okay hear me out, we all know genetic ascension needs some attention and is probably already getting it by the devs. but like bio pops ascending to synths, we should let our robots live out their pinocchio dreams and become a real boy.
just a little mirror of the synth ascension would be fun for individualist robots.

PC

Reddit Account: u/TheSacredGroves
Discord Tag: justinkayce
Name and House: Roland, of House Arryn
Age: 28
Cultural Group: Andal
Appearance: Tall, lean, well-muscled, handsome, fair - Roland is the portrait of a Knight of legend, of the Winged Knight come again. Harsh sky-blue eyes, severe cheekbones, and the familial aquitaine nose give him a cold and distant look - but one frequently broken by his warm and gentle smile. He keeps his pale-blonde hair long and his jaw clean shaven, accentuating the lines of his face. Roland is always neat and clean, his armour burnished and his threads well-tailored and fashionable.
Trait: Blademaster
Skill(s): Swords (e), Andal Knight (e), Essosi Blademaster
Talent(s): Dancing, Hawking, Singing
Negative Trait(s): -
Starting Title(s): Knight of the Gate
Starting Location: King's Landing
Alternate Characters: n/a

Bio-Timeline

• 3 BC: Roland Arryn is born to King Joffrey I Arryn and his wife, Queen Sharra. The third son, Roland's birth firmly secures the succession - fortunately timed considering his father's death later that year.
• 1 BC: The Conquest passes the two year old Roland by, the only impact on him being the squall he raised when Vhagar landed atop the Eyrie.
• 1-4 AC: The post-conquest world is the only one Roland knows, and he grows up in a household dedicated much to it. House Arryn in this period is an odd family, to say the least. Sharra Arryn's attentions are much divided and she has less time than a mother normally would for her third son; Roland is mostly raised by the medley of the Arryn Household and Court and is well-moulded by that as the expectations of maester, septon, courtiers, knights, servants, begin to be shape him into what an Arryn 'should' be in the eyes of their people.
• 5 AC: Roland struggles to find his place as a third son with little direct supervision. It is decided early that he does not have the smarts to become Septon nor Maester... but even as a youth Roland has a keen interest in the training yard, often an annoying shadow to his eldest brother and his squire friends. However, even at eight years old it is clear there is a natural talent to the boy - and when he defeats a squire four years older than him in a training bout in the presence of Lord Corbray, the famed Raven Knight, takes the precocious boy on as a page.
• 6 AC: Roland is by Lord Corbray's side when he tracks down the Root Father. Now a newly minted squire, Roland ignores his knight's orders to remain with the horses and sneaks after them. He kills his first man there, taking a clansman from behind as he in turn tried to attack the Raven Knight from the back. It is not an honourable kill or a clean death, and Roland is badly injured in the scuffle - but he survives. Lord Corbray is furious, and fiercely instils in Roland the importance of fighting with chivalry and honour. He almost abandons Roland, but his tearful begging convinces the Raven Knight that Roland is genuine in his regret.
• 7 AC: Visenya Targaryen's visits to the Eyrie become more frequent, and Roland's wariness of the stern, dragon-riding pagan is overcome by his fascination with said dragon, her skill with the blade... and his mother's growing closeness to the Queen. Visenya becomes something of a second mother to Roland, and her influences war with Lord Corbray's own. From Lord Corbray, Roland learns chivalry, honour, piety, and how a true Andal Knight should act. From Queen Visenya, Roland learns the importance of victory, and an understanding that wars must be won - he learns practicalities and realities. It is a schism within Roland that troubles him, but from both he learns the blade and even at ten it is more and more obvious there is something special about Roland. He quarrels sometimes with his brothers. Jonos, as even at ten, Roland could find little but disdain for his scheming, sneering, brother, and Ronnel as again even at ten, Roland already began to see himself as the better sword (and grows envious that Ronnel gets to adventure and party while Lord Corbray keeps Roland on a much tighter leash).
• 10 AC: Roland learns of his mother's death while at Heart's Home. He returns home swiftly, and his grief is overwhelming. There are few Roland can turn to; Ronnel is concerned with his marriage and rulership, Arwen retreats into the forests, and Jonos is Jonos. Roland relies further on Visenya, who has experienced such grief herself recently and guides Roland through it. Her place as a mother to Roland is confirmed in utterance. To distract himself, Roland throws himself fully into his training and an ensuing victory at a squire's melee at the age of ten and three sparks his reputation as a squire to watch across the Vale.
• 12 AC: Roland, at ten and five, wins the squire's tourney at Maiden’s Bay. He is stopped from sneaking into the higher tourneys by Lord Corbray, much to Roland's chargrin and his demand to be knighted is refused. His calamitously sized ego is rapidly deflated by the Eyrie's Septon and Queen Visenya, who pick him apart and teach him between them the values of humility, and the value of letting ones abilities speak for themselves. Roland does his best to control his pride in the future; ego is rarely ever an issue from him.
• 13 AC: While the honour of the day goes to the Cavaliers, Roland Arryn wins his spurs when the Painted Dogs are crushed under the Moon Gate, killing near as much as the Cavalier Superior herself. That his knighthood was overshadowed by an order of women warriors initially irritated Roland, but recalling his lessons from the last year, he happily shared the honour alongside them and was one of the voices that petitioned his brother to replace the Keeper with the Cavaliers. Knighted, Roland joins the Brotherhood of the Winged Knights and although young, is a key figure in helping rejuvenate the Brotherhood.
• 14 AC: Roland is betrothed to Alayne Waynwood; their romance is one from the storybooks, an instant and deep connection from the moment of meeting.
• 15 AC: Roland and Alayne wed as soon as they turn ten and eight. Part in celebration and part as dignitaries, the pair go to King's Landing together as guests of Lord Orys' great hunt for his son's coming of age. At the Kingswood Catastrophe, Roland saves Orys' life, but Alayne is slain defending other noblewomen. Roland hunts down, duels, and kills the King of the Wood afterwards. He is offered the Whitecloak for his service; on advice from Visenya, he declines, claiming his family needs him and he can defend Laenor and Visenya just as well in the Vale.
• 16 AC: Roland withdraws into mourning for a year, taking up a brutal campaign of bandit hunting in the Vale to cope with his grief.
• 17-18 AC: Roland returns to his brother's side, continuing to help rebuild the Brotherhood of the Winged Knights and slowly coming to terms with Alayne's death. He begins to more keenly ride the tourney track between his duties, earning a reputation as a fine lance alongside his growing reputation as one of the greatest knights in the realm.
• 19 AC: With Roland settling into his knightly role, Ronnel names him Knight of the Gate, with the downside of forcing Roland to have to keep a firm hand on Jonos from time to time when their brother is exiled to the Gate for yet another slight. The relationship between Jonos and Roland sours; where Ronnel threatens Jonos with exile or the Wall, Roland threatens him with death.
• 20 AC: Requested personally by Visenya, Roland tries to take on Prince Laenor as a squire. They are utterly ill-suited to the role, and after many frustrating failed training sessions in the yard, Roland gives up, labelling the Prince untrainable. The relationship between the two almost-siblings sours, but Roland works to repair the rift he created between them with much kinder words.
• 21 AC: Roland develops a relationship with a fellow Knight of the Vale, Colmar Corbray - the son and heir of the aging Raven Knight. Colmar has a fire in him that Roland can't help but seek, and he excuses Colmar's many flaws far too readily. It is a secretive bond, and toxic, but Roland does not believe he deserves better after letting Alayne die.
• 22 AC: The Winged Knights are whipped into fervour as yet another piece of the ancient armour is found. Roland himself dreams of perhaps finding more. Inspired my tales of the armour, the Brotherhood grows even further and in order to keep a firm hand on them, Ronnel makes Roland their Commander.
• 23 AC: Roland and Colmar's relationship deteriorates, ending in a duel that sees Colmar humiliated but, thankfully, alive. The two men hate each other from then on.
• 25 AC: Roland rides by his brother's side to King's Landing.

