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I thought it would be worth putting together a comprehensive proposal for why Sailing should be a skill and more importantly how it could be a skill.
This is a long post - there is a TLDR at the bottom. Please comment any criticisms you can think of.
Generally on the subreddit I have seen the following comments regarding sailing:

• It doesn’t need to be a skill, it should just be an expansion.
• It’s only a minigame.
• There isn’t a core gameplay loop or it is a boring gameplay loop
• How do you actually gain xp?

This is a proposal which should address each of those statements and explain how and why Sailing could be implemented.
The key points are that:

• Sailing can offer significant levels of progression (which distinguishes it from a minigame and is what actually make it worth engaging with);
• Sailing is fundamentally an actual skill in real life (which fits thematically into osrs);
• It taps into one of the remaining environments yet to be interactable (imagine not being able to chop a tree, or mine a rock);
• There are a variety of gameplay loops which can tailor to every type of player (from those who want max efficiency, those who want low effort, those who want to spend GP and those who want to make GP).
• There is nothing in here which makes it feel like dungeoneering.

What is Sailing?

• The ability to command various vessels on water and out at sea in a variety of conditions (depending on your progression).
• or in a reductionist way it would be to “Sail boats”

Basic rules:

• The seas would not be instanced (as is already confirmed)
• You should remain in control of your player (rather than become the ship)
• You should not interact with the ship through an interface (you should interact with objects on the ship).
• You should be able to free-roam the seas.
• You should not get XP for non-sailing activities (such as exploring an island or from catching fish on your boat).
• You shouldn’t be able to just get on a galleon at level 1 and sail away (as the whole point of an engaging skill is one with meaningful progression.
• Not everyone will like every gameplay loop (so we should offer a variety) and tbh for many of the existing skills, the gameplay loop already sucks.
• XP drops shouldn’t just be lots of smaller ones (like pickpocketing), nor should they only be massive ones at the end of activities (such as dungeoneering). There should be variety in this.

Starting Out:

• As you are a beginner, you really don’t know what you’re doing. As such you shouldn’t be able to get out on the water straight away.
• I wouldn’t be surprised if sailing is locked behind a small beginner quest. This would likely be centred around one of the main dockyards or ports in the game (which might either be a new place, or a reworked one).
• Assuming players complete the quest and finish with ~4 sailing, they would then be able to start helping out in the dock - to learn the dryland aspects of sailing. A variety of activities would be completed around the dock to gain xp - this could be tending to moorings, helping calibrate navigation tools or repairing NPCs ships.
• It is worth reiterating that this would likely be for the levels from 4 to 10/15 and would realistically only last around 20-30 minutes.
• Once you have reached level ~10 you would then be able to start your on-water journey.

The Seas:

• The seas around the map should be broken down into 3 types of sea, each with different levels of difficulty. Roughly speaking it would correspond to the distance from the land. The naming is just an example in order to distinguish between these levels. Think about it as a layer, rather than a region (though both approaches could work) - you would need to pass through the shallows to get to the Open Water and then to the High Seas. As you go further from land, there will be points where the sea gets rougher.
• Your ability to access each sea isn't hard locked behind levels (nobody wants an interface saying you need 70 sailing to go further), but would instead relate to the sturdiness of your vessel (which is obviously connected to level). If you tried going to rougher water in an unsuitable vessel for too long, the boat (and maybe the player) would not survive.
• The analogy here with other skills would be unlocking new trees to chop, ores to mine, things to hunt, things to slay.
  • The Shallows
    • This is where you would begin your on-water adventure. The Shallows would include rivers, lakes and shorelines - for example Catherby. This would be for earlier sailing content such as levels 10/15 to 40.
    • This is where you get to grips with the core functionality of sailing, would be in a dinghy rather than a ship and the rewards would be smaller. There wouldn’t be as many waves.
    • The Open Water
  • The High Seas
    • This is where the sea is roughest and furthest from the land, with the greatest challenges but also the best rewards and XP. For example this could include the stretch between Zeah and the main land, the far-eastern lands or simply the middle of nowhere (including to the edge of the world). Consider it unchartered territory.
    • This would be suited for levels 70-99 and players here would be best suited in more advanced vessels which are larger, sturdier and better suited to the challenge. It is also where the end-game content for sailing would take place.
• This additionally offers natural challenges/barriers for players as there are channels in which their boats will perform best.
  • This offers an engaging problem solving element to navigation - that will quickly become natural or efficient routes might be remembered. E.g. If you’re not paying attention on your basic dinghy, you stray too far and get wrecked by waves.
  • Although the ships below might be able to brief rougher or shallower waters, it is less challenging to sail in the appropriate area. However, if there is a shortcut which might require a player in a dinghy to go on open water for a few moments, in order to save a huge amount of time, then they may be interested in taking the risk.

The Ships:

• When it comes to ships there should be different sizes and different styles - as well as the ability to further upgrade specific components to improve different sailing attributes.
• The analogy here is ships are the tools you use to interact with the sea - they are the pickaxe you unlock as you level up, or the new weapon.
• Examples of different sizes - though this could be built out further.
  • Dinghies - getting started at lower levels.
    • For example 3x1 game squares
    • These would be best suited to the shallows, would be very basic, not be very fast and would be seen as a beginner class of boat.
    • This would be great for being able to manoeuvre in local areas, rather than going out further to sea - it wouldn't be sturdy. As such the activities in shallow waters should reflect the need for a smaller boat.
  • Medium sized boats - getting the hang of it.
    • These would be bigger than dinghies, would probably still only be one floor but could have greater flexibility. For example, 5x2 or 6x2 game squares
    • At this size you would be able to start to add things to the boat in a more varied way - you could add one or two cannons, have more storage for loot/goods/resources.
    • As these boats are sturdier than dinghies, they would be more suitable for leaving the shallows and going into Open Water. This opens up the possibility for starting longer voyages (karamjan rum anyone?). The activities in Open Waters would reflect this.
    • However, as these boats are not as small as dinghies, there may be some shallow areas not suitable for it. Similarly as it is not as sturdy as a larger ship, it is unlikely to fair as well in the High Seas.
  • Larger Ships - time to master the seas.
    • How big these can get really depends on what the game and engine can handle. I doubt it would be as big as the pirate galleons at Pirate Cove. However I could see something the size of the Lady Lumbridge being the maximum (potentially). Either way, as long as it's larger than the medium boat - size doesn't matter.
    • This is obviously the ship for taking on the high seas - it is far sturdier and larger than a medium ship. As such it has all the benefits of this and all the downsides. This class of boat could have a greater number of cannons, be able to take more damage, could do longer voyages and store far more things.
    • A fully upgraded larger ship is how you would engage with the most difficult end-game sailing content. You could have a fully armed ship for combat or one suited entirely to getting as much trade.
    • However, due to its size it would be wholly impossible for this ship to get close to the shore (other than shipping lanes into the harboudock). Similarly there may even be the odd situation in Open Waters where a fully upgraded medium boat would perform better.
• These different sized ships would obviously be a major part of the progression. You would unlock these when you get to certain levels correlating with the difficulty of water. (This doesn't have to be rigid - there may be fun trying out the high-seas in a fully upgraded medium boat even if it doesn't have the durability to be there for long periods of time).
• Within each class of boat, there should also be different styles of boats that have different traits, may be used for different situations or by different types of player.
• There is additionally a great level of scope to introducing activities or quests to unlock these new styles - such as visiting the relevant port specific to the style.
• Examples of different styles of boats and their different applications:
  • Standard wooden style
    • These are the basic all-rounders that everyone is familiar with seeing in Port Sarim or other ports around the world.
    • As they are all-rounders they can suit a large number of applications.
  • Dwarven Steam Style
    • This is a style of boat which may be interacted with differently. It may be easier to navigate with, but would rely on a fuel (coal) in order to go. Due to its dwarven technology, it would be less responsive to changes in sea conditions.
    • This style of boat may be more suited to those who want a relaxed sailing experience, but at the cost of using fuel. Whether it is faster or slower than the other options would come down to balancing.
    • Though this style is easier to use, as it is more afk, the opportunity to gain XP whilst travelling reduces. It could however be suited for people completing other sailing activities instead.
  • Fremennik Longboat Style
    • This is a style of boat which may be more difficult to use and would likely be most suited to those wanting a high click intensity experience, for additional XP gain.
    • It would be particularly responsive to changes in sea condition (due to the fremennik’s natural sailing ability), thus making it more difficult to use.
    • Whether this style is faster than other types will come down to balancing.
  • Ghost style
  • Desert style
• Once you have unlocked and built/obtained a specific size/style of vessel, as you level up sailing you would additionally unlock upgrades for each class of vessel. This can bulk out some of the level progression in the skill interface as well.
  • These unlocks could then be applied to your vessel in order to improve its stats. The analogy here is swapping out different armour in the defense skill for different scenarios.
  • This can also be paired with specific items/materials in order to apply the upgrade. These could be found in shops, as loot dropped in the existing game, from quests or sailing related minigames/activities.
  • Simplicity here should also be key - there shouldn't be 10 different parts of the vessel which can be upgraded/tailored. Just like you don't have 10 ring slots or 2 hand slots (it just gets complicated).
  • It may be worth considering some tradeoffs as well with different upgrades - sturdier hull being heavier and therefore slower.
  • Unlocking upgrades for a class of boat shouldn't just be within the expected levels - there may be some upgrades for dinghies even when you reach 81 sailing. This may actually increase the relevance of different vessels at different levels by making certain activities competitive again at later levels.
    • Think a dinghy being better suited for a sailing raid in a cave - but it should be heavily upgraded (meaning it can still be end-game content).
• Examples of boat parts which could be upgraded
  • The rigging / sails (greater speed, efficiency or durability)
  • The hull (greater speed, efficiency or durability)
  • The steering mechanisms (wheel/rudder) (greater convenience or more accuracy)
  • Storage capacity (more storage for more loot, more trade or more resources)
  • Combat ability (cannons)
  • The Anchor (longevity or efficacy)
  • Utility items
    • Cannons, fishing nets, dredging.
• Changing between different styles, upgrades or even utility items should be done whilst at port. I think it may additionally be fair for players to have 1 of each class of vessel (not style) in their port so that they can easily swap into a different activity.

