Jeep whining noise when accelerating

Why does my civic sound like a hellcat? Is it a belt issue? It’s a faint but very distinct whining noise that I don’t think I noticed before. I notice it when coasting at any speed, and it sounds like it’s spooling up when I accelerate. I’ve tried VERY hard to hear my turbo before and know it’s not that. I couldn’t find anyone describing a similar issue yet. Best place to look or anyone recognize that type of engine issue?

This is going to be long (see TL;DR), but since getting my Slim 7 Gen 8 AMD last year I've been endlessly annoyed by one thing: the fans.
Thermal performance when pushed is great, it clearly has a suitable cooling solution for gaming loads. However, (and maybe this is my ADHD), no matter which power mode it was in the random on / off of the fans during idle or light usage was infuriating, as if the machine was intentionally designed to operate on the knife edge of the fan curve.
It seemed like the tiniest CPU temperature spikes from normal usage were triggering the fan curve up 2 steps rather than ramping progressively, and these fans whine like no other when they're spooling up.
That is, until a few weeks ago, when my motherboard somehow fried itself (a different issue altogether, non-cooling related failure). The Lenovo onsite tech botched the thermal paste and definitely used something that wasn't PTM, which made a problem that was already driving me crazy even worse.
So I picked up some PTM 7950 and Upsiren U6 putty from Aliexpress, repasted the CPU / GPU dies and replaced the stock pads with putty.
After putting it back together and running the PTM through a stress test to melt it down (for good measure I popped it back open afterwards and gave the cooler screws a tiny extra twist to lock it down), I can say that it was now running better than how it came from the factory 6 months ago. The fans were turning on more progressively, rather than being a huge distraction when they go straight to 2200rpm and stopping on a dime a few second later.
Idle was now around 45-48C, but it was still bugging me that light internet browsing was enough to kick up the fans. "Gaming laptops are just loud and hot!", yadda yadda yadda. Not good enough for me.
Then today I stopped and thought – since the BIOS doesn't allow fine adjustment of the curve, and it seems like the temperature spikes are just the nature of the AMD 7840HS, trying to keep the machine silent is a losing battle, short of neutering the performance with power limits.
So what if the answer to my desire to have no fan noise...is constant fan noise? I fired up Legion Toolkit and loaded a custom profile based on the Balanced preset, with the one tweak of raising the lowest point of the fan curve (fan off) up one tick.
The result? The fans spin all the time at 1800rpm, but the noise level is low enough that it borders on white noise. Way less distracting that random acceleration / deceleration, and when they do need to go faster it's a much smoother transition.
YMMV, and maybe I got a dud from the factory, but I'm finally happy. Hopefully this helps others, as my searches turned up plenty of posts talking about the same behavior. And of course, proceed at your own risk and watch YouTube tutorials, it's not rocket science but the job requires a delicate touch.
TL;DR: if your fans are driving you crazy consider re-doing the PTM and going with a better thermal pad solution – just because they used good materials from the factory doesn't mean the application was perfect. Also, these fans are most annoying when they're spooling up, and if it's driving your ADHD mad having them on low all the time is way less distracting than letting them turn on and off.

