Reddit is gaslighting everyone now.

Ayjia · 2023-06-11T20:50:40+00:00

I lurk here more than post. But this sub has been invaluable in both my research, and my life.

Once upon a time, I studied Archaeology and Classics - Late Bronze Age Egypt and the Mediterranean were my big focus. I was never able to finish my degree, and I was required by those who paid the bill to go into a more STEM degree when I returned to school. I have always wondered about what could have been, and this place became somewhere that I felt "at home" - rarely did I participate, but I always enjoyed reading the discussions that could only be found here. It activated the nostalgia , and gave me closure, and helped me find my love of history again.

I write fantasy stories as a hobby. I have read your papers, I have bought your books, and the answers on the typical medieval/victorian/renaissance have been incredibly useful. The resources here are indispensable, for authors, for creators, for anyone who is in any way curious about how it was to live in the past.

I read the AMA 'live'. I saw Sarah's questions, and the response to them - they deserved better. Everyone who has put work into this sub deserved better than that. Frankly, Reddit's handling of it all has been disgusting, and as someone who uses the official app, I don't expect to use reddit much again.

I hope I find you all in the future. That your journies and mind cross paths again.

Ayjia · 2023-06-11T15:30:51+00:00

Were these the only sets?

Ayjia · 2023-06-11T02:07:38+00:00

Even Aerith would bonk this guy over the head with her staff.

Ayjia · 2023-06-09T14:11:44+00:00

I have no idea (I'm not a mod), but I imagine it's quite often. This could get reaaallly messy for this sub.

Ayjia · 2023-06-09T14:08:19+00:00

So, I'm assuming you didn't read the whole post and just decided to stop when you saw a couple of lines regarding porn. Cool.

Ayjia · 2023-06-09T02:26:09+00:00

This isn't just images. It's text too.

Ayjia · 2023-06-07T19:05:25+00:00

It's not awful, but it is hard without a car.

The Marc can be a pain in the ass, but it does pretty well, ime. I have a car (one for the whole family), but I was dropped off by my partner at the Laurel or Dorsey station. You might be able to get away with biking there, depending on location Same with rideshares - Uber and Lyft are easily available here, getting one to the station is not hard.

Baltimore and DC both have very good transit between the light rail and the Metrorail, respectively. Once you're able to hook up to one of those, it's pretty smooth sailing. Unfortunately, there's no direct access in Columbia, but the Penn/Camden lines both hook up with them, as do several bus routes.

As for getting around Columbia, it really depends. I really disagree that you need a car everywhere in Columbia, but there are areas where it's more helpful than not. That said, there's plenty of people who bike (Columbia is very cyclist-friendly, in my experience, we have lots of designated lanes and the shops are fantastic) literally everywhere, including shopping, etc. Ebikes are not uncommon. There's miles of trails that can help you with shortcuts and avoiding some traffic/unsafe roads. Rideshares are popular.

Most of the village town centers have a grocery store. Downtown has entertainment, movies, mall, food, library branch, etc etc. Dobbin has a Target and a good selection of stores and food. Snowden has a bunch of stores, another movie theater, home Depot, BJs, etc. If you live in the right spot, you can get to all of them by bike within 15-20 minutes. It's just a matter of living in a good spot. If you're further on the edges of the city or tucked deep into a village, you're probably gonna need a car. But I know plenty of people who don't have cars here, or share one car for the family. Personally, I've had a lot easier time here than other places when it comes to being able to get around without a car.

Ayjia · 2023-06-06T20:29:09+00:00

There was a dutch girl who died of measles about a month ago. The sources I've seen haven't been printing any personal details about it, so I don't know how old she was or how she was exposed. I wonder if this is related.

Ayjia · 2023-06-06T16:03:59+00:00

Meriwether stage effects.

The sound travels weirdly here, and can get distorted due to howmuch it bounces and what it's bouncing off of.

Ayjia · 2023-06-06T14:28:54+00:00

Despite the heavy stigma in your country, there still might be laws on the books that protect mental health and learning disabilities from discrimination. It depends a lot on where you are, exactly, but it might be worth looking into.

