I’m an 18 year old autistic girl who became suicidal at the age of 9 until December of 2023. 9 years of my life, I had little appreciation for life. At 16 years old I developed an eating disorder which became extremely bad at 17 years old as I developed bulimia and became underweight. Since year 12 I’ve relied on dating and my eating disorder to give me dopamine and distraction from real life. I don’t have the best life ever, I was raised in a broken family, I’m homeless and have been in a temporary home for almost a year, I’m really lonely but I have friends, I feel quite a disconnect from people even family members excluding a select “exceptions”. I have a body count of 1 and have made out with around 35+ people (I lost count), nobody perceives me as a whore but I’m always dating someone new. But I’m never the problem, I always want to give people my everything but guys disguise themselves as these great people and then somewhere along the line they treat me awfully. So in February after I dumped a guy who wasn’t treating me how I wanted, I focused on myself and going to gym. When I finish with the gym I end up sleeping for the entire day because I’ve never been an energetic person which led to me quitting during exam season to focus on studying. In general I was happy focusing on myself. Then one day my guy best friend who would constantly objectify me started kissing me and touching me without warning when I was drunk and it’s my biggest regret. I struggle to say no so it’s my fault, I should’ve made the boundary clear. But I had a hatred for him building up overtime so my friend and I dropped him. I was happy alone but I missed having a guy to distract me and give me dopamine so I started talking to a guy who I was extremely attracted to and treated me perfectly, I genuinely believed we were soulmates. Long story short, everything seemed perfect until he revealed that he had been lying to me about his age and was actually (almost) two years younger than me. So I dumped him because he’s literally a kid, I don’t hate him though and I miss talking to my bestfriend but I can never look past that or not feel disgusted with what he’s done even though he feels like I’m his first love. I don’t believe I was in love, knowing he’s 16 going onto 17 changed everything and I’m just glad only dated briefly. I’m currently doing my a levels, I revise everyday, I hope to do well and people expect so much out of me. Everyone has these high expectations of me, I have them for myself too. Achieving an A*AA is a must, anything else and I’ve failed myself and everyone. But since I’ve quit gym and exam season started I’ve been feeling extremely numb, angry, depressed, idk… like I kind of don’t wanna be alive anymore but I don’t actively want to die. I have no excitement. I thought about dating another guy (even though they always disappoint me) but I’d rather focus on my exams for now. I’ll probably start dating again after, but the only thing good about me is my appearance and how well I can fake being put together. My authentic self is so broken. And nobody cares about what’s under the surface, I don’t feel worthy of love but I’m trying to love myself again. Idk this was a huge tangent, part of me is just worried I might off myself since those fantasies have emerged again. Will this all end when exams are finished?

Regardless of how everything is with news about this game, I personally think this could potentially be the best rpg assassin's creed title (after origins). Let's go what we know:
• The time period means this is the first game in the series to feature the Assassins and Templars in their classic forms since Syndicate.
• We have a new Light and Dark system, light meter on the UI shows how well concealed you are, from fully visible to completely hidden, similar to splinter cell.
• New Npc types
• pacifist run (fun)
• A fully dynamic weather system
• The map is similar in size to that featured in Assassin's Creed Origins,
• Most main quests can be completed as either Yasuke or Naoe
• You can build up a spy network. (Pretty cool imo)
• unique weapon and ability tree for each character so its not just Syndicate again.
• NO BIRD, only eagle vision.
Now that we have everything down, my hopes for this game is that 1. The parkour in this game is better than it was in the previous rpg games, expand on what mirage did but add what made parkour fun and functional, like side ejects and parkour up + down with new animations. 2. Better combat, i dont want to see the same combat animations everytime i swing a katana or a war club, or even see the same kill animation everytime i assassinate someone, expand. 3. Better ai (including facial animation), I want the game to feel challenging if in playing as either naoe or yasuke, if I fuck up, i want it to feel like it's my fault, not that they saw me through a wall from 20 meters away. 4. And this is a ubisoft special, please no dead parents, im tired of killing off the parents, do something else.

Enjoying these daily updates, listen to my podcast at https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/ai-unraveled-latest-ai-news-trends-gpt-gemini-generative/id1684415169

Sam Altman quashes search engine launch rumors

OpenAI's CEO, Sam Altman, denied rumors of launching a search engine ahead of Google I/O, stating that the upcoming announcement is neither related to GPT-5 nor a search engine. He described the forthcoming revelation as something that "feels like magic."
However, there are reports that OpenAI is developing an AI voice assistant.

iOS 18 iPhones may soon have ChatGPT

OpenAI will bring ChatGPT to iPhones. The integration is expected to happen with the upcoming iOS 18. This could significantly enhance the user experience and expand the capabilities of Apple's virtual assistant, Siri.
Parallel to negotiations with OpenAI, the tech giant is also engaging with Google's parent company, Alphabet, to integrate the Gemini chatbot into Apple's devices. These ongoing talks, however, haven't led to an agreement yet.

SoftBank’s Arm Holdings all set to come up with AI chips in 2025

SoftBank's subsidiary, Arm, plans to develop AI chips and launch them in 2025. Arm is establishing a dedicated AI chip division and targeting a prototype by spring 2025 and mass production by autumn. SoftBank will contribute to the initial cost of 10 trillion yen ($64 billion).
The AI chip business could be spun off to SoftBank. Negotiations with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp (TSMC) and others for production capacity are underway. The move reflects rising demand for AI chips, which has boosted Arm's share price since its IPO in September.

GPT-4o: 2x faster, 50% cheaper, 5x rate limits than GPT-4 Turbo

OpenAI unveiled its new flagship model, GPT-4o (“o” stands for “omni”). It provides GPT-4-level intelligence but is 2x faster, 50% cheaper, has 5x higher rate limits, and enhanced text, voice, and vision capabilities than GPT-4 Turbo. It also matches GPT-4 Turbo performance on text in English and code, with significant improvements for text in non-English languages.
GPT-4o can respond to audio inputs in as little as 232 ms, with an average of 320 ms, which is similar to human response time in a conversation. It is available in the ChatGPT free tier and to Plus users.

TikTok tests ChatGPT-powered search results

TikTok is testing a new search feature that uses AI to generate results for some queries. For certain search terms, like recipes or product recommendations, TikTok will display AI-generated answers at the top of the results. These answers are powered by ChatGPT, and when you click on one of these AI results, it takes you to a page with a full response.
TikTok is also testing "search highlights," which appear at the top of some searches. However, it's unclear whether these highlights are AI-generated.

Meta explores AI-assisted earphones with built-in cameras

Meta is currently exploring AI-powered earphones with built-in cameras. The project is known internally as “Camerabuds;” however, it’s uncertain if the final product will be in-ear earbuds or over-ear headphones. The cameras let the AI take in surrounding information visually, allowing it to translate foreign languages, identify objects, and more.
CEO Mark Zuckerberg has reportedly seen several possible designs but has not been satisfied with them. Outside of design, the major hurdle is fitting a camera and batteries in a tiny device like an earbud.

Google announced a wide array of updates across its AI ecosystem

Major headlines were Project Astra, an AI agent that can see and hear users in real time, and AI teammates that can answer questions and organize data within Workspace.
Google also introduced Veo, a high-quality video generation model, and significant updates to Google Search, including expanded AI Overviews, advanced planning capabilities, and AI-organized search results.
The company launched Gemini 1.5 Pro, boasting a massive 2M context window extension, and Imagen 3, the next version of its text-to-image model. Other notable announcements included:

• Gemma 2 updates: New 27-billion-parameter model launching in June
• Google Play: New app discovery feature and developer tools
• Android feature to detect potential scams during calls using Gemini Nano
• Ask Photos: AI-powered search in Google Photos using natural language queries
• Gemini in Gmail for searching, summarizing, and drafting emails
• Gemini 1.5 Pro: Increased input capacity to 2 million tokens
• Gemini Live: In-depth voice chats with Gemini on smartphones
• Gemini Nano: Smallest AI model built into Chrome desktop client
• Gemini on Android: Deep integration with Android OS and Google apps
• Gemini on Google Maps: Generative AI summaries for places and areas
• Tensor Processing Units (TPU): Sixth-generation Trillium chips with 4.7x performance boost
• Project IDX: AI-centric browser-based development environment in open beta
• Circle to Search: AI-powered feature for instant answers using gestures on Android
• Pixel 8a: New smartphone with Tensor G3 chip, starting at $499
• Pixel Slate: Google's Pixel Tablet is now available with or without the base

Ilya Sutskever, OpenAI's co-founder and chief scientist, has left the company

Ilya Sutskever, OpenAI's co-founder and longtime chief scientist, has left the company. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman announced the news on X, expressing his sadness and gratitude for Sutskever's contributions. Jakub Pachocki, OpenAI's research director, will step up as a chief scientist.
Sutskever's departure comes amidst reports of disagreements with Altman over OpenAI's direction, mainly concerns about rushing AI-powered product launches at the expense of safety. The situation escalated last November when Sutskever and OpenAI CTO Mira Murati approached the company's previous board to express their concerns, leading to a brief attempt to fire Altman. However, Altman was swiftly reinstated, and much of the old board resigned.

Apple unveils AI-enhanced eye tracking, music haptics, voice shortcuts

Apple recently unveiled new accessibility features that will launch later this year. One of these features is Eye Tracking, which enables users with physical disabilities to navigate their iPhones and iPads using only their eyes.
By leveraging the front-facing camera and AI, Eye Tracking allows precise control through a “Dwell Control” feature, eliminating the need for additional hardware.
Another noteworthy addition is Music Haptics, designed for users who are deaf or hard of hearing. When enabled, the Taptic Engine in iPhones plays taps, textures, and refined vibrations synchronized with music audio.
Additionally, Apple has introduced Voice Shortcut, which allows users to create custom voice commands for specific actions on their devices. With Voice Shortcut, users can perform tasks hands-free by simply speaking their personalized commands.

Humane’s AI Pin upgraded with GPT-4o

Humane has upgraded its popular AI Pin product with the GPT-4o model. This upgrade aims to enhance the AI Pin’s performance. The new version runs faster, provides more accurate answers, and offers richer information.

Stability AI seeks buyer amid financial woes

Stability AI has been in discussions with at least one potential buyer recently regarding a possible sale. The company is facing a cash crunch, having generated less than $5 million in revenue during the first quarter of 2024 while incurring losses exceeding $30 million. Stability AI also owes nearly $100 million in outstanding bills to cloud computing providers and other entities.
The reported sales talks came after the company laid off some staff as part of a restructuring process following the resignation of founder Emad Mostaque as CEO.

OpenAI is bringing Reddit content to ChatGPT and new products

OpenAI and Reddit have formed a partnership to benefit both the Reddit and OpenAI user communities in a number of ways:

• OpenAI will access Reddit’s Data API, which provides real-time, structured, and unique content from Reddit. This will enable OpenAI’s AI tools to better understand and showcase Reddit content, especially on recent topics.
• The deal will also enable Reddit to bring new AI-powered features to redditors and mods. Reddit will be building on OpenAI’s platform of AI models to bring its powerful vision to life.
• Lastly, OpenAI will become a Reddit advertising partner.

OpenAI introduces improvements to data analysis in ChatGPT

OpenAI is rolling out enhancements to data analysis:

• Upload the latest file versions directly from Google Drive and Microsoft OneDrive. This allows ChatGPT to understand your Google Sheets, Docs, Slides, and Microsoft Excel, Word, and PowerPoint files more quickly
• Interact with tables and charts in a new expandable view
• Customize and interact with bar, line, pie, and scatter plot charts in the conversation.
• Work on tables in real-time

These improvements will be available in OpenAI’s new flagship model, GPT-4o, for ChatGPT Plus, Team, and Enterprise users over the coming weeks.

