(26M) I got a lot start at dating at 24 simply because I just didn't think about it very much. There were some opportunities in school from women who liked me, but I was an idiot not to take up those options at the time.
So as someone who's very new to dating (and as cliché as this is to say), I recently went on two great dates (those were her words at the end of each date too, not just mine) with a girl I've been friends with for a little while (we met through work). Although she initially wanted to go on a third, I'm now dealing with the heavy sting of hearing her say that she doesn't have the right feelings to continue dating, and saw me as more of a friend despite things looking positive for a while.
I know, it's super common. Even though there was some level of attraction at first on her end, people can change. But in some way, I'm lucky that it didn't go on longer before having the rug pulled out from under me. Another close friend of mine who's equally introverted went on roughly 10 dates with a girl who reciprocated a lot of interest in him before he was essentially dropped in a more abrupt (but also crueler) fashion. She just saw him as more of a friend as well somehow.
Seeing how tumultuous and completely volatile dating can be, sometimes I just find it strange how someone can find themselves in a relationship at all in the first place when there can be soooo much trial and error. So if someone hasn't been in a relationship by a certain age, why is it so stigmatizing in our society when it's no mystery that finding a meaningful, lasting connection with someone can be so hard and partly luck-based?
I worry that no matter how hard I'll try and do my best to improve when possible (albeit I haven't tried very consistently so far), I'll never be able to sustain anyone's interest in the long-term and have that sort of chemistry. I could be "great on paper," but having a mutual spark with someone really just seems like a matter of luck to me.
If you've reached a point where you really don't have much to improve on (everyone has their own preferences in a partner after all and we shouldn't being something we're not just to impress them) and consistently find yourself being incompatible with dates (by their standards), is persistence, adaptation, and luck the only things that can lead you to success then? As in, if you just keep at it no matter how much tribulation, you'll probably get there at some point in there?

So back story here and it’s LONG.. buckle in.. We purchased a home in rural Ontario, in a small hamlet with about <100 people. A majority of our neighbours are Mennonite- specifically to the right and left of us. There is a new subdivision right near us, and expansion is bringing a lot of people from all walks of life. So I wouldn’t say we moved into “Mennonite” territory.
We purchased the house in June - and upon closing our left side Mennonite neighbour had put up a 9ft fence on closing day, a couple inches from the property line - and did not inform us he was planning such. It obscures our backyard access from our left, but again it was a surprise on closing. Ok, we moved in and got over the Fort Knox wall, and decided to just leave it be and not make waves as new owners. He said he wanted his privacy, our driveway is shared, we understand that the homes are very close together.
Then this same neighbour informed us he had bought the small parcel of land behind us, and that he would be doing whatever he wanted with said land. A parcel that creates an L shape around our property. We were upset, and asked him if we could buy the land off him, he refused and stated a ridiculous price tag it was thrice what that dirt patch is worth, but he knows that. So we conceded and decided to let it go.
We noticed that there were some more items on the list that were a bit shady of our left neighbours, including a barn shed that was built too close to the property line for its size, and for our lot sizes. Think 20x25 by 17ft tall. Massive. Not code. Likely not permitted. I mentioned this to him in passing - he threatened if I called bylaw on his barn that he’s a Mexican Mennonite… whatever the hell that means.
Fast forward to another month, left neighbour planted corn in behind our backyard. It was nice to look at, I was pleasantly surprised that’s what he was doing w the parcel so we just went about life…until…a smell. Sitting outside in my yard I suddenly felt I was transplanted into a cattle farm. I couldn’t figure why my house was COATED in flies. So I decided to take a stroll around the corn he had planted and found 3 calves. In 1/8th of an acre/parcel of land. Directly down wind was our home and worst of all, our drinking well and the property is on a slope. I was furious. I immediately approached him and told him to remove his cattle - that it’s not allowed in a residential setting, and he told me, that it’s zoned agricultural, and he will remove them “when it’s convenient for him.” I was not impressed by his behaviour, he basically brushed me off as if it was his land and too effing bad for me. So I waited. And waited. 2 months passed by and my backyard was officially unbearable of smell. I called bylaw. They instructed him to remove cattle immediately, and he did within 7 days. Now he knows it was me, as the right neighbour (also Mennonite) to the other side of us is close with him.
This lovely Mennonite sandwich we have here - was also partaking in cattle maintenance and also didn’t inform us, but there were multiple occasions honest conversation could have happened. During bylaws visit - left neighbour was told to get rid of his chickens, which he did and then brought back. Here’s where right neighbour comes into play. They also have illegal chickens, and use our back yard as an egg freeway to trade and swap things for chickens, eggs, whatever. This happens all day. At various times. No problem even when we’re privately in our hot tub or sitting by our fire. ZERO CARE for our privacy. Front yard is just as open - but they would rather use backyard where they’re bothering us.
So… I called bylaw again. And put a stop to chicken egg freeway. What do you think? Am I the only one who would handle this situation this way? Aitah?!

Does anybody here worry about being falsely accused of using AI? I'm working on a blog post, and I copied and pasted the post onto more than one online AI detector and it said it was AI generated, some said so more than others (like one said 10 percent AI while another site said much more than 10 percent). But I know whether or not something came from my own brain. I think maybe it's the way my words for formed/organized (like my syntax), for example saying things like "many of whom". But it's just the way I talk/text and when I'm typing a discussion type piece, I try to talk in a very presentable way (as to not sound too amateurish or like I'm too new at whatever it is I'm writing even if I am new).
Thoughts?

