hi! rising high school junior and would like some feedback to think about
Demographics: Asian (chinese)
Gender: Male
State: Arizona
Type of School: Huge public school (doesnt offer a ton of aps (15 i think))
Intended Major: chemE? mol biol? not sureNo hook
PSAT/SAT: Yet to take, hopefully merit finalist and 1580+
GPA UW/W: 4.0/4.8, class rank 6/700 (band/marching band/spanish bring down gpa)
Course(s): AP Chem, AP Calc BC
Next year(s): AP Biology, AP Physics 1, Multi/difeq, AP Stats, AP Macro/AP Gov., APES, AP Psych, AP music theory, APUSH, AP
Extra Curricular(s):
- Coaching tennis team/freshman (40+ hours?) helped team go from nothing to state - Varisty tennis captain and play at top position, some local competitions - Foundepresident of sci olympiad club - President of nature club (organize events with local non-profits and promote/educate about conservation) - President of photography club (not much but help school events) - Secretary of red kettle club - will be nhs member i guess - Featured on the news for photography and conservation and stuff, it was cool - Currently working with asu professor and grad students on machine learning project with mayo clinic (im not doing any code just data stuff) basically using machine learning to diagnose from mri scans - LOTS of volunteering at local library (teen program) local sports center (summer camp) local natural history museum (hopefully will become speakeexhibitor soon) - Work with local audubon society, lead bird surveys, work with some asu professors - Volunteer at wildlife rescue near me, and coordinate volunteers, help lead a project where we relocate hundreds of owls from urbanized farmland and relocate them to farms as pest control (thinking of writing research on this) - Have played piano since like 5, won some local competitions, performed in carnegie hall, some international competitions, rated highest level at local system, made regional with string/piano quintet in hs, arranged pieces for school orchestra, (hopefully all-state piano next year?) - Play flute in school band, currently in highest band in my school (very competitive band program), made regionals last year (hopefully all-state next year) - Marching band, play percussion/piano, no. 2 in state last year, will have piano solos this year - I also do free tutoring for piano and paid tutoring for my piano teachers students (music theory) - Esri high school research competition no.1 or 2 in my state as a freshman (I forgot) - Run a photography business, mostly friends and family (trying to get more outreach), won a few smallish nature photo contests (hopefully many more), won a famous magazine photo contest and featured in magazine. here some stuff - In the local mayor youth council and hopefully the governor one next year (very competitive)(getting connected with local city council of sustainability cool things to come)
Awards:
Uh i don't really want to dox myself but ill list some i can - esri research gis thing state winner - evmta 2021 2nd place (piano) - jason sipe 11-12 advanced category winner (piano) - az musicfest young musicians superior rating (piano)- amea regional score of 97/100 (piano) - asp level 12 (piano, highest level) - national piano guild superior plus or whatever - won the arizona highways high school photo competitions twice, featured - won local usta tournaments (tennis) - marching band 2nd in state - superior with distinction band some other band related awards - to come: science olympiad and more photo competitions - does being on the news count im proud of it
Essays/LoR(s)/Other: don't know about essays but I go birdwatching and help with an asu professor that's quite well known, he said he would write a letter of rec for me (is this a good idea??)
Schools:
no clue but shooting for da ivies/hypsm
If that's unrealistic please be brutally honest and any feedback would be greatly appreciated
Definitely leaning into the environmentalism aspect and it's something I really really love!

new, can include box if u want it.
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George Moriarty was a hot-tempered Deadball Era baseball corner infielder. At 6 feet tall and a solid 185 pounds, he was bigger than most players of his era and always eager to get into fights with the opposition... or his teammates! Supposedly he once challenged Ty Cobb -- who early in his career wasn't very popular with his teammates -- to a fight. But before throwing a punch he politely handed the Georgia Peach a baseball bat, declaring:

"A fellow like you needs a bat to even things up when fighting an Irishman."

Cobb's response is lost to history.
After his playing days were over, Moriarty was an umpire from 1917 to 1940, with an interruption from 1927 to 1928 to serve as manager of the Detroit Tigers.
On May 30, 1932 -- Memorial Day -- Moriarty was behind the plate for a doubleheader in Cleveland between the Indians and the White Sox. The White Sox lost the first game, 12-6, but had an 11-8 lead going into the bottom of the 9th of the second game.
The White Sox, en route to a disastrous 49-102 record that season, had been griping about the umpiring throughout the first game and it continued into game two. At one point, White Sox manager Lew Fonseca and Moriarty, the former Tigers manager, began exchanging barbs about each other's managerial skills. When White Sox pitcher Hal McKain asked catcher Charlie Berry to rub some dirt on a ball for him, Moriarty objected, cursed out the catcher and the pitcher, and then threw out a White Sox coach who complained!
In the bottom of the 9th, down by three runs, the Indians got a rally going after a double, a single, a fly ball, and a double resulted in one run in, two men on, and one man out. Future Hall of Famer Earl Averill then stepped up to the plate. After getting two strikes on Averill, pitcher Pat Caraway threw a pitch that Averill took for what Caraway and Berry thought should have been a called strike three. But Moriarty called it a ball.
Sure enough, Averill then hit a line drive to right-center field for a two-run triple, tying the game at 11-11. The White Sox then intentionally walked the next two batters to load the bases and set up the game-ending double play. Pitcher Ted Lyons -- another future Hall of Famer -- got the groundball to short, but batter Luke Sewell beat it out at first base, and Averill scored the game winning run.
After the game, depending on who you believe, either a few players on the White Sox challenged Moriarty to a fight, or Moriarty -- reminiscent of Tanner Boyle -- challenged the entire White Sox team to a fight!
Buttermaker: [looks at Tanner's black eye] What the hell happened to you, Tanner?
Engelberg: Tanner got into a fight.
Buttermaker: Who with?
Engelberg: The 7th Grade.
Buttermaker: What?
Engelberg: The 7th Grade!
In any event, whether it was Moriarty challenging the White Sox or the White Sox challenging Moriarty, Milt Gaston -- a 36-year-old, 6'1" right-handed pitcher -- stepped up to him.
"You might as well start with me," Gaston said, and without a word the 47-year-old Moriarty slugged him in the face -- knocking the pitcher out but breaking his hand in the process!
At this point three White Sox players rushed over and attacked Moriarty, knocking him to the ground, then kicking him and stomping on him with their spikes. Or, as one of the players would later claim with a straight face, Moriarty fell on his own and the White Sox players kindly tried to help him up, but accidentally stepped on him. Several times.
The Indians players then ran over and a brawl started between the two teams, with Moriarty still in the middle of it!
When it was finally all over, Moriarty was taken to the hospital with spike wounds, bruises, and a broken right hand.
Naturally, the White Sox blamed Moriarty for the incident, with White Sox manager Lew Fonseca saying:

“Moriarty was looking for a fight and it seems that he got it. Everyone in baseball knows many stories of Moriarty’s brawling tendencies and his eagerness to start a fight at the slightest provocation.”

But Moriarty -- and the Indians -- blamed the White Sox, with Indians owner Alva Bradley saying the White Sox had acted in an "outrageous manner" throughout the game.
Chicago newspapers worried that the White Sox players involved in the fracas could face lifetime suspensions -- only 12 years earlier, the White Sox dynasty had been derailed by the bans of the eight "Black Sox" accused of throwing the 1919 World Series -- but the players got off relatively light: Gaston was fined $500 and suspended 10 days, Fonseca was fined $500, Berry $250, catcher Frank Grube $100, and coach Johnny Butler suspended without pay for five days.
Moriarty wasn't fined or suspended, but reprimanded for "neglect of duty." Baseball fans felt Moriarty deserved more punishment and that off-season there were rumors that Moriarty would be fired or at least transferred to the National League. But he remained an American League umpire for eight more years, and in 1935, was named the best umpire in the American League according to a Sporting News poll of players. That year, Moriarty umpired in the World Series between the Detroit Tigers and the Chicago Cubs, and when Cubs players heckled Hank Greenberg with anti-semitic slurs, Moriarty ejected three of them. Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis then levied a fine of $200... against Moriarty!... for violating a policy against ejecting players from World Series games without the commissioner's approval.
Moriarty retired from umpiring in 1940 and worked for the American League, doing public relations, and then became a scout for the Tigers. He died in 1964 at the age of 79. The obituary of his headline in the Sporting News was: "BATTLING MORIARTY -- UMP WHO LOVED TO FIGHT."

