Begin with a thesis statement.
This still applies to smaller scale adventures. This is your guiding star as the GM, your vision, your touchstone, the root of your interest and the reason you are willing to invest years of (possibly literal) sweat and tears into a campaign. It will get you through slumps, serve as inspiration, and permeate every aspect of your campaign, every encounter and houserule and map, such that your players can feel it. After reading OotA I sat down and wrote “I want a tragic, character-focused narrative about how extreme challenges in an alien environment warp people.” I seldom succeeded (and struggled a lot against the mechanics¹⁾ but the times when I did every player noted it as a highlight or point of interest in the campaign.
Taglines have a profound effect with little investment.
Some GMs use music, others have a specific phrase to begin the session. Ideally whatever it is evokes your thesis statement. Taglines serve as a moment for both players and GM to center themselves and become present within the fictional world. Several years later the words “When we last left our intrepid adventurers…” can turn me into Cesare Trillibain, a soul lost in Barovia trying to find his sister. I hope “The caves wind before you, and the darkness closes in around you…” has a similar effect for my OotA players.
Logic puzzles can represent abstract concepts the game has no good mechanical framework for.
This is not a broad solution, but it can be another tool in the GM’s kit which also adds variety.
Rolling a series of skill checks to chase down a derro is not engaging. You don’t want the derro to succeed so the end is the foregone conclusion to a binary pass/fail roll. Posting a chess puzzle to capture the king will be engaging to at least some of your players, and fun to construct a narrative around when the paladin character (knight) bowls over a bystander (captures a pawn).
Logic puzzles also require no knowledge players may not have (the infamous ‘think like the GM’ moments). If the GM can solve it in 5-10 minutes the table will reliably brute force it in 15-30. Posting a japanese logic puzzle without instructions and describing what lights up creates engagement through verisimilitude and collaboration.
D&D is literally just a cool monster and a cool map.
I was scooped by Matt Colville. Yes, aspiring GMs, it really is that simple. There are a number of nuances to what can make a combat ‘good’ (meaningful stakes^1, alternative objectives or limitations, threat level variety, tactical variety, unique abilities, environmental synergy, visual/auditory cover, environmental hazards, atmospheric set pieces, triggered buffs/debuffs, environmental changes, additional participants, dynamic developments) but ultimately every session of D&D is just a map and a monster (a dungeon and a dragon, even) and any narrative glue the GM can squirt between them.
I am done with D&D.
It has difficulty telling compelling¹ stories. I believe RPGs are art. I believe they have the ability to let us explore the human experience. I believe they are capable of so much more than a tactical simulacra of violence. I want a framework which can support this vision. D&D simply does not.
1) See attached essay on my personal thoughts about D&D’s inability to create meaningful stakes, and by extension compelling narratives, through its lack of support for roleplay and emotional or social mechanics. This is not intended as an indictment of D&D 5E, a takedown piece, or a sermon on the benefits of other systems. This is my attempt to philosophically work through my personal dissatisfactions with the campaign in the hopes of creating something more aligned with my ideals whenever I next GM.
A power fantasy may be enjoyable, but it’s not compelling. A compelling narrative is one where there are relatable, applicable, or impactful stakes, and even with the availability of situational details there remains an uncertainty in the outcome. D&D is sorely lacking in its ability to generate emotional relatability, uncertainty and risk, diverse and meaningful stakes for players, or supporting GMs in this endeavor.
Of the pieces of Maslow’s hierarchy which can be mapped to in-game concepts, Physical Health is the only one with any sort of in-game representation, and even then it is still a poor approximation. Fundamentally if players were truly challenged with a more combat-as-war 50% lethality rate rather than D&D’s current combat-as-sport 5% lethality rate and disincentivised fleeing mechanics it would be impossible to carry on a campaigns as they are written with their assumptions of heroic narrative model and continuity of character experience. People outside of fiction rarely resort to violence because it carries a high risk of physical danger or cost in the form of physical injury. Not even the addition of multiple house-rules (ie slow healing, exhausting DSTs) can’t undo the abundance of spells (goodberry, healing word), abilities, and equipment designed to negate challenges to physical health or needs. Additionally there is the psychological disconnect caused by our inability to feel our character’s pain, or have a mechanical representation of the psychological cost for said pain, so combat ceases to have the aforementioned relatable, applicable, or impactful stakes.
The argument may be made that needs such as food, shelter, and rest are not resources worth tracking as their minutiae are not worth the narrative interest they generate. OSR systems do tend to generate their narrative interest from focusing on these needs, but through largely incidental effects. “How much gold can I physically carry back?” can be a compelling question if the impetus for obtaining that gold has relatable, applicable, or impactful stakes. However, D&D, and most other RPGs, offer no guidance or structure for creating or representing such stakes.
In theory, roleplaying games should excel at providing threats to a character’s social or emotional security. Human beings understand intuitively and viscerally what being shunned by a community feels like, or having their trust betrayed, or being exhausted by a myriad of requests and expectations, so theoretically no mechanical support or representation is necessary; however, that relies on the player being able to authentically represent their character regardless of the disparity between the character’s characterization and the player’s ability to emulate that characterization. This level of empathy comes with no GM guidance or mechanical emotional guard rails (such as abstraction) against player over-investiture and real emotional harm. This lack of framework also places an immense load on the GM to construct from whole cloth a situation (supported by an entire narrative world) which can challenge the social, emotional, or esteem needs of the character.
If it sounds absurd to desire a framework for generating socially dramatic narratives, consider how a compelling narrative also contains the implicit promise of catharsis where the revealed outcome conforms to all details both hidden and available. Inexperienced GMs may 'railroad' a defined end, while seasoned GMs have learned to accept any outcome which meets the details. Authors do have many tools for narrative frameworks (three act structure, two body plots) to guide themselves along this path of details, and video game developers likewise (FPSs, Idlers, Roguelikes). While it is reasonable to say that D&D in particular cannot or should not be all things to all people, if the consistently memorable portions of any RPG campaign are the moments of dramatic tension created in the space between a map-monster routine it is worth critically examining if it is meaningfully contributing to the experience we wish to have.

I adopted an amazing GSD mix in September of 2022. She was brought to the city shelter because she had pannus ( an auto immune disorder) and they couldn’t afford the medication. She was an outside only dog, and looked it,and anyway they had other dogs so didn’t want her. The shelter sent me home with ointment for her eyes. After seeing my vet and a veterinary ophthalmologist, two drops were prescribed to help slow the progression of the disease. Pannus is not a painful condition. The problem is, I live by myself and even after 9 months I haven’t been able to train her to hold still enough to administer the drops. It took 3 people to hold her at the ophthalmologist or vet to look in her eyes. I imagine that this was similar to what happened at the shelter and she just has trauma from it.
I have probably gotten 20 drops in an eye since we started. She is a brilliant dog, excelled at her obedience classes and Canine Good Citizen classes and is just wonderful, except she will probably go blind. I haven’t given up yet and am going back to square one for her to be ok with me holding her muzzle firmly before bringing the dropper bottle anywhere near her face. But I just feel so bad that I can’t reason with her and let her know there is a reason I’m being mean to her. I’ve tried everything and am doing my best to not be frustrated. Thanks for listening and keep your fingers crossed for progress.

As an inquisitive and enthusiastic individual, I am always eager to broaden my horizons by exploring new concepts and ideas. Whether it's delving into the latest environmental documentary, discussing bold fashion trends or admiring AI art, I relish meaningful conversations that challenge my thinking. In addition to these interests, I also enjoy indulging in fantasy sports, watching movies and music videos as well as observing cosplays of my favorite characters.
My passion for discovering the world around me is boundless; learning about diverse cultures and people fascinates me endlessly. My creativity finds expression through various mediums such as writing, music and art. As a compassionate person who believes in seeing the best in others, I'm always willing to lend a listening ear or offer assistance when needed.
I seek connections with like-minded individuals who share similar passions for curiosity, creativity and empathy. By learning from each other's experiences we can create something truly unique together while making lasting memories along the way. If you're interested in connecting with someone who shares your interests please don't hesitate to reach out - let's explore what this world has to offer!

