Vizio sound bar remote

• This episode was co-written by Chris Derrick, whose likeness was used as the file photo for the Romulan dissident, Lurak T’Luco, and the severed head prop for that same character in “Disengage”.
  
  • He also co-wrote the season two episode, “Hide and Seek”.
• Mixed in among the bridge sounds at the very beginning of the episode we hear some distinctive TOS beeps and boops.
  
• We learn this opening scene is Not David Marcus’ dream sequence of some sort after he opens fire on the USS Titan A’s bridge crew. Still, in his dream, before NDM kills Esmar, they say, ”I know what you really are.” Esmar is a Haliian, introduced in the TNG episode “Aquiel”, and as such likely mildly telepathic.
  
  • Later in the real world, Esmar gives NDM a brief look from down a corridor that could be construed as them being aware of the fact that something is off with him, or just a passing glance.
• Riker’s acting captain’s log records the stardate as 78186.03.
  
• We don’t get a view close enough to actually make out what the objects are floating around the exterior of the Titan A tending to the repairs, but in DIS we were introduced to the 23rd century DOT-7 drones and the 32nd century DOT-23s. Potentially we’re looking at a 25th century equivalent.
  
• Riker claims that so far as he’s aware Changelings can mimic individuals on sight, but ”not their internal physiology.” In “The Adversary” Odo stated that when he mimics a rock he would register as such on scanners and speculates that Changelings more skilled than himself could do the same humanoids. Doctor Bashir confirms that the Changeling who was masquerading as a human ambassador was scanned and registered as human.
  
• Seven says that protocol since the Dominion war is “Every crew member passes through an internal imaging chamber.” Though not quite the same thing, when the Protogies arrived on relay outpost CR-721 in “Asylum” the first thing they had to do was go through a biometric scanner.
  
  • The protocol was put into place to verify the crewperson isn’t a shapeshifter attempting to sneak aboard. Of course, we’ve seen Changelings mimic everything from glassware, to a spacefaring being, to fire; hopefully Starfleet has accounted for that as well.
• On M’Talas Prime, we see a hologram of Raffi wearing a mobile emitter. It appears identical to the one the Confederation La Sirena used to create the Emergency Elnor Hologram in season two’s “Hide and Seek”.
  
  • The original mobile emitter came from the 29th century timeship, the Aeon, Krinn is able to recognize the one Raffi is wearing for what it is.
• The USS Intrepid NCC-79520 arrives to the Titan A’s location. This is merely the latest ship to bear the name.
  
  • The Intrepid - United Earth ship first seen in “The Expanse”
  • The USS Intrepid NCC-1631 - Constitution-class ship with an all Vulcan crew destroyed in “The Immunity Syndrome”
  • The USS Intrepid NCC-38907 - The ship Sergey Rozhenko served on, and first on the scene after the Romulan attack on Khitomer according to “Sins of the Father”; the Excelsior-class ship Sergey mentioned in “Family” according to internal information
  • The USS Intrepid NCC-74600 - Intrepid-class? At least according to non-canon material. Chakotay claimed to serve aboard it as part of his cover story while trying to figure out why Starfleet Headquarters was recreated in the Delta Quadrant in “In the Flesh”; also mentioned on a screen as part of a battle group in “Star Trek Nemesis”
• According to production designer Dave Blass, the Intrepid is a Duderstad-class ship, designed by Doug Drexlar and Bill Krause. It’s named for Drexlar’s late wife, Dorothy Duder, who was a food stylist on ENT.
  
• Captain Shaw lists off several events he thinks will be considered negatively in Starfleet’s accounting Picard and Riker’s guilt:
  
  • ”That time someone hot dropped the saucer section of the Enterprise D on a planet.” - The USS Enterprise D’s saucer made emergency landing on the inhabited planet Veridian in “Star Trek Generations”.
  • ”That time someone threw the prime directive out the window so they could snog a villager on Ba’ku.” - In “Star Trek Insurrection” Picard did get romantic with a member of the Ba’ku, but only after learning they weren’t actually a pre-warp species, and working to prevent a rogue admiral from forcibly relocating them to steal their resources.
  • “Or the time you boys nearly wiped out all of humanity by creating a time paradox in the Devron system.” Actually, because of the nature of the time paradox in “All Good Things…”, those events did not happen, and Picard is the only one with any memory of it.
• It’s Ro Laren! From Star Trek! Commander Ro is played by Michelle Forbes.
  
  • When last we saw her in “Preemptive Strike” Ro Laren defected from Starfleet to join the Maquis’ struggle against the Cardassians after the Federation abandoned its own citizens because it was more convenient to do so than continue to skirmish with the Cardassian Union.
  • Michelle Forbes has previously turned down opportunities to reprise the role, both for DS9 and VOY.
• Seven gives NDM a Starfleet uniform so he’ll go unnoticed by the security officers transferred over from the Intrepid. In “Chrysalis” the augments, Jack, Lauren, and Patrick snuck on to Deep Space Nine wearing Starfleet uniforms, and In “People of Earth” Burnham had Booker wear a Starfleet uniform for similar reasons to those Seven gives NDM.
  
  • Personally I did not expect NDM to get away with saying, ”That’s a stupid question,” to Ro.
• ”That was 30 years ago. The Maquis are no longer an enemy.” Riker is technically correct as all but a few dozen Maquis were wiped out by the Dominion after the Cardassian Union became a member in “By Inferno’s Light”.
  
• ”You trusted her when no one else would.” Riker is referring to the events of “Ensign Ro” where Picard initially did not want her aboard the Enterprise D until she proved herself to be a valuable officer despite her reputation.
  
• ”Your Bajoran earring…you’re not wearing it.” In “Ensign Ro”, Ro‘s condition for joining the crew of the Enterprise D was that she be allowed to wear her earring, despite it not being strictly within the Starfleet uniform code.
  
  • On Bajor they just call it an earring.
• The brief glance we get of Ro’s boot knife it appears to be similar to the knife a Bajoran used to murder a Cardassian file clerk in “Duet”.
  
• Krinn wears an especially large IDIC on a chain, so you can understand the infinite diversity in infinite combinations.
  
• The tattoo under Krinn’s eye is Vulcan script.
  
• Krinn’s phaser appears to be based on, if not identical to, the Ferengi phaser Quark had in “The Magnificent Ferengi” and “The Siege of AR-558”.
  
• Bajoran springwine was first mentioned in “Return to Grace”.
  
  • On Bajor they just call it springwine.
• Picard deactivates the safeties on the 10 Forward program. We’ve seen since the beginning of this season an display during the closing credits reading ”10_Forward // Bar_LA” with the safeties disabled.
  
• ”Guinan’s.” Picard points a holographic phaser from under the holographic bar at Ro. In “Night Terrors” Guinan pulled a rifle from Magus III out from under the bar and fired at the ceiling of Ten Forward aboard the Enterprise D.
  
• ”Unless I am mistaken, you are Vulcan. Hence Sneed, a Ferengi, is not your brother.” In “The Bonding” Worf inducted a human, Jeremy Aster, into his family ”for all time” and said they were brothers. Jeremy Aster was never mentioned again.
  
• ”There can be no utopia without crime. Ergo an organized criminal enterprise is logical.” In “Prime Factors” Captain Janeway observed, “You can use logic to justify almost anything.”
  
• The knives Raffi and Worf are given for their fight to the death are the same as one Shinzon had gave Picard with a sample of his blood in “Star Trek Nemesis” and used by the Tal Shiar assassins in “Remembrance”.
  
• Picard suggests taking Ro’s concerns to Admiral Janeway. Ensign Janeway was a junior science division officer aboard the Enterprise D whom counselor Troi was very mean to in “Man of the People”. Apparently she took Troi’s advice to shape up to heart.
  
• Daystrom Station appears to be kitbashed from Jupiter Station, the Midas Array, and cargo containers, first seen in “Life Line”, “Pathfinder”, and “Fortunate Son” respectively.
  
• *”Daystrom Station is guarded by a highly sophisticated A.I. system. But it has flaws that are most…illogical.” Badgey was uploaded to Rutherford’s cranial implant, which was seen salvaged from the void of space in “The Stars at Night”.
  
• Ro crashes her shuttle into the Intrepid’s port nacelle. Other bullshit deaths in Trek include:
  
  • Jadzia Dax - “Tears of the Prophets”
  • Trip - “These Are the Voyages…”
  • Data - “Star Trek Nemesis”
  • Hugh - “Nepenthe”
• The Titan A’s tactical console shows the Intrepid raising shields using a graphic of dots populating around the ship, similar to what we saw in “Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan” when the USS Reliant raises shields.
  
• NDM’s fight against the four changelings echoes Dahj Asha’s activation against the Tal Shiar Assassins when she was attacked in her apartment in “Remembrance”.
  
• ”Old-school Bajoran spycraft.” Ro’s earring turns out to be a datachip holding all of her investigation in to the Changelings infiltrating Starfleet.
  
  • On Bajor they just call it spycraft.

So I've been playing dead space and it's good. Gameplay is challenging but fun and it has fantastic atmosphere. But playing it directly after a slew of other AAA games, including other horror games, it's made me realize that there really is a category of games above AAA.
Dead space is made by EA motive. They had a budget in the tens of millions, and a long dev cycle. And they did a good job. They delivered a AAA game. But there's clearly a gap between a game like Dead space and a game like God of War Ragnarok, or the last of us remake, or even Resident Evil 4 remake.
The game looks good, yes. But it's not at the same bar as a game like god of war. Isaac's movement is a bit off, as in his speed never quite matches his animations. Colors in the game aren't used as well as they could be. Enemy animations seem basic, especially when you blow up an enemy, where the flying body parts look in line with how they would on the ps3. These might sound like minor complaints but the difference is concrete in actual play.
What I've realized is the difference isn't just down to money. That's a massive part of it, but not every company with money puts out boundary pushing games. To make a game like god of war ragnarok, it takes raw talent. EA motive is like AAA minor league baseball players. Yeah they're good, they'd smoke just about anyone on the street, and a lot of them will make it someday, but they're still just kids compared to the guys in the majors. The big guys, like Santa Monica Studio, Naughty Dog, Capcom, and Square Enix CBU3, those guys are the major leaguers. They don't just have the most money, they've got the most raw talent. And the difference is staggering.
In this generation of games, development times and costs have gotten so massive it takes years or decades for a single game to come out from a major studio. As the industry grows, the software output slack has to be picked up by the littler guys. The true boundary pushers who show what the PS5 and Xbox can do, those are few and far between. The majority has to be made up by the intermediaries.
A few years ago the term AAAA games arisen, and I think now it's a distinction that's well warranted for games like God of War Ragnarok, Resident Evil 4, Final Fantasy 16 and Starfield. These games are clearly a step above the average AAA game like Dead Space or Hogwarts or even Zelda.
TO BE PERFECTLY CLEAR, this has nothing to do with how fun the game is. Hollow Knight is one of my favorite games and it was made by three people (though it had a relatively massive budget for an indie game). This is strictly concerning production value. Curiously I'd consider Callisto Protocol in the AAAA category above dead space, but we know how that turned out.
In the past we used to see AAA franchises get released very often. There was a time when mainline Final Fantasies were releasing every year. But those creators have ascended to a higher, more demanding scope, and the AAA space is now filled by different people at the same level.
Agree? Disagree?

