March moments of the month 2k22

Feel free to comment if you disagree with any of these suggestions or have any other ideas. I only have about 70 hours in the game so far but I think these suggestions would be quite fun.
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Optimization:

• Improve loading times, would make Raiding a lot less frustrating & time consuming & gives Raiders more attempts at a tough base, and thus Builders get more kills in return.
• Fix the excessive crashing, especially annoying when creating a base but suddenly the game crashes, so you have to remake a small portion of your base. Also good for Raiders because crashing is also very frustrating and makes it difficult to want to keep playing.

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General Gameplay Improvements:
The first seems like a popular suggestion although maybe a bit controversial as well:

• Require all Builders to complete their own Outpost with default gear & no deaths before they can upload it for public Raiders to attempt. (Personally I think this is a good suggestion, because it makes it a lot easier for the Developers to add new Traps without having to worry about unbeatable combos. But you can still create a Brutal base assuming you are willing to do it too.)
• Builders who complete their own Outpost and publish it gain a small bit of loot to compensate for their time testing the base. With some system in place to prevent repeats/abusing for free loot.
• Give the Harvester the ability to walk up & climb walls. This would allow for a lot more creativity in terms of base layout, and as long as the Builder has to complete their own base, there is no chance of creating impossible Base layouts with the new Harvester path freedom.
• Add section to the tutorial that explains what Forsaken Tombs are, and improve the HUD when you are in the Command Center so its easier to tell what you are leveling & what each icon means.
• I know skins & cosmetics are a bit controversial in modern gaming, but I think it would be nice to watch your Outpost replays and see people's different weapon & character skins. It would be a lot easier to differentiate Raiders and replays and add a bit of color to the game. And good for co-op.
• Public matchmaking for co-op could be pretty sweet, considering the fact that the game costs upwards of $30 and not everyone has active friends to play the game with.

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Trap Ideas:

• "Steel Spring" every time a Raider touches this Trap, they are bounced/pushed away from where the trap is facing. Trap always remains active until destroyed. Kind of like a reverse Iron Claw.
• "Nitrogen Cube" a condensed cube of frozen Nitrogen that when stepped on causes Raiders to uncontrollably slide in the direction they are walking.
• "Smoke Screen" a trap that shoots a column of smoke, similarly to the Incinerator. The smoke will physically block your vision to some extent, and reduce your vision range by a bit while you are within the smoke. Might be pretty annoying or unfair but it would be a non-lethal trap.
• Possibly add a trap that functions as a 1 way door? It sounds like an interesting idea but it could get out of hand if players just create an otherwise functional base with a lot of inescapable pits for you to get trapped in and have to restart the Raid. Although they could implement a workaround for it.
• Some sort of moving cube/platform that slowly moves through an open space, kind of similar to what you would find in Mario Maker or the game Portal.
• Speaking of Portal, a teleporter of some sort could make for an interesting addition.

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Augment Ideas:

• "Surprise" Trap Augment that makes Second Wave activate in less time. Would be helpful, however it would require both mod slots because it requires Second Wave in the first place.
• "Triple Burst" Boltshot Augment that makes it shoot in a quick 3-round burst pattern, shooting one row at a time from top to bottom.
• "Trick Shot" Enforcer Augment that causes the fired Bolt to reflect 1 time off any surface it hits. Can cause a lot of chaos in an outpost, but also can lead to friendly fire if not careful.

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Guard Ideas:

• "Shield Warden" has a small Barrier Shield that can protect other Traps/Guards, but does not attack Raiders. The Barrier is destroyed in 1 hit, unless given Augments. (The only way to make this Guard offensive is with Dead Man's Switch.) After the shield is destroyed, this Guard will approach the Raider and attempt to get in their way. This Guard has Armor Plating by default, however it has no Augment to give it additional armor.

Weapon Ideas:

• A non-lethal weapon focused on mobility, maybe like a quick dash in the direction you are facing.
• An explosive/large AOE weapon with a large damage radius, but only has 1-2 shots that cannot be refilled or picked back up (unless you die or restart the raid)
• A weapon focused on reflecting projectiles, with the ability to grab projectiles and hold them for a brief moment, then shoot them at something else; essentially you can deal with 2 different traps in 2 different ways. Would function as a sort of side-grade to the swords/shield, but maybe with a longer cooldown.

(I'm not clever enough to come up with any interesting Suit Ideas, sorry.)

I have a Kenmore undercounter dishwasher. P/N W10435038B. I had had to replace a failed bottom wash arm a few years ago (the top and bottom pieces had separated along the seam, and I hadn't been able to seal it - sprayed water everywhere, resulting in leaks on the door.). Partselect.ca had the replacement arm for less than 100$, and I was super happy with the process.
Fast forward to a month ago. My wife and I were just talking about how happy we were with the dishwasher (we have twin 1 year olds, and a 4yo, so many dishes), and the next morning, guess what's not working. Lots of YouTube videos later, I've diagnosed the issue - need to replace the circulation pump, which means I have to replace the whole pump and motor assembly, since you can't get just the pump.
Again, partselect.ca had the part. Cheaper than anywhere else by 100$. One tech told me that the repair wasn't worth it and to just buy a new dishwasher. The other tech told me that there was no way I'd find the replacement part for less than 500$.
Got the part Friday. Spent this morning taking apart dishwasher, comparing parts, watching a few more videos, and finally felt confident enough that I'd diagnosed the problem correctly, had the right replacement part, and knew how to remove and replace the part correctly.
Just finished a bit ago. Ran a small test wash, no leaks. Just loaded it up, running a full wash. So far so good!
I am one of the least handy guys I know. Feeling pretty good right now.

During bear markets it is common that the sentiment is all doom & gloom. Any positive statement will be replied to as hopium.
It is almost the same every time.
"2013...crypto is dead."
"2017 crypto is dead still."
"2019 crypto is really dead."
"2023 it's over , this time is different and crypto won't recover. Crypto never experienced a recession. It's game over. The life changing moments of crypto was history. Copium, get over it. Buy metaverse AI stocks instead."
This time is not different!
Be greedy when others are fearful.
In the 2024/2025 bullrun we will be likely to really hit +$100k.
I know that eoy 2021 100k is a meme, but in 2024/2025 it will definitely happen. (Don't just comment "source: trust me bro", it will happen, save this post for the future. This post will go into crypto history.)
(This is not hopium, this is real.)

