Living in an HOA neighborhood means you should not be surprised to find a nosy Karen or three. So what can you do when one decides that you are going to be the target of their explosive wrath and rage? If she's got the HOA laws on her side, fighting this would be an expensive mess. If you give in, sure, the Karen is going to win, but it's better to take the target off your back than submit to months of war. In short, it's just not worth it.

Now, there are a few ways that you can give in while still acknowledging to your local Karen that she's a terrible person. You don't have to bow down. You can maliciously comply, you can enact some petty revenge, and you can throw all the shade in her vengeful direction. This Karen's neighbor was pressured by her and the HOA to take down the tree house in his backyard that he built for his kids. Karen's argument was simply that it was obstructing her view during her daily walks, but clearly, she had the HOA's priorities in the palm of her hand so she got exactly what she wanted. Still, the father managed to let her know how "casually cruel" she was, so hopefully she has trouble sleeping at night (probably not). 

Keep scrolling below for the full story. When you're done, check out this post about more HOA drama.

Eight rounds of interviews later, this job candidate was hit by a wave of rejection that felt like an elephant had stomped on her.

Absolutely devastated, was how she described it. And I totally understand why. If a company wasted my time like that, I'd be furious, too. Also, 8 rounds of interviews? What is this, the recruiting process to become the president? It seems wild that recruiters would make a candidate go through this. How many questions could you possibly ask a future employee? Maybe I'm viewing this from a worker standpoint, and not a manager standpoint, but honestly? Shame on them. I can't imagine a manager who would be okay with doing something like this.

So, what exactly went down? Well, a lot. You can scroll down to read the full story. Then when you're done and in the mood to 'beat the system', you can take a look at these top legal loopholes that may allow you to get ahead, so to speak.

If you're debating on hiring someone or DIYing it, this is your sign to hire a professional. 

A customer was a bit too eager to shop at a new store in town. 

At some restaurants that are brand new, a "soft launch" will take place for the first few weeks they're open. During the soft launch, servers are being trained, the kitchen staff is learning how to make the food properly, and therefore the service might be a little slower than normal. That's all well and good for the restaurant industry, but there are no soft launches in retail. That didn't stop this woman from trying to break into a brand-new hardware store in town that hadn't yet opened its doors. 

The retail worker who shared the story, u/xCtrldChaosx, writes that they initially thought the customer was a fellow worker! Since they were just setting up the store for the grand opening, the retail worker assumed anyone in the store was an employee. It seems like a confusing time for everyone involved. The customer also claimed she'd been walking around the shuttered store for about 90 minutes… what a waste of time for her! She must've had to redo all her shopping at a different store (one that was actually open for business). 

Up next, check out these funny signs people spotted out in the wild, like one that read, "Raccoons still in ceiling. Making holes. Please be patient with loud mornings."

These stories collectively serve as a compelling argument for hiring a dating coach. 

Obviously, dating is not something that comes easily to everyone. It's the age-old "practice makes perfect" thing. What can I say? The internal struggle of how to become the most grounded, authentic version of oneself without being entirely fake and inauthentic in the process can drive anyone crazy. People who say that they just try to be themselves on dates do not understand what it is to be an anxious human who doesn't even have a full grasp of what being oneself means. 

On top of the existential thinking that comes with psyching oneself up before a first date, there are also the myriad of ways things can go wrong due to unforeseen circumstances. What if you have a bathroom accident right then and there? What if you run into an ex at the bar? What if you're eating outside and a bug flies into your mouth mid-sentence (this has happened to me, unfortunately). Well, if it makes you feel any better, dear reader, these folks certainly endured more mishaps on their first dates than I have personally experienced (and I have experienced many).

Keep scrolling below for this collection of first date flops, which were compiled from the following r/AskReddit thread. For more content like this, check out this list of occupations that attract the worst kinds of people.

You never realize you live with a bunch of sarcastic comedians until your neighbors start leaving notes in the lobby. 

Unless you live in the middle of the desert or something, you probably have a few neighbors. For those of us located in cities, it's normal to have not just one, but possibly dozens of neighbors. It seems like there's at least one person in every apartment building who just can't be normal. They're often quite disruptive, as if the dozens of other people in the building just don't exist. 

These people shared some very funny notes they found in their lobbies and in other buildings. There are a few chiding neighbors for being too loud, while others are furiously having a debate about building conditions (but only by writing on the sign that was posted, never by talking in person). You can check them all out below! 

Then, check out the odd "aggressive sign" that one breakfast chain posted in view of both customers and staffers. 

There always seems to be something that the toxic bosses of the world feel the need to enforce. if it's not showing up to work early enough, then it's leaving work too early despite fulfilling your responsibilities. If it's not which days you come into the office, it's your attitude and morale when you do show up in person. And if it's not the things you say in the office, it's the clothes you elect to wear.

This CEO already caused drama when he started requiring employees to return to the office full-time despite the fact that it wasn't a necessity for the business to thrive. That meant that the executives at the company would share a floor with the IT department, which led to a clash in dress code and style between the two groups. Naturally, this led to most employees in the IT department complying with their CEO's wishes and wearing more formal business attire, except for one employee who could only comply maliciously. He shared his side of the story via this thread on Reddit's r/MaliciousCompliance subreddit. 

