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2024.06.01 13:56 genericusername1904 H.G. WELLS’S, THE SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME (1933) VS. 1984 AND BRAVE NEW WORLD

H.G. WELLS’S, THE SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME (1933) VS. 1984 AND BRAVE NEW WORLD

ID, IX. MAIORES. V, CAL. IUNI. FORTUNA PRIMIGENIA.

I discovered this book by complete chance last year – a very old hardback copy was given to me as gift (in a situation which was certainly weighted with the most unlikely of synchronicities), “huh,” I thought, “it’s a first edition of H.G. Wells,” the book itself almost cannot be opened because it is so old and falling apart so I procured a text and audio file of the thing relatively easily and began to read. In hindsight not only for myself but I fancy for the generations of the last fifty years - in all totality, it is deeply strange that this book has not been more widely recognized or taught in schools, as like 1984 and Brave New World, as being the third contender (although technically the second, published one year after Huxley – seemingly written at the same time interestingly enough) in “visions of dystopia” – except that the book is not so much a vision of dystopia tomorrow but a vision of dystopia ‘today’ or rather ‘life as we know it’ of the 19th, 20th and 21st Centuries (endless war, endless pandemics, economic and logistic chaos), narrated from the comfortable and reassuring position of a society far far in the future who have long since revised their culture and solved all of the causes of the problems and become a society of genius polymaths “with (every Man and Woman) the intellectual equal of the polymaths of the ancient world.”
Now, I do not mean here to seem to ‘sweet-talk’ the reader into rushing out and buying this book or to hold it up in the manner of those other books as if it were some ideological blueprint but instead to assay the thing in the natural context which seems to me to be universally unrealized and which presents itself to us as a thing which is plainly self-evident, that is: that in the depressing and miserable dichotomy of 1984 and Brave New World; two extremely atomizing and miserable narratives, that there is also – far more empowering – The Shape Of Things To Come wherein the miserable protagony and antagony of both 1984 and Brave New World might read as merely a footnote somewhere in the middle of the book as an example of the witless measures mankinds old master undertook to preserve their power in an untenable circumstance. In other words, we know all about 1984 as children; we have this drummed into our heads and we glean our cultural comprehension that dictators cannot be cliques of business people but only lone individuals, usually in military uniform, and then we graduate from that to Brave New World to gain a more sophisticated comprehension of the feckless consumerism and ‘passive egoism’ by which our society actually operates, but then we do not – as I argue we ought – continue along in our education with this third book which actually addresses the matters at hand at a more adult level.
For instance, here, from ‘The Breakdown Of Finance And Social Morale After Versailles’ (Book One, Chapter Twelve) addresses in a single paragraph the cause of our continual economic chaos (of which all crime and poverty and war originates from) and highlights the problem from which this chaos cannot be resolved yet could easily be resolved, “adjustment was left to blind and ill-estimated forces,” “manifestly, a dramatic revision of the liberties of enterprise was necessary, but the enterprising people who controlled politics (would be) the very last people to undertake such a revision,”

…the expansion of productive energy was being accompanied by a positive contraction of the distributive arrangements which determined consumption. The more efficient the output, the fewer were the wages-earners. The more stuff there was, the fewer consumers there were. The fewer the consumers, the smaller the trading profits, and the less the gross spending power of the shareholders and individual entrepreneurs. So buying dwindled at both ends of the process and the common investor suffered with the wages- earner. This was the "Paradox of Overproduction" which so troubled the writers and journalists of the third decade of the twentieth century.

It is easy for the young student to-day to ask "Why did they not adjust?" But let him ask himself who there was to adjust. Our modern superstructure of applied economic science, the David Lubin Bureau and the General Directors' Board, with its vast recording organization, its hundreds of thousands of stations and observers, directing, adjusting, apportioning and distributing, had not even begun to exist. Adjustment was left to blind and ill-estimated forces. It was the general interest of mankind to be prosperous, but it was nobody's particular interest to keep affairs in a frame of prosperity. Manifestly a dramatic revision of the liberties of enterprise was necessary, but the enterprising people who controlled politics, so far as political life was controlled, were the very last people to undertake such a revision.

There is a clever metaphor I fancy that Wells worked in to this for the ‘actual’ defacto controlling class of things, that is: not really the politicians (sorry to disappoint the Orwell and conspiracy fans) but instead the ‘Dictatorship of the Air’ which might easily read as the ‘Dictatorship of the Airwaves’ – in colloquial language, that being radio and then television. Certainly we might imagine Rupert Murdoch or Ted Turner or Sumner Redstone (of yesterday) entering into honourable retirement as like the ‘dictators of the air’ of the very last days before the establishment of a one world state – in any case that is how things would work out, as the power of, say, Ted Turner to eradicate a political party in the United States – at any time he wishes – by simply green-lighting coverage of their bad actions relentlessly for months until revolution occurs is a real power of which no other institution possesses nor possesses any means of defence against, i.e. the ‘real power’ in our world to end a war or begin or war or end this or begin that is that power held by the organized press. This metaphor is somewhat of a more mature view, I think, than Wells earlier conception of the press in The Sleeper Awakes (1899) where the press of a dystopian future is visualized as a “babble machine” spreading circular nonsense to preoccupy the citizenry (although this is arguably a true representation of the mental processes of the Twitter and Facebook user, or of the general baby-speak and extremely infantile form of the news reports on the front page of the BBC News website) which is more or less what the press depicted as being in Brave New World also.
However the construction of sudden new realities (or sudden ‘actualities’) presented by the equation of interdependent technological innovations (i.e. the radio and the television in this instance) is mentioned early on in The Shape Of Things To Come in ‘How The Idea And Hope Of The Modern World State First Appeared’ (Book One, Chapter Two),

The fruitlessness of all these premature inventions is very easily explained. First in the case of the Transatlantic passage; either the earlier navigators who got to America never got back, or, if they did get back, they were unable to find the necessary support and means to go again before they died, or they had had enough of hardship, or they perished in a second attempt. Their stories were distorted into fantastic legends and substantially disbelieved. It was, indeed, a quite futile adventure to get to America until the keeled sailing ship, the science of navigation, and the mariner's compass had been added to human resources. (Then), in the matter of printing, it was only when the Chinese had developed the systematic manufacture of abundant cheap paper sheets in standard sizes that the printed book—and its consequent release of knowledge—became practically possible. Finally the delay in the attainment of flying was inevitable because before men could progress beyond precarious gliding it was necessary for metallurgy to reach a point at which the internal combustion engine could be made. Until then they could build nothing strong enough and light enough to battle with the eddies of the air.

In an exactly parallel manner, the conception of one single human community organized for collective service to the common weal had to wait until the rapid evolution of the means of communication could arrest and promise to defeat the disintegrative influence of geographical separation. That rapid evolution came at last in the nineteenth century, and it has been described already in a preceding chapter of this world history. Steam power, oil power, electric power, the railway, the steamship, the aeroplane, transmission by wire and aerial transmission followed each other very rapidly. They knit together the human species as it had never been knit before. Insensibly, in less than a century, the utterly impracticable became not merely a possible adjustment but an urgently necessary adjustment if civilization was to continue.

In other words, then, a global state (or, rather, such power in general held by the press as I see the analogy extending to them as being the ‘Dictatorship of the Airwaves’) was impossible to imagine and completely laughable before the technologies had stacked together to reveal as like in a simple piece of arithmetic which produced a single outcome of the equation; that no sooner had the technologies existed then the thing had become an actual reality – in that 1) unassailable political power had been unthinkingly dropped into the lap of the owners of the press, but that more importantly as consequence that therefore 2) mankind was subject to that power, that is: the situation existed the moment the technologies did – and this whether any living person had even realized it, as I think quite naturally all the time Men and Women invent things that they really have no notion of the fullest or most optimal uses of (“nothing is needed by fools, for: they do not understand how to use anything but are in want of everything,” Chrysippus), e.g. in no metaphor the television was quite literally invented as a ‘ghost box’ to commune with ghosts imagined to reveal themselves by manipulating the black and white of the static until someone else had the idea that there was at least one other use for that contraption.
It is quite strange, also, that in contemporary times we have for ages been heavily propagandized ‘against’ the idea of a “one world state” as if, say, all the crimes and fecklessness that have gone on in our lifetimes are somehow secretly building towards the creation of such a thing – not a thing you would naturally conclude from an observation of those events nor a thing advocated for by anybody (insofar as I have ever heard) but it is a thing which would be the first logical response to ‘preventing’ such crimes from ever occurring again – such as like the already widely practiced concept of a Senate-Style Federation of Sovereign States rather than a hundred or so mutually antagonistic polities capable of bombing themselves or screwing up their economies and creating waves of refugees or mass starvation or pandemics, and so on. For instance, All Egypt is dependent on the flow of the Nile which originates in what is today another country, that other country recently decimated the flow of the Nile by gumming up the Nile with a Hydroelectric Dam; such an outcome would not occur if the total mass of the land itself was governed as the single interconnected economic and environmental system that it is in physical reality of which, when divided along arbitrary borderlines, there is no means to govern the entirety of the region in an amicable and prosperous manner for all as a whole and no recourse to the otherwise intolerable situation but War which is unlikely to occur – as most Nations are comprised of civilized peoples who rightly loath the concept of War – but it is the single and unavoidable outcome to resolve such a situation until that situation has dragged on for decades, causing immense suffering, until it reaches that point of desperation – the matter of Palestine and Israel, fresh to my mind in these days, raises itself also.
Of the matter of War itself, in ‘The Direct Action Of The Armament Industries In Maintaining War Stresses’ (Book One, Chapter Eleven), Wells relays in 1933 what United States President Eisenhower would later remark in 1961 in his farewell address of the dangers of the Military Industrial Complex; albeit far more analytically on Wells part, that: it is not so much the ‘desire to harm’ on the part of the armament industries which sees them engage in unnecessary build-up of weapons stockpiles but that it is simply their business to produce, to stockpile, produce more deadly variants and stockpile the more deadly variants and sell off their old stockpiles to whomsoever rings their doorbell; for instance the on-going War in Ukraine is no different in this regard to the Viet Cong and NATO Warfare in Vietnam in that massive quantities of cheap munitions were necessary for the war to be fought in the first place and massive quantities of munitions happened to exist as a by-product of the Armaments Industries to be dumped onto the warring parties in order to facilitate their macabre impulses at the expense of the citizenry; both at their cost in terms of the debt taken on to procure the weaponry on the part of their governments and in terms of their lives when the weaponry was utilized to the outcome of massive loss of life of a single peoples within a bordered space – a thing of no value to themselves. Simply put, albeit in a very simplistic reduction to the bare basics: the War would not reached such catastrophic inhuman proportions without massive quantities of cheap Armaments that otherwise sat taking up warehouse space for more valuable Armaments on the part of the producer and seller.

