Graduating class saying

Before you say ridiculous, here's some Australia specific Rugby problems:

• Massive competition between sports codes - Rugby in Australia is absolutely eclipsed by the NRL and AFL, My gut feeling says that Aussies prefer to watch a sport they don't get annihilated in week on week, and they actually like to see their teams win but there is another reason: there is actually a tribal culture around NRL and AFL teams. People LOVE the rivalry and camaraderie of footy club culture in Australia and Super Rugby teams playing in empty cavernous stadiums just don't have that. Conversely, half of the Shute shield teams now have more enaged fans than the Tahs, Force or Rebels. I've never seen someone with a NSW Waratahs tattoo, I have at least 3 mates in Sydney with a Rabbitohs tattoo on their ass. It's a different level of passion.
• No Development Pathways - whether you blame it on rugby league or the Randwick Rugby Club nepo babies, there are only 150 Professional Rugby contracts available in Australia. Most of those contracts are taken up by established professionals, and since 3rd tier Rugby Like Shute Shield pays in popcorn and free skydiving tickets young talented rugby players graduating out of school get no benefit out of the Rugby development system. Compare that to the 500+ NRL contracts, plus the development NRL contracts that have a minimum wage of 80K a year, no wonder the talent leaks away from rugby.
• Representative based system, rather than clubs - Australian Super Rugby teams aren't really clubs, They're rep footy sides run by the governing body(excepting whatever is happening at Western Force). From a sports administration point of view this really muddies the waters of how the organisation can operate, appoint board members, CEO's etc(Australian laws around sports clubs also allow for clubs to run their own venue like a pub for members, generating consistent revenue streams, which the SR teams do not qualify for).

Where am I going with this?
In Short, A 10-12 team domestic competition modelled on English & french domestic comps. 2 Pacific Island Teams, Brumbies, 3 NSW teams, 3 QLD teams, Western Force and Melbourne Rebels. There would be growing pains, the initial quality would not be the same as Super Rugby and it would take time to build fan bases, BUT:
You address all 3 of these points. The new teams would be able to capitalise on localised fanbase rather than a fairly nebulous state team, teams could play at mid sized local stadiums and create an atmosphere like the Tahs experienced at Leichhardt oval in 2021(I have never seen such a raucous turnout for Rugby Union as those games in Balmain). You would have twice as many professional contracts available to incentivise young talent to give pro Rugby a crack. The new clubs would have much more self determination and freedom to operate as a business. tick, tick, tick.
Problems:
Initial broadcast revenue would not be equivalent to the Super Rugby revenue. Contracts will not be as lucrative as the current ones available. Inevitably plenty of star talent will be lost to overseas franchises in the startup phase. Andrew Forrest(owner of the Western Force) was ready to create 'Global Rapid Rugby' and bankroll a breakaway comp back in 2018-19, only concluded by the Force being allowed back in to SR during covid in 2020.
I don't think NZ would be keen on this model in their domestic comp bc with a population of 5 Million it's a real push to support more professional teams than they already do. Their depth of talent is obviously insane but can that many fans support a professional league? Maybe with the obsessive rugby culture they have it could.
The BONUS
Ever heard of the European Champions Cup? Welcome to the Pacific Champions Cup. This is where the broadcast cash gets interesting: the top 2 teams from the Australian, New Zealand and Japanese Domestic Rugby competitions duke it out exactly the way that the European rugby sides do. This idea really gets my tail up and adds an international club element that the other codes in Australia really lack.
As imposing as creating a new comp from scratch is, Super Rugby is dying a slow, public death. I'm interested to hear everyone else's solutions to the demise of Super Rugby pacific.

Hey there!
I wanted to obtain some advice on how I may approach my Masters in Data Science Application at a few universities in Germany. Just to share my educational background, I graduated with a First Class Honours degree in Data Analytics from a Malaysian University, in partnership with a UK University, and thus hold dual certificates.
Prior to my Bachelor's degree, I completed a two-year Diploma in IT, graduating with distinction. This achievement allowed me to directly enter the second year of my Bachelor's program. This was because the curriculum of my Diploma covered the Computer Science/IT modules typically included in the first year of a Bachelor's degree.
So in summary:
Diploma in IT : March 2018 -March 2020
Bachelors Degree: March 2020-July 2022
I would like to get some advice on how I may approach my Masters application. I have so far applied to the University of Potsdam, Freie Universitat Berlin, University of Heidelberg and University of Hildersheim. As part of my applications, I have submitted both my Bachelors Degree and Diploma credentials.
Since my educational pathway is rather unconventional and uncommon, I was thinking if I should drop the university admissions an email clarifying this matter.
I am concerned that my unconvential educational pathway would work to my disadvantage when it come to accessing my application. I am fervently interested in pursuing my Masters in Germany and would want to ensure that my application is properly submitted.
Would appreciate any and all feedback! Thank you very much and wishing you a blessed weekend.

Here are the texts she sent:
No I'm saying you don't realize how much heartache and disappointment you're headed towards bc you're chasing a false narrative what of whatever you've been watching or fed online. Sorry I love you both, but yall are focusing on something that is going to screw up your success at UT. I cannot go into deep debt, debt I will never get out of if yall aren't successful and can be employable.
You dont see that ahead because again yohre young and have no life exoerience. You just don't understand. But I'll be here to dry your tears when you turn your Iives upside down and screw up your bodies, cause your own mental anguish x10 because you focused on something thats going to take your life in different trajectory and the point of going to UT was to be success in your education. Bc if you're just going there to be a transvestite, you will fail, you will not get recommendations from your professors who are the keyholders to your success. You won't even be able to graduate without your internships. So i don't think you're thinking about how miserable you're about to make yourself and me and dad due to the incredible debt we are signing up for in hopes of YOUR success bc we don't have the money to pay that.
OK maybe we need to hold off on UT until yall figure out what yall want to do. That's not going to workout and we can't be worrying about the debt bc you twohave not done your part signing up for scholarships. YOU COULD HAVE GOTTEN A FULL RIDE IF YOU HAD MANNED UP AND COME OUT AS GAY. But yall haven't done anything, you won't read anything, you won't even look at UTs website to see all the things you need to know about being at school there. You won't look at housing. You won't do any of that. So I'm starting to think you really aren't interested in UT as much as you thought you were or said you were.
Dms open if you'd rather help there. Thx ❤️

I am not The OOP, OOP is u/ThrowRA_wafflehouse
My (29F) Boyfriend (29M) keeps getting into fights with a cook at Waffle House
Originally posted to relationship_advice
Original Post May 11, 2020
I know this sounds really weird, but here it is:
My BF and I have been together for three years. We met and started dating when we were both in graduate school, but I dropped out to go back to college to pursue a different career. We are both finished now, and live together making a fairly nice combined income.
Our income is relevant because we could afford to eat somewhere nice when we're out and about, but he always wants breakfast food. When he was a child his dad couldn't stand eating breakfast-type food in the afternoon or evenings, so his mom would make him waffles/pancakes, eggs, and bacon in the evening whenever his dad was busy or out of town. It's a wonderful and safe memory for him, and when he goes to his "happy place," he says that's where he always goes.
My BF is an incredibly nice and caring person. He's emotionally tuned in to everyone and recognizes arising issues a long time before they occur. He loves animals, and is kind and gentle with every bug, bird, and pet that he comes across. He's almost always willing to turn the other cheek in social situations where somebody tries to insult him or get aggressive towards him, and usually winds up defusing the situation and having a productive discussion about whatever the issue was. Except at Waffle House.
Anytime we're out he wants to go to the same goddamn Waffle House and get breakfast food. I'm not a big eater, so I used to not really care. I would just drink coffee and read my book while he enjoyed his food. But that became impossible once he and this one cook started chirping at each other every time we went there. BF complained about his eggs one time, because he likes them a little runny and they were served hard. The cook responded by giving him scrambled eggs. When he brought it up again the cook served him two hardboiled eggs. I think it was just part of the cook's schtick, and it was kind of funny tbh, but my BF wasn't able to laugh it off. When we left he was in kind of a bad mood, but we didn't really talk about it.
The next week we were out getting some shopping done, and he wanted to go to Waffle House again. I suggested that we try out a different place, or at least a different Waffle House location, but he only wanted the same Waffle House. We went in and sat down, and once again the same cook served his eggs wrong. My BF sort of snapped at him that he wasn't interested in messing around, and just wanted the correct eggs. The cook then served him a piece of toast with a hole cut out in the middle with a fried egg in it. My BF got really mad and threw the egg toast at the cook, which made the cook come around from behind the bar and throw it back at him. They ended up sort of wrestling/fighting until my BF was like "this is bullshit" and walked out. Nobody got hurt, but the few other people in there were watching and laughing a bit.
This is the crazy part: my BF keeps going back and ordering eggs and getting into fistfights with the same cook. It's almost a ritual at this point. My BF orders runny eggs, the cook serves him some other version of eggs, and then they beat the shit out of each other. I quit going with him after the second fight, but he kept going by himself. They're like Peter and the giant chicken from Family Guy, it's the weirdest thing. They've physically fought like 6 or 7 times over this.
I've tried to talk to him about it a few times, but he keeps saying it's a matter of principle. I've told him to talk to the manager or something like that, but he just waves me off. Apparently that cook hasn't yet made him the correct runny eggs, but it's like he spends the week learning new ways of preparing eggs to piss my boyfriend off.
The thing is, we're getting married this summer. He's accepted a job in a new city and it'll be easy for me to find work after the wedding, so we'll be moving away from his sworn enemy waffle house guy. He hasn't really been out since quarantine started, but it wouldn't surprise me if that's the first place he goes when restaurants open back up for sitting customers. But my main worry is this strange vindictive side of him I've never seen before that leads him to fight the same guy every week. The violence itself is an issue for me, but the obsession over it almost bothers me more.
Should I be worried that this side of him will come up later in our marriage? How do I get him to open up about this? Is this type of obsession a choice, or is it indicative of something deeper?
THIS IS A REPOST SUB - I AM NOT THE OOP. DO NOT CONTACT THE OOP OR COMMENT ON THE ORIGINAL POST

