so i've got 2 things i've been doing lately to try and make some extra money
the first is posting tik toks, about 3-5 tik toks per day. i have a reddit stories account, so i basically post stories from reddit on tik tok. i have an affiliate link in my bio, i get about 200-400 views per video. zero people have bought anything from me, even though it's possible that they can. i have 49 followers and need 10,000 followers to get into the creator program, at which point i can get paid for how many views my videos get. so yeah at 49 followers i'm pretty much at 0% of the way there. if i were to focus on tik tok, i would just keep posting tik toks every day. the cost for me to maintain this is about $100 a month. it's hard to predict if anyone will ever use my affiliate link and buy something, so i don't know what could happen. no one has bought anything ever and i've posted maybe 20-30+ tik toks now. maybe if i'm absolutely lucky i can make 1 sale per month, which would be $25 in revenue. i could also blow up within the month if 1 of my tik toks goes viral, but that is like winning the lottery basically. i also don't know if tik tok will get banned soon due to the circulating news, so this could just be a dead end
the second is focusing on upwork. i have an upwork account where i am basically a facebook ads expert. the key here though is that i actually suck shit at producing profitable results with facebook ads. i pretty much just know the basics and some twists and knowledge i've picked up on my own from running ads for myself for years (most of the ads i've ran have been unprofitable for myself, but i did have some times where i was profiting). on my upwork account i've completed 2 jobs, these are 2 clients that i helped years ago. my total earnings from these jobs is a little over $300 earned. to focus on upwork all i would do is apply for like 2-3 jobs per day and hope someone hires me. if i'm lucky, i could get 1 or 2 jobs per month, which would make me probably like $100-200 a month to start. when i factor in the amount i would pay for connects to even apply for jobs in the first place, i'd probably profit maybe like $50 a month
so yeah, given those 2 options, which should i focus on?
it sucks that the only way to make money online is doing bottom of the barrel shit like this, just to earn 1 dollar
but that's how it is, pretty lame and unsatisfying

