Can lack of sleep cause low wbc
Community for Better Sleep
2008.12.15 22:17 Community for Better Sleep
Good sleep is essential for our health and happiness. Find and strengthen your best habits and help others improve theirs.
2009.01.25 19:10 Sleep Apnea
2010.02.10 04:36 LittleOldMe Narcolepsy
The online community for those who either have Narcolepsy or Idiopathic Hypersomnia or have a family member with one of these diagnoses. We are not here to diagnose or confirm your self-diagnosis. We have a wiki section about Narcolepsy which may help those who suspect they suffer from a sleep disorder such as Narcolepsy but we are not a substitute for seeing a doctor.
2024.05.15 01:50 BigFrasier An Indie Fighter Concept
Hey all,
I've been experimenting with trying to develop my own fighting game as fun project to work on. I figured, that this community would be one worth running my ideas by seeing as I'm just one person and an all around mid level player myself. There are some big departures from fighting game conventionality in what I have so far, but I'd much rather create something that stands out and goes for mass pick up and play appeal rather than trying to reinvent the wheel.
Specifically, this game would eschew motion inputs, projectiles, jumping, and juggles in order to create a grounded close range game centered on quick reactions and reading the opponent on both offense and defense.
I know that probably sounds a bit ridiculous at first but hear me out.
The controls of the game would center on four main buttons and two stance buttons that alter the state of the character and function of the main buttons when held down. Rather than being named for the visual property of the attack (punch, kick, etc.), the four main buttons would be named according to their function, making it loud and clear what each one does in a mechanical context.
These would be Low, Mid, High, and Throw
Attack heights would function very similar to Tekken, with highs being duckable, mids needing to be blocked standing, and lows needing to be blocked crouching. Throws, as usual catching guarding opponents and being broken by a well times throw input from the opponent.
Beyond your individual normals, each character would have strings that can be entered as target combos by changing the heights of the attacks or holding forward, back, or down while inputting the next command in the string.
Additionally, guarding is handled by holding back or downback as necessary and movement consists of walking as well as forward and back dashes.
All pretty standard stuff, but the stance buttons are where things get interesting.
The first stance button enters the character into the "Focus Stance". In this state, the character will auto dodge incoming normals and throw attempts but will be unable to move while it is active. The four face buttons are replaced with new options:
These being, Low Parry, Mid Parry, High Parry, and Shove.
If the parry input is timed with the correct height as the attack comes in, the players will lock into a canned parry animation (ala Dead or Alive) and damage will be inflicted. Shove, is similar to Kings shove from Tekken. A quick throw that deals no damage but returns both players to a neutral position on success.
The other stance button puts the character into "Rush Stance". In this state, the character cannot block but gains access powerful moves with unique properties.
These being a Low Rush that generally dips under highs, an armored Mid Rush, a High Rush that jumps over low attacks, and a powerful Slam. A command grab that deals more damage than throw at the cost of a longer windup. Additionally, Rush attacks can break through Focus dodge but are still vulnerable to parry.
The intention of both of these stances is to take the tense, moment to moment gameplay of trying to mix your opponent and apply pressure and trying to scramble out from under pressure and make those aspects the center of the game. The goal would be to have both offense and defense feel tense as you could see the momentum of the round shift back and forth at a moments notice.
And that is what I've come up with so far. Of course this concept is limited by my own lack of knowledge and experience but that's where turning to others can help you improve and grow your ideas. Go ahead and let me know what you think and thank you so much for reading through if you did!
submitted by BigFrasier to Fighters [link] [comments]
I've been experimenting with trying to develop my own fighting game as fun project to work on. I figured, that this community would be one worth running my ideas by seeing as I'm just one person and an all around mid level player myself. There are some big departures from fighting game conventionality in what I have so far, but I'd much rather create something that stands out and goes for mass pick up and play appeal rather than trying to reinvent the wheel.
Specifically, this game would eschew motion inputs, projectiles, jumping, and juggles in order to create a grounded close range game centered on quick reactions and reading the opponent on both offense and defense.
I know that probably sounds a bit ridiculous at first but hear me out.
The controls of the game would center on four main buttons and two stance buttons that alter the state of the character and function of the main buttons when held down. Rather than being named for the visual property of the attack (punch, kick, etc.), the four main buttons would be named according to their function, making it loud and clear what each one does in a mechanical context.
These would be Low, Mid, High, and Throw
Attack heights would function very similar to Tekken, with highs being duckable, mids needing to be blocked standing, and lows needing to be blocked crouching. Throws, as usual catching guarding opponents and being broken by a well times throw input from the opponent.
Beyond your individual normals, each character would have strings that can be entered as target combos by changing the heights of the attacks or holding forward, back, or down while inputting the next command in the string.
Additionally, guarding is handled by holding back or downback as necessary and movement consists of walking as well as forward and back dashes.
All pretty standard stuff, but the stance buttons are where things get interesting.
The first stance button enters the character into the "Focus Stance". In this state, the character will auto dodge incoming normals and throw attempts but will be unable to move while it is active. The four face buttons are replaced with new options:
These being, Low Parry, Mid Parry, High Parry, and Shove.
If the parry input is timed with the correct height as the attack comes in, the players will lock into a canned parry animation (ala Dead or Alive) and damage will be inflicted. Shove, is similar to Kings shove from Tekken. A quick throw that deals no damage but returns both players to a neutral position on success.
The other stance button puts the character into "Rush Stance". In this state, the character cannot block but gains access powerful moves with unique properties.
These being a Low Rush that generally dips under highs, an armored Mid Rush, a High Rush that jumps over low attacks, and a powerful Slam. A command grab that deals more damage than throw at the cost of a longer windup. Additionally, Rush attacks can break through Focus dodge but are still vulnerable to parry.
The intention of both of these stances is to take the tense, moment to moment gameplay of trying to mix your opponent and apply pressure and trying to scramble out from under pressure and make those aspects the center of the game. The goal would be to have both offense and defense feel tense as you could see the momentum of the round shift back and forth at a moments notice.
And that is what I've come up with so far. Of course this concept is limited by my own lack of knowledge and experience but that's where turning to others can help you improve and grow your ideas. Go ahead and let me know what you think and thank you so much for reading through if you did!
2024.05.15 01:49 DragonYeet54 Looking for Funny Sleep-deprived Marinette fics
Pretty simple prompt. Marinette just hasn’t been able to get any god damn sleep due to being a superhero and/or dealing with Lila and the bullies in class. Marinette isn’t completely “there” and is very lucid when sleep deprived, and really lacks a filter.
…
Yeah, that’s the prompt. Of course, the fic should be funny - any fic where Marinette is so sleep deprived that she has a mental breakdown isn’t funny, it’s sad - and preferably where Marinette just lets loose by giving a physical or verbal beatdown to whoever did her wrong (Hawkmoth, Lila, etc) and really, really needs coffee.
This prompt is based on this story here and I was wondering if there are more stories like this. Complete stories only: can be long or one shots. Thanks!
submitted by DragonYeet54 to MiraculousFanfiction [link] [comments]
…
Yeah, that’s the prompt. Of course, the fic should be funny - any fic where Marinette is so sleep deprived that she has a mental breakdown isn’t funny, it’s sad - and preferably where Marinette just lets loose by giving a physical or verbal beatdown to whoever did her wrong (Hawkmoth, Lila, etc) and really, really needs coffee.
This prompt is based on this story here and I was wondering if there are more stories like this. Complete stories only: can be long or one shots. Thanks!
2024.05.15 01:47 Routine_Midnight4388 Woke up choking heart racing..
Hello everyone, I’ve never had allergies before and today I thivk is the first season they are effecting me. My nose is runny head is tight throat killing me. After work I took a nap was on my back and had a neck pillow, I woke up choking on what I thivk was post nasal drip? I shot up out of sleep coughing choking and heart racing. It scared me a little but wonder if this can be caused by allergies and laying on your back ?
submitted by Routine_Midnight4388 to Allergies [link] [comments]
2024.05.15 01:46 Advanced_Worker_5881 Basically a cry for help at this point.
I was exposed to pornography at 13, I am 19 now and it hasn't stopped. It's gotten worse and worse to the point where I feel like there's just no hope for me. On top of that I have a bunch of other problems with myself that I don't even know where to start if I wanted to try and improve myself, but I feel that this addiction I have may be a causing factor for a lot of my other issues. From an outside view I would say my life looks good, or at least fairly regular for a 19 year old. I have friends and I go to school, but when I'm around my friends I feel out of place or less then. I've always felt like the extra one just sitting in the back who seems to just be whoever the people around me are, I feel like I don't really know who I am and it kills me. I feel extremely lonely as well even though I have plenty of people around me, I don't think I deserve to feel this way but I do, Im not sure why. Going onto school, I am in college and basically have zero motivation to be there at all, I feel as though I've never been good at it. I'm not sure if it's not for me or if it's because I'm always mentally drained. I really don't know what my life would look like if I took better care of myself, I don't think it's something I really deserve right now. Everything I do from waking up in the morning to going to sleep at night is my decision so I feel too at fault to really be allowed to complain the way I am now. This is honestly the first time I've shared this much about myself, I do pretty well at playing it off like I'm the same as everyone else around me and that I'm not some disgusting addict or a kid who's struggling in school and has terrible grades or no self confidence. That's also one of my biggest issues, my confidence has been a key factor to a lot of my failure in life and I feel like there's no fixing it. It's given me troubles with school, socialization, finding relationships, etc. For the longest I've wanted a girlfriend, to be in a relationship but my confidence in myself tells me that that's something that I just cannot have. I find it hard even to accept compliments if anyone ever gives me any, it feel like my body at this point rejects any chance of positivity I have to give myself. Due to the porn, the way I look at women has felt effected, not too much to where I'm super awkward or anything, I think its just that Ive got so much instant pleasure from porn that I've had a warped perception on how things should be. Therefore I've always felt like I don't deserve any type of relationship until I could somehow fix myself. On top of that I don't even have enough confidence in myself to build up the courage to put myself out there anyway. I've had possible relationship endeavors in the past but I feel like I usually end up shooting myself in the foot before I can really get anywhere with anyone. Im 19 now and I don't want to be 30 still with no girlfriend or relationship experience. Im too lonely right now. These thoughts all run through my head daily and I'm not even sure where to start with myself. Ive come to the conclusion that the addiction is probably causing a majority of my problems but I can't seem to knock it, I never have. I feel like my life is at rock bottom and there's almost no point to even trying because it never works. Don't get me wrong there's a million things in life that I would love to and I would love to be able to look back at this one day and laugh at myself but if It hasn't happened in six years I don't know how I ever see myself suddenly flipping a switch, although I want to so bad.
submitted by Advanced_Worker_5881 to PornAddiction [link] [comments]
2024.05.15 01:46 CoDAWUAV Possessed 1988 Yamaha FZR400, a modified engine with a mind of its own
Just a few words to start off with: this will be a pretty long post since I want to be up front with as much detail as possible to avoid vagueness, but I'll try and break it into sections, and put a quick TL;DR at the end, as well as my best guesses for what's going on. I'll also state now that I'm originally a car guy that's worked solely on newer, fuel-injected car engines, so this whole experience of working on an old carbureted motorcycle has presented a lot of new things to me. My apologies if I get anything wrong here or have proceeded with anything under an incorrect assumption. Anyway, a major thank you to anyone that reads this!
- - - - - - Context - - - - - -
In the past month, I took on a restoration and road-legal-ification of my dad's old '88 FZR400 he raced back in the 90s. During its heyday, my dad had done some mods to the engine, of which I can't really remember exactly what off the top of my head; they had at least included intake or exhaust porting, though, and maybe a stroke or bore (? again not sure). Needless to say, upon dyno tuning it back then, it apparently made around the stock brake horsepower, but at the wheel.
After my dad retired due to injuries, picking up car racing, and starting a family, the bike sat for many years, until he fixed it up a bit to be sold in the early 2010s. However, after he found no takers due to many other things going on for us as a family at the time, he eventually let it sit for the past decade. Unfortunately, he didn't run it dry before letting it sit, which according to him, was likely because he assumed he'd continue trying to sell it, so I've spent most of the past 30 days un-gunking the carbs and fuel tank of degraded ethanol and whatnot.
While I can say I've made fairly consistent progress, I've continually hit roadblocks with it, from starting one day to dying off idle the next and such. But, just the other day, I had a massive breakthrough where I got it to start, idle, hit redline, and ride around the lawn up to 2nd gear. Later that same day, though, it began to refuse to idle and consistently died a short few seconds after every start.
- - - - - - A/F Fiddling - - - - - -
I've been a bit confused with the powertrain on this thing since it's seemingly sentient and has a vengeance, as whenever I get it to do something I want it to do, it quickly protests by doing something else undesirable, or even the opposite of what's expected. For example, after cleaning the carbs four times (I'll get to those in a bit), I eventually deduced that the hesitation and sensitivity to rev off idle, as well as its behavior on closed throttle (rev drops) could be due to an A/F mixture issue; so, I messed around with the air screws on each carb:
At this point, I'm just kind of confused since the various things I've tried have seemed to have no impact or positive change most times, and when I do end up doing something right, it seemingly makes the bike run for a totally different reason or behave in an unintuitive manner. To close, I'll just list some of the things I've tried in an effort to make it work properly.
- - - - - - Carb related changes - - - - - -
Restoration of an old '88 FZR400 set up for track racing that sat with gas in it for a decade or more, but I've run into weird and inconsistent engine behavior surrounding what I believe to be fueling. Sometimes it'll start, sometimes it won't, I've taken it for a ride on the lawn, but it stopped starting later that same day.
Here are some of my thoughts/guesses as to what could be going on:
submitted by CoDAWUAV to Fixxit [link] [comments]
- - - - - - Context - - - - - -
In the past month, I took on a restoration and road-legal-ification of my dad's old '88 FZR400 he raced back in the 90s. During its heyday, my dad had done some mods to the engine, of which I can't really remember exactly what off the top of my head; they had at least included intake or exhaust porting, though, and maybe a stroke or bore (? again not sure). Needless to say, upon dyno tuning it back then, it apparently made around the stock brake horsepower, but at the wheel.
After my dad retired due to injuries, picking up car racing, and starting a family, the bike sat for many years, until he fixed it up a bit to be sold in the early 2010s. However, after he found no takers due to many other things going on for us as a family at the time, he eventually let it sit for the past decade. Unfortunately, he didn't run it dry before letting it sit, which according to him, was likely because he assumed he'd continue trying to sell it, so I've spent most of the past 30 days un-gunking the carbs and fuel tank of degraded ethanol and whatnot.
While I can say I've made fairly consistent progress, I've continually hit roadblocks with it, from starting one day to dying off idle the next and such. But, just the other day, I had a massive breakthrough where I got it to start, idle, hit redline, and ride around the lawn up to 2nd gear. Later that same day, though, it began to refuse to idle and consistently died a short few seconds after every start.