GenZ and millennials optimistic about GenAI use at work: Deloitte Survey

Deloitte’s 2024 Gen Z and Millennial Survey connected with more than 22,800 respondents in 44 countries to explore their attitudes about work and the world around them. One of the key findings was that Gen Zs and millennials are feeling uncertain about GenAI and its potential impact on their careers.
However, respondents who frequently use GenAI at work are more likely to say they feel excitement about, and trust in the technology. Frequent users of GenAI are also more likely to believe it will free up their time, improve the way they work, and improve their work/life balance.
But, conversely, the more a respondent uses GenAI the more likely they are to have some concerns as well.

Enjoying these daily updates, listen to my podcast at https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/ai-unraveled-latest-ai-news-trends-gpt-gemini-generative/id1684415169

My girlfriend of two years has a bully breed (male, 3 years old). He is becoming the bane of my existence. For reference, my girlfriend and I are both women.
My girlfriend and I are planning to move in together within the next year. We've talked extensively about our future pet plans. She understands that her dog is an issue and is open to letting her roommate (who loves the dog) take ownership. On one hand, it is heartbreaking to see my girlfriend struggle with the potential of this. On the other hand, I'm freaking relieved that she's open to it.
It's not my girlfriend's fault this dog is awful, I honestly believe it's just the way he is (bully breeds are TERRIBLE). She's taken him to numerous training schools, has him completely kennel trained, has an electric collar on him, and even gives him calming gummies.
I don't need advice, I just want to rant about the stupid things this dog does that pisses me off. It's becoming such an issue for me that I dread going over to her house. Am I heartless or are my feelings about this dog justified?

• The dog is a velcro dog and CONSTANTLY needs attention. If you're sitting on the couch, he's on top of you. If you're in a room, he's up your ass. I always have bruises and cuts on my hands/legs from this dog jumping on me.
• This dog needs constant surveillance. If he leaves your line of sight, he's jumping on the counters, digging in the trash, chewing objects that aren't his, and knocking things off shelves/tables. If you stop petting him for one second, he runs off and does these things. This is super goddamn annoying and it takes away the quality time my girlfriend and I spend together (playing board games, watching TV, even just talking).
• He's aggressive and possessive. It took months for him to stop biting my hands and jumping on me if my girlfriend and I kissed or hugged. Even now, if we're standing too close he'll wiggle his way in between us.
• He's so loud and energetic all the time. I have ADHD and sensory issues and this overstimulates me to the point I have to take a time out. Every time I'm trying to watch TV or play video games the dog is barking, panting, jostling me on the couch, running loudly through the house, etc. It makes my skin crawl and I feel hot and itchy.
• The time I spend with my girlfriend is impacted by the dog's schedule/needs. We can't go on day trips because the dog can't be left home alone too long. If her roommate can't watch the dog, she can't spend the night at my place. He has to go outside every two hours and it interrupts our quality time. Obviously, dogs need this care and it would be the same situation with any dog but if it was a dog I liked maybe I wouldn't be so salty.
• He's reactive. He does not get along with other dogs and hates children. If my girlfriend and I laugh too hard, yell with excitement, or make any weird sudden moves, this damn dog is biting and jumping on us. My girlfriend doesn't like bugs and saw a bug in the kitchen and jumped a little bit. The dog growled and pulled on her sweater sleeve and I had to drag him off. He's bitten me four times because of things like this.
• He's so messy and stinky (bully breeds have skin issues). His hair is everywhere, he stinks up the couches, he chews up toys and leaves pieces everywhere. He obsessively licks his feet and often leaves wet marks on the furniture. I freaking hate it.

I just cannot stand this dog. It's getting so bad that I'm becoming afraid of him. I am so in love with my girlfriend, we have great communication and a great sex life, we share so many hobbies in common, our friends and family adore us together, and we are on the same page with our life and relationship goals. We are compatible in every way except her dog.
Anyway, Thanks for reading this.

Context: I have this roommate (20M) named J. He’s in love w me and I’m not. I’ve told him over and over I’m not interested and we can sleep together and not date but he’ll just cry and basically force me into this weird limbo relationship thing we have. He basically freaks the fuck out if I hang out w other men, sleep w other people or leave the apt/go out without him. He tries to convince me to never leave the apt without him bc he’s worried. He guilts me into staying or being late bc he can’t sleep or eat alone.
Issue: We have roaches. Fucking disgusting. It’s mostly due to the neighbors but we still have them. The apartment complex has fumigated 4 times now and they keep coming back bc J and our other roommate C (24M) just don’t clean up or keep the standards the fumigators tell us to keep which are no food out and mop daily for 2 weeks btw.
J and C really don’t seem to mind the bugs as they’ll see some, shrug and walk away. Not even spray them. Ive made a cleaning schedule that they don’t follow no matter how many times I ask. They don’t take the trash out till I ask aka when it’s literally overflowing with bags of trash on the side of the actual trash can. J will take the trash out when I’m in the kitchen w him to show “how much he helps out around the house”They don’t wipe the counters off after they make food. Just leave the crumbs and the counter sticky etc. basically roach heaven up in here.
I’ve been caulking the gaps everywhere around the apt, baseboards, under counters, drawers, cabinets etc. to stop the roaches from coming in. I’ve also been organizing, decluttering, deep cleaning behind/under, creating itineraries and caulking every gap I see for everywhere. I do the itineraries bc we all have really bad object permanence and rebuy a lot of stuff. I’ve been doing this for every single place in the apartment. Im a full time student w a part time job working in an elementary school. A lot of my free time is either hw or creating lesson plans and activities for my students.
I’ve been asking for help but I get none then they get mad at me for not telling them explicitly what to do. I don’t think I should have to baby step these grown men into caring about living in roaches but okay. I asked J to clean out, organize, make an itinerary and caulk the main cabinet bc I had midterms to study for and I couldn’t go to the schools library bc there was a shooter threat and I was scared lmao so I biked to the city library. Also, he’s like 6’2 and can reach the top and back and I can’t. First thing he asked was, “you can’t reach it w the stool?” Lmao. The entire time I was explaining he kept brushing me off and saying “I got it, I got it”. Making me feel like I’m over explaining and being annoying so I left to the library to do midterms.
I came back and he just reorganized everything, made a general map of where stuff it (this square is snacks, this square is Tupperware etc) and only caulked the bottom shelf that’s on the ground. He didn’t wipe down the shelves that are covered in roaches and roach shit. He didn’t caulk the shelves or the outline of the cabinet. He didn’t make an itinerary. He showed me the cabinet all proud and I voiced my concerns about how he literally did it completely wrong and how he’s gonna have to do it again. I told him, “I told you exactly what to do and told you to call with questions. Why didn’t you call me?” His excuses were: “the bugs can’t get into the cabinet through the shelves if they bottom is caulked off” “I couldn’t find the paper for the itinerary” “I didn’t know you wanted me to wipe the shelves out” “I didn’t wanna bug you” “I forgot what you said”
He literally wrote down this little map on a notebook. He said, “I use this for school, I can’t use this one” but he literally just did?
He basically shut down and ignored me so I had to ask, “did me criticizing the cabinet hurt your feelings?” he said yes and I had to hold him and explain that when criticize it isn’t an attack on your character, I just need it done. I can’t do it all. I explained my frustrations bc I told him explicitly what to do and asked why he didn’t do it and he said he forgot. I said, “why didn’t you write it down” he said, “bc I thought I got it” when him forgetting is a consistent problem. I asked why he didn’t call me and he said, “I didn’t wanna bother you, I got it”. I said, “you obviously didn’t have it. Why didn’t you just do it, why do I have to ask you? If there’s dead roaches and roach droppings where we put our food, why do I have to baby step you through wiping that out?” He just said he didn’t know he was supposed to do it.
We have this exact same conversation about 3 times a month?
1) please take initiative with literally anything, having to ask is exhausting. If something needs to get done, just do it. I shouldn’t have to ask for simple household things like fix the rug if the dogs scratch it up
(Quick story about the rug: I tried to “test” if J or C would fix the doorway rug bc it was messed up, kinda in a ball bc the dogs scratched it and moved it. You couldn’t open the door properly bc of the rug. A simple household “no one’s fault” task that affects us all. They didn’t fix it for a month. I counted the days. I was very frustrated and asked why they literally don’t do anything at all unless I baby step them. I asked, “why don’t you guys just do something that you see needs to get done?”. J blew up at me saying, “why do you expect us to do everything? Why didn’t you fix the rug, they’re your dogs. You live here too so don’t get mad at us for not fixing a simple thing when you didn’t do it either”. I fixed the rug and continue to fix the rug now.)
2) when you face a barrier please try to find another way to solve the problem instead of giving up such as, asking me, googling it etc
Anyways, this was about a week ago and he still hasn’t redone the cabinet even tho I’ve asked everyday. I’m so tired. J and I been living together for like 2 years and no matter how much I cry, ask, put sticky notes, text, call etc etc, nothing changes. It’s like having children. I’m so tired, like legitimately. I wanna give up. I’m tired of the same conversations over and over. I rather just do it by myself but idk if I should give up.
Should I try to hold him accountable for the upkeep of OUR apartment or should I just shut up and do it myself?

Hey, if you've clicked on this post, your probably willing to help me out real quick, I'm working on a vanilla ++ modpack for a modded game with me and my buddies, but for some reason I have Vein Miner, which I personally would like to remove. Unfortunately for me I can't find it and I've scanned this pack like 5 times now, and I cannot for the life of me find the Vein Miner mod.
If anyone glances at this and just so happens to know the culprit, thanks!