In 1945, the United States underwent Operation Paperclip which gave over 1,600 German scientists, engineers and technicians sanctuary and absolution of their crimes in exchange for the continuation of their research.
In 1953 those same individuals came up with and executed MK Ultra, an illegal human experiment that used its citizens (targeting schools, hospitals and prisons) as test subjects.
In 1954 the Plum Island was turned into a research center for diseases.
In 1975 the first documented case of Lyme disease occurred. Rumored to have escaped Plum Island.
In 2005 the DHS announced that all the work done at Plum Island would be continued in Kansas. Not just the center of the continental United States, but also home to crops seen in grocery stores all over the country.
The following is a true story.
Getting into work, one of the first things I do is check my mail. I’ve been a reporter for years and have amassed fans who like to write in and give me leads. Most of the time these leads don't amount to much (Sometimes I wonder if people send me things because of my apophenia and they are trying to get me off their scent), but every once in a while I strike gold.
I had been working at Whisper Alley Echos for a few months by the time I got my first lead. The package I got was small and when I opened it I saw a DVD that had the words “play me” written in black marker on it. Not knowing what was on it, I waited until I got home to put it on. Not just because I didnt know what was on it, but I was also busy working on a different project about how everyone in a nearby town just went missing. The official story is that they all went on vacation or went to visit a relative and decided to stay. I dont know about you, but I found that suspicious.
After getting home and shifting gears to get into the movie mood (popcorn, blinds pulled, etc…) I popped the DVD in and began watching.
There were dozens of different videos to pick from, some ranging from a minute to half an hour. Instead of picking one at random, I just played them in order. After all, all their titles were dates and times and I didnt want to miss anything that might make sense later.
The first video featured a tardigrade, at the time I didnt know what it was, but the scientist doing the voice over described it as being a microscopic animal as well as being extremely resilient. This went on for several minutes and for a moment it felt as though I was watching a nature documentary instead of something given to me by a government whistleblower.
The next few videos featured footage of the tardigrades being given something called “BB-F828” and the changes it caused.
The voiceover talked about how a tardigrade (this time he called them water bears and the two terms were interchangeable from this point on) was showing signs of several thousand generations of evolution in only a few days. Even though I know nothing about science, I could see that the thing on the television was not the same animal that was shown in the first video.
While they were never “cute”, at least they never looked like predators, but after a few videos I saw that the tardigrades were covered in what appeared to be padding. In a later video this padding would change into being chitin-like armor.
The last video was filmed two months after the water bears were given BB-F828 and in it the scientists could see them even without a microscope.
The next morning I went into work and started writing on my computer, copying notes from my small notebook. However by the time I started the second draft, Andrea, the office secretary, dropped a letter off at my desk.
It was the first time I got a letter about an “inside scoop” two days in a row.
The letter said that they were the ones who sent the DVD and if I wanted to know more I would have to go to The Rats Skeleton (a bar that used to be a speakeasy during prohibition. Because of this the place feels as though its a front for a comic book villain. The owners have leaned into this and did everything they could to reinforce this feeling with sparse lighting and everything that isn't red velvet on the walls being painted black) at a specific time.
Usually I wouldn't go meet strangers after getting an anonymous letter that tells me to come alone, but its a small town and I didn't have much going on that particular Thursday.
Parking behind the Merc (short for mercantile, where most of the grocery and general shopping is done in town), I descended the stairs and made my way to the back of the bar. There I found a woman that didnt look like she slept in days. Since no one else was in that back area I figured she must have been the person I was there to see.
“Hey, I’m Daniel West. Am I—”
“Sit” the woman said, motioning across from her. I sat down and asked her for her name but she didn’t want to answer me and when i asked for it a second time she claimed it was Jane, but there is no doubt that was not her real name.
“What made you reach out, Jane?”
“You saw the video?”
I nodded. “Yup.”
“And?”
“I have a lot of questions” I answered.
“Figured you would” Jane said. “Ask.”
“Well, first” I said, my journalistic inexperience showing as I went through my pocket notebook. “Who are you and why do you know all this?”
“Name isnt important” Jane answered. “Let me start from the beginning. We thought we were working on human survivability” Jane answered. “I thought that I was working for some company that had a government contract. That might be true, it might not be. Either way lots of money and resources have been put into this.”
“I saw the video” I answered. “What exactly was it that I was watching?”
Janes eyes were frantic as she looked at the stairs behind me. When I turned around to see what she was looking at I saw a local descending the steps and approach the bar. She only answered my question when she was convinced that the man wasn't eavesdropping, still, she spoke in whispers.
“We were working on human survivability.”
“You said that. What does that mean?”
“Exactly what it sounds like. Consider we civilize mars and the long term effects from the static radiation there. Or another planet that demands thicker bones because of increased gravity? Evolution might give us those things eventually but what if we need it now? In this generation?”
“So you made super humans?”
Jane was annoyed and slapped the table. No one was around to hear or see her but I still looked around anyways.
“We didn’t work on humans. We piggybacked off of some other countries' genetic research and made some breakthroughs of our own. When—-“
“Other countries?” I interrupted instead of letting her talk.
“Yeah” Jane said with a shrug. “Some countries aren’t tied down by the same code of ethics as ours.”
“That’s why you got a hold of me? To tell—-“
“We were working on small parts. At first individual genes, building from that success we went on to more complex organisms. Eventually, hopefully, test on humans.”
“But you never made it that far?”
“No” Jane said, taking a sip from her glass. “We tested BB-F828 on other things, building up towards human testing.”
“Okay, like what?”
Jane inhaled through her nose and looked at me as though she wasnt sure if I could be trusted. Then she sighed when she realized it was too late not to trust me, she had already went too far to turn back. “What do you think has the best chance of not only surviving a planet wide disaster, but also thrive in it?”
“Cockroaches” I answered.
Jane nodded. “Sure. Lots of people would agree with you, however that wouldn't be the best pick.”
“Oh? Then what would be?”
“Rats.”
I laughed.
“They are tough and can thrive anywhere. Even before BB-F828 they are smarter than roaches, plus rats have a complicated social hierarchy, similar to humans. Remember, I didn't just say survive. I said thrive.”
“So you tested all this on rats?”
Jane nodded. “We did.”
I waited for Jane to continue, but thanks to her staring off into space due to lack of sleep, she waited longer.
“What happened?”
Janes eyes drifted back at me, she was running on fumes. “Huh? Oh, yeah. Rats, right?” she asked while pulling a folder out from the seat next to her. She set it on the table and slid it over to me. “Here, take a peek.”
I opened it, expecting redacted pages of ‘evidence’ and while I got some of that, it was the photos that drew my attention the most. At first the photos were individual rats and a designated number they received instead of a name.
“How many rats did you experiment—” I started, but my voice trailed off when I came across a photo of the one rat with unique markings on its back now appearing to be bred for a war on pleasant dreams. Its eyes were pearly gray, teeth became tusks, its whiskers were thick and barbed. According to the scale it was on when the second photo was taken it weighed twenty nine point four kilos.
“A few hundred?” Jane answered, though it was obvious that it was just a guess. “They were paired off and put in different environments to see how they adapt.”
“Why would you pair them off?”
“I think it was to see if some would branch out and become their own species” Jane answered as she checked her watch. Seeing the time she sped up. “See, when something with BB-F828 finds itself in a desert, it might adapt to the point that it grows a hump like a camel. Or grow gills if they are in the ocean. The original purpose was for human survivability on other planets. We thought if we could discover how the adaptations work, and it could be repeated exactly the same over and over again, we could do something for humans. After all you wouldn't want anything unexpected to happen when you're in the middle of growing another set of arms or a dorsal fin, right?”Jane said. “But to do this we needed lots of subjects and all in their own environments. Each one had their own surprises, after all, evolution is random. Favors some things over others. One species can branch out to be dozens or hundreds. Thousands with enough time and environmental factors. When the tardigrades started displaying more predatory behavior we thought it was due to the change in diet and the increase in protein, but now we think its due to the rapid change. It drives them insane. All of this was surprising, but none as surprising as the ‘dirt rats’.”
“Wait. They are all insane? Also, dirt rats?” I asked, flipping the photo over to show the next one. This one revealed what I thought was a bear, but when I was about to flip it over to look at the next one I noticed its teeth. Thats when I noticed that it was a huge, muscular rat.
“Six breeding pairs, all kept in an empty pool full of dirt. They weren't given enough room to get out of the dirt, so they had to adapt to living in it. Anyways, because they are in the dirt its harder to keep track of what they are doing. Because of that, by the time we discovered that they had burrowed their way out of the facility it was too late. They were gone.”
“Gone? What do you mean?”
“Escaped,” Jane whispered. “And they are growing.”
“Growing?”
“Last I heard, they were nearly sixty feet but we honestly don't know. It's not like we can compare them to anything else.”
“Sixty feet?” I laughed. “Someone would have saw them by—”
“Underground” Jane said with a shake of her head. “They are underground. I know it's hard to believe, but how else can you explain those earthquakes in Chicago? New York?”
“Are you saying there are giant rats under those cities?”
“I am saying they aren't rats anymore. They are something else entirely. I am saying six breeding pairs might not sound like a lot, but rats reproduce so quickly it's terrifying. I am saying that they are so big and there are so many of them that they are causing those earthquakes. I am saying that due to their size they burn off lots of calories and some have evolved to hibernating.”
“Why hibernation?”
“No idea, but when they wake up they are going to be very hungry. Ravenous.”
“Any idea when that might be?” I asked.
Jane shrugged. “Some already have. We just covered it up.”
It might have been my apophenia talking, but with that statement I started seeing the bigger picture and asked Jane about the town that went missing (The story I was working on before her DVD reached me). Jane gave me the politician's answer, saying something without actually saying something, and that was enough to confirm that I was indeed on the right track.
Unfortunately Jane and I did not speak for much longer, she got a call that freaked her out and she took off. Before she left she took the folder and the pictures I was still going through. I haven't seen or heard from her since and have dropped the story about the disappearances that have secretly been plaguing our country.
WAE

