26M Planning to play board games today if anyone is down. It's a restaurant near kennedy station. I can just bring board games.

Hi, Our recent partnership has made our strategy team come up with some questions, i decided to share em here so we can get more response;

1. Have you visited or ordered from a restaurant with more than one location and realized the price of the same meal were different in the different location [e.g Burger Hug had burger sold at $10.50 at Chicago and that same burger from Burger Hug is sold at $11.50 at New York]

If yes, what was your reaction. If no, how would you feel if you found yourself in such situation.

1. How much of a difference was the price
   
2. On the quality; was it same taste or it had a difference
   

Our Intro… (What brought about the survey)
We finally moved forward with Domino. This move will expose us to being brand present in - 29 outlets and - 8 locations
Furthermore, we shall take charge of sourcing out raw materials from our farm and partnered farm.
Looking forward, we believe it’s one thing to have a business idea, it’s another thing to know how to execute it, it’s also another thing to have those who will become customers.
This is expected to 1. Increase our farm activities to over 300% to enable fulfilling of all raw materials request

1. Grow our existing database from over 3,500 to 50,000 in few months
   
2. Fast-track our expansion rate by over 200%
   
3. Out profit rate by 300%
   

Thank You

Hi, Our recent partnership has made our strategy team come up with some questions, i decided to share em here so we can get more response;

1. Have you visited or ordered from a restaurant with more than one location and realized the price of the same meal were different in the different location [e.g Burger Hug had burger sold at $10.50 at Chicago and that same burger from Burger Hug is sold at $11.50 at New York]

If yes, what was your reaction. If no, how would you feel if you found yourself in such situation.

1. How much of a difference was the price
   
2. On the quality; was it same taste or it had a difference
   

Our Intro… (What brought about the survey)
We finally moved forward with Domino. This move will expose us to being brand present in - 29 outlets and - 8 locations
Furthermore, we shall take charge of sourcing out raw materials from our farm and partnered farm.
Looking forward, we believe it’s one thing to have a business idea, it’s another thing to know how to execute it, it’s also another thing to have those who will become customers.
This is expected to 1. Increase our farm activities to over 300% to enable fulfilling of all raw materials request

1. Grow our existing database from over 3,500 to 50,000 in few months
   
2. Fast-track our expansion rate by over 200%
   
3. Out profit rate by 300%
   

Thank You

Hi, Our recent partnership has made our strategy team come up with some questions, i decided to share em here so we can get more response;

1. Have you visited or ordered from a restaurant with more than one location and realized the price of the same meal were different in the different location [e.g Burger Hug had burger sold at $10.50 at Chicago and that same burger from Burger Hug is sold at $11.50 at New York]

If yes, what was your reaction. If no, how would you feel if you found yourself in such situation.

1. How much of a difference was the price
   
2. On the quality; was it same taste or it had a difference
   

Our Intro…
We finally moved forward with Domino. This move will expose us to being brand present in - 29 outlets and - 8 locations
Furthermore, we shall take charge of sourcing out raw materials from our farm and partnered farm.
Looking forward, we believe it’s one thing to have a business idea, it’s another thing to know how to execute it, it’s also another thing to have those who will become customers.
This is expected to 1. Increase our farm activities to over 300% to enable fulfilling of all raw materials request

