2 oxy 40s

PS: This is a very long post, so I don't expect everyone to read it, but I am very grateful to this community existing as it is nice to be able to ramble out my thoughts.
So in short, I possess the following characteristics...
1) Desire for a career in environmental science research/sustainability.
2) Female and non binary.
3) Attacted to predominantly women, especially older women.
4) Attracted to intellectual people with similar interests, especially professors and those that I see as a possible source of guidence and support with my career path.
5) Feederism fetish (sexual arousal by the idea of myself or others gaining weight).
Growing up, my parents (my mom especially) have critiqued any expressions of expressing slightly masculine. Even wanting trousers for secondary school as opposed to a skirt seemed like too much to ask.
I was quite passive as a child as I had no other source of support and didn't know how to stand up to my parents, and couldn't really.
Then I progress onto college (16/17 years old) and see people such as my college teachers who are intelligent and appear to be kind people and I want to get to know them more. I never did anything but couldn't reach out afterwards as my favourite teacher very unfortunately died from a cancer.
I wish I spoke to my college teacher about my career earlier as I have had a lot of difficulty in this area and careers advisors often don't have the expertise about science to be able to help. I feel she already liked me and she even asked me what type of career I was interested in but I feel too afraid to initiate proper conversations with her because I felt so attracted to her. She seemed quite professional so I don't think she felt that way back, I think she was just being a nice person, she was nice to almost everyone. She was a beautiful person really.
I'm currently halfway through a degree at university but my desires to connect with those further along my career path of interest are still there. I still feel like I defintely need a source of mentorship and support. The biggest problem is how this attraction gets in the way of interacting with teachers and professors properly, so for it to work I think I'm going to need to need to find someone who I am able to have a more personal/romantic/platonic relationship with so my feelings are not something I have to feel worried about or that I have to repress.
Of course I understand where people are coming from when they say this type of thing is problematic, but it's really not a black and white situation. There are various problematic factors that can indeed be reduced when seeking this type of relationship. One of the things I aim to do is to meet academic people outside of my university through conference events or workshops. This way, they're not directly responsible for any of my academic progress. I recently went to a conference event just to listen to the talks and I enjoyed it, I didn't try to initiate anything though. Soon, I'm going to go to an ecology workshop lead by a professor from another univeristy. I'm not going to have any expectations but due to their research interests, this could be a really good person to talk to in a more relaxed manner. This drastically reduces conflict of interest making it a better choice.
I think part the reason this is also important to me is because it's not easy to pursue science when my family are mostly climate deniers and anti vax. My family put me down, my family point out every opportunity where I could fail, my family don't see my true potential as a person. I deserve better. I feel like the idea of knowing someone older in that career path is a lot more reassuring than just knowing some supportive peers my own age.
I am starting to become more and more annoyed with the world around me and the lack of support to the point where I really think I have to just listen to my inner self.
People can be wrong.
It makes me annoyed that everyone around discouraged me from dating someone older for so long.
I believe that I am capable of seeking relationships that are beneficial to me and avoiding those that scream out red flags. It's infantialising to assume that I can't. In addition, my parents have caused way more harm to me than the relationships I pursue are ever likely to, yet people will stand up for my parents even though it is very harmful to me.
I have been in a open/polyamourus relationship with a beautiful and intelligent woman in their 40s (I'm early 20s) for about a year and a half now. My desire to seek out older women was originally due to a feeling a shame for daydreaming about one of my professors and doing nothing about it. I still daydream about that professor, but at least I have a wonderful relationship now!
I was lucky to meet this person as I do understand there are some less desirable people out there, but that goes for all age groups. Again, this is something that should be taken on a case by case basis. I feel this relationship with her has really benifitted me. I feel like I can be myself. She doesn't have science degrees but she is extrodinarily intelligent and has experience in a vatiety of different job sectors (music, marketing, website design/optimisation, car manufacturing/wielding). In conversations with her, it is impressive how she has such a good grasp over how science works, and as someone with a more formal education, the things she's saying about some of her interests in these science areas really do seem to check out.
I love how she's not a normal person. She has had a lot of success in music in the past (not going to say exact role as might give too much info away). She often has ambitious projects she tries to do. Not all work out, but I really do love that she desires to do something great with her time here. She welded a whole car chassis in the her living room once for example haha. Her aim was to create the whole car (an expensive car and sell it for money) but this fell through due to various factors to do with the weilding shop she planned on using further down the line, however the chassis itself is still worth a bit of money.
So yeah, in short, fuck people who still want to look down upon my choices. I am happy with this relationship. I hate the fact people don't just accept that because it's not a typical relationship.
She isn't into feederism herself but she is very open minded to these things and it is something that was accepted about me very early on. She often pretends to engage in the fetish to try and turn me on but I see straight through it haha. This is something I am happy to pursue elsewhere, with somone who enjoys it more, and in moderation, but its still nice to feel accepted in so many ways.
In this jumble on words, I have probably touched upon all the characteristics first listed. The most important one right now is finding older academic mentor, who I can talk with on a more personal level. I wish I could remove the barriers of shame around this but I have little faith I'm going to get that from the internet, so it's probably something I'll have to trust myself on.

