Does ritalin make you bloated

I have always had these watery cysts. Sometimes they would rapture in the middle of the night, where I would not be able to walk. It would be sharply painful and would feel like it's hurting from my bum. I would need to go to the ER for this. Fast forward to a year ago where I had laparascopy because of a bloody 6 cm ovarian cyst that had to be urgently removed because I could literally not walk (I even went to work in the WAREHOUSE with that pain). I never got official reports of the cyst, but my family doctor told me there is no endometriosis. I suffer with heavy bleeding and cramps every period for 7 days, first 2 days being the worst. Ever since then I have pain that feels like of that when I had that big cyst, like it is in my bum. I cannot walk properly, so many times each day I get these "shocks" which are painful shocks that go from my "bum" to my stomach, where I cannot walk without feeling like there is a baloon in my bum, I had an ultrasound couple of months ago and they told me there is nothing seen. I always have painful ovulations and pain in general every day. For the last year and a half I have been having gas, bloating and painful abdominal pain. I would run away from people in order for my stomach to not make sounds and to not accidently pass gas. My anxiety has worsened because of this and for my bloated anxious stomach they keep on prescribing me pills that do not work and I keep on wasting whole lot of money on these useless pills. I am writing to you right now from my floor because I CANNOT GET UP and cannot walk from all this pain, especially on my left side (where I used to have that big cyst), went to pee after first being on the floor for 10 minutes crying in pain, I peed in pain and now I cannot get up to go to bed and idk if I will even be able to sleep tonight. So far I was given the worst treatment from the doctors as the public healthcare does not care, just wants to get rid of you and go next. I am not only crying because I am in pain, but because I am emotionally sick and tired of living with this and literally BEGGING to be alright while some, such as a fellow woman herself, my mother, thinks I am just too sensitive. It's all told that this is normal for women and they release me. TELL ME IF YOU HAVE BEEN IN A SITUATION SUCH AS ME AND WHAT DO I DO ANYMORE?! I am tired of living. I feel like trash being here on the floor, helpless and alone. Btw I also have to find a new job which is, with my situation, extremely terrible since I feel isolated, anxious and terrible and in pain because of my.."condition".

TLDR: My sister is young and in her golden age but put on 80 lbs in the past 2 years probably pushing 210lbs. She is not great at taking advice and is a very sensitive person. My mom is constantly thinking about it and doesn’t know what to do to get her to turn her life around. Please help, how does me or my parents get her to lose weight and what would be the best way of tackling this?
So my sister is almost 19 years old and a freshman in college and has put on maybe 80 lbs in the past 2 years. She went from being one of the prettiest girls at school to being the largest in her friend group. She is very ignorant about it and just keeps eating her life away. When she goes to the doctor’s office and they weigh her she asks them to not tell her because she doesn’t want to know. This whole thing is destroying my mom and my family because if you try to talk to her about it she completely shuts down and will not talk to us for days. I have a decently in shape family which is why we are trying to get on her about losing some weight. For reference she is about 5’6” and pushing 210 so she’s pretty big. My mom will make dinner and she will eat all of her portion, then go make more food. The reason I am asking for advice is because she will not listen to my mom whom she is very close with and I am not very close with her so if I try to talk to her about it she’s just going to push me away more. My mom has come to me very upset at the fact that she doesn’t know what to do about it. My sister is now scared to be in public and goes home from college every chance she gets to be alone and most likely stress/depression eat. Seems like her whole life turned around and she lost self control.
She just got off of anti anxiety/depression medication and is now taking Ritalin 54mg which doesn’t seem to kill her appetite at all. She also vapes so I’m not sure if that affects anything.
Any advice would help. She is very sensitive and no she does not know/ will ever know about this post.

I love the Ashlands and it's already become my favorite biome, because it actually feels challenging. That being said, there are a couple things I dislike and I'm really hoping that these are either addressed before or after the update goes live.
1- Drakkar is the worst ship in the game. It's slower than the Karve for some reason, if you try to use it for sailing to older biomes, you can go ahead and kiss an hour and half of your time goodbye. Even with tailwind it feels painfully slow. Also I love sailing through narrow or cluttered waters, but why am I forced to bring the Drakkar (a ship that is 2x wider than the Longship), to a boiling sea filled with tall, wide jagged rocks. This could've easily been mitigated if we just had a ceramic plated Karve, but no, bigger is better apparently. Drakkar looks cool, don't get me wrong, but in practice it just sucks. Instead of just making a smaller boat, they just removed more of the rocks which wasn't the problem to begin with, you're still going to hit those rocks with the Drakkar.

1. They kinda lied to us. They said this biome would have over 30+ new weapons and they said it would be the most weapon diverse biome yet. This is a half truth, there is only 12 (14 if you count shields) unique weapons in this biome, that 30+ number is completely bloated by the gem enchanting. You can enchant your sword 3 different ways sure but at the end of the day it's still a damn sword. No new knife, atgeir, battleaxe, buckler and of course, no new fist weapon. The problem of weapon gaps in this game is starting to get really annoying and they said in their walk and talk series that they wanted the Ashlands to accommodate ALL playstyles. We know this now to be not true.
   
2. As someone who uses magic, in the Mistlands, it felt really nice and balanced. It didn't overpower melee but it also didn't underperform when compared to melee. It felt good to use and it's raw power was balanced out by the fact that it was a new skill you had to level up. Now that I'm in the Ashlands my sword and magic skills are pretty equal, but I never really need to use my sword because of how op magic is now. In the Mistlands, the terrain prevented you from kiting the bugs all over the place, but in the Ashlands the terrain is far more flat and less bothersome to traverse, so you kite all you want. This allows you to deal insane amounts of damage while staying almost completely safe. The new Staff of the Wild is a symptom of this problem, you just throw 3+ down on the ground and kite all the melee enemies through the roots while you recover stamina/eitr. Don't get me started on Fader, he's completely trivial with magic, which leads me to my next point.
   
3. The difficulty of this biome seems to be aimed more towards melee players. Fader for example gives you barely any time to recover stamina, attack or heal. Lord reto is cheese for ranged, but will 2 shot you even if you have full level 3 flametal and 300+ health. Thankfully the Valkyrie at least comes down to the ground to attack you.
   
4. The fortresses, oh god the fortresses. I've been hyped to do "fortress time" for so long and now that it's here it just feels bitter-sweet. It's awesome to bring the battering ram up to the door and bust it down, but the actual combat there is pretty easy. Just destroy the spawners/Skuggs and kite the remaining dudes outside to finish them off. It also feels disappointing knowing that the original concept art for the fortresses showed them looking like castles, but the ones we get in game are just glorified boxes.
   

In conclusion, I just want to say I love this game and I love this update, but it still feels like it needs more content/time before releasing to the live branch. I highly doubt that will happen though and I bet they aren't going to do a whole lot with the Ashlands once it does go live :(. I pray to Odin that I am wrong. Thanks for reading.

Does anyone else feel like they are so constantly bloated and that’s adding to the vomiting? It’s like half the time I feel nauseous and the other half my stomach is so bloated it makes me vomit as well. Anything that you’ve done to help? Even small meals doesn’t work. Even when my stomach is empty from not being able to keep anything down, it’s still bloated and painful. I’m only 9 and a half weeks and I’m on Reglan and Zofran. I had HG with my first pregnancy but this time around it’s definitely more intense.

So I often get the deadly combo- I cannot burp (I'm one of you people), and no farts come out, resulting in extreme bloating, discomfort, even pain. No matter how much I push or relax, farts are trapped inside, to the point where I'm gagging involuntarily (but no burp or air vomit). Pooping doesn't help either. Does anyone have any tips on how to fart easily?
Today I had the worst case of bloating in a bit. Tried everything and nothing helped. Air vomit was my last resort because that makes me uncomfortable. So I did the "side neck sit ups" exercise exactly as demonstrated in this video: https://youtu.be/DDZ8zMZHUuA
(The next part might sound gross but we're probably all okay with it right?)
After 13 reps lying on the right side, initially it felt like I was going to throw up (had a meal 30 mins earlier). I sat straight, and felt something come up. Took the risk and opened my throat (like you would in order to vomit), and all that came out was air, though it didn't make a burp-like sound. But it worked. And then came another, and another, and another (a total of 6), but the final one felt like it brought up a bit of stomach stuff with it so I stopped. But felt instantly better afterwards.
Might try it again in dire circumstances. But I'd much rather fart, and suggestions for inducing that would be very helpful. Additionally, what can I do to find out why is it so hard for me to fart?

Several people have approached me that they might have endometriosis. Lifelong warrior so thought I would share my tips and tricks I put together for my friends and family to share with you :) Hope this helps someone!
ENDOMETRIOSIS SURGERY FACTS

• EXCISION SURGERY! I cannot stress this one enough. If you have an ablation, it will grow back and likely quick (but consult with your doctors on your case 100%). Excision is when they cut it out vs. it gets burned off. You will have a better success rate and slow rate of growth if they excise. Not all cases can be depending on location so again, please talk with your doctor about your situation. This is not the same for everyone.
• If your doctor cannot do excision surgery. Skip and move on to the next! Trust me, well worth the time to research and find the right doctor. You will thank me later for this one too haha.
• Finding a doctor is stuff. Also tough to find resources. If you cannot find an Endometriosis specialist in your area who does excision, you may need to look out of state, but one tip is exploring gynecological oncologists. Some will take benign cases, but not all so do your research. But it’s a good avenue for help in your area or you want insurance coverage.
• Nanny’s Nook is a good resource for online information regarding endometriosis: https://nancysnookendo.com/
• Dr Seckin’s book called The Doctor Will See You Now is also worth the read (https://www.amazon.com/Doctor-Will-See-You-Endometriosis/dp/1681621126)
• Definitely look into Egg Freezing before doing any permanent surgeries. The ovaries are more intact when there is a uterus in place, so I recommend immediately following any excisions with Egg Freezing if you can and if it’s part of your plans. I found my AMH levels low (1.2) but still retrieved 25 eggs, so never be discouraged if this is your future planning path.
• My Symptoms: I experience bloating, constipation, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting as the main culprits. I have irregular periods in regards to the number of days and if it comes or not (even with an IUD). Pelvic pain is probably the worst of all since it accompanies these symptoms and is present a majority of the time. Others may have different symptoms, and there’s many others I didn’t list but wanted to paint the picture of some I’ve experienced.

ENDOMETRIOSIS LAPAROSCOPIC SURGERY (WHAT TO EXPECT)
PRE-SURGERY

• List of questions to ask your doctor
• Insurance Information and ID
• Necessary forms or paperwork the doctor requires
• Make sure any medical records are sent that would be relevant

POST-OP PREP

• Eat smaller meals and simple foods days beforehand. If bowel prep is necessary, they also recommend taking a laxative in the days leading up to help prep.
• Pack a bag! Not every surgery is an overnight stay but even if you have a day-of surgery, back an overnight bag. Here’s the essentials:
  • Phone/Headphones/iPad/Kindle/Books
  • Device Chargers
  • Medications that you currently take
  • Glasses (do not wear contacts day of)
  • An extra pair of underwear
  • Sanitary Pads or Always Discreet
  • Comfy pants with light elastic band around the waist
  • Non wired bra
  • Slip on shoes (this is clutch! Recommend slides -https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BL7LJKZW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1).
  • Layers - Sweatshirt, Long Sleeved Shirt etc. - Hospitals are cold!
  • Toothbrush and tooth paste
  • Hairbrush
  • Face wipes, wash cloth, small towel and bar of soap.

SPACE PREP

1. Make sure your bed or couch is prepped. I stayed on the first level for the first 2ish days before feeling well enough to stay upstairs.
2. I used a pregnancy pillow on the bed to help me stay on my back while sleeping and help you feel cozy.
3. Stock the house with foods that will be light for your stomach. Think soups and casseroles! Saltine crackers, broths, rices etc..
4. If you have a raised bed, get a step stool to assist. It’s best to sit on the side of the bed and slowly lay your upper body down while bringing your knees up and over to your back. You will need to use arm strength the first couple of days to get you up and over since you can’t use the abdomen.
5. Water and Beverages stocked at all times. I have a reusable water bottle and avoid carbonated beverages for the time being. They fill you with gas for the procedure so it may make those symptoms worse.
6. Netflix, Kindle, Puzzles, Craft Projects…visits with friends. Whatever makes the time pass, set it up ahead of time so it’s handy.
7. Items to Keep on Hand: Baby Wipes, heating pads, pads/diapers, candles, essential oils, things that smell good haha

BOWEL PREP
This is dependent on the type of surgery you are having, but its good to have Gatorade, Magnesium Citrate (liquid), laxatives and enemas on hand just in case you need these.
ON SURGERY DAY
It’s important to follow the instructions on what to stop taking and/or eating/drinking prior to the surgery. Wear comfy clothes (wide elastic waistband) and slides with cozy socks. Double check your to go bag and breath.
AT THE HOSPITAL

1. Do your check-ins and keep your people with you as long as you want.
2. Make sure to read all the consent forms and ask any questions upfront. Make any advance directives clear.
3. Just try to remain calm as there’s a lot of down time while they do intake. It is about 2 hours of prep before they bring you in for the surgery itself.
4. They will ask you the same questions over and over again, that’s normal and trust me, you want to confirm it’s all being done properly.
5. If you need something for anxiety, they will be sure to give you something if you ask :)
6. You will be wearing a gown, socks, funky underwear and a cool hair net haha wear the gown backward so you keep warm and keep the butt covered.
7. Vitals will happen and the anesthesiologist will come and speak with you to make sure they prep the right meds beforehand. Bring up any concerns here with them!
8. You may be wheeled or walked into surgery. I’ve only ever walked in and laid on the table myself.
9. They will then put the IV in your arm and sometimes will put on a mask, they will then ask you to count backwards and before you know it, you will be awake again!

RECOVERY

• You will wake-up and feel groggy. Totally normal and you will be in a different room. They will likely say a lot really quick about your surgery. Before leaving ask for them to walk through it or see if you can speak with the doctor again when clear headed. RECOMMENDED!
• Your throat will be sore, that’s normal from the tube.
• Just relax and sleep it off if you want, the goal is to be relaxed and pee once before leaving.
• Before you go, eat and drink and pass smoke urine. They’ll provide you with the meds and you’ll be good to go.
• Make sure someone brings you home after :)
• Make sure you have a bag for vomit in the car.
• Bring a small pillow that can be strapped between the car belt and you for maximum comfort on the trip home.
• Pain Med Management: This one is important. I messed up night one and didn’t take it soon enough and was in too much pain so make sure you stick to the schedule the doctors give you to ensure you are comfortable.
• Keep Walking: It seems unnatural to have a surgery then walk, but the sooner you get up and keep moving around the house, the better. Just avoid heavy lifting and immense bending like movements. Stairs are also ok but also consult with your doctor!
• Gas Build Up: I did feel pain in my shoulders from the gas. Just keep moving! It will help get that out of the system but this pain is normal.
• Relax and let people take care of you! Don’t be too quick to recover.
• Keep an eye out for fever, increased vaginal bleeding, or feeling terrible.
• Keep all post op appointments and follow all post op instructions!

