Growing up I was intentionally embarrassed in public because my reactions were "cute", making me grow up to be paranoid and have really bad social anxiety. She defended it by saying her dad did that too when she was growing up. Thing is her dad was abusive, therefore he's not an example to follow.
When she was mad at me when I was a kid, she'd often drag me into small and crowded places to scream at me and give everyone a show.
There's much more but I'm too tired to think of it.
I'm stuck living with her and it's a big favor she should be thankful for, as I'm sacrificing my sanity for her not to be homeless, and that I'm nice enough to try my best to put up with her bullshit. For her. She crosses my limits regularly but it's no big deal to her.
She also always and still does 5 to dictate how I handle my anxiety and depression. I'm fucking sick of it.
She tries to force herself into my life to the point where she doesn't stop following me and it makes me look like a fucking idiot.
Staying here was a mistake but she's lucky that I still give a shit about her not to leave her unable to afford everything. She should be very thankful.
My boyfriend moved in, I'm surprised she let him, due to family issues of his own but she wants me to prioritize her.
Why is that a problem? She guilt trips me into spending 12 fucking hours watching Seinfeld over and over again in exchange for her not screaming at me and calling me homophobic slurs.
She also calls me "selfish" because I want to take care of myself instead of her. My stomach problem was acting up and I was extremely anxious, and she threw a tantrum whining that I'm selfish because I don't want to go to fucking Walmart for something I could handle the next day. Surprisingly I won that argument after dealing with her tantrums.
One thing that pisses me off the most was her reaction to the death of a good friend of mine.
In my teen years I was a total loner but me and a group of other teenagers online would play games regularly. WoW, Garry's Mod, all the nerdy games and I have some hreat memories of that.
Well one guy in that group ended up committing suicide a few years ago, and it broke me. I opened up to her about it and she tried to "comfort" me by saying "Don't worry. He was never your friend because you only knew him on the internet." WTF. How fucking disrespectful. It wasn't my fault that I went to a school full of rich assholes who judged me for not having a fucking Hummer and an iPhone (which was expensive back then). My only social back then was online.
That's definitely not the time for the "back in my day" bullshit.
I finally started getting along with her for like, 2 years, until last year. I was sitting next to her, same fucking room, but I committed the horrible crime of touching my computer. She started going "WHY IS EVERYONE SO DISTANT FROM ME!?" well I'm the last person in the family that still gives a shit about her, and my ability for that is going away really fucking fast.
I drink or get high every fucking night to cope with a day of her bullshit, to the point where after only two days of sobriety I get withdrawals.
She also overuses the gender and age cards. If I don't want to sit in the room and try my best to put up with insults being thrown at me and I walk away, it's "elder abuse" or "neglect".
If I criticize her for doing shit like stealing from me, I'm told that I "Hate women". I'm sure that accusation has something to do with my sexuality, so therefore by her logic she would hate other women.
I don't hate women. Most of the few loyal friends I had in high school were girls and my favorite teachers were women.
She was even once denied a job and thought it would be appropriate to use MY Google account to write a Karen ass review that ended with a racist remark about an employee, saying he's the "token black" or something like that.
I didn't find out about that until the business replied to it. It was fucking humiliating.
She was a decent mother most of my life but she's insane now.
I'm starting to hate her. Her fear of me being distant is starting to come to life. But she better be thankful for me putting up with her.
This is the source of my anger issues that took a toll on my relationships and social life.
I really want to get out and I'm confident I can, but I don't want her on the streets as she wouldn't survive homelessness.
I strongly consider just ditching her, but as someone with abandonment issues already (my dad, my stepdad, and my brother left eventually), I care enough not to want her to feel like I did.
She is much luckier than she thinks.

"Dick." "Huh? What, are we there?" "We've been here for six hours, man, we just haven't seen the car yet, and you haven't seen shit because you keep falling asleep." "Gimme a break, man, I was driving all night to get here." The two criminals were seated in a non-descript car, parked nearby the entrance to the main parking lot at Mt. Loyal University, charged with the details of a specific vehicle set to arrive at some point. The two were only armed with camera equipment, but it was enough to ID at a distance and that's what they were being paid to do. "Look, if this chick's as dangerous as they say, it'll help to be ready when she shows up. Try some of the coffee, they shouldn't be too cold." Dick looked at the two big cups from the morning hours before they showed up. "Dale, that stuff's probably frozen by now, let's just go get some fresh stuff." "We can't leave, idiot!" barked Dale, fitting of his canine species. They both were dogs, Dale a chihuahua and Dick a St. Bernard, with personalities to match. "Look, I'll go get some at that place down the block, come back here, and we can throw that stuff out." "Well then, go, come on, hurry up and get back, I don't want you sitting on a bench and falling asleep again." "I'm going, don't yell at me, man." Dick replied softly. "I'm NOT YELLING!" Dale yelled as the larger of the two got out of the car with another huge yawn to head off on his mission. The actual task they were seeing to was admittedly a dull one, but Dale liked to be alert at all times, especially when dealing with contract killers. About five minutes later, Dick had returned with two coffees, Dale opening the door for him. "Thanks. They had that hazelnut stuff you like, so I-" "Wait wait wait, hold that thought, I think that's our ticket." said the chihuahua, pointing a finger at the gate. Indeed, a white Oz Harper was pulling in and turning their way to find a spot. Dale squawked 'Hide!' and pulled the seat lock, falling backwards with it quickly. Dick just watched the car go by and head up towards the front of the building. "GOL-332, I think that's our guy, Dale." the larger dog said, slurping at his coffee loudly. The smaller one's head popped up to check before easing his seat back up. "Of course it is, I knew this was the gate to trust." he declared, pulling out a cellphone to speed-dial a number. "What are we gonna do now, D?" "Shh, lemme make this call in peace for a second... hey, it's us, the ones you called for recon? ...yeah, no, we stuck to the timeframe you gave us, the target's been confirmed at that college we parked at." Dick was starting to fall asleep in his seat again, so Dale smacked at him while completing the phonecall. "Gotcha.. yes, gotcha, you won't be needing anything else? Alright then, it was a pleasure doing business with you, and we'll just be on our way once our payment is secu- what??" The voice over the tiny microphone spoke in stern volumes, Dale glaring wide-eyed at the device like he wanted to bite a chunk out of it. He managed to inhale and hold it before responding tightly. "I understand, we will get a room and meet with you after the hit. Thank you very much for this opportunity." He beeped off the phone, calmly unclipped his seat belt, vacated the car, and then began to attack the right side of it in a psychotic frenzy, all manner of expletive spraying as hornets do from a disturbed nest. Dick watched him for a bit as he gradually slowed his raging melee with their car and got back inside of it. "We gotta go shack up in a hotel for the night, we're not getting paid until they kill this chick." "Hey, oh boy, a hotel, that'll have a bed for sure." He began to hand the chihuahua his coffee before giving a bit too much gas and causing a second furious explosion, this time in the car. The badly-secured lid had sluiced open and had went mostly all over Dale, staining his undershirt dark brown. Dick looked at him and raised his eyebrows high enough to expose his eyes at last. "Oh no, I'm real sorry about that, we can get the duffel bag out and take it-" Dale held up his paw. "Dick, shut up and let's just... take it to get washed somewhere, real quick. I like this shirt, this is my lucky shirt." "Okay, Dale." and he started up the car and turned off down the main street, looking like he'd be smacked around and scolded by the smaller man. Dale looked sidelong at him for a bit before looking forward quietly. "You're mad." "Dick, I ain't mad, I'm just cranky." "No, you're mad, you say that when you're mad." "What're you, my freakin' therapist? Get over into that one there and let's get this thing washed and dried, I'm gonna need it to keep from KILLING you, right in the face. "Dale, I'm really sorry." They parked and they got out. "Just finish your coffee, man, I gotta go use the bathroom and change out."
Tom was in a late afternoon haze of beer buzz, boredom, and bitterness. Something about the verbal skirmish with the snow leopard had really got on his nerves, and he still wanted to give her a piece of his mind. There was a bit of time left, and he felt like he could be risking at least one more smoke, so he went out the back door into the loading alley and lit up there, largely free of company for the moment, but it was then that one of the black cars from before slowly pulled into sight ahead, blocking off the alley's exit. "Shit.." he whispered, knowing better than to turn around as the sound of crunching rock on tires signalled he was being boxed in. He circled on the spot casually, eyes swallowing his surroundings to make sure there was no one else around in case he had to attack and escape. The two guys that got out had matching casual wear and a bully's confidence as they came his way. Two more door-shutting sounds behind him now, sending that tingle of adrenaline pre-game thru his body. Taking a deep inhale to martial his guts and nicotine, Tom came to a stop and looked to the guys in front of him as he exhaled, flicking the cigarette away. They were certainly taller up close. "Larry, Curly, good to see you, something I can help you two with?" he asked brazenly, getting two accosted looks in response. "How's he supposed to know that? He knows my name, man, how does he know that?" said the wiry one of the pair. Tom's throat tightened; one of their names actually WAS Larry, apparently. "He's calling us stooges, man, you know?" said the other, more standard-shaped one. "We got a smartass here, don't we?" came a voice from behind, followed by a hard shove that almost sent him onto the ground. "Hey!" Tom barked, stepping back to take all four of them in. They all had a kind of standard goon panache, and one of them had a shoulder holster slightly visible. The only animal folk in their number was a fox, shock-white and wearing the worst air of superiority among them, along with the tattoos and pink-red eyes. Tom made a mental note to attack this one first if he had to, but wisely switched gears. "Look guys, I think we got off on the wrong foot here, see... I'm a traveling salesman, and I got these dynamite blindfolds I'm peddling. You four want to line for a demonstration, I could oblige you a discount too!" he said, winking an eye. One of them chuckled off to the right, but Larry had apparently had enough, pulling an H17 into view, and putting the barrel inbetween Tom's eyes. He swallowed hard, carefully putting his hands up and standing his mental ground. "Yeah, talk that shit now, huh? Think you're all funny, man, I'll put you in the fucking GROUND, I don't give a fuck!" snarled this Larry.The fox put a clawed hand firmly on the guys' arm and caught his eye coldly. "Stow that piece, and calm down before you get us all popped, dig?" he said in a sibilant tone. Larry was still looking at Tom, glaring back at him, but obeyed and hung up the gun. The leader took point now, nodding for the raccoon to lower his arms. "I'll just... keep them up, if it's all the same, mutual trust eh?" said Tom, giving a weak smile. "Fair enough." answered the vulpine boss, "Now, my friend here seems to think you were scoping us earlier." "At the traffic light back there? No no, I just saw these nice Golgo Tundras going thru town, all sleek and white-- thought someone was putting on a concert or something. Honest curiosity, that was it." It wasn't necessarily a lie either. The tall fox looked him over a bit, his sharp eyes looking lower. "Got anything in your pockets?" "...I do." Tom carefully produced his wad of bills from one pocket and a pack of Mazzerucci Royals in the other. He really hoped they wouldn't stick their hand in the jacket pocket, for a few reasons at that. "See, I was just out doing laundry, there's no-- hey, dammit!" Larry had snatched the items up, and Tom moved his hands in protest, only to be frozen solid by the clawed fingers of the one in charge. "Mutual trust, right?" he said, smiling with sharp teeth. The bothered canine grimaced and tried to look helpless while they counted up his stolen cash, wishing he'd had enough magic stored up for a bolt of half-power lightning; they would probably survive, but with scars to remember. A sizable chunk of money was missing when it was handed back, and that was it. Tom looked up at the leader briefly, who was already biting onto one of the cigarettes. "I like Royals, consider it part of the toll here for wastin' our precious time with your peeking." and he felt his own pockets briefly before looking up again, "No lighter?" Tom lit his smokes on his own, so he just shrugged and produced his unfolded pockets. The four of them seemed to have had their fun and left, but the fox stayed a second to lean in close as his men returned to the cars. One particularly sharp claw came to rest gently just above Tom's left eyebrow. "Now, make a healthy choice, and stay the fuck out of sight for a couple days, okay? You and I see each other again, well--" He slowly dragged the sharp point across Tom's forehead, blood dripping down freely, making him wince a bit. "--You're gonna need one of those fancy blindfolds for when we execute you, since you uh... seem to be out of smokes too. Arrivederci, bambino~" he said, parting ways. "Yeah yeah, au revoir, Simone." Tom grunted, waiting until they'd disembarked before he snarled and kicked a nearby paint bucket across the alley like a soccer ball. "What the fuck is your DEAL, Canada?! I thought this was supposed to be a nice place!" he yelled. From somewhere in the barkyards of a nearby neighborhood, someone shouted in response. "I AM TRYING TO WORK OVER HERE!", it said. "SHUT UP!!" growled Tom, wiping at the blood on his face.
The raccoon was sitting in a miserable distemper while the dryer was finishing his clothes. 'I ought to just spin the wheel again and find someplace else, this town is becoming dangerous.' he thought, halfway thru another drink. He stopped suddenly at the sound of the door jingling, hurrying to move one of his towels over the opened can. A pair of dogs came in, talking in low voices, and Tom minded his own business, having had enough of strangers for one week. They seemed to mind their own business, so it was business as usual. One of them disappeared into the bathroom for a bit, coming out wearing a different shirt, and they proceeded to wash a single shirt. Tom had been on the streets for as long as he could remember, and had seen a furtive load of laundry or two, so lacking any other concrete plans, he got up and pretended to go check his clothes while pointing an ear their way. "...told you to keep it down, ya idiot." the smaller one hissed. "You worry too much, Dale, we're just there to drive anyone who needs it to safety after they corner that lady and tie her up." Already, this was sounding bad, but the raccoon kept incognito for the moment. "Yeah, well that's why they're calling in this extra muscle, this snow leopard's supposed to be a real killer born, y'know? Kinda like you and being so slow and clueless." Dick shrugged and lapped at his coffee again. "I'm just as my momma made me, Dale." "Yeah, well thank goodness she died before seeing this life of crime you've somehow clung to, she'd have died of shame otherwise." snapped the chihuahua, loading quarters into the machine. "Oh Dale, don't say that, she's already mad at me up in Heaven as it is." His partner scoffed and closed the hatch. "Look, I only yell because you never had no friends or family to steer you straight growing up, and I've told you, I'm your big brother! I gotta make sure you're learning and growing up better, yeah?" Dick nodded happily. "I love my big brother." Dale's face was a bit pinker at the cheeks, but he avoided eye contact for now. "Yeah, hey, y'know, it's... nice to be appreciated. Now, take a seat, will ya? Bad enough we're missing out on the fun work over at that construction site up the way, now I gotta hope this stain comes out." he muttered as they headed to one of the plastic benches. Tom was left with a great deal of trepidation: had he just made brief enemies with a trained killer somehow, or was any of this even true? He hurried to pound the rest of his beer, almost getting foam out of his nose in the bargain, bagged up his completed laundry, and left the place without a trace. He was halfway to the Door when he saw some day laborers around a truck by the gas station of his plaza. Once the clothing was carefull scooted into a distant, safe dimensional hideaway around the corner, he sauntered over to them, pretending to throw some trash away. "I don't mean to bother you guys, but do you know which way the big construction site is, just down this road here?"
Kari had been sitting in the parking lot of the campus for about ten minutes, watching the fracas of newspeople and police nearby and really feeling cheated of a decent day of schoolwork. The day was shot for sure, with the media frenzy still stirred up by people posting misinformation online, and news crew remaining on the scene for interviews with the friends or close ones of those involved. Kari looked over at her bag, containing the completed assignment, and felt supremely cheated as she started the car and looked over her shoulder. A bedraggled human face looked back immediately and she shouted in surprise. It was only then she realized it was from outside the car. Some drifter, bedraggled and carrying a backpack that was as weatherworn as it could be, was standing in the middle of the parking lot, looking past her car, then back at her. Something about it felt like the right thing to do, so she got out of the car and approached him. The man began to back away, muttering something. "No no, easy, I'm not gonna hurt you or waste your time, I wanted to ask if you'd seen anything weird recently." At first, the guy said nothing and continued mumbling something, but he paused on a dime and turned to her slowly before taking a huge inhale of her presence. The snow leopard stepped back, looking affronted. "Hey, what the hell?!" she snapped, "I just wanted a damn answer." The homeless man locked eyes with her, speaking very plainly. "He will lead you thru the door, and to places beyond here or there, and I will show you the other side! The OTHER SIDE OF THE DOOR!" he said in a rising tone before wandering off incoherently, pulling the backpack into his arms and talking placatingly to it in tender whispers. Kari just got back in her car and looked confusingly at her steering wheel, like it would turn into a giant pretzel or something next. 'There's a lot of weirdos in town today, and that can usually mean something's up.' she thought, going from experience, 'The only problem is for who.. and why?" She rolled the window down and closed her eyes, feeling kind of cooped up for some reason "Excuse me?" "AAA!!" Kari's body moved defensively towards the sound, only to find some kid about 6 sandwiched up on himself to avoid the attack. "Hi? sorry there, kiddo, what did you need, are you lost?" she managed, still oddly on edge. "I'm um, here... this, uh, I got my... there's a letter for, here, there's a letter I got to give you. I have to go." he managed, handing a folded paper to her before hurrying back to a small bike and riding away. Kari almost threw it away, eager to put today behind her, but she groaned and unfolded it for reading. "We know who you are, come alone to the location marked at this address at this time only, make this easier on yourself." An address followed and the feline predator smiled with murderous glee, slowly tearing the letter in half. "Know who I am, do they?" she growled, her grin almost too high, "I sure hope they know what I can do." Before she turned the car around to head home, she carefully pocketed the two pieces of paper. "...dammit, why'd I do that."

