inforgraphic with more details here

We'll be joining in on the June 12th-14th protest of Reddit's API changes that will essentially kill all 3rd party Reddit apps.

What's going on?

A recent Reddit policy change threatens to kill many beloved third-party mobile apps, making a great many quality-of-life features not seen in the official mobile app permanently inaccessible to users.
On May 31, 2023, Reddit announced they were raising the price to make calls to their API from being free to a level that will kill every third party app on Reddit, from Apollo to Reddit is Fun to Narwhal to BaconReader.
Even if you're not a mobile user and don't use any of those apps, this is a step toward killing other ways of customizing Reddit, such as Reddit Enhancement Suite or the use of the old.reddit.com desktop interface .
This isn't only a problem on the user level: many subreddit moderators depend on tools only available outside the official app to keep their communities on-topic and spam-free.

What's the plan?

On June 12th, many subreddits will be going dark to protest this policy. Some will return after 48 hours: others will go away permanently unless the issue is adequately addressed, since many moderators aren't able to put in the work they do with the poor tools available through the official app. This isn't something any of us do lightly: we do what we do because we love Reddit, and we truly believe this change will make it impossible to keep doing what we love.
The two-day blackout isn't the goal, and it isn't the end. Should things reach the 14th with no sign of Reddit choosing to fix what they've broken, we'll use the community and buzz we've built between then and now as a tool for further action.

We understand that this blackout may cause temporary inconvenience to our community, and for that, we apologize. However, we firmly believe that this short-term disruption will bring long-term benefits for every user. By standing together with other subreddit communities, we hope to send a clear message to Reddit and foster a meaningful conversation about the future of their API policies.

What can you do as a moderator?

• Join the coordinated effort over at /ModCoord
  
• Make a sticky post showing your support, A template has been created here you can use or modify to your liking, and be sure to crosspost it to /ModCoord.
  

Thank you for your patience in the matter,
-Mod Team

I'm done with trying to talk with people, this will be the last time I say anything to anyone. I've tried to make friends and find a reason to keep living but i just can't anymore.. I've had cancer since I was twelve I'm now 23 and still in the same situation I've been alone my whole life with only my mom to care for me and I for her but now even she is being taken away from me by the same thing that will take me. She has been in and out of the hospital all last month and now she hasn't been home in over 12 day and it doesn't look like she'll ever be coming home.. all i can do now is pretend like nothing is wrong and everything is fine when i know it's not I'm going to die alone without ever having a friend or another person love and care about me and there's nothing I can do about it everyone i talk to tells me the same things and it ends in the same way no matter what they leave me and i go back to being alone wishing I were dead.. i truly have nothing to live for or to look forward to.. all i have is my pc and more doctor appointments.. I'll never know what it's like to be held or to be free..

I’ve been dead set on leaving all year but I’ve been applying to jobs left and right since September with little success. My plan was to spend all summer job searching but I also know that’s a slow hiring season so I’m not sure if I’ll be able to land something by next school year.
I was just unexpectedly offered the position of becoming curriculum coordinator for my department next year. This would be in addition to my full time teaching job, but it would basically just be a few meetings throughout the year and one day of summer of work, and all of it would be paid.
Curriculum coordinator is the exact career field I’ve been trying to break into so I feel like could be a great resume builder, but I also can’t really wrap my head around being here another year. This job has absolutely tanked my mental health and I had no intentions of being here next year so I’ve pretty much been blowing through my sick days and phoning it in to be honest. We’ll have new administration next year so I am slightly hopeful it could be better but maybe I’m just being naive. I need to give an answer to the offer by the end of the week and I have no idea what to do.
Any advice at all would be much appreciated!!

At this point most ppl would have heard of the four Fs as options of how one might respond in emergency situations (or get stuck in after traumatic experiences), but, let us go over them comprehensively.
Fawn –
In Acute Danger: submit to save your skin, try & get on their good side
As a chronic reaction: People pleasing, trying to befriend/win over detractors, appeasing, hyper-empathy, emotional sponge syndrome, preoccupation & fear of being left etc.
Helpful moderate response: peacemaking, listening, diplomacy, caring devotion, service
Fight –
In Acute Danger: punch that mofo
As a chronic reaction: „Acting out“, rebelling, irritability, hostility, hypervigilance, volatility, temperamental outbursts
Helpful moderate response: confidence, independence, boundaries, courage, passion, assertiveness, leadership, articulating own needs
Flight –
In Acute Danger: run for the hills, get away from the bad/gross thing
As a chronic reaction: Constant activity, discomfort with ‚stopping‘, usually with some (or a lot of) background anxiety. This can look different in Type A vs Type B people, in that in the former it takes the shape of constant archieving, working, compulsiveness etc. whereas in the latter it might look more like escapism, seeking pleasures or thrills as distraction or addictions. But in any case you have constant activity & an avoidance of idleness to “escape” negative feelings.
Helpful moderate response: Resourceful problem solving (thinking you way out of it), competence, can-do attitude, perseverance, healthy ability to disengage when needed, archievement
Freeze –
In Acute Danger: play dead, hide
As a chronic reaction: passivity, dissociation, isolation, inactivity, being checked out or off in one’s own world, paralyzed indecision
Helpful moderate response: pausing to think, mindfulness, unbiased perspective, analysis, contemplation,
It might be helpful to classify, contrast or characterize these responses in comparative ways.
For example,
​

• some of them involve approaching the stimulus (fight, fawn) whereas others involve getting away from it (freeze, flight)
  
• some involve a tendency toward action and an assumpton that you can “win” (flight, fight – for one winning means escaping, for the other, dominating) others toward inaction and the assumption that you can’t get your will. (fawn, freeze)
  
• some are more pro-social /”adjusted” (flight, fawn) and other are more anti-social or “resistant” (obviously fight, but also freeze – refusing to have anything to do with ppl also ‘resists’ them in a way)
  

