Working on a Backrooms project and I’m trying to figure out how many frames the lights would go off and then back on and then back off, etc. - I’m stuck on a school laptop though, so I can’t exactly just render the whole thing to test every time ._.

I had Pong, Colecovision, and Atari as a young adult. My son and I played N64 adventure games when he was growing up (Zelda, Final Fantasy, Castlevania). I currently have a Wii for Mario Kart and the sports games (bowling, tennis, golf, etc.) I'll be retiring soon and will have time to play. Which platform would be a good start? PS5? XBox? And what are good starter games I can play alone until I'm ready to go online?
I'm not averse to shooter games, but I like puzzle games, too. Adventures of Lolo was a favorite.
And Super Mario Bros and Donkey Kong were awesome! Zaxxon was my favorite on Coleco.
I'm not asking my son because he has a strong preference for one over the other and I already know his answer. My wife might play a bit, but not much, so this is primarily for me.

Hey everyone,
I have a '22 Trek Top Tuel 7 (newest geo with 120mm travel.. light trailbike/downcountry rig), with only a few rides on it and after further thought, I'm starting to "wish" I got the new '23 gen 6 fuel ex 7. I am looking to get a bit gnarlier and do some bike parks so even though my TF can handle a lot of it... I'm getting older and I'd prefer the slightly less harsher ride over the rougher chunk lately.
With that said, if it's going to be a huge loss on my end, I might just throw a 130 upfront on the TF and call it a day. Here's what I'm wondering about:
Option A: Sell the top fuel (only 6-7 months old) as a whole bike and take whatever hit comes with that. Then buy the fuel ex 7 for $3699.
Option B: Buy the new fuel frame (gen 6, $2599) and "port" everything over to the new frame from the TF, and then sell the remaining TF frame and fork.
Usually, I know the answer is to always sell a bike and get a new one.. but in this situation, does that still ring true? Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think I'd only really need to buy a 150mm fork and could port everything over to the fuel frame since it seems to have the same drivetrain. The brakes are wimpier on the TF, but I'm thinking I could just upgrade those later in time but still use temporarily on the built-up fuel.
I'm pretty decent with bike mechanical stuff but would have to pay to have the drivetrain (BB/cranks/derailleushiftecables) transferred over as well as the dropper and brakes. Not sure what that would cost at an LBS, but I imagine not that cheap. I would probably be able to do everything else myself.
So basically, sell the TF as a full bike and get a full fuel ex 7.. or save $1100 and just get the fuel frame? Not sure how much labor costs for the things I listed, but it seems I could easily buy a decent take-off 150mm fork for <$500 which would leave a good $600 leftover for anything else, including labor. Any insight appreciated!

Unfortunately my old aluminium frameset recently bit the dust, and so I'm currently in the process of swapping most of the old parts over to a new steel frame. The only part that I've bought new is the bottom bracket - everything else (inc. the rear derailleur, the front derailleur, the crankset, the chain and the freewheel) has been transferred over from the old frame.
When I bought the bottom bracket, the shop mechanic indicated that it was going to be a case of trial and error when it came to getting the right size. He sold me a BB and said that if it turned out to be wrong, keep the receipt and he'd swap it for an alternative.
I've now gotten to the point where I've mounted the BB, the crankset, rear wheel (plus freewheel) and rear derailleur, but I've encountered a problem. Turning the pedals causes the chain to immediately downshift right down the freewheel cogs until it 'rolls' right off the smallest gear. It's as though its trying to downshift to a gear that doesn't exist.
I can't work out what I need to do to fix this problem. Does anyone know if its likely to be any of the following:
1) Incorrect BB size?
2) Derailleur cable needs tightening?
3) Derailleur needs aligning?
For context, I have tried 2 and 3 but I'll admit that it's the end of a long day and my brain may not have supported my attempts as best as it could have done. If it's likely to be either of them I'll try again when I'm less tiredstupidangry.
Alternatively, could it be something else altogether? Or is there anything I can do to get a better idea of which problem I have?

Hi all! First thing's first, congratulations to everyone who matched. I know not everyone got their desired specialty or location, but the horror that is residency applications is now past us and the only thing to do now is keep moving forward. Things will eventually fall into place. For those who didn't match, I'm so sorry. This process is brutal - emotionally and financially - and I hope you're holding up alright.
This post is for my fellow IMGs (honestly US students too if you vibe with it). I understand that the anxiety of going through this whole process eats away at you when you're feeling overwhelmed and underprepared, so I'd like to detail my journey from the beginning until now for those that may find solace in reading others' stories, especially if you identify with it. Those that hyperfocus on timing of exams and USCE, and the 'who what where when why' of things might appreciate this; I'll explain my strategy when approaching different parts of the application. What I ultimately hope to convey is 1. even the mediocre students can make it, and 2. there's no one 'right way' to do things. And I hope that this is able to encourage you to continue pushing forward, especially if you feel you're at a standstill in your own journey.
Growing up I was never the most academically disciplined. I sometimes joke that I was the only Asian in school that took majority regulars classes. I was fortunate in that my mother had the singular requirement that I simply not fail any classes, so that's pretty much what I did. I coasted through school while I saw friends beat themselves up over grades better than I ever even strived for. The way everyone stressed over getting into great colleges? High SAT scores? Foreign concepts to me. That same attitude carried through to med school.
I ended up not applying to colleges in the US and instead decided to go to Latin America to study for XYZ reasons. My grades were decent first year, worse second year, and even worse third year. When I say I was mediocre, I mean mediocre. It was to the point where I had to get >25/30 on final exams to pass classes, and I spent all three years stressed out of my mind because I was always in danger of failing something. It wasn't because I was dumb. Laziness is powerful, and I just never cared enough to sit down and study properly for anything.
Rotations were better; I'm better working with my hands than with my face in a book. I had fun in the hospital, as crazy and fast-paced as it is. Grades were still meh, because I still wasn't actually studying. I essentially spent my clinical years learning empirically instead of academically. This also doesn't mean I didn't know anything. No life was ever in danger because of my lack of knowledge. I simply do horribly on written exams and never cared to strive for A's.
Graduation came and went (2020) and I moved back to the states in 2021 to begin preparing for Step in July. I took Step 1 November 2021, OET January 2022, and Step 2 end of May 2022. Step 1 was average, and I don't actually know my Step 2 score lol. I wrote two incredibly detailed posts (1,2) about my Step 1 experience. This means there is a gap in my CV from October 2020 to November 2021, but I decided Step studying and 'moving my entire damn life back to the states' was good enough of an excuse to bullshit my way through if asked about during interviews.
My approach to apps in general were: do everything on time and completed before September, fill up my CV as much as I could with extra US associated stuff by September (and afterward in case I didn't match and had to update my CV for the 2024 cycle), and network as much as possible, which included joining online Psych caucus meetings and going to annual Psych conferences.
USCE was done in:

• May 2022: IM, private clinic. Through connections, and I got an LOR from the doctor. She specifically mentioned I want Psych in the letter. LOR strength maybe 7/10.
• June 2022: IM, big name hospital. Also through connections. He also mentioned I want Psych in the letter. Strongest LOR by far. 9.5/10.
• July 2022: Psych, private, remote. Googled the man, had to pay for it. Horrible bedside manner, etiquette a solid 0 in all aspects. The epitome of the type of psychiatrist not to be. Got an LOR, didn't even use it.
• July, August 2022: Psych, private, remote. Through connections. Loved this guy. Was the only Psych LOR I used, even if it was painfully average, short, and generic sounding (but still sincere in a way). 7/10.

I didn't want to have any gaps in my CV now that post-Nov 2021 I emerged from Step hermit land and there was activity again, so I took up volunteering at a health center September 2022 and started tutoring high school students in Spanish. I've also been doing Psych related research since May 2022 with a well known CAP PD, and I was able to fill my CV with stuff I've done since meeting her.
My PS was written painstakingly slowly between July and August 2022 and sent to 10+ people to edit. Too many? Yes. But I had an idea of how I wanted it to look, and my FOMO meant the more eyes, the better. I knew which edits to accept and which to reject. What I looked for in edits were things I was missing that I wasn't noticing, better wording, and order of information (what to mention in which paragraph?). There were enough edits that my PS was improved substantially, but not so many that I lost my voice. I asked non-medical, medical non-Psych, and Psych people to read it, because I wanted perspectives from all sides.
What I lacked in academically I made up for in other areas. I filled up every single character in the hobbies section. I put mainly non-medical things in the supplemental application. I complemented an experience in PS with one of the entries in the supplemental (as well as an entry in my main CV), so things were connected throughout my entire application and explained in detail in different ways. My strategy here was for them to see I didn't only care about medicine and that I've done and do more things with my time that are enriching to my person and would contribute to my formation as a psychiatrist. Sounds corny, but it worked. Instead of filling my app with medicine, medicine, and medicine (understandable for more academically competitive specialties), I focused on everything outside of it and somehow made a type of association with medicine in the end. Besides the common questions asked in interviews, people mainly focused on my extracurriculars and asked what I did outside of medicine. I suppose I'm fortunate in wanting Psych since it's easier to do that than in other specialties, so obviously take this all with a huge ass grain of salt.
Applications were sent out the moment ERAS opened. I edited my CV with a friend (another applicant) the day before so she could catch errors I glossed over, and also for moral support. But I asked a non-medical friend to help me write my CV beforehand because she's chef's kiss for these kinds of things and I am very much not.
Before each interview I took propranolol cause I shake like no other when under pressure. I had an entire Word doc with every question from the Psych spreadsheet (and my answers in bullet points) on one half of the screen, and the video call on the other half. I made sure I was in a well lit and quiet area, with minimal visual contamination behind me. If I didn't know how to answer a question, I would stall in the most natural way possible. The way you look on paper gets you the interview. Once you're in the interview, social skills come into play and are in large part what determines if and where they rank you, so it was imperative for me to shine through with how I sat, how I spoke, how I answered, and damn, even how I breathed.
I sent out my LOI at the end of January, written with the help of two friends, and got a hopeful response from the PD. Didn't read too much into it, but I rode the wave of confidence until Match Day. Ended up matching there, and here we are now.
My point with all of this is:

• There's no magic recipe for success. People will tell you IM rotations for Psych are a bad idea. Others will tell you 0 publications = 0 IVs. What matters is how you frame these experiences in your application and IVs. I said I did IM rotations because IM's important. When is it not? It doesn't take away from the type of physician I'll be in the future, but rather adds to it.
• Prepare for everything. Do things on time. Strategize. I started networking at the beginning of last year, and even if I didn't get IVs in places I had connections, these are all people that know me now, and they have seen my progress since meeting them a year ago. I started forming these relationships preemptively because I didn't want to start residency at 0.
• Your attitude matters. The way you see yourself matters. Have confidence in yourself! You've made it this far. But don't be cocky. It is possible to consider yourself intelligent and still be humble. It is also possible to consider yourself intelligent and have it backfire because arrogance gets in the way of adequate progress. And the more negative the mindset, the worse the outcome. Not always, but the people I know with such a negative view of the world and negative approach to Step and applications have had the worst performance since beginning this entire process. Understand that you are objectively capable of doing what everyone else is doing. Own your shit.
• You can match with Step attempts. You can match with CV gaps. You can match with YOGs > 5y. You can match no matter what your credentials.
• Basically, understand how to play the system. Work smarter, not harder. Work hard regardless, but ensure that the return on the work you put in is worth it in the end. Understand what these programs want. Understand that the way you present yourself to them matters. Learn how to catch their attention, and be prepared when it's your turn to speak.

Thank you if you've read this entire thing. And as always, AMA.

My dad used to take me to an amusement park when I was a kid. While on the go karts I used to shout out “I can’t believe we said no to free beer!” whenever I passed someone. My dad laughed so hard he cried the first time he heard it.

Rivers mean a lot to Star Citizen, as much as people can't really imagine:
They set the groundwork for roads, canyons, lava fixtures like volcanoes and lava planets...and any type of post-render modifications on planets beyond "sea level and the base mesh".
The reality of what I can only call Tier 0 is disappointing (in the face of cherrypicked framing of media on the lead up) and feels a bit premature to have been added at all to 3.18.
I'm not exactly sure what is ACTUALLY being tested here as, from what I understand, the implementation of rivers won't vary from the dev build to the live build, it's no more variable than the planets themselves or cities...it's baked into the map itself and not really necessary to be tested at scale. Seems the devs pressured it to be thrown in to sell the 3.18 package, it feels unnecessary given the state it is in. However, I'm excited to see it progress in further patches.
I could OBVIOUSLY be wrong that it doesn't need live testing, and I'm not dieing on that hill.
​
However, if they WANT feedback, which is what I assume this is about...here it is.

The Good:

- Great visual elements. Object scatter looks good in best cases and overall the rocks, river movement, and concepts that ARE THERE, really help to sell the imagery. Moss or trash underwater, the foliage around the river (for the most part), etc. When it's all lined up? It looks AWESOME.
- Love how much length they got out of map tiles not built at all for water dynamics. Sure, they have to cut through some hills, but it gives me hope for the future. You can find some REALLY long rivers that give the illusion of going on quiet awhile, which is all you really need to sell the idea that a planet is more than just a barren waste of trees.
- The cliffs look good. If this is an indicator of cliffs going forward I can't wait to see them all over planets.
- Honestly if they cut out the river (and problems associated with it) and just used this for making canyons, it wouldn't be half bad. Just remove the lakes/water source and reduce the amount of trees. Would add another layer of fidelity to the planet surface and more places for gameplay variety and problems that need to be overcome. (and great race locations)

The Bad:

- The prop scatter is WAY off; Trees IN the river (deep) make it look more like a flood basin than a river...cut them out, the exterior area where props should blend into the surrounding area is TOO harsh. It goes from heavy tree cover around the river...to nothing...very quickly. Extending the prop scatter radius would help as well as differentiate nodes for structures (rocks) vs surface organics (trees) to appear inside the water line would be ideal. Imo, they could just simply pull back where trees spawn along the river...as, in reality flooding tends to take out trees along rivers due to their height. (Suggestion 1 goes into a solution)
- Some props are just too big to be spawning where they do...large cliff rocks will appear and cut off the entire river.
- The tesselation effect is overtuned, and goes too fast. They need to pull it in closer to the core of the river, make it shine lower, and reduce the intensity of it. It should be a MINOR visual element and right now it shows up like a projector on objects. It should be barely noticeable. It could also be slowed down, it feels like strobe going off.
- Canyon artifacts...it's too steep and corners of the ground mesh cut into it. If necessary reduce the amount rivers can bend. Ideally I made a larger suggestion at the end (1).
- Too homogenous and smooth of lines along the river edge...including clifffs. (1 and 2)

The Ugly:

- The LODs are DREADFUL and undermine the landscape vistas. This should be top priority, even if they can never get the rivers to look good up close...they shouldn't undermine the visual fidelity of the flight experience. Maybe they can find a way to bake in rivers once they've done a full planetary render (instead of the very small regional one we got)....but as of right now they should just cut rivers if this is what they do to the planets visually.
Specifically, they cut up into pieces looking like tape that didn't pull off a surface correctly and ripped up. They reflect the light of the sun like a mirror in strength. And the way they show up doesn't feel blended. Hopefully concerted effort from the team can alleviate this as this will be the SAME issue when we get roads or highways on planets...however sans the reflecting sun problem.
- Source and Mouth transitions for lakes are just missing entirely. (4)

Suggestions

1. More lines of blending outward along the sides of the river to stagger and add more variety to the sides of the rivers....as well as correct for when the river's edges dip BELOW the river almost immediately. Right now there is one outer layer of spline for blending the topography, the one where the cliff props spawn...there should be 2-4 staggered lines of these same things at more extreme waving lines as you move out from the center of the river that connect to the line before it. Having trees and other essential prop scatter points show up between these regions will make it more believable...such as having trees only show up after the SECOND layer out from the river basin....and then having them show up with less density after each subsequent layer (with the reverse being true of rocks).

Having the outer lines be VERY wavy allows for more variety along the sides of the canyon to overlap closely or be further out to make it feel less homogenous.
Canyons just don't look like this IRL. Having more shelves that help further create variation would really sell it better and make the river seem more integrated into the environment as if it has been there a LONG time and had lots of time to erode the landscape. It also better sells the idea a channel existed in that space before that has been widened.
With these secondary and tertiary lines of scatter (and topography blending) for cliffs you could more dramatically increase that variety of how much the line waves further (both side to side and up and down) out as it won't cut into the river and will simply overlap other cliffs...which should blend given it is the same rock.
If they want the SUPER canyon effect they have now, having the chance for a steep cliff set can be baked into the procedural set so that all the layers are very close.
If there is ANY way to vary the heights of the blending points along the immediate sides of the river...that would be incredible, the water line is more or less perfect except for rock props.
2) Mound Props that check to match the ground mesh of the surrounding area that add variation to the river line is the ideal solution to fixing river lines. Little mounds of mud and grass at the top (maybe with a tree node on the top as well) that spawn at the top of the water layer and blend downward that break up the line of the river and along the sides to keep it from being so uniform and smooth. The rocks help but it's obvious what the river actually looks like even if the rock is there. Some of these can create little islands, just they need to be less rare as to cut off the entire river just like LARGE rock props do already.
3) "Crossing points"
Aka, ways for us to get around rivers in ground vehicles. Shallows low enough to let vehicles pass. A place where rivers get very shallow to allow for vehicles to cross (this may already just be common enough that it isn't an issue).
Much like "too many rock props" made planet traversal annoying for people, once rivers get places ALL OVER, you'll see a similar complaint. May as well plan for it.
4) River Sourth/End Prop pieces and Lake/Ocean-River mouth transition sets.
Right now the mouth into a lake (and eventually oceans) and the river source is just outright terrible. Having a way for a river to believably start in full force would require some type of transition piece...such as a "river mouth" rock prop set...with variable spawn points for surrounding foliage and rock props to blend them. Having one at the start and the option of one at the end (when there isn't a large enough basin for a full sized lake) would help a TON to alleviate the dependence on lakes as an end point. Maybe even blending into a cave piece that has a small interior lake and walkable network. Hell, having one show up on the side of a lake element would also allow for more gameplay.
You can also flag for "underground sections" of rivers that are too low to be a canyon and can be flagged as underground caves with a river. Then connect back again at a lower point of altitude for the river to continue on the surface...continue this until it reaches a sea or sea-level and turns into a lake.
Lake and Ocean transitions are essential, as of right now there are no ocean connectors but in both cases you need a tile set of river that transitions the river and lake.
5) Long term the biggest focus should be bisecting river lines. Having rivers connect to multiple points of origin and connect into a larger stream would be the best way to make them seem more convincing.
TLDR
Shit needs work, the devs probably know this, I'm just throwing in feedback because that's what we are here for.
Im super stoked to see further progress on rivers and to see things that follow from that like dry canyons, lava rivers, roads (caravan missions and bombing runs!), and so on.
I think the eventual "river caves" set will alleviate a LOT of problems, however the biggest immediate issues are LODs, bad transitions (specifically the source and mouth), and the river looking more like a flood than a river due to trees IN the river and super steep HIGH canyons.

A friend is hatching some chicks, the first few hatched today, but it's unclear whether the others are going to successfully hatch out of their eggs. Apparently it's quite common that some are too weak and die before/just after hatching. I want to attempt to taxidermy any which don't survive (obviously, I'm hoping they all do survive because they're freakin' adorable, but I also like to be prepared). My current plan is to freeze it and continue researching and looking at info about taxidermying birds and following that with extra care, but if anyone has any top tips for such a small animal I'd greatly appreciate them!
And mainly I need to buy time to research so, would I need to do anything to the chick before freezing it or do I really just bag it up and chuck it in a freezer? Is there an ideal time frame this needs to happen within?
Sorry for such a poorly worded post, I'm really at the start of working out what I'll do so I'm woefully uninformed and I appreciate any guidance at all!

Hey all! Paring down some parts of my collection. Happy to post pics of anything that you might be interested in. Shipping is $5 for the first game or 2, and then goes up from there as needed. Shipping for consoles will be around $15, depending on where you live.
Check out my Playstation games post here:
https://www.reddit.com/GameSale/comments/11twspi/usaco_h_playstation_games_ps1_ps2_ps3_ps4_psp_w/
Check out my Sega and Xbox games here:
https://www.reddit.com/GameSale/comments/11ntjx3/usaco_h_sega_and_xbox_games_genesis_dreamcast_og/
NES (Cartridge Only)
NES console, power cable, AV cable, controller $80
Adventures of Dino-Riki $8
Baseball Stars $12
Batman $15
California Games $10
Championship Bowling $5
Double Dragon $15
Double Dribble $5
Excitebike $10
John Elway's Quarterback $4
Kirby’s Adventure $35
Lee Trevino's Fighting Golf $5
Mike Tyson's Punchout $35
M.U.S.C.L.E $15
NES Play Action Football $3
Orb 3D $8
Pro Wrestling $7
The Punisher $25
Racket Attack $5
Rad Racer $5
RBI Baseball (Gray cartridge) $10
Ring King $10
Rygar $15
Silent Service $5
Skate or Die $5
Skate or Die 2 $10
Spy Hunter $8
Super Mario Bros. / Duck Hunt / World Class Track Meet $8
Tag Team Wrestling $7
Tecmo Bowl $10
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles $5
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: The Arcade Game $15
Tiger-Heli $6
WWF Wrestlemania $8
SNES (Cartridge Only)
SNES Console, power cable, AV cable, controller $100
Acme Animation Factory $15
Claymates $15
King of the Monsters $15
Monopoly $5
Pinball Dreams $10
Populous $5
Super Game Boy $30
Super Mario World $20
Roger Clemens MVP Baseballe $5
Top Gear $10
WWF Super Wrestlemania $10
Nintendo 64 (Cartridge Only)
Nintendo 64 console, power cable, AV cable, controller $100
Banjo Tooie $40
Cruis'n USA $15
Diddy Kong Racing $30
Doom 64 $35
The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask (Holo label) $65
NFL Blitz 2001 $25
NFL Quarterback Club 98 $3
NFL Quarterback Club 99 $3
NHL '99 $5
Perfect Dark $20
Rampage: World Tour $25
Star Fox 64 $25
Star Wars: Episode 1 Racer $10
Star Wars: Rogue Squadron $15
Star Wars: Shadow of the Empire $15
Super Mario 64 $45
Superman 64 $15
Wrestlemania 2000 $10
WWF Warzone $5
Gamecube (CIB unless noted)
Eternal Darkness $110
Lego: Star Wars: The Video Game (Case and Disc) $10
Monster House (Case and Disc) $10
Nickelodeon: Party Blast (Case and Disc) $8
Power Rangers: Dino Thunder $8
Resident Evil 3: Nemesis $100
Sonic Mega Collection $15
Spider-Man (Case and Disc) $10
Spider-Man 2 (Disc only) $5
Super Monkey Ball (Case and Disc) $20
Wii (CIB unless noted)
Ben 10: Galactic Racing $5
Ben 10: Protector of Earth $5
Build 'n Race $5
Call of Duty: Black Ops $5
Carnival Games $5
Disney Sing It: Family Hits (No manual) $10
EA Active: Personal Trainer $5
Family Fest presents Movie Games $3
Guinness World Records: The Videogame $3
Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock $20
Guitar Hero: World Tour $15
Just Dance 2 $5
Just Dance 3 $5
Just Dance Kids (Disc only) $3
The Last Airbender $10
Link's Crossbow Training (Disc only) $4
Looney Tunes: Acme Arsenal (No manual) $5
Mario Kart Wii $35
Mario Party 8 $30
Mario Strikers Charged $15
Minute to Win (New/Sealed) $5
Monkey Mischief! (Disc only) $3
My Sims: Agents (Disc only) $3
My Sims: Kingdom $5
My Word Coach $5
Neo Pets: Puzzle Adventure (Disc only) $3
Nerf: N-Strike $5
New Super Mario Bros. Wii - $25
Ni Hao Kai-lan: Super Game Day (Disc only) $3
Petz: Crazy Monkey (No manual) $5
Puzzle Kingdoms $5
Rapala: We Fish $5
Rayman: Raving Rabbids $5
Rayman: Raving Rabbids 2 (No manual) $5
Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition $15
Rockband $20
Sim Animals: Africa $5
Skate It $5
Skylanders Giants (Disc only) $3
Skylanders: Giants $5
Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure (No manual) $5
Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure $5
Smarty Pants (No manual) $3
Speed Racer: The Video Game $5
Squeeballs Party $5
Star Wars: Clone Wars - Lightsaber Duels (Disc only) $3
Super Paper Mario (No manual) $15
The Price is Right: Decades (No manual) $5
The Sky Crawlers: Innocent Aces (No manual) $5
Thrillville: Off the Rails (No manual) $5
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 (No manual) $5
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08 $5
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09: All play $5
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 (No manual) $5
Ultimate Band $5
Wacky Races: Crash & Dash $15
Wario Ware: Smooth Moves (Disc only) $10
Wii Fit $5
Wii Music $3
Wii Sports (Disc only) $20
Wonder World: Amusement Park $5
Zoo Hospital (No manual) $5
Zumba Fitness 2 $3
Wii U (CIB unless noted)
Disney Infinity (No manual) $5
Disney Infinity 2.0 $5
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze (No manual) $10
Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two (No manual) $5
Family Party 30 Great Games: Obstacle Course (No manual) $5
Just Dance 2015 $5
Just Dance 2015 (Disc only) $3
Just Dance 2016 $5
Just Dance 2016 (No manual) $5
Just Dance 2017 (No manual) $5
Madden 13 $10
Mario Kart 8 (Disc only) $10
Minecraft: Wii U Edition $15
Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventure (Disc and manual) $10
Skylanders: Super Chargers (No manual) $5
Skylanders: Swap Force (No manual) $5
Skylanders: Trap Team (No manual) $5
Smurfs 2 $20
Splatoon $15
Super Mario 3D World (No manual) $15
Super Mario Maker (No manual) $5
Super Smash Bros for Wii U (No manual) $10
Nintendo Switch (CIB)
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild $45
Super Mario Odyssey $45
Gameboy (Cartridge only)
Bugs Bunny Crazy Castle $5
Bugs Bunny Crazy Castle 2 $5
Donkey Kong (1994) $20
Game & Watch Gallery $10
In Your Face $5
Monopoly $5
Xenon 2 $30
Gameboy Color (Cartridge only)
A Bug's Life $5
Bugs Bunny Crazy Castle 4 $20
The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX $45
Mario Tennis $15
Rampage: World Tour $5
Gameboy Advance (Cartridge only unless noted)
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory $5
Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, Witch, and Wardrobe $4
Disney Princess $5
Finding Nemo: The Continuing Adventures $5
Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events $5
Mega Man Zero 2 $35
Midnight Club Street Racing $5
Monster Jam: Maximum Destruction (Box and manual, no game) $10
Nicktoons Unite (Box and manual, no game) $7
Pac-Man Collection $5
Spider-Man (Box and manual, no game) $15
Spyro: Season of Ice $7
Star Wars: The New Droid Army $5
Street Fighter Alpha 3 $45
The Sims: Bustin' Out $15
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 $10
Nintendo DS (Cartridge only unless noted)
50 Classic Games (CIB) $5
Avatar: The Last Airbender $15
Backyard Sports: Rookie Rush $3
Barbie Horse Adventures: Riding Camp $5
Brain Age $3
Cars: MaterNational Championships $5
Deer Drive $5
Diner Dash: Flo on the Go (CIB) $15
Final Fantasy III (CIB) $25
Finding Nemo: Escape to the Big Blue $5
Insecticide $5
Madden 08 $5
Madden 09 $10
Major League Baseball 2K11 $5
Mario Party DS $10
My French Coach (CIB) $5
Nintendogs: Chihuahua & Friends (CIB) $10
Nintendogs: Dachshund & Friends $5
Nintendogs (PAL) $5
Phineas and Ferb: Across the 2nd Dimension (CIB) $5
Pokemon: Pearl $40
Puss in Boots (CIB) $5
Quest Trio (CIB) $5
Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing $8
Spore: Creatures (CIB) $10
Zubo $5
Nintendo 3DS (Cartridge only unless noted)
Code Name: STEAM $5
Miitopia $20
The Legend of Korra: A New Era Begins $5
Tomodachi Life (Case and Disc) $40
Wario Ware Gold $35
Wipeout 2 (CIB) $5
Young Justice: Legacy $5

Idea one: Sandstorm, and/or a smoke grenade.
Now I’m not usually a fan of smoke grenades, but I have a few ideas that could spice this up.
Firstly being that we don’t make it a grenade, Cassidy uses his cowboy powers to summon a cool sandstorm that covers a 10 meter by 10 meter radius. Now the two ways this is unique is it blocks LOS for everyone but Cass, giving him a semi walls ability, AND! The real kicker is that abilities dependent on LOS are nullified inside the smoke.
The best example of this is Sojourn’s damage bubble thing. If it was inside the smoke, it wouldn’t do damage since it’s based on LOS, so unless you were on top of it, it would be nullified. Same for zen orbs, mercy beam, any ability that works from LOS.
My second ability idea is alternate ammo. Maybe he switches to explosive ammo for six shots. Or piercing rounds that go through shields but for less damage. Though and ability idea I’ve wanted for him for a long time now is an ammo type that does more damage to armor and shields, like 50% to armor to scoot past its 30% damage reduction, and 25 or 30% for shields.
Final ability idea: Cass takes his shirt off and everyone gets too hot and flustered then he shoots them.
Also make his role work with invincibility frames instead of damage reduction so I can flex my dark souls skills!

Hi, ireland.
My mother passed away on Saturday. While we won't get around to sorting through her belongings for a bit, there's a few mobility aids/incontinence supplies in good nick that will need a new home. Some walking frames with minimal wear and tear, an unused commode, some unopened packs of incontinence pants/pads/etc., that sort of thing.
If possible, I'd rather they go to people who need them and can't otherwise afford them. Does anyone know of a charitable organisation that accepts donations of things like this for those in need? Or would we be better off just donating them to a nursing home? We're in the Dublin area.
Sorry if there's a really obvious answer to this; my head's all over the place. If I don't end up replying to comments, thanks in advance for any and all suggestions.

Hey everyone,
I have a '22 top fuel 7 (newest geo with 120mm travel.. light trailbike/downcountry rig), with only a few rides on it and after further thought, I'm starting to "wish" I got the new gen 6 fuel ex 7. I am looking to get a bit gnarlier and do some bike parks so even though my TF can handle some of it... I'm getting older and I'd prefer the slightly less harsher ride over the rougher chunk.
With that said, if it's going to be a huge loss on my end, I might just throw a 130 upfront on the TF and call it a day. Here's what I'm wondering about:
Option A: Sell the top fuel (only 6-7 months old) as a whole bike and take whatever hit comes with that. Then buy the fuel ex 7 for $3699.
Option B: Buy the new fuel frame (gen 6, $2599) and "port" everything over to the new frame from the TF, and then sell the remaining TF frame and fork.
Usually, I know the answer is to always sell a bike and get a new one.. but in this situation, does that still ring true? Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think I'd only really need to buy a 150mm fork and could port everything over to the fuel frame since it seems to have the same drivetrain. The brakes are wimpier on the TF, but I'm thinking I could just upgrade those later in time but still use temporarily on the built-up fuel.
I'm pretty decent with bike mechanical stuff but would have to pay to have the BB/crank, the rest of the drivetrain (derailleushiftecables) transferred over as well as the dropper and brakes. Not sure what that would cost at an LBS, but I imagine not that cheap.
So basically, sell the TF as a full bike and get a full fuel ex 7.. or save $1100 and just get the fuel frame? Not sure how much labor costs for the things I listed, but it seems I could easily buy a decent take-off fork for <$500 which would leave a good $600 leftover for anything else, including labor. Any insight appreciated!

Hi,
After flying a sim (I have TBS Mambo), I finally decided to build my own drone. I chose to use HDZero and after deciding on the parts I wanted to ask you if there is anything I am missing or if there are parts that are incompatible or that you wouldn't use and instead choose something different.:
Frame: ImpulseRC Apex 5" HD Freestyle
FC and ESC: SpeeyBee F405 V3 Bluetooth 50 A BLS Stack
Motors: After calculating the weight (I would like to put a GoPro on in the future) I chose iFlight Xing2 2207 1855KV 6S Race Motor
Propellers: HQProp Durable 5x4.3x3 V2S
Goggles, VTX, Camera: HDZERO Freestyle bundle
RX: TBS Tracer Nano RX Receiver
Batteries: not sure but for start probably Tattu R-Line 4.0 6s 1300mAh 130C Lipo, + straps obviously
​
I hope I didn't forget anything and thanks in advance for any help.

Part 2
I fell backwards through the portal, landing on the ground back in the reality of hell. The dread spiked as I got back up on my feet. I thought the two blond maniacs would follow me back in, but they didn't. The portal closed, offering me a view of somebody crying over the phone on their porch across the street. Did they notice the flash of light? They're probably too caught up in their own business. The attacks being as gruesome as they are, I'm surprised I haven't died yet.
I stepped back into the house and closed the door behind me. William and Jason sit on the couch, faces pale and mouths hanging open as they watched helicopter footage of wild tentacle creatures running down streets and tackling people. A tighter dread overtook me.
Was this really it for me? Was I going to die here because my parallel self thought revenge would somehow fix things? Do I think that way? No, I don't. If she thought nobody should feel trapped, she wouldn't have been okay with making me feel trapped. I guess that's because he only cares when she's the one feeling trapped. People are human to her until they do something she doesn't like, then she lowers her standards and treats them like animals… Somehow that's supposed to make peace. It doesn't.
I asked Jason if there was a room I could stay in. I was given a spare bedroom down the hallway. Once I found it, I layed down on the bed and stared at the ceiling, hoping I'd be alive for more than another 24 hours. Any moment, some creature was probably going to crash through the window or something, or a giant monstrosity was going to smash the house to the ground. I had never been more afraid of death in my life.
About 20 minutes later, I decided I had to distract myself from all the mayhem and fear in any way possible. I pulled out William's spare phone and Googled various things I was interested in. I assumed TikTok would be filled with video clips of the attacks, so I wasn't downloading that. I watched some YouTube videos though. My adrenaline decreased, but I knew that if I ran out of things to enjoy, I would get bored and the adrenaline would shoot back up.
I'm not sure I'd say putting autoplay on was a mistake. It kinda was, but it kinda led to something interesting for me. The third video to play automatically was a video of a news report from the day the attacks began.
It started with Ontario politicians answering questions from reporters, then the Breaking News animation flashed across the screen. A video taken in Sharon, Ontario showed one of the giants moving down a street, smashing houses along its way. The uncanny look of the thing and how it moved sent chills down my spine. I tapped the screen. The title appeared on the screen.
"First news reports of the giant attacks - Full news broadcast 11 AM to 12:30 PM"
This was the very first attack. Interesting. Morbid curiosity overtook me. The attacks were historical, and if I was going to die here, why not know more about what's going to kill me.
I kept watching. Video footage taken from the Newmarket Community Center was played. It showed two giants smashing buildings down Main Street. The white church blew up, with debris flying all around. The buildings to the south were also reduced to rubble and dust. It was saddening to watch. As the giants began smashing buildings beside the Community Center, the camera operator let out a shaky "Oh my god" then backed away. They aimed to their left. A dozen of the bystanders were slowly turning away. As if they wanted to run but were too curious. A couple of them ran. A few other people from up the street ran by with pale faces. After the giants had passed by and smashed the buildings further to the south, some people in the crowd began to have a conversation.
"What is going on today…? why is this happening…?"
"We don't know why they're doing this… have they been reported elsewhere?"
"I checked the news five minutes ago. Nothing."
"I'm checking it again… nothing"
"I just checked CP-2-4 and they have footage of one in East Gwillimbury"
As they're talking, the giants smash the churches to the south, then they knock down the grey apartment building. Explosions can be seen inside as it crumbles and a plume of smoke rises up.
The next video I watched was of the two giants knocking the apartment building down but from an angle to the south based on what I knew about the location.
The next video began with the camera pointed to the ground. The camera was aimed up and a bit shaky. The camera was aimed at two giants standing a mile away. Flames were thrown at an area obscured by trees. This is Aurora, isn't it? I guessed it was since it was the first of two places to be torched. The giants torched side to side then back and forth, then the trees obscuring the area caught fire. The camera operator turned around and ran without hesitation.
Another video was taken near the Burlington Skyway Bridge. Two giants knocked the bridge down from north to south. My gut clenched watching cars fall into the water below.
As terrifying these videos were, it was interesting to see the beginning of the attacks this close. The news mostly only played footage taken from news helicopters and the same bits of footage over and over. Many of the videos I had seen on the internet so far were videos I hadn't seen yet.
I looked up videos of the attack on Central Manhattan.
One video was taken from a window somewhere to the east of the Empire State Building. One of those horrifying giants seamlessly smashed its way through the skyscrapers, leaving expanding plumes of smoke behind. Once it reached the Empire State, it focused a ton on smashing it to the ground. A plume of smoke rose up against the oncoming plumes of smoke created by the destruction of the nearby buildings.
I had seen many things like this over my journey throughout the different realities, but this just seemed too familiar to me. Nothing about this reality was different until the attacks began. Not even some detection of the Godzilla-like giants beforehand. I'm in this reality where these attacks are happening and I can't escape. I sank in a pit of dread as that dawned on me. I had to deal with the craziness of the I was in. I needed to learn as much about the attacks as possible.
I looked up a more recent attack. The one in Bradford parallel me mentioned. I found multiple videos of it. The first video I watched showed a giant leveling a two story facility as people ran by and screamed. It was sad to see a place I was so familiar with be destroyed. The second video was shaky camera footage of two giants leveling some other facility, also with people running by and screaming. One was crying. The third video was helicopter footage of four giants smashing and attacking the town. Carving up the southeastern and northern areas. As sad as I felt, I noticed they didn't attack the part of town I lived in.
Wasn't that attack supposed to kill me? Or was it just supposed to scare me? Either way, I wasn't there to witness it. Of course, I could've been killed in a part of the town that was destroyed. Maybe my parallel self was playing coin toss. Either I live or die. Either way, he'd be benefited by the fact I would be fearing for my life in the event I'd survive. Then he visited me where I was miles away, after the attack on the town. He brought his cronies with him. The evil alternate versions of two people I knew of and liked very much. I'm still not comfortable specifying who.
As I continued my watch through the footage, I found some videos of the creature dump on the place I was just in. Watching the giants pour the creatures onto the city… the creatures running all over the place… down roads… across the roofs of buildings… through parks… just chill inducing and gut wrenching. I couldn't get through one whole video. Flashbacks of escaping that thing just kept popping up in my head as I watched.
I looked up some discussion threads about the attacks. Of course, everyone expressed how they didn't know what they would wake up to the next day, how they didn't know where they would be safe… some speculated hiding out in the mountains or down in subways would be a safe bet to stay alive. The subway part of the discussion was shot down later on in the thread by one claiming the creature dumps would render that idea hopeless. Others said bomb shelters would work. I needed to know if there were any bomb shelters around. Probably useless though, as the government probably wouldn't just let anybody in. The closest mountain that could keep anyone safe would be 4 hours away. There was another comment though, one that brought up Iran and Belgium being wiped off the map entirely by dozens of miles wide giants, and they suggested any country could be next to be destroyed by giants that size. The middle of the ocean would be a safer bet.
What about Lake Ontario? The eastern half of it. It's not an ocean but it's a pretty big body of water. As long as I don't go near any shoreside cities I'll be good. I ran over to William and asked him if he had a boat. I explained to him eastern Lake Ontario may be too big a body of water for the giants to care about. Unfortunately, he, nor Jason, nor anybody they knew had a boat. At least I had some relief for a moment. I fell back into the pit of dread and walked back to the spare bed.
As I browsed through Reddit, I came across a post about a rare angle of the attacks. The video was taken from a live stream that was held in a suburban area not too far away from where the giants were standing. Chills overtook me, seeing the giants again. They were holding their giant bags of creatures. The streamer said he didn't know what the giants were holding, then the giants tilted their bags and the thousands of creatures came raining down. My gut clenched hard. The last words of the streamer were what one would expect, but they chilled me due to the context.
"What the hell? No… god… please…"
He turned around and sprinted down the road. He aimed the camera up at the incoming creatures. They blocked the view of the sun and everything was darkened by shade. The streamer aimed the camera back out in front of him. You could see the sky on the horizon, but then a wall of blackness obscured it. My gut began to ache. The streamer fell to the ground and screamed. Nothing could be seen. Loud thuds were heard, then the stream ended. Then the video ended.
The people in the comments were freaked out. Many of them mentioned the chills they got watching the video. One comment thread went like this:
"I can't imagine standing there. Thinking you'll live, then just seeing that and KNOWING with great certainty you're about to die. Chilling. This is probably the most up close video I've found of this."
"I know more videos will surface, especially because the attacks are still going on right now, but this video will be something that always sticks with me"
(I pressed the link and it took me to a YouTube video showing a livestreamer in an office. She tells her viewers she's in the Empire State Building. She aims her camera out the window towards Central Park.
"It's 1 PM right now and…" A giant pops up in the middle of Central Park. I jumped while watching it. Chills ran straight down my spine. "What the hell is that?" The giant walked south, smashing through the buildings along Park Lane. It knocked down the world's skinniest skyscraper, then it smashed its way through some more buildings, including the Museum of Modern Art.
"Oh my god," the streamer says with a shaky weak voice.
She puts the camera down and you could hear quick footsteps and the creak of a door being swung open. The giant continues its straight faced rage through Central Manhattan, smashing down the Rockefeller buildings, the East Times Square buildings and battering Times Square in dust and smoke, then it stumbles a couple blocks to the east. A man over the intercom tells everybody to evacuate immediately.
The giant smashes the low rise buildings two blocks away, the low rise buildings one block away, then the room shakes. Loud crashes echo from below, along with light crashes somewhere behind the camera. Then the office light goes out. It looks as if the giant is rising, but then you can see its triangles, then the sky. The section of the building the room was in was falling. The camera started spinning, then the livestream ended. Then so did the video.)
"Absolutely terrifying. Imagine that being the last thing you see… this stuff going on right now is probably the worst, most insane stuff to happen in a long time. You should see the video where people are hiding in a room from the literal Lovecraft-like wild creatures.
Edit: here" (I opened this link and it took me to a YouTube video showing three people, including the camera operator, in a small toll booth room. The two others, one woman with blond hair who looked to be in her 30s and an adrogynous looking person with black hair who looked to be in his 20s, were both shaking, glancing between each other and the camera operator, then there was a loud bang at the door. Adrenaline rushed through me, hoping those people could be rescued. The camera was aimed at the door, which had multiple cracks in it. There was another bang. The door shook and the cracks got longer. One of the two people on the left began to cry. With yet another bang, pieces of the door flew across the room. The door itself began to loosen off its hinges. Then with one more bang, the bottom half of the door was pushed in by a round dark gray beast with about 10 long tentacle-like appendages. It was so uncanny looking, adrenaline shot up through me. My eyes were wide open watching it. It ran up to the camera operator, who moved to his right then backed up. The creature climbed up on him. He struggled, then the camera fell face first on the ground. Nothing could be seen, but loud painful screaming, growling, and a couple wet crunches could be heard.
Further down the thread was something even more terrifying but interesting.
I wonder why we haven't seen any videos of creatures attacking people
Those videos are probably very NSFW. They likely haven't made it past content filters.
Some pictures were posted to MorbidReality and somebody found a video of a creature attacking somebody's back and legs. If you can't take that kind of stuff do not look at it. It's very gruesome.
There's some on Archive.org, along with many other videos I haven't seen anywhere else. Here's a link to an archive somebody is making.
I opened the link. I was taken to the page with the archive. The first video was titled Footage From Upper Canada Mall. It began on the roof of the mall. All that was heard were sirens and the sounds of helicopters. The camera operator aimed up at two giants being circled by two military helicopters. The giants appeared to be holding people. The giant on the right was holding two people who I can only describe as looking like a man and a woman, while the giant on the left was holding a woman. The giant on the right tossed the woman. She glided through the air. She hit the roof of the mall with a loud bang and turned into a red mist. I gagged and twitched. The camera operator kept the camera still. He had to have been in shock. He panned to the left a bit and caught the man landing on the roof of the mall with a loud thud while also turning into a red mist. I gagged again. What the hell? The camera was aimed up at the giant on the left, who was getting ready to throw the person it was holding. It tossed them towards the roof of the mall. They too landed with a loud bang while turning into a red mist.
That was something I never thought I'd ever see. People exploding into a bloody mist like they were nothing. Or just bags of blood. That's not something anyone should ever have to see. I'm glad that stuff won't make it past content filters. Hopefully, nobody who doesn't want to see that will ever see that ever. It's okay to be morbidly curious, and yes, it's historically significant, but I hope people are careful with footage like this.
The next video was titled "Seattle Explosion" and began on a freeway in what seemed to be the late afternoon. A man off camera said he was driving towards Seattle. He said he was driving down highways and filming in case he catches anything historic, and added that all his friends are doing the same in various parts of the US such as Houston, Texas. I was beginning to think about skipping this one due to anxiety. I didn't want to see people explode, but I assured myself it wasn't filmed close enough to capture such things. A minute into the video, the Seattle skyline could be seen in the distance. Seconds later, balls of yellow and orange erupted from every building.
These giants sure are making it a point to scare everybody. Dumping deadly creatures, torching entire areas, EMP Bubbles, Godzilla-like smashing, and now blowing up entire cities.
I don't know which one of those is going to happen to me.
What the hell do they want?
I'm afraid of having my guts sucked out by a creature
I'm afraid of being caught up in a torching
I'm afraid of being gassed
I'm afraid of being crushed to death
I'm afraid of being in an exploding city
I'm afraid of being tossed to the ground from high up in the air
Where are they going to hit next? Where are they going to hit next? Where are they going to hit next?
Where do I go?
I was hyperventilating for a couple minutes there. I paused the video and attempted to not judge my thoughts or feelings, then I wrote the above to acknowledge my feelings. Now I'm really starting to understand why people write sad songs about depression and anxiety. More so than I already did.
I looked at some of the titles of the next few videos in the archive. I hesitated to watch them, but I'll list the titles I read for curiosity's sake.
"SEATTLE EXPLOSION - East angle"
"Naypyidaw attack"
"Manila attack"
"Manila attack from north"
"Bradford attack from helicopter"
"Bradford attack angle 7"
(Six more Bradford attack videos, two of which are probably the ones I've already seen)
(Ottawa attack videos #27 to #2)
"Ottawa attack angle 1 - filmed by a Canadian Minister"
"Aftermath of Creature Dump in Niagara Region, Canada"
Out of curiosity, I decided to watch that last one I listed. It started in the backroom filled with boxes. The camera operator walked out of the room, into a smashed up restaurant. The front windows were shattered, tables and chairs were strewn everywhere. The camera was aimed to the right. Two bodies covered in blood were laying in the corner. It was unsettling to see. The camera was aimed back towards the windows. The operator moved up to them. A body was laying under an outdoor table.
After exiting the shop, the camera operator took a right and walked down the sidewalk. As he walked, he briefly looked inside different stores and multiple cars, all of which had shattered windows and thrashed items. No cars drove by. Not even police, fire department, or paramedics. No people were around at all. My breaths became shallow as I anticipated the worst. Something like a creature popping out of nowhere or another body.
A couple more blocks down the road, sirens began blaring in the distance. The camera operator walked by a store that had music playing from inside. It was something I hadn't thought of. Music that was being played as background noise was still being played through all the death and roaming creatures. They stepped through the shattered window, and as they walked to the center of the room, the music got clearer. It was a slow piano ballad about a woman telling her lover to go easy on her. It was weird hearing the song play in a smashed up deserted room with the world crumbling all around right outside. The words made it sound eerie in the context it was playing right in the middle of. As the song played, the camera operator moved broken table pieces out of their way and dug through some piles of table debris along the cracked wall on his left.
What is he looking for?
As the camera operator continued looking under knocked over tables, he began to sniffle. The song changed to a sad pop song with a high pitched piano melody. I knew the song. It was eerie too. It was about a breakup, but the lyrics about taking a metaphorical final bow echoed what I was feeling. The end of civilization, or at least the end of the civilization I was used to. I was getting very settled into this reality.
The camera operator walked to the back wall and looked around at the wreckage again. An ambulance drove by outside. The camera operator walked into the bathroom. It was reduced to rubble. Stalls ripped apart, toilets shattered, most of the mirrors were cracked… and blood was smeared across the wall near the back. The camera operator stood in one spot for a couple of moments before turning around and stepping out the door and back into the restaurant. They took some steps through the restaurant, then they aimed the camera at the ceiling. Then at the picture frames. One of them was lying on its face. Another one of them was tilted and ripped in half. Some happened to be in good shape.
After the tour of each of the paintings, the camera operator started rummaging the debris on the left side of the restaurant. As he did so, the next song began. This one was upbeat, juxtaposing the context it was playing in. It kinda creeped me out. It was supposed to be played for people's enjoyment, but nobody was enjoying anything. At least the lyrics were about persisting through absolutely anything. I guess that kinda fit, but things were too dark to think straight. The camera operator stopped rummaging about halfway to the back of the restaurant and stared on at the rubble that he would be digging through next. He zoomed in on what was clearly a shoe being worn by somebody unmoving under the rubble. He zoomed back out, turned around, and walked to the front of the restaurant.
As they looked at the buildings across the road, a creature crawled into view from the right, climbing above each window before climbing in through the window of a bike store. The camera operator moved back a bit. A minute later, a military jeep pulled up in front of the building the creature climbed into. Three soldiers climbed out and entered the store through its shattered front window.
As the camera operator zoomed in on the building, the next song began to play. It began with a whistle melody then led into lyrics about not being worried. Another upbeat song that juxtaposed the seriousness of the situation, which unsettled me more so. Inaudible shouting echoed from inside the building. Gunshots followed. A moment later, two of the soldiers stepped out of the building, uniforms stained with blood. They stood around, talking into their radios. Then the video ended. A couple seconds of the next video, titled Incoming Creatures, played before I paused it. That video began on an elevated platform near a forest. I was done watching videos of the attacks, so I wasn't going to stick around for more.
I checked the time. 10:58 PM. I slid the phone into my pocket and walked out into the livingroom to see what the others were up to. They were discussing what the giants may want while the news played on the TV. A woman was talking about the destruction of Town Zero… Sharon. Footage was played of a colossal giant popping up just north of the town, then with two swoops, the giant smashed the town to dust and rubble. My heart sank. We're getting colossal giants here too? I mean, of course we are. They're not just going to reserve certain things for certain areas. Clearly they will attack just about anywhere, right?
William asked me to help him get something from the shed out back. I told him I'll go out and wait for him there. I got my shoes on and stepped outside into the warm dark night. There was an eerie calmness to it. Like nature hadn't been going nearly as insane as we humans have. I stepped around back and spotted the shed. As I stepped towards it, two colossal silhouettes formed in the sky some distance away. They contrasted the light polluted light orange glow. I don't want to under describe how massive they were. Not tall enough to reach above the clouds, but tall enough to make my chest drop to the point I thought I was about to have a heart attack. They moved in my direction, their silhouettes growing, obscuring the light orange glow of the sky.
Why here? Who's here that they want? Unless it really is me. They aren't going for some random people I don't know. This is an alternate reality in which they're coming after me. But that theory seemed to small minded. I wasn't possibly going to be in multiple places in the US, China, North Korea, Belgium… maybe they're also going for my relatives… but I don't know anybody who would ever be in North Korea of all places.
I thought about it as I sprinted for my life over the fence into the neighbors yard, then over the next fence, then over the next… I kept hopping fences until I made it to the corner of the town. It was just a field. Thumps shook the ground. Car alarms began going off. I fell to my knees due to the heavy vibration. I avoided looking to my left, at the giants' massive silhouettes. I stared at the ground and hoped for the best with the worst pit of dread I ever felt.
Loud booms and crashes blew out my ear drums. I never heard loud sounds like those so up close. I covered my ears, but the piercing sounds still hurt. The smashing lasted a couple minutes, getting quieter and quieter as the giants moved further away from me. My curiosity got the best of me and I glanced at the giants. They had to have been 500 meters tall or something. For some reason, not being able to see them was more dread inducing than being able to see them. A cloud of dust hit my face. I coughed like a motherfucker and walked forward, finding my way out of the choking smoke.
William and Jason…
I looked in the direction of Jason's house. It was too dark to see anything but some fires a couple houses away. Whatever was left of those houses anyway. The giants were still smashing their way through the town when I heard a fast plane. I looked up and saw a light flying towards the giants.
Fighter jets? Missiles?
The missile struck the giant in its midsection and exploded in a ball of fire. The giant continued smashing. It didn't move differently after the hit. It continued eliminating the town. Another explosion occurred near the head of the other giant and it was the same outcome. The attack continued on for another minute, with more explosions that didn't faze the giants. Maybe the missiles made a mark. It was too dark to see those marks if so. Finally, the crashes and booms stopped. The giants stood in one spot, not moving at all, then they vanished into thin air.
That was seriously screwed up. I almost died. I want out of this. Who in the multiverse would wish this on their worst enemy? The idea of possibly being crushed, gassed, blown up, thrown to your death… I walked back to Jason's house. It only took a couple of minutes. When I got back there, it was a pile of wood, broken up walls, unrecognizable rooms, scattered roof tiles, and bricks. I hurried around to the front. When I saw Jason's arm crushed under a pile of bricks and wires, I almost gagged. I looked away and stepped to where the front door was. William's hand laid beside a growing fire.
Where am I supposed to go? I'm a refugee now. I should check the news. Any news outlet that hasn't had its data center destroyed. I haven't heard of that happening but it has to have happened by now.
I pulled out my phone and opened CNN.
"THE GIANTS CONTINUE TO BERATE THEIR ROOTS"
"Ontario, Canada is ground zero for the attacks. Everyone is still wondering why"
"WATCH: See Seattle explode in a ball of fire"
"The black chemical agent sprayed on multiple American towns and Chinese cities may not be of this world"
"Bomb shelters, caves… even sewers. Americans are desperate for safety, but some Americans claim all they need to do is stay armed and ready"
MILITARY: "Civilians shouldn't push their luck thinking standard rifles are enough to defend against Giants"
"Security camera footage shows Manila attack"
"Ukraine is free, but for how long?"
""I'm tired of living through history" The attacks from Gen Z's perspective"
It was always interesting to go into an alternate reality and look at the top news headlines. This time though… it's very serious, as I'm a full on victim of the wild stuff that's going on in the alternate reality. I sat down and read all the news articles I could. I read all the Reddit threads about every major development in this whole event. I also felt it was important enough to go back to that archive on Archive.org and download all the footage posted there for archival, especially in the case I ever made it out of here. There was a ton of interesting things I saw in the various realities I traveled to over the years. If I get the device back, I can go back and download some footage from those realities. I could become an archivist or something. But it hit me that I was more likely to die than fulfill any dream I ever had.
At around 1 AM, I heard my name being called by a familiar deep voice.
"You were supposed to die!" he said. "How are you still alive!?"
"I saw them pop out of nowhere… so I ran like hell."
"Well now we're going to have to take you somewhere else."
"Why not shoot me?" I asked, frustrated. "Why not end my life right now?"
"True Nicole said you needed to be weighed down by the stuff going on in this reality," he said, resting his hand on his hip. "Either you are scared of the giants or you are killed by the giants."
I stood up, slid my phone into my pocket, and walked away. I didn't think I was going to make it far without confrontation. A couple homes down, a pain hit my neck. Before I could process it, I woke up in the trunk of a car. All I could hear was the news. All I could feel was the car bumping up and down. All I could see, other than the interior of the trunk of course, was a light morning sky. One right before the sun rose above the horizon.
"...still no word from British officials after the attacks on London and Cheltenham, England. Reports of giants being present in London and Cheltenham came out just after 4 this morning. The number of casualties is unknown, and the British Prime Minister is still missing…"
"She's awake."
"What's up fake Nicole?"
"Where are we?" I asked.
"Williamsport, Pennsylvania," alternate me said. "We're going to Washington DC."
"How do you know anything is going to happen there?"
"She never said anything would," Ian said.
"You said I was supposed to die," I said. "You knew the giants were going to strike the place I was in."
"I traveled to a reality where it was this timeline, but one month after the attacks began," alternate me said. "Then I copied a list of everything that happened in these attacks. I know what happens next."
I froze. They really did have this planned out, didn't they…
"Now, I want you to stop talking," alternate me said. "Don't breathe too loudly either. Also, if we catch you calling for help, I will stop on the side of the road, Ian will inject you with fire ants and Billy will inject you with steroids."
"To keep you awake and energized so you feel the pain more intensely and for a longer amount of time," she said.
"Yes," alternate me said. "And you can still go on the internet if you want."
I stared up at the blue morning sky, strangled by dread. I realized I had cold sweats all over me. I pulled out my phone and Googled some more Reddit threads. 20 minutes into reading comments, the news channel on the radio switched to a Pop music station. At first, I assumed alternate me changed the station, but when I went back to the Giant Attacks search results, they had all changed to results about some unrelated game.
My hopes went up. Could it be? A slip? I was ready to believe it, even if it was mostly to ease my anxiety. I went to CNN's website. To my relief, the headlines were about… normal topics. [Top news headlines on the day I post this story]
I don't know how long I'll be back in our reality. If I even am back here… I guess you will know if you see this update.
Alternate me is swearing. I think she caught on to what happened… Now she's turning the car around. I'll update again when I'm back.

I really need prayer and advice regarding my husband. Posting in this sub as I find myself more aligned with the beliefs here than in the Christian marriage sub, hope that's okay.
I want to frame this by saying that my husband (Christian, 28yo) is a loving spouse to me and great father to our baby girl. He works hard to look after us, is committed to our church life and is zealous for the Lord and His word. I'm not here to complain and am very wary of misrepresenting him, but I do need help.
The only issue that we face in our marriage at the moment is related to his video gaming habits. He plays an online game (RuneScape) which involves some pretty hard and time consuming challenges. He does spend time with our daughter and I, so I tend not to see the hours spent as an issue. However, he often becomes angry when he loses - banging the desk, swearing, and saying hurtful things should I approach him at the wrong time. He has been trying to get this under control and doesn't explode every time, but I feel I've been conditioned to feel horribly anxious every time he plays, like I'm just waiting for things to turn sour. He knows how I feel, is ashamed of his sin but doesn't seem to be able to leave this behaviour behind, or stop playing. I really think that having some accountability would help him, but his shame stops him from talking to Christian brothers.
It's been a recurring theme over the years, and it's wearing down on me. I feel exhausted from the anxiety, and from feeling like our marriage isn't being prioritised. Aside from a desparate plea for prayer, my question is - is it appropriate for me to speak to an older female Christian friend (it would have to be our pastor's wife) about this? My husband wouldn't want me to, but bottling everything up is getting really hard and I'm struggling to cope. When is it okay to seek help despite this going against his wishes?
Please do pray that he would repent, turn from this and be sanctified. I love him deeply and care so much for his spiritual wellbeing.

Growing up in a small, rural town has its perks. The sense of community, the serenity of nature, and the peace of a quiet life. But it also comes with its own set of fears: wide-open spaces, isolation, and the many chilling stories that circulate among the locals. My hometown was no exception. We had our fair share of local folklore, but one story stood out among the rest – the story of the "Static Man."
As the legend went, the Static Man was the ghost of a young man who had died in a tragic accident involving a nearby television tower. The tower was old and had been abandoned since the 1980s, a relic of the past that loomed over the surrounding fields. It was said that the Static Man would appear on your television screen when the signal was lost, causing a flickering black-and-white static that would keep you up at night. People claimed they could see his face amidst the noise, staring back at them with empty eyes.
Growing up, I didn't pay much attention to the legend. I brushed it off as just another scary story meant to keep the local kids in check. But as I grew older, I began to notice that adults would also whisper about it in hushed tones. My curiosity was piqued, but I never dared to explore the old television tower or try to catch a glimpse of the Static Man myself.
One night, I was home alone, watching a movie on our old, worn-out TV set. We were one of the few families in town who still used an old analog TV with rabbit ear antennas. It was a stormy night, and the wind howled outside, sending shivers down my spine. As the storm intensified, the television signal began to weaken.
Suddenly, the screen went blank, replaced by the familiar static. I sighed, frustrated, and got up to adjust the antennas. But as I did, I noticed something strange. Amidst the flickering black-and-white static, I saw a face. At first, I thought it was a trick of the light, but the longer I stared, the more real it became.
I could see his eyes, empty and hollow, staring back at me. His mouth hung open, as if in a silent scream. And I could feel him, his presence, watching me from inside the television.
Fear gripped me, and I stumbled backward, tripping over a loose cable. I scrambled to my feet, my heart pounding in my chest. I wanted to run, to get away from the television, but I couldn't tear my eyes away from the screen.
The face in the static began to change. The empty eyes filled with rage, and the mouth contorted into a sinister grin. I could hear a faint, distorted voice coming from the television, barely audible over the static.
"Come… closer," it whispered.
The terror was overwhelming, but something compelled me to inch closer to the screen. As I did, the static seemed to intensify, the black-and-white noise now accompanied by a high-pitched, grating sound. It felt as if the television was trying to consume me, drawing me in with an invisible force.
Just as I was about to touch the screen, a lightning bolt illuminated the room, and the power went out. The room was plunged into darkness, and the television went silent. I collapsed to the floor, gasping for breath, my heart pounding in my ears.
The power never came back on that night. I spent the rest of the evening huddled in the corner of my room, afraid to venture back into the living room. The next day, I told my parents what had happened, but they dismissed it as a nightmare or a result of my overactive imagination. But I knew better. I had seen the Static Man, and I knew he was real.
In the weeks that followed, I became obsessed with the legend. I spent hours researching the old television tower and the young man who had died there. I discovered that he was a technician who had been electrocuted while performing maintenance on the tower. His death was ruled an accident, but many believed there was more to the story. Some claimed that he had been driven mad by the static, while others suggested that he had uncovered a dark secret within the tower's signal.
Determined to find answers, I decided to visit the tower myself. I gathered a group of friends, and together we trekked through the overgrown fields that surrounded the decrepit structure. The tower loomed above us, its rusted metal frame groaning in the wind.
As we neared the base of the tower, I could feel the static in the air. My hair stood on end, and my friends began to exchange uneasy glances. Despite the uneasiness, we pressed on, climbing the rickety ladder to the top of the tower.
At the summit, we found a small room filled with dusty, outdated equipment. The walls were covered in strange markings, a chaotic blend of numbers, letters, and symbols. As I examined the markings, I realized that they formed a pattern, a message hidden within the chaos.
With a mix of excitement and dread, I deciphered the message: "The static sees. The static knows. The static never lets go."
The moment I read the message aloud, the air around us began to crackle with energy. The static grew louder, filling our ears with its relentless noise. We scrambled to descend the tower, our hearts pounding in terror as the static seemed to chase us down.
We made it back to the ground just as the tower began to emit a deafening screech. The rusted metal groaned and creaked, and the entire structure collapsed in on itself, crashing to the ground in a cloud of dust and debris.
In the days that followed, the story of our encounter with the Static Man spread like wildfire through our small town. People began to avoid the old television tower, and soon the legend faded from memory.
But I know the truth. The Static Man is still out there, lurking in the static of old television sets, waiting for someone to come too close. I've never been able to watch static on a screen again without feeling a chill down my spine, wondering if those empty, haunting eyes are staring back at me from the other side.

I'm working on a rather unusual open source SPA project. The state is being stored inside of a single Redux store. I am currently doing animations in two ways:

• I have a useEffect hook that dispatches every ~65ms and updates the state
  • The animation in this case is basically the 1-1 mapping of state to UI
• I am using framer motion to make some divs bounce when certain state changes

However, I want to implement animations that are more complicated than this, for example:

• When some counters update, I want to generate icons/text/numbers that float upwards representing the delta and then disappear after a set amount of time
• I want to have 3 divs that spin around and when the user presses a button, the divs will slowly stop spinning
• I want to have 1 div containing a list in a circle spin when items are added and removed
• etc

I can think of three ways of animating the above:

• I have a useEffect hook that dispatches every ~16ms and selectors that use this as a global tick rate to determine animation frames e.g. like in keyframe animation
  • I'm worried that this approach will have performance issues though e.g. can Redux handle 60FPS?
• I can try to extend the framer motion usage
  • I think this can get extremely complicated for some of the animations I want
• I can draw a transparent canvas element over the app and animate in that
  • I know this will work, but this means I'll bifurcate the UI between react and canvas

What approach for animation do you think I should go with?

Sorry for any poor grammar. I had a dream of my friend who is not very close to me, I don’t know why it happened but it’s been playing on my mind today. So we were on an activity that day and I’m one to fall asleep after doing the said activity on the bus going home. She was teasing me about liking this other girl and it was no hope, kinda funny to be honest. Anyway that’s a bit of back story of what happened to maybe caused this weird dream, I have no idea how dreams work so I don’t know. I went to bed exhausted after that activity and had a dream. She was sneaking me in her house (I have never been to her house) up the stairs to her room in which the curtains were closed the bed was a kings wooden frame with grey and white stripes, her floor was messy with books and small amount of clothes, her walls were grey with a tint of yellow from the sun peering through the curtains. This is when I then saw her underneath me with no clothes on, it was weird cause I never had any thoughts about her like that until now , it been driving me Insane, I later woke up this morning confused and found out she added me on snap , is it a coincidence this is all happening or am I just weird?