Does anyone know where exactly in Japan that scene is based in? Or is it most likely that it's a made up place from Urasawa's mind?

Preface/TLDR: My arguments below aren't based wholly in some nebulous belief in human goodness.
I accept the shitty realities of human civilisation, even as someone who does try to see the bright side of life.
However, those are by and large evils caused by malicious negligence in some cases, and scrupulous selfish opportunism in other.
Neither of which would be present in a 'kill the normies' plan.
Rich people do not see themselves as a collective in-group, and they are not want to sink God knows how much of their hard earned resources into making an army of Death bots when their collaborators could rat on them at any time and initiate a corporate takeover or monopoly thanks to their no longer existent competition. Or just to satisfy petty personal vendetta even. Or get good pr.
Rich people are not known for being cooperative team players.
The 'cull the poores' scenario isn't plausible for solely moral reasons. It is just impossible on a technical and logistical level.
To elaborate...
I'm not denying rich are shitty, and I won't deny some places have it bad, or that some rich people WOULD kill the poor if they could.
I just deny the sheer ludicrous scale of what would be needed to formulate, prepare, and execute a 'kill the normies' plan.
It assumes that...

1. Rich people possess the capability to unite, coordinate, and execute this plan simaltaneously

This first hurdle is what really makes it impossible since, even assuming the other points I'll mention are met, the rich would need to operate a collected unified front with perfect synchronicity and no opportunism backstabbing or short sightedness for the plan to work.
If it isn't synchronized, it gives the human race a chance to see the knife being drawn and do something before the rich try to thrust it into us.
If there's backstabbing, namely infighting, it'd Drain their resources AND give us that moment of realization in one. Assuming the plan isn't just killed in its infancy or that they don't mutual kill each other in some sort of wealthy civil war.
If there's incompetence on their end, say they get sloppy and the CIA finds out about the rich illuminati planning on killing us all. Or they recruit Elon Musk and he decides to betray them all so he can stoke his ego by being remembered in history as the man who saved humanity, or they fuck up and their killer robots/AGI become free before the butchery can begin, then they'll just be fucked.
And that'll be it. The moment we find out they tried and failed to kill us all enough people will be pissed off and willing to throw hands that they won't get another shot.

1. All rich people, without exception, are willing and eager to murder all non rich people.

Rich people are disproportionately evil. They are not universally evil.
This is a statistical reality.
Even if there's only 1% out of them all who have working moral compasses and would not be down for the mass genocide, when we're talking about what would need to be a global conspiracy, that's more than enough for one of them to be recruited into the conspiracy, or otherwise learn of it through other means, and utilize their resources and political power to counteract it.
Even if only, as I pointed out with my Elon Musk example, to assert themselves as the neo messiah/s who saved humanity from the other, evil rich people.

1. Rich people would require the logistics to enact this mass culling.

Hundreds of millions of murder bots don't just pop out of thin air. Unless the rich are using nanotechnology or bioweapons to do the culling, they'd need whole factories producing advanced robots, weapons, munitions, supply chains, ecetera. All of which would be glaringly obvious unless they had some bonkers tech to just completely wipe all evidence of this buildup from the face of the earth. And at that point they might as well use that same tech to just increase their power in the current system and steal from the other rich to become that much richer that much quicker.
Billions of people equals trillions of bullets, trillions of microchips, metrics fucktons of steel and plastic and circuitry and God knows what else. It requires hundreds of factories and dozens of shipping route configurations to transfer materials between them all
And this is all without getting into where the fuck they're storing these murder robots/drones to begin with. You can't exactly hide a fighting force big enough to literally end 90% of the human race in a couple of warehouses. You'd need a whole city's worth of storage at the absolute bare minimum. Assuming they sprang for exclusively compact drones and not the outright terminators lots of people seem to be imagining.

1. Governments would need to do nothing.

I'm not even arguing 'governments will protect the people!' I'm arguing 'If this can be done, the American government and military industrial complex will just do it first.'
Because I can actually buy the American government, for example, hashing out the logistics, the coordination, and enacting the plan with the motive of imperialism and enforcing an authoritarian peace/rule over the planet.
At the least, if the tech existed to just churn out robot armies, en-mass, first world nations would be building up artificial fighting forces with that tech to levels comparable to the rich's secret army of Doom. Armies that would definitely be used to achieve zero casualty precision military campaigns in foreign lands. In regions that had been previously unconquearble due to the death toll, morale tax, and corruption issues in previous attempts at subjugation.
If nothing else, this would be a litmus test and a big red flag to anyone with half a brain and ability to discern the consequences of it.
Especially if it came out that rich people were churning these killer robots out en mass for 'reasons'.
And all this is without asking what happens when some poorer governments who weren't let in on the plan and subverted by the rich (under the logic of 'fuck em, they're poor, who gives a shit') turn out to have secretly squirrels away a few nukes. With which they could enact a forced peace under M.A.D or ruin the days of the perpetrators who caused this shitstorm as a final middle finger.

1. Rich people would actually need to be motivated to do all of this.

Rich people in this scenario are essentially the illuminati, with full control over all governments, the ability to magic up a world ending army out of thin air, and all done in complete cooperation with each other with a single Game of Thrones backstabbing waiting in the rafters.
At that point...why do they need to kill the poor...
Like, what do the actually gain from it?
More land?
More resources?
They can get infinite of both. And could kick anyone they wanted dout of their land at a moment's notice.
To get more money? To rid themselves of the proles?
There are easier ways to do the former now that they basically own the planet from the shadows with their secret army of Doom, and if they kill all the poors then they aren't rich anymore. Their lives literally wouldn't change other than them being on the same level as each other, which when considering all the egomaniacs amongst them...would not end well...
This whole scheme would be more trouble than it'd be worth. Yes, most rich entities are shitty and commit crimes. But, if you'll notice, they haven't exactly been taking over any countries single-handedly as of late. Or trying to overthrow their own nations. Because it's more headache than it's worth. Why risk everything for a plan that wouldn't really personally enrich you all that much.
Cause remember: they all have to share their 'winnings'amongst themselves after rthe normies are dead. And if there's one thing thing the rich hate. It's sharing.

1. They need to be perfectly fair and generous and cordial to each other once all is said and done.

So, 1% of humanity is left alive. All of them rich and whoever else those rich might want to keep around.
They now have to 'divvy the spoils'.
In what world does this not end with them turning on each other at the end so they can 'win more?
They've already illustrated an insanity beyond anything previously demonstrated din the history of the human race. The butchery of the whole species just so they can be the kings of skull mountain.
Except they aren't the kings yet. Oh no, there's still thousands of lesser rich people trying to hog that land and money.
And so, with no more external enemies left to unite them, they'd do what humans have done time and time again in comparable historical situations: turn on one another.
At which point they're liable to just end up wiping each othe Rout.
So even in a scenario where, by some absolute ridiculous miracle they 'win', they've still not won just yet.
And if they've not killed off all the poors. If a few thousand survived through the 8000 separate one-in-a-million chances that occurred throughout the cull of 8 billion, and if the rich deplete themselves enough over their mutual fights with one another, thinking themselves fre eof any other potential threat, then the proles might yet get their win.
So even in the perfect, impossible scenario where they win. The proves have an equal, if not more enjoyable win condition for the aftermath of the global cull.
In conclusion: I don't say this scenario is dumb because I'm a hopeful optimistic who has unwavering faith in human goodness (though I won't deny it either)
It's just not a plausible scenario that's feasible outside of a dystopian sci-fi novel.
If you like theory crafting it, or you enjoy thinking up ways it could happen and debating over them, then you do you.
Just be honest about the fantasy that is this scenario.
It's not going to happen.
And if you really thought it was going to, then you'd be a fool for seeing it coming not actively working on an escape plan so you can be one of the one-in-a-million lucky survivor's who'd slip through the cracks.
That's basically everything I've to say on this.
I await the inevitable responses on how I'm dumb and wrong and I gladly anticipate the voices of those who concur or otherwise have something new to add to the discussion.
(This post is not a personal attack on anyone, just the bad take. It is not meant to insult or denigrate any parties.)

I’m looking online at the average amount of debt for graduates from CLS (and similar schools), is in the 150/160k range. If the COA is 300k, how do graduates pay for the other half before graduation? CLS’s median financial aid is 15k in grants, but where does the other money come from? Do people really have 150k in savings before law school? I am confused.

