I've been here for so long.. met so many people, some were really good some were miserable. But every one of them were short term :) I have no idea why I still haven't found any meaningful connection :D
What I offer:
• genuine friendship
• memes
• instant replies (I get busy studying and at work sometimes so please understand that above all I'm a human and I have a life as well)
• and more ;)) rest you need to check for yourself ಠ⁠◡⁠ಠ
What I need from you: • interesting convos - I really enjoy spontaneous chats rather than basic conversations like Hi hey hru hyd and stuff. I really don't have time for short term and dry conversations, I've had enough of it and I'll hate you for the rest of my life if you only reach out for passing time.
• commitment - please don't ghost, it just feels terrible when you thought you finally found the perfect friend and then poof! they don't message, they don't reply back or sometimes they literally delete their id!
that's probably about everything. there are a lot of posts in my profile to know more about me, you should check it and see if I'm interesting enough to be your friend!

=warning for vague non sexual bdsm mentions=
hello, this is my first post on reddit. its about to get reallly long and complicated, but i really need some advice about my current kink partner (we’re not dating as i am asexual/aromantic and they are also aromantic. it’s more of a situation-ship where we can try out kink casually, but i will say partner for the sake of simplicity). *names will be changed for privacy
So my partner, NB (recent 20), Mel and I, NB (19), are roommates in college. In total i have 3 roommates and me and mel do not room together. I didn’t think i would ever enter a relationship as i’ve never been interested in anyone. When i got here, Mel introduced me to the whole BDSM world, as i had never heard of it. They knew a lot but had no experience so i agreed to try stuff with them.
Most of it is sensory play and very light stuff. Our other two roommates (that room with each of us respectively) seem to be uncomfortable with the idea. My roommate, let’s call them Rain TransM(20), apparently was interested in trying kink with me as well, but i accidentally rejected them. (they had just begun to catch feelings on me and they saw i wasn’t interested, taking that as a rejection?) Mel also has a squish/non romantic crush on me, but it’s been fine so far as weve been partners. Mel and Rain are also childhood best friends so… yikes.
Rain is upset with the relationship as it reminds them “how lonely they are”, and they’re deeply still upset to see Mel doing stuff with me that they wish they could do. (with me or with anyone else) So far me and Mel only do stuff, when everyone is asleep, in the living room, because the two also share the two rooms it’s the only private place. Again, nothing crazy like sex, very tame, and mostly non sexual, bdsm scenes.
Now our dorm loves communication. We have done well talking through our feelings in the past and it’s gotten us through many road blocks, but when we told them about our relationship, they both said they were uncomfortable with us doing scenes while they slept but they wouldn’t make time for us to do it at any other time. like they won’t stay out later, one said “if you ask me to stay out late, i’ll come home faster out of spite”. now they have past trauma with their friends getting into relationship and they fear we’re gonna break off but i don’t even have any romantic feeling involved so i wouldn’t. i care for all of my roommates deeply and i know they all want me to be happy but i feel like this is all bad signs.
If that wasn’t complicated enough, Mel is hyper sexual and kink is their hyperfixation. They are also Polyamarous while i am monogamous. Being ace/aro (sex neutral) there are some things i simply will not do in the kink world. Also with our current set up we never have the dorm to ourselves so we just.. can’t do a scene ever…I also have off days as an asexual where i am more sex repulsed. All of that is more taxing on them then me. Kink is a fun pass time for me but they need it to relax and not be pent up. Due to all this, they went out seeking another partner, Alex, who they’re currently trying to have a conversation with about doing kink stuff as alex is basically a master. (and also doesn’t live with us so they could leave for an evening and have a place to do kink stuff)
We’ve have many long conversations over 2 years and i thought i would be okay with them being poly but i swear everytime they go over the jealously eats me up inside. I don’t want to hinder them, as it’s their nature, and there’s also literally things i cannot provide in the relationship that they need! I don’t want to be a burden but i get so upset and moody when they even mention Alex. They have told me time and time again that i am a priority and they would drop alex for me if i asked… The problem is i know they would, even to their own mental detriment. I could ask Mel to cut off their arm and they would, that dosent make it right. I don’t want to pull them away from things they need, but i also dont want to feel this way and ruin the vibe.
Mel has a squish on me but i don’t have any feelings for them besides a strong and possessive best-friendship. They went over to Alex’s to talk yesterday, to see if alex was interested in genuinly starting something, and told me this morning they had a update for me on our relationship they wanted to talk about. I told them i didn’t want to hear anything about it right now, i could barely handle them sleeping over at Alex’s house last night. They went to sleep at 1pm and haven’t gotten up from bed. I’m pretty sure i’ve upset them, but knowing them they’re probably more mad at themslef..? I don’t know. this has all been affecting my mental health so bad, i think this is proof it’s not gonna work out.
so yeah, upset and unyielding roomates, on top of an ish mono poly relationship, on top of a weird roomate crush-love triangle. my life is such hell rn
if i can’t be poly, or at least a chill mono, should i just break it off? are my roomates being unjust and rude? are we asking too much for them to stay out a bit longer? is there a chance we could ever work out? do i ask them to go mono with me, despite how it could hurt them in the long run? i just don’t know where to go from here. i just feel like there are no good options.
i intend to live with all these people for the next 2 years of college… ahggg. please help. also please don’t be mean, these people are three dimensional and complicated. there’s no villians, just unfortunate circumstances.

