Japanese Name: Jaguchi Jaguchi no Mi
Abilities:
Faucet Generation: The user can manifest faucet-like spouts on any non-living surface they touch. These faucets can be controlled at will, allowing the user to:
Dispense Liquids: The user can choose to dispense various liquids through the faucets, from existing water sources nearby to manipulation of the environment itself (creating oil slicks from the ground, flammable gas from cracks, etc.).
Control Flow: The user can regulate the pressure and flow of the dispensed liquids, creating powerful jets for offense or gentle streams for utility.
Siphon and Redirect: The user can connect two faucets to create a temporary siphon, allowing them to transfer liquids from one point to another.
Pressure Manipulation: The user can manipulate the pressure within the faucets themselves, creating powerful bursts of compressed air for offensive purposes or manipulating the flow of liquids with incredible precision.
Moveset:
Aqua Shot (Akushashotto, アクアショット): The user launches a powerful jet of water from a faucet, capable of knocking back opponents or even breaking through defenses.
Oily Escape (Oiry Tōhikō, オイリー逃走): The user creates a slick oil patch on the ground from a nearby faucet, hindering enemy movement and creating an escape route.
Pressure Blast (Puresshā Bakuhatsu, プレッシャー爆破): The user unleashes a concentrated burst of compressed air from a faucet, capable of stunning or even launching opponents.
Liquid Bridge (Eki no Hashi, 液体橋): The user creates a temporary bridge made of a controlled flow of liquid (water, ice, etc.) to navigate treacherous terrain.
Siphon Surprise (Saifon Supuraizu, サイフォンサプライズ): The user connects two faucets, one placed on an unsuspecting enemy and another on a nearby environmental hazard (boiling geyser, acid pool), causing the hazard to be siphoned onto the opponent.
Awakening:
By mastering the Jaguchi Jaguchi no Mi, the user unlocks a deeper connection to the flow of liquids and pressure, becoming a master manipulator of these forces.
Hydrodynamic Crush (Suiryoku Kuzushi, 水力潰し): The user can manipulate the natural flow of water within a large area, creating localized zones of intense pressure that crush and immobilize opponents. This technique can be used for both offensive and defensive purposes, creating a barrier of pressurized water.
Liquid Mimicry (Eki Gimon, 液体擬態): The user can analyze and replicate the properties of existing liquids they come into contact with. For example, touching a pot of boiling water allows them to generate boiling water jets from their faucets. This technique allows for a vast array of tactical applications, from creating slippery ice bridges to launching streams of flammable gas.
Pressure Point Manipulation (Kanryū操り, 圧力操り): The user gains a heightened sense of pressure within their environment. This allows them to locate and manipulate pressure points not only on the surface but even within an opponent's body (with limitations). This can be used to disrupt an enemy's balance, disrupt their attacks, or even cause internal injuries (though this is a dangerous and ethically questionable application).
Atmospheric Siphon (Taiki Saifon, 大気サイフォン): By creating a network of faucets on the ground and manipulating the air pressure, the user can create a large-scale siphon that draws in air from a wide area. This can have various effects, depending on the situation: creating a powerful vacuum to pull in enemies, manipulating the oxygen levels in an area, or even summoning a condensed blast of air for a devastating attack.
Internal Cleansing (Naikan Seijo, 内観清浄): With precise control and a deep understanding of liquid flow, the user can potentially create temporary faucets on a living being and utilize them to safely remove toxins or excess fluids from their body, aiding in recovery or even preventing the spread of certain poisons (though this is a delicate process with risks of causing internal harm if not performed properly). Or it can be used to drain the blood of the enemy or certain fluids that are necessary for their survival.
Limitations:
While the fruit offers significant control over liquids and pressure, it has limitations. The user cannot create liquids out of thin air and relies on existing sources or the manipulation of the environment. Additionally, manipulating pressure points within living beings is a dangerous technique with ethical considerations and requires a high degree of precision to avoid causing harm.

I'm currently querying a book and I got this rejection letter:

"Thank you again for your submission. You have an amazing foundation and the writing is lovely. But from a reader perspective, I found the overuse of italics to be distracting. The Chicago Manual of Style and APA have guidance on the use of italics in fiction writing, and generally say to use italics for emphasis (especially in dialogue). A great example of this is Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone is from a genre—upper middle grade fantasy—where the use of italics in dialogue is common.
As always, this is subjective and just my sole opinion. Other agents likely will differ, and you may have already secured an agent, so disregard my opinion.
So, I'm sorry. I will have to pass on this version. Should you ever revise in the future, and utilize interiority vs. italics for thoughts and deep POV, I'd be happy to consider again,
Thank you for considering me and best of luck with your future queries."

It seemed promising, but I write in the third person and I thought italics were used for thoughts. I'm not sure what the agent wants in this case. Do they want me to remove the italics and use "quotes" instead (though I think this is confusing to separate speech from thought) or are they looking for a 1st person's POV vs. 3rd person (if that's the case they probably aren't the agent for me)? Do they want more telling instead of showing in this case? Or is it something else entirely?

This encoding simply consists of a Caesar Cipher, however the Shift isn't the same for the entire text, but rather different for each letteword.
For example: Sgghnz would translate to Reddit with a shift of 1 to the first letter, 2 to the second and so on.
I would appreciate if I would be given further information on what the name of the code is, whether and how it is possible to break it.

I was never able to perform consistently in school due to mental health issues that went untreated because my mom was strongly against psychiatric medication of any kind. From ages 16-21 (Coincidentally also years 2016-2021), my grades in university classes were all over the map, sometimes an A, sometimes an F, and eventually I dropped out. Now as an adult who has had those issues officially diagnosed and treated, I'd like to transfer credits from the classes I passed to an undergrad program and finish my degree, then get my Master's degree. My understanding is that since I won't be able to transfer failed classes, they won't impact my GPA, but I will still have to send in transcripts from all universities I've attended when applying to grad school which will show spotty performance.
Do you think I'll get automatically rejected from competitive programs? If I'm trying for only top 25 U.S. schools for example, would a great GRE/GMAT score, spotless performance in my final attempt at undergrad (e.g. straight As for my final 3 semesters), and a letter explaining the situation with perhaps a letter from my doctor to validate my story work? Or will an algorithm auto reject me?
For added context I'm looking at IT and Business related programs at South Eastern universities (GA Tech for Cyber Security, Duke Economics program as examples. Not interested in an MBA or Law School).

She’s showing off a scrub daddy kit.
Cash is yelling in the background. Now he’s on screen with her in a “clean” but stained shirt.
The tv is blaring in the background.
Cash is off screen and back to yelling in the background.
I guess he walked up to her. She asked him what he wanted and then she immediately offered him pancakes.
Cash just screamed ow. She didn’t even pause the live to check on him just yelled “what happened did you step on a letter”
Said they’re gonna go to the trampoline park at 5. Does anyone have a copy of the schedule she posted? I don’t think 5:00 on a school night is time to go to the trampoline park.
She asked for prayers for Colt because he has a test coming up but then didn’t explain about the test.
Now HG is yelling for her and she didn’t even acknowledge him.
I guess Colt’s test is something about math. I genuinely hope he does well and is gaining something from going to school despite constantly missing days and probably being exhausted when he is there cause Judy never lets him sleep.
Colt might get into ABA therapy because of something his school initiated the paperwork. Again, I hope it works out for him and whatever happens with custody she doesn’t pull him out and try to homeschool him.
Someone just asked about established meal times 😂. Who was it. Now she’s saying Cash fell asleep late and slept late so he woke up late so meal time had to be moved back. I have a toddler who thinks sleep is a fun option. You know what I do when she falls asleep late? I still wake her up around the same time everyday so that way those late nights are an exception not the norm.
Saying Colt is aggressive and she knows she’s gonna catch shit for saying that. No shit Joanne. She’s saying Colt got aggressive with Cash yesterday.
The background sounds so chaotic. It’s overstimulating me and I’m in a dark room with no extra noise letting my daughter nap.
She said this is gonna be a commercial live. Whatever that means.
Said she has no motivation today. But said when she’s more motivated chit chatting with “us”. As someone with ADHD I get that. But podcasts and audiobooks help me stay on task. Body doubling videos were suggested because they do work. She said she uses them but idk when she would. She’s always on live “cleaning.”
She just told Cash to say “buy a scrub daddy”.
ZM is in her live talking with her like everything is okay.
She’s back to shilling the scrub daddy kits. She said she uses them everyday.
Said Colt has anxiety about going to the barber that’s why they gave him one at home 🙄. And he likes the way his hair looks. Even the anxiety about going to the barber is true they could’ve at least used scissors and not fucking clippers to cut his hair ?
Just told cash to say “go buy this” again.
Said Colt says kids at school are mean but he says she’s mean when he doesn’t get his way. Way to invalidate your kid telling you he’s getting bullied Joanne.
Said she has to talk about the kit every 45 seconds or she’ll get a violation and she’s already had two because she wasn’t showing it.
Saying she’s tired but needs to clean with her scrub daddy kit.
Cash is still hovering behind her. She told him again to say “go buy this.”
Someone I’m guessing Cash wants her phone. She offered him his iPad or the computer but letting any of the kids have her phone is a hard no today.
Okay sorry yall. I gotta wake my daughter up so she isn’t up all night