I’m really, really, starting not to like my hair. It bothers me that there’s all this extra work in order to take care of it properly, since it’s super curly (4b or 4c?)
My hair grows, and it’s quite healthy. The longest I’ve had it was to my butt. Right now, its just below my chest. So it’s not a growth or length issue. I’ve also never had it relaxed, I’ve been natural all my life. My routine and products I use are minimal, and I have the techniques down. I would say I’m quite experienced.
My main issue is that it’s not quite versatile. I know people mention all the things you can do to it, but it’s usually wigs, braids, or silk presses. I hate wigs, I hate braids, and constantly straightening your hair damages it and that’s its own set of upkeep. And if it is natural, the styles require a bunch of gel and tension.
For a few years, I had my hair in twists. That’s how I got my hair to my butt. But because of how long it was getting, I would only touch my hair once a month (I know, disgusting). It was getting to the point that I would start in the morning, and at best, end late in the night. I tried doing it more often, which did cut down on the time, but it still took basically all day just in more frequent intervals. I eventually decided to just take the twists out. Due to basically neglecting my hair, I had so many split ends and single strand knots I had to cut more than half my hair 😭
When I looked online for what to do with my hair, all I saw was wigs and weave. I get hot and sweaty easily, and I don’t like the idea of not having access to my scalp, so wigs are a no. I’ve had braids before, but I don’t like sitting down for hours to do my hair, and I didn’t want to continue waiting a month to do my hair or only having it in for 1-2 weeks and taking it out. I don’t trust myself to use heat, and I hate gel as it’ll make my hair greasy quickly. I also wanted styles where I didn’t have to worry about my hair too much, since I like to swim. But without those styles, it’s hard to have your hair looking decent.
My alternative to gel was to detangle and style my hair everyday. I would detangle it in the shower and style it when I came out. Since I didn’t moisturize it, that end up leaving my hair dry and with single strand knots, so I had to cut my hair again. Then I applied moisture every other day, which stopped the knots, but now my hair was getting dirty easily. Also, the routine of taking the time to section my hair, detangle each section, twist it up, and then find a style was getting tiresome. Finding a style while having kinky hair, there’s only a handful of hairstyles that work with no gel, so it was quite discouraging.
Eventually, I just decided to leave my hair in four braids and wash it once a week. My routine is simple: I detangle it in the shower before I start shampooing, I leave it in sections the whole time, leave the conditioner to sit while I wash myself, detangle and rinse it, use water and oil and braid them up. Throughout the week, as it gets frizzy, I detangle and braid it in the shower (which is about every other day).
I look back and I’m like, why all this work??? I watch people with straight and loose curls a lot and I wish I could do what they could with their hair. I wish I could just wake up, brush it out, and it’s decent looking or I can immediately style it. Or, even if I have to wet and detangle it, I wish I didn’t have to constantly section it off, and only let the water “reset” my curls. Since my curls are tight and can knot easily, I don’t wear it out without detangling it first which isn’t a simple ordeal either.
I wish I could do minimal to no sectioning, and when I’m done detangling I could take it all out and just brush through it. I wish it would stay decently detangled throughout my shampooing, and all I have to do is a quick brush through my head with the conditioner in before rinsing it out. I wish it didn’t take me almost 2 HOURS TO WASH AND BRAID MY HAIR EVERY WEEK! I wish when I styled it, I could leave more hair out and do cute minimal hairstyles, not worry about having to “stretch it out” or do looks that could be achieved with minimal to no gel (my hair just isnt like that lol). I wish I could just moisturize it and let it dry and be done with it.
I’ve had long hair: down my butt, lower back, and now I’m letting it grow out again and it’s about mid back. I can’t show off my length! I’ve always wanted long hair, and now that I do, I can’t even take it out and see it all because it’ll just shrink and be a hassle! I think my curls are pretty, but shrinkage limits styles so much and since they’re tight, wearing my hair out just leaves it vulnerable to breakage.
Another issue I have is cleanliness. I wash my hair once a week, but like I said, I’m hot bodied. I’m also active, so I sweat a bunch. My hair just gets dirty so quickly! My issues always been that I can’t just wash it, since it takes so long. I have a life! I have stuff to do! This is tmi, but I hate that I can’t wash my sweaty head! It grosses me out, and I’m always scratching it. I feel like no matter what I do, I’m a slave to my hair. This has to be my biggest issue, it gives me the ick.
My only hope is to shave it. I don’t mind wearing wigs if I have nothing underneath, if I decide to wear wigs. I can also wash it however often I want to. My only issue is my femininity. I love long hair, I love having long hair. I love measuring my hair from time to time and being happy with how much it’s grown. I love the compliments I get about my hair being (unexpectedly) long. Also, my hair wasn’t always long. Before I learned what to do and how to take care of it, my hair was the same length for years and I envied those whose hair was long and loose. I mean I still do, but it’s more for versatility and ease rather than it is about looks (although that does still play a role). Now that I have it, I feel sad about letting it go. It’s kind of like my identity, which is also a reason why I want to shave it off. I’m also already insecure about looking manly, so while shaving my hair from here on out might be freeing, I feel like it’ll amplify another insecurity.
I don’t know what was the point of me making this or if anybody cares but this is my dilemma and I dunno if anyone’s going through something similar.

I git disagnosed when i was 38 years old and since then my life has been a bigger mess then what it was. I am not one of those people who believe adhd is a strength (for me personally), for me it's been veey disabling since I found out and now that i know I'm more aware that everything i do is cauae of my adhd. The way i describe it is that i just feel like I am a puppet and someone is pulling the strings to my life, to my body and brain! Occasionally they get tired..and crash (that's when things start looking good and when we become productive) but not for long! Cause when they wake up they start again and everything i just did to be productive gets erased with a simple mistake or clumsiness. It's like someone has put a spell on me and it's a constant battle with the voices in my head telling me not to do certain things and then still doing them like I have no control.
I need help, i don't know how to say no to impulses. I can't discipline myself cause I can always have an excuse to justify my action. Would like to know how others with adhd control bad habits when it's not beneficial to ourselves at all but we still can't resist the urge? And I don't mean temptations, that's different. Example... On the way to work stopping at a store for "5 minutes" ... (but time blindness so really it becomes over an hour) and then being late to work because I got distracted and ended spending money i shouldn't have, now I'm broke and late. And I do this few times a week. KNOWING I can't possibly be 5 minutes "this time" but still ignoring the noise that's telling me just go straight to work. Looking at my track record, common sense would be Do not go in any store drive straight to work, but time and time again I still do what I feel needs to be done. And that's why I feel like I'm a puppet under someone's control.

I’m sure we’ve all had this experience multiple times, but you know when you’re friends with a guy, and you can tell he’s into you and he keeps making comments that he thinks are subtle (but are very obvious) that indicate that he likes you.
It just feels like such an uncomfortable position to be in, because I want the friendship, but the undertone of being sexualised by him (whether or not he realises it/is consciously doing it) just makes interacting with him very uncomfortable.
It’s hard to know what to do/say because he’s not actually saying or doing things that I could explicitly call him out on, it’s just that gut feeling that we do not see each other from the same point of view.
What do y’all do in this situation?

