If your reading this I had to split my post in two because Reddits chracter limit is 40,000 and ive gone well over that. anyway have fun.
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John Wick Chapter 3 – Parabellum
John Wick 3 starts directly off of John Wick 2 with john running through the streets. The opening clock shot gives us the time as 5.10pm on Friday Day 13.
Friday Day 13 5.10pm
· 5.10pm john running through the streets.
· Winston arrives back at the Continental at 5.11pm “I’d say the odds were about even”.
· “John Wick. Contract starts at 6pm” is announced.
· John runs into an alley (the watch makes it 5.12pm) “Tick Tock Mr Wick”.
· John gets in a cab to the NY public Library. The clock in the cab makes it 5.38-5.39pm.
· John leaves his dog and runs to the library.
· “John Wick excommunicardo 20 minutes” in the exchange.
· John enters the library at 5.41 thanks to the clock above the clerk.
· John gets directions to his book and finds it at 5.45pm
· Big Ukrainian guy appears.
· John kills big Ukrainian guy with a book in 5 mins. Time is 5.50pm.
· John leaves and runs to the Doctor “john Wick excommunicardo in effect 10 minutes”.
· The Doctor must be 5 minutes away. John arrives “I still have 5 minutes”.
· Doctor treats john and stops dead on 6pm. Contract on john goes live and texts go out.
· John finishes up and shoots the doc as requested.
· John leaves at 6.05pm
· John runs through China Town
· Chinese thugs see him and chase him into the museum.
· John reassembles the revolver.
· John kills lots of people (best scene in the film). Whole fight takes about 10 minutes.
· John leaves.
· The dog arrives at the hotel around 6.10pm which fits with the film.
· John is hit by 2 cars and runs into the stables.
· John kills lots of people and rides off on a horse (about a 20 minute fight).
· John rides on the horse and kills the motorbike assassins.
· The contract gets raised in the exchange around 6.40pm
· John makes it to the Tarkovsky Theatre at around 6.50pm.
· Conversation with the desk when he removes things and meets the director. We learn johns name is Jordarni Jonovovich (I might have that slighty wrong). They talk and she agrees to give him transport to Casablanca. Probably an hour has passed since arriving at 7.50pm.
· John leaves on a life boat.
Saturday Day 14 9.00am
· Next scene. Morning The adjudicator arrives at the hotel at 9am judging by the daylight.
· The adjudicator meets Winston at 9.10am 5 minute conversation and they view santinos body. The whole conversation was about 20 minutes.
· The adjudicator gives him 1 week to get his affairs in order. This is the first clear timeline that is established. Therefore the films big shoot out must be Saturday Day 21.
· The adjudicator then vists the Bowery King (assuming she left Winston and went straight there it probably took an hour. She seems the type).
· Adjudicator with the King “you see rats with wings but I see the internet”.
· Adjudicator brings out the gun from John Wick 2 (the one the Bowery King gave him). She could have got it before seeing Winston or after. I think before. Bowery King also gets 7 days. The time is roughly 10.30 am
Monday Day 16 3.50am USA 9.50am Casablanca.
Cut to Casablanca. Google tells me that New York to Casablanca by boat at 40 knots takes 3.7 days by sea. Seeing as it’s a shady world and the fastest boats can travel at 80 knots and, assuming they are using that boat, takes 1.3 days for john to reach his destination (32 hours) making it Monday Day 16 3.50 am. However Casablanca is 6 hours ahead so its 9.50 am when John arrives at the port which fits the film.
· John walks through the port
· Cut to evening/Night obviously it’s a very long way to the hotel from the port and hes a man of focus.
· John kills 2 guys in an alley and meets an assassin who offers him amnesty “welcome to casablanca Mr Wick”.
· John enters the continental and meet Sofia. I estimate that the time is 8pm
· Conversation with Sofia and the marker.
· Sofia gets ready “We leave in 10 minutes”. The whole thing was probably 15 minutes. Therefre 8.15pm Casblanca and 2.15 pm USA.
Cut to the next scene at night where the Adjudicator meets Zero. This is most likely during the time that Johnwas travelling so this is either Saturday Day 14 or Sunday Day 15. Im inclined to Saturday at 8pm. She seems efficient.
Saturday Day 14 8pm
· Adjudicator recruits Zero. There a continuity error where the Adjudicator says “he killed scores of men this week alone” which if youre still following is actually 13 days although can be considered vaguly accurate. I suspect she was reffering to John wick 2 though which would fit. They talk for 5 minutes.
· Next scene is back at the Tarkovsky Theatre where zero and his men attack the Russian and Director. It’s still raining so it can be assumed that it’s the same night probably an hour later. So 9pm.
· The directors conversation with the adjudicator where Zero stabs her hands. The whole thing probably was 30 mins to kill all the guards and 30 mins to talk and get stabbed so its 10pm.
Monday Day 16 8.15pm Casablanca and 2.15pm USA.
· Cut to John and Sofia. 5 min conversation and 30 minute trip to meet berrada.
· Conversation about Markers, coins and social contracts “Do you know where the word assassin comes from”.
· John learns how to meet the elders.
· John and Sofia kill lots of people.
· Berrada survives and probably 30 mins have passed.
· John and Sofia fight their way out through the gold melting vats eneterance (about 10 minutes since Berrada conversation and fight). The fight is fairly straight forward so probably on 20 minutes through there. They enter the courtyard and kill lots of people and escape in the cars. It’s a very long fight so very likely and hour and a half passes which makes the time 11.10pm casa and 5.10pm USA.
Tuesday Day 17 8am Casablanca and 2 am USA
· The next scene is john and Sofia arriving at the desert. Google tells me that Dawn in Casablanca is at 8am. Its safe to assume that they both shared the driving and got some rest for the previous 9 hours. The car is also quite a distance into the desert I assume so they’ve likely used the night to follow the dog star and get a head start on meeting the elder.
· Sofia drops john off in the desert, waters her dogs and john leaves with a thimbleful of watered backwash. John begins his walk.
· He walks all day and night and collapses around 10am Casa (judging by the sun in the sky) on Day 18 (Day 16 4 am USA).
Saturday Day 21 9am USA.
· The next scene is early am for the Bowery King and Zero guards are killing all his men. Juding by the light and that we know he had 7 days it has to be Saturday Day 21 about 9am.
This scene presents a small problem because they haven’t been seen since maiming the director on Saturday Day 14 at 10pm but maybe the adjudicator has had other duties to attend to in that time.
· The adjudicator and Bowery King talk and he gets 7 cuts at 9.30am assuming the conversation took 30 minutes.
Tuesday Day 17 11am Casablanca and 5 am USA
· Cut back to an unconious John who probably been out for an hour. Hes picked up and taken to the elder and spends time in the tent (say 2 hours (1pm)).
· The conversation took an hour (2pm) where he chops off his finger and gets a mission to kill Winston. Zayer helps prepare for Johns departure giving him a change of clothes and, its implied, help to get back so this takes longer (another 4 hours to treat his finger and recover? 7pm?). Its likely that they have methods of getting through the desert but its still a long journey but its likely they took 2 days to get back to Casablanca. Say 48 hours (because he got a car a fair way in to the desert and camels are slower) making arriving back in Casablanca Day 19 7pm Casa. If he then got the 80 knot boat back that’s then another 32 hours travel making it Day 21 3am which means that he arrives back at 9pm Saturday Day 21 usa.
Saturday Day 21 10pm
· The next scene is John getting off the train and meeting Zero and the assassins which was probably an hour later at 10pm which fits with the film.
· John conversation with Zero and escape on the bike 10 minutes.
· Bike chase across the bridge with swords. John kills lots of people. John arrives at the continental and escapes Zero on the consecrated ground after about 40 minutes making the time around 10.50.
· John meets Winston after a 10 minute wait and after talking to Zero. Zero is ruined for me at this point when he becomes an obsessive fan boy all of a sudden which doesn’t fit with his character up to this point. So its 11pm when John and Winston talks in the room of glass.
· Winston convinces John to change sides and “go to war with the high table”.
· The Adjudicator arrives 10 minutes later (11.10) “Mr Wick it is a pleasure to meet you”.
· The adjudicator deconsecrates the Contenital. The process probably takes 10 minutes to get the file and do. Adjudicator leaves and summons a kill squad which, judging by the way they arrive, she had tooled up and ready just in case.
· John, Winston and Choron the concierge tool up. The guests leave and the decronsecration order is processed. This probably took around an hour (movie land reasons for being so quick) and the kill squad arrived after everyone has left say another hour so the time is Sunday day 22 at 1.20am.
Sunday Day 22 1.20
· John and Charon attempt to kill lots of people but cant due to lack of firepower. The staff are all killed very quickly within 10 minutes of the kill squad arriving.
· It was approximately 30 seconds for john to realise that he needs more firepower and 29 minutes and 30 seconds to be able to be in a position for him to be able to get back and rearm.
· They arm up again (probably 30 minutes) and head back out hunting again.
· John and Charon kill lots of people.
· They’ve probably been fighting for an hour when the adjudicator makes her phone call to Winston where he hands up at 3.30am.
· John enters the room of glass at 3.35am and fights the two assassins who smash him into display cases. Zero taunts him and 5 minutes later the assassins are killed.
· Zero beckons John to come upstairs.
· The two respectful assassins from the raid (great films watch them both) attack and talk with Mr Wick.
· The fight lasts about 40 minutes. John leaves them alive and goes to face Zero.
· John faces Zero (fanboy worship 4.20am). The fight lasts another 40 minutes.
· Charon returns to the vault and the Adjudicator calls Winston at 4.55am.
· Zero dies at 5.15am after him and John talk “That was a pretty good fight”.
· Winston and Adjudicator are on the roof they look like they have been talking for a short while whilst the light (pre dawn) makes it about 5.30am when John arrives.
· Winston betrays John and shoots him off the roof at 5.45am. The Adjudicator leaves.
· Clean up and sorting the continental appears to start immediately but its likely the Adjudicator went to her room and packed before leaving so the time is more 7am when the adjudicator realizes Johns body is missing.
· John is picked up by Tick Tock man and taken to the Bowery King. If this is around the same time then he meets the King at 7am. The conversation lasts about 5 minutes “cos im really pissed off”.
John Wick 3 ends on Sunday Day 21 at 7.05am.
John Wick Chapter 4
We know this film starts 6 months after Chapter three which has allowed John to heal from his injuries of falling off the roof in the last film. This one is harder to pace properly because of all the travelling between places so my timeline may be out here and there but generally it should be fine. 6 months is equal to 183 days ish so John Wick 4 starts on Monday Day 205 (because John Wick 3 ended on day 22 and nothing good ever happens on a Monday (p.s it’s only a Monday because I can’t be bothered to properly work out what the actual day of the week it would be)).
Monday Day 205 7.20 pm
· Bowery King gives a speech and walks through to John walking Johns dog. John is training on a Makawara Board Which is a traditional way of making strong punches and toughening up your hands (I study martial arts and used to have one, he’s also punching with reasonable form but with a Shotokan method with the reverse hand at the hip instead of the chest). New York skyline shows its sunset which the internet tells me is about 7.20 pm in April which is 6 months from October and fits the film later on. “You ready John?”.
Thursday Day 208 6am