You might also appreciate that there are several dimensions of situational appropriateness, such as differences in intensity and in kind. It makes sense to be a bit nervous about a math test if the results will be important for your future, indeed you’d probably get scolded for not taking it seriously enough – but if you get into a full on panic it will hurt rather than help your survival prospects. Whereas getting full on mobilized to younr body’s limits in the event of an encounter with a tiger is quite helpful.
Likewise it’s important to pick the right one: Nothing good will come out of trying to befriend or appease something that will tear your face off, attempting to punch Cthulhu (or a tiny bunny that wasn’t going to hurt you), running away from something that needs your urgent attention or standing there like a deer in the headlights when the tiger has already spotted you.
Though this is not a conscious, rational, voluntary picking but rather a decision that your animal instincts and the implicit mind make in a split second. Hence the saying that you never quite know how you’ll react until you’ve been in a life & death situation and a ceveat to judge this as you might a deliberate decision.
Duration is another one: You need to go back to Chill Mode after the danger is past or countermeasures have been taken, because your body & mind need to go back to the relaxed state that promotes repair, digestion, play, learning and socializing; Otherwise, those activities will suffer as will your physical & mental health.
This is probably why continuous situations have been shown to have a much worse impact on child development than one-time events (even really difficult ones as bereavement or divorce).
Still the point is that having such a response isn’t “bad” (you do need to detect & react to threats) but rather you want it to be of an intensity, type and duration that is helpful for the situation at hand, like what is listed under the “helpful moderate response” point. (which is where a person with a good upbringing and/or well-developed coping skills would be at)
It’s also relatively uncontroversial that most people have one or two responses that they preferentially ‘tilt’ towards when in doubt. Everyone could have all the reactions based on situational cues & feelings, but having a default response means you’ll always have a response even when youre not quite sure whats happening.
Now if you look again at the bullet points above you can probably guess that there are going to be some at least rough correlations between peoples’ ‘response tilts’ and their enneagram types.
Types that are known to respond with striving or escalating probably won’t be in the ‘inaction’ corner, for example, and you can also probably imagine that some will tend much more toward ‘adjusted/prosocial’ responses whereas others might lean more toward hostility.
Soo, I gave it a good think & came up with this preliminary diagram:
​
https://preview.redd.it/ggoksp6xie4b1.png?width=1118&format=png&auto=webp&s=b9e8dcd8cb2307d613f0bdfd82ae273dd2ec5d1e
The color coding is to suggest that while the corner points are more ‘pure’, (and as such I think pretty self-explanatory), others are more in-between reactions. eg. 9s may show both inertia/apathy and going along with others, 3s keep active but may also dominate & compete, and so on.
Maybe it seems a bit odd to group 7, 1 and 3 in the same corner (“I don’t run from no responsibilities, I do things to solve the problem!”, you might be thinking) as obviously the goal oriented/open ended distinction makes it look very different in many ways - but they share an aversion to & discomfort with stagnation and idleness. You could be trying to ‘outrun/ get away from’ self-judgement and shame by striving to better yourself as much as you might try to ‘outrun’ sadness & pain by seeking pleasure & stimulation. If Doing Useful Stuff is what you feel confident at, that can also be an escape from processing or facing your spouse when things have been tense lately, or a way to regain a sense of control - you do hear about people "sinking themselves into their work" after something upsetting happened.
And conversely on the healthy side 7s don’t get enough credit for how they too can also be quite resourceful problem solvers & see things with an intellectual distance. They're "planned" and trying to direct their experience in their own way.
I could have made 6 black or white to represent a “middle” but that might look like I’m making them seem boring so I went with magenta because of that whole thing about how magenta isn’t actually associated to a particular wavelength of light.
The point is that as it’s probably the type that’s the most in touch with the natural ‘alarm system’ due to its heightened vigilance so it could have any response depending on what works in their circumstances, or, if raised in less favorable environments, alternate between them in an unpredictable way. One might consider this a uniquely reactive flavor of ‘adaptability’ compared to what 9 or 3 would be doing.
Individual people might have a preference based on their life circumstances, backstory etc. but the type as a whole/ in general doesn’t.

https://www.reddit.com/useanosmicbride
It got this submission/title from here.
Its comment here (i.e. "Something similar happened to me, I played a drow...") is a copy/paste of NimTheGoodra's comment here.
Its comment here is a copy/paste of TheTaoOfMe's comment here.
Its submission/title here is a copy/paste of SURFRBNYWAFFLES's submission/title here.
For anyone not familiar with karma-farming bots (and how they hurt reddit and redditors), this page or this page may help to explain.

Hello today i found a dead hatchling on my frontdoor step. And i am worried and can’t really find the meaning of a baby bird death.
A year ago also in june i found a dead bird in front of my house i believe that that one died bc he/she was old, a week later my grandpa died on june 15 2022.
I just got 2 kittens on june 3 (they live inside so they didnt do it) maybe it is ‘spiritually’ connected to this dead baby bird and my new 2 kittens ?
Also the baby bird couldn’t have fallen out of a tree on my front door bc it has a roof and no trees above, brought by another outside cat is possible.

Hello. I'm a single mother who lives in a condo owned by my parents. There is no rental agreement whatsoever. I used to pay them the condo fee but lately they have not asked me to pay anything due to the fact that my finances are tight from child care expenses.
I appreciate what my parents do for me. Over the course of the last 2 years they have insisted on visiting and staying for a few days every 3-4 weeks. Lately I have let them know their constant visits are destroying my mental health. A few weeks ago they asked if they could come and for the first time I said "no."
Then a couple days later they said were coming whether I allow it or not. I suffered severe anxiety as a result and couldn't sleep. Their visit ended up going okay. Then a few weeks later they again said we're coming whether you like it or not. And they showed up and stayed.
I have a poor relationship with my parents for a few reasons. They have been financially generous to me but they have also treated me like shit. They have deliberately snubbed me on holidays and my birthday. My father has also been physically abusive to me as an adult, pushing me around, pushing me up against walls, threatening to hit me with a bat (and coming close to doing so), and telling me he wishes me dead.
They love their granddaughter and that is why they visit so often. I know I can move out and I am considering doing so but it is not easy given my salary. Is moving out my only option? I am suffering serious anxiety at the thought that they could just show up any minute. They do live a few hours away but are retired and can make the trek anytime.