Family Tree

AC

Name and House: Marla of Gulltown
Age: 34
Cultural Group: Andal
Appearance: Broad and strong with well-calloused hands, Marla is as obvious a blacksmith as Roland is a knight. She keeps her brown hair tied severely back, framing her dour face with its squinting brown and wide mouth that wears an almost perpetual frown.
Trait: Artisan (Weapons)
Skill(s): Craftsman (e weapons; e armor)
Talent(s): Whittling, singing, maintenance of arms and armour
Negative Trait(s): -
Starting Title(s): King's Landing
Starting Location: Master of the Armoury of the Bloody Gate

Timeline

• 9 BC: Marla of Gulltown is born to a master-armourer in Gulltown
• 1 BC: Marla begs her father to help as his assistant as he tries to deal with the massive increase in orders thanks to the Conquest; he reluctantly agrees. Her older brother dies when Vhagar burns the Vale's fleet.
• 2 AC: Marla secretly goes out to work her father's forge at night, practicing at smithing - and finding herself something of a prodigy.
• 6 AC: Her father dies of a weak heart. Marla and her mother discover his great gambling debts, and no money saved for them. They keep her father's death a secret as Marla works the forge to complete his current orders - what comes after that, no one knows.
• 7 AC: Somehow, the charade is kept up. Marla's father is portrayed as a recluse who has devoted himself to his work and the Smith and will see no one in person. This mystery increases the shop's popularity, and many marvel at how greatly his work has improved since taking up this holy vow of solitude.
• 10 AC: A young merchant attempts to woo Marla and is rebuffed. Spying on her, he discovers her secret, and spreads it through Gulltown. The reputation of the shop collapses, and Marla and her mother flee ahead of those furious at the deception, the Faith angry that they had been used, and the law's punishment for fraud. They flee to Pentos.
• 11 AC: Marla finds work with a Qohorik blacksmith, an old master, now drunk and washed up. He teaches her all he knows. Helping each other back to their feet, the pair set up a proper shop, once more, together.
• 15 AC: The old blacksmith dies; Pentos proves to be unfriendly in its business to a woman by herself without the old master by her side. Despairing, Marla hears about the Cavaliers of the Vale, and reckons that if her home will now accept female knights, surely they'll accept a female blacksmith.
• 16 AC: Marla returns to the Vale with her mother. She avoids Gulltown and instead heads to the Gates of the Moon, seeking to offer her services to the Cavaliers. She is accosted by vengeful Painted Dogs on the way, and saved by the miraculous intervention of Roland. He offers to accompany her to the Gates of the Moon, where Marla is gladly accepted.
• 17 AC: Having forged arms and armour for Roland as well, which Roland raves over, Roland has his brother take her on as the Arryn's personal smith and armourer.
• 19 AC: When Roland is given the Bloody Gate, he begs Marla to come with him, who agrees in part. The smith spends her time between the two Gates and the Eyrie, overseeing the arms and armours of all the Arryn forces. Mostly remaining at the Bloody Gate, Marla becomes an integral part of the Winged Knights.
• 20-24 AC: Marla is regularly persuaded to accompany Roland to yet another tourney to help maintain his arms and armour. She grumbles, but secretly enjoys the competitions. Tales of the Winged Knights armour fascinate the Blacksmith, and with her small amount of Qohorik experience she helps verify the pieces as true Valyrian Steel. Her and Roland worsen each others obsession with tracking down the rest.
• 25 AC: Marla rides to King's Landing with her Lord and Knight, ready to work her magic if Roland breaks his armour yet again.