Ex and I just split up a month ago, no court order as of now, but I already explained to him that I will not let our daughter (2) go alone with him until we get a court order in place. He is on the birth certificate so if he decides to not bring her back, there is nothing I can do. We have never lived together, I take care of everything financially (aside from diapers/wipes every other month), and even when we were together, he was barely around (he has full custody of his other child). This wasn’t a problem for me because I really only stuck around for our daughter.
Now that we are broken up, he insists on FaceTiming every morning, every night, and multiple times a day randomly whenever he texts that he wants to. I have been trying to do it, but if I can’t answer for some reason, he starts texting non stop. He rarely comes to see our daughter, but when he wants to, he thinks that I need to do it whenever he wants even if it is late notice. For example, last weekend, he texts me in the morning that he would like to come after work, so I ask what time and if he can let me know ahead of time next time. He can’t give me a time, just “can I let you know when it is closer” and crap about how he didn’t know it would be so hard to schedule in time to see his daughter. The weekend before that, he asked for nothing. I don’t ever deny him time, he just doesn’t ask for it. It’s really when it’s convenient for him (when he’s not working/does not have his other kid). It was even like this when we were together and I started to feel bad for my daughter that she always got the shitty end of the stick. Then I got tired of being in a “relationship” with someone who tries to control everything I do, constantly accuses me of cheating, and pretty much saw me as a “glorified babysitter”.
I know everyone is going to tell me to get a court order, but I’m leaving that for him to do because I know he will be dragging his feet to avoid child support. I’m okay dealing with this if I can push off court a little longer because I know he will be hell to deal with at that point. I’m okay either way though. I would much rather prefer to have a court order, but knowing him, I’d have to hire an attorney and it would be no easy task coming up with a parenting plan.
TL;DR: Do I have to be so available for FaceTimes all the time? Am I being too difficult asking for a time that he wants to see his daughter, and asking to know ahead of time? Ex claims I am being too difficult and standing in the way of him and his daughter.

General

This subreddit is North American focused. If you would like to provide information from other countries, please leave it in a comment below or contact the moderators.
 
What is a perfusionist and what do they do?
A perfusionist’s central role is to operate a heart-lung machine during open heart surgeries or other surgeries where blood flow may be impaired or interrupted. Examples of surgeries or devices that may require perfusionists most commonly include:

• Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (CABG)
• Heart Valve Repair or Replacement
• Congenital Heart Defect Repairs
• Organ Transplants
• Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO)
• Ventricular Assist Devices (VAD)
• Intra-Aortic Balloon Pumps (IABP)
• Chemoperfusion

 
What is the salary and job outlook?
Salaries for perfusionists are generally higher than $150,000 per year. There are a wide variety of pay structures that will affect total compensation packages.
The future of perfusion is unclear, mostly due to concerns of market saturation. A search through /Perfusion will reveal a wide variety of opinions on the matter. The American Board of Cardiovascular Perfusion (ABCP) publishes an annual report listing the number of certifications gained and lost. Included in the most current report (2023) is a historical list going back to 2000. Included in the 2022 report is the number of students admitted and graduated in 2021 and 2022.
 
Professional Organizations and Resources:  

• American Society of ExtraCorporeal Technology  
  
• The American Academy of Cardiovascular Perfusion  
  
• The Canadian Society of Clinical Perfusion  
  
• The Tiny Perfusion Letter
  

 

Education and Credentialing

 
How do I become a perfusionist?
To become a practicing perfusionist in the United States, you must become a Certified Clinical Perfusionist (CCP). This credential is governed by the American Board of Cardiovascular Perfusion (ABCP) and is awarded after passing two board examinations: the Perfusion Basic Science Examination (PBSE) and the Clinical Applications in Perfusion Examination (CAPE).
Qualification to sit for the board exams is achieved by completing a certified program. The accrediting body for programs is the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) and a current list of programs may be found by going to this page, selecting “Profession” and choosing “Perfusion.” Unfortunately, this does not include programs that are defunct or programs that are undergoing the preliminary accreditation process. All schools require an undergraduate degree before entry regardless of outcome: degree or certificate.
The list of schools maintained at Perfusion.com and at SpecialtyCare are not current.
Programs currently undergoing preliminary certification include (alphabetical):

• Emory School of Nursing
• Lawrence Technological University
• Northern Kentucky University
• University of Southern California

Program lengths vary from 18 to 21 months and cost varies from approximately $30,000 to $140,000.
 

Common Questions About the Application Process

 
Is it competitive?
The application process is extremely competitive. Schools are typically receiving several hundred applications and most take 20 or fewer students.
When does the application cycle begin?
The application cycle is different for each school, but typically start as early as June 1 for start dates the following year.
That means that for the beginning of the 2025-2026 academic year, applications will begin opening on June 1, 2024.
When do applications close?
Again, each program will be different. Some programs close earlier than others. Some programs have processes that take awhile to complete, so it is advisable to complete your application before the process closes.
Which school should I apply to?
You should apply to every school you're qualified for.
What prerequisites are required for perfusion school?
Each of the programs have different requirements. Contacting each of the programs with program specific questions is going to result in much more accurate answers than asking here. Programs can and do change requirements on an ongoing basis.
Nearly all programs require at least a documented conversation with a perfusionist or shadowing a case as part of the application process.
How do I find a perfusionist to shadow?
LinkedIn is your best resource. You may also post a request for a specific geographical area using the flair “Shadow Request.” You can also try contacting hospitals that do open heart surgery and arranging to shadow a perfusionist.
What kind of work experience is useful when applying to perfusion school?
Perfusion assistant jobs are sometimes referred to as a “golden ticket” for admission to a school. Many schools seem to value healthcare experience, through what type varies from school to school. Traditionally, RNs with critical care or operating room experience and respiratory techs seem to have a high degree of success. Other perfusion / OR adjacent jobs like anesthesia techs also seem to correlate with higher acceptance rates. As the application process becomes more competitive, it may be worth reaching out to current students to see what class make ups look like or Program Directors to see what advice they may give. Unfortunately, the application process is a “black box” and each institution has different qualities, traits, and experience they seem to value.
What are my chances of getting into School X? / Should I apply this year or wait until I have more experience?
No one knows. Your chances of getting into a school that you haven't applied to are zero. Contact the program for specific questions and guidance about your situation. The application process is a "black box" process with only the Program Directors and Admissions Council Members knowing how they work and what they are looking for in the current cohort. If you have specific questions about feedback you have received, feel free to ask them. Generic "what if" questions have a low likelihood of being approved in this subreddit.
Social Media
Look over all your social media accounts. Clean them up. Present yourself well online.
Additional Resources
/prospective_perfusion - subreddit dedicated to the application process and questions
/perfusion_accepted - subreddit dedicated to accepted students
 
 
Thanks to ghansie10 for the original thread - if you see this, please DM me!
Please report broken links or incorrect information to the moderators.
Feel free to post questions or information below.

My mum turned to drugs before I was born. When she had children she stopped taking drugs but slowly turned back to her old habits when my sisters and I were little. My dad was an alcoholic so he didn’t play any part in looking after us. He would drink in the pub as soon as it opened and wouldn’t leave until it closed at night. I would still see him, but it was usually when he would come over to the house that we lived in at the time and fight with my mum. My mum had a boyfriend who was physically and emotionally abusive towards all of us. He was also a drug user, so they would often leave us alone to go out and buy drugs. I have some awful memories of him. We were badly neglected to the point that social services got involved. They tried to help my mum but had no choice but to take us into foster care. We were in foster care for six months until my grandparents won the custody battle, and we got to live with them. During the six months that we lived in care, my mum did not attempt to better herself so that we could go back home to her. Instead, she chose drugs. In 2013, we went to live with my grandparents and have been there ever since. We cut off all contact with my mum, her boyfriend and my dad. They didn’t make any effort to get in touch at all. My dad would send us letters in the post occasionally, but he would also call the home phone when he was drunk and shout abuse at us on the phone. We started a new primary school and everything was going well until I was watching a film at home with both of my sisters. My older sister is eighteen months older than me and my younger sister is two years younger than me but she’s not really involved in the situation. In the film, a couple were trying for a baby so we watched a scene where they were rolling around on a bed kissing each other. We hadn’t seen anything like it before, and we were curious about what they were doing and why they were doing it. We made up a game where we would act out what they were doing in the film. My older sister and I would kiss each other. I can remember her touching me inappropriately once and also getting me to touch her back. The kissing turned into acting out having sex by “humping” each other because we wanted to get “that feeling”. It started off as innocent curiosity, we would choose who was going to play the “boy” and who was going to play the “girl” and would make up different storylines. I was around 8–11 years old when this happened. Most of the time we had our clothes on, but sometimes we didn’t. I didn’t understand sex at all when this was happening. I can remember hitting puberty at a young age and when I got my period I thought I was dying because I didn’t know what it was. I can’t remember any of this happening regularly. I think it just happened occasionally , but I know it happened a handful of times with both my siblings as well. I don’t think I truly understood that this behavior was wrong at the time, because I had lots of raging hormones, and I was just a traumatized child. I recently told my family about what happened and they’ve been so helpful. I’m slowly starting to rebuild a bond with my sister and I’ve realized that I can’t blame her for what happened because it wasn’t her fault. I’ve also struggled with severe OCD and anxiety for as long as I can remember. When I was little, I would have repetitive rituals that I would perform. I would be terrified of leaving my room in case anything bad happened so I went to the toilet at the end of my bed. I thought that bad things would happen to me if I didn’t do things a certain way and spent a lot of my time worrying. I left primary school and started secondary school, but I struggled to keep friends and always found myself feeling left out. I can remember my dad coming to visit on birthdays and Christmas, but when we went into lockdown because of coronavirus, I found out that he had cancer. We went to visit him and say goodbye. When we did this, I saw my mum for the first time in years. On Christmas Eve 2020, a few minutes from midnight she phoned to say that my dad had passed away. I miss him a lot, but he brought my mum back into my life. I slowly started seeing my mum more often and things were going well until she got me drunk one night and took me out to buy drugs with her. I can remember sitting on the sofa with her and her encouraging me to smoke crack cocaine. I was so drunk that I did it. The next day, when I woke up, I knew that she hadn’t changed. I had £2000 savings in my account which she knew about so she would “borrow” the money for gas, electricity and food. I knew it was all for drugs and I didn’t always get the money back. She mostly just smokes weed now, but she slips up sometimes. My mental health is slowly improving but everything that I’ve just written down bothers me a lot. I can’t change the past no matter how much I want to so I just need to move forward and be more positive.