I wasn't quite sure of what primarily to do today. Nothing's ever planned. And it ain't by any purpose behind it. I'm just somewhat of a sloth. So many chests, or unsorted chests rather. I squander time every once I need something. Opening tens of chests in search of a bucket is a distinguished venture. I could sort them, and that would probably be worth a lot of saved time and mess. For some very divine reason, I choose not to. And that reason in itself is a void. Being lazy actually accounts to me doing the quite opposite of lazy. I could sort the chests once, and be liberated of my searches. But instead I have to search numerous and numerous wooden boxes, with many a times also ending the hunt futile. Where's my silk touch pickaxe? I think it should be in the chest neighbor to the enchanting table. Yes, I find it a most accountable sense. It isn't here. Then perhaps in my ender chest? It isn't here either. Wait, you require silk touch to break and obtain ender chests. Then why would it be in there? Wouldn't it be quite like locking the key in the car itself? And the search continues. Minecraft does if often to remind me of my lazy endeavors. I would carry the full bag each day to school. It would be really heavy. Some of my peers found it fantastical that my timid frail body could bear that much of a load, everyday. No, I can't set my bag every day according to the time table. And I also am not a great enjoyer of punishments. I'll carry everything, even if that remarks my responsible shoulders a martyrdom. I have scoliosis now. The exact reason of its cause is unknown. But holy blocks! Alright, this is my world, my new empire. Just wandering around my territory is such a solace. At least there's something important to me. There's my dog, my axolotl, and my many tenants. My villagers are incredible. Anything even feebly radiant seems heavenly to the ignorant. I should have studied Economics in school. They keep robbing me of my fortunes, and I keep stayed ignorant of my ignorance. Anyways, I'm rich. Such insignificant barters don't concern me. I beseech iron. There are five of the villagers, and do summon iron golems when gossiping. That isn't enough. I need to terrify them. As is greatly said, fear is the greatest motivator. I remember how all of my behind attempts have yielded. I've lost four nametags, all for this one motive. Every zombie I trap somehow has severe depression. They just fancy the sun and its wrath. I'm trying to bring them to the right spot, and they by some not known of power find a way to the open. And they burn to death. At least return my name tag. But wait, I'm rich. Quite so rich that even dirt occurs expensive to me. That librarian sells me name tags for twenty emeralds. No wonder those illagers keep raiding. They know these villagers well, and that of their nihilist earnings. I have this one name tag. I must not fail. One zombie and a dream. I affirm the spot I need the zombie to be. But the problem's no different. If I go in, I need to come out. And in doing that, I need to break some blocks. Not surprisingly enough, the zombie mistakes my departure for his escape. No, I am not as fast to place the blocks back before he manages to outdo my ingenious designs. This instance, however, intelligence struck me. It happens seldom. Zombies can't climb ladders, contrarily, I can. I'll lead him to a hole, and ladder out of it. That is something big brain. I wonder why humans at school didn't recognize my talents. I wonder why. It's night time; I lure a zombie there, and it works. I had never been of grace to such success before. I give him his rightful name, also that was given to his flammable predecessors; Perfidious. Do not betray me, Perfidious. Be wary to stay remote of your name. Morning time, and yes, how can I be of grace to such success? Humans at school were right, I cannot. No, the zombie is fine, he's doing quite splendidly. It's them perfidious villagers. They aren't panicking, the zombie has not an effect on them. I've spolit them defending them for so long. I think they've bid fear adieu. Alright, okay, okay. Why did I think humans in Minecraft would be any different from humans at school? And, I'm wandering again. I not yet have the nerve to fight the wither again. He's there reigning in the west where I had summoned him. My heart trembles only with some steps in that direction. I remember my defeat and my many deaths at his skulls. I need potions. Potions! It's a painful tale. Valiance laughs at my fight, and martyrdom mocks my demise. It were the dark times. I had returned from the nether, this once, alive. I was happy. I had obtained all the nether wart, every single one of them. That one lone nether fortress I had found upon my timid luck was finally fully looted. There's a lava farm I built. It serves as great fuel. I didn't have much dripstone, so there's only eight cauldrons collecting lava. Now, once a cauldron is full, it needs to be emptied to accommodate for more lava. So I had made a pit to store all of it. I would take the lava from the cauldron, and pour it there. Yes, I fell into this same lava pit, with all of the nether wart. I am beyond help. I should have put something of the kind of fences or blocks at least. But no, this is destiny, and mine is quite doomed. Lay emphasis on the lone nether fortress, and all the nether wart. So basically, I am left quite deprived of nether wart. Which means I can't brew potions. It's been an onerous decision to completely ignore the potion part of the game. I need them. And today's the day. I require finding a new nether fortress. The nether is hostile in its every caress. Golden helmet, diamond armor and tools. And all of it enchanted. Tons of food, and right with me, two totems of undying. There's no stopping the triumph of my endeavor. Omens? No, fearful glimpses should be fearing me instead. That dream, of me watching my empire burn helpless. I decide to overlook it. No foreshadowing intended. The hoglins, they run from warped fungi, and I have them in plenty. It needs to planted, however. They have poor eyesight perhaps. They can't quite see it in my hand, and so I need to plant it to ward them off. No trouble thus far. The fungi are working optimally. I've taken a different, a new way, for I need to find a new nether fortress. I have all these blocks abundant, and I keep placing them on my trail. I won't get lost such way. A fortress! A fortress! It's the same one. Different ways lead to the same destiny, and mine is doomed. I don't know how I'm here when I was walking a different path. I don't know. Anyways, I'm taking the free bone blocks. I've been taking all the glowy blocks on my way too. The glowy blocks in the trees. I forgot what they're called. Hostilities surround me, there's a ghast. I wield an infinity bow. No ghast escapes my sight undead. I'm mighty. I kill the ghast, and also any skeletons that had dare aim me an arrow. The hunt continues. I bridge my way over depressions and lava. There's a piglin here. He's companion to me, I wear a golden helmet, he won't hurt me. Then what's the damage? Something's attacking me! It's a hoglin, no, a whole herd of hoglins. Where's my warped fungus? It's here in my hand. I just need of its placing, and they'll leave me serenity. I can't place it. I keep clicking, but I can't place it; my mouse is crying. Apparently, you can't place it on bare netherrack. All flooring around me is bare netherrack. I've lost enough hearts in getting to this discovery. No, I am not using a shield. There's a totem of undying in my off hand. You can only have one. So, as all available options tribute me their unavailability. I have only one option, run. I'm running, and, the totem's gone, I died once. They're chasing, and I'm running. No, I'm not as fast to wield a shield or the other totem in my off hand whilst running. I lack the cool to think. I'm running. And verily safe, I reach a forest, and plant the fungus. I survived, barely. I equip my valiant person the second and also the last totem. I travel across the lands, searching far and wide. Bridging over great lava lakes, navigating dense forests, the wastelands, in my most noble hunt. The nether looks so beautiful. Just having my gaze rest amidst its vastness and color; I see a writer scribbling an inkless pen. There's only death awaiting me in that beauty, no one wishes staying long here, no one wishes to read the writer's fury. It had been very of a time my venture. I had been going for so long, without hint of the fortress. I had been collecting the bone blocks, and the glowy blocks. They are the only yields of my hardships yet. I shouldn't be reckless. There's so plenty to fear. But I'm parkouring. And I fall. Not to worry, I was parkouring on top of the trees, the fall wasn't fatal. And that's the only good part. I fell on an enderman. He's angry. I think I made eye contact, perhaps even hit him once. It was accidental, totally. He doesn't listen. My genius goes into hiding. Usually, I would fight endermen with a shield. But no shield this time around, only totem. Even with all the enchanted armor and axe, I fail to kill him before he kills me once. The totem's gone. I get afraid, and my hands start trembling; happens all the time. I can barely grip the mouse. My anxiety needs a pill overdose. I do manage to kill him, but I'm quite devasted, emotionally. I would so wish I had brought obsidian with me. I just wanted to portal out. The nether fortress can find another finder. But I don't have the obsidian. Going back is a long way. I decide to keep going. What's that? A fortress? The sight is enthralling; did I finally win? I near the structure running exhilarated. Those don't look like nether bricks. No, they aren't nether bricks. And that is no fortress. It's a bastion. I know of the piglin brutes. It is said no amounts of gold can buy their fidelity. They are most hostile. They will attack you nevertheless. And I am ready to attack them first. I'm going to plunder this bastion. Any being who opposes will face death. The plunder may result a genocide, I don't much care. I am reckless, careless, but for this one instance, I decide to safeguard my obtained treasures. They're just bone blocks and glowy blocks, but they're of my procuring. I keep them in my ender chest, and begin with the invasion. There's a piglin brute, and there a piglins too. I can use my shield now, I ran out of totems. The brutes have axes, and yes, my shield can be disabled now. O notch, there's too many of them. A jester come to rescue! Mercy! Mercy! I'm running, fast and worried with only so little health left. It is MLG time. I decide to jump over to an other side separated by a rift. It is parkour again. This time, it is far worse. I have nothing to MLG with. There's a boat, but I'm not fast enough to use my inventory. There's nothing in my hotbar of help. No totems, nothing. I knew I was dead before I died. A realization, a most oblivious embracing of death. I knew I was going to die. I did not have the time to think about the death. I could only know. My feather falling boots can't be saviours either. The jump is too great. I hit the ground too hard. The only findings of my agony, bone blocks and glowy blocks. I will blow that bastion to smithereens.