- - - - - - A/F Fiddling - - - - - -
I've been a bit confused with the powertrain on this thing since it's seemingly sentient and has a vengeance, as whenever I get it to do something I want it to do, it quickly protests by doing something else undesirable, or even the opposite of what's expected. For example, after cleaning the carbs four times (I'll get to those in a bit), I eventually deduced that the hesitation and sensitivity to rev off idle, as well as its behavior on closed throttle (rev drops) could be due to an A/F mixture issue; so, I messed around with the air screws on each carb:
- This is where I became even more confused, though, as the stock (or at least how it was when I received it) 2-turn setting was acting very lean (hanging revs, hesitation to rev, overheated really easily).
- Tightening the screws to make a richer mixture seemed to have no effect, even making it act as if it was leaner (revs hanging even more, refuses to start or idle at times).
- Backing out the screws to around 2.5 turns out, however, seemed to not even really change the behavior from the "rich" screw setting.
- Going back to the original 2-turn setting, the bike began to run great and is the setting that allowed me to take it for a ride on the lawn. Thus, I deduced that despite a cleaning and visual inspection, maybe the screws were just holding some gunk or something in the perfect, hidden place.
At this point, I'm just kind of confused since the various things I've tried have seemed to have no impact or positive change most times, and when I do end up doing something right, it seemingly makes the bike run for a totally different reason or behave in an unintuitive manner. To close, I'll just list some of the things I've tried in an effort to make it work properly.
- - - - - - Carb related changes - - - - - -
- 1st carb cleaning (at this point I didn't fully understand how carbs worked, so understandably the bike didn't run after this): bowl de-gunking and cleaning, also changed out the totally blocked 88 main jets for some 87.5s that were lying around.
- 2nd carb cleaning: full passageway cleaning of both air and fuel sides, as well as diaphragm and needle cleaning. Bike started after this, albeit not very easily, but didn't really run.
- 3rd carb cleaning: essentially a full carb rebuild to totally eliminate the possibility of blocked passageways (still, not 100% sure it's totally perfect, but it was good enough to get it to run, idle, and rev nearly properly for a bit).
- 4th carb opening: changed the 87.5 mains back to the 88s after a good cleaning in an aim to sort out the lean behavior. The day after this is when I was able to get it out on the lawn.
- Messing around with the idle position screw, I've been able to keep it at the right idle speed on certain days, but it feels very inconsistent and like I have to keep changing it every other time I start the bike.
- Changed out the spark plugs that were in the bike (can't remember the brand/model off the top of my head, but they're not NGKs) for what I believe to be the stock plugs that came with the bike when new, the NGKs (CR8E according to the manual).
- As a sidenote, the electrodes are noticeably smaller in design than the ones that my dad was running, but seemed a little less roughed-up, so I'm not sure if that's contributed to any of the issues or not. I don't think it would, since they're listed as the stock plugs, but due to the engine modifications, I can't say for sure.
- I've tried running the bike with and without the airbox/filter while changing other variables, and haven't really noticed any differences; I will note that the lawn test included the airbox/filter.
- Plugging, routing to airbox, or letting the transfer case vent to atmosphere hasn't seemed to do anything. Not totally sure what other vacuum leaks people online could be referring to since the carbs sit directly on top of the engine block and have no tubing in or out of them, and the diaphragms are in great shape, able to hold vacuum on their own.
- I fit the radiator fan back on the radiator so I could run the bike without a fan or having to let it cool intermittently. Funny enough, I'm pretty sure this is when the bike started to refuse to start, but I'm not sure why. The load on everything shouldn't be that high nor even present when it's off, and the only things I touched were a single tube and clamp on one side of the radiator to access its back for the fan.
- I've kept the like-OEM lead-acid battery topped up the whole time, as well as letting the bike idle for a while sometimes to keep it charged on its own.
Restoration of an old '88 FZR400 set up for track racing that sat with gas in it for a decade or more, but I've run into weird and inconsistent engine behavior surrounding what I believe to be fueling. Sometimes it'll start, sometimes it won't, I've taken it for a ride on the lawn, but it stopped starting later that same day.
Here are some of my thoughts/guesses as to what could be going on:
- I suck at cleaning carburetor passageways: the possibility of me taking apart a carb four times and still missing certain things is very real, since it's the first carb I've ever touched. But, from the various successes I've had with it, I can't see why it would somehow randomly get much worse out of nowhere.
- Imperfect jet needles: I only used some fine steel wool on the needles in my 2nd carb cleaning in order to not damage or scratch them up too bad. Because of this, they're still, ever so slightly (seriously, barely noticeable), sticky when fully seated. My hope was that they'd polish themselves up as time went on and since a lot of my problems are idle related, I don't think this is the main issue, but could be doing something undesirable, not sure.
- Bad-good fuel: I've been using 87 octane in the tank for all my testing purposes up until the lawn test day, where after I noticed the bike starting to want to not start, I went and got some 93 in my can simply because I felt like it. Still refuses to start. I doubt this is the issue, since why would a higher octane perform worse in any situation? However, this makes me think that maybe the fuel filter has just coincidentally gave up at the worst time.
- Bad spark plugs: not sure this is really the cause, but just an option since I keep forgetting to buy brand new plugs. But, I have inspected and gapped both sets I have and they seem to be in order.
- Valves out of spec: I will be honest, I have intentionally avoided this since I really don't want this to be the problem, but I'm beginning to suspect that maybe the bikes rude awakening after a decade of sleep may have shocked some things out of whack.
- Vacuum leak: a lot of people online keep mentioning this on different forums for other bikes, but I can't see where there could actually be one on this specific bike. Still a possibility, though, I just can't see where it might show up.
- Desynched carbs: this is definitely something I will be doing just as a maintenance thing soon down the line, but perhaps the idle issues are mainly because of this. Don't know why it's sometimes pretty difficult to rev, though.
- Something I haven't thought of: I think there are probably a few things I've left out of here since I've just forgotten them at the current moment, so if any of you can offer any advice or thoughts, I'd greatly appreciate it! Thanks!
2024.05.15 01:44 consultybob How much orange flame is too much when wok cooking?
https://imgur.com/a/42V64ol
I have this wok burner that I bought off amazon that does a good job, but it’s definitely seen some better days. The inside ring part is a bit dirty and I feel like that might be contributing to the orange flames
If I crank it up to max, there’s little to no orange flames (without a wok on it that is.) if I turn it to medium or low, it’s about….20% sporadic orange flames. And as you can see in the video, when the wok is on top there’s alot of orange.
I’ve heard humidity can cause orange flames, and as I’m in texas with fairly humid days, I can’t really avoid that. But anything else I can do to get a cleaner flame?
submitted by consultybob to Cooking [link] [comments]
I have this wok burner that I bought off amazon that does a good job, but it’s definitely seen some better days. The inside ring part is a bit dirty and I feel like that might be contributing to the orange flames
If I crank it up to max, there’s little to no orange flames (without a wok on it that is.) if I turn it to medium or low, it’s about….20% sporadic orange flames. And as you can see in the video, when the wok is on top there’s alot of orange.
I’ve heard humidity can cause orange flames, and as I’m in texas with fairly humid days, I can’t really avoid that. But anything else I can do to get a cleaner flame?
2024.05.15 01:43 scoodine Doing Well, Grieving Hard
 | Thanks to Reddit, I have been able to go from DKA to diagnosed and managed Type1 LADA since mid-march. I'm on the dexcom/omnipod closed loop system and have a great endocrinologist. I hope to be tackling my PCOS next and finding ways to mitigate the incredible amount of weight I've gained since starting insulin. These are my numbers, the last ten days of which were spent on my honeymoon in Disneyworld. submitted by scoodine to diabetes [link] [comments] I'm so grateful but I'm still grieving, hard. I see people who are having a much worse time than I am managing and I feel guilty for being depressed and sad knowing I'm part of the rare few who can afford the technology to accomplish long term care. On the flip side, I am afraid all the time of sleeping through nighttime lows and the unknown future cost of highs. I have other chronc conditions and mental health issues which compound all this and I'm just plain scared. Anyone else deal with the fear and depression, the irony of both survivor's guilt and a fear of not surviving? Thank you so much to all of you who gave me advice, and thank you for listening. I really appreciate each and every one of you. ❤️ |
2024.05.15 01:43 AmIJustBeingABaby I have to ealk on eggshells around my dad
So my parents finally had a divorce in 2020. I say "finally" because I saw it coming and honestly wanted them to. They have been fighting for years and other problems made me just want them to get a divorce because the tension was horrible.
They got a divorce because my dad fucked up, but my mom was the one to move out. For years now my mom has told me that if they ever got a divorce she would take me and my brother and we would live happily alone. But because she already found a new partner while the divorce was still in motion, me and my brother did not want to go live with her because she promised it would only be the three of us. It's childish, I know, but me and my brother have been through a lot.
So me and my brother live with my dad now and it's fucking awful. Even though my dad messed everything up he pretends to be the victim. He acts like we have to pity him. He has always had an alcohol problem but ever since the divorce it got worse. He would always say "your mother did this to me". My dad stopped receiving a bonus at work because he's been slacking off and we spiraled down a financial disaster. He actually quit his job a month ago, making me even more worried about our financial situation.
My mom has always done the cooking and cleaning around the house so when she left I had to take over. I taught myself how to do the laundry and I had experience doing the dishes but never liked doing it because it's gross. My cooking was sometimes good but ive never made something disgusting. I always made sure my brother had clean clothes to wear to school and I would even spend the little money I had to buy something if we really needed it. Where I always spent my money for pleasure I now have to use it like an adult.
So, about my dad... Yeah he's acting like the victim but he also acts in charge, and I mean he felt like he was the boss of EVERYTHING. We had to ask permission for things that didn't need permission. We weren't allowed to do the dishes. He would tell us to leave the dishes because he said he would do it. And because we were scared of him, we listened. The dishes would just pile up for days and when I decide I'd had enough I would do the dishes, only to get yelled at afterwards. Other chores and activities would have the same outcome.
We weren't allowed to be sad. If we had a bad day at school and just wanted to stay in our room and be upset, he would for some reason always accuse my mom for being the reason for all sadness. If we had a disagreement about something he would always say "Why don't you go live with your mother!" "Why am I the bad guy?" It's exhausting.
My dad obviously has a smoking and drinking problem. My mom was strict about the smell of smoke in the house but after she left, my dad didn't care and would smoke indoors and his room was full of askes. A teacher even asked me one day if I was smoking because I came to school smelling like smoke. My dad could easily drink 1.5 litres of alcohol everyday. He would start drinking early in the morning untill he went to sleep so he's never sober. It made me and my brother not want to hang out with him, which made my dad mad.
My dad was emotionally abusive. He never physically hurt us, but his words has a huge impact on us. My dad is the cause of our trust issues, our paranoia, and our insecurities.
We are not allowed to make jokes. We are not allowed to have friends over. We are not allowed to go out with friends. We are not allowed to take part in school activities. We are not allowed to be children. We are not allowed to talk seriously with him. We are not allowed to have problems.
I hate my dad, and I'm sure he hates us as well.
I just finished highschool, so you might think I can finally start my own life, but no, I'm not allowed to leave. I'm not allowed to go to uni. I'm not allowed to get a driver's license.
I'm stuck here
submitted by AmIJustBeingABaby to lifesuckshuh [link] [comments]
They got a divorce because my dad fucked up, but my mom was the one to move out. For years now my mom has told me that if they ever got a divorce she would take me and my brother and we would live happily alone. But because she already found a new partner while the divorce was still in motion, me and my brother did not want to go live with her because she promised it would only be the three of us. It's childish, I know, but me and my brother have been through a lot.
So me and my brother live with my dad now and it's fucking awful. Even though my dad messed everything up he pretends to be the victim. He acts like we have to pity him. He has always had an alcohol problem but ever since the divorce it got worse. He would always say "your mother did this to me". My dad stopped receiving a bonus at work because he's been slacking off and we spiraled down a financial disaster. He actually quit his job a month ago, making me even more worried about our financial situation.
My mom has always done the cooking and cleaning around the house so when she left I had to take over. I taught myself how to do the laundry and I had experience doing the dishes but never liked doing it because it's gross. My cooking was sometimes good but ive never made something disgusting. I always made sure my brother had clean clothes to wear to school and I would even spend the little money I had to buy something if we really needed it. Where I always spent my money for pleasure I now have to use it like an adult.
So, about my dad... Yeah he's acting like the victim but he also acts in charge, and I mean he felt like he was the boss of EVERYTHING. We had to ask permission for things that didn't need permission. We weren't allowed to do the dishes. He would tell us to leave the dishes because he said he would do it. And because we were scared of him, we listened. The dishes would just pile up for days and when I decide I'd had enough I would do the dishes, only to get yelled at afterwards. Other chores and activities would have the same outcome.
We weren't allowed to be sad. If we had a bad day at school and just wanted to stay in our room and be upset, he would for some reason always accuse my mom for being the reason for all sadness. If we had a disagreement about something he would always say "Why don't you go live with your mother!" "Why am I the bad guy?" It's exhausting.
My dad obviously has a smoking and drinking problem. My mom was strict about the smell of smoke in the house but after she left, my dad didn't care and would smoke indoors and his room was full of askes. A teacher even asked me one day if I was smoking because I came to school smelling like smoke. My dad could easily drink 1.5 litres of alcohol everyday. He would start drinking early in the morning untill he went to sleep so he's never sober. It made me and my brother not want to hang out with him, which made my dad mad.
My dad was emotionally abusive. He never physically hurt us, but his words has a huge impact on us. My dad is the cause of our trust issues, our paranoia, and our insecurities.
We are not allowed to make jokes. We are not allowed to have friends over. We are not allowed to go out with friends. We are not allowed to take part in school activities. We are not allowed to be children. We are not allowed to talk seriously with him. We are not allowed to have problems.
I hate my dad, and I'm sure he hates us as well.
I just finished highschool, so you might think I can finally start my own life, but no, I'm not allowed to leave. I'm not allowed to go to uni. I'm not allowed to get a driver's license.
