There has been an opening for a “School Level Technician” pretty close to me, and I’m just wondering for any of you that work in IT with a school system. How do you like it? Also, is it a job that you can hold for a while? Like, start at entry level and work up?

Hey All,
I’m interested in figuring out how to break into a decent paying entry level sales job ($70k-$100k). I have a 10 year back ground in restaurants, some as a server, but majority in restaurant management. I left that industry to pursue my “dream career” in the fire service and have been at it for 2 years working as a firefighteEMT. I need more out of my career financially and have always been of the motto “doesn’t matter the job as long as your making the money that makes you happy”. I’m willing to grind my teeth, but I genuinely want a career where I have the potential to make $150k-$250k and work 40-50hrs opposed to the near 70 hours, including mandatory overtime, that I currently work in the fire service making near $65k-$70k. I’m just curious to see what suggestions folks in the sales field who may have come from a similar background to mine have and which sector they best translated their skills into. I don’t have a degree, just high school, but have my vocational education, extensive customer service experience, and if selling food/drinks/service to customers counts, I’ve done that for 10 years in restaurants, vast majority of that experience being at Disney locations in Orlando,Fl. Thank you in advance for response and guidance, it is greatly appreciated.

There has been an opening for a “School Level Technician” pretty close to me, and I’m just wondering for any of you that work in IT with a school system. How do you like it? Also, is it a job that you can hold for a while? Like, start at entry level and work up?

I've been using Oumaji for years and continue to play them to this day. There's something truly interesting about how they play that separates them from the rest of the tribes. In this post, I will break down every reason why oumaji is such an interesting tribe, the fundamentals that you can learn from them, and why you should start using them now.

Why bother? Aren't they just a strictly worse Yadakk?

Kind of. While the comparison of them both being fast expansion tribes that utilize the organization branch and them using roads are both true, that's where the similarities end. Oumaji is a much more specialized version of yadakk, able to apply pressure much sooner and more effectively, at the cost of having a significantly slower economy and worse resource spread. While yadakk may be overall stronger, there is certainly a uniqueness that oumaji has to offer that yadakk just can't.Consider their openings for example. Yadakk utilizes roaded warriors and organization for quick and efficient leveling, while oumaji doesn't have the luxury of roads. In exchange, oumaji can train many more riders in the early game compared to yadakk. By turn 5, oumaji may have as many as 5 riders depending on the situation, while yadakk typically doesn't train their first rider until turn 6. This key detail in their early game is what gives oumaji such a unique playstyle that yadakk just can't replicate.

What makes Oumaji so interesting?

The key factor with oumaji's playstyle is that they are forced to take a very aggressive route. While this does sound similar to a certain bottom tier, oumaji can actually justify it enough to hold their own. Oumaji not only requires you to make the most of what you have, but also forces you to limit what the opponent has. Their riders are able to exert a lot of pressure, and they need to maximize their pressuring in order to convert that early game advantage into something meaningful in the long term.Many other tribes are simply not forced to be aggressive, and can often win by playing defensively. Elyrion is known to be aggressive at times, but usually it's better to go with sanctuaries and outvalue the opponent. Yadakk can be aggressive, but they can also have a safe and easy game by enjoying their strong economy after their grand bazaar. Cymanti can be aggressive, but only if your opponent donates you free kills. Oumaji MUST be aggressive. Passive play won't cut it. You are being thrown in the deep end and it's sink or swim. You have to learn how to play aggressively, or lose.

What does Oumaji teach about aggression?

The first time you picked up Oumaji, the following things likely happened: Either you expanded quickly, but couldn't afford any techs. Or you watched as any time you tried to step on a village that wasn't on your side of the map, it immediately got swiped by a group of units in the fog. We've all been there. However, if you keep practicing and using them, you will figure out the secrets of pressuring and aggressive play.
It all starts when you decide to grab a few explorers to make sure you don't step on a village with a nearby army ready to kill it. This helps, but most tribes will still have a stronger economy than you, so you need to do better. Soon you realize that you can use the tactics that you've lost to, so you start strategically placing your riders close enough to the villages that you can kill an enemy unit that walks onto it. And just like that, through trial and error, you've learned one of the most important concepts for aggression; village denial. Rather than trying to step onto a village that you know you can't have, you instead keep enough riders to stop the opponent from having it, making it so then neither player can have the village. Now you have a decisive village advantage not by trying to expand more, but by forcing the opponent to expand less.
Another thing that you notice is that this concept can not just be applied for villages, but for enemy cities as well. By keeping units close to the opponent's cities, it forces them to train warriors in situations that they would've preferred to save stars or train a more threatening unit. You even find that if the opponent isn't constantly keeping a defense ready, that you can sneak in a siege or 2, but they don't always hold. Before you know it, you are learning the basics of pressuring. You are forcing the opponent to waste stars in situations that they don't want to, leading them to develop more slowly.
The last thing you notice with more play is that the rider's escape ability is a lot stronger than it initially seems. When used correctly, you can siege a city or land on a village from up to 4 tiles away by using the opponent's units as a springboard to bounce your riders all the way over. You've just punished the opponent for underestimating your riders, and you'll find this to be a very common way to win. When your opponent thinks they can defend cheaply and soundly, you can punish the opponent and potentially steal a city or 2 from them, which can be more than decisive enough to win the game.
​

That's a lot of words, I'm just gonna read the heading and ignore the rest of your post.

Ok I'll make a quick summary then. By playing Oumaji, you will learn:

• How to outexpand by denying villages from the opponent
• How to force the opponent into an uncomfortable defense by pressuring them
• How to punish the opponent for being too greedy or overextending themselves

I also have a handful of replays for players who want to see just how solid Oumaji can be when you use these tactics. Keep in mind I've just scratched the surface on what else there is to know about aggression, and it can go even further than what I talked about here. These replays do a good job demonstrating proper aggression, and just how powerful it can be.
https://share.polytopia.io/g/46ae9c52-af8f-40f6-acec-08db1a398ad1 Justeeni Lingueeni (Oum) v jleavett (Bard) Tiny Conti A quick little live game where I use escape to gain an insurmountable advantage that I later converted by vet assigning a rider and sieging with it. It's an older game, so you will definitely see a few slight errors here and there, but I think it was still a well played game nonetheless.
https://share.polytopia.io/g/8611834d-fe48-46e2-fd88-08db1a397cde Justeeni Lingueeni (Oum) v HighOwl45735 (Yad) Normal Dry Another quick live game with lots of mistakes here and there, but the constant pressure applied allowed me to grab so many more cities and get so many sieges on the opponent. I was in control from the game as soon as I met the opponent.
https://share.polytopia.io/g/bee055c8-d778-4c1b-2bf6-08db5cd93c85 Fanny, aka Holy_Tuna (Oum) v RosariasFinger (Bard) Normal Dry I had to get some gameplay from what I think to be the best Oumaji player ever. You can see some beautiful aggression and constant outplaying to make Oumaji look like an S tier tribe.
https://share.polytopia.io/g/d4c37f05-05af-403c-1222-08daeddf78ae Fanny, aka Holy_Tuna (Oum) v Mccompany (Bard) Normal dry Another game featuring Fanny, but this time against a former competitive polytopia player. This game is a great example of how pressure can stop a player from being greedy in their tracks and leave them in a helpless situation.
https://share.polytopia.io/g/c991291f-6b9e-4def-c3b5-08db445715d7 Justeeni Lingueeni (Oum) v GalaxyDragon1247 (Oum) Normal Dry A mirror matchup against a pro polychamps member. It was a very intense back and forth game, where both of us had opportunities to win at different points. This game was so intense that Gala ended up making a video on his channel where he analyzed the game. The link to the analysis will be right here!