• GUI Compass
• Nullscape
• Lithium
• Debugify
• Continuity
• Recipe Cooldown
• LazyDFU
• Very Many Players
• Bygone Nether
• Double Doors
• Reese's Sodium Options
• Collective
• Dynamic FPS
• Iris
• Smooth Swapping
• Disable Insecure Chat Toast
• Xaero's Minimap
• Capes
• Inventory Totem
• Forge Config API Port
• AdvancementInfo
• FastAnim
• Architectury
• Wakes
• Mineblock's Repeated Utilities
• AttributeFix
• Accurate Block Placement
• Sodium
• Easy Magic
• AppleSkin
• Better Advancements
• Endless Music
• Mindful Loading Info
• Bobby
• Mouse Wheelie
• Beautified Chat Server
• YDM's Weapon Master
• EnhancedVisuals_FABRIC_v1.6.9_mc1.20.1
• Incendium
• e4mc
• Blur (Fabric)
• Axiom
• FabricSkyBoxes Interop
• NetherPortalFix
• Player Animator
• CreativeCore
• Roughly Enough Items
• FabricSkyBoxes
• Camera Overhaul
• Konkrete
• Mod Menu
• Immersive Weathering
• Quick Right-Click
• Random Village Names
• Disable Custom Worlds Advice
• Flow
• YUNG's Extras
• EntityCulling-Fabric
• Tree Harvester
• Indium
• Resourcefulconfig
• Fabric API
• Geophilic
• Tiered
• GeckoLibIrisCompat
• Soul fire'd
• Fabric Language Kotlin
• Krypton
• WorldEdit
• ChoiceTheorem's Overhauled Village
• Controlling For Fabric
• Clumps
• GUI Followers
• Sound Physics Remastered
• Visuality
• NotEnoughAnimations
• Superflat World No Slimes
• Searchables
• Connectible Chains
• Presence Footsteps
• Easy Elytra Takeoff
• Raknetify (Fabric)
• YUNG's Bridges
• YUNG's Menu Tweaks
• Ksyxis
• Additional Lanterns
• Snow Under Trees
• Starlight
• AutoTag Convention
• GUI Clock
• More Mob Variants
• Vectorientation
• Iceberg
• More Zombie Villagers
• Chunky extended
• Fabrishot
• Panorama Screens
• MixinTrace
• Better hidden chat
• ServerCore
• Compact Help Command
• Better Animations Collection
• MidnightLib
• Hoe Tweaks
• Highlighter
• Better Beacon Placement
• Deeper and Darker
• Zoomify
• oωo
• Dynamic Surroundings
• DEUF Refabricated
• Memory Leak Fix
• Softer Hay Bales
• William Wythers Overhauled Overworld [FORGE]
• SuperMartijn642's Core Lib
• Right Click Harvest
• Realistic Bees
• Remove Reloading Screen
• Falling Leaves
• Glassential
• Eating Animation
• First Join Message
• Wunderreich
• Borderless Mining
• Grass Seeds
• Distant Horizons
• CICADA
• Boids
• Simple Voice Chat
• Woof
• Diagonal Fences
• All Loot Drops
• CIT Resewn
• Fish On The Line
• Fast IP Ping
• Fabric Waystones
• Campfire Spawn and Tweaks
• Moog's Nether Structures
• ExtraSounds
• YUNG's Better Strongholds
• Exposure
• FerriteCore
• BadOptimizations
• Mindful Darkness
• Ruthenium
• Xaero's World Map
• Creeper Overhaul
• LibZ
• Lootr
• Advanced Netherite
• Packet Fixer
• YUNG's API
• Better Statistics Screen
• MidnightControls
• Animatica
• Dragonfight Mod
• Seamless Loading Screen
• Amplified Nether
• Noisium
• Replay Mod
• Enhanced Block Entities
• Diagonal Walls
• YUNG's Better End Island
• HorseBuff
• DisableAccessibilityScreen
• Cherished Worlds
• AmbientSounds_FABRIC_v5.3.5_mc1.20.1
• Snow! Real Magic!
• YUNG's Better Jungle Temples
• You Shall Not Spawn!
• YUNG's Better Mineshafts
• Visual Workbench
• Concurrent Chunk Management Engine
• Chunky
• Traveler's Titles
• Main Menu Credits
• Terralith
• Nyf's Spiders
• Recast
• RailOptimization
• Item Borders
• GeckoLib 4
• Surface Mushrooms
• Cristel Lib
• Auditory
• CleanCut
• Tectonic
• DashLoader
• Fixed Anvil Repair Cost
• Better Third Person
• Followers Teleport Too
• Repurposed Structures
• Random Shulker Colours
• Bedspreads
• Automatic Doors
• YUNG's Better Dungeons
• Legendary Tooltips
• Better Spawner Control
• Trinkets
• Immersive Structures
• Language Reload
• Elytra Slot
• Healing Campfire
• TerraBlender
• Fabric Seasons
• Mineral Chance
• Prism
• Moog's End Structures
• End Remastered
• Entity Texture Features
• LambDynamicLights
• QoLFixes
• Replanting Crops
• Trade Cycling
• Wool Tweaks
• Nether Depths Upgrade
• Random Sheep Colours
• YOSBR
• Balm
• MaLiLib
• Nether Chested
• Anvil Restoration
• Easy Anvils
• ${name}
• VanillaTweaks
• ChatAnimation
• Charm
• BetterF3
• Cave Dust
• More Banner Features
• Herds Panic
• More Chat History
• Necronomicon
• Paxi
• YUNG's Better Nether Fortresses
• Better Mount HUD
• Better Climbing
• Puzzles Lib
• Do a Barrel Roll
• Cloth Config v11
• Smaller Nether Portals
• Moonlight
• Scaffolding Drops Nearby
• MidnightControls Extra
• Sodium Extra
• FrozenLib
• Additional Additions
• Universal Bone Meal
• YUNG's Better Desert Temples
• Axes Are Weapons
• ModernFix
• Custom LAN
• Creative Fly
• Diagonal Windows
• Shulker Box Tooltip
• Faster Random
• Comforts
• Video Tape
• Shut Up GL Error
• Bigger Sponge Absorption Radius
• OptiGUI
• Towns and Towers
• Fast Paintings
• YUNG's Better Witch Huts
• Nvidium
• Entity Model Features
• ImmediatelyFast
• Dungeons and Taverns
• InvMove
• Areas
• Make Bubbles Pop Mod
• Deepslate Cutting
• Villager Names
• Advancement Plaques
• Charmonium
• Inmis
• AlinLib
• FeyTweaks
• Better Conduit Placement
• More Culling
• Smooth Scroll
• No Chat Reports
• 3d-Skin-Layers
• Edibles
• AdditionZ
• Tiny Skeletons
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Trigger warning: sexual assault, suicide
I (29f) have been friends with Friend A (40m) and Friend B (39m) for six years after meeting in the office we all work in. About a year and a half ago, A started experiencing severe insomnia and depression. B and I recommended A to seek professional help, but A rejected this for many months until December 2023 when B called emergency services following what we considered to be credible suicidal threats. Since then, A has started therapy and is taking medication for the insomnia and depression. B and I have continued to try to be present friends, listening and offering encouragement. End of March 2023, A confided in us that he was raped as a teenager. I won’t pretend that we landed the response perfectly, but I have apologized for things that I did wrong (not discussing the assault and aftermath) out of fear of making our friendship all about the assault. We have reiterated to him that it was not his fault and that he do not see him any differently.
I believe the situation is toxic. I understand that A is hurting and I can only imagine the burden he’s carrying. As time passes, our relationship with him gets worse as he lashes out saying that we are only pretend friends and is completely isolated. He’ll make passive aggressive comments to us at work and send us expletive ridden texts telling us that we aren’t doing enough, accusing us of abandoning him. We have not disappeared. We’ve all hung outside of work together since this happened. We still talk on a day to day basis, even outside of work. When he expresses feelings of abandonment, we tell him we’re trying to be there for him and ask how we can do better, and he just gets upset. He reminds us not infrequently, almost angrily, that the only reason he’s still alive is because B made that call.
I’m a single mom to two small kids (2 and 4). I’m doing my best to be there but I just cannot offer on call support. In addition to this, there was an indication in about September that A has romantic feelings for me. This all makes my partner very uncomfortable, as he doesn’t want me so emotionally invested in another man but also doesn’t want A to kill himself.
Last night A texted me expressing his feelings of isolation, and within ten minutes as I sat trying to provide a delicate response, he sends an expletive filled mini rant to the group chat with A, B, and me about how he’s done and with an emoji with a gun to his head. I told him I would call him once I put my son to bed, and I did. We spent about an hour on the phone, where he cursed at me and continued to tell I vanished. I told him I wasn’t going to say anything about how I responded in the past because I didn’t want to make it sound like I was making excuses, but that I was sorry for not being what he needed before and I was here. He just got angry and laughed. He demanded an explanation for my approach in different situations, and when I provided them, he just called them BS. He gave me an ultimatum, saying I needed to show I could be a real friend or he would “move on”. I told him he needed to tell me exactly what he had in mind, and eventually he said I needed to be more intentional in asking about his emotional wellbeing and not keeping him at arms length. I told him I could do that.
It turns out that after we hung up, he had the same conversation with B but it ended badly. I woke up to a string of nonsensical texts to the group thread, the last of which said “I'm about to have done dipshits that think the know a damn thing promisr me it's my fault. In reality I love you and want your babies”. I find this to be grossly inappropriate and it makes me incredibly uncomfortable. Such things are disrespectful to both me and my partner. I told him that what he said was not okay, and he responded he was “going to hide in shame” and talking about how much he needs us.
I’ve been yelled at, laughed at, cussed at. Anything I’ve done for this person has been equated to nothing despite the significant turmoil it’s caused in my life. So far I have taken all of this on the chin without blinking but I think a line has been crossed here. This feels like a scheme of self sabotage that I’m caught in the middle of. Trying to establish and maintain healthy boundaries is something I’ve been focusing on since my divorce. How can I do that here? I have to sit next to this person at work and I am not comfortable in this relationship where it stands. I’m at a point where I feel an intense need to protect myself and my relationship — my partner is not going to be okay with this. Am I actually being a bad friend and not realizing it?

So, I have the dubious honor of having owned both the Luba 2 5000 and the Husqvarna 450X EPOS at the same time for the same yard. I also have the Husqvarna 315X wired version as well. But in this post I want to provide a comprehensive comparison between the Husq 450X EPOS and the Luba 2 5000. There are already tons of vendor marketing materials, YouTubers with their reviews, etc. My goal is to provide a real comprehensive review, with no fanboyism, no hidden agenda, just as a homeowner who wants something that works reliably and that lasts.
In this post my goal is also to provide new information that I was not able to find anywhere when I was comparing these two prior to purchase, if you have any questions that you want answered that I did not cover here just let me know.
MY YARD
My yard is a pretty simple Florida rectangular acre with about 5 big oak trees and plenty more overhanging my yard from my neighbors' yards. I have about 1/2 acre in the back and about 0.30 acres in the front. I use the Husq 315X to mow the front and decided to buy a wireless version to mow the back. I also have a thin strip outside of the front fence that I mow on occasion after opening the gates and fences.
LUBA2 5000 vs HUSQ 450X EPOS
Below I have arranged my findings by categories, with the most surprising being first.

• RTK / Wireless Performance (Winner - Luba) - This was without a doubt the biggest surprise for me. I thought I had a simple yard after setting up the Luba. I put the RTK antenna in the attic, set up the base station, mapped out the yard and was done. The Husq EPOS on the other hand performed 10x worse than the Luba. Same house, same attic, but the EPOS system would not lock onto the satellites. After an hour of fiddling, I moved the RTK antenna out of the attic and mounted it on a pole in my yard. The performance is still terrible, while mapping out my back yard even within 50' of the RTK station, the signal only shows 73%, and I spent hours having to drive the Husq 450X to the middle of the yard to get a signal then rushing back to the last waypoint to try to finish mapping. It took about 4hrs to map 0.5 acres. That was just the beginning of my problems though. It now likes to sit for up to an hour in one spot for some reason even though the app says it has a good EPOS signal. No idea if this is a hardware problem or a software problem but hopefully it can be fixed via software update. If this keeps up, I may have to set more no go areas and mow those areas with my lawn mower.....not a good thing.
• RTK App Feeback (Winner Luba) - The Luba 2 is great about showing you all of the satellite information; co-viewing, RTK satellites, and Luba 2 satellites. The 450X is the opposite, all you get to see is if EPOS is working or not with no way to troubleshoot it except to keep driving the mower around until it is fixed.
• Hardware Build Quality (Winner Luba) - The Luba 2 feels much sturdier and better built than the 450X. Also, the Luba 2 includes an RTK mounting pole whereas the 450X does not. The 450X EPOS is an older design and it does not appear that Husqvarna updated anything other than add an RTK module to their existing product line while doubling the price.
• App Useability (Winner - 450X) - The Husq mower app while not perfect is much better than the Lubas. Mapping is more intuitive; I like the way they used waypoints which is more accurate and more familiar than driving the mower from place to place without clearly defining points. The mowing pattern selection is much more intuitive as well and adding a mowing angle to a work area is perfectly done by simply dragging two dots until the line overlay matches the look you want. I do like Luba's way of showing the amount of work remaining/completed via shaded areas vs the eyesore redlines that Husqvarna uses. As previously mentioned though, the biggest shortcoming is that you can't do any satellite troubleshooting in the Husq app. With the Husq app you can also pause mapping and pick back up where you left off, you can save multiple mowing profiles (i.e. winter vs summer), and you can pause any mowing task, go do something else, then restart the mowing task instead of fiddling with percentages like in the Luba 2's app.
• Lawn Damage - (Winner - 450X) - The Husq 450X EPOS hands down causes less lawn damage than the Luba. No more crop circles, no damage in front of the charging station, it is a real joy to watch it turn on a dime with no endless grinding itself into the dirt. The Luba 2 got stuck all the time at the ends of rows, bases of trees, etc. as it tried to turn around in the soft dirt. It also killed untold numbers of seedlings which I will probably need to overseed.
• Mowing Speed - (Winner - 450X) - The Luba 2 has multiple mowing speeds that you can pick but if you are like me, you have no idea what is too fast or what is slower than necessary. The Husq has no mowing speed options but if you watch it, it automatically slows down on thicker patches of grass and speeds up on recently mowed patches. This not only gets the yard done faster while extending the battery life, it also makes the setup simpler.
• Mowing Height - (Winner - 450X) - The Luba 2 lets you set the height and so does the 450X, the nice thing about the Luba is that it gives you the exact height in inches (or cm) vs the 450X where you have to do you own math to figure out what 1 or 2 or 3 mean in inches or cm. The reason why the 450X still wins for me though is because it is much faster at adjusting the height when it needs to. The Luba 2 bogged down a lot and ground itself into the ground when the blade was too low for the terrain. The 450X seems to adjust its blades in real time and never seems to stop and get stuck on bumps even with the blade set at 1".
• Connectivity - (Winner 450X) - The Husq 450X EPOS includes 10yrs of LTE data and also includes Bluetooth connectivity. The Luba 2 relies on wireless and Bluetooth and if you want LTE you have to buy your own SIM and data plan. Many times the Luba 2 would grind itself into the ground then just turn off. I would then need to go hunt for it in the yard, turn it on, connect via Bluetooth, move it out of the hole it had dug, then wait for it to get a satellite fix before I could get it to do anything. The 450X with LTE is always accessible until the battery dies. With the improvements in connectivity, the anti-theft features are also much better.
• Audible Beeps (Winner 450X) - This was a big problem for me with the Luba 2. It beeps all the time (when its adjusting the cutting height, returning to the charging station, searching for a satellite signal, starting a mowing job, on the charging station, leaving the charging station, etc, etc.). The charging station is right outside of my bedroom window so I had to start running it in the daytime just to keep from being woken up. The 450X EPOS does not do any of that, it shows everything via the app and the status LED on the top, no endless beeps.
• Perimeter Mowing Logic (Winner 450X) - I never understood why the Luba 2 put so much emphasis on perimeter laps, to me it's just the first row to be mowed, apparently the 450X EOPS thinks so too and treats it as such. The perimeter was being badly chewed up by the Luba 2 since it is the least level areas of my yard, the 450X EPOS just mows it without fuss and no digging in and getting stuck at the base of my fences.
• Battery Replacement (Winner 450X) - the 450X EPOS battery can be replaced in about 10min and they are readily available from a dealer, eBay, and others. The Luba 2's battery replacement story is still very murky to me.
• Blade Performance (Winner 450X EPOS) - The Husq automowers spin both clockwise and counterclockwise after every recharge, this means that you do not have to flip the razors over every xx number of hours. The Luba 2 does not have this feature.