Seasonal Allergies Immunotherapy
Hi I’m planning on applying for OCS when I graduate in May. But im currently taking allergy shots for my seasonal allergies. I would have no problem pausing them during basic etc. Resuming when I’m past training, but is this something I have to do? Is it worth having to get a medical waiver for it? Do I need to tell my recruiter?
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Currently in the process of reenlisting as a prior service who was chaptered out in AIT for SI. Submitted and turned over all my paperwork to my recruiter and awaiting MEPS. My recruiter said this is the longest part of the waiting game from his experience. How long should I be expecting to wait realistically? I would ask my recruiter but I feel like I've bothered him enough over the past few weeks lmao. - Thanks!
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Hey guys l need some advice so i'm gonna get straight to the point. I am 20 and a junior in college. I ship in June and i have 3 Mos choices so far. 19D, 11b and 19k. Which do y’all recommend?I'm hardworking and not lazy so yeah. I am joining for many reasons but one of the main reasons is travel. Would I get to do tha much? Thank you
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Hey guys, I enlisted with an airborne contract that has my first assignment at Fort Liberty. How likely is it that I get assigned to the 82nd?
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Weight loss
I'm currently 5% body fat over for the arms 2.0. I'm eating way better and consuming 12-1,500 calories and losing an average of 3,000 calories a day. I've been running/walking 2 miles a day of hill terrain. My recruiter said I need to lose 10 pounds by May 17. I need tips and tricks on how to lose those pounds by then
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Army National Guard recruiter says at MEPS you can choose from several dates to start basic. Is that accurate?
If so, typically how many dates are there to choose from and how far in the future? I have a great civilian job, so would like to know my date as far in advance as possible.
Edit: would go on to traditional state OCS (yea, I know the internet’s opinions on it but it fits my life really well) afterwards.
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I've got 4 years active and 3 years guard under my belt and I've always put in to my tsp to get the match. I know you need 8 years to keep the matching, but my unit has drained what little motivation I had left for the army, and I've decided I'm done. I'm curious if anyone can help me figure out if there's any option that will help me keep my tsp matching besides a 1 year extension. I doubt the IRR counts towards 8 years, and from what I understand, the inactive guard is simply a pause button. So instead of pushing me to 8 years, it's just delaying my 7th till next year or something. I'm also wondering if a future federal job would contribute to that 8 years or if it has to be all concurrent. Thank you for any help or any resources or links yall can send me to figure this out.
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I was wondering if I could join the army with depression, anxiety, and OCD. All diagnosed. I have no suicide attempts or anything like that, no inpatient care either. All of these are somewhat mild and manageable, and I haven't been on any medication. But that was another concern of mine, if I was to get on any medication, would that disqualify me? Thanks a lot.
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Im currently a senior in high school trying to enlist in the army since December but I’m at a loss of what to do. I took the asvab scored a 61 but autism came up on my records from when I was a kid. I had to get a full medical Record for meps then they wanted my pharmacy record and now they want some more records my recruiter made me sign a form for my old doctors to get it from them about a month and a week ago. I called him the earlier this week and he said he Kentucky or Kansas (I didn’t hear him well and forgot) doing some training I honestly just don’t know what to do I’ll graduate from high school in a few weeks and I probably have a month after that before my parents kick me out any advice?
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Hey all, I wanted to get some insight on whether you all think I would be able to enlist with Crohn's. I've seen online that it's generally marked as an "unwaivable medical condition" but sometimes goes on a case by case basis. My IBD is very mild, I honestly forget that I even have the damn disease because it doesnt effect my daily life at all. I have it managed by taking an 8-week biologic but have gone on extended breaks from it before due to insurance reasons (roughly 2-3 months without any meds) and had no flare ups or any issues of the sort. However, my doctor is thinking of switching me to a daily pill (Rinvoq). I don't have any food sensitivities like a lot of Crohn's patients have (caffeine, alcohol, dairy, etc.) and have never had any surgeries nor does my GI doctor think i'll ever need one. I wanted to enlist for a 17C contract as im already in college for tech anyhow, I'm not sure if that would effect my standing. However, dream MOS is 18X but I figure that may be tougher to get by a recruiter. Any advice or thoughts? Army has been my dream forever and I don't want to have to give it up, so I'd really do anything haha.
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I have 2 non violent felonies from 2011 and PTD from 2022 for possession. I've been upfront and honest with my recruiter. He sent me to test today and I scored 63 on Asvab and GT of 113. Is there a chance for me? Thanks in advance. 30 and in great health and shape.
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What bases would you do bmt if your in cyber security and aviation mechanics?
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I ship out in a week. Went to meps and signed in March. Can I change my MOS? Or is it too late ?? I want something language related because I’m fluent in Arabic (already passed DLPT)
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For anyone that has done OSUT at Fort Moore, how long does it typically take before they’ll tell you where your FDS is?
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I have read a few horror stories where someone enlisted with X,Y, or Z in their contract, but after basic they where told something else and could not confirm the original. For example, someone claims they had a specific location through Option 19, only to later be told they are going somewhere else.
My first question is: has this happened to anyone here, and if so and how was it resolved?
My second question is: after signing your contract, how do you gain acess to it later? Do you receive a physical copy for yourself? Can you download a copy? Is there someone you can ask in the Army to retrieve it for you? Will it be acessable on a portal of somekind?
I am considering enlisting with option 19 and the location is very important to me. Thank you!
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Is phone use in BCT only delegated to calls? Also does phone use depend on what phase you're in, like, red phase 20 minutes, blue 30 minutes? Going to jackson
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Not the best time to swear in, waivers
I have all of my waivers approved, however, I won’t be swearing in due to job circumstances. If things change, can I still go back into the army or will I blocked out of it forever?
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I have an AAM and 3 COAs which S1 has been tracking for months but which have yet to reflect on my PPW. Do I have any recourse?
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my recruiter says that I can't get option 4 in my 35W contract but I really want to be airborne as a 35p/m so I have a higher chance of having my skills be put to use. Can i put in for airborne at DLI or AIT? what is the earliest I can do this and how would I go about it? I just went through the normal MEPS process not the airborne physical fyi
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Is a bonus worth choosing the Army over the AF?
In general, I’ve heard that the army’s QoL is less than that of the Air Force. However, the army has way more jobs w bonuses that I’d be interested in. And it’s the same or similar jobs as the Air Force, but w a bonus. I know the Basic Training for army is also longer, but a bonus can be convincing. I have the same question, but in regards to joining the navy as well. I want to focus on my education during my enlistment & get my bachelors & id also like travel opportunities. I haven’t taken my ASVAB yet, it’s scheduled the 16th. I scored rlly well on the PiCAT, and according to those scores I qualify for some army jobs w a bonus. I know it’s not as simple as that, and it’s a whole process & based on what’s available. Just want some opinions on if I was offered an army job w a bonus as opposed to the same/ similar Air Force job without, would you consider it worth it based on your experience?
I already got some answers from a post I made about this, but moderator deleted it and said to comment here. But any additional info/ insight is greatly appreciated. I want to make the best choice for my future in the case that I don't want to do 20 years.
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I'm joining up rn and working with a recruiter. We've got my waivers and everything. Pretty much just have to pick a job. For background I was an IET separation back in 2009. From what I've read and what me and my recruiter have gone over I am glossary non-prior service. I could have sworn I read (albeit a while ago) that business rules did not apply to GNPS, so I should be free to pick my MOS. However, I talked to my recruiter earlier today and he wants me to sit with his 1SG and go over the job options available for prior service. Am I wrong and I just get what I get?
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Please help!
I was looking to join the guard but in my medical records it shows I had Guillan barre. I was feeling some numbness in my legs, but looking back at it, it was very cold outside and I was just a bitch who would try to get out of school by any means possible. They did a spinal tap and never found any trace of the disease however. I was in the hospital for a couple of days, the gave me immunoglobulin and then I went home and nothing ever came of it. I am currently completely asymptomatic This was when I was 12 or 13 years old. Now I’m 18 and want to join but my recruiter said I have to get all the records and stuff. What is the chance that I will still be able to join? I tried looking it up online but I couldn’t find an answer. Also if I’m able to join, will I need a medical waiver?
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My MOS is 68W, I'm shipping out in June and I'm taking the OPAT in a couple of weeks. I'm 5'2 and 115ish pounds. I'm pretty fit. My biggest worry is the standing long jump. I want to pass the OPAT with flying colors and keep my MOS. Is there any advice or tips y'all can give me?
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I’m looking to graduate and enlist in a month but can’t decide on what MOS I want. I think 11B because I don’t want to individuate and do army shit or 68W but I’m not sure if I can get advanced combative training or other schools I want. I want to do something that’s “high speed” and meaningful while working my way towards Ranger reg. Is the 82nd Airborne a good pathway to that? How is civil affairs? Can you enlist directly into it while being active duty?
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Thinking about reenlisting to army with 8.5 PS in USMC. Been out < 5years. Will I have to repeat AIT if I keep my same MOS? I know this is the wrong channel for USMC feedback but also considering going back there if it would mean not repeating AlT. Thanks in advance!
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Hi everyone! I’m a high school student planning on joining the military. I’m Muslim, so I want to be sure that whichever branch I join is accommodating to Muslim needs. If it changes anything, I’m planning joining through the ROTC route.
My main concerns are, does the Army give beard waivers for Muslims? Is it possible to take short breaks throughout the day to pray? Can you fast during Ramadan? Can you be provided with halal (no pork/no alcohol) food?
Also, I’m interested in infantry or armor (or any kind of ground forces officer in general). Would these accommodations interfere with being selected for these careers or being mission ready? (Such as a beard, fasting, etc.)
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i’m a current nasty girl and i’m looking to transfer to Active duty. i understand i need a conditional release in order to sign a new contract and need my G-1 to sign off on it. i’m looking for info on the process from someone who’s gone through the process.
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What are the odds of getting a waiver for ulcerative colitis? I was EPTS’d out in march 2023 after being diagnosed while I was at 30th AG. My GI said I was in remission as of jan of this year. I take 4 Lialda pills a day and get an entyvio infusion every 2 months. I feel perfectly fine now though. Scored a 74 on the asvab.
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Medical record
In the navy currently and getting out in a year. I had a back injury prior to enlisting that I didn’t disclose. I plan on entering the army after my contract. If this comes up will my discharge from the navy be lowered or my benefits revoked?
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So my recruiter told me that I have to get a lease first, but the thing is, is that we don't have one with our landlord. It's more like an oral lease and he's a slumlord who never tries to communicate with any of us. That being said, my recruiter then said that I should find a lease online and edit it to where I state that I'm paying the rent to my sister instead (who has a valid ID) He also stated that my sister and I have to go to a check-cashing place to get it notarized. Is this all ok to do and will the BHA be approved? Also if it's approved, does this mean that the rent we pay which is $1,365.50, is going to be paid for while I'm away and how exactly??
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Can I enlist if I have a Mexican highschool diploma? (I am american, just finished highschool in mexico) And don't have a address in the USA???
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I am thinking of finishing up my bachelors and joining as an officer, my question was whether it was possible or not to guarantee mos 17c in the army if I join as an officer.
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I just got told that I cant enlist for 2 years after my waiver got denied for a history of depression. I stopped feeling depressed last August but got officially cleared into remission in February. I was told theres no point in a consult and the most I can do is reach out to a congressman. Other than reaching out to a congressman, is there really nothing I can do?
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Questions about Virginia National Guard
I want to do OCS! Now here’s my confusion. My recruiter is saying that the moment I swear in is the moment my contract is going to start and will count towards that 6 year! So, if he is right, I will basically complete 2 years training if I do state OCS. But I would like to have more control on what branch I get! My top 3 are: cyber warfare, signal, and intel. Should I do accelerated in that case? Also how likely am I to get one of those aforementioned three if I do state OCS of 18 months? My bachelor was in Computer Engineering, and I am currently enrolled in ASU for master’s pursuing Computer Science! Will I get that 24k a year tuition fee because he said there’s a possibility I might get it since it’s fully online? Can I get tuition assistance and loan repayment both? Does getting either one incur additional service time?
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im thinking of joining as a officer and going into ocs, what is the best branch for a well paying civilian job after completing my service, for context my major right now is relg studies plus maybe bio.
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I leave for Future Soldier Preparatory Course for the fitness aspect on the 21st, has anyone gone through it recently? There’s not a whole lot of information on it online, I was just wondering what it’s like, and what to expect. Do you get issued all of your gear since you will be going to bmt after? What is reception like? Any and all information and tips is greatly appreciated!
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So my husband is going to meps next week. he has 2 different sets of scars on his left arm. He works at a mobile home plant building houses. One was from when he got caught on a nail so it's a little deeper looking and another was from some sheet metal at work. He didn't disclose it to his boss because he works on a line and it would've put his team behind so he just put some bandaids on it and went about his day and cleaned it up when he got home. This was about 1-2 years ago. What is his meps experience going to be like? They aren't self harm obviously but we've heard horror stories about the doctors at meps not believing people and DQ them. He honestly forgot about telling his recruiter and his recruiter has already sent in all his medical history and got him scheduled for meps. Should he still go ahead and tell his recruiter or just wait and disclose it at meps?
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Should i go in as 17c or try my luck at ocs?
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I'm currently in process Enlisting in the Reserve, while holding an associate's degree in mechanical engineering technology, with some side education in programming. While I am working towards my bachelor's degree, I'm looking to pick an MOS that will help my career, or at the very least, be interesting. I don't remember my scores, but my Recruiter told me whatever I pick, my score won't be the limiting factor.
Top of the list for career jobs is 15 series, from what I've heard from currently enlisted in my friend group, wrenching on aircraft in general is a fast track to a cushy job on the outside with my education. 25 series looks boring but useful as anything IT/electrical complements my degree. On the more interesting side, I was looking at 91 series, either 91F or 91P.
Am I going anywhere wrong with any of these jobs? Anything I should be keeping in mind?
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25D or 35T I just wonder which MOS would be better for career. I am really interested in IT. I know 25D is not entry MOS. Let’s say you meet requirements for both MOS. If you stay as enlisted side, what would you recommend?
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I’m heading to ait now at fort Moore for 91M do I get my phone and am I in a dorm how is that like
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Hi all,
I am a permanent resident here is the US, and last week I finished my ASVAB mock test with a 95 on my AFQT. The recruiter says I am eligible for everything that doesn't require a security clearance which is kind of a problem as my dream MOS are the 35-series and 17-series (As both of these are locked behind clearance requirement)
After some thinking, I narrow down to the following, but there are still too many so I hope I can get your feedback on what I am doing. My aims are: a/I want something that will translate into the civilian world well if my time in the army doesn't go well, b/I want an MOS that can advanced through warrant or becoming a commission officer if my time in the army does go well, and c/I want to push myself to the limit and break out of my comfort zone to see where I can go. If I sound arrogant, please forgive for that: I am just trying to be as careful as possible. I am nearly reaching my thirty, and I want to take deliberate steps because I no longer have the luxury of youth and family to try and fail.
The MOS are:
11-series, 12B and 12D: I have a soft spot for these despite knowing they don't translate into the civilian world. But in my heart somewhere is a wild child that wants to test my physical prowess and wants to blow things up. I do know my knees and lower back will hate me for picking this.
15 series: With exceptions to 15C, 15J, and other works related to flying or being mechanics of sensitive equipment, I can be an aircraft technicians. I read that there are demands for airplane mechanics but I don't know much about this field other than a/I got to repair planes, b/people seem to hate it because you have to sign a long contract if you become a warrant.
68A: I did see this MOS getting recommended a lot but after reading its description, I am not very sure if I want to do it either both in the army or afterwards. I must also admit I don't have a good insights onto the day to day life of this job. Can someone shed some light about this MOS for me?
68C: Becoming a nurse seems like a very safe choice out of the military given that the BLS projects nurse to be in high demand and being able to take care of your family sounds like a big plus to me; however, I don't know if I like being a nurse. My parents were doctors, and having seen the hospital environment I can say I am not a fan. I also look into 68A but BLS prospect for it didn't seem good, and the training on 68E, 68D, and 68V look a little bit too short. Do you really become a dental assistant just with 10 weeks of training?
68W: I must admit, I have a soft spot for 68W as it allows me to be both learn some medical skills and be on the field. However, I do notice that 68W only translates to paramedic/EMT post-army, while 68C translates to becoming a nurse (which is more valued and regarded as "better" than paramedic or EMT and thus in higher demand)
88H, 92A, 92F, and 92Y: I pick these because, according to BLS, there is a projected increase need for people in warehousing and transportation. From my limited understanding of the fields, you will be in charge of handling logistics such as maintaining unit inventory, ordering supplies and weapons for your units, etc. but I am not very sure on the difference between, say, 92Y and 92A.
So, can you give me a suggestions? May anyone who has been in these MOS share their experience to help me pick? What are some of the MOS I miss?
Thank you, and I look forward to hearing from you.
Best regards,
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Is the 09m program ending at the end of may?
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How does one secure a religious exemption before basic training? My recruiter said we would talk about it down the line but it’s getting down to the wire and I’d rather it not get forgotten.
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Hi my duty station is at JBLM I’ll hopefully be there around May of 2025. I still have too go through basic and AIT but I was hoping that I could get some info about the barracks and hopefully get in touch with some of the people that are getting stationed/ already stationed There that are aviation, specifically 15Y. Thank you
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How can i improve my chances of success after the military?
I'm going to meps in 2 weeks and im shooting for a 25 series mos. 25H was what was available at the recruiters after i took my practice asvab. I'm not the brightest bulb but, hey, I'll take it. Aside from college ,which i want to continue to pursue throughout my time in the army (or after depending on my mental fortitude once i'm actually in,) how can i set myself up for success in the civilian world? Any input from past 25h or 25 series who somehow translated their career into decent paying jobs will be much appreciated.
I'll add I'm only joining the army for the college benefits and free training as i come from a poor household and have no other feasible way to pay for it.
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Hello everyone,
I was recently laid off from a $64k job, and honestly, I'm not too upset. I was already feeling burnt out and unhappy, staying primarily for the promised educational benefits to facilitate a career change, which obviously fell through with the job loss. Now, I'm considering my options and the military as a new path has been sounding appealing to an extent. The VA loan and GI Bill are particularly enticing because they would help me pursue a degree without getting into debt, and enabling the career change I've been considering. And the thought of being able to buy a house at this age/economy seems awesome.
At 28, I'm weighing the implications of joining now, especially considering the pay cut and spending four years AD without the guarantee of going overseas which for me would make it much more worthwhile. Also, I'd likely be one of the older members among younger peers, which is another factor to consider. My entry rank would be E3 due to my associate degree told by the Air force recruiter I met, but I'll need a moral waiver for a misdemeanor I had at 18, which might limit my job options not to mention she told me I would have to be at the disposal of whatever the Air Force wanted me to do? Which I am assuming means that I could enlist for one thing that they tell me nope get your doing this.The Air Force recruiter told me that I would be just fine and I would be able to get in as long as my ASVAB score is high enough.
I'm torn about whether to commit to AD and save myself or a longer term in the military via reserves but still stuck in the same loop of feeling in fulfilled, unable to afford university and in a place I would rather leave. Insights from anyone who joined the military later or faced similar decisions would be incredibly helpful.
Thanks for any advice!
P.S I am also ok with the idea of the military as a career as I would still be able to retire earlier than many of my peers if I pursue the 20 year route..
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I’m reenlisting at the end of this month (was NG but going active). My husband is also active and I was wondering how likely is it that I can be in the same battalion as my husband? I know married couples aren’t supposed to work directly together but would that still be considered “working together”?
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Hi All, I'm 23F graduating college with my bachelor's in international relations at the end of July. I speak intermediate Spanish and would be open to learning more languages. I am looking for a mos that doesn't restrict me to behind a desk or sitting on my ass all day. I was thinking of something intelligence related. I would appreciate any advice/help.
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So i have hemorrhoids right now and I go to MEPS monday. I have a Drs visit from about 2 years ago where she prescribed me the cream to use. The cream says to only use it when you have hemorrhoids. I still have the cream. Will I pass MEPS if I bring that the Dr visit. or should I get a new one the day before? It's Saturday so my recruiter won't answer.
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So I enlisted on Friday. (25H) and I ship to BT in August. I’ve made my mind up before enlisting that I was going to make a career out of it. So now I’m here before you all to ask… what’s some advice you could give someone looking to do 20. Like what’s steps would you take if you could go back to make the most of your Army career? I remember my dad who served in the navy would always say “choose your rate choose your fate” and I think I started off on the right foot. Any suggestions to help make the correct steps in my new career path?
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Going back in. Needing some suggestions on different MOS.
So when I was in the first time I was a 25U. I was 16 when I swore in to secure my mos and left at 18YO. I’ve decicided to go back in. Im picking between 19 jobs, I qualify for all of them as I keep my old asvab scores. I scored over a 105 in everything so I have a pretty big list to pick from. These jobs have good jobs outside of the army and that’s my angle, I know 25U translates to a good job outside of the army but it’s not my cup of tea. So any info on the jobs in the army and civilian life for these mos would be greatly appreciate. The jobs are: 68L 68X (specifically because I want to help vets who are/have suffered) 88H 35F 25B 35M 35G 35L 88K 88N 88U 27D 31E 12M 15Q 15N 25U 88L 88M
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Already signed my contract but I really really wanna change my MOS by the time I ship out for BCT in mid-July, what would be the best way to approach and ask my recruiter to change my MOS? The one that I want is really in demand (19K) so maybe that might help?
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Background: Greencard holder, 6yr+ experience in IT field. No degree. Married.
Always wanted to join the military and finally have the opportunity to do so.
What I want to experience from the military;
I want the opportunity to grow in the IT field and have military experience and later on attain a contractor job in overseas installations. Very interested in being able to move overseas for a few years specially Japan.
My biggest interest is to grow in my career + experience other countries.
Recruits have also told me that for active duty they are allowing first duty station to be chosen because the army apparently has a shortage of people joining so they want to motivate people to join by allowing them to choose duty stations. This has made me consider going active IF they aren't lying about this + the job security has always been a plus to me.
My primary plan was :
Going reserve, getting my citizenship while in basic training, changing my mos to 25B then finding government contracting job overseas preferably (Japan) and changing my unit to Japan to drill there (Camp Zama). Overall my biggest goal is to move overseas and be in the IT field.
What is the best route? Advice is greatly appreciated in advance:)
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I want to enlist as a 19D Wont be for a year or so still but trying to do my research and evrything and make sure this is what i want, So far it looks like it is but i have a couple of questions that i need answering before i decided to enlist. 1. as a 19D with 19C coming will 19D still be manning Bradleys 2. What are my chances of being assigned to a cav unit i really dont wanna be assigned to an infantry or god knows what else 3. Am i able to enlist as active at 17?
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Is it hard to get a self harm waiver? It happened one time three years ago. My recruiter is pushing for it now
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I'm going to MEPS this week and I was told that the Job I'm really interested in (12w) is rare and to not get my hopes up. I'll be doing research about some other jobs, but if I really want that job should I just wait for a slot to open up or go with alternate choices?
Does anyone have any experience with this job and how often slots show up?
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Vision Waiver Acceptance Probability
So I’m wanting to enlist as an 11x OP 4in the army, went to MEPS a few weeks ago, and am currently waiting on a current injury to be waived. I’m just kind of worrying about my vision waiver. Recruiter said we have to wait for this to be cleared first, then we can launch the vision waiver.
What’s the probability that a vision waiver will be accepted with Visual Acuity of 20/30 20/50 corrected vision. I understand everything is case to case, I’m just kind of worrying that it’ll end up being denied.
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Is there a list of all the different Options in contracts? Like Option 40, Option 4, Option 19, etc?
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In the process of renegotiating my contract before shipping out and I'm seriously considering 19K (M1 Armor Crewman). Recruiter told me that anyone can volunteer to go to airborne school at BCT and I really want to go airborne but it seems like 19Ks don't really do it as much as other MOS's. Is it true that i will have the opportunity to volunteer myself for airborne school at basic? If not, how can I attend Airborne or any other specialized school as a tanker?
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Leaving for BT in 2wks. First stop Ft Lenwood and then ft sill for AIT. Then off to Ft Drum for my 1st duty station. Can anyone offer insight on what to expect at each location/stage? 13F if it matters. Much appreciated.
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Just reserved mos 88L Water craft engineer.
Was excited at first as I’ve e heard a lot of good things about this mos, but i have a wife, 6yr old and another on the way and am worried that i wont be home that often given this mos. Im supposed to go to meps in 4 days and swear in. Im really not trying to be away from my family all that often. Is this mos bad for family life? Have i made a mistake? Or should i keep it and roll with it. Any recommendations on what i should do?
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Hello, I’m in ROTC right now but I’m about to go to CST. I have been looking into branches as much as possible and am pretty set on ADA but I wanted to ask if anyone here has been on a HIMAD or SHORAD deployment that can give me some insight on what it’s like, more specifically SHORAD but I do want to hear both sides.
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Joining the army
hi, I am 17 turning 18F, and im joining the army and going to boot camp soon. What are some advice or anything you would tell someone before they go to boot camp or thinking about joining the army?
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Hello, I'm currently a high school senior who is interested in joining the ROTC. I've reached out to ROTC recruiters in the colleges that I will be attending however, they never picked up their phones nor responded to their emails after multiple attempts. I've also scheduled appointments with them only for them to not show up multiple times. I've also called the army and they said they would have someone call me but they never did either. I was wondering if anyone could help me get in touch with an ROTC recruiter as I got a few questions about the Army ROTC as well as the process to proceed.
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Can you go to an maritime academy before your service then get it paid when you join? Can you take maritime academy while active duty?
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What are possible first duty stations for Army officers out of ROTC by MOS?
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Seasonal Allergies Immunotherapy
Hi I’m planning on applying for OCS when I graduate in May. But im currently taking allergy shots for my seasonal allergies. I would have no problem pausing them during basic etc. Resuming when I’m past training, but is this something I have to do? Is it worth having to get a medical waiver for it? Do I need to tell my recruiter?
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Currently in the process of reenlisting as a prior service who was chaptered out in AIT for SI. Submitted and turned over all my paperwork to my recruiter and awaiting MEPS. My recruiter said this is the longest part of the waiting game from his experience. How long should I be expecting to wait realistically? I would ask my recruiter but I feel like I've bothered him enough over the past few weeks lmao. - Thanks!
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Hey guys l need some advice so i'm gonna get straight to the point. I am 20 and a junior in college. I ship in June and i have 3 Mos choices so far. 19D, 11b and 19k. Which do y’all recommend?I'm hardworking and not lazy so yeah. I am joining for many reasons but one of the main reasons is travel. Would I get to do tha much? Thank you
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Hey guys, I enlisted with an airborne contract that has my first assignment at Fort Liberty. How likely is it that I get assigned to the 82nd?
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Weight loss
I'm currently 5% body fat over for the arms 2.0. I'm eating way better and consuming 12-1,500 calories and losing an average of 3,000 calories a day. I've been running/walking 2 miles a day of hill terrain. My recruiter said I need to lose 10 pounds by May 17. I need tips and tricks on how to lose those pounds by then
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Army National Guard recruiter says at MEPS you can choose from several dates to start basic. Is that accurate?
If so, typically how many dates are there to choose from and how far in the future? I have a great civilian job, so would like to know my date as far in advance as possible.
Edit: would go on to traditional state OCS (yea, I know the internet’s opinions on it but it fits my life really well) afterwards.
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I've got 4 years active and 3 years guard under my belt and I've always put in to my tsp to get the match. I know you need 8 years to keep the matching, but my unit has drained what little motivation I had left for the army, and I've decided I'm done. I'm curious if anyone can help me figure out if there's any option that will help me keep my tsp matching besides a 1 year extension. I doubt the IRR counts towards 8 years, and from what I understand, the inactive guard is simply a pause button. So instead of pushing me to 8 years, it's just delaying my 7th till next year or something. I'm also wondering if a future federal job would contribute to that 8 years or if it has to be all concurrent. Thank you for any help or any resources or links yall can send me to figure this out.
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I was wondering if I could join the army with depression, anxiety, and OCD. All diagnosed. I have no suicide attempts or anything like that, no inpatient care either. All of these are somewhat mild and manageable, and I haven't been on any medication. But that was another concern of mine, if I was to get on any medication, would that disqualify me? Thanks a lot.
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Im currently a senior in high school trying to enlist in the army since December but I’m at a loss of what to do. I took the asvab scored a 61 but autism came up on my records from when I was a kid. I had to get a full medical Record for meps then they wanted my pharmacy record and now they want some more records my recruiter made me sign a form for my old doctors to get it from them about a month and a week ago. I called him the earlier this week and he said he Kentucky or Kansas (I didn’t hear him well and forgot) doing some training I honestly just don’t know what to do I’ll graduate from high school in a few weeks and I probably have a month after that before my parents kick me out any advice?
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Hey all, I wanted to get some insight on whether you all think I would be able to enlist with Crohn's. I've seen online that it's generally marked as an "unwaivable medical condition" but sometimes goes on a case by case basis. My IBD is very mild, I honestly forget that I even have the damn disease because it doesnt effect my daily life at all. I have it managed by taking an 8-week biologic but have gone on extended breaks from it before due to insurance reasons (roughly 2-3 months without any meds) and had no flare ups or any issues of the sort. However, my doctor is thinking of switching me to a daily pill (Rinvoq). I don't have any food sensitivities like a lot of Crohn's patients have (caffeine, alcohol, dairy, etc.) and have never had any surgeries nor does my GI doctor think i'll ever need one. I wanted to enlist for a 17C contract as im already in college for tech anyhow, I'm not sure if that would effect my standing. However, dream MOS is 18X but I figure that may be tougher to get by a recruiter. Any advice or thoughts? Army has been my dream forever and I don't want to have to give it up, so I'd really do anything haha.
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I have 2 non violent felonies from 2011 and PTD from 2022 for possession. I've been upfront and honest with my recruiter. He sent me to test today and I scored 63 on Asvab and GT of 113. Is there a chance for me? Thanks in advance. 30 and in great health and shape.
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What bases would you do bmt if your in cyber security and aviation mechanics?
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I ship out in a week. Went to meps and signed in March. Can I change my MOS? Or is it too late ?? I want something language related because I’m fluent in Arabic (already passed DLPT)
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For anyone that has done OSUT at Fort Moore, how long does it typically take before they’ll tell you where your FDS is?
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I have read a few horror stories where someone enlisted with X,Y, or Z in their contract, but after basic they where told something else and could not confirm the original. For example, someone claims they had a specific location through Option 19, only to later be told they are going somewhere else.
My first question is: has this happened to anyone here, and if so and how was it resolved?
My second question is: after signing your contract, how do you gain acess to it later? Do you receive a physical copy for yourself? Can you download a copy? Is there someone you can ask in the Army to retrieve it for you? Will it be acessable on a portal of somekind?
I am considering enlisting with option 19 and the location is very important to me. Thank you!
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Is phone use in BCT only delegated to calls? Also does phone use depend on what phase you're in, like, red phase 20 minutes, blue 30 minutes? Going to jackson
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Not the best time to swear in, waivers
I have all of my waivers approved, however, I won’t be swearing in due to job circumstances. If things change, can I still go back into the army or will I blocked out of it forever?
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I have an AAM and 3 COAs which S1 has been tracking for months but which have yet to reflect on my PPW. Do I have any recourse?
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my recruiter says that I can't get option 4 in my 35W contract but I really want to be airborne as a 35p/m so I have a higher chance of having my skills be put to use. Can i put in for airborne at DLI or AIT? what is the earliest I can do this and how would I go about it? I just went through the normal MEPS process not the airborne physical fyi
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Is a bonus worth choosing the Army over the AF?
In general, I’ve heard that the army’s QoL is less than that of the Air Force. However, the army has way more jobs w bonuses that I’d be interested in. And it’s the same or similar jobs as the Air Force, but w a bonus. I know the Basic Training for army is also longer, but a bonus can be convincing. I have the same question, but in regards to joining the navy as well. I want to focus on my education during my enlistment & get my bachelors & id also like travel opportunities. I haven’t taken my ASVAB yet, it’s scheduled the 16th. I scored rlly well on the PiCAT, and according to those scores I qualify for some army jobs w a bonus. I know it’s not as simple as that, and it’s a whole process & based on what’s available. Just want some opinions on if I was offered an army job w a bonus as opposed to the same/ similar Air Force job without, would you consider it worth it based on your experience?
I already got some answers from a post I made about this, but moderator deleted it and said to comment here. But any additional info/ insight is greatly appreciated. I want to make the best choice for my future in the case that I don't want to do 20 years.
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I'm joining up rn and working with a recruiter. We've got my waivers and everything. Pretty much just have to pick a job. For background I was an IET separation back in 2009. From what I've read and what me and my recruiter have gone over I am glossary non-prior service. I could have sworn I read (albeit a while ago) that business rules did not apply to GNPS, so I should be free to pick my MOS. However, I talked to my recruiter earlier today and he wants me to sit with his 1SG and go over the job options available for prior service. Am I wrong and I just get what I get?
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Please help!
I was looking to join the guard but in my medical records it shows I had Guillan barre. I was feeling some numbness in my legs, but looking back at it, it was very cold outside and I was just a bitch who would try to get out of school by any means possible. They did a spinal tap and never found any trace of the disease however. I was in the hospital for a couple of days, the gave me immunoglobulin and then I went home and nothing ever came of it. I am currently completely asymptomatic This was when I was 12 or 13 years old. Now I’m 18 and want to join but my recruiter said I have to get all the records and stuff. What is the chance that I will still be able to join? I tried looking it up online but I couldn’t find an answer. Also if I’m able to join, will I need a medical waiver?
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My MOS is 68W, I'm shipping out in June and I'm taking the OPAT in a couple of weeks. I'm 5'2 and 115ish pounds. I'm pretty fit. My biggest worry is the standing long jump. I want to pass the OPAT with flying colors and keep my MOS. Is there any advice or tips y'all can give me?
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I’m looking to graduate and enlist in a month but can’t decide on what MOS I want. I think 11B because I don’t want to individuate and do army shit or 68W but I’m not sure if I can get advanced combative training or other schools I want. I want to do something that’s “high speed” and meaningful while working my way towards Ranger reg. Is the 82nd Airborne a good pathway to that? How is civil affairs? Can you enlist directly into it while being active duty?
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Thinking about reenlisting to army with 8.5 PS in USMC. Been out < 5years. Will I have to repeat AIT if I keep my same MOS? I know this is the wrong channel for USMC feedback but also considering going back there if it would mean not repeating AlT. Thanks in advance!
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Hi everyone! I’m a high school student planning on joining the military. I’m Muslim, so I want to be sure that whichever branch I join is accommodating to Muslim needs. If it changes anything, I’m planning joining through the ROTC route.
My main concerns are, does the Army give beard waivers for Muslims? Is it possible to take short breaks throughout the day to pray? Can you fast during Ramadan? Can you be provided with halal (no pork/no alcohol) food?
Also, I’m interested in infantry or armor (or any kind of ground forces officer in general). Would these accommodations interfere with being selected for these careers or being mission ready? (Such as a beard, fasting, etc.)
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i’m a current nasty girl and i’m looking to transfer to Active duty. i understand i need a conditional release in order to sign a new contract and need my G-1 to sign off on it. i’m looking for info on the process from someone who’s gone through the process.
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What are the odds of getting a waiver for ulcerative colitis? I was EPTS’d out in march 2023 after being diagnosed while I was at 30th AG. My GI said I was in remission as of jan of this year. I take 4 Lialda pills a day and get an entyvio infusion every 2 months. I feel perfectly fine now though. Scored a 74 on the asvab.
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Medical record
In the navy currently and getting out in a year. I had a back injury prior to enlisting that I didn’t disclose. I plan on entering the army after my contract. If this comes up will my discharge from the navy be lowered or my benefits revoked?
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So my recruiter told me that I have to get a lease first, but the thing is, is that we don't have one with our landlord. It's more like an oral lease and he's a slumlord who never tries to communicate with any of us. That being said, my recruiter then said that I should find a lease online and edit it to where I state that I'm paying the rent to my sister instead (who has a valid ID) He also stated that my sister and I have to go to a check-cashing place to get it notarized. Is this all ok to do and will the BHA be approved? Also if it's approved, does this mean that the rent we pay which is $1,365.50, is going to be paid for while I'm away and how exactly??
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Can I enlist if I have a Mexican highschool diploma? (I am american, just finished highschool in mexico) And don't have a address in the USA???
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I am thinking of finishing up my bachelors and joining as an officer, my question was whether it was possible or not to guarantee mos 17c in the army if I join as an officer.
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I just got told that I cant enlist for 2 years after my waiver got denied for a history of depression. I stopped feeling depressed last August but got officially cleared into remission in February. I was told theres no point in a consult and the most I can do is reach out to a congressman. Other than reaching out to a congressman, is there really nothing I can do?
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Questions about Virginia National Guard
I want to do OCS! Now here’s my confusion. My recruiter is saying that the moment I swear in is the moment my contract is going to start and will count towards that 6 year! So, if he is right, I will basically complete 2 years training if I do state OCS. But I would like to have more control on what branch I get! My top 3 are: cyber warfare, signal, and intel. Should I do accelerated in that case? Also how likely am I to get one of those aforementioned three if I do state OCS of 18 months? My bachelor was in Computer Engineering, and I am currently enrolled in ASU for master’s pursuing Computer Science! Will I get that 24k a year tuition fee because he said there’s a possibility I might get it since it’s fully online? Can I get tuition assistance and loan repayment both? Does getting either one incur additional service time?
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im thinking of joining as a officer and going into ocs, what is the best branch for a well paying civilian job after completing my service, for context my major right now is relg studies plus maybe bio.
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I leave for Future Soldier Preparatory Course for the fitness aspect on the 21st, has anyone gone through it recently? There’s not a whole lot of information on it online, I was just wondering what it’s like, and what to expect. Do you get issued all of your gear since you will be going to bmt after? What is reception like? Any and all information and tips is greatly appreciated!
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So my husband is going to meps next week. he has 2 different sets of scars on his left arm. He works at a mobile home plant building houses. One was from when he got caught on a nail so it's a little deeper looking and another was from some sheet metal at work. He didn't disclose it to his boss because he works on a line and it would've put his team behind so he just put some bandaids on it and went about his day and cleaned it up when he got home. This was about 1-2 years ago. What is his meps experience going to be like? They aren't self harm obviously but we've heard horror stories about the doctors at meps not believing people and DQ them. He honestly forgot about telling his recruiter and his recruiter has already sent in all his medical history and got him scheduled for meps. Should he still go ahead and tell his recruiter or just wait and disclose it at meps?
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Should i go in as 17c or try my luck at ocs?
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I'm currently in process Enlisting in the Reserve, while holding an associate's degree in mechanical engineering technology, with some side education in programming. While I am working towards my bachelor's degree, I'm looking to pick an MOS that will help my career, or at the very least, be interesting. I don't remember my scores, but my Recruiter told me whatever I pick, my score won't be the limiting factor.
Top of the list for career jobs is 15 series, from what I've heard from currently enlisted in my friend group, wrenching on aircraft in general is a fast track to a cushy job on the outside with my education. 25 series looks boring but useful as anything IT/electrical complements my degree. On the more interesting side, I was looking at 91 series, either 91F or 91P.
Am I going anywhere wrong with any of these jobs? Anything I should be keeping in mind?
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25D or 35T I just wonder which MOS would be better for career. I am really interested in IT. I know 25D is not entry MOS. Let’s say you meet requirements for both MOS. If you stay as enlisted side, what would you recommend?
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I’m heading to ait now at fort Moore for 91M do I get my phone and am I in a dorm how is that like
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Hi all,
I am a permanent resident here is the US, and last week I finished my ASVAB mock test with a 95 on my AFQT. The recruiter says I am eligible for everything that doesn't require a security clearance which is kind of a problem as my dream MOS are the 35-series and 17-series (As both of these are locked behind clearance requirement)
After some thinking, I narrow down to the following, but there are still too many so I hope I can get your feedback on what I am doing. My aims are: a/I want something that will translate into the civilian world well if my time in the army doesn't go well, b/I want an MOS that can advanced through warrant or becoming a commission officer if my time in the army does go well, and c/I want to push myself to the limit and break out of my comfort zone to see where I can go. If I sound arrogant, please forgive for that: I am just trying to be as careful as possible. I am nearly reaching my thirty, and I want to take deliberate steps because I no longer have the luxury of youth and family to try and fail.
The MOS are:
11-series, 12B and 12D: I have a soft spot for these despite knowing they don't translate into the civilian world. But in my heart somewhere is a wild child that wants to test my physical prowess and wants to blow things up. I do know my knees and lower back will hate me for picking this.
15 series: With exceptions to 15C, 15J, and other works related to flying or being mechanics of sensitive equipment, I can be an aircraft technicians. I read that there are demands for airplane mechanics but I don't know much about this field other than a/I got to repair planes, b/people seem to hate it because you have to sign a long contract if you become a warrant.
68A: I did see this MOS getting recommended a lot but after reading its description, I am not very sure if I want to do it either both in the army or afterwards. I must also admit I don't have a good insights onto the day to day life of this job. Can someone shed some light about this MOS for me?
68C: Becoming a nurse seems like a very safe choice out of the military given that the BLS projects nurse to be in high demand and being able to take care of your family sounds like a big plus to me; however, I don't know if I like being a nurse. My parents were doctors, and having seen the hospital environment I can say I am not a fan. I also look into 68A but BLS prospect for it didn't seem good, and the training on 68E, 68D, and 68V look a little bit too short. Do you really become a dental assistant just with 10 weeks of training?
68W: I must admit, I have a soft spot for 68W as it allows me to be both learn some medical skills and be on the field. However, I do notice that 68W only translates to paramedic/EMT post-army, while 68C translates to becoming a nurse (which is more valued and regarded as "better" than paramedic or EMT and thus in higher demand)
88H, 92A, 92F, and 92Y: I pick these because, according to BLS, there is a projected increase need for people in warehousing and transportation. From my limited understanding of the fields, you will be in charge of handling logistics such as maintaining unit inventory, ordering supplies and weapons for your units, etc. but I am not very sure on the difference between, say, 92Y and 92A.
So, can you give me a suggestions? May anyone who has been in these MOS share their experience to help me pick? What are some of the MOS I miss?
Thank you, and I look forward to hearing from you.
Best regards,
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Is the 09m program ending at the end of may?
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How does one secure a religious exemption before basic training? My recruiter said we would talk about it down the line but it’s getting down to the wire and I’d rather it not get forgotten.
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Hi my duty station is at JBLM I’ll hopefully be there around May of 2025. I still have too go through basic and AIT but I was hoping that I could get some info about the barracks and hopefully get in touch with some of the people that are getting stationed/ already stationed There that are aviation, specifically 15Y. Thank you
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How can i improve my chances of success after the military?
I'm going to meps in 2 weeks and im shooting for a 25 series mos. 25H was what was available at the recruiters after i took my practice asvab. I'm not the brightest bulb but, hey, I'll take it. Aside from college ,which i want to continue to pursue throughout my time in the army (or after depending on my mental fortitude once i'm actually in,) how can i set myself up for success in the civilian world? Any input from past 25h or 25 series who somehow translated their career into decent paying jobs will be much appreciated.
I'll add I'm only joining the army for the college benefits and free training as i come from a poor household and have no other feasible way to pay for it.
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Hello everyone,
I was recently laid off from a $64k job, and honestly, I'm not too upset. I was already feeling burnt out and unhappy, staying primarily for the promised educational benefits to facilitate a career change, which obviously fell through with the job loss. Now, I'm considering my options and the military as a new path has been sounding appealing to an extent. The VA loan and GI Bill are particularly enticing because they would help me pursue a degree without getting into debt, and enabling the career change I've been considering. And the thought of being able to buy a house at this age/economy seems awesome.
At 28, I'm weighing the implications of joining now, especially considering the pay cut and spending four years AD without the guarantee of going overseas which for me would make it much more worthwhile. Also, I'd likely be one of the older members among younger peers, which is another factor to consider. My entry rank would be E3 due to my associate degree told by the Air force recruiter I met, but I'll need a moral waiver for a misdemeanor I had at 18, which might limit my job options not to mention she told me I would have to be at the disposal of whatever the Air Force wanted me to do? Which I am assuming means that I could enlist for one thing that they tell me nope get your doing this.The Air Force recruiter told me that I would be just fine and I would be able to get in as long as my ASVAB score is high enough.
I'm torn about whether to commit to AD and save myself or a longer term in the military via reserves but still stuck in the same loop of feeling in fulfilled, unable to afford university and in a place I would rather leave. Insights from anyone who joined the military later or faced similar decisions would be incredibly helpful.
Thanks for any advice!
P.S I am also ok with the idea of the military as a career as I would still be able to retire earlier than many of my peers if I pursue the 20 year route..
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I’m reenlisting at the end of this month (was NG but going active). My husband is also active and I was wondering how likely is it that I can be in the same battalion as my husband? I know married couples aren’t supposed to work directly together but would that still be considered “working together”?
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Hi All, I'm 23F graduating college with my bachelor's in international relations at the end of July. I speak intermediate Spanish and would be open to learning more languages. I am looking for a mos that doesn't restrict me to behind a desk or sitting on my ass all day. I was thinking of something intelligence related. I would appreciate any advice/help.
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So i have hemorrhoids right now and I go to MEPS monday. I have a Drs visit from about 2 years ago where she prescribed me the cream to use. The cream says to only use it when you have hemorrhoids. I still have the cream. Will I pass MEPS if I bring that the Dr visit. or should I get a new one the day before? It's Saturday so my recruiter won't answer.
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So I enlisted on Friday. (25H) and I ship to BT in August. I’ve made my mind up before enlisting that I was going to make a career out of it. So now I’m here before you all to ask… what’s some advice you could give someone looking to do 20. Like what’s steps would you take if you could go back to make the most of your Army career? I remember my dad who served in the navy would always say “choose your rate choose your fate” and I think I started off on the right foot. Any suggestions to help make the correct steps in my new career path?
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Going back in. Needing some suggestions on different MOS.
So when I was in the first time I was a 25U. I was 16 when I swore in to secure my mos and left at 18YO. I’ve decicided to go back in. Im picking between 19 jobs, I qualify for all of them as I keep my old asvab scores. I scored over a 105 in everything so I have a pretty big list to pick from. These jobs have good jobs outside of the army and that’s my angle, I know 25U translates to a good job outside of the army but it’s not my cup of tea. So any info on the jobs in the army and civilian life for these mos would be greatly appreciate. The jobs are: 68L 68X (specifically because I want to help vets who are/have suffered) 88H 35F 25B 35M 35G 35L 88K 88N 88U 27D 31E 12M 15Q 15N 25U 88L 88M
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Already signed my contract but I really really wanna change my MOS by the time I ship out for BCT in mid-July, what would be the best way to approach and ask my recruiter to change my MOS? The one that I want is really in demand (19K) so maybe that might help?
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Background: Greencard holder, 6yr+ experience in IT field. No degree. Married.
Always wanted to join the military and finally have the opportunity to do so.
What I want to experience from the military;
I want the opportunity to grow in the IT field and have military experience and later on attain a contractor job in overseas installations. Very interested in being able to move overseas for a few years specially Japan.
My biggest interest is to grow in my career + experience other countries.
Recruits have also told me that for active duty they are allowing first duty station to be chosen because the army apparently has a shortage of people joining so they want to motivate people to join by allowing them to choose duty stations. This has made me consider going active IF they aren't lying about this + the job security has always been a plus to me.
My primary plan was :
Going reserve, getting my citizenship while in basic training, changing my mos to 25B then finding government contracting job overseas preferably (Japan) and changing my unit to Japan to drill there (Camp Zama). Overall my biggest goal is to move overseas and be in the IT field.
What is the best route? Advice is greatly appreciated in advance:)
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I want to enlist as a 19D Wont be for a year or so still but trying to do my research and evrything and make sure this is what i want, So far it looks like it is but i have a couple of questions that i need answering before i decided to enlist. 1. as a 19D with 19C coming will 19D still be manning Bradleys 2. What are my chances of being assigned to a cav unit i really dont wanna be assigned to an infantry or god knows what else 3. Am i able to enlist as active at 17?
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Is it hard to get a self harm waiver? It happened one time three years ago. My recruiter is pushing for it now
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I'm going to MEPS this week and I was told that the Job I'm really interested in (12w) is rare and to not get my hopes up. I'll be doing research about some other jobs, but if I really want that job should I just wait for a slot to open up or go with alternate choices?
Does anyone have any experience with this job and how often slots show up?
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Vision Waiver Acceptance Probability
So I’m wanting to enlist as an 11x OP 4in the army, went to MEPS a few weeks ago, and am currently waiting on a current injury to be waived. I’m just kind of worrying about my vision waiver. Recruiter said we have to wait for this to be cleared first, then we can launch the vision waiver.
What’s the probability that a vision waiver will be accepted with Visual Acuity of 20/30 20/50 corrected vision. I understand everything is case to case, I’m just kind of worrying that it’ll end up being denied.
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Is there a list of all the different Options in contracts? Like Option 40, Option 4, Option 19, etc?
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In the process of renegotiating my contract before shipping out and I'm seriously considering 19K (M1 Armor Crewman). Recruiter told me that anyone can volunteer to go to airborne school at BCT and I really want to go airborne but it seems like 19Ks don't really do it as much as other MOS's. Is it true that i will have the opportunity to volunteer myself for airborne school at basic? If not, how can I attend Airborne or any other specialized school as a tanker?
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Leaving for BT in 2wks. First stop Ft Lenwood and then ft sill for AIT. Then off to Ft Drum for my 1st duty station. Can anyone offer insight on what to expect at each location/stage? 13F if it matters. Much appreciated.
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Just reserved mos 88L Water craft engineer.
Was excited at first as I’ve e heard a lot of good things about this mos, but i have a wife, 6yr old and another on the way and am worried that i wont be home that often given this mos. Im supposed to go to meps in 4 days and swear in. Im really not trying to be away from my family all that often. Is this mos bad for family life? Have i made a mistake? Or should i keep it and roll with it. Any recommendations on what i should do?
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Hello, I’m in ROTC right now but I’m about to go to CST. I have been looking into branches as much as possible and am pretty set on ADA but I wanted to ask if anyone here has been on a HIMAD or SHORAD deployment that can give me some insight on what it’s like, more specifically SHORAD but I do want to hear both sides.
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Joining the army
hi, I am 17 turning 18F, and im joining the army and going to boot camp soon. What are some advice or anything you would tell someone before they go to boot camp or thinking about joining the army?
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Hello, I'm currently a high school senior who is interested in joining the ROTC. I've reached out to ROTC recruiters in the colleges that I will be attending however, they never picked up their phones nor responded to their emails after multiple attempts. I've also scheduled appointments with them only for them to not show up multiple times. I've also called the army and they said they would have someone call me but they never did either. I was wondering if anyone could help me get in touch with an ROTC recruiter as I got a few questions about the Army ROTC as well as the process to proceed.
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Can you go to an maritime academy before your service then get it paid when you join? Can you take maritime academy while active duty?
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What are possible first duty stations for Army officers out of ROTC by MOS?
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A few weeks ago I posted about a friend of mine who I briefly dated before meeting my wife. Short version is that when we were hanging out regularly back in the day she was pretty explicit about not wanting to be with me at all. Now, years later, she may or may not be trying to find a way to restart that relationship even though I'm married now. The prevalent theory amongst my friends/wife is that where she saw me as boring in the past she now sees me as stable and a potential savior (for lack of a better term) who can help her get out of her current situation.
Recently this friend reached out and asked me to give her some money. I declined even though I technically have the amount she asked me for. I didn't get into specifics about why I couldn't do it but something about it just felt off to me. I don't think my wife would really care (I try to keep her in the loop about when I hear from this friend because I don't want her to think anything inappropriate is going on), but I would feel like I'm slighting my wife by giving money to another woman without the expectation of her paying it back. And it's especially awkward for this friend in particular. Back in the day she was doing better than me financially, which was one of the reasons she didn't want to date me. While we dated and while we hung out as friends she never spent any money on me. I didn't expect her to. I paid for the dates I invited her on and I paid my share when we went out as friends. But she was attractive and had a lot of rich guys who were willing to buy her things and pay her bills back then. I do feel bad that she's in a tight spot now but on some level it does kinda feel like she's just looking for me to be the next guy to sponsor her financially since she no longer gets that sort of attention/support from the guys she used to deal with when we were younger. So not only does it feel inappropriate due to the fact that I'm in a relationship, but it also feels like an instance of lopsided support since this was never something that was done for me back when our situations were reversed.
How do you navigate things like this in a relationship? What lines do you draw about how you handle your money with friends knowing that you are in a relationship with someone who is relying on you for financial responsibility? To be fair I should mention I don't really give my male friends money like that either. I'm always down to give advice or help out with figuring out a solution or a course of action to a problem. But I also feel like I need to have some sort of a boundary between my friends and my wife, this probably being the biggest one. I only have a finite amount of money I can make and I only have a finite amount of time in which I'll be able to make it. Most of it is probably going to have to go supporting my family/home because my wife doesn't make enough by herself. So it's rare that I'm willing or able to give out funds even though I'm not desperately hurting for every single dollar I have currently.

