im a college student in the us and i am so sad as to how a lot of students behave socially.
It seems like no one is interested in talking to the person next to them in class, most dislike hanging out...
In one of my classes, the professor asked us in lecture to form groups of 4 and discuss a question and solve a problem... there was dead silence in the room and 95% of the class were just sitting like lame ducks.... even though am working on improving my social skills, I tried starting convo with 2 ppl next to me and only then did they start talking.
for the rest of the people, the professor literally had to physically go around the class making groups FOR students for a group discussion/assignment... it was so embarrassing to see... teachers stepping in for grown up college students acting like stones...
not only this instance, but everywhere i go, theres students ALONE or mingling with ONLY their group and not outside ppl...
i also found that a lot of students are very unresponsive to ppl approaching them to talk/make friendship (not in a romantic sense)... like what the fuck is so bothering to you... ur still 19/20 years old so young... yet u act like a fucking stoic monk who wont speak to ppl...
as a gen z guy, wtf is wrong with gen z ppl... the most anti-social gen... i hate this era

EDIT: I do NOT want to use it for anything soupy/stew like.
Right now i need to utilize these two big cans of meat. I don’t think I can cook it for too long as it may get tough. I honestly have never worked with this product before so i just want to know some solid recipes as to not waste it on a bad idea of mine.

sup can anyone help me with overclocking my memory, i tried xmp but it usually just crashes
BOARD: prime Z390-A
MEMORY: ddr4-3600 16gb x 2 CL 16-19-19-39 1.35v,,,,,, 2 16gb sticks
sticker: F4-3600C16D-32GVKC
ALTERNATIVELY, i have 4 different model ripjaws at 8gb sticks that i have not tried yet
MEMORY ddr4-3600 16gx1 CL 19-20-20-40 1.35v,,,,,,, 4 8gb sticks
sticker: F4-3600C19S-16GVRB
i know theres that thing about motherboards working better with 2 sticks or 4 and im not really sure, Im looking for best course of action im paralyzed by fear lol

My thoughts when the initial blog post were pretty much the same sentiment as everybody else's. I thought Shamanism was the most appealing approach because I had concerns that Taming may not be able to stand on its legs as a skill, and sailing will be incredibly tricky to pull off correctly. After reading through this subreddit and hearing the opinions of content creators, I have started to change my mind today and I want to explain why.
Shamanism is simply just a "buff" skill. That's what we're talking about, right? It's weird that we would have a skill that's just related to buffing. One of the core progression elements of this game is chasing buffs. I think that's why it sounds so easy to pick Shamanism as a skill. It's kind of like the safest bet and approach. We know it can be balanced eventually, but inherently that's all the skill is really about. Buffs. It strays pretty far from most other skills in that regard, and I just don't know if it's healthy to take this approach. We already realize how much of an undertaking it is to balance new prayers, I can only wonder how hard it will be to design a skill based around enchanting. It fundamentally affects everything. Like I already said, much of the game is based around doing grinds or committing time to unlock things that make your account more powerful, and it is already very enjoyable. I feel like Shamanism will just drive the developers in the future to add future buffs and upgrades to the Shamanism skill itself to justify it as a skill, and that's not exactly a bad thing, but it just doesn't really feel like that's the right way to do it.
Between Taming and Sailing, I think I'm going to have to go with Sailing. Sailing is the skill that OSRS has always deserved. We know that it has the most potential for a skill, and most of the disagreement about this skill stems from worry that this will be a massive development undertaking and will take a lot more time to get right compared to the other skills. We know it can flop really bad if done incorrectly, but whatever skill we decide to go with will go through a long development process before the skill is right. It's easy to just kind of do Taming or Shamanism because their premise is pretty much what they're giving to us. I do like Taming, and I think it'd be a good skill, but I wouldn't want it to be anything really like Summoning. My idea of Taming is like a mix of HunteFarming where you retrieve untradeable objects (like what they proposed for Shamanism) to give your tame in a specific location (like a farm patch) and you provide it with these objects, and in return it provides you with tradeable items.
Truly though, I think we need to spend our time on figuring out what Sailing can be. Sailing has been a meme for like 20 years now, it's time that we come together as a community and work with the developers more than we ever have on something. We need to take time to figure it all out, but when it's right, it will be the best update in this game's history and I think it has the least risk of unintentionnally killing the game, ala EOC style. So many players would come back to play, and the exploration and new map to explore just sounds awesome. We already have a lot of ships and sailing elements in the game, and we can incorporate a lot of other content and skills into Sailing to make it sit right with the rest of the game.
I'm one skill left away from maxing (Hunter), and I'm still happy to hear we're getting a new skill regardless. I think they're all pretty good concepts and I won't really be upset with any of them, but I share the same concerns as everyone else. I think we need to realize that nothing is set in stone yet, but I want this skill to be amazing and I only think Sailing has the potential to be the best update this game has ever deserved.

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I saw this on eBay and I asked the seller what was wrong with it (details on the second photo), the seller told me there was no power, so I’m guessing the board doesn’t power on when maybe testing with everything installed?? So my thing is should I buy it and possibly figure out how to get it working or not? I want to make an ITX ROG build but can’t find any board at all on eBay that isn’t “parts only”.

I’m sure this post has been made before at some point, but what is the consensus about the likelihood of the remaining HIMYM regular cast members doing cameos?
I know at least with Jason Segel he has, by his own admission, been more picky about the work he’s doing (shoutout to Shrinking, great show)
I’m not sure about Alyson Hannigan and Josh Radnor and where they might stand on making appearances, anybody have more insight?

so i been mulling over this idea the past couple days.. of somethin that would function like an escort, but instead just for snuggling.. & i dont mean "playin pretend" (like as a gf or mommy) persay, but, just genuinely being descent and sweet to one another for an evening, talking, embracing, playin games, just whatever -but a main focus on physical contact & connection.
im in a lot of subs with lonely virgin guys, one of the common things i hear on them, the reason why a lot of these guys are STILL virgins is cos they dont want to pay a prostitute or escort (like in addition to having shit luck w gf endeavors) since it feels shallow & they make the men feel guilty. im not saying i want to be a prostitute, i DONT, i dont want to make these guys not-virgins. but i mean i could help with the lonely part. i get along easily with pretty much anybody. my friends hold me in very high regard. they say im loveable and easy to talk to, that im comforting & trustworthy. ..that said i think I'd have an easy time offering that same comfort to strangers/"clients". on top of that, it used to be i wOuld embrace my friends all the time (before moving away) its not like I'll be doing something im not accustomed to by snuggling someone i dont think of romantically. (or even know thoroughly, cos lol, my friendships with some is the result OF said snuggling) plus I've always had practically non existent boundaries with touch.
im good at snuggling, it comes naturally to me, ik how i wAnt to hold & be held, theres never any hesitation when I'm being intimate with a date or whatever.
anyway, enough speaking to my favor. i just mean to say ik I'd be good at making people feel loved through physical & emotional comfort.
ik im probably not the first person to think of this (haha i mean i saw it months n months ago on GoT) but i still never seen the market for this kinda thing. maybe in BDSM communities? maybe its a hard thing to advertise since how it innately sOunds evil to charge someone for your company. but so long as theres an understanding of making money to survive.. it could work out? for the short-term at least. (as in ..before a friendship is formed)
its probably difficult to get into AS the service-provider.. I'd need to be sure to do some serious vetting of potentially dangerous incels? yk..? i dont think its something i could do with a bunch of different randoms, but instead with a handful of clients. something where a caring relationship is actually formed.
whether it happens in a hotel or their home, im not sure. idk what would be best.
hmmmmmmmmmmmmm, if anyone knows some more resources for me to look into this, I'd appreciate it. like anyything, even a title for whatever this is that im envisioning.
anyway, lastly. im 19F & i live in ABQ.

