Hi everyone,
My girlfriend and I are moving in July, both working in the financial district, and after spending a few full days looking up different apartments, asking different companies for the additional fees, asking for video tours and looking at locations that also have availabilities around our move-in date, we have narrowed our search to the following apartments: Liberty Towers, Urby Jersey City, Urby Harrison, Warren at York, 225 Grand, 18 Park Street. We are looking only at one bedroom apartments for now; we might look at two bedroom apartments later on in our careers and/or stage of life.
So far, there are three categories of apartments.

1. Liberty Towers, Urby Jersey City. Fairly pricey, but they're close to the ferry and the PATH station; the ferry provides me an alternative way to travel to work if the PATH dies. Between these, Liberty is larger, Urby is smaller.

Liberty pros:
Larger for the same price. I don't know if the Urby 1b1b apartments are large enough, and unless we go for the $4145 apartments, they'll be smaller than our current dorm apartment. We could then actually set up a work area in this apartment, or store all of our excess bags.
Slightly better views than Urby; the available Urby apartments are north and/or west facing, whereas Liberty has east-facing apartments available.
Urby pros:
Community. We am currently fairly active in our current dorm community, and this is appealing to us. I hear they have 4-5 events per month? Though I don't know what events these tend to be.
Better maintenance. There seems to be much fewer complaints about the Urby maintenance, and better sound-proofing too.
Views still beat out the other groups
Closer to Newport PATH?

1. Warren at York vs 225 Grand vs 18 Park Street

All three have fairly high Google reviews, seem to be better value for money, probably don't have the Liberty Towers elevator problem. However, views are worse than that of the first group. My feeling is that these are safe options, but not special. 225 Grand seems to have the largest apartments and is the cheapest of the three, though Warren at York is slightly closer. The views at all three apartment buildings aren't much to celebrate about. Otherwise, I don't know much about the different apartment buildings.
The 18 Park Street room has a terrace? I don't know if that means our neighbours can randomly walk up to our room...

1. Urby Harrison

For a slightly lower price than the other groups, we could look for a two-bedroom apartment in Harrison, and still meet other residents (though according to floor plans, the two-bedroom apartments are smaller than the Liberty Towers 1b apartments...). The problems are that it's in Harrison, which is a 30 minute PATH ride to work, and if the PATH is down, there's no way either of us are making it to work, or back home, whereas the other two groups, walking to the ferry is always an option. I have also heard that there is a lot of industry in Harrison, that not much happens there, and that the air quality is questionable, to say the least.
tl;dr, currently, I am weighing up between these groups, and then choosing an actual apartment. We do want to meet people in NJ/NYC, as we'll be starting work here, hence the appeal for Urby. While we could afford a $5k apartment, we would rather keep our budget to about $4k, unless it's truly worth it. We also have quite a few bags that we need to bring with us, and our current apartment is 670 sq feet, so it would feel bad to move to a smaller apartment after graduation. On the other hand, we've heard about the bad news about Liberty Towers. The second group seems to be ok, and 225 Grand apartments are certainly large enough, but the location is not quite as desirable, and the views aren't as great. What do you guys all suggest? Thanks for any suggestions!

I dont know if this breaks rule 3 but hear me out.
The original book was supposed to teach kids how to learn from caillou and not to be like him and grow up to be nice friendly people right!?
Then comes the Canadian TV adaptation. The show was low budget, so the wiring team had a secret evil plan to use as an excuse as cheap writing.
There supposed to be a narrator narrating the episodes like if she was reading through a children's book while we see caillou crying and his Canada-pilled family do nothing about.
The writers decided to make the main star cailou the most annoying peice of shit of a character ever while everyone else forgive him for his crimes, and the elderly narrator mumbles in the background but why.
Do they knew kids around the world will see this and go "haha I want to be a criminal when I grow up" and ignore the lesson the episode is trying to teach them, or the writers are just clueless elders who don't know what's going on
They got infected with the >!Caillou Disease Think about the consequences of the innocence that was lost from this peice of shits supernatural forbidden power to brainwash them into the people see today, currently the caillou of today is like what's going on in these kids iPads, parents fuck badly when it comes to actually having kids, It's easy...

TURN THE DAMN THING OFF AND TAKIT AWAY

Remember, this is Canada, of course they do what Canadians do...

I plan on doing a road trip around the US (the West) and some of Canada too. The total time will be 11 months and we'll be sleeping on our car and tent camping. We plan on staying on places for a long time, so for example, Lake Tahoe 4 days, Yellowstone 7 days, etc. (I travelled for 4 months before and I miss the country and open spaces so much. I have an idea on what to expect).
Afterward I want to go to Mexico City for 1 month just to feel what it's like to live somewhere different. And lasty I want to go to Japan for 7 weeks.
My parents think I'm crazy because i chose 11 months in the US, they say 'go to Africa or sm.' I've travelled abroad before but nothing comes close to the level of freedom I feel in the US (just getting in the car and driving until I hit another ecosystem is pretty dope). And I also want to know what it feels like to live in different parts of the US. I'm from deep Texas, I will never be able to afford moving to the West.
Maybe I can get some insights?

This is my second year teaching, but my first in this district. I was a late hire (started about a week into the school year) and split between two schools, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. From the very beginning, it has been an absolute comedy of errors—people dropped the ball at literally every turn from central office, admin, on down—literally everyone. And there has been so much either miscommunication and lack of communication you have to laugh to avoid crying. I have felt largely ignored and forgotten by the admin teams at both schools, and given my odd schedule pretty isolated from most of the staff at both schools as well. It has been a really tough year that has taken a significant toll on my mental health and left me feeling subhuman. Still, when morning school principal asked me in early April if I would be interested in a full time position next year, I was thrilled to not have to job hunt again (because that is always soul crushing), and hoped that next year I would at least be able to meet and work with the rest of my department and grade level teams, and I’d be able to spend the summer revising the lessons and units I had done this year.
And then on Friday I learned what they plan to have me teach next year. I currently teach 3 classes at morning school—2 sections of 7th grade GT ELA and one section of 8th grade GT ELA. I feel the year has gone well, all things considered. I’ve had no complaints from parents and have built a rapport with most of my students. Despite this, and despite my admin team not doing one single observation this year and literally have not set foot in my classroom since maybe November (when they finally got around to getting me my own desk in my classroom), they have decided that I will not be teaching those classes next year. Instead, they would like me to teach one section of on grade level 6th grade ELA and four sections of Readers Writers Workshop—which is a filler class, not aligned to any standards, not part of the ELA curriculum or team, and is based on an approach that has been so thoroughly debunked that the woman responsible for creating it has been placed on indefinite sabbatical at her university (she has tenure, so they can’t fire her).
They made the decision without talking to me. They made the decision despite my intentions form (which I filled out begrudgingly because they had yet to even tell me if I could stay next year) clearly stating that I am enjoying my current classes and would like to stay in a similar grade level. They made the decision despite the fact that they are also hiring a full time 8th grade ELA teacher for next year—a position that is currently being filled by a long term sub since the teacher became an AP at another school midyear—a position that I asked in December if I could apply for and was told no.
And I just…I’m done. That killed any and all optimism that I had that next year might be better. I can’t stay at a school that is treating me so poorly. My mental health already took a nosedive this year and I think another would destroy me. I’ve been told by a couple people that I probably have enough leverage, given how much of a shit show this year has been, to negotiate for different classes, but I just don’t see the point in fighting to stay at a school that is treating me with such a tremendous lack of consideration at literally every opportunity. So, now I get to spend my summer job hunting. Again.
I’m just feeling completely defeated at this point. I had different but equally terrible and unhelpful admin last year at my first school, and I never even met any of the admin team at the school I did my student teaching. Good admin teams exist, right? I’ve just been incredibly unlucky?
We have 17 school days left and I’m just trying to get through the end of the school year without crying in front of my students. Then I’ll figure out next steps, I guess.

Hi all,
I've been itching to return to PoE, but with nothing left that I want to accomplish this league I figured that the best way to do that would be to make a private league.
This league, however, comes with a few twists, which aren't in the form of any of the usual private league modifiers that you can add (don't worry, this isn't one of those masochist leagues). When making this league I had two goals in mind:

1. Make a fresh start league that would feel different to play than the current Ruthless Necropolis league, and experience how the endgame has changed without it being under the effect of Necropolis and everything it provides.
2. Make a space where everyone is effectively forced encouraged to play different builds and ascendancies than they would league start with normally.