In a perpetual progress in the size and range of great guns, in a vast expansion of battleships that were continually scrapped in favour of larger or more elaborate models, (Armament Firms) found a most important and inexhaustible field of profit. The governments of the world were taken unawares, and in a little while the industry, by sound and accepted methods of salesmanship, was able to impose its novelties upon these ancient institutions with their tradition of implacable mutual antagonism. It was realized very soon that any decay of patriotism and loyalty would be inimical to this great system of profits, and the selling branch of the industry either bought directly or contrived to control most of the great newspapers of the time, and exercised a watchful vigilance on the teaching of belligerence in schools. Following the established rules and usages for a marketing industrialism, and with little thought of any consequences but profits, the directors of these huge concerns built up the new warfare that found its first exposition in the Great War of 1914-18, and gave its last desperate and frightful convulsions in the Polish wars of 1940 and the subsequent decades.

Even at its outset in 1914-18 this new warfare was extraordinarily uncongenial to humanity. It did not even satisfy man's normal combative instincts. What an angry man wants to do is to beat and bash another living being, not to be shot at from ten miles distance or poisoned in a hole. Instead of drinking delight of battle with their peers, men tasted all the indiscriminating terror of an earthquake. The war literature stored at Atacama, to which we have already referred, is full of futile protest against the horror, the unsportsmanlike quality, the casual filthiness and indecency, the mechanical disregard of human dignity of the new tactics. But such protest itself was necessarily futile, because it did not go on to a clear indictment of the forces that were making, sustaining and distorting war. The child howled and wept and they did not even attempt to see what it was had tormented it.

To us nowadays it seems insane that profit-making individuals and companies should have been allowed to manufacture weapons and sell the apparatus of murder to all comers. But to the man of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries it seemed the most natural thing in the world. It had grown up in an entirely logical and necessary way, without any restraint upon the normal marketing methods of peace-time commerce, from the continually more extensive application of new industrial products to warfare. Even after the World War catastrophe, after that complete demonstration of the futility of war, men still allowed themselves to be herded like sheep into the barracks, to be trained to consume, and be consumed, by new lines of slaughter goods produced and marketed by the still active armament traders. And the accumulation of a still greater and still more dangerous mass of war material continued.

The book is, if the reader has likely already gathered from the excerpts, not written in the style of a protagonal narrative; i.e. not as a story, i.e. no hero and no villain, but as a sort of a Historia Augusta – that is really the most fitting comparison I think of when trying to describe this to a new reader (or perhaps J.J. Scarisbrick’s Henry VIII), that is to say it is written ‘as’ a History in the classical style we are familiar with from the better of the ancient writers, as like Appian or Cassius Dio, but unlike Suetonius or Tacitus it is absent of the sloppy hinging of all bad things on the highly personalized propaganda ad hominem (i.e. blame the fall of empire on one guy) that goes in those narrative works as we are typically familiar with them.
It is, of course, a work a fiction; although Wells did predict World War Two beginning in late 1939-1940 (although he had Poland putting up much better and longer of a fight against the Germans) and various other innovations, beginning from his own day with a true account of events prior to his own day – giving us a valuable account of affairs and actors prior to 1933 which would otherwise not come easily to any of us to discover. But the book, ultimately, is vehicle for the transmission and discussion of these societal (i.e. social, economic, industrial, logistic) matters presented to the audience of the day fresh, in their own minds, from the abject horror recently witnessed in World War One – and the economic catastrophes of which Roosevelts reforms had not yet come into tangible reality (i.e. relief for the poor, public works projects such as the motorways across America) as is discussed in that other seemingly little known H.G. Wells literary offering in his face-to-face interview with Josef Stalin the following year in 1934 (something which I think is of far more historical value than say, Nixon and Frost or Prince Andrew and Emily Maitlis), so as to ‘avert’ another crisis and pluck from the ether a seemingly alternate trajectory of where Mankind might at last get its act together. This ‘novel’ (thought it seems strange to call it that) ought be read, I would advise, in conjunction with ‘The Sleeper Awakes’ (1899) and also the (actually very depressing – I would not advise it) short-story prequel ‘A Story Of The Days To Come’ (1897) – set in that same universe – which, perhaps it is because I am English, seems to me to be a black horror show of the reality that we actually find ourselves living in this far into an actually dystopic future – or perhaps yet with the ‘strange windmills’ powering the mega cities that this a future yet to come (no pun intended); the broken speech, the babble machines, the miserable condition of the Working Class and their consumption of pre-packaged soft bread, the desire to flee the urban sprawl into the dilapidated countryside and make a little life in a run-down house with tacky wallpaper peeling away … ah, forgive me, my point is that ‘our condition’; i.e. those of us literate in English, is quite analogous to the condition of the central characters in those two stories; a culture dulled intellectually to the point that they can barely speak or think, being appraised and assayed by ourselves; those of us simply literate, as to render our commentary stuck as to seem as mutually alien as like Caesar in Gaul. However, it is in the context of the frame given to us in ‘The Shape Of Things To Come’ that we might gain a degree of sanity about this self-same situation; to study and lean into that dispassionate quality as to discern the nature of things as they are and recognize how important this quality is in relation to Well’s ultimate outcome for the best possible position of Humankind far far future, that is: that of Humankind’s vital intellectual capacity, and that the most striking message of STC, beyond all we have mentioned in this little overview, is that intellectual capacity in and of itself.
For example, when we consider the ‘actuality’ of the power of Turner or perhaps Zuckerberg in his heyday, for instance, we consider a power fallen into a Mans lap by an accidental stacking of disparate technologies created not by himself but of which possess a power utterly dependent in that same equation upon on a population being ‘witless’ in the first place and so led slavishly by the “babble machines”. However you cut it, reader, the great uplifting of Humankind to a standard of autonomy and intellectual prowess – not held by an elite but possessed by All People – is a thing both intrinsically self-sufficient within our grasp for our own selves and is certainly the prerequisite for political matters in that intellectual capacity of the voting public determines entirely whether a public is tricked or foolish and gets themselves into trouble by undertaking some obvious error or whether they are immune to such trickery and foolishness in the first place and that their energies and time are spent on more valuable pursuits. It seems to me that our contemporary society has done away with the notion of good character through intellect and that we live with the outcome of this; being shepherded by emotional manipulation and brute force because our society at large is treated as if we lacked the verbal and intellectual toolsets to understand anything else – moreover possessing no means to discern whether or not what is forced onto us is right or wrong; truth or lies, and so on. Such a society as this, again it seems plain to me, is ‘any’ dystopia because it is the baseline composition for ‘all’ dystopia; as like the foolish dogma of an out-dated ideology for example rests itself upon a large enough contingent of the public being either treated as if they were or in fact are “too foolish” to discuss or think a thing through, so a dogma is poured over them like concrete creating, in turn, intolerable circumstances as the dogma, tomorrow, becomes out-dated and suddenly instructs them to do foolish things, as like in the “Banality Of Evil” (read: Hannah Arendt) as the character in all serious perpetrators of inhumanity who insist, with a confused expression on their faces, that they were just doing their job – and this ‘quality’, of extreme ignorance, is the composition of the culture where such ‘evil actions’ occur.
I mean here that in STC we have on one hand a very in-depth account, very serious reading, to graduate the reader out of the depressive, atomizing, disempowering, conspiratorial milieu and mire of ‘life’ presented to us in 1984 and Brave New World, but that we have at the same time the very resonant harmonics that one does not need to “wait around for a distant future utopia” to “solve all the problems” but that the tools to do so are well within our grasp at any time we so choose and of which such an undertaking constitutes the foundation stones and tapestries of that future utopia which, I think, could be said to “meet us half-way” in many of these matters, as like we reach forward and they reach back and then those in the past reach forward and we in the present reach back; that is anyway what it is to learn from the past and anyway the answer to “why the Grandfather sews the seeds for trees from whose fruits he will never eat.”
Valete.

ID, IX. MAIORES. V, CAL. IUNI. FORTUNA PRIMIGENIA.

FULL TEXT ON GUTENBERG OF H.G. WELLS ‘THE SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME’ (1933)
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2024.06.01 13:23 alexjade64 Anti-Trans Conference in Poslanecká sněmovna ČR Incites Hatred and Promotes Hate Speech

Anti-Trans Conference in Poslanecká sněmovna ČR Incites Hatred and Promotes Hate Speech
In just a few days, an anti-trans conference is set to take place under the auspices of a member of the Czech Chamber of Deputies. This conference, titled "Ztráta identity" (Loss of Identity), purports to discuss gender dysphoria and transgender issues, but its agenda reveals a deeply transphobic and harmful narrative.
The introductory statement sets the tone for what can only be described as an assault on the rights and dignity of transgender individuals. By framing gender dysphoria as a "threatening modern epidemic," the organizers of this conference perpetuate harmful stereotypes and stigmatize a vulnerable community. The alarming statistic cited regarding a purported 1000% increase in gender dysphoria diagnoses in the past decade in the USA is misleading at best and outright fear-mongering at worst.
The topics slated for discussion include:
  • Gender Dysphoria as a Phenomenon of Our Time: By pathologizing gender dysphoria and suggesting it is a product of contemporary society, this talk undermines the validity of transgender identities and dismisses the struggles of transgender individuals.
  • Transgender Issues in Elite Sports: This topic likely perpetuates the false narrative that transgender athletes have an unfair advantage, further marginalizing an already vulnerable community.
  • Identity Crisis?: The very title of this talk suggests that transgender individuals' identities are inherently problematic or invalid, contributing to misunderstanding and discrimination against them.
  • The Dark Side of Transgender: The Danger of Social Promotion: This talk demonizes efforts to promote acceptance and inclusion of transgender individuals in society, perpetuating harmful stereotypes and fostering social ostracization.
  • Introduction of the Pluralis Association: Pluralis presents itself as a moderate voice on LGBT rights, but a closer look reveals thinly veiled bigotry and transphobia, legitimizing harmful narratives that deny the humanity of transgender individuals.
I am shocked and deeply disappointed that such a conference is being hosted in Poslanecká sněmovna ČR. The Chamber of Deputies should be a space for informed debate and policymaking, not a platform for spreading misinformation and hate speech. It is imperative that we hold our elected officials accountable and demand better from our institutions. Trans rights are human rights, and they must be respected and protected at all levels of society.
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2024.06.01 12:54 QueasyStorage637 Looking for novel

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!
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2024.06.01 12:29 LargeCryptographer59 Slap me w a reality cheque🤡🃏. Indian International Applicant-Male. Do I stand any chance ?