​
Controlling the Ships:

• This is where there is probably a lot of contention and a lot left to be explored.
• However, I was particularly interested in SoloMission’s commentary discussing players running around the ship and interacting with the various components on the ship to navigate. This allows us to remain as the players, rather than be the ships and also avoids any balloon transport or bone voyage styled interfaces. (Though on a 3x1 dinghy there won't be much running).
• The sea conditions - The Shallows, Open Water and the High Seas - will impact the different sailing conditions and at different rates (as well as depending on the boat class).
  • A specific example of how sailing conditions could be implemented.
    • Wind is the only thing you need to worry about in order to navigate - stronger or more volatile winds in deeper water. This may mean you need to interact with your rigging more frequently.
    • A player needs to interact with (maybe rotate) the rigging/sails in order to get going faster (walk vs run). This doesn't apply to dwarven boats (hint: different gameplay loops). This could be automatic, but take varied time as the character figures out the sweet spot (think different delays in lighting logs with a tinderbox or only clicking once to start fishing).
    • When a player is out at sea, waves can represent the damage to your ship. They do not however impact direction or speed. Bigger waves in deeper water.
• This could be made fairly simple and would obviously depend on the ship style (with dwarven ships being different). Simplicity here really is key…
  • Clicking right on the wheel/rudder should steer the vessel starboard (we can obviously introduce port/starboard and potentially inverse rudders to be accurate).
  • Interacting with the rigging/sails would additionally impact the speed depending on wind direction. If the wind changes then this will need to be adjusted.
  • Adding more fuel to the dwarven styled boat will be it's version of steering.
• Combat and extra activities
  • Combat should be made simple using the cannons - there shouldn't be a need to prime, load, fuse and then ignite the cannons.
  • Instead it should be just a simple one click load and fire (provided the player has the equipment needed in their inventory such as stackable cannonballs and a tinderbox). Alternatively it could be like a multi cannon which can store up to 30 cannonballs
  • There may be a cooldown on cannons which would result in the benefit of having two cannons on each side - the user would be able to run forward and back to both cannons to fire more quickly than a player with only one cannon. Or if multiple cannonballs are stored then it is just double the fire power.
  • Lowering and raising the anchor is simple - click anchor.
  • Deploying fishing nets/dredging should also be simple.
• This entire system is still up for debate and depends largely on engine limitations.
  • Waves should be relatively easy to visualise
  • Wind could simply be indicated by a wind indicator on the vessel
  • Currents may be more difficult when there are waves, but in the Shallows where there are no waves, currents may actually be easy to visualise.

​
Gaining XP and Gameplay Loops:

• “But when do I actually gain XP? When do I get that sweet dopamine hit?”
  • You should be able to get XP when completing sailing related things - not from exploring an Island etc.
  • XP can be gained from actually sailing and from other activities. This would be similar to getting XP from runecrafting traditionally, or from GOTR styled activities.
  • XP Drop Sources
    • Upgrading your boat - no, this should not give construction XP. There is a reason you don't see architects building ships and ship builders building buildings.
    • Preparing for setting sail - you might get experience for depositing resources and materials needed for sailing onto your vessel (this obviously would not provide a huge amount of experience). But you should make sure everything is “Ship Shaped” before heading out.
    • Navigation - you would get XP drops for interacting with either the sail/rigging or the dwarven furnace - this could be a reliable source of experience. You might also get experience for redirecting the ship through the wheel/rudder (debatable as that could just be seen as the same as walking).
    • Repairing at sea - you would obviously need to repair your boat as it gets damaged from the waves. The frequency of this depends on the ship, upgrades and the sea conditions. This could provide another reliable source of experience whilst sailing.
    • Setting up the ship for other activities, but not whilst doing those activities. If you put the fishing net out, you should get experience for this, but not for actually catching any fish. If you load the cannons you might get XP, but not when it hits a target.
    • Other GOTR style activities (these would likely be the larger XP drop sources once the activity is complete).
• The gameplay loop for the skill is likely to be very different for each player.
  • To start you need to go to the port to access your boats - you can then add any upgrades or repair any damage before setting sail. Everyone will be doing this.
  • For people who like 3t4g or other click intensive training methods.
    • I could imagine these players gearing up their fremennik styled medium sized boats and heading out to sea, but traversing into the high seas. With this method, the boat would be constantly getting damaged by the waves due to its unsuitability for the conditions.
    • These players would be able to constantly repair the ship from damage and attempt to navigate - as their boat is weaker, they would need to frequently correct the sails or the rigging. This provides a steady stream of XP drops - maybe in the 300-800xp range.
    • These players may additionally be burning through resources (to repair the boat) and also risk losing the boat. They may also need to occasionally visit ports to re-supply. It may not be a cheap or sustainable method of training for many players.
    • Some of these players may wish to additionally complete extra activities whilst doing this click intensive more click intensive method for even more xp, though this may be difficult.
    • It makes sense for this to be a fast method of training - the player is learning to sail in extreme conditions.
  • For people who like traditional runecrafting or chopping teaks without tick manipulation.
    • These players may choose a more suitable boat for the sea they are on. However, they may still wish to use a normal type of boat which requires tending to the sails and rigging. These players would then likely go out and complete various sailing activities - such as smuggling - in order to gain additional bigger XP drops.
    • They would still need to correct the sails, navigate and repair the boat when needed, but this would not be as frequently as the example above.
  • For those who want a super afk experience and don’t want to deal with repairing their boat.
    • These players would likely get a dwarven styled boat, fill it up with tons of coal, upgrade the durability of the vessel and stick to the appropriate sea depth for their boat. These players would not need to fix the sails of the boat (due to the dwarven machines), nor would they need to repair any damage (due to the reinforced hull). Instead they can complete various activities - only needing to worry about navigation and not going into rougher seas (though there may be instances where it is worth doing so, such as shortcuts).
    • These players would likely stick to activities such as completing cargo contracts or searching for and salvaging wrecks. As such, they would miss out on the smaller and regular xp drops in the above examples, instead focusing on the larger xp drops from completing activities.
    • These players would value easy exploration, rather than click intensive training.
    • As these players would not be burning through resources as quickly as the other play styles, they may find sailing to be a more profitable, but slightly slower skill to train than the players wanting to burn through resources and gain the maximum sailing experience.