Memory Transcript Subject: Carlos Jose Rodriguez, Mechanical Engineer, Florida Man
Date [Standardized Human Time]: December 29th, 2136
When Yalga passed out on the couch I sent a message to the family group chat making sure everyone knew of the situation.
I needed to get Yalga into the hospital, but I didn’t want to do it myself. Pyon also needed a sitter, so I was waiting for mom to come back so Salisek and I could focus on Yalga.
Me: Yalga burned herself on the heat pad. We’re taking her to the ER. Mom, could you come home to take care of Pyon.
Mom: WHAT DO YOU MEAN BURNED HERSELF?! We’re coming home!
Tarvik: On our way. We’ll help you take her.
I didn’t want to bother them, but I couldn’t complain. I needed help. While I waited for them to arrive I poured a cool glass of water for Yalga so she could hydrate herself when she gets up. I gently nudged her awake, which made her groan in discomfort as her eyes opened.
“Dad? What’s going on?” She asked weakly. Her voice was a little rough.
“I’m gonna take you to the doctor,” I answered bluntly. “I am aware, you don’t love doctors but these people can help you much better than me. I’ll be with you as much as I can, holding your hand. Can you be brave for me?”
My daughter nodded yes, so I got up and went upstairs to grab something we’re definitely gonna need. I also made sure Salisek got the news. She probably saw through the chat, but I needed to be sure.
I peeked into our room, or at least the room the girls were staying in together. “Honey?” I called the mother of my children. Salisek was cradling Pyon, trying to calm him down. Pyon was holding his teddy tight enough to cause some visible rips and tears. I need to ask mom to fix that later. “How is he?”
Pyon buried his face in Saliseks chest fur, and made some small whining sounds. “He’s scared. We heard Yalga scream and didn’t know what was going on. He soiled himself when he heard Yalga and has been crying for a while now. He only just stopped. He can sense I’m worried too.”
“You changed him right?”
“Yeah, although I didn’t think now was a good time for potty training. What are you getting?”
Salisek followed me to my mom’s room and watched me search around the closet. “Almost a decade ago, my dad was hit by a car. Something about the sensors being screwed up. He’s obviously fine now, but the car didn’t stop just in time so he broke a leg. Thank God that’s all he got. Anyway, he bought a wheelchair and kept it- Aha!”
I freed the simple contraption buried under a mountain of clothes dad considered put away and carried it downstairs.
“We’re gonna need this. It’s gonna be way easier to move Yalga.”
Salisek continued to cradle Pyon, rocking him back and forth, as she talked to me, “What do you need me to do?”
“Stay with Pyon.”
“No.”
“We’re not arguing about this. I need you to stay-”
“Pardon me, could you repeat that!? Have you forgotten that despite that fact we aren’t married yet we both signed as the legal guardians of both Pyon AND Yalga. Or did you want to call your barber for help?”
Hearing Salisek use her angry voice when talking about anything other than Exterminator and Federation bigotry felt like a punch in the gut.I tried to defuse the situation. That worked about as well as it did when dad tried it.
“Hun, that’s not what I mea-”
“MY-” Salisek paused when she remembered she was still carrying Pyon who was looking at her as if she yelled at him. “Oh, I’m so sorry pup just…” She shifted Pyon's position so he could bury his face into her fur to distract her. She softened her voice, but made it stern as steel. “My daughter is in an incredible amount of pain. She is scared, she is tired. I will be there. Pyon will come with, so he can see his sister being taken care of. I. Will. Be. There. For. My. Daughter. Am I clear?”
I help up my hands in defeat. “Okay. We’ll leave as soon as the family gets here.”
Saliseks voice and posture softened. “Okay. Again this time. What can I do?”
Seeing how serious she was, I realized doing this on my own was a stupid idea from the start. “Pack some snacks. I’m not getting overcharged for crappy hospital junk. And while you’re in the kitchen please grab more water for Yalga. I gotta make sure the bandaging is on well and she’s okay.”
“Okay.”
Salisek walked to the kitchen, still carrying Pyon. At times like these, I know I made the right decision marrying her.
“I love you sweetheart!” I called out.
“I love you too hun!” She called back.
I pulled the wheelchair out so Yalga could get in it. I could try and carry her, but unfortunately with her size and weight it would be better to transport her like this. Even if it’s a short distance.
“Daddy,” Yalga called.
“Yeah.”
“Are you and Mommy mad at each other?” She asked innocently. “Did I do something wrong? I heard Mom say my name.”
I knelt down to give my daughter an assuring kiss on her head. “No kiddo. We had a disagreement like all adults. It’s solved now. We still love each other.”
Despite her monotone voice, it couldn’t hide the tears building in her eyes. “Okay.”
I ignored it for the moment because she was probably gonna cry more in a moment. I opened the chair as much as it could go and gave the seat a nice solid pat.
“We’re gonna put you here, then we’re going to the Emergency Room.”
“Do I have to get up?”
“Yeah. You do. Grab my hand. We’ll go slow.”
Yalga held my hand and grasped it tight. I need to remember that she has a very strong grip. To keep her even I used my other hand to push her up from the other side so she didn’t have to do the work.
I’m so glad I go to the gym.
We slowly worked together to lift her up so she could sit straight.
“Ow, ow!”
“I know it hurts. Take your time.”
Once we got her up we had to get her into the chair. I thought about the best way to put her tail. Through the hole in the back? Would it just drag to the ground? Wait!
I went to the side of the couch where there was a thin blanket for me and Salisek when we slept here. If I can tie the blanket on the handles it can keep her tail up without squishing it. I just need to get her on first.
“Okay Princess. Let’s get up. Can you stand?”
“Y-Yeah. Um, Dad?”
Yalga awkwardly clutched her tail. “I need to use the bathroom.”
My eyes darted from the bathroom to the couch and back. “No better time to test the wheelchair.”
[Memory Transcript Time Skip: 40 Minutes]
Even though it was getting late the traffic was still a lot. Once Salisek was ready we both called our parents and they both said that traffic was heavy. With it being the last Saturday of the year, Florida residents and tourists alike were enjoying their day.
We decided to just meet at the ER. The blanket trick for Yalga’s tail worked well and it didn’t hurt too much for her to walk once she got up. However, sitting down hurt her a lot unless it was in the wheelchair. Her tail probably played a factor since it didn’t have a place to sit except on the side when dealing with regular chairs.
Once we got to the hospital I was pleasantly surprised that it wasn’t that packed. Because of increased tourism and parties things can get crowded this time of year. Thankfully that wasn’t the case today. I didn’t want my daughter waiting more than she had too.
When I opened the side door, Yalga was already half up just so she could get into a chair with room for her tail. I helped carry her down and rolled her through the hospital's parking lot.
Salisek was having a difficult time carrying Pyon. He was pretty nervous. “Mawmy, I don wan to gow en.”
I didn’t understand why Pyon was scared but Mawmy was able to calm him down. “It’s okay pup. This place is filled with very nice and smart people who can help your big sister.”
My daughter didn’t say much, instead she looked around the large hospital and took in all the architecture and bright lights at the front. The front and lobby areas were clean and comfortable which helped a little to ease the tensions of anyone going in with something they believe is serious.
I rolled Yalga straight to the front desk and we were greeted by the medical receptionist. “Hello, how may I help you?”
I smiled politely and spoke calmly, “Hello, I’m Carlos Rodriguez and this is my daughter Yalga. She was using a heating pad and unfortunately suffered some burns. I was able to patch her up a little, but the gels and methods we have are for humans so I want to make sure she can heal properly. I would also like a professional to look at other areas of concern dealing with her limbs and back.”
“Any pain, shortness of breath, chest pain, profuse bleeding?”
“Her back usually causes her pain and the burning made it worse.”
She gestured to my fiance and son, “Are those two with you?”
“The tall Venlil woman is Salisek, my fiance, and she’s holding our son Pyon. They came for emotional support and to assist with anything Yalga may need.”
“We’ll get you someone right away. Please wait in the lobby.”
“Thank you.”
I knew they probably wouldn’t rush us in since even though Yalga is in pain, there’s no direct threat to her life. The most they’d do is probably a tetanus shot. I suppose I’ll have to worry if Yalga reacts to needles. I’ll try to calm her down because I could tell Yalga was still tense. I rolled her to a seating area with a TV playing Tom and Jerry.
Peak Fiction
With all the stress Yalga was going through, there’s nothing like cartoon violence to ease the mood. What would also ease the mood is having the family visit which according to a message they just sent, they were already here just finding parking.
Soon everyone entered the hospital and after a quick chat with the receptionist, along with me flagging them down, they joined us in the lobby. Helen and Chalta ran to Yalga the quickest.
“Yalga, are you okay?!” Chalta asked. “We heard your back got hurt!”
Helen was about to tackle Yalga into a hug before I stopped her. “Helen, Yalga isn’t feeling well. Please be careful she’s in a lot of pain.” Helen was visibly worried but still gently gave Yalga a supportive hug.
“Get better soon please.”
Talice and Tarvik were surrounding Salisek, asking questions on how they could help.
“Mom, it’s fine, really.”
“No, it’s not fine. Your father and I are here to help so please be honest with us. We’ll help with anything you need. We’ll take Helen home soon but the moment you need anything we’ll be right there.”
“Why isn’t she seeing a doctor yet? What kind of place is this?!”
Mom went over to Salisek who was still holding Pyon. “I can take him sweetie, get some rest.”
Salisek cradled a stressed Pyon in her arms, “Do you wanna go with Grandma, little pup?”
“Gwandma.”
Salisek gently handed Pyon over to my mother who instantly knew how to calm him down. Salisek fell into the chair next to me. She was pretty exhausted and it was getting late. The stress of everything is what really made her worry. Seeing your child in pain isn’t fun. My father put a hand on each of our shoulders.
“Is everything alright?” he asked.
I looked over to my daughter who was trying to watch the cartoon with her sisters but still had a hard time focusing because of the pain, as evident by her trying to adjust herself. I gave her a tap on her shoulder and mouthed “how are you feeling?”. I could only hear a little whisper, but it was enough to understand she was saying “It still hurts.”
Dad could overhear what we were trying to say and knelt down next to Yalga. “What would you like to do when we leave?”
“I’m a little hungry. Can we go eat later?”
“Of course, anything you want.”
I was grateful for my dad, that we remembered to comfort Yalga in all this. I was so new to everything, not to mention the speed at which everything was happening.
…
Where’s the doctor!
“Carlos Rodriguez,” She called just as my patience was wearing thin. “We’re ready to see you now.”
“Thank you. One moment.”
I quickly talked with my parents and in-laws about who is going home and who is staying. My mom offered to take Pyon home and to tuck him in, Salisek agreed. Talice decided to go with and made sure to bring Chalta and Helen back since they knew they might get bored or cause trouble. Tarvik and Dad were conversing for a bit about who should stay before settling on Dad since he’s more familiar with the hospital.
Salisek gave Pyon a strong nose nuzzle, “I’ll see you later, okay Pyon? Mommy will be home soon. Be good to grandma, okay?”
“Owkay Mawmy.”
“I love you.”
“I wuv yu tu.”
Helen and Chalta gave Yalga a big, but gentle, hug.
“Get better soon.”
“We’ll play lots of games together when you get back.”
Everyone quickly said their goodbyes so it was just me, Yalga, Salisek, and Dad. We followed the nurse to a room and were asked to wait until the doctor arrived. Yalga was really on edge.
