by UniSA’s Dr. Xiao Lin, humble leadership can effectively elevate the workplace status of employees by boosting their sense of respect and prominence. It also leads to
5-31-2024

WHY ARE GROCERY BILLS SO HIGH? A NEW STUDY LOOKS AT THE SCIENCE BEHIND FOOD PRICE REPORTING

Rising food costs are squeezing Canadians around the country. Nearly everyone is feeling the pinch, and it’s not just an inconvenience—high food prices are a major threat to food security for many Canadians. Understanding why food prices are so high and why they are changing is critical to the well-being of our society. Unfortunately, consensus on why food price are so high is in short supply. Explanations given in reports like Canada’s Food Price Report and the news media range widely, from the war in Ukraine to supply chain issues
5-31-2024

WILL GENERATIVE AI CHANGE THE WAY UNIVERSITIES COMMUNICATE?

Is artificial intelligence an unprecedented opportunity, or will it rob everyone of jobs and creativity? As we debate on social media (and perhaps use ChatGPT almost daily), generative AIs have also entered the arena of university communication. These tools—based on large language models that were optimized for interactive communication—can indeed support, expand, and innovate university communication offerings. Justus Henke has analyzed the situation of German realities about six months after the launch of ChatGPT 3. “The research was conducted about a year ago when enthusiasm was high, but it was
5-31-2024

STUDY SHOWS RELATIVELY LOW NUMBER OF SUPERSPREADERS RESPONSIBLE FOR LARGE PORTION OF MISINFORMATION ON TWITTER

Classification of superspreader accounts. A large portion (55.1%) of accounts are no longer active. For each class annotated with political affiliations, colors indicate the ideological split. The last group aggregates all accounts with political affiliations. Credit: PLOS ONE (2024). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0302201 A small team of social media analysts at Indiana University has found that a major portion of tweets spreading disinformation are sent by a surprisingly small percentage of a given userbase. In their study, published in PLOS ONE, the group conducted a review of 2,397,388 tweets posted on Twitter
5-31-2024

HOW LIFE’S BIG MOMENTS CAN CHALLENGE STARTUPS

Life-changing events like the birth of a child, the purchase of a new home, or a lottery win could threaten the survival of a new business venture, the positive family events had a comparatively greater influence, albeit negatively, on the survival of a new venture, compared with
5-31-2024

RUDE AT WORK? FEELING GUILTY CAN MAKE YOU A BETTER, KINDER WORKER

We’ve all done it. A bad night’s sleep or a tough commute made us cranky, and we lashed out at a coworker who did nothing wrong. What can we do to make up for it? According to a new study published in the Journal of Business Ethics, embracing our guilty feelings can help us make up for our bad behavior by encouraging us to act more politely and work harder the next day. “We found that anyone can be rude at work, because anyone can
5-31-2024

RESEARCHERS INTRODUCE A PLANETARY INCLUSION SCALE TO FOSTER BROADER ETHICAL THINKING

Social inclusion and having a sense of belonging with other people are key elements of a good life. However, the fate of humanity is a challenge that extends beyond our social reality. Experiences of belonging and inclusion, understood in a broader sense than before, may be crucial for a sustainable future. In an article published in the International Journal of Social Pedagogy, a team of researchers propose a new planetary inclusion scale that structures our planetary relationship three-dimensionally based on temporal, spatial and ethical orientation. The temporal element relates to
5-31-2024

‘LEAN IN’ MESSAGES CAN LOWER WOMEN’S MOTIVATION TO PROTEST GENDER INEQUALITY

Women in leadership are often told to “Lean In,” designed to be motivational messaging demonstrating that they are more confident, strategic and resilient to setback. However, new research indicates that such “lean in” messaging can hinder women’s motivation to protest gender equality. Popularized in a book by American technology executive Sherly Sandberg, the “Lean In” solution to gender inequality advises women that demonstrating personal resilience and perseverance in the face of setbacks is key to career advancement. Now, a new study led by the University of Exeter, Bath Spa University
5-31-2024

ALGORITHMS COULD HELP IMPROVE JUDICIAL DECISIONS

A new paper in the Quarterly Journal of Economics finds that replacing certain judicial decision-making functions with algorithms could improve outcomes for defendants by eliminating some of the systemic biases of judges. Decision makers make consequential choices based on predictions of unknown outcomes. Judges, in particular, make decisions about whether to grant bail to defendants or how to sentence those convicted. Companies now use machine learning based models increasingly in high-stakes decisions. There are various assumptions about human behavior underlying the deployment of such learning models that play out in
5-31-2024

DIGITAL CAMPAIGNING IS A HUGE PART OF ELECTIONS NOW—BUT GOING VIRAL ISN’T EVERYTHING

The election has commenced and the race is on—to amass as many likes, shares and comments as possible. Digital campaigning, particularly through social media, is now a key part of political candidates’ communication toolkit. In fact, every general election campaign since 1997 has at some point been lauded as the first to make effective use of digital campaigning. But it was in 2015 that David Cameron’s campaign first made strategic use of social media to drive an election victory. As political reporter Tim Ross outlines in his excellent book, Why
5-31-2024

WHY ARE ORGANIZATIONAL COVER-UPS SO COMMON?

