In education, we have formative and summative assessments. Formative assessments give feedback to students and allow for teachers to intervene before things go off the rails and the kids fail the big test: the summative assessment. I've been saying that we need to intentionally install more "formative assessments" for drivers. If we see "summative assessments" as the situation where a driver kills a person or plows through a building, "formative assessments" are smaller tests and checks that allow for someone to recognize they are not driving well or have regulatory agencies intervene before they kill someone.
What are your ideas for formative assessments? Here are mine:

1. Install concrete walls at fairly narrow placements for entering/exiting neighborhoods (like those now famous yellow ones in Seattle). Put bollards all over the place with paint that permanently marks cars that hit them. Anyone who makes contact with these objects loses their license until they retest. People say we need to retest old people, but really, we need to retest anyone who has gotten worse at driving, and we need a way to identify those people.
   
2. We need to remove the center yellow line anywhere there isn't a visibility issue for passing. Some people who shouldn't be driving use it to guide them so they don't have to process the road. Never mind that they should be watching for bikes they might need to cross the center line to safely pass.
   
3. With the cars that have auditory safety features that beep when a person speeds, crosses a lane line without signaling, or tailgates, we can't have people turning them off. My mom says all her elderly friends turn them off because they ding all the time and they don't know why. If you can't figure out what you are doing wrong, you shouldn't be driving. On top of that, I think an additional safety feature should be that if they don't stop dinging within a minute the car should disable power to the accelerator and call for help if connected to a network. They would need to be reactivated by police or highway patrol once they have checked on the health and state of mind of the driver. Someone who doesn't know how to drive safely without correction for over a minute should no longer be driving.
   

Let me share my 3000h of modded wisdom with you, my fellow vanilla comrades. My attempt here is to provide you with as many as possible improvements to the base game while keeping the style, balance, and content as vanilla as possible. As they say, when it works the best is when you don't realize it is there. I guarantee you that after playing for a while with these, you will no longer be able to tell what's from the base game and what's not.
You don't know how to mod? Maybe this very basic guide will help. Please, note that many mods come with options to tune up your experience. It is recommended you give them a look.
You can find the steam collection here. Be aware that some of these mods require the DLCs. You don't have the DLCs? Just don't use the mod.
Dependencies:

• Harmony + Huglibs. Required by so many mods, you may as well be done with it and always have them.
• Vanilla Expanded Framework. While not as radically necessary as the previous ones, it's still a dependency fairly common. And this one actually does cool things on its own, like loading new modded factions without having to start a new game.
• XML Extensions. You won't be able to access the options of some mods without this.

Performance

• Dub performance analyzer. Enable the optimizations and override options, you can ignore everything else. If you want to disable alerts, use rocketman.
• Rocketman. By default, it should be good enough. This mod also allows to disable alerts you may don't care about, like, dunno, tattered apparel or unhappy nudity. It is recommended to run adaptive move occasionally (in stat cache settings).
• Performance Optimizer. More hacker magic. If you don't like the UI changes, you can disable them in the options. This mod does more performance stuff aside from that, so use it anyway!
• Performance Fish. You will have to install this mod manually, since it's not available in the workshop. You will also need to install its dependencies, Fishery and Prepatcher. Please, be aware that at the present there's an issue in which linking storages crashes the game. However, this can be prevented by disabling "TryFindBestBetterStoreCellFor" in the options.

Minor changes

• Optimization Meats. Unless you really want dozens of different meat types for some weird role-play reason, this mod will reduce the bloat on your kitchens.
• Better Animal Tab
• Better Info Card
• Conduit Deconstruct. A button to exclusively dismantle power conduits.
• Disable Automatically Select Travel Supplies
• Improved Need Indicator
• Map Preview. You can reroll as well!
• Prepare Landing. You can search world tiles matching your conditions. Goes great with Map Preview.
• Medical Tab. An easy way to overview your colony health.
• More Harvest Designators! e.g. harvest only fully growth plants.
• ModDiff. Great improvement of the mod mismatch screen.
• Pharmacist Temporary Update. Instead of always using the best medicine, now your pawns can use the appropriate medicine for the situation. No longer will they spent glitterworld meds on scratches!
• Smart Turret Covering. Fixes an issue with turret covers.
• PawnTargetFix. So that the autotarget prioritizes the closest enemy.
• Poisoned Food Stack Fix (Fix). Fixes an issue with meal stacks.
• Priority Treatment Ressurected. Doctors will finally prioritize keeping your pawns alive over taking a nap. Disable the option that prevents injured pawns from performing surgery, it has issues.
• QualityBuilder. You can set up a target level for furniture, and your pawns will reconstruct it until it's achieved. If I remember correctly, it's enabled by default for all new furniture? You can turn that off in options.
• RPG Style Inventory Revamped. Much better looking inventory.
• Replace Stuff. Allows to directly replace buildings, without having to deconstruct first.
• Research Tree. A better research tree.
• RimHUD. The best mod of the whole list, it will save you A TON of clicks.
• RimSaves. Overhaul of the save menu.
• Show Known Techprints on the trade screen.
• Show mechanoid weapons on the info screen.
• Smarter Construction. No more babysitting pawns when building walls.
• Stack gap. By default, pawns constantly refill storages. With this mod, you can configure it so that storages are refiled only when they're empty.
• Sun Lamp Honesty. Fixes an issue with sun lamps
• Just Put It Over There. Traders will deliver the merchandise, instead of dropping it on the ground.
• Trade Ships Drop Spot. Mark the spot in which orbital traders will deliver the merchandise, instead on whenever they feel like it. Doesn't work inside animal pens.
• Trading Options. Configure how frequent you want the traders to be.
• WVC. More work modes for the mechanitor.
• Save Settings. Allows you to save and load storage, production, and clothes settings. Works cross-save!
• No Max Bills. Removes the bill cap on workbenches.
• Better ground-penetrating scanner
• Colored deep resources
• Common Sense. Feel free to configure however you like it. I prefer it like this.
• Dubs Mint Menus. Improvements to a bunch of menus.
• Better Pawn Control. Improved management policies.
• Animals Logic. A lot of useful animal-related improvements. Disable the meat option if you're using Optimization Meats.
• Non uno Pinata. Pawns don't drop items when downed. Configurable.
• Bulk Smelting will save you precious time.
• Stonecutting Extended. The same as the previous mod, but for stones.
• Electric Stonecutting Table. To speed up the stonecutting even more.
• Faster Smoothing, a must for all mountain/underground out there.
• Do Your F****** Research. You can order pawns to research.
• Go the Fork to Sleep. You can order pawns to sleep.
• Meal Radius. Configure how far pawns will search for a table to eat.
• Home radius. Configure the size of the automatic home area.
• Smarter Visitors. Visitors will leave if things get dangerous.
• Custom Guilt Duration. Executions in vanilla are a pain because the guilty status goes away too fast. Now you can configure it.
• Dress Patients. Allows dressing of downed pawns.
• Way Better Romance
• Hunters Use Melee
• Injured Carry. Allows to rescue not downed pawns, no longer you have to wait for the bleeding to down them.
• Not My Fault. The player is no longer responsible for unrelated deaths on the map.
• Deep Storage + Simple Storage. Improves stockpile management.
• Pick Up And Haul. Improved hauling.
• While You're Up. Complement for the previous mod. Keep in mind that these two mods will trivialize part of the challenge by freeing a lot of time from your colonists. Just, dunno, turn up the difficulty a notch or something.
• Trading Spot. Marks where you want traders to stop on your map. It's a must if you use a desired path mod (I don't know if they have been updated to 1.5 yet).
• Vanilla Base Generation Expanded. Improved NPC base generation.
• Cut plants before building
• Psychic Harmonizer Lag Fix
• Fellow Ideology players, you're welcome.
  • Style Change Anytime
  • Persistent Precepts

Mayor changes

• Dubs Bad Hygiene. Plumbing!
• Vanilla Temperature Expanded. Lot of useful temperature-related buildings, as well as proxy heat, a very cool mechanic. Some buildings are redundant with the previous mod, just don't research the ones that you don't want.
• Death Rattle + Biosculpter Patch + Life Support. Changes the behavior of mortal wounds so they're not instakills.
• Dynamic Flooding. Inundations!
• Some Things Float. I recommend disabling the chance of pawns loosing their footing.
• Layered Wall Destruction. Walls aren't just destroyed, they become debris. Note that there's an issue in which the debris will spawn home areas.
• Yayo's Combat. Combat overhaul. You can disable the ammunition system if it's not your thing.
• Character Editor. Allows you to edit and save/load pawns.
• RunAndGun. Allows to use guns while moving, with penalties to accuracy. Don't enable the dual wield or search and destroy modules, they won't work.
• EPOE Forked. Fills in the gaps of surgery content in the base game. I recommend disabling the additional workstations and enabling direct crafting only. Less micromanagement, more fun.

Balance

• Beautiful Jade
• Almostthere1.5. Caravans no longer go to sleep two hours away from their destination.
• Stepping Stones. A more reasonable research path.
• Dubs Break Mod makes it so that severe mental breaks require severe negative thoughts.
• Fists Aren't Made of Steel. Reduces the unarmed melee damage, making prison breaks and tantrums much less frustrating.
• No Burn Metal. Sets the flammability of metal buildings, and others, to zero.
• Prisoners Fear Turrets
• Realistic Rooms Rewritten. Allows to tweak how pawns perceive room sizes.
• Ugh You Got Me. Social fights stop when pawns are sufficiently hurt or in pain. Doesn't affect masochists or psychopaths.
• Better Pyromania. Way less frustrating.
• Mortar Accuracy. Improves mortar mechanics.
• Graze up. Grazing rebalanced.
• Better Camp Loot
• Snap Out! Wardens can try to calm down pawns on mental breaks. "Try" is the keyword here.
• Peer Pressure. Opinions matter when converting someone.
• Better Gene Inheritance
• Vanilla Genes Rebalanced
• Gene Trader. Getting xenogenes it's hard, this should easy the burden a bit.