With it's strong focus on knowledge, science and pragmatizm, as well as it's strong rejection of anything remotely irrational, blue always had kind of a very exaggerated canonical power advantage over the other colors, this is reflected in the most powerful planeswalkers like Urza, Jaze and Teferi all being mono blue, as well cards with a abilities that are lore wise rediculously busted like [[Omniscience]], [[Enter the Infinite]] and pretty much any card that says "Take an extra turn after this one".
I don't buy Jin-Gitaxias loyalty to new phyrexia one bit. He even came up with [[The Great Synthesis]], which is a wild departure from Elesh Norns cult and straight up openly calls out some of the shortcomings of the philosophies of the other praetors. I am fully convinced he sees Elish Norn merely as a useful fool to help him achieve his personal goals a lot quicker. The other praetors are significantly more viable allies than pretty much any other faction in the multiverse. Why am I even acting like he had other options considering his origin story? I'll get to that later. Winning Vorinklex and Urabrask as allays would have been completely impossible with him assuming leadership, and Sholdred, while probably much easier to talk into temporary cooperation, isn't really an allay you want to exclusively rely on and even more definitely not someone you want to be perceived as a threat by. Elish Norn, being white aligned, has natural charisma. If anyone would be able to get all five colors to cooperate, it's going to be someone white aligned.
Jin-Gitaxias openly dislikes Vorinklex and as far as I'm aware he hasn't hidden his feelings about Urabrask either. He pretty much already indirectly called all other praetors indirectly stupid compared to him. This alliance is highly unstable. The inevitable betrayal has already begun. If the all the Praetors were to fight, who do you think would win? A lot of New Phyrexia's achievements would have been impossible without Jin-Gitaxias, while I'm certain that his forces alone could have easily achieved the same amount of damage. It would simply have taken them ages longer, but he would have gotten there eventually, several centuries later. But why waste precious time when you can subdue a majority of the multiverse much more quickly this way? Other, non-blue alligned phyrexians are much easier to get out of your way than more rational, specifically blue alligned actors so why not make an uneasy alliance with a lesser threat to secure your chance of victory?
Foretelling is a literary device where you blow the minds of nerds while dropping subtle hints that only make sense in hindsight. The earlier you start this, the better. But you really have to be careful not to make things two obvious. Let's take a completely unrelated look at one of ONE's most iconic cycles. [Color] Sun's Twighlight. Unfortunately there is absolutely nothing remarkable to be found on these cards. Wait? You're telling me there's a second cycle of x-costed one-off spells starting with "[Color] Sun's " called [Color] Sun's Zenith? And Technically an even earlier card called All Sun's Dawn? Woah. And you are saying Teferi, who is mysteriously absent, is also known as Teferi, Who Slows the Sunset? Wait. All Sun's Dawn and Channel the Suns are for some reason green spells, which is oddly asymmetrical. Doesn't the wiki point out how ironic it is, that despite Jin-Gitaxias despising Vorinklex, two of his minions are green aligned? And wait. Something is odd about these watermarks. Why out of all the Zeniths is the blue one the only one featuring both a "sun" watermark and a "phyrexian" watermark, despite the green zenith even foreshadowing phyrexia overtly in the flavor? And what's this talk about an Origin Query? Considering how iconic that name sounds, I'm incapable of finding much more information about it than what is on the card. There's something about Neuromancers originating on Mirrodin that are featured heavily in the cards artwork that seem strangely obsessed with gaining knowledge and using it for self optimization. Blue Sun's Zenith features quite a bunch of these guys basking in its the mana infuzed light. Who's that weird loner not taking part in the basking ritual? And who's that random recognizable looking head besides him?
Wait a minute. Could that be... Could that be the head of pre-praetor Yawgmoth? But who's that random loner? Knowledge and self-improvement obsessed, grew up under the influence of Mirrodin's blue Sun... That sounds familiar! Could this be a young Jin-Gitaxias? Could he have worked together with Yawgmoth on researching Glistening Oil? Could it be that perhaps he was able to find a way to undergo phyrexis without getting much more insane then his blue men group already was and is therefore able to continue with his plans of constant self optimization regardless? Could it be possible that in a totally shocking and unforeseeable turn off events the only praetor with a card already revealed for MOM, that features only his plain name in the title, overthrows the entirety of new phyrexia to further his own personal knowledge seeking self optimization journey, potentially with the goal of assembling a canonical combo of Enter the Infinite and Omniscience to ascend to true omnipotence as the greatest, most cunning and most dangerous villain MTG has ever seen?
What happens next is probably that he is defeated by the power of friendship and genuine passion. As science incarnate that's the thing he opposes most and the traditional downfall of hyperrational villains. The Wizards writing team aren't literary geniuses, so it would make sense for them to come up with some silly contrived reason for why the power of emotions defeats the power of ruthless deliberation. If wizard is smart, they just give Jin-Gitaxias ultimate power and knowledge only for him to lose all sense of purpose and will to live, causing him to kill himself, but I highly doubt wizards will go that rout, judging by how much people seek affirmation that having emotions beyond curiosity isn't vastly superior to our misguided primal instincts, which are a core theme in the fundamental lore of magic.
Ironically, I personally am way too blue aligned to sink hundreds or even thousands of bucks into a card game no matter how beautifully mechanically intricate. Over the span of my life, I only spent a two digit sum on wizard products, mainly stuck in my little goblin cave with none of the social aspects of magic browsing youtube, scryfall and the Wiki for hours. I once did play magic, but back then, all my cards were provided free of charge by a friendly teacher leading a tcg club as an extra curricular activity. I would be almost proud if it wasn't so pathetic.
Anyways. I hope you don't take my little rant too seriously. Have a good day and a lot of fun with the upcoming set.

Rockstar is pushing the boundaries for realism and immersion with every game they release. With their statement to exceed our expectations with the next GTA and from what we have learned from the leaks it does not look like GTA 6 will be a simplified and more arcade game in comparison to RDR2. So I was asking myself which type of immersive features Rockstar would add, because surely the possibilities are endless but hard drive space isn't. One thing they could add would be two different modes for car radios. One would be the "Standard" or "Classic" mode, which would be exactly how we know it. The music plays, sounds very clear and goes straight into your ear. That's the easiest, clearest and least annoying way and was done that way since the first cames with car radios. The other mode could be "realistic" or "immersive" mode. In this mode the audio will sound as if you are actually sitting in the car and will change according to the type of car and will also depend on if you play in third person mode or first person mode. So it will sound more boomy, more bassy, less defined and less straight into your ear and the sound quality will depend on the car. You can upgrade your sound system of course to improve the sound, but for example if you drive a really old, cheap, small car the sound will be really thin and tinny. The sound could even get worse if you crash the car, similar to the police sirens if you crash a police car and sound will fade and distort like a broken cassette. If you use a convertible the sound will also change, since there is no roof in the car and you could even potentially annoy civilians and other drivers with your music. But it could also go the other way around and you can also hear music coming out of the other cars and it will also change depending which roof they have or if the driver rolled their windows down. As far as I remember GTA V had that already in a more simplified way and you could sometimes hear to which radio station the other drivers were listening. There will be cases where you stop beside another car and you will listen to the same radio station and you will hear the synced audio signals. Would be even funnier if you could use the RDR2 interaction menu from inside of your car and when you "greet" towards the other drive you will just vibe together to the same music until your ways part at the next intersection. Same thing applied to music coming out of buildings, like for example if you walk past a bar. You either would hear live music coming out of a bar or in most cases one of the radio stations. Overall I think that GTA 6 will have much more music on the streets with people blasting music from their phones or a bluetooth speaker while they are chilling somewhere in the park. That's a thing that I really missed in GTA V where you could only hear ambient music when you visited a shop.
Same thing could apply to headphones and earbuds. Being on this sub everyday, knowing that people want portable music on your phone like it was in Watch Dogs 2, it would be missed opportunity by Rockstar to not add that to the game. There will be different quality levels of headphones and earbuds and they can be used by choosing them from the item wheel beside the weapon wheel. Once you put them on you will have access to the radio station wheel that you usually only have in the car. Or you could simply be one of that douchebags, open the radio or a Spotify rip-off app on your phone and blast the music through your phone speakers like a douchebag. It will sound shitty and people will respond to you (mostly in a negative way), but at least having the option would be nice.
With all the patents that were registered by Rockstar in the last years it's pretty clear that they will use advanced technology for AI behaviour in GTA 6 so I am sure that Rockstar would be technologically capable of adding a realistic or immersive mode to the car radios and could develope some kind of "machine learning realtime EQ" which dynamically responds accordingly to the acoustics of a room or an area. So a little bit like the audio version of Raytracing/Pathtracing.
What do you think? Would this be too much and do you prefer the classic way of just blasting the music with a clear and defined sound straight into your ear or would you like to see something closer to real life as if you are actually sitting behind the wheel and listening to the music coming out of the car speakers?

I've had a SYMFONISK sound remote working through the Tradfri gateway with my Sonos speakers for over two years, and have been overall pretty happy with the solution. However, in the last couple of months, the remote causes volume increases most of the time, regardless of the direction I rotate the button. It has gotten so bad that I've essentially stopped using it other than for the play/pause 'click' function (which continues to be robust and responds quickly and consistently).
A new battery did not help, and I do have a different network setup than what was in place for the first year and a half. But as the gateway seems 'happy' and the play/pause always works, why would the volume not function correctly? Has anyone else experienced this issue with the sound remote?