ENDOMETRIOSIS MAINTENANCE
Here’s the tips and tricks I found helpful for maintaining my pain and symptoms (GI and back pain related):

1. Pelvic Floor Therapy: This is important for keeping the muscles in your pelvis healthy and strong to maintain your structure and also help manage pain. Consult with your doctor on whether this is right for you.
2. Physical Therapy: I do PT for my back and pelvic floor since it’s all related. We focus on Myofascial Release Therapy to help break up the adhesions and give me more mobility. This helps with temporary pain relief (reduction in number), but that is always welcome :)
3. Acupuncture: I swear by Acupuncture. I don’t know what it does or why, but it works. It’s not a cure by any means, but it's great for relaxation, fertility, digestion, endometriosis, sleep, etc.. I can go on, but it’s not covered by insurance plans all the time so you will need to check and see what you’re able to take on.
4. Diet/Exercise:
   1. Eating high protein, lower fat/carbs (not none just low) helps your body, but overall learn your trigger foods! This will go a long way.
   2. Ginger, turmeric and fennel all help with bloating. I like to drink them in tea form when I’m feeling particularly hard stomached as it’s a good natural way to decrease the bloat. Peppermint also works for some, for me it irritates my GERD.
   3. Chamomile for relaxation
   4. Walking and movement are important. I cannot do anything high impact due to my sacroiliitis diagnosis, so I stick with light yoga and walking.
5. Alcohol/Other Substances: Don’t do it. Don’t touch it. You’ll thank me later on this point.
6. Sleep: Insomnia is a very real thing. I think I went 2 or 3 days at its worst one time and I cannot say enough how important trying to keep the same sleep schedule will benefit you. Waking and sleeping around the same time each day will still feel exhausting but at least you know your body is getting the most sleep it can get.
7. Medications/Supplements:
   1. Ibprofuern: This does NOT work for me. I have GERD and ulcers so I cannot take NSAIDs, but with that in mind, NSAIDs are supposedly the best pain medication over the counter to help you manage it.
   2. Pain Killers: These are AS NEEDED. I try to refrain and leave these for the TRULY bad days which I try to spread out. Not even worth it sometimes, because I don’t like how I feel and sometimes vomit after taking them. But they do help the pain!
   3. IUD/Orilissa: An IUD will NOT do anything. If you are diagnosed, ask your doctor about Orilissa or similar medicines instead of birth control methods. This will not stop the growth, just suppress it. There are side effects and it is only a short term solution.
   4. Linzess: This worked well for me for constipation symptoms when they got severe. Definitely recommend bringing this to your doctor if you’re truly suffering and they have not yet mentioned. I also resorted after trying magnesium citrate
   5. CBD Lotions/Salves: For my pelvis, I use Healing Rose CBD Salve in Orange and Lavender (https://www.thehealingroseco.com/product/orange-lavender-with-chamomile-herbal-salve-300mg-cbd/). For my back, I use a medical grade CBD lotion with menthol (https://cbdclinic.co/clinical-strength-series/). I also use a CBD massage oil from Healing Rose of the same scent when doing myofascial release at home. I also use Somedays Cramp Cream (https://somedays.com/products/period-cramp-cream?variant=42062153842853).
8. Heating Pads and Ice Pack: I have several varieties of heating pads. A cordless travel heating pad (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09FPTJL4G?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details), a plug-in heating pad (lhttps://www.hsn.com/products/pure-enrichment-purerelief-xxl-heating-pad-with-9-cord/22188460) and stick on patches (https://www.thermacare.com/ - I use the back patches but reverse them to the front for better coverage). For hot flashes and night sweats (also if you need to relax while anxious) place an ice pack over your chest to help cool or calm down.
9. Self-Care: No joke, massages, facials, epsom salt baths, sound baths, reiki….anything that you find relaxing. Do it. Try it! They also make CBD bath bombs Ive been wanting to check out.
10. TENs Machine: I really want one, don’t have one, but people swear by them (the heating pad linked to MyObi has a TENs version - https://myobistore.com/en-us/collections/my-obi-belts/products/apollo-2-0).
11. Pregnancy Pillow: This one sounds so lame, but I bought a pregnancy pillow for my first endometriosis surgery since I’m a side sleeper to help keep me on my back during recovery. It changed by life! It helps my anxiety and makes me comfortable while sleeping. (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08YYVRXLM/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1)..
12. Heated Blankets/Cozy Blankets: Make yourself feel better with a cozy blanket. Do it, I dare you!
13. Endo To-Go Bag: Includes heating pads (travel, plug-in and patches), medications, balms/salves, essential oils and pads/protection items, change of clothes, wet wipes.
14. Sex Life: I’m single, I don’t have a partner to worry about communicating this issue with at this point, but go slow and communicate given eventually this will have to be a conversation. What I have learned is that if you do have sex and feel pain. Immediately stop! If you associate sex with pain mentally in that moment, it may cause fear in doing so down the line so it’s best to stop the moment you feel any pain occur.
15. Work Life: I work a demanding job so it was not working with the appointments and care I needed to manage pain. Always get FMLA from your doctor for intermittent leave based on your company's policies. This protects you from flare-ups and appointments. Short Term Disability is based on your situation with work so talk with them about any leave of absence for surgery and recovery and ensure the medical providers fill out the paperwork appropriately.
16. Friends/Family: This one is the worst. I have to cancel and make plans all the time based on how I feel. I like to line up a bunch of plans for three months out and do my best to make them happen at the beginning of the month when I know I’m most likely to feel good. I just say I’ll make things up to them when I get better and those who have stuck around have been truly amazing friends, but don’t be upset that some might be over the day in and out of what you’re going through. It’s hard for you and sometimes others and it’s just a part of the relationships we’re meant to experience in life. Most people (unless they have endometriosis) don’t understand it so it can feel isolating, but there’s others out there who know what you’re going through and are willing to chat. Just gotta find them and reach out on social media, online etc..
17. Journaling Symptoms: Guilty of not being the best at this always, but it's good to track your symptoms to see how they work and operate. It helps not only you plan for it, but also your doctors in how best to handle your care. Take photos of things that make sense to show your doctors! Discharge, bowels etc..can sometimes help diagnose or judge with the images.
18. Next to Bed Kit: Make sure your nightstand is stocked with the essentials for your bad days. Makes it easier to access the items you need when you just can’t get up and get it.
19. Squatty Potty: Another thing that is majorly life changing on constipation days! Get one or you can make your own :) Take a stack of books and stack them at equal heights on each side and put your feet up. The trick is making sure you’re in a squat with your knees high to your ears.
20. Clothing: Dressing for this is key but you still want to look cute! Joggers with a stretchy waist are my go to pants, but wide leg trousers with a stretchy waist help with ease of removal but also comfort and brings some style to the look.
21. Pads: I wear Always Discreet vs. pads. I find when you need to wear them full time for incontinence it just makes it more comfortable. They have different cuts and styles so definitely check them out!

Several people have approached me that they might have endometriosis. Lifelong warrior so thought I would share my tips and tricks I put together for my friends and family to share with you :) Hope this helps someone!
ENDOMETRIOSIS SURGERY FACTS

• EXCISION SURGERY! I cannot stress this one enough. If you have an ablation, it will grow back and likely quick (but consult with your doctors on your case 100%). Excision is when they cut it out vs. it gets burned off. You will have a better success rate and slow rate of growth if they excise. Not all cases can be depending on location so again, please talk with your doctor about your situation. This is not the same for everyone.
• If your doctor cannot do excision surgery. Skip and move on to the next! Trust me, well worth the time to research and find the right doctor. You will thank me later for this one too haha.
• Finding a doctor is stuff. Also tough to find resources. If you cannot find an Endometriosis specialist in your area who does excision, you may need to look out of state, but one tip is exploring gynecological oncologists. Some will take benign cases, but not all so do your research. But it’s a good avenue for help in your area or you want insurance coverage.
• Nanny’s Nook is a good resource for online information regarding endometriosis: https://nancysnookendo.com/
• Dr Seckin’s book called The Doctor Will See You Now is also worth the read (https://www.amazon.com/Doctor-Will-See-You-Endometriosis/dp/1681621126)
• Definitely look into Egg Freezing before doing any permanent surgeries. The ovaries are more intact when there is a uterus in place, so I recommend immediately following any excisions with Egg Freezing if you can and if it’s part of your plans. I found my AMH levels low (1.2) but still retrieved 25 eggs, so never be discouraged if this is your future planning path.
• My Symptoms: I experience bloating, constipation, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting as the main culprits. I have irregular periods in regards to the number of days and if it comes or not (even with an IUD). Pelvic pain is probably the worst of all since it accompanies these symptoms and is present a majority of the time. Others may have different symptoms, and there’s many others I didn’t list but wanted to paint the picture of some I’ve experienced.

ENDOMETRIOSIS LAPAROSCOPIC SURGERY (WHAT TO EXPECT)
PRE-SURGERY

• List of questions to ask your doctor
• Insurance Information and ID
• Necessary forms or paperwork the doctor requires
• Make sure any medical records are sent that would be relevant

POST-OP PREP

• Eat smaller meals and simple foods days beforehand. If bowel prep is necessary, they also recommend taking a laxative in the days leading up to help prep.
• Pack a bag! Not every surgery is an overnight stay but even if you have a day-of surgery, back an overnight bag. Here’s the essentials:
  • Phone/Headphones/iPad/Kindle/Books
  • Device Chargers
  • Medications that you currently take
  • Glasses (do not wear contacts day of)
  • An extra pair of underwear
  • Sanitary Pads or Always Discreet
  • Comfy pants with light elastic band around the waist
  • Non wired bra
  • Slip on shoes (this is clutch! Recommend slides -https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BL7LJKZW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1).
  • Layers - Sweatshirt, Long Sleeved Shirt etc. - Hospitals are cold!
  • Toothbrush and tooth paste
  • Hairbrush
  • Face wipes, wash cloth, small towel and bar of soap.

SPACE PREP

1. Make sure your bed or couch is prepped. I stayed on the first level for the first 2ish days before feeling well enough to stay upstairs.
2. I used a pregnancy pillow on the bed to help me stay on my back while sleeping and help you feel cozy.
3. Stock the house with foods that will be light for your stomach. Think soups and casseroles! Saltine crackers, broths, rices etc..
4. If you have a raised bed, get a step stool to assist. It’s best to sit on the side of the bed and slowly lay your upper body down while bringing your knees up and over to your back. You will need to use arm strength the first couple of days to get you up and over since you can’t use the abdomen.
5. Water and Beverages stocked at all times. I have a reusable water bottle and avoid carbonated beverages for the time being. They fill you with gas for the procedure so it may make those symptoms worse.
6. Netflix, Kindle, Puzzles, Craft Projects…visits with friends. Whatever makes the time pass, set it up ahead of time so it’s handy.
7. Items to Keep on Hand: Baby Wipes, heating pads, pads/diapers, candles, essential oils, things that smell good haha

BOWEL PREP
This is dependent on the type of surgery you are having, but its good to have Gatorade, Magnesium Citrate (liquid), laxatives and enemas on hand just in case you need these.
ON SURGERY DAY
It’s important to follow the instructions on what to stop taking and/or eating/drinking prior to the surgery. Wear comfy clothes (wide elastic waistband) and slides with cozy socks. Double check your to go bag and breath.
AT THE HOSPITAL

1. Do your check-ins and keep your people with you as long as you want.
2. Make sure to read all the consent forms and ask any questions upfront. Make any advance directives clear.
3. Just try to remain calm as there’s a lot of down time while they do intake. It is about 2 hours of prep before they bring you in for the surgery itself.
4. They will ask you the same questions over and over again, that’s normal and trust me, you want to confirm it’s all being done properly.
5. If you need something for anxiety, they will be sure to give you something if you ask :)
6. You will be wearing a gown, socks, funky underwear and a cool hair net haha wear the gown backward so you keep warm and keep the butt covered.
7. Vitals will happen and the anesthesiologist will come and speak with you to make sure they prep the right meds beforehand. Bring up any concerns here with them!
8. You may be wheeled or walked into surgery. I’ve only ever walked in and laid on the table myself.
9. They will then put the IV in your arm and sometimes will put on a mask, they will then ask you to count backwards and before you know it, you will be awake again!

RECOVERY

• You will wake-up and feel groggy. Totally normal and you will be in a different room. They will likely say a lot really quick about your surgery. Before leaving ask for them to walk through it or see if you can speak with the doctor again when clear headed. RECOMMENDED!
• Your throat will be sore, that’s normal from the tube.
• Just relax and sleep it off if you want, the goal is to be relaxed and pee once before leaving.
• Before you go, eat and drink and pass smoke urine. They’ll provide you with the meds and you’ll be good to go.
• Make sure someone brings you home after :)
• Make sure you have a bag for vomit in the car.
• Bring a small pillow that can be strapped between the car belt and you for maximum comfort on the trip home.
• Pain Med Management: This one is important. I messed up night one and didn’t take it soon enough and was in too much pain so make sure you stick to the schedule the doctors give you to ensure you are comfortable.
• Keep Walking: It seems unnatural to have a surgery then walk, but the sooner you get up and keep moving around the house, the better. Just avoid heavy lifting and immense bending like movements. Stairs are also ok but also consult with your doctor!
• Gas Build Up: I did feel pain in my shoulders from the gas. Just keep moving! It will help get that out of the system but this pain is normal.
• Relax and let people take care of you! Don’t be too quick to recover.
• Keep an eye out for fever, increased vaginal bleeding, or feeling terrible.
• Keep all post op appointments and follow all post op instructions!

ENDOMETRIOSIS MAINTENANCE
Here’s the tips and tricks I found helpful for maintaining my pain and symptoms (GI and back pain related):

1. Pelvic Floor Therapy: This is important for keeping the muscles in your pelvis healthy and strong to maintain your structure and also help manage pain. Consult with your doctor on whether this is right for you.
2. Physical Therapy: I do PT for my back and pelvic floor since it’s all related. We focus on Myofascial Release Therapy to help break up the adhesions and give me more mobility. This helps with temporary pain relief (reduction in number), but that is always welcome :)
3. Acupuncture: I swear by Acupuncture. I don’t know what it does or why, but it works. It’s not a cure by any means, but it's great for relaxation, fertility, digestion, endometriosis, sleep, etc.. I can go on, but it’s not covered by insurance plans all the time so you will need to check and see what you’re able to take on.
4. Diet/Exercise:
   1. Eating high protein, lower fat/carbs (not none just low) helps your body, but overall learn your trigger foods! This will go a long way.
   2. Ginger, turmeric and fennel all help with bloating. I like to drink them in tea form when I’m feeling particularly hard stomached as it’s a good natural way to decrease the bloat. Peppermint also works for some, for me it irritates my GERD.
   3. Chamomile for relaxation
   4. Walking and movement are important. I cannot do anything high impact due to my sacroiliitis diagnosis, so I stick with light yoga and walking.
5. Alcohol/Other Substances: Don’t do it. Don’t touch it. You’ll thank me later on this point.
6. Sleep: Insomnia is a very real thing. I think I went 2 or 3 days at its worst one time and I cannot say enough how important trying to keep the same sleep schedule will benefit you. Waking and sleeping around the same time each day will still feel exhausting but at least you know your body is getting the most sleep it can get.
7. Medications/Supplements:
   1. Ibprofuern: This does NOT work for me. I have GERD and ulcers so I cannot take NSAIDs, but with that in mind, NSAIDs are supposedly the best pain medication over the counter to help you manage it.
   2. Pain Killers: These are AS NEEDED. I try to refrain and leave these for the TRULY bad days which I try to spread out. Not even worth it sometimes, because I don’t like how I feel and sometimes vomit after taking them. But they do help the pain!
   3. IUD/Orilissa: An IUD will NOT do anything. If you are diagnosed, ask your doctor about Orilissa or similar medicines instead of birth control methods. This will not stop the growth, just suppress it. There are side effects and it is only a short term solution.
   4. Linzess: This worked well for me for constipation symptoms when they got severe. Definitely recommend bringing this to your doctor if you’re truly suffering and they have not yet mentioned. I also resorted after trying magnesium citrate
   5. CBD Lotions/Salves: For my pelvis, I use Healing Rose CBD Salve in Orange and Lavender (https://www.thehealingroseco.com/product/orange-lavender-with-chamomile-herbal-salve-300mg-cbd/). For my back, I use a medical grade CBD lotion with menthol (https://cbdclinic.co/clinical-strength-series/). I also use a CBD massage oil from Healing Rose of the same scent when doing myofascial release at home. I also use Somedays Cramp Cream (https://somedays.com/products/period-cramp-cream?variant=42062153842853).
8. Heating Pads and Ice Pack: I have several varieties of heating pads. A cordless travel heating pad (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09FPTJL4G?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details), a plug-in heating pad (lhttps://www.hsn.com/products/pure-enrichment-purerelief-xxl-heating-pad-with-9-cord/22188460) and stick on patches (https://www.thermacare.com/ - I use the back patches but reverse them to the front for better coverage). For hot flashes and night sweats (also if you need to relax while anxious) place an ice pack over your chest to help cool or calm down.
9. Self-Care: No joke, massages, facials, epsom salt baths, sound baths, reiki….anything that you find relaxing. Do it. Try it! They also make CBD bath bombs Ive been wanting to check out.
10. TENs Machine: I really want one, don’t have one, but people swear by them (the heating pad linked to MyObi has a TENs version - https://myobistore.com/en-us/collections/my-obi-belts/products/apollo-2-0).
11. Pregnancy Pillow: This one sounds so lame, but I bought a pregnancy pillow for my first endometriosis surgery since I’m a side sleeper to help keep me on my back during recovery. It changed by life! It helps my anxiety and makes me comfortable while sleeping. (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08YYVRXLM/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1)..
12. Heated Blankets/Cozy Blankets: Make yourself feel better with a cozy blanket. Do it, I dare you!
13. Endo To-Go Bag: Includes heating pads (travel, plug-in and patches), medications, balms/salves, essential oils and pads/protection items, change of clothes, wet wipes.
14. Sex Life: I’m single, I don’t have a partner to worry about communicating this issue with at this point, but go slow and communicate given eventually this will have to be a conversation. What I have learned is that if you do have sex and feel pain. Immediately stop! If you associate sex with pain mentally in that moment, it may cause fear in doing so down the line so it’s best to stop the moment you feel any pain occur.
15. Work Life: I work a demanding job so it was not working with the appointments and care I needed to manage pain. Always get FMLA from your doctor for intermittent leave based on your company's policies. This protects you from flare-ups and appointments. Short Term Disability is based on your situation with work so talk with them about any leave of absence for surgery and recovery and ensure the medical providers fill out the paperwork appropriately.
16. Friends/Family: This one is the worst. I have to cancel and make plans all the time based on how I feel. I like to line up a bunch of plans for three months out and do my best to make them happen at the beginning of the month when I know I’m most likely to feel good. I just say I’ll make things up to them when I get better and those who have stuck around have been truly amazing friends, but don’t be upset that some might be over the day in and out of what you’re going through. It’s hard for you and sometimes others and it’s just a part of the relationships we’re meant to experience in life. Most people (unless they have endometriosis) don’t understand it so it can feel isolating, but there’s others out there who know what you’re going through and are willing to chat. Just gotta find them and reach out on social media, online etc..
17. Journaling Symptoms: Guilty of not being the best at this always, but it's good to track your symptoms to see how they work and operate. It helps not only you plan for it, but also your doctors in how best to handle your care. Take photos of things that make sense to show your doctors! Discharge, bowels etc..can sometimes help diagnose or judge with the images.
18. Next to Bed Kit: Make sure your nightstand is stocked with the essentials for your bad days. Makes it easier to access the items you need when you just can’t get up and get it.
19. Squatty Potty: Another thing that is majorly life changing on constipation days! Get one or you can make your own :) Take a stack of books and stack them at equal heights on each side and put your feet up. The trick is making sure you’re in a squat with your knees high to your ears.
20. Clothing: Dressing for this is key but you still want to look cute! Joggers with a stretchy waist are my go to pants, but wide leg trousers with a stretchy waist help with ease of removal but also comfort and brings some style to the look.
21. Pads: I wear Always Discreet vs. pads. I find when you need to wear them full time for incontinence it just makes it more comfortable. They have different cuts and styles so definitely check them out!

