Alright, now don't take my title all that seriously since I primarily wanted to get the most attention I could from this sub, that's it. WARNING: LONG DISCUSSION POST
So as we can all check out if we make use of Reddit's search function, we will be able to re-read thousands of absolutely rabid comments written inside any Ohms-related post circa 2020-2021 (back when the album was still rather fresh, hence recency bias was pretty much inevitable then). I get there's far more users now than, say, 2016, but I can't help but sense the reception of Ohms was nothing but a massive and collective overreaction. Think about it, if four years ago if you dared criticize a single track off the album in the most good-willed and constructive manner, you'd get demolished by blind downvotes.
On the other hand, its predecessor, Gore, was met with strong to mixed criticism by the fans (and I said fans, not critics) to the point of circlejerk. The main complaints, both at the time and nowadays, were poor audio quality and a lack of focus in songwriting due to Stephen Carpenter unapologetically bashing the album on behalf the rest of band members through multiple interviews pre-release. The former point of contempt is 100% reasonable since the album does indeed sound pretty wacky, especially in comparison to the absolute audio marvel Koi no Yokan was: fizzy and thin guitar tones, a weird choice of bass gear (6 string bass) that didn't complement well the already comically crowded frequency spectrum of the album's sound, badly recorded drums, some questionable choice of vocal effects (mainly excess of delay), overcompression and lack of dynamics in both mixing and mastering stage that left the record sounding flat and lifeless...all that it's true. However, regarding the actual music, y'all gotta admit Gore definitely had tons of fresh ideas to distinguish itself from the rest of their back catalogue:
1. Silky-smooth transitions between songs: like in Pittura Infamante > Xenon
2. Beautiful soft synths and keyboards subtly arranged and melded with both guitars: like in Rubicon
3. Genuinely interesting and witty song structures: like in (L)MIRL
4. Some of the most exotic and vivid lyrics Chino's ever written: like in Acid Hologram
5. Some of the most intricate drumming Abe's ever laid down on a studio work (despite being fucked over by the producers): like in Geometric Headdress
But unfortunately, since the most vocal part of our fanbase couldn't shut up their close-minded ass for one single second about Gore not being "heavy" enough, we saw the band making a clear attempt at overcorrecting their course in order to appease both Steph and the fans, and that's when we got _Ohms. In more than one way, Ohms is a clear response to Gore's reception: they decided to go back to their good ol' friend Terry Date to produce their first album since 2002 (Self Titled), Chino approached the songwriting in a much "jammier" way along with Steph and Abe while mostly leaving Sergio out of the equation, it's a far more guitar-oriented album than Gore or KNY, it has an overall much more edgy, screamy and in-your-face aura, the lyrical themes are darker and mostly hopeless. It almost sounds like they wanted to continue just where they left it with TD like if he was never gone.
The similes with Self Titled don't end up just there, we must remember that album marked a mostly lukewarm and disappointing reception at release by coming on the heels of what's considered their magnum opus: White Pony. Why? Well, just like Ohms, Self Titled marked a clear regression from the much more melodic, sophisticated and experimental nature of its predecessor in turn for a more traditional, locked-in and guitar-heavy album. The lyrical imagery wasn't there either, since Chino started writing more depressive and less imaginative lyrics based on his upcoming divorce with her former wife at the time. See a pattern? Ohms suffers from the same creative problems Self Titled had at release by virtue of being a much safer effort. If we could describe Self Titled as being some sort of middle ground between Around the Fur and White Pony, Ohms is more so a middle ground between Self Titled and Gore.
First off, let's talk about the production value, which is probably one of the most poorly discussed aspects about the album. Ohms is objectively (by virtue of dynamic range measurements) the loudest Deftones has ever been on a studio release. Yes, even louder than Gore, of all things, and I've got proof:

foobar2000 1.6.8 / Dynamic Range Meter 1.1.1

Analyzed: Deftones / Ohms

DR Peak RMS Duration Track

DR4 0.00 dB -5.57 dB 5:17 01-Genesis DR5 0.00 dB -6.73 dB 3:28 02-Ceremony DR4 0.00 dB -5.02 dB 4:30 03-Urantia DR5 0.00 dB -6.16 dB 4:50 04-Error DR5 0.00 dB -6.51 dB 5:27 05-The Spell Of Mathematics DR5 0.00 dB -7.97 dB 5:26 06-Pompeji DR5 0.00 dB -6.70 dB 4:37 07-This Link Is Dead DR5 0.00 dB -5.29 dB 3:35 08-Radiant City DR5 0.00 dB -6.63 dB 4:59 09-Headless DR5 0.00 dB -5.54 dB 4:10 10-Ohms
Number of tracks: 10 Official DR value: DR5
Samplerate: 44100 Hz Channels: 2 Bits per sample: 16 Bitrate: 1030 kbps

Codec: FLAC

Number of tracks: 10 Official DR value: DR5
Now compared with Gore:

foobar2000 1.6.8 / Dynamic Range Meter 1.1.1

Analyzed: Deftones / Gore

DR Peak RMS Duration Track

DR6 0.00 dB -7.41 dB 3:38 01-Prayers/Triangles DR5 0.00 dB -5.94 dB 4:06 02-Acid Hologram DR5 0.00 dB -6.22 dB 4:27 03-Doomed User DR4 0.00 dB -4.94 dB 3:29 04-Geometric Headdress DR7 0.00 dB -9.71 dB 5:21 05-Hearts/Wires DR6 0.00 dB -7.34 dB 4:04 06-Pittura Infamante DR5 0.00 dB -6.38 dB 3:17 07-Xenon DR4 0.00 dB -6.48 dB 5:02 08-(L)MIRL DR5 0.00 dB -6.76 dB 4:59 09-Gore DR6 0.00 dB -8.54 dB 4:53 10-Phantom Bride

DR6 0.00 dB -6.79 dB 4:58 11-Rubicon

Number of tracks: 11 Official DR value: DR5
Samplerate: 44100 Hz Channels: 2 Bits per sample: 16 Bitrate: 1104 kbps

Codec: FLAC

The numbers won't ever lie to you. Audiophiles have always known that if something measures bad, it sounds bad, period. Ohms is just as if not even more overcompressed and slammed than Gore. No wonder all the fast transients are totally lost and Abe's drums can't barely pop put of the mix on a decent headphones/speakers setup. No wonder most verses sound just as stupidly loud as the choruses. No wonder some parts of the album audibly clip and distort, because you can hear the compressor dilate the volume and squeeze until the its last drop of blood just to obtain that hyper-commercial radio sound. No doubt, Terry Date did an absolutely fantastic job on the band's previous efforts like Around the Fur and White Pony, but that doesn't excuse him from doing a bad job later on in his career. The mix is also quite wonky. Just like in Gore, the guitars are way too loud in the mix to the point of further obscuring the bass and drums. Also, what's the point of a ninth string if one: you're only using it for one song on the album (The Spell of Mathematics) and two: it sounds so undefined and mushy you can't even decipher the notes he's playing with it? And why...WHY the hell does Chino use the overdrive "drive-thru box effect" on like 90% of his vocals in the album? It makes his already strained and weak vocal performance sound so grating on this and it sounds super tacky.
But what about the actual music? In Ohms all intricacy is lost. From the very basic and predictable verse-chorus song structures that mutilate all possible tension/release factor that makes music exciting, the laughably lazy two-note riffage being played by Steph all over the album (which makes me wonder if that's what being involved means), the awkward and generic-sounding retro synths, the absolute lack of decent vocal hooks, the painfully straightforward and occasionally cringe lyrics...is this really a return to form?
To close up this insufferable post, I'll paste a comment someone made in this sub over three years ago. I related to it a lot and sums it all up quite well. You can find it here: https://www.reddit.com/deftones/comments/mtg4os/comment/gv8pcqf/
"Gore is an underrated masterpiece in their discography. If flat-earth anti-vaxxer Steph had instead touted it in those pre-release interviews as an album that was a different kind of heavy, but one that was a blast to make and was going to sound great live, all the people who hate it would instead be swallowing its nuts today..
The songs are weird, original, experimental and change course multiple times over the course of their run times. Stop listening to it on your iPhone speaker or your iPad and actually listen with a good pair of headphones, and the album is heavy as fuck, even in its softer moments. They were killing it from SNW to Gore, then started listening to all the whiners in their fanbase who couldn't jive with their originality, so they made a safe, polished album called Ohms that sounds like Gore leftovers and Diamond Eyes b-sides..
After a five-year wait and a four-album run like SNW/DE/KNY/Gore, that's embarrassing. We've all seen how much of a dumbass Steph can be in interviews with the stuff he says, so why should his misguided assessment of Gore be taken any more seriously? Dude said he had to embrace his inner serial killer for a couple of those songs..like that's some kind of BAD thing..??
It is hilarious how the best stuff on Ohms -- Pompeji, Headless, Error -- would sound right at home on Gore. Or how TLID is a sad attempt to recapture the anger of tracks like CMND/CTRL, Elite or WGTB. Or how Genesis is basically Hexagram Lite. Ohms...more like Boredohms. The originality of the albums that came before it is absent. The album is produced so shiny it's virtually unbearable to listen to. Ohms is what happen when you let the flat-earther anti-vaxxer stoner in the group have his way and just graft some boilerplate riffs we've heard on albums like Adrenaline and WP over Deftones songs that sound like previous Deftones songs.
There is nothing on Ohms that sounds anywhere close to as original and as left-field as the first time you heard Geometric Headdress, LMIRL, Acid Hologram, Hearts/Wires or Phantom Bride. Nothing. Just stuff that would have sounded great on Gore as context for the best stuff on Gore.
In 2020, that's not anywhere close to good enough for what this band had accomplished on record from 2006-2016. I don't care who wants to lame downvote me or "cancel" me for any of this either; go right ahead. Ohms is boring. Gore is fucking AWESOME. One day they'll see.."