I'm a ncurses newbie and I'm trying to imitate Alsamixer's terminal interface. I was able to do it up to a certain level, but I have troubling to implement menu dynamics.
What I want is to navigate between the mixers with the right-left arrow keys (for example, when the right arrow key is pressed, it will go from master to slave 1) and with the up-down arrow keys the inside of the mixer will be filled (for example, it will be gradually painted with green color, that is, each press will fill up to a certain level) and when the esc key is pressed, the program will exit. How can I provide these features? I'm posting down my code below, thanks in advance for any help.
​
`

#include  #define MAX_MIXERS 12 #define BAR_HEIGHT 17 #define BAR_WIDTH 4 WINDOW* mixerpool[MAX_MIXERS]; WINDOW* inmixerpool[MAX_MIXERS]; WINDOW* bottoms[MAX_MIXERS]; WINDOW* mixer_bottoms[MAX_MIXERS]; const char* mnames[] = {"Master", "Slave 1", "Slave 2", "Slave 3", "Slave 4", "Slave 5", "Slave 6", "Slave 7", "Slave 8", "Slave 9", "Slave10", "Slave11"}; int max_y, max_x; void initialize_curses(void); void initialize_colors(void); void get_window_size(void); WINDOW* create_upperleft(void); WINDOW* create_upperright(void); void create_mixers(void); void create_inside_of_mixers(void); void create_bottoms(void); void create_mixer_bottoms(void); int main(void) { WINDOW* uleft, *uright; initialize_curses(); initialize_colors(); get_window_size(); uleft = create_upperleft(); uright = create_upperright(); create_mixers(); create_inside_of_mixers(); create_bottoms(); create_mixer_bottoms(); refresh(); getch(); endwin(); return 0; } void create_mixer_bottoms(void) { int dx = 0; for (int i = 0; i < MAX_MIXERS; ++i) { mixer_bottoms[i] = subwin(stdscr, 1, 2, max_y - 5, dx + 3); wbkgd(mixer_bottoms[i], COLOR_PAIR(5)); waddstr(mixer_bottoms[i], "00"); wrefresh(mixer_bottoms[i]); dx += 10; } } void create_bottoms(void) { int dx = 0; for (int i = 0; i < MAX_MIXERS; ++i) { bottoms[i] = subwin(stdscr, 1, 7, max_y - 3, dx + 1); wbkgd(bottoms[i], COLOR_PAIR(3)); waddstr(bottoms[i], mnames[i]); attron(COLOR_PAIR(4)); mvaddch(max_y - 3, dx,'<'); mvaddch(max_y - 3, dx + 8,'>'); dx += 10; } refresh(); } void create_inside_of_mixers(void) { int dx = 0; for (int i = 0; i < MAX_MIXERS; ++i) { inmixerpool[i] = subwin(stdscr, BAR_HEIGHT - 1, BAR_WIDTH - 2, max_y - 6, dx + 3); wattrset(inmixerpool[i], COLOR_PAIR(1)); box(inmixerpool[i], 0, 0); wrefresh(inmixerpool[i]); dx += 10; } } void initialize_curses(void) { initscr(); cbreak(); noecho(); curs_set(0); set_escdelay(100); start_color(); keypad(stdscr, TRUE); } void initialize_colors(void) { init_pair(1, COLOR_CYAN, COLOR_BLACK); init_pair(2, COLOR_YELLOW, COLOR_BLACK); init_pair(3, COLOR_RED, COLOR_BLUE); init_pair(4, COLOR_RED, COLOR_BLACK); init_pair(5, COLOR_WHITE, COLOR_GREEN); init_pair(6, COLOR_YELLOW, COLOR_YELLOW); init_pair(7, COLOR_BLACK, COLOR_BLACK); } void get_window_size(void) { getmaxyx(stdscr, max_y, max_x); } WINDOW* create_upperleft(void) { WINDOW* wp = subwin(stdscr, 5, 40, 0, 0); wattrset(wp, COLOR_PAIR(1)); waddstr(wp, "Card: \nChip: \nView: F3: F4: Capture F5: ALL ITEM: "); wattrset(wp, COLOR_PAIR(2)); mvwaddstr(wp, 0, 6, "PulseAudio"); mvwaddstr(wp, 1, 6, "PulseAudio"); mvwaddstr(wp, 2, 9, "[Playback]"); mvwaddstr(wp, 3, 5, " Master"); return wp; } WINDOW* create_upperright(void) { WINDOW* wp = subwin(stdscr, 5, 25, 0, max_x - 30); wattrset(wp, COLOR_PAIR(1)); mvwaddstr(wp, 0, 0, "F1: Help"); mvwaddstr(wp, 1, 0, "F2: System information"); mvwaddstr(wp, 2, 0, "F6: Select Sound Card"); mvwaddstr(wp, 3, 0, "Esc: Exit"); return wp; } void create_mixers(void) { int dx = 0; for (int i = 0; i < MAX_MIXERS; ++i) { mixerpool[i] = subwin(stdscr, BAR_HEIGHT, BAR_WIDTH, max_y - BAR_HEIGHT - 3, dx + 2); wattrset(mixerpool[i], COLOR_PAIR(1)); box(mixerpool[i], 0, 0); dx += 10; } refresh(); } 