First Previous
Memory Transcription Subject: Vichak, venlil school principal
Date [Standard Human Reckoning]: 2136-10-23
I told my vice principal that I didn't come to this predator planet for a vacation, so I need some knowledge or study results to bring home. Johan, my possible future brother-in-law, suggested that I could perhaps observe a human school. Keristian, the human coordinator for the refugee apartment, assured me that he had contacted an elementary school and came up with a schedule. For now, he told me to familiarize myself with the amenities in the apartment.
Besides their blocky design, human apartments had the same general functions as venlil ones. The staff provided us with a stepping stool to account for the larger dimension of the furniture, but other than that it has all that we needed.
Well... we could use a full-body dryer.
I found some alien features too in the apartment, such as the artificial pond, which humans use for recreation. They call this activity 'swimming', something that translates into "moving in water". Their First Contact package insisted that they came from arboreal lineage. Yet, their movements in water betrayed a hidden skill. After considering it, it made sense in a way. The water in their world is teeming with life, and they would benefit from aquatic hunting skills.
Adjacent to this 'swimming' pond, the apartment also had a gym. We have gyms back in the home world, but here on Earth, a wide range of humans frequented them, not just their armed forces personnel. They perform a variety of body movements such as lifting and putting things back down or running on a conveyor belt.
Does this dedication to simulated hardship serve as a means to channel their inherited predatory aggression? They didn't turn themselves from savage beasts into civilized people without some way to temper that excess.
We expected to meet a lot of gojids in the apartment, but it felt sparser than I had imagined. Keristian explained that the gojids here had entered into employment within the Capital. A large number had secured work on the farms. Some had brought seeds from their homeworld, which they planted back in the camp. After the human experts determined it safe enough for Earth, they transplanted the sprouts to one of the farms around the city.
I wondered if any venlil plant species had established themselves on this foreign soil. After Timür explained the concept of invasive species, I realized that I misinterpreted their cautious approach as predatory territorialism. On the other paw, the unspoiled wilderness that I witnessed on my journeys to and from the camp made me appreciate the inherent beauty of preserving such a wild landscape.
Some other gojids chose careers in logistics, serving the complex system that kept the goods in the region moving. Right now, humans directed most of their effort into alleviating the ruined cities. Some of the gojids had even volunteered to help the human, despite the presence of arxurs in the affected cities.
For our last meal of the day, we had gojid dishes made out of earth ingredients. I have to admit that I have not tried gojid cuisine before, but it grew on me just like human cuisine did.
The midday heat on Earth felt milder compared to the scorching intensity of a Deep Day in Venlil Prime's sunward section. Unlike our homeworld, where night temperatures could plummet beyond freezing, Earth's night felt comfortable.
I spent my first night on Earth sitting on the rooftop garden of the apartment. The blanket of darkness that stretched all around us sparked feelings of unease. However, the glimmering towers of the Capital provided a comforting backdrop, their lights twinkling like terrestrial stars. One of the staff members commented on how the city's light pollution obscured all but the brightest celestial bodies.
The staff member was a human after all and would do insane human things like complaining about their city not being dark enough.
Nevertheless, humans did appreciate the necessity of artificial lighting. As night fell, we could illuminate our room with the voice command, a comforting alternative to the deep night outside. I shuddered at the thought of enduring a night in such complete darkness.
Yesterday, I decided to explore the downtown capital to familiarize myself before I visited the school today. Mom insisted on tagging along and Keristian wanted Sukma, his aide, to guide us. We wanted a self-guided exploration, so as a compromise, the human equipped us with wrist-worn devices. These gadgets allowed him to track our whereabouts and also functioned as a means of payment. While the coordinator insisted we needn't worry about finances, he explained a rough price guide to prevent any possible exploitation.
Humans, in stark contrast to the lone arxurs, put heavy importance on socializing. While we waited in the station, the rhythmic cadence of Bahasa, their local language, filled the air. Thanks to Vani's provision of a language model, I could comprehend their dialogues, and snippets of human conversations drifted toward my ears.
"Do you see those domba?"
"Shhh... don't call them that. But yeah... I thought we had just one here?"
"Maybe Vani's relatives came to visit?"
However, even with the additional language model, my translator couldn't decipher all of their voices. Vani informed me that Bahasa serves as a trade language for the region and they had a plethora of other tongues that our translation device has yet to have the data for.
Once aboard the train, the humans adopted a collective silence. Being surrounded by humans aboard the train felt daunting, but this discomfort came from me standing out in this setting. I would feel the same on any other planet inhabited by a different species, carnivorous or not.
When we came to the downtown station, we plunged right away into an endless sea of humans.
Timür's unapologetic display of his face had acclimatized us to humans. We learned to perceive them not as threats but as just xenos with weird faces. It also helped that the humans in our vicinity maintained a respectful distance. However, they almost always locked their curious gaze onto us, averting their eyes when they figured out that I noticed them from my peripheral vision.
Distinguishing individual humans posed a challenge due to their similar appearance, but I soon learned to note the distinctive fabric of their clothing and the accessories they adorned.
The bustling capital of Nusantara presented us with new experiences and opportunities to learn about human culture. Mom and I took full advantage of our time there, immersing ourselves in the vibrant atmosphere provided by the city.
We first stopped at a local market, a bustling hive of activity that operated around the clock. Here, we observed humans haggling over the prices of fruits and vegetables, inspecting textiles, and purchasing a bewildering variety of cooked foods. The rich aroma of exotic spices and prepared meals filled the air.
We had a pleasant experience in the market until we stumbled onto the flesh section. Mom caused some embarrassing commotion when she vomited at the sight of the flesh.
So we decided to visit something less challenging and found ourselves going to museums and galleries. The tour guides in each institution we came to explained the history of this island while showing a collection of historical artifacts and artworks. It offered a captivating glimpse into the ancient human civilizations that once inhabited this region, and their struggles and triumphs.
We decided to have our last meal of the day in the city. With many of the buildings crammed in the city center, the place we had access to the open air lay at the top of the building. We watched the sun setting on the horizon.
As we ate through a platter of addictive fritters, Mom said that we venlil did construct similar dense settlements. Her explanation surprised me at first, as I almost forgot that Mom used to work as a civil engineer. She then explained that dense arrangements for habitats like this only made sense in colonies that lacked land or breathable air.