•1•
Aniyah paused by a tree that was bigger than all the rest. It was obviously very old. The leaves of its branches were a pretty teal color and were shaped like the diamonds in a deck of playing cars. She couldn't say exactly why, but this tree gave her a slight sense of comfort. In these woods--especially with the black curtain hanging over the sky--comfort was a rare commodity. She found comfort in this tree, oddly enough, and also in her new weapon. Windchine; Blade of the Paragon. She supposed she was the Paragon of the Weaver now. Whatever that meant. She knew the words, because they kept echoing throughout her thoughts, but she had only a faint idea of their meaning. She wasn't totally clueless. She'd picked up on the fact that the Weaver was a God, or something close to it. She'd intuited that Paragon was some kind of title, bestowed by the Weaver. It meant she was sort of like a knight. Beyond these things however, she didn't have much to go on. She'd always just known things she had no way of knowing. Sometimes, she knew things she had no business knowing, as Momma would have said. She wasn't psychic. Far from it. She just got gut feelings about things, that usually turned out to be right. Like the ones underneath. She'd picked up on all of that, without any real reason to pick up on it.
She was picking up on something now. Something involving the others back at the clearing.
But she was still piecing all of that together. She didn't have enough to go on yet, to have any complete, fully formed thought.
That wouldn't come until a bit later...
What came in that moment, was the subtle soothing nature of the very old tree before her. Comfort really was a rare commodity here, but aside from the tree and the scimitar, there was one more source of comfort for her, currently. The weird little jellyfish thing. It was bobbing along in the air a few feet from the tree. It hadn't left her side since bringing her the weapon. Like the tree--like Windchime--it granted her a small degree of comfort. She didn't know where the jellyfish had got the weapon, but she had an idea that even the jellyfish didn't know where it had come from. Maybe the old man had something to do with it. The one who kept the Keys. The Custodian.
She bitterly wished she'd thought to grab Mr. Brownie when she took off running from the skinless man.
The skinless man...
Now there was something she hadn't got any gut feelings about. Except for fear, that was. She knew to be fearful of the man, but that was all. She'd dealt with monsters her whole life. They'd shown up out the blue, or she'd shown up to them. Like in that Long Room. Something about the skinless man was different though. Something about him wasn't like the other monsters. He wasn't one of her monsters, she knew that much at least. She could also tell he didn't have anything to do with the ones underneath, or the grasshopper people. He wasn't connected to The Jailer.
The only intuitive feeling Aniyah had concerning the skinless man, was that he was connected to something a whole lot worse. What that something might have a been however, she had no clue.
Aniyah didn't have a sheath, or swordbelt. The scimitar hadn't come with a scabbard. As a result, she was forced to hold the weapon in her hand, since she had nowhere to stow it. The blade was as long as her arm, and curved--almost like a banana--but was only sharp on one side. This allowed her to rest the blunt edge in the crook of her shoulder, carrying it the way she'd seen lumberjacks sometimes carry their axes in old movies; with her elbow bent, and the blade sticking out behind her as if it were a compass needle that only pointed in the opposite direction from where she was facing.
With Windchine in this position, she leaned sideways against the old tree--feeling its rough bark against her skin. A soft breeze gently blew against her face, bringing with it the scents of nature. The blackness of the sky didn't seem to match the pleasantness of the wind or the earthy smells of the woods around her. Nor did the stillness. There were a few insects buzzing someplace nearby, but mostly it was quiet. It was almost tranquil, in fact. She knew that somewhere in these same woods, chaos was happening. Hell on Earth (or, Hell on In-Between, she supposed). But all of that seemed so distant. So removed from her in that moment, in this private patch of wilderness.
Part of her wanted to go charging off toward the battle, so she could save Eddie the Gnome, and Prioress Qaya, and the others. Yet, at the same time, another part of her wanted to just lie down right here and take a nice long nap. Another part still--a deeper part--briefly broached the topic of Amy. She shattered this thought into a million little pieces and scattered them in the wind. She wouldn't... no... she couldn't deal with that right now. Not yet. Soon, she would have to. But not just yet.
These contradicting parts were really all the same part. The part that didn't want to admit she was hopelessly lost. She had no dang idea where to go.
Aniyah looked up at the weird little jellyfish thing. She whispered, "Wonder how far it is, to get back to Eddie Money and the others?"
The jellyfish couldn't understand her. Duh. It was a floating jellyfish. How could it?
Except... for a moment, Aniyah thought maybe the thing did understand. And after another few seconds, she knew for sure it did.
The jellyfish flashed a soft green color. Once, then twice. To Aniyah, it was almost like it was saying: "Beep-beep!"
"What does that mean, Jellybean?" she asked, laughing at how goofy she probably sounded.
The jellyfish strobed green again. Just once this time. Then, it slowly began to float away.
"Hold up a minute. Where you goin'?" She stopped leaning against the tree and stood up straight.
The jellyfished froze for a second, beeped green once more, then started off again.
"Ohhh, okay. I see. You leading the way? Well okay then." Aniyah smiled in spite of herself.
She followed behind the jellyfish. Together, they made their way through the darkened woods. Hopefully, to rejoin the others...
•2•
"I've never been in this part of the city before," Flower-Seed admitted. "I didn't even realize there was so much down here. I knew there were older parts of Locist Spire that were here before the Jikk, and that most of it was under the city, but I didn't expect there to be all of... this." He looked around, pausing briefly to admire the elaborate architecture around him. "I mean... Gods. There's actually streets down here. And structures. Not to mention these sculptures and platforms. It's breathtaking. It's almost like an entire settlement encased in a mausoleum. A sort of... civilization time capsule."
Quijj gave only a noncommittal grunt in response.
The two of them walked side-by-side along a wide street paved in stone. So much was stonework, or marble. The craftsmanship that went into all of it was something even modern Artisians likely couldn't replicate. Large sections of the old city were in ruins, but those that remained mostly intact made Flower-Seed feel as if he'd traveled back in time. If they'd had the sky overhead instead of a cavern roof, he could have easily imagined being in the center of a bustling metropolis.
They strode by a towering sculpture made to resemble some sort of animal Flower-Seed couldn't identify. It certainly wasn't any kind of insect, or Insectoid. It had four legs and a tail, plus a large round head. It was as intriguing as it was beautiful.
Cave crickets were softly singing in the nooks and crannies. The distant sound of dripping water played constant accompaniment to the hollow resonance of this subterranean wonderland.
They turned down what had once been a side street, with Flower-Seed leading the way. Up ahead, a cavern wall blocked their advance. There was a place where the wall had been broken, creating an opening just big enough for them to squeeze through.
On the other side, they came upon a ledge overlooking a sprawling cavern. There were more ledges--some, only narrow slabs of stone reminiscent of catwalks; others, much wider, holding half-ruined structures--high up along the cavern walls. And in the center, sitting like an island in the dark sea of darkness, was a sprawling marble platform. The platform was surrounded on all sides by crags and trenches so deep Flower-Seed couldn't see their bottom. There was a naturally formed staircase of stone leading from the platform to another opening. This was most likely the main entrance to this chamber. Flower-Seed realized now that he and Quijj had taken an alternate route to get here, than the others had.
Yes. There were others. A lot of them, from the looks of it.
On the marble platform below, rows of tents and even a makeshift gazebo had been set up. As Flower-Seed's eyes adjusted, he began to make out the robes of Advisors; the armor of Spire Knights and Spire Watch. There were excited, panicked voices echoing throughout the cave. Some sort of commotion was going on.
"I had no idea any of this was here," Flower-Seed whispered.
Quijj gave him a strange look.
"Don't ask how I knew where to go, or how to get here. I just... did."
Quijj nodded, but said nothing.
From the platform, someone yelled: "Arrest the traitor!"
"Ah, shit," Flower-Seed said. He was no longer bothering to keep his voice at a whisper. The figures gathered below had broken into something close to a frenzy. "They must be talking about the Councilor." He looked at Quijj with a serious expression. "We have to get her out of here. I'm not exactly the biggest fan of our government, but something really bad is going on down here. I got... visions. I saw Spire Knights with their minds corrupted by parasites. Whoever attacked the city... they've infected some of the officials. We have to do something. If we're ever going to rebuild... we need Jikk like Councilor Lemma. She's one of the good ones."
Quijj grunted in agreement. "Alright. Let's do it."
"What's the plan?" Flower-Seed asked, suddenly nervous. He felt a bit silly asking Quijj what the plan was, considering the elderly tavern keeper had just been following his lead up this point. Now that they were here, Flower-Seed didn't have the slightest idea what he was going to do. Or even what he could do. He couldn't fight a trained Spire Knight. Let alone an entire company of them. He'd only get himself killed!
Fortunately (and to Flower-Seed's great relief), Quijj said: "Just wait here. And get ready to run. Like you've never ran before."
"Alright. I think I can do that much, at least."
Quijj nodded. He drew his odd-looking weapon, and leapt down from the ledge; spreading his wings as he did this to glide over to the platform. Just as the old tavern keep came to a landing, Flower-Seed saw two armored Knights seize Councilor Lemma by the arms, and pull her to the ground. One of the Advisors screamed.
Shit! his mind cursed. Come on, Quijj. You gotta do something! And fast!
•3•
There was a particular knock at the hidden door to the Navigator's study. Three heavy raps, a pause, then two sets of four bangs; the coded knock he'd taught to the mercenary leader. The corners of Drokin the Navigator's mouth--little more than soft tissue on either side of his pointed beak--sagged slightly, in a parody of a frown. He shot a glance over to the wall-mounted clock above his desk. It was only Ef'tat-Half-Wane. The merc shouldn't have made it to this part of Barkstone Barony, for at least another three Shecks.
Drokin cast a suspicious eye toward the opposite end of the room. He reached beneath his desk, unfastening the blade he hid there. It was always good to have a backup weapon. The talon-like claws of his hand instinctively found the pommel of his rapier. "Enter!" he called to the door.
There was a hefty creaking sound as a considerable portion of the wall was pushed inward, revealing both the false rock of the door's opposite side, and the midday sunlight beyond the study. The light was much too bright for Drokin's eyes, after spending so much time inside the chamber under the Arcas Rune lamps. For a moment, he had to squint in order to get a decent view of his visitor. The moment Drokin saw the figure entering his study, his claws tightened on the handle of his weapon.
The one who appeared through the doorway was not the merc leader Rave the Ravager. Not by a long shot. The stranger was a Jagged Fields Nerthran, just as Rave was, but this was where their similarities ended. Rave was of slightly larger than average size for an adult male member of the mothfolk race. The Nerthran before Drokin was the antithesis of average (or "slightly" for that matter). He was enormous; much larger than seemed natural. If one of his crew mates had told Drokin about seeing a Nerthran the size of this one, Drokin would have labeled them an exaggerator at best, a boldfaced liar at worst. He certainly wouldn't have believed mothmen could grow this large, if he weren't seeing the proof of that very thing with his own two eyes.
"Where is Rave? Who are you?" Drokin demanded.
The giant mothman slowly stepped inside the study and creaked the door shut behind him. He did not answer.
"I asked you a question. Where is--"
In a baritone voice that was almost pleasing to the ear, the mothman said: "Would you Sky Pirates send your Captain on every minor mission, or simple errand? I am Master Rave's deliverer. I am called Nollo."
A peculiar name for such a hulking creature as this, the Navigator mused.
When Drokin didn't initially respond, 'Nollo' added: "I have the Relic you wanted." He held up a black rectangular case, almost like the kind a Bard might use for protecting a musical instrument.
Drokin thought this over a moment, studying the towering mothman carefully. He felt almost like he was looking up at a living statue. One of the great big ones that lined the streets of the grand cities of Roshuka, or populated the ruins of Jyyrvesk's Old Country. Even the hulk's features were oversized, as if they needed to compensate for the massive face to which they were attached. This 'Nollo' somewhat unsettled Drokin. The self-proclaimed "deliverer" had a long, slender mouth that didn't quite seem to want to close all the way. This gave the mothman an almost moronic appearance; a dimwitted face with the mouth of a drooling imbecile. Combined with his considerable size, it would have been easy to dismiss this Nerthran as a buffoon. Even the title "deliverer" played into this impression. And he seemed to have a permanent glazed over quality about his eyes. However, Drokin saw what lurked beneath the surface. When he looked beyond these things, the Navigator could detect a cold, calculating intelligence in the mothman's eyes. Upon closer inspection, the glazed over quality didn't strike the Navigator as entirely organic. It struck him as purposeful, practiced--part of a kind of disguise.
Nollo was a mothman with the soul of a spider...
As these things dawned on Drokin, the unsettled feeling he'd had since this mothman's appearance turned to something bordering on outright fear. The Navigator had been all across the Lesser and Greater Reaches. He'd seen some horrid things. Something about this stranger was different, however. There was something not quite Insectoid in his eyes; not quite Of This Pocket Realm, as the Captain was want to say. Drokin had never believed in the concept of evil. Not in the same way the Old Scrolls talked about it, as least. But now--here in his study, confronted by the figure before him--when he looked into those eyes, evil was all Drokin saw.
"You... have the Horn?" Drokin asked, trying to sound casual. His heart was beating at three times it's normal tempo. He slowly reached for the Link Orb. Calling out to Captain Heekan may have been the only chance he had left. "Let me get you the coin I promise then."
"Stop," said Nollo. "Put your hand down."
Drokin paused. The tips of his claws were just inches from the Orb. If he were quick about it, he could snatch the thing up in a microsecond. The Navigator was quick. He was a trained fighter, afterall. But... he knew intuitively he would not be quick enough.
"I beg your pardon?" Drokin said, trying and failing to keep some air of authority in his tone.
Nollo laughed. It was not a pleasant sound. "There was never going to be any coin, was there? You think Master Rave wouldn't sniff out such an obvious con? You really aren't familiar with the Stonewing Pillar Mercenaries are you? We are not some low-level ratcatchers."
Drokin said nothing for a moment. At last, he sighed. He allowed his training to replace his fear. It took quite a lot of effort, but he managed. When his heart had returned to something closer to a natural beat, he leveled his avian eyes at the mothman. He dropped his hand, but brought it down to his rapier. He drew the weapon, but made no move to strike.
Through the end of his closed beak, Drokin growled: "Alright, asshole. Just what are you after?"
Nollo laughed again. He flipped open the brass latches on the black case he held, opened it. Inside, wasn't any Relic. That had been a lie. The black velvet lined interior of the case held a single object: a large throwing knife. Nollo removed the blade and let the case fall to the floor. "I'll need every piece of coin you have here. And anything else of value."
Drokin raised his rapier. "All our treasures are on the ship." He sighed, deciding to fess up. "I don't have anything here. You were right. I planned on taking the Horn and not paying. But I am obviously not getting what I wanted. There is no coin here for you to get what you want. Why don't we just call this an impasse? We both walk away, no better off... but no worse for wear than we were before. What do you say?"
Nollo shook his massive head. It was like seeing a boulder pivot atop a living column. "You think you can plot to take out our leader, and live to tell the tale? You're even more stupid than you look."
Now, Drokin was getting angry. "Do you have any idea who you're fucking with? You can't stand against our entire crew. We're the Hawkblood Pirates. You think Captain Heekan will just sit by and let you--"
The knife was buried in Drokin's windpipe, before he ever saw the mothman throw it. For someone so massive, Rollo had a dexterity and speed that were virtually unrivaled. There was a soft clang as Drokin's rapier fell to the floor; a soft gurgling sound as he began to choke on his own blood. He gasped for air his lungs couldn't find; his hands clawing at his throat to pull free a blade that wouldn't budge.
Drokin the Navigator fell to the floor with a hollow thud, knocking his chair over in the process. The last thing his dying mind registered before he lost consciousness was the sight of Rollo the mothman standing over him, whispering: "You Sky Pirates never should have come to the Wilden Green."
Then, Drokin was fading. Fading, fading.
Fading.
Fading from the mortal world, and headed for that Great Beyond...
•4•
Eyes. So many eyes. Staring. Watching.
Abominations. Wretched perversions of nature. Black-tongued things. Slime things. Things with many, many eyes.
Many. Many. Eyes.
Vellnoth! It was awful!
Zoocher slipped through a whirlwind of swirling shadows. He sank into quicksand of blackness. His mind shattered, then reformed. Shattered, then reformed. The world became a pane of glass which broke into a million, billion, trillion little pieces. He reached out, desperately trying to pick the pieces up, to put them back together.
It was no use.