`

I did a money diary this exact week last year about signing the offer letter for the company I work at now. I ended up getting a 5K COL adjustment (62k > 67k) once I moved to Philly. I expressed in the previous journal that I was worried about my taxes since I moved states and work for an NYC company from PA. As many suggested in the comments, it ended up being pretty simple (I used FreeTaxUSA).
SECTION ONE: ASSETS AND DEBT
Retirement Balance - $31,400. A mix of Roth IRA, 401(k), and traditional brokerage.
Equity - N/A
Savings account balance - $11,600 in Emergency Funds; $7,500 in a HYSA that I saved up during college and will use to pay off my student loans when payments resume this summer. Because of this, I consider myself debt free.
Checking account balance - $900; I had a $600 sinking fund for my food/shopping/entertainment in Paris, but I got $300 in cash birthday gifts.
Credit card debt (and how you accumulated it) - $0; I pay my cards off regularly.
Student loan debt - $7,500 for a Political Science and Social Policy Degree with a minor in English. I got a full-tuition scholarship, but had small gaps in aid during my first two years because my school required underclassmen to have on-campus housing and a meal plan.
—
SECTION TWO: INCOME
Income Progression: I’ve been at this job 9 months, make $67k, and it’s great. The people, the work, the benefits. It’s my first post-college, salaried position. I have pretty much no complaints about it and am hoping to get a merit raise during our summer evaluations.
Main Job Monthly Take Home: $3,400 (paid semi-monthly)
$1200/mo in total taxes (fed, state, local, SSI/med); $1000/mo to 401(k); Employer pays 100% of health premiums.
No other income currently, no parental contributions, etc.
—
SECTION THREE: EXPENSES (my portions, I live with a roommate)
Rent - $750/mo. Renewing in May; hoping it stays the same or doesn’t increase dramatically
Retirement/Investment contribution - $540/mo to Roth IRA (401(k) contributions detailed in the Income section).
Savings contribution - $460/mo to sinking funds, $200/mo to General Savings/Emergency Fund
Debt payments - None besides regular payments to my cards
Donations - $80/mo to whatever feels right
Food - ~$500/mo ($300 groceries + <$200 dining out)
Electric - $75/mo
Wifi - $65/mo
Cellphone - $300/yr (Mint Mobile)
Renter’s Insurance - $100/yr
Subscriptions - $8/mo; $7 for Apple Music and $1 for iCloud Storage
Annual Subscriptions - $380/yr; $190 for Credit Card Annual Fees; $165 for ScentBird Subscription; $25 for Google Storage
Gym Membership - $10/mo; $50/yr for Annual Membership Fee
I started on a health journey last June (lost 50+ lbs!). Back then, I was in search of any kind of fitness that I would enjoy and actually go to. I ended up getting a $190/mo membership (2 classes/wk) to a RUMBLE (HIIT Boxing) studio and went 2x a week from June - Nov. In December, I bought a flat-fee holiday package that made my classes cheaper ($19/cls vs $23/cls) and more flexible, so I froze my subscription and got a 30 class package.
In January, I started strength training 4x/wk at Planet Fitness and went down to 1x/week at RUMBLE. I love my current routine, but PF and RUMBLE are both a 35 min walk from my house, and I go to the gym early in the morning. So, I’m considering joining the closer (<10 min walk), but more expensive ($72/mo) gym soon.
I’m still slowly burning through the RUMBLE holiday package and plan to cancel my subscription. I’m hoping they do a summer sale so I can buy another class package. If not, I’ll just buy classes ad hoc after I run out.
No pet, car, or therapy expenses currently.
—
SECTION FOUR: MONEY/TRAVEL DIARY
ACCOMMODATIONS
The flight and accommodations for this flight were booked in September after getting an email from Going (formerly Scott’s Cheap Flights) about $500 tickets to Paris the exact weekend of my birthday. I stayed in a Sonder that I also booked back in September for about $480. I bought a $30, 5 GB international eSIM from Airalo. I was able to post on social media, send iMessages, and check my bank accounts with no problems and no extra data needed.
​
Day 1
Today is payday and the beginning of my week off. I clear my credit cards, invest my Roth deposit, and go to the gym.
After the gym, I pick up last minute toiletries ($45.35) and plane snacks ($21.48). I end up on a wild goose chase looking for a Universal Adapter ($34.39), so I get McDonald's (I wanted a Shamrock Shake) while I’m out ($9.15 - this feels expensive for McDonald's?)
My mom gives me a call around 8pm and asks if I’ve checked my bank account. Today was payday, so I had, but not since early that morning. She gifted me $200! After, I spend three hours retwisting my locs and go to bed around midnight.
Day 1 Spend - $108.37
​
Day 2
Today is Sims 4 Expansion Pack (and flight to Paris) day! I can’t install the game until 1PM ET. Lame.I do one last check to ensure I have everything I need, transfer my Paris Sinking Fund ($600) into my checking account, and then play the Sims to pass the time. At 4, I take the Regional Rail to the airport.
I breeze through TSA and read Another Country by James Baldwin until boarding begins. Upon boarding, I’m stopped and informed that my carry-on is “too big.” They were clearly picking people at random to move their bags because as the woman walked down the jet bridge with my bag, she rolled it past a man who had the exact same suitcase as me in another color. Annoying.
They don’t give me a chance to take out my laptop and snacks, this is my first time traveling internationally, I triple checked the sizing requirements, so this stressed me out. I was terrified of my bag getting lost. I vent to my best friend about the bag situation; she helps me calm down. Once we’re airborne, I spend the next 6 hours rotating between reading, watching Wakanda Forever, and listening to music.
Day 2 Spend - $0
​
Day 3 (my birthday!)
We land in Dublin at 8am, and I activate my international eSIM. I see my older brother gifted me $100 via Cash App. Even though it was just a quick layover, being in Ireland on St. Patrick’s Day made me happy. The Irish were teeming with happiness and excitement. I board my second flight and land in Paris at 1pm, finally am reunited with my bag, and get to the section of town I’m staying in via train ($12.18).
While I wait for a friend to arrive on the train from London, I try French McDonalds per the recommendation of my best friend ($14.95 - seriously, why the hell is McDonalds so expensive?)
Friend arrives and we explore Paris! We then stop at a bakery, I grab a pain au chocolat ($1.60) and slip into a bar nearby. My friend lets everyone know it’s my birthday, and they buy us lots of rounds of shots and drinks. My friend closes the tab for the couple of drinks we actually ordered, and we head to a club that’s having a St. Patrick’s Day party around the corner.
I later try to redeem my Starbucks birthday item, but the barista gently lets me know it’s not valid in France. However, he throws in a free refresher and my friend buys me a blueberry muffin. We head back to the hotel so I can freshen up and change into my birthday dress. We take a nap and head back out for the night on the train ($8.96 RT for 2). We have dinner at a delicious restaurant, which my friend pays for.
Our last stop of the night is an Afro-Caribbean spot that has great music and friendly staff. I tell the bartender it’s my birthday and ask for a drink recommendation. He makes some spicy concoction in a gold bowl with peppers. It’s quite delicious but is strong and makes my nose run! The staff gifts me at least two more shots, and I decide to call it quits on alcohol for the night after that. We dance and laugh the night away with the friendly staff, and I pick up the tab before we leave ($27.81).
Day 3 Spend - $65.50
​
Day 4
My friend has been teasing a surprise and finally reveals it’s Disneyland! I laugh and realize I hadn’t disclosed the rest of my itinerary — I have a Disneyland reservation for Monday (after my friends went home)! However, I booked a non-park hopper ticket for Walt Disney Studios, so I’m excited to be able to experience them both thanks to my friend!
We had a late, drunk night last night so we started the day a bit late. Grabbed a quick brunch ($6.74) and head to Chessy via the train ($19.68). We got Premier Access (skip the line/lightning lane) for a handful of rides ($79.15), I bought some Stitch merch ($21.39), and we got ice cream ($5.35).
After a few hours at Disney, we head back to Paris to meet up with one of my friends from college who also lives in London. He’s a hyperextrovert and is ready to hit the town immediately. We wanted to go to the Eiffel Tower, but missed the last bus and grabbed dinner nearby ($89.96). My friend from high school started feeling a bit sick, so she went back to the hotel and my college buddy and I spend the night bar hopping, dancing, chatting, and eating until 3am ($37.44).
Day 4 Spend - $259.71
​
Day 5
Both friends head back to London today but at different times. I start the day a bit late after saying goodbye to my high school friend.
My college friend and I grab breakfast at a nearby restaurant ($41.18). After that, we head out to explore an area of the city near the train station so it’s easy for him to board the 5pm train. We grab some pastries and a baguette ($11.66) and set out to explore. We saw the lock bridge, Arc de Triomphe, took goofy photos, visited the Notre Dame restoration exhibit, and danced alongside a drum parade.
On the walk back to my room, I check my email to see I missed the Eiffel Tower climbing tour I scheduled back in September. I go back to the room, let my phone charge, and pay a fee to reschedule the tour ($10.70). I head out to see the Eiffel and other tourists sites via a Sundown Seine river cruise ($8.99 for 4 bus tickets).
After a few hours, I’m beat and head back to the Sonder. I got a Poke Bowl from a French/Hawaiian/Sushi fusion place we passed by last night and some chicken wings ($22.89). I spend the rest of the night relaxing.
Day 5 Spend - $95.42
​
Day 6
I really want to sleep in, but the Climbing tour doesn’t allow cancellations within 24 hours and charge no-shows. I head out around 9:30 am. Despite being tired and annoyed, the tour was great. I have a lunch Steakhouse reservation at 2:30pm at Disney, so I’m sort of in a rush and happy the tour ends right on time at 12:30. I hop on the train ($10.70 RT tickets) and make it to Disneyland at 1:30 pm.
With an hour before my reservation, I stop into a bunch of stores and buy merch ($70.60). I make my way to The Steakhouse for lunch ($37.44). I am stuffed, so I walk a couple laps around Walt Disney Studios to get a lay of the land, take photos, and walk off lunch before indulging in some shows and rides.
A couple hours go by and I grab some dessert ($4.28) and rent a portable charger ($4.28). I wanted to ride Crush’s Coaster before my dinner reservation, but it had a crazy wait time and premier access sold out for the day, so I buy premier access for and ride Avenger’s Flight Force instead ($12.84), return the portable charger, and head to dinner at Bistrot Chez Remy ($58.83).
I stay until 9:30 pm for the light show, have snacks ($9.63), then head back to the hotel to shower, pack, and sleep.
Day 6 Spend - $208.60
​
Day 7
I have a protein bar for breakfast, check out at 10am, and grab a final ticket ($12.29) to the airport. I start to feel lightheaded and try to drink some water, but it doesn’t help much. So, I get McDonalds ($8.91) before boarding my flight and feel a lot better. I grab a Kinder ($1.72) from a nearby store because I’d never tried one. Amazing!
I am excited to get home and get back into my normal meal prep and exercise routine. I make it back to Philly at 7pm. I take a shower and go straight to bed.
Day 7 Spend - $22.71
—
Week Total - $760.52
Food + Drink - $406.74
Fun / Entertainment - $194.68 (shopping, tour reschedule, premier lanes)
Home + Health - $34.39 (universal adapter)
Clothes + Beauty - $45.35 (last minute toiletries)
Transport - $72.80
Other - $4.28 (portable charger rental)
—
Lastly, reflect on your diary!
While I’d never spend close to this in a normal week, celebrating my birthday in a way I enjoy is very important to me. I’m excited to travel more in the future.
I feel like I spent too much money on individual transport tickets; I should’ve brought the booklet of 10. But $73 for a bunch of days is still pretty cheap. I had a sinking fund of $600 originally, but the cash gifts from my mom and brother increased it to $900.
Overall, Paris was cheaper than I expected. I was worried $600 wouldn’t be enough. I picked up the tab a lot of places since there wasn’t an easy way for us to split the bill in multiple currencies (USD, pounds, euros), and I’m trying to hit the minimum spend on a new credit card. Had I been more willing to figure out bill splitting, I probably could've stayed under $600.
Relatedly - this trip inspired me to revisit my goal of becoming fully fluent in Spanish. French-speakers were visibly irritated when I spoke English (which I wasn’t upset about and expected). I did practice some French (beyond the basics like bonjour and merci) with my sister before the trip, but it always came out sounding like Spanish. So, after the first day, I resorted to starting conversations in Spanish.
If they spoke Spanish, great! However, many were caught off guard and didn’t speak Spanish, so I would then ask, in Spanish, if they spoke English, then converse in English — which made them noticeably nicer. Definitely gonna work on brushing up my Spanish and work towards fluency. I eventually want to learn French and ASL, too.

I ended up ordering LSD online along with MDMA and some THC edibles, I am pretty inexperienced with drugs as I only started experimenting with them after I fell into a depression and I got very interested in testing out more substances. So it was about 8:00pm and I was really bored so I decided I wanted to test out my new “toys”. First I took 1 tab of LSD(100ug) along side 100mg of pure MDMA and 50mg of THC in the form of a capsule, I am quite an impatient person and I mustered up this bright idea to take 3 more tabs of acid(100ug each) and oh god was that a mistake, I quickly felt the affects of the LSD run through my system, I walked to my bathroom and I heard my mom call out my name and I was convinced it was a hallucination so I walked back to my room without responding or going to see what she wanted and it felt as if I had teleported to my room I forgot that I had even went to the bathroom (I think it was the THC that made me forget I had left my room), I went to lay down in my bed to put on a show or listen to music and my mom walked in and started questioning me and confronting me about condoms she had found in my trash(I am quite young so she wasn’t pleased) and I was just sitting there petrified hiding my face under my duvet waiting for her to leave I looked up at her sitting on the side of my bed and two lanky, boney and veiny arms with talons on the end protruded from her back and started snipping at me, at this point I was both amazed and completely terrified as I’ve never experienced anything like this. Shortly after my mom left my room I started listening to music and it seemed the speed of the song, the pitch and the volume kept changing after each beat and it sounded terrible, it didn’t even sound like music at that point, I quickly shut it off and just sat there looking at my chest and arms, my arm hair grew rapidly and moved in random directions, my skin seemed to separate from my muscle and flesh and the space between started inflating, my skin had a blue hue and was almost transparent, I could see my bones and they had a bright orange outline and glow, and I looked at my chest and the same was happening with my chest hair, rib cage and skin, I could feel it too, it wasn’t painful at all it was somewhat pleasant, it felt slightly cold and I could feel the inflation. After I was done staring at that for about 1-4 hours (I had no concept of time😭) I looked at my d*ck and it started to morph into a mushroom and small black bugs started crawling out of it, usually I am extremely terrified of bugs but this didn’t seem to bother me as I knew it was just a hallucination, when I looked at things such as my arm or the wall it would seem as if I was becoming that object, it would feel like my vision was hyper focused on that one thing and would be zoomed in. Long story short I sat there for about 14 hours staring at things and watching TikTok. I was well into the next day by now and I was still having hallucinations, they seemed to be much less intense but I still had the psychological effects of the LSD and I was wildly uncomfortable and irritated that the trip had not ended yet, I slowly spiralled into madness scrounging the internet for information to stop the trip, I kept trying to fall asleep or find a way to calm myself and nothing worked, I laid down and crawled under my duvet crying and praying to god it would end. I had somehow convinced myself my girlfriend was going to leave me and I wrote down a bunch of deranged messages to myself in my phones note saying if I didn’t get her back my life would be over, I then spam texted my girlfriend begging her to save me but I got no response because she was sleeping and I then came to the conclusion she had died and I had to pray to revive her and bring her back from the afterlife, still no response then I had just thought it was all over and she’d never be back so I sat in my bed surrounded by pillows and blankets for some reason😭and cried to god asking why he had done this to me, at this point I was about 19 hours into my trip and I thought it was literally never going to end and that I was permanently insane because I had read online trips usually last 12 hours at most. Eventually I slightly calmed myself down and listened to music even though It still sounded awful, and I just laid there having random outbursts of extreme sadness and anxiety. I then went and got my dog to try and find some way to comfort myself and it did work a bit, i laid in my bed with my dog for another few hours until like 11:30pm or so and I was so sick of it and I just took a bunch of night time cold medicine and cbd and eventually fell asleep. My trip ended up lasting about 25 hours somehow and it was absolute hell for the final like 12 hours I was just in a state of panic and extreme depression, I plan to take LSD and a magic mushroom chocolate bar with some of my friends in a Few days, I look at this as a learning experience to never do psychedelics alone and to always have some Xanax ready incase I start freaking out😭even though it was terrible past the about half way mark it was still an incredible experience and I will definitely be doing it again. Sorry if this is scattered and terribly written, I am not good at writing stories😭

