November 7, 2073 Polling day dawned clear and pleasant across the Republic of Houston. At 6 am on the dot across the country polling booths opened, and citizens from all parts of society lined up to vote. On the ballot would be the Senate and House of Delegates, along with the Presidency, with this election being the first under the new constitution.

The Candidates & Parties

When the writs were dropped for the election, the first questions asked and immediately answered were about candidates. There are two major parties in Houston, the Republican Party and The Democratic Party, holdovers from the old United States. While there are a smattering of smaller parties, these two were the only ones with a realistic chance of forming the next government of the Republic. For the Republicans their candidate selection process was easy, President Alex Jones was the man chosen to stand for another 4-year term. At the Republican Party Conference where his nomination was sealed, President Jones pledged to continue his leadership in partnership with the new General Assembly. For the 342 Legislative candidates, a list of candidates personally approved by Jones was approved by a voice vote. In no uncertain terms, the Republican Party is the party of Alex Jones and he is fully and completely in control.
For the Democrats, the last 50 years of opposition had been brutal and marked by failure. In fact, from the late 2040s to early 2060s the party did not contest any elections. But now in 2073 under the new constitution, the party made its biggest push for power in a generation. At their nominating conference held in Atlanta, they nominated Errol Carter Kelly, the grandson of former American President Jimmy Carter. Kelly had served as a state representative in the Georgia State Legislature, rising to Minority Leader in the State House and becoming a commanding presence on the floor. Now the party looked to him to resurrect its prospects and bring it back from the brink. The legislative slate was a more tricky affair, as state Democratic Parties demanded power to choose their candidates, with New Mexico and Arizona Dems opting to hold traditional primaries, something Republicans abandoned in the 2030s. As a result, the 342 candidates for legislative office on the Democratic side came from a varied background of ideological beliefs and ideas. They lacked the unified core message Republicans could deploy with the amount of control they have over nominations. Despite this Errol Carter Kelly pledged to make lemons into lemonade and bring the slate he was given to the promised land.

The Campaign

The campaign formally began on Labor Day 2073, as the Republic had adopted a much shorter campaign period. The Republicans kicked off their campaign with a rally at the Superdome in New Orleans. President Jones in his kickoff speech made his priorities known…
“My fellow citizens, this campaign is about the future you want for yourselves and your children. Do you want continued financial prosperity, low taxes, low gas prices, and a good standard of living? Or do you wanna throw all that away and risk a crushing tax burden that will make the good life possible? Do you want peace at home? Good relations with our friends and allies? Or do you want to risk chaos at the hands of someone who quite frankly could easily fall under the influence of the globalists? For 52 years I have led this great nation through uncertainty and fear. When lesser men would have gone home to mommy and cried and locked themselves in a safe space. I stood up for you, your families, and this country. I was there to weather all the storms we faced…The question put to you this election is simple, do you want four more years of prosperity, liberty, and peace? Or do you want to give the keys to an untested weakling whose only claim to fame is being related to the guy so bad at being president he had to go build houses? The choice is yours and yours alone. Success or failure, prosperity or depression, liberty or chaos, peace or war? The only way for Houston to go forward into the next century is with me at the helm anything else is too big of a risk”
The Democrats for their part did not have a massive kickoff party, instead beginning their campaign with Errol Carter Kelly canvassing across three states. The Democratic nominee went on a whirlwind tour of Texas, Georgia, and Tennessee, knocking on doors and meeting voters. Finally a week into the campaign in a primetime speech to the nation, he made his priorities known…
“The moment we find ourselves in is one of the most important in the history of not just Houston but of the world. Because at this moment our nation is at a crossroads, and you the people of this country are about to choose which way we go. For 52 years we have had one President, one administration, and one vision for the country. And I will admit President Jones has in many aspects done a good job, no one can deny he is why our nation stands as strongly as it does now. But there comes a time when even the best leaders must step aside, for the sands of time are not kind. Because as we enter a new era, we cannot remain wedded to old ideas no matter how comfortable they may be. Stagnation is the greatest threat this nation faces, stagnation in ideas, stagnation in policy, and stagnation in progress. What I want to bring to the table is a new perspective, a new vision for a new Republic under a new constitution. A vision of a Republic which is more affordable for the average citizen. A vision of a Republic where a day of work pays a good wage, and where that wage is more than enough to support your family. A vision of a Republic which is a leader at home and abroad. A vision of a Republic with limitless potential and limitless drive. In no uncertain terms I want to unleash the potential I know we are capable of, and send us into the next century poised for success…”
There were no debates as President Jones and Carter Kelly could not agree on a format. Instead, traditional campaigning of canvassing won the day, Television ads however were tightly controlled and limited to 5 minute sports per party per day, making the political climate much more bearable. Finally, after two months of campaigning the day came and the people had their say… The 2073 Houstonian General Election
The Presidency of The Republic Candidates Alex Jones, Republican (Incumbent) Errol Carter Kelly (Democrat) Electoral System To be elected President a candidate must receive 50%+1 of the popular vote. If no candidate receives a majority of votes in the first round, a run-off is held wherein the candidate with the most votes is elected President for a four-year term. The Federal Senate of The Republic The Senate of The Republic is chosen by members of the State Legislatures of the Union with each state allotted 3 Senators each. The House of Delegates of The Republic of Houston. The House of Delegates is a 300-person lower house elected by first past the post. The party which commands the confidence of the House will control domestic policy as well as appoint the Prime Minister

AITAH for calling my son a hypocrite?
My son met his (ex) best friend, "Max" first year of college. They used to come go to my house to hang out here and there. Long story short, I got involved with my son's friend when they were around 24/25 and my son had already moved out two year ago at that time. We came clean to my son after the relationship got serious. He was shocked and upset. Eventually he came to accept it (or so I thought). He even came to our wedding.
But shortly after we got married, it seemed like my son's behavior actually got worse. He was basically indifferent to my pregnancy. My son stopped coming around the house. I even went out of my way to try to meet him outside the house without my husband. He still never budged. I got fed up with his behavior and asked what's up. He came clean that he tried but he can't accept our relationship and looks at me differently now. We had a serious arguement, but it wasn't resolved.
Two days ago, I met my son at my niece's engagement party. My niece is getting engaged to a girl and my son (who is bisexual himself) was the first person she came out too. He helped her out alot in coming out and accepting her identity. She went up to him personally thank him after already giving a speech mentioning him. He said he was happy and that end of the day "love is love". I was so upset that I made a sarcastic remark out loud. My son told me to knock it off and that this wasn't place or time to do this. I called him out on how he doesn't show the same level of open mindedness to my relationship. My sister said I was asshole cause it's not remotely similar.

4 year old son, non-verbal, autistic
In need of advice, based in UK.
My son was recently diagnosed with autism, not sure of the severity. He's got a really good memory, he is a lovely boy, speaks some works but not conversational, just copies.
When he was 2 my wife was diagnosed with metastatic stage 4 lung cancer, 3 weeks after giving birth to our second son. It's been very chaotic.
He is very hard to handle. He throws things, gets violent, pushes his lil brother harshly. It's hard to take him anywhere and I usually don't. Even places he enjoys he eventually makes it difficult. He pushed a little girl and her mum told him to stop it naturally, she also told me what he was doing. It's hard to explain to others and just sad.
It's all really hard on my wife. We want to create memories but stuck at home. I can't really leave my son with family, only we can handle him and even then we can't. I end up taking my younger son to his grandma's or upstairs away.
It's too much. I dread every day. It's all a nightmare. He's more difficult than my wife's health.
He seems to behave somewhat fine at nursery. The assessor said it's normal.
I need better ways to manage him. I need to help improve his speech.
I am also looking for advice on toilet training him. He will be starting reception soon and want to do this before he starts. I have no idea how to do this.
Any help is much appreciated.

So I’ve recently been going to a catholic church on Sundays. I’ve always had a strong faith in a higher power. And I’ve always wanted to live righteously. And even if that meant going and being in spaces where there are people with close minded views that don’t look kindly upon me as a queer individual. I figured I owed it to myself to at least give it a try. I wanted to take up the challenge and face my fears and grow as a person. I was afraid to go for a while because I told myself that there are people in the church that don’t view gays favorably. But I felt like it’s 2024 and the times have changed. And so this is my third week going to this local Catholic Church of mine. And I haven’t had any issues. In fact I’ve found a renewed faith in God so to speak. However, yesterday was a different experience as at the very tail end of the Sunday service for the last five minutes, this dude who was part of some group for the church, but not a very big group who was trying to advertise joining the group gave this , scathing short speech about how it’s pride month and pride is one of the deadly sins and homosexuality is a sin and there’s gender confusion happening nowadays and we shouldn’t be afraid to be canceled. We should do what’s right. And I vividly remember looking around and people looking at each other shocked as if to say what is this guy saying this is crazy closemindedness this is not with the times. At least that’s what it conveyed in my mind. And then there was a moment of clapping for him that just hurt a little because I don’t want to think that everyone in the church is like that. And it almost felt like because the guy was up there speaking to a big crowd people didn’t want to be rude and just clapped mostly for his standing up and having the courage to speak in front of of us but not so much for the bigotted message. And I remember the people around me either weren’t clapping or were giving this sarcastic very slow clap. Anyway, it was just an interesting moment as a gay Christian. I figured I would run into this kind of bigotry at some point, but it’s just interesting that it was such an extensive bigotry that I haven’t seen in a while and I don’t even wish ill for the guy if anything I think he is just watching too much Fox News, and needs to open up his mind and his views a little. But yeah, other than that, I’ve been having a great experience haha. Wishing you all well this pride month :)