As such, here's a rundown of how this private league will work.
Standard Ruthless, not Necropolis
Why? Because I want to 'return to Ruthless', and gravecrafting is a mechanic that largely goes against the spirit of Ruthless. Rare ground drops have mattered so much less this league and many people have found themselves forced to invest as much into corpses as they can because all other sources of crafting available in ruthless pale in comparison. The capabilities of gravecrafting would largely dictate what people consider to be more or less playable for a new league, which means it has to go.
While this also means losing embers and the Lantern, these are also mechanics that I want to explore the endgame without. Part of the original vision of ruthless was that you needed to do a specific mechanic in order to get its associated rewards (unless you liked Expedition somehow), but Embers give us breach/legion splinters on top of tainted currency, omens and more. The lantern would also wildly swing how exciting maps were depending on the devoted mods you could get - while this was fun for a while, I also want to experience the new ruthless endgame without this.
Without gravecrafting and embers, it will be interesting to see how the scarab rework has affected the endgame. A lot of mechanics like essence are much more accessible than before, and people might feel like taking advantage of that better when your gear doesn't come from filling out a spreadsheet full of corpses. Due to scarabs, there also won't be as much of a feeling of content drought as you might have felt in previous private leagues. This league was light on content anyway, outside of what embers added to your maps, and you'll be able to spend more points on the atlas than usual because you won't feel the need to invest in corpses etc.
Group Self Found, trading enabled
I like being able to trade away cool stuff that I find, simple as; you can just play SSF here if you prefer.
The most popular five ascendancies are not allowed
This is in respect to 2), and part of the challenge of the league; there's less room for experimenting with league starters in ruthless because there are options that are clearly above the rest, and this starts with certain ascendancies being much better than others.
The list of disallowed ascendancies, based on poe.ninja data for Trade and SSF, is as follows:

• necromancer
• guardian
• juggernaut
• chieftain
• deadeye

Obviously this leaves minion players in a rough spot compared to everyone else, but minions have always been a very solid starter so it balances out. Juggernaut and Chieftain overperform for obvious reasons, and Deadeye is likewise an instant pick for anyone looking to blast maps quickly on a bow character. With this, the meta will already shift - but wait, there's more!
Many popular and 'proven' skills are also not allowed
One goal of this league is to experiment with new starters, and on top of banning the most popular ascendancies this means also disallowing main skills with high popularity and performance for the league. This means you can't just plug and play a well-known tried and tested league starter - you'll most likely have to work out something new, or adapt what you've done before into something else. This rule was inspired by similar banlists you can find in other private leagues such a Ziz's gauntlet, though instead of being there to make the meta more even this list is here to encourage you to go for something that you probably wouldn't have league started for Necropolis.
The list below was formed by looking at the most popular and top performing skills across all of Ruthless Trade and SSF for Necropolis, on top of looking at the most popular and top performing skill(s) of each allowed ascendancy (i.e. splitting steel is banned because of its higher playrate and performance on Champion). In some cases only a particular normal or trans version of a skill is banned. Vaal versions of skills are only allowed if their normal version is allowed. In some cases a skill was only strong because of gravecrafting, but it's easier to just remove both gravecrafting and the most popular skills than it is to examine every possible build on a case by base basis to see what deserves a ban.
The list of disallowed main skills, based on poe.ninja data for Trade and SSF, is as follows:

• animate weapon of ranged arms
• arc (all versions)
• armageddon brand (all versions)
• artillery ballista
• bane (all versions)
• boneshatter (all versions)
• cobra lash
• detonate dead (all versions)
• dual strike of ambidexterity
• elemental hit of the spectrum
• exsanguinate (all versions)
• explosive arrow
• explosive trap of shrapnel
• fire trap
• flicker strike
• frost blades
• hexblast
• ice nova of frostbolts
• ice trap of hollowness
• lightning arrow
• mirror arrow (all versions)
• penance brand (all versions)
• poisonous concoction (all versions)
• splitting steel
• sunder (all versions)
• summon raging spirit (all versions)
• reap
• righteous fire (all versions)
• tornado of elemental turbulence
• toxic rain (all versions)
• volcanic fissure (all versions)

If you think something else should be added to this list, please let me know before the league starts. I'd like to encourage as much creativity as possible and not leave something allowed that people feel they can just autopick.
The league is due to start at 00:00 on the 31st of May, GMT. You can join the league here - I've put it in crowdfunding mode for now, though I'll be happily footing the initial costs of the league myself before it starts. I'm also planning to stream my progress on my usual channel.
Good luck to anyone who joins!

Hello everyone,
I've been playing guitar since 2006. Over the years, I've been in several bands, and in 2014, I played my last gig as a guitarist for a Weezer cover band. I'm 36 now and am picking up the guitar again after a pretty long hiatus, with plans to start a new band with a friend. However, I've been feeling like my skill level as a guitarist has been stagnant since 2014, with only minor improvements.
Here's a bit of my history with guitar: I'm self-taught and learned to read tabs on my own. Early on, I took guitar lessons for about a month or two, then took a classical guitar class in college. The teacher in that class always acted like I was ahead of everyone else, but I never really felt that way.
Now to my main issue: I can't seem to grow as a guitar player. I have some thoughts on why this might be and would appreciate your input. One possible issue is that I have a bad memory, so when I learn a song, it just doesn't stick. This feels like a major roadblock for me.
Another issue is that I struggle to broaden my playing. I play a lot of Weezer since I'm a big fan, and I often find myself defaulting to their songs when looking for something to play. Recently, after getting a new guitar, I considered trying to play some country music, even though I don't like it, just to push myself out of my comfort zone. I thought maybe that could help, but I'm not sure.
It could also be the lack of consistent practice. Even when I had more time and was more invested, I always felt like I hit a wall and couldn't progress. Does anyone else relate to this? Do you have any advice or tips on how to break through this plateau?
I've attached some recent videos of my playing so you can see my current skill level. Any feedback or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!
Susanne Guitar Cover
Save Your Tears Guitar Cover

I'm about two months into part-time studying for the LSAT. I plan on taking my first LSAT test in September. I'm currently using the 7Sage Core Curriculum and haven't finished (hopefully done core curriculum by mid/end June without doing the PT just lessons i'll be done by this time frame). I'm planning on incorporating Loophole for LR and Manhattan prep for RC for additional prep. When should I incorporate these two books into my study schedule?

Can i retract my proposal to be in a relationship na < 1 month? I dont want to consider him na naging partner ko siya.
Nagka other perspective ako nung nag bakasyon sa Thailand ng 7 days. Ang sarap pala mag travel and gusto ko siya gawin regularly. May capacity naman siya like 1-2x per year pero wala siya savings and hindi marunong mag manage ng finances. Hindi ko gets nag complain siya sa finances niya pero may monthly subscription pa siya before on onlyfans. Ako din yung mabigay saming dalawa. Napaisip ako in Thailand na I want to start enjoying life and exploring the world and more activities. Kung hihintayin ko siya, mag kaka speedbump ako. Hindi ako willing mag pa ka sugardaddy to him kasi he is lisc. Civil Engineer naman and maganda din naman work niya.
Tapos na trigger ako na iretract yung proposal ko to be in relationship nung pag balik ko from Thailand. He initiated na sunduin ako and unfortunately, nag kadelay sa pag exit kasi na stuck yung plane namin sa runway kasi walang gate na availabe due to backlogs daw kasi nag ka network issue sa NAIA. He made an attitude in call na “next time na you ask your friends to be in nighttime pag balik”. Hindi ko nalang pinatulan kasi sinundo naman ako and pagod ako. After that, nag dinner kami sa Makati and kinilig pa ako sa kanya that time kasi he started to me babe in public. However, after the kilig, yung driving na siya and in the middle, he asked me na idrop daw ako near sa house nila and mag grab nalang daw ako. Medyo nag load ako dito and sa isip isip ko na “WTF, ganito ba talaga to ka kupal”. Ang dami ko luggages and bags na dala, tapos ganun. I waited din several times sa kanya kasi ako lagi nag dadala ng car pero I never complain. Siya is bilang lang sa kamay na gumamit ng car with me.
Tapos he shared na may plan daw sila ng friends niya na mag bangkok din next year, pero parang wala pa din ako sa picture na when kami mag travel together tapos I saw his excitement na mag party ss Bangkok and napaisip ako if he will act as na may partner or as single (meet someone randomly and flirt/sex/etc). He said it several times na mag travel kami pero parang wala yun sa priority list niya🥲. Im ready and siya lang hinihintay ko.
Tapos wala pa isang araw. I caught him na nag reactivate siya ng twitter. Clear naman sa usapan namin na he would deactivate na kasi grabe pag ka dependency niya in soc med, addiction in porn/thirst trap, whore labeling ng friends niya in twitter. I felt like betrayed. Microcheating siya for me kasi may usapan na kami tapos ang reason niya is nag porn lang daw. Hindi ko siya pinag bawalan mag porn. He still has yung telegram tapos may mga subscription accounts pa siya dun. Naiinis ako na mas importante pala lust niya over me. Ang babaw kasi for me na kaya ibreak yung promise niya for the libog. Napaisip ako na ano pa kaya kaya niyang gawin in the future? I know his past and very bad talaga, ang wild and he cheated his last partner 5 years ago.
He said sorry naman pero always ganito. Sorry nalang lagi, meron pa other disappointments siyang ginagawa in the past tapos sorry lang. Hindi pa naman siya naka commit ng physical cheating.
5 months kami na dating before ako nag propose. Nakakapagod na mag wait for him na iunlearn niya mga red flags niya.