The TV dramatization of the UK Horizon Post Office scandal evoked outrage and disbelief. However, as another example of dysfunctional organizational behavior, it was expected rather than exceptional. The Post Office saga joins a long list of cover-ups or scandals that includes Hillsborough, Enron, Grenfell, the infected blood scandal, the Tuam babies scandal in the Republic of Ireland, Boeing 737 Max and Nasa (Columbia space shuttle). They represent what happens when there is a move within organizations and institutions to cover up the causes of
5-31-2024

AMONG GEN Z AUSTRALIANS, 38% IDENTIFY AS SPIRITUAL AND HALF BELIEVE IN KARMA. WHY IS SPIRITUALITY SO POPULAR?

Spirituality is increasingly popular with young Australians: recent research shows 38% of Gen Z Australians identify as spiritual. It also reports 50% of them believe in karma, 29% in reincarnation and 20% in astrology. When it comes to activities equated with spirituality, 28% of Gen Z Australians practice meditation and 22% practice yoga. In Australia, spirituality is strongly, enduringly central to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and culturally and religiously diverse communities. Yet until recently, spirituality has received far less attention than religion. Spirituality may be
5-31-2024

COMPANIES CAN IMPROVE THE SUSTAINABILITY OF THEIR PRODUCTS IN THE EARLIEST PRODUCT-DESIGN STAGES

An interdisciplinary team of researchers from Lithuanian and Italian universities propose a tool that allows companies to assess the circularity of their future products. The self-assessment tool emphasizes the co-creation of circular design in the early (creative) stages of product development, encouraging entrepreneurs and designers to think more systematically and collaborate better by integrating related stakeholders into the product development process. The study is published in the Journal of Industrial Ecology. “The majority of existing practical tools (systems of indicators) are aimed at measuring the environmental impact of products already
5-31-2024

RESEARCH EXAMINES HOW RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION AFFECTS A STATE’S COLLEGE ENROLLMENT

New research has revealed up to a 9% increase in college first-year enrollments in US states that have legalized recreational marijuana compared with states without such legalization. The study, which is published in Economic Inquiry, found that the increase was from out-of-state enrollments, with early adopter states and public non-research institutions experiencing the most pronounced increases. Recreational marijuana legalization did not negatively impact degree completion or graduation rate, and it did not affect college prices, quality, or in?state enrollment. The findings suggest that some students perceive recreational marijuana legalization as
5-31-2024

RESEARCH EXAMINES HOW RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION AFFECTS A STATE’S COLLEGE ENROLLMENT

New research has revealed up to a 9% increase in college first-year enrollments in US states that have legalized recreational marijuana compared with states without such legalization. The study, which is published in Economic Inquiry, found that the increase was from out-of-state enrollments, with early adopter states and public non-research institutions experiencing the most pronounced increases. Recreational marijuana legalization did not negatively impact degree completion or graduation rate, and it did not affect college prices, quality, or in?state enrollment. The findings suggest that some students perceive recreational marijuana legalization as
5-31-2024

HOW THE ‘MODEL MINORITY’ MYTH HARMS ASIAN AMERICANS

May is Asian and Pacific American Heritage Month, a time when Americans celebrate the profound contributions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders—a group that is commonly abbreviated as AAPI—to U.S. society. It’s also a time to acknowledge the complexity of AAPI experience. And as a professor who studies equity and inclusion in business, I think the focus on AAPI communities this month provides an excellent occasion to push back against a stereotype that has long misrepresented and marginalized a diverse range of people: the myth of the “model minority.” The
5-31-2024

WONDERING HOW TO TEACH YOUR KIDS ABOUT CONSENT? HERE’S AN AGE-BASED GUIDE TO GET YOU STARTED

The Australian government’s new campaign Consent Can’t Wait challenges us all to improve our understanding of consent. It asks a series of questions to illustrate this issue is more complex than simplistic “no means no” messaging. The campaign invites viewers to consider the nuances of consent, so we can raise these important issues with children and young people in our lives. But what is a good age to start talking about consent? How do parents tackle such conversations when this information probably wasn’t readily discussed in our own upbringing? How
5-31-2024

A PRODUCT OF NATURE OR NURTURE?