So my sister in law is getting married this weekend in Las Vegas so we flew out to celebrate and be part of the wedding . My wife paid for the car rental and the room, I worked 14 hrs a day for the past month and a half to be able to enjoy the weekend we brought our children both from previous relationships on the trip also. The plane ride getting here wasnt that bad till we arrived to our destination her aunt and her family flew in on the same flight which they're cool people i dont mind them at all. As soon as we get to the luggage pick up she starts aggressively yelling at me to pick up the luggage which I didnt mind but she yelled at me in front of her aunt, uncle and cousins, plus the crowd that were picking their things up also I was so embarrassed but I let it go. We get to the rental car place and she yells at me to put the luggage in carefully which im already aware of since its not our car let it go again. She starts driving the car out of the garage becuase its under her name as she's driving to the hotel I start talking with the kids pointing out places she tells me to be quiet because she can't focus, which ticked me off because she's always telling me how I dont pay attention to the road because im always distracted, when I'm driving she's always telling me to slow down or speed up or why didnt i make a turn. To be honest I get anxious when I'm driving because Im afraid she'll critize me and I'm prone to mistakes because of that. Fast forward to today we decided to get breakfast near where they were having the wedding rehearsal we're on the express way and traffic suddenly stops cause of an accident I brake a little hard but stop safely she screams at me why did i do that(mind you the speed limit was 75 mph it was a miracle no one crashed into the back of us) so I ignore her nagging at me because it's way too early and I didnt feel like arguing. A couple of minutes later a truck cuts me off and she ask me why did you brake when that car cut us off I couldnt take it anymore and told her she has alot of opinions for someone who doesnt like to drive and that I need to focus so she should stop bickering with me . She flipped out saying she should be able to ask me questions and I shouldnt be so sensitive the kids were in the car so I tried to calm down. She kept coming at me saying she can ask me a question and I tell her I don't have to answer which when we get to she demands I give her the keys to car and for me to get out of the car and go somewhere else in front of the kids. (I felt extremely bad becuase my son doesn't live with me and I dont spend as much time as I want to ) I ask her if she's serious she said yes and told me if I didnt give her the car keys she was going to call the sheriff on me for not giving her the keys and leaving. (Im a Daca recipient and cannot afford to get into trouble with the law) I give her the keys and stay in the car for a little bit not knowing what to do and to be honest heart broken earlier on in our relationship when we moved in together she would tell me she was going to leave and or call the cops on me. So I left the car and walked to a pub thank God it was open it took all of my strength not to cry while I was one of the only 3 people in the pub. I put my phone on do not disturb told my son i was ok through text and ate alone. The only time she texted me was to ask if I was going to show up to the rehearsal I ignored her message. Fast forward to tonight she refuses to see it was wrong to threaten me I was at a point I wanted to fly my son and I back home tonight but I felt bad that he would miss out on fun activities so I stayed. He text me if my wife was kicking us out I told him no not to worry. Now I found out she told everyone that they can use our hotel room to get ready at 6am everyone is going to arrive and well since I didn't apologize I get to sleep on the floor its almost midnight and I'm sitting at a table writting my thoughts to strangers because I dont want my friends to know I live like this.