“Dad, are you gonna tell Odin about me?”
“It hasn’t crossed our minds. Do you want us to call him so you can talk for a bit?”
“No thank you, I don’t want him to worry.” My daughter fidgeted with her claws in shame. She didn’t want Odin to see her hurt. The moment she’s okay, I’m planning a date for her and Odin. With chaperones of course. “Are the doctors here nice?” Yalga asked nervously.
“Of course they are, Princess. Just answer honestly and they’ll help you get better.”
They’ll help you get better… I hope.
[Memory Transcript Time Skip: 60 Minutes]
“So the spray will help heal and clean the burn so it doesn’t get sick?” Yalga asked curiously.
“That’s right,” Dr. Brown stated. “Soon we’ll give you a small shot to help protect against tetanus. It’s a very dangerous condition that can happen when you get a cut or burn. But you’re being very brave, I’ll see if we can get you a treat later. That is, if your parents are okay with it.”
“gasp Can I daddy?! Pleeeeeeease, I’ve been soooo good.”
I smiled brightly, “Of course you can.”
Dr. Brown was a huge blessing. The guy had been working with kids for a while and was great with Yalga. He was really good at relaxing her and explaining to her what was going on. He was honest and genuine. Salisek really liked him too, and even asked some questions herself. I also remembered him during my reckless years. He recognized me too.
“You’re daddy was quite the troublemaker back in his day.”
“Really?”
“Yup, when he was small he proudly came to me with a broken wrist.”
“Why would he be proud of that?”
“He got it trying to impress his crush.”
Seven-year-old me told you that in confidence.
I awkwardly looked at Salisek, but all she could do was stare and slowly smile while turning to my dad for more information.
“Do you happen to know the full story, dad?” Salisek teased.
“Well daughter, Carlos had a small crush on this girl named Jessica in the second grade and he tried to impress her by jumping off the swing set. He succeeded and flung himself so far into the air that when he landed on his wrist he needed a cast for months.”
“H-Hey! You laugh but it worked. She sat next to me at lunch and gave me her lunchables, that’s like… the pinnacle of love in second grade.”
I earned a laugh from everyone in the room, which almost made me forget that it was at my expense.
“Um, what is a lunchable?” Dr. Triva asked. She was a Zurulian working with Dr. Brown, trying to work with and understand the Arxur biology. While she was important in treating Yalga’s burn with her experience with Harchen Exterminators she would be even more important in trying to understand her condition as a whole. Zurulians have the best medical understanding compared to… pretty much everyone.
“It’s a children’s meal kit for both vegan and non-vegan foods, it’s popular for kids in school lunches.” Dr. Brown took his eyes off his colleague and gave me a sly look. “But let’s be honest, there was never any real meat in those things.”
Yalga’s interests also peaked. “Were they tasty?”
“Back in my day they were the best part of school. They were also a status symbol. Having the best lunchables meant you were the coolest kid.”
“What was the best one, Daddy?”
“Pizza.”
Of course it was pizza. It’s always pizza.
Pizza is God’s gift to the world.
Dr. Triva grabbed the syringe for the shot while Dr. Brown prepped the area. The sight of the needle made Yalga nervous.
“D-Daddy, do we have to…”
“Hey Princess, look at this.”
Yalga took her gaze off the needle and onto my phone where I showed her my favorite distraction.
[Behold Distraction]
“What is that?” Yalga asked. “I like the sounds.”
The legend Zach Choi, his legacy continued by his descendants, loved making short videos of him just cooking. This one was one of the rare ones that didn’t feature meat. Yalga was fully entranced into the process that she didn’t even react to the needle or the bandaid.
“Good job my beautiful pup!” Salisek cheered.
“Yeah… in a minute, mom.”
Dr. Brown chuckled, “I think I should start using those for nervous patients, right Dr. Triva?”
“Yeah… in a minute, Dr. Brown.”
I took my phone away before everyone forgot why they were here and we were ready to proceed. The doctors wanted to really get a look at Yalga and her condition. On the promise of peanut butter cookies and meat lovers pizza Yalga bravely went through all the X-Ray’s, bloodwork, medical history, and any other examinations they needed.
It took a while and she was starting to get frustrated with all the tests, but she persisted, and soon it was over. They allowed us to stay the night to monitor the burn area in case complications arose. So we all stayed in the hospital room, enjoying our time together as if it was a little adventure.
“Mommy look, the bed moves!”
“Pup, please don’t break it.”
Yalga went crazy when she saw how many buttons the hospital bed had, and needless to say, she was enjoying it. She kept Dad occupied with all her questions both about the hospital and about anything else her mind could think of. She was happy to be done with the tests.
“Grandpa, do you think they’ll let me see my bone pictures later?”
“Sure, but they need someone who is trained to look at them first and show them to the doctors.”
“There’s someone who knows how to look at pictures of bones?”
“Yup, they can see things we can because they’re bone smart. Do you wanna be a doctor when you grow up?”
“I dunno. Maybe I can be a doctor for bones, a bone doctor!”
It was nice seeing her happy, but Salisek and I were still worried about what they would find. What would it take to heal Yalga? Could they do it? I think so, but how long will it take? I don’t care about the financial cost, I care about the physical and mental toll it would take on Yalga. But would we have a choice?
I looked to my fiance who was rapidly tapping her foot onto the ground, impatiently waiting for the doctor to come back in and give us the news on Yalga’s condition.
“It can’t be that bad right?” she whispered. “With aid from the Zurualians they must have a way to easily fix Yalga’s condition. So what’s taking them so long?”
“They’re probably just double checking some things. I’m sure it’s nothing.” I could tell she was still stressed, so I held her hand and kissed her cheek. “Our daughter will be fine.”
Salisek tried to keep herself from crying for Yalga’s sake, but had the doctors not finally arrived she might’ve broken.
“Carlos, Salisek? You’re the parents correct?” Dr. Trivia asked. “I’ll just need to see you both very quickly to discuss some things.”
Finally ready for some answers we quickly got up, kissed our baby goodbye for now, and followed the Zurulian to a small room with Dr. Brown.
“Mr. Rodriguez and Mrs., do you prefer to be called Salisek or are you fine with adopting Mrs. Rodriguez?” The doctor politely asked.
“I’m fine with either, but I would like to get used to Mrs. Rodriguez.” I could feel her hand strengthen her grip in mine.
“Wonderful,” Dr. Brown took out a small folder that showed some of Yalga’s X-Rays, notes, and documents. “First things first, your daughter's burns should heal very soon.”
“Courtesy of Zurulian medicine and Harchen Exterminator Accidents.”
“Yes, thank you Dr. Triva. But of course this is not the only information you wanted to know about. The condition of your daughter is concerning. Not only because of the condition of her injuries, but also her condition that allows her body to grow at an exaggerated rate.”
Dr. Triva put the X-Ray slides on a projector for us to see. Seeing Yalga’s bones and how badly they were broken made my stomach turn, and my heart sink. I could hear Salisek’s gasp from how shocked she was.
It looked like a child had rearranged the right side of her body like a poorly constructed jigsaw puzzle. What made things worse was that the other side of her body looked nearly untouched meaning we could see all the damage her sperm donor did. I know how it felt to have broken a few bones as a kid. Her life would’ve been torture for me. I have know idea how she could live like that.
Why didn’t I take her here the moment we got home? How long has she been suffering like this?
“As you can see the limbs that didn’t grow as much were the ones that were injured the most. Trauma can be a factor in how limbs develop,” Dr. Triva explained. “You can see here how the bones didn’t heal correctly. Upon questioning your daughter it’s no question her back holds the most problems, but looking at her arms and legs it’s possible they’re also providing an incredible amount of discomfort and pain.”
Salisek wrapped her tail around my leg nervously. “So, what does this mean?”
“It means,” Dr. Brown continued. “That before we even think about her back we should address what’s going on in the rest of her body. If you look at her pelvic bone you can see it isn’t straight due to her walking on uneven legs for lord knows how long. So we think it would be best to first start realigning the bones as well as doing the appropriate extensions. My only concern is that her accelerated growth may cause complications, so she’ll need to visit here frequently.”
My fiance’s grip tightened as she looked deeper into the X-Rays, “I see. How long will it take for her to recover?”
“Several months, due to the severity of it. We can do the arms and legs separately, but that would be up to you. There’s a possibility it could take longer. We just can’t be certain with her growth, but we’ll have experts working round the clock on her case.”
“I-I see. But you can help her right?”
“We will do all within our power to make sure your daughter is healthy and lives a pain free life.
“Thank you… could you give us a moment. We would like to let our daughter know about it before we make arrangements.”
“Of course. Please let us know when you’re ready.”
We politely walked out of the room and turned around the corner away from where Yalga was.
“Honey?” I asked. “Is everything okay?”
I almost fell over when she pulled me in for a hug. I could barely hear her through her bleats and cry’s. “Look at what that monster did to her.”
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Today I was in toddlers (I'm a floater) and we have a few screamers but one kid was particularly bad today. He always has a ton of energy, plays rough, and runs around the classroom making a lot of noise. Sometimes he screams when he's mad, other times I have literally no idea why he does it. He's 3. I also have no idea how to make it stop. Today he was running around on all 4s (he does this a lot) and I cannot get the image out of my mind of when he was in this position on the floor screaming up at me so intensely and with such (unprevoked?) pure rage that his face was red, he looked like he was sweating, and I felt like his veins were going to pop. I hate to compare a child to an animal, but he looked like a wild animal. Like a dog about to bite you (thankfully he's not a biter). After many failed attempts of getting him to stop, including just leaving him alone, I finally went down to get our admin but when she came up he just hid from her quietly. Sometimes just the threat of her works I guess, and the kids love her so sometimes they just want a visit from her and it's almost like a reward for bad behaviour unfortunately, but I wish the behaviour was not happening in the first place, let alone requiring me to bring her in every time to stop it. I thought about recording it on my phone next time to show her that I'm not crazy (even though she does believe me) because by the time she gets up there they've usually stopped after I'm at my wit's end with them.
We have another kid who just turned 2 who has turned into a serial biter (10 bites in the last 3 days I think) and who has also gotten very aggressive lately in general. The babies are usually pretty well behaved, but when another child steals a toy for example, they might cry or whine or yell like a normal baby would, but yesterday the way this child yelled "no" over something as small as wanting to use a toy another child was playing with, again, it was such intense rage it was scary. Her whole tiny body shook and she wasn't crying crying but she had tears in her eyes.
Do your kids ever scare you with the sheer intensity of their anger that seems really out of place? Like I know they're super young but that level of rage taking over their whole body is actually frightening and doesn't seem like anything the other kids have displayed and I don't know how to make it stop. The biting/aggression just keeps getting worse and she clearly doesn't understand at all when we try to talk to her about it. The 3 year old boy knows better and half the time seems to scream for no reason.