I basically failed high school. I was only able to pass with the extensive use of remedial classes, which were watered-down beyond measure in comparison to the normal high school classes. These were the most basic, run-of-the-mill, standard high school classes, and yet despite my best efforts, I found myself failing over and over. Instead of being placed properly in special-ed services, my school district decided instead that I would fare better in society as someone who can't pass classes or hold a job. Instead of being given the proper accomodations I deserved (on account of my intellectual disability), I was essentially left to fend for myself in spite of my glaring cognitive deficits. I would understand this move if we lived in a society completely debased from morals and ethics, but it appears that we don't, as other schools seem to always have special-ed services, and recipients of such services are usually treated with compassion and empathy.
Post high school, I've held a few jobs, which range from office jobs to working in restaurants. And in each job, I performed horribly, leading me to quit right before I was fired.
There persists an erroneous assumption that someone with my level of disability would be unable to articulate themselves with any degree of intelligibility. I assure you that this is not the case, and that I wrote this myself.

I’ve got a few hair and beard mods installed and went into creation kit to edit him to my liking, but after I save my changes and load the game he still looks like this. Any advice? The changes loaded once, and then I went back into CK to remove a moustache from Brand-Shei, and Bryn is back rocking the look of my ex-boyfriend’s dad.
Modlist:
# This file was automatically generated by Mod Organizer.
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*Creation Club: ccbgssse003-zombies
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*Creation Club: ccbgssse057-ba_stalhrim
*Creation Club: ccbgssse058-ba_steel
*Creation Club: ccbgssse060-ba_dragonscale
*Creation Club: ccedhsse001-norjewel
*Creation Club: ccedhsse002-splkntset
*Creation Club: ccedhsse003-redguard
*Creation Club: cceejsse005-cave
*Creation Club: ccvsvsse003-necroarts
*Creation Club: ccvsvsse004-beafarmer

I am a 26m bearish chub who loves meeting people, but feel like I’m reaching a turning point with the apps.
It’s a tale as old as time. Lonely guy who would love find the right person; a guy who I really connect with on a deeper, emotional level. Someone who cares as much as for me as I do for them. I’m on Scruff, Grindr, Growlr, Tinder, Bumble, whatever and I’ve meet some great friends, one of which became my roommate.
I live in a decently large college town in the Midwest. Lived here most of my life and my family is here who I have a close attachment with. The gay scene is alright, but I just have such bad luck really finding who’s into what I offer.
I’ve thought about moving away to open up the possibilities, but I have a solid job here currently and I’m not interested in taking a financial/emotional risk at this time just to meet people.
But this does bring me back to the apps and how depressed they make me feel. I love to be friendly and meet new queer folks. It’s so exciting to get to know people and just vibe. But I’m tired of being the one who reaches out or just doesn’t get a response back.
I should just take a break and take the usual advice of “stop looking and it will happen” approach. But idk, I don’t want to miss my shot with someone who might be out there?
Ugh

Seeking remote job no experience: I’m currently trying my best to apply for any entry level remote jobs including customer service positions. I’m not having any luck and no one is responding to my applications! I’m located in central Texas and I’m looking for something full time and entry level, preferably not customer service via phone calls but I’ll take it as a last option. Anyone have any suggestions?
Post graduate remote job search: Also, I’m currently in school full time pursuing a bachelors in business administration and my dream job after my degree is a remote job making at least 60k, I was looking into some type of remote analyst job but am open to suggestions for that as well. Thank you.

Hey yall,
Shift here and I've been thinking more and more about trying to promote lately. Coworkers were always surprised I planned on stopping at SSV. I promoted to Shift because I wanted the extra pay and thought I could do the job, but I wasn't entirely sure it was worth the stress. Honestly, the thing that made the difference was the fact that I knew like half a dozen baristas who used to be Shifts and stepped down and it seemed like it went fine. So it seemed safe to promote with the knowledge that I could always go back to being a regular barista if it was awful. I've met one shift supervisor ever that stepped down from manager and its always seemed like the type of thing where if it didn't work out as a manager you just leave the company, but maybe there's more people who step down than I'm aware of.
Anyways, I've been getting lots of positive feedback from other shifts and my baristas lately about how strong I am and how good of a job I'm doing. My manager always has nice things to say about me, how much they appreciate me, and they've asked for my input to problem solve lots of things. I kinda just feel like I'm getting good feedback from every level in my store. And I know that manager is a very different job than SSV, but I do think I have the potential to do well there.
That said, I have a number of reservations about being a manager. And that's why I've always said I'm not interested in promoting further "at this time" during PDCs. Some general fears are the overall stress and my anxiety about ending up a store where there's tons of drama or no one is following standards or most of all, there's a crazy number of incidents every day. (High incident stores have really worn down my mental health in the past).
So before I voice any interest in promoting, I'm wondering if I can just get some basic info on what's expected/required. Especially insight from current Store Managers and ones that were promoted recently. Pretty much all I know is doing basic job duties (problem solving issues, creating schedules, running payroll, hiring, firing, ordering). I know there's an expectation of at least 40 hours a week, with potential to need to work more (idk what real hours usually look like for most store managers. whether the 40 is pretty accurate to avoid overtime or whether its common to work more or what that situation is and how frequent it'll be expected.) I'm in California btw.
I also get the impression that you pretty much need to have open availability. Maybe not constantly, but at least sometimes. It seems like all of the managers I've had usually need to be in the store before peak and leave after 8 hours, so early afternoon. And that's most days. And then from time to time they need to be in at open OR they need to stay until close. Currently, I never work before 6am and I assume I'd have to give that up and be willing to work some opens.
It seems like its expected to work every launch day.
it seems like holidays off are usually fine. And I always get the impression its pretty chill to take vacation when you want as an SM, as long as you aren't gone too long (and not on launches).
Can anyone add any additional information or correct anything I stated that's wrong?

I’ve been taking CS courses for a year now working towards a second degree, as my first is unrelated and non-technical and I really want to change my career. Originally, I was working towards a BS in CS, however my university offers a master of computer science (MCS) and I’ve taken enough leveling classes to start this fall at a medium sized public university. I was just wondering if getting a masters degree (specifically a non-research degree, more project based) will help me to land an entry level software development job, or any CS job, after graduation. Or will it be the same as other new grads since I’ll have no professional experience in the field. The cost isn’t that much different for me vs a BS in CS. Has anyone else done something similar?