I wrote this with grand aspirations of turning it into a full-length TheRealJims-inspired YouTube video or something, but I don't have the time for that. Hopefully it reaches someone.
Season 35 is a product of circumstance. It's the third season in the purported "Simpsons renaissance", following the introduction of co-producers and primary writers on every episode in Season 33. I've watched countless video essayists write about seasons 33 and 34, but despite that, the general opinion is a little hard to decipher through the lens of modern Simpsons. Reviewers don't seem to care, and ratings seem to be at an all-time low, but video essayists are telling us to give the new seasons a chance, but not too much of a chance, because they're not that good, but they're also really good, and just watch them yourself. As an aspiring video essayist myself, I decided to call their bluff and watch Season 35. I'm here to say that if you want renaissance Simpsons, you probably shouldn't be looking to Season 35. It was produced during the SAG-AFTRA strike, cutting it down to 18 episodes and rushing the episodes a considerable amount. It bleeds into the episodes a little bit; that experimental magic of renaissance Simpsons is a little harder to effectively portray when you're on a two-week turnaround. Even still, there's a different air to this season that makes it more befitted to the "renaissance Simpsons" tag than to the "modern Simpsons" one, so there must be something here. I put this list together as a key on what episodes are worth watching, and whether or not you want to give Season 35 the time of day.
#18: The Tell-Tale Pants
Solid 2: "This is the best argument you could possibly make for killing the show"
The Tell-Tell Pants is an atrocity. It wasn't confirmed to be airing until it was the next episode on the docket, so I imagine its production cycle was extremely rushed, and it shows. It has some of the worst editing and pacing I've seen in a Simpsons episode, likely due to it being shoved out the door to hit the deadline, and its script clearly had little time for revision. The contents of that script are so asinine and pointless that they should have never cleared the bar for production in the first place. Storywise, it's a vapid HomeMarge marriage crisis that ultimately accomplishes nothing, and almost all of its humour is derived from its blatant pointlessness. It's like the episode is begging you to put it out of its misery while you're watching it. I give it the grace of a 2 because of the final scene. While the episode doesn't come close to earning this moment, the choppier animation at least gives it some personality, and it doesn't make me want to pull my hair out. Modern Simpsons episodes have a reputation for being soulless, mirror's-shine products, but The Tell-Tale Pants certainly isn't that. It's an unfinished mess. Everyone thank Todd Howard for his contributions to Season 35 of The Simpsons.
#17: McMansion & Wife
Light 4: "Decent overall and has some fun moments, but none of the interesting plot threads get resolved"
Don't think the Season 34 holdovers are getting off scot-free, either. McMansion & Wife is perhaps the most directionless episode to come out of Season 35. It's one of the only episodes with a B-plot, and even that trips over itself at every turn. It honestly plays out a bit like it's being told through a series of disconnected four-panel cartoons. The story about the Simpsons getting a rich neighbour could have won me over if it had gone anywhere, but the writers seem content to make Tesla and weird sex jokes for the whole runtime. The plot about Bart bullying Nelson with his emotional insecurity is genuinely interesting and still has the space to be expounded upon, but quickly devolves into a nonsense plot about a nerd-off between the boys' dirt collectors, and I scratch my head. What the hell is this post-credits scene, by the way? I was honestly wishing this episode would go all the way off the rails and they would burn the neighbour's house down. I would have been able to forgive the episode's complete lack of direction if it had at least culminated in something. Apparently Homer telling this guy he's a dweebazoid just fixes everything.
#16: Murder, She Boat
Strong 4: "At least it's focused, but it's not funny and the mystery doesn't really make any sense"
I'm not going to compare this episode to Who Shot Mr. Burns. I am evaluating it on its own merits. That being said, this is not how you do a murder mystery. Situating the story on a boat is actually a great call; condense the mystery, get us more familiar with the characters, hone the plot in on what really matters. I'm less of a fan of the boat being run by Comic Book Guy and his "Place, Japan" wife Kumiko, mainly because I hate those characters. Every time these two appear in frame my blood boils. Beyond that, the murder mystery itself is largely based on details the audience couldn't have known, so there's never an aha moment. The story isn't a complete strikeout, as I can't say I wasn't invested in the story throughout, but it doesn't stick the landing. It also refuses to be funny. I know, I'm really tearing into this thing. It climbs above the last few episodes for its theming and its suspense. Funnily enough, the best part about Murder, She Boat is that it's on a boat.
#15: The Tipping Point
Light 5: "Did a 75-year-old Mike Scully on shrooms write this"
The Tipping Point is utter nonsense. Complete horsefeathers and should have never aired. I kind of like it? Like, yes, it's terrible. Homer accidentally tips someone ten thousand dollars, develops a debilitating addiction to tipping, abandons his family, gets pepper sprayed into the ocean, gets caught in a crab trap, washes up in Little Europe, starts a new life, gets tracked down by his kids, goes home to Springfield to deliver a speech about tipping, nobody cares, and the story ends with him getting a job as a minimum-wage server. Night of the Living Wage, this ain't. Despite its utter inanity, there's something to The Tipping Point. It has the same charm that an off-the-rails insane Season 10 episode has, in that it's wholly new and engaging, and occasionally extremely funny as a result. Homer tipping away Bart's bike got a genuine laugh out of me. That being said, it also has scenes like this thinly veiled sex scene between Homer and Moe that pushes it entirely too far, this song I'm not sure how to feel about, and such callousness about its characters that it boldly proclaims that nobody has ever liked Homer before. I can't say I respect it, but I can't say it's a miserable watch, either.
#14: Frinkenstein's Monster
Light 6: "Kinda by-the-numbers to be honest, wish season 35 would really go in for a danger setpiece"
Frinkenstein's Monster is probably the most average episode of Season 35. In its defense, average for Season 35 is still pretty damn good for modern Simpsons, but this episode isn't going to impress you. It has a few good jokes, the plot is functional, and it only gets on my nerves once or twice. I like how Frink is portrayed; he's not the buzzword machine he often becomes, he's a real character with real wants and a real parrot. Beyond Frink, though, this episode essentially boils down to a timid You Only Move Twice. It seems wholly aware that it's average, too; the scenes with Homer leaving and returning to the power plant make no secret of the fact that it's a tired trope and they don't care about finding organic ways to get him out of the power plant anymore. I was excited that it might end in a danger setpiece, which would be a decent counterbalance to this mostly words-based story, but Homer just gives up and falls down a mountain as the credits roll, essentially paying off nothing. This isn't what I want to see from Season 35. It probably is what I want to see from Season 28, but the bar is higher this time around.
#13: It's a Blunderful Life
Light 6: "It's like it's bored with its own story while it's telling it, even though the actual story is genuinely good"
This episode frustrates me so much because it's so close to being good. There's a kernel of a good story in here, but it's wedged between a dozen other bizarre plot beats and inconsequential framing devices, so it never gets its time in the sun. The scab song with Mr. Burns is genuinely great, and one of many brilliantly done critiques on late-stage capitalism in Season 35. Yeah, that's a big theme, and it's generally a well-handled and culturally significant one. That moment is wedged between a Homer misunderstanding plot, city riot plot, bizarre future Thanksgiving dinner framing device, and a weirdly out-of-character Mr. Burns. There's a powerful moment between Homer and Marge, where she finally acknowledges that she should not be trusting Homer anymore, and you can genuinely see both sides. They chose to do this moment in a house that had been placed on the tip of a mountain, right next to Ned's house which has been placed on the tip of an adjacent one. It pushes so far into the absurd that it no longer allows itself to be taken seriously. Oh, and Lisa is narrating it all in a cowboy accent or something. I give it credit for the song and for the story itself, but it needs to let the story marinate for literally two seconds without throwing in some non-sequitur that undermines the whole thing.
#12: Treehouse of Horror XXXIV
#12c: Lout Break
Light 4: "Pretty stupid, everyone turns into Homer, but it's fun in an absurd this-shouldn't-be-fun way"
Lout Break is stupid. It's supposed to be a COVID-19 segment, but in practise, it's nothing more than another "everyone turns into Homer" segment a la Send in the Clones. The joke writing is abjectly weak, and although the story is fine enough, I wouldn't care for this segment at all if not for its closing song. A montage of a world entirely populated by Homer, accompanied by a song performed by a large horde of Homer, is so absurd that I'm tempted to forgive the whole segment.
#12b: Wild Barts Can't Be Token
Solid 7: "Surprisingly competent and decently scary NFT segment, didn't think the Simpsons could do it justice"
Oh no, The Simpsons did an NFT segment! Bart gets turned into an NFT! Let's reserve judgment here. There is something genuinely disturbing about a person being turned into an NFT, and this segment touches on that. It also gives Marge an excuse to kill a bunch of people 一 well, NFTs, I guess 一 which I'm not complaining about. The setpiece of a virtual train to represent the blockchain is both beautifully animated and very fit to house this story. And if you want scares, look at the amalgam of Milhouse and Ralph. The only real issue with this segment is that it's an NFT segment, so it's full of dated references and misunderstandings about how the blockchain works, which, you know, who can blame them for that.
#12a: EI8HT
Light 8: "Probably very similar to the original material but genuinely scary and well-made, except for the rake joke, move on y'all"
Couple things. I volunteer that we retire rakes from The Simpsons flat-out. They've done the joke and the joke is done. I also think they needed to think of a better name than EI8HT; this was literally the title of the planned sequel. Otherwise, this was a surprisingly faithful and creative take on a movie I've never seen. The atmosphere is great, the settings are great, the killings themselves are disturbing and clever, and Sideshow Bob. Overall, this Treehouse felt a bit like the table scraps from last year, and given that context, it's a pretty good showing.
#11: Lisa Gets an F1
Strong 6: "It's like a season 30 episode killed a season 35 episode and is wearing its skin"
If you find yourself sinking into your chair watching Lisa Gets an F1, give it time. I agree that the first act has some characterization issues, and that the second act has a few scenes it probably shouldn't have. It's so callous about plot beats that should be taken seriously that it gets a little exhausting. That being said, I'm such a fan of the third act that I kind of forgive the first two. The showdown between Bart and Paolo is hilarious, and while I respect the decision not to translate it, the dialogue is funny in English, too. Homer definitely gets on my nerves for the first few acts, but his characterization in act 3 as this aggressively supportive dad who will do literally anything for his kid is charming and well-suited. Act 3 Lisa Gets an F1 Homer is the best Homer: stupid, clumsy, frenetic, but loving and supportive to the ends of the earth. The showdown at the end is Season 8 funny and Season 35 insane. I'm all for it, personally. I don't know that it entirely makes up for everything, but it certainly salvages the episode.
#10: Homer's Crossing
Light 7: "First act felt like the worst of season 28; second and third acts were actually funny but too fast-paced"
You'll notice that a common theme in Season 35 is going completely off the rails. I swear less than half of the episodes in this season have logical plots. Homer's Crossing is focused, and yet its focus is on something so absurd that it can't help but go off the rails anyway. Homer becomes a crossing guard, does a good thing, gets more funding, does a bad thing, gets more funding, does a bad thing, gets less funding, does a bad thing, gets into a fight with the police, gets hit by a bus. The moral of the story is simple: defund the police. Using Homer as a vessel to tackle this is a double-edged sword, but I think it was the best call; we don't want to hate Chief Wiggum, and we know Homer tends to go mad with power when given the chance. It's an organic way to demonstrate that the institution of police vilifies the people who work for it. The problems are numerous: the stakes mean the pace has to be insanely fast, Homer is pushed to a weird extreme, the first act isn't funny at all, and they introduce this notion that Homer's job is artificial and he's never actually saved anyone just to immediately discard it. Seriously, the existence of this scene lowers this episode by like five spots. By and large, though, Homer's Crossing is a defund-the-police episode that manages to be funny, absurd, and convincing all at once.
#9: Cremains of the Day
Solid 7: "Has something to say about the barflies' friendship, but why a danger setpiece?"
It seems like opinions on this episode are largely mixed, as they tend to be when The Simpsons kills off a character, so I'll go on the offensive for it. Larry's death is handled well. It's given a degree of gravity that I wouldn't expect for such a minor character, without making everyone depressed. There's something to be said about the barflies' friendship, particularly how artificial it is; take away their drinks and they suddenly hate each other. The way they argue about the afterlife is what really sells this dynamic for me, and also I think what sells me on the episode. The choice to make this culminate in a danger setpiece probably wasn't the best possible choice, but I'll still vouch for it. I won't defend the fact that they forgot to mention Sam, though. That's a clear miss. Even in a commentary-heavy episode, I think we can all agree that the most potent commentary Cremains of the Day incited was the crystal-clear demonstration that the cycle of media news sites is nothing more than a twisted ouroboros choking on its own tail for all eternity. Nobody cares that Larry is dead. That's the whole point.
#8: Ae Bonny Romance
Solid 7: "Intricate story that's condensed to hell and back to fit a 3+ minute song about it"
Today on plots that go off the rails, Ae Bonny Romance ups the ante by never having been on the rails to begin with. It's a travel episode where so many things happen that you forget it's a travel episode. Bart accidentally gives nicotine to kids, gets locked in super detention, bonds with Groundskeeper Willie about how they're both single, Willie goes missing, Homer and Marge have a two-scene banter session about going to Scotland, they go to Scotland, it turns out Willie was getting married to a girl named Maisie, Bart feels betrayed and tries to ruin the wedding, Marge implies that Homer has boring sex, Lisa goes to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Bart gets locked in a tower, Homer runs away, Bart escapes and reveals that the wedding was set up by Maisie's parents because Willie is a world-class peat sniffer, Maisie breaks Willie's nose to prove that she loves him for who he is, Marge runs away and finds Homer on a golf course, roll credits, roll a three minute original song by Scottish band Belle and Sebastian called "Willie and the Dream of Peat Bogs", Maisie moves into Willie's shack. I glossed over a bunch of stuff there, too. I can't possibly explain how ridiculous this episode is. The thing is that it's really funny. The song really drives it home because the lyrics literally just explain the entire plot. I also respect that they didn't break up Willie and Maisie, technically making this a status quo shift, which I'm always up for. I know this episode seems hard to love, but it's willing to let loose and have fun, and I'm willing to go with it.
#7: Bart's Brain
Solid 7: "Surprisingly earnest and clever for the premise. It's weirdly mean-spirited but I think that fits"
The premise is that Bart buys a brain in a jar and uses it to prank everyone. It can only be so good. That being said, I think Bart's Brain makes the absolute most of its premise by letting Bart start to truly take care of the brain, and seeing how Springfield reacts. The town is particularly mean-spirited towards Bart (even the adults, which I find a little strange), but it definitely helps propel the story. Bart himself is played very well, in a rare case of The Simpsons being able to tap into his more thoughtful and caring side believably. Perhaps my favorite part of Bart's Brain is that they never smash the jar. I think that would have ruined the episode; you could have seen it from a mile away, it would've made the whole plot amount to nothing, and it wouldn't have paid anything off. The brain gets an appropriately sappy and surprisingly genuine send-off. Perhaps the episode is too cynical in general; even when it's not for the sake of the story, it's pretty callous about its characters and its world. And perhaps I'm a sucker for this kind of story, so I'm willing to forgive its structural flaws. But I was pleasantly surprised by this episode, and despite my expectations, I think this was an excellent way to end the season. I can't believe they finally gave Bart a brain in the Season 35 season finale.
#6: Thirst Trap: A Corporate Love Story
Solid 7: "Good twist on the format, well plotted, pretty funny, but too topical for its own good"
Thirst Trap: A Corporate Love Story (an egregious name if there ever was one) is the one standout format-bending episode of Season 35. I thought there'd be more, too. It barely even features the Simpsons; it's chiefly about Mr. Burns and his romance with a budding young entrepreneur who, much like most budding young entrepreneurs, has never had a good idea in her life. The episode takes the form of several documentaries about the two's romance and how it impacted the people of Springfield, becoming a large-scale but sufficiently believable story about a total restructuring of the power plant. My biggest issue with this episode is that it tries a little too hard to be topical, almost as if it's intentionally resistant to being seen as a Simpsons episode at all. It's like the script was written for a totally different show and was shoehorned into Springfield. Even still, I can't help but respect it for its boldness, and I admit that we needed a big swing for the fences in Season 35. They didn't need to kill literally all of the children, though. I imagine that'll make the plots a little thin in future seasons.
#5: A Mid-Childhood Night's Dream
Strong 7: "Well plotted, experimental, emotional, but holy shit it is so hard to actually watch"
On first parse, I put A Mid-Childhood Night's Dream at #14 for its focus on gross-out humour and the sometimes brutal performance given by Julie Kavner. As you might be able to tell, I've warmed up to it over time. First of all, you watch enough modern Simpsons and you get used to Marge's voice nowadays. I can't say it's great, even when you're accustomed to it, but I literally could not understand what she was saying on first watch, which dragged it down a lot. Watch this one with subtitles if you have the option. And yes, there's a heightened focus on gross-out humour, which I'm still not thrilled about, but I realize now how important it is to the story, and how unnatural any other type of humour would have been in this episode. Kavner's delivery on "borf mom" is a top 10 moment of the season. A Mid-Childhood Night's Dream soars on the back of its creativity and its mastery of its premise. Framing the episode through Marge's nightmares lets them do some great surreal comedy and some truly devastating dream sequences, and the episode is smart to blur the lines on what is a dream sequence and what isn't. Ms. Peyton has a good showing here, although there's not much to do with her in general, and the conclusion is everything I wanted for this largely miserable character spotlight. I love this episode, and I hope we see more like it.
#4: Do the Wrong Thing
Solid 8: "Still has some residual HD-era tang to its humour but otherwise great stuff all around"
Rarely does a Simpsons episode come along that's as evergreen as Do the Wrong Thing. It doesn't do anything spectacular, necessarily, and it doesn't throw everything at the wall like the last few entries, but it knows exactly what it is and it runs with it. It has a great basis for a plot, that being Homer and Bart bonding over cheating at sports competitions, letting them explore some familial dynamics and set up some clever and crazy visual gags. When I saw chess, I really should have seen the anal beads joke coming, but it still threw me way off guard. Lisa and Marge also get great supporting roles, although Lisa calling Homer out in front of a squadron of chainsaw-wielding bikers seems shortsighted, especially for her. While the ending is a little on the absurd side, I'm a big fan of it; it's a novel and funny way to both resolve and undercut the ultimate moral. Ultimately, the biggest point is that I had a great time watching Do the Wrong Thing. It's a good counterargument to the notion that renaissance Simpsons (if you can call it that) is only better because it's more experimental; even the episodes with simple, point-A-to-point-B plots manage to be memorable.
#3: Night of the Living Wage
Strong 8: "Homer is pushed a little too far, but otherwise great. Funny, intelligent, well-paced, satisfying, all that"
Night of the Living Wage is Season 35's most poignant and successful critique of late-stage capitalism. The story has some slightly off-the-wall elements, thankfully supported by a groundedness in both the stakes and the character motivations, that keep it from being just "Marge gets a miserable job and every character sucks". Don't get me wrong, lots of the characters suck, most notably Homer, but he makes it up to her in the end, and he's never being unreasonable for the sake of it. The workplace scenes are wonderfully choreographed and genuinely stressful, and I appreciate how intelligent it takes the workers to be. I especially love that the anti-union informational video is what convinces them to unionize. It also manages to be shockingly funny for such a serious premise. Part of why I'm such a big proponent of this episode is that I think this is exactly what the Simpsons should be doing in 2024. They're finally out of the rut of pretending to be in the 90s, and they now have the freedom to make episodes covering the current state of the world. So long as they do it tastefully, like in this episode.
#2: Iron Marge
Light 9: "This episode is so good, and it doesn't pull any cheap tricks or anything, it's just really good"
I feel like this is a hot take. It's easy to see this episode as just another mindless status-quo romp, but there's something intrinsically satisfying about how it's written. Everything makes sense, everything ties into everything else, no moment feels wasted. It's another retribution story, with Bart and Lisa trying to make it up to Marge, but it's balanced by Homer's B-plot where he learns absolutely nothing and just gets to hurl insults at Agnes Skinner. Seriously, these two are a sneaky good duo, particularly when they're steaming at each other, and they managed to find an organic way to get them together. I like that they don't try to make this a thing; they don't even know each other's names by the end of it. They were just the right characters for the story. Meanwhile, the A-plot is also great, even if the latter half of it essentially runs in circles and ends up in the same place. It's funny, well-plotted, has something to say about Marge, and that post-credits scene? Masterful stuff. My usual complaints for this season don't apply here; this episode is just really, really good.
#1: Clan of the Cave Mom
Solid 9: "Literally fixes all of my complaints with this season in one fell swoop, amazing episode"
It was always going to be an experimental episode at the top. What makes this episode great isn't the fact that it has some sequences with a different artstyle, though 一 it's how they use the newfound potential to make something truly special. The episode is split up into two analogous stories, one in the modern day and one in caveman times, each containing references and implied metaphors for the other. These scenes are wonderfully animated and purposefully brutal, and the caveman Simpsons are extremely sympathetic and believable characters. I love how completely earnestly their world is portrayed. There are no lines, hardly any jokes, and their only motive is to survive and protect each other. Meanwhile, the story in the modern day is just as good. It draws on Marge's ancestral instinct to protect Bart when he is insulted as its connection to the past, which works really well, especially when they let Marge go all-out at the climax. Bart has some major supporting-character syndrome, but it makes sense when the story hinges on Marge having to fight for him. Homer, meanwhile, is a total doof, again contrasting well with his powerful, fearless caveman incarnation. It's not a perfect episode; not every joke lands, and the connections between some sequences are a little tenuous, but it's so refreshingly new that I can't help but love every second of it. If you liked Pixelated and Afraid, you'll love Clan of the Cave Mom.
Conclusion
I liked it. Seriously, I did. There are low points, absolutely, but I recommend watching every single episode in the top 10, and even a few episodes beyond it. What fascinates me is that this season isn't this good because of its bold experiments. Yes, those are great, and it's absolutely necessary in a Season 35 of anything to push the boundaries. The real magic of the season is really in its personality. The episodes feel like they were written by real people with something to say. It cares a lot about the Simpsons, and it wants to delve into the interesting aspects of their personalities and the world they live in. It's willing to do plots about the state of the world in 2024 using these characters the world has grown up with, and it does so naturally without compromising their integrity. If anything, it cares a bit too much, so much so that it trips over itself and never delivers a particularly focused episode. I get a feeling of finality from this season; it reads like it doesn't expect to live much longer. And really, The Simpsons probably isn't going to live much longer. It's not raking in the views anymore. But if they're going out soon, they're trying to make the most of the time they have left. It's important to acknowledge the flaws; the quality tends to be all over the place, the secondary characters are more like caricatures, and it definitely was rushed in places. Don't expect Homer's Enemy out of this 一 and, honestly, don't expect Season 34 out of this, either. But there's definitely something to love about this new iteration of The Simpsons. I'm glad I watched it, and I'm definitely going to be keeping an eye out for Season 36.