Content

• Sparkling Worlds. A bit of everything.
• Vanilla Traits Expanded. More traits.
• Vanilla Backstories Expanded. More backstories.
• Vanilla Chemfuel Expanded. Rimefeller but with less bloat.
• Vegetable Garden. More farmable plants.
• Vanilla Persona Weapons Expanded + More Persona Traits. More persona weapon variety.
• More Ideological Words + More Religious Origins. More ideology variety
• Events
  • Factional War
  • Raid Extension
  • Go Explore!
  • Vanilla Events Expanded
• Buildings
  • Blooming hedges
  • Panels & Frames
  • Simply More Bridges
  • Thrones plus
  • Tribal Crib
  • Utility Columns
  • Medieval deathrest coffin
  • Metallic Batteries. You can ignore the error, it'll work anyway.
  • Reinforced Walls
  • ReSplice: Core
• Gear
  • Crowns and Regalia
  • Fallout New Vegas - Elite Riot Gear
  • Maid Outfits :3
  • Wheelchairs

Atmospheric changes

• Interaction Bubbles + SpeakUp. Better social interactions.
• Enemy Self Preservation. Enemies can flee.
• No One Left Behind. Fleeing enemies try to rescue their allies.
• Memorable Auroras. They now have a meaningful -if still small- impact.
• Sand Castles. The snowmen of the beaches. Or the deserts.
• Sandstorms
• Graying Hair. So that hair goes gray gradually with age.
• Childrens Drawings
• ReGrowth. Overhaul of biomes and much more!
• My Little Planet. If you're tired of supercontinents, but still want a smaller board, set planet coverage to 100%, and use the new planet size slider instead.
• Geological Landforms. New map shapes.
• Biome Transitions. More organic border biomes.
• Death Acidifiest. Vanilla death acidifier is lame, this is much cooler.
• Graphics
  • Yayo's Animation
  • Trait and Backstory Icons
  • Vanilla Ideology Expanded - Icons and Symbols
  • Vanilla Ideology Expanded - Relics and Artifacts
  • Vanilla Races Expanded - Custom Icons
  • Bionic icons
  • Spectacular Skullspike. They're rotable now!
  • Muzzle Flash
  • More Mini-Horns
  • Better Explosions
  • Better Vanilla Masking
  • Graphic Chair Overhaul 2
  • Not Overhead Meal
  • Graphics Settings+
  • Show Hair With Hats or Hide All Hats. This one takes a while to set up to your preferences, but oh it's so worth it.
  • Cuter Biotech Cat/Dog Ear Replacer. If you don't like the meat-colored animal ears from Biotech, this is for you!
  • Blood Animations
  • Gunplay. Trails can break some mods. If that happens, disable trails in options.
• Retextures
  • Parka Retexture
  • Retextured Apparel
  • Retextured Sculptures
  • Vanilla Beards Retextured
  • Vanilla Hair Retextured
  • Vanilla Pawns Retextured
  • Marbled Marble
  • Essentials: Stone (the stat changes won't work)
  • Vanilla Textures Expanded - Variations
  • Vanilla Textures Expanded
  • I Hate Daylilies
  • Biotech Mechanoid Retexture
  • Tastier Vanilla Clothes
  • Van's Steel
  • Glowing Healroot
  • More Vanilla Textures
• Audio
  • Ambient Rim
  • Realistic Human Sounds. Not very vanilla, but certainly very funny.
  • Actually Vanilla Music Expansion
  • P-Music
• Hairs
  • Erin's Hairstyles
  • Hard Times
  • Rimsenal Hair + Retextured
  • Roo's Hairstyles
  • Roo's Royalty Hairstyles
  • The Vanity Project
  • Won hair_men + Retextured
  • Won hair_women + Retextured

Bonus: comics! And the occasional animation. I noticed newbies aren't aware of these, so I link the profiles of all the artists I could remember. Sorry if I missed anyone. u/daleksdeservevictory, u/AzulCrescent, u/AetherealVanguard, u/ATTF , u/Aelanna , srgrafo, u/Fonzawa, u/Ivancmedia, u/zyll3, u/meto30, u/AeolysScribbles, u/cavalier753, u/GABESTFY, u/VectorData, u/arxian, u/Nguyenanh2132, u/sorrowful_dance, u/meto30, u/-desdinova-, u/truffli

I have chronic fatigue & severe joint pain that flares up/gets worse with fatigue. I'm constantly working on new ways to do household chores to preserve energy & my health.
My question is, what do y'all use to clean the tub & toilet? Is there anything like a long-handled electric scrub brush?
Cleaning them under normal circumstances involves sitting/leaning in uncomfortable positions, applying lots of force in a repetitive movement, leading to lots of strain & fatigue. How do you keep up with chores like that?
Edit: forgot to ask, but a tool to get wheelchair marks off walls would be great too.

I recently interviewed Sean Kanan, star of 20 films and 1500 episodes of network TV. I asked the Emmy winning actor some questions specifically to help you guys in this Reddit room. He appeared in the Karate Kid 3 and Cobra Kai season 5.
He was in his early 20s when he beat out 1500 other actors to land the leading protagonist role of Mike Barnes in Karate Kid 3. Sean recently has been hosting low cost acting workshops, here are his internal and external takeaways from his training:
Internal:
Health Self Image: Actors face tremendous odds against them so healthy self image is vital. Do things to build up confidence and celebrate your wins. That small commercial appearance? That’s a brick in a powerful wall. Landed a supporting role in a play? Add it to your acting resume and keep going.
Internal Growth and Healthy Motivation:
Embrace Continuous Learning: Acting is a craft that requires constant honing. Take acting classes, workshops, and seminars regularly to refine your skills. Sean constantly took classes to develop his range as an actor which led to him being cast in both television AND movies.
Develop Emotional Intelligence: Understand human emotions deeply to portray them authentically on stage or screen. Practice empathy and observe people around you to understand different emotional nuances.
Cultivate Resilience: Rejection is a significant part of an actor's life. Learn to handle rejection positively, and use it as a tool for growth. Every audition, regardless of the outcome, is an opportunity to learn and improve.
Stay Physically and Mentally Healthy: Acting demands both physical stamina and mental agility. Exercise regularly, eat healthily, and practice mindfulness or meditation to maintain balance and focus. Sean spends a lot of time studying Philippine martial arts and making sure that regular cardio is a part of his day.
Set Realistic Goals: Break down your long-term career goals into smaller, achievable milestones. Celebrate each accomplishment along the way to stay motivated. Understand WHO you want to be and grow into that archetype.
External Actions to Grow Your Career:
Build Your Network: Attend industry events, workshops, and seminars to connect with fellow actors, directors, and casting agents. Networking plays a crucial role in finding opportunities and building relationships in the industry. Sean is known for being easy to work with, having good energy, and giving back in mentorship and guidance for new actors.
Create a Strong Portfolio: Invest in professional headshots, acting reels, and a well-crafted resume. Your portfolio is your calling card, so make sure it showcases your talent and versatility effectively.
Utilize Online Platforms: Create profiles on casting websites like Backstage, Casting Networks, or IMDbPro. These platforms often post casting calls for various projects, providing opportunities to audition for roles.
Seek Representation: Consider getting an agent or manager to represent you. A good agent can help you navigate the industry, negotiate contracts, and access auditions that may not be publicly available.
PR: If you cannot afford a PR firm, you can still do DIY with articles, videos, and short form social media letting the world know about new projects, your experiences and your skills in the acting world.
Attend Auditions Regularly: Keep an eye out for audition notices in trade publications, online platforms, and through your agent. Prepare diligently for each audition, researching the character and script beforehand.
Volunteer for Independent Projects: Offer your talents to student films, independent productions, or theater companies. These opportunities not only provide valuable experience but also help you expand your portfolio and network.
Specific Tips for Getting Television and Movie Roles:
Research Casting Directors: Identify casting directors who specialize in television and film projects within your niche. Follow them on social media, attend their workshops, and submit your materials directly to them when appropriate.
Study Scripts and Characters: Analyze scripts from popular television shows and movies to understand different genres and character archetypes. Practice cold reading and improvisation to adapt quickly during auditions. Sean landed Karate Kid 3 because of the intensity he brought to his character. He was so heated in his audition that Ralph Macchio literally said, “get this guy off me.” In that moment, he was not Sean Kanan, the casting director saw Mike Barnes, “Karate’s Bad Boy” and the rest was history.
Stay Informed About Casting Calls: Subscribe to industry newsletters, follow casting websites, and join online communities where casting calls are frequently shared. Be proactive in seeking out audition opportunities.
Prepare for Screen Tests: Screen tests are common for television and film auditions. Practice performing in front of a camera, focusing on nuances like facial expressions and body language that may be magnified on screen.
Be Versatile: While having a niche can be advantageous, versatility is also essential for landing diverse roles. Showcase your range during auditions by demonstrating your ability to embody different characters convincingly.
Remember, success in acting often comes from a combination of talent, perseverance, and luck. Stay dedicated to your craft, remain open to learning and growth, and keep pushing forward even in the face of challenges. With determination and hard work, you can carve out a fulfilling and successful career in acting.
Thanks for checking this out. If you guys have acting questions, please share below and Ill ask him the best ones and return with his answers and guidance.