Hey everyone! Welcome to the Brawlcap BSC 2023 Mid-Season Power Rankings. We are halfway done with the season and we have seen a lot of tough competition in the last three months and I think it's fair to judge where each team deserves to be placed right now. Before we get into the rankings I just want to let you all know that I did make some changes on how many teams will be in the Power Rankings for each subregion. Here are the changes I made.
-SEA & India will list the Top 3 teams
-EMEA will list the Top 12 teams, but I will only list the Top 10 teams for now since only 10 teams have qualified for the Monthly Finals so far this year.
-SA East/West and NA East/West will list the Top 5 Teams.
I also have a BSC Top 25 Global Power Rankings prepared for you guys when this post goes live. Reminder that these power rankings are only taken from BSC events and no events outside of BSC so the Mobile Masters event that happened earlier this month will not count towards these rankings. I think you are going to be pretty surprised on who I have ranked in each spot. I will be doing these after every single Monthly Final from now on until the end of the season.
Also disclaimer that I actually made these Power Rankings a while back and we've had some roster changes recently and some teams that disbanded that will now not be on this list. I apologize for getting this out super late, but at least I got it out before the start of the next Championship Challenge.
Now without further ado, let's get ranking!

SEA

Tier 1: Solid Contender Tier 2: LCQ Contender

Rank	Team Name	Tier	BSC Points	Movement
1	Team Flash	1	318	0
2	Rising Sun SEA	1	228	0
3	BYE	2	152	+1

Team Flash are just unstoppable! They have won three straight Monthly Finals and are looking like they could easily qualify for the LCQ. Everything was going great for them, until they made some roster changes and let some players go. Out of nowhere, they let go two players on the team in Response and Prime leaving Hiroshii and X9Kay as the only two members left on the team. Even more bad news, wigglyspoo was also released from the team. I don't know why exactly they let those three go, but I feel like this might haunt them in the near future. Who's going to join them now? I guess we'll find out soon, but I feel like this was a questionable decision. Rising Sun SEA also look pretty strong as they managed to place 2nd in every Monthly Final so far this year and they have a pretty solid lead as well. However, this did come at the cost of losing pro player Bearbear to retirement, but they did manage to find a solid replacement in Meow who has played pretty well. Despite the roster change I think they should be fine.
BYE is easily the 3rd best team in this region, but I see them in a completely different tier until they make it to a Monthly Final. They moved up in these rankings mostly due to Umbrella Reforged failing to even qualify for Top 8 this month, but unless Rising Sun SEA falls apart, I expect them to stay in this spot for the remainder of the year.

India

Tier 1: Solid LCQ Contender Tier 2: LCQ Contender

Rank	Team Name	Tier	BSC Points	Movement
1	Revenant Esports	1	320	0
2	Marcos Gaming	2	194	0
3	Grinddizers	2	173	+1

I think we can all agree that Revenant Esports is easily the best team in India. They have yet to drop a single match yet so far this year and they are projected to easily be the #1 team in India. I don't think there is much else to be said. They should easily win 1st in this region.
Marcos Gaming has been playing really well recently as they made it to the last two Monthly Finals as they attempt to secure that 2nd LCQ spot. They will still have a lot of tough competition and unless they can best Revenant Esports at least once, they will have to climb their way to the Monthly Finals. They have the 2nd spot currently, but they will need to keep qualifying for the Monthly Finals if they want to secure it. A team like Grinddzers have a chance to claim that 2nd LCQ spot as well, but they have a lot of tough competition especially against Marcos Gaming. This race for 2nd sure will be fun to watch as we approach the 2nd half of the season.

East Asia

Tier 1: WF Contender Tier 2: LCQ Contender Tier 3: Long Shot

Rank	Team Name	Tier	BSC Points	Movement
1	Crazy Raccoon	1	272	+1
2	REJECT	1	262	-1
3	Aphelion Esports	2	190	0
4	Chasmac Gaming EA	2	172	0
5	Not Noob	3	124	0

Crazy Raccoon redeemed themselves and won another Monthly Final. They won their 2nd this year and may have even solidified themselves currently as the #1 team to beat in the world. Using the right data for drafting did them well in their Grands matchup against REJECT. Speaking of REJECT, they made it to Grands all 3 months to kick off the first half of the season which is pretty impressive considering this is arguably the highest skilled region in the world. Despite taking 2nd this month and moving down a spot, I believe they should be contenders for a Worlds spot this year. If they get 2nd, they should be fine in the LCQ. Can't wait to see who wins that Worlds spot.
For the Tier 2 teams, Aphelion Esports clearly deserves 3rd as they have beaten Crazy Raccoon once so far this year (although that was mainly because Crazy Raccoon forgot how to draft in March). Still a solid contender for that 2nd LCQ spot. Chasmac Gaming EA has gone off to a rough start to the year as they have yet to win a single match so far this year, but they played against REJECT in every Monthly Final so far this year. I think it's still possible for them to pull it off if they play Aphelion a couple of times this year, but if they can't beat them or get an unlucky bracket run in the 2nd half of the year, they might be the team to miss out in the LCQ.
Not Noob has so far been the most consistent team outside of the Top 4 as they ended up making it to Top 8 every single month so far this year. It might be tough for them to make a run to the LCQ, but if Aphelion and CMG slip a bit, they have a chance. This would mean they would have to place well in the Monthly Finals, and I'm sadly not expecting a miracle to happen for them.

EMEA

Tier 1: Solid WF Contender Tier 2: WF Contender Tier 3: Solid LCQ Contender Tier 4: LCQ Contender

Rank	Team Name	Tier	BSC Points	Movement
1	ZETA DIVISION	1	272	0
2	Reply Totem	2	193	0
3	NAVI	2	169	+6
4	ANR	2	155	-1
5	FUT Esports	3	134	-1
6	SK Gaming	3	102	+4
7	Dogster Lobster	3	157	-2
8	Team Queso	4	120	0
9	Am O Fantezie	4	142	-2
10	FA MrDoSa	4	105	-4

Despite getting reverse swept by SK Gaming in the first round in April, ZETA DIVISION did win back to back Monthly Finals back in February and March. Considering this is one of the more competitive regions and with their massive point lead ahead of Reply Totem, I believe they are easily the best team in EMEA as of right now. They will have a target on their back and they will need to do well in the 2nd half in order to secure that Worlds spot, but I think they should be fine as long as they don't collapse like they did in April.
I believe all of these teams have a realistic shot at making Worlds or at the very least the LCQ. I put Reply Totem in 2nd despite their poor performance in April. They have yet to win a Monthly Final so far this year and they originally looked like were are on the verge of decline, but their Mobile Masters championship win gave this team more hope for BSC. I think after that performance they should be looking to secure on of the World Finals spots. Let's hope they keep this up. NAVI rose really high in the rankings this month and it's all because of their huge Monthly Finals win to close out the first half. While their opponents weren't exactly the toughest, it was enough to put them in the Top 3 and in a good spot to get them back on track. All of the NAVI simps are popping off seeing them as a contender once again. Welcome back NAVI. As for ANR, despite not qualifying in April, they did go on some solid runs in the first two months of the season and there is a chance they are still a solid team heading into the 2nd half. Their performance in other events has me a little concerned, but I think they should be fine in the end. Don't panic yet ANR fans.
FUT Esports has been looking pretty solid as of late as they managed to get a reverse sweep on Reply Totem in April. Even though they couldn't beat SK Gaming, they are looking like the team we expected them to be at the start of the season. However this did come at a cost of star player OPE who was surprisingly cut from the team. From what I've heard it looks like LeNain is likely going to be his replacement, but this is not confirmed yet. Unfortunate for FUT fans, but let's hope this change doesn't screw them in the end. SK Gaming had a rough start, but ever since Jeton joined the team things have gotten better for them. They reverse swept the 2 time defending champs in ZETA DIVISION as well as beat FUT Esports. They did get swept in the end by NAVI, but I believe they found their missing piece to take them to at least the LCQ. They might be in 10th right now, but I see this team making noise in the 2nd half. Dogster Lobster has been playing alright recently, but I was not satisfied of their performance in April. Felt like they had some missed opportunities in their matchup against NAVI. The roster change I will say was definitely a good one as they added Cyclone to the team. They even brought Lukii back on the team so I'm guessing all is forgiven between him and the team. Xiaku might be gone, but I do think that was for the best of the team. It is rumored that this team will get signed by HMBLE to end the 2nd half of the year, but we'll wait and see if this is true in the coming weeks. Team Queso looked like a promising team to start the year until they got reverse swept by ZETA in the first round. After failing to qualify in March it was time they made a change. So far cutting AleSSJ and adding Blaksxy to the team has worked well as they managed to win their first Monthly Finals match of the year (despite it being against Am O Fantezie). They do have a lot of work to get, but I believe if they keep playing this well they should stay as an LCQ contender. Am O Fantezie finally got a Monthly Finals SET win which is a step in the right direction. They may not have won a Monthly Final match yet this season, but they have made it to the Monthly Finals every month so far. If they keep this up they may make it to the LCQ without winning a single match, but I would like to see this team start winning soon. MrDoSa is going to be the last team in this ranking for obvious reasons. Only made it to 2 Monthly Finals so far this year and they missed out on the most recent one. Not to mention they lost LeNain so now they are back to the original 3 members. From what I have seen from them, I think it'll be pretty hard for them to recover from this. It's not impossible, but I think it's unlikely they make it to the LCQ at this rate, but I could be wrong.