Keep scrolling below for the full story. For more content like this, check out this post about a boss who cheated his employee out of $70K.

Company loyalty isn't really a thing anymore. Our Boomer parents can boast about their pensions and their work ethic, but when a company has nothing to give you after years of service–not even an inflation-covering raise–why would you stick around? Contrary to popular belief, you CAN buy loyalty… especially in the workplace. 

Some companies even have anniversary perks, like a little automatic salary increase, an influx of free PTO, or a better company car, but for the guy in our next thread, he was so insulted by his company's anniversary perks, that he might have preferred a legitimate pizza party instead of enduring the company's nonsense for the next several decades. 

After 20 years of working for the same nepo-CEO, does 4 days extra of PTO sound like a bonus worth sticking around for? Scroll for the entire story and you be the judge of the fairness of this company's policy. 

This story takes place during the 2008 financial crisis, but it's still a good lesson, nonetheless. And with today's volatile market, it's worth taking some notes from this man who lost over $500k+, partially due to his representative's mistake and partially due to his own ignorance.

To set the scene, it's 2008, and everyone is envisioning doomsday scenarios regarding their investments, and news reports on the market were causing a lot of poor financial decisions. This man wanted his money from his retirement account to be moved to a more stable market. Well, his rep misunderstood him and only placed his new contributions into a stable fund instead of moving all of his money. Well, after losing thousands of dollars in funds, he had a pretty good reason to be irate. Honestly, he shouldn't be blamed for not wanting to listen to another rep from the same company. But unfortunately, if he had listened and kept his money in place, he would have reaped the benefits of the enormous market rebound. Instead, he pulled everything out and faced even further financial burdens.

Seems like every high school has that one teacher who is a self-proclaimed "stickler for the rules." It's the teacher who loves to tell students that the bell doesn't dismiss class, the teacher does. Or the educator who insists that there will be no phones in class, not even to listen to music, and no food, and no talking to your friends. 

The teacher in this person's story was a veteran educator with forty years of experience under her belt. She was really stuck in her ways, too. She apparently had a system and "wasn't going to let anyone change her way of doing things." After four decades of doing the same thing, this teacher had to find out the hard way that her methods were no longer acceptable to her students. 

U/lollipopmadness3 shared the story that happened during their high school years. This teacher refused to pronounce their name right. No matter how many times the student corrected her, and no matter how polite the student was, this teacher wouldn't change her ways (can you see a theme emerging?) At least the student was vindicated in the end, with help from the school's principal. 

After that, check out the folks who can't stop themselves from oversharing everything on social media. 

It's difficult to picture your life any different than it is at this exact moment… and that's not talking about simple wishful thinking. It's easy to say "I wish things were better" "I'm grateful and lucky for what I have" or "I'm glad things aren't worse." But actually seeing yourself in a different place, living a different life, amongst different people takes a great deal of willpower, effort, and conviction.

By default we fall into patterns, seeking the comfort of the familiar. Possibly through sheer survival instincts, we cling to the known even if we're being miserably suffocated by it—rather than seeking out an unknown new experience. But it's surprising how by just letting go, even a little bit—or even just by keeping our eyes open for new experiences—we find just how easy it can be to make another, possibly better life for ourselves.

Fiery-hearted folks struggle with being quick to anger. While the world is frustrating and the people around us are stupid, sometimes it's worth it to take a step back before reacting. For those of us who struggle with blatant kindness, think of it this way–if you're being accosted by an accusatory neighbor and your first reaction is to start a neighborhood feud, perhaps there's another way to deescalate the situation while also humiliating your opponent? Hmm…

You know it's doomed when the well-being of a company is solely reliant on the work of three people. Several ways things can go wrong come to mind, the first of which obviously is the question of what will happen when one or more of the employees leaves. 

If the owner is smart, they will do everything in their power to keep these three employees happy and fulfilled. If the owner is smart, they will create a contingency plan that starts with expanding the team before anything goes south. If the owner is smart, they will keep their nose to the ground so that any hiccups won't come as a shock. Unfortunately, however, this owner was not smart.

They were completely blindsided when the three overworked employees essentially decided to quit together, which led to a contentious final two leaves in the office. One of these employees, the one who shared his side of the story via the following Reddit thread, managed to finally have a one-on-one with the owner, a coveted opportunity to explain why conditions at the office were so poor. 

Keep scrolling below to see what the owner said and to follow the fallout. For more stories like this, check out this post about a vindictive manager who docked an employee's pay.

Life is a roller coaster; there will always be good times and bad times. What matters most is knowing how to take care of yourself to the best of your ability, with the knowledge and resources you need at your fingertips.

In the story that follows, a daughter is fighting her mother for money that is rightfully hers. For the most part of her life, the Original Poster (OP) has had difficulty getting along with her mother. However, following an unfortunate incident, OP went to court and was successful in winning a substantial sum of money. Following the court case settlement, OP's mother made multiple attempts to obtain exclusive custody of the funds by arguing that OP was incapable of handling such a substantial amount of money on her own.

