Coloring Books For Grown Ups

To give a little backround, I’ve been to this stylist before and she did a really good job so I trusted her. She’s also a co owner of the salon so I expected higher quality work. I went in for a full head of highlights wanting to be as blonde as possible and left with hair that honestly looks darker than when I walked in and SO patchy. The screenshots should speak for themselves. I was probably way too nice in my first text.. I just didn’t want to make her feel bad. She mentioned box dye, I had a grown out root smudge that lifted kind of brassy over time. I also didn’t want brown added throughout my hair. I messaged her Saturday and even followed up on Instagram Monday but didn’t hear back until Wednesday. When she finally responded she said I would have needed a much longer and more expensive service to get what I wanted, which was never explained to me before my appointment. I thought maybe she could just fix it with some low lights since I had a lot of breakage from the bleach and didn’t want her touching my hair with more bleach. She didn’t offer to fix it, just suggested booking another more expensive appointment. Idk who would spend more with someone that ruined their hair? I also had to leave with my hair dripping wet because she had another client and didn’t have time to finish my appointment, so I didn’t even get to see the finished result there. I’m honestly just really disappointed. UPDATE1: Hiiii everyone! Thank you all so much for taking the time to comment and give advice, it honestly means a lot that so many people care about a random stranger on the internet 😭❤️ Sorry I haven’t replied to everyone yet! I just wanted to update you guys since a lot of people suggested it. I did end up reaching out to my bank and starting a dispute and attached all the screenshots, so I’m really hoping I get my money back. I’m not posting a review until my dispute goes through but I will 100% be posting reviews on yelp, google, and maybe even TikTok! I don’t like to cause issues for other people but no one should be treated like this by someone they paid and trusted. For those curious, I paid $250 USD for this. I’m currently talking with another stylist and she let me know it’s going to take a few sessions to get me to my desired color, but I’m okay with that! I really appreciate all the feedback, advice, and even the different perspectives. This whole situation has been a lot, but reading your comments has definitely made me feel less crazy lol. I’ll update again once I hear back from my bank, once I post the reviews, and when I get my hair fixed! UPDATE 2: Hi guys! It’s been a couple weeks since I made my original post about a stylist ruining my hair with dark patches when I asked for highlights, then ghosting me. My new stylist is AMAZING. I was not expecting her to be able to fix my hair in one sitting but she somehow did it! The original stylist still hasn’t reached back out or said anything else to me since her last message, and I’m still waiting to hear back from Chase about the dispute but hoping I get my money back. But seriously thank you guys for all the support and advice. You all made me feel way less crazy during this whole situation lol ❤️ Appreciate you all so much!! I attached the afters below! :) submitted by /u/Storychanging to r/Hair [link] [comments]

Hello! This is this a review of a popular book and what I thought of it, both as an editor and someone who just loves to read. Note: I had no idea the author was planning to go on a podcast and make an announcement this week – if I had that kind of premonition, I wouldn’t be editing for a living! I also have made a point not to read any of the other posts about this series that have popped up this week to avoid spoiling myself on what was to come. Disclaimer: These reviews are to help with understanding the editorial perspective and my notes mean nothing when it comes to the enjoyability of a book – as one Redditer told me, the world is a dumpster fire and sometimes we just need our trashy fun. Furthermore, a book with no editorial “flaws” can be a snoozefest (see the majority of textbooks for proof!). Please have fun, be kind to others, and tell me what you like/dislike about this book in the comments! Book Details: Title: A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas Series Name: A Court of Thorns and Roses (1 of 7?) Page Count: 448 pages Publish Date: June 2, 2020 Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing Publisher’s Plot Description: I cut this for space. It’s ACOTAR – we know what it’s about. If you need more, imagine the Beauty and the Beast with Fae (and a Belle that can’t read for some reason? Guess her useless family didn’t feel the need to teach her that trick). My Means of Reading: Kindle Paperwhite Fantasy Style: High Fantasy (A non-Earth world with magical elements) Review TLDR: I will start by thanking Maas for rejuvenating a dying genre, and I acknowledge the risk the publisher took in creating this book back in the day, but I can’t say this novel does much that hasn’t been done better by others before and since. The story depends on plot holes, the characters are inconsistent in their development, and the worldbuilding is pretty lackluster. I’m aware the series is supposed to get better later on, but if you have to struggle through this to get there…ask yourself if it’s worth it. I certainly had to force myself to finish this, and that’s saying something. So, that said, if you are still reading this, you know how my review is about to go down. Grab your torch and pitchforks, and let’s do this. Spice Level: 3/5; Open door – the romance is not rushed, which I give Maas of credit for, but it isn’t well developed either. There are scenes of them learning to get along, but the narrative lacks any tension when it’s so obvious the MMC is angling for a relationship from day one without any clear reservations about doing so. She’s a murderous human, but he’s very quick to let that go. (SPOILER: I know there’s a narrative reason, but if the only reason the relationship exists is because the plot demands it, it feels weak) From Feyre’s side, a lot of the tension felt contrived as she would bounce back and forth between liking her new home and hating herself for liking it. In the hands of a stronger writer, this conflict could have been interesting, but sadly I think in this case it just felt like filler to keep the leads apart a while longer. There isn’t a lot of thought on her part of her falling in love with him, so it feels a bit hollow when they’re suddenly ride-or-die. Also, does anyone else feel like it’s strange that Tamlin never offered to teach her to read…? Pacing/Filler: I was hoping that, like other novels I’ve read for this series that are best described as “popcorn” reads, this book would balance its lack of quality writing with a least a fast-paced narrative (e.g. Zodiac Academy or Flutter). Unfortunately, this is not the case. Feyre spends a lot of time in her head, repeating to herself the same tired mantras. It slows the book down and makes what could have at least been an entertaining read into a slog. Moreover, the extensive descriptions of, well, everything means that most scenes could probably be a third shorter than they are. Pity. It’s one thing to be badly written, but isn’t a worse crime to be boring as well? Character Development**:** When the entire premise of a book relies on characters acting like idiots, or when it relies on characters defying all logic and common sense, the reader should know they are in for a rough time. Feyre’s inability to listen to the good advice of others alone is reason enough to chuck my kindle across the room. I genuinely wondered at times if she wanted to die. Then again, she’s not the only idiot plot driver in this book. The first characterization we have of the Fae MMC in his opening scene is him screeching like a banshee about his best friend being murdered by a human, and yet his first major act isn’t to take bloody revenge (as the vaunted Treaty between Fae and humans says he should) but rather to offer the FMC a new home in fairyland. I don’t know, guys. I just can’t let that go. It’s the entire premise of the book and it is built on the angry monster man being a sweetie to the woman who viciously slaughtered his friend, rather than just ripping her throat out and being done with it. I suppose it comes from Tamlin’s characterization as a traumatized, lonely hero – at one point he even gives a speech about fighting for freedom that I swear I heard once come out of Mel Gibson’s mouth – so I’m not sure what his arc was supposed to be; he’s pretty generically perfect from the start of the book. Feyre (fae-re, get it??), on the other hand, is a teenager who is both supposedly starving to death but yet also strong enough to carry the dead weight of a grown deer + a massive wolf hide back over several miles of unimproved winter terrain in suboptimal weather conditions. Feyre’s arc, as short lived as it is, comes from her learning that Fae are people and not monsters, but the speed at which she overcomes her prejudice and becomes enlightened cheapens the effect, I think. She barely knows any Fae, but suddenly she is mourning them like they are family…after seeing one die. Never mind that she spent the beginning of the book telling us she hoped the Fae would all suffer for their crimes – seeing the MMC sad because a stranger died in his living room was enough to cure this FMC of a lifetime of hate. Amazing. Meanwhile, her personality can be summed up as, “woe is me,” “not like the other girls,” and “I like pretty colors, isn’t that weird?” Yes, she is willing to work hard, and that resolve is good because she would probably not last ten seconds into a conversation with Nesta without it, but my god. I know nothing about this girl except that she likes to draw, can’t read, and has no backbone when it comes to her family. Supposedly it comes from a promise she made as an eight-year-old to her fridged mother; a mother who felt very comfortable asking her youngest child (not her husband, not her older kids, the eight-year-old) to protect and provide for the family. I have questions. Also, fuck that family – their lack of agency in their own survival beggars disbelief rather than sympathy. I genuinely was hoping the MMC was going to eat at least one of them…but then I realized that would probably make it hard for the FMC to make googly eyes at him later. Still…As for the other side characters, there are few worth talking about. But if someone can clue me in on whether Lucien gets his own book one day, I’d be grateful. His characterization is the least rushed and by far the most interesting to me. As for Rhysand…well, he’s a character all right. Can’t say I buy his “noble asshole” vibe, but it’s more entertaining than Tamlin’s blandness. World Building: Mass doesn’t seem overly concerned about building a unique world for us to explore – she has her FMC unconscious for most of the trip to fairyland, and once she crosses the border we are immediately thrust into a description of the MMC’s home. Is his house the entrance to the Fae territory? It must be, since Feyre didn’t see practically anything else between the massive gate splitting the human turf from the Fae’s and the MMC’s front door. That’s the level of effort you can expect for most of the world – it’s generic Western-fantasy land with the usual line up of myths and monsters (and the odd Bible reference). If you’ve read any romantasy at all, you know already the world Maas describes. It’s just that others have written the same descriptions, but so much better, so I won’t go into much detail here because there isn’t a lot of detail to share. The only other thing I will say is that Maas’ lore dumps are frequent, but tend to repeat information. Be prepared to read a lot and learn a little, I suppose. Obvious Errors an Author/Editor Should Have Caught: The second sentence. The second sentence in the whole damn book. I remember why I DNF’ed this so hard six years ago – the author doesn’t know what a parameter is. She may have meant perimeter, which would have made some fucking sense in context, but she didn’t say that, did she? Look, I did my best to give her the benefit of the doubt, I know how much this book is loved in certain circles, but when you try to pass your FMC as a badass hunter you can’t mix up words related to fighting in THE SECOND SENTENCE. I could also rant about Maas’ abuse of adjectives (she really, really loves describing every noun in detail), or maybe about her constant use of modern idioms and slang, but I suspect you get what I’m trying to say. Weirdly enough, however, Maas knows how to wield a semi-colon correctly. For me, this sparks joy. At this point I suppose it’s worth ending my screed about errors (grammatical, editorial, or otherwise) because it’s clear this book is not the sort that cares. So often in this genre readers ask why the quality of the writing is so low, or why publishers push fantasy romance novels out with minimal polish, and the answer is simple: this book. This book, which took romantasy from the edges of polite society and made it a behemoth of popular literature, is not well-written, edited, or produced. And once publishers realized how starved we the readers are for any content in this genre, they knew they didn’t have to put the same effort in to appeal to us that they would in other areas. I don’t know if they are to blame – I bought this book to review it, so I have clearly contributed to the profits of this novel – but I know they took a financial gamble and won big. It makes sense that publishers wouldn’t make the effort to do more, since ACOTAR has proven its ability to sell gangbusters without it. It’s up to us as readers to demand more; time will tell who will win in this fight of quality vs. quantity. Bechdel Test Survivor**:** Happy to report it passes – the sisters alone chatter enough to pass the test, but there are other women involved in the story too. Content Warnings: Mutilations, emotional abuse from siblings, sexual harassment with clear intent to assault (not from the MMC), sexual assault (not rape, not from the MMC). Is the FMC/MMC Unfaithful: Decidedly not. These two are clearly not the type to cheat – they are both too obsessed with keeping promises to even think about it. Not that they would, as they only ever had eyes for each other. If You Like This, I Recommend: Entreat Me by Grace Draven or Uprooted by Naomi Novik for the B&B retellings (or just watch the movie!), Lord of the Fading Lands by C.L. Wilson for the dangerous Fae romance, and Kiss of Iron by Clare Sanger for a feisty hunter who gets in over her head in Fae politics. As I said in the TLDR, ACOTAR doesn’t do anything that hasn’t been done better by others – so why not go read those instead? Previously Reviewed: Lord of the Fading Lands by C.L. Wilson Next Review Is: The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco. I need something that is not Fae related or a B&B retelling. What did you think of “A Court of Thorns and Roses?” Tell me in the comments and give me ideas on what books you want reviewed next. Until then! submitted by /u/XusBookReviews to r/Romantasy [link] [comments]

I am NOT OOP. OOP is u/sigbacc Originally posted to r/whatshouldido + r/weddingdrama My (30sF) twin (M) doesn’t want me at his wedding Trigger Warnings: possible controlling behavior, entitlement ---- Editor's note: I am adding two previous posts for more context to the current situation Brother is being vague about wedding plans: December 28, 2025 Editor's note: this post's body text was saved before it was deleted Hey reddit, I don't know where else to go so I'm writing here and hoping to stay anonymous as possible. I (33F) moved abroad, more than a 10 hour flight from my hometown / most of my family and on another continent. In July, I had some tensions with my twin brother, nothing serious but we didn't really speak to each other, and following that he got engaged to his girlfriend of four years. I made a trip home in November and saw him, there was no animosity and I even asked if I should stay my final night at his place since he’s near the airport - which he immediately agreed to but in the end it didn't pan out because I wasn’t comfortable taking all my luggage and a small child on the train - but I’m emphasizing the point there wasn't any hard feelings or anything around it. Instant yeses, lots of love, nothing unusual in fact. Me and my brother love each other and we may bicker or go radio silent but it is never anything serious. In November, to my face he says he didn't have a wedding date, they were thinking end summer (which I took to mean third week of September) and he specifically said don't book anything travel wise. Later, I get a text from a family member saying they will see me on August 22nd. I did à double take and asked if they are sure that the date is set, they informed me they were told this specific date was penciled in. So tentative, but not in ink. I got back to my brother but he didn't respond. As flights for me are going to be expensive no matter what, and I will have to find childcare (since I was told it's a childfree wedding) there is a big difference in September flight prices and August. But now my brother isn't responding to my messages, and I'm asking for clarification on if I'm invited and what dates are as travel cost is only going to go up for me. He hasn't responded and I'm not sure what to do, I get the feeling that he will wait until travel is too expensive to invite me, so it looks like I'm the one who refused. Until now there has been no question that I'd be invited and I have made it clear I'll make the trip for him. Also, I have a feeling the bride doesn't want me there, she certainly made a point to separate us when they came to visit because I literally would look at my brother and just laugh, without instigation, because we are just deliriously happy and goofy and ridiculous around each other. I know its odd for those who witness and friends have said its like we are "in our own world" so I can respect the bride not wanting me there. If it would make her special day all the more special if I were not there I’m happy to accommodate (and save money by not traveling to a wedding where I'm not wanted) but the mixed signals and silence is throwing me off a bit here, because he knows my ticket is going to become unaffordable if they wait until June or July to invite me. So what should I do ? Am I overthinking this ? Any help is appreciated Relevant Comments Commenter 1: You’re way overthinking, but understandably since you’re international. You are making your brother anxious with your anxiety though. Planning a wedding is a lot of stress & you’re adding to that pressure by asking for plans not finalized. I’d shut down too. If you’re really concerned about flight & trip expenses, open up an airline specific credit card. Most give points for referrals & no interest the first year. Can easily cover the whole trip & slowly pay it off. You should get into therapy for anxiety & stress management. In the most gentle way possible, it’s not normal to be this anxious. Weddings & large family gatherings bring up strong feelings & weird behavior in people. Look at therapy as an extended investment in the trip & in your health. OOP: I really appreciate this, and the time taken to respond - thank you ! I didn't think I was being overly anxious, I think my guard is up because I was told by my brother not to make plans, while other family members are given an exact date and info like it's child free. (I have a son who will be 10 at that time) So that has for sure confused me, especially since I know brides side will be flying in so I'm sure they are given advance/planning time. Their flight is 3 hrs., same country and mine is much longer and international. Is it unreasonable to expect to be given advance notice or at least info that's congruent with what others are told? If there is anxiety, it's coming from that - being told one thing and hear something totally different from others. I'm a bit thrown by that I will for sure let up on my bro though, I don't wanna put added stress on him. I needed that perspective. I've never spent money I don't have or signed up for a credit card, but what I can do is invest in a ticket that has insurance / flexibility. But for that I at least need dates, because I was told end summer and heard instead August 22nd. Commenter 2: Don’t listen to rumors from a game of telephone, wait for an invite with details. Your brother specifically said don’t book travel yet. Probably because they’re still negotiating on venue. August 22nd is the end of summer. September 1st is considered fall where I’m from. I’m sure they’ll let you know soon, but don’t have contracts signed yet. “Reasonable advanced warning” varies couple to couple. Some send out save the dates 2 years in advanced. Others are more last minute planners & may send out an invite 2 months before (this is less common). Every society, culture & couple has a different standard. It’s understandable you want an answer to plan, but there’s really nothing you can do but wait & save up. OOP: Thank you ! I will do exactly that. For me, delay increases price and honestly, if he waits too long it won't be doable. I hope my family understands if that's the case and I'm not blamed for it. My husband works in medical, and his schedule is booked out way in advance, but he will be the one taking time off as well, just to stay home with our lad. Commenter 3: Have you actually called him? Texting is great but phone calls are better… If you can’t get a response from him then talk to your mom/dad. Call the bride to be… If all of that fails then send your brother a final text… “Hey, I have tried every possible way to confirm your wedding date with no success. Person X says it will be August 22nd, but I need to hear it from you. At this point it feels as though I am not wanted at the wedding, if that’s true it’s okay but, please tell me. If I am invited to the wedding I need to know soon. If I wait too long I will not be able to afford the plane tickets to attend. This is my last attempt at getting confirmation. If I don’t hear from you I will not be attending. This is not my choice, but due to the circumstances it will be the end result. I hope to hear from you soon!” OOP: This is really helpful, thank you. I'll for sure call him Commenter 4: How can you receive backlash for not attending a wedding to which you weren't invited? It's weird that you haven't picked up the phone, but so far his lack of communication indicates he's not prioritizing you attending his wedding. If your main purpose in going is to avoid backlash, your family has bigger issues than you should budget for. Decide if you even want to go and then call your twin, not the bride or your mom. OOP: Picking up the phone, means using my landline to avoid incurring a cost to him, and also organizing with him a time (since my time zone is 9hrs ahead) that we are not only both awake but not working. I don't have social media or apps that can allow internet calls except WhatsApp. So picking up the phone is doable but not simple. + As for the backlash, my family knows how close we are and even from infancy we were inseparable, we were like salt and pepper. We were the babies of the family too, so the older siblings all saw our bond. They would be disappointed if I wasn't there, and ashamed if I myself avoided it. I wouldn't willingly avoid it, but looking at prices now I'm seeing the cost is already much different than what it was in November Is the bride jealous of OOP? OOP: I don't think she is jealous, at least I hope not - but I am essentially a broke farmer type, or like - stay at home mom who has a horse business that just covers my own horse expenses type thing, and she on the other hand makes a ton of money working remote and traveling all over and isnt shy about it, even calling herself "moneybags" jokingly. But when they were here she for sure had a problem with my brother and I's closeness, and I hate that because I can't perceive it but even friends have said they felt excluded because of it. Whatever it is, is because we are twins - not because we nurture or even try to have a good relationship, we hated each other most of the time but also like oddly would always show up dressed in matching colors and other weird quirks like that. But she magically got over her carsickness and no longer needed to ride in front at the tail end of a six hour road trip because me and my twin were laughing to tears, I can't even remember what about because sometimes just a look or nod is enough to send me   Brother isn't responding and flight prices are growing: January 5, 2026 (eight days later) So my (35F) twin (35M) is getting married. In October, while I was in my home country, to my face he said "We are thinking end summer, don’t plan anything or buy tickets" I'm à 10hr flight away on another continent. But that same time, parents were saying it's August 22nd. Now I'm still hearing it's August 22nd and that of course I'm included but I have no news from the couple. It's been recommended I buy a flexible ticket for August 22nd but at this point, as I'm not invited, I didn’t see why to get a ticket. Ill get huge backlash if I'm not there, honestly probably disowned. I get the feeling I'm not welcome - but that they will wait I until prices are ridiculous so it seems like its my fault for not going. I have called, left voicemails, iMessages, etc. I don’t have a way to group chat and include everyone on one app because I don’t have social media, but it wouldn't help anyway because if I go to my parents they will tell me to figure it out between us - he has kinda been the golden child and already I told my mom and sent her the screenshots and she said "He is busy living his life" and my dad told me not to put pressure on them since they are planning a wedding and it's already stressful. edit: got a message from my brother just now. it says please do not plan on attending our wedding honestly it feels nice to have closure on the matter. best of luck to him. Screenshots of the text messages Editor's note: OOP made duplicate screenshots of the text messages, I have attached two screenshots that are in chorological order The text messages are from OOP only to her twin brother OOP: Hello Can you please respond to my message so I can plan my next year accordingly? Appreciated OOP OOP: Hey I just left a voice-mail Let me know when a good time is for a phone call Thanks OOP OOP: Hey [Twin Brother] When is a good time to call? OOP: Hey I need to be able to plan accordingly if I'm invited to your wedding. If I don't hear from you I'll take it I'm not invited, but parents are saying im included. If it helps, I can just take à flexible/refundable ticket for August 22nd, child free, Seattle area. If I'm not invited, no hard feelings, just give me the courtesy of letting me know OOP: Ticket prices have already grown considérablement from October. Delay incurs penalty to me so I need communication End of transcriptions of the text messages Relevant Comments Commenter 1: That sounds like a really sucky situation to be in, it’s very clear your brother is intentionally not responding. Whether it be because you aren’t invited to the wedding or he’s trying to make you look bad, you probably won’t get anywhere with him. Your parents are making dumb excuses for him too, he should have the common decency to at least say that he’s busy and arrange a time to talk later. You mentioned that there would be backlash if you aren’t there and that it’s possible that they’re waiting until the last minute to tell you about an invite so you can’t afford a ticket and you would look bad not showing up. If that’s the case and if you can afford it and you are able, I would suggest buying a fully cancellable/refundable ticket for that date now. That way you have all of your bases covered and regardless of if you actually use the ticket or not, you will at least have some upper hand on the situation without risk to your finances. OOP: I don’t know why but your words feel so reassuring. I feel like I'm going crazy by simply asking for communication, and being expected to make a huge trip yet not even given the courtesy of à response. How long has OOP been waiting for a response from her twin brother? OOP: December 27th. He sent me a message on the 25th, à response to my Merry Christmas but nothing since. But in October he said to my face not to book. Parents are all telling me of course I'm included and I'd better be there. No matter what I do I'm penalized. Commenter 1: Well if he told you not to book then why are you asking him when to book? Penalized? Aren't you 33? You're an adult how do you're parents penalize you? OOP: They will disown me, not visit anymore, be openly dissapointed. And yes, he said not to book but parents are saying I'd better be there and of course I'm included. I'm asking him for communication at this point, or to at least confirm I'm not invited so I don't have to worry about it anymore. Edit spelling Downvoted Commenter: As someone planning a wedding the end of this year, the idea of a sibling pestering ne thus much when I haven't finalized a date yet sounds like a nightmare. I feel bad for your brother. You have plenty of time to buy a ticket for gods sake. If you aren't sure it is really Aug 22 (no I would not trust parents 100%), or not sure if your invited, then just wait and stop pestering the poor couple. OOP: So I'm expected to fly international and you're telling me the social norm is not even à response to my messages ? Why would you accept this behavior? Commenter 2: I wouldn't even plan on going at this point. He doesn't deserve you to be there acting like this anyway. If you hear from him and the tickets are too expensive then tell him that but I'd drop it and also tell your Mom you're not going to wait around waiting to even see if I'm invited. OOP: This^ yep. I'm balancing this against the backlash I'll recieve for not going. Commenter 3: I'm a guy and let tell you what is going on. Your brother isn't sure he should get married in 2026. Maybe he has the jitters and afraid you'll tell your parents and they will put even more pressure on HIM (edit). It's 8 months away and it's not set. He's stuck telling you to hold off and worried how that will come across. Him ghosting you is not good, though. Just say this " I know you have a lot going on. If you need to talk about anything, it's in my vault as always. When and if you get married, I'll be there. " Or the bride doesn’t like you, and she said no to the invite. OOP: Woahhhhh ok I'm gonna say this. He was almost pressured into an engagement in 2022, and when it didn’t happen she set an ultimatum. Date passed but also as years went on our fam kind of got upset with him and said 'either sh** or get off the pot' and stringing her along knowing she wanted marriage wasn't fair. So your words are hitting à certain kinda way.. + Ah, to respond, not sure I did anything to the bride but I have gotten the feeling from the jump she doesn't like me. Also, it is her day - I am totally fine to make it the best day possible, especially if that includes my absence. But as I have no communication, I don't wanna assume. Our friends have said me and my twin are "in our own world" and its hard for the 'observers' but I can't perceive it from the interior, me and he were polar opposites/enemies in high school. So take of that what you will Is there a possibility that they could be eloping with just the parents? OOP: No she has been talking about her wedding for years before they were even engaged, she wants à big wedding. In October he said he is just agreeing to whatever she wants Why doesn't OOP contact the bride? or other family members regarding the wedding? OOP: I contacted other family members today. The bride, I have only éver had a superficial relationship. Nothing bad, but not close.   Editor's note: below is the original title of this BoRU Original Post: January 12, 2026 (one week later) Just as the title says. I got the vibe I wasn't invited and his fiancé hates me but our parents kept saying of course I was included and made me feel ridiclous for thinking I wasn't, since we have been so close for most of our lives. For context we are fraternal (boy girl) twins in our thirties (I'm the girl) and never really had any major beef that would warrant this; but it is what it is. I live in another country and on another continent so it's at least a 10 hour flight if I could get a direct, so I needed time in advance but as I hadn't been invited of course I didn't book a ticket, and I would never crash a wedding - my god im so non confrontational, just the thought of wedding crashing is terrifying. In October I was in my home country But now I have it confirmed I'm not invited. Photo I'll put in comments Editor's note: please note OOP has posted the same messages of the text messages she sent in the original post, but I am adding the newer text messages that were from OOP's brother here. I am putting the text messages in chorological order based on the timeline OOP's brother's response to OOP's last message regarding the ticket prices have already gone up Brother: Please not plan on attending our wedding OOP: Please not plan on attending our wedding Alright, no problem, thanks for letting me know. Relevant Comments Commenter 1: Sounds like a conversation with your brother is in order. OOP: I don't think I'll be heard Commenter 2: Dang that’s messed up. There was no previous issues? OOP: Oh, that's a great question! Nothing huge, a little bit of gossipy juvenile stuff but nothing that would warrant being uninvited In October, while I was in my home country, to my face he said "We are thinking end summer, don’t plan anything or buy tickets" I'm à 10hr flight away on another continent. But that same time, parents were saying it's August 22nd. I said maybe I'm not invited and they brushed it off and on said of course I am, then I reminded them that in 2022 - wayyyy before the couplé was engaged, the bride had been taling about her wedding and excluding people. My dad's wife then took my text immediately to my twin brother and it started a bit of drama, he was acting shocked and denying she said that yet here we are, and as I thought, I'm not invited. It isn't exactly subtle that his fiancé absolutely hates me OOP on being fraternal twins with her brother OOP: Yeah being a twin is wild, I can't even describe. We show up in matching colors - sometimes matching outfits without ever meaning to. Or finish each other's thoughts/songs stuck in the head; outloud. It certainly is a bummer OOP responds to multiple comments about cutting communication with her brother. If OOP's parents keep pestering about attending, show the text messages to the parents OOP: Oh that's à great point! I showed parents, mom asked what I did to him to deserve this and I kinda had to explain that in the end its their decision, and dad is silent but I have no doubt dad is going to support him, and still sponsor the wedding in part. I have shared it within the fam so I won't get backlash for not being there and also got some counseling from older generations, which helps. What has the rest of the family think about this situation and the text messages? OOP: Aside from parents? Mainly saying I don't deserve this, and applauding me being the bigger person and offering to buy a flexible ticket buy also from the jump saying I shouldn't go because it really felt to everyone like I'm not invited Any possibilities that the fiancée could be isolating OOP's twin brother? OOP: Not sure if she's isolated him, but I'll say we went on a trip through Europe with his friends (I know, like the movie Euro Trip but absolutely not like the movie) and his friends had remarked that me and him are in our own little world, and it's difficult for the observers because we communicate so subtly it's impossible for others to pick up on, but as a party to it I have no idea how to perceive that (if that makes sense) And yeah when we are together we are deliriously happy idiots, it's like we are instantly handicapped or something, I don't know how to describe it, but I totally understand that me not being there would make it à better day for her. Commenter 3: I am getting major Golden Child vibes. I take you have lived at the shadow of your brother all your life? Did your parents always expected you to bend to his will? Did his wants take precedence to your needs? For anyone, let alone a parent to automatically go with “What did you do to deserve this?” There are some fucked up dynamics there and you need to think long and hard about your upbringing. OOP: Very perceptive, you nailed it. It was never fair but especially my dad has always been proud of him and he did well, was one of the popular kids and I was a total outcast, my big detrement was pulling me from a successful school so he could be in an honor program in a new school and that's when I gave up   Update: January 27, 2026 (over two weeks later) So tonight my kid went to hospital. He's home now, not out of the woods yet, but turns out he's been constipated for weeks and nearly had occlusion, or a rupture of some sort. Two enemas later and he's just ok, he will see his doctor tomorrow. I may have been too harsh on my twin here but he cut out of his wedding in such a cold way, and then after ignoring me for weeks he comes in while I'm dealing with this. He went weeks with no message response, couldn't be bothered, and then sends me this; https://www.tumblr.com/sigbac/806943828381777920 update again; https://www.tumblr.com/sigbac/806945281201586176 Updated screenshot of newer text messages Editor's note: again, please note OOP has posted the same messages of the text messages she sent in the original and update posts, but I am adding the newer text messages that were from OOP's brother here after the first update. I am putting the text messages in chronological order based on the timeline Brother: Hoping [OOP's son] is doing better after his enema** OOP: Are you fuckin serious? You ice me out then tap in right now when I'm going through this?** OOP: You really think while my kid is in the hospital is appropriate time to decide to start talking to me again? End of the transcript Relevant Comments Commenter 1: To reject you so coldly and cruelly then send this bland message during a time of maximum stress. No. People who treat me that way don’t get to parachute back into my life at their whim. OOP: He flipped the nature of our relationship and then we don't even really fleshed out what if any relationship we are gonna have so it came off as kinda how he was in high school, thinking he was better than me because he was preppy/popular and I was a "shop-tard" What is a "shop-tard"? Commenter 2: Guessing a kid who does a lot of technical skills classes like auto shop, wood shop, or metal shop OOP: Yep, spot on Commenter 3: Maybe I'm reading too much into this terse message but....is he being snarky? Your child didn't just need an ordinary enema. He was deobstipated, a medical treatment for a serious condition. He didn't just have a tummy ache. He had a bowel blockage that was threatening to rupture. Was your twin intentionally minimizing while pretending to be concerned? OOP: This! Yeah, mentioning the enema felt off to me. My poor kid had a severe fever for six days and when he was having stomach pains tonight I took him to the emergency room. It's wasn't just an enema but mentioning the enema is kind of - well its personal for the lad and for some reason it hit weird for me Commenter 4: This probably has already been covered, but what do your parents think about all this? OOP: Dad is supporting them, he and I are pretty low contact. He was telling me even in late October when I went to our home country that my bro(35m) was giving tension with his fiancé (28f) and dad had been advising him to just give the bride whatever she wants since it's her spécial day Mom asked me what I did to piss him off - kinda made it seem like my fault?   DO NOT COMMENT IN LINKED POSTS OR MESSAGE OOPs – BoRU Rule #7 THIS IS A REPOST SUB - I AM NOT OOP submitted by /u/Choice_Evidence1983 to r/BestofRedditorUpdates [link] [comments]