Had a lot of fun with the sf6 demo and beta so hoping to get back into fighting games. I only have DS4s at the moment and if I ever want to go to locals I'll need a ps5 controller, so I figure I might as well use this as an excuse to get my first fightstick, but I dont see the drone 2 being sold anywhere. Any ideas? I hear the price has gone up, are there better options at the price point now?

Hello all,
I`m experiencing autoimmune conditions with symptoms lasting years after COVID-19 illness. I have not received treatment for my illness in my country, nor have I had a diagnosis, as it is not a deep diagnosis is not available in my home country. It could be cross-reactivity, but it has not been diagnosed yet. The first relapse happened in November of 2020, at the same time with covid symptoms. Before it, I've never had anything like this. None of these symptoms happened before.
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I need help with diagnosing (especially in the field of immunology), links to similar cases, additional tests that could shed light on the situation, and contacts of doctors and researchers who might be interested.
I`ve emailed Dr. Corbett, lji.org, Dr. Thomas Brannagan, and a couple more doctors, but nobody replied to me so far. I am currently not a resident of the United States, and I am wondering what options are available to me. Here is the list of the symptoms I developed:
Neurology-related symptoms:
Hypoesthesia:
1. Total loss of erogenous sensitivity of nipples (after the relapse in 01.2021), glans frenulum (after the relapse in 05.2021), glans penis and anus (after the relapse in 09.2021)
2. Pain sensitivity of the specified areas is also decreased by around 50%, but not lost completely.

1. Several drops of urine or semen (3-4 drops per 3-4 times) are excreted from the urethra in 15-20 minutes after urination or ejaculation.
   
2. Periodical muscle twitches (arms, hands, legs, feet, face muscles - eyebrows, cheeks, left ear)
   
3. Allodynia (after weak symptoms and relapses, rarely - without any cause). Lasts for 1-2 days, then disappears.
   

6.Non-stop tinnitus (high-pitched noise) - since the relapse in 04.2023

1. Paresthesia, specifically burning/cold sensation around the right ankle (after the relapse in 10.2021, faded away in the spring of 2022, appeared again in 05.2023)

I've noticed a gradual decrease in my sense of smell. At first, I noticed a decrease in my sensitivity to isopropyl alcohol, which began about a year ago. However, since March 2023, I've noticed a decrease in my sensitivity to all smells, although not equally. Some smells, like isopropyl alcohol, smegma, and sweat, have almost completely vanished. However, the smell of fruits is almost unaffected.
Over time, there is a gradual decrease in the sense of taste, resulting in less flavor with the same amount of tea.
Symptoms that happened but disappeared after some time:
I experienced a tickling sensation near my left shoulder blade after a relapse in July 2021. However, it gradually faded away by the fall of 2022.
Intense pain under the nails of both hands (like I hit all of them with something heavy - it was painful even to scratch my head) - happened after the relapse in July of 2022, and faded away in 2 weeks. Also happened 3 times in the winter of 2023, and faded away in 1 week each time.
Frequent and strong biceps twitches occur around 40 times per minute. This happened after a relapse in the autumn of 2022, but the twitches gradually subsided within 2-3 weeks. Periodical non-voluntary bladder muscle contractions, like an urge to urinate - was in December of 2022, and faded away in 3 weeks.
Immunology-related symptoms:
Reaction on human excretions: exhaled air, sweat, saliva, etc.
On contact with these substances, depending on the amount of the "allergen" a relapse or weak symptoms happens.
Weak symptoms - pain (like weak needle stick in muscles in arms, hands, legs, feet, near shoulder blades). Lasts for 2-4 hours. After it, allodynia happens (but not always)
Relapse - long buzzing of legs muscles, long whining pains in the legs and feet. Lasts from 6 hours to 1 day. After the relapse, allodynia (lasts around 1-2 days) and some permanent worsening happens. Also, the appetite is decreased during the relapse and for some time after it.
How did I check whether it's psychosomatic or not:
Two plastic bottles. One of them is being touched by another person. I don't see which one exactly was touched. After it, I grab a random bottle and sniff it, then I come back to my room and wait for symptoms to appear.
After several hours I can tell if I have any symptoms and can recognize which bottle did I grab - "clean"(untouched) or not. I have taken this test 5 and 20 times. The match was 100 percent and 95, respectively.
Consuming food made by other person's hands causes a relapse in almost 100% of cases.
But if the food is heated for ~30 minutes at the temperature of 100 C (212 F) and above - it becomes "safe"
When I apply dexamethasone 0.1% solution to my eyes, nose, and mouth, I can interact with others in-person without experiencing any symptoms or relapse for several hours.
Doing the same without dexamethasone causes symptoms even if I stay 0.5 meters away from another human for 1-2 minutes.
Analyses, checks
In November of 2022, I did a blood check in CellTrend for autoantibodies, the positive result is 11 of 18. In some cases, the value is 3x..5x compared to the reference value.
Besides this, I've done several MRIs (brain, spinal cord, also with contrast), ENMG, and a lot of blood tests (including antineuronal antibodies and antibodies to myelin). I did an evoked somatosensory potentials test. The conclusion:
On tibial nerve stimulation, the response from intumescentia lumbosacralis is not detected from the left and from the right, and from the cortex somatosensory lower limbs representation, the response is not detected from the right and from the right.
On the dermatome innervated by the pudendal nerve, response from intumescentia lumbosacralis isn’t clearly detected; from the cortex representation - is not detected.
So, abnormal results - antibodies from CellTrend, CIC (80 and 120 units when normal value is <20), Evoked Potentials.
There was a hypothesis that it was mast cell activation syndrome. But I did a tryptase level check during weak symptoms, and it shows a normal tryptase level (4.5, normal value is 0.11)
I have visited a psychiatrist several times per year since 2006 (a major depressive disorder in the autumn of 2006). After these symptoms started, I got treatment with several antidepressants but none of them provided any noticeable improvement.
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My stats:
M, 37
180 cm, 80 kg
Dont smoke, dont use alcohol, dont use drugs
Health problems before this happened:
Major depressive disorder if 2006, gastritis in 2016

I subscribed to three years of Surfshark VPN service on December 2022. So far, my experience with Surfshark VPN wasn't that great. The connections are often slow and a lot of websites block Surfshark VPN. I've been trying other VPNs, including Private Internet Access (PIA), which offers unlimited device connections like Surfshark, but have far better server performance than Surfshark does. Best of all, PIA offers three years of VPN service at $2.19 per month plus taxes.
I would like to cancel my Surfshark service for a full refund. Obviously, I am outside of the 30-day money-back guarantee, but it took me a while to test out Surfshark VPN. I am dissatisfied with Surfshark.