So on April 30… I woke up in the morning with a blood pressure of 167/102 and an elevated pulse. This was on a Tuesday morning. The Thursday before I had blood work done as I had had a tetany episode on April 2. I got a phone call from my doctor saying that my ionized calcium and my serum calcium were low so I should double my dose. Saturday I woke up with terrible anxiety and feeling horrible and the on-call doctor said to go from four times a day total 2000 mg, to eight times 4000mg a day. Now comes Tuesday morning with the elevated blood pressure. I ended up in the hospital with 194/127 and a pulse of 130. My calcium levels had gone from 7 to over 12 in the course of three days. I was tachycardic and I was in a hypertensive crisis they say due to the calcium. However, I have high blood pressure prior to the calcium stuff. And of course they drop my calcium and I end up having orthostatic blood pressures, which means they severely dropped, and I was swinging back-and-forth from low to high to normal, etc. Has anybody experience extreme anxiety with quick fluctuations in calcium? I’ve been both high and low and never had anxiety except for this occurrence and being tachycardic. Everything seems normal now, Except my calves f started twitching last night when I went to bed and they are doing the same thing tonight as well.I also can’t shake this dreadful feeling. They ran every single test, found that I was slightly hyperthyroid, i’m also adrenal insufficient so that probably stressed my system out too as they had no Cortisone on board. These past three weeks have been dreadful and I finally went back to work this week but I feel like I’m constantly walking on eggshells. Any suggestions? By the way, I’m not normally an anxious person, but any stretch of the imagination

In 1945, the United States underwent Operation Paperclip which gave over 1,600 German scientists, engineers and technicians sanctuary and absolution of their crimes in exchange for the continuation of their research.
In 1953 those same individuals came up with and executed MK Ultra, an illegal human experiment that used its citizens (targeting schools, hospitals and prisons) as test subjects.
In 1954 the Plum Island was turned into a research center for diseases.
In 1975 the first documented case of Lyme disease occurred. Rumored to have escaped Plum Island.
In 2005 the DHS announced that all the work done at Plum Island would be continued in Kansas. Not just the center of the continental United States, but also home to crops seen in grocery stores all over the country.
The following is a true story.
Getting into work, one of the first things I do is check my mail. I’ve been a reporter for years and have amassed fans who like to write in and give me leads. Most of the time these leads don't amount to much (Sometimes I wonder if people send me things because of my apophenia and they are trying to get me off their scent), but every once in a while I strike gold.
I had been working at Whisper Alley Echos for a few months by the time I got my first lead. The package I got was small and when I opened it I saw a DVD that had the words “play me” written in black marker on it. Not knowing what was on it, I waited until I got home to put it on. Not just because I didnt know what was on it, but I was also busy working on a different project about how everyone in a nearby town just went missing. The official story is that they all went on vacation or went to visit a relative and decided to stay. I dont know about you, but I found that suspicious.
After getting home and shifting gears to get into the movie mood (popcorn, blinds pulled, etc…) I popped the DVD in and began watching.
There were dozens of different videos to pick from, some ranging from a minute to half an hour. Instead of picking one at random, I just played them in order. After all, all their titles were dates and times and I didnt want to miss anything that might make sense later.
The first video featured a tardigrade, at the time I didnt know what it was, but the scientist doing the voice over described it as being a microscopic animal as well as being extremely resilient. This went on for several minutes and for a moment it felt as though I was watching a nature documentary instead of something given to me by a government whistleblower.
The next few videos featured footage of the tardigrades being given something called “BB-F828” and the changes it caused.
The voiceover talked about how a tardigrade (this time he called them water bears and the two terms were interchangeable from this point on) was showing signs of several thousand generations of evolution in only a few days. Even though I know nothing about science, I could see that the thing on the television was not the same animal that was shown in the first video.
While they were never “cute”, at least they never looked like predators, but after a few videos I saw that the tardigrades were covered in what appeared to be padding. In a later video this padding would change into being chitin-like armor.
The last video was filmed two months after the water bears were given BB-F828 and in it the scientists could see them even without a microscope.
The next morning I went into work and started writing on my computer, copying notes from my small notebook. However by the time I started the second draft, Andrea, the office secretary, dropped a letter off at my desk.
It was the first time I got a letter about an “inside scoop” two days in a row.
The letter said that they were the ones who sent the DVD and if I wanted to know more I would have to go to The Rats Skeleton (a bar that used to be a speakeasy during prohibition. Because of this the place feels as though its a front for a comic book villain. The owners have leaned into this and did everything they could to reinforce this feeling with sparse lighting and everything that isn't red velvet on the walls being painted black) at a specific time.
Usually I wouldn't go meet strangers after getting an anonymous letter that tells me to come alone, but its a small town and I didn't have much going on that particular Thursday.
Parking behind the Merc (short for mercantile, where most of the grocery and general shopping is done in town), I descended the stairs and made my way to the back of the bar. There I found a woman that didnt look like she slept in days. Since no one else was in that back area I figured she must have been the person I was there to see.
“Hey, I’m Daniel West. Am I—”
“Sit” the woman said, motioning across from her. I sat down and asked her for her name but she didn’t want to answer me and when i asked for it a second time she claimed it was Jane, but there is no doubt that was not her real name.
“What made you reach out, Jane?”
“You saw the video?”
I nodded. “Yup.”
“And?”
“I have a lot of questions” I answered.
“Figured you would” Jane said. “Ask.”
“Well, first” I said, my journalistic inexperience showing as I went through my pocket notebook. “Who are you and why do you know all this?”
“Name isnt important” Jane answered. “Let me start from the beginning. We thought we were working on human survivability” Jane answered. “I thought that I was working for some company that had a government contract. That might be true, it might not be. Either way lots of money and resources have been put into this.”
“I saw the video” I answered. “What exactly was it that I was watching?”
Janes eyes were frantic as she looked at the stairs behind me. When I turned around to see what she was looking at I saw a local descending the steps and approach the bar. She only answered my question when she was convinced that the man wasn't eavesdropping, still, she spoke in whispers.
“We were working on human survivability.”
“You said that. What does that mean?”
“Exactly what it sounds like. Consider we civilize mars and the long term effects from the static radiation there. Or another planet that demands thicker bones because of increased gravity? Evolution might give us those things eventually but what if we need it now? In this generation?”
“So you made super humans?”
Jane was annoyed and slapped the table. No one was around to hear or see her but I still looked around anyways.
“We didn’t work on humans. We piggybacked off of some other countries' genetic research and made some breakthroughs of our own. When—-“
“Other countries?” I interrupted instead of letting her talk.
“Yeah” Jane said with a shrug. “Some countries aren’t tied down by the same code of ethics as ours.”
“That’s why you got a hold of me? To tell—-“
“We were working on small parts. At first individual genes, building from that success we went on to more complex organisms. Eventually, hopefully, test on humans.”
“But you never made it that far?”
“No” Jane said, taking a sip from her glass. “We tested BB-F828 on other things, building up towards human testing.”
“Okay, like what?”
Jane inhaled through her nose and looked at me as though she wasnt sure if I could be trusted. Then she sighed when she realized it was too late not to trust me, she had already went too far to turn back. “What do you think has the best chance of not only surviving a planet wide disaster, but also thrive in it?”
“Cockroaches” I answered.
Jane nodded. “Sure. Lots of people would agree with you, however that wouldn't be the best pick.”
“Oh? Then what would be?”
“Rats.”
I laughed.
“They are tough and can thrive anywhere. Even before BB-F828 they are smarter than roaches, plus rats have a complicated social hierarchy, similar to humans. Remember, I didn't just say survive. I said thrive.”
“So you tested all this on rats?”
Jane nodded. “We did.”
I waited for Jane to continue, but thanks to her staring off into space due to lack of sleep, she waited longer.
“What happened?”
Janes eyes drifted back at me, she was running on fumes. “Huh? Oh, yeah. Rats, right?” she asked while pulling a folder out from the seat next to her. She set it on the table and slid it over to me. “Here, take a peek.”
I opened it, expecting redacted pages of ‘evidence’ and while I got some of that, it was the photos that drew my attention the most. At first the photos were individual rats and a designated number they received instead of a name.
“How many rats did you experiment—” I started, but my voice trailed off when I came across a photo of the one rat with unique markings on its back now appearing to be bred for a war on pleasant dreams. Its eyes were pearly gray, teeth became tusks, its whiskers were thick and barbed. According to the scale it was on when the second photo was taken it weighed twenty nine point four kilos.
“A few hundred?” Jane answered, though it was obvious that it was just a guess. “They were paired off and put in different environments to see how they adapt.”
“Why would you pair them off?”
“I think it was to see if some would branch out and become their own species” Jane answered as she checked her watch. Seeing the time she sped up. “See, when something with BB-F828 finds itself in a desert, it might adapt to the point that it grows a hump like a camel. Or grow gills if they are in the ocean. The original purpose was for human survivability on other planets. We thought if we could discover how the adaptations work, and it could be repeated exactly the same over and over again, we could do something for humans. After all you wouldn't want anything unexpected to happen when you're in the middle of growing another set of arms or a dorsal fin, right?”Jane said. “But to do this we needed lots of subjects and all in their own environments. Each one had their own surprises, after all, evolution is random. Favors some things over others. One species can branch out to be dozens or hundreds. Thousands with enough time and environmental factors. When the tardigrades started displaying more predatory behavior we thought it was due to the change in diet and the increase in protein, but now we think its due to the rapid change. It drives them insane. All of this was surprising, but none as surprising as the ‘dirt rats’.”
“Wait. They are all insane? Also, dirt rats?” I asked, flipping the photo over to show the next one. This one revealed what I thought was a bear, but when I was about to flip it over to look at the next one I noticed its teeth. Thats when I noticed that it was a huge, muscular rat.
“Six breeding pairs, all kept in an empty pool full of dirt. They weren't given enough room to get out of the dirt, so they had to adapt to living in it. Anyways, because they are in the dirt its harder to keep track of what they are doing. Because of that, by the time we discovered that they had burrowed their way out of the facility it was too late. They were gone.”
“Gone? What do you mean?”
“Escaped,” Jane whispered. “And they are growing.”
“Growing?”
“Last I heard, they were nearly sixty feet but we honestly don't know. It's not like we can compare them to anything else.”
“Sixty feet?” I laughed. “Someone would have saw them by—”
“Underground” Jane said with a shake of her head. “They are underground. I know it's hard to believe, but how else can you explain those earthquakes in Chicago? New York?”
“Are you saying there are giant rats under those cities?”
“I am saying they aren't rats anymore. They are something else entirely. I am saying six breeding pairs might not sound like a lot, but rats reproduce so quickly it's terrifying. I am saying that they are so big and there are so many of them that they are causing those earthquakes. I am saying that due to their size they burn off lots of calories and some have evolved to hibernating.”
“Why hibernation?”
“No idea, but when they wake up they are going to be very hungry. Ravenous.”
“Any idea when that might be?” I asked.
Jane shrugged. “Some already have. We just covered it up.”
It might have been my apophenia talking, but with that statement I started seeing the bigger picture and asked Jane about the town that went missing (The story I was working on before her DVD reached me). Jane gave me the politician's answer, saying something without actually saying something, and that was enough to confirm that I was indeed on the right track.
Unfortunately Jane and I did not speak for much longer, she got a call that freaked her out and she took off. Before she left she took the folder and the pictures I was still going through. I haven't seen or heard from her since and have dropped the story about the disappearances that have secretly been plaguing our country.
WAE