·Sunrise in the desert. John kills 3 people on horse back and meets the elder. This must be the desert near Casablanca from Chapter 3. Google tells me that NY to Casablanca by boat at 40 knots takes 3,7 days by sea and seeing as it’s a shady world and the fastest boats travel at 80 knots it takes 1.3 days foe John to reach Casablanca then he has to get into the desert which takes 48 hours to find the elder making it 3.3 days later or Day 208. It probably takes an hour to kill the three horsemen. John meets the elder and they talk for 5 minutes and john kills him at 7.05am. John leaves. “No one escapes the table”.
Saturday Day 210 Evening probably around 5pm
· Back in New York Continental Hotel. Assumption that news of the Elder has been notified to the relevant people and its say, two days later. The Harbinger arrives and asks Charon to speak to the manager. Approx 10 minutes later he meets Winston delivers his letter and gives a 1 hour time limit to evacuate the hotel and then leaves. They get to it.
· Next scene is in the Marquis tower Winston has obviously got things going and he and Charon have gone pretty much straight there. They meet the Marquis and talk for 10minutes and Marquis blows up the continental exactly 1 hour after the hourglass notification was given so it is 6.05 pm. Marquis kill Charon 30 seconds later. “It has been an honor my friend” and leaves a minute after that asking for Chidi (his main guy) to find Caine at 6.07ish.
Sunday Day 211 9am
·The next scene is Paris. New York to Paris is 7.5 hours by plane. The assumption is that the Marquis left and took 1 hour to airport, straight on to the plane and the straight to Paris in another hour meaning it took 9.5 hours making it 3 am in the USA. France is 6 hours ahead of America making the time 9am which fits the film. Caine is sitting listening to his daughter play violin. He then is seen going to see the Marquis so im assuming this is an hour later. They talk and Caine gets his name. It takes 10 mins and Caine leaves at 10.10 am.
Monday Day 212 10 pm
·Cut to Osaka Japan. Paris to Osaka flight time is 15 hours,1 hour to the airport and then to the hotel. The time difference is that Japan is 7 hours ahead of usa so it makes it 11 am but the scene is night so say 10 pm and say than rather than a continuity error there was a flight delay because of movieland reasons. Mr Nobody enters the Continental and meets Akira the concierge and checks in. We meet her and the manager.
Note here: There’s cherry blossom on the trees. Cherry blossom season in Japan is roughly march to April which fits with the 6 months since October but if you don’t think that then the trees are artificial or genetically altered to bloom all year round.
Nobody takes a seat after checking in (10mins) and checks his dairy. The Manager and Akira walk and talk about 20 minutes through the LED museum and the manager goes out to meet John a further 10 mins later at 10.30pm. They talk for 30 minutes.
·Chidi arrives with Caine and asks to see the manager. Nobody notices when they arrive at 11pm.
The evacuation starts immediately. Akira runs up to see the manager so it must be 5 mins later when she sees him. John waits. The manager gets his staff ready which takes about 10 mins ish and meets Chidi at 11.20 pm.
·The manager and Chidi and Caine talk for 10 minutes and it erupts into a massive rumble.
·The manager kills lots of people. The first part of the fight takes about 10 minutes until the kill squad arrives and the fight enters round 2 at 11.45 pm.
Tuesday Day 213 00.00 am
Back on the roof the kill squad find John and Akira. Must be about 15 minutes later making it 00.00am.
·John and Akira kill lots of people. Interesting note: you can clearly see John aiming for the breaks and chinks in the kill squads armour which is still bullet proof like John Wick 3.
The fight takes 20 minutes. (00.20am)
· Cut to the kitchen and the Manager. Caine is slurping noodles which take 5 minutes to make. Incidentally slurping noodles is a Japanese thing and Donnie Yen is Chinese (00.25). Caine kills lots of people.
·Cut to John and Akira killing lots of people at about the same time and Caine finishes his fight. Its quite a long fight (30 mins). The Manager arrives and saves Akira and John leaves. “Kill as many as you can”.
·John enters the LED museum and about 5 mins later is attacked by the kill squad. John kills lots of people. Another long fight which takes about 45 minutes especially with the nunchucks making the time about 2am.
·Caine arrives and they talk and fight which takes about 15 minutes until Mr Nobody arrives and tries to kill them. Note: Caine loses his sword cane sheath here because you don’t see it again from now on.
Cut to the exchange which must be the same time and Johns bounty is increased.
·Cut to John outside in a bamboo area. Its about 15 minutes since he escaped Caine so about 2.30 am. John is attacked. John kills lots of people. Takes about 5 minutes.
· John and Nobody and his dog talk for 5 minutes and john leaves. “Take better care of yourself”.
Cut to the Manager and Akira trying to leave. Caine has beat them to it and its around the same time as Johns escape. Caine and the Manager fight which takes 10 mins and Caine kills the manager at 2.50 am and Akira leaves.
·John is at the station and most likely has been for 10 minutes. He gets on the train. Akira arrives, they talk for 5 minutes and Akira leaves next stop,
·Cut to New York in the rain likely 2pm. Winston and Bowery king talk for 10 mins likely at the same time John was escaping.
Friday Day 215 12 pm
·Next is Marquis and the Harbinger in Paris. Its bright day time so likely midday. Caine and Nobody are there so they must have travelled straight from Japan. So 1 hour to airport, 15 hour flight to France and 1 hour to Paris makes it 17 hours Since Japan but its Midday because it should be 8 pm so the plane had an engine fault and there was a delay.
· Nobody and the Marquis talk and Marquis stabs Nobody and makes a deal. Note here: Why do they shake with their left hands in this scene? Marquis leaves and Cut to
Saturday Day 216 12pm
·John in New York visiting Charons grave site. Its Midday and Paris is 6 hours ahead so it has to be the following day so its Saturday Day 216. 6 days have passed since Charon was killed. I could have this slightly wrong but movieland reasons for burying him so quickly. John and Winston talk for 15 minutes. “They’re cold hard facts”. John heads to Berlin.
Monday Day 218 8 pm
·Next scene is John in Berlin at night. NY to Berlin is 8 hours ish. 1 hour to the airport, flight and 1 hour to Berlin is 10 hours. Berlin is 6 hours ahead of USA which means the time should be 6am which doesn’t fit with the film therefore there must have been another flight delay and it’s the day 218 Monday say 8pm.
·Nobody watches John enter the safe haven Church.
·John unburdens his guns and enters. He speaks to the priest who shoots him and gets taken away. “Nice Suit”. Prob 5 minutes so its 8.05pm
·Cut to Marquis at the ballet. My Nobody calls him to give him Johns location so it must be the same time.
·John awakes with a noose around his neck. He been there about 30 minutes with everyone surrounding him. Katia arrives and talks to John about age and Uncle Petior whilst continuously stringing him up. “We have a common enemy”. They make a deal to kill Killa and the whole thing took about 15 minutes. Claus smacks John. “I am Claus”.
·About an hour later John and Claus are in the club to see Killa. Note: Scott Adkins is brilliant as Killa. Claus delivers a letter. Killa and John talk. Caine arrives and joins them. Conversation about family and personal feelings and discord between old friends. Mr Nobody joins them and takes a seat. Converstaion on who wants to kill who.
·They play cards. Interesting note: Caine here looks at his cards and says what he has so therefore he must have some actual vision. By the time Killa lays his cards on the table about 30 minutes must have passed. Once he does-
·John, Caine and Nobody kill lots of people.
·Killa runs into the club and john follows.
·John kills lots of people. It’s a drawn out fight against all the men and Killa but doesn’t last that long say about 30 minutes whilst Caine and Nobody kill everyone else in Killas office.
·John kills lots of people and Killa dies at 10.40pm
·The whole club empties 5 minutes later. Nobody tries to shoot John but Caine stops him. John leaves.
·Back at the Church an Hour later (11.45pm). John gives Killas tooth to Katia and we cut to John’s welcome back ceremony. It takes time to prepare and melt gold so its another 2 hours later making it 1.45am on Day 219 Tuesday. The ceremony probably takes an hour with them burning their arms ala David Caradine from Kung Fu style. Jordani is accepted back at 2.45 am
Wednesday Day 220 12.00 pm
·Winston visits the Marquis who we know is in Paris. Theres no time difference between Paris and Berlin and theres no way to know what time it actually is so im saying midday. John is likely traveling to Paris because he shows up in a bit. Winston delivers the message and formal challenge and they talk about the old ways and rules. It’s a detailed conversation and likely takets 20 minutes. “Such is life”.
·Next scene is John walking across themarble in front of the effiel tower. Its dull so say early evening say 5 pm.
·John, the Marquis and Harbinger discuss terms of the duel. We also get a finishing time of sunrise on day 221 which is Thursday for the duel and film ending. Whole thing takes about 15 minutes. John leaves with Winston.
·Caine and Marquis talk for 5 minutes and Caine leaves.
·Cut to John in a church say 30 mins since. Caine is there and they talk and share a moment together. John leaves after 5 minutes at 5.35 pm.
·Cut to the Marquis and Harbinger talking. Its now night at about 8 pm and the conversation takes about 5 minutes.
·John arrives at the safe harbour probably at the same time and eneter the station and meets Winston and the King at 8.10. John gets his suit.
·Chidi and the Marquis talk and there a brief shot of a large clock on the wall saying the time is 11.50 so that’s the time.
Thursday Day 221 00.00am
·Chidi puts out the contract to the exchange and the radio station at 00.00am.
·All the assassins tool up. Things are going to get very busy for John.
·John gets his gun at 00.00am. “This Viper has ferocious fangs”.
·Some time later they get on the boat and 20 minutes journey to Johns destination. Converstaion about grave stones. We also discover sunrise is at 6.03 am.
·John enters the road in front of the Effiel tower at about 4.30 am. At this time the exchange informs everyone where he is.
·John kills lots of people. Some in a mustang (love that car) whilst getting his gun. 15 min fight (4uilding site house at 5.37am.45am).
·John arrives at the arc de triumpth 15 mins after that (5.00).
·John kills lots of people in a car, on foot, between traffic at the arc de triumpth. (long fight 30 minutes).
·Marquis takes a phone call from Nobody at 5.33 am (clock behind him).
·John continues to kill lots of peopleand escapes on a bike heading to the Sacre Coeur at 5.35.
·John kills lots of poepl on a bike and enters the building site house at 5.35.
·One of the best fight scenes in the film. Nobody enters.
·Nobody and john kill lots of people. Marquis call Nobody at 5.40 (Clock behind him again).
·John and Nobody continue to kill lots of people.
·Marquis calls Nobody at 5.43 $40 million.
·More assassins arrive. John kills lots of people. (top down fight love this so much).
·Nobody and john kill lots of people.
·Nobody and John fall through a hole in the floor at 5.45.
·john saves nobodys dog at 5.46.
·John escapes out the window. He looks at his watch which shows the time is 5.50am. John heads to the steps.
·John starts up the steps. The time is 5.55am. He has 7 minutes to get to the top.
·John kills lots of people.
·John gets almost to the top and falls back about half way when Chidi attacks him.
·John and Chidi fight and john falls to the bottom.
·Caine arrives at 5.59.
·Caine and John kill lots of people back up the steps.
·Nobody shoots Chidi at 6.00am. Chidi is killed by the dog and Nobody at 6.01am.
·John and Caine arrive at the church at 6.03am. Cain stabs johns hand.
·The Duel commences. It takes approximately 5 minutes. Nobody and the dog watch.
·John kills the Marquis at 6.08am.
·The Harbinger makes his announcements and takes his leave at 6.09 am
·Cain leaves after talking to John at 6.10am.
·Winston talks to John. “Will you take me home?”.
·John passes out on the church steps thinking of his wife at 6.11 am on Thursday Day 221.
Thursday Day 228 12.00pm
·Back to New York a few days have passed so im assuming a week later at midday. Bowery king and Winston are standing at Johns Grave. They talk and leave after 5 minutes .
·After credits scene assuming this is the same time as the graveyard scene. Caine is visting his daughter. Akira is going to kill him.
John Wick Chapter 4 ends on Thursday Day 228 12.00pm.