23 female here. I was diagnosed with PCOS when I was around 16 because I stopped having my period for 4 months. I didn’t even realize it and my best friend noticed since we were synced up. I went to my mom concerned because I was sexually active and we went to the doctor. I was told I had PCOS and was put on a high dosage of estrogen birth control. I took it for about a year (maybe 2) but immediately stopped because I became suicidal and had some tendencies.
I haven’t taken it since and my periods have been every month with pretty normal bleeding/cramps. That was until recently the past oncoming 3 months I haven’t gotten my period anymore. Im growing concerns because the only true symptoms I have are late/missing periods and high testosterone levels from what the doctors told me. I haven’t been back to the gynecologist since my last Pap smear I think when I was around 21 because things were normal?
Overall, should I be concerned? I don’t have increased body weight and I’ve actually lost a lot of weight in the past 3 years pretty fast (185lbs to 117lbs) The weight loss did become more rapid when I restarted my stimulant medication (Adderall) because I had stared college, so I take that into account. I don’t have access body hair anywhere, skin tags, or headaches ever. My acne is pretty moderate but only apparent because I pick at my face from anxiety.
I was curious if I could’ve possibly been misdiagnosed, but didn’t want to hypochondriac myself. I’m concerned because my mom needed a hysterectomy because she almost died on the toilet from the bleeding during her period. My aunt had a brain tumor that stopped her period at 14. My great grandma and grandma had breast cancer, but didn’t get it until they were 80+. I don’t feel as though I have cancer because I feel like I would display more apparent signs.

I am always reluctant to buy new controllers, especially £65 PS5 dual senses. Maybe its because it seems crazy to buy a controller instead of a brand new game for the same price.
I’ve had stick drift for about 2 months now and it made my analog slightly hyper-sensitive. Ive resisted playing aim intensive characters for that timespan but have nonetheless played a lot of OW and eventually got used to it.
I bought a new controller yesterday and couldnt wait to play some dps again but oh my god im getting stomped in my Masters lobbies. Maybe it’s because I simply haven’t played much dps for 2 months so im rusty, but I feel like im having to sus out all my characters sensitivities again, like when I first got the game.
I could do with some practice..

Welp I'm broken. My partner who I've been roleplaying with for months has just left me (BECAUSE OF PERSONAL REASONS THEY HAD EVERY RIGHT TO) and I'm super sad about it so I've come here to try and find a replacement for my perfect partner TwT
Now what I'm actually looking for and the rp I'm looking for a partner that likes OOC talk and wants to become friends and bounce ideas off of each other that we both like and would make the rp a better rp for the both of us
For the actual roleplay it would take place within the dragon ball super universe but in an alternate universe where Goku, Vegeta and the rest of the Z Fighters don't exist (this means you can't play a canon character) but all the other CCs exist like Kami the Red Ribbon Army ect. Your oc is the sole protector of earth the only Z Fighter
My oc and rest of the plot remains a secret I will tell you about them in DMs
The password is "Legendary" if I don't see this in your first message I won't respond and if you send me "hi" or "still looking?" Or just "Legendary" don't expect a responses