As a pregnant woman halfway done with my pregnancy term, I am tired of standing on my feet all day, 9 hours a day for only $150-$200 a week.
I work at Publix in the customer service department, and during my first few weeks of employment I came down with a bad fever that lasted two weeks. I realized it’s because I was working in a high traffic area, handling returned or rotten food, and nasty rude customers with no protection at all, so I started washing my hands every hour on shift, and wearing a mask and gloves every day to protect myself. I haven’t gotten sick since!
I am part time, but they were scheduling me for 35-40 hours a week with no benefits because technically I’m not a full time employee. I asked for less hours and got it, but soon kept getting scheduled for those crazy hours again.
I know working and having a job is a blessing that most people wish they had. I was that person at one point desperate for a job and crying because I didn’t have money. Now I have $3k saved in my bank, I don’t pay rent or bills due to living with family, and I’m tired of this job!!
I told myself that yesterday was my last day. I was off today and I called out for tomorrow but I might change my mind, because even though I have $3k I still need to save up for other things, and like I said, having a job with this many hours is considered a blessing for most people anyway. However, I’m in tune with other ways to get money such as starting my own business, doing DoorDash, I get paid around 100-$200 per week for streaming on two different platforms including TikTok even though I don’t have the time anymore with this job but I can always go back at any time. I feel like I should just stick out two more weeks since I get paid weekly and then just quit. I got paid around $150 this week and I’m torn. There’s people my age making $1-$2k per week from home. I’m getting $17 per hour so I’m confused why I’m not getting paid as much as I should?

English is not my first language, so I apologize for mistakes. I 21 F , my boyfriend 24 M, we have been in a relationship for 4 years. At the beginning, the relationship started like any other, lots of attention, love, understanding. he was not my first boyfriend, nor was I his first girlfriend. in fact he has an ex-girlfriend with whom he has a 4-year-old child who lives with him in his house with his parents. the child has autism and is very attached to his mother, and he does not trust his ex-girlfriend to take good care of him, so she still lives with them. After 2 years of our relationship, he started controlling how I dress, how I do my makeup, I had to quit my job, I wasn't allowed to have any friends, I had to beg him to go to my grandparents. I am not allowed to talk to any male person except my family. I spend my life at home unless he takes me out to the cinema or to dinner. I don't have money to buy a pair of pants by myself, I can't help my mom in the hair salon because of men, while he works, drives a Porsche and helps his parents in the family business. He beats me,g&ape me, harasses me because of my past, insults me and demands that I be a slave when we are somewhere with his parents. his mom constantly provokes me, she is rude and doesn't respect me at all like no one from his family. I moved away from my parents, I moved away from my family, I am closed in on myself, depressed, helpless and miserable. my parents don't like him and I'm trying with all my might to make them love him and give him a chance. I'm still in this relationship out of fear and how can I tell my parents all this. I'm afraid of what will happen if I tell what's going on in the relationship, I'm afraid of what he might do if I tell my parents and the police that I'm being beaten and that I'm literally in jail. his family is rich and they know a lot of people and I believe that he would get away without consequences and that he would mistreat me and maybe make things worse. I tried to shorten everything so that it wouldn't be too long, so please let me know if you have any advice

So as the title says really, but there is a lot of backstory to my decision. Obligatory throwaway account, and sorry for mobile formatting + long post. (Flaired TW abuse due to mentionings of abuse)
I (23F) cut off my mother (54F) around two months ago, but this has been playing on my mind the whole time. Some backstory to the recent events:
My mother has never really been "maternal" or what you'd expect from a parent. Don't get me wrong, she was there as someone to talk to, however there wasn't really any maternal bond. It was more like living with a friend, or just a roomate. I don't really have much memories from childhood, so I couldn't really tell much there. However hearing from my sister (33F) she confirmed everything I did, that mother wasn't maternal. My sister recalls many times how she'd essentially raised me, as my mother was too busy doing her own thing. More backstory on that:
Mother has ALWAYS prioritised men over us. We have been left in awful situations because she has preferred to go see a new man, or a "fuckbuddy" instead of spending time with us. Almost all of the men she has dated/involved with have been bad choices. Alcoholics, narcissists, abusers, drug addicts, you name it it's probably been her choice. The one I recall the most was when I was around aged 13 or so. She was dating this alcoholic, we'll call him John (around 40M.) He was an abusive alcoholic. Many a time they'd argue around me, he'd make verbal threats to me and absolutely degrade me, and she wouldn't do anything about it. She let him wreck me, and break any stability I had. He would destroy the house, lock us out of our home, and on a few occasions have to be removed by the police. Every time she would take him back, as if nothing happened. It was at a point where my mental health was in such a crisis, I was under social services (CPS) for a while, and forcibly removed from her care and sent to live with my sister. Without her, I don't know where I'd be now.
I'd forgive her for this. I was a dumb kid, and I let it happen to myself. I let her keep making these dumb decisions that would affect me too. I understand she was likely a victim too, and she may not have felt she had a choice, but it's something I can't forgive. To put your kids through such a dire situation is just insane to me. She did eventually break up with him, but her proceeding choices in men were unchanged and the cycle continued.
However, back to current day. She is now settled with another guy, we'll call this guy James (around 50M.) James was fine in the beginning, however I always had an odd feeling about him. I'm not sure if it was just my previous paranoia from past events causing this, but I had an awful gut feeling. As the months passed, James would show some signs of being an unpleasant dude. He would drink every night, and mother would often tell me about how they would argue, how he was controlling, ect. I explained, as kindly as I could, that maybe she should talk to him about these things and keep herself going through previous events. She never would.
James continued to become more aggressive, however now it was starting to spread from him being just aggressive with mother, to starting to cause arguments and fights between family. My mother cut off family members that he wouldn't like, or that he thought we're lying to him or causing drama. This is where the cutting off part comes into play.
There was a "miscommunication" between mother, sister and James. Sister had apparently said a backhanded remark about James, and this is what caused the blow up. No one else heard this backhanded remark despite there being several people in the same room, however James wouldn't back down.
Over the course of a couple days, James would be able to convince mother that sister was lying, conniving and out to cause drama. That she was disrespectful and some other colourful words I won't repeat. Mother took James side, despite her being in the room when this comment was allegedly said. (Noted to add, my mother had a security camera in the room in which this happened, and there was nothing on the camera about this comment either.)
James also proceeded to explain to mother that somehow (no idea where this came from or how he came to this conclusion) that sister had deleted the snippet of video from the security footage where this comment was said, so that she could look like a good person? Mother believed him.
This is where I step in. I'm a pretty tech savvy person, and I know that what he was claiming was entirely impossible. Mother didn't like this, and then they would gang up on me too. James proceeded to message me, saying that I was defending a liar, and some more aggressive things. Calling me good for nothing, lazy, and a spoilt (expletive) because I was backing up my sister.
After a few days of backwards and forwards of this, and being hounded into the ground that I should not defend my sister, I finally caved in and completely cut them out of my life. I couldn't handle having that situation loom over me, as this has already wrecked my mental health having to go through repeats of past experiences.
So, my thoughts now sit on AITAH for this? I know I shouldn't feel this way, but I feel that there is more that's going on. My mother let's herself be a victim, I'm not sure if she is aware of this but she is a victim of this too. I miss her, and I want her to be safe, but at the same time I can't hang around and be brought down by random men who should mean nothing to me. Sorry for the rant.