Reds @ Red Sox - Tue, May 30

Game Status: Pre-Game - First Pitch is scheduled for 07:10 PM EDT

Links & Info

• Current conditions at Fenway Park: 63°F - Clear - Wind 9 mph, R To L
• TV: Reds: Bally Sports Ohio, Red Sox: NESN
• Radio: Reds: WLW 700, Red Sox: WCCM 1490 AM (SP) (es), WAMG 890 AM (SP) (es), WEEI 93.7
• MLB Gameday
• Statcast Game Preview

NLC Rank	Team	W	L	GB (E#)	WC Rank	WC GB (E#)
1	Milwaukee Brewers	28	25	- (-)	-	- (-)
2	Pittsburgh Pirates	26	27	2.0 (108)	5	1.5 (108)
3	Cincinnati Reds	24	29	4.0 (106)	7	3.5 (106)
4	Chicago Cubs	23	30	5.0 (105)	10	4.5 (105)
5	St. Louis Cardinals	24	32	5.5 (103)	11	5.0 (103)

	Probable Pitcher (Season Stats)	Report
Reds	Ben Lively (2-2, 2.65 ERA, 17.0 IP)	No report posted.
Red Sox	Brayan Bello (3-2, 4.08 ERA, 35.1 IP)	No report posted.

Reds Lineup vs. Bello	AVG	OPS	AB	HR	RBI	K
1 Friedl - CF	.333	1.666	3	1	1	0
2 McLain - SS	-	-	-	-	-	-
3 India - 2B	.000	.333	2	0	0	1
4 Fraley - DH	1.000	2.000	3	0	0	0
5 Stephenson, T - C	-	-	-	-	-	-
6 Steer - 1B	-	-	-	-	-	-
7 Senzel - 3B	.000	.000	1	0	0	1
8 Benson - LF	-	-	-	-	-	-
9 Fairchild - RF	1.000	3.000	1	0	0	0
10 Lively - P	-	-	-	-	-	-

Red Sox Lineup vs. Lively	AVG	OPS	AB	HR	RBI	K
1 Tapia, R - RF	-	-	-	-	-	-
2 Devers - 3B	-	-	-	-	-	-
3 Turner, J - DH	-	-	-	-	-	-
4 Yoshida - LF	-	-	-	-	-	-
5 Duran, Ja - CF	-	-	-	-	-	-
6 Casas - 1B	-	-	-	-	-	-
7 Hernández, K - SS	-	-	-	-	-	-
8 Valdez, E - 2B	-	-	-	-	-	-
9 McGuire - C	-	-	-	-	-	-
10 Bello - P	-	-	-	-	-	-

Division Scoreboard

MIL @ TOR 07:07 PM EDT
KC @ STL 07:45 PM EDT
TB @ CHC 08:05 PM EDT
PIT @ SF 09:45 PM EDT
^{Posted: 05/30/2023 05:10:01 PM EDT}

So we are now down 4 carriers since RRECS hit. Two quit within a weekend of each other (5th and 8th of this month signed and handed in resignations.) The most recent 'quit' last week. Our Supervisor (we do not have a postmaster at the moment) said they sent the resignations off after they got back from vacation (the 15th). I keep asking about postings, and keep getting the 'I haven't gotten around to it yet' deal. I informed them they had 30 days to post from when the route became vacant. So here in lies the main issue, should the routes be posted 30 days after the 5th and 6th? Or from the 15th when they returned from vacation? They signed their resignations for the 5th and 8th. Would the route be vacant since then? Or is it until they fall off the time sheet?
I'm getting burned out, I know every route in my office and I'm the most senior sub. I feel like I'm being put off because they don't want to lose me as a sub and I'm getting ready to just lose my shit and quit.
The other issue is the other person who 'quit' hasn't really quit? They're having some family issues which is none of my business and it's awful for them and I feel for them. At the same time they said they didn't know if they were quitting or if they'll come back? That's what they told the supervisor and they're cool with it. Like they basically said they'll hold their job. Recommended they go on fmla, and as far as I know they haven't. They burned all their leave before saying that it was their last day to most of our coworkers. Idk what the fuck is going on. But if this is how management works no fucking wonder the post office is going under. We literally do not have enough people to cover the routes we have and it's killing all the ones who are trying to make this work

Hey guys and gals so I got a question. I mainly work in house at a casino, but a few months ago I got picked up by Allied for a Flex officer job. Now this coming week is the first time I'm I've actuly accepted a post somewhere that isent my normal site and the uniform required is a "Hard Look" uniform. Now my problem is that what we have at my allied site is an executive uniform, and aperently my manager can't help me get what I need. I also don't actuly have a clue how to contact the Manager for the other site. I called the location but they don't have an extension for security. Should I just show up a few days erlier and ask if they can get me a shirt?

throwaway because i’m too embarrassed to post this on my main. i (18F) just got scammed so bad and i feel awful. while i was driving on my way to work… i got an email from my “boss” asking for my phone number. i didnt anything of it since i was driving and responded. then i got a texts from her asking for $800 worth of gift cards to surprise the office. they kept asking for more and more and eventually i ended up spending $1300 before realizing something was wrong. it wasn’t even me who caught it. i was ranting to my cousin who also works here and is dating the boss about it… and she realized something was up and this no longer sounded like my boss. luckily everything is taken care of an they’re gonna pay me back the money, but i just feel like such a burden and a fucking idiot. my boss is rough and the work she gives me can be rough, so i didn’t even question anything. and everything added up, i know my boss had a second phone and this could be her, she does like to give gifts to her employees, and she would make people do errands like this. but now that im looking back at everything, this was so obviously a scam. id like to think if i wasnt driving nor “the new intern” i wouldve thought about it a little more. but i probably wouldn’t have. im such an idiot for not seeing the signs and being so eager to please. i dont deserve to be helped by my company. i dont deserve this internship. everyone has such high expectations of me because im “smart” and go to a good school but im dumb enough to fall for this scam. im typing this sobbing in the company bathroom because i feel so humiliated right now. i dont know how i can show my face again to my boss after revealing how dumb and useless i actually am. if anyone actually reads this, please dont be like me and actually second guess things. i used to laugh at my friends for falling for this stuff and look where im at. im so embarrassed and im so so fucking stupid. sorry if anyone actually read this but this just happened and i cant vent to anyone else because im so humiliated and dont wanna cause any more problems for anyone else. im so sorry

If you are an AOTC focused or casual mythic guild I am especially interested hearing from you. I also posted in the wow forums but trying here too to get a variety of opinions.
For background, our guild always gets AOTC, and we consider ourselves casual. We have done a couple mythic bosses but not much. We kind of want to do more, but we will see.
We have had ongoing blow ups over loot drama since last expansion. I personally think it has gotten worse this expansion. I think it’s due to tier sets coming back combined with getting rid of personal loot but that’s JMO.
Because of this, we are considering adding loot rules for the raid team beyond just the standard need main spec > need off spec > transmog.
Some of the loot issues we have had are: people rolling for and winning tier when they already had 4 set because it was a bis piece when others still don’t have 2 or 4 set, someone trying to “buy” gear for gold from their fellow raiders, rolling for side grade items to get secondary stats when someone else can use the piece as a main stat upgrade, people winning tier when one person still has zero pieces of tier. Like just random stuff.
This is sort of perceived by the officers as not against the rules but just sort of selfish. We haven’t historically policed these kinds of incidents. But we do discuss them when they happen and try to smooth over upset feelings. Remind people they will get loot eventually and that it’s just a game etc. but lately if feels like we are letting people down.
Coming to my question now… if you have a guild of similar level (for reference we are 7/9 heroic now) do you have “loot rules” beyond what I said above? What are they? How do you enforce them?