I am NOT OOP, OOP is u/OnlineShopping2026 Originally posted to r/AITAH AITA for insisting my daughter wear an outfit she doesn’t want to wear to a wedding? Original Post: January 6, 2026 I’m looking for some help on a situation with my kids. We’re attending my brother’s wedding at the end of the month. My younger daughter (7) is a flower girl. The bride, who is my brother’s fiancée, took us to a local shop she liked so we could pick out the flower girl dress. My older daughter (12) is not in the wedding party, she’s too old to be a flower girl, but she still needed something appropriate to wear as a guest. She’s very tall (almost 6’!) for her age, which makes shopping in person challenging. We went to several stores and tried on a number of outfits, but nothing fit her right or was age appropriate or was something she liked. So I ordered her dress online from a store called Lulu’s. When it arrived, it fit her well and was in a color she liked. At the time. it felt like the best option. my oldest is upset because her sister got her dress in-person with the bride involved and got to go out to lunch afterward, while her dress was bought online. She says it isn’t fair and has said she refuses to wear it, even though there’s nothing actually wrong with the dress itself. I explained that we did try to find something in stores and that this was the option that worked, but she still feels hurt. I’m not sure whether I should insist she wear it or try to find another solution this close to the wedding. AITA for expecting her to wear the outfit anyway? AITAH has no consensus bot, OOP received mixed reactions, splitting between NTAs and YTAs Relevant Comments Commenter 1: Just take her out to buy accessories and for lunch. How is this something you need to ask the internet? YTA OOP: She shot that suggestion down and said it wasn’t the same. Commenter 2: And neither is their role in the wedding or height. They aren’t going to be the same because they are different situations. At 12 this is something they should be learning. Commenter 3: I think you need to be more direct. Her little sister doesn’t get a choice in her dress. She has a role in the wedding ceremony, and the bride picks out what she wears. Your oldest got to pick out her own dress (emphasis that she gets full control over her dress and her sister doesn’t). Then take out your oldest for a special day of wedding accessory shopping and getting nails done. A lot of this is just standard sibling rivalry OOP: My daughter said she didn’t pick out the dress either. She was against getting it online and said that what I picked was ugly. She said there’s no point in her being in the wedding so she should stay home or stay at her dad’s. And the dress OOP bought for her daughter OOP: This is the dress I bought: https://www.lulus.com/products/romantic-destiny-light-pink-square-neck-trumpet-maxi-dress/2384051.html?src=lulus&ref=search_rr I thought it would cute on her, but she didn’t agree. My daughter sent me this. Is the color going to be a problem?: January 9, 2026 (three days later) Picture of the dress description on the picture of the dress OOP's daughter sent to her Showing a sleeveless, knee-length dress which is a light champagne or pale gold color with a shiny, textured fabric catching the light, giving it a subtly metallic look. It has a V-shaped neckline and a fitted bodice with a defined waist seam. Below the waist, the skirt flares out and features the overlapping, asymmetrical panels, creating a layered, flowy silhouette. end of the description My 12-year-old daughter and a friend went to a thrift store yesterday and found this dress. She says it’s a whitish-gold color, if that makes sense. She wants to wear this to her uncle’s wedding (dress code is formal). But will the color be a problem? I think it may be. But what do you think? Edit: I’m not going to share the photos, but I asked her if she tried it on. She did, and most of you were correct. It was too short. I told her we can talk about this when we got home, but long story short, I had to tell her that the skirt was going to be too short for the dress code. I suggested returning the one I bought for her and to try and find a new dress. she didn’t take it well. Unfortunately, a lot of brick and mortar stores in our area closed. Our mall shut down last year. Most stores don’t stock her size. Someone brought up a dressmaker or tailor, but those closed down as well. Our options are limited. Relevant Comments Commenter 1: On one hand, she’s 12 so no one will think she’s trying to upstage the bride. On the other hand, this is an opportunity to teach her what is appropriate for the occasion and this lovely dress is not it. OOP: The problem is that she hates the dress I bought for her to wear (it’s a long story) but shut down when I tried to take her shopping or find a dress online she’d like. Commenter 2: My friend, we saw the other post. I know she shut you down for shopping for a dress, but has she shut you down for making a fun day, just the two of you? At this point, the dress is whatever, but this experience is going to stick with her as an experience where she was excluded and wasn’t heard, and you’re still focusing on the dress. Offer to take her out for lunch, to buy some special accessories, and steer her toward a dress section at the same store. No pressure, just fun. As for her height, it’s easier to take things in than make things long, and you could find something with ruching on the back. If you still have time to order online, azazie makes lovely juniors dresses, too! You could pitch it to her as something cute, especially if she has any school dances coming up. OOP: She didn’t want to do another shopping trip and broke down crying when I mentioned it. Commenter 3: Based on your previous post, it 100% sounds like the problem your daughter has isn’t with the dress itself but with the experience of getting the dress. Your 12 year old is jealous of the experience your 7 year old got when finding the flower girl dress. I’m sorry but this dress just isn’t appropriate: it’s going to be too short in the front for someone her height, it’s the wrong color, the length of the dress doesn’t fit the dress code, etc. Why not order a few dresses online and make her “buying experience” fun/special as well? You can order a few appropriate dresses online, when they arrive you can invite your brother’s fiancé over and let your 12 year old invite a friend or two over. She can try on and “model” the dresses for you all before deciding which dress is “the one”. You could make it like a “say yes to the dress” type of experience. You could have little snacks and sparking grape juice to toast after she picks her dress etc. This could make an online shopping experience special. Then return the dresses she doesn’t choose. OOP: I actually suggested we buy some dresses online and try them on but she shut down on that comment. She didn’t want to do that and that it wasn’t the same. Commenter 3: I saw you suggested buying some online and she shut it down but she may be more open to it if you made it a bigger deal, not just ordering dresses but making it an experience. OOP: That’s actually what I suggested. I suggested we invite her friends over and she can show off to them and they can help her decide. She didn’t want to do that either. At this point, I’m think I’m going to send her to her dad’s that weekend. Commenter 4: Order online. Azazie, Amazon, Shein (I know the problems with Shein. They're all great for trendy beautiful dresses. OOP: My daughter will kill someone if she finds out the dress came from Amazon.   My SIL is banning football at her wedding this weekend. She’s marrying into a family of Broncos diehards.: January 23, 2026 (two weeks later) My brother is getting married this Sunday. At the time they picked the date, they knew it would on the same day as the final games before the Super Bowl. What they didn’t expect was the Broncos playing. SIL, the bride, is not into football. She thinks it’s boring, which I understand. Football isn’t for everyone. Unfortunately, my brother and I come from a family of diehard Broncos fans. My SIL sent out an email on Monday letting everyone know that they will not be showing the game on Sunday. I get where she is coming from. But I also know that Sunday is going to be a disaster. Nothing in this life is certain except death, taxes, and my dad, his brothers, several other relatives, and even my own daughter determined to find a way to watch the Broncos play. I hate to say this, but I’m entering this weekend knowing it’s going to end badly. edit: I asked my brother to clarify the “no phones” policy. He said that phones are banned during the ceremony (understandable). But that his fiancée doesn’t want people glued to their phones during the reception either. She’s also made it clear they’re not showing the game at the reception. Relevant Comments Commenter 1: this makes me question your whole family, who the fuck gets married during football season? OOP: I’m not the one who set the date. Ask my SIL. To be fair though, my brother doesn’t like sports either. Commenter 2: And your brother is marrying her anyway? OOP: I’m afraid so. Commenter 3: Dude come on. Just be present at the wedding and watch the game on a delay. I watched the final four at my brother’s wedding, and danced and ate and visited with all my friends and family. Don’t be glued to your phone OOP: Tell that to my dad and my daughter. They would rather skip the wedding rather than miss the game. To be fair, both of them dislike the bride.   Update: January 24, 2026 (next day) Hey everyone. I wanted to post an update on a post I made because a lot has happened since my original post, and I did take the comments to heart (even the ones that were hard to read). First, many of you were right: this was never just about the dress. After the post, we tried to do what a lot of commenters suggested and planned a makeup shopping day just for my older daughter. I thought framing it as her special day would help. Unfortunately, it didn’t go well. She’s been getting into very girly, frilly styles lately and loves pop artists like Sabrina Carpenter. That’s the aesthetic she wants. The problem is that those styles just don’t work well on her body right now, and every time something didn’t fit or looked wrong, it felt like confirmation of everything she already hates about being tall. She ended up having a full meltdown in one of the stores. What finally came out was that she hates how everything that fits her makes her look “grown up,” when she doesn’t feel grown up at all. She hates the comments she gets about her height, how mature she looks, how people assume she’s into makeup, skincare, boys, etc. She isn’t. She still likes cartoons, dolls, and kid stuff, and she hates how people tell her that she’s “too old” for those things just because of how she looks. The breaking point that day was actually at a thrift store, where she found a dress she loved on the rack and was so excited about it… and then it just didn’t work on her body at all. That’s when she completely lost it. There’s also a lot of jealousy and hurt around her sister. Her younger sister is getting positive attention for being cute and little and a flower girl, while my older daughter feels like all the attention she gets is negative or uncomfortable. My daughter admitted she didn‘t even want to go to the wedding anymore. Not just because of the dress, but because she already feels like she doesn’t belong. Then we found out that the bride decided they wouldn’t be showing a big football game during the reception. My daughter and a few other family members were really looking forward to that as a way to get through the night, and losing that made her feel even more like there was no point in going. So here’s what we decided. I’m not making her to go to the wedding. I sent back the dress for a refund. My daughter is going to spend the day at a friend’s house instead. Her parents are going to be showing the game, and my daughter is actually excited about that. I pulled my oldest out of school on Friday and we did a special shopping trip, but for a new football jersey she can wear on Sunday, as well as some new books and lunch at a restaurant she likes. I also apologized to her. For not realizing how deep this went, for pushing solutions instead of listening, and for underestimating how painful this whole thing is for her. I know some people will think skipping a family wedding is the wrong call. Maybe it is. But this feels like the best option for us. Thank you to everyone who shared their own experiences—especially from the tall girls who said this stuff sticks with you. That really changed how I looked at the situation. Top Comments Commenter 1: Honestly this sounds like really good parenting. You listened, changed course, prioritized her actual feelings over “but family events!” and found something that made her feel seen instead of shoved into a role she hates right now. The tall girl stuff is brutal at that age and it absolutely sticks, so the fact that you’re validating it instead of telling her to “get over it” is huge. Skipping one wedding is nothing compared to your kid remembering that her mom had her back when she was miserable. Commenter 2: I agree. You did good OP. She’s 12 and I remember how I hated puberty or onset of it all. No doubt she’s also getting creepy male attention a well or feeling those vibes. It’s a horrible time and even women around you also start behaving like periods are great and that you should be into make up / ‘turning into a woman’ 🤮🤮🤮 etc. it’s horrible and awkward and not fun . who knows maybe she will in years to come but no one has been meeting her at her right now and you turned this around to do it. I think letting her be with her friends instead of the wedding is a good call. She’d be bored shitless and uncomfortable. What might be a solution is maybe she might want to learn to sew? That way she can make her own clothing. Maybe it’s something you could both do together as a special activity if she’s open to it. Because it’s a good skill and also you can thrift stuff but repurpose clothing too instead of completely from scratch.   DO NOT COMMENT IN LINKED POSTS OR MESSAGE OOPs – BoRU Rule #7 THIS IS A REPOST SUB - I AM NOT OOP submitted by /u/Choice_Evidence1983 to r/BestofRedditorUpdates [link] [comments]

Remember that shitty movie, Ready Player One? The movie everyone mocked to hell and back for its blatant nostalgia baiting, stupid plot beats, and shameless shelling of beloved IP's for a quick buck? Yeah for some reason I remembered it. When it first came out I decided to try reading the book, just to see if the book was better. I got about 1/3 through before realizing I just didn't like it very much and just gave up, then stuck to internet reviews and decided it was bad. It overuses references, the main character is a manchild who idolizes another manchild, and it nakedly has no identity of its own. So now 7 years later I've decided to take another crack at it just to see if maybe my opinions have changed. After all, it was a successful book in 2011, and I believe that it's important for one's media literacy to engage with media in good faith, even if it's cringe like RPO. I've read a lot more books in the past few years, I've grown to appreciate what people like about other media people view as cringe, and overall I try to be somebody who appreciates art rather than a hater. You may not be surprised to find out that even with an open mind, I did not like this book very much. I could go on and on about all the ways in which this book frustrates or disappoints me. I could talk at length about the blocky prose that makes Brandon Sanderson look romantic. Or I could bring up the very questionable ways women and people of color are portrayed. Or the extremely lazy writing that magically grants Wade everything he needs to get past whatever roadblock he currently faces without any prior mention in the story. The awkward dialogue. The inconsistent character voices. The missed worldbuilding opportunities. The dull action sequences. The fact that every character is so bafflingly stupid it makes me want to bang my head against the wall. No. For all its many, many faults, this book's biggest issue is its theme. What's the theme, you may ask? 80's media? Virtual realities? Escapism? Nostalgia? No, my friends. Those are MOTIFS. A THEME is a story's central message for you to internalize while you engage with it. For an easy example, since I know you guys love shounen, a theme of One Piece is, "People deserve to live free from oppression". So what,, is the theme of Ready Player One? Perhaps I'm being cynical, but it appears to be, "Consumerism is good. Being a consoomer is the coolest, most admirable thing imaginable". Our hero, Wade Watts, expects us to think he's hot shit because he consoomed a lot of 80's media. The Willy Wonka clone, Halliday, is beloved by all because he consoomed a lot of 80's media. Well, it's actually because he created the OASIS and promised his fortune to whoever beat his utterly insane Easter Egg Hunt, but that all happened because he consoomed a lot of 80's media. Wade earns the respect of his peers by consooming a lot of 80's media. Wade and his Manic Pixie Dream Waifu fall in love because of a shared interest in consooming 80's media. How did the cool old man Ogden get his wife? Consooming. Why did he and Halliday fall for the same woman? Consooming. Why did Wade win the hunt while the evil Sixers couldn't? He consoomed more than they did. And in my opinion, this is an incredibly shallow way to engage with art. What frustrates me is that Wade's spaceship is named the Vonnegut. Kurt Vonnegut was a brilliant political satirist. His book Breakfast of Champions directly satirizes the type of consumerism this book revels in. Slaughterhouse-Five is a hilarious and tragic anti-war novel. And now his name is just listed alongside the likes of GI Joe, Pac-Man, and Max Headroom in the amorphous glob of Things Wade Has Consoomed. At one point, Wade goes into a recreation of the world from Rush's concept album 2112. Wade briefly mentions about how it's about a world that stifles creativity or something like that before just making off. No - 2112 was inspired by the philosophy of Ayn Rand. She was a novelist most famous for coining the term Objectivism, and laying the foundation for right-wing libertarian politics today. The book is very similar to a novella of hers, Anthem. I wouldn't have been happy if the book had an Objectivist, Randian theme, but at least it would have been about something. I'm not insulted on Rand's behalf like I am for Vonnegut, but again, it shows that Wade and Halliday only engaged with Rush on a surface level and treated their ambitious concept album as just another thing to consoom. The end of the book attempts to rectify this with a "go outside" message at the end. I get it, Halliday missed his chance to confess his love to a woman and this was supposed to be his way of telling Wade to confess to his waifu. But again - all of these people are only in the same vicinity because they all consoomed the right things. It's a shallow, thoughtless, and frankly insulting way to engage with art. It's the same model that Funko Pops use. Selling you vague, ugly pastiches of characters you recognize for no other reason than for mindless consumerism. Funko is losing stock fast just like this book just fucking flatlined after the movie dropped. TL;DR: Ready Player One is about Consoom Product submitted by /u/VCreate348 to r/CharacterRant [link] [comments]

My egg donor had me when she was only 14. That isn’t what makes me hate her, it’s been everything she’s done after she was an adult and had the chance to be even a bit decent. I grew up in foster care after being removed from my aunt when I was 6. She had the opportunity to reunite multiple times but didn’t want me but would never allow me to be adopted. I had one great placement and they wanted to adopt me. I hadn’t heard from my egg donor in about a year at that point and they were close to finally terminating her rights. But when she heard they wanted to adopt me she showed up and managed to mess it all up for me. They were moving out of the country for an amazing job opportunity and since I was a ward of the state they were not allowed to take me. After that I was mentally and emotionally done with her in every way. During the periodic visitations, I was silent and wouldn’t speak. I had two traumatic placements right after the failed adoption and 100% blame her. I work as a bartender and waitress. My last foster family was ok and through them I knew a guy that started a wedding venue last year. I work as a bartender for some weddings there if I don’t have other shifts. My egg donor has apparently conned some dude into thinking she’s a decent human and she’s getting married. Through the grapevine I guess she heard that employees of the venue can book the place at a massive discount. You can probably guess what she wants. I told her that hell will freeze over before I did anything like that for her. Predictably she blew up at me like she always does. That doesn’t bother me. What does is that she’s gone and whined to coworkers and bosses of mine and they now think I’m heartless and should help her out. I’m not a big sharer in general and I do not like to talk about my life growing up. They see a woman that had a child when she was still a child. They don’t see the heartless b that has berated me and laughed at abuse I suffered because she would never consider raising me, even after she was grown. The owner and the wedding venue got word of what’s going on and keeps telling me that I need to consider it all from her point of view as a 14 year old with a baby. But I can’t separate that from 22 year old her laughing in my face about my tooth being knocked out by my drunk foster father. So AITAH for stubbornly not giving her this small thing that costs me nothing? Edit - just wanted to say a quick thank you for the overwhelming positive feedback. In all my time on Reddit (this isn’t my main account, used this one for privacy) I’ve never had as much uniform feedback. I appreciate it more than y’all know. As I mentioned in comments, I won’t go into any details with my boss or anyone else for that matter, but I think I do have an idea on how I’ll move forward so thanks for that! I’m working tonight (shift starting a few) and will likely talk to the big man later tonight. Response wasn’t what I expected but in an entirely good way. Update - had a conversation with the owner. Without really going into details about my experiences with her, I explained a little more about her and her family. For a little context, I very recently found out I’m at least a quarter African American. If you saw me, you wouldn’t guess it. I have light colored hair and blue eyes. My hair is curly but not super curly. I have what everyone has always called an olive complexion. This combine with the fact that my egg donor is a complete racist, it never crossed my mind that my father could have been black. About a year ago, I had a health issue and during testing for it, I found out. The owner of the wedding venue is black and sharing my egg donor and her entire families’ racist tendencies sealed the deal. I simply shared the one statement my egg donor said when I posed the question about my father being at least half black. Her response was “I knew you had have some “n-word” in you, no wonder no one wants you”. In any case that was more than enough to close the door on her ever getting anything there. submitted by /u/Affectionate-Fun389 to r/AITAH [link] [comments]