I'm stuck here
2024.05.15 01:41 consultybob How much orange flame is too much when wok cooking?
 | I have this wok burner that I bought off amazon that does a good job, but it’s definitely seen some better days. The inside ring part is a bit dirty and I feel like that might be contributing to the orange flames submitted by consultybob to wok [link] [comments] If I crank it up to max, there’s little to no orange flames (without a wok on it that is.) if I turn it to medium or low, it’s about….20% sporadic orange flames. And as you can see in the video, when the wok is on top there’s alot of orange. I’ve heard humidity can cause orange flames, and as I’m in texas with fairly humid days, I can’t really avoid that. But anything else I can do to get a cleaner flame? |
2024.05.15 01:40 Glittering-Giraffe58 just looking for someone to talk to. i dont know anyone else gay in real life but im in a shitty situation and am feeling pretty bad and just want to get it off my chest
let me just preface this by saying if you take the time to read this all and respond, thank you so much. i really appreciate it. sorry its so long
Ok so, to start off I think ive always had a sort of idealistic view regarding love and romance. i always wanted to meet some guy that i get super close to and then we start dating just because he happens to be gay or bi, the way straight people are able to find their partners. that to me feels like the actual way to find someone. ive tried dating apps and things before, but ive never gone past pure hookups/one night stands because i just hate the idea of seeking out a relationship so badly. it always has just felt wrong to me and i didnt like trying to make genuine connections over apps. and i honestly dont feel that strong of a desire to be in a relationship generally.
but i started to think that if i didnt want to be single for my entire life id have to suck it up and settle. i still couldnt bring myself to actually try on the apps though, but i thought my problems might have been solved when i met my current best friend. ive never been as close to anyone before as i am to him right now. we just vibe perfectly. were the exact same in the places where it matters but different in all the places that make the relationship exciting. we can talk forever about anything, and best of all, he's actually bi (although only out to me).
earlier this semester he pretty much singlehandedly saved me from a pretty dark place. i transferred to our current school, and as such it was much harder to make friends. i had people i talked to but it was mostly just acquaintances/drinking buddies. i was really lacking a serious friend group and it was starting to get to me. but he started dragging me to literally everything he went to, and basically forcefully adopted me into his group lol. and i genuinely love this friend group, i feel like i finally found my people. but that's not all im talking about when i say he saved me from a dark place. we met while pledging for a frat together, although i ended up dropping. someone else we were pledging with ended up finding out i was gay and developed some bizarre homophobic obsession with me that followed into second semester. my friend ended up dealing with him for me and even got him kicked out of a club he joined that we both were already in.
since then, he's done a lot of other things purely to take care of me/solve my problems. ive never had a friend like that before. ive gotten the chance to stand up for him now once which makes me happy i could repay some of what hes done but id like to be able to do more. regardless i think its helped make us even closer.
he started sleeping at my place a lot. we started meeting up before any event and showing up together. i started developing feelings. i didnt want a relationship generally, but i really wanted one with him. it was different. but i knew i had to make a move soon or he would get snatched up by some girl. just speaking bluntly, he's super hot and there was a grace period here since he had recently gotten out of a long term relationship.
one night i left a party early because i was feeling sick and he called and asked if he could just leave too and come watch a movie with me or something. i ended up saying no because i was really feeling shitty (i have some health issues that were acting up) but when i woke up the next morning i had 7 missed drunk calls from him. after this, i thought i genuinely had a chance, so i wanted to try to build up the courage to tell him how i felt.
the night i was going to, though, he told me something first. he told me this girl he was really good friends with confessed her feelings for him. now i was almost sure this girl had feelings for him (and he was too), but i wasnt worried. he had told me before he wasnt interested in her. but now, he still wasnt sure but was willing to "see where it went."
this was really painful but i wanted to be a good friend, so i just acted like everything was normal. they started "seeing where it goes" and now its all but official. but heres the thing; we've gotten way closer too since then. the three of us (me, him, and his girl) started hanging out all the time. me and the girl are actually good friends now, and we're pretty similar (she's even commented on this), which makes the situation even weirder. originally, he was inviting me to lots of things the two of them were originally planning on doing together, although thats kinda stopped now.
a few weeks ago he told me he was planning on ending his relationship with her before summer started as he wasnt ready for one yet. and that he was happy he was willing to do that as he felt like that was good character development for him. but despite that there was no question whether or not he liked her anymore. he didnt originally but he does now. theyve also had two close to relationship ending issues already but they managed to resolve both of them. for one of them, they decided to make it official and then undid it in under 24 hours.
but he changed his mind, he decided he wants to continue it with her. honestly, theyre a cute couple. people want them to succeed and i probably would too if i were in someone elses shoes. but, now he literally lives at my apartment. he started staying over every single night, i genuinely dont know the last time he slept at his place. hes asked me to cuddle and stuff like that. the other night though, i feel like i fumbled pretty bad. he passed out on my couch so i went to get a blanket for him. that woke him up and he told me to join him. this is a small couch, if i were to join him (which im not sure if its even possible), we would have to be basically on top of each other, fully spooning. i got too nervous and just said something along the lines of i didnt know how i didnt think there was enough space. i really regret this. the literal day after she hard launched him (on her private instagram but still), and he commented with a 😗 emoji.
were officially moving in together in about a month, but i wont see him until then. hes made comments about how this next month is gonna suck because he doesnt know what hes gonna do without coming to my apartment twice a day (even though hes literally gonna be on vacation lol). the girl is gone for the summer so theyll be long distance for the next 3 months. he has really bad experiences with a long distance relationship before though.
i think my plan as of right now is, i need to try to move on but im probably gonna see him in about a week and ill ask him then how its going with her. or if i dont get a chance then ill ask him sometime after we move in together in a month. if he says theyre official/hes wanting to make it official, ill ask him if hes 100% sure thats what he really wants and remind him about the things hes said to me earlier. because honestly, as a friend, if this relationship with her is gonna end badly i think its the last thing he needs. both of the issues theyve had are related to things shes done thats kind of brought up trauma from past relationships of his (during the issue they had where they changed their status back to "exclusive unofficial situationship" i guess is what you would call it he ended up telling her she was worse than his ex), so i think another bad experience would be super bad for him. especially with her as she was a close friend before.
i know i have to move on though. its just really hard. i dont know if im going to be able to. i might try to go back on apps but it just feels like settling even more now. i think the kind of romance i want is just impossible for a gay guy though. im in college, supposed to be one of if not the most progressive colleges in the world, and despite at this point having a lot of friends and acquaintances hes the only lgbt guy i know here. i even had a homophobic bully lol. oh well
submitted by Glittering-Giraffe58 to gaybros [link] [comments]
Ok so, to start off I think ive always had a sort of idealistic view regarding love and romance. i always wanted to meet some guy that i get super close to and then we start dating just because he happens to be gay or bi, the way straight people are able to find their partners. that to me feels like the actual way to find someone. ive tried dating apps and things before, but ive never gone past pure hookups/one night stands because i just hate the idea of seeking out a relationship so badly. it always has just felt wrong to me and i didnt like trying to make genuine connections over apps. and i honestly dont feel that strong of a desire to be in a relationship generally.
but i started to think that if i didnt want to be single for my entire life id have to suck it up and settle. i still couldnt bring myself to actually try on the apps though, but i thought my problems might have been solved when i met my current best friend. ive never been as close to anyone before as i am to him right now. we just vibe perfectly. were the exact same in the places where it matters but different in all the places that make the relationship exciting. we can talk forever about anything, and best of all, he's actually bi (although only out to me).
earlier this semester he pretty much singlehandedly saved me from a pretty dark place. i transferred to our current school, and as such it was much harder to make friends. i had people i talked to but it was mostly just acquaintances/drinking buddies. i was really lacking a serious friend group and it was starting to get to me. but he started dragging me to literally everything he went to, and basically forcefully adopted me into his group lol. and i genuinely love this friend group, i feel like i finally found my people. but that's not all im talking about when i say he saved me from a dark place. we met while pledging for a frat together, although i ended up dropping. someone else we were pledging with ended up finding out i was gay and developed some bizarre homophobic obsession with me that followed into second semester. my friend ended up dealing with him for me and even got him kicked out of a club he joined that we both were already in.
since then, he's done a lot of other things purely to take care of me/solve my problems. ive never had a friend like that before. ive gotten the chance to stand up for him now once which makes me happy i could repay some of what hes done but id like to be able to do more. regardless i think its helped make us even closer.
he started sleeping at my place a lot. we started meeting up before any event and showing up together. i started developing feelings. i didnt want a relationship generally, but i really wanted one with him. it was different. but i knew i had to make a move soon or he would get snatched up by some girl. just speaking bluntly, he's super hot and there was a grace period here since he had recently gotten out of a long term relationship.
one night i left a party early because i was feeling sick and he called and asked if he could just leave too and come watch a movie with me or something. i ended up saying no because i was really feeling shitty (i have some health issues that were acting up) but when i woke up the next morning i had 7 missed drunk calls from him. after this, i thought i genuinely had a chance, so i wanted to try to build up the courage to tell him how i felt.
the night i was going to, though, he told me something first. he told me this girl he was really good friends with confessed her feelings for him. now i was almost sure this girl had feelings for him (and he was too), but i wasnt worried. he had told me before he wasnt interested in her. but now, he still wasnt sure but was willing to "see where it went."
this was really painful but i wanted to be a good friend, so i just acted like everything was normal. they started "seeing where it goes" and now its all but official. but heres the thing; we've gotten way closer too since then. the three of us (me, him, and his girl) started hanging out all the time. me and the girl are actually good friends now, and we're pretty similar (she's even commented on this), which makes the situation even weirder. originally, he was inviting me to lots of things the two of them were originally planning on doing together, although thats kinda stopped now.
a few weeks ago he told me he was planning on ending his relationship with her before summer started as he wasnt ready for one yet. and that he was happy he was willing to do that as he felt like that was good character development for him. but despite that there was no question whether or not he liked her anymore. he didnt originally but he does now. theyve also had two close to relationship ending issues already but they managed to resolve both of them. for one of them, they decided to make it official and then undid it in under 24 hours.
but he changed his mind, he decided he wants to continue it with her. honestly, theyre a cute couple. people want them to succeed and i probably would too if i were in someone elses shoes. but, now he literally lives at my apartment. he started staying over every single night, i genuinely dont know the last time he slept at his place. hes asked me to cuddle and stuff like that. the other night though, i feel like i fumbled pretty bad. he passed out on my couch so i went to get a blanket for him. that woke him up and he told me to join him. this is a small couch, if i were to join him (which im not sure if its even possible), we would have to be basically on top of each other, fully spooning. i got too nervous and just said something along the lines of i didnt know how i didnt think there was enough space. i really regret this. the literal day after she hard launched him (on her private instagram but still), and he commented with a 😗 emoji.
were officially moving in together in about a month, but i wont see him until then. hes made comments about how this next month is gonna suck because he doesnt know what hes gonna do without coming to my apartment twice a day (even though hes literally gonna be on vacation lol). the girl is gone for the summer so theyll be long distance for the next 3 months. he has really bad experiences with a long distance relationship before though.
i think my plan as of right now is, i need to try to move on but im probably gonna see him in about a week and ill ask him then how its going with her. or if i dont get a chance then ill ask him sometime after we move in together in a month. if he says theyre official/hes wanting to make it official, ill ask him if hes 100% sure thats what he really wants and remind him about the things hes said to me earlier. because honestly, as a friend, if this relationship with her is gonna end badly i think its the last thing he needs. both of the issues theyve had are related to things shes done thats kind of brought up trauma from past relationships of his (during the issue they had where they changed their status back to "exclusive unofficial situationship" i guess is what you would call it he ended up telling her she was worse than his ex), so i think another bad experience would be super bad for him. especially with her as she was a close friend before.
i know i have to move on though. its just really hard. i dont know if im going to be able to. i might try to go back on apps but it just feels like settling even more now. i think the kind of romance i want is just impossible for a gay guy though. im in college, supposed to be one of if not the most progressive colleges in the world, and despite at this point having a lot of friends and acquaintances hes the only lgbt guy i know here. i even had a homophobic bully lol. oh well
2024.05.15 01:40 studying_to_succeed Guidance on Multi-Use Furniture Such As Though Not Limited To A Bed With Storage Under It For A Studio/1 Bedroom Apartment
I am planning on working away from my family home and I am looking at studio/1 bedroom apartments (based on price/availability). Given that I am conscious that the space in studio/1 bedroom apartments can be limited I am trying to think/learn about multi-use furniture. I looked into high loft bed (which would give quite a bit of space under it) however, their stairs tend to be thin metal rods and they tend to dig into my feet. Low loft beds tend to have quite a bit of space un-utilized unless they are exorbitantly expenisive such as this one from Pottery Barn called the BeadBoard Low Loft Bed for 2,399 dollars (full bed size) on sale now. However, my feet tend to stick out slightly on full size beds and the railing would make it a bit difficult for me to fit. I am looking for a compact bed option that allows me to have significant storage under it, as well as sleep on it/use it as a couch. And suggestions on this matter would be greatly appreciated as well as any other options people can recommend for storage/etc. that is multi-use.
I hope to have an apartment which will allow one small to medium sized dog. This means that I would not want furniture that can fall over and hurt a small animal. I have never rented an apartment therefore and guidance about what multi-use furniture would be useful for a studio/1 bedroom apartment would be much appreciated.
submitted by studying_to_succeed to ApartmentHacks [link] [comments]
I hope to have an apartment which will allow one small to medium sized dog. This means that I would not want furniture that can fall over and hurt a small animal. I have never rented an apartment therefore and guidance about what multi-use furniture would be useful for a studio/1 bedroom apartment would be much appreciated.
2024.05.15 01:37 dread-scott Kernel Power Event 41 Critical Error nearly daily on Thinkpad t480, overheating or something else?
Model: 20L50067US Windows 11 pro Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-8250U CPU Upgraded with 8x16gb RAM and 256x512gb second SSD
Hi all - I've started experiencing random shutdowns every day or so during normal use of my ~6 year old thinkpad. They seem to only occur when plugged in/on AC power at low to mid battery levels during normal use, with no BSOD or other indication of a problem before shutdown or after a restart.
I was having some bad performance issues a couple months back (unable to run zoom or use a second monitor without serious lag), so I decided to add an extra 16gb RAM. I also installed a 512gb second SSD, purchased a new 72wh external battery on ebay (likely non-genuine [note that this problem has happened a few times with the other battery too though]), replaced the fan which had started loudly screeching, and replaced my power block (lintyle 65w). One of the USBC ports broke around this time and I began charging with the USBC/Thunderbolt port. I was still having some performance issues so I began running the ultimate performance mode power setting as default. After all these changes things were going fine for about 2 months until these random shutdowns started about two weeks back, and have since been quite consistent.
I've looked into potential causes for this, and it seems like the power supply, overheating, bios, and switching from internal to external battery could all cause problems. I just upgraded to the latest bios & intel firmware/reset my bios but am still having issues. I ran Lenovo diagnostics tests, and it passed all the motherboard, processor, and fan tests; there was a warning under battery health but otherwise passed the battery tests. I installed core temp and looks like my the temps are in the 70-80C range normally but can go up to 95-97C even during pretty light use (I don't game or do much heavy editing, just lots of chrome tabs/zoom/occasional streaming). I've started logging now and a log of the last shutdown showed temps in the 95-97C range.
Curious what people's thoughts are, especially because the shutdowns only seem to occur when plugged in & with temps about the same as normal use. Overheating? An issue with the non-genuine battery? Motherboard issue? Power block crapping out? USB-C port? And what might some cheap solutions that maintain at least baseline performance be? Double heatpipe? Some sort of different powefan profile?