My mum turned to drugs before I was born. When she had children she stopped taking drugs but slowly turned back to her old habits when my sisters and I were little. My dad was an alcoholic so he didn’t play any part in looking after us. He would drink in the pub as soon as it opened and wouldn’t leave until it closed at night. I would still see him, but it was usually when he would come over to the house that we lived in at the time and fight with my mum. My mum had a boyfriend who was physically and emotionally abusive towards all of us. He was also a drug user, so they would often leave us alone to go out and buy drugs. I have some awful memories of him. We were badly neglected to the point that social services got involved. They tried to help my mum but had no choice but to take us into foster care. We were in foster care for six months until my grandparents won the custody battle, and we got to live with them. During the six months that we lived in care, my mum did not attempt to better herself so that we could go back home to her. Instead, she chose drugs. In 2013, we went to live with my grandparents and have been there ever since. We cut off all contact with my mum, her boyfriend and my dad. They didn’t make any effort to get in touch at all. My dad would send us letters in the post occasionally, but he would also call the home phone when he was drunk and shout abuse at us on the phone. We started a new primary school and everything was going well until I was watching a film at home with both of my sisters. My older sister is eighteen months older than me and my younger sister is two years younger than me but she’s not really involved in the situation. In the film, a couple were trying for a baby so we watched a scene where they were rolling around on a bed kissing each other. We hadn’t seen anything like it before, and we were curious about what they were doing and why they were doing it. We made up a game where we would act out what they were doing in the film. My older sister and I would kiss each other. I can remember her touching me inappropriately once and also getting me to touch her back. The kissing turned into acting out having sex by “humping” each other because we wanted to get “that feeling”. It started off as innocent curiosity, we would choose who was going to play the “boy” and who was going to play the “girl” and would make up different storylines. I was around 8–11 years old when this happened. Most of the time we had our clothes on, but sometimes we didn’t. I didn’t understand sex at all when this was happening. I can remember hitting puberty at a young age and when I got my period I thought I was dying because I didn’t know what it was. I can’t remember any of this happening regularly. I think it just happened occasionally , but I know it happened a handful of times with both my siblings as well. I don’t think I truly understood that this behavior was wrong at the time, because I had lots of raging hormones, and I was just a traumatized child. I recently told my family about what happened and they’ve been so helpful. I’m slowly starting to rebuild a bond with my sister and I’ve realized that I can’t blame her for what happened because it wasn’t her fault. I’ve also struggled with severe OCD and anxiety for as long as I can remember. When I was little, I would have repetitive rituals that I would perform. I would be terrified of leaving my room in case anything bad happened so I went to the toilet at the end of my bed. I thought that bad things would happen to me if I didn’t do things a certain way and spent a lot of my time worrying. I left primary school and started secondary school, but I struggled to keep friends and always found myself feeling left out. I can remember my dad coming to visit on birthdays and Christmas, but when we went into lockdown because of coronavirus, I found out that he had cancer. We went to visit him and say goodbye. When we did this, I saw my mum for the first time in years. On Christmas Eve 2020, a few minutes from midnight she phoned to say that my dad had passed away. I miss him a lot, but he brought my mum back into my life. I slowly started seeing my mum more often and things were going well until she got me drunk one night and took me out to buy drugs with her. I can remember sitting on the sofa with her and her encouraging me to smoke crack cocaine. I was so drunk that I did it. The next day, when I woke up, I knew that she hadn’t changed. I had £2000 savings in my account which she knew about so she would “borrow” the money for gas, electricity and food. I knew it was all for drugs and I didn’t always get the money back. She mostly just smokes weed now, but she slips up sometimes. My mental health is slowly improving but everything that I’ve just written down bothers me a lot. I can’t change the past no matter how much I want to so I just need to move forward and be more positive.

6 months after my husband was arrested for solicitation of prostitution and finding out he had been going to massage parlors and seeing escorts for years.
•I’ve been reading books on cbt, ptsd, negative thinking. Workbooks on self-esteem and self love.
•Individual and marriage therapy. I have a psychiatrist and and therapist
•Working out 5 days a week at 5AM
•Multiple medications. Antidepressant, mood stabilizer, anti psychotics.
•Venting on Reddit haha
I had months of paranoia, anxiety, feelings of insecurity and “I’m not enough mentality”.
These are things I have done that have helped me the most.
•Dedicating at least 1 hour a day to whatever my top most goal was. Since mine was recovery in general I would either work out for an hour, meditate, read, did my therapy, or a form of self care (bath, massage, etc.) this time has to be non-negotiable.
•Learn the science behind what is going on. The things you are feeling are activated in the back of your brain. The same feelings that you get when a grizzly bear is chasing you, is activated. Your brain is really trying to protect you so be kind to it. But also your brain can’t function in 2 places at once. You need to make the brain go to your front lobe in times of high emotion or panic. You can do that but thinking back from 100 by 7 or listing names that start with the letter B etc.
•Give yourself grace and be kind to yourself. You have a reason for the way you feel. This is trauma. Especially if you are with a narcissist don’t let them or anyone make you feel like you are crazy and that your feelings aren’t valid.
•Journal. I would write self forgiveness or things I really liked about myself, goals for the week and month.
•Cognitive Behavior. I have to practice this since I’m really not good at it but it is supposed to require your brain once you get good. Event occurs, thought happens, and then behavior occurs. Example. Husband checked out girl in restaurant, immediate feelings of insecurity. Then I would be quiet or angry the rest of the date. It’s a lot of self sabotage. Instead try to change the thought but it has to be something you really believe. Like I might would change it to “I mean she is really pretty, can’t really blame him for looking but he is choosing to be with me right now when he could be doing anything else.” I’m sure that thought could be better hence why I’m not super good at this yet lol.
•You are going to be okay regardless. When have you not figured it out? Say they mess up again. You’ll use rock bottom to propel you and good things will continue to happen in your life. Say they never mess up again, that’s great too. “With or Without You” mentality.
•Have some form of support. Whether it’s a therapist or a good friend you need someone to listen and make you feel like your feelings are validated.
•Fall in love with yourself. You have great qualities that somebody will love about you but even if you don’t date again. You are enough just being you. My aunt never got in serious relationship again after she divorced in her 30s and she lives her best life!
•I read on a sex worker forum and they said that men acting out is kind of similar to them going to the bathroom haha. They have an urge that needs to be met but it’s so not emotional. They compartmentalize sex as a basic human function. Any if they cheat on you emotionally, that’s another mental issue. I don’t know why this just made me feel better.
You are not defined by your SO and you are not your emotions! “You are a good person whom bad things have happened too”-Sirius Black
Books I’ve read that have helped so far: Girl wash your face-Rachel Hollis Confidence and insecurity workbook Self love rainbow workbook by Dominee Calderon. Get out of your head by Jennie Allen.
If you have any books you would like to share or any other advice to give please let me know!

Affiliates get ONE shot at appealing.
First, you need to pin down the violation reason. Ex: trademark infringement, unoriginal content, irrelevant product promotion, etc. This is typically easy to do, if it's a video violation- they will give you the exact violation reason. However, account violations are trickier.
Next, you need to try to pin down the EXACT CAUSE for the violation reason. So, if you got a trademark infringement violation, what exactly in your video triggered this? If you got an unoriginal content violation, what exactly in your video triggered this? You need to pin this down, to even have a shot at appealing.
But even IF you pin down the exact cause for the violation reason, guess what? Our Affiliate Appeal Policy page does not detail the supporting documents necessary for every single violation and some of the supporting documents listed would be impossible for us to collect. Fun stuff! 😭
The information below is from the Creator Appeals Policy in TikTok Shop Academy from 5/1/24. TikTok wants us to include:

• A clear explanation of why we feel that the enforcement action was taken against us in error
• Any relevant supporting documents (see list below) only submit documents related to the specific violation you are appealing.
• Any additional materials or information required by TikTok Shop

➡️ Supporting Documents Needed:
MINOR SAFETY VIOLATION - proof that the creator is not a minor, such as:

• Copy of US ID Card
• Copy of Passport
• Copy of Driver's License
• Copy of Green Card

UNORIGINAL CONTENT VIOLATION - Proof that demonstrates personal ownership of the content, including:

• Photographs of the film set and of the host(s) in the livestreams
• Unique Identification Numbers (UIDs) of original videos

MISLEADING CONTENT (MISLEADING FUNCTIONALITY AND EFFECT) VIOLATION - Credible and verifiable proof that demonstrates that the claim has been approved and legitimate. Examples include (but are not limited to):

• Results from credible and authorized tests
• Reports
• Research
• Legitimate website or certificate from a credible source that supports the claim(s).

