Yet another bingo review thread! This is my 3rd year doing bingo and I’m still a fan. I was going strong until October, when my computer died and with it all my bingo spreadsheets and data. I gave up on completing my card(s). Until February, when my computer was fixed and I recovered my file. I’d missed out on a good 4-5 months of reading (I think I read 2 books in that entire time period due to other issues in life) and I had a lot to catch up on.
I started out February with 11 squares to fill in on the two cards I set out to complete (disability-themed card and all-HM card). Over the course of the month I read 9 of those books but decided to replace a couple of others and entered March with 8 books left to read to complete my two cards. Thank goddess for audiobooks, because I don’t think I could have finished all of them otherwise!

Finished Card

All Hard Mode Card; my other card: disability card thread

Some Stats

• On average it took me 20 days to finish reading a book. The longest was Crucible (Valdemar short story collection) because short stories are the bane of my bingo reading. That one took me 162 days. Fastest was VenCo by Cherie Dimaline in 1.5 days. It was an audiobook and great fun to listen to.
  
• The bingo books were on average 380 pages long, with the longest being Unconquerable Sun by Kate Elliott (though it didn’t feel like it).
  
• I listened to a total of 7 audiobooks and read 18 as ebooks.
  
• On average the books were published in 2016 with the oldest being The Blue Sword (1982). I read 7 books from 2022 (8 if we count 2023 too), which is incredibly recent for me. My reading tends to average 5-8 years out of date.
  
• 11 were standalone books and 12 were the first of a series. Of these I plan to (or have) continue(d) reading 7 series. I read the rest of the Book of the Ancestor but I’m not sure I’ll continue the rest of the books in the world.
  
• 18 were new to me authors. The newest author I found hardest to put down were the Murderbot books by Martha Wells (not on this card).
  
• The broad genre breakdown this year was 18 fantasy books, 3 sci-fi books and 4 books that fit into both categories / overlapped. This is my usual reading style (heavily fantasy). My disability card ending up with a lot more SF which goes to show fantasy needs more disabled protagonists!
  
• I rated the books an average of 3.8 stars overall. This is a less than last year and around my average goodreads score (3.7). I had to force myself to read certain books for particular squares and ended up trying 5 or 6 before settling on one I could at least finish (even if I didn’t like it).
  
• Strongest Bingo Month: February. I finished nothing in January, read really sporadically in the 4 months before that. In Feb I decided to tackle finishing my two cards and ended up finishing 12 books that month.
  
  • Close seconds with 11 were April (but that makes sense, eh? We’re all super motivated first bingo month) and March (last month cram sesh!)

Individual Reviews

Links go directly to my full review on Goodreads.
LGBTQIA List (HM: Book / series with 10 votes or less) - Witchmark by C. L. Polk - 3/5

• This is an interesting story, a great world to explore (I love that bicycles are the main form of transport), and a post-war hospital all wrapped up in a larger conspiracy plot. The magic was fun, the weird illness something rarely seen in fantasy. However the romance plot felt rushed and not great. The story dragged at times, then rushed at the end. But I think I’ll read the sequel sometime.
  
• I recommend this book: if you like early 1900’s secondary world fantasy, high-speed bicycle chases, romance with the fae, or doctor protagonists
  

Weird Ecology (HM: Not written by Jeff VanderMeer or China Miéville.) - Red Sister by Mark Lawrence - 4/5

• I loved the world, but I thought Nona as a protagonist was more of a cliché than I wanted. She embodies the Strong Female Protagonist and the Chosen One tropes a bit too much. A lot of this book felt more like an anime than I like (esp. any fight scenes). At least it’s easy to read.
  
• I recommend this book: if you like school settings and training, living in a post-apocalyptic world, political elements (more the whole series), anime
  

Two or More Authors (HM: 3+ authors) - Clockwork Cairo by Various - 3/5

• This was an interesting collection. There was one story I absolutely loved (Thermodynamics; and/or The Remittance Men by Chaz Brenchley) but most of the stories felt unfinished or incomplete. I normally don’t like short stories and this collection was less great than I was hoping. There were quite a few steampunk elements, at least, not to mention more characters with disabilities than you normally see!
  
• I recommend this book for: fans of steampunk, short stories, bizarre things, Everfair (there’s a short story in here set after the main novel)
  

Historical SFF (HM: Not based in Britain or Ireland.) - Bee Sting Cake by Victoria Goddard - 5/5

• This second novel in the Greenwing and Dart series I enjoyed far more than the first. It took me a while to realize bee-sting cake refers to Bienenstich, which is a cake my mom often made. I don’t like it. The book makes it sound more delicious than it actually is. Anyway, the plot is bananas, as is usual for these books. There’s a dragon, bees, a mysterious riddle and Jemis discovers even more about this family. These are just very fun stories. I also love the location of Bella Ragnor (and surrounding land); it feels like a pastoral rolling-hills perfect Medieval TM fantasy place.
  
• I recommend this book: if you like dragons, bees, mysteries, fun adventure romps, and cake.
  

Set in Space (HM: Characters are not originally from Earth.) - Unconquerable Sun by Kate Elliott - 5/5

• I hadn’t planned to read this one anytime soon, but it’s Kate Elliott so I knew I would at some point. I’m so glad I did! This is one of the best books I read this year. Most of the story actually revolves around Persephone Lee, rather than Princess Sun, which was a minor disappointment. Perse is just not that interesting (she feels very normal) as Sun (who feels like Miles Vorkosagian). The plot is straightforward, and then takes a left turn into a wild adventure chase and then into a space battle. The world is great - dinos just live wild! American Idol for the entire universe! Giant sea monsters! Big space battles! I can’t wait for the sequel.
  
• I recommend this book for: those who like books set in space, adventure tales, royalty, music competitions, politics-and-strategy trumping flying-by-the-seat-of-your-pants plots.
  

Standalone (HM: Not on Fantasy’s Favorite Standalones List.) - Pandora by Susan Stokes-Chapman - 4/5

• I read a handful of standalones this year but they ended up being used in other squares. So I had to scramble to find something fairly last minute. This is tangentially part of a slew of books published in the last 2 years that reference Greek mythology, however this one is set in Georgian London and features a jewelry-crafter, a bookbinder who’d rather be an archeologist, a magpie as a pet, and a mysteriously powerful vase that may have been the original Pandora’s box. I enjoyed the book but at times wished for a bit more.
  
• I recommend this book for those who like: archeology, crafts, mysteries, high-society and low-society London, curses
  

Anti-Hero (HM: YA book) - HIVE - Higher Institute of Villainous Education by Mark Walden - 4/5

• I’m glad I finally found this book for the square, mostly because it was a fun and quirky read. The MC is a genius who used his intelligence for one plot too many. He gets the attention of the villain school, is promptly kidnapped and finds himself flying into a volcano. Where the school resides. In the school everyone is given a PDA with AI (this is written pre-smartphone era which is great), a tour of the facilities, and then their education as future world-ruling villains begins. It’s not a book to take seriously. The MC has a great voice. There’s lots of plot shenanigans and it’s a bit of a fun and wild ride.
  
• I recommend this book for: if you like evil genius protagonists, schools that hold you hostage, Audrey II, pre-smartphone era ideas of high-tech
  

Book Club OR Readalong (HM: Participate in current discussion) - Kaikeyi by Vaishnavi Patel - 5/5

• I enjoyed this book from the beginning. It had me hooked right off the bat. I love the Indian-inspired secondary world. Kaikeyi is one of my favorite kinds of protagonists: willing to try, willing to strive for better but also realizing not everyone can, manipulative when she needs to be, ultimately kind and good. The ending did not sit as well with me as the beginning, but I still recommend it. It’s a pretty good retelling.
  
• I recommend this book for those who like: India-inspired settings, strong women who are willing to do good and bad things to get what they want, powerful gods, mythic retellings
  

Cool Weapon (HM: Weapon has a unique name.) - The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley - 5/5

• This was a reread for me, together with one of the book clubs. It’s been a good long while since I first read it and I honestly remembered so little. Even though I think McKinley could have written some bits better, the story, the world, the desert nomads all captured my heart again. I like that Gonturan is used for more than killing a dragon here. It’s a great read together with The Hero and the Crown.
  