I ended up ordering LSD online along with MDMA and some THC edibles, I am pretty inexperienced with drugs as I only started experimenting with them after I fell into a depression and I got very interested in testing out more substances. So it was about 8:00pm and I was really bored so I decided I wanted to test out my new “toys”. First I took 1 tab of LSD(100ug) along side 100mg of pure MDMA and 50mg of THC in the form of a capsule, I am quite an impatient person and I mustered up this bright idea to take 3 more tabs of acid(100ug each) and oh god was that a mistake, I quickly felt the affects of the LSD run through my system, I walked to my bathroom and I heard my mom call out my name and I was convinced it was a hallucination so I walked back to my room without responding or going to see what she wanted and it felt as if I had teleported to my room I forgot that I had even went to the bathroom (I think it was the THC that made me forget I had left my room), I went to lay down in my bed to put on a show or listen to music and my mom walked in and started questioning me and confronting me about condoms she had found in my trash(I am quite young so she wasn’t pleased) and I was just sitting there petrified hiding my face under my duvet waiting for her to leave I looked up at her sitting on the side of my bed and two lanky, boney and veiny arms with talons on the end protruded from her back and started snipping at me, at this point I was both amazed and completely terrified as I’ve never experienced anything like this. Shortly after my mom left my room I started listening to music and it seemed the speed of the song, the pitch and the volume kept changing after each beat and it sounded terrible, it didn’t even sound like music at that point, I quickly shut it off and just sat there looking at my chest and arms, my arm hair grew rapidly and moved in random directions, my skin seemed to separate from my muscle and flesh and the space between started inflating, my skin had a blue hue and was almost transparent, I could see my bones and they had a bright orange outline and glow, and I looked at my chest and the same was happening with my chest hair, rib cage and skin, I could feel it too, it wasn’t painful at all it was somewhat pleasant, it felt slightly cold and I could feel the inflation. After I was done staring at that for about 1-4 hours (I had no concept of time😭) I looked at my d*ck and it started to morph into a mushroom and small black bugs started crawling out of it, usually I am extremely terrified of bugs but this didn’t seem to bother me as I knew it was just a hallucination, when I looked at things such as my arm or the wall it would seem as if I was becoming that object, it would feel like my vision was hyper focused on that one thing and would be zoomed in. Long story short I sat there for about 14 hours staring at things and watching TikTok. I was well into the next day by now and I was still having hallucinations, they seemed to be much less intense but I still had the psychological effects of the LSD and I was wildly uncomfortable and irritated that the trip had not ended yet, I slowly spiralled into madness scrounging the internet for information to stop the trip, I kept trying to fall asleep or find a way to calm myself and nothing worked, I laid down and crawled under my duvet crying and praying to god it would end. I had somehow convinced myself my girlfriend was going to leave me and I wrote down a bunch of deranged messages to myself in my phones note saying if I didn’t get her back my life would be over, I then spam texted my girlfriend begging her to save me but I got no response because she was sleeping and I then came to the conclusion she had died and I had to pray to revive her and bring her back from the afterlife, still no response then I had just thought it was all over and she’d never be back so I sat in my bed surrounded by pillows and blankets for some reason😭and cried to god asking why he had done this to me, at this point I was about 19 hours into my trip and I thought it was literally never going to end and that I was permanently insane because I had read online trips usually last 12 hours at most. Eventually I slightly calmed myself down and listened to music even though It still sounded awful, and I just laid there having random outbursts of extreme sadness and anxiety. I then went and got my dog to try and find some way to comfort myself and it did work a bit, i laid in my bed with my dog for another few hours until like 11:30pm or so and I was so sick of it and I just took a bunch of night time cold medicine and cbd and eventually fell asleep. My trip ended up lasting about 25 hours somehow and it was absolute hell for the final like 12 hours I was just in a state of panic and extreme depression, I plan to take LSD and a magic mushroom chocolate bar with some of my friends in a Few days, I look at this as a learning experience to never do psychedelics alone and to always have some Xanax ready incase I start freaking out😭even though it was terrible past the about half way mark it was still an incredible experience and I will definitely be doing it again. Sorry if this is scattered and terribly written, I am not good at writing stories😭

I am running an HP Thin client environment managed by HP Device Manager. Each thin client has FreeRDP. This is used to connect to a hyper-v windows desktop using an RDS.Gateway.
I’m using apple AirPods that connect via Bluetooth to my ThinClient.
ISSUE: when I remote into any of my Hyper-V Windows 10 desktops I cannot get audio in or out to work: HP ThinClient T540 ThinClient 7.2 SP 14 FreeRDP version 2.10
These are ThinOS Ubuntu machines using FreeRDP to remote into a Windows 10 Hyper-V Desktop, & im failing to see the shared drives, printers & storage redirects, & the most important is that Audio In / Out is not working when my AirPods are connected to my ThinCliebt Via BlueTooth I get sound through the AirPods on the ThinClient, but through the FreeRDP to the windows HyperV desktop running Windows 10, they don’t work. I’ve enabled it to be allowed on the Hyper-V Desktop.
Can anyone help me get audio in or out to work? Any help will be greatly appreciated!!

Hello,
I just bought a Vizio 4k LED smart TV V505-J09. I also got a Sony 4k Blu-ray player UPB-X700. All I need now is an HDMI cable. I am confused about what type to buy for the best picture quality and sound. I don't have a 4k av receiver yet. I'm planning on getting one soon. What are your all recommendations on the best HDMI cable to purchase? I also only need about 3 to 6 feet of HDMI. I'll be using the TV for Blu-ray and DVDs most of the time.
Thank you, everyone.

It's not surprising that some people may wonder if it's possible to spy on someone's WhatsApp messages, whether it's a cheating partner, a troublesome employee, or a suspicious friend.
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That being said, there are several methods that people may use to spy on someone's WhatsApp messages, including:

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Email: [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected])
WhatsApp +6281348110100