I love a good state of the union speech. A remarkable event that deserves attention as mandated by the Constitution. A unique opportunity for only the current President to use the bully pulpit to advance his agenda.
Now that Trump is a felon out on bond and has the associated travel restrictions…this would be a good opportunity for President Biden to tour our ally countries, meet with heads of state, and give speeches on our current state of union with the hosting state.
Send our President out to London, Paris, Berlin, Brussels, Warsaw, Stockholm, Kiev. Let him do what the other guy cannot do now and had not done then

My nephew has recently been on the waitlist to receive ABA services in-home. It's been a mess. Before they chose this company, my SIL ran a few by me (I have a background in ABA; in a different field now).
The company my SIL chose was based on the fact that they diagnose and provide services as well. They are pretty big company. However, upon looking at the Glassdoor reviews as well as the overall business, this provider seems kind of sketchy and focused on profit.
SiL and my brother received a phone call from their "staffing coordinator" who was calling to confirm some details regarding their preferences for a technician. It seems they have an entire department that works to find technicians clients to work with, based on the conversation she had with the coordinator. However, the coordinator isn't a BCBA or anything like that. They basically are like customer service representatives.
When the coordinator called back later that week, she let my SIL know that they found a technician and provided some details. My SIL was under the impression that the technician was an RBT, but the coordinator said that the technician is still working on her online training. In fact, her only experience was babysitting. They "matched" her to my nephew because they wanted someone bubbly and energetic, and that is the only characteristic they were able to fulfill in this match. They also only do these "interviews" or "screening" through the phone, so how do you know if she's bubbly and energetic from one phone call? The way the company advertises is as if they have only RBTs or trained professionals, not people completely new to the field. My SIL asked for an RBT and they said it would take some time.
So I did a little more digging, and found that they do not interview technicians (based on Glassdoor reviews).
I applied to one of their ads just to verify this information. They have several posted in different areas, all with different ranges of pay. Some postings have different "positions" listed, but all of them are for the BT or RBT position. They have the same job description as their "1:1 Aide" or "Disability Support Worker" ads, but this is misleading since those positions are not quite interchangeable with a behavior technician. I applied to one of those ads, was briefly screened by a recruiter for my location, availability, and overall experience (lied and said I had none with children with Autism), and got an offer letter within an hour. The "interview" was less than 10 minutes, and the recruiter was incredibly monotone. There was no official interview, just that the position is contingent on me submitting a background check and that I would be able to attend my online orientation once I submit that. The orientation is next week.
I will probably not attend, but I just wanted to see how easy it would be to get this position. The fact that they do not interview (let alone screen) technicians is alarming, as we do not know who is going to be in our household. They called back letting us know they had an RBT. They confirmed a start date and had her meet with my SIL on Zoom as per my SIL's request (after I told her how easy it was to apply).
The technician was very unprofessional in speech (said things like "I know how to deal with children" and "when my Autistic clients aren't acting right, I know what to do") and did not really seem to know anything about ABA, such as terminology or what the expectations are, but they said she had her certification. I checked and it was valid. My SIL is desperate to start as my nephew's behaviors have been skyrocketing.
The technician ended up not showing up today for the first session. My SIL received multiple calls from the staffing coordinator and the clinical team that the technician "had an emergency". My SIL asked if she would be able to come on another day because she wanted to give the technician the benefit of the doubt, but they said that she is no longer with the company after no-call no-showing today. So which one is it? Does she have an emergency or is this a no-call no-show?
They offered to still have session start with one of their "lead" RBTs, but these leads do not have clients. Their role is to support the new technicians for one shadow session, and the rest of the supervision is remote. No in-person supervision, in fact, my SIL never got to meet the BCBA they had assigned to my nephew because she is based in Florida. The lead showed up and did one session with my nephew. He was very skilled, but of course, this meant that we wouldn't be getting someone that good since his role is to support other technicians.
Is this normal? The ABA companies I've worked for required an interview and some sort of shadowing for weeks. This company is vast and serves 3 whole states. It's alarming how fast these for-profit companies have latched onto the field. Please comment if this is the new norm. Needless to say, my SIL is finding another company. My SIL called them again after the session ended to let them know my SIL and brother were interested in discharging after this lengthy experience. The coordinating manager basically said something along the lines of "everyone wants an RBT so good luck, you will be back." After her response, my SIL asked to speak to her supervisor, who is going to speak with my SIL tomorrow. I will update here if interested.
TL;DR: company my SIL has my nephew receiving services from is sketchy because they don't interview or screen properly. Company doesn't have RBTs available and overall the process has been confusing.

My son met his (ex) best friend, "Max" first year of college. They used to come go to my house to hang out here and there. Long story short, I got involved with my son's friend when they were around 24/25 and my son had already moved out two year ago at that time. We came clean to my son after the relationship got serious. He was shocked and upset. Eventually he came to accept it (or so I thought). He even came to our wedding.
But shortly after we got married, it seemed like my son's behavior actually got worse. He was basically indifferent to my pregnancy. My son stopped coming around the house. I even went out of my way to try to meet him outside the house without my husband. He still never budged. I got fed up with his behavior and asked what's up. He came clean that he tried but he can't accept our relationship and looks at me differently now. We had a serious arguement, but it wasn't resolved.
Two days ago, I met my son at my niece's engagement party. My niece is getting engaged to a girl and my son (who is bisexual himself) was the first person she came out too. He helped her out alot in coming out and accepting her identity. She went up to him personally thank him after already giving a speech mentioning him. He said he was happy and that end of the day "love is love". I was so upset that I made a sarcastic remark out loud. My son told me to knock it off and that this wasn't place or time to do this. I called him out on how he doesn't show the same level of open mindedness to my relationship. My sister said I was asshole cause it's not remotely similar.

I just want to start by saying her acting , his acting, everyone’s acting was Terrible. The reason I’m making this post is cause I haven’t ever been able to share this anywhere else and I need to get it out because this movie did the same thing. I had brain surgery for a tumor in my frontal left lobe and it was scary, it affected everything. I had to have speech and physical therapy and occupational therapy for 6 months afterwards . Something also woke me up and realized I had a terrible husband. He screamed at me constantly, cheated while pregnant quite a few times, but mainly withheld money and screamed and called me names. When I left he immediately told me he had mouth cancer, everyone was terrified for him and I was right away hesitant. I asked to go with him to appts and he refused, I asked to talk to his doc and he refused to give me the name. Everyone in his family and friends called me horrible things because I didn’t believe him. After 3 months “of chemotherapy” I finally got the proof that he never had it. I felt vindicated. But no one cared that he lied nor could I openly speak about it because he would withhold Money and seeing the kids (He still does) . So I needed to get this out. It’s been years and I have no one to talk to about this except my twin sister and mom. Thank you for reading this long boring story but it feels so good to get this out.

Psychic/Normal: Lab Rat (Lab Mouse that can detect and locate anything )
Species: Animutarae Musculus
Planet: Splissengenetic
Appearance

• White Mouse-based
• Large Rectangular Object growing out of back
• Black-opal eyes

Powers and Abilities

• Enhanced Intelligence
• Enhanced Memory
• Able to locate the exact distance of objects in mind
• Able to Detect every the component and composition in nearby objects
  • This Includes Emotion Detection from speech
• Omnilingual

Weaknesses/Drawback

• While able to detect components of an object, doesn’t automatically mean they know what the components are/what the object is.
• Small Size/Fragile Body

Species/Planet Fact: There are different Animutarae subspecies on Geneticore all of them some form of rodent or rodent-like species from various planets mutated with their intellect and the organ on their back that allows them sense the components in all objects. The Animutarae Musculus were the first ones granted this mutation on the planet, and came from the common mouse species on planet earth.
Psychic/Grass: Ultimate Bioburst(See Original in Grass Types)
Appearance

• Cosmic Latte Glowing Color
• Universe Spiral Symbol On Stomach
• Lack of plant/animal features on body

Powers/Ability

• Able to absorb multiple objects within a “biosphere”, and can absorb up to the entire Universe
• Objects Inside will experience regular time until the end of the universe, which will take place in seconds to outside observers
  • Will instill an end to universe
  • Afterwards will blast the biosphere with larger range and force equivalent to the Big Bang
  • Rapidly and perfectly recreates the objects absorbed during impact, relocating them as their original state when absorbed
  • Levitation
• Stronger Body

Weaknesses/Drawbacks:

• Takes more concentration and time to absorb objects into biosphere
• Needs more mass to create biosphere
• Living organisms do not re-evolve, and are recreated exactly as they were before absorption

Psychic/Fire: Ultimate Superstar(See Original in Fire Types)
Appearance

• Visible body outline
• Body switches between glowing like a red sun or having skin consisting of a dark space themed texture with multiple mini stars, and planets along the surface.

Powers/Ability

• Able to control Rotation of planets and planetoids
  • By extent, able to control the season and climate of current planet
• Gains the ability to accelerate or slow growth/metabolism of living organisms

Weaknesses/Drawbacks:

• Loses ability to emit solar flares
• Can’t control solar heat directly
• Unable to emphasize biological solar light
• Noticeably Slower

Psychic/Water: Xenozar Nemetrix predator of the Psyoniarti (See Anemone in Water Types)
Appearance

• Komodo dragon-based body
• One eye in the center
• Square Protrusible Jaws with four giant fangs
• Black Leather Skin
• Metal-like Chitin growing on Head and Limbs
• Long Retractible Claws
• Spear like-tail

Hunting Method

• Temperature based vision
• Sharp Claws
• Superheated Breath
• Voice Mimicry
• Able to launch eggs from tail
• Vacuum Adaptation
• Able to move at high speeds in space
• Limited Flight
• Eggs thrive in the pocket dimension shared by Psyoniarti, eventually hatching and consuming the species from inside

Planet/Species Fact: The Xernozar spend their lives flying through space and looking for prey, initially they’re seen hunting apex predators but not their planets dominant sentient species. Initially they’ve been feared and hunted by different alien societies though some have noticed that the Xenozar could be rather affectionate towards them. Eventually Xenozar have been found killing various Psyoniarti and other hostile Alien invaders, whilst protecting their planets people. Since then, universally the Xenozar are seen as honored guests or even pets in various planets. Though the Psyoniarti and other alien colonies give warning about them in vain.
Psychic/Elctric: Yonous Nemetri predator of the Neurocnidarian (See Nervezzz in Electric Types)
Appearance

• Varies due to species
• Unique glowing parts of body

Hunting Method

• Unique for each species of Anatomo
• Shapeshifting
• In the case of the Neurocnidarian:
  • Nervous System activity hypnotizes prey, eventually absorbs the energy/consciousness inside self

Planet/Species Fact: This alien is widely believed to be the remnants of the formerly alive plane Anatomo out to collect the remaining parts of its former body on a mission to recreate the living planet. How it happened remains to be seen, though a wide number of theories suggest that it was the soul of Anatomo split up and sent out to rebuild itself supported by traces of magic located on Anatomo before its death. Curioisly they aren’t as intelligent as the other species created from the planets remains. Younous can’t even talk or form advanced conscious actions despite their shapeshifting. Their hypnotizing ability comes more from a reaction in their prey’s brain rather than deliberate messaging.
Psychic/Flying: Horavore the nemetrix predator of the Areali (See Unadfo in Flying Types)

• Pure Black
• Round stone-like body
• Three-fold mouth
  • Multiple Sharp teeth
• Larger than a planet

Hunting Method

• Invisibility
• Camouflaged Skin
• Intangibility
• High speed consumption of planets in second time
• Able to sense the entirety of a planet

Planet/Species Fact: The Horabar are able to sense Areali flocks lightyears away. They consume planets whole in less than a milisecond, but it will only digest it if there’s at least one full Alkali left on it, otherwise it will spit the planet out intact just as fast as it swallowed, with little to no of the inhabitants noticing. Strangely though they’ll think there’s an Areali on a planet marked with a specific marking the Areali leave. If it eats a planet with this marking it’ll causes a poisonous reaction sickening them for a while, slowing them down preventing them from catching up to the Areali The Areali don’t know why exactly they leave those marks on the planets they visit, but enough stories about Areali and planets disappearing who fail to continue this mission, has them convinced to continue this tradition.
Psychic/Ice: Ultimate Snow Heads (See original in Ice Name)
Appearance

• Multiple minds the size and appearance of snowflakes
• Clustered in a large clouds able to be cover a city

Powers/Ability

• Bodies able to live in different states of matter and refold themselves into ice
• Extreme Heat resistance
• Multiple bodies cools down temp of objects around it by snowing on them to quickly freeze their targets
  • Able to completely control frozen targets, even animate frozen objects

Weaknesses/Drawbacks:

• Heat can release control of targets
• Unable to freeze targets in a non-solid form
• Takes a while falling and controlling targets, limited movement while snowing, can’t chase targets for a long distance control like base

Psychic/Ground: Phanticada Nemetrix predator of the Murncy (See Oraclay in Ground Types)
Appearance