• I recommend this book for those who like: desert tribes, magical swords, classic fantasy
  

Revolutions and Rebellions (HM: It is the main focus of the plot.) - Darknet by Matthew Mather - 3/5

• I had high hopes for this story: AI that gains enough intelligence to warp the world around it to protect itself: spoofing voices in phone calls, creating security camera footage that doesn’t exist, convincing entire governments of terrorists that aren’t. It’s spooky and great. Except this book did not live up to. The ending is super mundane and fairly disappointing. The plot to get there was straightforward and boring. The characters bland. I was disappointed by the end for a book that promised an overthrow of AI.
  
• I recommend this book for those who like: AI going on a rampage, straightforward books, if-the-government-is-a-bad-guy-who-can-survive-protesting-it?
  

Name in the Title (HM: Character’s first and last name.) - How Rory Thorne Destroyed the Multiverse by K Eason - 4/5

• I felt this did not live up to its title. Spoiler: Rory does not destroy a multiverse. Most of this book is Rory as a hostage princess trying to get out of being a hostage. It felt like it dragged on for a long time even though it was a quick read. The characters stayed mostly superficial but the plot moved fast.
  
• I recommend this book for those who like: space stories with fairytale influences, coming-of-age tales of strong princesses, lost princes
  

Author Uses Initials (HM: Initials are a pseudonym and not from the author’s actual name.) - Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher - 3/5

• I only read a T Kingfisher book because for months on end I’ve been trying to find someone who fits this square and isn’t T Kingfisher or K J Parker. Alas, I was unsuccessful, so here I am. Disappointed once again. This was my 5th Kingfisher, I believe, and while it was better than a lot of the others it sapped the magic out faster than it could supply it. The story is incredibly straightforward. The characters are very boring (the sequel better be the two old women just living together solving magical hijinks because those two carried this entire novel). The world is even more Basic Medieval Fantasy fare. There’s probably one T Kingfisher I’ll still read and then I’ll call it a day.
  
• I recommend this book for those who like: T Kingfisher; straight-forward books; books that feel like fairytales but aren’t; long dead, screeching ghosts who still want to get their way
  

Published in 2022 (HM: Debut novel) - The House Witch by Delemhach - 3/5

• I had high hopes for this book. I loved the premise. Kitchen witchery is my second favorite kind of witchery. And the beginning of this book was great!! A magical cat, lots of sneakily using magic to cook and clean dishes. And then the most boring romance ever was introduced. We see even more of Fin not understanding rank and not getting his head chopped off for it (“look, it’s a fun quirk!” seems to be the general reaction expected of the reader). Overall I was whelmed. I won’t keep reading the series.
  
• I recommend this book for those who like: kitchen witches, elemental magic, cozy fantasy, straight forward tales
  

Urban Fantasy (HM: LGBTQ+ POV character.) - Drop Dead Gorgeous by Maya Mistful - 4/5

• I managed to miss out on a lot of the biggest fanfics of the HP world back in the day. Early in the year I decided to begin to fix that. This is one of them: a very fun fic in which Harry is the one with veela blood. He and Draco are teamed up to work as aurors and plenty of hijinks ensue. It’s a fun tale that doesn’t take itself too seriously.
  
• I recommend this book for those who like: Drarry slashfic, post-Hogwarts tales that pretend the epilogue never happened, actual police investigation
  

Set in Africa (HM: Author is of African heritage.) - Last Gate of the Emperor by Kwame Mbalia - 2/5

• I was hoping for a better book for this square. I kept looking and hunting down book after book. Kept thinking I found it, and it’d be another full of far too much violence. Eventually I started looking at MG books to find one with less violence and came across this great-seeming Ethiopian inspired futuristic world. It feels a lot like Ready Player One on the box but inside it’s quite different. I loved the Ethiopian cultural bits! But I could not stand the main character (he’s too dumb to exist, seriously), or a lot of the plot decisions the author made.
  
• I recommend this book for those who like: Ethiopia, thought Ready Player One was a great premise, like their protagonist dumber than themselves so you can yell at them lots
  

Non-Human Protagonist (HM: Non-humanoid protagonist.) - The Raven Tower by Ann Leckie - 5/5

• After years of being recommended this book I took the dive. I listened to it on audiobook which was both a blessing and a curse. It helped move pass the parts that really dragged, but also the narrators voice was so incredibly grating (like stone, hah!) at times, that I really had difficulty finishing. But I did enjoy the story. Having a giant rock inhabited by a god makes for an interesting main character and those parts were by far the most interesting to read. The ending was a wallop for sure.
  
• I recommend this book for those who like: stories about gods, trade routes, murder mysteries, and fealty
  

Wibbly Wobbly Timey Wimey (HM: No time travel) - Murder at Spindle Manor by Morgan Stang - 4/5

• On the surface this book is a locked room murder mystery. But underneath is so much more. It’s clearly the first of a series, introducing us to our monster hunter, Isabeau, and her sidekick. They’re spending the night at Spindle Manor to wait out a storm while hunting a peculiar monster that can assume any shape it wants. While there we’re introduced to a very colorful cast of characters who all end up dying mysteriously one after another. Isabeau needs to find the murderer before the night ends. There are ghosts, giant hybrid monster creatures, weird time shenanigans, and an interesting set up for the rest of this world.
  
• I recommend this book for those who like: gaslamp / steampunk worlds, magical monsters and creatures, murder mysteries, Agatha Christie-esque cliques of suspects
  

Five Short Stories (HM: Anthology or collection) - Crucible by Mercedes Lackey, etc - 3/5

• I like reading some Valdemar every year, and it’s easy enough with the short story collections. I’m not a big fan of short stories, but at least these tend to connect across anthologies or refer to other characters from the world. I’d already read the Lackey story in here elsewhere, however, and a lot of the others felt familiar or lackluster so altogether I was not feeling this edition much.
  
• I should read this if you like: Valdemar (really, that’s it)
  

Features Mental Health (HM: Not The Stormlight Archive or any books in the linked list.) - Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir - 5/5

• I finally picked up the Locked Tomb this year and I’m so glad I did. I was not sure it would be for me (reviews are so polarizing!) but I just loved the weirdness of it all. I listened to the audiobook, which has a fantastic narrator. Highly recommend it. I won’t go into detail here except to say I can’t wait to continue with Harrow for next bingo. I know it’s going to be even weirder and I’m ready!
  
• I recommend this book for those who like: weird shit, lots of dramatic necromantic-gothic vibes, people who will do anything to get ahead but then also have a soft spot somewhere deep down inside, more dramatic clothing and make-up choices than should be allowed
  

Self-Published or Indie Publisher (HM: Self-published and has < 100 ratings on Goodreads, or an indie publisher that has done an AMA with Fantasy.) - Some By Virtue Fall by Alexandra Rowland - 3/5

• I wanted to read more Rowland this year but they are taking their time with publishing! All fair, but it means I need to scrounge up some back-logs now. This is set in the same world as The Chants but this story is all about a theater troupe and their love lives and trying to put on a play. It’s fun, quirky, but a bit too short for my tastes.
  
• I recommend this book for you if you were a theater kid, if you wanted to be a theater kid, if you always saw the theater kids being goofy and thought “what are they even getting up to in there”
  

Award Finalist, but Not Won (HM: Neither Hugo-nominated nor Nebula-nominated) - All the Murmuring Bones by Angela G. Slatter - 4/5

• I joined the book club read on this one. I loved the beginning a lot! So much creepy gothic old crumbling mansion horror vibes in here. It is seriously amazing. I wish the story had stayed there, though. Instead it branched out into a classic fairytale-esque adventure tale. I also liked those parts well enough, but none of it had the depth or atmosphere to really work together as a cohesive whole.
  
• I recommend this book for those who like: fairy tales, gothic horror atmosphere without the pain, getting revenge on the people who hurt you, mermaids
  

BIPOC Author (HM: A book written by an Indigenous author.) - VenCo by Cherie Dimaline - 5/5

• I was really happy to find this book. It was published quite recently so I really lucked out. I did not like a lot of the suggestions I found for this square elsewhere, but this book was perfect! The story revolves around the North American witch coven trying to reassemble after centuries of being hunted. How do members identify each other? Through magic spoons! I loved that this story focused on so many diverse women at different stages of their lives and from various areas of the continent. I can’t wait for the sequel. This was one of my favorite reads this year.
  