MISLEADING CONTENT (EXAGGERATED DESCRIPTIONS OR ABSOLUTE CLAIMS CONTENT) VIOLATION - Credible and verifiable proof that demonstrates that the absolute claims are legitimate. Examples include (but are not limited to):

• Results from credible and authorized tests,
• Reports
• Research
• Legitimate website or certificate from a credible source that supports the claim

MISLEADING CONTENT (INCONSISTENT CLAIMS ABOUT PRODUCT CERTIFICATIONS) VIOLATION - Proof the product has received certifications as stated in the promoted content, such as:

• FDA-issued certifications, or certifications from other local or regulatory bodies. Valid certifications may be identified by an official issuing institution or organization, certification issue or expiry date, certification number, signature by the issuing party, and the name of the product or brand. The certification may also be printed on product packaging or on the product itself.
• Screenshots of official certification or patent verification sites containing certification or patent numbers of the product
• Official endorsement contract

MISLEADING CONTENT (CONFLICTING OR INCONSISTENT CLAIMS ON PRODUCT ORIGIN) VIOLATION - Proof of the product's origin information as mentioned in the content, such as:

• Product packaging or product with mention of the place of origin

MISLEADING CONTENT (CONFLICTING OR INCONSISTENT CLAIMS ABOUT RETURNS, REFUNDS, OR SERVICES) VIOLATION - Proof of the return and refund services as mentioned in the content, such as:

• Screenshots of order containing evidence of a processed return or refund based on the information mentioned in the content. Note : Blur out any personally identifiable information such as addresses, names, etc.

MISLEADING CONTENT (CONFLICTING OR INCONSISTEN CLAIMS ON SHIPPING AND LOGISTICS) VIOLATION - Proof of the logistics information as mentioned in the content (like shipping terms), such as:

• A copy of the logistics waybill with mention of the logistics provider
• Screenshots of order with mention of the shipping fee Note : Please blur out any personally identifiable information such as actual addresses, names etc.

CONTENT WITH ANIMALS VIOLATION - Proof that the products used or demonstrated on animals in the content are products intended for animals or pets
➡️ IMPORTANT NOTE: Below are the supporting documents listed from the Seller Policy "Seller Appeals for IPR Violations" from 05/13/24, which cover the documents needed for trademark infringement violations but again, this policy was written specifically for Sellers and not included in the Affiliate Policies. So I can't be certain that this would work for Affiliate appeals.
(TRADEMARK) COUNTERFEIT PRODUCTS- The listed product infringes on another's trademark rights as it involves the sale or promotion of counterfeit products.
-Letter of Authorization from the Trademark Owner or Level 1 Distributor that includes the following information:

• Name of authorizing party
• Name of the authorized party
• Authorized rights (rights to use trademark, rights to use copyright material, rights to distribute products, or authorized country)
• Authorization period
• Stamp of the authorizing party (if the Trademark Owner is a corporate entity)
• Signature of the Trademark Owner (or representative if the Trademark Owner is a corporate entity)

-Intellectual Property Right (IPR) Certificate from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) that includes the following information:

• IPR information (trademark, copyright, or registered design)
• IPR certificate issuance country
• IPR owner name
• Validity period
• Trademark classification (trademark certificate only)

(TRADEMARK) WRONG ASSOCIATION -The listed product infringes on another's trademark rights as the associated trademark is for a different product.
-Letter of Authorization from the Trademark Owner or Level 1 Distributor that includes the following information:

• Name of authorizing party
• Name of the authorized party
• Authorized rights (rights to use trademark, rights to use copyright material, rights to distribute products, or authorized country)
• Authorization period
• Stamp of the authorizing party (if the Trademark Owner is a corporate entity)
• Signature of the Trademark Owner (or representative if the Trademark Owner is a corporate entity)

-Intellectual Property Right (IPR) Certificate from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) that includes the following information:

• IPR information (trademark, copyright, or registered design)
• IPR certificate issuance country
• IPR owner name
• Validity period
• Trademark classification (trademark certificate only)

(TRADEMARK) OVER USE- Using another's trademark in the product listing image(s) to promote the product or service predominantly without the authorization of the trademark owner.
-Letter of Authorization from the Trademark Owner or Level 1 Distributor that includes the following information:

• Name of authorizing party
• Name of the authorized party
• Authorized rights (rights to use trademark, rights to use copyright material, rights to distribute products, or authorized country)
• Authorization period
• Stamp of the authorizing party (if the Trademark Owner is a corporate entity)
• Signature of the Trademark Owner (or representative if the Trademark Owner is a corporate entity)

(UNORIGINAL) PIRACY- The listed product infringes on another's copyright as a pirated copy.
-Letter of Authorization from the Trademark Owner or Level 1 Distributor that includes the following information:

• Name of authorizing party
• Name of the authorized party
• Authorized rights (rights to use trademark, rights to use copyright material, rights to distribute products, or authorized country)
• Authorization period
• Stamp of the authorizing party (if the Trademark Owner is a corporate entity)
• Signature of the Trademark Owner (or representative if the Trademark Owner is a corporate entity)

(UNORIGINAL) UNLAWFUL ACCESS- The listed product infringes on another's copyright as it provides unauthorized access to copyrighted work.
-Letter of Authorization from the Trademark Owner or Level 1 Distributor that includes the following information:

• Name of authorizing party
• Name of the authorized party
• Authorized rights (rights to use trademark, rights to use copyright material, rights to distribute products, or authorized country)
• Authorization period
• Stamp of the authorizing party (if the Trademark Owner is a corporate entity)
• Signature of the Trademark Owner (or representative if the Trademark Owner is a corporate entity)

(UNORIGINAL) UNLAWFUL REPRODUCTION- the listed product infringes on another's copyright as it involves the sale of products featuring unauthorized copyrighted work or unauthorized reproductions of copyrighted work.
-Letter of Authorization from the Trademark Owner or Level 1 Distributor that includes the following information:

• Name of authorizing party
• Name of the authorized party
• Authorized rights (rights to use trademark, rights to use copyright material, rights to distribute products, or authorized country)
• Authorization period
• Stamp of the authorizing party (if the Trademark Owner is a corporate entity)
• Signature of the Trademark Owner (or representative if the Trademark Owner is a corporate entity)

(UNORIGINAL) CONTENT INFRINGEMENT- The listed product infringes on another's copyright as copyrighted work is used as listing content.
-Letter of Authorization from the Trademark Owner or Level 1 Distributor that includes the following information:

• Name of authorizing party
• Name of the authorized party
• Authorized rights (rights to use trademark, rights to use copyright material, rights to distribute products, or authorized country)
• Authorization period
• Stamp of the authorizing party (if the Trademark Owner is a corporate entity)
• Signature of the Trademark Owner (or representative if the Trademark Owner is a corporate entity)

-Illustration of Differences that includes the following information:

• Registered design - front, back, top, bottom, left, and right information of listing product and IPR certificate image or illustration.