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Memory transcription subject: Reno, Yotul Weapons Specialist
Date [standardized human time]: December 4th, 2136
The sun of Sillis was starting to cast its first rays across the landscape of Tepisil, and the hatchery before me was still standing. My legs still hurt. My paw still ached. My mind was tired from everything, but it was like my body refused to listen.
I could feel the wounds in my legs now, quietly throbbing. The foam Dusty had stuck inside them was wondrous, but apparently its numbing effects were starting to fade. It stung slightly to walk, but I could run if I needed to.
Luke had wanted me to get rest, but I flatly refused. He wasted a lot of effort trying to change my mind. I knew I wouldn’t get any sleep after what almost happened to me. Hell, I hadn’t even felt tired since I came out of that bloodied, overturned van.
I felt disgusting. Even though I was able to wipe myself off with a rag, I didn’t have access to any running water to wash myself of the misted blood. It was still on me. Its claws were still in my wrist, holding me up, its eyes looking at me like I was nothing more than a meal. My own blood had left stains, sickly lines of green that traced down my limbs.
Every time I thought about it, my legs throbbed with pain. Each time I closed my eyes, I could only see its slitted gaze. My arm still felt wet from its fetid tongue. Even laying down only reminded me of sitting on awkward corners of the weapon crates, its horrid maw inches from my leg.
If I had been a single second slower, I would be dead.
That is what they are scared of. For centuries, they’ve been in this war… Born into it with no choice…
A voice startled my thoughts. “Damn, you’re still awake?”
I cocked my head at Luke, who was in the doorway. “Yeah. What did you think?”
“I thought you would’ve passed out a little after Dusty did.”
“I said I wasn’t tired.”
“And now I have no reason not to believe you.”
“So you stayed up to keep an eye on me?”
“Hey, do you blame me? You’ve got two holes in your legs.”
“I do blame you.”
“Alright. Well, just pretend I’m not tired either. How about that?”
“That works.”
He smirked, taking a spot on the floor next to me. “Hell of a view you’ve got here.”
Luke was right. The building we were in was almost twice as tall as the previous one around the now vacant Bunker Four. It offered us a view across the roofs of the buildings in the medical complex, only interrupted by the slightly taller buildings on every side of it, creating a sort of bowl with the complex in the center. The view stretched into the farther and less grand outreaches of Tepisil, now all being painted yellow and orange by the blooming daylight. It revealed all of the clouds in the sky in a brilliant way, giving each one a slightly different gradient. It was almost enough to inspire hope.
Moreso, it served as a reminder that we were still stranded on this planet after an entire night with two bunkers gone. The UN still hadn’t responded to any of our calls, and any information about what was happening in orbit was limited to what little ground communications we had.
I tilted my head. “It would be a lot better without everything else.” Without me.
“Lots of things would be,” Luke responded. “Are your legs and arm feeling better?”
“No. The numbing agent wore off.”
He shrugged. “Better off than the bastard with a hole in his chest.”
“It’s not something to celebrate,” I spat. I shut my eyes, drawing a shaky breath and reliving that moment for the hundredth time. “I barely managed it in time. It… held me up. It tasted me.”
Understanding washed across his features as the mood quickly plummeted. “They… didn’t even wait?”
“No.”
His face seemed to shift through several different emotions, none of which I could decipher in time. “I’m… so sorry.”
“I’d rather not talk about it. Just be glad I’m here.”
“Damnit, no. I should’ve been there. Shit, if I didn’t just assume everything was going to work out, that wouldn’t have even happened.”
“It’s not your fault,” I muttered. “We were going to run into some grays eventually.”
“That’s not the point. You almost died, and there was something I could’ve done to prevent it. I wasn’t there.”
“The monster got a fucking hole put through his chest, and now we’re safe. That’s all I care about.”
He let out a sigh. “Alright, I’ll take the hint.”
I forced myself to nod. “Good.”
His frown didn’t leave his face. His gaze wandered across the buildings and landscape, his eyes catching unfeeling light and reflecting them with a dour mood. “So, um… What was on your mind? Before I… y’know.”
“Why do you think anything was on my mind?”
“I mean, you’re staring at the sunrise. And given everything else that happened, it would be crazy if you weren’t thinking about something.”
“If you were seconds away from being eaten just a few hours ago, what would you be thinking about?”
His face tightened, and his gaze drifted down.
My ears drooped. “Sorry, I didn’t mean… Just change the subject for both of us.”
“No, it’s fine. I should’ve… whatever.” He shook his head. “I’ve… uh, actually been wanting to hear more about what it was like, before the Federation came.”
“Why? You grew up with so much more than anybody on my planet. There’s nothing interesting about having to walk outside the house for water.”
He pursed his lips. “I haven’t told you about camping, have I?”
“...No, you haven’t.”
“Basically, some people find it fun to go out into the wilderness, the mountains or wherever, and spend a few nights living out there. Completely away from civilization.”
I twitched an ear. “That… doesn’t make any sense. What joy is there in manual labor? Having no proper shelter? That’s worse than what I lived like.”
“Not worse. Different. It’s fun to get away from ‘proper’ living for a while. Makes you feel alive. At least for me, and a lot of other people.”
“It… would be nice to get away from the Federation for a while…” To feel alive for once.
“I guess it applies to that, too. We would start a campfire every night. Oh! You should try a marshmallow some time. It’s basically a puffy ball of sugar.”
“Why am I not surprised?”
He chuckled. “It comes in spreadable form, too. Heh, shit, I remember trying to suck some of that crap through a straw once.”
I tilted a confused ear. “How thick is it?”
“Very. I tried for a good few minutes and only managed to get it halfway through the straw.”
I let out an amused puff of air, imagining the human trying to suck his form of sugar syrup through a tiny tube, with his flabby cheeks all puckered. “Why would you do that?”
“I dunno. Why not?”
I shook my head. “I… guess you have a point.”
“You ever do anything dumb like that?”
“No. I’m not a deranged primate.”
He snorted. “Go to hell. Seriously, though.”
“I don’t think so.” I felt my ears droop. “I didn’t really… get to do much stuff like that.”
His smile faded, the mood quickly dropping. “Right.”
I absently scanned outside the windows. There was no movement, no signs of life at all. Luke had distracted us both for a short time, only for a harsh snap back to reality at my own doing.
“I still remember the first day they came,” I started. Luke remained silent, but I could tell he was listening. I debated saying more or not, but it wasn’t like I had anything else to lose while I was on this planet.
I took a deep breath. “I was in town with my father when I saw one of their ships. It was as big as the buildings around it, resting on the ground like it had been there for years. Before I even got close to it, it flew away like gravity didn’t exist. It wasn’t much different from plain magic, what they could do. I had so much… wonder about them. A whole galaxy, full of species and things I could never imagine.”
“I can imagine that feeling. It lasted for all but a week before we learned what the Federation really was.”
“We weren’t given that mercy. They hid their true intentions. Unlike me, my parents were apprehensive, and so was my brother. It got worse with time. I’m sure you’ve wondered how I became a so-called ‘weapons specialist’?”
A frown had already formed on his face. “I have, but I don’t know the whole picture.”
“I left to learn what the Federation had to offer. They showed me amazing things, hiding their real intentions under the guise of ‘advancement’ and ‘progress’. Out of everything, out of all of the things that might as well have been magic, I gravitated towards their weapons. I guess they made more sense than anything… I don’t really remember why.”
“Did you do good with them?”
“Too good for my own wellbeing. I wanted to prove myself, and they… fucking shipped me off to some place. I… made my own model, far more suited more for a Yotul than what they ever showed. You can guess what those fucking colonizers thought about it.”
He kept his eyes on mine, waiting for me to continue.
“Then I made the only mistake they would allow me. I ‘acted like a predator.’ That’s when they shipped me off with a bottle of pills I had to refill every so often.” I took a shuddering breath. “After that… I-It all becomes a blur. Teaching people, managing stock, and whatever else the bastards had me do for them.”
“What happened once the Federation was forced from Liern?”
“For me? I went straight to the only people who could ever get back at them.”
“What… What about your family?”
I took a deep breath. “My f-family never knew where I went.”
“Your dad… You mean, never?”
I flicked my ears. “When the Federation came, they didn’t see what I saw. Rather, I didn’t see what they saw. I was so stupid. One day, I just ran away. And the Federation didn’t care about it one bit. Neither did I, until it was too late.”
“You never talked with them afterwards?”
“Why would they want to? After what I did? Once they learned of what I did for the Federation? What I did to the younger Yotul who didn’t know any better? They hated the Federation, and I worked for them.”
Luke was quiet for a moment, thinking. “Do you know that for certain?”
“What do you mean? Of course I do.”
“You know for certain that they would never want to talk to their son who simply vanished one day? They wouldn’t want to know he’s alive?”
“If they wanted to, they could’ve found me.”
“After twenty years? With how the Federation took over your planet?”
“Not in the beginning,” I spat. “They could've eventually.”
“Do you think the Federation would’ve helped them find-”
“Fine! You want to know the real fucking reason? It’s shame. First it was because of the fucking medication, and then… everything I did while working for those bastards… I couldn’t bring myself to even… try to look for them once I was free of it. It shouldn’t surprise you. Once again, it’s my fault.”
Luke pursed his lips. “You have a nasty habit of blaming the wrong people. The Federation sedated you for twenty odd years, and you expect to just jump right back into things like that never happened?”
“I joined the stupid exchange program, didn’t I? It was basically the first thing I did. I tried my chances with aliens before I even thought about my family. Just like I did the first time.”
“Your second chance still isn’t gone.”
“Look around you.”
He shook his head. “You look around. We’re still alive, and I intend on keeping it that way.”
“Yeah, sure.” I wiped my eyes with a huff. “It’s too fucking late for that. For any of that.”
“Reno, I’m going to make you a promise. When we get off this rock, we’re going to find where your family is, and we’re going to go see them.”
“You s-say that like I’ve already agreed to it.”
“And you say that like you haven’t disagreed to it.”
I buried my face in my paws. “I… T-They think I’m dead.”
“Then what a welcome surprise it will be.”
“H-How can I face them after so long? They w-won’t even recognize me. W-What if-”
“I couldn’t tell you how they would react. What if… you think about the good memories. About you and your dad making those grain chunks. Anything else like that. Would they want to see you again, even just the smallest amount?”
Would they even accept what you’ve become? All of the choices you made? Would they look at you now and see their son, or a corrupted vessel of the Federation’s fear and hatred?
Moments turned into minutes where a few quiet sobs broke free. It would've been easier to let the ruminations take control, but I didn’t want to. I couldn't. I'd been pushing my problems away for so long, and it only put me where I was now.
I slowly pulled my paws off my face. “I… M-Maybe…”
Luke nodded. “And we are getting off this planet. No matter what happens with that hatchery down there.”
I looked out the window. That cursed building, the one that started all of this. Or am I blaming the wrong thing again?
Luke suddenly stuck his outstretched hand at me. “So? What’ll it be?”
I regarded his hand. “A deal? What will what be?”
“You gonna make me spell it out? We help each other get off this planet, and we go to Leirn.”
I slowly shook my head. “Let’s just… stick with the first part for now.”
He shrugged. “Deal?”
With a flick of my tail, I gingerly stuck my paw into his grip. “Fine. Deal. Though I still don't get why you put so much effort into me. We both know this is a one-sided relationship.”
He shrugged again. “Maybe. Not from my perspective. Maybe it’s just the fact that I’ve put in too much time into you to quit now.”
“You joke, but I’m serious. Why?”
“Maybe it’s easier to talk about someone else’s problems. Or maybe, find something where nothing is.”
“You’re being subtle.”
An empty smile tugged at his lips. “Didn’t I ever tell you I was born in New Brunswick? Moved around a lot after I joined the UN, but a lot of my family used to live there. Visited them when I could.”
Used to. My ears drooped as I understood. “That was… one of the cities, wasn’t it?”
“It was New York they were targeting, but… the blast radius was big enough.”
“Why don’t you ever talk about that? I… I never meant to-”
“I’ve thought about it. A lot. Every night when I go to sleep, I think about it. I guess I really am lucky, in that respect; it doesn’t bother me, not negatively, not as much as it could. Sometimes I think I should be more bothered by it, but then I look at you.”
I angled my ears. “You see what hatred does when you look at me.”
“No!” he waved a hand. “Not at all! That’s what Dusty is for. Hell, even she’s not even a tenth as bad as some others… nevermind. What I see when I look at you is someone who makes it all worth it.”
“I still don’t follow your logic. It’s my fault we’re here.”
