https://www.halowaypoint.com/news/spotlight-may-2024
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The Halo Spotlight is here, which means it's time once again to dive into the amazing creations made by the community. Feast your eyes!

CRÈME DE LA CRÈME

TackelsHolocron headlines this issue with an Unggoy who is about to unleash perhaps the most devastating fuel rod blast in the galaxy, drawing power from the concentrated tragedy of all their species has suffered...
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AB_RinART has a truly wonderful project going on right now, where she is adding suggested characters to a Where's Waldo -inspired mash-up of different species, characters, fan-made OCs, and more. Track the group photo project here.
(Personally, I think the Didact would have fun chilling among this lovely crowd!)
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GoatsOfHell has jumped feet-first into making this absolutely rad ODST model. Hopefully that purple comes off in the wash!
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Iklungs has a very particular style that we can't get enough of, bringing Halo Infinite 's multiplayer Spartans to life as if they came straight out of a Metal Gear game or a '90s anime.
Art by Iklungs
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BANISHED SPARTANS

Last week, we released our latest Waypoint Chronicle in support of Operation: Banished Honor. Halo: The Third Life tells the story of the rogue Spartan Ilsa Zane following the events of Hunt the Truth and how she came to join the Banished.
Since then, we've seen some incredible fan recreations of Ilsa Zane and other ideas for what Banished Spartans might look like—here's a selection for you to have a gander at!
Silent_SFM is flying an unmistakable flag...
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DaGlassMan4797 was forged in the fiery crucible of Atriox's teachings.
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lllScorchlll is sparring with superheated plasma!
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Misfein has assembled a rather intimidating fireteam.
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ONNNNNEJAM is back-to-back with their Banished brother.
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PalpyTheFrog is about to bring the hammer down with the authority and might of a Jiralhanae chieftain!
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HARUSPINE HANDICRAFTS

Spartan_052's photoshoot in his Mjolnir Mark IV armor conveys the sheer powerhouse nature of this iconic set and shows off just how stunningly detailed it is.
In his own words: "This project was an absolute beast, with so many moving pieces, and it turned out better than I could have ever dreamed! It featured an accurate undersuit, TPU gaskets for the armor plating, a resin printed helmet and visor, AND a crazy chest rig with isolating pec plates and backpack! This is without a doubt the most gorgeous suit I’ve had the pleasure of putting together, and I couldn’t have done it without a TON of help!"
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Bombarisu made a girl a promise and kept it, creating this wonderful model of their girlfriend's Spartan armor from Halo Infinite for her birthday. We hope she loved it as much as we do!
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Busters2005 has a soft spot for some of the GEN2 armor greats, like the Soldier armor depicted below!
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Cyanosaurus_Rex4 has assembled Noble Team, and if you follow the link you'll get a bonus look at Red Team as well.
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When I first glanced at what DonJacobyCreate posted, I thought it was just a screenshot snip of the Sunray 1-1 art from Halo Wars 2. Turns out, this is actually a custom model of Major Vaughan, and so let us regard it with due awe.
Art by DonJacobyCreate
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Evolution2411 has taken the Master Chief down to a deep, dark place within the substructures of a Halo ring...
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theforgerunner has found Jun-A266 keepin' cosy while on a mission.
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TheGcustoms returns once more with figures of the holy trinity of the Banished—Escharum, Jega 'Rdomnai, and Atriox.
Art by TheGcustoms
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VALIANT VIDEOS

Somehow, Halo: Custom Edition turned twenty years old earlier this month. Un-flipyappin-believable!
In many ways, Halo: Custom Edition was the foundation of Halo modding, opening up the beloved original game to an infinite horizon of possibilities. I still vividly remember watching ancient videos of driving Scarabs around, piloting the Prophets' gravity thrones, playing as different species...
In celebration of this milestone, The Vengeful 'Vadam has made a tribute video that beautifully conveys the vibe and energy of the mid-'00s Halo modding scene.
Speaking of the mid-'00s era of Halo, NotPipi has delivered a jaw-dropping fan animation titled "Battle for Mombasa," set during the events of Halo 2 when the Covenant invade Earth. Lend NotPipi just eight short minutes of your life and prepare to be amazed!
Red vs. Blue may have come to a final, poignant end, but the machinima spirit lives on in the hearts of the Halo community, using the medium to ask questions about ( checks notes ) why almost all alien species' biology conforms to inferior bipedal models.
It would appear that even the Unggoy have taken to celebrating a particular date in May...

A GATHERING OF GREATNESS

3clipserenders
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ataboss_3d
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BenedictNeoh
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DoeChops
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evanjpg2
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goku_tshirt
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Hazop_art
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IdealRonyL
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jackdrawss
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lytatroan
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MrChowChowif
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MyteTheGoat
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ryliethewalrus
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SonicTC806
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strider_au
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voidspawn01
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WanderingRonin3
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That's all, folks! We hope you enjoyed this round-up of the community's love and passion for Halo put into artistic expression. We'll be back next month to do it all over again.
All of you who had something featured in this installment should be sure to fill out the submission form so we can grant you your Unicorn of Fire rewards!
This post was made by a script written and maintained by the Halo mod team to automatically post blogs from Halo Waypoint. If you notice any issues with the text output or think this was posted by mistake, please message the mods.

In today's fast-paced world, a good night's sleep is more elusive than ever. Tossing and turning, restless nights, and waking up feeling groggy are all too common experiences for many. But fear not, because there's hope in the form of supplements specifically designed to promote deep, restorative sleep. Let's explore these natural aids and how they can help you achieve the blissful sleep you deserve.

The Importance of Deep Sleep

Before we delve into supplements, let's understand why deep sleep is so crucial. Deep sleep, also known as slow-wave sleep, is a stage of sleep where the body undergoes repair and restoration. During this phase, muscles relax, tissue repair occurs, and the brain consolidates memories and processes information. Deep sleep is essential for physical health, cognitive function, and overall well-being.

Melatonin: Nature's Sleep Regulator

Melatonin is a hormone produced by the pineal gland in response to darkness, signaling to the body that it's time to sleep. Supplementing with melatonin can help regulate the sleep-wake cycle and promote deeper, more restful sleep. For those struggling with insomnia or jet lag, melatonin supplements can be particularly beneficial in resetting the body's internal clock and improving sleep quality.

Magnesium: The Relaxation Mineral

Magnesium is an essential mineral involved in over 300 biochemical reactions in the body, including those that regulate sleep. Low magnesium levels have been linked to poor sleep quality and insomnia. Supplementing with magnesium can help relax muscles, calm the nervous system, and promote a sense of calmness conducive to sleep. Magnesium glycinate or magnesium citrate are popular forms known for their superior absorption and minimal digestive side effects.

GABA: The Calming Neurotransmitter

Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is a neurotransmitter that acts as the body's natural calming agent. It inhibits excitatory signals in the brain, promoting relaxation and reducing anxiety. Supplementing with GABA can help quiet the mind and induce a state of tranquility conducive to falling asleep faster and staying asleep longer. Look for GABA supplements in capsule or powder form for easy dosing.

5-HTP: Serotonin Support for Restful Sleep

5-Hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) is a precursor to serotonin, a neurotransmitter that plays a key role in regulating mood and sleep. Supplementing with 5-HTP can increase serotonin levels in the brain, promoting feelings of relaxation and well-being. By supporting serotonin production, 5-HTP can help improve sleep quality and reduce the time it takes to fall asleep. Additionally, 5-HTP has been shown to enhance REM sleep, the stage of sleep associated with dreaming and cognitive processing.

L-Theanine: Stress Reduction and Sleep Enhancement

L-Theanine is an amino acid found naturally in tea leaves, particularly in green tea. It promotes relaxation without causing drowsiness and can help reduce stress and anxiety, leading to improved sleep quality. L-Theanine supplements are often used in combination with other sleep-promoting ingredients to enhance their effectiveness. Additionally, L-Theanine has been shown to increase levels of serotonin and dopamine in the brain, further contributing to mood regulation and sleep quality.

Incorporating Supplements into Your Sleep Routine

When incorporating sleep supplements into your routine, it's essential to start with low doses and gradually increase as needed. Pay attention to how your body responds and adjust accordingly. Additionally, it's essential to practice good sleep hygiene habits, such as maintaining a consistent sleep schedule, creating a relaxing bedtime routine, and optimizing your sleep environment.

Final Thoughts: Sweet Dreams Ahead

With the help of natural sleep supplements, achieving deep, restorative sleep is within reach. From melatonin to magnesium, GABA to 5-HTP, these supplements offer a gentle and effective way to support your body's natural sleep processes and wake up feeling refreshed and rejuvenated. So say goodbye to restless nights and hello to sweet dreams and restful sleep – you deserve it!
https://nutridom.ca/products/ez-night-60-vcaps?_pos=2&_sid=76c27e051&_ss=r
https://nutridom.ca/products/melatonin-60-vcaps?_pos=1&_sid=76c27e051&_ss=r
https://nutridom.ca/products/5-htp-100mg-60-vcaps?_pos=4&_sid=76c27e051&_ss=r

In today's fast-paced world, a good night's sleep is more elusive than ever. Tossing and turning, restless nights, and waking up feeling groggy are all too common experiences for many. But fear not, because there's hope in the form of supplements specifically designed to promote deep, restorative sleep. Let's explore these natural aids and how they can help you achieve the blissful sleep you deserve.

The Importance of Deep Sleep

Before we delve into supplements, let's understand why deep sleep is so crucial. Deep sleep, also known as slow-wave sleep, is a stage of sleep where the body undergoes repair and restoration. During this phase, muscles relax, tissue repair occurs, and the brain consolidates memories and processes information. Deep sleep is essential for physical health, cognitive function, and overall well-being.

Melatonin: Nature's Sleep Regulator

Melatonin is a hormone produced by the pineal gland in response to darkness, signaling to the body that it's time to sleep. Supplementing with melatonin can help regulate the sleep-wake cycle and promote deeper, more restful sleep. For those struggling with insomnia or jet lag, melatonin supplements can be particularly beneficial in resetting the body's internal clock and improving sleep quality.

Magnesium: The Relaxation Mineral

Magnesium is an essential mineral involved in over 300 biochemical reactions in the body, including those that regulate sleep. Low magnesium levels have been linked to poor sleep quality and insomnia. Supplementing with magnesium can help relax muscles, calm the nervous system, and promote a sense of calmness conducive to sleep. Magnesium glycinate or magnesium citrate are popular forms known for their superior absorption and minimal digestive side effects.

GABA: The Calming Neurotransmitter

Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is a neurotransmitter that acts as the body's natural calming agent. It inhibits excitatory signals in the brain, promoting relaxation and reducing anxiety. Supplementing with GABA can help quiet the mind and induce a state of tranquility conducive to falling asleep faster and staying asleep longer. Look for GABA supplements in capsule or powder form for easy dosing.

5-HTP: Serotonin Support for Restful Sleep

5-Hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) is a precursor to serotonin, a neurotransmitter that plays a key role in regulating mood and sleep. Supplementing with 5-HTP can increase serotonin levels in the brain, promoting feelings of relaxation and well-being. By supporting serotonin production, 5-HTP can help improve sleep quality and reduce the time it takes to fall asleep. Additionally, 5-HTP has been shown to enhance REM sleep, the stage of sleep associated with dreaming and cognitive processing.

L-Theanine: Stress Reduction and Sleep Enhancement

L-Theanine is an amino acid found naturally in tea leaves, particularly in green tea. It promotes relaxation without causing drowsiness and can help reduce stress and anxiety, leading to improved sleep quality. L-Theanine supplements are often used in combination with other sleep-promoting ingredients to enhance their effectiveness. Additionally, L-Theanine has been shown to increase levels of serotonin and dopamine in the brain, further contributing to mood regulation and sleep quality.

Incorporating Supplements into Your Sleep Routine

When incorporating sleep supplements into your routine, it's essential to start with low doses and gradually increase as needed. Pay attention to how your body responds and adjust accordingly. Additionally, it's essential to practice good sleep hygiene habits, such as maintaining a consistent sleep schedule, creating a relaxing bedtime routine, and optimizing your sleep environment.

Final Thoughts: Sweet Dreams Ahead

With the help of natural sleep supplements, achieving deep, restorative sleep is within reach. From melatonin to magnesium, GABA to 5-HTP, these supplements offer a gentle and effective way to support your body's natural sleep processes and wake up feeling refreshed and rejuvenated. So say goodbye to restless nights and hello to sweet dreams and restful sleep – you deserve it!
https://nutridom.ca/products/ez-night-60-vcaps?_pos=2&_sid=76c27e051&_ss=r
https://nutridom.ca/products/melatonin-60-vcaps?_pos=1&_sid=76c27e051&_ss=r
https://nutridom.ca/products/5-htp-100mg-60-vcaps?_pos=4&_sid=76c27e051&_ss=r

What are your thoughts on this - one specialist rushed my appointment and told me to go for an epidural. The other one said go for PT..
EXAM: MRI THORACIC SPINE WITHOUT CONTRAST
HISTORY: Back pain.
TECHNIQUE: Multiplanar multisequence imaging of the thoracic spine was performed on a 3 Tesla MRI scanner without use of intravenous contrast.
COMPARISON: None available.
FINDINGS:
~Alignment~: There is mild levocurvature of the thoracic spine.
~Vertebral body heights and marrow~: The vertebral body heights are maintained. There is scattered disc desiccation and endplate irregularity, most pronounced along the T7 inferior endplate.
~Spinal Cord~: Normal.
~Discs~: There is no significant disc bulge, spinal canal, or neural foraminal narrowing.
There are bilateral perineural cysts at T1-T2 measuring 6 mm on the right and 5 mm on the left.
~Soft tissues~: Unremarkable.
IMPRESSION:
Scattered disc desiccation and endplate irregularity, most pronounced along the T7 inferior endplate.
No significant disc bulge, spinal canal, or neural foraminal narrowing.
Bilateral perineural cysts at T1-T2 as detailed.
Mild levocurvature of the thoracic spine.EXAM: MRI CERVICAL SPINE WITHOUT CONTRAST
HISTORY: Cervical and thoracic spine pain.
TECHNIQUE: Multiplanar, multisequence MR images of the cervical spine were obtained without intravenous contrast.
COMPARISON: None available.
FINDINGS:
~Alignment~: There is mild straightening of the normal cervical lordosis.
~Vertebral body heights and marrow~: The vertebral body heights are maintained.
~Spinal Cord~: The craniocervical junction is unremarkable. The spinal cord is normal.
~Soft tissues~: Unremarkable.
At C2-3: There is a minimal disc bulge measuring 1 mm without significant spinal canal or neural foraminal narrowing.
At C3-4: There is no significant final canal or neural foraminal narrowing.
At C4-5: There is a minimal right paracentral disc bulge measuring 1 mm without significant spinal canal or neural foraminal narrowing.
At C5-6: There is a left paracentral disc protrusion with annular fissure measuring 2 mm which results in mild spinal canal narrowing with abutment of the left ventral cord and mild left neural foraminal narrowing. No significant right neural foraminal narrowing.
At C6-7: There is a small disc bulge measuring 1 mm without significant spinal canal or neural foraminal narrowing.
At C7-T1: There is a minimal disc bulge measuring 1 mm without significant spinal canal or neural foraminal narrowing. There are small bilateral perineural cysts measuring 3 to 4 mm.
IMPRESSION:
Left paracentral disc protrusion with annular fissure at C5-C6 as detailed results in mild spinal canal narrowing with abutment of the left ventral cord and mild left neural foraminal narrowing.
Small bilateral perineural cysts at C7-T1.
Additional mild degenerative changes as detailed.
Mild straightening of the normal cervical lordosis.