Well, this is a bit of a unique crossover. Amphibia and Ben 10 crossover in this as events from the show change because of this. But this is the old version, as the author is going to make a redux version of this story. So what went wrong or right in the original story? Let’s find out!
First, let’s look at the positives. I like how Marcy finds the Omnitrix shortly after the bad news of her move is revealed. It feels natural and helps set up a lot of stuff in the future. I also like how the fanfic doesn’t just take the concept and remain so canon compliant that there isn’t a difference. Because during Chapter 3, Marcy actually ends up on Earth along with Olivia and Yunnan, so that’s different. I also like how the powers are used here. They’re used well enough, being used where they make sense for the situation.
And with this being a crossover, Ben inevitably ends up getting involved with things. With this, I’m conflicted. On the one hand, he does play a major role in the story, which is helping Marcy get out of the castle and back to Earth. And he is in-character through the story, so there’s also that. But on the other hand, he shows up out of nowhere within the castle, with no explanation about how he’s in Amphibia, whether he’s a resident or not, or anything. He just shows up and him being from an alternate dimension’s the only explanation you get. In fact, quite a bit of things happen within this fanfic that aren’t properly explained, but I’ll get to those later.
For now, there’s the emotional moments within this fanfic. They are pretty good, ranging from Marcy’s reconciliations with Anne and Sasha to learning that she might turn evil in another timeline. And that’s the segue to explaining more things. You see, Vilgax joins Andrias this time, with him bringing in a Darcy from an alternate timeline once the initial transformation fails. This alternate timeline Darcy also has an Omnitrix… for some reason, but we’ll get to that. Either way, this makes for an interesting point in the story, as it gives Marcy some newfound emotional turmoil that’s written well.
Aside from that, there are other positives. The style of this fanfic is good, feeling more like you’re reading a script rather than a story, complete with directions and everything. It’s a unique style that helps set this story apart. I also like the action within this as well, with Chapter 9 feeling a little more climactic because of the Omnitrix usage and emotional stakes. But that’s it for the positives, as we now go to the negatives.
So remember what I said about Ben showing up out of nowhere with no explanation on why he’s there or how he’s in Amphibia? Well, Anne and Sasha end up getting Omnitrixes as well, completely out of nowhere with little to no indication that that would end up happening. And just like with Ben showing up, it’s not explained how or why Anne and Sasha have their own Omnitrixes.
Alongside that, there’s also pacing issues that are present throughout the fanfic. And by that, I mean everything feels like it goes by too fast, with certain things feeling a bit rushed. There’s also Chapter 2, which mostly consists of copy-pasted dialogue from True Colors. And aside from Marcy using her Omnitrix powers for a quick second there, almost nothing is different within that chapter. Although, that’s more understandable considering True Colors is a pretty hard episode to change that much with the current concept.
And then there’s the sentence structure. You get abundant run-on sentences throughout with no punctuation used until the sentence ends. And even then, those mistakes aren’t consistent. Sometimes, there’s a capitalization error (“what about Anna and Sasha or Ben.”), other times, it’s just a run-on sentence, and then rarely, the sentence structure is so weird, that you get sentences like this (“I’ve got a plan and lets head to your war-room and I will explain my plan.”).
On top of that, some of the story elements don’t really make a lot of sense. I don't really watch Ben 10 that much, but it’s kinda weird that the Omnitrix can just recreate extinct species. Or a conversation between Azmuth and Marcy that highlights that brand new feature. And it’s a testament to the pacing problems found within the fanfic.
The conversation goes by way too quickly, and while the dynamic between these two was set up in the first chapter, but this one has Azmuth not wanting Marcy to participate in the war because her Omnitrix is too valuable to lose. Marcy refuses to… not participate in the war, Azmuth threatens to take the Omnitrix, Marcy snaps back, and suddenly that leads to Marcy accessing Master Control. And that’s it before the big final battle.
First of all, Azmuth and Marcy have differing philosophies, which can be compared to Anne and The Guardian from "The Hardest Thing." But unlike that conversation where Anne shows Guardian the error in their thinking, this conversation is just Marcy being confused before refusing to not participate in a war. And that refusal had Azmuth then threaten to take away Marcy's Omnitrix.
And with that, I saw a different direction things could go in. Have the two actually duke it out fir a period of time before Marcy gets given Master Control. That would not only make that feel more earned, but it would also give Azmuth more reason to give it to her, seeing her stubbornness and determination as a good reason for that. But nope. Despite feeling like that's what that’s building up to, it doesn't do that, instead just giving it to her after that sentence of refusal.
Aside from that, though, everything else is fine. But not enough to save the story from just being meh. There are some good character and emotional moments within this story, with a good threat and emotional turmoil. But the pacing issues, missed potential of the 9th chapter, unexplained plot points, and abundant errors in sentence structure really drag it down for me. It’s not outright bad, as like I said, there are moments that work, and some of the plot points I was confused about could be because I haven't really watched the show, so I don't know how powerful Azmuth really is, but either way, I just think it's meh.
Link to fanfic: https://archiveofourown.org/works/40192311/chapters/100666707
Fanfics I’ll Review (in no order):
Calamity Amory
Deep Sixed*
Seven Years Too Early*
The One Who Never Really Got Away (part of Waiting On Love to Call)
Theories of Butterflies and Other Insects*
Witch In Wartwood
Kuebiko*
Sasha and the Frogs
A Newt and a Human*
Player Vs Player
Between the Beats
Time Brings All To Pass
Medicated
The Wartwood Girls*
Our Second Chance is Called Amphibia*
Nom De Guerre*
The Missing Gem*
Marcy 10×*
Plantar Family Pet*
Game Over*
Owl and the Frog×*
Living in a Frog World*
Language Barriers*
Frog Kids in a Human World*
A Lost Owl×*
Moth mAnne*
Dance With Me
We're the Perfect Blend
Calamitous Intervention×*
Swapphibia*
The Plantar Sisters*
Water on my Window*
Calamity in 1-A×*
Another Friend in Amphibia*
Gems of Calamity×
Broken Home
Have any fanfics you want me to read? You can request them in the comments below and I’ll add them to the list! Be sure to mark unfinished fanfics with * so that I know they’re unfinished! Crossovers should also be marked with × to let me know it's a crossover. And if it’s a webcomic, you should mark it with WC. Also, don't be afraid of how big the list ends up getting. It's actually better if it gets bigger. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed the review!

Almost 3 years after my grandpas passing i'm now thinking about this: Why did he never forget me?
My grandpa forgot who certain family members were or mistook them for other people. He was aggressive when he didn't know where he was. A few days before his death it wasn't any different.
We lived in the same house all my life and he would have trouble getting up the stairs as he got older. When he had another argument with my grandma (she didn't understand his dementia) this 90 year old would go up the stairs to visit me. He had to sit down right after because it was a lot on his body.
Of course i secretly hope that i was important to him and that's why he always called me by name but i don't know.
How does that makes sense? Sometimes he wouldn't recognize his own daughter

