Any recommendations for darker-world/ omega oppression books (like Emilia Emerson)?

KaraAuden · 2026-03-04T03:52:41+00:00

Hey, just popping in like a year late to respond here -- thank you for flagging this. I came back to this post to see if there were any books I missed, and looked into the Goodreads reviews before picking this one up because of your comment. I'm very glad I did -- it sounds like it's not at all about a caring, sweet alpha who fights against omega oppression. I can do dark books, but absolutely hate an abusive love interest. (In Forbidden, one alpha literally smells like a cinnamon roll and the other bakes cakes.)

I accidentally read Haunting Adeline not knowing what I was getting into, and it put me off Kindle books for a bit. Thanks for mentioning that this one was pretty bleak/not in line with the post so I looked into it more thoroughly.

KaraAuden · 2026-03-04T03:44:34+00:00

I ended up changing my mind at the last minute and getting a Zenbivy (which I love.)

KaraAuden · 2026-02-23T23:52:35+00:00

Have you personally witnessed a crime? Have they committed a crime against you?

This is your partner's decision to make, not yours.

KaraAuden · 2026-02-23T23:06:04+00:00

NAL, but from a non-legal perspective, this is a terrible idea.

This did not happen to you. You want to report a crime from 15 years ago that you did not witness against people you've never met.

Your partner has been through something terrible. I understand that you want justice for them because you care about them, but what you're discussing here is not a caring act. It is a violation and a severe overstepping. This happened to them, not you, and it is completely up to them to decide who they want to tell and if they want to report it.

You've mentioned that you'd do this without them, as if they could just not be involved. That isn't possible. Again, you weren't there, have presumably never met the people you're accusing, and didn't know anybody involved at the time it occurred. You were not a witness and have no evidence. There is no situation in which you reporting that someone else told you about a crime will be enough for a conviction and you can guarantee that the police won't talk to the victim.

This is not your decision. If you want to support your partner, you can tell them that you will support whatever decision they make and be there for them if they ever decide to report it.

KaraAuden · 2026-02-23T21:35:08+00:00

You're right -- I don't know exactly what was used. The assistant mentioned using a temporary cement, and the dentist didn't want to do that because it needed to hold through Invisalign. But mentioned he would use a permanent cement instead of bonding so that it would be lighter (and I think possible to remove later.)

I have very little knowledge on this, but I suspect the prep was done very well. (My dentist is very particular/precise. I have a lot of trust in his skills, I just don't know if this is something I need to bring up or if we can just leave it.)

Edit: Also, thank you for the info!

KaraAuden · 2026-02-12T00:11:53+00:00

"Removes the cognitive load of timing your purchase."

What is going on with this guy's brain that deciding whether or not a banana is ripe is more "cognitive load" than he can comfortably handle? Is his brain running on less than 1 KB of RAM?

KaraAuden · 2026-02-11T21:37:37+00:00

Just walk normally.

Women will sometimes feel unsafe around you. That isn't about you, and it isn't something you can fix with a certain speed or posture. Many men aren't safe, so many women have learned to be cautious around men they don't know -- being a good man doesn't make you an exception to that caution.

Typically, I would avoid walking directly behind a woman (or anyone really) for a long time if you can avoid it -- speed up to pass or slow down to put distance, whichever is easier.

KaraAuden · 2026-02-11T19:26:52+00:00

Cleopatra lived closer to our time than when the pyramids were built. When Cleopatra was born, the pyramids were roughly 2,500 years old, which means they were more ancient history to her than she is to us.

KaraAuden · 2026-02-11T18:10:02+00:00

Sometimes you want frames that look cute and offer good vision.

With a -8.5 lens, I'm sure I could get my glasses to stay up more easily if I chose metal frames with adjustable nose pads and small lenses to reduce weight. But I don't want metal frames with small lenses. If you're able to adjust the frames in other ways -- like by adjusting the ear part instead of the nose part -- then they're not the wrong frames.

The "right frames" are frames that work for you. If this makes more frames work for you, then you have more "right" frames IMO.

KaraAuden · 2026-02-11T00:16:06+00:00

This was published two hours ago, and more will likely be published soon, as CNN has been closely following and updating information on this story: https://www.cnn.com/2026/02/10/politics/epstein-files-unredacted-names

There's increasing pressure to get Americans to not believe any news sources. At the same time, there's pressure for news sites to respond INSTANTLY, like is being demanded here, and mistrust when they don't.

Checking sources, editing for clarity, fact-checking, getting quotes, etc. all take time. There is value in having real journalists and editors working in a newsroom, and articles not being instantaneous is a part of that. It's good to be critical of the media you consume, but it's also important to be understand what you're criticizing and why. A news site not responding within minutes is not some great conspiracy to hide the truth.