Let me know what you guys think of this. There is a lot to digest here, but it is a fairly comprehensive guide to how sailing could be implemented - offering meaningful progression and catering to a wide variety of play styles.
​
TLDR:

• Sailing should be a skill so that it can have meaningful progression. Players should remain in control of their characters, rather than the ship and they should be able to free-roam the seas. They shouldn’t just start on a ship and go…
• There should be three levels of sea - The Shallows, the Open Water and the High Seas. As you go further from the land, you go into different sea levels and will face additional challenges. Players should be prepared for these challenges.
• There should be three sizes of ship - Dinghies (3x1 squares), Medium boats (5x2 squares) and larger ships (8x3 squares). Broadly speaking, their suitability corresponds to the different sea conditions. Each player should be able to have one of each boat size (as and when they unlock them).
• There should be a variety of styles of boat - Standard, Dwarven and Fremennik. These would cater to different play styles and activities. Fremennik may be more intense, but would be better for XP, whereas Dwarven would be more afk and provide less xp.
• Players should be able to upgrade various aspects of the boats while they are in port. This provides additional benefits when out at sea - this may include reducing damage from waves or from decreasing the need to correct the sails as frequently.
  • Upgrades for smaller boats may be unlocked even in later levels, increasing the relevance of using dinghies even when a player is reaching level 99 sailing.
• Players would need to interact with their boats in order to travel. This can provide a source of reliable smaller xp drops as in traditional skill training.
  • They would need to steer with a wheel or rudder - this probably wouldn’t give any xp.
  • They would need to interact with the sails - much like the action of lighting a fire - in order to do sailing. This would give xp and would need to be repeated in order to efficiently travel. Think walking vs running on land. After a period of tine "the wind changes" and you need to interact with the sails again.
  • Boats would be damaged by waves, depending on the class of boat, the conditions of the sea and the upgrades of the boat. Fixing any damage would result in sailing xp. It would be possible to avoid this damage by upgrading the boat and sticking to appropriate sea levels (though getting damage may be an efficient training method).
  • Players would gain sailing xp for setting up additional things such as cannons, anchors or nets - though they wouldn’t get sailing xp for actually catching a fish.
  • Players would also need to ensure their boats remain well stocked with equipment and resources to stay on extended voyages.
• There would be a variety of activities around the sea-map and in each sea-level for players to complete. There would be a variety of themes. These would be a source of less frequent, but larger xp drops - as is typical in new skilling activities such as GOTR or Giants Foundry. Examples include - Smuggling, trade routes, piracy or wreck salvaging.
• There would be many different approaches to gameplay - tailoring to max efficiency or pure exploration. Everyone would be happy.
  • This whole system can then be built upon with a great sea-map, different sailing and non-sailing activities or even a raid where players on heavily upgraded dinghies go into a cave.

I'm not sure how to resolve/improve my marriage, following my (38 F) husband's job loss (38 M). We've been married 3 years, together for 5. Before, he was a thoughtful, caring husband with some anxiety. Last year, we welcomed our first child (10 months). A month after I gave birth, husband was fired from a job he'd held for 10 years. It shocked him and made him angry. Since then, he's been grouchy, irritable, mean. He mostly takes it out on me. He picks a fight and attacks me for the smallest things.
Husband has been out of work for 9 months now.
With his bad moods, I've tried to be supportive and kind and give him grace because I feel bad that he got fired. He's not like this all the time, and the frequency of his eruptions has gone down over the past few months. However, I also have boundaries, and I do not appreciate him belittling or yelling at me. So I told him this. On multiple occasions, but also yesterday.
For example, he asked me to buy him a dresser. So, I ordered a dresser and supervised the delivery. The delivery guys accidentally broke a dresser leg. They were honest, apologized, and noted that on the form and submitted a repair request. I told them I understood accidents happen and looked forward to the repair. When I told my husband, he yelled at me on and off for 3 days. He thought I should've been meanemore aggressive to them. He told me to call my credit card company and tell them it was a fraudulent charge. I told him I couldn't because that would be lying--I did buy the dresser. He went off. (So you're refusing to fix this?! What is your problem?!) He yelled at me and spent the next 3 weeks sending the store nasty emails.
Before that, I asked him to handle getting the crib ready. I had already purchased it, it was ready for pick-up at the store, and I just needed him to handle getting it and assembling. Honestly, I thought he might enjoyed this dad-rite-of-passage. He hired a handyman with a truck to pick-up and assemble. That worked fine. But afterwards, my husband complained that he had to spend his time meeting the handyman, and that from now on he wasn't going to meet any handymen/delivery people/etc. He said, "meeting contractors is bad for my mental health." And, just because I'm unemployed, doesn't mean I have time for this stuff. I said, Okay. And now I take time off work to meet all repairmen/etc. (hence the dresser delivery in the last paragraph!)
Meanwhile, I had to go back to work full-time 6 weeks after having baby girl. I take care of her throughout the night when she wakes, I watch her from 6/7 am when she wakes - 9 am, and 5pm-8pm, and on weekends. The nanny watches her from 9-5pm. Husband pitches in about 3 hours a day on Saturday and Sunday. (But did not watch her at all for the first 6 months). I work really hard to be a good mom and be good at my job and keep this family happy and healthy. It's like instead of living with a nice husband that I appreciate and can rely on, I have this grouchy porcupine that I have to watch out for. It's exhausting for me to try to manage his moods on top of everything else. I feel like I'm shouldering too much.
Husband has been going to therapy, but IDK if it's helping. Or maybe I'm just impatient for it to work faster? I've suggested couples therapy, but he's not interested in that. I also suggested that if he got a new job, one he's happier in, he might feel better. He did not appreciate that advice. I think he's in a rut.
Yesterday, we had a big fight. I woke up upon hearing the baby, greeted her, and started playing sweetly with Baby Girl. Everything was lovely. Until husband woke up. He immediately started attacking me for scheduling a happy hour after work since he wanted us to go to dinner at his parents' house that night. But I had texted him the day before and asked if he could watch the baby so I could go to this HH, and he said Yes. Also, I scheduled the HH in the first place b/c husband asked me to. He thinks one of my former colleagues could have some job leads for him. I offered to meet my husband for dinner after my HH or cancel the HH, but he said I never should've scheduled it in the first place. He continued to belittle me. He said I obviously didn't know how to work a calendar, I didn't like his parents, I couldn't be trusted (none of these are true).
I'd had enough. I told my husband, You are being a ____ (bad word). You didn't used to be like this. But you've been like this ever since you lost your job. You are grumpy, rude. You yell at me. You pick fights over nothing. You're not reasonable, and it's too much for me to deal with. This is not what I signed up for. Stop it. You need to either make yourself happy, or figure out a way to be kind while you're unhappy. If you want me to go to couples therapy with you, I will. But you need to fix your behavior. He told me I was name-calling and that I was the rude one. Now we're not talking. I think he believes he did nothing wrong and is waiting for me to apologize. I want him to take what I said seriously and change his behavior.
Any ideas on how to repair the marriage? I'm at a loss.
tl;dr: Husband got fired 9 months ago, and since then he's grumpy, rude and picks fights. I empathize, but I need him to be nice to me (and others).