M21 I'm doubting if it was strict parenting or if it was the drink but I want opinions. She has done a lot but I don't feel entirely satisfied either. But in the days I have drafted this, my doubts only grow.
As a kid my mom hawked over me and now things I wish I could have experienced did not exist, like going to a park or playground with a friend without supervision, whereas she did. Going to the gas station for snack I couldn't, when she asked her parents and was given a quarter when everything was a cent. Riding a bike was limited to the street we live on, and when I was able to leave, I couldn't leave the neighborhood when she walked for a while to make sure her friend got home. Once sitting on my bike at the edge of the sidewalk and she walked over, cursed me out for going on a different street and wouldn't believe me. I couldn't go to a friends house because I was going to do my homework how my teacher taught me instead of hers, which I didnt know and was not taught. At a friends house, she berated me for making her wait in the car for a few minutes longer than the arranged pickup time. By comparison to what it would have been like, it is a magical opportunity lost.
For most of my school years, all I did was go to school, do homework and play games. Despite catching on to lessons quickly, classes were something to pass, nothing more, not even for life skills. Have a B? Make it an A. I did. Is the project due? Make it better. Alright. Taking orchestra and painting was fleeting then and while I enjoyed it, it was only done for practice or assignment. Now I am upset that it was all I did instead of going out and experiencing life: going out with friends, finding a club or sport to do, or just big activity sessions. Never had a curfew because I never left home to start. I may have had fun gaming then, but I lament heavy over that now to where I will not touch one. A future education and the future as a whole I should have taken a lot more seriously than I could possibly have imagined. School did push for it, but I was a fool and did not care.
Other than the occasional family visit, I did nothing and learned nothing. Never taught to cook much, properly clean, shop for necessities, make right finances, etc. Future prospects was left to whatever I would choose, which I would put it later down the road. Never got any real world experience and just been sheltered for so long, both by my doing and my moms. No drive to do anything, nothing of a hopeful future, no being pulled out of whatever I was doing to learn anything or having skills necessary in the world today be incentivized. Aside from making sure I did well in school, I was left to myself.
She always has something to complain about. Streaks of mean and grumpy. Remembered somethings of what we were interested in but other times just an empty face. Who my mom is today is doom and gloom, speaking two different points that are showing the worst of her and nitpicking over every possible detail. Most of who she enjoys in media has an underlying toxic presence to them with name calling. Polarize, prejudice, politicize, judge and bias everything. Norway and Iceland? Too cold and mountainous, how could anyone have settled there? Germany? They all speak the same language and cannot understand anyone in a city that is 30 minutes away. That guy's accent she can't stand and defaulted to being generated, even though he sounds the same speaking Finnish. All for a better planet yet everything is wasted, trashed, or sent to China. Treat others how you want to be and from where I stand, seem like a backtalking coward. Couldn't have a water pitcher because "no one refilled it" to keep the filter going when I made sure to keep it plentiful. If she has a problem she will bring up the one exact same example related to the topic that I have heard plenty before. And most of the negative aspects of society happen more likely than they should. All while bring home a 24, 30 or however many count of budweiser a week at least. I imagine we only got along because I wasn't a brat anymore and did not try to upset her. Falling in line if you will.
Emotions bottled or maybe emotionally dead. The masculinity trap of what is the general expectation of "men". To express myself, to show emotion, to even cry is something I don't want to do out of fear of being seen, which is ironic given the code of the samurai. 6th grade she didn't remember to pick me up even though I said and called and a friend and his friend caught me being emotional and stayed around a bit to comfort me.
The fear that was put into everything. An actual quote went something as "If you get hurt, I'm not going to drive you to the hospital". Another "All girls are evil". And "that sounds too confrontational" when I asked neighbors to clean after their dog. Even questioning if my eyes doing something required a doctor for her to say that my eyes will fail naturally and something about her relative who had an eye problem and didn't see a doctor. Things that made me not do the kinds of things I want to do now. I have been so sheltered then and now that I want to go out but there is the ever scared part of me towards the unknown world. I feel I have been prejudiced into thinking such ways but there's no personal experience to back or challenge said thoughts.
Admittably, parts of me are glad I know what I have and want for morals and mindset, but its also a matter of temptation and theres still so much that I wish to explore. At times I feel I matured too quickly at the cost of a kids stupidity or innocence and now am too serious and heavyhearted for my own good. To be told how I've matured when there wasn't much to mature from. A part of me feels that I have taken after her cold, judgemental, selfish attitude and that makes me fearful to screw up any kind of friendship or relationship, and dreading that I could reflect that onto any child I may have no matter how far away into the future I do have one. I kind of want to hate her but I am so emotionally gone or warped that I can't. If I "rebel" now, or begin to, I feel that might get the fire started.
She would argue with my dad from time to time but then that continued on for days and it was a cold environment lasting days to weeks after a fight. Even prior to their fights, they rarely slept together in the same bed, let alone the same room. She would critique his employer and even his choice of friends. Once he woke up late, thus having us late to get ready for school and she began one for that. I don't remember the exact details but she once criticized him over a coat he got me. All while listening from the top of the stairs to even the bottom where I was covered by a wall. A few times we listened and we made noise that I think made them aware of us but that didn't stop them. Even starting in our presence where we would leave the room. It got to the point where he actually packed lightly to leave for the night or days and my brother and I stopped him just so he could be home. I wish I did let him go then.
I really do believe I could have had it differently if my dad was alive. He made such an effort. When I was in hospital at 4, he made the efforts to get me out and moving around. When I didn't know a swim style, he literally chucked me towards the deeper waters (I was scared, but he was right in the end, one of the fondest memories). He taught me how to use the mower and had a mini shop set up in the garage. I played with him so much and he got me into the complex games he enjoyed as I got older. For as rough we were, he was so gentle. I looked up to him then and even more than ever now. He made the effort to be one worthy of "Dad" and he was damn well worthy of that and no one could be more better for me.
"Faded gray are all the days of yesteryears So much time has turned to memories and to tears" -Valkyrja
I did graduate HS 3 years ago, did a summer program and since nothing. No job, education chances, or life plans. Even though I felt smarter, I was turned off of college simply for cost reasons and "feeding the rich" mindset. Last summer I began to look at my past and future with a whole new look with no physical change taking effect. First week into March this year I realized what I have been doing compared to how others are living through good and bad and I fell into depression hard. Now it persists with great off and on. Where I have been up at 9 in the morning to suddenly be up at 5 or 6 in the afternoon. Throughout the past 3 years, there was no making sure I was ok, no seeing how I felt, no finding out what I wanted to do. And I am still frightened of what may be out there, even when that is the key to the living that I want. I want to go, I need to go. But where? I leave for the good and better of myself, but I also leave behind this place I've called home, yet it's now so far from the one I want to remember with a fond memory. So much happens that seems to have been "normal" when it doesn't seem like it should. The same place with the same inhabitants in the same motions. No going out, no difference, no change, and VERY artificial. Nothing means anything anymore. To let how I feel about the previous years subside in me or blow over...
Always have been insecure, hesitant, second guessing. While others had spent their 18s, 19s and 20s going into the world doing many things, I've had the summer program at 18, nothing at 19, and two days in the big city to attend a concert at 20. Little noteworthy moments under my belt. It seems like love in the immediate family was not two ways or had to be earned. I have not grown. Who I am is not who I want to be at heart.
For 21, I know I should have more skills and be in better places, but theres nothing from anyone. No check-in, no advice, no motivation. Like "the birdling will leave the nest" instead of anyone preparing a boy to what is before him. Its not a snap of fingers or blink of an eye do I learn what is expected. On the grown up part, I feel heavily underprepared for the world and life. Far too long have I stayed and lived in my head. I cannot understand why I am still at home, a part of myself thinks to keep the peace but what peace needs to be kept? Nothing and no one is stopping me from leaving except myself and the thought that they will most definitely want to know where I am if I go, which I do not want to tell anyone. Or that I've been sheltered and not have realised the gates have been unlocked long ago. Things are not ok and I want to stop pretending when I leave. Even with Spring's green grass under a blue sky that ends the day with the orange sunset piercing the clouds to make them blue and pink do I feel grey.
"Watching to the night with tired eyes Waiting for nothing all my life" -Battle Against Time
I feel the kid within me, wanting to do those exciting things, yearning for any kind of companion or fellowship. What daylight reveries I can conjure to make him feel hopeful enough so he can shine soon. The things I want to do to feel happy. I want to water that little guy.
A lot of this I have remembered recently and still am connecting the dots. I already am upset at myself for not doing anything in life, but I want to be angry and I honestly hate myself for not seeing this sooner and listening to her for so long. Despite feeling broken and defunct, I still feel young enough but there's been so little done that it feels many chances are long gone. There is more freedoms I have that I do not know about and ones that I have had before that gathered dust. And now I am in a toss up between beginning college preparation now, leaving states or the country to act on these now childhood regrets. I don't want to be who I am now any longer. I just want to do something. And in between it all, confusion of what to do, how to feel and saddened that I am not who I once was or could have been.