My GF (28F) and I (30M) have been together for 3 years. Last summer she moved in with me. We live in a house that I bought right after we started dating. Everything related to the house is solely in my name and she pays me a token rent and contributes towards shared bills.
About 4 months ago, my GF got a call from her younger sister, Mel (23F). Mel and her BF had fallen on hard times and were living out of his car. Mel asked my GF if they could come stay with us until they get back on their feet. My GF and I had a long conversation about it and I agreed they can stay for 6-months but that's it. This was acceptable to everyone. They've been living with us for just over 3 months now.
Mel and her BF have been decent enough to live with. They both help around the house and both have jobs, though neither one is making much. But it's better than nothing. Both Mel and my GF struggle with mental health due to their upbringing (very strict religious parents). They are essentially the only family either of them have.
A couple weeks ago, I started noticing small red marks on my body. I told my GF and she said she had them too. A few quick google searches and a short check of our bedroom and we discovered we had bed bugs. Since neither my GF nor I have slept anywhere other than our house since Thanksgiving, it was pretty easy to deduce that Mel and her BF brought them with them.
I had an exterminator come to the house to do an analysis and he gave me an estimate of thousands of dollars. I thought that was outrageous so I had a second guy come and his quote was even higher. Cue a not-so-fun conversation with all 4 of us which devolved into yelling and Mel and her BF denying that they are the cause and refusing to help pay for anything. I ended up telling Mel and her BF that they need to leave my house ASAP.
My GF tried to defend Mel and said they have nowhere else to go and I told her that's not my problem. She told me that she will pay for the entire cost of getting rid of the bed bugs if I let Mel and her BF stay. I told her that it's my house and if she doesn't like my decision, she's free to leave with them as well.
Mel and her BF were gone by the end of that week. I have no idea where they went and Mel isn't even telling my GF. My GF is worried sick about them, especially Mel due to her mental health, and blames me. She thinks I was unreasonable in kicking them because I had no hard proof that they brought the bed bugs. She thinks that at the very least I should have agreed to let her pay for the extermination so that they could stay.
But I refuse to have people living in my home who don't respect me or my house. And now I'm out thousands of dollars in extermination cost and furniture/bedding replacement. My GF has also refused to help pay for anything because I kicked her sister out.

Played the new season for maybe 12ish hours, but item rework is an improvement andwhere it should have been at launch. However, still has some glaring issues that need work. And some other things that would be great additions. Honestly feels like this last year was Blizzards way of beta testing the game prior to their new expansion.

• blue/white items have 0 value after WT2 and shouldn't ever drop. No reason. Instead, drop a pile of gold equivalent to what the average sell price is instead.
• Rare items are essentially useless past WT3. Would rather just see a large sum of gold and/or crystals drop instead. Just as if you were to salvage it
• everything is so damn expensive. Remember when game initially released, how everyone was up in arms because it cost so much to do just about anything? It's gone right back to it. Seems like the gring up to lvl 70 was so expensive because you swap gear so much. At level 79 and finding most of my end-game gear, the amount of gold dished out slowed and am finally seeing more than $2 million steady in account. Prob more noticeable now because less trash loot equals less income from selling. I always sell rares/blue/white, then salvage the legendaries, even in new season. Have plenty of crystals so salvaging rares isn't needed.
• is red the only color pallet you can choose from in helltide? EVERYTHING is a variant of red. When summoning the new boss, it can get extremely hard to see what's going on since it all blends in together.
• we need a "Quality of life" section in gameplay settings.
  • add/remove highlight from monsters and scenery.
  • option for map overlay
  • option for sharper contrast in skill effects, lingering effects, and overworld scenery.
  • option for auto pickup when walking over item. FOR ALL ITEMS, not just consumables. Then have a slider for pickup radius.
  • zoom distance slider. Have a further zoom distance and a slider to adjust distance.
  • loot filter. There may be less items, but still a lot of trash. I still go to town and sell 90% of the items I pickup.
• we should not have our ability to socket gear locked behind world bosses. If you are going to lock it behind world bosses, then have them spawn more frequently. Or have them align with helltide more often and award multiples. Some people rarely see a world boss because of real life events. Those individuals can no longer make use of crafted gems.
• can we add mechanics, health or something to make world bosses seems more impact full? Maybe start with 1 mechanic and have an additional mechanic each of the potion ticks. So after the third tick, theres 4 mechanics the boss has actively running. Or something similar, because as of now It's a loot piniata that takes less than 10 sec to kill. Would rather click a daily login button and claim the loot as a daily login bonus.
• I've been playing druid, so I don't know about other classes, but been having issues with casting skills and character orientation. Will cast pulverize to my left, but character will face the right. I've had an entire NM dungeon where my char faced right lol. Stuff casts where it should, just trippy when it happens. Running around a dungeon always oriented in one direction is highly entertaining.
• capstone bosses are a complete joke. 1 hit first boss at lvl 40 w/ pulverize druid and completed 2nd boss to go into WT4 at lvl 50 in less than 10 sec. WAAAY to easy lol.
• feel like this game in general is just easy. Devs said in the various streams that they want to keep it easy and not complicate things, but I wonder if they say that because they truly just want an easy experience or if Microsoft wants them to keep it easily playable to boost numbers and subscriptions through game pass?
• make glyph levels sync across all characters. This will make making alts WAY more fun!
• beam colors and effects. The greater affix indicator isn't enough to catch they eye of someone speedrunning, especially since some walls and environments are similar colors and may blend together. They didn't seem to interested in beam color changes during Streams, but what about effects? Keep the colors, but add a bright blue(or other color) shock pulse that surrounds the beam and let's you know that an item with greater affix dropped? I'm almost at the point, level 79, where I'm not picking up legendaried anymore. Have the gear with affixes, tempering that I need and are all 900+. So I'm just picking them up now to upgrade the codex. Anything thats is an upgrade, is minimal percentages at this point. Having something to let me know there's an upgraded item laying there would be huge. The lightning pulse surrounding beam and framing item in inventory would be much appreciated.
• I would like to see something to distinguish Ubers from Regular Unique items as well. Maybe Ubers should have the solid red beam and knarly effect, if it has greater affixes, to get you stoked about it dropping.
• Don't feel like glyphs get enough xp from NM dungeons. From lvl 63 to lvl 79 and 2 glyphs are at 15. I took all my powder off of bonus xp from kills and put it all on glyph xp, but doesnt seems like it's a noticeable increase. Would be nice to see a secondary way to earn glyph xp. Maybe ability to craft a potion that gives you an amount in glyph XP equal to number of cinders spent in helltide. Lasts like 30min or something. Only applicable to WT its crafted in and takes cinders just to make. For example, 200 cinders and X amount of herbs craft a potion that grants you 1 glyph xp for all future cinders spent in 30-60 minutes. With helltide buffed to a level where it doesn't feel like a chore to do anymore, why not have something else to make it even more rewarding.
• buff overworld events and side quests to keep them relevant. Helltide is fun, but need a break from it and NM dungeons periodically. If you buffed side quests and overworked events, would be a nice relief and change of pace.
• we should get a choice to keep the existing or take the new temper. Also xant stand spending 4 tempers and rolling the same stat all 4 times. Pretty depressing.

Game updates are overall good. Brought it back to where it should have been at launch. Will it keep me entertained the entire season? Not a chance. Im 2 days in and getting bored of the repetition. Helltides to WT4, then NM dungeon until glyphs at least lvl 15, then to the 100 stuff, if not there already. But ive also already made each character and leveled to 100 in previous seasons. So i guess the desire to make alts isnt there now, but may be for newer people playing. If you bought the game, then there's no reason why you shouldn't give it a run for a day or two, but I wouldn't buy the game just because of this patch.
Not a fan of making us pay 4 additional times just to fight the lords of hell though. What's a Diablo game without Diablo!!

For context, I have anxiety, ADD, & have been dealing w/ a health issue (which I’m leaving undisclosed) for the past 2 1/2 months, so naturally, my health anxiety has been through the roof.
I woke up & got ready for my day as usual w/ no distractions, but then my anxiety took over. The weather has been AWFUL all week where I live so of course that helped set the mood. I’m also on summer break & had the day off from work while my parents & siblings were at either work or school, so I was home alone all day. From 8-9:45am I was either pacing the house unable to control my breathing, or sitting & staring at the wall crying my eyes out. I picked myself back up & made breakfast while I watched TV.
By this point it’s quarter to 11 & I planned to finish a season for a show, but my nonexistent attention span got the best of me & I doom scroll on my phone for almost an hour. I end of getting to my show but later pause it so I can work out. By this point it’s 1pm. Halfway through my workout I take a breather, but a quick thought ends up distracting me & I then pace around my room for 15 minutes in a tearful frenzy for no reason. Again. I regain composure, finish my workout, & shower. It’s now 2:30.
I go downstairs to make a late lunch where I was going to use the oven. I smelled burning from the oven & in a complete panic over possibly setting off the smoke detector, I shut the oven off, open all of the windows & doors, & have a full blown panic attack.
I called my Mom completely defeated. Nobody was home & I felt so isolated. It was so cloudy & gloomy outside that all of the rooms were dim, even w/ all of the lights on. In the blink of an eye the whole day got away from me & I felt so useless as if I haven’t done anything all day, even though I really tried to be proactive. The setting & mood for both my house & the outdoors felt like a blank void where time didn’t matter. It was as if I was stuck in limbo for the entirety of the day. I felt so pathetic having a breakdown over the phone w/ my Mom even though I’m almost 20. She consoled me & gave me a very gentle pep talk, which fortunately assured me.
I ate my lunch & drank some tea while I threw on a show I enjoy. I reminded myself that it’s not too late to turn my day around. By 3:15 I left the house for the first time all day, went thrift shopping, & grabbed some boba. I’m now home & it’s 5pm. I’ve just been lounging on my bed for the last hour or so. My hair is a frizzy mess from the weather, I’m dressed in grey sweats, I’m broken out all over my face bc I’m due for my time of the month soon, & my eyes are red & puffy from crying all day.
I’m gonna dress cute later & head out w/ my family to see my sibling perform in a school concert. I’m gonna finish that season of my show, & get ready for work tomorrow. I had a very off day, but everyone will have them sometimes. The day went too fast for my mind to handle, but at least it didn’t drag. The weather here should clear up by Sunday or Monday. I need to learn to let go of bad days & not let my obsession w/ structured routines get the best of me. Every day is going to look different, & it’s certainly not good to be busy every day of the week to the point of being overworked.
I can’t guarantee myself that tomorrow will be better, but there is always tomorrow. My health issue will eventually go away. I’ll be happy again. I have family & friends to reach out to if I’m having a hard time. My life is filled w/ blessings. My mind is always drawn to the brightest side of life. Happiness & joy are meant to fill every part of me. I’m healthy. I’m loved. Bad feelings are only temporary. I’m safe. I’ve done this before so I can do it again. I’m capable. I take things one step at a time. I inhale peace & exhale worry. I choose to feel good.
Tomorrow’s a new day.