Does anybody here worry about being falsely accused of using AI? I'm working on a blog post, and I copied and pasted the post onto more than one online AI detector and it said it was AI generated, some said so more than others (like one said 10 percent AI while another site said much more than 10 percent). But I know whether or not something came from my own brain. I think maybe it's the way my words for formed/organized (like my syntax), for example saying things like "many of whom". But it's just the way I talk/text and when I'm typing a discussion type piece, I try to talk in a very presentable way (as to not sound too amateurish or like I'm too new at whatever it is I'm writing even if I am new).
Thoughts?

Here’s the facts. -When he was high he has laid on me and called me cute. -When he was drunk he told me I was very pretty and cuter than all of my roommates. -when he was sober he told me if I was never with my boyfriend he have been interested in me
However - he says he’s never had feelings / a crush on me -he says he would never do that to my boyfriend -he says he can’t have feelings for someone whose off limits -I asked him if he would lie if he did and he said no cuz at this point he’s got nothing to lose anyway
I told him to give me reasons he’d never be into me and he says 1, he doesn’t like my family, and 2, I act too flirtatious (I talked to my boyfriend and friend and they all agree I don’t flirt with him like he says I do, my friends theory is that he just takes a lot of stuff girls do as flirting)
My friend and I are hella skeptical - I have communicated to him that I will only interact via group settings, but should I cut contact completely?

Hi. This is my first time putting it in writing. I'm a 20 yr old college student. I was recently raped on a weekend while at college and I'm struggling. I feel as my whole life's changed and no one's really able to relate. I have these feelings of anger at myself. Like am I being overdramatic? Why can't I just move on? I don't want to constantly feel anxious and struggle to look at myself in the mirror. I don't want to always feel this hurt that feels like it never goes away no matter what I do. Even when I laugh I'm hurting. Sometimes I really feel him like I'm back in his room reliving it all, and it's physically painful. My relationships have changed. All my friends treat me like I can break at any point and I hate it but they're not wrong. I do need the extra support but I get mad at myself for needing it. I don't want all these things to have changed and I can't stop them from changing. It's harder to study and academics are super important to me. Even now that I'm home its still really hard. My relationship with my parents isn't the best. They're super religious and I'm too scared of how they'd react to tell them. I tried asking them for a therapist I even found one that I think I'd like but they've been taking a really long time to deal with insurance so I don't have anyone to talk to at home. I hate myself for all the things that have changed and all the things I can't control. My friends say its normal and I shouldn't be so hard on myself, but I can't help it. Can anyone relate or have any advice?

Here’s the facts. -When he was high he has laid on me and called me cute. -When he was drunk he told me I was very pretty and cuter than all of my roommates. -when he was sober he told me if I was never with my boyfriend he have been interested in me
However - he says he’s never had feelings / a crush on me -he says he would never do that to my boyfriend -he says he can’t have feelings for someone whose off limits -I asked him if he would lie if he did and he said no cuz at this point he’s got nothing to lose anyway
I told him to give me reasons he’d never be into me and he says 1, he doesn’t like my family, and 2, I act too flirtatious (I talked to my boyfriend and friend and they all agree I don’t flirt with him like he says I do, my friends theory is that he just takes a lot of stuff girls do as flirting)
My friend and I are hella skeptical - I have communicated to him that I will only interact via group settings, but should I cut contact completely?

Yeah and I mean it so I’ve met this lady her name is A a year ago. And we both really hit it off as like friends. But I still remember the first time I saw her walk into class I was like damn “she’s really pretty”. We continue talking and one day I saw her talking to a guy named M which I was like okay and then they were kinda a thing with each other. But suddenly M called things off suddenly and A was devastated and I tried my best to comfort her during those times. But as time went on I noticed these feelings which I haven’t had in years for someone. That’s when it hit me I was in love with her. At first I was like “fuck she’s my best friend. Why must this happen to me.” But I ignored them as much as I could. Then we started seeing each other again as classes were back in session and when I saw her that’s when it really really hit me that I was in love with A. But I kept those feelings a secret but during this time she was talking to another guy let’s say N but while they were talking A would tell me that she still wanted to be with M. Which later A broke things off with N. That’s when I told my other friends that I had feelings for A which they were supportive and they saw us good together and that there might be a chance. Then one day A and I were texting and A says “I’ve never said this but I love M.” When I read those text I felt my whole world crush around me. And from there my friend would catch A looking at me and always trying to be by my side to the point that they thought A and I were together. But as of recently A and M started texting each other again and now they follow each other on their socials (they weren’t doing that before). So now I don’t know what to do anymore and I don’t know how much longer I can hide these feelings. It hurts too much now to bear these feelings as time continues to pass. What do I do if there is anything I can do at this point.