• Cicada Based Body and swings
• Long Trilobite Like-tail
• Buzzsaw like Jaws

Hunting Method

• Flight
• Material consumption
• Burrowing
• Regenerates when remnants interact with psychic energy created by the Murncy
• Able to resurrect and call other Phanticada from buried remnants in a long radius

Planet/Species Ability: Since the Phanticada are generalist feeders that consume multiple types of animal found naturally in multiple planets in Olog’s solar system. The Murncy chalked up the first couple of fatalities caused by this species found in their clay sculptures as unfortunate accidents. However upon further studies as well as the help of other alien researchers, they realize their own mysterious abilities somehow resurrect even the slightest remains found in the soil they gather. Not only that, it’s discovered Phanticada from the first planets the Murncy inhabited. Theorized that the species remains were incidentally spread across the solar system when the Murncy explored other planets. Some even theorized the existence of the Phanticada as a form of divine punishment to the Murncy that had their god given powers abused.
Psychic/Rock: Ultimate Caststone (See Original in Rock Types)
Appearance

• Vines on Body
• Wood-Like Appendages
• Large Wizard-Like Cloak
• Metal Attachments for Helmet and Gauntlets
• Digital Screen-Like eyes

Powers/Ability

• Omnilingual
• Knowledge of all Magical Languages
  • Instaneously learns any new magical language
• Able to enchant texts of any language on any material
  • Like Turning a regular book into a spell book
• Able to remove text off any material
  • Objects with removed texts cannot have text replaced
• Enchants objects to hold/expell the magic from enchanted texts
• Able to manipulate perception of speech/writing of targets in a city wide radius
• Enhanced Magical Capabilities

Weaknesses/Drawbacks:

• Needs magical texts physically to be read to perform spells
• Can’t remove or enchant texts off of digital objects
• Needs to learn a consistent code
• Spells varies depending on the material the text is removed and the text removed
  • Generally the older the object and the more texts/languages used the more powerful the spell
• Doesn’t initially start out with runes/texts on body
• Enchantment on texts can be exhausted
• Loses text/characters when knocked out
  • Gathered text comes back to their origin
• Less durable and weaker than original form

Psychic/Bug: Ebulphibian nemetrix Predator (See Hive Matter in Bug Types)
Appearance

• Red and Cyan Coloring
• Small frog based body

Hunting Method

• Extendable tongue
• Leaping
• Color Changing Skin
• Regenerates when remnants interact with psychic energy created by the Murncy
• Discretely implants large transparent venomous orb in prey’s body via tongue
  • Able to sense location of orb
  • Orb is not rendered an immediate danger and isn’t expelled out of the prey’s body
  • Orb slowly rises or decreases in temperature over time causes the prey’s body to slowly adapt and expend effort into resisting the changing temperature
  • At it’s highest/lowest temperature the orb will immediately freeze or burn the prey’s body in a drastic and sudden change that the target’s body can’t adapt to fast enough, quickly killing the target

Planet/Species Ability: Ebulphibians are one of the few species on Hexasocal that do not have instant adaptation abilities thanks to their stealth capabilities and passive nature. Ironically this is most effective despite most of their prey being aggressive predators. Eventually the non-predatory species of the Darwasp would start recognizing the threat of the Ebulphibian and would hunt them down and extract an anti-adaptive poison. The process has ended with more fatalities than the times the number of times the poison was used let alone successfully. Now the Darwasp are developing a cure for the Ebulphibian venom, progress has been rocky so far and the Ebulphinous venom started become more potent with each sample gathered
Psychic/Fighting: Ultimate Muscle Memory (See Original in Fighting Types)
Appearance

• Stronger layers of Muscle over body
• Head becomes a more bulbous brain shape with less
• Circle-shaped markings on body
• Bright Cyan Color

Powers and Abilities

• Near omniscience intellect
• Applies knowledge to navigate environment and react with near precognition-like skills
• Able to open skin up to expose brain and senses everything on a world-wide radius, gaining complete knowledge on everything it senses

Weaknesses/Drawbacks

• Brain vulnerable when exposed
• Cannot see or speak
• Limited hearing
• Can only sense new objects in depth by exposing brain
• Brain takes a few seconds to learn as opposes to the base form’s constant learning from sight

Psychic/Poison: Spit Lie (Placebo Spitting Devil)
Species: Placebean Planet: Psychotaushen
Appearance

• Humanoid Body
• Scaled
• Snake eyes and tongue
• Purple and Black coloring
• Long Forked whip-like tail.
• Short Horns

Powers and Abilities

• Neutrotoxin Saliva
• Large amounts of saliva is spewed when talking
  • Spit is generally odorless and colorless
• Omnilingual
• Neurotoxin on skin causes the victim to believe physiological effects said by (Species).
  • Examples being “You gain a Rash when touching Wood” “The Ground makes you slow” “My Stare can but you to sleep” Things that effect the target’s body and mind.
    • Voice able to trigger neurotoxins even through technology
  • Can even simulate death.
  • Even affects target that know of the poison.

Weaknesses

• All effects are reversed once toxins are removed
• Toxins are removed after time
• Usually can only create one or two effects at a time depending on how physiologically demanding the effect is
• Effects can be ignored by force of will
• Effects are ignored by species too unintelligent to understand effects
• Psychological effects usually require an audio trigger, and can’t be immediate
• Effects cannot be physiologically impossible

Planet/Species Fact: Placebeans are an often aloof people that don’t want to be bothered, using their toxins on alien visitors they find bothersome. Despite this as interplanetary travel became more common, Placebeans have found themselves getting jobs as interplanetary translators and even mercenaries. They even bonded closely with a new immigrant species due to their ability to produce a useful substrate for them. In exchange Placebeans used their toxins on them for positive effects in unlocking the potential for their body. Many Placebean scientist has worked on genetic modifications to unlock more potential.

Psychic/Ghost: Mind Hopper (Goofy Mind Swapping Frog Skeleton)
Species: Spectanura
Planet: Kaneesus
Appearance

• Legged tadpole based body
• Translucent Skull like head
• Human Spine for a tail
• Two bent legs akin to a Human Skeletons

Powers and Abilities

• Invisibility
• Leaping
• Able to implant tail inside target’s head
  • Mind reading.
  • Memory Reading
  • Mind Swapping with target
  • Able to remove and encase brain/mind from target and hold onto body
  • Able to swap the encased minds of target with another target
• Specific knowledge on how to swap minds with other Spectanura.
• Mindswap targets usually poorly operate body, and can’t go invisible.

Weaknesses

• Can only hold one mind at a time, and can’t voluntarily let go of absorbed mind
• Targets may be able to swap minds with a connected Spectarua depending on knowledge and training
• Mindswap reverts to normal after omnitrix transformation

Planet/Species Fact: Spectanura is a dangerous planet, with the Kneesus having to swap their minds with more mobile predators in order to make strong migrations. Many die before they swap or lose their main bodies in the process becoming trapped in their new body. Small groups of different kinds of bodies have been formed out of this though. But when not using their skill to enter the bodies of strong predators facing dangerous perils, they enjoy using the bodies of safer species, especially ones they’ve never seen before in a safer setting.
Psychic/Dragon: Psygancic (Lovecraftian Dragon)
Species: Acshh’huppie
Planet: Carfletrov
Appearance:

• Large Dragon body
• Multiple spider-like eyes
• Tentacles growing from body
• Enlarged head
• Disorganized Body dhspr
• Gigantic Size

Powers/Abilities:

• Gigantic Body
• Gargantuan Strength
• Flight
• Vacuum Adaptation
• Acidic Breath
• Untouchable body on another plane of existence
• Able to make eye contact on selected targets
  • Telepathy
  • Mind Control, Possession, Induced Illusions of targets made eye contact with it
  • Able to project images of self stronger from bodies of possessed targets
• Able to make contact with those deeply under its influence or close by that target

Weaknesses

• Can’t normally make bodily contact with targets out of its plane of existence
• Total possession/control of target is a gradual process
  • Targets can fight influence out of its head

Planet/Species Fact: An entire system was created from a different plane of reality. From massive amounts energy of a magical source according to researchers. The planets have developed into the Milky Way universe and many alien civilizations were formed most of them practicing some form of magic. However, before any of them would make contact with the world outside their own solar system. A council of all other species have decided to banish the planet Carfletrov back into the plane that birthed them. Never to be seen again for both their and others protection. Centuries later they would manage to make contact with other aliens attempting to create rituals to summon them.
Psychic/Steel: Dial Driver (Time and space traveler MCU-like time rules ) Species: Chronobile
Planet: Cycrone
Appearance

• Single wheel like-limb in center for legs
• Light blue body and head
• See through organ holding a space based liquid
• Large pupils

Powers and Abilities

• Vacuum Adaptation
• Unaging
• High rolling speed (Comparable to a motorcycle)
• Able to teleport into a specific time and place by using specialized internal fuel
  • Can transport others, by excreting fuel on objects

Weaknesses

• Fuel requires energy
• Their “time-line” is not affected by time travel
  • Interactions made after returning from a previous time will not have happened, nor would future effects from returning to a future time will happen.
• Fuel can be depleted, leaving the stranded on their point in time until fuel is replenished which can take years or centuries

Planet/Species Fact: Cycrone are artificially exists far in the future where the Chronobiles haven’t existed until then due to their time travel being more of a dimensional travel. The Cycrone spend their time exploring all of time in space, but eventually the organ that produces the internal fuel to travel will eventually run out and they’ll spend a point in time for the rest of their lives different Billions of Chronobiles have spent their end points in different timeline “dimensions”. Their creators have implanted a tracker in them that can reach into these time space dimensions and use this to map out a multiverse for true time travel.
Fighting/Dark: Desevil (Genie Devil Monkey’s Paw)
Species: Yadjin
Planet: No Planet of Origin
Appearance

• Gorilla Body
• Goat Head
• Usually wears Golden Bracelets
• Smoke Based Bottom tied to an object (Usually a lamp or bottle)

Powers/Abilities:

• Shapeshifting
• Reality Manipulation/Wish Granting
  • Able to Reach levels equivalent to a Celestialsapien
• Relic Shelter
• Immortality

Weaknesses/Drawbacks

• Can only grant one wish per person
• Can only reach high levels of Reality Manipulating when given a wish
  • Must grant the wish on a technical term
• Wish must be manipulated to cause distress/misfortune onto the user
• Malevolent personality
• Restraint to the object their connected to

Species/Planet Fact: Legend has it that there were two histories of the universes before this one. Both of which were rewritten to never have happened. One where the Yadjin ruled above all, and all other species were seen as playthings. Ending with a greed and chaos fueled civil war that tied the species to the relics they’re connected to for all history to come. The second one was similar to the current universe but Yadjin were found granting wishes for their masters while also plotting to rule the universe like it once did. They were near successful until one selfless Yadjin and his allies tricked the upcoming rulers of the universe, and reset it while dooming the species to failure. Now the Yadjin’s numbers are small and any attempts they make at control through their reality manipulating powers are fated to fail and be reversed.
Fighting/Fairy: Emojo (Wonderland themed Mantis from Marvel)
Species: Lysergian
Planet: Troulapin
Appearance

• Swirl Tie-die pattern rainbow fur
• Mushroom-like cap
• Long caterpillar like body
• Furry Cat-like head
• Masked pattern on head

Powers/Abilities

• Empath abilities
  • Emotional Manipulation
  • Emotional Sensing
  • Light Hypnosis
• Telepathy
• Able to induce hallucinations or a state of delirium in targets

Weaknesses

• A bit mentally slow
• Low Camouflage
• Lower Athleticism

Planet/Species Fact: Lysergians live in hard to find biomes underneath the crust of Troulapin, which hold a very precious mineral highly sought by the species that live above them. Entire military forces tried invading these biomes through force to gather this material but have left empty handed and without motivation to continue the mission. This was incidentally done by the Lysergians who didn’t know the threat they faced when the military units approached, nor their motivations to use their abilities for redirect them. Ironically enough they don’t know how important their minerals were nor could they find any use for them. By the time they considered throwing it out to the surface, the people there considered halting all efforts to enter the Lysergians domain and the Lysergians forgot about discarding the minerals.