Hi! Does anyone know how to get used to eating more carbs when they make you feel bloated?
I drink 16 oz of celery juice every morning and I’ve been drinking it for over a year now. I also don’t eat any of the foods that should be avoided on the medical medium protocol. However, every time I try to eat more carbs, such as sweet potatoes, cooked vegetables, fruits, etc. Even when I incorporate them slowly, I get bloated, which also worsens my acid reflux. Eating these types of carbs in small amounts doesn’t affect me negatively though.
Any advice is appreciated!

hey! I wanted to ask if any of you also have food sensitivities/intolerances/allergies that seemingly don’t follow a pattern. like many autistic people, I can’t eat gluten without gastrointestinal issues flaring up.
avoiding gluten improved things a lot for me, but unfortunately not entirely. certain foods, such as corn puffs and lemons, make my tongue and throat swell (not to an unsafe level but uncomfortable nonetheless). all fruits and starches seem to have a similar effect on me that gluten does. eggs give me horrible cramps, dairy makes me so bloated- but some dairy products are fine. certain additives and emulsifiers don’t sit well with me either.
but then there are things that I sometimes have a negative reaction to and other times are completely fine. like a bar of chocolate is usually totally fine but other times it literally makes me throw up. same with nuts, onions and artificial sweeteners. I can even tolerate small amounts of gluten sometimes, other times it makes me sick for days.
I don’t know! I know you aren’t medical professionals (well most of you at least) so I’m not asking for an answer exactly. I just wanted to know if this is something other autistic people deal with. my girlfriend’s mom thinks it might be related to inflammation- idk!
it really sucks though. I’m not nutrient deficient or anything but the types of food I like to eat are relatively limited so it sucks to not know what will consistently give me issues :-(

23/F - 198 - 5’6 Does anyone else have a belly that’s kinda hard and sticks out like they’re pregnant or super bloated? Mine is like this 24/7 and it’s my biggest insecurity ever. I have no health issues, I’ve had scans, ultrasounds, blood work etc and nothing that would point to this. It almost resembles PCOS or ENDO belly if you look up photos. I’ve had this for as long as I could remember, especially going into my 20s, less prominent when I was a teenager. I honestly feel like I can never lose this belly which makes me feel so unmotivated because overall I just feel so yucky with my body because of my stomach, other than my stomach I love my body and it’s curves. Ugh lol. Any advice is appreciated.

So I was diagnosed at 6 years old. Was on Ritalin as early as I can remember. And I am telling you all right now. This is a burden you do not want.
A lot of you think only in terms of your grades or feeling different. Well let me be the first to tell you. It did not do much for my grades nor does it make you feel more normal to be told you need drugs just to live life, but that's just the tip of the iceberg.
First and foremost. I want you all to understand. The medications for ADHD are serious drugs. And it's not much different than Cocaine. How do I know? I've done cocaine. And I'm telling you right now if feels almost exactly the same.
These ADHD drugs put me constantly on edge. It made it nearly impossible to regulate my emotions. When I'd get upset I'd turn bright red get hot start sweating. Had no ability to calm down. My heart would be beating out of my chest. And I firmly believe this is the reason I have present day heart problems. And anxiety problems. Which is largely why I can't take the medication now as an adult when I ACTUALLY need it. Not to mention the way it completely messed up my appetite. The meds frequently caused me to go days without eating.
There were periods where I refused to take the medication and did not have these issues. But even as a child I was so dependant that when I'd go on hiatus I could barely get out of bed.
And it's frustrating. Because as a kid I really didn't feel like I needed it. And I certainly did not want it. And even now, feel as tho I probably could have done just fine in my formative years without it. I WISH I was given a chance to grow up without it.
And let me be clear. I'm not saying the medication is inherently bad. But I for sure think it's absolutely messed up to give to a child. The pros do NOT outweigh the cons by any means.
And maybe it's wrong to say you shouldn't be diagnosed. But you DEFINITELY do not want the burden of being on those drugs as a child. Please for the love of God if you have an ADHD child let them actually grow up before drugging them to ease YOUR burden I promise it is not worth it.

1. Stardew Valley - Live a New Live https : // www . dropbox . com / scl / fo / tkr8l2yhu97eswp4oi9hd / h ?rlkey = v25ss7itv98qkcrk9x4s84j6s & dl = 0 1.1 The user is dropped off in a bus 1.1.1 The user can roam to different places 1.1.2 The user can go to Emily's House 1.1.3 Emily's House has a toilet but you cannot use it 1.1.4 The user can go to Analisa's House 1.1.5 Analisa's House has a toilet but you cannot use it 1.1.6 Emily's House makes clothes in it 1.1.7 Analisa's House has a kitchen 1.1.8 Emily's House has a kitchen 1.1.9 You have a poor house you are maintaining 1.2.0 You have a hearth 1.2.1 You have water on your property 1.2.2 You have some land you can grow crops on 1.2.3 There is a Jojimart you can buy goods from 1.2.4 The joji mart has many shelves, over 100 1.2.5 Goods from the goji mart are delivered by truck 1.2.6 There is a blacksmith 1.2.7 There is a dilapidated building to the north which has rats in it 1.2.8 There is a medical clinic 1.2.9 There is a general store 1.3.0 There is red living at the general store 1.3.1 The general store also has shelves but less 1.3.2 The general store sells tooth and nail items 1.3.3 You cannot access the back part of the general store 1.3.4 There is a chapel 1.3.5 There is a manor in the nice part of town 1.3.6 There is a trailer park of poor people and their dog 1.3.7 You want to fix up the dilapidated building with your grandpa and you see a rat 1.3.8 Kenningston, Texas https : // www . dropbox . com / scl / fo / l9zev0vlyx8ygi1rfifq0 / ADvctmdjvR93fk-3-PhYX24 ? rlkey = 3irycyhavaqxwdhi3j7rprqig & dl = 0 1.3.9 The user is outside the protection of the USA 1.4.0 The user must enter their house or the guard turret will anihhillate them 1.4.1 There is mikes house and ryans house and two other houses and a nature reserve with fighters on it 1.4.2 Mikes house is like all the others and has a kitchen and a main room and an upstairs with two rooms and a closet and a bathroom 1.4.3 Ryans house is like all the others and has a kitchen and a main room and an upstairs with two rooms and a closet and a bathroom. 1.4.4 All the other houses are like all the others and have a kitchen and a main room and an upstairs and two rooms and a closet and a bedroom 1.4.5 There is 16 Bars of oxygen in every location 1.4.6 Every location is lit with some kind of pervasive light 1.4.7 Some houses have television in the main room 1.4.8 Mikes house has a bong in the closet 1.4.9 There are fighters at the nature reserve waco 1.5.0 The nature reserve has a checkpoint which some menial laborer is at 1.5.1 The checkpoint has a PC 1.5.2 There is some jesus camp at the nature reserve 1.5.3 There are four building at the nature reserve with people in them 1.5.4 There is a primary building to the nature reserve 1.5.5 There is uncharted wilderness at the nature reserve where evil satanic critters lurk 1.5.6 The user must cross over the turrets to get to the nature reserve so that it is unacessable by default. 1.5.7 Cabo San Lucas https : // www . dropbox . com / scl / fo / e693glvwxrupb7coxjqy4 / AD3KU3DpBVEJ6OaWqLyVmII ? rlkey = ahhi8h5foqyejxhpcd1bw6jkk & dl = 0 1.5.8 The user feels larger than life 1.5.9 The user can get to a hostel which is a nice hostel 1.6.0 There is a pool at the hostel 1.6.1 There is some rooms at the hostel 1.6.2 There is a bad part of town 1.6.3 There is a tower high rise in the bad part of town 1.6.4 There are street dwellings in the bad part of town 1.6.5 There is a store the user can get to 1.6.6 There are over 8 rooms in the tower high rise and 4 street dwellings 1.6.7 There is not much to do at the resort. 1.6.8 There is mains utility in the high rise 1.6.9 There is oxygen at 14 Bar Pressure throughout 1.7.0 There is lighting at 8 effective lumen throughout 1.7.1 You can get some chips and shit at the store 1.7.2 You can get cigarrilos at the store 1.7.3 Nobody is doing any drugs 1.7.4 There are some retailer chains which are common. 1.7.5 Antiqdormi's Estate https : // www . dropbox . com / scl / fo / hsuqekrpy6ju9fs91onvy / h ? rlkey = njj186fjad7s6g0lkm0kyp25f & dl = 0 1.7.6 There is an estate auction and you are outside the house 1.7.7 Rare war spoils are being sold at the auction for gold payments 1.7.8 There is a large mansion associated to the estate sale 1.7.9 Willis is at the auction and he is in his dragon visage 1.8.0 Willis is selling a battleaxe 1.8.1 The area is well oxygenated with 15 Bar of Oxygen Throughout 1.8.2 The lights are outputting about 8 lumen throughout. 1.8.3 There is 4 Rooms to the downstairs of the manor and 4 rooms to the upstairs 1.8.4 There is a kitchen which smells like citral detrussor limonene 1.8.5 Each room has their own toilet set 1.8.6 There are clothes in the rooms 1.8.7 There are computers in the rooms 1.8.8 There is a media room where people are playing instruments 1.8.9 There is plumbing provision line of oxygen in each room 1.9.0 Not much is being cooked in the kitchen 1.9.1 The auction sells its three items of the day and then the people go home 1.9.2 Some weed was sold that day always 1.9.3 Some weed grow lights were sold that day always 1.9.4 The Imperial City https : // www . dropbox . com / scl / fo / 3b871cm0cuc2d5agrqkve / h ? rlkey = 922pfgj4yrchv6vwhip7o34oj & dl = 0 1.9.5 The user is outside the prison of the imperial city 1.9.6 Bloody croconaw need to be avoided 1.9.7 The user is inside of the city gates 1.9.8 There is a market district of the city 1.9.9 The market district has an inn and a few stores 2.0.0 A rare staff is being sold at the staff shop 2.0.1 Many robes are being sold at the staff shop 2.0.2 There is many vegetable at the inn 2.0.3 There is another nicer inn which has a downstairs unplottable section 2.0.4 There is a main temple district 2.0.5 Not much can be used in the temple district 2.0.6 All places have some 14 Bar of Oxygen and are lit at 8 Lighting Points 2.0.7 There is a marketers district 2.0.8 There is a tradesman with a full desk in the marketers district 2.0.9 You cannot go upstairs in most houses and there is no market district 2.1.0 There is scrolls in the market district which reference many arcane figures 2.1.1 There is a bloat fly district where there is a ship 2.1.2 There is not enough oxygen in the hold of the ship 2.1.3 There is a storeroom in the bloat fly district 2.1.4 Seoul Harvey Street https : // www . dropbox . com / scl / fo / 5o98pl4r1xuaukojwsp21 / AMlfRxaMTT5vDtsjkm1lxvM ? rlkey = 8zn027722n2mx18udx2bz51g1 & dl = 0 2.1.5 Seoul Juniper Street https : // www . dropbox . com / scl / fo / 1w4ukguw8022bk4sgxxf4 / AFraPT_wxHm294rqwtiJ7BY ? rlkey = bcub6mqad562e6w1jd1l0o29f & dl = 0 2.1.6 30C International https : // www . dropbox . com / scl / fo / lar0xhpgnwkvepvglr97r / h ? rlkey = dhwyo18ci9e3d01ryb645s0f9 & dl = 0 2.1.7 Harvey Street Is In a Nice District 2.1.8 Harvey Street Has an International Tower On It 2.1.9 The international Tower has 4 levels 2.2.0 The international tower has guest checkin 2.2.1 The international tower has a public restroom 2.2.2 Chris has a room near the international tower 2.2.3 Chris has an upstairs and a kitchen and a foyer 2.2.4 Chris has clothes in his room 2.2.5 Chris has a PC in his room 2.2.6 The Gayo Strawberry Have a music studio near the International Tower 2.2.7 Strawberry Studio has its own music equipment 2.2.8 Strawberry Studio has its own amplifier equipment 2.2.9 Strawberry Studio has its own computer equipment 2.3.0 Juniper street is where chris has another house 2.3.1 Ievan also has houses at juniper street 2.3.2 All three houses have an upstairs and a kitchen and a bedroom 2.3.3 Not much is cooked in the kitchen 2.3.4 All houses have clothes in the bedroom 2.3.5 All houses have PC in the bedroom 2.3.6 There is another international tower at juniper street 2.3.7 The tower also has 4 levels and a checkin and a restroom 2.3.8 There is a 7/11 which the people can access to get some food at 2.3.9 Nobody is doing any drugs. 2.4.0 Glowfield https : // www . dropbox . com / scl / fo / jqq6fkc119yzyywbxs4u5 / AG3UrEfvxSsAS4T0OX5llkQ ? rlkey = x38gj50pnb3jqhyfkt4ilc2z4 & dl = 0 2.4.1 Everyone is an animal and it is twilight 2.4.2 There is the town down the road from you and a military fort and the town you are living in 2.4.3 There is an animal house you live in and there are maybe 4 other animal house 2.4.4 You can get some food from a cat dispenser 2.4.5 There are mother cat holders and mother and father cat families 2.4.6 Everywhere holds good sea level 16 Bar Oxygen 2.4.7 Everywhere holds good 8 lumen lighting 2.4.8 There is a cat tower with cats in it 2.4.9 There is a medical area for cats with cats in it 2.5.0 Valdrakken Sleepover https : // www . dropbox . com / scl / fo / x7rce9kp6c2yeic445ixl / AJ-zhRCSrlCL2goTP84YfGg ? rlkey = tp2i4w00oormstvj41xc9vo5m & dl = 0 2.5.1 There is a large house with cartestraza in it 2.5.2 There is a long path to the tea party 2.5.3 There is an auctionhouse 2.5.4 There is a bank to deal money 2.5.5 There is some other buildings to cartman's friends 2.5.6 The Area is Well Oxygenated at 16 Bar Throughout 2.5.7 The Area is lit at 8 lumen throughout 2.5.8 There is some river baths below 2.5.9 There is an artesian's area 2.6.0 There is a smithy area 2.6.1 There is the actual tea party area which has cartmans medicine in it 2.6.2 RT Agnes' House https : // www . dropbox . com / scl / fo / taeckmcb9xjxqr29n04cs / AD-QiTDUCqHv4zeioEN4bac ? rlkey = wqq6akw3qb7cawq2odtobm642 & dl = 0 2.6.3 There is a large school for troubled girls 2.6.4 There is a kitchen 2.6.5 There is dormitories for the girls 2.6.6 There is a grounds which has shrubs 2.6.7 There is oxygen at 16 Bars throughout 2.6.8 There is lighting at 8 Lumen Throughout 2.6.9 There are large displays which the girls check into their rooms with 2.7.0 The kitchen does not cook much 2.7.1 There are clothes in each room 2.7.2 There are PCs in each room 2.7.3 There are no actual girls in the environment but the user 2.7.4 The girls can exit to the grounds to loiter 2.7.5 Swiss Alps Preserve https : // www . dropbox . com / scl / fo / 0d79rs7wyvfxceq66wgnz / AK9c1ny2KbhwuOFdloQDthI ? rlkey = 6ylncw0w3h8rnt1ya9xxfujjl & dl = 0 2.7.6 The user is in a bunker with notch 2.7.7 The user has their own room towards the entrance 2.7.8 The user has their parents room towards the entrance 2.7.9 All throughout the bunker is high quality oxygen at 16 Bar 2.8.0 The bunker is lit at 8 lumens of power 2.8.1 There is a farther on section where notch is 2.8.2 Notch has a candy room 2.8.3 Notch has a secret area where he is keeping your sister 2.8.4 Notch is keeping your other sister 2.8.5 There is just candy for the people kept 2.8.6 Notch is nowhere to be found 2.8.7 Your sisters are nowhere 2.8.8 USS Nimitz Class Aircraft Carrier https : // www . dropbox . com / scl / fo / 0d79rs7wyvfxceq66wgnz / AK9c1ny2KbhwuOFdloQDthI ? rlkey = 6ylncw0w3h8rnt1ya9xxfujjl & dl = 0 2.8.9 DANGER USA Start on the flight deck 2.9.0 Bridge off limit controls the ship 2.9.1 Go underbelly on side stairs 2.9.2 Main work area towards in crew to the left 2.9.3 UAVs launch from here and F-22 2.9.4 Hydraulic Lift to Deck 2.9.5 Maintenance area after second work area staging area 2.9.6 SEALS Range at the Maintenance Area 2.9.7 Medical Officer at the end of the second area 2.9.8 In Crew Area First left mess down the stairs Main Area 2.9.9 Mail room front left and officer's bunks left 3.0.0 Shower area mid right 3.0.1 Boys and Girls bunks off left 3.0.2 Cook at the mess 3.0.3 Pilot a UAV from the officers nook 3.0.4 Four hidden area one main area one cook area one uav area one tactical bridge 3.0.5 Capacity for 16+ Humvee and 4 UAV and 4 F-22 3.0.6 Multiuse tool driver and gasoline availible at main area 3.0.7 Sonar availible at side bridge 3.0.8 Cooking at cooks area 3.0.9 Leisure at main area offside 3.1.0 Tahiti Resort https : // www . dropbox . com / scl / fo / apid9px37ijuxqhmloqfi / AB-G6ghF9Fe1_XyicGEZqvE ? rlkey = az70kfyq53551bvo1og4h4jiq & dl = 0 3.1.1 You are little yeezy and you are getting dentistry 3.1.2 If you are not lil wayne IRL you are AJB Jody in this daydream 3.1.3 You go to the tahiti dentist 3.1.4 He looks up your care and gives you a molar filling 3.1.5 You are free to party with your friends 3.1.6 Your dog poops in the pool but somebody cleans it up 3.1.7 You have 4 cabana to your friend 3.1.8 One of your cabana has a pool in it your dog pooped in 3.1.9 You can go to the wilderness 3.2.0 Old Man Dancubed has a Hut in the wilderness 3.2.1 There is oxygen everywhere at 16 Bar Sea Level Pressure 3.2.2 There is lighting everywhere at natural 8 lumens of lighting 3.2.3 There is a swarm of shroomish in the field 3.2.4 You have no pokeball so you cannot catch the shroomish 3.2.5 You go back to the cabana 3.2.6 Each cabana has a toilet 3.2.7 You use the toilet 3.2.8 You are yeezy so you just put on your clothes now. 3.2.9 Home Base https : // www . dropbox . com / scl / fo / 5o4vbl2np0025bx7oxh60 / h ? rlkey = 7m3d4873lmcfutz2ro5gy7cyq & dl = 0 3.3.0 You wake up in Desert Rain 3.3.1 You march to the toilet 3.3.2 You use the toilet 3.3.3 You go to the mess 3.3.4 You open the door to the mess and get your tray 3.3.5 You eat your food 3.3.6 You go to physical training 3.3.7 You do physical training or go on a mission in the field 3.3.8 If you have new equipment show the privates 3.3.9 Use echo locator to fetch orders (officer only) 3.4.0 Goto the APV and make sure it is fueled and the doors lock 3.4.1 Drive to the location A checkpoint alpha at the far edge of the friendly territory not bearing weapons 3.4.2 Drive to location B target pickup at the interior of enemy territory making sure to bear weapons 3.4.3 Park at location and retrieve medical patient 3.4.4 Ask patient disease consent for cancer surgery (always cancer patient) 3.4.5 En route to home base treat patient with PS-1994 vaccine and surgery necessary being sure to stitch patient after primary surgery 3.4.6 Administer the painkiller if patient is having trouble with pain 3.4.7 Evacuate patient from vehicle after vehicle is at rest and then put patient in medical staging area 3.4.8 Call for medical huey and wait with patient and administer patient second stage antiviral 3.4.9 Transport patient directly to liberty missile carrier holding patients hand if neccesary with using air harness 3.5.0 March patient on gurney downstairs on the liberty missile carrier 3.5.1 March back to huey after patient is downstairs and make sure medical contract if given is given with you there 3.5.2 Fly Huey back to primary objective 10 miles 3.5.3 Land huey and get out of the huey 3.5.4 Finish Physical Training for rest of 2 Hours 3.5.5 When physical training is done hit the speedbag and boots off 3.5.6 Get more food at the mess 3.5.7 Get a drink or water or get chiropracting 3.5.8 Use the Toughbook at the tent with variac 3.5.9 Tend to medical duties or monitor existing operations for the rest of the day (reg for day shift) 3.6.0 FT BENNINGS https : // www . dropbox . com / scl / fo / wcyt8yjbqilrpix326uau / AF33dEe1N3JjJsXCplAatOo ? rlkey = 36rorc1x44wadrk0d1f0qxr1u & dl = 0 3.6.1 There are some houses at Fort Bennings 3.6.2 There is an extended range at Fort Bennings 3.6.3 Fort Bennings has 15 bar sea level oxygen 3.6.4 Fort Bennings has natural 8 lumens of lighting 3.6.5 Fort Bennings requires you to go up a wall and across a river and down 3.6.6 Fort Bennings Requires you to Swim at the pool 3.6.7 Fort Bennings Has a medical officer at most times in the medical section 3.6.8 Fort Bennings has secret parts of the range that only SEALS are allowed to access 3.6.9 Fort Bennings may get delivery of arms materiel from time to time to facilitate operations at Fort Bennings. 3.7.0 Royal Army on Mars https : // www . dropbox . com / scl / fo / w2mz1k144pg3ak0zh6kyx / AHyDiQR1gV17yam9Xu6sj74 ? rlkey = 9pjhuiukfchqf1annvakgd1ez & dl = 0 3.7.1 The player is on a mars base 3.7.2 200 Or More People are around the player 3.7.3 The player behaves normally and has no particular power 3.7.4 There is an upstairs to the base with a school and a downstairs and science and a commissary and mail room on mars 3.7.5 Domestic Mew Pokemon are grown by the mars base 3.7.6 The mars base has reached almost complete buildout 3.7.7 The mars base has an exterior portion where 449 houses are 3.7.8 The total span of the mars base is over 2000 meters in length 3.7.9 The mars base incorporates an inflatable farm structure and has over 45 power core of the same design in it and also has various synthesis on it.