Regretting law school choice because there was no 2L recruit, didn't find articling and now applied to Ontario LPP but I don't live in Ontario and have zero intention of moving there. The first course seems fully remote but the work term appears to be in person or hybrid. No way I can leave my current job for 4 months, but now the more I think about it the more I realized the whole articling system is one big scam. I have a job that pays over six figures so doing LPP seems like it would be huge mistake given that the end outcome would be unemployment.
Articling is a scam in Canada. And LPP is even worse. Imagine paying 4k just to do yet another school course for 4 months, and then maybe find a practicum for another 4 months which may or may not be paid at minimum wage, only to still do the bar exam twice, a week apart, and still be unemployed in the end! The whole thing would cost at least 20k to move to Ontario and add another 30k in lost income; and that's just for the 4 month work term and exams. That's Canada for you. And if you do find a job most likely it's a contract temporary position which pays no higher than a government non-law worker. Even if some firm or government agency hired me after LPP, I wouldn't be moving to Ontario and definitely would take a pay cut from my current job.
Meanwhile if you go to USA there is just a 2 day bar exam, and at Harvard Law for example there's like 800+ law firms paying money for the privilege of recruiting 500 or so students on campus in a seamless interview process, with big law paying 220k+ USD day one and they also pay them for a few months to study for the bar exam as a "clerk", not to mention summer jobs with high salaries. Meanwhile at my Canadian law school there was zero recruitment during 2L and no OCIs on campus for 2L or after.
P.S. Thinking about doing a Harvard LLM but the cost and lost income just can't be justified. Can just write the bar exam directly in the USA and move on from this Canadian law school dead end. At least then there is the hope of finding a remote attorney role even if part-time document review. And maybe down the line in-house remotely in some US corporation.
Looks like we need a PPS because the Canadian law students forum bans all critical posts:
Law School Regrets --Top reasons NOT TO go to my school: University of Alberta Law
Top reasons NOT TO go to my school: University of Alberta Law
This was something partially from the old law students forums, but on the new one it's impossible to post anything without being censored. My law school was a dead end with no career support and only in retrospect did I realize how bad it really was. Buyer beware. The worst part was the grading system where average was B- in 1L and where Cs and Ds were handed out regularly by profs. Some classmates were required to withdraw. I can tell you this not how students are treated at ivy league American schools which have pass fail systems (thinking of Harvard). Another big difference is that at Harvard most exams are just take home papers or assignments combined with participation. Brutal in class finals with harsh curving at a B- simply doesn't exist like at U of A.
1. Location, location, location. Edmonton is in a frozen industrial wasteland. It is extremely cold during 8 months of the year like -40 and lower with windchill cold. There is not much in Edmonton other than warehouses and industrial views. Views of flare stacks burning. Travelling anywhere is a huge hassle as again not much around. Even the SportChek downtown closed up shop and left reflecting Deadmonton’s downtown (high crime and deserted). HBO’s The Last of Us was filmed in downtown Edmonton and rumour is they didn’t even have to use CGI or props.
2. Building and Facilities. First year classrooms have no windows and the vibe is that of the TV show Fallout or Silo. The building is a literal bomb shelter with thick concrete. I recommend staying in the law building 1L classrooms if WW3 ever starts. The library is old and access to online databases and pretty much anything digital is extremely limited. They have very little subscription access compared to other schools due to funding issues. Don’t believe me, then try using HOLLIS at Harvard Library and see the difference in access. Anyway, the library system is severely lacking at U of A in terms of online and database access. Online textbooks and course materials anyone? One word to describe the law building: Brutalistic.
3. Practical Experience and Clinicals. In short U of A has no clinics. No, Student Legal Services is not for credit and not Faculty of Law associated. There are no for credit clinics period. There are a few internship courses and they are extremely competitive so unless you’re getting As it’s not going to happen. Moots are equally competitive and the same few favorites get most of the opportunities. If you’re interested in business, or corporate law or big law type stuff or tech etc., then there is literally nothing for you at U of A as far as experiential learning or clinics. The course selection is also very limited with few options and many full instantly.
4. Career Services. There is a 1L OCI which places at the few small and medium firms in Edmonton, and that’s about it. There is nothing in 2L and minimal articling positions afterwards. The career services office had high turnover and the career advice from the former career services director for articling was to “ask your friends if they know anything”. The job board website is also useless and at one point didn’t even work for alumni. Expect zero career support or alumni outreach from U of A. One of the activities the former career services coordinator offered was "adult coloring books". Absolutely no career support from 2L onwards, no on campus OCIs, and Edmonton only has a handful of medium and small firms. On top of that there are a lot of experienced NCAs also competing for the same spots who are in the same classes! Students at UAlberta are so ignorant that they think a national Viilaw portal application that is for Toronto, Calgary, Vancouver city specific market is the same as a dedicated on campus OCI recruit (OCI means recruiting only open for that specific school on campus usually done for 2L and 3L in the USA).
Simply comparing to this OCI SCHOOL SPECIFIC 2L and 3L system: https://hls.harvard.edu/ocs/for-employers/recruiting-programs-for-employers/
5. Professors and Classes. Some tenured profs are unapproachable and overly academic. You are just a number and the 1L classes are big, plus all the NCAs. Profs have no qualms about giving out Cs, Ds, and Required to Withdraws like candy. The curve is brutal around a forced B- average for 1L. Some profs even refused to supervise a paper summer course or write a generic reference letter. The practitioners are local and underwhelming. If you are looking for niche fields in corporate, tech, AI or innovative classes, there's isn't really much on offer. I think they once had a Military Law course but probably don't anymore. And forget about AI or Space Law.
Good for Criminal Law???: Criminal law is the best place to be in Edmonton. They don't call it Deadmonton for nothing! Lots of prolific crimes and murders happen regularly in Edmonton and there are 4 big jails around the city.

I think one of the easiest ways of showing that the anti-villain is still a villain at the end of the day without devolving into random acts of cruelty with no purpose beyond proving that they are "evilllll" is through hypocrisy - "Oh look, the luddist terrorist has no issue using modern weapons and technology to fight off against the so-called destructive civilization!" or "Oh look, the social darwinist is scared of dying and refuses to accept his defeat even though by his own philosophy he should just accept death gracefully!" - it's simple, effective, and frankly, realistic, after all, you don't need to be a bad guy to suffer from double standards.
...which is why i wanted to get examples of villains who aren't this - their word is word, they follow their ideals to the letter and they really do walk the talk.
Bonus points if the good guys happen to be genuine hypocrites when they themselves aren't one!

Let’s make it aware that there is a job offer scam that lies and take you to Scam Factories and you become a slave, and you may even die. Post here all cases of Disappearance of people who may be associated with this type of scam.

Know The Signs!

Have you been trafficked?

• Did you apply for the job via Social Media (e.g. Facebook, Instagram), WhatsApp, Telegram or an online platform?
• Did you have an online interview?
• Have you been promised a job with a company in Thailand?
• Were you promised a lucrative salary?
• Did you receive a letter of confirmation for your new role?
• Did you investigate the company you applied to and are they registered?
• Do you have an agent or consultant handling details for you?

How to prevent yourself or someone you know from being trafficked

• Never give anyone your passport!
• Research the company you are applying to join. For example, check their website, search for them on social media and LinkedIn, check the legal registration of the company.
• Ask for references (face to face or virtual) from current employees.
• Ensure you received an official letter of offer and check the email addresses match the companies contact information.
• Research the visa requirements for working in a foreign country.
• Notify your countries Immigration Office of your intention to travel or contact your countries Embassy once you arrive at your destination.
• If you are about to cross a river in north-west Thailand don’t, it is likely you are being trafficked into Myanmar.

Forced Scamming:

Trapped in secure compounds.

• Victims are trafficked into secure compounds within Myanmar along the Thailand-Myanmar border with no way to escape. They are watched by armed security and their movements monitored 24/7 by CCTV.

Physically tortured, Sexually Assaulted & brutalised.

• Victims are punished if they refuse to work, until they comply. They are sexually assaulted and brutalised to keep them compliant and their torture used as a warning to others. All have scars, some visible and some hidden, that they will carry with them forever.

Forced to work 20 hour days, 6-7 days a week.

• Victims are forced to work 16-20 hours per day and often 6-7 days each week. They are locked into offices with rows and rows of computers forced to participate in illegal activities, including cyber scamming.

Passports confiscated & phones strictly monitored.

• Victims have their passports confiscated usually under false pretences. All phone activity is strictly monitored with random checks are conducted daily. Victims are forced to use company phones and can only access their personal phones in their rooms.

Could this be your situation? If you or someone you know has been trapped in forced criminality, contact your nearest embassy or email the Global Alms Counter Trafficking Unit at admin@globalalms.com with the details.

This is a post for awareness. Let’s help each other. Only serious comments.
Below are more links to other related posts.
https://edition.cnn.com/interactive/2023/12/asia/chinese-scam-operations-american-victims-intl-hnk-dst/ (Scam Factory location: 16°38'53.0"N 98°31'15.8"E https://maps.app.goo.gl/hjxFLTUJ1SK1aLMM8?g_st=ic)
http://chinascope.org/archives/32233
https://youtu.be/m6qFCdHvYuI?si=rs2J71V1XIeFF7we
https://www.reddit.com/Thailand/s/L8OTm9Lvye
https://www.globalalms.com/protection
(My account created recently for privacy/scam concerns)

I read a quote recently that said “if you want something be the type of person who has it.” So, for example, if you would like to receive love letters, be the type of person who writes them. If you would like to be invited to parties, be the type of person who hosts them, so on and so forth.
I’m trying, still, after two years to process the grief of losing you and to process the grief of all that was lost during our relationship, including pieces of my innocence and my dignity, pieces, I dare say, I will never be able to recover. You hurt me in the worst ways imaginable yet still I can’t hate you. I won’t. Everybody says that I should and that whatever love I have fantasized in my head towards you is merely the limerence that results from Stockholm Syndrome. An obsession one would hold towards a hateful caregiver in an infantilized state.
Though, I’m not so sure. I am loathe to believe the love I hold towards you is fetishized grief. I am hoping that by putting these letters out into the void I will gain some temporary relief from the pain of your absence, at the least, and at most I will begin to build a bridge over that dark and glowering moat of grief that has kept me tethered to the past, tethered to the abusive and turbulent relationship which left me with nothing but debt to be repaid by a wandering life of pain, misery, and an emptiness never to be filled by love in the same way.
Oh how I admired you, oh man of mine. How I wanted to grasp onto every word that came out of your mouth when you were discussing your ideas. How your poems, though a little prose-like and robotic, made me sink faster into the pit of infatuation. I was in love with you. Obsessed. I wish I could have recorded the sound of your voice when you talked about science. I wish I could have mended the pain of your abandonment in adolescence. I wish I could have been the support you needed even when you pushed me away and put me down. I wish I could have healed the parts of you that were so broken to make you believe that stealing from me would somehow fill your empty cup.
But you cut off the bottom of the glass and no amount of debauchery could ever leave you more full than you were before. No amount of purity stolen from me could mend the agony you had held onto for far too long.
I am still left wondering, now, without you even by my side to soothe the wounds you had inflicted, why you chose me to steal from? Was everything really as you said? Was I too unlovable for the mistakes I had made in the past? Hadn’t I more than atoned for them with everything you had put me through? Was I really someone you loathed, who you couldn’t rest easy with at night? Was I really such a burden because I was too nervous around the crowds you chose to surround us with at the nightclubs or too sheepish about my femininity to ever be as sexy as you wanted? Where is the line? What was real and what was fake? Was there anything you liked about me at all, or did you just enjoy the joy and admiration I had for you?
When will my lonely heart stop pining over someone who hates me? If you hated me so, why didn’t you simply leave? Why did you always persuade me back into staying with your sweet words and your grand gestures?
I would say I miss you, but to miss someone is to know them truly and be abashed by their absence. I don’t know you anymore so I can’t miss you. Did I ever know you?
Part of my life has come full circle and now I am starting to wonder if any of it was ever real? The memories are so fleeting and time has warped along with everything around it. I feel alone in this universe. Nothing feels real. Were we just a dream? A requiem for a nightmare? Did any of it ever happen? Why has it all just faded into a distant memory, seared like a firestone against the forefront of my subconscious?
How are you? Do you think this way too? Why did you hurt me so much that I had no choice but to leave? Was I really so reprehensible?
Or, was it you whom you hated for your inability to love someone who had given everything to be with you?
All I know is that I didn’t deserve to be discounted and discarded the way I was. I may never be able to recover some of the innocence I lost while we were in it, but my heart, with each passing day, still feels mightily pure. Your hatred did not win, and my love for you does not cease.
From M. To J.