The past week i've heard a rubbing type noise which sounds like its coming from the rear. Can hear it id say above 10mph and the noise gets louder as i increase speed, only way i can describe it is each thud matches the rotation of the tyre as the car goes faster. Also today I went to put the key in the ignition, turned it to start and no response what so ever, no clicking and no electrics at all when turning ignition on. Its just recently had a new alternator, new battery and full service.

I got my Resmed 11 about it a year ago or so. About six months ago, it started making a whining noise. And over time it got worse. But life was crazy so I didn’t reach out to Apria until Monday. When I did, I told them what was happening. They relayed a message to their local respiratory therapy person and said I’d hear back within 4 business days. Well I got a call back in 2 hours. We video chatted and when he listened to it, I was told I could pick up a new one. An hour later, I got it. Well, I’m glad I did. These last two nights, I’ve slept so well.
My point to this post is call attention to the importance of taking care when you experience a problem. Because our sleep is important and making we get our machines in working order is vital.

For those of you who don't live in the US, the typical driving etiquette on highways is generally to drive in the right lane when driving the speed limit (or to match traffic), and to drive in the left lane when accelerating and passing cars.
So OOP makes a PSA thread in Ohio to address driving grievances they've noticed while living in Ohio:

It’s been 15 years since I moved to Ohio and I’ve held my tongue long enough. Far too many of you need to hear this.
THE LEFT LANE IS FOR PASSING!! THE LEFT LANE IS FOR PASSING!! THE LEFT MF LANE IS FOR MF PASSING.
God damn. I have never driven in a state with more left lane campers !it’s unreal how many are oblivious to this.
If you are not consistently passing someone on the right of you. Move out of the left lane
If someone is on ur ass you aren’t driving fast enough. Move out of the left lane.
It doesn’t matter if you are driving the speed limit move out of the left lane.
It’s not hard. And if everyone abides by this principle it actually increases the flow of traffic and saves everybody time.
Check your mirrors regularly and Move the fuck over.
You now have the tools to not be that dumb asshole holding everyone up.
Thanks in advance.

Although the OOP is rather succinct, Ohioians have plenty to say. Commenters will be abbreviated as C1, C2, C3, etc.

C1: All I’m saying is it’s not worth getting that angry about it. I don’t camp out in the high speed lane. You don’t have to do 90 all the time on the highway. Just calm down and enjoy the ride. There is no reason to be an ass. You’ll get to your destination just fine and in a better mood if you just give up that fight. C2: Nah people have places to be and they don't shouldn't have to deal with grandma who doesn't care about anyone else's time but her own, get out of the way and let people who are going faster than you pass you C1: Leave earlier then, allow yourself time to deal with every day frustrations. C2: You must be the grandma who can't understand that not everyone has the same time she does C1: Tell yourself whatever you need to so you can feel better about yourself. C2: People have places to be granny C3: Eat a dick, and while you're doing that, move the fuck out of the way. You have no right to impede others travels.

This redditor gets peeved when people ride his ass:

C1: My only issue with this (because I agree) is that if I am passing someone slower than the person riding my ass would prefer I will take issue with them riding my ass and then go out of my way to not accommodate their desires. Stay back and I will move over once I have passed. Ride my ass and you will be stuck for much longer than you like. C2: If there is someone riding your ass and you're in the passing lane, you're the asshole, not them. It shouldn't take long to pass a car and move out of the lane. C1: Nope. If I'm going 70 and passing someone and someone comes up on my ass going 90 they are going to have to wait until I finish passing. If they wait without riding my ass, no problem. If they do not, they can get stuffed. C2: So creating a dangerous situation for other drivers on the highway is OK when you feel the pathetically petty need to try to get back at another driver because they got a little too close to you?
Again, it shouldn't take long to pass someone, and you should be watching your rear view mirrors for faster moving traffic before you even get into the passing lane. If you can't get out of the lane before another car is on your ass, again, you're the one in the wrong. People who suck at driving are the ones who make your argument. C1: Nah, I just can’t stand tailgaters so I’m not going to reward their aggressive behavior. Give me 10 seconds to pass and stay off my ass. You aren’t entitled to never hit your brakes C2: Then you're a shitty driver for two reasons (at least, there are probably more)
1.) You can't conceptionally understand the concept that you are the one creating the situation causing the tailgating. If you're not in the passing lane and someone is tailgating you, then you have reason to be upset. But if you're in the passing lane you're the one in the wrong spot.
2.) You take things that happen on the highway personally. Just get the fuck out of the way and go on with your day. Trying to get petty revenge moving at high rates of speed in vehicles weighing over a ton is just stupid. C1: Nah, tailgating is a choice, and it’s against the law. Slow down, let me pass the slower moving driver and safety get over into the right lane when I’ve completed passing. If I’m legally passing in the left lane, you have no business tailgating me. Slow down C3: Turn in your license. You’re a dog shit driver C4: Wait so the person who is passing someone at 70 mph and then getting over is creating the dangerous situation while the 90mph ass rider who can't wait the few seconds it takes for the slower car to pass someone is not? You have it backwards my friend.

This redditor explains their genius strategy of passing left lane slow drivers by taking the right lane:

C1: Don't get upset. Just get in the right lane and burn past everyone. Sometimes you will have to slow down because people only enter the highway at about 40 MPH, but they will get in the left lane in a few seconds, leaving the right lane clear for your cruising pleasure. C2: You joke, but this is exactly how the Ohio Turnpike is. Three lanes and the right lane is always empty. It has, by necessity, become the real passing lane.
And it never fails, merging on you'll be behind somebody who seems perfectly content that they got to the end of the ramp at 45 MPH while the one vehicle actually using the right lane -- always a semi -- is barreling down the road and approaching at 75+. So you either have to come to a complete stop at the end of the ramp to yield because the jackass going 45 will barely make it in front of the semi and you won't, or floor it at the last second and get into the middle lane ASAP.

Another redditor says you can't complain about driving etiquette if you're speeding:

C1: I'll add one, if you're egregiously speeding you don't get to complain about anyone else on the road. C2: Agree. If anyone flies up and tailgates me while I'm going 15 over, we're now going to go the speed limit until they back off. C3: Nice work Deputy. Thanks for keeping the roads safe by being roadblock to other drivers C2: No problem. I really hope you don't get in a horrific car accident because you decide to speed instead of leave earlier! C4: Ummm, yeah. So why are you going 15 miles over? Are you late for something? C2: If I'm passing someone in the left lane, as is being discussed in the original post, I try to keep moving a bit faster. Would you rather people go the speed limit in the left lane? Something tells me you'd complain about that too. C4: No, I’m solidly in the camp of following the Rules of the Road. Efficiency and predictability. Purposefully blocking traffic causes frustration, which causes people to do stupid things, which causes accidents. Swallow your pride and move over for any traffic faster than you no matter how fast you are going. C5 [to C3's roadblock comment]: You're being a danger to everyone. You can't complain when you're already being that stupid. C1: The danger wouldn't be there had the person not been egregiously speeding, ergo the blame falls on them. C6: You are exactly the reason drivers in this state have this reputation. Your poor decisions are yours and yours alone. Two wrongs don't make a right, and your attitude is part of the problem. C1: I'm not defending blocking traffic. Never once did I say that. Your inability to comprehend what you've read is the only problem here atm.

Yet another redditor declares the OOP's rant to be moot:

C1: You worry about stupid shit. OOP: Its been proven to reduce accidents and save time. Just because ur too stupid to understand that doesn’t make it stupid. C1: Find more important things to worry about. C2: Found the asshole who doesn't know how to drive🖕 C1: Found the dipshit with nothing better to do than whine about traffic. C2: Nothing better to do because I'm stuck behind a Sunday driver. Seriously though it's a hazard, stay out of the left lane!

OOP did comment on a few other things, but at some point, they edited the post with this:

Edit: Lots of hurt butts in the comments. If You are in anything but agreement with me then, well, ur dumb. But for the sake of civilize discussion and higher learning let’s let the dumb dumbs, and dummy dumb nincompoops answer for themselves. Please tell us why it’s ok for you to be able to camp your two brain cells in the left lane and make me late for my cats soccer game?
For those of you that think my anger is silly and unjustified, my friend just nearly had her life taken from her in an accident with someone trying to get around a lane camper that as backing up traffic.
Yes this exists everywhere but Ohio particularly bad. Am I wrong for wanting Ohio to suck a little less?

This thread is still getting new comments, so feel free to browse it for more speedy takes!

Background: My issue here is that the car now seems extremely sluggish in normal drive mode. Acceleration hesitation perhaps?
5K; No known issues 10K: Failed Drain Plug Gasket and significant oil leak after 10K Service. Dealership fixes issue with leak. 10K to 13K: Car struggles to accelerate and makes terrible noise when it does.
13K: Dealership 1 states 5/15/2024: When they ran diagnostics today, these two error messages popped up: X055D Limit to Charge/Discharge Control Value by Hybrid/EV Battery Temperature High and X055E Limit to Charge/Discharge Control Value by Hybrid/EV Battery. They’ve advised that the intake fan inside the car that cools the hybrid battery - which in turn allows the battery to recharge better - might have been covered. During their tests they found the hybrid battery temperature was at 114 deg F, when , 111 is the limit. The intake fan has always been uncovered. They found no issues with the mechanics of the car and reported the car accelerates normally.
Questions:

• Did I treat this thing poorly when breaking it in?
• Is this a lemon or just bad luck?
• This is my first hybrid. Do all hybrids drive this way?

Am going to get a second opinion ASAP. Will give it a few more days to see if time whips it back into shape. Am extremely frustrated to experience these issues this early in ownership. If I'm crazy and need to tame expectations, just let me know.