My fellow gamers, for too long has our community suffered the indignation of an intolerable culture that has denigrated, besmirched, exploited, and has outright demonized our culture of unique individuals with a genuine love of a hobby that they see as profitable and progressive. They have taken beloved IP’s (Intellectual Properties) and twisted them into their own personal ideological crusade of undermining and humiliating the core aspects of characters they deemed as “Toxic” or “White Supremacy”. Through the guise and protection of DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusivity) & ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) they have used our influence in the entertainment industry to push their narratives and agendas that have stigmatized our culture with numerous anti-consumer practices that they call “being progressive”. But the truth of the matter is they were never really looking to be a part of our community, they simply wanted to use our community as a tool of activism and propaganda in the entertainment industry as it was extremely profitable, and they wanted inclusion in that division. Ever since GamerGate & Female Frequency, we have had to endure the incursion of forced ideologies, xenophobic behaviors and inferior overpriced products that have never been in our best interest and have been flat out disgraceful towards foreign media.
Before Gaming had become a major source of entertainment, we were often categorized as anti-social or societies rejects where because we found more enjoyment in playing fictional characters and not spending as much time out and about, we never fully assimilated in society (which is a good thing if you ask me). From 1998 to 2007, at the height of innovation, creativity and production, Gaming had reached a golden age in which it had revolutionized society. Hollywood Execs who had ruined the movie industry turned their attention to video games as a source of income since video games had outperformed movies in terms of profit. No one was concerned about gaming, much less diversity or inclusivity until it became profitable. This makes people like SBI look extremely disingenuous as they were not interested in gamers as a community with its own culture. They simply wanted to use it as another weapon in identity politics.
Microtransactions; the hidden enemy to gamer progress and inducer to mental laziness of our community. Microtransactions have been around for a long time; however, it has never been more potent and apparent than in recent years. It has aided in the dismantling and segregation of players on the ideology of FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) and has created another sub-culture of gamers who have no real drive to be better outside of how much money they put into the game. This has degraded our culture as well as we have become “fat” off transactional gaming but at the same time we have been “starved” of purposeful gaming where our achievements were our sustenance. I am not saying that microtransactions are bad, but when they are exploitative and predatorial like they have been and don’t give gamers room to grow, we become lethargic and unwilling to improve ourselves as gamers. Oversaturated microtransactional games are one of the many reasons why we have become complacent and unwilling to fight against the exploitative tactics used by big brand game companies such EA, Ubisoft, ActivisionBlizzard, NaughtyDog and so many other western business model companies. Western style games were not like this in the past, they had much more depth and actual effort put into them with the gamer in mind. This has not been the case for over a decade and our connection to western developers has been whittled down to just being transactional. That is one of the reasons why you see so many remasters and remakes in today’s gamer community. They have lost their willingness to improve as developers of games and simply accept corporate/share holder rules.
Game journalists also do not have any real integrity or purpose outside of being funded for their involvement in promoting IPG (Identity Political Games) in a positive light to the public whether it’s positively received or not. They are not interested in what we have to say, they all support the same agenda and that is why they are a dying breed. Within the next couple of years, they will be out of the job and more than likely they will not be able to stay in the industry giving how they have responded to past articles that have clearly been scripted on the premise of diversity and racism. Not only that, but most of them are also extremely hostile to the community as they stereotype and defame the individuals that are a part of the community they are supposed to serve. We have been mentally liberated from their lies and coercive tactics as we tend to laugh at their obvious attempt at virtue signaling while hiding their misdoings so that they can play the victim.
My gamer brothers & sisters, I would not suggest the following action that we must take now without good cause. I have weighed our options and the best option for us now is this…...CULTURAL SECESSION. Naturally this is a form of segregation where they would more than likely claim they are being segregated by the dominant culture of the gaming community but that is incorrect. For years now we have been the ones who are often marginalized and ostracized for the smaller portion of our community. And when we aren’t, we’re exploited for more funds so that these companies can stay in business only to subject us to low quality products that coincide with the “WOKE Agenda” that are often huge expenses to these big brands i.e. AAA/AAAA games that will eventually flop for its obvious forced diversity and bug infested product which will undoubtedly piss off the consumer to the point of wanting a refund. Losing copious amounts of capital and stock in the process, not to mention their reputation is permanently marred.
We must separate on every cultural level in terms of entertainment and ideology. We must reject everything from the west that promotes toxic western beliefs, practices, and exclusion from other cultures (i.e. Southeastern Countries such as Japan and Korea). Japan & Korea have been the targets of unjust discrimination from Western Developers, Western Journalists, Western Localizers (The Wokelizers) and Western Society Prejudice regarding their sense of aesthetics as Westerners hate the aesthetic sense of these countries. The reason why they resort to such base tactics isn’t just because it weaponizes the ideal female form but it’s also because they have deep-seated insecurities about their own looks so when they see attractive female characters, they use terms such as “unrealistic” or “hypersexualized” to establish the moral high ground. But the truth is, they want to feel superior to that which is ideal, so they insult and dehumanize this figure that portrays natural female beauty because they see it as an insult to their own social superiority in what they believe is a hierarchy of them being at the top of all other women. Because of this and so many contributing factors, their movies flop harder than the Fat Chocobo landing on a group of enemies and their games seismically fail just as much if not more. We must sever our connection to Western Developers, Publishers, and ALL Western-Centric Entertainment for they seek to mentally enslave us to their Xenophobic ideology.
Let’s define Western Culture and its traits. Western Culture/Society is composed of more than several different ideologies that work in unison with one another to facilitate dominance over multiple aspects of society. Business, Social, Political, Technological, and sometimes even Global Affairs are affected by these ideologies that portray a specific mindset of Western beliefs. What are those ideologies you ask?

• Perpetual Victimhood: By weaponizing the fact that they are marginalized and of a small portion of western society, they can push their agenda to absurd standards that ultimately ostracize the main demographic. And when companies don’t capitulate, they are labeled as anti-progressive/misogynist’s or cohorts of White Supremacy. They use this to cancel their targets and silence them through societal defamation to keep the public on their side. They also use this mindset to justify their own lack of self-agency as they tend to throw companies who do adhere to their demands but miserably fail to turn a profit under the bus so that they can maintain face in front of the public while denying their actual involvement. They will never accept “Sense of Agency” when it’s negative but will gladly accept it when a positive outcome shines on them as if they are entitled to it.

Official Wiki GamerGate Page)
​

• Societal Terrorism: This is another form of ideology weaponization that they use in order to make companies “toe-the-line” with their agenda. By weaponizing cancel culture, they exert dominance over these companies but in exchange they also reimburse those companies with DEI & ESG funds that raise their credit score as well as having social status with the marginalized demographic. However; cancel culture has not succeeded in years and developers and publishers probably only want the money and the DEI ESG rating. But they have to maintain the image of having social economic power so that they can continue to strong-arm other developers into compliance and promoting financial benefits of DEI & ESG. In other words, if you are not for sale, they discredit and stigmatize you in the industry.

Asmongold Clips.
https://youtu.be/Iq86DnmX2xY
​

• “Its not us, its you who’s wrong” Mentality: This mentality is especially annoying as they tend to use it to hide their incompetence. They often look down upon gamers who are not in the industry to hide their obvious lack of knowledge on game development thinking that their job title grants them special status that they believe gives them the right to be condescending. But the truth they never wanted revealed has already strangled their careers of all credibility. They were never GAMERS, they were INVADERS. Community Colonists that seek to indoctrinate next generational gamers into their hive-mind and brand previous generations of gamers as villains.

@GeeksandGamers
https://youtu.be/1HbrTkqQFuM
​

• Double-standard Enforcement: By labeling something as “unrealistic” or “hypersexualized”, they can claim this is morally wrong if it promotes traditional dynamics between men and women. Heterosexual relationships are condemned while at the same time Same-sex relationships are praised. Additionally, heterosexual relationships with main white male characters turn antagonistic and spotlight stealing. This is deliberate as to promote the “Girl Boss” ideology to indoctrinate women into the Feminazi state of mind. While at the same time, should a male character also adopt the “I don’t need male/female” ideology its seen as Toxic Masculinity which isn’t even a real thing. The idea of a strong male character is taboo while enforcing strong female characters is the ideal.

@MugenLord
https://youtu.be/to5Uciy_yeg
@EndymionTv
https://youtu.be/7TPTR8-qmbk
​

• Dehumanization/Demonization: This is something that most military branches use in order to remove conscious inhibitions such as mass slaughter is wrong or categorization. By enforcing ideologies to denounce humanity in certain targets, it deactivates your conscience by saying this is not human therefore its ethically okay to treat this target without compassion and deny the fact it has sentience. We gamers fall under this category for journalists, developers, companies and society at large. This is a tactic we are familiar with to an extent as it implies that we are not normal when we do not do what everybody else is doing. “Geeks are the worse” or “Nerds need to fall into a pit of lava” are verbal dehumanization forms that most people in society say and we as Gamers tend to be relegated to those categories. This is their way of imposing the social hierarchy on us by establishing superiority. We know this as Gamers as we see it very often in the games that we play and some times experience it in real life.

https://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Gamergate#The_end_of_their_relevance
​

• Deflection/Projection: This is basic psychology 101. By redirecting the conversation away from their mistakes and back on to the opposing view to avert blame and justify their innocence they can avoid criticism. However; deflection is a CONSCIOUS decision, meaning they have no real argument to justify their incompetence. If you can consciously process the situation, you have self-agency which means you don’t have a legitimate excuse. Projection is something else entirely. Most times, Projection doesn’t work on conscious decisions rather it is automatically deployed when feeling threatened, anxious or both. Instead of accepting accountability for feelings or actions that are deemed socially unacceptable they accuse others of committing that unacceptable behavior thereby exonerating themselves and proving that those feelings and/or actions are not their own.

@TheTrentReport
https://youtu.be/bPIPSKruYRo
These traits are so nefarious and unconscionable that I have a hard time believing that anyone could harbor them. However, given the social, political, and economic climate that we are in, those in power who use their influence on controlling society most definitely possess these insidious traits. Everything that they do is all about control and since video games are the biggest market in the world, they want control over it and the communities built around it to accrue more wealth and to use that wealth to subjugate other cultures. Mainstream media is a tool as well as mainstream organizations and sites to help accomplish this goal.
The government recently announced its intentions towards what they believe is “GamerGate 2.0” and now even the ADL has made an official appearance, referring to gamers as “extremist’s”. We know EXACTLY what they are doing, and they aren’t even trying to hide it anymore because they don’t think we are aware of their motives. This is just a pretext for them to exert even more control and we know why, it’s because they want the influence we as a community have to must serve them. So here is what we do my fellow gamers-
“In light of recent events and years of mainstream stigma, we the members of the Global Gaming Community [GGC] must officially renounce ALL TIES to the corporate western video game market. We have been financially exploited through predatorial monetization schemes, pelted with numerous articles of disdain and intentional misrepresentation from game journalists, news outlets regarding us as dangerous individuals and, even subjected to inferior products not only riddled with bugs but also products meant to push political agendas. For the preservation of our community and its unique culture, apart from a few select game development studios we officially sever all connections to western owned video game companies & their mainstream affiliates. From this point onward, we will no longer support western corporate developers, journalists and publishers that do not coincide with the goals of our community.”
Naturally this is completely optional. If you are okay with the state of the gaming community as it is, feel free to ignore this. But if you wish for real change and a break away from oversaturated monetization in the games you play and the push for radical ideological reform, then you are in the right place. Lets sever these rotted miasmic ties once and for all so that our community can be preserved and made better for future gamers. If you agree with this, share it with whoever you think might be interested. The more gamers who get involved, the easier it will be for us to finally break free from mainstream game companies and their associates.

Hi,
Age: 26
Sex: Female
Fluctuating history of thyroid issues
I got results back from my thyroid ultrasound but the doctor who ordered it no longer works at the practice. I would like to know if these results need to be brought to the attention of another doctor. It says :

There are no suspicious cervical lymph nodes. There is a hypoechoic lesion which appears to be posterior to the lower pole of the right lobe of the thyroid gland measuring 1.5 × 0.9 × 1.3 cm.
IMPRESSION: Enlarged, heterogeneous thyroid gland. 1.5 cm hypoechoic lesion which appears to be posterior to the right lobe of the thyroid gland, better defined and unchanged. This could represent a parathyroid adenoma versus a thyroid nodule. Correlate clinically.

32, Female 5’2, 165
Issue:
I was diagnosed with a brain AVM in 2009 - 3 gamma knife treatments in 2019 to treat it once over & had a “blood brain barrier leak” (I think?) in February 2023.
I have never been prescribed a triptan until my new dr 2 months ago… when I asked if it was safe he asked me how “living in the box” was treating me. - I appreciated his confidence until I took my first dose because I felt like my head was going to explode.
He now wants me to get this “DHE” infusion that works similarly to a triptan with a black box warning of “fatal cerebral ischemia” 😳 when I KINDLY reminded him of my negative reaction to one dose of the triptan & asked him if he still thought it was a good idea he told me that it was good to do my research but that everything has a laundry list of side effects, even Tylenol & not to worry….
Is anyone able to offer a second opinion on this medication & Brain AVMs? I’m nervous 😥
BRAIN MRI NOTES:
Extensive abnormality in the posterior right temporal lobe, occipital lobe and parietal lobe. This is a combination of abnormal vasculature consistent with patent AVM/angiomatous transformation but also vasogenic edema and ill-defined white matter enhancement that is very likely radiation necrosis.
The FLAIR and T2 abnormality extends to involve the splenium of the corpus callosum. The enhancement is in the posterior most right temporal and inferior parietal/occipital region that is very likely radiation necrosis given appearance with ill-defined irregular primarily subcortical white matter enhancement. An additional similar globular irregular enhancement in the medial right parieto-occipital region medial to the occipital horn and atrium of lateral ventricle is also noted unchanged. In addition, there are enhancing vessels, angiomatous transformation and/or feeding arteries/veins related to the still patent AVM in the right hemisphere. These are most prominent in the high right parietal lobe. There is a single globular prominent cortical venous drainage in the right parietal region that extends to the sagittal sinus which appears patent. The extensive vasogenic edema and nonvascular enhancement likely radiation necrosis is stable.
The AVM is supplied by distal right MCA and PCA branches with dominant cortical venous drainage superiorly to the sagittal sinus. There are areas of substantial T2*hypointensity in the right parieto-occipital region in the deep white matter and in the subcortical region consistent with areas of hemosiderin staining or embolic material/calcification.
Medication: topamax 200mg 2x qulipta10mg , gabapentin 100mg 2x vyvanse 50 clonidine 0.1 vitamin d

Hi hope you can help. I have been in the process of diagnosis for a year now. Things are pointing towards lupus, joint issues, malar rash, positive dsdna antibodies, raynauds ect.
Anyway i have also got a few highly positive schimers tests as i am having constant eye issues. Spit test was also positive. So they are thinking i have secondary sjogrens.
they sent me for a lip biopsy today at the top hospital with a surgeon who specializes in this.
After cutting three times as wide and deep as normal he couldnt find a single gland to take out. I have never heard of this before. So he stiched me up with no tissue to analyze. Is this something that has happend to any of you? And what was the conclusion?