The concept of cultural entrepreneurship has many facets. It encompasses both the cultural and social impact of entrepreneurial training, and the environmental factors that influence its development. Some societies, such as the U.S., have a strong entrepreneurial culture. This means that certain characteristics are celebrated and encouraged, such as the ability of individuals to assume risks, patience when confronting challenges, and innovative problem solving, especially in uncertain situations. However, not all countries have such an entrepreneurial culture. Entrepreneurship struggles to take off in Europe In general, entrepreneurship can drive economic
5-31-2024

STUDY BRIDGES ANIMAL BEHAVIOR RESEARCH AND COMPUTER CODING TO ENGAGE CHILDREN IN STEM

A graphic depicting a student coding. Credit: Carnegie Mellon University Teachers today face a bit of a conundrum, according to a new study from researchers at Carnegie Mellon University and the Rochester Institute of Technology. Their goal is to prepare young students to enter a rapidly changing world. Even basic jobs require technical proficiency, which requires computational and analytical skills. To address this need, many educators are pushing to fold these important STEM skills into elementary curriculum. Here’s the problem. Young students can lose interest and even develop an aversion
5-31-2024

STUDY SHOWS VR CAN HELP TEACHERS BETTER DISTRIBUTE THEIR GAZE

On the left, a bird’s-eye view of the virtual classroom; on the right, screenshots of each of the four gaze-visualization conditions. Teachers need to know their material, but they must also keep their students engaged and interested. Part of that involves making eye contact with their students—all of them. A multidisciplinary team of researchers tested several methods of data visualization in an immersive virtual reality (VR) classroom, to give teachers a way to gauge
5-31-2024

MARKETERS CAN MANAGE ‘FEATURE CREEP’ SO CONSUMERS FEEL LESS INTIMIDATED BY TOO MANY FEATURES IN A PRODUCT

Wifi-enabled washing machines. Voice-controlled microwaves. App-enabled TVs, vacuum cleaners, and even window blinds you can control from the comfort of your couch. Many of the technological features now included in everyday products are useful and accessible. But research has shown that having too many can overwhelm potential buyers, making them less likely to make a purchase. In recent research, Wayne Hoyer, marketing professor and James L. Bayless/William S. Farrish Fund Chair for Free Enterprise at Texas McCombs, digs into the phenomenon of “feature creep” and its impact on consumer sentiment.
5-31-2024

RESEARCHERS EXPLAIN SOCIAL MEDIA’S ROLE IN RAPIDLY SHIFTING SOCIAL NORMS ON GENDER AND SEXUALITY

A new paper summarizing decades of research demonstrates how social media has supported an explosion of diversity in gender and sexuality in America during the 21st century, and also how these technologies have equally enabled a cultural backlash. The paper’s authors, UC Santa Cruz Psychology Department faculty members Phil Hammack and Adriana Manago, identified five main narratives about gender and sexuality that they believe emerged through social media as people have strived to be “authentic” on these platforms. The findings, along with resulting recommendations for psychology researchers and practitioners, were
5-31-2024

KEY FACTORS IN TRAINING ASSESSORS FOR ENHANCED PERFORMANCE RATINGS

New research is examining how organizations can improve their training programs by customizing frame-of-reference training to emphasize identifying negative behaviors critical to their goals. While assessors naturally identify positive behaviors, C. Allen Gorman, Ph.D., associate professor in UAB’s Department of Management, Information Systems and Quantitative Methods, says targeted training helps them recognize harmful actions that can hinder organizational objectives. Involving assessors in defining important performance dimensions and examples of behaviors, both good and
5-31-2024

STUDIES CHALLENGE WIDELY HELD BELIEFS ON APPLICANT DIVERSITY AND WOMEN IN THE WORKPLACE

Justin Frake is interested in cause-and-effect relationships in real-world data and the hidden dynamics that shape workplace behavior and equality—or inequality, as the case might be. His curiosity has led to research that challenges some popular beliefs as well as published studies related to women in the workforce. One study shows that firms promoting flatter hierarchies inadvertently discourage female applicants and another study counters several recent studies that claim women CEOs negatively impact career outcomes of other women. Both are published in the Strategic Management Journal. The assistant professor of
5-31-2024

CHALLENGING LEWIN’S MOTIVATIONAL CONFLICTS THEORY

A recent series of experiments challenges the longstanding theory of motivational conflict resolution introduced by Kurt Lewin. According to Lewin, conflicts between two undesirable outcomes (avoidance–avoidance conflicts) are typically harder to resolve than those between two desirable ones (approach–approach conflicts). Lewin posited that avoidance–avoidance conflicts, where individuals must choose between two undesirable outcomes, are typically more challenging to resolve compared to approach–approach conflicts, which involve choosing between two desirable options.
5-31-2024

MEN WITH ‘TOXIC MASCULINITY’ ARE MORE LIKELY TO MAKE SEXUAL ADVANCES WITHOUT CONSENT, STUDY FINDS

No means no when it comes to sex. But what happens when a woman makes a more passive response to a sexual advance? According to new research from Binghamton University, men differ in how they interpret these types of responses, and men who display hostile masculinity, known commonly as “toxic masculinity,” tend to act on them regardless of whether or not they think it’s consensual. A team of researchers, including Binghamton psychology professor Richard Mattson and graduate student Michael Shaw asked men between the ages of 18–25 to respond to
5-31-2024