• I recommend this book for those who like: scavenger hunts for old spoons, witch covens, road trips throughout NA, old women living their best lives
  

Shapeshifters (HM: Most prominent shifter is not a wolf/dog shifter.) - Kill the Queen by Jennifer Estep - 3/5

• I picked this one up on a whim while looking up tales of women taking revenge on those who slight them. This story starts out weak: the mc is a sad little princess living on the fringes of royal life before her cousin murders her entire extended family at a family gathering. She barely escapes and then ends up joining a gladiator-troupe. One of the main members of the troupe is a troll-shapeshifting woman (and boy is that dramatic when we finally see it). The princess learns how to fight and eventually considers the revenge. The story in general was a bit too YA at times for me to really enjoy it.
  
• I recommend this book for those who like: gladiator fights, family massacre scenes, taking (bloody) revenge on those who wronged you, you always wanted to run away from home and join a circus troupe
  

No Ifs, Ands, or Buts (HM: Title is three + words) - Three Parts Dead by Max Gladstone - 4/5

• Another one I have been eyeing for a while but never actually go around to reading. I ended up really enjoying the creative world building in this book. The combination of the judiciary with religion and magic is bizarre yet works incredibly well. The rest of the story was a bit boring. I liked the gargoyle element the most, but it was an incredibly minor point after the beginning. I think I’ll continue reading this serious, though, since I did enjoy the world a lot.
  
• I recommend this book for those who like: law, thinking lawyers need more power than they already have, non-conventional magic, gods who have personalities and make contracts
  

Family Matters (HM: Features at least 3 generations in a single family.) - A Strange and Stubborn Endurance by Foz Meadows - 4/5

• Another book club read this year that I was happy I joined! I’d been meaning to read something by Foz Meadows for a while, so I’m glad I finally did. This book was really interesting. It reminds me a lot of similar books I’d read this year (A Taste of Gold and Iron, Prince and Assassin, another I can’t remember), but this plot really goes bananas. The setting was scant, the plot moved too fast but the romance between the leads was sweet and the story was an easy read. The family elements in this book were quite strong, with the grandmother on down being heavily involved in the story. I did really like how the family moments were done.
  
• I recommend this book for those who like: queer romances, plots that don’t really care if you think they’re insane, strong family ties
  

Conclusions

My favorite books this card were: Unconquerable Sun by Kate Elliott, VenCo by Cherie Dimaline, and Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir.
I found the Set in Africa square to be the hardest to fulfill HM for. It’s the last book I read. I found most of the books that fit this square to be dark, brutal, or too grim for my tastes. I was disappointed over and over again by all the suggestions I found. It should not be this hard to find a SpecFic book set in Africa, written by a person of African heritage that is not full of extreme violence! (I think it’s pretty sad, yet understandable, that most of them include so much intense violence). I ended up going to middle grade fiction to find a book I could finish.
Other squares I found more difficult: Cool Weapon (it seems magical named weapons crop up most often in epic high fantasy, a sub-genre I don’t enjoy reading much anymore), LGBTQIA List (I’ve read a ton on this list already! It needs an update badly), and Author Uses Initials (I dislike both of the authors that have pseudonyms with initials and couldn’t find any other though I searched up and down).
On a side note I want to express my annoyance with the BPIOC HM square (indigenous author). I spent a lot of time this last year trying to figure out who is an indigenous person. It seems there’s a lot of different definitions and I don’t understand which one to use. On the one hand this includes the native people who were conquered by white folk, but that doesn’t cover everyone and leaves certain groups out. The UN says indigenous people need to be accepted by their community as one of their points, however Rebecca Roanhorse is not accepted by the NA tribe she says she is a part of and everyone seems to be fine using her books. I was going to use an author from India, but for some reason (even though they were conquered by the British and could trace their roots thousands of years in the subcontinent) they don’t count as indigenous people. I found this a very confusing square to know what to do with.
The easiest squares by far were Historical and Urban Fantasy. I don’t seek out these stories but there are a lot that incidentally fall into these categories. Same with the Mental Health square - so many books just happened to fit it as well. I was surprised at that since older fantasy books seem to insulate their protagonists from mental (if not physical) harm. This is trend I am enjoying reading!
On a happy note, I realized that I actually like sci-fi this year! Previous years I’ve resented those squares a lot. I’ve had a few duds but more overall great sci-fi reads that I wouldn’t have picked up without bingo encouragement. Only took 3 years of bingo for my tastes to change!
Now it’s time to take it easy until April 1. See you all for the next bingo round! (And yes, I submitted my cards in the official thread).
Have you read any of these books?
Did you feel the same?
Any that you want to read?

I’ll start off by mentioning that this is an alternate account since my family knows my main one.
While searching for advice about my (strained) relationship with my sister a few days ago, I came across the term “enmeshment.” After doing some research on the term, it hit me like a ton of bricks - I’m part of an enmeshed family.
My sister is approximately 3 years older than me. Throughout our childhood, there were lots of issues including physical violence (hitting, hair pulling), intimidation, and jealousy. I would say my parents were caring parents overall but didn’t do much to curb the problems between sis and I (I’d get the “just ignore her” when she treated me badly).
Since it was just my sister and I - no other siblings - we did pretty much everything together. She didn’t have many friends so I was her primary friend/source of entertainment. I began to develop a codependent relationship with her during my childhood.
Sis had a big problem with me having friends while growing up. If I’d bring a friend home from school, she would storm off to her room and slam the door. She called them stupid and ugly. She would make me feel guilty if I wanted to hang out with my friends over her. It got to a point where I pretty much cut most of my friends out of my life for fear of hurting my sister. My parents knew she acted this way but did nothing to stop it.
After high school, things got a little better between sis and I. We were both starting to carve our own paths (attending college, getting jobs, boyfriends, etc.) However, I seemed to “bloom” at a much faster rate than she did which caused a lot of jealousy on her part. I moved out of the house/into my own apartment first, and also got married shortly afterwards. Sis is still living at home with her boyfriend and my parents.
The codependency issues still exist even though I’m no longer around my sister on a daily basis. She seems to think that I need to invite her everywhere (i.e., if I tell her about a new restaurant my husband and I tried, she’ll act all hurt that I didn’t invite her along). I always feel bad when planning trips or vacations without inviting her because she’ll get upset.
Her newest thing is to say that we should put our money together to buy a house. The first time she brought it up I told her that my husband and I value our privacy so that wouldn’t work. She got all hurt and basically said I can’t ever move away because she’ll miss me too much. Now when she talks about buying a house together, I become a spineless little girl and don’t speak up for myself since I don’t want to upset her. Sometimes I feel like her emotional support animal.
I’ve always known something was off about our dynamic but couldn’t quite put my finger on it. People always say how nice it must be to be so close to my sister but this is just overbearing.
Don’t get me wrong, I love my sister. She’s generous, funny and caring. I have good memories. But I always feel like a child when I’m around her even though I’m a full fledged adult.
I’m also enmeshed with my Mom, just not as severely as I am with my sister.
So I guess I just need to know where to go from here. I don’t want to go no contact at this point but want to start limiting our time together (either in person or by text). I also know I’m going to need therapy to sort this out.
For those in similar situations, what worked best for you?
I see myself exhibiting codependency traits with my husband which freaks me out now that I know why I’m like this (i.e., I always feel like I’m responsible for his moods and need to fix them, etc.). I must get myself sorted out.