Howdy. I am officer M (only M, privacy reasons, could lose my job if I was exposed). I’ve been investigating these three cases for the past few years, and I wanted to see if anyone had any clue how to solve them.
I normally wouldn’t go to places like Reddit for this, but I’m desperate. Everyone else I’ve tried has said that this is some kind of webseries project thing. It isn’t.
I’m gonna show you the transcriptions of three sets of video tapes. The first set is from James Barlowe, the second from Daren Redd, and the third from Nick Robin.
Well, I’d better get on with it.
[- - -]
There’s only one tape in this section. It begins with a man in a priest’s uniform (identified as James Barlowe) in the driver’s seat of a car. The person holding the camera is in the passenger’s side.
CAMERAMAN (LATER IDENTIFIED AS NICK ROBIN): “So! What’re we doing, James?”
JAMES: “Oh, uhm, we’re going to a haunted house to perform an exorcism.”
NICK: “Hell yeah we are!”
Nick turns the camera towards his face.
NICK: “Someone tipped us off on a haunted house recently, so we’re gonna go check it out. And James is gonna use his cool priest powers or whatever to get rid of the ghosts! Right James?”
The camera pans to James.
JAMES: “Ah- Yeah.”
The camera turns back to Nick.
NICK: “Now, I’m not gonna be in this one too much, since James is gonna be doing his stuff on his own.”
JAMES: “Wait what?”
The tape cuts off here, and picks back up with James holding the camera. He’s in front of a run-down, abandoned house. He seems nervous, fidgeting with the stole around his neck.
JAMES: “Okay, so, uhm. I am Father Barlowe, and, uhm..I kind of thought Nick was gonna be here. He- He told me he was gonna be here. I dunno. Uhm. Today I’m going to exorcise this ghost. I, uh, don’t know if I’m allowed to do that anymore. But I know how.”
James turns the camera around, and starts to walk into the house. The front door opens into a hallway, which leads to a living room. The camera shakes as James fumbles with his pockets, then brings out a cross. He holds it out in front of him.
JAMES: “Uhm, if there are any ghosts here, show yourself.”
Nothing happens. James mutters something about editing. He waves the cross around dramatically.
JAMES: “Ghost, or demon, or whatever you are, please come and-”
A loud bang comes from somewhere within the house. James seems to flinch. He can be heard heavily breathing as he turns the camera towards the sound.
JAMES: “Uhm..Okay. That’s okay. I’ve got a cross. I’m okay.”
James begins to walk down the hall, where the sound was heard. The camera is shaking, and James is holding out his cross.
JAMES: “Okay, uhm- I think..I think the ghost is in there.”
James points to the doorway at the end of the corridor, then advances towards it. He walks through, and into what appears to be a study. There is a desk and chair in the corner. The chair has a pitch-black figure in it.
JAMES: “Oh god, okay, uhm- Okay. Okay. Uhm. Uh- Demon!”
The figure turns to face James. He holds out his cross with a trembling hand.
JAMES: “Foul creature, begone from this home-”
The figure stands up and begins to walk towards James. The camera is dropped.
JAMES: “Oh God, oh God!”
James can be heard running away.
[- - -]
This first tape is very intriguing to me. The figure has not been identified. At least, not as anyone in the town.
I interviewed both Nick Robin and James Barlowe (they had not gone missing after this video. quite the contrary, in fact. James Barlowe is the one that brought the video to police), and they revealed that most of the content in their videos was fake.
They said that the events of the video were not planned.
[- - -]
The camera appears to be moved around a bit, before setting up to show a man in a red hoodie (identified as Daren Redd) sitting in an office chair. It can be assumed that he’s at his desk. He smiles at the camera.
DAREN: “Uh- Hi. This feels weird, haha. I don’t think I should introduce myself? I don’t know. No one but me’s gonna see this anyways. Unless I make, like, a giant scientific discovery. Or break a world record.”
Daren fidgets with the strings of his hoodie, twirling one between his fingers.
DAREN: “So. My sleep schedule sucks. I’ve been trying to fix it for weeks now, it isn’t working. I’ve decided, fuck it, I’m just gonna roll with it. So! I’m gonna try and stay up for 12 days straight.”
Daren grabs the camera, and shows a calendar up on the wall. The month and year are cut off. Two days are circled (Tuesday, then the next Saturday).
DAREN: “I’ve got a calendar here so that I can figure out how long I’ve been up. If I do more physical stuff, maybe I’ll stay up longer! Haha.”
The camera pans back to Daren.
DAREN: “I’ve got my room-mate watching over me. He’s actually in here right now- Say hi, Nick!”
(PRESUMABLY) NICK, IN THE BACKGROUND: “Hey.”
DAREN: “I rested up real good to prepare for this, so I’m hoping that my plan works. So, uh..Yeah. D-Man out.”
The next tape starts out with Daren holding the camera up to Nick Robin.
DAREN: “Niiiiiiiick.”
NICK: “Why are you recording me?”
DAREN: “Nick how long have I been awake?”
NICK: “Since yesterday, I think.”
Daren flips the camera around to face him. He has a large grin on his face.
DAREN: “That’s right, baby! D-Man has been awake for one whole day! Well- Two? One? Since Tuesday. It’s, uh, Wednesday.”
Daren shows the calendar to the camera. Tuesday is crossed off.
DAREN: “So far, nothing weird has happened yet. I’m tired, but I’ve been drinking a ton of Monster.”
The camera pans to a trash can, with several cans of Monster in it.
DAREN: “So! I should be able to stay up as long as I need. World record, here I come!”
The third tape begins with Daren dragging a trash bag outside.
DAREN: “Ok so I forgot to record a tape today, and I know that if I don’t do it now I’m gonna forget again. But, uhm, I’ve been up for..Uh..I dunno. Time is a concept, anyways. It’s Thursday now, though!”
Daren heaves the trash bag into a can. He walks back inside, and sighs with relief as he enters.
DAREN: “Whew, I love air conditioning.”
NICK (IN THE BACKGROUND): “Dude- Why don’t you take your hoodie off?”
DAREN: “Ah, y’know.”
NICK: “I really don’t.”
DAREN: “See, you get it!”
Daren chuckles and brings the camera into his room. He sets it down on his desk, and sits down in the office chair. He has bags under his eyes, and his hair looks messier than usual.
DAREN: “So. Recently, I’ve been tired. Like, horridly tired. To the point where even sitting down is a..” Yawn. “Risky move for me. But, working from home is keeping me on my toes. Who knew that writing reports could be so exhilerating!”
He looks over his shoulder for a moment, before turning back to the camera. His eyes appear wide and frightened, but he’s still smiling.
DAREN: “Uh, pro tip, maybe don’t try this stuff! I’m stupid enough to try and get a world record, but you, uh, shouldn’t be. Anyways, uhm, D-Man out.”
The fourth tape shows Daren in the hospital, sitting next to Nick, who is in a bed with an IV in his arm. Daren’s eye bags have gotten worse.