1. Grow our existing database from over 3,500 to 50,000 in few months
   
2. Fast-track our expansion rate by over 200%
   
3. Out profit rate by 300%
   

Thank You

I did a money diary this exact week last year about signing the offer letter for the company I work at now. I ended up getting a 5K COL adjustment (62k > 67k) once I moved to Philly. I expressed in the previous journal that I was worried about my taxes since I moved states and work for an NYC company from PA. As many suggested in the comments, it ended up being pretty simple (I used FreeTaxUSA).
SECTION ONE: ASSETS AND DEBT
Retirement Balance - $31,400. A mix of Roth IRA, 401(k), and traditional brokerage.
Equity - N/A
Savings account balance - $11,600 in Emergency Funds; $7,500 in a HYSA that I saved up during college and will use to pay off my student loans when payments resume this summer. Because of this, I consider myself debt free.
Checking account balance - $900; I had a $600 sinking fund for my food/shopping/entertainment in Paris, but I got $300 in cash birthday gifts.
Credit card debt (and how you accumulated it) - $0; I pay my cards off regularly.
Student loan debt - $7,500 for a Political Science and Social Policy Degree with a minor in English. I got a full-tuition scholarship, but had small gaps in aid during my first two years because my school required underclassmen to have on-campus housing and a meal plan.
—
SECTION TWO: INCOME
Income Progression: I’ve been at this job 9 months, make $67k, and it’s great. The people, the work, the benefits. It’s my first post-college, salaried position. I have pretty much no complaints about it and am hoping to get a merit raise during our summer evaluations.
Main Job Monthly Take Home: $3,400 (paid semi-monthly)
$1200/mo in total taxes (fed, state, local, SSI/med); $1000/mo to 401(k); Employer pays 100% of health premiums.
No other income currently, no parental contributions, etc.
—
SECTION THREE: EXPENSES (my portions, I live with a roommate)
Rent - $750/mo. Renewing in May; hoping it stays the same or doesn’t increase dramatically
Retirement/Investment contribution - $540/mo to Roth IRA (401(k) contributions detailed in the Income section).
Savings contribution - $460/mo to sinking funds, $200/mo to General Savings/Emergency Fund
Debt payments - None besides regular payments to my cards
Donations - $80/mo to whatever feels right
Food - ~$500/mo ($300 groceries + <$200 dining out)
Electric - $75/mo
Wifi - $65/mo
Cellphone - $300/yr (Mint Mobile)
Renter’s Insurance - $100/yr
Subscriptions - $8/mo; $7 for Apple Music and $1 for iCloud Storage
Annual Subscriptions - $380/yr; $190 for Credit Card Annual Fees; $165 for ScentBird Subscription; $25 for Google Storage
Gym Membership - $10/mo; $50/yr for Annual Membership Fee
I started on a health journey last June (lost 50+ lbs!). Back then, I was in search of any kind of fitness that I would enjoy and actually go to. I ended up getting a $190/mo membership (2 classes/wk) to a RUMBLE (HIIT Boxing) studio and went 2x a week from June - Nov. In December, I bought a flat-fee holiday package that made my classes cheaper ($19/cls vs $23/cls) and more flexible, so I froze my subscription and got a 30 class package.
In January, I started strength training 4x/wk at Planet Fitness and went down to 1x/week at RUMBLE. I love my current routine, but PF and RUMBLE are both a 35 min walk from my house, and I go to the gym early in the morning. So, I’m considering joining the closer (<10 min walk), but more expensive ($72/mo) gym soon.
I’m still slowly burning through the RUMBLE holiday package and plan to cancel my subscription. I’m hoping they do a summer sale so I can buy another class package. If not, I’ll just buy classes ad hoc after I run out.
No pet, car, or therapy expenses currently.
—
SECTION FOUR: MONEY/TRAVEL DIARY
ACCOMMODATIONS
The flight and accommodations for this flight were booked in September after getting an email from Going (formerly Scott’s Cheap Flights) about $500 tickets to Paris the exact weekend of my birthday. I stayed in a Sonder that I also booked back in September for about $480. I bought a $30, 5 GB international eSIM from Airalo. I was able to post on social media, send iMessages, and check my bank accounts with no problems and no extra data needed.
​
Day 1
Today is payday and the beginning of my week off. I clear my credit cards, invest my Roth deposit, and go to the gym.
After the gym, I pick up last minute toiletries ($45.35) and plane snacks ($21.48). I end up on a wild goose chase looking for a Universal Adapter ($34.39), so I get McDonald's (I wanted a Shamrock Shake) while I’m out ($9.15 - this feels expensive for McDonald's?)
My mom gives me a call around 8pm and asks if I’ve checked my bank account. Today was payday, so I had, but not since early that morning. She gifted me $200! After, I spend three hours retwisting my locs and go to bed around midnight.
Day 1 Spend - $108.37
​
Day 2
Today is Sims 4 Expansion Pack (and flight to Paris) day! I can’t install the game until 1PM ET. Lame.I do one last check to ensure I have everything I need, transfer my Paris Sinking Fund ($600) into my checking account, and then play the Sims to pass the time. At 4, I take the Regional Rail to the airport.
I breeze through TSA and read Another Country by James Baldwin until boarding begins. Upon boarding, I’m stopped and informed that my carry-on is “too big.” They were clearly picking people at random to move their bags because as the woman walked down the jet bridge with my bag, she rolled it past a man who had the exact same suitcase as me in another color. Annoying.
They don’t give me a chance to take out my laptop and snacks, this is my first time traveling internationally, I triple checked the sizing requirements, so this stressed me out. I was terrified of my bag getting lost. I vent to my best friend about the bag situation; she helps me calm down. Once we’re airborne, I spend the next 6 hours rotating between reading, watching Wakanda Forever, and listening to music.
Day 2 Spend - $0
​
Day 3 (my birthday!)
We land in Dublin at 8am, and I activate my international eSIM. I see my older brother gifted me $100 via Cash App. Even though it was just a quick layover, being in Ireland on St. Patrick’s Day made me happy. The Irish were teeming with happiness and excitement. I board my second flight and land in Paris at 1pm, finally am reunited with my bag, and get to the section of town I’m staying in via train ($12.18).
While I wait for a friend to arrive on the train from London, I try French McDonalds per the recommendation of my best friend ($14.95 - seriously, why the hell is McDonalds so expensive?)
Friend arrives and we explore Paris! We then stop at a bakery, I grab a pain au chocolat ($1.60) and slip into a bar nearby. My friend lets everyone know it’s my birthday, and they buy us lots of rounds of shots and drinks. My friend closes the tab for the couple of drinks we actually ordered, and we head to a club that’s having a St. Patrick’s Day party around the corner.
I later try to redeem my Starbucks birthday item, but the barista gently lets me know it’s not valid in France. However, he throws in a free refresher and my friend buys me a blueberry muffin. We head back to the hotel so I can freshen up and change into my birthday dress. We take a nap and head back out for the night on the train ($8.96 RT for 2). We have dinner at a delicious restaurant, which my friend pays for.
Our last stop of the night is an Afro-Caribbean spot that has great music and friendly staff. I tell the bartender it’s my birthday and ask for a drink recommendation. He makes some spicy concoction in a gold bowl with peppers. It’s quite delicious but is strong and makes my nose run! The staff gifts me at least two more shots, and I decide to call it quits on alcohol for the night after that. We dance and laugh the night away with the friendly staff, and I pick up the tab before we leave ($27.81).
Day 3 Spend - $65.50
​
Day 4
My friend has been teasing a surprise and finally reveals it’s Disneyland! I laugh and realize I hadn’t disclosed the rest of my itinerary — I have a Disneyland reservation for Monday (after my friends went home)! However, I booked a non-park hopper ticket for Walt Disney Studios, so I’m excited to be able to experience them both thanks to my friend!
We had a late, drunk night last night so we started the day a bit late. Grabbed a quick brunch ($6.74) and head to Chessy via the train ($19.68). We got Premier Access (skip the line/lightning lane) for a handful of rides ($79.15), I bought some Stitch merch ($21.39), and we got ice cream ($5.35).
After a few hours at Disney, we head back to Paris to meet up with one of my friends from college who also lives in London. He’s a hyperextrovert and is ready to hit the town immediately. We wanted to go to the Eiffel Tower, but missed the last bus and grabbed dinner nearby ($89.96). My friend from high school started feeling a bit sick, so she went back to the hotel and my college buddy and I spend the night bar hopping, dancing, chatting, and eating until 3am ($37.44).
Day 4 Spend - $259.71
​
Day 5
Both friends head back to London today but at different times. I start the day a bit late after saying goodbye to my high school friend.
My college friend and I grab breakfast at a nearby restaurant ($41.18). After that, we head out to explore an area of the city near the train station so it’s easy for him to board the 5pm train. We grab some pastries and a baguette ($11.66) and set out to explore. We saw the lock bridge, Arc de Triomphe, took goofy photos, visited the Notre Dame restoration exhibit, and danced alongside a drum parade.
On the walk back to my room, I check my email to see I missed the Eiffel Tower climbing tour I scheduled back in September. I go back to the room, let my phone charge, and pay a fee to reschedule the tour ($10.70). I head out to see the Eiffel and other tourists sites via a Sundown Seine river cruise ($8.99 for 4 bus tickets).
After a few hours, I’m beat and head back to the Sonder. I got a Poke Bowl from a French/Hawaiian/Sushi fusion place we passed by last night and some chicken wings ($22.89). I spend the rest of the night relaxing.
Day 5 Spend - $95.42
​
Day 6
I really want to sleep in, but the Climbing tour doesn’t allow cancellations within 24 hours and charge no-shows. I head out around 9:30 am. Despite being tired and annoyed, the tour was great. I have a lunch Steakhouse reservation at 2:30pm at Disney, so I’m sort of in a rush and happy the tour ends right on time at 12:30. I hop on the train ($10.70 RT tickets) and make it to Disneyland at 1:30 pm.
With an hour before my reservation, I stop into a bunch of stores and buy merch ($70.60). I make my way to The Steakhouse for lunch ($37.44). I am stuffed, so I walk a couple laps around Walt Disney Studios to get a lay of the land, take photos, and walk off lunch before indulging in some shows and rides.
A couple hours go by and I grab some dessert ($4.28) and rent a portable charger ($4.28). I wanted to ride Crush’s Coaster before my dinner reservation, but it had a crazy wait time and premier access sold out for the day, so I buy premier access for and ride Avenger’s Flight Force instead ($12.84), return the portable charger, and head to dinner at Bistrot Chez Remy ($58.83).
I stay until 9:30 pm for the light show, have snacks ($9.63), then head back to the hotel to shower, pack, and sleep.
Day 6 Spend - $208.60
​
Day 7
I have a protein bar for breakfast, check out at 10am, and grab a final ticket ($12.29) to the airport. I start to feel lightheaded and try to drink some water, but it doesn’t help much. So, I get McDonalds ($8.91) before boarding my flight and feel a lot better. I grab a Kinder ($1.72) from a nearby store because I’d never tried one. Amazing!
I am excited to get home and get back into my normal meal prep and exercise routine. I make it back to Philly at 7pm. I take a shower and go straight to bed.
Day 7 Spend - $22.71
—
Week Total - $760.52
Food + Drink - $406.74
Fun / Entertainment - $194.68 (shopping, tour reschedule, premier lanes)
Home + Health - $34.39 (universal adapter)
Clothes + Beauty - $45.35 (last minute toiletries)
Transport - $72.80
Other - $4.28 (portable charger rental)
—
Lastly, reflect on your diary!
While I’d never spend close to this in a normal week, celebrating my birthday in a way I enjoy is very important to me. I’m excited to travel more in the future.
I feel like I spent too much money on individual transport tickets; I should’ve brought the booklet of 10. But $73 for a bunch of days is still pretty cheap. I had a sinking fund of $600 originally, but the cash gifts from my mom and brother increased it to $900.
Overall, Paris was cheaper than I expected. I was worried $600 wouldn’t be enough. I picked up the tab a lot of places since there wasn’t an easy way for us to split the bill in multiple currencies (USD, pounds, euros), and I’m trying to hit the minimum spend on a new credit card. Had I been more willing to figure out bill splitting, I probably could've stayed under $600.
Relatedly - this trip inspired me to revisit my goal of becoming fully fluent in Spanish. French-speakers were visibly irritated when I spoke English (which I wasn’t upset about and expected). I did practice some French (beyond the basics like bonjour and merci) with my sister before the trip, but it always came out sounding like Spanish. So, after the first day, I resorted to starting conversations in Spanish.
If they spoke Spanish, great! However, many were caught off guard and didn’t speak Spanish, so I would then ask, in Spanish, if they spoke English, then converse in English — which made them noticeably nicer. Definitely gonna work on brushing up my Spanish and work towards fluency. I eventually want to learn French and ASL, too.