Indian Applicant for Biomedical Engineering (Need-Based Aid) Overall GPA- 3.6ish-3.8 idk I've checked online as much as I can and this is the value I'm finding via Bard and Chatgpt. High School (Small - 300-450 Students)
Senior Secondary School (Large - 2400-2800 Students)
Future Plans (12th Grade)
Intended Major: Biomedical Engineering
Financial Aid: Extremely important (need-blind preferred)
College list as of now Boston University, Upenn, Yale, DePaul, Brown, Columbia, Dartmouth, Duke, LMU , Purdue, Suny buffalo, Stony brook, Albany , Stanford, Tufts, Tulane, and USC(my heart is set on this one, they kinda love intl students n give aid + silicon valley + can also pursue my acting passion) Let me know if I'm being delusional as such, critique, review and also lemme know is USC a possibility.
Other:
**Questions
Notes:
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2024.06.01 12:27 publicityfedcsis Call for Position Papers: FedCSIS 2024

🗓️ Conference Dates: Sept 8-11, 2024
📍 Location: Belgrade, Serbia
🚨 Submission Deadline: June 11, 2024, 23:59 AoE (strict, no extensions)

Submit Your Position Papers!

FedCSIS 2024 invites position papers (4-8 pages) on ongoing research or experiences. Accepted papers will be presented alongside regular papers. Two types of position papers are welcome:
  1. Emerging Research Papers: Preliminary results from ongoing research.
  2. Challenge Papers: Propose new research challenges in computer science and intelligence systems.

Key Tracks & Sessions

Keynote Speakers

Awards

Important Dates

Join us to share your insights and advance the field of computer science and intelligence systems!
🔗 More Info & Submission: fedcsis.org
📧 Contact: [secretariat@fedcsis.org](mailto:secretariat@fedcsis.org)
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Spread the word and forward this to interested colleagues!
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2024.06.01 12:25 publicityfedcsis Call for Position Papers: FedCSIS 2024

🗓️ Conference Dates: Sept 8-11, 2024
📍 Location: Belgrade, Serbia
🚨 Submission Deadline: June 11, 2024, 23:59 AoE (strict, no extensions)

Submit Your Position Papers!

FedCSIS 2024 invites position papers (4-8 pages) on ongoing research or experiences. Accepted papers will be presented alongside regular papers. Two types of position papers are welcome:
  1. Emerging Research Papers: Preliminary results from ongoing research.
  2. Challenge Papers: Propose new research challenges in computer science and intelligence systems.

Key Tracks & Sessions

Keynote Speakers

Awards

Important Dates

Join us to share your insights and advance the field of computer science and intelligence systems!
🔗 More Info & Submission: fedcsis.org
📧 Contact: [secretariat@fedcsis.org](mailto:secretariat@fedcsis.org)
💬 Social Media: Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter
Spread the word and forward this to interested colleagues!
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2024.06.01 12:22 publicityfedcsis Call for Position Papers: FedCSIS 2024

🗓️ Conference Dates: Sept 8-11, 2024
📍 Location: Belgrade, Serbia
🚨 Submission Deadline: June 11, 2024, 23:59 AoE (strict, no extensions)

Submit Your Position Papers!

FedCSIS 2024 invites position papers (4-8 pages) on ongoing research or experiences. Accepted papers will be presented alongside regular papers. Two types of position papers are welcome:
  1. Emerging Research Papers: Preliminary results from ongoing research.
  2. Challenge Papers: Propose new research challenges in computer science and intelligence systems.

Key Tracks & Sessions

Keynote Speakers

Awards

Important Dates

Join us to share your insights and advance the field of computer science and intelligence systems!
🔗 More Info & Submission: fedcsis.org
📧 Contact: [secretariat@fedcsis.org](mailto:secretariat@fedcsis.org)
💬 Social Media: Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter
Spread the word and forward this to interested colleagues!
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2024.06.01 12:21 publicityfedcsis Call for Position Papers: FedCSIS 2024

🗓️ Conference Dates: Sept 8-11, 2024
📍 Location: Belgrade, Serbia
🚨 Submission Deadline: June 11, 2024, 23:59 AoE (strict, no extensions)

Submit Your Position Papers!

FedCSIS 2024 invites position papers (4-8 pages) on ongoing research or experiences. Accepted papers will be presented alongside regular papers. Two types of position papers are welcome:
  1. Emerging Research Papers: Preliminary results from ongoing research.
  2. Challenge Papers: Propose new research challenges in computer science and intelligence systems.

Key Tracks & Sessions

Keynote Speakers

Awards

Important Dates

Join us to share your insights and advance the field of computer science and intelligence systems!
🔗 More Info & Submission: fedcsis.org
📧 Contact: [secretariat@fedcsis.org](mailto:secretariat@fedcsis.org)
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2024.06.01 12:16 Lollipop_Carballo NJG is no longer an “apostle”

I say this because if you now look at the major churches they no longer have a BIG NJG logo anywhere. Members are now hating ministers and the bishop. Members no longer give there money as they use to. No one is active anymore. People are realizing how this religious organization has corrupted since NJG arrest. Even my fanatical family is realizing the amount of perversion there is in the ministers. I personally think that the higher up’s are waiting for most of the Joaquin’s either die or no longer be in the picture so they can change the organization. Many pastors and ministers are letting things slide that once never were ever acceptable. Churches are less full they only say how many churches they build but never the membership numbers. Now the members are slowly fading away from the “NJG is my XYZ reason” mentality. The only reason why even NJG is even relevant is just to pray for him and to thank him and that’s all. The speeches are now more about money, temples, reasons why not to leave church. I think the last time they ever even had a “election” speech was probably since the pandemic. I don’t remember ever hearing a election speech since after the pandemic. I even have a feeling that the bishop is behind on faking these cards. Because I remember in 2023 1 month before I left it was the SC and when I heard NJG voice I said “ I have heard and known NJG and I can say that is not him but maybe he’s suffering so much his voice is a reflection of how he feels inside”. I was trying to suppress those doubts after hearing that I remember I didn’t feel it like it was him while I was watching others cry and speak young’s after hearing that I just got emotional and cried but not as much as I liked. Anyways going back… I know for sure that was not his voice. I also know for A fact those cards he sends are not his because NJG Spanish is very Spanish Spain like but the cards he sends it’s very casual Spanish. And the whole “ people who left and talked bad about NJG and LLDM can come back we forgive them” is just a other way to reel people into church again because the ministers and bishop realized how much money they are losing . Overall I feel like this is the end of the Joaquin dynasty. I have a feeling Alma married NJG because she truly loved him but after he was in jail I think she had enough and probably broke up or something. Let’s be honest. Once NJG gets out of jail witch hopefully he never does bye the time he is out of jail or dies all his family will be dead because they are all getting old. Man will the bishop have a field day the moment it comes to choose who’s the next apostle. Giving “ini mini myni mo” vibes lol. Anyways thoughts?
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2024.06.01 11:52 Normodox NYC nurse fired after calling Gaza war ‘genocide’ during award acceptance speech

A nurse at a New York hospital won an award for compassion from her employers — and then got fired for using her acceptance speech to accuse Israel of committing “genocide” in Gaza.
Palestinian American labor and delivery nurse Hesen Jabr, 34,delivered the fiery remarks as she was being honored earlier this month by NYU Langone Health for her efforts in caring for mothers grieving lost babies.
“It pains me to see the women from my country going through unimaginable losses themselves during the current genocide in Gaza,” she said during her May 7 acceptance speech, according to a video she posted on social media.
“This award is deeply personal to me for those reasons,” Jabr said in her brief remarks, during which she twice used the word “genocide” to describe the Israeli war.
Jabr says she was “dragged” into a meeting with NYU Langone’s president and vice president of nursing on her first day back to work after the ceremony, on May 22.
She said in an online posting that the meeting was called to “discuss how I ‘put others at risk’ and ‘ruined the ceremony’ and ‘offended people’ because a small part of my speech was a tribute towards the grieving mothers in our country.”
Near the end of her shift, however, Jabr was again “dragged” into an office where the hospital’s director of resources, Austin Bender, read her termination letter before she was escorted off the premises by a plainclothes cop, her post said.
In a follow-up post, Jabr took aim at the medical center, lobbing a number of accusations.
In one, she claimed a labor and delivery doctor at the hospital once “pulled [her] aside” in a delivery room as a patient who had just given birth was being stitched up to scold her, allegedly telling her that her people “were the cause of the current bombardment that was happening to them at the time.”
The Post reached out to Jabr by phone and left a voicemail but did not immediately hear back.
NYU Langone spokesman Steve Ritea said in a statement that Jabr was “warned” in December following a “previous incident” and had been admonished “not to bring her views on this divisive and charged issue into the workplace.”
He did not elaborate on the details of the alleged “previous incident,” but because of her failure to heed that warning at the award ceremony, Ritea said, “Jabr is no longer an NYU Langone employee.”
NYU would also not comment on Jabr’s accusations of mistreatment by hospital staff.
NYC nurse fired after calling Gaza war 'genocide' during award acceptance speech (nypost.com)
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2024.06.01 09:57 PuzzleheadedAd5590 My boyfriend (M23) doesn't know what to do with himself at the moment and that's why he's saying a lot of things. Unfortunately, I'm (F25) very sensitive. What should I do?