Horrors. Eyes. Looking. Looking at me. Through me. Seeing me. Seeing all.
SEEING.
Zoocher rocked himself back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. There was dirt and grass beneath him. He was curled up into a ball, hugging his knees against his chest. Yet, these things were just background details. This was just his surroundings, and his physical body. His mind was somewhere else--perhaps, in another patch of dirt, slowly turning to mud. No. Not mud. Quicksand.
Sinking. He was sinking. Sinking, and slipping away. Slipping off into that Forever Night.
White Staircase?
No. He saw no White Staircase. Perhaps, only the Black Steps awaited him after all the awful things he'd done in life.
Only... there were no Black Steps, either.
Because he wasn't dead. Not yet, at least.
He was alive, but he was not living. Not in the normal sense.
Eyes. Watching. Looking. Seeing. Viewing. Glimpsing.
STARING.
GODS. OH GODS. OH VELLNOTH PLEASE!
No mercy for him. No Gods coming to save him. Only horrors.
He'd been in that terrible place, in that terrible room for what had felt like centuries.
Now he was back in the woods. But not all of him. He'd left some essential part of himself back there, back in that terrible place.
And now, he'd never get that part back. It was lost to him. For good. Forever.
Zoocher leaned over and vomited yellow bile onto the grass. His head was swimming. He slowly stood up. As he stood, everything fell away. Everything. His entire being. His essence. His all. His whole.
Zoocher? No. There was no Zoocher anymore.
Maybe there never had been.
Certainly, there would never be a Zoocher again.
Shattered.
Zoocher was shattered and lost. Gone. Now, Zoocher was no more. Forever departed.
He felt something warm and wet run down his legs. He'd urinated on himself without realizing it. This did not bother him. This meant nothing. He took a step forward and vomited onto his vest. This too meant nothing.
He stripped off his armor, his undergarments, his weapons. He kicked off his boots. To one side of the pile he'd made with his belongings, there were a set of bootprints in the dirt. He turned in the opposite direction, and started walking. He didn't know where he was going. He only knew he needed to walk.
Visions winked in and out of his mind. He continued walking, muttering to himself all the while. He spoke of everything, of nothing. He asked questions without answer. He gave answers to questions no one had asked.
Those eyes. They were burned into his brain. No. His brain was a burn. A scorchmark, littered with eyes. Staring. Watching. Waiting?
He walked on. Walking through the woods, to nowhere. Walking. Muttering. Thinking of eyes and Slime things.
It was a long time before he stopped.
•5•
There were two astounding sights, which presented themselves consecutively before him. In over two decades serving as one of the Hawkblood's top Assault Commanders, he had never seen anything more incredible than the Black Pyramid. That was, right up until the moment he saw the entire Pyramid vanish right before his eyes. If anything could be even more incredible than seeing the Pyramid; suddenly not seeing the Pyramid would have to be it.
Commander Ramses blinked several times, as if he were unable to trust what his eyes were showing him. The airspace beyond the windshield of his Glider Pod now showed only a sea of nothing, save for the Sky Gods higher up in the atmosphere.
"What the fuck? Where did it go?" he muttered to the empty cockpit.
The Glider Pods were designed to resemble plump black ravens. Ramses's Glider was slightly larger than the others in the fleet, as his was the Pod that carried most of the Big Weapons. Currently, they were in a V formation like actual birds; twelve in Ramses's group, twelve more in Commander Paulo's group that would have been approaching the Pyramid from behind; another twelve coming in from the right, making up Commander Gichi's group. The Gyff had their own Gliders, fashioned from wooden planks and some unknown material Ramses had never seen before. The Gyff ships looked a lot like the Gyff themselves; like long slender walking sticks. Their ships cut through the air like wooden missiles, lined up in a near row.
Ramses slapped the control panel, activating the Com-Cube. "Am I seeing things? Have I lost my mind?"
"No." It was the voice of Commander Gichi. She sounded uncharacteristically shaken. "The damn thing went POOF. Just like that."
The Gyff leading the stickbug group (his name was Kloom, if Ramses's memory served him) chimed in. "What do we do now? Will it reappear, you think?"
Ramses smacked the controls again, this time out of frustration. He said, "Somebody better get the Captain on the--"
"Already here," said the voice of Captain Heekan.
"You been listening this whole time?" Gichi asked.
"No. I just came on. Now listen. Everyone. Listen very closely. The Pyramid isn't in the valley anymore, but all is not lost. We will track it down. I already know where they took it."
Ramses gaped at this. "What? Captain... how could you already know all of that? It just vanished, only a few ticks ago."
Gichi made a soft gasping sound. "Captain. No. Tell me you didn't use it."
"I had to," Captain Heekan said with remorse. "The Mirror is too valuable a tool for us not to utilize it. And if ever there were a time when we needed it, it would be now."
"How many years did it take off your life?" Gichi asked hesitantly.
After a pause, Heekan said, "It doesn't matter. We're getting sidetracked here. There is a lot more going on than we realized. There are agents of not one, but two of the 5 Pharoahs here in the Wilden Green Valley, as we speak."
"What?" it was Gichi and Kloom in unison.
Commander Paulo broke his silence. "Which other Pharoah are we talking about?"
Heekan said, "Aside from Camaria the Butcher who we already knew about (it was one of her Scarabs that took the Pyramid), there's some of the Necromancer's men here too."
"The Necromancer?" Ramses said in disbelief. "The right hand man of Dowlmad the Deathless?" Ramses felt a cold chill run up his spine. "You're not telling me he is here in this valley, are you?"
"The Necromancer himself? No. Just some of his underlings. The Skinless Men, they're called."
Gichi asked, "Are they really all after the Pyramid and the Artifacts? I can't imagine two of the 5 Pharoahs would expend resources just for the stuff we're after. Aside for the Black Pyramid. But even still... something seems off here."
"Well," said Heekan. "That's because something is off. There are bigger forces at work here than we ever realized. Sure, they were after the Pyramid and the Divine Battery. But those are more like... party favors, to them."
Ramsese shook his head. "I already don't like how this sounds." The open sky outside his Glider suddenly felt less like empty airspace, and more like an endless abyss. One glance at the Sky Gods floating higher in the heavens strengthened this feeling, causing the commander to shudder as another chill ran up his back.
Captain Heekan said, "Then you really won't like what I'm about to tell you."
As it turned out, the Captain was absolutely right. Ramses really didn't like it one bit. None of them did.
•••
And Commander Ramses was not the only one who was told things they didn't like. While he was listening to his Captain's words with growing unease, elsewhere in the Wilden Green Valley, a certain Ranger was receiving a rather ominous warning...
•••
•6•
Deep within the bowels of the Reverse Tower. In the Domain of the Being known as O'Faxx.
Ranger Lexington stood atop the large boulder, surrounded by a sea of sludge. The putrid aroma of this place once more assaulted his senses, while his boots sank into the slick, squicky growth coating the boulder. Lexington's dragonfly-like features hid his discomfort. Outwardly, he appeared as stoic--as unshakeable--as always. At least, until he spoiled the effect with a knowing smirk.
To the bubbling muck, he called out: "So, you decided to help out afterall?"
There was no response.
Lexington's smirk faded. He bowed his head slightly. "It's alright. You don't have to speak. I only wish your assistance had been enough. That way Burlap wouldn't have had to give his life the way he did."
O'Faxx did not emerge from the murky depths.
Lexington would have sighed had the air quality in here not been so abhorrent. "Anyway, I just wanted to thank you. I will find a way to reward you."
Although O'Faxx remained beneath the muck, his voice echoed inside the Ranger's mind. "My actions were not on your behalf. Your ignorance betrays you, Overseer."
Lexington cocked his head to one side. "If you say so." He shrugged. "Some guys just can't accept a thank you, I guess."
"You have yet to understand. I helped you, to destroy you. None of you know yet what you are unleashing. I did not see the truth before, but the truth has now presented itself to me. The Gods wish to assemble the 12 and bring about the White Clock Consortion. Fools. They don't yet realize with the advent of the White Clock, the Black Clock follows. Those numbers shall count down their destruction. I looked into the destiny of the mortals you have placed so much faith in. I saw what they will bring about. They are one of the Four Winds that will blow upon the Door of Doom. One of them is a Paige of the Necronomicon."
"What does that mean? Quit speaking in riddles."
"There's a storm coming, Overseer. A storm that will wash away the world. This one, and all others. I haven't helped you. I've only helped the first few raindrops, so they might better form within the dark clouds hanging over this Pocket Realm. And in the wake of that rain? The thunder shall soon roll."
A storm coming. Four Winds that will blow upon the Doors of Destruction. Thunder.
These things made no sense to the Ranger. One thing was clear however; whatever O'Faxx's words meant, Lexington didn't like the sound of any of it.
•7•
There's a particular way Advisors and nobleJikk cry out when something disrupts their normal routine. It's a breathy sort of shriek, like someone emptying their lungs before they faint. Many of the High Advisors were voicing this exact variety of shriek now, as High Knight Pyx ordered his Spire Knights to arrest Lemma.
Temporary Councilor E'Shesh (to her credit) tried to block the path of the Knights. She was shoved out of the way, hard enough to cause the poor she-Jikk to tumble over onto the hard marble surface of the platform.
Then, underneath the makeshift gazebo, pandemonium set in. The stress of the attack on the city had already pushed everyone toward the brink of panic. This new development made them all leap right over the edge, falling right into the place people (Jikk, or otherwise) always fall in times like this one.
Lemma didn't run. She stood her ground, glowering at Pyx and Councilor Tholke; glaring as if she could knock some sense into them with her gaze alone. Of course, this was a futile endeavor. The Knights were upon here a moment later. Strong arms seized her, throwing her to the ground. Then, oddly enough, even stronger arms were lifting her from the floor. She stared down the Knights arresting her, but the expressions they gave her in return were not those of hardened Knights doing their duty. They were the expressions of Jikk who'd been caught completely off guard.
As she was lifted even higher, Lemma finally realized it wasn't the Knights who currently held her. It was someone else.
"What... who... what's going on?" she cried weakly.
She was being carried away by... one of the local tavern keepers?
"What's happening? What are you doing?" she demanded.
"She's getting away!" someone shouted.
"After her!" a Spire Knight ordered.
All at once, the Knights were airborne, in pursuit. The air was alive with the sound of buzzing wings, the shuffling and frantic falls of boots, and so much shouting. Lemma dangled over seemingly bottomless trenches and crumbling remnants of the City That Once Was.
The tavern keeper, in all this time, had only explained himself with a single grunt. Now, he was using his free arm to aim some kind of weapon at the Knights.
"No," Lemma pleaded. "Don't kill them. They're only doing their duty."
"Stun-shot," said the elderly tavern keeper. The words came an instant before his weapon discharged and the air behind them exploded in brilliant blue electricity. There was a loud series of crackling sounds, as the small-scale controlled lightning tore through each of the Knights. As if an invisible net had ensnared them, the Knights all froze in midair a moment, before their wings slowed to a standstill. They began to plummet down to the darkness below.
The tavern keeper voiced a soft grunt of regret.
"You can say that again," Lemma scolded. "The shot may have stunned them, but the fall will surely do a whole lot more. What's the meaning of this? Are you kidnapping me?"
The tavern keeper shook his head. "Behind you," he said. They climbed higher, closing in on the stone wall of the spacious cavern.
Lemma craned her neck to look back at the platform. What she saw horrified her. Hight Knight Pyx and Councilor Tholke. Even from this far away, she could see that their eyes appeared to have ruptured. From the vacant holes where their eyes had been, large fat yellow worms as long as sword blades were spilling out onto the platform. Each worm slapped down onto the marble, then immediately began to grow in size. Within mere seconds, each one grew to the size of a Field Roamer pup. And they only continued getting bigger.
The Advsiors and officials broke into a stampede, making for the platform's only exit; the flight of stone steps leading up to the passageway before street level.
"Gods," Lemma whispered. "We have to seal off the exit. We can't let those... those things make it up to the city."
But based on the ever-increasing size of the worms, and their ever-growing numbers, she feared it might already be too late.
"Hurry! Come on!" someone shouted, just ahead.
Lemma turned toward the sound of the voice. She saw a Jikk standing atop a stone ledge, high up on the cavern wall. She didn't recognize him.
A second later, the tavern keeper brought her down to a gentle landing on the ledge beside the unfamiliar Jikk. She eyed them both suspiciously. "Just what is going on? And who is this?"
"My name is Flower-Seed. And we've got to get the fuck out of here, Councilor."
The tavern keeper asked, "How can we seal it off?"
Lemma thought for a moment. "You came through there?" She pointed to the large gap behind Flower-Seed.
"We did," said the tavern keeper.
"Then we might be able to beat the worms to the surface. There's a secret tunnel in the cave ceiling, a little further on. Come on. We have to get to the statue of Kylo the Great, up in the Cobbler's District. There's a hidden lever inside. I know the code to turn it. It will seal off the Old City. It's our only chance."
"Then let's get moving," said Flower-Seed.
The tavern keeper only grunted his agreement.
Together, the three of them took off at a sprint. There truly wasn't a single moment to spare...
•8•
Rave spotted the figures below, standing patiently beside a gnarled, leafless gatortree. He came to a landing, just a few yards from them. Eight pairs of cold, dark eyes peered out from eight fleshless humanoid faces, considering him with an alien species of indifference.
A long black case was tucked beneath Rave's right arm. In his left hand, he clutched his Rune Stone expectantly. Any moment now, Nollo would be giving him the word that the deed was done. Any moment now. Rave had an internal clock that kept near perfect timing when it came to things like murder.
Sure enough, the Rune Stone began to grow warmer to Rave's touch.
Nollo's voice came through the Stone. "Boss?"
Rave grinned with what remained of his ruined mouth. "It's done?"
"It's done," Nollo confirmed.
"Good. I'd expect nothing less. You know where I'll be?"
"Yes, sire. I'll see you there shorly."
Rave didn't bother giving a final response. He put the Stone away and took the black case into his hands. The Skinless Men only watched him patiently.
Rave approached the figures beneath the gnarled tree. This was a remote region of Jikkellia's borderlands, where the high grasses gave way to miles of mostly barren dirt and rock. The gatortree stood out, in that it was one of the few trees on the visible landscape here. Just over the horizon, was the large mountain where a certain group of outsiders were rumored to have crashed in a small rowing vessel recently.
Rave waited for one of the skinless men to speak first. When none did, he said: "A lot of people wanted this Horn. You just so happened to be the only ones offering more than coin." This was a half-truth. The Sky Pirates had spoken of coin, but had in reality, offered only betrayal. "I've kept up my end. Now, I expect you to keep yours."
Rave's mind calculated dozens of ways he could slaughter each of these figures, should they show any sign of aggression. It was just how his brain operated. He plotted ways to thwart threats that hadn't even been presented yet. In this line of business, you had to stay twelve moves ahead.
Right on time, Rave's reinforcements arrived. He'd been doing these kinds of deals for far too long to ever go by himself. Even if he did feel confident enough in his abilities that he wasn't weary of the figures before him. Even in a 1 v. 8 duel to the death, he was certain he'd have the upper hand.
Four mothmen mercs landed just behind Rave--keeping their distance but standing at the ready. Rave didn't so much as glance at them. He casually stepped away from his foot soldiers and moved closer to the Skinless Men. "So, how about it? You said you had a way to get us out of this valley. Is that still true?"
One of the figures (there was really no way for Rave to tell the apart, as they all looked like carbon copies of each other) nodded. "We represent Pharoah Dowlmad. Pharoah Dowlmad always keeps his word. Give us the Black Horn and we shall give you freedom from this place."
Rave said nothing a moment. At last, he nodded. "Alright. I'll take you at your word." He slowly held out the case, offering it to one of the figures. The skinless man eagerly accepted the Artifact. He lifted the lid and removed the item inside, handing it to one of the others.
The Black Horn of the Olde Music looked like the hollowed-out horn of some bovine creature, like those Rave had seen sketched in old tomes. Aside from the fact it was black as obsidian, of course. There was a silver mouthpiece banded around the narrow end. That was all there was to the object. All in all, it was rather unimpressive looking by Artifact standards.
The other man examined it for several seconds, before deciding he was satisfied. He nodded back to the first man who took the Horn and returned it to its case.
"So," Rave said, taking on a tone of casual conversation while feigning ignorance. "What does that thing do, anyhow?"
The Skinless Men only regarded him coldly.
Rave nodded, flashing a half grin. "Fair enough. Now... as for your part of the bargain?"
"Yes," said the man holding the case. "You want your entire company to leave this valley? Return to us when you are all together. Some of us will remain here in this spot. We will give you three sunrises after sundown today. If you aren't here by then, we cannot wait any longer."
"We'll return long before then," Rave said.
There didn't seem to be anything more to say. He turned and motioned to the other mercs. "Let's head out. We'll regroup with the others and get everything underway."