Okay so today I went to get gas and when I started my car up again (92 Honda civic hatch) it made a really bad rocking noise. And immediately turned off. Ironically enough I was on route to go to a mechanic Because of weird noises I was hearing. Anyways I drove with the car to the closest mechanic I know of. I made an overtake on the way kind of (I reved the engine to a high speed). Which now that I think about made the problem slightly worse. Anyways I get the mechanic and when I get there there’s white smoke coming from my engine bay and the check engine light is on(yellow looks like a pipe) and the heat meter is on red. So I immediately turn the engine off. Ask for help. The guy asks me if my heat meter is on hot I tell him yes, I’m not sure if you said anything else after that but he told me my water pump needs to be replaced. Ironically my car had been making a whiring/supercharger type of noise when I accelerate. And I noticed after he told me that coolant was leaking. My question is he said it would cost like 650$ to replace the pump. Is that fair?

In a flash of inspiration I suggested a small AU idea on discord... And people encouraged me to cook and cook hard. So I did and here's the result. I will likely have this as a 'backburner' fic to Broken Birds, writing one when I have no energy for other, so this will be lower in priority, but I hope it's enjoyable for you anyway.
Thanks to SpacePaladin15 for great universe, characters and letting fanfiction flow, as well as JulianSkies for inspiring the name of the fic and several other discord members (you KNOW who you are) for encouraging my horribleness. Without further ado... Let's open the doors of this AU.
CW: Arxur Dietary Habits, Child Suffering, Dismemberment
Memory Transcription Subject: Stynek, Venlil Cattle
Date [standardized human time]: July 12, 2136
Fur surrounding my eyes hurt from layers upon layers of dried tears. I’ve cried so much over past months, with nobody to tell me it’s going to be okay. I missed mommy. I missed my teacher. I missed my friends. I was surrounded by strangers, some of different species, but mostly venlil. None of them cared when I cried. Most cried by themselves, and to themselves instead. Nobody wanted to really talk to me, except this one other venlil child I met. I don’t even remember the name he told me. But he did know something. That me and him wouldn’t be eaten for a while because we’re too young. Unless someone important wanted to eat us. That’s why adults are bitter at the children. We weren’t in the ‘breeding pen’, whatever that meant, but in the food pen. And until I was old enough to be ‘sufficiently edible’, I’d stay here. Adults knew that. They knew that when arxur came around and chose meals out of the crowd, they’d ignore the scrawny child, so they were bitter at my luck.
I wanted to cry again, but at this point, no tears were coming out. I wished I could talk to the boy, but we got separated when they moved me and a bunch of adults onto the ship. I overheard some adults mumbling about us being rations. That made me cry more when I realized what it meant. Did it mean I was lied to? That I really was old enough to be eaten after all? I regretted wanting to grow up sooner. I was always upset when mom told me I couldn’t do something. I had to listen both because she was my mom and because she was our Governor. Now I missed hearing her voice, even if it was just telling me that I must go to bed on time and stop snacking too much before second meal.
It’s been days since I was brought to the ship. Unlike the pens I’ve been in before, this one was slowly emptying. Before, new people always were thrown in to replace ones taken to be eaten. Every day a few people would be grabbed by the arxur and dragged out. Some screaming and pleading for mercy. Those just get ignored, as everyone, myself included, huddles together in far corner. Others would accept their fate and let themselves be taken. Those are even sadder. More people start crying after seeing someone who looks dead even while still breathing taken to be finished off.
I rubbed my temple where there was still a small wound. Every cattle taken to this ship had their implants removed. I couldn’t understand anything non-venlil were saying. Or arxur for that matter. Not that much was being said...
Suddenly every head was up and all ears were flicking. I slightly turned my head to see towards the entrance. An arxur, standing in doorway, slowly scanning the crowd with predatory glint. My sense of time was barely intact, but schedule was rigid, it was too early for feeding time today. So why are they here and why are they selecting a prey already?
Suddenly I realized that it was looking directly at me, its binocular gaze locking onto my eye. I couldn’t help my reaction, yelping and flinching away, trying to scuttle towards the corner. But it seems the arxur made its choice. As it stepped and started walking towards me, the crowd parted. It was almost like that experiment with anti-magnets my teacher showed once in class, except I was the one repelling everyone around me. I tried reaching out and crawling towards them, but they just furthered the distance. Nobody was willing to contest arxur’s chosen meal.
“Please... I don’t want to...”, I cried, but it fell on deaf ears. Then I felt it. A scaly hand of a monster wrapped around my ankle. I tried thrashing, but before I could, I was lifted upside down, hitting my head on cold hard floor in process. Ow... It hurt. My vision blurred, from both the hit dizzying me and the tears that were now filling my eyes. I was being taken out... To be devoured by predators... Daddy... Mommy... “Mommy... Mommy!”
I didn’t hear anything but my own cries and clacks of arxur claws against metal floor as I was taken out of the pen. Outside of pen always seemed like nicer place to be. It was better lit and cleaner from what little I could glimpse whenever door opened. Now I’d give anything just to go back to the dirty pen, huddled together with people who don’t care about me... I didn’t want to die! I wanted to go home! To my mom and dad... Why... Wasn’t I too young? Why did that boy lie to me?! I hated him!
I couldn’t even tell where I was being taken. I knew nothing about layout of the ship. It was cleaner, it was brighter. But also there were more arxur than singular one that kept coming into the pen to take people. Being carried upside down by the leg hurt and made it disorienting but even with that I couldn’t miss how every time I entered an arxur’s field of vision, their head sharply turning to stare directly at me right until we turned another corner. I realized that I was crying out loud by now, but of course predators knew no emotion, they ignored my anguish.
Then finally, it seems, we reached a destination. I was brought to a room with a big table. Table? It was ridiculous to think predators even use tables... But there were three sitting at it. One was an arxur, particularly large and imposing. But two others were... creatures I’ve never seen before. One glimpse was enough to tell me they were predators. And they were covered in clothing, more than I’ve seen anyone ever wear. Worst thing is though, they were clearly talking to the big arxur, with external translator on the table constantly translating arxur’s hisses into the other predator’s growling noises.
This is it. Arxur found another sapient predator. The worst monsters in the galaxy now found allies. Least I could comfort myself with was that mommy would be safe... But now I felt like it’s not just me that’s about to end, but whole universe.
The arxur that was carrying me smacked me down onto the table, a fair distance away from others. I kept crying and sobbing. I think some pleads for help and for my mom came out, but I couldn’t even make out my own words. I was so scared. I was ready for fangs to pierce into my neck. And yet I wasn’t, I wasn’t ready, please, anything by that. Both the big arxur and the new predators were staring me down in hunger as I felt the worst pain of my life. My leg, held firmly to the table, burned in agony... and then pain was all I knew there. I couldn’t feel anything below my knee other than pain. Pain... Pain! I cried out at the top of my lungs, but pain wasn’t getting better. My cry did not stop until my throat burnt, but that pain was like an itch compared to what my leg felt like.
With sight blurred, I saw it. The arxur that held me down dropped my own ankle down near the big one that seemed to be in charge, staining table with orange blood. Big arxur tore a chunk off, extending it towards other predators, but they seemed to just talk. Then big arxur stopped for a few moments, tossed the chunk into its horrid mouth, and motioned to one still holding me down.
Then, for a second time in last few minutes I experienced the most agonizing pain in my life, surpassing even the pain before at least tenfold. It burned! It hurt! My throat, already sore and barely able to make sounds got revived for just long enough to let out another cry before giving out again. I wanted to pass out as I was butchered alive, but it was just so painful that I couldn’t... I was forced to be aware of how the rest of the leg, from knee to hip, was brought towards the mystery predators, sliced in half and then... That explained why it hurt so much more. Why it still hurts even more. The blade that second chop was done with was red hot, and now used to burn away at the chunks presented to the predators. They recoiled from heat, as pieces of me were presented, but after a few moments of consideration, reached out and tore a few small pieces of orange legs off my dismembered calf, starting to chew. The one with long fur on their head, seemed to almost choke on the heat, while the one with dark coloration just stared at me intently, making eye contact that I could perceive even through pain and tears directly with me, hungrily chewing, no doubt wanting more than scrap it was given...
I couldn’t watch anymore I closed my eyes, beginning to whine and sniffle. I tried calling out for mom, but my mouth was suddenly clamped shut with a band, so I couldn’t even make any more noises. Pain made it hard to move at all, and with my leg chop being replaced with a burn, I wasn’t bleeding... so I couldn’t even get the release of death. Worse yet, predators were far from eager to finish me off. I was always told their bloodthirst was the only thing that defined them, but they just left me to suffer on the table as they kept talking in their horrible noises. Their sadism was much stronger than bloodlust, that’s the only explanation...
As I lay there, I eventually let my eyelids slide open. The new predators and arxur were engaged in some conversation, piece of leg in front of arxur in charge gone completely, and pieces in front of mystery predators visibly smaller. Arxur regularly typed some things, demonstrating some things on the screen. A bunch of warrior arxur banded together, a big star chart divided in weird ways, some weird colorless picture of countless dead prey animals, unfamiliar and likely non-sapient... And then a video. A venlil exterminator, fighting off a group of arxur. She managed to get two monsters burnt before getting overwhelmed, their mask torn off before their head is bitten off by one of the greys. The moment it happens, new predators both turn their eyes towards me instantly, opened wide with hunger. I flinched away again, tears managing to flow again. The arxur were horrible... They were about to sic those new predators on Venlil Prime, I knew it in my heart. They gave them taste of our flesh, and showed them how we might be dangerous... despite the fact that we were weakest and helpless. The new predators will make us into their cattle with ease and be empowered, before proceeding to move onto the rest of Federation...
There was movement. The predators and big arxur all stood up, then locked their hands in some contest of strength momentarily. The predator with long head fur pointed towards me, and then they all stared at me for a moment. Then the conversation moved on. The arxur holding me down grabbed me again, by my remaining leg and carried me off. I felt some blood drip down my fur with me being turned like that...
There was more walking, but it was even harder to pay attention in the haze that was covering my mind. I understood what the people that were taken without struggle felt now. I didn’t want to fight anymore. I just wanted it to be over... It hurts... It hurts so much...
I felt my arms moved, hands tied behind my back, and then I was handed over to the dark-colored mystery predator. It wasn’t as large as an arxur, but it could still lift me with ease, tossing me over the shoulder like I’m a sack of ipsom flour. A momentary look around showed that I was inside a smaller shuttle now, built very different from what the insides of larger ship was. I was... being taken elsewhere again. Why...?
Some more talking in the scary predator languages, and the door separating mystery predators and the arxur closed. Once that happened, there was instant rush. I found myself tossed into some white and cold room, still bound. I could hear the predators argue, that much loud yelling at one another could only be an argument. I felt the hum of ship starting up and vibration of launch. Then after a bit, I saw the long furred predator rush past me and towards something in the back of room, at which points it made noises so horrid, that I found myself crying again. I don’t know what it was doing back there, and I didn’t want to know. The dark colored one just kept looking over the burnt stump where my leg once was. And all throughout they kept growling and shouting at one another... I was going to be torn in half between the two, wasn’t I?
Instead I felt the binds on my arms and around my face cut. First thing, I opened my mouth and took a deep breath... Only to choke on air, as it was even cooler than I expected... White room, cool air, hungry predators looking over my bloodied bits and making horrid noises... I was about to be refrigerated to be kept for future. I was rations that arxur graciously gifted to these monsters. Why...? Why me?!
I tried crying, but my throat refused to make noise after earlier screaming tore it apart. Only low coughs escaped as tears completely filled my vision. There was more. More pain, a burst of it where my leg was supposed to be, then a small prick at my other leg... More memories, of my happy family and friends at school, replaced with grimy cattle pens and constant fear... More regrets at things I wanted to do and try, but never got to... But none of it mattered. I was already dead. Even if I was still breathing and moving, I was dead the moment a grey grabbed me and dragged me onto that cursed cattle ship of theirs... It just took me until now to truly comprehend it.
The last thing I thought of as pain dulled out, finally giving way to bliss of unconsciousness, was my mom’s soft wool and warm embrace, and how I never got to feel it properly for last time before dying... Mommy... I’m sorry...