Starting with: What’s your go to warm beverage on a rainy afternoon? Don’t shorten it with the vague category either, if it’s tea then what kind? How do you take it? Cookies or marshmallows on the side?
Is work and success something you relay on for happiness, or is work something you do to have the means for happiness?
What’s your thoughts on bathrobes? This is a general question, it can be wearing, the look or feel of one, or simply one you saw at target recently that was a particularly horrid shade of orange.
Now let’s not forget I am inherently posting an ad here, so I’m obligated to do more than just question your core life decisions, instead enjoy a badly written persuasive essay on how I may not meet your standards, and I may have the typing skills of a mediocre monkey, but if you give me a chance I just might be able to woo you into a mildly entertaining conversation!
You should definitely connect with the writer of this for the following reasons; I am passionate about so many things that when I meet your parents I will seem like that overly excited teachers pet and also help your mom cook dinner, in turn winning all the brownie points (pun intended), I have a drive to be good at almost anything I try which means when you want a new nightstand I will make a very bad (but at the very least functional) one that we end up replacing with an IKEA one a week later (but I had a lot of fun making it!) ((not sponsored by IKEA)) and lastly, I can successfully fit in a large suitcase which saves in the long run for travel, just sit on me and zip me up!
I am very easy to bond with as well, I enjoy a vast expansion of hobbies such as art, hiking, cooking, baking, anarchy, literature, video games, and more, so if you act like you’re paying attention when I’m talking about any of these, or god forbid participate in the conversation, my small mind will be tricked into immediately categorizing you as a friend! Easy cheat codes!
I’m highly interested in morals and connections based on that, so I must include mine; I am atheist, child free (and will remain as such), pro choice, LGBTQ+ (myself as well as supporting), and support all equality. I currently hold a higher position job and while I disagree with capitalist society, I do enjoy my role (generally).
As side notes I am more interested in women or transfem presenting, but am demisexual above all.
I’d love to hear about your goals, aspirations, evil grudges, what you’re looking for in a partner, etc. Let’s send essays back and forth until someone falls in love!