I originally wrote this for a friend, but it ended up getting so long that I wanted to share it. Extremely long post ahead. Spoilers for 2077 and for Cyberpunk Edgerunners!
Cyberpunk 2077 is one of the best written open world games I’ve ever played, and perhaps even in history. It’s simply fantastic.
Ig I should start with the setting, Night City itself. Night city is almost its own character with the way that it affects and dictates the fate of the characters in it, and it’s also lowkey the reason why most characters make their really bad decisions, ygm. The City has a sorta disgusting allure, as it’s said to be “the city of dreams” in the 2077 universe, and to its credit, the city has birthed some of the most legendary figures in the cyberpunk world (that we know of). Morgan Blackhand, Rogue, Johnny Silverhand, Robert Weyland and Adam Smasher are the most noteworthy legends that I care to mention, and lo and behold they all come from the imfamous Night City. Despite it’s reputation as the “city of dreams” (lmao) NC is plagued by plenty of gangs, from the cyberpsycho Maelstrom gang to the implant robbing, human trafficking Scavs, to the netrunning Voodoo Boys that try to breach the blackwall (and if they are successful and fuck with a rogue AI literally all of humanity is finished). So basically, NC is home to some baaaad niggas, and the police force really aint that much better. Night City, like most other places in the Cyberpunk world, is home to a decadent crowd of corporations, with the biggest (or at least most relevant) being Arasaka. Don’t get me wrong tho, there are still other corp presences in the city, like Trauma Team, Millitech and Kang Tao (and maaaaaybe Biotechnica but u don’t really see much of them in game). Plus, corpos are arguably worse than the gangs, as they regularly partake in not so legal operations (like Meridith Stout getting fucking murdered if you tell Royce about her bugged money). So yeah, much like real life, corporate pricks are rarely better than the scum on the streets of NC.
Night City is a commentary on “the American dream” and how it’s a fucking lie. The idea of starting from the bottom and working your way to the top and everything being just peachy is, to be completely honest, a fantasy in both NC and in real life. Not one of the legends that you see ingame could be said that they have a better life (if they didn’t fucking die lmao) after they hit legend status. I’ll elaborate more later, but a base theme of Cyberpunk (or at least 2077) is that becoming a legend in Night City is worthless and always comes at an immense cost. Notice how the only truly happy and content characters in the game don’t really chase glory or a legendary status, but rather they’re just happy with their lot. Hell, V literally says those exact words to Viktor when they first leave his clinic. TLDR: NC is NOT a city of dreams.
Our initial group of main characters (V, Jackie and arguably T-Bug) have been completely hooked by the lie of Night City, with all of them dreaming of becoming a Legend. Jackie is the biggest perpetrator of this mindset, as he was the one that influenced V’s desire to become a legend in the first place (This next section will be about Jackie btw).
Jackie, imo, was a bit underutilised in the actual game, but nevertheless he’s an excellent character. He’s an ex valentino merc with a pretty good life by Night City standards. He has a girlfriend who loves him, he has his mum still alive, he has Viktor and he has his best friend V. Pretty decent lot, but not one that lasts long. Jackie’s fatal flaw is, unfortunately, his ambition, as if you remember he’s the one that took Dex’s job and encouraged V to do the same, and as we all know, Jackie ends up dead in a Delamain by the end of act one. Jackie is the embodiment of the “being a legend in NC doesn’t mean shit” theme, as he pretty much sacrificed his life (and V’s life too, although unknowingly) in the pursuit of glory, leaving his loved ones behind to mourn him. Worst part is, in his final act, Jackie slots the Relic into V’s brain, and although it was an act of love for his friend (remember, from Jackie’s perspective, the Relic job would have set V up for life), he unknowingly condemned V to death, pretty much ruining their life. I think that it’s worth mentioning Misty’s tarot readings too (ion believe in that shit but it lowkey works in the themes of the game). I would say Jackie is represented by The Fool card, representing new beginnings, a free spirit and endless enthusiasm, whilst V is represented by The Fool Reversed, that represents risk-taking, uncertainty and the idea of stepping into a situation that you don’t fully understand. That’s probably why you can find The Fool graffiti in front of V’s apartment. This brings me onto Dex and the actual job.
Gonna come out and say it, Dex is a bald bastard, and a far cry from the “fat ass black Jesus of the Afterlife” that Jackie describes him as. We don’t get much information about him, but we can piece together that Dex was a decent fixer until he botched a job somewhere in Pacifica, making very powerful enemies in the process (this could either be the Voodoo Boys, Mr Hands or even Hansen), and forcing him to hide out for two years. The Relic operation was supposed to be his triumphant return, but lowkey I think that he was gonna double cross V and Jackie from the moment they took the job. I mean, what fixer picks up two completely unknown mercs and gets them to rob Arasaka on their first job? Not to mention the lowkey shady shit that he does regarding the pay. A real fixer would already have a buyer ready for the Relic before the job even started, AND if Dex had any intention of actually paying V and Jackie, their cut would have been non-negotiable, have at least a reasonable estimate pay, and not just meaningless fucking percentages. I’m telling you bro, the deal fucking STANK, but V and Jackie were too blinded by Dex’s rep and the promise of glory to notice. Fucking gonks. But I guess they didn’t have the luxury of hindsight like us.
Before I forget, imma quickly mention Evelyn. Yk how earlier I asked you why she even risked her life for the Relic job? If you bring Judy in the Panam ending (SPOILERS IF U CARE) Judy says that after the Relic job, she and Evelyn would’ve left NC with the resulting cash and started a new life together. Unfortunately, Ev, just like V and Jackie, was in waaaaay over her head, as there was no way that she would walk away with both the Voodoo Boys and Arasaka breathing down her neck. Interestingly, Evelyn’s associated tarot card, The Magician, can interpreted as a spirit of resourcefulness in tough situations, as well as knowledge. However, I believe that The Magician Reversed better describes Evelyn as a character, with it representing getting manipulated and poor planning. Don’t have to be Einstein to connect the dots there 😭. Still tho, it was truly awful what happened to her. Fuck Scavs, all my niggas hate Scavs 🗣️🔥🔥🔥.
So that brings us to the end of act one. In summary, V and Jackie were completely fucked the second they took the Konpeki Plaza job, as even in the best case scenario they would end up A. Ghosted by Dex if the job was successful and hunted down by Arasaka, or B. Go with Evelyn and irreparably destroy their reputation as mercs by betraying their fixer AND having both Arasaka and the Voodoo Boys hunt them down. Either way, no matter how V and Jackie played their cards they were cooked regardless.
Anyway, I believe that Act one represents the bubble that most mercs live in in Night City. The idea of pulling off one big job and being swept up from the shit stained streets to the lavish life of riches and clout. What a bunch of horseshit. V and Jackie placed their self worth and their lives on that dream, and unfortunately they chose the wrong dream to bank on. In Night City, everyone seems to know what they want, but nobody knows what they need, which is another pretty big theme in 2077.
Alright time to talk about my favourite part of the game, the characters.
I’ll start with the one I have the least to say about, River. River is a pretty cool dude if you play as Vincent, but lowkey a bit of a creep if you play as Valarie. Ignoring that, I appreciate that he’s just a good guy in the pretty shitty system that is the NCPD. He’s like a foil to Takemura and Reed, because unlike them he doesn’t prioritise neither his position or the good graces of his authorities over doing the right thing. Hell, he’s willing to get suspended from the force for his nephew, AND he stands up to Detective Han when he finds out about the Mayor’s murder. Overall, he’s one of the only characters in a government/ corporate organisation with a fucking spine in the entire game, and he gives me hope that one day the NCPD won’t be such a shithole.
Speaking of corpos, Takemura. I’m pretty sure you already know my thoughts on the guy, so I’ll keep it short. Takemura is a good dude trapped by his ideals, a good dog to a cruel master. He’s loyal to a fault to Arasaka, yada yada yada. His endings are interesting, as he curses V and damns them to hell in every ending except for the Arasaka and Phantom Liberty endings. Although it’s implied that Takemura contemplates suicide (yk, cuz he’s reading samurai death poems) I like to think that he doesn’t kill himself, rather he takes his time to work through his problems and comes out a better man due to V’s influence, maybe even growing a pair of balls and leaving Arasaka. It’s a pretty optimistic interpretation I know, but I don’t think that Takemura would kill himself after any of the endings, especially since in the Phantom Liberty ending he’s still alive after two years, despite him being a fugitive and Hanako being dead (i.e. he has nothing to live for). If he didn’t kill himself then, why would he kill himself in any of the other endings? Or I could be completely wrong and V’s betrayal would have pushed him over the edge, turning him into a soulless Saka soldier. But I don’t think Goro would do that. “BETTER BUCKLE UP!!!” Takemura’s associated tarot card is a bit hard to pin down, cuz he appears around numerous graffiti around the city throughout the game, however I believe the first card we see him with is The Chariot, which represents self control, determination and rising action, however, when reversed, it can also mean self discipline to a fault and a lack of direction. Sounds very Takemura-ish to me.
The Arasaka’s themselves are pretty interesting to me as well, particularly Yorinobu. Saburo and Hanako are the worst kind of corpos, people that stand at the very, very, very top in a world of their own making, yet they choose not to benefit the lives of others that are suffering by their own hand. Often I hear people calling Adam Smasher the most evil character in Cyberpunk, but I personally disagree. Smasher is a horrible, deranged psychopath but he’s not the reason why the 2077 world is so shitty, rather he’s just one of the many, many symptoms of the corporate greed that is perpetuated by corps such as the Arasakas. To be so above everyone and everything and being capable of changing billions of lives for the better, yet choosing not to for no apparent reason other than to maintain your lifestyle of comfort, that is what I would call truly evil.
Whats funny is that the name “Hanako” means “flower child” because that’s what she is to Saburo; an ideal child to him, loyal and willing to preserve his empire. Yorinobu, the most moral (or at least least evil) Arasaka that we know of, is Saburo’s problem child, cuz he rebelled and shit with his gang the Steel Dragons. His name translates to “To depend on” or “to rely upon”, reflecting his nature of a less corrupt Arasaka under his control, which you can see take shape in every ending bar the Arasaka ending. Saburo roughly translates to “third born son”. At first, his name didn’t appear to have any meaning, however I thought about it for a while and I lowkey think I got something out of it. You might remember Mista’s repulsion to the number 4 in Jojo part 5, as in Japan, 4 is considered an unlucky number. Similarly, the number 3 is considered a lucky number (not just in Japanese culture, but also ancient Greek and Roman culture), and is, ironically, considered a number of sincerity and understanding. This might be a reach, but I think that Saburo’s name holds significance, as Saburo is everything that his name is not. He is conniving, ruthless, and cold, even to his own family, and his pursuit of immortality through Mikoshi is just the cherry on top. Lowkey, I’m probably thinking waaaay too deep into it, there’s no way the niggas that named the Arasakas thought this hard about it 💀. But idrc that’s part of the fun.
It’s also worth mentioning that Hanako’s associated card is The High Priestess, representing divine femininity and important knowledge when upright, and secrecy and withdrawal when reversed, obviously referring to Hanako’s relationship with V and her concealment of her true intentions to resurrect her father. Speaking of Saburo, his associated card is The Emperor, exhibiting authority and fatherhood when upright, and obsessive control, domination and inflexibility when reversed. It’s a tad bit on the nose if you think about it lmao.
The final Saka scumbag I’ll talk about is the legendary Cyberpsychotic merc, Adam Smasher. Bro needs no introduction. Killed Rebecca and David Martinez, allegedly killed Johnny Silverhand, kills Rogue and Saul in their respective endings, and has been said to have a kill count literally in the thousands. Smasher represents a lot. He’s a cautionary tale of what selling yourself and your ideals to corps can do to a person, as well as what it takes to become a “legend” in Night City. He’s also the result of the worst of Night City and the type of people that the city rewards. In fact, he begs the question “If this is type of person that deserves to be treated as legend, is that status even worth pursuing?” I would would say no, because, comically, Adam Smasher is the best case scenario for becoming a legend in NC. He loves what he does, and he loves the sense power it gives him. He doesn’t give a fuck about anyone around him, nor does he have any current relationships when we see him. In a way, unlike most other NC legends, he is pretty happy and content with his life, at the expense of literally everyone he meets and his own humanity. If you didn’t know already, Smasher was a punk from New York until his body was obliterated by a missile, and Arasaka saved his ass under the condition that he works for them. He accepted, blah blah blah, did a lotta bad things, blah blah blah, I’m sure you knew that already. Like a twisted Takemura, Adam Smasher is like a rabid pitbull being released into a daycare by its owner. How fitting is it that in almost every ending, Smasher gets his brains splattered on the floor by a lone merc, ending his 90 year (rough estimate) life with a fizzle. Put down like a rabid dog. That’s what Adam Smasher deserves to be remembered for.
Anyway, enough about Arasaka goons. Let’s talk about our glorious queen Panam. I actually don’t have a lot to say about her, as she pretty much wears her character on her sleeve, if that makes sense lol. Panam’s interesting as she’s pretty much the only main character that is an outsider to Night City, being a Nomad and all, and that shows in her questline and her interactions with V and the city. Throughout her questline, Panam’s major struggle is deciding whether or not to rejoin her family or to continue to work as a merc in Night City. When you first meet her, she seems really pissed off after her car was stolen by Nash after she botched a job for 6th Street, clearly an indication of her unhappiness in Night City. It’s also important to note that Panam is introduced the the Strength tarot card, representing strength (duh), courage and compassion when upright, as well as lingering self doubt and raw emotion. Very Panam. You know how the story goes after that, she reunites with the Aldecaldos, finds a true friend/lover in V, blah blah blah. In my interpretation, Panam represents how there is much more to life than chasing empty dreams in Night City. In act one before meeting Panam, V and Jackie might as well have been surgically attached to NC with their determination to become legends in it, and the game INITIALLY (keyword) presents becoming a legend as the be all end all, the absolute pinnacle of a merc’s career. However, Panam is different to pretty much every other merc we see in Cyberpunk. She never once shows a desire to be the best in NC, even tho she’s clearly got a good reputation already (as she works for Rogue, a luxury not even V gets), and if she wanted too, she probably could climb the social ladder and get to at least Kid Weyland’s level. But it’s clear that Panam values other things over her reputation and status in NC, with the most obvious being her family. What Panam wanted at the beginning of her arc was some semblance of independence and the ability to live for herself and herself only, but what she needed was to be reminded of the family that she had left behind, yet would still do anything for her. I think that Panam is probably the most optimistic character archetype in the entire game, as the message of her character is literally that one fucking Vin Diesel meme; Family really does matter. Having people behind you when shit hits the fan is important, and there’s no shame in relying on others when you’re at your absolute lowest. This is even more evident in her ending, which is, imo, the absolute best ending in the game by a long shot. Even though Saul, Teddy and Bob did indeed die for V in the raid, they absolutely had no regrets, and if they really didn’t want to raid Mikoshi they could’ve stayed behind or backed out. After all, they would “walk through hell and back for you, brothesister”. Even though Johnny is disapproving of the whole Aldecaldo plan, by the time of the game’s ending he still hasn’t learned how to fucking rely on people, so his opinion is lowkey invalid. “You never stop learning hard lessons, but you don’t have to learn them alone” - dude from a random sidequest in Dogtown. It’s no wonder that the tarot card that Panam’s ending is associated with is The Star (jojo reference lmao), a card that represents hope, renewal, and the finding of a new purpose. One more thing, I think Panam ghosting V after the PL ending was super out of character, Panam would never do that, not after all the shit they went through together. Lowkey I think Panam could be dead in that ending, but then again, she said herself that she has trouble processing her emotions, so maybeeee she would call back at some point. Idk I’m just theorising at this point. TLDR Panam is the goat, love your family and friends, and I love bad bitches. 2 bad her fanbase are all gooners. Nobody seems to gaf about her actual character, even tho she’s one of my favourites 😭😭😭😭
