Is left eye twitching good luck

One thing I learnt from my parents was how not to live my life. I'm not really "living the life" either it's mostly pathetic and I'm aware of that no shame. But I definitely know what not to do after I do get my life back on track. And my parents also gave me the best relationship advice anyone can get. You know you hear these people and read comments giving advice when to leave when there's a toxic relationship or what are the red flags. They only tell you and you read words you don't really get it first hand. But I had the blessing to get those first hand by watching not by reading or listening.
I got a brother he's the sanest person in my family. He raised me literally. My brother as my father figure. You think this is sad but let me tell you he's the best father there can be. He doesn't have a kid yet but I know he'll be the best dad ever. Atleast he was for me, it's as if God said "oops i forgot to give you a proper dad. Here I hope this helps." Raised by an elder sibling my whole life lmao. When he left home after he graduated I was devastated but also happy for him. Now my mom was there for me. Like she's the best of the two partners here. She gave up her dignity and respect for us. Now I know she tried to set an example as to how to maintain the marriage but honestly I really don't see it. Tbh she's really naive her whole life she has been like that. She endured. My entire dad's family gave shit to her and she endured because of us. She sacrificed but I honestly don't know if it was good or bad. I can't judge here since for me she has been my superhero the savior in my family. My mom comes first always and then bro. If my mom couldn't handle something she used to pass it bro and somehow I always listened to him. Now when it comes to my dad. Tbh I never really knew him until he retired from office. I used to be very oblivious to what was going in the house. Maybe my bro kept me distracted cuz after he left I always used to hear fights and bullshit drama and screaming. It's as if I was in an entirely different household. I asked my bro and he said well it always has been like that. You never noticed?
LMAO
Anyway I plan on doing many things after I get my first salary. First would be to get my mom a ticket to her hometown where she can be with her mom and probably buy her things she never got from her husband. For example, a lipstick.
Now this post my seem like I'm villainising my dad which I don't really intend to. It's just some of the truth i faced in my life because these are the memories i have and these were the things I saw and heard in my household. But I love my dad regardless. Maybe it's just he doesn't love us back the same way but he's my dad how can I not? He worries about me and yk taught me things like a dad would. He just never loved or cared enough to show i guess. That's why my bro always came first because he was there for me more than my dad he taught me more things and he showed me how much he loved me. Even in school parents teachers meet it always used to be my mom who showed up never my dad. My dad never kept any info about my academics. Always my mom. The one time maybe in 8th grade my mom couldn't come so my bro came to meet the teachers.
My bro has been there but also my dad on certain occasions. But it used to be mostly my bro so thats why I consider him more as my father figure. But that doesn't make my dad any less of a dad.
I request you all if you want to comment don't say anything bad about him. He has his own ways and I know him more than any of you guys. That's how he was raised by my grandma and he lives like that so nothing wrong. There's no bad or evil person in this rant just a morally gray area for me. I just wanted to share this to feel lighter. I can't share or talk about this to anyone i know personally so here it is.
If bad English please ignore since I wrote this on the spot.

I just moved to England from the US and drove for the first time on the left side of the road/sitting on the right side of the car. I consider myself to be a pretty good/safe driver in the US and thought I'd adapt easily but my first little 10 minute drive to the local grocery store wasn't exactly a confidence booster. I'm not forgetting to stay left or anything like that but I just seem to be having a hard time judging my distance and consequently hit the left curb twice in 10 minutes, once from hugging the left a little too tightly and once coming out of a roundabout. I was feeling so crummy I had my husband drive home. :(
Everyone (my husband included) makes the change look and sound so easy so I really thought I'd take to it right away and now I'm feeling super anxious about getting behind the wheel again. Don't even talk to me about parking LOL.
I can't tell if I'm hugging the left because I'm nervous about being too close to the middle and fear of hitting a car on the right side or if I'm not turning sharply enough because we have a 2005 pretty banged up rental car and the turning radius/smoothness is nothing like what my 2017 car was in the US.
This should've been a relatively easy drive and I will be facing much more narrow roads and multiple lane roads in the future than what I just drove. Also having a baby in two months and just feeling super anxious. I know I just need time and practice but any advice you all have for adapting more quickly/not being such a curb hitter?

Hello everyone. I am(27F) working in IT industry in a well known international company and was looking for a job in Europe for a long time now. Recently I have got offer from a company, but then I talked with my manager about the offer and she said it’s possible for me to change my position within the company to another country and she said she will support it. So I rejected the other one, I wasn’t feeling it anyway.
Then out of blue an opportunity came up, and someone(from European country) left the position who works in the same project as me. Now I am in the process of that position in that European country at my current company. By process I mean I only applied for it. But the chances are really high, because I have already been working with the manager for a year now, who is the manager of the open position. And if I got the job, I will be doing the same tasks as I do now in the same project. So kinda only the location will change. Some of the inputs:
-we are already having bi-weekly meetings with the manager, since I am supporting the project that his team is responsible, but he is not my direct manager or anything -he openly talks about the process and lets me know about the updates, when the interviews will start etc. -I know everyone in the team where the open position is, I join the team events -here I work with a toxic colleague(kinda) in the project and it’s not gonna change for at least 2 years.
Pros: + I know the people, they are okay + I will be doing the same tasks + it might look better in cv for continuity + comfort zone + almost always home office + city is okay + well known company
Cons: - Toxic project manager - not gonna be like a fresh start, idk - company is a little traditional
And meanwhile I was also applying for other positions. And one of the companies, which is a well known company, sent me an interview. It’s an IT job but not in the IT department. And it went really well. After a while they sent me the second interview but they want to do it in person, so they will be buying the flight tickets and making the hotel reservations etc. But the thing is I didn’t mention that I am in the process of another position in my current company. Okay, they asked, and I kinda lied. Because I thought it might affect the interview in a bad way. I am sorry, I feel bad. Anyway. Now I am not sure if I should go to this interview. Because it’s gonna make it really hard in case I decide to reject it, because of all the expenses they are gonna make.
Pros of this job: + well known company + fresh team + I got the good vibes from people in interview + challenging, hence self-development (or mental breakdown lol)
Cons: - the city is really really small - I will be working kinda alone, there will be no one to support me with my technical questions if I stuck somewhere, and it kinda scares the hell out of me, I have a really low self confidence - they want me to go to the office almost everyday for at least 4-5 months to learn things, but normally they work 2-3 days from home in a week
So neither of them is certain. But if they offered me the position the conditions will probably be the same, because they both are in the same union. But I don’t care about the money much. My mental health is more important. So given these inputs the first question is should I go to the interview? Second question which one sounds better? Here I am asking for advice from strangers, because I unfortunately have no one around to advise me, so I would appreciate any comment. Thank you and have a nice day.

I love burgers but I hate butchers. Is there any good burgers in supermarkets ? or at least ok ones ? I am looking more like an actual burger taste compared to McDonalds burger which does not taste and feel like a burger at all. I bought one from Lidl (from meat section) which looked like made from minced meat, so it looked like an actual burger but the taste and the smell was terrible. I could not even finish it. Does anyone have recommendations ? I have lidl, aldi and albert heijn close by but surely suggestions from other supermarkets could help some other people as well. I am also living very close to Germany so I can try my luck from there as well.