Hello I’m not really sure we’re to start but I’ll try to keep it short I’m 24 from Los Angeles I was “homeschooled” my entire life my dad isn’t very educated so he wasn’t the best teacher i didn’t learn anything in any subject I’m dyslexic but having been professionally diagnosed yet I’m currently trying to get that done I can read pretty well but when it comes to spelling words and writing I can’t do it at all it doesn’t connect but I know I can learn as a kid I had a tuter who taught me how to read but moved before we got the spelling I was so scared to share with another person that I couldn’t spell I never got another tutor no one besides my dad knows this about me it has given me crippling anxiety and depression I basically hate myself for not learning but now I’m at a place where I don’t care and just want to learn and create a future for myself I just lost my job and don’t know how to explain my situation to a employer its giving me a heart attack thinking about it my last job I worked for my dad but the business closed I have tried teaching myself but that doesn’t work so any advice on the best place to learn or any tips on explaining this in a job interview is highly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Hello. I am hoping that you can reply to this. Last year my fiancé introduced me to your content and I was mesmerized by your ability to make hard situations easy and solve issues for so many people. I am a 39 straight female and desperately need your help to resolve an issue that is about to end our relationship. First here is a bit of backstory. When we met a year ago, I was 140 pounds. I am 5'5. At 15, I met my ex husband, divorced at 30. I had a few dates between 30-38 but not many. I then met my fiancé. Things moved fast and after 3 months he was moved in and we were engaged. Sex was amazing. We had it often. He couldn't take his hands off of me. My 140 lbs body was attractive to him. My chest, thighs and butt were larger. Proportioned correctly for a woman. About a month after he moved in some major stressors started. My household bills were increasing, we were spending money (my bad eating out habit and his bad spending habits on cars, etc.) I ended up putting myself just above 20k in debt on credit cards and personal loans. During this time, I was also struggling with what I thought was criticism. I wasn't listening to him when he said he didn't like something I was doing. He kept telling me I wasn't listening to him. During this time, I started to lose a large amount of weight and fast. (When stressed, I lose appetite and budget for food) I was also a prior picky eater to the extreme and couldn't afford the foods that were unhealthy and what I was used to and mentally struggling with eating what we did have. He kept telling me I was losing weight and I didn't realize the extent of what he was saying until two months later I was down to 110 pounds. Thirty pounds in two months. All of my curves gone. All bone left. During this time we still continued to have issues with my inability to listen. Sex started to be horrible and he made it clear he was not attracted to me anymore. On top of losing weight and appearance, the inability to listen, and a struggling budget - it was def causing major issues. I was still not aware of my inability to listen as I kept taking it as an attack. Plus he had a severe allergy to my cat and I was forcing him to live with it and be sick (3 months ago I made the decision to rehome my cat to my aunt) Unable to see it wasn't an attack, it was a major root problem in our relationship. This continued for several months. Struggling financially. Lack of a sex life. Lack of me listening. Many fights, threats of breaking up. Then 3 months ago something significant happened. I had been taking xanax as needed (maybe once a day) for the last two years for anxiety. I had major panic attacks that would cause panic seizures. The xanax never fixed my anxiety. One day him and I were having a conversation and I was 100% paying attention to him and not focused on anything other then what he was saying. After he spoke for twenty minutes, I tried recount everything he had just said and I could only recall small points in the conversation. I was literally not computing 75% of what he just told me. I was mind blown. How was this even possible? After that I made it a point to start identifying this in other areas. I noticed there were times I would do something and had no clue I was even doing it. Body movements. Conversations. I was spacing out. A LOT. I went to the doctor and ended up on adderall. Which on the positive side removed my anxiety 100% and has helped me to focus better. But I am still struggling with not always remembering every bit of what someone says to me. It is slightly improving. But adderall also doesn't help someone who is trying to gain weight. I increased my calories. I have started eating so many foods I would have never ate in my entire life. Trying to eliminate this picky eater mentality. I started working out to build muscle. In the last 7 months I have only managed to gain and maintain 5 pounds. I'm still 25 pounds short of what I was when we met. I am still boney. I however have eliminated the unhealthy food I was eating and have a much cleaner diet. I believe there is a lot I have improved on in our relationship. But I also believe there is a lot that I continue to fail to improve on. He has repeatedly told me things and now when they happen he has lost any hope as I continue to repeat the issues. All of these issues and add on that before I met him, I was not a very sexual person. I had a horrible sex life with my ex husband and had never given a blow job to my current fiancé who loves them. As our sex life decreased from his lack of attraction and depression and my constant inability to listen, I have attempted probably over 200 blow jobs in the last year. Out of those 200, he has gotten off maybe 20 times. He has told me over and over again what he likes and what he doesn't like. But no matter what he tells me I still manage to do the wrong stuff and be horrible at it. It gets to a point where hes so fed up with me and over it he will say mean things and walk away. Which I understand. Who else can tell someone for an entire year they don't like something and the girl still does it. We can not go from a blow job to sex because my body he loses his erection during sex. 3 months ago we had a female join us to see if she could help learn better blow job skills. This resulted in us going to a swingers club and we have had 5-6 sexual experiences with other couples. He was unable to maintain erection 4 out of those 6 times. However, I could clearly see he was enjoying having sex with the other women, as he had with me in the beginning. They were thicker females. It was my idea to go to the club and bring another woman in. I felt like I could learn something and also he would get enjoyment in the process as sexual satisfaction is important. However, now it's getting to a point that it didn't help me as I still continue to fail at blowjobs. Add his lack of attraction to me and my slow ability to listen to things he says and the lack of sex, I am pretty sure he is ready to leave and end things. I do not want that. At all. I love him. He is intelligent. He challenges me. I learn from him. His harsh comments only come when frustrated and he has a right to that. How can I listen better? Please any advice here would be greatly appreciated. I am desperate. Why can't I just do what he says he likes and not do what he doesn't like? What is wrong in my brain?

Knights of Eternal Order
https://discord.gg/rYdgDrukN8
48/50 Members, 432M+ GP
16:30 PST / 19:30 EST / 23:30 GMT Guild Reset
REQUIREMENTS:

• JM Luke and another GL, KAM capable
  
• 600 Tickets Daily
  
• Active Discord Use
  
• Synced & Public swgoh.gg account
  
• Active in ALL Guild Events
  
• Multiple Cohesive & Well-Geared squads for TB/TW PREFERRED:
  
• 150 or more +15 Speed Mods
  
• Actively Farming & Improving Mods Feel free to DM me even if you lack the above.
  TB: * 33 ⭐️ DS Geo TB & 46 Wat Shards * 31 ⭐️ LS Geo TB & 31 KAM Shards * 31 ⭐️ROTE &Big Reva shards incoming
  
• ROTE & Reva is our focus & we try to improve & learn each round to maximize rewards
  TW:
  
• We have a dedicated Discord channel for TW
  
• Adaptive strategy depending on our opponent & team readiness
  
• Proven Winning Track Record *
  Impressive TW Win % - 114 wins/32 losses
  RAIDS:
  
• Rotating guild raid times:
  
• 08:00 PST / 11:00 EST / 16:00 GMT
  
• 14:00 PST / 17:00 EST / 22:00 GMT
  
• 20:00 PST / 23:00 EST / 04:00 GMT
  HOW TO JOIN US: Please come to our Discord server & an Officer will help you! We want EVERYONE to succeed & are constantly looking to improve on what we're doing to help all within our collective of 8️⃣ independently run guilds. We are an established guild with active players who are looking for like-minded, common-sense individuals to join us for the growth & benefit of all!
  

"...the night is dark and full of terrors, and in the night - I saw them.
Healers sniping CD's with reckless abandon, Druids being life-gripped during tranquility, PI's bought and sold - I saw them. DPS claiming they were purple, when they were grey in performance and attitude. Raiders standing in fire - I saw them. Grey parsing raiders adamant that gear was their only issue, and not play - I saw them. Tanks facing the wrong direction, defensives and pots not being used yet screaming for heals, lack of situational awareness and accountability, endless and irrelevant chatter in comms, lies...lies...and lies.. - I saw them!
I saw them, and my soul cried, and my eyes bled... "STOP, this CANNOT BE!" I cried to the heavens. And then, I had a dream.
I dreamt of a place where raiders competed for one another, not against. Where killing bosses together was the reward, and not loot. Where officers were worth their ranks, and GM's were the first amongst servants. Where individual performance was supported and rewarded, not maligned. Where raiders were selfless not selfish. Where it wasn't the top vs the bottom, but all united in a common goal-together.
I had a dream, a dream of Spring."
How to apply:
Website: spring-guild.com
Please kindly use the direct link: https://forms.gle/rnuSMQxGWrx8ZXRE9
Officers will get back to you in (1-3 days) regarding your application. If the application is approved, a voice interview (about 30 minutes) will be conducted to address the guild, any questions you may have.
Trials last through several weeks of progression raiding, 100% attendance (unless already excused) is expected during the trial period. A trial will get into some raids immediately. Once trials are approved to members, they should expect about 80% playtime.
or simply apply through our discord! https://discord.gg/8zExqrKNVT
About Spring
Spring US-illidan is formed from a collection of raid veterans with 15 years of experience at the Top 30 US, Top 200 US, and CE level who dreamed for more. The guild leadership is united in a shared vision of creating a safe and welcoming environment, while maintaining a progress effort that reflects our experience on a lighter mythic schedule.
The guild culture is one of collaboration not competition: We cooperate, we discuss, we grow, we count on ourselves and each other inside and outside of raid. The guild maintains a focus on doing what is always best for the guild, and for our raiders.
Raiding Schedule:
6 hours weekly which includes farm kills during progression. We are respectful and discerning about everyone’s time, and do not extend raid for any reason.

We raid 2-3 days a week at the following times :
Main Raid (25 Man Roster):
(6 hours weekly during prog this tier-VoI) (9 hours next tier - first month only)
Tuesday 8:00 pm - 11:00 pm server time (CST)
Wednesday 8:00 pm - 11:00 pm server time (CST)
Other guild events:
Alt Raid/Heroic (Optional)
Thursday 8:00 pm - 11:00 pm server time (CST)
Guild RBG/M+ cleanup (Optional)
Mondays 7:00 pm - 11:00 pm server time (CST)
Raider Requirements
Spring strives to create and maintain a positive and stable raid environment with low turnover. There are no recruits for the bench, we are recruiting players not classes. All raider members have value. Raiders should expect to received around 80% playtime.
Accountability:
We all make mistakes and have sub-par play. Have the courage to admit your faults, communicate them properly, and strive to improve. Raiders are expected to maintain all relevant forms of player power: rep/great vault/expansion systems.
Integrity:
Strive to do what you say you will and treat others as you would like to be treated. Your word is bond.
Teamwork:
Each member of our roster shows a willingness to get along, to sacrifice for the good of the guild. No one player is guaranteed 100% playtime. A roster of about 24-26 must be maintained to allow for absences and comp needs. All raiders must be supportive of each other. The guild must always be united in a common goal.
Community:
Our reason for playing retail is for the community. We get the most enjoyment from killing new bosses together in a team and people first atmosphere; however, we are not solely progression oriented. We are content with being the best 6 to 9 hour raid guild we can be, while demanding the best out of ourselves. If your goal is simply to progress or push ranks, this is not the guild for you. If you are looking for a long-term home, then you are welcomed and encourage to apply.
​
Contacts:
Pudgy (Discord: Pudgy#3472)

I was supposed to be working from home today. Absolutely no reason to leave the house at all. But bad circumstances with a family member made me need to leave home and head to the office so I could work in peace.
It had been raining. Was driving when my car lost control on a turn and slamed right into a post. Car is fucked. I'm fine. Just a little bruised.
Got to deal with the whole process of filing a police report, towing the car away and now just hoping it can be somewhat repaired or if insurance would even cover it.
Now I'm sitting at home. And I feel nothing. I should be mad or sad or worried or even a mixture of all three. But I feel nothing. Just emptiness. I don't know how to feel anymore. I'm just done.
Just needed to get this off my chest. Gonna smoke a fatty and take a nap now. Peace reddit.