The girl in the personnel department studied Dimkino's resume for a long time and, finally, raised her eyes to the candidate sitting in front of her.
- Tell me, please, are you a moron by any chance?
- What? - Dima asked. He thought he misheard.
- Or maybe an idiot? - she added with hope in her voice.
- Why do you think so? - Dimka was offended.
- It's a pity! - The girl put document aside, - You have an excellent resume, and we really need a specialist like you! But we can't take you. The fact is that we only have quotas for morons. Well, in a pinch, we can hire some idiot for this job!
- You know, I lived abroad for some time, in Belarus, in Minsk. I have a feeling that I missed something!
- Oh, so you don't know! - The girl looked sympathetically at Dimka, - This year the law on the protection of the rights of the mentally retarded came into force. However, the very term "mentally retarded" is no longer politically correct. The law says: "citizens with a different mindset." So this law prohibits discrimination of such citizens in hiring and establishes minimum quotas.
- But how can you hire a moron for the post of system administrator? And if such a specialist crashes your server!
- Well, let's buy a new one. And the information can be restored! But if instead of a moron I take, for example, you, then the rejected candidate can sue and then I will not only be fired from my job, but they can also attract me!
- But how could the Duma pass such a stupid law? Are they completely idiots?
- Did you doubt it? - the girl asked and smiled for the first time in the entire conversation, - Do not forget, the law on the protection of the rights of the mentally retarded applies to the Duma too.
* * *
In the evening, going out onto the stairs with a trash can, he met a neighbor who was smoking by the window. To be honest, Dimka was not going to complain to anyone about...
- Crap! - Vlad swore and slammed the laptop shut, - What nonsense! Is this really all I can do?
His face contorted, as if from an unbearable toothache.
Recently, the popular writer Vladlen Somov did not like anything that he managed to squeeze out of himself. All the words seemed empty, vulgar and, most importantly, completely unnecessary. It was like a disease, and he even seemed to know what it was called. The small, nasty word was constantly spinning in his brain, but for some reason he did not dare to pronounce it aloud, even here, now in his office, where no one could hear him.
“Or maybe just the opposite, you need to say it out loud, and then it will immediately become easier?” - he thought.
- I ran out of steam! - He spoke loudly and distinctly, as if performing some kind of mystical ritual. And then, as if in answer to his words, there was a knock on the door. The knock was polite, not loud, but persistent.
- Come in, please, - he said, dissatisfied at being interrupted.
The door opened and an unfamiliar girl appeared on the threshold in a very short black skirt and a white blouse. She had a tray in her hands, and on the tray were coffee, a milk jug, and a plate of sandwiches.
- Good morning, Vladlen Andreevich! – She said, and smiled.
- Who are you? Somov asked, involuntarily noting to himself that the girl was very beautiful and a smile clearly suited her.
- I? Olesya, you can just Lesya, - the girl answered, continuing to smile.
- But where's Lisa?
- She got sick and asked me to replace her. I am her friend.
The girl bent over the desk and began to arrange the cutlery. Her short skirt pulled up, and Somov saw white lace panties. He could not resist the temptation and ran his hand over the cool and firm buttocks.
The girl shuddered slightly and froze with a cup in her hand, as if afraid to frighten the hand caressing her. Unable to resist Somov groped for a thin elastic band and lowered the panties down. Olesya, without changing her position, turned her head and looked into Somov's eyes, calmly and friendly.
- Vladlen Andreevich, would you like to put three pieces of sugar or two? - She asked.
“So you’re saying Liza is sick?" - He thought suddenly with an incomprehensibly surging irritation, - Asked to replace? Hell no! Lisa is as healthy as a Belgian horse! You yourself asked her, and even, probably, paid! I wonder how much? One hundred bucks? Two hundred?"
Since Vlad suddenly turned from a miserable graphomaniac loser into a fashionable (and most importantly rich!) Writer, female persons of seventeen years and older began to constantly revolve around him, with quite definite intentions.
- Three! - He answered, returned the panties to their place and straightened the skirt.
The girl put sugar in coffee, took an empty tray from the table and went to the door, but stopped halfway, turned to Somov and spoke.
- By the way, Vladlen Andreevich, if you need anything else, tell me. I will gladly fulfill any of your wishes.
- Okay, thanks, you can go! Somov said and waved his hand.
As soon as the door closed behind the girl, he opened the laptop and tried to read, but after a few seconds he slammed it shut again. No, it was simply impossible to read this! Really and really ran out of steam? No, it can't be! After all, he is not yet old at all, one might say in the prime of his life! And then, what does it mean to ran out of steam? After all, he still has the same brain, the same gray cells! If they could before, then they can now! You just have to make them work! But how? Coffee, very helpful! They say that Balzac helped to write coffee, he drank some crazy amount of it, thirty cups a day, or even more.
Somov took the cup and began to drink. The coffee was strong and very sweet, just the way he liked it.
Glory to Somov came late, when he had already ceased to hope for anything, and continued to soil the paper rather simply by inertia. One of his short stories caught the eye of a venerable critic, liked the story, the critic mentioned it in his review, and little by little everything began to spin. Publishers paid attention to it, they began to print it, and in fairly large circulations. Money appeared. He bought a luxurious two-story apartment in an elite building, a black Mercedes, began to dine in expensive restaurants. But he did not dare to marry again, he was frightened by the unsuccessful experience of his first marriage (his wife ran away from Somov, without waiting for his finest hour).
But lately things have gone from bad to worse. He has developed an irresistible aversion to writing words. In cruel agony, he squeezed out some vulgar, completely meaningless phrases and immediately erased everything, burning with shame for these freaks.
“Oh, if only I could never write anything again!” he thought sadly. But, unfortunately, it was impossible, the advance payment for the new book had already been received, and even spent. And the most offensive, it is absolutely not clear why.
He hadn't had time to finish his coffee when the phone rang. The editor called. Somov grimaced and picked up the receiver.
- Vladlen Andreevich, - he heard a familiar voice - I read the file that you sent me yesterday. The text is certainly very strong, to be sure. And some phrases are simply brilliant, for example ... Well, in general, there are such phrases there. But to be honest, this is not at all what is needed today. Understand that our world is changing, and changing rapidly, right before our eyes. What just yesterday went off with a bang, today simply does not climb into any gate. The fact is that what you write, how can I tell you, is completely not politically correct! Yes, we can simply be ruined by fines for this!
- And now what to do? I can't write otherwise!
- And it is not necessary! Have you heard anything about the chat GPT neural network?
- Maybe I heard, only, why do I need this?
- You can use this network to write your book. Everything is simple there. You set a topic, describe the situation, and then the grid itself adds the text. And most importantly, everything will be extremely tolerant and politically correct. I gave you a link there, you go and try it.
* * *
Vlad pressed the generate button and prepared to wait, but it didn't take long. After a couple of minutes, the network issued its own version of the continuation of the story.
“... In the evening, going out onto the stairs with a trash can, he met a neighbor who was smoking by the window. To be honest, Dimka was not going to complain to anyone about his unfortunate situation, but he could not resist and decided to share his anger with a neighbor.
- This is complete nonsense, now only morons and idiots can find a job! - Dimka spread his hands.
- Yes, I have already heard about this law, - the neighbor nodded, - but it's not so bad. You are not a moron, you will surely find a job elsewhere. But judging by your communication, you are also an unpleasant person to communicate with. Perhaps this also plays a role in your failure in interviews. Dimka felt ashamed of his negative energy and tried to smile.
- Thank you for being honest, - he said to a neighbor, - I think I should work on myself and my communication. As for this law, maybe it's just a way to help people with disabilities in life, and we should accept it and support them.
- Exactly, - the neighbor agreed, - After all, we are all human beings and deserve a fair treatment.
And Dimka realized that the real disappointment was not in the fact that it was impossible to find a job because of such a law, but in the way people treat each other. And, perhaps, if everyone tries to help each other as much as possible, the world will become more fair and equal for all.
And he decided to start with himself, trying to be more tolerant and open to people, despite their appearance or life situation. And when he began to show such qualities, he noticed that his life became happier and more successful. He even found a job in another company, where he was valued and respected for his work and abilities.
Thus, Dimka realized that each of us can make the world a better and fairer place, starting with ourselves. And if we support each other and show understanding and human kindness, then perhaps we can change the world for the better... "
It seems that this neural network with brains is even worse than mine, Vlad thought. It looks like I have to bear my own cross. He erased the reflex eruption of neural network tolerance and began to write himself.
“... In the evening, going out onto the stairs with a trash can, he met a neighbor who was smoking by the window. To be honest, Dimka was not going to complain to anyone about his unfortunate situation, but he could not resist and decided to share his anger with a neighbor.
- This is complete nonsense, now only morons and idiots can find a job! - Dimka spread his hands.
- Yes, I have already heard about this law, - the neighbor nodded, - but it's not so bad. It's just a way to help people with disabilities in life and we have to accept it and support them. As for you, you are not a moron, and you will surely find a job elsewhere.
- Are you, Sergeich, collapsed from the oak? It looks like the political correctness virus has completely devoured your brain! Where will I find a job when all the places are already taken by idiots and morons?
- Yes, I'm kidding Vlad. It's just that you were so ridiculously indignant. As for work, there is one way, - a neighbor blew a white ring of smoke into the ceiling, - and you can buy a certificate that you are a moron.
- Indeed? - Vlad perked up, - how much does it cost?
Sergeich silently drew a number with many zeros on the cigarette pack.
- If I had that kind of money, would I look for a job?! - disappointedly stretched Vlad, - I would be sunbathing somewhere in Bali now.
- Then the second option, even more simple. Simulate Dibelism. Read online how to do it. I don't think it's difficult. For you, - Sergeyich added and neighed, - Don't be offended, just kidding!
- I'll think about it, - Vlad answered and, pretending not to be offended, went home.
(to be continued)

Its a long one, but please bear with me, backstory is kinda necessary and I am truly at a loss... skip to bolded sentence to get to the most recent issue.
My bf (24m) and I (26f) have a female friend, Jenna (f 28) (name's changed). I met her when we started dating nearly 3 years ago as she was a friend of his and part of a shared friend group that I am not also a part of. She has always been very sweet and welcoming, but I was wary as her relationship with my bf was emotionally close. The would hang out and confide in one another about emotional issues ( thought these 1v1 hangouts stopped when she started dating her ex shortly after my bf and I started dating). On top of that, she was very affectionate toward him in group settings. Little things she did bothered me, excessive and lingering hugs, taking sips of his drink without him offering, touching him when she laughed at his jokes etc.. . She was also something of a pick me, not in that she put other women down but in that she primarily seeks male validation and friendships over the friendship and validation of her female friends.... when she's single..
Fast forward to a year or so later, Jenna's bf completely breaks her heart. She is reaching out to my bf more, I am still having some issues with her behavior. So after some talks with my bf I decide I need to get to know her better. We hang out and I immediately notice that she is very kind, open and trusting. She and I get along great and over the next year she and I hang out more often than she and my bf do. We told each other secrets and confided in one another. I consider her a close friend now as well. I realize that she isn't malicious at all, but also notice that she wears her heart 100% on her sleeve and allows herself to get attached easily. She is also very kind, but just a *bit* self-interested when it comes to her relationships. In the past she had lost a best friend by beginning to date her ex immediately after they'd broken up (She had asked for and received her friend's blessing at the time but once she noticed it wasn't actually cool had chosen her new bf anyway). She also doesn't seem to acknowledge that when one of her guy friends gets into a relationship certain behavior's aren't appropriate anymore. Another friend in the group who's bf is also friends with Jenna had brought up that she felt the same way as I did, and that Jenna wasn't malicious, but lacked boundaries with her bf as well. When she'd addressed it with Jenna, Jenna had evidently brushed it off said something to the effect of " I don't see why its an issue".
Throughout this time she continually tries to get my bf to hang out with her one on one, my bf has been gently avoiding it except for one time they went out to dinner together. I ended up having to have a talk with my bf afterward when he told me things had gotten emotional and a boundary was crossed. He respected that it had happened and apologized.
Recently, her ex got engaged to someone new in a very quick shift ( him and Jenna had been broken up less than 6 months) and while hanging out I had invited her, on two separate occasions, to come and do something with my bf and I on the date of the wedding, as the rest of our friend group would be invited and attending, so that she wouldn't feel alone and as if the whole group had abandoned her. She seemed appreciative, but moved on without accepting both times. So I assumed she wasn't interested and didn't bring it up with my bf. Well yesterday I get a text from my bf asking how I would feel if he hung out with Jenna next Sunday (as he and I usually spend the weekends together). Next Sunday was the date of the wedding (which is unclear if its still happening as Jenna's ex ended up eloping a week ago, which was hard for her). Apparently she had texted him privately asking him to hang out on that day. Immediately I was rubbed the wrong way and let him know I had already offered for the BOTH of us to hang out with her on that day more than once. He immediately saw the issue and called her out. She then texted me, asking if I would want all of us to hang out on that day. Her text was lackluster, lacking any enthusiasm, not even a question mark at the end of the 'invitation'. Likely because she only did because my bf called her out. My bf said he'd like to so I agreed for his sake.
I do not want to.. I don't want to go hang out with her for plans she was obligated to invite me to as an afterthought after getting called out. I have no idea how to feel or behave. I love Jenna, she's a wonderful person by most accounts. One of those people who is very sweet and almost TOO nice. And I know she doesn't mean anything by it. But her lack/ blatant disregard for boundaries and inadvertent shadiness just continues to bother me over and over again. I am tired of having these conversations with my bf. I don't know what to do. I KNOW she is not malicious and that I can trust her to not pursue my bf in any sort of romantic way.. but her self-interest and lack of emotional boundaries means I cannot trust her to respect his and MY emotional boundaries and not let herself get attached to him. ( it doesn't help that my bf, though trustworthy as well, is protective and often doesn't recognize boundaries have been crossed until its been pointed out to him) That, and the little moments of casual disrespect.... I am starting to get sick of it. I don't want to ruin his or my friendship with her. I just want her to back off a little bit and to respect me and the boundaries of men who are already in relationships.
What do I do??? Please help..
TL;DR: My bf and I have a friend, we are both close with her but she seeks male validation/ friendships over her female ones and lacks emotional boundaries. She is very sweet and kind and not malicious, but frequently steps on the toes of her female friends who are in relationships with her male friends as she "doesn't' see an issue" with crossing those boundaries. Her behavior with my bf makes me uncomfortable and she frequently does things that are mildly disrespectful to me as his gf. I want to remain her friend and want my bf and her to remain friends as well, but I am continually bothered and frequently having to have conversations with him about her.

This is the first and second of a four-part story.
---------------
He no longer knew his own name.
The Wanderer had travelled for several years, shuffling through sand and bone for months, stumbling over the remains of human civilization. Cars, metal signs, frayed electrical wires, various trinkets and gadgets buried under nature’s wrath. The world had slowly disappeared under his feet, along with the bodies of those that did not survive.
He was weary, and voices echoed in his head relentlessly. He could never figure out the source of those voices.
Are these voices coming from long-forgotten frequencies?
Did malfunctioning devices remain near the surface? Were they just that prolific?
How many children’s toys respond to tiny voices and now respond to the high pitches of harsh winds and birds of prey?
Are the voices just in my head after so many months of solitude?
He was so lonely.
The memory of his name was the last to leave him. Before that, he was a “project management specialist”, whatever that meant. The truth was that he was a generic paper pusher, badgering recent college graduates to deliver spreadsheets and pretty charts from one overpaid middle manager to another slightly-less overpaid middle manager, making sure that the right colors and shapes were telling other overpaid people with fancier job titles how to make decisions so that a little line could go up every three months. That little line was important to the investors, and only the investors. It did not matter what they created, or what harm they caused. It only mattered that the line went up every three months so that no one lost their jobs. And even then, people still lost their jobs to make sure the line went up. Those people would go to other places where they did the same thing, until they could make sure that they became the new overpaid middle managers, convincing a new group of twenty-somethings to do the same thing.
Before he became a Wanderer, he convinced himself that this was the right way, enough to make a nice living for himself and his family. He could take his family out for a nice dinner each Friday night, a movie or play each Saturday, enough money to tithe on Sunday, and a comfortable two-week vacation each year. Occasionally, he could take a day of golfing or a night out for beers with his friends, maybe some flirtation with a waitress or two. Nothing serious, just something to make him feel special, like he still had some youth and vigor. This went on for eight years, and despite his otherwise bland personality, the people in his life seemed to enjoy his company.
None of that mattered anymore. It does not matter when there are no longer places to vacation, or golf courses or bars. It does not matter if there are no churches or places to work. It does not matter when there is no longer a family for which to care.
---------------
The Wanderer stubbed his toe and tripped face-first into the sand. After quickly getting up while wiping away the sand from his face and out of his mouth and nose, he looked down to see what he tripped on – a metal sign. He hurriedly dug through the sand to unearth the sign, trying to make sense of where he was. He had walked for what felt like hours, but his sense of time was off. He pulled back the shirt that he wrapped around his head and tucked back the tie that he used as a belt. The reflective green sign came into focus, and a white “S” appeared. It was perfect – a metal exit sign for a major road. He dug faster, pulling on the sign as he scooped handfuls of sand away from it. Soon, the sign was revealed.
Springfield. He was not too far from where he grew up. But where exactly?
He knew that the Sun had been setting for some time, which gave him an idea of which direction he could go, but he could not remember where his childhood home was. Was it south of that sign? North? East or west? Springfield was a larger city, so he could be five minutes away or fifty minutes away. He needed more information.
As he dug further down, he realized that he was not going to get the answer that he was looking for. He unearthed only the most generic relics of suburban living – a few broken mobile phones, a running shoe, a baby stroller with a convertible car seat, some cheap clothing that he remembered seeing in shop windows when there used to be malls. Nothing of importance, and certainly nothing that would tell him where exactly he was.
He knew that he had a good shot of walking north to find someone. There had been reports from days prior of people still living in, or roaming near, the major city centers. He did not know what he would come across, but he knew that any situation was better than trying to survive alone. The end of the world was too sudden, and all of his friends that had scattered too far were now gone to him. The voices would call out to him.
Why didn’t you know anyone around you?
You couldn’t try to make just one new friend?
Who will you turn to now?
He started to think about all of the missed opportunities. The birthday parties that he missed because he was working. The family vacation that was postponed because he was driven mad thinking about Peter running his project. A project that clearly does not even have any value anymore. Minutes of ruminating over every decision, which turned to hours of inaction because he just needed to control such minor things. The time he spent schmoozing and kissing up to those overpaid managers just for the chance to get more work and spend less time living his life. And when he found time to see his wife and child, he frantically checked his phone every minute, waiting for the next big update where he could act. He would always snap when they asked him to join the party. Always another email. Always another crisis averted. Or at least, what he considered to be a crisis at the time.
The contempt he had each day for everyone and everything. The resentment that he had for his career because it took him away from his family. The resentment that he had for his family because it took him away from his career. The stress put upon him, the stress he put upon himself, and how meaningless it all became in the end.