Source: https://www.reddit.com/r/idiocracy/comments/1n0enl4/feel_like_this_belongs_here/ HIGHLIGHTS There is no way Americans are demanding publicly funded chocolates and sweets wtf is wrong with you people Literally search for EBT/SNAP “haul” videos on YouTube/tiktok/facebook. “look up this specific instance of someone doing something bad so i can justify taking it away from everyone else” I’m sorry you’re losing your free ride to candy, premade sweets and soda. i’m not on food stamps, i just think there are bigger things to worry about than children being able to have candy. They can buy candy with money other than the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. yeah, the children should just pull themselves up by the bootstraps. you can’t even buy hot food with SNAP, do you think junk food is the problem? you do not know what you’re talking about. In the Netherlands we have food banks, not stamps. They also don't give out junk food, candy and other unhealthy junk. I don't see why it's weird to limit free food to actual food. Poor people deserve the small joys of life too actually. Why should there be a divide in what the “rich” and “poor” eat You don't "deserve" anything. Nowhere in the constitution or law books it says that if you fail to provide for your family the government will just pick up any bills you generate without question. They MAY provide essentials, but things such as toys, or "happy events" aren't listed as essential, no matter where you are where the government provides. There are non profit organisations who may pick up that task to provide toys for children, and utilities. That's why thrift stores exist as well. They provide for the poor. And yes everything still costs money. There's no country in the world that says working is just optional. If you want to live in a functioning society the government should take care of its most vulnerable of people actually. Food stamps aren’t “picking up bills you generate without question” they exist so people aren’t starving. Poor people don’t need to be fucking micromanaged and told what they can and can’t eat. You and the government is no one to be able to infringe on their rights, it’s insane how so much of this boils down to “people in poverty should be controlled because we can’t trust them to make their own decisions” Public money should be controlled. They can buy actual food with food stamps and and use the money saved there to buy treats. You need to get out in the real world. Why are you so insistent on controlling what poor people do? And what do you mean by “real world”. Just because I don’t think the poor should be treated differently I should get out in the “real world?” Americans are fucking r*tarded and will look to fight about anything, even something as stupid as this. “Why can’t I buy fake food with other people’s money while also pushing for universal health care” Source; A slightly less retarded American Except it costs taxpayers and businesses more to police the program. The labor to continuously currate a list of eligible food products isn't free. And that means higher taxes and higher food prices. And if you think higher taxes and food prices are a good thing, you're anything BUT slightly less retarded. There’s no way that costs more than half the country being treated for diabetes. Just create universal healthcare and charge people premiums equivalent to the bad choices they make. You want to smoke a pack a day, eat nothing but highly processed foods, weigh 300 pounds? No problem. Here's your insurance, and here's the additional premium you have to pay into the program for choosing to not be healthy. …that would be so much harder to do than regulating which food could be purchased with EBT I understand it's not easy but I do believe it would work much better. Controlling people's choices is almost always an objectively worse route to take than to simply make the wrong choices more painful. Yeah, I'm with you on this. I support a strong social safety net including a single payer healthcare system, but it's alarming how many people buy cases of soda and water with food stamps. It's terrible for your health and long term spending habits. It would be like buying alcohol with food stamps. Sometimes people want a fucking candy. We take that for granted. Just let people have a candy. Why do we have to be the moral police when we "help the needy." Stop policing people. Stop attaching strings to your goodwill - Having worked retail, there definitely needs to be some strings attached Having worked retail, no. If you and I are capable of making grown up decisions, then so can people on food stamps. You shouldn't get a say whether or not a person eats a candy when they want one. Why don't you spend your energy advocating for education instead of acting like the police. "You shouldn't get a say whether or not a person eats a candy when they want one." I mean you do if they're spending public money and not private money. That's the difference. You shouldn't. It's a bit self-righteous, is what I'm saying. Look around and tell me you're surrounded by kale and then we'll talk Don't need kale to eat healthy bud. The reason a lot of poor people eat junk is because it's cheap and many poorer people are also not as well educated on health like that. I'm all for people eating better but if we are going to take things away from people we need to make other options that are better available to them and I don't think that's the plan here. Junk food is much more expensive than healthful food. That is just demonstrably false. I am not even going to argue with you. Because if you've ever been in a dollar store once, it's cheaper, that's all just looked at the price tags and the sales available. Yes it's cheap to buy a lb of raw beans or whatever but if you're trying to feed a family it's more complicated than that. Some of the most expensive food put there is healthy whole Foods is a prime example. Edit: OK maybe I am going to argue. Ok stop shopping for groceries at a damn dollar store then We all have the choice of where we shop when we're poor as fuck I guess. I live in a small town with no public transportation so fuck you. Sometimes the dollar store is the only place people can shop because some of us can't afford cars, asshole. No no we should absolutely ban junk foods from food stamps. It should go towards healthy foods and proper produce and meat only. That's great but are they going to supply the means to cook said food as well? I'm all for making people healthier and I agree with it to some extent but two minutes in a microwave verses a stove top, oven or appliance you need money to purchase has a monetary value attached to it. Someone on food stamps is probably not going to have a fully stocked kitchen and pantry with the basic essentials for cooking. Then you have the education side to it and the time consideration. Most people have access to a basic stove. We’re not cavemen. Got the money to run it? These people are on food stamps. Edit: Lots of people not had their snickers today. Have some fruit instead though. Let’s be realistic here. I don’t think that arguing that people don’t have access to food warming supplies is in good faith at all. Even third world countries have that. https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2021/04/were-american-homes-ready-for-the-pandemic.html#:\~:text=For%20households%20with%20a%20total,didn't%20have%20those%20amenities. You seem to have had 6 million in 2021. 1 in 3 below poverty level. Are you third world?? I was right. That says a full kitchen and washing machine and dryer. A kitchenette for example, which includes a small fridge and a small oven would not count. A house with a full size fridge, full size oven, microwave, ample room for utensils and equipment, but without an in-unit dryer would not count. You cited it but you didn’t even read it. Man, wild to see how many of you seem to fall on the side of "poor people don't deserve to have treats" I think it has more to do with the fact that we shouldn't be giving poor people food that's so bad for them it causes them to get sick. Then do something about the companies making food that makes people sick. Don't micromanage what people can spend their welfare on. Vices are still legal though. RFK cannot just ban candy from the free market. But the undeserved communities can’t get free candy bars at the expense of tax paying Americans. How hateful… lmfao what a joke This is probably the best thing the admin is doing. And people are against removing unhealthy "food" from the supplemental nutritional program? We really are in the bad timeline. The best thing is removing food dyes from our food. Using the literal byproduct of coal to color food is disgusting. Reminder that there is literally no scientific basis for fearing any of these dyes whatsoever. Just because something sounds "gross" to you doesn't mean it's bad. Yellow #5 (Tartrazine) and Cancer........... Read this if you want to actually inform yourself instead of picking some AI summerized points that don't really matter at all in isolation. Also note how it's still allowed to be used pretty much everywhere in the world, are you more informed and studied than all these varying, independent food safety regulators. No way hes gonna read that. I've spent 10+ years telling friends/family that food coloring/artifical sweeteners are safe. You can give them mountains of evidence but one anecdote from someone's-mom's-cousins-wife's-boyfriend getting a headache after eating fruit loops is all it takes to send them in a spiral. All these people need is the most shitty misinterpretation of a study where they dosed a rat with 18 million times the dose of something we eat almost nothing of. Wait until they find out about the dangers of dihydrogen monoxide If your parents actually love you I'm sure they can save 20 dollars a year to buy some candy and some coke? But how they supposed to buy their cigs? Listen, just say that you are ethically and morally better than poor people and leave it at that. How could a population of people who are shit on at every turn, who's lives are clearly nothing to you and everyone like you, get addicted to a substance that actually makes them feel good? How could that be possible? The world is already so kind and wonderful to them, why would they look for a substance that actually makes feel mechanically better for a few fleeting moments? I make 30K a year bud. I am poor. I don’t leech off others because I’m not a scumbag that wants to make others pay for their life. Guess what, when I can’t afford a can of zyn that I enjoy, I don’t buy it. It’s just as easy for them. It’s called living within your means which is apparently a foreign concept This is fucking pathetic. Your government has failed you. Rich people are the problem, people who create systems meant to keep you poor. There are a million little ways they are fucking you all the time and here you are whining that people who are poorer than you are leeches for taking advantage of a system that absolutely has fucked them at every turn in their lives. "Oh please please stop taking advantage of a system that is designed to keep you poor and take advantage of you as much as is legally possible." Bro they arrest these poor people, throw them in jail, and then turn them into literal slave labor. Are you fucking kidding me that they're the problem? Well at what point does one realize that smoking cigarettes and buying junk food will only make their situation worse? Maybe because this is being discussed in the first place? It makes no sense to me if you're so poor you can't buy food and can use the support to buy rubbish junk food with no nutrition etc. It's just going to make you sicker in the long run Except it costs taxpayers and businesses more to police the program. The labor to continuously currate a list of eligible food products isn't free. And that means higher taxes and higher food prices. Your "good intentions" just made everything worse for everyone. More expensive maybe but not worse for people's health, reducing obesity and chronic illness would lower overall medical costs as well And how do you know you're doing that? You know for a fact that there's a serious issue with people causing health problems for themselves with their food choices on the program?? You could be policing a problem that doesn't exist and making things worse for all of us! How do you know it will cost more for extra policing? It’s not like there isn’t a list of SNAP approved foods that everyone already uses. Update the list and behold, the system already in place is updated. Just like it gets updated all the time as new foods come out. Actually at this point in time, there is no list. It's simply hot or cold food--if it's hot, it's not approved, if it's cold, it is. And it's on the vendor to decide. But with the new law, a list actually has to be created. With hundreds of thousands of products that have to be checked every quarter, how much labor is going to be required of both the government and food vendors? And how much is that going to increase taxes and food prices? And for what benefit? You're simply assuming people on the program have dietary issues leading to health problems. You don't actually know! But you're willing to make us all poorer for a problem that might only exist in your head! submitted by /u/CummingInTheNile to r/SubredditDrama [link] [comments]

At the beginning of 2024, I’ve decided to try my hand at an (almost) completely new genre for me, science fiction. Previously I’ve mostly read fantasy and historical fiction, so most of these books were completely new to me. In total, I’ve read 31 books from 13 series in 2024. And since I’ve read so much sci-fi in a relatively short time, I thought it’d be fun for me to summarize my reading year and review each book/series I’ve read. Hopefully some of you will find it helpful when searching for some sci-fi to read. I’ve tried to get a good collection of classical and modern titles included, as well as some non-western works. I’ll try to avoid spoilers; however, I consider a book’s main premise and plot points that could be on the back cover fair game - so if you want to go into these books completely blind, don’t read further. So here are my reviews (in reading order): Dune (Frank Herbert), up to Children of Dune Dune (series) is a fantastically unique story that tries to balance between philosophy, sociology, political commentary, and telling a good story. It does a good job with this balancing act for a long time, however, the later we go in the books, the more philosophical and abstract it gets to the expense of the story and readability. 8/10 Dune is the best Herbert does with the above-mentioned balancing act. Want a good war story? – you got it; a discussion about how myths form? – says no more; looking for political intrique? – got you fam. However, it has its flaws, as there are storylines that lead nowhere, and the ending feels very rushed (e.g. does anyone remember that Paul had a son who died before Leto II?), and the prose itself can be quite janky. 8/10 Dune Messiah is my favorite book of the series – it’s very rare to see a writer tackle the story of their hero after their hero won. Winning an empire is one thing, but governing it? The dealing with the inertia of bureaucracy, the dogmatization of a new religion, where even the all-powerful emperor can feel trapped in his role are all wonderfully shown. Here’s where Herbert’s political commentary and sociological approach really shine. 9/10 Children of Dune is the one where Herbert becomes very self-indulgent with his own philosophy. There are passages that felt like he was just writing for himself. Possibly I’m not smart enough for this book, but by the end all the abstract, overcomplicated philosophizing was just too much for me and took away my desire to read further in the series. 6/10 Hyperion Cantos (Dan Simmons) Hyperion Cantos reads more as two separate series than one (the first two Hyperion books vs. the later Endymion books), so I’ll give separate scores for them. The Hyperion books are fantastic sci-fi, with deep characters, massive (even if sometimes quite confusing) worldbuilding, and a deep message about humanity’s connections with empathy, poetry and religion. 9/10 The Endymion books, on the other hand, seemed to lack almost everything that was positive about the first two books – it’s hard to believe that they were written by the same author. The characters were either passive or uninteresting, the narrative slow and boring. The only redeeming quality is that the themes of Hyperion are expanded into a conclusion. My advice is, read Hyperion, Fall of Hyperion and don’t read further. 5/10 Hyperion was the book that actually convinced me to start reading more sci-fi. The mystery, the suspense, the characters are all so great. There were sections where I felt my heart racing. There were sections that made me choke up. Even when I wasn’t reading the book, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Sure, there is some weird stuff in there, but I can completely overlook that for the reading experience this book has given me. 10/10 The Fall of Hyperion expands the world with more politics, more characters, more transendency, and more mindf-ckery. In the end it becomes a little bit too much, and (despite a Matrix architect-like scene) the reader can get lost in all the layers of the story. However, the main story is brought to a satisfying conclusion, the characters elegantly complete their arcs, and so the book as a whole becomes a worthy sequel of the first one. 9/10 Endymion, in turn, is not a good book. After all the colorful characters of Hyperion, our protagonist here has no motivation to be in the story, no real agency (he’s being told by a clairvoyant what he has to do and just does that) and barely any noticeable traits (except for surviving things that shouldn’t be survivable and than whining about it). In addition, the weird factor is much more noticeable than it was in Hyperion (e.g. a 13 year old clairvoyant girl tells the protagonist (25+) guy that they’re gonna shower together in the future). There are a few story threads that are interesting, but the main story is just really isn’t good. 4/10 The Rise of Endymion, while definitely better than the 3rd book, isn’t a return to form. Thankfully, the themes of Hyperion come back and we get a final conclusion, which I actually enjoyed. But to get there, the reader has to chew through pages and pages of annoying characters, boring descriptions, and plots that go nowhere (there was a point during reading when I realized I could’ve skipped the last 100 pages I’ve read and it wouldn’t have made a difference). In addition, much of the ending of Fall of Hyperion is retconned, which is always annoying, especially when done in a story that is subpar to the original. 6/10 Foundation (Isaac Asimov) incl. Foundation Trilogy, Foundation’s Edge, Foundation and Earth The oldest series on this list, I can see how Foundation is truly a foundational (heh) precursor to all modern sci-fi. Its main idea (psychohistory, essentially completely predictive sociology) is unique to this day in its adaptation, the way it drives the narrative, and is as relevant as ever. As stories, the books have better and worse parts, and some aspects of the books became understandably antiquated. But even with these flows, the idea of psychohistory and its implications stay with me to this day. 8/10 Foundation is a tricky book to review. It’s more of a demonstration of an idea rather than a story. The main idea (psychohistory) behind the series is such a unique and interesting concept that it keeps popping into my mind even though I finished the series more than 6 months ago. However, as the book is basically just a vessel for this idea, there’s barely any narrative structure, things are just happening without much suspense or conflict (everything just happens as predicted) and so it really doesn’t work as a story. 7/10 Foundation and Empire fixes most of the issues of the first book, as we get a much more compelling story, and Asimov thankfully steps out of the ‘everything happens as predicted’ flow, which addresses the main problems with the first book. The characters are still a bit bland, but everything else is great. 9/10 In Second Foundation Asimov once again subverts his own prediction-based idea, but now it turns out that instead of things not happening as predicted, we’re not privy to all the things that were predicted – which I found a very fun new way of adding suspense. Storywise, it’s mostly compelling, however, I found it a little bit less interesting than the 2nd book. 8/10 Foundation’s Edge, published 29 years after the original trilogy, and its sequel are the most story-driven books of the series. However, even though the story is compelling, the characters are still kind of meh. The ideas of the book noticeably become less science and more fiction as telepathy, extrasensory abilities and hive minds get introduced. This is a change I’m not sure I like, as the idea of the relentless mathematical approach of psychohistory is what made the original trilogy so unique. 7/10 Foundation and Earth is a direct sequel to Foundation’s Edge in characters, tone and story, so it has similar strengths and weaknesses. It ties up the story of Foundation nicely and provides some much-needed answers and closure – with a little bit of question mark at the end for flavor. But to be honest, besides the ending, not much of what happened in the book stuck with me. 7/10 To Sleep in a Sea of Stars (Christopher Paolini) To Sleep in a Sea of Stars is a decent read. It doesn’t offer anything groundbreaking, but I don’t get the feeling it wanted to. It doesn’t sell itself as being any more than a regular space adventure, with a few cool new ideas (e.g. ship minds and the FTL science is very well thought out). My biggest criticism of the book is that in the narrative, things always happen very conveniently for our protagonist, and the plot points are tied together quite randomly (we go to a setting, find out information about where to go for the next setting, where we find out where to go next, etc.). The rest (worldbuilding, characters, etc.) are fine, but nothing amazing. 6.5/10 Remembrance of Earth's Past/Three Body trilogy (Liu Cixin) What a fantastic series of books this is. It really is my favorite series I’ve read all year. It provides such a unique and unnerving notion of what might be out there that the reader just can’t help but feel a sense of existential dread and anxiety, and that’s just one of the extremely well-presented ideas of the books. Sure, there are things that can be criticized, like characters being just vessels for the story rather than real people, and that the author has some weird thoughts on masculinity, but for me that’s nothing compared to the sheer genius of these books. Liu Cixin also masterfully increases the scale of the story throughout the series, seamlessly transitioning from a planet-wide crisis to a universe-wide one – this is not a feat many can pull off. 10/10 In The Three-Body Problem the series starts off slow with a mystery and the investigation into the mystery, which I think is a little over-dragged (we know, it's aliens). However, as the narrative builds up, it becomes more and more engaging, but the best stuff is later in the series. 8/10 One of the absolute peaks of my reading year, The Dark Forest is an extremely captivating book. When your mind tries to solve the problems proposed by the book in your sleep, you know it’s something special. The concepts of the first book are broadened and more are added to it, along with a sense of existential dread. The twists are excellent, so it works better as a story than the first one as well. 10/10 By Death’s End, when one thought the main topics were already added, some of the most unique science fiction concepts are introduced in the third book (e.g. life itself changes the whole universe, with civilizations slowing the speed of light and decreasing the number of dimensions). The scale of the narrative is also masterfully grown into a universe-wide, end-of-spacetime story, without making the earlier, smaller scale insignificant. The only thing that bugged me a little is that the first quarter of the book is set in the past (compared to the 2nd book), so it took a while for the story to get to the really interesting part. 9/10 The Expanse (James S. A. Corey) I’m not going to review all 9 books of the series individually, mainly because it’d be too long, and the books aren’t that different in quality. Sure, there are somewhat worse and better parts, but the series maintains a consistent quality throughout the books. And what quality is that? I’d say that The Expanse is a very good series, with only a few things in the way of being one of the best. The worldbuilding, the characters, the politics, the sociology of marginalized groups and the presentation of humanity’s desire to mess with everything are all amazing. However, the plot itself is very individual-focused to the point of unbelievability, given that we’re talking about a handful of individuals driving everything in the whole solar system throughout the series. The authors seem to be conscious about this and try to adjust during the series (e.g. by lampshading from the ‘white guy saves everything’ trope), but even when they try to introduce society-wide tragedies, they fail to show the effects on the people in general, and in the end, all big events come down to just a few (and what’s more unrealistic, the same) people. But, if the reader can suspend their disbelief about this one aspect, they are in for a real treat of a sci-fi that’s rich, keeps up the quality through its course and sticks the landing. 8.5/10 Children of Time (Adrian Tchaikovsky) The series deals with a lot of ideas not found in other books – specifically alternative biological and technological evolution, effects of a species’ inherent qualities on its societal structures, in-group and out-group behaviors and so on. It brings in all these concepts quite seamlessly, without overcomplicating (at least until book 3) or overexplaining. A very interesting read, however, most of these ideas are already introduced in book 1, and there’s not very much added by the later books. The author tries to switch it up in book 3, but that doesn’t quite work out. Book 1 is a must-read; the later ones are more like optional. 8/10 Children of Time has so many unique, original concepts that it’s hard to list them all (I tried including a few above), an absolutely thrilling read, and I didn’t feel like the themes and ideas cannibalize the story itself, which is quite rare. The only criticism I have is that the human story is not that engaging, and I always wanted to get back to the non-human evolution part. 9/10 Children of Ruin is very similar in its story, themes and ideas to the first one. We have a different species for alternative evolution and a different threat to it, but all the beats are the same. To be honest, I found this book quite unnecessary after the first one, even if it has a few cool new things. 7/10 Children of Memory is Tchaikovsky’s attempt to switch up the series, however, he went in a direction that doesn’t really work. The story becomes super-convoluted, especially thanks to the author’s desire to drag things out and not provide a clear explanation of what’s happening. This drags on for a while, so in the end, when we get some answers, the reader is already frustrated enough that the answers aren’t satisfying. There are few new cool themes (e.g. what intelligent life is exactly), but not enough to save the book. 5.5/10 Project Hail Mary (Andy Weir) Project Hail Mary is the Marvel movie of sci-fi books, with all the pros and cons of a Marvel movie. While it’s definitely a fun read that’s well paced and clever (and there’s no doubt it’s at the top of the game in these aspects), there’s not much beneath the surface. The aliens are friendly and quippy (with a remarkably quick understanding of human handsigns), the problems can always be solved and the sacrifices are never long-lasting. It’s a fun book, but it won’t change your life. 7.5/10 Solaris (Stanisław Lem) A very interesting book, Solaris explores the limits of human understanding and our inability to cope with these limits. It shows our habit of forcing our own reasons and desires onto things so alien that such efforts are completely meaningless. This is a very original concept, not found in many western books. In western literature, usually even alien life-forms have some sort of human-like reasoning or at least reasoning that’s understandable by us, or analogous to something we know. Not in the case of Solaris, which is what makes it so unique. As a story, Solaris works well enough in the first half of the book, after which it felt like the author lost his interest in the human-story and focused completely on dry descriptions of humanity’s futile attempts to understand Solaris. There’s barely a real ending to the story, which might underline the idea of our limits of knowledge, but it ultimately results in a less engaging narrative. 7.5/10 Roadside Picnic (Arkady and Boris Strugatsky) Probably the most depressing book I’ve read all year, and that’s what makes it so good. It deals with humanity’s insignificance (hence the title: our civilization-altering event might have been just a roadside picnic for the aliens that caused it), but more than that, it is saturated with an extreme sense of negative individualism. This radiates from the whole book, where there are barely any genuine connections, every person just wants to use the other, and people barely know themselves as they don’t even have the capabilities to stop and think about this tragedy and their place in it. Even though the story isn’t the most straightforward (it reads more as a series of short stories with mostly the same protagonist), the themes are so strong that it comes together into a very strong narrative. 10/10 House of Suns (Alastair Reynolds) House of Suns is a book of mostly wasted potential. It has so many interesting ideas, but almost all of them come to nothing. Let me give you an example: our protagonists are part of a group that is made up of hundreds of clones that all belong to the same guild-like society, follow the same rules, etc. Now this could be a very interesting idea to explore: how would people that are so similar behave in a group? Could they communicate without even saying a word? Would they feel an extreme sense of loyalty to one another? How would this experience differentiate them from regular humans? So imagine my disappointment when we meet a group of these clones, and they are just a bunch of guys. They could be just some people who kind of know each other. And this is just one concept that sounds genius but fails at the execution. The narrative itself is quite jagged as well, as we go from a regular sci-fi story to a murder mystery to a cross-space chase, without really concluding any of the previous story threads. However, the ideas of the books are really good, so it’s worth a read. 7/10 Various George R. R. Martin sci-fi short stories incl. A Song for Lya, This Tower of Ashes, And Seven Times Never Kill Man, The Stone City, Bitterblooms, The Way of Cross and Dragon, Meathouse Man, Sandkings, Nightflyers I was really interested in GRRM’s sci-fi stories, as I’m a big fan of A Song of Ice and Fire, and I wanted to see if there was anything in his earlier writings that is just as good. Happy to report that if you didn’t read his short stories, you didn’t miss much. There are some cool ideas here and there (Song for Lya, Sandkings, both of which I’d recommend), and some honestly insane ones (looking at you, Meathouse Man), but overall they mostly miss the mark. Most of them are not bad (except for This Tower of Ashes and maybe Bitterblooms), but you definitely won’t get the same satisfaction as from ASOIAF. One thing that bugged me is that GRRM’s sci-fi universe was a typical American-naïve sci-fi world (biologically very different alien species at mostly the same technological level living in relative peace, with humanity being a relatively important part of the galactic society), and honestly I hoped for a more nuanced world-building from him. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (Philip K. Dick) The book raises the question of where the dividing line is between artificial intelligence and humans – which is a question that is as relevant now as ever it has ever been. On a broader scale, it deals with nature vs. technology and the human desire for actual, real nature that’s contrasted with our tendency to forgo nature for the conviniance of technology. These themes are really well done, even if these topics are dealt with in more up-to-date (and so for us, more relevant) fiction like Westworld and Ex Machina. Overall, the story is quite good - even if the prose gets confusing at times -, especially the aspect of the reader not being sure who is and who isn’t an android. My biggest gripe with the book is the whole Mercerism aspect, which felt very on-the-nose and a forced way to provide a philosophical element, which I didn’t think the book needed. 8/10 Metro (Dmitry Glukhovsky) Metro is difficult to review as a series, as the individual books are written in such a different style that even how the world functions isn’t consistent between the books. The author lampshades this in-story by having the books written by different characters with different motivations, and by the end, this unreliable narrative builds into one of the main themes of the series, which I can respect. But. This also complicates the reading experience – what can be trusted? What actually happened, and what was made up? Are the themes covered in the book the themes the author really wants to explore, or are they just the themes of the character that wrote them in-story? And I know that the author probably wants us asking these questions, but I’m not sure how I feel about having a storyline I was previously invested in made meaningless later. It feels a little bit like (but to the author’s credit, it’s not as infuriating as) the ‘it was all a dream’ trope. It also makes it hard to interpret the books – are the lazy fantasy tropes of the first book a metacommentary about the ‘Hero’s journey’ stories, or are they just lazy fantasy tropes – or did they start as such and later they are retconned into metacommentary? All these make it challenging for the reader to enjoy a story just for the story. One thing that is consistently amazing, however, is the worldbuilding – it is by far the best and most unique of all the sci-fi books I’ve read, even if the world itself is inconsistent. Other than this, (and taken at face value, not worrying about the metaness of it all), the series is pretty engaging, with mostly interesting characters, solid storylines and okay prose (although the latter is surely affected by the translation). 8/10 Metro 2033 leans heavily into the classic fantasy tropes – an orphan from a rural area of the world, whose “village” gets attacked by strange creatures, gets a quest from a mysterious stranger that motivates him to leave and go on an adventure – very, VERY basic stuff, which is to be fair, lampshaded in later books. The book also changes styles between the acts, with Act 1 being the generic fantasy story, Act 2 turning into more of a gallery and contemplation of different ideologies, and finally Act 3 being a GRRM-esque dark fantasy/horror story with cannibals, hiveminds and telepathic manipulation. This leads to an inconsistent book, in an inconsistent series, however, the worldbuilding and the characters still make up for it - mostly. 7/10 Metro 2034 is my least favorite book of the series. Glukhovsky starts getting into the whole metacommentary of stories here but is unable to provide a really meaningful thesis - yet. The characters are rather uninteresting, and we finally get our first female character of the series (Metro 2033 had literally zero named female characters), only to be explained by the author that a woman’s natural disposition is to be supportive of a man. Once again, this can be a commentary on women’s role in fantasy stories, as in-universe this text was written by an unreliable narrator with their own views, but still, this is what the reader reads. 6/10 Metro 2035 is what I think makes the series a worthwhile read. As it is written differently from previous books (once again explained by in-universe reasons), it ditches all the fantasy and mystical elements and focuses on how humanity is just the f-cking worst. And it makes some valid points while our characters wander from one horrible tragedy to another, especially since these tragedies are all based on real-life events. This helps the series focus, which leads into the author’s most concise points about stories, narratives, and how people are not interested in the truth at all – and all these themes are rounded out nicely by the end. 9/10 submitted by /u/trollokvoltak to r/books [link] [comments]