i’m open to the idea that this could be a me problem and something i need to work on. i cannot recall having the best social skills from being a kid to now. but i know i am able to carry out a conversation. in middle school i was able to interact with people quite well to be considered a well liked class clown.
maybe this has to do with a really rough period of time i may have dealt with depression (i say may cause i never got a diagnosis but something was definitely wrong) starting sometime october of 9th. i feel it’s gotten harder to talk to people. during all this time, confidence was low. i stopped caring for trying to be fluent in conversation (i didn’t care if i just stayed silent after i responded to someone or i would avoid walking past people who i knew might want to reach out to me)
it’s gotten better this year when i realized how being in pain made me unintentionally push people away. my conversation skills are improving. however, i’m noticing i tend to talk about me a lot. i really don’t mean it in an egotistical way. i don’t like me enough to put me on a pedestal. it comes out naturally, i think it’s a way to assure a person that i understand the idea behind what they’re talking about. i also think i do it to encourage a person to express their personal views as well. when there’s a back and forth like that cnversations feel fluent and more significant because they trust me with sharing insight into their persona. i can sort of engage with a topic and not make it personal, but it takes a lot more effort and it’s not unusual that i can’t come up with a response. more like small talk. i’ll include a template in the comments for clarification.
thoughts on this? it’d be a pain but i’ll accept if im simply subconsciously self-centered if you guys think so. however, is this tendency normal? how can i have conversations less about “you and I” and more about topics and discussions? don’t want people to begin to avoid me cause they get the sense that i’m some sort of egomaniac.
tldr: i tend to talk about myself in conversations and i make them personal (about “you and i”) because it makes conversations flow easier than just discussing a topic and it worries me that people will get annoyed by the untrue sense that i am egotistical

Hi, I'm planning on applying to Notre Dame next cycle and I'm curious how many STEM classes I would have to take in order to meet the graduation requirement. Also, if anyone can gauge for me around how time consuming/difficult those classes are, that'd be great. Thank you

I’m seeking the input of those of you who have some insight about whether I would be qualified to teach in a particular role. Here are my qualifications and what I’m interested in teaching. Any input greatly appreciated!
Qualifications: I have BS and MS degrees in Computer Science. I worked in the high tech industry in Fortune 500 companies for 36 years as a software engineer and then a software engineering manager. I taught an introductory computer programming course in graduate school nine times. In that teaching role, I was fully responsible for the class on my own and had no discernible oversight at all. I completed Calculus, Differential Equations and Probability and Statistics classes as an undergrad, all with “A” grades. I currently am an elementary school substitute teacher, which entails actual teaching some of the time.
Interest: I’m interested in teaching an Algebra class at a Community College. A lower level math class than Algebra would be fine as well. Note that I’m really not interested in teaching a programming or software engineering class, since for 40 years that was my focus and I’d like a change of pace if possible at this point.
Should I apply for such positions, or am I really not qualified?
Thanks again for any input.

I’ve never written a question on this app before but this is eating at me. BUCKLE UP THIS IS LONG!
So my husband’s family have been abusive to him, he is the black sheep of his family he is the youngest and has a different father than his older siblings (8,6 years older).
Ever since I started dating him I was antagonized in some way. When I first met his family for Christmas his middle brother invited his ex-girlfriend to hang out, unbeknownst to my then bf which was awkward but she was fine with me. My boyfriend then was really sick and I took the train 2 hours to pick him up from his home (where his family was with their cars) and take him to a hospital in London. He was there for 6 days not one person visited him but me. They made fun of him and minimized his illness.
Then we moved to my home country the US and eloped. They came to visit a few years later his mom and eldest brother were okay. Middle brother again constantly throwing barbs and digs at me completely unprovoked. I get there may be a culture difference they are White English conservatives, I’m African American. Shortly after we married he dated a black girl, who left bc she was also treated poorly. Some examples of digs; I congratulated him on graduating and asked him when he finished he replied “same time you were supposed to” (I dropped out). Then I asked what the he loved most and what was challenging about being a PT and he replied “no offense, working with fat people.” Took them to multiple meals and covered everything which wasn’t cheap, he complained about the food being “reheated” and bitched when he was ID’d.
Things get progressively worse, middle brother has a precious baby. I want to spoil her and become close with the mother of the child (who is not with him due to his creepy behavior). We form a fast friendship and chat all the time about the baby. My brother in-law tortures this girl denies he is the dad but also goes out of his way to bully her (she’s not breast feeding right, she shouldn’t have pacifiers) all from the comfort of his home. He is also constantly complaining about having to pay $50 a week in child support nonstop saying he is going “bankrupt”. My hubby is part of a group chat and my mother-in-law talks ish about my friend and my hubby is telling me. I ask to see and his brother is actively trying to give his soon to be 1 year old daughter eggs and gluten that his ex told him she was allergic to and they are plotting to do this during her birthday and explicitly NOT tell my friend the mom of his baby. The reasoning was “I’m the father, I deserve to be respected, I can make choices to” but he is extremely sneaky. I show my friend/baby’s mom the messages and all hell breaks loose because of course he lies and gets caught. I would have told him off directly but he blocked me because he was mad at how close I was getting to his ex. I am called a “despicable woman” dragged in their chat, made to seem that I’m spying on my husband and accused of being jealous and sabotaging my niece’s birthday party. My husband says nothing in my defense just goes along like he didn’t send me the photos of their chat…
They don’t know I’m pregnant at this time and I chose not to tell any of my in-laws due to how awful they are. I also don’t believe in telling anyone that would wish ill on me and my baby (bad juju), but my bestie the baby mom knows. I give birth his mom has an absolute tantrum says incredibly awful things to my husband, reaches out to my mom to wish her congratulations on her grandchild and says “i guess I will learn to love him.”
Then my friend the mom gets diagnosed with cancer and wants to keep this secret and makes me promise, she kept my secret pregnancy it is the least I could do. She dies a few months later and my brother in law attacks her for not telling him and claims she is a horrible mother. He takes custody of his daughter.
Fast forward the eldest brother meets this hog woman. She is rotund and English, very ignorant and rude. The first interaction I had she thought she knew so much, decides to bash my dead friend’s parenting, call my dead father in law “weird”, tells me my niece eats everything now due to having a “good parent” and called my apt in NYC “embarrassing” bc it had scaffolding on google maps when she looked me up (like a creep). She then antagonizes me in a variety of slick ways including posting the eldest brother with my niece with the caption “uncle B’s favorite!” On my son’s birthday. Most recently I tell his family that we want to actually have a proper wedding and celebrate after 10 years of marriage, i give them 2 years notice. The hog says “ohhh me and the eldest are planning on getting married then.” I ask why she says “nice weather”. She then proceeds to have a fall wedding (orange, red, greens, pumpkins, barley, wheelbarrows etc.” in May. I try to be the bigger person and send a kind welcome and she leaves me on read.
I hate these people, I need to let this go. My husband says that we should just go on continuing our happy life and not “start problems”. But it feels like so much awfulness to have to swallow. I also feel like if/when I do speak up I’m the hysterical angry black woman and this hog is the “innocent”. The whole thing is so so frustrating but I need to let it go even though I want them to hurt emotionally as much as they have hurt us.
Any recommendations, would you want revenge? There is so much more but I have written a novel already. I feel alone like no one has my back or tries to understand my perspective. They are so sneaky and underhanded. I want to protect my family from these sick people. At the same time I want justice, justice for my husband, for my dead bestie, for me son and for me.