I'm trying to find gritty ways to get more initial test users for what we're building.
I'm a massive personal finance nerd. I feel tools like 'Mint' have dropped the ball so I've been working to build a new financial data platform where people can do custom tracking based on their live data.
*ahem* introducing Fina: The worlds first financial tracking tool.
Just kidding. But here's why I think we're building something better:

1. It does all the stuff you'd expect with connecting live accounts, setting categories & budgets, auditing transactions, and setting rules so your data is always clean/accurate.
2. Instead of stale & inflexible dashboards, we take a notion-style approach where you can create as many dashboard pages as you'd like and use blocks to custom track the metrics you actually care about.
3. We use your live data inside different tracking scenarios so you can plan ahead and get proactive insights. We also allow you to ask our ai questions and get results based on your finances.

So if you're dying to know "how much money have I spent on Starbucks this year?" ...finally, you can get a simple answer to that question (and track that if you're so inclined)
Here's a demo: https://www.loom.com/share/f2d15a1e17ac44d1b85e202a1c321e83
Okay that's enough from me. If you have any marketing ideas, would like to try it, or just give us any feedback we just opened early access. (no npcs allowed, ty).
Feel free to email me [email protected]

https://www.cnbc.com/2023/03/17/fed-poised-to-approve-quarter-point-rate-hike-next-week-despite-market-turmoil.html

What does an increase in this mean in Laymen’s terms? How would/could this effect the average person ( like me)? I don’t understand this stuff but am slowly trying. Thank you.

The Fed sets interest rates higher in order to slow down the economy. They do this because inflation is too high, and by reducing demand in the economy they can help bring prices down (ie slowing inflation).
To an average Joe, the higher interest rate means that loans will be more expensive (higher interest) on things like mortgages, credit cards, car loans, etc. It also means that businesses may decide to cancel projects because it's too expensive to borrow the money now. For example, a business that was going to use loans to build a new factory may cancel that project or put it on hold. As a result, this can mean less jobs and/or layoffs by some businesses. This results in a tighter budget for some working class Americans.
The upside is that this also means less spending, which means stores are going to have to keep their prices lower to attract customers. That helps keep inflation under control, which is a benefit to American workers.
Long story short, the Fed is trying to get inflation under control by slowing down the economy. They do this by raising interest rates. The ongoing debate is how fast to raise the rates and how high to raise them. If they go too fast, they could send the economy into severe recession. If they go too slow, inflation could keep getting higher.
The 0.25% raise is basically what everyone is expecting this month. If the Fed doesn't raise at all this month, it signals they are going to let inflation run higher because they're worried about the recent bank turmoil. If they raise it 0.5%, it means they're willing to risk more bank issues (and more market turmoil) in order to get inflation under control.
The Fed meets 8 times per year to decide whether to adjust interest rates. A single rate adjustment really isn't going to have any noticeable effect on the average Joe American. However, the cumulative total of all the rate adjustments will significantly impact the economy. Everyone in the financial world gets worked up about each new rate adjustment because they want to try to predict what it means for the future. It's sort of like a person keeping track of a basketball game on their phone. They want to know when each team scores, and they celebrate or get upset each time. However, each score doesn't really matter - it's the cumulative effect that actually affects the outcome of the game. Likewise, each individual rate adjustment doesn't mean much to the average Joe, but the financial professionals are watching it closely, just like how a basketball fan might watch the whole game, but a less interested person just wants to know who won.
https://www.reddit.com/Economics/comments/11wgwz8/fed_poised_to_approve_quarterpoint_rate_hike_this/jcxzigt/

Federal Reserve lent $300 billion in emergency to support U.S. Banks

https://www.pbs.org/newshoueconomy/federal-reserve-lent-300-billion-in-emergency-funds-to-banks-in-the-past-week

Weird no one is asking how we are going to pay for that, how it's going to impact inflation, or the moral hazard of removing market forces. Weird how it's the rich and powerful where these forces come to the rescue.

Banks push for deregulation and crash the economy.

https://www.reddit.com/Economics/comments/11vzlp5/federal_reserve_lent_300_billion_in_emergency_to/jcwjb6q/

A big “F*** you” from Home Depot. Found in our St Patrick’s day gift baggies.

https://i.redd.it/3l3jlag7hsoa1.jpg
https://www.reddit.com/HomeDepot/comments/11vv3mo/a_big_f_you_from_home_depot_found_in_our_st/

GENERAL GUIDE TO LEARN ANY LANGUAGE (and basically anything else, in my opinion)
TAKE A TEST. Better if online and better to do more than one, but try to figure out what level you are at, to scale the problem and to give you a hand. The goal in a language is NEVER perfection, that is unattainable, and everyone has different goals. Maybe you want to know two sentences, have a few conversations, or be able to pass a native speaker exam, but until you get an idea of your level you will always think you are not good enough.
SERIES, MOVIES, BOOKS The world is full of tools, the Internet in particular, so use them! Maybe there's a show you've seen twenty times, why not watch it again in the language you're studying? Maybe even without subtitles. And don't be scared off by the lack of subtitles, at this stage the important thing is to cover yourself with information, better if it is understood, but not necessarily. A lot of content is dubbed and subbed in many languages, so try it out for yourself! Books are also very useful, but I realize they can be more difficult to deal with.
MUSIC Songs occupy a special section of the brain, a melody always helps to remember, of course it is better if you consider it appreciable, but it is impossible not to find any, even when learning the most obscure language out there.
RadioGarden is perfect, though perhaps not most suitable for the latest generations.
ADDITIONAL LESSONS You may not have the budget or the time, but consider an investment in this area and you will not regret it, even if only online. Some apps help but only if you have an average level in the language, like HelloTalk, but having private lessons is an incredible boost in self-esteem and motivation.
MORE - YouTube channels - The entirety of Reddit - Learning apps, such as Duolinguo, Pimsleur, Babbel, Anki, or others of a different kind such as RadioGarden, and many others (the first and second-to-last are free) - VPN
A BUNCH OF KEYWORDS: - Immersion: drown in the language, submerge yourself in continuous stimuli, even if you don't fully understand them. Chew the language, repeat the same things, change the language of your electronic devices to English, in short, increase the input of information.
- Fun: especially if you are learning a language because you have to and not because you want to, why not make it interesting? Of course not everything can be, but it doesn't hurt to try, what have you got to lose?
- Routine: decide on a time of day or amount of time and stick to it, better five minutes a day for six months than six hours a day for two weeks. Don't shoot too high or too low; find what works best for you.
- Customize: no one method fits all, so look for others', create your own, or both. Adapt the material to your needs, modify, experiment. While it is true that no tool is perfect, you can create one that is perfect for you.
- Usage: The Internet is an infinite resource, use it as much as possible. Research, discover, get interested, tour corners you had never been to, and maybe you might find something genuinely fascinating. You also have at your disposal some of the most powerful tools ever invented by mankind, so manipulate them in your favor. Strive to get the algorithms of each social to recommend more and more things in that language, and in no time they will figure out what you want to do, coordinating.
- Kindness: Treat yourself well, learning a language, even a relatively simple one like English, is not an easy task, it is very normal to take time. And don't get down on yourself if someone is a hundred times better than you, surely you're better at other things, you haven't tried hard enough, or they're bragging in vain. You are not learning a language for them, but for you. Apart from the certainty that you have other qualities (which they may not have, and maybe who knows already they envy you), it is absolutely not true that "you suck at learning languages," the great thing is that there is nothing against you but yourself! What's more, how do you know if you are good if you don't even try ? Maybe if you put your mind to it you would learn Indonesian in a day, but with German you just can't. What do you have to lose? A few more days of useful information? It's a project for you by yourself, it's only you that's stopping you! So get a move on!
- Help: Ask other people, they will be happy to help you, no matter how counter-intuitive it may seem, especially native speakers, if you are lucky enough to know any. Put yourself in their shoes, wouldn't you like to teach your language or one of your languages to friends/relatives if they didn't know it?
- Distinguish: Make your difficulties clear and deal with them, but above all, don't bang your head against the wall if you see it doesn't help, take shortcuts rather, go around it, jump over it, find a way to solve it. Another thing to keep in mind is to absorb things appropriate to your level, after a certain point the absorption phase ends and the practice phase begins, although it may take months.
- Addiction: As scary as the term may be, why not try to make it something that keeps you glued? This is very personal and may be a bit extreme, but it undoubtedly works. I am of course talking about finding something very exciting, so that you are constantly drawn to the language.
- Brain change: Nothing is more satisfying than realizing after some time that you know what something means, and at some point you start thinking, dreaming and swapping languages in your mind. It is proven that learning a new language radically changes the brain and opens up new perspectives and opportunities, in addition to the job opportunities it already opens up.
- Comprehension: What does it mean to be able to speak make normal conversation? Just asking for directions? Being able to give an international lecture? Knowing 15 words to impress someone? These are all levels of the same thing; explore further and fully understand where you want to go from here.
CONCLUSIONS AND EXTRAS - You definitely know more about that language than you think, words you've heard twice in ten years, similar sections to other languages, easy grammar, in short, you have no reason not to learn a new language!
- Don't get down on yourself if you need a break, but remember why you are doing this and relax so you can get off to a good start.
- You can't expect to study two hours a day for six months and not feel a little burned out or a little unmotivated, the important thing is to realize that, and not feel guilty about it! "I didn't do anything today," but what about yesterday? What about the day before? It takes so little to bring yourself down, but if you hang in there, it's worth it.
-Combat embarrassment, while you might make mistakes, one thing is certain, you can't get worse. So jump in, not necessarily with words.
- There are no universal methods.
- The best thing is to set a roughly fixed schedule, and you will see that after only a few days your brain will start working for you.
- Instead of looking for tutorials in your own language to learn another one (fluffing necessary here), look for tutorials on how to learn your language in the one you are learning! Not only will you find it interesting, but they will be topics you already know something about, and seeing it from a foreigner's perspective will be truly fascinating, I promise.
- There are many ways to work, but the best way is to get started.
- If you don't know what to look for on the Internet or feel silly looking for something like "top 5 apps for learning..." then start with what you prefer. What are your personal interests? Your already ingrained passions? What do you search for most often online and off? Those are the topics you want to look up in other languages as well, it's like giving your brain candy of the same flavor but with a different packaging, you'll love it, even though you may not quite understand what you're eating.
- Don't be frightened by the vastness of a language, all its ramifications, dialects, things you may have learned wrong, things you could have done better, known earlier, enjoy the journey instead of thinking about the destination.
- Small goals, path in stages. You are not able to sustain a task like "rewrite the Iliad by hand on stone." You panic, do something else, and then feel guilty. Instead, if you think, "Today I'm writing the first page of the Iliad, but not on rock, on paper. In fact, the first paragraph." Easier and less terrifying, right?
I hope this was helpful to you kind stranger, though I doubt you've put up with me this far.
Please remember all of these are my opinion on how to learn a language and that I didn't discover them first, let me know if you would like me to translate this into other languages (my first language is actually Italian), and remember to not put too much stress on your shoulders, you can do it!