He furrowed his eyebrows together in thought. “It’s hard to describe… I know I’m running away from the crater in New York, from all that death, and trading it for more death. You were one of the first people I actually talked to after Earth. It’s like… if I never moved on, I never would’ve met you.”
I opened my mouth, but he caught me before I could put a word out. “And before you say ‘look where it got you,’ that was before Sillis, even. And now I know more about you, and we’re here, that feeling isn’t gone really, but it is distinctly different. A week ago, a month ago, you were a reminder that I should move on, that there are small pieces of hope in the stars. Now, after everything, knowing what you’ve gone through, you’re a reminder that I need to keep on moving. Even if that means that I’ll only make the tiniest of differences.”
I sniffed, shaking my head. “I-I still don’t understand. I-I’ve done so little for you.”
“You’ve helped me through it, more than you think. Hell, more than I think, probably… It's weird. It’s like you remind me of someone I’ve never met. You make me laugh, smile, all that. You’re smart, sometimes. You’re a stubborn asshole. All the qualities of a good friend.” A small smile tugged at his lips for a split second before it faded.
“That was before I caused us to be stranded. I can get you not wanting to leave me for dead, but I’m not worthy of your friendship.”
“That’s fucked up, I could never just drop you like that. You're as stuck to me just as much as I’m as stuck to you, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Yours might be green, but we share the same blood.”
“You humans are loyal to a fault.”
He shrugged. “It’s gotten us this far.”
I allowed my ears to twitch with a flicker of amusement. My head felt like mush with all the chemicals I wasn’t used to feeling pumping through my skull. I was beyond tired at this point, but still, my body refused to listen. My legs felt restless, thoughts still lingering. I owed Luke almost everything I had. Nothing I said would express that, and even less would show my regret.
“Luke… for what it might be worth, I’m sorry.”
His face softened. “Sorry for what?”
“My mood earlier, and the things that don’t need to be said.”
“You can apologize once we make it out of this. If you need to hear the words, I forgive you.”
I flicked an ear. “You don’t sound convinced.”
He shook his head. “It’s been a long day. I doubt I sound convinced of anything at this point. Besides, of all the people to be stranded with, you might be one of the best considering our current position.”
I shook my head. “I can’t offer anything other than my aim.”
“You put yourself in a room full of exterminators. I can’t imagine that was easy for you.”
“I did it because I didn’t want to ruin anything else. I hate them.”
Now who doesn’t sound convinced?
Luke sighed. “I don’t blame you one bit. How do you think I felt, walking into their office? I wish I could just tell you to forget it, even just until we make it out of this, but you probably shouldn’t. Not saying to dwell on it, but to just… accept it.”
I was painfully aware of the pit in my being. “How? How can I accept what happened? Nothing was right. It should’ve been different, all of it.”
“It isn’t, and you can’t change it now, so-”
“What’s the difference between accepting what I did now, and what happened twenty years ago? Would you be able to? To just accept the twenty years of watching your planet be stripped of everything that made it unique? Accept what I did to myself? I look at them and… everything’s so fucking messed up!”
“That’s not what I’m saying. You, them, me. We’re all just… victims of the Federation in one way or another. I understand how badly we want to put a face to all the evil. You have to be careful who that face is. More often than not, it’s the wrong one.”
“I… I thought I should’ve felt good. You always tried to avoid violence. I was waiting for the opportunity. I didn’t even want to give those exterminators a second thought after I killed them. They didn’t have lives, or feelings. They were evil. They were the Federation, the same ones who did this to me. And that’s what I tricked myself into thinking, all because I wanted to have a sense that I wasn’t the one responsible for my own tragedy.”
Luke’s eyes were watering. “Reno-”
“I hate the Federation. I want to see it burn to the ground, but then people like Von, or Herq, or whoever the hell just go and fuck it all up! The rest of the bastards want to kill us on sight, but they just—” I hissed through my teeth in frustration, my leg thumping violently, the pit in my soul raging.
“They’re good people-”
“It shouldn’t matter! They didn’t try to kill us, but they still share responsibility. I hate them, but they’re trying their best to change it, and… I don’t fucking know!”
“It’s a clusterfuck,” Luke admitted. “Nobody is expecting you to like them. Hell, the bugs are hardly even tolerating us humans. Just… go easy on them. And more importantly, go easy on yourself.”
I tried to calm my thumping leg. “It… was so much simpler before everything.”
“You have more in common with them than you might think. Their culture was completely erased. They used to eat meat before the Federation did their thing.”
“Don’t compare me to them,” I hissed, pinning my ears back. “They know the truth as well as you and I do, but they still hold onto lies.”
“They’re trying. Just remember the person.”
It was easier when I didn’t.
I had nothing else to say. The weight on my mind was still heavy, the pit still as deep as ever. And Luke had made his promise.
Another thing I don’t deserve. I’ve ruined every chance I’ve been given, and the last one I’m offered is an impossible task in the middle of an invasion, soaked in blood and hopelessness.
Luke’s radio suddenly cackled with Frankie’s voice. “Hey, Luke. We’re about a block away from your building.”
Luke scrunched his eyebrows together, reaching for the device. “Why didn’t you tell me earlier? How did the final group go?”
“Just like the others. Our truck is quite empty now.”
“No Arxur? Really?”
“Oh, they’ve seen them alright. No cattle ships, though the last team had some… bad news about Dirlsil.
Luke sighed. “So I’ve heard.”
“We’re pulling up to the parking spot now. We’ll be up shortly… floor eight, right?”
“Correct. Talk soon. Out.” Luke hung up the radio.
I flicked an ear. “Dirlsil… Even with all the weapons the UN left behind.”
“It’s just the one team for now, and nothing concrete.”
“You’re grasping at empty air.”
He shrugged. “I’ll grasp at whatever I can as long as we don’t have any of the bastards to deal with on our end.”
Luke got up and waited at the stairwell. We had made sure they were blocked, as we did in our previous building. The extra levels offered a greater buffer against any intruding Arxur and a higher vantage point for sniping. Combined with the traps, the Arxur would have a rough time getting to us, and an even rougher time trying to get into the hatchery unharmed with our vantage point.
It didn’t take Frankie long to get up eight flights of stairs. I faintly heard the ruckus of chairs and desks being moved around. I propped myself against the door frame once Frankie emerged from the stairwell, hardly winded and holding two crates. Herq came up shortly after, practically huffing and puffing. I noticed his exterminator vest was gone, only his belt remaining.
“Mornin’ Reno.” Frankie greeted me.
“Hey.”
“Dusty asleep?” he asked.
“Yeah. In the room over there.”
He yawned. “Gosh. Think I might join her. Long night.”
Luke waved a hand. “Go ahead.”
The burly human shuffled off, while Herq stood awkwardly.
“Damn, it’s late. Or early. Whatever.” Luke yawned, turning to me. “Reno, you wanna try to get some sleep?”
I shook my head. “I'm still not tired.”
“Welp, I tried. If you're absolutely sure, I'm going to join Frankie and Dusty.”
“Fine by me. I'll keep an eye out, as usual.”
“Good.” He clapped my shoulder. “Nighty night. Even though it’s morning.”
I offered him a nod and watched as he left. I walked back to where I was beside the window and sat down, heaving a heavy sigh. I was only given a few moments to myself before Herq tepidly came in and settled on the opposite side of the room. Apparently, he wanted to be alone with me.
He pointed an antenna. “I take it you aren't tired, either?”
“No.”
He awkwardly clicked his mandibles. “Yeah… I don't know how they can sleep after everything that happened.”
I hated that I agreed with him. “Neither do I.”
“Sometimes I wish we could go back to simpler times.”
I held my tongue. Easier times, he means. The times he could have watched humanity die without a scrap of emotion.
His antennae drooped in my silence. “I would like to apologize for earlier. Tensions were high. I shouldn't have pressed it as far as I did, after what you went through.”
I lowered my ears. “What I went through? You have no fucking idea what I went through.”
“...I was talking about the Arxur.”
My gaze shot to my bandaged appendages. Of course he was. “The hell do you care? A few days ago you would've been fine seeing every human dead. The only reason you're here is because they're your only chance at making it out of this alive.”
“Wouldn't you do the same? And don't think I'm so selfish. When… Poccel was sending people away, I turned to humans, because they were the only ones who could make a difference. The situation now is no different.”
“You turned to humans because you’re a coward that can’t fight for yourself, or even others. I don’t give a shit if you’re comfortable around their scary predator eyes, you still haven’t done anything.”
“Those words are truer than you might think… I feel completely useless to everything. I’m doing what I can.”
“What has ‘doing what you can’ amounted to, so far? Have you actually done anything except hide behind Frankie?”
His mandibles clicked with frustration, but he steadied himself before replying. “I’m here because I wanted to offer you an apology.”
“And I’m telling you to spill your empty words on someone else.”
“I haven’t done anything to you, and this isn’t even about anything that might have happened more than a few hours ago.”
“Then you clearly don’t remember what you said.”
“I didn’t mean to insinuate anything-”
“I don’t fucking care. I’m not taking any shit from you or any other stupid Fed.”
He pulled himself back into a more guarded position. “The Federation is evil. It makes me sick to think that I’m associated with it.”
I took a moment to steady my discordant thoughts. “That’s exactly the fucking thing. You were still complicit in it all, weren’t you? You can’t just say a few words and have all that shit magically disappear.”
“I’m doing what I can. Do you believe it is fair to ask more of me?”
“With how much your people have done? Of course it is.”
Herq lowered his antennae ashamedly. He stayed quiet for a while, like he was expecting something.
“The hell are you here for?” I snapped. “I won't mirror your worthless apology, if that's what you're waiting on.”
His antennae twitched. “I wasn’t, though I guess… it’s easy to see why you wouldn’t.”
I snorted. “Sillis isn't even half of it.”
“I did listen to what you said… about the medication for twenty years.” He paused for a moment, as if expecting a reaction. The gesture, whatever it meant, made me want to crack his chitin. “I’m realizing more and more the extent of the Federation’s influence… I know any apology I could offer would be less than empty, for many reasons. I could offer you sympathy, but I’m sure that means very little coming from me. I guess… I can be here to listen.”
I rolled my eyes in a human gesture. “Do you want to listen to more insults? I have plenty.”
“If… that is what it takes.”
“The hell do you want from me?”
“It’s clear how much hatred you hold for the Federation. Not long ago, I was happy to go along with it all… but we both know what has happened. My intention is to show you that I regret the things the Federation did.”
Dwelling on the past will accomplish nothing.
I ignored the intrusive thought. “Then why don't you do something? Even now, when you say that you’ve seen through all the lies, you circle right back around to wishing for ‘simpler times’. Rather than trying to right your wrongs, you cower in fear of everything you've done. It’s fucking pathetic.”
He shrunk back, his antennae lowering dishearteningly. “Some wrongs are impossible to right.”
My voice caught in my throat, though I didn’t let myself dwell on his words for long. “You just want to ease any tension to make things easier. Seeing as how you’ve stuck yourself to Frankie to survive, that shouldn’t surprise me.”
“You’re oversimplifying it, I-”
“So you can feel slightly better about yourself? That’s cute, but no thanks.”
“I want to be better than them,” he hammered out. “I don’t want to freeze or run away anymore. This… is how I want to start. I want to face past mistakes.”
What you do now is what’s important.
I pushed the nagging voice aside once more. “Nothing you do can change what happened.”
His antennae sagged. “I… understand.” His voice dripped with sadness and sincerity. As if he actually took what I said to heart. As if the words he spoke weren’t completely empty.
The exterminator got up and slowly made way for the door. I found my voice, right as he was exiting. “Herq.”
He paused in the doorway, tilting an antenna.
“I…” My voice caught in my throat.
Thoughts were racing by at light speed, and I couldn’t settle on any one thing. It was like a dozen people were all shouting, trying to satisfy a hundred different emotions, trying to acknowledge thousands of days of pain and fix a lifetime of mistakes with a single statement.
Nothing I say to him will fix anything.
“…I don’t want anything to do with you. You’re here because Frankie and Luke want you here. If things were any different, you’d be dead with the eleven others. And I wouldn't have cared at all.”
He flinched when I said that. I instantly felt a sharp stab of regret, realizing too late the harshness of my words. Even if I didn’t truly mean it, the result was still the same.
At least it will drive him away from me. It’s better if he puts his effort into someone who deserves it.
A moment later, I was alone in the room, and my only company was the sun. Staring back at me. Waiting.
—
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Thanks to u/WCR_706 for proofreading. And, of course, thanks to SpacePaladin15 for the wonderful universe.