About me I'll be appearing CAT for the first time in 2024.
I've enrolled in iQuanta and almost our syllabus will be over around next month max.
I've been struggling with keeping up with the classes still managing however.
Anyways just wanted to know if it all be worth it ??
I've been seeing slots of posts of people not getting their desired colleges even after scoring 99+ percentiles.
Just not sure if I'll be able to do so or not.
Given my profile is OBC-NCL Male Engineer 2023 graduate Not form IIT/NIT
My 10th score was 86.80% 12th score was 70% And graduation cgpa was 8.02
I've almost 16 months of workex now.
Just worried even if I score a really good percentile won't get the ABC whereas my friends will be joining one of them.
Iski vajh se demotivate ho rha aur kabhi kabhi lagta ki sab chod du 😓

( If you've seen this post already it is because this is a correctly flaired repost :) )
Hi everyone, I just saw the new Danny video and I couldn't help but make this post ( I hope no one has done this already ).
In the beginning of the video, Danny comments about them creating the Titanic sequel ( the boat not the movie ) and I just needed to say... They kinda already did.
I'm about to get real nerdy so bear with me for a moment.
In 1914 the people who made the Titanic ( White Star line ) decided to give it one last try and created the RMS Brittanic. The RMS Britannic was the last vessel in the Olympic class of ocean liners which consisted of three sister ships, The RMS Olympic, The RMS Titanic, and The RMS Britannic.
The Britannic began its construction in November 1911 and was finished in February 1914, it weighed about 48 tons ( give or take a bunch ) and costed around 200,000 pounds to build. The original intention was for the ship to be a luxury vessel made for taking some nice ocean vacations, but because of World War One, it never debuted as a cruise instead becoming a hospital ship. One notable thing is that because of the Titanic sinking, the Britannic was forced to take multiple extra safety measures ( like lifeboats ).
The RMS Britannic finally had her maiden voyage in December 1915 when she ( unlike her older sister ) successfully sailed from England ( Liverpool ) to Greece ( Lemnos ) to pick up various casualties. It didn't take long though before disaster struck. In November 1916 after being released from duty and then requisitioned she made her way towards Kea ( an island in Greece ). Some 2 miles away from the island at 8.15 AM on November 21st, an explosion occurred. The damage was extensive and six watertight cabinets flooded. The vessel remained afloat for a while, before listing and letting in water into portholes on the starboard side. In a hurry to get the Britannic as far away as possible from Kea Captain Charles Bartlett ordered full speed, which ended up only making the ship sink faster, but then retaliated by shutting the engines off entirely. And finally after a surprisingly low time of 55 minutes ( whereas the Titanic took 2 hours and 40 minutes) she sank at approximately 9.07 AM. 30 people sadly lost their lives but 1,030 people were saved thanks to the heroic acts of the RMS Scrooge and the RMS Heroic.
Wow what a yap session, anyway I couldn't watch the video in peace before I had my say, hope you enjoyed reading about the wonderful RMS Britannic.

Hi I just came across a novel, chosen by the moon novel by izabella W. Its on pay by chapter websites, I've opened and read a few chapters but I can't seem to find any free version or chapter version anywhere. Please help. If anyone has read it I'm willing to take spoilers. Here's the advert I found below of it on Facebook.
Lycanthrope species is a disgusting race. And I, Delan Riley, am nothing more than a human scum in their eyes never expected those species would turn my world upside down. Since when the lycans managed to penetrate our town, like in the early 1900's we have a hierarchy, upper class = the lycans, middle class = mated humans, and lower class = the normal humans, who were basically considered scum. I endured their torment day after day, vowing to run away from them one day, until that day came and everything changed.
Dylan POV "Humans," I scowled at the principal's words from tannoy. "The Alpha twins will be celebrating their birthday tomorrow, as such, festivities are in order." Oh great, the Alphas twin children. Adrian and Arya are the worst lycans alive. I swear just because they are the alphas kids they literally get away with everything. If their birthday is tomorrow, then the wolves are going to be worse than ever. "All students will be present to greet them, two lines will be made, with humans on the left and the lycanthrope on the right. Any mated human will be at the front of the line for their year, you will all also be in order of your school year. That is all." Chat broke out the minute the tannoy was finished. "We haven't had a school gathering since the alpha king visited three years ago, before his sons coronation." Nick was right, the last time we all gathered like that was for the king and queens visit, when he decided to let the world know that he was to renounce his title to his only child, son Josh. "That sick bestard, he wants to make sure everyone is there so those idiot twins can find their mates." Yes I was mad, my fists connected with the table in front of me once more as I thought about how disgusting the situation was. You see the twins will be turning 17, so it's very possible someone in our school could be their mate, finding a mate is sacred to a wolf, the minute they say that one word your fate is sealed. They will turn your mind, morph you into being a lover of their kind, and then you'll give in.

That won't happen to me, I'm growing old to see the world as it once was, and I'm going to choose who I'll be with. No one will take that dream away from me.