Hey, are there some rules of thumb in place for tile improvements?
I'd say I am an average civ-player so lots to learn but I feel like my biggest weakness is tile improvements. Somewhere in the Renaissance, when you unlock the +2 actions for builders card I usually build some in every city but up to that point I rarely improve tiles. Put simple I often plan my cities ahead with campus, dam, theatre square and so on an every tile that I plan a district on gets "reserved" in my brain so I don't improve these tiles.
Some more concrete examples:

• Is it worth improving a tile when I plan on putting a campus there maybe 30-40 turns later?
• Is it worth improving a tile where I'll put a dam once the technology is available?
• Is it worth improving tiles for temporary growth/production boost in a newly founded city (like mid to late game) if the tile is going to have a district on it later?

I'm thankful for all knowledge/ideas shared about that. :)

FOREWORD

Well, it’s been a hot minute since i posted here. Volume 9 as a whole (especially the last three Chapters) really did a number on my ever dwindling tolerance for this show. I’ve been lurking here ever since.
However, I actually engaged in a recent post asking how people thought the Silver Eyes should’ve been like. So, here’s my (extensively expanded) comment on that topic.

THE SILVER EYES

I always thought it would’ve been far more interesting if the Silver Eyes were conceptually more ‘scientific’. Like, the way to use them isn’t something as bullshit-ey or generic as “the power of love and friendship”, or FRWBY’s “loss of memory”, but that the Silver Eyed Warriors’ eyes had a unique biological property. That being the lens of the eye.
About
When light enters the eye, the lens would refract said light, turning it into the Grimm-atomizing white flash, which would be the only magical aspect to it. The light would then have to be reflected inside the closed eye, which would build up its power and release it by opening them.
Of course, the flash would only go in the direction the Silver Eyed Warrior is facing. Unlike in the show, where it envelops everything around them. It would primarily be used against Grimm (duh), but could also be utilised as a flash-bang on non-Grimm enemies and would have an effect on “Magic”, ie. disintegrating Dust and Maidens.
The Silver Eyes would fully manifest/develop when the person reaches the age of Ruby in Volume 3 (I forgor 💀).
Effectiveness
The effectiveness of the flash would depend on two major, and two minor, factors:
• THE LIGHT SOURCE - Natural light sources (eg. the Sun/Moon rays, flames, lightning, sparks, etc.) would be FAR more effective than artificial ones (flashlights, Scrolls, etc.). Natural light sources would surely atomize Grimm, while the artificial ones would momentarily stun them. On top of that, some natural light sources are more effective than others, namely the Sun’s rays being more effective than the Moon’s.
• THE DURATION OF THE REFRACTIONS - The longer the eyes are closed, allowing the light to bounce around more, the stronger the flash will become. This, however, isn’t without its drawbacks (which will be discussed next).
• The effectiveness would also depend on the size of a Grimm. Normal/smaller-sized Grimm would be annihilated, while giant Grimm would only be partially or completely petrified (some permanently, until broken out, and some temporarily).
• Teary eyes could also make the light refraction yield a stronger flash. Why? Because Magic nonsense… and also to explain away why Ruby’s first use severely damaged Cinder.
Uses/Drawbacks
When used for the first time, loss of consciousness and temporary blindness would occur (though the blindness wouldn’t be noticed). Consecutive uses would still cause temporary blindness and headaches.
Like a muscle, the eyes would get used to it after repeated uses and the headaches would cease, while the temporary blindness would remain. With each use the period of blindness would get shorter with the minimum duration being 10 minutes.
Effects on the story
The best example for this section would be the Apathy.
In the show, Ruby actually atomizes some of the Apathy and could’ve done so to the rest if she really wanted to. This removes a lot of the tension from that ordeal because the point was that the girls could only run away due to the Apathy’s scream attacks.
With my changes, Ruby would be unable to do anything more than stunning them by utilizing the artificial light from her Scroll. And even if she opted for that, now she’s not only weakened, but also blinded. Adding more tension.

AFTERWORD

And there you have it.
With these changes, you get a more dynamic overpowered ability that can’t be used whenever and actually forces the Silver Eyed Warrior to account for immediate and long-term strategy when deciding to use them.

Is my 17 yo son a lost cause? My husband and I have 3 kids, 17M/17F, and 9F. My son has always been the type that has lied and steals. Even when he was little. We tried bribing, timeouts, quality time, you name it. He has a really bad tendency of gaslighting people, while looking at them in their eyes, stealing his sisters money. 4 years ago, he stole the keys to my husband's gun safe and my husband had to get physical with him in order for the keys to magically reappear.
He is very respectful when home but acts a complete fool when out and about. He gets into trouble and blames other people. I have suggested therapy but my husband believes that there's no use and he'll just lie to the therapist, Ido agree with him but I feel like this is our last resort. He goes off on girls and won't say anything to boys because he's afraid that they will beat him up. My husband had told him that he's a coward and is very disappointed in him.
He recently broke into a school and recorded himself with 2 other kids and they got caught. He has been trying to meet people off of snapchat to have sex withamd has been speaking to this "lady in her 40s" and was going to have this lady get him from the police.... she's a completely different race!!! When asked about him making the video in the school, he vehemently denied it until it showed his face. He said the other kids talking him into breaking into the school but the burner phone he had showed messages of him asking when they were going to do it and prompting them to do so.
He is my stepson and I have been raising him since he was 1.5 years old. His maternal biological side is into drugs and do the same thing that he does. Is this a situation of nature vs nurture?
My husband has full custody and he doesn't know his maternal side but idk. My husband is asking what went wrong. My husband tried to play video games, movies, anime, quality time, you name it and he never seemed to care. He's on the wrestling team and he would never want us to come to his meets but then he spins it and says that we don't come, even though he doesn't want us to. He has been trespassed from his previous job for an altercation with a girl and being disrespectful and he still went back like nothing could happen to him we are always coming to smooth things out for him.
We have always done family night and have open communication to where they express their feelings but he says everything is fine. They have all been given the same opportunities and experiences and love. For example, I told both him and his sister that if they saved their money and said that they wanted to purchase a car, they could. My daughter is has her permit asks to drive everyday with their dad, and has the money for a car. My son no longer has a job but still has money. Instead of trying to purchase a car, he has spent $1000s on TV, video game consoles, and food. He has his permit but doesn't ask to drive. When I brought up purchasing a car again, he said if his sister get a car before him, it would show favoritism and it wouldn't be fair. They have both been told this since they were around 10.
This is all over the place and I apoligize but hes done so many things that its hard to put them all in here. He get cuddles, hugs, and kisses just like the girls but goes againist everything we say. What should we do?
He's super smart and could have been in advanced classes but decided not to. I'm just sadded to see him choose this path. Suggestions?

So, here is part 2 of my entitled employee story. We left off with discovering Sally’s retaliation of giving me trash as a Christmas gift after her latest write-up.
So, the next several weeks, I am noticing more problems, but here’s some of the highlights.

1. Ever since we had issues of the office’s checks going randomly missing, Sally had apparently decided to just stop throwing any envelope away when opening the mail. She would supposedly search the envelopes/paperwork & then keep the envelopes with the paperwork. So, instead of doing her job better, she would decide to just stop doing the job at all. After all, you can’t get in trouble for screwing it up if you aren’t doing it, right? However, this resulted in items getting left with the paperwork (which sometimes wouldn’t get touched for several weeks due to being busy) that had needed to be collected or addressed right away.
   
2. Sally’s careless mistakes continued at about the same rate (average of 2 to 3 a week). She would put deposit slips/emails with the wrong office’s report, put one office’s mail in another office’s bin, put one office’s funding papers in another office’s bin, put one office’s bills in the folder for their correspondence & vice versa, put one office’s bills in the folder for another office’s bills, put the new month’s bills in the folder without taking out the old month’s bills so they would get mixed up. I could go on & on.
   
3. Sally would still ask for help on things she shouldn’t need help on anymore, ‘cause I had helped her many times on items exactly like it in the 2 years she’s worked here. I mean, the whole point of asking for help when learning new things on a job is so you can take the input you’re given & use it to get better at the job so you don’t have to ask for help anymore. I mean, what kind of office works by their employees constantly needing to be walked through everything every day? Sally would even ask for help on things no one would need to ask for help on. For example, she asked me, “An office took a deposit to the bank without showing it on their report. How do I write that up in the letter to fax to them?” Um, exactly what you just said to me. Or another time, she asks how long she should wait before calling an office back. Well, how long do you think you should give them? Just use your good judgment. You don’t need help with that! Again, you’ve been here 2 years!
   