I need to pick one by Tuesday, but if anyone has a question comparing the two I can try to answer. I bought the 4090 for the 16GB vram for video game development, but Best Buy incorrectly had the 4090 listed with the IPS display (which I was excited for).
The 4080 has 16GB ram, IPS display 165 Hz 500 nits, and the animatrix back
The 4090 has 32GB ram and miniled display 165 Hz 600 nits
I play games, and the 4080 kills it. I can play Helldivers 2 at 4k with 80% of graphics options set to max and usually get 50 - 60 fps. Some dips to the 40s, but very rare, and usually due to environments, so during fights it's fine. I usually play on difficult 7 or 8, getting 400 - 500 kills a match now.
I bought both open box, although I swear the 4080 was 100% new - everything was sealed.
Battery
The main thing I want is a long battery life in linux. If anyone has a battery life test, lmk. Using GHelper Silent + Eco + 60 Hz + 10% brightness + windows battery saver on both (multi zone off on the 4090), the 4080 discharge seems to be around 6.2 watts with a low of 5.2, while the 4090 discharge is more like 6.8 with a low of 6.2. I might notice this, since most of what I do is edit text. I'm surprised the difference is so high. If you average 9 - 10 watts battery use, it seems like the 4090 is using 0.5 - 1 watt more power -> 6 to 11% more power use -> assuming 8 hours of battery, you get 29 to 48 minutes less battery.
OH! But the 4090 has a 2nd stick of RAM. I'll try another stick in the 4080 and see what happens, but for now I'll assume the miniLED eats less than 25 minutes of battery. Which is "fine", since I usually have a laptop-capable battery bank on me anyways.
I just enabled multi zone, and the discharge of the 4090 has been hovering at 6.2 - 6.5 watts (I'm not using it - just firefox, GHelper, and a settings menu are open). So disabling multi zone seems to have no effect. I'm typing this on the 4080, same things open, and the 4080 is at 6.1 watts.
After finishing writing this review: I've been writing this review and browsing the net a bit on the 4080, and I've only used the 4090 to toggle multizone and move the mouse some, and they are draining at the exact same rate - both are down exactly 20%. So fwiw, the 4080 under light use matches the 4090 at nearly full idle (screen on)
Display
The displays look very similar, honestly. I program in a font size too small for many people to read. I have great vision, and I don't like bright lights, so I thought I'd hate the miniLED blooming. The IPS display has better color accuracy, which is something I notice since I tend to run a solid grey desktop. A solid grey on the miniLED looks liked you washed it with your reds - there's just like other colors mixed in to it (multi zone is disabled atm)
display test: https://www.eizo.be/monitor-test/
I haven't tried games yet, but I might return the miniLED simply on color accuracy. I've been doing more design-heavy web development, and matching colors is a pain, I don't need another variable in that equation. This is weird - on the display test for the full black screen, the mouse cursor becomes a shade of gray.
So - the miniLED does much much closer to black - but it's not able to compensate and make the white mouse cursor white. Very interesting - and kind of amusingly bad. So, you get "blacker blacks" by sacrificing your "whiter whites"? You're not achieving a higher contrast ratio, you're just inverting the problem. Shame I'm not a youtuber so I can't break this news with a spicy title.
When miniLED multi zone is off, the mouse cursor displays fine (white is white, instead of grey). However, greys look much better when multi zone is on.
The miniLED gets a bit brighter, of course, and the colors pop a bit more. The miniLED gets a little dark towards the edges (not evenly lit); the IPS is very evenly lit. I've seen people complain about backlight bleed here, but my panel is near perfect.
The miniLED is less comfortable to look at. Like I said, I don't like bright lights, but even on low brightness the miniLED is less comfortable than the IPS. Maybe this is related to blooming - but tbh, I don't see much blooming - I feel like it's something to do with how the light is emitted. (Or maybe I'm tired and overthinking it.)
I think for pretty games or movies, many people might prefer the miniLED. But for everything else, the IPS is far superior. It's so funny to me now that everyone is complaining about not getting miniLED, when imo it's a bit of a failure that they passed off at a high price. Maybe later generations will be better.
What type of display is this miniLED? Is it also IPS?
I'm leaning heavily towards the 4080 for color accuracy... but I really wanted 16gb vram and 5 more fps in helldivers :( I'm joking about helldivers - I wanted vram for unreal engine, but I don't think I can work with these colors
Apologies for typos. I rewrote parts of this as I went, and I don't feel like spell-checking. And thanks u/ModrnJosh for all the research you've done and shared here.

My dads side of the family (his dad and uncle) were/are addicts. My grandpas brother was a Coke addict I believe. He passed and I never knew him. My grandpa is addicted to pain pills and shopping. He had back surgery long ago and is still in "chronic" pain. What he takes would kill a normal person. There was a period of time he was taking oxy, vicodin, and had a slow release fentanyl patch on his arm. I don't Even know how it's legal to be prescribed all 3 at the same time??? My dad eventually took his pills away bc he was abusing them and running out before his refill was due. Now my dad gives him 2 in the morning and 2 at night.
He also shops constantly. There's not a single day without an Amazon box showing up. My grandma bailed him out of his debt once and refinanced the house. He put them in another $120k of debt. She ultimately died still working full time trying to pay off what he kept buying.
My dad thinks he has not followed in the cycle of addiction. But I have never seen Him go a day without a drink. I don't think he's a mornjng/all day drinker. He comes home at night and has a "cocktail" but his pour is at LEAST 4-5 shots worth of alcohol.
My parents are divorced so I'm not living with him. When we speak on the phone or text there have been times in the past he has repeated himself a few times. I called him out and he blames his lack of sleep.
He holds high positions at work. He's very charismatic and the women he dates all become enamored by him. I don't know if they notice his drinking??
I don't know what to do. I call him out when he repeats himself but if I don't live with him how do I even know for sure he IS drinking? I know he gets the shakes sometimes during the day. That to me is an indication of alcohol withdrawal. But he claims at his last physical all his bloodwork was good.
His last gf worked in dialysis and demanded to see his results and his liver and everthing checked out. So there's no motivation for him to stop.
I think he thinks he escaped the cycle of addiction. But someone who has a drink every single day can't be healthy right ??

Got all 4 of mine out yesterday at 915 am and I have been completely fine when I got back home I just bit down on the gauze, iced my face, and napped for a couple hours then was able to drive back to my dads house. I’ve been living off chicken noodle soup, Powerade, and chocolate ice cream and I’m having slight discomfort on my bottom right spot the other 3 feel completely fine and I have no swelling (yet.) for the pain I’m taking ibuprofen, tylenol, and oxy all together weird enough I can barely feel the oxy (5ml) and the ibuprofen and tylenol is helping me the most. Everyone says the younger you are the better and I’m 16m is this normal or am I just having a super chill recovery. Also I feel bad for you all that are going through it right now prayers up 🙏 also I’m craving like real fulfilling food so bad but that’s probably not a good idea so here I am eating chicken noodle soup at 7am 🤣
Edit - and the actual procedure went great only took about an hour the doc said he had to go a bit deeper for the bottom right which is why it’s bothering me a bit more than the rest. But yeah the only pain I ever felt was getting jabbed with the IV I was really surprised how the anesthesia worked because this was my first time ever going under for a “surgery” and I was expecting like in tv shows and movies how you slowly fade in and out of consciousness then just slowly pass out but I was wide awake and then boom I was completely out and I woke up in the recovery room. I also didn’t say anything wild like everyone always hypes up on the internet I just woke up and said to one of the nurses that she was magic and she laughed at me there were also 2 other people in the recovery room at the same time as me but they were both still completely out of it and when I woke up I sat up right away and tried to start talking to everyone. I also hope karma does not come for me and I somehow become in miserable pain today but yeah just finished me soup and downed some meds good luck to the rest of you and let me know your experience with the anesthesia you had 🫡

