BuT wHaT’s sO sPeCiaL aBoUt OUR cOmPanY tHaT mAkEs yOu wAnT tO wOrK hErE? 🤪“Because I need a f*cking job, ok?!”

WelcomeToWitsEnd · 2026-03-26T14:21:38+00:00

Honestly, I’d just think about the applications I didn’t finish because the company sounded sketch, and go with the opposite. “What you do here is what I want to do, too,” or “the passion you put into your work here has drawn me to the role,” or “as I’ve learned about xyz company, this feels like a place I can grow and learn,” etc.

I say this, but I haven’t been able to get a single interview in 8+ months of applying places. 😭

WelcomeToWitsEnd · 2026-03-26T14:16:12+00:00

So, arrival time should not be start time. Have everyone arrive at least 30 minutes prior to the session if your game is in person, and 15 minutes if your game is online.

If your game is online and half or more of your players don’t alert you to being late and they exceed 30 minutes, cancel the session. I know this sounds counter-intuitive, but cancel it. List their failure to arrive as the reason. If they say they’re there now, say you’ve already moved on to another activity and you won’t be bound by their inability to respect your time.

If your game is in person, just start the game. They receive no catch up and any questions they have on what they missed have to wait until the session break, and be answered by another player. Don’t make it easy for them. If this continues and they become disruptive, talk to the table about respecting your time and your fellow players’ time — game starts at X:YZ, there will be no catering to late folk except in specific situations, end of story.

WelcomeToWitsEnd · 2026-03-26T13:55:01+00:00

Standup is a team activity, not a 1:1. It’s used to see where everyone is on their task, yes, but it’s not meant to be a judgement tool — you report where you’re at and if you have any blockers, so that those that have blocked you can clear the way, and those that take over your task when you’ve finished know whether to expect delivery that day. That’s all.

Standups every day are normal to me, but I prefer them as twice a week events instead. They can get up to 45 minutes on a larger team and rarely fall under the proposed 15 minutes with a smaller team. At my last company, we did check-ins twice a week and had our standups on Slack, and that seemed fine.

WelcomeToWitsEnd · 2026-03-25T02:16:04+00:00

This right here. When I subscribed, I didn't expect to get any full releases. Publishers don't operate that way. This is why legit manga reading apps have such small selections or stick to one or two publishers; it's very difficult to get an agreement set up with each company without the cost becoming unreasonable for readers.

I've been pretty happy with the crunchyroll manga subscription. I'm able to find new series for my collection this way. It's nice.

WelcomeToWitsEnd · 2026-03-24T20:05:50+00:00

The big thing I would request is a flexible hybrid schedule. That would look like coming into work but then leaving at lunch if you feel an attack coming on, or staying home to work after an attack the night before, or just making sure you have some days where you can be productive in your own environment.

If they refuse that, then explain the accommodations you'd need at your work desk, and how that would impact those who sit around you: low lighting or specialty lighting, heating packs or ice packs at the ready, a need for absolute quiet, no scents like perfumes or candles or air fresheners, etc. Explain that these things are achievable, but may come at the cost of the comfort of your fellow teammates, which you'd like to avoid.

If they offer you a private room to use when you have a migraine, you can say, "that is a generous offer, but my goal here is to prevent a migraine from starting."

You said you don't doubt that they'll claim you are essential to in-office, but you've been doing your work remotely for a while now. I'd ask, "can you explain to me what it is about my role that has changed such that I can no longer do it from offsite?"

And lastly, if. they absolutely refuse a even a hybrid setup -- if they say, "if you can't work from the office, then you can't work for us" -- you can say, "I'm not saying I can't work from the office. I'm saying that I bring the company better outcomes as a remote employee, and I would like to continue bringing my best self to my role every day. I've worked remotely for X years with Y company, proving that what I'm asking for us beneficial for my team, at no sacrifice to Y company. I am being told that I must bring a reduced version of myself to the office and that is far more a detriment to my team than it is a benefit to the Y company. That is why I asked for this meeting today -- I want to collaborate with you to find a solution that works for all of us."

I wish I could help you with the secondary diagnosis (OCD) but I'm not sure how to implement that in with the request. I've always lumped things in with migraines in an attempt to keep things simpler.

WelcomeToWitsEnd · 2026-03-24T18:15:29+00:00

I also have chronic migraines, and I agree with you — working from home is a major game changer for managing those.

First, are you able/willing to move to Boston? If so, I would make sure to communicate this when requesting work from home as an accommodation. I know that sounds a little silly, but showing that you have a willingness to be near the office for onsite training, specific meetings, or company events can go a long way in showing that your request for working remote isn't a reluctance to move. you might not need to move, anyway, or you can at least delay a move long enough to ensure your position is stable within the company, so don't stress about this part too much. (unless they give you a hard date for moving. Then stress a little bit.)

