If you are one of the people downvoting DaD on steam, I propose, you ask yourself this question:
-Did I even read the steam page, in which it literally says EXACTLY what I'm getting for free?
Tese devs built something completely unique, beat a lawsuit against fucking Nexon, published EA before they were even out of the woods, and, maybe most importantly, care so much about their game and what they're building that you can really feel it.
These dudes communicate more with the playerbase than any other dev team I've ever seen. They come into twitch chats, talk with the community, they hop into general chat to reply to questions, they go on podcasts, do interviews, etc. They even hired the creator of the inofficial DaD podcast that wasn't related to them at all, to become their head of marketing.
These dudes are gamers man.
Oh, and there are no mtx tactics or anything at all. You can buy a few emotes or cosmetic skins for completely reasonable prices, but can also buy most of them with a currency earned in game.
Besides all that, they fucking built the dopest game I have played in years, if not ever.
In my opinion, even 30 dollars is a fucking steal for what you are getting. Not a single multiplayer AAA title I have ever played can hold a candle to the thrill and addictiveness I'm getting from Dark and Darker. This would have been the most reasonable gaming related buying decision even if the game cost 200 bucks.
The combination of game and devs we're getting is literally a dream scenario. This comes around once every decade maybe. I haven't experienced that in over 20 years of gaming so it might even be rarer.
I'll post this on steam too now.
Love you guys.

Hey all. It makes me happy to see posts of folks excited and ready to go for the festival and I hope everyone stays safe and has an absolute blast. Stay hydrated, pack chapstick, pedialyte, moleskins and lidocaine spray for your feet!! (Saved me last year fr)
Anyway…. Are any other of last year’s attendees struggling mentally or emotionally as we come up on the year anniversary? The closer it gets, the more anxious I’ve been feeling even though I’m not attending this year’s festival. I haven’t attended any raves or large concerts since then, actually. I just haven’t felt comfortable enough yet and I don’t want to go to a show with my head on a swivel. I was camping with a group at the official campground and even though I was lucky enough to be in the venue when it happened, I think it really got to me and my friends. I think of Brandy and Josilyn constantly anyways, but between the anniversary and pride month I’ve been crying a lot and thinking of them. Not only them but their families, August, the shooter’s poor girlfriend (I can’t even imagine all that she has been though), the security guard that was injured and everyone in the vicinity that had to experience this.
Maybe it hits home extra because I’m a lesbian and nurse, and Brandy & Josilyn were a couple and also nurses. Even though I’m not attending this year I’m hoping to do something this pride month to honor them.
If anyone still has the contact info for that one therapist raver that shortly after the festival offered professional help to attendees, I’d greatly appreciate it. I wasn’t smart enough to save her info before the Facebook group she posted it in was deleted.
Anyone else feeling this way that still lurks in the subreddit or is attending this year’s event? Would love to hear your thoughts.

Basically add an AI language model to NPCs so you can actually have a conversation with them instead of the one liners they give, it would really bring depth to the game, not GPT but something else more for conversation and not have some limitations on topics of conversation yknow
I mean we can already interact with them with E and we have a text box for commands/multiplayer, so I wouldn’t think it would be too hard, just an idea :p

I'm having a lot of feelings right now so buckle up for a long post, and thanks in advance if you actually read all of it.
I'm having my first boy in November. This was an unexpected pregnancy, and even though it sounds silly, an unexpected gender. My mom and sister both had all girls and I just unintentionally convinced myself that since my first child was a girl I was gonna have the same fate of all girls, which I was totally fine with because I adore having a girl. So this whole event from the beginning was very shocking.
If you've seen my recent posts on here, you've seen that I've been struggling hard with finding a name for him. Husband and i have totally different taste when it comes to boy names. Our daughters name was picked long before we tried to have a baby and we both are in love with it. I know a lot of people keep suggesting to just gather a list of names we like and see what fits when we meet him, but that's just so hard for me to do. I want to have something to call him other than "the baby" and I just feel like without a name I can't connect to him.
We had finally gotten to like 90% sure on a name, and I was finally feeling excited about it. My mom already admitted she wasn't thrilled with it, and I knew my husband's family wouldn't be fond of it either, so i was considering not telling anyone we had decided on that name until he was here. But last night we all hung out and were talking about names and i got excited and told them. They all had the reactions I expected, and then my husband admitted that he didn't like the middle name I chose but was okay with the first name.
Well that ruined it for me. I basically shut down the rest of the night and when we got home i cried in the shower and then went to bed. I'm so upset because of how foreign this child feels to me and none of the names either of us come up with feels right and it's giving me so much anxiety and sadness. I want to be excited for this baby but I just can't.
My husband keeps getting annoyed because every time we agree on a name, a few days or weeks later I change my mind and say it just doesn't feel right. So he's getting to the point that he doesn't even wanna discuss it anymore until the baby is here. But I just desperately wanna feel connected to and excited for this innocent little boy, and without a name that feels right I feel like it's just this thing growing inside me. Like it's not MY baby, I'm just incubating.
This all probably sounds so stupid and like I'm just losing my mind over nothing but this is how I've been feeling and idk maybe someone can relate or something. Anyway thanks for reading if you made it this far

I've been dreaming of a lifestyle like this since I've been in my early teens, never really saw it as a realistic future.
It's been a few hard years, and right now I don't know what to do with myself, and I decided I might go through with it. I've been planning out various things and it seems like a somewhat achievable goal now. This has been making me really exited, and I actually feel like there is something for me to work towards. Though I don't really know where to start, and what to look out for specifically. I know there are hundreds of posts of people asking about this, but none from my area. I'm not sure if I should leave europe and go to the US, or maybe stay in europe for a while and then take a plane. We really want to see Alaska, but I somehow need to bring our caRV there too. So is it reasonable to stay on foot and hitchhike or take public transport? How much of a trouble is it to get money on the road? Generally just looking for some general advice, and I'm very grateful for any answers.

Good morning to this lovely bunch,
I posted last week about losing my calendaring privileges without any acknowledgment or explanation from my executive, despite my attempts to get reinstated. Now, they've scheduled a performance meeting with HR for Tuesday, which I've preempted with my own HR meeting on Monday. Ideally, I'd get laid off with severance because my executive is difficult to work with and never admits fault. I love the rest of the team, who appreciate the systems I've implemented. The executive is triggering, despite my experience.
I need advice on structuring my conversations with HR and my executive. For HR, I plan to use a chart with my job description, my work, and the outcomes (implemented, no response, in progress). Am I overthinking this? I have many job applications out and need either unemployment or to stay until I find something else. Thank you all so much for your insight.