I live at Sir Gallahad Apartments on Main St. if that helps. Hoping to spend under $300/mo for food if possible.

By Meged V.V., 1997
The great science of the future - the science of society harmonisation was created by a woman!
The name of this outstanding woman is Aushra Augustinavichiute. She has turned 70 this year and lives in Vilnius. Despite the fact that it is not customary for us to give people their due while they are still alive, Aushra was a pleasant exception to this sad rule. Glory came to her in the 80s after the publication of her first works, and has not left her. Her name has firmly entered the history of mankind, since this woman opened a new era in the development of human sciences, raised psychology, sociology, pedagogy, and a number of other sciences about man and society to a higher level.
A. Augustinavichiute laid the foundations of socionics - the science of the mechanisms of the psyche, which made it possible to determine the abilities of people with different types of personality, their strengths and weaknesses, characteristics of character and behaviour, social roles, as well as to model and predict the nature of relationships between people, determine the degree of their compatibility.
All this became possible thanks to the unique discovery of Aushra - a model of information exchange between a person and the environment. For the first time in the history of mankind, a theory was created that made it possible to reduce all sciences about man to a single coherent system of laws, which means opening up new opportunities for predicting the development of every child, every young couple, and... even every state!
A. Augustinavichiute visited Kyiv in September of this year in connection with the invitation of the International Institute of Socionics, which held its 19th conference. Here she was surrounded by the attention and love of her students and followers from different cities of the CIS. Among them is myself, who joined the ranks of socionics in 1988, a year after the creation of the first Socionics Club in Kiev - a public organisation created by enthusiastic volunteers who studied socionics and continue its further development.
The first impetus to the development of socionics was given by its creator Aushra in 1985. She read a course of lectures in Kyiv and immediately acquired her loyal followers here. Thus, Kyiv became the centre of the further development of socionics - this powerful passionary movement, which had no historical analogues in the development of other sciences, in which people of all professions take part to this day.
In 1991, the International Institute of Socionics was established in Kyiv. IIS, headed by A.V. Bukalov. He began to publish regularly the international socionics journal "Socionics, Mentology, and Psychology of Personality", in which an avalanche of the most interesting articles on socionics still does not stop, and to hold international conferences.
During the break, I (V.M. (t/n: Valentina Meged)) asked Aushra Augustinavichiute and Aleksandr Valentinovich Bukalov a few questions:
V.M. Aushra, please tell me why among the most active socionists there are still fewer women than men? Is this due to the inherent mediocrity attributed to them by misogynists, or elements of discrimination on the part of men who are at the head of this movement and suppress women's intellectual initiative?
A.A. I think that women themselves are to blame for this, because so far they have not freed themselves from the stupid role that their nature has imposed on them: to be, first of all, a wife and mother, despite their abilities being equal to those of men.
V.M. What is the fault of women then, since nature created them that way?
A.A. The fact that they are lazy and do not want to fight for their right to be free to choose: to give birth or not to give birth to children, to get married or not.
V.M. But why don't women assert their independence in making important life decisions?
A.A. Women are too afraid to cause misunderstanding and condemnation in their loved ones and those around them, therefore they tend to follow the template - like everyone else, so as not to stand out and defy conventions, although not all of them have a developed maternal instinct and not everyone can find their happiness in giving birth and raising children and taking care of their husband instead of running the state or driving scientific and cultural progress. Therefore, women will be able to raise their authority in society simply by reducing the birth rate.
V.M. What will happen to humanity if women refuse this nature-given role?
A.A. The problem lies in the fact that women give birth more than there is a natural need for it. If not all women give birth, there will be less humanity, but it will be of better quality, and it will be able to better think over and organise a fair and harmonious existence. Moreover, in this case, more smart talented women will come to power, and the female mind is initially, by nature itself, arranged in such a way as to think about harmony, peace, and creation more than about the victory of one's own ambitions at any cost.
V.M. It is hard to disagree with you, because a vivid example of such a female mind is yourself, a woman who created a science for harmonising society. Do you think socionics will benefit from the fact that it will continue to be developed mainly by men?
A.A. Of course not. What I said about society as a whole applies to socionics as well. It is a woman who can adapt socionics for real practical service to people, despite the fact that men also make a significant contribution to the development of the theory.
V.M. Does this mean that women need to fight more actively for equality and independence?
A.A. Many women simply do not listen to their own voice of reason and don't follow their true calling, as most men do. They need to fight not with men for equality, but with themselves in order to allow themselves this equality.
V.M. What is needed in order to activate women to fight the stereotypes of society and their ideas about women's role?
A.A. I think that the blame lies with the lack of demand for women's thinking in society. A woman is forgiven for any stupidity. It is not right. Women should be shamed for their stupidity and passivity. No need to spare their pride, otherwise they will not want to change. When it becomes humiliating to be a stupid and undeveloped woman, then women will begin to really fight for the state to provide them with opportunities for a creative and socially active life.
V.M. Do you think that women should fight for equality not with men, but with state power?
A.A. Well, of course! Individual men alone do not decide anything. Now there are enough men who respect and appreciate smart and talented women, but this does not change anything for all women in general.
V.M. And what can change the fate of all our women who are overburdened with family and housekeeping? After all, many of them really want to develop, but for this they have neither the time nor the conditions?
A.A. Only the concern of the state to unburden women can change their fate, just as it is done in developed countries. It is necessary to create a developed network of cheap washing machines, provide stores with ready-made, tasty, and healthy foodstuffs, improve the quality of service for children in nurseries, kindergartens, and schools, and so on. But for this, women themselves must come to power and take care of the effective solution of such issues.
V.M. Is it possible to think about improving the quality of service during such a severe economic crisis?
A.A. It is possible, and it is necessary. So far, of course, only women who are well-off can afford such a service, but if the social morality, formed by everyone else, forces them to develop and be socially active, that is, to be smart and active, and not stupid dependants, they will be able to free themselves and come to governance of the country on an equal footing with poor, but free from family ties, women. And then there will be someone to lead the country out of the crisis into which it was brought by men's ambitions.
V.M. It seems that you do not have a very high opinion of men. Is that so?
A.A. I really appreciate and respect smart and, especially, wise men. But they, like women, are very few. This is the cause of all unhappiness. People need to develop their intellect, but it is easier for men to do this, since they are not burdened with the childbearing function and conventions that place the main burden of housekeeping on women. Therefore, women need to fight for equal opportunities for general development and social activities. But, not all women need to do this, but only those who have the intellectual abilities for it.
V.M. Why do you think that men brought the country to a crisis?
A.A. Because there should be an equal proportion of men and women in the government for constructive decisions. Men are more destructive in nature, as they represent the warlike forces of Yang nature. There must be a balance of Yin and Yang forces, then it will be a wise government. Of course, provided that the people nominated for public office will be tested with intelligence tests.
In addition, it is important what sociotype will occupy a particular public post. If it is possible to select candidates according to socionic criteria, only then will there be effective governance of the country, a way out of the crisis, and the development of a truly democratic and harmonious society, in which at the first place there will be not a struggle of ideas and ideologies, but real concern for people.
V.M. What sociotype can lead the country out of the crisis now?
A.A. According to the theory of socionics, a group of sociotypes - Reformers (t/n: Gamma) - is now fulfilling its social mission in society. It transfers the social evolutionary order to the group of Perfecters (t/n: Delta), in particular to the sociotype which is called the Administrator (t/n: LSE). It is an honest, strong-willed, and fair person, with clear logical thinking and administrative and economic abilities. But right now there are many sociotypes of the Implementers group (t/n: Beta) in the government. Therefore, the sociotype of this group which is called the Leader (t/n: SLE) is more likely to come to power. It is a courageous and flexible person, with good willpower and organisational qualities. This sociotype can handle the crisis, but if it doesn't resign in time, it will begin to rebuild the totalitarian system. Worst of all if theorists come to power, or populists like Zhirinovsky, who are called in socionics - Mentors (t/n: EIE). Their ideology is at the first place for them - a nationalist plan or some other, but business logic (t/n: Te) is too poorly developed, and without it it will be simply impossible to get out of the crisis.
V.M. How would you, if you had the opportunity, organise the further activities of socionics in Kyiv?
A.A. First of all, I would gather the most talented socionists at the Scientific-Research Institute of Socionics, and then I would be confident in the further successful development of socionics and the solution of all issues related to it. People have been working on enthusiasm alone for too long, and they are also forced to fend off the attacks of amateurs and mediocrity, who are, unfortunately, also numerous in socionics. Real specialists in socionics need to be financially provided for and socially protected, thereby creating conditions for their further fruitful work.
V.M. Thank you, Aushra, for the interesting information and for the benefit to humanity that your discovery has brought and will bring even more in the future, rightfully worthy of the Nobel Prize. But, as they say, "there are no prophets in their own country", especially while the prophets are alive. Well, at least people who do not have power and money have understood and appreciated your work and will successfully continue such a necessary work of yours.

• Now, Bukalov Aleksandr Valentinovich, let me ask you, as the director of the International Institute of Socionics, a few questions about socionics.