Curious on if this group has had the same experience as me.
About 2 years ago I decided to use "Delete Me" for my wife and I. It found a ton of data broker stuff for my wife and deleted it. For me, it was maybe ~5-10 hits and for the most part stayed quiet. I have always been hyper conscious of my privacy and what I sign up for. I rarely got spam calls or texts. Rarely got junk mail soliciting me directly (my wife has always had a lot of spam calls, texts, and mail). I am in my 40s and it was that way for most my life.
Now here's the issue. About a year ago (~1year into using the service) my spam texts, calls, and mail has increased 10x if not more. I am getting so much now. I don't think Delete Me is nefariously behind it but I wonder if the brokers have a "Oh, this person is asking to have data removed, it is now verified so we push it to others before we delete" to cash out before removing the entry to compliance. That is the only thing I can think of what has changed. I have not signed up for anything, I have continued my practices as I always have, but I have noticed that the Delete Me reports are finding more this 2nd year now. Almost like by me actively asking to remove stuff has made them say "This is a hit" and now it's an on-going battle.
Has anyone else had that experience? Or was it just coincidental timing?

I have 2 spare tickets for this event tonight at St George's Hall. 2 people have bailed and I'm trying to find anyone else who wants them. It's hard when all your mates are in their 40's and can't make last minute plans..
Anyway they are free to whoever wants them.

This is a throwaway account just because it’s so very personal.
It’s wild but all my closest friends became pregnant within the last year and a half and 2 of them recently had their babies and one is about to.
This week I find myself in a lonely situation - my cycle is being weird like it never had before in my life and the two main possibilities are either I’m pregnant or this is the first signs of perimenopause. I’m going to buy pregnancy tests today and if I am pregnant (I’ll test a few times in the coming week for certainty) I will get an abortion. If I’m not, I’ll visit a gyno anyway to see if it’s the 2nd possibility, which is so entirely depressing if true. I’m in my early 40s, I thought this would happen later on, but I did some googling and found this is the most common time for this.
I really don’t feel like I can talk to my friends about either of these things or ask for support. And it’s so lonely. Yet I keep writing to them asking if they need anything from me (outside of help with the baby), and offering to bring them things, or build furniture, or make them food and stuff.
But I know they have no physical or mental availability to be with me if I need them. And some comments to me from the first one to have her baby made her seem less supportive of my Childfree choice than I originally believed, and I’m a little afraid the others will be that way too now. So I’m simply not telling them what’s going on with me, and now I have to explore what’s happening to me on my own, with no one to talk to.
I live in a country I did not grow up in, so I have no family here, and I’m not in a relationship, so I don’t have a partner for support.
I’ve never felt so alone in my whole entire life.
NOTE: Since this account is new I can’t reply to comments. I’ll edit later to put some replies here instead. Thank you for your support ❤️
——————
RESPONSE to comments:

• To the person to said (paraphrasing) that I have chosen not to talk to them and that’s on me and not them: *

You're definitely right in that I'm not being fair by not giving them a chance. I think I’m afraid of their responses.
I'm probably also projecting since I had friends in the past fade away after becoming moms, or have changed the way they treat me because I'm CF, some of them not taking it seriously and trying to convince me to have kids. So I guess I just unfairly expect it to happen again.
Here’s a little clarity in why I’m afraid to talk to my current friends:
Friend 1 - Shortly before and after she had her baby she started making comments to me that completely disregarded my childfree choice. And even when I told her how that felt it’s like she doesn’t believe me. So I’ve lost some trust there and honestly have stepped away from her some
Friend 2 - she just had a baby 2 weeks ago. I just don’t feel right contacting her now. She’s in a difficult place at the moment. It just doesn’t feel appropriate.
Friend 3 - she’s in the hospital now for some complications with her pregnancy. All is looking good though, so no worries, and she’ll hopefully go home soon. But, again, I feel bad going to her right now for any kind of support.
I think I put my problems down to “not as important as theirs” regardless of whether that’s actually true or not.
Maybe I should have worded my original post differently. It’s not that I’m blaming them and thinking “how could you not support me!” it’s more of a “this is just how it is, this is what happens” kind of thing. Just that when I woke up with my intense worries and fear today, I realized suddenly there was no one I could contact when I needed, and realizing that this is how it will be.
I’ve been super supportive of them all through their IVF issues, and ectopic pregnancies and all in the years it took for them to get pregnant and I’m happy it’s working out for them. So it’s not about that.
I just felt very alone and it’s why I came here, looking for some support and maybe people who could relate ❤️
For the comment who asked why I didn’t want to hang out with their babies
I simply don’t like being around babies or small children especially. I never have and it’s the main reason why I’m CF. My friends are all aware of this and have always been very understanding (until the first one had her baby and she changed).

I’m 28M, I think I’ve seen some hardships for my age. I saw my family losing all money and house because of relatives’ stab in the back, I went from irresponsible 20 yr old to becoming so responsible I was sleeping only 3 or 4 hrs everyday for 2 years and it spoiled my health so much that I was afraid I was not going to make it for very long. And had to go through ADHD for next couple of years and got out of that in silence by myself, without telling anyone. I have seen effects of debt, got my family out of bankruptcy and bought them a house recently, after so much hard work. In the process I had to let go the only love of my life for over 6 years, ghosted her and asked her to look after her life because of religion, caste and social status problems(I’m from India and caste is a major problem here, it might even get you and your parents killed). This is the greatest regret of my life and it hurts everyday.
At every stage in my years of hardship, I always thought, If I get more money, switch career, leave the town or something and the problem will be over. That’s not true at all. At every stage no matter what you are, something new keeps coming. And I slide right into the regular imagination, childhoods were awesome, wish I was a low salary employee again, life was so simple. And I know that’s not practical at all.
How did you people in the 30s, 40s, 50s and above handle this realisation? I know all of you have gone through more hardships, what are your thoughts now? Any advice or anything you’d give someone like me?
P.s: Before someone thinks I’m disturbed and feel bad for me. I’m totally normal, I’m just wondering how to deal with all these as a man and just seeking wisdom from people who have seen it all.