Don't get me wrong.
For context, we recently had two new addition sa team after almost 6 months of resource constraints. Before sila na-hire, kami lang ng direct manager ko ang nag-pproduction with some outside help from other teams. Nagkaroon kasi ng mass exodus sa team namin. I've only been working for 8 months now, so technically, new hire din ako somehow. Tapos entry-level (analyst position) din ako so I'm at the bottom of the food chain. Tapos yung mga processes na ginagawa ko ay for higher-level position na talaga, so since may resource constraints nga, I had no choice but to do those tasks - for a measly compensation. Yung nagyari was, ginagawa naming dalawa yung tasks na dapat pang-apatan. Hirap din kasi silang maka-hire ng mga bagong tao so eto talaga naging set-up namin for 6 months.
I was really struggling at first kasi nga new hire tapos kulang talaga sa trainings, pero eventually, naging comfortable na ako sa processes. Kung dati, everyday nag-oOT, ngayon very minimal na lang. Tapos nagiging subject matter expert na rin ako sa mga processes na ginagawa ko - which I really find fulfilling by the way. I'm proud to say na kahit entry-level lang ako, naging crucial ako sa team namin kaya na-survive namin yung 6 months na kaming dalawa lang.
But here's the dilemma. Since may nag-fill in na sa two open headcount sa team - isang analyst like me tapos isang mas senior, magkakaroon na ng new tasks assignment. Yung mga current tasks ko, mapupunta na sa analyst na ka-level ko lang din. Yung tasks nung senior, ay yung mga tasks nung analyst na ka-reresign lang. Tapos yung tasks ko? Lahat nung tasks nung direct manager ko ibibigay niya sakin. WTFFF. Ako na mere analyst lang? I was expecting na yung tasks niya ibibigay niya dun sa new hire na senior kasi 2-level higher yun sakin pero damn sakin niya talaga ibibigay. Mga critical tasks pa naman yun. Medyo naiinis lang ako. Ang unfair. Kasi yung sweldo at position ko are not comparable naman sa mga tasks na mapupunta sakin. Yung nangyari tuloy parang ako pa yung naging team lead.
So dahil dito, winiwish ko na lang na mag-resign yung new hires kasi from the looks of it hirap na hirap din sila. Pinag-iisipan na rin nilang mag-resign kahit 1 month pa lang. Ang sama ko ba para i-wish yun? Kasi pag nag-resign sila, walang mababago sa task assignment namin. Hilaw na hilaw pa ako para mag-take on ng tasks nung manager ko jusko.
Paano ko ba i-oopen up sa manager ko to? May catch up kami bukas. Promotion? Salary increase? Paano ba siya i-bring up? Kasi kung hindi nila mabibigay to, I swear mag-reresign talaga ako. And back to zero sila. Huhuhu
Thank you po sa sasagot. ❤️

I'm not sure why more people don't do this, but I'm going to let you in on a little secret that will change your life. Did you ever realize that you have an 'invisible' portfolio based on your income? Having a job is just like having a portfolio that's 25 times as large!
You don't need to worry about unrealistic FIRE numbers. If you're making an entry level $200k salary, at a 4% withdrawal rate, it's the same thing as having a portfolio of 5 million, which means you're basically guaranteed to succeed with your FIRE dreams as long as you keep working indefinitely. If you're making that in a pretty standard 8 hours a week, it's actually functionally $25 million backing you up.
In order to make our money work for us, we have to work for our money.
Think about it. In fact, take it a step further. A regular job is like owning a single stock. You rely on that one company to provide income and stability. But when you factor in your salary, benefits, and potential growth, it's like having a diversified portfolio all wrapped up in one neat package. There's really no need to grow a portfolio beyond that.
I've heard it said that retiring early is like finding a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, except the gold is a bundle of index funds and the rainbow is a well-diversified investment strategy. The truth is that the real gold was inside you all along.

Don't get me wrong.
For context, we recently had two new addition sa team after almost 6 months of resource constraints. Before sila na-hire, kami lang ng direct manager ko ang nag-pproduction with some outside help from other teams. Nagkaroon kasi ng mass exodus sa team namin. I've only been working for 8 months now, so technically, new hire din ako somehow. Tapos entry-level (analyst position) din ako so I'm at the bottom of the food chain. Tapos yung mga processes na ginagawa ko ay for higher-level position na talaga, so since may resource constraints nga, I had no choice but to do those tasks - for a measly compensation. Yung nagyari was, ginagawa naming dalawa yung tasks na dapat pang-apatan. Hirap din kasi silang maka-hire ng mga bagong tao so eto talaga naging set-up namin for 6 months.
I was really struggling at first kasi nga new hire tapos kulang talaga sa trainings, pero eventually, naging comfortable na ako sa processes. Kung dati, everyday nag-oOT, ngayon very minimal na lang. Tapos nagiging subject matter expert na rin ako sa mga processes na ginagawa ko - which I really find fulfilling by the way. I'm proud to say na kahit entry-level lang ako, naging crucial ako sa team namin kaya na-survive namin yung 6 months na kaming dalawa lang.
But here's the dilemma. Since may nag-fill in na sa two open headcount sa team - isang analyst like me tapos isang mas senior, magkakaroon na ng new tasks assignment. Yung mga current tasks ko, mapupunta na sa analyst na ka-level ko lang din. Yung tasks nung senior, ay yung mga tasks nung analyst na ka-reresign lang. Tapos yung tasks ko? Lahat nung tasks nung direct manager ko ibibigay niya sakin. WTFFF. Ako na mere analyst lang? I was expecting na yung tasks niya ibibigay niya dun sa new hire na senior kasi 2-level higher yun sakin pero damn sakin niya talaga ibibigay. Mga critical tasks pa naman yun. Medyo naiinis lang ako. Ang unfair. Kasi yung sweldo at position ko are not comparable naman sa mga tasks na mapupunta sakin. Yung nangyari tuloy parang ako pa yung naging team lead.
So dahil dito, winiwish ko na lang na mag-resign yung new hires kasi from the looks of it hirap na hirap din sila. Pinag-iisipan na rin nilang mag-resign kahit 1 month pa lang. Ang sama ko ba para i-wish yun? Kasi pag nag-resign sila, walang mababago sa task assignment namin. Hilaw na hilaw pa ako para mag-take on ng tasks nung manager ko jusko.
Paano ko ba i-oopen up sa manager ko to? May catch up kami bukas. Promotion? Salary increase? Paano ba siya i-bring up? Kasi kung hindi nila mabibigay to, I swear mag-reresign talaga ako. And back to zero sila. Huhuhu
Thank you po sa sasagot. ❤️