DAREN: “Hey, uhm. I don’t know if I’m supposed to record in here. I had to drive Nick to the hospital- He had a dairy allergy thing.”
NICK: “I said he could record in here, don’t worry.”
DAREN: “Yea, he- He said I could record this. I think I’m gonna stay the night here- People do that at hospitals, right? But, uh, they don’t need a bed for me. Because I’m not sleeping! I’m just gonna, uh, play on my phone for the night.”
Daren looks over his shoulder, before turning back to the camera.
DAREN: “Well! It’s Friday now. Been, uh, four days, I think? Yeah. I’ve been awake for four whole days! Well, uhm, this is more filler than anything. Nothing to note. D-Man out.”
The fifth tape is corrupted. Nothing is salvageable.
The sixth tape begins with Daren sitting at his desk. He looks tired beyond comprehension. His knee is bouncing, and he’s tapping his fingers on the table.
DAREN: “Uh, day..Six. I think. It’s Sunday now. The Lord’s day, ha-ha! I’m- I’m not religious. But, uhm, I know one of Nick’s friends is. James something. Maybe I should call that guy. I-”
Daren cuts himself off by looking over his shoulder. He looks back. His eyes are wild and terrified.
DAREN: “I think this was a bad idea. A horrible idea. I- I tried to sleep yesterday. But I couldn’t. I can’t- I can’t close my eyes for too long. Uhm..Nick has been in the hospital since Friday. He’s- He should be back by now. His visits never take this long.”
Daren chuckles. His voice sounds nervous.
DAREN: “He should be back soon, though, right? Right. He’s just taking a bit longer than usual. Uhm, Darry out.”
The seventh tape shows Daren sitting under his desk. He sets up the camera and brings his knees to his chest.
DAREN: “Nick came back today. He, uhm. He’s acting different. I was- I was talking to him, and he, uhm. He forgot he had a dairy allergy. He just..Forgot. I reminded him and he went- He went, oh, yeah. Like he didn’t go to the hospital for it a couple days ago.”
Daren appears to be trembling. He pulls his hood over his head.
DAREN: “..Been awake for seven days, ha-ha. So close! Just, uhm..Five? Four? Something around that. That many days left. I don’t- I don’t wanna do this. But I think I have to. I think it’ll leave me alone if I..”
Daren looks up at something offscreen, and screams.
[- - -]
Daren Redd went missing after this video. I’ve been looking for him for years. I’m trying to stay professional here, but I really don’t know what’s going on. I still sometimes try to figure out what he was looking at in the last tape. But there’s no reflection in his eyes- No shadows anywhere. Nothing. Could he be hallucinating?
I don’t think he is. I think he’s seeing things, sure, but they’re real. They have to be real.
[- - -]
This last section begins with Nick Robin in a car. He’s driving this time, with the camera on the dashboard. James is in the passenger seat. There’s camping gear and a few bags in the back seats.
NICK: “Hey! Welcome back to the PDC (later identified as Paranormal Discovery Channel, the youtube account that both Nick Robin and James Barlowe share), today we’re gonna be exploring a whole abandoned town! It’s called, uh..What was it called again?”
JAMES: “Sasbol heights.”
NICK: “Right, right. Sasbol heights or whatever. Anyways! It’s gonna be cool. Oh- There it is! Dude dude dude- Look!”
The camera points to a charred-looking town. Maybe burnt down?
NICK: “We’re gonna get settled, then get back to all of you. I’ll see y’all soon!”
The next tape begins with Nick sitting in a tent.
NICK: “So! It’s been, like, a day. The first night was pretty underwhelming- Just some creepy old town with bugs and stuff. Nothing too special. Just a bigger version of a haunted house.”
Nick looks off screen- Presumably at James. Nick chuckles.
NICK: “James is sleeping right now. Apparently he’s been having nightmares? That’s, uh, pretty normal for him, though. Oh! Today I started setting up the ghost hunting stuff. Unpacking, putting up cameras, all that jazz.”
There’s shuffling from behind the camera. Nick smiles at (assumedly) James, and winks at the camera.
The third tape starts with Nick and James going into one of the abandoned houses. Nick seems much more enthusiastic than James.
JAMES: “We’re gonna put a voice-over on this, right?”
NICK: “Yea, yea. Something something, abandoned house, something something.”
JAMES: “Good, good, uhm..Nick, man, you know I like doing this and all..But I don’t think I like this episode. It’s like- It feels wrong, y’know?”
NICK: “Mm..You’re right, you’re right. But hey! Think of the money we’ll get from this. Our reactions are gonna be authentic and shit. Plus, we’ve only got a day left.”
Nick pats James’ back, and James smiles.
JAMES: “Right. You’re right.”
The fourth tape is corrupted.
The fifth tape doesn’t include James or Nick’s face, but we can assume who is talking.
NICK: “Listen, man, it- It just got corrupted. It’s fine, right? It’s cool. We can redo it-”
JAMES: “I’m fucking serious, Nick! This isn’t normal! None of the shit we saw yesterday was planned!”
NICK: “I know, I know, but come on man! I need this money!”
JAMES: “Money isn’t worth it, at this point. Please, God, let’s just leave.”
NICK: “If you wanna leave, just go! I can do the video without you.”
JAMES: “I’m not just leaving you with these demons!”
Both Nick and James are quiet for a while. Nick silently walks back to the tent, bringing the camera with him.
The sixth tape is shot from within Nick’s car. Nick is driving, the camera is on the dashboard. He seems terrified.
NICK: “I’m not publishing this. I’m keeping this for myself, and- I don’t know! The police, probably! Jesus Christ- I’m fucking speeding. Are there even road laws here?”
Nick looks at his gas tank, seeing the needle nearing the E. He begins to tear up.
NICK: “Fuck- Uhm. What happened. James tried to kill me, and- And I don’t think he’s James anymore. I really don’t. He’s- He’s not that guy I went to high school with. There’s actually no way.”
He looks at the camera briefly, doing a quick double take.
NICK: “What- No. No. No- Goddammit! Leave me alone!”
The car swerves, and the camera topples over.
[- - -]
I’ve been thinking about these cases since I found them. The actual police department doesn’t know about them- And I haven’t told my superior about them. These tapes just kind of appeared at my doorstep one day, along with a camera.
I looked at the camera’s film, and found three images.
The first one is a picture from the first set of tapes. It seems edited, though. James has a halo.
The second one is from the second set. It shows an image of Daren, with some kind of pitch-black figure behind him.
The third one is, supposedly, from the third set. Though nothing like it is seen anywhere in the tapes. It’s an image taken from the driver’s seat of Nick’s car, showing the camera from the video on the dashboard. On the screen of the camera is Nick. The image is edited to show a car tire over Nick’s face.
If anyone knows anything about James Barlowe, Daren Redd, or Nick Robin, please tell me at [xxxxxxxxxxxxxx]@gmail.com.