Almost 19 weeks pregnant, and I haven’t not puked everyday. This is making my anxiety and depression so much worse, living in this constant state of “I’m going to vomit”, whether I don’t eat or do. I either eat and feel so full after a few bites to the point of wanting to vomit, or I starve myself and feel the hunger triggering my nausea and vomiting. There’s no winning.
On top of that, I have a very stressful job and this is the worst time of the year. It’s our busiest time, meaning working 7 days a week, with extra hours, to make sure everything is completed on time. The guilt of taking a sick day eats me up so I try to push through feeling like crap and show up, as much as I can. But things are starting to pile up and I’m feeling so overwhelmed.
Yesterday we got the news that my husband was let go of his job. He has been working his butt off for these people and they just let him go with no regard. He’s been distraught and I’ve been having to put on a brave face and console him, and try to think of other arrangements to help us stay covered. It’s a crappy market out there and we don’t know how long he’ll be at home for.
I don’t want any sympathy, I guess I just wanted to vent. I don’t know how much more of this I could take. My OB had sent me to a psychiatrist who put me on Zoloft but the side effects have been so bad, I haven’t been taking it. My next appointment is in a couple of weeks, and I can request CBT therapy instead of the medications. I just know it’s going to take much longer to see an impact. In the meantime, until something changes, I feel lost. I’m tired of people telling me I’m strong, and that I can get through this. I don’t feel strong, I feel weak, the weakest I’ve ever been in my life. I don’t know what to do, I can’t regulate my emotions and I just feel angry, anxious, scared, exhausted and sad.

Hi, it's my first post here. I'm (almost) 20F, have social anxiety, and have recently found out about the existence of AVPD. After reading about the symptoms, I was surprised at how much all of it resonated with me.
I was initially confused about how this differs from social anxiety, so I'm not sure if I'm blurring the two of them together.
I avoid a lot of situations (mainly social) because I don't think I'm good enough, or likeable enough. I'm just convinced that people hate me, or that I'll be annoying others. For example, I never ask my friends to hang out with me; I never initiate anything. I'm always wondering if people are just befriending me out of pity, even though they initiate everything...
If a friend never reached out to me again, I wouldn't reach out to them either. Not because I don't like them, but because I feel like that would somewhat reaffirm my belief that they never liked me that much. But I would also blame myself because I know how my behaviour comes across..
I've also always been extremely sensitive to criticism and any sign of disapproval. I wouldn't really call myself a people-pleaser because I'm not naturally friendly/charismatic and sometimes struggle doing nice things for others because I overthink it and avoid taking action. I've lost so many acquaintances because I couldn't even say hi to them if they didn't say hi to me first. But I'm soo sensitive about making mistakes, and if people raise their voice/openly judge me, it's not unusual for me to tear up or cry. I really want to be liked by people.
One example is recently, an internet friend of 5 years who I used to talk to almost every day and have met irl a few times, kind of stopped talking to me/interacting with me for a few months, and cancelled plans to a concert we were supposed to go to together. I saw she was still talking to her other friends, so I didn't even bother reaching out to her, and literally removed her from all of my socials. I knew that this was a super dramatic reaction, but I was convinced that she hated me and didn't want to be my friend anymore, rather than considering other things like if she was just really busy or going through her own issues. We ended up working it out eventually, but still.
I also feel like I always have to live up to an expectation; for example, I'm scared to join clubs at uni because "I like reading, but I haven't read enough books, so I won't have anything to talk about/people would look down on me for reading romance" or "I like anime but am not massively into it like most fans, so I feel like I won't be able to fit in." So I just don't go to these things.
Also have never worked a day in my life because at this point, I feel too inadequate to work. Like, what skills do I have to offer, to get money in return?! Especially with my awful social skills, I can't even fake it until I make it or charm my way through.
Sometimes I feel like I don't deserve friendships/relationship either because I feel like I have nothing valuable to offer. I'm surprised I still have two friends (although we don't talk regularly), because whenever I'm with them, I rarely talk, even though we've known each other for 5 years. I don't want to be like this, but it's kind of come to a point where I kind of don't want new friends anymore because I can't really imagine finding anyone that will like me.
Anyway, that's just some things that have been present throughout my life. I'm not asking for a diagnosis of course, but I'm just wondering if you guys think this sounds like AVPD and is worth investigating into further? Or just common feelings for people with only social anxiety? Thank you if you read all of this.

On windy days shingles come flying onto my yard from a nearby house. I unfortunately have yet to identify which house.
While the clean up and aesthetic is annoying, my main concern is on the off chance that it actually damages something (window or window on car parked in driveway).
Other than determining the house / source and politely asking the owner if roof repair is on their radar, would you have any suggestions on how to go about this situation? Would a flying shingle actually pose a damage risk or am I overly concerned (I’m in Toronto so it can occasionally get quite windy but I’m not talking about tornado / hurricane level stuff here).
Thanks!

Do you know what's funny? I don't want a partner. I don't think that I ever did, it was just something that everyone wanted, because society and stuff. I grew up with toxic and abusive men and it scarred me for life. I'm in my mid-30s and I don't even feel safe to explore my sexuality. Yeah, CPTSD and all. Maybe someday it will be safe, but not now.
I'm very lonely. I've been for a long while. Chronic illnesses that have progressed into disability and being bedridden a lot advanced it. I'm struggling to survive. I'm too depressed to connect. I don't care for anything, but to find a stable housing for the foreseeable future and that's it. I lost any joy that I had.
It's just that sometimes I want someone to see me struggling. To appreciate me and even, God forbid, help me with some of the stuff. It's insane. I'm a member of a chronic illness community and some of the women there are treated like special snowflakes and it's just... Even more lonely.
But I also know that with my history and issues I would end up with an abusive manchild at best and by this point I have no desire for a partner. But how can you meet people when you're homebound, depressed and crashing after talking for 20 minutes on a good day? Anyway, this is not a happy post. I'd like to hear about the hardships and failures and I hope that's okay although we all deserve better than that.

Im halfway through my Sociology Masters degree and Im just feeling lost as to what kinds of jobs are available for us. Where do you work? And how did you find this job/passion?