Sorry guys I know the picture is so terrible 😭 but I have arachnophobia and so this is really the closest I would get to it.
First off- I will say even though I have arachnophobia I will ALWAYS release them outside, I will be a crying, blubbering mess and will scream like a 5 year old girl back to my house but I don’t like killing anything.
Anyway, THIS particular spider has it out for me lol, I’ve had three bites all in the same place (few inches apart) on my left calf when I’ve been walking around my room nonchalantly (as I have the right to do). Thought maybe it was a wasp and thought nth of it when I started seeing the spider crawling off after the bite.
Same feeling everytime, like I was cut with glass, then just a really dull ache and total numbness for a few minutes and struggling to actually put weight on it for like a good 5 minutes each time
Anyway, so last night at 5am I’m walking to the bathroom and I see the same darn spider as I turn around, RUNNING RIGHT AT ME ANKLES from behind. Needless to say I soared into the air very gracefully, like a gazelle and ran away sobbing- slept on the sofa downstairs.
I’ve never been bitten by a spider, plus so many times, they’re total surprise attacks and it’s not helping my arachnophobia. Can anyone help me identify what it could be? What have I done to upset it? Anyway my calf is in a lot of pain so it’s got a nasty bite

Out there - Patreon (for all those curious or wanting to support :))
At the Beginning
Adventure Arc - Arc 2
Wilderness Arc - Arc 3
Academy Arc - Arc 4
Previously on Leveling up the World…
 
PERSONAL AWAKENING
​
Orange clouds floated on a purple sky. There had been a time when Dallion would have found such a sight breathtaking, or at the very least remarkable. Now, it was just another day in his realm. Sitting at the top of Onda’s tower, Dallion stared into the distance.
“Hey, old man!” the teen nymph shouted. “You’re messing up the look!”
If there was one person whose arrogance had grown along with Dallion’s it was Onda. The hammer guardian had always seen himself as a genius and, thanks to the Moonstone in the realm, his opinion of himself had grown even further.
“You’ve no idea how much time and skill it took to get it right!”
Funny. Up to today, Dallion hadn’t minded the attitude. In fact, he hadn’t even noticed it.
“I need some assistance,” he said, glancing down.
At the comment, the guardian froze. There was a spark of emotions within him that was quickly subdued.
“She said not to encourage you,” Onda whispered.
“Harp?” Dallion split into a few instances and looked around. “I won’t be doing anything reckless,” he said with a sigh. “It’s forging related.”
“Forging?” The guardian didn’t sound convinced.
“A while back, you said that there are more complicated things than crafting metals. I want to learn magic crafting.”
“Magic crafting?” Onda shivered slightly while saying the magic word.
“Whatever the proper term is. I know you can do it, so—”
“Can’t.” The guardian quickly interrupted. “She said no magic.”
“Seriously?” Dallion grumbled. “Harp!” he shouted in the direction of the harpsisword’s tower.
Other than a few waves, there was no reaction. Harp was determined not to meddle in his development, and that included not helping him with anything magic related, at least for the time being. After what had happened in Lanitol, Dallion would have thought that he’d be given a pass for reasonable requests. Apparently, that wasn’t the case.
In all honesty, his request wasn’t exactly safe or random. The thought of challenging the archduke’s son had made him remember the duel they’d had back in Nerosal, including the origami weapons the noble had used. Creating such a weapon would be very beneficial in more ways than one. For one thing, Dallion was considering upgrading Lux’s home. Having the firebird follow him about like a bladebow with kaleidervisto sights was starting to get bothersome.
“What about enchanting?” Dallion asked. “I’ve already done that many times.”
The nymph shook his head.
“That was temporary.”
Maintaining his calm exterior, Dallion waited for a short while longer, then left his realm. The first thing he felt was a wave of air hitting him in the face. Moments later, his senses returned to normal.
Normally, entering a realm while flying wasn’t the best of ideas, but it didn’t count while on a cloud fort. Initially, Dallion had wanted to avoid the fuss, but when the squad of furies within the cloud had offered to take them, the choice was made for him.
Aware of their emotions, he knew that the offer was extended mostly because of Diroh. While guard furies assisted mages, they rarely went out of their way to catch up to one mid flight. The rumors of her being royalty must have spread.
“You can rest a bit,” the fury told Dallion. He was a seasoned veteran who didn’t have time for all the rank bullshit. “We won’t reach the Academy till tomorrow.”
One additional day. If Dallion had continued flying on his own, he’d have been there by now.
“Any news?” he asked, suppressing a yawn.
“Where do I start? The Azures are gathering armies in the northeast. Mages too. I’m expecting a major clash in a month at most. The new archduke is also positioning her forces. Now that she’s been given the new spot, she can’t afford to mess up.”
It was tempting to crack a smile. It would be nice if Priscord got humiliated in the upcoming battle, but that was unlikely to happen. The emperor had picked her for the position, which meant that he’d back her up with some of his legions. Losing two archdukes in the same area wasn’t something that would look good.
“Lots of crimsons are also there,” the fury continued. “At least we get to enjoy the skies here for a while.”
Dallion nodded. He, too, was going to join them.
“A bunch of rogues formed a new enclave in the west. It’s out of the empire, so no one’s bothering for now. I told some of your lot that it’s a mistake. No one listened.”
“Someone will take care of them.”
The west, at least, was deprived of any presence. Only the Order was slowly spreading in that direction. No wonder the last Star had made his stronghold there.
“There’s been a few skirmishes in the southeast, but nothing major. The Alliance is keeping the Azures in check. Only minor kingdoms are poking about, trying to get themselves noticed by one of the powers.”
“Yes, everyone’s choosing sides.”
That was true and things were only going to get tougher. Settlements, cities, even small countries were quick to ally themselves to one of the three powers. Even before the war began, several of the minor players had made their intentions known. Most had allied to the empire. Now that its position was shaky, they were looking at the other options. It didn’t end with whole settlements either. Guilds and trade organizations had been moving about, going further to the heart of the empire or out of it. Even hunter dens weren’t immune.
Before leaving Lanitol, Dallion had flown by the structure out of a feeling of nostalgia. What he found was an empty lot. He had expected some of the hunters to have gone—there were many dwarves among them. Yet, the building was missing as well. A more optimistic person might have assumed that the hunters had found a way to take their den as they left the city. In reality, it had likely been absorbed by the overseer. Neutrality was a dangerous notion, especially if those proclaiming to be neutral were strong.
“Over a dozen ghost towns have formed on the border,” the fury said. “If they remain too long without a master, the wilderness will take them.”
“That’s how it usually works.”
The fury glanced at Dallion sideways, but didn’t add anything more. It was obvious he wanted to know more about the fury, just as it was obvious that Dallion had no intention of sharing. The moment of calm had given him a while to relax, and now that adrenalin had loosened its grip, less immediate concerns had resurfaced.
Prophecies, he said to himself. So far, he had heard two. The first had come from a nymph sheet acquired years ago. The dwarf hunter who had found it swore that an otherworlder would bring to the end to the world, or at the very least a substantial change. When combined with what Cleric had shared, the worst might have come to pass. It was Dallion who had made it possible for Adzorg to construct his device. If he found the final pieces, he might pop the barrier between worlds like a soap bubble, letting void creatures pour into reality unimpeded.
If there was nothing you could do, the Order wouldn’t have sent you, Gen said from Dallion’s realm. There’s no point in perfect prophecies.
There is if all you need to do is hide, Dallion replied mentally.
If you’re hiding, you’re not doing it very well.
Dallion smiled. His echo had a suitable sense of humor, even if it didn’t help particularly right now.
“What about vortex gleams?” Dallion asked.
“Vortex gleams,” the fury repeated. “There’s talk of a few out east. The crimsons will know more. They don’t tell the rest of us much.”
“Right.” Dallion leaned back in the sea iron mesh that served as a chair. “Wake me up when we get to the Academy. Don’t stop for anything until we get there, not even assists.”
“You’re the mage.”
If the flight was eventful, Dallion never got to learn about it. Over a day, he spent the time sleeping. To a large part, that was to diminish the fatigue that had stacked up in the last six months. More importantly, though, he was hoping to have a Moon dream. With the curse, he hadn’t been getting anything that might help. This time was no different, although it didn’t bring nightmares either. All it brought was a whole lot of blankness: Dallion closed his eyes one moment, then when he opened them again, he was a few hundred feet from the battle mage building. According to the armadil shield, they had been there for hours, but no one had dared wake him up.
How nice of them, Dallion thought and sat up.
The fury on guard was new—far younger than the previous one, tasked with keeping the cloud stable. Everyone else, Diroh included, was gone.
“Where’s everyone?” Dallion cracked his back. Sleeping on war clouds wasn’t as comfortable as people assumed it would be.
“Your novice was escorted into the building, battle apprentice,” the fury replied, using Dallion’s standard title. “All your things were moved to your room as well.”
“And the furies?”
“They were sent out on another cloud. Katka ordered that we leave you to sleep undisturbed, so—”
“I get the picture.”
Dallion cast a spell, rising up from the cloud. Without a word of thanks, he floated straight to Katka’s room on the upper floor of the building, then went inside. The magic symbols on the walls glowed brighter as he passed. Recognizing him as belonging here, they remained in their present state.
The moment he flew in, the room widened, increasing tenfold in size. This wasn’t normal. Katka wasn’t a fan of modifications, preferring to keep things as they were. Ironically, that made many of the Academy mages see her as a snob. In their eyes, illusions weren’t good enough for her, since she resorted to getting the actual physical thing and bringing it here.
The current modification spell had turned the room into a modern Earth corporate office. There was lots of space, full of desks, cheap plants, water coolers and a glass walled meeting room at the far side. Looking closely, Dallion saw four figures gathered there.
Just great, he thought.
The archmage was present along with Katka. The other two were silhouettes made of cloud matter and water, respectively. That meant that the entire Shimmering Circle had gathered to discuss something. Since Dallion had joined, there had been only one similar meeting. Back then, the “woman” Dallion had seen in Gassil’s memory fragment had also been there, even if no one had formally introduced her to him. There were a few more instances in which she had taken shape to discuss something with Katka. As for the last member, he remained completely unknown. Dallion was aware of his existence, but nothing more.
“Dal,” the archmage’s voice echoed throughout the room, as if he were using loudspeakers. “Join us.”
Taking a deep breath, Dallion made his way to the door of the meeting room and went inside. The conference table was large enough to hold eight people. The seat next to Katka was left free, indicating he was supposed to take it.
“This must be important.” Dallion said, using his magic vision in an attempt to see the people behind the constructs. He was able to see the magic threads connecting the forms to invisible portals, but not what lay beyond. “First time I see everyone gathered.”
The sharp look the archmage gave him quickly told Dallion to tone down the humor.
“We heard what happened down south,” the man said. “What are your dealings with the Order?”
“You know I can’t tell you that,” Dallion said calmly. “Moon vows and all that.”
“Convenient.”
“What I can say is that the Azures tried to take out the archduke.” There was a moment’s pause. “And myself.”
“You were targeted?” Katka asked, more surprised than intrigued.
“I guess Grym is still mad at me for last time. They managed to put echoes in a lot of the people at the banquet. Most of them were normies, but there were a few awakened… as well as the local mage.”
“We know,” the archmage said. “Would have been nice to bring one of them alive for questioning.”
“Wasn’t my fault. The archduke absorbed all the evidence. I did manage to get the mage’s robe, though. If there’s anything to be learned, I’ll find it.”
“Such a marvelous ability,” the cloud woman said. “Sometimes you make me envious.”
“That’s not why I called for this,” the archmage hissed. “A messenger arrived from the emperor himself. The vortex gleam that was spotted not too long ago wasn’t the only one. As it turns out, it’s only a drop in the bucket. There have been twenty-seven confirmed sightings, but unlike the last one, the levels are much higher.”
Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this story, consider joining my patreon or check out my other stories on redditserials:
The Scuu Paradox (a Space Opera Sci Fi)
The Cassandrian Theory (a Space Opera Sci Fi)
The Impeccable Adventure of the Reluctant Dungeon (Dungeon Core Adventure Comedy)
Uncharted Waters (An Urban Fantasy Detective Noir)