Kerry time, baby. Lowkey, I really like Kerry, bro grew on me alot. I also think he has the most under appreciated arcs in the whole game. Long story short, Kerry’s an insecure ass dude that’s still stuck in the past, unable to separate his success as an artist from Johnny’s. Or at least he was. You already know what his deal is, washed up rockstar meets a friend/lover that he drags along to sabotage the UsCracks, he then meets said UsCracks, opens his mind a little and gains new friends and reignites his passion for music. But that’s not why I find Kerry interesting. Kerry’s central conflict that drives his illegal escapades is his fear of living in Johnny’s shadow, even 50 years after his death. V only goes to meet Kerry at the request of Johnny after he finds out about Kerry’s alleged suicide attempt. Kerry, of course, denies it, but I think that he didn’t want to appear weak in front of Johnny, both because he’s still lowkey not over him (like get a grip bro, it’s been half a century 💀💀💀) and also because his ego couldn’t handle being vulnerable in front of someone that he subconsciously perceived as being so much better than him. Kerry’s insecurities bleed into his actions way more than you might think, as Johnny always criticised him for “tying himself to a corporate leash” after he left Samurai. This singular line lowkey fucked Kerry’s perception of his career up, even though he never admits it until the rooftop scene. It’s the reason why he was so upset at his corpo manager making that deal with the manager of UsCracks behind his back, and it’s also the reason why he wanted to play one last gig as Samurai. Basically, Kerry was petrified of proving Johnny right, that he is just another corporate puppet and that he doesn’t actually believe in the shit he sings. I personally find that pretty relatable, as I’m man enough to admit that constantly being surrounded by people that you perceive as better than yourself really fucks with your perception of your own achievements, causing you to sell yourself short. Kerry’s arc is really great, as he realises that everything that he’s accomplished was because of him and his effort, and that he didn’t need to be subconsciously “competing” with the people around him, and once he finally realised that, he could actually enjoy his rockstar life. TLDR Kerry’s awesome, I love him and lowkey he just like me. More time should’ve been dedicated to his character rather than his romance, cuz it’s the second least impactful one imo.
Time to talk about my personal favourite long sidequest character, Judy Alvarez. Underneath her aloof attitude, Judy is really an optimist at heart, always wanting and using everything in her power to do the right thing. Her mindset shines through her entire questline, with the whole Clouds rebellion happening just because Judy wanted to do the right thing. Unfortunately, Night City does NOT like idealism, and Judy arguably goes through the worst trauma of any of the long sidequest characters (apart from maybe the Peralez’s). First her GF (maybe?) gets sexually assaulted and sold off to Scavs, then kills herself. Then, Judy rather healthily channels her anger and grief towards doing something good for Clouds, but unfortunately, she doesn’t think about the long term consequences of temporary liberating the club from the Tyger Claws, ending up with Tom getting killed and Clouds going down under if V chooses not to take Maiko’s side, or nothing changing in Clouds if V does take Maiko’s side, meaning her efforts were all for nothing. Judy has it fucking ROUGH, especially for a character that we know for certain is genuinely just a good person. It’s pretty fitting that her tarot card, Justice (found in the mission where V and Judy save Evelyn from the Scavs), is associated with her. The Justice card represents justice (obviously), fairness and truth when upright, and unfairness, shortsightedness and getting fucked over by situations out of your control when reversed. Getting fucked by situations out of her control is probably the best way to describe what happens to Judy throughout the entire game, hell, even her childhood home was washed away by some corporation without a lick of her input. Judy’s also the only notable character in the game that is completely alone in Night City, only having Evelyn as a true companion (until she… yk). Panam has the Aldecaldos, Kerry has his business and the UsCracks, and River has his family, but Judy has nobody. Similarly to V, Judy’s another character that Night City has taken everything from, and inbetween her love life with Maiko, Evelyn and debatably V (bro, she has DOGSHIT taste in women btw), her home that’s stuck underwater, and her friends at Clouds, it’s a wonder how she even gets up in the morning.
Judy has a lotta reasons to just crash out and integrate with the rest of morally bankrupt Night City scum, or at at the very least lose her optimism, but she chooses to still believe that there are people out there that want to do good. She also assumes the best in people, evident by her plan with Maiko having Evelyn’s suicide as the inciting factor (she thought that Maiko would have the same moral responsibility to at least try to do something about the safety of the dolls in Clouds). Some may call this trait naïveté or just plain stupidity, even Judy herself asks herself that question after the meeting with the Tyger Claw bosses, but the game shows otherwise. There are a myriad of characters in 2077 that choose to do good things purely because they were the right thing to do, with the biggest examples probably being Panam (helping Saul even though they constantly butt heads), River (getting to the bottom of the Mayor’s death, even getting suspended for it) and V themselves, and even Johnny if you have a high enough friendship with him. Throughout the game, V has many opportunities to do good things purely for the sake of doing good and helping others, and pretty much all of the character questlines in the game result from V just helping others out for seemingly nothing in return. In fact, this part of Judy’s character is best described by a line V can say after the Tyger Claw meeting; “There’s a difference between being a gonk and having faith in people”. Johnny once said that there are no good people, only good choices and shitty ones, but I think that Judy disproves that way of thinking. After all, if Johnny were right, then what the hell would you call someone that can still bring themselves to try and do the right thing despite being handed L after L? Interestingly, if you spare Woodman, you get to kill him with Judy later in her quest, and even after the deed is done Judy says that she feels “unsatisfied”, and will continue to say that she thought his death would make the world a better place. V can choose to either say “revenge rarely makes you feel better” or “the world is a better place now that Woodman’s gone” (both paraphrased). V is technically right in both outcomes, as Woodman’s death would most likely have saved a lot of dolls from his sexual abuse, but getting revenge on someone in an attempt to clear your conscience rarely, if ever, works. After all, Judy still had to deal with Evelyn’s death after Woodman had died, was still miserable (for at least a while), and still had no idea what her place in the world was. Getting revenge on Woodman didn’t magically make her problems go away, nor did it make her feel better, similarly to Clair admitting that she didn’t feel any better after killing the guy that murdered her husband.
I quickly want to mention Judy’s relationship with V. Regardless if you either play as Vincent or Valerie, Judy clearly cares a great deal about V, considering that V is one of the only “good” people that Judy knows (I put good in quotations cuz V is the player character, and can be as evil as the player wants them to be, but you can chock that up to ludo-narrative dissonance. Look that up). It’s also probably why she’s the most torn up if V kills themselves or dies during Don’t Fear The Reaper. I mean, her only and best friend or lover fucking dies right after her last friend (gf?) killed herself? That’s so rough it would be funny, but Judy’s reaction is so raw and visceral that it’s kinda hard to watch. Valerie and Judy’s relationship is also the most interesting imo, albeit a bit unhealthy, as they pretty much completely rely on one another through their respective struggles. V is the epitome of Judy’s worldview that there are good people in such a shitty world, and Judy is the positive influence that V needs to finally escape that shithole of a city. I said earlier that V was Judy’s rebound, and whilst that may be true, I like to think that by the Panam ending that their relationship became more than that.
Anyway, enough about love, ewww. The final aspect of Judy’s character that I want to discuss is her relationship with Night City and how it differs from other characters. Although she was born and raised in the City, Judy doesn’t hold it in high regard, quoting “this city either makes you an asshole or you get offed by one” in The Sun ending. And tbf, who could blame her after NC destroyed Ev, Clouds and almost destroyed her worldview and ideals too. If you complete her quest, Judy will leave NC in every single ending apart from the suicide ending, finally escaping the toxic ass environment of Night City. It’s no surprise that she’s a whole lot happier after leaving, moving to Oregon with her grandparents if V isn’t in a relationship with her, or joining V in the Panam ending. Even in the Phantom Liberty ending (that I fucking hate, mind you), she gets married, ditches NC and is finally happy. And you know what, good for her, god knows she deserves it 😭. TLDR Judy proves that even in a shithole dystopian world, there will always be someone trying to good, and that’s not a weakness, rather it’s a great virtue. She’s my second favourite character, and her romance route has the most depth and is the most interesting. Judy is peak character writing (except in Phantom Liberty). Anyway, enough about these frauds, let’s talk about the real star of the game.
🗣️🔥JOHNNY FUCKING SILVERHAND‼️💥💪 Can you believe that it’s taken this long for me to get to him??? Boy, oh boy where do I even begin? Ig I should start with his backstory. Johnny Silverhand (born Robert John Linder) was a musician and “revolutionary” of his time, being the lead singer of his band Samurai and also being the perpetrator of the Arasaka tower bombing in 2023. He was defeated by Adam Smasher and died after having his consciousness sucked into Mikoshi by Arasaka. This is the version of events that Johnny claims to have happened, but the game leaves subtle hints that he’s either lying or he may not know the whole story. This may enter theory territory, but it’s implied that the real Johnny (i.e. The non construct Johnny) actually died in his first encounter with Smasher, and the memory that construct Johnny has of getting Soulkilled is either a lie or fabricated. Furthermore, the lead narrative designer and creator of Cyberpunk, Mike Pondsmith, has stated “Johnny's recollection of the events that day are scrambled from the rad damage his body took and the process of recording his engram (CDPR and I have both agreed that Johnny is an unreliable narrator at best)” In this (https://www.reddit.com/LowSodiumCyberpunk/comments/lheqvn/comment/gn0g87h/?context=3) reddit post, if you care to read it. Bottom line is Johnny is an unreliable ass narrator, and a lot of what he says and recalls is either a lie or he just doesn’t remember correctly. Returning to his backstory, Johnny signed up for the army as a teenager and served in the second Central American war, got his left arm blown off and replaced with his iconic sliver hand, and finally he deserted the army, fucking off to NC in that shitty hotel that V wakes up in 2077.
Before I continue, I would like to quickly talk about cyberpsychosis and how it relates to Johnny. Basically, cyberpsychosis is the process of slowly losing your mind as you get more and more cybernetic implants, eventually resulting in the afflicted crashing out and going cyberpsycho, usually resulting in a lot of deaths. We don’t see much of the effects of cyberpsychosis in 2077, so I’m gonna bring up Edgerunners. In said anime, the main character David pushed his cyberware tolerance to the absolute limit without losing his humanity, and even he sorta lost it by the ending. Same with Maine, another major character. But basically, mild cyberpsychosis has been known to cause symptoms of lacking empathy, rash thinking and a loss of self preservation. Sounds a lot like a certain rockstar that we know, right? Johnny has been confirmed to have suffered from at least a mild form of cyberpsychosis from his primitive silver arm. Confirmed by Pondsmith (https://www.reddit.com/LowSodiumCyberpunk/comments/xklzsx/comment/ipffmf4/), knowing that Johnny is a high functioning cyberpsycho lowkey re-contextualises his entire character, as his cyberpsychotic tendencies perhaps led to his mistreatment of his friends and his almost deranged obsession with Arasaka. With that being said, I don’t think that Johnny’s cyberpsychotic tendencies can justify his destructive behaviour, as Regina’s fixer quests prove that cyberpsychos can be rehabilitated and return to society safely and effectively. So really, if Johnny ever seeked out help, he probably could’ve turned himself around and perhaps even prevented himself from fucking up every relationship he had.
To say that Johnny has a fiery, gung-ho personality would be a massive understatement. Unsurprisingly, due to his background of serving in a corporate government war, Johnny fucking hates corporations, citing why in his lengthy speech to V after they interrogated Hellman. “Corps've long controlled our lives, taken lots... and now they're after our souls! V, I've declared war not because capitalism's a thorn in my side or outta nostalgia for an America gone by. This war's a people's war against a system that's spiralled outta our control. It's a war against the fuckin' forces of entropy, understand? Do whatever it takes to stop 'em, defeat 'em, gut 'em. If I gotta kill, I'll kill. If I need your body, I'll fuckin' take it!” It’s clear that Johnny hates corporations in an abstract sense, hating the way that they’ve got the entire world in a chokehold. He even acknowledges that corporations are like hydra, and even if you destroy one, two others will inevitably take its place. Johnny’s main goal was to get people to “wake up” as he puts it. He wanted to inspire people to rise tf up and actually do something about the corps treading over them, and in that sense he’s right. After all, corps are only as powerful as the people allow them to be. Compared to most other motivations in NC, on paper Johnny is quite heroic. Too bad the way he goes about things borderlines on completely psychopathic. That brings me onto my next point.
Johnny was highkey a narcissistic hypocrite. He raved on and on about standing up to corporations for the good of the people, but he only ever directly challenged a corp when Arasaka kidnapped Alt, and even then he didn’t give a fuck about all of the innocent people that would most likely be killed with the bombing of Saka Tower. Also worth mentioning that he was convinced that Arasaka kidnapped Alt just to get to him (bro was so up his own ass goddamn 💀). Probably worst of all is that Arasaka tower’s bombing changed absolutely nothing in Night City. Smasher survived, every Arasaka survived and corps still ruled the city long after the bombing. The only things that Silverhand accomplished was murdering a shit ton of people and cementing himself as a legend of Night City, quite possibly the most meaningless legacy ever.
This brings us onto the 2077 timeline, when Johnny awakes inside of V’s head. I’m sure you know the story from there. They bicker, Johnny slowly warms up to V and vice versa, he sacrifices himself, blah blah blah. Throughout his time stuck in V’s head, Johnny slowly but steadily develops empathy and compassion for people other than himself, and by the end of the game he finally realises how much of a shit he’s been. I believe that there is no better quest to showcase his development than the grave quest “Chippin In”. In said quest, Johnny asks V to find and visit his grave, hoping that there was at least something that marked his death. Alas, he is disappointed, as when V finally finds the location of his body, there was nothing there. Just a pile of old scrap and garbage. When V asks what he expected to find, Johnny simply replies “I dunno. A marker? Something. Anything…”. This is Johnny at his most vulnerable you ever see him throughout the entire game. Even though Johnny had achieved legend status, not one person had bothered to track down his grave and pay their respects by giving him at least something. Just to know that he mattered to someone. Unfortunately for him, by the time he died, there was nobody that he hadn’t completely destroyed his relationship with. “Chippin In” is Johnny’s wake up call to finally stop abusing and abandoning his relationships, and the first one that he makes an effort to mend is his friendship with V. “Is it too late to ask for a second chance?” From this point onward, Johnny notably makes more of an effort to make up for the shitty ways he had treated his friends. For some, like Kerry and V, Johnny is able to reconnect and ultimately help them become better people, but for others, like Rogue, he finds that he can never really re-integrate into her life. This is because that Rogue, just like Johnny, had changed over the past 50 years, and she genuinely could not face Johnny after she sold out to Arasaka, viewing it as a betrayal of both Johnny’s and her own values. The tragedy of their romance is that by the time that Johnny learns that information, he doesn’t care, because he has changed, and put his love for Rogue over his hatred of Arasaka. Too bad that if Johnny lives, Rogue either hates him and thinks of him a coward in DFTR, bids him a less that tender farewell in any other ending, or just straight up dies in her ending 💀.
Johnny also happens to be the only character other than V to have multiple tarot cards associated with him, with the first one being The Hanged Man, also found in the “Chippin in” quest by Johnny’s grave. The card depicts a man hanging from his feet, a rather untraditional way of hanging. Perhaps the man is hanging upside down from his own volition? The Hanged Man represents resistance and indecision when reversed, and letting go and new perspectives when upright. Hmm… letting go of a lifelong obsession? I wonder how that relates to Johnny 🤔?
The next card that Johnny is associated with is The Lovers, found in the movie theatre after Rogue and Johnny’s date. The Lovers depicts two figures intertwined by their tongues (or a traditional embrace in most other tarot cards), with a bright background behind them. Behind one figure lies a serpent coiled around its neck, almost choking it, whilst the other has a wreath of burning branches behind it. The serpent whispers in lover one’s ear, guiding them to hedonistic pleasures and the easy way out, while the fire of the branches are representative of lover two’s determination and passion, both for lover one and perhaps for more. The Lovers upright represents the purest form of love and harmony, however I think Johnny’s relationship with Rogue fits The Lovers reversed better. The Lovers reversed represents a misalignment of values, that being that one lover’s priorities is not the same as the other’s. It can also represent unrequited feelings, representative of Rogue cockblocking Johnny after their date. I also think that The Lovers can apply to every relationship that V has available to them, but I really cannot be bothered to write all that shit out. You think about it. Johnny’s final associated card is Temperance, but I’ll talk about that in the endings section.
Basically, the message behind Johnny’s character is that no matter how badly you fucked up, no matter how cooked you may think you are, you are always capable of changing yourself for the better and helping others. By giving Johnny a second chance, V made him a better man capable of caring for others, eventually storming Arasaka tower for V and sacrificing himself just so that V can get their body back. An act that selfless coming from the same guy that told V kill themselves in the beginning? I believe that Johnny is absolutely worthy of a second chance. TLDR Keanu is my glorious king, fuck corpos and I need to buy some sweet ass red aviators.
Unfortunately, that’s the maximum character limit hit for this subreddit 😭.