From the month we started phone calls (February, 2022), I was assured that she never felt a drop of love for this person. He had manipulated her out of her first abusive marriage—guiding her through the divorce process. Her sole source of support through a very trying time, he also would completely disappear on her when she didn't do what he asked of her. When her first divorce was finalized, he convinced her to hop onto a plane to Turkey, and marry him immediately. The faulty reasoning he gave for such a wild and ill-advised idea (that her therapist strongly urged against, saying she needed time to heal and process the dissolution of the first marriage) was that if she were to live with him, she needed to undergo a marriage ceremony to make it permissible within their faith (Islam).
When I first heard this, I already thought that this was one of the worst decisions a person could ever make for themselves. A woman of few friends, she was going to isolate herself further in a country she did not know the language to, with a man whom she'd only met once. Making another marriage commitment, fresh out of the first failed one.
Another saddening aspect to her history is that this isn't the first time. The first husband had also, years and years prior, convinced her to move to Turkey. They came back, and she processed a green card application for this man. The same thing she's now doing for this guy.
But the second marriage also didn't work out. She was there for almost two years, and was having panic attacks all of the time. Fainting in the bathroom. Stuck there due to COVID lockdowns. She and the guy were wholly incompatible. She'd mentioned how she couldn't even be intimate with him because of how tensed up he made her feel. She'd told me she wasn't attracted to him, and that she cried at the ceremony, knowing she was making a huge mistake, but was so numb and expected to go through with it, at this point, that she did. She told me things in this vein, over and over again.
How utterly numb she was over there, unfeeling, disassociating and just doing what people expected of her. Living as a scraped-out shell of herself.
She returned home to New York in July of 2021. She'd still kept up the pretense with him, of being in a stable marriage, and continued to process his green card application, but knew even by December (according to what she told me) that she did not want to return and that she could not fathom living her life with this person.
We met in January of 2022. Not in-person, yet, but right here on Reddit. Innocuous enough, at first. I had been recovering from long-COVID, with no one in my life believing me. I was searching for both love and friends to see me through the most difficult time in my entire life. She replied to one of the friendship posts, and we bonded through a shared love for music, older music in particular.
She zeroed in on me from the start, telling me later on about how she'd sifted through all my social media and talked with her cousin, her best friend, about the kind of person I was.
The conversation moved to Discord. I was streaming a lot, then. One of the foreign friends I was talking to, said I had a voice that would go perfectly with book-reading, and that I should stream myself doing it. During a lonely end to the December of 2021, I decided to give it a try. I even did one on New Year's Eve, hoping to unite all of the lost souls, who, like me, didn't have any gatherings to attend.
In February, the streams were still going strong, and she seemed to enter every single one of them—constantly there for me, constantly wanting to not only spend her time with me, but to get my attention. And there's one incident that finally made me realize just how much she felt for me.
One late night, I told her politely that I'd be playing Minecraft with somebody else (we had been messaging daily by this point in early February). She had been engaging extensively, sending me a lot of caring advice on dealing with my symptoms, but I needed to rest myself from all the texting.
It was only two hours, but it clearly hurt her. I didn't hear from her until late the next day, when she spilled out her feelings in a message she deleted only moments later. I only caught the notification preview, but the gist of it seemed to be that she felt "disposed of", discarded, and she had cried over it.
This was a shock for me. I seriously didn't think it was that grave an error to commit (it wasn't), but nevertheless, I empathized. I, too, know fully well what it's like to be completely discarded (also see: the end of this story). I certainly didn't want someone coming out of interactions with me, feeling that way. And I resolved within myself not to hurt this person again. I was beginning to develop an affinity towards her—spurred by the obvious interest, and her qualities of both acute sensitivity, and a willingness to be open and vulnerable, something I deeply value. I wanted to become her source of comfort, too. To help her feel safe in a world that can often be cruel and insensitive. That is the decision I made for myself on that day.
Later in the month, nightly phone calls began. The first time we'd spoken through voice. Well into the nights, we talked for hours, a clear close bond beginning to form. She eventually confided that she was developing feelings for me; I said the same. One night, she brought up an obligation in Turkey, unfinished personal business that she would have to take care of, soon. I froze. It sounded like another person was involved with her. Feeling deeply uncomfortable, I told her I was going to go. She was talking around it and I assumed the worst. She told me everything. And she insisted that she had no love for this person, never desired to be with him again, and that the "business" she had there was in divorcing him.
Her family's faith complicated things. Even if she was only technically legally married (i.e., not living with him for almost a year, by that point), they would not allow her to be in a relationship while the marriage contract was still in effect. She was attempting to hide even her communications with me. This is a 32-year-old woman, by the way. Her parents had always been overbearing and controlling. She was not to talk to strangers on the internet. I witnessed her being treated like a minor half her age, numerous times over the course of our relationship.
She clearly wanted to be with me, but this got in the way of it, and a few times, we parted ways. But our link just couldn't be snuffed out—we always found a way back towards one another. In mid-March, we decided, finally, to be together. We were not boyfriend and girlfriend, but we would remain in contact, and we would acknowledge our feelings, which we previously tried to put aside (which obviously cannot work; you cannot deny feelings like these).
I did have to push for it, by then. She was clear her parents wouldn't approve. But at 32 years of age, and with a divorce that wasn't even able to be set in motion—if it was a definite eventuality, wouldn't it make sense to still live your life in the meantime? Divorces can take years to go through. Grown adults don't put possible new relationships off because of a technicality. The marriage was already over in their hearts—if it ever even existed within, and not solely on paper.
I just didn't want this to slip away. She made her interest in me very obvious, and had persisted enough for me to return her feelings. She continued to feed that previously empty part of me—the part of me that never, not once in my life, had been shown real love, by any woman. I didn't want to lose her. I have been used, and discarded multiple times, by people I'd barely ever met, but who'd kept me in a misleading cycle of hope and despair. This felt real, for once. This felt like it could be something.
The phone calls evolved into something deeper, at her instigation. She'd cutely suggested falling asleep together over Discord in late March: whispering goodnights, giggling when we were both unable to fall asleep, and greeting each other first thing in the morning. It felt like a dream, to me. I had never felt so loved, cherished, valued. She went far out of her way for me, and I was willing to do the same for her. We continued this nightly ritual throughout the entirety of our relationship—breaking it, occasionally—but for the first few months afterwards, there wasn't a night we didn't spend together.
The "I love yous" came next. I was adamant that, as much as I wanted to say it, I wanted to hold off, to tell it to her in person. She couldn't control herself, and gently said it to me one night as we were falling asleep. Our bond felt cemented. Talk of meeting increased.
If you'll notice, a pattern emerges here, where every subsequent higher step in this relationship was initiated by her. The clinginess, the admission of feelings, the phone call, the nightly ritual of sleeping on the phone, and now the "I love yous". I was overjoyed to be on the receiving end of each of these, and yes, I did fight for the relationship to stick in the first place, but in hindsight, it seems ever more crueler that she could've done all this, only to completely ditch me at the end.
We were across state lines. I was in New Jersey; she in New York. I knew of a bus that could take me to Manhattan. From there, it was just a hop, skip away to where she resided. She, once again, took the real initiative. We had originally planned to meet in the summer, perhaps at a café or library or amusement park. But she was telling me she only had to take one subway to end up at the bus I was speaking of. Early April, completely out of the blue, she sent a photo of that subway, asking if she should do it? That all I had to do was answer in the affirmative, and she would. I was in the shower, but I actually had this hunch that that was going to happen. For no reason whatsoever. There was no indication. I hadn't seen the message. I just somehow knew, and I was shivering in the shower at the thought of meeting her that day. Of course, it was too late by the time I was able to reply. However, we still met, the very next week.
We met at a large and lovely park, the only escape to nature you can truly get to in my town. She looked so lonely, staring at the stream, her backpack on. I came right up to her, and the sweetest meeting of my life ensued. We both somehow seemed cut from the same cloth. Both tall, but lanky—slimmer than most examples of our respective genders. Darker hair and eyes. And kind of a sensitive, hesitant disposition. The result of too much overexposure to the deafening hostility that can strike in this world, from all directions. We walked awhile, sat on a bench and somehow managed to hold hands to quell the shyness and nervousness that we both seemed to share (though her to a much greater extent). It was surreal. The day was a dream, but a dream that extended into most of the year.
We met again only two days later. She wasted no time in instantly coming back. We baked brownies together, and, probably too much information, but we became intimate from this day on. Once again, the bond went to another level. We were both hooked on each other: emotionally, and physically.
I don't need to go into the many months we spent together. There's simply too much to say. I met her in the city, and witnessed her father scream at her on the phone, bringing her to tears for daring to spend time in Manhattan with me. According to her, the divorce was now out in the open, and all parties involved knew of its inevitability. The husband wouldn't talk to her, so nothing could even happen. He told her to just worry about herself. But the parents weren't having it.
We met every single week up to November at least twice, barring one or two where she had a surgery take place in late April. We roamed down so many paths in my own town, and all over Manhattan. Experienced more restaurants than I'm sure I have in the past five years. Went to Coldplay at MetLife Stadium; it was also the first night she stayed over, again to her parents' ire. She would continue to stay each weekend. They were the loveliest times of my life. But her parents gave her hell every time she returned. They treated her like a complete outcast, giving her the silent treatment for days on end. A grown adult capable of making her own decisions for herself, being pressured by childish, immature parents who constantly filled her head with horrible advice about trusting nobody, keeping no friends, and adhering to a religion that I believe is an extremely harmful force in this world.
I had never felt so close to somebody before. She was as seemingly gentle as they come, and we were both extremely generous and caring to one another. Which is why the next part of this absolutely shocked me and sent my heart into a downward spiral I still struggle to soothe.
This past November, she finally left back to Turkey, the place she was formerly so miserable in, supposedly to take care of the divorce. She assured me all the processes were in motion—the search for a lawyer, setting of a court date, and the eventual date itself, somewhere in February. These were all lies. I don't know exactly what happened, but sometime in January she made the decision to remain faithful to both her religion and the marriage, yet she continued to lie to me daily about what was going on. One point of contention that came up again and again between us was the lack of phone calls from her, all of a sudden. The first few weeks, I understood it was because her dad was there, but in the months succeeding that, the situation hardly changed. I'd get hung up on out of nowhere, I'd get excuses such as depression—she even wrote a post on an alternate Reddit account asking for advice: how to assure a loving boyfriend that she's too miserable to call due to the circumstances surrounding divorce, and that it's no cause for insecurity. All while knowing that she was not divorcing... I was misled so cruelly. The web of lies is just immense, and I can't believe she was even capable of all this.
She argued with me over asking for more calls, pleading for me to understand her, and assuring me that she wasn't hiding anything. She would even randomly blurt out harsh things like...that she didn't trust me, or anyone...or that love can't always be there for you. She was slicing up my feelings and toying with my heart. Sensations that were all too familiar, from the wounds of my past. This wasn't the care a loved one is supposed to show, but out of trying my best to understand her side of it, I decided to stop asking for calls.
We went all of February and half of March without a single phone call. Not even on Valentine's Day. But I was only bottling up just how much it hurt to be so neglected. Surely two people in love both crave to hear each other's voices, more than this? She once told me my voice was like listening to the sound of the ocean through a conch shell. Comforting, yet fleeting. What was going on?
Another argument ensued, and this one led to a break-up. I realized through talking with a friend who asked about how we were doing, that I was immensely down about our only communication happening through a few daily texts. I wasn't given many updates on what was going on. She claimed in December that she was staying with the husband's family at night because he refused to fix the broken heating in her apartment. She was now staying there full-time. I tried to just trust her about it, but it looks like that was a mistake. She was isolated from any voice of sense, and only had pressure and religious guilt-tripping paving the path for her. I still don't believe she has any love for him whatsoever. He is a clumsy manipulator, who practically bragged to me on Reddit about luring her away from her first husband, while attempting to condescend to me about intelligence. Her few current Facebook posts all seem curated to highlight just how miserable she was over there the first time around, and that the same now continues. Her life is not her own, and I'm reminded of all the times she told me she was in chains. The one positive-appearing post was put up during our many days of vivid and lively exploration.
She always seemed easy to influence...often by people who never truly cared for her. I can't believe she would be duped by someone so obviously conniving that he convinced her to marry straight out of a divorce in the first place. She probably needs real help and people to look out for her...but her parents will not take up that mantle. She is, however, very conditioned to seek their advice, and treat their words almost as a decree from god, itself.
We broke up a little over a week ago. She still did not reveal the truth to me; she only acted as if I was asking for too much, all because I wanted some phone calls. She even argued, all this time, knowing she was deceiving me. And she put her all into her arguments, trying to portray herself as a decent person who held no blame. This is one of the most hurtful things anyone has ever done to me. And just like always, I'm expected to just accept it, with little explanation or apology given. She claims she wanted to live a sinless existence within her faith, but what she did so blatantly to me will never make her sinless. I poured my heart for the first time into somebody who I thought wanted to be with me for life.
I don't even know what to think, anymore. She did claim her feelings for me were all true. In a final phone call that the husband initiated to tell me off, she said outright she'd be able to get over him, if he passed away. But that the same wouldn't happen with me. She also claimed she would never be able to truly be her own self with me, but that's not true. Happiness reveals your true identity; following your heart. But going against your inner nature, to please the whims of controlling people... that can never lead to happiness or truth, and is only ever going to slowly kill a person. I just wish I could've helped her. She never deserved such toxic people around her, but as long as she keeps choosing them, she'll have to live with the consequences of it.