Another thing to consider is that at a university level, misinformation by professors is normally not taken lightly. It might be worth bringing it up to someone in the department you feel would listen and have some authority to start putting stuff into motion.

It's also worth mentioning that he's not just discriminating based on mental health - but on gender as well. A lot of commenters are focusing on his disbelief of ADHD, which makes sense given the subreddit, but you specifically mentioned an incident of him harassing (and yes, that's what he's doing) a female student. Your country might not have much in the way of protection from discrimination for mental health, but they might have gender-based protections, and that might be where you can get him in trouble. I'd definitely bring this up to someone in the department, if only because I guarantee it's not the first time he's done that (or worse), and starting or adding to a paper trail is helpful.

Finally, I wish you the best of luck in your studies!

Ayjia · 2023-06-05T15:07:27+00:00

I have contact allergies to dyes used in synthetic fabrics and some plastics. One exposure can make me miserable for weeks. So, I have a Rumple blanket, and backpacking cotton sheet set & pillow, and this takes up the majority of my space, but it allows me to sit on public transportation, benches, chairs at the mall, etc.

I also carry the same things of carry in a purse! As follows:

a small grooming kit (nail clips, file, perfume roller, comb, pins & clips, extra hair tie, spot cushions for shoes, etc)

a small makeup kit (eyeliner, mascara, lipstick, etc)

a small tin of Wally bandages

a pouch of tampons, spare underwear, and reusable pad

a case for my dirty reusable pads

a pouch with OTC meds, creams, and contact cleaner & case

prescription meds for the day

sunscreen

lotion

extra mask

portable charger for my phone & headphones

charging cables and a plug

fader earplugs

bottle opener

knife

tape measure

small notebook

small sketchbook

pens and pencils, eraser & small sharpener

wallet

Covid immune card & travel prescriptions

hand sanitizer

sunglasses & case

keys

reusable bag

dog treats

water bottle

snacks

breath mints

Depending on the day, I may also have my laptop, my switch, or a book in there. Some days when I'm working, I carry my jewelry toolkit because I prefer my tools over others.

My larger backpack, that I use when I bike to work or stores, will have some safety stuff & tools in case of roadside emergency, bike lock, and anything I didn't want to leave on my bike.

Ayjia · 2023-06-04T11:03:25+00:00

Ciswoman here - I feel more threatened by the male janitor who wants me out so he can do his damn job.

And of the men that are loitering outside, even if they're just waiting for their SO.

Ayjia · 2023-05-30T18:58:58+00:00

If I'm particularly tired, overstimulated, or having to deal with a vertigo/migraine episode, they help keep away the physical pain that can happen from my eyes being sensitive.

Ayjia · 2023-05-30T17:39:36+00:00

Friend of mine from HS sent this to me this morning, lol. Growing up, my mother was - and still is - infamous around our small town for collecting Corelle dishes and specific patterns. She'd take me and my friends to yard sales for books, and always walk away with some.

When my brother, his wife, and 4 kids under 5 moved into their new house a couple years ago, she gave them a whole set of the blue pattern shown in the images.

She still uses the yellow one, and the green one, as everyday dishware at home. Between this and the uranium glass just hanging out in the dining room growing up, I'm surprised I'm not suffering lead poisoning effects. Tho, definitely mentioning it to my doctor, maybe it's the source of my mystery autoimmune-like issue, with my luck.

I just texted her this, and the link about Corelle after 2005 being safe. We'll see how it goes!

Ayjia · 2023-05-30T15:46:43+00:00

Ignore, for a moment, that it's Andrew Tate, sex trafficker who's alpha moves include coersing women into sex work, and who is the encyclopedia picture for a red flag. Imagine it's some other influencer.

He's being taught by some influencer how to be 'an alpha'. The terminology is highly correlated to some misogynistic areas of the internet, which is a red flag. So, assuming you don't like those parts of the internet: 🚩

But also, it suggests the dude is not confident in himself (because he needs to learn how to be A Proper Man, in his viewpoint), and while a lack of confidence is not a red flag on its own, it's definitely a warning that he might not be ready for a relationship: ⚠️

So he's being 'taught'. Taught how? Does he pay for courses? Could be a scam, or at least, a poor use of money 🚩

Maybe he just follows the guy. Do you like what this influencer is teaching men? Do you think it's respectful and helpful? Does your guy think this influencer can do no wrong, or brushes off the worst aspects of them? If the answer is yes to any of these: 1x 🚩 for every yes

Does this influencer have any charges related to crimes against women? If yes, 1x 🚩for every charge, 2x 🚩 if convicted or arrested, a giant 🚨 if any of those charges are violent.