🛠 UNDER CONSTRUCTION ⚒️

The information detailed in this narrative is undergoing review and in the process of being updated.
Our philosophy within the SSDI_SSI Subreddit is to share our experiences to try to assist others. It does not necessarily mean that any shared experience will be a duplicate of your current experiences or outcomes.
Sometimes?
Just knowing that someone else has made it through similar difficult processes may make a huge difference to the stress you are currently (or soon will be) experiencing.
While I was going through some really rough times? I kept notes regarding some of the issues I was having, the numerous helpful resources I came across, and the search techniques I utilized.
Some of the resources I came across had nothing to do with a specific issue that I was experiencing.
However? If I thought the resources could be:

■ helpful to others?	■ relevant?
■ informative?	■ significant?

I kept track just in case the resources could be of assistance to others.
I gathered all of the notes / links I had collected and created this narrative through the years.
These resources are relative to people who live in the USA.
Although other countries may have such programs, they would (most likely) not share the same links.
You could utilize similar techniques (not the exact same links found here) to search for helpful resources in your community, perhaps.
In the USA? If you have a SmartPhone or a computer? You can actually call / locate sites that offer assistance and / or let your fingers do the walking!

This is a living document and will be changed as needed.

In your browser, type your zip code, the word "free" (if needed), and the particular assistance that you need.

12345 affordable housing	12345 eye glasses / lens
12345 electricity assistance	12345 therapy
12345 housing	12345 transportation
12345 dental care	12345 paratransit services

You get the idea!
You can use different terminology during your search.
I have found that each city / state is different throughout the USA.
You never know what your community has already established for people who need help.
You will find that some communities offer more assistance than others.
If you don't have a SmartPhone or a computer?
Go to the library. There are all kinds of resources there - most of which are free.
While there? Pick up some books!!

Always keep looking for solutions.

Reach out to others.
We are a community on Reddit - created to help each other.
Don't give up!
No matter what!
I've compiled a list of helpful information / sites that I add to periodically. Some may help you now / some may not (but could nevertheless provide assistance in the future).
It's always good to know about these resources in case you ever need them.
Programs / headings are in alphabetical order:

Children

There are organizations specifically geared towards the needs of children. A few are detailed below.
National Diaper Network.
Women, Infants, and Children (WIC).
US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrtion Services - Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) - WIC Eligibility Requirements.

Disability Eligibility Requirements

If you or a loved one are 💯% disabled? You should consider applying for SSA disability benefits.
All SSA disability programs have the same criteria in regards to eligibility. If unable to work because of a medical / psychological condition, you are eligible for SSA disability benefits.
■ You have to be 💯% disabled (SSA does not award benefits for partial disabilities).
■ Unable to work.
■ Have a disability that will last for at least a year or end in your death.

We pay disability benefits to people who can't work because they have a medical condition that's expected to last at least one year or result in death. Federal law requires this very strict definition of disability. While some programs give money to people with partial disability or short-term disability, we do not.

If you have not already done so? Sign up for mySocialSecurity, with the ability to provide secure online access to your current earnings record and history. Information regarding your retirement, disability, and any survivor benefits that you and your family may be eligible for will also be accessible. Also? Your potential monthly benefits will be calculated.

Education

Continuing your education is a great way to learn.
You can go to school online and not even leave your home. Take a class here and there. Go to school at 3:00 am on a Wednesday or 4:00 pm on a Saturday.
There are no worries about parking, transportation, or rushing to make it to a class from your job.
Some states offer free college tuition for the first two years. There are other charges like room and board, textbooks and transportation (which will need to be paid for out of pocket).
Apply for Pell Grants or other types of assistance. Ask the school for whatever other programs may be avaliable to you.
Accredited Online Colleges.
Apply for Financial Aid.
Avoid fake degree burns by researching academic credentials.
The Best Online Colleges 2022.
Is Community College Free? In These 19 States, Yes.
Federal Pell Grants Are for Undergraduate Students.
Top 35 Tuition-Free Colleges For 2022

Food Assistance / Food Pantries

There are numerous resources available for food shotages. You do not have to go hungry. Don't be afraid (or ashamed) to ask for help.
14 Companies That Will Give You Food and Other Products For Free.
16 of the Absolute Best Freebies We’ve Ever Found Online.
23 Restaurant Apps That Get You Free Food.
60+ places to get FREE food via app or email signup!.
Find Food Pantries.
Find Your Local Food Bank.
Food Stamps - SNAP Food Benefits.
SNAP Eligibility Requirements for your family. In your state? There may be requirements that you have to work or other eligibility criteria that have to be met before SNAP is provided.
US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrtion Services Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrtion Services Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Facts About SNAP.

Health Insurance

If you need health insurance? You might want to consider applying for the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which is income based. Benefits are different for each state. Depending on:
■ what agreement your state's Governor signed and your state's legislatures approved?
■ if the last administration allowed insurance policies (that cover nothing) to proliferate your state?
Your options are variable. Meaning? Your benefits will be uniquely tailored for your financial qualifications and your state.
A lot of people are turning to the reliable ACA because of everything that has transpired.
The ACA mandates that therapy be covered, too.
Affordable Care Act (ACA) Guarantees.
Apply for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, also known as the Affordable Care Act (ACA) or Obamacare.
Everything to Know About Obamacare (ACA) Subsidies.
Health Care Rankings - Measuring how well states are meeting citizens' health care needs.

Medicaid Expansion

Medicaid Expansion and What it Means for You
Red states that have resisted Medicaid expansion are feeling pressure to give up.
Status of State Medicaid Expansion Decisions: Interactive Map.
What Marketplace Health Insurance Plans Cover.

Homelessness

HH Help for Every Casualty of Homelessness: Including Disabled SSA Applicants, Disability Recipients, and Veterans.

Housing Issues

Sometimes, there are huge differences in the types of housing / assistance you may be eligible for (depending on the state or community that you live in).
There may be a waiting list in your area, but you should at least apply for all programs.
Concerned About Eviction.
Find Your Local Public Housing Agency (PHA).
HUD Eviction Guidance.
Learn More About Renting and HUD Rental Assistance Programs.
Rent Relief Resources.

Interested in Moving?

We decided we needed to move when we noticed that the community we lived in did not provide the support we needed to have a better life.
We wanted to move to a location that offered exposure to better healthcare, health insurance, housing and paratransit services.
So?
Make a list of items that are important to you and your family. Rank them in order of importance.
Remember? Each community is different and offers different services.
Each jurisdiction has a Chamber of Commerce page or other similar resource that lists issues you might be interested in.
I searched the internet, made lists, and came up with the following resources (presented in alphabetical order) that were important to our family. You and your family might have other criteria.

(1) Helping Hands

Helping Hands Action Group monitors the benefits landscape for updates and changes to policies and programs. Depending on the jurisdiction? They offer transportation and other services. You should check 12345 Helping Hands in your area.
Check out the Helping Hands Action Group - click here.

(2) Medicaid Expansion

The Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) Medicaid expansion expanded Medicaid coverage to nearly all adults with incomes up to 138% of the Federal Poverty Level ($20,783 for an individual in 2024) and provided states with an enhanced federal matching rate (FMAP) for their expansion populations.

To date, 41 states (including DC) have adopted the Medicaid expansion and 10 states have not adopted the expansion. Current status for each state is based on KFF tracking and analysis of state expansion activity.

Check out the Status of State Medicaid Expansion Decisions: Interactive Map - click here.

(3) Paratransit / Transportation

Another thing you should consider adding to the list? Check to see what type of transportation services are offered.
You never have to worry about parking, blizzards, running out of fuel or parking meter money, taffic or anything else that would be a hindrance.
If your community has bus routes? You might have paratransit services available to you.
The fair is reasonable (much better than ubers, taxis or something else).
You do not need to be in a wheelchair for paratransit services.
The driver will walk you to and from the door of the building (your home and the appointment and vice versa).
You can use the services for anything you want to, such as vists to:

beauty parlors	parks
community events	physical therapy
library visits	school events
medical appts	shopping excursions
movies	veterinarian appts
museums	volunteer work

Anything you can think of - it is such a blessing.
I have lived in areas that had paratransit and areas that did not offer paratransit. It makes a huge difference in your sense of independence to be able to attend appointments and go places you need to. Without the interference of worrying about reliable transportation.

(4) Social Security Taxes

Moving to a state where they do not charge social security taxes dramatically increased our overall income. If you are interested in moving to states that do not require taxes on SSA benefits?
Check out 39 states that do not tax Social Security benefits - click here. Consider moving. It saved us a lot of money every single month.

(5) State Income Taxes

Moving to a state where they do not charge state income taxes dramatically increased or overall income. If you are interested in moving to states that do not require state income taxes?
Check out 9 states with no income tax - click here. Consider moving. It saved us a lot of money every single month.

Miscellaneous

Dial 211 Not sure where to turn? We are here for you.
Dial 988 Suicide and Crisis Support Lifeline.
Affordable Connectivity Program - Broadband Connection.
Ask Your Free Legal Question (licensed attorneys in your state / free).
Assurance Wireless - Lifeline Free Government Phone Program.
Find Help.
Go Fund Me.
Help with Bills.