2007 GMC YUKON DENALI AWD
Just bought a 2007 GMC Yukon Denali AWD and there is a ticking/clucking noise when I accelerate past 20 mph and the noise goes down around 60 mph. I have replaced both front wheel hub bearings and cv axles. Transmission was rebuilt in 2019. Engine is running great. Noise is still there. About to replace the driver side motor mount. Anyone had a noise like that from motor mounts?

New-to-me 03 Sport, when I got it I believe it hadn't been run for about 3 months and unsure how well the previous owner took care of it. Been replacing things slowly, but it is not a daily driver and rarely gets on the highway, mostly short 15 min trips on local roads a few times a week.
When I first got the jeep the air filter was extremely old/dirty and I was getting a MAP sensor code. Replaced filter, cleaned the sensor and scrubbed out the whole throttle body. Also changed the spark plugs. MAP sensor code went away.
Got a P0420 code recently which I understand is most likely a dead cat. I do not smell rotten eggs and it's accelerating just fine. Very slight rough idle when stopped. Do we think it's possible that I just need to run it on the highway for a few days and get the car good and hot to possibly fix the problem?
I will eventually get a scanner on it and take a look at the data, I understand it could be a bad O2 sensor or a leak somewhere. Hoping I don't have to replace a car.

Just bought a 2007 GMC Yukon Denali AWD and there is a ticking/clucking noise when I accelerate past 20 mph and the noise goes down around 60 mph. I have replaced both front wheel hub bearings and cv axles. Transmission was rebuilt in 2019. Engine is running great. Noise is still there. About to replace the driver side motor mount. Anyone had a noise like that from motor mounts?

Bought a 2015 6spd MT WRX a few weeks ago. Pushed it a bit on the way to work this morning then noticed the car had some sluggish acceleration when I went on my lunch break. Car felt like it wasn't accelerating very hard then cut power before hitting boost and even under boost it wasn't really going anywhere. Boost was up to 18psi and i only had it up to about 4k RMP. No engine codes, no weird noises no fluid leaks and the car starts perfectly fine. Car was running fine the day before not sure if anyone else has had anything like this before. Help would be appreciated.

I don't really know why I'm writing this ... I think it's because I've tried to explain it to my uncle but all he said is that I should get my addiction under control and stop forgetting to take my meds.
I can't blame him. You see... I have a history. I've lost it in the past , twice actually. I'm not here to talk about it , but I think it's important to lay this down first. So you can understand.

I've been told something's wrong with my brain, maybe I was born this way, maybe I've been through too much. That my mother was an addict, she'd cut ties with her family for 10 years when she had me. That where she had been and who my father was, is was very unclear. She was part of a community in the forgotten part of the nearest big city when she died. I was there when it happened.
My uncle Sean and Aunt Maggie became my guardians just before my 5th birthday and I'm still with him 20 years later. Maggie left the ranch a few weeks ago after an amicable divorce, I never understood why they were together anyway she was always working somewhere, traveling a lot. I was closer to him and his sturdy way of life.

When I first arrived at the ranch, I was in a bad shape. I got better thanks to him but when I reached thirteen, all the memories from my early childhood suddenly came back. I started having flashbacks. My memories came back, but they came back wrong.

I had been told that my mother had died of an untreated infection. Yet in my dreams, I saw her , again and again , in a pool of blood. An then... Then it came. The... Thing. I won't describe it. It kind of triggers something in me that I really don't need right now.

I've been told that what happened next was so traumatic that my brain made up a monster, a fiction , to make sense of what I was seeing and not processing.
This ... Thing started obsessing me and during my early teenage years I focused all my energy on finding what it was and proving it happened. That a monster did kill and mutilated my mother. My nightmares were so bad that I stopped sleeping. I drank so much energy drinks that I ended up in the hospital twice with severe dehydration.

Thankfully, I got better. I started working more and more with my uncle's horses. I think it's why he employed me, he saw how manual work and caring for the animals helped. I even got my first girlfriend around my 17th year. I was prom king. Who would have thought?
But then... She had a cheerleading accident. In front of me. And I lost it again. I won't go into details but she broke her neck during half-time and once again... The way she fell, folded and screamed. I couldn't process. It was IT. It'd shapeshifted to get to her. I'm ashamed of it but I became violent. Looking for it franticly. Screaming non sense and talking made up words. I had to be sedated. She made it alive, but she never wanted to see me again. I was accused by pretty much everyone to make the accident all about myself. And they were kind of right....

Now you know how I came to be the " crazy" guy. I have a bit of a drinking problem too to be honest... You see I never went back to high school. I started working full time at the ranch when I came by, and sometimes, it gets lonely. It's not rare to find me passed out in the hay in the early morning in the summer. And what can I tell you... I know I shouldn't. I know it's "bad" . But I love those nights. I put music , cuddle with my dog and just look at the cold bright stars, drinking beer until they start spinning.