WILDLIFE by nickel
​
Story 1- Stone and Grass
Chapter 2- Behaviors
​
Emergency rooms were trained to be ready for any arrivals at any time of the day or night, but the strange cases that were arriving had the nurse practitioners baffled. Three had arrived at a little past 2am, and a further single was arriving presently. The ambulance had pulled away seconds after they'd carefully unloaded their unconscious cargo at the emergency entrance and were wheeling them inside, keeping an eye out for any changes. The lead of the two, a fox named Maxwell Forscythe, was handing over the paperwork for the patient and pre-planning the routes for the trauma center room to park them in.
"Student, male, early 20s, comatose, irregularities in BP and bodily temperature, is that all that could be gleaned on the ride over?" asked the nurse on duty. Maxwell's partner nodded. "We checked him as much as we could without disrobing him, not a scratch, just low core temp and a weakened pulse for someone his age, possible arhythmia maybe?" "No way to be sure 'til he's seen by the staff, and have the cardiologist have a look. Wheel him into Obs G202, it should be open." "Should be, Paul?" asked Maxwell. Paul looked up, half-awake. "It's open, okay? This place is going a little bananas after the previous patients, y'know."He grimaced at him and signaled his partner so they could move the gurney. The ward was a bit of distance, but there was no immediate danger as of yet. His partner, a human woman named Grisholm, was peering closely at the inert body. "See anything?" "Look, I'm not saying we need to check the patient's neck again, but this feels--" "Good grief, Griz, we already looked, he hasn't been sucked off by a vampire." Her face went very pink. "That's not what its called, it's 'drained'! and it can be anywhere, sure, but the neck or the leg, I mean... this is exactly how it goes, unless the person is just ripped to pieces." The fox sighed, using his mag-badge to open the double doors ahead. "Well, I'm pretty sure this guy wasn't ripped to pieces, but vampires, Griz? In Canada?" "The world is a mighty strange place sometimes, and small places are just where shit like this tends to go down. I'm just saying we should keep our eyes open today, that's all." "Just in case our friend here rises in the night to suck someone else off, yeah?" he teased, knowing exactly how to needle his friend. Grisholm was at a lack for words, just making half-syllables in protest as they reached the elevator. "I read that book you lent me, y'know, I see why you like this stuff so much." Grisholm looked deflated until she caught Max's eyes, one of which was winked with a grin. "It's alright, Griz... I do it too." Her friend looked a little placated, helping to push the patient into the lift and pressing the next floor button. "Let's just not rule it out yet, okay? Now, come on, game-face time, the day's already started."
​
Hours later, after an alarm deep in the Deckard Forest Range's only unnatural home had gone off and Kari had finished washing and getting dressed, the message was finally reported over the news, which she was watching on her phone with apt attention, her pupils widened in curiosity while automatically eating her breakfast.
"Hospital authorities are preparing a statement at this time, but have denied these mysterious cases as any sign for panic over unproven conditions, Jeremy?" Jeremy Cole was the on-site reporter, who the feed switched to, the hospital in the background full of activity from police standing watch, to people showing up to mill around as they often do. "That's right, Grace, the only details being released in surety, so far, point to the victims being discovered within our local favorite, Mt. Loyal University. They began arriving as early as 2 this morning, and the scenes have been under careful scrutiny. Whether or not these are scattered cases of extreme fatigue, or the beginnings of another infection sweeping the country is still no one's guess to make. Jeremy Cole, reporting live in Calgary, BCB News." "Thank you, Cole, we intend to keep this story updated as the facts are confirmed. Follow the progress on Flitter at--" Kari backed out of the video feed, thinking on the details that took place in the classroom yesterday, and of her gruff teacher. 'He wouldn't just succumb to weariness just like that, he would've gone to the teacher's lounge and caught a nap like he does,' she thought, getting up to pace a little, 'which means it was a sneak attack, practically untraceable, and enacted on the state of being for-" Her eyes widened again as she came to a stop, putting together some details towards a possible answer. Who was a restless-looking passerby that was headed in the direction of chemicals, many of which can be used to trigger invisible manners of attack? Who was passing the scene of the incident and looking particularly smug about something? Who smelled of sharp ethanol that could've been a fumigation bomb scent? "It was HIM!" she squawked suddenly, looking around as if a timebomb had just begun to countdown, hurrying over to get her shoes and jacket on, along with the standard wallet-phone-keys trifecta being pocketed. If anything, classes would be off or postponed during this weirdness, but she'd call on the drive over just to make sure. 'He's either here to steal some expensive artifacts, or... looking for someone, and either way doesn't look good.' She thought as she got onto the road to town, rolling her window down to catch the fresh, cold air of the morning.
The small lifeform had been moving around through the garden all day before heading towards a number of weird smells nearby. A long soil path led to a burnished wooden door, which the creature easily walked under. Within was a rainbow of enticing scents, and its sensors went wild probing all over the place to find small specks of food to chew up. Gradually, it found its way up to a huge, breathing creature of some kind, heaped in a pile in the corner of the chamber. The climb all over its body was an interesting journey for the intruder, but when it stepped onto an expanse lighter gray, the giant tensed up and awoke, turning its colossal head to slowly open huge eyes like golden boulders. It froze under this monstrous gaze, trying to look uninteresting, but a huge pair of digits picked it up, and its fate was sealed as it waited for the end.
"Hey, no visitors at this hour." said Tom, licking the small beetle off his finger to munch it up and lay back down, trying to let the blessed sleep come back, but he'd looked at his phone and seen the time, too late now. With a long exhale, he got up and began looking for a clean shirt, coming up empty except for the shirt he had on, so the day's errand was clear. "Well, thank god the plants don't have any clothes to take care of, I gotta feed them and see to their good health already." he said brightly, secretly picturing what the main garden would look like with the garden-life all sporting tiny sweaters and hats with a grin. A large knapsack was full of his clothes, the shirt and Jacket from yesterday were on, his shoes were worn, and he was carefully out back into the world, locking the Door behind him with the finesse of a safecracker. He put on some earbuds and began walking towards the main street, knowing he'd seen a laundromat there the day before. It felt like a good day to get something done; the weather was the pleasant side of chilly on the cloudless day, and folks seemed to be out walking the main street. Tom was in a rather good mood, also knowing of the beers in the knapsack to help the early afternoon chore along. And so, there he was 20 minutes later at 24 Laveuse, beginning the large load of laundry and setting back on the plastic seats, moving his tail so he didn't squash it. The place was a little empty and the small fenced area on one side of the parking lot made for good hiding, so he stepped outside to carefully get down to libations to pass the time. Traffic came and went like it usually did, one car taking the nearby right turn kind of harshly but otherwise nothing else of notice. There was a wandering guy with the air of a bum about him, sort of haunting the crossroads, and Tom privately hoped he would carry on before attracting police. Strangely enough, another short parade of cars was going thru the town, looking like a gangsta's funeral procession. Tom stared vacantly until they were gone, and he was starting to wonder just what this town's deal was. It was at this moment that the hands emerged silently from behind and seized his arms tightly, hauling him back with sudden urgency before he could panic properly. "What the fuck?! You wanna... god, wha-?" he barked, only to be hauled back harder into the side alley by the building, and out of sight. "Careful, dammit, there's a beverage here-" The tall can was smacked out of his hand. "Hey! what's your damage, guy?" Tom demanded as he was turned around roughly, only to meet those same blue eyes and red hair from yesterday. "Oh, wait, it's you fro--" Kari got her best threat display face on and poked a claw to the underside of his chin, which managed to inescapably encourage his silence."Now, answers, spill 'em, what were you really up to yesterday?" she now demanded. "I don't know what you're talking about, I was just looking for my friend to return a phone charger." "You didn't say that." "You didn't ask." he replied mildly, averting his gaze in a condescending manner. Kari growled in her throat and tightened her grip on his shoulders. "Watch it, wise-ass. Did you see or hear anything before the disturbance yesterday?" "What disturbance, I was already on my way when people found him." Her face went almost sideways in an accusative scowl. "Don't play dumb, I saw your ass drifting thru that crowd, and you saw me looking at you, captain salute." Tom's face contorted in regret. "You saw that, huh." "Yeah, I did." she grunted before slamming him roughly to the wall and releasing him. Tom looked as angry as he could without looking confrontational; something about her strength and methods did not point to a fight with any outcome but a grievous loss on his side. "Alright," he said, stepping back one step to opt for a cigarette from his fresh pack and turning from her to light it, "So I was near the scene, what else have you got?" Her angered look softened a micrometer and she took a few steps, mostly to get away from the rich smoke. "The guy from yesterday, the unconscious one? He was a good man, good teacher, and now his life might be in danger. You were at least in the hallway over there, did you see or hear anything that'd help out with finding the culprit?" "Help out?" he said, plucking the cig from his lips, "Look, Ms. Conrad, I-" "Conniff." "Whatever! I was just passing thru and it just felt like you got stuck having to deal with the cops, alright? It was rude to snark you, I apologize, I thought you were just in trouble or something. Apart from my friend, there wasn't really anybody on that side of the building that wasn't behind doors." Kari looked him over, trying to get a read on his intentions, and he seemed to notice this with disdain. "What's your deal anyways, apple-polisher, you some sort of local hero or something?" Tom continued, dragging on the smoke while shooting her a look. She frowned this time, an expression without anger that was a different face entirely. "He's a friend of mine, one of the few I have. You would do the same if it was someone you cared about, wouldn't you?" Tom almost answered honestly, but he was too mad to focus on polite truths. "No, I wouldn't, and I don't think you would either." he snapped, "I'm a pragmatist, number one's the only thing I came into this world worried with, and it's the only number I'll need." "Wow, okay, I thought you were just a sneaky guy before, but now I can see you're just an asshole." "And so are you, Ms. Confit, and I can't stand people that pretend to care." "Who's pretending? Frankly, *I* can't stand little shits like you who think their lousy life is free license to take everybody down with them." Tom was really mad now, and was almost considering lighting the fire in this fulminating argument, but he just sneered and flicked his cigarette ahead, stepping bitterly on it as he left. "You don't have anything I need, nor do I have anything you need, we're even. Now leave me alone, will you?" Kari wanted to kick his ass so badly in that fury-soaked moment. "I don't think anyone needs anything you've got, Mr. Blackberry, least of all YOU.. and it's CONNIFF, you son of a bitch!" she snarled at the retreating raccoon. "Actually, I can think of something I need from someone." he said, turning suddenly. "Yeah, and what's that, a chemical shower?" "No, you owe me a beer, kitty cat!" They were easily half a foot from each other now, staring daggers into daggers. The snow leopard spat harshly on the ground and left in a weaponized huff, tail twitching madly behind her. Tom felt the heat in his ears still peaking. "I better not see you again, or it'll be too soon!" he called after her, "And I smell bad because of my dirty laundry I carried, not because- well, I meant to put this shirt in with.. ohhhh, god DAMMIT!" and he kicked at the wall of the building before stomping back to check his clothes. "Bitch..." he muttered, trying to leave the incident behind.

I shared a post yesterday (that received an incredible amount of controversy due to the bully's current situation), but I learned later that day how miserable my work place bully really is.
Ashlee has a long history of bad mouthing me. I never understood why, because she seemed so determined to be friends when she first started at my workplace. And we were friends I thought. But when I began hearing from numerous individuals that Ashlee was begging not to work with me because of how lazy I supposedly am, I knew i had to distance myself from her. (although Ashlee has no room to talk about laziness as her unit wandering, excessive breaktimes, delegation of her own tasks onto other employees, and "I'm too pregnant to do everything I was doing before" at >4 months pregnant has prompted complaints around the building) After distancing myself from her, she still talked to me to pry information from me wile pretending to be friendly.
Very recently, this new girl that I had never even worked with before (she's been employed there for about a week, maybe?) took it upon herself to badmouth me to coworkers that I was close to. I was being bad mouthed for being recently divorced, for supposedly drinking and partying all the time, for allegedly never having my own children, for being lazy, and for having "my men lined up". Bless the coworkers that I am close to, they told the new girl, "no, we're cool with her, we don't talk about her like that. Who told you that? You've never even worked with her." No one was surprised to find that it was ASHLEE that told her all of that (although the new girl is obviously not guilt free here)
I was working with Ashlee on the day I found out that I had been topic of discussion. I just told Ashlee that it was weird the new girl was bad mouthing me for being recently divorced because I had already left my husband when Ashlee started there.
Ashlee just said "I don't talk to the new girl."
I told her that was also weird because the new girl said Ashlee had alot to say about me, and none of it was good.
Ashlee said "everyone talks shit about your divorce, OP, not just me."
So I told her that the divorce was the best thing to ever happen to me because I no longer had to deal with a man cheating on me and stealing my money.(Which is the truth! I am divorced because my husband chose to cheat on me and steal my money.)
One of the coworkers that stopped the new girl from bad mouthing me said "be lucky you're divorced OP, some girls are out here getting beat by their men, pregnant and all." I then reminded her that some girls get kicked outta their own house too.
This left Ashlee seething (and hopefully unwilling to badmouth me again), because it is no secret that Ashlee frequently comes into work crying because her boyfriend cheats on her, steals her money, beats her, and kicks her out.
I don't regret anything I said, or the fact that I called her out for talking crap about me, but I learned later from a different coworker that Ashlee doesn't even have her own vehicle anymore due to her boyfriend totaling it, Ashlee's boyfriend really does cheat on her all the time with his child's mother, Ashlee's boyfriend planned to spend mother's day with a different girl while she was stuck at work (promoting Ashlee to add this girl on FB and tell all of her coworkers that the 3 of them could just hang out together), the only time he is kind to her is when she receives her paycheck, she pays his bills just to be kicked out qhen hes sick of her, and that Ashlee truly is miserable and just wishes her boyfriend would love her.
This feels weird- like the adult equivalent of finding out your high school bully has a rough home life.
I will be more kind to Ashlee because of this new knowledge, but I think I'll always be on edge around her after learning she's talked so poorly about me.