What, is there something special happening today? Hold on, let me grab my calendar book from my chiseled bookshelf. Oh, it's time for Trails & Tales! How could I forget? Time to equip your new brush and ride your camel off to new adventures! This update can also be found on minecraft.net. New Features All features and changes from the "Update 1.20" experimental pack are now part of the game Added Archaeology Added Sniffer mob, Torchflowers and Pitcher Plants Added Camel mob Added Smithing Template items and redesigned the Smithing Table Added a new armor trimming system to visually customize your armor Changed how Netherite equipment is crafted Added the Cherry Grove biome and Cherry Wood Set Added the Bamboo Wood Set Added the Chiseled Bookshelf block Added Hanging Signs Improved customization options for Signs Added the Calibrated Sculk Sensor block Vibration resonance functionality has been added to Blocks of Amethyst Added playable mob sounds with Mob Heads on Note Blocks Added Piglin Mob Head New music tracks added to Cherry Groves, Desert, Jungle, Badlands, and Flower Forest biomes New Trails & Tales Advancements Added support for Windows Aarch64/ARM64 Archaeology Added craftable Brush item Added Suspicious Sand and Suspicious Gravel Suspicious Sand can be found in Desert Temples, Desert Wells and Warm Ocean Ruins Suspicious Gravel can be found in Cold Ocean Ruins and Trail Ruins These fragile blocks are hard to spot and easy to destroy, so be careful! Brushing Suspicious Sand or Suspicious Gravel with a Brush will extract objects that were buried long ago Added the Trail Ruins, a buried structure from a lost culture Four types of Armor Trim Templates can be found here Trail Ruins can be found in Taigas, Snowy Taigas, all Old Growth forest biomes and Jungles A new music disc can be found by brushing suspicious blocks in this structure When put in a Jukebox, "Relic" by Aaron Cherof is played Added Pottery Sherds Pottery Sherds have pictures on them A total of 20 sherd have been distributed between the 5 Archaeology sites: Desert Wells, Desert Temples, Cold Ocean Ruins, Warm Ocean Ruins, and Trail Ruins They cannot be crafted, and are only found by brushing Suspicious Sand or Suspicious Gravel Decorated Pots Crafting four Pottery Sherds together will create a Decorated Pot with a picture on each side Brick items can be used instead of Pottery Sherds in the Decorated Pot recipe The sides that were made from Brick items will not have pictures Smash a Decorated Pot with any block-breaking tool to break it apart and get the Pottery Sherds back Hitting the pot with bare hands, silk touch tools, or any other item will drop an intact pot instead Crafted Decorated Pots with at least one pattern have a hover tooltip displaying the Sherd & Brick ingredients Sniffer The Sniffer is the mob vote winner of Minecraft Live 2022 Sniffers are passive, friendly mobs Sniffers sniff the air and occasionally dig for seeds, which produces a Torchflower Seed or a Pitcher Pod item Sniffers can only dig grass and dirt-like blocks Sniffers can be tempted by, and bred with Torchflowers Seeds Sniffer Egg Can be found by brushing the Suspicious Sand of Warm Ocean Ruins When two Sniffers breed they do not immediately spawn a Snifflet; instead, a Sniffer Egg is dropped When placed in the world, the Sniffer Egg will hatch after some time When placed on Moss, the Egg will hatch in approximately 10 minutes On all other blocks, it will hatch in approximately 20 minutes Torchflowers The Sniffer can occasionally sniff up a Torchflowers seed, and it can be used to breed two Sniffers The Torchflower seed can be planted on Farmland and grows into a Torchflower The full-grown flower can be harvested and replanted The Torchflower can be crafted into Orange Dye Pitcher Plant The Sniffer can occasionally sniff up a Pitcher Pod item The Pitcher Pod, when planted on Farmland, grows into a Pitcher Crop The Pitcher Crop has five growth stages Once fully grown, the Pitcher Crop can be harvested, yielding a two-block-tall Pitcher Plant The Pitcher Plant can be crafted into Cyan Dye Camel Camels can be equipped with a Saddle and ridden by two players Camels spawn naturally when Desert Villages generate Camels can be tempted by holding Cactus Feed Cactus to Camels to breed them Camels are tall Most hostile mobs will not be able to reach you when you are on a Camel They can walk over Fences and Walls Camels randomly sit down While sitting, it is difficult to convince them to move Camels can either walk slowly or sprint quickly They can also dash forward but will lose stamina for a while when doing so Smithing Smithing Tables have been redesigned into a workstation for physical equipment upgrades and modifications Alongside slots for combining a piece of equipment and materials, there is now a required slot for an item type called Smithing Template Smithing Templates define what type of upgrade you will be making to a piece of equipment It specifies both what type of items you can upgrade, and which ingredients are valid to customize the upgrade There are currently two categories of Smithing Templates: Armor Trim and Netherite Upgrade Smithing Templates are consumed when used to upgrade an item in the Smithing Table You can craft a copy of a Smithing Template in the Crafting Table with 7 diamonds + 1 block of material that the template is made out of + 1 smithing template, which will output 2 of the same Smithing Template Netherite Equipment Netherite equipment crafting now also requires a Netherite Upgrade Smithing Template Netherite Upgrade Smithing Templates can be found randomly in all Bastion Remnant chests Every Treasure Room Bastion Remnant will contain 2 Smithing Templates This change was made for a variety of reasons: Increase the time players utilize Diamond equipment before Netherite Make Netherite equipment more significant achievement in the game's progression Adapt Netherite more naturally into the new Smithing Table crafting system Armor Trims You can now visually customize your armor with a variety of unique trims at the Smithing Table Armor trims are purely visual with no gameplay benefits Armor trims can be applied to Helmets, Chestplates, Leggings and Boots All trim patterns are visually the same on an armor's item icon, but the color will still change based on the trim material To check which trim pattern a piece of armor has, you can hover over it in the inventory Armor Trim Smithing Templates can be found all throughout the world, and each of the following structures contain their own unique Smithing Templates: Trail Ruins: Wayfinder, Raiser, Shaper, and Host Armor Trims Pillager Outpost: Sentry Armor Trim Desert Pyramid: Dune Armor Trim Shipwreck: Coast Armor Trim Jungle Temple: Wild Armor Trim Ocean Monument: Tide Armor Trim Ancient City: Ward and Silence Armor Trims Woodland Mansion: Vex Armor Trim Nether Fortress: Rib Armor Trim Bastion Remnant: Snout Armor Trim Stronghold: Eye Armor Trim End City: Spire Armor Trim Smithing Templates are found in chests in their respective structure Trail Ruins have no chests, Smithing Templates are instead found by brushing Suspicious Gravel The Ocean Monument has no chests, Elder Guardians sometimes instead drop a Smithing Template upon death Some Armor Trim Smithing Templates are rarer than others, so be on the lookout for them to impress your friends! An armor trim has two properties: a pattern and a material The pattern is defined by the Smithing Template used to apply the trim, and represents the visual pattern of the trim The material is defined by which ingredient you used to apply the trim, and controls the color of the trim The viable ingredients you can use to define the color of your armor trim are the following: Iron, Copper, Gold, Lapis, Emerald, Diamond, Netherite, Redstone, Amethyst, Quartz Cherry Groves Added a new Cherry Grove biome, with pretty cherry blossom trees The biome can be found in the mountains, in similar places as Meadows Added a new Cherry wood set, with all the corresponding wooden things you can craft from it Pink particles fall from beneath Cherry Leaves Added a new Pink Petals block with lots of pink flowers on the ground Each Pink Petal block can contain up to 4 petals Using Bone Meal on it increases the number of petals Placing a Pink Petal into an already placed block increases the number of petals Drops the number of petals in the block when mined Bamboo Wood Set Added a new Bamboo wood set, with all the corresponding wooden things you can craft from it Block of Bamboo can be crafted from 9 Bamboo and can be stripped like other wood logs Bamboo Planks crafted from Block of Bamboo yield only 2 planks compared to 4 for wood logs Added a new "Mosaic" plank variant that is unique to Bamboo called the Bamboo Mosaic It can be crafted with 1x2 Bamboo Slabs in a vertical strip You can craft Stair and Slab variants of Bamboo Mosaic Bamboo Mosaic blocks cannot be used as a crafting ingredient where other wooden blocks are used, but they can be used as fuel Added a unique Bamboo Raft and Bamboo Chest Raft which can be crafted like normal boats, but with Bamboo Planks They function the same as ordinary boats, but have a unique look to them Chiseled Bookshelf A new, chiseled variation of the Bookshelf Crafted with 6 planks and 3 wooden slabs Can store Books, Book and Quills, Written Books, Enchanted Books, and Knowledge Books Holds up to 6 books These can be added or removed from any slot by targeting the specific slot The Comparator signal strength corresponds to the number of the last book that was inserted or removed The numbering of book slots starts from 1 at the top-left, and increments from left-to-right Works with Hoppers Hanging Signs Hanging Signs are a more expensive version of normal Signs Crafted with 2 chains and 6 stripped logs of your preferred wood type Crafting results in 6 Hanging Signs Can be hung up in the following ways: Underneath a block that can provide support in the center, like a full block or a fence Attached to the solid side of a block Attached to the side or underneath another Hanging Sign Unlike normal Signs, they cannot be placed directly on the ground without support from the side or above However, Hanging Signs that have a horizontal bar will not pop when the supporting block is removed Signs The following changes have been made for both Signs and Hanging Signs. - Sign text can now be edited after being placed in the world - This can be done by interacting with the Sign - Signs with non-text chat components can not be edited - Both sides of the Sign can now have separate text and colors, allowing for further customization options - By default, a Sign will prompt you to input the front side's text when placed - To apply text to the back-side, you must walk to the other side and interact with that face to edit it - Signs can now also be waxed with Honeycomb, preventing any further edits to its text - Opening the sign edit screen in singleplayer no longer pauses the game Calibrated Sculk Sensors A new variant of Sculk Sensors that allows you to filter vibrations based on their frequency level They are not found naturally and can only be crafted with 1 Sculk Sensor and 3 Amethyst Shards in the Crafting Table One side of the Calibrated Sculk Sensor can receive a redstone signal as input The strength of that redstone signal is the only vibration frequency the Sculk Sensor will listen to They have a combined active and cooldown phase that lasts 20 game ticks They output their redstone signal for the first 10 game ticks They can detect vibrations up to 16 blocks away Vibration Resonance Blocks of Amethyst have a new behavior when placed adjacent to Sculk Sensors If that Sculk Sensor receives a vibration, the Block of Amethyst will re-emit its frequency as a separate vibration at its location This behavior is called Vibration Resonance, and allows players to move vibration frequencies across long distances without having to recreate the vibration naturally Playable Mob Sounds When placing a Mob Head on a Note Block, that Note Block will now play one of the ambient sounds of that mob when played by a player or powered by Redstone Mob Heads can be placed on top of Note Blocks without sneaking Piglin Mob Head Piglins will now drop their heads when killed by a charged Creeper Placing the Piglin head on a Note Block will play one of the Piglin's ambient sounds The Piglin head will flap its ears when powered by Redstone, or when worn by a player while walking New Music Added the following new music tracks by Aaron Cherof to Cherry Groves, Desert, Jungle, Badlands, and Flower Forest biomes: A Familiar Room Bromeliad Crescent Dunes Echo in the Wind Added a new music disc with the track "Relic" by Aaron Cherof, found in Trail Ruins Windows Aarch64/ARM64 support Minecraft Java Edition is now fully supported on Windows devices using an Aarch64/ARM64 architecture, such as the Windows Surface Pro X Advancements New Husbandry Advancements Smells Interesting : Obtain a Sniffer Egg Little Sniffs : Feed a Snifflet (requires Smells interesting) Planting the Past : Plant any Sniffer seed (requires Little sniffs) New Adventure Advancements Respecting the Remnants : Brush a Suspicious block to obtain a Pottery Sherd Careful Restoration : Make a Decorated Pot out of 4 Pottery Sherds (requires Respecting the Remnants) Crafting a New Look : Craft a trimmed armor at a Smithing Table Smithing with Style : Apply these Trim Smithing Templates at least once: Spire, Snout, Rib, Ward, Silence, Vex, Tide, Wayfinder (requires Crafting a New Look) The Power of Books : Read the power signal of a Chiseled Bookshelf using a Comparator Changes Changes to Sculk Sensor block behaviors Vibration frequencies of many actions in the game have been tweaked Colored Wool, Carpets and Beds can now be dyed to any other color Replaceable blocks no longer block the connection between enchanting tables and bookshelves Wither effect particle and Potion of Slow Falling color have been adjusted to make them more distinguishable Updated step sounds Updated Advancements The main menu background is now a Trails & Tales panorama Updated the Minecraft Java Edition logo Updated the Minecraft Realms logo The game's application icon has been updated This will be a Grass Block in release versions, and a Dirt Block in snapshot versions GUI can be scaled on the Video Settings screen by holding Ctrl and scrolling the mouse wheel Updated the credits Added the ability to scroll upwards by pressing the up arrow key The game will now display a message box on startup if user enabled text-to-speech functionality, but it is not available Removed Herobrine Sculk Changes If a vibration is scheduled to be received by a Sculk Sensor or Sculk Shrieker, they will stay queued until all adjacent chunks are loaded and ticking Prevents vibration resonance setups from breaking when unloading their chunks from a distance Waterlogging a Sculk Shrieker will now silence their shriek sounds Sculk Sensors' default redstone output has been modified to be more reliable for distance calculations Sculk Sensors and Calibrated Sculk Sensors now strongly power the block they are placed on Both types of Sculk Sensors now stay in their Cooldown phase for 10 ticks, with other phase timings being adjusted to compensate Sculk Sensor Phases Sculk Sensors and Calibrated Sculk Sensors have three phases: Inactive, Active and Cooldown The default phase is Inactive This phase lasts indefinitely until the block receives a vibration During this phase, the block is able to listen to nearby vibrations until one has been scheduled When a scheduled vibration is received, the block switches to the Active phase This phase lasts 30 game ticks for Sculk Sensors, and 10 game ticks for Calibrated Sculk Sensors During this phase, the block stops listening to nearby vibrations, wiggles its tendrils and emits a redstone signal and light After the Active phase has finished, the block switches to a Cooldown phase This phase lasts for 10 game ticks During this phase, the block keeps wiggling its tendrils, but no longer emits a redstone signal nor light Finally, once this phase is finished, the block will switch back to the Inactive phase Previously, some of these phases had different timing values: Active: 40 game ticks for Sculk Sensors and 20 game ticks for Calibrated Sculk Sensors Cooldown: 1 game tick for both types of Sculk Sensors These phase timings were tweaked so that it is less common for activated contraptions to recursively activate the Sculk Sensor that powered them Vibration Frequencies In preparation for the Calibrated Sculk Sensor, vibration frequencies have been greatly simplified to prevent unwanted interference. The following are category descriptions for each frequency and the expected events that they correspond to: Movement in any medium (land, water and air) Landing on any surface (land or water) Item interactions Gliding with an elytra or unique mob actions (Ravager roar, Wolf shaking, etc) Dismounting a mob or equipping gear Mounting a mob or interacting with a mob Mobs and players getting damaged Consuming items (drinking and eating) Blocks 'deactivating' (door close, chest close, button unpress, etc) Blocks 'activating' (door open, chest open, button press, etc) Blocks changing (cauldron water level rising, adding food to campfire, etc.) Blocks being destroyed Blocks being placed Mobs and players teleporting or spawning Mobs and players dying or an explosion Step Sounds Walking on a block will now always play a step sound It was previously not the case if you were walking along the edge of a block with air or fluid besides it Walking on the ocean floor will produce a step sound for the block you are walking on at a lower volume and pitch When walking on Carpets, Snow, Nether Sprouts, Warped Roots, and Crimson Roots, a combination of step sounds will be played The top-most block you are walking on is played as normal The block underneath is played at a lower volume and pitch Advancements Breeding Camels and Sniffers now count for "The Parrots and the Bats" and are now required for "Two by Two" Hanging Signs now count for "Glow and Behold" Visiting a Cherry Grove is now required for "Adventuring Time" Technical Changes Improved performance of the light engine The data pack version is now 15, accounting for sign data format, item display orientation and advancement changes Removed update_1_20 feature flag and built-in datapack - features are no longer experimental Added a return command Tweaked display entity interpolation Added a capped rule structure processor that limits the number of replaced blocks for a structure piece to a configured maximum Configuring block entity fields in a rule processor rule is now delegated to a referenced block_entity_modifier instead of the previously fixed output_nbt configuration Random sequences for loot tables are now deterministic Added a reference loot table function Loot table condition/predicate changes: Renamed alternative to any_of Added all_of Advancement trigger changes: Added recipe_crafted Changed format of placed_block, item_used_on_block and allay_drop_item_on_block triggers Ingredients in array form are now also allowed in smithing_trim and smithing_transform recipes on fields template, base and addition Those fields also allow empty arrays, which signalize that slot needs to be left empty Added new damage types: outside_border and generic_kill Game events have changed vibration frequency and some have been removed The resource pack version is now 15, accounting for the font and credits update Updated the sprite layout of minecraft.png Removed the overriding minecraft.png from the Programmer Art resource pack Updated the sprite layout of invite_icon.png legacy_unicode glyph provider has been removed Bitmaps used by uniform font have been removed uniform font has been updated to use Unifont 15.0.06 That changes shape of multiple characters, while also adding support for new ones Combining characters no longer include circle overlayed over them (so M◌̆ now renders as M ̆) Added second level of organization of entries in credits.json on top of titles, called disciplines Font textures are included in debug texture dump (F3 + S) Added new font glyph providers: unihex and reference, removed legacy_unicode Added support for Quick Play Removed the server & port commandline arguments as their functionality has been replaced by Quick Play Updates to telemetry Changed encoding of server.properties to UTF-8 Added validation for symbolic links in world saves Light Engine The light engine is responsible for calculating the brightness of each block in the world. Light is calculated during world generation as well as updated when a block is changed in the world. Behavior of the light engine has not been changed. The performance of calculating light has been improved Reduces one source of lag spikes when crossing chunk borders Improves FPS in situations when a lot of light updates occur Improves how quickly chunks can be generated Commands return The return command can be used to control execution flow inside functions and change their return value. Effects: Remaining separate top-level commands in the currently executing function (if any) are skipped The result value of the function command that triggered the function is changed from the number of commands executed to value The result value of the return command is also value Syntax: return Parameters: value: An integer return value data string data sources now accept negative boundaries, which are interpreted as index counted from the end of the string Display Entity Interpolation Changes Previous values are always discarded if interpolation_duration is 0 Made sure that render properties are applied at the same time (so block_state is applied at the same time as transformation, i.e. at the next tick after receiving an update) Display entities are not rendered until their initial data is received. That means display entities might not be shown on the first tick. Note: due to how the game handles updates, changes to entities made after summoning might be delivered to clients within a later tick Rendering Changes item_display items have been rotated 180 degrees around the Y axis to better match the transformation that is applied when rendering items on an Armor Stand head and in Item Frames For reference, the order of transformations applied to model (starting from innermost) is item_transform, rotate Y 180, transformation field, entity orientation (billboard option + Rotation field + Pos field) Structure post-processors Capped post-processor A capped post-processor has been added which can limit how many blocks a delegated post-processor randomly transform in a structure This can be used to configure a structure piece to have an exact amount of specific blocks, instead of using random distribution The capped post-processor has following required parameters: delegate A post-processor which performs the actual block transformation limit Maximum amount of blocks that the delegated post-processor can transform The blocks inside a structure are all randomly passed to the delegated post-processor until it has transformed the limited amount Either constant or random number generator sampled during post-processing Rule post-processor block entity configuration Previously a rule could specify an optional fixed output_nbt which would be added to the processed output block entity This field has now been changed to reference a block_entity_modifier Existing block_entity_modifier's are: passthrough Retains existing fields on the block entity This is the default if no block_entity_modifier is specified append_static Similar to previous output_nbt this provides fixed fields to add to the block entity A minor change is that this modifier appends configured fields to the processed block instead of replacing existing fields clear Removes any existing fields on the block entity append_loot Appends a loot table and seed to the block entity through required parameter: loot_table Referenced loot table to add to block entity as LootTable field Field LootTableSeed is also added to the block entity using random seeded by block position Loot Tables Random Sequences The game now uses named random sequences to deterministically produce loot for loot tables. Each random sequence produces a unique sequence based on the world seed and sequence ID, which means a loot table will produce the same results when ran with the same parameters in the same world. The ID of the random sequence to use for a loot table is specified in a new optional field called random_sequence. If no sequence name is given, loot is drawn using a non-deterministic random source. reference New function reference allows functions to call sub-functions (similar to reference condition). Fields: - name - location of function to call any_of/all_of Loot condition alternative has been renamed to any_of Added new loot condition all_of that passes only when all sub-conditions pass Has the same syntax as any_of Advancements New Triggers recipe_crafted Triggered when crafting a recipe Conditions: recipe_id - the resource location of the recipe crafted ingredients - an array of predicates for the item stacks used in the recipe A single item stack can only be used to fulfill one predicate Each predicate needs to be fulfilled to trigger the advancement. This allows for separation between recipes that have same identifier but use different ingredients. This field is optional. When not provided, or left empty, only the recipe_id will dictate the success of the trigger Changed Triggers All fields in placed_block, item_used_on_block and allay_drop_item_on_block have been collapsed into a single location field The new location is similar to the player field - it is a list of loot conditions/predicates All conditions in this list must match for a trigger to run Conditions are evaluated in a new loot context called advancement_location. It has access to: Player as this entity Position of the placed block Block state of the placed/interacted block Held/used item as "tool" Migration guide: Contents of old location field should be migrated to location_check condition Contents of item field should be migrated to match_tool condition Contents of block + state fields should be migrated to block_state_property condition Example (from make_a_sign_glow advancement): Before: { "conditions": { "item": { "items": [ "minecraft:glow_ink_sac" ] }, "location": { "block": { "tag": "minecraft:all_signs" } } }, "trigger": "minecraft:item_used_on_block" } After: { "conditions": { "location": [ { "condition": "minecraft:match_tool", "predicate": { "items": [ "minecraft:glow_ink_sac" ] } }, { "condition": "minecraft:location_check", "predicate": { "block": { "tag": "minecraft:all_signs" } } } ] }, "trigger": "minecraft:item_used_on_block" } Damage Types Players outside the world border are now hurt by the damage type outside_border instead of in_wall Forcibly removing an entity using the /kill command now uses damage type generic_kill instead of out_of_world Tags Block Tags Removed replaceable_plants since it was only used as a subset of the blocks for the tag above, and not as universally Added replaceable_by_trees to better express blocks that are replaced when the tree grows through them Added replaceable with all the blocks that can be replaced This tag only represents the internal state of the game, changing this tag does not make blocks replaceable Added sword_efficient to represent blocks that are broken 50% faster by a sword than normal Added maintains_farmland to represent which blocks will not cause farmland to be converted into dirt due to drying out when placed on top of it Added combination_step_sound_blocks that controls which blocks produce a combination of step sounds Added enchantment_power_provider to control which blocks increase the level of an Enchantment Table Added enchantment_power_transmitter to control which blocks are allowed between an Enchantment Table and a Bookshelf (or other Power Transmitter) Added vibration_resonators to control which blocks transmit vibration signals when placed next to Sculk Sensors Added trail_ruins_replaceable for blocks that Trail Ruins can replace when generating Added sniffer_diggable_block to control which blocks Sniffers can dig Added sniffer_egg_hatch_boost to that control on which blocks Sniffer Eggs hatch twice as fast Added ceiling_hanging_signs Added wall_hanging_signs Added all_hanging_signs Added stone_buttons block tag Added cherry_logs block tag Added bamboo_blocks block tag Item Tags Added villager_plantable_seeds to represent which kind of seeds Villagers can farm Added noteblock_top_instruments to control which blocks can be placed on top of Note Blocks without sneaking Added breaks_decorated_pots to control which tools can break Decorated Pots Added decorated_pot_ingredients Added decorated_pot_sherds Added sniffer_food Added trimmable_armor Added trim_materials Added trim_templates Added stone_buttons item tag Added cherry_logs item tag Added bamboo_blocks item tag Biome Tags Added has_structure/trail_ruins Game Events Removed piston_contract game event in favor of block_deactivate Removed piston_extend and dispense_fail game events in favor of block_activate Many game events have new vibration frequencies: 1: step, swim, flap 2: projectile_land, hit_ground, splash 3: item_interact_finish, projectile_shoot, instrument_play 4: entity_roar, entity_shake, elytra_glide 5: entity_dismount, equip 6: entity_mount, entity_interact, shear 7: entity_damage 8: drink, eat 9: container_close, block_close, block_deactivate, block_detach 10: container_open, block_open, block_activate, block_attach, prime_fuse, note_block_play 11: block_change 12: block_destroy, fluid_pickup 13: block_place, fluid_place 14: entity_place, lightning_strike, teleport 15: entity_die, explode Fonts New unihex Glyph Provider New glyph provider for reading Unifont HEX files HEX format describes font glyphs using a bitmap The height of every glyph is 16 pixels The width of glyph can be 8, 16, 24 or 32 pixels Every line is made of two hexadecimal numbers separated by : The first value describes a codepoint - it must have 4, 5 or 6 hex digits The second value describes the glyph as a stream of bits, line by line When rendering, empty columns on left and right side of glyphs are removed Custom glyph widths can be set with size_overrides This provider requires two fields: hex_file - path to ZIP archive containing one or more *.hex files (files in archive with different extensions are ignored) size_overrides - list of codepoint ranges that should have width different from auto-detected (based on empty space in glyph). Fields: from, to - start and end of codepoint range (inclusive) left, right - integers describing the position of the left-most and right-most columns of the glyph in range Any bits in columns outside of this range will be discarded New reference Glyph Provider New glyph provider that can be used to include providers from other fonts Providers are guaranteed to be loaded only once, no matter how many times they are included Provider has one field id, that describes another font to be included in the currently loaded one Inclusion is performed after all fonts are loaded, so it will include all providers for a given font defined in all datapacks Removed legacy_unicode Glyph Provider The legacy_unicode glyph provider has been removed This functionality has been replaced by the unihex provider Quick Play Added support for four new command line arguments that allow the game to be launched directly into a world quickPlayPath takes a specified path for logging (relative to the run directory) If a path is provided the following will be logged upon joining a world: type: is either singleplayer, multiplayer, or realms identifier: represents the world you want to join For singleplayer, the folder name of the world For multiplayer, the IP address of the server For realms, the Realms ID port: represents the server port and is only logged for multiplayer name: The name of the world gamemode: The gamemode of the world lastPlayedTime: The time you joined the world Example: --quickPlayPath "quickPlay/log.json" will resolve into .minecraft/quickPlay/log.json quickPlaySingleplayer, quickPlayMultiplayer and quickPlayRealms all take their respective identifier If one of these arguments is provided, the game will try to launch directly into the given world Examples: --quickPlaySingleplayer "New World" --quickPlayMultiplayer "localhost:25565" --quickPlayRealms "1234" Telemetry All Events Added new property: launcher_name This is set based on the minecraft.launcher.brand system property This will help us troubleshoot game launch related bugs more effectively, as we will be able to see whether the issue originated in the Minecraft launcher or a third-party program Updated Required Events world_loaded Added new property: realms_map_content When loading into a Realms Map Content world (Minigame), the world_loaded event will receive the name of that map This is to help us understand how Java Realms players interact with Java Realms adventure or minimap content New Optional Events advancement_made This event is triggered when a player completes an advancement, and allows us to see the advancement ID and the time when the advancement was completed This helps us as a studio understand player progress and limits, which informs our game design game_load_times This event is triggered when the game client is loaded Includes the time it took for the client to load This is so that we can work on improving and reducing the time it takes to load the game client server.properties File is now read in UTF-8 initially, with previous encoding (ISO 8859-1/Latin 1) as a fallback File is now written with UTF-8 encoding Symbolic Link Validation To improve safety, the game will now detect symbolic links used inside world directory. For a detailed explanation, check our help article. If the target of a symbolic link is not on the user-configured allow-list, the game will not proceed with loading the world Note: the world directory itself can still be linked The list of allowed symbolic link targets is stored in file allowed_symlinks.txt in the client or server top directory The file consists of entries (one per line) with following formats allowed: Lines starting with # are comments and are ignored [type]pattern, where type can be glob, regex or prefix prefix matches start of path with given pattern (so for /test paths /test, /test/ and /test/foo.txt would match) regex matches regular expression against whole path glob uses OS-specific path matching mechanism (for example *.txt would usually match files with txt extension) Note: paths will use OS-specific separators pattern, which uses default prefix type Fixed bugs in 1.20 Around 250 bugs were fixed in this release. View the list on the issue tracker. # Get the Release To install the Release, open up the Minecraft Launcher and click play! Make sure your Launcher is set to the “Latest Release” option. Cross-platform server jar: Minecraft server jar Report bugs here: Minecraft issue tracker! Want to give feedback? For any feedback and suggestions, head over to the dedicated Feedback site category. If you're feeling chatty, join us over at the official Minecraft Discord. submitted by /u/sliced_lime to r/Minecraft [link] [comments]