It's because of this bad habit that I realized something was wrong with the horses. You see, contrary to the movies, horses are pretty silent. They don't neigh unless you separate them from their best mate or bring food. And that night... The night it all started. They wouldn't stop. I could hear them galloping and snorting. I wondered if there was a stray dog but they were used to dogs. I was a bit worried. Horses get stupid when they are afraid and we had a big show coming, it wasn't the time so sprain a leg. What really troubled me was my dog. He seemed ... Weird.
Max was a pit mix my uncle had rescued when I was 15. He only woke when I got up and walked a bit to look at the paddocks. That's when I realised the moon behind me. It was huge, and red. I wondered if I had ever seen it so close and so red before. I looked at Max The white of his eyes showed and he started whining. I had never heard him make this noise. Ever.

I looked at my phone. It was quarter to three. I took a pitchfork to be safe and walked toward the clubhouse. We kept a shotgun there in a locker. The horses kept going crazy and max's tail was stiff. I was walking fast but carefully in the darkness when the music reached me. A chant. A low chant. I kind of felt it too... Like a ... vibration.
It was coming from the yearlings field near the forest patch, on the opposite direction of the clubhouse. My horse was in this field. I backtracked immediately and rushed toward the sound as I dialled my uncle. Off course he didn't answer. He didn't live on the property anymore but a few miles away. I left a message, whispering. " I'm at the stable, something weird ‘s happening. I think they're people messing with horses I'm going to see. I think you should come , I don't know...Call me back.". The weird chant buzzed in the background, louder, as if more people had joined. I saw the glow of the fire before I passed the last building. It rose , under the bloody moonlight. Dark figures circled around it. Slowly. The horses seemed to have retreated at the other end of the pasture and I was relieved. Until I saw it. The figure at the centre of this dark carousel. " What the f are those creeps doing" escaped my lips.
blazing fury filled me , like a white iron like a white hot blade blinding me . "HEYYYY" I screamed at the top of lungs. " WHAT ARE YOU DOING !? ". The figures stopped and turn toward me. I was running now , my knuckles going white around the pitchfork's stick. Max was growling. A deep growl. His hair high upon his backbone. The figure, still pretty far did not move. I could see their heavy hooded cloaks. " what kind of sick pricks are those " I muttered. " HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY" I screamed again, louder than I ever thought I could scream. And then I saw him. Gun.
Gun was my uncle's favourite horse. His old stallion's spitting image. The young horse was lying in front of the fire behind the intruders.
"WHAT DID YOU DO! I'M CALLING THE COPS!!!!". I stopped and was dialling when a figure detached itself from the group and advanced. It seemed to ... float? It moved toward Max and I... so silently.
The burning rage in veins turned cold , and heavy. I opened my mouth but nothing crossed my lips. Suddenly, Max jumped. He growled in a way I hope to never hear any dog do again. A desperate, furious growl. A life or death sound. A war cry... His warm blood spattered on my face. He... Honestly I don't know what happened at that moment. Something lied bloody on the ground but I couldn't even have told that it used to be a dog, even less Max. Acid tears filled my eyes as I realized my mouth was still open. I was tasting him.
I wanted to scream, to run, to just get swallowed by the earth and yet I did nothing at all but stare at the floating silhouette. It was so tall. " Come, my child". " We were waiting for you, we knew you'd come, Your father told us you'd be here when we'd call".
I heard those words, but I wouldn't be able to tell you anything about the thing who spoke them. I say thing because it didn't have a voice. It... Buzzed. Like... a cello.
Suddenly... I floated too. Panick seized me. Like a trapped raccoon in my
chest it dug its claws, scratching furiously my closed throat.
" Your father said you were ready. We will prepare you." I was now in front of the crackling blaze. the other figures circling me. Smiling Men and woman welcomed me. On their faces they all wore a similar mark. a cross covering their eyes horizontally, and their nose and mouth vertically. Their hands... Their hands were still dripping with gun's inside. Gun... Was ... opened.
" A necessary sacrificed" whispered a woman, still smiling. " I know you liked him very much... I'm sorry..." " I could have taken yours, but I knew you wouldn't have forgiven me'. Her voice. .." Aunt Maggie?' I croaked. Her eyes shone with a mad light. " Gosh do you look like your mother tonight... She'd be so proud. Her baby boy..." .
The tall figure made a gesture and I spined and found myself looking at the sky. I thought I'd fallen but... I wasn't touching the ground...
My aunt continued speaking." She was just like you the first time ... So... naive, so afraid.. She was only 16! That was our mistake you see, she wasn't ready for her destiny yet when she joined us... That's why we waited for you."
The chant , the low buzzing chant rose once again. The people around me started walking in a circle around me. I was just above Gun's body.
One, by one, they buried they hands in the belly of the horse and traced the cross on my face. I sealed my lips as tight as I could as the warm blood covered my face. Through the blood and tears I recognize faces. A nurse from the hospital. A teacher. The coffeeshop barista. My psychiatrist... I closed my eyes.
It was a nightmare. It couldn't be anything but a nightmare.
Yet the smell of the horse's inside and the crackling fire still reached me as they started ripping my clothes off.
" This is not real" I whispered. " This is not real, this is not real THIS IS NOT real" I screamed weakly.
'Oh , My dear I'm so sorry ' whispered my aunt. I should have told you earlier... But Dr Carter said it was better to let you grow up a bit first. He said it help you keep the secrets if you were afraid of them. I'm sure you don't feel this way, but it was an honour to watch your mother ascend the way she did. Her agony was the most beautiful thing she could have hoped for. You were supposed to ascend with her but she ruined it". " Slut" groaned a middle aged woman before spitting on the floor.
" She was my best friend you know... I thought I knew her. I thought I could trust her. But she lied to me."
"You see, we know you are his son. But... She wasn't a virgin when she was honoured."
She smiled. " It doesn't matter how cruelly she tricked us. You can help us find the perfect girl."
One by one, each member traced a symbol on my skin.
" You're so handsome... He'll be so glad. The perfect boy. The perfect vessel."
"It's almost time, Prepare" hissed the tall figure.
" You're going to give him his heir, the one ruler among the realms. You see he can't travel here whenever but you're an anchor my love. Each generation he choses an anchor until he finds one who'll give him THE son, the one who'll die for his freedom. Our freedom."
"QUIET SLAVE AND KNEEL" shrieked the tall figure.
She kneeled right near me, and whispered " You're...". I heard a slash. Aunt Maggie’s face slid horizontally. Her eyes followed me as the upper part of the face slid slowly toward the ground.
" HAIL THE PRINCE".
A chant, colder and louder than never before rose with the crackling flames toward the moon.
" Iä! Shub-Niggurath! The Black Goat of the Woods with a Thousand Young! » chanted the disciples."
Frozen, I watched the blazing sky above and saw a door. A perfect wooden door , in the sky. It slowly cracked open as the crowd turn to hysterics and the chant turned to mad screams.
"MY SOOOOOOOON" The whole earth seemed to split open under the weight of the sound coming from the perfect rectangle of empty darkness in the sky.
And then... I saw... I saw what I had tried to forget for twenty-years. I saw those split red eyes and their evil glare. I saw the iron hooves at the end of too many legs. I saw the tentacles who fled my mother with their thousand beaks. Everything all at once, I saw it shift, from an odious form to a more loathsome one. I burned in a way I'll never be able to describe.
I woke up two weeks ago in the nearest hospital. I was found on the ground, surrounded by the yearlings, the corpse of gun and some remains of Max. My uncle explained to me that I had found a bear feasting on Gun, that Max must have attacked it and I'd fainted or been knocked out trying to scare it away. Laying lifeless had saved me. I didn't speak of what I saw at the hospital. I knew better now. I've tried to explain to my uncle why I had to move out to the big city. That I had a mission now. That I had never been crazy and that I shouldn't have been afraid.
I know now that I'm blessed. You see he thinks I'm just having another episode, that it’s a "manic" episode and I should go back to the clinic, but I know better now. I am special. I am. And he can be too. Anyway... He'll be whether he joins or not. You'll all be. Because he is coming. He 'll bless us all. Because you see, I know I can find her and I'll give him the perfect door. A door to let him in. A door to let all of him in. He'll honour us all, all at once.
" Iä! Shub-Niggurath! The Black Goat of the Woods with a Thousand Young! »

It’s the same smell I noticed when I used to accelerate on my father’s old Jeep Cherokee when I was accelerating on the freeway to merge. I guess when the engine is working at a high rpm for short bursts of time, literally something is burning. It’s a cheap car so I wouldn’t be suprised.