Supporting Characters

• Septon Gernot, 41 (Medic) - Septon of the Gate
• Maester Guy, 42 (Scholar) - Maester of the Gate
• Ser Martin Donnerly, 36 (General) - Castellan of the Gate

alright so im a little salty, but I was trying to decide between a1 mini and prusa mini and every video I watched was loving on the bambu a1 mini and I have yet to do my first print
sorry just needed to get that off my chest
the filament is not going through the mechanism designed for 4 filament spools. i tried loading with ams lite and without, to no avail. no filament ends up reaching the extruder driving gear bc whenever I pull it out the end is never marred. it just reaches the end, and then I get error messages saying I have to push it in more, even when it can't go further. the spools are not tangled. I'm not completely sure how the mechanism works either so I cant even imagine how its failing.
also I have gone to their support websites and filed a ticket but I really wanted to get this running this weekend and they haven't gotten back to me yet.
thanks for reading my bs

Hey everyone,
I'm an 18-year-old guy, and I've been thinking a lot lately about the way our society and economic systems are structured, and I can't help but feel like we're being scammed. Hear me out:

1. Education System: We're told to spend years in school, accumulating massive debt, with no guarantee of a job that pays enough to cover that debt. Is the education system setting us up for success or for financial enslavement?
2. Job Market: Many people work long hours in jobs they don't like, with little to no job security, just to make ends meet. Meanwhile, the wealth gap keeps growing, and it seems like the system is designed to benefit a select few.
3. Housing Market: The dream of owning a home is becoming increasingly unattainable for many, with sky-high prices and interest rates. Are we being set up to be lifetime renters, funneling our hard-earned money into someone else's pocket?
4. Healthcare System: In many countries, healthcare is a massive financial burden. People go bankrupt over medical bills, and it seems like the system prioritizes profit over people's well-being.
5. Government and Taxes: We're taxed heavily, yet essential services like infrastructure, education, and healthcare are often underfunded. Are our taxes being used effectively, or are they lining the pockets of the wealthy and powerful?
6. Investment and Savings: Traditional investment vehicles often have high fees and low returns for the average person, while the wealthy have access to more lucrative opportunities. Are we being scammed out of our financial growth?

I know these are broad strokes, and there are many nuances to each issue, but it feels like the system is rigged against the average person. As someone who's just starting out in life, I don't want to be stuck in this system my entire life.
I'm reaching out to older folks here who have more life experience—what advice do you have for someone like me? How can I find an alternative path to avoid being trapped in this system? Looking forward to hearing your thoughts and experiences.

My dog was diagnosed with epilsepy around august of last year. He had a normal puppy life until that point. That day he had a random seizure and I literally thought he was going to die. When we took him to the vet they checked his blood and everything until they narrowed it down to epilepsy. I was shellshocked but I was not going to give up on him. After getting him on medication he would relapse every few months and we would up the dosage and try new medication. Things were going smoothly for little once we finally got the right mix. He would usually have a seizure once or month or so. It would be tough but it was manageable.
This past week he had a cluster seizure (which he usually does) but ended up having one three days later, he would have cluster secures for the next three days straight. Om the third consecutive day he started giving seizures at 2pm and would have at least 1 every two hours until 11 pm. We took him in and they put him on 24 hour super dose of kepra to stop him from having seizures for the next day. I took him home hopefully until he would end up having 3 more seizures. I immediately began crying because in the back of my head I knew the worst was coming.
I took him back to the vet sobbing. The veterinarian told me we could either hospitalize him for the night and hope whatever they do works (minimum was going to be 5k) and there’s no guarantee it was going to work. She said usually when epilepsy starts at such a young age it usually doesn’t go as well. She ended with “im so sorry” My heart was broken. My dad and sister showed up to make things easier. I balled my eyes out as they brought me into the “quiet room”. They brought him in and I hugged him as tight as I could. He had a seizure as soon as he saw me and my heart broke. My head knew this was probably the best for him so he couldn’t suffer anymore but my heart was acheing. I felt like I was giving up on my boy. He was only two years old and had so much life to live. He was already sedated and when they knocked for the final step he got amped and full of energy (he had been loopy and restless for the day since he took the medication) but it absolutely broke my heart . Like he knew what was about to happen. At first I wasn’t sure if I wanted to be in the room I was so overwhelmed and upset. But I didn’t want him to be without me in his last moments I held him in my arms and sobbed as they did the first sedative to fully calm him down. And finally..the rest of the shot to make him sleep forever.. I held him in my arms while he took his final breathes and just like that he was gone.
It’s finally been 24 hours and I’m still so sad. I live alone and he was my bestfriend. My house is so lonely without him . I know with time it’ll get easier but I miss him so fucking much. He’s the first dog I raised by myself and for the last 2 years i felt like I was raising a son. He loved me unconditionally and I loved him the same. I fucking hate epilepsy my boy had so much more to see. I miss him so much already and it’s only been one day. Seeing him go lifeless in matter of minutes is something I don’t think I’ll ever forget. Putting down ur dog and them going in your arms has to be one of the saddest things to happen to a person. I know to some people dogs are just pets but to me dogs have always been another part of the family . I come home and see all his toys and his harness and least on top Of his bed and I get so sad. He was just a baby stillI feel like I lost my son and he’s all I can think about. Rip my baby boy daddy will see you again one day

Earlier today my mom was having me shop for clothes then I saw a hoodie with a little naturey design thingy that I thought was cute but before I could say I liked it my mom said something like "Oh wait that one's dorky" and then after that I was too shy to say I actually like it and that's happened before with my dad too where he's done something similar, I feel like this might also kinda happen more cuz I'm closeted and trans but still curious if it happens to anyone else