I am not The OOP, OOP is u/ThrowRA-onship-862 Husband [35m] demanded I [29f] stop cooking for friends Originally posted to r/relationship_advice TRIGGER WARNING: verbal abuse, emotional abuse and emotional manipulation Original Post Apr 3, 2023 My husband and I have been married for 3 months. He comes from a much more traditional background than I do. When we were dating, he swept me off my feet. We went out for dinners, lovely vacations, and he brought me numerous care packages. He works as an executive and makes good money. Last year I started a baked goods side hustle. it brings me soooo much joy!! I ended up becoming really busy, made more friends, and now I'm way more social. My husband has become angry that I cook and spend evenings with my girl friends. It's maybe 1-2 nights a week and I don't really see people much outside of that. He said I'm not a good wife and he feels used. When I said I was going to buy a car with my own money, he became even angrier. He refused to pay for groceries and said I need to contribute more $$$. So now with working, cooking lunch and dinner, it's become exhausting. How can I reason with my husband? I feel like I've grown a lot, and he's not happy. Tl;Dr husband angry when I'm away RELEVANT COMMENTS peakpenguins "He said I'm not a good wife and he feels used." I'd be interested in hearing him explain in detail how you're not being a good wife. By spending time with people who aren't him? Doing things that aren't for him? OOP replied He keeps telling that he's been unhappy, which is strange, because I've been really happy and bubbly. He says I'm not pulling my weight because I don't cook as much. He stopped buying food for us, so it's been more work to keep up . barnstablepearl Do you have another job? How much of your joint income do you have access to? You say he "refused to pay for groceries", which makes me worry about financial abuse. OOP replied I work part time as a model, and lately both industries have been busy. I don't have access to our joint income, we keep everything separate . RubyJuneRocket A supportive partner will never make you feel small or like you have to shrink yourself down for them, but that is exactly what that man is doing. It happens in Hollywood, the woman in the couple gets more famous or wins a major award and the husband starts feeling some kind of way. You are starting to shine and he is trying to dull you. You deserve to be a star. OOP replied Thank you. It's been so upsetting. I've started getting great contracts and suddenly he wants to move away, where the industry isn't as good. I'm so puzzled because I'm happier and I didn't think it would cause so many problems . MagicCarpet5846 The reality is, your husband wants a traditional wife. He wants a woman who’s sole existence is to serve him and his family. Your role is to cook for him, take care of him, bear and rear as many or as few kids as he desires and put up with whatever he wants. He makes a bunch of money and he feels as though that’s his right as not only a man, but a successful man. I get everyone on Reddit telling you not to tolerate it, and you shouldn’t, but you need to be hyper realistic about the situation you’re in. He isn’t going to change. There is no point in trying to convince him. If you try to change him, one of two (I guess three) things is going to happen, he will leave you, cheat on you, or become violent. He’s already become angry with you for beginning to challenge him, so do not doubt the possibility that he will become physical. You need to simply decide if your and his views on what a marriage should be are compatible, and they very well may not be. But if this isn’t what you want, you need to make plans to leave, not plans to stand up for him. Otherwise, you may be in physical danger, or at a minimum left in a situation with no plan. He may become vengeful in a divorce and do everything he can to take everything from you and leave you with even less than you came into the marriage with. I can’t impress upon you that the choices are either accept the marriage he wants, or do not say anything until you’re in a position to quickly and safely leave. OOP replied Thank you. I'm realizing it's worse than I thought. He's been acting strangely like booking vacations without telling me, threatening to have an "open marriage"... all because I haven't been cooking in the last month and "not putting any effort" into our marriage. I guess I didn't want to say it, but he has started yelling over things as well. We dated for 1.5 years and a lot of this stuff is out of character. I guess I'll quietly make a decision without him? Update May 23, 2023 Hi reddit, I first posted a few months ago, here: /r/relationship_advice/comments/12ax67e/husband_35m_demanded_i_29f_stop_cooking_for/ and... wow. I wasn't expecting such an outpouring of support and comments from all of you. I read all of your comments and kept coming back to the page. I wanted to update earlier, but I needed to give myself time. Things have been really messy and hectic and I had a hard time thinking anything through. I really tried to reason with my husband. I just couldn't get through to him. Any conversation would turn to him saying "you say you love me, but your actions don't match," or the silent treatment, or him suddenly saying I'm not bringing in enough money, etc etc I spent SO much time crying, curled into a ball, shaking from anxiety, that eventually I just... became numb. I finally decided to take a break and moved in with a friend of mine. It's been a month. It's hard and it sucks. My husband says that now he can "safely date other people," and that these other women are less demanding and treat him better. He keeps reminding me that I've put on a little weight and that he wants someone who is healthier. So for me, I've been focusing on work and spending time with my friends. I don't know what will happen with my husband or if he will ever come around. I know it's not exactly a perfect update, but this is where I am! Unfortunately I don't have my baking supplies but I'm hoping in the future I'll be more settled. Thanks again, reddit RELEVANT COMMENTS Leather_Opinion8154 So not only did he make you feel horrible, made you cry, fat shame you and try to manipulate you, he also is trying to to make you crawl back to him at his beck and call and make you jealous. These are his true colors Op. you’ve built something for yourself that you love to do outside of your relationship and made friends that he’s angry about that. He’s angry because YOU have accomplished something, he’s angry that YOU are happy and that you have friends. He can’t do anything. I still don’t understand what he meant by “you love me but your actions don’t match”, LIKE HOW?! What have you supposedly done that your actions of love don’t match when you say it? How did he feel used when you started your business and go out with friends? Well let me tell you, he didn’t. His is just mad at you because you’ve done something for yourself and you’re successful and happy and he’s jealous of that. He’s just trying to find things to start problems that don’t even need to be there. You deserve better than him and since you guys are separated he thinks he can cheat on you? You don’t need that from him. Also, you are a beautiful person inside and out. Don’t let his words about your body get to you. If he wants a skinny girl then by all means let him have a skinny girl. It’s ok if you’ve put on a little bit of weight, bigger girls are better. Tbh you really need to have a conversation with him on why he feels this way and resents you. If he still ignores you and doesn’t want to do anything to fix things with you, just divorce him. A man like that will NEVER come around. OOP replied His true colors are here. He isn't who he used to be. We went from such a happy dating life: he was so generous and always treated me for meals, and vacations, and he was emotionally available and always willing to listen. I didn't see the red flags because I thought it was because of his culture. He said "Oh, your financial background is very, very bad. My family won't accept you." - I believed him because I don't have a formal education. I blamed myself for being so anxious and needy, but when I healed my anxious-attachment style, I became a healthier and happier version of myself. Then the wheels really fell off. So basically, this is a very long response to say THANK you! I needed this thread. I come back to hear positive words like yours, telling me I'm worth more and still beautiful, even from the stress of over-eating. So thank you, thank you. THIS IS A REPOST SUB - I AM NOT THE OOP submitted by /u/Direct-Caterpillar77 to r/BestofRedditorUpdates [link] [comments]

This is a new update in an ongoing story that has been shared here previously. The new update will be marked with 🔴🔴🔴 Originally posted by u/hidinabottle in r/AmItheAsshole on Dec 10, '22, updated Dec 18, '22 and April 20, '23.   I'm removing the Spoiler formatting on this one. Mood Spoiler: This is a tough story, the update is positive   Trigger Warning:   child abuse, sexual abuse, child pornography charges   Original post Dec 10, '22   AITA for looking into professional babysitter for my child? I have a daughter who is roughly 1 year old. Her name is Allison. Her dad and I both work full time jobs, where I work between 35-40 hours a week and he works anywhere between 40-45 hours. We both work mornings. My friends Tom (23m) and Skylar (24f)had volunteered to watch Allison for us as Tom worked from home and Allison isn't known to cry very often. At first it was going great. Tom would have Allison in a separate and baby proofed room where she could play with her toys while he worked. Then Skylar would take over when she came home. We offered pay many times but they kept refusing. And Skylar would ask us to bring Allison over if it had been a while since we asked her to help with babysitting. Finally we agreed to them having Allison 3 days a week but the made us promise to stop offering to pay them. It was great for a while. It really worked out. But then Allison started coming home with rashes from stale diapers. She'd be extremely fussy and hungry by the time we got home. We would talk to Tom and Skylar about this and request they were more observant of her diapers at the very least. Her thrashing and screaminf because diaper ointment hurt broke my heart every time. Especially since I knew it was avoidable. They'd say yes, but after a while would go back. They have recently started lying to get out of our arraignment. Claiming to be out of town for the week, then Snapchat us them being at home with their birds. Claim they were sick but our mutual friends would still be hanging out. And claiming that they wouldn't be at home all week for work, when Tom works strictly from home. His job doesn't even have a main office. Without them knowing, we registered Allison with a professional daycare service. I drop her off in the morning and her dad picks her up. Word got to Skylar and Tom and now they're blowing up our phones calling us evil, shifty, and rude for not telling them they wouldn't have Allison anymore. And claiming I betrayed their trust by not talking to them about my concerns. AITA for finding a daycare for Allison?   When asked why they would offer to watch Allison for free: They had said it was because Allison was a joy to be around and that they had no problem doing a favor for their friends. They said accepting payment just felt wrong for something they volunteered and wanted to do. When asked about Allison being kept in a separate room all day: We were under the impression that Tom would be interacting with her semi-frequently. He told us that his job is extremely slow paced and in the 4 hours he would be working while looking after her, he would have a 1 hour lunch and a 15 minute break. Plus the ability to be with her until he heard a notification from his computer. More info in the comments: As for the visits, we haven't seen them in three weeks, so they haven't been around Allison. And I don't see that changing. I just have this sick feeling in my gut and I don't know if it's guilt or instinct. We had been talking about possible overnights once a week due to the late pickup and early dropoff times (6am to 8pm due to our work schedules and drives) and I'm just glad I had never agreed to it. My husband and I are going to be calling Allison's pediatrician tomorrow morning. I have this sick feeling and with every traumatic diaper change it gets worse. I'm praying that everyone's dark thoughts are wrong but I can't shake this feeling. Our pediatrician is available for an emergency appointment with us today, thankfully. We're in the waiting room now. If Allison's pediatrician wasn't available, we would've gone straight to an urgent care nearby. Verdict: Not The Asshole, but get your baby examined by a doctor.   UPDATE (undated, in an edit) I am not ready to go into too much detail yet, but we have been advised by Allison's pediatrician to launch an investigation against Tom and Skylar for what I thought was a diaper rash. It was apparently burns, which would explain how it appeared in the course of one day as badly as it had and why it didn't seem to be healing. Allison is not going into her daycare tomorrow. She will not be leaving my side. My boss is offering me the ability to stay home with her during the course of everything. If a further update is requested at a later time, I will. But I can't for right now. I don't have the mental capacity. Thank you, everyone, for assuring me I did the right thing and advising medical council. I feel like a horrible mom for not doing so sooner, but will put that aside for now to care for my daughter.   UPDATE Dec 18th I want to start by saying thank you so very much for everyone's kind words and advice. It's been an insane week since I had posted and I have no idea how it would be if I hadn't followed the advice of everybody here. As I had updated on the previous post, I followed the advice of the comments and took Allison to her pediatrician for an emergency appointment. I had thought it was a bad diaper rash she had come home with four weeks ago, and last week learned it was chemical burns. Following that update, both my pediatrician and all of you pushed for me to get the police involved. I didn't have to be asked twice. Tom and Skylar are being investigated by the police for what they did to Allison. I don't know a lot yet, but I was told that Tom and Skylar would in no way win the case. Tom was apparently unemployed the whole time and his "job" was maintaining a website he and Skylar made documenting what they were doing with Allison and two other children. The website has been taken down already, and the other parents are being investigated as well due to evidence of consent. A detective also informed me that Tom and Skylar had admitted guilt to their actions (I haven't been told what the actions were, but my husband knows and he has said that Tom and Skylar were lucky the police found them first). They have provided the items in which were used. I was told the burns likely came from a lubricant that Tom and Skylar used. I didn't ask why they had it, and I'm praying it was intended as a Desitin substitute. Probably naive of me. Allison is still home with me, and my husband and I are looking into a multitude of therapy options. We are also looking into moving back to where our families are. Or my brother moving in with us to help us ground ourselves to reality again. My MIL has already booked a hotel nearby and is with us every day to help us make sure Allison knows she is safe and loved. I wish she could talk and understand that we won't let anything happen to her again, but for now I will settle with holding her when she needs me, and rubbing her back when she goes to sleep. Life will not be the same moving forward for a while and I know that. I am just beyond thankful that I posted and everybody here was able to point out the red flags and concerns so that I could make the right choice for my daughter. I was blinded by 15 years of friendship and couldn't fathom that they had intentionally hurt my baby girl. I see that now and will forever carry that with me, as it was a failure on my part to protect my daughter. The rose colored glasses are off now. Thank you to everybody here for helping me and my family.   🔴🔴🔴   UPDATE: AITA for looking into professional babysitter for my child April 20, '23   It's been a long time since I've even thought of reddit, I'll admit. But I logged on today and saw a slew of messages from people. People asking how I was doing, how Allison was doing. It's a lot. I also had some notifications of reddit giving me numbers for a crisis line which shows that even some more silent people were concerned. I appreciate every single one of you all that messaged me. For everyone wondering, Allison is doing better. Her therapy (three visits a week for now) is working well for her. She looks forward to her therapist showing up and they get along very well. Because of her age they're doing play therapy. I'm not a doctor so it doesn't make sense to me, but my little girl is acting like herself again. Diaper changes are still a struggle, but our pediatrician is helping us try for an early potty training so that Allison doesn't have to re-experience her trauma. We're not successful yet on that but it's too soon to tell I think. My husband and I are going to therapy as well. A lot of guilt in not seeing the signs that our therapist claims is misplaced. I'm not 100% sold on that idea yet but again, therapy probably takes a while. I still feel like I shouldve known and that I failed my kiddo, but I'm working on it. Tom and Skylar have their sentencing next week. My lawyer is saying they'll likely be put away for a long time. That Allison will likely have graduated college before they're out. The longer they're put away and suffering for what they did to my daughter and those two other kids, the happier I am. We've already moved to a new city. We wanted to move out of state but Allison loves her therapist. So we moved as far as we could while still being able to have the same therapist come for Allison. Coincidentally, closer to where the therapist lives. So she doesn't have to drive as far. I don't think I'll update again. But I just wanted to let you all know we're going to be ok. Allison is already showing improvement, and my husband and I are working on it. A couple of people had said that I should've known better, or that I was awful for accepting my (ex) friends' offer in the first place. And I agree. But I'm not going to let it rule my life. What happened happened. I can't change that. I did fail my daughter there. But I've learned and will be making everything as good as I can for her. I don't think I'll be posting again, so I just wanted to say one more thing. Thank you to everyone here on Reddit. You were all helpful and encouraging. I am beyond thank ful for all the kind words and support I got here on Reddit.   Your reposter here. I wanted to add this comment from u/Erininium about a book on safety tips: I got a book about safety to read to my kids (all about don’t go anywhere with a stranger, your private parts are private, safe grown ups don’t ask you to keep secrets from your parents, etc) and it has a section of tips for parents. One of them covers behavior to watch out for that might indicate that another adult is a predator. And two of the signs are offering to watch your child for free, and trying to get alone time with your child. Alarm bells were ringing in my head from the beginning of the post! For any parents out there, the book is called “Super Duper Safety School: Safety Tips for Kids and Grown-Ups.” Well worth the $14 I paid as my 5yo can now recite all the “safety rules” by heart! another helpful link: https://themamabeareffect.org/red-flags-of-child-predators/ Im flairing this ongoing, just in case OOP decides to post again after the sentencing. Reminder! DO NOT COMMENT ON THE ORIGINAL POST OR MESSAGE THE OOP submitted by /u/KittenDealinMama to r/BestofRedditorUpdates [link] [comments]

I am not OOP. OOP is u/WideOpportunity5989. She posted in r/AmItheAsshole. Please remember the no brigading rule. Fun fact to cover up spoilers: u/tinglingoxbow requested the hummingbird moth. Hummingbird moths look very similar to their avian counterparts, and are only a 1-2 inches smaller. They are able to hover while collecting nectar because their tails open as a fan. Unlike hummingbirds, they are not drawn to the color red. Mood Spoiler: Bio sister for the win. Light reading. Original Post: January 30, 2023 My fiancé (36M) and I (34F) are getting married in 3 weeks and for the most part, planning has been simple and easy. We're having a small-ish wedding in a local hotel with 50 guests. Everything is being held on site. The ceremony, the dinner and the reception are all taking place in the one hotel. My fiancé and I decided early on that we wanted the reception to be child free. Children are welcome at the ceremony and the early dinner we're having but not for the party afterwards. I, myself, have a 10 year old son who will be there for the ceremony and meal but not the reception. The issue is with my fiancé's sister, Lisa (38F). She has a daughter, Chloe (11F) and has started insisting that Chloe be at the reception. Lisa is the only girl in a family of five children and due to this, she has rarely been told no, even into adulthood. My fiancé and I have been firm on the stance that no children would be allowed in the reception and she is fully aware of the onsite childcare (we have booked a separate room in the hotel especially for this purpose) however she is adamant that Chloe stay with her. If it was just me and my fiancé, it wouldn’t be too much of a big deal. We can handle her. However, she has begun hounding my future mother-in-law whom I get on with really well and has even begun messaging my mother on facebook to try and get them to convince the two of us to let Chloe be at the reception. This is not okay with me or with my fiancé. Neither one of our mothers are in the best of health and they don’t need the stress. She either doesn’t realise or doesn’t care that if we allow her daughter to attend the reception, we have to allow all the children to attend and we wanted to allow the parents to have a fun time in the evening. Even my son isn’t going to be at the reception. We don’t see them often however last Sunday, we were all at my future in laws for lunch and so the kids could see each other and she decided to bring it up. She decided it would be a good idea to try and corner me in the kitchen, to try and change my mind. Once again, I reiterated that there would be no children at the reception and well, this didn’t go down well. I swear, she was close to throwing a grown-up tantrum. I’ve never seen anything like it before. I just told her that the little ones in the other room were better behaved than she was and to grow the hell up and walked around her back to the others. Her tantrum didn’t stop. After this scene, my future mother-in-law asked if we would be willing to bend the rules we have for the reception for Lisa but the two of us were still firm on the “no”. Usually, I would just stick it out and not care and if she hadn’t started getting other family members involved but now that she has, its beginning to stress me out. I don’t think that we’re being unreasonable with our request for no children at the reception, but I don’t know if I can handle this for another three weeks. AITA for sticking to our child free reception rule? Relevant Comments: More about why she wants it child free but has child care: "I was also a single mum who had to miss a couple of weddings because of no child rules and not being able to find or afford childcare (my fiancé isn't my son's dad). It sucks but its understandable. That's why we arranged for onsite childcare. So parents and family who don't get to see each other often can catch up without having to keep one eye on a child all the time. I won't be giving in. Same rules for all children." "We made the decision for on site childcare because a lot of our guests, including family coming from all over the country, have young children and we want them to share our day. Its what made the most sense to us and it fit within our budget. All of the children will be causing chaos together and not at our reception." She's definitely going to cause issues over the next few weeks: "I am completely expecting the incidents to ramp up over the next couple of weeks. Thankfully I have my older sister coming in to help with last minute prep. She's a 4 ft 11 primary school teacher with 3 kids of her own so she's perfectly capable of putting her in her place." OOP is voted NTA Update Post: March 1, 2023 (A month later) Firstly, I want to thank everyone for their insights and advice and I've had a couple of requests for an update, so here it is. We got married last Saturday and everything went perfectly. Everyone and everything was where it was supposed to be, when it was supposed to be and if there were any issues, I didn't hear about it. My older sister arrived a week and a half before the wedding and she's like a miniature tornado when she gets going. She firmly told me not to worry about Lisa and that she would deal with her. I had no doubt about that. Lisa brought up Chloe coming to the reception once again the day after I posted and my husband (I love seeing that :) ) and I told her that if she tried to bring Chloe in, the both of them would be removed. We didn't hear anything more from Lisa following that instance. A few people wondered what Chloe thought about it and she told us that she thinks adults are boring and she'd rather spend time with her cousins and other kids. So there's that. When my older brothers turned up a few days before the wedding, all of them were laughing about how my sister was doing her "guard dog" routine with Lisa and wasn't letting her anywhere near either of us or our mothers. My sister is tiny, 4'11" and petite but a powerhouse behind it. It turned out that my sister was the one keeping her at bay and you can bet, she got a very large bottle of wine in thanks. For my husband and I, the day was as close to perfect as it could get. We only found out two days later that Lisa had tried to sneak Chloe into the reception and had been intercepted by all of my siblings (I have 6) well before reaching the hall and had been told that she could either send Chloe upstairs with the other kids or they could both leaving the event completely. Knowing it would make her look bad and she'd never hear the end of it from her family, Lisa sent Chloe upstairs and has been sulking since. There have been a few passive aggressive facebook posts which no one seems to care about but that's about it. So, no epic temper tantrum, no forceful removals of irate sisters, just some words from my terrifying sister and that was that. Everyone had a good time and when we went to check on them later, all the kids were passed out in positions that gave me aches and pains just from looking at them, so we know they had fun. I want to thank everyone again for their insight. It was very helpful and set me at ease that we wasn't in the wrong for sticking with our rule. submitted by /u/LucyAriaRose to r/BestofRedditorUpdates [link] [comments]