(Contextual story, then request for advice at the end.)
So, like 2 or 3 days ago I was outside of my friend's apartment on the phone with him waiting for him to decide if he was coming over or not. It's not the greatest part of town, but it wasn't *too* late and I was feeling less than nervous, I was in my car, doors locked, windows up, never experienced violent crime before, etc. That's to say I wasn't feeling scared or anxious that anything bad might happen.
20 minutes on the phone pass and this white pickup truck passes me on the other side of the road and I think nothing of it. They stop just behind my car (facing the other direction) and I don't notice. I was just checking the notifications on my phone and 2 people come up to my driver-side window and one points a gun at me and says "I'll f*cking shoot" and the other says "get out of the car" and begins ripping at the door handle. I am absolutely paralyzed in fear and tell my friend over the phone "[name] there's someone with a gun. Help."
While I'm panicking, the person hits the driver's window in frustration that I'm not getting out and trying to break the window open. I hit the emergency button on my phone and the 2 people at my window got scared and ran back to the truck and drove away. By the time my friend had gotten outside, they were already gone and I was on the phone with 911. I barely caught a glimpse of the vehicle, and even in my panicked state thought to get the license plate #, but I couldn't see it.
Regardless, dispatch gets police headed in my direction and patrols out to look for the vehicle I described to them, alongside the best description I could give of the 2 people at my window. They took my statement and said that they had people out looking for the truck and they'd update me if they found anyone.
I head home with my friend (about 20 minutes) and on my way I see a police car FLYING down one of the roads. All I could think was "Get them" and commented to my friend that maybe they found the vehicle. As I'm pulling into my condo parking lot I get a call, it's the police, and they ask me to come to the scene of the end of a vehicle pursuit with the suspect vehicle to identify the suspects.
There were 4 of them. The first one I knew was the one with the gun, the second one was the other one that was pulling at my doorhandle, the 3rd I had never seen, and the 4th I thought I had seen standing by the truck. Anyways, they had me stay in my car and put each individual behind a police cruiser with a spotlight on for me to identify, and the kid that they pulled up first looked at me with this glare that screamed "I should have just killed you when I had the chance". The other 3 just looked scared, angry, and maybe (?) remorseful because they got caught.
Beyond having just been faced with the possibility of being shot and killed, I am surrounded by about 15 police cars, all with lights on, and I already have (diagnosed) PTSD and one of my triggers is illuminated emergency lights. I am absolutely panicked and freaking out.
Anyways, over the last few days, I have responded in the same ways I did when my car got stolen last month (when the carjacking was attempted, I was in a rental as my car was recovered and is currently in the body shop). I was just telling people things like, "Wanna hear something traumatic? XD" and "You want to hear something awesome?!" and then telling them what happened. I was a little bit more humored when my car got stolen and looked at it as positively as I could, with this, I still have played it off as casually as I can with some humor involved. I've had my friend over at my house since then, the same one I was waiting to pick up, and all I've done is try and put on a strong face and pretend it's okay. Every time a victim's advocate or DA or whoever calls me about what happened, I start to break down. I had a car's headlight flash through my curtains last night and I immediately feared for my life and started crying. I went out the day after the carjacking attempt and bought a gun with all my rent money, so I don't even have rent and I'm freaking out about that. I keep having flashbacks. I was curled up in bed with the blanket over my head crying and all I felt was shame for crying. I just want the flashbacks to go away, I feel bad for feeling traumatized. I keep telling myself that I'm better than this and that I shouldn't be crying and that shit happens.
My stepdad tells me it's my fault for sitting parked in a bad area of town when it was dark. I'm not saying I'm unappreciative of the concern of my friends for my physical safety, but nobody really cares what is going on mentally or emotionally except for the friend I've had over and my cousin. Everyone else has just assumed I would take it like a champ as I did with the car theft. I just keep trying to compartmentalize and forget and not feel. I'd rather feel numb than scared or depressed or whatever else. I don't know how I can even reconcile these feelings or justify to myself that it's okay to feel what I'm feeling.
To make things worse, the kid with the gun was FOURTEEN. He's literally in middle school. I sat in the preliminary hearing in court the day after the crime and asked for no bond and no contact (both granted) and I feel bad for wanting the worst for this kid for what he did to me. I feel even worse because his mom has no clue of the gravity of the situation (an immigrant from Africa and English is a second language) and kept saying in court "he's a good kid" and "It's *just* a stolen car, nobody got hurt". Like I feel awful because this is a kid, and seeing how his mom felt just makes me feel bad. The kid is already on probation and already has a record of gang activity, fraudulently obtaining a firearm, and theft. The defense was saying "Well he's in school, he's a straight-A student, and keeping him in jail could severely affect his future and his progress in therapy and school." Like, I know they're paid to say that, and defend him, but like are you fucking kidding me??
Side note: I can't do therapy because I don't have the upfront for therapy and the VC people say they only reimburse, so that's not an option either.
​
TL:DR: I was a victim of violent crime, I keep having flashbacks, I'm depressed, crying, fearful of my life, etc. and I just feel ashamed for feeling that way. I feel worse because the perpetrator is only 14 and his mom doesn't understand how bad the situation was/is no matter how the judge tried to explain it and she's just confused. I'm upset with myself for wanting this kid to have the worst punishment possible, at 14, and I'd rather just forget about it all and not feel how I do. There's no way I can justify how I feel to myself. Does anybody have helpful tips on how to be okay with how I'm feeling? Also, therapy is not an option as I do not have the upfront for it and victim's comp will only reimburse me.
edit: typo