Monokuma MOVESET
Heavyweight with 2 jumps and a crawl
GIMMICK
Every time Monokuma gets attacked with a non-projectile attack Monokuma has a 1/61 chance to blow up instantly killing him but does tons of damage and knockback to any opponents nearby.
Basic Attacks
Jab: 1000 Blows (Jab: Mono Hits a baseball Rapid Jab: Baseball Gun used on leon)
Good damage and can flinch but no knockback and can be reflected
(Leon’s punishment Trigger Happy Havoc)
Dash: Beast Monokuma (Mono Charges forward as a dangerous beast monokuma unit)
Great Damage but decent end lag
(Beast Monokuma Units UDG)
Side Tilt: Skeleton Key (Mono Charges Key and turns it)
Two hit move. The stage does minimal damage but insures opponents
(Skeleton key used by Kyoko in Trigger Happy Havoc)
Up tilt: Mega Scepter (Points Scepter Above him as wind comes out of it’s top)
Weak Damage But Does Amazing Upwards KnockBack
(Mega Monokuma Bomb)
Down Tilt: Punishment Slam (Monokuma Slams Hammer on ground)
small flinching damage with end lag but has a 25% chance to bury and spikes if it hits someone off stage
(What happens every punishment time)
Side Smash: Take Off (A Rocket appears in front of Monokuma that flies up before crashing down)
Is a command grab and Does Great Damage but no real knockback and leaves mono from behind
(First Punishment we have seen)
Up Smash: Junkuma (Monokuma Jumps Up)
Does Great Knockback but leaves him vulnerable
(Junk Monokuma Leaping attack UDG)
Down Smash: Playtime (Monokuma Gets a random monokub and spins them around)
Does Great Damage And hits on both sides
(Monokubs and the icon spinning thing parents do with kids)
Aerials
Neutral Air: Death By Hurricane (Monokuma Spins around)
Mid damage but spikes
(When Monokuma mentions all executions and talks about death by hurricane)
F Air: Aura Aura (Monokuma Punches super fast in front of himself)
Multiple flinching hits of damage before ending with a spike
(An attack used on Monomi)
B Air: Gas Chamber (Monokuma slides backwards as foam come out his mouth)
No real knockback but has a chance to poison
(When Monokuma mentions all executions and talks about death by gas chamber)
Up Air: Sakura Defense (Monokuma Kicks Up)
Does Great Damage and Spikes
(Move Monokuma used on sakura in trigger happy havoc)
Down Air: Beasts Pounce (Monokuma turns into a beast Monokuma and pounces down to the ground)
Acts like the last half of incineror’s up special.
(Death animation when you die from beast Monokuma in UDG)
Grabs
Grab: Grabs opponent with Chain used before exections
Pummel: Drags Opponent on ground
F Throw: Grabs Opponent by the throat and puts a bomb on their chest before throwing them forward
(When Mondo throws Monokuma)
B Throw: Drags the opponent backwards before running forward
(Animation before every punishment)
Up Throw: Sirens Appear above monokuma before a bunch of units appear and dogpile the opponent
(Siren Monokuma Units and ending to almost every boss battle in UDG)
Down Throw: Monokuma pilots an excavator and crushes opponent with it (can bury)
(Alter Egos punishment)
Specials + Gimmicks
A Lot of things to mention with the special. First You might have guessed but I watch brawlfan1 including his mono moveset so a lot of these moves are gonna be similar. Speaking of which just like brawl fan suggested these are going to be randomized but fill the same general role. Except down special which will kinda work as a miscellaneous collection
Neutral Special: Despair Bullet
Number 1: Mono Spits out A Pile Of Trash (can poison and does mid damage reference to ball monokumas) 2: Monokuma Holds his staff as a monokuma bomb comes out (Acts like a homing projectile for 3 seconds before exploding. To reference its role in the boss fight if the foe hits it with a strong enough attack it will target the next closest foe which could be monokuma. From there it acts the same but can’t be hit back more then twice) 3: Monokuma Throws a Grenade (acts the same as snakes with the difference it does more damage to monokuma if hes hit by his bombs then snake gets if hes hit by his) References the bomber Monokuma units) 4: Mono Throws a crystal ball (does strong damage but no knockback. References the first kill by leon) 5: Mono Shoots out robot wasps out of a gun (can be held down to shoot out more wasps. Does small flinching damage and has a 1/10 chance to poison. References wild west insecticide) 6: Mono Throws Out Salt (acts like ice climbers down b references the cultural mixing pot)
Side Special: Despair Ride
Number 1: Monokuma Rides A Bike (acts like wario's side b with the added benefit that if it hits an opponent there is a 50% chance they drop butter which acts like an average consumable. And you can still use the side special if you leave the bike. Referencing mondos punishment) Number 2: Mono Rides a giant fist (Does Good damage but mid damage reference to bye bye ouchies) Number 3: Mono Drives A Fire Truck (Standard Gravity affected charge special lasts a second but when i say gravity affected i mean charges toward the ground and is uncancelable in the air so you better hope you were high up when you use this. Can also burn opponents. Reference to celeste ludenberg’s punishment) Number 4: Mono Rides A Robot Bison (Works like Pit's Side B with out the final Uppercut. Reference to Gundhan’s punishment) Number 5: Mono Rides Peko as she slashes forward (Acts like a weaker version of Mythra’s side b references one woman army) Number 6: Mono Rides A pac man robot (Works like pac man's side b. Reference to please insert coin)
Up Special: Despair Elevation
Number 1: A Rope appears tied over monos neck raising him up before a spiked wall flies into him (A decent amount of elevation but no control. Also the raising of monokuma doesn’t do damage, only the spiked wall does. A reference to Kaede’s punishment) Number 2: Monokuma Grows wings and flies upwards (works like pit’s up special) Number 3: Mono gets a jetpack and flies up (works like robs up b) Number 4: Mono Flings a vine over head (Basic tether recovery with one major difference. If you use the move in the air without grabbing anything the vine will break and cause monokuma to fall where he acts as a projectile. A reference to the strand of agony) Number 5: Monokuma will blow up as another Monokuma comes out riding a giant bug as it spins holding out scythes (acts like wario's up special with less height but way more damage. References wild west insecticide) Number 6: Monokuma Turns into a rocket and slightly goes up before he drills below himself (acts like ganon's wizard foot in the air. If right next to the ledge then it can grab on but this is mainly meant to troll. Much like the reference of the second ignition)
Down Special: Random Despair
Number 1: Monokuma wears a riot shield for 10 seconds which blocks all attacks from the front reference to guard monokuma units. Number 2: Monokuma Gets Electrocuted acting like pikachus thunder reference to the first thing monokuma mentions when he talks about possible executions. Number 3: Monokuma flails his arms and if any one attacks him they get attacked by the spears of Gungnir basic counter referencing the fate of Mukuro. Number 4: Landmine acts like snakes and a reference for mono’s tenacity for explosions. Number 5: Monokuma Drives a tank acting like foxes old final smash with the land master though 3 times less likely to happen as the other options reference to please insert coin. Number 6: Monokuma Raises into the air before turning into a crane holding a random tetris block where you can move left and right for 1 second before the crane drops the block doing tons of damage if it hits a foe before the crane raises into the air where monokuma takes its place reference to please insert coin. Number 7: Monokuma blows up instantly killing him but does tons of damage and knockback to any opponents nearby.
Final Smash: Ultimate Despair
There are 2 ways i see this final smash so i’ll say the one i perfer then i’ll say the one thats actually likely. The move starts with a chain either way and if any one gets hit by the chain they’ll be dragged off stage before the cinematic starts. The first option has it personallized to the characters. Not like what brawlfan1 suggested but rather each character in a category. The space characters get sent into space with the rocket before exploding, The villains get killed by the hero, vice versa for the protagonists, the princesses get killed by a dummy version of the hero and so on. The second option is junkos punishment having all of the punishments from the first game happen before finishing with the final blow of the white board. Either way it's a guaranteed stock loss.
Cosmetics
Costumes
Base Of Black And White
Pink and white (monokub and Monomi)
Black and black (Kurokuma)
White and White (Monomi true form)
White and white with red details (Leons punishment)
Orange with black stripes (Mondos punishment)
Red with orange details (Celestes punishment)
Black with brown details (Detention)
Stage intro
A giant pedestal appears where Monokuma jumps from behind it
Taunts
Monokuma guzzling some honey
Monokuma Standing over a pile of money
Monokuma Swinging around a glass of wine
Visual gimmick when Monokuma wins it shows the character who lost portrait with a giant x over it instead of them clapping
Also if Monokuma loses it shows him wearing glasses
Victory Animations
Nothing appears on screen before a stomp happens where the camera pans up to see a giant Monokuma wearing a crown (Big Bang Monokuma)
Monokuma Grabs the camera before swallowing it causing static to appear (What you get when you win)
Junko appears laughing maniacally