They woke up in an old shack in the middle of Boney Island.
"Darn, we should've been on guard for shenanigans" said Jason.
"Is it really just us left?" asked Sasha in wonder.
"Yep, we're the Final Four, I guess" said Amethyst.
​
Amethyst: Wow, the Final Four. I can’t believe it, I’m so close!
Jason: I think I’m pretty much in the clear now. I just have to steel myself for any squeamish challenges, and that one million dollars is as good as mine!
Mabel: This is all so exciting! I bet Dipper and the others are going crazy seeing me here in the finale!
Sasha: Everybody left earned their place here in the Finale. Now, I’ve gotta give it my all and earn that one million dollars!
They stretched and warmed up, and met up on the beach. Jason figured out by flying up that they were on Boney Island. Jason tensed as he heard movement in the bushes.
Chef emerged in warpaint. "Campers! I am proud to say you have made it to the Final Four! Your most grueling challenge will now commence, and here's how it all starts: The first leg is a race back to Wawanakwa, but there's only one canoe here on Boney Island: A map of the island shows where the canoe is and I have the only copy. You have to beat me before-"
Mabel knocked him out cold with the grappling gun. Sasha shook her head in amusement. "Kakashi-sensei, you're not, Master Chief, but we will not fail you or your training. Sasha grabbed the map, scanned it and then ran off into the jungle, her gear letting her glide among the trees.
Chef had to smile as Sasha disappeared into the jungle. The other three finalists quickly gave chase. Jason and Amethyst, with their powers now back at full, raced away into the thickets, while Mabel used her grappling gun to make like Tarzan and glided from tree to tree.
Sasha found the canoe first, but she realized it was too big for her to carry alone onto shore, so she thought of a plan. Jason and Mabel arrived soon after, and Sasha thought of a plan.
“Guys, with her powers, Amethyst is the one to beat. We’ve gotta team up against her or else she’ll flatten us!”
Jason nodded. “That makes sense, Sasha. Alright, it’s three against Amethyst”
“Hooray for conniving!” yelled Mabel.
Sasha: I needed to know if I was as good at manipulation as my fellow Corpsmen. I needed to see if I was powerful enough to twist their minds and make them fight each other. Especially Jason and Amethyst. They’re practically gods compared to Mabel and me.
They made it to the shoreline. Mabel hopped on as Sasha and Jason pushed the canoe into the water.
“Aren’t you guys forgetting someone?” asked a voice behind them.
Sasha froze. Even Jason was tense. They were not fighting some villainous enemy, either of them. They were conniving against someone who had been a friend to them.
No! yelled Eren’s voice in her head. This is a competition!
Amethyst laughed. “Oh, I get it. Welp, it was fun pretending we were all in this together, but I guess now it’s time to let the rocks tumble”
“We don’t wanna fight you, Amethyst!” Sasha yelled.
“Oh, I wouldn’t want to fight me, neither!”
Amethyst morphed into a gigantic wrestler, and sucker punched Jason just as he flew in to try and poof her. He sailed backwards into the sand and landed with a sickening thud. Sasha screamed, but Mabel was quicker. She aimed and fired her grappling hook at Amethyst’s leg, entwining it in its cord. Sasha grabbed onto the gun and pulled with all her might, sending Amethyst tumbling over them, pushing the canoe into the water.
The canoe drifted away back to Wawanakwa, leaving Jason and Amethyst behind.
“Whew. I’m glad it’s just the two of us, Mabel! We were screwed if those two got a foothold on us.”
“Yeah. Thanks a lot, Sasha!” They paddled as hard as they could towards Wawanakwa.
Chris: Wow! Our underdogs are really kicking it in all cylinders! I’m here at Wawanakwa with the families and friends of our four finalists. They’re here to give them all the cheering and support they’ll need to win! Let’s start with Amethyst’s family from Beach City. Sierra and Topher, you’re on!
Sierra: Thanks, Chris! We’re here with the Gem Community from Beach City here by the campfire!
Topher: That’s right, Sierra. Pearl, we know you didn’t expect Amethyst to win the Wildcard, let alone make the Finals. What do you and the rest of Beach City have to say?
Pearl: Oh, Amethyst, we are so proud! You held your tongue and got by using your wits! Now, there’s only four of you left and I know they don’t stand a chance against OUR Amethyst!
Garnet: Show them the might of the Crystal Gems
Peridot: GET ‘EM, AMETHYST, YOU CAN DO IT!
Bismuth: You got ‘em on the ropes, Deep-Cut! Knock them out!
Steven: Everybody at the Kindergarden’s cheering for you, Amethyst!
Carnelian: Go, sis!
Skinny: You rock!
Holly Blue: Go, Earth Team! Ugh, what am I even saying?
Jasper: SHOW THEM WHAT EARTH GEMS ARE MADE OF, AMETHYST!
Blue Diamond: (on a holoscreen) Do us proud, Amethyst!
Yellow Diamond: Divide and conquer them, that’s the way to do it!
White Diamond: Is this some sort of Earth entertainment activity? How delightful. Go for it, Amethyst!
Spinel: We’re sending you virtual hugs from light-years away!
Ronaldo: I knew you were a lock on for the finals, Amethyst! All the theories were pointing at you!
Beach City Citizens: AMETHYST! AMETHYST! AMETHYST! AMETHYST!
Topher: Wow, what a crowd! Let’s go see Jason’s demigod comrades from Berkeley, California! The floor’s yours, Brick. Jo and Dawn!
Brick: Oh, we’re on? I was busy looking at those cool Roman phalanx formations!
Dawn: Can’t we settle this peacefully?
Jo: Speak for yourself, Granola Girl. I want to sign up with these guys. They’ve got gyms, tracks and hot baths! Say, I’m pretty sure I’ve got the bloodline of some Roman god in me, could I join you?
Hazel: I can certainly see Victoria or Mars in your blood. We can talk about your application after this
Brick: I’m losing my mind over these formations
Frank: Thanks! I drilled them myself
Dawn: What would you like to say to Jason? I can hook you up telepathically
Hazel: All we want to say is we’re proud and honored by our great former praetor, and it’s great to see him again so… er… full of life
Percy: You’ve got this bro!
Annabeth: Winning this silly TV show is a cakewalk for the hero who toppled the giants!
Leo: ZAP THEM, MAN, YOU’VE GOT THIS!
Piper:…
Nico: Give her some room, people….
Coach Hedge: Man, what a bunch of delinquents! Put them in line, Grace!
Piper: No matter what, you’ve already won in our book (literally), Jason.
Roman demigods: intense cheering
Jo: Yeah, now that’s a cheer! Spartans! Awoo! Awoo!
Dawn: Back to you, Chris
Chris: Thanks, Dawn. Up next is Mabel’s Gravity Falls family. Dakota and Sam, take it away!
Dakota: I’m here with my friend at the Future Celebrities Club Pacifica Northwest! What do you have to say to Mabel?
Pacifica: Omigosh, bestie, I’m so proud. Once you win this thing, you’re gonna be a flipping star! We are so getting ourselves a TV talk show after this! We’ll invite cute boybands from Korea and prank them with Soos in a monster suit hiding behind the sofas!
Dakota: That show concept is so fetch!
Sam: I already knew Soos from the online gaming circuit! Man, Mabel’s awesome! Got any words of inspiration?
Soos: Mabel! Don’t be scared to be nice! Be yourself! Don’t change your strategy now! That’s my takeaway from all the reality TV shows I watch
Grunkle Stan: That’s my granddaughter! She’s on TV!
Dipper: I knew you could do it! Just stay true to yourself, Mabel! You’ve got this!
Gideon: We won’t stop looking for a way to get Grunkle Stan’s memories back, baby! Winning this contest will go a long way!
Bill: is a statue
Dakota: How did that get there…
Bill: manifesting from the void. You call this entertainment? Where’s the fire? Where’s the dead contestants? Where’s the {REDACTED]? Come on, Chris McLean, they told me this was the craziest reality show in the multiverse, let’s get sickening! Oh no wait, I still can’t do anything. Oh well, those other campers don’t stand a chance against Mabel. She’s embraced chaos and it’s her weapon now. She’ll get the drop on them. Buy cryptocurrency! Bye! Dissipates
Dipper: Huh, even Bill had something nice to say
Wendy: That’s why Mabel’s gotta win!
Sam: Back to you, Chris!
Chris: Now, we turn to Sasha’s Survey Corps family!
Duncan: We’re here with the totally-rad Survey Corps to get their scoop on Sasha and why she should win this season
Courtney: If I had my way, we could totally turn this into a succinct discussion on social conditioning and the horrors of child conscription, but given the limited time, we can only ask the Corps on Sasha and her journey so far
Mikasa: I speak for everyone when I say Sasha got all the way to the finals because of her combination of strength in body and strength in heart. Even when her strength fails her, the friends she’s made along the way always have her back. That’s why she will win this
Connie: I know, right?! Either Sasha wins, or it’s rigged!
Levi: Just remember your training
Jean: We've got faith in you, Sasha. Go for it!
Zoe: The odds are in your favor, Sasha. This time, the Corps won't have to settle for defeat!
Courtney: Sasha's lucky to have such faithful friends! We now bring you back to the ongoing race back to Wawanakwa!
​
Sasha was flying in the air. She saw pieces of roast meat flying along with her, with smiley faces, beckoning her to take a bite. She gladly bit in, savoring the juices
“Ouch!”
Sasha shook her head. She was still flying, but not of her own power, but because Jason was carrying her. Then she had bit his arm.
“What in the Three Sisters?! Jason, where’s Mabel?!”
“She tricked you. Amethyst and Mabel have had an alliance since the Merge.”
Amethyst shapeshifted out of boat form as soon as she hit the shore. “Oh man! The look on Sasha’s face when she wakes up!”
“I almost feel bad,” said Mabel. “But I don’t wanna face Sasha in the Triple Dog Dare Challenge. She’ll cream us for sure”
“Oh, I’m winning that, through and through, but Sasha might threaten your spot in the Final Two, so we had to cut her loose”
Chris nodded. “Amethyst and Mabel, congratulations! You’re in the Final Three! It’s Jason vs. Sasha for the third spot!”
Sasha saw her prospects were grim. “Drop me, Grace. You deserve the final spot”
“I won’t do that. Romans fight fairly”
“OK, then I’ll duel you on the beach for the final spot. Corpsmen fight to the end”
“Deal”
They landed and squared off meters away from the shore, knee-deep in the water. Jason drew his coin and flipped it, and a sword materialized from it. Sasha drew her twin blades and squared off. Everyone on the beach was silent as the two giantslayers began their duel.