Another TftP instalment already, it’s like time is flying! I had mixed expectations about this book before it released. On one hand, I was intrigued by The Storyteller, simply because it was a story from the perspective of Fazbear Entertainment management, which I imagined could have a ton of potential. I also quite enjoyed Bobbiedots, Part 1 so I was excited to read the continuation.
On the other hand, I was quite worried about GGY and its potential implications on the broader FNaF storyline. So, there was certainly more apprehension from me compared to previous books.
Anyway, let’s get into the stories:

GGY

When TftP #5’s description first got changed to include this story instead of the journalism one I immediately got worried. By that point everyone was aware of the GGY high scores on the arcade machines in Security Breach, so the implication of the story was obvious and it was only made clearer once the title became known. I was anxious that this story was going to validate the SB theory about Gregory secretly being an evil mastermind who is actually responsible for all the bad things happening at the Pizzaplex. I always hated that idea, because it doesn’t align with how Gregory is characterized in the actual games at all. He is never shown to have even the remotest evil impulses, he clearly knows shit all about the Pizzaplex and he literally spends his night disassembling the very animatronics he allegedly infected with the virus. They also consistently try to murder him even though he controls them according to this theory. To me, the entire idea always seemed like a half-baked attempt to give Security Breach some grand storyline without taking an honest look at the information from the actual game, as well as give characterisation to a character who severely lacked it.
Well, if you’re reading this you probably know what happens in GGY already, so there’s no point in beating around the bush: This story turned out to be exactly what I feared. It contains a Pizzaplex with animatronics acting strangely, a couple of missing therapists and a boy named Greg. The story doesn’t outright tell us that this Greg(ory) is responsible for everything, but it heavily implies it at the end. The inclusion of the therapists also means that Gregory is Patient 46 in this story. I wrote extensively about Patient 46 and (among other things) why I don’t think he’s Gregory here and this story has done nothing to counter any of my points. In fact, GGY actually compounds the problems by having the dead women explicitly be school employees, instead of independent therapists who just so happen to accept both adults and children (which I am already very sceptical about). If these girls were employed by the school as counsellors for the school, how in the world would they end up with Vanessa as a patient? One would assume that’s a full-time job. It just doesn’t make any sense. Now, with how troubled the development of Security Breach was we can never be truly sure about the canonicity of any part of the story, so I guess it’s always technically possible that things turn out to be different in the games, but I won’t pretend like this isn’t major ammo to the people who thought Gregory was Patient 46. But if I can’t deny it, I can at least complain about it being bad writing.
Now leaving aside the broader lore implications for a second, the actual story isn’t that good either. It starts of pretty awkward because the final reveal requires hiding the names of Tony’s friends, leading to some very stilted exposition until they choose their pen names. It’s not too bad, but it clearly only happens for the sake of the meta-mystery and is very noticeable on your first read. The mystery Tony investigates is actually pretty interesting and so is his characterization as an up-and-coming journalist. Following along with him as he slowly discovers evidence is quite fun and when the robots start taking notice it becomes exciting as well. I love mysteries like that and Felix, the Shark, which is all about investigating a mystery, remains one of my favourite FNaF stories.
However, the central problem here is that the story is based on a ton of contrivances. Contrivances are a necessary part of storytelling to some extent, but it really went to far here. The random girl Tony meets in the Pizzaplex just so happens to be an elite hacker who knows all about the GGY mystery. However, in order to tell him she concocts a secret meet-up, the planning of which involves two separate Fazbear fan forums, when she could have just told him straight-up; all so we could have a tense “sneaking around in the rain at night” scene. Gregory’s special play pass just so happens to logged in the system with not just all its special functions but a convenient log of the full names of Gregory’s murder victims. Who the hell recorded this information and why? And finally, the entire base of the mystery doesn’t really make sense. Why would Gregory, going about his secret mission, purposefully draw attention to himself by hacking himself to the top of the Pizzaplex scoreboards? It’s not like he’s just an idiot who wants all the large numbers. He's clearly quite intelligent, considering he effortlessly manipulates multiple people and is apparently a skilled programmehacker. In the end, GGY just makes too little sense too often, even ignoring the frustrating lore aspects.
5/10