SA East

Tier 1: WF Contender Tier 2: LCQ Contender Tier 3: Long Shot

Rank	Team Name	Tier	BSC Points	Movement
1	ZEST	1	324	0
2	QLASH	2	213	+1
3	Bando De Loucos	2	194	-1
4	Super Renegados	2	174	0
5	Skull	3	126	0

ZEST is the clear #1 favorite to win that only Worlds spot for SA East. Not only do they look like the only good team in this region, but they also have won every single Monthly Finals so far this season. That alone is impressive. I think they can easily keep this up and secure it in the second half, but now they got a target on their back. As much as I would like to see someone else win a Monthly Final, I don't see them taking ZEST's throne as the best team in this region.
QLASH had a bit of a rough start to the season, but it looks like they are going back to their winning ways again. After a questionable performance in February and a concerning performance in March, QLASH managed to get very close to beating ZEST in April taking them to a 5th set, but they weren't able to finish them off. They are looking to be the team that takes that LCQ spot, but they will have a lot of competition for it. As long as they keep playing like they did in April they should be fine. Bando De Loucos look alright even after the rough loss against QLASH that put them in 3rd in the rankings. Now that Edinho has left the team they will have to finish strong without him. It might be tough with QLASH going back to their winning ways, but they are still in the race for at least the LCQ spot. As for Super Renegados, it's been a rough start to the season for them. They have yet to win a single match so far, but playing against ZEST for every single match so far would do that to you. I'm not gonna count them out yet unless they can't beat anyone else in their region. We'll see how they do in the 2nd half. Good luck!
I don't have much to say about Skull other than they are on this list mainly because they have made it to every Top 8 so far this season. If they make it to a Monthly Final in June, maybe they might have a shot, but so far it isn't looking good for them.

SA West

Tier 1: Solid LCQ Contender Tier 2: LCQ Contender Tier 3: Long Shot

Rank	Team Name	Tier	BSC Points	Movement
1	LeaveNoWitness	1	276	0
2	SKCalalas SA	2	225	+1
3	Reconic Esports SA	2	216	-1
4	KDI Esports	3	80	NEW
5	Level eSports	3	144	0

It has been a chaotic first half of the season in SA West. It's so hard to choose a team that is #1 in this region, but I think despite the loss in the Semifinals against SKC, I would say LeaveNoWitness is the only team I'm confident in making to the LCQ. Them winning the first two Monthly Finals of the season as well as pulling multiple reverse sweeps is very impressive, however their loss in April did make them a little less invincible. I think in the end they deserve to be #1 for now, but with how chaotic this region is that might change on a dime.
SKCalalas SA Earned the #2 spot after their Monthly Final win in April. For now they are no longer chokers as they finally found a way to win on the big stage. Their spot isn't secured though and they still have a lot of work to do in the 2nd half. It's gonna be real fun to watch them and Reconic fight for that LCQ spot. Speaking of Reconic Esports SA, they ended up losing their first Semifinal match of the year as they got upset by the newly signed KDI Esports roster. Still think they deserve the #3 spot for their solid start to the year making it to the Grand Finals a couple of times, but like SKC they have a lot of work to do.
KDI Esports made it to the Grand Finals in their first appearance in the Monthly Finals. Why they weren't able to win it all, it still was enough to put them on a decent spot in this region. Despite how little points they have right now and them needing a miracle to make it to the LCQ, I think for now we celebrate them for winning a Monthly Finals match. Level eSports is a decent team overall, but like KDI it'll take a miracle for them to make it to the LCQ. I think currently it's a three team race and only 1 will sit out, but if Level surprises us and does what KDI did in April, there might be some hope.
This region is chaotic and needs more attention. Give them a Worlds Spot next year! That's all I'm gonna say.

NA East

Tier 1: WF Contender Tier 2: LCQ Contender Tier 3: Long Shot

Rank	Team Name	Tier	BSC Points	Movement
1	Tribe Gaming	1	266	0
2	Chasmac Gaming NA	2	226	+2
3	Motomamis F/A	2	226	-1
4	Untamable Beasts	2	180	-1
5	Team Jesus	3	92	+1

Tribe Gaming being #1 shouldn't be that surprising. They may have only won 1 Monthly Final all year long so far this year, but they are also the only team to make it to the Grand Finals in every single Monthly Final so far this year. Every single match they have played against Chasmac has come down to the wire and I think they will most likely be their biggest threat in the 2nd half. If they can handle them, they should be able to secure that Worlds spot.
We have a tie in points, but I'm going to pick the team I think is just slightly better right now and that is currently Chasmac Gaming NA. Their most recent win against Tribe Gaming to win the April Monthly Finals put them back in contention for the LCQ spot, but the job is not done yet. I feel if they can keep this up they should be able to play in the LCQ or maybe even the World Finals if they are good enough and beat Tribe a few more times. Motomamis F/A were looking good to start the year, but then they have been skidding a bit recently by losing in the first round of the Monthly Finals in March and April. They may be tied with Chasmac for now, but I feel like they are the weaker team in this scenario. Heck maybe even the weakest team of the Top 4 right now, but their Monthly Finals win back in February keeps them in the race for an LCQ spot for now. The Untamable Beasts are still in the race despite their only win being against a weak MTM team back in March. I think they have a chance to claim an LCQ spot as well, but I would like to see how well they play against Chasmac Gaming before deciding on their fate. Let's hope these thumbs down pin supporters stay alive in the race.
I couldn't think of another solid team that has a good chance at claiming an LCQ spot, but I have been impressed with Team Jesus and their performance in March and April. I think other teams have a shot at claiming the 5 spot, but I doubt any of them below the Untamable Beasts have a realistic shot at qualifying at this point.

NA West

Tier 1: WF Contender Tier 2: LCQ Contender Tier 3: Long Shot

Rank	Team Name	Tier	BSC Points	Movement
1	Dog Walkers	1	296	0
2	STMN	1	245	0
3	Reconic Esports NA	2	181	+1
4	Washed Team	2	176	-1
5	TLG West	3	142	0

I have to admit that the Dog Walkers have been off to a great start so far this year as they have been in the Grand Finals for every Monthly Final so far this year. Not only that, but they ended up beating STMN twice so far and they almost did it a third time in April, but they were unable to close it out this time. Still, they have a solid lead ahead of 3rd, but STMN isn't too far behind them so they will need to outperform them a few more times if they want to qualify for Worlds. STMN had a rough start to the season as they just couldn't find a way to beat the Dog Walkers. Now that they finally won a Monthly Final, they are still alive in the hunt for a Worlds spot, but they also have a solid lead for the LCQ spot. I doubt they will take the LCQ spot as this team is gonna be gunning for that Worlds spot so Dog Walkers should watch out cause here comes late season STMN coming in clutch... hopefully.
As for the teams below them it's a tight race for 3rd place, but nobody is really in a good spot to claim an LCQ spot right now. Reconic Esports NA looks like the best of the three so far, but they have yet to really beat anyone other than Washed Team. They are good, but losing Counter and creating a hole in their roster is an issue as there really aren't many good choices to pick up to fill in that third spot right now. I guess we'll see what happens in the coming days. Washed Team has looked Washed (laugh at horrible pun) so far as they have yet to win a Monthly Finals match so far this year. The old core wasn't working so cutting Frixi and replacing him with Alyanys should work out right? Well so far the results haven't changed much. Is it time to panic if you are Washed Team, or will they pick things up in the 2nd half?
As for TLG West, I don't have much to say about them other than they are the next best team in this subregion. I think for them like the other teams in 5th place the best case scenario for them would be them to secure that third spot. We'll see what happens, but I doubt they qualify for the LCQ this year.