Welcome to Green Valley

Four Merry Jaunts Through in the Bumpkin Quest Campaign

It’s a big world filled with far off folks who have far off problems. In the quaint farming town of Hills Furrow that has certainly not been the case. Here life is simple, local, and paced by the seasons. There ain’t been a need for “Venturers” and their ilk since your Papaw was just a sprout. However, the winds of change are blowin, and things are about to git just a bit more exciting round these parts.
Welcome to Green Valley, The down-home home of Rural Fantasy Misadventures and Grass-Roots Shenanigans. The Valley is Filled with Colorful Characters, Brimming with Odd Ball Neighbors, and has more than a few Local Yokels. Welcome to Bumpkin Quest. These adventures are intended to be a series of silly adventures that all go awry in some way or another and stir up trouble throughout a peaceful little village that has in many ways been overlooked by the troubles of the world “outside”.
CHAPTER 1: Green Tide CHAPTER 2: A Cartload of Chickens CHAPTER 3: Marvin the Magnificent CHAPTER 4: High Society
ADVENTURE MECHANICS - Target Character Level: Commoners - Level 1 - Target Party Size: Four Players - Average Adventure Playtime: 1-2 Hours - Tone: Rural Misadventures
I’ve also put these adventures into a PDF that includes our Bumpkin Quest: Campaign Guide which fills in the details of Green Valley pretty thoroughly. The quests are simple enough to be run in any setting you choose, but if you're interested in more the Guide as over a dozen Custom Maps, 70+ NPCs, Location Descriptions, 20+ Local Legends, and Scores of Adventure and Event Ideas. You can grab the PDF Free at the link above.

Hills Furrow

At the center of the Valley sits a patch of small grassy hills, through which the Slow Water meanders through. Built into these hills is the Village of Hills Furrow. Celebrated by everyone living in The Valley and boasting a whopping population of almost 150, Hills Furrow is the center of commerce and social importance. Well, at least as far as the locals are concerned. Realistically it would be less than a blip on the grand scale of things, a mere kernel of wheat in the silo of civilization, but to those who live here, there is nothing quite like living in the “city”.
The Village itself, like the Valley, is predominantly Halfling, and their fancy dwellings are burrowed into the hillsides as often as possible. These dwellings have been family owned for generations only becomeing available if there are no heirs to pass them along to. Other folk live in well kept two story shingled buildings, most of which house a business on the lower floor and house the Shopkeepers and their families above their workplaces, though a few live in nearby homes. There aren’t many “rental” spaces in town, as property is usually bought up quickly by the Halfling Families, but there are long term options at either of the Inns in town.
Hills Furrow: Locations 1) The Crocked Crow (Inn and Tavern) 2) The Dancing Lamb (Inn and Tavern) 3) The Moaning Toad (Tavern) 4) Granny's Groceries (General Market) 5) Get Nailed (Hardware and Distilery) 6) Gimdurh's Hammer (Smithy) 7) Brenra's Mechanicals (Tinker) 8) Hjoldren's Home Goods (Carpenter) 9) Standard Industries (Office) 10) Fit to be Dyed (Tailor) 11) The Last Loaf (Baker) 12) The Cloudy Cleaver (Butcher) 13) Nature's Medecine (Apothecary) 14) Sheriff's Office 15) Green Valley School House 16) The Waterwheel 17) The Windmill 18) The Undercloak Estate 19) Truefoot Burrow 20) The Meadows Family Hill
The people themselves are hospitable and friendly enough, but they do not really trust outsiders. Folks from foreign places are good for trade, news, and little else. Those that come through are treated well enough as long as they don’t wear out their welcome. Locals, well, that’s a bit of a different story. The city and area doesn’t operate under a written caste system or social structure, but there is clearly a pecking order, and family heritage matters a great deal to folks in Hills Furrow. Most locals, whether they’ve gotten an education or not, can easily be classified as simple. It isn’t that they are slow of mind or unintelligent, but more that they are unconcerned with matters the outside world considers important. This sentiment has created a general, but friendly, dislike between those that consider themselves Highfalutin and those that clearly are not.
Well now that I've given you the fifty cent tour. Shall we get on to adventure?

CHAPTER 1: Green Tide

We will open our journeys in the Green Valley at Green Tide, the annual celebration of Winter’s End. This adventure is designed to give a tour of Hills Furrow and introduce them to the locals. It will begin with some chores around their house to prepare for the festival and end with a battle involving an enchanted broom. If you did not do Session Zero, this chapter may take a bit longer as we get to know everyone and their characters.

ACT 1: Pre-Festival

The locals spend the week cleaning out their houses and farms. They gather old junk and unused items to be used later in the festival. They also begin preparing what food is left from winter to be used in a celebration and feasts.
Things to do! - Have the Players clean up junk around the house - Have them Find something strange (Perhaps used for a later mystery?) - Have them Decorate their Broom - Have them run a Household Errand (Meet an NPC)

ACT 2: Sweeping Day

A merry festival celebrating Spring cleaning and putting the past behind them. They form a parade, with one member from each house carrying a brightly decorated broom and using it to symbolically “Sweep Away Winter”. The rest of the family marches their winter’s trash and unused goods down to the Fairgrounds. The goods are often traded, while the trash is piled in the fire pit to await burning later. The entire day is filled with fun outdoor activities. Households also symbolically bring their problems to the bonfires to burn them later.
Things to do! - March in the Parade - Carry Junk to the Bonfire - Meet more of the Locals
EVENT: I Love a Parade
The parade will march North from near the Cross Roads in the South up around the hill and back again to the South where it will head for the Fairgrounds. There isn’t anything particularly challenging about this event, but it would be a wonderful place to start leaning into or building local rivalries.
EVENT: Never Seen a Broom Do That… As they come into the home stretch of the Parade one of the local’s Brooms will animate and take off. It will chase folks around the parade. The players can attempt to stop it, but the broom will flee soon after being attacked. It will fly up into the air, attack a flock of geese, and chase them off until it can’t be seen anymore. They can go and collect a fallen goose if they wish. I highly recommend giving it a motorcycle type sound as it flies around hitting folks. Maybe even going as far as giving it a rough gravel angry voice and letting it insult people.

ACT 3: Winter’s End

Winter’s End is a Combination of Groundhog’s Day and Fasnacht, this day gets a little wild. The Festival kicks off at dawn with the Great Gopher Hunt. Gophers are well known spies for The Voice of Winter and thus need to be hunted before they can tell The Voice to delay Spring. Gophers themselves are quite tasty, and are notoriously bad for crops, so this works out economically all around. Throughout the rest of the day families continue to contribute to the Bonfire Pile which often gets quite large. At dusk a large effigy of The Voice of Winter is placed on top of the pile. Once the sun has fully set they light the fire and burn the Effigy. Folk usually dress darkly during the day and brightly at night. After the burning they feast on sweets and treats that were made from goods saved up from winter storage.
Things to do! - The Great Gopher Hunt - Carry Junk to the Bonfire - Meet more of the Locals - The Fairground’s Activities
EVENT: The Great Gopher Hunt The Hunt begins at dawn and takes place all over the Valley. Locals race to collect as many Gophers as possible. It is easiest to kill the Gopher, but there are some that find that distasteful. Instead they live trap the critters. It is a bit tougher to do so, but an option should your players wish. This is most easily played out as a series of appropriate Skill Checks, in which the higher they score the more gophers they obtain.
EVENT: Trash Removal They may find some locals willing to pay them to help cart junk down to the bonfire pile. Not a lot of skill involved in this, but it is a great opportunity to meet locals, and you could throw a runaway cart at them.
Fair Activities They will probably want to take part in Fairground Activities. Players love these types of challenges. Here are a few ideas you can build on. - Axe Throwin: Basic attack rolls on a Round Target. Higher scores equal Higher points. - Bow Shootin: Basic attack rolls on Moving Targets. Higher scores equal Higher points. - Pig Chasin: Catch the greased Pig! Medium DC Challenge requiring three success before three Failures. - Mud Wrastlin: Nothing says bumpkin like a good Mud Wrastlin Pit. Contested Skill Challenges. - Sausage Eating Contest: Increasingly difficult DC Challenge. Eat till you puke! Can also be Pies or Ribs or Little Fish… you know whatever someone wants to stuff dozens of in their gullet. - Tug O’War: Team Strength Challenge. Three to Five Contested Rolls with opposing teams. - Gopher BBQ Cook Off: A Hard Culinary Challenge to see who can BBQ the best Gopher! - Races: Foot and Mount Races based on Three to Five Contested Rolls. I usually include a few odd mounts like a Giant Chicken or some such nonsense.

ACT 4: Day of Ashes

The Day of Ashes is a day of rest, recovery, and reflection. Locals take the ashes from the bonfires and rub their hands in them to symbolize the end of a hard year’s work and hardships of the past. The day ends with a large family feast, typically Pork. Activities this day are light, but many folks head to the Temple for the Calling of Spring Blessings. They put on their fancies and head down to ask forgiveness for over-indulging in the festival and for worship. Well sort of…
Unfortunately, a lot of folks take this as an opportunity to peacock about and practice their one-upmanship over other locals. If you’re looking for inspiration for their outfits look to older photos of the Kentucky Derby. Over the years this troubling practice has caused more than one fight to break out after the service.
*Things to do! * - Go to Temple and Meet More Locals - Pick a Local Patron!
EVENT: Temple Services
The majority of the town comes to Temple on this day. The service is usually longer, and a bit more “Where have most of you been all year?” But otherwise it is a call for the Divine Blessings to touch their crops and protect their lives. It ends with a ceremony in which the locals put their hands into the ashes from yesterday’s bonfire. Once services end they will head outside, where the trouble will begin. Two of the wealthier families will get into it with each other. Starting with a couple of veiled insults, probably before service and continuing afterward. If one of your players is from a local Rich Folk family then they can be right in the middle of it all, otherwise they will have to pick a side. This choice will determine their house Patron moving forward. Tension will increase until folks start drawing up sides, and then someone will throw a rotten tomato at one of the House Matrons. That will blow the lid off the incident and a yokel brawl will break out. For comedy purposes I recommend the instant appearance of several food carts filled with expired products, and maybe a six year old hustler selling big sticks for wacking folks with. As the locals brawl call for perception checks. Who ever rolls highest begins to hear… The Broom returning!
ENCOUNTER: Stick In The Eye
The broom returns ready to whoop some ash. It will be absolutely bent on cleaning anyone and everyone who is even the slightest bit dirty! If it successfully attacks a character they will have to make a Strength Saving throw or be knocked to the ground and swept clean by the broom. As this would be an awful omen for the year folks are terrified and will be running around screaming. Absolute mass hysteria. If the players were lucky enough to hear it coming they can avoid being surprised by the broom. Otherwise the broom will get a full round to attack before they have a chance to do anything. They’ll have to beat the broom into submission any way they can before it sweeps the whole town into chaos!