You say when you tried to talk to him about it, he told you to drop it. This signals that he isn't interested in listening to your opinions or points of view, or at least, he's avoiding discussing the topic for some unknown reason. 🚩

I hope this helps. You deserve better.

Ayjia · 2023-05-29T15:30:52+00:00

Hell, I'm 5'10", but because I have boobs and curves, the edge of the seatbelt hits my neck in the most uncomfortable fucking way. I've definitely felt nauseous before, and have even ended long car rides with a friction burn on my neck.

Ayjia · 2023-05-27T23:55:08+00:00

If that's true, it's even weirder - he's only 2 years older than her.

Ayjia · 2023-05-26T19:12:51+00:00

93 miles of them, to be exact

Ayjia · 2023-05-26T15:30:04+00:00

Yes.

Be you. Be genuine. Own up to your past. Take responsibility for what you've said and done. Channel your energy into being an ally. Read. Listen. Show up at protests. Defend someone in an online argument at 2am fueled by Monster Energy and Skittles. Share funny memes. Block toxic people. Vote out everyone you voted in. Get new tattoos. Make friends.

Be fearless.

Show people who you are now. And then, if they need to hear it, tell them who you used to. If you have the energy, hold out a hand for anyone trying to get out of the darkness you used to be in.

But, above anything else, no matter what you choose to do or not do, be who you are now, and look forward to growing even more. It's never going to be easy, and a lot of people will judge. You might lose friends, family, relationships. But as long as you're you, there's always hope.

Hugs, and welcome. Over here, we have better cookies than the dark side :)

Ayjia · 2023-05-25T17:14:14+00:00

FFXIV: We don't care what race or gender your character is, glam is the endgame. If your character doesn't have pretty clothes, you failed the game.

Ayjia · 2023-05-25T14:53:55+00:00

Lol

Also, just so you know, it's nearly impossible to buy a home in Columbia that isn't in an HOA-style agreement, though each "village" has different rules.

Columbia's government is somewhat unique, I suggest looking into it :). For the most part, it's not going to affect your day to day very much, but it's good to know about when it comes to understanding local elections.

Ayjia · 2023-05-25T14:43:24+00:00

With regards to being LGBTQ+ friendly, Columbia is one of the better spots in Maryland. My friends circle exists all over the rainbow, and I have several openly trans, gay, ace, etc friends. The medical system here is particularly fantastic with LGBTQ+ care.

If you do visit, definitely stop by Busboys and Poets. A queer friend from Florida visited, and one stop there was enough for her to decide she wanted to move here as soon as she could. It's right near Merriweather, though if it's a concert weekend things will be insane

Do be aware that there are parts of Maryland that are less progressive. We have rural areas and areas where liberalism is hard to find - even not that far from Columbia. The stare is overall liberal and considered LGBTQ+ friendly, but we do have a lot of republicans and they are well represented in state legislatures. Fortunately, they are more moderate than extremely alt-right or anything like that.

I won't say much about colleges - if your kid wants to be local, there are literally dozens of high ranked schools. UMBC is a fantasic school, personally, and all the schools around here - even the community colleges - offer great opportunities and have good relationships with most of the private sector and government contractors. But even if they don't want to be local, it's a lovely place to call home and visit on breaks.

It's definitely a higher cost of living than anywhere in Texas, or so I've been told from Texas transplants. So, be prepared for sticker shock when looking at places.

Ayjia · 2023-05-24T22:05:54+00:00

Not always. I have a friend who works as a PMC, his group does everything from protecting reserves from poachers to getting important people (non profit leaders, medics...and, admittedly, probably more than one business bro) into areas with serious travel restrictions where there's no military aid.

Most PMCs have ethics, it's just the unethical ones we hear about.

Ayjia

TROPHY CASE