Originally posted by u/hidinabottle in r/AmItheAsshole on Dec 10, '22, updated in an edit. OOP posted a new update today, Dec 18th. You can find it below the 🔴🔴🔴's Difficult Content Warning Warning: Did you know newborn kittens can hiss? This is rare to see, though, so a lot of people think they're having breathing problems when they hear it. It's just their instincts kicking in to warn off trouble when they hear or smell something different. These hisses are, of course, properly intimidating (read: extremely adorable). Trigger Warning: . Questions of child abuse and sexual abuse Original post AITA for looking into professional babysitter for my child? I have a daughter who is roughly 1 year old. Her name is Allison. Her dad and I both work full time jobs, where I work between 35-40 hours a week and he works anywhere between 40-45 hours. We both work mornings. My friends Tom (23m) and Skylar (24f)had volunteered to watch Allison for us as Tom worked from home and Allison isn't known to cry very often. At first it was going great. Tom would have Allison in a separate and baby proofed room where she could play with her toys while he worked. Then Skylar would take over when she came home. We offered pay many times but they kept refusing. And Skylar would ask us to bring Allison over if it had been a while since we asked her to help with babysitting. Finally we agreed to them having Allison 3 days a week but the made us promise to stop offering to pay them. It was great for a while. It really worked out. But then Allison started coming home with rashes from stale diapers. She'd be extremely fussy and hungry by the time we got home. We would talk to Tom and Skylar about this and request they were more observant of her diapers at the very least. Her thrashing and screaminf because diaper ointment hurt broke my heart every time. Especially since I knew it was avoidable. They'd say yes, but after a while would go back. They have recently started lying to get out of our arraignment. Claiming to be out of town for the week, then Snapchat us them being at home with their birds. Claim they were sick but our mutual friends would still be hanging out. And claiming that they wouldn't be at home all week for work, when Tom works strictly from home. His job doesn't even have a main office. Without them knowing, we registered Allison with a professional daycare service. I drop her off in the morning and her dad picks her up. Word got to Skylar and Tom and now they're blowing up our phones calling us evil, shifty, and rude for not telling them they wouldn't have Allison anymore. And claiming I betrayed their trust by not talking to them about my concerns. AITA for finding a daycare for Allison? When asked why they would offer to watch Allison for free: They had said it was because Allison was a joy to be around and that they had no problem doing a favor for their friends. They said accepting payment just felt wrong for something they volunteered and wanted to do. When asked about Allison being kept in a separate room all day: We were under the impression that Tom would be interacting with her semi-frequently. He told us that his job is extremely slow paced and in the 4 hours he would be working while looking after her, he would have a 1 hour lunch and a 15 minute break. Plus the ability to be with her until he heard a notification from his computer. More info in the comments: As for the visits, we haven't seen them in three weeks, so they haven't been around Allison. And I don't see that changing. I just have this sick feeling in my gut and I don't know if it's guilt or instinct. We had been talking about possible overnights once a week due to the late pickup and early dropoff times (6am to 8pm due to our work schedules and drives) and I'm just glad I had never agreed to it. My husband and I are going to be calling Allison's pediatrician tomorrow morning. I have this sick feeling and with every traumatic diaper change it gets worse. I'm praying that everyone's dark thoughts are wrong but I can't shake this feeling. Our pediatrician is available for an emergency appointment with us today, thankfully. We're in the waiting room now. If Allison's pediatrician wasn't available, we would've gone straight to an urgent care nearby. Verdict: Not The Asshole, but get your baby examined by a doctor. UPDATE I am not ready to go into too much detail yet, but we have been advised by Allison's pediatrician to launch an investigation against Tom and Skylar for what I thought was a diaper rash. It was apparently burns, which would explain how it appeared in the course of one day as badly as it had and why it didn't seem to be healing. Allison is not going into her daycare tomorrow. She will not be leaving my side. My boss is offering me the ability to stay home with her during the course of everything. If a further update is requested at a later time, I will. But I can't for right now. I don't have the mental capacity. Thank you, everyone, for assuring me I did the right thing and advising medical council. I feel like a horrible mom for not doing so sooner, but will put that aside for now to care for my daughter. 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 NEW UPDATE Dec 18th Original Post I want to start by saying thank you so very much for everyone's kind words and advice. It's been an insane week since I had posted and I have no idea how it would be if I hadn't followed the advice of everybody here. As I had updated on the previous post, I followed the advice of the comments and took Allison to her pediatrician for an emergency appointment. I had thought it was a bad diaper rash she had come home with four weeks ago, and last week learned it was chemical burns. Following that update, both my pediatrician and all of you pushed for me to get the police involved. I didn't have to be asked twice. Tom and Skylar are being investigated by the police for what they did to Allison. I don't know a lot yet, but I was told that Tom and Skylar would in no way win the case. Tom was apparently unemployed the whole time and his "job" was maintaining a website he and Skylar made documenting what they were doing with Allison and two other children. The website has been taken down already, and the other parents are being investigated as well due to evidence of consent. A detective also informed me that Tom and Skylar had admitted guilt to their actions (I haven't been told what the actions were, but my husband knows and he has said that Tom and Skylar were lucky the police found them first). They have provided the items in which were used. I was told the burns likely came from a lubricant that Tom and Skylar used. I didn't ask why they had it, and I'm praying it was intended as a Desitin substitute. Probably naive of me. Allison is still home with me, and my husband and I are looking into a multitude of therapy options. We are also looking into moving back to where our families are. Or my brother moving in with us to help us ground ourselves to reality again. My MIL has already booked a hotel nearby and is with us every day to help us make sure Allison knows she is safe and loved. I wish she could talk and understand that we won't let anything happen to her again, but for now I will settle with holding her when she needs me, and rubbing her back when she goes to sleep. Life will not be the same moving forward for a while and I know that. I am just beyond thankful that I posted and everybody here was able to point out the red flags and concerns so that I could make the right choice for my daughter. I was blinded by 15 years of friendship and couldn't fathom that they had intentionally hurt my baby girl. I see that now and will forever carry that with me, as it was a failure on my part to protect my daughter. The rose colored glasses are off now. Thank you to everybody here for helping me and my family. Your reposter here. I wanted to add this comment from u/Erininium about a book on safety tips: I got a book about safety to read to my kids (all about don’t go anywhere with a stranger, your private parts are private, safe grown ups don’t ask you to keep secrets from your parents, etc) and it has a section of tips for parents. One of them covers behavior to watch out for that might indicate that another adult is a predator. And two of the signs are offering to watch your child for free, and trying to get alone time with your child. Alarm bells were ringing in my head from the beginning of the post! For any parents out there, the book is called “Super Duper Safety School: Safety Tips for Kids and Grown-Ups.” Well worth the $14 I paid as my 5yo can now recite all the “safety rules” by heart! Reminder! DO NOT COMMENT ON THE ORIGINAL POST OR MESSAGE THE OOP submitted by /u/KittenDealinMama to r/BestofRedditorUpdates [link] [comments]

Due to financial challenges I am currently broke right now. This coincided with my sister in law’s baby shower. It’s the first baby born to any of my siblings so it’s a big to do. I had money set aside but had to use it to cover some unexpected expenses that came up with my car. By the time I got things sorted and got around to the registry, the smaller items were gone and all that was left were the big ticket ones of 100+ dollars which honestly I can’t afford. But I can knit pretty well and have a yarn stash so in downtime between work, and general life I knitted up a baby blanket for my new niece. I did pick up some smaller items too, pacifiers, some of those little texture books and whatnot. I was working a double the night of the shower so I didn’t get to go so the weekend after I swung by my brother’s place and gave the blanket and small items to them. My sister in law was peeved and gave me back the blanket for being the ‘wrong color’. It was a deep navy blue yarn and I guess it’s a boys color, whatever. I was annoyed but one of my friend’s had a baby recently so I decided I’d give it to her. I left the smaller items and went home a little miffed but whatever. Few days pass and my brother calls and says my sister in law is asking what I’m planning to get them so they can start planning the nursery layout. I was just sorta like wtf and pointed out that I had already given them my gift and his wife gave it back. Won’t get into the whole convo but basically they said I went off the registry so they’re still expecting something from me since I’m the uncle. Most of the small big ticket items are now gone so I really honestly can’t afford anything left on the registry. I asked about the smaller items I gave them and my brother said his wife said those didn’t count, they asked for gifts off the registry, or I could make a blanket with the right colors. Told my brother that hell no I wasn’t making another blanket, between work it took me almost a month to make that blanket and I used up 90% of my infrequent downtime to make it. Mom says they’re right, I’m not supposed to give them something off the registry and as immediate family I should buy them something they asked for, dad’s stance is ‘why are you as a grown ass man knitting’ and sister in law is giving me the cold shoulder, brother is idek at this point. Says he’s sorry but asking me to give in just to make it go away. I don’t have any clue how any of this baby shower stuff works so AITA? submitted by /u/364goalsss to r/AmItheAsshole [link] [comments]

So I (f23) have social anxiety and do HORRIBLE in social situations. Like, I’m going to breakdown if I have to be near more than 25 ppl. My brother (26) got married last week to a woman (28) with a 4 year old daughter. He knows to well about my social anxiety and that there was a good chance I wouldn’t be able to go but he suggested I take my stuffed animal I’ve had since I was a baby. It’s a small blue bear. Usually I say no but I love my brother and we have no other family. I asked if he was sure and he said yes, that he wanted me there and if I needed a stuffed animal to be there it’s fine. The ceremony was great it was the reception. I went to the bathroom and asked my SIL to watch my stuffed animal because I didn’t want to get him dirty in the bathroom. I came back and SILS daughter was hugging my stuffed animals and playing with it. I went up to SIL and asked if I could get my stuffed animal back. She said No. That he daughter wanted to play with it and that i was a grown woman. I said I didn’t say her daughter could play with it and that her kid had plenty of things to do. She had a tablet, coloring books, even got some stuffed animals of her own! She again said no and took her daughter else where. I walked away to my brother and asked if he could get it back. He was furious. He confronted my SIL in front of everyone, took my stuffed animal back, much to SILS daughters dismay, and said she knew how I was and that if she pulled anything like this again he’d leave her. My brothers on my side but all of SILS family is on hers because ‘I’m an adult.’ I didn’t want him to make a scene. Just calmly ask for it back. If I am I’ll apologize but AITA? submitted by /u/WhichAd1414 to r/AmItheAsshole [link] [comments]

Was reminded of my gaming malicious compliance story by another post and thought I'd share. I play a color game to unwind. There's no scores or timing, just relaxation. It helps when I can't get to sleep or when my anxiety pokes it ugly little head out. When my fiancé and I were first dating, he once commented that it's not a real game bc there's no score. I said "Idc I like it, it's nice." Now we're both console gamers; but I've got to be in the mood for it. He did not know this at the beginning of our relationship. He powered up his ps4 and asked me to play him in a real game. I said I didn't really want to. He replies with "bc girls aren't really gamers? Or bc you don't know how to play a real game?" Cue malicious compliance. Starts up his Mortal Kombat X(10). At this point he doesn't know that I've been a gamer my whole life, it's one my favorite games and that I've got all the character moves memorized. I'm deciding between my fav (male characters Kenshi and Triborg) and he says "Oh no you should pick 'Sonya or Kitana' (easy female characters imho). Cue 2nd malicious compliance. I choose Sonya. I feel she's easy to learn (or maybe bc I've played her too many times); but she can be a force to be reckoned with if played correctly. I beat him so quickly round after round; each time I asked if he wants to switch characters; so he does after every round. I pick Kenshi and fiancé says "he's a really hard character." Yeah ok. I proceeded to still kick his butt. He didn't want to play anymore, he wanted to watch a movie. A few days later he came over to my apartment for the first time to stay the night, saw ALL of my games and my gaming set up. I have a significant amount of more games than him. His jaw dropped. I finally told him I'm an avid gamer and have been since I was a kid. That Mortal Kombat is one of my favorites. Sorry that I didn't disclose that; but he shouldn't assume girls can't game or that color games aren't real games just bc there's not a score, bc its helps me beat my anxiety and that's a win in my book. I guess he didn't take it too hard bc 5 yrs later we're engaged, he's basically adopted my son, we had a baby girl and bought a house together. We talk about it occasionally and laugh. He has mentioned it did impress him and kick his ego, but he now tries to leave gender out of an equation. Plus he doesn't bother me about my color game anymore. Edit; thank you everyone for the awards! I'm so glad it's made so many people happy that I shared this anecdote about me and my fiancé. Really love hearing about other gaming couples. It makes my heart happy! On a serious note; I'm aware some people think my fiancé is sexist, I can assure you he's really not. This is just one incident out of thousands of moments we've shared that I've not disclosed. I don't expect someone to be perfect all the time. I expect mistakes bc we're human. If he kept up with this behavior, then no I wouldn't have stayed with him; but he's put in effort, consistently showed and proved he cares, loves and respects me. He acknowledges his mistakes and works on himself for the better; with or without my help. He's a damn good role model for our children. If I'd had kicked him to the curb that night, I'd never have learned what an amazing man and father he is. Remember a true apology is changed behavior. No one can ever stay the same. A healthy relationship is growing from your partner and with your partner. You're supposed to learn and grown from each other. That's just apart of life. No one is ever supposed to stay the exact same their entire life. That's boring. We're supposed to adapt and change. Everyone should learn to fail or make mistakes bc that's where experience, empathy and different perspectives come from. Since so many people are asking about the color game this is the link to a yt review about it, idk how to link the actual game; it's called Happy Color App/Game I didn't realize so many people has as much trouble getting to sleep as I do; so here are some links to videos I also watch. Disclaimer; they are pimple popping/blackhead removal videos so they might not be your forte but they help lull me to sleep occasionally when I'm not in the mood to play Happy Color. Huong Tri Mun Dr. Pimple popper Sac Deep Spa For the other gaming couples; I recommend checking out these games. Dragons Crown RPG MULTIPLAYER Diablo 3 RPG MUTIPLAYER Second disclaimer; must have good communication skills for the following two; they have been known to cause arguments and apparently divorces. OverCooked Cuphead submitted by /u/jen_a_licious to r/MaliciousCompliance [link] [comments]

This story is from when I held a management position at an IT company which serviced small businesses. This event was during the company's third year, prior to it falling apart like a house of cards. As always the names have been changed to protect the innocent…and morons. Edit: TL;DR at the bottom COPYRIGHT NOTICE: I do not give permission to "Content Creators", "Journalists", and "Narrators" to use my stories for their videos (narration is not Fair Use) or their website. I will submit a DMCA Copyright Claim with no prior warning or notice given to you (and have done so in the past). If you can't be bothered to ask permission, I won't contact you prior to the DMCA claim. Bschott007's Tales from Call Centers: "B" Is For Bunny Ranch Dangerous Times with Electricity: A Debt Collector’s Tales Bschott007's Tales from Tech Support: HDMI Is For Alternating Currents The Motel Time Forgot Bschott007's Tales of Malicious Compliance: Fire me in the middle of a project, have me wipe my phone and computer? Good luck with that.... (this story) Little History and Background...OK, fine, a LOT of history and Background, but it all ties together: I had been with the company since a month after the owner opened the doors of the company. I accepted the job as his only PC Repair tech and Onsite repair tech, which was paying 1/4 less than I could have been hired for at any other IT company along with an offer of 10% non-voting share of the company. The owner knew some IT but wasn't able to do all the work, realized he would be office bound and need to do a lot of sales/account generation, so he hired me to do the work. Sure I could have been paid more elsewhere but here was the opportunity to get into the ground floor of a company and really have a say in molding the service side. I was in my early 30's so I thought it was a good career move. Yeah, I was being an idiot, chasing a dream. Whatever. Now, moneywise, the owner had started out the business with loans from his father-in-law who ran a bank, a few other investors and loans from the state he operated in. I worked my ass off and was his "Joseph" (i.e. I 'wore a coat of many colors' or 'I did many jobs'). I was the Network Engineer / PC Repair Tech / Mobile Device Repair Tech / Field Service Tech / Onsite & Remote Network Administrator / Office Equipment Repair Tech / Security Camera Installation Tech. I worked unpaid overtime, I worked at home when contacted directly from some of the clients, I worked weekends, I even did an hour of work while on my honeymoon. When the radio station the owner was advertising heavily with had one of their Saturday time slots open up as the host of that radio show retired, my boss convinced the radio station to let us have that hour to run a talk show based on technology if he would agree to spend at least $25,000 a year in advertising with them and guess who now had a to become a radio talk show host on Saturdays (unpaid)? I was determined to prove my worth repeatedly and make him aware how invaluable I was to the company. Anyway, we did well and we had grown as a company. From a three man crew (owner and myself doing IT work, a part time guy doing some paperwork/ordering parts) we had moved offices twice and expanded the second office into taking up nearly half the main building and a all of a secondary office building behind the main building. I was the head of the service department, which had grown to four other techs which I divided the work between (we now had two dedicated PC repair guys, dedicated network admin, and one onsite guys with me floating in between all of those jobs where needed). We had a small sales crew of 3, a receptionist/book keeper, and three guys who just did hotel wifi setup and security cameras. The owner had tried taking on various things to make the company profitable as quickly as possible with varied success. I saw the books regularly so I knew the PC repair and network administration was the most profitable part of the company, though we did have a few slow months here or there. Also, the Hotel WiFi (with captive portal) was taking off and soon they had three more guys just doing Hotel WiFi installations. A month or two prior to our story, a 'business manager' was hired by the investors, over the objection of the owner, to slim down the business to only the profitable work. Also, the owner had learned the local Xerox dealership was up for sale and he thought that was too good of a deal to pass up, and snatched it up without letting me know he was even thinking about it. Just boom Monday morning he announced we were the Xerox reps in the area. I was uncomfortable with the expansion knowing that Xerox wasn't popular in our area. Ours was a Ricoh, Savin, Lanier area for office equipment. The business manager and I butted heads a few times regarding the balance sheet of my department. He thought the business was overpaying the techs and myself (the techs already were being paid $3-$4 an hour less than what they could get elsewhere, and I was taking an $8/hour paycut, while giving all kinds of free overtime) that we were not generating enough new business opportunities (not our job, that's the sales reps job to drum up business), not selling clients on any new equipment (not our job, again), and he had un-realistic expectations of how long our tickets show take to complete. It was at this point when I knew, the end was near. The Story "You wonder why your work load is so enormous, because your boss just laid off three quarter of the whole office" - "Shove this Jay-Oh-Bee" by Canibus It was a normal Wednesday. The IT meeting we had, like every other morning, went fine. I divvied out our work assignments, learned where we were at with our current projects and set expectations for what should be done by the end of the day. Standard BS. Boss wasn't there like usual but it wasn't cause for concern. Everyone went about their jobs and I was in the field today. I'm on-site working with a law firm client's printer about noon, when I get a call from a Trucking Company client asking if we would have their new computers delivered today. They had purchased 10 new desktops and one of the guys in the office would be finishing installing the client-specific software on them, then the field tech would swing by the office, pick them up and then deliver / set them up. It was 15 minutes past the scheduled delivery time when they called. I assured the client, they were next on the list of the other field tech, once that tech was finished the the client they were currently at, they probably got hung up at the job. I didn't think anything of it. Sure my co-worker was a little late but he was reliable and hard working. If he was late, there was a reason. I tried calling his business cell but it ran with no answer. Odd but he could be in a bad location, might not hear his cell...whatever. I leave a message and text for him to call me and go about my day. I called the receptionist who said that my co-worker hadn't picked up the computers but they were stacked up and ready to go. I fix the printer issue at the lawfirm but the lawyer needs me back before the end of the day to help with some data transfer that he needs done for a court case. No problem, I did an impromptu ticket and note that in my phone, setting an alarm near the end of my work day to remind me. I had lunch and went off to my next client. I get onsite to another business and start fixing an issue they are having with their clothes embroidering machine (the heart of their business) when I get another call from the Trucking Company saying my co-worker still isn't there and it is nearly 1:30pm. I apologize, tell them I'll get someone to deliver them immediately and call my co-worker. Phone still is ring-no-answer. I call the client site he had been scheduled for, asking if my co-worker was around. I was told no, he said he was called back to the office and would return shortly. He hadn't completed the installation of anti-virus software on their computers yet and could they expect that done today? I direct called one of my PC repair techs in the office. His cell is ring, no answer and no one is picking up the shop phone. Neither of the repair guys are picking up WTF is going on? I called my boss, the owner, but before I could ask what is going on he tells me he needs me in the office, ASAP. I'm on a client site...their entire business is shut down until I can get this computer up and running and this is one of our longest and most steady clients. "Drop it and get back to the office." I arrive at the office, see none of my guys in the repair shop (lights are off back there) and walk into the owner's office asking him what is going on. Business Manager tells me that they are letting got the IT department. They have seen a slow down in IT work and decided that they were going to drop the IT department and go all in for Hotel Wifi/security and this Xerox dealership. They let go the entire IT Department and I was the final one they were letting go. I tried to make a case for why this was a terrible idea and tried to explain all the work we had open (not to mention the dozen or so personal computers in the shop for repair and three mobile phones) but the die was cast and I was out and they didn't want to hear anything I had to say. Fired. No severance. No apology. No "Thanks". Just a 'we don't need you anymore' indifference. "Workin' this job is a kick in the pants. Workin' this job is like a knife in the back. It ain't gettin' me further than the dump I live in. It ain't getting me further than the next paycheck" - "This Fucking Job" - by Drive-By Truckers OK. My blood was boiling as I feel like I had just been completely betrayed and blindsided. It was everything I could do to just keep my mouth shut... So the business manager and the owner follow me back to my office, where I box up all my things (owner has to confirm to the business manager that anything I was packing up, besides photos of my family, was really my property). This is where malicious compliance comes in. Now, per the Business Manager, before I could leave, I was to factory reset my phone before handing it in because he didn't want any apps on the phone that I could use to back door into it once I was gone, and he wanted me to start a hard drive wipe of my business issued laptop for the same reason. Yeah, he wants me to wipe my computer, without backing up anything, and factory reset my phone again without backing up anything. I tried to tell them this was a bad idea but I was told to just shut up and do it. When I tried to speak directly to the owner, I was again told wipe the computer and phone and leave the office. I suppress a grin and do what he asks. Without a word, start up DBAN (Darik's Boot and Nuke) on the laptop to wipe the main hard drive and the mirrored backup drive, I hand him the reset phone, move my boxed things to the front of the store and then load my car, walking out the door without so much as a handshake from the owner. "Take this job and shove it, I ain't workin' here no more...." I called all of my co-workers directly but only one of them is answering. He said all the guys thought I was part of them being fired and were pissed at me but when I said that I was just fired too he went from being angry to shocked. He called up the other guys so we all could met up for a beer and talk, all on my dime. So just after I get off the phone with him, I get a call from the business manager. I send it to voicemail. A few seconds later, I get the voicemail alert. He calls me again, and again I send it to voicemail. Owner calls me, and again, I send him to voicemail. I then turn off my phone. I met up with the guys and they are understandably pissed but when I explain I was blindsided too, then the anger is redirected towards the owner and the business manager. One of my ex-coworkers receives a call from the owner, which he picks up, listens to the owner and tells the owner that "I don't know. Go fuck your mother." then hangs up. Owner was asking if there was any way to get ahold of me, to which I tell the guys what the business manager had wanted me to do to the phone and laptop. Mouths drop open and everyone is now laughing their asses off. See, my laptop had all the user names and passwords, server IP addresses, and status for all the tickets for all of the clients. My phone also had all of that data and all the contact information that we didn't have in the client hard files. We did have some of that copied to the main server and our ticketing system, but they didn't know where the folder was on the main server (plainly labeled, btw) and they didn't know how to use the ticketing system beyond very basic stuff... and I wasn't going to tell them. When I turned my phone on later, I counted +30 calls (voicemails) from the owner and Business Manager, including one from the embroidery business and the lawyer who heard I was let go and asking me to just come, finish the work I started and they would pay me directly. The voicemails from the Business Manager and the Owner went from demanding to frustrated, to angry and threating legal action to pleading to offering me 6-months severance and all kinds of incentives. While looking, the owner called me again and I picked up. It was the owner and the business owner who accused me of sabotage of the business to which I pointed out that I tried three times to tell them not to wipe my computer or phone but they didn't want to hear it so I did what they asked, however, I knew most of the information they wanted but I no longer was employed by them so I had no obligation to give them that information, but I'd be willing to if they agreed to put it into writing that I would get 6-months severance and all my techs got 3-months severance direct deposited into our bank accounts by Friday along with all Paid Time Off and unused Vacation time. They pushed back and said 3 months for me and I'd get my PTO/Vacation payout with my normal paycheck. Told them have a great life, figure it out themselves and hung up. A minute or so later they call back and agree to terms: They agree to what I propose, but everyone would need to sign a non-compete. That we wouldn't try to open our own tech shops for two years and/or poach any businesses (they were getting out of the business IT/residential repair so that made no sense to me). They also would hire me and two of my co-workers back as consultants at market rate for two weeks, starting Monday, to complete open projects and properly shut down the shop. Turns out the law firm, trucking company and the embroidery company were all threatening to suit for breach of contract as well as having some pissed off people with personal phones and computers in for repair. So good to their word, we get our direct deposits in our accounts by the end of the next business day and I show them on the server where most of the data was, where it was in the ticketing system and tell them that the rest of it is lost and they will just need to contact clients as they needed it. Monday came and myself and my co-workers who were hired on as consultants finish the open projects, got our pay and left the company. You start to sweat and fret, it gets hot. How'd you get into this spot? You played yourself... Yo, Yo, You played yourself - "You Played Yourself" by Ice-T Aftermath So as you could guess, things went poorly for the company after that and it was a combination of incompetents and fraud. First, the owner wanted to have one of the sales guys take over the radio show (which he considers was his), but the radio station manager told him that no, the show was mine, I was the host and that was that. Besides, he owed the station a few thousand dollars in advertising. Yeah, seven years later and I still host that hour long radio show about technology on Saturdays. Second, about 6 month later, the owner hired a couple new people back and tried to restart the IT side of the business. It went as expected: a complete shit show. The reviews and business rating went completely down the drain and the investors grew angry with how the business was being run. Third, the owner moved the business downtown about a month after the mass firing happened. I heard the rent was nearly double what he had been paying before, but they thought he new location would drive more business and make the company seem more successful. Doesn't work that way, homie. It was there for maybe 9 months before moving to a tiny, tiny three room office in the industrial district. Third, the Xerox thing never made a dime for them. They lost a ton of money as they bought a number of business machines to show off in a showroom which received little to no traffic. I went back to see my former boss, the owner of the business, about a year after this incident. It was him, a sales person and a part-time IT guy working in an office designed for 2 people. He tried to hire me pretty much on the spot but I turned him down and wished him well. I followed up a year later and unsurprisingly, he was out of business. His creditors and some of the former business clients sued for ~$61,000 combined and he also ended up owing an outstanding loan of $284,000 to the State, who also shut down the company (revoked it's license) and ruled that the owner could never open another business in the state. EDIT: I forgot to mention, that the owner bounced me back and forth between hourly and salary (went hourly, then salary, then hourly then salary) and 10% non-voting share of the company? I never saw anything from that. Ever. TL;DR: Worked for a company from day 1. business manager brought in by the investors and fired entire IT department, no severance. I was pulled of a jobsite while in the middle of work. I was told to wipe my company computer and phone before turning them in, so I did. They had all the essential company data. Owner forced to pay severance to all fired people and hire back a few to prevent lawsuits by clients who had active service contracts. Business goes belly up later anyway. submitted by /u/bschott007 to r/MaliciousCompliance [link] [comments]