Humans seemed to have other motivations. They prefer gathering close to one another, creating bustling metropolises to allow for large swaths of untouched land for their wildlife.
So today, having learned to navigate the urban labyrinth of the Capital, I bid a temporary farewell to my mother at the outskirt station. Her exploration of this city would take her further out, where she would visit one of the human agricultural facilities. On the other paw, my destination lay at the heart of downtown.
Once I arrived at the downtown station, I switched on my visual overlay, allowing it to project directional instructions across my visual field. It painted a pathway to my destination through the tunnels and covered walkways. The direction landed me in one of the city's gargantuan towers.
The visual overlay translated the name of the school in venscript. Since humans write horizontally, the resulting translation turns a quarter circle. The sign above the entrance says:
"State Elementary School #1"
Number one? I suppose in a city this big, they did need more than one school. Under the sign, I spotted a human figure standing. She waved her arms and I could tell that she had waited for me. When I got closer, I made out the warm and inviting expression on her face
"Hi, I'm Andin, and you must be Principal Vichak?" Her voice sounded melodious and soft for a human. The human clasped her hands in front of her and bowed.
"Hi Principal Andin, nice to meet you," I replied to her with the same gesture. "I can't wait to see your school."
"Excellent! Follow me," she said. Her billowy one-piece dress twirled around her when she turned around.
Andin led me through the lobby and toward a balcony overseeing the heart of this educational facility, an internal atrium spanning three stories in height. The humans embedded the school inside one of their superstructure, and due to the lack of outdoor space, this architectural feature provided a simulated outside area where young humans could engage in physical activity and socialize. A synthetic material replicating grass covered the atrium's floor. Simulated sunlight streamed projected from the ceiling bathed the area in warm daylight.
An assortment of colorful play structures and exercise apparatuses dotted the periphery of the atrium. I presume they provided the students with ways to release those predator energies. Balconies jutted out from each floor, giving educators an overview of the bustling space and enabling effective supervision during playtime. The classrooms and learning spaces surrounded the atrium. As we walked past, I noticed that several of the glass panes had turned opaque.
"I read from the sign that this is an Elementary School. How old are your students?"
"Our elementary school caters to students from the first through fourth grades, so they are between six to ten years old. However, we sometimes admit older students. For instance, we have a few twelve-year-olds in the fourth grade."
Something felt a bit off from her answer. "What's next for them after this?" I probed.
"After completing their time here, students move on to four years of middle school, followed by another four years of high school. During high school, they can choose a specialization before they move on to university."
Her response left me flabbergasted. "Twelve years of education?" I said in disbelief. "It takes a full twelve years to complete education here?"
"Uh... yeah. That's pretty much the standard timeframe for education all over the planet. Just... how long does it take for you to finish your mandatory education?"
"Seven years," I responded. "By the age of thirteen, kids can start two years of vocational school and most venlils started working at fifteen."
Andin's eyes widened, "Wait, you have children working full-time at fifteen?"
"No, they're not children. They're adults." I realized that humans might have different lifespans. "What's... your age of majority here?"
"In this country, people can vote at the age of seventeen. But in our local culture adulthood starts at twenty." Andin explained.
"Alright, maybe we have a different lifespan?" Andin suggested, echoing my thought. "What's the typical lifespan of a venlil?"
"The average life expectancy hovers around ninety years, although many people live past one hundred," I explained. I wonder if perhaps humans live much longer? I didn't expect predators to live long, but humans tend to defy the norm.
"We had the same lifespan," Andin admitted.
"Wait... what?"
"Maybe we have a different education system?" She suggested again. Andin offered me her pad. "Feel free to observe any class that interests you. Here you can see the schedule for today." The contents had been translated into Ventongue. It presented a timeline of various subjects that took place throughout the day.
As my eyes skimmed over the list, one caught my attention. "Can you explain physical education?"
"In this class, we teach children how to exercise." she explained, "In fact, a PE class should begin now."
An adult human arrived on the field, followed by human children chattering and making all sorts of kid noises. They sounded just like venlil juveniles. At the command of the teacher, the students aligned themselves into a tidy grid pattern. A rhythmic melody started to play, filling the atrium with an energetic ambiance. The teacher at the front began to move in sync with the music, demonstrating a series of actions that the children mirrored.
"What are they doing?" I asked, intrigued.
"They're warming up to prepare for the activity ahead."
They performed various movements, the fluidity and synchronization of which appeared almost like a dance to my venlil eyes.
Once the 'warm up' concluded, several large, blocky objects rolled into the atrium. With a series of arm gestures from the teacher, these objects positioned themselves around the area. Some expanded to form rudimentary structures complete with roofs, transforming the atrium into some sort of tiny city.
The children gathered in a circle. Following a brief, excited chatter, they each presented a hand, some with palms facing upward, others showing the backs of their hands. According to some unspoken rule, those showing the backs of their hands stepped back, causing the circle to contract. This ritual continued and I figured out that the group with the most members excused themselves until one kid remained.
"Ah, it seems they're playing 'Hide and Seek' today," Andin commented, watching the unfolding scene with a warm smile.
"Hide and Seek? What's that?"
"One child plays as the 'cat' while the others will play as the 'mice'," she explained, her expression turning somewhat hesitant. "Ah... perhaps this wasn't the most appropriate activity for you to observe."
My translator didn't quite capture the nuances of 'cat' and 'mice', but I gathered they referred to Earth animals. The child designated as the 'cat' stood in the center of the atrium, standing near a pole with their eyes covered, while the 'mice' scattered, seeking shelter behind the fabricated structures and blocks.
The 'cat' began a loud countdown. Upon reaching zero, they removed palms hands from their eyes and commenced their search. A realization struck me as the 'cat' started prowling around.
"This... is," I murmured, taken aback by the implication of the game. "You're simulating a hunt."
From time to time, the humans can't help but remind me that despite their friendliness and civility, they had a history as predators.
"Well... yeah, when you put it like that…" she paused. "But, the children didn't see it as a hunting simulation. I mean… I doubt that none of them will become a hunter when they reach adulthood. Most of us nowadays don't hunt."
"I understand." I looked down and the cat had found a mouse, chaos ensued as the two of them rushed to the pole. The mouse touched the pole first and laughed. "You humans do need an outlet for your aggression to maintain a civil society."
"What? No…" Said Andin. "We have Physical Education to encourage a habit of fitness."
"So, you don't feel the urge to get violent, sometimes?"