Let me start from the very beginning. I met this girl 2 years ago in one of my classes and she asked for my number for math help and we started talking. However, not one conversation was about math. We talked about life and other stuff (and obviously since we were high schoolers about our classes) and I started catching feelings for her. She told me what she enjoyed doing, asked questions and wasn’t really dry (I felt like I was starting most of the conversations as I look back) and how she wanted me to join her in partaking in her hobbies and overall said a lot of things that made me believe that I had a chance. As the year was coming to an end, we planned on going to a movie (me, her, a few other girls and my best friend). I told her I wanted to speak about something to her a few days before we went and she called me for the first time and I was scared to pick up so I said I was busy and it was too important so I’d save it for later. The day of the movie came and one of the girls knew what I wanted to do (turns out that girl had a crush on me) so she helped get the rest of everyone away for a little bit and left us alone. I chickened out and just made it awkward between us being too scared to say anything. After that, we all went to go get food and this was my last opportunity to say anything. So once more the girl came up with a reason to take everyone away and leave the two of us alone together and I built up all the courage I had and just said it. She said she never really thought of me that way and I was crushed and pretty sad for the rest of the time we were there.
That night, I texted her telling her that I might need some space and if it was okay with her if I didn’t reach out as much for a few days. The next day at school, she was speaking to me in the third person and not even acknowledging that I was there (we sat right next to each other and we were working on something together with another person). I couldn’t help but feel so alienated in the situation and feel like giving up right then and there because even though I did say that I wouldn’t reach out as much, I didn’t expect her to completely ignore me. Then the last day of school came around (I couldn’t go as I had a flight booked that day to go out of the country) and she texted me “we missed you today” as in her, the few other girls, and my best friend. That day, my best friend texted me saying that he suspects that my crush liked him and asked me if he should ask anything about it to her because of the way she was acting on the last day of school. The whole time, my friend was pushing me to tell her how I felt and helped me build up the courage and introduced me to the gym. I had known him since elementary school and he was honestly one of the best people I could ask for at the time. From the start, he barely talked to her having minimal interaction with her and kept saying that he caught my crush staring at me during class. Basically, I pushed him to do it since I was curious as well and he asked her. At this time I was in the airport and on the plane but turns out, she liked him and wanted to go out on a date with him. And all that “caught staring” was actually to him and not me. He asked me what he should do and I told him it was up to him so at first he said yes. I felt so betrayed, by her for even asking to go out with my best friend 4 days after it all went down, and a little by my best friend. In my clouded mind, I texted her saying what she did was a little f’ed up (I don’t know what I was thinking) and we had a small argument about everything.
Once all this happened, my friend was mad at me for going and texting her (as he should be) and he cut it off with her saying he was busy and just showed no interest. After the whole situation, my best friend just distanced himself from me, barely talking or texting me the whole time I was in a different country. I texted her saying whatever I did was unnecessary and that I felt bad. After a month and a half of having no contact with either of them, she texts me one random day that she wanted to end the beef. I texted her here and there but not as much as everything felt dry and as if I was forcing her to speak so I just gave up. I get back home and my best friend and I go to the gym once and for some reason I felt so nauseous (this had never happened to me before) and like I would collapse so I had to go home and I texted him as I was leaving the gym. That was basically the last time that I had any interaction with him until the next school year started. Once the school year started, I asked both my ex crush and my ex best friend about what classes I had and none of them were the same. From that day onwards, my conversations with my ex best friend was strictly about academics, nothing more. When it came to my ex crush, she posted something about her having a scare experience of some guys harassing her and I asked her to make sure everything was okay. After that for a few months (my dumb self wanted to do this for some reason) I texted her asking for help to get this other girl and said I needed her help. It was an awkward conversation and was so unnecessary.
After that I realized how dumb I was being and I stopped having any interactions with her and she texted me happy birthday so when it was her birthday I just texted it back. I won a competition as well so she said congratulations and all the things people do to just be nice. So that comes brings us up to my senior year. We got a couple classes together this time, I’ve caught her staring at me a couple of times myself and I’ve just made eye contact a few times. The only issue is, I don’t know if she has a boyfriend or not and is talking to someone at the moment. For some reason, I started catching feelings for her once more with just barely talking to her. I don’t know where it came from but I have no idea what to do. School just ended for me and I have graduation in a little bit. I plan on going to a different college (or the Air Force for a year depending on how everything pans out) while she is going to a completely different school than me out of state. Do you guys have any advice on what I should do? Should I just forget about it and try my best to move on or how should I approach going about this whole situation?
tldr: I got rejected by my crush 2 years ago and turns out she liked my best friend and we had an argument. Lost my best friend and was still trying to find ways to talk to her. Gave up for a year and half and now I’m catching feelings again. We are about to graduate this week and will be off to different colleges. What should I do?

Hey there! Looking for a semi-literate to literate parter to build a slow-burn romance with. I love to incorprate some drama here and there to keep things interesting. I’ve been doing this for about 10 years now so I’d concider myself rather experienced in the field and would love to write with someone who can match my writing style (you’ll find some examples on my profile).
A couple of plot ideas I’d love to work on with you:

• Strangers stranded on a desert island after their ship went down
• Medieval enemies to lovers (open to all sorts of pairings here whether it may be royal/squire, arranged marriage etc etc, very much open to ideas here)
• Meeting during Pride (F4F)
• Actors filming a rom-com
• Work place romance (maybe they can’t stand each other, maybe one of our characters is new and needs training, maybe they’re already friends?)

I’m also open to writing out some of the plots I’ve already posted and I’m also open to adjusting them!
I tend to write about 2-3 paragraphs, third person (I personlly cannot stand first person), and I’m in the GMT +2 timezone (to me timezone doesn’t really matter tbh)
Hit me up if you’d like to work something out!

Over the course of years since being diagnosed with Bipolar II, I’ve learned to identify events and situations that can trigger a mixed episode. While they still happen at random, certain things also can trigger the emotional distress as I am prone to get very overstimulated.
My grandma, who I am not close with and hardly ever spent any time with, is staying with my family and I. I still live at home due to my financial circumstances. So I don’t have any control over the situation whatsoever. I’ve been confining in my room for the past few years since Covid and kept to myself a lot. I have 1 friend I see maybe 1 time a week and that’s it. Recently I had been coming out of my room more to spend time with my brother who recently got deployed. It’s hit me hard and I’m still tearing up whenever I think of him.
The day he left, my parents went to meet my uncle halfway to get my grandma. I already knew she was going to annoy the crap out of me. She doesn’t have a filter and she has said things to me on Facebook that was uncalled for and I haven’t post on Facebook in 2 years cause of it. She is hovering all the time, budding into private conversations between me and my mom. My family apparently told her I do my own nails at home so she wanted me to do hers. I sucked it up and did them. Yesterday she came up to me saying her nail split and wants to me redo it.
I’m trying to be spending more time with my family but she’s ruining it. She was only supposed to stay a week and I found out she is actually staying an entire month because my uncle doesn’t want her to come back. My aunt also kicked her out (which is why she is living at my uncles) because she was driving her insane. She’s extremely lonely yes but has a very bad habit of being extremely overbearing and inserting herself into situations where I, personally, don’t want her to be.
I’m on the verge of snapping and I am wanting to try to avoid it but she’s making it near impossible. I’m coming to terms that I am going to have to seclude to my room again until she leaves and it’s very upsetting to me. What the hell should I do?!? Oh and to be clear, if I snap or voice my feelings about this to her, I know it will bite me in the ass cause I know how my family is. Even though she’s annoying the crap out of them too.

• our clan's name: Evil
• Your system(s): We have players on all platforms (playstation, Xbox and PC)
• Where are most of your clan members located (country/time zones): We are a mixed group US EST, MST, PST, we also regularly play with players from the UK and Canada as well.
• When do you usually play (include times and time zone): Most of us play after about 4-5:00PM MST on weekdays as we have day jobs, however on weekends we are usually a lot more active.
• Tell us more about your clan (ex: how many members, requirements to join if any, focus on PvE/PvP/both, why should people join your clan, how do you communicate/organize events): We are a smaller group around 6-7 active players at the moment as we've lost a couple of members to attrition, we are interested in players with any level of skill . We are ideally looking to bring in as many as we can prior to the release of the Final Shape. We have a solid group of players that regularly play through and enjoy endgame content, however we also love teaching raids, dungeons, and everything else! Most of our members don't primarily play PVP and much prefer PVE, however we will do bannetrials, etc. if there are good rewards and/or someone needs help with something. A few things that we do require below:
  • Some level of maturity. We don't have any age requirements, my Son and Daughter both play and are 16 and 18 respectively, my son has been playing with me since he was 7 , however if you do join we do ask that you maintain some level of decency and maturity while playing with the group. We are mostly adults with day jobs and lives our own and play destiny as a means of relaxing and having fun. None of us want or will tolerate drama of any kind. We do use profanity occasionally, so be advised if that is something that you are not comfortable with. We do not tolerate racism, sexism, homophobia or bigotry of any kind and any of these will result in an immediate and permanent ban.
  • In order to be invited, you MUST be active in our discord. This does not mean that you have to make a required amount of posts or anything, however you MUST have a mic. and be willing to join in the occasional raid, dungeon, seasonal activity, etc. and be willing to communicate via mic. Don't be socially anxious, we're all really nice and as "normal" as they come, promise! We also love helping and teaching newer players.
  • As stated above, we understand completely that family and life obligations will always come first. We only ask that if you will be absent for an extended period of time, just communicate with an admin and/or the main chat and let everyone know you'll be back.
• What is the best way to contact your clan (reply in the thread, website, Twitter, etc.)?: If interested in joining, please reply to the comment here, or send me a DM and I will send you an invite! We would love to have you for the Final Shape and beyond!