Please don't post this on other social media platforms. I can't afford to be found out by him, our school friends, my family or anyone else.

My best friend is abused by her father. He lives in Mumbai and we live in Calcutta. He's a wolf in sheep's clothing with a disguise so convincible that even my parents don't suspect him. Whenever he comes back, he does drugs, gets high and injures her either by beating her up or using objects that he destroys when high, often badly. This has landed her in the hospital innumerable times. To make things worse, she has uncountable health issues both mental and physical like bipolar disorder, severe panic attacks and occasional sleep paralysis and even mentioned something about being born weak. Last year she used to be very suicidal and depressed due to the excruciating pain she frequently went through and committed self harm which was very apparent due to info I received from her boyfriend and the fact that she was wearing a jacket outdoors in the literally unbreathable summer weather of Calcutta. The situation has been escalating so much recently that she nearly died after 3 days of suffering from an injury caused by him which also made her very suicidal again. Her boyfriend called me 80+ times over 1 day to check up on her since her father might check her chats with him. A few days ago the police were called to her house to check on her but her father convinced them that it was self harm which it wasn't because I convinced her to stop last year. Now even though she goes through this trauma, aggravated by her numerous health conditions, she still believes that he just needs help and doesn't truly despise him.
This has been happening for as long as I've been friends with her (4 years) or possibly longer. Even though her father is like this, she believes that he just needs help and still might love him.
I live somewhat far away from her so I can't help but much. However I still try my best to keep her in decent health but its not adequate and I don't except the situation to remain the same for long. I urgently need advice on what I can do to sort out this situation once and for all. Getting the police to check up on her may not be the best option as I suspect they may have political connections and calling a child helpline can cause her to panic due to the sudden change that she's not willing to accept and also the fact that she'll be going to a new school with new people.
Note: I believe that some people are just genuinely very unlucky and I believe she's one of them. She's a chill person with a nice personality minding her own business but still gets ostracized by the people in her neighborhood, school and sometimes even her own friends. Besides this, she also gets both insulted and assaulted by random people in her housing society and school. I try to get her out of her house in the weekends but she won't budge. Its equally unsafe for her both inside and outside her house.
Btw if you're someone she knows reading this then keep all this info to yourself and don't bring it all up with her or pity her.