Hi everyone,
My boyfriend (M23) and I (W25) have been together for a good six months. It's wonderful, we fit well together and, unlike what I experienced before, he's a real man instead of a boy. I really, really like him and I know that he really, really likes me too.
However, a problem has crept in: He's a talker. Don't get me wrong, he doesn't insult me or anything like that. It's more like teasing, which he's had from the start. It never bothered me. But now I've been working 2 jobs for a month (about 30 hours/week) because my parents turned off the tap for my studies (that's another topic). So now I have to work every day and write my Bachelor's thesis on the side. But everything is going well and I get a lot of support from him (e.g. he cooks for me every evening). He's saved up a lot over the last few years with lots of promotional jobs and could live on it for the next year. He's also writing his bachelor's thesis, but unfortunately it's not going well. He's not happy with his studies, would prefer to do something manual and doesn't know where to go after graduation. We looked together for student trainee positions for him, he was invited but not accepted. Problem: He has no work experience in this field yet, but nobody wants to give him work experience. So I go to work every morning and after the long day (I have to get used to working so much at the moment) we see each other, play tennis, go on an activity, cook and cuddle up, it's really nice. However, he and I have noticed that he is very unhappy with his career and as he knows that his studies are not really helping him, he is not motivated to write his bachelor's thesis and is therefore very frustrated.
Since this has been the case, I've been getting more and more comments. And as I'm more exhausted than usual at the moment due to the increased workload, these comments are bothering me more and more. I'm a very sensitive person at heart. I know that this will get better as soon as his bachelor's thesis is finished and he figures out what to do with himself, because he's a determined person, he just doesn't have the right goal in mind right now. I'm really complaining a lot about the situation at the moment and I feel really sorry because he never really complains. We had a long talk about it this morning and he says that he doesn't think he can completely stop making speeches, it's part of him and his ADHD head, he's always done it. But he also reassured me that he loves me very much and that the jokes are no longer because he likes me less, on the contrary.
But how can I deal with it, how can I support him and get him on the right track? Or should I just wait until this phase is over? I know that it will be in 10 weeks, but I also know that the next 10 weeks will be tough.
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2024.06.01 09:56 PM_ME_SMALL__TIDDIES "come on, its not like you are the devil"

Its been fucking 7 years. My mother is not even a JW but is very supportive of the JW lifestyle because i have 4 jw uncles from a total of 13 or so uncles, and a jw sister.
Whenever there is the thing where we have to pass the wine and blood, i dont know the name in english and i dont care enough to look it up, my mom will go, and she will always ask for me to go, and she will always tell me its not like i am the devil to burn away if i enter a kingdom hall.
The temptation to tell her that if i was the devil i would be the one giving the speech is HUGE but i don't want to cause the drama, so i just tell her i won't be going.
Edit:she tells my sister she doesn't wanna be a JW because she is unable to forgive people and thus doesn't feel good enough. Imagine if she knew the kind of people Jehovah accepts for leaders, lol
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2024.06.01 09:51 AngryCatnap Daily Spin Diamonds

Hey, literally anybody with a channel to speak with devs, can we PLEASE do away with diamond "rewards" on daily spins? And if not, can we at least kill the diamond "reward" on the spins we have to watch ads for?
I am so tired of watching ads that last a whole minute just to recoup the cost of watching the ad. One diamond is not an acceptable "reward" for an unskippable ad when I already spent a diamond just to watch the stupid ad in the first place.
The ads we can watch every 20 minutes award 2AB. It makes no logical sense for anybody to spend a diamond watch an ad, just to get their diamond back.
Please, PLEASE fix this.
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2024.06.01 07:50 Genesis6669 Accepting the fact that I won’t have a closure

It's been two months since we broke up, and I have felt bothered by the way it ended ever since. I ended the relationship, but the truth is that I didn't want to; I felt compelled to due to the situation that was affecting my mental health.
To sum up the story, my ex had been avoiding me due to some personal issues she had been dealing with since the beginning of the year. It got to a point where she wasn't interested in talking to me, didn't want to see me, and even ghosted me.
I set my pride aside and tried to fight for us despite all of this because I understood her side. But after months of patience and seeing her drift away, when I tried to talk one last time, I got the classic speech that she was confused about her feelings and didn't see a future with me. After that, I couldn't take it anymore and felt obligated to end things.
What still bothers me about this breakup is that I had to do it through a message. She didn't want to see me, didn't want to talk about our situation, and in the heat of my emotions, I ended things via text, even though I wanted to meet her in person for a more genuine goodbye.
After that, I practically never heard from her again. After I broke up via message, she simply disappeared. She didn't even respond properly, gave me a generic farewell, deleted my contact, and left my life without clarifying any of my questions or opening up to me in the end.
Two months after the breakup (last week), I tried to meet her so we could have a respectful conversation about the breakup and so I could give her a sincere goodbye and deliver a letter saying farewell. I was ignored.
Honestly, I didn't want things to end this way. And I can never understand how someone who loved me so much in the past could treat me so coldly and indifferently in the end without explaining.
She was truly a wonderful person in my life. In the past three years, I experienced the happiest moments of my life with her and learned what love is.
But since last week, I've been starting to accept that I won't be able to resolve things with her and that I will never have my questions answered.
I think in the end not all stories have a closure.
I think I’ll just accept it and move on...
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2024.06.01 07:35 CT_Phipps (Pride) Ten Recommended LGBTA Friendly Fantasy/Scifi series