My first visitor arrived wearing a vacuum suit. I’d have assumed it was for quarantine protocols, except that a second distinctly inhuman model lay in his arms. The second suit had longer limbs, more fingers, a visor that was just a little too wide for a human. The shape itself was an invitation. It was for me, and I did not need to be told to put it on.
“Are we in danger -” I began to ask, and was immediately cut off.
“Yes,” the human replied.
“-of a hull breach.”
I continued most out of verbal momentum, but the human mulled those four words over for a moment before replying again.
“No,” he decided. “Not that.”
His voice was familiar, even if the faces all tended to blur together for me. I was speaking with the human that had brought me from the station to wherever this was.
“You don’t talk much, do you?” I asked, and he smiled sadly back. There was a sympathy in his gaze, even if his eyes reminded me too much of his teeth - sharp and slick and white as bone.
“Old habit,” he said. “But worth keeping. You’ll know after you meet Agi. ”
Humans always felt like they were trying to bait you into asking more questions. Instead, I activated the final seals on the suit, and followed behind. If he was baiting for questions, I was not fool enough to think he would actually give answers.
​
​
I wasn’t sure what aesthetic design I expected from the human station, but the consistent and extreme maximinimalism took me by surprise. The hallway outside my room had a floor coated in fine sand (I winced on behalf of their particulate filters) along with row after row of large, leafy plants growing from pots. The plants had grown so wide that one simply had to push through them to make it down the hall.
“Like home,” the human leading me forward said. I wasn’t sure if he was genuinely defensive about the design choice, or just naturally standoffish.
We went through three discrete sections after that, each slightly more absurd than the one prior. First there was a hall devoted entirely to industrial hazard signs. Every wall, every door, ever window, had helpful labels describing entirely unrelated forms of death.
Drowning Risk hung over a fountain, complete with a single hand reaching up from a sinking body. Crush risk hung over every door, each with a crumpled icon of what was unmistakably a human form. It wasn’t until I passed a cabin with a biohazard risk sign overheard that the dots clicked.
“Pride?” I guessed.
‘Pride,” the human said back. It wasn’t quite an agreement, but I didn’t think he gave straight answers. Something had beaten it out of him.
After that, there was a vast expanse of clocks. There was no consistent pattern to their construction - a few were simple, legible digital devices. Others became clockwork mechanisms of brass and steel. At the end there were a few made of carved wood, far more intricate and finicky than made any practical sense. I stopped to look at one, and a sculpture of a winged thing burst out of it, whistling and tweeting, before smacking me straight in the forehead.
I took that as an omen to keep pushing forward.
The final space was clearly intentionally claustrophobic. The hall narrowed so thin that we could only pass forward by by turning sideways. It looked like devices normally tucked into the walls had been moved out, sometimes putting passerby at genuine risk. A transformer hummed in one part, copper wires exposed, and I have to take great care to not even brush against it. If the man leading me forward was perturbed by this, he did not show it.
And then we entered a commons.
Pride, I recognized. The two others, I did not. All of five of us were wearing vac suits.
“Ersatz!” Pride said, genuinely delighted to see my escort. It was a new name to keep track of, but it was still a relief to know he had one. Helped him feel less like a force of nature.
“Pride,” Erstaz said. He gestured for me to take a seat. It seemed like Pride had intended for me to sit next to him.
“How are you feeling?” he asked me. “Cold sweats? Itching? Sneezing? The awakening of primal urges you would have preferred to remain buried deep in your subconscious?"
“Has anyone ever drowned in your fountain?” I replied, and instead of laughing he looked quite thoughtful.
“Not by accident,” he said, and I laughed because I wanted it to be a joke. “But that aside, I am glad you’re feeling well. I’d assumed we’d have a few days of quiet after getting here. Fortunately, an opportunity that’s too good to miss just came our way. Would you like to know why we’re all wearing vac suits?”
I did. I truly desperately did. I knew he was being dramatic, and I knew the other three humans had little patience for it, but I couldn’t help playing along.
“Yes. I would like to know that very, very much.”
“The first step to getting back to Earth has fallen into our laps,” he said. “We have an opportunity to steal an IFF token that’ll get us past orbital defense. And that’s not even the best part! Order, would you like the honors?”
One of the two unmet humans turned to me. His name seemed like it was sarcastic - his hair was wild, his eyes were darting, and his hands scittered over the table like massive five legged insects.
“We’re gonna take it from the fuckin’ burger clown,” he said, and the table erupted into cheers. I cheered too. I think that was the exact point where I simply accepted that nothing was ever going to make sense ever again.
(It was an enormous relief.)
First/Previous/Next

I just got back from Home Depot fully expecting to buy some Packout drawer boxes to add to my existing Packout system. But after playing with all the Milwaukee's drawer variants, I ended up walking out with 4 new Ridgid boxes instead. This is a "varies by your use case" decision for sure, but --
Reasons I went with Ridgid Pro Gear 2.0:

• Ridgid is lighter weight. Packout is definitely more heavy-duty and durable, but I don't need tank-level robustness and prefer less heft as a result.
• Ridgid wheels can completely disconnect from the bottom box -- can rearrange the stack; easier to load into tight quarters. Packout roller base is permanently attached (i.e. single-piece mold) to the large box.
• Packout drawers have the front-flipping bar for securing the drawers, which I find super obnoxious because then it's hanging in front or down when accessing the drawers. The Ridgid side-flip design seems much better to me.
• I like that the Ridgid styling is more subtle. Milwaukee/Packout is the most flamboyant of all the tool brands (besides maybe Ryobi). I don't need any more SCREAMING RED in my life.
  • Even more unfortunate is that Milwaukee makes the Packout line in Black/Red (vs Red/Black), but that colorway isn't sold in the American market. Here's an example: https://www.amazon.com/Milwaukeee-4932472130-PACKOUT-3-Drawer-Case/dp/B093X3X879
  • I looked into Klein's new MODBox system a bit, but unfortunately inventory isn't widely available yet -- and same thing, I don't need SCREAMING ORANGE everywhere.
• Drawer quality is basically identical between the two. The slides look like they're probably made in the same factory and feel indistinguishable when sliding. Even more reason not to pay 50% more ($180 vs $120) for Packout drawers.

But Packout is clearly superior in other ways:

• The flip-up handle on the Packout Large Box is stellar. None of the Ridgid boxes have anything like this.
• I love my Packout tool totes; Ridgid doesn't have anything similar. But it's extremely rare that I attach them to my boxes so nbd besides "theming" lol.
• Packout has a much better variety of organizers and other random accessories. I think there are 8 items total in the entire Ridgid system. Packout has...what maybe 30 SKUs?
• Packout tray inserts are unquestionably superior in both function and build quality. The little orange insert on the Ridgid boxes is too small, too flimsy, and not supported as well by the outer box. This is definitely the most painful con of the Ridgid system; they don't even sell trays as an add-on.
• The telescoping handle on the Ridgid isn't my favorite. My knuckles knock against the box hinges while walking; I will try to address this by changing my box stacking order.
• It's very easy to find foam inserts for Packout products. I will likely have to cut my own for the Ridgid.