I’ve been a fairly shy person growing up. But always struggled to make friends. I was bullied quite a lot in secondary school, I went to an all girls and all girls were good for is spreading rumours about me. Then I finally settled down with a group of people. Who I had to suppress my personality with. They weren’t very active. And talked about things openly it was just see each other at school and that’s it. I was further isolated outside of school as they’d literally never meet up. And if I was to make plans they’d very likely be rejected, as they barely acknowledged me throughout those 5 years.
Then came college. I was running on the constant advice people would give me “it gets better” or “you’d find your people”. And it was the most humiliating 2 years. All the “friends” I had made new ones and moved right on. I’m not going to lie, I was very anxious and scared the whole time and would close myself off to avoid rejection.
Today. I’m 18 years old and have made no friends in all my life living in the same place. It’s deeply embarrassing for me. And I have no idea what to do. Now my main concern is no one would want to be friends with someone who has none. But I am desperate none the less.

hdbdggs i can't believe i'm writing this again. medyo nahihiya ako sa mga friends ko magkwento so dito na lang :)
anyway, so i just got home from school and i'm so fucking nervous rn 😭 i alr posted a lil background about this story last sunday. this is just like a continuation ganon or like an update (??) summary abt my last post: there's this one guy i met on omegle and we lost contact a few months ago and the rest is history. we remained mutuals but that's just it. anyway, so balik na nga sa nangyari sa school. so hindi ko nasabi sa post ko last time na same univ na kami ngayon ni let's just call him X. i almost met him earlier like as in in person. i never met him in person, like ngayon pa lang siguro kung sakali. so nung nag-uusap kami hindi naman kami completely anonymous kasi we exchanged names and he sent me pics and yung ginagamit kong profile is of course picture ko plus we have a mutual friend pa so hindi talaga kami completely strangers (??) So syempre kapag nakasalubong kami if ever sa campus we can somehow recognize each other. So there's this one guy (let's call him Q) na naka-interact ko nitong mga nakaraan, friendly interaction lang naman no malice kasi sikat siya online and sa univ na rin so basically it was just nothing. Eh dumaan sa feed ko picture ni X and I saw Q's comment. Turns out they are blockmates wth and close friends pa yata :>
And I don't know bro i mean i'm well aware naman na i can't hide forever but the thought of seeing him in real life actually makes my heart race like crazy. I know it sounds so cheesy 😆 kasi before sabi ko sa sarili ko ang laki and crowded ng Manila imposible na mameet ko 'yun but right now parang papaliit nang papaliit mundo namin. And the more I hide, the more na lumalapit lang ako lalo sa mga tao sa paligid niya. not really expecting anything naman na atp, whatever happens, happens.
so ayun thanks for reading and happy tuesday. gonna go back to studying na 😣

first call of the day and it’s this mother clearly calling on behalf of their daughter but insists they are calling for themselves. whatever- i can deal with a dumbass, entitled customer who thinks they run the show. the problem is she needed her daughters help and she said and i quote “im about to make this little girl get out of my car and walk in the rain if she don’t start helping me!”
I QUICKLY told her that’s some shit we are not about to do. that shits not gonna fly empty threat or not.
she then continues to belittle the little girl:
“i need the back of an earring even if that means you have to take it out of your own ear” “you see i hurt my hand earlier trying to get you to school. the least you could do is help me!”
“i used all my PTO trying to help y’all and now i have none left for me. what am i gonna do? and you can’t even help me?!”
y’all the call was only like 6 minutes. 4 lines of abuse in 6 minutes. it’s been 20 minutes since and all i can think about is that little girl. I am definitely triggered as this hits VERY close to home. my god. what is WRONG with people!

I'm 21 years old, and I am a recent grad (of almost one year now). Currently, I am living at home and working as a freelance writer ( I work on some journalism projects, and some marketing, and dabble in photo and video editing) I have been trying to land a "real" full-time job for basically this whole year but it has been hard.
I am from a really small town and the cities that I want to live in (Austin, Chicago, DC, Boston, etc) would not hire someone from the middle of nowhere with little professional experience.
I've been saving, and I really want to move out of my parent's home. They suggest the capital city of my state, but I want to go somewhere totally new. I've considered grad school, but probably a little too late as the applications are now closed. The thing is, I have some fears surrounding moving with no job. On the other hand, however, I realized I am never going to get a job by staying where I am. What would you do as a 21-year-old with no job prospects who want to move to a larger city for opportunities?

I'm 21 years old, and I am a recent grad (of almost one year now). Currently, I am living at home and working as a freelance writer ( I work on some journalism projects, and some marketing, and dabble in photo and video editing) I have been trying to land a "real" full-time job for basically this whole year but it has been hard.
I am from a really small town and the cities that I want to live in (Austin, Chicago, DC, Boston, etc) would not hire someone from the middle of nowhere with little professional experience.
I've been saving, and I really want to move out of my parent's home. They suggest the capital city of my state, but I want to go somewhere totally new. I've considered grad school, but probably a little too late as the applications are now closed. The thing is, I have some fears surrounding moving with no job. On the other hand, however, I realized I am never going to get a job by staying where I am. What would you do as a 21-year-old with no job prospects who want to move to a larger city for opportunities?

It's Tuesday and the second day of Watches and Wonders. Most of the reveals took place yesterday, some after I posted and some just didn't fit in the post. So here we go, a roundup of everything that's happening at Watches and Wonders, a bit shorter, but with more watches.
Also, thank you everyone for the reactions to yesterday's post. A couple of huge rewards and all the comments were amazing! Hope you enjoy today's roundup:
Jaeger-LeCoultre Introduces the Reverso Tribute Chronograph, the Duoface Tourbillon and Colors For the Reverso Small Seconds

• Reverso Tribute Chronograph. That says it all, pretty much. Jaeger-LeCoultre has announced a Reverso chronograph in the 1930s-themed aesthetic of their beloved "Tribute" models. It comes in stainless steel and rose gold. Both versions have the same dimensions - 49.4 (lug to lug), 29.9 wide, and 11.14mm thick - with, you guessed it, two faces. One side is a classic time-only dial, while the reverso side is a skeletonized dial with a large chronograph seconds measure and a 30-minute retrograde indication. The skeleton dial comes in handy to see the brand new movement, the JLC 860, which is manually wound and supports a power reserve of 52 hours. Pricing for the Reverso Tribute Chronograph starts at $21,400 in steel and $37,400 in pink gold.
• JLC also updates it’s classic Tribute models with new Small Seconds models with vintage colors. The watches feature faceted dauphine hands, colored dials, applied bar indexes, and a small seconds display at 6:00. The difference between existing models is the new pink gold, ultra slim case which has decreased by a full millimeter in thickness from its stainless steel predecessor. Unfortunately the updated steel model remans 8.5mm. There are two colors you can choose from - a mirror effect black lacquer dial (an homage to the black dials of the original 1931 Reverso) and a burgundy lacquer dial. Both are paired with straps from Argentinian heritage brand Casa Fagliano in complementary colors. The third pink gold case dial variant comes in sunray-brushed silver foil and is paired with another Fagliano Collection strap and an additional black alligator strap from JLC. The final addition: a silver opaline dial with black nickel finished hands and indexes for the steel Tribute case. Price: $9,600 (steel) and $21,900 (pink gold)
• Paying homage to the first tourbillon they introduced thirty years ago, Jaeger-LeCoultre showed off its beautiful Reverso Tribute Duoface Tourbillon in 18k pink gold. The watch uses the Calibre 847 and features two different dials - a clean and elegant one with a time function and tourbillon on a silver sunburst dial, and the reverse with miniaturized black dial showing a second time zone and a day-night indicator. The black dial features partial skeletonisation, including hand angling of the bridges, done by JLC's Manufacture's Métiers Rares workshop. And you will pay for the manual labor. $139,000.
• Their releases covered sports, elegance and high horology. The last thing JLC showed was a little bit of bling with the Reverso One Precious Colors, two new models that harness the brand’s in-house Métiers Rares atelier to create two colorfully enameled and gem-set creations. The case is crafted from gold (white gold for the green colorway and pink gold for the blue colorway), but the enameling work and gem-setting steal the show. Go check it out on the linked website, as the process of creating these unique watches really is fantastic. Prices for the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso One Precious Colors have yet to be released, but both will be available with limited production.

Patek Philippe Introduces The 5178G-012, A Stunning Minute Repeater With a Flinqué Enamel Dial

• After unveiling new Aquanaut models, a very sporty Calatrava, a Calatrava with a 24-hour display and their first pilot-style Travel Time Chronograph, Patek dropped a big one - a Grand Complication. The Patek Philippe 5178G-012 sports a hypnotic guilloché pattern which has been done by hand (unlike the stamped one they put on a $40.000 Calatrava). The dial plate is made of white gold just like the case and then covered with blue Grand Feu enamel. The calibre R 27 PS can be seen through the sapphire caseback, with a large 22k golden micro-rotor for automatic winding and two lengthy gongs for a loud and clear minute repeater complication. Price on request.