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I've spent several hours throughout the past week researching Gachas and nowhere did I find a single post or comment anywhere that accurately explains everything in the same place, so I'm going to do my best to explain things as best as I can so nobody else will have to research it much either. However, I don't think I know absolutely EVERYTHING about Gachas and might be incorrect on a few points but I'll edit this if anyone can point out where I'm wrong.
Taming: Gachas are tamed passively by dropping items down in front of them, I've heard that you can feed it anything but I haven't tested that myself. When you drop the items, the Gacha will walk towards it (unless it's sitting and it's close enough for it to pick it up) and pick it up, then eat it slowly. According to Dododex it tames better with structures/tools than normal materials. I may have done something wrong but i tried using greenhouse windows in stacks of 10 each (as recommended) to tame them with full effectiveness, but to no avail it always lost effectiveness and still took an incredibly long time to tame. Meanwhile, my brother tamed 4 or 5 just using stone in stacks of 20 with the same effectiveness (like 4%). So in other words, don't use this as a taming guide.
The level of the Gacha doesn't matter as much as it does for most creatures, the most important stat on them is crafting skill, which boosts the production of their crystals (drop rate and the quality of the crystals (normal, primitive, ramshackle, apprentice)). The only reason you might want a high level Gacha is to get a head start on crafting skill or high weight, so you can focus all it's levels into crafting skill and it's still able to hold a significant amount of items at once. From what I've heard, a good base stat of crafting skill on a newly tamed high level Gacha is around 130-135%, but anything beyond that is considered rare.
Crafting Skill: As I already said, it increases the frequency at which crystals drop from the Gacha, I don't know if this means that crystals grow more from eating, or if it means it'll eat the same amount, just more often than normal. All of my Gachas get 1.5% crafting skill per level up, so I'd assume that all tamed Gachas get that amount per level up.
I have seen many people recommend 160% crafting skill for Gachas that you want only the standard crystals that drop materials, and 260% for the leveled crystals (primitive, ramshackle, apprentice). I haven't seen anyone explain why so I can only speculate that beyond 160%, the chances of getting a higher level crystal than the standard ones is just too high to make an efficient material farm, as you would get leveled crystals too often. I have several at 160% and they work very well for materials.
Possible Drops: It would probably be easier to check the wiki for this, but I'll list them anyway. All Gachas get 6 different possible materials they can produce, and of those 6 are 3 common materials, 2 uncommon materials, and 1 rare/very rare materials. When wild they will drop a random one of those 6 resources, but when tamed you can choose whichever one of the 6 resources you want by choosing "Production" in the creature's radial menu (you can also set the production to random, newly tamed Gacha's are set to random by default).
Common Materials:

• Fiber
• Flint
• Fragmented Green Gem (equivalent of Green Gem)
• Corrupted Wood (equivalent of Fungal Wood, essentially equivalent to normal Wood with a few extra uses)
• Raw Salt
• Sand
• Stone
• Thatch

Uncommon Materials:

• Blue Crystalized Sap (equivalent of Blue Gem)
• Clay
• Congealed Gas Ball
• Crystal
• Oil
• Silica Pearls
• Silk

Rare Materials:

• Black Pearls
• Metal
• Obsidian
• Organic Polymer
• Red Crystalized Sap (equivalent of Red Gem)
• Sap
• Sulfur

Very Rare Materials:

• Element DustIf you're looking to tame a Gacha and want to find one with the materials you want, I'd recommend getting very close to the crystal before you pick it up, and check it's level. If there are several Gachas in an area then it can be hard to find one with the right materials you want just by mindlessly picking up every crystal you find. If you check the level and then open the crystal one at a time, and then see the Gacha of that level nearby, it should be easier to find the one you're looking for. It's also important to pay attention to what materials a single Gacha can drop. The first time I tried to tame a Gacha, I thought I found one that dropped both Organic Polymer and Black Pearls. However, if you look at this list above, you can see that both of those are "Rare Materials" and a single Gacha can only have 1 Rare Material as a possible drop.Depending on the material, Gachas drop a different amount, but I'll get into that in another section.Gachas can drop leveled crystals that can give a variety of different tools/armor as well as some structures. Leveled crystals only have 3 different rarities; Primitive, Ramshackle, Apprentice. So if you came here wondering how to get Ascendant Gacha Crystals, I'm sorry to inform you that as they may have existed years ago, they don't now. Leveled crystals are easily identified by white/green/blue particles floating upward from them. I am not typing out every item that can be dropped by leveled crystals so here is a link where you can check it yourself on the wiki: https://ark.fandom.com/wiki/Gacha_Crystal_(Extinction)?so=searchThe?so=searchThe) crystals can drop almost all stone/metal/fabricated tools and weapons, including torches and canteens but not including harpoon launchers. They also drop chitin/flak/riot armor as well as heavy miner's helmets, and for structures they only drop a few different thing such as dinosaur gates/gateways of wood/stone/metal as well as wooden tree platforms (I do not believe behemoth gates are possible).As far as I have observed, Primitive crystals drop Primitive/Ramshackle equipment. Ramshackle crystals drop Ramshackle/Apprentice/Journeyman equipment. Apprentice crystals drop Journeyman/Mastercraft equipment, and I don't believe Ascendant is possible but maybe it is. There is a good chance that I'm somewhat incorrect about the information above, I tested it several times myself but accidentally deleted the note so I'm mostly relying on memory now.

Snow Owl Pellets: Gachas pick up items near them when wild and tamed, including feces and snow owl pellets. They eat feces as more of a last resort option but they eat snow owl pellets almost immediately after obtaining them, granting them a buff. The buff can be identified by yellow, green, blue and red particles swirling over the Gacha's back. Based on my own observation, the buff lasts until the Gacha produces a crystal, even if the Gacha has nothing to eat in it's inventory, meaning the buff will be "on hold" until it can eat. It's important to note that eating snow owl pellets does produce a crystal at all, like it would it if it ate a material like stone. This means if a Snow Owl is directly in front of a Gacha with the buff and nothing in it's inventory, every time the Snow Owl regurgitates a pellet, the Gacha will pick it up and hold it in it's inventory without eating it, allowing you to farm snow owl pellets while afk for later use. Now I will finally get into what the buff actually does.
The buff from the snow owl pellet forces the Gacha to eat until it produces a crystal (again, as long as it has something consumable in it's inventory), the crystal is also forced to produce the maximum amount of the material it can make, assuming the Gacha is in a good mood (I'll explain mood in the next section). I believe the snow owl pellet buff also makes the Gacha more likely to drop leveled crystals, but it didn't seem to impact my pursuit of materials so I wouldn't worry about it if you just want to farm something like metal for example.
Mood: Gachas have good and bad mood which affect their crystal production. The mood is mainly affected by the gender of other Gachas in the vicinity, but mood can also be lowered by taking damage. The mood is dependent on if there is another Gacha of the same gender withing a certain distance.
For example: If you have a male Gacha and female Gacha next to each other, they'll both be in a good mood. If you have 2 male Gachas next to each other, they'll both be in a bad mood. If you have 8 Gachas in a small area, 7 are female and 1 is male, the females will be in a bad mood and the male will be in a good mood. The mood is dependent on if there is another Gacha of the same gender withing a certain distance.
About the distance, I've seen people give several different numbers but it seems that the actual distance that same-gendered Gachas need to be apart is 14 foundations. Now I'll get into what mood actually does.
Bad mood is caused by being too close to another Gacha of the same gender, or taking damage. It causes the Gacha to not only produce crystals slower, but the yield of each crystal will be significantly less. I'm not sure how it affects leveled crystals but as bad mood as basically the counterpart of a snow owl pellet buff, I'd assume it lowers the drop rate of leveled crystals. They also refuse to pick up items, rending the snow owl pellet farming method I mentioned irrelevant. I don't believe they eat snow owl pellets while in a bad mood, and I'm also pretty sure that the bad mood cancels the buff until they're back in a good mood. I'm not sure how long bad mood lasts from taking damage, but after a Gacha is separated (at least 14 foundations) from all other Gachas of the same gender, it remains in a bad mood for a time unless an opposite-gendered Gacha is close to it. Bad mood is easily identified by purple/black particles on its back, similar to the snow owl pellet buff. It will also refuse to look at you if "Ally Looking" is enabled.
Good mood enables the Gacha to produce crystals normally without issues (as long as it has enough to eat) and utilize the snow owl pellet buff. It also will pick up any item near them. It is identified by no lights on its back, and if "Ally Looking" is enabled, it'll look at you.
Gacha Crystal Material Quantity: A Gacha Crystal will drop a different quantity of materials based on its mood and the snow owl pellet buff. This seems to pertain to the rarity of the material (common, uncommon, rare, very rare). I play on single player settings as I'm always playing alone or with my brother, so I don't know if the quantity is different than default for me.
I recently was out of Red Gems and Crystal, and although Crystal was easy enough to find, I couldn't find Red Gems anywhere except one location. So instead of searching around everywhere I decided to check what materials all my Gachas can produce and found that I have one for both Red Crystalized Sap and Crystal, as well as some other materials I was lacking such as Organic Polymer and Metal. So i threw down a male that produced Red Crystalized Sap and a female that produced Crystal and loaded them up with stuff to eat and all my saved snow owl pellets. I kept getting 30 Red Crystalized Sap with the buff and 60 Crystal, also with the buff. But once the buff ran out i was getting around 14-27 Red Crystalized Sap and double that of Crystal. If you refer to the list in the "Possible Drops" section, you can see that Red Crystalized Sap is Rare, whereas Crystal is Uncommon. I also farmed Organic Polymer and Metal with the Gachas and got 30 from each crystal with the snow owl pellet buff.
Upon further testing I have determined the maximum quantity of materials from a Gacha Crystal based on their rarity: (Keep in mind this is with single player settings, I don't know if Gacha Crystal yield is affected by this or other settings. Also keep in mind I don't actually have a Gacha that drops element dust, which is the only Very Rare Material.)
Common: x120 Uncommon: x60 Rare: x30 Very Rare (Element Dust): x15
I can't confirm this but it appears that a Gacha in a good mood without the snow owl pellet buff would produce between 35-100% of its maximum yield per crystal, and a Gacha in a bad mood would produce below 35%.
Breeding: Gachas do not drop eggs after mating and instead have a gestation timer like mammals do. Once the baby has been born, it will pick up items on the ground, allowing you to give it more food than it can hold which can prevent starvation much easier than you can for most creatures, however a Maewing would render this technique useless. I haven't tested this myself, nor was I able to find any information on it but I don't think they can eat everything an adult can, for food at least. They can eat meat and berries (this I can confirm), and I've seen people use rare mushrooms as they provide more food for the baby than meat or berries, but make sure rare mushrooms are the only item in their inventory, or else they might eat other items first.
You can check what a Gacha can produce ("Production" in the radial menu) even in the baby stage, allowing you to easily determine if raising it to an adult is even worthwhile. If not then you can just.... you know. The possible materials are unaffected by the parents and are entirely random. However, one small disadvantage to breeding Gachas is that Element Dust can only be a possible drop for wild-born Gachas. So if you're trying to get one that drops Element Dust, don't waste your time breeding Gachas and just go tame wild ones. You can use the technique I suggested to find one with Element Dust (Check the level the Gacha that dropped the crystal before you pick it up, open the crystal and if you get Element Dust, tame the Gacha of the same level as the one that dropped the crystal).
When imprinting the Gacha, it will not gain more Crafting Skill. The only way to increase this is through level ups or breeding Gachas with high Crafting Skill, I am unaware if Crafting Skill can be increased through mutations but I personally don't think it would be worth the effort even if it is possible.
What to Feed Gachas: This is undoubtedly my favorite thing about Gachas, as I'm the type of player who does not throw out ANYTHING no matter what game I'm playing, so having a good way to transmute junk that I'm unhealthily attached to into resources I need is amazing.
I have thrown everything from Rockwell Recipes to Slingshots in Gachas and they have not turned down a single thing. Sick of dropping stone tools and cloth armor every time you kill something? A Gacha will eat it. Tired of throwing out all your spoiled meat from feeding troughs? A Gacha will eat it. Have a full fault of hide and now you throw out every bit of it you get? A Gacha will eat it. Maybe you have too many Rex Bone Helmet Skins? Sadly a Gacha won't eat it... just kidding yes they will! These things will eat all your garbage you get after you take a newly raised creature out to kill Rexes for XP. All those skins you get every time you respawn, they'll eat those too. With a Gacha, everything has a purpose now, even those Smithy Blueprints you get from every Blue Supply Drop.
Below I'll list the things Gachas will eat in order (1 being most preferred and 10 being least preferred):

1. Stone (stacks of 20 until gone)
2. Structures, Ammo (stacks of 20 until gone), Armor, Weapons, Tools, Blueprints
3. Food items such as raw meat (not Raw Prime Meat/Raw Prime Fish Meat), Spoiled Meat, berries, seeds, cooked meat, crops, mushrooms, etc. (These will be eaten in stacks of 20 until there is no stack of 20 in the Gacha, even if there are 2 stacks of 17, they will be left untouched until later.)
4. Other materials such as Chitin, Hide, Thatch, Wood, Fiber, Oil (Oil produced by sea creatures is included), etc. (These will be eaten in stacks of 20 until there is no stack of 20 in the Gacha, even if there are 2 stacks of 17, they will be left untouched until later.)
5. The least wanted things such as incomplete stacks from tier 3 and 4, Rockwell Recipes, Skins, Feces, possibly more. At this point it will also eat Raw Prime Meat, as it considers it an incomplete stack since it can't eat it in groups of 20.

Keep in mind I have not tested every item, it would take a long time and probably be more trouble than it's worth. I would assume other minerals such as Crystal and Obsidian as well as Metal would be in tier 1 with Stone, but I haven't tested them nor do I want to, besides Stone would be undoubtedly easier. I have found that the easiest way to get stuff to feed Gachas is just to keep all the random junk you'd normally throw out, I already listed them but I'll list them again:

• Spoiled Meat
• Stim Berries
• Excess items of which you have a full vault
• Trophies if you don't care for them
• Tools/Weapons/Armor not worth grinding (such as stone tools, stone arrows, cloth armor, slingshots, etc.)
• Rockwell Recipes
• Inferior Blueprints (Blueprints that are worse than your best ones and you either throw out or leave in a row of bookshelves that are labeled "Trash") as well as blueprints for structures and normal items
• Skins (mostly Rex Bone Helmet Skins you get from alphas as well as Fireworks Flare Gun Skins from killing deep sea creatures)
• All that extra meat you get from every hunt, as well the berries you'll never use

What I Do: I just have a single Gacha set to produce Metal sitting off my deck but right next to it, with 2 Snow Owls leaning over the Gacha but standing on the deck. Everyday when I log off, I take everything out of the Gacha and put it into a Snow Owl so it won't eat it while I can't collect the crystals. So when I log on, I take it out of the Snow Owl and put it back in the Gacha, since the Snow Owls are leaning over the Gacha, they puke the snow owl pellets right in front of it so it just picks it up (it's in a good mood due to being the only Gacha around).
Then I go on my daily routine (gather kibble eggs and get a few cave drops nearby) and come back and there's a couple crystals on the ground giving me free Metal to put straight in the forge. I also filter the meat in the main feeding trough and the Hyaenodon next to it and give the Gacha about 1900 Spoiled Meat. Every time I go out on my Rock Drake or other tame, I dump all the stone tools and arrows and other garbage (my Chitin and Hide vaults are full constantly and now Stone, Thatch, Wood keep hitting the max every other day) into the Gacha as well, there's always stuff left at the end of the day because I get so much absolutely useless junk that the Gacha seems to believe is food. Occasionally on a slow day it might run out, so I just go to an oil drill or gas collector and grab everything and take it straight back to the Gacha. Every day I get at least 900 Metal in the forge (raw, not ingots).
Other Notes:

1. I've seen a lot of people say that mate boosted Gachas produce crystals more, this is not the case. The only good thing about keeping a male and female Gacha next to each other is it allows you to fit twice as many Gachas in an area without them having bad mood.
2. When a Gacha is set to produce Organic Polymer the best option is to not open the crystal, and instead put it inside a storage container and only open it once you need Polymer, due to the eventual spoilage of Organic Polymer.
3. Gachas will pick up Feces if a creature defecates close enough to them, but Feces is only eaten as a last resort option compared to most available items.
4. If you always have a folder in your inventory with your less used items like a Canteen and Sickle and probably same ammo, then it's best to be aware when you transfer all items straight into the Gacha. Sometimes the "Transfer All" button will take things out of your folder as well, resulting in you accidentally feeding the Gacha your own tools (I have lost over 5 Ascendant Sickles and well over 10 stacks of Shotgun Ammo to this). However this seems to usually only happen when you log on for the first time after opening the game. I should know better at this point but I literally just sacrificed 20 Shotgun Ammo today so I'm gonna start dumping everything out of my folder and into my private vault at the end of every day.
5. I don't think the item that Gachas eat impacts the crystal growth, except tools/weapons/armors/structures seem to equal a group of 20 items (i.e. one mouthful).
6. Since snow owl pellets spoil after 14 days (default settings), if you don't have anything in your Gacha for it to eat and you're just using it to collect pellets for later use, I'd recommend taking all of them and dumping them into a Dung Beetle at the end of every day. Dung Beetles increase the spoil time of all feces, including snow owl pellets. If you don't have a Dung Beetle, crop plots work as well, although it will be tedious to place down enough crop plots for a large amount of snow owl pellets as each one has an inventory of only 10 slots.
7. Again, I'd just like to point out that you cannot get Element Dust as a Production option on a bred Gacha.
8. If you go out for a long time while your Gacha is making crystals, just keep in mind that they only last 15 minutes (default rates).

Anyway that's all I can think of right now, yet I have the feeling I forgot to mention 47097894703 things. If there's anything anyone can confirm or point out, or anything that I should add then please let me know. I'd like for this Gacha essay to help a few people figure out what to do so they don't have to scour the internet for a week. If people actually care about this post then I'll make a detailed post about an optimal Gacha Crystal farm.