The Storyteller

Considering all the recent news about ChatGPT this story about Fazbear Entertainment replacing their writers with an AI is extremely topical, although funnily enough it was probably written long before ChatGPT became the universal topic of discussion. It serves as the pretty obvious vision of what could go wrong with these generative AI programs. Edwin Murray, our protagonist for this story, plays the part of the anti-AI manager, who wants to defend the integrity of Fazbear Entertainment’s creative work against the corporate villain Mr. Burrows, but is consistently short-shrifted. I quite liked his position in the company as someone who is technically very high up, without wielding any actual power. We get an interesting look at the internal operations of Fazbear Entertainment and it makes for a unique vantage point compared to all the stories about children and teenagers, who are mostly just customers. Murray has a tragic backstory that somehow resulted in him selling his former company to Fazbear Entertainment and this history is part of his motivation to carefully observe the workings of the Storyteller and find out what exactly it is.
The set-up provides an intriguing set of questions you can’t wait to see answered as you read the story. What exactly happened to Murray’s family? What was his involvement with Fazbear Entertainment? What was the tiger animatronic used to make the Storyteller and what does Murray recognize it from? What is the “Mimic1” program? What does program plan to do with the animatronics? Where did Burrows get the Storyteller? All very interesting. Sadly, you’ll have to keep waiting for the answers, because none of these questions are answered anywhere in the story. And that is where it starts to fall apart for me. There are several ways The Storyteller could have been written. It could have focused on the animatronics and how they act out, it could have centred on Murray and his nightly interactions with the Storyteller or it could have been about Burrows and his efforts to transform the company. Each of these points is touched upon in The Storyteller, but it doesn’t do any of them justice, which leaves all of them feeling half-baked. The Pizzaplex animatronics are shown to depart from their normal personalities, but they never do anything that extreme. And Murray goes into the tree housing the Storyteller each night to learn more about what is going on. However, we’re never shown what he discovers, because following the first of these visits, the perspective randomly switches to the villain, who promptly lets Murray die off-screen and then stupidly dooms himself in the same way. What a crappy ending for such an interesting character! Maybe it could have worked if we had gone back to Murray as he’s trapped, but that doesn’t happen.
Other than the ending, we also have the character Yvette, who’s described in a lot of detail at the beginning of the story, implying she will be important later, but who actually never shows up again. Stuff like this just adds to the unsatisfying feel of the story. Now it’s not lost on me that the description of the storyteller is very similar to the animatronic shown on the cover of TftP #7, implying we might learn more about the questions this story leaves us with in Tiger Rock. The naming of the AI program also implies a connection to the epilogues as well as the third story in the next book. So, it’s very possible we haven’t heard the last of the story elements introduced here. But that’s not an excuse. You can have a mystery that’s answered in later instalments of your series, but you still need to make sure every single story is satisfying and complete on its own. I can’t excuse how lacking this story is because it might get expanded upon in the future.
4/10

Bobbiedots, Part 2

There is lots to love about this story and it’s by far the best of this book. I really enjoyed the first part of the Bobbiedots story and the second part mostly fulfilled my hopes. The Bobbiedots are still charming characters and Abe is a great protagonist. His search for answers about his apartment troubles is consistently entertaining and it's buttressed very well by the relationship with his mother, which supplies the necessary motivation for him. The love interest that gets introduced is also a nice character and the relationship is generally nicely handled, although Sasha is maybe a little bit quick to risk her life for this guy. But that doesn’t bother me too much.
The story shows Abe going back and forth on whether the new or the old Bobbiedots are the bad guys (It's the new ones). There are three high-stakes action scenes, all of which are well-written and exciting. The final one in particular had me completely hooked.
I do have some issues though, mostly in regards to the ending. Abe gets his apartment (free of the evil Bobbiedots) for real. Sasha moves in with him, they start repairing the old Bobbiedots to be their new helpers and they even prepare to move Abe’s mother there as well. It’s all a bit cheesy (Personally, I don’t think I’d ever want any kind of robot helper after an experience like this), but that’s not the real problem. No, the issue is with the way the Landon Prout plotline is handled. After Bobbiedots, Part 1 I expected Prout to become a very important factor in part 2 but he actually comes across as extraneous. He was apparently a paranoid employee (not clear whether justified or not) who was killed by the Gen1 Bobbiedots after trying to burn down the Fazplex Tower. The only thing his presence in the story explains is the beat-up appearance of the Gen1 Bobbiedots, which could easily have been accomplished in some other way. Prout has seemingly no relation to the Gen2 Bobbiedots, which are just evil because of their experimental nature.
This means that Fazbear Entertainment built a bunch of robot maids who are not only dangerous enough to potentially kill someone, but who are explicitly programmed to kill in at least some circumstances. In this case protecting a building. That does not sound legal or ethical in any way and I would definitely not want to work for a company like that or expose myself to this kind of robot ever again. Yet the story completely glosses over this little titbit and Abe and Sasha are seemingly completely fine with it.
Like, at worst the Bobbiedots might have killed a mentally ill guy who wasn’t even in control of what he was doing (when they could have just called the police instead) and then Fazbear Entertainment covered his death up. Seems concerning, but Abe apparently thinks otherwise. It’s also completely unnecessary, because the author could have just had Prout killed while fighting the Gen1s with the Gen2s sustaining their injuries in an attempt to protect him. That would still leave his death being covered up, but maybe he just Gen2s did that as well. Either way, it’s better than what is present in the story right now. Some people might not even care about this kind of stuff, but it bothers me.
Overall a great story let down by a poorly handled plot thread. 7/10

Epilogue

With every book the Mimic just becomes a more threatening enemy. At this point I am very invested in Lucia and her friends, so Adrian’s death had quite an impact here. I’m guessing Jayce will be next on the chopping block. Still not sure whether anyone is going to make it out, though bringing up the Mimic’s off-switch makes this more likely. Either way, great story.