On Jan 26, I take the Dec bills, correspondence faxes, & timesheets out of their folders to scan them into the computer. Now, one thing the bills should always have on them are the check number used to pay for this purchase & the date it was paid. The offices themselves are supposed to write this on there, but they don’t always, which is why it is our job to write it on there if it’s missing. I had noticed when I scanned Nov’s bills around Nov 30 that a lot of Sally’s offices don’t have that info written on them. So, I explained to her what needed to be written on every bill/receipt. I now flip through the Dec & Jan bills of her offices really quick to check them. There are quite a few of them with no info written down on them. There’s strike one for noncompliance.
Another task we would do several days a week (that’s Sally’s responsibility) is to check the bank accounts online. She is to look at the bank balances & report any low balances to Greg (or me if Greg isn’t there). She is then to look at the transactions in order to see if anything looks fraudulent. Since we are a loan company, check fraud is very common for us. So, we look at the checks for anything funny-looking, & we look to see if there are any auto debits (like when you use your bank account online to pay for a bill) that would tell us if someone got hold of our bank account info.
On Jan 30, at 1:15 p.m., I asked if any of the bank balances were low (Greg was out of town for a few days). Sally said she had forgotten to check the bank accounts that morning. Weird, ‘cause you had to check the Dallas office to make sure the money we sent them had shown up. How did you get the login sheet out to look in their bank account but then forget about checking all the bank accounts? This just further cemented in my mind that she was NOT checking these bank accounts the way she should. I was 100% positive that all she does when logging into these bank accounts is checking the balances to give to Greg but then never checks the transactions. I know this ‘cause, 1) I’ve observed Sally only logging in to write down the balances & then logging back out (she had some flimsy excuse ready when I asked her about it), 2) there have been auto debits that appeared in bank accounts that we didn’t find for weeks until I happened to see it for some reason & guess what? She never pointed those out to us, & 3) Sally hadn’t bothered to check the bank account balances since Greg was out of town, so clearly she only felt the need to check the balances. There’s strike two for noncompliance.
& even more bad mistakes or decisions:

1. At the end of Jan, we discovered that Sally had mailed the employees’ W2s to the managers’ home addresses instead of to the offices to distribute to their employees!
   
2. We had an office that moved locations to right across the street, so the only thing that changed in their address was their street number (12 Main Street instead of 11 Main Street). I explained this to Sally & gave her an updated list of the office’s addresses. 3 weeks later, we get a call from that office saying that mail we send to them keeps going to their landlord’s house. I check the address labels Sally had created for herself. Sure enough, it had the wrong address on them. I go to grab the lease, & at the top is where the tenant’s new address is listed. & all the way at the bottom of the page in the paragraph titled “RENT” where it lists where to send the rent is the landlord’s home address. & that’s the address Sally had chosen to be the new office’s address on her address labels.
   
3. Sally hadn’t been faxing the offices to ask for bills/receipts that never made it to us.
   
4. I used the last towel on a roll of paper towels, so I went to the cabinets to grab another. We were out. Sally is in charge of keeping track of supplies that need ordering, so I go to Sally & say we’re completely out of paper towels, we need to order some. Sally response: “No one ever tells me when they grab the last roll so I know when to order them.” Um, excuse me, since when is it our job to tell you to do your job? It’s your responsibility to keep track of supplies. You should be checking the level of paper towels, toilet paper, Kleenex, etc., to see when you need to order them.
   

So, I knew she needed a second warning write up for carelessness cause of the numerous mistakes since the first warning write up in the middle of Dec, & I would be giving Sally a first warning write up for negligence cause of her not asking the offices for missing bills & not writing the info on the bills I had told her to do at the end of Nov. However, it was only a few days from Feb, which was the time for performance reviews. So, rather than doing a write up now & then in a week or so doing a performance review that was one of the worst performance reviews I’ve ever heard of, I decided to just do it in one fell swoop. You know, just get it all out of the way with one bad conversation, one bad day, & then both of us can hopefully put it behind us & move on.
I decided to do the performance review & write ups on Feb 5 (Monday). It went much smoother ‘cause Greg was there, so Sally couldn’t really give me lip or lash out by showing attitude & anger like she had previously.
On Feb 7 (Wednesday), I log in to get the transactions for an office who is switching banks. I wanted to get an updated list of outstanding checks so they know how many checks are left before they can close the old bank account. & what do I see? Someone had used the bank account to pay $100 on their AT&T bill. I call the office & find out it was actually them, so no fraud there. But I then ask Sally if she had seen that when checking the bank accounts. She said she didn’t remember. Obviously, I have found my proof that she is either not checking them or isn’t paying attention when she does. I have a discussion with Greg about it, & we decide I need to have a sit down with her about her not doing her job. She is sick on Thursday, so I plan to talk with her the next day she comes in.
On Feb 9 (Friday), I begin the conversation about checking the bank accounts & how important it is. I am planning to say things like, we expect you to do this job, you’ve been told multiple times to do this task, if you’re not going to do the job, then you’re welcome to go find another one, etc. But she cuts me off at the beginning with an excuse of, “Well, I didn’t know what I should be looking for, now I know.” & it broke me. She does this exact thing every time I have to have a conversation with her. She has an excuse ready to go on the tip of her tongue, always spins it around so it’s not actually her fault. It’s always, “Well, I didn’t know that, but now, I do.” & I was just done. I didn’t continue the conversation, even though I needed to, ‘cause I just broke down in tears from the stress of having to discipline her & knowing that nothing will ever come of it, but having our hands legally tied to be able to fire her right now. I cried nonstop for over 4 hours.
On Feb 12 (Monday), I sat down to continue the conversation, this time with a written statement for her to sign.
Me: You respond a lot of the time that you don’t know how to do things, which is very frustrating, ‘cause you’ve been shown multiple times how to do these tasks. It’s very inefficient & wasteful that I have to constantly check all of your work & retrain you on the same thing over & over again. This needs to change. This job is about accuracy & accountability.
Sally: You’re not giving me a chance to improve. I never hear “Good job,” from you. All I ever hear is, “You’re doing a bad job, sign this paper.” I get in trouble every time I ask for help, so I guess I’ll just follow the instructions & hope I’m doing it right.
The problems with that response:

1. You’ve worked here for 2 years, Sally. You’ve had plenty of time to improve.
   
2. The reason you never hear “Good job” is ‘cause you’re not doing a good job. How am I supposed to tell you “Good job,” but also need to give you a write up for doing a bad job? If you’re getting multiple write ups for doing a bad job, don’t you think that’s a sign that something is wrong? I mean, she thinks that managers should be telling their employees good job on everything they do right. No, you’re expected to do these tasks. We’re not going to congratulate you every time you do your basic job requirements like some toddler that needs constant positive reinforcement so they know that doing something right is a good thing! You will hear “Good job” when you are doing a really good job on something, when you go above & beyond!! I mean, do you think Greg tells me “Good job” when I’m just doing my job as expected?!! NO!!! I’ve never had a manager constantly tell me “Good job” all the time!!!! (Whew. Sorry about that. Kinda went on a crazy rant there. I’m good now.)
   
3. Here’s another example of her mentality of “if I don’t do the job, I can’t get in trouble for doing it wrong.” She’s going to stop asking for help instead of using the help I’ve given her to do better. I mean, if you’re making these mistakes when you ARE asking for help, how many more are you going to make when you stop asking for help? How does this make any logical sense?!
   