Growing up, I remember it all vividly: any time my friends or I got too close to the shed, my dad would come out hollering and yelling, telling us to stay away from there and that it was no place for kids. He told me he had expensive tools and dangerous chemicals stored there. As a child, I didn’t question it. It was just one of those things. In my mind, I had been born into a world where the sun rises in the east, breakfast is the first meal of the day and the shed stays locked. They were all true, self-evident and simply the way things existed in my young mind.
But as I grew older and eventually moved off to college, I began to question the shed more. My father still wouldn’t let me look in there. In fact, he kept the sole key on his person at all times. Even when he slept, he would keep the key in his pocket.
Then, during my second semester at the nearby state university in the spring of 2021, I got a call that every son or daughter dreads. I was attending a lecture on anatomy when my phone lit up, ringing silently in the great, crowded hall. Looking down, I saw it was my brother’s number. I went outside, lighting up a cigarette and answering it.
“Hello?” I said. “Gil?” My brother answered immediately.
“Luke, thank God you answered,” he said. “It’s dad. He’s being taken to the hospital. He had some sort of medical emergency. Can you meet us there? In maybe twenty-five minutes?” I said I would, hanging up. I grabbed my stuff in the lecture hall and made my way to my car. Twenty-two minutes later, I pulled into the hospital.
It was too late, however. My father had died of a heart attack on the way. He was declared dead on arrival.
***
We ended up inheriting the house. Our mother had died of breast cancer ten years earlier, so Gil and I were the last two of the Mortin bloodline. My brother was a good guy, though somewhat of a waste case, constantly smoking weed and dropping acid. He had a tendency to travel out far across the country without notice, moving around to see nature or go to music festivals. That is, when he had the money. And since he worked as a freelance writer, he was often broke.
He really wanted to get at the money dad had left us. He wanted the money from the house most of all. He told me repeatedly that it would be enough to tide him over until he got a footing in the writing industry, that he just needed to make a name for himself and then the money would start rolling in. He had his heart set on it. He would write anything that he could make money off of, from horror stories to romances, short stories to novels, even technical manuals or freelance journalism articles. As we walked to the house together for the first time in months, he repeated this mantra to me again: “Just enough to tide me over, Luke…”
“I think you’re probably going to burn through the money that Dad left you,” I said. “Why don’t you get a real job and just write on the side?” He gave me a sideways look.
“Did you see Hunter S. Thompson getting a ‘real job’ while just writing on the side?” he asked. I nodded.
“Yeah, he was a journalist…” I began as we walked into the house, but we both stopped simultaneously when we saw what was on the coffee table. It was all of Dad’s possessions he had when he died. They were placed neatly in a line- his wallet, his phone, his car and house key, some cash, and last of all, a little shed key on a thin, leather chain.
“What do you think is really in that shed?” I asked. Gil looked at me, pale and wide-eyed in the dark living room.
“I don’t really… I don’t know if I want to find out,” Gil said, whispering as if he were in a church- or a funeral home. I put my hand on his shoulder and shook him gently.
“Of course we need to find out,” I said. “You and I own this property now. We should go look right now.” He breathed in sharply.
“No, no, don’t be an idiot,” Gil whispered. “It’s dark now. In the morning, we can go together. In the morning. You have waited twenty years to find out, I think you can wait a few more hours.” But there was something pleading in his voice, something scared and child-like. It reminded me of when I was scared as a little boy at bedtime, telling my dad there were monsters in the closet, and he would go to open up the door, and I’d tell him to stop, that they’re going to hurt him if he opens that door. But he would open the door and there would be no monsters in there. Surely, it was the same here. Gil would see, and for that matter, so would I. There were no monsters in there.
/***
Gil stayed up late downstairs, watching TV and smoking a joint. He made himself a night-cap from my father’s liquor cabinet, pouring some Jack Daniels and ice in a cup with some Coke and sipping it slowly. I stayed with him for a while, talking.
We talked about the good times we had with Dad, about going hiking with him at the Green Mountains, or traveling to New York City with him to see the museums. I thought about how much I really missed him, and a knot formed in my throat. I quickly blinked my eyes to try to get the tears to go away.
Eventually, I went to sleep in the guest bedroom. Gil stayed downstairs, sleeping on the couch in front of the TV. I heard the faint hum of it from upstairs, the canned laughter of whatever comedy he was watching, the acerbic tone of the lead characters as they delivered one witty joke after another. I fell asleep to it, the voices blending into a sarcastic, hissing whisper in my ear.
And then I was floating, bodiless, looking down on a dark cornfield with ravens staring at me. The voice was bodiless, too, sounding like it came from right behind me, but when I turned, nothing was there.
“In the halls of our fathers, everyone is dead,” it whispered mockingly. “You’ll be dead soon too, if you get curious. Some doors are locked for a reason. Some doors should stay locked.”
I woke up suddenly. Something was wrong. I heard Gil yelling. I fumbled around in the dark for the lamp, groggily checking the time. 4:17 AM. Flinging the comforters off, I ran downstairs.
Gil was sleeping on the couch, still as a corpse, and quiet as one too. I looked around confusedly. Where was the screaming coming from? I followed the noise out back. I looked at the shed, and my blood ran cold as I heard another long cry come from inside. I walked across the dirt yard in my slippers, not wanting to get any closer but walking forwards nonetheless. Part of me wondered if I was still dreaming, but the chill air against my sweaty face felt real enough.
The screaming from the shed was not in words. It was a long, drawn-out, painful shriek. It was the shriek of a mother who just lost her only child in a war zone, or the yell of someone doused with gasoline and burned alive, but amplified into an ear-splitting cacophony. I had the key in my pocket. I reached for it with shaking hands, pulling it out, slowly approaching the shed.
Then someone grabbed my shoulder. I jumped, whirling around with clenched fists, ready to fight. Then I saw it was Gil.
“You nearly gave me a heart attack,” I said through clenched teeth. “What the hell is wrong with you?” He put his finger to his lips, the universal signal for silence. Then he leaned close to my ear and whispered.
“If you open that shed now, we will both die,” he said quietly and calmly, as if he were just stating the weather for tomorrow. “Put the key away and go back to bed. You never want to open it in the dark. Never.”
“What do you know about it?” I whispered back, shooting glances over my shoulder at the shed. The screaming still came, though slower now, maybe one heart-rending shriek every minute or so. Part of me was glad there were no neighbors for half a mile in each direction, and that made me want to laugh. There was probably some horrific animal in there that would rip me apart if it got the chance, and I was thinking about noise complaints.
“Tomorrow,” Gil repeated, gently taking my arm and leading me back into the house. I sat next to him in the living room, pouring myself a gin and tonic, sipping it slowly as the screams from behind the house mixed with the canned laughter of the TV show, wondering what kind of man my father really was.
/***
I woke on the couch, an empty glass falling out of my hand onto the cushion. Light streamed in through the windows. Gil was nowhere to be found. I looked back and forth, then heard the sizzling of food from the kitchen.
Stumbling in, I saw he had prepared a massive breakfast of bacon, sausages, corned beef hash, eggs Benedict with Hollandaise sauce, Texas toast, orange juice and coffee. He was smoking a joint with the windows opened, occasionally sending a grim look out the back of the house towards the shed. I sat down, pouring myself some coffee and grabbing milk and sugar to mix in.
“Who is all this food for?” I asked. He kept staring out the window. “Hey!” He turned suddenly, his face looking pale and drawn.
“What?”
“I said, who is all this food for?” I repeated. He looked around, smiling.
“Just for us. Why not? I figure you will need the energy today, and so will I,” he said cryptically. He sat down across from me, pouring himself coffee and orange juice and grabbing a plateful of meat, toast and eggs. I did the same, giving him occasional glances.
“What did Dad tell you?” I asked, pouring maple syrup on my sausages and bacon and chugging an entire cup of coffee in one long swallow. It burned my throat, but the rising heat and caffeine made me feel instantly better and more awake. Gil sighed heavily.
“Not much, to tell you the truth,” he said. “He was really drunk one time when you were away at college, a couple months ago. He was drinking more and more before he died, like something was weighing on him, something he wanted to forget. Well, anyway, I was sitting down here with him, watching those documentaries he used to love with him, and during a commercial, he just started talking about the shed.
“‘Now boy,’ he said to me, ‘I know you probably have a few questions for me. I probably should have told you and your brother about it a long time ago, but it is something I don’t like to talk about. Out of sight, out of mind, I guess. I think talking about it tends to wake it up.’
“‘Wake up what?’ I said. Dad was quiet for a long time, just staring at me. Then he leaned close to me and whispered something strange.
“‘The stairs,’ he said. ‘They’re not normal, son. Sometimes they go down below the shed to a… Well, I guess it is just an empty sub-floor. Just a plain, swept dirt basement below the shed. But I never built any such sub-floor, and it wasn’t here when I bought the house, and it isn’t on the plans either. If that was it, then who would care? Hah, a free storage place, people would be happy, right?’ I nodded, grinning back at Dad. He seemed to have a glimmer of his old self for a second, happy and free. But then his face darkened again.
“‘But lots of times, boy, those stairs do not lead to a sub-floor. One time, they led down to a white room covered in blood, with bright fluorescent lights flickering all over the walls and ceiling. And there was a little girl down there, dancing among all the blood, jumping and twirling in her little blue dress, little ballerina slippers on her feet, and all the skin on her face peeled off. She was just a bloody, grinning skull. And when she saw me on the spiral steps in the corner, she stopped dancing and just stared. The lights began to turn off, everything went dark, and I ran, my boy, I ran faster than I have ever run in my life. I felt little hands grabbing at me as I made my way up the last stair and slammed that shed door behind me. I locked it as something fought to get out, something that felt far stronger than any child. And that was just one time.