Peace,
Manawar

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WaveOfWire Edits :D
- - - - -
Harrison’s vision was still foggy from waking up, several blinks failing to clear the tears from his drawn-out yawn. He just escaped the encompassing embrace of his four-armed guardian, leaving their shared bed for the bathroom, where he would have to say goodbye to his beard. If he was going to travel out of the settlement, a proper seal on his gas mask was a must.
It was a shame. The slow buildup of the hair over the last month or so was a representation of his growth in a way, building up alongside his experiences in this hellhole, be they life-threatening or informative. It was almost like wiping the slate clean, even if cutting some chin scruff didn’t really change anything at all—he’d never be able to forget anything he had seen here for as long as he lived.
And there was no telling how long that’d be.
The engineer sighed, splashing the lukewarm barracks water into his face from one of the many wall-attached sinks, allowing him to fully open his eyes and size up the damage done to his favorite black blood-and-sweat-stained t-shirt. It always stayed in good condition with washing and fabricator repairs, but somehow Shar’s talons always found a way to make small holes in it. She wasn’t trying to, but with the way she fully wrapped her arms around him, the tips of her sharp fingers sometimes ended up poking into the fabric and causing some cuts.
It was such a small issue that he never considered bringing it up to her. Plus, she’d probably do her whole guilty talon-tapping thing with puppy eyes and all… He shook his head, letting the stray beads of water on his face drip into the sink.
His palm ran across his beard while his other hand reached for the razor. There wasn’t any shaving cream or the like, but he’d make do. At least he had one of the proper tools for the job. He went into the task, the blade driving through his scruff, slopping off wide areas of his hair from jaw to chin for a few seconds before it was interrupted.
A short ‘woosh’ of the entrance caught his attention.
“Aww, you’re shavin’ it off?” Tracy commented dejectedly through a yawn, the lazy drawl reinforcing the fact that she just woke up. “Th’ beard was sorta growin’ on me.”
He eyed her through the mirror, his voice coming out in a dull tone. “Yeah. I feel the same.”
She squinted under the bright bathroom lights, rubbing an eye with her wrist as she walked up to the sink beside him and started her own morning routine. “Mmm… Womp womp. Why though?”
“Need it to get a gas mask seal,” he stated flatly, focusing on the task at hand.
The technician stopped momentarily, the gears turning in her head before she gave him a downcast frown. “You’re still set on going for the vehicle bay? You know we can just send some long-range drones out there, right?”
His short exhale echoed throughout the tiled room. The engineer closed his eyes, already mentally withdrawn from the conversation. They've had this discussion twice now. “It’s to be better prepared for any chemical, biological, or radiological surprises that might come up—not just for the excursion. Even more importantly, there’s no guarantee the module is in perfect shape. If I’m there in person, I’ll have the means to get through anything for those blueprints. Plus, it should only be four days, so the only issues we have are my beard and finding a way to protect the Malkrin from the radiation while we’re out.”
Tracy looked like she wanted to say something back, but bit her lip and cast her eyes down at the sink in front of her, twisting the knob before mumbling a quiet response. “I don’t think you need to protect them from radiation at all…”
“Hmm?”
She stared at him meekly, his dismissal of her worries having clearly dampened her mood. Guilt tugged at the back of his mind before her words further caught his interest. “I think they’re immune… or resistant or something. Radiation immunity is the whole reason they were sent here. You’ve added up the pieces together too, right?”
He stared down at her, running a hand through his hair with tired exasperation depressing his voice. “Tracy, I’ve been trying my hardest to just make it another day on this God-forsaken planet, not dig into their religion. So, no. I have not spent the time to add up the pieces. Enlighten me, please.”
“…S-Sorry. I just, you know, get a lot of time to think when working on drones, and Cera has been drawing all kinds of representations of these things.” Tracy paused, gesturing toward the engineer. “Okay, so you remember the whole backstory for why the Malkrin are on the mainland in the first place?”
“Pseudo-eugenics?” he commented dryly.
“Yeah.” She nodded, a sense of excitement leaking into her voice. “And what were the parameters of banishing someone?”
“Not getting sick from a rock.”
She eyed him feverishly, brows raised with a sudden zeal. “Aaaaand that rock represented the Sky Goddess’ wrath, which did what?”
“Uhhh…” He looked upward in thought, recalling his conversation with the paladin. “I think Shar mentioned nausea, vomiting, blisters, skin melting… off…” He froze, the pieces forming. “Wait, you don’t think…”
“I do. Those symptoms could mean a lot of things, but the anomaly field was the real kicker. You know that Shar just straight up didn’t have any lingering radiation effects or anything while you were nearly put… six feet under…” Her voice quieted momentarily, the speed of her speech outpacing her train of thought. “Sorry. Um… so, I was gonna say that she, uh, I mean the scanner mentioned she had damage from ‘alpha particles’ on her skin, but nothing else happened to her organs or anything.”
Harrison squinted at her for a moment, mouth slightly opened and prepared to give some alternative reasoning besides ‘immunity.’ Maybe her armor protected her from it? No… she didn’t even have full protection, radiation would have certainly gotten around her eyes or snout. What about her height? What if… No.
He didn’t just want to believe that somehow the Malkrin could just evade a force of nature, but he didn’t have any way of proving or disproving it on hand… Well, no humane way of testing it.
“I… guess?” the engineer grumbled, rubbing his eyes. “Even then, they still need armor and gas masks. The worst part of the radiation isn’t even the ionizing part. It’s the trace elements that get into your lungs and decay there. So it doesn’t hurt to use some CBRN filters.”
“Fair… but it’s interesting, isn’t it?” Tracy beamed. “Like, what kind of evolutionary factors lead to radiation immunity? Why do only some of the Malkrin have it and others don’t?”
The only real cause of radiation he could think of would be a massive nuclear proliferation of some sort. Maybe the anomalies? He ran a hand through his hair, pushing the lingering thoughts away. “I wouldn’t know. You could always ask Sebas to bring up some papers about it or generate some theories when you get the chance.”
“I probably will at some point… Maybe while I’m working.” She poked him in the bicep. “You’re still helping me with the mule, right?”
He bobbed his head, loose beard hairs itching up his chin. “Sure am. Gimme a bit to shave and test the fifty-cal ammo, then I’ll be free to assist.”
“Kay Kay.” The tradeswoman smiled and returned to the sink, washing her face.
- - - - -
“What the hell did you do to your shield?” a stunned Harrison asked the paladin, his face scrunching up in concern… and confusion.
Sharky proudly held up her once grungy orange shield with a smile, looking at its new… paint job? “Artificer Tracy has s—n to imbue my bulwark with the crest of the Sky Goddess herself! Observe the b—utiful wings that cover it!”
The engineer had just got back from setting up and overseeing the automated mule’s first excursion to the mine and back. It was a grueling task, requiring him to reset its pathing several times before it was able to make a round trip without input. Now, the maroon-skinned Malkrin in front of him had apparently gotten her massive aegis laser imprinted with crossing wings in the two hours or so he’d been gone. The areas between the black feather decals were colored with white and blue paints, contrasting with the new dark gray background.
A small weight was placed on his shoulder, Tracy’s forearm suddenly appearing atop it despite her being nearly a foot shorter than him. She beamed, staring up at him with all-too-proud eyes. “The scout regiment symbol looks good on it, right? Cera helped me with the laser engraving.”
“I…” His brows raised in perplexity. “The scout regiment?”
She shrugged, watching the paladin observe her shield from all sorts of different angles underneath the workshop’s light fixtures. “From an anime I used to watch. Men and women who were sent out to battle against massive titans for the greater good of the last settlement of humanity. Somewhat fitting, and fuckin’ awesome on her big-ass shield! Matches the bird’s wings on her armor too.”
He loudly sighed. “You wasted materials on imprinting wings on Shar’s shield? Really?”
“Hey!” Her brows furrowed into faux-annoyance, a smug grin betraying it. “It’s not a waste if you were never gonna use the paint we had on hand. Plus, we’ve got energy to spare with all the wind turbines and power cells you’ve been printing out.”
“Those paints probably could have been used for important designations… or something…” he grumbled.
“Doesn’t matter.” She stuck her tongue out at him. “Anyway, want me to put some scary teeth or something on that big ‘ol fist-sized muzzle break on your shotgun?”
“No?” he took an incredulous step away from her, letting her arm fall off his shoulder and to her side.
“It’s okay to admit you’re jealous of Shar’s awesome decals, bro,” Tracy teased, her smugness growing tenfold. “No need to get defensive.”
He groaned, figuring there wasn’t a point in staying to bicker with the tradeswoman, leaving the two vanity-focused females to their devices. He still had to figure out how to fabricate armor and gas masks for the Malkrin and himself.
“Hey! Where ya goin?” the technician called out, clearly disappointed that he hadn’t indulged in her taunts.
“Work.”
Short taps against the hard floor sounded out as she caught up to him. She leaned forward and curiously looked up at him as she walked, holding her hands behind the small of her back. “What kind? Can I help?”
“Just need to take some measurements and compare options. Right… Speaking of which.” He turned around and cupped his palms around his mouth. “Hey Shar! Get over here, I need your help!”
The addressed Malkrin perked up, snapping out of the small haze of admiring her new shield and happily making her way toward him. She stood at attention, her tail oscillating side to side. “What n—d do you have of me?”
“Just a quick task,” he briefed her, grabbing some measuring tape from his desk… that Tracy had decided was her new chair. He sighed and turned his attention back to the paladin. “Can I bother you to lean down for a few seconds while I take some measurements?”
“Of course. Pl—se, take your time.” She stepped forward and kneeled, her head brought down to his height. Her face wore that simple content look he was growing all too accustomed to by now—slightly vibrating frills, a little curl upward of her lips, and warmly glowing eyes.