WHY WE DEHUMANIZE OUR POLITICAL OPPONENTS

Some of human history’s greatest atrocities—genocide, slavery, ethnic cleanings—are rooted in our ability to dehumanize people from other social, political, or cultural groups. Whereas prior research has traced dehumanization to the belief that others think or feel less than we do, new research co-authored by Haas professor Sameer Srivastava shows that our tendency to dehumanize can also be influenced by how we think others view important facets of the world. The greater the difference between our perceptions of an outgroup’s worldview
5-31-2024

STUDY SUGGESTS CHILDREN ARE OFTEN EXPOSED TO PROBLEMATIC CLICK BAIT DURING YOUTUBE SEARCHES

When a child peruses YouTube, the content recommended to them is not always age appropriate, a new study suggests. Researchers mimicked search behaviors of children using popular search terms, such as memes, Minecraft and Fortnite, and captured video thumbnails recommended at the end of each video. Among the 2,880 thumbnails analyzed, many contained problematic click bait, such as violence or frightening images, according to the Michigan Medicine led research in JAMA Network Open. “Children spend a significant amount of time on free video sharing platforms that include user-generated content,” said
5-31-2024

STUDY FINDS WOMEN ARE VULNERABLE IN POST-WAR PEACE PROCESSES

Post-war peace processes are a dangerous period for women. Many are forced to live close to men who committed serious abuse during the war or are expected to testify in various types of truth commissions, which can be both retraumatizing and stigmatizing. These are the findings of a new study by peace researchers at Uppsala University, published in the journal PLOS ONE. “In short, peace projects can force women to live side by side with ex-combatants who committed atrocities during the war. This puts them at risk of further threat
5-31-2024

HOW EMBRACING THE CRINGE CAN HELP YOUR DATING LIFE

We can all agree that dating is hard. Getting to know people can feel vulnerable, but at the same time, exciting. We can also agree that feeling rejected can be one of the worst feelings, especially after we put ourselves out there. Dating can also expose us to a lot of cringey things, maybe even something we didn’t know we’d consider cringey. Think of cringe like something that makes you uncomfortable, or something about someone else that you don’t find attractive. Before dating, most of us consider what we’re looking
5-31-2024

PERSONAL CONNECTIONS AT WORK POSITIVELY IMPACT RETENTION AND MENTAL HEALTH, SAYS REPORT

New survey results from Wiley suggest people still feel connected at work despite the prevalence of hybrid and remote work environments and the rise of artificial intelligence (AI). According to the latest Wiley Workplace Intelligence report, “Human Connection: The Crucial Secret to Thriving in the Digital Age,” nearly 8 in 10 employees surveyed (78%) said they feel connected with their coworkers, and almost 7 in 10 (69%) said they also enjoy making connections with their colleagues. Around half even said they want to learn more about their coworkers by doing
5-31-2024

RESEARCHER DEVELOPS MODEL OF INFLUENCER IMPORTANCE WITHIN INSTAGRAM NETWORKS

A study has provided new insights into social media influencers, particularly focusing on those in the women’s fashion sector on the well-known image and video sharing platform Instagram. In a departure from the approach taken by earlier studies, Jens K. Perret of the International School of Management in Cologne, Germany, has used network statistics and centrality measures to establish a model of influencer importance within their network. Perret analyzed data from 255 influencers covering a four-year period. Influencers are loosely
5-31-2024

MOST PEOPLE TRUST ACCURATE SEARCH RESULTS WHEN THE STAKES ARE HIGH, STUDY FINDS

Rank (X-axis) does not affect the evaluation of trustworthiness (Y-axis, mean-centered) of accurate results. This lack of relationship is robust across experiments (columns) and for clicked results (top row, red) as well as non-clicked results (bottom row, blue). The trend lines represent the predicted change in trustworthiness ratings per unit decrease in rank fitted by the linear regression models. Credit: Scientific Reports (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-61645-8 Using experiments with COVID-19 related queries, Cornell sociology and information science researchers found that in a public health emergency, most people pick out and click
5-31-2024

MISLEADING COVID-19 HEADLINES FROM MAINSTREAM SOURCES DID MORE HARM ON FACEBOOK THAN FAKE NEWS, STUDY FINDS

Despite the greater potency of “fake news” on Facebook to discourage Americans from taking the COVID-19 vaccine, users’ greater exposure to unflagged, vaccine-skeptical content meant the latter had a much greater negative effect on vaccine uptake. Credit: Jennifer Allen, Duncan Watts, David G. Rand Since the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine in 2021, fake news on social media has been widely blamed for low vaccine uptake in the United States—but research by MIT Sloan School of Management Ph.D. candidate Jennifer Allen and Professor David Rand finds that the blame lies
5-31-2024

CRITICAL DIALOGUE HELPS STRAIGHT MEN CONFRONT SEXIST, HOMOPHOBIC BELIEFS

Adult heterosexual men with sexist and homophobic views can potentially improve their attitudes toward gay men and women by engaging in critical dialogues that use illustrations as a springboard, according to a new University of Michigan study. The work is published in the journal Sexual and Gender Diversity in Social Services. The process by which people shift from a prejudicial stance to one of relative acceptance is a key innovation of the study. Guided by trained facilitators, critical dialogues reflect illustrations depicting different gender roles and sexual identities. The images
5-31-2024