We've been married 8 years, have no kids but had two 2 miscarriages in the past 6 years, which took a toll on our marriage.
The 1st miscarriage in 2017 was at 17 weeks, a baby girl we wanted to name Joy. We were both devastated but she believes she grieved more than I did, although I was always the one who had hoped for children while she never wanted any up until then.
The 2nd miscarriage in 2020 was around 12 weeks. It was the first several months of the pandemic. We work in a hospital and the intensity of my duties kept me away for days at a time. Even when we met, I tried to keep a distance to keep her safe from possibly catching the virus, which she understood at that time because the Covid situation then was very severe worldwide and there was still a lot we didn't know about it.
But after miscarriage, she resented me bitterly. She then decided we'd be better off without kids. I didn't want to cause her any more grief, so I went along. Since then, it's been up and down, mostly downs. Eventually I started to spend even more time at work to avoid her wrath at home. We still see each other at the workplace (she's another department) but at least it's civil.
Last year, through a series of misunderstandings, she started to accuse me of having an affair with our colleague. This colleague was my college ex, we moved on 20 years ago, which my wife knew about too. I swore my innocence repeatedly but she refused to accept it. We argued for months. In the process, I said some nasty words, said it wouldn't be surprising if I left her for that woman since my wife was such a terror. I deeply regret it now. I don't think she herself truly believes, but she took my words as admission of the non-existent affair and demanded a divorce.
We started proceedings and separated last April. She still lives in our house while I've practically moved into my office. But on occasions when I returned home to collect stuff or when we attended events outside, we'd enjoy our time together - like the dates we used to have before everything went awry. We managed to have some very good sex too, so I started to find more excuses to "pick up my stuff" couple times a week and she never turned me down.
I'd say our relationship improved drastically after I agreed to the separation. I didn't have the time or interest to date anyone else and to my knowledge neither did she.
​
Now, about 2 months ago, she suddenly turned all cold and angry again for no discernible reason. She called in sick for a few days and ignored all my calls, messages and shrugged me off when I checked on her.
2 weeks later, my brother finally learnt the truth from another colleague - my wife is pregnant, with twins.
I'm very hurt at the way I had to find out, but that's beside the point. The colleague later told me she explored her options for abortion but did not or has yet to go through with it because my wife reportedly told her she "knew it would break (me) for real" if she did.
Hearing that, I was reaaally hopeful that this pregnancy would save our marriage. I have been so miserable.
But when I approached my wife about her pregnancy, I discovered that she was (and still is) in a terrible rage at me. She keeps telling me not to get my hopes up, keeps flinging the abortion threat in my face, says she'd rather raise the children on her own because I'll never have time for them, insists she still wants to go through with the divorce, will take care of herself, won't need maintenance, and basically many illogical, contradictory and hurtful things.
She has even been trying to convince me that the babies aren't mine. But in one tired distracted comment while mad at me, she said they've driven her crazy "just like their father". Another day, she declared she hates me and hates my babies. Yet another day, she blamed me for picking a good date to intentionally knock her up - we spent the whole stretch of Christmas Eve to New Year's Day together, had unprotected sex throughout often at her initiation, and now her EDD is the date of our 1st miscarriage. Unless she managed to slip out in secret to bang the deliverymen, I really don't see how the babies aren't mine.
She also said she's gonna quit her job and move out for good so we never have to meet again. And she is really packing up her stuff at home into big boxes and has been researching renting dubious walk-ups in lousy neighborhoods far from me.
Meantime I'm relieved at least she's still seeing the OB and taking her iron, folic, screening tests and avoiding alcohol, caffeine etc. While mostly cold and snappy, she still lets me take her out for meals several times a week and never rejects food or massages from me. The other day I even spotted two twin pregnancy books on her car seat when I peeked in. I was incredibly heartened.
​
I have no doubt she's terrified and conflicted. But she's so stubborn and angry that I just can't get through to her. She's made clear counselling and therapy are out of the question, and I can't slip her any tranquilizers either since she's pregnant.
I'm worried sick about her for so many reasons:
She's pushing 40 and that already puts her at significantly higher risk for many pregnancy complications, carrying twins to boot. So far no major issues detected, the usual anemia, low BP, some spotting; cervix unremarkable. But her face gets a gaunt green cast from nausea or headaches most mornings even now, and though she's showing quite a bit, she has actually lost considerable weight. She was already borderline underweight. Can tell she gets dizzy or breathless easily but she still insists on climbing up and down needlessly packing her boxes and even wants to lug them down the stairs herself. Of course I put an end to that nonsense when I see it, but I'm really terrified she'll hurt herself trying to prove some reckless physical feat when I'm not around. Or pass out in the bath alone at home.
She goes on about me never having time for a family but bars me from her OB visits - which occurs at our workplace! I've had to install "spies" all around her to find out how she feels, yet even that is difficult - the guys are useless as she knows their loyalties to me and I can't be too pally with her women friends in case she develops another misunderstanding, which would be the worst time for that to happen again. So far only my brother and his gay partner have been my greatest help as she genuinely adores them. She forbids us from telling both sides of our parents about the pregnancy and keeps trying to suck in her belly to keep it a secret as if people are blind. She was never like this before.
I'd like her to take a long break from work or even quit entirely so she can get sufficient rest and hopefully regain her sanity, but I know she'll be insulted or suspicious of my motives and it will also be much harder for me to keep an eye on her if she's not constantly pottering around near us. She might also use that newfound free time to really run away forever.
​
I really really really want to be around for her and our babes, but I'm so scared of destabilizing her with anything I do or say.
I've turned this over in my head time and again but I truly truly don't believe that we have reached the end of our marriage. I feel like there's still so much evidence pointing to the fact that she still loves me.
Many people claim it's clear I'm a calming presence for her (the irony!). My bro says even now her eyes always sweep the room until she spots me. She still publicly defends me in arguments in my absence and is always empathetic when I have a trying day (as long as it's not caused by her). I don't know what I would do without her.
She seems to have it all together in public but it's a different story in private. These 2 months, in the rare few instances I've dared raise my voice back at her or when her rage has driven me to break down, she would become immediately contrite, retract her words, apologize profusely, and then inevitably become distressed to tears, at which point I would have to spend more time consoling her. Those are also the only times she allows me to guide her in techniques to calm her erratic breathing. But sometimes I think I'm having a panic attack myself.
It's all terribly exhausting for us both but even more so, it is simply gut wrenching for me watching her. The 2 miscarriages left me wracked with guilt; there are many things I wish I did, I truly don't want her to have to go through that trauma a 3rd time. I'm a medical professional and there's so much I know in theory but I am really at my wit's end when it comes to my delicate pregnant wife who's perpetually in an uncontrollable rage at me. Everything I've done is wrong. I'm so fucking scared. I'm so fearful I will again unwittingly hurt her irreparably. And there are still so many weeks more to go. I don't know if we can make it.
When I ask what she wants from me or what I can do to make things better, she says impossible things like carry the babes myself, leave her for good, or to father other children with other women. My god.
I have thought long and hard about it and have put this to her as gently as I could: I don't need to have kids. She doesn't need to have kids. If it comes down to that, I would save our marriage over saving the babies. Or if saving our marriage is impossible too, it would be OK as long as she is happy and healthy again. Mentioning this invariably leads her to more rage and more inconsolable tears. She is incensed that I'm "choosing between them" or trying to force her to choose, which I'm not! I'm just trying desperately to say there's no pressure, there's nothing I could ever want so badly that I can't do without, I swear it. I'm just so afraid she can never be herself again. Should I help her arrange for an abortion and make her go so that the choice is mine?
​
I've tried so hard to analyze and identify/eliminate any potential causes for her rage.
I never comment on her growing belly or boobs in case she flares up. She definitely likes belly rubs, back rubs, calf and head massages so she certainly doesn't hate my touch. She doesn't gag when we kiss. It's not about the sex either; in fact it seems to put her in a better mood for a very short while. We're not financially strained (unless she really intends to divorce me and refuse a cent while trying to raise the twins on her own) and both of us can arrange for prolonged time off work if we really need to. We have a part-time cleaner so any chores she ever does herself is because she wants to. Anything she can't tolerate, I've stopped eating as well. I've given her copious supplies of vitamins, essential oils and home remedies for her nausea and headaches. I've been spending so much more time with her now, work is really just an afterthought. I've tried ignoring her provocations but she would follow me and demand a response then accuse me of patronizing her. To protect her sense of independence, I even let her continue to drive despite my concerns about her terrible driving.
There are some things I can't compromise though - no way I'd let her have sashimi or lift the heavy luggage and boxes herself. Admittedly I'm a bit of a nag about drinking enough water, taking her supplements and BP monitoring. But can I really allow her to be so reckless and go her own way?
I suspect my presence alone might be a trigger for her rage. But apparently not having me around distresses her too. 3 times these 2 months, I was shocked to learn that when I missed minor meetings or events without first informing her (though I had no idea I was expected at all), she disappeared into the bathroom to cry. She insists it was nothing but once let slip that she thought I stayed away because I was angry at her, which is so irrational. Why would I be angry at her??? My bro and his partner concluded that my absence was the only consistent factor for her odd behavior.
​
I'm ashamed to be such a bumbling clueless husband. Truth is she's surrounded most of the day by people and family perfectly equipped to handle any physical problem that might occur. Yet I've never felt this stressed, helpless, blindsided and impotent my entire life. I am at a total loss. And it's been only two months since I found out. Last night she screamed at me to just stop bothering about her. So today she drove herself to work while I stayed home to despair over the keyboard wondering if it's tears or rage now because I actually heeded her advice. Maybe I should have feigned ignorance about the pregnancy from the start.
It was very hard for me to put this all down in words, I'm sorry it's so long and incoherent, but I've really reached my wit's end. I don't usually log into Reddit, so this is a measure of my desperation. If anyone out there studying this convoluted essay can help figure out any hints to the root of my problem or if anyone can offer a desperate man some sound advice - that works - on daily methods to handle my fiery pregnant wife or tips on how to dissipate her flying rages... please help me. I will be eternally grateful.

I came from from Spotify free plan to Tidal free plan, apparently Tidal High settings has 320kbps and Spotify high quality has approx 160kbps. I tested same songs on same volume side by side but cant see the difference in quality, only difference in sound quality I observed was whenever I listened to DOLBY ATMOS or 360 Reality Audio. Am I missing something ?
Hardware used -
SAMSUNG M31 (Andriod 12) (has dolby support)
Earphones - Oppo ENCO Buds (has dolby support) this one
Speakers - ZOOOK STUDIO, (not a very known company but this is a sound bar and its pretty big I think it should be able to reproduce 320kbps easily) this one