Once dinner was finished, I just wanted to sleep. I'd had a very long tiring day, I quickly sat down on a small stool my mother kept in the storage closet and removed my shirt while my brother Freddy sat at the table to do his simple homework. It wasn't long before my mother came in with a large bowl of warm salt water and some cotton, this was going to sting I just knew it. She was here to help me with the wounds caused by wolves yesterday. She slowly began to unwrap the bandage from around my torso and slowed down drastically when it came to the final layer, I felt it peel off every wound and my fists clenched in pain. "Jesus!" I heard my mom exclaim once the dressing was completely removed. The air on my back was nice though and I sighed as my arm covered my once again exposed brests. "This is more than 15!" I began to hear sniffles coming from her and sighed turning round to look at her face, only to notice tears streaming down it. "Mom I'm fine, it's alright." She shook her head. "It's not alright, I'm your mother I shouldn't let these things happen. I'm so sorry. Your father would have..." here she goes again. Every single time something happened she'd always bring up dad, it really annoyed me because no matter how much we all wish he was here, he just isn't. My father was kiled by THEIR kind, almost 5 years ago when they actually managed to take over. When the lycans managed to penetrate our town my father rose up with some people from the neighborhood, to defend our livelihood, it was futile to say the least. We lost many people and I watched as my dad was ripped apart by two fully shifted wolves, I ended up shoting him to stop his suffering before they dragged me to the courtyard, i was the person to receive the first lashing of the town when I was 12! The wolves have been pretty strict with me since that day. "Stop being stvpid!" Was I harsh? Definitely! Did she need to hear it again, absolutely. "Dad is dead, we don't know what he'd do because he never knew this life. He never knew this world." I know what he'd have done, most likely attacked the guy who held the whip and got himself kiled in the process. "The best thing you can do for me, is stop crying and help me, next time don't insist on helping if you can't handle it." She began to wash my open wounds with the warm salt water causing loud winces to leave me, I knew it was necessary to prevent infection, but my god it hurt like a betch. "Some of these are really deep Dylan!" She sniffed again and my eyes rolled in my head. "I told you, I'm fine, just wrap me back up so I can get to bed." My mom was obviously more impacted by my injuries than I was, I suppose that always the case though. When it's happening to you, you've just got to get through it but when it's happening to someone you love, you just want to take their pain away. She quickly placed a fresh bandage around my waist and chest and wrapped it tightly for compression. The bowl of water that was used was now red in color, I guess from the blood my back was dripping with. "Can you keep your head down please? At least just this week. You can't take any more lashings." I simply nodded before standing up away from the stool, I walked over to Freddie and ruffled his hair in affection. "Good night squirt." He giggled and fixed his hair slightly. "Night Dilly." I smiled walking upstairs to my little bedroom, as soon as I was inside i shut the door and flopped down on to my bed on my stomach and I took a minute to cry to myself at the pain in my back, what my mom did was important but it hurt, not that I'd ever tell her. My hand covered my mouth quickly to muffle any noise I might be making. I couldn't tell anyone, I had to be strong because more and more people were crumpling these days, and my mom would break if she knew how much I was suffering. Sleep followed me shortly after, she was right though about me needing to keep my head down for the time being, I could not take another lashing! After a long night and an even longer morning, we were all finally stood in the hallway at school waiting for the twins to arrive. "Mine!" Everyone that was stood in the hallway tensed up, as we were seniors, me and Nick were stood towards the very back of the human line. All the mated people were situated directly opposite their wolf mates in their years. We stayed silent and still as Arya walked down the hall and stopped directly in front of Nick. His eyes widened in fear, unsure of wether to look up or keep his head lowered. "Look me in the eye, mate." He glanced at me slightly as if asking what he should do. "I said, look me in the eye." He slowly moved his eye line up to look at her face. I took a glance myself to see her eyes pitch black with lust. "I... can't... I mean... erm." Before he was able to mutter anything else, two wolves from opposite, grabbed him out of the line and dragged him behind Arya. "Hey!" My head shot up before I could stop myself. My mouth also forgot its place as I jumped out of line. Everyone's head shot to me as my eyes widened in realization at what I'd done. Adrian, the other twin, walked up to me before punching me right in the stomach, I doubled over instantly. Feeling the sting in my slightly healed back. "I know you... You were publicly flogged only two days ago." God I hate this guy. "I also have it on good authority, that you openly spoke out against our rules and regulations in yesterday's class." My head shot down the line slightly to see Erin, looking a little frightened, her mate, the beta to be was looking at her, nodding his head in reassurance. "You traitor, you grassed on your own kind?" I yelled at her before feeling a fist connect with my cheek. My head whipped to the side from the force, while my class members gasped. I'm so done with this treatment, right then, I wasn't in charge of my actions. My fists curled up and my stance became a lot more defensive. My head snapped up to the alpha to be, and I looked him in the eye. "You don't know the meaning of the word disrespect." I suddenly hurled my fist towards his head, which he easily dodged, but my foot came up and kicked him instead. He stumbled backwards from the force with wide eyes. "You... you Actually hit me!" He didn't even sound annoyed, more shocked. Everyone in the hallway was watching, waiting for the alpha to do something but instead he simply stood up straight, regaining his composure. "I think everyone should get back to class." He began to walk away, following his sister when I called him back. "What about Nick?!" "Simple, He's my sisters mate. He now belongs to her." Argh, he's not an object. "He's not her property." A chuckle left his mouth, before turning his back to me again. "All humans are property." A short while later everyone made it to science class, our teacher Mrs Mathews is mated to the lycans pack doctor, she also now has a four and two year old with him. She was one of the first humans to be cohered into a false relationship. "What were you thinking young lady?" I rolled my head at her before looking at the empty seat next to mine. Nick was with that stvpid wolf girl right now. Being changed, I'm so angry it's ridiculous. "I was thinking, this guy is being a prick. Did you hear him? 'All humans are property.' It's bull shet." I looked up and the whole class looked at me like I had three heads. Talking shet about wolves is one thing, but talking about an alpha is punishable by death, attacking an alpha is an even worse offense. There was then a knock at the door and in walked Erin and her band of mated bestards. "Sorry we're late Mrs." "Erin, how are things between you and bata Monroe?" She blushed, the traitor actually blushed at the mention of his name. "He spoke to me last night about trying for a baby. We need a good strong boy to take over as beta." I scoffed looking at her as she took her seat. "You guys are actually pathetic, why can't it be a girl? Those mutts are basically Neanderthals" I voiced my opinion and saw all the shocked faces around me. Calling the lycans mutts, is the same as them calling us scum. After lesson had ended the entire school was called into the hall for assembly. This is where any human who has been found to have broken the rules were punished, usually 10 lashings were goven out or something similar. "Welcome to the school assembly, congratulations to the alpha twins for finding both your mates. Now on to the business at hand, as the 5 year anniversary of the new world is coming up, we have been informed that the alpha king will be visiting our district next week, this is very exciting news. We want you all to look your absolute best, she wolves and mated females will wear exemplary dresses made by seamstress. Male wolves and mated men will wear tailored suits. Anyone who doesn't comply will be reprimanded." The Alpha King?! No one has met him yet, he took over the throne three years ago when he turned 18. He really didn't make any appearances though, great, this month is going to be a nightmare. "As for the humans, you will be given a new uniform to wear for the visit, these are to be neatly ironed and worn to the highest standard. As for the following humans, based on your attitude this past week, you will be coming to the front and facing punishment. Tony summerset?!" Tony's head shot up as he looked around, he was in the year below but he shared my views when it came to the lycans. He slowly walked up to the front of assembly, almost instantly his top was t0rn in two and he received 10 lashings. A girl named Kara was next and she too received 10 lashings. A few more people went up slowly accepting their fate then suddenly my name was called. "Dylan Riley." Inside I was terrified but I simply shrugged my shoulders, I guess I did kind of expect this. Although I'm not sure if my back can take any more damage. "You attacked an alpha, correct!" His eyes bored into mine as I bowed my head submitting to his authority. "Technically, no." Everyone in the school gym looked on in fear, as my head moved to the front row of the wolf side. Adrian sat, with a werewolf girl in the year below, her name was Jana, I guess he found his mate. Nick and Arya were no where to be seen though. Adrian gave me a shrug as if to say he didn't tell, before smirking at my comment. "He hasn't officially taken the alpha title yet, so he's just..." i looked at the principle and noticed his eyes black and his claws out, he was in what lycans call a half shift, triggered when the subject has become angered. He turned to two security wolves and gave them a nod, Almost immediately i was forced onto my knees, my arm was slammed on a table and held in place by one wolf, while my body was held in place by the other. "Ok, I don't think this is needed, I have alpha blood, a stvpid human girl can't hurt me." My head snapped to Adrian who had stood up in front of the school to stop what was happening. "Nevertheless, humans need to know their place." With that the pressure on my arm increased as our principals hand pulled my sleeve up before a long claw punctured my skin. The searing pain shoting from the fresh wound had my eyes scrunched and my fist clenched, I bit the inside of my cheek hard instantly tasting blood, however no sound left my mouth. He continued to write, using my skin as a canvas and his claws as a marker, it went on forever, my vision blurred slightly at one point as I turned my head away. After minutes of torture, he was done and the pressure on my arm eased, instantly I snatched my arm away, hissing through my teeth at the pain. I was about to scurry off stage, when I was roughly grabbed yet again, my arm being held in the air by the principal while my feet were inches off the floor, blood dripped from the wound and the pattern he had made was on show for everyone to see. Loads of people gasped, even the wolves looked slightly horrified at what had happened. "This is what happens when a human decides to speak out. I can promise, anyone who so much as says one word about our way of life, will have the same punishment." My arm was starting to seriously ache from being held in the air for so long, and the lack of blood flow to my suspended arm was causing me pins and needles, still I refused to make a sound. I held the tears back and I bit my cheek harder causing more blood to fill my mouth. "That's enough Bradley!" Adrian growled, he was still stood up and looking at the scene in front of him. His eyes hard as he stared at the principal a low warning growl erupted from his chest which had the head teacher gulping, he quickly let go of my arm causing me to crash to the floor. A small cry left my mouth as I hit the hard floor. Immediately I scrambled away, my foot just missed the high step leading to the stage and I fell, waiting for the impact of the ground, but it never came. Two strong arms wrapped around me catching my weak body causing me to look up, my eyes widened as I noticed Adrian had caught my falling form. "This isn't part of the human punishment program!" Adrian growled causing me to tense in his grip, I pushed him away from me before fixing my uniform top. The room was deadly silent, taking in the scene in front of them, while I stole a glance at my forearm. Carved into my skin by his devastating claws were two words, words that would most definitely scar my body for life. 'Human scum' "Lessons must be learned, she received lashing merely two days ago, and clearly it had no effect on her." Another growl left Adrian's chest as he stepped on to the stage, I wasn't bothered though, you would think I'd be ashamed but I simply smiled slightly. I fixed my sleeve a little so it wouldn't rub on the fresh wound before speaking. "It doesn't matter," the whole room looked at me shocked by my attitude. "I would rather be labeled human scum, than have any resemblance to your kind. I'm proud of what I am, how many of you can say that?" After my amazing little speech, I walked right down the middle between the humans and lycans and out the door. No more compliance, I'm going to get away with as much as I can without getting into too much bother. There will come a day when the lycans power will fizzle out. When it does I'll be ready, I'll be waiting for the day we take our world back. As for the best part about my plan...

No one can stop me.