I'm gonna come out and say it- I don't get the Pinestar hate.
Whenever I see someone complaining about him, it always has to do with how he left his clan and kits to become a kittypet. People even use this to justify why Tigerkit grew up to be such a monster.
I completely disagree with the entire situation. If you read Pinestar's novella, you'd understand that he left his clan behind because StarClan was telling him to kill his only surviving son, knowing he'd become evil.
Not only is this a decent cause for stress, it also proves that Pinestar leaving was not the cause for Tigerstar's actions. If it were, StarClan would've said something along the lines of 'hey, take care of your child so he doesn't kill everyone.' Sure, you can argue that StarClan isn't very direct in what they want, but they were very firm in the whole 'kill your son' part.
Peddling back to Pinestar leaving. While I don't advocate for leaving your wife after 2/3 of your kids die, I do understand that raising a child that your Gods have told you to murder cannot be the best for your mental state. Adding on to this, a close friend of Pinestar had just been killed in front of him, attempting to comfort him. Yikes. We love Shanty, she can do no wrong.
When Pinestar makes the decision to retire and leave ThunderClan, he is treated with much disgust and hatred, despite having been a good leader for eight of his nine lives. He retires because he knows that, in his current mental state, he is not fit to lead his clan. He leaves because he knows his decision won't be respected, which is unfair. There shouldn't be an option for leaders to retire if they're going to be treated badly for it.
Some people call Pinestar's choice(see what I did there?) selfish, especially because it prohibits Sunstar from getting nine lives. I wholeheartedly disagree with this statement, as it shows prejudice against mental health. Many leaders suffer and regret, and when some decide to take a step to fix it, suddenly there's outrage. Pinestar was not fit to continue guiding his clan, and left it in the paws of a cat he knew was more than capable. What part about this is selfish? In Pinestar's exact words, "I have been honored to serve you for this long. The rest of my life will be spent as a kittypet, where I have no battles to fight, no lives depending on me for food and safety."
Moving to another point as to why people consider this choice selfish; the state of the clan. Not only had Leopardfoot just lost two of her kits, but tensions were high between the clans at this point. RiverClan had just attacked for Sunningrocks, and cats were crossing borders to steal prey. ThunderClan wasn't very popular at this point, and having a distracted and reluctant leader was doing them no favors.
To further understand why Pinestar did what he did, let's look at him as a character. Taken directly from his designated wiki page, "Towards the end of his life, Pinestar became very disillusioned by the warrior code and Clan life in general, especially the endless thirst for battle that brought dire consequences. He challenged their savage existence by believing that too much blood is shed over stupid quarrels. While he was judged as cowardly and selfish, he had the courage to assume his desires and needs despite his responsibilities and views of others. He internalizes his anxieties and torments a lot, confiding only in his kittypet friends. His disillusion with the routines of Clan life eventually led him to become a kittypet."
Let's break this down. Pinestar led ThunderClan in a time where there were many battles, several of which were led at his own paws. He has the blood of many on his conscience, which can already be damaging to the psyche. His acknowledgement of this leads to his distaste in unnecessary battles, and his opinions on the brutality of clan life.
After receiving an omen that his unborn son will hold the power to destroy the forest, Pinestar begins to stray away from Clan territory, discovering how kittypet life is so much simpler and less harsh. This can be compared to how active duty soldiers, while acknowledging that they have an important duty, dislike the bloodshed and long for civilian life.
When Leopardfoot eventually has his litter, Pinestar acknowledges that Tigerkit is the one that StarClan warned him about, which is further influenced by their visions of blood and insistence on the kit dying. This whole situation is what starts Pinestar's separation from his kin, especially when Goosefeather- ThunderClan's cryptid and prophet- confirms what must be done about Tigerkit. If you read Goosefeather's curse, you'll understand why his approval is so important. We stan Goosefeather.
Juggling this, the brutality of Clan life, and the death of a close friend, Pinestar begins to doubt his place as ThunderClan's leader. What good is a leader who doesn't wish to fight? His decision is solidified when Lionpaw warns him of the battle between ThunderClan and RiverClan, led by Sunfall. Pinestar acknowledges that he can no longer live this life, and bids farewell to his clan.
Pinestar's last actions in this novella are to return to Shanty's home, where he is welcomed in and accepted as the new cat. He then goes to find Jake, revealing his decision, and changing his name so that he no longer has traces of Clan life. Was he right to make such a sudden decision, without consulting his family or StarClan? Probably not, but if we acknowledge how sensitive Pinestar is, he likely would've been talked out of his choice instead of firmly putting his foot down.
While Pinestar's experiences and personality are important parts of his character, let's also take a look at the people he holds close, for they also influence his choices and way of life. Let's talk about Crystal, Jake, Shanty, Lionpaw, and Leopardfoot.
Crystal is Pinestar's first experience with kittypet life. She is first introduced as a nameless queen, who scares off a mother fox to save Pinestar- then Pinepaw. She remarks that not all house cats are cowards(in my opinion, this is why Pinestar doesn't view his future decision as cowardly) before simply leaving. Their next interaction is when ThunderClan literally leads an attack on Twolegplace, and Pinepaw refuses to harm her and her young kits. There's not really much to her, but she's still notable.
Next up is Jake, who we know for being interested in Clan life but never having the courage to fully pursue it. He's also everyone's dad, though this isn't relevant. Pinestar's first notable encounter with Jake is when the kittypet wakes him up for a chat, and Pinestar tells him about clan life. Pinestar notes that Jake is fun to talk to, and he may do it again.
Talk again, they do, this time after Moonflower's death. Pinestar admits he's feeling obvious guilty, and Jake comforts him by reassuring that he can trust his medicine cat and kneading his flank. Homo. Pinestar even notes that Jake has asked about Talltail! Homo!! Shanty makes her first appearance here, everyone making small talk. Pinestar notes that he feels content here, like he belongs.
This is where Pinestar begins to bond with Shanty. Although he goes to see Jake, he ends up spending time with her, and she offers to show off her home. Pinestar accepts, but tells her about Clan life and asks how she can live like this. Shanty argues back that there is honor and loyalty to her life, which is also a turning point for Pinestar. Honor and loyalty, in a life where he can step aside from bloodshed without being a coward? Hm...
While not entirely pictured, Pinestar and Shanty appear to grow close. He tells her about Clan events, and she offers her input, like not fighting for Sunningrocks. He even goes to her with his worries about his newborn kits, to which Shanty attempts to comfort him... By running into the path of a monster. Pinestar attempts to save her, and they both die. Pinestar is able to come back, Shanty is not. He mourns the loss of his friend with her twolegs, and wanders the forest in a daze before returning to his camp. He is offered no reassurance or comfort, as nobody can know about his secret. He will carry this burden forever.
Next on the list is Leopardfoot. I believe that Pinestar never wanted to be with her. This is evidenced when Smallear comments on how the two have grown closer, and Pinestar immediately becomes uncomfortable and changes the topic. This is him escaping the conversation, and once Smallear leaves, he escapes the clan in general by going to Twolegplace.
It is then immediately said that Leopardfoot is expecting his kits- slow down a bit, there. I won't talk about the age gap... This time. Pinestar's first knowledge of his litter is immediately accompanied by the knowledge that one of them will be able to destroy the clan, which isn't good news.
When Leopardfoot has her kits, Pinestar focuses on feeding the clan and staying away from the kitting. We know what comes next. Pinestar comes back after this event, and visits his kits and mate. Upon learning the name of his son, he grows afraid, thanks to the visions he had. So what does StarClan do? Give him another, insisting that murder is the answer. This is Pinestar's last straw.
When he does leave the clan, Leopardfoot only asks if he won't stay to watch the kits grow up. She says nothing about herself, as her priorities are with her children. She is later seen spoiling Tigerkit, the only surviving child of her litter, and ignoring Goosefeather. There isn't much mention of Pinestar after this, though she is still an important part of Pinestar's life and path.
All in all, Pinestar's decision to become a kittypet wasn't selfish, and it wasn't entirely sudden. He was one of the few to know what would become of his child, and despite not being the best father, he had the honor enough not to kill his infant son. Sure, this lead to the downfall of many, but Pinestar's name and life would have been forever tarnished if he had followed StarClan's will.
It's also worth noting that Pinestar is direct kin of Oakstar, Frecklewish, and Birchface, who are all directly linked to Mapleshade. I have theorized before that Tigerstar could've been her doing, but this isn't a theory post, this is an analysis, which I now conclude.
Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk.