(Pride) Ten Recommended LGBTA Friendly Fantasy/Scifi series
Let's hope this isn't downvoted to oblivion.
https://beforewegoblog.com/ten-recommended-queer-friendly-sci-fi-fantasy-reads-for-pride-month/
Queer reads are something that has always existed among fiction, especially genre fiction, but it is has only recently been the case that they've allowed to start emerge from the shadows. That doesn't lesson the role they've always had, though, as many people have a compelling argument that the driving force for Trekkiedom (the godfather of all modern fandom) was actually slash fiction.
Still, it can sometimes be hard to find fiction where the characters aren't minor, killed off quickly, or allowed to express their sexuality. Plenty of other readers also assume any queer friendly work has to be focused on romance. As a queer friendly author, I know it's not THAT hard to put a prominent character in your stories but finding books containing said content can sometimes be a chore.
What are the books where the characters are LGBTQA and simply allowed to be? Well, here's my picks as a CIS heterosexual man as clearly everyone is clamoring for my insight. JK. I've tried to pick a mixture of indie and traditional.
10] Dead Witch Walking by Kim Harrison
Blurb: The first book in #1 New York Times bestselling author Kim Harrison's Hollows series!
All the creatures of the night gather in "the Hollows" of Cincinnati, to hide, to prowl, to party . . . and to feed.
Vampires rule the darkness in a predator-eat-predator world rife with dangers beyond imagining—and it's Rachel Morgan's job to keep that world civilized.
A bounty hunter and a witch with serious sex appeal and an attitude, she'll bring 'em back alive, dead . . . or undead.
Review: The Hollows is an extremely fun urban fantasy series following the adventures of Rachel Morgan and her best friend Ivy that just about everyone wanted to hook up among the fandom but, sadly, didn't. Still, while Rachel seems mostly straight, Ivy remains a fantastic bisexual motorcycle riding vampire detective that really could have handled her own series. She's also a rare Asian American protagonist.
9] Legacy of the Brightwash by Krystle Matar
Blurb: Tashué’s faith in the law is beginning to crack. Three years ago, he stood by when the Authority condemned Jason to the brutality of the Rift for non-compliance. When Tashué’s son refused to register as tainted, the laws had to be upheld. He’d never doubted his job as a Regulation Officer before, but three years of watching your son wither away can break down even the strongest convictions.
Then a dead girl washed up on the bank of the Brightwash, tattooed and mutilated. Where had she come from? Who would tattoo a child? Was it the same person who killed her? Why was he the only one who cared?
Will Tashué be able to stand against everything he thought he believed in to get the answers he’s looking for?
Review: Legacy of the Brightwash is a fantastic book that is up there with Kings of Paradise for being an argument that indie doesn't mean lack of literary quality. Tashue is a bisexual man and one torn by the obligations of duty in his steampunk world that treats everyone with magic with horrifying rules as well as suspicion. Unfortunately, the choices forced on him include dealing with it appearing in his own family.
8] Miskatonic University: Elder Gods 101 by Matthew and Mike Davenport
Blurb: Miskatonic University is bathed in the blood of the students who have walked its halls. A place where the darkness is more than just shadows.
As with many of the best universities, many students having a distinguished family name—but at Miskatonic this can be as much a curse as a blessing.
Such an aged repository of occult histories has secrets of its own. Miskatonic University is an anchor for all reality. Held tentatively in place by spells woven into its walls over generations.
Someone, somewhere, is breaking those spells and all of the universe is on the brink of tearing apart.
Review: I am going to be biased toward any queer friendly HP Lovecraft material and had quite a bit to choose from (as another entry will show). In this case, I had to recommend a delightful SUPER POWERED's esque urban fantasy that is more Buffy the Vampire Slayer than cosmic horror. Still, I love the character of Ralph who wants to leave his isolated religious community to play football as well as express his sexuality. It's just that community is Innsmouth.
7] Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree
Blurb: Come take a load off at Viv's cafe, the first and only coffee shop in Thune. Grand opening!
Worn out after decades of packing steel and raising hell, Viv, the orc barbarian, cashes out of the warrior’s life with one final score. A forgotten legend, a fabled artifact, and an unreasonable amount of hope lead her to the streets of Thune, where she plans to open the first coffee shop the city has ever seen.
However, her dreams of a fresh start filling mugs instead of swinging swords are hardly a sure bet. Old frenemies and Thune’s shady underbelly may just upset her plans. To finally build something that will last, Viv will need some new partners, and a different kind of resolve.
Review: The archetypal example of "cozy" fantasy these days. Viv is an orc who just wants to open a coffee shop in a Medieval Dungeons and Dragons-esque setting. She's also a lesbian. This results in her having an awkward relationship with her succubus employee, who everyone has dismissed as a tart because of her species. It's actually really sweet and something that I would have loved to have a sequel to follow up on (instead we got a prequel).
6] The Witness for the Dead by Katherine Addison
Blurb: Katherine Addison returns to the glittering world she created for her beloved novel, The Goblin Emperor, in this stand-alone sequel
When the young half-goblin emperor Maia sought to learn who had set the bombs that killed his father and half-brothers, he turned to an obscure resident of his father’s Court, a Prelate of Ulis and a Witness for the Dead. Thara Celehar found the truth, though it did him no good to discover it. He lost his place as a retainer of his cousin the former Empress, and made far too many enemies among the many factions vying for power in the new Court. The favor of the Emperor is a dangerous coin.
Now Celehar lives in the city of Amalo, far from the Court though not exactly in exile. He has not escaped from politics, but his position gives him the ability to serve the common people of the city, which is his preference. He lives modestly, but his decency and fundamental honesty will not permit him to live quietly. As a Witness for the Dead, he can, sometimes, speak to the recently dead: see the last thing they saw, know the last thought they had, experience the last thing they felt. It is his duty use that ability to resolve disputes, to ascertain the intent of the dead, to find the killers of the murdered.
Celehar’s skills now lead him out of the quiet and into a morass of treachery, murder, and injustice. No matter his own background with the imperial house, Celehar will stand with the commoners, and possibly find a light in the darkness.
Katherine Addison has created a fantastic world for these books - wide and deep and true.
Review: I love THE GOBLIN EMPEROR but, sadly, Katherine Addison wasn't interested in continuing to write for the character of Maia. However, she was interested in continuing to write for her world. Thara Celehar is a priest who has the ability to talk to the dead. He's also a gay man who has had tragedy in his backstory but may well find love again (but isn't actively looking). Through him we get to explore the steampunk fantasy setting of Addison's world and its many mysteries. Who murdered an opera singer and what was their motivation? Will anyone accept the disgraced priest who, nevertheless, now has friends in high places?
5] Interview with a Vampire by Anne Rice
Blurb: Here are the confessions of a vampire. Hypnotic, shocking, and chillingly sensual, this is a novel of mesmerizing beauty and astonishing force—a story of danger and flight, of love and loss, of suspense and resolution, and of the extraordinary power of the senses. It is a novel only Anne Rice could write.
Review: It's interesting to note the subtext was never particularly subtextual but a lot of people insisted it was until the movie and television show made it impossible to deny. Yes, Louis and Lestat are lovers with their adopted vampire daughter Claudia. There's also a bunch of musings about immortality, God, killing to survive, and the ennui of living in general. The series goes off the rails after the fourth book and was already pretty strange by the third. Still, the first two books are classics for a reason.
4] Villains don't date Heroes by Mia Archer
Blurb: Night Terror. The greatest villain Starlight City has ever known. The greatest supervillain the world has ever seen. She rules her city with an iron fist, and there are no new worlds to conquer.
Needless to say life is pretty damn boring.
All that changes when she decides to shake things up by robbing a bank the old fashioned way and runs into the city's newest hero: Fialux. Flying Fialux. Invulnerable Fialux. Super strong Fialux. Beautiful Fialux?
Night Terror has a new archenemy who might just be able to defeat her, but even more terrifying are the confusing feelings this upstart heroine has ignited. She doesn't like heroes like that. She definitely doesn't like girls like that. Right? Only she can't deny the flutter she feels whenever she thinks of Starlight City's newest heroine!
The line between hate and love is a razor's edge that the world's greatest villainess will have to walk if she wants to hold onto that title!
Villains Don't Date Heroes! is a lesbian scifi romance novel that explores the world of villains, antiheroes, and heroes in a whole new way!
Review: I admit this book is probably not going to be anyone's idea of a classic but it's also nice just to have something that's just plain fun. This is basically Megamind if the protagonist was a lesbian and in love with Supergirl. It's not remotely serious and yet has a lot of fun with our mad inventor heroine dealing with her very unwelcome crush that is interfering with her plans to take over the world. I didn't really gel with the series as a whole but the first book is just plain fun.
3] Dreadnought by April Daniels
Blurb: A trans teen is transformed into a superhero in this action-packed series-starter perfect for fans of The Heroine Complex and Not Your Sidekick.
Danny Tozer has a problem: she just inherited the powers of Dreadnought, the world’s greatest superhero. Until Dreadnought fell out of the sky and died right in front of her, Danny was trying to keep people from finding out she’s transgender. But before he expired, Dreadnought passed his mantle to her, and those secondhand superpowers transformed Danny’s body into what she’s always thought it should be. Now there’s no hiding that she’s a girl.
It should be the happiest time of her life, but Danny’s first weeks finally living in a body that fits her are more difficult and complicated than she could have imagined. Between her father’s dangerous obsession with “curing” her girlhood, her best friend suddenly acting like he’s entitled to date her, and her fellow superheroes arguing over her place in their ranks, Danny feels like she’s in over her head.
She doesn’t have time to adjust. Dreadnought’s murderer—a cyborg named Utopia—still haunts the streets of New Port City, threatening destruction. If Danny can’t sort through the confusion of coming out, master her powers, and stop Utopia in time, humanity faces extinction.
Review: Probably one of the best superhero novels I've ever read that just so happens to also be a trans lesbian coming of age story. Danny is a girl who lives under a homophobic father when she gains the idealized form she's always dreamed of (which was being a beautiful superpowereful woman). Unfortunately, not everyone in the world is ready to accept that the heir to the Superman equivalent is a trans girl. This includes a TERF-esque druidess and what is basically Elon Musk (surprise-surprise). I want the third book in the trilogy now.
2] Of Honey and Wildfires by Sarah Chorn
Blurb: From the moment the first settler dug a well and struck a lode of shine, the world changed. Now, everything revolves around that magical oil. What began as a simple scouting expedition becomes a life-changing ordeal for Arlen Esco. The son of a powerful mogul, Arlen is kidnapped and forced to confront uncomfortable truths his father has kept hidden. In his hands lies a decision that will determine the fate of everyone he loves—and impact the lives of every person in Shine Territory.
The daughter of an infamous saboteur and outlaw, Cassandra has her own dangerous secrets to protect. When the lives of those she loves are threatened, she realizes that she is uniquely placed to change the balance of power in Shine Territory once and for all. Secrets breed more secrets. Somehow, Arlen and Cassandra must find their own truths in the middle of a garden of lies.
Review: Sarah Chorn is an incredibly underrated indie author and a fantastic reviewer as well. Her Song of the Sefate books are the ones that everyone should read, though. Basically, Wild West stories set in an alternate world where they harvest a magical substance called shine. The protagonists are a lesbian and a transman who are primarily dealing with the plot of resistance to corporate control. It can get dark but it is fantastically written and written from a place of heart.
1] Winter's Tide by Ruthanna Emrys
Blurb: After attacking Devil’s Reef in 1928, the U.S. government rounded up the people of Innsmouth and took them to the desert, far from their ocean, their Deep One ancestors, and their sleeping god Cthulhu. Only Aphra and Caleb Marsh survived the camps, and they emerged without a past or a future.
The government that stole Aphra's life now needs her help. FBI agent Ron Spector believes that Communist spies have stolen dangerous magical secrets from Miskatonic University, secrets that could turn the Cold War hot in an instant, and hasten the end of the human race.
Aphra must return to the ruins of her home, gather scraps of her stolen history, and assemble a new family to face the darkness of human nature.
Winter Tide is the debut novel from Ruthanna Emrys, author of the Aphra Marsh story, "The Litany of Earth"--included here as a bonus.
Review: Ruthanna Emrys is a Jewish lesbian woman as well as a massive HP Lovecraft fan. You can understand why she has a different perspective than Howard Phillips on a few things. Her Innsmouth Legacy series (which needs a third book dammit) follows the adventures of Aphra Marsh as she investigates the supernatural with a closeted Jewish FBI agent, a lesbian professor of mathematics, and her bisexual debutante associate. Aphra herself is ace and someone who just doesn't think about human men or women that way.

Honorable Mention

Velveteen Versus the Junior Super Patriots by Seanan Maguire
Blurb: "How dare you? I never asked for you to hunt me down!" No, Velma Martinez hadn't. But when you had once been Velveteen, child super-heroine and one of The Junior Super Patriots, West Coast Division, you were never going to be free, even if your only power was to bring toys to life. The Marketing Department would be sure of that.
So it all came down to this. One young woman and an army of misfit toys vs. the assembled might of the nine members of The Junior Super Patriots, West Coast Division who had come to take her down.
They never had a chance.
Velveteen lives in a world of superheroes and magic, where men can fly and where young girls can be abducted to the Autumn Land to save Halloween. Velma lives from paycheck to paycheck and copes with her broken-down car as she tries to escape from her old life.
It's all the same world. It's all real. And figuring out how to be both Velveteen and Velma is the biggest challenge of her life, because being super-human means you're still human in the end.
Join us as award-winning author Seanan McGuire takes us through the first volume of Velveteen's - and Velma's - adventure.
Review: I'm a big fan of this series and am sad that it's not available on Kindle or paperback. The story follows Velvet Martinez who is a girl who can animate toys. Which is a deceptively powerful ability. One of the most interesting plotlines in the book, though, is her relationship with Sparkle Bright. Velvet assumed she had been going for her crush going up but she was actually a closeted lesbian girl (because of the Marketing DepartmentTM). Sparkle Bright gradually achieves self-actualization and starts a relationship with steampunk heroine, Victory Anna. Plus, there's the Princess who is a trans girl representing all princess tropes.
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2024.06.01 07:21 TheGT26 What a clown

What a clown
🤡
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2024.06.01 07:10 yxkuo Hacks S3E9 Recap and Thoughts (Long Read)