OVERALL WINNER (TIE)
Right now both the Luba 2 and the Husq 450X EPOS have a fatal flaw; the Luba 2 badly chews up my yard, and the 450X EPOS can't seem to find its RTK/Satellite Signals. At this point in time I do not know if the Luba's or 450X EPOS's problems are just software or a fundamental hardware problem. Mammotion is addressing their hardware design with the release of the Yuka, I can only hope the RTK problem with the 450X EPOS can be fixed via a firmware update.
I know the 450X EPOS won a lot of categories for me, but if it sits around in my yard all day searching for a signal then none of the rest of its features matter. RTK is so important to the fundamental operation of a wireless RTK robot that it supersedes all else in my book.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Luba 2 - I would recommend the Luba 2 if any of the below are true:

• Hilly yard - obviously the Luba 2 is the better of the two with its AWD
• Mature grass/hard ground - if you have a mature yard with hard clay or dirt that can handle the Luba 2's grinding donut turns then I would recommend the Luba 2
• Cost - If cost is your only concern then obviously the Luba 2 is a no brainer
• Trees / Obstructions - If your yard has even a few big trees or big obstructions, at least for now, the Luba 2 will far outperform the 450X EPOS when it comes to RTK performance

450X EPOS - I would recommend the Husq 450X EPOS if ALL of the below are true:

• You have a perfectly wide open yard with no trees or other obstructions
• You have a yard with new turf or soft dirt/sand
• Your yard is relatively flat

Wired Solutions - My front yard Husq 315X wire guided mower is great, problem free, and still uses a wire. I used a trenching machine, bought heavy duty 14 gauge wire, and buried it around 8" deep. In my opinion, if you can deal with installing the wire, not being able to change things later, and risk the wire breaks, wired is still the most reliable way to go. I think wireless mowers are very close to being mature, but something needs to come along to reduce the problems with satellite reception, RTK placement, and blockage from buildings and trees. We don't all have that perfect wide open yard with no trees or buildings.

Long term reader first time poster. I thought I would try and help people by no fault of my own and being nieve.
The business is plus lifestyle assist there is one solo male running then again I use this term loosely "business" promises to take my son who is on the NDIS program for outings etc nothing ever came about it but was happy to send me an invoice promising the following week he will take my son for his "outing" after the third time paying him I caught on ( I know I sound dumb but he was a family friend too and not understanding how NDIS works properly as it's a lot to wrap your head around.
Ultimately he won't reply professionally, can't give his NDIS number and most importantly stole from my seven year old son while Luke Edwards claims to be a saint helping those who need that extra help especially with disabilities, I didn't think people were really that horrible.
Plus lifestyle assist Luke Edwards
Please be advised about this shonky again using the term loosely "business" I've obviously made complaints to NDIS complaints line made a police report.
But please be careful of this person as he doesn't have your best interest and just wants to get money with no helping any child, let alone one with special needs.
Please share around as I don't want any other families to go through this struggle.