I couldn’t believe that he said it. My own brother, who I’d known for years as a kind, compassionate – and most importantly - accepting person. To my knowledge, he’d never said anything remotely critical of an entire group of people; had never once expressed a belief or even a joking sentiment of hatred or bigotry. And yet, in front of my best friend, he said the word: The one you just don’t fucking say.
Naturally, I tried to intervene. I pushed my brother away, apologizing to Jackson even as I advanced on my monumentally stupid sibling. My brother – Craig – then had the audacity to ask what my problem was, as if he hadn’t just said the word in front of Jackson, who’d never even so much as looked wrongly at Craig.
Behind me, Jackson tried to assure me that it was fine; that I didn’t need to react so strongly; that he was sure my brother hadn’t meant it. But as if he were going for an award in callousness – or perhaps just stupidity – Craig repeated it; this time with face-cringing emphasis on the G-sound.
I punched him – or at least I tried to. He’d anticipated it, moved out of the way just as my fist neared his face. I grazed his chin, and stumbled forward, eventually falling into the rain-filled curb. My brother laughed and danced around me, like a maniacal little imp.
Being my best friend, having always had my back regardless of the circumstance, Jackson stepped up. He shouted for my brother to back off and came to stand between him and me. Craig is twenty-five, two years older than me, but he’s much larger; built like a linebacker, even though he’s never played sports. Jackson is my age, but of a comparable build to my brother. Seeing them lock eyes, I was sure that there’d be a fight; that things would come to blows there in the street; but to my shock, my brother stepped back, and Jackson helped me up.
“You’d probably call your friends and have them jump me, anyway. Not worth it.”
I shouted, “That’s enough!” and told my brother to go home – that I was staying at Jackson’s tonight. I live with Craig in a house a few blocks away, and we’d met up with Jackson earlier in the day to see a classic horror movie at the theater in town.
Seeing as how Craig had had more than a few beers from the theater’s bar, we’d figured it was best if we walked home together. I wanted to believe that he was just drunk, that his unprompted derisive outburst was simply the result of a few too many movie-theater beers; but that word wasn’t something you just said, especially not around someone whose people were the primary targets of its derogatory usage.
Glassy eyed, with that wicked sneer still on his face, Craig glanced at the sky and said, “It’s getting pretty late. Moon’s coming out. Soon your friend here will be practically invisible in the dark. Unless he smiles.”
I was certain that I could actually feel the heat of Jackson’s blood boiling beside me. With clenched fists he told Craig to go home. With my temper already flared beyond reason, I flicked some of the water from my rain-sodden jacket onto Craig’s devilish face. He flinched, but stayed put; his grin even wider, now.
Even I wanted to fight him, but I knew that it’d be a fight I’d lose. So, I begrudgingly turned away and started walking toward Jackson’s house. He followed.
Just as we were about to round the corner to Jackson’s block, Craig called out, “Be careful, bro. You know how they are in their own neighborhoods. Stay inside once you get there.”
And that was it. Jackson stopped, did a 180-degree turn, and started full sprint toward Craig. By this time the moon had come out and was casting a large swathe of its marmoreal brilliance onto the street. Craig had entered the broad scope of light, ready to face Jackson head on. I followed, unsure of who to assist if things got really bad; but knowing that I’d let Jackson at least get a few good hits in before attempting to break them up.
Jackson entered the celestial spotlight and transformed.
His clothes practically exploded from his body, blown away to flimsy shreds as if nothing more than tissue paper. His muscles expanded with supernatural spontaneity; the thickly corded thews and tendons inflating to Herculean proportions, becoming almost sickeningly vascular. Dark sable fur sprouted from the overly taut flesh, blooming atop every exposed surface. The bestial transformation occurred in a matter of seconds, and then he was on Craig; who’d not so much as shifted in surprise.
Jackson howled monstrously as he mauled Craig. I couldn’t see my brother beneath the hulking horror, but I heard his half-crazed laugh. He was amused, or at least pretending to be. This only served to further enrage Jackson, who slashed and clawed at my brother with demonic fervor.
I’d never seen Jackson in such a state, had never witnessed a Lycanthropic transformation. The snarling beast he’d become was terrifying. And the thoughts I’d had of coming to his assistance were dashed upon the rocks of reality as he roared triumphantly to the moon, my brother’s blood glistening on his ultra-canine face.
Craig had stopped laughing and was now insensibly gurgling on his own blood. His eyes – distant and bloodshot – came to meet mine, and I prayed that he was still acting; still taunting Jackson, now with feigned weakness. I’d been pissed at Craig, but I didn’t want him dead.
Thankfully, I was right. With a glottal chuckle and almost imperceptible swiftness, Craig sat up, gripped Jackson by the waist, and suplex’d him onto the sidewalk. There was a horrible crunch of bone, and Jackson let out a loud whine; like a dog struck with an unexpected kick. Craig deftly rolled away and regained his composure – his throat and most of his chest still hanging in bloody ribbons through his tattered shirt.
Dazed but by no means deterred, Jackson reoriented himself and leapt once more. Craig casually stepped aside, and I was suddenly face-to-face with that abominable werebeast.
There was a moment of horrific awe – of grotesque spectacle, and then terror sank my heart like a stone. My brother and I are what most would refer to as vampires. We are far more durable and physically capable than the fittest of humans, but werewolves are even more formidable. And Jackson is an exceptional genetic specimen of his kind.
He towered over me, with intermixed streams of saliva and blood trailing from his wide maw. A savage, supernumerary arrangement of teeth promised a death of untold agonies; and eyes blood-red with feral hatred assured me that that death would not come quickly. I held up my hands, hoping that in his lunar-enhanced state he’d still recognize me; would still show mercy to the one who’d been his friend for nearly two hundred years of standard human time.
He sniffed, examining me with flared, steaming nostrils; and then mercifully turned away. Relief washed away some of the terror that practically incapacitated me; but I was still frozen in place; more petrified than a fatally curious victim of Medusa.
Again, Jackson charged at Craig, only this time my brother met the ferocious challenger head-on. They locked in mid-air and came crashing down onto the street, where they proceeded to engage in the most brutal, blood-letting melee I'd ever seen. Throats were slashed; muscles were torn from limbs; teeth broken and scattered. It was midnight ultra-violence, darkly accompanied by fiendishly inhuman shrieks, screams, and growls. Dogs and other things howled supportively or antagonistically, and a few porch lights flicked on – but no one dared to come out.
Finally, things came to a grisly end when my brother – doubly delimbed and thoroughly eviscerated – kicked Jackson’s jaw clean from his skull, eliminating his most lethal method of attack. Already severely debilitated by my brother’s dexterous use of kicks, and his outright surgical employment of elongated nails, Jackson finally surrendered. He scampered away into the shadows, whining wolfishly. Craig, more than likely as tired as his opponent, nodded in acceptance.
Spurts of steam and bloody mist blew skyward, signaling Jackson’s detransformation. He re-entered the circle of moonlight naked, but otherwise unharmed – his wounds having healed in the process. Craig’s regeneration would be much slower, but none of his still-bleeding wounds were fatal – at least not to a vampire. They’d both sustained injuries that would’ve killed a human three times over.
In a moment of battle-induced sobriety, Craig extended his hand. Jackson accepted the peace offering and they shook as gentlemen.
Craig, regaining a mischievous glint in his eye, then said: “I'm sorry for calling you a mongrel. I know I shouldn’t use that word, but I’d never fought a werewolf before, and really wanted to –after the movie we’d just watched. I figured you’d be my best opportunity, and knew that the only way to make you really go hard would be to say the M word.”
Jackson laughed, the hoarse tiredness of his voice making him sound a little too close to his other self for my liking. He told Craig that it was fine, that the fight was fun. But that going forward, he’d only need to ask – wouldn’t have to throw slurs around.
Craig responded, “sounds good, haha.” and then they both turned to me, as if I’d have something to add to their newfound brotherhood. I just said that I was tired, and joked about how I’d probably need a new change of underwear, after what I’d seen.
Together, we headed to Jackson’s house and – for the fun of it – re-installed Bloodborne.

I wear dream-lens, which are lens you wear everynight and take off every morning so you can actually see. Our school had an overnight fieldtrip, and I lost one of my two lenses there. It costs like 410 dollars.
I told my mom I lost it, and she said some things that hurt me. She talked about how I never value my money, how I take everything for granted, and how ungrateful I am. She told me the money spent on me alone was living expenses of a middle income family of 4 people. She said kids my age(16) earn their own money and talked about how unappreciative I am. She talked about how careless I am despite me always bragging about how independent I am. She said I wouldn't succeed/survive in U.S abroad if I act like this(again talking about how I brag about being independent). She said I should get my shit together. She also said the reason why so many people in the U.S are homeless is because children have to be independent from their parents or something like that, which I don't think is remotely true, don't even know the purpose of why she said that.
I admit I lost something really expensive and she's a single mom who works really hard, but did she really need to say all those things? I just feel like a burden and an expense although I never ask for money unless I need it for food or school. My school IS expensive, but if I ever talk about transferring to public school, she will freak the fuck out and tell me how weak I sound. It's not like I get bad grades, I'm a staright A student. Also, I never bragged about anything in front of her, where did she get that? I also don't get the part about how I will not survive abroad, because she WANTS me abroad, what am I supposed to do? I feel so burdensome and unhappy in this house. I don't know if she really loves me or not. I want to live on my own and earn my own money as soon as I get a chance.

I ended up ordering LSD online along with MDMA and some THC edibles, I am pretty inexperienced with drugs as I only started experimenting with them after I fell into a depression and I got very interested in testing out more substances. So it was about 8:00pm and I was really bored so I decided I wanted to test out my new “toys”. First I took 1 tab of LSD(100ug) along side 100mg of pure MDMA and 50mg of THC in the form of a capsule, I am quite an impatient person and I mustered up this bright idea to take 3 more tabs of acid(100ug each) and oh god was that a mistake, I quickly felt the affects of the LSD run through my system, I walked to my bathroom and I heard my mom call out my name and I was convinced it was a hallucination so I walked back to my room without responding or going to see what she wanted and it felt as if I had teleported to my room I forgot that I had even went to the bathroom (I think it was the THC that made me forget I had left my room), I went to lay down in my bed to put on a show or listen to music and my mom walked in and started questioning me and confronting me about condoms she had found in my trash(I am quite young so she wasn’t pleased) and I was just sitting there petrified hiding my face under my duvet waiting for her to leave I looked up at her sitting on the side of my bed and two lanky, boney and veiny arms with talons on the end protruded from her back and started snipping at me, at this point I was both amazed and completely terrified as I’ve never experienced anything like this. Shortly after my mom left my room I started listening to music and it seemed the speed of the song, the pitch and the volume kept changing after each beat and it sounded terrible, it didn’t even sound like music at that point, I quickly shut it off and just sat there looking at my chest and arms, my arm hair grew rapidly and moved in random directions, my skin seemed to separate from my muscle and flesh and the space between started inflating, my skin had a blue hue and was almost transparent, I could see my bones and they had a bright orange outline and glow, and I looked at my chest and the same was happening with my chest hair, rib cage and skin, I could feel it too, it wasn’t painful at all it was somewhat pleasant, it felt slightly cold and I could feel the inflation. After I was done staring at that for about 1-4 hours (I had no concept of time😭) I looked at my d*ck and it started to morph into a mushroom and small black bugs started crawling out of it, usually I am extremely terrified of bugs but this didn’t seem to bother me as I knew it was just a hallucination, when I looked at things such as my arm or the wall it would seem as if I was becoming that object, it would feel like my vision was hyper focused on that one thing and would be zoomed in. Long story short I sat there for about 14 hours staring at things and watching TikTok. I was well into the next day by now and I was still having hallucinations, they seemed to be much less intense but I still had the psychological effects of the LSD and I was wildly uncomfortable and irritated that the trip had not ended yet, I slowly spiralled into madness scrounging the internet for information to stop the trip, I kept trying to fall asleep or find a way to calm myself and nothing worked, I laid down and crawled under my duvet crying and praying to god it would end. I had somehow convinced myself my girlfriend was going to leave me and I wrote down a bunch of deranged messages to myself in my phones note saying if I didn’t get her back my life would be over, I then spam texted my girlfriend begging her to save me but I got no response because she was sleeping and I then came to the conclusion she had died and I had to pray to revive her and bring her back from the afterlife, still no response then I had just thought it was all over and she’d never be back so I sat in my bed surrounded by pillows and blankets for some reason😭and cried to god asking why he had done this to me, at this point I was about 19 hours into my trip and I thought it was literally never going to end and that I was permanently insane because I had read online trips usually last 12 hours at most. Eventually I slightly calmed myself down and listened to music even though It still sounded awful, and I just laid there having random outbursts of extreme sadness and anxiety. I then went and got my dog to try and find some way to comfort myself and it did work a bit, i laid in my bed with my dog for another few hours until like 11:30pm or so and I was so sick of it and I just took a bunch of night time cold medicine and cbd and eventually fell asleep. My trip ended up lasting about 25 hours somehow and it was absolute hell for the final like 12 hours I was just in a state of panic and extreme depression, I plan to take LSD and a magic mushroom chocolate bar with some of my friends in a Few days, I look at this as a learning experience to never do psychedelics alone and to always have some Xanax ready incase I start freaking out😭even though it was terrible past the about half way mark it was still an incredible experience and I will definitely be doing it again. Sorry if this is scattered and terribly written, I am not good at writing stories😭

I have creaking sound everywhere in my car specially in the bar on the middle how can I tare it down i want to fix it with foam or something. Please help! video