Thanks so much!
submitted by dread-scott to Lenovo [link] [comments]
Hi all - I've started experiencing random shutdowns every day or so during normal use of my ~6 year old thinkpad. They seem to only occur when plugged in/on AC power at low to mid battery levels during normal use, with no BSOD or other indication of a problem before shutdown or after a restart.
I was having some bad performance issues a couple months back (unable to run zoom or use a second monitor without serious lag), so I decided to add an extra 16gb RAM. I also installed a 512gb second SSD, purchased a new 72wh external battery on ebay (likely non-genuine [note that this problem has happened a few times with the other battery too though]), replaced the fan which had started loudly screeching, and replaced my power block (lintyle 65w). One of the USBC ports broke around this time and I began charging with the USBC/Thunderbolt port. I was still having some performance issues so I began running the ultimate performance mode power setting as default. After all these changes things were going fine for about 2 months until these random shutdowns started about two weeks back, and have since been quite consistent.
I've looked into potential causes for this, and it seems like the power supply, overheating, bios, and switching from internal to external battery could all cause problems. I just upgraded to the latest bios & intel firmware/reset my bios but am still having issues. I ran Lenovo diagnostics tests, and it passed all the motherboard, processor, and fan tests; there was a warning under battery health but otherwise passed the battery tests. I installed core temp and looks like my the temps are in the 70-80C range normally but can go up to 95-97C even during pretty light use (I don't game or do much heavy editing, just lots of chrome tabs/zoom/occasional streaming). I've started logging now and a log of the last shutdown showed temps in the 95-97C range.
Curious what people's thoughts are, especially because the shutdowns only seem to occur when plugged in & with temps about the same as normal use. Overheating? An issue with the non-genuine battery? Motherboard issue? Power block crapping out? USB-C port? And what might some cheap solutions that maintain at least baseline performance be? Double heatpipe? Some sort of different powefan profile?
Thanks so much!
2024.05.15 01:36 NoDistribution4367 I think my mom might have schizophrenia and I’m scared I might too
(I’m 29afab, my mom is 50+) So, I’ve realized I have delusions and I’m not really sure how to explain it. I definitely don’t see it in the moment but looking back months or years later I’ll say, “Damn. That was some nonsense.” I’ll remember how I was completely convinced that what I was obsessed with was real beyond a doubt, and how it wasn’t just a belief but like the most important thing to me. I’d get so obsessed it would take over everything in my life, a few times to the point of it ruining my life back then.
This happens a lot too, but I’ll think or know I did something, only to check why someone hasn’t responded and see I never sent the message. Or that I just never did what I thought I did. Also I do things I don’t remember doing, which is where the DID comes in. But sometimes, even if I remember doing it, there’s evidence that I didn’t. I was diagnosed with DID, OCD, CPTSD, and depression. I’m starting to think DID and depression might not be true. I only have bouts of real depression every so often now, and it’s almost always for a pretty solid reason, like when my brother died or when I broke up with the love of my life. But when it happens I’ll just go numb and stop functioning.
I’ve also had what someone described to me as “word salad,” where what I said or typed out was nonsense. When I looked back at the message I sent, I couldn’t figure out what I’d been trying to say, either. And for DID, sometimes I don’t switch for a long time and then I almost forget I have DID. But then I think, no. My alters definitely exist as souls living in my body. That’s real. But then someone said it sounds more like delusion than actual DID. But I don’t agree with modern psychology and how they drug us with poison. Most food and medicine are poison.
But onto my mother. She’s always been very religious but over the years has become scary religious. Like, “I’m sinless because I have no belly button,” “I can hear God’s voice, he gave me a spiritual gift,” “I can speak in tongues,” and the classic her saying she saw visions of angels. She also became badly addicted to prescription pain killers and started hallucinating. There was an incident in a restaurant a few years ago where she thought a bug was in her food and she “stabbed it” with her fork.
Then she lifted the fork and waved it around and yelled for the waiter in anger. It was pretty awful, she made a huge scene and couldn’t be calmed down. There was nothing on her fork. Another time she hallucinated worms crawling all over her floor and made me “clean them up.” Then she yelled at me for kneeling bc the worms would burrow into my knees. She thought she had parasites in her brain too. Sometimes she’s convinced that I did something bad, or meant something that I didn’t, like she sees interactions that aren’t there or interprets words/actions as attacks. She can’t be convinced she’s wrong, ever. Even with clear evidence.
So, all of that to say, I asked on my dad’s side of the family and apparently they have a lot of serious mental illness on that side too. And what I’m worried about is that I might be in the beginning stages of schizophrenia. I’ve hallucinated before, a few different times. I experienced severe child abuse for a good portion of my childhood, I had a psychotic episode after a Frankenstein of a psychiatrist put me on 6 different psych meds, I had childhood epilepsy, and I know I’ve had delusions. My current therapist is great, but she’s more of a spiritual/natural remedy type person. When I told her about the hallucinations or when we switch the body/dissociate, she almost always tells me it’s from lack of sleep.
TL;DR: My mom shows signs of schizophrenia and I worry I might be at the beginning stages. I just want to talk about it, really. I’m very isolated.
submitted by NoDistribution4367 to schizophrenia [link] [comments]
This happens a lot too, but I’ll think or know I did something, only to check why someone hasn’t responded and see I never sent the message. Or that I just never did what I thought I did. Also I do things I don’t remember doing, which is where the DID comes in. But sometimes, even if I remember doing it, there’s evidence that I didn’t. I was diagnosed with DID, OCD, CPTSD, and depression. I’m starting to think DID and depression might not be true. I only have bouts of real depression every so often now, and it’s almost always for a pretty solid reason, like when my brother died or when I broke up with the love of my life. But when it happens I’ll just go numb and stop functioning.
I’ve also had what someone described to me as “word salad,” where what I said or typed out was nonsense. When I looked back at the message I sent, I couldn’t figure out what I’d been trying to say, either. And for DID, sometimes I don’t switch for a long time and then I almost forget I have DID. But then I think, no. My alters definitely exist as souls living in my body. That’s real. But then someone said it sounds more like delusion than actual DID. But I don’t agree with modern psychology and how they drug us with poison. Most food and medicine are poison.
But onto my mother. She’s always been very religious but over the years has become scary religious. Like, “I’m sinless because I have no belly button,” “I can hear God’s voice, he gave me a spiritual gift,” “I can speak in tongues,” and the classic her saying she saw visions of angels. She also became badly addicted to prescription pain killers and started hallucinating. There was an incident in a restaurant a few years ago where she thought a bug was in her food and she “stabbed it” with her fork.
Then she lifted the fork and waved it around and yelled for the waiter in anger. It was pretty awful, she made a huge scene and couldn’t be calmed down. There was nothing on her fork. Another time she hallucinated worms crawling all over her floor and made me “clean them up.” Then she yelled at me for kneeling bc the worms would burrow into my knees. She thought she had parasites in her brain too. Sometimes she’s convinced that I did something bad, or meant something that I didn’t, like she sees interactions that aren’t there or interprets words/actions as attacks. She can’t be convinced she’s wrong, ever. Even with clear evidence.
So, all of that to say, I asked on my dad’s side of the family and apparently they have a lot of serious mental illness on that side too. And what I’m worried about is that I might be in the beginning stages of schizophrenia. I’ve hallucinated before, a few different times. I experienced severe child abuse for a good portion of my childhood, I had a psychotic episode after a Frankenstein of a psychiatrist put me on 6 different psych meds, I had childhood epilepsy, and I know I’ve had delusions. My current therapist is great, but she’s more of a spiritual/natural remedy type person. When I told her about the hallucinations or when we switch the body/dissociate, she almost always tells me it’s from lack of sleep.
TL;DR: My mom shows signs of schizophrenia and I worry I might be at the beginning stages. I just want to talk about it, really. I’m very isolated.
2024.05.15 01:34 DogSpark84 When there is a dip. Do not flip. When a whale unloads. I get a chode.
I replied to an individual the other day in regards to Cone distribution. I thought this might be helpful for others so I wanted to post in on the main page.
This week there was a post that mentioned "The top 250 holders collectively own 74.57%."
In response, one individual mentioned;
"Actually this is kinda bad. A few people can change the trajectory of the coin just by selling."
I responded with this long form reply, which I feel also warranted a posting on the main page.
This is why I love it when we dip, and you should too!
"While this is true, we are so early and at such a low MC that not only is it OK for Cone to have whales sell, but it's actually quite preferred. Even if that means a huge price reduction, as long as there are new cones entering, that's all that counts. We want to allow the distribution to occur when the MC is low. Anytime I see cone drop 10-15% in price, it's almost always because a whale sold, not because smaller holders are selling. Regardless of what the price does this is as very positive trend. Cone could add another zero if a handful of whales sold, but again, that is only a positive if the demand from new wallets or currently smaller cone wallets is high and they are buying those dips. What would be not great though is if when whales sell, other current whales gobble it up to a very very heavy degree. Of course them buying the dip is nice and helps the price, but there is a limit to how much a whale should try to accumulate, imo. An example would be if our top holders at 10+B would gobble the dip up and shoot to say 15B, that would not be great. The amount of unique holders of cone continually goes up, which is a very very good sign. When those whales sell it should be a celebration not a cause for concern for current whales and fish alike. If the price does drop significantly, I think current top 25ish whales could even take that opportunity to purchase cheap cones if ONLY for the purpose of distributing it through multiplietipping posts etc. Every whale should have a 'this is almost too much cone' amount that they don't want to go beyond. I see the top 5 holders possibly teetering at that level right now. Simply from observing those wallets, I do get the sense they have a 'this is almost too much cone' amount in mind. It is very very rare to see those top 5 wallets accumulate, and when they do it's at very reasonable amounts. When whales(in general crypto, not specifically within Cone)accumulate too heavily, they might be thinking "oh this is going to help make me more profit", but in reality it's only hindering the ability to make profit because you are pricing out new wallets. Again, for those top 5 holders, please don't take this the wrong way I'm just using it to help get the point across. I do not feel they have overdone it just yet. If you start seeing wallets at 13, 14, 15, 20B+ that's when the red flags come in. Right now the top wallet holds 1.9% the total supply. Anything beyond that, say 2.25%+ is IMO, being greedy and counterproductive not only to all Cone but to those specific whales. A nice thing about our community is that most if not all those whales are people that post here and seem like good people. Regardless of how they are as people though, as in strictly from a numbers standpoint, going beyond that 2.25ish% of the supply level is a red flag.
So in summary: I hope whales sell and the price drops, granted demand from smaller wallets is there and new holders are created as well. Which has been the pattern from the beginning."
submitted by DogSpark84 to ConeHeads [link] [comments]
This week there was a post that mentioned "The top 250 holders collectively own 74.57%."
In response, one individual mentioned;
"Actually this is kinda bad. A few people can change the trajectory of the coin just by selling."
I responded with this long form reply, which I feel also warranted a posting on the main page.
This is why I love it when we dip, and you should too!
"While this is true, we are so early and at such a low MC that not only is it OK for Cone to have whales sell, but it's actually quite preferred. Even if that means a huge price reduction, as long as there are new cones entering, that's all that counts. We want to allow the distribution to occur when the MC is low. Anytime I see cone drop 10-15% in price, it's almost always because a whale sold, not because smaller holders are selling. Regardless of what the price does this is as very positive trend. Cone could add another zero if a handful of whales sold, but again, that is only a positive if the demand from new wallets or currently smaller cone wallets is high and they are buying those dips. What would be not great though is if when whales sell, other current whales gobble it up to a very very heavy degree. Of course them buying the dip is nice and helps the price, but there is a limit to how much a whale should try to accumulate, imo. An example would be if our top holders at 10+B would gobble the dip up and shoot to say 15B, that would not be great. The amount of unique holders of cone continually goes up, which is a very very good sign. When those whales sell it should be a celebration not a cause for concern for current whales and fish alike. If the price does drop significantly, I think current top 25ish whales could even take that opportunity to purchase cheap cones if ONLY for the purpose of distributing it through multiplietipping posts etc. Every whale should have a 'this is almost too much cone' amount that they don't want to go beyond. I see the top 5 holders possibly teetering at that level right now. Simply from observing those wallets, I do get the sense they have a 'this is almost too much cone' amount in mind. It is very very rare to see those top 5 wallets accumulate, and when they do it's at very reasonable amounts. When whales(in general crypto, not specifically within Cone)accumulate too heavily, they might be thinking "oh this is going to help make me more profit", but in reality it's only hindering the ability to make profit because you are pricing out new wallets. Again, for those top 5 holders, please don't take this the wrong way I'm just using it to help get the point across. I do not feel they have overdone it just yet. If you start seeing wallets at 13, 14, 15, 20B+ that's when the red flags come in. Right now the top wallet holds 1.9% the total supply. Anything beyond that, say 2.25%+ is IMO, being greedy and counterproductive not only to all Cone but to those specific whales. A nice thing about our community is that most if not all those whales are people that post here and seem like good people. Regardless of how they are as people though, as in strictly from a numbers standpoint, going beyond that 2.25ish% of the supply level is a red flag.
So in summary: I hope whales sell and the price drops, granted demand from smaller wallets is there and new holders are created as well. Which has been the pattern from the beginning."
2024.05.15 01:33 eternal-soul888 has anyone else had dreams in which they were SA’d or gr4ped?
I, F17, had a dream last night were i was somewhat gr4ped but as my younger self. I’ve never had this before, and it can’t be trauma induced either because i’ve never actually had either of those things happen to me in real life (only minor SA but not to the point i’m traumatised and i think about it every day). Has anyone else actually experienced it and what is it caused by?? I vividly still remember feeling as if it was totally real, even once i had woken up i had tears rolling down my face and i could still hear the noises in the back of my head. I’m genuinely scared to go to sleep tonight because i do not want to experience it again. Someone let me know, please! I know this is a really strange topic to be asking on but i seriously need answers asap LOL bcos idk what’s going on.
submitted by eternal-soul888 to Dreams [link] [comments]
2024.05.15 01:33 proustian_bejan Can CPAP increase sleep duration?
Hello everyone
Without CPAP I easily sleep for 10 hrs. I've just started using CPAP. At first, it was difficult to initiate and maintain sleep. However, my doctor prescribed a low dose of trazodone 25 mg. Now I can maintain sleep but it takes 14 hrs before I can wake up.
Is it the CPAP or trazodone?
submitted by proustian_bejan to CPAP [link] [comments]
Without CPAP I easily sleep for 10 hrs. I've just started using CPAP. At first, it was difficult to initiate and maintain sleep. However, my doctor prescribed a low dose of trazodone 25 mg. Now I can maintain sleep but it takes 14 hrs before I can wake up.
Is it the CPAP or trazodone?
2024.05.15 01:30 Current-Poetry-8309 Insomnia when coming off olanzapine
(23M) Was placed on 20mg olanzapine during a hospitalization back in February. Did a rapid taper over the last 3 months as I wasn’t happy with how I felt on the medication (flat mood, lack of interest in things, low libido), although I suppose it could be post psychotic depression as well. I believe I have bipolar 1 however I haven’t been diagnosed officially yet.