Hello everyone, there truly is a subreddit for everything eh?😄
I have a whole closet and a half full of old Gen 2 LPS toys, and some Gen 1 and Gen 3 (but the vast majority are from 2004-2009). They're all in fairly good condition, genuine Littlest Pet Shop, and some even have the boxes (opened, but kept stored in the box, except for my Blythe dolls, most of which are still sealed).
(Littlest Pet Shop was my autistic special interest as a kid, so I collected like nobody's business. I have so many of the books too, 2 copies of the TV game (Biggest Adventure), all the DS and Wii games, most of the VIP and LPSO plush, a completed collection of both the digital pets and the digital planners, the pet carriers, the voice diary, 3 sealed invisible ink diary, stationary and sticker books also sealed, the puzzles (sealed) and of course oodles of the actual pets, accessories, playsets, and other miscellany I'm forgetting to list. 😵‍💫)
They're also somewhat disorganized, because I have long forgotten what accessories go with what (it's been almost 15 years since I last played with them😑)
I tried selling them on eBay, but nobody seems to view my ads and I haven't made many sales in 3 months, only a few that I priced well below ""market value"" and I ended up losing money because it was a hassle to ship the playsets.
I tried Facebook Marketplace and Kijiji, but people there are lowballing me terribly (I don't expect to sell one (1) pet for hundreds of dollars, that's delusional🤣 but also, someone trying to offer to buy 5 plushies for $2 total just seems ??????)
Is there anywhere else I can try? Ideally somewhere where I can find collectors willing to pay reasonable prices? (I look at the "last sold" prices on eBay to price my stuff, I don't charge any ridiculous money)
Also, are there any places where I can find local people? I hate shipping the playsets and I'm scared if they break sometime in transit☹️ (I live in a suburb of Toronto Canada, in case any local folks are reading this or know of LPS groups in the area or something) and I especially need to sell the playsets because that's what's taking up the most space, and I'm still looking through the other stuff to see if there's anything I want to keep for nostalgia's sake.
Any advice for where/how I can sell these, y'all? I'm poor so I'd rather get a bit of money for them than giving them away, especially since some seem to be truly rare and have value🥲
i hope my post isn't too much of a word salad sorry

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Synopsis:
Juliette Contzen is a lazy, good-for-nothing princess. Overshadowed by her siblings, she's left with little to do but nap, read … and occasionally cut the falling raindrops with her sword. Spotted one day by an astonished adventurer, he insists on grading Juliette's swordsmanship, then promptly has a mental breakdown at the result.
Soon after, Juliette is given the news that her kingdom is on the brink of bankruptcy. At threat of being married off, the lazy princess vows to do whatever it takes to maintain her current lifestyle, and taking matters into her own hands, escapes in the middle of the night in order to restore her kingdom's finances.
Tags: Comedy, Adventure, Action, Fantasy, Copious Ohohohohos.
Chapter 245: A Clockwork Wish
The quiet streets of Hartzwiese stood in contrast to the lights of the many inns, bars and taverns.
Despite its modest size, the town boasted as many drinking establishments as there were adventurers somehow drunk enough to be booted from the guild hall. And yet for all the bright lanterns singing from the windows, they paled in comparison to the moonlight as it graced the steps before me. A white carpet ushering me towards a tavern Apple was now using as a stables, and where I could enjoy a complementary room, courtesy of the fact I now owned it.
But before I could put my day’s labours behind me, there was still an important task I had to do.
The most important.
Rewarding my loyal handmaiden, who throughout these arduous days had remained firm and true as much as the sword by my side.
Indeed, no ill deed went unpunished, and no good service went unrewarded.
Why … she even knew the same.
Stopping before a large fountain in the centre of the town square, Coppelia held her palm out towards me as she eyed the faintly glittering surface.
“Gimme change,” she said brightly.
“Change?”
“I want to toss a coin into the fountain~”
My mouth opened wide.
“E-Excuse me! I know very well you possess coins of your own! Furthermore, I’ll not give you money from our hard earned hazelnut croissant fund merely to quite literally toss it away!”
“It’s not throwing it away. It’s making a wish.”
“A wish?”
“Mmh~ drop a coin into a fountain. Get a wish. An absolute bargain. Haven’t you tried it before?”
“Coppelia, I’ve no need to drop coins into fountains. I ring a bell. That’s how my wishes come true.”
“Well, do you have the bell with you?”
I paused.
“... No.”
“There you go, then! Until you get your bell back, you’ll need to toss away coins for your wishes.”
She beamed with childish expectation, palm still outstretched, fully expecting me to humour her request.
Well, sadly for Coppelia, I was not so easily moved!
Our personal finances went into maintaining a minimal standard of living! And that meant every coin we had to spare went into purchasing premium apples and cinnamon rolls! It would be unconscionable of me to allow it to be spent so frivolously!
“Staaaaaaaaaaaare~”
I rolled my eyes.
“... Fine, one copper crown,” I said, rummaging through my bottomless pouch. “Really now, this is hardly a djinn you’re bribing. I’m surprised you wish to add to the fountain and not merely scoop up what’s there.”
“Hey! I have standards! … I don’t like copper, it’s less shiny than silver and gold and gets in the way when I rummage through my ill-gotten gains.”
I offered Coppelia a sigh along with the small coin.
She accepted it with a giggle. As she turned to the fountain, the stars twinkled from her eyes more than the surface of the clear water.
Plop.
It vanished into the depths.
A small proof of our hardship, now given to the fountain to judge and a magpie to steal come the morning.
“And what wish do you hope to acquire through a less shiny copper crown?”
Coppelia merely smiled.
No word left her lips as her turquoise eyes gazed at the fountain’s disturbed surface. She herself was motionless but for the soft wind tugging at the ends of her fluffy golden hair.
And then–she twirled on the spot.
Arms spinning around, she raised them out and stopped like a melodramatic ballerina.
“World domination! I shall subjugate all squishy life under my cute, clockwork heel!”
“Please pick a different wish,” I replied, waving her declaration away as I would a plain chouquette. “World domination has already been chosen by half the world’s rulers. There’s not enough wishes in any fountain to accommodate them all.”
“... Got it! I’ll take an apple strudel!”
“You can wish for something that isn’t already in our possession.”
“In that case, I’ll take an apple strudel from every bakery in the world!”
I nodded. Better. Especially as I was far more dependable than any wishing fountain.
Indeed, as soon as I returned to the Royal Villa, I’d order a squire to go fetch an apple strudel from every bakery in the world as part of some inane quest!
“But what about you?” she asked, never knowing the suffering and hardship her casual request had just caused somebody not me. “Don’t you have any wishes for the totally legitimate wishing fountain?”
I held a hand to my chest, scoffing with a princess’s dignity.
“Ohohoho … for the fountain? No. I’ve no need for a fountain to make my wishes come true, for I have my own strength of purpose. And that is enough to grant all I desire. The prosperity of my kingdom. The health of my family. And the loyalty of my subjects.”
Coppelia leaned towards me, her smile appraising my own.
“Reeaaaally?”
I reacted with the indignation such scepticism deserved … and also a quick glance around me as I eyed for witnesses.
“... W-Well, if I could maybe have one thing, it would be an opportunity to finish reading my current novels. I have been stuck on the same pages for far too long.”
“That really annoys you, huh?”
“I-It’s terrible, Coppelia! At this rate, I’ll need to re-read some of them … and frankly, it’s enough of a strike against my fragile heart to do so once! There is only so much research a princess can take!”
My loyal handmaiden giggled. She wouldn’t if she knew the dangers that overexposure to the world of bestselling adventure romances could cause. I’d seen noblewomen collapsing at court more often with a copy of Scandals Of The Incorrigible Viscount in hand than any knife to the back.
A moment later–
Plop.
A second copper crown was casually tossed into the fountain.
“Done~” said Coppelia with a satisfied clap. “I’ve made your wish for you!”
My mouth widened as I stared between the fresh ripples and her mischievous smile.
“E-Excuse me! Didn’t you say you had no copper crowns?”
“I only said I didn’t like them. I never said I didn’t have just the one lying around. Isn’t that great? Now it means we both get our wishes! Apple strudels and scandalous books galore!”
“C-Coppelia! That is an entirely unnecessary waste of a copper crown … and more besides, I could have wished for a dragon’s hoard!”
“I mean, you could. But if you thought people were a problem before, wait until they know you’re even richer than a normal princess. You’d have burglars breaking into your vault even while you’re still busy swimming around in the pile of gold.”
“Please. That happens regardless of whether or not a dragon’s hoard is involved. And if it ever became a true issue, well … I’d simply solve it by hiring a dragon.”
“You’d hire a dragon to guard a dragon’s hoard?”
“Why not? There’s clearly no better proven warden.”
“Yep, that’s true. They’d even guard it against you. How would you get the treasure back?”
“I wouldn’t. It’d simply exist to slowly erase the population of burglars from my kingdom. That would be its true value.”
Coppelia looked up in thought.
“Huh. That sounds suspiciously like something which could work.”
I smiled with quiet pride. But not too quiet. I had my pride, after all.
“Ohohoh … naturally, I’m not only a princess. I’m a genius … but since I’m mostly a princess, this also means ensuring my retainers are rewarded for their service, and bribed concerning any slovenly faces I may have made.”
“Now that’s the level of subtlety I like. Negative numbers.”
“Well, negative numbers is also how I value most fae trinkets. But perhaps you can find worth in it.”
Coppelia clapped her hands together and beamed.
“Ooooh~! I smell souvenirs! Did you steal toiletries on the way out of the Fae Realm?”
“I did not steal toiletries! … although if I’d seen any, I possibly may have!”
“So you stole something else? Like cutlery?”
“Coppelia! I do not steal things whenever I visit a different plane of existence!”
“Why not? Everyone else does.”
“I am not ‘everyone’. Even when abducted, I’m still required to display the regal bearing of my station, representing always my kingdom and my family … and there was no cutlery, either.”
“Wow. You must have had an awful time.”
I gave a grim nod.
No toiletries. No cutlery. Not even a branded napkin.
The next time I was indiscriminately abducted to the Fae Realm, I’d ensure I would wander lost until a stack of towels accidentally fell into my arms.
“It was dire. But while I didn’t return empty handed, it was with nothing drawn from a dragon’s hoard or edible like a mound of apple strudels. Regardless, here is a gift acquired from the Spring Queen to add to your collection of trinkets and doodads I have no wish to know about.”
Thus, I reached into my bottomless bag, sweated as I fished for a slender object, and then retrieved a small ring of jade.
Unlike the crystal ring gifted to me by the Winter Queen and now embellished by her sister, the jade ring was adorned only with a pattern of crystalline vines upon the band, lacking any jewel set upon it.
Even so, Coppelia’s eyes lit up like a twin pair of moons.
She pointed at herself.
“Wait, is that for me?”
“Indeed, it is. You may have it.”
“Eh … ehhh?! It actually looks expensive, though! I was expecting something like a postcard!”
I raised a brow.
“If you’d prefer a postcard, I’m sure I could ask for one instead.”
Coppelia appeared speechless. Something so impossible not even a fountain could grant it.
Blinking in disbelief, she reached out and accepted the ring. Without putting it on, she held it against the moonlight, studying its finish.
“Ooooh~ it’s so shiny! … Will I blow up if I wear it?”
“No.” I paused. “At least, I don’t think so.”
Coppelia stopped as the ring met her finger.
“There’s no need to fear,” I added as I took a step away. “It’s a ring gifted by the Spring Queen, and so is imbued also by her magic.”
“I’m not hearing anything which says I won’t blow up.”
“You won’t blow up. Probably. After all, this thing is still little more than a child’s trinket. It contains a single favoured plaything from her court of dreams. The very swing she sat upon during our meeting.”
“The swing?”
“The swing. I believe it functions similarly to the bed. Why not try summoning it in the same manner?”
Deciding she’d paid enough tribute to caution, Coppelia popped the ring on.
She studied herself to ensure she hadn’t melted, before raising her hand in curiosity.
“Sooooo … do I just need to say [Summon Swing] and–woooaahh!!”
Poof.
The moment the words left her lips, she was lifted from the ground as a swing of crystalline leaves and vines appeared where she stood, seating her automatically in the process. Against the dour backdrop of Hartzwiese’s decidedly human streets, it shone with as much vividness as the Spring Queen’s mirror-like wings.
Coppelia blinked, her eyes wide as she wrapped her hands around the ropes of crystallised vines.
And then–
She began to swing.
With only the rustling of her clothes and the fluttering of her hair to disturb the quiet scenery, she proceeded to test the Spring Queen’s plaything, wasting little time before she began to swing like a pendulum, backwards and forwards at greater speeds.
She did not say a word, nor voice any thoughts, and although she wore a smile upon her face, it was no different to one she regularly affixed upon herself.
A moment of doubt struck me.
“N-Naturally, it’s rather unorthodox as a gift. It is no great heirloom or weapon, and rather impractical so far as useful function is concerned. But I imagine the ring itself is worth some value. If you do not want it, I’m certain some curio collector would pay for its novelty value. Regardless, please consider it as a bonus.”
Suddenly, Coppelia leapt off the swing in mid-flight. She skipped a few steps owing to the momentum, yet still pirouetted effortlessly on one foot as she twisted around to face me.
Her widening smile was the only warning I received.
“–Hiieeee?!”
Because the next moment …
I experienced the sensation of being hoisted off my feet.
Oh no.
“Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!”
Wrapping her arms around my waist, she easily lifted me up.
A feeling I’d experienced once before. And one I had not forgotten. Terror mixed with only the tiniest drop of excitement met me as I was promptly swung like an errant pillow.
“C-Coooppeeeliaaaa!! M-My priiiinnceess imaaggee!!”
With a girlish smile, Coppelia paid no heed to my meek and delicate cry as she twirled on the spot.
Around and around, my hair billowed behind me as all the town became a blur which helped to hide the many holes and cracks in the walls and windows, until somehow, the other side of my hair became known to the opposite side of my face.
“Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee~”
Just as I felt the world beginning to take on entirely new colours, she came to a stop.
She placed me down, continuing to smile as I waved away her supporting hands. I stumbled as I chased equilibrium, all the while blowing the many strands of my dark hair away from my mouth. My fingers instinctively went into emergency combing mode.
“I-It seems … uughh … you enjoy … the gift … uuuh … I’m … I’m pleased …”
Coppelia stepped back, arms behind her back as she gave another twirl, this time mercifully without me attached. Like a maiden in a meadow, she lightly skipped around her new magically summoned fae swing, examining its fine spring motifs and crystalline details, before finally turning to me once again.
I leaned away, not least because there were now several versions of her before me.
“Thankies~” she said brightly. “I like this a lot!”
I held my tummy, making sure nothing terrible was about to happen before I replied.
“You’re … uugh … you’re welcome …”
She gave a giggle of amusement at my expense, then seated herself on her new swing once again.
For my part, I rather desperately eyed the direction of my kingdom’s latest acquisition. A tavern which possessed very helpful walls. Even if I had no intention on using the beds within them.
After all–
It wasn’t only Coppelia who had reason to smile tonight.
Indeed … I also had a new and improved bed to enjoy!
Now that my minor detour to this corner of my countryside was complete, my only remaining task was to thoroughly and objectively test the Spring Queen’s magic for myself.
Yes … it was time to indulge my face in the Winter Queen’s pillow once again! To hug a silken duvet now gifted with the scent of an eternal meadow! A moment to thoroughly reward myself as I purposefully shoved any and all dangerous thoughts of tomorrow to the wayside!
And nothing, I knew, could disturb me from my slumber!
That ominous feeling I’d forgotten something important?
Why … I barely even felt it!
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DAY: May 27 2024
5-27-2024

THE CASE FOR OMEGA-3 SUPPLEMENTATION TO LOWER AGGRESSION

People who regularly eat fish or take fish oil supplements are getting omega-3 fatty acids, which play a critical role in brain function. Research has long shown a basis in the brain for aggressive and violent behavior, and that poor nutrition is a risk factor for behavior problems. Penn neurocriminologist Adrian Raine has for years been studying whether omega-3 supplementation could therefore reduce aggressive behavior, publishing five randomized controlled trials from different countries. He found significant effects but wanted to know whether these findings extended beyond his laboratory.
5-27-2024

WHAT ARE ALTERNATIVES TO OZEMPIC AND WEGOVY AND ARE THEY SAFE?