V.M. Why does socionics, which in practice turned out to be such a useful and viable science of personality types and relationships between them, still does not have an official scientific status?
A.B. When Aushra made her great discovery, it was so massive that scientists did not know what science to attribute it to - sociology, psychology, computer science, or some other. Therefore, she did not have to defend a dissertation in socionics. Only in 1995, Aushra was awarded a diploma of discovery by the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences and was awarded the P.L. Kapitza medal.
Therefore, now we are no longer talking about the recognition of socionics by official scientific circles, but about the registration of its status as a new separate science, integrating many scientific areas. There is every reason for this. First of all, socionics is the science of the information structures of a person and society. Socionics cannot be narrowed down to the level of social psychology, because it allows you to describe not only the processes that happen to a person in society, but also political processes, as well as to model their further development. Of course, socionics complements sociology in the field of studying microgroups. Our Institute of Socionics also cooperates with the Institute of Sociology on a number of programs, but the range of possibilities of socionics goes far beyond the scope of sociology.
V.M. What is necessary for the further development of socionics and what steps do you intend to take in this direction?
A.B. First, the support of the official scientific community is needed, and we already have it. For example, seven doctors of sciences from Ukraine and Russia participate in the editorial board of our international journal "Socionics, Mentology, and Psychology of Personality". These are doctors of sociological, psychological, and pedagogical sciences: Donchenko E.A., Marakhovsky L.F., Saenko G.M., Sagach G.M., Reinin G.M., and three academicians: I.A. Zyazyun, N.N. Obozov, V.V. Novikov - president of the International Academy of Psychology, and others. In Ukraine and Russia, several Ph.D. dissertations in socionics have already been defended.
In Israel, which is considered one of the recognized leaders in information technology, the International Academy of Sciences is being created, and a department of socionics will be created under it. This indicates the recognition of socionics not only in the near, but also in the far abroad.
Secondly, we need a consolidation of efforts of socionists and an active exchange of opinions. For this purpose, we regularly hold international conferences, and since 1995 we have been constantly publishing the journal "Socionics", which has gained authority among teachers, practising psychologists, and personnel management specialists. In addition, more than a dozen books on socionics have already been published, and a two-volume book of Aushra has been published in St. Petersburg, which makes it possible to expand the circle of people interested in socionics and wishing to take part in its further development.
Thirdly, sponsorship of state structures is necessary. Unfortunately, we have not received it yet, so we have a number of difficulties with the creation of a full-fledged research laboratory and its technical equipment.
V.M. At the conference, one of the leaders of the Kyiv school of socionics - Yermak V.D. - expressed an opinion that although “a woman is also a person, she is not able to create anything significant in science, especially if she is a woman of a humanities type”? Do you agree with him?
A.B. Of course not. The creator of socionics is a woman, but it is developed by both men and women, including humanities scholars, who combine abstract-figurative thinking and creativity with a well-developed sphere of feelings, allowing them to penetrate deeply into the spiritual world of a person and into the area of their emotions and relationships with other people.
V.M. The same speaker expressed another opinion that since socionics does not have any specific niche among the sciences, including the humanities, it cannot be developed by humanities scholars, but only natural scientists? Isn't it more logical to assume that a theory that has not been developed to the level of practical application precisely by humanities types of personality may turn out to be simply dead and unviable?
A.B. Socionics combines the natural and humanities sciences. It has its own conceptual apparatus, its own terminology. The humanities, using the apparatus of socionics, can come closer to natural sciences. Therefore, it is impossible to attribute socionics to any one science, for example, the humanities, as well as to delete it from its ranks. This is an integrating science, and it should be developed by people of different professional areas.
V.M. What radical measures are you going to take against socionics chauvinism, does it concern women, humanities people, people with other attitudes, quadra antagonism, etc.?
A.B. Fortunately, cases of any kind of chauvinism are quite rare. Pluralism, accepted in our circles, excludes radicalism, but there are exceptions.
V.M. What trends does the development of socionics currently have, and are they more promising for the development of theory or practical use?
A.B. As the last conference showed, the theory of socionics began to develop more rapidly with the arrival of new forces in it - specialists of various professions, in which they found opportunities for further development with the help of socionics and, at the same time, enriched our science with new approaches. A new direction has been created - synchronism, which deals with the analysis of historical events and studies the laws of history management. As for practice, socionics has already quite firmly penetrated into pedagogy, psychology, and sociology, personnel management. Its principles are used in the process of formation of space crews. Many socionics technologies have been created that have served as a basis for the effective development of the practical application of socionics. This direction is called applied socionics.
V.M. How can socionics be useful to the powerful of this world?
A.B. As Bulgakov said in the words of Woland: "Never ask anything from the powers that be - they will give it themselves." That's why we don't ask. People come to us and ask for advice, and we are happy to help. But if we talk about the benefits of socionics for those who have power and money in their hands, then we can say that socionics, first of all, is indispensable in the management consulting of large enterprises - where it is difficult to work effectively with a large amount of information without carrying out an adequate and rational recruitment.
We also have experience of working with city governments, which will continue to benefit from socionics recommendations, both on effective team building and on other aspects of management.
Socionics allows you to look at socio-political events from an unexpected angle in order to prevent possible failures. So, for example, the ill-conceived appointment of Kiriyenko to the post of prime minister led to a new economic crisis in Russia and Ukraine. This could have been avoided by using the advice of professional socionists and trusting them.
V.M. Thanks for the meaningful conversation. We hope that good luck will accompany socionics, which rightfully deserves it. After all, the 21st century is the century of the information society, in which the main economic problems will surely be solved, and interpersonal problems will begin to be effectively solved, and this is unlikely to be possible without the participation of socionics - the science of society harmonisation created by a woman!

Dear all,
It is a lot of text and I am thankful for every little answer that sheds at least a little more light on my situation!
I am facing some problems with my thesis and would like some advice. I have already consulted both my supervisor and our statistical office (via email), but this has raised more questions than it has solved. I work with SPSS version 27 and g*power.
In my design, I have three predictors (one of them being the moderator) and one criterion.
My first research questions investigates whether there is a relationship at all. The second one investigates whether the effect is moderated by age.
All assumption checks are met.
If I do a MRA with all three predictors and the one criterion, the omnibus test is significant (p=.027). Also, the pearson correlation I run before (requested by my supervisor) shows a significant correlation with one of the predictors and the criterion.
Both predictors are also correlated with each other yet they go in the opposite direction and I could rule out multicollinearity.
Now, however, when doing the moderation, and I add the two interactions for age, my omnibus test is insignificant (p=.085).
Now I hear two different things:
1) The significant result from one of the factors matter because the research essentially wants to know the effects of certain subtypes (factors). Also, p=.085 can be considered trend-significant because it is likely to increase with more power. Also, I have to report the correlations as well and they very well show how both factors and the moderator behave.
2) I have to use the moderation omnibus anova table for both research questions and have to conclude that the results are insignificant. Regardless of the one significant factor (in both correlations and coefficients table), the omnibustest would show that as soon as I controll for the interactions, my results are insignificant (Do I need to control for them to have a solid result?). I also shouldn't use different tests (correlation, moderation) to emphasize the one finding. It is bad practice and would actually harm my research quality.
What is correct?
Also, one says report post hoc power, the other one says its not typical to do so. But if:
In g*power, do I have to fill in 3 predictors or 5 because of the two interactions?
I tried to watch different tutorials and read manuals but nothing was really helpful.
​
What is the best manner to proceed? Which results are the correct ones? How do I show that this one factor is indeed relevant without damaging my research quality? (My significant factor is a subtype. Our Research group investigates several subtypes of that concept, therefore, we are interested in single factors and not mainly in the moderation. That one is more like gathering additional information but not the main interest).
I hope everything is clear. If not don't hesitate to ask.
Thank you in advance.

This post is mainly to vent, but if anyone has advice, I’m open to it.
I am in the first year of a PhD program, and I’m really struggling. I was diagnosed with ADHD-combined-type at 22 and started taking adderall at 23 (October last year).
For the past six years I’ve been working toward getting into a program like this and now I’m just exhausted. It’s a topic I love, but the workload and create-it-yourself schedule feel so burdensome. On top of it, my physical health has been poor this year.
Family and friends keep congratulating me on “finishing my first year,” and “doing what I love,” but I don’t know how to tell them that I’m exhausted- that I’ve taken an incomplete for both of my courses and have no motivation to keep working toward my goals. I feel stuck and constantly unhappy, and I feel like I’m masking so much that I’m lying to everyone.
It’s too late to request a year off, but finishing my outstanding work seems like an impossible task. I’ve worked with an ADHD coach and a therapist to try and create a more manageable timeline, but I end up dropping the ball for one reason or another each time I start to make headway.
I’ve worked with the accommodations office and my professors to receive some additional support, but it doesn’t seem to be enough..Which makes me feel guilty because they’re going out of their way to support me.
I struggle with task initiation, but I used to be motivated by urgency and my passion for the work. Now deadlines are just dates, and the only thing helping me to stay focused once I get started is external reinforcement (programs like Focusmate where I schedule body-doubling). Even that is starting to fail me as I find myself doing other important but not school-related tasks during my sessions. I have no internal drive and seemingly no self-control, and I’m so frustrated. This field is something I care about, and I can’t bring myself to do the work!
I haven’t failed yet, but I feel like a failure. I have people to support me, and each day I don’t get work done I feel like I’m letting them down. I feel like I’m letting myself down because I’ve worked so hard to get here and now I’m just tired. I’m burn out and exhausted and want to quit, but I know I’ll feel even worse if I do. I don’t quite know what I need at the moment, but I wanted to share the way I’ve been feeling. I have no motivation in graduate school.

Original Post for reference.
After receiving itemized lists of all her procedures, we tried negotiating down the costs of the procedures, a double charge, and being charged $209.00 on 10 different visits for pregnancy tests she told the ER staff wasn't necessary or they just tested anyway without her knowledge. So we tried explaining this to the supervisor of the billing department and they told us everything was valid and "standard procedures". Very detached, all business, no concept of reality. They are offering a settlement to close the accounts for $5,000 to be paid in full within 60 days. My friend pet sits for a private employer (my friend has SLE Lupus, not able to work a strenuous job) and makes roughly less than $8,000 in a year, less than $400/mo, so $5,000 in 2 months is insane and that doesn't include her cost of living and expenses. If she doesn't agree to the $5k settlement, the balance goes back up to ≈$14k and the collection agency will file (on behalf of the hospital) to have her entire state income tax intercepted until the balance is less than $25... which would take about 21 years and something tells us they probably won't want it to take that long.
So we're not really sure which route to take now. We know the $5,000 in 60 days would be impossible, the hospital justifies every action they've taken even though they told us we could "negotiate". My friend has filed for financial assistance through the same hospital in 2019, she called to check on its status and got the "we'll call back and let you know, but we never will" treatment. She's kinda afraid to file again and give them her employer's name because they might try to have her less than $400 a month wages garnished on top of who knows what else. Should we write a complaint to the Attn. General's office? FTC? CFPB??? We'd greatly appreciate any advice anyone has to share.
Edit: So far, people are hyper focusing on her health condition or employment situation... that's not what we need advice about. I know what she deals with health wise on a daily basis and if she could work a full-time job to pay this off she would and this post wouldn't even EXIST. Advice with dealing with the hospital is what is needed.