I’ll be completely off the medication this week, however I’m not sure if I’m prepared to deal with the rebound insomnia and depression.
My next appointment with a psych doc is in 6 days, and they will most likely prescribe seroquel 25mg. I could also ask for mirtazapine 15mg, however I’m not sure if it’s a good option for me as I most likely have bipolar 1.
I also have a script for 25mg lamictal but I’ve been afraid to start that as well.
At this point, my goal is to just regain my ability to sleep naturally, but I’ve been overwhelmed with having to cope with this disorder and what to do going forward. Should I just ride it out over the next month, and hope the insomnia lifts? Lack of sleep seems to be a trigger for mania for me as well. Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated.
submitted by Current-Poetry-8309 to insomnia [link] [comments]
I’ll be completely off the medication this week, however I’m not sure if I’m prepared to deal with the rebound insomnia and depression.
My next appointment with a psych doc is in 6 days, and they will most likely prescribe seroquel 25mg. I could also ask for mirtazapine 15mg, however I’m not sure if it’s a good option for me as I most likely have bipolar 1.
I also have a script for 25mg lamictal but I’ve been afraid to start that as well.
At this point, my goal is to just regain my ability to sleep naturally, but I’ve been overwhelmed with having to cope with this disorder and what to do going forward. Should I just ride it out over the next month, and hope the insomnia lifts? Lack of sleep seems to be a trigger for mania for me as well. Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated.
2024.05.15 01:29 Mrmander20 [Vell Harlan and the Doomsday Dorms] 4 C6.2: A Symphony of Friendship and Frogs
At the world’s top college of magic and technology, every day brings a new discovery -and a new disaster. The advanced experiments of the college students tend to be both ambitious and apocalyptic, with the end of the world only prevented by a mysterious time loop, and a small handful of students who retain their memories.
Surviving the loops was hard enough, but now, in his senior year, Vell Harlan must take charge of them, and deal with the fact that the whole world now knows his secrets. Everyone knows about Vell’s death and resurrection, along with the divine game he is a part of. Now Vell must contend with overly curious scientists and evil billionaires hungry for divine power while the daily doomsday cycle bombards him with terrorists, talking elephants, and the Grim Reaper himself -but if he can endure it all, the Last Goddess’s game promises the ultimate prize: power over life itself.
[Previous Chapter][Patreon][Cover Art]
“Four years on and the headache still sucks,” Vell groaned to himself.
Though most of the loopers had managed to make it to midnight alive, they had nothing to show for it but headaches. They had not succeeded in digging Cane out of the rubble, or investigating his apparent ghost theory in any other way. That was a complication, but not a fatal one. They had some leads to work with, at least, and Vell knew where to get started on the ghost angle. Vell gladly made the call that would get them started.
“Goooooood morning Mr. Harlan,” Harley chimed. “What’s happening?”
“Frog invasions, among other problems,” Vell grumbled.
“Oh, that’s a time loop headache if I ever heard it,” Harley said. She’d run into that affliction more than a few times.
“Yeah, it’s not great,” Vell said. “Listen, do you still have Garrett’s number?”
“Ooh, ghost problems, eh?” Harley said. “I’ll text it to you.”
“Thanks. I kind of got to get right to it, so I’ll have to give you the details later, alright? Love you, Harley.”
“Love you too, bud,” Harley said. “Say hi to Garret for me.”
Vell hung up the first call and braced himself for the second. He liked Garret, but he could also be a lot to deal with -a fact well-demonstrated by the phone call beginning with Garret’s theme music blaring over the phone. Once the bombastic rock and roll stopped, Vell was disappointed to hear a mechanical beep indicate the start of an answering machine message.
“Hi, you’ve reached Garret Geist, Ghost Getter,” the message said, in Garrett’s usual southern california drawl. “I’m currently on a long-term submersible mission to exorcise the ghosts of shipwreck victims who’ve been trapped undersea for centuries.”
“What?”
Vell knew it was a recording, but needed to voice his offense anyway. It was hard to truly be mad knowing Garrett was doing something so incredibly heroic, though.
“I should be back to the surface and ready to help in a few days, so please leave a message and I’ll get to you as soon as I can!”
The automated message clicked again and fell silent. Vell hung up the phone and let out a low groan of despair.
“Okay, we’re not screwed yet,” Vell said. “Just need to wait a bit.”
Vell brushed his teeth and rushed through breakfast, and then, right on cue, heard a knock on his door. He whipped it open to find a bothersome scientist once again at his door.
“Hi, good morning,” Vell said, as he opened the door. “You here to bother me about Quenay?”
“I- uh, I have some very interesting theories.”
“I’m sure you do,” Vell said. “If you can just hold on one second…”
Vell paused and waited. The bothersome student also waited, at least for a few seconds.
“What exactly are we waiting for?”
“This.”
Cane grabbed the student by the collar and yanked them away from the door. Vell invited him in and slammed the door shut behind them to really drive the point home.
“Thank you for that,” Vell said. “Did you need something?”
“Just to talk to you,” Cane said. “I was trying to get people together to hang out tonight. Figured you’d want in, if you’re not too busy.”
“I could probably make it, I just have to…”
Vell froze. He really should’ve come up with these lies in advance.
“You good, Vell?”
“I, uh, sorry, just losing track of things, mentally,” Vell said. “I’ve had a lot of people, uh, ask me for help with things.”
“What kind of things?” Cane said. “You need a hand?”
“Maybe.”
Vell contemplated how to proceed for a moment, and then figured he’d probably built up enough good will with Cane over the past four years he could just dive right in.
“You ever heard about frog ghosts?”
“Yeah,” Cane said, without so much as blinking.
“Oh, cool,” Vell said. “What about them?”
“Well, hold on, are you talking about frog ghosts as in the ghost of frogs, or a ghost related to frogs?”
“Either or, I guess?”
“Okay, because I don’t know anything about any ghostly frogs,” Cane said. “There is supposedly the ghost of a guy obsessed with frogs on campus, though.”
“Interesting. Tell me about the frog guy.”
“I don’t know all the details, it was kind of an urban legend even when my brother came here about a decade back,” Cane said. “All he ever told me was the this frog-obsessed sophomore died while studying, and he haunts the basement of the sophomore dorms, I guess. ‘Some say you can still hear faint croaking in the basement’ and all that horror story shit.”
“Interesting,” Vell said, again. “Let me look into that and we’ll circle back later, alright? I gotta go, see you.”
“Vell-”
“Sorry, kind of in a hurry, bud,” Vell said, as he left and shut the door behind.
“This is your dorm, dude,” Cane said.
***
“You were not exaggerating about this headache,” Alex said.
“We warned you,” Kim said. “Man, it’s almost better to die.”
“How do you have a headache, you’re made of metal!”
“It’s complicated,” Kim said. Her synthetic body did not spare her from the time loop headache, no matter how she rebuilt herself.
“Good morning everyone,” Helena said, as she whacked the door open with a crutch. “What did I miss?”
“Quiet down a little, please” Hawke said.
“Why?”
“Do you not have a headache too?”
“No, I died pretty early,” Helena said. “Got a frog on me.”
“You died from a frog touching you? What condition do you have that causes that?”
“Well it was a poison dart frog, so I guess ‘being alive’,” Helena said. Samson pursed his lips and said nothing. “What did you all get up to while I was busy being dead?”
“Vell found out the frogs were summoned by a weird frog-obsessed ghost,” Hawke said. “He apparently knows a guy who might be able to help.”
The loopers then proceeded to relax and chat about frogs, ghosts, and other miscellaneous topics for about seven minutes, which made it a lot less dramatic when Vell barged in and announced Garret would be unable to help.
“Oh come on,” Kim snapped. “What’s the point of knowing a ghost hunter if he never helps hunt ghosts?”
“He’s on some undersea mission to rescue lost souls,” Vell said. “Which makes it really hard to be mad at him.”
“And yet I manage,” Kim said. She didn’t begrudge Garret personally, but she had been hoping for their first easy win of the year. All the apocalypses thus far had been a major pain in the ass.
“Aren’t you people supposed to be able to handle things like this?”
“Yes, Alex, and we will,” Vell said. “Just would’ve been nice to have a professional on the job.”
“I’ll get the ghostbusting stuff ready,” Hawke sighed. He would’ve loved a chance to outsource their daily nonsense.
“Keep it on standby for now,” Vell said. “Ghosts have unfinished business or regrets. If we can help our ghost deal with whatever frog-related business he’s got going on, maybe we can fix this without having to bust anyone.”
“That’s your plan?” Alex said. “Be nice to the ghost that crushed a building and hope it goes away?”
“Yes,” Vell said, with a completely straight face. “And busting is plan B.”
“Bustin’ makes me feel good,” Hawke sang, as he grabbed all their various ghostbusting gear.
“True professionals at work,” Alex scoffed. Everyone else rolled their eyes and got back to work.
“Vell is an old pro at being nice to people,” Kim said. “Just ask Helena’s sister.”
“Don’t pat yourself on the back, Joan’s incredibly susceptible to manipulation,” Helena said. It was disturbing she’d say that, and even more disturbing she knew that. “That said, anyone dumb enough to get stuck as a ghost for decades will probably buy into your routine just as easily.”
“Thanks for your input,” Vell said. “I’m just going to go ahead and get started.”
He said that both because it was important and because it was an excuse to get away from Alex and Helena faster.
“Need any backup?” Samson asked, for similar reasons.
“I’ll check it out solo first,” Vell said. Historically speaking, he was the best people-pleaser, a dubious honor at best, but one that came in handy when dealing with a frog-summoning ghost. “I’ll let you know if I need backup.”
“Or busting,” Hawke said.
“Or busting,” Vell agreed. “I have to find out where the ghost is, for starters. I’ll be in touch soon.”
***
Finding the lair of the ghost was the first hurdle. As it turned out, the sophomore dorms had a lot of basements. Every building on campus had a lot of basements, so Vell was not all that surprised. At least these basements didn’t have booby traps or old experiment equipment in them. They mostly just had a lot of junk. Vell kicked aside some old food wrappers and scanned the room.
“Why do people treat these empty rooms like dumping grounds?”
“People are usually different when they think no one is watching.”
Vell whipped around and saw a transparent head poking through one of the nearby walls. A ghost if Vell had ever seen one.
“Oh, hi,” Vell said. “Uh, weird question, how do you feel about frogs?”
“I’m ambivalent at best,” the ghost said. “Are you looking for the frog guy? Because he haunts two rooms over.”
The ghost pointed to the right, down the hall, and Vell looked that way.
“Thanks,” Vell said. He took a few steps towards the door before spinning around to face the other ghost again. “Uh, do you need any help like, moving on? Finishing unfinished business?”
“Nah, we get wifi down here, so I don’t mind just chilling,” the ghost said. “Thanks for offering though.”
The ghost drew back into the wall and vanished from sight. While Vell was painfully curious as to how a ghost accessed wifi, he decided it was time to move on. The frog ghost was apparently close by, after all.
Vell followed the wifi ghost’s directions and hopped two doors down, barging into a subterranean room that was uncomfortably moist and smelled of mud and rainwater. Condensation dripped from the ceiling and onto Vell’s back, sending an unpleasant shiver down his spine. Unlike other rooms, this one was completely free of any garbage, but Vell took no comfort in that.
“Hello? Anybody home?”
A chill ran down Vell’s spine that definitely was not another drop of water. He waited two seconds, took a deep breath, and turned around.
“Hello.”
Vell was just inches away from another transparent face. This one had a slight green tint, with wide set eyes and a broad, flat mouth. Vell wondered if the similarities to a frog had been there during this person’s life, or if they just liked frogs so much their ghost had slowly shifted to reflect their passion.
“Hey! Hi, uh, nice to meet you,” Vell mumbled. “I’m Vell.”
“I’m Raine.”
“Neat, nice name,” Vell said. If Raine noticed the awkward hesitation in the compliment, he didn’t show it. “So, uh, I was wondering, well, I heard you were the guy to ask about frogs.”
The already wide eyes of the ghost got even wider, and visible excitement trembled through their spectral form. Vell began to think he may have made a mistake.
***
“So even though it’s the biggest frog in the America’s, the helmeted water toad is still only half the size of the Goliath frog,” Raine said. “Which must be wild for the helmeted water toad. Could you imagine crossing an ocean and finding out the people who live there are literally twice your size?”
“Must be pretty mindblowing, yeah,” Vell said.
“And that’s not even going into the real extremes,” Raine said. “Do you remember our pal P. Amauensis?”
“How could I forget,” Vell said, about something he had definitely forgotten.
“Not just the world’s smallest frog, but maybe the world’s smallest vertebrate,” Raine said. “Only seven point seven millimeters long, a literal fraction of the Goliath frog! Could you imagine meeting someone who’s only as big as your toe?”
“I actually did, once,” Vell said. “Shrink ray.”
“Oh. Was...was it weird?”
“A little,” Vell said.
“Wow. You almost know what it’s like to be a Goliath frog meeting a P. Amauensis,” Raine said. “I’m so jealous.”
“Yeah, I’ve done a lot of interesting stuff,” Vell said. “What about you, what’d you get up to when you weren’t studying frogs?”
Raine tilted his spectral head and stared blankly at Vell.
“You did do things other than study frogs, right?”
“Not if I could help it,” Raine said.
“Okay, uh...what did you like to eat?”
“Oh, I just ate food whenever I was hungry,” Raine said. “What I really liked to do was gather samples of different bugs and other frog dietary staples, so I could try to get a sense of their diet for myself.”
“Like, cooked bugs, or just raw, living bugs,” Vell said. He’d eaten a few different varieties of cooked bugs, just for the experience, but couldn’t imagine eating raw insects.
“If I could find them, yeah, live ones,” Raine said. “It got pretty hard after I got banned from the entomology department.”
“That’d do it,” Vell said. “So, did you, uh, go swimming a lot?”
“Oh yeah, all the time,” Raine said. “Until I got banned from the pools too. Trying to swim like a frog doesn’t work very well, and they got sick of having to rescue me, I guess.”
“You could’ve just swam like a person.”
“Why would I do that?”
“To...I don’t know,” Vell said. He was starting to feel like Raine’s entire life and unlife revolved around frogs. “Did you ever do anything, I don’t know, human?”
“Oh, I studied frogs,” Raine said. “Frogs lack the self-awareness to understand frogs. It’s their only flaw, really.”
“I see. So what’s your favorite frog?”
As expected, this set off a long rant, as Raine found it hard to pick a favorite and had to start listing pros and cons of various frog species. It was not exactly scintillating conversation, but it kept Raine talking instead of somehow summoning frogs. Vell kept reminding himself that was the real goal. He was not here to have a pleasant chat, he was here to prevent the frogpocalypse. Anything that kept Raine ranting was good. He was saving the world.