"Ouch, not so hard." I seethed as the school nurse cleaned my new wound with antiseptic. "If you had of just kept your mouth shut, this wouldn't have happened." I turned to my right looking out the window at the few clouds that were floating in the blue sky. "Like I said, I'm proud to be human, and now everyone knows what I am." I clenched my fist together as the nurse began wrapping a bandage around my forearm. It had been a good few hours since the incident in the hall, and I had been forced to come to the nurces office after I had tried to clean my wound by splashing it with water from the tap, it also refused to stop bleeding. "You are impossible. Can you please just try and stay out of trouble? For one day, that's all I ask." Our school nurse is a wolf, she's one of them. However she hates the way they treat us mere humans, she thinks we should all just live in peace with equal rights. Like that would ever happen. "All I've done is stay out of trouble, but you are just going to humiliate me anyway, so what's the actual point?" "The pack were discussing a public execution, Dylan. You need to walk on egg shells from now on, not just for you but for your family as well." No ones been publicly executed in over 4 months, I'm flattered they're considering it. They only execute people who they believe are the biggest problems to society. "Well then... I'm flattered." I chuckled, before looking at the patch job. 'Huh, not too shabby.' I quickly stood up from the human nursing station and pulled the sleeve of my shirt down covering the evidence of ever being hurt. "This is serious!" I just gave her a blank look before leaving the room. On the way out I heard her call back to me. "Please just think about it." I gave a clipped nod as I walked away wondering how I'm going to tell my mom about this. Later in the evening... "Dilly why you say that?" Freddie looked up at me with a mouth full of bread. "Don't speak with your mouthful!" My mom scolded him as a bashful blush made its way to his cheeks. "Sowwy mommy." His reply was muffled as he swallowed the last chunk of food. "I said it Freddie, because it's the truth. The wolf race are a pathetic excuse for..." my mom cut me off with an extremely stern look. "Dylan! They have ears everywhere, one more word out of you and it's your room." I scowled, my hatred for the Lycan kind growing stronger as each day passes. "What more can they do to me, lash me? Beat me? Brand me? They've ran out of options." I stated slamming my hands down, then severely regretting it as sharp pain shot though my wound. "What was that?" My head shot to regard my mothers worried expression. Her eyebrows were raised and her eyes were dull and judging as she looked at me. "Nothing, it was nothing." I quickly took my plate in my hand and began to walk to the kitchen. "I'm not really hungry, and I have homework to do!" My mom caught hold of my forearm causing me to drop my plate suddenly, I watched it slowly fall before shattering on the floor. I retracted my arm quickly and turned to Freddie. "Stay there and don't move until it's cleaned up ok sport?" He just nodded with wide eyes, I turned back to my mom and noticed her curious stare on my arm. Her grip shifted to the other side as she turned it around before pulling my sleeve up. The bandage was showing and a bit of blood was seeping though after the wound had been disturbed. "What the hel happened?" My moms eyes widened as she began to fumble with the bandage. Before she could unravel any of it I snatched my arm away. "I had an accident at school. No big." I began to gather the large pieces of the broken plate up ready to put them in the bin. "What did you do Dylan?" She looked at me with pure worry and only then did I realize what the wound must look like to someone who didn't know. "For gods sake! I didn't do it to myself! I got publicly punished at the assembly alright? It's no big deal." Her face dropped instantly and she stepped towards me, causing me to step backwards. "Mom, I'm ok. So back off will you." "What did you do? I've never known them to cut someone's arm as a punishment." Her shock and accusation was evident in her voice and I sighed heavily. "I spoke against the alphas son." I may have hit him too, but I wasn't going to divulge that part to her. "It's not one big cut, mom, it's a brand, 'human scum' carved onto my arm." "They've branded you now too?!" My eyes rolled at her hurt tone as I went to get the dustpan and brush. "You're so much like your father." A sigh left her mouth as she spoke, running a hand through her hair, while I quickly swept up the little pieces of the broken plate. "You've had a new uniform delivered. It's laid out on your bed. Dylan, Please just try and stay respectful in the future, I don't want my daughter to be completely mutilated. Although you're not far off." "Gee, Thanks." I then walked over to my little brother Freddy before blowing a kiss into his neck and hearing him giggle. "So sport, how's school going?" "It's ok." He shrugged before going back to coloring a dinosaur picture in. "Well that's good, stay out of trouble, ok little man?" Heading upstairs and into my room, my thoughts wandered to the permanent graffiti scar very slowly healing on my arm. Disgusting beasts. Think they own the world because they're faster, stronger and can shift. Pah. If you ask me they are not all that.

The second I walked into my room my mouth dropped open. On my bed was some grey pants laid out neatly, which wasn't the surprising part, no, what shocked me was the grey high neck no sleeved button down shirt, every single set of uniform had sleeves except this one. They've done this on purpose those, mutts. They want the world to see my arm and know what a disgusting creature I am. They want the world to know that I, Dylan Riley, am nothing more than 'human scum'.

During the last week, I've been horrible, in class I've been loud in voicing my views, I've insulted at least everyone to some degree, I didn't care about the consequences, and I certainly didn't think about them. I haven't seen Nick at all since he was claimed, and to make matters worse today was the royal visit. Oh yes, werewolves and mated humans alike were spending every waking minute preparing themselves to meet his royal majesty, king of the wolves. Unclaimed Humans however would rather stick pins in their eyes. "Dylan, get down now... you're going to be late." She was right, I was dawdling this morning, I really couldn't be bothered today, I gave myself one last look in the small mirror and sighed when my eyes met my newly uncovered brand. It had bad bruising around the letters, and was still extremely tender to touch, it was definitely healing now though. I made my way down the stairs and came face to face with my mother who was seeing to Freddie, she was helping my brother get his coat on when she turned to me. "You ready sport?" Freddie nodded his little head at me and smiled while I quickly slid my shoes on. "Just Remember, the alpha is bad enough, Dylan, please, please don't do anything to anger the king." My mother stopped us from walking out the door to tell me something she had been telling me continuously for the last couple of days, it was almost as if the entire human population of our district was expecting me to do something stvpid. "Try and have a good day." I rolled my eyes but nodded, even I know not to push the king, he could kil me in the hallway like it was nothing. In fact I plan on staying out of his way for the entirety of the day. "We will see you tonight mom." I stated before me and my brother began our walk to school, his little hand clutched my own tightly as we went. Usually Nick would be with us, as he lives next door, well he used to, now he's residing in the main pack house. I quickly dropped Freddie off at his school and watched him get the wolfsbane neutralizer before walking into him building giving me a small wave before he went in. With my new scar on complete show, and my figure being complimented by the skin tight shirt I was wearing, I sauntered down the street to school, I gave my name and year in and took the wolf's bane neutralizer injection with no problems at all. It was finally getting into school that the problem occurred. Walking through the halls I was met by many looks, some of pity some of disgust. You see every single non mated human in the school was wearing a long sleeved version of the uniform I was given. All the Wolves and mated couples were scattered around in fancy floor length dresses or tailored suits. As I turned the corner I noticed a couple, now this couple happened to catch my eye the most out of all of them because it consisted of Arya and Nick, eating each other's faces off. "What the hel!" Nicks head shot to me as his eyes widened. He too was dressed in a tailored suit, a navy blue tie hung on his neck to match Aryas dress. Why was this happening all the time? It's always my friends that get completely brain washed. I shook my head in disbelief before turning my back on him. I heard his fast footsteps behind me as I rounded the corner. "Dylan?!" He ran right in front of me, stopping me in my tracks, making me drop my bag off my shoulder and almost causing me to bump into him. "Let me just explain..." "Has she marked you?" I mean you could almost see it in his eyes, she had marked him, and knowing the way life goes he's probably even mated with her. "Actually... Don't even answer that." I aggressively picked my bag up off of the floor and stormed off down the hall. "Dylan, just listen to me, Erin was right, it's so hard to resist your soulmate, and Arya is actually ok once you get to know her." I just kept walking, he caught up to me walking beside me but it didn't matter, I completely ignored everything and everyone. 'I'm so not in the mood today' getting into class was good though, I said hello to Mr Foley and took my usual seat. Nick sighed then took his bag off ready to sit next to me, but I snapped before he had the chance. "Traitors and mated idiots sit on that side of the room." I didn't look him in the eye as I pointed to a seat right at the front of the classroom on the opposite side. His eyes widened as he turned his attention back to me. "You can't be serious Dylan." I gave him a blank look before grabbing my book out of my backpack, I placed it on the desk then began to write the date on the top line. "I've sat in this seat for as long as I can remember." I ignored him, his voice sounded sad and shocked. "Dylan? Wait! What is that?!" Before I could react Nick had grabbed hold of my branded arm and turned it to see the letters. "Oh my God! What happened?" I snatched my arm away from him and shrugged as I continued to write in my book before grabbing my water bottle out of my bag. "The principal happened, it was my punishment for speaking out against Adrian and Arya. I wear it with pride." He just held a complete look of disbelief. "You spoke out against them?" I shrugged, what did he think I'd do. "It's no secret that I despise this stvpid new world and the mutts that control it. You were my friend, I wasn't going to let them just take you without saying something, although that is exactly what you seem to have done. Enjoy the view from your new seat!" "Don't be like that, Dylan, I'm your best friend, I'm sorry about your arm, but..." my eyes rolled inside my head at my friends words. "Anything with the word 'but' in, isn't an apology, it's a rationalization." I took a drink of water from my bottle and kept my eyes facing forward, ignoring his every attempt to try and talk to me. "Dylan?.. Dylan?... Do you know what? Erin is right, if you push us all away you won't have any friends left." He huffed before walking over to the empty seat and sitting down, I could feel him glancing up at me every now and again but I didn't respond. "Good morning class, please settle down." He looked at me then at Nick and frowned, we've never sat apart, we were friends before the new world even began. I just shook my head telling him to forget it. "So... as you know the king will be arriving in a short while, but until then lessons will go on as normal." Its funny seeing teachers in the same uniform your wearing, mr Foley and his wife are the coolest. Human teachers and doctors only have slightly more respect than we do. Because of Mr Foley's status him and his wife have better access to food and drink, Mrs Foley is cool, sometimes she even makes sure mr Foley brings some in for me. Ya know, coz I'm their favorite student. It's not in a weird way, it's just they were friends of the family before the new wold took effect. Mr Foley and my dad were buddies from high school, so it goes without sayin really. "All the mated humans will be at the front of each years line again, after that you will all be placed in status, Nick, as your mated to Alpha Arya, you'll be at the front of your line. Dylan as you have been branded..." his voice trailed off as he looked at me. "Yeah yeah, I'll be at the back of the line behind everyone. I get it." I huffed, moving my sight towards the window once more. "I am sorry." I turned to face Mr Foley again, he looked genuinely upset and that look of pity wasn't something I wanted to see. I gave him a clipped nod then turned away again. "Anyway, on to the subject matter, 'Of Mice and Men, page 64, Nick why don't you start us off with the reading."