Predictions (EMEA killed my picks this month)

REGION	HOW I DID THIS MONTH	HOW I HAVE DONE ALL YEAR
SEA	1/1	3/3
India	1/1	3/3
East Asia	3/3	7/9
EMEA	2/7 (end me)	13/21
SA East	3/3	7/9
SA West	1/3	6/9
NA East	2/3	5/9
NA West	3/3	6/9
Mobile Masters	-	8/14
TOTAL	16/24	58/86

I actually improved in all of my predictions this month except for a couple. For the first time, I managed to get every single pick correct for a region and that was for APAC. My biggest flex this month was taking SK over ZETA as not many people predicted an upset would happen, yet I somehow got it right. Can't say the same for the rest of my picks for EMEA, but I really did not believe NAVI could pull it off. Because of that, I am now sitting at a 67% correct pick rate on the year which isn't looking good for me. Reminder that if I get under 75% on the year I will have to do a punishment of some sort. Here's hoping I do better in the 2nd half of the year.
As for my predictions for the Snapdragon Mobile Masters event, I did ok, but I sucked in Day 2 as I only got 1 pick right (me being biased towards NA didn't work). Day 1 was alright, but I feel like 4 of the matches were free. I think you know which ones were free.
That sucks. I really hope I can bounce back for the 2nd half of the season. I will only count up to the final Monthly Final of the year so I must do really well in the 2nd half of the year. Let's hope this happens. If not, I will reveal the punishment in September and do the deed in October. I already know what I'm gonna do for it btw, but I won't share it until September.
Thank you for reading this and I hope you are excited for the 2nd half of the season to start in June. Hopefully the 2nd half of the season will be better for me.
Take care and have a good one.

Hi, i m from south-east europe, got one exam left till I graduate and looking for chat/friends online cuz no much time irl. I'm into sports(nba,tennis,football...), music(mostly old stuff),games, anime/manga,history/mythology, animals/nature, swimming and trying to workout xD.Also love to travel when I can and am probavly going to Italy in may🇮🇹 My old acc got nuked so i cant post much on reddit cuz no karma 🙄😒

Hi, i m from south-east europe, got one exam left till I graduate and looking for chat/friends online cuz no much time irl. I'm into sports(nba,tennis,football...), music(mostly old stuff),games, anime/manga,history/mythology, animals/nature, swimming and trying to workout xD.Also love to travel when I can and am probavly going to Italy in may🇮🇹 My old acc got nuked so i cant post much on reddit cuz no karma 🙄😒

Hi, i m from south-east europe, got one exam left till I graduate and looking for chat/friends online cuz no much time irl. I'm into sports(nba,tennis,football...), music(mostly old stuff),games, anime/manga,history/mythology, animals/nature, swimming and trying to workout xD.Also love to travel when I can and am probavly going to Italy in may🇮🇹 My old acc got nuked so i cant post much on reddit cuz no karma 🙄😒

Hello! So, I am getting into sports stuff (never been into it, but I noticed it was always fun to have a hobby that is more social than others) and support Austin FC, an MLS team. I can AFC on Apple TV+ but was saddened to see they do not show women's games. So, what is my one-stop shop for games, especially Texas games, since I am in this god-awful state and might as well have fun with it? lol I kid. Sort of.
Anyway, I think we have a Houston team and I want to support them! I saw the viewing guide but it seems to show some other service other than Paramount + where I was told to go before? Thanks!

Hello all,
Not a big redditor, so I apologize for any big faux pas. I have been lurking for quite awhile, and honestly you all are the bunch of damn heros that convinced me to take the plunge and intially give up my drinking. I went from the 22 Dec of 2022 until this weekend with zero alcohol. But tonight I screwed up bad. I got way too many beers in my system and had a big arguruement with my wife. I am absolutely terrible with delaing with my emotions to begin with and I already have a lot going on so the alcohol just enchanced everything by 100x.
Basically the short and sweet is that I just got overwhelmed with emotions that I don’t know how to deal with while I was drunk and I ended up yelling at my wife and throwing things around. I put my entire ass into throwing a tv remote and now I have to buy a new remote, patch up drywall, and find the batteries before my toddler wakes up. Literally never felt that kind of anger or disconetent in my entire life. It was like a white hot fire that boiled over in an instant. It honestly really scared me now that I’m looking back. I’m not the kind of person to do that at all, as im usually pretty timid and honestly a bit of a softy and a pushover. I’m always the guy you call if you have a flat tire, if your computer isnt working, if your 3d printer is broke or your cnc machine is on the fritz, if you can’t get your dovetails right, or if your grass is looking dead. There isn’t much that I cant do honestly. I’m only 29 years old and I’m an E7 in the military and I have a possibility of becoming a with a pilot. Not trying to toot my own horn, just trying to paint the picture that i’m very much a dependable “fix it” kind of guy. But damn, I can’t even fix myself and it feels bad as hell. I know I screwed up tonight and I just don’t kow what to do. I have a family that depends on me, that now feels like they can’t depend on me. The word “divorce” came out of my wife’s mouth for the first time ever after 6 years of marriage tonight. My wife told me to choose wisely where I pick to sleep at tonight after I told her I was going to stay in a guest room, but I’m wondering if just keping my distance wouldn’t be the best thing for everyone, as they wouldn’t have to deal with me. I’m a shell of who I always imagined myself to be, and you all are my only support structure. I don’t really have anyone else that I can talk to. Starting tomorrow IWNDWY. Help keep me honest please, because I have no one else to lean on.
Thanks for coming to my shitty TED talk.

Proof why Christianity is true:
Here's one of them:

Prophecies made in the Old Testament that were fulfilled only based on historical facts we know about Jesus without even relying on the New Testament.

There are many prophecies made in the Old Testament about the Messiah that was supposed to come so this Messiah could save the world. These prophecies were made literally several centuries before Jesus was born which means there's no way somebody could have made anything up.
We literally have copies of the scrolls in their original languages either Hebrew or Aramaic and we know for a fact these scrolls are completely legit and we know how old these scrolls are meaning these prophecies are 100% real.
Now you might be wondering, what if somebody who helped to write the New Testament read the Old Testament before and this person made it look that these prophecies were fulfilled? That's why I said above prophecies that were fulfilled only based on the few historical facts we know about Jesus outside the bible which means it's 100% objective, you don't even need to be a Christian to see how this is completely real. You can be an atheist and you still won't be able to refute these historical facts about Jesus.
Now first we must know what we know about Jesus from a completely historical point of view. These are some of the things we know about Jesus, meaning what contemporary figures from the time of Jesus said about Jesus:
1) Tacitus, Roman historian and politician. Tacitus is widely regarded as one of the greatest Roman historians by modern scholars, this is what he said about Jesus, 116 AD:
Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace. Christus, from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus.
2) In the Antiquities of the Jews (written about 93 AD) Jewish historian Josephus stated (Ant 18.3) that Jesus was crucified by Pilate, writing that:
Now there was about this time Jesus, a wise man, ... He drew over to him both many of the Jews and many of the Gentiles ... And when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men amongst us, had condemned him to the cross...
3) Mara Bar Serapion (ca. AD 73) said this about Jesus:
What else can we say, when the wise are forcibly dragged off by tyrants, their wisdom is captured by insults, and their minds are oppressed and without defense? What advantage did the Athenians gain by murdering Socrates, for which they were repaid with famine and pestilence? Or the people of Samos by the burning of Pythagoras, because their country was completely covered in sand in just one hour? Or the Jews by killing their wise king, because their kingdom was taken away at that very time? God justly repaid the wisdom of these three men: the Athenians died of famine; the Samians were completely overwhelmed by the sea; and the Jews, desolate and driven from their own kingdom, are scattered through every nation. Socrates is not dead, because of Plato; neither is Pythagoras, because of the statue of Juno; nor is the wise king, because of the new laws he laid down.
4) There are other references about Jesus made by important figures at that time (the Romans or important Jewish people). Here you can see other historical references about Jesus outside the bible.
Now based on what we've read this what we know about Jesus completely based on objective and historical facts without relying on the bible:

1. Jesus was a real man, Jesus existed
2. Jesus was a wise man
3. Jesus was a Jew, he was from Israel
4. Jesus was a leader among Jews
5. Jesus attracted Jews and also Gentiles
6. Jesus was called "King of the Jews"
7. Jesus was punished by the government (the Romans at that time)
8. Jesus was crucified
9. Jesus died on the cross

These are nine completely historical and objective facts we know about Jesus. Nobody can refute these facts, it doesn't matter if you're an atheist who hates Jesus and Christians.
Now before I show you the prophecies made in the Old Testament you should have an idea when these books were written approximately.
Lastly before I show you how these prophecies were fulfilled below you MUST understand the crucifixion was invented by the Persians around 300-400 years before Jesus was born... this means the concept of piercing somebody's hands and feet and hanging them on a cross didn't exist when these prophecies were made, it's literally impossible to imagine the concept of crucifying somebody when these prophecies were made and as you'll see below the prophecies about the crucifixion were made for the first time around 1000 years before Jesus was born!!! (Psalms 22).
This is how these prophecies were fulfilled:
1) Jesus was a Jew, he was from Israel:
-Deuteronomy 18:15, written approximately 1445 years before Jesus was born.
The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him.
-Numbers 24:17, written approximately 1445 years before Jesus was born.
“I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near. A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel. He will crush the foreheads of Moab, the skulls of all the people of Sheth.
2) Jesus was a wise man:
-Isaiah 9:6, written approximately 700 years before Jesus was born.
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace
3) Jesus was a leader among Jews:
-Ezekiel 37:24, written approximately 590 years before Jesus was born.
“‘My servant David will be king over them, and they will all have one shepherd. They will follow my laws and be careful to keep my decrees.
4) Jesus attracted Jews and also Gentiles (Gentiles were never part of the religion Jews followed, that was completely unheard of):
-Isaiah 11:12, written approximately 700 years before Jesus was born.
And he shall set up a banner for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.
-Isaiah 49:6, written approximately 700 years before Jesus was born.
he says: “It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.”
5) Jesus was called "King of the Jews":
-Zechariah 9:9, written approximately 480 years before Jesus was born.
Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; He is just and endowed with salvation, Humble, and mounted on a donkey, Even on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
6) Jesus was punished by the government (the Romans at that time):
-Isaiah 9:6, written approximately 700 years before Jesus was born.
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7) Jesus was crucified:
-Psalm 22:16, written approximately 1044 years before Jesus was born.
Dogs surround me, a pack of villains encircles me; they pierce my hands and my feet.
-Isaiah 53:5, written approximately 700 years before Jesus was born.
But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities;
-Zechariah 12:10, written approximately 480 years before Jesus was born.
“And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son.
-Deuteronomy 21:23, written approximately 1445 years before Jesus was born.
you must not leave the body hanging on the pole overnight. Be sure to bury it that same day, because anyone who is hung on a pole is under God’s curse. You must not desecrate the land the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance.
-Psalm 22:15, written approximately 1044 years before Jesus was born (People who were crucified went through a lot of dehydration).
My mouth is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; you lay me in the dust of death.
-Psalm 22:14, written approximately 1044 years before Jesus was born. (Scientifically speaking crucifixion leads to massive loss of blood and also people who were crucified were naked or half naked.)
I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint.
-Psalm 22:17-18, written approximately 1044 years before Jesus was born. (People who were crucified were crucified in front of many people and without clothes)
All my bones are on display; people stare and gloat over me. They divide my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment.
8) Jesus died on the cross:
-Isaiah 53:8, written approximately 700 years before Jesus was born.
By oppression and judgment he was taken away. Yet who of his generation protested? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was punished. He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth.
-Isaiah 53:12, written approximately 700 years before Jesus was born.
Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
Now how is it possible these prophecies were made many centuries before Jesus was born? How could these prophecies be fulfilled if some of these prophecies were made even over 1000 years before Jesus was born? This is basically what was was prophesied:

• The Messiah was going to be born in Israel
• The Messiah was going to be a wise man
• The Messiah was going to be a leader among Jews
• The Messiah was going to attract many Jews
• The Messiah was going to attract many Gentiles... keep in mind that's something that had never happened before because only Jews were able to follow that religion, it's impossible someone could ever predict something like that
• The Messiah was going to be a king (Jesus was called "King of The Jews)
• The Messiah was going to be punished by the government (Pontius Pilatus who was a Roman governor)
• The Messiah was going to die in a way that didn't exist at that time, it's literally IMPOSSIBLE to predict the Messiah was going to be crucified because that concept, that idea didn't exist at all

How could anybody ever predict something like that, something so specific, so accurate that was going to happen in 700+ years? While also saying this person was going to die in a way that didn't exist at that time? While also saying this person was going to attract Gentiles which was something completely unheard of? While also being even more specific by saying this person was going to receive the title of "King"? While also saying this person was going to be punished by the government and also he would have been killed in that process?
Here's another one:

Prophecies made in the Old Testament that these days have been fulfilled, it doesn't matter how these prophecies were fulfilled, what matters is that these prophecies have been fulfilled and we can easily confirm that these days.

Not only that but you can also focus on some other prophecies that were fulfilled based on what we know about Jesus these days. Meaning even if you ask an atheist what they know about Jesus they will tell you a few things about Jesus regardless of their religious beliefs. It doesn't matter how we've got to this point, what matters is that these prophecies were made over 700 years before Jesus was born, these prophecies have been 100% fulfilled and that these prophecies can be confirmed if we ask almost any person.
For example if you ask an atheist what they know about Jesus Christ, they will tell you these things:
1) Jesus is the Son of God:
-Isaiah 9:6, written approximately 700 years before Jesus was born.
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
2) Jesus is also God:
-Isaiah 9:6, written approximately 700 years before Jesus was born.
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
3) Jesus rose from the dead:
-Isaiah 53:10-11, written approximately 700 years before Jesus was born.
Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand. After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities.
4) Christianity is the most followed religion on earth:
-Isaiah 11:12, written approximately 700 years before Jesus was born.
And he shall set up a banner for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.
-Isaiah 11:10, written approximately 700 years before Jesus was born.
In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his resting place will be glorious.
-Genesis 49:10, written approximately 1445 years before Jesus was born.
The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he to whom it belongs shall come and the obedience of the nations shall be his.
Even if you don't believe in God, even if you're 100% an atheist, even if you don't care about Jesus these are 100% objective facts nobody can deny. Nobody can deny that's the idea what have about Jesus and Christianity these days and like I said it doesn't even matter if you're an atheist.
How could anybody prophesy that in 700+ years plus a Messiah will turn some random and unknown religion from Israel which happens to be one of the smallest countries in the world into one of the most followed religions in the world (or the most) and so many people will know this religion they will also say this Messiah is: a son (the Son of God) a Mighty God (God) and that his Messiah will see prolong his days after dying (he will resurrect)?
It's literally impossible to prophesy these things. All of this is real.

Hi there! I'm 27, 6'0", athletic, bearded, and I like to think pretty attractive. I recently moved to San Francisco for work so I'm looking for a FWB, I figured it might be easier to cut to the chase on reddit instead of the dating app treadmill. I can host and am sane (haha).
In bed, I'm both a huge giver and dominant (think light BDSM). I like to be rough and giving head is my absolute favorite. Also have a bit of a creampie kink (regularly tested, of course).
Outside of bed, I spend a lot of time cooking for friends, time in the sun with outdoor sports, and like trying my hand at landscape photography.
If any of this interests you, feel free to PM me and we can see where it goes!