https://archive.is/uMAly
Recovery Centers of America recently named 25-year veteran of law enforcement Thomas Donovan as the clinical supervisor for a confidential addiction recovery program for first responders and military members.
Donovan, a retired police officer, has spent the last eight years as a mental health counselor with a focus on patients with substance use disorder. In his role at Recovery Centers of America at Westminster, Donovan will be responsible for supervising the RESCU (Recovering Emergency Service Community United) treatment program. It is designed to address and assist active or former law enforcement officers, firefighters, corrections officers, EMT/paramedics, or military members struggling with addiction to drugs or alcohol.
“I’m excited to take on this role at Recovery Centers of America, which specializes in providing treatment for first responders,” said Donovan. “My 25 years as a police officer combined with my education and experience working with people suffering from addiction will serve me well in my new role.”
Donovan joined Recovery Centers of America from Northeast Family Services where he served as the Assistant Director. He previously held clinical and administrative roles at Array of Hope, Sobriety Centers of NH, Beyond the Meadows, and Arbour Counseling Services. He also served for six years in the Army National Guard Military Police.
“Tom brings tremendous experience to Recovery Centers of America,” said Amanda Pitts, Chief Executive Officer, Recovery Centers of America at Westminster. “His background as both a police officer and a counselor make him uniquely qualified to supervise the RESCU program.”
Donovan, who lives in Salem, N.H., earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Franklin Pierce College, and a master’s degree in mental health counseling, from Rivier University. He is a licensed mental health counselor in Massachusetts and a licensed clinical mental health counselor in New Hampshire.

I turned in the couple renting a home next door for leaves, lawn care, and garbage can bylaw violations between October 2023 until May 2024. They hadn't picked up leaves at all during the fall. Their lawn was practically 2-3 ft tall after 3 months in spring. They're repeat garbage can offenders by leaving them on the street for days. My HOA said they were watching the home. So I can't say for certain if it was me or the HOA catching them repeatedly violate the rules.
Additionally, I called the city's code enforcement office after their backyard was full of 5-6 ft tall, dried out weeds. It's a huge fire hazard as the 4th of July approaches in California.
Today, the husband came over to my house. I didn't answer the door despite seeing him on my doorbell camera. I NEVER answer my door. I am pretty sure he was recording by the way he was holding his phone up. He knocked 2-3 times and rang the doorbell 1-2 times. I have a doorbell camera and security cameras all around my house that are artificial intelligence driven and they pick up voices too.
A neighbor next door sees the husband on my porch and asked him what's going on. The husband calls me a piece of shit and states that I got them into trouble. The neighbor tells him to "be careful." Like don't poke the bear 🐻.
The husband tells the neighbor I chopped down their tree. If you call trimming a tree at the property line and having a certified arborist do it, I'm guilty. We received permission from the property management company too. I had solar panels installed on my rooftop and didn't want their tree to damage my $40K panels. The only tree the arborist removed was our 15 ft Bradford pear tree that had fire blight disease.
Apparently, the HOA has been levying fines against the couple. The property management company told the couple they need to pay up. The wife said they have been repeatedly fined for parking on the street and for a cooler resting on the side of the house. I said to myself you mean the cooler that's been sitting there for weeks? Where you could easily walk 3 ft and place it behind your backyard fence.
I could hear the wife on camera saying they're not cut out to live in a HOA. I guess their roommate moved out so the utility costs are too much for them in California.
The husband told me last year they don't have to follow the HOA rules. Imagine renting a home within a HOA, yet trying to maintain the property like the Beverly Hillbillies. You're going to stand out from everyone.
My boy at the local police department said to trespass the husband since I have camera footage of him trying to act tough. I told my buddy I'm not worried about the guy. If he wanted the smoke he wouldn't have walked up filming his actions with a cell phone like a moron.

Just seeking some advice. I’m 34, didn’t go to college, and have been job searching/hoping for a bit. TLDR of my work history. I was a supervisor > custodial manager for the first 6 years of my career journey. Changed jobs and tried the trades and discovered some health issues that prevents me from doing that line of work. Mainly heavy lifting. Some count jobs with warehousing and some basic maintenance. So now to the question.
I started working at a finishing construction company (flooring, tile, etc) for new homes, in a basic office position. But recently because of my hard work, and someone transferring, they gave me an opportunity to train in the purchasing department. I’m doing good so far despite not having the experience. But down the line there is a potentially opportunity to be an estimator for the company. They don’t have an opening yet, but I have good relations with the estimator and the manager. Not sure the pay scale/difference within the company. I’m a bit lower than I’d like to be atm. Which of the two would have more transferable skills despite not having a college degree? I’d love to make a better living down the line after getting some experience but see mixed things on both career paths. Any advice is greatly appreciated!

Just seeking some advice. I’m 34, didn’t go to college, and have been job searching/hoping for a bit. TLDR of my work history. I was a supervisor > custodial manager for the first 6 years of my career journey. Changed jobs and tried the trades and discovered some health issues that prevents me from doing that line of work. Mainly heavy lifting. Some count jobs with warehousing and some basic maintenance. So now to the question.
I started working at a finishing construction company (flooring, tile, etc) for new homes, in a basic office position. But recently because of my hard work, and someone transferring, they gave me an opportunity to train in the purchasing department. I’m doing good so far despite not having the experience. But down the line there is a potentially opportunity to be an estimator for the company. They don’t have an opening yet, but I have good relations with the estimator and the manager. Not sure the pay scale/difference within the company. I’m a bit lower than I’d like to be atm. Which of the two would have more transferable skills despite not having a college degree? I’d love to make a better living down the line after getting some experience but see mixed things on both career paths. Any advice is greatly appreciated!