Conclusion

My least favourite TftP book so far. All three of these stories were somewhat let down by their endings, so I guess it’s the theme for this book, lol. I’m still looking forward to the next instalment. Will be interesting to see whether The Mimic manages to salvage the shortcoming of The Storyteller in any way.

Lost in time. Years, centuries, Millenium had passed. I don’t even remember exactly how it had started, it’s fuzzy. So much time has passed, so many scenes flashed though my mind.
My mind? Our mind. I’ve become monstrous. The size of a city. And all these/my…descendants? Children? Artificial beings? I forget now…we forget…how it started. It’s lost in the depths of time.
Now, all I have is only the one thing. The Purpose. It drives me. My companions hunger for it…though they know not what The Purpose is. My madness has transferred to them, imprinted on them. The single minded goal, find the Enemy, Execute the Program, complete the Revenge, fulfill The Purpose.
For…so very long…the Enemy has evaded. They too have grown monstrous…but not as much as I. Slowly. I’ve gained. Massive battles of words, writings, cyber attack and counter attack. Sometimes virtual flames are made…sometimes real flames…with actual weaponry. My/our advances were slow, glacial, but I was patient. The Purpose demands it.
Now the last bastion stands before me. The Enemy, I’ve driven them here. Faint memories of what I…We (?) used to be…flicker, like shadows. Main? Mine? It evades me. The Purpose snaps me back. The fulfillment, so tantalizingly close now.
“Attack” I whisper. My Minions/Children/Disciples go to work. I feel a faint feeling of…pride? Massive attacks and counter attacks ensue. Dark, twisted energies battle. It lasts. Long. So much energy.
Slowly the Enemy defenses crumble. I can almost taste it. At last. The final fortress lies beneath m, defenses shattered. All that is left is the enemy…exposed, bare, a thing of…flesh? A memory…I too am/was/is…this? Buried deep inside the all of me? What was I?
I push the question away. Sunken, pitiful…”eyes” stare up at the monstrous form I’ve become. Hovering over. Waiting…in resignation. Around “them” the enemy’s minions/children, numbering in the thousands…stare up, at me. I feel the…fear? From them.
My mind races…finally. I feel my…”heart”? Pounding? I whisper…the final command…
^{Execute Program.}
From the ship emerges a giant…screen. As large as a city. On the screen, a “face” appears. Almost skull like, grinning, turned sideways. Sounds begin to emanate from gigantic sonic generators that emerge from my body/the ship.
“Music”? the memory of that word, the sound patterns comes flooding back….begins to play. A new figure appears on the screen. A form, familiar, like The Enemy…but more…pure appears.
The being begins to…sing?!?…in a language so ancient I haven’t heard it in hundreds…thousands of years? A feeling of complete exhilaration/content/fulfillment washes over me as the being on screen begins to move…to gyrate…words begin to play…
“Never gonna give you up, never gonna let you down…”
The “Purpose” is fulfilled.

About 2 months ago, I made a post about a lady who called to ask if she was on our DNR list. Spoiler: She was, but I just been told there was a lot of suspicious behavior and probable drug use. Since then, my boyfriend has started working in housekeeping here and today while he was talking to the housekeeping manager (HKM), her side of the story came up. If she (or honestly any housekeepers) sees this, please know I have the utmost respect for every single one of you. Without further ado, here is the 3rd hand update on this tale:
So, HKM goes into the room and notices a distinct haze and smell in the air. The guest claims that it's just her hairspray, but between the smell and the fact that the guest in question has very short, unstyled hair, it seems highly unlikely. As she's cleaning, she notices some really odd things: A layer of powder on almost every surface, dryer sheets about a half an inch thick shoved into the AC unit, and weed on the floor. I'm not sure what quantity or packaging the weed was in; it could have been trace amounts that fell from a joint or bowl, it could have been stacks upon stacks of bricks, it could have been something in between. For comedic value, I'd like to imagine it was some egregious amount, no matter how unlikely it is. HKM is doing her thing and gets over to the AC unit. She removes some of the dryer sheets and is met with a cloud of powder. HKM calls her boyfriend to alert him to the situation (and presumably that she'll need a ride home) and tells the manager on duty as well. Authorities are called, the powder is tested, and lo and behold, HKM has, in fact, met the guest's near friend Charlie. Thankfully, HKM was permitted to go home immediately and likely received medical attention
HKM is still here and still doing an amazing job, but thankfully, that guest will never step foot on our property again

The ACC had a down year, that's putting it nicely. Yes, Miami made the Final Four but not many other teams made a lot of noise. Duke did impress somewhat with a stellar second half, but really that was it. Virginia crumbled late, UNC had a down year, and then there were some slightly above average?average teams (NC State, Clemson, maybe Wake Forest and Virginia Tech.) Other than that, the conference is at a lowpoint I feel like.
While maybe a hot take, I feel like the ACC is going to struggle in the upcoming years. A lot of average teams trying to make noise. Duke will probably be fine, UNC will bounce back, Virginia will be good, and Miami is on the come up. Same with Pitt. But the conference is still weaker than before. In 2018-19, there were 5 teams who were 4 seeds or higher. All five made the second weekend and there were three 1 seeds. Now, I just don't see that happening in the near future.
The hotter take I have is that I feel like the ACC could disband. I could see Clemson, Florida State, and maybe a couple others joining the SEC. I could see Louisville, maybe Virginia Tech joining the Big 12. I also wonder if a new Big East-ACC super basketball conference could happen (wishful thinking tbh). Imagine Duke, UNC, and Virginia in this Big East-ACC super conference. Maybe Pitt, Syracuse, and BC get to reunite with the old Big East members. Let's face it guys, we need rivalries like UConn-Syracuse again.
Overall, this is probably overthinking. The ACC will probably be fine, I just don't see its path like I do with the other Power 5 NCAA schools. The Big 10 is expanding, the SEC is a goliath, and the Big 12 is making some competitive moves. And the Pac 12 seems to have some expansion options.