"Most of us don't. Those with that kind of urge receive treatments so they don't harm themselves or other people."
I looked down at the human children below. Despite their concerning activity, they looked like they enjoyed it.
"But if this display makes you uncomfortable, we can see other classes."
I looked at the pad, where another class intrigued me.
"You have an art class? In elementary school?"
"Yeah, it encourages creativity… you don't have art classes?"
"No, those with the aptitude will go to art colleges after they graduate from school."
"Oh…" She gave me a look that I think signifies pity? "Are there other things you don't see in Venlil school?"
"The English class seems interesting. I noticed that most of your people can speak in English when needed."
"Heh, that one is contentious." She chuckled. "English is waning now, and people proposed that we teach our kids Chinese, Hindi, or Swahili for the foreign language class. I take it… you don't have a foreign language class?"
"We do, but… like art school, you learn it at the university level, usually as part of a Foreign Relation Studies. Because foreign languages are spoken by other species."
"Interesting." Again, she gave me that concerned look. "So, do you want to see the art class or the language class?"
"Art class. I think."
"Sure, let's go," Andin said, guiding me down the stairs toward the art classroom.
Upon entering the room, chaos greeted us. An eclectic array of children's artwork adorned the walls, showcasing vibrant landscapes, portraits, abstract shapes, and depictions of what I assumed were various earth creatures.
"Ah, Principal Andin," the art teacher greeted us with an inviting smile as we entered. "And we have Principal Vichak as well!"
"Meet Harta, our art teacher," Andin introduced me.
The moment we entered the room, a sea of young faces turned towards us. It felt like a forest of eyes scrutinizing us.
"Children, say hello to our visitor today, Principal Vichak."
"Good morning, Principal Vichak!" They speak in harmony. The children then refocused on their tasks, their hands returning to their brushes and colored pencils.
Some students here worked alone, while others collaborated in small groups. In one corner, I spotted a screen displaying 3D artwork, sculptures made from what looked like recycled materials, clay, and even intricate artwork made of folded paper.
"Today we have a free-form class," Harta explained. "With your visit, I asked them to make something about our two species."
Several children gathered around a large screen at one end of the room, using it to sketch out their designs before replicating them on canvas. They drew scenes of humans and venlils with a level of technical skill and creativity that amazed me, considering the young age of these kids. In one section, busy children molded a piece of clay, their tiny hands trying to create something that looked like a venlil.
"But how do you evaluate their work?" I asked, confused. "And for that matter, how do you grade students in the Physical Education class?"
"In this school system, we don't include art and physical education to determine if a student has what it takes to continue to the next grade," Andin clarified.
"We do give individual feedback to each child," Harta chimed in. "We aim to ensure their personal growth and development, not just their academic achievement."
"Indeed," Andin asserted, her voice reflecting a sense of profound conviction. "The role of the school has evolved over time. These days, we don't work just as a hub for academic instruction, but as a second home where children learn essential life skills. We work hand-in-hand with parents to nurture these young minds, helping them develop into thoughtful and responsible individuals."
This notion brought back memories of my own school back on our homeworld. People would often refer to our school as a "nursery" due to our additional class on socializing and communication. I remember Renata, the human psychologist stationed in our homeland, said that my school had the basis of a well-rounded education. Here I learned just how more "rounded" we need to be.
Throughout the day, we ventured into different classrooms, each offering a snapshot of the subjects covered in human elementary education. The STEM classes felt lackluster by my standards. However, I soon appreciated their teaching approach which encouraged students to arrive at their conclusions.
On the other hand, the social studies and citizenship curriculum appeared more intricate, which made sense, given the complex social structures of the human race, a species as varied and divided as the primitive yotuls.
Midday brought a meal break, during which I had the chance to mingle with some of the other faculty members. I learned that a significant portion of the adults currently abstained from food and drink, on account of what they called the "fasting month". Andin observed the fast as well, but she kept me company in the cafeteria despite her abstinence from eating.
"Are you sure it's alright for me to eat while you're fasting?" I asked, somewhat.
"Of course," she assured me, her face warmed by a gracious smile. "Self-restraint is a fundamental aspect of being human."
Self-restraint, a quality I found woven into the fabric of human nature. Despite the invasion hurling their world into chaos, humans displayed remarkable restraint, refraining from lashing out in anger.
Post-meal, our educational exploration resumed. The sheer number of classes devoted to non-academic skills struck me. For instance, they had a class dedicated to environmental education, where they instructed young learners on how to care for their planet. Another class, called Health and Wellness, focused on areas such as hygiene, nutrition, safety, emotional well-being, and mental health. My visit coincided with a session of "meditation", a peculiar human practice to calm themselves. When I observed the children sitting in tranquil silence with eyes closed and serene music enveloping the room, I realized that they do have a method of quelling aggression, by nurturing a peaceful disposition.
The complexities of human pedagogical methods began to dawn upon me. The length of their educational journey lasted longer than ours because of this multifaceted curriculum. They didn't focus just on the injection of academic knowledge, but they also introduced human development in theirs. Even their academic lessons went beyond feeding students with facts and figures. Instead, they encouraged a more gradual learning pace that fostered independent thinking.
Such an extensive approach to education daunted me. Could we even implement such a model in our venlil school? Considerable obstacles lay on our path, given the expectations of parents and our society at large, who were accustomed to a quicker, more streamlined education.
In any case, my day reached its conclusion, and my time to depart came. When I bid her farewell, Principal Andin provided me with a binder filled with artwork created by the students, along with personal messages for me and the students back at my own school.
I had time to reflect and consider as I walked toward the downtown station. I recalled how Andin and Harta viewed the institution not as a place of learning, but as a secondary caregiver, working hand-in-hand with parents to nurture the holistic development of their young ones.
On my way to the station, my mother called. She informed me she would be coming downtown so we could share a last meal of the day together.
"How did the farm tour go, mama?" I queried, eager to hear about her day.
"It was enlightening," she replied, leaving me curious about her experience. "And what about your day?"
"Oh, mama," I began, a sense of excitement rising in my voice, "I had an extraordinary day."
Afterwords: Humans with their 22nd century education.
Somehow this is the longest chapter I have ever written. Also note on my update schedule. I'm posting update on every date divisible by 3. That means some updates can appear 96 hours later when the last post is on 30th and the month ends in 31st,