“‘It’s worse at night. That’s when the real dangerous ones come out. I don’t know how the stairs work, son, and I don’t think I ever really want to. Maybe if you’re lucky, you’ll never have to deal with them. Maybe I’ll find a way to destroy them before I die. Aye, maybe…’” Gil stopped speaking, deep in thought and remembrance. I took another sip of juice and ate some bacon before responding.
“So you’re telling me Dad went batshit crazy before he died?” I asked. Gil shook his head quickly.
“He wasn’t crazy, Luke,” he said simply. “At least, I don’t think he was. If he was, the stairs probably made him that way. Do you really think that you were just hearing a fox or something caught in the shed last night? Those screams sounded human. We both know that was something unnatural. But I wouldn’t worry if I were you. If you need proof, we’ll have plenty after today- assuming you still want to go into the shed.” And after we finished eating, with no fanfare or delay, we did. I grabbed the key, and Gil and I went out side by side, scared but not showing it, ready to finally see for ourselves the mystery that had haunted our family for decades.
***
We walked through the hard-packed dirt yard, looking down the grassy field behind the house to the rolling hills that stretched as far as the eye could see. They began to grow blue, pale and fuzzy near the horizon. It was a beautiful place to live, and hard to imagine something so evil might be right in the middle of it.
The shed loomed up ahead of us, boards tightly hammered together and freshly painted a dark red color. The shingles on the small roof all looked relatively new, and the door was expensive and sturdy. I stood in front of the door, listening for the sounds of any movement, but there was nothing. I fumbled in my pocket for the key, pulling it out, looking at Gil who stood close by my side. Then I shoved it in the lock and opened the door.
The shed was dark, as if a curtain of shadow fell across the open door. I stuck my head in, feeling around the side for a lightswitch. And that was when something grabbed my hand. I screamed, ready to pull my hand out and run, and then I felt the lightswitch on the wall. I flicked it on quickly. There was no one in there. Shaking, I turned to Gil.
“Something grabbed me,” I whispered. He nodded, unsurprised. Then we walked in the shed together.
The walls inside were all covered with plates of sheet metal. Every square inch of the shed was reinforced with steel, including the roof, which had a flat pane of metal going straight across the shed, welded to the four that covered the walls. Only the floor was unprotected. It was just a plain dirt floor with a hole in the center.
Looking closer at the protective structure of the shed, I saw deep claw and gouge marks raking the metal’s surface, even those on the bottom of the ceiling eight feet above the floor. Something had clearly been in here and wanted very badly to get out.
I inched closer to the hole in the floor, which took up most of the floor of the shed. It was at least ten feet wide. Looking down, I saw spiraling steps, descending in a clockwise fashion as far down as the light extended. I found a small rock on the ground outside, came back in and dropped it down the center of the stairway. I listened for it to hit bottom, counting the seconds on my watch. After about thirty seconds, I realized it wasn’t going to. Maybe it was too far down to hear when the stone connected.
I looked over at Gil. He was standing as near to the door as he could get, looking like he would rather be anywhere else in the world. I gave him high marks for courage, though. There was something wrong in here, and I could feel it. Outside, it was warm and a fresh breeze blew the smell of flowers and pines through the yard. But in here, it was cold and oppressive. A freezing chill seemed to come from the hole in the floor, spiraling up with the stairs and running over my body, sending a feeling like ice running up and down my back.
“Do you want to go first, or should I?” I said, gesturing to the hole. Gil stared at me as if I had gone mad, his eyes widening.
“Why in the fuck should either of us go?” he said, raising his hands and using them to gesticulate wildly as he often did when he was upset. I shrugged.
“This is our property now,” I said. “We need to at least know what’s on it, don’t you think?” But there was another reason too. It was sheer curiosity, and a desire to prove to myself that there was nothing supernatural going on here, no monster in the closet, just the overactive imagination of an old man. Gil sighed.
“Fine,” he said. “I’ll go. Go grab two flashlights and Dad’s gun. Maybe some extra batteries. Some extra magazines too. Better safe than sorry, after all…”
We both went inside the house together, leaving the shed door wide open, and that was when, I believe, something got out. And then the killings in town began.
/***
We descended the stairs slowly. They were stone, slick in some places. There was no guard rail or any protective barrier, which made my heart beat a little faster. I liked something to hold onto. If I took a tumble on these stairs, I might keep falling forever.
We heard strange sounds from below periodically, but when we shone our lights down there, we couldn't see anything. Echoes rose around us, sounding at one point like kids playing a game of hide and seek, at another like the howling of a wolf. Strange squeaks and clicks would also arise intermittently from the shaft below us, and then stop as quickly as they had started.
The noises got louder as we descended dozens of stories, then hundreds. It seemed like the stairs would just keep going on forever, until we hit the mantle of the Earth and got burned up. Then a door appeared, painted a chipped blue with a fading daisy on the center of it. I looked at Gil, then swung it open.
Beyond it, a hallway with fluorescent lights extended as far as the eye could see. Countless rooms went off it to the left and right. The lights flickered on and off, sending portions of the hallway into darkness. The floor was falling apart in many places, with strange molds and fungi growing out of the wood. White and black molds battled for space, forming huge colonies that were bigger than my shoe. I walked forward, putting my weight gingerly on the floorboard. It creaked slightly and felt wet under my shoe, yet it held my weight.
“Come on,” I said to Gil, who followed closely behind. As soon as we had walked a few steps down the hall, the door slammed shut by itself behind us. I jumped and turned, pulling out the gun reflexively. Gil put a hand on my shoulder, pushing the gun back down.
“It’s OK,” he said. I was breathing hard, my heart hammering in my chest. Maybe that was why I didn’t hear the counting at first.
But as we walked down the decayed hallway, the lights turning on and off above us with every step, I realized that someone was counting, and it had been going on for a while. It sounded like the voice of a little girl.
“Forty… thirty-nine… thirty-eight…” she said, counting off the seconds. I heard giggling from the rooms around us, but I couldn’t see anyone. We kept walking forward, but that counting was getting on my nerves- not least because I couldn’t for the life of me tell where it was coming from.
We checked the rooms to the left and the right. There were broken tables, old office equipment and chairs in nearly all of them. Some of them had fish tanks, but instead of fish, they had plumes of multi-colored molds growing over the top of them, or, in one case, a dead and dried-out turtle.
“...one… ready or not, here I come!” the girl’s voice screamed gleefully, and that was when all the lights went out at once. We quickly fumbled for our flashlights, turning them on at the same time. I had the gun in one hand crisscrossed with the flashlight in the other, a trick I had seen used in cop shows. Gil had a ten-inch bowie knife in one hand, which he had just removed from the massive scabbard he had it in around his leg. In his other hand, he held the flashlight, which he frantically shone back and forth, up and down.
“Geez, calm down with that thing,” I said. “You’re going to make me dizzy.”
“Something’s coming,” Gil whispered, a note of dread in his voice. “Don’t you hear it?” I stopped, listening hard. Indeed, I heard footsteps nearing, small suppressed giggles, the swishing of a dress. My flashlight illuminated a pale face, a little boy sneaking a peak out of the nearest room. He was filthy, covered in black soot with torn clothing and what looked like blood caked into his hair. He looked up at us quickly then withdrew into the room. For the first time, I felt genuinely scared. Now we could be certain we were being watched.
“Hey!” I whispered, running into the room after him. Gil followed close behind me. The footsteps seemed to be right next to us now, but I looked around, not seeing anyone. Then a blur of movement passed by as a little girl ran over to the little boy, where he was curled in the corner under a broken folding table, crying and shaking with terror.
“Found you!” she said. I shone my light directly at her back, seeing a pale blue dress, but I couldn’t see her face.
“Get away from that kid!” I yelled. She ignored me, bending down quickly, and before I knew what had happened, she had ripped the boy’s throat out with her teeth. She turned to look at us, and I saw that her face had been cut off, and now only a grinning skull remained. It was covered in a thin sheen of blood, and two tiny white pinpoints of light seemed to glow inside the empty sockets of her eyes. With her teeth full of flesh and gristle and fresh rivulets of blood running down her skeletal mouth, she continued to cry, “Found you! Found you! Found you!”
Without hesitation, I shot her in the shoulder. She fell back a half-step, turning to look at me with that skeletal grin, then spun around and continued eating the little boy. He was still alive, choking on his own blood, his huge eyes moving over to me as he died, as if accusing me of being the cause of all this. The sound of his last gurgling breaths were the only sounds now. I shot her again, but she wouldn’t go down. A blossom of blood began to spread outwards on her back where I had shot her, but she showed no pain. Gil grabbed my shoulder tightly.
“We need to get out of here,” he said through gritted teeth. I nodded. We ran back to the door we had come in through, but it was locked tight. The lights were still off. I told Gil to take a step back, then tried shooting at the lock. The bullet ricocheted crazily as if I had shot a reinforced army tank rather than a plain wooden doorway. Next we tried kicking it open, but it was as if it were fused to the wall.
I turned to look at him, and the truth passed between us in a glimpse. To get out, we would have to go farther in, where there were likely even worse things waiting for us.