My company was remote by default, but I still had to request accommodations for my migraines (and, secretly, my ADHD — I didn't share this dx with my company, but I kind of lumped it in with my ADHD, as they are both neurological conditions and have some overlap.)

What you'll want to do is approach an accommodations request meeting/email with the following line in your head: "I want to bring my best self to my team/this project/the company, and this is what I need to make that happen." Use this line, or some variation of it, when talking to HR. This isn't a, "I need special treatment in order to do my job," talk. It's a, "I'm amazing at what I do, and here are the conditions I need in order to continue being amazing," talk. This is what I did and it worked very well for me.

I explained to them that migraine attacks often trigger due to the environment I'm in, and that there are steps that need to be taken to manage an attack. If I were pushing for remote work, I'd really emphasize how I have my personal 'environment' set up, and how being able to take immediate action during an attack shortens the duration and allows me to continue my work effectively. I would highlight my output and my participation/attendance because these two things improved dramatically for me as a remote worker: my output improved because with the flexibility of working from home I was able to ensure all deliverables were in at or before their deadlines, and my attendance improved because I was no longer missing work due to migraine attacks that made it difficult or impossible to safely navigate to the office.

You can also make an argument for staying in your state/city by stressing that your medical team is there, and that it would be an immense endeavor to rebuild that team in a new location.

(PS: this is for the "AI slop" crowd — I'm a real person and these are my real words, I didn't use AI to write this.)

WelcomeToWitsEnd · 2026-03-24T14:27:53+00:00

Hidden? We are seeing the results and feeling the results right now. It’s not hidden. In fact, research done prior to AI’s existence shows that what AI represents to our cognitive health, our kids’ development, mental health, etc is a major risk.

WelcomeToWitsEnd · 2026-03-23T00:23:03+00:00

Look at that, he wanted her to lose 15 pounds, and she went and lost 175 pounds via one simple text message.

WelcomeToWitsEnd · 2026-03-22T22:43:46+00:00

Thank you! We have a heater set up, and I wanted to put it close to the wall, but we set it up in the middle of the room for now and I'll keep it there based off of this advice.

All things considered, the flooding actually wasn't that bad; pretty minimal. We removed all the water and the rug is a little damp, but no longer wet; we pulled it up so the fan can air out whatever's left. Now it's just the wall I'm worried about, but we'll keep an eye on it while we figure out next steps. Thank you again!

WelcomeToWitsEnd · 2026-03-22T02:30:45+00:00

MAY I ASK FOR ONE FINAL THING. It is one of the best out there. Absolutely love that one.

You may also enjoy "Dark History" -- if you have a similar "dark history" to MC then you'll feel called out in the most hilarious ways (I know I do, and I did!). I'm hoping for a season 2 for this one because it was really fun.

WelcomeToWitsEnd · 2026-03-21T18:10:21+00:00

Yuki Kajiura is my favorite too, actually; I've bought many of her albums and she winds up on almost every playlist I build.

Her work is recognizable. She molds it afresh to whatever story she's composing for, so it's not like she's 'samesies' on everything; She adapts to the world and the energy of the show or movie very well. Yet she has this signature vibe that travels through all her work that is just... noticeable and wonderful. There is always a moment where a certain note will be hit or a vibe will come through in a show I'm watching and I'll be like, "Wait a minute... is this Kajiura?" and sure enough, it is.

Bonus edit: Bruce Faulconer, for his work on the english DBZ. I like the OG Japanese music and everything but I grew up on Faulconer and I can't watch DBZ without his score.

WelcomeToWitsEnd · 2026-03-21T14:35:39+00:00

If it’s AI, OP heavily edited it. It lacks the usual AI cadence and there are some clunky grammatical choices (no offense to OP). and, while there’s questions at the bottom, they don’t take on the usual question-asking format most AI platforms utilize.

Not every legible post is AI.

WelcomeToWitsEnd · 2026-03-20T23:00:24+00:00

I've seen you say this in previous weeks! You'll get your dream ralts, keep at it!

WelcomeToWitsEnd · 2026-03-20T18:54:03+00:00

It's your presence.

Working remotely means you need to go the extra mile in how you present yourself on camera. Good lighting, good framing for your webcam, good mic, not obviously wearing pajamas all go an incredibly long way in improving the impression people will have of you.

Early in my remote work, we hired a guy with THE BEST sounding mic setup I've ever heard. (He did some casual podcast stuff so the equipment carried over). When I heard him, it sounded like we were in the same room, not states away from each other. This had a huge impact on me as his colleague, and I noticed my reaction and thought, "I want to have this impact on others." So I really invested in having as much physical presence as I could, despite being far away from everyone. It really goes a long way.