RELIEVING A FEAR OF PUBLIC SPEAKING

If you dread public speaking you are not alone. It is a leading social phobia, one that can cause a state of anxiety that reduces otherwise articulate people to nervous incoherence. A strong fear of public speaking is known as glossophobia. Academic studies estimate it affects 20% of the population, but depending on the sample and methodology, the figure could be as high as 40%. As American writer and humourist Mark Twain said, “There are two types of speakers: Those who get nervous and those who are liars.” But help
5-31-2024

HOW SOME PRIVATE COMPANIES ARE MARKETING TECH AND AI SOLUTIONS

How do universities and colleges decide who to admit? Given the earnings advantage of a post-secondary degree both globally and in Canada, this is an important social mobility question. While the answer varies from one institution to the next, most focus on education criteria like exam scores and grades. However, Canada’s new intake cap on study permit applications puts increased pressure on Canadian institutions to also consider immigration criteria when admitting international undergraduate students. This is just the latest example of immigration’s growing influence on the societal roles of Canadian

My friend dropped some knowledge on me with a book called "It Is Airborne," and I figured you guys might dig it too. It's basically the ultimate COVID-19 explainer, perfect for folks still on the fence about masking or dealing with denialist family members and friends. You can snag it on Amazon or request it at your local library.
Here's the deal: the book cuts through the BS and misinformation surrounding COVID like a hot knife through butter. No science background needed – it's written in a super clear and easy-to-understand way. Think of it as the ultimate takedown of all those internet rumors your friend keeps sharing.
The best part? The author stays out of the political weeds, so anyone can pick it up and learn the facts. You'll get a solid understanding of the virus, how it spreads, and the steps you can take to stay safe. We're talking masking, ventilation, filtration – the whole shebang. However, the author does not discuss any treatment for long COVID. The book is focused on education and prevention.
Speaking of misinformation, this book tackles all the big ones head-on. From the "COVID is over" crowd to the "masks are useless" brigade, it debunks them ALL, head-on, with clear evidence!
Here's a taste of the myths it busts:

• COVID-19 is airborne? Nah, fake news. (Spoiler alert: it totally is)
• Masks don't work, bro. (Wrong again. Masks are your shield!)
• Just a mild flu, nothing to worry about. (Not even close. COVID can mess you up for a long time.)
• Hospitals don't require masks anymore? Sounds safe! (Hold on, hospitals are supposed to make you better, not sicker!).

Look, I get it. Peer pressure is real, and all this conflicting information out there can be confusing. But this book can help your folks navigate the mess and make informed decisions.
This book gives me HOPE.
Honestly, I'm hoping it'll be a wake-up call for some of my folks who've been stuck in denial mode. Protecting ourselves and our communities is key, and right now, masking is a no-brainer.
TL;DR: "It Is Airborne" is a game-changer for anyone who wants to understand COVID-19 and make smart choices about staying healthy. It is perfectly written for everyone, especially people on the fence about masking or in denial. Look, I get it. Peer pressure is real, but so is COVID. This book can be your shield against misinformation and a springboard for starting conversations with friends and family. Maybe, just maybe, it can help us all move forward in a safer, healthier way. Grab a copy or share it with your folks!

TL;DR: Just some tired, annoying, mentally ill, gamer dude trying to find a half decent connection. I'm not out to try and impress anyone, and never will be lol. Low effort introductions will be ignored, sorry! If you have a disdain for games, movies, banter, cars, or humor as a whole just pass me up. Also, if you're keen on one sided conversations or short term too
I'm attempting to find new friends or a relationship, if it happens. The people I have spoke to over the last several years of my life either became too busy or entirely different people. So, it's slowly just dwindled to null, meaning you'd get a fair bit of attention lmao. I miss having someone to talk and complain to everyday about whatever + that seemingly care, y'know? At this point I'd take having people to small talk with lmao
I will say it would probably be ideal if you could relate to the older online era. I mean, within the realm of peak CoD lobbies, Habbo, and similar. Idk, it seemed like back then people were more fun. Lol I've found they're usually less sensitive too
Honestly, I could care less if it's SFW, NSFW, or a mix when it comes to conversations. I'm relatively open minded in general, and don't take to getting offended easily either. The only things I ask are for you to be somewhat close to my age (20+), honest, and relatively blunt. I mean, bonus if you can relate to the tired feeling. Well, that or if you can tolerate it at the very least. I don't want to list an absurd amount about myself, because I feel that ruins actual back and forth to a degree, personally
About You: • Non-sensitive and can handle banter, jokes, and memes while also returning
• Somewhat available and able to reply in a decent amount of time / has some degree of conversational skill
• Has an ability to express interest or converse about hobbies that aren't your own (on average used to people just passing by half of what I say)
• You can be equally boring as myself or worse tbh, as long as there's back and forth. If you're some mass extrovert then I can live vicariously through you in contrast lmao
• It would be cool if you enjoyed sharing music. I'm always looking for new stuff for my playlist
• You enjoy movies
I will say none of these are requirements. They're extremely preferred though tbh
About Me: • I'm currently twenty-seven, and feel awful. Regardless, quarter life crisis is still persisting lol
• I have relatively awful internet. So, games take forever to update, think a day or two depending. Also, at some point I want a sim rig (not an over the top money pit one lmao)
• Tends to enjoy most forms of comedy, wether dark / offensive / dry etc + I agree with the stance of jokes being jokes
• Meme Archivarius and Aficionado
• I've officially been learning Norwegian for over a year now. Overall I just enjoy the idea of being bilingual in some capacity. Just a little bit each day, not in a rush lol
• Cold weather / temps wins over hot weather / temps every single time
• I have an absurd amount of hobbies; but, obviously frequent some more than others. So, the likelihood we at least share one in common is very high
• May as wells be a bottle of mental health issues, namely severe depression and general anxiety. So, if you struggle with mental health it's no issue. Honestly, would probably be nice if you can either relate or understand
• Sleeping is a struggle + my general sleep schedule is subpar
• Believes Elon Musk will end up creating catgirls, sooner or later
• Replies as quick as I nut
So, aside from all of that, feel free to ask me anything you'd like to know about me. I'm a relatively open book. If you actually read all of this then I apologize, homie. Hopefully this finds you well, my dudes. Feel free to send me a chat (´• `")ゝ