Hi all -
Looking to get some thoughts on options for our system, where we have a leak and are trying to weigh potential next steps to learn more about and solve the issue, against the 'get this handled ASAP so you are not inhaling refrigerant!' argument that Google spits out. Background info below, looking for 'how I would handle this as a tech' and/or 'here's why I am/am not concerned about the health impact' responses. Oh, and sorry in advance for both the long post and 'dumb' terminology I'll be using - just getting up to and past the 'explain it to me like I'm 5' stage :) I'll throw a TLDR at the end. Oh, and feel free to poke fun or call out our lack of knowledge and any poor decisions. I won't take offense to any sort of 'you're not thinking about this correctly' responses. Thanks!
We live in a condo with a loft and have an air handler upstairs that also uses hot water for heating. Apparently these are pretty much all made by First Co. System is 2 ton and was installed for the prior owner around 8 years ago. To my understanding we are out of warranty (combination of time and new owner). Per a picture of the condenser the unit uses R410A and would have been factory charged to 3.87 LBS. The condenser sits nearly directly on 'top' of our unit - so no measurement of pipe lengths offhand, but shouldn't be a long run.
We've been juuuust a bit remiss on annual maintenance, and are ('were' - going to do better in the future) a bit slow to change the filter...but we've never noticed any issue with the system cooling our unit. About a month ago we heard an odd sound coming out of the in-unit component and found ice on the coil. Turned it off and haven't run it since, except for during tech visits. First tech comes out on a 60-ish degree day, tells us he thinks the system is low but suggests remeasuring later. On return (much warmer day; 80ish), numbers are still low, tech estimates we're down maybe 1.5-2 LBS, recommends replacing the entire system (and therefore strongly suggests we don't bother with a leak test). Also advises that our capacitor is low, but, again, don't spend on it, just replace everything. Since we don't have past test readouts (i.e. prior year maintenance), it seems we can't be sure if this has been a slow leak going on for years or something more rapid based on a recent failure...?
Brought out a tech from a second company (it was a cooler day and had rained/was still drizzling), he ran an electronic leak test at the evaporator coil (we haven't done any sort of dye testing at this time) and noted that there were measurable values at the coil (but didn't tell us what the #s were), but the system seemed 'dry' - no noticeable oil spills, etc. He looked at the condenser too; kind of got a 'it looks fine, but can't say for sure given the rain we just had' - I presume that meant he couldn't be sure if there was oil at the rooftop portion?
(Side Question Here: since we aren't sure if we have a 'slow' or 'rapid' leak, would the lack of oil in the handler (and potentially the condenser) support a hope/conclusion that the leak may be more of a pinhole?)
Tech's recommendation: Charge the system using refrigerant containing an additive that could technically (but zero promise) fill a pinhole leak, then use the system normally to see if there are any performance issues. Test again 1-2 years from now to see how we're doing. If we do this once or twice we could potentially get enough service life to the point where replacing the entire system is more reasonable based on typical lifespan. We like that idea from a cost perspective, though might want an earlier test since, uh, refrigerant leak bad? We also realize there's a time-frame in which it could be 'too soon' to test, given differences in air temp, etc. that could impact the #s.
OPTIONS:
1: Replace the whole system. Cost would be somewhere in the $12K range, and I guess technically we would want to first confirm that the issue isn't in the pipes between the handler and condenser...Would a dye test verify that? Building is about 20yrs old, FWIW.
2: Replace the evaporator coil. Cost would be in the $4K range. I presume (?) that this is 95%+ going to solve the leak issue, though it would obviously suck if the leak was elsewhere. What test(s), if any, should we do before going this route?
3: Charge the system and 'wait and see'. Probably in the $500 range, plus more if we replace the capacitor. Obviously we'd be continuing to use a system with a leak, so this only ends up making sense if the leak was so small that we could get multiple years (re-charge as needed) out of the current system. And hey, maybe the additive solves it?
4: Not discussed, but potential to charge the system (with or without the additive) and add some sort of dye that would enable a more complete/thorough leak test afterwards? I hear that's a thing, if I understand correctly...?
QUESTIONS:
*As mentioned earlier, would lack of oil in the handler (and possibly condenser too) be a solid indicator of a much more 'minor' leak in the system?
*If we did option #3 (or #4), how long should we wait to re-test? We'd want to wait long enough that any loss would be measurable, but are trying to balance that against any health concerns.
*Which brings me to the most important question: uh, how big are these health concerns? I presume we're helped by using R410A rather than R22? And if we're down, say, 2 pounds of refrigerant and the system wasn't charged to even 4 pounds is that even a lot? Is there a good source of information on this that splits the difference between 'I've seen much worse leaks' and 'you're going to die!!!!'? Etc.
*Anything else we should factor into our considerations?
TLDR:
8yr old R410A system is leaking. Not sure how 'big' the leak is. Concerned over health risks associated with refrigerant leaks, but also want to be 'logical' in how to approach this. What tests/'minor' repairs should we consider, or should we bite the bullet for a larger cost that we "know" won't leak?
Thanks for any thoughts!
Edit: Formatting (I think :))

Hi there! I am Yassir, I am from and live in Morocco. A few things about me:
I am from Rabat but currently in Khouribga for school, I like listening to alternative music (alt metal/alt rock) which may or may not include melancholic music (which I like).
My hobbies include Chess, videos games, coding. I stopped reading but I'm planning on getting back to it cuz I think there's a lot of fun that can come from that, I occasionally read web toons, I watch youtube and tv shows/movies.
I am an introvert and as such (unsurprisingly) can get awkward irl, but I would say I am very sociable for the most part, if I'm talking to you for an extended period of time then that definitely means that I am enjoying your company :)
Who am I looking for? For now someone I can talk to and meet in Rabat or Khouribga maybe, I'd love to get a new friend (not that I have none atm hehe).
Anyways, thats it for now, Cya ;)

This started happening within the past year. I’m basically waking up to my heart beating at a pretty high rate. Sometimes up to 170 bpm. It usually last for varying lengths of time. Never really longer than 10 mins I’d say. Most just a few minutes long. This usually happens around 2-4am. More so around 3am. I wake up with a dry mouth usually also.
I’ve tried different things to alleviate the problem. I usually take Xanax .25 at night. I also have taken antacids in case it was reflux. I had a sleep study and I’m right on the cusp of being able to have a cpap or not have one. I have one and wore it for awhile then stopped as I didn’t notice a difference. Tried it recently and had the issue I’m posting about. Q
I don’t really drink, but I’ll take a Xanax and have a sip of some alcohol while it’s happening and that kind of usually aids in things. Also chugging water as well. But I’m not dehydrated as I throughly drink water through the day into the evening.
It’s just weird since I’m not waking up and then having a high heart rate, I’m waking up with the high heart rate. My mind goes to more nefarious things such as I’m have an arrhythmia due to prolonged qt interval and I can’t escape that worry.
Does anyone else suffer with this problem and what did you do for it?

Hi.
We have two dogs in the house. They were a gift from her friend. 6MOS old and both are siblings. They’re actually indoor dogs pero my mom doesn’t want them inside so nakacage lang sila sa front porch with shade, 1 water bowl, 1 food bowl. (They were raised like this. And when we separate the bowls, nakakalat yung dog food) And the thing is, destructive sila sa gamit, whatever they see sa may porch, ( pee pad under their cage, tsinelas, wood, flower pots sa may garden namin, etc.)
Very accessible sila sa garden namin (malaking garden na di lang namin maharangan) since open siya and gated, so nakakalusot sila and they get to zoomies big time, so, basically, di rin sila kulang sa laro.
However, she gets mad over these things, to the point na she always scares them. Lalo na yung isang dog namin. May times na she would just toss our other dog real hard from air to the ground, won’t give them water dahil ‘ kakabigay’ lang daw ng tubig at sinasayang lang daw dahil natataob nila ung water bowl o kaya they dip their paws in the water and narurumihan. One thing she’s also real mad is yung magagandang plants sa garden, she invested a lot doon and nasira.
I always get yelled at because she sees me giving them water. I already spoke to her multiple times not to treat them this way but she yells at me saying i’m wrong and such. When i told her na maybe it had something to do with their age kaya makulit and lack of training since galing sila sa probinsya and idk how these dogs were raised, She said she’s not a dog trainer. I said naman sakaniya, well that’s d responsibility of a dog owner. Here’s another example,
A month ago, i noticed symptoms that weren’t normal sa two dogs namin and one of them actually was looking ill, i told them to take them sa vet pero my parents argued with me saying their ok. I took one of our dogs to the vet and knew what was going on. ( low rbc & worms)
I always worry about them. I hate how she always stomps her feet, yells, tosses one of our dogs. She always says this when she’s mad “ i just wanted this dog, not the sibling too!” She insults the other dog bc of its fur, parang walis kasi yung color and rough fur..
Idk im sad. Kulong nalang ako sa kwarto kasi parang mali pako haha.