As everyone in this subreddit knows, PORTALS came out. I have listened to the album as a whole more than five times now and I am pretty convinced of my preferences and opinions on each song, and I think it would be interesting to write them down and confront each other about it!
A FEW DISCLAIMERS:
This is my personal opinion, feel free to disagree and comment your thoughts in the comments, but with respect!
I am not an expert musician, just someone who knows something about singing and music, so don't expect too many technical opinions and comments
I didn't purposefully search for the actual meanings of the songs on the Internet because I wanted to make a genuine review made of what the album conveyed to me, so please don't start insulting me just because I interpreted a certain song differently, okay?
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DEATH - 9/10
DEATH is the album's first track, and the first song to come out. It was released on Spotify on March 17th and I've been obsessed with it since. I love the vocals and the melody having different layers and themes, and the upbeat electro-pop refrain was unexpected by welcomed. As for the lyrics, it's amazing: the words are not so complicated, but not so simple either, and perfectly convey the message of the song itself which is rebirth. The instrumental right after the refrain is chaotic but gives me an insane amount of adrenaline, absolutely amazing. The only reason it doesn't get a full 10 it's that I reserved it for some more songs in the album.
VOID - 10/10
This. Is. Perfect. VOID is the second track and it was published two days ago without no previous announcement, I was sure it would be released together with the rest of the album but NOPE! Anyway, when I first heard the snippet Melanie published on Instagram I instantly knew this was going to be my absolute favorite. The melody is simply perfect, not so upbeat but not even boring, and Mel's voice is immaculate, not to mention she produced it herself! But what I love the most here is the lyrics: from my point of view, the Void the protagonist wants to escape is her previous life, her mistakes, and her traumas. It's a song about recovery, healing, and trying to get better and better. I am going through a really hard time in my private life, and this song was a push to stand on my feet and go on.
TUNNEL VISION - 8/10
TUNNEL VISION is the third track, and it's, in my opinion, really similar to the Crybaby Era's songs as for the beat. It reminds me of the beat and style used in K-12 and After School, while the lyrics are on a completely different topic, society's view on a woman's body, which I think Melanie handled very well. The intro is amazing, so heavenly but still keeping that uncanny and eerie feeling which I love. However, as I already said, it reminds me of her older songs, and I just prefer her new style over the old one. Not saying it completely sucks because of that, but there are songs that I like more than this one.
FAERIE SOIREE - 8/10
Being the fourth track, FAERIE SOIREE is one of those I like but aren't exactly perfect. I love the first half, it's extremely catchy and rhythmic but I must admit that I prefer the second half, way more gentle and calming. The lyrics are even more beautiful in my opinion, symbolizing once again rebirth and reincarnation too. I understand that this second half was made to blend better with the following song, and it works, but listening to FAERIE SOIREE alone doesn't exactly make it cool as intended. I wish we had a single song for the first half and another one for the second half.
LIGHT SHOWER - 9/10
LIGHT SHOWER is one of the most romantic and gentle songs I've ever heard. It's so calming, the effect given by both the kind music and Melanie's soothing voice, and the lyrics are a pure work of art and genius. I love the pairing used of "light" and "water" symbolizing a "shower" of love. This song talks about someone receiving love for the first time, and I think it's amazing. If put in the context of the album though, I feel like this song wants to talk about how our protagonist thought this was true love, but will then understand it's not.
SPIDER WEB - 8 and a half/10
Like TUNNEL VISION, SPIDER WEB reminds me of older Melanie's songs, especially in the refrain. However, I prefer this one as it has more elements of her new style rather than the older one, and I generally prefer the melody as it is catchy. As for the lyrics, I still have to understand what they mean: I thought that this song may talk about the protagonist wanting and enjoying love so bad they ended up in a toxic relationship and cannot seem to leave, but I am not so extremely sure for now. It would make sense though, as it's linked to LIGHT SHOWER.
LEECHES - 8 and a half/10
I have mixed feelings towards LEECHES. When I first heard it I didn't like it as much as the others and it would have gotten a way lower grade. The melody is calm but gives me this feeling of constant danger, uncomfortableness, and total discomfort, and this made me think about the lyrics: the song talks about leeches consuming the body of the protagonist, and at first, I couldn't understand how that related to the album's theme. However, when I reached the outro I finally understood it was probably about abusive relationships and domestic violence. This is a largely treated topic in the music environment, but I've never heard anyone else treating it this well. It perfectly conveys the anxiety, the fear, and the pain, it surely grew on me during the day and will continue to do so.
BATTLE OF THE LARYNX - 10/10
BOTL is simply perfect. It has everything, a happy and sunny but melancholic melody, deep lyrics, and Melanie's vocals, oh God, her vocals. The refrain is amazing, it wants to make you sing together with her, it's so powerful and sudden. I also love how it has different registers for the instrumental, it never gets repetitive or boring, and the energy it conveys just grows and grows through the song. As for the lyrics, I imagine this as the protagonist's attempt through words and her "larynx" of battling her abusive lover, still with not-so-great success.
THE CONTORTIONIST - 9 and a half/10
When I first heard the snippet published by Melanie, I was sure I wouldn't like it. I WAS WRONG. It does give me vibes of Show and Tell, but it's also completely different by it and has this feeling of new, of fresh. It has crude lyrics, I mean, talking about twisting limbs surely isn't a light topic, but the meaning behind is very deep and interesting: the protagonist gave everything to her lover, but they didn't do anything for her. I adored her laughs during the songs, and the rhythmic crashing of limbs was cool, disturbing, and extremely fitting.
MOON CYCLE - 8/10
I'm going to be honest, I am pretty neutral towards MOON CYCLE. I do like it, but it's not my favorite either and still didn't feel like giving it less than 8 as I listen to it very gladly. It doesn't really have any changes in the melody and pretty much stays the same, but it's still really enjoyable. Lyrics-wise, it doesn't convey me much like the others, even though I appreciate the fact Melanie decided to treat the topic of woman stereotypes.
NYMPHOLOGY - 9 and a half/10
Here we go again, another 9 and a half. When I heard it the first time I thought it would be pretty chill considering the start, but NOPE! That upbeat refrain was so unexpected I jumped out of my seat and enjoyed it until its last second, and the instrumental right after it was even better! Nymphology is the study of nymphs, ancient Greece's mythological creatures, and considering the rest of the lyrics it's another song treating a woman's image and how it's viewed by society, not only men but also women. The outro is amazing, but a bit chaotic if the song is listened to by itself and not with EVIL.
EVIL - 10/10
ANOTHER 10 OUT OF 10, YES. This is the end of the abusive relationship the protagonist has with her lover, where she finally fights back and asserts her dominance. Because of this the song has a more aggressive approach, almost pop-rock, a thing I adore as it meets my general music taste. It never gets boring and makes me want to scream the lyrics with my open heart, it's powerful, meaningful, and PERFECT. The instrumental too is simply astonishing, so catchy, and beautiful.
WOMB - 8/10
At first, I thought WOMB wasn't a suitable ending for the album, but then I activated my brain and realized that this album is about rebirth, so if it starts with DEATH, it needs to end where we are born from. It doesn't get a higher grade only because of the melody: I find it pretty far from Melanie's style, too far, but still very enjoyable and worth listening to!
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My overall impression on PORTALS is, regardless of the still high grades I gave each song, extremely positive and I find it a very well executed album. What I love about this is that Melanie managed to find a new style, a new way of expressing herself, but still is loyal to her personal style, let's say she changed, but she is still herself.
Believe me when I tell you this album was a total surprise for me: I found myself gasping or going "OH MY GOD NO WAAAAY" at basically every song, especially when I noticed the outros blended with the following song's intro, or when I heard the breaking bones sounds in THE CONTORTIONIST, or the egg breaking in EVIL. There isn't one song worth skipping, I need to listen to them all, I can't bring myself to just skip to the next one, and this is an index and clue of a perfect album.
At first I didn't want to include a comparison between her previous albums and this one, but I think it is necessary to make a complete and well-done review. As I said earlier in the review I prefer this new style, but simply because after years and years of listening to Crybaby Era's songs I started to need something new. This doesn't mean that Crybaby and K-12 suddenly suck, don't misunderstand me. I find Melanie to be matured greatly, both in personality and in music field, and it's something we can feel and hear in PORTALS. If Crybaby, K-12 and After School talked about trauma and childhood, PORTALS is healing, changing, getting better and avoiding the same old mistakes. PORTALS is not divided from the older albums, it's another part of an amazing path Melanie wants to experience with us: growing up.