He wasted no time getting to work, noting down the various distances around her jaws, snout, eyes, and ears, already piecing together how he could cobble together some gas mask designs to fit the dimensions. She sat there quietly, sometimes leaning into the accidental head scratches adorably. It contrasted heavily with the cold-sweat-inducing layers of razor-sharp teeth within her muzzle as he measured the angle her maw opened at, bringing an idle curiosity prodded his mind.
“Say, Shar, do your teeth grow back if they fall out?” he poked, absently observing the dozens of triangular bone protrusions in her mouth as he held the underside of her jaw.
“They do,” she confirmed, the way she was able to speak despite not moving her mouth still messing with his head. “Do y—rs not?”
“Nope. Only once.”
She attempted to tilt her head, but quickly returned it when it left the embrace of his palm. “Only once?”
He nodded. “Yeah, sometime a few years after birth. They’re replaced with the teeth I have now. Don’t get any new ones, so we gotta take care of ‘em.”
“Birth?” The Malkrin’s eyes widened. “You were not cr—ted as you are now?”
A shock of stress poured down his spine like a bucket of ice water, raising the hairs on his back. Fuck. How did he let that slip? He was supposed to have just appeared from the sky to her, right…? He was doing so well for so long in keeping that in. God, had he really gotten so comfortable with the paladin that he simply forgot what he was to her? His teeth clenched, a huff of air escaping his nostrils as he lightly shook his head. It was a bit too late to backtrack. It could be explained vaguely and brushed off, right?
“Yeah. I was born,” he affirmed flatly. His hand dropped away from Shar’s muzzle, her head falling an inch or two before she registered that she couldn’t keep leaning into his touch. “That’s it for measurements, so you’re free to leave.”
A frown carved through her small smile. “I… See… F—give me if I have brought up someth—g improper.”
His exhalation burned through his frustration at himself, his hand running through his hair to wash away the spike of anxiety. “You’re fine. You haven’t done anything wrong.”
“Th-Then I shall take my leave,” the massive alien stated softly.
He nodded, feeling a little regretful for pushing the kindhearted Malkrin away as he shuffled back to his desk. Tracy was still sitting atop it, giving him a disappointed reaction with low brows, forcing a pointed reaction from him. “What?”
The technician took a long inhale before shrugging. “Nothin’.”
“…Alright.”
The rolling chair squeaked lightly as he rested himself, his hands already going through the motions of opening the computer and the blueprint folders. There were plenty of tabs open of sensors and motor assemblies he hadn’t closed from the previous night. That wasn’t even mentioning the pile of notes he had on proper radio-protective methods, their corners bent from his frequent flipping through them.
“Soooo…” The short black-haired woman leaned forward from her perch atop the only clear part of his desk. “Can I help you with your ‘comparing options’ work, mister busyman?”
“Sure…” He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, raising a brow. “How much do you know about armor?”
- - - - -
“No way. The back support is a must, so you can have extra plating over your shoulders and chest.” Tracy pointed out from her seat beside Harrison’s, all but forcing him to pause his Malkrin gas mask designing to give her argument his full attention.
He calmly took his hands off the mouse and keyboard. “A back support needs leg assistants, which means I’ll need to have at least a fifteen pound battery pack somewhere. Those kinds of exosuits are either all in or not at all. You can go full armor and engine, or lightweight protection and simple limb support.”
“So you’re just gonna go out there with normal armor? Just run-of-the-mill plates and gear? Those fucking things would go through that shit like butter! I know we can’t make synthetic muscle yet, but at least consider wearing something a bit more. Please. Even Sharky has heavy armor!”
Harrison pinched the bridge of his nose, his brows furrowed. “Do I look like a several-hundred kilogram monster of pure muscle to you? I’m more than willing to put on a few extra kilos for protection, but I’m trying to weigh the pros and cons of putting on more armor rather than more equipment. I’d rather fifty pounds of magazines and ammo than fifty pounds of armor. You know what I mean?”
“Yeah yeah… You and your storage space…” she mumbled, swiping through a few more images on her data pad when a familiar Mars-pattern suit showed up, catching his eye.
“Hey, wait, pull that one up…”
She rotated the tablet for him to see a little better—despite already being shoulder-to-shoulder with him. “This one? What’s so special about it?”
He analyzed the few pieces of equipment on screen, noting the rusty-orange and tan color scheme, the old Martian-American flag attached to its breastplate, and the iconic quad-nod integrated helmet. “Holy shit,” he whispered. “That’s… We have that in our blueprints?”
She raised a brow, clearly confused. “Whaddya mean?”
“That’s an Orbital Drop Ranger’s standard kit,” he stated slowly, a simmering sense of awe bubbling up—why the hell was it in their blueprints folder? “It was used during the Sino-Venusian incursion of southern Mars. It still has the Old Earth American flag embedded into it, so you know it’s pre twenty-two-hundred C.E.”
“Oh shit… Pre-St.Loual’s construction? This is ancient, then, huh? Would it be any good?” She leaned in closer to him, eying the tablet further.
“Does it have the assembly view of the armored pieces?”
“Mmhmm.” She tapped a few icons, showing an isometric, exploded view of all the parts and their individual components.
It was a piece of history alright. The armor was produced just about the time when Mars was connecting their orbital stations and ground colonies to work in tandem, allowing for specialized forces to be trained in space and launched anywhere across the planet from drop pods in mere minutes, leading to common nickname of ‘Minutemen’ given to the troopers. The suits were expertly designed to withstand the harsh environments of Mars and give the soldiers the ability to engage with enemy combatants for several days before extraction, though the adept units usually completed their objectives within twenty-four hours of their landing.
The helmet was very angular and blended in with the expected rocky terrain of Mars, each component taking on a sloped frontal design with rectangular prisms flowing behind—radio, breathing apparatus, and vision modules all sharing a sleek, yet bulky look in their own right. It reminded him of some in-atmosphere ships, with the overhanging visor above the quad-nod viewport being the only non-aerodynamic pieces.
The chest and legs were a bit different, following the design of late twenty-second-century operators with tan lightweight rigs, and ammunition pouches alongside armored plates that ran from the shoulders to wrists in segments. There was a rusty-orange undersuit beneath it all for the purpose of keeping air in, which required some sturdy polymer structures to ensure it didn’t rip. Then, of course, there were the classic shock-absorbing leg supports. They weren’t too far off what Tracy was asking about earlier, but these ones didn’t provide any assistance in moving with any motors—just straight-up structural reinforcements.
Hell, the blueprints on screen even had the mag-grip gloves used to scale domes, buildings, and satellites alike. There was no doubt that the Orbital Drop Rangers had some of the coolest equipment on Mars, especially considering that it was the last to keep the ‘operator’ look… It was such a shame the government decided the orb-like helmets and rounded bubble armors were more effective.
“Hey, you know what?” he asked the technician, a shot of excitement in his voice. “This might actually work out as a suitable armor replacement.”
She perked up, her brows raised. “Oh? Actually?”
He shrugged, trying to play off the smirk plastered on his face. “Wouldn’t need a horrible amount of changes to work for our purposes. Just need to remove the oxygen converter on the back and put a gas mask replacement in the front portion of the helmet. Plus, we could probably get rid of the airtight aspect and just keep the undersuit for scratch protection. And, most importantly, it’s radio-protective.”
“Meets all your criteria, then?” She tapped through some UI interfaces, sending the armor assembly to Harrison’s monitor, which he accepted quickly.
“Sure does.” He readily clicked through the different parts and systems to differentiate what needed to be kept. “We have the resources for it, and all it needs is a layer of cadmium plus a few replacements. Definitely doesn’t need the heads-up display since there’s nothing for it to interact with either, so that’ll save on print time and materials too. Shame I cut up the beard… the Orbital Drop Rangers were allowed to have some cool ones.”
The tradeswoman scooted in even closer, practically resting her chin on his shoulder and watching him sift through the working parts. “Yeah, rest in peace, beard. Still, your armor situation is solved. What about the Malkrin?”
“I’ll be working on their gas masks, then I was thinking I’d use another one of your modeled armors for their protection since they’ve helped Shar a hell of a lot. Do you have any recommendations?”
“Mmmmm…” She looked up in thought, a smile forming along her cheeks. “You know, until we can make them any real power armor, I was thinking just some regular phobos-pattern armor. Could color ‘em based on their skin too.”
“Phobos-pattern armor?” he hummed to himself, clicking through the folder to find it. It was just as bulky as Shar’s armor, except it appeared a good bit smoother, with more rounded edges compared to her horns-and-spike-lined gauntlets and pauldrons. The blue suit Tracy was proposing didn’t have the four-armed protection compared to the chaos version, but it certainly had the same thickness of its metal plates. “Looks like it’d work pretty well. Does it have any electric components or anything?”
“No…” she huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. “Not so good with designing that stuff in the modeling program I did the WarHarberd stuff in. Could add in more sophisticated leg support or whatever if you gave me time, but for now it’s just maneuverable slabs of alloy.”
“I think that’s all we need for the time being.” He shrugged. “I just don’t want the others to be vulnerable to getting cut up by the little spider-crab grunts.”
“As long as it works for what we need, then.” Her elbow poked into his arm. “Here, how about I take care of that armor stuff while you finish up the gas masks? They need the extra arm slots too, yeah?”
“I’d actually appreciate that a lot.” He offered her a back-palm fist bump, to which she eagerly took, taking on a grin that he mirrored. “Thanks, Trace.”
“Don’t mention it. I wish work was always just doing my hobbies like this.”
\= = = = =