[TOMT] [ANIME MOVIE] [2000s] I need any help I can get with this. I have this vivid memory of my early, and even late, childhood, of me watching a DVD that contained the first ever anime I ever watched. On the very good days of piracy (long gone era of the early 2000), my dad downloaded it from somewhere that has been long lost to time. I still have the DVD somewhere on my parents house, but no more DVD player, and the DVD is one of those plain ones we used to record stuff, so theres no indication of the film name on it. I completely forgot the title, that is if I ever knew it at all (it was in japanese, and if I still don't know japanese now, in my almost 20 years, I very much didn't know it when i was 4), but I just NEED to know the name, just to find it again, get a glimpse, even just a screenshot, of one of my earliest memories. And also it was my first anime ever, and that's a pretty big thing to an anime lover.
Now that i gave context of why I just need this so much (I remembered it today, and I've been looking for it for the past 2 hours, my girlfriend is probably already a bit pissed that i hyperfocused on this instead of giving her attention), I'll give you guys all the things I remember, in hopes I can find it again, or even have tell me they also remember it just so I know I'm not going crazy.
It was probably made in between 1990 and 2005, and i vividly remember a scene where the main character, a boy about 6-8 years old, is playing with penguins in antartica (he was there with his parents, and the start of the film was in a boat, so i always guessed they were kind of scientists going on an expedition?) when the ice starts to crack. He doesn't manage to get back to his parents and they get separated, and he ends up on top of an iceberg, stranded in the ocean. He floats over it across the sea until he reaches warmer waters, where he encounters a paradise bird he freed earlier in the film (the poor thing was locked up in a cage in the boat, i guess he belongued to the captain or something), and the warms makes the ice start to melt and reveals a giant egg. the boy floats over the egg until he gets stranded on a tropical paradisiacal island governed by a mermaid (i guess she had pink hair and a really sad face for some reason?) and inhabited by strange creatures. even the trees and flowers in the forest seem to be concient and they even sing (my mother was absolutely tired of hearing this scene over and over again). The egg cracks when they reach the beach and a pink sea monster is born from it, and the creature becomes the boy's friend, along with the paradise bird that becomes a sort of guide/voice of reason (though not much reason I'm afraid). There's also a profecy referring to the pink sea monster (?) and a pirate is trying to capture it (or maybe the mermaid princess, i dont remember). There's also one scene where some strange little creatures that live on the island are crying so much they almost flood it (?) i dont remember much about it, sorry.

So I (F37) have a very toxic and narcissistic mother (F55). She was a teen mom (had me at 18) and blamed me for ruining her life. My dad, stepmother, and grandmother (her mom) were the ones who mainly raised me. She went along a few years later to have 3 more kids, my brothers (M28, M26, M17). She has always doted on them and treated me like I was nothing. When I was 18, I moved out (had my own apartment while still finishing high school and working full time). She was never there for me after I moved out. It didn't bother me. For my younger brothers, I tried to maintain the peace because they didn't do anything wrong, and I love my little brothers.
Well, when I was 31, I moved out of state (had a chance to start over and have been doing well). I had my first baby in 2020. She was over the moon when she found out she was going to be a grandma. Was even texting and calling while i was in labor checking on me. She even traveled with my dad (who she is divorced from) my grandmother (her mom) and one of my little cousins (M27) 1,000 miles to meet my son (M3) when he was born. She doted over him. When she left to go back home, she stopped talking to me. Again, i didn’t really care because I had a new baby that needed me. A year later, I welcomed my second baby (M2). With him, she did not text or call while I was in labor. She even told me that she would not be traveling to meet him. So I went to LC.
Well, for the past couple of years, she hasn't called or texted or asked about my kids. As for me, I gave up a long time ago trying to have any kind of relationship with her. I ended up deleting her off of all social media. Mother's day, she didn't text or call all day. I had a wonderful day with my boys. We went to lunch with my MIL and SFIL. Came home and spent time with their dad. Still hadn't heard from her, and I was okay with that. Then at 10:30 at night she texted me to wish me a happy mothers Day. I did not reply back, wishing her one as I feel she didn't deserve one from me as she was never a good mother to me and even worse grandmother to her grandchildren. I have been getting texts from family I don't talk to saying that I'm an AH for not telling her happy mothers day and I should have at least said it to her because she did give birth to me amd it's not fair my SM got a happy mothers day (to note my SM is more of a mother to me then my TM ever was). I feel guilty that I didn't say it to her because she hasn't been a mom to me, but I feel justified as well because I don't believe she deserves it. So, AITA?

So I was watching The Amazing Spiderman movie today* and there's a scene right after Spiderman gets his powers that made me think about Cyberpunk RED. See, Spiderman starts breaking stuff left and right in his bathroom, because he's not used to being so strong. His normal amount of force to just turn on the tap now breaks the faucet. The doorknob shatters in his hand. It reminded me of Superman's "World of Cardboard" speech:

Me? I've got a different problem. I feel like I live in a world made of cardboard, always taking constant care not to break something, to break someone. Never allowing myself to lose control even for a moment, or someone could die.

It occurred to me that this could be a great way to showcase the separation from "regular people" from cyberware. It's what drives empathy and Humanity loss. And honestly, this would suck on a day-to-day basis. Imagine having to treat your loved ones like their made of spun glass, because if you don't, they'll shatter in your hands. No wonder Edgerunners tend to hook up with Edgerunners - they're the only ones that literally handle them.
This applies to even folks who don't have linear frames. What do you mean, you can't jump up there? It's only 10 meters! What do you mean, you can't drive a car with your brain and shoot at the same time? It's easy!
Edgerunners have this vast gulf that separates them from the other people in their life, and the more I think about it, the more heartbreaking it is. What if cyberpsychosis is just the realization that you are no longer designed for life on this world - by your own hand?
*My oldest boy wants to see all the Marvel movies, and his friend told him that in order to understand No Way Home, he has to see all the other Spiderman movies. So we've been doing that over the last several weekends. I will be a good dad if it kills me, Goddammit.