I was going to be late. I was on the verge of panic, uncertain of where I’d come from or why I was late, but I was going to be late.
Today was supposed to be different. I was sure of it. The start of something new. My only opportunity to move out of my little dead-end corner of Appalachia rested on me arriving for the night shift on time.
I sped over the rolling road in a panic. Dense old growth rushed past in a blur periodically broken by small plots of pasture, apple orchards and fields that a few months earlier were brimming with corn. Shadows danced out there in the dim moonlight and the closer I got to the airfield the more separated from the small outlying town I felt.
My steering wheel was cold and it vibrated wildly in rhythm with my heart. I tapped it impatiently.
The rusted hulk nearly left the road each time I crested a hillock. My suspension groaned under the salt spurred corrosion and strain.
I can get a new car if this all works out.
I nearly missed my turn. Fishtailing, I plodded off the main road onto an aptly named “Airport Drive”.
I came to a halt at the designated stall and turned the car off.
A minute to spare.
I looked out into the darkness beyond the parking area and a tingle ran down my spine. The shadows that were once dancing as I passed were still now and the air oppressive. My hands were tingled with cold yet brimmed with sweat. Before opening the door, I took a few deep breaths, flattened my hair, and made sure my uniform was sharp. Looking into my image in the rearview mirror I cleared my throat.
“Alright buddy. You’ve been drifting from service job to service job in this dying county for half a decade. Somethings got to change. *You’ve* got to change. You’ve got a daughter now, you can’t be out there chasing bar weasels and getting drunk every other night. It’s time to up your game. You aren’t the little boy who had to stand in the corner with his nose to the wall every time you messed up anymore. Now your choices matter for her life too. The pay and experience here are going to help springboard you off into something bigger and brighter. You can do this.”
My car door shrieked open causing the chirping and croaks in the forest around the airfield to briefly fall silent. The crunch of gravel followed me across the unpaved, unmarked parking spaces poorly illuminated by one lonely floodlight. I made my way to the entrance of the terminal and pulled open the door to the chime of an old brass bell.
“Oh, hey buddy.” He glanced at the clock. “You’re early.” Stepping into the room I saw Gus casually looking up from his crossword, bifocals resting on his fat, bright red nose.
“Yessir. I figured maybe if things weren’t too busy we could get started early. I’ve heard night shift can be a lot to take in.”
His brows furrowed and his mouth hung half open.
“Well….alright, I guess. But we’ll be easing you in. Just the basics for the first week.” He held up a finger, “Will and I are gonna rotate each night, until we know you’ve got the hang of it, then we’ll start giving you more responsibilities – if you’re up to it.”
We spent several hours on the night shift responsibilities for the airfield. Many of the duties weren’t too complicated. When we went to the control room at the base of the single tower overlooking the tarmac we flipped several very clearly marked switches turning the runway lights on and off. Then we walked over the several generators tucked away behind baggage claim to check their fuel and oil levels.
“Checking these emergency generators things each night seems a bit overkill, no?” I asked.
Gus smiled. “These aren’t for emergencies. This is our power. Yea, this past winter much to our surprise we found that some of the power poles came down. Some heavy rainfall right before the first snow turned the ground to soup and the just sort of…fell over.”
“They really shouldn’t do that.”
Gus shrugged. “Yea well, corners get cut all over the place. Damn things still aren’t back up, so here we are.”
As we walked back over to the portables for baggage claim and arrivals/departures. Another tingle ran down my spine. Instinctively I looked around and caught sight of something out in the dark. It was the feeling of being watched. I tried to focus my eyes on the darkness. I saw some gently pulsating shadows near the trees but nothing more.
The chirping and croaks were nowhere to be heard and I shivered.
“Come on kid, I ain’t got all night.”
I came to and trotted over to where Gus had stopped. “Sorry, I thought I saw…something.”
We continued onward, restocking the restrooms, went over baggage tagging and safe lifting procedures and the other mundane parts of preparing for the night’s departures and arrivals.
Finally, we wrapped up my first training session with perimeter checks.
Gus’ labored breathing alternated with his footfalls on the blacktop as we walked down the small runway.
“Every 3 hours you are going to be making this walk.” He gestured around. “You start over at the ATC tower and head out to the tree line, then follow that parallel to the tarmac until you pass the last of the landing lights and keep going until you hit the transmission shack. Don’t get distracted and go off following the transmission lines. Had a guy do that a year or two ago and it took us a week only to find his ass mumbling by the side of the road talking about the linemen – boy wasn’t right after that.”
He paused thoughtfully for a moment.
“Anywho, after the transmission shack you hook right following the shore of the river until you hit Eddie’s orchard then head back. You’ll pass his cornfield and follow that until you see the two terminal portables, then you check the parking lot and come back to the office to enter it all in the logbook. Just need to make sure there ain’t nothing out there that shouldn’t be.”
We continued walking in silence for a few minutes. “So what do I do if I find something? Are we looking for the Wilson boys or something? I thought they stopped causing trouble after you…”
“Well, you need to enter it in the logbook for one.”
“Bears? What do I do if it’s bears?”
He stopped. “Bears? What the hell are you rambling about? We don’t get bears this time of year. Oh, and be sure to bring your bear spray.”
“Even though there aren’t bears?”
“It’s under the counter next to the logbook.” He paused again. “If you see any wildlife, just take the truck out there and honk at it to get it away from the runway. Be sure to use your high beams, too. Very important. You see any people you get back to the office and call the Sheriff – don’t need to be a hero. You hear anything weird out there in the dark you leave it be, if it’s off property it’s not our problem.”
“Any questions?” he asked as we got back to the office.
A few.
“No, I’m good.”
“Great, Will’s in the control tower if anything comes up. No flights scheduled for tonight so it should be awfully quiet. Here’s the keys to the castle. Adios.”
He placed a massive key ring into my hand that had more keys than there were doors on the property and took off.
I sat down behind the counter, looked at the broken clock and sighed.
I was able to knock out the task list before midnight and had 6 more hours to kill before the end of my shift. There was no cell service, because of course not. I tried reading an old Town and Country magazine I found stashed under the desk and found most of the pages had been covered in circles and doodles by someone who must have been just as bored as I was on some unknown shift prior.
I decided to sweep up and clean the counters to keep myself busy and after I was done it was only 12:15.
I groaned.
The silence was oppressive. Outside the window was an empty, dark expanse with a slowly strobing series of red lights marking the flight line. I felt safer indoors but even then as I stared into the dark something felt off. If I turned my gaze from the windows I could see something out of the corner of my eyes. Branches swaying in the breeze.
There was no wind here.
12:34.
I pulled the logbook out from its shelf and placed it on the counter entering my start time, grabbed my flashlight and headed out into the frigid night.
The occasional whistling of the wind punctuated my footfalls. I passed red light posts every few yards on a never-ending runway. I kept walking for what felt like half an hour, losing count of the lights I’d passed. I turned back out of curiosity and still saw the slowly receding light of the air traffic control tower confirming that yes, all was well. After the runway ended I continued into the dark until coming to the boarded up transmission shack and the power lines that ran off into the forest.
I came the edge of the marsh and began following it. Minutes passed. I turned to get my bearings on the tower and found it’s lonely beacon, but I also noticed a void in the dark – not a blackness per-se, black is a color. No, it was a complete lack of color, a hole in existence out past the power lines. It was getting larger.
I picked up my pace.
I got to the orchard and looked back finding that the lights were out. All of them were out. And that thing in the forest was growing near.
I stood there and watched it for several minutes waiting for it to move. It didn’t.
I turned back now walking as fast as I could. After a dozen yards I stopped and turned around.
It was closer, I was sure of it. Much closer.
I turned and began to jog forgetting everything Gus had told me. It was gaining on me.
Now I was in a full-blown run down the flight line, glancing back every few moments, still unable to see it but sure it was there. The thing that had been watching me since I got here. The thing that drove a cold shock down my spine. This was it.
My legs pumped like pistons and the sting of cold air shot through my chest with each strained, gasping breath.
I passed the recently harvested cornfield, in which stood two perfectly still Deer judging me for my frantic escape.
It was gaining on me.
Finally I came to the portables. I slammed into the nearest door but it stood firm. I slammed my shoulder into it three more times and it didn’t budge. I remembered my key chain.
I pulled it out and started flipping through the keys. *too many keys*.
First key. No.
Second key. No.
Third key. No.
The fourth key worked, the tumbler clicked and I was in. Slamming the door back in place, I frantically locked it.
My hands were shaking and even though I was panting, I went to the window. The void cast long shadows across the field as it stood transfixed not on me, but on the deer.
“Shhhh” a man’s voice whispered from behind me.
“Oh SWEET JESUS FU-“ I screamed as a hand clamped down on my mouth.
“SHHH.” Sharper this time, commanding. “It’s me.” Will whispered, releasing his hand from my mouth.
“What..” I replied quietly as I turned to see him using his phone to maneuver the drone. “What’s going on? You scared the shit out of me. Nice to meet you by the way I’m..”
He smiled, “You gotta be more careful buddy, Didn’t Gus tell you not to go out into the woods?” Now that I could hear him clearly, his odd vowel pronunciation took me off guard. He’d fit right in, in Venice beach. Surfers. He sounded exactly like how I imagined California Surfers sounded. Very out of place for this part of the country. I shook the thought from my mind.
“I didn’t, I..”
He shushed me and pointed to the deer.
“Just…watch.”
I’d never seen deer stay still so long.
I strained my eyes to see. The shadows, tilled earth and wilted corn husks broke up the terrain making it hard to see what was hidden in plain sight. I’d see movement then have to dismiss it as wind kicking up gentle curtains of soil or the shifting of a shadow from the small movements in the night.
Slowly a thin sharp shadow moved, followed by another, then another. They moved in concert from that enormous void that had followed me.
The deer stood transfixed before it all happened at once.
A mixture of humanlike screams erupted as each of their bodies were slammed into the ground. Viscera painted the wind. In another moment the light went out and I heard Will sigh.
The wind whistled and died, but we could still hear it out there breathing heavily as it gorged itself. From where I stood I could only see a throbbing silhouette breaking the horizon as it went to work. A crisp snap rang out as it pulled limb by limb from the carcass. The throbbing of the shape slowed as a new sound arose. A contented hum made its presence felt through the rattling of the windows and doors and threatened to overwhelm my own beating heart.
The sound rose as the shape slowly moved closer.
“What do we..”
Will shushed me.
I jumped and stifled a scream as a wet, boneless appendage slammed against the window curiously. The doorknob rattled though this time not from the creatures’ purr but from it’s clumsy efforts to open the door and join us inside.
The ceiling creaked above us under a massive weight.
It groaned as if remembering something and suddenly began moving away back towards the trees. There were no footfalls, just the gently receding sound of a blissful purr.
When it finally entered the world beyond its movements melted into those of the swaying branches becoming indiscernible. The more I tried to focus on it the harder it was to recall its form or the impossibility I’d just witnessed.
Will smiled and patted me on the shoulder sadly, “Welcome to Murkintok.”