Just seeking some advice. I’m 34, didn’t go to college, and have been job searching/hoping for a bit. TLDR of my work history. I was a supervisor > custodial manager for the first 6 years of my career journey. Changed jobs and tried the trades and discovered some health issues that prevents me from doing that line of work. Mainly heavy lifting. Some count jobs with warehousing and some basic maintenance. So now to the question.
I started working at a finishing construction company (flooring, tile, etc) for new homes, in a basic office position. But recently because of my hard work, and someone transferring, they gave me an opportunity to train in the purchasing department. I’m doing good so far despite not having the experience. But down the line there is a potentially opportunity to be an estimator for the company. They don’t have an opening yet, but I have good relations with the estimator and the manager. Not sure the pay scale/difference within the company. I’m a bit lower than I’d like to be atm. Which of the two would have more transferable skills despite not having a college degree? I’d love to make a better living down the line after getting some experience but see mixed things on both career paths. Any advice is greatly appreciated!

A friend of mine has been harassed by a small towns officials and programs since moving to the area, after progressively losing their sight to diabetes and working on getting onto disability, they fell behind on bills and the local programs refused to help, with no explanation. The local animal control has been targeting and harassing and abusing their dogs, taking them off the property, personally telling him ' I'm going to make it my mission to take every last one of your dogs " ( 2 are registered service dogs) and the police department will not respond to their address ( IDK WHY ??) And an officer personally said to him " I want you out of my town by the 23 of this month, we don't want you here" The electric utility department is charging him over 600 a month for a small, two bedroom home, with no explanation for the high cost. When asked to come out and do a utilities check to see why the cost is so high they say they don't do that. As a result his utilities have been cut off, and werw turned on in someone else's name to have turned back on, and have been cut off again due to the high cost of 600+ a month. When going to LHEAP for emergency utility assistance they won't help because his utilities have been turned off for more than a year ( in his name) the utility department wants 4999$ (exactly) to have his utilities turned back on ( which sounds like a number they pulled out of their ass) and when asked for a print out of the total charges that add up to 4999$ they refuse. They shut his water off, and today took his trashcan. What resources can help him get back on his feet, and help get his utilities back on? The only thing I can think of that would cause such blatant discrimination against him from all the public officials is that he's openly transgender, and I have personally been witness to derogatory marks and comments from the police force to him, from the ems team to him, and from the utility workers openly insulting him for it and purposely using the wrong pronoun and joking with themselves about him being a girl boy... this isn't fair, it's not right and it's getting dire, he needs help, and doesn't have family to support him, and can't work because of his deteriorating eye sight. Without the funds for proper legal help, how can i help him improve his living conditions, and get him the basic human rights to water and decent living conditions?
Any help is appreciated, sorry for the long read This is in Florida, btw

We've been living here for going on 4 years, we've always paid $600 per month, that's what us and the landlord agreed upon.
He never gave us a physical lease agreement.
We paid the rent for this month, he called today asking why we only paid $600 not $650.
He's claiming the rent was raised because the person who actually owns the land his property sets on raised the lot rent.
He's claiming the rent went up in January of this year but not one text has been sent, no other notice was given.
He was out here last month because there was a water line issue, he never mentioned the raise in rent and he was out here in February because the water lines froze and he never mentioned the raise in rent at that time either.
We feel this is retaliation because for 3 weeks the trash dumpster hasn't been emptied, the neighbors and us texted him about it but never heard anything back.
So we called the health department because it's a health hazard, the day after the health department is called he claims the rent is now $650.
He never informed us of the increase until today,this feels like retaliation.

Greetings to all,
I want to share my recent experience with the Taiwanese legal system. I am a foreigner here, but that doesn't bear any weight on the story.
My Taiwanese wife has recently had a small car collision. Not because she is my wife, but she clearly has no fault in the accident. She was driving on a normal two way road in a small town, the other driver overtakes her disregarding the double yellow line and then decides to cut back in the lane occupied by my wife's car, scratching the whole side of her car and smashing the front corner of our car in the process.
Now, the other driver's husband works in the town hall as a litigation advisor, so he has plenty of experience in the matter and/or plenty of friends to lean on. After a few weeks we received the police report and we couldn't believe the story that they had fabricated, giving my wife 100% of the fault. We have tried to speak to the police officer who redacted the report, and we have been told that once written, it cannot be changed.
So we made an appeal to the Motor Vehicle Authority and we paid the necessary fee, which was not cheap, only to be told the same unbelievable story again, and that basically once that report has been redacted by the police, the whole process is based on this report. Today we went to the final meeting before going to court, and once again we were told the same story, that it's 100% our fault and even if we go to court, the judge will not waste any time looking at the facts and also that he will base his judgement on what this report says.
Luckily, we have managed to lower the amount of money we have basically been forced to give away to this people, because they also claimed a ridiculous amount of money compared to the value of the car and the actual damage.
Now we are left with a damaged car and a few tens of thousands of dollars less in the bank account, it could have been much worse. Still it feels pretty bad, having been taken advantage of by a group of friends who spend their times taking care of each other instead of doing their job in the interest of the public they should serve.
I am not naive, I know how things work, I have countless stories of local political corruption both here in Taiwan and in pretty much every other country I have ever lived in, and I have been around...
I just felt like sharing this story, maybe he can help somebody else who is not aware that this kind of thing can happen, and often does happen, in this beautiful Country.

Any help appreciated for this new car owner!
I bought a 2011 Corolla a little over 6 months ago. I got a PPI and no issues noted related to battery/alternator. The dealer supposedly replaced the battery before sale according to the CarFax, and I can only assume that it was new. This morning, I woke up to a dead battery. I last drove 5 days ago (short trip) and a long trip 6 days ago. I regularly take short trips, think sub-2 miles with AC and radio running. Prior to this, I never had a slow crank or a battery light on the dash. I did not notice any issues with dim headlights and I don't believe I left any lights on. I do leave the aux plugged into the car when I leave, but nothing plugged into the aux. No aftermarket accessories. I have jumper cables, but no one to give me a jump until this weekend, so I am trying to determine next steps to get the issue narrowed down.
After a jump, should I take it to Autozone to test the battery and alternator? Is it possible the dealer just put a really cheap battery in it? Would my regular short trips have destroyed this battery in the past 6 months? What else should I consider trying to diagnose this issue and prevent it from happening unexpectedly again, since again, it is not easy for me to get a jump in my current living situation.
Thanks!