I'm not entry-level by any means, I've been in my field for a minute and I've never had major issues finding work because my skills speak on their own. But it's always awkward when the subject comes up, and some jobs just straight up ask if you have a driver's license even if it has nothing to do with the job. I feel like I may be missing out on some opportunities for this one reason.
I have a disability that does not impede me from doing anything in any of these job descriptions, but it does impede my ability to drive. I don't want to have to disclose this because people hold bias where they shouldn't when it comes to disabilities (just trust me if you're not disabled. They're not supposed to but it happens).
How do I disclose that no, I don't have a driver's license and no, I don't need a parking reservation etc... without making it seem like I'm incompetent or super broke or got a DUI or something, and without disclosing a disability? Is there some sort of eco-friendly thing I could spin here? I mainly rideshare and take the subway if it matters at all in helping to come up with what to say. Thanks.

i'm looking for a hiking pole extender. either a double 14mm flick lock-style female on both ends or one that that's a 14mm male on one side and 12mm female on the other. i see where i can get them in the UK, or where they're sold out online, or where i can get a 16mm or 18mm female extender from aliexpress, but does anyone know where i can find something like i described above?

GENERAL GUIDE TO LEARN ANY LANGUAGE (and basically anything else, in my opinion)
TAKE A TEST. Better if online and better to do more than one, but try to figure out what level you are at, to scale the problem and to give you a hand. The goal in a language is NEVER perfection, that is unattainable, and everyone has different goals. Maybe you want to know two sentences, have a few conversations, or be able to pass a native speaker exam, but until you get an idea of your level you will always think you are not good enough.
SERIES, MOVIES, BOOKS The world is full of tools, the Internet in particular, so use them! Maybe there's a show you've seen twenty times, why not watch it again in the language you're studying? Maybe even without subtitles. And don't be scared off by the lack of subtitles, at this stage the important thing is to cover yourself with information, better if it is understood, but not necessarily. A lot of content is dubbed and subbed in many languages, so try it out for yourself! Books are also very useful, but I realize they can be more difficult to deal with.
MUSIC Songs occupy a special section of the brain, a melody always helps to remember, of course it is better if you consider it appreciable, but it is impossible not to find any, even when learning the most obscure language out there.
RadioGarden is perfect, though perhaps not most suitable for the latest generations.
ADDITIONAL LESSONS You may not have the budget or the time, but consider an investment in this area and you will not regret it, even if only online. Some apps help but only if you have an average level in the language, like HelloTalk, but having private lessons is an incredible boost in self-esteem and motivation.
MORE - YouTube channels - The entirety of Reddit - Learning apps, such as Duolinguo, Pimsleur, Babbel, Anki, or others of a different kind such as RadioGarden, and many others (the first and second-to-last are free) - VPN
A BUNCH OF KEYWORDS: - Immersion: drown in the language, submerge yourself in continuous stimuli, even if you don't fully understand them. Chew the language, repeat the same things, change the language of your electronic devices to English, in short, increase the input of information.
- Fun: especially if you are learning a language because you have to and not because you want to, why not make it interesting? Of course not everything can be, but it doesn't hurt to try, what have you got to lose?
- Routine: decide on a time of day or amount of time and stick to it, better five minutes a day for six months than six hours a day for two weeks. Don't shoot too high or too low; find what works best for you.
- Customize: no one method fits all, so look for others', create your own, or both. Adapt the material to your needs, modify, experiment. While it is true that no tool is perfect, you can create one that is perfect for you.
- Usage: The Internet is an infinite resource, use it as much as possible. Research, discover, get interested, tour corners you had never been to, and maybe you might find something genuinely fascinating. You also have at your disposal some of the most powerful tools ever invented by mankind, so manipulate them in your favor. Strive to get the algorithms of each social to recommend more and more things in that language, and in no time they will figure out what you want to do, coordinating.
- Kindness: Treat yourself well, learning a language, even a relatively simple one like English, is not an easy task, it is very normal to take time. And don't get down on yourself if someone is a hundred times better than you, surely you're better at other things, you haven't tried hard enough, or they're bragging in vain. You are not learning a language for them, but for you. Apart from the certainty that you have other qualities (which they may not have, and maybe who knows already they envy you), it is absolutely not true that "you suck at learning languages," the great thing is that there is nothing against you but yourself! What's more, how do you know if you are good if you don't even try ? Maybe if you put your mind to it you would learn Indonesian in a day, but with German you just can't. What do you have to lose? A few more days of useful information? It's a project for you by yourself, it's only you that's stopping you! So get a move on!
- Help: Ask other people, they will be happy to help you, no matter how counter-intuitive it may seem, especially native speakers, if you are lucky enough to know any. Put yourself in their shoes, wouldn't you like to teach your language or one of your languages to friends/relatives if they didn't know it?
- Distinguish: Make your difficulties clear and deal with them, but above all, don't bang your head against the wall if you see it doesn't help, take shortcuts rather, go around it, jump over it, find a way to solve it. Another thing to keep in mind is to absorb things appropriate to your level, after a certain point the absorption phase ends and the practice phase begins, although it may take months.
- Addiction: As scary as the term may be, why not try to make it something that keeps you glued? This is very personal and may be a bit extreme, but it undoubtedly works. I am of course talking about finding something very exciting, so that you are constantly drawn to the language.
- Brain change: Nothing is more satisfying than realizing after some time that you know what something means, and at some point you start thinking, dreaming and swapping languages in your mind. It is proven that learning a new language radically changes the brain and opens up new perspectives and opportunities, in addition to the job opportunities it already opens up.
- Comprehension: What does it mean to be able to speak make normal conversation? Just asking for directions? Being able to give an international lecture? Knowing 15 words to impress someone? These are all levels of the same thing; explore further and fully understand where you want to go from here.
CONCLUSIONS AND EXTRAS - You definitely know more about that language than you think, words you've heard twice in ten years, similar sections to other languages, easy grammar, in short, you have no reason not to learn a new language!
- Don't get down on yourself if you need a break, but remember why you are doing this and relax so you can get off to a good start.
- You can't expect to study two hours a day for six months and not feel a little burned out or a little unmotivated, the important thing is to realize that, and not feel guilty about it! "I didn't do anything today," but what about yesterday? What about the day before? It takes so little to bring yourself down, but if you hang in there, it's worth it.
-Combat embarrassment, while you might make mistakes, one thing is certain, you can't get worse. So jump in, not necessarily with words.
- There are no universal methods.
- The best thing is to set a roughly fixed schedule, and you will see that after only a few days your brain will start working for you.
- Instead of looking for tutorials in your own language to learn another one (fluffing necessary here), look for tutorials on how to learn your language in the one you are learning! Not only will you find it interesting, but they will be topics you already know something about, and seeing it from a foreigner's perspective will be truly fascinating, I promise.
- There are many ways to work, but the best way is to get started.
- If you don't know what to look for on the Internet or feel silly looking for something like "top 5 apps for learning..." then start with what you prefer. What are your personal interests? Your already ingrained passions? What do you search for most often online and off? Those are the topics you want to look up in other languages as well, it's like giving your brain candy of the same flavor but with a different packaging, you'll love it, even though you may not quite understand what you're eating.
- Don't be frightened by the vastness of a language, all its ramifications, dialects, things you may have learned wrong, things you could have done better, known earlier, enjoy the journey instead of thinking about the destination.
- Small goals, path in stages. You are not able to sustain a task like "rewrite the Iliad by hand on stone." You panic, do something else, and then feel guilty. Instead, if you think, "Today I'm writing the first page of the Iliad, but not on rock, on paper. In fact, the first paragraph." Easier and less terrifying, right?
I hope this was helpful to you kind stranger, though I doubt you've put up with me this far.
Please remember all of these are my opinion on how to learn a language and that I didn't discover them first, let me know if you would like me to translate this into other languages (my first language is actually Italian), and remember to not put too much stress on your shoulders, you can do it!

Hello! So I have adhd and my partner has autism, sometimes it can get in the way of us communicating properly. We are long distance (for the most part). For example, I had asked him if he had gotten a different job, since he hated his last one. He responded with, "Oh yeah! I got a different one last month." When I ask him how his day went, he goes "nothing really exciting, im good though." And changes the subject. But when he asks me how my day goes, I tell him every little detail. When I woke up, 'unimportant' details like how I got a bitchy customer, this cool bug I saw on my walk, etc. Sometimes I feel annoying, because I talk so much about myself and my days and what happened and he never does. I wish he would tell me more about his days, since only meet up every couple months and I just.. want to know what he's doing. He barley updates me on accomplishments or changes that have happened in his life, unless it gets brought up(or unless it's related to his hyperfixations).
Another thing is conflict. When he does something that bothers me, I tell him right away. When I do something that bothers him, he doesn't say anything unless I ask, or unless I bring up something he did that bothered me. This can lead to fights. We had a big fight recently where I brought up something, and then he brought up a bunch of things that I did that upset him(some being from nearly a year ago). I wish he would tell me as soon as he felt like that. I'm not sure if this is a masking thing, like if he feels the need to mask around me, or just autistic things.
If anyone with autism or in a similar situation has advice, it would be appreciated. I'm not sure how to bring it up, I feel so bad criticizing him on stuff like this.

So is remembering data just not a thing that chat-gpt does?
I'm designing a video game, an RPG with a lot of characters and stats and spells, and I'm having ChatGPT help me out with a bit of it, mostly in coming up with large amounts of information. I wanted ChatGPT to be able to store this information, and recall it later. Here was my process.
I gave ChatGPT a list of my characters, and a description of each, and had it come up with some interesting class names, weapons, and a few skills for each character.
Then i told ChatGPT to preserve that data in a specific set of data I called the "Core Character Data Set", and ChatGPT understood that the data inside this data set was to be stored permanently (or as long as that particular chat was active.) In addition, I didn't want to accidentally suggest that some of that data in the Core Character Data Set should change and have ChatGPT change it, or even have ChatGPT just infer or possibly misunderstand and think that I wanted it changed, so I also told it to follow a "Code Red Change Alert", where before any changes were made to the Core Character Data Set, ChatGPT should alert me first, and tell me the data that is changing, and confirm the changes.
And for like, an hour it was great. It would recognize that I had this Core Character Data Set and the Code Red Change Alert process, and so I created a second Data Set, the Core Story Data Set, where I began storing important story info, and for a little bit ChatGPT had no problem recalling data, pulling specific sets of data from one of the full Data Sets, and it did a mostly good job of initiating a Code Red Change Alert if I changed something.
But after an hour or so, the data inside the Core Character Data Set had begun to change slightly, and after a few hours pretty much all of the data was forgotten.
I'm probably not using it the way it's yet designed to be used, but damn it would be so so helpful to me if ChatGPT was able to retain very specific data, especially when instructed specifically to do so.
Fun experiment, though.