A grand pylon of metal construction taller than the mightiest female’s frills stood atop the beach. Blue-scaled surfaces extended near the foot of the tower, gathering the power of the sun itself. The lattice layering upon their sides hid the weaving wires and Goddess-blessed machinery. A staff the same as Shar’khee’s peeked from its top, the glass eye on its side given a wide view of the sandy environment it resided on, the defense it now provided becoming absolute. The aura it exuded as a creature of pure metal was awe-inspiring, its mere presence a showing of Harrison’s might and domain.
No abhorrent would dare step foot upon the meadow’s rolling hills, for such a mistake would ensure their immediate execution for encroaching upon his settlement—the ‘fifty-cal-e-bur’ bullet is not one to rend any beast with only simple injuries, especially with three hundred of them available at once.
The maroon-skinned paladin treaded up the hill, having completed her task of setting up the last turret. The craftsman, the juvenile, and the lumberjack had also assisted with its setup, pulling their weight in both mind and muscles to piece the components together. They completed a few others around the modules already, but this one was done without the star-sents’ oversight. The four Malkrin had practiced and learned enough to be entrusted with such.
The idea of Harrison having enough confidence in them sparked much conviction in the group, each of them more than eager to prove him right—none more so than Shar’khee herself, of course.
She finally returned to the workshop, the sun’s last rays pressing into the back of her head and frills as she crouched beneath the doorway, a small gnawing hunger for dinner digging within her stomach. The cacophony of machines soon reached her ears, the sounds of their efforts almost working in tandem with the strange melodic music playing from an unseen source above her.
Tracy was in her corner, working on new beings of metal as always. The bright lights above were turned off in favor of smaller, warmer emplacements atop her surrounding circle of desks. A hard worker, that star-sent was, though both of them were like that, the paladin supposed. Their kind was certainly intent on keeping their hands busy.
Shar’khee passed through the snakes of machines, finding her way to Harrison’s desk with an increasingly strong sway in her tail. He was working with a black object with light gray accents. It appeared to be partially flexible, yet firm in other places—notably, a large glass fixture on one side of it. There was very little she could make out about its purpose, but with the delicate touches he applied, it appeared to be quite important.
Her tongue clicked twice, garnering the attention of the Creator. He paused his work, swiveling his chair to face her and revealing a long blue-leaf jutting from his mouth. Her male appeared quite tired, but his voice did not show it.
“Oh, Shar, what’s up? Did y’all need any help with the last turret?”
She shook her head. “We do not n—d such, for it is completed. Would you care to join me for din—r? The rest of the settlem—t is enjoying their meals as of now. ”
He raised his brows before looking back at the myriad of notes, tools, and materials atop his cluttered desk. “Well, I’m kinda busy, but…” His jaw rolled around in contemplation. “Here. Let’s just test this thing real quick.”
Her head tilted. “What sh—l we be testing?”
“Your gas mask… er, well, a Malkrin gas mask. Kneel down real quick, I’ll run ya through putting it on.” He stepped off his chair and grabbed the equipment, uncomfortably rotating his shoulders. How long was he sitting on that chair? The male approached her and she did as requested. “I had the sewist help me with some of the design. Never considered you guys would ever wear hats.”
She nodded. “It is unh—lthy for one to have their frills touched by the sun for so long. Adequate shade is a must, and trees are not so p—valent along farm land.”
“Mmhmm. Shame this is just a mask… Alright, this might be a bit uncomfortable, but it’ll do the job.”
He stepped forward and slipped the black apparel onto her snout, pushing it over her face until it pressed against the sides of her head. A cool material rubbed against her skin, locking her into its embrace. It was encapsulating, surrounding her wholly.
Her breaths strengthened as she allowed the mask to cover her, a short shock of nervousness riding down her spine. She was only now registering how vulnerable she was, allowing him to possibly suffocate her… but she stayed put, keeping her four palms rested within her lap as he continued to apply the straps around her ears. She would allow it. She trusted him with her life. She would not falter.
The cords around the back of her head were tight, a few of which went along both sides of her frills, pushing up against their sides. He kept going, ensuring a ‘seal,’ but it was getting much too—
Pop.
A lightning bolt of pain rolled throughout the top of her head, sending her reeling. It stung for the briefest of moments, but its effects rebounded through her entire body, short sparks pulsing from its origin. She felt nothing but its agonizing hold for several more moments as the rest of her body caught up.
When her eyes opened once more, she found herself on the floor and staring at the ceiling. The star-sent rushed to her side, appearing to ask many questions while looking over her head, but all she heard was a piercing ring and the gruff vocalization he made whenever he shared his intent. No words reached her mind, only the now faint phantom pains from where her frills met her skull. It put everything in a haze, her eyes barely settling on her dearest’s, despite how nauseous she had become.
His deft hands quickly worked to loosen the straps, practically ripping them off until his voice suddenly reached her, like breaching the surface of the water. His voice was deep, attempting to be calculating, yet despite his calmly created stoic demeanor… she could feel his panic, his sheer worry almost flooding her senses through practiced medical queries. She slowly sat up on the floor, holding herself with two arms while the other pair quelled the kneeling male, assuring him that she was alright with their weight resting atop his shoulders.
“I am well, dearest Harrison. Do not fret for me. The straps were simply too tight.”
His anxious breaths barely slowed, narrowly allowing for his exclamation. “Too tight? Shar, you practically blacked out!”
“Too tight upon my frills, I mean. There was a pain there for a few moments, but it has passed,” she returned calmly, softly kneading his stiff shoulders with the joints of her digits.
He exhaled sharply, matching her gaze with regret in his eyes. “I’m so sorry, Shar. I should’ve known. I was just trying to see how…” He paused, resting his palm atop her forearm. “Nevermind. I just… Are you alright? Should I get you to the med bay for a quick scan?”
“I do not believe that to be necessary, no.”
His guard finally fell. “If… If you say so. Guess I have to redo the straps then. Definitely gotta make sure they’re not pressing on your frills like that.”
She smiled, appreciating his dedication. “Would you like my assistance?”
“As long as you don’t have anything else to do.” He shrugged, his shoulders barely moving upward against her massaging hands.
“There is no greater wish of mine than to be by your side,” she stated warmly.
He was frozen, the soft ministrations of his digits along her arm slowly stopping in contrast to the red flush growing from his cheeks to his ears. The crack of a smirk on his face finally with a short, heart-warming chuckle brought the statue back to life after a few moments. “You know… that’s probably the sweetest thing I’ve heard for years.”
Her brows raised in subtle surprise at his response. “It… was not intended to be such… However… you are more than welcome. You must understand by now that I am speaking only the truth.”
The two of them sat there in relative silence amongst the desks and machines; her half laying on the ground with her hands on his shoulder, and him on his knees by her side, a singular hand running up and down her comparatively large forearm. She felt… weak, in a way. A vibrating sensation rummaged through her stomach, attempting to pull her muscles and nerves astray.
It was warm, just like his palm, each motion of his hand sending lightning through her skin. The upward curl of her lips into her cheeks was suddenly an insurmountable force, incapable of being put down by a thousand females. There was a tear within her to either look away or… close the distance, and she suddenly found looking anywhere but his curious green eyes to be a waste of her time.
Her talons wrapped further around his shoulders and his back, ever so slightly bringing him into her embrace—
“A-HEM.” A voice cut the moment down to its knees. “The fuck happened here?” Tracy’s swift interjection caused the paladin to flinch backwards, allowing her to see that Harrison’s other hand had been hovering right beneath her snout. The female star-sent wore a furrowed brow and crossed arms, looking down at them. “I heard a crash and came over. Are you two alright?”
Harrison cleared his throat, ever-so-subtly scooting away from the paladin. “Uh, yeah. Shar fell because, um, I tied the gas mask a lil’ too tight.”
The artificer wore an expression that told of her disbelief. “She fell because of the gas mask?”
“It was something with her frills.” The male returned with a shrug, picking himself off the floor before offering the paladin a hand up.
She took it, despite not requiring it, and wiped off some loose dust from her pants. The three of them quickly returned to work soon after, with both her and the black-haired star-sent joining Harrison in his quest to produce the gas mask. She was much less… What did the Creator call it? Bubbly? Yes, that was it. She was much less bubbly than usual, sometimes sending a cold yet emotionless glare toward Shar’khee… Nevertheless, the two females offered input on the design and applied help where they could, eventually creating the final piece of equipment.
Tracy commented on its looks, apparently drawing inspiration from the Leviathan itself, as she believed it to be like that of a ‘Sea Dragon’s.’ The maw-covering portion held two cylindrical canisters on the adjacent sides, the bottom portion being capable of distention, so that the user’s mouth may open somewhat. Its motion created what the female star-sent believed to be ‘the coolest teeth design on a mask’ she’d ever seen with how the separation formed alternating triangles.
The monster-like appearance was furthered by her own frills and horns that peeked out from behind the mask. That was not even mentioning the see-through visor that formed a malicious glare of sharp brows. The paladin looked through a hand-held mirror, finding it difficult to disagree with the look. She could imagine the horror on a fisherwoman’s face as such a terrifying creature approached from the depths.
And yet, despite its nightmarish visage, it was apparel designed to save lives, not take them—much unlike the unassuming metal rods that spewed fire with a mere flick of a lever. Curious indeed. The star-sents were seemingly never out of surprises. They even spoke of grand robots and firearms larger than Shar’khee herself as possible future projects.
Only time could tell what machinations of alloy would be birthed from their hands.
- - - - -
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Next time on Total Drama Anomaly Island - Under The Milky Way