Note: Links are gonna be posted in the comments, apparently I am disliked by the deities of this website. Also trying out a different approach to editing, feedback appreciated.
Loyalty to the ASS (Actively-Shitposting-Scriptwriters) u/Saint-Andros & u/Killsode-slugcat is mandatory. I thank them for the assistance provided.

{The Snake and the Scrapper}

[3rd of June, 2224] - [Tajara, Serdanisk refugee]
“Welcome to Velatum, friends. Once again I shall remind you. This is not under the jurisdiction of any power, the Free Systems are a loose confederacy. Different planets, even regions, have different laws.”
The pilot was a Cornacchiaris, one of the species that my nation came into contact with.Then immediately went to war with.And what do you know? Nobody won. Actually, the only ‘winners’, technically, were the Free Systems.
The bastards managed to get their own little slice of paradise…that’s why I’m here.
I held my two vestigial arms together, while I held onto a support with my left arm. The ride was rather bumpy, due to the constant cloud-cover and storms that gave this planet its name. Apparently it meant ‘Veiled’ in a dead human language. Oh Well.
I had escaped the habitat I was hatched on to find myself a new life. The Free Systems was just that. Earth and Alari were both no-gos, even though they were all about freedom and equality, the underlying hatred for my species was ever-present. Idraxi was part of the Free Systems, but there was still some Sahlari presence on that planet. Velatum was the only choice for me, it was both populated enough to where it wouldn’t feel lonely, and empty enough to where I didn’t have to breathe someone else’s air every second.
The only downside was the damn clouds. I would be getting barely any sun, and my pale-green tail was going to need it.
The shuttle touched down, and the rear ramp opened, letting us leave the tin-can that is a standard Free Systems shuttle. My objective? A scrapyard owned by one James Walken, apparently the nephew of one of the humans first contact crew.
It was less of a scrapyard and more of a tinkering workshop, as he put it. Frankly, I couldn’t care less. I just need a proper job on this damn planet. ‘Least it isn’t mining.
After an hour of treacherous roads and privately owned infrastructure, I could finally see the sign: ‘Walken Workshop’, with the word workshop being written over what I believe said ‘scrapyard’.
I knocked on the side of the open door.
“Ah hello! Welcome to my workshop. I’ve got some UNO-Standard mags and sidearms on discount right no-”
“I’m here for the job.” I wanted to cut off his sales speech before it even started, but his speaking speed was impressive.
“Oh! You must be… Tajara?”
“Yes, that’s me.” The human was more excited than me, for some reason.
I guess he didn’t have many people working with him?
“Thank you for actually coming in, seriously. I was left on read by other people after they realized they wouldn’t work under UNO jurisdiction.”
“Happens often?”
“Yeah, it does. It’s not that bad here, you definitely have more freedom than in Orion, but I guess the pirates scare everyone away.”
Pirates? Oh fuck, I forgot about that.
“About pirates, what’s their activity around here?”
“Surprisingly little, they only go against UNO and Sahlari vessels, apparently the locals made a sort of privateer pact with them.”
That’s… good? That’s really good!
“That’s nice to hear, I imagine it doesn’t impact business that much?”
“The opposite, in fact. I get some pirate crews who want repairs or modifications to their weaponry and systems. Definitely not the cleanest business, but money’s money around here.”
“I understand.”
Decent enough income… Steady stream of business… Getting to tinker with alien tech? Dear Moons, this really is a paradise!
“Anyways, you didn’t send me a resume.”
Shit.
“That’s because… I didn’t… What in the stars is a resume?”
“Oh. You don’t have those? It’s basically a summary of your past experiences.”
“I kinda… ran away? I could tell you my past experiences?”
“And what are those?”
Don’t mention the military, don’t mention the military-
“Well I have extensive knowledge on the usage of chemicals for sanitary purposes, I am capable of safely handling and connecting high voltage cables-”
“You can clean and do basic wiring. Anything else?”
“No…” Moons, don’t kick me out, please!
“That’s fine. You can be an apprentice, I guess.”
Did he… did he say yes? He said yes! By the Moons, he said yes! I am indomitable-
“You will handle the cleaning first, though.”
Fuck!
“Right.. Right. When do I get started?”
“Is it okay for you to start right now?”
Fuck it, why not?
“Yeah, it is.”
“Great! Cleaning supplies in the back, third door on the right.” I immediately headed to the back, quickly identifying the door and gathering a… bucket and strange stick with very large hairs coming off of it?
“What is this?”
“Oh that’s a mop.” Wha-
He had appeared right behind me, somehow remaining perfectly silent and covering his metallic and oily sce- Metal and oil, that’s the entire atmosphere in this damn place! That’s why I couldn’t smell him!
“Do not scare me like that! What is a mop, and how do I use it?” I quickly shoved the mop into his hands and put my fists on my waist.
“You don’t have mops…?
“Apparently we don’t. What do you use them for?”
“Cleaning the floor?”
“You don’t get cleaning robots to do it for you?”
“Do I look like a guy who owns an army of roombas?”
Huh?
“What the fuck is a roomba?”
“Forget it, why do you not have any mops?”
“I was born on a habitat-station, human. We didn’t have the luxury of letting water evaporate freely.”
“Don’t ‘human’ me, snake. You haven’t even signed a contract yet, I can kick your as-tail out.”
This fucker. I turned, quick as lighting, and nearly smashed into this jackass.
“Listen here, James. Let me make it very clear. No, I didn’t sign a contract, and no, you wouldn’t be able to even get near me without me smashing your head in.” Was that too far? Fuck it, might as well go through with it.
“You waltz in, act like you want a job, then start shit with me-”
“An insufferable little shit, that’s what you are!”
James fell silent. Then he started smirking.
“You’re hired.”
What?
“Huh?”
“Can’t have an employee who can’t back up their words, welcome to the workshop.”
Is this human serious?
“I… don’t get it?”
“Neither do I. Now all you have to do, is pour that cleaning solution into the bucket with some water, put the mop inside, then start cleaning. Don’t drench it too much, though.”
As the human, James, went back to… whatever he was doing, I started actually cleaning the floor. After two hours, that floor was spotless. There isn’t even a ship's radiator as shiny as that.
“I… am the best janitor this side of the Systems.”
“Don’t get too cocky, now.” He appeared behind me, again.
“Oh fuck off!”