Vacheron Constantin Introduces Three New Retrograde Models In The Traditionelle, Overseas, And Patrimony Collections, As Well As New Sizes

• For the first time, Vacheron is introducing its signature retrograde date display into the Overseas line, taking an old-school complication and bumping up the sportiness. The in-house Calibre 2460 R31L/2 features a retrograde date (moving clockwise across the top half of the dial before jumping back to the first day of the month after 31 or whenever you set it) and a hyper-accurate moon phase accurate to 122 years before needing a one-day correction. These displays are reflected in a blue lacquered dial with a velvet-finished flange and sunburst satin-brushed center. You'll also notice the "age of the moon" indicator above the moonphase aperture on the dial, showing where the moon sits in its 29 days, 12 hours, and 45-minute cycle orbiting the earth. Price is on request.
• The retrograde date will also be included in the Vacheron Constantin’s Traditionnelle family of watches with the Vacheron Constantin Traditionnelle Tourbillon Retrograde Date Openface. The watch has a 41mm pink gold case that is 11.07mm thick. Its round shape is emphasized by particularly long lugs, which, in combination with the dial, makes for a contemporary blend of styles. Parts of the dial are skeletonized and the upper half of the dial features the retrograde date display with its blackened hand with a white tip. The lower half features the Maltese Cross tourbillon that integrates very nicely without overpowering the other elements. No word on price yet.
• Then there’s the Vacheron Constantin Patrimony Retrograde Day-Date, a beautiful 42.5mm platinum case with a stunning salmon-colored dial. The dial features a nice sunburst finish, bringing life to the already impressive color. In this piece, the retrograde displays of the day on the lower half and the date on the upper half take center stage. Price is also unknown at the moment.
• The regular Overseas gets a slight refresh, as well. Until today, the line has been available in 41mm and 37mm options only, but Vacheron Constantin clearly saw enough demand for a smaller proposition, resulting in the release of the Overseas self-winding 35mm. The four references are split across two metals, available in stainless steel of 18k 5N pink gold, with the metals extending to the accompanying bracelets. Snazzing them up a little, the Maltese cross-inspired bezels of the diamond-set models are graced with 90 round-cut diamonds, guaranteeing a minimum of 0.86 carats Vacheron is tight lipped on the pricing of all of their models.

Chopard Shows Off The Ultra-Thin, Salmon Dial Chopard Alpine Eagle 41 XPS, the Alpine Eagle Cadence 8HF in Titanium, the L.U.C 1860 In Steel And A Crazy Imperiale High Jewellery Watch

• The Chopard Alpine Eagle is the family-owned brand's twist on the integrated bracelet sports watch, most popular in blue and then later green. Chopard now upgrades both the case and dial. Chopard has taken the AE and gone the ultra-thin route, creating a watch that is now just 8mm in thickness (the OG is 9.7mmm thick for comparison). In so doing, it has also adjusted the dial layout, forgoing a center seconds display in favor of small seconds – and, along the way, getting rid of the controversial date window. The salmon dial color, officially called "Monte Rosa Pink," contrasts against the lume-filled, distinctive, applied Roman numeral markings. This watch is not limited and will join the existing Alpine Eagle collection at It is a price of EUR 24,400.
• Another addition to the Alpine Eagle family is the introduction of the high frequency new titanium Alpine Eagle Cadence 8HFthat features a "pitch black" colored dial.
• There’s an addition to the L.U.C. Collection, as well with the new L.U.C. 1860 in a Lucent Steel case and solid-gold guilloché dial. It’s a classy thing at 36.5mm, with a salmon dial with a hand-guillochéd radiating pattern. It’s priced at $23,200.
• The Chopard IMPERIALE is a range of feminine watches typified by floral motifs and elaborate material decoration, however this new limited edition for Watches & Wonders is perhaps their most ambitious and glamorous display yet. For the latest Chopard IMPERIALE, the lotus flower has been revisited as the underlying theme of both the decorations and complications. The lotus is celebrated across many cultures and has a long list of significant associations, but this particular homage follows an Egyptian legend where the sun rises once the petals have opened at dawn before setting as the flower closes in darkness. You can see how the lotus has been represented with resplendent 18k rose gold, engraved delicately to show the texture of the petals. The top half of the flower has been skeletonised to reveal the dial underneath, which is actually a fully-revolving day/night indicator.

The New Oris ProPilot Altimeter Is Back Thinner Than Ever, And An Official Kermit Watch

• The deeply cool Oris ProPilot Altimeter is back, thinner and with a higher operating ceiling (up to 6,000 meters). It’s still a big boy at 47mm wide, but now 16mm thick. Yeah, it’s not thin, but it’s an improvement. The case is made of carbon fiber with a titanium bezel The Oris ProPilot Altimeter will be available starting in March of 2023 with a retail price of CHF 6,200 and buyers will be able to pick from two references, one that displays altitude in meters, or one in feet.
• The Rolex Kermit is no longer the only kermit watch. Oris has partnered up with Disney's The Muppets for a new ProPilot X Calibre 400 "Kermit Edition." Titanium case, titanium bracelet, in-house movement. And Kermit the Frog pops up once a month in place of the numeral "1" at the 6 o’clock date window. Priced at CHF 4,400, this just might be the deal of Watches & Wonders.

Parmigiani Fleurier Flys Under The Radar With A Slew Of Very Interesting New Watches

• Everybody was excited about what the big brands were showing at Watches & Wonders. A lot of people were disappointed as the majority of changes were introductions of new sizes and colors to watches that have been around for years. So they turned to smaller watchmakers. Like Parmigiani Fleurier, who knocked it out of the park with their offering. First up is the Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF Minute Rattrapante, which offers a similar design to last year’s GMT model, but reimagines the collection’s rattrapante mechanism to be a highly innovative feature for measuring elapsed time. Not only is the way the watch displays time innovative (go read the article, it just doesn’t fit here), it could be a great deal. That’s a funny thing to say about a watch that costs $30,600, but considering the materials (steel, platinum, gold…) and the tech in the in-house movement, it could be a steal.
• As mentioned, the Tonda PF Minute Rattrapante is very similar to the GMT and to differentiate them a bit, Parmigiani Fleurier gave it a very fancy update. The dial colour remains unchanged – that deep Milano blue featuring a guilloché main grain d’orge pattern, uninterrupted by unnecessary indices or logos, but the case gets an 18k rose gold update. This has a more substantial price of €57,630.
• Since Parmigiani Fleurier’s change of ownership and introduction of the Tonda PF range in 2021, the Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF Micro-Rotor has been a distilled representation of the brand’s DNA. It began with a subtle flex in stainless steel and a platinum bezel, then evolved into a soft rose gold edition, but now it embraces the power of platinum’s luxurious heft in a “stealth wealth” package. You will need wealth, as it will cost you CHF 85,000.
• Parmigiani Fleurier also updated their trio of calendar watches, those that famously tracked three different calendars - the most complete version of a constantly varying chinese Xiali calendar, an evolution of their 2011 islamic Hijri calendar table clock, now housed in a wristwatch, and finally, a watchmaking classic in a Gregorian Annual calendar.
• Lastly, there’s the Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF Flying Tourbillon, now with a Milano blue dial

Hublot Announces A LOT Of Watches. No, Really… 17 New Pieces

• Hating Hublot online has become a bit of a meme. But a meme that never gets old. I tried and tried, I just can’t get myself to care about Hublot watches. But, in the interest of journalistic integrity, I’ll run through all the thing they announced at Watches & Wonders. Hublot has partnered up with artist Takashi Murakami to create a series of watches that you can only own if you buy an NFT. Of course Hublot would release an NFT. They first came out with 13 watches, now they announce the other 12 models.
• Last year, as part of its novelties for 2022, Hublot unveiled the Square Bang collection, which takes the core aesthetic of its flagship Big Bang series and transforms it into a model with a square-shaped case. Now the Hublot Square Bang Unico Sapphire brings a full transparent sapphire case to the line.
• There’s also a new Square Bang in black ceramic.
• They have also upped the ante on exotic materials with a full carbon integrated bracelet for the new Hublot Big Bang Integrated Tourbillon Full Carbon priced at CHF120,000.
• Then there are the supremely awkward Hublot MP-13 Tourbillon Bi-Axis Retrograde and the Hublot Classic Fusion Chronograph Orlinski which comes in a subtle microblasted titanium case.