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now before we get into this, im not saying its true, they can do what they wants with the story and i can come up with ways to get rid of dragons ect aswell using the same theory.
This comes from something that bothered me in gw1 and now its a little more odd in gw2. and it particallly has to do with colors in guild wars in general. namely purple. i get you can have simular colors as example, nature and necromancy being greenish.
This has to do with abbadon and his story giving power to the worthy and trying to destroy tyria. he was imprisoned after handing out power to humans. who else gives power to humans? now you could say all gods and yes but it seems most of the gods have negitive traits which are highlighted in some of their stories found in game. Now dwayna game the emperor of cantha power for the ritual in gw1 seemingly, canthas culture is the most impacted by dragons in the early games. but who else gives power to people she deems worthy? who also tests humans and kills humans a bit more randomly in the game? who in her stories tests but also consumes all the food ect from people she then controlled to fight and die. Lyssa. The twin god, perhaps split personalities, god of illlussion and i raise you lyssa is loki. got a possible jar jar binks going on.
now this comes with colors from gw1 videos with shiro exploding, it has blue green and purple. you can say perhaps dwayna is blue as he absorbed the emperors soul but my thing is in gw1 we saw most of the relms of the gods, in gw2 you saw part of malandrues world, now you could say as you found the dragon he started in a area of the mists that was purple. maybe we saw some of lyssas world but i doubt it. and we know dwayna brought humans to find peace even if we havnt seen her plane.
now we are told we saw abbadons plane in gw1, madness and torrment... but in gw2 we talk and see the water dragons. we know most of the gods are simular to the dragons. perhaps the dragons feast on the energies that power the gods worlds. we know most of no all the gods worlds have confllict with shadow forces if not the void. Abbadon is the god of water.... blue.... madness and torment are mesmer sounding traits. he was imprisoned .... who was watching the prison? your telling me the gods didnt ever check their big boy threat in jail? what god likes punishing people.. lyssa. what god like manipulating peoples thoughts to do her will, lyssa, have we seen lyssas world? no. The gods came to tyria at different times. melandru is kind of neutral to natural things, dwayna is more on humans side than most. balthazar is a bit reckless and grenth is dwaynas son and the only god left that is able to see through lies.
i raise you that if the game wants us to kill or fight the gods right now is the time. kormir is the god of truth but she was bllind in gw1. she might not be able too see through lyssa. if the gods get power from their worlds, kormir gave up the title of water to who? lyssa, assuming lyssa might be able to enter abbadons relm and find knowledge maybe she is still around tyria. she is the main god that walks around tyria the most. testing people. now this leads to gw2 if domains give power lyssa now controls 2 which threatens balthazar. now balthazar has been collecting valiant soldiers to fight for him for a long time so even with him fallen his troops might be able to hold his domain for a while, opening the possibility of a fissure of woe expansion line. balthazar needed power to fight lyssa but now he is gone. leaving his world open to claim, we know abbadono was the strongest god and lyssa now controls water, which means its likely she is on par if not stronger than the other gods currently. and in this story grenth is the only god left that could see through her lies, meaning next target. leaving then dwayna and melandru left, and meandru would be neutral and grenths death might affect dwayna into action.
now in gw1 shiro was affected by a old woman fortune teller, we now lyssa has controled people before and turned into old women before. when shiro explodes there is a line of purple and he affects the reallity of the world with the jade wind. im a bit rusty on lore but maybe this was to awaken the dragons. we know lyssa deems peoplle worthy.
This suggests we have seen lyssas world or at least her effects on a world. Madness and torment. yes thats right. lyssa could have been the watcher over abbadon and to second this when shiro dies again he is sent to the relm of torrment for punishment. Abbadon was imprisioned... why would he have the power to decide were shiro went. yes its possible but lyssa coulld have been torchering abbadon and put shiro in there for her plans and perhaps abbadon loosing his sanity which is something we see in the dragons started to call apon the void.
now in gw2 balthazar was imprisoned and the only reason rytlock released him was hee didnt know it was balthazar, why is this? his form was changed by who? lyssa. lyssa helped imprison balthazar and then planned his escape so he would be forced to do her bidding aswell as give up his world.
i coulld go into mesmers in gw1 and the charr ect but its probably not important. but we have seen that charr get access to powerful balthazar artifacts in gw2? where did they get them? balthazar fought the charr with the humans in the past. if balthazar was trapped who would have access to his things .... lyssa.
now why would this be a thing. well lets compare the gods to something like dragons watch. you betrayal and one death. currently in the gods world you could say abbadon died and ballthazar betrayed the gods or , balthazar died and llyssa betrayed the gods, or both who knows.
we know dwayna brought the humans. we know grenth is dwaynas kid and melandru is kind of neutral and the oldest god. thats leaves, abbadon ,lyssa, and balthazar fighting over humans perhaps. lyssa may not even have a world if its void. abbadon was giving power to people lyssa didnt deem worthy, becoming her first target. the other gods can be simular in her eyes. and she has a kind of arrogance about her she may not like dwayna who knows. we dont really get much sense of unity between gods more like a mutual respect of power which is why they have to all decide to do something together and would give power to kormir after abbadons fall.
now they say the gods left to find new land but each relm we have seen had a dark force attacking it. the shadow army and the demons in grenths world in gw1. if that is affects simular to the dragons that means the gods might of been forced to return to their relms to protect their power and couldnt fight the dragons. also opens up storyline for us in the future.
mainly this more of less is based on purple. madness torment, torment weapons ect all purple. purple mesmer, illlusion, the skillls used by evil creatures in the games using mesmer effects ect. videos with purple energy effects.
lastly i want to throw one more thing in here. the new class, revenant. you involk legends... now you can say shiro is evil and he probably is but before his manipulation he was a hero of a sort, and most of the other legends are heroes. now in the new expansion you have lux and kurz heroes. what doesnt fit here...??
myllax- you have one demon evil creature among all the heroes.... lets look into this.
The Margonite Mallyx is a book about Mallyx the Unyielding, found in the Durmand Priory's Special Collections during the Hidden Arcana chapter of the Echoes of the Past.
​
No one knows who wrote this, but it is an ancient letter to the High Priest Zhellix, a Forgotten who led a historic assault on the Margonites (demon followers of Abaddon).📷 Read on.To be noted: breaching the Ebony Citadel will likely kill you. Mallyx the Unyielding rules the four Lords of Anguish, and they will shred you.📷 Read on.If they don't get you, Mallyx will. If you do succeed, Mallyx will embark on a mission of vengeance from which you are unlikely to escape.📷 Read on.If you insist, do not use standard tactics against this demon. They will not work. Good luck. I hope I see you again."📷 Put it back.
if you attack then it seeks vengence... and its smart.
Those who followed the Dark God thrive in hidden places where the light of truth does not shine. Chief among these followers is Mallyx the Unyielding, a great and terrible Margonite leader who tamed hordes of demons in his dark lord's service. Mallyx has now fallen back to his Ebony Citadel within the Domain of Anguish, where he plots to usurp the powers of the gods and sit upon his dark master's throne.
Mallyx has rallied the last remnants of the Margonite army along with their greatest surviving leaders. In addition, vast hordes of demons, titans, and other vile creatures have all flocked to his unholy banner. Only the bravest of heroes may halt Mallyx's rebellion. If you are worthy, then scour the Domain of Anguish and cast down this would-be usurper.
Meet me at the Gates of Anguish and I shall tell you more of what lies ahead, and show you how the last shreds of the Dark God's power may yet be crushed.
would be usurper, rebellling against the gods, if you attack it comes back with revenge. lyssa does test people to see if they can look past the looks of others . they say abbadon wanted to destroy the world but myllax is trying to attack the gods. he serves abbadons purpose and what happened to abbbadon, betrayal, attacked by the gods. why have a revenant summon heroes for combat and then have a leader of a ancient god destroying the world to join the party? when we learn more about abbadon perhaps we will hear or see a new side to abbadon. maybe these creatures are demons but demons created out of desperation from Abaddon calling apon dark powers for freedom.
​
anycase this is just a fun idea in the back of my head and its very possiblle the story wont ever go this route but if we ever want to fight on the gods worlds or kill more gods. we got open doors.

So the more you grow, the more fierce are the obstacles you have to face. I am guessing you can count whistleblowers as one of these obstacles. Thank you, guys, for attesting to the validity of our movement. Source

When something is good, when it is something people want and value, people welcome it. They pursue it for themselves. Examples:

• Cell phones
• Online shopping
• eBay
• Air conditioning
• Electricity
• Food/Grocery delivery services
• Portable hot tubs/spas
• Power steering
• Habitat for Humanity
• OnlyFans
• Imgur
• Youtube
• Video streaming services
• Large screen TVs
• the Chunnel

I'm sure you can think of some others. Where are the "fierce obstacles" THOSE face?
Nowhere, that's where. People immediately and enthusiastically embraced those when they were introduced.
So what are things that receive backlash from within society as they spread?

• Cults
• MLM scams
• "Nigerian prince" emails
• Scams targeting the elderly
• Catfishing
• Deepfakes
• Extremist political groups (Tea Party, MAGA, white supremacists, etc.)
• Opioid and other drug addictions

Need I say more??
Have people been protesting and making alternative plans because removing the right for a woman to decide whether or not she is going to continue a pregnancy is a "good" thing to do? Is it because removing that right is a valuable move in the direction of "growth"?
It's the things that are harmful, that cause LOSS for people, that end up "facing obstacles". Because people DON'T LIKE them. That is not "attesting to the validity" of whatever it is; that's alerting the public to dangerous developments and even PREDATORS in their midst!
This is simply an illustration of how SGI disables its members' critical thinking abilities - there's simply NOTHING that can tell them that what they're doing is wrong and they need to do something else or behave differently! "Fierce obstacles" are society's way of telling people that they're doing something antisocial or self-destructive! SGI's embrace of "fierce obstacles" as a GOOD thing simply means SGI members who internalize that self-destructive idea have no way to self-correct!

These are all human beings - not outstanding paragons of virtue or castles of integrity - just ordinary schmucks with a deluded sense of their “specialness” which completely obviates the need for them to do any kind of self reflection and self correct - which is the type of thing a lot of decent and ordinary schmucks do.
It’s the consequence of how cults work - with a special identity (bodhisattva of the earth; thetan, witness, prophet - pick your cult) and a special mission, you get a pass - you don’t need to reflect on yourself, you can ditch any moral compass in favour of the cult’s goal and the leader’s needs and the normal codes, mores, customs and heck - even laws of the land don’t apply. Cults top leaders’ reps as vile people are well known and well founded. There’s not many who list David Miscavige or Warren Jeffs as “person I’d most like to invite to dinner”.
I think it’s unhealthy and unnecessary to place people on a pedestal - no one is perfect and everyone makes mistakes and does things they regret. However - surely when it comes to those taking it upon themselves to offer guidance, instruction and issue judgements on others - we should set the bar a little higher? Source

See also Why "Good People Are Despised" Thinking Necessarily Leads to Assholery

I'm glad they appreciate SGIWhistleblowers. We're going to continue what we do. We'll give them more AND MORE to appreciate us for.