Hi Everyone!
Best & Worst of a series I wanted to get off the ground for years. Probably a AsianBeauty hangover. I loved those threads! It was just easy to refer back to, figure out what will work for my skin, and keep track of things that stuff interesting.
So here we are. Attempting to do this once more, fingers crossed that most of you enjoy this as much as I do and that some of you will participate.
Okay, I'm done with gushing. Moving on to the actual, official mod note.
----

Offical Mod Note

A commonly asked query in the sub is “What are the best/worst products from ?”. This spurred the idea to start a Best and Worst of Megathreads!
This ensures all the reviews of a single brand are neatly organised in a thread for easy perusal anytime. It can be accessed at any time for those wanting to buy during sales (which are extremely common these days) or otherwise.
We’re starting off with Plum Goodness!! This was in our lineup but u/proxy262634 posted asking about Plum today, so this is going up first.
About the brand (from their website): Our cruelty-free skincare, makeup, haircare, and bodycare products are made with formulations that are all about 'good science' that pairs natural ingredients with science-backed actives for goodness that truly does deliver. They are cruelty-free and vegan. And prices affordably.

Please read the instructions below carefully

Please find the main category in the comments below

• Cleansers
• Moisturisers & Oils
• Sunscreen
• Serums
• Toners
• Masks & Scrubs
• Haircare
• Bodycare
• Makeup
• Fragrance

And post your reviews as a reply to the appropriate parent thread.
​
For example, If you want to review 15% vitamic C, scroll down to serums and post your review in the following format

• Full name of the product
• Your skin type & conditions or haiscalp type & concerns
• Effect on skin/hair issues and result of using the product / Experience and thoughts in detail
• Anything that you think others might find a con
• Holy Grail / Will Re-purchase / Will Not Repurchase / Holy Fail Status

​
If you have previously posted a review if a plum product and don't want to re-type or copy paste it, no issues, please leave a link to the review in the following format

• Full Name of the product
• Your skin type/skin conditions or hair type/scalp type and concerns
• Link to review

​
Optionally, you could follow our usual review guidelines.
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PLEASE ONLY REVIEW ONE PRODUCT IN ONE COMMENT, for next product, reply to parent comment in a fresh comment.
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***I'm sorry if it sounds like we're asking for too much, we're doing it this was for searchability purposes, not to put you to trouble. ***

French finance minister pens romance novel amid economic troubles for France

PARIS—In this land that celebrates public intellectuals, politicians have long embraced poetry and other artistic pursuits. Few have leaned in with such naked abandon as Bruno Le Maire.
Several explicit sex scenes in the new book by Le Maire, the French finance minister, have given the book a flush of attention and forced the government of President Emmanuel Macron to explain how one of its most senior members has time to write novels when people are struggling with high food and energy prices.

[...]

“Millions of people can’t eat or fill their fridge, pay their rent,” said far-left lawmaker Thomas Portes. “And during this time, the minister Bruno Le Maire writes novels.”
Le Maire’s literary dalliance falls into a long tradition of artistic output among France’s political elite dating back to the French monarchy. Louis XIV was a dancer. “Dangerous Liaisons” was written by an 18th century military officer. More recently, former French presidents including Georges Pompidou, Valéry Giscard d’Estaing and François Mitterrand wrote essays, novels and short stories, and had close ties with writers.

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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.

First: https://redd.it/11e34ce
Previous: https://redd.it/13q19ts
Chapter 31
It was a long while before Quin stirred. He knew it was well past the 14:00 mark when the crew would have re-boarded. He glanced down at his armband and saw 18:43. He was thirteen minutes late to the dinner hour. The weight of everything sitting heavy on his shoulders, he lethargically pushed himself out of bed and sat on the edge, his face in his hands. Falling forward onto his feet, he trudged over to the door and unlocked it. Out in the corridor, he found almost no one. A lone security officer made his way slowly around the corner as he was looking down at a tablet. He paid no mind to Quin and he slowly passed, heading to the cafeteria.
Maybe I can grab something to eat really quick before anyone recognizes I’m there, he hoped. They should all be busy eating, I could just slip in and out. He had no intention to speak to anyone. His armband and even the screen in his room were unusually silent, which didn’t bother him too much, given the way that he was feeling. He knew he would eventually have to face the crew, and especially Nova, back at work the next day. I technically should have been back already. There was mixture of fury, shame, and uncertainty brewing in his gut and he wanted to quash it before having to meet anyone. He breathed slowly, deeply, and leaned up against a wall. He let his head rest against the wall and felt the queasy feeling subside a bit. He sighed and pushed out a long exhale, leaving the wall.
He saw no one as he wound through the crew dormitories, arriving at the main hallway that connected the crew living space, the command deck, and the working spaces. Right on the edge of this junction, the main cafeteria’s double doors opened into a massive bay, with tables stretching far down the open space leading to the serving line and kitchens in back. Quin knew that back there, Bostwick had arranged to have coffee served continuously. He looked around and saw pockets of people eating and a larger crowd lounging around a group of tables. Quin saw Mae and Bostwick among the group and made to leave to avoid them, but Mae caught his eye and waved him over, preventing his escape.
Quin trudged over and sat down at the periphery of the group, He didn’t recognize a lot of the people sitting there, though he could remember a few being among Mae’s engineering section. He supposed the others were a good mix, some being security, judging by their builds and haircuts.
Mae leaned toward him a whispered, “As you can imagine, word has travelled fast.” This set Quin on edge. He in no way felt ready to confront his fellow crewmembers about what took place in that hangar. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat before he felt a hand on his upper arm. Mae was looking at him, meeting his eye as he silently pleaded to escape. Her firm clutch on his arm was remarkably comforting.
“It’s okay, Quin,” Mae whispered to him. “Nothing is going to happen. I’m here and so is Commander Bostwick. Stay, eat.” She slid him her tray where a good portion of her meal was untouched. He grabbed a rehydrated roll and tore off a bit. It was about all he could stomach. He chewed slowly and let his eyes trace the floor tiles between his feet. It allowed him to be ignored by the ongoing chatter while still paying attention to what was being said. A number of the crew were debating amongst themselves, some more loudly than others.
“Drake here thinks we can just go killing each other willy-nilly,” one crewmember said loudly. She gestured to an older, scruffy looking man in a white t-shirt and a stained apron reclining against the table, a hardened look about him. He was the head of the kitchen crew that Quin remembered from his first briefing.
“Shoulda killed ‘em while she had ‘em pinned,” Drake grunted. His accent was more British than anything, though it was course and not like some of the academy instructors’ more refined dialect.
“You can’t be serious, Drake. Killing another person? That’s so senseless,” Mae said.
“Goddamn thief, gotta lot less than ‘e deserved,” Drake scowled.
“Drake, we’re on a goddam humanitarian mission, for the love of…” Mae quipped, exasperated. “How can you be for killing this guy when we are trying to save all those people of Gaia?”
“It’s tha’ job, girlie,” Drake retorted. “You officer types got all these ideas. You know how much a support staff gets from this? Imma retire tha’ minute we get back.”
“Well, sure, there’s that,” Mae said, a little resigned. “But there’s also the humanist principle. Protecting and promoting human life.”
“Life is pointless, dearie. Th’ sooner you reconcile yerself with tha’, the sooner you will be comfortable with th’ fact tha’ nothing you do matters. Tha’ bloke is insignificant. An’ so are you,” Drake stated, punctuating his last sentence with a jab of the finger at Mae.
“Why are you being so cold?” Mae said, rather hurt.
“Cause life hurts, right Chief?” Drake sneered. He turned to Commander Bostwick with raised eyebrows. It was clear that Bostwick was now the only person that could say anything that would be heard by the entire group, Drake included. The familiarity of the remark seemed to indicate that Bostwick and Drake had been on missions before together.
“Actually, Drake, I don’t agree,” Louis said, seemingly waking out of a deep reverie.
“Really? You think this whol’ thing ain’t some crock of shit?” Drake asked incredulously.
“I have long ago come to terms with how small I am compared to the grand arch of the universe. You can’t be a space traveler and not see that. In my experience, it usually drives people to one of two extremes: they either become extremely religious in their search for belonging and purpose, or they become so nihilistic that caring goes the way of the common cold: extinct. I see that you tend towards the latter. Me?” Louis shrugged, offering, “I take a different approach. Yes, our existence has a sense of cosmic horror and pointlessness. We are not some Ancient Ones, consuming worlds and manipulating the very fabric of physical laws. We are subject to the universe’s ebbs and flows. So, what do we do? What can we do? We give our lives purpose; we give them meaning.”
“Yer just like ‘er,” Drake said, shaking his head and flapping his hands to wave him off. “Sentimental wishing that’ll save tha worl’.”
“Perhaps. Though I would say I’ve seen quite a few loved ones and colleagues senselessly killed: training accident mishaps, space travel cataclysms, incurable diseases, not to mention at the end of a gun.” Quin was frozen, though he was staring intently at the floor so as to not meet anyone’s gaze. He knew who Bostwick was talking about when listing those causes, and Quin felt his stomach churn violently when imagining himself being on that list.
“Their deaths affect everyone around them and funerals are for the living,” Bostwick continued. “You can’t see that and not be angry at the universe for what seems like random fatal chance. I know I have been at some points. So, I’ve come to look at it this way. In light of everything that could go wrong at any time, YOU, yourself, are responsible for giving your life meaning.”
“Philosophical bullshit,” Drake said, interrupting, and crossing his arms and leaning back against a cafeteria table.
“Shut the hell up, Drake,” Mae said testily, turning back to Louis.
“It’s okay, Mae, everyone is entitled to their opinion,” Louis said, smiling softly.
“Sure, but he keeps dismissing it without letting you explain it. What do you mean by ‘giving meaning’?”
“Hmm, well, look at it like this. Whatever you do in life, you are remembered by. Everyone interprets things too, so your meaning is the only thing that comes from you, intrinsically. Once you put it out there, it’s for others to deal with as they please. Especially in death. That’s why we gild our historical figures, we project our best wishes on them, despite what meaning they may have intended for their life. It is only in your own life and your own motivations that you are able to control your meaning, your purpose, so that is why you have to live your life as fully as possible.”
“Wow, that’s pretty heady,” Mae said, smiling a bit.
“Not really. Look at it like this. When the Europeans set out to conquer the American continents, they were after large amounts of gold. Gold, itself, has no real intrinsic purpose, until a person comes along and gives it a purpose or meaning by using it for something. So, the Europeans ascribed it tremendous value. The Native Americans living on those two continents, millions of people spread across thousands of miles of land and spanning cultures, languages, and beliefs, were subject to such cruelty and horror, through genocide and plague, all because the Europeans ascribed value to a particular resource. And the kicker is, these native groups held that resource in a different regard. Imagine an alien race coming along and saying that your…shoes,” Louis said, gesturing toward Mae’s feet, “were extremely valuable and were going to trade you for them. And you refused, so they killed you for them. Wouldn’t you think that their purpose for shoes is a little…off?”
Mae simply nodded. The rest of the cafeteria was silent.
“Sure. Humans are the only beings that we know of right now that can not only give purpose to things, but also to themselves. It’s why our species had religion for so long. People seek purpose. Now, I have no patience for such a system where my purpose is controlled by something else. Some people go their entire lives, repeating a mundane set of tasks within a relatively limited amount of space, and call that living. If that’s where they get their own purpose, then fine. But I’ve concluded that living a purpose-driven life means taking personal responsibility for one’s own actions and putting it at the service of others. I give myself purpose. That’s why I’m here. I’m fortunate that my life’s purpose is aligned with the humanitarian ideals present in our mission. Many people search a long time to find such a unity of purpose.”
“So yeh’ve got yer altruism an’ it keeps you warm an’ fed at nigh’,” Drake said sarcastically.
“I’ve got my bread and my cot, so I’m taken care of. I’m speaking about a higher search for meaning. I believe to my core that such a mission is purposeful, because I am dedicating my existence to others. I’ve come to accept my fate. If I die—and I shall because all of us are only temporary passengers on this journey—then my life’s meaning is crystal clear,” Louis finished, sitting back in his chair, taking a sip of coffee, and glancing over at Quin, who was busy tracing a panel of floor tiling with his eyes and trying to soak in everything Louis said. “And if it needs to be stated for the record, I’m also opposed to killing anyone onboard this ship, or off it for that matter, no matter what crime they are believed to have committed.”
Drake stood up, staring at Louis, and wiped his nose on his sleeve. He opened his mouth as if he was about to say something, but instead just shook his head and wagged his finger and stomped off to the kitchen.
Quin stood up too and skulked off out the main cafeteria doors. Louis jumped up and chased after him, leaving the rest of the room sitting quietly.
“Quin! QUIN! Will you just stop and talk to me?!” Louis said part-way down the hall, grabbing Quin’s arm and turning it. Quin’s eyes were burning as he was trying hard to hold in his guilt.
“Okay, come on,” Louis said, guiding him down the hallway.
They walked a full quarter length of the massive ship, Louis guiding him through the twists and turns of the labyrinth that was the Nemo. They passed through the portal leading to officer quarters and arrived at Louis’s chamber. The walls closed in around Quin as he and Louis crammed themselves into the room. Louis sat Quin down on the bed and took the desk chair.
“You need to cool down,” Louis said. “I know it’s not your fault. You have this really annoying, yet really endearing habit of carrying the weight of the cosmos on your shoulders. Even Atlas himself asked for a break. No one is dead.”
“Yeah, but it could have gone a lot worse. And I had no way of controlling it, yet I’m still responsible for it, Louis,” Quin half-shouted, launching himself up and pacing the small room. Bostwick’s eyes followed him back and forth. “I can’t face Captain Fuentes, or the other crew, let alone Nova. I don’t know what to say to her. Aside from that I almost got someone killed.”
“Like I said, Quin,” Louis said, smiling softly, his piercing grey eyes suddenly warm, “leave it to others to gab about the situation and suppose everything. You, yourself, are the only person who knows what is in your heart. But, my friend, I think I can guess what’s in there.”
Quin’s his chest was tight as he was burning up with humiliation and rage.
“You know what I do when I need to calm down?” Louis asked.
“What’s…that…” Quin said between slow breaths to calm himself, the tightness in his chest refusing to abate.
“You ever heard of Hendrix?”
“No, what’s that?”
“You mean, who’s that,” Louis said, hopping up. “Take a deep breath, lean back, and rest your head. Let the music wash over you.”
Quin laid his head back against the wall next to the bed and got comfortable.
“Now, center yourself. Take a deep breath,” Bostwick said softly as he scrolled through a menu on his tablet in the wall. He pressed play on his tablet, and the first twangy guitar strums filled the room, like a heartbeat, pulsing the air through Quin’s chest.
Quin let his eyes go unfocused and closed them as the lyrics began emanating from the nothingness around him. “After all the jacks are in their boxes…” the cool edge of the singer’s voice and the slow, driving grit of the guitar took over him, and he drifted off to sleep. The Nemo cruised on into the black, and it was as if Jimi and space fused as one, his music making the nothingness swell with soul. “And the wind…cries…Mary.”