"Of course sir." Nick began reading the book but I switched off, today is going to be a long day. After almost an hour and a half of reading comprehension, the bell chimed signaling lunch. I shot up and out of the classroom before anyone could say anything. Today, I was avoiding drama like the plague.

I wandered the corridors straight to the lunch hall. All the people I would normally hang out with we're all mated so I grabbed my lunch quickly, and sat down at the end of the human table. Let me lay the lunch hall out for you. On one side of the room you have two long rows of tables, with simple benches that make it look like prison, on the other side of the room you have multiple round tables with fancy chairs. Yup you get it. The humans sit at the prison tables and the wolves and traitors sit on the fancy tables, they get fancy food, fancy drink and most importantly they get pudding. what I would give to have some pudding. "Dylan can we just talk?" Nick quickly took the spot next to me as he set his lunch tray down. I looked at his food which had been placed on a ceramic, circular white plate. God that looked good. I sighed knowing he was going to talk anyway. "Fine, you have two minutes." I used my fork to take a bit of pasta off his plate and shoved it into my mouth. God that was good. "After I left school, I was taken to the pack house with Arya, and I really got to know her. It took a few days for me to finally accept being with her, but ever since life has been ok, and the sax... well that's a whole other story." Eww, I didn't need that mental image in my head. "I'm glad your happy." I stated before deciding I had no appetite. His face held shock before he sighed in relief. "That means a lot Dylan, I mean you know that your opinion matters to me." I cut him off before he could say anything else. "I said I was glad your happy. I didn't say I approved of what you've done. You've basically turned into one of THEM, I can't ever forgive you for that." He looked hurt, but I couldn't care less about his feelings. He placed his hand gently on my arm and went to open his mouth when a growl sounded out. All heads whipped to where it came from, Arya was stood holding a glass of soda and a plate, she was looking right at me and Nick and I would totally be dead if looks could kil. Nick quickly retracted his hand, his whole face fell and you could see sorrow flood his irises. "You sit with me now, get away from that, that... scum!" Wow, Nick was such a lucky guy. NOT. "You heard her. Get away from me, go sit with your new friends. I'm happy for you, and I understand where your coming from, but don't come up to me again and pretend you didn't betray your own kind. Don't pretend you didn't betray me." I shoved a little bit of food into my mouth before standing up and walking out of the cafeteria, leaving my tray on the table. I was walking through the hallway to the classroom, you see I decided to spend lunch with Mr Foley in his room, when I happened to hear voices in the corridor. "Is it wise for her to actually be present when the king arrives? Surely she could be placed in the dungeons, it might actually teach her some respect?" My principal was speaking to the alpha of our district, huh, if I stayed and listened do you think they'd notice, maybe they could smell me?! "Everyone is to be present, if the Riley girl does one thing out of line she will be dealt with severely, child or not. That girl has been a blight to the district since day one, she's dangerous, if she puts one hair out of place I will personally break her into submission." Oh shet, they were talking about me specifically, and they mentioned the dungeon, that's not been used in months. Normally I would have listened in more but something about the entire situation didn't sit right with me, all of a sudden, I was on edge, and simply wasn't interested in the slightest in hearing how my misery was to be enhanced. I backed up slightly before turning around and bumping head first into one of the hottest man I had ever seen. I lost my balance immediately and fell straight on to the floor letting out a small grumble in the process. His eyebrows knitted together quickly and his breath hitched in his throat as he looked upon my fallen state and gasped. "Mate!" He whispered, his eyes fixated on mine. Now, I had seen and heard that many times to know what that means, I gasped before taking a step back. 'No, no, no, no, no. This can not be happening.' He growled slightly before stepping towards me. Oh Shet!

As a student that been living, studying and dealing with UMPSA, I could say it has one of the most worst management (for me personally) I've seen how bad things are sometimes but mainly this all happens in the Pekan, Campus (Especially when you are living outside of campus, at their student resident)

1. The absolute worst bus schedule

You got classes at 12 pm, the only bus that you can take is at 9.15 am, means you gonna get up early, go to your class at 9.15 then wait until 12 pm just to attend a class

1. Sometimes the bus driver forgets about you

This happened to me more then 3 times already, I grew so frustrated over it and already report it to the Uni management and still the same thing happened already. The bus to return to student residents outside campus from the faculty. I ended my class at 2 pm and supposedly the bus come and pick us up at 2.30 pm, I waited until 6.15, just to get back because there no bus that supposed to be arriving at the faculty at that said time

1. Empty room in student resident in campus

I already applied to stay inside the campus, but everytime I applied they rejected it. Even with a support letter from my Lecturer or Advisor in the club that I was involved. But when I asked my friend who live inside the campus, they said there are many empty room within campus without occupants which baffles me because you can help students who don't have transport to stay inside the campus
So in conclusion don't accept UMPSA as your next Uni to continue your study

I'll try to keep it short and simple I am Asian Vietnamese for anyone who's curios and we have one of classmate we can call E. E and I have a really saulty past mostly because she is a racist and she plays rugby the rugby part will be important later for some added context we have a classbook for those who dont know what that is its basically its where you get in school stood down if your name go on it. I live in NZ and rugby is one of the most played sport here and one of our dean mr E is a family friend of E and a rugby coach for her team so on thursday we have a sub for english and she was back to saying racist stuff to me and I just snaped and insult her in every way i know how to she started complaining to the subs that oh shouldn't i be written in the book and he said no he said that he even back me up if I get in trouble and here is the problem on friday E told my actual english teacher and in social study I get call out of class saying that I was being racist to her I told the dean that even the sub saw it he just get pissed and told me that I was antagonizing the sweet and innocent E and stop playing the victim so now I will be stood down for the fifth period how do I deal with this.

Hello! Like I said on a previous post of mine, during the first week of Easter holidays, I got a second badgie because my first one had sadly passed away. He was 3-4 months young at the time and now I can say he's prbably 4-5 months. I gave him loads of time to adjust, I talk to him whenever I can because I have my finals coming up and I have to focus on studying so I can pass my classes, get a job and then buy my budgie a friend from the same pet store I got him from. Rio, my budgie, is STILL afraid of me. I try many things such as nt looking at him in the eye too much, I don't speak loudly when I talk to him and make very slow and predictable movements so as not to scare him but he still either starts flapping around his cage as soon as I approach him or he jumps to a corner and and stays there. What can I do to reduce his fear and gain his trust? I don't want to scare him too much by shoving my hands inside his cage again. I wanted to give him a break in order to adjust but he is so scared of me still and I try to sooth him by baby-talking to him. Any suggestions?

So this is how it went down. I'm 14 years old, and so is my friend. Recently, he broke up with his girlfriend. His girlfriend is actually my second sister, and I go to class with her. When I found out they broke up, I tried to calm her down over the past few days. A few days went by, and we started messaging a bit about him. I said some things about him that he wouldn't like if I said them to his face.
He's the type of guy who goes to the gym and lifts like 120kg. I play football/soccer with him and a bunch of our friends, and I can confidently say that he's an A-hole. Recently, they got back together, and he found out about the things I said about him. They weren't heartbreaking or anything, just basic stuff like "He's just acting big and tough" and "He treated you badly, and now that you broke up with him, he's trying to get you back." I only said a couple of things about him.
So, he got mad at me, and a few hours ago, he messaged me, saying, "We need to talk," and then proceeded to threaten to beat me up for the things I said. My question is, what should I do about it?