36 years old, single, but been thinking about doing this for a minute. Currently sitting on the couch with frozen peas on my peas. Overall wasn’t so bad - have definitely taken worse hits to the boys on the mountain bike. Once the uncomfortable numbing injection thing was done you don’t feel a thing. Gonna listen to the doc and chill all week. Was a little nervous prior and definitely feeling a bit of the weight of the finality of things, but overall glad it’s done!

I have been considering a service dog for PTSD. My sweet boy, who passed 6 months ago, volunteered his services through his natural instincts at home for 8 years. He was a pit mix that would nudge me when I froze, paw at me during panic attacks, lay on me so I could feel safe enough to sleep, and wake me from night terrors. None of this was due to training him; it was just his way. I never took him places because he was sketch with other dogs so it wasn’t until he was gone that I realized he was my stay at home service dog.
I would like to have another SD but make it a deliberate choice and be able to have one that I can take out of the house so I can live more independently. I dream of being able to go places without my spouse or CBD or anti anxiety meds (or unchecked surprise meltdowns). I dream of capturing a small piece of my life back that’s been missing since I was r@ped 10 years ago.
The dreams includes traveling primarily via plane. I would like to have a SD who fits comfortably on a plane (bulkhead seats) as flights may be as long as 8 hours. I was considering a small pit but their prey drive is so high that it won’t be fair for either of us to put a little pittie in that role. A small breed (fits under a plane seat) just cannot do what I would need a SD to do.
I will be using a trainer to assist with at home training as there are so many different variations of PTSD symptoms and so few places that train SD dogs for non military veteran people. The expense of a pre trained SD beyond my means; not to mention I’m not willing to tell my story to people to ask for help through fundraising.
Any thoughts of a breed between 30 and 45lbs that could be suitable? One that tends to bound deeply with one human more than, let’s say, a golden retriever? Any ideas would be so helpful. Thank you.

Let me preface by stating I have called every vet in the are, and now I’ve learned to start saving for emergency vet expenses. I cannot afford to take him and their only solution is applying for a credit card (I have poor credit because of a car accident totaling my car and GAP coverage decided not to pay the remaining $2,000 which I thought was the point in GAP but anyways, that just recently hit my credit. Losing my car meant losing my job at Amazon so now I’m down to a part time job making $11/hour.) back on topic.
His personality and energy has not changed. He’s still exactly the same amount of cuddling and playful as he has been. I got him 2 new catnip toys and he cracked out over them and is still always running around like a little maniac and biting my arms when we play.
My mom and I think he either has a hair ball he can’t pass or he’s constipated. I switched him to Pretty Litter just to monitor his urine and that seems fine, it hasn’t changed color. Also his water intake hasn’t changed. I did find one solid really hard stool in his litter box which is why I think he’s constipated. I was going to force feed him until I googled it and it said that can really stress him out and cause medical issues so I’m not.
I have about 6 different cans of different flavors of wet cat food set out for him, plus a bowl of his favorite dry food and I got him his favorite snack, the wet treats in a tube. I just recently learned cats should be eating wet cat food a lot so I’ve been trying to switch him over to that as well.
Anyways, does anyone have any solutions on helping him take a poopy? Or helping him eat? OH he also has not lost any weight either so I’m very confused. He’s a chunky boy and I’ve gone on week long vacations several times and have come home to a scrawny kitty from him not eating while I was gone. So him still being this chunky and plateful is confusing me.
Any advice is welcome. Thanks in advance.

Hi reddit, this post is kind of dumb but I'll get straight into the point.
I'm 14F and I've liked this guy who we will call Micheal 14M since I laid my eyes on him. He was my type and really introduced me to alternative fashion even more, he's a skater boy. Typical, long hair, beanie, baggy clothes, grungey music that kind of jazz.
I'm alternative in a way but I haven't fully gotten there yet so only time will tell. Back in February we talked for a bit and he played me a song on his guitar, I didn't know the song but the notes seemed off to me so I said something but when I listened to the song it was right and I was just being dumb. He stopped messaging me after I got his Instagram and because I get attached easily I wanna to keep talking.
Each time I reached out he didn't know who I was which was a red flag to me but I ignored it, I tried reaching out three times but I eventually gave up because chasing after him just made me seem desperate. I moved in.
Now, I sent him a DM as a little joke and he actually responded and we talked for a little bit and he's interested in being friends along with his best friend who is also a girl and alternative. It's kind of an awkward conversation but I really don't wanna fuck this up, I'm being calm and acting like myself but self sabotage is always the biggest issue. What do I do?
Edit: they're both white if that matters and they both live an hour away from me, I'm black and Cuban and on the chubbier side and usually my appearance pushes people away. I am not ugly in the slightest, I'm just fat and not up to 14 year old boys usual standards. Do not dm me at all about this.

Me and my wife both 33 YO Indian couple have a 4 year old son. My son has beautiful long hair so he often gets mistaken for a girl, but he loves his hair and so do we. To celebrate my wife's birthday, we flew to Melbourne from Sydney and booked a 3 bedroom Airbnb as my in-laws were going to join us. Due to some complication with their travel, my in-laws could not travel on the intended date and so me, my wife and son went on ahead. My in-laws arrive a day later and I picked them up from the airport. One of the comments from my mum-in-law was that my son's fringe is too long and covers his eyes so it needs to be cut. Both me and my wife said that we love the way he looks but we were considering a proper haircut soon. We were all excited as the next day was my wife's birthday and we had booked a guided tour of the city with a photographer. It all went as planned and we returned home around 3pm. I was exhausted as I've been carrying around the heavy bags throughout as my in-laws are 55+ and just came of an 11 hour plane ride yesterday. Around 4pm my wife wanted to visit a beach about 10 mins from the Airbnb. As it was my wife's birthday and I didn't want to let her down, I downed half a glass of wine and went with her. Our son stayed back with his grandparents as it would be his sleeping time soon. Me and my wife had some much needed alone time and things seemed great. We picked up some snacks and pastries on the way home as we skipped cake for this birthday. But little did I know how things were going to turn out when we returned to the Airbnb. Everything was fine till about 5 mins when I noticed that half of my son's bangs were gone. This was something I kept warning my mother-in-law the whole day not to do and the moment we were away from an hour she did it. I went off, I dunno if it was the wine or the exhaustion but I couldn't hold my emotions back. Yelled that it was a massive breach of trust literally within 24 hours of entering the country. My wife was pissed as well but she never holds her mom accountable so I feel I had to as a line was crossed. Intentions aside, I know it's hair and it will grow back but my trust was gone. My mother-in-law started crying and my wife helped calm the air. My wife was neutral and explained to me that I should have been more careful with my words as per our culture we always show respect to our elderly. Later, I apologized to everyone for making a scene and things looked good. The next morning however, my wife blamed me for ruining her birthday, disrespecting her mother and causing a scene. I dunno what I should do as I feel with all my heart that what my mother-in-law did was crossing a line and if anything me reacting this way would make her think twice about going behind our backs again. So reddit I humbly as you Am I the asshole and if so, any advice to remedy the situation?