Hey - knew to this! I'm a 39/F. I just had my UFE 2 1/2 days ago. I had mine done by an Interventional Radiologist/ Vein Specialist MD with 30 years of experience and I'm really glad i went with that option. I didnt ask my obgyn or anyone else what to do as an option for fibroids i just went online and researched all my options and found a Vein and Vascular Center that performed the UFE procedure as an outpatient that had great reviews. I had twilight sedation which i like better than anesthesia because i don't like waking up all drowsy and frankly it scares me. They gave me a mix of fentanyl and something else and it was easy peasy. I only felt the needle going in stomach for numbing (mild) the pelvic area and also when i think they removed the catheter out of the artery (i think) that one irritated me slightly. I really wasn't sure what was going on i was just in my own little world lol. They didn't give me a catheter in my urethra however, so not all places will do that for the procedure. Post op they gave me antibiotics. The whole procedure took about 40 mins but it felt like 15 mins or less. Afterwards was sooo rough. Until i got my prescription for the oxy/ibuprofen i was in excruciating pain. But once i took those i was ok. My advice is to pick a pharmacy close by to where the clinic is! I was silly and traveled an hour to pick up at a pharmacy near my home (but i didn't know the pain would be so intense). Some say on here worst than contractions. I have never been pregnant so idk. Also, my IR told me that chances of pregnancy after UFE are highly likely. It just depends on where your fibroids are so definitely ask that question.
The major stuff i have noticed in just 2 days is i can't feel my fibroids anymore (one was 9cm and i had two smaller ones). The larger one was protruding out in my lower abdomen before. My uterus is smaller. No pressure when bending over. Stomach is flatter. Feel lighter. No horrid lower back pain anymore which i had for the past 4 years. Had my fibroid in there growing for 8 years. My sides are less fatty and bloated. I haven't had my period yet since it's not supposed to start for another 14 days.
The major thing with this procedure that my IR told me is that it will shrink your uterus which is where most issues are coming from. Mine was the size of a 18 wk pregnancy. Shrink or kill the fibroids and the uterus will decrease. I highly recommend this surgery, honestly. The only down part is the pain afterwards but just take your oxys right away and you'll be fine. Thats my experience anyways. Greatest decision for living my best life i have EVER made!!!!!

I’m a 38f, fiery, gutsy, and intentional. I am like a disco ball shining in every direction. He 41m is also intentional but he is a dry-humored yet sincere sort of guy. He is like a metronome - steady and predictable.
When we have sex it is fireworks - straight bliss.
My body’s complaint is that 3 times a month just seems like a so-so way to be living. I think to myself that it must be due to his disinterest since a year ago we were averaging 2-3x per week still even after all these years.
In between our sexual encounters… it feels like I am running an emotional obstacle course trying to get him to seem any kind of interested in me. He doesn’t respond well to lingerie. He seems satisfied when I touch his shoulders and his back and basically every where I touch him but somehow he doesn’t get the urge to touch me back.
I am seeking another human who has a similar experience to share their insights.
I realize sex drives shift over time but my ‘feel bads’ are developing scar tissue. It’s to the point where I definitely dont understand what he and his brain are going through so I opened the conversation today.
When I expressed my feelings he said he thought everything is great and if I am dissatisfied then he encourages me to end the relationship. We have been together for 8 years and are parents together. I have no desire to end the relationship so I suggested counseling. He was insulted by the idea so that is a no-go. I asked if he would read a book and he said he would. I don’t know why I asked him that… what book on Earth ought he read??
He has already read Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus before we met.
Is there a book that explains social queues, sexual advances, or anything else that could help him even recognize the opportunities he so casually passes up?
and on the other hand I am wondering if there is something I am missing that I ought to try to understand so that I can adjust my own self/expectations…like maybe he is stressed out from work so much that it is impacting his labido. Or maybe there is a new woman near him that’s putting my person to shame in his eyes. Maybe he feels different in his 40s.
Seems all there is to do in the meantime is to halt my sexual advances, take care of myself (when I would rather have sex with him), and stay willing and ready when he magically initiates an encounter.
Eesh- I feel embarrassed to post this especially when I’m about to go to sleep but him being so ready to encourage me to end our relationship was a big blow and I am really hoping someone can bring me back to Earth with their objectivity.

So, yesterday I rejetted my carb for the KLX Needle. My bike is stock so we put the 140 main jet in and at the recommend of Eagle Mike, 42 pilot jet and adjusted the mixture where it should be.
It started up fine yesterday multible times through out the day. Started up this morning after last night dropping down to lower 40s and again the 2 times I got on for a ride. Last one to put the bike up in the garage for the night. I had low batteries and I had a loud backfire starting up.
I pushed her into the garage and hooked up a jumper battery to do some testing. I use a transparent green fuel line. Green because Kawasaki. Transparent as it makes life easier when testings need to be had.
The tank is full of gas. I wasn't seeing fuel flow in the fuel line when I was holding the starter. I opened the fuel cap and held the starter. It was now getting fuel flow and trying to start.
I've heard a potentional is the fuel tank vent line could've got clogged from warm weather to cold night and back to warm.
I will 100% be on this in the morning. But, all I know is I'm either looking at fuel delivery or vacuum.
I will mention valves are just done early or mid April and we miscalculated the clearance and ordered sizes down but it's better for the valves be a tad loose out of spec than tight. So valves aren't an issues.