For those that just want the build. I'll go into depth later.
Exotic armor: bombadiers or the cape with spirit of Caliban and spirit of liar (or synthocepts but only if a theory works that I'll get into later).
Exotic weapon: conditional finality and a voltshot or slice weapon (mainly this)
Super: depends. Maybe storms edge, maybe silk strike, shadow shot or silence and squall (ill say why later)
Aspects: stylish executioner and winters shroud
Grenade: grapple
Melee: combination blow
Dodge: gamblers dodge
Fragments: now I'm not sure how many fragments so ill just put options instead. Bravery, dawn, justice, protection (must), purpose (must), ruin (its a must to me).
Mods in order from helmet to cape: harmonic siphon, either 2 hands on or 1 hands on with an ammo finder, grenade kickstart, heavy handed, impact induction, resist mods (I just generally use sniper resist mods), recuperation, innervation, stacks on stacks, bomber, powerful attraction, and bulwark finisher. Also focus mainly on grenade regen.
Now for the details starting from top to bottom.
Exotic: Since we're running winters shroud running bombadiers will cause freeze wen combined. If u want the class item tho u will cause ignitions with every punch and deal enormous damage from the weaken from stylish execution wen u punch wen in invisibility.
Exotic weapon: tbh its whatever it just makes sense to run conditional finality but a voltshot or slice weapon are useful since they will cause debuffs which will can cause invis and is especially use wen ranged which is also why I mentioned gyrfalcon is not gonna be as good but maybe theres a trick idk about.
Super: oh boy. So the theory I mentioned early is here. I'm not a titan main but I heard it buffs the strand super right? Well I'm gonna take a guess that will apply to all melee supers meaning storms edge or maybe silk strike which I'm hopping will be “melee” supers. If not well silence and or shadow shot r good.
Aspects: honestly I kinda already explained stylish executioner and winters shroud. Dodging cause slow and punching slowed enemy causes invisibility. This is why in the title mentions assassins cowls purpose has been replaced but maybe im indifferent.
Grenade: grapple is a melee. Combination blow causes melee damage buff. Melee causes debuff for stylish executioner and more damage. Meleeing out of invis causes weaken and possible ignition and even more damage with syntho if u so choose if ur using the class ability combo. If my guess is correct then hunters might be competing with titans for a similar grapple dps build.
Melee: combination blow. Its kinda obvious at this point right? Melee kill = dodge.
Dodge: gamblers dodge. Also kinda obvious. Dodge near enemy = melee.
Fragments: On melee kill bravery causes ur strand weapons to gain unravel, dawn will also make ur weapons radiant at the same time, justice will make ur melees explode, protection is a must since ur gonna be in the middle of a crowd, purpose is a must cause it gives more tankyness, and ruin will cause ur frozen enemies to cause more range and shatter damage and the same for ur possible ignition so I'd say its a must for the cape but and option for Bombadiers.
Mods: honestly I'd just say use mods from any existing arc builds. Ur doing the same gameplay loop as if its and other normal arc build which is punch dodge punch dodge and be as tanky as possible.
Hope u guys like the build I honestly this will be pretty meta!

I 15F got his number today, a couple hours ago, we graduated today so I had to do it... I have it now, what to do? To send him a message? Now or when? What to say?! Do I send a message to him only after 1 week, when we will all get the results of what school we continue to, or now? This is my first time doing something like this to a boy, please help me. I have his number, he does not have mine, so I am the one to send the first message

I’m the youngest sibling and life has always kind of felt like following my oldest siblings steps in one way or another, being constantly compared to them whether it was to point out how bad or how good I was. “You’re so stubborn just like a”. “You’re smart just like b”. “You should be more like c”.
As a child I was really scared of my siblings as a whole because they would find something to nitpick about me or to make fun of. I never followed particular trends, straying away from getting to passionate about things because I strongly disliked getting their opinions about it. I didn’t want to be a fan of any band/singer or hang up posters because I didn’t want to care a lot about something and it being seen as ridiculous and made fun of, something some of my siblings would do immediately if I showed interests like those. I just stuck to following what they liked so I could feel safe and like a was a part of a family that would otherwise tell me that I was different from them, that I somehow didn’t belong.
While my relationships with my siblings have drastically improved and they have grown as people (they don’t make fun of me and have asked for forgiveness for the bullying-like relationships we use to have when I was younger) I still feel like all that made me really “stuck”, like I haven’t grown at all as a person and I’m still that 12 yo scared of everything. I feel that not being able to experiment with anything that could be considered cringy by them has left me as a shell of a person with no personality or passion.
When I graduated from High School I learned that my country’s financial aid wouldn’t cover my college tuition for reasons I will not explain in detail. My parents weren’t able to help either and the pairing of college tuition being very expensive in my country while the minimum wage being really low basically meant that I would have to go into debt for a college career in a major I wasn’t even sure about since I’m not passionate about anything.
One of my siblings is living abroad in a first world country with a high paying job and they gave me the amazing opportunity to study there, telling me they would help me finance a degree and could stay with them and their spouse until I finished. I was really happy about everything and felt like it was a huge blessing.
But now I’m soon to graduate and feel really miserable inside every day.
I hate my major and only chose it because I was convinced by everyone else that it was the best option because it had the biggest chance to get a good salary. Although they didn’t say it directly, my sibling made some passing comments alluding to their money not going to a good place if it was being spent on studying “something useless” which made me feel guilty so I ended up caving in and studying that for 4 years. I don’t feel like I’m competent enough at what I studied nor do I feel like I even like it enough to feel motivated to get better at it. I’m just angry and miserable anytime I think of getting a job in my field.
Furthermore, when I’ve tried to discuss a future in which I move out after I get a job, I’ve gotten shut down by my sibling and their spouse. As “there’s no reason to do that, you can just stay with us. Once you start making money after college it will be even better because we’ll have a triple income household and will get a bigger place for all of us”. I said that I really would like to be independent and live on my own after that. They just said again in a jokey way that they didn’t spend all that money on me just for me to leave. That just makes me feel guilty. I feel regret every day, like I wish I would I’ve turned down this opportunity just so I didn’t owe them so much and felt so obligated to follow whatever plan that have for me, or met every expectation they have.
I feel bad for sounding so whiny when I recognize they have done a lot for me and they’re actually really great people in general. I know they have done everything having my wellbeing and best interest in mind. I just don’t know how to stop feeling like my life isn’t mine and like if I make one wrong step or go against their wishes I would lose all the support system I have. As graduation approaches I can’t even feel excited for my future and just feel numb and disconnected, like it doesn’t belong to me and it just a movie of somebody else’s life. I feel like I took someone else’s identity and it doesn’t fit at all. I don’t know what to do.

This is a paper I wrote for my genre class. Thought you guys might appreciate it.
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A Soulja Boy interpolation and unabashed, blaring computerized synths drives That Kid’s track “Kiss Me Thru the Phone” where he relies on the nostalgic interpolation singing, “I just wanna kiss you / But I can't right now / So baby kiss me thru the phone.” Lyrics likes these and glitchy, distorted vocals and beats provide a unique listening experience that asks little of the listener in terms of content and expression while asking for contemplation and reflection regarding form. Hyperpop has become a community-based genre, and a space, for independent queer artists to express themselves and develop culture from the sidelines. The genre is attractive because of the tension between its queerly-nostalgic, kitsch lyrical content and avant-garde musical production.
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What is Hyperpop?
The microgenre has been covered by The New York Times and The Atlantic with the latter’s article title reading, “Noisy, Ugly, and Addictive.” Hyperpop as a genre began as a Spotify playlist whose relatively small following of about 450,000 currently that, according to The New York Times, followers add to their library at a rate rivaling that of some of the biggest playlists on the platform like “RapCaviar.” WXPN, a non-commercial, member-supported radio service of the University of Pennsylvania, describes hyperpop as “…a genre that takes modern mainstream pop concepts, crushes them up, spits them out, ingests them again, and spits them out again. Perhaps that’s an exaggeration. But not an egregious one.” Maximalist and exaggerative, hyperpop takes the conventions of the pop genre and pushes them to its extreme. Resulting in “surrealist lyrics, overblown bass and high pitch vocals” and “Glitches, metallic sound synths and distorted vocals” (Lucas De Lellis da Silva). Hyperpop is a genre that defies the genre label in its transformation of other genres such as hip-hop, trap, rock, and punk. Its punk influence can also be seen with “its alignment with queerness, anti-capitalist and environmentalist beliefs raises questions on our current notions of technology and issues of representation.”
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The Paradox
Hyperpop music production is where it is most avant-garde. The genre imitates pop music and exaggerates it, pop music being an imitation in itself. In his essay, “Avant-Garde and Kitsch,” Clement Greenberg on the avant-garde says, “[According to] Aristotle, all art and literature are imitation, then what we have here is the imitation of imitating.” Greenberg describes Picasso paintings as avant-garde, where the reflection of the painting, the interpretation and deliberation on part of the audience, “are not immediately or externally present in Picasso's painting but must be projected into it by the spectator sensitive enough to react sufficiently to plastic qualities.” On the other hand, Greenberg (misattributing a painting to Repin) describes Repin as a kitsch artist. Greenberg says “the “reflected” effect having already been included in the picture, ready for the spectator's unreflective enjoyment.” Greenberg summarizes this point when he says, “If the avant-garde imitates the processes of art, kitsch, we now see, imitates its effects.” Both avant-garde and kitsch can be seen in hyperpop where the production is avant-garde, glitchy, distorted and experimental and the lyrics are kitsch, overt, and cliché.
There are class biases regarding high art (e.g. avant-garde) and low art (e.g. kitsch). On the material importance of class and aesthetics, Greenberg claims that

“No culture can develop without a social basis, without a source of stable income. And in the case of the avant-garde, this was provided by an elite among the ruling class of that society from which it assumed itself to be cut off, but to which it has always remained attached by an umbilical cord of gold. The paradox is real. And now this elite is rapidly shrinking” (8).