Got it done this morning, took 21 consecutive raids, died 4 times prior, and didn't refresh the quest so it was 38 consec kills total. Quick guide on I did it, anyone can run this strat, don't have to be a W-key gigachad. I have a birthday party to get to, but I'll expand on this later tonight.
We're going to be running Shoreline, daytime. If you want, find a dead server as well. Take a FLIR and a 7.62x51 gun, probably with full auto available in case of players. I used a Mk17 w/ 2 mags of M62 and 2 of M60, M60 in the chamber. M62 was for players only, don't want tracers giving away your position.
No matter where you spawn, get onto the Red route as soon as possible. Same route either direction. It keeps you entirely out of Bloodhound max range, which is 150-155m during the day, with the exception of if you see them at Village and peek the hill at Firing Position 3. FP 1 and FP2 are completely out of their range.
Key Points:
-Get in and out of raid as quickly as possible. Each run should be 10-12 minute, tops. Check the spawns, kill what you can, and then get to exfil. SJ6 in, SJ6 out if you can afford it.
-AVOID PMC FIGHTS. Even if you have a 70/30 chance of winning, you have a 100% chance of surviving fights you don't take. I only engaged PMCs if I knew I had zero choice, I ran from every other fight
-*NO LOOTING* You're here for kills, not stuff. Get in, get out. We can farm the Bloodhounds easier on Customs if you want their stuff.
-Be patient, wait for them to stop moving, get a headshot. They'll probably run around, but they'll come back and stop moving at some point. The FLIR latency sucks, only take extra shots if you're good with leads.
-Don't be afraid to break off and exfil even if you see them and don't kill all of them. If you hear a fight headed your way, or see PMCs moving to engage the Bloodhounds, just leave. Some rounds I only got a couple of them, then just left because I didn't like the Village positions or I heard grenades moving my direction.
-Use the thermal to scan aggressively on your way along the route for players. Once you hit a Firing Position, scan the spawns. The Bloodhounds look and move differently than scavs, and they pack up and move as a squad a lot. Every 10-12 seconds, scan for players.
​
Good luck guys. This is a dumb quest and I hated doing it, it got the stress up high but I disliked it immensely. I just don't feel like just the best players should get to buy BP, so hopefully this helps the average gamer.

So here's where I'm at. I'm considering applying for a major tuition-for-work scholarship that requires a security clearance. Basically, you get a full-ride scholarship, and in exchange, you work a certain number of years for the government. If I receive this scholarship, I'll receive a scholarship for 2 1/2 years, and work in turn for another 2 1/2 years. This ties me in government work until halfway through 2029. If I lose the clearance (and therefore the scholarship), I will be forced to pay back equivalent to the number of years I have left to work.
​
The issue here is that I'm transgender and relatively unconfident that I can keep a clearance for that long. I am worried about the current state of US politics, and I know that, given an unfriendly federal government, my access to HRT (hormone replacement therapy) will be at risk. Other trans women in my situation have DIY HRT to fall back on (estrogen purchased through shady sources). However, I need to know the state of my security clearance before being forced to make difficult decisions related to my work and healthcare.
​
I have never purchased or used DIY HRT. So, for now, I believe I'm good for a security clearance.
​
To some extent, I know I'm spiraling. I know that, for right now, HRT for adults is not at significant risk. Despite this, I want to be prudent. If I used DIY HRT, would I be at risk of dismissal? Keep in mind, this is not a controlled substance, just a prescription.