This thread is for code giveaways that only a single or few people can use. Some specific examples would be unique codes for Shoppers Drug Mart, Sephora, free Ipsy bags, FabFitFun starter boxes, etc.
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Hey ya'll! Just felt like sharing my own fears and hopes for wilds, while everyone else is doing so as well. So from what we've seen so far, which I shall remind everyone is only two short trailers, I'm very excited and can't wait for it to be 2025! Actually, no I can wait since I don't wanna be 29 yet lol. But I am still excited for the game, but I shall share my fears first, since they are much smaller than my hopes.
Fears:
1.) Slapped on weapon design like what we got in world. This is my biggest fear as I hate the slap on weapon design, and I know almost everyone else does as well. But I'm sure the team knows that everyone hates it, so they will probably be doing their best to make the weapons look cool and unique.
2.) A lot of returning monsters, with very little new ones.
My hopes:
1.) Multiple large locals.
2.) Massive pool of monsters, all with sick and cool deigns and hunts!
3.) The new mounted combat, and how it'll be implemented into the gameplay.
4.) The story being the best one that we have had in the MH series.
And those are all my hopes and fears as of this moment. I'm sure there will be more, so this post will most likely get updated. And that's it from me, hope to see ya'll in about two or so months when we get more gameplay.

I'm 29F and was diagnosed 9 months ago. When I was younger, I went to a school that had an ASD centre, to help children with ASD be able to integrate into mainstream school whilst providing them with the support they need, so I grew up with both NT and ND kids. Whilst I found it easier to talk to people with ASD, I found it hard to 100% relate to anyone around me and this hasn't changed as an adult.
Social situations make me uncomfortable, people watching me complete tasks makes me fall to pieces and asking for things I want from others is petrifying. I've been masking for most of my life without realising it, and that alone has helped me to be able to get a job and gave me the confidence to live on my own, but it felt like hell to get to this point.
Researching autism in women made me realise I ticked a lot of boxes and finally gave me an explanation as to why I struggled with things that seemed like nothing for others, and that helped me to be kinder to myself and to start making small changes where I needed it.
But the one thing that brings me down a bit is that I seem to be the odd one out, even amongst other people with ASD. To give some examples, I have friends who are incredibly intelligent and are good are so many things, and I have friends that know everything there is to know about their special interests. They're all really passionate about what they do/like and they all seem to really resonate with eachother. They all have their struggles yeah but it's like theyve found their people so to speak.
I have lots of little special interests, things I do love and have somewhat obsessed over but I'm not as passionate about these things as my friends are with theirs. I'm also not as smart as they are, I dont really follow online memes as much as they do, and the amount of fandoms they're into that Ive yet to try, overwhelms me. I don't have any talents either, I'm really bad at a lot of things, but I still do the things I like regardless.
At the same time, when Im around NTs, because of my interests and the way I see things in life, I'm nothing like they are either. I can talk to both sides and get along with each, but I just don't feel like I fit on either side despite my diagnosis.
Does anyone else feel like this? Like there may be a particular part of the world where you should be, but you wouldn't even know where to find it? I'm sorry for the long post, just needed to get my perspective out. This is my first post on here so sorry if it's a bit awkward 😅.

So I stumbled upon this subreddit. First post I see is it’s filled with scammers. After about 30min trying to decide whether or not to ask for a review, I’ve decided it can’t be any worse than all the spam I receive on my Facebook for “consulting “.
So here it is…
https://www.uppercutculture.com/

Dualsense R2 button started making really annoying noise after 100h of use. Totally my bad, I admit it, but what I did is I found some old reddit post here and someone said that you can just take out R1 button, see spring and spray it with wd 40. So, well, I did it, sprayed as little as I can aaand it stopped working. No sound though B-) After dissassemble and cleaning what I could see it started working only after 30% and it goes up slowly after pressing all the way (like if you instantly press all the way and you use steam device input test you can see it go up to 25k and then slowly in a span of few seconds it goes up to max (32700 something). I have BDM-030, here is breakdown video: https://youtu.be/4a-8Gu2vrH8. Im kinda fuming at this point because I have no idea how this thing works. Gears(10:22 on disassembly video) dont spin at all and somehow it detects the press (checked on other trigger which works flawlessly, its as it should be), ribbon cable also doesn't prevent it from working (3:12). Soo I really dont understand what part is responsible for sending signal to board and how it detects it. Soo yeah if anyone encountered any water-grease damage to R2 trigger sensitivity, please help :)

GFYDL! Saw the movie this past Friday, and I thought it was great. I've seen a few people give thoughts about what they could, so I don't have to do that. What I haven't seen any posts about the event itself!
Not sure what the Thursday show was like, but there were a couple of obvious doll lickers in shirts and for me it was such a cool experience to talk WKUK stuff with total strangers. There were less Local Sexpot shirts that I'd expect, but in my head I was picturing hundreds of people in line, so I'm a little biased.
On the movie front, for a 2nd day of the premier they did fill the whole theater. I think how it worked was if you got tickets you were good, and the there was a line of people without tickets to fill in empty seats. I think that either everyone got in, or they maybe had to turn away a couple of people, so it was either nearly or completely full.
And afterwards they did a Q&A with Sam, Timmy, and Darren, Sevan, and a moderator from the festival, so it was really cool to get some extra insight into stuff like the animation, the guy who created the music, and the journey they've been on to make the movie.
All of the above were nice enough to hang out after everything to chitchat and snap a few pics, including Nate! It was a great movie, and was great to meet them in person. I'd also talked to a guy who went to the Piano's show on Wed and he said it was also pretty packed and a great set.
So yeah! In case any of you were wondering that's what the experience was like. Let me know if ya'll have any questions!

Hii! I know we all hate the stereotype of "bi people are just confused", but to be fair, it is a really confusing sexuality to have. Recently I've been feeling like perhaps a lot of us bis internally feel like bisexuality should be a check box of a constant 50/50 attraction split; there're 2 things which make this confusing and incorrect.
1 - Attraction isn't quantifiable. Your level of attraction can't be measured as 50/50 or 75/100 towards guys or girls - brains are more complicated than that. It depends on the people we've met, the connections we build, and the experiences we have. For example, there are times when I'm super into a girl or just girls in general, and it often leads me to question whether I'm bi at all. It leads me to think I'm faking being homosexual (I'm a guy btw), and panic -frantically googling cute guys and panicking when I find girls more attractive.
2 - Sexuality is fluid. Some people experience the "bi-cycle" everyone talks about. And it can take a while to realise if you go through that or not. But it's very common and it means there are periods of time when you're really into boys and not girls and then other times when you're really into girls and not boys. Or maybe, for example, you could always be into girls but only sometimes into guys. And then it becomes even MORE complicated when you realise there's romantic attraction and sexual attraction - and the distribution of those can also fluctuate between genders. It's complicated and a confusing thing to go through. During these periods, it can often lead us to think that we're faking sexuality.
I've been out to my friends for over a year now and it's been amazing. The second I told my best friend I was bi, the doubt that I was faking bi went away and I stopped hyperanalysing my feelings. I've also found more gay friends and have been feeling happier than ever. But those confused feelings have started to come back recently as preferences change seemingly every month or less - sometimes based on experiences with a certain gender. And at times when I've been attracted to one gender it can seem like I'll never be attracted to the other.
SO. I just wanted to say that if anyone here is confused or stressed about whether you're *really* a "true bi" - don't worry about it. The label of "bi" is more liberal than we think and nobody should feel pressured to have to be constantly like two genders to fit the job description. Human sexuality is wayy more complicated than that constant 50/50 attraction split. Very few bi people always feel like they're constantly and equally attracted to both boys and girls. Labels can give us confidence and a sense of belonging, but don't let them make you feel pressured to be attracted to everyone all of the time. Don't also feel like you ever have to prove your sexuality by dating both sexes. Everyone is valid here. Remember that we're young and therefore many of us lack intimate experiences - we may not have experienced same and/or or different sex love. So it's normal to be confused. But confused people are 100% welcome here. I'd also like to drop in that the difference between bi and pan is very subjective so don't feel like you "picked the wrong one" if you identify as bi. For example - I'm attracted to people regardless of gender but still identify as bisexual.
TL;DR: It's okay to be confused. You are a very valid and cool bi person. Don't feel like you have to have everything figured out <3
(edit: minor grammar thing)