Demographics:
Male, Hispanic and white, FL, Large public (3-4k), URM
Middle class, EFC around 20k-30k for many top schools on my list
Intended Major(s):

• finance/ economics, philosophy

Standardized test scores:

• 1450 SAT (760 english, 690 math) on first attempt, very confident I can get above 1500, esp. with a superscore

UW/W GPA and Rank:

• 3.97 uw (only 1 b), 5.3w (on a 6.0 scale)
• Rank 3/875 (top 0.3%)

Coursework: AP/IB/Dual Enrollment classes, AP/IB scores, etc

• will take 20 AP's by senior year, a few DE classes

Awards:
In no particular order:

• 1st in state for Beta science academic competition (10th)
• Best in position award for my sport (team thing given by coaches, 10th and 11th grade)
• National Hispanic Recognition award (College Board)
• Lots of local debate awards, and some national level stuff (TOC Bid, NSDA Nationals qualifier, State quarterfinalist and top speaker award, top 25 at a lesser known national championship)
• Award for studying chinese for nearly a decade at local buddhist temple (not really sure if its worth putting, but I think it might show some sort of uniqueness)
• Academic all american in Debate (next year)

Extracurriculars:

• Debate - President of team (25 regular competitors, but over 100 total who are on NSDA roster), in charge of a lot (ex. running meetings, fundraising, planning tournaments to attend etc.) except the actual tournament logistics 10-12th grade, President 11-12
  • Got team competing on the national circuit, helped coach myself and 2 others to a TOC Bid
  • Fundraised close to 10 thousand dollars, allowed the program to be cost free for most tournaments, really helped with promoting accessibility in the event
• Varsity sport 9-12th grade, team captain from 11th grade on, started most of my hs career
• Beta club, merit based club where I did community service and competed in the yearly convention
• Mu Alpha theta member, volunteered by tutoring peers afterschool
• Studied mandarin and chinese culture at my local buddhist temple weekly for several years
• Made a few thousand through side hustles like reselling sneakers/ memorabilia and sports photography
• Gonna apply for the morgan stanley jumpstart finance 5 month long program next year, admit rates for that are low from what I heard.

Essays/LORs/Other: Optionally, guess how strong these are and include any other relevant information or circumstances.
I expect LOR's to be good, I am pretty close to a few of my teachers, who have a good understanding of me as a person and my achievements. My guidance counselor one will be cookie cutter, since I don't know them that well.
I have basically the whole summer to work on essays, I plan on investing a lot of time in it to put out quality work as I think it could make a huge difference considering I don't have any mindblowing achievements.
​
Schools: List of colleges, ED/EA/RD, etc
All the ivy leagues, UChicago, Duke, Emory, NYU, Notre Dame, Northwestern, StanfordState schools: UF , UCF (top 10% class rank auto admit; basically my safety), FSU
Not sure whether I should ed to Dartmouth, Duke, UPenn Wharton, or if I should REA to Yale. Want to apply early to one of those to maximize my shot at getting in, and those four are my top choices.
Any advice at all and chances are much appreciated.

Hello,
I am in saskatchewan started this pretty decent gig in September of 2021 at this company under contract originally for 9 months , extended after that 9 months for another 8, then got extended in December of 2022 agian but this time I was given nothing to sign.
I was recently let go in May for termination without clause and was told by hr and my boss I would get 2 weeks of pay and my hours that I worked, somehow payroll messed up and didn't end up paying me by the date on my document and I called the labor board and was then told payroll will pay be on the date of the deadline.
Now I was paid 797$ and instantly new that was a mistake because I was told 2 weeks and the document says it aswell, after contacting hr they emailed me today saying it's based on the 13 weeks prior to me being let go and that's what I get I feel like this is way to low considering I was there for almost 2 years and I could have sworn my original contracts say that they had to pay me out the remaining if they ever let me go and they never gave me a copy of the contract after but I did read it all.
What do I do here? Is my severance low? Can they really not give me a full 2 weeks of pay?
I didn't sign anything yet FYI.

Hi there, I am trying to research a great laptop to buy for myself to pursue my creative endeavors and I really am trying to nail down what I am looking for, great use for photoshop/blendedaVinci/zbrush etc., Nvidia rtx graphics, great quality screen (4k UHD), somewhere in the 2022-23 release window and great for game design as well.
​
Really hope if anyone can help me truly nail down the best options for me, I would be much appreciated.