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A vertical line to the left of all of the statements are "actual quotes" from the sources detailed throughout this narrative.
06-12-2018 Created 05-16-2024 Updated

Anyone else getting hit with wall-to-wall "pull yourself up by your bootstraps" rhetoric about mental health? Being told therapy MUST work and that if it doesn't, it' because it's my CHOICE to be unhappy. Being told I'm SELFISH for talking about anything difficult in my life.
Seems everywhere I turn, I'm reminded again and again how all of this is my own CHOICE and RESPONSIBILITY - I'm owed no support, acceptance, or assistance. If something doesn't work for me, it's my RESPONSIBILITY to make it work, and of course, I'm reminded no one is going to "hold my hand" and I need to figure things out myself.
I'm developing serious rage issues from hearing this, I've stopped talking about it other people because it's 99% of everything I hear - especially in a therapy context. I'm suffering in pretty serious isolation and being super fake to avoid harassment. I'm frequently at the end of my rope, but do not talk to people about it because I am afraid of having the cops called on me for being suicidal (again) and having my reputation ruined even more - people already distance themselves from me, and it's isolating, which has left me very depressed.

I had DI w/ free Nip Grafts at Reformkliniken in Malmö on 18th April! Dr Tuve was my surgeon. I wanted to leave a review here since a few things happened that I wasn't prepared for and maybe this'll help anyone else!
I am from the UK and decided to have surgery privately with Dr Tuve as it was much cheaper than the UK. The cost of the surgery was 65000 SEK which is about £4800.
I flew from Manchester to Copenhagen, and then took a train to Malmö. It wasn't that expensive and very easy to figure out directions in person.
I went for 2 weeks and 4 days so I could go to in person appointments before and after the surgery. I'm also autistic and felt I needed the extra time to ground myself in a new country. I stayed at the Scandic St Jörgen hotel which was only a 5 minute walk from the clinic. Hotels are quite pricey and it has it's pros and cons. Pros - close to clinic, hotel cleaners, free wifi, close to food shops and restaurants, easy to get to train/transport. Cons - more expensive than airbnb, no fridge so had to have takeout a lot, they did a laundry service but it was VERY expensive.
In the end I do think the hotel was right for me and my needs, but I know many others are not as privileged to be able to stay that long in a hotel.
I had my pre op appointment on the 16th, which I was dreading but it went a lot better than I thought it would. Dr Tuve asked me a lot of questions about my gender, how long I've wanted top surgery, is my family accepting, etc. He then examined my chest and asked what kind of results I'd like. He let me get changed before he stepped in which I was grateful for. They asked if I had picked up my prescription (meds needed before surgery), however I hadn't had any notification about this prescription at all. They were very quick to give me a new one, which I collected the next day.
The 18th was surgery day, and I was told to arrive at the clinic at 7am. My partner walked me there, and we said goodbye outside the clinic doors. I had to fill in some paperwork, have an anti bacterial shower, and pee before surgery. I was really nervous for the anesthetic and going under, plus the IV, but it was a lot better than I thought it'd be! The nurse who did my IV was very kind and did it quickly, and it wasn't painful at all. I was called into surgery at around 8:20am. I had to lay on the surgical table, which was honestly the scariest part. The anesthetic took a few minutes and then it all kinda hit and once. It felt like a very deep long nap. I was out of surgery and awake by 12:20pm.
I was very sleepy for a few hours and apparently I sent a lot of videos of me to my partner but I don't remember taking them! They are funny to watch back! I was feeling quite nauseous so out of the food options I had some granola and apple juice. I was offered a sandwich too but that was too much for me. I kept falling in and out of sleep for a bit. The nurse was encouraging me to try go to the toilet, but I was really nauseous. I did end up being sick a lot, it was whenever I sat up. We ended up wheeling me in a wheelchair to the toilet to try pee (which was a success!). I was given some anti nausea meds. Before I left the clinic, the nurse took off my post op binder, nips dressings, and large dressing, and I felt a lot better. I got to see my chest for the first time (my nips were still covered by gauze). It looked really good for the first day! The nurse showed me how to wrap the binder myself and what to do with the nip dressings. He then wrapped me back up, but I immediately threw up which he realised was from the pressure of the large dressing. He decided to take off the large dressing so I was just wrapped with the nip dressings and binder. He only allowed this because I wasn't that swollen!
I left the clinic at 7pm, and my partner picked me up. I was able to walk easily, just sore on top, and I was on a lot of painkillers so it wasn't that bad.
The instructions from my dr was to have a shower daily, antibiotics twice a day, pain meds twice a day, more pain meds can be taken if needed (I did for the first few days). My partner helped me shower the first 3 days as I couldn't really reach anything, but after that I was slowly more independent. We had a shower head we could take off the wall which was very handy and made it a lot easier. I had to sleep on my back, which is quite painful since I had a curved spine, but I found ways to cope with it (pillow under lumbar region, pillow under feet for elevation). I brought a travel pillow and a mastectomy pillow with me. I honestly didn't use the mastectomy pillow for what it was made for, as it hurt to put my arms in the side holes. I used it more to stop myself rolling to the side. The travel pillow is a must. It helped stop a lot of neck pain, and I could fall asleep a lot easier laying on my back with my head surrounded by the travel pillow.
Unfortunately I got really ill on my 4th day post op. I track my periods, and knew one was coming up, so I was already expecting pain the week before (normal for me). This pain was a 10/10, I couldn't move and threw up a lot. We called the clinic and apparently it is normal for surgery to affect periods and cycles. I wasn't expecting anything quite this intense, so I thought I'd leave this in here in case anyone else experiences it! No-one else that I knew that was having top surgery experienced this, but I know I have a lot more intense symptoms of periods normally so this may have contributed to it. Luckily this only lasted 1 day.
The rest of the week was a lot better, and I managed to eat a lot more and do a few more things. I went on daily walks as advised by Dr Tuve, but nothing too far.
On my 9th day post op I had a random allergic reaction. My body really went through it! My face was swollen and red, and I had hives all over my body. We had no idea where it had come from since I was just doing the same stuff as normal, however I am almost certain it is linked to my autism/stress levels (I have had random intense illness related stuff flare up from overstimulation and stress a few times). I was given some antihistamines and they worked slowly over a few days.
On my 12th day I had my post op appointment where a nurse removed the gauze from my nips and any visible stitching from them. I was super nervous going to this appointment as my nips smelt really bad and I was worried they were infected. Luckily all was good ! Apparently I had a small hematoma, but it didn't have fluid so no need to drain. I was instructed to wash my nips 2-3 times a day, have my daily shower as per usual, and change the tape on my insicions once a week. I also had a small bandage gauze I taped to my nips which I had to do til they were dry. My nips were dry by 2 days after this appointment, but I used the small bandages for about a week as I was nervous of the binder causing irritation on my nips. I also had to keep wearing the binder, which I have to do til 4-6 weeks after surgery (depending on how swollen I am).
I flew back home on 2nd May, and it was all good health wise.
Since then, recovery has been good! I'm very happy with my chest. My insicions look super thin and the nips look great too.
Overall, my experience with Dr Tuve and his team was great! Here are my main pros and cons:
Pros - Cheaper and high quality results! - Very lovely nurses and Dr. I felt I was in good hands. - They are happy to answer any questions, post op and pre op. - The clinic is very nice. Felt like I was in a hotel! - You do not need to be on T or have a gender dysphoria diagnosis. These things can help the process, but are absolutely not necessary.
Cons - Most documents were in Swedish and I had to translate them using Google Translate. You can call up the clinic to ask questions, but I am not good with phone calls! - The documents/help sheets aren't super clear on post op care, it is mostly for pre op information - Sometimes a lack of communication, such as with the lost prescription.
I hope this helps anyone!