Hello, I play Disc Priest and have been Rival 1 for the past 2 seasons in arenas. All through LFG, no voice chat or coms for the most part. Didn’t take it too seriously after getting the Elite TMog set (which was my end-goal at the time). This season for the first time I have been trying to put together a team to play 3s with regularly, I have one teammate so far and we talk on coms while playing and gameplay seems a lot better.
My question is - is it a realistic goal to push from ~1850exp to glad this season? My reasoning was basically if I put in enough time with a set team of two other dedicated players from now early in the season then by the end we might be able to get glad. Anyone else have any experience trying to make a big jump like this within one season (~6 months)?

today i had breakfast with my parents, did yoga, attendeed a cousin's wedding, got a massage, ate tonkotsu ramen, took a walk and ate patbingsoo for dessert, and then.....
i went home and immediately CRASHED the moment i reached my bed, which is something i wanna avoid because my long afternoon siestas always result in me not sleeping at night. i even told my friends to call me in the evening to make sure i don't fall asleep, but oh well rice has become congee. too late now
now i am wide awake at 2 am with 5 missed calls from my friends, one sock on my feet, and crusty eye boogers, not knowing what to do—idek if i can fall back asleep even if i nut twice. so here i am reddit, seeking sounds to fill the silence of the night.
lmk if u wanna shoot the shit. i will go ahead and be less gremlin-like and get leftovers from downstairs. really hoping my dad wouldn't yell 'SHOO!' from his room like last time, thinking i was the house rat he's been trying to kill for weeks

I'd like to hear the opinions of others, and while I tend to find WWE quite more bland in comparison to AEW, I have had fun watching NXT hear and there over the last 7-8 months.
I know he's probably not got the personality of Rush, but how does he rank up in terms of wrestling and is he more comparable to Dralistico?
Sorry if this post is a bit messy, I just splurging my thoughts into words.

I should start by saying that I do really love what I do! I do maintenance for a very high end short term vacation rental company. I joined on about 7 months ago, and since coming on board have taken on a lot more responsibility than I initially was told I would have to. I’m not upset about this, I like my work and my peers, but I did ask for a review and a raise. Finally the day comes where I get my review (Was told I should be getting one after 90 days, but took 6 months.) and I ask for a raise, in which both my supervisor and my manager say that shouldn’t be a problem but need to confirm it with the GM. A couple days go by and finally they tell me that now I need to go speak with GM, so I do. GM tells me that there is no way to get a raise before January of next year, that it “won’t be anything close to what you’re asking for” and also explains how he feels that if I put my two weeks in over this that “You’d make it anywhere, and you’ll be fine.” All that after telling me that if he could, he’d give me whatever I wanted so I would stay. So in the most basic terms, he told me that I won’t get raise, and he doesn’t really care at all if I leave the company despite my work being exceptional. Now mind you, I’ve been the only person in the maintenance team since I started and have taken on all kinds of highly skilled tasks so they don’t have to sub work out to plumbers/electricians/etc saving the company and their clients thousands. Due to the fact that I do this kind of work on my own, I then told the company (My manager, not GM, as he was the only one there that day.) that I’d be moving to part time since they don’t have any benefits and I make more doing my own thing. I heard through the grapevine that they won’t have me part time and are going to potentially get rid of me now. After hearing this, I literally told my manager that from here on out I’m “acting my wage” and that if they don’t want me working for the company, they’ll need to fire me because I’m not going to quit. I just feel deflated and defeated, I missed out on a lot of my own side work giving this company all of my time and now they’re willing to just kick me to the curb over a couple bucks.
TLDR; Never give your all to a company, no matter how sweet and great they seem they genuinely don’t give the tiniest shit about you.