In testing some of the content generation capabilities it's been interesting to see where the limits are. And of course simple is better.
For better Mad Libs I recommend plugging in a simple, presumably child-friendly scenario and asking it to be 5 paragraphs long. Length can vary but in my opinion 5-6 is the sweet spot.
Examples:
Please create a 5 paragraph long Mad Libs about a generic superhero fight in the city.
Give me a brief 6 paragraph story in the form of a mad libs about an animal getting lost in an elementary school causing trouble
I found it does it really well. What it doesn't do well is when you ask it to fill in the blanks in its own with hilarious entries. It focuses on what is a reasonable response which is to be expected.
Additionally, thematic pick up lines are also entertaining. Like if your BFF is a [job title] or [type of hobbyist] ask for pick up lines based on that. Some are meh but at least one tends to be gold.
I hope others find this as entertaining as I have.

I was going to be late. I was on the verge of panic, uncertain of where I’d come from or why I was late, but I was going to be late.
Today was supposed to be different. I was sure of it. The start of something new. My only opportunity to move out of my little dead-end corner of Appalachia rested on me arriving for the night shift on time.
I sped over the rolling road in a panic. Dense old growth rushed past in a blur periodically broken by small plots of pasture, apple orchards and fields that a few months earlier were brimming with corn. Shadows danced out there in the dim moonlight and the closer I got to the airfield the more separated from the small outlying town I felt.
My steering wheel was cold and it vibrated wildly in rhythm with my heart. I tapped it impatiently.
The rusted hulk nearly left the road each time I crested a hillock. My suspension groaned under the salt spurred corrosion and strain.
I can get a new car if this all works out.
I nearly missed my turn. Fishtailing, I plodded off the main road onto an aptly named “Airport Drive”.
I came to a halt at the designated stall and turned the car off.
A minute to spare.
I looked out into the darkness beyond the parking area and a tingle ran down my spine. The shadows that were once dancing as I passed were still now and the air oppressive. My hands were tingled with cold yet brimmed with sweat. Before opening the door, I took a few deep breaths, flattened my hair, and made sure my uniform was sharp. Looking into my image in the rearview mirror I cleared my throat.
“Alright buddy. You’ve been drifting from service job to service job in this dying county for half a decade. Somethings got to change. *You’ve* got to change. You’ve got a daughter now, you can’t be out there chasing bar weasels and getting drunk every other night. It’s time to up your game. You aren’t the little boy who had to stand in the corner with his nose to the wall every time you messed up anymore. Now your choices matter for her life too. The pay and experience here are going to help springboard you off into something bigger and brighter. You can do this.”
My car door shrieked open causing the chirping and croaks in the forest around the airfield to briefly fall silent. The crunch of gravel followed me across the unpaved, unmarked parking spaces poorly illuminated by one lonely floodlight. I made my way to the entrance of the terminal and pulled open the door to the chime of an old brass bell.
“Oh, hey buddy.” He glanced at the clock. “You’re early.” Stepping into the room I saw Gus casually looking up from his crossword, bifocals resting on his fat, bright red nose.
“Yessir. I figured maybe if things weren’t too busy we could get started early. I’ve heard night shift can be a lot to take in.”
His brows furrowed and his mouth hung half open.
“Well….alright, I guess. But we’ll be easing you in. Just the basics for the first week.” He held up a finger, “Will and I are gonna rotate each night, until we know you’ve got the hang of it, then we’ll start giving you more responsibilities – if you’re up to it.”
We spent several hours on the night shift responsibilities for the airfield. Many of the duties weren’t too complicated. When we went to the control room at the base of the single tower overlooking the tarmac we flipped several very clearly marked switches turning the runway lights on and off. Then we walked over the several generators tucked away behind baggage claim to check their fuel and oil levels.
“Checking these emergency generators things each night seems a bit overkill, no?” I asked.
Gus smiled. “These aren’t for emergencies. This is our power. Yea, this past winter much to our surprise we found that some of the power poles came down. Some heavy rainfall right before the first snow turned the ground to soup and the just sort of…fell over.”
“They really shouldn’t do that.”
Gus shrugged. “Yea well, corners get cut all over the place. Damn things still aren’t back up, so here we are.”
As we walked back over to the portables for baggage claim and arrivals/departures. Another tingle ran down my spine. Instinctively I looked around and caught sight of something out in the dark. It was the feeling of being watched. I tried to focus my eyes on the darkness. I saw some gently pulsating shadows near the trees but nothing more.
The chirping and croaks were nowhere to be heard and I shivered.
“Come on kid, I ain’t got all night.”
I came to and trotted over to where Gus had stopped. “Sorry, I thought I saw…something.”
We continued onward, restocking the restrooms, went over baggage tagging and safe lifting procedures and the other mundane parts of preparing for the night’s departures and arrivals.
Finally, we wrapped up my first training session with perimeter checks.
Gus’ labored breathing alternated with his footfalls on the blacktop as we walked down the small runway.
“Every 3 hours you are going to be making this walk.” He gestured around. “You start over at the ATC tower and head out to the tree line, then follow that parallel to the tarmac until you pass the last of the landing lights and keep going until you hit the transmission shack. Don’t get distracted and go off following the transmission lines. Had a guy do that a year or two ago and it took us a week only to find his ass mumbling by the side of the road talking about the linemen – boy wasn’t right after that.”
He paused thoughtfully for a moment.
“Anywho, after the transmission shack you hook right following the shore of the river until you hit Eddie’s orchard then head back. You’ll pass his cornfield and follow that until you see the two terminal portables, then you check the parking lot and come back to the office to enter it all in the logbook. Just need to make sure there ain’t nothing out there that shouldn’t be.”
We continued walking in silence for a few minutes. “So what do I do if I find something? Are we looking for the Wilson boys or something? I thought they stopped causing trouble after you…”
“Well, you need to enter it in the logbook for one.”
“Bears? What do I do if it’s bears?”
He stopped. “Bears? What the hell are you rambling about? We don’t get bears this time of year. Oh, and be sure to bring your bear spray.”