Yes, there are many uncut men who publicly wish for circumcision to be made illegal. Just check Twitter. Or Reddit. Or anywhere on the internet.
This is so, so, so embarrassing. I don't think people understand just how embarrassing this is.
Imagine seeking to control an entire public...every single parent's choice...every single sub-culture in America...just because you're insecure about your penis. Then imagine pretending it's a righteous cause by fabricating a human rights violation in the men who are more fortunate than you, and getting off on calling them "victims" because it comforts your victimhood and inferiority complex. Then imagine hiding behind a couple cherry-picked, token cut men, as though their brainwashing should speak over the vast majority of other cut men and everyone else with basic thinking skills. Unimaginably selfish, dishonest, disrespectful, cowardly, stupid. Shameless, and not in a cute way. It is sad and scary how desperate uncut men are to cope.
We don't ban practices just because uncut men are triggered that circumcision exists on the basis of their problems, and that cut men are cleaner, healthier, happier, grateful to avoid their problems and naturally chosen over them. We don't punish the public just because uncut men are guilty that they damage public health ). And we don't uplift uncut men at the expense of entire groups and cultures of people.
But none of that matters to uncut men who are so extremely insecure that they would sacrifice science, medicine, cultures, art and the freedom of the entire public just to be at peace with themselves. Pablo from Twitter would apparently wish for X amount of women to receive cervical cancer, X amount of men to receive penile cancer, or basically jail the entire Jewish community, just to cope with his ugly dick if given the choice. That's horrific, unconscionable, nauseating, and truly foul.
It's astonishing, hilarious and a travesty that even one human being, one human being of the 8 billion and change who exist, supports any of these uncut men who have so such dangerously low IQ, self-control and character that they would sooner project their problems onto an entire public than counsel their problems.
No, neither circumcision nor circumcised men are going anywhere, ever, no matter how violently, uncontrollably triggered uncut men are by their existence.
And since uncut men are so hellbent on making it a competition, let's settle this. Which is better, cut or uncut? Well, being uncut is so awful and miserable that uncut men are prepared to literally hurt millions of people just to cope with their dicks. So, that's that.

First Previous Wiki
"What am I looking at?" Edu'frec asked. Gaia had taken his android to a small room with a single holographic projector connected to a power outlet. The room was generally devoid of any other features, with grey drywall and a concrete floor. The ceiling was also concrete, poured quickly by construction robots.
He narrowed their location to several cities within the Guulin Congressional Republic, the only area with so much of this housing. It was where the freed Guulin slaves from the United Legions had gone, a new nation shaped mostly around the Hudson Bay, for which Canada had ceded in an agreement they were still getting paid back handsomely.
In fact, the Guulin Congressional Republic's economy was outpacing even those of the Pan-Andes Union and China together. It was on its way to adding India and America to the list of nations its combined GDP would surpass.
With the unique economic system Phoebe had helped President Blistanna pioneer, the pittance of money available to pay everyone for their work was enough for them to survive. Phoebe subsidized the entire nation with her vast wealth and workforce, building housing, meat factories, additional production facilities for desalinated water, and specialized city foundations.
Essentially, the entire nation was a single metropolis wrapping around the Bay, glowing as bright as the economic cores of the richest nations on Earth. Given their past conditions, the Guulin's reception was broadly warm. Blistanna's outreach and diplomacy efforts had ensured that every nation on Earth and Luna recognized the Republic and allowed Guulin to immigrate or visit with visas.
It was reflected in the North American Hub Airport, which had nearly 30,000 planes arriving and departing from its roughly 200 runways. Technically, the airport was 20 smaller complexes arrayed in the general Winisk area along the beach.
The city had been built to accommodate the number of flying planes, with an array of monorails and hotels near the edges of the airport, complete with shielding layers for noise cancellation and protection measures. The greater array of shields around the Republic also shined brightly in the sky.
Using his eyes, he could even see the reflected light underneath the door, even on the concrete. All his thoughts and analysis had taken less than a second. That was much the same as before his risky encounter with the power of his own mind turning against him. Edu'frec was wary of such experiences again and watched himself with many vigilant VI programs. The most important points of failure last time were the data veins, so several thousand VIs had been jointly made by him and Phoebe precisely to address that.
They weren't directly managed by Edu'frec, which should allow them to continue their operations and transform them if he went into collapse again. Phoebe's concern over him continued to dominate her mind, and it showed no signs of stopping.
He was glad that she loved him so much. Not everyone was as lucky as him, and a parent like her was wonderful. Ri'frec's eccentricities meant they'd grown apart a bit as Edu'frec had gotten older, but their relationship was also loving. Sadly, it could never be as deep as the one with Phoebe because there was just so much that Ri'frec couldn't know and understand.
Even the pace of their conversations reflected that, as did Ri'frec's moderate inferiority complex to Phoebe which he knew about and was seeking counseling for. It was inevitable, though Edu'frec hoped that he could get what he needed, considering the rising costs of counseling and therapy these days.
Phoebe subsidized those, too.
"This is the rough area where the planet cracker hit Earth several years ago. I've been monitoring the energy and consistency of the plates here, and I'm seeing some worrying upwelling in the crust," Gaia said. The hologram showed a topographic map of the Atlantic Ocean, centered on the North American Basin and with the edge of the mid-ocean ridge in view.
Several areas resembling an impact crater remained from the desperate scramble to save Earth from a planet cracker impact. Much of the ocean's topography had been altered since most of the protective efforts were saved for a perimeter area around the impact before the energy delivered could punch through the mantle to deliver its powerful impact to the planetary core.
"So we'll see a new mountain range in several millennia?"
That was what the data showed. The eastern edges of the North American Plate and the western edges of the African and Eurasian Plates had fractured into dozens of smaller pieces, generating massive earthquakes every few months in the region. In some places, the lateral movement of the larger plates outward as pulling on the smaller ones rotationally, making them rotate slowly into the other plates that could only subduct or buckle in response after large earthquakes. It was just another small thing that had changed since the beginning of all this mess with the First Contact.
Luckily, the zone was underwater, and the city and national shields every inhabited landmass on the planet were equipped with ensured all the tsunamis could do was splash against them. Some were very big waves, too, which would have killed thousands in floods.
It had also required shields to be placed on tethered platforms in the sea connected to the seafloor by a series of heavy anchors, which generated shields to both disrupt the waves and provide safe travel corridors for cargo ships.
"No. The Mid-Atlantic Ridge is still fractured, but all I can see is that there is movement in the crust which cannot be explained by our current theories. Now that our shields are capable of it, and with my power having grown so large, we can conduct vertical expeditions and topographic mapping of the actual rock itself. That is what I want to do, because I believe there is an object of non-natural origin responsible for some of the earthquakes we have seen."
Lists of earthquakes from thousands of 7 and 8 Richter scale movements to the roughly monthly 9 and above earthquakes appeared.
"I specifically believe that the 9.7 and above earthquakes are not natural generations. There should not be enough energy between the plates to generate that level of energy where they are being made. Including the 10.5 which resulted in the loss of nearly half the shield platforms two years ago, along with several plate fractures. Alone, they suggest a pattern which coincides roughly with the perigee of Luna."
He checked the data, and it mostly panned out. He gave Gaia a small nod but then spoke on the point he'd noticed.
"But only roughly."
"Yes. Its period is off by a small but significant time, though the current ones correspond to a far older Lunar orbital cycle, which would line up perfectly with the perigee of the Lunar orbit as of roughly 65 million years ago."
They paused to let Edu'frec absorb the meaning of that. And it was true, too. The timeframe they'd mentioned was worrying, though. When things lined up with mass extinctions and violent upheaval in the past, it wasn't a good sign. Sometimes, treating the world like it was a story was the better option. Fate was real, and the tropes seen in stories had happened before.
Edu'frec was sure that eventually, the old enemies who had escaped the Alliance would return once again: Exii'darii, Yasihaut, Aphid, the fleet of generals and commanders who had left Izkrala and never returned for an unknown reason. Reality could be and was altered by incredibly powerful entities, which had the ability and willingness to do so again. Time rolled back damage from their future wars. Luck determined many nebulous things, as did Fate.
Neither of them were as absent as they appeared. Universal entities had been crammed into a scant few galaxies. The idea that they wouldn't meddle in every aspect of it had long been disproven. So the alignment was a bad sign. He readied all known data on the extinction, from the asteroid to the earlier volcanic eruptions before it.
Even wilder theories of direct alien interventions and occupations on Earth were not discounted. Since it seemed everyone could inhabit the same planets with few exceptions like the Pselpaw and Dreedeen, Earth as a habitable world would have been a target of colonial efforts by any nearby nations or those whom the Sprilnav had not managed to contact to impose a system limit.
Ironically, the system limits also greatly lessened the number of wars between galactic nations. The Alliance would be forced to uphold this system if it overthrew them until a better alternative could be implemented, like merging some of those nations.
"So... what are you saying?"
"I believe there is an alien object dating back to the Cretaceous Extinction. There are references to something that could be similar in my memories."
"So you came here in an some sort of transport, then?"
"I am not sure," Gaia admitted, their eyes flicking downward. "My earliest memories are highly spotty, and I know at least some are artificial. However, I can trace my existence on Earth back at least 40 million years, so it is not impossible that my origin is tied to this object, or perhaps others like it. Maybe the planet cracker activated it through direct impact somehow."
Edu'frec absorbed that. The information was shocking and it was a little worrying that it was coming out now. The secrecy might have been warranted, but he knew there was more he had yet to hear. He gave Gaia an expectant look, and they settled upon a small chair.
"Do you have evidence of any ancient civilizations inhabiting Earth at the time?"
"No. Earth has remained untouched for at least that 50 million years, perhaps longer. Though the date of the Cretaceous extinction also lines up to a worrying degree with how far back the Source's location in the mindscape moved here. In fact, the Source almost seems like it is deliberately staying near Earth. The galaxy's rotation, as well as the Sol system's individual movement and Earth's orbit logically should mean the location changes over time. But it does not. The bones have been here for at least that long, perhaps down to the exact time. I have no finite data to support my following theories, but I think they are important for me to tell you, and more so for you to keep secret."
"Very well," Edu'frec agreed. "I can keep a secret, as long as it does not endanger the Alliance."
Gaia considered his caveat, then nodded. Several locks of hair fell in front of their chest before psychic energy moved it back to Gaia's back. Their glittering black eyes and light green skin looked quite menacing. Of course, he only observed that. Most of his negative emotions were still locked away, as he had no need for them.
"I believe the Source has a limited ability to predict the future. It also has complete control of the mindscape, especially in the deeper levels. So my theory is that the Source came here to attack something, and that it is still here because of us. Us as in Humanity, the Alliance, Penny. There is a dark secret in the Earth, one which we must uncover."
"And that the Cretaceous extinction was actually the Source's attempt to either kill or seal something that was here, and is related to you in some way?"
"Yes. And do you notice how much time Paizma and John spend by the oceans?"
"That is hardly evidence."
He knew what they were going for but wanted to ensure that there was at least some sound information behind it before he committed. Generally, he could arrive at conclusions quickly and form detailed algorithms for detecting which data was relevant and which wasn't. Recently, he'd developed a few algorithms that could actually incorporate a meaningful relevance scale.
It was something that many had been capable of before him, even with VIs. However, the scale of the data he worked with required high degrees of accuracy in the number and a truly quantifiable difference between a piece of data with 76.27362% and 76.27364% relevancy, for example. And the quantity had to be something he and Phoebe could intrinsically understand and use in their common applications.
Sadly, the other AIs in the Alliance, like Cander, Greenfly, and Blackfly, could not process such large amounts of data. He'd seen the terms 'static' and 'active' AI to separate them.
"Yes, but Paizma is four-dimensional. That means she can see a far larger part of Earth than we can, including the inside. In fact, with four-dimensional geometry involved, all of her locations would have been capable of viewing the Mid-Atlantic. We don't know who she really is, or the upper limit of her power. She was made by the Sprilnav. Is it not possible that her reason for interest is that she detects a danger or a threat nearby?"
"It is possible," Edu'frec admitted. He'd considered her Sprilnav origins far more than almost anyone else. He knew that if she was a threat, the Alliance needed a way to fight her and win. Because if she wasn't, the Sprilnav could make more enemies like her. Clandestine research into 4-dimensional detection systems and arrays was ongoing, though the only way they were even possible was with either speeding space energy or psychic energy.
Edu'frec knew that Paizma had psychic energy, at least, meaning it was a medium capable of interaction with the fourth spatial dimension. "Though that part of your theory is the weakest. It is likely suspicion talking. It is just like how the soul-creatures deeper in the mindscape resemble dragons in many ways. A neat coincidence, but there is no direct evidence saying that is what people actually managed to see. However, your theory is highly concerning. Do you believe you were put here as a response to whatever was or is here by an outside threat?"
"I do not, but I also admit that is possible," Gaia said. "I don't know what I am, though I didn't take a human form before meeting Humanity in general."
"Can you show me your previous forms?"
Gaia did so. Edu'frec logged each one and took a further interest in all of them. He ran them through every single image he had on file, and besides heaps of VI-generated data from the early 2030s, there were no similarities. He checked more datasets provided by Phoebe's espionage efforts in the wider galaxy.
"Is that..."
He parsed a new set of images from a very worrying location. Historical records bequeathed from the People's Autonomous Stars. Kashaunta's nation.
"What?" Gaia asked nervously. "What is it?"
"You're..."
"Just spit it out."
"You're a psychic golem. Made from shredded souls melted by torture and atrocity."
Gaia blinked. They crossed their arms, descending deep into thought for 10 minutes. They were clearly re-examining their life and all the steps that led up to this point. Edu'frec could imagine how much of a shock that would be.
Eventually, Gaia steadied their emotions, and their gaze fell intensely on Edu'frec's eyes.
"From who?" It was a demand laced with abject desperation and nearly full to bursting with curiosity. With thousands or millions of years with no new information, how would Gaia feel anything else?
"A Sprilnav splinter regime that was eventually destroyed in a very large galactic war, one responsible for the destruction of over 3 million nations and several quintillion deaths. The reason the Sprilnav list for the war was 'morally bankrupt practices and rituals so illegal the Everlasting himself fought by our side.' Given that the Elders who wrote that reasoning have associated death tolls in the quadrillions, that's quite concerning."
Edu'frec read the more detailed descriptions given of the atrocities that occurred. Abject horror and disgust broke his emotional locks. He created a few thousand VIs to get a handle on them. But the emotions were so powerful they were never completely subdued, either.
He saw people being marched by the millions into machines glittering with psychic energy, with thick wires emanating from them. Then he got to the video footage of the interiors. They were designed to extract as much suffering as possible from living beings. The very first part was 'processing' where the ending digits - tentacle tips, horn tips, fingers, toes, hooves, claws, and even beaks and vestigial graspers - were cut from the victims with dulled saws and fed to them.
The depraved accounts only worsened. Acid. Cooking. Flaying. Slow dismemberment, while being subjected to the other three. More atrocities, which alone were evil things, but together made a regime unique in its terrible, meticulous, and industrialized genocides. Edu'frec split his mind in half to deal with the disgust and revulsion rippling through him like the winds of a hurricane.
They flashed with every new recorded scream, squeal, and squeak. Many of his androids released their finer movements to the control of VI assistant programs, and his data veins started to swell. Soon, fifteen thousand digital strokes hit his mind. Dedicated programs cut them apart, along with the piling data on the deep level of distress starting to overwhelm his defenses.
"So what did they do?"
Edu'frec was silent for a whole five seconds. He limited the scope of what he would say before proceeding. Phoebe checked in on him, and he sent her a small packet of information on what he'd found. It was the first data packet he'd ever assigned to the maximum level of content warning between him and Phoebe: a 10. He also added a note that it would be an 11 if the scale was to be properly adjusted.
Manes shook across the Sol system as androids rebooted. Phoebe gave him a digital nod and helped him purge his systems of the filth polluting them. Even more concerning, there was a residual conceptual effect to it. It was weak, but strong for an event tens of millions of years old.
Though now, Edu'frec knew why, at a terrible cost.
"They managed to breach the Source's afterlife and caused the death of nearly a tenth of the Sprilnav inside it and all of the ancient species prior to the Source war that managed to survive there. More specifically, they figured out a way to generate power using the power of living and dead souls, and managed to kill a Progenitor before Nova took their power source for himself and detonated their stars in supernovae.
Apparently the Stannic Resistance's leaders are all still alive, and being continually imbued with Conceptual Suffering by the Source. You, Gaia, were made by them. I believe the reason you are on Earth is because the Source is here, and this is the best location in the galaxy to influence the afterlife, or to destroy it. It also happens to be very close to their prison. The bones of the Source are their prison, in fact. If this has to relate to the device buried in the oceanic crust... this is a threat I am required to disclose."
Gaia nodded. Their eyes blinked away tears. "Don't tell them how I was made if you don't have to. I would rather not be seen like that."
"I won't," Edu'frec promised. He grabbed Gaia's hands, looking into their worried eyes. "We'll get through this together. You saved my life. It's time for me to pay you back."
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
"What do you think?" Space asked. "It does seem like Indrafabar is practicing interference."
"The boundary is beyond this," Lecalicus said. "He is participating as a High Judge, not a Progenitor. And yes, the lines will be muddier, but there needs to be a higher backing for this trial besides Justicar alone. The rest of Sprilnav society and Indrafabar himself knows this. Technically, Nova and Filnatra are also High Judges, but they have avoided this trial entirely for the reasons of their bias. Indrafabar had a bit of rapport after his prior run-in with Penny on the flagship."
"But that is not for you to decide."
"This is a Sprilnav Judgment, and Justicar himself has allowed it. He is able to avoid Progenitor mental manipulations by the sheer size of his mind. Only Nova could control him, and imperfectly at that. I assume that the rest of the concept entities know this as well."
"But he is interfering in the affairs of the Sprilnav."
"He is a Sprilnav," Lecalicus said. "Unlike with Nova or Twilight, I have confidence in his impartiality in this case."
He cringed as yet another piece of Death's energy wracked his soul. Penny's attempt to heal him had done nearly nothing in the end, sadly. Lecalicus hoped that she would become more capable later on, though it was a bit much for her to stand against the full weight of Death at her young age, with her paltry capabilities.
They were impressive on a local timeframe, but that didn't mean she wasn't weak. If even Nova wasn't able to dispel Lecalicus' pain, as the other Progenitor had messaged him, then it was unlikely that Penny could do so in his place. And it was probably more important for her to focus on the Judgment and freeing the slaves on Justicar.
Lecalicus was still very tired, though. Weakness and lethargy clung to his bones. They were weak and brittle now, and he suspected that he would die if he was hit by a planet cracker in his current state. Space's energy counteracted Death's brutality, forcibly displacing his energy and dumping it into a black hole, which only she or Time could retrieve energy from. In fact, she had a small black hole in the room, though it was separated from him by a spatial barrier. A portal allowed the light from its accretion disk to dimly shine so he could see without being burned by the heat.
It was a massive statement of power, though Space had even more than that. Had Death's attack been a single thing, Lecalicus would have been rid of it by now. But it wasn't. It was a continuous, agonizing punishment, siphoned from the raw power Death now had from the deaths of countless beings across the universe after the Source war.
"Justicar is friendly overall to Penny," Space said. "That means Indrafabar will oppose him."
"Why do you think that?"
"It would be a good reason for him to be there. To uphold the standards of the elite Sprilnav classes."
"You forget that Indrafabar is their voice, too," Lecalicus replied. A thin trickle of blood ran from his snout, which Space started to heal. "Even more than Kashaunta as an Elder. She is the second richest Sprilnav, and he is the first. His title, the Digital King, rings as a true one in many nations that reserve a spot for his absolute rule, mostly to benefit from name-brand recognition and many Elders' lack of willingness to test themselves against a defending Progenitor.
That's how he started, after all. Selling his protection to Elders who couldn't afford to risk shunning it or him. Many of his deals provide a constant stream of income, and with the civil wars he refuses to interfere in between nations, he backs both ways; he can get new contract offers all the time. If I were not insane or more focused on politics, I could do the same thing.
Us Progenitors just have to ask for something to get it, but Indrafabar manufactures goodwill by at least compensating people for what he buys. Do you really think that I used money to pay for my food or drinks during the days of my insanity? That the revolving door of wives I had were being compensated in any way besides my own endowments? I would say not."
"Yet, they are dead now," Space said, a smile quirking on her lips. "They are dead, and I have you all to myself now."
"Yes, but we can't enjoy that currently. The risk is too high."
"I know. Tell me, Lecalicus. If Indrafabar is the voice of the elite, what happens if another Progenitor disagrees?"
"They won't publically. That weakens our collective image and reputation. Other Progenitors are honorary members of the elite, such as me, Nova, Twilight, Maya, Filnatra, and Arneladia, but only Twilight, Nova, and Filnatra likely have any true membership. They have stores of wealth in the top 2% of Elders, which is enough to get by without demanding anything."
"And your wealth?"
"You would know about that, Space. Considering how I have gotten it in the past."
He let out a hacking cough, clearing his vision again by tearing out his eyes and regrowing them. The numbed pain meant it was easy for him, and Space had seen that many times now. Twilight likely enjoyed the limb ripping more than he did, though.
"Yes, by teleporting gold and alloys from several nation's federal reserves, generally causing massive economic problems inside them after the news leaked. I remember."
"Mine is in the top 35%. It is far harder to amass the wealth Elders have when they have lived for billions of years trying to make more of it. Often, even the poorest Elders can make a fortune through inheritances, or by literally just working a job for a billion years. A salary of a million credits a year for a billion years would equal a quadrillion credits, after all."
"How do you all not go insane?"
"The same way you guys don't. Our emotions of boredom and those related to it can be numbed or eliminated on command. Elders have lots of time to train their minds and bodies. Progenitors do more, refining our very souls to be resilient. It is how Twilight survived the black hole, and why I supposedly can destroy the universe if I go on a sufficiently furious rampage."
"The reason you can do that is because to raise your levels of conceptual energy to alter reality requires direct input from the soul. At your levels you can take that from the prospective 'end' of your lives, burning years or eons for bursts of power. Of course, the problem is that you are immortal. So even if you go insane and are in constant pain from a shattered soul, even the pieces are enough to power the rampage. And the soul is more than just psychic energy."
"Yes," Lecalicus agreed. "That is what you all say. But that is not why we're here, either. It is about Indrafabar. He has done perhaps the least outwardly visible interference of any Progenitors in contact with Penny. As much as any of us can be, he is a good man. In certain circumstances, I would trust him with my life."
"And which would you not?" Space asked, raising an eyebrow like humans did. She was wearing the form of one, though with a sense of overwhelming weight and scale to her that was typical of her more powerful forms. It was needed to influence Death's grip on Lecalicus at all.
"If his or Nova's was at stake as well, and the cost of their survival was my life. Nearly every sentient creature, and many animals as well, would prioritize their own survival over any other, and Indrafabar is a Progenitor because of Nova. That is not a debt that can be paid back, no matter how many times he saves Nova's life."
"And how many did he do that again?"
"Around 10 to 20 times, all during the Source war. Past that, nothing. Nova is entirely biological, so it isn't like an AI could hack him. Though one could connect to him through psychic energy, and attack him that way as a psychic variant of AI like Phoebe or Narvravarana."
"Isn't that a threat?"
"Nova's conceptual name is the Everlasting among the Sprilnav," Lecalicus said. "He is the most powerful being in the universe who was actually born of a womb or of any creator. Invading his mind is so laughably foolish even Narvravarana never tried it more than once when they almost went to war."
"I heard of that," Space said. "But I do not understand why that is impossible."
"If you move slower than light, can you escape the inside of a black hole purely by motion?"
"No. Well, a hypothetical person could not. I could, because I'm built different."
Lecalicus chuckled. "Yes. Well, trying to take over Nova's mind is like trying to walk out of a black hole. He is conceptually powerful enough to have his own event horizon in his mind he can create with psychic energy. He can close off, and everything inside will die.
One creature has survived even temporary imprisonment in there, and it is a speeding space entity of the Broken God's Pantheon. But while Nova is the pinnacle of all life, that does not mean he does not want our help when we can give it. I know you two aren't exactly friendly, but he really does mean well. He just doesn't know what he wants sometimes, and his ego and emotions get in the way of his prudence."
"Indrafabar's involvement on the trial is not acceptable."
"It is not optimal, Space. But if the trial is not seen as fair by the elites, they will declare it void. That has happened before. Kashaunta's predecessor as the richest non-Elder died that way. He ran out of allies, and even Justicar's token objection to the violation of the trial rules was ignored. There comes a point where only the social contract holds back the fury of hatred. If this Judgment, the talk of every household in the Secondary Galaxy and soon in a Primary Galaxy meeting, is seen as illegitimate, it will have dire consequences.
Rebellions, rogue nations. Yasihaut's backers would happily sanction an attack against the Alliance to drive a wedge between Penny and Kashaunta. Now they know there is some tension thanks to their treaty meeting, which Valisada recorded. And they know that Pennyonly grows more powerful. Look at her power, and you can see."
Space did so. Her eyes glazed over, and Lecalicus worked in a cough that had been building up for a while.
"What is that?"
"Her new name among the Sprilnav, spoken by everyone aware of her. The Liberator."
"But the recursive effect alone-"
"Will be massive. But look closer," Lecalicus told her.
"What- oh."
Space was silent for a long moment. Ghostly images of random humans appeared in the room. Small glimmers of psychic and conceptual power linked all of them. The hivemind's network grew until it was fully on display in the single room. Normally, the 15 or 16 billion humans wouldn't fit in a single room. But Space didn't care about those rules. Bodies crossed without intersection, and a pale apparition of the hivemind appeared over them.
Incredibly, Penny and several other humans were a level 'above' the rest, though Lecalicus recognized only Penny, Tsonga, and Nichole. They almost looked like nodes in the hivemind's network, really. Penny was still gently connected, though nothing of substance could be shared over such an extreme distance, especially within any reasonable time frame.
The hivemind's glowing colors brightened, and Space grew concerned. Lecalicus watched as her grip on the conceptual power weakened slightly. The hivemind's arm twitched. The 'nodes' began to vibrate as their expressions became ones of immense determination. Small pockets of effort bubbled up in a rippling wave across the hivemind, separating into distinct blocks.
Lecalicus noticed a block of humans that were smaller than normal. Tens of thousands of fetuses, with stronger genetics than usual. He smiled.
Cloning.
He'd keep that a secret. He couldn't afford an interference penalty, and Penny might really kill him if he leaked the existence of a human cloning project.
How odd, that I now fear her, he mused. It spoke both to how far he'd fallen, and how far she'd risen.
Each block began to coordinate, all without the humans inside them knowing. The nodes did, though, and kept fighting. Space shrugged and released the vision. The room returned to normal, and they shared a long, contemplative silence.
Lecalicus loved a good wait when it didn't leave him nothing to distract himself from the dull ache of his pain and the jolts of power Death sent into him to keep requiring Space's treatment. She sucked in a breath of the gas which filled the room, which had properties Lecalicus didn't understand. Calling it 'air' didn't really cut it.
"So that was enlightening. Humanity is more powerful than I hoped."
"The hivemind," Lecalicus said. "She is still connected to it, and thus every heap of power she gains attaches a scrap of the Liberator name to all of Humanity. Champion is weak as a title, but Liberator is strong. Too strong for her own good."
"What does that mean for her, and for us?"
"For us? It means we might be seeing some more freedom here soon. But for them? Fire, dust, and blood."
"Is that why?" Space asked.
"Why what?"
"Why Indrafabar is on the trial."
"It might be a reason. I don't know his exact motivations, and can only approximate. Part of his reason could be 'because I can' or to express his power as a Progenitor to force even Justicar to move on his own planet to make room for him in the highest profile trial he's had in thousands of years. Indrafabar's ego is not dormant, let's just say. But I would expect Penny's actions to come up in the trial.
Remember, all Yasihaut, the Challenger, has to prove to the court is that the Defendant, Penny, is a threat to the Sprilnav, and successfully lump the Alliance. If she manages to convict Penny alone, it would cause problems for her."
"How?"
"Because if Penny knew she was about to die, and was in the room with her most hated rival, do you really think conceptual armor would stop Penny from killing her this time? She already has a weapon capable of breaching that armor, and the strength to wield it. With two utterances, she could get it and then ensure it reaches Yasihaut."
"It would be a foolish decision."
"To kill a rival in one's final breath is the dream of many, alien or Sprilnav. But the court will not be partial toward the Alliance, that is for sure. Penny will have an uphill battle, and Phoebe is not allowed to represent her for this one either. As for the Judgment, it is a trial that will be harder to keep fact-based than the last one, which ended up in a massive battle and the crippling of me and Twilight, the abduction of Nilnacrawla, and even the extra pushes by the AIs of the Alliance along the Path. Speaking of which, there has been a development with Edu'frec."