I always had the thought "What do I want to do when I grow up"
I never had anything until 3 subjects and that music, cooking, gaming.
Cooking fall down HARD, Don't like it and that's pretty much it.
Gaming, I like gaming but I don't want that to be a job nor I enjoy the gaming industry and most of the player base on all games because I think anyone who played any multiplayer game that have PVP in it you would understand why.
Lastly music.Music to me is the most important thing I got myself into and I always said in my head that I want to be the best performer on stage doing music. 1-2 years past and today I was gonna sign up to do college so I can learn how to perform and learn theory but when I was signing up 2 things struck me, the requirement of having to do an audition and me saying to myself "Do I even want to have attention when I hate having attention on me." I sat down for 30 min debating myself if I should follow through. I came to the conclusion that no I wouldn't.All I just want to be when I grow up is just someone with privacy and relaxation instead of just having to rely on someone or someone relying on me and not having stress or a lot of attention from multiple people.In this day n age it's so hard to just be private and I think that is why I crave it so much because everything that you do now is just recorded on a camera or in data while having other people looking at you.
What I just want to be when I grow up is practically nothing.I might feel like I want to make good music inspired of what I heard but I also don't want to be anything.
I believe that I just have no motivation or reason to just follow through for this course and that is gonna bite me in the ass but honestly it's not different as when I was in high school which to be frank I was a complete failure at.
I don't want to be something I just want to be nothing and live like that.Idk if anyone can relate to that or what else I am gonna say but honestly I shouldn't have to worry about what other people have to think about me. A lot of people either have a stick up their arse about me or just the opposite or just doesn't care, Why do they have a stick up their arse about me? they are literally just dickheads because I literally don't do anything that can offend someone. I would understand if someone had a problem with me in 2016-2021 because I believe I was a republican and I acted like a dickhead but I moved away from that and leaning to the left but back to the main point I don't like having people worrying about me or me having to worry about ton of people.
This is where you can stop reading but if u want to keep reading go ahead but honestly I am just gonna go vent on what I have in mind until I just want to sleep
I don't normally open up a lot but because this is the internet and I am not popular and none of you know me and that is perfect for me.
I wish I can just live life free and not need to worry about my future or my actions.
I genuinely feel like I am just never happy when it comes to hobbies or anything and the fact people try force me into something just hurts me even more, I don't want to work nor want to just play mental games with myself everyday.
I let myself open for people to just help me in the pass and what I get is people backstabbing me and here is just the lore behind that.as of this year I been diagnosed with autism and that been a battle that I tried to prove but everyone didn't believed me, my own doctor, school, and a group of professionals hadn't believed me and it sucked because I100% don't think or act like anyone else do and that is not by choice, I literally feel like dogshit when I try to act normal because I feel like I have a mental barrier that fucks with me if I try to pass it, But now a 2nd different team finally had proof that I was autistic but it's too late because I already left school. Finally hearing that just got me happy but also pissed off that people including my mother thought I was just being a lazy shit but personally I am having to fight with myself for my entire life to do shit and still do.
When I was in high school they where support teachers and my mum asked that I can be assigned to one and they agreed but they just ignored her request after agreeing that they would help me. The only time I get to see one is if someone else in my class who have a disability has one assigned and there was this bloke that I enjoyed having and we talked about games or sports and a thew months passes he actually had to send a report of how I was to my parents because it was the time of year of everyone getting reports on how they where doing in school and because he little time with me he had to do it and the only thing I can remember from that report is mother saying in his own words "He speaks too fast when he gets excited" or something like that which wouldn't bother me that much but what bothered me is the fact that during that I haven't talked to anyone outside of lunch or breaktime for 4 fucking years FOUR YEARS and it remained like that till the end. It was beyond a joke that me and my friend literally convinced each other that our old school warned my highschool that to never ever put me with any of my friends because at my old school we practically just trolled around but I digress, I actually was so pissed off that the remaining time I was in highschool I just quit talking to him or talked very little to him so that he can't make another report because I was not having criticism or jabs or insults at me for talking when I literally being silent for 4 fucking years in a classroom that I hated. I don't like the classmates at all, majority of them... Fucking hated. That's backstabbed number 1 and it's not even that bad it's just me being upset over something minor.
The second time I was backstabbed is around the end of highschool and to make a long story short they just lied again about sending me help. And third time was during the testing phase of getting diagnosed of autism. I had to give answers to some questions that been told to me and they said that they are gonna keep it private to me and I said that's fine so I was asked a tons of questions and all of them was good, some extremely personal and some just completely random. Now I knew I FUCKING KNEW that this was gonna be broken, I gone through so much lies or backstabs in the past that I just knew this is such a bold lie or just gonna be broken if my parents asks anything about it.
Every test was fine but the first test which was the questions and because I played my cards right I didn't have to deal with the bullshit that the other version of me in a different universe have to deal with because one of the questions was "Do you have a partner" which I do but I keep her private from my family because I don't think I am ready for that + I would like to have my partner consent if she even wants to be known to anyone else especially because she likes privacy as well, So I lied and said no and she kept going with the GF questions because she just have to and those where very personal questions that If I said anything about the truth I would have to deal with my parents knowing about her and wanting me to reveal more about her AND THANK FUCK FOR THE LYING because I didn't had too. When the results came it was for the very least emotional for my mother.
we screen time with someone and my mother and dad was talking and I just sat there emotionless because I just didn't had any emotion to give at that very moment especially me guessing and predicting correctly that something at the very least would get leaked and boom after awhile of talking this old hag said "So do you want to reveal your questions that you given" and I still that there emotionless and said nothing and then my mum said "Yes" and SHE WENT FUCKING THROUGH WITH IT so she read out all of my questions and answers just like if my entire fucking life got doxxed at that moment and it came to the GF part which I lied saying no I haven't and she said "He said he doesn't have one" and moved on and I was so relief about that because honestly that would of mentally broken me and broke the camel back, I would of actually lose my shit there at that moment but because I played it safe I was fine. It's one thing you're own personal life getting leaked but it's another thing that you're partner personal info would of gotten leaked without them even knowing it gotten leaked. On a side note during a question my mother actually cried, can't remember what question it was but my mother started to cry and I was still sitting their silent and not moving and I just thought to myself "This is awkward, I should be caring for her but I am here sitting like a dumbass" she calmed her self down and we kept going.So yeah that happened and that still haunts me but that is certainly not the last or the start of that shit.
you can now see why sort of why it's hard for me to even open up to people who know me personally because majority of the time shit gets leaked.
Now my highschool might be dogshit at helping me but I want to shout out the best English teacher and I think his name was Mr. Reid or something like that but honestly he genuinely is the only person that cared about everyone and learning.
He was brutally honest with the classroom and always great to listen too. He notices everyone including me but he really noticed me that he couldn't with other students, he also noticed me more than any other teacher.
He didn't cared on what I do in the classroom and he encourages me to just get creative in writing stories or anything and that is why I can write all of this because the only thing I genuinely learnt in school was to just be creative in writing. Though Mr. Reid gets confused when trying to know about me, because I wasn't diagnosed with autism at that time it was even harder for him to know about me and he just never got to learn how I performed or acted.
He hinted that he could tell me to do something with full creativeness and can go on with full motivation but as soon as he places down any restrictive work on me I don't do it and refuse to do it. He genuinely wanted to figure me out but couldn't and I think that sucks because I wish could show him what goes on through my mind as he is the only person that I have him as the most respectable people on earth.
The most rememberable moment I had with him is when I wasn't doing assigned work and he notices me not doing it and he gets confused and starts to question me and then he just sat down next to me and grabbed my jotter opened it up and went on a blank page and drawn a brain with a few cogs inside it and wrote enigma under it with an underline and said "Do you know what enigma means" and I said "Not sure what it means" and he replied with "Enigma means mysterious" then points the pencil at me and said "You are an enigma, I can't understand you nor can anyone else and don't even know if you can understand your self" then I believed he just walked off but that could be wrong.
But honestly that was the best way to describe me and in a sense he practically discovered me by giving me the perfect description of me.
I taken that interaction to heart because he clearly doesn't mean it in a bad way nor a good way but a way to be in the perfect middle to say that no one can understand me even how hard they try.
To some people that might be upsetting but for me I find it as a relief.
Mr Reid talked to me a lot more and I might even go into more detail with that but ima head to bed but honestly through up and downs with my life I just hope that one day I can find a form of happiness that can just last forever.
Sincerely long ass paragraph
- Random stranger
(Spelling errors are bound to happen and some spacing mistakes)

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i feel so alone. i feel so dead. i want this world to burn
for context, me and my first ex broke up in september 2021, and it was very hard on me because of a lie he told (<< this part will be important in the end where i start losing it). then in march 2022, i started dating another guy and it was great. i thought everything was fine until it wasn’t. we broke up in february because of a multitude of reasons (my emotional outburst, pessimistic views, affecting his mental health, etc) i feel very hurt, partially because of the reasons listed above, but mainly because not once has he ever told me about them. i never knew he felt that way, and just resorted to asking friends for advice instead of trying to talk to me about it until it was too late. it stings a lot.
we did come to an agreement where we would both focus on ourselves until may and see if we should try again because we still did care but clearly time apart was needed. and so like the idiot i am, i agreed. i waited. i focused on my emotions so i could be a better person for him. we still talked during that time because a. i missed him b. he probably did it out of pity because i can be a mess easily it was really hard for me. although he was there talking to me, he wasn’t never truly there for me. you get it? my emotions still stable down, but the anxiety of feeling like i don’t have a chance overwhelmed so much.
may finally rolled around. after talking for those months, i realized i don’t stand a chance. i could tell through conversations that i had with him that i’m no longer someone he truly cares about, and yet i still asked him if we could try again. i was so stupid for asking because the answer was no. he wasn’t interested in a relationship anymore. even with that answer, i still persisted to do better for him, all because i still loved him and i don’t believe a relationship should end because of something so stupid that could’ve been worked out. i would anything and everything to just reconsider yet nothing ever worked. even when he said he’ll think about it, i know deep down he never did.
and now here i am, i’m still a fucking fool for trying (and i still am) and yet, i still love him. my parents have told me to give up and move on. i know i should. i know i should stop trying, but if i try, maybe it’ll actually make a difference. maybe if i put my heart into something, maybe if i do better, maybe if i change, i would be able to somehow in someway convince him. i want to preserve those memories. why do they have to go when a simple talk could’ve solved everything? why couldn’t you have told me earlier? why? just why?
you can call me an asshole for this, but recently i went through his instagram account and it just broke me even more. he lost feelings for me after a week of our relationship. i just feel so defeated. why didn’t you say you didn’t want a relationship? why couldn’t you tell me this earlier? the reason why he liked me was a lie. he said he felt safe in my arms when i hugged him yet he says he doesn’t like hugs. yes i am very aware it is a breach of privacy and i know it’s wrong to keep his account and snoop, but he quite literally couldn’t tell me the truth until it was too late. even when i told him to tell me the truth, he still didn’t so how am i supposed to take his word for it if he’s gonna not tell me or lie.
but now, everything i know was a lie. the love he gave was a lie. it’s so bittersweet because those 10 months, i never felt so alive and happy. i thought maybe i found true happiness until i realized it was a lie. everything hurts. i want this all to end. why does everyone need to keep lying? i’m just a fucking mess with all these lies being thrown at me. what is even real anymore? why can’t you tell me the truth of anything? everyday i’ve been losing my sanity because of the chance that i fix everything and yet it was all a lie. i feel so empty, hurt, angry. i want to express all this pain out and yet i can’t. i don’t want to bother my friends since it’s almost graduation for us and everything is stressed. my family probably thinks i’m stupid for constantly trying for nothing. so i might as well share my pain with strangers on a subreddit.
everything i did was really for nothing. nothing i can ever do will work or happen, more matter how much i try. why should i keep trying anymore? what’s even the point of continuing? i’m someone with no ambition to keep going. even before relationships, i never found any meaning to keep going. i found hope and then i lost it. it made me realize even more that if i keep going, even if i do move on, will i be able to find an ambition to keep going? if i do love again, will i get lied to again to this same extent? i don’t know and i don’t want to know. i don’t want to be here. i want to be happy as well so why can’t i be happy even i when i try? i’m too weak hearted. even with good intentions, it never matters. nothing matters.
i don’t want to paint him as a villain with this post as i also have my faults as well. i just really need to let this all out. all the pain as taken a toll on me. i can barely eat and go a day without needing to cry. i can barely any joy in what i do, even if i don’t think about the situation. it’s just so hard. i know i shouldn’t habour on a relationship but it was something special to me.
thank you to anyone who took the time to read it. (sorry if there were any errors, it’s like midnight rn for me and i’m very tired)