VEHICLE VOLTRON I: THE MIGHTIEST OF SAVIORS RISE
written by Robert D.C. Barnes III (PeachLover94)
Inspired by "Voltron: Defender of the Universe" created for World Events Productions
by Peter Keefe, John Teichmann and Toei Animation
Based on "Armored Fleet Dairugger XV" created for Toei Animation
by Saburo Yatsude (Kozo Morishita, Masahisa Saeki, Keisuke Fujikawa,
and Shigemitsu Taguchi)
TREATMENT: 07-21-2017 2006.cosmo@gmail.com
NOTE: This proposal is the property of New Frontier Cinema (PeachLover94's production company) produced in partnership with World Events Productions (WEP LLC) and Toei Company, Ltd. Any unlicensed exhibition, copying or redistribution without written consent of the mentioned parties is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.
Vehicle Voltron I: The Mightiest of Saviors Rise Story Treatment
The Logline
In the Near Universe, an experimental carrier-battleship hybrid starship under the command of fifteen crack space explorers from the Galaxy Alliance of Earth comes under assault by the evil Drule Empire. On a faraway planet, they find fifteen vehicles which combine into the evil-fighting giant humanoid robot - Vehicle Voltron.
Main Characters
1) JEFF ♂ - Pilot of the Command Jet Explorer #1 which forms the head of Vehicle Voltron. His full name is Jeff Aki Manabu. Being the leader of the entire Vehicle Voltron Force and commander of the Air Team, Jeff is head-strong, occasionally quick-tempered, yet still a great fighter and a very capable leader, even if he does not always follow the rules. During his time at Galaxy Alliance Academy, Jeff was one of the first to ever beat the no-win scenario test entitled the G.A.S. Zodiac simulation - by reprogramming the simulation to make it possible to rescue the ship and its people. A major source of contention with his peers in the Sea Team's Krik and Land Team's Cliff is Jeff's continuous scoffs at no-win scenarios trying to one-up his older sister Janet.
2) KRIK ♂ - Pilot of the Communications Module #6 which forms the torso midriff section of Vehicle Voltron. His full name is Krik Miranda Keats. Hailing from the water planet of Dulcinea (Mu Arae c) with a light blue skin tone and pointed ears, Krik is appropriately the leader of the Sea Team. Speaking with an alien dialect (which can be approximated to possibly being played by an Indian), he has clairvoyant powers that tells him when something bad happens or will happen. Of the five members of the Sea Team, it is Krik who keeps a cool head and is quick-thinking when situations call for it – particularly when he is at the receiving end of a gun or when the security of Voltron Force is compromised. He will often share drinks with the others in victory times.
3) CLIFF ♂ - Pilot of the Jet Radar Station #11 which forms the lower torso and hips of Vehicle Voltron. His full name is Walter Clifford Jack. An accomplished sportsman and former racing driver who won many circuits in Australian touring car championships before joining the Galaxy Alliance, he can at times be bad-tempered and reckless. Cliff studied at Sydney University before transferring to Galaxy Alliance Academy, where his own nigh impetuousness led to a clash with authorities over the launching (and subsequent crash) of an unsanctioned rocket he built. Hawkins took charge of the situation, steering the interest toward constructive ends, with Cliff now serving with the Vehicle Voltron Force's Land Team. But sometimes he misses the old days of his racing.
4) ZANDEE ♂ - Pilot of the Multi-Wheeled Explorer #10 forming the left lower leg of Vehicle Voltron. His full name is Zandee Barros Carateja. Born to a Boston astronomer father and Brazilian mother, Zandee is boyishly handsome, still long in the process of maturing. An unusual combination, he has inherited from his father the mathematical ability and navigation sense from his mother. He is a phenomenally brilliant mathematician and space theorist. But he has also inherited his mother's Latin temperament, fighting what is his perpetual and highly personalized battle with his technology, suspecting that space is engaging in a gargantuan conspiracy to make his professional and personal life as difficult and uncomfortable as possible in both life and love.
5) CHIP ♂ - Pilot of the blue Advanced Recon Helicopter #4 forming the left upper arm of the Vehicle Voltron. His full name is Chipley Yasuo Mutsu Stoker, and the twin brother of Darrell Hiroshi Suzuishi "Pidge" Stoker or "Pidge I", the first Paladin of Lion Voltron's Green Lion of Forest. Chip is very much the youngest member at 13 of the Vehicle Voltron Force. He can best be described as the brains of the Vehicle Voltron Force, much like his brother Pidge I is or will be to the Lion Voltron Force in the Denubian Galaxy (Far Universe). When he is not tinkering with inventions or fawning over technology and displays of data, Chip spends most of his time with Rocky in trying to find suitable soul mates for Jeff, Cliff and Krik so that they can keep all their stress down.
6) MARVIN ♂ - Pilot of the yellow All-Terrain Space Vehicle #14 which forms the right foot of Vehicle Voltron. His full name is Marvin Tasuku Izu. A good friend of Hutch's since childhood and both being members of the Land Team, the two can often be seen together, either playing cards or brawling with each other. Marvin is usually comedic, with his sense of humor being on par with that of Shannon and Cliff's in riling up Jeff and Krik. During most of the operations the Vehicle Voltron Force takes part in, Marvin's specialist expertise is in Demolition, Heavy Lifting and Logistics which he sometimes cracks jokes that are sometimes inappropriate only because he is able to do it so well for such a long time. But his jokes have even started to bug Lance.
7) GINGER ♀ - Pilot of the Falcon Jet Fighter #5 which forms the chest plate of Vehicle Voltron. Her full name is Patricia Ginger Ellington. She is a strong and brave pilot, who has always tried to fight the good fight and to this day maintains a distrust of the arrogance of science ever since seeing her family destroyed in an starship crash when she was young. She is smitten towards her Air Team commander Jeff, and the two still maintain a close professional relationship. With that said, she certainly doesn't hide her jealousy when another woman shows any affection towards him, married or otherwise. When not in the heat of battle, Ginger likes to spend her downtime shopping, hanging out with friends, or helping Cinda and Lisa with science and cartography.
8) LISA ♀ - Pilot of the red Space Prober #7 which forms the left thigh of Vehicle Voltron. Her full name is Lisa Haruka Kaga. She is very knowledgeable in ancient cultures, and always seems to know the right thing to say to others. Born on the colony world of New San Diego, Lisa was enamored with the ocean and all its native forms of life at a young age. This led to her entering the 2976 Olympic Games, and at 16 years old, became the youngest human of the Galaxy Alliance era not from Earth to win the Gold medal in the 400 meter backstroke event. Possessing an unyielding affinity for the undersea animals and environment, this makes Lisa a perfect choice for the Vehicle Voltron Force's Sea Team, as she is able to urgently take command if Krik is unable to.
9) CINDA ♀ - Pilot of the Rotating Personnel Carrier #12 which forms the right forearm of Vehicle Voltron. Her full name is Cinda Moya Qiligasz. Like Lisa, she too is kind and emotional, especially when it comes to nature. She is a Dulcinean like Krik, and the two are the main psychics and mystics of the entire Vehicle Voltron Force. It would not show up on Krik's file, but Cinda was often the only friend he had growing up back on Dulcinea, as young Dulcineans have their fears like human children have of monsters under the bed. Krik often had to have his fears reined in by Cinda, who vowed to banish all the monsters from peoples' lives so that they would not have to suffer like both she and Krik had to suffer. Even as an Alliance world, Dulcinea has hard times for Cinda.
10) WOLO ♂ - Pilot of the red Advanced Recon Helicopter #3 forming the right upper arm of Vehicle Voltron. His full name is Shota Wolo Kreutz. He is a blue-skinned Galilean of the Galileo (Kepler-451b) system who is a noted scholar of astronomy and has authored several of the most popular accredited astronomy textbooks in use by the Galaxy Alliance. He is a graduate of the Galileo Polytechnic University with an esteemed Doctorate degree in Advanced Telecommunications. Among his friends, Wolo is known to be exceedingly patient, kindly and gracious and possessive of both great intelligence and poise as the gifts he has inherited from his talented mother through which he is able to take charge at times. The kindness comes from helping raise seven sisters.
11) SHANNON ♂ - Pilot of the Multi-Wheeled Explorer #9 which forms the right lower leg of Vehicle Voltron. His full name is Shannon Tatsuo Izumo Cochrane. During his childhood, he piloted a deep-sea bathyscaphe to investigate marine farming methods in making food production on various worlds possible. Of all the Vehicle Voltron Force, Shannon tries to keep things from getting too serious by becoming the funny one, which gives him a tendency to get into trouble with Jeff and Krik over his flippant sense of humor. Even so, he chooses to fight for nobler causes than himself, as his brother was just taken to be a prisoner of what will be known as the Drule Empire on its tribute vassal world of Galra (Planet Doom) in the Denubian Galaxy (Far Universe).
12) HUTCH ♂ - Pilot of the black All-Terrain Space Vehicle #15 forming the left foot of Vehicle Voltron. His full name is Kazuto Hutch Nagato. A good friend of Marvin's since childhood and both being members of the Land Team, the two can often be seen together, either playing cards or brawling with each other. In contrast to the comedic Marvin, Hutch is a regular tough guy, always looking for a good fight with any Drule that has the guts to challenge him mano e mano. Outside of space missions, Hutch loves to dance, listen to music, and wear the most extravagant clothes around. His strong, muscular build was put to the test during the 2976 Olympic Games, where he won the Gold medal in the weightlifting event to the congratulations of future comrade Lisa.
13) ROCKY ♂ - Pilot of the Strato Weapons Module #2 which forms the upper torso of Vehicle Voltron. His full name is Rockford Kai Shinobu. He is the Brooklyn-accented member of the Air Team, usually described by the Galaxy Alliance and by the Drule Empire as the "Hunk" of the Vehicle Voltron Force, which paints a big target on his back for many of the Drule commanders like the Galvestonian Throk in the Milky Way (Near Universe), the Derinja Bi'Os in the Hyperion Galaxy (Middle Universe) and the Galran Prince Lotor in the Denubian Galaxy (Far Universe). He did not have much family growing up, so the chance to have a spiritual little brother in Chip gives him something missing from his life. He joined the Alliance to be able to make a chart of all the stars.
14) TANGOR ♂ - Pilot of the blue Space Prober #8 which forms the right thigh of Vehicle Voltron. His full name is Saluta Tangor Katz. He is as dedicated to his calling of serving the Galaxy Alliance on Vehicle Voltron Force as any of his shipmates. His off-duty demeanor is at times much less boisterous than most of his male colleagues, indulging in painting and playing the piano. Tangor has, in fact, composed a great deal of lounge tunes on the piano to play so to keep his shipmates relaxed and escape boredom. Some of his tunes he is compiling to be sold as an easy listening album. His and Wolo's species is the blue-skinned Galileans from their planet Galileo (Kepler-451b), who are very noted for their appreciation of the finer arts that speak to the soul about existence.