Professor Dr. Adrian Masters strides into the lecture hall, his imposing figure commanding immediate attention. His piercing blue eyes scan the room, searching for potential subjects. His brow furrows briefly in disappointment before he smooths his expression into a composed facade.
He notices a woman with golden locks shimmering as she moves, her soft blush pink dress swaying elegantly. As she takes her seat, she captures the room's attention effortlessly.
A tall, lanky boy enters next, his jeans and t-shirt accentuating his awkwardness. He stumbles slightly, nervously fidgeting. Professor Masters' lips curl into a knowing smile. He'd found his subjects.
Clearing his throat, he commands the hall's attention. "A special opportunity awaits two fortunate students," he announces. "Embark on a groundbreaking social experiment delving into the psychology of obedience. This journey will test your limits and push boundaries. Are you up for the challenge?"
A voice from the crowd interrupts, seeking clarity. "Selected students will undertake tasks observed and documented," he replies cryptically. "Feedback is crucial. Details will be disclosed only to the chosen few."
He transitions seamlessly into a captivating lecture on psychology. As the hour ends, a line forms. Among them, the golden-haired woman and the lanky boy stand, ready to sign up. Professor Masters grins, intrigued by their willingness.
Snapping polaroids, he notes names and contacts. The statuesque blonde, Ainsley McKinney, steps forward, leaving her mark. Eugene Knox follows, adjusting his glasses nervously. Almost tripping in haste, he leaves Professor Masters pondering the diverse participants of his upcoming experiment.
Two days later, he messages Ainsley and Eugene, inviting them to a meeting. "Meet me at the university café tomorrow at 5 pm," he writes. Both eagerly confirm.
Professor Masters arrives early at the quaint university café, the rich aroma of freshly brewed coffee mingling with the gentle hum of conversation. Seated at a secluded table, he eagerly anticipates their arrival.
Ainsley enters, a vision of grace in a serene lavender dress that sways gently with each step. Her golden locks catch the light in a mesmerizing display. With confidence radiating from her every movement, she approaches Professor Masters and greets him with a warm smile. "Good afternoon, Dr. Masters."
They exchange pleasantries. Suddenly, Eugene rushes in, clad in jeans and a t-shirt, his presence disrupting the moment. Ainsley's emerald eyes narrow slightly, lips pursing in subtle disdain.
Eugene takes the seat next to Ainsley, offering a hurried apology. Professor Masters flags down a waitress. "I'll cover the drinks," he insists, waving off their protests with a smile. He orders a soy piccolo, Ainsley opts for an iced coffee with almond milk, and Eugene gets a Flat White.
As their drinks arrive, Professor Masters leans in, his tone serious. "This special course is intense," he begins. "It counts as two years' worth of credits towards your degree." He explains the course will run for 13 weeks in an off-campus facility designed to monitor progress and ensure compliance.
"Included are food, lodging, and a weekly payment," he continues. "Upon completion, you'll be acknowledged in the published results."
Ainsley ignores the weekly payments; her parents' wealth makes it trivial. But the mention of accelerating her degree by two years makes her eyes widen, lips parting in an eager smile. She leans forward, fingers tapping her notebook.
Next to her, Eugene shifts in his seat. His presence sends a cold shiver down her spine. She glances at him, catching his intense stare. Her stomach knots, and she grips her pen tighter.
Thirteen weeks with Eugene? The thought unnerves her, but the allure of fast-tracking her degree is stronger. She knows she'll agree.
Eugene, still uncertain, raises his hand. "How much will we get paid?" he asks, voice trembling. "I’ll need to quit my job at the comic book store."
Professor Masters smiles. "One thousand dollars a week."
Eugene's eyes bulge. His hesitation melts away, replaced by growing excitement. He sits up straighter, a grin spreading across his face.
"No outside technology will be allowed at the facility," Professor Masters continues. "No mobile phones, laptops, or any other electronic devices. The facility's cutting-edge technology requires a controlled environment."
Ainsley's excitement dims slightly. She shoots a quick, uneasy glance at Eugene, whose face shows a flicker of uncertainty.
"All luggage, including clothes, must be submitted and checked before arrival," the professor adds. "If you agree to these terms, the course begins next Monday. A car will pick you up from your accommodation at 6:30 AM sharp."
Ainsley swallows hard but nods, the promise of accelerating her degree outweighing her reservations. Eugene hesitates only a moment before nodding too, the allure of the $1,000 weekly payment tipping the scales.
"Excellent," Professor Masters says, clapping his hands. "We'll see you both on Monday."
* It is now less than 100 0 words due to edits. Just under 800 words now.

