Bullmaestro's recent activity
-
Comment on Hi, how are you? Mental health support and discussion thread (February 2026) in ~health.mental
-
Comment on Hi, how are you? Mental health support and discussion thread (February 2026) in ~health.mental
Bullmaestro Link ParentAs a neurodivergent person myself, I actually find articles like these to be vindicating, because it's showing that we are not stupid. I've seen "autistic" used as an insult online far too often....As a neurodivergent person myself, I actually find articles like these to be vindicating, because it's showing that we are not stupid. I've seen "autistic" used as an insult online far too often.
Calling pattern recognition a "superpower" is a bit far-fetched though.
-
Comment on Ashes of Creation founder resigns as studio begins mass layoffs in ~games
Bullmaestro (edited )Link ParentEDIT: Redacting my previous statement because there may be a lot more that has been going on behind the scenes. Kira, a YouTuber who often calls out crypto, NFT and Web3 scams released a...EDIT: Redacting my previous statement because there may be a lot more that has been going on behind the scenes.
Apparently there is a board of directors, and the reason Steven walked is that the board agreed to sell the company to private equity investors and planned to lay off a majority of staff and outsource positions overseas.
If Kira's sources are credible, it's possible that AoC may be revived but it'll probably be enshittifie, just like anything a private equity firm touches...
In other words, he's full of shit and just did a rug pull. There is no "board of directors." -
Comment on Waterparks - ICE (2026) in ~music
Bullmaestro LinkI like Waterparks and I think this song went hard, but this song seems like a legitimate call to arms that might put the band in Trump's crosshairs.I like Waterparks and I think this song went hard, but this song seems like a legitimate call to arms that might put the band in Trump's crosshairs.
-
Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Bullmaestro LinkCame back to the permanent Deadman world in Old School RuneScape, partially to scratch the itch left behind by the lack of temporary game modes. Literally spent an evening fighting NPCs around...Came back to the permanent Deadman world in Old School RuneScape, partially to scratch the itch left behind by the lack of temporary game modes. Literally spent an evening fighting NPCs around Varrock, thieving from the town's Tea Stall and pickpocketing guards, because I knew the moment I stepped outside the safe zone, I'd be griefed by a pure unless I made it to the 75 - 85 combat bracket that hardly anyone was in.
I felt like I've made good progress.
Speaking of MMOs that are in my Steam library but I hardly touched, I installed and gave Winds of Valen a go. It's another point & click MMORPG, its main mechanic seems to be switching shields to mitigate enemy attacks in a way akin to prayer flicking in RuneScape, and changing your weapon to counter enemy armor weaknesses. Other than that, the game is incredibly barebones, lacks a world map and much of the QoL that other games like it has. Definitely one to keep an eye out for.
World of Warcraft: Burning Crusade Anniversary is a lot better when you aren't trying to level a Blood Elf or Draenei. The other starting zones seem a lot more empty and I've actually been able to make some good progress on a few alts. I think my approach is to semi-casually level alts to max and exploit rested XP gain as much as possible, at least aiming to get a 70 character midway through Phase 1.
-
Comment on Banjo: Recompiled | Release trailer in ~games
Bullmaestro LinkAs a PC gamer, I cannot believe that there is still no PC port of Rare Replay, and therefore no (legal) way to play Banjo-Kazooie without having to deal the shoddy bitrates and input lag you'd get...As a PC gamer, I cannot believe that there is still no PC port of Rare Replay, and therefore no (legal) way to play Banjo-Kazooie without having to deal the shoddy bitrates and input lag you'd get with cloud streaming.
I think that's what makes me the most sad about all these decompilation projects and enhanced PC ports I've seen lately. You need to effectively pirate the games (because let's be real, people aren't "making legal backups" here) to enjoy them. And as we've seen lately, the only people who seem to be getting away with rampant piracy lately have been AI bros who have been stealing tonnes of copyrighted works to train their LLMs...
-
Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Bullmaestro LinkCame back to World of Warcraft: Burning Crusade Anniversary yesterday as prepatch went live. Debating whether or not to fork out the money for a level 58 boost, level up a shaman in the three...Came back to World of Warcraft: Burning Crusade Anniversary yesterday as prepatch went live. Debating whether or not to fork out the money for a level 58 boost, level up a shaman in the three weeks before the Dark Portal finally opens, or to just shelve the idea of playing. TBC is a lot more comp-dependent when it comes to endgame PvE, and since Bloodlust/Heroism would not yet become raid-wide buffs, it would make sense to play a Shaman for the almost-guaranteed raid spots, as each group would need 2 Shamans for Kara/ZA and 5 for every other raid for buff coverage.