Pretty much what the title says. I've been looking for a new job for a while now in public health. Here's a little bit of a back ground so you can all understand where I come from and can hopefully give me some advice based on the person I am and my work history.
After graduating high school I decided to go the community college route because I wasn't sure what I wanted to do. While attending community college I was also working part time at a law firm as a records clerk. This is a job I kept for 11 years, being let go in 2018. My supervisor was great and provided flexible hours according to my school schedule. Even when I decided to take a long break from school she allowed me to go full time and part time when needed. Through the first eight to nine years there was a lot of that because I didn't know what I wanted to study.
When I actually started my undergrad I knew that I wanted to get into health because I recently started working out and I enjoyed the benefits (more energy, feeling better). I decided to study in Kinesiology and finished my undergrad in 2019. That same year I was looking for a job in my field but was unable to find one that paid decent. I was also looking into applying for a graduate program in Public Health. I'm skipping a lot here but let's say that I landed on Public Health because of the ability to help the masses instead of one individual (I was looking into physical therapy before this).
I was accepted into the Masters Program and completed in January 2022, so it has been a while now.
I will also mention that in 2019 I did find a job as a dispatcher for a delivery company for Cannabis Products. I work from home and as much as anyone would think that the people who work in the industry must consume it, I actually don't lol don't drink either. I'm sure this might hurt my chances looking for a job but I don't want to lie and I'm not a good liar lol I'm still currently at the job. It involves a lot of use of data as well as customer service so I'm no stranger to data and interacting with people. However, I am an introvert so I do prefer working from home and working with data rather than interacting too much. But it is definitely not a problem since I have the experience.
I honestly don't know where to look and where to go for jobs. The few ones I do find with Data need years of experience and applications I have never heard of. Any advice or how to go about this will help. I looked at the county jobs as well and I don't see any postings in Data Analyst, especially entry level, which I'm more than happy to take on if it helps me acquire the skills necessary for the higher levels. If you have any questions, just ask away. Thank you.

I remember the moment when I first learned about BPD. During my first semester of college, I was taking a psych class and reading ahead while doing some homework in my bedroom when my eyes first grazed the title of “Borderline Personality Disorder” and a list of symptoms that spelled out my life slowly melted off the page and into the back of my throat. I wept. Bawled my eyes out alone on my room for hours. I finally felt seen and heard, yet so very alone and scared. It was validating, yet soul crushing.
For years my soul screamed, “WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU?!” while I spent countless hours enduring agonizing pain that I didn’t understand. The answer was on the page in front of me, I didn’t need a diagnosis. Nothing in my life had ever felt so obvious.
That was 13 years ago, I was 18 years old. Freshly following an emotional beating in my teen years filled with awful relationships riddled with abuse and trauma, my parents divorce, 2 siblings with crippling substance abuse disorders, and no one in the world who truly cared about me. I’m the 3rd child of 4, and I always felt neglected and looked over most of my life. My parents never really tired to help, they were too caught up with their own arguments and worries about my siblings who had more obvious problems. Meanwhile, they didn’t know I was fighting demons and felt like killing myself on a regular basis.
My life fucking sucked, I had a lot of shit thrown at me at such an impressionable and vulnerable age. I acted out a bit and definitely mistreated people around me. I was the toxic one a lot of the time. It killed me because I couldn’t stop, yet at times it felt justified because I truly couldn’t catch a break and life kept throwing punches at me. It felt like an endless cycle of being hurt and hurting others, begging someone to understand what a burden I felt like to everyone around me, yet never being able to tell a soul the battles I fought inside that were killing me. So afraid of the rejection of being told I’m being too dramatic for feeling a way that I could not control, nor understand.
Most of my 20s were much better than that dark time, and I was optimistic that I had figured out how to navigate my emotions better once life wasn’t trying to drown me every day. I still struggled, still had hard times, was still the toxic person, and still hated myself at times. Ya know, normal BPD shit. But I persevered and really invested in making my life better and finally had a chance to do it, somewhat.
For a while there I convinced myself I grew out of BDP and/or learned how to manage my feelings better. And to a degree, yes I have done that. I have a better idea of what an appropriate response should look like in some scenarios. Sometimes taking a deep breath and waiting to react helps stop the awful reaction that hurts me and those around me. But deep down, feelings of self hatred, confusion, anger, sadness, and a lack of identity still remained.
Since the end of 2021 my mental health has been steadily declining. In early 2022 I had a really hard time coping with turning 30 and reflecting on the years that have passed and how I had such higher expeditions for myself and my life by this point. Then the 2nd half of 2022 hit, and some emotionally difficult times were waiting for me. I’ve gone through six significant events since then, each one not being 1 thing or 1 time, but for the sake of not going into the details, each “event” represents a traumatic and emotionally labor intensive aspect of my life that would be significantly difficult on its own.
Each “event” has just jackhammered away at the emotional walls and stability I thought I had built in my 20s. I feel like I’ve been broken down and reduced to pure raw emotion, and I don’t know how to handle it. I’ve had 3 significant emotional episodes in the past week alone, the last one being yesterday and the worst one I’ve had since my senior year of high school. I’m disgusted and horrified at myself. I’m confused. I’m heartbroken. I’m angry. I’m lost. I feel sick.
Yet today I had a great day like wtf??? This seems almost actually unreal to have this kind of emotional range within 24 hrs. Yet it’s so sickeningly familiar; feeling guilt and shame for my episode and again guilt and shame, but for being able to have a good day right after. I’ve done this so many times. What the fuck is wrong with me?
When my mind creeps back into the dark hole of depression, my heart ACHES for a connection, yet it disables me from being able to express any of this to anyone. It’s physically painful being this emotionally raw. I feel like a failure because I thought these dark days were behind me. I feel disappointed in myself.
I have decided to finally seek professional help through a therapist. I have a list to call and will finally make the step of dialing the numbers this week. I’m really nervous about therapy, but I know I need help coping with this and learning how to manage it through the guidance and medical professional. I can’t keep going on like a cracked and broken shell of who I could be.
If you’ve made it this far, thank you for reading my story. There is some comfort in knowing that I am not alone and there is a community of people who can relate to this emotional roller coaster that doesn’t even feel real at times. This is truly a safe space to express all of the sides of BPD. Thank you.

I haven't purchased a new laptop for years but finally am biting the bullet and coming up to speed on current models. I'm looking for an all-purpose laptop for general family use, productivity, and occasional (non-serious) gaming. Originally, I'd been leaning towards an XPS 15 but the current Dell clearance on Inspiron 16 Plus 7620 caught my eye as a potentially better deal.
For $1450 I can configure an Inspiron with:
12th Gen i7-12700H
32 GB RAM
RTX 3060 6 GB
1 TB SSD
Anything similar on the 2022 XPS 15 is well over $2000 and cannot include the RTX 3060, plus has fewer ports. Recognizing the XPS has nicer design and build quality and a bit better screen, am I missing anything else that would make the Inspiron not as good a deal as it seems?