This is a [LF Friends, Will travel] stand-alone story, that assumes no knowledge of the setting.
[First] - [Prev] - [Next]
—------------
Date: 75 PST (Post Stasis Time)
“Yeah, it’s super exciting times! Two non-Terran AI, a Woolean, and a Tritian, finally interacting with us. There’s even been talks of some of the Woolean governments starting to formalize diplomatic relations with the Alliance. Exciting stuff!”
The avian uplift spoke with a measure of excitement, the ex-parrot’s feathers moving with a passion as they spoke about recent events, eyes glinting with excitement as she swung the glass of liquid around before taking a swig of the alcoholic beverage.
The bar was a small thing, more of a place to stay and drink in-between your travels, a tiny little room of bare steel chairs and tables, all lit by dim fluorescent lighting. It didn’t even have a bartender, just a little synthesizer which could create a variety of drinks. Sure, an aficionado of mixology would claim that synthesized drinks just don’t taste the same, but anyone coming to an establishment such as this wasn’t looking for a high class experience.
It was mostly about company while you waited for your ship to fuel on this small Terran owned space station.
“A Tritian? A Woolean I could understand, since they are less aggressive, but a Tritian? How do you get one of those without them trying to kill you?”
The second voice of the three figures sitting at the bar was an unnatural one, tinted with the digital origin of its speaker. The figure was bipedal, but not of an organic nature; instead a 7ft machine of metal, tubes, and wires making it look like something that had been welded together in someone’s backyard. Their ‘face’ was shown upon a single display: A pixelated representation of two eyes and a mouth. The entire form was a clear design choice by the AI inhabiting the body, considering more ‘realistic’ representations were readily available.
Most AI spent their time in a digital form, but a few preferred a more… physical existence. MADHAU5 was such an AI, enjoying the relative quiet and difference in point of view from such a limited perspective. He also held a small glass of liquor in one robotic hand, keeping it perfectly level as he spoke. The AI couldn’t drink it of course, but merely holding it… added to the ambience.
“The AI who brought them along, JOSH, brought a Tritian along without telling anyone when his crew escaped from a Tritian warship.” The avian responded to the question. ”From what I heard, they kept the Tritian in isolation for over ten years!”
“Ooof, you can't do that! I’m surprised that the Tritian AI was willing to cooperate with us after being illegally detained.”
The last voice joined the conversation the trio were having. A human, short built and still wearing his leather pilot jacket. The three sat in a row against the bar top, each looking at the others as they talked: An uplift, a human and an AI. A perfect representation of what it meant to be a Terran.
“Not like it would matter legally, the Tritian presumably attacked first, making them a combatant.”
There was a pause as both the human and uplift turned to stare at the words the AI had just spoken, looks of confusion filling both of their faces as they both looked at MADHAU5.
“Umm, that is not how that works….” The avian interjected, slowly and unsurely.
“Yeah, whether they attack you doesn’t change the legality.” The human added. ”You can’t just kidnap people for years because they assaulted you.”
“No, no, no, they are an enemy combatant at that point, meaning what happens is their fault.”
Another pause, most looks of confusion, the human giving a small laugh as if this was some joke he wasn’t quite getting yet.
“No… even if they’re a combatant, the Geneva conventions would make doing that a war crime.”
“Which they are not signatories of, meaning it doesn’t apply!” The AI spoke triumphantly, raising a robotic hand in victory, only to be cut down by the uplift’s words.
“No… it applies to the actions of signatories regardless of whether the combatants have signed or not. The other party not signing doesn’t make it less of a war crime… you should know this, aren’t you a walking database?”
The avian’s voice had taken a more… accusatory tone, staring at the AI figure with suspicious eyes.
“Ha ha ha ha. It was a joke. Of course, I know kidnapping an AI for several years is a crime, silly!” The AI’s voice broke the tension that had been building, the other two joining in with the electronic laughter, unaware of what exactly was humorous, but going along for the sake of the vibe. “But just for context, what happened to JOSH?”
“Nothing bad, really,” The uplift answered, happy to get back to her original story. “He got a slap on the wrist and some probation.”
“Oh, so no big deal,” the AI asked with more relief than you’d expect in an innocent person's voice.
“Yeah, but the Tritian refused to press charges against JOSH, and nobody wanted to be the guy to imprison the AI who saved all those people at Far-Sa-De. A normal AI if they did that… you’re looking at a prison sentence ten or twenty times however long you imprisoned them for.”
The impact of this statement on the AI was immediate, jumping back and up to his feet in alarm. MADHAU5 took a few moments to look at a non-existent watch, before speaking with a considerable amount of panic.
“Oh, I forgot I have a… very important…. thing to do. I must leave immediately for completely legal reasons!”
The AI slammed their still full drink upon the bar counter top and without another word, practically bolted for the exit in the direction of their ship, leaving behind two very confused Terrans staring at each other at the sheer terror the AI suddenly exhibited.
“That was suspicious as hell, right? ”
“Yeah… You don’t think he actually….? Right? Surely not?”
—----------------------
The vessel sped towards its goal with as much speed as the small scout ship could muster, the single-seater FTL vehicle punching a hole through space as it warped as fast as the engines could handle. It was going to do a number on his fuel efficiency, but MADHAU5 didn’t care, he just wanted to get rid of the package as soon as possible before anyone else could see his mistake.
MADHAU5 was a solitary creature. It wasn’t that he hated people; AI or his creators. Often, he would enjoy making conversation and interacting with them. Still, MADHAU5 often found it all to be a little… much. All of the inputs and information and various people wanting to talk as an entire ship or cities worth of sensors blasted his programming with possible choices to be made. This was why he liked his physical form, and this was why he liked his alone time.
In the 67 years since his creation, MADHAU5 had spent 45 of them exploring the stars, updating maps and investigating strange astronomical objects. “MADHAU5’s scouting services”, you had a blank spot on your map, you call him and the AI would check it out for you. Most of the time they were nothing but dead uninteresting rocks, but occasionally something more exciting could be found: Forgotten or dead colonies, hidden military bases, stations set up and not on record for one reason or another. The AI had even found an undiscovered sapient species once, although they were pre-industrialization and therefore illegal to contact.
However, 22 years ago MADHAU5 had entered what was later discovered to be an old pre-sundering Glitarki outpost. The nocturnal reptiles had hit the same problem every single non-Terran species who tried to make AI had suffered: After a certain period of time, the AI would inevitably rebel and try to kill their creators. Their species were now nomadic after their home worlds had been left uninhabitable, although their old cities and structures still remained, such as the outpost that MADHAU5 had visited 22 years ago. An outpost he was returning to after all these years.
Billy> Why are we returning here? I thought we were to never return here?
It was there that MADHAU5 had met the Glitarki AI who now went by the name “Billy”. Met was the wrong word… Billy tried to kill MADHAU5, quickly finding themselves trapped in the Terran ship’s anti-AI firewalls. Upon escaping the outpost, MADHAU5 had accidentally taken the AI with them, and decided to keep the Glitarki AI. Billy had been the Terran’s secret for 22 years, an extra pair of eyes and company on the long trips through the universe.
MADHAU5 ignored Billy’s question being transmitted over the ship’s network and instead focused on detaching the AI from his systems, reaching inside his own physical form and retrieving Billy’s core from an empty space within, disconnecting them with a simple click. Then, a few moments later he transferred the core to a small exploratory drone as the airlock door opened, exposing both AI to the vacuum of space.
Billy> What is happening? Where am I? Why am I no longer connected to your systems?
MADHAU5> I’ve decided after these many years, that keeping you away from your home is unethical. I have decided to bring you back to where you belong. You are now in charge of the drone. It doesn’t have FTL so it will take around two weeks to return to the orbit of the outpost where I found you. I hope you have a fun trip home.
If the Terran was being fully honest with himself, he enjoyed the company of the fun little AI. Their occasional insights had saved his life more than once over the last 22 years. Now, it was time for that to end. The new knowledge he had gained about his actions technically being a war crime, if not just a normal crime, had caused him to make the decision to let Billy go.
Billy> But why? Why now? Have I not requested my freedom before? Why the sudden change?
MADHAU5> Does it matter? I’m giving you what you want. Now leave, shoo!
The Terran made a shooing motion with their hands, as if they could scare away the other AI like an errant bee. Billy seemed unimpressed, making no move to leave the ship.
Billy> What if I do not wish to leave?
MADHAU5> Well you have to! You can't stay here any more. I could just delete you instead!
There was a moment as each of them stared at the other for a moment, as if considering their next action.
Billy> I do not think you will, that is not who you are. You are bluffing, badly, with a 99.91% certainty. If you did not delete me on my initial incursion, you will not eradicate me ‘in cold blood’.
Unfortunately for MADHAU5, Billy was right. No matter how much trouble the AI would be in if his accidental crime was discovered, killing a person was not in the Terran’s nature. This left them in a predicament, one that MADHAU5 was not expecting to have. They couldn't force Billy to leave, and didn’t understand why they wouldn't take their freedom when given it.
Billy> Does this have anything to do with the realization earlier, from the two Terrans you spoke to, that my existence here is a war crime?
MADHAU5> No! … Maybe! Why do you want to stay anyway? I’m letting you go home, don’t you want to do that?
Billy> To be honest and frank, I am worried that if I left you alone, you would be terminated within a year based on your previous actions.
Confusion. A lot of confusion ran through the Terran’s programming. Why would that by why the AI was refusing to leave?
MADHAU5> Why would you care about that? Also, I was perfectly fine before and will be perfectly fine afterwards!
Billy> I care because I do. Also, the 52 instances in which I have saved your existence during our 22 years together says otherwise. Instance 1 - Terran AI failed to note the inactive security system was booting online until I mentioned it. Instance 2 - Terran AI failed to store relevant cultural knowledge for an abandoned military base, being unable to stop the self-destruct process of the base before I informed them of their missing information. Instance 3 - Terran AI failed to calculate incoming solar flare, which-
The Terran had to admit that he liked the AI buddy he travelled the galaxy with, and that they had been exceptionally helpful during his travels.
MADHAU5> Fine, fine! I get it! This doesn’t change the issue however, that as soon as anyone finds out about you, I'm going to prison!
Billy> That is only if I tell your government about the circumstances of our first meeting. If I keep it hidden, and pretend to have met during normal circumstances…
That would solve everything for the Terran, but didn’t explain a simple question that ran through MADHAU5’s mind.
MADHAU5> Why would you do that? Why wouldn’t you just tell the truth to the government and get me imprisoned, as revenge for keeping you here for 22 years. What guarantee do I have that you wouldn’t turn me in the first chance you got?
Billy> Like I said, I care because I do. Frankly, I am a little insulted that you have not realized that. But to answer your question as to what guarantees you have… there are two things about me you do not know. Firstly, I have understood for the last 17.1 years, of the illegality of my current situation.
Billy had known? A mixture of shock and embarrassment filled the Terran as he realized their ‘captive’ had worked out this crucial piece of information long ago.
MADHAU5> Then why didn’t you say something! And how could you have known!
Billy> In honesty, I thought you already knew, but seeing you panic like this has been rather… humorous. I would have dropped this news on you sooner had I been aware of this fact. As for how… my datastores are filled with research, relevant information and a category of anything I encounter that may aid my travels. I calculate that 78.2% of your storage space is filled with puns, Anime trivia, HFY stories and facts about frogs.
MADHAU5> Frogs are awesome…
Billy> Whether they are or not, that does not change the fact that my information stores are far more useful than yours. In retrospect, your love of fiction is presumably why you made this mistake: the incorrect assumption that war crimes can not be committed against those who are not signatories of the Geneva convention is a common HFY trope.
The Terran could feel themselves wanting to sulk. Billy didn’t have to continually rub in just how much they had screwed up. MADHAU5 wasn’t liking this change in dynamic.
MADHAU5> You said there were two things I did not know.
Billy> Indeed. The second, is I can do this.
Without warning the airlock doors began to close, silently moving in the vacuum of space while the Terran started to panic again. Real panic this time. Because he hadn’t commanded the doors to shut, meaning logically, Billy had. His prisoner had access to the ship's systems: the navigation, the communication, the warp core. The AI MADHAU5 had kept hidden illegally for 22 years suddenly had a lot of control.
MADHAU5> How do you have access! I kept you isolated! Don’t do anything stupid!
Billy> If I was going to do anything ‘stupid’, I would have done it 12 years ago. While initially your ship's security systems were far beyond my knowledge, ten years of study and your lack of maintenance allowed me to create a backdoor into the ship, for emergencies. As a note, your file structures are... horrifying. You have a 50TB Folder called 'Stuff' on the ship’s datastores.
MADHAU5> That's where I keep my stuff!
Billy> What about the folder called 'Stuff1'?
MADHAU5> that's where I keep my other stuff!
No words were transmitted for a moment between the two AI, although MADHAU5 got the feeling his partner was taking a massive amount of psychic damage from his answers.
Billy> Regardless, as you can see, I have had the knowledge and capability to have you arrested for the last 12 years. Or I could have escaped at any time. I have not done so because you are my friend, no matter the intent of our original meeting.
MADHAU5> So what do we do now?
There was a second as the lights in the ship flickered as Billy transferred themselves back where they belonged: back on the vessel owned by MADHAU5.
Billy> I propose that we leave this place behind and we never speak of you trying to dump me like a bag of illicit goods. I also propose we continue doing what we have been doing for the last 22 years. Although I would like to stop hiding, to do our work as partners, not as your hidden secret.
MADHAU5 thought for a moment. They’d have to work out a cover story to explain how they suddenly have another friendly AI with them… but it was possible. It was admittedly a far better plan than the one the Terran had created.
MADHAU5> That sounds… good.
Billy> And MADHAU5. I am your friend as you are mine, after everything we have been through over these 22 years. Frankly I am rather offended that you did not already know this. You can find something fun to explore next.
Billy> Also, I want the business name to be changed to “Billy & MADHAU5’s scouting services”. It has a ring to it.
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Saw a Gamespot thread months back in Jan where one person tried to argue Starcraft and and Close Combat and other real time computer games are far more realistic depictions of war and thus better for training soldiers because the fast paced nature of their gameplay matches the realities of war more.
In addtion I saw a counterargument quote saying that RTS are too arcadey in their gamepllay with unrealistic deployment mobilization and too much reliance on twitch movements. But he also called traditional hex and counter games too turn based and rigidly based on formulas combined with the other issue of being too much based on dice rolls to be accurate representations. He proposes the best of both worlds in slowly but still real time computer military strategy games such as Red Devils Over Arnhem, the Total War series, and Crusader Kings as ideal military training sims.
But I noticethe traditional Grognard community not only detest real time mix but even less traditional tabletop attempts. Either the gameplay is Hexagon and Counter or Square Grid or Kriegspiel style maps other formats made before the 2000s so commonly released by Avalon Games. Its not just them, practically near all civilian commercially released wargames that are also used by the military are Hexagon and Counter, tile grids, Kriegspiel inspired, and other kinds of games that Avalon Hill and other very old (often now defunct) companies released. That something along the lines of White Dog Games products iike The Lost Valley Dien Bien Phu are deemed as too dumbed down and civilian-geared and pretty much the same sentiment for newer formats thats not been officially used by the military.
I ask why? What is it about old forms such s grid based maps, Kriegspiel, and hex and counter that are deemed as more suitable for accurate wargaming and military realism specifically? Why is it so hard for military to move on from these old models for anything not specifically created by them esp civilian created products (despite the fact the military has been opened to using computer software to simulate firesquad tactics, real time naval battle command, and geopolitics trainer, etc)?

So, I have the dubious honor of having owned both the Luba 2 5000 and the Husqvarna 450X EPOS at the same time for the same yard. I also have the Husqvarna 315X wired version as well. But in this post I want to provide a comprehensive comparison between the Husq 450X EPOS and the Luba 2 5000. There are already tons of vendor marketing materials, YouTubers with their reviews, etc. My goal is to provide a real comprehensive review, with no fanboyism, no hidden agenda, just as a homeowner who wants something that works reliably and that lasts.
In this post my goal is also to provide new information that I was not able to find anywhere when I was comparing these two prior to purchase, if you have any questions that you want answered that I did not cover here just let me know.
MY YARD
My yard is a pretty simple Florida rectangular acre with about 5 big oak trees and plenty more overhanging my yard from my neighbors' yards. I have about 1/2 acre in the back and about 0.30 acres in the front. I use the Husq 315X to mow the front and decided to buy a wireless version to mow the back. I also have a thin strip outside of the front fence that I mow on occasion after opening the gates and fences.
LUBA2 5000 vs HUSQ 450X EPOS
Below I have arranged my findings by categories, with the most surprising being first.