Long post with the race breakdown:
Is there a Checkpoint mod (cheat) that allows you to skip them? The reason I ask is that I was in an online race yesterday at the old airstrip and saw someone miss them and not get respawned.
I was racing a pair of Ford Lightnings (husband and wife, their usernames match up except one had Wifey on the end). Horizon Tour CO-OP 3 race, Cross Country. To set the stage, myself and the 2 Lightnings were P1-3 the entire time for all 3 races...nobody else was even close after 30 seconds into the race.
The first race I was leading and pulling away, but then both of them caught up together, I overcooked a wide sweeping turn and went off course a little and they went by me. I got it together and started chasing them down. They were slightly faster on the straights but I was better in the corners and from start launch. Long straight after my corner mishap and they gapped me, I gained on them but couldn't overtake before the finish, got P3, behind them by a few seconds. I thought that I'd seen them cut a fee CPs but shrugged it off.
Second race was a figure 8 circuit, short straights, my advantage. I took P1 fairly quickly with the Lightnings P2 and 3. The corners allowed me to gap them further and I had a good lead into Lap 3. But about halfway around the P2 Lightning was within striking distance, out of nowhere it seemed. I pooched a corner and the Lightning was now only a fee lengths back. They passed me on the final longer straight before the last few corners, I pulled them in on the corners but could get around on the final finish straight. I took P2. Didn't see if missed CPs since never behind them until very end.
Final race is at the Airstrip. A Lightning and I are side by side at start, make our way through first few CPs but looked as if they cut inside one but wasn't definite. Stayed within a few lengths of each other the whole race, me in P2. We gap the field but I can't overtake him, too fast on the longer runs and not enough tighter cornering for me to take advantage of. But then halfway into Lap 2 appears the 2nd Lightning right on my tail. This is when I saw obvious missed CPs with no penalty (respawn), and they missed by what would be at least 10-15' on one and 5' on another if irl. The 10+' on was on theist big sweeping corner. I was on the inside just barely inside the CP and see them to my far left barely missing the inside trees coming by me. She (its the Wifey) goes wide in the turn exit and I pull up next to her. We head into Lap 3 and she cuts the first CP by at least 5' and overtakes me. This one was so obvious that they slowed up and fell in behind me, as if they'd been caught cheating. They didn't even challenge me the rest of the lap. I finished P2, never caught P1 Lightning and was totally distracted by what just happened.
I had a convoy teammate in the races with me, but not real close by to witness this also, but they did say it seemed the Lightnings just took off at some.ppint and were way ahead and on my tail...he was getting beat up by the AI most of the time.
I don't know if they had Speed Hacks also and sparingly using them, but they were definitely skipping/cutting some CPs. Don't think desync can be that bad, do you?

I (38M) have one daughter (13F) with my wife (39F). I work in construction, and a few days ago i decided to hold onto my phone because I knew i would be getting a call from my doctor about a tumor I have that's potentially cancerous. He was supposed to call me between 2 pm and 4 pm (when his office closes). I was still at work because I can't afford to take time off right now, as my insurance isn't very good.
I set down my phone for a second and one of my co workers accidentally drove machinery over it. He didn't see the phone and i don't blame him for accidentally doing it. I just waited because I was getting off my shift in 25 minutes (around 2:35 at the time)and then i could talk to my wife about it. I got off at 3 and drove home and was home at around 3:30. My wife is usually home by then, so i was surprised when my daughter was the only one home, as her school year ended just the day before.
I realized that I was supposed to receive a call and at this point it was 3:50, and I knew i needed to call the doctor back before his office closed. I asked my daughter if I could borrow her phone to make the call, as she said her phone was "all hers".
I disagreed and we argued a bit about this, before I took the phone, stating that I was the one who bought it and i needed it. However, by the time i got the phone, the office had closed. I had no information about my tumor.
I said to my daughter that i was taking her phone permanently and it was going to be that way for a while, as i needed the phone more than she did. She threw a fit and went to her room, so i began to delete some of her apps and download ones i needed. I also looked through some of her texts with her friends as i wanted to make sure she was being appropriate. She was using curses with her friends in these messages, and i brought these to her too, and she got even more angry, and locked her door.
When my wife got home, she got mad at me and said I invaded our daughter's privacy, and shouldn't have taken her phone. She then said it was my fault that the phone broke in the first place. I responded by asking if it was my fault I have a tumor too, and she said that that wasn't a good point and took our daughter and left.
She said she won't come back until my daughter gets her phone back and i apologize, but i think I need the phone. So, AITA?