1. Drones The strangest and most benign form of the zombie, although thankfully not the most rare, is the drone. Some people are defined by their jobs and metaphorically do not have a life outside of it , and in undeath this can become literal. The drone continues to perform the job it did in life to the best of its ability to the exclusion of all else. They retain their intelligence, but their minds become…limited and they lose creativity and imagination. A drone will not lift a finger to save someone getting ripped apart in front of them unless they’re a client, a customer, or in their custody or under their protection.
   
2. Screaming Speedies It’s runs fast and it screams when it spots prey, alerting other zombies. Not complicated.
   
3. Vegheads Zombies that eat plants instead of meat. Not benign. A horde can devour an entire orchard or field in a couple of hours. Famine on foot.
   
4. The diffusion Aiming for the head doesn’t work. You’ll have to hack it to pieces to kill it.
   
5. Glowies Zombies dipped in nuclear waste. They’ll kill you with radiation as well as their bites but they’re literally glowing so they’re easier to avoid.
   
6. Bloated Ticks These are not actually giant bloated undead bloodsucking ticks. This is the only thing about them that’s not disgusting. They’re hideously bloated decaying corpses that explode when they attack. Hard enough to do damage. They’re destroyed when they do this but that’s cold comfort when their spine just went through your skull.
   
7. Lovechunks The lovechunks is slightly more clever than the typical zombie and has am IQ about room temperature. They also don’t eat people. This does not render them harmless. Lovechunks want to “spread the love” and infect humans with whatever is causing the zombie outbreak. They’ll bite if they must but their preferred method is to vomit chunky bile into human mouths . They prefer to wait until people are asleep but they may wrestle a victim or beat them into unconsciousness if they can’t catch them that way.
   
8. Mercies Constantly crying zombies that have just enough selfawareness to realise what they are doing. They still need to feed but tend to kill as painlessly as they can. Suicidal survivors often seek them out.
   
9. Bagpipes Bloated with decomposition, multiple slits in their throat, these corpulant gas bags can inflate and then release a harsh air through their slit as a disonant and disorientingly loud chord.
   
10. Masterminds A rare strains who retained most of their sapience, boasting unnatural intelligence, and even being able to converse. They are picky eaters who prefer to feed on high INT creatures and are clever and sadistic enough to manipulate situations, other zombies and even survivors so they can feed their refined pallettes.
    
11. Preta usually formed from turned looters, these poor souls had their mind warped by the curse of undead gluttony and their own greed that they have a compulsion to consume currency and especially shiny gemstones. Their stomachs bloated and jingling with their haul.
    
12. Franks Their bodies act as capacitors and electricity literally courses through their veins. They still feed on humans, their tazer like attacks make feeding easier, but they are also drawn to sources of electricity to recharge. Like shelter generators.
    
13. Hydras Some bonds transcend even death. When a group of people turn, they may seek familiar arms for comfort. There they will lay, rotting and fusing not unlike the rat king, until the call of hunger gets strong enough and this shambling mound prowls through the night, moaning through multiple mouths.
    
14. Virophage Illness is a lesser brought up issue for survival but imagine being ill for all of your unlife. These pathetic, constantly sniffling wretches were turned while sick and their wracked bodies became the perfect breeding ground for a particularly strong airborne virus thats being called ZomFlu. They can disperse this virus in an area the size of a small neighborhood.
    
15. Spellcarved A necromancer has added glowing runes to this zombie's skin. When slain a spell will trigger. Stinking cloud and fireball are popular picks.
    
16. The Colossus A giant of a zombie. Built like a body builder on steroids. Their muscles have muscles.
    
17. The mannequin These zombies are ambush predators. They find mannequins and stand in among them. They wait for people to get close before they pounce on them.
    
18. Memorials The type of zombies from iZombie. They retain their whole personality and most of their appearance so long as they eat brains but are always at risk of going feral if they starve. Named them "Memorials" because of how they get the memories from the Brains they eat, so they serve as a remembrance to not just their former selves, but all the people they've eaten.
    
19. Kitbashes Not all deaths leave tidy corpses, and an infection (or whatever wild magic that may be causing zombies) can't be expected to know what a person was supposed to look like. Whether it's a single corpse or multiple fused together, the zombie phenomenon has fashioned this flesh into something that can move and infect, but could never pass as whatever species it was before undeath. Maybe what once was an arm is used as a leg, Ribs used as teeth, (dog) heads used as pincers.
    
20. Sleepers. These Zombies retain enough intelligence and appearance to pass as survivors, but have no long term memory. Usually they'll passively infect people with coughs, shared equipment, kisses; if found out, they're still capable of infecting with the more traditional bites once their Zombie Instincts kick in. They'll always forget what happens to the groups of survivors that took them in before; they don't know they're zombies, so they don't have to lie to the next group when they ask to be adopted. Zombies ignore them which is the easiest way to discover their condition apart from a cursory health exam.
    
21. The Lost These creatures are technically not zombies anymore, as they've been cured, but they've been zombies for so long that their minds are still like that. Zombies ignore them, they can’t be reinfected, and they can follow simple commands, but they’re about as bright as a particularly stupid dog and aren’t good for much more than carrying your stuff
    
22. The Grind These zombies are essentially aloof to anyone, stuck inhabiting the motions of their former lives, before they ultimately decay. You see them going about elements of their life, stuck in a cycle. Sometimes they're standing in front of a sink mimicking doing the dishes. Others walk around their yards in lawnmowing patterns. Others are seen walking the aisles of supermarkets, inspecting empty shelves. Still others are seen camped out on couches and in lounge chairs, watching static or broken tvs, while others sit at empty dining tables almost as if in conversation.
    
23. Regenerators Rare zombies gain the ability to steadily incorporate biological flesh into their own forms, instead of simply converting the life energy they contain into necrotic energy, they instinctively twist the consumed flesh into becoming part of themselves, in a parody of living, biological consumption.
    
24. The Screamers (Regenerator) Like Regenerators, these can shape their forms by consuming flesh. These gain flesh and hunt their prey by stunning them using highly focused necrotically-infused sonic screech-beams. Their rotting flesh warps to resemble that of a frog, sacs inflate on their neck before an attack.
    
25. Proto-Ghouls (Regenerator) They tend to consume fast-movers, zombies so fresh they haven't rotted away to shuffling mindlessness yet (and thus able to move fast and furiously), in addition to consuming their normal prey (the still-living). Because of the infusion of fresh necrotic energy from the fast-movers, live meat from normal prey, they develop beyond even fast-movers, their limbs often stretching into longer, sharper versions, and their necks extending and gaining great flexibility to both swallow their prey whole, and whip around to snatch it and prevent fleeing.
    
26. Tongue-Lashers (Regenerator) To facilitate prey-entrapment, these bloated parodies of toads transform much of their consumed flesh into massive, long, sticky tongues covered in nasty backward-facing, keratin-based spines. Tongues go out to about 30 feet at maximum extension. A single lick can seriously wound a living victim, infecting them, if they manage to escape, but more likely trapping them, as the tongue-spines grip strongly. They tend to not move fast, instead waiting for victims to come to them, and sit bloated upon the corpses they consume, digesting them slowly.
    
27. Rust-Tongues (Regenerator, Advanced Tongue-Lasher). Those Tongue-lashers that grow powerful and have consumed armored foes, metal weapons, or other metal objects begin to incorporate metal into their bodies, making them even more dangerous and difficult to destroy, and increasing threat range to 60 feet. It usually seems to imprint the metal on the tongue-spines, giving it a chain-saw like effect, and. The more metal, the slower they move, however.
    
28. Armored Rust-Tongue (Regenerator, Boss Tongue-Lasher) Having consumed massive quantities of metal-infused prey, their entire body has hardened and been reinforced by metal, making them slow, but giving them a massive 120 foot threat range on their tongues, as well as greatly increasing their natural armor. They even gain the abilities of rust-monsters as Legendary Actions.
    
29. Flesh Maiden Flat and mostly soft pieces of rotten flesh that move like ooze where the bones now serve as spikes, can grapple with the its former intestines and encase prey in a spiky ball. Can squeeze thought small places like grates.
    
30. Dau'das Blind but a great climber, navigates through superb sense of smell and hearing.
    
31. False vampire Decomposition has made this type look like a nosferatu, they weight very little and can sometimes soar downwards with wing-like skin under arms and legs.
    