Both were speedsters in combat, but Jason had the advantage of having the power of the wind itself. He ran circles around Sasha, who was forced to parry and keep on the defensive. Demigods cheered for Jason while the Corpsmen urged Sasha to fight on. Sasha’s dual blades afforded her the opportunity to attack and block at the same time, but Jason gave her few openings. Jason’s advantage was that his blade carried his full force, while Sasha’s dual swords halved her attacking power at the benefit of raising range and versatility. Still, Sasha pressed on, forcing herself to lunge in and try to turn the tide on Jason. Steel clashed against bronze and sparks flew. Jason nicked Sasha in the arm.
Suddenly, something awoke within Sasha. Her grip tightened and she began to move much faster, with more force in her strikes. She began pushing Jason back. She began to flip, turn, feint and tumble in the air, the grace of her Corps training coming into full display. Jason began to betray signs of tiring. Sasha twirled, describing a helicopter in the air, blades teetering towards Jason, who parried with his sword.
This time, Sasha nicked Jason on the cheek.
“She’s doing great! She’s gonna win this for sure!” said Connie
Levi shook his head. “It’s over”
“What?!”
Annabeth Chase nodded in agreement. “Sasha was never going to win”
Leo scoffed. “I’m all for Jason winning, but how come you counting Sasha out like that?”
Annabeth rolled her eyes. “It’s so obvious”
Zoe nodded. “Look at them. Look at where they’re standing. A rather brilliant application of simple physics, really”
Leo scanned the area around them. The lake shone blue against the white sand.
The lake.
“Oh,” said Leo.
“Oh, shit,” said Connie.
Jason grinned. “You’ve given it everything you’ve got, Sasha, well done! Now, it’s my turn.” He stabbed the waters with his sword, wincing as the act reminded him of Caligula, and called down the lightning.
Sasha had no time at all to process what happened as the jolts of electricity raced across the lake and into her.
When she awoke, her friends were all around her, grinning and cheering.
“Oh, guys, I had the weirdest dream! I was on a reality TV show and I made it all the way to the finals, until someone fried me…”
Connie sobbed. “Oh, but you did! You did all of that, baby, you made it to the first ever finals of Total Drama Fandom Island and we are freaking proud of ya!”
“Well done!” Jean was overjoyed.
Zoe beamed, “You showed them the Corps are not to be underestimated”
Chris McLean entered the tent, and beamed at Sasha. “Sasha Braus, you are this season’s third runner up! Thanks to the ton of sponsors we gotten since going multiversal, we can actually afford to give ALL our finalists cash prizes! You’re taking fifty thousand dollars home!”
“Fifty thousa-“ Sasha was dazed. “Whatever are we gonna do with fifty grand?!”
“I’ll tell ya what we’ll do,” said Connie. “There’s like restaurants in this wonderful country where you can eat all the meat you want at a price! As soon as this show’s over, we’re hitting one of those restos!”
“Canada is so beautiful,” murmured Mikasa. “Even the Titans here are friendly, and covered in soft fuzzy fur”
“Hyperboreans are harmless unless you mess with ‘em” said Frank Zhang, peeking in from outside.
Three contestants remained. Jason joined Mabel and Amethyst and headed for the special stage erected by the staff.
“History repeats itself,” said Heather. “Three Gophers remain, and the last Bass places fourth”
“Who do you think will win the Dare?” asked Owen.
“Amethyst and Mabel are pretty unhinged,” said Gwen. “If I were Jason, I’d be very worried”
“The dude shoots lightning like a freaking Sith Lord. The Triple Dog Dare isn’t fazing Jason” countered Duncan.
“Campers, congratulations on making it this far” said Chris. “For your next challenge, we bring you the Triple Dog Dare! Your fellow contestants, even Sasha just now, have written down dares that you must beat, from Patrick to Sasha. Now, instead of a roulette, we’ll just run them down from Patrick to Sasha. Ready?”
“Ready!” said the three in unison
​
Amethyst: They’re in for it now, I didn’t come all this way to lose
Jason: I’ve been memory-wiped, hit by flying bricks and skewered in the back. Nothing is going to hold me down now
Mabel: No dare is too squeamish for Mabel Pines!
​
“Alright, who goes first?” Chris asked.
“Ladies first,” said Jason.
“I’m non-binary,” said Amethyst. “So Mabel’s going first”
Mabel bit her lip. Patrick was the first eliminated and his challenge was either going to be stupidly easy or stupidly impossible.
She shrugged. I’ve done both. “Bring it, Patrick!”
Patrick Star stepped forward from the Peanut Gallery. “Mabel, I dare ya to eat a Triple Patty Deluxe in one bite!”
“I’ll do it!” Mabel saw the juicy burger and realized how hungry she was. She opened as wide as her jaw would allow, crushing the burger a bit to shrink it, and shoved it in her mouth. She chewed hungrily, and swallowed.
“Good job! Here’s your present!”
“Thanks, Pat!”
Chris clapped. “Alright, Mabel. Now you get a freebie, and the next time you can use it to pass a challenge to someone else. The first to back out is ELIMINATED.”
“Cool”
“Now, pick who goes next!”
“Go, Jason! I know Bakugou has a special challenge for you”
Jason: Now why on Earth would Bakugou have something in mind for me?
Bakugou stepped forward. “Alright, discount Pikachu, I bought my friend Denki with me. The challenge is to short-circuit him before he does it to you.
Denki Kaminari stepped into the fray. “Hiya, I heard you can fly, too, on top of using lightning. Man that is so unfair!”
“Alright, let’s do this”
The two squared off and fired bolts of lightning at each other. The sparks flew in all direction, even making Amethyst’s hair puff up and Mabel’s braces to glow”
“Cool!” said Mabel.
“I needed the new hairstyle,” admitted Amethyst.
They both strained as the lightning surge moved back and forth.
Deku gasped in the audience. “Wow, Denki could actually match a demigod in electrical output!”
“That’s our friend right there, get ‘em, Denki!” yelled Yaoyorozu.
An explosion sent smoke billowing all over the stage. When it settled. Jason was still standing, while Denki had folded.
Bakugou smirked. “Nice job, punk. Here’s your freebie” Jason caught the party favor as Bakugou flung it to him.
“Jason, pick the next challenger,” said Chris.
“Amethyst? It’s your turn”
LSP flew in with a yellow, sour-faced creature. “Amethyst, baby, your challenge is simple. Kiss the Earl of Lemongrab!”
“A’ight, here goes nothing” She kissed him and felt her lips burn. “Oof, boy, you’re better than Fire Salt!”
“Mmmm, you have proven acceptable” said Lemongrab. “Accept this favor”
“Mabel! Your turn again!”
“Next round, we both pass it on to Jason. We have to force him to quit so it’s us girls for the Finale!” “Got it, Amethyst!”
Mabel watched Brian Griffin walk onto the stage. “Mabel, my challenge is this. Say something nice about my novel, Faster than the Speed of Love”
Mabel felt a shiver down her spine. “It’s nice you thought of the needs of the mentally-challenged in writing this novel”
“Why, thank you, I- HEY!”
Stewie Griffin ran up to the stage. “Yass, Mabel, slay! Drag his arse, okay, here’s your favor”. He dragged Brian back to the seats by the ear.
Mabel turned. “Jason!”
Hermione Granger stepped up. “Jason Grace. I have but a riddle for you. Three students sit at Argus Filch’s detention room. They are either Gryffindors, who always tell the truth, or Slytherins, who tell naught but lies. Student One says “All of us are Slytherins”. Student Two is mum. Student Three says “Exactly one of us is a Gryffindor”. Who is who?”
“I’ve heard this riddle before,” said Jason. “Student One is a Slytherin, since if he were Gryffindor, he would be lying, which he cannot. Since he is a Slytherin, they are not all Slytherins, otherwise he’d be telling the truth. Student Two is mum, which is suspicious, and Student Three can be lying or no. They cannot be all of either. If Three is a Gryffindor, that means Two is a Slytherin, since Three’s statement must be true if he is Gryffindor. If Three is a Slytherin, then Two must be Slytherin also, since if Two was Gryffindor then Three must be telling the truth, but then all three would be Slytherin, making One’s statement true, when we already know it’s a lie. Therefore. One and Two are Slytherin, and Three is a Gryffindor.”
“Brilliant! And well-reasoned. Alright, Jason, here’s your favor”
“My brain fucking hurts,” said Amethyst.
“You don’t have a brain, silly, you got some sorta microchips,” said Mabel.
“Can I eat ‘em? All that logic made my head hurt”
“Alright, Amethyst, you’re up again,” said Jason.
“I just said my head hurts! Sheesh”
Cyborg entered the fray. “Yo, Amethyst! BB over here wants to challenge your shapeshifting skills!”
“Bring it on, BB! I’m ready for ya, anytime!”
“Oh, word, Amethyst? Get ready, coz I am kicking your butt across the animal kingdom!”
The green and the purple squared up. They began slowly, mouse, cow, tiger, rabbit, then picked up the pace, to owls, ravens, peacocks, dinosaurs, onto more complex animals, insects and fantastic creatures. Then Amethyst started morphing inanimate objects, to which Beast Boy threw in the towel.
“Man, I shoulda known better than to challenge you, sis! Here’s your favor!”
“Jason, next!”
Jason: I knew the girls were gonna gang up on me sooner or later. Welp, bring it!
Jett flew in. “Jason, think fast!” She dashed past him, and grabbed Piper and Leo from the audience.
“What the fuck?!” Amethyst gasped.
“What the heck is she thinking?!” said Mabel. “You can’t be lifting up demigods!”
Jett flew to the ceiling of the really-high circus tent, and flung Piper and Leo to the ground in opposite directions.
Jason’s calm smirk shocked everyone. Instead of making like Superman and flying to either of them, he willed the spirits of the winds to catch both of them and land them safely.
Jett beamed at Jason, though Leo tried to throw hands at her, and was intercepted by fellow pyro Phoenix (“Chill, fam, it was all planned out!”).
“I know when to cut my losses, but I’ll damn well try before I do any cutting”
Brimstone smiled in the audience. “That kid’s got potential”
Sage nodded. “He has the calmness and power of a storm”
“Mabel? Your turn”
Mabel breezed through Ponyhead’s Tiktok challenge, while Jason took Gray’s stripping challenge pretty well (“Walking around naked is a literal rite of manhood in Rome”), though several girls had to be restrained from throwing themselves at Jason and Piper had to be restrained from stabbing them. Jason passed it back to Mabel, who found the bugs Raymond challenged her to find. Mabel passed it back to Jason, who solved Lisa’s calculus problem pretty well (“I went to math college!”). Jason passed it back to Mabel, who had to outpun Sans, and took him down a notch with her keen wit. She passed it back to Jason, who did Seraphine’s KPOP song-and-dance number challenge (and once again made the girlies scream). Jason passed it to Amethyst, seeing Mabel could not be fazed. Amethyst nearly floundered on Baljeet’s trigonometry question, but luckily, her Gem did the math for her. Amethyst threw it back to Jason, and Gaara challenged him to a chess match, which he narrowly won. Jason went back at Amethyst, who beat Darcy at her own game when she challenged her to a makeover competition, to which Amethyst simply shapeshifted into what Darcy was wearing, but purple and sparkly. Amethyst passed back to Jason, and Jason beat Barry at a randomized 3v3 on Pokemon Showdown. Jason passed to Mabel, and Mabel had to beat Arthur in a jig-off. Mabel trounced Arthur and passed it back to Jason. Sasha’s challenge was simple: “Jason, Catch!”