One thing I've noticed is he breaks eye contact periodically (about once every 7 - 10 seconds) compared to Dr. Todd Grande who just stares straight into the camera nonstop. I think that possibly breaking & re-establishing eye contact makes the viewer feel like they are being engaged every time that happens?
He also rocks his body from front to back which makes his face appear furthecloser like he is coming towards you -- which replicates the feeling of someone approaching you. He also holds his hands a few inches away from his chest to make his hand/arm gestures more noticeable (because the closer something is to the camera, the larger it appears, relative to background).
Furthermore, he tends to tilt his head down slightly -- which forces his eyelids to be fully retracted, making his eyes appear bigger than if looking directly into the camera (at eye level). He also uses passive, dark clothing which provides maximum contrast to his face/hands, which is the part of the video he wants you to pay attention to while talking.
I have watched every single one of his videos twice and I have watched my favorites at least 20 times, haha. Such as the Russian death march and all the scuba/drowning incidents but my all-time favorite is the waitress who drove up to the 3rd floor of a parking garage to enter Perry's Steakhouse through the ventilation shaft because her boss at the new restaurant she worked at sent her home early because she was "acting strange"... 😅
He also seems to use some sort of lighting technique to make his facial contours very bright from the front, but dark from the side (the front of his face is much brighter than the sides of his face) which makes me thing he possibly uses some type of video editing & facial recognition software to make all his facial contours look more pronounced. (such as jawbones and where his nose transitions into the rest of his face)
These are just my opinions and I'd love to hear what other people think! 👍

Since I was a kid I was insecure and lonley. I tried many things to cure them, binging. hobbies, working out, anorexia ect. all of them landed me in the exact same spot as before and it took me till I was 15 to realize I was simply lonely. So lonely my entire life up until that point I had blamed it all on other controllable or at least semi-controllable things in my life when really it was only because I had no one there so I was in return no one. I was a single child with an ass mother and a pretty good father with anxiety around other people although I’d didn’t have trouble making friends. Then I met my lover and suddenly I didn’t feel that way anymore. Every problem vanished and I was left with only the obsession to never loose him. I would go on diets to stay skinny, I would spend all my money on makeup and perfumes so I could be perfect for him. It wasn’t one sided though, he loved me in return and in the days I wanted to disappear we would hug for hours.
He died from a shooting almost two months ago. I’ve hardly showered, I haven’t brushed me teeth and for the first time I checked me weight which is now concerningly low. He fixed me and I simply can’t go on with this empty feeling like before I met him because now I know what it’s like to be fixed and whole.

What kind of sling did you get, and for how long did you need to wear it 24/7 after surgery? Please also mention which cuff was repaired and if other repair work was included, like biceps tendon.
I'm seeing a couple of shoulder surgeons this month to finally figure out why I still can't lift up my arm, my shoulder is unstable and my external rotation is still so weak that even without resistance band I can hardly get to 180 degrees 4 months after accident and ORIF. Plus the daily pain.
I'm honestly quite in panic about being in a sling for a long time because my elbow subluxes/blocks when it's at a 90 degree angle when the arm is hanging down. The pain is terrible and goes from wrist to shoulder, and the only way to free it is a rapid stretch and turn of the elbow. One of the joys of Ehlers-Danlos. And I'm getting super hyperactive and get kind of tantrums if there's a bodypart I can't move. Yeah, I'm used to constantly being in movement because otherwise joints might subluxe, and I'm just a restless person.
All surgeons here mention on their website that I'll have to wear a sling for 6 weeks. And if the biceps tendon is included then this will be a huge pillow on a sling. I have no idea how to do that, especially also because I live along and have no help at all.

I'm working from home since pandemic and the only way to unwind for me is to see my friends and hangout with them every weekend. Recently, I just realized that I'm begging for their attention. Ever since, I'm always the one na nagiinitiate ng gala etc. Don't get me wrong, I like what I do since I'm initiator type of person. However, I just noticed that they always want na pilitin sila kahit na available naman. If they will invite me, I always or most of the time say yes without hestitation pero kapag ako na yung usually gagawa, parang I always need to give them reasons why they will join me. It's tiring. It made me question myself if I'm begging for attention or atleast gusto ba talaga nila ko makasama. We've been friends for years since highschool. It just makes me sad whenever I remember it. I stopped initiating na. bahala sila jan. nakakalungkot lang. kapag may problem rin sila, I'm always a friend na one call away kahit may work ako sila uunahin ko lalo na kapag sobrang hurt sila pero kapag ako, pipilitin ko pa sila 🥲 sadt.

I don't know if i watched the show with enough attention, but to me it feels like the train is not a good entity. It seems like whatever is controlling the characters' numbers makes them get lower only when the characters' mindset changes into a specific state. The numbers definitely don't get lower when the characters themselves believe they are doing the right thing, because otherwise people like Simon would find the way off the train very quickly. So the train is only watching for a specific pre-set state of mind. Considering that, and the fact that human qualities like morality can be highly subjective and dependent on different situations (For example, a choice between mercy killing or letting a person stay alive and suffer in one way or another is often very difficult and not obvious, especially when that person themselves don't know what outcome they would want the most.), it seems that whatever created the train hasn't done it with an intention to help humans learn and/or become better. The train's purpose seems to be simply filtering out human species with a certain mindset and qualities. Also, remember that it doesn't really have any safety features. Thousands of humans likely died on that train without any chance to become better. Not only the train is taking out people with an unfitting mindset, it's also getting rid of the ones who are too weak and can't adapt quickly enough to survive. One of the reasons we don't see these consequences are likely due to the creatures like the one that killed Simon. There's not much left from the bodies. You could say that the train is doing a good thing by making humanity better as a whole, but it still screws over the individuals. It's not working as a loving being with high morals, it's working as something that's just selectively raising humans, motivated by a "bad for one, good for many" mindset. The train's view of humans is as if humanity was some sort of an anthill, and each human was an ant, worth almost nothing on their own. With all that in mind, i wouldn't really be surprised that, if an ending existed, it would be about the characters finding out the train is not as good as it seems and trying to "derail" it.

We used a few good resources to put that together, especially: Feelings Unmasked by Henry Ekman, The Defined Guide of Human body Language and Be Aware by a female FBI offense analyst.

1) Practice your body language in a mirror

Most people begin their lives without idea of simply how much they telegraph through their human anatomy language. To really understand, try training facing a reflection or get a video camera and record your self planning from one space to another, then watch it back. It's shocking just how many little motions add up to a standard impression.

2) Feet Pointing

This is one of many greatest most regular tips in the guide: wherever your feet position is wherever you want to go. Same thing for those in the space with you. Feet sort of provide people away. If you're talking with someone and their legs are directed out it means they're uncomfortable with the subject and would rather be somewhere else.
Feet also indicate attraction. A lot of occasions when meeting someone new we fill on a lot of attention. We face them completely, our chests are towards them, our legs are going and we're paying attention. For a lot of people that may be too much too fast. An excellent key here's to actually face your feet away from them to help you engage but aren't situated too much at them.