Well, here’s another chance for some malicious compliance. She claimed she didn’t know how to check the bank accounts, right? Well, my job as the manager is to make sure my employees know how to do their job. So, I need to sit down with her & train her how to check the bank accounts. Again. Even though I know she already knows how to do it. So, every time you tell me that the reason why you didn’t do a job is ‘cause you didn’t know how to do it right, well, we’re going to sit down & waste both our times & annoy you having to be retrained on something you do, in fact, know how to do.
Sally continues making careless mistakes & not doing stuff she doesn’t think she should have to do. Like answering the phones. It’s her job to answer the phones; that’s something I as the manager should be delegating to her. However, she never answers the phone unless I literally can’t. So, I had asked her to start answering the phone more. She will wait until the last possible second before answering the phone. By that time, it’s already rung twice, so I have to answer it before it goes on any longer or they hang up. One time, we were both away from our desks when the phone rang. We both went to answer it, but she was closer & got to her desk before me, put her hand on the phone, & watched me until I got to my desk before she picked it up. With a comment of, “Oh, (laughs) I didn’t want to make you walk all the way to your desk.” Well, you did, anyway, you little jerk.
On Feb 27, Sally asks for help on a report. She says that my note stating the office is over-deposited $28 on report 1 but fixed on report 2 by being $28 under-deposited didn’t work out. She says that they were never over by $28 in the first place. I take the report to look it over. Her calculator tape adding up the deposits shows the bank is in balance, but I don’t see deposit slips.
Me: Where are the deposit slips?
Sally: I haven’t gotten them yet.
Me: (trying to comprehend her logic) Then how do you have the deposit amounts added on this tape?
Sally: I got the amounts from the report.
Me: You…(my brain trying not to implode at this point) you can’t add up amounts to see if the bank has too much or too little money in it without knowing what was actually taken to the bank. The amounts on the report don’t always equal what was taken to the bank.
I log into the bank account & discover just that: the report says they took $500 to the bank, but their deposit says $528. They were indeed $28 over-deposited. I then lecture her (for the second time in a few months) on the correct way to account for the deposits at the bank, that we are only to use the dollar amounts on the bank’s deposit receipt. (The first time was her getting the deposit amount from what was written on the deposit slip instead of what the bank gave us credit for on their printed receipt. The bank had shorted us $500, & we never knew until her deposits didn’t work out when reconciling the bank statement at the end of the month. We were missing $500 for 4 weeks! It’s a miracle we didn’t overdraw the account.)
Another task that we do several days a week is checking the CFPB website. This is a government website that uses federal regulations to monitor financial institutions. It’s like the Better Business Bureau, but more official. Customers can make complaints through them, prompting an investigation to make sure we’re following the federal guidelines. We have 2 weeks to respond to a complaint before it is past due.
On Feb 29, Greg just happens to be looking at an email inbox that he never checks, ‘cause after all, we’re checking the CFPB website, so he doesn’t have to look there, right? There is a complaint in 2 of the portals that have been in there since Jan 22. He immediately marches out & tells Sally about them.
Greg: Aren’t you checking the CFPB sites?
Sally: Yeah, I am.
Really? Then how come you didn’t print this complaint off to give to Greg in the last 6 weeks? She came back from lunch to a second warning write up given by me for negligence.
On Mar 5 (Tuesday), we are working on reconciling the bank statements so we can close the month of Feb. Sally brings me a Jan bank statement for an office.
Sally: This never cleared in Feb.
I look at the bank statement. It’s an electronic deposit of $254 on Jan 31. I remember this. She had asked me at the beginning of Feb why this deposit wasn’t recorded on the office’s report. I explained that since it didn’t show up in the bank account until the last day of Jan, they might not have known about it before the end of the month & so recorded it on the first of Feb. We will wait until the first report of Feb. If it’s still not recorded, then we’ll bring that to the office’s attention. & here she is, clearly telling me she hadn’t brought it to anyone’s attention all month long.
Me: (staring at the bank statement as I try to prevent my autistic brain from exploding at her while also trying to prevent a spontaneous stroke) You didn’t keep track of this all month?
Sally: Well, I didn’t know if it was treated differently ‘cause it was OTBP (One Time Bill Pay, which is the electronic deposit). (Oh, what a shocker, she once again didn’t know how to do something.)
Me: But we talked about this. If it wasn’t on the first of the month, we needed to address it.
Sally: Okay, well, now I know that we treat this the same as other deposits. (goes nonchalantly back to her desk like it was no big deal, like she hadn’t just revealed she had once again disobeyed my detailed instructions)
Me: (seeing her flagrant disregard for the seriousness of the situation & wondering just how on earth she could once again think that not doing her job would have no consequences) This is exactly what Greg talks about over & over, about how we can’t leave errors like this to sit for weeks & weeks, that these need to be dealt with as they happen.
Sally: (still as easy-going as if she had simply used the wrong color highlighter) Okay, I’ll make note of that.
Now, I am getting really pissed off. She keeps saying, “Oh, now I know that OTBP is treated the same as everything else.” That doesn’t matter! It doesn’t matter that you didn’t know it’s treated the same! I specifically told you to take care of it if it didn’t appear on the first of Feb! It didn’t matter what kind of deposit it was! I said to tell me if it wasn’t on the first of Feb!
Now, this was right before she leaves at 3:30, so by the time I’m finished with my text conversation with Greg (‘cause he isn’t there that afternoon), she has already left. But I’m telling Greg that I have once again caught her being negligent, & she’s already had 2 written warnings about this, which means our next step is letting her go. Not to mention, her carelessness is still continuing. He said that he supports my decision to let her go. By the way, the final decision happened an hour after she left. If I had known before she left that we were indeed going to fire her, I would have done it before she left so she didn’t have to come all the way to work in the morning just to leave again.
So, on Mar 6 (Wednesday), I arrive early to work so I can be prepared. I am standing at my desk, watching her come in. This is unusual, so she frowns as she approaches me.
Me: Sally, we need to talk.
Sally: (still frowns at me)
Me: (handing her the typed up notice) We are going to read this together. “When reconciling the month of Jan, around Feb 5, it was brought to my attention that we had a deposit that hadn’t been reconciled. I gave you instructions to wait a report to see if it works out. If not, you would need to bring it to mine & the office’s attention for further instructions. This wasn’t done. It wasn’t until Mar 5 that you brought this to my attention again. You have been told many times the importance of reconciling the financials of the office. You have been warned several times of negligence. This is another example of negligence with respect to your job. All you had to do was follow my instructions. It is for this reason that it is now time to terminate your employment.”
Sally: When did you tell me to do this?
Me: (thinking, “Um, I kinda just told you when I told you do that, but, okay.”) When you showed me the Jan bank statement—
Sally: Yesterday?!
Me: You showed me the Jan bank statement a month ago when you were reconciling Jan. I told you to wait for the first of Feb & then—
Sally: You did no such thing!
Me: Yes, I did, Sally.
Sally: When does Greg get here?
Me: Around 9, like usual.
Sally: I’m calling him, ‘cause this is ridiculous. You’ve had it out for me from the very beginning.
Me: No, I haven’t.
Sally: Yeah, you have. Just like the other 2. (sets her bags at the front door, goes outside, & calls Greg)

1. How could I have had it out for you from the very beginning when we didn’t have problems for the first year & a half you worked here? If I’d had it out for you from the beginning, you wouldn’t have had a job the past 6 months. Need I remind you what Greg told you about the timesheet thing being something we fire someone for on the spot, but that Molly had gone to bat for you & gave you a second chance? Why would I have done that if I had wanted you gone from the start?
   
2. “Just like the other 2.” She’s talking about Irene (who had left in Feb 2023) & another employee (who we’ll call Phil). Phil had been fired (by Greg, by the way) for continuing to watch movies on his phone at his desk despite being told multiple times by Greg to not do that. & Irene? She wasn’t fired. She gave her 2 weeks’ notice. & we then discovered when going through the work she’s been doing as we started taking over her tasks that she didn’t just not do jobs. She would actually forge the work so she wouldn’t have to work. “A bank imbalance of $2.65? Well, I’ll just add it to the imbalance that’s been building up for who knows how many months & just label it as an over-deposit from the end of the month. That way, I don’t have to look into why the bank isn’t balancing.” But no, I had it out for them, apparently.
   
3. Does she really think that calling Greg was gonna reverse my firing her? Does she really think I would do something as drastic as writing her up or firing her without discussing it with my supervisor first? Did she really think I would do this behind his back?
   

Apparently, she did, ‘cause Greg confirmed that Sally tried telling him about all the stuff I’ve been doing to her as if he didn’t know. She hung up on him when he explained that he’s been told everything as it happens & he supports this decision.
Sally: (storming back into the office & towards her desk) I’m not signing anything.
Me: Ok.
Sally begins packing up her desk. I had known she kept a lot of personal items at the office, so I had gotten a big box or 2 out & placed them nearby for her to use to pack up her desk.
Me: We can give you a box if you need it.
Sally: I don’t need sh** from you guys.
Me: The only thing we’ll need is your office key.
Sally: You’ll get it when you get it. I’m packing my desk.
Me: Ok.
I go back to work, keeping an eye on her as she packs to make sure she doesn’t take anything she’s not supposed to or damage any company property. Sally at some point decides to use the boxes she didn’t want from us to pack up her many items. She takes both boxes to the front door where her bags are & sets them down to put the last of her things in. She picks up one box to take outside.
Sally: You are the worst manager ever. (goes out the door)
Me: (shrug)
Sally: (comes back in for the final box) Seriously, you’re the most evil person I’ve ever met. (leaves)
Really? I rank worse than the guy that beat you up? I’m worse than him?
I continued watching her to see if she’s going to come back to give up her office key. As she packed up her car, another employee had arrived (we’ll call him Randy). He had run into her on the way in & asks me if Sally quit. I explained, no, she was let go. I then see that Sally has gotten behind the wheel of her car without coming back to give us the office key.
Me: Well, I guess we’ll just change the locks.
Randy then takes it upon himself to go out to her car. He phrased it very gently by saying he wanted to spare her having to come back in to turn the key in.
Sally: I guess Molly didn’t have the balls to do it herself. (hands the key over)
& then…she was gone. Despite having to do the entire corporate office’s work all by myself & falling steadily behind little by little, I have never been more happy. I had forgotten how much I loved my job & how much I couldn’t wait to get to work. I haven’t been this stress-free in 6 months, & it feels fantastic! & the great part is, I’m not really falling as far behind as I expected to without her. Having to do 2 people’s jobs by myself is only affecting me a little. Really goes to show you how bad she was for the company & for my job when she disrupted everything that much. For example, me & her would get through maybe 5 to 6 offices’ reports between us in a single day when playing catch up after closing the previous month. One day? I caught up on 10 offices’ reports in a single day. By myself.
Oh, did I mention she smoked marijuana most days on her way to work or while on her lunch break? We could never actually prove it. But, come on, you don’t smell that strongly of marijuana on only select days if you aren’t smoking it recently. If it was leftover from the smell of your house or car, you would smell like that every day. But it was only some days she would come into work or back from lunch smelling like that. Obviously, smoking on the job. So very glad to be rid of her & her awful skunk smell. Although, I do wish her well on a new job search. I don’t wish ill on anyone, ever. But I am just glad she’s no longer my problem to deal with.
(Added 2 months after she was fired): By the way, I am actually gaining on my work. I’m not only not behind on my work, I’m actually getting it done soon enough to work on extra stuff. Also, out of the blue, we’ve started getting about 3 to 4 sales & scam calls every day since Sally left (for things like better Medicare benefits, better retirement benefits, & even one time recently where “Walgreens” was calling to ask if I still had diabetes). I’m convinced Sally signed us up for calls as retaliation. I hope they die down soon, especially as they are starting to get rude. (Our response to every one of these is “Sorry, this is a business.” This one guy responded to me with, “This is my job.” I said, “I understand this is your job, but this is a business. I am not allowed to take personal calls.” He said, “Why?” I said very slowly & firmly, “Because I’m working!” He started to say, “Can you explain to me why—” I hung up. Jerk.)