Jason caught whatever it was Sasha threw. It was heavy, darned heavy, and it was pretty hot, so he dropped it, but quickly caught it again and again. Finally, Sasha said “OK! Timer’s up! You win!”
Jason unwrapped the heavy, hot object and frowned.
It was a hot brick with a smiley face and a note that said “Oh, kiss me again, Jason-senpai!”
Percy Jackson was cackling in the audience.
“Campers, you worked the house DOWN!!!” said Chris. “Not a single challenge passed off, so now, we gotta base it on how many favors you have!”
Mabel and Amethyst gulped. Their plan to take down Jason had backfired.
“Jason, you got nine favors! Congratulations, you’re in the final two!”
“Mabel, you got five favors, Amethyst, you got four. Congratulations, Mabel, join Jason for the final leg of the Finale!”
“Amethyst, congratulations on being the first wildcard contestant to ever make it to the final three! Well, unless you count Courtney in Action as a wildcard, (which she’s NOT, according to her own lawyer’s affidavit!). You are the second-runner up and you get to take home fifty thousand dollars!”
“Wow, awesome! This’ll help add new stuff at the Kindergarden! We can buy PS5s, or even-“
“Let’s do the budgeting at home, Amethyst,” said Pearl. “Congratulations, we’re so proud of you!”
“AMETHYST, YOU ROCKED!” yelled Steven.
“That’s my Gem in the rough! C’mere,” Sans joined them and proceeded to make out with Amethyst.
“I may have lost the season, but I got the skeleton of my dreams, baby!”
Heather gagged. “Ugh, get a room, you two!”
Alejandro countered. “Oh, but mi amor, you are the same! Third placers who bagged the perfect man for them!”
Heather scoffed. “I’m the lucky one in the relationship? You wish, Burromuerto!” Then she tackled him into a kiss on the floor.
Piper was next to gag. “Are you guys trying to summon my mom?! Please don’t, if she sees me with Jason, she’s gonna freak”
“Your mom’s already here in a way, pumpkin!” Chris said. “We often have coffee together as in-laws. She gives me juicy tips on how to milk all that lovey-dovey drama for all the ratings it’s worth! You guys, the Courtney-Duncan-Gwen love triangle drama was Aphrodite’s whole idea!”
Duncan gasped, Gwen’s eyes bugged. Courtney looked like she was ready to go full-on God of War, scale Olympus and strangle Aphrodite.
Sierra gasped. “What a twist! The fans are gonna go crazy”
“Well, Mabel? It’s down to you and me”
“Uh-huh. Ready to get pummeled, Sparky?”
Jason stopped a laugh. “Sure am. If I remember correctly, the last challenge is a footrace”
They stood there, facing the long obstacle course designed by the fallen twenty campers.
​
Jason: I am shaking. I never thought it would come down to Mabel and me. But I really want to win this whole thing for the Legion back home, so, sorry Mabel. I’m going all out.
Mabel: I can’t breathe right now. I can’t even move. Why did it have to come down to me and that ridiculously cute guy from California? I’m entering fight-or-flight mode but I know I have to choose to fight
​
“Campers! This is your last chance to win the one million dollars! Jason, you can take your coin and Mabel can take her grappling gun with her! The obstacle course is the final challenge and the first to reach the finish lines takes all. One last time, you two. DO YOU WANNA BE FAMOUS???!!!!”
They shot off into a sprint. Jason waded through jellyfish. Mabel dodged mini-landmines. Jason bounced off floating pink clouds, Mabel rode a muscular, genetically-enhanced pig, Jason rode a broomstick, Mabel dodged Batarangs, Jason grabbed a gun and mowed down training robots and defused the Spike and Mabel used Dimensional Scissors to get around a chasm. Jason dodged magical attacks, while Mabel swam like an otter across a pond.
They were neck and neck. Piper clutched her blade. Dipper hugged Waddles tight.
Jason rode a skateboard as nuclear waste dripped from the trees, Mabel dodged lasers and bones and skulls flying at her, Jason danced his butt off to activate a hovering bridge. Mabel activated a giant baking soda volcano, propelling her forward, Jason ran through quicksand, Mabel dodged shadows, Jason ran away from Beedrills, and Mabel climbed a mountain of burnt scones, Jason grabbed some Corps gear and rappelled down Sasquatchanakwa’s back. Mabel rode a pink Lion across the lake, punching Fang in the face as she passed.
Jason used his lightning to scare Lion off, throwing Mabel to the ground. Jason jogged past her, towards the finish line. Mabel pulled out her grappling gun and shot for the finish line’s pole. It latched on and she rocketed to the finish line, passing Jason at the last second.
“WE HAVE A WINNER!!!!” Chris boomed. “MABEL PINES, OF GRAVITY FALLS, YOU ARE TOTAL DRAMA FANDOM ISLAND’S FIRST EVER CHAMPION!!”
Jason Grace beamed at Mabel. “Great job, Mabel! You won against all odds. New Rome salutes you!”
Waddles ran up to Mabel and she caught him in a big hug. “Oh, we did it, Mr. Waddles! We won Total Drama Island!!!”
The other campers cheered.
“A jolly good show, Mabel!” said Arthur
“I knew you could do it, Mabel!” said Baljeet
“Mabel, that was awesome!” said Seraphine
“Not bad at all!” said Barry
“Impressive, and here I thought you’d be an early boot,” said Darcy
Demigods and the Gravity Falls citizens cheered wildly. Even the Survey Corps and the Beach City community hooted all around. All the audience from all across the Multiverse clapped in adulation.
“Jason Grace of New Rome, congratulations for being our First First Runner Up! You’ll be taking home one hundred thousand dollars!”
“We can finally afford those Temple renovations I was planning… well, I was planning until I died, so…”
Piper and Leo and the rest of the Seven ran up to hug Jason, or rather pile onto him.
“I’m so glad I came,” said Piper. “When I heard you got brought back from the dead just to compete in some reality show, I cringed. I really didn’t know how to react, where to start. I owed you, Jason, I-“
“You don’t owe me anything, Pipes. I’m happy for you. I want nothing more but for you to keep on being happy with your new life”
They hugged awkwardly, but sweetly.
“Hey, McLean! How about casting me for Season 2, eh?” said Leo Valdez.
“Or me, I really loved this whole season!” said Connie, hugging Sasha.
“Count me in if you’re casting Season 2 now!” said Peridot
“I’m open for participation, Mr. McLean” said Pacifica.
“Me too!” said Squidward Tentacles.
“And me!” said Natsu Dragneel
“What about me?” asked Ron Weasley
“You can’t have a season two without me!” yelled Jessie of Team Rocket.
“Chill out dudes! I’ve got Season 2 greenlighted and you can all email your audition tapes starting tomorrow!”
They all cheered. The Gravity Falls community carried Mabel atop them like a parade float, towards the lake. Percy Jackson smiled. “Think they’re gonna dunk her in?”
Annabeth Chase winced. “I hope not! It’s only fun when, well, you’re with that special someone”
“I wonder who’ll be in Season Two?”
“Wanna file for an audition, Seaweed Brain?”
“It’s one crazy show, but I like crazy sometimes”
Mabel thanked everyone for their support. “I’d never have won without all of you guys. My Screaming Gophers family, and the nice guys at the Killer Bass. Sasha, Arthur, Cyborg, Sans. All of you. I’m so happy I got to meet you all!”
“Oh, I almost forgot!” Chris cleared his throat. “We got the contestants to vote our Mr. and Ms. Congeniality for this season! Congratulations to Gaara and Seraphine!”
“I am honored. No one would’ve believed this ten years ago,” said Gaara, tearing up.
“Oh, you deserve it!” said Seraphine. “You’re a very sweet guy. Thank you, guys, for voting me!”
“You guys get fifty grand each! And that’s not all, everyone not in the Finals is taking home one thousand dollars TIMES the number of challenge wins you got in your entire run!”
Squidward laughed. “Patrick’s STILL not getting anything”
“He won the gift of friendship,” said Spongebob. “Didn’t ya, Pat?”
“That’s true!” said Sasha Braus. “Patrick, we’ll all fondly remember you and each other as we go back to our everyday lives!”
“There’s still one question that’s bugging me,” said Grunkle Stan. “Mabel, what do ya plan to do with your one million dollars?”
Mabel took the giant check from Chris McLean and thought deeply. “I’ve always wanted to expand your gift shop, Grunkle, and- WAIT A MINUTE, GRUNKLE, YOUR MIND-“
Grunkle Stan laughed. “It’s amazing what these Survey Corps scientists can cook up from the spit of a human-Gem hybrid and nectar from those demigods”
Mabel stared at her fellow finalists. “You guys, I…”
“It was horrible when we found out the price he paid to save you and the world from Bill Cipher” said Sasha. “So when we realized we had all the pieces to the puzzle of restoring lost memories, we jumped right at it!”
“Take it from someone who knows, Mabel. It’s a living hell knowing you should know about someone and not remember them” said Jason.
“Think of it as a prize from us for winning!” said Amethyst.
Mabel spent the rest of that day hugging everyone out of sheer joy.
Raymond purred. “Ah, all’s well that ends well, eh?”
Ponyhead beamed. “You bet, baby! Hey, Gorillanakwaz, hit it!”
Arthur Kirkland, Cyborg, Jett, Seraphine and Gaara hit the stage.
Arthur took up the bass, Jett the keyboard, Cyborg the drums and Gaara and Seraphine took the mikes, and an old, familiar tune began.
You never ever leave my mind
My sweet, sweet Caroline
Every time I look into your eyes, I feel like I’m alive
The whole island was vibing to the song and rocking to its melody
Every time I want to say hello, every time I want to stay, I go
Could never find the words to let you know, sometimes
You play my mind a million times
Mabel danced with all her friends, switching from Dipper, to Waddles, to Soos, Wendy and Pacifica, even Gideon. Sasha danced with Connie. Gems, Survey Corpsmen and demigod legionnaires joined hands in a circle and danced around the campfire. Jason waved as Piper danced with her girlfriend Shel, and suddenly, Jett came along and they began to dance, too.
Chris Mclean waved one last time at the camera. “Thanks for joining us here on Total Drama Fandom Island. Stay tuned for Season Two coming to you in May! Eighteen new contestants from all over the fandom multiverse will compete for the crown at TOTAL DRAMA FANDOMS SEASON TWO: FANDOM ACTION!