This post is partially for selfish reasons - so that I can learn some good lessons and apply for my ldr. Then I thought might as well make it into a wider discussion that everyone can benefit.
Very much welcome advice from people who have maintained a long-term LDR (>2 years).
Some questions that you may wanna consider, but don't need to answer all:
1) What are the most important principles that you believe are vital for any LDR to survive?
2) What is your communication style? How did you two approach communication: do you set rules, how did you manage when communication breaks down?
3) What was the most challenging aspect of it, and how did you two manage it?
4) How did you resolve conflicts when it was unable to do so in person?
5) How did 'milestones' happen? Did one person ask for the next step, or is it something you already set out at the start of the ldr?
Lastly, those who have done it for >5 years or planning to do it for much longer, why, and what makes it possible for you to keep going for such a long time?
TIA.

Monokuma MOVESET
Heavyweight with 2 jumps and a crawl
GIMMICK
Every time Monokuma gets attacked with a non-projectile attack Monokuma has a 1/61 chance to blow up instantly killing him but does tons of damage and knockback to any opponents nearby.
Basic Attacks
Jab: 1000 Blows (Jab: Mono Hits a baseball Rapid Jab: Baseball Gun used on leon)
Good damage and can flinch but no knockback and can be reflected
(Leon’s punishment Trigger Happy Havoc)
Dash: Beast Monokuma (Mono Charges forward as a dangerous beast monokuma unit)
Great Damage but decent end lag
(Beast Monokuma Units UDG)
Side Tilt: Skeleton Key (Mono Charges Key and turns it)
Two hit move. The stage does minimal damage but insures opponents
(Skeleton key used by Kyoko in Trigger Happy Havoc)
Up tilt: Mega Scepter (Points Scepter Above him as wind comes out of it’s top)
Weak Damage But Does Amazing Upwards KnockBack
(Mega Monokuma Bomb)
Down Tilt: Punishment Slam (Monokuma Slams Hammer on ground)
small flinching damage with end lag but has a 25% chance to bury and spikes if it hits someone off stage
(What happens every punishment time)
Side Smash: Take Off (A Rocket appears in front of Monokuma that flies up before crashing down)
Is a command grab and Does Great Damage but no real knockback and leaves mono from behind
(First Punishment we have seen)
Up Smash: Junkuma (Monokuma Jumps Up)
Does Great Knockback but leaves him vulnerable
(Junk Monokuma Leaping attack UDG)
Down Smash: Playtime (Monokuma Gets a random monokub and spins them around)
Does Great Damage And hits on both sides
(Monokubs and the icon spinning thing parents do with kids)
Aerials
Neutral Air: Death By Hurricane (Monokuma Spins around)
Mid damage but spikes
(When Monokuma mentions all executions and talks about death by hurricane)
F Air: Aura Aura (Monokuma Punches super fast in front of himself)
Multiple flinching hits of damage before ending with a spike
(An attack used on Monomi)
B Air: Gas Chamber (Monokuma slides backwards as foam come out his mouth)
No real knockback but has a chance to poison
(When Monokuma mentions all executions and talks about death by gas chamber)
Up Air: Sakura Defense (Monokuma Kicks Up)
Does Great Damage and Spikes
(Move Monokuma used on sakura in trigger happy havoc)
Down Air: Beasts Pounce (Monokuma turns into a beast Monokuma and pounces down to the ground)
Acts like the last half of incineror’s up special.
(Death animation when you die from beast Monokuma in UDG)
Grabs
Grab: Grabs opponent with Chain used before exections
Pummel: Drags Opponent on ground
F Throw: Grabs Opponent by the throat and puts a bomb on their chest before throwing them forward
(When Mondo throws Monokuma)
B Throw: Drags the opponent backwards before running forward
(Animation before every punishment)
Up Throw: Sirens Appear above monokuma before a bunch of units appear and dogpile the opponent
(Siren Monokuma Units and ending to almost every boss battle in UDG)
Down Throw: Monokuma pilots an excavator and crushes opponent with it (can bury)
(Alter Egos punishment)
Specials + Gimmicks
A Lot of things to mention with the special. First You might have guessed but I watch brawlfan1 including his mono moveset so a lot of these moves are gonna be similar. Speaking of which just like brawl fan suggested these are going to be randomized but fill the same general role. Except down special which will kinda work as a miscellaneous collection
Neutral Special: Despair Bullet
Number 1: Mono Spits out A Pile Of Trash (can poison and does mid damage reference to ball monokumas) 2: Monokuma Holds his staff as a monokuma bomb comes out (Acts like a homing projectile for 3 seconds before exploding. To reference its role in the boss fight if the foe hits it with a strong enough attack it will target the next closest foe which could be monokuma. From there it acts the same but can’t be hit back more then twice) 3: Monokuma Throws a Grenade (acts the same as snakes with the difference it does more damage to monokuma if hes hit by his bombs then snake gets if hes hit by his) References the bomber Monokuma units) 4: Mono Throws a crystal ball (does strong damage but no knockback. References the first kill by leon) 5: Mono Shoots out robot wasps out of a gun (can be held down to shoot out more wasps. Does small flinching damage and has a 1/10 chance to poison. References wild west insecticide) 6: Mono Throws Out Salt (acts like ice climbers down b references the cultural mixing pot)
Side Special: Despair Ride
Number 1: Monokuma Rides A Bike (acts like wario's side b with the added benefit that if it hits an opponent there is a 50% chance they drop butter which acts like an average consumable. And you can still use the side special if you leave the bike. Referencing mondos punishment) Number 2: Mono Rides a giant fist (Does Good damage but mid damage reference to bye bye ouchies) Number 3: Mono Drives A Fire Truck (Standard Gravity affected charge special lasts a second but when i say gravity affected i mean charges toward the ground and is uncancelable in the air so you better hope you were high up when you use this. Can also burn opponents. Reference to celeste ludenberg’s punishment) Number 4: Mono Rides A Robot Bison (Works like Pit's Side B with out the final Uppercut. Reference to Gundhan’s punishment) Number 5: Mono Rides Peko as she slashes forward (Acts like a weaker version of Mythra’s side b references one woman army) Number 6: Mono Rides A pac man robot (Works like pac man's side b. Reference to please insert coin)
Up Special: Despair Elevation
Number 1: A Rope appears tied over monos neck raising him up before a spiked wall flies into him (A decent amount of elevation but no control. Also the raising of monokuma doesn’t do damage, only the spiked wall does. A reference to Kaede’s punishment) Number 2: Monokuma Grows wings and flies upwards (works like pit’s up special) Number 3: Mono gets a jetpack and flies up (works like robs up b) Number 4: Mono Flings a vine over head (Basic tether recovery with one major difference. If you use the move in the air without grabbing anything the vine will break and cause monokuma to fall where he acts as a projectile. A reference to the strand of agony) Number 5: Monokuma will blow up as another Monokuma comes out riding a giant bug as it spins holding out scythes (acts like wario's up special with less height but way more damage. References wild west insecticide) Number 6: Monokuma Turns into a rocket and slightly goes up before he drills below himself (acts like ganon's wizard foot in the air. If right next to the ledge then it can grab on but this is mainly meant to troll. Much like the reference of the second ignition)
Down Special: Random Despair
Number 1: Monokuma wears a riot shield for 10 seconds which blocks all attacks from the front reference to guard monokuma units. Number 2: Monokuma Gets Electrocuted acting like pikachus thunder reference to the first thing monokuma mentions when he talks about possible executions. Number 3: Monokuma flails his arms and if any one attacks him they get attacked by the spears of Gungnir basic counter referencing the fate of Mukuro. Number 4: Landmine acts like snakes and a reference for mono’s tenacity for explosions. Number 5: Monokuma Drives a tank acting like foxes old final smash with the land master though 3 times less likely to happen as the other options reference to please insert coin. Number 6: Monokuma Raises into the air before turning into a crane holding a random tetris block where you can move left and right for 1 second before the crane drops the block doing tons of damage if it hits a foe before the crane raises into the air where monokuma takes its place reference to please insert coin. Number 7: Monokuma blows up instantly killing him but does tons of damage and knockback to any opponents nearby.
Final Smash: Ultimate Despair
There are 2 ways i see this final smash so i’ll say the one i perfer then i’ll say the one thats actually likely. The move starts with a chain either way and if any one gets hit by the chain they’ll be dragged off stage before the cinematic starts. The first option has it personallized to the characters. Not like what brawlfan1 suggested but rather each character in a category. The space characters get sent into space with the rocket before exploding, The villains get killed by the hero, vice versa for the protagonists, the princesses get killed by a dummy version of the hero and so on. The second option is junkos punishment having all of the punishments from the first game happen before finishing with the final blow of the white board. Either way it's a guaranteed stock loss.
Cosmetics
Costumes
Base Of Black And White
Pink and white (monokub and Monomi)
Black and black (Kurokuma)
White and White (Monomi true form)
White and white with red details (Leons punishment)
Orange with black stripes (Mondos punishment)
Red with orange details (Celestes punishment)
Black with brown details (Detention)
Stage intro
A giant pedestal appears where Monokuma jumps from behind it
Taunts
Monokuma guzzling some honey
Monokuma Standing over a pile of money
Monokuma Swinging around a glass of wine
Visual gimmick when Monokuma wins it shows the character who lost portrait with a giant x over it instead of them clapping
Also if Monokuma loses it shows him wearing glasses
Victory Animations
Nothing appears on screen before a stomp happens where the camera pans up to see a giant Monokuma wearing a crown (Big Bang Monokuma)
Monokuma Grabs the camera before swallowing it causing static to appear (What you get when you win)
Junko appears laughing maniacally

Hi everyone,
For an interview/demo lesson how should I dress? I want to give off Ms. Honey vibes (from Matilda) but I also think I should dress professionally, perhaps a blazer some slacks. What do you think? I still don’t know what grade I will be doing my demo in but I’m certified in B-2.
Also since I don’t know what to expect for my demo lesson, what advice do you have? I’m thinking of doing a read aloud (If You Give A Mouse A Cookie or Rainbow Fish) and some sort of art activity after. I plan on bringing materials with me like paper, crayons etc. What should I be prepared for, what should I bring with me? Is my idea for the demo lesson boring, will it be able to land me a job?
Any advice would truly be appreciated, thank you!

Broken Arrow Ark
(https://discord.gg/GEpVqX3TQC)
New and growing server
Veteran owned and operated
Fresh wipe on 14 May 24
Currently, No wipe planned
6 Man PVP Cluster W/ ORP
Maps
┃The Island (32 Slots)
┃Scorched Earth (32 Slots)
Server Settings
┃ Harvesting = 10x
┃ Experience = 3x
┃ Taming = 5x
┃ Maturation = 50x
┃ Incubation = 75x
┃Imprinting = 5x
┃ Turret Range Limit = 150
┃ Custom Stack Sizes
┃ Custom Drops
┃ Max Player Level (without ascensions) = 105
┃ Chibis
┃ Max Wild Dino level = 150
┃ Tame weight = 5x
┃ Engram Auto Unlock
┃ Extra Mods!
Mods List
┃Additions Ascended: Deinosuchus
┃Additions Ascended: Archelon
┃Additions Ascended: Acrocanthosaurus
┃Additions Ascended: Brachiosaurus
┃Additions Ascended: Xiphactinus
┃Additions Ascended: Helicoprion
┃Additions Ascended: Ceratosaurus
┃Additions Ascended: Deinotherium
┃Gigantoraptor
┃Forge 2.0
┃Custom Dino Levels
┃Utilities Plus
┃Silent Structures
┃Solo Farm Mod
┃Tek Binos unlocked at level 1
┃Dwarven Builders Mod
┃Ez's Engram Unlocker
┃Admin Panel
┃Cliffans Wardrobe (edited)
┃Gryphons