CLOSING

After defeating the broom things will settle back down again. Bumpkins are quick to return to normal when things go awry. However, they will have gotten the attention of one of the Wealthy Families in the area and be offered jobs. Which family is really, based on what will work best for them and you as the DM. For gags you might be tempted to have the Yokels pick them up, but that is a hard bit to sustain, and you may be better served keeping them on the side as a comic foil rather than up front. Completely up to you. The session should end with them being invited to meet their new patron tomorrow someplace important.

CHAPTER 2: A Cartload of Chickens

After successfully defeating the Enchanted Broom, our Bumpkins have gained the attention of a possible local Patron. This individual has summoned them to a nearby farm to discuss future work. That work includes proving themselves capable and not just lucky.

ACT 1: Meet the Boss

In this Act the players will meet with their new patron, one of the Family Heads, who that is entirely depends on their choices from the last game. This entire side branch is designed to flavor the background of the campaign, but if you’d rather just have them stay freelancing and independent that’s fine as well. There is also the possibility of “competing” offers should they have second thoughts for any reason. Once they arrive at the meeting spot their Patron will ask them some questions about their ambitions (Class Goals), they will then hand them off to their new “boss” who will assign them their task. They will take them to a nearby barn.
NEW NPC: “Boss”
Needs a fitting name for the Family they work for...
Character wise, what we got here is a standard “Ranch Foreman” character. They’re tough, A little mean, and completely loyal to their employer. They almost certainly chew tobacco (by the handful), have a tattoo of the Ranch’s Brand, and know where all the bodies are buried. They also have a huge and obvious scar on the side of their head where a Giant Chicken pecked a hole in their skull, so they’re not as bright as they used to be, not at all truthfully. Nor are they actually the Foreman anymore, but no one has a heart to tell them. They’ve been quietly downgraded to Chicken Handler, which is something they seem to remember quite well, but the brain damage keeps them from realizing all that. They can be found wandering the Farm giving strange orders to other Hands. These Hands nod politely and then go back to what they are doing.
Things To Do! - Meet Their Patron - Discuss Their Future - Meet Their New “Boss”

ACT 2: Chicken Dance

Boss will lead them into the odd looking barn. This building is filled with Giant Chickens. These two-three foot fouls have extremely exaggerated features, spiky looking beaks with sharp tooth like edges, big darting eyes, bumpy cracked skin, long gnarled talons, and dirty mottled feathers. They’re more beast than bird. But, they’re good for eatin! These creatures should have a stat block similar to an Axe Beak. When the players enter into the Barn the Chickens will go nuts, obviously deeply bothered by the intrusion. Boss will throw in some deer haunches and the birds will tear them apart in a feeding frenzy. They will then put on a Chicken Suit and begin a flapping dance. (Google Magnificent Riflebird) It should be absolutely captivating and the chickens will become mesmerized, watching every move. Boss will then load two dozen chickens onto a large wagon and lock it. They will have the players push the wagon out while he keeps the Chickens calm. Once outside they’ll hang heavy tarps on the sides of the wagon, and remove the suit. He will then explain to them that they need to keep the tarps on the wagon, and keep the birds well fed, or the chickens will get restless and become violent. When they do need to interact with them someone will have to wear the suit and dance to keep them calm. The bigger the person in the suit the better. Boss will then give them a Map of Green Valley and instruct them to drop off two chickens at each of the outer settlements. They have two days to get this done.
Things To Do! - Head into the barn - Witness The Dance of The Chicken - Push the Wagon out - Get the Costume and Delivery Instructions

ACT 3: Bumpy Roads

They will be off to deliver the Chickens to various locations. There is no specific order to this delivery, they just need to pick a route and go. If they’re short on time they can take the country roads that lead between the outer settlements, but these aren’t as well kept as the main roads are. Whatever road they take and wherever they decide to stop for the night there are problems they will encounter along the way. You can make them random or pick the ones that best suit your players. Most of these should at some point require someone putting on the suit and dancing for the chickens to keep them calm. I would also increase the difficulty of each event. If they fail a dance the Chickens will become restless and start attacking the cart until they are calmed down. Too many failures and the wagon’s cage will break and the remaining chickens escape. They will then have to be rounded up and the cage repaired.
Things to Do - Decide the delivery route - Deliver the chickens - Keep the Chickens calm
Possible Road Events 1) Rough roads cause problems 2) Yokels attempt to see what’s in the cart 3) Bad Weather swamps the road or scares the chickens 4) Pack of Coyotes causes trouble. 5) Chicken Rustlers! Protect the Flock! 6) Wagon breaks and needs repair 7) Cows in the road, someone’s herd is out. 8) Broken Bridge, not gone, just broken

ACT 4: Final Delivery

They’re now closing in on the final delivery. Something needs to happen here to cause them to put the suit on. Or maybe they never took it off! I love that idea, that one of your players just loves the suit and wants to be a chicken… lol… Anyway I’m a fan of having them need to get out of the suit for some reason, maybe a bathroom break, or they stand on a fire ant hill, or a snake slithers up their leg. You know something silly and fun. BUT the zipper is stuck! So they’ll have to try and unstick it and fast! Whatever happens they’re going to get shot at by some hunters looking for a big score who have mistaken the flailing caused by the stuck zipper to be the chicken attacking. After dealing with the Hunters they can go ahead and make the final drop. And head home.
Things to Do! - Head for the final delivery - Get shot at! - Deliver the last chickens
ENCOUNTER: That’s a BIG Chicken!
Having two hunters in the field is more than enough to cause a problem for the players. The hunters will almost certainly surprise the players, but you can allow them a perception check, if they succeed they’ll see the hunters just before the muskets go off. It would be OK to down the Chicken Player here if the hunters successfully hit it. They’ll have healer’s kits on hand because, well, this seems to happen to them a lot out here. After the initial attack the players can decide to attack back or try and talk the hunters down. A basic Bandit or Scout stat block should do will for the hunters. If you’re looking for a bit more mayhem, if the hunters miss the players you could have them hit the cage, and you know, bust it open. This may be especially tempting if they
POSSIBLE ENCOUNTER: Big Ol' Frog
So there is a giant frog hiding in the mud down in the creek. If a player takes cover behind the banks there is a good chance that the frog will attempt to nab the player as a snack. If it is successful in grabbing a player with its tongue it will immediately head down river, and they'll have to chase it to get their friend back.

CLOSE

When they return, Boss will reward them. How much will depend on how successful they were delivering the birds. If they did a descent job, they will be paid two day’s wages each. If they were completely successful they can have a bonus. However, if the wagon is in bad shape they might have some money deducted. After they’re paid out, they will be dismissed, and told to expect a new assignment next week.

CHAPTER 3: Marvin the Magnificent

After successfully delivering chickens Boss is going to trust them with a more important task. Their employer has requested an item to be created by Marvin the Magnificent. This is a farming community so having enchanted Farming Equipment is extremely desirable. Marvin has done a lot of basic enchantments over the years, but this new one, an The Stone Skipper, a plough whose blade goes ethereal while in contact with stones too large to push away, has really put him to the test. He needs some help with the final enchantments. The players will have to travel to the Ethereal Plane and hit the Blade of the plow with large rocks. But there’s a problem, they’re going to have mischievous Ethereal Sprites attempting to stop them! If they’re successful, which they should be, they get to take the plough for a test drive, and deal with the strange side effects of the enchantment. Angry goats that blink in and out of existence.