Beloved Independent Czapek Introduces A Skeleton Antarctique Révélation

• Dubbed Révélation, the latest addition to the Czapek Antarctique collection is a skeletonised beauty – more contemporary and technical than its predecessors but also more focused on classical horology. The independent watchmaker has stripped down its luxury sports watch to display its inner workings, an opportunity to show off the beauty of its micro-rotor calibre. It comes in a 40.5mm case version, fitted with a distinctive integrated steel bracelet with its C-shaped polished centre link. The price is set at CHF 38,000

The New Ulysse Nardin Freak ONE Adds Boost To The Brand’s Futurist Mission

• Ulysse Nardin has been making the Freak for 22 years and has been polarizing the watch community just as long. I’m in the “don’t like it” camp, but there’s no denying the amount of technical innovation that’s crammed in this watch, as well as the glimpse of the future for UN. They just won’t be in my consideration when I will be buying a €69,600 watch.

Frederique Constant Offers An Apology With A Real Tourbillon

• In 2022, Frederique Constant introduced an open-dial Classics Heart Beat Manufacture and it was met with outrage. The exposed balance wheel at 6 o’clock, however well executed, was a cheap trick mimicking the appearance of a tourbillon. Now FC is offering an apology with the Classics Tourbillon Manufacture, a very classy watch with a real tourbillon, but without the high-end tourbillon price. The new FC in a 18k rose gold case will set you back $24,595. Which, considering the other things we have seen at W&W is a deal.

Laurent Ferrier Introduces The Classic And Square Micro-Rotor Watches In Evergreen

• It’s now really official - green is the dial color of the year. Choices here are binary: choose either the 40mm round Classic case in 18kt red gold or the slightly more modern Square steel case measuring 41mm. Each features a 3 o’clock crown and a big, bright sapphire caseback that makes for great entertainment when viewing the highly decorated movement The Laurent Ferrier Square and Classic Micro-Rotor Evergreen are available now for 47,500 CHF and 57,500 CHF

F.P. Journe Delivers Biggest Joke Watch Of Watches & Wonders

• I’m not trying to denigrate F.P. Journe with this title. I think that their F.F.C. watch is actually very funny, along with being perhaps the most inventive watch of the year. Just look at it. The watch is just a fist with fingers that count out the hours. Is that not brilliant?

Kudoke Introduces the Kudoke 3

• German independent Kudoke has carved out its own niche with a distinctive blend of English-inspired movements and Germanic attention-to-detail in its Handwerk line of watches. The latest addition to the line is the Kudoke 3, which largely sticks to the successful formula of prior models, but offers a twist in the form of a split-level dial and triple-scale hour display.

The Hamilton Wandering Earth II Is A Limited And Off-The-Wall Chinese Movie Tie-In With A More Tame Version For The Rest Of Us

• This is a watch was not introduced at Watches&Wonders, but announced right before it, so I decided to include it here. Hamilton has great ties with the movie industry, popping up all over the place - most notably as one of the major plot devices in Nolan’s Interstellar. Most recently, Hamilton has worked with the Chinese production of the sequel to their hyper successful sci fi hit Wandering Earth, and the watch Brand is putting out two special edition models for fans of the movie. The first is a transparent plastic-cased regulator style piece, making an appearance in the movie itself. Powered by Hamilton’s H-12 calibre, a development of the ETA 2825-2, its black and white dial variants will be produced in very limited numbers of only 122 per colorway. However, this watch will be available only in mainland China.
• For the rest of us, Hamilton modified their Jazzmaster Thinline and gave it the same Solar System-inspired dial relief that can be found on the resin-cased piece. The watch comes with a black or white dial, with bright red hands. The case is 40mm and only 7mm thick. To get this thin at such a low price don’t expect a mechanical movement - it’s powered by the ETA 980.163, a quartz movement with a height of only 2.2mm. The special edition will be available from March 2023 worldwide at CHF 635 without tax.

The Louis Erard Excellence Marqueterie Is Likely Your Cheapest Way To A Handmade Marquetry Dial, If You Can Get It

• Another piece announced over the weekend before W&W. Louis Erard has quickly become known for its democratising approach to offering traditional métiers d’art to a broader public. That’s why nobody gasped in surprise that their latest model features an exquisite handmade dial using wood marquetry to depict an abstract cubist pattern. Handmade by artisan Bastien Chevalier, the 99 limited edition Excellence Marqueterie comes under EUR 4,000. The case is 42mm, 12.5mm thick and it’s powered by a Sellita SW261-1 automatic calibre with its customised Louis Erard rotor, but that’s less important in this watch - the chequerboard dial is completely hand made and each colour is sourced from a different kind of wood – the three shades of blue are applied to tulip tree wood, while the grey-stained areas are made of willow burl. Each cut has to be precise to a tenth of a millimetre to ensure composition without gaps. When you put so much work into the dial, of course there are no numerals on it and time is indicated by the signature blued fir tree hands of Louis Erard. The watch is limited to 99 pieces and retails for CHF 3,900 (excl. tax). At the time of writing they are still some for sale, so go and buy this now as it will the cheapest way you can get such a dial.

De Bethune are releasing its 31st in-house calibre in the DB Eight Chronograph Monopusher At An Eyewatering Price

• The first watch of De Bethune, the DB1, was a classic two-register chronograph with a mono pusher architecture. And following this tradition, the brand is now releasing DB Eight, a watch that pays tribute to the very elegant watch but, of course, with a twist. The 42.4mm case is made of polished titanium with ogive-shaped lugs and a very thin profile of 9.2mm, while the dial has Breguet numerals, blued hands and two different hand-guilloche patterns. Here comes the twist, with the unusual display for the chronograph function. The DB Eight appears first as a time-only watch with two seconds hand. But it’s not. Hours and minutes are in the center, and the rest is devoted to the Chrono, with a central seconds and a 60-minute sub-dial. The chronograph is actuated by the crown, which serves for winding, adjusting and starting the chrono. Inside the case is the hand-wound, in-house calibre DB3000. The brand’s 31st movement and a new development, it’s also the 4th monopusher chronograph conceived by Denis Flageollet, following the DB1, DB8 and Maxichrono. Price is set at CHF 85,000.

The Byrne GyroDial Zero Is Very Funky, Very 70s. Very Futuristic And Very Cool

• Not a W&W release, but very cool. Numerals on a dial are a thing of personal preference. Some like Roman, others Arabic. I prefer just markers. But what if you like all three but want to wear just one watch? Then get the Gyrodial, a watch from the new brand Byrne, where the markers rotate every 24 hours to change their apperance. To change its face on a daily basis, the Byrne GyroDial features cubes at 3, 6, 9 and 12 displaying digits or markers, each making a jump every day (at midnight or midday, depending on how you’ve set your watch) or on-demand via the crown. The latest version of the Byrne GyroDial, the Zero, no longer features a dial and exposes the magic tricks of its mechanism. With its monochromatic look, the Gyrodial feels more modern, industrial, and technical. The Byrne GyroDial relies on the automatic calibre 5555, developed and assembled with Le Temps Manufacture, a movement maker based in Fleurier, which works behind the scene for some of the greatest names in the industry. The watch comes in the brand’s distinctive case. Its cushion shape is enhanced by taut lines, a curved profile and a round bezel opening. Measuring 41.7mm in diameter, it is made out of grade 5 titanium with a mix of brushed and polished surfaces. The Byrne GyroDial Zero comes in two versions: Rhodium Silver or Black Rhodium, on a leather or rubber strap. The price is set at EUR 17,500.

-------------------------------------------------------------
If you would like to receive some additional watch-adjacent content, as well as this news overview, every morning Monday-Friday in the form of a newsletter feel free to subscribe. However, there is absolutely no need for you to subscribe, as all the news from the newsletter is posted here. It is only if you want to receive a couple of daily links that are not strictly watch-related and want to get this news overview in your inbox.

After high school, I had a friend breakup with one of my friends. I felt disrespected for months and after getting yelled at I kind of just like couldn’t deal with it anymore so I distanced myself and in turn she talked about me to two of my other friends and they went to her side (sides are stupid) without hearing me out or deciding to keep both of us as friends. They were kind of my main friend group at the time and because of that I really lost my close high school friends. I’m a sophomore now and have college friends, but it feels like everyone constantly talks about their high school friends and how their “best friends” are their high school friends and it makes me insecure because I don’t feel like i have close high school friends or even “best friends.” Hearing everyone talk about their best friends every day has made me feel a huge importance surrounding the topic of having best friends and now im so insecure and don’t know how to combat it especially when I hear people talk about their super close best friends from high school every day. i want to reach out to other people i know from childhood and high school but i am nervous and i feel like I need to have a tight knit close group or best friend from high school or i’m not valid.