To Greenberg, and within the context of the time that his essay was published in 1961, the avant-garde belonged to the ruling class because they provided capital that allowed artists to survive and create the art that aligned with the taste of that class. However, because of the ubiquity in technology and specifically the accessibility of Digital Audio Workstations, hyperpop artists defy Greenberg’s expectations by being created and conceptualized by the working class, “a democratized option in the music industry” as Gazelle puts it.
On the effect the ruling class’s funding has on the artist, Greenberg says, “precisely because his content was determined in advance, the artist was free to concentrate on his medium. He needed not to be philosopher, or visionary, but simply artificer” (16). Being an artificer allowed artists to focus on their medium and its form. Because hyperpop music is not determined in advance by the ruling class, hyperpop artists instead must focus on form and content which has resulted in avant-garde production and a reliance on kitsch imagery in their lyrics.
Perhaps the most avant-garde, the acclaimed hyperpop song “ringtone remix [feat. Charli XCX, Rico Nasty, Kero Kero Bonito]” by 100 gecs demonstrates the paradox of being avant-garde and kitsch. The song displays a catchy hook with distorted sound effects and pitched up vocals, a rap passage over a rock instrumentation, an interlude asking Charli XCX to sing the hook again, and finally an outro that features whispers and a sparse electronic drums. The song pushes the boundaries of form. However, once again, the lyrics are kitschy; “spilling champagne” and “my boy’s got his own ringtone” which invokes the tradition of giving specific phone numbers particular ringtones popular in the 2000s.
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Nostalgic Lyrics
Queer artists in the hyperpop genre have relied on nostalgic lyrics. This queer sensibility is not new or unique to hyperpop. In Time Binds, Elizabeth Freeman posits, “This stubborn lingering of pastness (whether it appears as anachronistic style, as the reappearance of bygone events in the symptom, or as arrested development) is a hallmark of queer affect: a ‘‘revolution’’ in the old sense of the word, as a turning back” (8). Hyperpop follows the queer tradition of expressing pastness in its references to Sidekick phones, Ronald Reagan’s 2004 death, and overall, a Year 2000 aesthetic. Freeman continues,

““Heather Love’s Feeling Backward, for instance, astutely diagnoses the ‘‘backwards’’ emotions elaborated by artists for whom the birth of the modern homosexual identity-form was constraining rather than liberating: shame, passivity, melancholy, and recoil, to name but a few, were ways of refusing the progressive logic by which becoming ever more visible was correlated with achieving ever more freedom” (8).

Hyperpop lyrics largely reminisces the 2000s, which goes against the typical notion of queerness valuing progressiveness and the striving for more freedom. The “backwards” emotions such as shame feel constraining to the modern queer-identifying person; nostalgia allows for them to escape that label to a time where things seem simpler, especially for the Gen-Z artists that make up the genre. In other words, Freeman is saying that “the discipline of ‘‘timing’’ engenders a sense of being and belonging that feels natural” (18). Because queer-identifying people face shame, they rely on a sense of time and timing that mirrors their marginalized lives which is also echoed in the glitchy vocals and musical production.
The genre also does not bend to the musical trends of the moment. A hyperpop artists does not need to constantly update their sound to match the current sonic landscapes because they are creating music that exaggerates a particular decade. Pastness allows for these artists to resist the “commodity-time of speedy manufacture and planned obsolescence,” (Freeman 9) aligning with the anti-capitalist values of the genre.
Nostalgia and kitsch are related. For example, even people that did not experience the 2000s the way Gen Z experienced it can relate and empathize with hyperpop lyrics because they are kitsch. In her essay Stephanie Brown says,

“These [kitsch] objects not only anchor the viewer's memory of a time that is past but also inspire "memories" of an era whose collective Zeitgeist has been so encapsulated as to be readily available, prepackaged, even to those whose individual experiences did not include firsthand knowledge of the phenomena of an earlier decade. The effect—to condense, flatten, and homogenize the discontinuous experiences of a heterogeneous group of people and then to sell these experiences back to them as if they were genuine—is… the inevitable result of the late-capitalist predilection for periodization…” (40).

This analysis reveals that kitsch is context dependent. For example, profile avatars, big computers, the “blue screen of death” are all imagery that one may find in cover art for a hyperpop album that also represent a 2000s aesthetic. One may find this flavor of American 2000s memorabilia nostalgic, and another may find them completely meaningless if they are not aware of the context that those objects existed in, the connotation they carry for the artists, or the effect that these depictions have on its intended audience.
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Hyperpop’s Attraction
The hyperpop genre has a tension that can be stated as a capitalist predilection for its kitschy lyrics and an anti-capitalist predilection for its musical production. An example of this is Charli XCX’s recent song “Club classics” whose vapid lyrics convey little to nothing making it easy to consume, with a chorus repeating the lines “When I go to the club, I wanna hear those club classics / Club classics, club, club classics.” However, the production exaggerates the production conventions of traditional pop through minimalist moments of technologic vocals overlaid on a wobbling bass sound effect, a stuttering vocal in the background with orchestral synths at another moment, and shrill harmonies dotting the backend of the track.
Perhaps these lyrics are attractive exactly because they are “beyond the realm of “good taste.”” Paralleling kitsch, camp provides a supplementary set of standards to view art, not as good or bad, but as having meaning or being pure artifice. Brown states, “Camp is a sly celebration of bad taste and vulgarity from a position of privilege” (50). Brown gives an example of a position of privilege as men doing drag; them being men, even if queer, gives them the ability to dress as women and remain men and “enjoy a hegemonic superiority” (50). Perpendicular to camp, kitsch allows a consumer to enjoy art from the position of the underprivileged. Brown also states that enjoying kitsch is like it “is there to entertain us on the basest, most compromised of levels… Junk, like the drunk at the wedding, can get away with doing or saying anything because, by its very appearance, it is already in disgrace.”
The other relational dimension of the attraction to the genre is the rebellion that it provides listeners. Brown writes, “today's consumers look to kitsch consumption as a way of rejecting an aesthetic hierarchy forced upon them by economically determined and class-bound interests.” Listening and enjoying hyperpop for its lyrical content is a kind of revolt from the ruling class’s distinctions of what high and low art are. Hyperpop is both high and low art according to the ruling class. It is preoccupied, plays, and breaks form; in Greenberg’s words, it imitates the processes of art. It also is cliché and overt in its lyrical content, imitating effect. It is through the ambiguation that allows listeners to commit to appreciating it for its high art value, its low art value, or both.
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The Future of Hyperpop
However, as the genre grows and opportunities befall hyperpop artists, it has been exploited. Greenberg says, “Capitalism in decline finds that whatever of quality is still capable of producing becomes almost invariably a threat to its own existence” (21). This is evident with artists like Camila Cabello (one of the most listened to artists of today with a powerful label backing her) making a genre switch from pop/Latin pop to hyperpop with her first single “I LUV IT” featuring Playboi Carti off her upcoming album. Other than being poorly received and deemed a Charli XCX rip off by hyperpop fans, Camila Cabello capitalizes and therefore, strips the genre of its underground roots, making even the production of the track redundant. “I LUV IT” is an imitation of an imitation of an imitation. If we were to take this song as a sign, an omen, for the genre, hope for hyperpop shall remain elusive.

TW: Suicide
I'm in my last year ish in univerisity at 32. I have 10 more papers to pass, my exams for 4 papers are in 1.5 weeks. I am behind in 8 weeks for 2 of those papers and behind in 4 weeks for 2 other papers.
I did this to myself. I don't know how to overcome this. At the beginning of the semester, I wanted to do better, last year i failed 2 papers because i didn't try hard enough. But i just couldn't concentrate. Every time i sat down to sit through the lectures or makes notes i just found myself zoning out. I want to quit so bad. But i feel like I’ve always been a quitter. I tried to study engineering in my early 20's and after nearly a year in Uni i just couldn't see myself doing it for my rest of my life.
After years of being in the workforce i decided on accounting. The first year and half was ok. It was hard, I’m not smart. But i felt like i got through it ok. I was bored and mad at it but never felt like how i am feeling right now. Sometimes when i think of sitting down to study i just want to kms. I try to tell myself that I’m overreacting, there are bigger things in this world to worry about, I’m privileged to have this opportunity but then i end up back to that same mind set.
I've thought about quitting. ALOT. But i feel like i am too embarrassed to quit. My parents are proud that i am finally doing something worthwhile in my life. My co-workers all know i study. i just feel like i don’t have the guts to say that it was too much and i quit. And sometimes i think i can do this. i tell myself that its only 10 more papers, i can do this. but how can i? when I’m so behind. these feelings are so overwhelming.
i would say that I’ve had times of depression and anxiety all my life. But sometimes i hate myself and i think... how could i be this depressed about uni? am i minimizing it? i really don't know what to do. I think i got over accounting in year 2 when i decided i don't need it for the career i have chosen, and that i won't be using it once i graduate. i think i just thought .. fuck it? and now i regret it because i really do want to finish it. i want to finish something in my life without being so fucking pathetic.
that’s all. this is just a rant. honestly i don't even know why i am writing this on here. . i feel so fucking hopeless