ACT 1: To the Tower

They’ll be summoned out to the Ranch where they’ll meet with Boss again. Once there they will notice a large pile of bent and dinged up plows. Boss will explain to them that a recent land acquisition has become problematic. The Fields are filled with large stones just under the topsoil and they’ve damaged a lot of Plow Blades. The Smithing costs are getting out of hand and so their Patron is looking for an alternate solution to the problem. He is sending them to help Marvin the Magnificent, who has taken the job, but run into some complications and needs some help. They may ask about Marvin. Or perhaps the fields that were purchased, so be ready to answer these types of questions. Once they’re done here they can head to Marvin’s Tower, which is just north of town.
Things to Do! - Meet Boss again - Ask some Informational Questions - Head for the Tower
NPC: Marvin the Magnificent

ACT 2: Marvin the Magnificent

As they approach the tower they should see an explosion at the peak of the structure. It should look similar to a fireworks mishap. When it clears there will be no visible damage to the tower, But Marvin will plummet to the earth just off to the side of them, landing in a small pond. He will then come charging out of the pond, laughing hysterically, and riding on a large turtle. Once he gets a few feet away from the pond the turtle will disappear and he will tumble to the ground right in front of the players. He will leap up quickly and turn toward the players. “Behold Travelers, You stand in the presence of Marvin the Magnificent! And everything you have witness was mostly intended!” He will then strike a cool pose with his wand pointed to the sky! “Now why do you approach my tower!?”
Once Marvin finds out they’ve been sent about the plow he will become more nervous looking. “I see, well follow me. We have work to do.” He will then start walking toward the tower… his boots squishing out water. This should give them a little time to ask a few questions. Marvin will be a little subversive about what they need to do. He will attempt to frame it very mysteriously, saying things like “All will be revealed soon.” and “Save your questions! All Answers await us… in the future!” If they ask him about what they witnessed outside, he will tell them he was working on a mount summoning spell designed for lakes and rivers.
Things to Do! - Head toward the Tower - Meet Marvin - Ask Questions

ACT 3: The Cabinet of Mysteries

The inside of the Wizard’s Tower will be far more mundane than they likely expect. At least on the first floor. It will have a sitting room, dining room, and kitchen, as well as a few odds and ends about. Nothing special at all. The second floor, are Marvin’s personal quarters and some room for study, but it is the third floor, where Marvin will lead them, and it will be more of what one would expect in a Wizard’s tower. There will be books shelves, arcane equipment, and storage for components. In the middle of the room will be a tall cabinet.
:
Marvin will explain to them that the Cabinet is a transportation device, and that he will need them to enter into it with a plow that he has recently enchanted. They will be taken to the Ethereal Plane, and once there they’ll need to take the plow outside and begin hitting it with large field stones. There is a large pile of stones just on the north edge of the tower. They’ll have to do this quickly, before the “others” show up. Who are the others? Hard to say, but there are things that live in the Ethereal Plane that don’t like intruders. The idea is to imbue the Plow with Ethereal Powers so it can pass through large stones while plowing fields. Once they return with the Enchanted Plow, Marvin will have them load it on a cart, pulled by a very smart Donkey, and send them on their way.
Skill Challenge: Enchant the Plow This skill challenge will require five successes before they’re incapacitated by the others. However they decide to do it, they’ll have to successfully hit the plow with five large stones. Failures will result in strange indiscernible entities attacking them. They do minimal damage but could knock people out if there are enough failures.
Things to Do! - Move Through Marvin’s Tower - Enter the Cabinet - Enchant the Plow

ACT 4: Blinking Goats

Upon returning to Boss with the Plow they will be happily greet and paid. Their Patron will be there and will be very pleased with their success. He will ask them to demonstrate the plow’s abilities. Once they get set up out in the field and begin plowing something weird will happen. Every time they hit a stone and the plow’s power activates an Ethereal Goat will manifest and kick or ram the plow, and then disappear. It will feel very similar to what they encountered in the Ethereal Plane. They’ll have to find a way to deal with the manifestations.
ENCOUNTER: Ethereal Goats These goats should function very similarly to Blink Dogs, but I would trim the HP and AC a little to put them in line with the party’s. They will be intent on breaking the Plow not the party, although they will attack the party if they can’t get to the Plow.
Things to Do! - Deliver the Plow - Drive the Plow - Defeat the Ethereal Goats

CLOSE

Once defeated the Boss will come over to yell at them, but the Patron will find the entire thing amusing and more importantly, another impressive demonstration of the player’s skills. He will invite them to the “House” for an important party next week.

Chapter 4: High Society

They've definitely been noticed now and have impressed with their ability, unconventional as it may be. They are invited to their patron's home, but not as guests. Though, they might think they were actually invited as guests! They have been brought in to help work the event held out at the Party Field. They will have to gather party supplies, help put up the tent, and then serve the actual guests. During the evening’s entertainment a hypnotist “The Great Dr Hypnotika” will mesmerize the crowd and attempt to rob them all. Hopefully the players don’t fall victim to her schemes. And if they do oh well, they’ll be entertained all the same.

ACT 1: Special Delivery

The players arrive at the Patron’s very nice property. They will be greeted by a properly dressed servant with a clipboard, the Party Planner. The Planner will be rigid and direct. They will immediately begin tasking them about. If they mention that they were invited to the party the servant will laugh “You didn’t think you were a guest? Oh dear, how embarrassing. You’re the help! It is still a great honor to be tasked to help at the Party, but you’re not guests. Now as for your current task. Head into town and gather these supplies. Bring them to the field by noon.” After the instructions are given the servant will go back to their tasks and expect the players to do the same. They will have three stops; The Crocked Crow for Food and Beer, Get Nailed for the Tent and Spirits, and Shalana Proud-Breed’s Tailor Shop to pick up the Dry Cleaning. Feel free to make any and all of these go sideways! Its a good place to toss in some shenanigans as well! They should also be introduced to Dr Hypnotika and her associates.
Things To do! - Go to their Patron’s Home - Meet the Party Planner and Dr Hypnotika - Run their Errands
NPC: Dr Hypnotika
Dr Hypnotika and her group will perform for the party. Hypnotica is a Tiefling Mezmerist and illusionist. She has an obnoxiously high charisma and some pretty serious skills to back up her claims. However, she uses those skills to beguile her guests, robbing them blind while they are under her spells. She wears a fine robe with a bedazzled headwrap. She has dark upward spiraling horns, light purple skin, and matching eyes. She wears a monocle and walks with a ceremonially carved staff depicting the "Struggles of the Universe". She is extremely persuasive and even more deceptive. Even if someone were to grow suspicious she can easily talk her way out of trouble.
NPCs: Clapper and Bob Hypnotika brings with her two assistants. Clapper the suit wearing Kenku who will perform wondrous displays of mimicry and slight of hand, and her strongman Bob the Kobold. Bob wears a leopard print strongman's outfit and is amazingly swole, particularly for a kobold, and capable of lifting upwards of 400lbs. Bob doesn't do much else other than get hit with things. in the act.

ACT 2: Put up the Tent

After they finish running their errands they will be tasked with putting up a large party tent. This Act is an ongoing Skill Challenge and should have a constantly distracted feel to it. First they have to unpack the tent. Then they have to realize some pieces are missing, they’ll have to form a solution to that problem. After that wind should cause some problems as the tent is at least being pulled up. This is a great moment for some wondrous tom-foolery.
Things To do! - Unpack the tent - Deal with missing parts - Secure the tent during the wind gusts

ACT 3: Put These On

After they finish putting up the tent they’ll be sent to the Servant’s Quarters to bathe and change. They’ll get a little time to explore and snoop if they wish. Afterward they’ll be tasked with helping in the kitchen, but unfortunately the cooks are going to have been playing a drinking game all afternoon and are no longer fully capable of doing their jobs. This would make a great moment for some sort of mini-game where the players have to determine whether or not the cooks are doing the right things. Once the dinner has been completed they will have to serve the guests. This is a good place to insert gossip and help them meet a few other folks.
Things To do! - Get changed for the party - Deal with the drunk cooks - Serve the guests drinks and food

ACT 4: An Evening to Remember

At some point in the evening things are going to start sliding downhill. Some of the locals will have become extremely inebriated and will need to be encouraged to leave, or just moved off to the side as they’ve already passed out, before the show begins. Once the show begins the locals will become fixated on the goings on. “The Great Dr Hypnotika” will have put an additive in the drinks for the that will make everyone more susceptible to her powers of persuasion. Once the show starts she will have them all doing silly things, those who drank have disadvantage on saves against her powers. She will end the show asking the guests to display their most valuable treasure, a with a hypnotic pattern and then send her assistants out to collect those treasures. The players will have to “do something” about the thieves.
Things To do! - Deal with Drunks - Watch the Show - Stop the Criminals
ENCOUNTER: Hypnotika's Gang This encounter doesn't have to be a fight. If Hypnotika is caught she may claim it was all part of the act and simple return the valuables with a "no harm, no foul" type attitude. This will be he go to in an attempt to avoid a fight, but if the character persist in some kind of retribution or punishment the situation will devolve into a combat. Hypnotica herself is an Illusionist Wizard but is low on spells after the show. Clapper is a low level rogue and Bob a Barbarian, and should play out as such. Even with Skills they are combat adverse and will be looking for an opportunity to flee rather than fight. They do have a getaway wagon out front that they'll be headed for if things go south.

CLOSING

We’re assuming the Bumpkins at least attempted to stop the robbery. This will draw a lot of attention to them. Their Patron will be well pleased with them, and let them know they will be getting much more important jobs in the future. The guests will also take note and will begin treating them all a bit better. They’re all essentially Folk Heroes at this point for secondary backgrounds. Their Patron should reward them with something very nice as the party kicks back in. They will need to finish out the nights work of course.