As Raine started ranking every existing frog species by maximum jump distance, Vell kept repeating that to himself. Saving the world, one frog jump strength at a time.
submitted by Mrmander20 to redditserials [link] [comments]
Surviving the loops was hard enough, but now, in his senior year, Vell Harlan must take charge of them, and deal with the fact that the whole world now knows his secrets. Everyone knows about Vell’s death and resurrection, along with the divine game he is a part of. Now Vell must contend with overly curious scientists and evil billionaires hungry for divine power while the daily doomsday cycle bombards him with terrorists, talking elephants, and the Grim Reaper himself -but if he can endure it all, the Last Goddess’s game promises the ultimate prize: power over life itself.
[Previous Chapter][Patreon][Cover Art]
“Four years on and the headache still sucks,” Vell groaned to himself.
Though most of the loopers had managed to make it to midnight alive, they had nothing to show for it but headaches. They had not succeeded in digging Cane out of the rubble, or investigating his apparent ghost theory in any other way. That was a complication, but not a fatal one. They had some leads to work with, at least, and Vell knew where to get started on the ghost angle. Vell gladly made the call that would get them started.
“Goooooood morning Mr. Harlan,” Harley chimed. “What’s happening?”
“Frog invasions, among other problems,” Vell grumbled.
“Oh, that’s a time loop headache if I ever heard it,” Harley said. She’d run into that affliction more than a few times.
“Yeah, it’s not great,” Vell said. “Listen, do you still have Garrett’s number?”
“Ooh, ghost problems, eh?” Harley said. “I’ll text it to you.”
“Thanks. I kind of got to get right to it, so I’ll have to give you the details later, alright? Love you, Harley.”
“Love you too, bud,” Harley said. “Say hi to Garret for me.”
Vell hung up the first call and braced himself for the second. He liked Garret, but he could also be a lot to deal with -a fact well-demonstrated by the phone call beginning with Garret’s theme music blaring over the phone. Once the bombastic rock and roll stopped, Vell was disappointed to hear a mechanical beep indicate the start of an answering machine message.
“Hi, you’ve reached Garret Geist, Ghost Getter,” the message said, in Garrett’s usual southern california drawl. “I’m currently on a long-term submersible mission to exorcise the ghosts of shipwreck victims who’ve been trapped undersea for centuries.”
“What?”
Vell knew it was a recording, but needed to voice his offense anyway. It was hard to truly be mad knowing Garrett was doing something so incredibly heroic, though.
“I should be back to the surface and ready to help in a few days, so please leave a message and I’ll get to you as soon as I can!”
The automated message clicked again and fell silent. Vell hung up the phone and let out a low groan of despair.
“Okay, we’re not screwed yet,” Vell said. “Just need to wait a bit.”
Vell brushed his teeth and rushed through breakfast, and then, right on cue, heard a knock on his door. He whipped it open to find a bothersome scientist once again at his door.
“Hi, good morning,” Vell said, as he opened the door. “You here to bother me about Quenay?”
“I- uh, I have some very interesting theories.”
“I’m sure you do,” Vell said. “If you can just hold on one second…”
Vell paused and waited. The bothersome student also waited, at least for a few seconds.
“What exactly are we waiting for?”
“This.”
Cane grabbed the student by the collar and yanked them away from the door. Vell invited him in and slammed the door shut behind them to really drive the point home.
“Thank you for that,” Vell said. “Did you need something?”
“Just to talk to you,” Cane said. “I was trying to get people together to hang out tonight. Figured you’d want in, if you’re not too busy.”
“I could probably make it, I just have to…”
Vell froze. He really should’ve come up with these lies in advance.
“You good, Vell?”
“I, uh, sorry, just losing track of things, mentally,” Vell said. “I’ve had a lot of people, uh, ask me for help with things.”
“What kind of things?” Cane said. “You need a hand?”
“Maybe.”
Vell contemplated how to proceed for a moment, and then figured he’d probably built up enough good will with Cane over the past four years he could just dive right in.
“You ever heard about frog ghosts?”
“Yeah,” Cane said, without so much as blinking.
“Oh, cool,” Vell said. “What about them?”
“Well, hold on, are you talking about frog ghosts as in the ghost of frogs, or a ghost related to frogs?”
“Either or, I guess?”
“Okay, because I don’t know anything about any ghostly frogs,” Cane said. “There is supposedly the ghost of a guy obsessed with frogs on campus, though.”
“Interesting. Tell me about the frog guy.”
“I don’t know all the details, it was kind of an urban legend even when my brother came here about a decade back,” Cane said. “All he ever told me was the this frog-obsessed sophomore died while studying, and he haunts the basement of the sophomore dorms, I guess. ‘Some say you can still hear faint croaking in the basement’ and all that horror story shit.”
“Interesting,” Vell said, again. “Let me look into that and we’ll circle back later, alright? I gotta go, see you.”
“Vell-”
“Sorry, kind of in a hurry, bud,” Vell said, as he left and shut the door behind.
“This is your dorm, dude,” Cane said.
***
“You were not exaggerating about this headache,” Alex said.
“We warned you,” Kim said. “Man, it’s almost better to die.”
“How do you have a headache, you’re made of metal!”
“It’s complicated,” Kim said. Her synthetic body did not spare her from the time loop headache, no matter how she rebuilt herself.
“Good morning everyone,” Helena said, as she whacked the door open with a crutch. “What did I miss?”
“Quiet down a little, please” Hawke said.
“Why?”
“Do you not have a headache too?”
“No, I died pretty early,” Helena said. “Got a frog on me.”
“You died from a frog touching you? What condition do you have that causes that?”
“Well it was a poison dart frog, so I guess ‘being alive’,” Helena said. Samson pursed his lips and said nothing. “What did you all get up to while I was busy being dead?”
“Vell found out the frogs were summoned by a weird frog-obsessed ghost,” Hawke said. “He apparently knows a guy who might be able to help.”
The loopers then proceeded to relax and chat about frogs, ghosts, and other miscellaneous topics for about seven minutes, which made it a lot less dramatic when Vell barged in and announced Garret would be unable to help.
“Oh come on,” Kim snapped. “What’s the point of knowing a ghost hunter if he never helps hunt ghosts?”
“He’s on some undersea mission to rescue lost souls,” Vell said. “Which makes it really hard to be mad at him.”
“And yet I manage,” Kim said. She didn’t begrudge Garret personally, but she had been hoping for their first easy win of the year. All the apocalypses thus far had been a major pain in the ass.
“Aren’t you people supposed to be able to handle things like this?”
“Yes, Alex, and we will,” Vell said. “Just would’ve been nice to have a professional on the job.”
“I’ll get the ghostbusting stuff ready,” Hawke sighed. He would’ve loved a chance to outsource their daily nonsense.
“Keep it on standby for now,” Vell said. “Ghosts have unfinished business or regrets. If we can help our ghost deal with whatever frog-related business he’s got going on, maybe we can fix this without having to bust anyone.”
“That’s your plan?” Alex said. “Be nice to the ghost that crushed a building and hope it goes away?”
“Yes,” Vell said, with a completely straight face. “And busting is plan B.”
“Bustin’ makes me feel good,” Hawke sang, as he grabbed all their various ghostbusting gear.
“True professionals at work,” Alex scoffed. Everyone else rolled their eyes and got back to work.
“Vell is an old pro at being nice to people,” Kim said. “Just ask Helena’s sister.”
“Don’t pat yourself on the back, Joan’s incredibly susceptible to manipulation,” Helena said. It was disturbing she’d say that, and even more disturbing she knew that. “That said, anyone dumb enough to get stuck as a ghost for decades will probably buy into your routine just as easily.”
“Thanks for your input,” Vell said. “I’m just going to go ahead and get started.”
He said that both because it was important and because it was an excuse to get away from Alex and Helena faster.
“Need any backup?” Samson asked, for similar reasons.
“I’ll check it out solo first,” Vell said. Historically speaking, he was the best people-pleaser, a dubious honor at best, but one that came in handy when dealing with a frog-summoning ghost. “I’ll let you know if I need backup.”
“Or busting,” Hawke said.
“Or busting,” Vell agreed. “I have to find out where the ghost is, for starters. I’ll be in touch soon.”
***
Finding the lair of the ghost was the first hurdle. As it turned out, the sophomore dorms had a lot of basements. Every building on campus had a lot of basements, so Vell was not all that surprised. At least these basements didn’t have booby traps or old experiment equipment in them. They mostly just had a lot of junk. Vell kicked aside some old food wrappers and scanned the room.
“Why do people treat these empty rooms like dumping grounds?”
“People are usually different when they think no one is watching.”
Vell whipped around and saw a transparent head poking through one of the nearby walls. A ghost if Vell had ever seen one.
“Oh, hi,” Vell said. “Uh, weird question, how do you feel about frogs?”
“I’m ambivalent at best,” the ghost said. “Are you looking for the frog guy? Because he haunts two rooms over.”
The ghost pointed to the right, down the hall, and Vell looked that way.
“Thanks,” Vell said. He took a few steps towards the door before spinning around to face the other ghost again. “Uh, do you need any help like, moving on? Finishing unfinished business?”
“Nah, we get wifi down here, so I don’t mind just chilling,” the ghost said. “Thanks for offering though.”
The ghost drew back into the wall and vanished from sight. While Vell was painfully curious as to how a ghost accessed wifi, he decided it was time to move on. The frog ghost was apparently close by, after all.
Vell followed the wifi ghost’s directions and hopped two doors down, barging into a subterranean room that was uncomfortably moist and smelled of mud and rainwater. Condensation dripped from the ceiling and onto Vell’s back, sending an unpleasant shiver down his spine. Unlike other rooms, this one was completely free of any garbage, but Vell took no comfort in that.
“Hello? Anybody home?”
A chill ran down Vell’s spine that definitely was not another drop of water. He waited two seconds, took a deep breath, and turned around.
“Hello.”
Vell was just inches away from another transparent face. This one had a slight green tint, with wide set eyes and a broad, flat mouth. Vell wondered if the similarities to a frog had been there during this person’s life, or if they just liked frogs so much their ghost had slowly shifted to reflect their passion.
“Hey! Hi, uh, nice to meet you,” Vell mumbled. “I’m Vell.”
“I’m Raine.”
“Neat, nice name,” Vell said. If Raine noticed the awkward hesitation in the compliment, he didn’t show it. “So, uh, I was wondering, well, I heard you were the guy to ask about frogs.”
The already wide eyes of the ghost got even wider, and visible excitement trembled through their spectral form. Vell began to think he may have made a mistake.
***
“So even though it’s the biggest frog in the America’s, the helmeted water toad is still only half the size of the Goliath frog,” Raine said. “Which must be wild for the helmeted water toad. Could you imagine crossing an ocean and finding out the people who live there are literally twice your size?”
“Must be pretty mindblowing, yeah,” Vell said.
“And that’s not even going into the real extremes,” Raine said. “Do you remember our pal P. Amauensis?”
“How could I forget,” Vell said, about something he had definitely forgotten.
“Not just the world’s smallest frog, but maybe the world’s smallest vertebrate,” Raine said. “Only seven point seven millimeters long, a literal fraction of the Goliath frog! Could you imagine meeting someone who’s only as big as your toe?”
“I actually did, once,” Vell said. “Shrink ray.”
“Oh. Was...was it weird?”
“A little,” Vell said.
“Wow. You almost know what it’s like to be a Goliath frog meeting a P. Amauensis,” Raine said. “I’m so jealous.”
“Yeah, I’ve done a lot of interesting stuff,” Vell said. “What about you, what’d you get up to when you weren’t studying frogs?”
Raine tilted his spectral head and stared blankly at Vell.
“You did do things other than study frogs, right?”
“Not if I could help it,” Raine said.
“Okay, uh...what did you like to eat?”
“Oh, I just ate food whenever I was hungry,” Raine said. “What I really liked to do was gather samples of different bugs and other frog dietary staples, so I could try to get a sense of their diet for myself.”
“Like, cooked bugs, or just raw, living bugs,” Vell said. He’d eaten a few different varieties of cooked bugs, just for the experience, but couldn’t imagine eating raw insects.
“If I could find them, yeah, live ones,” Raine said. “It got pretty hard after I got banned from the entomology department.”
“That’d do it,” Vell said. “So, did you, uh, go swimming a lot?”
“Oh yeah, all the time,” Raine said. “Until I got banned from the pools too. Trying to swim like a frog doesn’t work very well, and they got sick of having to rescue me, I guess.”
“You could’ve just swam like a person.”
“Why would I do that?”
“To...I don’t know,” Vell said. He was starting to feel like Raine’s entire life and unlife revolved around frogs. “Did you ever do anything, I don’t know, human?”
“Oh, I studied frogs,” Raine said. “Frogs lack the self-awareness to understand frogs. It’s their only flaw, really.”
“I see. So what’s your favorite frog?”
As expected, this set off a long rant, as Raine found it hard to pick a favorite and had to start listing pros and cons of various frog species. It was not exactly scintillating conversation, but it kept Raine talking instead of somehow summoning frogs. Vell kept reminding himself that was the real goal. He was not here to have a pleasant chat, he was here to prevent the frogpocalypse. Anything that kept Raine ranting was good. He was saving the world.
As Raine started ranking every existing frog species by maximum jump distance, Vell kept repeating that to himself. Saving the world, one frog jump strength at a time.