Hey everyone, I recently posted to this subreddit regarding my experience with the gateway tapes and having mild “success” (hearing a voice from my DR, finally experiencing the void state). I elaborate more in that post but basically I listened to the 3 tapes that everyone uses for shifting all in one shot😭 and I didn’t shift and only experienced that but that was still considered progress in my book.
Everyone I’ve seen who has had success with the tapes listened to them over a period of time or took time to do it. I experimented for the first time with them yesterday, and have been re listening all day today but haven’t felt anything more than the void state even when I try and insist I’m in my DR. I did have a weird experience though where my mind was wandering and I was thinking about someone scratching me for some reason and kind of felt it and it snapped me out of my daydream and made me realize I wasn’t focused. But that obviously has nothing to do with my DR. ik this is bad but I am probably the most impatient person ever and I’m already starting to lose motivation because I didn’t experience what I experienced yesterday today. Stupid I know, but I can’t seem to stop the sadness from getting in my way and idk what to do. Lmk if you guys have any suggestions

I booked with Bogota Hairlines a few months back. My appointment is sdheduled for late June. The reviews I saw here on reddit seemed good and the pictures on Dr. Camacho's instagram page looked promising. I recently looked up the address of the clinic on Google maps and found reviews for what I presume are the old clinic's name "HairDoctors." Some of the reviews are very concerning, saying Camacho does bad work, has bad results and has a bad attitudes.
What are your thoughts here? Should I go through with it or cancel?