I messed up. I messed up bad.
“Never get high on your own supply”. The human who sold me this data told me it was a saying from his world. But I had to be sure it was the real deal. After all, data drugs that worked on people without a brain interface installed? It was unheard of. But here I am [30 hours] later, and I no longer doubt. I feel utterly exhausted despite having barely moved. My every neuron feels fried. All 6 grasping appendages are sore from the repetitive motions, and my eyes are dry and unfocused from the long strain I have put them through. I feel intense pangs of hunger and thirst, as I haven’t eaten or drank since I started this test.
I still want more. But with a great effort of will I force myself away from the screen of my computing terminal and stumble to my pantry so I may attend to my body’s needs. As I gulp down nutrient drinks and chew some dried fruit, I reflect on the trance I’ve somehow barely managed to pull myself out of.
Simulations. A useful tool for engineers, scientists, and military strategists. We had never thought to teach storytellers or artists to use them. Humans had. And what they created was both miraculous and monstrous.
Humans decided to use simulation technology to create art and craft stories. It seemed that there was a human simulation… no, hundreds of human simulations, designed to invoke whatever feeling or emotion you could imagine. And possibly some you couldn’t.
I had started simple. A basic test of spatial reasoning, and later quick thinking, expressed through the medium of stacking colored blocks formed into geometric shapes. While comparable at first to a children's toy, as the speed and challenge increased I became increasingly hypnotized. The feeling of lining up and clearing four rows at once with the all too rare straight piece was intensely satisfying. Making a mistake, leaving a gap caused frustration and incompleteness like I had never felt before, and eventually fixing it gave a feeling of relief, of rightness. As the game sped up, I found myself more and more frantic to try and find places for every piece. The rush of success and agony of failure only increased as I prided and chided myself on my quick decisions.
Eventually, I could keep up no longer, leaving me only with a number. A score.
Could I push that score higher?
[4 hours] went by, and I barely noticed.
I should have stopped. I knew that what I had was genuine. But I wanted to know what else this data was capable of.
I navigated a colorful landscape, defying gravity with every action and finding joy in exploration and collection.
I slaughtered demons with a chaingun, turning the fear of being devoured into a rising sense of conquest and bloodlust.
I failed a single test of dexterity, sending me tumbling down a hole and erasing hours of progress, and I nearly knocked myself out from the shock of frustration.
I defeated a hulking warrior with a team of other adventurers, and the triumph of it was only amplified by the sting of failing several times before.
Freedom and entrapment.
Horror and domination.
Elation and sorrow.
Every new experience was an emotional high of a kind I’d never had before, and my hearts were racing with the myriad of feelings rushing through my mind. My imagination was going wild with the possibilities of all these new worlds of data and programming.
My self-reflection comes to a grinding halt. I need to stop. If I’m not careful I’ll get addicted and end up like one of those mindjackers, burning their brains out on data drugs. Supposedly these simulations can’t do that, but I wouldn’t have put it past the seller to lie about that kind of thing.
Well, one way or another, I’m gonna make a [alien animal that shares many traits with both giant squids and magpies]’s hoard selling these. Time to call my best clients…
[Time skip: approximately 25 solar years]
The Rise of the Galactic Game Industry: Fluke of the Black Market, or Human Marketing Genius? You Decide!
Dr’k-Nam, Head Investigative Critic for the Arts and Culture section of Twin Suns Newsgroup
Simulation games, also known as “video games”, have taken the galaxy by storm ever since their controversial introduction and subsequent series of bannings and legalizations across the galaxy. Simulation technology is nothing new of course, but galactic newcomers from the Sol system, Humans, used it in an extremely novel way: art and entertainment. According to their historical records, a significant amount of their entertainment industry is based around simulation games, and that portion has grown even further with their introduction to the galaxy at large.
At first, however, no one was interested. A simulation with little or no practical application, designed only to entertain? Most people preferred to stick with the entertainment they knew, or seek new experiences outside of sims. So what changed?
Simple: some anonymous human decided to sell them as data drugs instead of simulation games; data drugs usable by simply interacting with a computer program, rather than having to inject the data directly in through a neural interface. With this small, but completely false new branding, video games were ready to start spreading across virtual black markets like spoilers for the latest episode of Ace Flyer Kr’t-Kah on the galnet (side note: please have some courtesy to others and tag your spoilers).
Human governance and society at large had been reportedly as surprised to see a lack of simulation games from other species as they were that humans had them. But they were even more surprised when they started getting accused of pushing the latest data drug. This was an especially confusing accusation because neural interface technology was not widely adopted by humanity at the time, and only a fraction of a percent of their population even knew of the existence of data drugs in the first place. The revelation that most humans had video games of some sort on their PPDDs (personal portable data devices) threatened to cause an uproar in the galaxy, as paranoia around data drugs was at an all time high among many species.
After trying and failing to ignore the problem for long enough for it to go away, human governance, as well as human corporations producing video games, were forced to release statements, acknowledging that:

• Yes, video games were human productions.
• Yes, they could be addictive in the same way that any other pleasure-seeking activity could be addictive.
• Yes, there are games that even humans ban. Adult subject matter is restricted from youths, but additionally, games could be made manipulatively to exploit or develop gambling addictions, which is banned outright. Technically this ban isn’t even for games specifically, but instead falls under the purview of their laws against taking advantage of the mentally unstable.
• No, they did not “hack your brain” to cause neural impulses, unless you’re a a Syns-nah, who only partially exist in our dimension and are not used to any 3-dimensional sensory inputs, to the point where eating an unflavored [grain product resembling a cracker] can cause them vivid hallucinations.
• If other races want to ban them, go ahead, but humans can’t really stop data from spreading (their government has tried, believe me), and they’re not going to stop making or distributing them where it’s legal.