3) Keep your body language open

Having start body gestures signals to your partner that you're providing the green gentle to hear and be start with them. Gestures for dating indicates maintaining your hands uncrossed, maintaining your legs uncrossed and making your you don't position a barrier between you and your partner (like the espresso glass or pot or your purse). Keep the room between the two of you open. Keep your give motions good and start - palms showing.
Bonus Truth: Lots of instances we think that our mind is unhappy or upset or pleased and then sends a sign to the mouth area to frown or smile. But it could actually work another way about! Your mind can get signals from your body by what emotion you're feeling. If you should be unhappy and you smile... your mind can believe you're happy. Give it a try.

4) Physical Contact - aka touching

A lot of people touch too much or not enough (or not at all) on first dates and there's a skill to learning how to touch the opposite intercourse in a way thats playful without putting too much attention.

The secret to touching properly in social interactions is "Touch Progression."

‍When we meet someone we're sexually interested in we should jump proper in (men and women) and who will blame us. Often that manifests as people putting a give on their middle or back. Women will usually touch a mans chest.
As an alternative, begin with only rapid touches.
As a man, concentrate on shoulders first fuckchat. Tapping their shoulder, putting your shoulder against hers for a second, generates very sensuous moments that enable you to obviously progress.
As a lady, position a give on his supply or knee. The knee can deliver jolts of electricity through his legs.
As the night time and the connection progresses you can touch in different areas and progress from relaxed glancing details to weightier, longer touches.
When it feels inappropriate, it is wrong. When we like someone and it flows we recognize these details in a fantastic way. When it feels inappropriate or awkward it's ok just dial it straight back and progress only a little slower. Remember every one gets used to touch differently therefore don't take it particular and let the connection progress.

5) Eye contact

Oh vision contact is truly important. Mostly since on first dates, you are trying to study each other and humans are once bad at studying words of strangers. Shifty vision contact or too much vision contact can definitely allow it to be hard for people to trust you and working out the middle ground is useful in equally dating and business.
All through those three seconds, shift from their left vision with their right. Once 3 seconds have passed, shift your eyes somewhere, think about what they claimed and then return to them talking.

6) Eyes Up Here (and the proper way to check your date out)

Women are insanely good at checking vision movements. That arises from progress actually. Guys see in a more large - landscape fashion view allowing them to maximize hunting. Women see in an oval that allows them to view setting and any dangers.
There's number sneaking about this. In the event that you sneak a glance she will probably see and while their ok and even required to project sexual curiosity, it needs to be performed the best way.

Male Tip: How to Check Out Your Date Without Being Creepy:

As men certain we get dressed up for dates but girls actually really go the additional mile. Actually performing your own hair is really a whole method and dating living appears to blend into a lot of time getting ready, particularly for a primary date.
So the way to check out your day is simple:
"Check always her out proper when you initially meet your day and perform a gradual check out toe. Women actually recognize that you make an effort to consider what they're carrying and admit the work they had to obtain there."
A female on a primary day featuring cleavage WANTS you to consider her. In the best context sex is the greatest issue but you want to make sure you do it the best way.
So very merely, when you initially see your day, always check her out do the once around and then grin and claim "whoa you look incredible!" This will enable you to always check her out while also making her experience great.

7) Head up - Take up Space

That is a good tip for equally men and girls and we're record it here under dating but actually it's a general rule of life. Use up space. When position in an elevator or on the subway, would you impression your self and set your feet close together? Don't try this, taking up space reveals confidence that you deserve to make space for yourself.

8) Turn your chair to the side

Once you sit down to dinner, most instances you will soon be put across from each other. The placing and the encourage may be to face each other head-on and cause the kind of body gestures you see more in job interviews than calm dates.
As an alternative, whenever you sit down change your seat only a little to the best or left so that it gives off more of a lounging character and can set the tone that you're equally having fun and that isn't a formal sit-down thing.

9) Don't play it too cool

Study following study has shown that understanding some one loves you increases appeal levels between the two people. (Read the initial study here:) We've all had that knowledge wherever we didn't actually recognize a guy or lady, we weren't attempting to entice interest, and yet we discover they like people and that sort of makes people start considering them. A lot of time it'..s the spark that ignites the relationship.
So while every dating instructor and body gestures expert is proper to state "enjoy it cool for attraction", there is also tremendous price in opting for it and telling people how you are feeling (in the best context and not out from the blue.)

10) If you're in a club and can't hear them - DON'T LEAN IN

There's almost no big difference between that 1 inch wherever you lean in besides you leaning and predicting too much curiosity and probably harming their eardrum. If you should be somewhere noisy I'michael sorry but there is just one solution - talk louder. Don't lean in.
Conclusion:
You will find loads of techniques that you can build that will assist with body gestures in the dating scene. Mirroring and major and all that but the above mentioned are some basics that will assist get you were only available in the space.
Last but not least, remember that body gestures is just one area of the dating game. Many people are worried to put themselves on the market and working on your body language may give you the confidence to over come that fear. Make sure to check out our article 14 Final First Date Assistance & Tips to greatly help when preparing that first date.
And to find out about female body gestures, guy body gestures, or just normal body gestures signs check out the books we shown up top.

So, I don't see anything on this anywhere I've looked, not my particular problem. As far as I know my Series X is having trouble playing Shadow Warrior 3, Wo Long, and Atomic Heart. But I haven't played much of anything else lately, so I can't really say.
This problem doesn't happen alot while playing, but sometimes in game, every 5 or 10 minutes the game will stall, the screen will freeze, and the controller only works for the guide and doesn't work controlling the in game action. It does it with and without internet. It pauses like this, only for a second or so, then normal like nothing happened
I don't think this is hardware related. When I clear my cache, when I clear my system saved xbox, and 360 data, the problem goes away. I just factory reset my console and kept the apps and games, the problem hasn't happened since.
It's well vinilated and it's not overheating. It's clean as a whistle, and it happens anywhere from minutes in to hours in.
Am I the only one going through this? And if not, is there a permanent solution, and is this a typical occurrence? It's not really that big of an issue, but it is an issue, and I can't find anything on this in any forums or help I search. Appreciate the help in advance, thanks.
Edit: I've also turned dolby vision off, as well as auto hdr. These options were selected everytime the console does this. The first time it happened, I cleared the save data on system for the 360. The second time I cleared all and factory reset the console. I really just want to know if other people are also experiencing this, and if they've permanently solved the problem using any other methods than what I have done so far.