DISCLAIMER- This is a list of some of commonly discussed optimisations for windows, PUBG and games in general, from the most basic, to advanced. They are aimed at systems used exclusively for gaming. I am not endorsing any of these changes, however, I have applied most of them myself and seen uplifts in performance.
This is intended as a discussion point, not a guide.
Always do your own research before assuming something is 'best'. This will not 'fix' PUBG, as there are deeper issues than what is listed here, but there may be improvements from some of these settings.
Make changes at your own risk and take everything you read on the internet with a pinch of salt!
EDIT- I’m by no means an expert in this subject, I can’t say that these work or not for any given system, as stated, this for a discussion, not recommendations. This information has come from multiple sources, and is not all my own.
Placebo effect is real, so if no performance benefit is found through benchmarks, default settings are probably best.
-System restore point is your friend. If something messes up you can easily revert back to a known good point.
-Optimising your BIOS. XMP is especially important. Disable as much power saving (C-States etc) as possible for maximum performance. No not disable HPET if you have the option available.
-Overclocking/Undervolting is helpful if you achieve stable clocks.
-Performing a clean install of windows is always a decent idea. Windows 10 is possibly better than 11. Debloat/optimisation utilities like ChrisTitusTech are helpful for reducing system usage and easily applying optimisations. The majority of system optimisation can be done this way. Avoid youtuber unattended optimisation scripts. You don't know what's being changed.
-Installing up to date drivers is important. Consult the motherboard vendors support page for chipset/LAN/audio drivers. For AMD chipset drivers, download from the official AMD website.
Install as admin to ensure smooth installation. There is a lot of discussion around 'best' graphics driver versions, i just use the most recent ones.
The results from using NVcleanstall to debloat drivers is inconclusive, but i do it anyway. Its personal preference as to how much to include/exclude in the installation. I do not like using GeForce experience. Use DDU when updating GPU drivers.
-Latest device firmware, some NVMe drives might have issues on old firmware.
-Custom power plans are helpful, mainly in minimising latency.
-Disabling all unused devices in device manager. System speakeUMBus Root Bus EnumeratoNDIS Virtual Network Adapter EnumeratoMicrosoft Virtual Drive EnumeratoComposite Bus EnumeratoMicrosoft GS Wavetable Synth/Microsoft RRAS Root Enumerator are the ones i see talked about, and disabled devices can easily be re-enabled if it turns out you need them. This may help with AntiCheat polling of devices.
-Disabling unnecessary windows services. Can further reduce system usage.
-Disable power saving for USB devices. Disable unused USB and PCIe devices. Ensure latency sensitive devices (mouse/keyboard) are connected to the CPU USB ports, not chipset ports.
-Configuring network adapter can reduce latency/improve packet transmission. Depending how good your adapter is (intel good, realtek not so good) influences what settings to change.
Generally speaking, disable all power saving features. Games use such little bandwidth that other settings may only produce negligible results. TCPoptimiser is a tool you can use to optimise network settings.
-Ethernet is vastly better than WiFi
-Check for network buffer bloat. If significant bloat is found, using router QOS and capping download and upload speeds 5-10% below maximum can resolve this.
-Do not disable Defender or Firewall. Create exceptions for games (TslGame.exe) in control flow guard. You can disable Realtime monitoring with a registry edit. Use task scheduler to set defender to run tasks only when the computer is idle. Exclusion of game files from Defender tasks is also an option.
-Disabling HAGS if you have less than 8gb of VRAM. If you have more, try it on and off to see whats best, but generally it appears best to disable.
-Game mode works well on my system, but again, test on and off to see what works best.
-Removing Game Bar, this can be done with the debloat/optimise scrips, or manually with a script within windows terminal. Disabling GameBarPrescenceWriter within windows registry is recommended.
-Registry edits, there are many, but the most common are below. Do your own research before editing the registry.
Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Multimedia\SystemProfile
networkthrottelingindex = fffffff (hexa)
systemresponsiveness = 0 (hexa)
Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Multimedia\SystemProfile\Tasks\Games
GPU Priority = 8 (hexa)
Priority = 6 (hexa)
Scheduling = High
SFIO = High
-HPET. On is normally best. Windows does not use HPET as the default timer. TSC is the default timer which is in the CPU. TSC is synthetic, and can stall for a few nanoseconds. This is where HPET comes in.
The system will use HPET to resynchronise TSC. If HPET is disabled then global desynchronization will happen over time. The stutters associated with HPET are usually to do with DPC latency, and whilst disabling HPET can mask the stutters, it isn't fixing the underlying problem. Custom timer resolution no longer works properly in windows, so leave it alone. You can disable dynamic tick with a BCDedit as this is generally a power saving feature.
UPDATE- it appears you can disable HPET and force TSC if your processor supports invariant TSC (most modern chips do). If you disable dynamic tick it is advisable to use a Win32priorityseparation value with a fixed quantum to avoid instability.
-LatencyMon can detect high latencies in the system which can be responsible for stutter. Most appear to be due to power saving settings. PowerSettingsExplorer is a utility to unlock power plan options. The most important is processoridlepromote/demotethresholds.
Untick these and set them to 100% in power plan. You should see significant latency reductions. ntoskrnl.exe is bugged and may still give high readings due to processing time. There are also registry edits available to reduce DPC latencies.
-ISLC is now redundant. The standby list bug was fixed long ago and timer resolution no longer works as it should due to changes within windows. It may now only hurt performance as it polls your system.
-Win32priorityseparation. Decides how your processor is utilised for tasks. Appears to make a measurable difference to applications.
-Use MSI mode (message signalled interrupts) for all devices that support it. Nvidia 30 series and later have this enabled by default.
-Enhance pointer precision off, most games use raw mouse input, but still best to disable. High polling rate mice may cause issues with weaker CPUs.
-Disabling all overlays. Steam/discord/geforce experience/RTSS/shadowplay or any capture software.
-Disabling hardware acceleration in steam, discord, or any other app or browser you use.
-Disabling fullscreen optimisation for TslGame.exe
-Deleting the GameConfigStore registry subkey for TslGame.exe
-Steam launch options (other than -KoreanRating) may no longer work.
-Disabling SteamClientWebhelper may no longer be viable due to Steam changing how it works.
-Optimising NVCP or AMD graphics utilities. Lots of discussion around this. For maximum performance on nvidia, refer to TGLTNs guide on YouTube. Threaded Optimisation depends on system, for weaker CPUs, off could be better. Auto can be best for modern systems.
Gsync/Vsync/Freesync works if you cannot reach your monitors maximum refresh rate. You can Force Off sync policies in Nvidia Profile Inspector for reduced input latency.
-DX11E is usually best in game, but mileage vaires per system. Some systems see performance increases by running higher graphics settings in game, possible by shifting load from the CPU to GPU.
-Deleting the additional TslGame process in task manager gives me little to no benefit.
-CapFrameX is a great benchmarking application to verify performance changes through applying optimisations.
I may have missed some things here, or some may not be relevant to PUBG. Thoughts or additions on the above?

(Disclaimer: I do not whatsoever have an arts background or extensive musical education - the extent of that music education was playing cello in my mediocre school orchestra. This is all just coming from a pure love for music as an art form, aesthetics, the band themselves, and the album of NOACF.)
I love NOACF. I would say that it is my second favorite album of The 1975 (behind BFIAFL). NOACF was very formative for how my listening habits have developed into what they are today. I've defended it a lot both IRL and online. However, after a recent listen to the album after not hearing it in full for about 4 years, I'm beginning to recognize a lot of people’s criticisms of the album.
Many people criticize the album for being bloated, with the instrumental interludes just taking you out of the moment and not helping with album cohesion. Album cohesion is something they’ve done well on other albums, especially Self-Titled and BFIAFL, but they just didn’t cut enough from NOACF. I think two minor tweaks to the album could easily put it in the same echelon that people see the rest of the band's albums in: a slightly reworked version of The 1975, and some cuts trackwise.
As much as I love the message of the version of The 1975 that we got for NOACF (and my deep admiration and respect for Greta Thunberg), most fans I know of the band usually rank this near the bottom of their discography rankings and actively skip this track due to its length (in comparison to the other versions of The 1975) and its format being more spoken-word and less musical. I think that a reworked version, with a more present instrumental, would have been ideal to introduce the album and its musical and thematic concepts.
Aside from reworking The 1975, I would also cut the following seven tracks from NOACF:

• The End (Music For Cars)
• Streaming
• Yeah I Know
• Shiny Collarbone
• Having No Head
• What Should I Say
• Bagsy Not In Net

You might notice that when considering tracks to cut, I did not go with any singles. In my opinion, The 1975 has consistently been one of the best artists in the entire music industry with knowing what and when to release singles (and yes, I am in the firm camp of believers that think People was a great lead single choice), going all the way back to the first album. With these cuts, the now 15-track NOACF would be in good company with the previous albums - ABIIOR being 15, ILIWYS being 17, and Self-Titled (standard edition) being 16 tracks, respectively.
This would leave the album as:

1. The 1975 (in the aforementioned reworked capacity)
2. People
3. Frail State of Mind
4. The Birthday Party
5. Then Because She Goes
6. Jesus Christ 2005 God Bless America
7. Roadkill
8. Me & You Together Song
9. I Think There's Something You Should Know
10. Nothing Revealed / Everything Denied
11. Tonight (I Wish I Was Your Boy)
12. If You're Too Shy (Let Me Know)
13. Playing On My Mind
14. Don't Worry
15. Guys (with a hidden track of The End (Music For Cars))

However, just because I cut the tracks that I selected does not mean that they would never be released. In this parallel universe, I am envisioning that in May 2021, the band would release their first EP since IV: the Sorry If You're Seventeen EP (the EP name is taken from a lyric within the first track). This bouncy collection of songs, inspired by UK garage and house music, would be six tracks, and serve as the direct successor to the band's days as Talkhouse. The tracklist would be as followed:

1. About Time
2. Spinning (with Charli XCX and No Rome)
3. Shiny Collarbone
4. What Should I Say
5. Bagsy Not In Net
6. Loads of Crisps

As we all know, aesthetics and visuals are incredibly important to each era of the band, and this EP would be no exception to this. Aesthetically, this era would serve as a sort of continuation of the visual aesthetics created by the videos for Frail State of Mind, Me & You Together Song, and Guys. In particular, Sorry If You're Seventeen aesthetically takes direct inspiration from UK rave and party culture throughout the mid-late 2000s. Think the series 1 Skins trailer or Matthew Smith's (also known as Mattko) photos of Bristol clubs, taken from 2000-2005 if you want some visualization of what it might look like. In short, it's indie, sort of sleazy, and a stark dichotomy of what it meant to be seventeen for the band in the late-2000s vs. what it means to be seventeen in the postmodern world. If there were to be hypothetical music videos for this hypothetical EP, I would probably want Diamond Martell or Ewen Spencer (the videographer for the Skins promos for Series 1) to direct them.
Of course, this hypothetical EP would have an impact on BFIAFL. I think that the release date would have been pushed from October to December 2022 in this parallel universe, and if that is the case, Wintering might have been selected as the last single before the album release, due to the song thematically coinciding with the holiday season release. However, the largest changes would be to BFIAFL's The 1975. Since the version we ended up getting in our universe used a lot of the lyrics seen in About Time, the lyrics would absolutely change, and I think that they would lean more into the Anxiety Music demo, which would sonically fit rather well within BFIAFL, with its prominent orchestral background and similar tempo to Looking For Somebody (To Love).
If you can't tell, I had a whole lot of fun imagining this all up! What are your thoughts? Would you make similar or even the same changes to NOACF? Would you even make any changes to the album at all? I'd love to have a discussion about this in the comments!!