Ironically enough, the controversy made them much more popular, even in places that decided on banning them. The idea of a simulation that could act like a data drug without the risk of frying your mind like the real thing was enticing to many. The lack of side effects and ease with which the games could be distributed only increased both their spread and unregulatability. In short order, races throughout the galaxy were trying out a new pastime, and galnet connected multiplayer games were bridging the gaps between the stars. Now, several other races, including my own, are seeking advice from human developers in starting their own simulation game projects. Only time will tell what kind of games their unique perspectives will produce, but it’s unlikely that humans will lose their position as the most powerful and profitable storytellers through this new medium; they have generations of experience to draw upon, after all.
Rumors that the data drug sales pitch was a deliberate ploy by the human game industry (to drum up intergalactic sales) or by human governance (to spread human culture and influence) are still under investigation, but solid evidence for either has yet to emerge.
Edit: anyone posting untagged Ace Flyer Kr’t-Kah spoilers in the comments section of this article will receive an immediate, no-warning permaban.

I had my resident cat Ivy for 6 months, she was a sweet affectionate very happy girl, she was previously a backyard breeders queen (fuck that) and has had at least two litters of kittens that I know of before I got her.
I wanted her to have some company for when we are out/busy and generally just for her wellbeing, contacted the shelter I got her from and asked if they had any cats that matched her personality - all adults (male, as I was advised a younger, smaller male would be better, don't know how much I believe this as all accounts I can find online are pretty evenly split between gender does matter, and doesn't) but anyway, they told me that one of their kittens would be a good match as all the older males were already being rehomed.
So we brought home a little boy, we followed everything correctly, separated in rooms behind a bug screen, fed them together and played, ivy seemed interested even though she grumbled and hissed, understandable since her territory was being invaded.
After two weeks we let them mix, seemed fine, she was unhappy with it and would hiss but nothing worrying.
After a routine vet check up for the kitten we found out they were actually female and thus un-spayed (spay appt incoming)
After a month, the kitten is displaying food aggression, probably from being in the shelter, she swats at Ivy as I am preparing meals for them, I have started to feed them separately, they previouly ate next to each other totally fine though, I just want to avoid the aggression prior to it as it probably won't help Ivys attitude.
Ivy however now has started to really bully her (Willow) especially around a scratching board bed I got them, she will chase Willow and get her on her back if she sits on it, I bought a second one and it still does nothing.
Sometimes she goes for Willow when she's not looking, when willow is just cleaning herself, she chases her under the TV unit and poor Willow just stays there. There have been no actual fights yet that I am aware of? But at night Ivy is especially horrible to her, if I am not present in the evening then she will keep her locked under that unit.
It's making me very very depressed as ivy is getting told off by me every evening, I clap to try break her out of her black eyes wiggling butt I'm gonna charge at this tiny cat and fuck them up when she doesn't stop I do the raised voice ah ah ah ah ah, and a firm IVY NO when she ignores that. She slinks away unhappy and it's physically hurting me thinking I've made her unhappy or scared of me, she's definitely not as affectionate with me as she was.
I play with them both, they have supervised outdoor time in our safe back garden (ivy still chases her around) and I'm just at a loss.
I know it's only been a month, and it takes time to adjust, it are there any tips people can give me to calm aggression and bullying

1. I have Feliway diffusers
2. They play and eat together, puzzles balls and puzzle boards with treats.
3. I leave bird TV on for them when I leave for work before my partner wakes up and at night
4. Willow isn't really very affectionate, only when she wants it and never any other time, she just always wants to play and run around
5. They sleep together downstairs instead of upstairs with us, before Willow, ivy would sleep on our bed every night, SOMETIMES I wake up and they are both there but mostly they choose to sleep in the same room away from us which I find so odd, like why does Willow choose to sleep with Ivy and not us when Ivy is horrible to her lol.

Hey everyone,
I'm an 18-year-old guy, and I've been thinking a lot lately about the way our society and economic systems are structured, and I can't help but feel like we're being scammed. Hear me out:

1. Education System: We're told to spend years in school, accumulating massive debt, with no guarantee of a job that pays enough to cover that debt. Is the education system setting us up for success or for financial enslavement?
2. Job Market: Many people work long hours in jobs they don't like, with little to no job security, just to make ends meet. Meanwhile, the wealth gap keeps growing, and it seems like the system is designed to benefit a select few.
3. Housing Market: The dream of owning a home is becoming increasingly unattainable for many, with sky-high prices and interest rates. Are we being set up to be lifetime renters, funneling our hard-earned money into someone else's pocket?
4. Healthcare System: In many countries, healthcare is a massive financial burden. People go bankrupt over medical bills, and it seems like the system prioritizes profit over people's well-being.
5. Government and Taxes: We're taxed heavily, yet essential services like infrastructure, education, and healthcare are often underfunded. Are our taxes being used effectively, or are they lining the pockets of the wealthy and powerful?
6. Investment and Savings: Traditional investment vehicles often have high fees and low returns for the average person, while the wealthy have access to more lucrative opportunities. Are we being scammed out of our financial growth?

I know these are broad strokes, and there are many nuances to each issue, but it feels like the system is rigged against the average person. As someone who's just starting out in life, I don't want to be stuck in this system my entire life.
I'm reaching out to older folks here who have more life experience—what advice do you have for someone like me? How can I find an alternative path to avoid being trapped in this system? Looking forward to hearing your thoughts and experiences.