On one hand, I never got to experience BC endgame first time around. I was a dumb teenager halfway through secondary school when the expansion originally launched and unfortunately I played on Turalyon EU Horde and had to deal with a lot of really toxic players and guilds who eventually bullied me off that realm by the time I was halfway through Wrath.
But on the other hand, I currently work in a temp job, do karaoke at least two evenings a week and feel like I'm not in a position to treat WoW like a full time job and dedicate 3 - 4 evenings a week to playing. And I don't think Burning Crusade is one of those expansions where the average guild will have content immediately on farm, unlike Vanilla which is practically trivial by comparison. Also, everybody and their mother are playing the two new races (Draenei & Blood Elf), so each of their starting zones are heavily packed with new players and the servers are genuinely lagging.
-
Comment on Curl will end its bug bounty program by the end of January due to excessive AI generated reports in ~comp
Bullmaestro Link ParentI'm not a programmer and don't have anywhere near the technical understanding to review code, but even I can tell that report is AI slop.I'm not a programmer and don't have anywhere near the technical understanding to review code, but even I can tell that report is AI slop.
-
Comment on Recruiter harassed me whilst off sick. Considering filing a complaint. How best to handle this? in ~life
Bullmaestro Link ParentI did some more research. We have a regulator in this country that oversees recruitment agencies, and the agency may be in more hot water than I realised... -
Comment on How have you changed in the last year? What are your goals for this year? in ~life
Bullmaestro Link2025 was a crappy year for me, but there were things I learned. First, sex is kinda overrated. My first time was eleven months ago and it didn't go that great. I'll just leave it at that. Second,...2025 was a crappy year for me, but there were things I learned.
First, sex is kinda overrated. My first time was eleven months ago and it didn't go that great. I'll just leave it at that.
Second, my new years resolution going into 2026 has been to stick up for myself more and stop avoiding conflict. I've had a few times where I really should have spoken up, whether it's putting someone (freelance civil engineer earning great money) who has belittled my complaints about my current job in their place, dealing with an asshole recruiter who thinks they own me, calling out a woman for pretty much leading me on big time, calling out my dad for his mollycoddling and toxic behaviour. Things like that, really.
But it's going to take a lot to unlearn my past behaviours...
-
Comment on Hytale surges to the most-watched game on Twitch, attracting over 420,000 viewers with its long-awaited launch in ~games
Bullmaestro LinkThanks to me missing the forced Microsoft account migration boat and receiving hardly any communication about it, a game licence I've had since 2010 when Minecraft was in open alpha had been lost...Thanks to me missing the forced Microsoft account migration boat and receiving hardly any communication about it, a game licence I've had since 2010 when Minecraft was in open alpha had been lost just like that. Meanwhile third-party servers like 2b2t and MinecraftOnline which have no affiliation, partnership or funding from Mojang have also been issued legal threats and forced to adopt their new draconian community guidelines else face blacklisting.
Maybe wanting to stick the middle finger to Microsoft and their anti-consumer bullshit is the reason I've wanted Hytale to succeed.
And now that it's launched, I really do think Simon has been too modest with managing the community's expectations. Hytale is in a better and more playable state than a lot of slop that has released at full price in recent years.
-
Comment on Recruiter harassed me whilst off sick. Considering filing a complaint. How best to handle this? in ~life
Bullmaestro Link ParentCorrect. I am based in the UK.Correct. I am based in the UK.
-
Comment on Scott Adams dead: Dilbert creator was 68 in ~comics
Bullmaestro Link ParentI watched the cartoon series once when a re-run was randomly showing late night on a Freeview channel and honestly thought it was terrible. I mean as far as "shitty animated adaptations of comic...I watched the cartoon series once when a re-run was randomly showing late night on a Freeview channel and honestly thought it was terrible.
I mean as far as "shitty animated adaptations of comic series" goes, it's nowhere near as bad as Ctrl+Alt+Del: The Animated Series, but there is a very good reason it pretty much got dropped after a single season.
-
Comment on Recruiter harassed me whilst off sick. Considering filing a complaint. How best to handle this? in ~life
Bullmaestro Link ParentTheir complaints procedure is on their website and in the temporary contract terms and conditions. Not any contacts for senior business partners or directors.Their complaints procedure is on their website and in the temporary contract terms and conditions. Not any contacts for senior business partners or directors.