With summer around the corner, telehealth outlets and medical spas are going into hyperdrive advertising the sale of semaglutide, the active ingredient in popular weight-loss drugs Ozempic and Wegovy. Recent shortages of the brand-name drugs have opened the door to copycat versions that, while legal, also raise some concerns for consumers, says Kelly Ann Barnes, Northeastern professor of pharmacy law. The copycat drugs are made by specialized pharmacies known as compounding pharmacies, which are allowed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to make off-label
5-27-2024

FIVE BASIC HABITS MAY HOLD THE KEY TO GOOD MENTAL HEALTH

Professor Nick Titov’s professional goal is to make himself redundant. he wants to empower more people with mild to moderate anxiety and depression to understand what they can do each day to care for their mental health. As part of this mission, Professor Titov and his team developed The Big 5, an evidence-based program encouraging five broad types of activities that are strongly linked with good mental health when performed regularly. Everyone’s
5-27-2024

COVID-19 FORECASTING TOOL ALLOWED HOSPITAL TO MANAGE PATIENT CAPACITY, RESOURCES AMID PANDEMIC’S THIRD WAVE

During the peak of the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, the health-care system’s capacity was stretched and hospitals across Canada relied on each other to share resources and provide care. Experts from
5-27-2024

RESEARCHERS IDENTIFY IMMUNE DYSFUNCTION AS A POSSIBLE ASPECT OF POLYCYSTIC OVARY SYNDROME PATHOLOGY

The peripubertal DHT-induced mouse model is a non-obese but insulin-resistant model of PCOS. a) Experimental design. b) Fat mass. c) Insulin levels at baseline and 15 min following glucose administration. d) Blood glucose levels during oGTT. e) HOMA-IR, calculated from fasted glucose and insulin levels. f) Glycosylated hemoglobin levels (HbA1c). A new study shows that hyperandrogenism—a key characteristic of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)—affects immune cell populations in reproductive, metabolic and immunological tissues in a PCOS-like mouse model. These findings are of great importance as
5-27-2024

RESEARCH IDENTIFIES BRAIN NETWORK LINK TO STUTTERING

Common acquired neurogenic stuttering network. Common areas that were sensitive and specific across both neurogenic stuttering cohorts. Amy = amygdala; ASt = amygdalostriatal transition area; Cl = claustrum; Pall = Pallidum; Put = putamen. A new study published in the journal Brain has identified a specific brain network hub that plays a key role in stuttering. The research, by Te Whare W?nanga o Waitaha University of Canterbury (UC) Associate Professor Catherine Theys, examines two different types of stuttering—developmental and acquired—to show a clear neural
5-27-2024

THYROID DISEASE ISN’T THE END FOR YOUR CAREER PROSPECTS, REPORT FINDS

How employers behave toward workers experiencing thyroid dysfunction could play a critical part in addressing the UK’s labor market challenges. With long-term sickness on the rise in the UK, researchers at the University of Aberdeen Business School have marked World Thyroid Day (May 25) by releasing new findings which, for the first time, explore the relationship between employer sympathy and the labor market prospects of people with thyroid conditions. One in 20 people in the UK have a thyroid problem, with a significant majority of sufferers being women. Posing serious
5-27-2024

STUDY FINDS HIGH-INCOME EARNERS AT LOWER RISK OF DYING FROM STROKE

High-income earners have a 32% lower risk of dying after a stroke compared to low-income earners. The equivalent for high education is 26% lower risk. The differences in stroke survival linked to socioeconomics are striking, according to a study at the University of Gothenburg.
5-27-2024

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE COULD ALLEVIATE LONELINESS, SAYS EXPERT

Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology could offer companionship to lonely people amid an international epidemic of loneliness, says a robotics expert. Tony Prescott, a professor of cognitive robotics at the University of Sheffield, argues in his new book “The Psychology of Artificial Intelligence” that “relationships with AIs could support people” with forms of social interaction. Loneliness has been found to seriously impair human health, and Professor Prescott makes a case that advances in AI technology could offer a partial solution. He argues that people can spiral into loneliness, becoming
5-27-2024

ALZHEIMER’S REPORT HIGHLIGHTS IMMENSE CAREGIVER BURDEN—AND POTENTIAL WAYS FORWARD

Some 7 million Americans live with Alzheimer’s, and about 11 million provide unpaid care for them. Dementia caregiving can present unique challenges, including financial burdens and time constraints, as well as health complications. A report this year from the Alzheimer’s Association demonstrates the true cost of caregiving for those with the disease and calls to establish dementia care navigation throughout the U.S. to lift this burden. Not only is the estimated value of unpaid care near $14 billion in Pennsylvania alone, the report also revealed emotional and physical tolls. Nearly
5-27-2024

US FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION APPROVES ARTIFICIAL PANCREAS SYSTEM

An artificial pancreas developed by researchers at the University of Cambridge has been granted approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use by individuals with type 1 diabetes aged 2 and older, including during pregnancy. This means that even more people living with the disease will be able to use this life-changing app. For the first time, the FDA authorized the use of the artificial pancreas system in pregnancy. CamAPS FX, produced by Cambridge spinout company CamDiab, is an Android app that can
5-27-2024

RESEARCH SAYS POMEGRANATES COULD OFFER A SOLUTION TO FATTY LIVER DISEASE

Researchers at Edith Cowan University (ECU) are investigating the effects ellagic acid, an antioxidant found in some fruits and vegetables, could have on halting and potentially reversing the damage caused by fatty liver disease. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the physiological manifestation of obesity in the liver. The prevalence of NAFLD has increased from 25.24% in 2015 to 29.38% in 2021, and this condition now accounts for 45.8% of all cases of chronic-liver-disease-related deaths worldwide. There currently exists no treatment for the long-term management of NAFLD; however, dietary interventions
5-27-2024

MAGIC MUSHROOMS MAY ONE DAY TREAT ANOREXIA, BUT NOT JUST YET

Anorexia nervosa is a severe mental health disorder where people fear weight gain. Those with the disorder have distorted body image and hold rigid beliefs their body is too big. They typically manage this through restricted eating, leading to the serious medical consequences of malnutrition. Anorexia has one of the highest death rates of any mental illness. Yet there are currently no effective drug treatments and the outcomes of psychotherapy (talk therapy) are poor. So we’re desperately in need of new and improved treatments. Psilocybin, commonly known as magic mushrooms,
5-27-2024

STUDY FINDS FEEDING INFANTS PEANUT PRODUCTS PROTECTS AGAINST ALLERGY INTO ADOLESCENCE

Feeding children peanuts regularly from infancy to age five reduced the rate of peanut allergy in adolescence by 71%, even after many years when the children ate or avoided peanut as desired. The new findings provide conclusive evidence that introducing peanuts into babies’ diets early will achieve long-term prevention of peanut allergy. Lead investigator Professor Gideon Lack from King’s College London said, “Decades of advice to avoid peanuts has made parents fearful of introducing peanuts at an early age. The evidence is clear that early introduction of peanut in infancy
5-27-2024

EATING MORE FRUITS AND VEGETABLES MAY LEAD TO OPTIMAL SLEEP DURATION

Good health depends on a healthy diet and sufficient exercise and sleep. There are clear associations among these components; for example, good nutrition provides energy for exercise, and many people report that getting enough exercise is important to their ability to get enough sleep. So how might nutrition affect sleep? A new study looks at the connection between fruit and vegetable intake and sleep duration.
5-27-2024

MONITORING THE H5N1 AVIAN INFLUENZA, BIRD FLU, OUTBREAK

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention continues to actively monitor the ongoing outbreak of H5N1 avian influenza, also known as bird flu, and says that the public health risk remains low. Dr. Matthew Binnicker, director of the Clinical Virology Laboratory at Mayo Clinic, says scientists and public health officials have known about avian influenza for decades. “What’s different today is that since 2020, we’re seeing the largest outbreak of avian influenza among wild birds, poultry and backyard bird flocks,” he says. “The virus has also been found in certain
5-27-2024

INTERNATIONAL STUDY REVEALS SURPRISING TWIST IN HOW DIABETES DRUGS HELP THE HEART

A randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial has revealed surprising new insights into how SGLT2 inhibitor drugs, originally developed for diabetes, benefit patients with heart failure. Contrary to common assumptions, these drugs may improve cardiac outcomes and heart health without acting as diuretics. Heart failure is a condition where the heart cannot pump enough blood to meet the body’s demands, often leading to fluid
5-27-2024

FIRST SEIZURE CLINICS REDUCE THE NEED FOR FUTURE HEALTH CARE, RESEARCHERS FIND

Clinics specializing in first seizures reduce the need for patients to present at emergency departments or be admitted to hospital later, Monash University-led research has found. Timely attendance, particularly within 14 days of the seizure, was associated with reduced subsequent all-cause emergency presentations and all-cause hospital admission. Later hospital admissions were reduced by about 25%. First author Dr. Yingtong Li, an adjunct
5-27-2024

CELL-TARGETING TECHNOLOGY CAN ISOLATE NEURONAL SUBPOPULATIONS AND LINK THEM TO BEHAVIORAL STATES

As gene sequencing technologies become more powerful, our understanding of cellular diversity has grown in parallel. This led scientists at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital to
5-27-2024

WATCH OUT FOR THESE HIGH HEAT DANGER SIGNS

Climate change is pushing daytime summer temperatures higher for longer periods of time, and that can spell real danger for folks who work outside, like gardeners and landscapers. Protecting yourself in the heat and knowing the warning signs of heat-related illness is crucial, said Chris Enroth, horticulture educator at University of Illinois Extension. He should know: It happened to him. “When I was working as a landscaper, we had to sod a large backyard during a day when the temperature was over 100 degrees Fahrenheit,” Enroth said. “We were hustling
5-27-2024

STAY SAFE FROM THE SUN AND THAT BACKYARD GRILL THIS MEMORIAL DAY

Memorial Day means firing up that backyard grill for the season, hopefully under warm, sunny skies. You can be sure to enjoy the day without hazards by taking a few simple precautions, said Dr. Mike Ren, an associate professor of family and community medicine at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. Watch out for rising heat and humidity If Memorial day is a scorcher, hydration is key, Ren said. “A good rule of thumb is to drink water regularly throughout the day, aiming for 12 or more cups; when in
5-27-2024

HAD A JOINT REPLACED? STUDY SUGGESTS INFECTION RISK MAY RISE AFTER CHEMOTHERAPY

If you’re one of the millions of Americans walking around with a new knee or hip, your odds for an infection in that joint rise if you ever have to undergo cancer chemotherapy, researchers report. “Given the number of people of receiving total joint replacements each year, as well as the cost both physically, emotionally and financially for those who develop an infection and may need subsequent treatment, we need to understand what factors may increase the risk for postoperative infections,” said study author Dr. Janet Conway. She’s an orthopedic
5-27-2024

ANTIHYPERTENSIVES LINKED TO ECZEMATOUS DERMATITIS IN SENIORS, STUDY FINDS

Antihypertensive drugs are associated with an increased risk for eczematous dermatitis in older adults, and the effect sizes are largest for diuretics and calcium channel blockers, whether antihypertensive drug use is associated with eczematous dermatitis in a longitudinal cohort study of individuals aged 60 years and older without eczematous dermatitis at baseline. The researchers found that the overall prevalence of eczematous dermatitis was 6.7% among 1,561,358
5-27-2024

RESEARCH INDICATES KIDNEYS FROM DECEASED DONORS WHO WERE ON DIALYSIS ARE SUBOPTIMAL

Receipt of a kidney from a deceased donor who underwent dialysis is associated with an increased incidence of delayed graft function, compared outcomes of transplant recipients who received kidneys from deceased donors who underwent dialysis prior to kidney donation versus recipients of kidneys from deceased donors who did not undergo dialysis in a retrospective cohort study using data from 58 U.S. organ procurement organizations. Among the donors with
5-27-2024

NEW THERAPY PROVEN EFFECTIVE AGAINST REJECTION IN KIDNEY TRANSPLANTATION

Antibody-mediated rejection (AMR) is one of the most common causes of kidney transplant failure. To date, however, no treatment has proven effective in combating this complication in the long term. As part of an international and multidisciplinary clinical study led by Georg Böhmig and Katharina Mayer, Clinical Division of Nephrology and Dialysis, Department of Medicine III at MedUni Vienna and University Hospital Vienna, a new therapeutic principle in transplant medicine has been found to be both safe and highly effective. The results were recently published in the New England Journal
5-27-2024

SHARJAH UNIVERSITY PATENTS APPLICATION FOR DISTANCE COVID-19 DIAGNOSIS

Smart Identification of Health Status based on QR Code and User Health Data. Credit: author’s own creation The University of Sharjah has been granted a patent for inventing a smart gadget with the ability to filter user information that will allow doctors to diagnose COVID-19 and other ailments from a distance. The patent, granted by United States Patent and Trademark Office on 1 August 2023, comprises “a display unit, a color code detection unit, an image filter, an optical character recognition unit, a code detection unit and an elimination unit,”
5-27-2024

STUDY REVEALS WHERE DELAYS ARE WORST

When it comes to responding to a stroke, speed is a crucial factor; the longer it takes for someone experiencing a stroke to get to a hospital, the worse the outcome will be. Yet across the United States, delays to treatment can be significant. A Yale study uncovers new insights into factors associated with treatment delays and where in the United States patients are more likely to experience slower responses. The findings, which were published May 24 in the journal Stroke, highlight where interventions should

NEW STUDY SHOWS HEAT WAVES INCREASE RISK OF PRETERM, EARLY-TERM BIRTH

The increased frequency and intensity of heat waves due to climate change puts women at a higher risk of experiencing preterm and early-term labor—jeopardizing the health and well-being of their babies. An analysis of 53 million births that occurred in the 50 most populous U.S. metropolitan areas during the 25-year period 1993–2017, showed
5-27-2024

NOISE-CANCELLING HEADPHONES, EARPLUGS AND EARMUFFS—DO THEY REALLY HELP NEURODIVERGENT PEOPLE?

Noise can make it hard to concentrate, especially for people who are extra sensitive to it. Neurodivergent people (such as those who are autistic or have attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder—ADHD) can experience different sensory sensitivities. Their nervous system may process information differently when they are exposed to sensory experiences such as bright lights, loud noise, strong smells or busy environments. Decreased sound tolerance is estimated to affect up to 70% of autistic people and is described in three ways: hyperacusis (perceiving everyday sounds as loud or painful), misophonia (an aversion to
5-27-2024

MASSACHUSETTS SHELLS OUT NEARLY $400,000 FOR VACCINE RECORD CHECKS IN STATE-RUN SHELTERS

State officials have pumped nearly $400,000 into a program to review the vaccine records of families entering the emergency shelter system, including migrants from other countries who may have foreign documentation, according to the Healey administration. Officials at Boston-based John Snow, Inc., which has long worked with the state, have been contracted to review immunization documents. Since January, more than 1,200 children in state-run shelters have had their records checked, according to the Executive Office of Health and Human Services, or HHS. Vaccine record checks have occurred since September 2023
5-27-2024

LAWSUIT ACCUSES FLORIDA’S PALM BEACH COUNTY HOSPITAL NETWORK OF SHARING PATIENTS’ PRIVATE DATA

The Palm Beach Health Network has become the latest health provider accused of illegally sharing identities and private health information of its patients with the social media company Meta, owner of Facebook. A lawsuit filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in West Palm Beach says the health network’s websites share code with Meta that enables patients to be targeted with advertising on Facebook based on “highly sensitive personal information” they share. It names as defendants the Palm Beach Health Network Physicians Group, doing business as Palm Beach Health Network, and
5-27-2024

CAN THE PLACEMENT OF DENTAL IMPLANTS IN HEAD AND NECK CANCER PATIENTS BE DONE BEFORE RADIATION THERAPY?

Globally, head and neck cancer accounts for 5% of all cancer types, with a mortality rate of 50%. However, in the Nordic countries, head and neck cancer accounts for only 2.6% of all cancers, with a mortality rate of just 30%. But more survivors mean that many must live with extensive damage and side effects
5-27-2024

STUDY FINDS CLIMATE CHANGE INCREASES RISK OF CRYPTOSPORIDIOSIS OUTBREAKS IN NEW ZEALAND

More cryptosporidiosis outbreaks could be on the cards for Aotearoa New Zealand as extreme rainfall events become more frequent, causing higher levels of the diarrhea-causing parasite to be washed into waterways, public health researchers warn. The researchers studied clusters of cryptosporidium outbreaks around the country between 1997 and 2015 and found 13 coincided with severe weather events. Their research is published in the journal Epidemiology & Infection. It is the first study to compare clusters of outbreaks of cryptosporidiosis to severe weather events in Aotearoa.
5-27-2024

RESEARCHERS EVALUATE IMPACT OF NEW FILM’S MESSAGE ON CHILDREN’S AND ADULTS’ BODY IMAGE, SELF-COMPASSION

Unrealistic expectations about what our bodies should look like—whether from the media, friends or family—make adults and children of all ages more vulnerable to body dissatisfaction, eating disorders and other mental health challenges. In a new study published in Body Image, Flinders University experts assessing the program’s usefulness in classrooms highlight the potential for the film “Embrace Kids,” directed by 2023 Australian of the Year Taryn Brumfitt, to achieve large-scale improvements in body image
5-27-2024

STUDY FINDS INCREASED SUICIDAL THOUGHTS, SUICIDE ATTEMPTS AMONG ADOLESCENTS EXPOSED TO EARLY PHASE OF WAR IN UKRAINE

Data Collection in the War-Affected Donetsk Region and Non-War Kirovograd Region. A new study carried out by a multinational research group showed high levels of suicidal thoughts and attempts in adolescents, which were strongly associated with wartime traumatic experiences, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and anxiety. Dr. Sanju Silwal from the Research Center for Child Psychiatry in the University of Turku, Finland, one of the lead authors, says that the study was conducted in two regions that
5-27-2024

STUDY FINDS SIGNIFICANT DISPARITIES IN THE DELIVERY OF CANCER-RELATED CARE

It’s important to ensure that care provided at US hospitals that predominantly serve Black and Hispanic populations is as high-quality as the care provided at other US hospitals. New research reveals significant disparities in the delivery of cancer-related care at minority serving hospitals (MSHs) compared with non-MSHs, however. The findings are published in Cancer. For the study, investigators analyzed information from the National Cancer Database (which accrues approximately 70% of US cancer diagnoses) to identify patients eligible for definitive treatment for breast, prostate, non-small cell lung, and colon cancers between
5-27-2024

WHO SEEKS $7 BN WITH FUND-RAISING REVAMP

The World Health Organization launched Sunday a new financing mechanism that aims to raise $7 billion of funds that can be deployed more quickly and flexibly. The UN agency has traditionally relied on commitments from its 194 member states, but often these are apportioned to specific projects with several conditions attached, including deadlines that can prove too short. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said commitment increases would contribute $4 billion to the agency’s budget of $11.1 billion over the four years through 2028. “The Investment Round aims to mobilize the
5-27-2024

SECOND PERSON DIES OF CHOLERA ON FRENCH ISLAND OF MAYOTTE

Scanning electron microscope image of Vibrio cholerae. Credit: Wikipedia A 62-year-old woman has died of cholera in Mayotte, bringing to two the death toll from the epidemic on the French island in the Indian Ocean, health authorities said on Sunday. The woman died on Saturday at her home in Mamoudzou, the capital, the ARS health authority said in a statement. “Response teams went to the scene to disinfect the home and take care of the deceased’s family and friends”, the statement added. In May, the disease claimed its first life
5-27-2024

ALTERING CELLULAR INTERACTIONS AROUND AMYLOID PLAQUES MAY OFFER NOVEL ALZHEIMER’S TREATMENT STRATEGIES

Researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have made a significant breakthrough in Alzheimer’s disease research by identifying a novel way to potentially slow down or even halt disease progression. The study, which focuses on the role of reactive astrocytes and the plexin-B1 protein in Alzheimer’s pathophysiology, provides crucial insights into brain
5-27-2024