“Even though there aren’t bears?”
“It’s under the counter next to the logbook.” He paused again. “If you see any wildlife, just take the truck out there and honk at it to get it away from the runway. Be sure to use your high beams, too. Very important. You see any people you get back to the office and call the Sheriff – don’t need to be a hero. You hear anything weird out there in the dark you leave it be, if it’s off property it’s not our problem.”
“Any questions?” he asked as we got back to the office.
A few.
“No, I’m good.”
“Great, Will’s in the control tower if anything comes up. No flights scheduled for tonight so it should be awfully quiet. Here’s the keys to the castle. Adios.”
He placed a massive key ring into my hand that had more keys than there were doors on the property and took off.
I sat down behind the counter, looked at the broken clock and sighed.
I was able to knock out the task list before midnight and had 6 more hours to kill before the end of my shift. There was no cell service, because of course not. I tried reading an old Town and Country magazine I found stashed under the desk and found most of the pages had been covered in circles and doodles by someone who must have been just as bored as I was on some unknown shift prior.
I decided to sweep up and clean the counters to keep myself busy and after I was done it was only 12:15.
I groaned.
The silence was oppressive. Outside the window was an empty, dark expanse with a slowly strobing series of red lights marking the flight line. I felt safer indoors but even then as I stared into the dark something felt off. If I turned my gaze from the windows I could see something out of the corner of my eyes. Branches swaying in the breeze.
There was no wind here.
12:34.
I pulled the logbook out from its shelf and placed it on the counter entering my start time, grabbed my flashlight and headed out into the frigid night.
The occasional whistling of the wind punctuated my footfalls. I passed red light posts every few yards on a never-ending runway. I kept walking for what felt like half an hour, losing count of the lights I’d passed. I turned back out of curiosity and still saw the slowly receding light of the air traffic control tower confirming that yes, all was well. After the runway ended I continued into the dark until coming to the boarded up transmission shack and the power lines that ran off into the forest.
I came the edge of the marsh and began following it. Minutes passed. I turned to get my bearings on the tower and found it’s lonely beacon, but I also noticed a void in the dark – not a blackness per-se, black is a color. No, it was a complete lack of color, a hole in existence out past the power lines. It was getting larger.
I picked up my pace.
I got to the orchard and looked back finding that the lights were out. All of them were out. And that thing in the forest was growing near.
I stood there and watched it for several minutes waiting for it to move. It didn’t.
I turned back now walking as fast as I could. After a dozen yards I stopped and turned around.
It was closer, I was sure of it. Much closer.
I turned and began to jog forgetting everything Gus had told me. It was gaining on me.
Now I was in a full-blown run down the flight line, glancing back every few moments, still unable to see it but sure it was there. The thing that had been watching me since I got here. The thing that drove a cold shock down my spine. This was it.
My legs pumped like pistons and the sting of cold air shot through my chest with each strained, gasping breath.
I passed the recently harvested cornfield, in which stood two perfectly still Deer judging me for my frantic escape.
It was gaining on me.
Finally I came to the portables. I slammed into the nearest door but it stood firm. I slammed my shoulder into it three more times and it didn’t budge. I remembered my key chain.
I pulled it out and started flipping through the keys. *too many keys*.
First key. No.
Second key. No.
Third key. No.
The fourth key worked, the tumbler clicked and I was in. Slamming the door back in place, I frantically locked it.
My hands were shaking and even though I was panting, I went to the window. The void cast long shadows across the field as it stood transfixed not on me, but on the deer.
“Shhhh” a man’s voice whispered from behind me.
“Oh SWEET JESUS FU-“ I screamed as a hand clamped down on my mouth.
“SHHH.” Sharper this time, commanding. “It’s me.” Will whispered, releasing his hand from my mouth.
“What..” I replied quietly as I turned to see him using his phone to maneuver the drone. “What’s going on? You scared the shit out of me. Nice to meet you by the way I’m..”
He smiled, “You gotta be more careful buddy, Didn’t Gus tell you not to go out into the woods?” Now that I could hear him clearly, his odd vowel pronunciation took me off guard. He’d fit right in, in Venice beach. Surfers. He sounded exactly like how I imagined California Surfers sounded. Very out of place for this part of the country. I shook the thought from my mind.
“I didn’t, I..”
He shushed me and pointed to the deer.
“Just…watch.”
I’d never seen deer stay still so long.
I strained my eyes to see. The shadows, tilled earth and wilted corn husks broke up the terrain making it hard to see what was hidden in plain sight. I’d see movement then have to dismiss it as wind kicking up gentle curtains of soil or the shifting of a shadow from the small movements in the night.
Slowly a thin sharp shadow moved, followed by another, then another. They moved in concert from that enormous void that had followed me.
The deer stood transfixed before it all happened at once.
A mixture of humanlike screams erupted as each of their bodies were slammed into the ground. Viscera painted the wind. In another moment the light went out and I heard Will sigh.
The wind whistled and died, but we could still hear it out there breathing heavily as it gorged itself. From where I stood I could only see a throbbing silhouette breaking the horizon as it went to work. A crisp snap rang out as it pulled limb by limb from the carcass. The throbbing of the shape slowed as a new sound arose. A contented hum made its presence felt through the rattling of the windows and doors and threatened to overwhelm my own beating heart.
The sound rose as the shape slowly moved closer.
“What do we..”
Will shushed me.
I jumped and stifled a scream as a wet, boneless appendage slammed against the window curiously. The doorknob rattled though this time not from the creatures’ purr but from it’s clumsy efforts to open the door and join us inside.
The ceiling creaked above us under a massive weight.
It groaned as if remembering something and suddenly began moving away back towards the trees. There were no footfalls, just the gently receding sound of a blissful purr.
When it finally entered the world beyond its movements melted into those of the swaying branches becoming indiscernible. The more I tried to focus on it the harder it was to recall its form or the impossibility I’d just witnessed.
Will smiled and patted me on the shoulder sadly, “Welcome to Murkintok.”