Current Champion: Seth Rollins
1: Drew McIntyre(SummerSlam 2023)
After a successful defence against Finn Balor at MITB, Drew McIntyre finally returns to WWE seemingly to help Rollins fend off an attack by the Judgement Day... ONLY TO BLAST SETH WITH A CLAYMORE!!! Drew turns back to his psychopath heel persona, and proceeds to BRUTALIZE the Visionary with two more countdown-less Claymore kicks, and for even more vitriol, hits a cash in attempting LA Knight with a kick as well, leaving EVERYONE furious!
Drew explains his actions by saying that in his time away he nearly left WWE, but now he is on a mission to punish those that stole away his stardom and attention after he spent the entire pandemic carrying the Raw brand on his back as champion, and having his moment ripped away from him time and time again over the last three years. Rollins is emblematic of stealing the spotlight, and he needs to humble him to reclaim his spot as the Scottish Warrior. Seth goes into the feud playing up the mind games, claiming that Drew is lucky that his title run happened in front of no one cause all he has done since then is choke over and over again and proven that he couldn't handle it now. The mind games prove to harm Rollins in the end as Drew DEMOLISHES Seth in a very one sided affair minus some comeback spots from Seth. Drew hits a claymore, followed by a stomp of his own, and one more claymore to the back of the head and ends Rollins' run on top.
​
2: LA Knight(YEAH!)(Royal Rumble 2024)
Drew maintains his grip over the Raw roster through his sadistic means of winning all the while reminding the crowd that he made a hypocrite out of Seth Rollins and sent him packing to Hollywood cause he couldn't handle the loss. He feuds with Sami Zayn, Matt Riddle, even Sheamus in an interbrand feud over the fall, heading into the new year with a fresh face in the now babyface and (hopefully) very over Damian Priest. Drew challenges Priest to remember the beast he had inside of him during his run with the Judgement Day, or else he'll be no different to the younger version of Drew.
At the Rumble, it looks as though Priest might just grit his way to becoming champion, so much so that it takes a kick below the belt preceding a Claymore for Drew to barely retain... But Priest ain't having that shit. He drags Drew outside of the ring and sends him South of Heaven straight through the announcers table! He rolls Drew back into the ring, kendo stick in hand, until WAIT, ITS LA KNIGHT!! Knight rushes down and clobbers Priest with his MITB briefcase, trash talking Drew as he announces his cash in, dodges a Claymore and plants Drew with the BFT to become the NEW CHAMPION, YEAH!!!
​
3: Damian Priest(Backlash 2024)
Knight changes the pace to an insufferable trash talker heading up Raw, claiming that this year at WrestleMania he will get the "LA Knight moment" that he promised would happen at last year's event, and that there ain't a damn thing anyone can do to stop it... And he backs up his words! He barely escapes the Elimination Chamber with his title in tact, before retaining once again at WrestleMania in a Fatal 4 Way including McIntyre, Priest and the recently returned Seth Rollins after snagging a surefire pinfall victory for Priest and escaping once again.
After this, Priest confronts Knight saying that he's a new star, but his age is against him. He doesn't have as much time as he would like, and that he wants to make a new star making memory for himself. The only way to do that is to take the World Heavyweight Championship at Backlash, returning to Puerto Rico once again after last year's successful event, in a San Juan street fight. Knight agrees to the match stating that there isn't gonna be anything better than gifting Puerto Rico their own "LA Knight moment" at Damian's expense. After a wild match throughout the crowd, Knight tries to walk out on the match... AND BAD BUNNY MAKES A SURPRISE APPEARANCE!!! He nails a Canadian Destroyer on Knight on the outside of the ring, rolls him back into the ring stumbling directly into a South of Heaven through a table!! Priest pins Knight, becoming champion one year after a crushing defeat, and lives forever among his people.
​
4: GUNTHER(SummerSlam 2024)
Priest is finally a world champion in WWE, and in becoming that he feels the need to up the ante on his matches. With each title defence he becomes more and more reckless, doing crazy spots that pop the crowd but slowly chip away at his physical health. He goes through brutal wars with Ciampa, Sikoa, Dunne, Waller, even his old Judgement Day compatriots in a triple threat ladder match at MITB, but after he is victorious he is confronted by the new rulers of Raw, IMPERIUM. After ending Brock Lesnar's career at WrestleMania and vacating the Intercontinental Championship after doing so, GUNTHER made a promise that before 2024 ends, all of IMPERIUM will be adorned with gold to prove that they are "saving" wrestling. Ludwig Kaiser and Giovanni Vinci conquer DIY at WrestleMania to become tag team champions, and new member ILJA DRAGUNOV(who joined in fall 2023) takes vacated IC title after it is vacated, keeping it within the group. GUNTHER refers to Priest's antics in his matches as "childish and embarrassing" and that after SummerSlam, Raw will finally have a world champion that other athletes could aspire to have. Priest responds that no matter how broken his body might be, his need to keep living on as champion will push him to be the one to slay the general with an arrow to his heart.
However, GUNTHER proves to be too efficient, too good, and too unstoppable. He picks apart Damian's body as the match goes on, finally finishing him off with a flurry of powerbombs, before locking in a brutal Boston Crab which Priest taps out too. As the show goes off the air, all members stand at the top of the ramp... and Dragunov sneaks one glance at the world title just before the screen goes black.
​
5: Ilja Dragunov(WrestleMania 41)
Over the next 8 months, the philosophy of GUNTHER and his stablemates slowly becomes more and more vicious. Given Dragunov's infatuation with pain, this is initially a match made in heaven... Until Dragunov loses the IC title to Bronson Reed. GUNTHER takes a peculiar interest to his old rival, and tries to "make him stronger" by dealing out beatings to Ilja every single time he loses a match. Ilja is struggling within himself, coming closer to bigger matches but always failing and having the "weakness" beaten out of him. All the while GUNTHER's over 2 year long unbeaten streak continues, as he goes on to conquer some of his old foes from NXT to make himself stronger like Tyler Bate, Tomasso Ciampa and Pete Dunne. Whenever asked about Ilja challenging, he brushes it off. In order to prove himself worthy, Ilja enters the 2025 men's Royal Rumble from number 1 in an attempt to recreate GUNTHER's incredible performance from 2023. He makes it damn near to the end, tossing out many, getting the crowd behind him... Before the rest of IMPERIUM finally betray him, dragging him over the top rope. The next night on Raw, GUNTHER berates Ilja for his "ego" getting in the way of everything HE has created and done for wrestling. He demands that Ilja take a beating as punishment, and goes to chop him... BUT ILJA CATCHES HIS HAND!! He blasts GUNTHER with a headbutt and attempts to fight back but is overwhelmed by Vinci and Kaiser and absolutely decimated by GUNTHER, to the point that even his comrades are baffled at the severity of it.
Ilja knows what he has to do, and he enters the Elimination Chamber match to get a shot at GUNTHER for WrestleMania, in an attempt to "reclaim his life" after he forgot who he was for so long. GUNTHER is "sickened" and sends Vinci into the chamber match to try and stop Ilja from winning, keeping Kaiser in his corner for his title defence against Dragon Lee! Ilja overcomes the odds and straight up Goldbergs the chamber, ending up eliminating EVERYONE in the match! GUNTHER retains his title and the match is finally set, the trilogy concluder nearly 4 years in the making, GUNTHER finally relents on the final Raw before Mania and says that his loss to Ilja has haunted him ever since it happened, and that his sadistic streak has been all to prepare for his chance to rectify his decisive loss to the man who may just have his number. He claims that he must send Ilja back to his family a broken man, or all his fighting will have been for nothing. Ilja claims he isn't going anywhere unless he takes GUNTHER down with him one last time, and that if he dies in the ring, he'll do it with the World Heavyweight title around his waist.
After a near 40 minute all time classic, both men beating the absolute shit out of each other for their own pride. Ilja climbs the mountain one last time, brutalizing GUNTHER until he can barely stand. He tells Ilja "COME ON, I'M READY FOR IT!" Before taking one last Torpedo Moscow, and Ilja finally defeats GUNTHER, celebrating with his family as the show goes off the air. LONG LIVE THE CZAR.

I started defending people's names when spoken negatively about, if they aren't from my block they get a "Where you from G?" if their not wearing the colour I represent they get beat. If they say one bad thing about me, they get jumped. If they don't say enough good things about me, they get threatened.
I got in to fights, ended up in the hospital, put others in the hospital, cops were called, my parents were called. I got the "you didn't have to do that for me, but I always got you like you had me" talk. I was called "family" by my friends, they said they'd die for me, that they loved me that they'd do anything for me.
Boom,boom,boom now I'm on the ground knuckles hitting my face, feet kicking my stomach. The people I once defended watched from the sidelines.
"My family"... the ones who "loved me". Their faces... expressionless . They didn't stop it, didn't video it, didn't call the cops or call our other friends.
They just watched. Five on one, watched as I laid there not covering my body from the hits I was getting, laid there as I looked them in the eyes. Begging them to do something, say SOMETHING, but they never did anything.
They're finished. They start caring "Are you alright?", "Want me to call someone?", "Hey I tried doing something but there was so much of them". These words. They broke me more then the physical pain I endured. Gasping for air not able to form any words. Sirens in the distance coming closer and closer. Looking into the blue sky, feeling the sun beam on my face As blood drips out of my body.
Blank.
In the hospital being treated, "Hey do you remember your name?" "What's your date of birth?" Asked if I remembered what happened to me. Scared to out my "friends", scared if I said anything the people who did this would do more damage to me.
My parents rushing in, my youngest sibling on my mother's hips, while my other siblings watched in the corner. Looking at their brothers unrecognisable face. Tears filled my face as I watch them cry, they're confused. They don't understand why someone would want to hurt the person they look up to, they don't understand why someone could be so cruel.
I'm healed, scars all over my face and body
. My mother smiling at me , "I love you" she says, my father holding my hand , "I'm happy youre better"...
Death, sad, aching. Laying my parents to rest, "I love you mother. I'm happy you're in a better place father".
Children running around, my siblings and I eating Christmas dinner, everyone opening their presents. Joy, happy, excitment.
Scared, worried, yes. On my knees for the women I love, please say yes, If not then okay. You will marry me? Thank God
Anxious, paranoid, relieved. Rushing to the hospital, Crying and screaming is all I hear Bags and bags of clothes and diapers New to being a father Guilty of sleepless nights I never regret having you and many more.
Saying farewell to my family, moving away with my wife and children. Big house, cute dog, Nice neighbourhood Good income. Warm, comfortable, peace....
As I grow older.
Memories, doubt, blame. 20 years ago That day... If I reached in my back pocket? Bang, boom, pop.
If I did... My parents farewell. My siblings growth. My nieces and nephews. My Wife... My Children...
Realisation, Satisfaction, Grateful.