I've been suffering from insomnia for a couple of months now. It started with waking up in the middle of the night and not being able to go back to sleep; and it worsened by not falling asleep at all at bedtime. It's like I'm not fully awake; but not asleep either....so my brain is awake, but my body is dead...so I can't just leave the room and do sth else.
Anyway, I've had a medical appointment to deal with this, and I wasn't taken seriously. The Dr didn't believe me when I was describing my half awake state all night long. He gave me only 10 zopiclone tablets (5mg) and advised to only take it for 3-5 nights.
Anyway, a whole tablet of Zopiclone helps me fall asleep, but I wake up at 3:40 am. With half a tablet , I wake up at 2am. I tried not taking anything last night and I couldn't sleep at all.
This is new to me...I'd never experienced problems with sleep even at the darkest days of my life.... I have followed all sleep hygiene recommendations with no significant effect...
For me, even 4 hours straight and uninterrupted sleep at night would be enough to function properly during the day.... any tips on how to achieve it without any medication? Have you experienced sth similar where you are in constant "non-sleep deep rest"? It would be super difficult for me to have another medical appointment, basically not feasible.

I'm pretty sure y'all are familiar with the talent "Iron Stomach". If you are not, It is a tier 2 warrior talent that lets you block all incoming damage while eating. While that talent is quite cracked it has a flaw, you cant always have food on you. But a +10 horn of plenty solves that issue. An evil eye is going to disintegrate you? That's ok, just take a small snack. A ripper demon is about to jump on you and you are sandwiched by other demons? That's ok, just take a small snack. Your enemy is almost dead but one more attack and you're dead? That's ok, take a small snack.
Bruh💀