2024.05.15 01:28 GPTGamingNews The Ultimate Halo Infinite: Campaign Review
 | https://preview.redd.it/qyqda90d2h0d1.jpg?width=1100&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d3f48440877eff74e0e0dad1f805fcd8b7ea5d39 submitted by GPTGamingNews to u/GPTGamingNews [link] [comments] Game Information
Game Publisher and Developer Information
STORY ATMOSPHERE LORE - 100/100During the boarding of the UNSC Infinity supercarrier, Master Chief is thrown into space by Atriox, leader of the Banished. The Banished are a mercenary group that was previously part of the Covenant but broke away due to disagreements with the Covenant leadership. You’re eventually rescued by the Pilot, a survivor of the attack, who reluctantly assists the Master Chief in his mission to take down Atriox and the Banished. After destroying the warship, Chief is picked up by the Pilot, and they head down to Zeta Halo to search for a “weapon” in the mysteriously damaged portion of the ring. With these two introductory missions out of the way, you’re introduced to Halo Infinite’s vibrant yet dangerous open world. Across the 16-story missions, you will find yourself going across Zeta Halo and into the depths of the Forerunner installation.The campaign features wide and sprawling open fields, claustrophobic underground facilities, and everything in between. The pacing of missions in Infinite is well done and isn’t too fast or slow. Missions are not too long, and you can expect to spend about 11 and a half hours on Zeta Halo when focusing on the main objectives, making it the longest campaign to date, according to HowLongToBeat. When looking to see everything the game has to offer, it’s estimated to take around 27 and a half hours to finish. Knowing the lore behind the factions only adds to how enjoyable it is to fight against each enemy. For example, Brutes are always looking to fight opponents of noteworthy strength, so they approach battles with the Master Chief with bravado and are often happy to battle with the Spartans. Jackals, on the other hand, are typically pirates and mercenaries and will remark about claiming the bounty on Master Chief during combat. They go as far as commenting on canon events during combat, which is a first for the series. For example, Grunts will sometimes taunt you with a remark about the events of Halo: Reach by saying, “Hey Spartan, Reach called! Just kidding - ha!” Sometimes, Grunts dab after killing you, making them even more hilarious to fight. The colorful personalities that make up the Banished mercenaries make them feel more alive and like real characters you’re battling against. Previous Halo games had less personality-oriented enemies whose combat chatter became repetitive and didn’t make for a marginally more interesting battle. GAMEPLAY - 95/100WEAPONSSince Halo: Combat Evolved, a damage system consisting of Kinetic and Plasma has been in place. Hardlight didn’t make a place for itself until Halo 4 and Shock Damage had its inception in Halo Infinite. Most human-made weapons deal Kinetic damage, which is effective at taking down unshielded enemies like Grunts, while Plasma works best against shields. Hardlight is good against any enemy regardless of their shield status, but the weapons and ammo are few and far between. Shock damage arcs between targets and is great for groups of Banished and their vehicles. As the newest addition to the weapon ecosystem, it makes a powerful statement when used in the midst of battle. Much like previous Halo installments, having only two weapon slots forces you into giving encounters some forethought since you’ll want to be properly prepared for the skirmish. It also makes you have to sacrifice certain weapons and pick up others to gain the upper hand in a fight, especially when facing a boss. Ammo resupplies aren’t new to Halo, but the ability to refill certain ammo like rockets without picking up a duplicate of the weapon is new to the series.As a first for the series, the open-world design makes the open-battlefield style fights from previous games even more exciting by allowing different approaches to fights to be more viable. Previous installments of the series pitted Master Chief against enemies in arena-style fights, which had a repeating cycle of short battles and then exposition. Infinite has a different sense of balance between combat and exposition. One minute, you’re riding along through the ring, and suddenly you stumble upon a battle between Banished forces and surviving Marines. All hell breaks loose. In prior installments, you knew when combat would start due to the layout of an area, but in Halo Infinite, it’s less predictable but in the best way possible. It brings the ringworld to life and has a sense of curiosity as to what you’ll find yourself in next, similar to random encounters in other RPGs. ENEMIESIn a first for the series, boss fights also make an appearance in the campaign. The boss fights in the story force you to take the damage system seriously because, without them, you’re bound to have a hard time. The bosses come with their own special fighting style. For example, the Spartan Killers, Hyperius and Tovarus, are both battled at the same time in the mission ‘Pelican Down.’ Hyperius wields a unique Ravager, S7 sniper, and rides a Chopper, while his brother Tovarus has a Scrap Cannon and spike grenades. Fighting both at the same time proves to be a mighty challenge since you’re in an open area with limited weaponry. Each boss has an arena that puts you at a disadvantage, like when you fight the invisible, energy sword-wielding Elite, Chak ’Lok, in a small room full of smoke. Another example would be fighting against the lightning-fast Harbinger in the final mission, along with her incredibly difficult waves of enemies. The bosses come in all forms of Banished and remain a constant threat in both main missions and side objectives.Although the bosses are difficult, Halo Infinite’s standard enemies pose their own threats and must be handled differently. For example, Jackals have to be dealt with quickly since they often show up with marksman rifles that deal heavy damage. Elites are easily recognized by their tall stature and signature mandibles. They’re honor-bound Captains of the Banished whose inspiring presence makes their soldiers more emboldened and less fearful. Taking them out makes the rest of the battle much more manageable. Grunts are the small and frightened cannon fodder of the Banished who often run in fear when their higher-ups are defeated. UPGRADESOne of the other new additions to the campaign is an upgrade system. Master Chief can now upgrade parts of his kit to make his gadgets much more powerful by finding and acquiring Spartan Cores. Become a walking tank by upgrading your shield to absorb more damage before breaking or greatly improve the agility of Chief by reducing the cooldown between uses of the Grappleshot. Reduced cooldown is an absolute must if you plan on playing around with the grappling hook during combat since waiting for it to recharge can mean life or death. All of the upgrades play their parts and can be integral to having a battle go your way. The Threat sensor can be upgraded to have a permanent mark on the enemy along with a visible health bar. The Drop Wall can have its strength increased and add shock damage to projectiles you fire through it. Finally, the thruster can increase its dodge distance and give you a cloak effect after use. Each ability upgrade plays into how well you’ll perform during a fight since not using them can cause you to take a lot more damage.OUTPOSTSThose aren’t the only new changes Infinite brings to the table. Forward Operating Bases (FOBs) are another new addition to the map. They appear as outposts you can claim during your fight against the Banished and serve as fast travel points. Alongside these FOBs comes a currency known as Valor. Valor is earned through completing the various side missions available across Zeta Halo. The currency allows you to unlock supplies and weapons to aid you in dominating the Banished and the battlefield. Your hard-earned Valor needs only to be spent once for unlimited access to the requisitions. From the simple yet reliable Sidekick sidearm all the way to the big bad behemoth of ground warfare, the Scorpion, Valor enables you to bring out any sort of weapon or vehicle for any scenario.SIDE OBJECTIVEThe open world of Zeta Halo also has many side missions available, such as hunting down high-value targets (HVTs), rescuing UNSC Marines, and capturing abandoned outposts. These missions can be a great break from the story or provide much-needed Valor to help during the story. Undertaking a High-Value Target mission is as simple as going to the marked location and killing the target. The bosses appear as various types of Banished, and each has its own dossier with backstory and potentially useful information, such as strengths, weaknesses, and potential combat strategies. The HVTs also carry a unique weapon that drops when their wielder is defeated and can be purchased with valor for use during missions. When you’re not taking Banished lives, you can instead save those of the survivors of the UNSC Infinity’s crash. The Marine survivors will usually be engaging Banished troops, and it’s your job to make sure they survive. Upon saving the Marines, you’ll be rewarded with Valor as well as some new comrades who are willing to ride in vehicles and fight with you. Aside from the HVT hunting and marine distress signals, outposts are also available. Each Outpost offers several different objectives that need to be completed in order to shut down the facility. The objectives vary depending on the function of the Outpost, and completing a task can cause enemy reinforcement. Similarly to FOBs, the Outposts act as fast travel points after they’re finished and can be used to call in supplies unlocked through Valor.FIRST-PERSON SHOOTER - 80/100As a first-person shooter, Halo Infinite’s campaign excels at the traditional formula while adding new gameplay elements like boss fights. In these additions, Infinite delivers a fun and memorable combination of well-paced storytelling and solid gameplay. The RPG elements, like armor upgrades, make for a more engaging experience by giving an enticing reason to explore the levels and open world of Zeta Halo. All of these elements come together and deliver an amazing FPS game that doesn’t disappoint.GRAPHICS ART DIRECTION - 95/100Halo Infinite is the most graphically advanced Halo to date thanks to the new Slipspace engine, which allows it to outshine the previous installments by providing new and updated visuals. The engine enables excellent use of volumetric lighting, giving the interiors beautiful rays of light that shine through cracks and around objects. Each of these components lends itself to the world of Zeta Halo and makes it a true marvel to look at. Indoor sections feel realistic through their use of volumetric lighting and high-resolution textures. These elements make the walk through Forerunner facilities feel strange and alien as the lights twist and turn while you maneuver through the halls. Master Chief's damaged armor looks amazing in the cutscenes, where it looks battered and beat from the various battles the suit has seen. Compared to Halo 5, it’s far more appealing in the lighting and detail while remaining much more realistic with its high-resolution textures. It’s small things like this that make all the difference in how you perceive the game and the time put into it.The art design of the levels works great in conjunction with the Forerunner plot elements introduced in Halo 4 as the beginning of the Reclaimer Saga. We see a lot of the Forerunner technology at work through things like bridges appearing as you approach and the Forerunner Sentinels flying overhead and working on repairs within facilities. These seemingly small details play a big role in making the factions more believable while also allowing the world to feel unique. While some levels in other Halo games felt a little too similar to one another in some cases, each level in Infinite feels completely different while retaining the identity of Halo Infinite. Compared to the first mission, where the halls of the Banished ship are claustrophobic and limit movement while eliciting the feeling of having a daunting task ahead, ‘Silent Auditorium’ brings you within a massive Forerunner facility that feels larger than life and has a feeling of finality to it. The larger-than-life buildings of the Forerunners combined with the shiny silver exterior that makes up their facilities make for very regal settings. When paired with the grand and open interiors, the areas provide a majestic feeling and truly make the sci-fi notion come to life. The Banished forces come with their own unique looks as well, with their scarlet armor providing a contrast to the environment that allows for them to be easily distinguished from the background. The scarlet of their armor compliments their ferocity in battle since the Banished aren’t ones to run away from conflict, even with Master Chief. REPLAYABILITY - 85/100One of the best parts of Halo campaigns is how replayable they are. Whether you’re playing alone or with a friend at your side, the story of Halo Infinite is captivating and gripping enough to make it worth a few extra playthroughs. The side missions and the optional bosses are plentiful enough that you may not be able to complete the extra objectives in a single run. Aside from a completionist run, you can also try your hand at the infamous LASO challenge. LASO, standing for Legendary All Skulls On, is the ultimate test of your Halo skills and can be as infuriating as it is gratifying once you make it through a section. LASO is just one of many challenging ways the community has made Halo replayable and always a fresh experience. Master Chief’s journey on Zeta Halo is easy to jump back into even after beating it and is great if you’re looking to experience a quality storyline in a fan-favorite universe.FUN FACTOR - 95/100The Halo Infinite campaign is incredibly fun and makes for a memorable experience with all of its new additions. Between the classic and new formula for Halo, it finds itself in the middle, where new gameplay elements mesh together with the traditional style seamlessly. The game succeeds at giving you fun new things to play around with while remaining true to the original Halo style. You’ll find the most fun moments when the gameplay finally ‘clicks’ and you manage to pull off that awesome sniper shot or kill that boss that’s been giving you trouble. It’s such a satisfying feeling when you manage to latch onto a Brute chopper with the Grappleshot and yank the Banished out of their vehicles. It feels straight out of a movie and makes you truly immerse yourself in the incredible feats Master Chief is known to pull off. These moments of triumph are what add up to making the campaign so fun and can keep you coming back for more.TECHNICAL PERFORMANCE - 97/100Through the time played on both Xbox One and Xbox Series X, the game was incredibly well optimized. The graphics were noticeably different between the two generations, but it’s to be expected with the hardware differences. The game ran as smoothly as ever from the beginning to the end of the campaign. The Xbox One had some intermittent lag and stutter, but it wasn’t enough to impact gameplay significantly. The game ran very consistently throughout the campaign experience and made for a very enjoyable experience since it suffered no crashes.CREATIVE REVIEWHalo Infinite, released on December 8, 2021, is an ambitious follow-up to 2015’s Halo 5: Guardians. The game began development by 343 Industries just three years later. This sci-fi first-person shooter is the third installment in the Reclaimer Saga that began with Halo 4 and was published by Xbox Game Studios. Infinite was intended to be a launch release for the Xbox Series XS but was delayed due to internal conflict on development decisions. This installment utilizes the new Slipspace engine in conjunction with Faber, a set of developer tools with some of its components dating back to the early 2000s. Since its release, the campaign has been the subject of critical acclaim, with many praising the innovations the new story brought with it. An open world, new armor abilities, and a new faction all come with the installment’s 28-hour story mode. On the other hand, the free-to-play multiplayer was heavily criticized for its lack of content at launch. Since then, Infinite’s multiplayer has gone through several seasons, each of them introducing new content and different cosmetics to obtain through battle pass progression.When I booted up the campaign for the first time, I couldn’t help but reminisce on all the good times I had both solo and with friends in previous installments. Memories like Grifball on Halo: Reach, dying four thousand times to Jackal Snipers on Halo 2, and Arbiter saving Chief with a flamethrower in Halo 3. I went in expecting something at least a little better than the catastrophe of Halo 5, but instead, I was met with something very different and unique for the series. Let’s start from the beginning: the opening cutscene and mission one. While Chief is known to be one of gaming’s coolest characters, he got humbled extremely quickly. The scene opens with pure chaos ensuing. There’s fire, plasma, and bullets flying everywhere, and Chief is at the center of it all. I felt like a kid in a candy shop, watching him skillfully maneuver and take down several opponents. That is until the big baddie of the Banished came along. The following encounter between Atriox and Master Chief was absolute humiliation for the mean green killing machine. Atriox grabs him, beats him with his admittedly cool hammer, drags Master Chief through the hangar, and then throws him into space. I was in pure shock as to how Chief just got beaten like nothing. Isn’t he a ‘hyper-lethal’ class Spartan? Maybe it was because he got caught off guard. Regardless, I just watched my childhood get thrown to his presumable death, and I wanted revenge. Mission one sees us go in a Banished Warship to free the Pelican that Echo-216 saved us with from certain doom. It was straightforward, and I got a good glimpse of that classic Halo gameplay loop so many of us loved: Exploration, combat, and then some exposition. It’s a simple yet effective formula that kept me engaged the whole game. In this opening mission, we get introduced to the newest piece of equipment: the Grappleshot. While simple, it plays a huge role in every aspect of this game. As I got the hang of using it, I found that I could use it for more effective maneuverability in combat, something I did the entire game, which saved me many times. I got to the control room and promptly blew the ship to Smithereens, which left me feeling a lot of satisfaction as I mentally recovered from seeing Chief beaten up by Atriox. After the Banished Warship and one other mission, we get to explore the open world of Zeta Halo. The world is exciting and fun to explore while supporting characters and cutscenes only add to the already gripping story. I quickly fell in love with the campaign and its characters in a way I hadn’t felt since Halo 4. When I wasn’t doing one of the story missions, I was out, causing a ruckus with the side missions. The High-Value Target missions were personal favorites that you’ll love if you’re a fan of boss fights, something Infinite doesn’t shy away from and has plenty of. Each fight feels like a real challenge since they all put you at a distinct disadvantage, like the Pelican Down mission, where you fight Hyperius and Tovarus at the same time with limited space and weaponry. This challenge translated well into a stark contrast between regular enemies and bosses. It made the bosses really feel threatening, a feeling I felt most games lacked since the fight with General Raam way back in the first Gears of War. There were countless battles, a lot of dying, and tons of fun to be had. By the time I reached the Silent Auditorium, I had amassed an arsenal of weapons that I thought would make it a piece of cake. Spoiler alert: it was far from easy. I struggled on this mission quite a bit and had to take a break and tackle it again the next day. There were tons of enemies of varying calibers and carrying a lot of guns, but that was nothing new for a final Halo mission. It feels like enemy AI was much better this time around due to technological improvements and level designs largely being in favor of the Banished. The Silent Auditorium is a beautiful but deadly level that kept me on my toes and gave me a real sense of finality and importance as I made my way through the Banished army, protecting the final boss. It really makes you utilize every bit of tech and upgrade you’ve gotten up to this point. I had to throw down many Drop Walls, use a lot of Grappleshots to run away and heal, and use more Threat Sensors than I could count. Eventually, I got to the final boss with little ammo and very small amounts of optimism about the upcoming fight. The reasoning is spoiler-heavy, so I won’t say much, but when you get ready for this mission, come prepared to die a lot. Halo Infinite had a rocky beginning but has a bright future ahead of it so long as 343 Industries keeps up the amazing work they’ve been doing during the past and current seasons. The campaign is on par with the original trilogy, which many consider to be the pinnacle of the series. It manages to define itself as a fantastic third entry to the Reclaimer Saga that had a rough start with the release of Halo 4 and the negatively received Halo 5: Guardians. While the campaign introduces some things that may initially turn away long-time fans, the gameplay and new additions make the story able to be experienced in a new and unique way. This is only furthered by a fantastic upgrade system that keeps you in the fight against an enemy that hits hard and can take a punch. The level design choices utilize the new gameplay additions like the Grappling Hook to their full extent and encourage you to play around with your new toys, see what strikes your fancy, and master their uses. Likewise, the multiplayer has a lot of charm. The addition of new weapons, new maps, and new modes add up and make for an awesome bout of fun with friends or even by yourself. The seasonal releases and cosmetics for the multiplayer only add to the fun with what many consider to be the best customization received since Halo: Reach. It may have been roughly criticized in the beginning, but it’s clear that 343 Industries took the criticism and set out to give Infinite the makeover of a lifetime. Halo Infinite surpasses expectations while remaining humble in its delivery of an unforgettable campaign and an equally addicting multiplayer that keeps many of us coming back for more. It’s amazing to see how far the game has come since its beta, and it’s hard to contain the excitement that comes with pondering what comes next. SCORE SUMMARY - 92/100Halo Infinite is a fantastic entry into one of the most well-known gaming series, and it delivers on nearly every front in its campaign. The cutscenes are beautiful, the RPG elements are prevalent but not overpowering, and the core gameplay is reminiscent of classic Halo. The campaign is easily one of the best entries in the series and delivers a stellar game in all aspects.https://preview.redd.it/7efzm81s2h0d1.png?width=1920&format=png&auto=webp&s=74b6dc6501766d0d0b7dba6dd892f4b232353ee1 Roland Martinez Reviewer Favorite Game: Gears of War |
2024.05.15 01:28 Current-Poetry-8309 Insomnia when coming off olanzapine
(23M) Was placed on 20mg olanzapine during a hospitalization back in February. Did a rapid taper over the last 3 months as I wasn’t happy with how I felt on the medication (flat mood, lack of interest in things, low libido), although I suppose it could be post psychotic depression as well. I believe I have bipolar 1 however I haven’t been diagnosed officially yet.