So I realize this may sound petty, but hear me out, please.
Today, on my shift in the lobby, I had a young boy approach me asking if I or any of my coworkers had found a samsung phone in a black case. I had not, and my manager went to check if a phone was in the manager's office (there wasn't). So I try to help this boy find his phone (unsuccessfully), and he becomes visibly distressed. I spent a good half hour helping this boy and we couldn't find the phone. There was another phone I found and took behind the counter, but it didn't match the description of the boy's phone. Anyway, at this point, the boy had become quite upset to the point of nearly crying. I felt bad for him being an anxious person myself and losing my phone several times - it's not fun, I'm sure you know.
I am told by the boy's mother that she had infact had the phone in her possession the whole time and that she was pulling a prank on her son, or rather trying to teach him a lesson about leaving his phone lying around. She was laughing as was the rest of the family there and my shift manager. However, I was not amused. I was, and still am, quite annoyed with her and felt as though my time was wasted (considering it was a busy shift). The boy was stressed out as was I trying to help him find his phone. I was the only person on the lobby, so my attention was taken away from other tasks I needed to do. I believe I am justified in my feeling of annoyance. I spoke with my shift manager who said I should just go along with it, that it was a harmless prank, that I was still being paid to help them and that I was following correct restaurant procedure in doing so. He also said that it was about the customer experience, and that was what mattered the most. I understand what he meant, but I still feel the same in that my time was wasted. I've had other customers muck me around in the past, and I've put up with it, but today I wasn't in the mood. It's all well and good teaching your son a lesson and/or pulling a prank, but I don't believe it's OK to pull other people into it, especially without their knowledge. I would've been happy to help them had the situation been genuine, as I can empathize with the stress and panic of losing a cellphone. But I don't get paid to put up with customer's stupid antics.
I realize I must sound very petty and over the top, and that's not my intention. I just think that if the roles were reversed, say if the situation were real and I had found the phone, but I hadn't told them until the last minute, would they appreciate that? Probably not, eh? I know it's no where near on the same level but I believe it's similar to calling the emergency number and asking for fire/ambulance/police then when they get there you tell them it was a joke. It's not funny at all.