Hello! I have done a bit of searching through old posts and found a similar issue from years ago. So this isn’t just me and isn’t new. I don’t know if I feel special or not… 😂
https://www.reddit.com/AppleWatch/s/nE7gDAcUI8
Anyway, the problem is pretty much as the title. I use the peloton app on my AW7 to provide heart rate for peloton workouts. It all works pretty good (beats hands down using my Bluetooth connected garmin heart monitor for the same job)
The problem I have is with meditation workouts, particularly the sleep ones I sometimes do at night. I tend to go to sleep during these (as you might expect…). Peloton records it as x mins as per the length of the session.
My linked Strava counts it as x mins as per the session.
However Apple fitness goes wild with massively long ‘exercise’ sessions; I think it ends them only when I press END on the app, which for obvious (sleep…!) reasons isn’t for some time.
An example is yesterday morning, I did two 30 min sessions in the early hours as I couldn’t sleep for various reasons. The first 30 mins session is recorded in Apple fitness as 50 mins; apparently as I started a new session that definitively put me to sleep rather than a doze which the first did. I woke up having maxed my exercise goals (and so ring) while asleep. Even deleting the exercise from my fitness history didn’t seem to do anything.
Anyone have any ideas how to get around this? The only thing I can think of which I haven’t tried is making sure that the watch app doesn’t record meditation sessions, which will be my next go-to.
However I thought the Apple/reddit hive-mind might come up trumps with something that deals with the problem.
Model MKMR3B/A SW 10.5 (21T576)

Heatstroke is a serious threat to dogs of all ages, but puppies are especially vulnerable due to their developing body temperature regulation and heightened risk of organ damage. Let's dive into the symptoms, causes, and treatment of heatstroke in puppies, along with some valuable prevention tips. We can ensure our little furry companions stay safe and healthy by staying informed and taking the right precautions.

Understanding Heat Stroke in Puppies

When a dog's temperature rises too high, it can cause heatstroke, a severe form of hyperthermia. Unlike heat exhaustion, where the body struggles to cool down, heatstroke occurs when the body's temperature regulation fails. Due to their smaller size and less effective heat dissipation, Puppies are particularly vulnerable, especially in prolonged heat exposure.

Defining Heatstroke in the Context of Puppies

In short, heatstroke is a dangerous increase in body temperature, typically over 104 degrees Fahrenheit, caused by exposure to hot temperatures or environments. Puppies are especially at risk due to their smaller size, underdeveloped temperature regulation, and higher chance of organ failure. Unlike older dogs, puppies may have difficulty cooling themselves, emphasizing the need for quick action to avoid serious health issues.

How Puppies Are Susceptible to Heatstroke

Puppies are more prone to heatstroke than adult dogs because their temperature regulation systems are not fully developed. They have trouble cooling down efficiently when exposed to heat for long periods, putting them at risk even with slight temperature increases. Certain factors, like breeds with shorter muzzles, can make cooling down even more challenging for puppies. Pet owners must take extra care to prevent heatstroke in puppies, which can lead to organ damage and other serious health issues.

Identifying Symptoms of Heatstroke in Puppies

Recognizing heat stroke symptoms in puppies is crucial for prompt intervention and treatment. These signs can include physical changes and altered behavior. Being attentive to these signals allows pet owners to quickly cool down their puppies and seek veterinary assistance if necessary. Let's delve into these signs to ensure timely care for our furry friends.

Heatstroke Symptoms in Puppies

Look for heavy panting, lethargy, reddened gums, a rapid heart rate, weakness, or collapse in puppies—these are serious symptoms of heatstroke that require immediate attention. Recognizing these signs promptly can help prevent complications. Keep your furry friend cool and vigilant to ensure their well-being and safety during hot weather.

Behavioral Changes Indicative of Heatstroke in Puppies

Are you noticing agitation or confusion in your puppy? Keep an eye out for signs of disorientation or excessive restlessness. Any uncharacteristic behaviors could be a red flag for distress, as heatstroke may influence your puppy's usual actions. Stay vigilant for any unusual antics—they might be your pup's way of communicating discomfort.

Causes Leading to Heatstroke in Puppies

Puppies can experience heat stroke due to various causes, including environmental factors and puppy-specific vulnerabilities. High outside temperatures, lack of shade, and excessive physical activity can lead to heat exhaustion. Puppies, especially older or bigger breeds, with poor blood flow regulation are at a higher risk. Pet owners must monitor their dog's temperature and keep them cool in hot weather to prevent organ failure.

Environmental Factors Causing Heatstroke

Closed cars can become extremely hot quickly in the summer, putting puppies at risk. Do not leave your dog alone in parked cars to avoid heatstroke.
High humidity can hinder the body's ability to cool down effectively, leading to a higher chance of heat-related problems. Provide your puppy with a cool, shady area to prevent overheating and support their health.
Please be watchful and set up a safe, cool space for your pet to stay healthy.

Treatment for Heatstroke in Puppies

Quick action is vital when dealing with heatstroke. Begin by moving your pup to a cooler area and offering water to drink. Carefully wet their body with cold water and fan them gently. Avoid using ice-cold water to prevent shock. Seek immediate veterinary attention to assess their condition and provide necessary treatment.

Medical Treatments for Heatstroke in Puppies

When puppies experience heatstroke, veterinarians provide essential care. Administering fluids helps manage symptoms effectively, and medications tailored for puppies aid in their recovery process. In some cases, hospitalization becomes necessary after a heatstroke incident. Oxygen therapy plays a crucial role in helping puppies recover comfortably. Veterinary hospitals specialize in offering the best care for puppies dealing with heatstroke, ensuring a smooth recuperation journey.

Recovery and Management Post-Heatstroke

After a puppy recovers from heatstroke, focusing on post-care is vital. This means monitoring their progress closely and creating a comfortable environment for recovery. Post-heatstroke care includes keeping the puppy hydrated, cool, and stress-free. Long-term management might involve adjusting the puppy's routine to avoid future episodes. Pet owners should watch for complications and consult a veterinarian for the best chance of survival and healthy recovery.

Post-Heat Stroke Care for Puppies

Keeping a close eye on their progress post-incident is essential.
Ensuring the puppy stays well-hydrated and comfortable is key.
Paying special attention to their diet and exercise regimen is crucial in their recuperation.
Collaborating with your vet for a tailored recovery plan is pivotal for effective post-heatstroke care.

Long-term Management of Puppies Post-Heatstroke

Regular vet visits are vital after a puppy’s heat stroke.
Manage your pet’s heat exposure carefully.
Construct healthy routines post-incident.
Seek vet advice on long-term care.

Preventing Heat Stroke in Puppies: Tips and Advice

Staying proactive is vital to keeping your puppy safe from heatstroke. Watch out for signs of overheating, like panting or lethargy, and take preventive measures. Provide shade and cool water, avoid intense exercise during the hottest times, and never leave your puppy in a parked car. Regular grooming and good ventilation can also help regulate your puppy's body temperature. If you suspect heatstroke, seek immediate veterinary care. By staying informed and proactive, you can ensure a safe and comfortable environment for your furry friend.

Temperature Alerts: Keeping Pets Safe in All Climates

A pet temperature monitor is essential for hot and cold conditions, offering alerts for temperature changes. This ensures pet safety by allowing immediate adjustments, keeping pets comfortable and safe regardless of weather extremes.

Final Thoughts

In the heartwarming world of furry friends, understanding heatstroke in puppies is crucial for their well-being. Recognizing heat stroke symptoms in puppies early, from physical signs to behavioral changes, can save a life. Precaution and prevention, such as adjusting environments and monitoring playtime, are key to ensuring our adorable companions stay safe and happy. Remember, a watchful eye and quick action matter most in keeping our playful pals cool, healthy, and tail-wagging with joy!
By sharing this information and raising awareness, we can help our beloved puppies enjoy their summer days safely without the risk of heatstroke. Keep your furry friends hydrated, cool, and loved; they will continue to bring joy and companionship to your life for years to come.
4oHeatstroke is a serious threat to dogs of all ages, but puppies are especially vulnerable due to their developing body temperature regulation and heightened risk of organ damage. Let's dive into the symptoms, causes, and treatment of heatstroke in puppies, along with some valuable prevention tips. We can ensure our little furry companions stay safe and healthy by staying informed and taking the right precautions.

Understanding Heat Stroke in Puppies

When a dog's temperature rises too high, it can cause heatstroke, a severe form of hyperthermia. Unlike heat exhaustion, where the body struggles to cool down, heatstroke occurs when the body's temperature regulation fails. Due to their smaller size and less effective heat dissipation, Puppies are particularly vulnerable, especially in prolonged heat exposure.

Defining Heatstroke in the Context of Puppies

In short, heatstroke is a dangerous increase in body temperature, typically over 104 degrees Fahrenheit, caused by exposure to hot temperatures or environments. Puppies are especially at risk due to their smaller size, underdeveloped temperature regulation, and higher chance of organ failure. Unlike older dogs, puppies may have difficulty cooling themselves, emphasizing the need for quick action to avoid serious health issues.

How Puppies Are Susceptible to Heatstroke

Puppies are more prone to heatstroke than adult dogs because their temperature regulation systems are not fully developed. They have trouble cooling down efficiently when exposed to heat for long periods, putting them at risk even with slight temperature increases. Certain factors, like breeds with shorter muzzles, can make cooling down even more challenging for puppies. Pet owners must take extra care to prevent heatstroke in puppies, which can lead to organ damage and other serious health issues.

Identifying Symptoms of Heatstroke in Puppies

Recognizing heat stroke symptoms in puppies is crucial for prompt intervention and treatment. These signs can include physical changes and altered behavior. Being attentive to these signals allows pet owners to quickly cool down their puppies and seek veterinary assistance if necessary. Let's delve into these signs to ensure timely care for our furry friends.

Heatstroke Symptoms in Puppies

Look for heavy panting, lethargy, reddened gums, a rapid heart rate, weakness, or collapse in puppies—these are serious symptoms of heatstroke that require immediate attention. Recognizing these signs promptly can help prevent complications. Keep your furry friend cool and vigilant to ensure their well-being and safety during hot weather.

Behavioral Changes Indicative of Heatstroke in Puppies

Are you noticing agitation or confusion in your puppy? Keep an eye out for signs of disorientation or excessive restlessness. Any uncharacteristic behaviors could be a red flag for distress, as heatstroke may influence your puppy's usual actions. Stay vigilant for any unusual antics—they might be your pup's way of communicating discomfort.

Causes Leading to Heatstroke in Puppies

Puppies can experience heat stroke due to various causes, including environmental factors and puppy-specific vulnerabilities. High outside temperatures, lack of shade, and excessive physical activity can lead to heat exhaustion. Puppies, especially older or bigger breeds, with poor blood flow regulation are at a higher risk. Pet owners must monitor their dog's temperature and keep them cool in hot weather to prevent organ failure.

Environmental Factors Causing Heatstroke

Closed cars can become extremely hot quickly in the summer, putting puppies at risk. Do not leave your dog alone in parked cars to avoid heatstroke.
High humidity can hinder the body's ability to cool down effectively, leading to a higher chance of heat-related problems. Provide your puppy with a cool, shady area to prevent overheating and support their health.
Please be watchful and set up a safe, cool space for your pet to stay healthy.

Treatment for Heatstroke in Puppies

Quick action is vital when dealing with heatstroke. Begin by moving your pup to a cooler area and offering water to drink. Carefully wet their body with cold water and fan them gently. Avoid using ice-cold water to prevent shock. Seek immediate veterinary attention to assess their condition and provide necessary treatment.

Medical Treatments for Heatstroke in Puppies

When puppies experience heatstroke, veterinarians provide essential care. Administering fluids helps manage symptoms effectively, and medications tailored for puppies aid in their recovery process. In some cases, hospitalization becomes necessary after a heatstroke incident. Oxygen therapy plays a crucial role in helping puppies recover comfortably. Veterinary hospitals specialize in offering the best care for puppies dealing with heatstroke, ensuring a smooth recuperation journey.

Recovery and Management Post-Heatstroke

After a puppy recovers from heatstroke, focusing on post-care is vital. This means monitoring their progress closely and creating a comfortable environment for recovery. Post-heatstroke care includes keeping the puppy hydrated, cool, and stress-free. Long-term management might involve adjusting the puppy's routine to avoid future episodes. Pet owners should watch for complications and consult a veterinarian for the best chance of survival and a healthy recovery.

Post-Heat Stroke Care for Puppies

Keeping a close eye on their progress post-incident is essential.
Ensuring the puppy stays well-hydrated and comfortable is key.
Paying special attention to their diet and exercise regimen is crucial in recuperation.
Collaborating with your vet for a tailored recovery plan is pivotal for effective post-heatstroke care.

Long-term Management of Puppies Post-Heatstroke

Regular vet visits are vital after a puppy’s heat stroke.
Manage your pet’s heat exposure carefully.
Construct healthy routines post-incident.
Seek vet advice on long-term care.

Preventing Heat Stroke in Puppies: Tips and Advice

Staying proactive is vital to keeping your puppy safe from heatstroke. Watch out for signs of overheating, like panting or lethargy, and take preventive measures. Provide shade and cool water, avoid intense exercise during the hottest times, and never leave your puppy in a parked car. Regular grooming and good ventilation can also help regulate your puppy's body temperature. If you suspect heatstroke, seek immediate veterinary care. By staying informed and proactive, you can ensure a safe and comfortable environment for your furry friend.

Temperature Alerts: Keeping Pets Safe in All Climates

A pet temperature monitor is essential for hot and cold conditions, offering alerts for temperature changes. This ensures pet safety by allowing immediate adjustments, keeping pets comfortable and safe regardless of weather extremes.

Final Thoughts

In the heartwarming world of furry friends, understanding heatstroke in puppies is crucial for their well-being. Recognizing heat stroke symptoms in puppies early, from physical signs to behavioral changes, can save a life. Precaution and prevention, such as adjusting environments and monitoring playtime, are key to ensuring our adorable companions stay safe and happy. Remember, a watchful eye and quick action matter most in keeping our playful pals cool, healthy, and tail-wagging with joy!
By sharing this information and raising awareness, we can help our beloved puppies enjoy their summer days safely without the risk of heatstroke. Keep your furry friends hydrated, cool, and loved; they will continue to bring joy and companionship to your life for years to come.

I need hangovers cures! And distracting chat with a nice stranger would be cool too. Stayed up a bit too late last night plus beer and that equals a rough hangover for me today. Come and help me or if you are also hungover come and feel sorry for ourselves together ❤️ Will leave the introductions for when ya message so we have something to get the convo going. I also appreciate dogs so dog pics are a bonus but not required!. Hopefully see ya soon with your hangover cure in hand and a smile on your face!.

Hey guys. I'm new to fighting games in general, playing for the first time in sf6. Got a bit short of 200 hours on it, and am trying to find a character to master, still. I played mainly Cammy at first for the looks, since I had absolutely 0 base for choosing a character, not knowing anything about playstyles and such. Then I got into Manon, and played about 100 hours aswell, and I think that her slower style suited me better than cammy, but I'm not sure, it's just a feeling. Now I'm kinda struggling with Manon, and after seeing a lot of people saying she's not in a great spot, I'm tempted to choose a new character to play. My came down to the 2 in the title.
I think both check my first box, which is still the looks (I ain't playing no wack looking characters, no matter what.) And I really liked them both, but they're so different from eachother I find myself at a loss here, I need some help.
From what I reckon, Kimberly is a rushdown, so I'm guessing it will feel kind of similar to cammy. She looks easier than Chun-li, and the main difficulty seems to be the setups for okis and stuff. The main reason I would pick her, though, is the fact that she looks SO COOL doing her moves, her specials look great. Chun-li doesn't look as cool for me, but from what I heard, she would be this slower, more reactive character like manon that I found a bit better for me. She looks WAY harder though, with stances and the charge buttons I'm totally not familiar with. But she looks more complete as a character and overall stronger
So that's what my head is wrapped on, and I want to hear from you guys. I think my lack of xp in fighting games kinda got me clouded from what I like on a character, and I wanna hear what you guys have to say.
Should I pick someone from the looks? From the game play? Should I try to stick to Manon (possibly my favorite character so far) even though she feels a bit behind the beat? What do you guys think? Thanks a lot!