(Let me know if there is any inconsistency.)
Letter R in team: Rogert "Roth" Oberon
Gender: Male
Age: 25 during the Fall of Beacon, 26 or 27 during Atlas arc.
Birthday: 18th day of the 10th month
Height: 1,87 meters
Species: Faunus, Bear. Notable markers: Bear snout.
Family: Father and mother, lost a younger sister and brother in a Grimm attack.
Class: Tank. Speciality: Defense, taking and holding ground.
Colours: Cares little for the colour rule yet the colour of the symbol is brown and uses black armour. Varied colours in the rest of the attire intended for camouflage depending on the environment.
Semblance: =Redacted under orders of Headmaster of Beacon= Authorized personnel only as follows:
Animal morphing, Roth Oberon is able to turn into a big cave bear and is able to remain in full control after years of practice. However, to maintain control of his semblance he needs to change into a bear once every 2 weeks for at least 2 hours to avoid permanently damaging his body. Gained the semblance in his 3rd year as a Huntsman trainee during a hunting mission. Becomes stronger, aura takes more damage and is more animalistic in animal form.
=Classified information ends=
Profession: Huntsman in training at Beacon Academy, team leader. (Former)
Vale defence forces. (Former)
Guardsman of Beacon. (Current)
Appearance: Strong arms with strong legs, broad shoulders, gold brown bear eyes, and brown hair. Bear mouth/snout. Note: Functional muscles instead for show.
Weapons:
Graduate Huntsman in Atlas arc: Two gauntlets with automatic machine guns and a sword blade coming out of them, grappling hooks on both, a spear tip and spear adjusted for his height and physique that can be split into 2 pieces. Carries dust grenades with him with empty dust slots and different dust with him.
Student to Mistral arc: Spear, machine gun gauntlet, sword gauntlet, one-shot reloadable rocket launcher with ammo and a spear tip from a broken spear.
Strengths:
- Roth is very strong and durable allowing him to survive hits that would kill many others.
- Adaptable to changing situations and has strong willpower, keen intelligence, and a sharp mind.
- Versatile combat technique and knows how to use a variety of weapons or forms.
- His ability as a leader and calm attitude has kept his team in tip-top shape and has made them self-reliant on themselves making the team effective alone, in pairs or as a group.
- Bear´s sense of smell.
- Classified ahead: Can gain bear´s abilities because of his semblance when turning fully into a bear or just partially.
Weaknesses:
- Can be slower in a fight than most fighters even in his older years.
- Has some trouble with his introversion and his lack of understanding people.
- Great anger towards Grimm makes him hunt them with abandon or lure them in relatively easily. (Weakness in academy years, in adult years unorthodox trapping and luring method against Grimm. Double-edged sword.)
Inspiration: What I want to be. A person who could beat Hazel Rainart and Brutes from Batman Arkham Knight. Gregor Eisenhorn of Warhammer 40k. Kratos of God of war in his Nordic life.
History: Born to a pair of bear faunus, one of them a cop and the other currently a member of Vale council, Roth could have had an easy life if life was kinder to him. A survivor of a Grimm attack on Mountain Glenn, he made it his life mission to eradicate Grimm from the face of Remnant. He lost his sister and brother to the Grimm when they were trying to reach safety with their parents. His parents were able to survive with him yet he lost a piece of himself there.
Refusing to be weak and defenceless again, Roth´s sole focus in combat school became learning, discipline and bodybuilding. In a matter of months, he became strong as a tree and became the unofficial enforcer of his combat school keeping it clear from bullies. He gained a reputation for being unable to be intimidated or bribed.
Rogert met Elena Nathara during the initiation and became her partner in it. He was made team leader of team REPR(Reaper) due to his calm and observant nature. Over time his team where considered to be among the deadliest Huntsmen teams in Beacon history despite the conflicting personalities of the team.
Rogert made a name for himself in Beacon like in his combat school and became often scary to new student teams who don´t know his history or became scared of him because they did know his past as time went by. He enjoyed being a student at Beacon and in some ways, Beacon became his second home away from home and wowed to protect it against any danger.
Rogert sometimes tested potentially capable students and challenged them to fight in an effort to prepare them for Huntsman´s life. Few lasted very long against him and fewer still managed to beat him. Because of his experience in fighting students with very different fighting styles, Rogert has become very adaptable to different attacks and styles of combat.
After graduation, Roth went to train in the Vale military for 3 years and was put under heavier training than everyone else due to joining the training older than normal recruits to get him into a military standard. Roth´s first year was basic training, the second year involved advanced conditioning and the third year was commando tactics training under the commando unit of the 5th company of Vale military.
After joining Vale´s reserve forces, he joined the Guardsmen, a school security force of Beacon with her old teammate Raina Odell. Has been rumoured of working with Ozpin due to the steady fall of the criminal element in Vale and being seen in random locations around Remnant between school years after graduation.
Current location: the City of Vale working as a Guardsman.
Skills:
- Knows many melee weapon combat forms and has a lot of fist-fighting experience. After training and fighting in missions in a military unit for 2 years after graduation, he has learned to fight like a commando.
- Knows how to make new weapons from the ground up with primitive equipment and knows how to maintain them effectively and how to repair them.
- Rogert knows how to survive in the wilderness for potentially years. Building shelter, use of camouflage, hunting for food and foraging, how to lose a hunter, navigating etc. His speciality is tracking a target or missing supplies.
- Advanced stealth skills and ability to disappear enhanced by military education.
- Knows how to make grenades and bombs and how to defuse them. (Trained in the military and by Parish Broc.)
- Knows the basics of using military equipment and weapons after graduation and training in the military.
- Interrogation skills enhanced by his physical presence and knows how to gain information by talking. (And knows how to extract information by inflicting pain and suffering. Trained with some success by Elena Nathara.)
- Knows psychological warfare and guerrilla tactics. Specializes in Grimm.
- Knows criminal psychology and how to establish a crime scene and how to gather evidence. (Trained by his father and Raina Odell.)
- Knows how to administer first aid. (Basic and Huntsman academy training.)
Personality: Rogert is a loner who was given the job of a leader despite not wanting it. He became more comfortable in the role over the years yet never truly believed he should be a leader. This dislike ironically might have made Roth a more humble person than he would have been otherwise.
While a humble person, Roth has no illusions of his strengths and how powerful he can be when in battle.
Roth values loyalty and honesty, things he has shown to his team by having no secrets from them and has encouraged his team to do the same with great effect. Because of his values in honesty, Rogert does not forgive attempts to lie to him and tries to limit his words to be as truthful as possible.
Roth has a ruthless attitude when it comes to leadership and dealing with enemies. As a leader, Roth expects nothing but competence and giving 100% in combination with a firm chain of command and on-the-spot obedience.
Roth is a strong believer in learning and improving skills. Because of this Roth has learned from his teammates to skills he lacked before meeting them and has instructed them to do the same.
Desiring to always have the upper hand he learned to keep his emotions in check at all times and focused on his studies in his free time and school time. Other people often consider him emotionless, yet no one is willing to say it in his earshot, and he doesn´t mind this thought about him.
Rogert has mastered his emotions and he can make decisions that would make other people disgusted with themselves be it torture or cruel punishments without flinching as he got older. While his team reminds him about his better nature and while his actions have never been directed against an innocent, Rogert believes he can´t afford to hesitate to act when many lives are at stake.
His team REPR has helped him loosen up and he discovered his liking for playing the saxophone and driving. His team has helped him to become a better man than he thinks he needs to be as the years went by.
Facts about the character:

• Rogert prefers to be called Roth because the name is easier to pronounce and he prefers a shorter name.
• Rogert put the team to vote on whether they should stick together as a group. Ultimately, the team was split up, yet REPR occasionally would help each other on big operations. He voted No, yet never said why even when asked.
• Roth´s closest relationships are with his parents, Elena, and Raina and he thinks highly of Doctor Bartholomew Oobleck due to his teaching and wisdom.

Extra skills:
- Scholar: His lack of social interaction in his school years made Rogert focus more on his studies than on making friends. Due to this, he has gained a lot of knowledge and an interest in researching history and myths. Math skills and history were his best subject and often likes to talk about both when asked.

When I stopped calling myself an "addict", I stopped acting like an "addict". It was the most empowering and life-saving move I ever made. As a clinician, the first thing I do with my clients is help them to develop a robust positive identity and make sure they understand they are not an "addict" first and foremost.
Here's an excerpt from an important article (link at bottom) that illustrates why the term "addict" is on its' way out the door in the medical and clinical communities:
"Why calling someone an addict is harmful
“Drug and alcohol addiction was historically considered a moral failing, demonstrating a weakness of character,” explains Dictionary.com Lexicographer Heather Bonikowski. “This disparaging connotation persists in the nouns addict and alcoholic, in spite of our evolving modern understanding of the problem.”
Bonikowski specifically notes alcoholic for reason. She led the implementation of our changes to addict in parallel with revisions to the sometimes offensive noun alcoholic, which we now define as “a person with alcoholism or alcohol use disorder; a person addicted to intoxicating drinks.”
From disparaging slang and informal expressions to technical terms, English has many words for people who—while they may not have alcohol use disorder, another new entry in our dictionary—are habitual drinkers of alcohol. Words used for these people, like lush or dipsomaniac, have been historically glossed using the noun alcoholic; we revised our definitions of these terms to be in line with whole-person language.
Using words like addict to refer to people has become increasingly stigmatizing, Jess Keefe, a Senior Editor with Shatterproof, tells Dictionary.com. Shatterproof is a national nonprofit focused on educating the public on the disease of addiction.
“There’s a lot of disdain for the people we call addicts,” Keefe says, “It’s the only medical condition where you’re criminalized for what your body does.”
That’s what the noun addict has come to connote to most English speakers: “criminal,” “problem.” And to the people who are facing addiction, hearing themselves described as nothing more than an addict can be extremely dehumanizing.
“You start to believe it; you start to internalize it,” Keefe says. “If people don’t believe they can get better, they won’t.”
Changing societal perception of substance-use disorders means changing the language surrounding the topic of addiction, and as the updates to Dictionary.com show, that’s happening.
How doctors helped drive dictionary changes
Providing insight into the complex nature of addiction, Bonikowski explains: “Addiction is the complicated result of genetic predisposition intersecting with dysfunctional behavior, neurochemical modification, environmental factors, and social influences. Many major medical associations treat addiction as a disease, in part because it is a chronic condition that is demonstrably present in a person’s neurophysiology.”
Dictionary.com’s updates reflect the change in language surrounding addiction has been led in large part by medical practitioners. In 2013, the American Psychiatric Association published its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders(DSM–5) with new language that removed the words abuse and dependence in relation to addictive (and often illegal) substances.
In 2017, the director of the federal Office of National Drug Control Policy directed all federal agencies to adjust both internal and external communications to language that adheres to the DSM-5. Organizations from the American Medical Association to the American Society of Addiction Medicine have made similar calls to their membership to adopt non-stigmatizing language for all communications (written and spoken) about addiction"
https://www.dictionary.com/e/whats-wrong-with-the-word-addict-video/

The Center for AI Safety released a 22-word statement this morning warning on the risks of AI. My full breakdown is here, but all points are included below for Reddit discussion as well.
Lots of media publications are taking about the statement itself, so I wanted to add more analysis and context helpful to the community.
What does the statement say? It's just 22 words:

Mitigating the risk of extinction from AI should be a global priority alongside other societal-scale risks such as pandemics and nuclear war.

View it in full and see the signers here.
Other statements have come out before. Why is this one important?

• Yes, the previous notable statement was the one calling for a 6-month pause on the development of new AI systems. Over 34,000 people have signed that one to date.
• This one has a notably broader swath of the AI industry (more below) - including leading AI execs and AI scientists
• The simplicity in this statement and the time passed since the last letter have enabled more individuals to think about the state of AI -- and leading figures are now ready to go public with their viewpoints at this time.

Who signed it? And more importantly, who didn't sign this?
Leading industry figures include:

• Sam Altman, CEO OpenAI
• Demis Hassabis, CEO DeepMind
• Emad Mostaque, CEO Stability AI
• Kevin Scott, CTO Microsoft
• Mira Murati, CTO OpenAI
• Dario Amodei, CEO Anthropic
• Geoffrey Hinton, Turing award winner behind neural networks.
• Plus numerous other executives and AI researchers across the space.

Notable omissions (so far) include:

• Yann LeCun, Chief AI Scientist Meta
• Elon Musk, CEO Tesla/Twitter

The number of signatories from OpenAI, Deepmind and more is notable. Stability AI CEO Emad Mostaque was one of the few notable figures to sign on to the prior letter calling for the 6-month pause.
How should I interpret this event?

• AI leaders are increasingly "coming out" on the dangers of AI. It's no longer being discussed in private.
• There's broad agreement AI poses risks on the order of threats like nuclear weapons.
• What is not clear is how AI can be regulated**.** Most proposals are early (like the EU's AI Act) or merely theory (like OpenAI's call for international cooperation).
• Open-source may post a challenge as well for global cooperation. If everyone can cook AI models in their basements, how can AI truly be aligned to safe objectives?
• TLDR; everyone agrees it's a threat -- but now the real work needs to start. And navigating a fractured world with low trust and high politicization will prove a daunting challenge. We've seen some glimmers that AI can become a bipartisan topic in the US -- so now we'll have to see if it can align the world for some level of meaningful cooperation.

P.S. If you like this kind of analysis, I offer a free newsletter that tracks the biggest issues and implications of generative AI tech. It's sent once a week and helps you stay up-to-date in the time it takes to have your Sunday morning coffee.