The first Caves & Cliffs snapshot is now entering Minecraft Java! We hope that you're as excited about this as we are. This snapshot brings you a variety of features, some changes to existing features, and some technical changes. All of it is listed in this post. Happy mining! This update can also be found on minecraft.net. If you find any bugs, please report them on the official Minecraft Issue Tracker. You can also leave feedback on the Feedback site. New Features in 20w45a Added bundles! Added candles! Added lava cauldrons! Added Copper! Added Amethyst! Added Lightning Rod! Added the Spyglass! Added Tinted Glass! A Shulker hitting a Shulker with a Shulker Bullet can make a new Shulker. Amethysts Amethyst Blocks Amethyst comes in block form inside the geodes in two ways: Block of Amethyst and Budding Amethyst All types of Amethyst blocks (clusters included) create beautiful sounds when you walk on them, break them, place them, or hit them with a projectile - go make some music! Amethyst Clusters Amethyst Clusters grow from Budding Amethyst, which can be found inside geodes Clusters have 4 growth stages: Small Amethyst Bud, Medium Amethyst Bud, Large Amethyst Bud, and Amethyst Cluster Clusters can only grow when they are placed on Budding Amethyst blocks Fully-grown Amethyst Clusters drop 4 Amethyst Shards (or more with Fortune) when an Iron Pickaxe or higher is used, and drop nothing otherwise when broken Clusters can be Silk Touched at any stage Amethyst Geodes These huge geodes can be found anywhere underground in the overworld Amethyst geodes have an outer layer of a new stone called Tuff Amethyst geodes have a second layer of another new block called Calcite Amethyst geodes have an inner layer of various Amethyst blocks Amethyst Shards Amethyst Clusters drop 4 Amethyst Shards (or more with Fortune) Budding Amethys On any side of a Budding Amethyst block where there is air, or a water source block, a Small Amethyst Bud will eventually grow Amethyst Buds can only grow when attached to Budding Amethyst, and will grow until they become Amethyst Clusters Bundles Bundles are items that hold other items. A bundle can hold a mixture of items, but only one stack’s worth. For example, a bundle could fit: 64 dirt 32 dirt + 32 stone 32 dirt + 8 ender pearls 1 of every color of wool, concrete, carpet and terracotta (64 blocks in total) Or 1 diamond helmet Use right click to put an item into a bundle. Right-click a bundle to empty it. Wrap a present in a bundle and give it to your friend! Candles Candles come in all 16 colors + 1 uncolored variant Up to 4 can be placed in one block Candles allow you to properly wish someone a happy birthday Waterloggable! (But you cannot light them underwater, silly) Wish anybody a happy birthday with a candle cake! Cauldrons Cauldrons can now be filled with buckets of lava! Filled lava cauldrons give off a redstone signal of strength 1 Copper Copper blocks Craft 9 copper ingots to a copper block Craft cut copper, cut copper stairs and cut copper slabs Use honeycomb to craft waxed copper blocks Copper ore Copper ore can be found in ore blobs across Overworld, similar to iron and coal (this is not the final generation for copper…) Smelt copper ore to get a copper ingot Lightning Rod The Lightning Rod is crafted from three copper ingots Keep your builds safe (well, as long as the closest area around the lightning rod is fire proof) during thunderstorms! The lightning rod will protect an area of 4 * 16 blocks around it from the, sometimes devastating, lightning strikes! Lightning rods give off a redstone signal when struck by lightning Oxidation Copper will oxidize over time There are for stages: copper, lightly weathered copper, semi-weathered copper and weathered copper It takes 50 - 82 Minecraft days (in loaded chunks) for a copper block to oxidize one stage Waxed copper blocks will not oxidize You can wax any oxidation stage - how lovely that means you can keep that pretty lightly weathered copper block in it’s lightly weathered stage forever! Spyglass You can use your spyglass to see faraway things Pretend to be a sea captain, or catch your neighbor in the act as they dye your sheep lime green The spyglass is crafted from two copper ingots and one amethyst shard Tinted Glass Tinted Glass is a type of glass that does not allow light to pass through Tinted Glass is crafted by putting a Glass block in the middle of 4 Amethyst Shards Tinted Glass can be obtained without silk touch; it does not shatter like normal glass Changes in 20w45a Experience orbs now sometimes merge when in large quantities to improve performance. This does not change the rate at which the player can absorb them, it simply limits the amount of separate orbs floating around in the world. Orbs that merge will gain the lifetime of the most recently created one. Simple firework rockets with 1 gunpowder can now be crafted using the recipe book Dirt paths (formerly grass path) can now be made by using a shovel on dirt, podzol, mycelium or course dirt (as well as grass) Minecarts and rails work in water Particles now appear when pistons break blocks Minecarts Minecarts and rails now work in water All rails can be waterlogged (works with a dispenser & water bucket too) Flowing water doesn’t break rails Minecarts can pass through water, but get slowed down more than usual Technical Changes in 20w45a Entities are now saved separately from terrain chunks. Added loot table function set_banner_pattern Pack format in version.json has been split into data and resource versions Servers can now require custom resource packs to be accepted Custom server resource packs A dedicated server can enforce custom resource packs by setting require-resource-pack in server.properties. When this option is used, players will be prompted for a response and will be disconnected if they decline the required pack. Entity storage Entities have been extracted from main (terrain) chunks and are now stored in separate entities directory (similar to POI storage). Those new files are still region files with NBT. Loot tables New functions set_banner_pattern Sets tags needed for banner patterns. Parameters: patterns - list of pattern objects: pattern - name of pattern (square_bottom_left, bricks, etc.) color - name of color (light_gray, etc.) append - if true, new elements will be appended to existing ones instead of replacing Fixed bugs in 20w45a MC-98219 - Experience orbs follow dead players MC-108469 - Chunk-wise entity lists often don't get updated correctly (Entities disappear) MC-112147 - Lava burning items or XP orbs sound muted when "Friendly Creatures" slider is turned off MC-127201 - /replaceitem makes quite an obnoxious sound, which is not heard by the person whose items are being replaced. MC-127692 - Experience build up in furnace when using a hopper which can cause severe lag MC-130449 - Cartographer villager freezes or crashes the game when unlocking explorer maps MC-130584 - When a structure loads, water sources in the structure spread into waterloggable blocks MC-133691 - Blocks can't be placed normally on a full cauldron MC-135552 - Dead Entities are saved to chunk MC-136497 - XP orbs causing severe lag MC-141034 - taiga_fisher_cottage_1 is filled with water MC-169900 - Incorrect jigsaw setting in snowy_small_house_8 MC-169945 - Skeletons don't burn in minecarts while being exposed to daylight MC-171852 - Putting item in a spectator's hand plays sound "Gear equips" for other players MC-174685 - Drowned arm texture is reversed by the model MC-175959 - One door is open in taiga_shepherds_house_1 MC-177622 - One log in taiga_butcher_shop_1 seems to be misrotated - causing the side roof to look asymmetrical MC-177624 - Entrance in snowy_medium_house_2 is asymmetrical MC-181889 - Equipping sound plays when mobs picking up non-armor items MC-185357 - Removing a plant from a flower pot still plays generic armor equipping sound/shows Gear equips in subtitles MC-185359 - Using a bucket in Survival mode still plays generic armor equipping sound/shows Gear equips in subtitles MC-185360 - Milking a mooshroom for stew still plays armor equip sound/shows Gear equips subtitle MC-189565 - Some entities do not render inside of spawners and producing error log spam in console, potentially causing lag MC-190896 - Lag when opening a shipwreck chest containing buried treasure map MC-192594 - plains_stable_1 misplaced blocks MC-192629 - plains_stable_2 misplaced blocks MC-192876 - Misplaced trapdoor on taiga_decoration_6 MC-192879 - Wall incorrectly placed on certain taiga houses MC-192930 - Zombies picking up items play the gear equipping sound and subtitle MC-193071 - Eating food items that return empty containers still play gear equipping sound MC-195125 - plains_animal_pen_1 misplaced block MC-195126 - plains_animal_pen_3 misplaced blocks MC-195351 - Comparator in compare mode can schedule unneeded tileticks MC-196542 - Small cleanup for skylight propagation code MC-197009 - Referencing empty item tag in recipe can crash client MC-197140 - Jack o'Lantern doesn't come after Carved Pumpkin in Creative Inventory MC-197179 - Baby piglins that pick up leather don't despawn, cluttering the Nether with unnecessary baby piglins MC-197524 - Border chunks do not enforce neighbors to be loaded, causing light updates to get stuck MC-198129 - ReplaceBlobsFeature changed from 1.16.1 to 1.16.2, affecting Basalt Delta generation MC-198414 - if the angle in /spawnpoint is set to +-infinity, and the player dies, it will kick the player, and upon rejoin will crash the game MC-198807 - Making piglins and piglin brutes angry at certain entities (like dropped items) crashes the game MC-202246 - Drowned navigation causes memory leak/performance degredation Get the Snapshot Snapshots are available for Minecraft Java Edition. To install the snapshot, open up the Minecraft Launcher and enable snapshots in the "Installations" tab. Testing versions can corrupt your world, please backup and/or run them in a different folder from your main worlds. Cross-platform server jar: Minecraft server jar submitted by /u/sliced_lime to r/Minecraft [link] [comments]

Someone in my friend group keyed me in on this lovely sub after they had a good laugh at some of my stories. Over the years I've grown to loathe people who treat retail employees like garbage, and I go out of my way to make a fool of them. So I'll share one story now! I worked for years in retail before switching careers. I went from dealing with people who asked for items based entirely on what the people in said item's commerical were wearing to teaching children. And this is one story that makes me think the children are by far the smarter breed. For a while I worked as a trainer for a very popular cellphone company. I would regularly visit Cellular carriers and do events for customers and train employees on relevant new features and items. So I was almost always dressed very well. The most dressed down I ever got was a polo, dress pants and dress shoes because I wanted to give a good and professional impression. However my style of dress came with the greatest Karen-bait known to man: A Silver Nametag. Beyond the hundreds of times I was mistaken for an employee while at the stores, this story takes place when I went grocery shopping after work one evening. That should be enough background, so on with the actual story! I had finished up later than usual and was browsing the groceries for the next couple days at a semi-supermarket who's logo is a bullseye. I had a cart with several frozen items my wife loves, some snacks for my son, some dog food for my dog and various other small things to carry me thru. I was browsing some spices, debating on if I had enough of a few kinds to make chilli, when I hear a faint noise behind me. I squeeze in a bit closer, trying to be sure I'm not blocking the aisle. No sense in being rude, right? A second or two go by and my spider-sense begins to tingle. And then, dear reader, I hear the dreaded sound that in the retail wilds is both terrifying and amusing (depending on how far away you're standing). "Ex-CUSE me?!" Ah. Yes. The mating call of the wild Karen. I turn around to see a specimen of at least forty years trying desperately to be mistaken for her own daughter in, what I can only assume, was a pair of yoga pants, furry boots, a shirt that was strategically unbuttoned and a huge pair of sunglasses acting as a solar panel for her 'Let me speak to your manager' haircut. My desperate plea for clemency in the form of her own ability to notice a mistake came immediately as I pushed my cart further away and swept my arm where I was standing, "Sorry. Didn't know I was blocking you." But, alas, this story would not have made it here if that was all she needed. No, Karen did not want to graze the spice rack. She had used her cosmic powers on me without my realizing, you see. Because now I was no longer shopping for dinner. I had been granted employment. And Karen was not pleased at my performance so far, "No. I need you to help me find (some food item I dont want to malign by naming)." I am a smartass by nature (you can tell) and my wife often jokes that I'm paid well to tell people where they can stick it and make them happy to hear it. But these skills are lost on the Wild Karen. So is the fact that the store uniform is khakis and a red shirt. While I am in a blue and white dress shirt, dress pants, and wearing a company logo jacket that doesn't remotely look like am employee's. I decide to assume she's perhaps dazzled in bright lights without her solar panel glasses guarding her beedy eyes, so I smile and politely say, "I'm sorry. I don't work here." Her eyes narrow, now looking like the shining black of a shark, and the games have now begun, "You're wearing a uniform, don't give me that (EXPLETIVE DELETED)! You can put up that garbage when you're done doing your job!" My eyebrow rises and in my head I hear the ringside bell. Ok, Karen. Game on. So in my best I-really-dont-hope-you're-run-over-by-a-stray-water-buffalo voice and smile I say, "What was it you needed help finding, ma'am?" I see the flinch. I said ma'am and she didn't like it. Dont show weakness now, we've only started. But in the same condescending tone she wails, "I need (item). Now show me to it." I nod and pushed my buggy along as I head to the rear of the store. She doesn't look pleased that I'm bringing the buggy, but if she says anything she does so under her breath and I know soon enough she'll have plenty to complain about. So I savor the moment where the only sound is the slap-slap of her boots ricocheting off the floor and on the heels of her feet inside. I walk several aisles. After a dozen she starts to huff and puff and I can hear the faintest grumbling about why it was "so hidden away" and "why did she have to walk so far" ect. Not directed at me, but I'm not deaf so I can hear her childish tantrums just fine. Thank God she cant see the evil smile on my face. Passing the last row of groceries, I hang a left. Passing seasonal, candies, luggage, travel ect. She's behind me in such a blurry huff of muttering anger, I dont know if shes questioning the marital status of my parents, the life choices that brought her here or both. But she's not happy and it sounds more and more like a car that wont start and less like a person talking to themself. As we reach the book section I wheel the cart right over and start down an aisle. Now the Karen is really angry, "Where the (deleted) are you going?! I'm looking for (item)! If you're too stupid to find it, then maybe I should be talking to your manager!" This is drawing a crowd from the nearby electronics section. My plan is working out better than I'd hoped. I stop in front of the small children's section and grab a thin copy of what's basically toddler's first spelling book. A few letters playing with a small child on the cover, and a title about learning the first few letters of the alphabet. Perfect. Walking back to the red-faced Karen, I offer the book. I dont say anything, I just extend my arm, showing her the cover. Like most people would she takes the offered book, looks at it, looks at me and basically growls, "What the (deleted) is this?! Are you (deleted) stupid?! Where is your manager? You're absolutely awful!" Her wailing has attracted at least two employees who seem to recognize the whiny wails of the retail-native Karen. One is on a small radio, calling who I assume is the manager while another is coming our way with that terror in their eyes that only an entitled middle aged woman with an attitude problem can cause. With a smile I gesture to the book in her hands and say in my absolute best customer service voice, "Actually ma'am, I thought since you cant tell the (deleted) difference between a customer and an employee, you must not be able to read. So I figure this book can help." Stunned. Silence. The poor hamster that was responsible for the complex operation of powering the Karen was working overtime. So when the employee finally makes it to us they're unaware of what I said, only that I was smiling in a customer service kind of way. Karen was still all mouth agape at what I said when they tried a polite greeting, "Hello. Is there something I can help with tonight?" Karen. Was. LIVID. She proceeded to throw the book at me (literally and figuratively) and start screaming. I dodged the book as her howls of rage wound up, "How DARE you talk to me that way?! I want this man's manager right now! He needs to be fired!" Oh no. She still didn't get the point. Maybe I should have started with an easier book? Dr Seuss? Maybe something on tape? She hasn't slowed down, is cussing like a rabid honey badger high on PcP, and somewhere in that string of expletives were words that vaguely made a caveman type sense. Short phrases mostly. The employee is trying desperately to put out the fire that is Karen, her face is so red I swear smoke is coming from that horrible dye job, and the distant employee on the walkie is obviously begging for a manager or a priest. I step back, away from any flailing pieces, and just wait politely. Taking a second to text my wife that I was held up, and to expect a good story when I got home. Her response, because she knows me, "What did you do now?" I love that woman. When the manager arrives (they must have been fresh out of priests) the woman is pulled to the side and he speaks to her, trying to calm her down. The employee standing near me looks at me and, with a bewildered look, asks "What happened?" Not wanting to spoil the punchline I just kind of make a face and softly said, "Didn't the haircut clue you in?" Big mistake. The employee chirps with laughter he quickly chokes off. I don't think he expected me to know the dorsal plumage of the Wild Karen. But Karen has heard the sound and went from slowly lowering to a shrill string of complaining, back to seething anger. Once again she all but frothed at the mouth. After another few minutes the manager gets her to step aside and comes over to talk to me. He begins asking all sorts of questions she obviously decided to embellish. "Why did you call her (deleted I actually didn't say)?" "Did you throw a book at her?" "Were you following her?" Things like that. Things that could be claimed with only the losest concept of reality. So, in a pleasant voice I explained how I was shopping and she demanded I show her where an item was and refused to accept I didn't work here. This caused the manager to frown as he looked at me. He saw how I was dressed and I think some light in his eyes actually died. Probably realizing he had to actually think worse of humanity than just five minutes ago and it took another piece of his soul with it. I've been there. So I smile and nod as I see him reason out that I was basically kidnapped to find something for this woman and all the tumblers in his mind seemed to fall into place. He must have seen this type of thing often enough to know what happened, or close enough. But I nod and say, "Since she can't read, and might be color blind, I got her a book on the alphabet instead. I figure if she knew how to read it would fix all her problems. She threw the book at me, cussed like a sailor, and wants you to fire me. Maybe I should have gotten something in crayon." The employee, standing nearby, is done for. He begins to laugh. Hysterically. Full belly laughs that send him retreating for a door to their backroom nearby. Even as he fades from sight, I can still hear the echoes of his laughter. The manager, a seasoned veteran of the retail wars it seems, manages to make his initial chuckle sound like a disapproving grumble at the retreating employee. But the way his face scrunched up, I know full well he found it at least reasonably funny. Karen is mad that the employee is laughing, having at least the sense to know she's the butt of the joke. Even if she didn't hear said joke. So score one for her situational awareness. So she starts over to us while the manager's poor soul begins to wither inside him. She's in full complain mode. Corporate this. I know (x person) that. It all sounds like the teacher from Peanuts if you've been in actual retail before. Turning with an admirably straight face, the manager holds up a hand and silences her through his weird Karen-Charming powers, "Ma'am-" again her eye twitches, "I'm going to have to ask that you stop harassing other shoppers and keep the volume down." A vein in her forehead begins to leap from the skin and do a little dance as she winds herself up for another tirade, "He was the one harassing me!" She almost reaches around him. Jabbing her 2.99 press ons at me like the predatory talons she wishes they were. The manager, not happy with basically having her almost trying to wrap herself around him to get to me, holds up his hands and in a very firm voice says, "Ma'am, you need to calm down. If you can't, then I'll have to ask you to leave." The blubbering, incoherent Karenisms that follow dont translate well to text. And if I had thought I could get away with it, I would have recorded it with my phone. As it was, she protested, swore, threatened and actually raked her arm down a shelf in a tantrum, knocking down almost everything as she screamed at the manager. And that's when I knew what was coming. She wasn't going to be asked to leave. Oh no. At this point she was about to become a captive audience. The manager called for someone in the clothing department and over walked two women who, God bless them, managed to wrangle the woman and begin escorting her to the front. The employee who'd walked away laughing came over and escorted me back to grocery and told me that she was going to be detained and barred from the store. He was in a good mood, except maybe having to clean up her tantrum. And we joked about the vast level of stupid we'd been graced to see. A few minutes later I checked out, and was walking to the door when two police walked in, rather annoyed looking. I left with a smile on my face. Moral of the story, kids? Never inflict yourself on random people and assume they have to put up with your BS. You never know when you'll meet the crocodile hunter of Karen's. submitted by /u/ComedianXMI to r/IDontWorkHereLady [link] [comments]