Quest-line Closing

Congratulations! Your Players have completed their first Quest-line! Hopefully it was a delightful experience. But now that they've finished what comes next? Well, here are some ideas.
*Reward Them! * They've been doing some rather Adventurous things lately, and therefore should now have a Class Level under their belt, so the real D&D world now opens to them! Maybe it is time for some real adventuring gear. No more sticks, stones, and burlap sack armor.
Folk Heroes? There's a good chance that the Valley is Speaking the News about them and their exploits while drinking in the taverns. They may have even earned the actual Folk Hero Feat! Maybe someone would be interested in giving them a task!
Simply Go Exploring! There are a lot of places in Green Valley that we only dipped our toes into. You could have them head down to Stinkmarsh, or maybe climb up the cliffs of Longridge. The world (Well, the Valley) is wholly open to them.
Explore Local Legends There are lots of local legends they can look into! Hopefully they search out something that isn't too far over their heads!
Continue Working for their Patron It would be an easy DM go to simply to have them continue working for their current Patron. They've probably been impressive enough fo a family to be interested in keeping them on.
Establish Themselves as Adventurers! Maybe they want to set up a Adventurers for Hire business? This "Heroes Guild" approach is really appealing to a lot of players and absolutely plays into Bumpkin Quest. Just remember, this is a place of low key problems that locals make really big deals out of. So the idea of slaying dragons shouldn't really be on the table... that is until an actual dragon shows up! Which one day absolutely should.

Nitty gritty of it is: caught my ex girlfriend cheating after 8 years together, had to walk away from the relationship.
Unfortunately during that time I ghosted virtually all of my buddies (dumb) and completely fell out of the local scene.
I’m honestly not even sure what my interests are anymore, but I’m looking to get back out and try to start making buds again.
What are some solid local music venues? Any suggestions on some hot spots to meet new people? I’m from Burlington but there’s virtually nothing going on there, so meeting people is a virtual impossibility. Figured Hamilton used to be pretty chill, like I said I just don’t know what’s good anymore 😅
TIA!

I feel like the only thing I really knew growing up was Christianity, and that's it.
My education consisted of Bible-centric dogma, pressure to be a a good little housewife, fox news propaganda, and charismatic shenanigans.
But I realized in the last few years that I didn't really get a good education otherwise. I have the basics, and I love to read, I'm even getting my masters degree this year, so I'm reasonably intelligent. But that was all my decision to pursue. Despite being homeschooled by my mom, she didn't do much. She didn't teach me how to clean or maintain the house, or raise kids, or about biology or science, or my body. She sucked at teaching math and word problems, yet she supposedly went to school for teaching. I didn't even know what a period was supposed to be for, until I was 19.
I was purposefully kept innocent for as long as possible. Which in some ways is okay, but is so detrimental mostly. Sometimes I feel so lost and behind everyone else.
Anyway, just a rant, hoping to find some commonality with you all.

Hi there, I've been growing for about 5 years, but I've never really had the time or funds to do much beyond planting it in ground, watering, and then giving Big Bud fertilizer from Adv Nutrients come flowering. The quality always turned out a bit on the low side, only really decent to smoke if I had nothing else, mostly good for edibles.
This year I'd like to step things up, and create some buds that I can feel a little less ashamed about. I haven't fully decided whether to commit to organically grown, or opt for the possibly more cost-efficient synthetic nutrients. Ideally I'd like to lean organically as long as I can achieve relatively the same quality. I don't currently have the means to create my own organic soil, so I'm relying on what I can order online.
1x FoxFarm Ocean Forest Potting Soil
1x FoxFarm Happy Frog Potting Soil
1x Cal-Mag
Alternatively I could get California Super Soil instead of the FoxFarms soils, but don't really have enough funds for both. I'm not sure what organic nutrients to go for, I've heard the soil on its own already will take you quite far, any recommendations?
If I were to opt for the less-than-organic route, I would either opt for the Flora Bloom series or the FoxFarm Liquid Trio. I might be able to afford one of the two FoxFarm potting soils with this, but I would likely have to cut it with regular potting soil as I have to spread it between 8 plants. Should I just do a 50/50 blend of the Ocean Forest and Happy Frog? I've seen some commenters opting for entirely Ocean Forest, is there much to be gained from one over the other?
The plants themselves will likely be planted in 5 - 7 gallon pots.
Am I missing anything here? I can perhaps extend my budget a little bit if there are greater rewards to be reaped.
Thanks Fam.

Reporting:

• AP: Here’s what’s in, what’s out of the debt limit bill to avert US default
  
• AP: Key test ahead on federal debt deal that could prevent a disastrous default (Article is about the House Rules Committee vote this afternoon).
  

Breaking News and Live Pages:

• AP: Breaking Politics News
  
• Reuters: United States
  
• The Washington Post: Politics
  
• The New York Times: U.S. Politics
  
• The Guardian: US debt ceiling deal: McCarthy could face threats from hard right as agreement criticised – live
  
• CNN: The latest on the US debt ceiling deal
  

Streams:

• C-SPAN: House Freedom Caucus members hold a news conference to voice their opposition to the debt limit agreement, calling on all Republicans to vote against it. (12 p.m. Eastern)
  
• C-SPAN: White House Daily Briefing (2:45 p.m. Eastern)
  
• PBS via YouTube: OMB director joins White House briefing ahead of debt ceiling votes expected this week
  
• C-SPAN: House Rules Committee meets to discuss legislation to raise the nation’s debt limit and set federal spending levels. (3 p.m. Eastern)
  
• C-SPAN: House Republicans hold a news conference on the debt limit deal brokered between Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and President Biden. (8:30 p.m. Eastern)
  

Demographics

• Gender: female
• Race/Ethnicity: Asian-American (Chinese)
• Residence: DMV area
• Income Bracket: ~100k?
• Type of School: public, mid overall in county but top quartile in state maybe?
• Hooks (Recruited Athlete, URM, First-Gen, Geographic, Legacy, etc.): none lol

Intended Major(s): Chemical Engineering/Chemistry (basically applied ChemE to colleges with strong engineering schools and Chem to the rest)
Academics

• GPA (UW/W): 4.0/4.93
• Rank (or percentile): N/A (confirmed that I was part of the top 5% but didn't put it in my app since my school doesn't rank)
• # of Honors/AP/IB/Dual Enrollment/etc.: 13 AP classes, 3 honors (French)
• Senior Year Course Load: Wind Ensemble (band), AP Eng Lit, Science Lab Assistant, AP Bio, AP Psych, Linear Algebra (online), AP Physics C: E&M

Standardized Testing

• SAT (took once): 1560 (790 RW, 770 M)
• ACT (took once): 35 (36E, 33M, 35R, 34S)
• AP scores:
  • 10th grade: AP Gov (4), AP Chinese (5), AP Calc AB (4), AP Stats (5)
  • 11th grade: AP Chem (4), AP Physics C: Mech (4), AP English Lang (5), AP World History: Modern (5), AP Calc BC (5; AB subscore 5)
  • 12th grade (pending): AP Eng Lit, AP Bio, AP Psych, AP Physics C: E&M

Extracurriculars/Activities

1. Science Olympiad (9th-12th, officer since 11th) - spent an insane number of hours a week even though I only put 5 hwk on the Common App; led meetings, made presentations on upcoming comps and how to prepare for them (i.e. how to take notes), chose comps to compete at, placed top 6 at regionals and states individually and as a team
2. School Marching Band (9th-12th, section leader since 11th) - mentored new members, instructed on marching basics and led sectionals, also organized section bonding time (like we painted our nails and stuff hehe); played piccolo for the season
3. Intern @ CUA (summer 2022) - fabricated polymer membranes on microfluidics device via flow-assembly, conducted membrane strength testing, analyzed data for strength enhancement
4. Tutor for various honor societies and music (10th-12th) - tutored everything from high-school level math to AP Chem to flute, most of it was basically getting hours for different honor societies but I think it was pretty productive and meaningful
5. Cross country (9th-11th) - quit before senior year to focus on college apps ;-; I wasn't that fast, just average, but I led a small running group and ran 300+ miles each summer to prepare for the season
6. Various community service projects (10th-12th) - made face shields for healthcare workers (was reported by a local news network so I linked that in the Additional Info section of my Common App), crocheted/knitted rectangles to assemble into a blanket for the homeless
7. Policy Review Committee Chair (12th) - basically 2 or 3 other high schoolers and I (along with other adults) reviewed some curriculum policy that needed to be updated in terms of language and terms, didn't really do much but it was cool seeing the process of how it actually worked
8. Teen Leader for Christian youth fellowship (11th/12th) - kinda fell off of it senior year but I led meetings along with a couple other peers, I created slides and we facilitated intergenerational discussion
9. First Chair in Wind Ensemble (11th/12th) - yeah that's basically it T_T I played solos and stuff
10. Household Obligations (9th-12th) - cared for siblings, helped with their school assignments, did chores, translated for parents from English to Mandarin