Huh that's odd. Can anyone explain to me why they called it "THE CLINTON PLAN" and why did they change the name to first "Crossfire Hurricane" and then to "The Mueller investigation"?
https://www.justice.gov/storage/durhamreport.pdf
Page 81+
Investigative Referral of Possible Clinton Campaign Plan
1. Factual background
The Office also considered as part of its investigation the government's handling of
certain intelligence that it received during the summer of 2016. That intelligence concerned the
purported "approval by Hillary Clinton on July 26, 2016 of a proposal from one of her foreign
policy advisors to vilify Donald Trump by stirring up a scandal claiming interference by the
Russian security services." 391 We refer to that intelligence hereafter as the "Clinton Plan
intelligence.'' DNI John Ratcliffe declassified the following information about the Clinton Plan
intelligence in September 2020 and conveyed it to the Senate Judiciary Committee:
• In late July 2016, U.S. intelligence agencies obtained insight into Russian intelligence
analysis alleging that U.S Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton had approved a
campaign plan to stir up a scandal against U.S. Presidential candidate Donald Trump by
tying him to Putin and the Russians' hacking of the Democratic National Committee.
The IC does not know the accuracy of this allegation or the extent to which the Russian
intelligence analysis may reflect exaggeration or fabrication.
• According to his handwritten notes, CIA Director Brennan subsequently briefed
President Obama and other senior national security officials on the intelligence, including
the "alleged approval by Hillary Clinton on July 26, 2016 of a proposal from one of her
foreign policy advisors to vilify Donald Trump by stirring up a scandal claiming
interference by Russian security services.
• On 07 September 2016, U.S. intelligence officials forwarded an investigative referral to
FBI Director James Corney and Deputy Assistant Director of Counterintelligence Peter
Strzok regarding "U.S. Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's approval of a plan
concerning U.S. Presidential candidate Donald Trump and Russian hackers hampering
U.S. elections as a means of distracting the public from her use of a private mail
server." 392
The Clinton Plan intelligence was relevant to the Office's investigation for two reasons.
First, the Clinton Plan intelligence itself and on its face arguably suggested that private
actors affiliated with the Clinton campaign were seeking in 2016 to promote a false or
exaggerated narrative to the public and to U.S. government agencies about Trump's possible ties
to Russia. Given the significant quantity of materials the FBI and other government agencies did
in fact receive during the 2016 presidential election season and afterwards that originated with
and/or were funded by the Clinton campaign or affiliated persons (i.e., the Steele Dossier reports,
the Alfa Bank allegations, and the Yotaphone allegations), the Clinton Plan intelligence
prompted the Office to consider (i) whether there was in fact a plan by the Clinton campaign to
tie Trump to Russia in order to "stir[] up a scandal" in advance of the 2016 presidential election,
and (ii) if such a plan existed, whether an aspect or component of that plan was to intentionally
provide knowingly false and/or misleading information to the FBI or other agencies in
furtherance of such a plan. 393
Second, the Clinton Plan intelligence was also highly relevant to the Office's review and
investigation because it was part of the mosaic of information that became known to certain U.S.
officials at or before the time they made critical decisions in the Crossfire Hurricane case and in
related law enforcement and intelligence efforts. Because these officials relied, at least in part,
on materials provided or funded by the Clinton campaign and/or the DNC when seeking FISA
warrants against a U.S. citizen (i.e., the Steele Dossier reports) and taking other investigative
steps, the Clinton Plan intelligence had potential bearing on the reliability and credibility of those
materials. Put another way, this intelligence-taken at face value-was arguably highly relevant
and exculpatory because it could be read in fuller context, and in combination \vith other facts, to
suggest that materials such as the Steele Dossier reports and the Alfa Bank allegations (discussed
below and in greater detail in Section IV.E. l) were part of a political effort to smear a political
opponent and to use the resources of the federal government's law enforcement and intelligence
agencies in support of a political objective. The Office therefore examined whether, and
precisely when, U.S. law enforcement and intelligence officials became aware of the Clinton
Plan intelligence; whether they vetted and analyzed the intelligence to understand its potential
​
OIC !!! IT was called "THE HILLARY PLAN" because it was made up by Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign as a means to defeat Donald Trump in the 2016 election
​
Go figure: That makes sense now.

The Center for AI Safety released a 22-word statement this morning warning on the risks of AI. My full breakdown is here, but all points are included below for Reddit discussion as well.
Lots of media publications are taking about the statement itself, so I wanted to add more analysis and context helpful to the community.
What does the statement say? It's just 22 words:

Mitigating the risk of extinction from AI should be a global priority alongside other societal-scale risks such as pandemics and nuclear war.

View it in full and see the signers here.
Other statements have come out before. Why is this one important?

• Yes, the previous notable statement was the one calling for a 6-month pause on the development of new AI systems. Over 34,000 people have signed that one to date.
• This one has a notably broader swath of the AI industry (more below) - including leading AI execs and AI scientists
• The simplicity in this statement and the time passed since the last letter have enabled more individuals to think about the state of AI -- and leading figures are now ready to go public with their viewpoints at this time.

Who signed it? And more importantly, who didn't sign this?
Leading industry figures include:

• Sam Altman, CEO OpenAI
• Demis Hassabis, CEO DeepMind
• Emad Mostaque, CEO Stability AI
• Kevin Scott, CTO Microsoft
• Mira Murati, CTO OpenAI
• Dario Amodei, CEO Anthropic
• Geoffrey Hinton, Turing award winner behind neural networks.
• Plus numerous other executives and AI researchers across the space.

Notable omissions (so far) include:

• Yann LeCun, Chief AI Scientist Meta
• Elon Musk, CEO Tesla/Twitter

The number of signatories from OpenAI, Deepmind and more is notable. Stability AI CEO Emad Mostaque was one of the few notable figures to sign on to the prior letter calling for the 6-month pause.
How should I interpret this event?

• AI leaders are increasingly "coming out" on the dangers of AI. It's no longer being discussed in private.
• There's broad agreement AI poses risks on the order of threats like nuclear weapons.
• What is not clear is how AI can be regulated. Most proposals are early (like the EU's AI Act) or merely theory (like OpenAI's call for international cooperation).
• Open-source may post a challenge as well for global cooperation. If everyone can cook AI models in their basements, how can AI truly be aligned to safe objectives?
• TLDR; everyone agrees it's a threat -- but now the real work needs to start. And navigating a fractured world with low trust and high politicization will prove a daunting challenge. We've seen some glimmers that AI can become a bipartisan topic in the US -- so now we'll have to see if it can align the world for some level of meaningful cooperation.

P.S. If you like this kind of analysis, I offer a free newsletter that tracks the biggest issues and implications of generative AI tech. It's sent once a week and helps you stay up-to-date in the time it takes to have your Sunday morning coffee.

A rant first, then the real question: My husband was out of town last weekend on a fishing trip. While he was gone my cousin came over and we did a bunch of craft stuff, like tie dye and made some reverse tumblers and stuff like that. I had this idea to take a green shirt, find a cute clipart of a cactus and cut that out on vinyl, bleach the shirt where the cactus will be, then apply the vinyl (idk if that makes sense but basically it would be an all green shirt with a cactus on it and it's bleached where the cactus is).
We made a bunch of stuff but this was by far the thing I was most excited about. My husband is a big plant guy, I was expecting him to at least be nice about it, but he just shit all over it and told me it'd look like a dead cactus on my shirt and every time I wore it he'd call it my 'dead cactus shirt'.
I feel so ridiculous writing this out on the internet because we are both in our 30s and 'dead cactus shirt' is about the stupidest freaking insult to get upset over, but why can't he just be excited with me? Why does he have to bring me down? We're both creative people, so he knows what that feels like. In fact he's made shirts that I think look like they were designed by a seeing-impaired seven year old, but I would never say that to him and ruin what he thinks of his creations. If he's happy in it, I'm happy for him. I just want the same consideration.
On to the actual question: I don't have an official diagnosis but I identify with a lot of the symptoms, like rejection sensitivity. I was so excited about that shirt and after he made his comments, I didn't even finish it. Now I feel like I'm being petty, that I shouldn't care what he thinks and I should just wear what I want. But I also feel like I shouldn't have to deal with bullying in my home and the thought of having to hear 'oh you picked your dead cactus shirt!' everytime I had it on made me hate the thing.
He feels he should be able to give his honest opinion and I don't disagree with that. But when I'm in my cloud 9 hyperfixation, the harshness of those comments drops my mood like a pile of bricks and then I have no desire to continue doing whatever it was. How do we work through this? Right now I'm just going to try to hold off telling him about things I'm working on until I feel it's in a state where I'm ready to hear that honest feedback, but that makes him feel like I'm withholding because he's used to my excitment-dumping. While I don't think it would kill him to just be bit kinder to me, I know most of this is on me and my over-the-top reaction to negative feedback. How do I become less sensitive to his remarks?

This book is weird. And this also might be the point where the saga starts getting weird because I found the first trilogy to be insightful, imaginative, and philosophical while also being pulpy and action-packed. But this book is just so different.
NOTE - YOU CAN IGNORE MY REVIEW AND JUST GO TO THE QUESTIONS. I HAVE WRITTEN THEM BELOW :)
WHAT I LOVED - First of all, despite my confusion, I can easily say that I was largely captivated by the book and could not keep it down. I wasn't bored for the most part, even when Leto was just interrupting Moneo's questions and dropping Wisdom bombs. I was always excited about the story's progression and it was mostly worth it. I found Leto's character to be extremely well-written. I actually felt sorry for him many times. I had seen a lot of people calling him a villain or a really bad guy, which I don't understand. Sure, people in the Dune universe would for some time remember him as a tyrannical ruler. But after his golden path was explained properly, I started rooting for him and considered him to be actually way better than Paul. Paul is my favorite character, but he could not sacrifice his love and emotions to take his step on the Golden Path. He could not do it. Despite being a complex character, he didn't have a lot of positive impact on the universe. But Leto, was able to use his manipulation and tyranny to put humans on the safe path. He had to take extreme measures, but what he did would be remembered for years to come. Mankind escaped social structure, spice addiction, confinement, and their tendency to fall under the rule of a charismatic/tyrannical ruler. At first, I thought that the Golden Path was mostly some random fiction thing. But the logic behind it seems very fair and realistic (if that's the word) to me.
I love Frank's focus on Leto's personal tragedy and sacrifice. I loved some of the philosophical undertones. I found the idea behind Fish Speakers interesting, and characters like Hwi and Moneo were great too. I expected to like Siona, and I did find her character really interesting. She could have been a great protagonist if Herbert wanted to write a book about how the Scattering occurred in detail. Her moments with Leto in the Sareer were really fun to read. Though, I do think she was really pretentious at times. And some of her decisions didn't make a lot of sense.
WHAT I HATED - Many things didn't go along with me that well. But there is one thing that I absolutely hated about this book, and that is - DUNCAN FUCKING IDAHO. First of all, I would just love to give a huge "F*ck you" to Duncan for bringing this book down. Bro went from being my favorite character in Messiah and Children to the absolute worst of this saga. HE WAS SO ANNOYING OH MY GOD. I fell asleep every time Herbert focused on his existential crisis, sexual tension, and homophobia. Like, I really don't understand why he was in this book. All he does is whine and curse. And then there is this weird focus about women finding him extremely hot and getting an orgasm from him just existing??
The book stretches too much. In my copy, it goes for about 420 pages and it could have been great in just 300-350 pages. Herbert spent too much time describing philosophies and shit, so the last part felt really rushed. This is a problem I have always faced in his writing. Siona's ultimate decision to kill Leto and HER FATHER was so confusing, and it really brought her character down for me. She needed some more explanation. Duncan's confusion about an all-female army was so irritating, like bro just get over it. How do gender norms even exist 10000+ years in the future????
​
QUESTIONS THAT I HAD REGARDING THE BOOK

1. Why did Siona kill her own father, and what really made her kill Leto randomly? Didn't he show her the Golden Path?
2. Ixians have so much technology that they are able to make so many things. How do they not have a higher power in the universe? Everyone else is so primitive. With their levels of technology, they could easily defeat Leto and rule the universe.
3. I'm pretty sure that Leto wouldn't have enough spice to have a monopoly on it for 3500 years. So how did he maintain that monopoly with that little resource?
4. Why did the Museum Fremen and Garun agree to kill Leto with Duncan and Siona? I don't know if i missed something but there wasn't any explanation. They just like randomly helped them to escape the wall and kill Leto.

TL;DR:

• Light is the best blocklist for most users as it blocks most common trackers with minimal site breakage.
• Pro++ is the best list for advanced users who want more coverage and can troubleshoot issues.
• Hagezi's other lists are redundant (Normal, Pro) or too aggressive (Ultimate).

Intro

Hagezi’s DNS lists stand out from their predecessors.
But they also benefit from the many contributors that came before and continue to be used as source lists, such as 1Hosts, OISD, Lightswitch, and Steven Black, to name a few.
I evaluated how often Hagezi’s DNS lists blocked domains from resolving (quantitative) and reviewed what they blocked (qualitative).
I want to share the results of a week-long quasi-scientific study. I conducted this research after Hagezi recently optimized the list sources.
The focus of this study was to find the best blocklists for mainstream consumers and advanced users — not with theoretical blocking, but in real world usage.
The question I asked was simple: * Which list blocks the most trackers with the least risk of site failure?
The lists evaluated were Light, Normal, Pro, and Pro++. Ultimate was not evaluated quantitatively because… well, I like my shit to work.
If you’re new to Hagezi's lists: Each blocklist below incorporates the one above it (Normal includes Light, Pro includes Normal and Light, etc.).
So, let’s get started!

Findings

Light & Normal Lists

The tables show percentages of the number of requests blocked in the first list (Source) compared to a second list (Comparison).

Source	Comparison	% Same	% Difference
Light	Normal	99.8%	0.2%

Normal blocked the same as Light 99.8% of the time. This is statistically insignificant (0.2%).
The main difference is that OISD is a source list in Normal and not in Light.
I couldn’t account for what request(s) made the difference between the two.
A CloudFront domain, d415l8qlhk6u6.cloudfront.net, was blocked in every list except Light. However, all the lists blocked other CloudFront domains like d13k7prax1yi04.cloudfront.net.
This is the only difference I noticed.

Pro and Pro++ Lists

Source	Comparison	% Same	% Difference
Light	Pro	93.6%	6.4%
Light	Pro++	84.7%	15.3%

Now we had significant gaps come into play with Pro blocking 6% more often and Pro++ blocking 15% more often than Light.
Entering Pro territory is where troublesome entries are likely to come into play, due to expanding the list’s sources to 1Hosts, Steven Black, and other maintainers.

Pro

Interestingly, Pro and Pro++ shared in blocking firebaselogging-pa.googleapis.com and id.google.com — and that’s really all I could find!
Blocking firebaselogging came up a lot in my logs, so I’d wager most of the percentage difference is owed to this factor alone. (Percentages are funny.)

Pro++

Source	Comparison	% Same	% Difference
Pro	Pro++	90.5%	9.5%

Pro++ blocked almost 10% more than Pro due to its inclusion of more lists, including my own (thanks Gerd!).
The sources used here are more opinionated, so they have a higher chance of causing site breakage. They may focus more on annoyances or bloat than they do stopping ads and trackers. (Feel free to correct me if I’m wrong.)
Pro++ had a few domains that were not shared with Pro.
Here’s a random sample of domains in which Pro++ blocked exclusively: * googletagmanager.com * watson.events.data.microsoft.com * server.events.data.microsoft.com * gc.paviourwese.com * realtime.services.disqus.com * static.addtoany.com * and many more

Conclusions

Here are my conclusions, which go against the norm of other DNS lists in years past.

Light is amazing!

I know, I know. Allow me to explain.
Light did a great job of blocking common offenders like ssl.google-analytics.com, app-measurement.com, and metrics.icloud.com.
Moreover, Light did not miss any request that would make me lose sleep at night.
Don’t believe me?
Let’s establish a few definitions around web tracking:

• Tracking protection should prevent record linkage. Record linkage is the ability to know that multiple data points come from the same user.
• Tracking refers to an entity (the tracker) following and recording the user’s actions.
• Therefore, if we define third-party tracking as when a service collects and correlates data across multiple sites, then the concern for obscure requests becomes less relevant.