I’ll be completely off the medication this week, however I’m not sure if I’m prepared to deal with the rebound insomnia and depression.
My next appointment with a psych doc is in 6 days, and they will most likely prescribe seroquel 25mg. I could also ask for mirtazapine 15mg, however I’m not sure if it’s a good option for me as I most likely have bipolar 1.
I also have a script for 25mg lamictal but I’ve been afraid to start that as well.
At this point, my goal is to just regain my ability to sleep naturally, but I’ve been overwhelmed with having to cope with this disorder and what to do going forward. Should I just ride it out over the next month, and hope the insomnia lifts? Lack of sleep seems to be a trigger for mania for me as well. Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated.
submitted by Current-Poetry-8309 to Psychosis [link] [comments]
I’ll be completely off the medication this week, however I’m not sure if I’m prepared to deal with the rebound insomnia and depression.
My next appointment with a psych doc is in 6 days, and they will most likely prescribe seroquel 25mg. I could also ask for mirtazapine 15mg, however I’m not sure if it’s a good option for me as I most likely have bipolar 1.
I also have a script for 25mg lamictal but I’ve been afraid to start that as well.
At this point, my goal is to just regain my ability to sleep naturally, but I’ve been overwhelmed with having to cope with this disorder and what to do going forward. Should I just ride it out over the next month, and hope the insomnia lifts? Lack of sleep seems to be a trigger for mania for me as well. Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated.
2024.05.15 01:25 WhoSaysDadsCant Would I be an idiot to dump my 401k to pay off the CC debt? 52k and drowning.
Hello debt. I could really use some advice here.
Let me start out by saying I realize I screwed up. I grew up poor and have always lacked the financial intelligence that seems to come naturally to others. I also know that, until I learn to budget and save, paying off my CC debt is nothing more than a bandaid.
That said, I am struggling. I went back to school to pursue my dream career several years back. My wife, at the time, encouraged me to do so. Unfortunately, she filed for divorce a year later. I didn't want to give up on my dream, so I finished out the remaining 2.5 years of school by maxing my federal student loans and, later, credit cards.
I finished my bachelor's and masters, but I worked very little and depended largely on CCs for my families basic needs. Unfortunately, I found my passion in a career path that is not the most lucrative.
Here's the details of my situation:
Debt:
CC debt - $52,000
Student loans - $60,000
Mortgage - $125,000
Then...
Money in/out (monthly):
+$3800 - Take home (net) pay
+260 - Child support
-$400 - Utilities
-$1300 - Mortgage & HOA
-$160 - Car insurance
-$1400 - Min monthly CC payments
-250 - Gas
Remaining for food, kids, etc: $550
Important to mention, I have 4 (soon to be 3) dependents that live with me full time.
Thankfully, my career allows student loan forgiveness and with my salary and number of dependents, I am paying $0 and it counts toward the 120 payments til forgiveness. I also own my vehicles outright, so no car payments and I stick to liability only. I have a teenager on the insurance with me, which is why it is so high.
As you can see, I am barely scraping by. I bought a cheap Prius, which should reduce my monthly gas cost to $100 or so. That still only leaves $700 to pay for feed and cloth 5 people. I don't see how I will ever climb back out of this hole I have dug for myself.
I have an old 401k account from my previous factory job. It is currently sitting at about 65k. I could drain it and pay off the majority of my debt (65k-10% penalty-13k taxes=$45,500). This would allow me to eliminate ~$1200 in monthly payments.
The pros:
This would allow me to start finally saving money; for emergencies, college funds, retirement, etc. 27k of my CC debt is on cards that offer 0 interest balance transfers, so I could potentially pay half of my debt, balance transfer the other half, and use the minimum payments I was making to pay off another 25k over 18 months.
Cons:
I will have no retirement savings left. My current job offers a pension, but I don't know if I will work in a state position long enough to truly capitalize on it. I'm in my mid 30s, so that 64k will be ~200k by the time I retire, assuming a modest 5% annual growth.
I also lose out on the $7,830 for 2024, since my income will be too high. With taxes and penalty on the early withdrawal, I'm setting just over $27,000 on fire.
However, I'm already burning $12,000/year in interest right now. I am barely making a dent in the principle. In 6 years, I will have broken even, minus the interest lost. After 15 years of maxing out IRA contributions, I'll be in a better position for retirement anyway. I wouldn't be able to contribute anything to retirement with the CC debt I have now.
I know draining my 401k in my mid 30s is not normally a financially sound decision, but my math says I'll be better off financially in the long run IF I cut up my cards and avoid falling back into the same debt trap.
What do you say, my fiscally responsible brethren? Am I an idiot for even considering this, or is this a terrible decision?
Thank you for taking the time to read this and for any advice you might offer.
TLDR: 52k in CC debt, income too low to make more than min monthly payments. Considering draining my only retirement fund of 64k to be debt free.
submitted by WhoSaysDadsCant to Debt [link] [comments]
Let me start out by saying I realize I screwed up. I grew up poor and have always lacked the financial intelligence that seems to come naturally to others. I also know that, until I learn to budget and save, paying off my CC debt is nothing more than a bandaid.
That said, I am struggling. I went back to school to pursue my dream career several years back. My wife, at the time, encouraged me to do so. Unfortunately, she filed for divorce a year later. I didn't want to give up on my dream, so I finished out the remaining 2.5 years of school by maxing my federal student loans and, later, credit cards.
I finished my bachelor's and masters, but I worked very little and depended largely on CCs for my families basic needs. Unfortunately, I found my passion in a career path that is not the most lucrative.
Here's the details of my situation:
Debt:
CC debt - $52,000
Student loans - $60,000
Mortgage - $125,000
Then...
Money in/out (monthly):
+$3800 - Take home (net) pay
+260 - Child support
-$400 - Utilities
-$1300 - Mortgage & HOA
-$160 - Car insurance
-$1400 - Min monthly CC payments
-250 - Gas
Remaining for food, kids, etc: $550
Important to mention, I have 4 (soon to be 3) dependents that live with me full time.
Thankfully, my career allows student loan forgiveness and with my salary and number of dependents, I am paying $0 and it counts toward the 120 payments til forgiveness. I also own my vehicles outright, so no car payments and I stick to liability only. I have a teenager on the insurance with me, which is why it is so high.
As you can see, I am barely scraping by. I bought a cheap Prius, which should reduce my monthly gas cost to $100 or so. That still only leaves $700 to pay for feed and cloth 5 people. I don't see how I will ever climb back out of this hole I have dug for myself.
I have an old 401k account from my previous factory job. It is currently sitting at about 65k. I could drain it and pay off the majority of my debt (65k-10% penalty-13k taxes=$45,500). This would allow me to eliminate ~$1200 in monthly payments.
The pros:
This would allow me to start finally saving money; for emergencies, college funds, retirement, etc. 27k of my CC debt is on cards that offer 0 interest balance transfers, so I could potentially pay half of my debt, balance transfer the other half, and use the minimum payments I was making to pay off another 25k over 18 months.
Cons:
I will have no retirement savings left. My current job offers a pension, but I don't know if I will work in a state position long enough to truly capitalize on it. I'm in my mid 30s, so that 64k will be ~200k by the time I retire, assuming a modest 5% annual growth.
I also lose out on the $7,830 for 2024, since my income will be too high. With taxes and penalty on the early withdrawal, I'm setting just over $27,000 on fire.
However, I'm already burning $12,000/year in interest right now. I am barely making a dent in the principle. In 6 years, I will have broken even, minus the interest lost. After 15 years of maxing out IRA contributions, I'll be in a better position for retirement anyway. I wouldn't be able to contribute anything to retirement with the CC debt I have now.
I know draining my 401k in my mid 30s is not normally a financially sound decision, but my math says I'll be better off financially in the long run IF I cut up my cards and avoid falling back into the same debt trap.
What do you say, my fiscally responsible brethren? Am I an idiot for even considering this, or is this a terrible decision?
Thank you for taking the time to read this and for any advice you might offer.
TLDR: 52k in CC debt, income too low to make more than min monthly payments. Considering draining my only retirement fund of 64k to be debt free.
2024.05.15 01:24 phdthrowaway1718 Worried I may not have sent all high school transcripts to undergrad. What may happen if this is found out currently (graduated in 2017)?
Hey everyone,
Well, I have a very odd concern (even though I'm a Ph.D student at the moment). I've recently been going through a lot of my records for an upcoming internship and I'm worried I may have only sent the transcript from the last high school I graduated from in this case, rather than all of them.
For some context, I initially "attended" (this will be in quotes for a reason) the public high school in the area. I was only there for 3 days that consisted of no classes at all. Rather, it was an orientation of sorts so the would-be freshmen could get used to the high school, rules, and its layout. I never completed any classes before my parents found a high school in a pinch.
The following high school I only attended for a quarter of the year (before I moved onto the final high school I would graduate from 3.75 years down the road). I got my old high transcript recently just in case it was necessary for future employment and I see my grades under the first quarter were listed as "NA" in this case. My guess is they probably treated it like how colleges transfer grades (where previous institution grades don't count towards GPA). No big deal on its own.
The only thing I'm concerned about is whether I submitted the old transcript from the high school where I attended for a quarter to my undergraduate colleges at all. Folks can probably tell by this post that I'm an extremely anxious person so I let my parents handle applications and paperwork (since both of those give me the most anxiety). This non ironically makes more anxious as an adult since I never knew what I took out in loans in undergrad until I applied to graduate school and had to consider my debt totals and whatnot (feel free to see one of my older posts where I list all of my neurodivergent, mental, and recent sleep apnea diagnosis).
I am also worried about what could happen if those grades from the high school I attended were uncharacteristically low at all. Long story short, that high school I attended for a quarter had what my father aptly described as "monitored home school" and I abused the retake system they had in place by not doing well on my first attempt, memorizing the answers they reused, and retaking it again. I wonder sometimes if they picked up on that and my grades were knocked down at all.
I should note that I brought this up to the registrar's office earlier today and they said it wouldn't affect the degree I earned at all. What would happen if I got audited though? What could happen to my degrees up until this point since I'm now in a Ph.D program?
I would preferably like to hear from someone who has worked in admissions in the past.
submitted by phdthrowaway1718 to ApplyingToCollege [link] [comments]
Well, I have a very odd concern (even though I'm a Ph.D student at the moment). I've recently been going through a lot of my records for an upcoming internship and I'm worried I may have only sent the transcript from the last high school I graduated from in this case, rather than all of them.
For some context, I initially "attended" (this will be in quotes for a reason) the public high school in the area. I was only there for 3 days that consisted of no classes at all. Rather, it was an orientation of sorts so the would-be freshmen could get used to the high school, rules, and its layout. I never completed any classes before my parents found a high school in a pinch.
The following high school I only attended for a quarter of the year (before I moved onto the final high school I would graduate from 3.75 years down the road). I got my old high transcript recently just in case it was necessary for future employment and I see my grades under the first quarter were listed as "NA" in this case. My guess is they probably treated it like how colleges transfer grades (where previous institution grades don't count towards GPA). No big deal on its own.
The only thing I'm concerned about is whether I submitted the old transcript from the high school where I attended for a quarter to my undergraduate colleges at all. Folks can probably tell by this post that I'm an extremely anxious person so I let my parents handle applications and paperwork (since both of those give me the most anxiety). This non ironically makes more anxious as an adult since I never knew what I took out in loans in undergrad until I applied to graduate school and had to consider my debt totals and whatnot (feel free to see one of my older posts where I list all of my neurodivergent, mental, and recent sleep apnea diagnosis).
I am also worried about what could happen if those grades from the high school I attended were uncharacteristically low at all. Long story short, that high school I attended for a quarter had what my father aptly described as "monitored home school" and I abused the retake system they had in place by not doing well on my first attempt, memorizing the answers they reused, and retaking it again. I wonder sometimes if they picked up on that and my grades were knocked down at all.
I should note that I brought this up to the registrar's office earlier today and they said it wouldn't affect the degree I earned at all. What would happen if I got audited though? What could happen to my degrees up until this point since I'm now in a Ph.D program?
I would preferably like to hear from someone who has worked in admissions in the past.