I have an amateur background in game design, concept artist, study game design, work in education, and honestly obsessed with game design as a whole. Heros, cards, mechanics, systems etc, etc, I’m very passionate about it and I don’t want to sound pompous cause i am aware to how the “oh I KNOW about game design” sounds, but I am serious about it so I don’t want this to sound like it comes from ignorance.
Here’s the list of changes, tell me what stands out, ideas, etc..
General- ultimate Charge rates need to be increased significantly, cooldowns should not carry over between rounds. Healing across the board needs to be reduced slightly which I will go into in each character suggestion for Strategist. (If not mentioned the healing stays the same)
Give players more information- damage numbers, stats, healing numbers, ability explanations, Etc..
Teamups need to be reworked or removed from the game all together. They should be flavorful add ons, not so important that they make or break a charcater like magneto and scarlet witch or almost useless like Magik and black panther, or massively oppressive like punisher and rocket.
Seasonal buffs need to be removed. They are not enjoyed in any game they have ever been in, and creates artificial metas. Also defeats the purpose of the playing your favorite characters, because it pushes you to play other characters if the seasonal buffs are made too strong.
Melee damage characters need to have movement speed increased above normal speeds to help chase and not get backpedaled by other characters. Black panther, spiderman, hulk, etc.
More signs you are taking damage, either visual effects, screen effects, sounds, etc. sometimes it’s hard to tell where or who is damaging you and makes the game feel floaty.
Possible suggestion- add “power” health- a new type of health that can replace a portion of characters like vanguards health bars, that reduce instances of damage by a percentage. Rapid damage instances will be reduced more than single shots.
Example: A fast hitting attack that does 10 damage multiple times will be reduced more than an instance of damage that does 70 damage 1 time.
Similar to armor in other games. Example- hulk health: 400HP+200 power= 600 total on health bar.
Add a universal HP regen when out of combat for a certain time period.
Add a role lock or Queue system, at least in competitive play. Unbalanced teams are un-fun to play against and un-fun to play with.
Hulk- put his leap on a cooldown, dealing damage when he lands. Remove the targeter and make it a leap in the direction he is looking with a set distance about the maximum length of the current jump if not a little less. Also let him aim it down to target people next to him.
Start the game and respawn as the hulk instead of Banner. Makes getting out of spawn after dying take way too long to return to the fight and serves no real purpose compared to other vanguard.
Remove the radioactive lockdown ability, and replace it with something new. Doesn’t feel like a “hulk” ability.
Ability concept Suggestion: a stomp that leaves a jagged rock wall going forward and up in a line that knocks up enemies and damages them. Leaving the wall in place as an obstacle that can be destroyed or that last a short duration before breaking.
Vanguards are all about controlling the area; and right now hulk just doesn’t do that, he feels like a giant duelist who’s doesn’t do any damage.
Gamma burst- reduce damage, now pierces enemies.
Increase melee damage slightly.
Overall the hulk doesn’t feel powerful like the hulk should, I feel like these changes can fix that problem.
Magento- Replace his primary fire with the greatsword from his team up. Reduce the damage, cleave width and range.
Metal bulwark- can now place it on himself as well as Allies.
Metallic curtain- blocking damage adds to megnetos metal rings.
New passive- hold jump button to float into the air, doing so slowly consumes metal rings. Can no longer slowly descend.
Team up (if they are kept in the game)- scarlet witch makes metal malwark deal damage in the area around it when destroyed or when it ends.
Peni Parker- Make being pulled to her web a cooldown that can be activated, instead of being a certain distance away. Current form of set distance feels very clunky, and awkward to use in regular gameplay.
Reduce the amount of mines placeable, and damage of arachno-mines. Limit amount of mines to either 5 or 6. I stopped counting when I had 14 mines on the ground at the same time.
Make arachno-mines able to be destroyed by shooting them. Mines inside the webs are now invisible.
Mines from the ultimate are not limited in amount.
Doctor strange- Reduce damage on primary fire.
Groot- Reduce the amount of walls that can be placed. 1 for each wall type at a time. Cooldown of each wall starts when walls are retrieved or destroyed.
Walls now also have a duration.
I know the initial idea of him building ramps and connecting walls was cool, but in practice it just provides too much ability spam potential instead of building like intended, and that many obstacles in the game at one time that can be used rapidly makes some matches purely unplayable.
Reduce damage of primary fire to be more similar to hulk. ( no reason Groot should have more damage at a longer range)
Ironwood wall health reduced to 600 from 900.
Reduce damage Groot Ultimate does significantly, almost to nothing. Around 50 damage on initial hit and ticks of 5 damage for its duration.
Storm- Make movement similar to magneto, where she floats on the ground. And an activated flight can be turned on and off with an ability key-bind with a 1.5 second cooldown between activations, but consumes no resource, just a different movement type.
Increase base movement speed in the air while flying.
Enemies hit by the Lightning strikes on goddess boost, receive a chain lightning debuff. When they are hit by bolt rush, a chain lightning bolt will arc to nearby enemies who also have the new debuff. But for reduced damage of the initial bolt rush.
Black panther- Reduce cooldown on sprint rend to 8 seconds from 12 seconds.
Increase amount of spears to 3.
Remove spinning kick and replace with a new ability to help him initiate attacks and stay alive.
Suggestion: vibranium shielding-black panther crosses his arms and reduces his movement speed slightly. Creating a small shield that only covers his own body that floats in front of him. This blocks damage all frontal damage and last 2 seconds. Does not block melee damage.
This ability would have a 8 second cooldown.
If spinning kick is not removed, make it aim-able in any direction similar to sprint rend.
Sprint tend cooldown is refunded if a KO is achieved with it, no matter if a vibranium mark was applied.
Bast’s decent resets sprint rend cooldown when it is used.
Increase primary fire melee damage and range to be more inline with other melee characters. Reduce attack speed.
Make subtle step a passive like spider-man or Peni Parker. Feels too clunky to be on a cooldown and doesn’t make sense.
Iron man- Make movement the same as storm new movement I suggested above. Always flying feels like a detriment to the player and does not feel good to play.
Increase direct hit damage of his primary fire.
Keep direct damage as it is now in armor overdrive.
Increase damage of micro missle barrage and make it usable in Ironman’s regular mode, not just flying or overdrive.
Scarlet Witch- Reduce sensitivity of chaos control lock on. Slightly Increase the rate of chaos energy gained.
Mystic projection charges reduced to 1 and now is a single use ability cooldown reduced to 7 seconds from 8 seconds.
Starlord- Primary fire Damage fall off increased (should do less damage at longer ranges)
Primary fire spread increased slightly.
Suggestion: replace blaster barrage with a new ability. This ability is essentially a “I win” button, which feels really bad to play against this strong of an ability that isn’t even an ultimate.
Suggestion: an element gun element switch that have different effects for a few seconds when switched (not constant) fire, ice, shock, etc.. which activate after hitting a certain amount of shots on a enemy.
Effects would be up to devs.
If not removed than the damage should be reduced.
Punisher- Primary fire Damage fall off increased (does less damage at longer range)
Primary fire Spread increases the longer the trigger is held down, starting when the magazine reaches 20 rounds and ramps up on continuous trigger hold.
Stopping the trigger pull will reset the spread.
Shotgun damage reduced significantly, headshot multiplier reduced, damage fall off increased, spread of pellets increased.
Ultimate should have wider spread, doesn’t make sense he can laser beam people across the map. Also increased damage fall off.
Turret health reduced to 400.
Hela- Primary fire Damage fall off increased.
Primary fire damage decreased
Ultimate damage decreased, ultimate duration decreased (maximum 4 Nastrond crows can be fired.)
Blast radius of Ultimate decreased, makes the player be more accurate to get KOs with it.
Magik- no longer gains bonus health on primary fire melee attack or quick melee attack but these melee attacks heal Magik if she is below full health for the same amount of bonus health previously gained: 13 HP.
Bonus health received for dealing ability damage is increased slightly.
Primary fire melee attack speed increased slightly.
Spider-Man- No changes needed that I can currently tell. These other changes should make the character more reliable when playing.
Namor- Character needs to be reworked from the ground up. Does not feel like I’m playing Namor or feel like a comic book character. Decent viability, but boring design.
If the same playstyle is kept, give him different turret types, (fast firing fish, water barrier turtle, slower fire rate octopus that gets an incsreaed attack from wrath of the seven seas) allow him to move while shielding himself and does increased damage with wrath of the seven seas, but has a longer cooldown.
Loki- No longer receives full ultimate ability when transforming, but has a massively increased charge rate.
When KO’d in his ultimate, he no longer is eliminated but reverts back to Loki.
Reduce the amount of healing and damage illusions do.
Regeneration domain- renamed “untouchable domain” no longer heals from damages received, but character inside can no longer be damaged.
Hela and Loki team up removed from the game, or when activated goes into a long cooldown.
Mantis- Ultimate no longer is a heal over time, but a large bonus health shield that is applied to all Allie’s in range. Keeps the same duration.
Movement speed of the ultimate stays the same.
Her current ultimate Feels way too similar to Luna snow ultimate and when used together or back to back feels really unfun to play against.
Luna Snow- Ultimate duration reduced from 12 seconds to 7.
Healing reduced for primary fire.
Healing from share the stage stays the same. So percentage would be increased to accommodate the reeducation of primary fire healing.
Rocket raccoon- Primary fire damage reduced, projectile speed increased. Now has significant damage fall off at longer ranges.
Healing reduced from secondary fire repair mode. But increased if the orb fired is closer to the ally they are healing. (Rewards accuracy)
B.R.B.- now has a duration. (Maybe 30 seconds)
Recall cooldown increased to 10 seconds from 5.
Cooldown increased to 35 seconds on revive from 25 seconds.
Punisher team up removed from the game.

Four years thrown down the drain. Now she’s dating her so called best friend, the woman she kept putting first before me and when she finally discarded me she moved in with her and now they’re dating. I begged and begged. She didn’t want to talk anymore. My mental health is in the dumps and I self harmed and then she used that against me to tell me how crazy I was and how I should be locked in a hospital for the rest of my lonely ass life. The betrayal is just too much. And I keep sending texts, keep telling her how I feel and I can’t stop myself and she just laughed at me and told me to move on already. She moved on in two months after all the time with me like I didn’t matter. She called me family and soulmate and now I am not even human to her. But the best friend she replaced me with was put first and called the prettiest girl in the world while she called me ugly and names and berated me until I broke. I was ready to give her the world and got scraps while that woman got everything. My mental health was weaponised against me while I needed her the most . I am not ok and I don’t know how to feel better about it all, I am stuck and unable to move on. And I keep messaging a wall that doesn’t care about me anymore.

DANCING WITH THE STARS: THE PROS' MOST ICONIC QUOTES ✨

Day	Pro Dancer	Quote
1	Karina Smirnoff	"Is there any reason why your head looks like a pigeon?"
2	Valentin Chmerkovskiy	"Bro, you're one big wrong already."
3	Witney Carson	"What do you need, a snack?"
4	Anna Trebunskaya	"Some people say I'm a tough teacher. And I am."
5	Brandon Armstrong	"I was born in '94..."
6	Cheryl Burke	"So the name of the song is 'Call Me Irresponsible', remind you of anybody? I think it's perfect for you!"
7	Edyta Śliwińska	"I'm wearing so much clothes that I got tangled in it!"
8	Artem Chigvintsev	"Fine! I watched 'Fifty Shades of Grey'!"
9	Corky Ballas	"Now we're doing the Mambo which originated in the '40s!"...
10	Chelsie Hightower	"South America speaks Spanish?"
11	Derek Hough	"I'm rough, I'm tough, I'm Derek Hough."
12	Charlotte Jørgensen	"Get your heel up on your back foot, or I'll kill you."
13	Allison Holker	"Team Rallison!!!"
14	Julianne Hough	"I felt like you just had to phone it in so you could get back with Meryl."
15	Alec Mazo	"Josie is deceptively unfit."
16	Alan Bersten	"It's a little shaky in here!"
17	Jenna Johnson	"ADAM! WE GOTTA QUICKSTEP!!!"
18	Ashly DelGrosso-Costa	"It needs to be equal teamwork, and I can't play a tug-of-war anymore."
19	Gleb Savchenko	"You look like a dancer when you're not moving."
20	Kym Johnson-Herjavec	"I should never have made us try that stupid lift..."
21	Maksim Chmerkovskiy	"With all due respect, this is my show, I help make it what it is."
22	Lacey Schwimmer	"STEVE!!! How am I supposed to be in love with you if you keep farting all the time?!?!"
23	Mark Ballas	“And you said habede habeduh de de. Daba da dip bah da be. That’s what you said when I asked you."
24	Lindsay Arnold	"That salsa will get ya-every time!"
25	Louis Van Amstel	"I was jealous of Mark on Season 5, but I got the girl now!"
26	Koko Iwasaki	"You're a real Jersey party boy, and I need you to be a suave English gentleman for Bond Night."
27	Keo Motsepe	"If Len gives a 10, I'm gonna run down and kiss him!"
28	Peta Murgatroyd	Her scream after finding out that she and Tommy Chong had made the semi-finals.
29	Pasha Pashkov	"You don't know who I am, but I've been praying I get you!"
30	Sasha Farber	"If you wanna dance, you know it would be my honour. My main worrybis your health."
31	Jonathan Roberts	"Let's take a commercial break."
32	Daniella Karagach	"YEAH! OH SHIT!!!"
33	Dmitry Chaplin	"I feel like I'm cheating on Jewel with another partner."
34	Sharna Burgess	"I got to do the Backstreet Boys' move next to a Backstreet Boy, and I think it's kinda awesome!"
35	Tristan MacManus	"And I got a 7. Hurt my feelins!"
36	Britt Stewart	"Daniel!"
37	Rylee Arnold	"Isn't that James Bond, not James Brown?"
38	Tony Dovolani
39	Emma Slater