Apologies for the absolutely insane number of words, got carried away trying to compensate for being slower than usual with my recap.
The cold open for the finale has a nice little parallel to the cold open in S1E2, which similarly has Deborah walk in to Marty who’s in a somewhat compromising position with his trainer to deliver good news, although in this case her news is something they both celebrate, rather than a win she uses to gloat over Marty
Even though she’s in a much less combative place with Marty, Deborah still isn’t willing to admit that she came over to tell him the news in person and insists that she’s only there to return the key, showing the limited extent to which she is willing to open up even to people she’s known for a long time.
Deborah and Marty doing the tango together to basically celebrate the news is quite cute and a fun way to kick off the episode
I do think it’s kind of sweet that Kathy is quite looking forward to Deborah’s visit, and J Smith Cameron plays up Kathy’s somewhat childlike excitement at this during the opening of the phone call
Nice to see Deborah making an effort to follow up after inviting Kathy for Christmas, committing to a sister’s weekend is a not insignificant step although it also becomes clear that she’s not 100% committed to it. Waiting for Kathy to call and then tell her there’s a change in plans instead of just straight up telling her isn’t a particularly nice thing to do
Deborah has a weird look on her face when Kathy brings up her parents at the mausoleum, which I initially thought was because she didn’t really like to reflect on the past, although on a rewatch it becomes clear it’s because she knows the truth about the mausoleum.
“She’s pivoting into being an adult” Found the way Kayla phrased this part of the child star to adult actor experience to be very funny. I guess the Bella Donaldson character is supposed to be a reference to people like Zendaya, Zac Efron and Selena Gomez (Cannes Best Actress winner!!???), Disney child stars who are trying to shed their past image and be taken as serious adult actors to varying degrees of success. Also the bit about getting awards buzz for an Aronofsky movie feels a bit like what happened/ was projected to happen with Sadie Sink and The Whale
Deborah watching her old Late Night tape and Ava seeing her do that is a nice callback to and reversal of S1E3, where it was Ava watching Deborah’s tape and discovering more about her past
I love Hannah Einbinder’s simple but sincere delivery of “I knew you would” as Ava, and the way Jean Smart lets just the tiniest smile play across Deborah’s lips in response to Ava’s belief in her
Ava being able to only write stuff for Deborah’s Late Night show and not any actual material of her own shows that even though it’s been a year plus since the S2 Finale she still has the same issue of Deborah being “the one with all the stories. What do I even have to say?”
Ava’s voice going up endearingly high when she says “This is gonna be amazing” is very cute, what a touching and lovely scene between Deborah and Ava showing the respect and admiration they have for each other. I’m sure that will continue for the rest of the finale!
How does a safe in the floor of the pool even work lol
Very fun comedy freaking out by Mark Indelicato as Damien, him becoming hysterical at the thought of becoming the new Marcus is hugely entertaining.
According to Hannah Einbinder and Jean Smart on Variety’s Award Circuit podcast, thy did shoot a scene for this episode where Marcus does tell Deborah that he’s leaving but it was cut from the episode. Honestly not sure what role Marcus will play next season and curious to see what the writers will do since it seems he’s going on a very different plotline than the rest of the show. If this was another show I’d say he’s being written out but from interviews and other behind the scenes material the cast and showrunners are fairly tight knit, so I’d imagine they’ll find a way which makes sense for Marcus to continue being around
Between this guest appearance as Bella Donaldson and the release of Lisa Frankenstein and Abigail, Kathryn Newton is quietly having a pretty cool 2024. She absolutely nails the passive-aggressive “nice” girl type that she’s asked to play here. Also the Zack and Cody mention is kind of neat since Newton starred along with Cole Sprouse in Lisa Frankenstein earlier this year, while the goat demon movie mentioned might possibly be a nod to Newton’s affinity for the horro horror adjacent genre?
Quite like this Jimmy/Kayla B plot, allows Meg Stalter to show a different/more emotional side to Kayla who’s usually just the very fun comedic relief. Her smiling nicely and trying to politely ward off Bella’s passive-aggressive “niceness” is such a deeply human character beat.
Deborah Margesson doesn’t quite have the same ring to it as Deborah Vance, so I guess that’s why she didn’t go back to her maiden name after the divorce.
Deborah moving her parent’s remains to Vegas and not telling Kathy for twenty plus years is absolutely deranged behaviour. “It was a corner plot” and “I used my art shipper!” are ridiculously bad responses to the situation, this being the last straw for Kathy is very understandable. Although in Deborah’s defence I guess the fact that she was willing to accompany Kathy to the mausoleum for what she knows to be a completely empty gesture is her deranged way of showing care for her sister and not wanting to hurt her feelings.
Also in hindsight Deborah lying to/not telling Kathy about their parents to avoid hurting her feelings and any conflict is good foreshadowing since that pretty much turns out to be what she does regarding Ava and the head writer job
Deborah’s look of absolute disdain/confusion after hearing the “going to the hardware store for milk” line is gold from Jean Smart
I think Kathy’s reaction to Deborah here and deciding that she’s had enough of her BS and not wanting to put herself through even more hurt in attempting to maintain a relationship is completely reasonable, really liked J Smith Cameron’s work here, as well as Jean Smart playing Deborah’s silent acceptance of this relationship blowing up yet again
Deborah standing alone in the mausoleum is a great shot
Kathy’s reaction to Deborah’s BS here serves as a great contrast to how Ava deals with Deborah’s BS later on in the episode, it truly takes someone special/equally deranged to want to continue being with Deborah despite all her flaws and the hurt she causes to those around her. To use some internet parlance, Kathy is unwilling to put up with Deborah’s freak, while Ava ends up being more than willing to match Deborah’s
Lewis Benton/ fake John Oliver’s line to Ava about her being the hardest-working person in the office is a nice reminder of how working with Deborah has changed Ava for the better in some ways by giving her a stronger work ethic
“Maybe our paths will cross again” Just speculating here, and maybe this would be too inside baseball of a storyline for a show that initially at least was about two people on the “outside” of the entertainment industry, but might there be a future storyline of Deborah competing against fake John Oliver for an Emmy? A recent Emmy rule change starting from the Emmys earlier this year means that Oliver no longer competes with the more traditional Late Night shows like Colbert, Kimmel, Meyers, The Daily Show etc prior to that this had been the case for the past ten or so years
Kayla being the funny one growing up as a defense mechanism against bullies like Bella is such a great character detail on the part of the writers, makes so much sense and explains so much about Kayla’s outlook and attitude
This conflict is so great because both Jimmy and Kayla do have a point. Obviously Jimmy standing up for Kayla who’s being bullied is a good thing for him to do as a friend, but Kayla’s also not wrong in feeling that Jimmy is kind of ignoring her work and being a bit patronising. Really liked how Meg Stalter plays Kayla’s hurt feelings in this scene, it’s a well-executed emotional beat for a generally comedic character. And this continues the throughline about whether Jimmy has what it takes/enough stones and guts to be in the business which was also seen in the back part of S2
Quite liked the scene between Deborah and Biff Cliff (what a name!), a pretty sobering reminder of the obstacles faced by women in entertainment and just how precarious making it in the business actually is, makes complete sense that it would spook Deborah to do what she does later on
I thought the Jimmy Page dating a 14 year old story was meant to be a jab and Jerry Seinfeld and his 17 year old girlfriend, but googled and found out that that was a true story too
I feel like the bit Ava has as a writer taking new headshots and the different treatment they receive compared to actors must be drawn from the real-life experiences of the writers/showrunners, it’s such a specific joke. That said I think if you asked a layperson to tell who’s a writer and who’s an actor from this Deadline photoshoot I think they’d be hard pressed to tell the difference (very complimentary).
Ava sharing her excitement over her “dream job” as head writer for Deborah with a random make-up artist is very endearing, and just makes what happens later on even more crushing
Deborah going to the exec meeting and slowly realising just how much is being invested in her is a great bit of reaction acting from Jean Smart, and further helps reinforce the pressure she’s under and explains her choices
Quite liked the scene of Deborah telling Ava that the network doesn’t want her as head writer, on first watch it seems like Deborah is just worried about how to break the bad news to Ava and let her down easy, but on rewatch it feels so obvious that Deborah is just lying through her teeth to Ava and struggling with it big time.
Jimmy’s “proposal” to Kayla on the plane is such a great comedic setpiece/skewing of the rom-con trope, everything from the overly-excited passenger who completely misreads the situation to Jimmy kneeling because the flight attendant says there’s no standing in the aisle is just perfect.
It’s also just a really good way to cap off the season long plot involving Jimmy and Kayla, we’ve seen throughout the season that they make a very good thing and that Kayla’s kind of a genius at this in her own unique way, very satisfying to see Jimmy finally recognise this and promote her. Jimmy and Kayla’s mentomentee relationship serves as a healthy contrast to Deborah and Ava,with Jimmy as a mentor who recognises the mentee’s contributions and is willing to make compromises (see his acceptance of Kayla’s three funny videos a day)
Jimmy’s voice going up absurdly high when he says “Leave us alone!!!” and “What is your deal” is fantastic comedic work from co-showrunner Paul W Downs, he’ll get Writing and Series Emmy nominations this year, but he should really be getting one for Supporting Actor too.
I guess if you want to nitpick you could say Ava running into Winnie is a very convenient thing to move the plot along, but I choose to look at is as a reminder that Ava has moved on up in the world since the end of S2 and is now at a place where she can get takeout from fancy places where a high-level network head might also dine
Ava’s look of betrayal and anger after realising that Deborah lied to her is great work from Hannah Einbinder
Deborah is reading a Churchill biography when Ava storms in
My god, Ava confronting Deborah is just a perfect perfect scene, the writing is so sharp and Jean Smart is fantastic at playing Deborah going into ice/hardened mode when being confronted, but what a tremendous performance by Hannah Einbinder. She just captures the mixture of betrayal, hurt and anger that Ava feels so naturally and powerfully
There’s so many callbacks and references to previous Deborah/Ava confrontations and scenes from across the show. Ava accusing Deborah of just doing the same thing is from their very first meeting S1E1 where she calls her a hack as well as from their argument in S1E10 when she calls her the same thing. The line about being “a shark or whatever” comes from S2E5 which is what Deborah’s retired comedian friend Susan describes her as, with Deborah later then telling Ava that “You’ve got to be a shark” at the end of S2E8. And Deborah’s advice to Ava to be ambitious and saying that she feels lonely when opening a champagne bottle comes from S3E5 (take that people who said the woods episode was pointless filler).
“You can be the woman behind the man behind the woman” What an unappealing job description, and also a sign of how far Ava has comes since the S2 finale when she was unwilling to take the credit for writing Deborah’s special. Now her time away from Deborah has allowed Ava the space to truly value herself, her achievements and be justifiably proud of them (she stresses her job at On The Contrary to Deborah back in S3E1 and stresses her co-producer role when in bed with Christina Hendricks in S3E6), and she’s no longer willing to accept this demotion and wants credit for her work.
“You’re already making decisions out of fear and you’ll keep doing it” A really cutting observation from Ava which completely nails what Deborah is doing, much like how she immediately clocks in S2E8 that Deborah is pushing her away because she’s afraid.
“It has to work. I’ve lost way too much for it not too” Deborah’s sentiment applies equally to Ava as it does to herself, and helps explain just why Ava would go to the the extremes she does later on
As much as the dialogue in the scene is great, this Deborah and Ava argument also hits hard because of the silent moments in between. The wordless ten seconds or so which rests entirely on Ava after Deborah says that she’s willing to lose her is just tremendous stuff from Hannah Einbinder, all the hurt plays across her face and Einbinder is simply terrific in making the audience feel the deep hurt and sense of betrayal of that moment
Ava saying that Deborah will die alone is something that Deborah has thought about before, saying back in S1E9 in her interview with a journalist that she accepts the truth that people leave the world completely alone and refuses to pretend otherwise
One Last Time - Deb’s Final Stand Up is the track which plays as the big Deborah/Ava argument scene closes out according to Shazam, with the track (that played in the S1 Finale) taking on a whole new meaning in this context. The soundtrack isn’t a big selling point of the show unlike something like say Succession, but the themes by Carlos Rafael Rivera are simple but always effective
Jimmy taking a selfie in his new office is quite cute, and him saying that he didn’t do it alone and comforting Ava at the end of this scene is a much needed nice beat after the intensity of the previous scene
“shows that already exist with one tiny tweak, or huge global hits” Honestly a pretty depressing but frankly accurate read of the current media/television landscape
Jimmy saying that he knows Ava will do the right thing brings to mind these Deborah lines to Ava from the previous episode “It’s so easy for you to say what’s right or wrong. It’s never that simple. One day you’ll understand that” Ava’s move of blackmailing to get Deborah to do right by her certainly falls into the “never that simple” category
Curious about the politics/legal behind the scenes stuff that needed to be cleared to have Deborah be the host of a CBS late night show in the world of Hacks, while Hacks the actual show is under Warner Bros. Discovery which does not own hacks. I guess in this universe Deborah gets the Late Late Show timeslot instead of Taylor Tomlinson with After Midnight
Deborah’s left Vegas but the vanity plate for her car will continue to follow her and be updated
Deborah excitedly taking a photo of her Host parking spot is very cute, but the beat immediately after when we see a hint of her being sad and uneasy/regretful is also great, she’s achieved her dream but at great personal cost, and has no one to share the photo and moment with
It’s been a central thesis of the show that Deborah and Ava are ultimately more alike than different despite their different ages, backgrounds etc. Even in S1E2 the antiques dealer says that Deborah and Ava are “the same” and are “both psychotic b*tches”, and in episode after episode we see just how alike they are. For example in S2E2 after Deborah finds out about the email she says that Ava is just like her, being equally cruel and selfish. Ava blackmailing her abusive boss so that she can continue to work with her is just a completely insane thing to do, and also very much something Deborah would do herself to help her career, as we saw back in S1E5 when Deborah blackmailed Marty to secure her dates at the Palmetto
This move also shows just how much Ava has learnt from Deborah and how much the student has learnt from the master. Ava takes Deborah’s advice from S2E8 to be a shark, and her advice from S3E5 to “concentrate on what’s best for you”. It’s also ends up becoming a twisted version of Ava saying that she won’t leave Deborah in that same episode too, with Ava resorting to blackmail to stay with Deborah. And Ava finally does what she said back in S2E8, which is that “I get to decide what’s best for me”. I love love love the layers to this show!
I love love love the cocky and slightly confident/smirking Ava that we get a brief glimpse of from this scene, coupled with the power suit she’s rocking it makes for such a satisfying moment as she gets one up over Deborah after being on the back foot previously
We’ve seen a different and more vulnerable side of Deborah this season in S3E5 and S3E7, and seen her be like a fangirl in S3E4, but this scene and her stepping up to Ava and slightly seething as she says “You wouldn’t” is a nice reminder that she can be absolutely terrifying when she wants to be
That tiny tiny little gulp that Hannah Einbinder does when/just after Ava says “I would” is so so good, Ava’s standing up to Deborah but Deborah is still one very scary person. Also really love her cocking her head to one side as she says “Wouldn’t you?”
This has already been pointed out on Twitter, but Deborah and Ava sitting apart in the writer’s room at the end is kind of like the pepper shakers which Deborah rearranged to be apart in S3E1. Also a nice contrast to S3E8 when they were sitting apart as Ava was reporting the journalist’s article to Deborah, even despite them sitting separately they were still very close emotionally, but now the physical distance between them is reflective of the division between them as friends/colleagues
Spoilers for Succession S2E10: This Hacks finale is very reminiscent of the Succession S2 Final This Is Not For Tears. In both episodes the older mentor who’s been trying to teach their protege/successor to be harder and tougher ends up being too good at their job and get betrayed by their mentee in a stunning rug pull moment, even though for much of the season it seems the mentee is perfectly content working undefor their mentor. It’s a plot twist that’s both completely shocking in the moment yet makes so much sense when looking back on the season and the series as a whole. And of course the finale ends on a shot of the older mentor as they take in what their mentee has done, with a mixture of anger but also just the slightest hint of pride and begrudging admiration
This final twist in the finale of Ava blackmailing Deborah is so so good and satisfying, does what great season finales do which is deliver a “twist” that feels like a gut punch initially but has actually been building over the season, and sets up a really juicy scenario/ status quo for next season
Ava blackmailing her way to head writer on Deborah’s show is such a juicy scenario to leave things for Season 4, Ava has never had power over Deborah like she does now and I’m personally very much looking forward to how that changes their dynamic next season
My only concern is that I do hope the Vegas aspect and the characters from that part of the Hacks universe don’t get left behind with the focus shifting to running a Late Night show. If there is something to ding this season of the show it’s that there’s not enough Kiki, I’m not smart enough to figure out how a Vegas casino dealer will be able to regularly show up in LA but I selfishly want the writers to figure that out because Poppy Liu is just too fun as Kiki to leave out. Also kind of curious as to how they’ll keep Marcus around since he’s now leaving Deborah’s QVC empire.
Overall a really really great season finale and a very strong season as a whole, easily the best Comedy of the year and one of the best shows of the year. Really rooting for the show to win big prizes at the Emmys later this year against the Bear although that will be tough, pulling hard for Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder to win and for the show to at least win Writing if it can’t win for Comedy Series. Also would be very happy if Meg Stalter and Paul W Downs got their first-time noms this year, they were both great this season
submitted by yxkuo to hackshbomax [link] [comments]