I’m hosting a dinner party at a swanky steakhouse for the immediate family (8). I want to give a short speech thanking everyone for coming. It’s a 75th birthday, so some words of wisdom are in order. Anyone have some ideas? Thank you.

i know the A2C subreddit is BRUTAL so just for funsies i'm listing my stats below. be as mean as you'd like and give honest opinion and advice if you'd like. if you have any questions lmk! i'm not listing where i'm applying to, i was just curious about what others think about what i've done.
i'm going to preface this with stating that EVERYTHING i've done in high school has all been stuff i TRULY love and haven't done anything 'just for college apps
p.s. if anyone EVER needs help with any of the AP/IB classes i've listed below, please reach out as I have a ton of resources i will recommend FOR FREE. i genuinely love helping students with that kind of stuff so don't be shy.
background: white female, low income, single parent household, attends IB program at a title 1 school (this means we receive federal funding bc we're broke lol)
GPA: 4.0UW/4.95W on 4.0 scale, should hopefully be at 5.1W~ by end of next semester and im in top 4% in class rank
AP classes/exam scores: will have taken 9 total AP classes
APHG (5), AP Psych (5), APUSH (4, this broke my heart bc i LOVED apush), AP Lang (5), AP Euro (i think I got a 5), AP Lit (i predict 5), AP Macro (tbd), AP gov (tbd), AP Enviro (tbd but its an easy 5)
IB classes: SL Bio (predicted 7, took exam in 2024), SL Spanish (5-6?? also took this year), IB AI (predicted 7, killer IA), HL Business management (i'm predicted 6-7), HL english (5-6 probably??), HL History (5-6 predicted), TOK (predicted a B on my EE)
additional info: the rest of my classes were all honors/pre-ib, except i got stuck taking a music freshman year which is why i'm not in the running for valedictorian whoopsies!
test scores: first time i took ACT i didn't study and got a 32, but i retook it last saturday and predict a 34-35. i cooked so hard.
ECs:
-social advocacy: i spoke in front of school board a couple times and got on the news and local newspaper for it. the 1st time i was 15 and it was about freedom of speech at schools and i got them to amend the student handbook. the second time was this year where i spoke about the AP Psych ban (it was my favorite class) and i got them to reinstate it into curriculum the following year.
-i founded a college/ib mentorship program when i was 14 and have helped kids get into Harvard, John Hopkins, Duke, and Rice and have mentored over 300 students
-FBLA: in the process of founding 5 brand new local middle school chapters, 2x national competitor, national finalist (top 15 in nation) for public speaking and got 1st in state, i also won a $200 award at state this year for another event. have been a district VP, candidate for state secretary, school president.
(p.s. you guys should totally join FBLA, it's a super fun club and i've loved every second)
-mock trial: 7th place at state this year in our schools FIRST EVER appearance at state, i've won best prosecution witness and honorable mention plaintiff atty. at regional tournaments. captain my senior year
-interned at one of the largest personal injury law firms in my state
-i've worked as a tutor since i was 14. i genuinely love my job so much and watching my students progress and it has helped me support my family and myself financially. i tutor privately, not for a company.
-i designed and sold t-shirts for an APHG teacher 2 years in a row and donated all of the profits back to my school's history department. this was super fun because we all wore the shirts to AP exam.
-varsity tennis 4yrs/capt. 2 years., we place 3rd at districts every year. i also created and currently run a social media page for the team with a couple hundred followers
-volunteer kids tennis coach, over summers i would work with kids and help them improve in the sport and it's so sweet when i run into those kids in public and they say hi!
conclusions: that's basically it! i'm in honors societies but those aren't important to me as a person, and i might join debate next year for fun
i know this is a long post, but i thought in the spirit of admission season approaching i'd share what i've done!

I was looking for something else and I found this ruling. I thought I would share it because I have seen a few questions in the past surrounding this subject. It is in persian, if an persian speaker sees any errors please do let me know. I am sure there is tons of errors!
https://www.sistani.org/persian/book/26576/5987/
Respecting the rights of parents is one of the important religious teachings. In the verses of the Holy Quran, the goodness of parents has been ordered many times, [1] mentioning this order repeatedly with the phrase "Wab al-Wal-al-Din-e-Ihsanah" immediately after "the command to worship the Lord and the prohibition of associating partners with Him" ​​[2] and also comparing and Accompanying "giving thanks to parents with gratitude to God Almighty" [3] and its frequent mention in the traditions of Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon him) [4] and prayers [5] shows the extraordinary importance of parental rights.
Issue 519. The obligatory duty of a child towards his parents, in relation to the work that is related to them, is two things:

1. Benevolence to them; It means financial assistance and provision of their life needs in case of poverty and need[6] as well as fulfilling their demands as usual; This should be at least as much as human nature requires, and leaving that amount is traditionally considered ungrateful towards the good behavior of parents [7] and this favor is due to the fact that parents are different in terms of Financial and physical status, being poor or not, physical strength and weakness, etc. are different.[8]
   
2. Treating them well and not being rude to them; Whether in terms of speech or behavior, even though the parents have wronged him, as it is narrated in the narration: "If they hit you, do not separate from them, but say, May God Almighty have mercy on you".[9] It is worth mentioning that kindness and beneficence to parents and good association with them is more than obligatory, mustahabb, and it has been emphasized a lot, especially in the case of weakness and old age, and it has been ordered more especially towards the mother.
   

Issue 520. The duty of the child towards the parents in relation to the actions that are related to the child (such as when the parents or one of them ask him not to go to a certain place or not to do a certain work or to do something). If the child disagrees, the parents or one of them will be hurt, there are two ways:
a. Their suffering is out of sympathy and compassion for their child; In this case, it is forbidden for the child to do such opposition to their wishes; Whether his father or mother forbade him from that act or ordered him to do something, or they are just annoyed by his opposition to their wishes. Therefore, if the child hangs out with friends whose parents suffer from this connection of their child and are heartily offended, it is obligatory for the child to leave this friendship, even if the parents did not forbid her from this association. [10]
b. They should not be tormented out of sympathy and compassion for their child's condition, but they should only consider their own interest or their personal benefit in commanding and forbidding the child. In this case, opposing them is permissible by itself; Of course, it should be noted that this opposition and disobedience should not be in such a way that it is considered as a violation of the duty of socializing well and treating them well, which was explained in the previous issue.
Issue 521. If parents forbid good deeds and order bad deeds due to bad traits, reprehensible traits and moral vices, it is not obligatory to obey them.
Therefore, if the parents order their child not to pray or fast, or not to observe the hijab in front of non-mahrams, or if they are against their child's learning of the necessary Shari'a issues, the child should not obey their request, and if the parents suffer because of this such harassment has no effect on the child.[11]
In this case, it has been narrated from Amirul Momineen (peace be upon him) that he said: "It is not permissible to obey the creature in the sin of the Creator".[12]
Issue 522. If the mother commands the child to do something and the father forbids the same action, or vice versa, if the command or prohibition of only one of the two is out of compassion for the child and not the other, the wish of the one who is commanding or forbidding is done out of compassion for the child. But if the command and the prohibition are both out of compassion for the child, so that opposing them will cause heartache and pain for both of them, If the child is able to satisfy both of them without suffering extreme difficulty which is usually unbearable (haraj) so that neither of them is hurt, it is necessary to do this;
However, if it is not possible or critical to obtain the consent of both, [13] it is not unlikely that the "mother's right" should take priority over the "father's right" and it is necessary for the child to avoid the mother's pain.
Of course, if possible, it is necessary for the child to obey the mother's wishes in such a way that, in addition to not hurting the mother, the least possible amount of harming the father is sufficient.
Some Q/A: https://www.sistani.org/persian/qa/0889/
Question: What are the limits of obedience to parents?
Answer: A child has two types of obligations towards his parents:
First: Benevolence and giving to them if they are poor and destitute, and providing for their life needs and fulfilling legitimate demands within the limits of the normal affairs of life as required by a healthy nature. And abandoning this duty is a form of denying their deeds. And this blessing differs according to the difference in the condition of the parents in terms of tightness and openness, strength and weakness.
Second: You behave well and refrain from bad behavior in words and deeds, even though he has wronged him, and it is mentioned in the narration that if your parents beat you, you should not be harsh with them, but you should say that God will forgive you. These two duties are related to the affairs of the father and the mother, but in the affairs of the children, there are two types:
First: Parents should be bothered because they care about their child and suffer from what he does even though it is not related to him or not.
Second: Parents being annoyed is because they have some reprehensible traits, for example, they don't like their children to seek the good of the world. And from this article, it is clear that obeying parents regarding him and their personal wishes is not obligatory in its essence. And God is All-Knowing.
Question: Can parents prevent their children from listening to daily music or shaving their beards?
Answer: They have the right.
Question: Do parents have the right to impose hijab on adult children?
Answer: They have the right, but not with beatings and the like.
Question: Is the consent of the parents in carrying out the mustahabat and participating in the Islamic ceremonies and rites for the children a condition?
Answer: No, it is not a condition, however it is not permissible if doing those recommended deeds causes them to suffer because of compassion for him/her.
For example, if your parents are against you doing tatbir for your safety you must obey them. Or if you driving to the mosque they worry for your safety, you shouldnt go. Or if they see you praying all night long salatul layl and it is effecting your work and life, and they want you to stop, you have to obey them...

Hello, 16m here, just some important facts i have to set about me which play a big role in what im about to say 1.I have never seriously took part in any sport in my life. 2.I am NOT the usual 16 year old, i am 5’11 and 90 kilos and i look about 80kg. That is because i am heavy boned AND most of my weight is located in my legs which give me a disadvantage in swimming as a water polo player. 3.I have started water polo about 2 weeks ago and today was my 5th time going to practice after a 3 day break due to practice being cancelled for some reasons. 4. I do not have the same character as most players in my academy, meaning that most of them arent really affected by what coaches say and basically do not give a f. I am the complete opposite, i am a good listener and do what i am told if told correctly.
Now that i am done with all of these facts ill get to the point.
Today in training we had a lot of swimming, i think they are called “meters” or something. Our coach told us to do as many laps possible, non stop for 16 minutes straight. Even though it was hard i managed to maybe do 10-12 laps as a beginner. Later our coach tells us to do 16 more laps, i listened and done as many as i could even if i was extremely exhausted i had the drive to do it. After some time and with all the strength i had he asked me how many i told him 8, and i asked him if i could drink some water because i was ready to die. He replied by saying if i do 4 more laps i could. I understood and done as he had told. Me, after overdoing is completely i felt ready to vomit and to add that my throat was hurting due to me struggling to catch my breath while swimming as a beginner. I rest for about 5-10 mins and i walked up to my coach and stood behind him, respecting him and waited until he finished his speech with the other players, suddenly he turned around and slightly shouted “What do you want again “My name””. Me ready to vomit i asked him that i was sick and ready to vomit, and he responded with “You know your body, go take a shower, vomit, and come back”. I did as he said, i went to the shower, vomited a bit and came back. Then, he proceeded to tell me to do 12 more laps, with all my strength and stamina while i was at my 10th lap he told me “why havent you finished your laps yet this is unacceptable” now this is where i started to get a bit irritated and realise that this behaviour wasnt being strict, it was being a prick. After i finished the 12 laps he asked for 6 MORE laps. Mind you this is my 5th time going to practice and i have reduced stamina due to my heavy legs and bones. I had finished the 6 laps and then did some penalty shooting and FINALLY we finished. I could already tell my coach was a bit disappointed in me but the fact that in the changing rooms he looked at me for about a second or two with a dissatisfied face and the fact he had not congratulated me considering the extreme workout i went back home a bit sad and disappointed in me. I had been hyped to play water polo for months and all the people i had asked about the sport told me that its really fun but hard. I understand that it takes a lot of hard work which is why i rarely complained during the laps, my coaches behaviour makes me not want to go practice the next day. All in all, i want to know if this behaviour was fair towards me because if it truly was, i wish to not continue this sport.

GFN is the best thing to happen to me in gaming since the PS2 era. I'm an oldtimer, a retiree on a fixed income, with a tough wife. A new PC, out of the question.
But to be able to play my favorite Steam Games thru an inexpensive Xbox, best thing to happen.
I do have older games though (about 100) that this Win 7 purge on Steam may wipe away. Any way GFN may give us our whole library one day?

Hello, I really hope this is the right place to ask this.
I have been doing some amateur photography for a while, but I really want to do something with models for just one day. Only, I have absolutely no way to find people for it.. I do not have any friends, or family that wants to model, I have anxienty and a speech impediment which basically makes approaching people impossible to do, and also will be a big hinder anyways if I would be able to find someone.
I neither have the money to be able to pay for professional, since I earn way too little for that, so I am really stuck? I simply want to be able to give it a try one time, nothing more? Is there any way still out there?

Context: So normally I like to do mostly realistic bookings that focus mainly on WWE and AEW with specific cards and storylines. However, for this booking, I want to book something absolutely crazy and complete fantasy (I also came up with this idea when I was a bit tipsy). The revival of ECW in the current day. Now, I want to be transparent from the jump before someone immediately downvotes, most of the wrestlers that I have put on this roster are from major North American companies like WWE and AEW. I tried my best to not take some of their biggest stars for this but that said, there are major names on this brand and the ones I've chosen are ones that I feel would fit in really well. I'm working on expanding my pro wrestling knowledge outside of that sphere and may add new people to the roster over time. For this booking, I will be booking week-to-week the show format and matches for as long as I feel like doing these and if you guy like it, for as long as you want to see it. So, without further ado, let's get started with this completely fantasy, unrealistic and wacky project!
Also important note: For this alternate reality, we will say that after the announcement of ECW's revival, it is reported that many stars across the world have decided to either not re-sign with the company that they are in or ask for their release, which for some is successful and others we have to wait until their contract is up. It is hyped up that there are some big names that are wanting to be part of the ECW brand. Again, this is completely fantasy so just stay with me here.
Location: Philadelphia, PA (ECW Arena)
Week 1: The Return of the Tribe of the Extreme
Opening Segment w/Paul Heyman:

• We kick things off with our revival of ECW introducing the commentary team (Taz, Joey Styles, and Mauro Ranallo) welcoming us back to the Land of Extreme. Joey Styles comes to the ring and introduces the Commissioner and General Manager of ECW... Paul Heyman! Paul Heyman makes his way to the ring and soaks in the cheers and chants from the crowd. Paul Heyman welcomes everyone back to ECW by saying "Philadelphia, welcome to the land of chaos and violence, welcome to the Tribe of Extreme, Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to E..C...Fucking...W!" (Crowd chants "E-C-Dub!"). Paul Heyman says that he tried to warn people during his Hall of Fame speech that if they tried to cancel him that he would just come back bigger, faster, stronger, and better than ever before ("and look at me now!"). Heyman says that ECW is back and will be better than ever before. Heyman says there will be more to announce and more things he wants to talk about but will get more into those things over the next few weeks. Heyman finishes things off saying that he will not waste anymore time and calls for a referee to come down so that we can kick off the show right.

(First to come down to the ring is Pentagon El Zero Miedo (Called "Pentagon Jr." here) as he enters the the arena and makes is way down the ring. Penta does his "Zero Miedo" taunt as the crowd chants along and waits for his opponent. The next to come down to the ring... is Kevin Owens (called "Kevin Steen") and the crowd goes wild. Steen has the signature "Kill Steen Kill" shirt and enters the ring, full of intensity.)
1st Match (Opening Match):

• Kevin Steen def. Pentagon Jr.
  • Both Pentagon Jr. and Kevin Steen (Kevin Owens for those who don't know) come out first to compete in the first match of the revived ECW and embrace the fans chanting for ECW as the bell rings. These two go to war and beat the hell out of each other, showing how tough each person is and truly how talented they both are. The two brawl all over the arena and are being very violent (there are rules in ECW but they are very lightly enforced unless under extreme circumstances). Penta is able to bring the fight to Steen, even bloodying him up at one point after throwing a chair into his face (again, there aren't really DQs in ECW). There are a lot of crazy spots in this match, including at one point Penta hitting a Package Piledriver to Steen on the apron, sending both men to the outside as an exhausted Penta isn't able to fully capitalize. In the final stretch, Penta goes for a Canadian Destroyer but Kevin Steen counters it into a Pop Up Powerbomb and then immediately picks Pentagon back up and hits him with a Package Piledriver of his own and gets the pinfall victory. Steen celebrates and says to the camera that his run in ECW is only getting started.