-
Comment on Recruiter harassed me whilst off sick. Considering filing a complaint. How best to handle this? in ~life
Bullmaestro Link ParentCartharsis and having a written record of the issues raised. Given the Trustpilot reviews this agency has, I don't see anything changing. While 70% of the 1-star reviews are clearly people salty...Cartharsis and having a written record of the issues raised.
Best case scenario is that you cause some systemic change at the agency which prevents similar things to happen to others.
Given the Trustpilot reviews this agency has, I don't see anything changing. While 70% of the 1-star reviews are clearly people salty about not receiving responses or feedback to advertisements they responded to, the others seem legit and like they correllate to my experience.
Also for the record, I don't like the job and I feel like the only reason I'm still working here is that I've been pressured to stay to the end.
-
Comment on Recruiter harassed me whilst off sick. Considering filing a complaint. How best to handle this? in ~life
Bullmaestro Link ParentI don't know who Ben's line manager is. He's also a management consultant in his own right who handles the temp recruitment team for my specific county. Maybe someone like a regional manage or...I don't know who Ben's line manager is. He's also a management consultant in his own right who handles the temp recruitment team for my specific county. Maybe someone like a regional manage or director may be above him, but it would take a lot of LinkedIn sleuthing to find someone like that and I dunno if cold contacting a random manager is a good idea instead of complaining via official channels.
-
Comment on Recruiter harassed me whilst off sick. Considering filing a complaint. How best to handle this? in ~life
Bullmaestro Link ParentOh very much so. I'd say I don't particularly need this job. The only thing that has honestly kept me there is that my colleagues and managers are nice people. But the pay sucks (£13.50 an hour...Oh very much so.
I'd say I don't particularly need this job. The only thing that has honestly kept me there is that my colleagues and managers are nice people. But the pay sucks (£13.50 an hour isn't that much above min wage here), the commute is too long and too costly, the head office is a 50 mile drive away from me, the systems kinda suck, and it's just repetitive invoice processing 8 hours a day.
As much as I agree with you on "many recruiters are scum", I think the industry is a bit more regulated in this country compared to the US or Canada.
-
Recruiter harassed me whilst off sick. Considering filing a complaint. How best to handle this?
The recruitment agency I temp with are a major multinational player in the market, have a bit of a reputation for being sharks (based on feedback I've seen about them on Reddit and Trustpilot.)...
The recruitment agency I temp with are a major multinational player in the market, have a bit of a reputation for being sharks (based on feedback I've seen about them on Reddit and Trustpilot.) They're a publicly listed company who absolutely 100% should know better.
I caught a really nasty virus two weekends ago and had been practically bedridden for nearly a week. For the first two days of calling in sick, I logged into my work laptop and messaged my line manager via Teams. On Wednesday morning, I was advised that I should also keep my agency in the loop, so I instead sent her an email, ensuring to copy in the recruitment consultant who is my point-of-contact (I'll just call him Ben.)
At roughly 3:40 PM, Ben sends me a snarky WhatsApp message out of the blue. "you know we can see your details on job boards lol." I left him on read because 1. I'm in bed and 2. My job search is frankly none of his business.
He then called me and proceeded to all-but-accuse me of pulling sickies to attend interviews, going behind his back to apply for jobs. He asked me if I even considered how bad I was going to make him and the agency look if I quit my job, then proceeded to interrogate me about my contact I had with other recruiters and warned me to delist myself any job boards moving forwards. I complied, purely because I wanted to shut him up and didn't want to start a further argument, when in my head I just wanted to verbally chew him out.
I don't appreciate being intimidated and guilt-tripped about my job search, especially when I am genuinely unwell, and I am seriously thinking about lodging a formal complaint with the agency, but I'm also worried about facing retaliation for this.
AFAIK, I have not signed into a contract preventing me from applying for roles with other employers or agencies. I'm also on a temp zero-hours contract that is due to finish in less than three weeks where either party can terminate it without notice or liability. There is the possibility of the work assignment being extended, or me being offered a permanent role but I don't intend to stay beyond this. This was a decision I made to myself weeks before Ben's recent asshole behaviour. Other than that, I literally have nothing lined up.
Has anybody had experiences raising formal complaints with recruitment agencies? The agency does have a complaints procedure and a dedicated quality care team that investigates formal complaints.