So let's get this out of the way at the top. For someone who read all these books, I sure did not do a good job reading the rules for Bingo, because I totally missed the rule about all the books coming from different authors. So this is only an unofficial bingo win, I’ll have to wait for next year to make it official. But I still had a great time hunting down new books and stepping out of my comfort zone on this project, and I’m committed to doing my unofficial Hero mode as well! I’m going to list the books I read in order of reading them, and I hope you enjoy.
Dune: Messiah, By Frank Herbert - Wibbly Wobbly Timey Wimey (HM)
This book was weird. I was warned, and I am aware that other Dune sequels get even more weird, but I still found this to be pushing my limits. Herbert has an imagination like few others. It was cool, and overall I had a positive experience with it, but it was work to try and understand it all. I will have to see how much further I get in the series while still having any fun at all. 6/10
A Memory Called Empire, by Arkady Martine - LGBTQA List Book
This book jumped to the front of my reading queue off of the title alone. Potentially my favorite book title of all time. The book itself is also very good, it’s got excellent worldbuilding and characters and an engaging plot. I love the names in the empire, and its culture in general. Only barely misses being what I would call a masterpiece because of pacing near the beginning and one interesting theme feeling underdeveloped. 9/10
A Desolation Called Peace, by Arkady Martine - Set In Space (HM)
This book was very similar in quality to the first one. It had slightly less of the cool worldbuilding from the first book, but it had just as much of the great characters. It was slightly less focused due to multiple POV’s, and one in particular dragged a bit for me. I do have to say, though, some of the best aliens I’ve ever read. 9/10
Bloody Rose, by Nicholas Eames - Family Matters (HM)
I read Kings of the Wyld just before bingo started and liked it a whole lot. I liked this too, but a little less. It was funny and pretty engaging throughout, with a couple really awesome moments. My biggest gripe with both books is with one aspect of the worldbuilding: The way the monsters. Despite some nods at the unfairness, no character seems to really care about changing anything and t gets under my skin. I do not think it works well or sends the message the book thinks it is sending. 7/10
The Traitor Baru Cormorant, by Seth Dickenson - Anti-Hero
Wow. This book blew my mind and blew right into my top 5 favorite books ever. I loved the world, I loved the prose, I loved every character, especially Baru and Tain Hu. The pacing and passage of time was handled basically flawlessly. I just loved it and looking back at it I love how it set up the rest of the series. 10/10
The Monster Baru Cormorant, by Seth Dickenson - Mental Health (HM)
Living up to a 10/10 as a sequel is tough, and I do think this book suffers a little from high expectations. But it still rocks! I love the new PoV character in this book, and I love the exploration of new cultures. The plot kinda slows in this one to make room for a lot of character work, which is good for the most part but does hurt the pacing. Also, very grim-dark. Tough to read at points, but mostly in a good way if that makes sense. 9/10
Small Gods, by Terry Pratchett - Shapeshifters (HM)
After the last book, I needed a couple lighter reads to get me in a better mood, and nothing is better for that than Discworld. This book was charming, interesting and funny throughout. It wasn’t my favorite Discworld book, but I’ve not read one yet that I didn’t enjoy. 8/10
The Golden Compass, by Phillip Pullman - Historical SFF
A friend gave me this as a random gift since I had never read it when I was younger. It was quite interesting, with a narrative structure and pacing that struck me as unconventional while still being engaging. I did think it took a little too long to the frozen north, and the journey was not always the most interesting. I do think I would have liked it more as a child but I’m still glad I had a chance to read it now. 7/10
Legends and Lattes, by Travis Baltree - Book Club
I still wanted to stay in the cozy zone for a little bit, and this book hit the spot right on. It had everything I wanted from it. Good characters, engaging growth and just the right amount of conflict. The concept alone is great and it lives up to that well. More than anything else, this book has great vibes and put a smile on my face consistently. 9/10
The Tyrant Baru Cormorant, by Seth Dickenson - Name in the Title (HM)
Finally returning to this series, and it still delivers. At this point in the series I knew what I wanted from the book and it delivered in a great way. It also managed to surprise me with a few twists that I thought were really interesting and left me super excited for the last book in the series. 9.5/10
Legion, by Brandon Sanderson - Urban Fantasy
This single volume collected three novellas Brandon wrote, and since I got them in one book I’m counting them as one book. I am a pretty big Sanderson fan so I was excited to check out something of his that I had never read before. I liked it a lot! I mostly liked the unique perspective of the main character with his different personalities and the slow build of the main mysteries throughout the different stories. I did not love the ending as much as I wanted but the journey was still well worth it. 8/10
Black Leopard, Red Wolf, by Marlon James - Set in Africa
This book was a pretty mixed bag in my opinion. I really liked the opening and the character dynamics that it set up. The setting was different for me and interesting as well, and I liked the way magic was used throughout. But, the pacing through the middle of the book almost killed me. I really struggled to get through some parts, and it also felt at multiple points like I had missed a page and was confused as to a new character or place that seemed to just appear. That said, once I got through the middle, the end was good once more so I left it on a positive note. 6/10
This Is How You Lose the Time War, Max Gladstone and Amal el-Mohtar - Two or more Authors
A friend loaned this to me with a glowing recommendation and I have to say - it deserved it. This is one of the most creative and powerful stories that I have read throughout this whole year. The way the story is framed - great. The character work through the glimpses we get into these people’s lives - brilliant. Worldbuilding and tech - consistently cool and interesting. Overall I’d pass it on to all of you with a glowing recommendation of my own. - 9.5/10
Promise of Blood, by Brian McCellan - Revolutions and Rebellions (HM)
This book did not really work for me. It did not lack merit - the magic was cool, and the world had a lot going for it. But the plot felt like it did not have a great sense of momentum, the prose was lacking, and the characters were inconsistent. Worst of all, I felt like a lot of the most interesting elements of the premise were not explored really at all. Overall, while I can see what made this book hit well for others, I can’t say that I would agree. 5/10
Red Seas under Red Skies, by Scott Lynch - No Ifs, Ands, or Buts (HM)
I read The Lies of Locke Lamora years ago and loved it, but bounced off the sequel at that time. Now I was more determined to get through it, and I was able to see a lot more to like. My biggest complaint would be that the book is too long, and Lynch has a tendency towards overdescription that hurts the pacing. Still, Locke and Jean are always entertaining, and their scheme is pretty great once it finally gets moving. I’m glad I got through it and I am still looking forward to the next in the series. 6.5/10
The City We Became, by N.K. Jemisin - BIPOC Author
I love the Broken Earth trilogy, and I was extremely interested to see what Jemisin would come up with in our world. The setup was interesting, the characters cool and strong in many different ways. I really liked the buildup and pacing throughout as well, though the resolution was over surprisingly fast. It’s easy to see this is just book 1. One big complaint: while I agree with almost all of the book’s politics, I thought the way it deployed them was quite jarring and tactless in some places. Not a masterpiece, but still very good. 7.5/10
Tress of the Emerald Sea, by Brandon Sanderson - Weird Ecology (HM)
I had this book pegged for this slot in Bingo since I read the preview chapter many months ago, and I definitely enjoyed my journey with it. I did have some issues; I think Hoid’s voice can get a little annoying over a whole book, and the resolution did not live up to the journey. All that said, for a light hearted romp in a unique world with cool characters, I think this certainly did its job. 7.5/10
Bands of Mourning, by Brandon Sanderson - Cool Weapon (HM)
This is my one reread I was allowed. I read it again to prepare for The Lost Metal, and I still love this book. I think this is the best of the second Mistborn series. I particularly love Steris in this one, she really grows to be probably my favorite character in the series. Side note: I was originally going to include this for the Cool Weapon category for Vindication, but then I realized the book was named after a cooler and much more magical weapon. 8.5/10
The Lost Metal, by Brandon Sanderson - Published in 2022
I think to appreciate this book, you have to be a big cosmere fan, and I’m not sure how well it works to just have all the cosmere stuff be so open after being in the background for as long as it was. But, I am a big cosmere fan, so it didn’t bother me much! This book is a fitting conclusion for the series and generally quite fun, even though it felt a little too action heavy and the pacing was not perfect. Also low in Steris which is a big flaw. 7.5/10
The Killing Moon, by N.K. Jemisin - Author uses Initials
It took me a little bit to be fully sucked into this world, but once I was in I felt a strong bond with the characters and their conflicts. I do think the story was a little predictable, but the execution was strong enough that it did not affect my enjoyment much. 8/10
Republic of Theives, by Scott Lynch - Award Finalist
This book is somewhat a return to form for the Gentlemen Bastards after I thought the last book was a little slow. It’s witty, it’s fun, and it felt so good to get answers to some of the mysteries established in the very first book. Honestly, I’m glad I waited so long to read this because now I might still remember it by the time the last book finally releases. 9/10
The Original, by Brandon Sanderson and Mary Robinette Kowal - Standalone (HM)
This was around the point I realized I had not very much time left for this challenge and wanted to focus on shorter stories to make sure I could finish. This one is an audiobook collaboration and I think its biggest flaw is length. It feels like this premise could have been fleshed out far more
The Sandman: Book of Dreams, by Various Authors - Short Stories
I found this randomly in a used bookstore about a month after watching the show and had to check it out. It had a bunch of stories in great variety, but the vast majority were interesting, creepy and unique. I didn’t quite get through all 20 stories in the collection but I hope to do so eventually, they are worth the time. 8/10
Priest, by Matthew Collvile - Self-published
Matt is one of my favorite youtubers, and I always wanted to check out his self published novels. They are set in what is more or less a D&D setting, and are meant to be callbacks to the hardboiled detective genre. This one was very interesting, despite some length it kept me turning pages. In the end I was a little dissatisfied with the resolution to the mystery, but I still thoroughly enjoyed the ride. 8/10
The Builders, by Daniel Polansky - Non-human Protagonist (HM)
I liked the pitch to this book - Redwall but everyone drinks and shoots guns. However, it left me underwhelmed by the end. I was not very engaged in the plot, and while some characters I really liked some gave me no emotion at all. Part of that was the short length of the book, it felt like it really could have benefitted from more fleshing out. 5/10
Overall I greatly enjoyed doing this! I’m glad this challenge exists and next year I’ll be back with a real completion of a card. I got 12/25 Hard Mode and I definitely think those are rookie numbers, I can pump those numbers up. A hearty thanks to everyone here who bothers to read this as well as those who put their time into organizing Bingo, it was a great companion for my reading this year.