15) MODOK ♂ - Pilot of the Armored Equipment Carrier #13 which forms the left forearm of Vehicle Voltron. His full given name is Modok MacKenzie "Mack" Chucker. He is one of the few eldest active members of the Vehicle Voltron Force. Stern and serious, Modok focuses on the task at hand above all else. He acknowledges that his gruff approach can lead to conflict with the younger crew, though he always means well, and just is out to ensure their mission is accomplished successfully, safely, and professionally. When not on assignment, Modok is a self-described gentle giant like Rocky from the Air Team who likes to find a secluded spot outside the G.A.S. Explorer/Rugger Guard on planets and spend a day fishing and cooking whatever fish are caught.
16) HAWKINS ♂ - Age: 54. Acting Commander of the Vehicle Voltron Force stationed aboard the new Galaxy Alliance Starship Explorer (the pride of the Galaxy Alliance's project code-named Rugger Guard). His full title is Commander James Shinji Ise Hawkins of the Galaxy Alliance. While it is Commander Hawkins who gives all the orders to the Vehicle Voltron Force, he is Executive Officer who answers to Captain Newley on the mission of the Explorer. When it comes to saving lives, Hawkins is always deadly serious - but subtly cracks a joke every now and then. He's so dedicated to the mission that he constantly remains on assignment, and has very little time for recreation, much to the disappointment of his gentler and relaxed commanding officer Newley.
17) NEWLEY ♂ - Age: 58. Captain of the Galaxy Alliance Starship Explorer who is the Commanding Officer of and a good friend to the Vehicle Voltron Force's Commander Hawkins. His full title is Captain Richard "Dick" Asimov Newley. He regards all the members of the Vehicle Voltron Force as replacements for the son he had lost in battle, and sorely regrets his son's death in battle near planet Likon, along with the apparent death of Jeff's older sister Janet who represented him in court martial over cheating to win the G.A.S. Zodiac scenario, but was lost in a training accident. As a child, he was told of the story of Voltron and became intrigued with the prospect of finding it and bringing it back. Now it seems like that dream shall come true at last down on Likon.
18) PAGE ♂ - Age: 56. Science Officer of the Galaxy Alliance Starship Explorer. Though originally an aerospace engineer (albeit an unsuccessful one), he becomes the ship's primary medical officer. He is good humored and always willing to give advice, but he can become deadly earnest when chiding others' behavior. His full title is Professor Michael Search Page. He frequently sips up coffee whilst moving around speaking at an extremely accelerated rate. Despite his bumbling nature, he is actually very wise and knowledgeable, choosing to learn from mankind's past mistakes so that they won't happen again in the future. Page believes that knowledge is the most powerful weapon from any species' history and seeks the knowledge of the universe for this goal.
The Background
Long in the past of the Milky Way Galaxy, the fifteen-piece fighting humanoid robot known as the Vehicle Voltron was known as Dairugger XV by the peoples of the planets the robot visited. Dairugger XV or Vehicle Voltron was a sentient being, renown across the galaxy for its feats of heroism and bravery. Ultimately, this led to Voltron developing something of an ego, as it challenged both a reincarnated wicked Zaar King Drolmacht Dolmen and the goddess Arcadia to battle it for supremacy. Arcadia, having sensed the egotism brewing in Vehicle Voltron/Dairugger XV out of simple ignorance of its own power and not out of sinister malice, defeated but spared the robot as she pondered what punishment would do it best to teach humility/sportsmanship.
In a rage, the dying King Drolmacht disguised himself as Arcadia and tried to destroy Voltron while succeeding at slaying Arcadia. With her last acts, a mortally injured Arcadia managed to save Vehicle Voltron/Dairugger XV by splitting it back up into its fifteen component space vehicles - five joining into the airborne Strato Fighter the Kurugger, another five forming the submersible Aqua Fighter the Kairugger, and another five forming the ground-hugging Turbo Terrain Fighter or Rikurugger - that when all are combined together form Voltron. They were flung through space until they crash-landed on the uncharted planet known as Likon. It is here that the fifteen vehicles will rest until the arrival of the Zaars' posterity in the form of the Drule Empire of Galveston.
The Premise
Historically, the Vehicle Voltron Force story arc of Voltron: Defender of the Universe was adapted from the 1982 anime series Armored Fleet Dairugger XV - but was adapted to be part of a much bigger storyline. We start the Voltron story as a Asimovian science fiction story that is about how the titular machines came to be, used to solve problems, and how their presence affects people for good or ill. Taking the team of heroes premises of the Japanese Super Sentai/Power Rangers series, the galactic journey of Star Trek, the swashbuckling adventure and journeys of Horatio Hornblower, and the appeal of robots found in both the Gundam and Transformers franchises, Voltron is ready to launch with the debut film of a potential cinematic universe of science fiction.
In this four-quadrant five-act mecha science fiction epic, the Galaxy Alliance Starship Explorer launches from Earth in the year 2981 on its mission to chart the Milky Way Galaxy and to find new planets for the Alliance to colonize or terraform to solve problems of scarce food and water supplies as well as both overpopulation and resource depletion. They are forced to land and make repairs on the planet Likon by the forces of the Drule Empire of Planet Galveston, when fifteen of its primary space explorers find fifteen space-worthy ships able to join together to form the mythical Vehicle Voltron - Defender of the Near Universe. Can they join together to stop a Drule attack that threatens a peaceful planet? It may lead to war, but also a step towards evolution.
The Nemeses (The Galvestonian Drule Empire of Planet Galveston)
Aside from normal human squabbles and quandaries that face teams of people trying to survive in the hostile universe, Vehicle Voltron and its team of pilots have to contend with the new horrible menace threatening the Milky Way Galaxy. Many of the Galvestonian Drules of Planet Galveston (also called the Drule Homeworld) fit the tradition of the classic "empire of evil". Most of the Drules are humanoids with light purple skin and red eyes. With fleets of starfighters and space battleships; as well as armies of tanks, super soldiers and Robeast mecha monsters, Galvestonian Drules are aimed at making the Drule Empire a major if not the superpower in the Milky Way Galaxy controlling hapless innocents, with only the Voltron Forces daring to stand in their way.
1) ZEPPO ♂ - Age: Late 40s/Early 50s. Species: Galvestonian Drule. Homeworld: Galveston (Drule Homeworld). Eye Color: Red. His full title is Emperor Zeppo Corsair of Planet Galveston. Like many a major and admittedly rather incompetent dictator, Zeppo rules the Empire with the fists of iron fury, sending others to do his dirty work and harshly punishing those who fail him. With how abusive and destructive he can be towards his many subordinates on a bad day, it is practically insane that there have not been attempts to overthrow him as of yet. A complete and utter sadist by inclination, Zeppo is willing to send his forces to capture slaves from other worlds and force slaves of his own people to fight to the death. His tyranny is only egged on by his followers.
2) ROBEASTS - Wherever one goes in the Empires of the Drules, there will always be such things as Robeasts to challenge the Voltrons and threaten the peace of the Near, Middle and Far Universes. Robeasts from Galveston (Drule Homeworld) sent to battle the Vehicle Voltron are humanoid monsters created through more advanced science and technology, most often from the prisoners of war that are reared in Zeppo's sadistic gladiatorial combat, though some of them are simply giant robots piloted by Centurion troopers. There is often a platoon of fifteen robeasts ready at a moments notice to travel with fighters, tanks, space battleships and or Centurion armies to lay siege to whatever may get in their Empire's way. The Vehicle Voltron Force must take great care.
3) THROK ♂ - Age: Late 60s. Species: Galvestonian Drule. Homeworld: Galveston (Drule Homeworld). Eye Color: Red. Hair Color: White. His full title is Viceroy Throk Al Caponero. Possibly the worst of the worst, Throk is at bitter ends with Hazar, and the loyalest supporter of Emperor Zeppo. It is often rumored that Throk is the one stroking Zeppo's ego to throw him off the scent of Throk's own attempted bids at becoming Emperor of the Drules. A natural-born kiss-up and backstabber, he lives for nothing more than destroying any "invaders" that could make a pass at the Empire and generally making Hazar and his followers out to look like fools, imbeciles and other pejorative words not to be listed. But it is his lust for power that makes Throk underestimate foes.
4) CENTURIONS - Say hello to the mixed organic and cybernetic shock troopers of the Drule Empire. They all serve as the central backbone of the Drule military forces. Their drones have no built in weapons, instead using the same weapons as their mainly organic counterparts. Drones are capable of squad-level infantry tactics and understanding vocal commands. These androids can somewhat resemble fellow Drules, appearing to wear this green-purple armor. In fact, some of the living soldiers appear identical to their own Drones. In addition, Drule Drones can be used for scouting environments full of every kind of hazards, are more durable, and have no fear of utter destruction to claim victory for Zeppo and the Empire. Some are known to pilot their Robeasts.
5) HAZAR ♂ - Age: 40s. Species: Galvestonian Drule. Homeworld: Galveston (Drule Homeworld). Eye Color: Red. Hair Color: White. His full title is Chief Commander Hazar Dorita Teles of the Galvestonian Drules. Hazar is an athletic fellow, able to dodge and move around quickly to evade attacks. This is despite his large size, topping at about six and a half feet. Unlike most other fleet and army commanders in the Empire of the Drules, Hazar is often a composed and rational figure who never has a bad word to say about any of his underlings. He is his own worst critic, as inside, he frequently doubts himself on whether an action he or the Empire takes is right or at least justifiable. Due to this, Robeasts and Centurions alike find him to be more approachable than Throk.
The Heroes and the Twist
Each member of Vehicle Voltron's three teams (Air, Land and Sea) of a super force of space explorers is meant to be reflective of aspects of ourselves that we all have been at some point in our lives - a class clown, a lone wolf, a young genius, a tough guy who is also a mediator, and that young person destined for life greater than their own backyard. At the beginning of the story, the three team leaders Jeff, Cliff and Krik all function as the Id/McCoy (Cliff), Ego/Kirk (Jeff) and Superego/Spock (Krik) found in the Freudian psyche. It is what they learn from each other that they all have to pass down to the other four members of their respective teams in order to effectively come together and operate Vehicle Voltron to save both the Galaxy Alliance and planet Galateia.