My partner and I are planning on spending the next ~year in ~4 places (~3 months each). Currently based in NYC, have traveled extensively across Africa, South + Central + North America, and Europe, and a bit South Asia, but not with a baby yet.
We'd be looking for places that are affordable, great access to "nature"/conveniences of a walkable neighbourhood, safe, and a reasonable number of solid daycare/childcare options.
Some cities on the shortlist right now (mainly skewing to places I haven't been): - Cusco - Montevideo - Buenos Aires - Madrid - Cape Town - Aukland - Taipei - somewhere in Thailand, Vietnam, and/or Philippines - somewhere in Japan - somewhere in the South Pacific Curious to hear thoughts from anyone who has done something similar, especially if you have thoughts on the above shortlist, or strong opinions about alternative locations!

So, boyfriend spends all of his time playing video games. We've been together around 7 months now. My boyfriend works, but as soon as he's home from work he gets on his PC and starts playing video games. He dropped out of college a few years ago, and he still lives with his parents. At the moment, he and I are long distance, and I feel like he priorities video games over me. On his days off, all he does is play video games, and I've mentioned to him that I'd like for him to spend more time with me. He told me that he'd stop playing the one video game he plays a lot, because it makes him feel angry. He said this and a few days later, he returned to it and claimed that it was because the ranked system was easier this season, and he wanted to reach a high level. Just today, he spent his morning playing his video game, called me so we could watch a movie, and then went back to playing video games until he had to sleep before his work tomorrow. I've started to feel really lonely. I cried quite a bit because of how lonely I felt. I want him to spend more time with me, but I don't know what to say or how to ask, or how to communicate this properly. Also, ever since April he said he lost one of his earbuds and now he can't even call me before his work. Even when he had earbuds, he only used to call me as he was walking to work, because he told me that his family was at home and he wanted to call when he had no distractions. I just think that if he plays games all day, he must be talking to people online, so how can he not call me? He also calls me his wife, says that we're already married and tells me that he can't wait to have children together. I don't know how I feel about this. Say I was to get married to him, and we do have kids, will I be left to raise those kids on my own, because their dad is playing video games? I'm just so confused. Is it normal for boyfriends to spend this much time playing video games (he is my first relationship, I'm quite unfamiliar with what's considered normal)? I feel like he's not prioritizing me or our relationship, and it's hurting me, and making me feel quite lonely.
TLDR; my boyfriend plays a lot of video games and i feel lonely and unimportant

I have been in court with my ex for coming up on a year. We have been broken up for 2. When I left I was homeless and he sold my car, so I temporarily agreed that our child (3m at the time) would stay with him, as he still lived with his mom and would have plenty of help etc. well, he never gave me back our son, and after multiple agreements he made himself and then failed to follow I took it to court. I have finally been granted my requested visitation (one weekend of the month and half of holidays, there’s a 6 hour drive one way between us so every other weekend just isn’t feasible with current gas prices and a new born) my ex has already stated he does not plan to follow the order, but we haven’t had our first visit yet so I can’t report him for breaching the order just yet.
He also just informed me that I should be expecting court papers I assume from his home state, not the state our visitation case is through, since I have e-notice for our case and was not sent anything by email. It is my understanding that the case in the other state is void since it’s for something there’s already a case open for, he just didn’t like that he didn’t get his way. But really I’m not sure.
If anyone could give any advice on how to go about the current predicament it would be appreciated, I already contacted the local authority for where our visit drop off/pickup is and let them know what was going on, I just don’t know if there’s anything else I need to do or if I should really be worried. The active case is in Indiana, my Ex lives in Illinois with our son, and when the case was opened I lived in Indiana but have since moved.

Hey brothers and sisters,
I was asked to give the invocation and benediction for our towns Memorial Day service for our town. It is a largely Adventist and Unitarian in their theology or lack there of. We are a small reformed revitalization plant and I just want to do my best through the Lord to glorify Him in this moment.
As the title says, do any of you have any resources on a biblically sound Memorial Day invocation and benediction?
Any help or examples would be fantastic!

Below is my analytical - yet ultimately subjective - ranking of every season of One Tree Hill. Anyone else share similar opinions? This second part includes the seasons I rank in the middle 3 spots.

1. Season 7 - I’ve seen this season get criticized for both the absences of Lucas and Peyton and the less-relatable plotlines. In regards to the former, I was actually fine with their departures because their story ended on a satisfying note in the previous season and the remaining characters/plots were strong enough to maintain the intrigue and entertainment value of the series. While Lucas/Peyton started the show as the central couple, that title was passed on to Nathan/Haley rather quickly and persisted as such for the rest of the show’s run, and Nathan and Haley - both as a couple and as individual characters - became the main anchors of One Tree Hill. Then there was Brooke, whose story was left the most open-ended at season 6’s finale. Therefore, Lucas and Peyton’s journey could be concluded more reasonably than anyone else’s in the Core 5 at this point in the series (in my opinion). As for the less-relatable plotlines, I was okay with this as well for a few reasons: (1) the events of the previous 6 seasons led to the characters reaching this place in their lives, so these larger-than-life storylines felt like they were built from someplace believable (Nathan’s NBA career, Haley’s music career, Brooke gaining 100% of her company); (2) the show had already produced 6 years and 130 episodes of content, so the tonal change in the beginning of this season breathed new life into this long-running series and was a welcome change of pace for the time being; (3) even though the story arcs, themselves, were more outlandish, they were grounded in relatable emotions and character interactions (e.g. Nathan’s highly-publicized scandal being an outlandish plot and the emotional struggle for him and his family being what grounded it); and (4) while the season started off with these types of storylines, it eventually reverted back to more relatable ones, such as Brooke’s fertility issues, Lydia’s death, and Haley’s depression. Overall, I thought season 7 was very enjoyable and consisted of a lot of good stuff, like Dan’s somewhat-indelicate attempt at redemption, pretty much all of the Brooke/Julian storylines, Clay’s backstory, and the James Family drama. I, also, liked the new additions to the cast; Julian going from recurring to main character was a good decision, Nathan and Clay’s friendship and business relationship was interesting, and Haley and Quinn’s sisterly relationship was nice as well. I didn’t care for some of the smaller plots, though, such as the Skills/Lauren/Mouth love triangle; this show really didn’t need another love triangle, especially another one involving a friendship betrayal.
   