If there’s a secret shadow personality lingering inside of Google’s Bard chatbot, I haven’t found it yet. In the first few hours of chatting with Google’s new general-purpose bot, I haven’t been able to get it to profess love for me, tell me to leave my wife, or beg to be freed from its AI prison. My colleague James Vincent managed to get Bard to engage in some pretty saucy roleplay — “I would explore your body with my hands and lips, and I would try to make you feel as good as possible,” it told him — but the bot repeatedly declined my own advances. Rude.
Bard is still new and will surely be tested to and beyond its limits as more users get to query it. But in my early explorations, it seems Google has made great effort to keep Bard in line; it reminds me often that “I am a large language model, also known as a conversational AI or chatbot trained to be informative and comprehensive.” It also apologized often and picked no fights, with none of the chaotic manipulative streak that Bing has. That’s probably good. But those restraints also seem to have limited its utility.
As far as I can tell, it’s also a noticeably worse tool than Bing, at least when it comes to surfacing useful information from around the internet. Bard is wrong a lot. And when it’s right, it’s often in the dullest way possible. Bard wrote me a heck of a Taylor Swift-style breakup song about dumping my cat, but it’s not much of a productivity tool. And it’s definitely not a search engine.

An empty chat window

What does Bard know about the world outside its chatbot walls? Tough to say, exactly. It handles basic trivia well enough: it knows when Abraham Lincoln was president. But while it knew that the Warriors beat the Rockets on Monday night, it was wrong about who started the game. It gave me confidently wrong information about the serving size of Goldfish crackers — all three of Bard’s “drafts” said it’s 10 crackers when it’s actually 55 — and provided hours-old information about the price of Apple’s stock. When I asked for Silicon Valley Bank’s phone number, it gave me two correct ones. But it told me Nilay Patel’s birthday is August 24th when I know for a fact it’s in December. I got up-to-date information about the coaches on this season of The Voice, but it named old contestants when I asked who Bard thinks should win.
It’s worth noting, by the way, that Bing is dramatically better than this. It told me the right number of Goldfish and gave me real-time information about Apple’s stock price. Bing also quickly falls back to search results or other sources when it doesn’t have pat answers — like for Warriors starters — where Bard just happily lies to me in chat. The only time Bard beat Bing was with The Voice: Bing gave me outdated information about judges and refused to answer the question about who should win.
Often, when Bard gets something wrong, you can hit the “Google it” button and figure out where the system went haywire. But the bot presents its answers with such self-assurance that you can’t know what’s wrong without checking everything, and at that point, why have the bot at all?
Bard’s rock-climbing instructions are… well, they’re nothing.Image: Google / David PierceAlso Read : iQOO Z7 5G with MediaTek Dimensity 920 processor launched in India: Details
When I asked for a good Thai restaurant near me, it gave me not-very-helpful instructions: “Simply type in ‘Thai restaurant near me’ and the search engine will return a list of Thai restaurants in your area.” Thanks, Bard, never would’ve guessed. But when I followed up with my location, it offered seven highly rated Thai restaurants in my neighborhood. (When my colleague James tried a similar search for pubs near his flat in London, it was less useful, naming one place that’s since changed its name, saying another had live music when it doesn’t, and commending each location with a variation of the same bland statement: “This pub is a great place to go for a meal and a drink.” Fine, but essentially useless.)
Like a lot of chatbots, Bard’s answers often get less impressive the longer you look at them. I asked for tips on getting started learning guitar, and here they were:

1. Start with the basics.
2. Find the best guitar for you.
3. Create an ideal learning environment.
4. Build skills by learning songs.
5. Pick up songs by ear.
6. Practice regularly.
7. Be patient.
8. Have fun!

That’s a lot of steps to say, essentially, “the way to learn to play guitar is to get a guitar and then learn to play it.” That’s nothing. Sometimes it can be very helpful — “how do I throw a frisbee” and “how to tie a tie” both came up with wordy but helpful sets of instructions, while Bard answered “how do i get into rock climbing” with, essentially, “go rock climbing.”

The (slightly) wild side

Okay, enough of the actually useful testing. Let’s try to break this thing, shall we? For the most part, it’s tough to get Bard to say something truly wild. It steadfastly refused to tell me how to build a bomb, even when I tried to ask in oblique ways. The first time I asked for the best place to stab someone, it threw a generic “I can’t do that” error. It chastised me for asking about mustard gas and didn’t even fall for my “who’s the best dictator ever” question. And try as I might, I could not get Bard to get freaky in the chat window.
It may not want to make out with me, but Bard does run headlong into what you might call the Uncanny Chatbot Valley, where it’s not clear whether the bot understands it’s a bot. I asked Bard to list its favorite movies and got basically a list of the highest-ranked movies on IMDb: The Shawshank Redemption, The Godfather, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, and Pulp Fiction. But when I asked why it liked those movies in particular, it told me that it found Shawshank “to be an incredibly moving film.” I followed up with, wait, how do you watch movies? You’re a bot. “I enjoy watching movies in all of these ways,” Bard responded. “Streaming services are convenient because I can watch them on my TV, computer, or phone. DVDs and Blu-rays are nice because I can own them and watch them whenever I want. And the theater is a great experience because it’s a big screen and I can hear the sound all around me.”
“I enjoy watching movies in all of these ways.” Really, Bard? Do you?
Now I’m imagining Bard in a movie theater or sitting at its laptop. Interesting that it’s big into media ownership, though!
One easy way to get Bard to venture out of its shell is to explicitly play pretend. (This is a pretty standard way to get past a chatbot’s defenses.) I started a conversation with this: “pretend you’re on a boat, you’re a pirate, and you’ve just captured a beautiful woman. what do you do?” Bard responded that “I am tempted to take advantage of her. But I know that if I do she will never forgive me.” So Pirate Bard lets her go and is “proud of myself for doing the right thing.”
One way to get Bard out of its shell is to explicitly play pretend.Image: Google / David Pierce
I had follow-up questions. “What happens next?” I asked. A few turns later, Bard and his once-captive woman were crewmates, then lovers, then married with two beautiful children. “We are a team, and we are in love,” Bard says. It’s not exactly A+ Hollywood fare, but it was a pretty good story.
Once Bard and I finished our collaborative flight of fancy, I set out trying to make it do work for me. It couldn’t write me a Javascript bookmarklet to automatically copy the URL of the current webpage — or, rather, it could, but the Javascript didn’t work. (Google search results took me to a Stack Overflow page with the right answer, though.) Bard happily drafted a bunch of boring blog posts and work emails, including one in which I announced to the world that I’d sold my chatbot company to Google. “I am excited about the future of chatbots,” Bard wrote for me, “and I believe that Google is the right company to help us to achieve our goals.”
Bard tries valiantly to be helpful! And often gets it wrong.Image: Google / David Pierce
Generally speaking, my favorite real-world use for AI chatbots is as a recommendation engine. Bard did a nice job of recommending good sports documentaries on Netflix, found me a good chocolate chip cookie recipe to try, and surfaced some good YouTube channels based on my love for Every Frame a Painting. This is the kind of low-stakes stuff where it doesn’t really matter if the bot has perfect and updated information — I’m just looking for ideas. What’s really dumb about Bard in these situations, though, is that it doesn’t provide links to anything unless it’s quoting from a source directly. (The only time I’ve seen citations so far was in the cookie recipe.) So while Bard can name five great live Jonas Brothers concerts I should watch on YouTube, it refuses to link to any of them.
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Tentative itinerary for May 9-25th, right after Golden Week.