Awards/Honors

1. State Science Olympiad Competition (1st - Ornithology, 8th - Environmental Chemistry) - 11th grade
2. Regional Science Olympiad Competition (2nd: Chemistry Lab, 2nd: Ornithology, 3rd: Environmental Chemistry) - 11th grade
3. County STEM Award - 11th grade (idrk how significant this was tbh it seemed like a throwaway kinda thing; it was for my performance in Science Olympiad but they got the competition name wrong on my certificate T_T)
4. Governor's Volunteer Service Award - 10th grade
5. State Seal of Biliteracy Recipient in English and Chinese - 11th grade

Essays

1. Common App essay - had 2 versions, one for EA and another for RD. I would rate my first version (basically I compared my identity to a sandwich and made it a love story it was kinda weird T_T) like a 7/10 if I'm being generous and a solid 9/10 for my second version (I talked about how my being officer of Science Olympiad challenged me and made me grow as a person; it sounds cliche but I used a unique format that I'm pretty proud of)
2. Supplemental essays - my EA supps were probably on average like a 6 or 7 out of 10, and my RD supps were an 8 to a 9. I tried to make them more creative/unique since I knew my ECs were on the weaker side when it came to the higher ranked schools and I knew that I was going to get in, my essays would play a major role in my acceptance. I spent so much time and so many rounds of editing with my dad asdfkljasd;lfkj

Letters of Recommendation

1. AP Chem teacheScience Olympiad coach (11/10) - She really liked me and she's honestly my mom atp... I'm also an aide for her this year so I help set up labs for her and the entire science dept. She also assigns me other labs to prepare just for funsies and bc she trusts me apparently ???? Hopefully she can speak to the diligence and time I put in as a Scioly officer and my performance in the AP Chem class. Might also be worth mentioning that I tutored one of her current AP Chem kids?
2. Wind Ensemble/Marching Band director (7.5/10) - I didn't have other STEM teachers as strong as my AP Chem teacher but my logic was that I would ask teachers who knew what I was like outside of school past the academic/stats/grades kind of thing; hopefully they could give some insight into my personality (ig that logic worked? idk) Since I was a section leader in marching band for 2 years I had some leadership in terms of that but I would often come in a couple minutes late to class tired asf cause we had band first period... Overall I still think he has a decent impression of me
3. Internship advisoprof (9/10) - He is a family friend of my parents and that's honestly how I got the internship T_T But he has a pretty good impression of me during the time I was there; I picked up things pretty quickly so I think that helped. Only submitted this to some schools I was applying to RD and some schools late in the EA cycle
4. (only submitted after waitlist) Science Lab Assistant Manager (8.5/10) - Set up labs for the science department, had an overall good impression of me since I volunteered to complete other tasks and extra things outside of the labs I had to set up
5. (only submitted after waitlist) School Principal (6.5/10) - Our class is ~650 people and he only became the principal my sophomore year so I doubt he knew me that well; I sent my resume to him so hopefully he did something with that T_T

Results (woohooo!!)
Catholic University of America (accepted)
CMU (accepted!!!)
Cornell (waitlisted -> accepted -> committed!!!!)
Duke (rejected rip)
Duke Kunshan (accepted somehow???)
Northwestern (rejected, lol this one kinda made me a bit sad)
Rice (waitlisted)
UD (accepted)
UIUC (accepted)
UMBC (accepted)
UMD (accepted)
UNC Chapel Hill (rejected ;-;)
UT Austin (accepted)
UVA (accepted)
Vandy (waitlisted)
Takeaways

• Start your essays early (preferably before senior year!) It helps to get ahead of the game and brainstorm, plus I find that I am dissatisfied with some part of an essay that i think needs editing a week or two after I finish
• Familiarize yourself with the ins and outs of the Common App layout, like what each section entails (you might be surprised to find that it's a lot of info to fill out)
• Look at examples of everything related to your application, whether it be the Common App, supplemental essays, and how to word your activities list
• Don't downplay your achievements, but don't overly embellish them, either!
• Think about your application as a whole. I cannot stress this enough! Is there an activity that is overly mentioned in your application? Try to balance your application out. Is there an aspect of yourself that you want to include but haven't yet? Try to touch on it in your supplemental essays. I go more in depth in this post here

the questionaire is by https://www.reddit.com/useBrouHaus/
​

1. How do you respond when a new acquaintance says, "tell me about yourself."

I’d probably brush the question off and flip it back some way or the other.

1. Now, tell me about your internal experience of yourself. What makes you, you?

As soon as I read this question, I dreaded the answer. The truth is, I don’t know who I authentically am. I am what others need me to be, the only thing I’d say was somewhat personal/what I pride myself in is being semi-intelligent. That’s it, outside of that I don’t know who I am or what defines me as me

1. You just had a really good day. Describe it. It can be a real recent example or an aspirational one.

An ideal day would be one full of enjoyable activates, where I wouldn’t get the chance to “get in my head” and focus on all the negative things and problems I’m dealing with. Ideally, I wouldn’t have any “off” time, because as soon as I take breaks, I tend to get bored

1. If someone is upset with you, what is the typical reason for it? Give a recent example.

The typical reason would either be me being impatient or getting snappy, although immediately trying to apologize for my irritation. It could also be for taking thing too personally, being to debitive or just in general being too over the top and not taking a step back to think and reflect on how my actions could affect me + others.

1. How well do you handle stress? What are your coping mechanisms? Give an example of a recent stressful situation and how you handled it.

Really depends on what defines “handling well”. I often shut down my feelings and suppress whatever the hell is going on inside of me as I focus on finishing the job as effectively as possible. This sometimes doesn’t succeed, but most of the time it does. However after the task/job/assignment is done I often break down because of me being completely overstimulated and often needs to retreat back and into my own space

1. What pushes your buttons? What makes you angry? How does your anger manifest? Can you be openly angry with others?

I have no problems telling people what I really think, and I also have no problem telling people what I think is wrong with a situation. However, I do believe in looking at things as objectively and non-biased as possible. What really presses my buttons, however, is when people try to withhold/lie/manipulate me and take me for being more stupid than I am. I absolutely DEPISE when people think I’m not capable of handling bad or hard news/information etc.
I don’t take betrayal or feeling under prioritized and unimportant too well either. I have no problem cutting people off who’ve wronged me.
In general, I do tend to have a short fuse so things like people walking and talking slowly, goofing off, doing things too slowly and not efficiently also tends to push my buttons. I often get impatient, passive aggressive and pushy to finish uncomfortable things, but I do think it takes quite a bit to really anger me.

1. What’s your deepest fear? Why is that your fear?

Failure, being the worst, no one ever liking me, never accomplishing anything, not being satisfied or valued or being seen as incompetent and stupid.

1. What types of memories cause you the most shame? What feelings cause you the most shame? What is it about them that causes you shame?

Talking about past times i either didn’t accomplish something I should’ve, or talking about a time I was different and therefore being ashamed of the lack of things I’ve done since then

1. What is your relationship with pleasure? What gives you pleasure? Can you have pleasure when you want it, or do you have to earn it?

I rarely feel pleasure, because as soon as I’ve done something I’ve been seeking to do, I’m always looking towards the next thing. However, I have no problems in taking breaks/procrastinating etc. before all my tasks are done

1. What’s your relationship with authority? Think both abstractly and with specific authorities in your life, possibly your parents, boss, religious leader, doctor, or government figures? Are you an authority?

I hate that i seek te respect of authorities, almost no matter the situation. Despite hating everything they stand for, some part of me will always want to try to impress and seek validation from authorities/authority figures. Its either completely comply, or completely rebel for me. I do hate when authority figures try to impose themselves on me and what I think. If their reasoning isn’t logical, I won’t comply.

1. When your mind wanders, what are you thinking about?

Its normally going 1000 miles an hour, or completely empty so its very hard to identify my thoughts. However, my mind tends to go to quite dark places, which makes me want to be anywhere else/externally communicate with others to distract myself from my head

1. You have a big decision to make. Describe how you decide what to do.

I normally am pretty torn, and have a hard time committing to a singular path

1. What’s your biggest flaw?

Overestimating my need for help, and how hard it is for me to seek help from others

1. What makes you special? (Or, if you don't feel special, what at least makes you different from other people?)

I’d say my ability to convince others via my speaking. I’m good at debating and convincing others.

1. How much of your mental energy is spent on thinking about each of the past, the present, and the future?

Rather not focus on the past, i hate being in the moment, so my head and thoughts are very much furture focused

1. You unexpectedly find yourself with a whole weekend with no obligations, and everyone else is busy. How do you feel about it? What do you do?

Pretty ambivalent, as i’d get bored extremely quickly and have a hard time being alone for a whole day with no activities planned. I’d probably take a lot of walks and catch up on work/series I’ve been dying to watch

1. What’s your personal vibe/style/aesthetic? How cultivated vs natural is it, and how much time do you spend on it? Do you turn it on and off?

I have no specific vibe/style, and what I do have comes from society lol

1. Which of the following is the most like you? Explain. A) I know what I want, I go out and make it happen, and people won't stop me. B) I am content to be on my own and not draw too much attention to myself. C) I have to be responsible and dedicated, and I put others’ needs first.