This is targeted to women, but anyone may feel free to comment. It's inspired by other posts on AskReddit I've seen, but I feel like they're more culturally American centric with the comments, wanted to see what the opinions here are.
Just things men you know (or even men you don't know well, or not at all) that do things that they might not be aware are considered "cute".

Excerpt from the Broad Recordings of Baizahng
.

歸不愛取。依住不愛取將為是。今初善是住調伏心。是聲聞人。是戀筏不捨人。是二乘道。是禪那果。

• Reverting to non-craving and non-grasping, dependently abiding in non-craving and non-grasping and regarding it as correct, this now is the initial good which abides in the pacified mind. [But] these are sravaka people. These are people infatuated with and can’t bear to abandon the raft. It is [only] the two vehicles’ way. It is [only] a dhyana-fruit.

歸不愛取。亦莫依住不愛取。是中善是半字教。猶是無色界。免墮二乘道。免墮魔民道。猶是禪那病。是菩薩縛。

• Reverting to non-craving and non-grasping, yet not dependent also [on any form] to abide in non-craving and non-grasping, this is the middle good. This is the teaching of the half-word. But this is still in the formless realm. Although falling into the two vehicles’ way is avoided, and falling into the demons’ way is avoided, it is still a dhyana-disease. A bodhisattva-fetter.

歸不依住不愛取。亦不作不依住知解。是後善。是滿字教。免墮無色界。免墮禪那執。免墮菩薩乘。免墮魔王位。

• Reverting to the dependent-less abiding of non-craving and non-grasping, yet also not making any interpretive knowing of this dependent-less abiding, this is the final good. This is the teaching of the full-word. Falling into formless realm is avoided. Falling into dhyana-attachment is avoided. Falling into bodhisattva’s vehicle is avoided. Falling into the Mara/demon-king’s seat is avoided.

為智障地障行障故。見自已佛性。如夜見色。如云佛地斷二愚。一微細所知愚。二極微細所知愚。故云有大智人。破塵出經卷。

• It is because of jneya-hindrance or bhumi-hindrance or practice-hindrance that seeing one’s own Buddha-nature becomes like seeing thing/form/colour in the night . As said, the Buddha-bhumi can sever these two foolishness – that of fine subtle known and that of extremely fine subtle known. There is therefore the saying that a person of great jnana/wisdom, penetrating dust to reveal scrolls of sutra1 .

.

1. This is a quote from Huayan Sutra where it’s mentioned that, within each speck of dust, is contained a fabled collection of sutras whose size equals that of three thousand world-systems (universes).

.
.
Comparison
Might be interesting to compare Baizhang's three levels of good with Rujing's verse on sitting meditation (zazen).
https://www.reddit.com/zenbuddhism/comments/1cohepv/zen_teacher_rujing_on_sitting_meditation_%E5%9D%90%E7%A6%85_zazen/
If we look at Rujing's verse, perhaps can break up the sequence into three parts too to see if it somehow matches with the three goods:
.

• So first and foremost proceed directly with fiery vigour. Until suddenly, a bursting explosion of the painted barrel. A vast clearing/clarity, like the cloudless autumn sky.
  
• (initial good?)
  

.

• It’s with back-splitting staff strikes and chest-breaking fist punches. That through day-and-night one doesn't sleep. As empty space, perishing, and further perishing.
  
• (middle good?)
  

.

• Penetrate through before Mighty-Sound emperoBuddha. Spiky chestnuts and vajra rings freely hand over their ins-and-outs. Victory songs resound high across the top of the wind.
  
• (final good?)
  

.

Hello Reddit. Below is a one-shot designed for four level 8 characters. I would expect this to take approximately 2 sessions of a few hours (roughly 6 hours in total) to run through in its entirety. Your mileage may vary depending on how quickly your table handles combat.
You can find a PDF of this adventure along with battlemaps here.
Here's a quick adventure overview:
This is a combat focused adventure that takes place on an unnaturally frozen lake outside the mountain town of Maul, though it could be set on any lake of your choosing.
The players are tasked with killing a Frost Giant named Tirrog who has recently descended from nearby mountains. With the aid of a white dragon, he has frozen the lake and created an icy palace atop it.
The players must survive a series of challenging encounters before confronting Tirrog and his enslaved white dragon beneath his palace. After successfully ending the threat, the players will be rewarded with the favor of Maul’s residents.
If you get the chance to run this, or even just look through the whole thing, I would love feedback!
Here is the rest of the adventure:

For the DM: What’s Going on Here?

Some additional context just for the Dungeon Master:
· Tirrog, the Frost Giant, was cast out of his clan after losing a duel with his father.
· He stole a Young Adult White Dragon named Bymraynyl and used her power to freeze a nearby lake and construct an icy palace.
· Tirrog resides in a cavern beneath the palace, awaiting the challenge of Maul’s mightiest warriors, hoping to regain his clan’s favor by winning.
· Bymraynyl, the white dragon, is imprisoned by Tirrog and will only attack the players if they fail to free her.

Adventure Hooks

When determining why your players are involved with ending Tirrog’s icy presence, feel free to use any, or all, of the below Adventure Hooks when discussing this adventure with your players.

Aiding the Guards of Maul

The adventurers are approached by Brenlanna Orina, the Captain of the Guards of Maul. Brenlanna explains the situation caused by Tirrog is dire as his forces roam the countryside and many townsfolk have gone missing.
The constant threat has left the town’s defenses stretched thin and she needs capable adventurers to end his reign of terror. She emphasizes that defeating Tirrog will not only bring peace to Maul, but also earn the gratitude and favor of its people.

Ecological Balance

Mort, A local druid, approaches the adventurers to express his deep concerns about the unnatural freezing of the lake. Mort explains that the frozen lake has disrupted the local ecosystem, causing harm to wildlife and plants.
He implores the adventurers to defeat Tirrog and restore the natural balance. In return, the druid offers their knowledge of the land, rare herbs, and a powerful artifact as a reward. Restoring the lake to its natural state will help the region thrive once more.

Dragon Hunters

Word has travelled far and wide that Bymraynyl, a white dragon, is far from its natural territory and is imprisoned by Tirrog, the frost giant.
The adventurers are from a dragon hunting guild and see this as a prime opportunity to either hone their skills of slaying dragons or set free a majestic creature, allowing it to grow and become a more challenging hunt.

Before the Adventure Begins

This adventure begins by introducing your players at the gates of Tirrog’s frozen palace. They will be battling their way through Tirrog’s defenses, seeking to challenge him. Share the below excerpt with your players as they create their characters:
Your journeys have brought you to Maul, a small mountain town renowned for its gladiatorial games held beneath the mountain of Pike Rise.
Word has travelled quickly that Tirrog, a frost giant, has descended from the peaks of Pike Rise with Bymraynyl, a white dragon. They have frozen a nearby lake and constructed an icy palace. Frost is spreading farther from the lake with each passing day and Tirrog’s forces patrol the countryside, pillaging small villages.
For your own various reasons, you have agreed to help end Tirrog’s reign of terror by any means necessary.
As the game master, you should note down the passive perception for each character as this will be referenced in the adventure for ambush encounters.
The encounters provided in this adventure are balanced for four level 8 characters. To adjust for fewer players, consider removing ¼ of the monsters’ health pools for each player less than four. To adjust for more players, consider adding additional Duergar Berserkers or Ice Mephits in each encounter.