Welcome to DANCING WITH THE STARS: THE PROS' MOST ICONIC QUOTES ✨

A huge thank you to the lovely u/invader_holly who suggested the idea, and that I run this game here! 💕
How does it work?
Each day, I'll reshare this board. With each day is a new pro. Similarly to past games I've done like Dances of the Seasons, The Dancing with the Stars Alphabet, Favourite Dances Per Style, and The Pros' Most Memorable Dances, for every day, you can all comment a response. This time, the response would be a quote from the respective pro for that day! As with previous games, the comment with the most upvotes wins. At the end, I'll put together a video compilation together!
MAKE SURE THAT IF YOU WANT TO SUGGEST NUMEROUS QUOTES, DO THEM EACH IN A SEPERATE COMMENT. THE COMMENT WITH THE MOST UPVOTES WINS AND IS ADDED TO THE BOARD. IF POSSIBLE, PLEASE TRY AND ADD WHEN THE PRO SAYS THE QUOTE (SO I CAN FIND THE CLIP TO ADD TO THE VIDEO COMPILATION).
Yesterday's round was won by u/Alarming-Butterfly90 's suggestion!

DAY 38: TONY DOVOLANI

I AM NOT OOP. OOP is u/ReverendMuddyGrimes
Originally posted on relationships
2 updates – short
Content warning: drug and alcohol abuse, waste of questionable origin
Original post - October 7th, 2023
Update 1 - March 17th, 2024
Update 2 - May 15th, 2024
Sister-in-law told me my wife cheated while on vacation
The players in this drama. My wife who for the purpose of this post shall be called Anne (female 47). My sister-in-law (female 40) who we shall call Shannon. SIL's cheating partner (male mid 40s) known hereafter as Tony. And myself (male, so close to 50 that I can reach out and slap it). We shall refer to me as "me". Usual disclaimers of cell phone and English is my first language, I just suck at it. So my wife had to travel to her step father's house. He is in very poor health, and she went there to help set up home heath. She was there for a week, and we were in constant contact. Her sister is a drunk and a drug addict. At several points during the visit, we were on video chat when "Shannon" came into the room where my wife and her father were. She was buck ass naked, raging drunk. In front of her father. I was mortified, and I'm sure he was too. Now "Shannon" is married, but separated. She has a live in boyfriend. "Tony" is my father-in-law's primary care giver. For the flight home, "Anne" missed her flight. "Tony" was driving her to the airport. There was an unusual amount of road construction, and they arrived late. She had to take a different flight. Not a big deal. After she was home for a few days, the following text exchange happened between me and Shannon. Shannon: they fucked. Me: who, and did you film it? We could make a fortune on pornhub! Shannon: I saw him leaving her room and smiling. You know she didn't miss her flight! He ain't denying it. Me: well, if they did, he's the luckiest man alive.
Now guys, I know that I have a better chance of creating a fart powered personal jet than this story has of being true. It's just not in her nature. That said, damn that woman to the depths of Detroit's South side for putting the idea in my head.
So, the question: how do I deal with a crazy drunk 80lb woman from 1000 miles away. I can't block her, because the rest of her family has. If something happens to the father-in-law while Tony is at work, I'm the only one she can contact.
Tldr: drunk SIL claims wife cheated. She didn't. I have to decide how to deal with her.
Comments
Indianblanket
Tell Tony you are blocking Shannon and to please contact you directly with any updates he receives from Shannon while he's at work.
Block Shannon.
Call Dad daily.
EdgeCityRed
Yeah, I had a former friend like Shannon: a heavy drinker, mental issues (no offense intended to people dealing with mental issues, but this was the main factor in that case), major liar who'd fixate on specific things to lie about.
I did block this person in every conceivable way but I can't think of anything else to do in your situation but ignore the behavior since you have to be in contact. OR, you and your wife could just talk to Tony about the father-in-law with the understanding that if Tony quits being the caregiver or breaks up with Shannon, he passes your contact info to the next caregiver. If something happens when Tony is at work, he'd still probably know before you.
Anyway, you have nothing to worry about with the wife anyway; you're too funny to dump.
\too funny to dump. I have a host of exes that would strongly disagree. Unless you meant funny looking. Then, they would come down solidly on your side*
Update 1
Several months ago my drunk of a SIL (f-40) told me (m-50) that my wife of 12 years (f-47) cheated on me while setting her her step dad's home health in Detroit. I, of course, didn't believe her. A lot has happened since then. First, we all went up for Christmas. While we were there, SIL (I called her Shannon in the original post) stormed in and claimed that my wife was having sex with her boyfriend "Tony" on the front porch. Two problems with that. 1) It's Detroit in December so it's cold as a well digger's ass outside. 2) my wife is in the chair next to mine. SIL ended up assaulting Tony right after I returned home. She ended up in jail where she was placed on a 3 day psych hold. Apparently being a drunken meth addict makes you crazy. Who knew? Mid January, my father-in-law passed away. This sent SIL into a spiral. Especially when she found out that she couldn't stay in the family home anymore as it had to be sold. She was given $35,000 from her father's retirement to get a new place and hold her over until the sale of the house. My wife and I drove up to prepare the house to go on the market. Y'all, I've been in nasty houses before, but not like this. My father-in-law kept this place immaculate. Now, in just 2 months, it qualifies for an episode of Hoarders. There is dog crap halfway up the walls in the den. I didn't even know dogs could poop that high! There were several empty bottles of $350 tequila in the living room. We figure that she will have drank her entire inheritance in six months. We had to rent a dumpster for me to shovel all of her garbage in to. Obviously, I changed the locks and garage door codes. Im a career garage door installer, so that part was easily done. Even more obviously, all those people who responded to the original post that my wife cheated were VERY wrong. Edit: the dog is a chihuahua. We assume that it did it's doggie business off the back of the couch, since we had to move the couch to find what was causing the smell. We can't take the dog because SIL refuses to see us. TLDR, Wife, who I knew didn't cheat even though her sister claimed she did, was exonerated because her sister is batshit crazy from meth and alcohol.
Comments
Scarletnightingale
Sir, given that she is an alcoholic with a meth addiction, I would assume that that was not dog poop on the walls. Alcoholics tend to have issues with their digestive system and meth and alcohol mess with judgement and a person caring of they pooped on the wall.
Good luck with the house, and I'm sorry that your SIL is making things so much more difficult for you during the loss of your wife's father.
Elfich47 If she making meth in the house, you may need a decon team to clean the site up.
She doesn't make it, just uses. We know this by the amount of dealers that FIL had to chase off
Update 2
I mentioned in my last post that my Father-in-law passed away. From insurance and his retirement both of his daughters received $104k before taxes. We paid our taxes up front leaving us just over $80k. We really don't have much debt, so we put it all on our house. My SIL however chose to accept a lump sum. In the update, when she had gotten the first installment of $35k, I said she would have drank it all in 6 months. Apparently I am a very optimistic man. She has drank,shot up, and snorted the entire $104k in less than 3 months. Through most of the high times, she sent my wife incredibly awful texts claiming that her dad never loved her. Technically it was my wife's step-dad. One of the claims made was that if he loved her he would have adopted her. SIL was too young to remember, but he did try. Her birth father wouldn't sign off on it. Anyway, she is out of money. My wife is getting around a dozen slurred phone calls a day begging her to let SIL sleep on our couch. That is a giant HELL NO from us. We expect to hear any day that she has been found dead.
TLDR: SIL blew her entire inheritance on drugs and alcohol. Now after insulting my wife for months, wants to live with us.
Comments
crom_77
Sounds like you have a head on your shoulders. SIL sounds like a nightmare. Money can wreck a family if it's not handled carefully, I've seen it happen several times. People live like there's going to be a big payout at the end, or like they deserve something.
HuntEnvironmental863
Do you think in 3 months OP will be back on here cause Anne took the 80k and ran off with Tony?
80k is gone. It went on our mortgage. As for Tony, he disappeared when the SIL ran out of money.
Marked as concluded per OOP.
No brigading, no harassment.

(Yes, the creators already did this, but I wanted to try reproducing their results.)
First of all, there's definitely still issues with the dataset.