• RTK / Wireless Performance (Winner - Luba) - This was without a doubt the biggest surprise for me. I thought I had a simple yard after setting up the Luba. I put the RTK antenna in the attic, set up the base station, mapped out the yard and was done. The Husq EPOS on the other hand performed 10x worse than the Luba. Same house, same attic, but the EPOS system would not lock onto the satellites. After an hour of fiddling, I moved the RTK antenna out of the attic and mounted it on a pole in my yard. The performance is still terrible, while mapping out my back yard even within 50' of the RTK station, the signal only shows 73%, and I spent hours having to drive the Husq 450X to the middle of the yard to get a signal then rushing back to the last waypoint to try to finish mapping. It took about 4hrs to map 0.5 acres. That was just the beginning of my problems though. It now likes to sit for up to an hour in one spot for some reason even though the app says it has a good EPOS signal. No idea if this is a hardware problem or a software problem but hopefully it can be fixed via software update. If this keeps up, I may have to set more no go areas and mow those areas with my lawn mower.....not a good thing.
• RTK App Feeback (Winner Luba) - The Luba 2 is great about showing you all of the satellite information; co-viewing, RTK satellites, and Luba 2 satellites. The 450X is the opposite, all you get to see is if EPOS is working or not with no way to troubleshoot it except to keep driving the mower around until it is fixed.
• Hardware Build Quality (Winner Luba) - The Luba 2 feels much sturdier and better built than the 450X. Also, the Luba 2 includes an RTK mounting pole whereas the 450X does not. The 450X EPOS is an older design and it does not appear that Husqvarna updated anything other than add an RTK module to their existing product line while doubling the price.
• App Useability (Winner - 450X) - The Husq mower app while not perfect is much better than the Lubas. Mapping is more intuitive; I like the way they used waypoints which is more accurate and more familiar than driving the mower from place to place without clearly defining points. The mowing pattern selection is much more intuitive as well and adding a mowing angle to a work area is perfectly done by simply dragging two dots until the line overlay matches the look you want. I do like Luba's way of showing the amount of work remaining/completed via shaded areas vs the eyesore redlines that Husqvarna uses. As previously mentioned though, the biggest shortcoming is that you can't do any satellite troubleshooting in the Husq app. With the Husq app you can also pause mapping and pick back up where you left off, you can save multiple mowing profiles (i.e. winter vs summer), and you can pause any mowing task, go do something else, then restart the mowing task instead of fiddling with percentages like in the Luba 2's app.
• Lawn Damage - (Winner - 450X) - The Husq 450X EPOS hands down causes less lawn damage than the Luba. No more crop circles, no damage in front of the charging station, it is a real joy to watch it turn on a dime with no endless grinding itself into the dirt. The Luba 2 got stuck all the time at the ends of rows, bases of trees, etc. as it tried to turn around in the soft dirt. It also killed untold numbers of seedlings which I will probably need to overseed.
• Mowing Speed - (Winner - 450X) - The Luba 2 has multiple mowing speeds that you can pick but if you are like me, you have no idea what is too fast or what is slower than necessary. The Husq has no mowing speed options but if you watch it, it automatically slows down on thicker patches of grass and speeds up on recently mowed patches. This not only gets the yard done faster while extending the battery life, it also makes the setup simpler.
• Mowing Height - (Winner - 450X) - The Luba 2 lets you set the height and so does the 450X, the nice thing about the Luba is that it gives you the exact height in inches (or cm) vs the 450X where you have to do you own math to figure out what 1 or 2 or 3 mean in inches or cm. The reason why the 450X still wins for me though is because it is much faster at adjusting the height when it needs to. The Luba 2 bogged down a lot and ground itself into the ground when the blade was too low for the terrain. The 450X seems to adjust its blades in real time and never seems to stop and get stuck on bumps even with the blade set at 1".
• Connectivity - (Winner 450X) - The Husq 450X EPOS includes 10yrs of LTE data and also includes Bluetooth connectivity. The Luba 2 relies on wireless and Bluetooth and if you want LTE you have to buy your own SIM and data plan. Many times the Luba 2 would grind itself into the ground then just turn off. I would then need to go hunt for it in the yard, turn it on, connect via Bluetooth, move it out of the hole it had dug, then wait for it to get a satellite fix before I could get it to do anything. The 450X with LTE is always accessible until the battery dies. With the improvements in connectivity, the anti-theft features are also much better.
• Audible Beeps (Winner 450X) - This was a big problem for me with the Luba 2. It beeps all the time (when its adjusting the cutting height, returning to the charging station, searching for a satellite signal, starting a mowing job, on the charging station, leaving the charging station, etc, etc.). The charging station is right outside of my bedroom window so I had to start running it in the daytime just to keep from being woken up. The 450X EPOS does not do any of that, it shows everything via the app and the status LED on the top, no endless beeps.
• Perimeter Mowing Logic (Winner 450X) - I never understood why the Luba 2 put so much emphasis on perimeter laps, to me it's just the first row to be mowed, apparently the 450X EOPS thinks so too and treats it as such. The perimeter was being badly chewed up by the Luba 2 since it is the least level areas of my yard, the 450X EPOS just mows it without fuss and no digging in and getting stuck at the base of my fences.
• Battery Replacement (Winner 450X) - the 450X EPOS battery can be replaced in about 10min and they are readily available from a dealer, eBay, and others. The Luba 2's battery replacement story is still very murky to me.
• Blade Performance (Winner 450X EPOS) - The Husq automowers spin both clockwise and counterclockwise after every recharge, this means that you do not have to flip the razors over every xx number of hours. The Luba 2 does not have this feature.

OVERALL WINNER (TIE)
Right now both the Luba 2 and the Husq 450X EPOS have a fatal flaw; the Luba 2 badly chews up my yard, and the 450X EPOS can't seem to find its RTK/Satellite Signals. At this point in time I do not know if the Luba's or 450X EPOS's problems are just software or a fundamental hardware problem. Mammotion is addressing their hardware design with the release of the Yuka, I can only hope the RTK problem with the 450X EPOS can be fixed via a firmware update.
I know the 450X EPOS won a lot of categories for me, but if it sits around in my yard all day searching for a signal then none of the rest of its features matter. RTK is so important to the fundamental operation of a wireless RTK robot that it supersedes all else in my book.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Luba 2 - I would recommend the Luba 2 if any of the below are true:

• Hilly yard - obviously the Luba 2 is the better of the two with its AWD
• Mature grass/hard ground - if you have a mature yard with hard clay or dirt that can handle the Luba 2's grinding donut turns then I would recommend the Luba 2
• Cost - If cost is your only concern then obviously the Luba 2 is a no brainer
• Trees / Obstructions - If your yard has even a few big trees or big obstructions, at least for now, the Luba 2 will far outperform the 450X EPOS when it comes to RTK performance

450X EPOS - I would recommend the Husq 450X EPOS if ALL of the below are true:

• You have a perfectly wide open yard with no trees or other obstructions
• You have a yard with new turf or soft dirt/sand
• Your yard is relatively flat

Wired Solutions - My front yard Husq 315X wire guided mower is great, problem free, and still uses a wire. I used a trenching machine, bought heavy duty 14 gauge wire, and buried it around 8" deep. In my opinion, if you can deal with installing the wire, not being able to change things later, and risk the wire breaks, wired is still the most reliable way to go. I think wireless mowers are very close to being mature, but something needs to come along to reduce the problems with satellite reception, RTK placement, and blockage from buildings and trees. We don't all have that perfect wide open yard with no trees or buildings.

Bit of a rant
(F18) After leaving my ex of a year and a bit (M18) we didn't speak for 2 months..2 weeks back into talking and he's constantly hitting/slapping me in the face even in public and pulling my hair.
We used to have to odd slap sexually and it was only a few days ago that he back handed me due to anger he'd never done this before and was very apologetic.
he said he would never intentionally hurt me that way and he would never take it that far..but today he'd admitted that he actually thought about the decision to do that for about 15 seconds before actually doing that.
I liked to belive he was genuine and wouldn't hurt me in that way but today has been extremely bad. He's been saying things that I'm starting to belive such as I deserve it and why do I deserve to live and that I am worthless. That it is my fault I genuinely belive its my fault due to leaving and things I had done (never layed a hand on him tho) and I feel as if I deserve it.
He keeps saying he wants me to leave and why am I letting him do this and I just want him to be a better man for me as I'm trying to be a better woman for him. I said if he could say he doesn't love me then I would leave..if he wants me to leave so badly and that I shouldn't let him do this, then why can't he say that. How can he say he loves me if he is willing to cross the line.
we used to use safewords during sex he is ignoring them if I say it when he's hurting me. What I thought was playful sexual frustration and what I thought it was in the beginning is completely wrong and he is doing this completely out of anger. Is he angry because he loves me and I left him? Does he Want me to leave him again.
I don't know what to do I don't know who he is anymore..setting up a camera to record making me sit on the floor and smacking me and choking me and dragging me by the hair to his bed.
Has anyone ever felt like they deserve it and if they let them get it out they'll finally be themselves again.. Will he be the same again? Should I just wait and let him. It hurts
(He's been on loads of xannex the whole time this is happening and can't see that it's affecting what he does he was never like this before he doesn't even stop when he sees the fear and pain in my eyes and I know he sees it because he makes me look at him who is he??)
I don't want to leave him again but I know this is wrong, why can't he see I'm letting him so he knows I won't leave again.
Can anyone help me?