2024.06.01 06:44 OKfinePT Homeschooler with no grades or test scores goes to T10

I'm the mom. I've been reading this site for so many years and it's been invaluable to me as a homeschool parent. I know my son's experience won't be relevant to a lot of you, but hopefully this will help kids taking an alternative path.
Demographics
Intended Major(s): Music, linguistics
Academics
Standardized Testing
None.
Extracurriculars/Activities
  1. Cello 30 hours a week, 52 weeks/yr 1, 2, 3
  2. Piano 15 hours a week, 52 weeks/yr 1, 2, 3
  3. Chamber music 10 hours a week, 52 weeks/yr 1, 2, 3
  4. Research about music and language at major university, 5 hours a week, 30 weeks/yr 3, 4
  5. Translator for Latin American immigrants 4 hours a week, 30 weeks/yr 3, 4
Awards/Honors
  1. Admitted to Juilliard Pre-college for cello
  2. Soloist at Carnegie Hall
  3. Soloist with [list of] orchestras
  4. National award for Latino leaders in music
  5. Separate resume listing 20 national and international competitions won, and a list of scholarships received from music programs all over the US.
Letters of Recommendation
All the recommendations were from people who taught at universities. They showed us the recommendations ahead of time.
9/10 Music teacher. Taught him 3 years. Wrote about how accomplished my son was as a cellist. He also wrote about how my son overcame the shock of not being able to play at the same level after a car crash.
9/10 Spanish teacher. Taught him two years. Wrote about how he went from 0 to fluent in a year.
9/10 Jewish Studies teacher. Taught him at a summer program at Brandeis University that my son went to make sure he could handle regular courses with his brain injury. He isn't super religious but the teacher wrote an incredible recommendation.
Interviews
My son contacted the cello teacher at every school he applied to. (At Harvard and Case Western he contacted the affiliated music schools.) He played for teacher and did a short lesson to make sure they would like working together. In each lesson the teacher asked why he wasn't going to music school and he explained the head injury.
Essays
First essay: Wrote about the car crash where he lost his ability to hear the highest notes and he had to figure out what else to do with his life. He learned Spanish without being able to read or write while he was recovering from the head injury, and then did research on how kids with disabilities can learn a second language the way he did.
Second essay: Wrote about how learning Spanish helped him connect with his cultural roots and his experience being a translator for recent immigrants.
Extra essay: Explained why he graduated late. He spent two years in recovery and then decided to do junior year a second time so he could prepare for a regular college instead of a conservatory.
Decisions
Accepted
Waitlist:
Rejections:
Additional Information:
I learned a few things that might help other parents/kids going through the process:
  1. Schools don't care if you graduate high school late as long as there's an explanation.
  2. The recommendations can go a long way making up for grades/scores as long as the recommender is a university professor and can compare the applicant to college students they've taught.
  3. It's hard to understand how your story plays out on the application because you're so close to the story. We probably should have hired a college consultant to help us understand how admissions officers would read the application. At the time it seemed so expensive, but in hindsight it was too risky that we didn't hire someone.
  4. Arguing about aid works. Miami of Ohio accepted him before the other schools but offered no aid. After pushing, we received 95% aid. A teacher at the university coached me on how to argue. This is probably another reason why we should have hired a college application counselor to help us; it's hard to know what you don't know, even after reading this subreddit obsessively.
submitted by OKfinePT to collegeresults [link] [comments]

2024.06.01 06:25 doritodog007 aussie writer really really really wants to get into adroit summer mentorship 2025, needs help!!

hi all,
im an aussie in year 11, looking to apply to adroit’s summer mentorship program next year. i ask for advice this early because in australia there’s FAR fewer opportunities for young writers than in the US/canada and so it’s gonna be harder for me to stand out - i see people from the US saying they got accepted in part because of how they could “give back” to the program through getting scholastic and foyles awards, but there’s nothing like that in australia.
info that might be good for you to know
im happy to hear anyone’s advice but for obvious reasons particularly interested from anyone who was successful in securing a place for 2024 or 2023 cohorts.
if you have any questions, please ask, thank you for your help!
submitted by doritodog007 to ApplyingToCollege [link] [comments]

2024.06.01 05:59 Fantastic_Series1207 Treat me like an adult please.