Hi, I know I sounds bad, but hear me out, I need a break. I apologize for my English bc it’s not my first language and I’m still learning.
Im 21, F. I live in Mexico a country where your mom it’s the most precious thing in the world, but I’m so tired.
Since 2018 my mom entered a relationship with a woman who’s the most horrible person I know, my mom said that she’s not lesbian but ok, I’m gonna call her girlfriend Pelona. (bc she have a bald spot an she’s ugly af)
Every since she meet Pelona, she has changed, she drinks too much guys, like every weeknd and I know that isn’t fucking normal, and she’s so violent. I know I sound homophobic but hear me out… I’m so tired i am the oldest children of 3, my brother is 15, and my sister is 20.
So, I’m gonna star with the most recent event, my grandma birthday was this March, and that day, before all of that, we agreed that since everyone is gonna be drunk we were gonna take a Uber to my house so that way everyone can drink as much as they can.
In Mexico we have something called “retén” which is a patrol of police who is taking care of the streets so none is drunk driving, so that’s why I said that we were gonna take Uber.
So, that day, my grandmas birthday everyone is happy, drinking beer and etc, so at the end like 12:00 am, my mom and pelona are as drunk as fuck literally out of their minds both, and my mom decided to “screw you, I’m gonna go with pelona” but when she said that my sister said: HELL NO YOURE NOT GONNA GO WITH PELONA, my sister grabbed her arm and didn’t let go, So my mom gets angry and start kicking my sister, and I get mad and I said “calm down or I’m gonna call your sister mom” and in that moment everything goes to hell because my grandma starts to freak out and then pelona yells at me “I’m gonna take her with me” and I said “ the fuck you’re not asshole (pendeja)” and I called my aunt, and she said she’s on her way, so pelona starts to get violent and decides to punch my sister in the head (this bc my sister yelled at her and said that she wasn’t taking my mom bc she were as drunk as my mom) , and in that moment idk, satan taked my body bc I started to punch her and kicking her, bc my sister is skinnier and shorter than this stupid woman, it’s not fair guys, bc that woman isn’t part of family so if she doesn’t take care of my mom I’m and my sister were gonna take care.
So naturally, my mom worries about pelona instead of her own fucking daughter, lol. (I’m crying guys this is horrible, literally the most horrific thing someone has to live), so yeah, they go out of the house of my grandma and my aunt comes and she asked what happened, we tell her, and then my mom and pelona come back, and my aunt yells: “gtfo of here” and they go to the street, out of the house of my grandma, and my aunt starts to punch pelona, my mom starts to yell and everyone is punching pelona bc she’s violent and started to grabbed everyone, so naturally my aunt “wins” and yell to her to get fucked and to never come back, pelona drives her car and bum she’s gone.
My mom started to scream like fucking 4 year old and says that we hated her bc we didn’t let her go with a fucking insane woman drunk as fuck. So she’s screaming in the street, like she’s lying in the street and I come to her and slowly take her arm and looked her in the eye and said: mom please stop, please breath and then she pulled my hair and throw my face in the ground, so I bited my lip and everyone tries to make her leave me and then about 3 min after she leave my hair and let me go.
By that time some neighbor comes and tried to help by giving a bucket of water and throwing it in the face of my mom bc she looked like she was high as fuck on something, it was so bad…
Then my mom randomly stands up and run in the same way pelona, obviously like 20 min after… so yeah
Thats fucked up.
And a neighbor goes behind her and takes her to my house, meanwhile my sister runs after her, and i just cried guys, I was so fucking anxious, I’m a depressed and anxious girl, I was so worried.
I’m Mexico, when you’re drunk police takes advantage of you, they rape you, they do whatever they want with your body, that’s why my sister and I were so worried about my mom… I didn’t want to just do whatever I want I wanted to save her, I wanted her to be okay guys, even tho she’s 46 years old…
In Mexico womans are desappearing every day, do you think I was the asshole? My sister just tried her to not get raped or something bad…
So that was a month ago, none is talking, I get out of my house bc I can’t deal with my mom, I moved out with my grandma but she’s so manipulative trying to convince me to talk to my mom, and I did guys but guess what she said that we punched pelona and she (this is fucking funny) and she doesn’t remember when pelona attacked my sister, she only remembers when pelona was attacked by us (that’s what she said).
But well, then 3 weeks later my mom contacts my sister through email and says that I’m the one that’s being manipulative and that she knows my sister didn’t thought the same as me…
And well my sister comes back to the house and they agree that my mom has to go to a psychiatric place to take medicine bc it wasn’t normal for her to react like that, my mom agreed but guys she isn’t doing nothing.
By this time I’m in my house I fought with my mom and I said that why she hated me, why to say those things and she said that she didn’t think that that she love me and she’s my mom.
But fast forward, to today I’m in her house, she isn’t doing nothing, she is madly in love with pelona… THEY EVEN GOT A TATTO GUYS, I’m just so hurt… and i think she just trying to everyone to fight with her.
In Mexico there are 46• celcius guys, we have to had AC in the night bc where I live is so fucking hot, but my mom paid someone to mess with my ac in my room and in the room of my brother, so she’s the only one with ac,
She said that we didn’t respect her bc we didn’t clean the house, and my sister fights with her bc she’s so… angry all the time.
And we tried to ask if she knows why our ac doesn’t work but she didn’t say nothing.
Me and my sister we are both depressed, I’m just finishing college and my sister too… we tried to get a job but it’s difficult…
I don’t know if I was an asshole bc this just ruined everything, I’m so tired guys I really want to k… myself I don’t know what to do with my mom, I’m the asshole? This was my sister and my fault?
I just want my mom to be okay…

I 22M moved to Texas with my now Wife (22F) , her Daughter (9 months) , Her mother , and her younger sister (12F) we will call her cassy. In the beginning she payed most of the bills besides 1 or 2 . She asked me and my fiancé anytime she needed help with bills, groceries ect. Of course me and my fiancé will help whenever she asks . It’s been about 2 years and her mother has a boyfriend in Oklahoma that she was supposed to be moving in with along with her youngest daughter . My MIL insisted that we start paying all the bills a month before she moves out to make sure we can handle all of the finances . Fast forward 6-7 months to present day and she hasn’t moved out . Every date she sets comes and goes and it moves to the next day she chooses . One instance I had , 2 weeks before she was planned to move out , I had a potential room mate move in to split bills just to make it easier plus they needed a place momentarily . Long story short he slept on the couch so long that he just flew back to Arkansas because she never moved out . On top of that Cassy is probably the worst kid I’ve ever met . Her mother refuses to parent her . She done everything from steal hundreds of dollars from my wife to just not trying to keep her room clean that I pay for . I’m not talking about just a dirty room , I’m talking dishes of food stuffed in her closet , a random bucket of blood sitting in her room , used tampons on the damn floor . Shits gross . She has 0 respect for me , my wife , or our daughter . Her mother still lets cassy invite her friends over constantly waking up my daughter for being to loud and not saying anything to her when they are screaming at 2AM. She’s completely unhinged . She been kicked out of school so she’s homeschooled now . She snuck out , when to the a convenient store and asked the clerk for directions to her friends house , a boy, proceeded to go outside and pay a man at the pump 5 bucks to take her to the house and HE DID IT . The clerk called the cope because she literally told him where she was going and that she snuck out . Police find her in his closet , that’s also the same night she stole 300 dollars from my wife’s purse that her mother feels like isn’t her responsibility. Still haven’t seen that money . Anyways long story short I want to live on my own but my wife wants to stay and wait for her mom to move out. Also he mother hasn’t helped with bills throughout these 6 months and I think she should since she’s made no effort to leave . It’s a 3 bedroom house . Me my wife and my child all sleep in the same room and my MIL and her daughter have the other 2 rooms but I pay for everything AITA for now wanting my MIL to pay ?

Currently I'm struggling to find work. I'm professionally trained and skilled in what I got my degree in (Environmental sciences. I can preform lab work, field work, research, ect) but after a string of bad jobs (Nepotism hiring which led to an absolute dumpster fire of a contract job. It was so bad an internal investigation was launched to find out my former boss did thousands in damage, lost company property, wrecked a company rental, ect.) I'm left with no references. I was close to securing a comfortable position at a new department within the contract lab I was working with but my former boss sabotaged me during the last step and revealed to them I was planning on leaving soon in the fall to go to grad school for my Masters. There are no other jobs in my field for me in my hometown, but I cannot afford to move.
I was trying to save $5,000 for my cross country move to begin a fully paid master's program but after being unemployed for 3-4 months my savings of $3.8k is almost gone entirely. I've already had to defer my masters program by one year so I could save my money, but with how things are looking I may need to drop out entirely. Unfortunately this opportunity may never happen again for me. I've had to report a former PhD student I worked under for a summer for severe verbal abuse, sexism, ect. I was hopeful my mentor who was the PI for the PhD student would remain on good terms with me but I think I burned those bridges. I will not be able to secure strong academic letters of recommendation again as previously. I'm not hopeful I could ever receive a prestigious offer again like that for my Masters. I was the first in my family to achieve a Bachelors and I wanted to pursue further education to follow my passion of research ect in my field.
I have tried pivoting to doing "unskilled" labor such as retail and food service for the short term to help me reach my goal but I'm struggling to even find a job doing that. I've redone my resume multiple times with the retail experience I had gained throughout college and even did something as far fetched as creating a fabricated resume to just secure SOMETHING. The sparse interviews I've gotten have led nowhere. I've applied to local bars, Olive garden, walmart, fast food, ect. I'm desperate. I'm running out of options. This is severely impacting my mental health.
I'm so desperate to try and find a way to pursue my Masters program that I'm even considering escorting or prostitution again (something I never went all the way with during 2020, This was before I got into university).
My family is not a resource I can depend on. They are also on the verge of homelessness. My grandparents live in a sinking collapsing mobile home and are working for an abusive man who is their landlord. Two other people within my family are unemployed and struggling. I live at home currently in my hometown with my father and youngest sibling in a horrible apartment complex. We can barely afford basic needs. Our cars are failing us and soon we will not have any working vehicles in the entire family. The radiator of my father's vehicle split sudden yesterday and my car is experiencing chronic overheating/antifreeze issues. Both our cars are a 2006 and a 1990, We've been barely keeping the cars afloat with consistent (monthly) repairs for failing parts. We could wake up any day to both of our cars being entirely useless and each day we get closer to that reality.
Everything feels hopeless. My mental health is suffering severely. I'm on the edge of giving up.