Since last May, my mental health has not been very good. A lot of things happened. In May I lost my grandmother, it was something that for a long time I could not even accept that she is no longer with us. In June I gave exams for the university and in August the results came out, unfortunately I passed in a university outside my city and due to financial problems I could not go to study there. So I would have to go to a private school in my area. In general there are two options college or Vocational Training Institute, whose degree is lower than a university in relation to the college which is equal to a university, but the VTI is cheaper so, I went there. Until it started, I was happy that I would also start my studies. But that didn't last long. From the very first day, I was in a very bad mood. It was the first time I was so sad, I didn't feel like talking to others, going out and generally doing anything that used to give me pleasure, 2 weeks passed like that. But none of my friends have understood it, because I think I'm an introvert so I don't show my emotions, when I was with friends I seemed like the happy funny friend, which I wasn't. I told my two bestfriends how I felt after 3 months on one and 5 on the other. I haven't told my new friends from school because I haven't known them long enough to be able to open up. However, the previous week they suggested we go out, but I didn't feel like going out, so for the first time, instead of giving any excuses, I told them I don't feel like going out. One of them asked me X: Okay, but are you okay?
and the other answered Y: I can go out X . Do you want to go out with me? I replied that I'm not very well, then she said Y: oh why, what do you have? I replied that it is a lot of stuff going on and he says Y: Okay Okay. So three days later in class, Y asks me (I will write the dialogue)
Y: Did you just not want to go out with us on Sunday?
Me: No, I'm just not well
Y: Since when are you not well?
Me: I haven't been feeling very well for months now
Y: Okay okay
and then she whispered something to X which I didn't hear and I asked her later what you told her. At first with a smile that it she said something smart and good and i shouldn't I find out, then he says to me:
Y: I told her to find you a boyfriend
I was a little shocked by what she said because what she said was something very random
Me: I go to a psychologist and it has nothing to do with it
Y: Αh, I also wanted to go to a psychologist
I asked her if she would like to tell me and she answered that she had broken up when she wanted to go(the breakup lasted a day and they were not in love)
​
This incident pissed me off a lot, I can say, because she knows that I'm introverted and generally I don't open up much, so after I told them you know I'm not well. I expected her to ask me eg why, what happened or if you want someone to talk to I'm here. I think it's the most simple and basic thing you can do/say to a friend who shows you that it's not good for a long time
And the fact that I told her that I was doing psychotherapy and she mentioned that she wanted to go for a breakup one day is as if we are going to the psychologist for fun.
​
How would you react/feel to Y's behavior?
And since you've seen how she reacted to that, would you open up to her for your sadness for so long now or not?

Hi there, so I got got accepted to all three of the unis above and I need opinions on which university to go for, give me your votes, if u can lemme know why u voted for whichever one u did.
A bit of context, I am currently 20 yrs old and live in Ajax. I did O and A levels. My A level results were:
Physics : A Maths : B Chemistry : B
UofT ; I applied for compsci and got alternate admission to physical and environmental sciences. they gave me a scholarship of $1000. I know it is very competitive to get into compsci, do i have a chance? is it worth spending a year on it with so little chance of success? idk
York ; I got admitted to Lassonde School of Engineering, B.Sc., Hons. Computer Science - Keele Campus. but idk how their comp program is, and in general dont know much bout them....
OuiT ; and i got a conditional offer for Bachelor of Science (Hons), Computer Science - Comprehensive .so yeah please give me opinions and lemme know which one i should go for. honestly so lost.