I woke up in the morning to the smell of something cooking.
That was definitely off. I stretched out in my bed, “I’m finally going to be done with all that bothersome ‘work’.” I told myself with a smile on my face as I eased myself out of bed and rose to my feet.
A quick burning hot shower, and I was content, all was right with the world again.
I threw on my ‘outside clothes’ and emerged to find the cause of the odorous disturbance in my domicile…Celia was standing at an oven I’d never touched in my entire life.
“G’morning.” She said. She was still in her child sized shape, and dressed in something akin to pajamas… no, they ‘were’ pajamas. Ones covered in little animal patterns.
“Uh… yeah… it is, I guess, considering that I’m awake instead of asleep, I guess it’s fine but…” I yawned and rubbed the back of my head, “Why are you up so early, and what’s with…?” I looked her up and down.
“What’s with what?” She looked over her shoulder at me with a little smug expression on her face.
“This?!” I said and waved my other hand up and down in front of her.
“Oh.” Celia’s expression never wavered.
“Well, I did a little research on Earth after my last visit, not much, but I figured I should know how to dress at least.” She pinched the soft cloth of the yellow pajamas and gave them a little tug, “These really are comfortable, by the way, you were not wrong about humans being good at comfort.”
“And your… tiny self?” I asked, and she chuckled.
“Oh, well you are the one who said I was your niece, after all. So now I suppose I should play the part. Besides, you are a lot older than I am, by what, a few hundred years?” She asked. She spun around with spatula in hand and held it up at her side like a soldier’s sabre and struck a stiff pose. “As my senpai, I think that is the word, I must look to you for guidance and instruction, and rely on you to take care of me while I am unfamiliar with everything…”
She was not sounding like a normal swapper. Then it hit me, she was much younger than I am. Young swappers are often prone to adopting the characteristics of what they imitate, we all are, really, but the younger they are the more true this is.
Another sneaky suspicion struck me, “How long have you been awake for?” I asked.
“About six hours.” She said, “I’ve been binge watching a lot!” A giant grin came over her face. “I was watching this one thing about a boy who lived with two girls, one of whom was his sister and he didn’t know which one… all the shenanigans!”
“Oh.” I dragged my hand down over my face, “Celia, how long do you usually take on the forms of other races for?” I asked.
She tapped the tip of the spatula against her cheek, “Um, I don’t know, a few hours, just long enough to do a job, I don’t do my own scouting, I’m too new for that so… maybe a tenth of this time, why?”
“Oh my… um… can you… do something for me?” I asked.
“Like make breakfast? I’m already on it, aunt Kayobi!” She laughed and spun back around and began stirring something up in whatever pan was on the stovetop over the oven. “I saw this thing where a dragon girl kept making omletts and they were too big, so I decided to try my hand at making them. Thankfully you had some stuff I could sort of improvise… I don’t know much about taste but-” She was rambling, I had to cut her off.
“That’s fine.” I interjected, “But… hasn’t anyone ever told you that you shouldn’t ‘swap’ for this long without going back or at least going to something else?”
“Yes, but it’s no problem, this is a human body after all and humans are super easy. It’ll barely be an inconvenience to shift to anything else. After all, they’re sort of shaped like us, who knows, maybe they’ll evolve into swappers too one day, if that healing factor of theirs keeps improving at least.” Celia said, she didn’t see the concerned expression on my face.
‘This is not good. No, this is definitely not good. She took on the characteristics of a child, a human child, and those are reckless, negligent, have horrible survival instincts, and routinely dismiss danger or problems to an absurd degree. It would be exactly like a human child to neglect the obvious in favor of just doing nothing…plus she’s young so she’s even more vulnerable to these things…’ I had to suppress my groan.
If she couldn’t swap back, she couldn’t go back. Not in the ‘oh no she’ll die’ sense. Not in the ‘she’s violated a law sense and will be harshly punished’ sense either.
No… no. If word of this got back to the others, she would be absolutely disgraced and shamed beyond all reason. It’s not as embarrassing as say, waving back at someone who wasn’t waving at you. It’s a thousand times worst.
It’s more like… if a human lost control of their bowels at their job where friends and family worked. At that point you might as well quit, change your name, and start your life over in a whole new place in the world.
Celia would never be able to look at the rest of her coworkers again without a sense of disgrace… and I know Celia. She’s a nice one, sort of sensitive about even asking for help, kind of insecure, really. She wouldn’t be able to handle it, she’d have to quit.
I sat down at the table. “Celia, I want you to do something for me, and I don’t want you to panic.”
“I know, I know, you want some red peppers added on top of your omlett, don’t worry, I saw you didn’t have any, but I saved some from the pizza last night, they included a couple of packets. I didn’t throw them out, so I’ll just add those real quick to your omlet and…”
I cleared my throat. “No, no, that’s fine.” I said.
“Oh, then here you go.” She said and slid the omlet onto a paper plate and handed it to me along with one of my many plastic forks.
“I want…” I started to say, and she leaned forward, her dark hair tumbled down behind her, she was waiting for me to try her food.
I stopped. I looked down at the dish. It actually smelled really good. I usually cooked bacon in the microwave, it seemed she’d chosen to use the oven, and that paid off. I could smell the bacon inside, and my mouth began to water.
I cut into the yellow goodness and then raised a bite to my mouth, the cheese within stretched into tiny strings and I put the morsel onto my tongue.
Flavor exploded. “This is amazing!” I shouted.
She grinned ear to ear and waited for me to take a second bite. I stopped myself, I set the fork down and set my palms flat on the table. “No, no Kayobi, don’t get distracted.”
“What?” Celia asked, “You said it was good, right?” She asked.
“Yes… and it is. But I need you to do something else… something not food related.” I said, and her mouth closed before she could ask whatever was on her mind.
“Try to swap back to your natural form.” I said.
“But that’s-” She started to object.
“Just do it.” I said.
She shrugged. “Fine.” She breathed out the annoyed sigh of every teenager in the history of humanity.
I waited.
She looked down at her hand. Her feet. She looked at her reflection in the glass window on the wall. She gritted her teeth and clenched her jaw and began to grunt and groan.
“I…what…” Celia’s eyes went very wide, she kept trying.
But she also kept failing.
“I’m… stuck.” She whispered.
“Yup. Looks like.” I said, and she looked at me with an expression of horrified shame as if she’d shat herself in front of me.
I held up a hand to stop the horrified apologies or bawling or whatever.
“Relax, nobody else knows, I won’t tell anyone, and I’ll help you get back to normal.” I promised.
A few minutes later, I knew what tears of relief on a human looked like when she was asking…
“You’re really not going to tell anyone… you’re going to help me get back to normal and never say a thing, you promise?” She asked.
“Yes.” I answered.
“Thank you…” Celia whispered and began to wipe her nose, I shrugged off her thanks and took another bite of the omlet.
“Don’t worry about it but… can I have another one of these before we get to work?” I asked, and a smile slowly came back to her face as she got up to make another.
“Do you know how to fix this?” She asked.
“Nope. But I have a clue.” I said as she opened the fridge to get out more eggs, cheese, and bacon.
“How?” She asked tentatively, looking over her shoulder at me while she rummaged.
“We wing it.” I said, and for good measure, brought wings out of my back in the hopes of making her laugh.
It got a little one, and that was a start, at least.

So I think I've really butchered paper 1 for maths edexcel. Which is really annoying because I could tell that it was an easier paper especially in comparison to some others. But for some reason I didn't do that well in it I even left some questions blank and overall I think I got like around 20. So I know a lot of people in here go like how can I go from a U to an A* in 1 day sometimes people are being real or joking and it's very unrealistic. But I'm not trying to get an A or A* of course I'd be happy with it but its unrealistic at this point. And since I got around 20 Mark's I probably got an E or D in that paper. So what can I do to get to a C or ideally a B in these next days what should I do specifically? Because I don't know what I'm going to do as I'm really struggling with motivation especially after that first paper I feel hopeless it would be better if it was a hard paper and I didn't do well and everyone else agreed but everyone generally did alright and thought it was good whilst I did really badly. And also if that paper was easy the next one is probably going to be harder so idk what to do and with the last paper stats + mechanics those are my worst aspects of maths I prefer pure I do way worse on that I was hoping to get a lot of Marks in the first 2 papers and I might drop a few in the last one but now I have to do well in paper 2 and 3 since I dropped Marks in paper 1. Please I'd really appreciate some help ik this probably happens quite often in this server. But I do hope there some good advice that isn't stating the obvious but something more specific and focused on what I should be doing?