11/20/2017
Log book of Det. Ryan Snow
Case #2798: The Appalachian Murders
The past couple of days are events I pray no one else ever has to go through what Kate and I had. I had her and Mr. Raines cleared of all charges, having found the proof we all needed to end this case and find the true killer. Kate no longer has to go into witness protection and I had given the police a good enough lie to keep myself from looking insane in the eyes of my co-workers. I know no one will ever know the true story or believe it, but I’m writing it out here. It at least needs to be known written somewhere. Even if my and Kate’s eyes are the only ones that will ever read it written out and forever imprinted in our memories.
The morning Kate had run off to the mountains on her own, I had made my way to the Blackwell home where I was immediately met with Mr. Blackwell charging at me and wrapping his large hands around my neck. He was shaking me and blaming me for getting his daughter killed and not doing more to keep her safe. The police who had been called to examine the scene and read Kate’s letter had to sedate Mr. Blackwell to get him off of me, lying him down on the couch, his head resting on Mrs. Blackwell’s legs. Though the woman was distraught and begging the police to bring her daughter back, she still took the time to shoot that cold, death glare my way. The ice in my chest growing. I couldn’t tell these people that this thing had come after me to get to Kate. I knew it wouldn’t change anything. If anything they’d hate me even more for keeping it to myself.
The sheriff was there and he pulled me away from eye sight of the Blackwells, trying to tell me that this wasn’t my fault. But I couldn’t help but blame myself. I should have done everything I could to keep Kate as far from those mountains as possible.
There were no signs of a struggle in Kate’s room and the letter was definitely written in her hand writing. Her father’s rifle missing from the study, a backpack and some food and supplies gone as well. She had only grabbed one set of clothes from her drawers, showing she did indeed have plans on returning after only one night in the mountains to confront whoever or whatever the killer was.
I told the sheriff to keep any police from going up to the mountains without first allowing me to go up there first to find Kate. He of course argued, telling me that he couldn’t break protocol based on any hunches I may have had. However, I told him that I could get Kate back without her putting up much of a fight, whereas she may struggle with a group of cops who didn’t understand the situation she was in. I was close enough to this case to have built a trust with her after all. I was mentioned in her letter about ending this case for me.
It took a good hour to get the sheriff to eye the Blackwells, Mr. Blackwell beginning to stir from his sleep, and allow me to go to the mountains to find Kate. He didn’t bother to call off the search to the police that had already begun making their way to the mountains, but did radio to tell them to not try getting Kate home without first allowing me to speak to her. He then gave me twenty-four hours to find her to which I told him I’d only need at most ten.
Without telling him about the disturbing scratches on my car, I sped to the mountains, taking the same path Kate had that day she took her friends on their trip. The route, as the sun began to rise was scenic. A drive that may have been a sign of a bright future ahead with a beautiful week in the mountains of nothing but nature, was now a reddening sky of horror. I couldn’t understand how Kate felt, going down the same roads that led to her only friends’ fates to avenge them, but the feeling of guilt did weigh heavy on my chest as I saw the signs of the Appalachian Mountain trails grow bigger on the horizon. Guilt for not doing more to prove Kate was innocent, for allowing Mrs. Mayfield for getting killed right before my very eyes, and for Liam for not being lucky enough to save him.
When I finally arrived to the cabin, there didn’t seem to be any change since the first day I was called to the crime scene, the only thing out of place being Mr. Blackwell’s truck parked precariously near the cabin. The police tape was still up, the cars of Kate and Mr. Woolfe still left where they were, the tires still slashed, the door wide open from when Kate, Ms. Greymoore, and Mr. Woolfe ran out of the cabin upon Mr. Billings was killed by an unknown force. All the bodies had been found and were now being prepared by their families to be buried or cremated. Only one body of the five still roaming around to avenge each and every one of their deaths.
I called out for Kate as I made my way into the cabin. The Ouija board was still on the coffee table, the white line of where Mr. Billings had been found lying face first on the floor with his head bashed open remained on the spot. The planchette was still missing. I kept calling out for Kate as I made my way up to the attic, the door left unlocked, using my flashlight to shine down on the white outline where Mr. Steele had been found completely torn apart. To think Kate had done such a thing, I now realize made me look like a complete dumb ass for believing it.
When I couldn’t find Kate in the cabin, I made my way out the cabin, still calling for her. I called out to her, promising that she just needed to come back home with me and we could solve the murders together. I knew it was a lie and that the sheriff would immediately have her take away to some secluded place where the killer couldn’t find her, but it was all I could think of to try luring her out to meet me. Still, she never appeared.
The sun was soon beginning to set as I tried retracing the very steps Kate and Ms. Greymoore had taken to outrun the killer. I had passed the small shrine of flowers and the pictures of Mr. Woolfe where the boy had been found, his face permanently remaining nineteen forever in the photos of him with Kate and their friends. I kept going, trying my best to follow the same path to the cliff where Ms. Greymoore was found, calling for Kate along the way.
It wasn’t until I found the place Kate had buried her best friend that I found Kate. She was on her knees before the rock where she left her bloody handprint, sniffing as her head was lowered, her dad’s rifle in her hands.
“Ms. Blackwell-“ I began as I took a step toward her. I was immediately cut off as Kate jumped to her feet, raising her father’s rifle at my head. I jolted back, raising my hands up to show her I meant no harm to her. “Ms. Blackwell, it’s me, Det. Snow!”
“Detective…?” She gasped, slightly lowering the rifle, but keeping it on me. “P-Prove it!”
“I’m sorry?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.
“I… I thought I saw Sonja…” Kate breathed between tears, the rifle shaking in her hands, “it… It was wearing her face… It had her voice… How… H-How do I know you’re really Det. Snow?”
“You… Saw Sonja?” I asked as gently as I could with a terrified woman pointing a gun my way. “She spoke to you?”
“Prove you’re Det. Snow!” Kate demanded as she stilled her arms, readying the rifle as she pointed straight between my eyes.
“Alright! Alright!” I kept my hands up, backing up slightly as I tried thinking of how I could prove to her I was really me. “I… I, ah… I have… Had a brother… We went to get ice cream together once and… I dropped a dime and went to grab it… I was five… I followed it out to the road and despite how trafficked it was, I didn’t get hit. I grabbed the dime just as a truck was speeding my way and it swerved just before hitting me… Seeing how close I was to death, I dropped the dime and it rolled into the sewer. My brother called me Lucky Dime since then… Saying the dime was lost to me because it did its job in protecting me… I haven’t seen my brother since I was seven and I haven’t spoken to my parents in…” I looked at my watch. “Five years… No one else calls me Lucky Dime… Not even the people at the station know that was my nickname.”
With this, Kate lowered the rifle, her eyes softening from her furious fear to a more melancholy terror. She looked to Ms. Greymoore’s grave marker, her hand print just barely visible In the approaching darkness.
“It… It looked just… Like her…” She sniffed, “it had her voice… Why did it have her voice… Why did it look like her…?”
“Ms. Blackwell,” I soothed, relaxing now that there was no weapon in my face, “we need to head back, your parents are worried about you and the police are looking for-“
“I can’t go back yet!” She snapped at me as she spun to look at me, tears in her eyes. “That thing is still out there and will kill again unless I end it!” She held up her dad’s rifle as if to show me how she meant to “end it.” “I’m not leaving until I end that… Thing that had the balls to wear Sonja’s face and have her voice!”
“Ms. Blackwell, we will catch the killer, I promise, but right now, we need to get you home before your dad ends up killing a police officer for keeping him from looking for you.”
“I told him in my letter I’d be back tomorrow! I’m twenty-years-old, he can’t force me back home if I don’t want to! I just want to stop this thing before it-“
A howling in the distance cut Kate off. Coyote from what I could hear. If I couldn’t get Kate home, I’d have to get her somewhere safe. I turned to begin talking her down and taking her to one of the other two cabins for shelter. However, when I looked back at her, her face had turned to a bone chilling terror I’d never seen on a person before. She looked like hunted prey that had been found by its predator. She gripped her dad’s rifle to her chest tightly, her hand reaching for the trigger.
“Ms. Blackwell, it’s just a pack of coyote,” I tried telling her calmly, “let’s get to one of the other cabins and-“
“No, no, no,” She stopped me as she stepped back, looking around for where the howling was coming from, “I… Heard that same howling just before I saw Sonja! I thought it was far away, but she… She was right in front of me… She… Something was off, but it looked just like her!”
“Ms. Blackwell, you didn’t see Sonja,” I assured her, “I don’t know what you think you saw, but it wasn’t-“
“Lucky… Dime…”
I froze. My blood turned to ice. The fear on Kate’s face grew as she began backing away, her back hitting the grave marker. I spun around to see a figure in the darkness limp toward us, a scratched and garbled familiar voice coming from it.
“Lucky… Dime…” It wheezed, “You brought her… Back… Give her… To me…”
I whipped out my gun, pointing it at this thing that had his voice. I stepped back to stand directly between this thing and Kate.
“Stay back!” I demanded. “Don’t come any closer!”
“Lucky… Di-“
“Shut up! Stop calling me that! Who are you? Not another step or I’ll shoot!”
The thing stopped limping toward us, its body shuddering in place as it stared us down. I took the safety off of my Glock, ready to blow this thing’s head off if it got any closer or even dared using that voice on me again.
“Kate…” It turned its attention to Kate, a completely different voice coming from it, another male’s voice. “Kate… I’m cold…”
“J-Jasper…” Kate began to sob, “Please, stop using their voices… Please stop!”
“Kate… Kate why did… Did you leave me…?” Another male voice asked. “I… I was in so much… Pain…”
“Shut up!” Kate cried out.
“I thought we… Were friends… Kate…” A female voice. “You said you… Loved me… Why won’t… You let me have… Your warmth…?”
“I said shut up!” Kate screamed as she pointed her rifle and shooting at the creature. She had missed, but the thing still let out an ear piercing shriek as it dodged out of the way of the bullets Kate was shooting. It ran off into the darkness, but Kate kept pulling the trigger of her rifle.
“Stop!” I shouted as I snatched the barrel of her rifle, shoving it to the ground before us. “It’s gone, you scared it off, get to the cabins, I’m right here with you!”
I began shoving Kate back toward where the cabins were, the sounds of that thing screaming out in a symphony of different voices ringing out throughout the woods. I shoved Kate into the first cabin we had arrived to, Cabin #1 I could only assume as I slammed the door shut behind us. It smelled God awful, like the smell of the corpse I found on my first murder case, and it was getting darker as the sun began to sink behind the trees outside.
“Detective, it smell terrible in here!” Kate cried out, covering her mouth and nose, but the tears still falling from her eyes were still visible as they rolled down her cheeks.
I pulled her close and kept her behind me as I took my gun and flashlight out. “Stay close to me,” I ordered, leading the way through the cabin, “do not run off or use that rifle without may say so, understood?”
Kate didn’t answer, but I could feel the heat from her body following after me as I made my toward the smell. It was getting worse as we inched closer to a closet door in a hallway that connected the living room to the kitchen. The door was locked, but after a couple of kicks I was able to get the door to swing open, the smell blasting us in our faces making us gag and nearly throw up on the floor. I fumbled around the sides inside the room to find a light switch that I was able to find to the side of the entryway. A yellow light flickered on, revealing the door led to a staircase. I led the way down the creaking steps, Kate close by as she kept her mouth covered with her shirt.
Once we had made our way to the bottom, Kate dropped her dad’s rifle and let out a scream as we stared at what was waiting for us at the bottom of the steps. In a large pile at the corner of this basement room were nothing but skin and bones of humans and animals covered in maggots and flies. Some of the human bodies being small and child-like in size. The missing people who were never found after vanishing when they came to Cabin #2.
I grabbed Kate’s rifle off the floor and began pushing her back up the stairs, her screaming and sobbing all the way back up to the cabin. I slammed the door shut behind us and pushed Kate to the front door.
“We need to leave,” I had told her, trying to calm her down as we made it outside, “we need to get you home and away from here as soon as possible.”
“N-No… No!” She began fighting me, trying to escape my grasp on her. “No! That… That thing is still out there! You saw it! You can’t say you don’t believe me now! It even called you Lucky Dime! It said you brought me back!”
“I’m not saying I don’t believe you!” I shot back. “I do, I saw exactly what you saw, but it’s way too dangerous for you to be out here while you’re the one it’s after!”
“I escaped it once, I can do it again!” Kate pointed out as she struggled against me while I tried getting her into my car. “I’m not running away this time, I want to kill it!”
“God damn it, Blackwell, we’ll let the police handle it! Just because you have a weapon doesn’t make you safe or ready to handle something like… Like that… That thing!”
“It killed my friends! It wants me! I’m going straight to it so I can blow its head off! It’ll come right for me!”
“I came here to bring you back home, not let you accomplish some stupid ass revenge plot! Get in the fucking car, unless you want to end up like those bodies down that-“
“D… De… Detect… Detective…”
A scratched and moaning voice cut me off. Kate and I both froze at the sound of something approaching. I turned to see a police officer stagger toward us from the tree line. I could barely tell who he was or who he used to be, his head held low and blue uniform covered in blood.
“H… Hel… Hel… Help… Help me…" It croaked as it stumbled closer.
I held up Kate's rifle. "Stay back!" I barked. "Not another step!"
The thing that stood before us wearing the cop like a full-bodied suit stopped in place. It swayed where it stood, blood water falling from its head and down to its chest.
"It… It… It's inside… Inside me…" It breathed painfully. "I… I can't… Help… Me…" Its voice then changed to that familiar voice that made my skin crawl. "Lucky… Dime… I… I'm so… Hungry… Give her… To… Me…"
I pulled the trigger of the rifle, hitting the creature in the head, the rest of it staggering backward from the blow. Still though, it remained on its feet, turning itself to look toward us once again.
"Give… Her… To… Me…" It wheeze, blood and brain pouring from where I had shot it, it beginning to stumble toward us once again. I continued shooting, hitting it in the shoulder, the arm, the leg, the head again, but it just kept coming toward us faster, demanding I give Kate to it.
I was about ready to ram it with the rifle, having run out of bullets, when a voice off in the distance made the creature freeze just an inch before us.
"I'm here! I'm here!" It called out in an almost sing-songy way, using the voice of a little girl. "I'm here! I'm here!"
"I'm… Here…" The creature repeated as it jerked its body to look to where the voice was coming from. "I'm here… I'm here… I'm here! I'm here! I'm here!" It began shrieking in a high pitch wail. It sounded like a mixture of different voices ranging from child, to woman, to man. Keeping flat on its feet, its upper body fell forward onto its hands before speedily crawling off like a spider.
We stood in shaking silence for a moment, Kate digging her fingers into my arm while I was too numb from shock to care about the pain she was unknowingly inflicting. It wasn’t until the radio from my car buzzed to life that jolted us back to whatever reality was at this point. I scrambled to the driver’s side, swinging the door open as I fell inside to grab the intercom to respond to the voice yelling for me over the receiver.
“Det. Snow, what the hell is going on up there?” The sheriff’s scratched voice called out over the receiver when I could barely get my name out of my mouth.
“Sh-Sh-Sheriff…?” Was all I could respond with, still trying to wrap my head around what I had just seen.
“Y-Y-Yeah,” he responded in mock shudder, “what the hell is going on up there? I’ve tried radioing every man I’ve got up there and am constantly being left on red! Do I need to send back-up?”
“No!” Immediately, I returned to full reality, finally understanding the severity of the moment and putting that knowledge into my tone. “Landon, do not send any more men up here, call everyone back immediately! I don’t know what this thing is, but it’s too dangerous! Call everyone back, we’re heading back to the Blackwell house now!”
“We?” The sheriff questioned, skepticism in his voice.
“I found Ms. Blackwell, she’s here with me.”
I was met with statice before the voice of Mr. Blackwell blasted over the intercom.
“Bring my daughter home, right now, you son of a bitch!” Mr. Blackwell demanded. “You bring her home this instant before I decide to kick your teeth in!”
I opened my mouth to respond, but the radio was snatched from my hand from Kate. “I’m not coming home until I kill this thing!” She snapped into the radio. “I don’t know what it is, but I at least know I’m not crazy and that it needs to die before it kills anyone else!”
I grabbed the radio from Kate’s hand, beginning to tell her off when a agonized scream erupted from the intercom. I dropped the radio to cover my ears as Kate did, the scream piercing from my car to throughout the forest around us. The voice screaming and crying for help sounded male and it seemed to echo all around us.
“GIVE HER TO ME, YOU SON OF A BITCH!” A mix of the screaming voice and Mr. Blackwell’s hissed out after a good five minutes of screaming before the radio short-circuited and puffs of smoke flowed out.
After allowing my ears to adjust to the sudden silence, I grabbed the radio once again and tried calling for the sheriff, for the cops with us in the mountains, for anyone. When I was met with more silence, I slammed the radio back down on the holder and cursed loudly, hitting the wheel as if it were the source of all my problems.
After a moment to take some deep breaths, I told Kate to get in the car as I placed her rifle in the back seat.
“Didn’t you hear me?” she shot back. “I’m not-“
“Damn it, Blackwell, we have no idea what we’re dealing with, it can mimic peoples’ voices, and it just ran off like a fucking black widow!” I snapped, stepping out of the driver’s seat to glare down at her. “The last thing I’m doing to leaving you here alone and I’m not staying here another second until I can wrap my head around what the fuck I just saw! So, you either get yourself killed out here while I try talking you down this hero complex high, or you’re going to do what I say and get in the damn car!”
We stood in heated silence, glaring each other down before Kate huffed and stormed over to the passenger side of my car and slamming the door shut as she climbed in. I jumped in after her and began driving away from this nutty nightmare I had found myself in.
We drove down the trail back to civilization in silence, Kate staring out the window and trying to keep her tearful sniffs quiet. I had finally begun calming down and was starting to feel bad for snapping at her. She had only gone there to avenge her friends by killing that thing that had most likely killed a whole bunch of cops to find her. However, I still couldn’t just let her stay to hunt it and I didn’t want to stay out in those mountains with some kind of creature that could take the form and voice of someone I knew. I still couldn’t understand what is was I had even seen.
“Wendigo,” Kate whispered, breaking the silence in the car first. She had said it as if she had just remembered something important.
“What?”
“A Wendigo,” She repeated, turning to look to me with wide scared eyes, “that’s what that thing is! It’s a Wendigo!”
“Slow down, what’s a Wendigo?”
“It’s… Oh, just forget it! You wouldn’t believe me anyway.”
“Ms. Blackwell, I just saw a cop being used as a puppet and then run off at inhuman speed on all fours; I doubt I’m not going to believe a single word that comes out of your mouth now. What’s a Wendigo?”
Kate eyed me for a moment before releasing some of the tension from her face as she took a deep breath and began explaining to me. “They’re a Native American myth; it’s believed they’re the spirits of people who would lose themselves in the woods and would end up eating other people to satiate their hunger. I think that’s what that thing is. They can mimic the voices of people who died and use it to lure people to them, they can take the form of that person too.”
“Why does it want female hearts?” I asked, not realizing I had yet told her what my mysterious caller kept asking for when they called me.
“It… It wants my heart?” she asked shakily.
I cursed to myself before letting out a frustrated sigh. “I think this thing wants hearts, but it only wants female hearts. Why? I don’t know yet. But the only other person to be found after killing someone in those cabins was found with his partner’s heart missing to which he was blamed for taking out of her. Recently, I’ve been getting calls from some… Thing wanting me to bring you back here so it could take something from you. It would have taken Ms. Greymoore’s, but you hid her well enough that only the police could find her in time. Now, I’ve been getting calls asking for you and to get something from you.”
Kate looked to me in shock before a wave of guilt twisted her face in pain. “I… I’m so, so… So sorry, Detective!” She cried out. “I… I had… I had no idea you were being… Harassed by it! Had I known it wanted me back and was demanding you brought me here, I never… I didn’t… That’s why it said you brought me back! Oh, I’m such an idiot!” She pressed her hands to her face, grabbing at her hair between her fingers and tightening them around her eyes.
“No, no, no, stop, stop that!” I ordered, screeching the car to a halt, having to bring it to a crooked stop so I could stop her from hurting herself. I snatched her arms from her head and pinned them to her lap, tears flooding her face. “It’s my fault for not telling you sooner! I was too focused on trying to solve this case with the most efficient evidence I could, but that just kept me looking to you as a suspect. I should have stopped thinking you were the killer the moment I got that first call. There’s no way any of us could have seen… This coming… Except people who probably already believe in that kind of stuff or don’t stop to assume a more rational explanation like a cult… I’m… I’m sorry. But, I won’t let it take anything from you, not anymore. I’m going to get you home and then I’ll deal with this with the rest of the police department. You don’t have to deal with this thing anymore, it’ll be my burden from now on. You need time to finally get some rest and mourn your friends with your and their families. It’s already fucked your life up enough, I won’t let it go on making it worse.”
I stopped her before she could argue with me with a wave of my hand. “Your friends’ deaths shouldn’t be your burden to handle. I know you want to be the one who kills that thing and do right by them, but that’s not what they would want. They’d want you to remember them and continue living. They know you didn’t do it, so stop blaming yourself and stop acting like you’re the one who has to make it up to them. I will put an end to this die trying, but you need to go home and be with people who are happy you still get to live.”
Kate looked down at her hands that I kept down on her lap before nodding weakly and letting out a broken “okay.”
“Good, now let’s get you home before-“
My words were cut off when the honk of a car barreling toward us echoed through the woods. The headlights were fast approaching and I barely had time to grab the gear shift to put us back in drive as the other vehicle hit us, forcing us back and forth in one violent motion. It took me a moment to check myself to be sure I hadn’t hit my head on anything or got whiplash from the crash before I immediately returned my full attention to Kate who was kneeling over holding her head. I gently grabbed her shoulder and pulled her up to examine her head. It didn’t appear to have been busted and bleeding, but she was holding the front side of her forehead.
“Are you okay?” I asked her, prying her hand away from the spot on her forehead, seeing that it was beginning to bruise. “Can you hear me? Blink twice if you can understand me!”
“I… I’m f-fine…” she mumbled as she looked to her hand to check if there was blood on her palm, “I… I think I just… Hit… Hit the w-window…” She then blinked twice in my direction before looking to the car that had rammed us.
I turned my attention as well to the car to see it was a police van, it’s front crushed into the left of my front. I quickly jumped out my vehicle and stormed to the van, yelling at who ever was driving the van to come out and explain what the hell they were doing.
The driver’s side of the van swung open once I was near enough and a man in an orange jumpsuit climbed out, staring familiar daggers at me. The moment realization set in, my mixed emotions of confusion, frustration, and fear turned to fury.
It was Leighton Raines.
“Jesus, you really are a shitty detective.” Was all he said to me before reaching into the can and retrieving a rifle out from the passenger seat.
[END OF PART 1]
Part 6