I recently started collecting ouch plants and wanted to share everything I’ve learned in hopes that it will help others. These tips come from a mix of places—personal experiences, conversations with growers, reading cactus forums, Reddit, YouTube videos—and because I’m a weirdo, I’ve organized this list from essentials to less important.
Anyway… hope this is helpful and for all you experts, if I’m saying anything dumb, feel free to tell me. I’m still learning!
Miracle Gro = The Worst
Don’t use Miracle Gro. It contains coagulants that cause the soil to hold moisture for obscene amounts of time, making it incredibly easy to overwater your plants.
Personally, I prefer Uni-Gro, which comes with a good mix of organic and mineral ingredients. Depending on the type of cacti (especially those known to grow at higher elevations), I will amend it with pumice and akadama to ensure solid drainage and mineral content.
If your cacti are already planted in Miracle Gro and you don’t plan to repot them, I suggest purchasing a moisture meter from Amazon or Home Depot. Use it to keep an eye on how wet the soil is. If it’s not dry, don’t water them. If it is dry, a little goes a long way!
I’m a Plants Wetter (and Not Afraid to Admit It)
I am historically terrible when it comes to overwatering and have to remind myself that cacti are not humans--they are plants that have evolved to go years, if not centuries, without direct access to water. Take the Copiopoa, for example—they grow in the mountains of Chile, eat rocks, cook in the sun all day, and can live for hundreds of years getting moisture only from the coastal fog. Wild stuff!
I get that that’s an extreme example, but less is more and whatever I define as “less” is still probably too much. In practice, that means I’ll check my plants every 1-2 weeks (or less) and give them a sip of water if their soil is fully dry.
If you’re not sure whether the soil is moist or not, check the hole in the bottom of your pot—if it’s dry, then it’s time to water. If it’s moist—check again in a few days. If there’s no hole, repot your plant immediately.
The Waiting is the Hardest Part
Spring is cactus season! That means new growth, flowers, and action. The rest of the year? Your cacti are using that time to chill, grow, and get thicc—growth will still be taking place, it’s just less noticeable.
Don’t let that trick you into thinking your plant needs more water.
Merry & Bright
Cacti need as much light as possible. Even though I know this, you know this, and dogs know this it bears repeating.
If your plants are inside, put them by the window or under an extremely powerful grow light. Many moisture meters also come with a light meter, so it’s easy to check how much light you’re getting—but ultimately, brighter is always better.
If you’re putting them outside—morning light is the best light. Just be careful about how much exposure they’re getting in the afternoon. Here in the Coachella Valley, for example, the sun turns into a giant death ray in the sky every summer, which means most of my cacti need afternoon shade.
For everyone else, if you’re moving your cacti outdoors, like many on this subreddit have suggested, the best approach is to increase afternoon sun exposure over time; otherwise, they’ll burn.
Repotting & The Many Dumb Mistakes I’ve Made
Much like overwatering, I have made a lot of dumb mistakes when repotting in the past. C’est la vie.
Spring and summer = cactus growing season and the best time to repot. This is true of most plants, but for some reason, I didn’t figure it out until recently. I’ve killed a handful of plants because I repotted them in December and January, thinking it was OK because it’s warm here. Don’t be like me.
When it is time to repot, consider watering your plants a day or two beforehand. Take care to avoid damaging the roots and once you’re done, let them chill in a shady spot for two weeks before giving them any more water. I learned this from watching the Peter W. episode of Cactus Quest. The idea here is that the shade will reduce the shock, your plant won’t be thirsty, and it can use those two weeks to repair any root damage that occurred.
Buying plants from big box stores like Lowes, Home Depot, etc.? Check your soil! Most of these store’s wholesalers are using garbage soil that doesn’t drain and will kill your new buddies if they’re not repotted.
Propping
It’s crazy to me just how easy it is to grow new plants from cuttings. You can literally leave some species of cactus lying on a pile of dirt and they’ll start growing roots and eventually pop out new growth.
If you’re propping from a cutting—make sure to give your plant a few days to callus over, then put it in some dry soil or perlite and wait 2-4 weeks for them to take root. They’ll rot if you water them without roots because they won’t be able to drink anything.
Not sure whether it’s got roots? Give it a very gentle yank to see whether it comes out of the soil. If there’s any tension, then you’re making good progress!
Don’t Get Pricked
Cactus thorns suck. They’re a lot like splinters and can be a giant pain in the ass to remove. In situations where I have to handle them with my hands, I will do one of two things:

1. BBQ Tongs: Use these to pick up or plant smaller specimens without having to worry about my precious digits.
2. 2 Pairs of gloves: I go this route when handling heavier guys. The first layer is leather work gloves. The second layer is cheap raptor gloves from Amazon. I’ve found this prevents 80-90% of surprise punctures but reduces finger mobility.

Feed Me, Seymour
The right substrate (meaning it has a good balance of mineral and organic ingredients) should provide your ouch plants with almost everything they need, so you probably won’t need to worry about fertilizing.
If you do want to hook them up with some food, many folks on this subreddit recommend Schultz’s, which has worked well for me so far—I only use it sparingly only once in spring and early fall. I dilute it by 50% when I do.
If I’ve just repotted a plant, I’ll wait two weeks, then give it a sip of Moon Juice (which is 0-0-0, but full of micronutrients) to help it get established.
I Swear, it’s Not an Addiction
If it were up to me, I’d only buy from my local ouch plant dealer, but after spending some time online, I’ve found some great places to grow my collection! Here's a few:

• Arid Lands: has an incredible assortment of common and hard-to-find plants at very reasonable prices. Their website might be antiquated, but it’s a goldmine.
• Paradise Found: They have a smaller assortment, but also offer a ton of hard-to-find plants at reasonable prices. I was truly impressed by how thoughtfully the plants were packed when I received them.
• Planet Desert: They have a great assortment. Some plants are reasonably priced while others are on the expensive side. It’s best to check prices from other shops before making a purchase.
• Etsy: I’ve made several purchases from different growers here. It’s easy to find what you’re looking for and know exactly what you’re getting. The only disappointing thing is the prices tend to skew higher (sometimes they’re reasonable, usually they’re not).

Other Helpful Resources

• This subreddit. Appreciate y’all.
• Your local growenursery. All the folks I’ve met out here have been so kind and helpful—they care about plants as much (if not more) than we do and have always been willing to answer my questions regardless of whether I’m making a purchase.
• Cactus Quest: I have learned so much watching this dude’s videos… About how to be a better cactus dad, socal-local growers, different species, etc.
• Planty – aka ChatGPT for gardeners. Strongly recommend trying it out and asking questions. I’ve used it to better understand nuanced care for specific species such as recommended soil mixes, outdoor positioning, and watering, as well as how to best protect my plants from local climate extremes.

Link Roundup: Everything I Mentioned in This Post
Soil

• Uni-Gro: Unfortunately this is tough to find online. This store has small bags in stock, but I suggest checking with your local nursery.
• Pumice: https://www.amazon.com/Pumice-Volcanic-Succulents-Orchids-Hydroponics/dp/B09YWPXP9J/
• Akadama Soil: https://www.amazon.com/NOHOBE-Succulents-Amendment-Provides-Retention/dp/B0B7XXY3BF/
• 3-in-1 Moisture Meter: https://www.amazon.com/Sonkir-Soil-Moisture-Tester-Gardening/dp/B07BR52P26/
• Pre-mixed Stone Eater’s Soil: https://cactus.store/products/stone-eaters

Equipment

• BBQ Tongs: https://www.amazon.com/KingTong-Stainless-Steel-Tongs-Grill/dp/B07DBPL435/
• Leather Work Gloves: https://www.amazon.com/Wells-Lamont-1168XL-HydraHyde-Water-Resistant/dp/B079RQRWY1/
• Raptor Gloves: https://www.amazon.com/RAPICCA-Handling-Reinforced-Grabbing-Grey-Black/dp/B07DVXQ9RD/

Plant Food

• Schultz Cactus Food: https://www.amazon.com/Schultz-Cactus-Liquid-Plant-2-7-7/dp/B01E82THI6/
• Super Charged Moon Juice: https://www.moonvalleynurseries.com/supercharged-moon-juice

Growers, etc.

• Arid Lands Nursery: https://aridlandswholesale.com/oscommerce/
• Paradise Found Nursery: https://www.paradisefoundnursery.com
• Planet Desert: https://planetdesert.com
• Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/search?q=trichocereus&ref=search_bar
• Cactus Quest: YT Channel + Insta

Broken Arrow Ark
(https://discord.gg/GEpVqX3TQC)
New and growing server
Veteran owned and operated
Fresh wipe on 14 May 24
Currently, No wipe planned
6 Man PVP Cluster W/ ORP
Maps
┃The Island (32 Slots)
┃Scorched Earth (32 Slots)
Server Settings
┃ Harvesting = 10x
┃ Experience = 3x
┃ Taming = 5x
┃ Maturation = 50x
┃ Incubation = 75x
┃Imprinting = 5x
┃ Turret Range Limit = 150
┃ Custom Stack Sizes
┃ Custom Drops
┃ Max Player Level (without ascensions) = 105
┃ Chibis
┃ Max Wild Dino level = 150
┃ Tame weight = 5x
┃ Engram Auto Unlock
┃ Extra Mods!
Mods List
┃Additions Ascended: Deinosuchus
┃Additions Ascended: Archelon
┃Additions Ascended: Acrocanthosaurus
┃Additions Ascended: Brachiosaurus
┃Additions Ascended: Xiphactinus
┃Additions Ascended: Helicoprion
┃Additions Ascended: Ceratosaurus
┃Additions Ascended: Deinotherium
┃Gigantoraptor
┃Forge 2.0
┃Custom Dino Levels
┃Utilities Plus
┃Silent Structures
┃Solo Farm Mod
┃Tek Binos unlocked at level 1
┃Dwarven Builders Mod
┃Ez's Engram Unlocker
┃Admin Panel
┃Cliffans Wardrobe (edited)
┃Gryphons