So I think I've really butchered paper 1 for maths edexcel. Which is really annoying because I could tell that it was an easier paper especially in comparison to some others. But for some reason I didn't do that well in it I even left some questions blank and overall I think I got like around 20. So I know a lot of people in here go like how can I go from a U to an A* in 1 day sometimes people are being real or joking and it's very unrealistic. But I'm not trying to get an A or A* of course I'd be happy with it but its unrealistic at this point. And since I got around 20 Mark's I probably got an E or D in that paper. So what can I do to get to a C or ideally a B in these next days what should I do specifically? Because I don't know what I'm going to do as I'm really struggling with motivation especially after that first paper I feel hopeless it would be better if it was a hard paper and I didn't do well and everyone else agreed but everyone generally did alright and thought it was good whilst I did really badly. And also if that paper was easy the next one is probably going to be harder so idk what to do and with the last paper stats + mechanics those are my worst aspects of maths I prefer pure I do way worse on that I was hoping to get a lot of Marks in the first 2 papers and I might drop a few in the last one but now I have to do well in paper 2 and 3 since I dropped Marks in paper 1. Please I'd really appreciate some help ik this probably happens quite often in this server. But I do hope there some good advice that isn't stating the obvious but something more specific and focused on what I should be doing?

So I think I've really butchered paper 1 for maths edexcel. Which is really annoying because I could tell that it was an easier paper especially in comparison to some others. But for some reason I didn't do that well in it I even left some questions blank and overall I think I got like around 20. So I know a lot of people in here go like how can I go from a U to an A* in 1 day sometimes people are being real or joking and it's very unrealistic. But I'm not trying to get an A or A* of course I'd be happy with it but its unrealistic at this point. And since I got around 20 Mark's I probably got an E or D in that paper. So what can I do to get to a C or ideally a B in these next days what should I do specifically? Because I don't know what I'm going to do as I'm really struggling with motivation especially after that first paper I feel hopeless it would be better if it was a hard paper and I didn't do well and everyone else agreed but everyone generally did alright and thought it was good whilst I did really badly. And also if that paper was easy the next one is probably going to be harder so idk what to do and with the last paper stats + mechanics those are my worst aspects of maths I prefer pure I do way worse on that I was hoping to get a lot of Marks in the first 2 papers and I might drop a few in the last one but now I have to do well in paper 2 and 3 since I dropped Marks in paper 1. Please I'd really appreciate some help ik this probably happens quite often in this server. But I do hope there some good advice that isn't stating the obvious but something more specific and focused on what I should be doing?

Had some luck with crypto a few years ago and immediatly made plans to move out of the country and live in the woods for a while with my GF. Now, almost a year after I have left, and a few weeks before returning to my homecountry due to running out of money: I can confidently say that last year was one of the best years in my life. Not working rocks. Would advise everyone who is financially capable to do the same. Don't wait until you are retired. If I am ever going the get the same opportunity, I'll do it all again without a second thought.
Costs: Total cost for everything past year was about ~30.000 euro's (including moving and literally everything else) for an entire year of not working and just doing what I feel like. You'd have to be careful with your expenses, but it was very doable for us! We spent about 1600 euro's per month on everything (groceries, electricity, rent, healthcare etc.) with the two of us and used the rest of the money for the cross-country move and back.

I already made a 2-part analysis about Mukuro Ikusaba as a character and my opinion on her once ; I think it's time that I analyzed another beloved character of mine : Mikan Tsumiki, the Ultimate Nurse. Yes, there's probably many analysis about her, but I'll still share my views on her, because I find her complex and fascinating. First of all, let's recapitulate some things about this character. Yeah, I know, it's boring, but still necessary.
I) Who is Mikan ?
Mikan Tsumiki is one of the cast members of SDR2. Like the others, she is actually a Remnant of Despair, that was plunged in a virtual world by Makoto Naegi, who wanted to free them from the brainwashing they all received at the end of the DR3 anime and since the very beginning, she's depicted as a...strange person.
Case in point : During her introduction, she seems to want to interact with Hajime, but she's so nervous that she ends up creeping him a bit, because she's just staring at him without a word. Then, she reveals that she memorized 5,000 different topics to discuss. A bit later, she says this before sobbing :
Mikan : I'll do anything you say...Just...please don't hate me !
Mikan is initially considered a meek, weak-willed individual, who burst in tears at any moment. This is why she is often picked on by the other characters, like Fuyuhiko who threatens her, or, of course, her greatest bully : Hiyoko Saionji.
During the Chapter 3, however, Mikan reveals another side to her : Having been infected by the Despair Disease, she murders Ibuki Mioda, takind advantage of her gullibility, and kills Hiyoko too. She elaborates a very clever plan, and when she is finally exposed, she goes batshit crazy, alternating between giggling like a mentally disturbed little girl and shouting in fury, hoping her classmates will forgive her. Everyone is understandably disturbed by this sudden change in her attitude, including Hajime who literally refuses (at first) to believe she's the culprit. Mikan then accuses everyone of being bullies, and she dies in what can only be called a hyper-sexualized execution that makes no sense.
II) Understanding Mikan Tsumiki's mentality :
However, as it is often the case in Danganronpa, there's more to the character than meets the eye. In the Island Mode, we can discuss with her. And the things she reveals are, objectively speaking, horrifying :
Mikan : I would get beaten up at school and at home a lot...Since nobody wanted to treat me when I was hurt, I just did it myself and eventually, I got good at it.
She also says that "for fun, I tried eating strange bugs, and I let them [her bullies] use my body when there wasn't anything else to write on. Also, I had to be responsible for debts, and be the target for dart games, so...Hmhmhm, I'm pretty useful, you know".
She tries to rationalize her abuse this way : "Obviously, I don't want to do that stuff at all. But...if it makes everyone not hate me and smile at me, then it's much better...".
Mikan Tsumiki was abused in horrific ways during her childhood. The other kids drew at her, mocked her, made her responsible for their own actions (in that case, their debts), and even made her eat bugs. It is interesting that she says "I tried eating strange bugs", and not "my bullies made me eat bugs". It's like she's instinctively taking the responsibility for the bullies' acts. In order to keep her sanity, she made herself believe that she could be useful by letting people hurt her in every way possible.
As a coping mechanism, her brain forces her to believe that the abuse she suffered is, somewhere, a proof of twisted "respect". If people mock her and use her, that means that, in a sense, they acknowledge her status as a human being : People accept to talk to her, to interact with her, like she is worthy of being talked to. You don't speak with an insect, right ? Well, it's the same logic for Mikan : In her mind, if people bully her, they acknowledge that she exists, that she is more than an insect that we can forget. That is why she always trips and falls, to get this attention.
The one thing Mikan's abuse taught her to hate is people not caring about her. During her FTEs, she has this exchange with Hajime :
Mikan : Just please don't look at me like that ! (For context, Hajime was creeped out by her words and her behavior)
Hajime : Ah...S-sorry...F-for now...let's talk again later. You need to calm down...
Mikan : I-I'm sorry...I'm terribly sorry...I'll make sure to get it right...I'll make sure I get it right next time...So please talk to me again ! Eeek ! I beg of you !
These quotes show how much Mikan is afraid of not "being enough". She constantly thinks that she's not enough and that she must "prove her worth" to people by degrading herself, in any way possible. And I mean in ANY way possible.
At one point in her FTEs, she worries about making Hajime upset somehow. Her reaction ? Telling the boy if he wants to see her naked :
Mikan : Wh-what should I do ? Um...would it make you happier if I took my clothes off ?"
When Hajime answers that no, she shouldn't do this, Mikan says : "you're right...you don't want to see me naked, right ?". We could interpret this as her saying : "Of course you don't want me to be naked...I'm too ugly, right ?". Then, she asks if Hajime wants her money.
This interaction implies that Mikan is a survivor of sexual assault. It is not natural to ask people if you should get naked because they want to. If she had to strip to satisfy her abusers...well, you know what ? I don't even want to finish this phrase.
Anyways, she was either assaulted at school or at home. But either way, her parents probably didn't care ; she says that nobody wanted to treat her, which implies that, at first, she must have asked for an adult's help, right ? But said adult (probably her parents) told her to fuck off (I wouldn't be surprised if Mikan's parents literally told her, when she was younger : "Fuck off, nobody cares about your problems"). Like some abuse victims do sometimes, Mikan tries to deny the abuser's fault, saying it is her fault instead : "Did I do something wrong again ?".
However, she seems to realize on some level that what she suffered was wrong. She says in the FTEs :
"There are areas that aren't fatal but still very painful, such as the shoulder and back...You can punch and kick those areas, or even put a cigarette out on them. Repeatedly...over and over...But right now, at this very moment...nobody is trying to do that to me. Because of that...this place is like heaven to me".
The mention of cigarettes is what makes me believe that her parents actively mistreated her. I mean, the bullies at her school were probably too young to have cigarettes on them - and even if they did, it would have been because they stole one or something. But she mentions cigarettes (among other things) being put on her back repeatedly. Mikan's parents used her as an ashtray.
Also, Mikan mentions this in Island Mode, when you go to the movie theater : "Horror...is nice (...). A-And the really mean characters always die first...". She probably is angry, on a subconscious level, at everyone who ever mistreated her, and whishes to take revenge on them. However, she can't, because of years of conditionment and abuse.
However, she shows more clearly her hatred when she contracts the Despair Disease. During her case, she murdered Hiyoko, who happened to walk on her after Mikan killed Ibuki. Mikan murdered Hiyoko not because she was a mean bully to her, but because she saw everything and because Mikan was under the Despair Disease, so she would have done the same thing to anybody. But there is something else : She specifically tied Hiyoko's obi on backwards, which, in Japanese culture, is how prostitutes dressed. This has nothing to do with killing someone because they were at the wrong place at the wrong time : Mikan deliberately called Hiyoko a slut post-mortem, as a way to get revenge for all her insults.
Finally, during the 3rd trial, Mikan accuses the rest of the case of being bullies, who let her being mistreated and verbally abused without ever doing anything to defend her. Even though she's not in her normal state then, it makes sense for her to act like this, because all her life, nobody ever came to her rescue (that's even why she became a nurse in the first place).
Conclusion : She could have been one of the best characters of Danganronpa, but Kodaka visibly doesn't know how to write sexual trauma (Kotoko and Akane, for example). However, Mikan still has some realistic aspects : She harbors a somewhat sexualized attitude because she was sexually abused, like some victims do in real life (well, the true reason is fanservice, but let's pretend it's not the case, shall we ?). Despite her genuine niceness and timid personality, she has a darker, more unstable side to her. Mikan Tsumiki is an example of what happens when bullying goes too far : You end up with a mentally broken person, incapable of living healthily, depending on how others view her. Personally, I always found tragic that the Ultimate Nurse had such an unhealthy mindset.