Protection from online tracking should follow the pareto principle — that is, for 20% of the effort you get 80% protection. This concept relates closely to diminishing returns.
In my use case, Light gives me 85% of protection, but realistically, it’s around 95%.
It’s true. Run Light alongside Pro++ and check your logs.
Sure, Pro++ blocks googletagmanager.com, but blocking it sometimes causes site breakage (albeit it’s rare at the DNS level), and it’s debatable whether tag managers are technically trackers.
And yes, Pro++ does block other miscellaneous requests.
But this reinforces my point: Pro++ is more for obscure requests, which are uncommon trackers and site bloat, and whose legitimacy may be questionable (or at least optional).
To put it another way: In the context of blocking the most common trackers, Light blocked everything I wanted it to. It even surprised me by blocking requests I’ve never seen before.

But why use Light over Normal if the difference is 0.2%?

The target audience for this list wants to avoid site breakage as much as possible, but not so much they miss out on blocking ads or trackers totally.
And the only difference between the two is that Normal includes OISD as a source.
I would turn the question on its head: Why risk the false positives from OISD when the Light list is so good on its own?

Pro++ is optional

So just as Normal is irrelevant to Light, Pro is irrelevant to Pro++
As I said earlier, one of the only requests blocked repeatedly in Pro is firebaselogging-pa.googleapis.com, and Pro++ already covers that.
Even though Pro++ blocked domains that were not in the other lists, Light still did a great job of blocking both known and unrecognized requests. (Just wtf is www.jiordgxkpglzm.com?)
So, while Pro++ blocks the most requests, Light blocks most the necessary trackers with the least risk of site failure.
The rest is extra.

Blocking More ≠ Better Blocking

This has not been the case with DNS blocklist in the past.
Usually, one had to accept some breakage as a tradeoff for greater coverage. More coverage at the cost of more false positives.

Which list should I use?

I’ve argued here that 1) Light is best for most people and 2) Normal and Pro are redundant.

For everyday folks:

• Normal is not worth using over Light since it only adds OISD as a source list. It is statistically insignificant when it comes to blocking requests (+0.2%) and carries a higher risk of false positives.
• Similarly, Pro is not worth risking site breakage over using Light (more source lists = higher risk of site failure + very few additional domains blocked)

For advanced users:

• Pro is not worth using on its own compared to Pro++. This is because Pro++ blocks much more than Pro, yet it doesn’t cause frequent breakage like Ultimate.

Summary

I’ve simplified Hagezi’s five lists to two three lists:

• Light for most users
• Pro++ for advanced users
• Ultimate for y’all crazy people (see, I didn’t forget about you :slightly_smiling_face:)

Naturally, if Light isn’t available (I’m looking at you Control D users), then use Normal.
It’s that simple.

Limitations

There are many. I’ll name a few:

• This study did not have a significant sample size (my household)
• Short time frame (1 week)
• I equated “everyday blocking” = my household, which will not be accurate for all people everywhere

Obviously, YMMV.

Final Thoughts

The great thing about the Hagezi lists is they do a great job of blocking the most common ads, trackers, and some malicious sites.
The number of rules increases with each list, but the effectiveness of each list increases significantly less.
This is not bad.
Hagezi calls Light a hand brush, but I say Light is a reliable vacuum cleaner for the modern web. The other lists include extra attachments for the vacuum cleaner.
I’m not bashing the other lists. I’m grateful for the “attachments”.
I use Pro++ and will keep using it:
1) I can troubleshoot occasional site breakage, and 2) I want to block all the bloat and trackers I can without disrupting my browsing experience.
But if I were setting up a network for a large group of people, or for non-technical users (hi grandma!), I’d use Light on their network.
Thanks for reading. Leave a comment below!
I'll be using these findings to revamp the blocklists section of my NextDNS guide.
original post (github)

Jatoichi - This is a musical about a blind (more on that later) masseur. Hot chicks, a hot ladyboy, So many retards. To the left, to the right, running around in circles, bumbling in mud, hitting each other with sticks—great choreography! Hang around for the big dance number finale. And, for the last time and for crying out loud, is he blind or not???
Three Outlaw Samurai - What’s a “three outlaw”? Three strikes and you’re out? Need to make better use of commas and dashes people. Anyway, this cheeky flick tells the tale of a traveling mariachi band called The Three Amigos who find themselves in hot straits when some fooktarded Daimyo’s daughter is kidnapped and held for ransom. Hilarity ensues due to mistaken identity, shenanigans and other hi-jinx. Eventually, they’re forced to eat millet. So, they cheese it and leave the pesky villagers to fend for themselves.
Hidden Blade - Not Hidden Fortress. I won’t make that mistake again. Hot chicks? check. Retards? check. Wangs? check. Blood and guts? double check. Swords? yes. Machine guns? can’t say I like that. Japanese Hitler? WTF? 8[
Afro Samurai Resurrection - This turd of a movie will make you wish you had just stuck with the Criterion Collection. What the heck’s a Crunchyroll anyways? Sounds vaguely sexual. Sure, this flick checks all the boxes and then some (evil teddy bear, evil robots, big tiddie waifu), but him and his janky-ass sword are just way too chipper for my tastes.
Harakiri - Gaaawd damn that was hard to watch. This film was made by Alfred Hitchcock during his Blue Period when he only used black and white film with mono soundtrack. It’s the fast-paced story of a down and out Ronin and his dwindling family. The family is so small and poor that at one point they use their infant son as a piece in a Parcheesi game. The ancient Chinese pastime is symbolic here of a life without care. As in, he don’t care bout nuthin so why not just off it. Rated PG-13 for graphic scenes of disembowelment with a dull bamboo cheese spreader. (I would’ve puked if it was in full color and surround sound) Overall, I would give it 2.5 out of 5 stars, if I used stars.
7 Samurai - The timeless tale of 7 star-crossed lovers. How does that work? Well, the pesky villagers are always looking for them. What else could they be doing? Remakes include: The Magnificent Seven (twice over), Battle Beyond the Stars, Star Wars the Clone Wars episode Bounty Hunters, The Mandalorian episode Sanctuary, Samurai 7, Seven Samurai 20XX (video game). Who knows how many others credited or otherwise. My favorite scene is of them chowing on millet gruel and whinging about it. Meanwhile, other Ronin are so hungry they threaten harakiri for a few Parcheesi pieces.
Battle Beyond the Stars - This is an avant-garde movie by Akira Kurosawa consisting of 9 hours of blackness. Avant-garde is Latin for “long sad/boring.” Beyond the stars there’s nothing. No matter, therefore no way to measure distance. Without distance there’s no way to mark time. All photons are collocated. So, no film can be exposed and nothing happens. There is no “creation” event, so no God either. Joseph Campbell and George Lucas are rolling in their graves.
Oh, wait, I see the problem. I was on Peacock and the app crashed (again!). Guess I just wasted 9 hours staring at a blank screen. Anyway, the UFO (universal fix operation)—off and back on—fixed it.
Battle Beyond the Stars - After most of the retards and a couple hot chicks are killed on his planet Lil Pray’ree, John-boy (don’t mention his m-m-m-mole) takes off in his spaceship the SS Teabagger to tour the galaxy on a sex vacation. At first he’s chased by lobotomized morons but quickly escapes due to the nagging of the B-ahtch 9000 computer. On his way he meets a princess, a lizard, a hairless wookiee named Jorge and things blow up. Unfortunately, he returns with only seven ships full of dudes and chicks and… others, all of whom are virgins except one or two. I’m guessing the villagers molest all of them. I don’t know, couldn’t finish the thing due to 10 hours staring at the tiny screen on my phone.
Samurai Cheddar - Okay, I made that up. But, it seems like you can put any random words ahead or behind “Samurai” and there’s a flick by that name. Extra points for using a number—1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 13, 47, 300 and 20XX are taken.
📷ReplyForward

Original post: https://www.reddit.com/lfg/comments/13gfsqa/online5eetutc4_the_stranger_cosmic_horro (graciously reviewed and approved by the subreddit mods)This is Post (3/4), we're posting this four weeks in a row before making final picks.
Preface
This is a long post - crazy long even. That's because we care so much to find those just as impassioned as we are about this amazing hobby. We love high quality D&D campaigns, and we believe it takes effort and time to make it happen. If you take the effort to get through learning about us in this post, reading every word with care and interest, we will do the same with your application.
Our commitments:

• We will respond personally to each and every application, giving constructive feedback and/or move you to the next stage!

How to Apply

• Application Link: https://www.avarra.world
• Promo Video: https://youtu.be/RbfQWegafX8
• Sample session: https://youtu.be/FDNHxkNXM5Y?t=13120 (We're doing something new for the next campaign, and while not quite full-effort, this is a closer example of what we're going for)
• Ask a question about the lore or world in the comments! And we'll respond in character (from one of our many current character). Thumbs us up or down this post, interact to help us be visible!
• The rest are provided after application has been submitted.
• Need to get in touch privately? My discord is Wes#8045.

World Preface

In the enchanted realm of Avarra, where high magic weaves its intricate web through the fabric of existence, a burgeoning form of sorcery takes root. Secluded on the island city of Crowperch, the pursuit and mastery of void magic are richly rewarded, enticing arcanists from the farthest reaches of the world to unravel its mysteries. Yet, the enigmatic allure of Crowperch extends beyond the arcane; a diverse tapestry of industry, history, and craftsmanship entwines the island's very essence.
Beneath the surface, the island's riches reveal themselves: the mines and quarries, abundant with untapped potential, and the surrounding seas, offering bounties from the ocean's depths. Ancient archaeological sites whisper secrets of bygone eras, while artisans ply their remarkable skills on the bustling city streets. Tales of a long-forgotten, rumored treasure continue to captivate the imaginations of adventurers and sightseers alike.
But one must pay a steep price for this wealth of opportunity and intrigue. It is wise to avert one's gaze from the iron grip of autocratic rule and the unyielding scrutiny that looms over the island's denizens. For those who venture to Crowperch, a single obligation remains: seek your heart's desire, and then depart – for the island's enigmatic embrace is not meant to last forever.

Application Overview
In this sacred fellowship, we stand steadfast in the face of the dreaded D&D group killers. Our commitment to this game is unwavering, for it is not just a hobby, but a way of life - an appointment that must be kept at all costs. For us, the work does not end with character creation or worldbuilding. Nay, we strive for a deep understanding of each character, for their hopes and dreams, their fears and flaws, so that we may weave a complex and enthralling campaign that will leave you breathless. We implore you, dear adventurer, to show up regularly and with a burning passion in your heart. Let your excitement be infectious, let your dedication be unwavering.
Overview

• Game Day: Saturday
• Players: 6 (5 Regular, 0-1 Floating/Guest)
• DM(s): 2 (1 Regular, 0-1 Floating/Guest)
• Game Length: 3 Months mini-arc, then decide whether to continue. However accommodate for 1-2 years on your schedule.
• Start Date: First week of September (Yes, 5 months away)

Selection Criteria (In order of importance)

• Qualification: TTRPG Experience, RP/Improv Ability
• Questionnaire answers
• Participation in One-Shots & Community so we can get to know you.

Investment
This campaign is getting some big investment. All players will get custom commissions of their characters, animated. Additionally, we are commissioning all maps, tokens, flairs, and elements to make this truly something special.
Campaign Preface

As twilight descended upon the restless sea, the ancient ship, Her Royal Rose, creaked under the weight of its cargo. Its passengers, a motley assortment of scholars, fisherman, guard and others with business on the island of Crowperch, sit tightly in cramped quarters. Even as the tempestuous winds moaned through crevasse and open windows, the opportunities and tasks that beckon them to the island keep them going, a siren's call that drowned out the ocean's roar.
The skies above were an oppressive tapestry of writhing clouds, their tendrils suffocating the last vestiges of daylight as if to obscure the path to the island. A shroud of mist swallowed the horizon, leaving the ship to navigate through a nebulous labyrinth, its destination only guaranteed by Captain Alaric Thorne.
As Her Royal Rose inched closer to Sove, the air grew heavy with mist and sea salt which deposited itself gradually on the railings, sails and masts. Little Henry Williams, the ship's messenger runs throughout the halls pattering on each door, "The captain has an announcement, all to the deck. The captain has an announcement, all to the deck." The clacking of his wooden foot pattering one after another with each step, a disfigurement he earned while working aboard Her Royal Rose.
Captain Alaric Thorne stood on the deck, the salty wind tugging at his weathered features. His voice rang out, its timbre heavy with authority and unease, as he addressed the gathered passengers.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I must bring to your attention an unfortunate turn of events. It seems the Saturation has arrived earlier than anticipated this year. As many of you know, this phenomenon causes an unnaturally heavy accumulation of salt in the air, resulting in deposits that weigh down our vessel."
He paused, letting the gravity of the situation settle upon his passengers before continuing, "This unexpected occurrence has forced us to halt our usual schedule, for the safety of both the ship and her passengers. Once Her Royal Rose arrives, she will remain anchored at Sove until the Saturation clears, as navigating these treacherous waters under such conditions would be inviting disaster."
A murmur of concern rippled through the crowd, many who were on this voyage planned their departure prior to The Saturation. The captain raised his hand to quell their rising unease. "I understand this may cause you some inconvenience, but I assure you, we will resume our journey as soon as it is safe to do so. In the meantime, you may continue your research, tasks and exploration on the island. Sove is well stocked and very hospitable to travelers especially those displaced during our seasonal shifts."
With that, Captain Thorne turned away, leaving the passengers to ponder the implications of his words as the first tendrils of salt-laden mist began to coil around the ship, heralding the arrival of the Saturation.
In the dimly lit corners of their minds, the passengers could sense a truth they dared not confront: Their voyage to Crowperch was going to be a lot longer than they had hoped. As the ship drew nearer to the island, the shadows beneath the spires of the fortress atop the mountain loomed over the ship, casting a shadow over what little moonlight illuminated the darkness.

Technology

• D&D Beyond: We own ALL books on D&D Beyond, and all of them will be at your disposal for your campaign.
• Owlbear Rodeo 2.0: This new VTT is extremely promising, and has the customization ability for us to do VERY interesting unique things. We're switching here from Roll20.
• Discord: Voice chat & messenger for our campaigns. Video is required, however is not recorded. Offline RP included!
• Obsidian: How players track the world's expanding lore, and how we the DM's keep track of things. You don't have to use this, but it's a highly recommended tool for note taking.
• Recorded Sessions: Sessions will be recorded, edited and posted online. Proceeds from monetization will be used to level up our recording, roleplaying, technology and setup, get commissions, maps and such. Players will not be paid for participation, however this is possible for the future if we grow. Sessions are recorded using OBS.