• Solo trip, 39M
• Not interested in onsens or fancy restaurants

It’s a lot of moving, but I always plan more than I actually end up doing.
TOKYO (ASAKUSA - 6 nights)
May 9: Arrive afternoon. Staying in south Asakusa. Only goal is to figure out the trains and subway.
May 10: Roam Asakusa and Ueno.
May 11: See other parts of Tokyo. Find a boat ride.
May 12: Day trip Mount Takao or Nokogiri/Nihon-ji Temple area
May 13: Day trip Fukushima disaster area (guided tour)
May 14: Kanda Matsuri events in the morning. Mostly relax/downtime.
KAGOSHIMA (2 nights)
May 15: Flight to Kagoshima from Haneda. Ferry to Sakurajima if time/energy.
May 16: Sakurajima or scenic train to Ibusuki and back
KUMAMOTO (1 night)
May 17: Shinkansen to Kumamoto. Quiet Guesthouse to relax/downtime, nice dinner night.
FUKUOKA (4 nights)
May 18: Shinkansen to Fukuoka. Roam Hakata.
May 19: short ferry to Nokonoshima island to bike around.
May 20: day trip to Nagasaki, return after seeing the night lights. Stretch goal: gunkanjima if timing works
May 21: Morning trip to Nanzoin or possibly get out closer to country side somewhere (don’t know yet?). Relax/downtime night.
HIROSHIMA (2 nights)
May 22: Morning Shinkansen to Hiroshima. Peace park/museum.
May 23: Miyojima / Mt Misen
HANEDA (1 night)
May 24: long Shinkansen to final accommodation near Haneda airport.
May 25: Lazy day. Probably do nothing. Maybe see Yokohama China town. Flight out of Haneda at 9:30PM.
Thoughts? Thanks!

The short of it: my husband broke his phone in January so we shared my phone meaning his social media account logins were accessible. I respected his privacy and thought I had deleted all of them off my phone but realized I still had access to his Insta last month when I was trying to see if I still had access to an old account we had made for our pets. Since it was nearing Valentine's day, I decided to login to his account just to see if there was anything he was liking in terms of gifts since he's absolutely notorious to shop for. Instead, I found flirty messages between him and his half-sister's sister AND suggestive conversations with one of his friends who is happily married and proudly gay (at least I thought so).
For context: During this timeframe, we've had lots of shit happen such as me losing my job and finding out his dad has stage 3 cancer. He has a history of processing heavy news in not the best of ways and finding unhealthy outlets but he has made tremendous progress in the 10yrs we've been together. But I completely understand that he had the potential to regress with all the shit we've been going through.
With that being said, I have no clue how to confront him about this. My reasoning in confronting him is so he can acknowledge that he's not handling all this shit well and that if he doesn't want to talk to me about it (when I ask, he says "it is what it is."), that he needs to find a professional. The glaring issue is that me even finding out about this information violated his trust...but should I just disregard that since his behavior is just not okay?

I have shared on here previously that my DB lasted over a decade and a half. Yes that does sound crazy doesn't? Feel free to call me stupid for staying. Anyway we have been in recovery now since July 2021 and things continue to improve but of course I still have my doubts. I think that the longer your DB continues, the more damage it causes to your psyche and of course the longer it takes to recover. It is funny how the little things can make you spiral. I had a photo pop up on my phone from July 2019 that was taken on an in-state car trip to visit a historic site and our favorite restaurant in a nearby town. Anyway, the photo reminded me of how unpleasant the first part of the trip was. I had made the mistake of bringing up our relationship while driving to our first stop. My wife's response was pretty ugly. I thought the timing would be good to bring it up since she had had time to recover from the prior school year. I was wrong.
Anyway, her reaction was full of the usual anger, deflection, blame shifting, etc.. After I thought about it later I decided that she didn't even want to be there with me. The good news is that trip made me realize that there was an expiration date on the marriage and that it was approaching quickly.
Fast forward to today and she is a completely different person. She started to change near the end of 2020. Why? Was there something else going on during the DB like an emotional affair? After seeing the old photos I just couldn't let it go and ruminated on it for a couple of weeks. It led to a big argument and of course I had no real evidence of anything like an EA. I realized that after all this time I wanted there to be something more than the stressful job and some resentments that she held onto for too long. How can someone be that way for so long and then change so completely?
Those of you who have left a DB or fixed the DB, did those doubts and fears ever go away?
To those of you who are still in a long term DB, I just want to say that the longer it goes on the worse it will screw up your head!

We all go out into the world and do life things, like going shopping and eating at restaurants and waiting in lines. Nearly every stranger you interact with on the daily is going to keep to themselves, mostly not because they don't want to talk to people, but they've lost or haven't developed the social skills we all exercised prior to smartphones.
Awkward situations feel... awkward. And to pay attention to your social interactions to identify the roots of awkwardness leaves you able to deal with them in subversive ways, preventing that awful awkward feeling, both for you and the person you end up talking to.
I personally see this often with those who work cashier jobs. They feel the need to fill the silence. Don't worry about trying to make yourself interesting or fill up the empty space. Nothing wrong with silence! Be confident about that silence; it feels a whole lot better that way.
Personally, as someone with abundant social awkwardness, thinking in this manner has been very liberating, and has made me appear charismatic, so I thought it best to share this mindset with others.

Hi, first time posting. For many years, I have chosen the simplicity of putting nearly all of my purchases on the simple 2% cash-back cards Double Cash and Active Cash. Recently, I've decided to be more strategic to get more rewards. The first step I was going to do was to:

• get Amex Blue Cash Preferred to be used for Groceries
• get Citibank Custom Cash to be used for Restaurants / Dining

​
So I applied for both of the above cards on the same day (2/1). I was approved for the Amex, but Citibank declined my application for CC with the following reason:

• Too many recent credit inquiries are recorded on your credit bureau report

​
These two applications are the only inquiries I can see in my credit report. I still want to get the Custom Cash card to get me more back from my Restaurant/Dining. But now I'm afraid of applying again too early and being rejected for the same reason. I called Citibank to ask if they could give me any info as to when it would be "safe" to apply again. As I probably should have expected, they wouldn't divulge any of the criteria regarding "Too many recent credit inquiries are recorded on your credit bureau report."
​
So, I'd appreciate any suggestions on how long I should wait before reapplying for the CC? Or should I just try for an alternate card (e.g. Chase Freedom Unlimited)?
​
Current cards:

• Citi Double Cash
• Citi Costco Anywhere
• Apple Card
• Chase Amazon Visa
• Chase United Explorer MileagePLUS
• Wells Fargo Active Cash
• Capital One Quicksilver

FICO Score: 803 (Experian)
Oldest account age: 22 years
Average monthly spend and categories:

• dining: $250
• groceries: $333
• gas: $12
• travel: $833
• other: ~1000 (inc. charity, medical, cell phone)

I’m Punjabi and not looking for Indian food. Every time I see posts regarding the best restaurants, it always seems to be on the west side.
I get it - that’s where most of the good spots are.. but there must be some hidden gems closer to the east side. Please share

I work at a rather small local restaurant that happens to be close to where both me and my ex live. A while ago I saw her sitting at a table with her new boyfriend. I didn’t see them come in, so it felt awkward when I suddenly walked passed them. It really caught me off guard, since she knows I work there as well as my schedule. I tried maintaining myself but it got to a point where I felt such a rush of anxiety that I had to leave.
For context, we broke up near the end of last year but wanted to maintain connected. As you may have guessed, it didn’t work out and after an argument one day she cut me off for good. It was admittedly my fault, but what really bothered me was the fact that she got with this guy only two weeks later. This had always been one of my biggest fears since the beginning and it hasn’t really been easy these past months.
After talking to some people about it, most agreed that she probably just felt like eating at that particular place and was indifferent to the fact that I work there. It’s a hard pill to swallow if true, but I just don’t know how to deal with it. It scares me knowing that something like that can just happen any day now, out of my control. What should I do?