I'm going to keep it vauge because, knowing my luck, someone from my company will be on here.
I've been in my current managerial position now for two years. It's a non-profit, one of the largest in the country and is the second most profitable store by a large margin. In other words, it's absolutely manic. I was head hunted for the position two years ago and brought on to sort out an absolute shambles of a messily run store. Think zero care for rules and regulations, zero incident reports despite the store being an entire health hazard, regular theft and some of the worst, rudest and shoddy customer sales attitudes I've seen in a decade. (And I've had some seriously crappy jobs!)
Anyway, within a year, (with the core teams help) we all managed to get the store to a much better place. I slowly got rid of incompetent staff, let go of volunteers that were stealing and pushed for more staffing to help take the stress off the main core workers. (Who are awesome btw!)
Now as a non profit, each store is designed to be run by volunteers purely. Which, in theory, works if you have a small store that is easy to manage. Not with our store. It's huge, we do deliveries and collections so a lot of heavy lifting and manual labour is involved. Not unusual to hit 24k steps in a single day on the shop floor.
However, I came in after COVID restrictions, which meant we had lost 80% of our volunteer base ( elderly, immuno compromised, etc) as handling second hand items ran a far higher risk of contracting COVID 19. The store was struggling big time, it was five times the size of a normal store. Staff were unhappy, overworked and the previous manager had already left due to mental health reasons. (This is important to remember later!..)
I worked hard. I mean extraordinary hard, to get that store to a much better place. I held volunteer rally's, open days, coffee mornings, and went round local colleges giving talks about volunteering and the circular economy and encouraging work placement positions with us. I found local government grants to hire people on 20hr contracts in exchange for extra social welfare payments. I pushed for monthly and annual reports, budget plans, allowances and made interior improvements and exterior housing repairs that had needed to be done years ago.
I held staff meetings to find out what they wanted or needed (turns out training wasn't something the company offered AT ALL.) Then pushed for, and GOT additional annual training courses, better canteen facilities, even daily tools and equipment! Everything there was broken, tired or a donation.
It paid off, and I'm happy to say that in addition to having a really amazing core team, better working conditions and more qualified team members, the store is up 58% in PURE PROFIT ALONE. I mean, that in itself is pure insanity.
People are actually taking lunch breaks, using thier holidays and sick days and are generally happier. (I hope! ...at least, they could be lying to my face. There's always that fear. 🤦🏼‍♀️)
The only part thats getting worse...well... is me.
I'll admit, I'm not the best on mental health. I take care of all my staff FAR better than I ever take care of myself. (Not feeling well? Then straight home and bed rest, and take lots of fluids. If I'm sick...well then, I'm a piece of trash that deserves to die. lol)
I have a tendancy to go 100 miles an hour and not stop unless I'm dying. Which in fact, almost happened last year when I stupidly attempted to work through a bout of sickness that landed me in hospital for a week.
I love the job, but have realised that even if I give it 110%, it will never be enough. I've had zero support from my regional manager. All my results for additional support were ignored or refused. I'm the only paid member of staff there, so when we started opening back up on weekends, there was just this assumption that I'd do a 6 day week. (Which I did, stupidly, for 4 weeks straight, which led me to becoming severely burnt out.)
After that, I started going to therapy. Both to deal with my own anxiety and to cope with the stress of work. I've recently took a week's holiday from work to rest and honestly, just couldn't. Staff didn't show up, my manager rang me several times (no, I didn't answer.) And I found I just slept the entire week as I just wanted to rest.
After confiding in both my GP and my therapist, ice decided to take a months leave for Mental Health. The idea of going back into the chaos on Monday has my in tears all weekend and my heart just sinks.
I know it's time to move on but I have this overwhelming sense of guilt for leaving my team in the lurch. I know that if it was anyone else, I would fully understand and support it but because it's me, I feel like I'm somehow not entitled to it?
Like I don't want to inconvenience anyone or be a bother but I hit every number on the burnout assesment by my therapist apart from no.11 "are you participating in any dangerous new activities?" And that's purely because I'm so goddam tired and exhausted all the time!
I sleep from 7.30 till 8am some days and still feel like a dead weights on my chest. I can't switch off my brain and I'm constantly worried about work, if they're struggling, if there's enough staff, are we hitting targets.... It just won't stop.
I've a plan....to use the month to seriously job hunt, take care of myself and really, really take care of my mental state but....I can't help but feel like I'm failing somehow? That I'm letting work down? I know it'll go on without me, as any company would, but I feel like a child about to be told off for taking leave.
I don't know what to do anymore..