made this for my narrative essay in american literature, but one of my friends said i should share the story
“But I Still Need You” Throughout my life, I had always fallen easy for girls. The elementary mindset of, “she’s cute, so I have a crush on her,” prevented me from developing a legitimate relationship with any girl I tried to talk to. The few times that my feelings were reciprocated, I had no idea because I was already on to the next girl, and this continued until I was left with a multitude of friend-zone situations and a list of “crushes.” My charisma already lacking, it seemed each year that passed, previous to 3rd grade, I grew in weight and therefore awkwardness. The struggle to interact with women lessened as I grew up, while the fat remained. So, by the 8th grade I was the ideal guy friend; easy to talk to, kinda funny, understanding, and unintimidating. My approachable “funny fat friend” nature had its ups and downs. While guys, for reasons I still don’t fully understand, suspected me to be gay, girls found it intriguing and it made them want to be friends with me more. Back then I didn’t know, but now I know that by being forced to be friends first, after finding out I was in fact not gay, the right woman for me would want to be with me for my personality. In the winter of 2021, I fell hard for a girl named Madeline. Maddie was no different than many of the other girls in that she had a bland personality and I thought she was cute. She had brunette hair with bangs, big glasses, way too much makeup on, and a unique fashion sense. Her sense of fashion was one of the few interesting things about her, yet it was disregarded by the public. Not too many guys found her appealing, but I did, for whatever reason. I was dead set on getting to know her better in hope of becoming more than friends. Unfortunately, she hardly paid attention to me, but I didn’t give up. I merely slowed down because of my interest in her friend, Isabella. Isabella is the Spanish and Italian variation of Elizabeth (derived from the Hebrew name Elisheba). The meaning of Elishiba can be translated to, “God is my oath.” In Arabic, the beginning of Isabella, “Isa,” is the classical Arabic name for Jesus, while in the French language, the shortened version of Isabella, “Belle,” translates to “beautiful.” I had met Isabella in the sixth grade, and grew a tiny crush on her, in the elementary sense, before we all went into hibernation (COVID). I barely knew her though, and she had no idea who I was, so when we interacted in my last two classes, if we did at all, it was like two strangers who kept running into each other. I sat by her in my sixth period, and one seat up and to the right from her in seventh. We only ever made small talk and the occasional joke, but when I spoke with her I felt content. Still barely knowing her, all I could admire was the little things in the way she laughed and spoke. I longed to know more about Isabella, she was mature, intelligent, and very opinionated, but still light-hearted and made time pass at the speed of light. It wasn’t until she was in my group in sixth period one day that she began to open up a little by sharing the details of her current long-distance relationship. The shards of my heart stabbed and crushed my stomach; hope, the oxygen to my mind, depleted faster than the air of a broken space shuttle; palpitation, nausea, asphyxia, and neurosis bombarded me like Persian arrows on the Greeks. Then, all at once, the excruciating tidal wave evaporated, but instead of calm waters, I was left with a drought. Every emotion muted or gone, my body went numb while everything I cared for vanished from my mind. I didn’t speak throughout the rest of that day, and went directly from the bus to decaying in my bed. I was devastated, so I retreated to my pointless crush on Maddie. Unrelated to the rather sad lovelife, my anxiety and depression worsened throughout 8th grade, and while I was going to therapy, most of my issues wouldn’t and still haven’t been worked through. Throughout the school year I had developed a toxic system of self pity, in which I would spend hours a day cycling through the feelings of hope, anger, and despair- never that of joy. I knew what I was doing, gathering enough hope to face the school day just before I reflected on the doubts and grievances going on throughout my life. I’d bring myself up just for a greater fall because honestly, overtime I became numb to the natural pain. If I were going to fall into the pit that is depression, the higher I peaked in terms of optimism the more excruciating the freefall of nausea and the heavy flow of salt water. At that point in my life, I saw no point in getting out of bed to do anything, school or even my own mother’s birthday. By the end of eighth grade I had spent almost a total of six weeks absent, two of which were from me being quarantined. Typically over the span of one or two days, others up to four, I would be in my bed “sick.” During these mini-vacations I would sleep all morning, if my mom let me, and stay up all night, oftentimes listening to Radiohead or Cigarettes After Sex while staring at my ceiling. I wanted to stay up, I wanted to feel the bags grabbing and pulling towards my cheekbone, I wanted to feel empty, emotionally and physically. During the day, my anxiety attacks became panic attacks and I would get sent home for vomiting. I'd throw up to give Mom a reason to let me stay home. I’d throw up to feel something, anything. I’d throw up to keep my stomach empty. I’d throw up because I had to, because the nerves and overthinking forced me to. Every morning, I’d drag my black air force ones across cement, carpet, tiles, and marble, each step leading towards Mrs. Clements’ homeroom. For every step, a different worry or insecurity flashed through my brain. But then, out of the blue, I’m “Lincoln” again. I walk into homeroom with an ear-to-ear grin and dap up “the boys”. I’d spend the morning building up hopes of making Isabella laugh today, or maybe calling her once I got home, but I knew that nine times out of ten my hopes were delusional. To “Lincoln,” this was no problem, he would make a gay joke, join the boys with teasing a cute girl in my class, and laugh until just for a moment, the despair was gone. Finally, the sixth period would come and I’d get to see Isabella. In here I got the least work done out of all my classes as I would find myself strategically planning my next interaction with her, just for said plans to go out the window when I was brought face to face with her. Typically seventh period followed the same pattern except Ms. Shirley Davis could never allow small talk in her classroom. When the last bell rang, I went straight to the buses. I’d sleep on the way home, dreaming of a call that would hardly happen. On the off chance my phone didn’t reach its feared 11th cry, we’d talk for hours at a time. On a weekday or not, it seemed that, when we did call, it was guaranteed to go into the early morning. It’s hard to put my finger on a specific topic, or even general. In our conversations, we discussed anything and everything. Everything, except her own love interest. I admired this, as my inability to keep who I’m thinking about at the time a secret is a major flaw of mine. The more that me and her spoke, the more I grew to love her. Our talks were so honest, so raw, that the secret I held began to eat away at me. My core collapsing like a dying star, each day it felt like the pain got worse. To cope with the feelings I had buried deep inside me, I’d turn to my friends. At first, they said to come forward with my feelings, but I knew that’s what any friend would’ve said. The relief I got from venting the conflicting hurricane within me was brief. Overtime, their words of encouragement turned to annoyance, and understandably so. When people grew sick of the same old sadistic untold love, I turned to Isabella. I wrote a text so full that, to read it, one needed to tap on an arrow at the bottom right corner of my message. The essay was compiled with the confliction I had, developing feelings for a friend, and the sorrow that filled me each day that passed without her. I described the perfect imperfections that I admired about her, how life was complete when I spoke to her, the beauty that paralyzed me every time I saw her in person, and the character that I felt God had curated specifically for me. Sitting there unsure if I should press send, a fear grew within my chest that Isabella would see right through me. I could hear the music that so often triggered tears; the vocals of Thom Yorke or the beats of Kanye West, they faded in and out. What if she didn’t even respond? What if she thought I was a creep? What if- then she responded. Suddenly, the ominous 808s & Heartbreak pounding vanished, my respiratory chaos became paralyzed, and time stood still. I couldn’t breathe until I finished reading, and once I did, my sigh was all but relieving. Isabella explained to me how unhealthy my habits were; even in comparison to the anguish that would follow, I’d suffer far more and far longer should I suppress my emotions. She told me how that level of affection, in the context of the warped concept of romance most men had, was something she had only dreamt of. Isabella said that holding these feelings would eat away at me, exponentially increasing in severity, until I broke. Not only would I be hurting myself, but I would be depriving the person I care about most from the appreciation they deserve. I became bloated with fear of the friendzone, those insecurities, all based upon inference, became a reality with Isabella’s last piece of advice. She said, “If she doesn’t reciprocate those emotions, then don’t worry. I’m sure there’s a girl out there who can appreciate your compassion.” The blame had no other place to go than my shoulders, after all, I got what I asked for, advice on another girl. Isabella, even if she saw the crush I had on her, is far too kind to address it. She cared for everyone, and to her, she was merely boosting up a friend who’s down. For the rest of the night her text echoed through my mind; pain, regret, and admiration caused my mind to sporadically leap from conclusion to conclusion. Two years later, those words still haunt me, reiterations of that phrase torturing me when I least expect them. The school year progressed, but my aspirations with Isabella didn’t. Over time, the frequency of my writings grew to be weekly, at times reaching two a week, and the weight of my confessions depleted. I opened my audience to a mutual friend of Isabella’s, Miley, with the intention of acquiring useful advice. Eventually, my choice to try concealing what I felt for Isabella became too heavy of a burden, weighing down on me in forces I had not endured before. Soon, the love I had for Isabella turned to hatred for myself. I was relentlessly criticizing every aspect of myself and my mind. I hated how fat I was, my smile, my voice, my laugh, and most of all my personality. What I had thought was my greatest strength, was revealed as my worst trait. The gullibility I exhibited when thinking for a second Isabella could possibly like me; the lack of confidence that caused me to chicken out of confessing my feelings to her; my insufferable need to make people laugh; the hyperfixation I would develop for those that I love. Everything about me was wrong. I stopped eating, stopped sleeping, stopped caring, and eventually I stopped living. The “Lincoln” my friends had grown to recognize, the only remnant of the joy I felt when I was younger, died, and I was left with only my love for Isabella and resentment for myself. I began testing the limits of what was left of me, praying for relief. At first in the middle of the night, an anaconda would find its way to my throat, wrapping around my neck. Its cold black scales gracefully gliding across my skin before silencing my cries with the swift tug of its metallic USB head. The snake would maintain pressure until I let go of it, the entire time whispering into my ear, begging me to hold on. Some nights it came with what must have been a full stomach for it was drastically wider, it was brown these nights, with leather skin, and a slight warmth, but it behaved the same. Most visits from the snake ended with my vision blurry, my breath short, or my head dizzy. The only consistency of our transactions was Asia’s Death Lake that streamed down my face from start to finish. Eventually, the snake seemed closer and closer to silencing me forever, but I also became used to its visits. I began writing letters to everyone I loved so that, should the snake come out victorious, they’d have a final goodbye. Once I had sorted out my notes, I called the snake to my room. This time it came striped with shades of blue, its skin a soft fabric. For once, I controlled the snake, because our intentions finally aligned. I locked the door, sent out my texts, placed the written notes on my dresser, and joined the snake at my closet door. Holding onto the doorknob, the snake wrapped itself around my neck just as it had done in nights of the past. It whispered to me, “let go,” for I had been on my knees in hesitation. I followed the snake’s order by making a sort of plank with my body, the bottom half resting on a stack of dirty laundry and pillows while the top was supported by my elbows. Pressure swiftly fell down on my neck and didn’t stop. “This is it,” I thought to myself. My eyes seemed to pop out of my skull, and my tears, falling down like summer rain, became blurry dots as my vision went dark. Next thing I know, I’m waking up, snot, saliva, and tears strung between my face and the carpet floor. My head pounding and my eyes burning, I looked up at the “snake” that was the tie my mom had gotten me for Sunday service. Although my mind was more clear, it was not out of revelation, but from a muted sense of the world around me. Other than Isabella, nothing mattered anymore, and the little emotion I felt was squashed by my immortal love. The following day I get called to the counselors office on charges of suicidal thoughts and self harm. I said what I had to in order to escape her grasp, but left infuriated. Not only had my own friends betrayed me, but the lady who was supposed to guide me essentially scolded me for being sad. Throughout the day my anger faded out and my focus became making an excuse as to why my parents got a weird call from my counselor, then I’d find the traitor who sold me out. That afternoon, I lost two friends, and for the first time ever got mad at Isabella. Apparently, Miley, Maddie, and Isabella all reported me to the counselor that morning. They said I had been traumatizing them with what was going on in my life, being normal and messing around at school, then detailing my thoughts and actions to them outside of school. I felt like I had been tricked. I thought they were my friends. I thought they understood me. They asked me if I was okay, they said they wanted, cared, needed to know, but now I had scared them? I addressed what had happened with Miley first. She immediately lashed out at me, saying I should be thanking them, not be mad. While I didn’t want to accept it, I understood the core of her choices. On the other hand, Maddie’s response to my confrontation was disgustingly cruel. She said I had been unfair and just seeking attention, that no thirteen to fourteen year old should hear about what I was going through because it was unnatural. Before she continued, I apologized, that’s all I could think to do, because deep down I believed her. She told me it wasn’t all my fault because my brain was messed up, and that opening up to the girls would only make them not want to be friends with me. The one word that rang through my head then, and still does today, was “creep,” she claimed that what I felt wasn’t love, but I was just mentally unstable and creepy. Any remnants of the sweet kid from elementary school who just wanted a friend and loved everyone were obliterated. Maddie was right, all I had done was hurt and scare them, it didn’t matter what I thought. I told her all I could, that I didn’t know what to say other than I was sorry for the damage I had done, and I would try and get better. Her response, like a branding iron on my mind, was, “It’s not damage, it’s baggage. Imagine if the roles were reversed.” It was only then that I stopped texting back. I wish I could say it was out of frustration or self respect, but the reality of my manipulative traits is what silenced me. Shockingly, the response that hurt the most was from Isabella, yet it somehow meant the most to me too. Isabella told me that she needed me in the world. She told me that if I ever got those thoughts again, to think about her as well; to think about the pain I’d be causing her; to think about the trauma she’d live with for the rest of her life. After repeating the phrase, “I need you in my life,” she acknowledged how selfish it was, but still didn’t care. Isabella continued elaborating, she didn’t care because no label of selfishness outweighed the value of my life. What she said that night has been vivid in my mind since, but my only wish is that she had needed me as I needed her. Tears began to hide my freckled cheeks as I texted her about how much her words meant to me, how much she meant to me, and I apologized to her. I said sorry for the baggage I caused, the “creepy” behavior, and any other ways I had wronged her. I said sorry for loving her, and told her I’d do better. She disregarded my apologies, telling me that I could always talk to her because no matter the baggage she could carry, it’d be worth taking the smallest bit off of me. Her words meant so much to me, yet hurt me just the same. I hated myself for it. I couldn’t see a life without an affection for her, it was pathetic. If I truly loved her, I’d let my feelings go, right? What kind of person did that make me? Summer came and went. Hoping that time would kill the crush I had on Isabella, I prohibited myself from contacting her. Instead I spent time with my family and a few friends, but Isabella never left my head. Even when accompanying my dad to Berry College for the Governor’s Honors Program, she’s what filled my head. At first I felt frustrated because before I had come forward to her, she had known about the feelings I had. I came to the conclusion that she had been dragging me along, but even then I knew how easily that thought would be abandoned. First day of High school, I got in touch with her. For maybe two weeks, I maintained a platonic relationship before free falling into the ominous pit once again. This time felt different though, it felt like what I had thought about everyday, for what seemed eternity, could be more than a daydream. We texted each other throughout the school day and facetimed after her cheer practice and my band practice. Eventually, Isabella was falling asleep on call. Before, we’d talk long into the night, and it began to drain the energy out of the both of us. Now, we were listening to music, playing Roblox, watching Netflix, or just sitting in silence. I had never felt comfortable with silence, but she made it seem better than having a conversation with anyone else. It’s a beautiful thing when words aren’t required to appreciate someone. The moment I had the courage to do so, I asked her out to Steak n’ Shake. It’s just my luck that the restaurant was hardly a shell of what I remembered as a kid. At first the conversation was awkward because we hardly spoke in person, but as time progressed so did we. I still remember the tightness of my cheeks as I failed to suppress my ear-to-ear grin. The euphoric nausea and beating heart that disappeared throughout our conversation. I remember the booth we sat in, the fact that she wanted me to swap seats with her because of her creaky seat, the way she giggled, how I fought tooth and nail to pay for such a small bill, the way she smiled when she said, “next time you’ve gotta let me pay,” and the shared excitement for our next hangout. Even though Isabella and I were still friends, even though the restaurant was a disaster, even though the fries were stale and the milkshakes chunky, that moment is one of the best in my life. With how well things were going, I thought that it was my best chance at making something more out of this friendship. So, I shot my shot. I told her that despite my efforts the summer before, she still held a special place in my heart. Isabella responded with her own struggles with recovering from a past relationship, detailing the trust issues and pain she still felt almost a year later. I was yet again, devastated. Then she added that despite her own feelings, she had to be careful and the risk of losing our friendship scared her. I understood her reasoning, but it made me sick to think of how close I was. In response, I expressed how I could relate to those feelings, and the conflict I had with them. It felt ridiculous having opened myself up once again, to just be friendzoned. Her response struck me with both hope and devastation, “I f*cking love you a ton Lincoln, but I’m struggling to differentiate my admiration as a friend and as something more. I’m terrified of losing you.” Previously I would have seen this as a sign to keep trying, but at that moment, I couldn’t see past the blatant friendzoning. After pursuing her for so long, it felt cruel of her to continue dragging me along like this, even though she was being honest. My reaction to the straw that broke the camel’s back is one of, if not, the biggest regrets in life. Homecoming was a little over a week away and she was going (as friends) with my buddy, Davis, so in a storm of hatred for myself and the situation I was in, I gave up on her. Our conversations grew to be minimal and far apart. Soon, I started to resent her. Each day since then, I have somehow felt more remorse than the last for not asking her to Homecoming. Homecoming night is when I began flirting with Claire, a sweet redhead from gym class. We connected on not going with the person we had hoped for. All it took was me joking that I should’ve spent more time around her, instead of leaving the dance early, for Claire to lose her mind. Over the next month or so, I was becoming closer and closer with Claire, despite her irritable “quirks”. I only spoke to Isabella if she reached out to me first with the only exception being when I would ask her for “advice” about Claire, which was a shameful habit I started as petty revenge on Isabella. Eventually, Isabella blocked me on Snapchat, but it didn’t matter. Things with me and Claire were going great, she made me feel like I didn’t need to starve myself to be good enough for her. She made me feel like I was enough. For the next two and a half months, life was great. After the first couple months of ignorant bliss, I was sick of her. Sure, there were a variety of reasons to find her annoying, most people I knew could list more than they have fingers and toes, but she didn’t do anything wrong. I shouldn’t have gotten into the relationship in the first place not only because of Isabella, but also the speed at which me and Claire started dating. She was still growing out of the elementary relationship phase, so while it was nice to connect with someone so quickly, it was rushed. Another issue being that I was her first real boyfriend, the baggage that followed me was detrimental to her and I couldn’t give her the attention she needed. As me and Claire began our month long drift apart, I was unblocked by Isabella. She and I caught up, and we quickly began to talk trash about Claire while on call. It was unbelievably toxic, and I’m embarrassed of how I handled things to this day. Eventually, with the support of Isabella, I decided it was time to break up. The only issue was the guilt I had in such a terrible choice, I could never do it. So I began to get more distant by the day, ignored texts and calls, and stopped walking her to classes because “I had to pee.” Eventually she caught wind of my plans and called me after school one day. Sobbing, she told me what she had heard and how she knew it wasn’t true, but it still worried her. I began to get ready to break the news, but she was already crying so what's the worst that could happen? I wish I had never asked myself that, because next she told me she’d been cutting herself. My heart sank in remorse for what I knew I would do. If I led her on longer, the aftermath of my cold actions would lead to even more catastrophe. I was scared, but knew the lesser of the two evils I had to pick from. I calmed her down, quickly notified her friends to be keeping an eye on her, and then dumped her. To this day, I am disgusted by my actions. Throughout the past three months, Claire expressed how she had loved and trusted me, yet I threw that all away. There are so many ways I could’ve handled the situation differently, but two stood out the most. Showing respect by speaking to Claire the moment I realized my feelings had fleeted was the bare minimum that I disregarded, but the second was far simpler. I had known from the start that I was still in love with Isabella and that love never faded, but was only suppressed. The entire relationship we developed, while we both enjoyed parts of it (her more than me), was a lie, and essentially a cruel joke played on Claire. There’s no excuse for my actions, and even worse, I could’ve cared less back then. It was only when time had passed that I began to understand the damage I had done. Without Claire holding me back, my newfound freedom led to a closer friendship with Isabella. I dove headfirst into the familiar pit all over again. A friendship was not enough, I appreciated every interaction I had with Isabella, but my life depended on a future with her. It’s likely she felt this as she slowly began to drift away from me. Before I had stayed up speaking to Isabella, but now I couldn’t sleep out of the tormenting absence of her voice. The only path to good health was time; distance was best for the both of us, and I knew it. For the rest of that school year, everything around me was going, but I stood still. It was like my life was just a sitcom, and I was no longer the main character. The summer that followed was just the same, I was living but dead, moving but still, speaking but silent. I was dissociating from my friends and family, but the absence of that violent snake made my depression insignificant. Living a life without her was more punishment than death itself, and I didn’t deserve relief. Even now, I think of that summer and remember almost nothing, for my life isn’t worth remembering without Isabella in it. Sophomore year began, and so did my conversations with Isabella. This go around, I was subtle with my feelings for her. The excitement I had for speaking with her was under control, but it was because the spark inside me had faded, even when it came to Isabella.The years of self pity and depression had left a toll on me that could never be reversed, and it didn’t help that Isabella began to build a relationship with another guy. When we spoke, if we did, Isabella’s concern for my mental state outweighed the friendship we were struggling to preserve. I had come to the conclusion that pursuing Isabella would only make things worse, and I needed to just be her friend. Since I couldn’t lose the feelings I had for her, I just sat in them. While I sat in the pit, Isabella and I had one particular Facetime call in which I brought up how much I regretted dating Claire. To that, Isabella added, “Yeah, she’s so annoying. I can’t remember if you told me why you got together in the first place, what led you to her?” I paused with the thousand-yard stare of an American private fresh out of West Point. “I guess I was just so disappointed with myself for not being able to go to homecoming with you and being stuck on you for so long that I impulsively got with another girl to forget about my shortcomings,” I said with reluctance and stuttering every few words. She told me that she would’ve said yes to homecoming without a second thought, but I knew she meant as friends. Then, to my dismay, Isabella revealed that whenever I got with Claire, she still had feelings for me. It was me talking to Isabella about how great things were with me and Claire that led her to block me and cut contact with me. The piano melody from “No Surprises” by Radiohead began looping through my mind as tears ran down my face. I forget how I ended the call, but once I did, I broke. I lost my breath, my head got light, my eyes became blurry, my stomach was nauseous, and my insides sank as far as they could. Everything I wanted, dreamed of, needed had been so close, and I blew it. Everything was my fault. Later I would ask her why she lost them, and her answer proved how much better she was than me. Isabella answered, “I had been hurt, so I moved on. Just got over it.” We hardly spoke anymore, but one text message has found a permanent home in my mind. After asking me how I was, Isabella wasn’t satisfied with, “it’s complicated.” She asked that I explain it to her so that she could try to understand. I told her about all the issues going on in my life, except the torch I still held for her. She wrote, “I know you’re not religious, so it may not mean anything, but I pray for you every night, Lincoln. Even though it sounds bad, I think that I've known you weren’t in the greatest mental place for a while. I want you to know I'm not judging you, I want you to feel comfortable enough to share that with someone. You have to be able to recognize how you’re feeling in order to even fix it.” These words broke me despite their simplistic appearance. Reading that she prayed for me hit me hard as she had always tried to get me to believe in God again. I’m agnostic, and nothing has come closer to bringing me back to faith as Isabella did. The idea that if God were real and I could see her in heaven was appealing, but should Christianity be the wrong choice, I wanted to be wrong with Isabella. In the following days, Isabella told me about Alex, a guy she had been talking to a lot, and how they were at most a month away from being together. I hated everything about Alex, which is a stupid name in the first place. I hated his choice of friends, I hated how white-washed he was, I hated how he dressed like a conservative cowboy, I hated the underbite that made him look like a pug, I hated his short curly hair, I hated the fact that he was a diehard Trump supporter while people of his race were being oppressed, I hated how he pretended to be someone else when he was around Isabella, I hated how he hid unhealthy habits from her, I hated that a guy like him garnered Isabella’s affection when I couldn’t. I barely knew the guy and I was wasting my energy with hatred for him, when in reality, he was just a mind-numbingly basic douche among the hundreds just like him at our school. Isabella regularly complained about Alex, but hardly did anything. Instead she stopped bringing it up, saying that talking about her issues with others only makes it worse and that she was just wining. The monotone delivery of her reasoning hurt my soul, it was like she was reciting a text from Alex. Each day that passed, I felt the urgency of expressing my feelings one more time rising. Soon Isabella and Alex would be official, and I would lose my chance to try and express how I felt one more time. I reached out to Isabella and asked if she was free to hangout that friday. On November 10, 2023, Isabella picked me up around 5:30 in the evening. She kept the inside of her SUV looking brand new in contrast to the familiarity of her smile. My nerves left me winded after every sentence and shivering in her passenger seat. Quickly our conversation became more natural as I cracked jokes to ease my anxiety, but my shaky breathing never stopped. We went to Publix to grab some snacks and drinks and headed right back to my neighborhood park. At the Grove Point Park, we found a swinging chair to sit in. Due to the time of the year, the sun had already set, but Isabella’s beauty was indifferent under the moonlight. I haven’t the slightest clue how long we sat there together. When I’m with Isabella, even Father Time gives me grace, for he knows that he is as powerless as I am to the frequency of these moments. After a while, I mentioned that it was getting late and she agreed. On the ride back to my place, I mustered the bare minimum of strength it took to confront my feelings. As she drove over the speed bump before entering the roundabout, I began to open up. I briefly told her that I still felt the same way I did two years ago, that I had tried to forget about the feelings I had with no success, and that I was sorry to once again ruin our unstable friendship. She told me it was fine and my feelings were natural, nothing to regret or be ashamed of. Her words meant nothing to me this time because I had already heard them. Defeated, I paused for a moment, then said, “Isabella, you reciprocated my feelings in the past, so after Alex, do you think that maybe we’d have a chance?” She looked at me with pain in her eyes, not for herself, but for me. She quietly said, “I- Lincoln, you know I can’t answer that. I’m with Alex now, it wouldn’t be fair.” All I could get out was, “Oh- I- I’m sorry. Uh yeah no, you’re uh- you’re right.” Everything in me pulled and begged at my lips to say what I wanted to, but I couldn’t. I still look back on that night and wish I had said the few words I never got to tell her. What if saying them could’ve changed something? Realistically, it wouldn’t have, but the regret remains. I doubt Isabella would have even remembered where my word choice stemmed from. Regardless, the words rang in my head then, and never stopped. All I wanted to say at that moment was, “but I still need you.” Today, 1,725 days since I first saw Isabella, 822 days since I first facetimed Isabella, and 178 days since that heartbreakingly beautiful night, I still love her the same. Looking back on my experience with her, I regret many things (oversharing, Claire, the snake, etc.), but the one thing I have never regretted was meeting and loving her. It was only recently that I realized that loving her has been one of the biggest mistakes in my life. For three years, day in and day out, I’ve thought about her. Three years where I could have met other people, worked on myself, enjoyed my friends and family, but instead I’ve loved her and nothing, nobody else. The one lesson that was essential for me to take away from my experience was impossible. In eighth grade I was 5’7 and 215 lbs, today I’m 5’10 and 165 lbs. In eighth grade I spent time with my parents, today I hide in my room. In eighth grade, I told people how I felt, now I’m too scared. In eighth grade, I talked about my depression, now I am left alone to deal with it. In eighth grade, I had many friends, now I rarely speak to them. In eighth grade, I needed Isabella, but the one lesson I should’ve learned never took effect. I still need her.