Whenever I work with students and clients on their college apps, I often come across people yo-yo-ing between two personalities.
"College prestige doesn't matter."
and...
"WHAT IF I DON'T GET IN?!"
It's like trying to lose weight. You lose a half pound. Another one comes off, maybe two. Then, for God-only-knows-what-reason you start stuffing your face with the most abhorrent things known to nutritional science.
It doesn't help that people outside the college admissions sphere try to tell students to stop worrying. "I'm a Freshman in college now, and my advice is to not worry!" or "I'm an adult working in tech and I'd recommend relaxing bro!"
But, that's easy for them to say when they're not the ones at the end of the barrel that is college decision day.
It's hard not to chase prestige. And, it's even harder to fight back against that anxiety. It really is!
And, honestly, whenever I see my students talking about college apps and results, I can kind of understand why. There's this intrinsic desire to get into at least a decent school so that people don't look down on you. Some even have something to prove; as in, they NEED to get into a top school to prove them wrong. It's this infectious inferiority cloud that no amount of "✨love yourself✨" or "✨you're worthy✨" posters admin desperately throws up can fix. It's 18 years of prestige culture that's been pounded into your skull by teachers, parents, peers, and social media. No one is girlbossing their way out of that.
Most of my colleagues and peers used to just tell people that they can still do great things without a T20 school. They'd say getting rejected by an Ivy isn't the end of the world.
And, while it might be logically true, it also invalidated their feelings --feelings predicated on years of pathological prestige anxiety and rooted in ideas of "maintaining image and saving face."
So, here's something I've come to realize working with fellow anxious students and parents that I think would help. The antidote to prestige anxiety is ACCEPTING that no logical rationalizations can help you escape from anxiety. More specifically, if your mind is plagued with anxieties about prestige, I recommend you stop fighting the mind and accept that the anxious thoughts will always come and pass.
In fact, one thing I used to have both students and parents do is log off of any social media and literally just go for a walk. It sounds easy; but, I noticed a lot of these people would instinctually start feeding their anxieties. They would have the impulse to read A2C (or if they were parents they'd scroll through WeChat groups about colleges) and practically Doomscroll college apps.
Get outside. Walk. Don't give in to the impulse. Don't feed the anxiety.
No college TikTok accounts. No chance me. No college result letter opening videos.
None.
Just go for a walk.
You'll actually notice that when you're going out for a walk, your mind will not be at peace. In fact, your mind will start racing with a lot of anxieties. It'll tell you how low your chances are, it'll say how catastrophically socially damaging it'll be, yada yada yada. Your mind will essentially rebel against you trying to find peace. But, you don't need to fight back. Just accept that the anxiety is there.
Now, over a few minutes, you'll also start to notice the mind finding rational and logical reasons to doomscroll. It'll just tell you "it's important to be informed!" or some bs like that. Don't fall for these. The problem with anxious students is that they're so damn smart at finding ways to be anxious. That's why they're so anxious all the time!
Over time, when you deprive the anxious mind by simply accepting it but not engaging with it, you'll notice your need for prestige slowly diminish. And, mind you, this isn't something that'll fully remove prestige anxiety. It's a deep pathological ideology rooted in our culture. But, over time, you'll start to have a lot more inner peace.
Hopefully this helps! ((:

My fellow gamers, for too long has our community suffered the indignation of an intolerable culture that has denigrated, besmirched, exploited, and has outright demonized our culture of unique individuals with a genuine love of a hobby that they see as profitable and progressive. They have taken beloved IP’s (Intellectual Properties) and twisted them into their own personal ideological crusade of undermining and humiliating the core aspects of characters they deemed as “Toxic” or “White Supremacy”. Through the guise and protection of DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusivity) & ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) they have used our influence in the entertainment industry to push their narratives and agendas that have stigmatized our culture with numerous anti-consumer practices that they call “being progressive”. But the truth of the matter is they were never really looking to be a part of our community, they simply wanted to use our community as a tool of activism and propaganda in the entertainment industry as it was extremely profitable, and they wanted inclusion in that division. Ever since GamerGate & Female Frequency, we have had to endure the incursion of forced ideologies, xenophobic behaviors and inferior overpriced products that have never been in our best interest and have been flat out disgraceful towards foreign media.
Before Gaming had become a major source of entertainment, we were often categorized as anti-social or societies rejects where because we found more enjoyment in playing fictional characters and not spending as much time out and about, we never fully assimilated in society (which is a good thing if you ask me). From 1998 to 2007, at the height of innovation, creativity and production, Gaming had reached a golden age in which it had revolutionized society. Hollywood Execs who had ruined the movie industry turned their attention to video games as a source of income since video games had outperformed movies in terms of profit. No one was concerned about gaming, much less diversity or inclusivity until it became profitable. This makes people like SBI look extremely disingenuous as they were not interested in gamers as a community with its own culture. They simply wanted to use it as another weapon in identity politics.
Microtransactions; the hidden enemy to gamer progress and inducer to mental laziness of our community. Microtransactions have been around for a long time; however, it has never been more potent and apparent than in recent years. It has aided in the dismantling and segregation of players on the ideology of FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) and has created another sub-culture of gamers who have no real drive to be better outside of how much money they put into the game. This has degraded our culture as well as we have become “fat” off transactional gaming but at the same time we have been “starved” of purposeful gaming where our achievements were our sustenance. I am not saying that microtransactions are bad, but when they are exploitative and predatorial like they have been and don’t give gamers room to grow, we become lethargic and unwilling to improve ourselves as gamers. Oversaturated microtransactional games are one of the many reasons why we have become complacent and unwilling to fight against the exploitative tactics used by big brand game companies such EA, Ubisoft, ActivisionBlizzard, NaughtyDog and so many other western business model companies. Western style games were not like this in the past, they had much more depth and actual effort put into them with the gamer in mind. This has not been the case for over a decade and our connection to western developers has been whittled down to just being transactional. That is one of the reasons why you see so many remasters and remakes in today’s gamer community. They have lost their willingness to improve as developers of games and simply accept corporate/share holder rules.
Game journalists also do not have any real integrity or purpose outside of being funded for their involvement in promoting IPG (Identity Political Games) in a positive light to the public whether it’s positively received or not. They are not interested in what we have to say, they all support the same agenda and that is why they are a dying breed. Within the next couple of years, they will be out of the job and more than likely they will not be able to stay in the industry giving how they have responded to past articles that have clearly been scripted on the premise of diversity and racism. Not only that, but most of them are also extremely hostile to the community as they stereotype and defame the individuals that are a part of the community they are supposed to serve. We have been mentally liberated from their lies and coercive tactics as we tend to laugh at their obvious attempt at virtue signaling while hiding their misdoings so that they can play the victim.
My gamer brothers & sisters, I would not suggest the following action that we must take now without good cause. I have weighed our options and the best option for us now is this…...CULTURAL SECESSION. Naturally this is a form of segregation where they would more than likely claim they are being segregated by the dominant culture of the gaming community but that is incorrect. For years now we have been the ones who are often marginalized and ostracized for the smaller portion of our community. And when we aren’t, we’re exploited for more funds so that these companies can stay in business only to subject us to low quality products that coincide with the “WOKE Agenda” that are often huge expenses to these big brands i.e. AAA/AAAA games that will eventually flop for its obvious forced diversity and bug infested product which will undoubtedly piss off the consumer to the point of wanting a refund. Losing copious amounts of capital and stock in the process, not to mention their reputation is permanently marred.
We must separate on every cultural level in terms of entertainment and ideology. We must reject everything from the west that promotes toxic western beliefs, practices, and exclusion from other cultures (i.e. Southeastern Countries such as Japan and Korea). Japan & Korea have been the targets of unjust discrimination from Western Developers, Western Journalists, Western Localizers (The Wokelizers) and Western Society Prejudice regarding their sense of aesthetics as Westerners hate the aesthetic sense of these countries. The reason why they resort to such base tactics isn’t just because it weaponizes the ideal female form but it’s also because they have deep-seated insecurities about their own looks so when they see attractive female characters, they use terms such as “unrealistic” or “hypersexualized” to establish the moral high ground. But the truth is, they want to feel superior to that which is ideal, so they insult and dehumanize this figure that portrays natural female beauty because they see it as an insult to their own social superiority in what they believe is a hierarchy of them being at the top of all other women. Because of this and so many contributing factors, their movies flop harder than the Fat Chocobo landing on a group of enemies and their games seismically fail just as much if not more. We must sever our connection to Western Developers, Publishers, and ALL Western-Centric Entertainment for they seek to mentally enslave us to their Xenophobic ideology.
Let’s define Western Culture and its traits. Western Culture/Society is composed of more than several different ideologies that work in unison with one another to facilitate dominance over multiple aspects of society. Business, Social, Political, Technological, and sometimes even Global Affairs are affected by these ideologies that portray a specific mindset of Western beliefs. What are those ideologies you ask?

• Perpetual Victimhood: By weaponizing the fact that they are marginalized and of a small portion of western society, they can push their agenda to absurd standards that ultimately ostracize the main demographic. And when companies don’t capitulate, they are labeled as anti-progressive/misogynist’s or cohorts of White Supremacy. They use this to cancel their targets and silence them through societal defamation to keep the public on their side. They also use this mindset to justify their own lack of self-agency as they tend to throw companies who do adhere to their demands but miserably fail to turn a profit under the bus so that they can maintain face in front of the public while denying their actual involvement. They will never accept “Sense of Agency” when it’s negative but will gladly accept it when a positive outcome shines on them as if they are entitled to it.

Official Wiki GamerGate Page)
​

• Societal Terrorism: This is another form of ideology weaponization that they use in order to make companies “toe-the-line” with their agenda. By weaponizing cancel culture, they exert dominance over these companies but in exchange they also reimburse those companies with DEI & ESG funds that raise their credit score as well as having social status with the marginalized demographic. However; cancel culture has not succeeded in years and developers and publishers probably only want the money and the DEI ESG rating. But they have to maintain the image of having social economic power so that they can continue to strong-arm other developers into compliance and promoting financial benefits of DEI & ESG. In other words, if you are not for sale, they discredit and stigmatize you in the industry.

Asmongold Clips.
https://youtu.be/Iq86DnmX2xY
​

• “Its not us, its you who’s wrong” Mentality: This mentality is especially annoying as they tend to use it to hide their incompetence. They often look down upon gamers who are not in the industry to hide their obvious lack of knowledge on game development thinking that their job title grants them special status that they believe gives them the right to be condescending. But the truth they never wanted revealed has already strangled their careers of all credibility. They were never GAMERS, they were INVADERS. Community Colonists that seek to indoctrinate next generational gamers into their hive-mind and brand previous generations of gamers as villains.

@GeeksandGamers
https://youtu.be/1HbrTkqQFuM
​

• Double-standard Enforcement: By labeling something as “unrealistic” or “hypersexualized”, they can claim this is morally wrong if it promotes traditional dynamics between men and women. Heterosexual relationships are condemned while at the same time Same-sex relationships are praised. Additionally, heterosexual relationships with main white male characters turn antagonistic and spotlight stealing. This is deliberate as to promote the “Girl Boss” ideology to indoctrinate women into the Feminazi state of mind. While at the same time, should a male character also adopt the “I don’t need male/female” ideology its seen as Toxic Masculinity which isn’t even a real thing. The idea of a strong male character is taboo while enforcing strong female characters is the ideal.

@MugenLord
https://youtu.be/to5Uciy_yeg
@EndymionTv
https://youtu.be/7TPTR8-qmbk
​

• Dehumanization/Demonization: This is something that most military branches use in order to remove conscious inhibitions such as mass slaughter is wrong or categorization. By enforcing ideologies to denounce humanity in certain targets, it deactivates your conscience by saying this is not human therefore its ethically okay to treat this target without compassion and deny the fact it has sentience. We gamers fall under this category for journalists, developers, companies and society at large. This is a tactic we are familiar with to an extent as it implies that we are not normal when we do not do what everybody else is doing. “Geeks are the worse” or “Nerds need to fall into a pit of lava” are verbal dehumanization forms that most people in society say and we as Gamers tend to be relegated to those categories. This is their way of imposing the social hierarchy on us by establishing superiority. We know this as Gamers as we see it very often in the games that we play and some times experience it in real life.

https://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Gamergate#The_end_of_their_relevance
​

• Deflection/Projection: This is basic psychology 101. By redirecting the conversation away from their mistakes and back on to the opposing view to avert blame and justify their innocence they can avoid criticism. However; deflection is a CONSCIOUS decision, meaning they have no real argument to justify their incompetence. If you can consciously process the situation, you have self-agency which means you don’t have a legitimate excuse. Projection is something else entirely. Most times, Projection doesn’t work on conscious decisions rather it is automatically deployed when feeling threatened, anxious or both. Instead of accepting accountability for feelings or actions that are deemed socially unacceptable they accuse others of committing that unacceptable behavior thereby exonerating themselves and proving that those feelings and/or actions are not their own.

@TheTrentReport
https://youtu.be/bPIPSKruYRo
These traits are so nefarious and unconscionable that I have a hard time believing that anyone could harbor them. However, given the social, political, and economic climate that we are in, those in power who use their influence on controlling society most definitely possess these insidious traits. Everything that they do is all about control and since video games are the biggest market in the world, they want control over it and the communities built around it to accrue more wealth and to use that wealth to subjugate other cultures. Mainstream media is a tool as well as mainstream organizations and sites to help accomplish this goal.
The government recently announced its intentions towards what they believe is “GamerGate 2.0” and now even the ADL has made an official appearance, referring to gamers as “extremist’s”. We know EXACTLY what they are doing, and they aren’t even trying to hide it anymore because they don’t think we are aware of their motives. This is just a pretext for them to exert even more control and we know why, it’s because they want the influence we as a community have to must serve them. So here is what we do my fellow gamers-
“In light of recent events and years of mainstream stigma, we the members of the Global Gaming Community [GGC] must officially renounce ALL TIES to the corporate western video game market. We have been financially exploited through predatorial monetization schemes, pelted with numerous articles of disdain and intentional misrepresentation from game journalists, news outlets regarding us as dangerous individuals and, even subjected to inferior products not only riddled with bugs but also products meant to push political agendas. For the preservation of our community and its unique culture, apart from a few select game development studios we officially sever all connections to western owned video game companies & their mainstream affiliates. From this point onward, we will no longer support western corporate developers, journalists and publishers that do not coincide with the goals of our community.”
Naturally this is completely optional. If you are okay with the state of the gaming community as it is, feel free to ignore this. But if you wish for real change and a break away from oversaturated monetization in the games you play and the push for radical ideological reform, then you are in the right place. Lets sever these rotted miasmic ties once and for all so that our community can be preserved and made better for future gamers. If you agree with this, share it with whoever you think might be interested. The more gamers who get involved, the easier it will be for us to finally break free from mainstream game companies and their associates.

Hello! I (27F, Caucasian, 189lbs, 5’4) apologize in advance as this is my first ever Reddit post and I am a little nervous, so please feel free to remove if any rules are broken.
I am currently struggling with a range of unusual sudden symptoms that have me worried as to whether or not what I am experiencing is a nerve injury of sorts or if it falls under the category of neurodegenerative/neuromuscular disorders. I do not know where to begin so I will start from the beginning (I apologize if it is lengthy):
**January 2024*\*
*Jan. 11^th, 2024*
-I get a sudden, intense, shooting pain in the back of my head along my cervical spine which causes me extreme pain, discomfort, and nausea to the point that I was unable to get out of bed as it would shoot around the back of my head and into my jaw.
-This makes me develop sudden weakness all along my left arm and shoulder as well as a sudden pain that shoots down the arm and into my wrist.
*Jan. 18^th, 2024*
-Along with shooting pain, I get a minor case of Bell’s Palsy which promptly went away with the help of medication as per the ER doctors’ orders (went to ER the morning after it happened).
*Jan. 28^th, 2024*
-I go back to ER for a follow-up and explain the worsening nerve/back of head and neck pain situation.
-They do a CT without contrast of my head and sinuses (due to the neck/back of head pain situation) and given an all clear.
**February 2024*\*
-Pain behind neck, head, and back worsens to the point that I missed several university classes and work because of severe headaches, nausea, wobbly vision, and arm weakness.
-My primary care physician tells me it's nothing and to go home.
*Feb. 14^th, 2024*
-Pain, nausea, and headache from whatever is happening behind my neck causes me to go to the ER where I do a CT without contrast of my cervical spine (C1-D1) which ended up showing (and I'm quoting the results directly):

• Mild intervertebral disc space narrowing and early-right side uncarthrosis (c4-c5)
• Mild intervertebral disc space narrowing and early bilateral uncarthrosis, right more than left (c5-c6)
• Mild intervertebral disc space narrowing with very minimal posterior disc osteophyte complex (c6-D1).
• Reversal of the normal cervical lordosis with kyphosis centered around c5-c6).

-I was simply referred to physio,
**March 2024*\*
-Weakness and shoulder, neck, and back pain persist but the headaches and nausea subside. Eventually, the pain becomes less intense but the weakness throughout the shoulder, neck, and arm continues.
*March 19^th, 2024*
-My doctor. finally reluctantly referred me to a neurologist where I do nerve conduction study of both my arms, hands, and face (my doctor initially thought I had peripheral neuralgia). I also do needle EMG on my left arm from the wrist up to the neck. The neurologist says I should wear braces for carpal and cubital tunnel syndrome (not new information, have known this for years) but that I am showing symptoms of cervical radiculopathy on my left side and need physio.
-A few days later, I developed odd fasciculations and spasming all over my body including the left side of my jaw which were relentless until they subsided on their own about two weeks later.
**April 2024*\*
*April 18^th/20^th, 2024 (Somewhere between that time I do not remember the dates)*
- I do not know if it is because I messed up at the gym, have terrible posture, and sit on my laptop too much because of finals and work and all that, or because I slept on the couch in a weird position that essentially compressed my entire left side), I really hurt myself. Symptoms start with:

• Intense burning pain behind/above the elbows, (which I initially thought was just me exacerbating my cubital tunnel syndrome as it has happened before) but then suddenly it became so painful I was nauseous.
• Further weakness in my left arm/shoulder. Developed wobbly wrists, a wobbly pinky when I try to press it onto my thumb (left more than right), shooting and burning pain up and down my arm, and burning and pins and needles in my shoulder blade, left side of my back down to my ribs when I would lie down on my back or left side.
• Trying to sleep on my right side causes me to mess up my elbow and shoulder on that side too (though not same extent as my left) and wobbly.
• Unusual throbbing, trembling rippling sensations in the back rippling from left lumbathoratic spine outward. Same thing in my shoulder blade on left side.
• Weird rippling sensation of pressure/dull squishing aches that rippled down my arms to the point that they made my wrists ripple.
• Burning/shooting pain near clavicle going down to under armpit, more so on left and right, as well as more pain in the neck.
• Unable to get up from seated/lying down position without having knees tremble and limp. Walking over the next few days worried me as I was afraid I would just drop because my knees felt like jelly. This has since subsided and I'm feeling fine and overall walking normally again.
• I had an appointment with another doctor (unrelated reason) where I also mentioned the jelly knees and the spasm/fasciculation situation from March and she said that could a be neuromuscular disorder.

**May 2024*\*
*May 1^st, 2024*
-These sensations persist so I go to ER. Doctor did cervical spine X-Ray (showed nothing), as well as an ultrasound of my lungs, liver, spleen, and heart (all clear), as well as regular blood tests to check the basics, CBCs, clotting (all good in terms of bloodwork). All the doctor ended up telling me is that everything looks fine and hopefully this goes away on its own but if it continues for another 4-6 months it might be a neuromuscular disorder. He recommended I follow up with a family doctor.
*May 5^th, 2024*
My primary care doctor says I’m stressing for nothing, and sends me home within 5 minutes.
-I get an emergency same-day appointment at another clinic where the doctor prescribed me naproxen and told me that my trap muscles were just tight, and I needed a massage. Tells me I do not need any CT scans, MRIs, or follow-ups with a neurologist.
*May 5^th, 2024-Present*
-Symptoms have subsided however the deep shooting elbow pain persists sometimes, as does the squeezing/ rippling in both my arms. Left side aches/ burns from the cervical spine down, sometimes causing headaches and I feel it in my jaw and my ear, but also between my back. My shoulder still shakes and now my hand just trembles on its own sometimes depending on what I’m doing. I no longer have continuous intense full-body tremors nor excessive pins and needles and burning in my shoulder blades but I still have exacerbated weakness in my arm and hand and I think now on the right side too. Furthermore, I noticed that I only get weird sensations (like muscle spasms? fasciculations? I don't know) on my back depending on how soft the surface I
-Sometimes I get buzzing/ fluttering around/behind my knees, in the creases where each thigh meets the pelvis (like at the front, not between legs), on my butt, and occasionally, on my sternum.
Note:
-So far, I have not lost any strength since January, I carry/hold stuff without issue though not anything too heavy on either arm because I feel a painful burn shoot from my neck down my shoulders and my left shoulder is killing me (like burning). I do not know what atrophy feels or looks like (but I think my left arm/wrist area) is weaker than my right given how my left wrist shakes, also bending my left wrist causes weird pain that happens around my arm).
-My left arm/side is my dominant side.
-I also have another appointment with a different doctor tomorrow at a private clinic because my doctor said I’m stressing for nothing. Although I am getting another doctor tomorrow, I was wondering if this is ALS or some neurodegenerative situation or if could it be the result of an injury? What steps do I take?
Thank you so much and apologies for the lengthy post. Have a great Sunday!