I'm having trouble in my job search finding a legitimate and realistic entry level marketing job. For context I just graduated college with of bachelors of arts in marketing and I've been using LinkedIn, Indeed and Handshake. I've been trying to be as broad as possible with my searching, with the exception of keeping the jobs within a practical distance from me and at entry level to realistically match my qualifications. With this, most of the jobs I've found are either MLM devil corps or jobs way beyond my qualifications. For further context, I'm primarily interested in a digital marketing job but I'm open to the whole field of marketing careers, but I don't want to settle for a job thats not worth the pay or one that I'll be miserable at.

Splitting the matches into the daily schedule this round, Monday's matches will go up tomorrow (hopefully this lets me get this stuff up before play finishes for the day). Women's and men's matches are below :

WTA Singles :

Pavlyuchenkova vs Mertens :

After an extended stretch of middling results, Pavlyuchenkova appears to be back in form. She’s been taking the long route to the finish line, requiring third sets in the last two rounds, but wins against Samsonova and Potapova are really high quality stuff. She’ll have a chance at another great win in the next round against Elise Mertens, who is collecting her own Pokedex of big names. Mertens beating Osorio in two was a good sign, but continuing her dominance against Pegula puts her near the peak of her performance results-wise. Generally, I’d like Mertens against Pavlyuchenkova, but I’m not sure how much weight to put into the Pegula win. Jessica really wasn’t at her best, and it seemed like she was fighting off the ball rather than directing it. Pegula hits a very flat ball so if she’s struggling with her timing on clay things can go bad quickly. Mertens played solid but I felt like it was a team effort with Pegula playing poorly to complement Mertens’ play.
Pavlyuchenkova has a more traditional swing production and hits the ball very hard. Mertens is faster, but Pavs has a way of keeping the ball out of her opponent’s strike zone and her weight of shot can be effective against someone like Mertens who is more about skill and accuracy than power. There’s really no way this won’t be close. I’m cheering for Mertens but I think Pavlyuchenkova has gotten through higher quality matches thus far and she might be slightly more experienced at this level. Pavlyuchenkova in 3.

Muchova vs Avanesyan :

This round, I guess unsurprisingly, contains a lot of very solid baseliners. I expected Begu to get to a third set against Muchova, but it was evident early that Muchova’s speed around the court was going to play a major difference. There have been a few matches in the past round where lateral speed (or slight lack thereof) was the deciding factor (Hurkacz/Varillas, Fritz/Cerundolo, Tauson/Avanesyan) and that was the case here. For Muchova, this is a very welcome run at a major event. She’s had some huge almost-results at majors, and her results have suffered a bit afterwards. Here is another chance to make the quarterfinals, and she’s a pretty heavy favorite. But is she?
Avanesyan seemed outmatched early in her match against Tauson, and Clara was able to hit through her a good portion of the time. Avanesyan had trouble defending her serve, and plan B went into effect. Luckily for her, outlasting Tauson worked. Elina dug in and Tauson started to force the issue, making dropshot errors and sending forehands long. The third set was competitive but Tauson’s narrative about her legs being tired had become fairly public, and she was forcing the issue an awful lot. It’s possible, but it’s really tough to come up with a whole set of offense on slow clay. Avanesyan dug in, and to her credit there was a good 30 minute stretch where she actually didn’t miss the court. The result was pressure on Tauson’s serve, and they traded a number of breaks until ultimately Avanesyan got through.
Muchova having proper stamina means she can win where Tauson ran out of gas. I think it’ll be a lot tougher than the -400 pricetag indicates though. Avanesyan has a heavy forehand, and I’m not exaggerating when I say that she barely missed a shot in her last set of tennis. Working against her is the 12 hours she’s spent on court this week, and Muchova possessing a lot of variety in her offense. It’s just a tough opponent to play for the first time, but given what we’ve seen from Elena so far she’s likely to play her best. Muchova in two, with the second set likely being the closer one.

Svitolina vs Kasatkina :

Svitolina played Blinkova a week ago in the finals of Strasbourg. The odds were even for both. It was a blowout. They played again in the third round, which Svitolina coming in at -340. This time, she barely won in a marathon 3-setter. The quick turnaround runback on tour produces some of the wildest deviations in pricing and results, but it seems like Blinkova’s familiarity with Svitolina’s patterns allowed her to make adjustments. She was a bit more aggressive, and seemed to be a half-step ahead of Svitolina during rallies. The question for Svitolina here is how much she has left. Elina is 6-0 against Kasatkina, although none of the matches are within the last 3 seasons. That type of dominance is due to their similarity. Svitolina and Kasatkina are both extremely consistent, and win from making it clear to their opponent that they’re not going to end the rally. Forcing the issue is tough against them because they have great speed and good defensive skill. The big difference is Svitolina hits the ball very hard, and Kasatkina gets through with finesse.
Kasatkina is nearing her best level this week and that makes her a favorite in this matchup for one of the first times ever. She had a very easy match in the third, since Peyton Stearns made a number of errors and seemed to get rattled by the occasion and the scoreboard. She’ll be the fresher player since Svitolina is coming off a title run, but overcoming a player who has always beaten you, and who has an easier time scoring points during neutral rallies can be really difficult. Svitolina’s serve isn’t likely to score a ton of points here, but it’s stronger than Kasatkina’s. This is a bit like the Gauff/Andreeva match to me because I’m a bit more excited to see it play out than I am confident that I know what’s going to happen. Svitolina is Gauff in this one, a bit faster, bringing more power, but not as technically sound with her groundstrokes. Kasatkina is Andreeva, tremendous skill and consistency, but it’ll be hard to end rallies. If Kasatkina wins, I expect it to be in straight sets. Svitolina in 3 is what I’m expecting though.

Stephens vs Sabalenka :

I thought Rakhimova might give Sabelenka a little trouble, but my worry that her old form might return is unfounded, like most worries. Rakhimova went up an early break, but Sabalenka is crushing the ball this week and the slow courts are giving her plenty of time to set up. Having a huge serve is a big boost in this next match, because Stephens is also thriving in these conditions. Sloane doesn’t really play with a sense of urgency, but she’s such a good athlete that she’s able to run down most shots. Putintseva extended rallies and was really effective at working multiple shots and remaining patient until she could employ a dropshot, but overall Stephens was having success while doing less. When she gave up a short ball or was out of position, it felt like Putintseva was under immense pressure to try to end the rally right there. When the same opportunities came for Stephens, she was able to just hit heavy forehands and usually wound up well inside the baseline on the next shot if the ball came back at all. It’s a benefit she won’t have in this matchup, and I’m having a hard time imagining her winning this match.
Stephens’ defensive ability and power will let her play even against Sabalenka in a lot of rallies, but a lot of the points she created against Putintseva won’t be here in this one. Sabalenka having power doesn’t make her any better technically than Putintseva, but it means she doesn’t have to focus as much on depth on these returns. Stephens should be competitive but I think she’ll lose by a break in each set. Sabalenka in 2.