Was on my local news website this morning and was very surprised to see 1 tiny little article on the shooting from Nashville. If the shooter was a white male there'd probably be 4 articles at a minimum
https://preview.redd.it/11k3lr0n5hqa1.png?width=1140&format=png&auto=webp&s=273ff877937adee1f8b57c2fc94f4b581ff71c32

I 19F have been with my girlfriend 20F for just over three years. She moved to my school in grade 10 and we immediately clicked becoming close friends until we started dating just before our last year of school. We are both currently at uni but go to two different ones in the same city.
We have never had any serious issues in our relationship before as we are both the type of people to communicate as soon as there is an issue. She has always been transparent whenever she feels upset about something (she is a psych major and literally perfect for her choice of field) and I really try to work through it with her so it doesn’t become an issue in the future. This is how I have always felt until a couple of months ago.
We’ve had the same friend group for years but at the end of last year I became quite close with a few girls from my course that had a lot more of the same interests and it's been really cool going out doing things that my other friends don’t really enjoy. I still adore my other friends and make time to hang out whenever I can but it has been a bit harder for all of us to get together because we're all doing different stuff right now.
My friends and I went out a lot last year and my gf only came out a few times because it’s not really her thing. My friend Lydia was broken up with by her gf (of 2 years) a couple of months back and since then we have started going out to a local lesbian bar which is one of our favourites. At first my gf didn’t care but I stayed over at Lydia's one night because she lives close and my gf was really weird about it. It annoyed me a little because I had stayed over many times when Lydia was with her ex and it was fine but now suddenly she’s single and she thinks I’d be the one to do something. Since then she’s been weird whenever I'm alone with Lydia even though I've told her so many times that I'm not interested. Lydia has even told her she’s not interested in anything other than a friendship especially since she still loves her ex. She also is weird about me needing to go to a lesbian bar when I could go to any bar. I don’t know why she’s suddenly jealous because she’s never acted like this with any other of my queer friends. I’ve tried to sit down with her so many times and she agrees and says she understands but I can tell that she doesn’t like it. I even asked her if she wanted to come with us and she always declines.
This past month since uni started back I’ve heard less and less from her and she keeps saying she’s busy whenever I ask to hang out, but whenever I'm doing something with my friends she texts me the entire time and calls if I don’t answer. I don’t know what to do to make her understand that there is nothing going on and I don’t know why she is now avoiding me. I have tried talking to her about it but she keeps insisting that nothing is wrong.
How do I fix this when she is refusing to talk to me?

Hello! I'm just gonna get straight to it
I'm a 23 year old dude, and live(d) in England my whole life, but ended up moving to Prague for (wait for it) more work.
I went to university in the UK to do biomedical sciences last year but wasn't a big fan of it. Still graduated with a CertHE but I've moved onto bigger things (literally) by switching to medical school in Europa, which I admit is kicking my ass right now.
Big fan of dark humor but not all dark humor (you know what I mean), here's a handy chart I made ArT iS mY pAsSiON, no but I like drawing things very very very poorly on my iPad with Apple Pencil ™ ™ ™ ™ and I’ll draw stuff for you too because why not, I like drawing things and they become less terrible as time goes on, you'll be able to see the improvement in (sorta) real time!
Now my main redeeming characteristic is my dog, this clown called tyson is my dearest friend and closest ally, bar none
Music is a tough one, to name a band I like off the top of my head and my favourite artist from that genre I'd have to say, Ki: Theory for electronica and Watsky who makes phenomenal concept albums and got me through some very tough times. I also play Guitar & Piano and had planned to pick up violin soon but I've been longing it off. Favourite song right now is Conversations by watsky. Also Cid Rim, also Four Tet, also so many others.
I speak, English, German, Czech and Latin, in that order of fluentness and I'm learning Spanish. I've learnt German as I want to move to Germany of them after I'm done with med school and single handedly save the NHS from the brink of collapse somehow, if there's any of it still left. We are taught Czech in class because we have to but that's through my university not as a hobby, it's hard but I can just about make sense of it. I also learnt latin in both high school and university because the medical system in mainland Europe is all in latin. Also trying to bolster my portfolio by learning c++ on the side too, but I feel at home with C-sharp and python the most.
Movie and TV fan would be an understatement, but wouldn't say I'm a critic. I LOVED Better call Saul even though I didn't want to buy into the hype initially, I begrudgingly admit that it is infact an incredible piece of media. So is Bodyguard on Netflix (which I highly recommend, it's got that guy who looks like he's always got a hamster in his mouth). I also watch and rewatch The Kingsman movies almost religiously, and I credit them with changing the trajectory of my life. I watch a lot of Mustard and Dankpods on youtube too, and Drew Gooden, cos he's Drew Gooden. Planes, defunct consumer electronics and over analysis of instagram ads is what I call peak media.
I love reading, Particular favourites are Fahrenheit 451, nineteen eighty four, the giver, brave new world and more! I just like the dystopian genre, it really sucks you in. I like the Halo novels too, been reading them since I was a kid. I'm just a fan of all things Halo, even the objectively bad rubbish. I'm a fan of dystopian sci fi whatever the medium i suppose. Also I don't care what anyone says the Kindle is better than real books, it just is. I've been told my accent is a bit odd because it's a mix of british and american (I don't know why, I've never been to the states) I assume since I'm learning more languages I'm sure it'll be even more of an amalgamation/abomination.
Any chance I get I'm trying to be mr worldwide and just go travelling anywhere and everywhere to see what the world has to offer, but I've been stuck to continental Europe for a while now :(
If you've gotten this far, then here's a very important very interesting tidbit: Me and my friends call tyson tyson the bison because he looks kinda like a bison if you close your eyes and imagine a bison. Let me know if you're down to talk! I'm not an expert on anything but can keep a conversation going on almost everything. Also more tyson pictures that's my main export, and that's probably definitely maybe not a bribe

So ngayong araw may pa-activity na by pair so as an introvert na walang kaibigan sa room, isa ito sa pinaka-ayaw ko kasi alam kong walang pipili sakin.
Pero i was wrong kasi yung katabi ko mismo na sobrang bait at talino ay niyaya ako na maka-partner nya, so nagulat ako kasi katabi lang din niya yung bestfriend niya, napatanong tuloy ako sa kanya kung sure ba siya na ako yung partner niya, nag yes lang siya. Sobrang nakampante agad ako.
Pero maya maya lang ay inaya naman siya ng bestfriend niya na sumali nalang sa kanila ng boyfriend niya, para trio sila. (Kasi may isang magtatatluhan) Kahit pa ALAM niya na ako na yung pinili.
Pero sabi nung katabi ko ay ako na nga daw ang ka-partner niya. Tapos pabiro pang sinabi sa bestfriend niya na ayaw niya yata akong ipartner sa kanya tapos natahimik nalang yung bestfriend.
Idagdag ko pa dito yung nangyari nung isang araw, nung pe namin at badminton ang laro.
Yung katabi ko na iyon ay niyaya din ako na makipaglaro(graded na yung laro) sa kanila ng bestfriend niya. Balak niya ay by four kami kaso di pumayag yung bestfriend kasi mas madali daw kapag duo lang. I mean oo tama naman siya pero sana iconsider niya man lang na kailangan ko din na magka grade. Isang laro lang naman yun eh.
Sobrang nasaktan ako sa mga actions nung girl classmate ko a.k.a the bestfriend ng sobrang bait kung seatmate. Tbh close kami noon at nakakakwentuhan ko din siya pag minsan, di ko alam nangyari.
I guess dahil sa iniwan siya nung dati nyang bestfriend? Takot sya na baka sakin sumama yung katabi ko, na sobrang imposible namang mangyari kasi ang habol ko lang naman ay grades para di magkulang activities ko.
Kung ano man ang reason ay sana marealize niya kung anong impact nung simpleng ginagawa niya sa sensitive person na tulad ko. Wala na nga akong friends, at marami din akong problema sa bahay, nakakawalang gana na tuloy pumasok sa school. Yun lang hehe, I just want to get this all out.