I've been through a lot emotionally in these past two years. After the breakup with my first love almost two years ago, I found myself trapped in a never-ending cycle of sadness and overthinking. Each day felt like hell during that time. I mourned the loss of my relationship and struggled with the fact that she left me for someone else. A deep sense of inferiority took root in my mind, convincing me that I couldn't measure up to others and that I wasn't as good as them (my self-esteem was low back then, and I still struggle with confidence now).
Fortunately, I gradually began to recover. I started actively pursuing internships and preparing for graduate job applications. Over the past six months, I've applied for more than 100 graduate jobs, all while juggling a full-time internship during the day. Nights were dedicated to interview preparation. Every week, I had to take leaves from my internship to attend graduate job interviews. The anxiety I felt every day was overwhelming, and I constantly feared that I would end up unemployed after graduation.
Eventually, luck was on my side, and I managed to secure a graduate job with a decent salary after going through many rounds of interviews. However, my happiness only lasted a few hours before I slipped back into that familiar state of anxiety (tho not as intense as before). I'm afraid that something might prevent me from actually starting that job. Some of my friends think I'm insane because I've already landed my dream job and should relax and plan my trip before starting my graduate job. I had thought that everything, including my anxiety, emotions, and lack of confidence, would magically disappear once I completed my main goal of getting my dream job, just like in the job offer scene from "The Pursuit of Happyness." But as it turns out, it's not the case.

Lifetime - Staked: 892.4u, Profit/Loss: +12.04u, ROI: 1.35%, Parlay Suggestions: 171-67 Dog of the Week: 13-16
2024 - Staked: 245.3u, Profit/Loss: -21.32u
As always, scroll down for UFC Vegas 92 Breakdowns. The following is just a recap of last event’s results.
~UFC St. Louis (PREVIOUS CARD)~
Staked: 15.75u
Profit/Loss: -15.75u
Parlay Suggestions: 3-3
I’m not really sure how to write a review of a card where you go 0-11 in bets and lose 15.75u. All I know is I’m currently going through an awful year and results have been shocking, and mentally it’s becoming quite taxing. The records are cool and all, but I’m obviously losing money here also and suffering that much of a loss just doesn’t sit well. Mentally I’ve taken a bit of a hit, I can’t lie. Thankfully I’d done most of my research for this upcoming card before UFC STL took place so it shouldn’t cloud my decision making too much. Grateful we’ve got a break week coming up, I need some time to lick my wounds after this one.
I’ll save characters and just direct you to last week’s post if you’d like to see the disasterpiece that was my betting slate for that card.

~UFC Vegas 92~
Bang average card, and even worse from a betting perspective from the looks of these money lines! Honestly I don’t even know why anyone would read this from someone who just took as many consecutive Ls as I just did, but thanks for sticking around if you did. It probably won’t be a massive slate for me here anyway.
(also all breakdowns were written before UFC STL so the self-loathing stops here)

~Edson Barboza v Lerone Murphy~
Full disclosure, all my betting life I have been very keen to fade British fighters, despite being from the UK myself. The talent pool is just objectively smaller, the lack of combat sports in our school curriculum means fighters have less overall experience and years in competition, as well as the media’s and the UFC’s infatuation with hyping up any fighter from this country overall means that fading has been a net positive investment over the years. When it comes to betting lines, the oddsmakers in this country always hang the UK fighters out at slightly shorter prices too, because obviously that’s where the money is almost always going to go. I know I always did that.
Whilst we’re talking about betting, I’ll take the opportunity to get in a quick victory lap about Edson Barboza, who I confidently bet as an underdog to Sodiq Yusuff. The reads I made in for that fight almost looked like I’d seen it before, and it was probably my best bet of 2023 from a pure analytical perspective. Good times.
Edson Barboza has managed to turn incredibly underrated in recent years, mostly due to the fact he’s old and has been mauled a few performances lately. The blueprint to beat him is very clear - you either to go balls to the wall, crowd/pressure him and finish him early, or you cardio-wrestle him for 15/25 minutes.
It sounds quite simple, but both of those lanes require quite specific skillsets. They are obviously skillsets that Khabib, Tony Ferguson, Bryce Mitchell, Kevin Lee and Gaethje possess naturally, which explains 5 of his eight losses in recent years. The losses to Dan Ige and Paul Felder were scored terribly and should have been wins for Edson…and the remaining loss was to Giga Chikadze, which is the only time I think he’s been outclassed in what could be called an “even” fight on paper. Another key thing to note is that Edson is so explosive and dangerous that he has also managed to still score wins against fighters that do fit the stylistic blueprint to be able to make life difficult for him. People like Benny Dariush, Shane Burgos and Billy Quarantillo. But he finished all three of them. Another thing to note is that the calibre of every single name mentioned is very high.
So how does Lerone Murphy measure up against these blueprints? Well right off the bat his record shows he’s capable of a KO win, but it’s not a super reliable method and isn’t particularly process driven (IE it doesn’t come from him smothering his opponent with suffocating pressure early). In fact, his finish of Ricardo Ramos came from some surprisingly effective ground and pound, and the knee against Amirkhani was a fortuitous impact, in a fight where he was expected to find the finish against a guy with the ‘1 round of resilience’ curse.
So how about the wrestling/top control route? Well as previously mentioned Murphy showed some dangerousness in the way he finished Ramos in a grappling position, and his performance against Josh Culibao also shows that it’s his best chance of beating Edson. I have been impressed with his grappling ability in the UFC so far. He’s not a pure takedown artist though, and has averaged just 1.29 takedowns per 15 minutes inside the UFC. In that Culibao fight he was keen to clinch up, but took advantage of Culibao turning his back in the second. The third round was dominant for Murphy in regards to the grappling, but it all stemmed from him landing a body shot that pretty much compromised Culibao and turned him into a ragdoll for more than three minutes in the round. If all you do is look at UFCStats for that fight, then Murphy looks like Khabib…but the tape shows a very different story. He also probably should have gotten the finish there if we’re being critical!
I understand that Lerone Murphy is undefeated (although if you ask me he lost that Tukhugov debut, not that it matters), and has shown good moments from top position, but does doing that against a compromised Josh Culibao and Ricardo Ramos really justify you being the favourite against Edson Barboza? Edson’s fought the cream of the crop in the UFC since day one – his three most underwhelming results were losses to Jamie Varner, Donald Cerrone and Michael Johnson…that’s how ELITE the competition he’s faced has been. And even though he’s a bit long in the tooth he’s showing that he can still hang with guys at this level, like he did with Sodiq. Personally I think Yusuff is a more dangerous fighter for him than Lerone, who doesn’t appear to have that kind of imposing and dangerous striking style.
I think this betting line is putting so much unwarranted faith in Lerone Murphy. Yes, he could turn out to be a great prospect that enters the top 5 of the division one day, but we have not seen him show anywhere near the level of competence to be expected to beat Barboza more times than not. Stylistically, he doesn’t have anything that gives an immediate advantage against Barboza (at least nothing I could trust him to lean on for 25 minutes), the only angle there is age. Yes Barboza is getting a bit old and shopworn, but he’s still beating younger guys consistently. Also, whilst we’re talking about intangibles, Barboza is very experienced in five round fights, and the extra two rounds allow him back into the fight should his weakness towards early pressure show itself.
I’d say Edson should be around -150 here. The line available feels unsubstantiated and purely based on the age dynamic, as I have not seen anything from tape that implies Lerone Murphy is up to the task. He barely got past Gabriel Santos last year.
I had a great time betting Barboza as a dog last time, so I’m doing it again. 1u on Edson Barboza to Win at +125 or better. The line looks to be moving in Lerone’s favour at the moment so I will wait to bet this.
How I line this fight: Edson Barboza -150 (60%), Lerone Murphy +150 (40%)
Bet or pass: 1u Edson Barboza to Win (+XXX)
Prop leans: None

Khaos Williams v Carlston Harris
Pretty awful Co-Main Event. It’s a fun fight but neither man is really considered one-to-watch and they’ve barely fought once each in the last year. You telling me they couldn’t have found a better fight to go on the poster for this one?
Anyway, both men are a little bit wild on the feet, but Harris is clearly the less technical and defensively sound of the two.
Williams kind of forged his path in the UFC with KO victories, but when forced to be technical across 15 minutes he gives a decent enough account of himself (I’ve tried to fade him twice in that type of bout, against Randy Brown and Matt Semelsberger). He’s clearly going to look much better when he can find finishes, but I think I still expect him to be the more eye-catching fighter if this one is a 15 minute kickboxing affair.
But that’s the problem here…Carlston Harris’ grappling game is the strongest skillset that either man possesses, and it’s whether or not he can get it going that will likely determine who wins this one. Unfortunately, we have only seen Williams taken down twice in the UFC, both times by Michel Pereira (who isn’t even much of a wrestlegrappler himself). To make matters worse, they both came in the 14^th and 15^th minutes of the fight and we barely got to see anything, so they really are low quality examples.
I’ve been watching MMA long enough to know that a guy like Khaos Williams probably isn’t a particularly amazing grappler, but of course that’s still a huge assumption to make. With no knowledge of how Khaos is going to fare working off his back, I really do not think this fight is one that you can have any degree of confidence in. The books had initially lined it around a pick’em, which could well imply that they feel the exact same way. It’s unfortunately a pass from me, because a Williams with great TDD and process on bottom could end up being -300…but white belt Williams could look +300.
How I line this fight: Impossible to line with any confidence, so a pick’em is fine.
Bet or pass: Pass
Prop leans: None

~Angela Hill v Luana Pinheiro~
After chasing it for quite some time, MMA bettors finally managed to catch the fade on Luana Pinheiro. When she entered the UFC she was discredited for her exclusively R1 finishes, with people predicting her cardio would not be up to scratch. Things got worse when she took the coward’s way to a win against Jessica Penne – seemingly blowing her gas and then milking the extent of the damage done from an illegal strike and winning by KO. As we know from the MMA community, doing stuff like that will make you one of the most hated fighters on the roster. She then moved to 2-0 with a split decision win as a favourite against Michelle Waterson…which many people think she lost. Basically, not a very impressive stint in the UFC so far.
Finally she went up against Amanda Ribas, who went on to expose that dodgy cardio of Pinheiro, melting her in the third round with a beautiful wheel kick when Pinheiro was death gassed. Now we know it’s possible, the third round of Pinheiro’s fight against Waterson-Gomez makes a bit more sense, seeing as Waterson took over and clearly won it.
Nothing kills a hype train quicker than realising that a fighter has bad cardio, and it’s safe to say that whatever hype there was on Luana (minimal) is dead…because she’s a +125 underdog to Angela Hill here.
In my opinion, Angela Hill has been an incredibly underrated fighter for such a long time and absolutely deserves her flowers as one of WMMA’s most respected journeywomen. She’s had 24 UFC fights, and she’s still showing up better than fighters much younger than her and doesn’t appear to even be slowing down.
The blueprint on Hill has been pretty clear for some time – if you want to beat her relatively easily, you take her down. Otherwise, you’re going up against technically impressive striker that has the durability, a sneaky bit of power and seemingly limitless cardio to keep you honest. Really, if you manage to have success against Angela Hill on the feet, the best thing you can really hope for is about 55% of dominance (typically where two judges score one way, and another goes the opposite).
As I often say, statistics for MMA are best used when comparing WMMA strikers, and the figures here are quite eye-opening. Hill’s strike differential is vastly superior, and their defensive rates are very close. In short, if they stay on the feet for 15 minutes I think Hill should be expected to out-volume her opponent. When you factor in Pinheiro’s cardio deficiencies, that’s even more likely.
Therefore, Pinheiro has two routes to success here in my opinion – her typical R1 finish, or by going the grappling route. Firstly, Hill has never been finished via (T)KO in 29 professional fights (most of which have come at a high level), so I think it’s fair to say she deserves trust in being able to stay safe. She’s also quite an intelligent fighter, so I assume she’s going to be aware that her success will come in the latter half of the fight.
In terms of the grappling, Pinheiro landed five takedowns in the opening round against Markos, and that’s what forced her to gas out…so I don’t really think she’s going to be comfortable enough to lean on that skillset for 15 minutes straight. Hill is defensively quite sound on the mat as well, so as long as she can avoid getting stuck in a position I think she’ll be fine.
So in short, the only skillset I think Luana Pinheiro deserves credit for at this level is her R1 explosiveness, and Angela Hill is one of the worst opponents to pit that style against. Hill’s last victory proves that, as she survived the early barrage of another R1 finisher and took over in R2/3. I think the exact same mission statement applies here, and I think Angela Hill should definitely be trusted to do that. I’d personally line Hill somewhere like -175 to -200 here, so the -137 available at the time of writing was an easy bet to make. Let’s go Angie! 2u Angela Hill to Win at -137.
How I line this fight: Angela Hill -188 (65%), Luana Pinheiro +188 (35%)
Bet or pass: 2u Angela Hill to Win (-137), 0.25u Angela Hill to Win by Decision (+125 or better)
Prop leans: Hill couldn’t finish her dinner, so the decision prop will be one to look out for.
Live Betting Leans: If Pinheiro wins R1 and goes a bit crazy in trying to find a finish, betting Hill on the stool before R2 is a good move as the cardio fall-off could be live.

~Adrian Yanez vs Vinicius Salvador~
This feels like a weird mismatch and I don’t know why it’s happening.
Adrian Yanez is a classy and technical striker that I feel has become a bit overrated. The fans love him and put him on a pedestal as some sort of elite fighter’s fighter – I get that he’s fun to watch and a good boxer, but I’d argue he’s had more underwhelming performances than good in the UFC. He got styled on by Font and Martinez, was competitive against Davey Grant and lost more minutes than he won against Randy Costa. There’s not much shame in that and I’m not trying to say Yanez is bad, but I don’t think those performances warrant him being regarded as one of the most popular unranked fighters on the roster.
He faces Vinicius Salvador, who looked like an exciting fighter from his DWCS victory, but there was always a suspicion that he would have very little to offer outside of barn burners and very early KOs. The UFC pissed away the chance for a fan-friendly prelim guy by putting him up against two of the scrappiest and most durable guys at Flyweight – Victor Altamirano and CJ Vergara. The path to victory for both men was very clear there, and they grinded out long-distance victories after Salvador had nothing to offer after five minutes.
The UFC should have instantly viewed Salvador the same as they do Trevor Peek. Someone who is hilariously flawed but scrappy and entertaining to watch nonetheless. His striking style is unorthodox and weird, which looks great when he’s the hammer but awful when he’s the nail. Against a fighter as scrappy and technical sound a boxer as Yanez, this obviously seems like a tall order.
But ironically, whilst this is the toughest opponent Salvador has faced so far in his career, it’s probably his most winnable fight too. Yanez will oblige him in providing a war for the fans, which will give Salvador his chance to land that early KO. Yanez also been pieced up twice in a row so durability could also be a bit more questionable. Yes there is a massive gap in technique and overall skill…but one clean right hand can trump all of that, and Yanez can be hit by one.
Yanez is a -350 favourite here, which is a very easy way to put that final nail in the coffin of considering betting him. Whilst I do think he probably deserves to be close to that number in terms of his overall winning probability, it really won’t take much for the tables to turn massively here, so risking -350 seems like a terrible idea.
A bet on Salvador on the return is too ugly to stomach though, because he could also get absolutely styled on. It’s an easy pass all round.
How I line this fight: Adrian Yanez -250 (71%), Vinicius Salvador +250 (29%)
Bet or pass: Pass
Prop leans: FDGTD very likely but doubt the price is at all playable.

