I purchased a spec home that was built over a previous farmers field. I am trying to grow new grass from seed (first time) and it is starting to come in, but every single person who has looked over my yard has told me conflicting things about it. So not really sure what I should do here:.
On advice I went and dug a deep hole and then did a jar test for my soil composition which looks something like this:

• Original Soil is a farmers field that is very organic and even has horse/cow manure in it. Very smelly. But you have to dig down about a foot to hit it. This stays perpetually wet because we have a high water table. I didn't jar test any of this as it is really deep and probably the best soil I could ever ask for.
• The builders put about 8 to12 inches of basically 100% silt ontop of this. I did a jar test, no sand appeared in the first 10-15 minutes, and then the entire thing congealed into a solid mass by hour 4 with basically no changes after 24+ hours for clay and clear water sitting at the top.
• I regraded parts of my yard with anywhere from 1/4th to 5 inches of topsoil/fill dirt which is about 60% sand / 40% silt with basically no clay with the jar test. So as far as I can tell I have sandy loam, but just barely otherwise it would be silt loam.

I currently have a very patchy amount of grass growing over the sandy loam and parts of it are also starting in the silt. I've been looking at the dirt pyramid and I am completely confused about what I should do here. As far as I see it my options are:

1. Just throw more grass seed down with peat moss top-dressing and call it good. Some people tell me it will grow deep and hit the low water table/good soil, others say that it won't get more 2-3 inches deep roots and that I will have to water my grass constantly and I am making a bad decision.
2. Till/aerate my entire 4000sqft yard, get 2 inches of compost, till the yard again to reincorporate, and then wait until fall/next spring and replant grass seed and try again.
3. Dig out the soil and re-grade with 4 inches of screened topsoil.

I feel like with grass you can constantly play a "optimization" game where conditions can always be better but what conditions are good enough? Can I just plant now and occasionally place down more peat moss/compost season over season when I go back to overseed? Or is my soil composition going to screw me super hard and I should ensure it is done to a feasible standard and just reset?
My goal isn't to do anything too crazy or expensive. I just want to have a reasonably easy to maintain lawn that won't require constant watering and be somewhat drought resistant. I am seeding 50% Kentucky Bluegrass, 25% Perennial Rye, and 25% Creeping Red Fescue. Just want to make sure my soil is good enough to grow reasonably deep roots.
Thank you for any feedback.

Hi all, I am typing this currently at an all time low with my girlfriend (ex girlfriend I am really not sure we have broken up but agreed to not talk to other people). We had just finished up having one of the best weeks we have ever had, laughing, happy, just an overall good time. Then 2 days before my birthday she leaves a letter after sleeping over and waking up before me saying how she doesn’t want to do this and she is so sorry, but she feels like she needs to leave and ghosted me on everything. I drove to her place and talked about it with her and she seems incredibly confused.
Some context: last June I found out she was emotionally cheating on me with her ex who she emotionally cheated on with me. She was equally confused then and seemed to have similar mood swings. She had these mood swings for our entire relationship and said she was unhappy and that’s why she cheated. But then after I found out she was distraught saying she wanted to make it work because the past month had been so great and reached out various ways.
We broke up for 2 weeks and reconnected after a lengthy email she sent to me, it was horrible for about 3 months. We were not back in the relationship and were friends with benefits and I had immense rage because I put my entire heart into that relationship and was torn apart by everything I heard during those months. I had so much love in my heart for her.
We broke up and went no contact for 2 months after that. We both did not like it and missed each other a lot. I was the one who reached out the last time and said I wanted to talk with her and re enter the relationship. After a lot of talking we decided to re enter and suffered from many ups and downs, it was so all over the place.
Anyways we really made a lot of improvements and went from not being able to have a good half of a day together to spending weeks together and having a great time. We both love each other again, but the mood swings have persistently appeared during the process of all of this and a week ago hit the worst one.
There is a lot more context, but essentially she says her therapist convinced her to break up with me despite her not wanting to leave and being unsure about things. She says the week before then was so great and it made her so sad to do this. We have been talking for a week now trying to figure things out and she keeps saying she doesn’t know what to do. There really is so much to this story, but I firmly believe she has some kind of mental illness that needs professional help more than what she is getting. She sees a therapist every other week but from what it sounds like, they gossip a lot and the therapist is very unprofessional. She sees a psychiatrist to get medication for depression, but has lately not been taking the medications as described and changes medication often or will choose to take certain ones and not others. She has a family history of mental disorders as well such as ocd.
I genuinely do care for this girl with all of my heart and it makes me so upset to see her like this. I do not feel like her thoughts are always rooted in reality and a lot of the things she says do not make sense logically. I am dealing with a lot of pain on my end from this. I am trying to help her and save our relationship with everything I have. I believe she has undiagnosed bipolar disorder and I have told her this and tried to have her seek help, but she refuses. I really don’t know what to do anymore, I am praying every day for a miracle or for her to come to her senses. I know she loves me and wants me, but she is so confused right now and not in the right state of mind.
What am I supposed to do?
TL;DR My girlfriend and I are currently going through and all time low week after an all time high week. Her changes in mood have very much so affected our relationship and I don’t know how to help. I believe she has bipolar and that she is not in the right state of mind right now as she keeps making illogical statements, contradictions, and is remembering things differently this week. I don’t know what all I can do to help her, I care for her very deeply and we both have a lot of love for each other.

If you're in the market for a new gaming laptop in 2024, Reddit is one of the best places to find honest, user-driven reviews and recommendations. With a wealth of discussions in subreddits like GamingLaptops, buildapc, and AskReddit, you can find insights on everything from the best budget options to high-end machines that deliver unparalleled performance. This guide will help you navigate through the top recommendations and find the perfect gaming laptop for your needs.
For 2024, the best gaming laptops cater to various needs and budgets. The ASUS ROG Strix G16 (2024) is great for midrange performance, while the ASUS TUF Gaming A15 (2023) suits budget-conscious gamers. The Alienware m18 excels with its large 18-inch 4K display, and the MSI Katana 15 offers excellent portability. For affordable midrange options, the Acer Nitro 16 is ideal. High-end users will appreciate the Lenovo Legion Pro 7i Gen 8, and the Razer Blade 15 (2024) remains the top premium choice.
Best Midrange Gaming Laptop: ASUS ROG Strix G16 (2024)
When it comes to midrange gaming laptops, the ASUS ROG Strix G16 is a standout in 2024. With its powerful performance and sleek design, it’s perfect for gamers who want a balance between cost and capabilities.
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Best Budget Gaming Laptop: ASUS TUF Gaming A15 (2023)
For those on a budget, the ASUS TUF Gaming A15 offers fantastic value without compromising on performance. It’s ideal for gamers looking to get the most bang for their buck.
Key Features:

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If a large screen is a priority, the Alienware m18 is a top choice. Its expansive display and powerful specs make it perfect for immersive gaming experiences.
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• NVIDIA RTX 3070 Ti GPU
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For gamers who need portability without sacrificing performance, the MSI Katana 15 is a great option. It's lightweight and powerful, making it ideal for gaming on the go.
Key Features:

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• NVIDIA RTX 3060 GPU
• 16GB RAM
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• 15.6-inch FHD display

Best Affordable Midrange Gaming Laptop: Acer Nitro 16 Gaming Laptop
The Acer Nitro 16 strikes an excellent balance between affordability and performance, making it a fantastic midrange option.
Key Features:

• Intel Core i5-12500H processor
• NVIDIA GTX 1650 GPU
• 16GB RAM
• 512GB SSD
• 16-inch FHD display

Best High-End Gaming Laptop: Lenovo Legion Pro 7i Gen 8 (2023 Model)
For those who demand the best, the Lenovo Legion Pro 7i Gen 8 delivers top-tier performance and features, making it the best high-end gaming laptop for 2024.
Key Features:

• Intel Core i9-13900H processor
• NVIDIA RTX 3080 GPU
• 32GB DDR5 RAM
• 2TB SSD
• 17.3-inch QHD display

Best Premium Gaming Laptop: Razer Blade 15 Gaming Laptop (2024)
The Razer Blade 15 continues to be the premium choice for gamers who want the best of everything—performance, design, and build quality.
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• Intel Core i9-13900H processor
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• 15.6-inch 4K OLED display

Choosing the best gaming laptop in 2024 doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Use this guide to make an informed decision and head over to Reddit for real-time advice and reviews from fellow gamers.

Hi all, I am typing this currently at an all time low with my girlfriend (ex girlfriend I am really not sure we have broken up but agreed to not talk to other people). We had just finished up having one of the best weeks we have ever had, laughing, happy, just an overall good time. Then 2 days before my birthday she leaves a letter after sleeping over and waking up before me saying how she doesn’t want to do this and she is so sorry, but she feels like she needs to leave and ghosted me on everything. I drove to her place and talked about it with her and she seems incredibly confused.
Some context: last June I found out she was emotionally cheating on me with her ex who she emotionally cheated on with me. She was equally confused then and seemed to have similar mood swings. She had these mood swings for our entire relationship and said she was unhappy and that’s why she cheated. But then after I found out she was distraught saying she wanted to make it work because the past month had been so great and reached out various ways.
We broke up for 2 weeks and reconnected after a lengthy email she sent to me, it was horrible for about 3 months. We were not back in the relationship and were friends with benefits and I had immense rage because I put my entire heart into that relationship and was torn apart by everything I heard during those months. I had so much love in my heart for her.
We broke up and went no contact for 2 months after that. We both did not like it and missed each other a lot. I was the one who reached out the last time and said I wanted to talk with her and re enter the relationship. After a lot of talking we decided to re enter and suffered from many ups and downs, it was so all over the place.
Anyways we really made a lot of improvements and went from not being able to have a good half of a day together to spending weeks together and having a great time. We both love each other again, but the mood swings have persistently appeared during the process of all of this and a week ago hit the worst one.
There is a lot more context, but essentially she says her therapist convinced her to break up with me despite her not wanting to leave and being unsure about things. She says the week before then was so great and it made her so sad to do this. We have been talking for a week now trying to figure things out and she keeps saying she doesn’t know what to do. There really is so much to this story, but I firmly believe she has some kind of mental illness that needs professional help more than what she is getting. She sees a therapist every other week but from what it sounds like, they gossip a lot and the therapist is very unprofessional. She sees a psychiatrist to get medication for depression, but has lately not been taking the medications as described and changes medication often or will choose to take certain ones and not others. She has a family history of mental disorders as well such as ocd.
I genuinely do care for this girl with all of my heart and it makes me so upset to see her like this. I do not feel like her thoughts are always rooted in reality and a lot of the things she says do not make sense logically. I am dealing with a lot of pain on my end from this. I am trying to help her and save our relationship with everything I have. I believe she has undiagnosed bipolar disorder and I have told her this and tried to have her seek help, but she refuses. I really don’t know what to do anymore, I am praying every day for a miracle or for her to come to her senses. I know she loves me and wants me, but she is so confused right now and not in the right state of mind.
What am I supposed to do?
TL;DR My girlfriend and I are currently going through and all time low week after an all time high week. Her changes in mood have very much so affected our relationship and I don’t know how to help. I believe she has bipolar and that she is not in the right state of mind right now as she keeps making illogical statements, contradictions, and is remembering things differently this week. I don’t know what all I can do to help her, I care for her very deeply and we both have a lot of love for each other.

I hate to finally admit this, since I've tried for so long to try and change it, but I am in love with my best friend. I've tried to move on, talk with other people, explore, stay alone even. But it all leads back to him. I feel awful. I know he would never see me the same, I've known him for so long. And yet, I keep talking with him about my love life, just like he talks to me. I know he likes someone. I feel like a horrible friends and I feel so much guilt around this. Romantically, I want nothing more than to always be there for him, and support him. But I know that because of how I was when I was younger, he could never view me that way, I also dated his friend a long time ago in high-school, nasty breakup because of how i was treated, best friend no longer talks to them as far as i know, i dont either. But maybe they do still talk, I'm not 100% certain. Overall I'm just confused about what to do in this situation.
Be Real with me, is it hopeless? It's been a year and these feelings haven't changed, if anything it's staying steady.
I feel very guilty about my attraction to him because he is so smart and amazing, and I feel compared to him I'm not there, I've been working on myself and lot but I just can't help it, it's like when I think of him I can accept I'd love to be in his life forever, and be there to support him, care for him when he needs it, and cook for him, and I admire him and his aspirations. I just don't know what to do. We are both 19M, and interested in so many of the same things and views and I don't want to ruin our friendship but it's getting harder and harder not to show that I have feelings, my face gets red, I stutter, and just become a total mess trying to talk with him. We often talk about our futures, getting a place together, what pets we would have, and our views on relationships and marriage (not with eachother, but we do joke like that.) I'm absolutely hopeless with reading people and reading signs and I feel like maybe I'm reading into nothing. But gosh do I hope he feels the same, I care about him more than I can put into words.
I just can't handle not saying anything anymore, and so I thought to say something here.
I could go on and on about how much I care about him and wow. I just feel lost on what to do, do I cut off these feelings?? How do I do that? I've tried and they just stay. I've been in love before, or so I thought but this feels even more like it. Me and him have always been there for eachother and I really just need to figure out what to do here. I know our future careers may not go side-by-side. But I don't care. I care too much and it scares me, I get so happy when he talks to me it makes me cringe. I've never felt like this with anyone else, none of my other friends or even my exes.
Anyways, thank you for reading this. Any advice means a lot, I'm so unsure of what to do or how I should even bring up these feelings, or if I even should at all. I'm bouncing back and forth between telling him and just staying friends, I'm really unsure because the feelings are real, but the friendship matters so much to me. We are young, I know. Most relationships at 19 don't last long, but I would truly be happy with him for the rest of my life. I mean that. Thank you for your time.

just a quick rant lol but please lmk if it gets better or what I can do to make it better
I feel that I grew up way too fast because I grew up in a setting where my parents barely spoke English, so I was constantly translating for them. Even receiving difficult news, I was the one who had to break it to my parents.
Since I was very little, I always wanted my parents to think I'm doing fine and that I am always happy. So, I never opened up to them and I also felt so uncomfortable showing any emotions to them. Even when I was being severely bullied for the first two years of middle school, I never said a word. However, they eventually found out from my guidance counselor, and even then I pretended that it was nothing. Even my past relationships, I kept a secret. I feel like my parents don't even know who I am. I know it's partially my fault for not telling them, but at the same time (I don't mean to blame my parents but..) they did not create that environment for me to feel comfortable to do so. Therefore, they overlook my feelings a lot and even claimed that I am not sympathetic enough. For example there has been situations where people I know have passed but I am so uncomfortable to expressing my emotions to the point where it came off as disrespectful. But the thing is, I am an extremely sensitive person. I just hide it very well. I feel things deeply and little words affect me a lot.
What hurts more is that I have younger siblings who I have always looked after. I literally felt like a mother to them even though our age gaps are not a big difference at all. But I see the difference in my life and their lives. I love them so much and I really do want to do anything to support them. But my whole life I have been making appointments for them, making an environment where they never have to feel like how I do and hide everything going on, and more, to the point where I am still like a mother. My parents also treat them so much differently. Everytime they go through a failure, my parents are there with open arms and rather worried about my siblings being stressed about it. Meanwhile, I feel the opposite way. Whenever I experience a failure that my parents know about, I feel stressed due to the way my parents will be stressed and worked up about it. I realized I never put myself first. Especially my mother, she will even sometimes yell at me for my mistakes and while she has never yelled at my siblings once but rather hugged them and told them it's fine. I have NEVER received that treatment.
I also feel that my parents have never been satisfied with me. Yk the classical AP. I'm not tall enough, I don't have a high enough GPA for them (even though at the moment I am in the top 3% in GPAs out of 800 people in a high achieving high school), I'm not skinny enough (even though I have a below average weight for my height), and etc etc. Once, my mom expected me to make the soccer team when I never even got training and I was competing against kids who have been training since they were young. When I didn't make it, she was so disappointed in me and I was freaking out so much because she gave me a silent treatment. This same thing happened with my brother for hockey, and he also did not make it. However, my mom reassured him and said it's fine and that it isn't fair that the other kids were already on teams for several years. It's just so so frustrating to see this. I know I'm being somewhat selfish and I am not at all saying I want my mom to be tougher on my brother. But it's rather that why didn't I get this treatment? Why do I always have to be on my toes and why do I always have to feel like a disappointment?
Regardless, I have so much love for my parents. I have a great relationship with them. They are always rooting for me and wanting the best for me. However, it's just so difficult especially because I live in an area that is white dominated and it's so so difficult for me to constantly wish I got the same treatment as the rest of the kids at my school. I am also fully aware that what I'm complaining about is nothing in comparison to some of the other stories here, but it's just that I am extremely fed up. I know I am being unfair by saying this, but if I try to communicate with my parents in English, it's English that is just jumbled up, pronounced wrong, and doesn't make sense. And I KNOW that they are trying their best, but it can just get so frustrating sometimes because my siblings cannot speak our native language as well as I do, so I ALWAYS translate back and forth to the point where I am so fed up. This isn't just about not knowing definitions, but rather the college process, banking related things, medical related things, etc etc. The only person in my family who is taking care of all this is me. And recently I have been so busy and I am just so tired. I have so much anger building up because nobody from my town has the same experience as me and neither do my siblings. So I am just constantly jealous.
I am going to be applying to colleges this Fall, and I have never been so stressed. My parents have extremely high expectations for me, and I have consistently not been meeting them. My parents will say stuff every once in a while that really hurt. They do not have faith in me for the college process and honestly I don't either. When they suggest some colleges (ofc all with super low acceptance rates) and if I say something like "I don't like the location" they will be shocked because for them it's only academics that matter. But I want to be happy and I want to enjoy it if I am spending four years of my life there. My dad has even said that I should apply because ofc it doesn't matter what I want but he emphasizes that he doesn't know if I am even going to have options from being accepted to many and being able to choose. It's just so frustrating especially because my whole life I have been doing everything myself (well it feels that way) and all of a sudden due to college applications coming up, my parents are somewhat trying to make sure I'm doing this and that. I know that this also sounds so bad of me but for example my parents asked me "did you ask for recommendation letters yet" or "did you participate in school today" and I know that this is nice of them but from my perspective, it frustrates me. This is because yes, I did already, and I have been in control my whole life and I just don't like how they decide to interfere now. They have been completely clueless about so many things and honestly I really know that they are trying to help me and I know that it's nice but pls someone say they understand my frustration lol. It's like my whole life I have been responsible about anything coming up, and them making sure I did something (which I did) just frustrates me because I know!!!!! Like ofcourse I did it already. I feel like it's too late for them to all of a sudden want to manage and be more involved in my responsibilities, and I just want them to back off. I know that this is the support that I want but they should've been like this when I was so much younger. I would now much rather just tell the good news and they don't need to know the process I took or setbacks that got in the way. I know I am being ungrateful but I am just so exhausted and done.
And again, yes my parents want the best for me, and yes they don't mean harm, and yes I am living a financially stable life because they work so hard...etc.. But all I want is emotionally available parents. That has been missing my entire life, and it's too late to reverse this. Btw, I have tried and tried multiple times to express my feelings. But the same events just repeat. They have apologized but there is no change. It was even to the point where I cried in front of them (which is so humiliating to me), and there is just no change. I also feel like since college applications are coming up, my whole conversations with my APs have been about that.

Platinum End Theory: Who Is God And Those Mysterious Beings In The Finale Explained
Original link- https://reddit.com/platinumend/comments/sdw2rc/deleted_by_use
Repost cause the original was deleted. I'm not OP. OP is https://www.reddit.com/usemuphenz
Thanks https://www.reddit.com/usecompletelylostcase for the Pastebin link. https://pastebin.com/A8K4bJiD
DISCLAIMER: This theory will go over the entire story of Platinum End, so obvious spoilers ahead. Just a heads up, this theory is posted at the time that only a few episodes of the anime have been released. Depending on how much the anime stays like the manga, details may end up changing. Therefore, the entire theory will be based solely on the manga. I will also leave snippets of the manga with the highlighted text to support my claim. Please be sure to read those as it will help this theory make sense. This theory is completely my own original thoughts. If anyone shares this, please be sure to credit me, Muphenz. Thanks!Hello, my fellow Platinum End fans! If you’re like me, the ending completely caught me off guard and left my head-scratching. Do not worry! I’ve overanalyzed everything and made a theory to possibly explain who god and those beings at the end of the story are, so you don’t have to. Those beings at the end of the manga, chapter 58, are drum roll…humans of the future who have achieved many scientific advancements who existed well before the story of Platinum End takes place and are simulating their own world with fake humans, fake angels, and a fake god. Why are the real humans running this simulation? Simply put, they’re suicidal and no amount of therapy is going to help with that. Why are they wanting to die? In the future, it is predicted by Gaku Yoneda that within 500 years, humans will achieve immortality. Once they achieve immortality, they will eventually master time and space and will be able to do things like teleport, time travel, see the future, etc. And once humans achieve immortality and are able to know all of the future, they will discover that the future cannot be changed according to Dr. Yoneda. Just like Dr. Yoneda’s prediction, the real humans are wanting to die which is why it’s stated by one of the real humans how annoying it is that there is no death. Whatever the process was that made the real humans immortal, it seems that it cannot be reversed to restore one’s mortality. Although it’s not stated how humans will achieve immortality and allow them to control time and space, this will somehow cause humanity’s apocalypse as well, destroying the original Earth. What makes these creatures more human-like than god-like is that they admit they were born on another planet, most likely the original Earth. They are also aware that they too were created by something that is above them. How do we know Dr. Yoneda’s predictions are right? It was stated by Shuji Nakaumi that his past predictions came true. One thing to understand about science is that it’s extremely good at accurately predicting things. Example 1: With Issac Newton’s law of motion, scientists can predict the position of an object at any specific time, past, present, or future. Example 2: In the 1840s, Fitzner astronomer Urbain Le Verrier was analyzing the orbit pathway of Mercury and found that it is changing very slowly over time. With technology limited at that time, it was hard to provide proof. In 1915, the famous German physicist, Albert Einstein was able to calculate the influence of the curved space in Mercury’s orbit. That is 75 years later that science proved its prediction was right. Although science cannot tell future events like a psychic will attempt to, I believe this is what the author was using to help advance the plot for the ending. The real humans already know the future and they’re aware that no matter what they try, death is not a part of that. If they cannot do it, someone else can. That is when these simulations come in. The real humans will create simulated humans. In one of the simulations, the story of Platinum End takes place. This would not be on a computer. This process would involve terraforming an entire planet to support carbon-based life. The planet that the simulated humans live on will be similar to the original Earth as well as the history and advancement of science will be similar to the real humans. As the simulated human’s society progresses, like in Platinum End, they would eventually learn how to become immortal and learn how to control space-time which would lead to them wanting to die just like the real humans. But unlike the real humans, the simulated ones may actually achieve a way to kill themselves once they obtain immortality that the real humans could use. But as we already know stated by the real humans, this specific simulation was a failure. Nothing was created that was capable of killing them. Thus, the real humans will move on to a new simulation. Pay very special attention to this picture. Notice right after all of the humans disappear when the fake god kills himself, the buildings are slowly crumbling away since no one is here to maintain them. According to World Building, it would take an average of 250 years for a building to start to break apart since materials like wood and plastic would be destroyed by the environment if not maintained. Metal would be expanding and no longer able to keep the building's structure in place. This would cause things like windows to fall off and shatter. So after a few hundred years, the real humans return to the planet after the simulated humans disappeared due to the fake god’s suicide. It’s possible that during this time they’re running other simulations on other planets and returned when this simulation was completed. Since the real humans have achieved master over space-time, teleporting to anywhere in the universe would not be out of the question. Since they cannot die, the amount of time it would take for the real humans to travel anywhere in the universe is irrelevant as well. Even though Gaku Yoneda’s predictions about the simulated humanity’s end were wrong, he was technically right. It did come true for the real humans. If Shuji Nakaumi, as the fake god, did not kill himself and wipe out all of the fake humans, they would of most likely learned how to cheat death and to control space-time in the future. Gaku was wrong about the fake god being a product of human belief in order to live. He even admits that the composition of the fake god was wrong. If the fake god required human belief to live, then Shuji would not have erased the memories of those who were not god candidates as it would have affected the fake god's existence if fewer people believed in him. There is one thing that begs the question. Why is a fake god needed to run these simulations? Why do the simulated humans have souls? Why not just create the simulated humans and leave them to figure out how to create an immortal killing machine without the process of a false god? This is because God and souls are actually real and are necessary for life to exist. To clarify, the “God” that Shuji Nakaumi was transmuted into is not the true God that I’m referring to. I’m referring to the first cause of everything, a self-aware creator, a deistic God who existed before time and space who created the universe and does not intervene in its creation. This means no miracles, prophecy, answering prayers, divine revelation, etc. Everything in the universe is governed by physics and these laws cannot be broken. The real humans who are running the simulations are aware that they are a creation made from a creator. However, since a deistic God does not interfere in the universe, the real humans cannot know of him, at least while they are still alive. Considering the real humans can control space-time, I can say for certain at one point, at least one person went to the very beginning of time and saw something that would be evidence of an intelligent designer creating the universe. When the real humans are conversing with each other at the finale, one human suggests identifying what created them and the second one replies that seeking their creator will be a waste of time. If a deistic God won’t intervene in its creation, the real humans would be wasting time by attempting to contact him. Even though they can control space-time, if the creator exists outside of reality, they would not be able to reach this entity. Focusing on figuring out who created them means that time is wasted if they're not figuring out how to die which is why it would take them further away from death. Just as the simulated humans have souls, the real humans also have souls. At some point, the real humans discovered the soul. They are aware that this is needed for life to be sentient. The discovery of the soul could have played a key part in the real humans achieving immortality. The fake god is engineered by the real humans to create souls so that life can be sentient, mimic the universe's deistic God by allowing the simulation to run with no interference, and act as a mod to keep an eye on life with the red and white arrows. The celestial realm was created so the fake god would not be a part of the simulated world. Even though time moves differently in the celestial realm, it is the closest thing that the real humans can engineer to simulate a deist God that is separated from its creation. This fake god does not have the powers of a supreme being. The fake god does not know everything, is not everywhere at once, and does not display any sort of omnipotent ability. There is a lot of things that the fake god admits to not knowing, such as who created him, why are souls preserved, and how long does the merging process take. Although we do see the fake god have the ability to observe humanity, I would say that this is the equivalent of having admin privileges to watch humanity live-streamed on YouTube. The fake god is aware that he is created by someone. The fake god noticed that there are things that had already been created that he was not a part of just by observing everything in the universe. Although he seems to not understand what created him. He even acknowledges the idea that humanity could have created him. All the simulated souls come from the fake god. This is done through a process of emanation, which means to flow from. In the Abrahamic religions, specifically Gnosticism, Jewish Mysticism, and certain sectors of Protestantism, instead of your typical creator being separate from its creation, everything is a spontaneous outflow from God. As pieces of God emanate from him, it becomes less divine, but these pieces will eventually become an individual soul that forms into human spirits, angels, demons, as well as other things that come into reality such as heaven, hell, and the world of the living. Eventually, everything that came from God, will return back to the creator. (If you’re still confused on what emanation is, I would do more research before continuing to read as this will play a key role in understanding who the fake god is.) Emanation is how the fake god created the simulated human and their soul, the fake angels, and the celestial realm. The fake god took a piece of himself and used it to create life. Since everything emanates from the fake god is connected to him, as he is dying, most of the angels are dying too. Due to this connection, when the fake god killed himself, everything that was tied to the fake god disappeared. But because the creation of the fake god is not connected to the physical world, the planet and everything that is not life remained on it. When the simulated human beings die, the soul goes to the celestial realm. This is the returning aspect of emanation. The souls that came from the fake god are returning back to him. You always see all angels, regardless of rank, having the task of carrying the souls to the celestial realm. It seems that the main purpose of the angels is to help with the return part of the emanation process. The more that the emanence is divided, the less divine it becomes. This is why the fake humans are considered sub-celestial in the hierarchy. It appears that there is a certain order to the flow of emanation. The newest creations emanate from the fake god. Kids will be the first in the line for the emanate process and their parents will be behind them. This is why when the fake god committed suicide, the kids were the first ones to disappear, then the adults. All things that emanate from the fake god are returning to the original source in reverse order when the fake god takes his own life. When the fake god merges with a human, this appears to go against the set pattern of the emanation process by breaking the order in which the emanence flows. This is why when Shuji merged with the fake god, it felt like there was something foreign in the fake god's body similar to how an infected person's body acts when the immune system detects foreign bacteria or a virus. The only way to get around it is by the fake god merging with a simulated human and having the fake god take over the new body when the fusion is completedIt is stated by the fake god that it is nothing more than humanity's assumption that God cannot die. This may be true for the deistic God, but not for a fake god. It is already known that the real humans achieved immortality. Although the fake god could have been engineered to be immortal, that would just create another being who would eventually want to die. The fake god was designed to live a long life, compared to humans, that could be extended through the process of merging with one of its emanated counterparts until the simulation was completed. This has been done throughout time in the form of the god choosing process. The fake god confirmed to Shuji that his purpose was to create life. Professor Yoneda confirmed that the fake god was created by human imagination and that its purpose was to end life.On the surface, this may seem like a contradiction. But both of them are right. The fake god’s purpose was to create the simulated humans. God is metaphorically a creation of human imagination. It was not by the simulated human’s imagination as stated by Yoneda, but it was designed and engineered by the minds of the real humans. Since the purpose of the simulation is for the fake humans to achieve immortality and figure out how to reverse it, you can say that the fake god is a part of that process of killing humanity. Right as all of the humans are disappearing, Dr. Yoneda realizes that the composition that makes up the creature is based on a science that the simulated humans have not discovered yet. The composition of the fake god is Aether. In medieval times, a common study among scholars is alchemy, which can be best described as the forerunner for modern-day chemistry mixed with the pseudoscience of metaphysics. According to Charles Gillispie, a historian at Princeton University, in his book, The Edge of Objectivity, An Essay in the History of Scientific Ideas, Aether is the fifth element, along with earth, wind, fire, and water, that are the basic building blocks of the universe. During medieval times, Aether is the substance that is believed to connect the physical world to the spiritual one. It was even a common belief that the Abrahamic God was surrounded by Aether and that all of the angels, demons, and souls that dwelled in the afterlife breathed it in as humans breathed in the air. According to Jakob Bernoulli, a mathematician from the 1600s, believed that Aether is what allowed souls to interact with their human bodies. All of these characteristics of Aether match the composition of the fake god. Aether is what allows life to become sentient, connecting all of the simulated humans back to the fake god from the physical world to the celestial realm. It seems at some point, the real humans discover this element. This discovery most likely led to the discovery of the soul. Using this element, the real humans used Aether to construct the fake god needed for the simulations. Everything that is a part of the simulation, the fake god, angels, the soul, the arrows, is made up of this element. The red arrow is what allows the god candidates to make other humans fall in love with them so much that the person who is under the influence of the arrow will do literally anything the person who is in control wants, even die for them. The white arrow has the ability to kill any life while all inanimate objects are unaffected. These were limits placed on the arrows by the fake god. According to Ogaro, the fake god can use the full power of the arrows at will. The red arrow is more than just making someone fall in love. The arrow does this by taking away their free will. The god candidates were limited to using the arrow on 14 people at once for a period of up to 33 days. With the fake god able to use the full power of the red arrow, he can enslave any or all simulated humans with a snap of his finger for as long as he desired. The red arrow also played a role in creating the first simulated life as well. The fake god stated that if life was left alone, it would multiply. The desire of falling in love and wanting to procreate was implanted by the red arrow when life was created. The white arrow is the opposite of the red arrow. This arrow can kill life instantly. The limit that was placed on this arrow is that only one white arrow can be shot at a time. Just like the red arrow, this arrow has a maximum range of 31.6 meters. When cycling the white arrow, there is a cool down period of 0.3 seconds. If these limiters are removed, the fake god can kill all humans with the white arrows with virtually no limit on distance, any number of arrows can be used simultaneously, and there would be no mandatory cool down period.The creation of the simulated humans involves two key ingredients. The first is the soul which comes from the fake god. The second is a physical body for the soul to be attached to. The real humans asked if it was worth planting another seed and another god as those are two separate things.The making of another god is obviously the fake god. But what is the seed? The seed is what makes the physical embodiment of all plants and animals that all emanence is attached to. I.E., souls attached to bodies. According to the fake god, before he created life on the fake Earth, there was some sort of micro-organism.This seed would be that micro-organism, specifically carbon-based bacteria that is capable of evolution. Around 3 billion years ago, the first life on Earth was bacteria. There are two types of bacteria, a classification of anaerobic bacteria that ate other organic compounds and simple sugars to survive. The other kind is autotrophs bacteria which is capable of self-feeding. Anaerobic bacteria would evolve into modern-day animals. Autotroph bacteria would evolve into modern-day plants that still have the ability to self-feed through a process of photosynthesis. It is possible to send bacteria through space. According to a 2020 study published in the Journal of Frontiers in Microbiology, bacteria were able to survive in space for three years. If the real humans were able to transport the seed through space in less than 3 years, it could easily survive. Considering they achieved immortality, it is within reason to think this would be a piece of cake for them. At some point, part of the anaerobic bacteria would come in contact with the fake god, who was on the fake Earth at that time to make life, recognized the fake god as food, and attempted to feed off of him to survive. The bacteria that fed off the fake god would eventually evolve into Nasse. The bacteria that did not feed off of the fake god would evolve into more complex forms of life on the fake Earth. Since Nasse was accidentally created from this event, it most likely means that she is the first angel that the fake god created. This means that she could serve as inspiration for the fake god to create angels for the celestial realm. The angels don't seem to share any ability to reproduce with each other. There is never any mention of any family heritage. It means that all of the angels were created around the same time. Since Nasse is the only angel that came from the seed/bacteria, her biological makeup differs from all the other angels. While the majority of her is angel, part of the genetic makeup is similar to carbon-based life. Although I would not say Nasse is an angel-human hybrid, she could be considered a type of Nephilim. Due to this biological difference, Nasse is the only angel that can interfere in both the physical world and the celestial realm. Much research has shown that facial expressions are innate among all animals, not just humans. The same animals that display facial expressions when expressing emotions, lying, determination, etc. use similar muscles in the face as humans do. For example, a Psychologist, Paul Ekman, studied facial expression from hours of film and ventured on to multiple isolated tribes who have very little contact with modern society. He showed them pictures of facial expressions and asked them to interpret them. These people were able to match facial expressions and their meaning with high accuracy. This is one of the many studies that show facial expressions are genetic. Even though Nasse is single-minded, she is able to understand facial expressions due to her biological relationship with the simulated life on the fake Earth. But hey, this is just a theory."

Why Do People Attempt Murders?

Psychological and Emotional Factors

There are a great number of murders impelled by overpowering feelings and mental disorders. Pain, envy, the desire for reprisal and fright can force people out of their wits.For instance, Chad Daybell's violent actions are mostly attributed to his profound religious delusions and beliefs in an apocalypse. By knowing what makes people tick and their emotional condition, one can detect high risk cases early enough to prevent disaster.

Environmental and Social Influences

A person's behaviour might be greatly affected by the environment they grew up and lived in. If they are exposed to violence, abuse at home or societal pressures; they may come to see aggression as normal reflection on external factor control individual behavior. In communities where there is much violence most times people perceive it as best alternative in addressing issues that touch on conflict resolution. Hence perpetuating this cycle without end. The murder of Tulsi Gabbard's aunt might have been as a result of long standing societal norms combined with personal resentments against a renowned Samoan author.

Mental Health Issues

If mental health issues are left untreated, they might cause extreme behavior including murder. Depression, schizophrenia, and personality disorders often distort reality thus making it difficult for people to control their actions.
A police officer from Arizona might have been killed by someone who had not received proper treatment for mental illness in an incident where a call was made about a disturbance hence leading to the death.Why Do People Attempt Murders?

Psychological and Emotional Factors

There are a great number of murders impelled by overpowering feelings and mental disorders. Pain, envy, the desire for reprisal and fright can force people out of their wits.For instance, Chad Daybell's violent actions are mostly attributed to his profound religious delusions and beliefs in an apocalypse. By knowing what makes people tick and their emotional condition, one can detect high risk cases early enough to prevent disaster. Read More

Starting a blog in 2024 is an exciting venture and can be accomplished with a few key steps. Here's a comprehensive guide to get you started from scratch:

1. Choose Your Blog's Niche

• Identify Your Passion and Expertise: Write about something you love and know well.
• Research Market Demand: Use tools like Google Trends or Keyword Planner to find popular topics within your niche.
• Analyze Competition: Check out other blogs in your niche to understand the competition and find your unique angle.

2. Define Your Audience

• Create Reader Personas: Think about who your ideal readers are – their demographics, interests, and problems.
• Tailor Content to Your Audience: Plan your content around what your audience needs and wants.

3. Choose a Blogging Platform

• WordPress.org: Highly recommended for its flexibility and control. Requires a separate hosting service.
• Blogger: Good for beginners, but limited in customization.
• Medium: Great for reaching an audience quickly, but less control over design and monetization.
• Wix or Squarespace: Easy-to-use website builders with blogging capabilities.

4. Pick a Domain Name and Hosting Service

• Domain Name: Choose a name that is easy to remember, relevant to your niche, and preferably a .com.
• Hosting Service: Popular options include Bluehost, SiteGround, and HostGator. Ensure the service offers good uptime, customer support, and scalability.

5. Set Up Your Blog

• Install WordPress: If you choose WordPress, most hosting services offer a one-click installation.
• Select a Theme: Pick a clean, responsive theme. Free and premium options are available on sites like ThemeForest or the WordPress theme directory.
• Install Essential Plugins: Some must-have plugins include Yoast SEO, Akismet (for spam protection), and Jetpack (for site stats and security).

6. Design Your Blog

• Customize Your Theme: Adjust colors, fonts, and layout to match your brand.
• Create Key Pages: Essential pages include About, Contact, Privacy Policy, and any other pages specific to your niche (e.g., Portfolio, Services).
• Optimize for Mobile: Ensure your blog looks good and works well on mobile devices.

7. Create Quality Content

• Plan Your Content: Use an editorial calendar to schedule posts. Aim for a mix of evergreen and trending topics.
• Write Engaging Posts: Craft compelling headlines, use images and multimedia, and write in a conversational tone.
• SEO Best Practices: Use keywords naturally, optimize meta descriptions, use header tags, and include internal and external links.

8. Promote Your Blog

• Social Media: Share your posts on platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
• Email Marketing: Start building an email list from day one. Use tools like Mailchimp or ConvertKit.
• Guest Posting: Write guest posts for other blogs in your niche to reach a wider audience.
• Engage with Your Audience: Respond to comments, participate in online communities, and network with other bloggers.

9. Monetize Your Blog

• Affiliate Marketing: Promote products related to your niche and earn a commission for every sale made through your referral links.
• Advertising: Use Google AdSense or work directly with brands for sponsored content.
• Sell Products/Services: Offer your own products or services, such as eBooks, courses, or consulting.
• Membership/Subscription: Provide premium content for subscribers or members.

10. Analyze and Improve

• Use Analytics Tools: Google Analytics and other tools can help you track your blog’s performance.
• Monitor Key Metrics: Focus on traffic, bounce rate, session duration, and conversion rates.
• Continuous Improvement: Regularly update old posts, optimize for SEO, and adjust your strategy based on performance data.

Conclusion

Starting a blog in 2024 involves careful planning, consistent effort, and a willingness to adapt and learn. By following these steps, you'll be well on your way to creating a successful blog that resonates with your audience and achieves your goals. Happy blogging!
4oStarting a blog in 2024 is an exciting venture and can be accomplished with a few key steps. Here's a comprehensive guide to get you started from scratch:

1. Choose Your Blog's Niche

• Identify Your Passion and Expertise: Write about something you love and know well.
• Research Market Demand: Use tools like Google Trends or Keyword Planner to find popular topics within your niche.
• Analyze Competition: Check out other blogs in your niche to understand the competition and find your unique angle.

2. Define Your Audience

• Create Reader Personas: Think about who your ideal readers are – their demographics, interests, and problems.
• Tailor Content to Your Audience: Plan your content around what your audience needs and wants.

3. Choose a Blogging Platform

• WordPress.org: Highly recommended for its flexibility and control. Requires a separate hosting service.
• Blogger: Good for beginners, but limited in customization.
• Medium: Great for reaching an audience quickly, but less control over design and monetization.
• Wix or Squarespace: Easy-to-use website builders with blogging capabilities.

4. Pick a Domain Name and Hosting Service

• Domain Name: Choose a name that is easy to remember, relevant to your niche, and preferably a .com.
• Hosting Service: Popular options include Bluehost, SiteGround, and HostGator. Ensure the service offers good uptime, customer support, and scalability.

5. Set Up Your Blog

• Install WordPress: If you choose WordPress, most hosting services offer a one-click installation.
• Select a Theme: Pick a clean, responsive theme. Free and premium options are available on sites like ThemeForest or the WordPress theme directory.
• Install Essential Plugins: Some must-have plugins include Yoast SEO, Akismet (for spam protection), and Jetpack (for site stats and security).

6. Design Your Blog

• Customize Your Theme: Adjust colors, fonts, and layout to match your brand.
• Create Key Pages: Essential pages include About, Contact, Privacy Policy, and any other pages specific to your niche (e.g., Portfolio, Services).
• Optimize for Mobile: Ensure your blog looks good and works well on mobile devices.

7. Create Quality Content

• Plan Your Content: Use an editorial calendar to schedule posts. Aim for a mix of evergreen and trending topics.
• Write Engaging Posts: Craft compelling headlines, use images and multimedia, and write in a conversational tone.
• SEO Best Practices: Use keywords naturally, optimize meta descriptions, use header tags, and include internal and external links.

8. Promote Your Blog

• Social Media: Share your posts on platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
• Email Marketing: Start building an email list from day one. Use tools like Mailchimp or ConvertKit.
• Guest Posting: Write guest posts for other blogs in your niche to reach a wider audience.
• Engage with Your Audience: Respond to comments, participate in online communities, and network with other bloggers.

9. Monetize Your Blog

• Affiliate Marketing: Promote products related to your niche and earn a commission for every sale made through your referral links.
• Advertising: Use Google AdSense or work directly with brands for sponsored content.
• Sell Products/Services: Offer your own products or services, such as eBooks, courses, or consulting.
• Membership/Subscription: Provide premium content for subscribers or members.

10. Analyze and Improve

• Use Analytics Tools: Google Analytics and other tools can help you track your blog’s performance.
• Monitor Key Metrics: Focus on traffic, bounce rate, session duration, and conversion rates.
• Continuous Improvement: Regularly update old posts, optimize for SEO, and adjust your strategy based on performance data.

Conclusion

Starting a blog in 2024 involves careful planning, consistent effort, and a willingness to adapt and learn. By following these steps, you'll be well on your way to creating a successful blog that resonates with your audience and achieves your goals. Happy blogging!

Hello all. I have been struggling with mental health and depression since I was a teen, ranging from can function but kinda stressed, to not being able to even get out of bed to do basic things for a week straight.
Despite that, I was able to do well academically bcos I am high-functioning and was ambitious and hardworking as a student. I think everything came crashing down when I entered the working world and lost the safety net of being in school.
I could secure jobs after graduating uni but couldn’t hold any for long because I would get frequent panic attacks due to stress, and hyperventilate until I can’t breathe. When I’m badly depressed, going to work is like a gripping nightmare.
I tried diff work arrangements like working for a corporate company to working for a start-up with wfh arrangements. I left my last job because I was crying and hyperventilating almost every other day. So I thought to try out freelancing, and it worked for awhile but am barely making ends meet.
I'm in an endless loop of being depressed because I'm struggling to earn a living, but can't earn a living despite best efforts because I'm so depressed. It feels like there is no place in our society for me.
I have no idea what to do now to get by financially while trying to accommodate my condition. I'm living very very frugally off dwindling savings and still paying off student debt and insurance while contributing to some of my parent's expenses. I can't see a future for me and feel so disappointed with myself knowing I should be at the prime of my life in my 20s building my cpf and a career but... yea.
I’ve applied for f&b and retail part time jobs but they would get back with very intense working expectations that I think might leave me worse off. I also applied for freelance jobs with my skillset and also random administrative ones, but no luck hearing back.
Healthcare wise, I’ve done the antidepressants route before and have gone through therapy. Therapy worked for a bit, but I presently can’t afford treatment.
If anyone has any advice on what I can do or areas of work I could look into that I may have missed, please let me know. I genuinely want to pull my own weight but have exhausted my hope and energy. Many days I sincerely feel like I'm better off not alive. The only thing that keeps me going is the tiniest sliver of hope that somehow things will get better.
And to fellow sgreans with similar health struggles but still keeping afloat financially/at work, how are you doing it? I feel so alone and weak compared to all my peers.
Thank you so much.

Hey there, I'm Ari. That's not actually my name but I like how it sounds and I don't feel like sharing my real name on here yet. I'm really really bad at being open with my emotions and have literally no experience dating at all so I'm sorry in advance. I've never had a proper relationship really so I haven't gotten any practice in with flirting, taking hints, getting hit on, or anything you generally do in a relationship. I'm very awkward irl and only recently have I gotten to the point where I feel like I can kinda hold a conversation for a while. With that all being said, I'm here looking for someone I can feel comfortable around and hopefully make a decent relationship with.
About me:
I'm around 5'10" with long (I might be cutting it soon, sorry if you like long hair) black hair that I usually have tied up and brown eyes. I'm a heavier guy, usually sitting around 230-250lbs. Right now life has been very mean to me so I'm more like 260 currently. I have full-ish facial hair and almost never shave it fully. I mostly wear flannel and jeans. My wardrobe sucks honestly I usually wear the same 3-4 outfits. I have pretty basic hobbies. I game a lot, listen to music even more, and I used to play the piano back in high school. I still have one that I practice with occasionally. I usually play games like: Terraria, Minecraft, Stardew Valley, Helldivers 2, Dark Souls 3, Elden Ring, Bloodborne, Lies of P, Cyberpunk, Fallout NV/4, and Skyrim. My favorite musician is Porter Robinson, I listen to his stuff all the time. Some of my favorite songs are: I'm Not Crazy-Kevin Walkman, Feel-Lies of P, I Really Want to Stay at Your House-Rosa Walton, Bug Bear- Chloe Moriondo, The Fire-Puppet, Language-Porter Robinson, Favorite Liar-The Wreaks, and Cold Weather-Glass Beach. I also have been listening to Critical Roll on Spotify a lot recently during work. I've always wanted to play D&D but have never had the time or people to try. I also work, a lot. I'm usually working 35-45 hour weeks. I'm not really big on birthdays also. I don't want big surprise parties or celebrations. Sleeping in, getting some takeout and playing some games with you would be perfect in my mind.
About you:
I'm really not one to choose looks over personality. The only things appearance wise that are a plus for me are freckles, and if you are chubby. I love chubby women, I think they are soft and give the best cuddles and are so cute. Ideally I'm looking for someone who can be gentle and caring. I love women that give praise and cuddles. I also love people who are passionate about something, I would love to sit and listen to you ramble about your special interest for hours. It would also be nice if you were also a gamer, a lot of the games I listed would be nice to play with other people. I think it would help me open up too if we used gaming as a medium to socialize. I've always wanted a partner who also listens to Porter Robinson, but that is by no means a deal breaker for me. Just a pipedream I entertain the thought of sometimes. I'm only looking for people around 19-29. I would prefer that you live somewhat close to Illinois but It's not a deal breaker if you're further. The only hard stance I have is that you do not do any drugs. I have a really bad past with drugs and I cannot have a relationship with someone who does them, even if it's just casual use. I'm okay with alcohol but only very casual drinking. I would prefer someone who doesn't try to drop hints that they're interested in me, I would like it if you were more direct. I will not understand that the hints are hints. Unless I've been told otherwise to my face, I will assume that you're just being really nice to me today or something. I also would prefer it if you don't have anger issues. I respond very poorly to being yelled at and would not like a relationship with someone who makes me feel like that.
That's pretty much it. I'm sure I forgot something important but I guess that just leaves more to talk about. You can message me here on reddit. If things go well, we'll probably move to discord. Hope to see you soon!
(Also if any of my irl friends figure out that this is my post, no you didn't.)

Swiatek vs Potapova :

Swiatek had to have been happy with her third round matchup after waking up from the nightmare that Naomi Osaka presented. She made quick work of Bouzkova, who was outmatched in every department. Bouzkova did manage to battle back in the first and make the set close, and she served surprisingly well, but she just doesn’t hit hard enough to beat Swiatek. It was one of those matches where Swiatek looks a bit impatient because she’s supplying all the offense, and it seems like when it takes 3-4 shots to get an opportunity to hit a winner, she tries to just infuse extra pace or spin instead and unforced errors appear. Trying to make the ball explode doesn’t really work, and extra force applied tends to fall short when compared to smooth technique. I watched Rune and Zverev have similar trouble today against their opponents. Players wind up pushing because they hit bigger than their opponent, but don’t want to make errors. It’s accuracy that’s missing, and it’s something for Swiatek to work on in the off-season. I would say that accuracy is the main problem with her serve as well. It has plenty of pace and spin, but the ball lands towards the center of the box way too often. Less pace, and more location will go a long way.
If it feels like I’m levying criticism today, yes. Your turn, Potapova and Wang. Potapova was down 5-0 in the first set, and won 7 games in a row. Wang has a tendency to just go big on her forehand, and she doesn’t stop when she misses. Potapova was an uphill battle, but Wang doesn’t actually need to hit clean winners to score. Her forehand is one of the biggest in the game, and once she locks into a cross-court rally she usually can win provided the ball lands inside the court. Landing the ball inside the court proved difficult, and it felt a bit like watching Struff. All the ability in the world but a sense of urgency that doesn’t really match the moment. Yes you want to stay aggressive, but the weight of shot buys you time in the rally, you don’t need to escape a rally you’re in control of.
Potapova wound up losing the second, and down a break in the third. She dug in admirably, but there were some really poor decisions late in the match. After getting to triple break point by rallying with Wang and keeping the ball deep until Wang missed, she got a simple backhand return off a serve. She went for a clean winner down the line for some reason, and then suddenly the next point mattered. She lost it, and suddenly the “oh F I had it and now it’s gone” fears rose. The game ended up at duece, and she went to tactic B : screaming on every shot. You can’t scream your opponent off the court, so this didn’t really work. In the end, Wang coughed up errors and Potapova won, but it was a match that was managed poorly by both. Potapova was very reactive to misses and makes, which is fine but wastes a bunch of energy and tends to affect your decisionmaking in a readable way. You want to maintain some mystery, and at a minimum not give your opponent any inspiration or hope to work off of while you’re out there.
Swiatek Potapova should be another safe match for Swiatek, but Potapova has good power off both wings and she hits her backhand down the line decent. Swiatek will need more than she brought against Bouzkova, and chances are this won’t be a blowout. Potapova won their last meeting 6-0 in the third on clay, but it was in 2016 at the juniors. Swiatek in 2.

Danilovic vs Vondrousova :

Olga Danilovic has made the 4th round of a major. This changes her career in a major way. Tons of points, at least $250k, and a chance to win more. It’s even sweeter I would imagine because she probably shouldn’t be there. Her match against Donna Vekic was filled with many fumbles. Both players have enough power to hit past the other. Vekic was able to hit inside out forehands to great effect. Danilovic’s pendulum swing on her backhand was able to force errors from Vekic quite often. Her forehand down the line was almost a clean winner anytime she made it. In between all that though, they missed constantly.
The first set was a 6-0 beatdown from Vekic. She played excellent, and likely should have won the second. In the third, she went up a quick break. She gave that back, but broke to serve for the match. Immediately, she threw in a handful of forced dropshots and errors. Luckily, she broke again to serve for the match at 6-5. This gave her the opportunity to come up with a few more bailout dropshots and errors. If you watch highlights, this was an incredible match. If you watched the match, you saw two players whose games were affected by the situation. Vekic forced the issue and missed anytime she got control of the scoreboard, and Danilovic went through bouts of not missing at all followed by sending every ball wide. The tiebreaker was vaguely like watching a junior match. Every miss brought a huge reaction from the player. There were constant gestures and faces made to their boxes, and it was a little difficult to watch two great players struggle to focus and execute. Vekic managed to go up again 6-2 in the tiebreaker, but froze at that point and began hitting most of her shots long. She had trouble serving first serves in for the second half of the entire third set, but she really was unable to respond defensively once Danilovic got a full swing in.
After watching Danilovic down Collins and sort of defeat Vekic, it’s hard to count her out against Vondrousova. Marketa is a clear favorite against most players on clay, but the scorelines of her matches can be hard to predict. Against Paquet she was up a set and cruising up a double break in the second, and wound up back on serve. She closed out, but Vondrousova doesn’t hit that big and mostly thrives by defending and earning errors, so Danilovic will be able to compete. They played in the BJK cup and Vondrousova won in 3, and I’m guessing slower clay will give Vondrousova more of an edge. Vekic’s lack of speed really hurt her, and I think Vondrousova being able to put extra ball consistently in play will make Danilovic’s rough patches more of an issue. The emotional and physical output of Danilovic over the last few rounds has to take a toll, and I think she’ll fall a game or two short here. Vondrousova in 3.

Gauff vs Cocciaretto :

This is an excellent draw for Gauff so far. She’s playing great players, but stylistically they’re not a lot of trouble for her. This round is another good spot. Elisabetta Cocciaretto is a good server and has nice power, but she’s not the fastest around the court and she can make some unforced errors if she’s rushed. This means Gauff’s defense and power give her a great shot to win without trouble. Cocciaretto beating Samsonova was a surprise to me, but Samsonova doesn’t have the speed that Gauff does nor the consistency. This is a criminally short analysis but Gauff in 2.

Tauson vs Jabeur :

Great champions are able to elevate their games. This round, Ons will need to elevate hers. Clara Tauson is playing some great tennis, and coming into this match hers is the higher level. Jabeur was projected to have trouble against Fernandez and she did. It was another match where I felt like a good coach could have gotten their player across the finish line. Fernandez didn’t have a great chance in the first, but Jabeur was very willing to give the second away. Fernandez was able to dig in on defense and rally with Jabeur until she made errors or gave Leylah opportunities. Rather than keep rallying and really punish Jabeur, Fernandez went for winners … and missed them all. I’m not exaggerating here, in the second set she missed almost every offensive shot she went for, and it didn’t feel like she had to go for them. Jabeur hits bigger than Fernandez, so on the court it may have felt like she needed to do a lot, but most of her points come from consistency, so Leylah’s team will want to focus on having her focus on the mental battle going on in her opponent’s head rather than trying to be a big hitter. Physically, it’s just not in the cards for her to be slinging offense. Maybe she landed those same shots in an earlier round, so going for them was fine, but awareness on court is important, and Jabeur was trying to give the set away. After winning, Jabeur celebrated a bit which left me puzzled. It’s natural to be happy when you win, but I feel a little odd about these matches sometimes. Fernandez didn’t land a first serve for the last 20 minutes, threw in a ton of errors, and tried to hit an overhand winner for some reason off a return at 5-5 in the tiebreaker. It was a nice win, but Jabeur made this match hard on herself. I might be in hater mode today and I apologize, but it feels like sometimes players tap their head or pump their fist after overcoming challenges that they themselves created.
Positives for Jabeur were the times she put one extra ball back. She has had a middling season, and seeing her dig in is great. Her racquet skill is some of the best on tour as well, so the gets aren’t just a boost, they’re downright effective. She has the ability to stretch to her forehand and put squash gets back extremely low, and to flick cross-court forehands that seem impossible from how extended her arm is. Jabeur’s depth of talent is why she is still slightly favored in this match, because again, Clara Tauson is coming in at a high level. Tauson beat Ostapenko, and followed it up by putting Kenin through the ringer. Kenin had no chance in the first, but in the second she was able to reel back a break of serve and apply some decent pressure. Frustratingly, she just wasn’t able to execute in the big moments. At 15-30 5-5, Tauson hit a lob that was going a few feet out (to the side). While running backwards, Kenin seemed unaware of where she was in the court. She tried to play it overhead and missed. It was a momentum killer, and she ended up missing the remainder of her offensive opportunities.
Throughout the match, the big difference in the two was Tauson’s ability to score quickly. When she lands first serves, or if you give her a moment to get a full swing anywhere inside the baseline, you are toast. She has the type of power that Anisimova/Collins generate on their backhand, and she has a heavy forehand. That is why I suspect Jabeur will have a tough time winning this quickly. Jabeur has the endurance and variety to frustrate Tauson, but this feels like a battle of two big offenses, and Jabeur’s is a bit less consistent at this point. I want to believe Jabeur wins in 3, but she will need to step up her game and avoid the type of letdown she had in the second against Fernandez. Tauson is several tiers above Leylah and Osorio in terms of offensive opportunities, and both those players were able to get in winning position in at least one set. I’m still going to go with Jabeur in 3. Tauson has beaten some offenses, and some defenses, but Ons is the most complete player she’s faced so it feels very much like “prove it” territory for me.

Arnaldi vs Tsitsipas :

The story in Arnaldi’s match seems to be Rublev’s temper, but don’t let that overshadow Arnaldi’s performance. For me, Rublev’s temper is partially his fault, and partially his team’s. I’m especially sensitive to this after watching the last round, but being reactive to the outcome of points is a bit of a leak. If you are easily moved by events, then you are always able to be moved. It compounds, because if you are really good at something, there is no reason to believe that minor failures will continue, or even matter. It gives your opponent motivation, it wastes your valuable reserves of adrenaline and dopamine (depending on good/bad outcomes), and it’s honestly fairly distracting for an opponent. Just generally speaking, if my opponent is smashing his head with a racquet, I don’t really want to beat him. I’m still going to, but I want to compete and win, I don’t really want to add suffering to someone else. It’s unprofessional, it’s a detriment to his game, and it puts his opponents and umpires in an uncomfortable spot. Of course, he knows this, but it should hit home in this moment that he lost this match because of his lack of composure, and lost it to a player who thrives because of his composure.
Matteo Arnaldi plays steady consistent tennis. He works hard, he constantly works on his game, and he isn’t reactive out there aside from hyping himself up. He beat Fils because of deviations in his level of play and because he made it clear he wouldn’t miss. Fils forced shots and missed because he was unwilling to do the work. He beat Rublev because despite Rublev opening the match hitting clean and crushing winners, he just stayed the course and kept competing. When Christmas disappeared, Rublev noticed, and he did not like it. The crux of the issue is, he did not accept it. If I am upset about the way things are, that is natural. If I grit against the way they are, I suffer. If I accept the way things are, I am (counterintuitively) instantly free to begin working on changing them. It doesn’t mean we celebrate errors or loss, but resetting to the present moment is a major key to winning in professional sports and tennis players in particular have a difficulty with this.
I’m not trying to dump on all these players or attack them here either. All of them are tremendous athletes and are mostly excellent ambassadors and competitors. All of these struggles are natural and we all experiences the highs and lows of competition, but Rublev wants to win and this is something he needs to work on to do that consistently. If his coaches aren’t working on this with him, they’re doing him a disservice. If they are and he isn’t buying into it, he’s doing them a disservice. Everything is fine with Rublev’s game but the holes are clear. He needs more reps at net, he needs to develop dropshots, and he needs to not smash racquets.
For now, it’s Arnaldi vs Tsitsipas. Stefanos has been excellent this event, and he opens as the favorite for a reason. Zhang played solid in round 3, but he was helpless against Tsitsipas. Stef is holding serving quickly, and the speed with which he’s finding a forehand to the open court off of players’ returns is the catalyst of this. His stamina is a major weapon in these conditions and in this format, and his serve/forehand is one of the best left in the event. If Arnaldi wants to win, the plot is simple. Isolate Tsitsipas’ backhand, and get deep in sets. In the late stages of a close set, Tsitsipas is still prone to some shanks. I really do think Arnaldi needs to win the first set to have a shot here, but had Rublev been playing Tsitsipas I think we’d be expecting a somewhat close match so there’s no real argument for Arnaldi to get blown out here. He has a complete game, and he has good discipline. He’s lanky so he might be able to return well, and he can send his backhand down the line so Tsitsipas can’t just camp in his backhand corner. Forehand to forehand though, I think Tsitsipas wins. Losses to Ruud, Jarry, Medvedev make me think that Arnaldi has a bit of a ceiling, but all those were close affairs so Tsitsipas should have his hands full here. Tsitsipas in 4-5.

Alcaraz vs Auger-Aliassume :

Shelton and FAA was fairly hyped, but only Felix delivered. Shelton wasn’t really that bad, but FAA just showed he’s more comfortable on the surface. He faced no break points, and won comfortably in straight sets. His next match will be a lot more difficult, as he plays a version of Carlos Alcaraz that is cruising through the draw without really playing his best tennis. Alcaraz vs Korda was a strange contest. It reminded me a bit of Zverev or Rune playing matches they know they’re going to win. They don’t want to play extra sets, so they play a bit more carefully and just make sure to outlast their opponent. What ends up happening is the score stays close, and the stronger players needs to win a tense tiebreaker or break late in the set. Sure, they still win, but I think that an all-out assault from an earlier moment would allow them to fatigue their opponent.
These guys are all in tremendous shape (even Kotov), but there are levels/paces that they can’t hang at for long. Someone like Alcaraz can push the pace and wear Korda down, and once he breaks from that level, the odds of him winning the next sets easily are more likely. We watched Nadal and Djokovic do this to opponents for a long time, and the late sets were almost always blowouts after frantic openers. We watched Federer do the same thing mentally to opponents with a constant onslaught of offensive shots and tricky slices. If you don’t push the pace to a level your lower-tier opponent can’t hang at, they end up playing at a pace they’re comfortable with and then you play the same level of Korda in set 1 as you do in set 3.
Hater mode continues, but in this case I think it’s all assuming that Alcaraz is totally healthy. If he’s saving his arm for later, he played Korda perfectly. Sebastian continues to battle even with the best players on tour, and in the big moments he doesn’t change his game. 4-4 in a tiebreaker isn’t the time to force anything, but if you’re the underdog and have nothing to lose, it might be a good choice to ratchet up the pace a little, or take some chances. Instead, he seems to throw in rally ball errors. The two forehand misses he had in the tiebreaker were rough, but worse was that they weren’t even shots that were going to score. He was just guiding the ball in straight over the net. I guess in the end, beating Alcaraz, or even playing him even for a time, is a huge ask. It was a great match.
FAA will have his best chance to beat Alcaraz here. Alcaraz’s arm is potentially not 100%, and Korda probably should have won a set. I think the pace alone that Felix brings will wake Carlitos up a bit, and he has beaten FAA the last few times they’ve played so he’ll know which shots to employ and when. Even with his arm a question mark, Alcaraz’s speed around the court and ability to extend rallies are the right assets to score on FAA. Auger-Aliassime’s main issue on tour is that he can overhit forehands and cough up unforced errors. It should be noted also that FAA Shelton was played under a closed roof, which helps Felix’s serve a bit. The weather in Paris looks pretty nice for the rest of the tournament, so it’ll be warm and ideal for Alcaraz to wear him down and isolate his backhand when he can. FAA is good enough to compete at this level, but hasn’t been doing it regularly enough for me to think he can do so here for 3 whole sets. Alcaraz in 4.

Hurkacz vs Dimitrov :

Dimitrov leads this h2h 5-0. All the matches have been close, but you don’t get to 5-0 against Hurkacz unless you can reliably return serve. If you can reliably return serve, you can beat Hurkacz, and on clay it should be even more beneficial. Hurkacz has played excellent in this clay swing considering his status as a servebot, and leading into Wimbledon and the North American swing I think his baseline improves have him primed for some titles. He had a hard test with Shapovalov in round 3, and the new and sort of decent Shapovalov put up a good fight. Dimitrov had an easier time with Zizou Bergs, despite dropping a set. Bergs broke Dimitrov a bunch in this match, but Dimitrov’s slice gave him a lot of trouble. Grigor was content to just keep hitting the court, and it was enough in the end. Bergs had trouble lifting his forehand inside in off of the slice, and it meant going mostly inside out which Dimitrov was only too comfortable with. The quick turnaround is a concern here, but I don’t think the Bergs match was as labor intensive as it could have been. There were numerous rain delays, and the scores were close but only because Dimitrov didn’t redline. He served with control, he hit to big targets, and he secured the bag.
I don’t think Hurkacz gets beaten quickly here, and I don’t think Dimitrov is automatic just because of the h2h. He should win, but Dimitrov lost to Rune/Mensik/Fritz recently and those are all players right around Hurkacz level. If this goes to a 5th, I’d be pretty worried for Dimitrov’s chances. Picking Dimitrov in 4 feels tough, because Bergs got to a 4th and he wasn’t really playing his best today. The h2h is hard to ignore, so I’ll go with Dimitrov in 5. The quick turnaround might leave him tired but he should be able to outduel Hurkacz in most volleys and the low slices will be tough for the big dude to get down on.

Sinner vs Moutet :

Nothing like a seemingly simple one to end a full day of criticizing professional athletes for not being perfect <3. Moutet has been the most entertaining player in this event. He has won and lost lopsided sets, he has gone for every shot possible, he is chatting with the crowd, and he is giving the home country something to believe in. Considering he couldn’t even hit a two-handed backhand for a good chunk of the past year due to wrist surgery, it’s pretty impressive for him to get his game back to a really high level. Ofner was beating him early in the third round, but he was also sweating profusely. The workload of defending against Moutet’s big forehand strokes and his clever dropshots is exhausting, and Ofner’s game dipped as the match went on. It’ll be fun to see Sinner trading with Moutet, and it’ll be another look at his physical ability to see how quickly he moves to the frontcourt and how he defends Moutet’s forehand inside out. Generally with a hip injury, it’s sprinting forward and leaning wide to that side that becomes an issue.
Sinner has sort of entered a big however many group in terms of his results. He is able to beat the lower tier players for the entire match, and is consistently able to do so. There are no holes in his game, and aside from his hip issue there is no reason to think he loses here. Moutet has the game to make this the match of the day, but it feels like he’s spent a lot more time and energy on court and that’ll cost him. Sinner in 3.

I recently (past few months) have realized I am meant to be (at least in this point in my life) with my ex’s best friend. It’s kind of complicated though which is why I seeking advice.
I’m a senior in high school, and at the end of last summer, I joined a friend group. One of the guys in it, I’ll call him ‘F’, and I hit it off. He was super funny and really respectful, which is something that is rare among teenage boys. Well in September I was being “shipped” with him a lot by our friends, but for whatever reason I wasn’t into it. It was also known that he liked another girl in our group, so I never really explored the possibility of being with him because I was also kind of talking to his best friend. Unfortunately in October, I started dating ‘J’, who is F’s best friend. J and I’s relationship started off by him speaking sexually to me and trying to get nudes. This started in July, but somehow, by October I was stupidly into him even though he treated me like garbage. Because of our relationship, I added him to me and F’s preexisting friend group. Nearly everyday I was hanging out with J and F, and the three of us were all really close because we hung out, FaceTimed, and played video games together. It might sound weird, but we were basically inseparable together. J ended up being a mega asshole who took advantage of me in every way, and he constantly put me down. I also think it bothered J to see how F and I interacted. He constantly accused me of cheating on him with F because I laughed at his jokes too much. I know this all sounds immature, but it’s because J is incredibly immature. Also I know this is wrong, but at the end of my relationship I realized I had feelings for F because I found myself getting jealous if be spoke about another girl. I never comprehended or realized them until about a month ago after getting over my ex.
When we’d hang out, I was also paying for my ex. I don’t think he paid for me once, even when his mom gave him money to pay for me. But F was always super nice to me and even paid for me a lot. F drives and has two jobs, while J doesn’t drive and hasn’t worked a day in his life. They’re totally polar opposites. J broke up with me in February because I was “too good for him” and he “couldn’t stand to make me cry or upset”. When this happened, F was super concerned because he wanted to keep talking. F and I hung out a couple times after but ultimately drifted after J started drama which is too much to get into. Obviously we drifted from the breakup but i found myself missing him more than my ex. How should I handle my feelings? It would be super easy to get close again because of our mutual friends, and I also want to confess my feelings. The consequences don’t really matter much because F and I are graduating next week.
TL;DR: I found myself missing my ex’s best friend more than my ex because he treated me better than my ex ever could. Should I go for it even though it could go wrong or ruin their friendship?

I’m not sure who on here cares to answer, I’m just looking for a reason to care about this sport again. I look around at college football today and I’m just utterly shocked at what it is. I’m really not that old and I didn’t get into watching college football until I was in high school (only about 10 years ago), but even in that time frame, there has been so much change that it almost feels like it’s not worth it anymore.

1. Conference realignment. For anyone unaware, Texas and Oklahoma left the Big 12 for the SEC, most likely for larger revenue streams and “more guaranteed post season access”. That meant the Big 10 had to grab Oregon Washington UCLA and USC and Cal and Stanford are now playing in the Atlantic Coast Conference with new arrival Southern Methodist (who are in Dallas), effectively killing a conference that has been around for almost a century.

I want to watch rivalry games that matter. I want to see the passion the fans have when Oklahoma faces Oklahoma State or Oregon and Oregon State face off. I want the regular season to actually mean something, give teams and alumni and fans regional bragging rights over their conference mates. Century old rivalries have been splintered without a second thought. The Miami Hurricanes of Florida are going to Berkeley CA for an IN CONFERENCE match up. USC in downtown Los Angeles are hosting Rutgers, who’s campus is 30 minutes from Times Square, in an IN CONFERENCE match up. It’s ridiculous, it’s enraging, but it’s not at all entertaining. The pageantry and tradition that the game is known for has been watered down and made Disney safe at the cost of losing part of the identity of the sport.

1. Everything is becoming about the post season. I’m not a huge fan of Josh Pate, but he has a really good view on this. Some programs just aren’t meant to be national championship contenders and are instead just supposed to focus on the regular season games. Only the top of the top, the best of the best should get to play for a title, and while I acknowledge that there are teams that got screwed out of contention in the past, how is this new post season going to be any better? Coaches will start benching players during the end of the season when they know they have a playoff spot secured just to guarantee longer rest before the playoffs.
   
2. The excess in commercials and marketing has my head spinning. The head of the SEC stated at the spring meetings that teams may need to start looking into on field branding or jersey patches. They are actively turning the game into a walking advertisement. Increased ads turning games are turning them into 4 hour slog fests, and while I would love to watch my team on tv and support, I almost can’t justify that time anymore.
   
3. This isn’t about the students anymore. I’m not sure that it ever was, but it was nice when everyone was at least still trying to pretend. There are guys that are making more money right now as college athletes than they will at the highest level in the NFL. I’m glad the players are getting paid, the fact they weren’t before was highly exploitative. But now it feels like the best are going to get better and everyone else just has to be ok with them being left behind. The sports betting scene has death threats being sent to athletes on a weekly basis during the season.
   

Again, I’m looking for reasons to watch again. I’m trying to find the fun in the game and experience again and I just haven’t been able to find it myself

Trigeminal Autonomic Cephelalgia aka Cluster Headache aka Suicide Headache
Brief overview of my condition since I can’t post pics : https://imgur.com/gallery/VQfLsKJ
I deal with these types of interactions on a regular basis. Multiple times per week. My CHs unfortunately fall into being described as being on the severe side. During a cycle i will experience an avg of 3-4 attacks daily (high score is having 9 on one day) duration falling anywhere between 1 and 3 hours. My quality of life is in the trash, I’m completely useless and dysfunctional. Can barely keep up on even half my chores / responsibilities. I lay in bed all day bc when I’m not mid-attack the side effects from the injections i was prescribed are super hard on the body (heart and blood pressure specifically) guess I just ran out of those though and my insurance just stopped covering it.
I’m scared to even leave the house bc being trapped in public during attack is just beyond miserable. Ended up in ER earlier (since i ran out of my injections) and a nurse told me “im not gonna tell you what to do but probably best to head back home.. i get migraines too and there’s people here that might need to be seen for an actual emergency” lol.. always funny when you can tell a person working in the medical field has no idea what cluster headache is , end up only hearing the word ‘headache’ and immediately belittle you and treat you like you’re being an annoying drama-queen while you feel like there’s hundreds of blowtorch ready redhot metal BBs trapped in your sinuses + your right eye socket and nostril get aggressively flossed with barbed wire.
-sigh-
Don’t even know where this is going. Just really having a hard time. It’s getting to where I just cannot stand it anymore and I don’t know what to do. My life lately has been completely devoid of any meaning, am literally just a useless meat suit that can’t even function enough to work / have a social life / clean my house etc. I just can’t keep going thru this I can’t fuckin deal w this anymore. I can’t. I really am scared and am becoming less and less capable of being able to envision any sort of future as being a possible thing that I will ever experience.
alright.
depressing rant over.
bye

I have zero friends besides my best friend roommate, but he can be a bit toxic at times. He gets triggered easily here and there despite claiming that everyone else is too sensitive. My even more toxic mother started ghosting me for a couple weeks now because I dared suggest that the reason my poor emotionally and socially stunted brother that moved faaaaar away from her doesn't want to answer her calls anymore is because she "wasn't the best mother to us growing up". I have anxiety and depression due to how that woman raised us. I had zero friends growing up because she taught us to fear the world and everyone else and that made it so easy for me to get regularly bullied throughout public schooling. I can't go to school to be a preschool teacher like I want because I am broke and owe the school money. I got hired at an appointment setting job for water testing, but I'm so broke waiting for payday next Friday, that I don't know how I'm gonna get to my job next week because it's almost an hour distance driving because I CAN NEVER GET HIRED FOR ANYTHING CLOSE BY AND EVERYTHING'S SO FAR APART HERE. I'm so alone, broke, now with an even more turbulent relationship with my mother, despite technically having a job and living with someone who's known me for ten years but doesn't actually know me. We're completely different which is fine but it's so lonely. I don't have the drive to make music anymore like I used to; that's what breaks my heart the most. Music is my language, and I'm losing even that. I'm constantly in pain from scoliosis and cerebral ribs in my neck. I've had chronic pain due to them for 15 years, and still doctor's throw candy pills and physically therapy at it which haven't helped. I'm fucking my memory over just to be high on weed constantly to alleviate the pain. Why keep going??

I couldn’t help but feel that the finale of The Owl House was somewhat underwhelming, particularly with the origins of the Collector. This little fella had so much potential for a deep and exciting backstory, which looking back seemed to get oversimplified for the sake of time crunching. So I thought, how would I rewrite the Lore behind the formation of the Boiling Isles?
Well, from my days of roleplaying I decided to come up with my own backstory of its deep Origins.
The tale goes as follows;
In the age before the witches, before the dawn of the Titans, and before the reign of magic, there existed The Overlords.
These ancient celestial beings were known to rule over the world, whose name could not be remembered, as it still had yet to be formed.
So the Overlords created the Titans as cosmic craftsmen, gifted with the power of magic as engineers of the high heavens who crafted worlds, rising the mountains and lowering the seas.
But the Overlords were unsatisfied. And with each world the Titans created, another was destroyed to make room.
The Titans, angered by their works being destroyed, rebelled against their Overlords in a celestial war that destroyed all the known worlds. All but one; ours.
Few Titans remained, but the Overlords left behind the Five Children of the stars, each with a title.
The first is The Watcher, the most noble of the siblings. As his name implies he would watch over the mortals of the for their safety, and in spite of his shyness would intervene when necessary. He would look after his siblings, pertaining to the role of big brother. Tiresome as his responsibilities are, he still maintains a strong sense of compassion.
Then there was the Chronicler, who would observe the ongoings of the boiling isles and write them down from memory. He keeps a near infinite amount of records in his abode that would make even the most decorated librarian humbled. He loves to keep his collection of books in a neatly and orderly fashion, and becomes quite irksome when his other brothers tamper with it.
Then there’s the rapscallion; the Collector, who, being the youngest of the children, is more than not known for causing mischief among the mortals. As his name would imply, he has an odd curiosity of collecting just about anything for himself, and keeping it as a specimen. For what purpose is unknown.
Then there is the Dreamcatcher; the Boogeyman of the Boiling Isles. Taking the form of a shadow, this child is even more mischievous than the Collector, and as such, dangerous. Hiding within the crooks and crannies of peoples homes, he often loves to spook them at best, and at worst, torment them by turning their dreams into living nightmares.
Finally, there is the most terrifying child of the stars; The Puppetmaster. Often known as the cruel hand of fate, this child sees mortals as nothing more than pawns to manipulate, and takes it upon himself to pull the strings behind the unseen curtain. No one truly know what he looks like. But many accounts in the Boiling Isles have recalled that whenever something truly horrible happened, there was someone no one else than the victim could see.
As the Titans fade into legend, the Children of the Stars have faded into obscurity. Only one has shown his face in recent memory.

Hey Reddit,
I (45M) am in a bit of a moral dilemma and need your unbiased opinions. To give you some context, I am a single father to my son, Jake (17M). Jake has been a Red Bull fanatic for the past couple of years. It all started innocently enough—he'd have a can now and then to stay awake for studying or sports. But recently, his consumption had skyrocketed to dangerous levels. He was drinking six to seven cans a day.
I did some research and found out that Red Bull is incredibly unhealthy. It can cause heart palpitations, high blood pressure, anxiety, and even sudden cardiac arrest. The amount of caffeine and sugar in those things is off the charts. I knew I had to do something before it ruined his health.
But here's where things get complicated. I work in the pharmaceutical industry, and through a series of work-related mishaps and bad influences, I've been exposed to a lot of hardcore drugs. I know firsthand how they affect the body, both positively and negatively. After weighing the pros and cons, I came to the conclusion that while drugs like meth, cocaine, and fentanyl have their own risks, they don't carry the same everyday dangers as the constant high caffeine intake from energy drinks.
So, I made a controversial decision. Instead of letting him guzzle down can after can of Red Bull, I started introducing him to small doses of these other substances. I began with meth, just a tiny bit to keep him awake and focused. Then, I added in cocaine for those times he needed an extra boost of energy. Fentanyl was a bit trickier, but with careful monitoring and controlled doses, I figured it could be managed.
At first, Jake was hesitant, but after some convincing, he started to see the benefits. His energy levels were more consistent, he wasn't crashing like he did with Red Bull, and he seemed more productive overall. However, the doses soon had to be increased to maintain the same effects. What started as a half-milligram of meth turned into a gram a day. Cocaine went from a bump here and there to several lines throughout the day. Fentanyl... well, that one was the most dangerous, and I had to constantly monitor him to make sure he wasn't overdoing it. But I believed it was still safer than chugging those energy drinks.
Jake's friends and teachers began to notice the changes. He became more withdrawn, his grades fluctuated wildly, and he lost a significant amount of weight. When confronted, I always explained my reasoning—that I was protecting him from the hidden dangers of energy drinks. But no one seemed to understand.
Last week, my ex-wife found out. She went ballistic, threatening to take full custody and report me to the authorities. She claims I am endangering Jake's life and that my actions are far worse than letting him drink Red Bull.
So, Reddit, AITA for getting my son off Red Bull and introducing him to meth, cocaine, and fentanyl instead? I genuinely believe I was acting in his best interest, considering the severe health risks associated with energy drinks. But now, I'm questioning my decision.
TL;DR: Got my son off dangerous energy drinks by introducing him to controlled doses of meth, cocaine, and fentanyl. Now everyone thinks I'm the bad guy. AITA?

HUGtto Precure is the season that marks the fifteenth anniversary of Precure. It's main theme was the past, present and future. Was it a good season of Precure? ...Yeah I'd say so. Did it have flaws? Sadly a lot. So let's look at both of them:
THE CURES
While they're not the best as a group compared to other teams, like sometimes Macherie and Amour feel like their own thing, I can at least think of some pretty good dynamics between each character this season, obviously Macherie and Amour are one, but then you have Yell + Ange, Yell + Amour, Ange + Etoile, etc, overall they're all pretty solid dynamics.
Cure Yell/Hana Nono - I LOVE HANA NONO, like I may be biased because she's my favorite pink lead in all of Precure, but putting that aside, she had really amiable traits, an endearing personality (she's such a clutz), and had flaws that made her pretty relatable. Now, do I think her backstory was kind of random and she was tad bit too much of a genki girl towards the second half? ...As much as I want to deny that, yes. But she was still done right. Bonus points for having one of the healthiest families in all of Precure (this could go for other cures but I just really love the Nono's).
Cure Ange/Saaya Yakushiji - I really loved Saaya... and then by the end she was kind of decent. Her episodes started out really well and by the end they were kinda a chore to get through, it also doesn't help that her development was in the background at a point in time. Still, I like that she's a bit more of a geek for a blue, and I kind of wish her arc of being an actress to a doctor made a bit more sense because realistically... what is that job transition.
Cure Etoile/Homare Kagayaki - ALL OF HOMARE'S EPISODES WERE ANIMATED SO WELL, like I rewatch Episode 4 and Episode 16 specifically because... well duh. Homare had one of my favourite introduction arcs to a Precure and was really cool... but by the second half... her arc became a tad bit... missing when Harry and Bicine got involved and I think her episodes, from a writing perspective, became a bit of a chore though not as much as Saaya's. Still, I like her and she's pretty solid
Cure Macherie - Macherie was silly, I initially thought she was a tad annoying, but then Amour appeared and she became pretty enjoyable. Like imo she's genuinely pretty entertaining and, while she isn't the most... deep Cure ever, she at least had a pretty good presence throughout the show even if she was overused. I thought she was pretty good.
Cure Amour - I WISH SHE WAS STILL MONOTONE, like she peaked really well at the first half of the season because she was monotone as freak and then by the second half she became... creepily like a human pretty fast. Still, I really love Amour and I do think she's really great, though I do think she was misused a lot.
THE FAIRIES
Hugtan - Hugtan is Elle-chan one right, I love Hugtan and the connection between her and Hana. Hugtan really endeared me as a fairy. Hugtan was cute, fun, never really spoke any lines. I wish more baby fairies were like this.
Harry - Harry is really competent, he's like Tarte 2.0 for me. While the stuff involving Homare was a tad... I actually don't remember if it brought down his character at all or if it brought him up, he was still very fun and I always enjoyed his onscreen presence.
THE SIDE-CHARACTERS
These are some really good side characters in Precure... though sometimes they can get overused, some notable standouts I can remember are... the dude from the first episode who was the first monster of the week, the band dude who had a crush on Hana, Hana's grandma, Hana's whole family, those two characters in Episode 16 who were besties, Macherie's older brother... these people I actually take note of (despite not remembering their names but I do know their personalities so shhh) so props to that HUGtto
Henri - I have positive opinions on him and I do think he is one of the best side characters in Precure. He may have been overused like seriously a side character shouldn't be used THIS much, he was still pretty good.
THE VILLAINS
Charaleet - He was fun and pretty intimidating at times but that's really it for his character. I did like him enough but he never necessarily left that much of an impact on me. I did like the stuff they did with him in the second half but maybe that's because I treat villains as an afterthought compared to side-characters.
Papple - I like Papple a little less then Charaleet, I do think she had a bit more interesting stuff going on involving Gelos or Kurai, and I will say she was fun when redeemed but she was kinda there at the second half for the most part
Diagan - Diagan was so... he was a bit forgettable... sometimes he was unintentionally hilarious but other then that... he was meh
Gelos (+ those butlers) - Gelos was honestly pretty fine until... she got dragged down by HUGtto's second half... and then she was kind of... forgettable by the end but she was at least somewhat decent... her butlers were not good though
Bicine - BICINE HAD SO MUCH GOING FOR THEM. Like the yandere they had, their rivalry with Homare, the backstory with Listol... and then they became an afterthought in the finale which really hurt because I enjoyed them... and then they became a bit... meh me personally.
Dr. Traum - Ok... hot take... while I do like Dr. Traum and how he plays into Amour's arc. I'd honestly remove him from the show if I potentially got to rewrite it. HEAR ME OUT. While I think Dr. Traum was entertaining, he was also kind of misused a LOT in the show, like how his final battle was overshadowed with a crossover. Like, I think Amour finding her own identity (and thus adding to how she'll get over her monotone tendencies later in the show) would make for a good arc on her own
Listol - He was intimidating... and he still kind of is... I don't know. Most of his stuff was kind of related to Bicine... and Listol had some good moments but he's the one I kind of forget the most out of the villains.
George Kurai - Kurai was pretty great, he was mysterious at first and was kinda creepy but as the show went on I did feel empathetic towards him... even if his backstory, to me, was just a tad bit vague. Dude might be one of my picks for a top 10's list of best Precure final villains ever.
MISCELLANEOUS (Fights, Music, Character Design, etc)

• I want to live in the city HUGtto takes place in like it's so casual
• THESE ARE SOME OF MY FAVORITE PRECURE DESIGNS EVER
• ok so maybe this is a mild take but the music was a bit forgettable... though that second ending theme and LOVE & LOVE is so good
• The transformations were lowkey forgettable but Macherie + Amour carried
• I loved the fights sometimes, LIKE THERE IS SOME REALLY GOOD ANIMATION IN SOME EPISODES ...but most of the time they were kind of forgettable
• The all stars movie with all the cures was carried by the villain and Hana, everything else was mostly good, I definitely recommend it.

OVERALL
HUGtto Precure could've been good... and it kind of was? It just had many flaws holding it back from being one of the best of all time. Still, for what it's worth, I will take HUGtto any day over some other seasons, and points for HUGtto for always being consistent with it's main theme of time, some of the characters, and somewhat keeping up the spirit of old and new Precure.
I'm giving this season a really high B+ (7/10)