A + B, as it depends on the situation

1. Which of the following is most like you? Explain. A) I dislike stress and negative vibes, and I may try to distract myself from my problems. B) I have strong feelings, get worked up easily, and am not afraid to show it. C) I don’t like to let my feelings show; they get in the way of being efficient and logical.

B + A

1. Which of the following is most like you? Explain. A) I look to others for feedback and guidance and am willing to be flexible when needed. B) I am always aware of how things could be better, and I’m disappointed that they are not. C) Deep down, I am afraid people won’t give me what I need unless I make it worth their while.

C + A

​
​
Questionnaire is by https://www.reddit.com/useBrouHaus/
1.How do you respond when a new acquaintance says, "tell me about yourself.
I’d probably brush the question off and flip it back some way or the other.

1. Now, tell me about your internal experience of yourself. What makes you, you?

As soon as I read this question, I dreaded the answer. The truth is, I don’t know who I authentically am. I am what others need me to be, the only thing I’d say was somewhat personal/what I pride myself in is being semi-intelligent. That’s it, outside of that I don’t know who I am or what defines me as me

1. You just had a really good day. Describe it. It can be a real recent example or an aspirational one.

An ideal day would be one full of enjoyable activates, where I wouldn’t get the chance to “get in my head” and focus on all the negative things and problems I’m dealing with. Ideally, I wouldn’t have any “off” time, because as soon as I take breaks, I tend to get bored

1. If someone is upset with you, what is the typical reason for it? Give a recent example.

The typical reason would either be me being impatient or getting snappy, although immediately trying to apologize for my irritation. It could also be for taking thing too personally, being to debitive or just in general being too over the top and not taking a step back to think and reflect on how my actions could affect me + others.

1. How well do you handle stress? What are your coping mechanisms? Give an example of a recent stressful situation and how you handled it.

Really depends on what defines “handling well”. I often shut down my feelings and suppress whatever the hell is going on inside of me as I focus on finishing the job as effectively as possible. This sometimes doesn’t succeed, but most of the time it does. However after the task/job/assignment is done I often break down because of me being completely overstimulated and often needs to retreat back and into my own space

1. What pushes your buttons? What makes you angry? How does your anger manifest? Can you be openly angry with others?

I have no problems telling people what I really think, and I also have no problem telling people what I think is wrong with a situation. However, I do believe in looking at things as objectively and non-biased as possible. What really presses my buttons, however, is when people try to withhold/lie/manipulate me and take me for being more stupid than I am. I absolutely DEPISE when people think I’m not capable of handling bad or hard news/information etc.
I don’t take betrayal or feeling under prioritized and unimportant too well either. I have no problem cutting people off who’ve wronged me.
In general, I do tend to have a short fuse so things like people walking and talking slowly, goofing off, doing things too slowly and not efficiently also tends to push my buttons. I often get impatient, passive aggressive and pushy to finish uncomfortable things, but I do think it takes quite a bit to really anger me.

1. What’s your deepest fear? Why is that your fear?

Failure, being the worst, no one ever liking me, never accomplishing anything, not being satisfied or valued or being seen as incompetent and stupid.

1. What types of memories cause you the most shame? What feelings cause you the most shame? What is it about them that causes you shame?

Talking about past times i either didn’t accomplish something I should’ve, or talking about a time I was different and therefore being ashamed of the lack of things I’ve done since then

1. What is your relationship with pleasure? What gives you pleasure? Can you have pleasure when you want it, or do you have to earn it?

I rarely feel pleasure, because as soon as I’ve done something I’ve been seeking to do, I’m always looking towards the next thing. However, I have no problems in taking breaks/procrastinating etc. before all my tasks are done

1. What’s your relationship with authority? Think both abstractly and with specific authorities in your life, possibly your parents, boss, religious leader, doctor, or government figures? Are you an authority?

I hate that i seek te respect of authorities, almost no matter the situation. Despite hating everything they stand for, some part of me will always want to try to impress and seek validation from authorities/authority figures. Its either completely comply, or completely rebel for me. I do hate when authority figures try to impose themselves on me and what I think. If their reasoning isn’t logical, I won’t comply.

1. When your mind wanders, what are you thinking about?

Its normally going 1000 miles an hour, or completely empty so its very hard to identify my thoughts. However, my mind tends to go to quite dark places, which makes me want to be anywhere else/externally communicate with others to distract myself from my head

1. You have a big decision to make. Describe how you decide what to do.

I normally am pretty torn, and have a hard time committing to a singular path

1. What’s your biggest flaw?

Overestimating my need for help, and how hard it is for me to seek help from others

1. What makes you special? (Or, if you don't feel special, what at least makes you different from other people?)

I’d say my ability to convince others via my speaking. I’m good at debating and convincing others.

1. How much of your mental energy is spent on thinking about each of the past, the present, and the future?

Rather not focus on the past, i hate being in the moment, so my head and thoughts are very much furture focused

1. You unexpectedly find yourself with a whole weekend with no obligations, and everyone else is busy. How do you feel about it? What do you do?

Pretty ambivalent, as i’d get bored extremely quickly and have a hard time being alone for a whole day with no activities planned. I’d probably take a lot of walks and catch up on work/series I’ve been dying to watch

1. What’s your personal vibe/style/aesthetic? How cultivated vs natural is it, and how much time do you spend on it? Do you turn it on and off?

I have no specific vibe/style, and what I do have comes from society lol

1. Which of the following is the most like you? Explain. A) I know what I want, I go out and make it happen, and people won't stop me. B) I am content to be on my own and not draw too much attention to myself. C) I have to be responsible and dedicated, and I put others’ needs first.

A + B, as it depends on the situation

1. Which of the following is most like you? Explain. A) I dislike stress and negative vibes, and I may try to distract myself from my problems. B) I have strong feelings, get worked up easily, and am not afraid to show it. C) I don’t like to let my feelings show; they get in the way of being efficient and logical.

B + A

1. Which of the following is most like you? Explain. A) I look to others for feedback and guidance and am willing to be flexible when needed. B) I am always aware of how things could be better, and I’m disappointed that they are not. C) Deep down, I am afraid people won’t give me what I need unless I make it worth their while.

C + A

This is the best tl;dr I could make, original reduced by 61%. (I'm a bot)

Predicting two terms in the White House should he defeat Donald Trump for the Republican presidential nomination next year, Ron DeSantis said he would go on to "Destroy leftism in this country".
The widely panned launch followed a long phony war period in which DeSantis toured early voting states and launched a campaign-oriented book but nonetheless fell further and further behind the former president in primary polling.
Most polling averages put Trump more than 30 points ahead of his nearest challenger: DeSantis.
Speaking to Fox News, DeSantis said the fight with Disney was about "Standing for parents standing for children. And I think a multibillion-dollar company that sexualises children is not consistent with the values of Florida or the values of a place like Iowa", which will hold the first Republican contest next year.
Polling concerning a hypothetical general election between DeSantis and Joe Biden puts the governor and the president neck-and-neck.
Speaking to Fox News, DeSantis said: "I think there's a reason why the legacy media is attacking me more than they're attacking anybody else, because I think they realise that if I'm successful in winning the Republican nomination, we're going to bring it home in the general election."And I pledge to Republican voters if you nominate me, I will be taking the oath of office on January 20, 2025, on the west side of the Capitol.

Summary Source FAQ Feedback Top keywords: DeSantis^#1 governor^#2 Trump^#3 Republican^#4 attack^#5
Post found in /politics.
NOTICE: This thread is for discussing the submission topic. Please do not discuss the concept of the autotldr bot here.