BRAIN DAMAGE STUDY REVEALS PART OF THE BRAIN NECESSARY FOR HELPING OTHERS

Our willingness to help others is governed by a specific brain region pinpointed by researchers in a study of patients with brain damage to that region. Learning about where in the brain “helping” decisions are made is important for understanding how people might be motivated to tackle large global challenges, such as climate change, infectious disease and international conflict. It is also essential for finding new approaches to treating disorders of social interactions. The study, published in Nature Human Behaviour, was carried out by researchers at the University of Birmingham
5-27-2024

IMPROVING AI LARGE LANGUAGE MODELS HELPS THEM BETTER ALIGN WITH HUMAN BRAIN ACTIVITY

NSP as a computational account of discourse comprehension. (A) Humans integrate words and sentences to achieve a full understanding of discourse. In LLMs, the NSP task proposed by BERT can serve as a computational account of human discourse comprehension. (B) Illustration of the MLM task. (C) Illustration of the NSP task and its relevance to the Mason and Just model. (D) Illustration of Mason and Just’s neurocognitive model of discourse processing. Credit: Science Advances (2024). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adn7744 With generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) transforming the social interaction landscape in recent years,
5-27-2024

STUDY EXAMINES METABOLIC REPROGRAMMING OF BREAST CANCER TUMORS DURING NEOADJUVANT CHEMOTHERAPY

In a study published in Nature Communications, scientists have made significant strides in understanding the complex interplay between the immune system and cancer metabolism in breast cancer treatment. The research
5-27-2024

RESEARCHERS EXAMINE EVIDENCE FOR A NOVEL NEURONAL MECHANISM DRIVING ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE

An international team of clinicians and neuroscientists have published a new perspective on the process of neurodegeneration. Their findings review evidence for a mechanism upstream of amyloid including the key neurochemical driving this process. The paper, published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia, focuses on a selective group of neurons (“the isodendritic core”). These cells have a different provenance from neurons in the rest of the brain and have previously been identified as primarily
The research, by a team from Finland’s University of Helsinki, National Institute for Health and Welfare, and Turku University of Applied Sciences, is published in
5-27-2024

WHO CHIEF URGES COUNTRIES TO QUICKLY SEAL PANDEMIC DEAL

WHO countries have spent two years seeking an agreement on tackling pandemics. The World Health Organization chief on Monday urged countries to nail down a landmark global agreement on handling of future pandemics after they missed a hard deadline. Scarred by COVID-19—which killed millions, shredded economies and crippled health systems—nations have spent two years trying to forge binding commitments on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response. Negotiators failed to clinch a deal ahead of this week’s World Health Assembly—the annual gathering of WHO’s 194 member states—the deadline for concluding the talks.
5-27-2024

STUDY DEMONSTRATES HOW GUT MICROBES PROCESS STEROIDS—USING FLATULENCE

It turns out flatulence can serve a purpose beyond being uncomfortable or funny: Gas released by some gut bacteria stimulates other gut bacteria to produce a hormone involved in pregnancy and in an FDA-approved treatment for postpartum depression, according to new research led by Harvard Medical School scientists. The work shows how gut bacteria can produce new hormones from steroids in bile and, in doing so, act like an endocrine organ. This research adds to the growing list of ways gut microbiota may influence human
5-27-2024

PHYSICAL FRAILTY MAY PUT PEOPLE AT GREATER RISK OF DEPRESSION, STUDY FINDS

Individuals who meet at least one of the criteria for physical frailty are at higher risk of also developing depression, a new Yale study finds. The findings—which also include insights into the specific inflammatory molecules and changes in brain structure that could underlie this association between frailty and depression—point to a need for routine assessment of physical frailty in clinical practice, researchers said. The study was published May 23 in Nature Communications. In clinical settings, physical
5-27-2024

RESEARCH TEAM RESOLVES STRUCTURE OF CRUCIAL ENZYME FOR THE FIRST TIME

For the first time, a team co-led by CHU Sainte-Justine researcher and professor in the Faculty of Medicine at Université de Montréal, Alexey Pshezhetsky has succeeded in resolving the unique structure of the HGSNAT enzyme, a deficiency of which causes Sanfilippo syndrome, a rare pediatric disease affecting the central nervous system. Through collaboration with a team from Shanghai University, the structure of this enzyme and the mechanism of its function were revealed using high-performance

So I (40F) recently had to move back into my childhood home with my mom (70). This is the first time I’ve ever had to do this since I left Home to decades ago. Coincidentally, my brother (42) also had to move back home due to a medical issue. Oh, joy.
I wish I didn't have to be here bc I feel it's now changed the way I feel about them. Unlike me, my brother comes back here to live once every couple of years and stays for a few years then leaves again. He hasn't paid a bill here in decades. When he's asked to contribute, gets annoyed. He's argumentative and pretty selfish. I used to look up to him so much, but now I can't unsee how he is. My mom used to call me and complain but to see it in action...wow. I've gotten into two arguments with him since I've been back here like we're in high school. It's ridiculous. My mom complains but then they're chumming it up hours later. It's bizarre.
On Saturday I was leaving the house and noticed we'd run out of toilet tissue. (I dont spend alot of time here if I can help it), but assumed someone would get some since they would be in the house all day. I didn't get back until midnight that night. Go to use the bathroom. No tissue. WTF? There's a store three minutes walking from here and my brother just sat on his ass watching TV and couldn't be bothered, I guess. Not even to help out his elderly mother. I certainly didn't expect my mom to go. So I guess they were using paper towels all day? Next day I'm up and outta here at like 8am. I come back around 10p. Again, no tissue. STILL. I was fkn floored, and pissed. I put my shoes on and get ready to head out to the store (after a long fkn day mind you while everyone else is chilling) and now it's, "Oh, while you're at the store, can you get this, get that?" Why wait until I get home?
My brother often calls me while I'm out and says, "Can you bring me back___? I'll give u the money." I never get the money, so I stopped. My mom sits in her room all day in the literal dark (blinds drawn with a blanket over that) watching TV. She only comes out to pee and cook food for herself two or three times a day. But she's not depressed, she says. Idk what most people in their 70s do, but sitting in front of the TV like a zombie doesn't seem like a way to go out, especially when she's relatively healthy and mobile. She asks me to pay her rent out of my bank account (she gives me the money), or asks me to go to the post office to get her a money order instead of opening a checking account. I didn't mind at first, but after a year of doing this, it's inconvenient now because my plate is full and I dont need not one more task. I told her to open an account bc it’s inconvenient. She says no bc some company overdrew her account one time.
My brother complains about his health all day and sits on the couch smoking weed (against dr's recommendation), sniffing and swallowing snot, and burping every three minutes. Literally. He routinely calls my ex for rides, knowing that man broke my heart and disappointed me so much and is not the person he represented himself to be. For all he knows, the man beat my ass (he didn't) and he's riding around cackling with him like buddies. Thing is, he doesn't want to know because then he'd have to choose me over the convenience of having free rides (he doesn't drive). So screw me, I guess. And he lies when he knows my ex is coming and says "Oh, my ride is here", purposely not saying his name thinking I don't know who's picking him up.‘I think my ex does it to make himself look good bc he knows he’s a POS.
I lent my brother money when I was having my own troubles and it took him a year to pay me back when he said I'd have it “by Friday." I dropped everything and flew across the country on my dollar when he had to have emergency surgery right in the middle of my move to make sure he wasn't alone. I don't expect anything, but maybe some respect for my feelings, some consideration. He actually asked me to put money on his cash card at CVS because he doesn't want to open an account because child support will take the money. He’s asked me to hold money in my account so he doesn’t spend it. I used to acommodate him here and there but now I don’t do shit bc this is not normal. He disgusts me now.
The windows don't open in the bedroom I'm sleeping in, which is full of my brother's shit he brought back with him when he moved bk. My mom won't call anyone to fix them because "I don't like the way the house looks and I don't want people in here." I have two feet of walking space in the room. Not kidding. So I sleep amongst boxes and bullshit with no ventilation.
The house itself is mostly dark even during the day because heat rises and the house stays cooler if you block the sun, Mom says. So no natural sunlight. She actually asked me to paint her kitchen, which I know how to do, but there's a whole 6 ft 5 man sitting on his ass in your living room, Mom. Why not ask him? I am a divorced mother of two; one of my children is autistic and he's having mental health issues now caused by Lyme disease. His dad and I are trying to keep him from killing himself. I have no home of my own, a broken heart and soul, no real money to speak of (spent on treatments insurance wont cover and therapies), and I have to deal with the negative energy of living here with lazy depressed people who don't seem to care if I'm comfortable or not.
Am I crazy? Am I wrong? I'm in such a stressful state right now, I can't tell if I am. But this feels fkd and weird and dysfunctional.
I don’t understand how they care so little about...so little. I feel bad for feeling negatively about my family. It wasn't this way growing up. Gotta go, they're bickering again. And I need to grab my headphones to cancel out the constant burping and snorting.

Hi, I'm writing this post in hope the Rumble team at Blizzard may come across it and consider some of the ideas (listed underneath)
TLDR: Please add a matchmaking system/ Siege and Raid Finder to the game to let players queue up and get into a Siege/Raid game, and please do not limit it to guild mates only. It could work like the "Dungeon Finder" in World of Warcraft.
I'm a long time Blizz fan, grew up playing Blizzard games. The Warcraft franchise is very nostalgic to me and I think Warcraft Rumble’s art style and gameplay are excellent. I used to play a lot of games but nowadays I really only play Rumble. (Since my gaming time is very limited every day I looked for a mobile game to play long term, and decided on Rumble because of the abundance of PVE content.) I have spent a good amount of money here and there too, because I believe in supporting games I enjoy.
I have some suggestions regarding the upcoming Siege and Raid content because I’m concerned that I may miss out on it due to Siege and Raid having to be joined together with a guild mate. My guild is almost full and decently active - we got the War Chest rewards very early into the season, and everybody is doing Darkmoon Faire most of the time. However I notice that it’s very hard to catch another person online at the same time - I think part of the reason is that this is just how mobile games are. For most players, a play session / one sitting is relatively short - the player base likely also has a lot of dads with responsibilities, so they’re more likely to play short sessions multiple times during the day than to sit a long session. So unless you communicate with them before, this timing isn’t gonna match between guild mates. That and the fact that players in a guild may be in any time zone, making it even harder to have guild mates simultaneously online.
I foresee when Sieges and Raids are here I may face difficulty joining because of the above.
I love Rumble and I would like to participate in the new content and see everyone else be able to participate as well. So I have thought of some possible solutions:

1. Please consider adding a matchmaking system for Sieges and Raids, kind of like the “Dungeon Finder” in World of Warcraft. For example, when I look for a Siege game, the system can match me with another player (in any guild and located anywhere in the world) who is also looking for a Siege game, and put us in a Siege. I think this would be better than limiting it to guild mates. (You can still do it with guild mates if you want, but if you can’t catch guild mates online you can get a match from the Finder)
2. If it’s to be limited to guild-only, can we get an AI teammate if no guild mate is online when we want to do Siege?
3. Alternatively if it’s to be limited to guild-only, it could perhaps work this way: If Player 1 is the first in the guild to play this Siege, and nobody else in the guild is currently playing, Player 1 can get an AI teammate to join Siege. Player 1’s actions are then recorded in a replay. Then later if another player in the guild, Player 2, wants to do Siege and nobody else in the guild is currently playing, Player 2 can join “Player 1”, which is essentially the replay of Player 1 deploying units in the recorded order and timing. I know this is not perfect, but most people are playing casually and just want to enjoy some fun content, being able to do it is much better than not being able to do it.

Hello Hello my buds, bobs and babes. We are back at it again with the end of Human Trauma book two. In this one Martinez gets grilled by Ivorn of all people. and when the calm caring man decides you messed up enough that he is yelling at you. lord you must have messed up.
Let's get this bread.
------
Snow drifted lazily around Martinez, the first snowfall this year in Draun. Celna had been under snowpack for weeks, but in this massive city, this was untimely late. Each fresh flake glowed like embers in the evening light, burning just like the Human's ragged breath.
“Get the fuck out of my way,” Martinez barked at a group of aliens, ordering them to make a hole or get barreled through.
This group took the warning of the two-meter-tall man to hearty and skittered away like rats, allowing him to pass.
Those were the smart ones; not all had that many survival instincts. Martinez had crashed through a group of Ruqaura, their flabby builds jiggling as they fell to the duracreet and cursed his existence.
Fuck them; they did not matter, nor did the abject panic Martinez was stirring up in his wake. The Human certainly was causing a scene in the otherwise serene city. Whether the aliens thought he was being chased, was a crazy nutter on the loose, or that he was a deranged rapist, he did not care.
They could think he was a serial killer or a terrorist for all he cared. All Martinez cared about was reaching Shiksie and ensuring she had not done the unthinkable.
By the time Martinez had reached Shiksies posh neighborhood, sweat was flooding off his brow; on her front lawn, he nearly collapsed from vomiting, having just run the fastest he had done in years. Fuck even Raliegh could not hold a candle to the show of speed and athletics Martinez had demonstrated, and that man ran ultra marathons.
Through blurry vision, Martinez looked up at Shiksie’s house. It was as spartan as the last time he was here. The house showed off the owner's simple, straightforward personality, a bold defiance of the bright pastels and gaudily decorated homes of her neighbors.
At least the house had not changed.
Pounding on the door with hammer-like fists, Martinez roared into the gloom. “Shiksie, are you there?”
The milliseconds dragged out into hours; each breath dagged into eternity. With each passing eon, Martinez repeated the process with more desperation, beating the door as if it owed him money.
Each repetition drew on more of the same. A silence so deafening it crushed Martinez’s soul like an ant.
“Please, if you are in there, answer the door,” Martinez barked, punching the door hard enough that his knuckles bled. “I need to know you are alive.”
With no answer coming from inside, Martinez changed tactics. Between savage attacks on the door, he sent texts to everyone both he and Shiksie knew, trying to get any sitrep on her.
No one had any answers for him. They did not know if Shiksie was alright, nor had they seen her in well over a week. That only compounded his worry. Did they not care about her?
` Therein—Nothing, he did not even want to talk to anyone.
Sursee—Nothing other than word that she did not know.
Harsnis, of all people, also had no answers, and that man kept tight tabs on his workers.
What in God's name was going on?
The only one who gave Martinez more than sorrowful nothingness was Ivorn.
Ivorn: Come over to my place; we need to talk.
Considering that beating Shiksies' door was getting him nowhere, and Martinez was not about to break in, he hurried out of Shiksies' neighborhood, destined for Ivorn and Sursees' place in old town.
Martinez glanced over his shoulder, hoping to see Shiksie at her door, but no. All he saw were the neighbors peering from behind curtains at him. He ignored them.
—-
“Henry, it’s great to see you,” Sursee purred after opening the door to her and Ivorns' place.
Sursee was a Prinoral, a small feline-like species that was sociable beyond belief. Like many of her species, Sursee stood only as tall as Martinez’s chest and had traits that made her as cute as a button.
Sursee wore a long, draping dress held loosely around her dainty form. Its bright white color made her golden fur and amber hair stand out boldly. Her radar dish-like cat ears and long flicking tail made her the picturesque housecat-like woman.
“Please, come on in,” Sursee said, stepping abreast of the door and bidding his entry.
“Thanks, Sursee,” Martinez replied, entering and taking stock of their home, having never been here before.
Their apartment was quaint and comforting. Most surfaces and furnishings were colors like autumn, oranges, yellows, and browns, giving the space an overwhelmingly comfortable vibe. That matched with what smelled like freshly baked pumpkin pie, making the entire local breathtaking.
A menagerie of plushies was staged on shelves across the astel, adding splashes of vibrant summer to the otherwise warm home.
Martinez had no doubt the plushies were Sursee’s. She was a little ball of sunshine, and they fit her personality and aesthetic to a T.
“So, Henry, can I get a hug?” Sursee asked, her tail swaying happily behind her while she smiled as bright as sunlight.
“Not now. Where is Ivorn,” Martinez replied instantly.
Sursee pouted, her ears folding flat and tail tucking away. Any semblance of joy that overflowed from her died instantly.
Martinez appreciated that Sursee was listening to Ivorn's advice and not latching onto him like a heat leech, asking first. But he had not registered the sorrow in her—-this was the only time she had been told no to a hung from him. She expected it at this point, even if she was being polite.
“Ive is in his office,” Sursee said, pointing down the hallway.
Before Sursee registered that Martinez had moved, she turned around and picked up a plate of steaming cookies off the coffee table, hoping to help Maetinez feel better. While she did not know the man intimately, she was flawless at gauging emotions, and Martinez oozed sorrow.
“Would you want some—” Sursee trailed off, realizing the Human had already left her alone in the living room.
If pouting harder could be done, she did so. His leaving her like that felt like ice to the soul. She baked the cookies for him once Ivorn had told her Martinez was coming over. But the Human did not care about that or Sursee’s feelings.
Opening the indicated door, Martinez found Ivorn lounging behind a desk, reading a book with a massive smile across his face.
“What do we need to talk about?” Martinez asked.
Ivorn jumped at the intrusion and squirreled the book away. Not having expected Martinez for several hours. “Do you not know how to knock?”
“Where is she?” Martinez asked, ignoring everything but Shiksie.
Ivorn sighed, leaning back in his chair. “Not even a hello, huh? I get it.” Ivorn said. “Sit,” he finished by gesturing at a seat across from him.
Martinez was about to argue and tell Ivorn to get to the point, but the alien man could read him like a book and beat him to the punch.
“I get you are likely upset, but can I please explain,” Ivorn insisted.
“Fine,” Martinez grumbled and sat down, knowing this was the only way he would get any answers.
Over the next few minutes, Ivorn calmly explained what had happened with Shiksie after he head left. According to Ivorn, once Martinez had left Shiksie in her house, she drank; drank to the point it was nearly lethal.
By the time Ivorn had arrived, she was three beers deep and was about to have liver failure. If not for Martinez telling Ivorn she would have died. Following that, Shiksie spent several days in the ICU, needing it to not die.
After Shiksie was out of the ICU, she vanished, never showing up to work again. The director also told Ivorn not to mention anything that happened between Martinez and Shiksie to anyone, along with instructions to funnel the human to the Director once he returned.
“So you don’t know where she is?” Martinez said.
“No, I don’t,” Ivorn admitted.
“Then why the fuck am I here? I need to find her,” Martinez replied, standing up and heading toward the door.
“No, you are not,” Ivorn barked, stopping Martinez. “The director made it clear. The only reason you were not fired, and she was not in jail, was because Shiksie left.”
Martinez turned around and glared at Ivorn, knowing damn well what the director had pulled his friend into—a cover-up. Things like that were all to common in the Military and large corporations. It was easier to hush things up than face the reality of what happened. ;
“So for your own sake. Forget about her,” Ivorn sighed.
“Forget her! What the fuck are you on about. She is my friend; I have to help her,” Martinez argued, stepping forward and leaning on the desk with both hands. “She needs help.”
“Oh, does she? I dont think she does. You just want to feel better after having made her nearly kill herself.” Ivorne challenged with a growl—the last two weeks of having to hold his emotions overflowing.
Ivorn might like Martinez as a friend, but Shiksie deserved more than this. She was kind, a bit aloof, but for Kilera’s sake, why did she have to fall in love with a detestable asshole who thought he could solve everything alone.
Martinez paused and was taken aback by the challenge. Of course, he wanted to help her. Shiksie was his friend, mentor, and a woman he lov—er liked dearly. This was not about him but her.
“Are you high? I want to make sure she is OK,” Martinez replied, pointing at Ivorn.
“Oh, shut the fuck up and stop grandstanding,” Ivorn replied, standing to his full height. Usually, Ivorn, due to his gorilla-like build and posture, only stood as tall as Martinez. But at his full grandeur—he nearly touched the ceiling. “If you gave a fuck about her, you would have asked for help with her. You would not have gone into her house, knowing damn well she loved you.”
Ivorn stepped around the desk and jammed a finger into Martinez’s chest. “Now you have the fucking gall to think she needs you? How about you face reality and understand you fucked up and can't fix it.”
“Woah Ivor—” Martinez started backing up, but his friend persisted.
“How about you get that you are not some infallible bastion? What you have done has caused so many issues. My friend and mentor is gone; now we all have to suffer because you just had to not say no!” Ivorn growled, nearly pressing Martinez to the wall.
“We all like you. Sursee, Shiksie, Therein, Harnsis, fuck even me. But dude, you fucked up and have just to let bad enough die,” Ivorn said, backing up and giving Martinez some room. “Just go talk to the director in the morning. He will tell you the same.”
Martinez was going to argue to assure Ivorn he could fix this. But Sursee stepping into the room deflated any tension between the two.
“Can you two not yell at each other?” Sursee asked.
Ivorn turned to Sursee, returning to his usual leisurely posture. “Don’t worry about it, Sursee. Henry was just leaving. Right?” Ivorn said, looking at Martinez, his last shred of patience visible.
“Yeah. I am,” Martinez said, slipping past Sursee, who, for her lovable part, tried to reach out and grab him, but Ivorn stopped her and shook his head.
Martinez stormed out of the house and went toward his own, refusing to believe that he could do nothing to fix this. There was always something he could do. He just did not know the answer yet.
Without a doubt, even if he had to sell his soul to the devil, Martinez knew he would find Shiksie and make this all ok.
It just would cost him, blood, sweat, tears, and all he had to give.
​
------
So what did you all think of book two? Shiksie is MIA, Lysa is going through mood swings, and Martinez needs to get he cant fix it all on his own. We covered a lot in this book and we will cover even more in the third book where Chloe, Martinez, Lysa, and the rest of our cast will have to deal with a kidnapping ring, doctors, and their own physiology.
Please do not forget to updoot, and comment. I will see you all there.
your baker
-Pirate
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Hi there! We just wrapped up our wedding last weekend and I found this community super helpful when I was researching and planning my own wedding. I'm sharing this breakdown in hopes that I can give back to the group via some information sharing! I'm modeling this post after another super helpful budget breakdown post I saw a few weeks ago. Feel free to AMA in the comments - though I'm heading out on our honeymoon in two days and may be slow to reply while we're gone! :)