ATP Singles :

Khachanov vs Sonego :

This is going to be really good. Generally, Rublev is regarded as a better player than Khachanov. He has had higher rankings, more titles, and his game is more flashy since his groundstrokes are huge and his noises are notorious. Here though, Khachanov is likely a tougher test for Sonego. Sonego was going uphill against Rublev, but he was the player getting more benefit out of his serve. Rublev earning his points is fine, but against a server it can create some pressure over time. Khachanov’s delivery is at least as good as Sonego’s, so it comes down to which player is more solid from the baseline. For me, that’s Khachanov. He has a better backhand, and his forehand is a bit more about arm & muscle than technique but he hits with a heavy Western grip that works well on clay. Sonego is much more efficient in the frontcourt and his dropshots are tremendous, but he’s going to need a mercurial performance here to win.
These two have split matches on clay, with Khachanov winning the most recent one. They’re obviously not the same players they were in 2019, but both have made similar amounts of improvement so I think there’s a good chance that the Rome 3-setter is a decent data point. Since Kokkinakis was able to win a set and be competitive in the others, I expect that Sonego’s similar serve/forehand combination can make inroads. Khachanov doesn’t deviate from plan A, and periods where his opponent redlines are acceptable to him and his team. I think Sonego will win a set or two, but the quantity of offense he’ll need to come up with against Khachanov may see him come up a bit short. Rublev has bigger groundstrokes, but his lateral movement is poor compared to Khachanov so I think defense beats offense here. Khachanov in 4-5.

Djokovic vs Varillas :

Djokovic needs to be careful here. Varillas has appeared completely overmatched in every single match in this tournament, and that seems to be when he strikes. Hurkacz was ahead early and looking solid, but I didn’t think it would last. Varillas was putting a lot of returns in play, and Hurkacz makes a lot of rally ball errors on his backhand. I’d say he’s up there with Madison Keys for casual swings that sail long. It’s good to remember that most guys his height can’t even come close to his baseline prowess, but for Varillas the slight inability to escape baseline rallies meant he got worn down as the match went on. Varillas moves the ball extremely well and rarely misses. The 3/5 format seems to really suit him, and having better results as majors is a really good thing for a young player on tour. I can guarantee that he’ll be down in the scoreline again against Djokovic. Can he come back?
No. For ADF fans, this was the best chance for him to beat Novak at a major. He played the match of a lifetime, and he didn’t win a set. The best quality matches on tour seem to negate the server’s advantage, and this was no different. Djokovic and ADF combined for 12 breaks across 3 sets, 3 sets which included a 6-2 blowout and still took 3 and a half hours. This was great tennis, and ADF acquitted himself well, but what was clear in this match is that it is extremely difficult to score on Djokovic. Most of the breaks and momentum shifts occurred at changes of ends. The south (if you’re watching TV) side of court Philippe-Chatrier seems to be way more worn at the baseline, and Djokovic and ADF both struggled a bit there in the slightly windy conditions. Something to keep an eye on if you’re betting as there are break markets I suppose.
Varillas is going to treat fans to a gutsy performance, but he’s been winning thus far by outlasting his opponents, and he’s not going to be able to do that here. Add in that those heroic performances mean he’s played 15 sets of tennis already, and he’s likely going to display a lot of heart but quietly be ready to accept the loss also. This is a great moment for an extremely deserving player, but Novak’s level thus far tells me only Musetti/Alcaraz can really compete with him. Djokovic in 3

Alcaraz vs Musetti :

If you have Alcaraz futures, this is going to be a tough sweat. So far this tournament, Alcaraz has looked ridiculous good. I won’t disparage the hard work pros put in, but when you see guys like Alcaraz the mind goes to how good everyone could be if they all took their training to the next level. He has natural gifts of course, and speed can’t be taught, but Carlos has been training harder and playing harder than everyone else on tour for a good 2-3 years now, and it makes it really hard to catch up. You can elevate your game to compete with him, but it becomes the Nadal question of how long you can stay at that level, and what the mental effect is of watching them pull away as you choose between going to a more conservative approach (likely the right choice but equally likely to be a losing effort longterm) or continuing to exert and losing to your own errors. Shapovalov gave us a great show, but his red-line game almost appears to be a fun treat for Alcaraz to play against. The slow conditions are really good for Alcaraz, because he has the ability to generate his own pace and the ultra slippery courts (dry conditions) mean that dynamic movement is a big key.
When I’m done gushing about Alcaraz, there is somehow a legit contender waiting. Lorenzo Musetti flies under the radar for big chunks of the season, but here he is one of the few people who can win the title. His defense is tremendous. He is extremely quick around the court and has great skill and depth on his gets. The part that really gives him a chance here is that he has the ability to infuse power at any time. Alcaraz is a rhythm player, and seeing difference paces leads him into the one aspect of his game (besides the serve) that is still less than optimal at times, decision-making. He is suffering a little bit from success lately, and the bailout dropshot or ornate volley/winner for the crowd is entering his game a bit. Carlos is good enough to get away with it, and he is actually good enough at tennis that he still makes a big percentage of these attempts. So wild that occasional highlight reel shots is considered a leak, but it’s hard to find them with Alcaraz so you take what you can get. Criticizing shot selection almost feels a bit absurd here, because pretty much every player from the Spanish federation has exceptional decision-making on the court.
That paragraph was supposed to be about Musetti, so I’ll try again. Musetti rolled Cam Norrie in round 3, and he won the previous meeting against Alcaraz, a three set thriller in Hamburg. Alcaraz has made improvements, but Musetti should still be able to hang. Physically he’s there. He has a good enough serve, he has enough power, and his one-hand backhand presents an interesting challenge for Alcaraz because most one-handers on the tour aren’t that good at this stage; it’s a shot Carlos doesn’t get to train against much. The slow courts and balls mean both players will have a hard time hitting past the other, and that means we’re going to get treated to what I expect to be the best match of the tournament thus far. I don’t think Alcaraz can win this in straight sets, but Musetti has taken losses this year on clay and Alcaraz has pretty much solved every single problem that has presented itself. Alcaraz in 4-5. If he can win this in straights just hand him the trophy.

Ofner vs Tsitsipas :

Sebastian Ofner is in the top 100. This has been a long long long time coming. If you look at the best performers on the Challenger tour for the past few years, his name is at the top of the list. The other guys like Stricker, Bergs, Sachko, etc have gotten their shots on tour though, while Ofner has mostly grinded away. He’s currently ranked 70 in the live rankings though, which means direct entry into Wimbledon and the USO. Ofner is at his best on clay, but he has a big serve and a great work ethic so there’s a good chance he can rack up more points in the North American hardcourt swing. Ofner will have a tough time continuing his run here, as Tsitsipas is playing great tennis. He’s also fresh after a fairly simple match against Diego Schwartzman. Diego battled as usual, but his lack of a serve meant that Tsitsipas was never really in danger. Ofner presents a tougher challenge since he has a great serve, but he got past Fognini through determination and being the slightly more consistent player. Against Tsitsipas, he’s outgunned in the serving and stamina department, and Tsitsipas has a heavier forehand also. It’s no knock on Ofner, but all his specialties here are eclipsed. This section of the draw is shaping up for this to be one of the best majors in a long long time. Tsitsipas in 3-4.

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