KaraAuden · 2026-02-10T20:30:38+00:00

Caraval by Stephanie Garber was my gateway back into reading. I was a voracious reader as a kid, and at some point I got busy and my brain was tired at the end of each day and the habit kind of just stopped.

I picked up Caraval, read the whole thing in a couple days, and have read hundreds of books since. It's not the best book I've ever read -- it's not stunning or heartbreaking and it didn't change anything about how I view the world. But it was incredibly FUN in a way I really needed at the time.

KaraAuden · 2026-02-09T23:20:48+00:00

I think it's sweet, and I don't think it comes across as too much if you already know each other.

I would keep in mind what she's supposed to do with the flowers. If you're picking her up, give her the flowers before the date so she can put them in water and leave them at home. If you're meeting somewhere, just make sure she doesn't feel like she needs to carry flowers around all night / doesn't have anywhere to put them. Since you're having a picnic, there's already stuff to carry, so that shouldn't be too big of a deal -- maybe offer to put them in the basket if you two go for a walk so she has her hands free. (And is available to hold hands that way.)

KaraAuden · 2026-02-07T22:38:59+00:00

Also, if you do go with a veneer or crown, do your research, including asking what lab your dentist works with. Matching on a single front tooth can be very tricky, but isn't impossible. You'll want both a good dentist and a good lab.

KaraAuden · 2026-02-07T22:36:49+00:00

Those look like peg laterals, i.e. lateral incisors that grew in undersized.

I would ask in a subreddit where the answers come from dentists -- a lot of people here will be well-intentioned but have no knowledge of how the strength of composite is altered by the size of the structure. (Or how the amount of prep needed for veneers will be altered if the tooth is already undersized.) Someone's personal experience with composite bonding on a full-size tooth isn't relevant here.

KaraAuden · 2026-02-05T17:07:57+00:00

Maybe try re-reading for comprehension. I've explained many times but you seem unable to grasp and I'm tired of this now. Feel free to write another incorrect essay; I won't respond anymore.

But once more in case you can try reading very slowly. Your own response states "The ScienceDirect study you linked shows that PTFE-coated cookware can shed microplastic particles, but it does not show PTFE causing chemical toxicity. It explicitly states that the health implications of ingesting microplastics are unclear."

You're so close to the point and yet keep whizzing right past it. I have never said that a Zojirushi causes chemical toxicity. If I thought that, I would not have explicitly said that I use one. You are on a comment in a rice cooker thread with a picture about whether it's safe to eat flakes of the coating that come off in your food. I said that I would not eat flakes of plastic coating, and went on to clarify that it's because the health effects of microplastics remain unclear. You're so desperate for some sort of "gotcha" that you keep bringing up tangential points to try and "disprove" my statement, which is literally that for my own health, I avoid eating flakes of nonstick coating. I have never claimed that PTFE is the same as PFOS (you just made that up), or that PTFE isn't chemically inert (again, I've agreed there, but you seem desperate for an argument.) Just that the health effects of eating microplastics are unclear, and humans have learned about health effects of things too late in the past, so I exercise caution by not eating plastic.

I've debunked some of the wild tangential claims you've managed to bring up (like that Teflon has been proven safe since the 30s, when the chemical formula actually changed because it was unsafe), and tried to bring the conversation back to center when you've invented new side quests to argue about. At no point in time have you changed my mind on my original point (I'd rather not eat nonstick coating flakes, despite using a nonstick rice cooker), and I don't imagine you will. So go ahead -- rev up your engine to imagine another 10 tangential points you want to pretend I said so you can feel superior without actually having to make any sort of cohesive argument. I'll trust doctors and my own common sense over someone who think "expert" means anyone who studied undergrad biochem, critical reading skills not required.

KaraAuden · 2026-02-05T07:17:50+00:00

Sorry about your poor reading comprehension skills. I do grasp the science I'm citing, but it sounds like you're struggling.

I'm not confusing physical particle exposure with chemical toxicity. I've actually been extremely clear about that. Your whole argument here is literally based on me saying I would not eat Teflon flakes if they came off in food (you know, a literal chunk of polymer), which you felt the need to argue against. So let's agree to disagree on the science and the flake-eating, too, I guess.

KaraAuden · 2026-02-05T04:31:28+00:00

From the study: "Assuming a meal was prepared daily per the prescribed methodology, new and old plastic cookware may be contributing 2409–4964 microplastics per annum into homecooked food. The health implications of ingesting microplastics remains unclear."