I feel like I'm losing my mind with cat introductions, and I would really appreciate any advice, as I'm starting to think this is a losing battle and it would be best to re-home our new cat.
TL;DR: We've tried a million different suggestions to get these cats to get along, and it's starting to seem like it might be best, for everyone involved, for us to consider rehoming our new cat.
I adopted a 7-month old neutered male kitten (I will refer to him as "M") from a rescue three months ago (he's now 10 months old). My partner and I wanted a cat to join his 5-year-old spayed female cat ("P") so that she would have a buddy when we aren't home and have another cat to play with. P has lived with both cats and dogs in the past, prior to my partner adopting her, and she's been increasingly interested in the feral cats roaming our neighborhood that she watches from our back door. So we thought this would work out. Instead, it's been a nightmare. I've cried so much about these cats and the stress of this whole thing has been a strain on our relationship with each other and with the cats.
THE SETUP:
M stayed in my office, P was free to roam the house. It was a pretty immediate dislike from P and it took us about a week to move her feeder closer to his door. She refused to eat unless one of us were standing nearby and if M was eating on the other side of the door, she would stop eating to hiss. Gradually, she got to the point where she would eat, but she wouldn't finish her food (this is abnormal for her), and as soon as he would peek under the door or put a paw under it, she would hiss, growl, and eventually started lungint at him under the door.
M, meanwhile, was comfortable pretty immediately and was itching to get out into the main house. He is the MOST food motivated cat I've ever met and clever as hell. He figured out how to break into the automatic feeders we have, chomped on cords even with bitter spray on them, and will stop at nothing to get access to food. He also likes playing with water and has been able to disassemble every water fountain we've given him, and constantly knocks over water bowls. I think some of this was boredom and frustration with being trapped in my office. We started to let him out for supervised time in the house while P was safely in our room while we worked on all the other cat introduction reccomendations we'd read online.
INTRODUCTION STEPS:
We tried following Jackson Galaxy's cat introductions steps: no contact, separate litterboxes, timed feedings (closer and closer to the door separating them), scent-swapping, nearby treats/playtime.
To detail some of the many ways in which these introduction methods have failed:
* We tried scent-swapping with blankets -- P got treats for walking by it and eventually for sniffing it. She never got to a point where she'd interact with it more than that.
* We tried giving both cats treats on opposite sides of the door. P doesn't play on anyone's schedule but her own, and she's only interested in games she invents that are impossible to do outside this door, so the closest we got with playtime is giving P treats while M plays in his room.
* We tried site-swapping between our bedroom (P's area, where her litter box is) and M's room -- P would hiss and be clearly super uncomfortable in M's room, and when he was in our room and she had free roam of the house, she'd never go in there of her own accord.
* We gave both cats calming collars, used Feliway diffusers, and tried giving both cats calming treats. Nothing seemed to help.
* We tried to play with M more to tire him out -- there is no amount of play time in the world that satisfies this cat.
THE PROGRESSION:
As things progressed, we haven't been able to get the two cats to be in the same room for more than 30 minutes without them getting into some sort of scuffle. Because of the tension between the cats, we only let M out when both of us are home. As a result, M is becoming increasingly destructive -- getting into trash cans and the recycling bin, chomping plants, chomping cords, chomping books. His "bad" behaviors (yes, I know he is a cat and will do what he wants) are only increasing in frequency and in frustration. He is undeterred by spraying him with water, foil, loud noises, and completely undeterred by P's hissing/yowling/growling/whining/swatting or any other indication of "NO."
THE CONCLUSION?
At this point, I don't know what to do. This seems futile and I don't know how much longer we should give it when we can't let M have free access to the feeders or to the house, and P has less and less patience for this kitten. And at this point, it's so draining to my partner and I that we don't see how we can fix this.
So, reddit: How much time do we give it to figure out if M is just a bastard because he wants to be or if this is kitten craziness? How much more time do we give it to get these cats to coexist? What else can we do?
Help, please, I am begging you 😭

I got a 2014 modded Scion FR-S making a super loud noise in the engine area. Mods are catted headers, full greddy exhaust system, injen air intake, and tuned on e85. I also did a oil change about two or three weeks before. It was the first one since I got the car, so i’m not sure what oil was in it before but what I put in seems to work well on this car from what I researched.
Vids are here
Ok, so I was turning and started slowly accelerating when I heard this noise start randomly and really suddenly, not like it started easing into it, like something just broke and next second and it was like this. First I thought my bumper was rubbing against my wheel or something so I pulled over and turns out its something in my engine. First half of the video is the noise on a cold start, and the second half is the engine the same day it happened and was running for awhile before I recorded that. By the way, the videos do this sound no justice, it sounds like literal gunshots and my ears are still ringing while writing this just from turning it on a few seconds. I have no clue at all what this could be, any insight would be greatly appreciated!!

I've seen some glowing reviews, and some pretty bad reviews.
I myself posted a fairly negative review a couple weeks ago.
Took me a while to realize why folks haven't been seeing eye-to-eye on the 550.
Broadly speaking, there seem to be two groups looking at this vehicle.
On one hand, you have folks coming from a more off-road utilitarian SUV background. Think 4Runners, Jeeps, Broncos, etc. This crowd seems to be thrilled with the 550, which makes sense. The upgrades to the GX's off-road ability make it a legit competitor with these other dedicated off-road vehicles. But unlike these other vehicles, the 550 has a much nicer and more refined interior than something like a Bronco or Jeep. Plus the 550 enjoys the benefits of Lexus build quality. I totally see how this car would be a home-run for this crowd.
In this vein, lots of journalists reviewed this car in the context of off-roading (notice how many YT review vids included an extensive off-road course as part of the review), and when they compare it to things like the Bronco, I can see how they'd rate the GX highly.
On the other hand, you have folks coming from BMW X5's and X7's, from Mercedes SUVs, from Audis and such. Plus folks coming from other Lexus SUVs like the RX, LX, and especially the old GX. For these folks, they are looking for a luxury SUV that also happens to be highly capable off-road; they expect luxury first and off-roading ability second. They are hoping for something like an affordable Range Rover. To use the outgoing GX as an example, it felt luxurious, but it also happened to also be a beast off-road. As a result, when some folks (me included), test drive the 550, it feels like a surprising step down in refinement (ride quality, sound system quality, wind noise, etc.). Along these lines, David Chao of Automotive Press and Kirk Kreifels (another car journalist) are both deeply familiar with the outgoing 460, and in a long livestream conversation, they talked about being disappointed with the 550 on the points I mentioned, and Chao was even talking about canceling his 550 order and holding onto his 460 instead.
It would've been nice if Lexus did a better job highlighting how they are changing the spirit of the GX with this redesign, so potential buyers would know how to contextualize it in the marketplace. As a result, folks' impressions could be polarizing depending on which of the above-mentioned camps they're coming from. If you're an off-road enthusiast coming from Jeeps and 4Runners and Broncos, and you're willing to shell out a little extra for something more refined, the 550 is a home-run. But if you're coming from BMW or the old 460, and you were hoping for a luxurious SUV that happens to have off-road ability, you might be disappointed. Neither group is right or wrong; the 550 is just an entirely different sort of GX, and it's targeting the off-road SUV market more aggressively than Lexus ever has before.
Edit: I'm including the link to a great overlooked YT video where David Chao of Automotive Press and Kirk Krefeils have a discussion about the points I mentioned. Highly recommend checking out because David Chao, in particular, is quite the authority on the GX, and while he's a huge fan of Toyota/Lexus, he gives a nuanced opinion. I'd recommend checking out timestamp 18:30 for some of the things discussed in this post.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Whha2UTZlv0

I got a 2014 modded Scion FR-S making a super loud noise in the engine area. Mods are catted headers, full greddy exhaust system, injen air intake, and tuned. I also did a oil change about two or three weeks before this happened. It was the first one since I got the car, so i’m not sure what kind of oil was in it before but what I put in seems to work well on this car from what I researched.
vids here
Ok, so I was turning and started slowly accelerating when I heard this noise start randomly and really suddenly, not like it started easing into it, like something just broke and next second and it was like this. First I thought my bumper was rubbing against my wheel or something so I pulled over and turns out its something in my engine. First half of the video is the noise on a cold start, and the second half is the engine the same day it happened and was running for awhile before I recorded that. By the way, the videos do this sound no justice, it sounds like literal gunshots and my ears are still ringing while writing this just from turning it on a few seconds. I have no clue at all what this could be, any insight would be greatly appreciated!!

I got a 2014 modded Scion FR-S making a super loud noise in the engine area. Mods are catted headers, full greddy exhaust system, injen air intake, and tuned. I also did a oil change about two or three weeks before this happened. It was the first one since I got the car, so i’m not sure what kind of oil was in it before but what I put in seems to work well on this car from what I researched.
vids here
Ok, so I was turning and started slowly accelerating when I heard this noise start randomly and really suddenly, not like it started easing into it, like something just broke and next second and it was like this. First I thought my bumper was rubbing against my wheel or something so I pulled over and turns out its something in my engine. First half of the video is the noise on a cold start, and the second half is the engine the same day it happened and was running for awhile before I recorded that. By the way, the videos do this sound no justice, it sounds like literal gunshots and my ears are still ringing while writing this just from turning it on a few seconds. I have no clue at all what this could be, any insight would be greatly appreciated!!