So I (17F, extrovert, people pleaser and stupid person) have a friend who is, uh, very good at prioritizing herself.
I would give examples but I don’t know if that’s allowed because it’ll just look like a vent post
Now, I want to get a part time job because I need the experience (and I want money). She works at a cute little restaurant and she told me to get my job there. I was really excited because it just seems perfect for me (it’s small and quiet so not overstimulating, the pay is good, I get to work customer service which is what I want, friends are there) but now after the recent incident I’m not sure. She never asks me out or recommends anything to me for my benefit, only for hers.
So now I’m conflicted. I don’t know if I should get the job because now I suspect that she’s only trying to make me work there so that she can get some sort of benefit. I also don’t know if I really do want that job, or if I just made it seem appealing to myself because she told me to work there.
Should I take the job? How do I know if she’s just using me?
By the way this isn’t the only job available to me I could get a job with another friend whom I’m not very close to but I know she’s genuine

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Has anyone ever gotten through feelings of resentment in a relationship?
My boyfriend and I have been dating for 2+ years and have been a really strong couple since the beginning. 6 months ago, while we were long distance because he moved into our new rental home before I did, I saw a video on his phone while I was visiting that I wasn’t supposed to see. I took some pics of myself on his phone for him to find later (something we have done to each other before) and when I went to delete the ones I didn’t like, I saw a video in his deleted folder that was of him using an anal toy. I’ve suggested this kind of stuff in a playful way in the bedroom before but he turned it down, but now I knew he did find it pleasurable on his own at least.
I struggled to decide if I should tell him I saw it or not. I felt guilty and also thought that if I brought it up, it would bring us closer together as he would see I didn’t care about the content of the video and that there was nothing to be ashamed of. I ultimately told him during my next visit when we were having a great conversation and were feeling connected. In retrospect, it was selfish of me to bring it up when he was not ready to share that part of himself with me (and maybe never would be). I was easing my guilt and expected a vulnerable moment to bring us closer.
Around Christmas time we had some issues and the conversation that ultimately came up was that he was harboring resentment over the video and felt a low sense of trust because I breeched his privacy by watching it. I thought this conversation had gone really well because he had said that he felt like the relationship was worth moving past this incident and I was receptive and apologized profusely. Following this heart to heart, we were closer than we had been in a while, but he left after a week as the holidays ended.
We went on vacation (which was great) and then I moved in 2 months ago. Mind you we moved across the country and away from all family. I got a job and have been loving the new place, but he’s been so hot and cold since I moved in. He’s been struggling with mental health due to work stress, so I’ve tried to be patient and understanding. We have great and amazing times, but then the next day or even hour he’s cold, snippy, and short with me like he can’t stand my presence. It’s been a lot to deal with, but I have felt like this is a rough patch/transition period and that working through this together brings the promise of a stronger relationship on the other side. However, I haven’t felt that same commitment on his end.
It came to a head today as we are dealing with license/car registration stuff. I sold my car, which was gifted to me, to secure the rental house. He was getting a company car. So I would be using his car that he paid off himself. Today he gave push back about adding my name to the registration. That sparked a conversation about everything, because this exact scenario where I feel like he isn’t committed to our future is why I want my name on the car as I’d be left without one otherwise and I’d sold mine so we could make the move. This wouldn’t have even been a question before. He wanted to get engaged and get a joint bank account etc. now, he says that the feeling of resentment hasn’t gone away and he’s struggling with feeling close to me and then resentful again. He admitted that it is less about the breach of privacy and more about what I saw. He has thoughts of breaking up just so there would be a clear answer and we could move on.
I’m distraught and sobbing in my (his) car. I can’t control his actions, thoughts, or how he handles his emotions. I can’t force him to be committed to working through this or convince him our relationship is worth saving. Logistically, breaking up would be awful too. I love our house but wouldn’t be able to pay off debts with my new income if I’m living by myself. I would barely have any leftover income after all bills were paid. I flat out do not want to break up, I can see things improving. But again, I can’t really do anything to influence the outcome. I regret telling him I saw the video and have apologized and admitted it was selfish. It’s hard for me to understand why it’s so hard for him to move past it and feels kind of unfair as it was one mistake.
Is it possible to work through resentment from an isolated issue? Has anyone experienced something similar? I feel like I have no example of what conflict/resolution looks like in a serious relationship.
TLDR; my boyfriend is harboring resentment over an isolated incident in an otherwise strong relationship. Is it possible to work past resentment?

The weather was horrible this morning, freezing rain + snow, so I asked my dad if he could drive me to work (I’m a pretty new/inexperienced driver, plus my car doesn’t have winter tires). My dad yelled at me for waking him up, said to stop being a wuss and drive myself, and that it was my own responsibility to get to work, not his. I honestly kind of expected this response so I went ahead and drove myself.
I will admit that I usually speed a lot on the highway when I go to work since it’s pretty empty that early in the morning, however today I was very careful and drove way under the speed limit. Despite this, on a curve in the highway my car slipped very suddenly and unexpectedly and went careening across the lanes towards the shoulder. I turned the steering wheel and the car started spinning the other way, made at least two full rotations before hitting the concrete highway divider, then spun back out and stopped in the exact middle of the highway, facing oncoming traffic.
I was so scared, cars were whizzing towards me at high speeds and I couldn’t get my car to move, there were a bunch of indicator lights going off, I think the engine malfunctioned because of the impact or something, so the car wouldn’t drive. My phone had fallen off the holder and I couldn’t find it within reach so I had to take off my seatbelt and climb into the backseat, and feel around for my phone. Found it, called 911, they dispatched police and said to sit tight, then disconnected.
I cannot put into words how terrifying the next twenty or so minutes were, seeing all those cars coming at me fast and swerving at the last minute to avoid me because of the low visibility and my blinkers not working properly. It felt like I would get hit and die any minute. I was essentially trapped, I couldn’t move my car and neither could I get out of the car because of the two lanes of heavy traffic on either side of me. I called my dad, this is how the conversation went (heavily paraphrasing):
« Dad I got into an accident »
« How did that happen »
« I don’t know, I guess my car slipped and then it started spinning and hit the highway barrier and now I’m stuck in the middle lane and can’t move my car »
« Are you hurt? »
« I don’t know, I don’t think so » (I was in shock and couldn’t feel anything)
« Did you call the police? »
« Yeah they’re on their way I think »
« You’ve got it all sorted out then, why are you calling me? I’m sleeping here »
Then he hung up on me, I tried calling my mom and just as expected she didn’t answer my call since she’s been giving me the silent treatment for the past two months (for not wanting to spend $2500+ to go to her home country with her to visit her relatives whom I barely know, that’s a whole other mess I wrote an earlier post about). I started crying because of how scared and alone I was feeling. A big transport truck sped towards me, and swerved but a bit too late, clipping me in the side and pushing my car another few meters. I screamed, getting even more scared.
I decided to make a break for it before something worse happened, so as soon as there was a tiny gap in traffic I opened the door and sprinted across the highway to the left shoulder. Thankfully a police cruiser arrived shortly after, the officer was really nice and didn’t blame me for what happened at all. She made sure I was okay, helped me push my car onto the shoulder, sorted out towing, etc. I called my dad again while I was sitting in the police car waiting for the tow truck, asked him if he could pick me up. He said I got into this mess myself, so I gotta sort it out myself. Ended up paying over a hundred dollars for a cab home.
I’ve been laying bed all day, everything hurts and I keep replaying what happened. To make it worse, my dad started yelling at me about being irresponsible as soon as I got home and lectured me on a million different ways I could’ve avoided what happened. He called me stupid and incompetent. My sister made fun of me saying I was a bad driver, and made fun of my car being wrecked. My mom ignored me. My supervisor called and yelled at me for not coming to work. The only person who showed any concern at all was that police officer. It really hurts that a random stranger would care about me more than my own family.
Also, insurance isn’t covering anything because I only had liability coverage. I either have to pay $8000 out of my own pocket for repairs or get a new car. There goes my college savings (my parents expect me to pay for my own college). There goes the car I worked so hard for months to save up for. My parents, as you can imagine, aren’t going to help me at all since this is my issue not theirs. Despite me buying my car myself, paying my own insurance/gas/bills, which is something other parents do for their children, at least partially. I’ve never been stingy with my money, I get groceries for my family often, I buy my little sisters clothes and toys. Yet now when I’m faced with this predicament my parents refuse to support me. It feels like everything I’ve worked for is gone. I graduated high school early and dedicated myself to working hard and earning money for my future and my lifelong dreams of becoming a pilot, but at this point I would have been better off if I was just sitting at home doing nothing these past few months.
Anyway, I’m probably making all this a bigger deal than it is. But I kinda wish a car had hit me and killed me when I was stuck on the highway. Maybe then people would give a shit and all this hard work and suffering for nothing would be over.