I hope someone can give me some advice or direction. I am genuinely worried about my future. This is going to be a long post and I debated whether I should even do this or not, but I don't have anyone I can talk to. If you are reading this, then I am grateful for your time. Please note this is an arranged marriage situation so kindly don't troll. I am already in the situation, and I have to deal with it.
I (31F) have been married to my husband (36M) for one year now. We have had numerous fights over this time and they nearly always escalate to bad levels. A few times my husband even threatened to throw me out of the house because of these fights. I know I also have faults in this but he always acts like as if I am the only unreasonable one, that I am the only one being difficult, that I am the only one who is starting all the fights.
First I should explain my situation before marriage. I started pursuing a master's degree during the covid lockdown against my wishes, only because my parents forced me to do so. Previously I held a junior level job which was not very high-paying but it was my passion. I was always weak in academics but I found myself happy and even thriving in a job. I had to leave because of family issues, but I thought I would rejoin or seek a new job soon. But then the covid lockdown happened and my parents used this opportunity to give me an ultimatum to either get married or pursue masters. I decided to pursue masters. But despite this, my parents went back on their word and started pestering me to get married. They were scared I would be 30 and unmarried, hence undesirable to any man after that age. I met many guys and I always managed to turn them down respectfully. However the stress of this process and my explosive family situation got to me, and I failed to complete my masters. No one else knows this. I made it all the way to the last semester and I failed there. If I had to retake the exams I had to pay a hefty fee first. I didn't have the money and I could not confide in my parents. During the last semester I had been matched with my current husband and we got engaged (I was also tired of the endless matchmaking and people I had to talk to and he was the most decent one of them all). Then right after my "graduation" we got married. I have so much shame from failing that I have not still told my husband about it. Another big thing is that my sibling had a mental health scare a few years ago and is still recovering from it. I haven't told my husband because a) my sibling requested me not to since they feel ashamed and doesn't want to be judged, and b) my husband, I quickly realized, is more abrupt and also more dismissive of other's struggles - he would say that "everyone has issues and everyone one is suffering, get over it"
My husband is a nice man. He has a good job, and a loving family. They love me too. My family adores my husband. He is always good to me except I find that some of our values don't align.
Before marriage I spoke to him about the many things I was passionate about, and I always asked him if he was okay with it. He told me he was. It turns out he actually is not okay with many things
I have other issues with him too - for example, he doesn't use a c*nd*m with me even after I asked him to.
He expects that he can order me around (and sometimes I think he is not even aware). He is also always in my face; and I don't mean physically. For example - on the first day after the marriage he ordered me to get him a cup of coffee in front of all of his family and mine. I was also tired. I went through more things than he did during the wedding day. I had a look of irritation on my face but I still made it for him. He saw my face and in front of everyone he loudly asked me "what's wrong? did I do a mistake? did I do something wrong to you?" I got embarrassed and said "no, it's nothing" but he kept asking me a few more times, getting more people's attention. Later my parents pulled me aside and yelled at me for inconveniencing my husband.
Husband's biggest issue with me is that I did not immediately share about my sibling's condition until much later. He asked me a few times about it in the beginning and I asked him to give me some time until I could explain properly. I didn't want to explain badly and have him judge my sibling. And even though I did eventually tell him, he still brings up that he resented me for not telling him immediately when he asked. I don't think he had a right to demand this information or even to hold that grudge against me after so long.
When I have an opinion different from his, he implies that I'm stupid and that I don't know anything how the world works. Of course, I also don't back down and it turns into fights.
He says I have a huge ego and he is determined to bring me down. During a few of our fights he likes to remind me that I am no one special. I am a nobody, and I have agreed with him. But it still hurts.
I am fully financially dependent on him. I haven't been able to get a job yet, but I manage the whole household - cooking, cleaning, grocery run, routinely stocking household supplies, etc, while he manages all the bills. He told me that we are in a tight position financially and I need to get a job. I am currently looking for a job without much success.
I know I'm not the best or easiest person to be with. When I'm upset my voice goes up just as my emotions go up but at that point he stops listening to me. He will just say that I'm yelling and even after I reduce my volume and try to speak to him he won't listen. Even after I explain why I'm upset he will ask me again why am I upset which kills me because he isn't listening to me. Even if I don't yell at all and I tell him why I'm upset he still doesn't accept or understand because my reasoning is stupid for him.
A few times during our fights he reacts aggressively and gets up from where he is sitting and towers over me. I am much smaller than him physically. He grabs my arm and tells me to get out of the house. He tells me to leave. At this point I have to cower and cry because I have nowhere to go. But he is getting less forgiving each time.
The most recent fight started out as a small incident. We have a house guest staying with us and I was making dinner for us. It was getting late and I had just finished up the curries and I asked husband and guest to come sit and start eating while I make the rotis so I can give it to them hot, and so that I don't make them wait. House guest asks for ghee at one point. I give it. My husband says "Take the ghee and put it on the roti and make for the guest" I got irritated because I was so focused on my task and he was instructing me to do things. But I kept quiet and I did as he told. But again he saw my irritation. And he loudly started asking me "what's wrong? is something wrong?" and embarrassing me. I said "no, it's nothing" but he kept asking me. I finally had to whisper to him to "stop it". Dinner proceeded without any more problems. Later when we went to bed he asked me again what was wrong? This time I tried to explain that I was tired and got a little irritated at that moment but the biggest issue for me was him asking me again and again what was wrong. I tried to tell him that I don't want to be instructed on how I make food but moreover, I don't want to be "interrogated" in front of other people. He said he will do as he pleases if I am going to show my irritation in front of other people (I did not, the guests back was facing me so they can't even see me). I told him explicitly that he /will not/ interrogate me. He lost his temper and said he'll do "whatever the f**k" he wants. I also lost it and asked him back "who the f**k" he thinks he is to just do as he pleases.
It escalated more and I brought up point where he did the same interrogation on the first day after marriage and he said that I got scolded by my parents for telling him to shut up (Which I didn't, he is lying or I am a fool who can't remember this) not because he made it look like I was being unreasonable and difficult. It kept escalating and I had to raise my voice because he was talking over me and he lost it even more. He grabbed my arm and pushed me to the door saying "get out of my house. Leave and get lost I don't care where you go". I said no and he pushed me again with his whole body. Finally I kept pushing back and he went back to bed. He told me he wants to hit me so I told him to go ahead. Hit me as much as you want. Then he said "I'm not stupid, I won't hit you. There's worse ways to deal with you" and I had to leave the room. He also said to me that I don't do anything worthwhile, like as if all the work I have done in the house is useless. Basically I am useless.
I am feeling so lost and confused, and also a little scared because I really have nowhere to go. I can't go to my family. I can't humiliate them. I can't let him call them and humiliate them. I have no financial power so I can't even leave the house for a few days. In a few months I have an important wedding to attend and he's supposed to book my tickets but now I'm afraid to ask him in case he denies me out of spite. I am mostly scared because this isn't the first time he has threatened to kick me out and divorce me.
I am thinking about how I should go back to him and apologize. Please help me.
TL;DR I fought with my husband and he's threatened to throw me out of the house (not the first time). I'm financially dependent on him and I have nowhere to go and no one to talk to. I need to apologize but I also have an ego and this is too much for me. Help me to apologize sincerely to him without losing my autonomy.
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