Approaching the Palace

When your players are ready to begin their adventure, start by reading the below excerpt to kick things off:
As you approach the lake, a chill unlike any you’ve felt before cuts through your armor. Before you is an unnaturally frozen expanse, its surface a flawless sheet of ice stretching as far as the eye can see. The air is eerily still, and the usual sounds of wildlife are absent, replaced only by the whispers of wind across the frozen wasteland.
In the center of this icy domain stands an imposing ice palace, its glistening walls reflect the pale sunlight from above. Four watchtowers, each 40 feet tall and crafted entirely of ice, stand at the corners of the palace.
The front door of the palace, a massive slab of ice 20 feet wide, looms before you. Its surface is intricately carved with frost patterns, but it is sealed shut, offering no immediate passage into the stronghold. The sense of foreboding is palpable, as if the palace itself is a living entity, waiting to challenge those who dare approach.
[Player A], please describe your character, what they are doing, and where they are on the map. (Ask this of all players before continuing)

Palace Locations

P1. Four Watchtowers

To open the palace's front door, the adventurers must pull four levers located at the tops of the four icy watchtowers. Each tower is guarded by a Duergar Berserker and two Ice Mephits. Engaging one group will alert the other towers.
Ice bridges connect the left and right towers and are considered difficult terrain. The 40-foot towers are nearly impossible to climb without magic or specialized gear. Once all four levers are pulled, the palace door will melt.

P2. Palace Entrance

The palace's interior boasts 30-foot-high ceilings supported by large ice pillars. Braziers of blue flame illuminate four ice sculptures, an icy throne, and the bones of Tirrog's unsuccessful challengers. In the center of the floor is a 20-foot circle of intricate carvings, which opens when two Ice Elementals are defeated.
Two Ice Elementals are hidden within the ice walls, ready to ambush the players once they all enter the palace. Upon defeating them, the circle in the floor melts away, revealing a 100-foot-deep hole with a wooden ladder descending beneath the lake.

P3. Beneath the Lake

The floors in all subsequent rooms are ice and considered difficult terrain. There are four pairs of Ice Cleats in room P4 which can aid with traversing the rooms. Most of the walls are perfectly sculpted ice, 25-feet-high, but some areas have caved in due to lake pressure or creature damage. All doorways are wooden and unlocked unless noted otherwise.
There are no torches in this room and constant howling wind can be heard from room P6.

P4. Ice Bunks

This well-lit room of ice contains four beds and supplies for the Duergar. If the boxes are searched, the players will easily find four pairs of Ice Cleats.
There are 2 Duergar Berserkers in this room and if engaged, they will alert the Duergar in room P5.
A DC 18 investigation check will uncover a +2 Greataxe hidden in an icy cavity underneath one of the beds. There is a small supply room that connects P4 to P5.

P5. Leisure Hall

This room is well-lit and contains tables, mostly empty casks of beer, and a rack of mugs along the wall. There is 1 Duergar Berserker and 1 Duergar Priest in this room. They will alert the Duergar in room P4 if engaged.
One of the casks has 6 servings of Mimic’s Brew left in it.

P6. The Frozen Hall

This area is the coldest room in the Palace and there is a deafening wind constantly blowing. It is well-lit and the entryway to this room is supported by two pillars.
There is a magical ice statue at the end of the hallway that is constantly blowing damaging ice winds. There is a stone on the back of the statue which deactivates it.
The wind blows from the statue and ends just before it reaches the room with the pillars. A creature can be damaged by the wind once per round. If a creature is in the presence of the icy wind, they must make a DC 17 Constitution saving throw, taking 22 (5d8) cold damage on a failed save, or half as much on a success.
The doorways to P10 and P11 are locked with padlocks. They can both be unlocked with a DC 17 Thieves’ Tools check.

P7. Prison Cell

This room contains one locked cell. It takes a Thieves’ Tools check (DC 15) to unlock the cell. There is also a chair made of ice sitting in the corner of this room.
Zathea, a female Duergar Berserker, is locked in the cell and visibly malnourished.
If Zathea is freed from her cell, she will warn the adventurers of the troll ahead, tell them how to deactivate the stone statue, and ask that they consider letting Bymraynyl go

P8. Lumber Storage

This unlit room is where lumber for fires is kept. There are a few axes for cutting wood. Three of the logs in this room are Mimics but will only attack if the players actively search through the logs.

P9. The Crumbling Hall

This illuminated hallway is visibly damaged. A Perception check (DC 15) will notice claw marks as the primary source of damage.
The doorway to P10 is locked with a padlock and can be unlocked with a DC 17 Thieves’ Tools check.

P10. Troll’s Den

This room is not lit, contains the bones of many dead fish, and smells putrid. There is 1 Troll in this room.
A DC 17 Investigation check will find a gemmed golden lure in the carcass of a dead fish worth approximately 50 gold pieces.

P11. Bymraynyl, The White Dragon

This room contains Bymraynyl, a young adult white dragon, who has just freed herself from Tirrog’s chains. She is visibly wounded and only has half of her health.
She will try to reason with the adventurers to let her go but is ready to fight if they will not.
If the players choose to free Bymraynyl, she will excavate a small amount of ice and reveal a +2 Breastplate hidden in the ice, which they are free to take.

P12. Tirrog, The Frost Giant

Tirrog sits patiently in this well-lit icy throne room, waiting for his challengers. Before engaging with the adventurers, he gently pats a large wooden chest next to his throne and says in Giant:
I took all that I could from Pike Rise and it’s all yours should you defeat me. But with your heads, I can return home. Let us see who will be rewarded this day.
The chest contains 15 sapphires worth 25 gold each, 2,000 gold, 2 potions of greater healing, and an Everwarm Blanket.

Random Encounters

Roll 1 4-sided die every hour to determine which monsters return to the palace from their patrol around the lake. All monsters should roam freely as you see fit.

Result	Monsters returning from Patrol
1	3 Duergar Berserkers & 2 Ice Mephits
2	1 Ice Elemental & 4 Ice Mephits
3	1 Troll
4	1 Ice Elemental & 1 Duergar Berserker

Concluding the Adventure
Upon defeating Tirrog, the players will have reached the end of this adventure. If you and your players wish to continue adventuring from this point, this would be an appropriate milestone to increase their character levels to 9.
Thank you for playing through The Frozen Palace of Tirrog. I hope you and your players had a fun time with this adventure!

Magical Items

Everwarm Blanket

Adventuring Gear, very rare
This quilted blanket is surrounded by a comfortably warm aura.
While this blanket is in your inventory, you do not suffer any exhaustion caused by sources of cold.

Ice Cleats

Adventuring Gear, common
These blue metal cleats can be attached to any footwear.
While equipped, ice is not considered difficult terrain when moving across it.

Mimic’s Brew (Brown Ale)

Beer, Uncommon
When you drink this beer, you can change your appearance as though you casted Alter Self for one hour.
An hour after you consume this beer, your tongue hangs from your mouth until you finish a long rest.
The bottom of this potent brown ale is a small layer of slime

Tirrog’s Helmet

Helmet, rare (requires attunement)
You gain a +1 bonus to AC and Constitution saving throws while you where this helmet.
While wearing this helmet, you can gain the “enlarge” effect of the enlarge/reduce spell for 1d4 hours (no concentration required). Once used, this effect cannot be used again until you complete a long rest.

As the title says there seems to be an issue with the - input on this game for me for some reason. Whenever I attempt to open the map up from the hub world, it opens the menu instead. Same with the + button as it should, it opens the menu. So both the - and + buttons are both opening the menu instead of the - button opening the map. I went and tried with my joycons and I had no issues, could open the map. And also tested my input in the switch settings and everything worked fine with the nitro deck. It was inputting the - properly without issue. I have no idea why this is happening in this game only but I cannot find a fix for this, and was wondering if anyone had any ideas/solutions? I love this thing and it’s a huge drawback that I can’t seem to fix. Thank you!