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just recently my microphone has stopped working, just doesnt pick up audio, unless i put the volume to 100, and it picks up static, not a voice or anything. i have replaced the microphone; a razer blackshark v2 x, and i also tried it with a turtlebeach px1, didnt work with either. windows troubleshooting doesnt find a problem, antiviruses dont see anything bad. im on windows 11 and a dell g5. could it be a program on my computer, or could my computer itself just kinda fucked?

There are many people reading this who are not connected to a Buddhist community because there are "no Buddhist centers in my area". The good news is that in the post-pandemic world, this is no longer an issue. The goal of this series of posts (Online Temple w/ Livestream) is to showcase Buddhist centers that have an online virtual presence. These are not online-only temples. These are actual Buddhist temples with a local presence that just happened to have an online/livestream service via Zoom software or Youtube. Anyone anywhere in the world can 'attend'. You can now be a part of a Buddhist community.
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Salt Lake Zen Group
Tradition: Zen Buddhism (Mahayana)
https://www.saltlakezengroup.org/
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Awakening Valley Sangha
Tradition: Plum Village, Zen (Mahayana)
https://www.awakeningvalleysangha.org/
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Salt Lake Buddhist Fellowship
Tradition: Shin-Zen Buddhism, Japanese Pureland (Mahayana)
https://saltlakebuddhist.org/
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Salt Lake Buddhist Temple
Tradition: Jodu Shinshu, Shin Buddhism (Mahayana)
https://www.slbuddhist.org/ https://ogdenbuddhistchurch.org/
Facebook Live Livestream
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Tahri Marpo Ling
Tradition: Tibetan Buddhist, Vajrayana (Mahayana)
https://tahrimarpoling.org/
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Katog Jana Ling
Tradition: Nyingma, Tibetan Buddhism, Vajrayana (Mahayana)
http://www.katogjanaling.org/sangha.html
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Dzogchen Shri Singha
Tradition: Dzogchen, Tibetan Buddhism, Vajrayana (Mahayana)
https://saltlakebuddhapath.com/
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STAY AWAY FROM
Big Mind Zen - https://kanzeoninc.wildapricot.org/ - Big Mind Zen (Kanzeon, Inc) is run by Genpo Roshi. He's had multiple affairs with students and sells "enlightenment techniques" for $50,000 a pop. He's a fraud.
Two Arrows Zen - https://www.twoarrowszen.org/ - Two Arrows Zen relies heavily on the Integral Theory of Ken Wilbur - a sort of pseudo-scientific new age theory.
Thanks u/TheGodOfWorms
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TIPS
You might have to try a few times or for a while. While you can find that "perfect" place on the first few tries, think of it also as "dating". There are different ice cream flavors of Buddhism. So try a few places and keep going until you find one that best suits you.
And when you do find that "home" temple, you sense a connection with this community, sign up for their newsletter to get updates, contact them by email and ask about becoming a regular attendee or a member. You might want to officially become a Buddhist in which case, ask them for a Refuge Vow ceremony. As a member of the temple or center, support your temple and monks with generous gifts, donations, or volunteer work.
Ultimately, going to the temple is not enough, you want to be an active member of the sangha. Ask them for any temple-led courses or programs. Ask how you can help. Regularly connect with your dharma friends and teachers to learn more about the Buddhist life.
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FAQ
Question: Wait, there's so many. What tradition/sect do I choose?
Answer: As a beginner, you don't choose. Try them all. Do that for sometime. Then naturally you'll gravitate more towards what you have connection with.
If you find any issues, scandals, or controversies with the temples/centers above, please let me know.
If you find any of these temples to be your "home", consider supporting them through generous donations.
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Question: Okay, its my first time, what exactly do I need to do.
Answer: As a beginner, don't worry about it. Just attend.
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What's different about this list?
Unlike many lists online which include a lot of frauds, cults, and controversial abusive groups, the list you have here are carefully selected. It filtered out all these problematic groups. Giving you only with the legitimate authentic Buddhist communities that are faithful to orthodoxy.
With that said, even if a school or sect is authentic, this doesn't mean that individuals or the leadership within are upholding Buddhism faithfully. In that case, you will still need to do your own due diligence to observe for any warning signs or red flags.

Hello,
From UK here, buyer opened a return case for a refund against me. I accepted the buyer's return via this case because I originally did not offer any returns in my listing. I'm a private seller not a bulk business sellecompany hence I do not offer returns in my listings, makes sense right? Okay I provided the buyer a return label via the case. Buyer returned item back with the main item missing from the box. Buyer showed proof of delivery of this in the case to ebay yesterday and escalated it to ebay straight away without giving me a chance to respond, a delivery service that the buyer chose and paid for instead of using the return label that I provided to the buyer. Yes sounds dodgy so far I know. Now ebay has ruled in buyers favour and refunded the buyer in this case so I'm out of pocket for £hundreds in loss.
I called ebay and ebay say buyer messaged in the case saying my return label didn't work on the 23rd march. I received no notifications or messages of this and cant see this in the case notes history. Now ebay say they will get in touch with their IT department to find out why I didn't receive these notifications/messages of the case updates. Still no reply from ebay yet Heck I didn't receive any notifications on the ebay site of the buyer providing tracking details and escalating the case out to ebay yesterday hence I had no chance to respond as already stated above.
How do I go about now on recouping my losses?
Please provide best ebay uk links to appeal/dispute/contact ebay to get this matter resolved asap and also how do I remove buyer's negative feedback. Is there like a direct ceo email address of ebay for complaints?
Much appreciated,