Monetization
So we are still small, so monetization isn’t at the top of our list. That said, our goal is to

1. Play Excellent D&D
2. Donate to charity
3. Re-invest to make better content and
4. Compensate players to allow them to play more D&D.

How specifically that all happens is still obscured by the mists of time. By participating in this campaign players release all intellectual property created for the campaign to Roll for Impact and related brands. Please note that this is meaningless while we're still small, but consider this hopeful thinking for our success. The next campaign is getting SO much effort, so we want to stay safe.
Campaign Rules

• Backstory: Crafting a compelling backstory for your character is essential for a great adventure. By providing a reason for your character to be adventuring with others and offering plot hooks for the DM to work with. Rather than focusing on build concepts, take this opportunity to create a real, relatable character. Who knows what unexpected twists and turns your backstory might bring to the campaign? So, let's get to writing - your character's fate is in your hands!
• Stats: Ah, stats - the bread and butter of any adventurer's character sheet. But let's face it, nobody likes a Mary Sue or a Jim The Commoner. That's why we're going to be rolling 4d6 drop the lowest, but with a twist! Each player will only generate one stat, which will then be compiled into one array for everyone to use. That way, you still get the fun of rolling, but we won't have any lopsided parties where one person is carrying the whole team. Because let's be real, nobody wants to be stuck playing the equivalent of a wet noodle while someone else is shooting laser beams out of their eyes. So, roll those dice and let fate decide your fate!
• Starting Level: Starting our campaign at level 3 makes sense because many classes get their major features at level 3, avoiding the issue of players missing out on the fun stuff. This also prevents weird mid-game transformations that can come from certain builds and allows for multiclass combos right out of the gate. So, let's start the adventure with confidence and balance, knowing that we've got all the good stuff from the get-go!

Homebrew

• Free Feat: We're giving you an extra feat at first level, but with a catch - it must tie into your backstory or character design in a compelling way. By doing this, we hope to reduce the cookie-cutter nature of low level characters and encourage backstory development. Rather than just taking a feat because you need it, we want you to create a unique and interesting character from the get-go. So, let's spice things up and see what kind of story you can bring to the table!
• Healing Potions: Get the max benefit as an action, or use a bonus action to get the rolled benefit.
• Flanking: Flanking now grants a +2 to hit instead of advantage, and you can't flank someone if you're being flanked yourself. But that's not all - if three or more combatants are flanking a single enemy, that enemy is officially Surrounded, and you get a +5 to melee weapon attacks. So, let's get out there and show those enemies what it means to be surrounded by a bunch of hyped-up adventurers! (But remember, enemies get the same benefit too.)
• Zero HP & Exhaustion: Everyone takes the homebrew feat Battle Fatigue. This homebrew rule makes repeated downs more punishing on players in a campaign. You may be downed (Con Modifier) times before receiving one point of exhaustion. Each time this ticker fills up, reset it and add one point of exhaustion.
• Starting Common Magic Item: At first level, all characters get a common magic item of their choice. Similar to feats, this must be related to your backstory.
• Dual Wielding: RAW, DW doesn't allow you to add the modifier to the attack, so we add the modifier to the roll like a normal roll. You still get a weaker weapon, but now at least you get to get more power from the attack.
• Resurrection: (Modified Critical Role Rules) Resurrection isn't easy, folks - you'll need to pass a DC of 10 just to be brought back. But that's just the beginning. The party can all contribute to aiding in your resurrection with multiple ability checks, and even sacrifices in the deceased's name. The Dungeon Master determines the DC for each check and makes a final resurrection roll to see if the ritual is successful. The DC for this final roll depends on how many times the character has been resurrected before and how successful the contributions were. So, bring your A-game (and maybe a goat or two) if you want to make it back from the great beyond. Each resurrection adds +5 to the DC, before party contributed modifiers.
• Death Saving Throws: These are rolled privately to the DM.
• Slow Natural Healing: Characters don't regain hit points at the end of a long rest. Instead, a character can spend Hit Dice to heal at the end of a long rest, just as with a short rest. A long rest allows the use of up to half of your total Hit Dice, +1 for sleeping somewhere comfortable, +1 for having a meal/ ration. Order: The character regains half their hit dice, then they can spend their hit dice to recover hit points.
• Silvery barbs: Silvery barbs is a second level spell.

Table Homebrew

• Turn Time Limits: We're keeping things moving with turn time limits, folks. Pay attention on other player's turns and avoid flipping through your PHB or counting dice ad nauseam. Exceptions are made for new players or chaotic combat, but we want you to look up spells and rules off-turn whenever possible. Slow combat leads to mental check-outs and boredom, so let's keep things snappy. If your turn takes too long, someone else will jump in front of you. It's like musical chairs, but with spells and swords instead.
• New Homebrew: If you've got some hot new content you want to play with, I'm your guy. Just slide into my DMs and let me take a look. Now, I'm not saying I'm gonna approve everything - I mean, some of you are out here trying to create a race of sentient cheese wheels (looking at you, Matt) - but I'll do my best to give you clear, concise well informed ruling on it.

Scheduling

• Session Length: ~7 Hours
• Scheduling Firm Up: Sessions are scheduled concretely, but we will firm up every 4 weeks on the next month's schedule for conflicts. Exceptions are always made for life events or serious circumstances. Life happens, and we understand that sometimes we or you may need to cancel. This is always fine, provided it is not regularly occurring. Our schedules are made every 4 weeks in advance. If your game days are always difficult to schedule, this may not be the campaign for you. In regards to scheduling, you must be able to open a clear line of communication between the DM throughout the week, in case of any emergency schedule changes or conflicts. If you are a hard person to get in touch with every week, again, this may not be the campaign or group for you.

Session Structure

• Start: Everyone arrives to the table and calls in on Discord. Players should also take this time to open up all the required programs and have all their materials ready. We also suggest getting some snacks here too! Bonus points for a tasty beer as well!
• Recap & Warmup (30 min): After arriving and having all our materials prepared, we begin our first activity of the session: Player Recaps! We will do this every single week, and it should be a great tool for getting insight into each character’s head and getting us caught up. We may play warm up games, and roleplay challenges.
• Session (2.5 hours): Well, this is of course where the magic happens! We roll dice, we laugh, the DM laughs, the dice laugh, the dice are mimics, oh no…
• Break (30 min): These breaks do not include bio breaks or your need to use the restroom. If you ever need to run to the bathroom or refill your glass real quick, you’re good!
• Session Continued (2.5 hours): We’ll carry on through the second part of the session!
• Session Recap (30 min): We'll discuss what happened during the session, as well as what we plan to do next session, while we finalize session notes.

Playstyle

• Roleplay: Get ready for some serious roleplaying, folks, because that's what we're all about. We're looking at a 70/30 split of roleplay to combat, maybe even heavier on the roleplay. It's all about immersing ourselves in the world of Avarra and telling a great story together. Sure, there may be some deviations depending on the scenarios and encounters, but we're here to communicate and engage with each other and the world on a deeper level. So, let's put on our acting hats and dive headfirst into the magical realm of Avarra.
• Hyper immersion: We're not just here to hack and slash our way through this world - we're here to really get into the nitty-gritty details. I'm talking about the flavors in each mug of ale or wine at the local tavern (because let's be real, nobody likes a bland drink), cooking around the campfire under a tree during a cool and rainy night, and even delving into the plot of that book you just picked up on your way out of town. And let's not forget about forming real relationships with your fellow characters. After all, who wants to adventure with a bunch of strangers? We're here to create meaningful connections and really bring this world to life. And to all you hack-and-slashers out there - sorry, but this might not be the group for you.
• Note Taking: The pen is mightier than the sword! And let me tell you, if you want to get the most out of Avarra, it's better to be a note taker. Especially in this next campaign! We're talking about a world that's drenched in complexity and nuance, from the setting to the story to the characters that inhabit it. And let's not forget about those intricate and subtle webs that outline the machinations of the antagonists. Oh yeah, we're going deep. But here's the deal - nothing is handed to you on a silver platter in this campaign. You're gonna have to work for it. That means constantly paying attention, working with each other, and using those note-taking skills to uncover all the hidden secrets this world has to offer. And who knows, maybe you'll even uncover some secrets about your fellow adventurers along the way. (Hey, it's possible, right?) So grab your pens, folks, because we've got a lot of worldbuilding to do.
• Teamwork: teamwork makes the dream work! We're not just a bunch of individual characters running around doing our own thing - we're building a story together that encompasses every player and character. This isn't just your story, and it's not just the DM's story. This is OUR story, and we're all playing a crucial role in it. That means you need to be a team player and work together to overcome the challenges ahead. Trust me, you're gonna need each other to survive this campaign. And hey, who knows - maybe you'll even make some lifelong friends along the way.
• Immersion: If you can be in character, you should be in character! Roleplaying is all about improv, saying yes, and going with the flow. And let's be real, the best roleplay experiences can't happen if people are constantly breaking character for no reason. I mean, that's just not good improv, folks. So, here's the deal - we expect our players to remain in character as often as possible at the table. This is theater, after all, and we need to act like we're on stage. So let's embrace our inner thespians, folks, and get ready to bring this story to life like never before.
• Rules and Terms & Conditions: Excluding homebrew, the overall rules of “gameplay” are pretty standard and in accordance with RAW.
• Milestone Leveling: You'll level up according to the story. This means that we can focus less on the grind and more on a steady progression as the story builds. And let's be real, who wants to spend all their time grinding anyway? (Not me, that's for sure. #worldbuilding).
• Table Etiquette: Be willing to listen to others and grow. I mean, let's be real - part of growing close to others and forming real relationships is learning that you can't just have carbon copies of yourself. And let's face it, none of us are perfect. So, here's the deal - emotions might flare up, idiosyncrasies might arise, and sometimes, there might be a little friction. But that's all part of being human, folks. And to be a truly good friend and player, you must always be willing to listen to your peers and adapt accordingly. I mean, that's just part of being an adult. And who knows - maybe you'll learn a thing or two about yourself along the way. (Or maybe you'll just learn that you're really bad at listening. Either way, it's a learning experience.) So let's embrace our humanity, folks, and get ready to form some real relationships at this table.
• Communication: Poor scheduling and bad communication are like the kryptonite of D&D campaigns. And we don't want any kryptonite around here, do we? (No, we do not.) So, if you're part of this group, that means you've gotta keep those communication lines open. If you're someone who likes to manipulate your availability or you're just plain untrustworthy when it comes to communication, well, let's just say that you'll be removed faster than a married paladin in a brothel. (Okay, maybe that's not the best analogy, but you get the idea.)
• Showtime: Alright folks, it's time to shine! When we all arrive at the table, it's like the lights come on and the show begins! I mean, we take a lot of pride and care with our performance here, and we treat it like real theater most of the time. (No, we don't have an intermission or a concession stand, but we're working on it.) It's okay if you're not the best voice actor or you don't have a Shakespearean-level monologue prepared. (Although if you do, please share. We're always looking for some high-quality entertainment.) What matters to us is that you tried and put in the effort. Because at the end of the day, that's what makes this campaign special - the effort and enthusiasm that we all bring to the table.
• Pay attention: When someone's consistently getting distracted it's easy to derail the immersion and fun, it's like throwing a wrench in the whole machine. And let me tell you, it's not a fun sound. That's why we have specific policies in place to make sure everyone's time and effort is being respected. And listen, we all get it - sometimes the outside world can be pretty darn distracting. (Have you seen TikTok lately? It's a black hole, I tell ya.) But here's the deal - we hold each other accountable for paying attention and staying focused, because we all want to have a good time and make the most of this campaign.
• Spotlight: Do you find yourself hogging the spotlight/air every session? Are you someone who constantly talks over others? Are you selfish about the story and really only care about where your character is going every episode? Are you hoarding all the gold and being a murder hobo? This group isn’t for you.

What We Expect & Ask of You

• As the Dungeon Master, I want to make it clear that we're not just looking for players - we're looking for friends. Our aim is to build real, lasting friendships through this game. We've been playing together for a while and plan on playing for even longer. As we add more people to our community, we hope to grow together as a team!
• We don't want any satellite players here. We want active members who will contribute to the group beyond just showing up and playing.
• Honesty is crucial to us. We demand that everyone in our group has integrity not only for us, but for themselves as well. Whether it's scheduling conflicts, personal issues, or anything in between, we want friends who will be honest with each other. As the saying goes, "If you don't heal your wounds, you end up bleeding on others you might care for."
• Players are here to play, not watch. We want everyone at the table to engage with the world, the DM, and their fellow players. If you're taking up a seat at this table, you must actively participate in the story every session. You cannot sit back and listen to it.
• This campaign is meant to be challenging. It's supposed to be deep, confusing, and enthralling around every corner. There are no billboards telling you where to go next, no tutorials, and no easy modes. The intricate web being spun by the many powers of this story and world will take all of your combined minds to figure out. Our group wants a game that keeps us on our toes, so if you think you can just "fight" your way to victory, you'll be dead by morning light.
• Lastly, we love theory crafting. We want everyone to give their input and help us figure out the best moves for the group. Part of being an active player here is contributing to the campaign and helping us navigate this crazy world. So let's get ready to play and work together to make this an unforgettable campaign!

Timeline:

• Stage 2 Interviews: 5/29/23-6/22/23
• Public Applications Close: 6/12/23
• Stage 3 Interviews: 6/23/23-7/1/23
• Final Picks: 7/15/23 (or as soon as possible)
• Campaign Start Date: 8/5/23 or 8/6/23

I realize this might seem like a very intensive process, however we're being very thorough. Because we have gotten so many excellent applicants, we are going to have no choice but to make some hard decisions.
Picks:

• 1 Full-time Player
• 5-6 Guest Players; These will play notable NPC/PCs for dedicated sections or arcs. Arcs will be designed with YOU in mind. We might expand this list depending on how this goes with the first few people, and how many sessions it takes to close out an arc.
• (Maybe) some Alt/Guest DMs; These will voice one or more characters, recurring antagonists, etc.

Are you a dungeon master?
Making campaigns like these is our passion. We love going HIGH production value, HIGH quality. If this is something that you love too and you want to dungeon master in our world, we would LOVE to talk to you. As you can tell from this post, there's not enough dungeon masters out there doing this (clearly way overboard) level of effort.