1. Questions mostly have 10 possible answers, but some have fewer "to remove unreasonable choices". This is supposed to be done by actually having <10 answers (I assume), but in some cases questions are padded with N/A at the end multiple times. Removing N/A from the end of the options list until only one existed resulted in removing 3314 options from the test. AFAIK N/A is never the correct answer to any question (I checked).
2. Some questions are duplicates. I kept only the first instance encountered. This removed 86 questions from the test. I didn't check if their answer options were also duplicates.
3. Some questions have duplicate answer options (i.e. A and C or whichever being the same answer). As this is obviously incorrect I removed these questions from the test. This removed ~400 questions. It should be pretty easy to fix these but I didn't want to spend more time.
4. Some questions are impossible to answer as they're missing info.
   • For example, question ID 2668 is "Which of the following scans can image brain function?" but it does not give further details, and the answer options are things like "I, II and III only".
   • I only noticed one of these but I'm pretty sure there are more.
5. Some questions have very bad formatting, like 11797:
   • \textquotedblleftNew business firms can under price older firms, because thenewer firms can buy the latest equipment and are not bur-denedwith the older, less economical equipment which olderfirms must retire before they can economically adopt thenew. This is why continued technological progress contributesto maintaining a competitive economic system." Explain the er-rors in both sentences.
   • Smarter models will probably do better on things like this, but I don't think the formatting is intentional.

For my first run, I used temperature 0.2 (they used 0.1) and this system prompt:

You are a knowledgeable expert. When given a multiple choice question, think it through then give your single final answer as The answer is ....

Here is their system prompt:

You are an knowledge expert, you are supposed to answer the multi-choice question to derive your final answer as The answer is ....

I'm not a fan of the phrasing, but more importantly in my preliminary testing I noticed that GPT-4o interpreted it to mean that it could give multiple answers. My "single final answer" was intended to prevent that. This mostly worked, but when answering questions that involved a lot of LaTeX in the CoT it would sometimes format the answer using LaTeX, making regex matching unreasonably hard. (I didn't fix those, scoring them as failures.)
For my second run, I used temperature 0.5 (which OpenAI uses in their simple-evals repo) and this system prompt:

Answer the following multiple choice question. The last line of your response should be of the following format: 'Answer: ($LETTER)' (without quotes) where LETTER is a single one of the options. Think step by step before answering.

This is based on this prompt from OpenAI's evals. OpenAI's says to pick one of "ABCD" but I was too lazy to generate that dynamically so I changed it a bit. It seems to work well. I used the regex Answer\s*:\s*\(\$?([A-Ja-j])\) to capture the answer.
If the model's output didn't seem to give an answer at all I manually checked it. This was:

• Mostly GPT-4o saying that none of the answers are correct
• Sometimes the model entering an infinite loop until it ran out of output space
• A few times the model giving a numeric answer, often one that had no correspondence to possible answers. Scored as a failure.
• A few times very slightly bad formatting that my regex didn't match. If the answer it gave was correct I manually fixed it, on the rationale that a slightly better regex could have caught it, otherwise I left it alone (since it wouldn't affect the score either way).

Here are the results I got, plus the original results from TIGER Lab @ UWaterloo.

Models	Prompting	Overall	Biology	Business	Chemistry	ComputerScience	Economics	Engineering	Health	History	Law	Math	Philosophy	Physics	Psychology	Other
GPT-4o (TIGER Lab)	CoT	0.7149	0.8504	0.7852	0.7428	0.7512	0.784	0.5401	0.7152	0.6718	0.5393	0.762	0.6947	0.7355	0.7726	0.7091
GPT-4o (my first run)	CoT	0.7100	0.8441	0.7802	0.7502	0.7404	0.7763	0.5740	0.7061	0.6761	0.5753	0.7901	0.6760	0.7349	0.7611	0.7117
GPT-4o (my second run)	CoT	0.7113	0.8441	0.7725	0.7628	0.7506	0.7662	0.5584	0.6964	0.6641	0.5597	0.7772	0.6474	0.7378	0.7445	0.7041

So I'd say the results themselves are basically "yep, that sure is how it scores". I don't know if my overall scores are actually slightly worse or if it's the effect of removing almost 500 questions from a 12.3k question dataset.
Total cost: maybe $160 based on token counts, messed up cost tracking at first.
The second run had approx 2.17M input tokens and 5.04M output tokens. Naively scaling this to other models (without actually using their tokenizers, and assuming they'll give identical output lengths) gives these approximate prices:

• Claude 3 Opus: $410
• GPT-4-0314: $367
• GPT-4-32k-0314: $608

I don't intend to run those.
I'll post the inputs/outputs of both runs if anyone knows a good place to upload password-protected zips (to avoid accidental scraping, since everything posted to reddit is trained on).

I live above a condo that is vacant. A while ago we noticed mold growing on the inside of the windows. I have reached out to our landlord to have them complain to the HOA. All my neighbors have complained as well. We have even reached out to the city.
It's been 8 months and no resolution. What do I do? I'm worried about it creeping up the walls and effecting my family's health.

Anyone else notice that every so often during the Abraham fight he will morph through the wall and come back full health? Not my most favorite bug to get during my nightmare hidden Easter egg run lmao.

Francis Ford Coppola’s ‘Megapolis’ - Review Thread

• Metacritic: 62 (12 Reviews)
• Rotten Tomatoes: 45% (11 Reviews)

Reviews:
Variety (50):

To call this garish, idea-bloated monstrosity a mere “fable” is to grossly undersell the project’s expansive insights into art, life and legacy.

Hollywood Reporter (60):

It’s windy and overstuffed, frequently baffling and way too talky, quoting Hamlet and The Tempest, Marcus Aurelius and Petrarch, ruminating on time, consciousness and power to a degree that becomes ponderous. But it’s also often amusing, playful, visually dazzling and illuminated by a touching hope for humanity.

Deadline:

Megalopolis represents a rare kind of event movie that reinvents the possibilities of cinema to the extent that, halfway through, there’s a very audacious gimmick that tears down the fourth wall in ways younger filmmakers can only dream of. Coppola breaks many of the cardinal rules of filmmaking in the film’s 138 minutes but it upholds the most important one: it is never, ever boring, and it will inspire just as many artists as the audiences it will alienate.

IndieWire (B+):

With “Megalopolis,” he crams 85 years worth of artistic reverence and romantic love into a clunky, garish, and transcendently sincere manifesto about the role of an artist at the end of an empire. It doesn’t just speak to Coppola’s philosophy, it embodies it to its bones. To quote one of the sharper non-sequiturs from a script that’s swimming in them: “When we leap into the unknown, we prove that we are free.”

The Guardian (2/5):

Francis Ford Coppola’s question – can the US empire last forever? – may be valid but flashes of humour cannot rescue this conspiracy thriller from awful acting and dull effects

LA Times:

In a larger sense, Coppola has moved from the cynicism of his greatest films like “The Conversation” and “Apocalypse Now” — so much power doing so much corrupting — and into something that could fairly be called utopian. I’m not sure if that’s what I want from him as an artist, but I thrill to his unbowed aspiration. He’s not going out with something tame and manicured, but an overstuffed, vigorous, seething story about the roots of fascism that only an uncharitable viewer would call a catastrophe. Rather, it feels like a city. It may be the most radical film he’s ever done. He dedicates it to his late wife, who would have smiled at the evidence of her husband still doing his thing 45 years later.

Rolling Stone (80):

Say what you will about this grand gesture at filtering Edward Gibbon’s history lessons through a lens darkly, it is exactly the movie that Coppola set out to make — uncompromising, uniquely intellectual, unabashedly romantic (upper-case and lower-case R), broadly satirical yet remarkably sincere about wanting not just brave new worlds but better ones.

Vanity Fair:

Megalopolis is too confused a film to make a truly odious or dangerous point. (Though the ending of the Vesta plotline is somewhat alarming.) This is the junkiest of junk-drawer movies, a slapped together hash of Coppola’s many disparate inspirations.

The Telegraph (80):

Aubrey Plaza is fantastic in this full-body sensory bath movie which follows a struggle for power among the elites of New Rome.

Screen Daily (40):

But the amount of stray ideas and themes that are introduced, then abandoned — such as the fact that Cesar has the ability to stop time — leave Megalopolis feeling like an unwieldy mess. Cesar and Cicero’s showdown over New Rome is handled in terribly disjointed ways, and the attempts by supporting characters to grasp power add to the picture’s cluttered construction. In recent years, few auteurs have dreamed as boldly as Coppola has with this film, but some visions, as Megalopolis’ characters discover, are doomed to failure.

The Wrap:

After four decades in the making, “Megalopolis” plays as a frustrating and paradoxical affair. The film is expertly assembled and sleepily directed all at once; it wows with its imagination and erudition all while leaving you little more than bemused.

Collider (4/10):

Much like the city being built in the film, it’s all more interesting in theory than it ever is in actuality. Now that we will all have the chance to take it in for ourselves, the greatest revelation is that there just isn’t that much there to see.

Written and Directed by Francis Ford Coppola:

An accident destroys a decaying metropolis called New Rome. Cesar Catilina, an idealist architect with the power to control time, aims to rebuild it as a sustainable utopia, while his opposition, corrupt Mayor Franklyn Cicero, remains committed to a regressive status quo. Torn between them is Franklyn's socialite daughter, Julia, who, tired of the influence she inherited, searches for her life's meaning.

Cast:

• Adam Driver as Cesar Catilina
• Giancarlo Esposito as Mayor Franklyn Cicero
• Nathalie Emmanuel as Julia Cicero
• Aubrey Plaza as Wow Platinum
• Shia LaBeouf as Clodio Pulcher
• Jon Voight as Hamilton Crassus III
• Jason Schwartzman as Jason Zanderz
• Talia Shire as Constance Crassus Catilina
• Grace VanderWaal as Vesta Sweetwater
• Laurence Fishburne as Fundi Romaine
• Kathryn Hunter as Teresa Cicero
• Dustin Hoffman as Nush "The Fixer" Berman
• Sonia Ammar
• Chloe Fineman
• Madeleine Gardella
• Balthazar Getty
• Bailey Ives
• Isabelle Kusman
• James Remar
• D. B. Sweeney