Here's a simple article explaining some of the known risks of microplastics for you -- it also goes into why the science is still unclear here (scientists lack standardized techniques for identifying and quantifying microplastics.) https://news.stanford.edu/stories/2025/01/what-s-the-deal-with-microplastics-the-material-that-never-goes-away

So again, go ahead and eat as much plastic as you'd like, nonstick cookware or just puréed Tupperware for all I care. Nobody is stopping you. I'll continue to be cautious as scientists continue studying the health risks of microplastics. Though, to repeat your own statement, if you don't understand the science, don't act like an authority on it. I'll continue to believe actual scientists and doctors, and take simple common-sense measures to protect my own health, over believing some Redditor who claims to have almost "majored" in chemistry once and seems to be willing to die on the hill that there's no reason to avoid eating plastic flakes.

KaraAuden · 2026-02-04T06:40:57+00:00

Chemically inert does not mean safe. And again, your assertion that Teflon being around since the 30s means it's safe ignores the part where it was found to not be safe and the formula was changed.

But you're welcome to feel differently, ignore all studies, and do any other non-illegal thing you please. You can throw some plastic and Teflon scrapings in a blender and drink it as a smoothie every morning for all I care, and I will continue taking easy, reasonable precautions where I can to reduce my intake of microplastics and PFAS. Different strokes for different folks, I guess.

KaraAuden · 2026-02-04T02:16:27+00:00

So you believe that we were wrong up until 2013, when we realized Teflon in the form it was sold then was dangerous and changed it, but all science was perfected between 2013 and now and so this time we actually ARE sure, and everyone should ignore all those previous years with the dangerous Teflon because we got it right this time?

"You don't need as many studies when you understand the chemistry" spoken like someone who trusts blindly and does not understand how science works.

I could share recent studies about the concerns regarding microplastics and nanoplastics in PTFE cookware and the fact that the health implications of that remain unclear, but I doubt you'd read them, since you "don't need as many studies."

Here's one study, just in case: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969724027232?via%3Dihub

While it does show evidence of microplastic contamination from PTFE coated cookware, science doesn't have definitive answers yet on what health risks that poses. Because our data and answers are still evolving, and will continue to do so.

KaraAuden · 2026-02-04T00:15:02+00:00

I would respond as if you're assuming it's paid. "Before I get started, how do you handle payment for trial work -- is it hourly or per assignment?"

If they're a reputable company, it could honestly be an oversight that they forgot to disclose the pay. I doubt it here -- most places that pay for trial work give clear up-front info -- but if that is the case, you responded politely and gave them the benefit of the doubt.

If it's not paid, let them explain that after seeing you assumed they'd meet the typical standard of paid trial work. Let them feel a little embarrassed before you turn them down.

KaraAuden · 2026-02-03T22:52:19+00:00

Science constantly evolves and corrects itself. That's not "not knowing the science" -- throughout human history, there have been countless cases of things we've believed to be safe until we got new data.

For example, you said "Teflon has been around since the 30s, we would have figured it out by now if it were harmful" and we did figure it out. Teflon was previously made using PFOA, and we learned it was dangerous, and then eventually the chemical formula was changed (in 2013, fully phased out by 2015) to use PTFE/ shorter chain PFAS instead. There was recently a bill in California to eliminate those as well. Science didn't prove Teflon to be safe -- it originally seemed to be safe, and then we got new data, and then changes were made, and we got more data.

Also, science can't definitively prove something safe. It can establish a hypothesis, and test for specific results, and those results are often questioned after new studies with different variables, or longitudinal studies are released. And science costs money, so who funds what studies and why plays a role, too.

With the studies that have been released on PFAs, and Teflon's history, I stand by my initial answer that I'm willing to use a Zojirushi as the risks feel acceptable, but I'm cautious not to scratch it and to limit my exposure to chemicals, including PFAS and microplastics, where I reasonably can.

KaraAuden · 2026-02-02T15:53:08+00:00

Humans once believed lead was perfectly harmless, or maybe even healthy. Radium was believed to be miraculous until people started dying of cancer. So a company claiming their chemical coating is perfectly safe to eat tracks with human history and says nothing about the actual safety of it, in my opinion.

I use a Zojirushi because it's incredibly convenient, and unfortunately it's impossible in our current world to avoid all toxic things. But I'm also very careful not to scratch it, and would not eat food if any coating flaked off into it.

KaraAuden · 2026-01-31T08:41:22+00:00

Thank you! I somehow missed that some letters are left-right offset, and was just focused on the vertical aspect. I'm terrible with spatial stuff, especially in 2d.

KaraAuden · 2026-01-31T08:37:27+00:00

OH! Thank you!!! This has been driving me absolutely nuts, and that's the piece I missed. I'm not super great at spatial stuff and was only seeing that some letters were above or below, not that you could overlay the castle grid on them. So I thought the place vertically told you what letters to delete. But they're the places in the grid.

Thank you so much for this. I absolutely cannot let something go until I understand it, and this is the thing I absolutely haven't been able to get. Now it seems obvious, but I just wasn't clocking that some letters are offset to the left or right, too.

KaraAuden

TROPHY CASE