Hi everyone, I'm here to give an update on my 15 day Post operation, fibroid removing hysterectomy and first off, I want to say it was the best decision ever in regards to my fibroid journey. I'm two weeks post-op and feeling great. Like many of you, I was very anxious in the weeks leading up to my surgery to remove two fibroids that had been assessed at about grapefruit and orange sized 6 months previously. I was on Lupron to stop my periods, which only exacerbated my anxiety. My doctor prescribed add-back hormones, which helped tremendously with the volatile emotions, and Zopiclone to help me sleep, as that was also disturbed by the Lupron.
On the day of the surgery, I was at the peak of my nervousness. The nurse helped ease my fears by giving me a low dose of Ativan, which definitely helped as I went through the motions of talking to the anesthesiologist, my doctogynecologist, and the attending surgeons and nurses. I made it very clear to my doctor that I don’t do well with pain and I didn’t want to endure any unnecessary discomfort. I was brought to the surgical table and got through the anesthesiology needle poke pretty easily with the aid of the Ativan (I hate needles!) and before I knew it, I was slumping into that glorious sedation daze and within what felt like seconds wheeled to my room for my overnight stay. During surgery, I was administered generous amounts of nerve blockers and Fentanyl, so I woke up literally feeling nothing in my body and feeling quite euphoric.
I live in a wonderful small community in Canada and received the most exceptional care on the women and children’s floor. A few notable aspects of that overnight stay: the pain from the gas they used to expand your chest to get into your abdomen is no joke. I could feel it across my shoulder blades each time I breathed. The apparatus they provided me to test blowing air out of my lungs was uncomfortable but manageable and really helped to get movement within my internal torso, which is super important as you need to get the gas flowing so that it exits out your butt. I happily took the Hydromorphone made available to me every three hours, as well as the Tylenol and Advil, which they cycled every three hours as well. I certainly felt some discomfort, and again, the gas passing was painful but everything was manageable and the addition of the opioids during my stay made everything quite happy and pleasant.
I had a catheter attached to me, which was a new experience, as you go pee without any effort. I had four bandages on my abdomen indicating where my doctor had gone in laparoscopically. There was some overall tenderness and achiness which I attribute more to the positions I'm sure I was manipulated into while under , so the surgeons could get in via different angles. I was admitted into the recovery unit in the evening because my surgery was over four hours (about eight hours altogether end to end from my 11am admission)and there was no meal service available. Thankfully the wonderful nurses procured a sandwich from the cafeteria. I was absolutely famished and ate it quite voraciously. I was quite high at this point, so I thought it was the best thing I’d ever tasted in my life (it was a pedestrian tuna sandwich on plain bread).
Sleeping was more difficult, between the opioids and just general discomfort in my body. Oh, and the gas—the gas exiting your body does hurt as it makes its way through your tender digestive system, but it's very satisfying when it leaves. I know I kept the poor woman recovering in the adjoining section up all night with my flatulence, but the nurses assured me that it was encouraged to get it all out. I did wake up a number of times with some sharper pain and took advantage of the drugs on offer. My sleep was not deep nor necessarily restful, but it was enjoyable because I was pretty hopped up and happy. The hospital had affixed circulating airbags onto my legs to help prevent blood clots, and I found them to be quite relaxing.
I managed to sleep a few hours. When breakfast was served, I was happy to eat it. My doctor came to give me my surgical report and advised me that she had removed TWO grapefruit-sized fibroids along with my uterus and a dozen or so more little fibroids in the mix. One of the fibroids had necrotized. She showed me pictures of all the pieces and tissue. I don't do well with anything medical-related, but it was actually quite satisfying to see what had amounted to about the size of a bowling ball removed from my body. I had my uterus, fallopian tubes, and of course fibroids removed but my ovaries left intact. She said the total mass of the removed organ and bits was about 4 to 5 lbs. I'm very happy she was able to do it mostly vaginally with some assistance through the four small incisions on my belly. After receiving the all-clear from my doctor, the nurses removed my IV, which had been hooked up to dispense electrolytes and vitamins. Then they removed my catheter. I was really nervous about having my catheter removed because I didn't understand the mechanics of how it was attached, but it was just a quick little pinch and then it was gone. Another thing I had to demonstrate before being discharged was that I could pee on my own. It felt odd because I was activating muscles that were still tender, and I was uncertain about what was going on down there, but after being filled with various intravenous fluids as well as the juice and water I had been drinking, it was pretty easy to just sit back, relax, and let it flow. My partner came, wheeled me out in a wheelchair, and took me home where she had configured the bed with a variety of adjustable wedge pillows to ensure I was comfortable.
I was also sent home with a prescription for 15 additional Hydromorphone tablets, and I diligently took those every three hours because I had no desire to be a hero and endure any pain. The doctor prescribed one to two every three hours; I took one every three hours and that was sufficient, cycled with one Tylenol and one Advil every three hours. Getting out of bed was pretty easy; it just felt like I had had a rigorous ab workout and was a bit tender.
The worst part was trying to compel a bowel movement. The opioids are a bit of a double-edged sword in that they really enhance the healing experience, but they also cause constipation at a crucial time when your bowels are already quite shocked and don't need any more discouragement. I started on doctor recommended Colace pills and Restoralax on day one. By day four, I still hadn't had a BM and was starting to feel quite bloated and heavily constipated. What worked for me was a combination of warm milk of magnesia and prune juice. I downed a large glass of that and within about three to four hours, I had explosive diarrhea, which wasn't as bad as it sounds as it was a relief to finally get things moving. I had to endure about a day or two of just expelling liquid but still feeling like I was constipated. I continued to take the Colace and then added in Senokot (which I wouldn't recommend until you've had that first explosive movement) and have been taking that combination now for about a week, and finally, two weeks post-op, I had my first normal bowel movement today.
I ended up refilling my prescription for another 20 Hydromorphone pills about four days after the first. Near the end of that prescription, I started tapering down my dose, which I think helped significantly with the discomfort of weaning off. I've struggled with substance abuse issues in the past (five years sober this month!), so of course, the prospect of using potent drugs for the surgery and recovery was concerning to me and my family, but I can tell you that I was able to ease off without relapsing. I got through the whole experience with minimal pain and suffering. If you can get access to the drugs, do yourself a favor and don’t try to be a hero—take them! You’ve already been a hero dealing with these alien tumors disrupting your body for so long. Honestly, I think the fact that I don’t drink alcohol has probably helped my recovery significantly.
Yesterday, my partner helped remove the steri- strips. They did not fall off on their own as I had read, but they came off easily with just a little bit of pinching. I now see the faintest scars you’d expect from a super minor cat scratch.
My body definitely looks different, and everything just feels better. I always felt that I had an unsightly paunch, but the reality was I had a massive collection of fibroids the size of a bowling ball, and having them removed has made me look quite svelte, and there's still some swelling reduction to happen.
I feel like I could run a marathon, but my partner keeps reminding me to take it easy and to stick to walking only for exercise for the full six weeks. It’s a small investment to make for lifelong health. All in all, my experience was as good as it could be, and to top it off, I got the call from my doctor that my biopsy came back all clear from cancer. Let me know if you have any questions , happy to help you with your journey!

Just as background, I have been using Ubuntu and Debian (and derivatives such as Raspbian) for many years now, but only as a user, in other words I have never had any desire to "learn" any operating system. I prefer using a mouse to the command line, and I have a very bad memory so keyboard shortcuts are useless to me because I can't remember them. And I am old, I won't say how old but I started using my Reddit nickname probably about a decade ago and I haven't gotten any younger. :(
What I dislike about Ubuntu is first that they keep trying to herd users into doing things their way (snaps being the big one, they just seem hell-bent on forcing users to use them) and that Ubuntu is not as configurable as I'd like. Basically it's boring, and not in a good way. What I do like about Ubuntu is that once it is up and running I rarely have weird problems with it, but they can't be the only distro where that is true, right? It is one thing if I am tinkering and break something, that's on me, but when a distro does weird stuff "out of the box" that requires hours of problem-solving and searching the Internet, that distro won't last long on my system. I don't want to have to constantly solve problems to make a distro work.
So, I have been searching for a distro that is reliable, that is familiar (as in, based on Debian or Ubuntu but does NOT use snaps), that is somewhat lightweight (will run on older hardware and that by default does NOT install everything but the kitchen sink), but that also is configurable, especially with regard to appearance. I keep hearing about PopOS (no I will not use their ridiculous punctuation) and the Cosmic desktop, which I suspect I might like if it were actually finished, but it's not. So I keep looking on DistroWatch to see what is popular now, and lately MX Linux is always at the top of their list. Ubuntu is only #5 and it is probably only that high because the new stable release just came out. Mint (which I just don't like, I feel it is too bloated) is #2, EndeavourOS is #3, and Debian is #4 (those are the six-month rankings; if you look at the last 7 days it is the same except Debian and Ubuntu are flipped, with Ubuntu at #4 and Debian at #5).
Now I realize that DistroWatch does not and cannot measure actual use of a Distro; I don't think anyone really can. I have at various times in the past downloaded a distro, tried it for 20 minutes, realized I hated it, and then blew it away, yet just by doing that I was probably counted as a user of that distro, or at least a downloader. But still, if MX Linux is at the top of they list over that period of time, SOMEBODY must be using it - either that or a LOT of people have at least tried it. But it doesn't seem to get much love on Reddit, and I am wondering if there is a reason for that. And also I see a lot of people saying they don't like the changes Canonical is making to Ubuntu, yet at least on Reddit it seems like people keep using it anyway. I kind of get sticking with something that has always worked for you, but if you kept buying the same brand of car every few years and every time you did it seemed shittier, eventually wouldn't you consider switching to another brand? And it's a whole lot easier to try a new Linux distro than it is to buy a new car!

The Yaire exile to earth chapter-5 Rancher - Micheal Johnson personal perspective
We rattled out of the brush at a bone jarring crawl, finally reaching the county road that rushed past the house.
A feeling of relief slowly entered my mind. “Five miles of gravel and then we hit the home place. Will these three be ok if we stop and drop the others at the house?” I asked, getting an irritated look from dad.
“What’s your plan? To turn the tv on and wish them the best of luck, like they’re some sort of unhappy lap dog?!” He all but yelled.
“No, I’m going to leave Josh there and Becky is home this weekend, so they will be able to watch them.” I said sheepishly.
A ball cap slapped me from behind. “What was that for? ….Do you have a better idea?” I shouted back. The stress, anxiety and anger all fighting to bubble to the surface at once. Looking out of the window to the now sunny horizon, he took a long breath. I could see his eyes search for an answer. He finally replied with a touch of shame. “Well, no, but you know damn good and well that if the feds find out, you have little green men on the farm, they’ll kill them and you with ginsu missiles. Those damn things will cut you to bits so small even the birds won’t be able to pick your remains out of the grass.”
The rest of the ride was silent. The only sounds other than the tires on gravel was the intermittent whimper of pain from the patient that was resting in the rear seat next to dad.
Once the farm yard came into view, I spoke up. “Joshua, I need you to take these people and get them settled in the house. If they need the bathroom or a shower, you and your sister will have to help them. God only knows if they know what those are. You guys will have to get them fed and properly clothed. I know I’m asking a lot of you guys, but for now, you and your sister are the only ones that need to know about our guests.”
“How will I know what they can eat? I could kill them if I give them something that is poisonous to them. I wouldn’t even know until it’s too late.” Joshua said apprehensively while he navigated down the washboard gravel road. “It’s going to be trial and error for a while…. One thing for sure, these guys will have to learn English, put something on tv and get them to try to talk the best you can.” My instructions sounded half hatched as the words left my mouth.
“Just make sure you don’t put on Yellowstone. I will not have anyone think that cows get bloat from clover hay.” I added, trying to lower the stress of the ride. I could hear the collective eye rolling from my family that was sharing the truck with me. “What ever you say dad.” Joshua muttered.
Pulling into the yard, I observed Becky standing on the porch with a mad expression on her face.
“Didn’t you tell your sister what was going on?” I asked.
“No, she wasn’t home when I made it back; man, does she look pissed.” He said nervously. When the truck pulled to a slow stop directly in-front of the porch, a thin haze of dust enveloping the surroundings. Causing my already mad daughter to look even more angry.
As soon as Josh shut the truck off and opened the driver's side door, Becky started to lay into him. “Joshua, why is half my closest missing?… I make it home and find a note that you had to borrow a coat. What the HELL Josh?” She yelled.
Without saying a word, he walked to the rear of the trailer and opened the gate. After a few seconds, the first of our guests stepped out. One of the young men walked into the sunlight fallowed by another and another. After a minute, everyone had stumbled out.
Becky stood there with her mouth agape. She managed to mumble, “why do you have people in the stock trailer?…… why are they purple?” “Honey, it’s a long story and Joshua will have to fill you in.” I exclaimed as I made my way to the lineup of aliens.
I gesture to the man in charge to follow me to the makeshift trauma bed in the pickup. “We have to get them to a doctor. We need you to come with us.” I talked slowly so I could use as many hand gestures as I could, hoping that the idea would come across.
I had all but finished when the woman appearing to be my age placed her hand on his shoulder. They had only talked back and forth for less than a minute when she had climbed into the back seat. Gently cupping the young woman’s head with her hands, she placed it on her now sitting lap.
When dad and I climbed into the cab, I could see the young lady’s guardian softly stroking her sleeping patient’s hair.
“Where do we need to go to find this doctor of yours?” I asked as I started up the truck and turned down the driveway.
“He’s the second house on the right once you cross the bridge over agency creek.” He said, as he pulled his tired old hat over his eyes. “Wake me up when we get to the bridge.”
The drive to the reservation wasn’t far. Thankfully, we didn’t pass anyone on the road nor did we see anyone outside of any of the few house passed.
“Wake up, we’re here,” I said as I pulled into a short driveway. A shabby little house with a small shop covered in rusty red steel panels. Cars in various states of decay lay about the overgrown yard.
“This is the place.” He proclaimed as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. From the now open front door, an old man puffing on a cigar stepped out. Slowly walking towards the now still pickup, he looked my father up and down when he exited the vehicle.
“Joe, since it’s not prime rib night at the v.f.w hall, you must be here for something else, and I’m guessing it has to do with those purple people you found out in the brush.”
Both dad and I looked dumbfounded as we stared at the old man.
“Mark, how the hell did you know about that?” Dad asked with confusing shock still on his face.
“Well Joe, besides the fact that I can see a purple woman sitting in the back seat… some kids from around here found a couple of purple guys in a dried up wash a few months ago. They were at death’s door when an elder brought them in.”
The realization that others had been abandoned here shocked me, and I asked, “Where are they now?”
“They’re both dead. One had a heart failure, probably because of the chest trauma he suffered. And Pic, he had a pretty severe blood infection that I couldn’t figure out until it was too late.” Looking down with sadness, he continued. “Poor bastard, I thought he was going to be fine, and then, just like that, he was past the point of no return.”
“Why didn’t you guys take him to the hospital here on the res?” Dad asked, with concern for his friend evident in his expression.
“That damn thing is crawling with informants, always looking for cartel traffickers coming through or people trying to hide from warrants. We decided, like you guys did, that it’s safer to try to fix them up ourselves.”
“We?” I inquired.
“Me, the elders that brought those guys in and the family that found them. None of that matters right now. Pull around the back of the shop and unload who ever you have. The back door is open.” And with that, he turned and walked back into the house.
Firing the truck back up, I nosed my way to the backside of the rusted building. I aligned the trailer with the back door of the building and parked as tightly as possible to avoid being seen from the road.
We had gotten the three invalids into the shop and laying on ancient hospital beds. When mark walked into his emergency room. Walking past us, he continued until he came to an old refrigerator. I could see over his diminished frame a collection of medicines, pills, and beer cans. He rummaged through the collection until he found what he was looking for. A bottle of cattle antibiotics in one hand and a long neck in the other. He had almost downed half the bottle before he finished his short stroll to where we all were standing.
He looked at our female companion that was standing next to us and was still stroking the younger woman’s hair.. Looking at her; he spoke and she immediately stopped. Looking up, she couldn’t contain her emotions. Breaking down into tears, she started to speak. It was all gibberish to me, but there was real raw emotion behind her words.
“Ok, what the shit, mark?” Dad stammered as his jaw almost hit the floor.
“Jic taught me some of their language before he died. It’s pretty rough, but I asked if she was her daughter.”
“Her daughter?” I interpreted with shock.
“Yes, her daughter the Yaire, that’s their name for their species or people, tribe, hell I don’t know it’s what they call themselves. They only crew vessels with people that are related or are from the same community. They will change it up if they’re fighting men, like soldiers or marines.” He continued
Still surprised that our doctor could actually speak to his patients, I inquired. “What did she say?”
“Well, she’s the girl’s aunt, and something about a prison planet. That’s all I could understand. Look, I need to get some fluids in these guys. If I can keep the secondary infections away, these guys will probably make it. Go home, but the lady will need to help me.”
“Alright, but we need her to give some sort of update so the others don’t think we killed her.”
“Holy shit, how many did you find?” Mark questioned.
“Ten that were only bruised, these three and two others that had already passed.” I replied
“Where are the bodies?” He asked again in a somber tone.
“There in the bed of the truck, we wrapped them up in a couple of blankets and brought them off the mountain.” I responded in a saddened voice.
“Ok. Unload them in the woodshed next to the house, I will deal with barring them.”
Dad interrupted him. “I’ll stay and do it.” “Fine, just unload them and come back in here.”
We followed the instructions and as we walked through the door, the old man threw a small voice recorder at me. Here, Lucci recorded a brief message for the rest of her people.
“Lucci?” I inquired.
That’s her name, or as close as I can get. Her niece is Loccia, the other woman is Willa, and the guy is Hector. Now you need to go.”
Looking to Lucci, she was now holding an IV of clear fluid that was feeding straight into Loccia’s arm. This was clearly the place were she needed to be.
“Ok, I’ll stop in tomorrow to see how everyone is doing.” I said, as I walked through the rear door. With a sudden slam of the swinging door, I was, for the first time today, along.
This story was brought to you in large part due to u/Fit-Capital1536. A big thank you for the collaboration and story ideas
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[Hopefully a week and a half is enough to let everyone catch up, so I can talk about all the episodes here without spoiling them for anyone]
The third and final edit of this show, and I’m sad to see it end. Like the others, I’ve grouped the season’s episodes by what feel like the most appropriate story arcs, and made two versions of each to accommodate the individual season’s alternate logo – as I like to differentiate, like my work with ‘The Mandalorian’.