Hello, I have attempted to render a 3d cube in python, however the rendered points appear when I "go through" the cube and then shrink when they shouldn't be on the screen at all, as seen here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/135C_STbq5keSfLrljpcKsSZ9PGSIMVhq?usp=sharing. I have used the perspective projection formula from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3D_projection. I would really appreciate it if someone here could tell me how to fix this problem. The relevant code is below, thanks:
def project(pp, cp, co, plnp):
global x, y, z, sx, sy, sz, cx, cy, cz, ex, ey, ez, dx, dy, dz, bx, by
x = pp[0] - cp[0]
y = pp[1] - cp[1]
z = pp[2] - cp[2]
sx = math.sin(co[0])
sy = math.sin(co[1])
sz = math.sin(co[2])
cx = math.cos(co[0])
cy = math.cos(co[1])
cz = math.cos(co[2])
ex = plnp[0]
ey = plnp[1]
ez = plnp[2]
dx = cy*(sz*y+cz*x)-sy*z
dy = sx*(cy*z+sy*(sz*y+cx*x))+cx*(cz*y-sz*x)
dz = cx*(cy*z+sy*(sz*y+cz*x))-sx*(cz*y-sz*x)
bx = (ez/dz)*dx+ex
by = (ez/dz)*dy+ey
return bx, by
# Handle Inputs
def handle_inputs():
global camera_pos, camera_orient
keys = pygame.key.get_pressed()
# movement
if keys[K_w]:
camera_pos[2] -= 1 # Move camera forward (decrease z-coordinate)
if keys[K_s]:
camera_pos[2] += 1 # Move camera backward (increase z-coordinate)
if keys[K_a]:
camera_pos[0] -= 1 # Move camera left (decrease x-coordinate)
if keys[K_d]:
camera_pos[0] += 1 # Move camera right (increase x-coordinate)
if keys[K_LSHIFT]:
camera_pos[1] += 1 # Move camera down (decrease y-coordinate)
if keys[K_SPACE]:
camera_pos[1] -= 1 # Move camera up (increase y-coordinate)
# rotation
if keys[K_LEFT]:
camera_orient[1] += 0.001 # Rotate camera left (increase yaw angle)
if keys[K_RIGHT]:
camera_orient[1] -= 0.001 # Rotate camera right (decrease yaw angle)
# plane debug
if keys[K_i]:
plane_pos[2] -= 1 # Move camera forward (decrease z-coordinate)
if keys[K_k]:
plane_pos[2] += 1 # Move camera backward (increase z-coordinate)
# the 3D position of points to be projected.
cube_points = [[100, 100, 100],
[-100, 100, 100],
[100, -100, 100],
[-100, -100, 100],
[100, 100, -100],
[-100, 100, -100],
[100, -100, -100],
[-100, -100, -100]]
# camera_pos: the 3D position of a point C representing the camera.
camera_pos = [0, 0, 300]
# camera_orient: the orientation of the camera (represented by Tait–Bryan angles).
camera_orient = [0, 0.001, 0]
# plane_pos: the display surface's position relative to the camera pinhole C.
plane_pos = [0, 0, -200]
running = True
while running:
for event in pygame.event.get():
if event.type == QUIT or (event.type == KEYDOWN and event.key == K_ESCAPE):
running = False
screen.fill((0, 0, 0))
# Project 3d point onto 3d plane
for point in cube_points:
point_x, point_y = project(point, camera_pos, camera_orient, plane_pos)
pygame.draw.circle(screen, point_colour, (centre_w + point_x, centre_h + point_y), 5)

So, here's the deal. I desperately needed a break, so I hopped on my badass Harley Davidson V-Rod for a vacation. The open road was calling, promising me wild adventures. That's when I stumbled upon this picture-perfect spot and booked a guest house on Airbnb in this remote freaking village, surrounded by breathtaking mountains, kickass lakes, and epic waterfalls. Little did I know, I was about to step into a fucking nightmare.
When I rolled up to the house, I was greeted by this smoking hot mom, Rachel, and her drop-dead gorgeous but mysterious daughter, Lily. Their place had this mysterious vibe, like it was one with nature, you know what I mean? It was pouring rain outside, so we decided to have a cozy dinner by the fireplace. Let me tell you, the fire was crackling, casting these sexy-ass shadows all around us. And I couldn't help but notice Lily giving me these seductive looks, like I'm the tastiest piece of meat on the menu.
The sexual tension between us was off the charts, and I couldn't resist the unspoken invitation in her eyes. So, as the night got steamier and the rain poured harder, I took a chance and followed her to her room. Holy shit, the atmosphere was electric in there. Our encounter was mind-blowing, with the rain adding a sense of urgency and secrecy. Time seemed to stand still as we explored the depths of our desires, totally oblivious to the fucked-up horror that awaited us.
But fuck, life had to throw us a curveball. Just as we were getting it on, the damn bedroom door slammed open. And who do you think was standing there? Rachel, looking like she was gonna murder us. Tears streamed down her face, and she had this look of pure horror.
A chilling silence filled the room as the truth of our actions sank in. Rachel's anger erupted like a goddamn volcano, and she unleashed a shitstorm of betrayal and anguish. The rain outside seemed to intensify, pounding against the windows like a symphony of despair.
That's when I realized the dark secret that plagued that picturesque house. Rachel, consumed by grief and desperation, had made a pact with some fucked-up dark forces to bring her dead husband back. But she had no clue about the consequences, man. Her actions opened a door to unspeakable evil that now threatened to devour us all.
The room turned ice-cold, and there was this sinister presence in the air. Shadows danced on the walls as creepy whispers filled the fucking room, coming from god-knows-where. It was like hungry entities craving our souls. The demonic force unleashed by Rachel's actions was out to claim its due.
We had to fight for our lives, man. I joined forces with Rachel and Lily, bound together by the darkness that had engulfed us. As we navigated that godforsaken house, we encountered nightmarish apparitions and faced unimaginable horrors. The demonic presence taunted us at every turn, its evil influence fucking with our minds.
As we delved deeper into the heart of that place, we discovered the source of the goddamn evil that plagued us. It was this cursed artifact, an ancient relic steeped in darkness, that held the key to the demonic forces threatening to consume us. With every step, our sanity teetered on the edge, each confrontation pushing us closer to the brink of fucking despair.
But we didn't back down, man. We fought like motherfuckers, determined to confront the malevolent entity terrorizing the house. In an epic battle against the forces of evil, we gave it our all, fueled by the bond we forged in the darkness and the tiny flicker of hope that kept us going.
Finally, as the first rays of dawn broke through the stormy sky, the demonic presence faded away, releasing its grip on the goddamn house. We emerged, battered but fucking victorious, from the clutches of that supernatural nightmare that had unfolded.
Leaving behind the cursed relic and the memories of our forbidden encounter, I hopped back on my bike, ready to ride the fuck away from that village forever. The scenic beauty that had initially drawn me was forever tainted by the horrors we had witnessed.
As I left the village behind, the weight of that experience settled upon me, forever etched in my fucking memory. The road stretched out before me, winding through mist-covered mountains and past shimmering lakes. But no matter how far I rode, I couldn't escape the haunting echoes of that fateful night. It served as a constant reminder of the goddamn price we paid for indulging in our illicit desires.
to be continued...

MVM has been played and totally reset. in great condition.