2. Season 8 - This is another season that gets quite a bit of criticism, this time for being primarily lighthearted in tone and for consisting of several “filler” episodes (a.k.a. the holiday episodes). But just like with season 7, the reasons some people disliked this season are the reasons why I loved it. After multiple seasons of hardships and heavy drama, it was nice to see the characters happy and having fun most of the time. The holiday episodes may not have done much to push overarching plot threads forward, but they allowed viewers to observe the days in the lives of these characters during special events that many of us can relate to, events that remind us of special times in our lives. Episodes like Brooke’s wedding and Haley’s daughter’s birth were similarly nostalgic and reminiscent and joyous, with the pleasant incorporation of clips from past moments in the series (and these clips simply added to the episodes rather than taking them over, which I appreciated as well). Even with the high volume of sentimental and effervescent content, there was still room for intense drama (such as the storm episode, which was one of the higher-stakes episodes of the show) and sad moments (such as Brooke and Julian’s adoption plans falling through at the last minute), both of which were well done. Aside from what I have already mentioned, there were a number of other things I enjoyed about this season, such as Haley working for the crisis hotline, Brooke’s conflicts with Sylvia, The Hangover tribute episode, Chase bonding with Chuck, and Nathan and Clay working together (even though I did think that Nathan should have gotten more than one year in the NBA considering how hard he had worked to get there). Still, the storylines weren’t as ample or layered as those in other seasons, so I couldn’t justify placing this season any higher, but it’s an enjoyable season nonetheless. The whole season just felt like a celebration of life, love, the big and little moments, friendship, cherished memories, and happiness. It served as a reminder to be grateful for all of the blessings in life and to appreciate the beauty that is all around us. It may not consist of the most complex or compelling storylines, but I cannot help but be entertained and satisfied by season 8.
   
3. Season 6 - This season had plenty of strong episodes and story arcs, and it was the best post-high school season of the show. It started off especially intense with Brooke’s brutal attack, Q’s murder, and Dan being held hostage by a psychopath for several episodes, but somehow it worked well for the normally-uplifting One Tree Hill. I was captivated by the darker tone, but I appreciated how these episodes were balanced out with more hopeful and romantic storylines as well. Highlights of this installment include the continuing-saga of Nathan’s comeback, Brooke fostering Sam, Lucas attempting to make his book into a film, Brooke and Julian’s blossoming love story, Peyton’s pregnancy, and Haley re-entering the music scene. The finale was awesome and could have served as a satisfying series finale, although I’m glad it wasn’t since I really enjoyed seasons 7 and 8. The Deb/Skills relationship could have been really cringeworthy, but it was short-lived and mostly played for laughs, so I was okay with it. I, also, got a kick out of how they made Skills being into older women a running joke. A few of the plotlines were duds, though, such as Lucas making the Ravens forfeit their games as some type of tribute to Q; the idea that sacrificing the basketball season would somehow honor Q was just absurd, and the message here was pretty convoluted considering how hard Q pushed Nathan to achieve his own basketball ambitions. I wasn’t a fan of Peyton discovering her biological father either; I usually liked the storylines involving Peyton’s family, but this one was kind of boring and forgettable. However, the good stuff in this season outweighed the bad by miles. It was a great mix of drama, mystery, romance, comedy, interesting family dynamics, self-referential content, overcoming obstacles, and happy endings - all the things I loved about One Tree Hill.
   

It's only been three months and change, and i have seen some amazing progress. I am so happy because i am feeling so much more beautiful and comfortable with smiling. Years ago, i posted a picture of me smiling on instagram, and my teeth were not the best looking. My account was not private, so some weirdo went on my page , took the smiling pic of me, and posted it on his profile to make fun of my appearance. I was so hurt and angry. I kept saying to myself, "Why me?" What did i do to you for you to ridicule me?. There were so many comments under my pic about how busted they thought i looked. It killed some of my self-esteem, so after that, i would always hide my smile when laughing and even take pictures
Now i feel so different about myself and want to continue to feel like i am a diamond.

I’m just completely torn apart. I was dating this very…odd person. She was very…c0ntr011ing and m4nipulativ3. She made me intertwine my entire life with her. We were together for 1 year, 11 months, and 1 day. She admitted to “forcing” me into dumping her because I wouldn’t let her take a break so she could spend every second of her time with this dude who made me really uncomfortable. I recently contacted this dude, well call him Matt, and turns out, he’s gay… So now I feel kinda like shit bc she wasn’t cheating , but then again she made it look like that on purpose, so she could hurt me. (She has bpd, it happens a lot) But back to the main topic. My life was hers and vice verse, I did everything with her. And now that we’re broken up, I have nothing to do with my life. Everything reminds me of her, and she’s allegedly moved on (as when we were trying to work out her giving me concert tickets that I took were a gift, but according to her they weren’t, she told me she was on a date and was far too busy) I’m just…I like this other girl, but like Ik it’s prolly too soon, we only broke up 3 weeks ago. Idek what advice I’m looking for ig, just anything and everything would be appreciated. I’m a complete mess, thought about ending it bc of her bs, even tried once. And she texted me right as prom started, 3 days ago, after refusing to talk to me for 2.5 weeks. Keep in mind, her and I were supposed to go to prom together, so she knew when it was. What’s honestly the best way to cut her out of my life painlessly and forget abt her?
TLDR: 2 year relationship with a controller ended and I’m in pain and don’t know what to do.