I've been seeing a lot more of it here. A lot more. And I know that this is going to garner me a lot of ill-will. But I can't sit back and watch disinformation overrun a community as important as this one. So here goes nothing.
First, I have a question for the vaccine injured. Why can’t any of you point me to a single shred of evidence other than your lived experiences? Ever wonder why not a single immunologist has come out to champion your hypothesis? (Which, btw, more often reads like received fact than theory when you bring it up. You know, do you? Interesting, cause there is a lot we still don't know about SARS CoV-2. Interesting that this should be suddenly official, even in the absence of any scientific corroboration).
For years, people swore that ulcers were caused by stress. It made sense. It always seemed to be worse when they were stressed. They were wrong.
For decades, people swore that miasma - bad air - caused cholera. It often happened when the air was thick. It made a lot of sense. They were wrong.
For centuries, people swore that impiety was behind their illnesses. In Europe, they relied on prayer to get better. In the Americas, ritual sacrifices. It seemed to help. They were wrong.
Might you be wrong?
nO tHiS hAs tO bE vAcCiNe rELaTeD
Why?
Why must it be vaccine related? Why can’t it be due to an unbelievably infectious, often asymptomatic, bat-borne, immune-depleting and metabolism-dysregulating novel SARS coronavirus that 90% of everyone caught as of the onset of Omicron?
bEcAuSe mY sYmpToMs sHoWeD uP aFtEr gEtTiNg tHe jAb!!1!
Yes, that may very well be. And if you catch a common cold now, it will likely knock you clean out - that’s what SARS CoV-2 does. It hay-wires our immune system and causes mad inflammation.
aNd sO dOeS tHe vAcCinE!
Evidence or STFU. I mean it. What part of mRNA vaccines could even do that? Do you even know? I ask again: Any immunologists in the house to back you up? No. Wanna know why? Because it makes no physiological goddam sense!!!!
yOu’Re jUsT gAsLigHtiNg mE!
Sure, just like I gaslight Goop, Dr Oz, Dr Phil and bloodletting. This is not gaslighting, friend. This is calling out bullshit. There is a BIG difference.
I am not CLAIMING you aren’t sick. I’m not claiming your symptoms didn’t appear after your jab. If COVID messed up your immune system as much as it did mine, it isn't impossible that the vaccine might have triggered some dormant sequelae. We do not know. We do know that arteries stiffen and the brain is impaired after even mild COVID infections. You might not notice that immediately, if at all. So no, I'm not claiming the vaccine didn't put you in a bad spot. But I AM claiming that your need for your Long COVID to be entirely vaccine-induced is highly fucking suspect.
NOTHING in the medical literature even HINTS at the possibility of these vaccines being able to trigger LC - not without COVID first doing the very heavy lifting.
If I’m wrong? I'd be stunned, because it would mean we discovered some entirely new and unheard of pathway. It'd be revolutionary, tragic, counter to everything we know. Impossible? No. Highly unlikely? Uh, yeah. If I'm wrong, I'll owe you a sincere apology. But if you’re wrong? You’ve been contributing to the paranoid anti-science populism that’s been leading us off a cliff since Andrew Wakefield's fabrication about Autism.
Here's an article of interest for you, published a little over a month ago in that same tabloid rag Wakefield published his lies in, the Lancet: Confronting the evolution and expansion of anti-vaccine activism in the USA in the COVID-19 era00136-8/fulltext). It's important reading. Cause yeah, the Lancet published Wakefield's original sin. But they also retracted it. That last part is kind of important. It's called science. Half the world simply never got the memo.
The truth matters. I mean the ACTUAL truth. Not RFK Jr's ill-informed, uneducated gut feeling.
I get it, you’re angry. I’m angry too. WTF is this life I’ve been left with? This isn’t living! So yeah, if I thought some unscrupulous megacorps had willfully maimed me, I’d be on the warpath too. The US is broken in more ways than one. I get that too. I don't live there, but I can see how it's messing with you. You can't trust anyone anymore it seems. Especially not for-profit healthcare, for-profit politics, for-profit prisons - hell even your biggest Churches are for-profit. (But ooooooooh socialism. That's the real evil, right? I digress.)
I'd be angry too if I thought Bill Gates and Purdue Pharma had done this to me. But I’d need proof. Cause that’s how I roll. Not circumstantial evidence, not just a series of coincidences, not a plethora of official looking threads from "the ethical doctor" or that retired British nurse who passes himself off as an MD (because of his PhD in education) and speaks so well with his underlining of bullet-point print-outs while going off on unsubstantiated tangents (Ivermectin, anyone?)
No, I'd want Proof. With a capital P. Cause them be some mighty big claims with some mighty big implications you been making at every fucking chance you get.
Give me more than old wives tales. Give me mechanisms underlying your injury. Cause we're getting a pretty good idea of the mechanisms underlying mine, and the vaccine simply can't do that. Even at the best of times, these vaccines' efficiency wanes in a matter of weeks. But they crippled you? Damaged your endothelium? Really?! Really.
Give me some molecular biology. So far, all I see is your personal story, an army of Twitter trolls, a popular and well-orchestrated right-wing narrative, and a few rogue MDs who can’t point to a single shred of hard evidence. I see tarot cards. Not good enough.
We are at war. COVID is the enemy, NOT Moderna and Pfizer, slimy as they may be.
I got jabbed and boosted. I also got COVID. Guess which one fucked me up? Wait - don’t tell me. I already know what you’re going to say.
And it’s really starting to piss me off.
We are all Long haulers here. How we got here should matter less than how we get out. We can lynch the Wuhan lab techs and Moderna miscreants if and when it comes to light that there was an international conspiracy. But we have nothing to gain from that sort of conjecture now. Those doctors, researchers and pharmaceutical companies you so love to hate on? We’re gonna need their help if we’re to beat this thing. And I don't know about you, but getting healthy again supersedes everything else in my book.
It also requires trusting the science. It’s evolving, it’s imperfect, but it’s better than trusting in your horoscope to tell you what to expect. You're being played, friend. And not by tHe mEdiCaL eStAbLiShmEnT. They are late to the game and have been far too dogmatic regarding Long COVID, but there is a quantum leap between that and thinking that they know the vaccines are dangerous and are pushing them nonetheless. My partner outranks all of us, medically. She got jabbed, boosted. She's never had COVID. She's fine. Oh, and she also understands how vaccines work. Fundamentally. Deeply. Intimately. So yeah, I trust her 30 years and 50 000 hours of training more than your "dO yOuR oWn rEseArCh".
Oh and for the record? She's as pissed off as anyone by the "vax and relax" shift in public health policy (pushed by McKinsey Consulting, no less), because the vaccines were not good enough. Masking, ventilation, testing and isolating the sick was the only safe approach. But it wasn't convenient. So vax and relax it was and here we all are. Still in the grips of a disabling disease but with a society in deep denial about the risks of getting infected. As always, humans going the easy route instead of the right one. We are not super-fans of how COVID has been handled. Quite the opposite. But again, there is a leap between that and the utter disregard for all evidence on any given subject.
Do I also need to explain to you how the earth is not flat? Or do you still trust experts' take on that? Cause this is the same. Damn. Thing. This is like asking how climate change is a thing if it still snows in January. You're just indicating how out of your depth you are and making logical-sounding conclusions based on a faulty understanding of the underlying science. And more and more people are buying into it. To succeed, liars don't need to convince you of their lie, they only have to make you doubt the truth. FoxNews, Facebook and now Twitter broke America by profiting off of that business model. "Engagement", they call it. And nobody is pushing back.
You're being played alright, but it's by the same charlatans that feed the Q-Anon pedophile myth and Great Replacement dog whistle. They don't trust anybody, cause everybody's in on it. Right? Wrong. They're just pining for attention, cash, influence, petty power. At the expense of their hapless followers.
It's unfortunate that you find the timing of your onset suspect. I’ve been looking - hard - for credible evidence about what you claim. It's just not there. Educated guesses are welcome: there's a lot we still don't understand about this disease. But educated guesses require a minimum of education. You can’t just throw around the words “spike protein” and call it a day. There is no run-away replication from a vaccine. That’s not how they work.
bUt eVeN dR VaUngH sAiD
Was that before or after he charged you 1000$ for a treatment that's costing me 45$ based on readily available and entirely generic anticoagulant drugs? Before or after he said masks were crippling kids? I'm grateful he's making TT available to people. I'm not impressed by his ethics, lack of rigour, and sales pitch. No more than by IncellDX for that matter. Great business model. Important service. Highly questionable ethic$.
I'm on TT because of the science underlying it. It's still just a hunch, but a good one. So we're trying it. Vaccine injury though? That's not based on a hunch - it's based on rumour. Fear. Distrust. Lies.
That echo chamber is no different than any other hysteria - in the absence of understanding, we revert to superstition. And vaccine hesitancy is based on one incredibly damaging myth that is spinning out of control. Even here. And that worries me for the future. Vaccines are likely going to be our only way out of this pandemic. If it's sterilizing and not everyone needs to be jabbed for me and my loved ones to be safe? I'll care not at all that your paranoia made you put your life at risk. hermaincainaward will simply get an uptick in nominees. But if it's one that requires a minimum amount of adoption to work, collectively? We're all going to have to have a serious sit-down. I'm tired of other people's ignorance putting my loved ones at risk. *Insert obligatory reference to the Climate Crisis*. If everyone knew the science of what's coming (soon), they'd be a lot more motivated in acting, aggressively, immediately, collectively. The truth matters.
So yeah, this post is going to make a lot of suffering people angry. And that sucks. But it's a helluva lot better than just letting anti-science disinformation keep gaining ground, post by post, comment by comment. Someone has to fight back and scientists are always too incredulous to react: "do people actually believe this nonsense?" They do, Doc. They really do. And every one else has become too scared of the backlash to speak out.
Mods, you’re going to have to take a stand at some point. There are enough haunts for conspiracy nuts on Facebook, Twitter, Discord and Reddit. I came here for help. For moral support, for potential treatments, for peer review. By peers that have better judgement than to just assume a vaccine they don't understand is what plunged them into hell and then agitate against hard facts.
That misguided agitation does not bring me comfort. It makes me despair. Science is our only hope and here we have a growing segment of our community dismissing the science in the name of anecdote and political bias. You think the vaccine did this to you? You're entitled to your opinion. You're not entitled to spreading lies as though they were hard fact. At least have enough humility to qualify your broad statements with "I worry that" or "is this even possible".
To those activists who insist on doubling down, give me some valid authoritative medical evidence or STFU. I can be swayed, but not by rants and baseless supposition.
We’ve got some serious work to do and your misdirected rage is not helping.