That being said, be sure to read the story below if you're interested in learning the specifics of what transpired between the entitled mother and OP! When you're finished, continue to read about the couple who insisted on being seated in business class even though they were in economy, and they even pleaded with the passengers to swap seats!

After being abruptly banned for working overtime and being called a 'time thief' by a new manager, one employee decides to maliciously comply with the new rules. Even though he's never worked overtime by more than 30 minutes, those 30 minutes add up in the long run. Because of this newly instated rule, projects start falling through the cracks. But the employee actually has no choice but to let this happen, considering the new strict rules.

Things get worse when the new manager comes running to the employee, asking him to take on a last-minute million-dollar project, to which he says no. Why? Because he didn't want to be a time thief. And, he had plans. His refusal prompted an HR meeting the very next day. Keep reading to see how this employee came out on top. 

This teenager wanted nothing more than to go to a party. But as they shared in a story all about malicious compliance, their dad "wouldn't let me go anywhere." 

Parents of teenagers have a hard job. Teens are notorious for getting into trouble, but they're also at a point in their life where they need to learn to be independent. As a parent, it's hard to know how much freedom your kid should have. Should they be allowed to stay out all night? Should they have to tell their parent everywhere they're going? That's up to each parent to decide. Strict parents raise great liars, though! 

This teen was begging their dad to go to a party, because no one wants to have FOMO over missing a really cool event. Their friends didn't even have a curfew! U/Olympus_XIII's father gave them ungenerous curfews, like demanding they be home at 10 PM following a movie that started at 8 PM. While discussing the upcoming party, the original poster's dad told them that they'd have to miss at least 90 minutes of the party. Luckily, the teen realized that the party fell on the perfect day. 

Next up, this group of D&D players were surprised when one player walked out at the end of a 4-year-long campaign. 

This HOA was so out of line that they tried to get money out of homeowners who were completely outside of their jurisdiction. Usually with these kinds of stories, we take the opportunity to warn our readers to avoid buying any home in an HOA if they can help it, but since these homeowners were given no mention of an HOA in their initial contract, it seems like nowhere is safe anymore. It's one thing when you elect to have to deal with annoying, invasive HOA board members; it's quite another when they still manage to involve themselves in your life despite having absolutely no right to do so.

This thread was posted to Reddit by u/MrsMaritime, who was advised by several folks in the comments section not to avoid the letter they received in the mail. That letter requested that they remove algae on the side of their house because it was a violation of their bylaws, but as we mentioned, these homeowners were never given said rules. Rather than ignoring the letter, most folks suggested that they provide proof that they are not a member. It seems to have been a colossal mixup considering every other home in the neighborhood is a part of the association. However, hopefully this mixup will remain in the favor of these homeowners, and that they can retain their independence. 

Keep scrolling below for the full story. When you're done, take a look at this compilation of HOA horror stories.

Kids are endlessly creative. They absorb everything the people around them say and do, and then repeat that behavior in their own special ways. 

A lot of parents have had the hilarious experience of hearing their kids swear. At the tender age of three, you wouldn't think a child would be dropping f-bombs. And yet a lot of them overhear their parent flipping out at the driver who cut them off, and absorb the foul language they just heard. Then, once they proudly shout out some obscenities, they realize how funny it is to watch the adults around them squirm. That just makes the toddler want to shout their new vocab word as loud as possible! 

More than 2,400 parents shared the "funniest "bad" thing your child did that you had to punish them for while holding back laughter?" Some kiddos cut their own hair, then tried to deny it ("It fell out!" proclaimed one child with freshly trimmed ½ inch bangs). Cutting your own hair is almost a right of passage for a kid—and if not their own hair, than the hair of their siblings' dolls will get the snip. 

Read these funny anecdotes below, then read about the hastily-planned last minute wedding where "almost everything went wrong." 

If a potential employer is stringing you along during the application process, nine times out of ten, they will be a bad manager. If for whatever reason you feel targeted by that statement, perhaps it's time to rethink how you go about your hiring process. Of course, we understand that there are certain specific skills you might be looking for and you want to make sure your candidates are serious about the position. However, this is really something you can be crystal clear about from the get-go and during the first or second interview rounds. If you're still testing someone's skills by interview four or five, then let's be clear: it's not that you're unsure whether or not the candidate is the proper fit, but rather that you're completely unsure of what you want. 

This thread was posted to Reddit by u/JCarr110, who thankfully was already employed during this interview process and was in a privileged enough position to be able to withdraw his application and confront his potential new employer as to why. We understand that not everyone will feel comfortable turning down a potential opportunity like that or being so candid to the hiring manager. That being said, someone had to be this upfront. If not now, when, am I right?

Keep scrolling below for the full email and for the best reactions from folks in the comments, who shared their horrendously long interview stories. When you're done, check out this post about a drive thru worker who got caught stealing from customers.

You think you're good at handling high-intensity situations until you encounter a Karen…