Backstage Segment w/ Jon Moxley

• We cut backstage to Jon Moxley who says that he feels like he's at home for some reason. Moxley says that a place that embraces wrestling violence sounds like the exact place he wants to be at. Moxley says that he will be looking to be the standard of ECW and that to beat him, it's going to take someone special. He tells his opponent for later that night (Mike Santana) that tonight, he's going to show him what Jon Moxley is made of, and will be interested to see what Mike Santana looks like on his own. After Moxley says this, Kingston shows up on frame and the two men have friendly banter. Kingston tells Moxley that he's not on the show tonight but will be competing next week. Kingston tells Mox that he's his boy, but to be careful because Mike Santana is really good and has a chip on his shoulder to show how good he is. Kingston wishes Moxley good luck and the two exchange a fist bump.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________
2nd Match:

• Kana, Rob Van Dam & Rhyno def. Chelsea Green & Pretty Deadly (Elton Prince & Kit Wilson)
  • Before the match begins, Pretty Deadly cuts a promo as they enter the ring and they do their shtick. They both run down how ECW is barbaric, gross, and disgusting. However, despite this, they will make ECW prettier and more gorgeous than ever before. All of the sudden, Chelsea Green interrupts and acts like she's about to rip them to shreds verbally, putting over some of the all-time ECW legends, such as Sabu, Raven, Mike Awesome, Sandman, etc. until then she says that something they also all had in common is that they were disgusting, barbaric pieces of trash who bashed their brains in to get famous (loud boos as Pretty Deadly laughs with her). All of the sudden RVD interrupts and makes his way to the ring. RVD runs down Pretty Deadly and puts over the history of ECW and it's competitors (mentions people like Sandman, Sabu, Taz, Raven, etc.) and will not allow these two and Chelsea Green to disrespect their name and the ECW brand. Pretty Deadly says that they are ready to send RVD to retirement and embarrass him in front of his ECW people. RVD says that won't happen as long as he and his partner tonight have anything to say about it. Rhyno comes down to the ring to which before he can get to them, Chelsea Green steps in front of him and slaps him. Chelsea says "what are you going to do about it?" and then you hear the music of Kana (formerly known as Asuka) play. A ref runs down to the ring and the match is underway. Pretty Deadly get one moment where they take control but it's brief and Chelsea Green wants nothing to do with Kana. Green only goes after Kana after Pretty Deadly distracts her but her control over Kana is very brief. After about 10 minutes, Kana spits the poison mist to Chelsea Green, Rhyno hits a Gore to Elton Prince and then tags in RVD, RVD hits the 5-star Frog Splash and gets the pinfall victory. The ECW originals celebrate in the ring as the crowd chants ("EC-Dub")

3rd Match:

• Io Shirai def. Mia Yim, Scarlett Bordeaux, and Sonya Deville
  • This match is fast paced and chaotic as each woman gets a chance to shine and showcase their skills. Io showcases her high-flying ability, Mia Yim showcases her veteran skills as well as her ability to be resilient, Scarlett showcases her power, and Sonya Deville showcases her MMA abilities as well as her brawling ability. In the end, after Mia Yim and Scarlett take each other out, Io Shirai is able to counter a move from Sonya Deville and then hits a moonsault from the top rope to pick up the pinfall victory. Commentary puts over that Io is going to be a difficult person to beat in ECW.

Vignette Promo: Athena

• Athena cuts a vignette promo highlighting her dominance in various companies, and most recently Ring of Honor. Athena says that "The Fallen Goddess" is looking for worthy competition after dominating around the world, she wants to know who will step up to Athena. Athena says she will be here next week, looking for someone to step up to her for a fight.

Backstage Segment: Charlie Regal w/ William Regal

• Charlie Regal (formerly known as Charlie Dempsey in NXT) and William Regal are together backstage and Charlie talks about how disgusting it is here in ECW and wants to know why he's here. William Regal says that he is in ECW to showcase his skills and provide class to a revived brand (even though he is also disgusted with ECW antics). Charlie Regal says that this place is a cesspool and that there is nobody that can beat him in a real match. All of the sudden, Tommy Dreamer appears and challenges Charlie Regal to a match so that he can teach the young upstart the meaning of respect, and give him a test to see how tough Charlie Regal is. William Regal accepts the challenge on Charlie's behalf and Tommy says he will meet him out there. Charlie Regal disapproves and wants to know why William did this. William Regal says that Tommy Dreamer is the perfect first opponent to make an example of and showcase what Charlie can really do.

4th Match:

• Charlie Regal def. Tommy Dreamer
  • The ECW crowd LOVES Tommy Dreamer and Tommy is giving him a quick test in toughness to start. Eventually, Charlie Regal is able to use his technical ability to gain control back from Tommy and showcases his vicious style with his technical ability (kind of like how William Regal was with his). Eventually, after about 8 minutes, Tommy Dreamer tries to use a trash can but Charlie Regal hits a low blow and then puts Tommy Dreamer in Arm-Trap STF and Dreamer submits. Charlie Regal disrespects Tommy after the match and he and William Regal leave together and Charlie spits down at Tommy.

Backstage interview: Thunder Rosa & Shayna Bazler

• Thunder Rosa is being interviewed backstage and Thunder Rosa looks to make a statement tonight and showcase that "La Mera Mera" is a star that can be the best in the entire world, regardless of which promotion it is in, regardless of what the rules are, regardless of who her opponent is, Thunder Rosa is the best. All of the sudden, we see Shayna Bazler appear and she says that she is looking to rebrand herself and remind the world why she is someone to be feared. Shayna says she feels at home here in ECW and will be looking to make a statement tonight for herself. Rosa says that she can't wait to see what Shayna is made of, but to be prepared for what Thunder Rosa can do too.

5th Match:

• Shayna Bazler def. Thunder Rosa
  • This match is an absolute war as these two beat the hell out of each other, to the point where the crowd is cheering both of them on. Shayna showcases her brutal MMA style in an environment where it is appreciated. Thunder Rosa showcases her resilience, she is someone that is hard to put down for good and gives Shayna a hell of a fight as well, even after being busted open by Shayna at one point. In the end, after Thunder Rosa goes for her Fire Thunder Driver, Shayna is able to counter and finally apply the Kirifuda Clutch after trying to get ahold of it the entire match. Thunder Rosa fights as long as she can, looking to almost be able to get out of it after rolling Shayna up but Shayna kicks out at 2 and still has the choke in. Thunder Rosa eventually passes out and Shayna is awarded the victroy via submission. Shayna heads to the back, and Thunder Rosa eventually gets back to her feet, taking in the applause of the fans.

Backstage Segment: Mike Santana

• Mike Santana is backstage and says that for years he has been seen as merely a tag team wrestler and has been in many promotions where they had him under a certain ceiling. Santana says that he is tired of being viewed as a guy that has limited potential. Santana says that he has been busting his ass for a while trying to prove that he can make it on his own, and not only that, but can be THE guy for any promotion. Santana says that tonight, he will be looking to showcase that against a guy that is admittedly made for this kind of environment. Santana says that he respects Mox and his style of wrestling and the kind of man that he is, but that tonight, he will do what he needs to in order to make a name for himself and prove that he belongs at the top.

6th Match (Main Event):

• Jon Moxley def. Mike Santana
  • These two have a back and forth battle that goes 20 minutes. Jon Moxley is able to showcase his pro wrestling violence as he is embraced by the ECW fans. Mike Santana though hangs in there and shows to be able to hang with Moxley, giving him trouble and showcases himself as well. This is designed to eleveate Mike Santana as he is out to prove himself to the world that he is and can be a top guy. They brawl all over the arena (as the ref is very loose and conservative with his counts). Santana is able to absolutely WRECK Moxley at one point with some stiff chair shots that bust Moxley up pretty good. Mike Santana at one point is able to hit Moxley with a Discus Lariat out of nowhere after countering the Death Rider. Santana gets a very close 2-count and can't believe that he wasn't able to put him away. Santana decides to go for a Death RideParadigm Shift of his own but this proves to be Santana's downfall as Mox is able to counter and hit one of his own. However, after hitting the Death Rider to Santana, Santana kicks out at 2.9! Moxley is in shock but immediately gets the Bulldog choke onto Santana and Santana fights as long as he can but eventually submits. Moxley is victorious after a war.
  • Post-Match: Jon Moxley gets back to his feet, he is bloodied and bruised but raises his hand in victory. Mike Santana is able to get back to his feet and looks disappointed, he really wanted this win to set the tone for for this run. Moxley, who was impressed with Santana's performance, offers his hand to Santana and wants to shake his hand. Santana pauses, looks at Moxley's hand, and then leaves without shaking it. Santana has chosen the sore loser path and heads to the back. However, as Moxley continues to celebrate, there is commotion going on. Moxley hears this commotion and turns around..... and is immediately decimated with a spear by Bron Breaker (being advertised as "Bron Steiner")! Bron Steiner is destroying Moxley and even though Moxley starts to try to fight back, Steiner puts him down again with a second Spear. Bron Steiner begins to get a table and stack it up against the turnbuckles. Steiner waits for Mox to get to his feet so that he can try to hit a spear through the table but Eddie Kingston makes his way to the ring and brawls with Steiner! Eddie is going off, laying in punch after punch to Steiner but after he goes for the Spinning Back Fist, Bron ducks it and hits Eddie with a massive Spear, putting Kingston down. Eventually, Bron Steiner picks Eddie up in a spinebuster position and drives Eddie through the table that was set up in the corner of the ring. Bron Steiner starts to do his bark thing and stands tall, making a huge statement to close the show.

The show then fades to black. And Scene.
What do you think? Did you like week 1? Did you dislike it? What did you like or dislike about it? Who's someone you would like to see appear in this?
Also, I wanted to add since this is a different style of booking, feel free to comment some things that you would like to see in these? Feel free to add any challenges or anything like that since that's what happens in real life (ex. "you have to bring someone in that is controversial" or "so and so has requested their release" or "week-to-week, book as though you have an hour show"). If your challenge gets a good amount of upvotes then I'll include it as part of my week-to-week booking.

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There have been various theories suggesting that AI might play a role in the end times, including ideas like the antichrist being an AI. Many of these theories come across as conspiracy theories. I certainly do not believe that the antichrist will be an AI, it’ll be a man, as foretold in Revelation. However, I'd like to point out a possibility.
Context —
Revelation 13:
“And it performed great signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to the earth in full view of the people. Because of the signs it was given power to perform on behalf of the first beast, it deceived the inhabitants of the earth”
Revelation 19:
“But the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who had performed the signs on its behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped its image.”
The false prophet and the beast perform great signs to deceive the people of the earth. One sign mentioned in Revelation 13 is “causing fire to come down from heaven to the earth in full view of the people.” This sign has been performed since the Old Testament days, such as when Elijah did it to show the people of Israel that Jehovah is the only true God.
While this seems like a traditional sign, we should consider the context of the times in which the beast and false prophet will arise. We live in a scientific age where we seek scientific explanations for miracles, signs, and magic. As technology has advanced, miracles and signs have lost their appeal, being replaced by scientific understanding.
For instance, if someone claims to perform miracles today, we might think of them as a charlatan. In this sense, the false prophet might perform “miracles” rooted in science rather than traditional miracles to deceive people effectively.
Moving on — Revelation 13 again:
“It ordered them to set up an image in honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived. The second beast was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that the image could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed.”
Key Points:

• The false prophet is “given power to give breath to the image.”
• The verse mentions the image could speak but doesn’t mention it being able to move.

Looking at progress in AI, specifically in large language models (LLMs), we see significant advancements in conversational AI. Initially restricted to text, companies like ElevenLabs have added speech-to-text capabilities, making the speech sound human-like rather than monotonous and robotic. OpenAI has recently demonstrated significant advancements in speech technology. Their demos impressed people with how closely the generated speech resembles human speech.
There has also been progress in robotics (such as Boston Dynamics and Figure), but robotics is still in its infancy compared to AI text and speech.
If (and that’s a big if) we’re in the end times, it’s possible that the “image” the false prophet installs could be an AI version of the beast. Consider this scenario:

• AI research around the world gains momentum, leading to several breakthroughs.
• No one has managed to create true Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) or Artificial Super Intelligence (ASI) yet. However, we may be at a point that’s very close.
• The Tribulation begins, reaches the 3.5-year mark, and all prophecies related to mid-Tribulation are fulfilled.
• The false prophet installs an “image” (a huge screen or computer) outside the Third Temple with an image of the beast.
• The beast and false prophet claim they’ve achieved AGI / ASI , and the image is its manifestation.
• The image can think on its own, make decisions and have fluent and intelligent conversations and act on behalf of the actual beast.
• The whole world marvels, already in awe of the beast; this isn’t magic like making things disappear or bringing down fire; it’s a technological “miracle”. The whole world celebrates that we’ve achieved a major milestone in AI.

Of course, it is quite possible that the image is a literal idol, which is “given breath” by the false prophet and therefore talks. However, I think the image being an AI is also possible.

This was a comment I made on u/RioMetal 's specific question in LearnJapaneseNovice about ～して欲しい here and decided it may help more people as a standalone post.
So, here's the "て” and ”で” form as I understand it:
English uses "and" or "," to cut our speech into pieces.
Japanese uses the で and て sound to split the sentence up, without a whole word for "and" used as much.
In Japanese, ”で” can also mean "inside of" like 車の中で in the car
but in this case, is more like それで "from that" or more directly, "inside of what was said"
Natives likely don't think about it as "inside of 中で" or "from から" because these are words that we use in English (for example saying "inside of that point, I might agree" instead of "from that" just because that's a word used in a foreign language)
"で" sound as more like "," or a sound indicating a sentence divider.
って (this is not tsu, it's a ' ) with a harder sound is the same divider, but puts quotes around it, rather than just splitting and continuing the sentence.
For example:
"I don't have any money"って what does it mean? -I personally love this because you can verbally mark quotes
What does "I don't have any money" mean?
So I was walking home で，picked up the mail, で， I saw the new letter
So I was walking home and picked up the mail, then, saw the new letter
て splits the sentence but continues to a formality or another grammar part, like "してください” ください meaning "give me" like "give me the action of you doing it"
Give me a hamburgerして, please （～してください）

して-欲しい (you) doing- I want. what i want欲しいのが, is for you to do する

or said in another order flipped around:

this <- を して~is what I want欲しい。

水 <- を 飲んで (drink, ) 欲しい
「ねこ」って何？(casual)
英語を教えて - 欲しい (casual)
これを Like して欲しいです(^O^)／ (polite)
私<-に 電話して欲しいです
As for the "私は” and ”あなたに” people don't really say this, as you're talking to a person directly and you don't need to say "I'm the one who wants to be taught by you" and just "teach (me) please"
I hope this helps!