What is NOT included in the breakdown:

Engagement ring, wedding bands, honeymoon, bachelor & bachelorette parties. And the following things were covered by our parents as a gift: rehearsal dinner ($700 + tip for 30 people at Peking Restaurant), hotel stay (~$500 for 2 nights at Infinity Hotel), after party (~$300 + tip for 25 people at Campus Bar in the Marina)

The breakdown:

Expense	Cost	Vendor	Notes
All-Inclusive Elite Package for 90 guests	$31,353.77	Wedgewood Weddings	Included Ceremony + Reception Venue Booking, Invitations, Cake Cutting Set, DJ, Catering, Set Up/Breakdown, Open Bar, Linens, Table Settings, Cake, Floral Centerpieces, Sweetheart Table Florals, plus bonus decor they provided (votives, easels, table stands)
Additional Florals (Centerpieces & Sweetheart Table included in above line item)	$2,865.15	Angella Floral Design (WW Vendor)	Arch Florals, 1 large Bride Bouquet, 6 Bridesmaid Bouquets, Aisle Petals, Large Welcome Table Floral, Floral arrangement for base of sign
Bistro Lights and Draping	$3,310.00	Brown A/V (WW Vendor)
Photo & Video	$4,000.00	Gala Photo & Films	8 hours of photo and video, We had two photographers & 1 videographer. Includes a 3-5 min highlight reel, 30-45 min documentary style video, 500-700 edited photos, and an engagement shoot. Marc and Gia were amazing through this entire process, and I 100% recommend their team.
Save the Dates	$40.00	Canva + USPS
Boba Cart	$1,308.00	Boba Passion	Two hours of boba bar serving time (fully staffed) and a really cute boba bar cart. Sharlene and Lowell were so sweet to work with, and had a really great tasting process so that I could build my boba menu. This was a huge hit with the guests!
Misc Decor	$678.08	Etsy & Amazon	Match Bottle Favors, Seating Chart, Guest Book, Card Box, Flower Girl Baskets, Dried Florals for Table Setting, Welcome Mirror, Blankets for Guests
Donuts & Egg Tarts	$302	Dynamo Donuts & AA Bakery	Cake was included in our package, but we also ordered donuts for our vegan guests and egg tarts for our older Chinese guests. We ordered for pick up and had a family member pick up & drop off to the venue. The venue graciously provided dessert table decor (stands, donut wall holder)
Suit	$3,000	Tailor's Keep	My partner really wanted to splurge on his suit, especially because he works in finance and will have plenty of opportunities to rewear it. He got a fully custom-made suit + shirt made by the SF location of Tailor's Keep and absolutely loved the process. Definitely a splurge though!
Wedding Dress	$1,400	Blue Sky Bridal	A beautiful secondhand Louvienne Theo dress (it had pockets!) which originally retailed for close to $3K. Highly recommend Blue Sky Bridal for an amazing selection of secondhand and sample (basically new!) dresses. It was great to be able to shop "second hand" and still have a boutique-like shopping experience. All of the dresses are in amazing condition and well-taken care of.
Dress Alterations	$589.23	Le Caprice	I had my dress hemmed (had a few layers), buttons added down the back, bust adjusted to fit better, straps shortened, added a bustle, and cups put in. They also pressed my dress before pick up.
Cathedral Veil	$327.38	Le Caprice	I ordered a cheap one off of Azazie and absolutely hated how it looked/laid, so splurged for a nicer one from Le Caprice. If I had to do it again, I probably would've spent more time looking for a more affordable veil.
Hair & Make Up (Bride)	$680	Joyce Zhou Designs	Joyce was super sweet and knew exactly how to work with my Asian features. My hair held through 16MPH SF winds the day of the ceremony, which I was so grateful for! This also included a 15 minute hair & make up session for the groom.
Hair & Make Up (Trial)	$380	Joyce Zhou Designs
Hair & Make Up (Partial for Bridesmaids & Family)	$1,370	Joyce Zhou Designs	It was $230 for both hair & make up per bridesmaid, and $130 if you only did one service. We covered the full cost for our family members and $130 per bridesmaid. This total includes the full cost of single service for MOG & Best Person ($130 each), full cost of hair and make up for MOB and MOH ($230 each), and then 5 additional bridesmaids. They did services for 9 people, plus myself and my partner.
Groomsmen Suits	$1,500	SuitSupply	We contributed $500 per groomsmen for them to buy a custom suit from SuitSupply. The suits turned out great and now all of our groomsmen have something they can rewear in the future!
Bridesmaid Dresses	$643.13	Azazie	I let my bridesmaids choose the style of their dresses, and then waited for a Black Friday sale to order them. We covered the cost of the dresses.
Lion Dancers	$700	Leung's White Crane Association	We paid $700 which included 2 lions for a 15-20 minute performance that included benches + scrolls.
String Quartet	$1,170	SF Conservatory of Music	Hands down one of the best last minute decisions we made. The guests loved it, it made the ceremony music extra special, and it didn't cost and arm & a leg since we went through the SFCM. Someone on this Reddit thread suggested them and I could not be more grateful!
Tips	$990	-	There was a 22% service charge included with our WW bill, but we felt that many of our vendors went above and beyond so we tipped them. We gave $150 to our DJ, $100 to our coordinator, $350 to our photo/video team, and I can't remember the exact dollar amounts but also tipped 4 servers, a banquet captain, hair & make up, and the string quartet.

Wedgewood Experience

We went back and forth when booking our venue because we had heard really mixed reviews about Wedgewood Weddings. At the end of the day, my partner and I didn't have a strong preference regarding our vendors and our top priority was to have a stress-free and painless wedding planning process. Since we didn't have a "vision" for the big day, Wedgewood was absolutely perfect for us. Their planning process is well structured, organized, and saved us the headache of having to vet, source, and coordinate with our own vendors. And, because they turn over weddings on a regular basis there were so many things that they provided that we didn't need to purchase because they just have on hand for each wedding. For example, they had a cake stand, ceremony arch (those are expensive to rent!), easels for our signs, table numbers (we opted to use our own) and table number holders.
We did the Elite package (the top tier) which included almost everything we needed for the day, and then worked with our Wedgewood coordinators to make actual selections regarding menu, design/decor, and all of that fun stuff. All of the vendors we booked through Wedgewood were amazing (DJ, florist, cake, open bar, etc.) and we got really great feedback on the food as well which was probably the strongest unknown for us (we did a buffet with salads, rice pilaf, panko chicken, five cheese tortellini, and a prime rib carving station).
The coordinator was also able to handle a lot of other things the day of like tip distribution, setting up all of our personal decor, managing our timeline, and even coordinated with a few of our outside vendors (lion dancers, boba bar, photo/video, and string quartet). Their services were so comprehensive we absolutely didn't need any outside coordination services. Our day of coordinator was AMAZING and I really appreciated how on top of things he was. We had a snafu where our lion dancers were double booked (!) and 40 minutes late to our grand entrance, and our coordinator finessed our timeline and worked with the DJ to make sure the switch up was seamless. The guests didn't notice that anything had gone wrong, and it was so nice that we didn't have to worry about it ourselves.
Re: The Log Cabin specifically - We thought the venue was the perfect size for a wedding of 90 people or smaller. It was perfectly warm, cozy and intimate which is what we wanted. The outdoor ceremony area has an amazing peekaboo view of the Golden Gate Bridge, and Karl the Fog cooperated so that we could have the perfect backdrop to our ceremony. I know when I was reviewing venues, one of the concerns someone else had raised about The Log Cabin was that it is just over the freeway (where cars enter the GGB) and that there's a softball field nearby that makes parking difficult. We didn't have issues with either -- no one even noticed that the freeway was there, and the A/V system made it so it wasn't an issue even if there was any freeway noise. Our package included a parking lot buy out so parking was a breeze and it also included a security guard to ensure no one random strolled onto the property.

Areas for Cost Savings

• Wedding Party: We covered a lot of things for our wedding party because it was within our means and we wanted to show our appreciation for them. In lieu of wedding party gifts, we covered half the bridesmaids hair & make up services (and made the other half optional), subsidized the groomsmen suits, and paid for the bridesmaid dresses. This is definitely something that would have saved us several thousand dollars if we hadn't, and I think our wedding party would have been totally fine if we hadn't.
• Lights: Bistro lights and draping made for amazing photos, but this was definitely a nice to have and not a need to have.
• Party favors: Honestly, I had read so many comments about not doing them because most people leave them behind. We did custom match bottles and small dried floral magnets, and most of them got left behind. However, we went into it knowing that it might be the case but decided to still move forward because we thought it would add a nice look to the table scape. There were a few people who were extremely sentimental and thrilled to have the favors to bring home. We'll see how they look in photos once the detail pics come in. :) If you're looking for an area to cut costs though, ABSOLUTELy skip the favors.
• Wedding Dress: I definitely could have found a more affordable wedding dress via David's Bridal, Brides for a Cause, or even at Blue Sky Bridal (there were plenty of options <$1000) but I ended up falling in love with my dress. If you're on a budget, definitely stick to trying on dresses within that range or you might risk getting attached to something out of budget. I didn't want to spend $1400 on my dress, but made the mistake of pulling it off the rack without checking the price tag. I was lucky enough to be able to afford it, but would have been heartbroken if I couldn't.
• Groom's Suit: Honestly, Tailor's Keep was such a splurge but my now husband was SO SO happy with the process. I think if you're not someone who wears suits a lot, or just doesn't have a need for that nice of a suit you could rent to save $. Or if you want to get a nice custom suit that doesn't break the bank, SuitSupply did an amazing job with our groomsmen suits and had plenty of options in the $500-800 range.
• Veil: I splurged on my veil (~$300) and this is probably my biggest regret. You only wear it for the ceremony - and my ceremony was SO windy - and it honestly doesn't end up looking the way you think it will trailing behind you... unless you have a perfectly windless day. Most of my photos are without the veil, and I think they looked amazing without it. If I could do it over, I'd nix the veil and save myself a few hundred dollars.
• Extra Desserts: We had so much leftover dessert... at the end of the night most people are off at the bar, using the photo booth, or dancing. I feel like most of our guests either opted to skip or just totally forgot the desserts were there!

Hello everyone.

Skip the intro if you're not interested!

I'm Jay, the founder of 24 Hour Designs. We're a design agency, that focuses on creating high-quality designs for our clients. I recently moved from Los Angeles to France and found it difficult to maintain an "offline" presence like I did in the past. As this was the primary driver of business, I needed to make an adjustment.
In December of 2023, I decided to dedicate the next 2-3 months to learning various platforms like Linkedin, X (Twitter), Reddit, Quora, Slack Communities, Pinterest, Instagram, and TikTok. Really anything that could add value to my business.
After about 3 months I started to find success. Between all of the platforms I tested, I was averaging 20,000+ views each day for my business. This created some traffic, but minor. Fast forward to today, and that number now exceeds 665,000 views per day between Linkedin, Reddit, X (Twitter), and Pinterest.
I dwindled down my list of platforms based on what [is] working. Others worked better in the past, but as things changed, I doubled down on my winners!

Here are my daily tasks:

1. Social arbitrage. This requires you to take similar pieces of content and share them in different ways on different platforms. For example, you can have 1-post, adjust the hook and closing, and post it in 9 different ways on a single platform (not all at once). Then, you can do the same process, with the same content on another platform. It's a lot of posting, but it gives you an opportunity to learn what works, as an expert might!
2. Friendly engagement with others. Like, comment, upvote/downvote, and re-post other people's content. Not only does it help them, but they almost always respond back with a thank you, which draws attention back in your direction, the right way
3. Optimizing your profile will show professionalism, and position your services, without you needing to make any hard sales. If people visit your profile, they will let their own curiosity guide them!
4. Create utilitarian content daily. It's no different than this post I am creating for you now. You can steal these ideas and apply them to yourself. Who knows, perhaps you'll get 2x - 3x more traffic than I can produce!!!
5. Go above and beyond if you can. A good example of this is trying to answer someone's question, even if you don't know it. It's not so hard to perform a quick Google search and come back with something. Even if you're wrong, you tried, and people take notice!

In the past, I would spend evenings at tech events, or meetups that were highly niche to meet players in my field. I can no longer do this, and rely on great relationships and referrals! This is also great, but you need to make sure people still know you're alive!

The value of 10,000+ organic users each month

Spending ads is important, and the likely evolution of any business. Before you make a financial commitment, it's great to use that traffic to help you learn a few things. For me, I used tools like Inspectlet, and Hotjar to record sessions (privately). This showed me where users were struggling when they came to my site. When I had the opportunity to see it, I would catch things that needed to be fixed. Sure I spent 2 hours a day working for that traffic, but how much money did it save me, as I now move into the ad networks.
Here are a few examples:

1. Optimizing your funnel - How are users learning about your product or service? Use this opportunity to learn why users are dropping off, as the funnel gets more narrow towards the bottom.
2. Designing a world-class web experience - What you think is beautiful may not be functional. Watch how users are interacting with your website, and make quick changes if users get stumped and leave!
3. Conversions - Optimize text, buttons, and pathways that drive users toward your desired action.
4. Bugs, Testing, and Quality Assurance - Chances are for every support ticket you receive, you're probably not getting 100 more. Even today I tried creating a simple ad on Reddit, and it was impossible. I eventually found a workaround, but there was absolutely no support. Had I not been determined, I would have quit, and not tried again.
5. Sales, email automation, lost-cart automation, upsells - You will not know if people add to cart, and leave. You may not capture their email. Many things can happen, and opportunities get lost, only because our website isn't built to maintain the attention of a potential buyer! Use this opportunity to maximize sales output!

Conclusion

The tips I provided will only begin to make sense as you start to build, and market for yourself. I highly suggest saving/bookmarking this post. Read it today, come back later, read it again. As time goes along, read it once more. The information will start to click. It will make more sense once you know about all of the options out there.
The products, and projects change, but the processes typically do not, and part of that is because we are dealing with humans on the opposite side of every interaction and experience. Platforms and algorithms will certainly change, you just have to know what those changes are and adjust accordingly!
If you made it this far, I want to say thank you for reading. I detailed a lot of great information here. If you want to take your startup or business to the next to level, check out my latest book!

Denise Pilnak was a neighbor of Nicole’s. Her telephone bill shows she was on the phone from 10:25 PM and 10:28 PM. Prior to making this phone call, she and her friend noted how quiet the neighborhood was. Several minutes later between 10:33 and 10:35 PM, she testified that’s when she began to hear the sound of a barking dog, which is likely when the murders began. Allan Park testified to seeing OJ near the front door of the Rockingham estate at 10:55 PM, and his telephone records also document that. That leaves less than 25 minutes to commit the murders, drive back home, get rid of the evidence, etc.
Both Nicole and Ron had defensive wounds. Ron in particular was in hand to hand combat with whoever killed him, yet OJ had no injuries. The cut on his finger wasn’t seen by anyone who interacted with him at the airport, on the airplane ride to Chicago, nor when he immediately landed in Chicago. This includes people who got autographs from him, shook hands with him, and observed his hands. A broken glass was also found in his hotel room and it was documented he asked for a bandage at the hotel.
The FBI searched all of OJ’s and Nicole's credit card records and there was never any receipt found belonging to either of them that showed a purchase of Bruno Magli shoes. Every store that sold the shoes in the country was also searched, and they couldn't find anyone who sold him the shoes. The only proof of him owning them are the National Enquirer photos, which show him wearing suede shoes on a very rainy day. It was also found that the shoe soles that were said to be OJ's footprint were actually more popular than the prosecution maintained, the manufacturer sold the pattern to numerous shoe lines.
1.5 milliliters of OJ’s blood went missing from its vial. Thanos Peratis, the nurse who withdrew his blood, initially testified that he withdrew 8 milliliters. He took that back when only 6.5 appeared and the prosecution suggested he was mistaken. About a decade later he admitted to William Dear that he was certain he withdrew 8 millimeters because it was the amount he had drawn from patients all of his career, but he was close to retirement and had health problems so he didn’t want to cause any trouble.
The glove found at Bundy contained none of OJ’s DNA. The other glove found at Rockingham only contained his DNA in the area where Collin Yamauchi testified to spilling OJ's reference blood sample while handling it.
An identical knit cap matching the knit cap found lying on the ground next to one of the gloves was found in Nicole’s house. Those caps likely belonged to Sydney and Justin Simpson.
Two different people, John Meraz and William Blasini, encountered the Bronco at the lot where it had been impounded days after the murders. They both looked inside it for blood and testified they saw none. There was also only 1/8th of one drop of blood ever found inside it.
New York Times best selling author and journalist Stephen Singular was contacted by an anonymous source within the LAPD about the case a few weeks after the murders. He was told Mark Fuhrman made an undocumented trip to Rockingham in the early morning hours after the murders looking for evidence that would incriminate OJ. Rosa Lopez, a housekeeper for OJ’s next door neighbor, testified to hearing men’s voices coming from the yard of Rockingham in the early morning.
The source told Singular that Fuhrman used a broken piece of fence from Bundy to pick up one of the two gloves found and placed it in a blue plastic bag. Next, he was told Fuhrman removed the glove from the plastic bag and planted it at Rockingham. A broken piece of fence was eventually found at Bundy and a blue plastic bag was found at Rockingham, and both were introduced as evidence in the trial.
He was also told EDTA would be found in some of the blood evidence if tested, lab technicians had mishandled OJ’s blood samples, vials of OJ’s, Nicole’s, and Ron's blood were in possession of an LAPD detective for several hours before being booked into evidence, and that Fuhrman had been acquainted with Nicole in some way.
Singular relayed this information from the source to the defense team and was in communication with them for awhile. Pretty much all of it checked out, including an investigation conducted by the LAPD's Internal Affairs Division which revealed that Fuhrman was overheard by other LAPD officers bragging about being intimate with Nicole and seeing her boob job before she was murdered.
There were 17 fingerprints lifted from the Bundy crime scene that didn’t belong to OJ or any of the police officers involved in the case.
Brett Cantor ran a nightclub called The Dragonfly where Ron worked for him as a waitepromoter. Nicole was also a regular at the club. He was murdered a year before them in almost exactly the same way, by being stabbed repeatedly in the upper body and being nearly decapitated. Judge Ito ruled the defense team could review his case. His murder remains unsolved.
Casimir Sucharski, a friend of OJ's, was murdered alongside two female companions in his house in Florida by people with machine guns two weeks after Ron and Nicole were murdered.
Michael Nigg was friends with Ron and also worked at the Mezzaluna restaurant. He was murdered a year later in 1995 by being shot in the head after refusing to give his money to two men outside an ATM. The men who shot him didn't end up taking his money. His murder remains unsolved.
Not saying these murders are necessarily related to each other but it does make you wonder since all of these people reportedly led similar lifestyles which involved the use of cocaine. Faye Resnick, a cocaine addict, was also living with Nicole just days before the murders.
If you listen to the full 1993 911 call, OJ was mostly yelling about drugs and hookers being in the house. When police officers responded to the call, Nicole told the responding officers that OJ hadn’t hit her in four years. After the 1989 domestic violence incident, OJ added an addendum to their prenuptial agreement which stated that if he struck Nicole again, she would‘ve been entitled to a settlement of more than 5 million dollars.
OJ wasn't scheduled to be in LA during that week. He had been busy working and made a last minute decision to come back for Sydney's recital. Video taken of him afterwards shows him in a good mood, kissing his kids and the Brown’s goodbye.
Christian Reichardt spoke with OJ on the phone an hour before the murders and testified his demeanor was jovial and not indicative of a simmering murderous rage.
His telephone records also show he made phone calls trying to set up dates with a few models, one of which he told he was unattached to anyone. If he was in a jealous rage over Nicole, why was he trying to date other women?
After the bodies were discovered, Sydney told the police she heard her mommy (Nicole) fighting & crying with her best friend (Faye Resnick) on the phone earlier that night.
Sydney was planning to have a sleepover that night with one of her friends. According to family and friends who attended the recital and dinner, OJ was aware of this. Committing a murder with all those extra witnesses and the possibility of having the kids hurt or things getting out of control, in addition to having a flight to catch, doesn’t make sense.