This is just a bit of a rant post :) After years of workplace bullying I have endless sleepless nights due to PTSD, I can;t remember the last time I even had a decent night sleep.
At work I would endue racial slurs, being told to go back to my own country, I wasnt welcome, I deserve to die - which did push me to a very dark place. I would have stuff taken from my work lockers on a regular basis, be ostracised and descriminated for promotions. The manager and her mates were the main culprits and did eventually push me out of the station and to another area several hours away from home, where now, I get to spend time with my family only 3-4 days a month. I no longer have an career prospects within the service, and the individuals involved in destroying my wellbeing have climbed the ladder into higher manager roles, along with destroying my reputation (so dispite the piles of evidence, the workplace has formed the opinion I am a disgruntled employee).
It gets to the point some nights where the bullying and harassment plays over and over and I can go days with little sleep, being away from family and supports, it does make me wonder why I dont take the advice of the peer support office and just end my life. So instead I came here to babble.

Hey guys, random thoughts : I've played modded minecraft since version 1.5.2 and in all these years I've seen awesome mods, being forgotten and/or never updated to new versions.
From incredible classics like Buildcraft, now stuck at 1.12.2, to Gany's mods (Surface, Nether and End), stuck at 1.7.10, this situation is sad for every nostalgic modded minecraft player.
Obviously any of us can go back to those versions, but we are left without knowing things like "is a Rotarycraft and Create modpack a good idea?" (probably not) or "are Mo'Creatures and Alex's mobs gonna crash my pc?".
And we didn't even talk about the Forge vs Fabric situation, where modders have to choose a side or develop one mod at the cost of two.
At the same time, these situations are usually not wanted by the original developers (we don't talk about orespawn here), but are caused by the mix of having to update every time with big changes to the base, real-life problems and limitations, or by a generic disinterest to the game after a modding phase.
Now: can this change? Why are we here, just to suffer?
Introducing (in my broken mind, no real-world implementations for now) the "Minecraft Modding Renovation and Conservation project" : the basic idea would be a coordinated effort for restoration and porting of mods left behind, done by modders with any level of experience and time.
For the mods to be forwarded into the future the authorization of the original authoteam would be necessary and the order in which the mods are updated would be regulated by a voting system to not disperse the work into too many mods at the same time.
The main objective would be to port the mod to the actual version of Minecraft for both Forge and Fabric, but the possibility to port the mods also to specific versions is not to be excluded (no backporting tho, you psychopaths).
I didn't see any project similar to this, probably because it's a big (if not enormous) effort and requires a big chunk of the modding community to partecipate for it to being effective. There was MCArchive, but it was mostly a conservation only project and right now is basically dead.
Have a thing like this already been tried? If some experienced modder is listening, can he give some insight on the possibility for this to work, what figures would be necessary to start and if it would be a thing in which he would spend time/effort (only ipotetically)?
Sorry for the long post, I was in a stream of consciousness (I'm a modern James Joyce in some ways).