This goes out to all you lovely people who have also experienced this.
Just because I am wearing a Mario bros t-shirt and cat ears, doesn’t mean I’m 8.
My interest in “childish” books, movies and plushies doesn’t make it your right to treat me like a child. Also which adult hates totoro just because it’s a kids film???
Sensory overload and meltdowns aren’t “tantrums”. When I start displaying signs and try to remove myself from the situation, that is NOT an invitation for you to tag along and talk to me. Unless you are my friend from way back (you know who you are) you will do me more harm than good. A good rule of thumb is: did I ask you to come with me? If the answer is no, then don’t.
I don’t need condescending advice about things you automatically assume I can’t do, like public speaking. Especially if you use a baby voice. Spoiler alert, I have won awards for speech and drama. I have spoken well in front of crowds of 500+ people. I am not afraid of public speaking and I am good at it.
Me stimming and using fidget toys does not mean I am a child either. Nor should I give them up because I’m not a child.
I am an adult. I can take care of myself. I can be home alone for weeks and take care of everything. I can take public transportation alone, and I’m learning to drive. I can read adult books, including medical and scientific journals you probably wouldn’t make sense of, Karen. I’ve been reading those since I was 14. I am intelligent. I am planning to go into medicine. I can hold a conversation about the weather and politics and other adult stuff. Perhaps I just prefer talking about “child” stuff like cats and Mario bros, has that ever occurred to you? Yes, I have big emotions, but come on, don’t act like you want to express your joy like a child too. Don’t act like you’ve never been angry. I try to hide my anger but I slip up like every other human.
In conclusion: yes, I am autistic. Yes I might struggle with my mental health. But I am also an ADULT. Please treat me like one.
submitted by Fantastic_Series1207 to autism [link] [comments]

2024.06.01 05:45 wellunders Top 5 Best Casino Reload Bonuses: Your Ultimate Guide

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MoxTop Casino provides a robust online gambling experience with its extensive game selection, flexible payment options, and strong customer support. Despite some drawbacks, it stands out as a reliable choice for both new and experienced players.
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4. Wild Casino Review

🌐 Official Website
https://preview.redd.it/acludbl1tv3d1.png?width=2936&format=png&auto=webp&s=53a64428af6f316a8da12b5044184d26ce1ca1c0

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Introduction

Wild.io Casino offers a unique and thrilling online gambling experience tailored for cryptocurrency users. With a wide selection of games, attractive bonuses, and seamless transactions, it stands out as a premier choice for crypto enthusiasts.
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🎁 Welcome Bonuses & Promotions

  • First Deposit Bonus: 120% match up to $5,000 + 75 Free Spins
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👍 Pros & Cons

Pros:
  • Wide variety of games, including slots and live casino
  • Multiple cryptocurrency options
  • Fast and secure transactions
  • 24/7 customer support
Cons:
  • High wagering requirements on bonuses
  • Limited availability in certain regions
  • No phone support

📊 Ratings Breakdown

  • Game Variety: 90/100
  • Live Play Experience: 85/100
  • Reward System: 80/100
  • Transaction Process: 90/100
  • Trust & Safety: 88/100
  • Support Efficiency: 85/100
  • Mobile Gaming: 88/100

🎲 Game Selection

Wild Casino boasts a diverse library of games from leading providers like BetSoft, Endorphina, and Platipus. Players can enjoy:
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Wild Casino supports a variety of payment methods:
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  • Ethereum (ETH)
  • Litecoin (LTC)
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  • Ripple (XRP)
Fiat Currencies:
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Minimum Deposit: $20 or equivalent in cryptocurrency
Withdrawal Time: Instant for cryptocurrencies

👥 Community Feedback

Players appreciate the seamless integration of cryptocurrencies, the extensive game library, and responsive customer support. However, the high wagering requirements and lack of phone support are common concerns.

Conclusion

Wild Casino offers an exceptional crypto gaming experience with its extensive game selection, generous bonuses, and secure transactions. It's a top choice for crypto enthusiasts looking for a reliable and exciting online casino.

5. WSM Casino Review

🌐 Official Website
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Introduction

WSM Casino, themed around Wall Street Memes, offers a distinctive online gaming experience with a focus on cryptocurrency transactions. Launched in 2023, it provides a wide range of games, generous bonuses, and secure, fast payouts, making it a notable choice for online gamblers.

🎁 Welcome Bonuses & Promotions

  • Welcome Bonus: 200% match up to $25,000 + up to 50 Free Spins
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  • Monday Reload Bonus:
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  • VIP Program: Offers up to 25% weekly cashback, dedicated account manager, and exclusive high roller perks

👍 Pros & Cons

Pros:
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  • Multiple cryptocurrency options
  • Fast withdrawal times
  • 24/7 customer support via live chat and email
Cons:
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  • Some regions are restricted
  • No phone support

📊 Ratings Breakdown

  • Game Variety: 90/100
  • Live Play Experience: 85/100
  • Reward System: 80/100
  • Transaction Process: 88/100
  • Trust & Safety: 87/100
  • Support Efficiency: 82/100
  • Mobile Gaming: 85/100

🎲 Game Selection

WSM Casino offers a diverse range of games from top software providers like NetEnt, Pragmatic Play, Evolution Gaming, and more. Players can enjoy:
  • Slots: Over 3,000 options, including jackpot and Megaways slots
  • Table Games: Various versions of roulette, blackjack, baccarat, and poker
  • Live Dealer Games: Provided by Evolution Gaming and Pragmatic Play
  • Crypto Games: Featuring provably fair titles like Aviator and Plinko

💳 Payment Options

Cryptocurrencies:
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  • Ethereum (ETH)
  • Litecoin (LTC)
  • Dogecoin (DOGE)
  • Tether (USDT)
  • Ripple (XRP)
  • Binance Coin (BNB)
  • WSM Token
Fiat Currencies:
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Minimum Deposit: $10 or equivalent in cryptocurrency
Withdrawal Time: Instant for cryptocurrencies

👥 Community Feedback

Players appreciate the wide variety of games, fast crypto transactions, and responsive customer support. However, the high wagering requirements for bonuses and the lack of phone support are noted as areas for improvement.

Conclusion

WSM Casino provides an engaging and secure online gambling environment with a strong focus on cryptocurrencies. Its extensive game selection and attractive bonuses make it a compelling option for players looking for a modern and reliable online casino experience.
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FAQ: Best Casino Reload Bonuses

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submitted by wellunders to BettingSiteReviews [link] [comments]

2024.06.01 05:30 reddituser761 Chance Me: FL student in an ok school with ok stats

Demographics: Female, Hispanic, Black, Low Income, Single Parent Home, Florida, Big School (~3000, around 600 in my grade but we’re the smallest class) but generally below average stats, first gen
Intended Majors: Chemistry, Biomedical Engineering, Public Health (depends if school has it/ competitiveness)
SAT: 1390 superscore, 1380 highest single-test, gets me Florida Bright Futures (100% tuition to state schools) — school average is like 1100
GPA: 4.0 UW, 5.127 W
Rank: ~ Top 5~7% (not sure but def in top 10%)
Coursework: Started High School and College Classes in Middle School - 5 honors, 1 Dual Enrollment
9th Grade - 3 honors, 1 AP: AP World (5)
10th Grade - 2 honors, 4 AP: AP Psych (5), AP Lang (5), AP Spanish (5), AP Chem (3)
Summer Between 10th and 11th- 2 Dual
Current 11th Classes - 1 honors, 5 APs: AP Lit, AP Calculus AB, AP Physics 1, AP Computer Science P, AP US History, and 2 Dual
Note: I will be graduating with my Associates degree by the end of senior year
Awards: * NHS (since 10th, if that counts) * Math Honors Society/ Mu Alpha Theta (if that counts) (Since 9th) * State University Scholarship Winner $10,000 through a conference essay contest (9th) * Outstanding 9th, 10th, and 11th grader —first student in school history to receive this award for three years consecutively (given to 1/600 ish students in grade) * Outstanding AP Physics 1, APUSH, AP Chem, AP Lang, AP Spanish, Info Tech, and Science Student (awarded to 1 student per course) * Perpetual English Award - given to one student who is consistently outstanding in English typically throughout the 4 years of high school - received as a junior (given to 1 student) * AP Scholar with Distinction (10th) * College Board National Hispanic Recognition Program award * State Champion and Nationals Finalist for Math Competition (10th) * Hispanic Scholarship Fund Youth Leadership Institute Student/Potential HSF Scholar and Scholarship Candidate (9% acceptance rate) * Model UN Awards - Honorable Delegate, Verbal Commendation, Best Delegate
ECs * Marching Band - Section Leader since 10th, playing instrument for 7 years by senior year — do community service through band, playing for local events, and 1/~10 out of 100+ selected for internship at my school for the arts * Symphonic Band - First Chair since 10th * Model UN - President since 11th, will be president again next year, hosted and organized first school competion for middle schoolers; volunteered as a chair (judge) and co-chair for conferences hosted by other schools and nonprofits for middle schoolers * Class Secretary (elected) Since 9th * Political Activism Club - Community Engagement Officer, since 10th * Mu Alpha Theta - Secretary 11th, VP next year * Science National Honor Society - Historian next year * NHS member since 10th * Summer@Brown in the summer between 9th and 10th - went on scholarship and took public health course
Community Service: currently have 901 hours, will max out at 999 by college apps * Over 300 hours from volunteering as a TA at a Non-Profit Children’s camp for disadvantaged communities, taught music and helped with english, will continue this year and will be a one on one mentor for students * Food Pantry * Tutoring (math and science) * Local town events, etc.
Schools: (idk if my categories are realistic) Reach: Brown, Duke, Yale, Emory, Vanderbilt, NYU, UC Berkeley, USC, Targets: Univeristy of FL, Florida State, UNC Chapel Hill, UGA, Safeties: University of Central Florida, University of South Florida, Florida International University
Note: feel free to give me any schools you think I may be a good applicant for
submitted by reddituser761 to chanceme [link] [comments]

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