I’ve noticed several times people have asked what age range everyone is. I am in my later 40s. Looking for other “older” (I use that term loosely) gamers to play with. Thinking about getting a group started. I solo a lot, but do have 1 or 2 guys I play with. Would anyone else be interested in such a group ? Maybe bring old guys (and gals) together to help each other. If anyone is interested, message me on PS. Nasonh77 is my GT. I play on PS5. There is no time line to inquire, so if you see this post today, in a few days or even a weeks, the invite is still open.

I’ve pretty much always worked in customer service (cashier, store clerk). I was a store manager for a small chain store in the early 2000s in my twenties and I worked in Inventory (which at some point I did shipping and receiving for a few months as well) at a production plant after the mgmt job and then I didn’t work for about 10 years because I was a sahm. I have been back in retail for 2 years but it’s just not for me anymore for several reasons. It’s become dangerous and overwhelming to mention a few. Where can I go now? I’m in my 40s and I have some health issues but I have to do something! I work hard and always give my all but I burn out quick in this field. I might lose the job I have due to an attendance issue so I may have to start looking soon. Where should I look? What should I look for? Which apps are legit? I always seem to get tons of spam when using some of them. Am I screwed? Do I need a degree? Am I going to die hungry and poor? Can I make the management skills work for me 20 years later?