Hi guys, not sure if anyone can actually help me with this but it’s worth a shot. I’m 20 and summer of next year I’m graduating with a biomedical science (Genetics mod b.a) degree from the top rated school in my country (in Europe but I’ll leave for cash). My original plan was to do postgraduate medicine but I realised big fat no. I then considered genetic counselling but the world of science and academia isn’t me. I considered dropping out a couple months ago for that along with a myriad of other reasons (including how shitty my course is) however I decided to just graduate so I can say I haven’t wasted 3 years of my life. My issue is with my degree there isn’t much I can do without a phd or at least a masters other than being a lab tech and earning close to nothing in this current economy. My question is what job or career path can I get or work towards that won’t require me to get another bachelors and will make me money. All I want in life is financial stability. I have no passions in a work sense so I doubt I’ll find anything that’ll ever really fulfil me but if I can use it to fund my passions I’ll be happy. Any help would be wildly appreciated

More details can be found here.

I’m currently a high school student studying in Shanghai, China. I took my essay test last year and it was awful. Therefore, I took the digital test on March 11 this year. I have to say that I don't feel that the digital SAT test has improved any of the problems I had before.
Before I start to explain the whole thing, I have to make it clear that I am not here to complain about the shortcomings digital test, I just want to point out that it does not solve the problems I encountered previously in the paper exam.
The first thing is the problem of offline exams. Since CollegeBoard does not offer service in the Chinese mainland, I had to bring my own computer, take an airplane to Macau, and take this test on my own computer. I don’t really get the idea, can’t I just take it at home? What’s the difference? In fact, there are already many digital exams that can be taken at home, and they have well-established supervision plans to prevent cheating. The whole process of SAT computer-based exam is completely same as other standardized tests, such as TOEFL, except that it must be taken offline, which means I still had to travel long distances with great hassle to take the exam.
And they now cut the test time and the amounts of questions to make the test less stressful and easier. Granted, the time is much sufficient, for the essay test I seldom reach the history passage (I did the science passages first, then the novel, and finally the history one), while now I am able to finish almost all questions. But I really doubt they are making this test less stressful. The inconsistency of passage bothers me, every passage along with its corresponding question is a completely new topic, and I have to constantly pay close attention so I can switch from one topic to another rapidly. THAT IS EXHUASTING. Also, in the digital test if you get a few (six I think) questions wrong, then 700 will be your maximum English score, which makes me really tense during the test.
CollegeBoard also said that SAT is transforming to digital test partly because they hope student won’t have to wait long before they get their score, that “student and educators will receive scores faster- in days, not weeks.” That was really inspiring to hear at first, it usually took about two weeks to get my score, and man I felt so nervous during the wait. But when the test is over, I was told by bluebook that I still have to wait for two weeks to get my score. All right, so I waited for two weeks, and I was told again that my score is now pending for some reasons and I have to wait for three weeks to get the score and I still don’t get my score today. Say, that is even longer than before, what are they literally changing?
Another thing, is it really fair to give every student a unique test form? I know all the vocabularies in my classmate’s vocabulary questions, while all choices in my test are strange to me. And I’m pretty sure we are all in hard division. Am I unfortunate so I’m receiving a test form harder than others? This idea really upsets me.

One of my behavior students had a pretty good morning yesterday. He didn't do his science work (even though we did it whole class) but he put his head down and stayed quiet instead of having an outburst.
At lunch they have assigned seats. He sits by one of his close friends. Apparently the friend said something he didn't like and put his hands around the friend's neck. The lunch monitor told him to stop and when he wouldn't she told him to go to the office. He stormed out and tried going out the back door.
He's suspended for the rest of the week. It's more work for me to send his mom stuff for at home, but at least he won't bother me or anyone else during school. Happy almost spring break!!!

Before I was born and my parents were married, my mom told me that she used an IUD for some time. But then my dad told her that she was better off without it, because she "didn't know if she was fertile or not'' and that if she didn't want to get pregnant she should just follow her natural cycle. Well, one of those days of natural cycle they forgot she was fertile and she got pregnant. My dad was the kind of man who would always say that he wanted children and would love them. I was born, and he didn't even pay much attention to me. This is irresponsible, because he put his wife at risk of pregnancy when he actually wasn't interested in being a parent like my mom.
He even felt a bit jealous of me, I know this because my mom said that one time my month old self, her, and dad got back home after long work hours, and we were all hungry and tired. However, mom had to change my diapers, and wasn't making any food for anyone except me first. So my dad lashed out at her saying things like "why does she always come first?'' "Why do you take care of her before my food?'' ( I think this is what my mom said).
When they got divorced I was one month old, or maybe two? The thing is, I remember my mom saying to me honestly "when we divorced, the only things he cared about keeping was his car, and the things he bought during the marriage.'' After this divorce he disappeared out of my life, he didn't even care to be present at all for at least the first 3 years of my life. Mom said that he lived close by to us but never even cared to check on me.
After I was 3 years old, my dad had gotten married again, and had my sister. Basically, he didn't even pay attention to his first kid and is already trying for a second. Nice choices we're making. Close to this timing, one of my aunts (also his aunt) and my grandmother (who is his mother), kind of persuaded him to show up back into my life, so he decided to file a lawsuit against my mom for "separating me from him'' which he lost. However, the judge did agree that he should take some responsibilities because after all he was my parent. They suggested him that he should take me to school, or go visit me more often. However, he refused this and said that that would be too much of a waste of gasoline which is expensive, he even had the audacity to demand in court that my mom PAID HIM gasoline to go see me.💀 However, even if he felt like he couldn't do these tasks, he didn't feel much like volunteering for any other expenses or responsibilities. He just wanted control over a kid but without making much sacrifices. He later disappeared again like he always does, like he knows I exist but ignores it.
When I was a kid growing up, the school staff from my kindergarten noticed that I drew weird family pictures whenever they asked us to "draw our family'' because I never drew my dad in it. So they started to ask "where's (insert name)'s dad?" And my mom had to tell them the truth. Sometimes throughout my childhood I did compare myself to other families who did have a dad and wondered why I wasn't like them. When I was around 8, dad was still absent like always but I did go out with him a few times, almost all of the times that I went out with him were because I had to request my mom to see him so that I could tell him (through a call) that I wanted to go out with him. I WAS A KID MAKING THE FIRST MOVE ON COMMUNICATION WITH THEIR PARENT WHEN IT SHOULD BE ALL THE WAY AROUND. FYI I forgot to mention that these going outs kept happening until I was 10.
After some time I moved from my country of origin, which is where he lives, and I finished getting raised in the US. After my teen years I started noticing all of the reasons that make my dad bad parent. When I ask him why he's always been absent in my life he always puts the same excuses of "your mom and I were divorced'' or "she was getting you away from me.'' FYI my sister did have a close relationship with him because they lived together until she was 7, and after his divorce from her mom they kept contact. So at least I know that he didn't make with her all of the mistakes he did with me. However, I can't judge how well his parenting was with her because I don't know too much behind appearances.
I have expressed to him many times how I feel after I started realizing that he isn't a good parent, every time he wants to talk to me I'm so prideful and so defensive, I just don't trust him. He has even apologized to me for being "a bad parent''. I know he's never gonna change, he's never going to be like my mom, a real parent. He's the kind of person to say hello today and then never talk to you again for months. And on top of the fact that I know the way he is, he still has the audacity to say "I love you"? Excuse me? How does that make sense? It gives me cringe whenever he says that and I never wanna say it back.
yesterday I was talking to my mom about how ironic it is for men to want to have children they don't want to take care of after we casually mentioned my dad, she replied "And you're telling me? Most men are that way.'' To all women out there, there is no way of surely foretelling if this "daddy left the chat'' narrative will happen to you if you want a baby with someone, due to the fact that everyone is different. When you choose to have children, besides considering all the sacrifices you are going to have to make as a mother, also consider that your husband who supposedly "loves you'' today, can have a bad relationship ending with you at any minute and leave the responsibilities of being both mother and father only to yourself. :)
FYI: All of the crudely truthful things my mom told me about my dad were after I was teen and started asking some questions about dad, beforehand I didn't think about any of this much. This info I tell is based on what mom has told me and some of the things I know myself from experience.
Sorry for the long thread, thank you for reading!