So there you have it: A recent example "from the wild" of how one of the SGI's narcissists behaves, particularly when she's caught red-handed and can't wiggle out of the fact that she was OPENLY lying - and several others who apparently knew it was all fake were going along with it like it was real when it was all a cheap manipulative sham, a fraud, a charade, completely phony. SGI does not self-correct; maladaptive/socially unacceptable behavior just becomes worse. It spreads. Source
My husband was right when he said they [SGI members] were creepy and not normal. Source
Ah yes indeed -,the “human revolution” - there’s always a revolution with these cults - or a “total transformation” - it’s all about the big change - the big transformation- the grand, dramatic playing out of a magnificent life in a splendid way on a global stage! All this ideating about how fandabbydozy one is going to be is fantastically disparaging of who one already is! So the character one already has gets discarded in favour of the new shiny one promised - no - guaranteed. In over 30 years I never saw a single person improve as a human being - including myself!! I saw many leave in the first few years. I saw those who continued to hope and wish the thing would work become unhappy, disillusioned, bitter, deeply dissatisfied, jealous, power-hungry and scheming - and I was around for a sufficient number of years to know many of those who are in senior positions now very well. Living an indoctrinated life is really no fun at all - and it exemplifies the law of diminishing returns. Even being on the payroll doesn’t compensate for the loss of your real and authentic self, your integrity and sincerity, your heartfelt bonds with those you really trust and your autonomy, ownership of and agency within your own life. This is the human revolution - the re-emergence of who you are out from under the indoctrination and manipulation of the cult. Source

So I was looking at the subway track map this morning (https://www.vanshnookenraggen.com/_index/docs/NYC_full_trackmap.pdf), and I realized that the tunnels in between Manhattan and Queens are imbalanced in terms of how many lines they serve.
For this post I'm gonna use terms that I made up, but basically in my mind a service that runs exclusively on its own track is a "full" service and a service that shares track with another service is a "half" service. For example, the full services are 1,6,7, L, and J since they don't interline with anything (Z doesn't exist). Half services are basically everything else, such as how the 4 and 5 share the lexington express tracks. You can interline any two half services together to combine to a full service, like how the A and D interline together to form a full service on the central park west express tracks.
With this in mind, the 7 train tunnel is two tracks and serves one full service, so it's at capacity. The 53rd st tunnel has the E and M, two half services interlined together. But then you have the 63rd st tunnel, which has only one half service, the F.
And finally, the 60th st tunnel, which has three services running through it. From this tunnel, all the way south to times square, is the only location in the entire system where three services combine into one set of tracks. It's well documented that this tunnel is a bottleneck in the system. Combined with the shitshow at the DeKalb interlocking, the capacity of the BMT lines is severely constrained, with the R possibly being the line with the worst headways in the entire system.
Why is it like this? Can this be fixed? For my following suggestions, if there's any scheduling nuances or reasons why the ideas wouldn't work, please enlighten me. I don't know much about scheduling and I'm just laying out what makes sense in my head. I'd really like to know why the system is run this way instead of maximizing the capacity of each tunnel.
My idea for fixing this and increasing the capacity of the BMT broadway line has a couple of small components, but overall there are no new infrastructure requirements (as far as I'm aware), and there is no decrease in service anywhere except for one station, which is more than made up for by the increase in service system-wide.
First, eliminate the W train. It's a weird combination of N and R service and it doesn't even go into Brooklyn. It also causes problems for the next two suggestions.
Second, have the N run fully express, and stay with the Q train into the 63rd st tunnel. There is a switch in the tunnel to allow trains to cross between the BMT and IND lines, and the N should take advantage of this switch to interline with the F train in the tunnel. This increases capacity at the Lexington Ave, Roosevelt Island, and Queensbridge stations, as now the track is completely full instead of half.
But then where does the N go after this? Well, the third suggestion is to remove the R train from the Queens Boulevard local line and replace it with the new N, and then send R trains from the 60th st tunnel into Astoria. This would eliminate the connection between the R and the Queens Plaza station, but the rest of the Queens Boulevard line remains at full capacity with the N running local where the R previously ran.
Finally, since the W doesn't exist anymore and the R goes to Astoria, the amount of trains running along the R line can be increased to a full capacity. The R would now join the short list of trains that don't interline with any others, since it's alone in Astoria, Broadway local, the montague st tunnel, all the way down 4th ave in Brooklyn. This can finally end the decades of the R being utter dogshit, as it will be able to run at quick headways since it doesn't have to share tracks with anything.
Other than the loss of a third half-service at Queens Plaza station, are there any downsides to this? Astoria, Broadway, and Brooklyn all get more service. The tunnels between Manhattan and Queens are used more optimally. There's no delays because of the N swapping from express to local tracks north of times square. I'm assuming that there's a reason service isn't run this way, so if anyone more knowledgeable than me could explain, that would be appreciated!

Thank you so much for 8.0k members <3 20/03/23
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We don't count any of the following as proof:

• Usernames blurred/covered.
• Blurred/cut proofs.
• The other trader not tagged in comments.
• Trades from other social platforms.

-No proof of trade (unless the other trader has vouched or a screenshot of the chat is shown instead).
To apply for trusted flair, create a post linking a proof binder and tag the moderators of the subreddit.
Post Flairs
Your post flair should be the item you are trading, for example if you are trading robux for mm2 items, your post flair should be 'robux'. For more information please refer to this post for more information.
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• Pronouns
• Must use mm when trading with pronouns - This is for new users or users who are more comfortable using an mm/mw.
• Trusted cross trader - Please refer to the above point for more information.
• Suspicious trader - Please make sure to use a mm/mw with this user as they may have had some unconfirmed accusations against them.
• Scammer - Please check to see if anyone you are dming have the scammer flair, as they may have been banned from the subreddit but their comments/posts may still be there.
• New to cross trading - Feel free to use this flair to let people know you are new.

All moderators will have the 'moderator' flair and any new training moderators will have the 'trainee' flair.
More reminders/information

• We no longer have Saturday Weekly Updates.
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• When requesting an mm/mw please let us know what the trade is in the post.

​
Moderators:
u/AKAcocodiger - Co-owner of this subreddit. ( , does not MM)
u/Moa_81 - Moa, Co-owner of this subreddit. (Any pronouns, does not MM rh)
u/StunningVideo6251 - Annie, Moderator (She/Her, MW)
u/Spooky-the-insomniac - Wolfie/Spooky, Moderator (She/They, MW)
u/Emily_RoyaleHigh - Emily, Moderator (, MW)
u/AdoptMeTigers - Sophie, Trainee (She/Her, MW)
u/chikenchile - Star, Trainee (She/Her, MW)
u/Quietly_Evaporating - Ally, Trainee ( ,MM)
u/Psychological-Fun475 - Ashley, Mod helper (She/They, Not MM)
u/lol123lolthx - , Mod helper (. , Not MM)
​
If you have any questions or queries please ask anyone above, thank you for using this subreddit and happy tradings 🤍

I'm a massive personal finance nerd. I feel tools like 'Mint' have dropped the ball so I've been working to build a new financial data platform where people can do custom tracking based on their live data.
*ahem* introducing Fina: The worlds first financial tracking tool.
Just kidding. But it is better...here's why:

1. It does all the stuff you'd expect with connecting live accounts, setting categories & budgets, auditing transactions, and setting rules so your data is always clean/accurate.
2. Instead of stale & inflexible dashboards, we take a notion-style approach where you can create as many dashboard pages as you'd like and use blocks to custom track the metrics you actually care about.
3. We use your live data inside different tracking scenarios so you can plan ahead and get proactive insights. We also allow you to ask our ai questions and get results based on your finances.

So if you're dying to know "how much money have I spent on Starbucks this year?" ...finally you can get a simple answer to that question (and track that if you're so inclined)
Here's a demo: https://www.loom.com/share/f2d15a1e17ac44d1b85e202a1c321e83
Okay that's enough from me. If you'd like to try it and give us feedback we just opened early access and I need help from real people testing and giving ideas. (no npcs allowed, ty).
You can try it at https://fina.xyz or email me [email protected]

GENERAL GUIDE TO LEARN ANY LANGUAGE (and basically anything else, in my opinion)
TAKE A TEST. Better if online and better to do more than one, but try to figure out what level you are at, to scale the problem and to give you a hand. The goal in a language is NEVER perfection, that is unattainable, and everyone has different goals. Maybe you want to know two sentences, have a few conversations, or be able to pass a native speaker exam, but until you get an idea of your level you will always think you are not good enough.
SERIES, MOVIES, BOOKS The world is full of tools, the Internet in particular, so use them! Maybe there's a show you've seen twenty times, why not watch it again in the language you're studying? Maybe even without subtitles. And don't be scared off by the lack of subtitles, at this stage the important thing is to cover yourself with information, better if it is understood, but not necessarily. A lot of content is dubbed and subbed in many languages, so try it out for yourself! Books are also very useful, but I realize they can be more difficult to deal with.
MUSIC Songs occupy a special section of the brain, a melody always helps to remember, of course it is better if you consider it appreciable, but it is impossible not to find any, even when learning the most obscure language out there.
RadioGarden is perfect, though perhaps not most suitable for the latest generations.
ADDITIONAL LESSONS You may not have the budget or the time, but consider an investment in this area and you will not regret it, even if only online. Some apps help but only if you have an average level in the language, like HelloTalk, but having private lessons is an incredible boost in self-esteem and motivation.
MORE - YouTube channels - The entirety of Reddit - Learning apps, such as Duolinguo, Pimsleur, Babbel, Anki, or others of a different kind such as RadioGarden, and many others (the first and second-to-last are free) - VPN
A BUNCH OF KEYWORDS: - Immersion: drown in the language, submerge yourself in continuous stimuli, even if you don't fully understand them. Chew the language, repeat the same things, change the language of your electronic devices to English, in short, increase the input of information.
- Fun: especially if you are learning a language because you have to and not because you want to, why not make it interesting? Of course not everything can be, but it doesn't hurt to try, what have you got to lose?
- Routine: decide on a time of day or amount of time and stick to it, better five minutes a day for six months than six hours a day for two weeks. Don't shoot too high or too low; find what works best for you.
- Customize: no one method fits all, so look for others', create your own, or both. Adapt the material to your needs, modify, experiment. While it is true that no tool is perfect, you can create one that is perfect for you.
- Usage: The Internet is an infinite resource, use it as much as possible. Research, discover, get interested, tour corners you had never been to, and maybe you might find something genuinely fascinating. You also have at your disposal some of the most powerful tools ever invented by mankind, so manipulate them in your favor. Strive to get the algorithms of each social to recommend more and more things in that language, and in no time they will figure out what you want to do, coordinating.
- Kindness: Treat yourself well, learning a language, even a relatively simple one like English, is not an easy task, it is very normal to take time. And don't get down on yourself if someone is a hundred times better than you, surely you're better at other things, you haven't tried hard enough, or they're bragging in vain. You are not learning a language for them, but for you. Apart from the certainty that you have other qualities (which they may not have, and maybe who knows already they envy you), it is absolutely not true that "you suck at learning languages," the great thing is that there is nothing against you but yourself! What's more, how do you know if you are good if you don't even try ? Maybe if you put your mind to it you would learn Indonesian in a day, but with German you just can't. What do you have to lose? A few more days of useful information? It's a project for you by yourself, it's only you that's stopping you! So get a move on!
- Help: Ask other people, they will be happy to help you, no matter how counter-intuitive it may seem, especially native speakers, if you are lucky enough to know any. Put yourself in their shoes, wouldn't you like to teach your language or one of your languages to friends/relatives if they didn't know it?
- Distinguish: Make your difficulties clear and deal with them, but above all, don't bang your head against the wall if you see it doesn't help, take shortcuts rather, go around it, jump over it, find a way to solve it. Another thing to keep in mind is to absorb things appropriate to your level, after a certain point the absorption phase ends and the practice phase begins, although it may take months.
- Addiction: As scary as the term may be, why not try to make it something that keeps you glued? This is very personal and may be a bit extreme, but it undoubtedly works. I am of course talking about finding something very exciting, so that you are constantly drawn to the language.
- Brain change: Nothing is more satisfying than realizing after some time that you know what something means, and at some point you start thinking, dreaming and swapping languages in your mind. It is proven that learning a new language radically changes the brain and opens up new perspectives and opportunities, in addition to the job opportunities it already opens up.
- Comprehension: What does it mean to be able to speak make normal conversation? Just asking for directions? Being able to give an international lecture? Knowing 15 words to impress someone? These are all levels of the same thing; explore further and fully understand where you want to go from here.
CONCLUSIONS AND EXTRAS - You definitely know more about that language than you think, words you've heard twice in ten years, similar sections to other languages, easy grammar, in short, you have no reason not to learn a new language!
- Don't get down on yourself if you need a break, but remember why you are doing this and relax so you can get off to a good start.
- You can't expect to study two hours a day for six months and not feel a little burned out or a little unmotivated, the important thing is to realize that, and not feel guilty about it! "I didn't do anything today," but what about yesterday? What about the day before? It takes so little to bring yourself down, but if you hang in there, it's worth it.
-Combat embarrassment, while you might make mistakes, one thing is certain, you can't get worse. So jump in, not necessarily with words.
- There are no universal methods.
- The best thing is to set a roughly fixed schedule, and you will see that after only a few days your brain will start working for you.
- Instead of looking for tutorials in your own language to learn another one (fluffing necessary here), look for tutorials on how to learn your language in the one you are learning! Not only will you find it interesting, but they will be topics you already know something about, and seeing it from a foreigner's perspective will be truly fascinating, I promise.
- There are many ways to work, but the best way is to get started.
- If you don't know what to look for on the Internet or feel silly looking for something like "top 5 apps for learning..." then start with what you prefer. What are your personal interests? Your already ingrained passions? What do you search for most often online and off? Those are the topics you want to look up in other languages as well, it's like giving your brain candy of the same flavor but with a different packaging, you'll love it, even though you may not quite understand what you're eating.
- Don't be frightened by the vastness of a language, all its ramifications, dialects, things you may have learned wrong, things you could have done better, known earlier, enjoy the journey instead of thinking about the destination.
- Small goals, path in stages. You are not able to sustain a task like "rewrite the Iliad by hand on stone." You panic, do something else, and then feel guilty. Instead, if you think, "Today I'm writing the first page of the Iliad, but not on rock, on paper. In fact, the first paragraph." Easier and less terrifying, right?
I hope this was helpful to you kind stranger, though I doubt you've put up with me this far.
Please remember all of these are my opinion on how to learn a language and that I didn't discover them first, let me know if you would like me to translate this into other languages (my first language is actually Italian), and remember to not put too much stress on your shoulders, you can do it!