There are a few surprises in this season though, I’ve found opportunities to link the three seasons together through flashbacks from archive footage that I’ve created to tether the show together as a whole. Like other flashbacks/flashforwards I’ve put in other projects, I’ve made the anachronism as visually distinct as possible from the rest of the story there, with having zero colour saturation and a vignette filter.
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For clarification: the arcs numbers here are based on, and following on from, the edits of the first 2 seasons I’ve done– 7 from Season 1, and 9 from Season 2 with the arcs themselves and the standalone episodes I added the alternate logo to. Those episodes came with the “[V2]” label of course, as will be the case here too for the same reasons.

The colour of the alternate logo this time around is more off-white – but more like a very light gold colour, since just the off-white was a little too close to the original grey to be actually visually distinct, especially from across the room.
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Arc 17: “A Fresh Start”. Episodes 1 “Confined”, 2 “Paths Unknown” and 3 “Shadows of Tantiss” all grouped together. They were all released together and worked perfectly well together (probably by design), so having them as the first arc was very easy and made a lot of sense.
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The name has a few valid references in the 3 episodes: Omega adjusting to Tantiss, what Project Necromancer could mean if it’s ever successful, Hunter and Wrecker’s search, the Clone Cadets they rescued from the jungle planet Setron – and Crosshair and Omega’s escape & what it could spell for them going forward.
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Finally, in the second episode, when H+W are walking through the jungle with the cadets they’ve found, there’s a small flashback all the way back to the end of Season 1, which I think works well and ties things together in a good way.
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Arc 18: “Cross-Purposes” – episodes 4 “A Different Approach” and 5 “The Return”.
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I slightly changed the chain of events in episode 4 to, I think, improve the story somewhat. A fair bit of episode 4 feels like it’s bulked out by people going out of their way to be self-centred assholes and – I don’t know if it’s just lingering frustration from Season 2 with all the Cid missions that always yielded no results – but can the good guys just win UNconditionally for once??
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Now, after Omega wins the money gambling, Imperial Captain Mann doesn’t fleece them, undoing their progress – he just gets the transmission about the shuttle crash and leaves to investigate immediately. Secondly, when the duo discover Batcher’s been kidnapped, the street urchin now tries to bribe the information out of them, but Crosshair intimidates him and he immediately relents, telling them where the Imperials went. I think ideally, I would cut the kidnapping out if I could because the captain’s just being an annoying sore loser and it bloats and segues the plot when the duo already have a shuttle they can bribe themselves onto. But that doesn’t match the vessel they eventually steal and escape with, and the background doesn’t match the commercial shuttle depot, so I can’t “invent” a firefight there instead and kind of must keep the kidnapping and such for consistency reasons.
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Later, on Barton IV, there are 3 very brief flashbacks to the episode “The Outpost”. This is very much deliberate because this is a site of a major event in Crosshair’s arc in the last season, it makes sense that when he returns there, it would be stuck heavily in his head every second he’s there – hopefully this conveys that effectively.
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It does feel like the first 4 episodes work well as one giant story instead, but that comes to 1 hour 40+, even with the last episode slightly shortened somewhat. This feels very long – especially with the show already having 1 “mega-arc” already with the first 3 episodes of Season 1. So having this duo instead feels like it works better as a more Crosshair-themed story – as with the name: “Cross-purposes”.
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To be specific, “Cross-purposes” is an expression where 2 or more people are at odds and have different goals/methods concerning the same thing. This feels very apt for CROSShair and Omega having to work together after their shuttle crash, and Crosshair with the squad on Barton IV learning to work together again and getting to the bottom of things between Crosshair and The Empire. In the latter episode, there are some flashbacks to the previous season – they’re very short, but hopefully with the way I’ve crafted them, they each have a big impact in making the shot/scene deeper.
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Arc 19 is split into two versions: a four-episode story from episodes 6-9, and two self-contained two-parters, because I find the four episodes actually work very well in both formats. As usual, you download and view whichever you agree with the most and works well with the rest of your collection. Also, just having the former could apply here if you like the latter half, but disagree with the choice to muddy the waters with how the ‘Dark Disciple’ novel left things on the Ventress front, so excising the latter half works better for you.
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The four episode arc: “All That Counts” is all of E6 “Infiltration”, E7 “Extraction”, E8 “Bad Territory” and E9 “The Harbinger” as one long sequence. There’s a brief flashback to Season 2 when ‘M-Count Targets’ are being discussed with Phee from Pabu, and that’s where the connection across all 4 episodes comes from, as it’s a consistent thread through them all.
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The name “All That Counts” is a play on the M-Count aspect of course, but it also as other meanings it can apply to in the four episodes. The Clone Assassin has to silence his own brother for silence’s sake and recover Omega for Hemlock – that’s all that counts, no matter the setback or the injuries. Wolffe has a clear change of heart when he meets Rex again, hears his story, and the reality of his orders sinks in: hunting a child – being loyal to his brothers, doing the right thing, and letting the target go as a show of both is all that counts, no matter the consequences. When Hunter and Wrecker meet Fennec Shand again after Pantora, the past doesn’t matter, only the present and them needing each other’s help does: the mutual benefit, especially for Omega’s sake, is all that counts. Lastly, when Ventress appears on Pabu, there’s a lot of distrust for obvious reasons, but the squad need answers and help and she’s the only one who can give it to them – all that counts is that they trust her and let her do what she needs to do.
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The first two-parter: 19a – “Teths of Patience” is just E6 “Infiltration” and E7 “Extraction” back to back, no flashbacks. The name is another play on words, because in these two episodes we see a few characters going through TESTS of patience of one kind or another at the old ruined B’Omarr Monk Monastery. Mostly the members of Rex’s Clone Underground trusting Crosshair in their presence, and the Clone Assassin trying to complete his objective despite some setbacks and injuries.
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The second two-parter: 19b – “New Allies and New Information” is just E8 “Bad Territory” in Space-Florida, and E9 “The Harbinger” with Ventress back to back, containing a short flashback in the former. The name ties into the first two-part story featuring Fennec back in season 1 “More Enemies and More Opportunities” as a kind of deliberate mirror. The allies (even just situationally) and information are both pretty self-evident with Fennec & Ventress, and everything they need to learn about this ‘M-Count’ phenomenon that’s presented itself.
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For the remaining episodes of the season: numbers 10-15 essentially create one long unbroken chain of events where each episode leads very comfortably right into the next. But this obviously creates one giant story that has a very dragging runtime of at least 2h40m, which is a huge story for a series which was made for TV and not film, and was designed to fit into ~22 minute chunks from the start.

To this end, I broke things up into smaller stories – à la The ‘Liberation of Lothal’ in my “Rebels” edit – to make the home stretch of the season, and show, much more easily digestible.
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Arc 20 begins with E10 “Identity Crisis” and goes right into E11 “Point of No Return”, and continues with E12 “Juggernaut”, before finishing with E13 “Into the Breach”.
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Conveniently, I’ve found the episode title ‘Into The Breach’ actually works very well for the entire arc for one reason or another. First, we see the moral ground Emerie finds herself on with the subjects that arrive at Tantiss, and the fact that they’re just children. Secondly, there’s the TK’s mobilising and disembarking on Pabu and the subsequent fighting and recapture of Omega after that small battle. Third, there’s a stealth-op with The Squad and Phee going to a secure Imperial world to recover a former Imperial asset, with very few options left on either side at that point. Finally, there’s going to Coruscant at the heart of The Empire to get Wayland’s co-ordinates.
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As stated above, episode 10 onwards is just 1 giant chain that runs unbroken, so having a self-contained Tantiss trilogy right at the end to keep everything very grounded and straightforward was good, and these 4 episodes before fill the gap well by proxy, so it all works out well.
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Arc 21: “Ground Zero”. The last of the show, consisting of E14 “Flash Strike” and the double-length E15 “The Cavalry Has Arrived”. It’s named as such because it’s the last trilogy’s worth of episodes self-contained to Tantiss itself and the last mission, which I think is a very fitting name.
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There’s only 1 version of this arc, since the all-grey logo from the finale, to reflect the paint-blasted armour they adorn themselves with from E13 onwards, looked great and felt greatly relevant to include. Including this for the final arc felt like a no-brainer.
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This arc does include the epilogue attached to the end this time. This is because it doesn’t contradict anything that chronologically comes afterwards in animation terms, as far as I know at least. The Rebellion pretty much began as soon as Saw Gerrera disagreed with The Empire on the very day of its founding, which we saw in the very first episode of TBB, which obviously precedes Rebels and Andor by a way, so there’s plenty of wiggle room for where the epilogue can fit in the timeline with everything else.
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Footnote: I’m merely a self-taught or VFX artist here, so some areas are visibly *mostly* good as I have to be realistic with the footage in front of me and what I can do with it. If you do have any particular notes and feedback, feel free to give me your thoughts, but please be constructive and don't be an ass about it.

In the beginning a lot was trash and heavy spawns were so out of control that the railgun was the only option. At first I felt like the railgun nerf along with the other weapon buffs was okay, but then I slowly saw the trend. It's getting to a point where it's undeniable that something is wrong. I'm listing some complaints here to vent. Please feel free to list yours or go off of any of mine or other's gripes.

• EAT should one shot anything minus a factory strider, it's made for cracking tanks. Let us feel powerful.
• Recoiless should take 1 to 2 shots for heavies at most. I think it does this, not sure because the reload animation is so dang long and I stopped using it!
• Railgun needs to come back to pre-nerf strength. Reward good aiming.
• Revert the quasar nerf.
• Fix the heavy machinegun.
• Can some orbital and eagle strategems get some love. Gas, smoke, and some others feel, underwhelming. Why is the 500kg so underwhelming, fix the damage arc, just make it a slightly smaller hellbomb.
• One shoting the strider with AC was FUN. Why did you change that?!?!
• Fix bot drops on those rescue missions! It's not fun or playable, and it forces you to run all the AT you can with all the heavies that spawn.
• The guard dog is trash, give it a higher damage weapon if you're gonna limit ammo.
• Stop giving us trash primaries in warbonds. I don't want more primaries at this rate, just give us cosmetics and attachments.
• To go off the last point, whoever is balancing the weapons has NO clue how calibers work. We have smgs outperforming assault rifles in all facets. Wth?! I got to shoot a lot courtesy of Uncle Sam and the balance here just irks me! The devs need to go to a range for a day for goodness sakes.
• Stop giving magazine nerfs! You can carry a backpack full of heavy AC rounds or recoiless rounds, but oh no, can't carry more than a few mags for my primary! Standard issue is 7 mags! Make it 10 for every primary that isn't uber because fun! Why can't I carry 7 sickle mags?! Are they too expensive? Who am I hurting?!
• Let us see complex weapon stats and modifiers! Why hide it, who does that?!
• Just give us armor bonuses locked to different classes of armor that we can swap out. Some can have special permutations sure, like functional cleats on winter armor!
• The mech GARBAGE. I should feel like an unkillable machine! Small arms bounce off some enemies, why not my mech? Is it made out of paper mache?
• My BIGGEST gripe of all, and what I think is fundamentally wrong with this game, is that we can't kill everything with all primaries or support weapons "reliably." I shouldn't have to wait for my strategems to cool down to be able to kill a heavy that's chasing me. Look at DRG; any weapon can kill any enemy, some are just more efficient at killing certain ones. There is no reason for it from a FUN gameplay perspective.

You can have weapons that excel at crowd control or cracking armor sure, but any weapon should still be able to do the job, albeit slower or with hitting the OBVIOUS weakspots that are, wait.... actually not weakspots?! I find myself constantly taking anti-armor in haz 7, because if I don't, I'll have no way to counter the heavies. Heaven forbid I try to play haz 7 or above alone. Bile titan, 2 chargers, tons of swarmers. And on bots, again, the civilain rescue missions... It's just not fun, it's tedious and I have to keep running. The weapons suck and the enemy spawns are out of control for single player, not that I play solo often.
Make obvious weakspots, actually weakspots. I should be able to mag dump a charger or bile titan in the belly with 2 or 3 mags of my liberator or any primary and kill it. THAT WOULD BE FUN, and dare I say, realistic at the same time?! It looks soft and squishy right? Let me kill it and have fun! There's a fine line between fun and realism though, especially with ficional space bugs, but in fictional Starship troopers he does crack the armor off an armored bug. Heck it could even be 5 mags, just let it be killable within reason! Bots get this more right than the bugs thankfully.
I can now fathom what people were so upset about in the beginning when they said no nerfs, just buffs. Stop making sidegrades and just make all the weapons fun! Sidegrades only work when you have a few weapons to choose from. You should be able to pick any 4 strategems and any primary, and do at least okay. If you want to min max for the mission type and enemy, go for it. If you want to specialize in a role, go for it. If you just wanna use what you think is fun, go for it. They would all be viable!! I feel like the devs are losing their minds with their decisions and I just don't want to see the game fall off because it becomes bloated and unfun.
Thanks for listening, no one may even read this, idk, just stopping in for my rare reddit browsing and decided to vent. Don't have to agree with everything, my feelings won't be hurt, just want a fun game that lasts. Anyways, off to play some more with the weapons that are fun since the game is still a banger. At the end of the day it's just a video game I play 4 or 5 hours a week, real life is more important than stressing over a video game!
Edit: Forgot a y in they.