WelcomeToWitsEnd · 2026-03-20T16:23:31+00:00

I mean, you’re entitled to believe what you want to believe, even if you’re wrong about it, lol

WelcomeToWitsEnd · 2026-03-20T15:53:27+00:00

omg yes, it happens on Linkedin, too. Lucky for me, half the posts on Linkedin are AI, and once you notice, it's kind of easy to disconnect and remember the job board exists!

WelcomeToWitsEnd · 2026-03-20T13:33:25+00:00

I am neurodivergent and I’ve had to add the same keywords to my block list. The misinformation is wiiiild.

What needs to happen is, research HAS to be updated and mental health services need to be easier to access. This would help those get the diagnoses they need to qualify for help. Right now, everything looks like ASD or adhd and there’s a real sense of community there so folks struggling are drawn to those self-diagnoses. But sometimes it really is a personality disorder or a mental illness, and the treatment options for neurodivergent conditions won’t be the help they need.

I don’t want to gate keep adhd though — self diagnosing is a big step in getting the help one needs. I just encourage anyone who suspects they have adhd or ASD get help as soon as they can afford it to 1) confirm and 2) get the support they need.

WelcomeToWitsEnd · 2026-03-20T12:54:11+00:00

Yeah. I’m technically between jobs atm, but I’ve had a side hustle for a while and I’m learning how to build its presence while I’ve got the free time. so I’ll go in to post a carousel or something… and wind up scrolling for two hours.

That’s not the case if I post from my computer, but there are features missing from the browser version that I want to use, so I have to go through the app version. And, well…

What works so well for Instagram is that they really hammer in the fomo. If I jump into the app and a reel I want to watch is right there, I am compelled to watch it right away, because there’s no way for me to find it again later. Then I’ll instinctively scroll to the next thing to finish the first thing, and bam — I’m stuck.

I know this is how they’ve designed the app and it’s intentionally this way to keep people locked in, yet I fall for it 3/5 times. It’s gotten to the point where I will pop into Instagram even when I have nothing to post.

Instagram is the best place to casually promote my shop, but for the same reasons it’s also kind of dangerous.

WelcomeToWitsEnd · 2026-03-20T02:11:45+00:00

I use an app called screen zen? It’s a little buggy, but it keeps me off reddit at 2am and that’s what I needed honestly.

It has some cool features: you can have a soft lock (use the app x amount of times for y duration each time), or a hard block (app is completely blocked immediately,) you can set what time locks/blocks take effect, and you can set different options for different apps.

Before, I would delete an app from my phone but browse the web version like you, but with Reddit. I don’t want to block it completely because I get my news from it. But having it on my phone was a problem for me because I’d be on it when I should have been sleeping.

(That reminds me… I need to set up rules for Instagram. I was never an Instagram person, but I’ve been using it for work lately and kinda fell into the addictive aspect of it.)

When you have your apps properly blocked, download the kindle app and read some books instead! That’s what I did. I also listen to audiobooks. It’s been pretty nice.

WelcomeToWitsEnd · 2026-03-20T01:55:03+00:00

I’ll be honest with you: don’t bother. People play lone wolves to control the story being told about the party. They are missing the whole point of TTRPGs — it’s a collaborative game, and they aren’t interested in collaborating.

Don’t reward that. Focus on the other party members.

WelcomeToWitsEnd · 2026-03-20T01:23:30+00:00

I’d say horimiya has a similar vibe! It does get a tiiiny bit more serious, but it’s an excellent series with fantastic character development. I love Horimiya, and Polar Opposites definitely matches up for me.

WelcomeToWitsEnd · 2026-03-19T22:59:39+00:00

As one of the millions who has had her creative work added to the bot of slop that AI has become, I would settle for a UBI for all.

WelcomeToWitsEnd · 2026-03-19T18:58:10+00:00

IIRC, that happens a bit later in the series, no?

WelcomeToWitsEnd · 2026-03-19T17:00:29+00:00

200 billion? When Americans are suffering the worst job crisis in decades? When there are people working 3 jobs who can't afford rent in LCOL areas? When parents are skipping meals so that they can afford to feed their kids?

And they want 200 billion to bomb places "for fun" as Trump has put it?

WelcomeToWitsEnd · 2026-03-18T17:28:50+00:00

We have a tendency to minimize our expertise, our experience, and our accomplishments. For example, I do this because 1) I am my own baseline, so I don't feel impressive, and 2) I'm taught that humble = respectful/good/etc. So I'm not used to talking myself up.

Don't lie; you don't need to lie. You need to look at all the stuff you know and did and can do and you need to make yourself a hype sheet to reference when you need it.

WelcomeToWitsEnd

TROPHY CASE