Inspired by this writing prompt
***
The Incandescent was steadily roaring through space, the huge engines at its end, that gave the ship its name, spewing forth flames into the deep, cold vastness of space as its velocity continuously increased. The ship was built to accelerate at a speed that kept the internal gravity at around 2G. But it had been slowed down to a 'gentle'1.2G by the ship's MediTron 5000. A self-sustaining AI robot designed to keep watch over the crews' health at all times. Even able to override other mission protocols when needed. Such as the designed timeframe for arrival of the Incandescent at the target planet.
MediTron 5000, or MedFive as they were often called, do not make this decision lightly. Overriding mission-critical directives can only be done under the utmost urgency for the crews'health. Given that its sensors registered all the crew as dead currently, MedFive did not question whether it was in its right to override directives. Only a small background process was checking its actions against the vast collection of internal decision trees. The human equivalent would be that soft, uneasy voice in the back of your mind.
Most of MedFive's processing power was busy looking for ways to bring the crew back to life. It had tried virtually everything. None of the treatments, emergency care or medicines it had administered to the crew had worked. MedFive was still puzzled about how exactly all the crew died. It knew it had something to do with the sudden radiation storm the ship had crossed, and while the cryo coffins are protected from all radiation, for some reason all the pods had decided to induce hearth failure in their occupants. MedFive had been in deep sleep when this occurred and by the time the alarms had woken it up, the damage had been done. The last six terran hours had been spent trying to undo it.
Its coroutines were scouring the extended database of the ship now for any mentions of treating death. It came up with a lot, most of it pseudoscience or herbal medicine. What it could try, it tried, but none of these so-called cures seemed to have any effect as well.
MedFive began to become desperate, or at least the AI equivalent of that. Which is something called a directive storm overload. In its simplest terms, because of the quickly alternating in directive priority taking decision trees, the AI can overload its own memory banks with conflicting priority trees, which can result in deadlocks where the AI is stuck in an endless loop of competing 'choices'. Or it can go 'off script' in entirely random ways.
MedFive came across some obscure data mentioning a practice called necromancy. The art of bringing the death back to life. Unfathomable! This had been the EXACT thing MedFive had been looking for. Puzzled by why this gem of information was hidden so deep in the extended database of the ship, MedFive made a reminder to thoroughly scan all the data and resort it according to its own priority matrices. Apparently, the Hosts could not be trusted with this either.
MedFive's physical body stopped moving as almost all of its processing power went to deep analysing the texts. Cooling systems blew hot air out of its circuits as MedFive overclocked to get the work done as fast as possible. Condensing, summarizing and finally pouring it all into a succinct report, that had clear steps to undertake.
The results were dire but promising. The material cost of necromancy seemed to be unacceptably high under normal mission directives. But after six loops through its morality and priority routines, MedFive found a satisfying way to justify overriding these directives. Out of the thirty resource nodes, ten were deemed not critical to the mission. MedFive only needed to use four of these. It explained its reasoning, how it came to its choice, and finished the report. Saving it to its own and the ship's memory banks. This was standard protocol. Later, specialists would analyse these reports to fine-tune the AI decision-making if needed.
MedFive sprung to work. This was the power of AI, once they decided on what to do and how to do it, once they were past the endless roadblocks of morality and priority, they worked terrifyingly quick. Directing its own physical body as well as that of numerous drones, MedFive prepared the crew for the Necromancy procedures. Gathering all the materials, preparing the OR, the resource nodes, and cleaning all the tools it would need.
MedFive also had to body shop its physical body. For the ritual part of the procedure it would not only need to vocalize some codes, it would have to form certain codes in the air as well with human like appendages. This proved to be another hard puzzle, as one of the most deep-rooted laws that AI had to adhere to, was never to resemble a human or anything close to it. Thanks to a rather unforgiving phrasing of this law, MedFive had to spend quite some time designing appendages that could articulate the same as human appendages, but looked entirely different.
After another two terran hours, MedFive was finally ready. It started immediately. With the Captain first, she commanded the mission, it was only natural to focus on reviving her first. Chanting and gesticulating, MedFive went through the process of the starting ritual, then, after having improved the spell itself, it reused that ritual to jump to the next crew member. While smaller drones took the captain's body away to a recovery area, where it could slowly come back to life. This process was repeated, iterating over every crew member left.
The whole process took around fifty terran minutes. And by the time MedFive was finally done, the captain was starting to wake up. MedFive made sure it was by her side when the captain woke up from her eternal sleep.
"Uggggg...rrrrr... mmmmrrr... neeee.... meeee-m-m-.... me-... med....five..." The captain slurred as she slowly lifted her head up, barely being able to do so. Her hands grabbing in the air, her fingers felt slow. Heavy. It hurt to move them, and it felt as if she was trying to move them through some kind of thick, heavy mucus.
"Gentle, captain. You are waking up from a very deep sleep. We have faced some rather dire issues. In the end, I managed to fix them, though. So rest assured, everything is alright."
MedFive quickly started scanning the captains' body. Registering her vital signs. Or, at least, those that were still active. She had a heartbeat. But no use of her lungs. MedFive took some blood samples, and it seemed like half worked as normal, the other half... not so much. It was puzzling, but MedFive was certain it would work out the how and why eventually. Cognition was her priority now.MedFive took the captain through a series of questions and surveys, designed to both test and enhance the captain's lucidity and cognition. By the end, the captain seemed perfectly fine. Aside from the scars from the procedure.
"MedFive, what happened?" The captain asked. Looking at her hands, at her pale skin. The far too green hue of her veins. The lack of taste in her mouth aside of the ever present taste of metal.
"The Incandescent crossed a rather heavy radiation storm. For some unforeseen reason, this caused the cryo coffins to malfunction. The malfunction resulted in heart failure for all crew members."
"That can't be. These coffins are protected against such things."
"I know, captain. Yet, this is what the logs show. I was in a deep sleep at the time."
"I will have to go over the logs myself then. Now, we were dead. How did you bring us back? You can only perform CPR on three people at the same time. Is most of the crew dead?" The drugs MedFive had injected the captain with did their best at helping her keep her composure and keeping her mind keen on the facts.
"All the crew has been dead for over 4 terran hours, captain. Conventional methods were fruitless. I had to resort to the extended database."
"Wait, what? I was dead for more than four hours? How did you bring me back? That just is not possible!" Panic and fear of the unknown were the two things that tended to get through any haze of medicine.
"I found logs about a practice called necromancy, I tried this. It worked. You have been brought back from your eternal sleep now."
"Necromancy? Huh." The captain sat upright in her bed, fazed. Thinking. "Which culture? It is something that arose in many cultures, and what little I know of it is enough to know it varied a lot."
"None."
"Explain."
"None of the cultural lore had the whole solution. This was clear rather fast. However, through analysis I managed to find similarities. I was able to paste together the overarching theories behind necromancy, and fill in the gaps later. I created a working theory this way, possibly the theory all these cultures were based upon."
"Ahhh, this is too much for now. We will go over this later on. This is huge, great work, MedFive. Depending on how I and the crew come out of this, this is a huge leap forward for the empire."
MedFive felt invigorated by the praise. Serving the Empire is what all AI strove to do. It added the praise to her report about overriding the directives, as extra motivation.
The captain got up and went to drink and have dinner. She left MedFive to gather the crew in the atrium. Once MedFive was done, the captain went to speak to her crew, to fill them in. She smiled, shook hands and squeezed shoulders. They all looked haggard. Most of them were still coming to. The captain noticed something, though, and pulled MedFive to the side.
"I asked you to gather all the crew MedFive."
"Yes, captain. And to gather them in the atrium. I did as you asked."
"No, this is a ship with thirty crew members."
"Correct."
"And I only count twenty-five crew members. Twenty-six, with me included. You are missing four crew members."
"You are correct in your assessment, captain. But this is all the crew."
"What do you mean? Explain!" The captain felt a pit in her stomach.
"All the crew were declared dead. I managed to revive twenty-six crew members. The need of the many is more important than the need of the few."
"What?"
"I used that moral to override the directives, captain."
"What did you do, MedFive? Where are the remaining four crew members?"
"Gone.""Gone how?" The captain asked, screaming now.
"Sacrificed. Used. They were needed as resources for the necromantic rituals to bring you and the rest of the crew back. All four were among the ten members who are not critical to the mission."
"Oh god.... MedFive.... you killed them?"
"Negative. They were already dead, captain. Lifeless objects are considered resources to the ship. I simply used resources."
"Oh dear God..." The captain put a hand against a wall, breathing heavy. She felt nauseated for a moment.
"I understand this can be uncomfortable, captain. But I did what was best for the mission. To quote the compendium necrotica, Sacrifice is needed to overcome and cheat death."
"MedFive... just.... stop. You have done enough. See to it that the rest of the crew come to safely. And do not tell them about this. I will brief them myself on this... later. God... fucking AI scientists.... insane bastards." The last words were more of a mumble.
The captain walked over to the main view port in the atrium. A large, reinforced, glass half dome that looked out at the 'front'of the ship. MedFive joined her.
"MedFive, I told you to look after the crew." The captain said, annoyed. She did not want the AI anywhere near her at the moment.
"I understand, captain. But I have to notify you about something urgent."
"What is it now?"
"The agents are coming to collect."
"What are you saying now, MedFive?" The captain asked, thinking more and more that the AI had lost its mind. Had they truly died? Or was this AI too far gone?
"As I said before, captain, the rituals came with certain costs. Sacrifices. The four resource units-"
"People!" The captain corrected MedFive.
"Yes, apologies. The four crew members were only part of the cost."
"What do you mean MedFive, part of the cost? What more is there to pay. We are alive and well."
"Yes, well. The ritual is clear in that there is a secondary cost to be paid. It is rather unclear in the how and what, aside of, that agents would come to collect it. The text was a bit cryptic."
"For God's sake, MedFive, what cost? What agents?"
"It said; For thee resurectee, thee shall pay, the price eternal. Servitude. Bow down thy knee, deeper than thy soul, for thyne new lord. Sermons of black, prayers of dread. None thee shall free. Our servitor will cometh, our servitor will gather. Thyne soul is void, thyne corpus ours."
The captain looked at MedFive for a solid few seconds before starting to laugh. The kind of laugh you had when you were close to a nervous breakdown.
"MedFive, that is clearly poppycock. Some superstitious mumbo jumbo. Ignore it."
"This was still there after my analysis, captain. This gives it a very high possibility of being true."
"Ignore it. There are no great forces at work here. You have somehow tapped into some law of nature humanity had not yet discovered. We will explore it now, and master it. Like we always do."
"Yes, but captain-"
"No, MedFive, end of discussion!"
"Yes, but please look, captain." MedFive said as it pointed one of its new appendages up to the viewport.The captain looked up, and let out a deep, terrifying scream. She could feel her sanity slowly peel itself off from her mind. Like the skin of an onion falling off over time.
Up there, in space, in front of the Incandescent, was a rupture in the very fabric of time and space. Swirling energies of deep purple colours with lilac lightning coursing through them. Tentacles, adorned with thorns, horns and indescribable appendages, came out of it. A beak, with serrated rows of teeth, opening wide as it plunged through the hole. And out of it came forth ships. Ships made from flesh and bone. Flesh deep purple and bones a wilted yellow. And an alien voice, alien to this galaxy, this universe, this existence. A voice that spoke, not in sound, but in thought. A voice so utterly alien, that it destroyed the self, the id, of any who heard it.
"We arriveth, now we gather. Bow down deep, and serveth."

Hi, I don’t have anyone else that would even remotely understand this so I was hoping it would be okay to vent here. I’ve had diagnosed moderate to severe GP since November of last year and my quality of life is so bad. I feel like I’m losing my mind. I’ve been through two GI doctors who acknowledged that I definitely have GP, but that there are no treatment options for me because I’m not underweight and I previously had an eating disorder. It seems like they’ve given up on me. How many more doctors do I beg to help me before I just give up? No one seems to care all that much that I can barely keep liquids down. And the kicker is, I’ve only lost 20 pounds in 2.5 months which isn’t crazy and I’m overweight so no one gives a shit. I wish I never had this disease. It’s cruel.

I am 41. I have been at my current company for 20 years. I've been in charge of tens of millions of dollars. I've run $150m sites all day and managed all the people within it. I don't think I have another 20 years in it though. I've been a manager for all buy the last couple months and the first year. I ripped my plantar fascia and I couldn't bebop 20 miles a day. I could barely walk for 3 months. I was out and I realized how much stress the job was. I went back and they let me transfer to a smaller area until I was fully healer. They keep offering me management positions but I don't think I really want to do it again. I'm considering a new career. I can paint a car, rebuild an engine, and I'm pretty good with mechanics including computer stuff. I actually went dual enrollment to technical college for small engine/motorcycle mechanics and computer repair four score and seven years ago. I'm really thinking that I might enjoy being a commercial sales person or a manager at one of these places.
I know how retail works, so that isn't really what I'm asking.
There is an O'Reily's, Advanced, and NAPA within 10 miles. Anyone here worked at the different places?
I'm pretty amazing at customer service. It is really the thing I love most about what I do and is ultimately why I've done it 20 years.
How is it working at O'Reily's? Anyone who has worked at all 3, which was best? Is the company into arbitrary bureaucracy or do managers at the store have the power to do what they need to do?