What if Shawn Michaels went to TNA After the Undertaker Streak vs Career Match
Story Theme: You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself as the villain.
Author’s Note: Daniel Bryan signs with TNA and doesn’t head to WWE till late 2012 to early 2013. Considering 2010 was the beginning of the end for TNA, I realistically can’t see Shawn not retiring. If the product was really good, I think HBK would’ve went in. In this universe, Paul Heyman is in charge of creative in TNA. He wants a youth-oriented promotion in TNA and to push the younger talent. The only wrestlers he wants as World Champion over 40 to make the younger talent into Bonafede stars are Kurt Angle and Shawn Michaels himself. Also, Hogan, Bischoff and their friends will still be there due to Dixie Carter’s involvement but will have limited roles and won’t have the control they did irl. Also, since Heyman’s in charge, expect top names who are affiliated with him who are still young to pop throughout the story.
Introduction:
At WrestleMania 26, Shawn Michaels lost his final WWE Match against the Undertaker in a No Holds Barred Streak vs Career which was on par with it’s previous classic at Mania 25. HBK has a heartfelt goodbye speech at the next night on Raw. HBK has left the building. Shawn was no longer contracted to WWE but was involved in the next SVR game and the WWE offered him legends deal and a Hall of Fame Induction in the next year. For a few months Shawn stuck with his retirement promise as he thought nothing would top his last match and even signed the legends deal before faxing it in. But the Ric Flair syndrome hit him, and he started having the wrestling itch again. He figured he had more years left in him. He knew he couldn’t go back to WWE as him immediately returning there would ruin the purpose of his program with Taker. He then heard rumblings about TNA. He watched the show and was impressed with the talent. He knew that with TNA growing, he could help with the younger talent and put them over. Long were the days of politicking. He contacted his Kliq buddy Kevin Nash to help negotiate a deal with TNA. Nash personally wasn’t happy in his run with his heat with Heyman due to the older guys getting pushed aside for the Vanilla Midgets but would do anything for one of his best friends so he agreed. Shawn then entered secret negotiations with Dixie Carter and Paul Heyman. Heyman tasked HBK to be one of the only full time guys over 40 with the likes of Kurt Angle even though Shawn could take hiatus whatever he wanted to spend time with his family. Dixie, promised to pay him the most amount of money in the roster, can fulfill outside endeavors, and had a say over his storylines and promos but not match outcomes. It was then a done deal and Shawn signed the deal to TNA. Shawn wanted it to be top secret to the point that no one knew he was joining in and even told WWE that he was going to sign with them to avoid speculation. HBK signed a four-year iron clad contract. When HBK asked Heyman about Nash’s issues, Heyman said he wanted to chop the heads off them 40-year-olds but HBK and Angle weren’t one of them.
Part 1: Rebirth:
HBK's New Theme Since the Sexy Boy Theme is WWE Property: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7Nioh8wq3w
Note. Note: Shawn’s character will initially be a babyface, but he will do heel like actions. In HBK’s mind he is the hero. This will get worse in time.
At TNA Slammiversary 2010, TNA World Champion AJ Styles defended his title against “The Icon” Sting. They had a great match with the Champion keeping up with the Icon’s experience in the ring. AJ ended up winning the match much to the dismay of Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff. As Sting stood up to a standing ovation, the lights went out and who stood behind him was a man in dark clothing wearing a mouth covering and a cowboy hat. Sting turned around and was hit with a Superkick. The man turned around, removed his mask and took his hat off Undertaker style. Out came the Heartbreak Kid Shawn Michaels with a smirk. The crowd goes nuclear crazy. Bischoff comes to the ring and eats a Sweet Chin Music. Shawn then escapes through the crowd as Hulk Hogan and security chase him. The next week on Thursday Night Impact, Shawn Michaels comes to a huge pop in San Antonio, Texas with a new theme of Rebirthing by Skillet. Shawn noticeably had a clean shaven face resembling his younger days with his long now receding hair in a top knot. He high fived fans. Shawn cut a promo on how after his lost his match he was fully committed to his retirement promise, but as he saw there was no more new stars who could surpass him. He figured that new generation were screwed due to old timers like Hulk Hogan coming and going and taking spots from the future. The only reason he came out of retirement was because he wanted to save the future of wrestling and have the younger talent be better than what he was, a backstabbing backstage politician. Long where the days of burying young talent. Shawn then said he didn’t go back to WWE due to respect to Undertaker who he trusted would preserve the future there. He wanted to cleanse the wrestling world of old part timers. He wanted this so the wrestling business wouldn’t go extinct in 20-30 years, be surpassed by other forms of sports and entertainment, and go under like WCW and ECW did. He promised that he wouldn’t challenge for any titles in TNA as his championship days were up. After his Mania match, he then declared himself to be the Career Killer and promised to end the career of any old timer who stood in the future’s way. He didn’t care if it was his best friend or anything. He will save wrestling.
Later in the night, Bryan Danielson defeated Jeff Jarrett in the main event. Jarrett and his crew then attacked Bryan, but outcome HBK for the save and he took down Jarrett’s crew causing them to flee the ring. In a similar image to Darby and Sting in AEW, Shawn helped Bryan up and stared him down. He then hugged his protégé and promised to be the mentor he should’ve been back in 99. He then walked down the ramp with him. The next week, he had a confrontation with Sting over the last PPV, Shawn said it was nothing personal but wanted to let Sting know that his time in the main event was up and was willing to spare him his career if he stepped aside from the title scene. Sting hesitated but refused telling HBK that he’ll decide in his own merit if his time was up. Sting and Shawn started brawling and out came Bryan to help HBK fend Sting. HBK and Bryan then performed a running knee/superkick combo on Sting. In a backstage interview, HBK with Bryan in his side declaring he was starting the Heartbreakers Foundation (a spoof name to the Hart Foundation). He then decided to have try outs for the group. Over the course of following weeks try out matches were made to see who would fit best in the group. Bryan Danielson won his tryout match against Okada, while other protégé of HBK “The” Brian Kendrick won his tryout match against Gunner, D Angelo Dinero won his tryout match against Orlando Jordan, The Motor City Machine defeated Generation Me for the tryouts. Shawn seemed impressed with Generation Me and kept an eye out for them by making them honorary members to be the future of wrestling in 15 years. The last tryout match was between Shawn’s Kliq buddies Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, and Sean Waltman. The three men wanted in HBK’s group as they bonded well in the Kliq in the 90s. Shawn was willing to comply with their requests until they reminisced on their good old days and how they would bury the talent. Shawn then lost his cool and told them that those days were over. The four men then argued until Shawn said that only one of them would join the group if that person won the triple threat qualification match. Kevin Nash ended up winning the match. Shawn and his newfound proteges in the Heartbreakers Foundation beat Waltman and Hall down. Nash then realized Shawn was serious about his claims. HBK then forced Nash to Jackknife Hall and Waltman. Nash with tears in his eyes because he would hurt his best friends bad did so. HBK patted him on the back and said it’s for the best.
Heartbreakers Foundation Members:
The group will be a mix of the Hart Foundation and D-Generation X

1. God Leader: Shawn Michaels: The Grizzled Veteran leader of the group who wants to preserve the future of pro wrestling
   
2. Big Sexy Co Leader: Kevin Nash: The Muscle of The Group. He is a reliable tool to the younger members, but is still coming to terms that his glory days are done.
   
3. The Violent One: Bryan Danielson (2009 look). Bryan Danielson is the violent submission specialist on an undefeated streak who Shawn’s is grooming to be the next big thing. Bryan does show a goofy side of him like in Team Hell No sometimes, but he just wants to kick some fning heads in.
   
4. Kurt Cobain: The Brian Kendrick: He is the most funniest and chill back member of the group who was fired by WWE in 2009. He loves Nirvana and Weed.
   
5. The Best Tag Team in The World: The Motor City Machine Guns: One of the best tag teams in TNA today. They will be the cornerstones of the tag division.
   
6. Pope: D Angelo Dinero: He is a pope like figure in the group, who HBK personally loves due to his Christian Faith. HBK and Dinero have a similar ego problem but seems to like each other the most.
   
7. Young Guns: Generation Me: They are the rookies of the group who Shawn wants to build up. At least when they eventually join the Bullet Club as the Young Bucks, they can say Shawn Michaels himself endorsed them.
   

HBK then informed Bryan, Dinero, TMCMG, Kendrick, and even Generation Me that they could challenge for any titles they wanted and that he and Nash wouldn’t challenge for any titles. Nash who is the TNA Legends Champion looked bewildered. HBK then told Nash to hand him his title. The HBF then went to a campfire and he burned the Legends Title. HBK then grabbed a title from his bag and christened it the TNA Intercontinental Championship. The IC was something Shawn fought for in classic battles in the 90s and now wanted his proteges to continues the titles legacy. Heyman then booked a six man ladder match including the HBF members for the title. Sting then called out HBK in a promo claiming that his rebirth from his past self was a lie and Shawn was still the same person he was in the 90s. He then said Shawn wasn’t there for the business, he was there for himself. Shawn then came down and refuted his claims and that he would prove it. He then called out Sting for still wanting to be World Champion in TNA and not being a man of his word. Shawn then said they never were in the same company in the same time but they had similar demons and that he should know better. Despite all this Shawn still respects Sting. Sting then challenges Shawn to a match at Victory Road 2010. Shawn agrees on one condition, if Shawn loses, he drops his vendetta, but if Sting loses he can never challenge for any title in TNA. Shawn and Sting then have a brawl which the locker room must separate. At Victory Road 2010, Shawn had a huge entrance in his WM 26 attire but with a cowboy hat and a V for Venetta like mask. This is Shawn’s first match in months. HBK and Sting have a classic match for their age group. HBK then shockingly wins clean with a Sweet Chin Music. HBK wins the match and shakes hands with Sting who accepts it. He has earned Sting’s respect, but Sting is devasted that he can’t challenge for titles anymore.

I come from a background of manual labor, door knocking, and mowing lawns. I then went to college where I was a walk-on for the football team...so I'm used to a lifestyle of grinding my teeth & doing things that aren't scalable.
I've become a massive personal finance nerd over the years. I feel tools like 'Mint' have dropped the ball so I've been working to build a new financial data platform where people can do custom tracking based on their live data.
*ahem* introducing Fina: The worlds first financial tracking tool.
Just kidding. But I think what we're building is better...here's why:

1. It does all the stuff you'd expect with connecting live accounts, setting categories & budgets, auditing transactions, and setting rules so your data is always clean/accurate.
2. Instead of stale & inflexible dashboards, we take a notion-style approach where you can create as many dashboard pages as you'd like and use blocks to custom track the metrics you actually care about.
3. We use your live data inside different tracking scenarios so you can plan ahead and get proactive insights. We also allow you to ask our ai questions and get results based on your finances.

So if you're dying to know "how much money have I spent on Starbucks this year?" ...finally you can get a simple answer to that question (and track that if you're so inclined)
Here's a demo: https://www.loom.com/share/f2d15a1e17ac44d1b85e202a1c321e83
Basically, I'm trying to figure out if us doing 1:1 sales (especially while competing with giants in the space) is the right path early on like this. We haven't tested any ads yet.
Okay that's enough from me. If you'd like to try it and give us feedback we just opened early access and I need help from real people testing and giving ideas. (no npcs allowed, ty).
my email is [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected])