I went for a ride this weekend with my Beta 500rrs, and I struggled to get any grip in the sand. I have Michelin Dirtstar tires, with low PSI (8). In a low gear especially, there are times where I have absolutely no grip. I will dig a hole into the ground before moving, or I am rarely in control of the bike and drift all around. I even have a toggle for areas with low grip.
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Has anyone had problems with this too? Any Ideas on a fix?

Jokic is arguably the worst Player in the NBA in terms off athletic ability. He is slow, he has no vertical, he is tired fast, he isnt physically strong like embiid, Bam etc
I would argue that in the last 15 Years there wasnt a Player with worse athletic ability then Jokic, i can go to a D3 College and i will find Centers that are physically more capable then him.
Now my question, why is Jokic unstoppable? Why doesnt he get abused by someone like AD for example?
I understand that, he has high IQ, all good, but why cant a coach find a way to exploit jokic? How can it be that jokic with the worst athletic ability in the last 15 years is unstoppable?
What i want to say is following, Jokic is the first NBA superstar with HORRIFIC athletic ability (young dirk was a way better athlete for example.) like jokic struggles to dunk the ball.
My question is, why is he the first one that can cover his athletic deficit? What makes him special?

Maybe I just need a reality check but I’m tired of my role as an SDR after 6 months. I get no inbound leads, we have a weekly list of 80 companies that I have to (try to) make contact with every Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. So a total 240 calls per week max. I sell IT services to SMB, and after 6 months all I have to show for it is 2 appointments booked and one appointment sat.
I don’t really feel supported in my role, as I still don’t know my unique selling proposition and I’ve been asking for it for months. The most common objection I get is “we already have an IT person/company” and I can’t really handle that objection because we’re a boiler plate IT company that really isn’t doing anything special. Even if I could articulate areas that we are better at (believe me I’ve tried), nobody wants to book a follow up appointment because they’re happy with their IT company of 10+ years. Not sure if it’s just the nature of the job that I’m having trouble with or if it’s the lack of support in my role, but I’m getting more and more reluctant to make calls because I feel like it’s impossible to deliver any kind of value even if I do connect with the decision maker.
I don’t have any kind of KPI’s other than 240 calls a week, and management’s solution to lack of leads is “keep making calls/we need more outbound calls.” There was one other SDR in this role before me, and she lasted about 6 months in this role too. Any advice for this role would be great because I’m struggling with the idea of being a quitter, but if management can’t/won’t help me improve then I feel like there’s only so much I can do.

The heading for this post can be slightly misinterpreted or clickbait like, so be warned. My journey is simple, as I had the opportunity to take the Security+ when it was under the SY0-501 status. However, procrastination and fear of failure caused me to miss out on that opportunity. Around two years later it was time to take the SY0-601 as it is critical for the DOD-8570/8140 standard and covers the IAT Level I and II directives. So, now that I've gotten that out of the way I'm hoping to help some of you save some vital time!
Study Suggestions and Tools
1 - Don't do what I did (unless you are absolutely tired of procrastinating). I had previously reviewed the exam objectives and printed them out at least 10-20 times but never truly used them to study. I also began studying vigorously for the exam on May 3rd and scheduled my test for May 24th. This was only because I needed to light some serious fire under me to get going and actually devote hours of my day to study. In three weeks I studied for no less than 40 hours in that window. There were also actually days when I did not study at all, but I was actively rehearsing the acronyms and deployed the material into DAILY CONVERSATION. BE INTENTIONAL! Example - I wonder how long it will take before this breaks, oh yea like MTBF. OR. If things were to break do I know what I'd do, oh yea like an IRP. This absolutely assisted me in the process of study.
2. Jason Dion and Professor Messer Practice Exams - huge thanks for all nine of them as I took each of Dion's and two of Messers and some multiple times. My highest score was 93%, however, that was because I rocked on all things that particular exam covered. Average test score on both Messer and Dion's exams had to be no higher than a 75%. Drill the answers into your head but know why they were wrong and please READ! There were so many times I could've felt even more ready had I simply read the question right and not rushed through it.
3. Mike Meyers (Passport Book/online or paperback) - This book is essentially the exam cram study guide and I will tell you now I hate reading certain material. I love cyber and security information but I have all of the guides (Exam Cram, Get Certified Get Ahead, The Official Study Guide, and a few other options). I may have read 60-70 pages of those books combined. However, I flew through the online offering from Mike Meyers via Total Seminars as everything was condensed and not expounded upon. If you like/love to read and know you retain information that way definitely go for the GCGA by Darril Gibson if I read that book I'd be prepared for sure!
4. Professor Messer's SY0-601 videos (1.5 speed) - I listened to a ton of his free videos on this speed after I covered essentially every topic just to pick up on things I may have missed. If something was not familiar, I would either rewind or play that video at regular speed.
Lastly, I prayed a lot!! I sacrificed some personal fun time for a period and man does it feel good to have passed. You can do it, you will do it, and you will be thankful you put the time in because now once you pass you can focus on mastering tools like the FTK Toolkit, Autopsy, PowerShell, Linux, or whatever was on the exam and work towards being a SME versus just passing a certification. If you're in cybersecurity already and aren't just a Systems Admin like me you definitely should be able to pass as you most likely use a ton of the frameworks and tools daily.
I definitely was nervous before clicking that submit button as I had a ton of PBQs and felt like I was failing all the way through. Nonetheless seeing that 772 was miraculous!
GO PASS!

well, it's a been a year and to start off I just want to say, what a ride. it's not all been good, but really i'm impressed with most of what gen 2 brought, and hey it even spawned a pretty cool fandom, so hey, that's nice.
honestly title says it all let's just get right into it with the worst:
12. Rich People $hit
And the award most predictable choice for worst song goes to... Yeah you all saw it coming, really I don't know what else to say that hasn't already been said; the chrous is lazy, the intrumental is just a lame sample of a motzart song, it's really annoying and smug in it's tone, you get the idea. I guess we should be thankful that this so far is the only real dud in gen 2 and it does highlight how much better the previous songs were in comparison. I know this song has it's fans but, yeah i'm not one of them. One last thing, this song came out during one of the worst period's of my life being so sick that I could barely move, so that might've tainted my view of this song a little bit.
11. Gentleman's Ballad
I didn't mind this one when it first came out but these days it's one I tend to avoid. It's not BAD per say, I just find it kind of annoying (mainly when puff keeps saying "I'm a ho" over and over) and forgetable, also don't like how deejay talks over the second chorus. Again don't hate it but not really a fan either.
10. Damn I'm Ugly
I feel pretty much the same about this one then I did with the last one, not awful but yeah kinda bland and billy something didn't really add anything to it unlike shuba who was the highlight of this is why i'm single, speaking of that song does anyone else think puff's verse sounds really similar to his verse in that song? Well whatever the case, we're out of the ones I'm not big on so it's all uphill from here.
9. Orphan Tears Part 2
This song was perfect for reintroducing YFM to those who remember it and introducing it to a new generation, but looking at it now... it's ok. There's nothing wrong with it, the intrumental is pretty great and stevi's vocals were great, it's sounds good it's just... not as good as orphan tears 1. Like I said it's still enjoyable but now that it's served it's purpose I don't really come back to this one much.
8. Verified
It's poppy, it's catchy, it has some fun lyrics, and that's really it. This is going to sound kinda lame but these early gen 2 songs give me some recent nostalgia for last summer, I think that sums up this one pretty well, it's a nice little summer anthem but it's not one that pops in my head often.
7. Uno Reverse
Everything I said about the last one applies here too, but what's odd is that I used to think this one was kinda mid, but it's grown on me a lot since then, I don't know that "if I lay this card down, I can flip any situation around" part like's to sneak it's way into my head. Nothing else to say, just a solid track.
6. This Is Why I'm Single
This one's just, good. I have some nitpicks like I feel there's too kinda too much going on, there's 4 vocalists and deejay's part feels way too short, and you could cut wax's part out entirely and really you wouldn't lose much, not that it's bad it's just kind of forgettable. But the rest of it I enjoy, puff's part, the pleasant chrous and espically shuba's part.
5. Date Myself
This is probably the funniest gen 2 song, I wasn't going to talk about the music videos but you kinda have to with this one; going in I thought it would just be "haha i'm lonely i'll date myself" I was not expecting puff to litterly date the gen 1 puff, and then that ending holy shit it still makes me laugh because of how absurd it is. Anyway, the song is good, it's nice to listen to, it's catchy, it's really all I'm looking for in a gen 2 song.
4. Orphan Tears Part 3
Looking back I think this one holds up way more then part 2. It's more original for one, taking a bit of a darker tone, the chorus reflects that and it sounds great. For some reason this is then gen 2 song I have the most trouble coming up with things to say so... hello it that pudding.
3. Everyone Clapped
Ehhh puff and wax's parts are just ok blah bl- HOLY SHIT YOU CAN ACTUALLY HEAR JESSE SING AS BENATAR HIS PARTS ARE SO GOOD AHHHH well anyway this song without those parts is just... ok but man benetar's parts are what keeps me coming back to this one. Hoping to hear more from him in the upcoming year.
2. Brain Rave
Speaking of recent nostalgia, this song came out around my birthday and I usually remember it for that. But other then that, I love this one, the lyrics are funny and imaginitive, it's a suprisinly strong earworm for me, stevi's part are some of the best in all of yfm and the music video is in my opinion the best yet, with some cool references and those pretty glittery shots of the band during the chorus.
1: Eff This Job
Is this an unpopular choice? I don't know but man this one still goes hard every time, the lyrics are once again pretty funny and fits well with the agressive tone, wax's verse is his best verse in all of yfm no contest, the chrous goes pretty hard, I love everything about this one and hopefully it will be topped by one in this upcoming year.
So yeah, I'm quite interested to see what else gen 2 will do, I'm hoping for a good variety, maybe some more guest singers, and hopefully this project won't be retired again anytime soon.
I'm too tired to check for spelling errors. I'll correct them later

(I say US in the title because that's where I'm from and I'm unfamiliar with how the rest of the world does it. I assume it's the same but don't want to assume incorrectly).
So, why do we still follow a five day/40 hour work week despite the population of the US growing by over 200 million people since it was first implemented in or around 1926. The population of the US was (approx.) 117.3 million people in 1926 and it's at 334.2 as of January 2023. For the past couple years I've done some thinking about how much time we spend at work vs how much time we actually get to ourselves during our off time. For instance, why doesn't a company that runs three eight hour shifts instead run four 6 hour shifts? Bringing in an entire new shift of workers helps lower unemployment. Spending less time at work means average citizens have more time to do the things they enjoy which in turn helps to stimulate the economy. Now I get it, the biggest reason why we don't see this is because the company would have to continue to pay those employees the same money they were making at five days/40 hours, or else they'd most definitely end up quitting.
I'm only going to put the one example out there because I don't want this to turn into a wall of text but I'm interested to hear if anyone else has ever had similar ideas or just feels the same way. Over the years I've just grown so tired and disillusioned with the concept of work as the vast majority of us are simply low paid cogs in the machine while the top percentage gets to reap all the benefits. Corporate greed, stagnating wages, rising inflation and a housing bubble that seems it's never going to pop just leave me more and more disappointed by the day. What's your take?

**TERRAN AID SHIPS DESTROYED**
After much speculation, Terran officials have announced that the lost shipping vessels, the Magnolia, Marigold, and Mallow belonging to Kernon Shipping, were destroyed while in transit. The large cargo vessels were lost with all hands, their large cargo of foodstuffs along with it.
This comes as a heavy blow to the Trenixous province of the former Jaaktarian Empire, as the ongoing famine is expected to worsen. Several riots broke out on Terran-occupied worlds upon hearing the news, with many accusing Terran Executive Command of attempting to reduce the Tersean population to “acceptable levels” for future colonization.
EXECOM has repeatedly denied these allegations, stating that the loss of these vessels constitute an act of terrorism. The routes of the convoy and their cargo was announced well beforehand, they say, as an act of goodwill and to discourage any pirates or Jaaktarian Navy remnants from attacking them.
Although the Galactic Conglomerate officially condemns their destruction, many of its member species continue to oppose the Terran occupation of the neighboring Trenixous, Grentali, and Hrengull provinces, refusing to remove the numerous economic sanctions placed upon the growing species.
Analysts say that by occupying these regions the Terrans are overextending their reach and are placing undue strain upon their economy. Despite the Terran claims that such occupations are merely a peacekeeping and sapient rights intervention, there are many who believe that the Terrans are attempting to exploit the ongoing Jaaktarian civil war, a conflict that is expected to worsen as peace talks continue to fall through.
However, there are many who believe that the attacks on the three ships was secretly orchestrated by the Kersean Empire. Relations between the Terrans and the Kerseans have been at an all time low following the incident at Tasagrate-IV, with increasingly aggressive rhetoric being stated by both sides. The recently announced Kersean annexation of the Tretorian, Erenthinji, Grinhalli, and Veruntaner former Jaaktarian provinces have only worsened this. Many have pointed out the hypocrisy of the Kersean position, decrying the Terran intervention while they themselves are directly claiming territory.
Furthermore, the Terran military has…
>Excerpt from a news article published in the Sylintian Press, author unknown.
One of the more famous skirmishes leading up to the start of the Third Orion War was the Terran defense of Tasagrate-IV. The system was largely uninhabited and lay in relatively uncharted space overlapped by Terran and Kersean claims. Tasagrate-IV had been settled by the Terrans five standard cycles prior to the conflict, and a small but robust export-based economy had developed utilizing the planet’s abundance of natural resources.
It is unknown what made the Kersean Empire decide to attack the small colony. Kersean-aligned speakers may claim that they were simply defending rightfully claimed territory from an encroaching aggressor. Pro-Terra sources would likewise claim that Kersea chose to seize the colony and its resources by force in a bid to curb Terra’s growing power. The official position by the Terran government was that it was a probing attack, meant to test Terran defenses and response as a precursor to a much larger invasion.
What can be certain is that the truth will likely never be known. The opening phase of the Third Orion War left the vast majority of the Kersean Empire’s critical infrastructure in ruin. Centers of Command and Communication were among the highest priority of targets during Operation Apocalypto, second only to Kersea’s Relativistic Weapons. Any information held by the personnel and ships that participated in the invasion would have likewise been lost when the second wave of Terran RKV’s, aimed at conventional military targets, obliterated the Kersean fleets. The ensuing chaos and breakdown of civil function means that learning more would be prohibitively difficult. As such, Terran sources and hearsay are all that can be used to document the battle.
Hrjin Argoni’s popular memoirs do shed light on the matter, however his position as a diplomatic envoy by nature means that he was not privy to such military matters. Many have construed Argoni’s orders to “gain the most advantageous settlement” in the territorial negotiations as evidence that the Kersean Empire was always planning on seizing the systems by force, however the Terran diplomats had the same instructions, essentially to the letter.
At the time of the conflict, the Terran population only numbered at about one hundred thousand, the overwhelming majority of which were clustered around the planet’s Capitol or the many mines that dotted the surface. The Terran military contingent was likewise small, consisting of a single Army division and one Wing of MSM-115C Surface-to-Orbit anti-ship missiles, better known as the Paladin.
The Army division was thinly spread across the planet, primarily equipped for anti-piracy, anti-smuggling, and peacekeeping operations. The Paladin Wing meanwhile consisted of four relatively independent Paladin Squadrons, with two located on each hemisphere. That way, the entirety of the planet’s orbital space could be covered and defended, allowing for two squadrons to be on deployment while the other two underwent maintenance or training.
At the Squadron level, the Paladins were commanded by one Mobile Operations Center (MOC), a large tracked vehicle converted from transportation use and equipped with numerous powerful orbital sensors and communication arrays. The MOC would be tasked with coordinating the movement and dispersal of the squadron’s various batteries while also monitoring the orbital space they were assigned to defend. Each squadron held four batteries of three Transport-Erector-Launchers (TELs) that carried and fired the Paladin missiles. The TELs themselves were even larger than the MOC, using Anti-gravity technology to transport the massive Paladin missile horizontally on their backs over the planet’s rough terrain, then having to erect the missile into launch position before being fired. Because of the size of the Paladin’s warheads and the distance they needed to travel to reach their targets, the Paladin was considerably larger than the Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles of Terran antiquity.
When the order to launch is given, the MOC sends the command to one or more of the squadron’s elements. The element would then stop its movement and each TEL would lower themselves to the ground, at which point several hydraulic legs would extend to anchor the TEL to the ground in a level position. After that, the missile in its tube would be raised to the vertical position while a firing solution is reached.
The Paladin used a cold-launch system, meaning that the missile must first be ejected from the tube before the missile’s solid-fueled chemical booster would ignite. To do this, a generator used chemical reactions to create an immense amount of steam that would eject the missile above the TEL. Following ejection, the missile’s booster would ignite and the missile would begin its flight to the target. Throughout its flight, various stages are discarded and ignited to save weight and increase the missile’s velocity. Once the missile was out of the atmosphere, the missile’s nose cone would be jettisoned and the three warheads released.
Each Paladin Missile carried three W97 Enhanced Radiation Warheads, the most prolific variant of the famed Terran “Neutron Bomb.” Each warhead is equipped with a thruster pack to guide it to its target while evading enemy interceptors. Upon reaching the target, the warhead would detonate either upon impact or proximity, killing the biological crew of the enemy vessel with the immense burst of neutron radiation and damaging electronic systems.
This is what the Kersean Royal Navy faced when the invasion fleet descended upon Tasagrate-IV.
The Empire did not expect significant resistance, and as such sent a light invasion force of 300,000 Royal Marines on 50 transport ships escorted by a fleet led by one Heavy Cruiser, three Light Cruisers, five Destroyers, and eight Corvettes. Upon arrival. The fleet would disperse into three elements. The first would hang back and protect the transports, consisting of the Heavy Cruiser, one Light Cruiser, one Destroyer, and two Corvettes. This would serve as a reserve force should any ships be lost, and would command the overall operation. The two other elements would consist of one Light Cruiser, Two Destroyers, and Three Corvettes. These would comb the surface of the planet, one for each hemisphere, with the objective of seeking and destroying any target of opportunity.
When the invasion commenced, the Paladin had been untested in combat and was relatively unknown even within Terran space. Had the full capability of the system been known by the Kersean Empire, it is likely a much more sizable fleet would have been sent to Tasagrate-IV. The Paladin Wing on the planet only had two squadrons that were combat-capable. One was undergoing routine maintenance, and the other was conducting training missions with inert warheads. The latter would not have time to mount their live warheads before the battle would commence, and as such immediately chose to disperse rather than engaging the enemy.
Once the two Kersean Strike elements were in range of the Paladin batteries, each squadron fired a salvo of eight missiles. These were detected by the Kersean forces, however they were unable to intercept due to their distance from the planet. As such, the eight missiles were able to reach altitude and release their three warheads, totaling 24 warheads per element, four warheads per ship, and 48 warheads in total.
The Kersean point-defense systems experienced significant difficulty adapting to the highly-maneuverable warheads that swarmed their fleets. In total, 75% of the incoming warheads were intercepted. However, that still left six warheads inbound for each element. Both were ravaged by the attack. Between the two of them, only two corvettes survived undamaged, with one frigate surviving with heavy damage and a light cruiser rendered combat ineffective.
This came as a severe shock to the Kersean invasion commander, as the highly dispersed Paladin squadrons were not located by their long-range sensors. As such, she wisely decided to abort the invasion and retreated back into Kersean space. Had she chosen to press the attack, it is likely the invasion would have succeeded, despite significant losses. The two combat-capable Paladin squadrons were down to 1/3 of their firepower, while the other two could be hunted down and destroyed by the invading ground forces.
Upon seeing the success of the Paladin, Terran production and deployment of the system was significantly increased. Kersean intelligence services meanwhile, scrambled to figure out the new weapon.
This incident substantially increased tensions between the two powers, and is regarded as one of the main factors leading to the Third Orion War. Both powers used it for substantial propaganda value. On the Terran side, the technological prowess of the system and the imperialist aggression of the Kersean was strongly emphasized. The Kerseans meanwhile decried the settlement of the system as an invasion and encroachment by the Terrans onto their territory and a flagrant disregard for the legitimate claims, portraying the Terran defense as an unprovoked attack against an armed envoy that was intending to negotiate a settlement.
In either situation, the end result was an increase in military readiness and mobilization as the two powers geared themselves up for war…
>Excerpt from “Third Orion War: Buildup and Causes” by Junkillian Khimonsa, Chief Historian, Livani University.
“Look, those damn Kerseans are up to no good, clear as day. Those xenos think they can strut around the Conglomerate and bully everyone into submission. ‘No More!’ I say.
“Just look at the bill they passed a week ago! Sanctions on damn near everything we make. They don’t like it that we can do things cheaper and better than them, and they hate us. They go around calling us little atom monkeys because their tech ain’t as good as ours. That’s the thing you see, humanity has always been special. The damn xenos ain’t never gonna get that.
“I had a brother on the Marigold when the Kerseans destroyed her. That food was going to do good in the galaxy, helping out the innocents in Jaaktaria. ‘Cept the problem is that doing so makes us Terrans look good and the Kerseans look bad. I’m telling you, those hinge-head bastards in the Diamond Palace are a bunch of Tyrants.
“And then they go around preaching about ‘stability’ and ‘order’ and ‘uplifting’. All they do is go around like loan sharks trapping helpless little aliens in their schemes. And when someone doesn’t want to bow down they break them.
“I’ve said this before and I’ll say this again, War is coming. It’s time someone put them in their place. They think they have the numbers and the precious little ‘RKV’s’. No, like they think us losing a few dozen planets will stop us with the hundreds we have. We will burn their mongrel hides even if we have to choke on our own blood to do so.
“If they think we don’t have the nukes to burn them off of every floating rock they own, I *know* we’ll have the chemicals and bioweapons to bring them a beatdown of biblical proportions. They’ll be a textbook footnote before they even know what hit them.“
>Excerpt from Political Commentator Joe Alexander’s podcast “Humanity First.” The podcast is highly controversial and is known for containing biased or incorrect data. It is currently banned by 78% of Galactic Conglomerate member species.
**BEYOND TOP SECRET**
OSIRIS has observed extremely abnormal Kersean activity that warrants immediate EXECOM attention.
SIGINT has detected a 450% increase in encrypted FTL communications between the Kersean Grand Council and all Kersean military forces. HUMINT and DARKSTAR missions observe that 85% of the Kersean Navy is out of port, with significant fleet gatherings at points ASTRA, BAKER, GEODE, and ZENITH. Significant Kersean ground forces are being mobilized for planetary assault. Ministry of the Voice propaganda has seen a 165% trend increase towards belligerent messaging. 78% of Kersean reserves are being mobilized. Significant activity around Kersean Relativistic Weaponry.
CARDINAL assets in Galactic Conglomerate report numerous conferences between Kersean and Kersean-aligned delegates. 61% of BENEDICT assets are unresponsive. All BENEDICT assets are presumed compromised. Primary, secondary, and underground channels are experiencing severe difficulty negotiating with Kersean contacts.
OSIRIS believes this to be a prelude to a full-scale invasion of Terran space. Kersean activity is consistent with that before the Kersean invasion of former Jaaktarian space. SAMSON sites have been notified of ongoing developments and have increased readiness, however cannot be activated without EXECOM authority.
OSIRIS strongly recommends EXECOM declare STRATCON BLACK and activate CONPLAN 88 in accordance with the Lemay Protocol. Casualty estimates are significant but acceptable. OSIRIS confirms this with the highest degree of confidence. War is unavoidable.
>Highly encrypted FTL communique from the Terran Office of Strategic Intelligence, Reconnaissance, Information, and Surveillance (OSIRIS) to Terran Executive Command, released one decacycle after the end of the Third Orion War. Less than one Terran hour after this message was received, the first Terran RKV’s would be fired as a part of Operation Apocalypto, marking the beginning of the Third Orion War.
He passed me a small sphere in his hand. It was an incredibly tiny object, small enough I had to make sure it didn’t slip between my appendages. I look back up and see him rolling perhaps a dozen of them in the palm of his hand.
“This is it? It must weigh only a gram!”
I tried not to grimace as he smiled.
“It does, but kinetic energy increases *exponentially* with velocity. At the speed of light, that little thing hits with over 10 kilotons of force.”
I blanched as the sphere suddenly felt far, far heavier in my grasp. 10 kilotons was by no means small, but compared to nuclear and antimatter weaponry, it was a drop in the bucket. I turned back to the weapon’s diagram and eyed the warhead section.
“How many did you say it could carry?”
He paused for a moment. Worry briefly flashed across my mind as I feared I had asked an unacceptable question. But my anxieties were placated somewhat as he responded.
“Several thousand, depending on size and method of dispersal. This one is just the anti-ship version.”
Images of the Emperor’s Fleet being torn apart in an instant flashed before my eyes. Garden worlds being left smoldering wastelands while small moons were simply *broken*.
The man took the sphere from me and placed them down on the table. Collecting them one by one into a small bag, he reminded me of a predator picking through the carcass of its prey.
“You know…” he began. “We already have plenty of them in service.”
I could have sworn my hearts stopped beating at that instant.
“I can’t tell you how many we have or how fast we make them, but do know we have enough.”
This was bad. The Intelligence Service told me that the Terrans were only in the prototype stage. I scanned his features for signs of a bluff, a slight tick here or a bead of sweat there, but couldn’t find any.
But then I realized, *The Terrans weren’t beholden to the arms treaties.* They were an upstart race who entered the galactic scene well after the Great Hydrogen Wars, well after hundreds of relativistic weapons had been used in the most horrific manner. Left unchecked, Terra’s resource-rich systems and industrious people meant that the race had the potential to rival and possibly surpass Kersea.
This changed everything. Now it was clear that Terra wasn’t a future threat, but a present one.
If the Terrans were developing RKVs built specifically for anti-ship purposes, then they must already have significant amounts of them. The other races of the galaxy reserved their few RKVs as planet-busting weapons of last resort. There was no need to differentiate them as being anti-ship, because there was only one use for them.
I flashed through my briefings of the Terran military. Budget black holes woven between endless bureaucracy, ship classes designated far different than why their tonnage suggested, uninhabited worlds or systems blocked off, significant agricultural reserves, mobile command posts. The Terrans weren’t just preparing to fight a relativistic war, they were preparing to *win* one.
He continued.
“Despite what you and your government may think, us Terrans aren’t new to this game. We’ve been playing against ourselves for centuries.”
“Is that so?”
“Indeed.” He turned around and emptied the bag back into his right hand. “We know the rules.”
Rolling one into place between his thumb and index finger, he tossed it at a nearby model of a terrestrial planet. The plastic model tipped over and clattered onto the table.
“We do have one question though,” Another toss and another model planet knocked over.
*“What kind of player do you want to be?”*
>Excerpt from “I Saw the End From The Past and Could Only Watch.” By Hrjin Argoni, Former Kersean Imperial Ambassador to Terra

I own a recent Trek FX2 Disc and ride all over SLC's streets and paved bike paths. I currently rock the stock 700c x 35c tires and they have been fine for pavement. I am thinking of picking up a pair of knobby gravel 38s to try riding on gravel roads and mellow trails around Northern Utah. For example, I am thinking of the stretch of the BST by the Natural History Museum or the road at the Bear River Bird Migratory Refuge.
For those who know: Can I make it work with my fitness/hybrid bike? I'd rather not pick up a mountain bike if I can turn this beaut into an all-arounder specifically tuned to our environment.

Social anxiety is becoming much more common in society today. As you and I spend an increasing amount of time in our homes, we are gradually isolating ourselves from society, and this causes social anxiety. Once you have social anxiety it can be hard to get rid of, I know this for a fact as it took me years to get rid of it, but I'll tell you this, it was definitely worth it. So simply follow these 5 'anxiety easing' tips which I concluded from my experiences with social anxiety to cure yourself of it too.
1. Relaxation
There are many different relaxation techniques that you can use to ease social anxiety, the best one for you may depend on personal preference or the circumstances. For example, meditation is good for a gradual increase in relaxation levels over time, but for a short-term, quick fix, deep breathing or visualization could be your best option. All we can do is give you the various popular and proven methods and their individual benefits. So, make your pick:
Visualization - Visualisation can be used as a relaxation technique to help ease social anxiety. This is achieved by visualizing peaceful and calming images, which helps by taking your mind's focus away from the source of your anxiety and transporting it elsewhere. It is best used in very short-term situations for example for social anxiety it could be seconds before talking to a cashier.
Meditation - Meditation is also a very effective relaxation technique that you can implement to ease social anxiety in the long term. Meditation is done by focusing on the present moment and letting go of anxious thoughts, there are many different paid apps that help with this but we have lots of different meditation tips and tricks in our free resource library if you want to check it out for free!
Deep Breathing - By slowing down your breathing and taking in more oxygen you slow and calm your mind. Deep breathing also increases mental clarity which is particularly important for social anxiety as it allows you to focus better on your social interactions and make you a better listener, which is vital for being a good friend and becoming emotionally intelligent.
Progressive Muscle Relaxation - Progressive Muscle Relaxation or PMR eases anxiety by promoting a feeling of relaxation and reducing physical tension throughout the body. This also makes you appear more confident as your body is looser and less tense.
Now that you have been informed of all the potential relaxation techniques that you can use, pick a few and regularly put them to use to quickly begin to ease your social anxiety.
2. Good Physical Health
Your physical health and social anxiety are much more closely connected than you would think. Maintaining good physical health through regular exercise, a healthy diet, and getting enough sleep all help to ease social anxiety symptoms.Regular exercise and a healthy diet can improve self-confidence, which can help people feel more comfortable in social situations. When people feel good about themselves physically, they are more likely to feel good about themselves socially. Exercise and a healthy diet can also reduce stress and anxiety, which can have a positive impact on social anxiety symptoms. By promoting relaxation and reducing physical tension, people can feel more at ease in social situations. Good physical health can also increase social opportunities, allowing people to engage in activities they enjoy and meet new people. This can help people build social skills and reduce social anxiety symptoms over time.Overall, good physical health can have a positive impact on social anxiety symptoms by reducing physical symptoms, improving self-confidence, reducing stress, improving sleep, and increasing social opportunities. It is important to prioritize physical health as part of a comprehensive approach to managing social anxiety.
3. Seek Support
Seeking support from others is another important way to ease social anxiety. Social anxiety can be a very isolating experience, and seeking support from others can help you feel less alone and more understood. But in order to make support-seeking work you must talk to someone that you trust, for example, a family member or even a professional. When you find your trusted person there are many different ways in which talking to them can ease your social anxiety.When you seek support from others, you receive external validation for your experiences and feelings. This can help you feel less alone and more understood, thus fighting that feeling of isolation felt by those coping with social anxiety. Talking to others can also provide a new perspective on your social anxiety and it helps you understand that you are not alone in your experiences. This can help reduce feelings of shame and self-blame when talking about social anxiety and instead promote feelings of acceptance and self-compassion.Finally, seeking support from others can also provide you with a new coping strategy for easing your social anxiety. As many other people have experienced similar feelings in their life and can provide advice and support for regularly managing anxiety symptoms.
4. Practice Anxiety Easing Affirmations
Affirmations are positive statements that are used to counteract negative self-talk and beliefs. When practiced regularly, affirmations can be an effective tool to help ease social anxiety. The benefits produced by affirmations are different from that of the previous 3 techniques because they are more confidence and self-improvement orientated rather than solely for calming and relaxation purposes, so here are a few of the ways affirmations ease anxiety:Affirmations shift your mindset: Anxiety often stems from negative thinking patterns and beliefs. Affirmations can help you reframe your thoughts and beliefs in a more positive light. By repeating positive statements, you can shift your mindset and focus on the good in your life.
Affirmations build your self-esteem: Low self-esteem is often linked to anxiety. By repeating affirmations that focus on your strengths and positive qualities, you can boost your self-esteem and feel more confident.
Affirmations promote positive action: Anxiety can be paralyzing, making it difficult to take action. Affirmations can help you overcome this by promoting positive action. By focusing on positive statements, you may feel more motivated and inspired to take action toward your goals.
Affirmations can be a powerful tool for easing anxiety. By practicing affirmations regularly, you can shift your mindset, build self-esteem, and promote positive action. But all of the benefits achieved by affirmations are only possible through consistency and repetition, and in order to succeed with this method you must be patient because it takes time.At long last. We've been building up to this technique all article. Gifting you all of the necessary skills needed to leap over this final hurdle, to finally defeat and ease your social anxiety for good. It's time to face your fears!
5. Face Your Fears
Social anxiety makes social situations extremely overwhelming and uncomfortable. While it can be tempting to avoid these situations altogether, facing your fears is a key step in overcoming your social anxiety. All of the techniques listed above are useful but they mean nothing if not put to the test, and even if they fail just remember that 'failure is growth'. So what good could possibly come from putting you in an overwhelming and uncomfortable social situation?
Desensitization: By gradually exposing yourself to social situations that make you anxious, you can become desensitized to them over time. This means that you may become less reactive to the anxiety triggers and feel more comfortable in social situations.
Increased Confidence: Each time you face a fear and overcome it, you build confidence in yourself and your ability to handle social situations. This can help to reduce anxiety and increase your sense of self-efficacy.
Challenging Negative Thoughts: Social anxiety is often fueled by negative thoughts and beliefs about oneself and others. By facing your fears, you can challenge these negative thoughts and beliefs and develop a more realistic and positive outlook.
Creating New Experiences: Avoiding social situations can lead to a limited and isolated life. By facing your fears and engaging in social activities, you can create new experiences and opportunities for growth and personal development and ultimately a more entertaining and free life!
Even though it may be hard to face your fears and step out of your comfort zone it is 100% worth it, and I can tell you from personal experience that these 5 tips are LIFE-CHANGING. I used to be socially anxious and couldn't talk to my friends, let alone strangers without feeling anxious but now I am completely the opposite, I actually enjoy talking to strangers and making friends. So if you really want to improve your life and put an end to the tiring struggle that is social anxiety then please just follow these 5 tips with consistency and consciousness of mind and the world will be at your feet!

I own a recent Trek FX2 Disc and ride all over SLC's streets and paved bike paths. I currently rock the stock 700c x 35c tires and they have been fine for pavement. I am thinking of picking up a pair of knobby gravel 38s to try riding on gravel roads and mellow trails around Northern Utah. For example, I am thinking of the stretch of the BST by the Natural History Museum or the road at the Bear River Bird Migratory Refuge.
For those who know: Can I make it work with my fitness/hybrid bike? I'd rather not pick up a mountain bike if I can turn this beaut into an all-arounder specifically tuned to our environment.

Hey guys!
 
I made a big update to the “Everything We Know About Stormgate – A Giant Compilation (With Sources)” post, increasing its size by almost 50 percent!
 
The original post has now been divided into two: The main body of the post, and a second part in the comments (because it surpassed the character limit). The direct link to the 2nd part in the comments is here.
 
I’ve also made some wording and grammar changes, and added extra sources for some of the points.
 
And that’s not all!
 
I’m happy to announce that I’m now a part of Stormgate Nexus and have also posted the full undivided post on the SGNexus page here. The SGNexus version also has some nice additions, like the inclusion of images (including a cute turtle and the meme chicken), email screenshots, and a few developer quotes.
 
And in case you haven’t seen it yet, one of our mods u/_Spartak_ has included a shortcut at the top of the subreddit where you can access the post.
It was also included in the Welcome & FAQ page of the subreddit under the question “How can I learn more about Stormgate?”, so you can easily access the post whenever you want, even as it falls from the top of the subreddit into the abyss.
 
But What If I Already Read the Whole Post?
 
Worry not! You won’t have to reread everything again looking for what has been added.
 
Below is a compilation of every new point that has been included in the post, organized by subheading.
 
And if you see a paragraph fully italicized like this, it’s because it was in the original post, but was included here to provide context for a new paragraph.
 
Enjoy!
 

What Is Stormgate?

• Stormgate will be available on Steam for Windows PCs. Specific system requirements have not been revealed, but you can get a baseline by seeing Unreal Engine 5’s requirements. 1

Races

• The Human Resistance’s mechanics have been described as having a Protoss-like mechanic, a couple of mechanics that felt Terran-like and WC3 Human-like by Neuro, who got to play the game early.⁵
  • He also mentions that it didn’t feel exactly like playing Terran. 6

 

• The Infernal Host is described as the “Swarm” faction, which uses superior numbers to overwhelm enemies.⁷ But they may have playstyles that have a lower number of more elite units. 8
  • In general, they’re experimenting with factions having different “tracks” or “trees” of compositions, some with more units, some with fewer, similar to SC2 Terrans, which has a playstyle of few very powerful units (Mech), and a higher-numbers, higher mobility playstyle (bio). 9

 

• Pre-apocalypse humans had a lot of research and technology aimed at dealing with climate change. Their roster will have a variety of units that were repurposed from tasks such as agriculture and industry into war, providing an army that has a lot of supportive, healing, and synergy units. 10
  
• They’re aiming for about as much military unit asymmetry as SC2, but more worker asymmetry than SC2 had, moving closer to WC3’s level of worker asymmetry. 11
  
• Asymmetrical late game design for races: instead of just balancing the game around big late game army vs big late game army, they instead want differences like one faction being a better ability to harass the opponent, while another is better at direct big army combat, for instance. 12
  

Economy

• There will be 2 resources: a plentiful resource akin to minerals in Starcraft, and a “tech” resource that is rarer, akin to vespene gas. One of the advantages of a tech resource is that it can give scouting opportunities, such as by deducing how much gas an opponent can have. 14
  • The tech resource is called “Therium” and is described as “crystalline”. Human resistance workers will return to the refinery with Therium after it’s been collected, rather than returning to the main base structure. 15
  • The second resource has been described as “unlike anything we've seen in previous Blizzard RTS.” 16

 

• They do not plan on having a Warcraft 3-style upkeep system, where you get lower income as you reach higher supply thresholds. 24

The Engine

• Games can support up to 1300 units in a single game. 30
  
• The ability to spectate games after they’ve started, similar to Dota 2 and Age of Empires 4, is in consideration, and they’re building the tech in a way that allows them to include the feature even if it isn’t there on launch. 33
  

New Player Experience & Making the Game More Approachable

• The Infernal Host has a unit called the “Shadowflier”, described as an early flying scout unit⁵⁵ and Neuro mentions an early cheap scouting unit for the Humans.⁵⁶ These two units further confirm that each race will have early and affordable methods of scouting.
  • The human scout unit has been described as a “Cute little scouting unit“⁵³ and may be the small spider-like robot on the left from this mousepad art, or the drone seen on the trailer. This is just speculation and it could be something else entirely.

 

• One of their core philosophies is that each of the 4 main game modes (Campaign, Co-op, Ranked PVP, and Custom Games) are largely isolated game modes, with little crossover and conversion from one game mode to another. They will focus on providing each segment with significant support and will not focus on trying to use one game mode as an on-ramp for another game mode (like using the campaign as an onboarding step towards Ranked PVP). 59

Heroes

• If Heroes are in 1v1, they’re unlikely to be like Warcraft 3’s (high power, centers army around them, leveling, items and inventory, attributes, etc), as Frost Giant has expressed disliking some of the downsides of Warcraft 3’s hero design like snowballing and having fewer army splits due to the centralization of combat around heroes. 63
  • We also have confirmation that Heroes won’t have an inventory and items like in WC3. 64

Game Speed

• Similar to SC2 in how fast the game start is, following a design philosophy that is closer to the 12-worker start era of SC2 than the 6-worker start era. 68
  • On top of this, Neuro says it felt a little bit slower to expand than Starcraft 2’s Zerg Hatch First, but about the same speed as a Terran. 69, nice

Maps

• They’re experimenting with having more terrain levels/layers than SC2, where the maps mostly had just 2 levels. 79

Deathballs

• Late game units will also be more specialized to have greater room for counters and army composition shifting and adaptation, rather than finding the perfect good-against-everything unit and spamming it, or having the perfect mix of units that never needs to be changed. 82

Turtling

• They identify turtling as a potential problem, and one that can make some games stretch for longer than they should. Part of the way they’re addressing this is experimentation with powerful late game finisher units to break turtling and finish the game when you’re ahead instead of not being able to end the game against a turtler. 83
  • “Lumbering mega units” is mentioned in this comment too.

Team Games (3v3 Ranked PVP)

• The 3v3 mode will be more objective-based. 93
  
• Creeps (Neutral enemies to defeat on the map) in 3v3 will have rewards for the entire team, rather than just the player who did them (it won’t necessarily be every creep). 94
  

Story

• In the cinematic trailer, we see a human archeologist retrieve a powerful shield amid ruins. According to the email “Re: War Update”, this shield is called the “Aegis Cipher”, and is a relic.
  • The shield isn’t just for blocking demonic attacks. It also has a constellation map that can be used to find the locations of relics that have been hidden for millennia. Part of the campaign will be about retrieving said relics to help fight against the Infernal Boogaloo. 105

 

• The current moment in the story will also be represented in other game modes. For instance, if the new season is covering the story in a new place, that new place would have new tilesets, which would also be used on ranked maps. 109
  
• The choice of setting came from asking “What is a universe that allows us to tell the stories that we want to tell” and that allows for specific game mechanics they want in the game. 110 And it provides a wide range of nerdy concepts – magic, fantasy, sci-fi, technology, etc. 111
  
• There are already 5 years of the story planned out. 112
  

Co-Op Commanders

• Forced cooperation sucks (like needing both you and an ally to stand on the objective together), as it can result in frustrating experiences where your ally doesn’t do the objective with you. As such, Stormgate’s Co-op will avoid implementing it. In its place, they want an “extreme bonus” philosophy, where you can get the objective just by yourself, but it goes 10x faster with an ally present as well. 123

Custom Games & The Editor

• They have 3 core pillars for the editor: The Terrain Editor (Create Melee Maps), the Script Editor (Create different game types), and the Data Editor (Allows you to create new units and abilities). These 3 should allow people to make the vast majority of maps that can already be made in SC2. 129
  • They want to have visual/flowgraph scripting for the script editor to facilitate use. 130
  • Data editing will be made much easier to use, especially on the Simple mode of the editor. ¹³¹ And they want the editor and its hotkeys to mimic the game in some way to make it easier to get into the editor. It might have grids, for instance. 132

 

• They’re trying to make the designers at FGS use the tools that will also be provided for modding. They weren’t there yet at the time of the interview but were getting closer to it.¹³³ They want it to reach the point where players can open and look at the FGS-built maps and projects to see how they were built using the same tools that will be available to players. 134
  • Doing this is really hard and requires a lot of work, which showcases their commitment to modding and custom games. 135
  • The UI system is an exception, where they’re using the Unreal Engine 5 UI system to create Stormgate’s UI and modders won’t have said tools in the in-game editor. But they’re considering implementation with UE5 so players who create new UI-related modding on UE5 can import it to Stormgate, and are also considering to add a secondary modding tool just for UI. 136

 

• They have many ideas for editor tutorials. They may not have enough time and resources to build them. They’re also considering user-created tutorials. 138
  • They found bite-sized tutorials to be the most effective, e.g teach people how to make a unit, then how do you make a turret, and so forth one piece at a time, instead of a complete “how to make a TD game”, as it makes learning less overwhelming. They’re also looking at “example maps” as an example of bite-sized teaching, where editors interact with a map that is just a standard rules map + a single change like a certain unit getting one new ability. 139

 

• Steam Workshop integration isn’t completely out of the table, but it is unlikely to be implemented since their mods are expected to be multiplayer and for most maps and mods to be multiplayer, unlike Steam Workshop’s single player focus. It would also be limiting in case they branch out to more platforms other than Steam. 140
  
• You’ll be able to use the editor for camera changes and manipulation.¹⁴¹ It could be used for creating cutscenes. 142
  

 

Esports

• Besides the official pro circuit, they’re also going to allow 3rd party events, instead of banning non-official competitions. 147
  • Not only that, but they also plan to integrate community tournaments into the path to pro to make a cohesive esports system/circuit. 148

Progression

• There will be out-of-game progression. SC2 had a limited out-of-game progression system that was very short, but they want Stormgate to have a more robust one, and for you to always earn some progression after each game, even after losses. 157

Post-Release Content

• Besides new units coming into the game, we might also see unit replacements (existing unit(s) rotating out of the faction's roster). 170

Patches

• New competitive balance changes will have a testing phase, where you’ll be able to test the changes before they’re implemented to make sure they’re good enough and to prepare pro players for the next patch. 176

Concept Art

• One of the goals of the art style and graphics is the visibility and readability of units and the battlefield. They also want backgrounds to be more lit and brighter to improve readability. 177
  
• New big concept art source (Human Resistance concept art 1)
  

How Can I Support Frost Giant?

• The biggest factor right now is wishlisting it on Steam. It may seem useless at first, but wishlisting is a big deal because the more wishlisted a game is, the more the game will be showcased on Steam.
  • We’ve recently become the 95th most wishlisted game on Steam and got some extra concept art for it! Let’s get it higher boys! 184

Spellcasters (New Subheading)

• Neuro’s first playtest had a low number of spellcaster units on the army roster.¹⁸⁵ The devs also mentioned how they like to make units distinct without adding new active abilities since they can increase the complexity of the army and multiple spellcasters management, which might mean we’ll get fewer spellcasters per faction in Stormgate than in SC2/WC3. 186

Confirmed Units (New Subheading)

• Lancer: A tanky tier 1 melee unit with slightly longer reach than other melee units due to its long spear. They have an ability that allows them to deflect ranged attacks. They might also have some sort of damage reduction against large single instances of damage, similar to the Starcraft 2 Protoss Immortal. 187

 

• Evac: The arliest flying unit of the Human Resistance. It has the ability to carry units. They won't have any other capabilities besides carrying units. 188

 

• Vulcan: A mech that deals damage in a cone are and increases its attack speed the longer it keeps firing. It also has a jetpack movement ability that dashes to a location and stuns the enemies it passes through. 189

 
We have seen multiple other unit arts and screenshots (including Infernal ones), like those on the Concept Art subheading, but we have no confirmation on their mechanics.

Gameplay Footage Shown (New Subheading)

• We’ve seen screenshots (like those at Steam), and two very short clips during Summer Games Fest 2022, but no full in-game footage yet.
  
• This little Valentine’s clip showcases the Machine Factory building (with a Valentine’s skin) and a snippet of official music.
  

More Gameplay Footage When? (New Subheading)

June 11th at the PC Gaming show at 1 PM PDT / 4 PM EDT / 10 PM CEST. 190

Big Names Behind Stormgate

• Micky Neilson: Stormgate’s Lead Narrative Designer who worked as Publishing Lead for Blizzard, managing books, comics, and short stories for the company. He has also worked as Story Lead for Hearthstone and has authored multiple comics and stories for Warcraft, Starcraft, Overwatch, and Diablo. He also wrote some of the unit lines in SC2 and WC3. His works “World of Warcraft: Ashbringer” and “World of Warcraft: Pearl of Pandaria” have both made it to the New York Times Bestsellers list.

 

• Trevor Housten: The Senior Esports Manager you’ll often see answering esports-related questions on Frost Giant interview. He’s worked at Blizzard for 8 years on the esports division, and at esports-related jobs at GoMTV, IGN, and OGN before that. He’s behind much of the vision for Stormgate esports.

 

• Tracy W. Bush: Do you love SC1 and Warcraft 3 music? Then you’ll be happy to hear that the same sound designer and composer that worked on those titles is also collaborating with Frost Giant to create new iconic RTS music. He has also worked on Warcraft 2, Diablo 2, and World of Warcraft.

Miscellaneous

• “…and it [replay system] will have similar baseline functionalities as Wings of Liberty’s replay system had at launch – with features like speed up/down, pause, rewind, and more.” 192
  
• Highest supply on a single unit will be 8-10 supply. 200
  
• There is no SC2 Archon mode planned. 201
  
• They want to have more post-game stats. SC2 had a few of these, like tracking your APM and supply blocked time on the post-match screen and telling you whether you’ve performed above average. Stormgate is planned to have an expanded version of this, with even more stats being tracked. 202
  
• FGS was founded in 2020 and Stormgate has been in production since then. 203
  
• The philosophy on camera zoom level is that they want it to be restricted since players can optimize the fun out of the game by using a high zoom out option that gives gameplay advantage but reduces the fun of the game by making it harder to tell what’s going on and making the art less pronounced. 204
  
• There won’t be naval combat at launch. 205
  
• Units will have funny voice lines. 206
  
• Frost Giant is taking an inclusive methodology to game development, with consistent ongoing design discussions, where FGS proposes a topic to discuss about, and later gives their organized ideas on the topic. You can see the list of topics here. And the latest discussion as of this post is about progression. 207
  

Hey everyone! This is probably gonna be a long post sorry.
Last 2-3 years I’ve been having anxiety. It would fixate on something (for example my health) and it would go away for a while once I got my reassurance that everything was right (for example visiting a doctor). I never paid too much attention to it though. 3 months ago, one random night, I got this thought ‘what if I’m not sexually to my bf and need to break up with him?’ because I wouldn’t crave sex so much. This thought made me soooo anxious and it didn’t go away on its own, quite the opposite, it got stronger and stronger every day. I reached a point where I couldn’t sleep, eat, properly function, I was in my worst. I thought that it’s over, you just don’t want him Anymore, even though that didn’t sound logical because you can’t lose feelings overnight. Then, I found a random tik tok about rocd and damn I related sooo much. From the obsessive thoughts (not wanting my boyfriend anymore etc) to the compulsions (seeking reassurance from parents, friends 24/7). The reassurance part was crazy because I would repeat my thoughts every 5 minutes to my mum and wait for reassurance. When she would get tired I would talk with my friend etc. I would talk about my thoughts ALL THE TIME. If I could, I would do it 24/7 even if I received the same answer. The problem is my therapist says I don’t have rocd. It’s more like gad but not ocd. And I’m afraid she’s right because if she’s right that means I don’t love my bf anymore and these thoughts cause me guilt because I’m pushing myself to feel. But I don’t want that to happen! But if she’s not right, I’m not receiving the right type of treatment.
Anyways, I would like to describe a few situations from the past and ask you if it sounds like ocd to you
1)It all started 2 years ago, I started having thoughts about being ill. I knew something was wrong because I started being constipated. I was right, I was diagnosed with gluten intolerance. But every time I went to the toilet, I would get obsessive about how my stool looks like, if it’s too watery, too hard, the colour, everything. I would Google all the time about it ( before I found out about gluten), asking friends for similar experiences etc. I was certain that I had something serious like colon cancer and whenever I saw someone having cancer I would get so triggered as if I have it as well (I still have it but less). Anyways, I found out about gluten intolerance and felt better. After I realised I have no serious problem with my gut, I started thinking that I had breast cancer because I had a lump in my chest and my underarm. Again, Googling all the time, reassurance seeking, touching and checking my lump all the time. Of course, I went to the doctor, nothing… Then it was headaches. Again, doctor, nothing. The most recent i had was fear about std. When I started dating with my bf a year ago, I got random pimples on my female area. I googled what would it be and the first thing I saw was HPV. Then I started searching symptoms, feeling like I relate to every single one, searching for pics to compare. Again, reassurance seeking that it’s probably not. I would get really obsessive, check it like every 5 minutes with a mirror to see how it looks. I remember being about to sleep, then got the thought, and immediately getting up and check it with a mirror. Again it was nothing, just razor bumps.
I always thought it was just health anxiety but idk you guys, I would literally get obsessive if I didn’t get reassurance from a doctor. That was extremely obsessive behaviour, Googling 24/7 even though I knew I would say the same things over and over again, reassurance seeking all the time, I would die, if I didn’t have someone to tell me that it’s normal and everything is fine (even though I didn’t believe them unless it was coming from a doctor). Do people with health anxiety show such obsessive behaviours? And the funny thing is every time I went to the doctor and everything was fine I thought that it was over and I promised myself I wouldn’t get anxious again. And then I would be anxious about a different thing on my health….
I don’t show the stereotypical symptoms of ocd, except for some germaphobe stuff (when I shower I will always wash my hands before washing my female area without touching anything else, except for the private part cleanser or I will wash my feet and then wipe them dry without touching the floor because I don’t want them to get dirty) but anything else.
I’ll see a different therapist, more informed about ocd and ask their opinion. The main thing I want to treat right now is rocd because unlike my previous cases, I can’t get a ‘permanent’ reassurance, there is no doctor to tell me I’m fine and I love my boyfriend, it’s me vs my mind.
I described some of my most intense moments of anxiety where I notice obsessive behaviours, because no matter what everyone told me, my mind just couldn’t get it. What’s your opinion about this guys? Thank you for taking your time and reading my post. Wishing you the best:)

So me and this girl were going together for like 4/5 months i really liked her but she had horrible communication skills. Like she would say she would call me back in a few hours but wouldn't let me know until 2 days later. i got tired of this and tried to make it work, we had a long phone conversation and ... again she said she would call me back in a few hours but to no avail. i had to proxy end it because she never got back to me on our relationship status. The last text i send her after those long 4 days was" Goodbye XXXXX i hope you find happiness and success in everything that you do" . Even after that i got no reply. i went no contact I didn't check her ig or any of her socials unfriended her on Snap, etc. then 4 weeks after she started texting me randoms this about a ticktok she mad and then a week after than she sent a short clip of her in the car playing "our fav" song.
So we start texting more after a while (2 weeks after the song text). Long story short we plan a hangout and see the little mermaid. I think this was a terrible mistake now all my feelings have come back and she doesn't really want relations with me (this is implied) she says she isnt in the right head space, but mind you is active on dating apps. i began to do my old habits by looking at her ig and searching for her on other apps. This was not good.
ive come to the conclusion that i had to block her on my phone aswell i have to let her go. As much as i love(ed) her i have to put my mental health first. i took off today because i was so stress and sad.
moral of the story people know that everyone is not for you. be happy with the happy memories and times you had but move on and leave it don't hold on to what was.

​
So basically i missed the new BoP while finishing this post, another post is coming up in the next few days.

Le Mans Preview - BOP Analysis

1.0 Overview

My Le Mans Preview will be split up into three sections. The first part will be an analysis of all cars using the FIA BoP Values. The second part will be an attempt at an improved BoP. The third part will show an automated BoP from the software which attempts to equalize pace and tire degradation and fuel consumption of all cars

• Le Mans Preview - BOP Analysis
  • 1.0 Overview
  • 1.1 Column Definitions
  • 2.0 FIA BOP
    • 2.1 No Manual Data Exclusion
    • 2.2 2022 Data Excluded
  • 3.0 Adapted BoP
    • 3.1 No Manual Data Exclusion
    • 3.2 2022 Data Excluded
  • 4.0 Software Feature Demonstration and Automatic BoP
    • 4.1 No Manual Data Exclusion
    • 4.2 2022 Data Excluded
    • 4.3 Software Notes

1.1 Column Definitions

• Manufacturer ... Make of the Car
• Car ... Car Model
• RP ... Race Pace, Filtered Average
• QP ... Qualifying Pace, Theoretical Optimum
• Weight ... Car Minimum Weight
• Power ... The Peak Power Output of the Car according to the Power Curve defined in:
  • Appendix 4b of the LMH Technical Regulations
  • Article 5.1.2 of the LMDh Technical Regulations
• E/Stint ... Maximum Energy Output per Stint
• AVG Vmax ... Topspeed, Filtered Average
• FDS ... Front Deployment Speed
• RDLC ... Relative Downforce Level Coefficient:
  • Higher Value -> More Downforce
  • Lower Value -> Lower Downforce
  • Value < 0.9 -> Too Low/Inefficient Downforce Setup
  • Value > 1.1 -> Too High/Inefficient Downforce Setup

For this analysis I used my SPEaA*-Tools software which is currently still under development.
*Sportscar Performance Equalization and Analysis
Disclaimers:

• If you don't like reading through the data this will probably not be for you
• This whole analysis and BoP thing is just a hobby of mine, I am just a software developer with a WEC fetish
• Take everything in this post with grain of salt and don't take it too seriously.
• The max power values for the non hybrid LMHs has been increased to 530kw as the max 520kw has been removed from the technical regulations
• I do not want to start a discussion about if BoP systems as a whole are good or bad
• Sorry for any mistakes I make in this post as I only have limited time and a lot going on in my head and I have already put way too much time into this
• If you want to know more on what my software can do exactly read the software notes or some of my previous posts
• Any previous posts were made with older versions of the software and calculations would not match with this version
• This is my first time writing this completely in markdown and only pasting it to reddit, so I'm sorry for any formatting issues in advance, as I don't know yet how well standard md formatting and the reddit markdown mode work together

2.0 FIA BOP

2.1 No Manual Data Exclusion

So here we have the estimated data with values from 2022 included. I am only going to point this out once but I think these times are more realistic regarding Toyota because an improvement as big as in 2.2 compared to last year would be crazy.

Manufacturer	Car	RP	QP	Weight	Power	E/Stint	AVG Vmax	FDS	RDLC
Toyota	GR010 - Hybrid	3:27.78	3:21.79	1043kg	512kw	904MJ	335.67km/h	190km/h	1.01
Peugot	9X8	3:30.10	3:23.40	1042kg	516kw	908MJ	326.06km/h	150km/h	1.03
Glickenhaus	007	3:30.08	3:24.55	1030kg	520kw	913MJ	332.42km/h	-	0.96
Cadillac	V-Series.R	3:28.99	3:21.37	1035kg	513kw	904MJ	332.23km/h	-	1.02
Porsche	963	3:29.72	3:22.53	1045kg	516kw	910MJ	328.69km/h	-	1.02
Ferrari	499P	3:28.00	3:20.34	1040kg	509kw	899MJ	332.63km/h	190km/h	1.02
Vanwall	Vanderwell 680	3:32.76	3:26.96	1030kg	512kw	901MJ	329.48km/h	-	1.03

Toyota seem to be by far the fastest, which wouldn't surprise anyone. Vanwall seem slow, but i have checked multiple times, but every single one of JVs laptimes have been filtered out by the filter algorithm automatically because they were comparatively to slow and this is not even a joke. Their aero package seems less than optimal because topspeed wise the aren't too far off. Ferrari and Cadillac seem to be closer to Toyota than the rest of the field. Both of them seem to have really good pace in quali but i think they can't quite extract the race pace yet. Glickenhaus seems only a bit faster than last year, which was pretty much expected. Peugot will likely be their biggest opponent in the race. Quali times could be very wrong as they seem strange, I have changed some things regarding the calculation for quali laptimes of cars which haven't raced at that track yet. First results showed Ferrari beeing able to go a s quickly as 3:19.38, I find that a bit unrealistic but I could be wrong.

2.2 2022 Data Excluded

Manufacturer	Car	RP	QP	Weight	Power	E/Stint	AVG Vmax	FDS	RDLC
Toyota	GR010 - Hybrid	3:24.95	3:21.00	1043kg	512kw	904MJ	327.23km/h	190km/h	1.02
Peugot	9X8	3:30.10	3:24.40	1042kg	516kw	908MJ	326.06km/h	150km/h	1.03
Glickenhaus	007	3:30.08	3:24.55	1030kg	520kw	913MJ	332.42km/h	-	0.96
Cadillac	V-Series.R	3:28.99	3:21.37	1035kg	513kw	904MJ	332.23km/h	-	1.02
Porsche	963	3:29.72	3:22.53	1045kg	516kw	910MJ	328.69km/h	-	1.02
Ferrari	499P	3:28.00	3:20.34	1040kg	509kw	899MJ	332.63km/h	190km/h	1.02
Vanwall	Vanderwell 680	3:32.76	3:26.96	1030kg	512kw	901MJ	329.48km/h	-	1.03

This SHOULD theoretically be more accurate than the data in 2.1, but these values seem soooo unrealistic. Toyota would bee 4 seconds faster than anyone else on average per lap. A 3:25 as a filtered average is way too fast to be true, but we will see. Still, Toyota is shown to be slower than Ferrari in Quali, but faster than Cadillac in this case.

3.0 Adapted BoP

3.1 No Manual Data Exclusion

This would be a fair BoP according to my software, including values from 2022.

Manufacturer	Car	RP	QP	Weight	Power	E/Stint	AVG Vmax	FDS	RDLC
Toyota	GR010 - Hybrid	3:29.24	3:23.17	1053kg	506kw	898MJ	333.88km/h	190km/h	1.00
Peugot	9X8	3:29.24	3:23.59	1040kg	520kw	912MJ	326.85km/h	150km/h	1.03
Glickenhaus	007	3:29.24	3:23.76	1026kg	524kw	913MJ	333.38km/h	-	0.97
Cadillac	V-Series.R	3:29.24	3:21.61	1037kg	512kw	904MJ	331.91km/h	-	1.02
Porsche	963	3:29.24	3:22.08	1042kg	518kw	915MJ	329.25km/h	-	1.02
Ferrari	499P	3:29.25	3:21.50	1049kg	504kw	895MJ	331.09km/h	190km/h	1.01
Vanwall	Vanderwell 680	3:29.25	3:23.63	1036kg	530kw	917MJ	331.86km/h	-	1.03

If we were to believe this data, the GR010 would not be a strong qualifying car. But as I mentioned before, the quali times could be off, the Race Pace output has been tested way more and proven to be correct more times than the Quali Pace predictions. Comparing the BoP values and race laptimes does make sense and does not seem to be too far off from reality.

3.2 2022 Data Excluded

Manufacturer	Car	RP	QP	Weight	Power	E/Stint	AVG Vmax	FDS	RDLC
Toyota	GR010 - Hybrid	3:29.23	3:24.82	1069kg	494kw	888MJ	322.32km/h	190km/h	1.00
Peugot	9X8	3:29.24	3:23.59	1040kg	520kw	912MJ	326.85km/h	150km/h	1.03
Glickenhaus	007	3:29.24	3:23.76	1026kg	524kw	913MJ	333.38km/h	-	0.97
Cadillac	V-Series.R	3:29.24	3:21.61	1037kg	512kw	904MJ	331.91km/h	-	1.02
Porsche	963	3:29.24	3:22.08	1042kg	518kw	915MJ	329.25km/h	-	1.02
Ferrari	499P	3:29.25	3:21.50	1049kg	504kw	895MJ	331.09km/h	190km/h	1.01
Vanwall	Vanderwell 680	3:29.25	3:23.63	1036kg	530kw	917MJ	331.86km/h	-	1.03

Excluding values from 2022 leads to the Toyota being faster and therefore it gets more ballast and less power. I am looking forward to finding out which one of these two methods is closer to reality, but for this one to be the better solution the Toyotas would have to be so extremely fast that i find it highly unlikely. Especially due to the lower average topspeed in these results.

4.0 Software Feature Demonstration and Automatic BoP

4.1 No Manual Data Exclusion

So basically the software can calculate handling based BoPs, closest match BoPs which disregards the handling completely and tries to get the cars laptimes as close together as possible, a mixture of the two as seen above and custom BoPs.
What you need for that is laptimes, sectortimes, topspeeds, track data, car specs(weight, power curve, front/reano hybrid, hybrid deployment speed, TC/NA engine, etc...).
Here is an example of an automated handling based BoP, which focuses mainly on equaliing the tire degradation, fuel consumption and drivability factors of a car.

Manufacturer	Car	RP	QP	Weight	Power	E/Stint	AVG Vmax	FDS	RDLC
Toyota	GR010 - Hybrid	3:31.09	3:24.91	1094kg	502kw	894MJ	330.06km/h	190km/h	0.96
Peugot	9X8	3:31.00	3:25.26	1111kg	520kw	912MJ	321.50km/h	150km/h	0.96
Glickenhaus	007	3:31.10	3:25.51	1030kg	515kw	906MJ	331.62km/h	-	0.96
Cadillac	V-Series.R	3:31.00	3:23.24	1099kg	511kw	903MJ	326.96km/h	-	0.96
Porsche	963	3:31.02	3:23.74	1105kg	517kw	914MJ	324.29km/h	-	0.96
Ferrari	499P	3:31.09	3:23.21	1098kg	501kw	892MJ	326.85km/h	190km/h	0.96
Vanwall	Vanderwell 680	3:30.91	3:25.20	1102kg	530kw	917MJ	326.77km/h	-	0.96

4.2 2022 Data Excluded

And here is the same with 2022 data excluded;)

Manufacturer	Car	RP	QP	Weight	Power	E/Stint	AVG Vmax	FDS	RDLC
Toyota	GR010 - Hybrid	3:31.05	3:26.88	1108kg	490kw	884MJ	318.80km/h	190km/h	0.96
Peugot	9X8	3:31.00	3:25.26	1111kg	520kw	912MJ	321.50km/h	150km/h	0.96
Glickenhaus	007	3:31.10	3:25.52	1030kg	515kw	906MJ	331.62km/h	-	0.96
Cadillac	V-Series.R	3:31.00	3:23.24	1099kg	511kw	903MJ	326.96km/h	-	0.96
Porsche	963	3:31.02	3:23.74	1105kg	517kw	914MJ	324.29km/h	-	0.96
Ferrari	499P	3:31.09	3:23.21	1098kg	501kw	892MJ	326.85km/h	190km/h	0.96
Vanwall	Vanderwell 680	3:30.91	3:25.20	1102kg	530kw	917MJ	326.77km/h	-	0.96

4.3 Software Notes

• Many minor updates to everything have been made since my last post
• The racepace and topspeed graphs will not be shown in posts anymore as they are simply for visual representation and do not make much sense
• The software can calculate the probability of one constructor winning
• It can calculate stint lengths from BoP pretty accurately which is necessary for calculating winning chances
• Answer to a question that came up in a discussion between u/afkPacket and me: the racepace graphs had so much noise because i used filtered real lap time data to train the neural network creating those graphs. Real laptimes have just as much noise, and there basically is no correlations from one lap to the next lap in real laptimes. Also, tire degradation does not play as much of a role as in other racing series, especially as it is hard to find out how much pace was gained by burning fuel and how much the tires got slower. These features also have nothing to the with the rest of the calculations, but use them to extrapolate artificially created race data from the results. And that's why i am not including them anymore except if it makes sense to show a real visual representation of something interesting.

I have left out a thousand things I still wanted to say but I simply do not have the time sorry;)
If a new BoP is released I will analyze that too, and I will make at least one more post before the race. Have a good day and I am looking forward to reading your comments;)

I've been going to the doctor for stomach pain every single morning for around 3 years now and. NOTHING. They dismiss whatever I have to say and give me a solution to a problem I repeatedly say I don't have. I try the new pills and it either gets worst or does nothing.
I tried cyproheptadine, hopefully that's how you spell it, and the only reason it makes me feel better is because it makes me super tired, so I'm barely conscious throughout the day.
They say it's IBS but nothing will fix it, from a gluten free diet to a lowfodmap diet. Im torturing myself every single day looking up "morning diarrhea""its treatment""do I have cancer""my doctors won't help me", but don't forget the reddit at the end.
And every single time, it's a person who has been diagnosed with IBS and their doctor won't help so they ask the internet for help. It's sad and would put anyone in a hopeless state.
but I'll tell my story once again:
It started around 2 months into my school year. I was attending school every single day because this year was the year to take hard classes especially since I was aiming for a top school. One morning I got diarrhea and had to uber home since my mom was at work. The next few weeks I was perfectly fine.
- it was also a week after my 2nd covid shot (Pfizer)
My doctor told me to take ibuprofen which I did almost every morning , because the pain just continued
I started getting stomach gurgles like once in my first period class, literally it always happened one time usually around the same time. It didn't bother me much until it started happening twice and then more and more.
I started to skip my first period to the point where the teacher called the police on my mom, which they came to my house to make sure everything was okay.
I was fine, since I didn't go to first period, but then it started happening in 2nd period with even more diarrhea and stomach growling. Literally debilitating.
My grades suffered and I had to change my whole college list to only state schools. I switched to online school only taken 3 classes since I was going to the doctor's office atleast twice a week. I did great in those classes and was able to not be sad not being able to go to school
----
I was not getting ready for my last year, thinking this was just a mind this (anxiety) as the doctors told me every single day. Trying a bunch of anxiety pills and everything in the book.
It continued to happen and there was nothing the doctors were doing. Everyday I would be on the internet looking up what's wrong with me rather than studying or doing homework. I would be worrying about being in a quiet test room rather than worrying about the test. Im never usually nervous for test because I don't let it define me so I knew that couldn't be anxiety.
--I had to beg my doctor for a colonoscopy and endoscopy, which they found nothing and told me to just calm down.
you can tell when doctors only do it for the money.
I can't go to any other doctors because I'm poor and my insurance only works there.
​
- I found out I'm lactose intolerant and avoided milk but doesn't help at all. Im starting a new school soon and I want to be able to attend classes everyday because I plan to go to med school and help people who are in similar situations like me. Im desperate,
----------------------------------------------------------------
my doctors won't prescribe me with antibiotics because I brought up IBS, but she said its only people who had surgery who have that, but she also won't test for it. I can't afford the $300 test to do it myself. Im only 16 and graduated early last week so ill be able to get out of high school early but I'm not sure if I can go to college anymore.
I just really need help. and sorry if there are spelling error, I just wrote everything once from my mind

My husband's aunt Karen (that is honestly, 100% her name, no lie) is a bit of a busy body but she means well. She's helped us out several times and she's one of the 2 people who are allowed to babysit our children.
The problem is, she wants to control how my husband and I interact with each. We do a lot of playful back and forth, but it's always done with smiles and laughs. She'll then pop up with, "come on guys, don't fight." The first time it happened, I was speechless. Like, um, we aren't? It shocked me into silence for the rest of the occasion.
It's happened several more times, but the straw that broke the camel's back was my daughter's birthday party last weekend.
She'd blown out her candles and it was time to cut the cake. I said, "I wrapped all the presents, so you get to cut the cake." He said, "Yeah, because I can cut it straight." And I said, "he won't let me cut cakes or pizzas anymore! But I don't think he's ever wrapped a gift." He said, "I have, but I hate it." I said, "that's ok because I love wrapping presents." I do; it's one of my favorite things. This was all lighthearted, we were smiling and laughing.
And Karen piped up, "come on guys, get along, don't fight here." My husband said, "we weren't fighting!" And I said, "no, we weren't, we're just joking with each other!" And she did that patronizing "mmhmm, sure. Let's just have a nice time."
I think part of what made this different was some of his family happened to be visiting from out of state and of course we said they were welcome to come to the party. I've met these people once or twice. I don't think I'd ever met one of them before. So, they weren't the relatives I was comfortable around. And she called us out, loudly, in front of everyone. And we weren't arguing!
After, I talked to my husband and told him it needs to stop. She needs to stop. I asked him to talk to her and told him that I'm not going to any family gatherings until he does. And if she still continues after he talks to her, I will continue to avoid gatherings. He's 100% with me on this.
Later, my stepdaughter (she didn't hear any of the conversation my husband and I had) said, "Aunt Karen was really rude. You guys are always like that! It's fun!"
Here's where the conflict comes in. When my mother in law was over the next day, my step daughter asked, "why is Aunt Karen so mean to daddy and my name? MIL said, it's just her way." I said, "Well, I'm tired of it and if it doesn't stop, the kids and I won't be going to any family stuff." And MIL said that was a little drastic and it's not fair to keep the kids away from everyone. And I said then they can make plans to spend time with us, but I'm going to continue to be called out and embarrassed for interacting with my husband and I don't want to walk on eggshells and watch everything I say! That wouldn't be enjoyable for me at all.
So, AITA for avoiding family gatherings if my interactions with my husband keep being made out to be something they're not?

So the title kinda explains it all. I was recently diagnosed with ADHD-PI in January, started medication initially on Ritalin in February (worked but caused me to get angry) moving to Dexedrine in March and trying the IR version (twice a day). I found the right dose and my productivity at work significantly increased. In mid May, my doctor switched me from the 15mg IR twice daily to the extended release 15mg once a day and 5mg IR booster as needed when I have a fully packed day.
My doctor sent in my prescription and they were unfortunately out of stock and it was on back order. I called many pharmacies and none of them had it. I finally found a pharmacy that had it and my doctor sent in the prescription. What that pharmacy failed to tell me was that they only had brand name and my insurance wouldn’t cover it, and they wanted $650 after insurance for a 30 day supply.
I went back to my normal pharmacy and started asking for alternatives that weren’t hit as hard and he had told me that while they couldn’t get the 15mg, there was not many issues with the 5mg and 10mg coming in and he suggested I ask my doctor to have it sent in as a 5mg and 10mg 30 day supply. I sent in a message last Friday and the prescription wasn’t sent in until yesterday night. I was so worried I wasn’t going to get it.
A few weeks ago, I took a week off from work to relax and didn’t take my meds that week, and I don’t normally take them on the weekends either. I am very lucky, because after rationing them, I literally took the last pill I had last night. This is so frustrating and tiring…

I'm 16 and I started having this thing when i was 14. everytime i stand up or if i switch body positions my heart will beat hard and slow, or it will like speed up and than beat hard and slow for like 10-15 seconds. My heart also does this whenever i'm drinking something, or if i like bend down or reach for something. I've been to a cardiologist multiple times and all they did was give me EKGs and Holter monitors, and they all came back Normal every time. the doctor then said its cause of Puberty and that my body is just catching up with my growth and i just feel like that's Bullshit cause puberty has nothing to do with your heart. So it's like now i don't know what else to do, i think i have POTS and i feel like i need to have more testing done, i told my mom that she needs to make an appointment about POTS. i want something to be done about this because I've just been dealing with these irregular heartbeats for 2 years now and I'm just tired of them. but my mom won't listen to me and thinks that this is "just all in my head" so i don't really know what else i can do, since I'm under 18 and don't have a car i can't make my own doctor appointments or consent to anything. so i just feel like I'm screwed and have no choice but to deal with this

I moved to a new place, new job, about two years ago. Not long after, I befriended one of my coworkers. We clicked and started texting and hanging out outside of work a lot. She was insanely smart and fun and, naturally, I developed a crush. I told her as much but she didn’t feel the same way, so I dropped it. Focused on moving past it without it being her problem and we went on being friends, even after I changed jobs, which was great! Until a couple weeks ago.
My friend has insomnia and anxiety and sometimes takes late night drives when she can’t sleep. So, a few weeks ago at about 4:00am, she calls me in a panic. She had blown a tire and didn’t have the tools to change it. So, I got up and went to help change her tire. We got her home and I stayed with her until she was able to calm down. Then, rather than have me drive home so late/early, she invited me to stay. Specifically, in her bed with her. I would have been fine on her couch or even driving home but, one thing to another, we ended up sleeping together (in both meanings of the phrase).
The next day, I left for work while she was still sleeping. This has been a rather abrupt change considering she’d previously told me she wasn’t interested in me like that and I’ve never brought it up since early on. A lot of confusing thoughts and feelings, thought repressed or gone, bubbled back up. I decided to not have any expectations and sent her a text basically saying that it had been new but not unwelcome. We can figure out where we’re at later. Let me know you’re alright. I got a short text response agreeing and saying that she was alright and then I didn’t hear from her for a few days.
Then she told me that, that night, she had been drinking. This came as a bit of a shock as, as long as I’ve known her, my friend has been sober. Not chip-carrying or anything, she just didn’t drink anymore. I knew some vague details as to why but I’ve never wanted to pry into her business unless she wanted to share. But that night, I guess she’d been drunk. I felt dumb. At no point in the night had I realized this. She had been really tired and stressed but otherwise had seemed fine. I feel like I should have paid more attention. She didn’t give me much more details, I’m actually not sure how much she even remembers of the night at all. She reassured me that she was okay and that things were fine and I thanked her for telling me and told her that if she needed anything, let me know. Said we’d talk more later.
Then I just stopped hearing from her. Weeks now and, other than one or two word responses to my texts here and there, she’s completely stopped talking to me. This hurts, I feel like I’ve done something wrong, but also, she’s an adult and it’s her call so I’m just going to give her space and hope it passes in time and we can be friends again. But what do I do with her birthday present?
I do woodworking as a hobby and, for her birthday this year, I thought it’d be fun to make her a shelf. I started it a month ago and have put a lot of time into it, it’s very specific to her style and, for an amateur, I’ve been pretty pleased with how it’s turned out. But now I’m not sure what to do with it. Is it violating her decision to distance from me to, I don’t know, drop it off at her house with a card, or even to give it to her at all? Do I hold on to it until a possible point that we’re friends again? She knew I was making her something but never knew what. I’m very open to advice about the relationship in general, I’d love to know what to do or to have what I’ve done/doing wrong pointed out but, specifically, her birthday is coming up fast and I need to know what to do about her present.
TL:DR: My friend has stopped talking to me after we unexpectedly slept together and I’m not sure if giving her the birthday present I’d made her would be crossing her boundaries.