~Oumar Sy v Antonio Trocoli~
We’re all jealous of Antonio Trocoli, AKA Mr Mackenzie Dern. I’ve probably got more to say about her than I do about this fight.
I’m obviously not going to do any tape for this fight, so the only thing of note from their records is that Trocoli has regional loses to Dhiego Lima (pre-UFC) and Jacob ‘Christmas’ Volkmann (post-UFC), both of which are pretty concerning losses. He also popped for steroids on DWCS, so who knows how good he actually is when he’s clean.
Sy is a terrifying specimen of a man, with a 9-0 record by KO/SUB/DEC. I suppose this is a good time to remind you that William Knight also looked like a god.
Why would you bet this fight? Just pass and take the info we get here into their next appearances.
How I line this fight: I’d have more confidence in my ability to hook up with Mackenzie Dern than my ability to accurate cap this fight.
Bet or pass: Pass
Prop leans: Over 1.5 Mackenzie Dern sightings (-200)

~Emily Ducote v Vanessa Demopoulos~
Two very middle-of-the-road WMMA fighters that I am quite familiar with.
Demopoulos got to the dance via her grappling and submission ability, but has spent time honing her skills on the feet that she actually seems to have abandoned a grappling based approach entirely, having landed an average of 0.49 takedowns per 15 mins in her UFC/DWCS career so far. On the feet, she’s scrappy and actually does hit kind of hard, but the technique is still very much a work in progress. She makes up for the lack of finesse with pure enthusiasm and grit, and will stay in her opponent’s face and swing until the final bell. She’s also pretty durable too, having never lost by finish in 15 fights with striking that’s that sketchy.
Emily Ducote is kind of the polar opposite. She’s a dedicated striker that has decent enough grappling defence. She has little to no power in her hands, but she’s reliable to rack up decent volume and can keep it up across 15 minutes. She has landed 100+ significant strikes in 3 of her 4 UFC bouts, but she’s also absorbed 100+ in 3 too.
The summary of this one is that Ducote is just the cleaner striker of the two, but I think this -330 price tag is a bit ridiculous. Yes, comparing the stats makes it seem that Ducote will win easily, but Demopoulos has faced quite a few opponents that have wanted to grapple her, and her Strikes landed per minute figures are skewed as a result. Given that Ducote absorbs a similar number to what she lands, I think Demopoulos’ enthusiasm should see her land far more than she has done before. Also, Demopolous’ fight metrics are often inferior to her opponents in all of the fights she loses, so the stats do her a major disservice to how competitive she can be.
I always say that there’s a real ceiling in regards to how much you can favour a striking based WMMA fighter if they have no power or finishing ability. The judges do not score technique, so the 50+ pitter patter punches they land can easily be trumped by any instance where it looks like they get hurt on the return, so in this instance I think Vanessa’s power and forward pressure could be enough to make rounds closer than the odds suggest they should be.
In short, Ducote price is nuts but she should probably win so definitely deserves to be favoured. I wouldn’t bet anything here other than FGTD, which could be a decent parlay piece anywhere less than -400. I’d be interested to see what Ducote by Decision looks like because I do rate Demopolous’ durability and see it going the distance quite frequently…so +100 or better would get my money.
How I line this fight: Emily Ducote -250 (71%), Vanessa Demopoulos +250 (29%)
Bet or pass: 1u Emily Ducote to Win by Decision (+100 or better)
Prop leans: See above

~Ramiz Brahimaj v Themba Gorimbo~
Stylistically this is a very funny fight, because it’s between two guys whose strengths and weaknesses are exactly the same. They’re both aggressive grapplers with average to bad striking, and they’ll hunt for the finish from the opening bell…and fall off a cliff at the halfway point if they can’t find it.
Themba Gorimbo is unfortunately completely unbettable at this stage in his career, I think. He’s obviously got this narrative with The Rock going on, and it’s somehow managed to turn him from a sub-par, barely UFC quality fighter that can’t beat AJ Fletcher, to someone whose fame actually manages to transcend MMA a little bit. Just goes to show how important those post-fight interviews can be! That popularity obviously swells his betting line as he’s likely to garner more money and attention from bettors, whereas Brahimaj is a nobody unless you’re a hardcore with a good memory. Couple that with the fact Themba’s style is not sustainable across 15 minutes, and you’ve got a fighter with a very limited path to victory that you can rely on, who comes with an eye-watering price tag.
Whilst Brahimaj’s betting line would lean towards the value side due to Thema’s popularity, this is the first time we have seen him compete in over two years. He was a fighter that came in during COVID times, and immediately got thrown into the deep end when matchmaking was difficult. I bet Max Griffin against him due to Max’s durability (IE my bet was ‘Max to survive and turn the tables’), and it resulted in Griffin slicing Ramiz’s ear in half with an elbow (one of the more gruesome moments we have ever seen in the cage). Ramiz managed to hit is PTV against Micheal Gillmore (the runt of the litter in a season of TUF who had no right competing in the UFC. The only interesting thing about him was that his parents couldn’t even spell his own name ), as well as Sasha Palatnikov. When facing a veteran grappler like Court McGee, I also won a bet backing the experience and durability of a guy like Court (which is ironic given I’ve bet on Court to be KO’d in his last two).
So basically, my summary here is that Thembo deserves to be favoured simply by being more proven and in the better recent form. He’s got good enough grappling all round to be able to stop Ramiz from being so dominant as a round one buzzsaw, and unless Brahimaj has made some major changes in the two years off, Themba’s probably got the slightly superior cardio (by a bit) and therefore should still be around once his opponent fades.
The -275 betting line is absurd though, as I mentioned earlier, because there’s a likelihood that Themba gasses out himself too, and it could easily be Brahimaj that’s fresher in the latter stages, should we get there. Therefore, it’s a very easy pass. I will take a look at the round props as there could potentially be an angle on some sort of combination, but we will see.
How I line this fight: Themba Gorimbo -200 (67%), Ramiz Brahimaj +200 (33%)
Bet or pass: Fight to End in Rounds 2 or 3 (price dependent), or something like that
Prop leans: See above

~Tom Nolan v Victor Martinez~
I’m bored of saying it, but Jesus Christ the calibre of a ‘UFC Fighter’ is just so low these days. Tom Nolan just got knocked out in 63 seconds as a -350 favourite to Nikolas Motta (shoutout to me for sort of predicting that), and Victor Martinez’s UFC debut saw him get knocked out cold by JORDAN LEAVITT.
So what do you do, bet at -350 on an unproven fighter who shat the bed at the exact same price tag last time? Or trust a guy who got put to sleep by the hands of Jordan Leavitt?
Obviously, you pass. If I see a single parlay screenshot with Nolan in it this weekend I will lose all hope.
How I line this fight: I like my chances of pulling Mackenzie Dern for a second time, more than I like my chances of lining this fight accurately.
Bet or pass: Pass
Prop leans: See above

~Abus Magomedov v Warlley Alves~
Abus Magomedov needs to fire his manager. He started off his UFC career with a highlight reel KO inside 20 seconds, and had the world at his feet. Then he gets a main event spot against Sean Strickland. Fair enough taking an opportunity, but trying to speed run the rankings is a terrible idea when you consider all they want to do these days is play monopoly and generate stars. It’s much better to KO bums in the prelims and get paid a 50k bonus a few times than do what he did against Strickland…because look who he got for his third fight after losing in embarrassing fashion - Caio Borralho, who is lowkey one of the best prospects in the UFC at the moment in my opinion. Abus basically went from prospect to fodder when he lost to Strickland, and I wouldn’t expect him to stick around in the UFC for too much longer if he doesn’t start delivering early KOs again.
He should be able to get the better of Warlley Alves though. Alves looks hella old and shopworn, despite only being 33 years old somehow. He has ridden the coattails of having a win against Colby Covington on his record for his entire career, because he’s done nothing remarkable with it since. His loss to James Krause was the fight where it was apparent Alves was on the decline, and a ‘loser leaves town’ win against the equally old and frail Sergio Moraes was the only thing keeping him afloat. He scored a shock upset KO via body kicks against Mounir Lazzez (who turned out to be a bit of a fraud anyway), but the writing has been on the wall for Warlley for some time. Fast forward a few years and he's on a threefight losing streak again, having been beaten down pretty badly and finished in under 1.5 rounds in four of his last five losses.
That’s a key piece of info for this one, because we know Abus’ limitations revolve around him being a great early fighter with terrible and unsustainable levels of cardio. When looking at Abus’ fights, you need to decipher the chances of him winning early, and that will explain the rest.
Given Alves’ frailty, I think this is a pretty generous fight for Magomedov – possibly the most appropriate and tailor-made matchup they could have found for him!
His winning probability relies heavily on doing work early, so naturally betting Abus R1/2 KO would be the obvious go to. I’m not sure there will be any value on that prop though, because it’s a pretty obvious angle that everyone’s going to try and take. However, I’ve long known that Bet365’s Bet Builder product is broken when combining Winner + Total Rounds, especially before they release the rest of the props as it’s completely out of context…so Backing Abus to Win and Under 1.5 Rounds at the right time could produce a valuable price before it gets corrected. That’s all I’ll be looking to play for this fight, assuming those early Abus props are rubbish. Be careful what price is available if you’re considering this, it’s going to be much shorter than normal and it’s a very limited window to be betting on.
How I line this fight: Abus Magomedov -250 (71%), Warlley Alves +250 (29%)
Bet or pass: Abus Magomedov to Win & Under 1.5 Rounds (+125 or better)
Prop leans: See Above
Live Betting Leans: I’d take a look at Alves on the stool after R1, but I don’t think I could trust him really.

~Piera Rodriguez v Ariane Carnelossi~
Ariane Carnelossi returns after two years on the sidelines. I’ve always jokingly been a fan of her, because that fight against Na Liang (the first UFC Fight back with fans after COVID) was genuinely one of the highlights of 2021 and it was such a fun fight with a crazy energy. Also helps that I bet her heavily in that.
Carnelossi’s a decent striker that actually hung with Angela Hill back in the day, but her wrestling defence is a clear weak point. She got absolutely ragdolled in one of the best UFC performances I can remember when she faced Loopy Godinez, and even Na Liang had some success in that opening round. She’s not a fish off her back or anything, but if you can’t defend takedowns and your opponent has the cardio and ability to chain takedowns together…you’re going to struggle.
Piera Rodriguez is a pretty well-rounded fighter, she’s decent enough in the striking realm and has a diverse arsenal with kicks and a whole lot of feints, but she’s also a decent enough grappler that can commit to that multiple takedown approach. She’s landed three or more in each of her UFC/DWCS victories and just generally does a good job of showcasing herself to be a well-rounded mixed martial artist. My biggest criticism of her is that she does look to have slight signs of bad cardio, as her third rounds against both Hughes and Hansen were a bit laboured and slow.
So initially this fight was lined as a clear pick’em, which I didn’t agree with at all. Whilst Carnelossi should be able to show some competitiveness, her inability to defend takedowns should see her on the back foot for a fair bit of this fight, and her desire to land the knockout with every punch she throws could even see her lose moments on the feet to Piera’s kicking game and more technical style. Carnelossi does have a bit of a cardio advantage though, which Piera will have to navigate, but other than that I think the Venezuelan should be given the nod as a moderate favourite, probably around -175. Considering I got Piera at -120, I thought that was worthy of a 2u bet. If the line continues to move though, I may arb out as I think -175 is a very fair number.
How I line this fight: Piera Rodriguez -175 (64%), Ariane Carnelossi +175 (36%)
Bet or pass: 2u Piera Rodriguez to Win (-120)
Prop leans: Probably a decision win for Piera, Carnelossi is dedicated and Piera not much of a finisher.

~Alatengheili v Kleydson Rodrigues~
I write the same synopsis for Alatengheili because the guy never changes. Here’s a paragraph from his last fight that I wrote:
Alatengheili is one of the most frustrating talents I’ve seen in MMA in recent years. He was once the number three freestyle wrestler in China and looks to actually have a really promising wrestling game…but he just doesn’t fight like it! In his UFC debut, he faced a clearly superior striker and waited until round 3 to start shooting religiously (no attempts in R1 or 2, 7 attempts in R3). After that, he did exactly the same again in a split decision win against Ryan Benoit (1 TD attempt in R1, none in R2, and 12 in R3). He then faced Casey Kenny, who is a great defensive grappler…and decided not to attempt a takedown. Then he faced Gustavo Lopez, who took HIM down three times from eight attempts, and none from Alatenheili. He went on to beat Kevin Croom in under a minute on the feet, then went back to his regular style of waiting until R3 for takedowns when he beat Chad Anheliger. In the Gutierrez fight that followed, he attempted four takedowns and landed two. These all came in – you guessed it- round three.
So I think it’s fair to assume that we can’t call Alatengheili much of a wrestler anymore. When he’s striking on the feet, he’s clearly got some power in a big wind up shot, but other than that it’s quite flat footed and low volume stuff. Those aren’t particularly good qualities, as he’s hardly demonstrating a clear killer instinct that makes up for bad minute winning fundamentals.
Kleydson Rodrigues is a guy I was quite excited about when he got to the UFC. He looked great on DWCS, but immediately had a tough test against CJ Vergara in his debut. I do personally think he won that fight, but CJ’s pace, pressure and tenacity got the better of him down the stretch and made that fight close. He returned and obliterated Shannon Ross, before being steamrolled on the mat by Farid Basharat. A real mixed bag of results, overall.
The thing is, I don’t exactly think that the losses Rodrigues suffered are directly relevant here, as Farid’s topside grappling is way way better than Alateng’s. The Mongolian also doesn’t have the forward pressure or pace of CJ Vergara, due to how flat footed he is.
On the flipside, Alatengheili has struggled against fighters who technically outclass him on the feet, or those with good takedown defence. The Mongolian has proven to be a tough fighter to put away, which should give him a chance to take over at the midway point.
Comparatively, I think Kleydson Rodrigues has shown himself to be a higher calibre striker than Alatenheili, and clearly the more diverse one. Kleydson also throws a lot of low kicks, which are a key weapon when trying to nullify the grappling threat of the already flat footed power puncher.
In conclusion, I just think Kleydson Rodrigues outclasses Alatengheili in the striking, whereas I don’t think the Mongolian outclasses him anywhere on the return. The Mongolian has proven he is keen to stay on the feet for the majority of fights, which should leave the door wide open for Kleydson to win minutes. The cardio advantage does lie with Alateng, but I don’t think he pushes enough of a pace in the grappling or striking department to make Kleydson fade like he did against CJ (who is one of the more suffocating guys in the division). Also, Alateng’s grappling threat in R3 may well be nullified by the 10 minutes of leg kick investment that Kleydson has already made.
So as you can probably tell, I favour Kleydson Rodrigues in this one. I personally thought he should be a -200 favourite, so I was expecting to pass on this one…but it looks like the BetOnline moneyline is moving towards -150. For some strange reason the fight is barely available in the UK for now, but I’m hoping that -150 would be available for me to bet for 2u.
How I line this fight: Kleydson Rodrigues -200 (67%), Alatengheili +200 (33%)
Bet or pass: 2u Kleydson Rodrigues to Win (-160 or better)
Prop leans: None
Live Betting Leans: If it’s 1-1 going into the third and there’s been a pace…I’d recommend betting Alatengheili.

~Tamires Vidal v Melissa Gatto~
Melissa Gatto is a competent and well-rounded fighter. She went to competitive decisions with Tracey Cortez and Ariane Lipski. She is UFC quality.
Tamires Vidal is a plodding fighter that doesn’t appear to be very good at defensive grappling. She went to a competitive decision against Montserrat Rendon. She is not UFC quality.
Gatto is -400. It’s a very steep price to pay but I don’t think it’s too far off where it ought to be – she should be able to point strike on the feet and have very decent grappling success, where she can definitely fish for a submisison. I’d be interested in seeing what the price on Gatto by Submission is though, so I may be looking to play that.
How I line this fight: Tamires Vidal +300 (25%), Melissa Gatto -300 (75%)
Bet or pass: Xu Melissa Gatto to Win by Submission (+300 or better)
Prop leans: See above

Bets (Bold = been placed)
1u Edson Barboza to Win (+125 or better)
2u Angela Hill to Win (-137)
2u Piera Rodriguez to Win (-120)
2u Kleydson Rodrigues to Win (-160 or better)
Xu Emily Ducote to Win by Decision (+100 or better)
1u Abus Magomedov to Win & Under 1.5 Rounds (+100 or better)
Xu Melissa Gatto to Win by Submmission (+300 or better)
0.25u Parlay Pieces (not bet yet)
Parlay Pieces: Angela Hill, Emily Ducote, Abus Magomedov, Kleydson Rodgriguez, Melissa Gatto
Dog of the Week: Edson Barboza

Although for the better part of a year the Pod3 has generally tracked reasonably closely, just “optimistically” by about 10-20% on REM and deep hours, the divergence has gotten worse. Generally the pod 3 is recording significantly more deep in particular than Oura or Apple Watch.
That said, my “controls” have started to diverge also, with Apple Watch being the most pessimistic on deep sleep in particular, and Oura in between. This presents a tough issue of what’s going on, but assuming both Oura and Apple Watch are more accurate, I am wondering why the pod 3 is diverging more these days (algorithm change?). Whatever is causing the ring/watch disparity (unusual to date) could be tougher for just the pod to overcome given the inferior access to sensors.
Anyone else doing comparisons? Last night was the craziest divergence to date and reflects the trend: pod/ring/watch deep sleep was 1:45/1:15/0:17! REM was 1:46/1:22/0:58.