My haikus smell like burnt coffee; I'm too bitter to make the world dance.
I gave you 100 dollars because I trusted you; I gave you my last 100 dollars because I loved you. When you asked me about it You said "by Wednesday" That was two weeks ago. Where is it?
I don't give a fuck about meter; I got a story to tell. Go somewhere else if you want an overly transcendental epic about the ocean. Go talk to somebody who grew up rich.
I've been out of work for a few months, 401k gutted out, I spent it on a 6-week cycle. That last few bucks was my savior.
If you talk to me about a William Blake poem, I'm going to spit in your mouth. I don't care about the metaphors my sugar is too low to think about symbolism.
Mom, I needed that 100 dollars. I have nothing at home to eat. I'm sick of living off Omari. I don't even want to look him in the eyes anymore. Our relationship will never recover.
Somebody go tell Rumi and Walt Whitman to go fuck themselves! We don't need any more romance in poetry. Publications are dumb. Magazines diluted. They call it ignorant if it comes from the soul.
Yes mom! I'm calling you until you pick up and no, I don't care if you're at work. I'm hungry. I can't keep eating my sister's food. I can't keep living off white rice and black coffee.
Oh Mr. Richard Wright, I'm sorry for the criticisms. Zora Neale Hurston did romanticize poverty. I was a 21-year-old art student. I thought the world could be saved with a smile and a kiss.
You drink as much as me. There was never an emergency. "Pick up the fucking phone."

Hi all. I've been dealing with L4/L5 herniated disc back pain for over 5 years now. What started as a herniation turned into overcompensating muscle pain that just won't seem to go away. I'm currently in physical therapy.
Here's everything I've learned and used in the past few years. As someone that's spent hundreds of dollars over the years trying to alleviate pain I wanted to pass on my knowledge to you. I've included a description of how each item helped me, and I'm also including the full product name if you don't want to click on the link directly.
Exercise Tools
A foam roller with ridges goes a long way for blood flow and pain relief. It helps with pressure points in the glutes, cracks my back, and acts as a massager all in one. I couldn't find the original one I bought, it's a big longer but these seem to have great reviews: Product: 321 STRONG Foam Roller - Medium Density Deep Tissue Massager
A tennis ball for pressure point release, I tried a lacrosse ball and found it to be too hard. I both sit/lay on the ball as well as use it against the wall. I get a pack and stash them everywhere,cars, office, folks' house, bedroom, living room, you name it. Product: 18 Pack Tennis Balls
For the Car, Office, Home
Next is a lumbar support back and seat cushion. These have been a dream. I was looking for the seat cushion and got the lumbar support as well. I use them to sit on the couch and it elevates my core and trunk. It helps me to sit up straight and removes pressure from the area that's been suffering. Definitely recommend these. Product: FORTEM Lumbar Support Pillow and matching FORTEM Chair Cushion
Sleeping Pillows
I have several pillows when I sleep. I've found luck with several.
One is a knee pillow, this one is great for travel since it's smaller, and easy for people that like to turn over a lot.
Product: 5 STARS UNITED Knee Pillow for Side Sleepers
The other is a half moon pillow, of which I have two. I actually prefer this for several reasons. One is that it doesn't rest just between my thighs, I actually put it long-ways between my knees, calves and ankles. Plus, it's longer so when I turn over on my back I can easily shift it to directly under my knees. I have two to stack for when I'm lounging in bed. Product: 5 STARS UNITED Knee Pillow for Back Sleeping
Back tape. I try to only use this when I've flared up so my muscles don't get too used to it. But it's a dream for plane rides, road trips, or days when you're planning to be up and moving a lot.
When it comes to KT tape, and I've used a lot in the last 5 years, there is one clear winner in my book: Product: Rock Tape 2 ft roll
If you already know you want the tape and plan to be using it often, spend the money on the larger roll, it saves in the long run.
Get a good pillow for your head too. It helps me to make sure it's only cradling my head and not my upper back. Normally I don't like buying pillows online but these have great reviews and I've been very happy with them. Product: Coop Home Goods The Essence Down Alternative Pillow
What else?
For a while I was using an inversion table. It feels really good to stretch out and did help me for a while. The hardest part is apartment living as it's not exactly space saving. However it does fold up and if you have the space for it it's great to have. There are more expensive ones but I didn't see any issue with this one: Product: Innova Inversion table
If I'm planning on being on my feet a lot I use a back brace, but I read (maybe someone can confirm or deny) that it trains the muscles not to work so you're possibly doing more damage in the long run. Product: Sparthos Back Support Belt
Work
A moveable standing desk is life changing. Not even just for standing but the ability to move the desk to the height you actually need to sit up straight. Product: FLEXISPOT EC1 Electric Adjustable Height Standing Desk 48x30
A good chair and/or yoga ball. Perhaps someone in the comments can recommend a good chair, as that's something I'll need next. I currently use a yoga ball and a wobble board when I'm standing. Product: Trideer Yoga ball Product: Amazon Basics wobble board
My colleague used to sit on a Gaiam yoga ball chair. She swore by it and she used it the entire 3 years we worked together so it must have been doing something right.
Exercise
Two different physical therapists have recommended Pilates to me. There are a ton of YouTube videos so I'll let you find one you like, but the biggest thing that's stressed to me is making sure it's traditional Pilates, and making sure your form is correct.
I was also told to do drinking birds, bridge pose, and clam shells whenever I can. (These links all take you to YouTube).
Staying consistent with exercise and stretching definitely helps keep the pain at bay, as does walking on a regular basis to stave off being sedentary.
I don't do Apple watches (addicted to enough devices) but I did purchase a used FitBit to just track my steps. I know you can search "Used" on Amazon but I actually found mine on Poshmark. Works great.
Diet
I'm not going to go too much into diet since it's a controversial topic, but here are some big things that helped me:
Cutting out alcohol entirely helped with more than just the inflammation, but gave me the energy I needed to tackle the pain.
I've added more whole fruits to my diet as well and cut back significantly on ultra-processed foods.
Cutting back on caffeine helped my sleep tremendously which helped recovery time for pain.

As many other's I highly anticipated Homeworld 3 as the next entry of the Homeworld franchise, but the experience and gameplay leave me disappointed to a degree where I don't see myself playing this game long-term. The developers really need to take a step back and work on the core gameplay mechanics to deliver an entertaining experience, rather than delivering the DLC content to a soon to be dead game. In a sense the game did not innovate enough to fully realize it's potential and feels like a mod to the earlier games. I miss innovation and long term replay value. I do intend to give constructive feedback with the hopes of the game ending up better for it. A dream would be for the game to embark on a redemption arc and receive major reworking updates this year to be formed into something better, but maybe that's just hopeful thinking.

Campaign

A redeeming quality was the varied mission design. I would have hoped for more missions and mission types (harvest/escort/intercept etc.).
The story was dissatisfying and cringe. I understand that it is a challenge to match the original gravitas of Homeworld 1 with the last of their kind setting aside differences and embarking on a journey to reclaim their homeworld. However, the lore offers near limitless potential to tell more epic stories than the one that was delivered. I take particular issue with the one-dimensional and childish portaial of the antagonist - it's almost offensive to consider that this was settled on.
This Campaign is a done deal and the damage is done, enough has been said about that in other places. I could look past the campaign if there was a great game beyond that, but unfortunately there are a lot of gripes.

Wargames

I see potential in this mode provided some tuning and more variety. I started seeing repetition too early. The difficulty does not appear to scale for solo runs, though. I tried multiple runs but typically got overwhelmed by enemy multiple destoyers while only having strikecraft and frigates. A way to beat wargames solo involves cheesing the capture mechanics on mission 1 to amass captured frigates, along with having the right fleet and relics, and sometimes abusing bomber cloak with passive stance. This is not fun or entertaining. I see this designed for multiple players taking on different roles, but a solo mode should absoultely be viable.

• Wargames needs more varienty and challenge tuning based on the number of players.
• I'd love the ability to pause or control speed when playing solo
• Later maps should allow to hyperspace in battlecruisers

Relic design: There are so many to pick from, and RNG is a problem, especially if it doens't align to your fleet. I'd rather propose pre-defined relic tech trees that you progressively unlock/progress per relic, and you could spec these into distinct 'builds' over the course of missions, and in alignment to your fleet. Fleets could have distinct trees to explore, which would add to replay value, and there could be different relic types that progress different branches.
The relic buffs are extreme, but most also have downsides. A notion is that this having tech trees will allow for more granular balancing and customization, without having to worry about the various relic effects stacking and interacting. It would allow for a more defined progression, and the advancement would benefit the fleet, as the benefit is aligned to its niche.
Generally, information about fleet attributes is a bit lacking. I'd appreciate more information about pros/cons, unit unlocks, unit limits (and tech trees).

Skirmish

Skirmish is not that interesting given the small maps and design of the tech tree. The gameplay is rather chaotic with an emphasis on the earlier tiers. Resources are limited, and matches may not last long enough for capital ships to be relevant.

• More objective-driven gameplay would make it more interesting (holding/fortifying certain postions)
• There could be strategic points with limitless RCU like mining asteroids or megastructure outlets etc. to control
• Symmetrical maps!

Abuse of capture mechanic

This was a thing in the first game where you captured all the beam frigates, but really it's not a good mechanic if it can be cheesed to go beyond the unit limits. In mission 9 I amassed an armada of battle cruisers and steamrolled the later missions with them. Why destroy an enemy battle cruiser if you can easily caputre it?
For wargames this became a means to beat it solo, but really it feels cheap and it's not fun or engaging - the mode should be tuned instead. I'd say a way to limit this would be to prevent ships from launching beyong the unit cap, or to have ships captured ships be dismantled for resources instead when at the limit.

Resources

In campaign mode you basically never have to really worry about resources. You limit your losses and replace the few you have. In wargames you get by, but it isn't viable when using strikecraft fleets.

Controls

I gave the modern controls a go and was ok. At times I struggles to navigate unit movement, especially if sending them in open spaces at different heights. I had to reconfigure many keybindings because e.g. WASD was incompatible with some of the default unit ability keys (D for dock, S for stop). Abilities could be streamlined to fewer keys, especially considering that some are unique to units.

• Modern controls in conjunction with ability keybindings need to be reviewed

Megastructures and mechanics

A key difference with HW3 are map megastructres. These are largely a gimmick because at the end numbers and composition matter more. I find it unfortunate that many of the mechanics aren't actually being used in the game modes:

• No nebulas to use for flanks or hidden approaches
• No asteriods to watch out for
• No spires to control for extended vision in skirmish

In a sense it is a missed opportunity to embed some of these mechanics into the gameplay in a meaningful way. Outside of the mission with limited units and no repairs these mechanics can be largely ignored.

Capital ships - lack of hard points

The fact that capital ships lack hard points and customization is a misgiving. This would have added tactical depth and more interesting mechanics. It is also missing identity for specific ships. I would have hoped for strikecraft to be expendable harassment unit (i.e. drones) fielded by carriers, and ships to be customizable to a degree.

• Motherships/Carriers could be able to be customized with docking bays that field and mantain (without cost, other than time) a squadon of strikecraft - this way a carrier = strikecraft, with a degree on emphasis, depening on whay types of strikecraft you assign for maintenance
• Destoyers should feature modules for additional weapons, or vision upgrades
• Motherships/Carriers should also have options for weapon systems or modules for passive auto-repair
• Motherships/Carriers should feature options for repair beams to repair nearby units
• Modules to extend range of strikecraft
• Modules to customize abilities/superweapons
• A module should be replacable for auto-repairs
• Shield generators?

Strikecraft should in turn excell at taking our hard points to e.g. penetrate and disable shields, take out engines for rotation/movement, cripple repairs or disable strikecarft production. That would create more of a rock/papescissor dynamic between capital/strikecraft/frigate classes.
Carriers and the mothership should be capable of 'short jumps' to reposition over larger distances on the map to setup staging areas (but with a long cooldown and module dependency). This would play particular interesting with nebulas/megastructures/asteriods on maps to hide the position of carriers.

Strikecraft

Outside of spamming strikecraft in some modes they are actually not a good in terms of cost/benefit. Frigates can take out entire squadrons costing less than that squadron collectively cost to build. If you have the option you stop using vulnerable strikecraft and maybe only keep bombers at hand/docked until you need them. In later campaign mission and even in wargames I kept bombers docked until I had a high HP target to use them against. Anything else was dealt with using frigates etc. that can be repaired.
As outlined above I had hoped to see strikecraft squadrons tied to carrier hangar bays and being explicitly expendable, but possibly limited to an operational range within a carrier by a control/fuel mechanic. I also think that strikecraft should have had shields and auto-repair to enable hit & run tactics, while elevating carriers as higher-value targets.

Corvettes

I found corvettes weak. A main use was against missile frigates and capture corvettes, but typically I'd keep them away from combat because they aren't durable enough. Corvettes could be harder-hitting, wither anti-srikecrafr or anti-frigate, but field smaller squadrons (see carrier hard points and strikecraft bays). In turn they should be a bit more durable.

Frigates

A small gripe is a certain overlap/redundancy with assault and suppression frigates, which could have been used to diversify factions instead. Similarly this applies to beam frigates compared to other alternatives (e.g. heavy missiles).

Unit behaviors

• Units break formations (missile frigates are particularly agregious since they move away from escorts in attempt to maximize distances to targets)
• Units level targets on the Z-plane instead of staying above
• Strikecraft overtake targets in runs instead of matching speed and pursuing while maintaining fire
• Stikecraft behavious in general leave to be desired when it comes to avoiding enemy lines of fire etc., and stances should factor more into these
• Using shere formation isn't a mobility disadvantage for strikecraft (maintaining position is not necessarily a risk)

Faction balance and design

Overall unit design is too equivalent which makes for a much larger impact of imbalanaces on other aspects, e.g. Incarnate lacking repairs and the Incarnate Mothership being unable to harvest resources.
With unit designs the slots should be filled with fewer, more distinct units (e.g. more diversity with use of shells/lasers/rockets etc.). The incarnate are in a sense to similar to other factions. This is also resembled in abilities, which are generally unimaginative and not utility based. Most abilities just buff either speed, damage or armor, so most of the time it is beneficial to use abilities, and timing or targeting isn't crucial.

Bugs and Annoyances

• The game telling me I lost ships when I take down enemy ones
• Addition of units to control groups resets formations
• Support frigates should be enables to repair groups (ctrl-drag ability) and repair the unit with least relative hp.

Conclusions

For context, I played about 27h in game (campaign on hard, all achievements done), all solo. I've played all the previous games. Theres a lot more to say, so this post is by no means comprehensive, but more of a write-up in the moment. Opinions may vary.
On a positive outlook the game ran well for me without issues, and I do see potential with the game. However, a lot of potential is untapped. I do hope that feedback is taken into account and the game will be actively developed into a better version of itself over the next months.

As you can already see by the title, this is NOT a coding upload like it was last time. Instead, it is a descriptive *update* to Taylor's fan game Sci Jewel. These series of posts will not contain images, but will describe what is to take place since we have almost no coders available (yet...There are some showing support for back-ends like porting to other OSes such as linux, mac, mobile, etc).
What is actually happening with this game's coding regime? Based on the "Now deleted" screenshots, which were accidentally leaked, by me, (IM SORRY OK? PLEASE...FORGIVE ME :C)... Anyays, You might've seen this was done in SexyAppBase's Lawn version. Lawn was the project name used to make Plants Vs zombies. It is a much later version unlike 1.30 and 1.34 that we see today... This is much later. It is also available on github which I will link in the comments section if those that need it...
As it currently stands for Sci Jewel: There is a repository available on github that went through MANY changes but is currently sealed off until Taylor makes the decision to open it up.
**UPDATES:** Well, Yalek...What have you been doing...or better yet...what type of "progress" have you made?
Its a tough question to answer because, the project is using a base from the bejeweled 2 header's repo that I am currently hosting on my own github page. It may look similar to it, but a LOT, and I mean a LOT of stuff WILL look different from the other files that probably were generated (source/cpp wise) with bj2 but never revealed because...legal reasons.
Alas, there are currently 2 source (CPP) and 4 header (.H) files that are currently in Sci jewel v4.00.vcxproj.
H:

1. AppDefs
2. Assets
   
3. GlobalWidgetBase
   
4. LoadingDock
   

CPP:
1 Assets

1. BuildSpecs

As you can tell, I am generating the headers first, as this was a HUGE benefit for me so I dont have to mangle between files to find stuff and deal with a 100+ errors at once. The Sources will be genereated after these headers are all done.
Buildspecs is a custom build order file which is a source file, that builds sources in a customized order, which I defined as follows, these "files" are commented out in the file so they can be uncommented later...
MainLoop.cpp, (where WinMain exists with the customized entries)
AppDefs.cpp LoadingDock.cpp
BoardGlobal.cpp, which defines the grid as a global set of variables, functions, etc.
Camera.cpp, generic "Drawing" file ModesParser.cpp, to parse all the modes in 1 file...
BackdropsParser.cpp, to parse all the backdrops
PointsBaseSci.cpp, to score points for some of the modes in this custom format...
PointsBaseBj3.cpp, the "normal" bj3 scoring system, but slightly edited for dev needs...
GlobalWidgetBase.cpp, which builds all necessary widgets in one file, to ensure the drawing and widget enumeration is valid and good...
And All 18, (not 12) modes, which are defined after these ones...
There is 1 file (AppDefs), currently complete. LoadingDock still has to be completed...
I am also awaiting on more assets and resources to use in this game because otherwise this game could be a bit minimal. But as Brando Multin told me, and is true to all words of wisdom, YOU CANT RUSH ART. XD.
On gamejolt, there is also a similar update that I will be adding on as a odt document (OpenDocument Text). Its a little less than this detailed one...but That will be periodcally updated as we go along with this slow haul of a massive project.
So yeah...you can see how big Taylor's game has gotten (and will probably be) for this Windows PC version. And yes, in case if you are wondering, we ARE NOT CHARGING A DIME. No money, no funny business, no freemium, and opensource. << Idk why but I have seen a LOT of video games not follow this suit. Hopefully Sci jewel will change this once and for all...
Yalek The Lembine, providing a coding update for Sci Jewel.