To give you a little bit of a back story my mother had me very young and at 3 months old left me with her parents. I have no memory of my mother up until I was about 8 years old when she showed up to my grandparents house with a baby & told me I had a brother, my mother struggled with being a young single mother to my brother so I did not see much of her growing up. She has never been an active part of life but besides that I always have treated he with respect. I am now in my 40s and after my divorce became a single mom & struggled to work & take care of my baby (my ex was refused to help me told me I was on my own) with no one else to turn to I asked my mom who lives in a different country & is retired if she can come live me to help with the baby until I figure things out well she’s now being living with me for a year & the relationship has gotten better until recently. A few months ago mother asked if can take in my sister & son cuz they were struggling with no help I agreed and took them Both in so I now take care of my mother, sister & her son financially my sister works part time and only makes enough to pay for small things for herself which I’m ok with until she gets on her feet. Now the issue btw me and my mother is that my brother got himself in a lot of debt and my mother asked if I can take in my brother his wife and two kids (4 & 2) years old. I stood my ground and told my brother that this is too much for her to ask of me since I already take care of my mother, daughter who’s two, my sister & her 7 year old son every single bill is on me plus what they need. I offered to co sign an apartment for my brother and his family since no one will rent to them since they don’t have good credit . My whole life I have worked so hard & always did much for my family and this is the first time I put my foot down cuz I’m exhausted mentally , emotionally and financially. My mother is now giving me the silent treatment and told me I’m selfish for not taking in my brother & his family. I have help them with everything I can so far but on this living me thing I’m 100% not backing down. AITH here?

Hi all, just some background on me. I’m in my 40s, I exercise regularly with weights and aerobic exercise, I eat healthy and I only drink occasionally (1-3 drinks, but most are in the evening or at night maybe once a week). I have noticed that some diets make me wake up way earlier and refreshed like an elimination diet or Paleo. However, most days I wake up exhausted or I have a small amount of energy which dissapates after I work out (I’m getting enough calories and carbs etc).
I had a sleep study done about a year ago, and I was a 5.2, so just barely made it on to the mild scale. However, I’m wondering if apnea has something to do with it, but it’s odd that it seems that I can fix it or at least really impact it with diet. Also if I eat too late, I have the same issue as if I drink alcohol too late, I wreck my sleep and I wake up groggy and hung over feeling. I will also say that my wife complains more of me snoring at night when I am eating grains and off of my clean diet.
Eating earlier seems to help some, so does avoiding alcohol. I’ve been low or no caffeine for 6 mos so that helps as well. However, it just sucks waking up not knowing how you’re going to feel for the day.
Any ideas? I take fish oil, I just started taking magnesium at night, which is giving me some funky dreams, I also take B complex, D3, and biotin.