Names have been changed to maintain anonymity. Also, my bad if the formatting is off, I don't really post on Reddit all that much, but I really needed to get this particular story off my chest.
​
So over a year ago, I met some people in a VTM 20th Anniversary game, which eventually fizzled out due to some stuff that's not super relevant right now. But long story short, a group they had been longtime players in had recently hit the reset button on their game and a campaign that had been going on for about three years, mostly due to losing one of their two Storytellers.
I was invited to join in this new game, as one of the previous players had stepped up to be one of the Co-STs for the game, their names were Mark and John, with John being ten years older than I am and having a huge amount of RPG experience under his belt. Mark eventually started flying solo in the ST seat due to some Storyteller burnout with John eventually hopping into a player's seat. Mark was a first-timer when it came to Storytelling, and to this day you can very much see it, but we've all been there to help him along the way, since most of the players have done more than a few rounds in the ST seat.
When I joined, there were a few things they did differently to other games I have previously been a part of, mostly these were limited to a few homebrews as well as stuff to make use of the flexibility of two STs. A hallmark of their previous game was sending in emailed 'Downtime Actions' which continued in this game, but if not used, would often mean consequences. Such as being down seven blood points (RAW you need to spend one to rise every evening) if an action wasn't used to feed. Another hallmark was the Storytellers handling stuff like side scenes in different voice channels during game time. One ST could go off with a small group in-session to have a private convo and another would keep the main scene going with usually zero issue. At first, it was jarring to me because firstly I'm used to not having to write so much on the weekly with the Downtime Actions stuff, and secondly, I didn't enjoy the abnormal amount of secrecy at the table. Both of which I kinda grew to not mind, because the side scenes wouldn't really disrupt the momentum of the game, but I still do find it a tiny bit odd, cause it felt like we weren't trusted to not metagame.
However, when John stepped down, these hallmarks didn't really go away. Mark still tried to maintain the workload of two people with Downtimes between five players as well as balancing side scenes, despite us as a group wanting to move away from all the secrecy. But these would often leave the game dead in the water mid-session and disrupt the momentum of a Court assembling or a social event happening in-game since 90% of this game was very politically focussed. And Mark was still trying to juggle two scenes at once. Since it would be him chatting with one or two players and the rest of us just sitting in silence for upwards of five minutes at a time. At first, it didn't really matter too much to us as players, since we were sorta just vibing with it, and we were under the impression John would come back to the ST seat eventually.
For a while, we were very much fine with it. But often the conversations with the ST or an NPC would drag on, or he'd spend ages trying to type out what was basically an essay in DMs at the start of a session. It kinda wore on my patience quite a bit, because, for one, it felt a little distrustful of us as players and our ability to adhere to general table etiquette, such as not metagaming. I understand wanting to be secretive in VTM, because the system encourages backstabbing and whatnot. And two, it started to get very tiresome after a while because, due to timezones, I would often have to wake up at like 3am to make it on time to games, since I'm over in Australia and the group is mostly over in Europe. So I'd wake up, and sit in a session where I would basically be doing nothing but fighting off drowsiness whenever the ST left with another player. Especially when the side scenes began to grow more and more frequent and tended to grow longer. At one point, an entire action sequence played out off screen for most of us players, so we had no damn clue out of game what was happening
Along with the side scene shenanigans as well as the Downtime Action emails, we have another homebrew that makes 10s count as two successes and skill specialties grant an extra die. Eventually, stuff came to a head with this particular rule which ended up being the nail in the coffin for my run in Mark's game. Mark started growing more and more frustrated as the game went on due to us getting lucky on dice rolls, and us having pretty sizeable dice pools because we'd earned a pretty huge amount of exp over the course of the game. Most notably, his aggression went towards a player named Nikola, who was essentially dubbed a 'problem player' and was called out for being a min-maxer by Mark. His character at the time was a Nagaraja necromancer, pretending to be a Malkavian.
There were multiple DMs that were exchanged via Discord to Nikola by Mark about his character being overpowered because he'd gotten a lucky shot on a boss fight that had been set up, or Mark hadn't accounted for a power like Telepathy being used in a murder investigation. Snide comments were made out of game about Nikola using a ritual to solve every problem, which really drove me up the wall as a player. For the most part, it just didn't sit right with me hearing Nikola just get absolutely dragged behind his back by Mark. But Nikola had barely done anything to optimize dice pools, for one, he'd dumped most of his experience points into necromancy.
Mind you, most Necromancy in VTM is not only horrendously costly but nine times out of ten it had a very specific niche regarding dead stuff and ghosts, this specific instance being limited to wraiths which were incredibly hard to encounter in the wild. Nikola's character took a bunch of levels in the Vitreous Path, having a total of one ability that directly did damage to anything. A lot of the rituals he had were incredibly situational, with him even having to work with Mark to homebrew in rituals from other editions, as well as copying some things from Thaumaturgy just to make it the slightest bit viable. All of this was stuff Mark okayed and said yes to. At any point, he could've pulled the plug.
There were often times were Nikola would wake up to rants from Mark, which would either be walls of text in DM's or a mashup of voice messages and texts, and Nikola would also have to sit through the shade that was thrown in-game at the playecharacter. This was after he would stonewall Nikola in furthering a plotline, by either forcing him to roll dice for a menial task like jumping out a window, or by even introducing Mages and Fey and trying to screw his character with death magic. Nikola isn't a very confrontational person, and let a lot of this slide since this was basically Mark's second proper game of VTM.
This entire ordeal sent Mark down a path of trying to reinvent how we rolled dice, as well as nerf/alter several discipline powers despite them being costly as hell to use in the right circumstances or incredibly niche. All because one player had been getting lucky and Mark hadn't accounted for powers such as Auspex being good for investigating crime scenes and its particular power of telepathy being quite strong at getting info from mortals. One of the main homebrews I was vehemently against was solely because Mark's reasoning behind it was "you all roll too well" or something along the lines of us not botching for a good amount of sessions. In spite of the fact that several players had been on a very unlucky streak for the past few sessions. The rules we used up to that point are just the RAW ones from the corebook, with 1's cancelling out successes, and if you roll more 1's than what's considered a success, it's just a failure. A botch only occurs when you have no successes and any amount of 1's were rolled. This with our other homebrews apparently made us roll too well, with us at the time having 10's always count as two successes and specialties adding a bonus die to our roll.
Mark's homebrew was to change the RAW stuff to try and nerf the double tens homebrew rather than simply going back to RAW. His changes were as follows: If we go below zero successes with 1's it's a botch, even if successes were rolled. The severity of a botch would change depending on how many 1's were rolled. A lot of powers and dice rolls in this game have a lot of bad consequences if we botch already, with some aura reading/emotion focussed powers straight up knocking out a character for an entire scene on a botch. Which could be anywhere up to an hour of in-game time, or quite literally the next 'scene'. I honestly just didn't see the point of increasing the chances of stuff like that happening, especially when it has the potential to just flat-out stop a player from doing anything whatsoever
Many of us suggested going back to the RAW rules for specialties, as 10's only counted as two successes when a specialty was present, but this was ignored, and he started shoehorning in extra maths for other suggestions that confused the hell out of our less numbers focussed players. His other homebrews were very much specifically targeted, as he had tried to nerf Telepathy limiting it only to surface thoughts, no matter how many successes were rolled on the dice as well as changing how the entire Celerity discipline worked. Trying to add a huge amount of limitations to what could and could not be done using a celerity action. The only player that had used the Telepathy power even somewhat often was Nikola, as 90% of the players either didn't bother having Auspex or weren't high enough level to use Telepathy.
This all sort of came to a head during a sit down to discuss the homebrews, where practically nobody could agree on a suitable dice rolling mechanic, with Mark once again, barely even acknowledging my suggestion of just ditching the double 10's homebrew altogether. The energy in the voice channel was tense as hell, with Mark backpedalling on his reasoning for the botch changes. It went from him feeling like we roll too well, to him not feeling enough interesting storytelling was occurring with the current dice-rolling system. John ended up poking his head in and very specifically asked Mark why he felt the need to increase the chance of botches and ended the comment with something along the lines of "Isn't it your job to make failures interesting as an ST?". John also bringing up the fact that we all usually tend to roll for things our characters are good at. Everyone has a niche and to an extent, our characters are built to fill that niche.
Most of that discussion went in one ear and out the other because it was a lot of arguing and going in circles, and in the end, we stuck a pin in the dice rolling system because no one agreed. And i was too exhausted to pay attention because I'd only gotten back home from work an hour or so before the discussion started. This took about three hours to resolve, by which time it was 5am for me and I was incredibly mentally exhausted listening to grown adults being unable to settle on rules for a plethora of their own reasons.
A few days after, I left the game, sending a message to the ST that getting up early/staying up late after work was way too exhausting to do every week when we basically do nothing in game, and I didn't like that a lot of the homebrews felt targeted and very adversarial towards us as players. I reminded Mark that it wasn't anything personal. But his response was mostly sweet, but he tried to shift the blame onto Nikola who allegedly expressed a need for these changes and didn't even bother to acknowledge the fact that I mentioned how I was feeling about the game itself. Mark essentially tried to make an adjustment and re-invent how VTM dice rolling works, which honestly wasn't really called for by anyone but him, and then tried to pawn it off and make it another player's fault.
I'm kinda sad this ended like it did, mostly because I did enjoy vibing with the players, and I really loved my character. I consider many of the people at the table pretty close friends, and I feel like my thoughts and feelings may have burned some bridges. But the game was essentially taking a nose dive, and I didn't want to waste my early mornings/late nights feeling like we were basically doing nothing when I could be getting some much needed sleep.

I've been watching Dr. K's videos for a while, and though I find his content helpful, I struggle a little finding a problem I can really relate to. I've seen a lot of content directed towards those who were gifted kids and the like. I don't think I've ever been one. I remember being like 11-12 (don't really remember the age) and struggling a lot with a long math homework we had, to the point that my teacher had to call my parents. Over time it got better and I was able to get somewhat good grades in math, but to this day I can't make more than super simple equations in my mind. You ask me what 27 - 13 is and I will have to think for a while.
Anyway, I'm not really sure what brings me to post this, it's not only that I feel behind in life compared to other people my age. But I also don't see myself anywhere professionally. I remember being in high school and seeing what adults had to do daily, and then saw how either athletic or smart my classmates were, and somewhere along the line I decided I didn't want to grow up. And I think this issue branched to every aspect of my life.
Now I'm 23 and don't feel comfortable having a gf because even though I'm about to finish college, I don't see myself happy in an office job, nor do I think I qualify for anything else and don't really have big plans. I can't see how someone like that would make a good boyfriend. Maybe in high school that was somewhat ok, but now I can't remain with that mentality. I mean, the first real payment I received was for being a model for an ad of a restaurant. Nothing related to any requirement of a skill.
I can't really relate to my friends and other people because when they talk about their job, I just think about how much I don't wanna do that, but that in turn leaves me with nothing to talk about in social gatherings. One example: when I see pretty girls at parties, I don't talk to them not only because I'm shy, but because I also don't have anything to talk about. I just have my silly little hobbies that are starting to not mean anything at this age.
I resent not being gifted because maybe if I were as a child, today I could be playing some sport professionally, or anything that's more fun than sitting at a desk all day. It's like I stayed in the starting area killing easy mobs all day, and now the game is about to force me to face the next level, but I haven't even beaten this area's bosses correctly. I've just been running around and avoiding any route that seemed to lead to the main quest.
I think I've diverged from the main point of the title, but at the same time I believe everything ties together at some point: not gifted, afraid of the future, sheltering, isolated from peers... and now I'm lost because I never found a path.
I don't know what my question regarding this is, but I would like to hear from anyone who's been in a similar situation or knows about what I am struggling with. Maybe the solution is very simple but I won't lie, I'm still a little reluctant to grow and maybe that's just me making things harder for myself. Thank you in advance for any comment.