31 votes -
Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Bullmaestro (edited )LinkToram Online is a very interesting MMORPG and I'm not sure if I like it or not. On one hand, it's a uniquely charming game with a somewhat decent story, a great soundtrack and is somehow both...Toram Online is a very interesting MMORPG and I'm not sure if I like it or not. On one hand, it's a uniquely charming game with a somewhat decent story, a great soundtrack and is somehow both mobile-focused and actually having some depth to its gameplay. That's where my positives for it kinda end. It's very grindy, relies heavily on gaining hundreds of levels and doing dailies for progression and graphically it looks incredibly dated like an late PS1 game. Toram also aesthetically looks so similar to Final Fantasy XI and XIV to the point where I'm surprised Square Enix haven't sued for copyright infringement. There is genuinely a short humanoid race of people who look damn-near identical to the Tarutaru from FFXI or Lalafell from FFXIV. Even Josh Strife Hayes pointed out so many aesthetic similarities between this game and the Final Fantasy MMOs in his video review of the game.
I take some of my previous gripes about Vampire Survivors back. Ever since unlocking Hurry mode, the complaint about having to play a constant 30 mins through a stage has subsided. I still feel like progression through the game is confusing. It also feels like the game is 50,000 times better to play with a gamepad. Some weapons shoot forwards and it's better to have the more precise turning of a thumbstick than the 8 directions of WASD movement.
Old School RuneScape has been going rather slow for me. My current goal is to reach 62 Woodcutting and complete Sins of the Father to unlock Darkmeyer and be potentially ready for Blood Moon Rises when that releases. So far, I have one woodcutting level to go before I achieve the final minimum level requirement, and have completed In Search Of The Myreque and In Aid Of The Myreque but I have three more quests. Darkness of Hallowvale and A Taste of Hope seem super tedious by comparison.
Guild Wars Reforged disappointed me in the 20 minutes (thus far) I've played of it. Not because I effectively had to create another account because Steam licence keys are incompatible with existing ArenaNet accounts, but because for £17.99 this game basically looks the same as I remember Guild Wars Factions looking back in 2006 and I expected far more of a visual and QoL upgrade compared to what they actually packaged. The bundle doesn't even include Eye of the North or the Bonus Mission Pack, which you'd kinda expect from a 20th anniversary remaster.
Mind you, I hated Factions when I first played through it, but people have always told me that's the weakest of the three Guild Wars campaigns, and that Prophecies and Nightfall are so much better. My only experience so far with Reforged and playing through the Prophecies campaign has been doing a few quests, almost dying to a level 1 enemy because it turns out necromancer/warrior hybrids suck, and hitting a roadblock with a quest where I have to find an NPC in a location not even marked on my map in order to open a gate and progress. I mean I know excessive handholding is a thing in modern games, but if you're telling me to go somewhere that isn't even listed anywhere on my map without any quest markers (maybe because I haven't properly explored the zone), don't be surprised when I get confused and bored.
-
Comment on Hooters | Bankrupt in ~food
Bullmaestro (edited )LinkIn short, a series of private equity acquisitions, a leveraged buyout (why have they not been outlawed already?), terrible economic conditions and an overall decline in food quality led to them...In short, a series of private equity acquisitions, a leveraged buyout (why have they not been outlawed already?), terrible economic conditions and an overall decline in food quality led to them filing for bankruptcy. A lot of people blame #MeToo for their decline but I don't think the movement and all the scandals they faced were significant enough to truly harm the brand, unlike American Apparel who were effectively torpedoed out of existence under similar circumstances.
The video mentions a similar chain called Twin Peaks who also have scantily-clad women as their main draw but haven't been in freefall. You could also say the same for Coyote Ugly who have effectively adopted the same concept but for bars.
I've only been to Hooters once for a birthday meal, and this was when they expanded their UK business. The food sucked, and to nobody's surprise, the location I went to shut within less than 2 years. Feminists celebrated the restaurant's closure, yet I see the Coyote Ugly Saloon that opened here months ago getting no flak despite them effectively running on the same concept (bar/restaurant staffed by predominantly women in skimpy shorts), and I genuinely think that if Twin Peaks expanded outside of the US and opened a restaurant here, it would go down really well.
Also, when looking up if Hooters still even had a presence in my country, I came across their UK website and saw this quote about their origins.
In 1983, six businessmen in Clearwater, Florida, who had no prior experience in the restaurant industry, teamed up to create a place where they couldn’t be kicked out. On April Fools’ Day that year, they opened it as a joke, never imagining it would turn into a huge success, let alone a global phenomenon.
Opening "a place where they couldn't be kicked out" sounds like a red flag motivator to for anybody creating a restaurant brand. It's weird that it's only the UK arm of the business mentioning this in their branding.
Feeling miserable. I feel like nobody takes me seriously and I'm growing increasingly resentful of the world. But if I speak up suddenly I'm the asshole or nobody is interested.