This theory has a lot of evidence and took a few Reddit posts to fit. For a cohesive page, you can view this Google Docs page, otherwise you can read below. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1j1ywvDj7H_Geoo0M-NThPf8BUuoGm8q2mC1_CDHOjys/edit?usp=sharing EDIT: This got way bigger than I expected. I'm in awe at the size of this post. Thank you! I simply don't have time to respond to everyone like I hoped, I'm sorry. Still, enjoy. I started a read-through of Harry Potter recently, and I was determined to pay close attention to Snape early on with interest to viewing his character through the lens of a double-agent. However, early on I noticed the strangest behavior coming from Hagrid instead which I had never noticed before. I started paying more attention to the actions, statements, and inconsistencies in Hagrid and realized almost every move taken somehow aided Voldemort. I read the entire series watching for anything to prove or disprove Hagrid being a Death Eater, and by far the majority of the evidence points toward Hagrid as a servant of the Dark Lord.Is this what J.K. Rowling intended? Almost certainly not! Is this theory given entirely seriously? Definitely not. I still find it to be intriguing given the amount of evidence which supports the conclusion that Hagrid is one of the top servants of Voldemort. In short, what I posit and will provide evidence for: Hagrid is a high ranking servant of Lord Voldemort. Hagrid is secretly much more talented of a liar than he lets on. Hagrid is secretly a much more talented wizard than he lets on. Hagrid has been performing deep cover tradecraft, espionage, source validation, sabotage, and spotting and assessing for Voldemort. Hagrid has been in the service of Lord Voldemort at least since the First Wizarding War, potentially since his time at Hogwarts. Scope of the Evidence I will lay out the evidence in chronological order as it is presented in the books, while referencing supporting pieces of evidence from the rest of the series. I am basing this theory entirely on what is textually presented within the original 7 Harry Potter books and not based on other material such as video games, movies, Cursed Child, Pottermore, or the word of J.K. Rowling outside of the text. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone Summary In the Sorcerer’s Stone, we see the following from Hagrid: Magical abilities Hagrid uses which are otherwise only known by high-level Death Eaters or extremely talented wizards and witches. Disregard to and participation in cruelty to Muggles, as well as a casual approach to Azkaban-level offenses. Subtle manipulations of Harry which put him into private contact with Voldemort on multiple occasions. Passing private information regarding security directly to Voldemort. The Evidence Hagrid’s immediate presence at the Potter residence indicates that he knows advanced fast-travel magic. When we first meet Hagrid he is delivering baby Harry to the Dursleys’ house. He rides in on Sirius’ motorcycle with the child for delivery, and mentions to Dumbledore and McGonagall how the Potter house was almost entirely destroyed “but I got him out before the Muggles started swarmin’ around.” We know from later books that Sirius gave Hagrid the motorcycle while at the Potter residence. Godric’s Hollow is located somewhere in the West Country portion of England, and we know that Hagrid lives at Hogwarts, somewhere in the Scottish Highlands. We also know that Hagrid is not allowed to use magic due to his expulsion from Hogwarts, which places his magical ability supposedly at the third year level. Hagrid had to be able to travel to Godric’s Hollow and arrive at the Potter residence before any emergency services arrived, beating their travel time in response to an explosion that blew out the entire side of a house. Hagrid arrived and took the child away, having run into only one other person, Sirius Black. Hagrid is too heavy to ride a broom or thestral, as he states in Book 7; Apparition is only taught in the fifth year and requires a Ministry-issued license. Portkeys need to be approved by the Ministry. Hagrid would not have learned any of this magic in his three years at Hogwarts. He does not have the flying motorcycle until he already arrives at Godric’s Hollow. The only two explanations are: he is using some sort of magic to travel quickly, or he already happened to be in the area of the attack on the Potter residence and was able to respond to the unexpected explosion immediately. Without means of fast travel, Hagrid would have needed to already be hanging around Godric’s Hollow, but why would he do this? There is no previous connection between Hagrid and Godric’s Hollow other than his having known James and Lily, and the attack from Voldemort on the Potter family was unexpected to the Order of the Phoenix. It’s much more likely that Hagrid has a means of fast travel, which indicates a much more advanced level of magic than we expect from him. Hagrid knew where to collect Harry, likely because Wormtail told him. How did Hagrid even know where to collect Harry? We know James and Lily were in hiding using the Fidelius Charm. This charm prevents any person except those told by the Secret Keeper (Wormtail) from knowing where the Potters were, nor could anyone but Wormtail tell someone else. The only people mentioned in the books who knew where the Potters were hiding were Wormtail, Dumbledore, Sirius, and Voldemort. In Book 7, Harry surmises the Fidelius Charm died with his parents; as he was not Secret Keeper, Dumbledore could not have told Hagrid where the house was until after Wormtail or the Potters died. Yet somehow Hagrid appeared at the residence within minutes after the attack. It is possible that Dumbledore tells Hagrid where to go immediately after the Potters are killed, but the necessary conclusion in that case is that Hagrid is capable of high-level magic, as well as creating the question of how Dumbledore knew of the Potters’ deaths. Given that Wormtail doesn’t die until Book 7, the much more straightforward conclusion is that Hagrid knew where to go in Book 1 is that Wormtail had let him in on the secret along with Voldemort. Hagrid knows about the function and effects of Horcruxes, and that Voldemort used them. Horcruxes are a very powerful type of magic known only to a few people in the books. Using a Horcrux, you can hide away part of your soul in another object, losing part of your humanity, in order to stave off death. The books’ first reference to Horcruxes is in Book 6… except for the reference made by Hagrid in the very first book. In one of his first conversations with Harry, Hagrid says that Voldemort did not actually die, commenting “Some say he died. Codswallop, in my opinion. Dunno if he had enough human left in him to die... Most of us reckon he’s still out there somewhere but lost his powers. Too weak to carry on.” Despite what Hagrid says, believing in Voldemort’s survival is a complete aberration to the attitude we see from the rest of the wizarding community. Hagrid’s comment also turns out to be both very specific and very accurate regarding Voldemort’s reality. The only other people we know were aware of Horcrux magic were Dumbledore and Slughorn, so it is meaningful that Hagrid makes specific references to their function and effect on the user. In Book 4, chapter The Death Eaters, Voldemort confirms some of the Death Eaters know about his Horcruxes: "I ask myself, but how could they have believed I would not rise again? They, who knew the steps I took, long ago, to guard myself against mortal death? They, who had seen proofs of the immensity of my power in the times when I was mightier than any wizard living?" The first person in the books who displays a belief in what Voldemort refers to is Hagrid. Hagrid growing a pig tail on Dudley demonstrates that Hagrid is one of the most powerful dark wizards we see in the entire series. We see Hagrid do two amazing things in his very first appearance: he uses a fairly powerful spell with a broken wand, and he uses it in retribution against the Muggle that is bothering him by hurting his Muggle son. This shows both Hagrid is more capable than he lets on, but also shows a blatant disregard for wizarding laws and the safety of Muggles. After Vernon calls Dumbledore a crackpot, Hagrid uses transfiguration on Dudley turning him into a part-pig, part-human. The transfiguration, against Dudley’s will, was severe enough it required surgery to remove his newly grown tail. Hagrid claims he made an error, and meant to turn him into a pig entirely, although we can’t be sure he is telling the truth. He performs this magic non-verbally while using a wand that was snapped in half. So how advanced of magic is this? Transfiguration is considered a challenging and exact magical discipline. Human transfiguration is considered extremely advanced, and is only taught at the N.E.W.T.-level. In the sixth year at Hogwarts, one of the spells McGonagall teaches is the transfiguration of the color of one’s eyebrows; this is shown to be extremely difficult for sixth years to perform, and only Hermione seems capable. How does a mostly untrained, third year level wizard with a broken wand, who is forbidden from even practicing magic, perform something that is only taught at N.E.W.T.-level, and something far more advanced than anything we see sixth years learn? He even performs the spell non-verbally, something so challenging that few wizards can do it at all. Non-verbally growing an entire pig's tail permanently on a human, with a broken wand, is more advanced than most magic we see in the entire series. The second major element in this scene is Hagrid using a powerful spell against a Muggle in a hostile manner. Magical law has many restrictions, and while this event takes place prior to Arthur Weasley’s Muggle Protection Act, there certainly were protections provided for Muggles in the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy. Hagrid not only shows a complete disregard for a person’s safety, but he loses his temper and does so with complete hostility. Afterwards, Hagrid makes no attempt to reverse the spell, and cheerfully goes on with his life while Dudley is forced to get surgery. Hagrid learned unaided flight from Voldemort. Unaided flight is a remarkably rare ability, as we see only two wizards in the entire series able to do it: Voldemort and Snape. Wizards require a mechanism to convey them through the air, usually a broomstick, although we see thestrals and enchanted vehicles used as well. Voldemort invents unaided flight and subsequently teaches it to his closest lieutenant, Snape. In Book 7, during The Sacking of Severus Snape, we see the following conversation after Snape flees out of a window without a broom: “‘No, he’s not dead,’ said McGonagall bitterly. ‘Unlike Dumbledore, he was still carrying a wand… and he seems to have learned a few tricks from his master.’ With a tingle of horror, Harry saw in the distance a huge, batlike shape flying through the darkness toward the perimeter wall.” We know Voldemort can teach people to fly unaided, and he teaches Snape how to do this. Why is this relevant to Hagrid? There is one circumstance in which Hagrid travels which cannot be explained by any other means. In Book 1, during Diagon Alley, Hagrid collects Harry on an island. The boat which the Dursleys and Harry used to reach the island is still docked there when Hagrid arrives. Harry is understandably confused: “‘How did you get here?’ Harry asked, looking around for another boat. ‘Flew,’ said Hagrid. ‘FLEW?’ ‘Yeah - but we’ll go back in this. Not s’pposed ter use magic now I’ve got yeh.” We know Hagrid flew to the island. He no longer has Sirius Black’s motorbike, and there is no other vehicle left on the island besides the boat. We also know that Hagrid did not fly a broom to the island. In the same chapter, Harry needs to pay the newspaper owl and he searches through the sleeping Hagrid’s coat. Harry digs through the pockets enough to comment on keys, slug pellets, balls of string, and teabags, but he never mentions a broom; something that would be far more notable. Another reason we know he didn’t take a broom is the same reason we know he didn’t take a thestral: in Book 7, during The Seven Potters, Hagrid says, “We’ll be on the bike, brooms an’ thestrals can’t take me weight, see.” So how did Hagrid fly to the island? There are no creatures on the island, a broomstick or thestral would not have supported his weight, and there are no enchanted vehicles on the island. There is only the one boat, which Hagrid uses to sail back with Harry, cruelly stranding the Dursleys on the island with no escape. The only other method of flying we know of is Voldemort’s means of unaided flight which he teaches to his closest followers: Snape and presumably Hagrid. Hagrid personally introduced Harry Potter to Lord Voldemort’s servant. The first place Hagrid takes Harry after collecting him is Diagon Alley. It just so happens to be timed exactly when Professor Quirrell, Voldemort’s servant, is there. While everyone is introducing themselves to Harry, the only person Hagrid specifically singles out and introduces is Quirrell. Once everyone else in the bar pushes Quirrell away, Hagrid ends the “unplanned” meet-and-greet and takes Harry away. Afterward, Hagrid specifically discusses Quirrell, out of all the people in the bar. While it may be a coincidence Quirrell happened to be at the Leaky Cauldron on this day, at this time, during Harry’s impromptu visit, it is more likely a coordinated effort between Hagrid and Voldemort in order for Voldemort’s servant to come meet with his target. Hagrid purchases a conspicuous and easily-surveilled owl for Harry. Right after Hagrid introduces an 11-year-old Harry Potter to Quirrell, he decides to leave Harry - a defenseless and naive child - alone in Diagon Alley, in order to return to the place where Voldemort is. Afterward, Hagrid continues to shop with Harry, deciding to buy Harry a birthday present in the form of an owl: “Tell yeh what, I’ll get yer animal. Not a toad, toads went outta fashion years ago, ye’d be laughed at - an’ I don’ like cats, they make me sneeze. I’ll get yer an owl. All the kids want owls, they’re dead useful, carry yer mail an’ everythin’.” Hagrid buys a beautiful, white snowy owl named Hedwig… certainly a creature which stands out, and which would be easily tracked and followed, as described in Book 4 in the chapter Beauxbatons and Durmstrang. Sirius, on the run, sends a letter stating, “Don’t use Hedwig, keep changing owls.” Ron questions this, and Hermione states: “Hedwig’ll attract too much attention… She stands out. A snowy owl that keeps returning to wherever he’s hiding… I mean, they’re not native birds, are they?” Hagrid, always looking out for Voldemort’s interest, specifically purchased Harry the most conspicuous owl we ever see, which would be easy to track and observe, which is all the more suspicious given that he did so right after returning to the last known whereabouts of Voldemort’s other servant. Hagrid personally delivers Harry Potter to Voldemort in the Forbidden Forest. In Book 1 Neville, Hermione, Draco, and Harry attend detention in the middle of the night with Hagrid. For some reason, Hagrid decides to take first years into the Forbidden Forest, where he is worried enough about the dangers he brings his crossbow. He then immediately splits the children into two groups to walk on two separate trails. In the end, two 11-year-old children are going down a trail in the middle of the night with a cowardly dog, alone in the Forbidden Forest on a path selected by Hagrid, during an excursion which Hagrid knew about ahead of time and had ample time to plan. This is a level of irresponsibility rarely seen even in the Harry Potter books. Harry and Draco walk directly into Voldemort’s path in the forest. Draco and Fang retreat, leaving Harry completely alone with Voldemort. If not for the timely and unexpected arrival of Firenze, Harry would have made the most welcoming and effortless target for someone who has wanted him dead for over a decade. All of this is easily explained because Hagrid is Voldemort’s servant, and as such had informed him early on about the plan for detention and which direction Harry would be headed. Hagrid constantly endangers Harry with illegal and dangerous activity. Hagrid acquires a dragon egg, then subsequently agrees to get rid of the dragon after it hatches. Hagrid does not provide basic safety information, training, or any sort of assistance for handling the dragon. A person who later shows sufficient knowledge to teach Care of Magical Creatures would know the dangers involved with dragons. When Norbert bites Ron, Hagrid doesn't urge medical care or even attempt basic first aid, resulting in Ron’s first near-death experience. He then persuades three unqualified and untrained first years to commit to an illegal smuggling operation after curfew on his behalf. If Hagrid was a Death Eater, this situation is a win-win. If the dragon injures or kills the children, Voldemort’s enemies are dead. If they are caught, their education is impacted and he knows they won't rat him out. If they succeed, he builds a trusting relationship with them which is based on illegal activity they can't share with other adults and, if needed, develops compromising material on them. The third ends up happening, and Hagrid is able to continue developing the relationship by gradually introducing more and more nefarious and dangerous activity throughout the rest of the series. Hagrid willingly provides sensitive security-related information to Voldemort, and fails to report it to his employer. Hagrid and Dumbledore are the only people we know of who were aware that the Sorcerer’s Stone was being kept in Vault 713 at Gringotts, in a highly-secure and secret location. It’s worth noting that the only other person who is aware of its location is Quirrell-Voldemort, and it’s much more likely that Hagrid told him where it was rather than Dumbledore. Once the Sorcerer's Stone arrives at Hogwarts, it is concealed behind a series of magical protections to safeguard it from Voldemort. Hagrid provided Fluffy, the three-headed dog and first line of defense. Hagrid may not have known the protections the other professors created, but he knew their identities, and he knew the location of the stone. We know for a fact he revealed the solution to his segment of the operation, and very likely the location and other professors’ identities to Voldemort. What Hagrid revealed was severe: he states himself that he offered up all information regarding Fluffy, in a game of cards where he won a dragon egg from a stranger. It is easy to accept that someone could get drunk and share information with a fellow enthusiast, accidentally relaying secret information in the process. It’s much harder to accept that someone as suspicious as Quirrell was getting the information out of a Hagrid who is so lucid and aware that he remembers specific details of this interaction months later with surprising clarity, but never once shared this interaction with any other professor or Dumbledore. It is far more likely that Hagrid wittingly shared secrets and kept this exchange to himself, having been fully complicit in revealing security-related information in exchange for a valuable and highly desired prize. The stranger was acting remarkably suspicious in Hagrid’s extremely detailed recollection, and Hagrid even remembers sharing private information with him. He can’t describe the stranger because he wouldn’t take his cloak off, and therefore Hagrid couldn’t see his face. Hagrid remembers discussing Hogwarts, his involvement with magical creatures, Fluffy specifically, and how to get past Fluffy. He relays all of this to the trio. Hagrid blames the drink, but has a remarkable recollection of the night. More likely he was witting in passing information to Quirrell. He is also aware of the seriousness of sharing privileged security information about the Sorcerer’s Stone to a stranger and says as much to the trio, but despite this he never reported the encounter to anyone else. Hagrid sends the trio alone to Voldemort. Without Hagrid, Harry would have never been involved in the security operation surrounding the Sorcerer’s Stone, and neither may ever been at risk. Hagrid first peaks Harry’s interest by bringing him to Gringotts on his top secret mission, but the details quickly dry up for the trio. At this point, Hagrid "lets slip" the three-headed dog is guarding something for Dumbledore, and that it involves Nicolas Flamel. This renews the trio’s interest, and gives them the leads they desperately needed. As their sole source of information, Hagrid is quite obviously providing them a trail of breadcrumbs. Later, Hagrid confirms to the trio the existence of the Sorcerer’s Stone at Hogwarts. Then Hagrid invites the trio to his hut, where he leaks information on everyone who has put a protection on the Stone, information he assuredly passed to Voldemort. Finally, on the night Dumbledore is gone and Voldemort gotten past all the defenses, having been informed ahead of time about Fluffy and likely the expertise of the other professors who contributed, Hagrid not only provides the final puzzle piece to the trio. Hagrid tells them that music will put Fluffy to sleep, but gives them a sense of urgency by telling them in great detail about the shady stranger in a bar. Hagrid provides just enough information for the trio to pursue the Stone themselves, but too late to get an authority figure to intervene, at a time when Dumbledore is conveniently gone. Even more dangerously, once the trio leave to secure the Stone, Hagrid does not stop them, pursue them, or even tell a single other person at school about the breach in security or the whereabouts of the kids. Hagrid simply does not take any obvious course of action any good or normal person would do under these circumstances. As a result of his actions, Voldemort knows precisely the location and security vulnerabilities of the Sorcerer’s Stone, and Harry has enough information to once again find himself in a room alone with a person who wants to kill him. Finally, Harry himself was one of the only ways Voldemort could bypass the Mirror of Erised, and Hagrid adroitly led him to the Stone on the exact night Voldemort needed him. The only question remains: Why didn't Hagrid just deliver the Stone to Voldemort himself? There are several reasons: the Stone would have only been a relatively temporary solution to a problem that could have been solved through other means. Also, Hagrid had specific instructions from Dumbledore. To renege on those instructions would not only have jeopardized Hagrid's valuable placement, it would have revealed to Dumbledore Voldemort’s return, a fact Voldemort went to extensive lengths to try and conceal in Book 4. Finally, Voldemort knew where the Stone was hidden, and despite what Hagrid says, the defenses at Gringotts seem stronger by far than those placed on the Stone at Hogwarts. Hagrid was instrumental in providing the Stone to a location at which Voldemort could both retrieve it and also kill Harry Potter at the same time. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Summary In the Chamber of Secrets, we see the following from Hagrid: Hagrid knows who Voldemort is, and has known him for years. Hagrid spends time in areas known for dark wizards and witches without explanation. The Evidence Hagrid is one of Voldemort’s oldest associates, and knows his true identity. The true identity of Voldemort is a mystery only known to a few people. Dumbledore himself says, “Very few people know that Lord Voldemort was once called Tom Riddle. I taught him myself, fifty years ago, at Hogwarts." Who else was around fifty years ago at Hogwarts who knew Tom Riddle aside from Dumbledore and Slughorn? Hagrid, who was on a first name basis with him. The same Hagrid who was a member of the original Order of the Phoenix dedicated to fighting Voldemort, and a confidant of Dumbledore. Hagrid is the longest known associate of Voldemort other than Dumbledore that we know of. Hagrid is certainly aware Voldemort is Tom Riddle, the boy he knew. In the Diagon Alley chapter of Book 1, he told Harry that Voldemort was a Slytherin, and confirmed he went to Hogwarts years and years ago, something nobody else but Dumbledore or Slughorn know, tying Voldemort to Riddle. Hagrid never again mentions knowing Tom Riddle, nor Voldemort. He never alludes to his history with Voldemort, which spans decades longer than anyone except Dumbledore. Who knows what kind of relationship could have developed that long ago and with no one else to confirm or deny? Hagrid Suspiciously Hangs Around Knockturn Alley In the chapter Flourish and Blotts of Book 2*,* Harry misuses Floo powder and finds himself in Knockturn Alley. It’s a dodgy place, filled with sketchy wizards, and is home for shops devoted to the dark arts. Molly Weasley is horrified upon hearing Harry was there. Who does Harry happen to run into there? Hagrid. Hagrid is supposedly in a sketchy alley with shops devoted to the dark arts and a sinister reputation in order to ostensibly buy gardening supplies for his cabbages - a mundane activity far from the dark arts and which should be available to him in Diagon Alley. Hagrid's true reason for being in such a place in never elaborated on or explained; we only have his word for it. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Summary In the Prisoner of Azkaban, we see the following from Hagrid: Hagrid has developed access and placement to all of Voldemort’s enemies and priority targets. Hagrid purposefully spreads misinformation and rumors which only serve to aid Voldemort. The Evidence Hagrid maintains unusual access to the powerful and influential, including Voldemort’s main targets. Hagrid works as the groundskeeper and Keeper of the Keys at Hogwarts. He is a school drop-out with minimal education, a controversial half-giant many people don’t want around their children, and an all-around gruff person working a blue collar job at a school. People constantly judge him and look down on him throughout the series, largely due to his brusque manner and social clumsiness. How then is Hagrid able to associate with some of the most rich, powerful, and influential people in the world in such a casual capacity? His access and placement as a source is astounding, and he very likely had to put in a lot of effort and outreach to obtain his position as an individual with access to so many powerful people. Hagrid strikingly and effortlessly maintains the following relationships: As a confidant of Dumbledore, Hagrid is given secret missions of the utmost importance. Hagrid has a friendly association with the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, and is on a first name basis with him. Hagrid is a longstanding member of the Order of the Phoenix. Out of all adults in the series, Hagrid maintains the closest relationship with Harry Potter and his friends. For a supposedly socially-clumsy blue collar groundskeeper, school dropout and half-giant, having these associations are downright incredible. And perhaps most importantly, they all happen to be targets of great interest to Voldemort. In Book 3, during the chapter The Marauder’s Map, a group of people go out for drinks together in Hogsmeade: Professors McGonagall and Flitwick, Minister Cornelius Fudge, and Hagrid. Two illustrious professors and heads of houses at the major wizarding academy ... and a groundskeeper. Hagrid and Fudge are already deep in conversation when the professors enter, and during the course of the evening Fudge shares secret investigative details regarding the Black investigation. Hagrid was also one of the early members of the Order of the Phoenix from the First Wizarding War, as well as the renewed group from the second. He was privy to their secret plans and operations. Finally, Hagrid is one of the closest people to Harry in the entire series, which he cultivates carefully through Harry’s years at Hogwarts. More on this in the section on the Half-Blood Prince. Hagrid’s penchant for rumor-mongering spreads divisiveness and aids Voldemort’s operations. Hagrid spreads information which is oftentimes private or has no reason to be discussed except that in doing so, he serves the purpose of turning good people against each other or sowing confusion. This is best exemplified by a conversation in The Marauder's Map of Book 3. McGonagall, Flitwick, Fudge, and Hagrid are all discussing private information surrounding Sirius Black. As the readers learn, Black is innocent and has always been opposed to Voldemort. The Death Eaters that know this, such as Bellatrix Lestrange, seem elated that Black is being blamed for murders he didn’t commit. Almost nothing aids Voldemort more than discord and distrust between members of the Order of the Phoenix and the wizarding community at large. In addition, the spread of misinformation leads to the Ministry’s wasted efforts, resources, fear mongering, and proliferation of Dementors in public spaces. In the scene, Rosmerta, the bartender, has already heard some private information about Black from Hagrid. This prompts McGonagall: “Did you tell the whole pub, Hagrid?” said Professor McGonagall exasperatedly. McGonagall’s exasperation implies this has happened before, and we know Hagrid has let slip secrets which served Voldemort before. The information Hagrid shares always seems laser targeted toward helping Voldemort, such as the details surrounding the Sorcerer’s Stone operation. The bar scene continues: Fudge reveals secrets about the Potters’ murder, including that Sirius was Secret Keeper, his confrontation with Wormtail, and his subsequent arrest. Fudge’s story is wrong, of course, but the Ministry's incorrect understanding paints Black as a traitor to the Potter family. All of this occurs under hushed tones, as the pub is “extremely crowded”. Despite the obvious private nature of the conversation, Hagrid takes the opportunity to let loose: "'Filthy, stinkin’ turncoat!' Hagrid said, so loudly that half the bar went quiet." He then proceeds to yell all of the private details, down to the exact names and sequence of events which paint Sirius as a traitorous mass murderer, even though McGonagall urges him to keep his voice down. Hagrid knows better than this; he shows a knack for keeping secrets and performing covert duties which we will talk about in Book 5. Given the information, location, source, and level of detail provided, Hagrid’s outburst in the pub can be nothing but intentional. It only serves to bolster Voldemort's agenda by sowing distrust, unnecessarily wasting Ministry resources, and taking the heat off of Voldemort himself.. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Summary In the Goblet of Fire, we see the following from Hagrid: Hagrid coordinated with Crouch Jr, disguised as Moody, to deliver Harry to Voldemort. Hagrid illegally and unethically cheated in the Triwizard Tournament. Hagrid saved Voldemort's wand. The Evidence Hagrid has an established relationship with Barty Crouch Jr. Mad-Eye Moody, secretly Barty Crouch Jr using Polyjuice Potion, is a Death Eater sent by Voldemort to ensure Harry wins the Triwizard Tournament. Moody is shown to be very aloof and unfriendly with just about anyone. In the chapter The Hungarian Horntail in Book 4, Hagrid is spotted in Hogsmeade sitting alone in a private conversation with him. Hagrid is crouched low and obviously trying not to be overheard, in stark contrast to his yells and lack of secrecy with the Minister in the previous book. There is no established relationship prior between Hagrid and Moody, or any reason they would go off to Hogsmeade for a private drink together, especially one in which they are conspiring. Once they get up to leave, Crouch-Moody spots Harry under the Invisibility Cloak; Hagrid soon after extends his secret invitation to Harry to preview the first task. This advance warning of the first task for Harry is obviously one of the things they discussed in their hushed, secretive conversation. Hagrid is the only adult we know to have a good one-on-one relationship with Crouch-Moody, who loops the supposedly honest Hagrid in on a plot to unethically cheat for Harry in the Triwizard Tournament. Given the lengths that Crouch is going to in order to conceal his identity, as well as the extreme sensitivity of the operation, it’s incredible that he trusts Hagrid as much as he does. The most likely explanation for this is that Hagrid actually knows Crouch-Moody, they have an established relationship, and the same goal: Get Harry to the Triwizard Cup, and thus to Voldemort. Hagrid cheats for Harry in the Triwizard Tournament, coordinating with Crouch to deliver Harry to Voldemort.. Without Hagrid, Harry never would have been able to win the Triwizard Tournament. Hagrid pressured Harry to compete, gave him insider information, conspired, and cheated on his behalf. Only two people knowingly cheated for and contributed to Harry's success: Crouch-Moody and Hagrid, who conspired together to do it. The end result is Harry being delivered into Voldemort’s trap, taking the Cup/Portkey to the graveyard and restoring Voldemort’s body. Hagrid contributed to Harry's success in the following ways: Hagrid planned with Crouch-Moody to unethically provide advance notice of tasks ahead of time (The Hungarian Horntail) Hagrid escorted Harry to the site of the first task in order to observe the dragons ahead of time and make preparations. Crouch conspired with Hagrid to concoct a plan and relay to Harry; further, Hagrid is aware of the illicit nature of the activity, as he told Harry to bring his Invisibility Cloak to avoid getting caught. Hagrid, the new Care for Magical Creatures Professor, assigned his students with raising Blast-Ended Skrewts. Harry even helped Hagrid outside of class with the biggest and fiestiest of them. Blast-Ended Skrewts were one of the maze challenges, which Harry was exceptionally prepared for over the other competitors, who were unfamiliar with them. Hagrid was undoubtedly involved in preparing the challenges, given his extensive experience of many of the Triwizard creatures. One challenge, giant spiders (presumably Acromantulas), Hagrid knows for a fact Harry has dealt with successfully in the past. Indeed, Hagrid was the very person who had introduced Harry to the Acromantulas two years prior in Book 2. Between Crouch-Moody and Hagrid, the only parts of the tournament Harry did not have an unfair advantage on were the Sphinx and the limbo mist. All of Hagrid’s careful preparation served to deliver Harry to Voldemort on a silver platter. Hagrid dutifully kept Voldemort’s wand safe for 13 years. Voldemort’s wand, which Ollivander sold him when he was 11, is a yew wand with a Phoenix core feather, and twin to Harry Potter's wand. This is the wand he took to the Potter residence to kill Lily and James. Later, we see Voldemort has this wand in his graveyard duel with Harry Potter where the cores connect in Book 4 (The Death Eaters). We also see him reference using it in his conversation with Snape in Book 7. In the chapter The Elder Wand, Voldemort says, **"**My wand of yew did everything of which I asked it, Severus, except to kill Harry Potter. Twice it failed." After 13 years of hiding, how did Voldemort get his wand back? In a world where a third year who is expelled has their wand snapped in half, I would guess the darkest wizard of all time should have it destroyed as well. But instead, Voldemort’s wand was already in the robes provided to him when he got his body back in Book 4. Priori Incantatem demonstrates that his last spell from this wand were the curses cast in the Potter residence, as well as the recent activity in preparation for the tournament, meaning nobody else used it from his disappearance to his resurrection. There were only a few people present immediately after the Potter murders who could have taken Voldemort’s wand: Hagrid arrived first, and collected Harry to deliver to Dumbledore and the Dursleys. Sirius arrived second. Hagrid references to Dumbledore in the first chapter of Book 1 that he arrived before the place was swarming with Muggles. We know Sirius gave his motorbike to Hagrid at this point, and left in pursuit of Wormtail, whom he found a short time later; Sirius was immediately arrested. This means that if Sirius took the wand, it would have ended up in the Ministry's hands. Sirius never mentions the wand, which would be a fairly huge plot point to omit to Harry and the Order later on. If the wand was left at the residence, the Ministry would have acquired it when they searched the house, and especially to keep Muggles from taking it. This leaves Hagrid as the only possible person to have collected Voldemort's wand as Hagrid. Nobody else made it to the scene before the Muggles and the Ministry but those two. If Sirius, the Muggles, or the Ministry collected the wand, it would not have ended up in his robes at the graveyard - it would have been snapped in half. A Death Eater had to have obtained the wand prior to its confiscation and likely destruction, and Hagrid is the only available option. (Part 1 of 5, but the posts below are shorter. See posts). submitted by /u/Whoofph to r/FanTheories [link] [comments]

Hi, I'm Stacey Abrams. I'm a tax attorney by trade, a serial entrepreneur, an award-winning author, and the former Democratic Minority Leader in the Georgia House. I am running for governor to build a Georgia where every family has the freedom and opportunity to thrive. If voters put their faith in me, I will be the first Black woman governor in U.S. history. I like to say I'm Mississippi-raised but Georgia grown. I grew up in a big family (3 sisters, 2 brothers), and we moved to Georgia when both of my parents were called to ministry. I'm a proud alumna of Avondale High School in Dekalb, Spelman College, UT Austin, and Yale Law School. I believe that poverty is immoral and economically inefficient, and I believe we can use policy to end it. That's why I first ran for public office in 2006, and why I founded an organization to combat voter suppression and help eligible people of color register to vote in Georgia. As the first woman to lead either party in the General Assembly and the first Black person to lead in the House, I worked to elect Democrats and prevent a Republican supermajority. I also stopped legislation to raise taxes on the poor and middle class and to roll back reproductive health care, and worked across the aisle to save the HOPE scholarship. I will continue that work as governor: Expand Medicaid for 500,000 Georgians, support educational opportunities for every Georgian, and support small businesses to build a thriving economy in all 159 counties. Under the pen name Selena Montgomery, I've written 8 romantic suspense novels and (shameless plug) released my first non-fiction book (Minority Leader: How To Lead From the Outside and Make Real Change) earlier this year. I'll admit: I'm a pop culture junkie. I watch a lot of TV (right now: Supernatural, The Good Place, Living Single reruns, Leverage), I'm a big fan of Buffy and Star Trek (especially Voyager and TNG), and I'm a voracious reader (Colson Whitehead, Haruki Murakami, Nora Roberts, tax policy, and more). I’m excited to answer your questions, and I’ll be around for about an hour starting at 3:20 PM. Ask me anything! PROOF: https://i.redd.it/2h5bg31a9sr11.jpg My website: staceyabrams.com submitted by /u/staceyabrams to r/politics [link] [comments]

submitted by /u/irish1983 to r/todayilearned [link] [comments]