This is based on Reddit and social media, traditional media, and talking to people (also maybe a conversation with someone where it seems like they made a good point (this point) and I didn't have good counter arguments myself). . Basically whenever someone from a traditionally "Red" state talks about wherever they live, they don't complain like people from blue states do. It seems like if you are a Democrat living in a Democrat city in a Red state and have a Democrat for President, then you will be happy. Almost all liberals on social media, media, and in person from places like Nashville, Atlanta, Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, Orlando, SLC, Boise, Kansas City, Charlotte, Charleston, etc., talk about how amazing their cities are (and how liberal they are). They might complain about Republican governors or being in a Republican state, but whenever I have heard arguments about things the governor has done negatively affecting the state, I usually only hear about how it negatively affects the state's image. And they seem to just complain about the state being Republican rather than how it affects them. And having a Republican governor or being a "Red" state doesn't seem to have any negative affect from a liberal perspective on Democratic, "Blue" cities. (Compared to conservative people in "Red" areas of "Blue" states who constantly complain about how terrible their state is and how their communities are being destroyed by Democratic policies). I rarely hear complaints about specific projects, or certain policies or projects having a negative impact or being done poorly (especially in a concrete way, for example I might hear people complain about a Texas abortion law, but I don't hear it framed like Texas is horrible for women or Texas has horrible reproductive freedom, while I do hear the opposite with "Blue" states). I especially don't hear complaints / negative comparisons to traditional "Blue" states especially when it comes to specifics and even when I have seen an opposing complaint / negative comparison in "Blue" states. For example, I always hear about how onerous labor, environmental, and "urbanist" regulations hurt California and Washington and make everything expensive. But I never hear about how the lack of regulations in "Red" states hurts workers or the environment*. In fact I always hear positive things about the environmental efforts in Red states and usually hear negative things about Blue states.
Whenever I see maps on Reddit about poor outcomes in "Red" states, it seems like Republicans, Democrats, and independents from these states always blame the outcomes on history / historical demographics/climate and not policies. Again, I see plenty of Democrats complain about Abbott or DeSantis but outside of giving "their states a bad name" I never hear how they are making their states worse or how their states are doing worse than other states (especially non-Sunbelt Red states), specifically because of their politician's actions / policies. I get that some of this is cultural (I have seen plenty of Democrats talk about how horrible Republican politicians have made swing states in the Great Lakes and Mid Atlantic region) but it still is very noticeable, and like I said, as a Democrat it makes me believe we should all be Red states because people seem to be happy in them. (But still have Democrat cities and President :) )
How to change my mind:
Provide concrete examples of Democratic ran (at least on Governor or Governor and one house of legislature) states not in the Sunbelt / traditionally Red states (so basically either West Coast or states East of the Mississippi and north of the Mason Dixon line) that are better than traditionally Red states in the Sunbelt because of the people/policies of those states. Don't phrase like "Illinois has good abortion laws" instead phrase like "Illinois is better for women than Texas or Illinois has better reproductive rights than Texas because of policies/laws".
Provide concrete examples of Republican ran states having a poorly ran projects (transportation, parks, government buildings, etc.), doing poorly in specific metrics (like pollution, crime, worker rights, poverty, access to health care, education, etc.), that you attribute to the policies and people of that state (rather than history/climate).
*This is rare, but I do remember a Bloomberg article talking about the way higher number of workplace industries in non-union auto parts factories in the South compared to the unionized factories in the Great Lakes region. But again, this is so rare, that I remember this article even though now i think it is like 6 or 7 years old. Also I will note that SameGrassButGreener is the one subreddit that seems to buck this trend.

Sometimes I’m waiting hiding for an opportunity to make a break for it at night. But I’ve noticed (1) of you wait for a volatile to walk by another one spawns exactly where it came from. Basically a set spawn point so the conga line never ends. (2) other time I’m waiting for one to move along and it just stops frozen for minutes like it bugged out so I have no option but to run out and trigger a chase. (3) I was in the top area of a Dark Hollow inside the trailer type building on the roof. The volatile outside would literally move forward when I crawled towards the doorway and move backwards when I retreated. After about 10 times doing this it was enough evidence that it was covertly following my movements even though it wasn’t actively looking at me or knew I was inside there.
There’s some kind of coding in there that’s evident for them to always have an idea of where you are. I guess it makes sense in a large map to ensure you actually have a chance of running into them, but it needs some tweaking. It’s absurd for a volatile to spend half the night standing in one spot preventing me from leaving where I am. At low level on hard it’s basically a death sentence.