At long last the world has been graced by the release of the first album by Morfonica, QUINTET. Having been over a year and a half since the last Bandori album release (and nearly as long since I wrote my last review) I was eager to finally get to hear what they had been working on for this album. Would Morfonica manage to find a way to define their sound in an interesting and exciting way as Afterglow had done on ONE OF US, or would they fall into the trap of making overproduced and painfully formulaic music as has happened to Roselia? Given all the singles released prior to this album it was possible to see Morfonica going either direction, and in the end the result still ends up somewhere in the middle.
The first thing I should address before getting deeper into the review is my biggest potential bias. I am Tsukushi's biggest fan. Tsukushi is the best part of this entire franchise. Tsukushi is the most talented and most adorable member of any of the seven bands. If Tsukushi has million number of fans I am one of them. If Tsukushi has ten fans I am one of them. If Tsukushi has no fans, that means I am no more on the earth. If the world is against Tsukushi, I am against the world. And copypastas aside, Tsukushi's work on this album is fantastic. She perfectly underscores all of the biggest sonic moments on the album, always creating the perfect driving force to push through and build the most exciting moments of the heaviest songs on the album. On the other end of the spectrum, she creates a very stable rock for the rest of the band to sit on top of in the more easy-going songs. Tsukushi is practically flawless throughout the entire album, and what else would you expect?
Rui is also great on this album. She displays a high level of skill even as a classical player in the confines of rock arrangements. In a context like this it can be easy for the violin to sound like just a gimmick or to get lost in the sound in the rest of the band, but most often it is Rui who carries these songs instrumentally. On "Prelude to Gold" it is Rui's sweet and delicate melodies connecting the sections that really complete the songs aesthetic. "Melancholic Lullaby", one of the new songs released with the album, has Rui playing a lot of great phrases perfectly accentuating the other parts. On this song she also plays a lot of intervals, including some short feature sections where she plays them with oblique motion. I don't think I've had to mention oblique motion yet in one of these reviews despite it being the best kind of motion. I guess that's just another one of the unique things Rui brings to the table. "Daylight," the albums opening track, is also a standout track for Rui. Her solo at the beginning of this song sets a great tone for the rest of the album as well as being one of the most memorable parts of the album. Whether she's the main point of interest or just acting as the decoration for everyone else's parts, Rui doesn't disappoint.
Meanwhile, as Rui and Tsukushi compete to see who can contribute more to the album, Nanami and Toko are in a dead heat to see who can contribute the least. In what seems to be the standard for Bandori albums, the basslines sit in an area somewhere between boring and entirely unnoteworthy. As for Toko, she sits in mostly the same space aside from the moments where she is actively detrimental to the songs. Having listened to the album multiple times, it is unclear whether she is capable of playing anything besides the most basic rhythms and lackluster solos. Her solo on "flame of hope" is great example of everything wrong with her playing. Besides her solo section, this is probably the best song on the album, with lots of strong violin playing by Rui and a powerful group sound. Then Toko's solo happens. She takes almost no creative liberties, hitting the root notes multiple times with quarter and eighth notes, doesn't attempt to extend or develop the meager ideas the solo opened with, and overall ends up being leagues less interesting than Rui's background part playing at the exact same time. Any time Toko leaves the background herself she doesn't contribute anything worthwhile. Having such a weak player as the lead guitarist of the band does a lot to hold back the full potential of these songs.
Among all these songs, the biggest point of lost potential is "fly with the night". I've tried to like this song, but it always feels like something is missing from it. Once again Rui does a great job and the song is worth listening to if only just for that. Otherwise, the rest of the band seems to be always a step behind her and delivers one of the least inspired choruses on the album and some not so appealing vocal melodies throughout. "Harmony Day" suffers in a very similar way, with Rui managing to salvage most of it while Toko's ill-conceived background filling makes the rest a pain to listen to. Then there's "Colorful Liberty" and "Yorube no Sunny, Sunny" which to me come across more as rejected Poppin'Party songs. I'm not exactly sure what it is about these songs that makes me feel this way. Maybe its the poorly done group vocals? Or the higher pitched single channel guitar moments? Whatever it is, I can do without it. All of the songs mentioned in this paragraph show the potential of something that could be great with some more work, yet none of them quite manage to find it. What I think it boils down to is that Bandori composers are afraid to take risks. Maybe what this band has really needed the whole time is a non-Bandori composer....
...and that's exactly what they got! (at least for one song.) "The Cricle Of Butterflies" features the writing talents of Jun'ichi Satou from fhana. I did not listen to this song when it first came out mostly because Ayase had ruined my idea of what a guest composer meant for Bandori songs with his work on Poppin'Party's "Introduction," a song which in my opinion is a mistake and one of the worst in Poppin'Party's catalogue. Now that I've heard "The Circle Of Butterflies" I can see I was wrong to assume all guest composers are a bad idea and Ayase's butchering of Poppin'Party's sound is an isolated incident. Satou does a great job with Morfonica on this song. Mashiro is given a lot of space to sing her heart out while being backed up by a fuller string arrangement. Toning back the guitar and drums for one track makes it sound so open and freeing compared to the rest of the album. It was also a bold decision to have a group of strings and not just use the proven talent of Rui, but in the end it works out. This is really a Mashiro feature song. Perhaps having only Rui instead of an entire string section would have pulled too much attention away from Mashiro and lessened the impact of the song. I also like how the lyrics here are more imaginative than the rest of the album, a lot more in line with what I would expect from Mashiro, picturing herself as being in a cocoon closing herself off from people but wanting to break free and become a butterfly. A theme similar to what Mashiro wrote in "Bloom Bloom", another stand out song lyrically, and executed just as well on "The Circle Of Butterflies".
Now is the time I must talk in more specifically about Mashiro's singing. I'll try and keep it simple. Mashiro is a good singer. Her voice isn't bad. If you're still one of these people that thinks her voice is bad then you are wrong and don't know what bad singing sounds like. That one note in "Daylight" is the only time she hits a bad note on the whole album, but that's more the fault of how they wrote the part and not her singing. Her lyrics also fail to be as colorful and and wonderous as her imagination a lot of the time, but again that is independent of her singing. I will not be responding to any Mashiro doubters.
Another thing this album does that I like is it lets Mashiro carry the vocals (mostly) by herself. All the other bands have way too many sections of vocals being passed off to other members besides the lead or sections with pretty weak group unison parts. I've mostly felt that these sections are mostly pandering and unnecessary. Luckily, Morfonica does not do the same. Group unison parts are used sparingly, so when it does come up a lot in a song like "Chikai no Wingbeat" it actually acts as a unique identity for that song compared to the others instead of just being a pointless distraction from the main vocalist.
CONCLUSION: Morfonica's debut album QUINTET shows more than anything that the band still has a long way to go. Some members don't contribute as greatly as others, and some songs fail to be memorable overall despite some great single-person efforts. That being said, when they do make something that hits, oh boy does it hit. 'Explosive' is rarely a word I'd use to describe violin playing, but in the case of this album it definitely fits. Hard hitting rock songs are where this band is at it's best, yet they don't need to depend on this as their only way to keep your attention. Attempts to change the pace with slower songs or fuller melodies also go over mostly well. Even though I am disappointed by what I saw as lost potential on some of these songs, the album is still enjoyable overall, with their worst stuff still setting a higher bar than the worst stuff of most other bands in the franchise. I hope that future releases by Morfonica show a stronger group effort and less filler songs.
FAVORITE TRACKS: Daylight, Melancholic Lullaby, flame of hope, Bloom Bloom, Prelude to Gold, The Circle Of Butterflies LEAST FAVORITE TRACK: Harmony Day SCORE: 6/10
ALBUM RANKINGS

1. Nico Niconnect! (9/10)
2. ONE OF US (9/10)
3. Breakthrough (7.5/10)
4. QUINTET (6/10)
5. Poppin'on (5.5/10)
6. Anfang (5/10)
7. ERA (4/10)
8. TITLE IDOL (3/10)
9. Wahl (your life will be better if you dont listen to it)

Do you agree? Disagree? Anything you think I missed? I will be active in the comment section if you want to discuss this album or any other Bandori music opinions further!

I (23M) and my co-worker (25F) have been really good friends for almost a year now and I think I’m in love with her. I’ve been in a relationship for over 3 years and the feelings that I had in the beginning just aren’t there anymore. We live together and she has a lot of mental/physical health problems that make it hard for me to just up and leave her. It sounds like a cop out but the situation is entirely shitty. About a year ago I started to with Angie (name changed). Angie and I hit it off right off the bat. She’s beautiful and hilarious. I can’t help but have a constant smile when we work together. We’ve grown really close outside if work, going out to bars and just hanging out doing random bs. She has a lot of family drama she tells be about and I rant about my shitty relationship to her. I’ve recently told her how I feel about her and she says she doesn’t feel the same but mutual friends of ours say that she tells them otherwise. I plan on leaving my girlfriend soon but I don’t know if me and Angie would ever work at this point. Anyways this was my first post and I have terrible grammar so I apologize in advance.

Greetings fellow Bigfoot enthusiasts!
Today, I stand before you as a passionate believer in the existence of Bigfoot, a legendary creature that has eluded us for centuries. We've all seen the evidence, heard the stories, and felt that undeniable pull towards the unknown. I am sure that many of you have been ridiculed, mocked, or dismissed when sharing your beliefs. It's time for us to unite and prove the doubters wrong once and for all!
The best way to achieve this is to organize and take action. We must come together as a community and pool our resources, knowledge, and enthusiasm to mount a comprehensive search for this elusive creature. I propose that we form a global network of Bigfoot researchers and enthusiasts, dedicated to finding concrete evidence of the creature's existence.
Here's how we can do it:
🔍 Organize a Massive Search: By joining forces and coordinating our efforts, we can search remote areas across the world where Bigfoot sightings have been reported. We need boots on the ground, drones in the air, and cameras at the ready to capture irrefutable evidence.
🧪 Collect and Analyze Evidence: We must rigorously document and analyze any potential evidence, such as footprints, hair samples, or other biological materials. By partnering with experts in various fields, we can ensure that our findings are scientifically sound and withstand scrutiny.
🎥 Document Our Efforts: As we embark on this journey, it's essential that we record our experiences and discoveries. By producing a documentary or online series, we can share our findings with the world and inspire others to join our cause.
🤝 Collaborate with Experts: Let's work alongside scientists, anthropologists, and researchers who share our passion for unraveling this mystery. By uniting the expertise of various disciplines, we will be better equipped to understand and interpret the evidence we uncover.
🌐 Leverage Social Media: We need to harness the power of social media to spread awareness and garner support for our cause. By sharing our findings, engaging in discussions, and rallying others to join our search, we can create a powerful movement that cannot be ignored.
It's time for us to come together, as a community of Bigfoot believers, to find the answers we've been seeking for so long. We have the power to change the narrative and prove, once and for all, that Bigfoot is more than just a myth. We owe it to ourselves, and to future generations, to bring this enigmatic creature into the light.
Are you ready to join the cause? Let's make history together and prove the existence of Bigfoot! Share your thoughts, ideas, and suggestions in the comments below, and let's get this ball rolling. We can do this!