I (26F) tried breaking up with my (27M) boyfriend of the last 11 years. I am figuring out myself and realized I wanted to get married and have kids one day. I was very much under the impression that he did not and in the very least did not want biological children (he suffered at the hands of his dad as a kid due to clinical depression). I also know deep in my heart that I am no longer in love with him, just attached to the man I grew up with. We didn't talk about that. He feels betrayed because I had kept agreeing that I didn't want kids and that marriage didn't mean that much to me whenever it came up. And I know a small part of me wanted those things when I said I didn't. I thought I could do anything for the person I loved. But over the years my love for him has diminished. It feels terrible because I know he loves me wholeheartedly. We argued about it for a few hours until he started realizing I wanted to break up, that kids and marriage were a deal breaker for me, and so he left. I don't know if he fully got what I was leading us to and I know I need to work up the courage to say it for real but for now, I am wondering if I should pack a bag so that when he comes back he knows I meant it? This is all very sudden. I didn't mean for this to happen right now. I know that this runs deeper than me wanting to get married and want kids. Obviously, I have had a breakdown of communication and I need to grow a lot more to be ready for those things but I don't think staying will help. I'm overall unhappy in the relationship and after a very emotional night I don't know what to do. How should I proceed? I know it'll suck so bad for both of us but I know it's for the best because he deserves a better partner in life than me.
Side note: we live with his parents. His mom is sad for us but is okay with me staying at the house for the night. I have no idea how to proceed.

Besides offering up chaotic open-world action, one thing that Rockstar's games have done ever since Grand Theft Auto III is push the envelope in terms of technology. This is somewhat debatable up to Grand Theft Auto IV, which stunned audiences with its mix of macro-scale simulation and micro-scale detail. GTA V and the newer Red Dead Redemption 2 have continued this tradition, and both are still capable of putting the hurt on modern PCs. That's largely thanks to their forward-looking design that integrates features that contemporary systems weren't really ready for when the released.
gtaonlinerain GTA V can still look startlingly realistic at times.
The thing is, even though it just got a re-release on the current-generation consoles, GTA V originally released in 2013. The game's still fun, of course, especially the online mode that has seen continual updates over the years. The technology behind the title is getting a little dated, though, and fans of the series are understandably chomping at the bit for a new release. Rockstar has confirmed that GTA VI (or at least, the next GTA game) is in the works, but as usual, the company hasn't released any information about the title, nor mentioned a release window.
The leaks and rumors that we've heard so far place a hypothetical "GTA VI" at the end of next year, or even in 2025. That's a lot of development time, even if the company only moved into active development in the middle of last year, as is supposedly the case. In a time when almost every other development house (from Square-Enix to CD Projekt Red) is moving to the Unreal Engine, it seems like Rockstar will thankfully stick with its own in-house tech, known as RAGE.
chrisklippeltweet
That bit of information comes from a tweet by Chris Klippel, who is among other things the creator of Rockstar Mag, a French-language gaming news site that focuses on topics surrounding Rockstar Games and its releases. You can see the tweet above. Chris says that he has been in touch with people who have seen the latest version of RAGE in action, and that its graphics engine is "assez incroyable." Chris describes the latest version as RAGE9, which is interesting; Rockstar doesn't talk about RAGE as a separate product from its games, likely because it doesn't license the tech.
gtaonlinearcade The arcade area added to GTA Online would look amazing with ray-traced lighting.
It's not hard to imagine what sort of features the game engine might include to warrant that description. Heavy usage of ray-traced graphics will go a long way toward impressive presentation, but based on what we've heard in the past about GTA VI, it seems likely that the latest RAGE might be more impressive in its ability to scale content from infinitesimal details all the way up to gigantic cityscapes. We've seen demonstrations of similar technology in Epic Games' Unreal Engine 5, and given the nature of "GTA", such capability would be perfectly suited to the games.
gta5crowd
Another impressive characteristic in GTA VI might just be the NPC AI. Historically, Grand Theft Auto's NPCs have been extremely simple stand-ins mostly intended to give the scene a realistic look without having much in the way of personality or believable behavior. That could all change in the next GTA game, based on a patent filed in October 2020.
From what we've heard, the next Grand Theft Auto title will be set in Vice City once again, so look forward to exploring the city's tropical environs. No word on the chronological setting, though; it could be set as far back as the Cuban Missile Crisis, or it could be set in the modern day. We also don't know necessarily what platforms the title will appear for, but based on Rockstar's history, we'd expect it to be available for the PS5 and Xbox before it appears on PC later.

Introduction

I have been using Samsung Galaxy devices for 11 years, with my first Android/Samsung Galaxy device being the Samsung Galaxy Nexus (got the Galaxy Nexus in January of 2012) and with me currently daily driving the S22 Ultra (since May 2022).
I have been using iPhones for more than 12 years, with my first iPhone being the iPhone 4 (got the iPhone 4 in December of 2010) and with me currently daily driving the iPhone 14 Pro Max (since September 2022) and the iPhone SE (2020) as a secondary iPhone for iOS development (since March 2022).
Here is my daily driver history:
Android:

• Samsung Galaxy Nexus (bought in January 2012, traded the phone in October 2013)
• Samsung Galaxy Note3 (bought in October 2013, traded the phone in October 2014)
• Samsung Galaxy Note4 (bought in October 2014, traded the phone in September 2015)
• Samsung Galaxy Note5 (bought in September 2015, sold to my cousin's son (16M) in August 2016)
• Samsung Galaxy Note7 (bought in August 2016, recalled in October 2016)
• Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge (bought in October 2016, sold to my cousin's husband (40M) in April 2017 after he broke his iPhone 6 Plus)
• Samsung Galaxy S8+ (bought in April 2017, sold to my cousin's son in Vietnam (29M) in April 2018)
• Samsung Galaxy S9+ (bought in April 2018, sold to my cousin's husband (40M) in March 2019, with him giving me his S7 Edge)
• Samsung Galaxy S10+ (bought in March 2019, gave to my sister (21F) in March 2020 via mail, making the A50 as her secondary phone)
• Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra (bought in March 2020, traded the phone in February 2021)
• Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra (bought in February 2021, gave to my sister (21F) in May 2022 via mail due to her cracking her S10+ with the front suffering some cracks, got the S10+ back)
• Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (bought in May 2022, still using it now)

Primary iPhone:

• iPhone 4 (bought in December 2010, sold to Vietnam's used market in October 2011)
• iPhone 4S (bought in October 2011, traded the phone in September 2012)
• iPhone 5 (bought in September 2012 right after moving to the US, sold to my cousin (53F) in September 2013)
• iPhone 5S (bought in September 2013, sold to my cousin (39F) in September 2014)
• iPhone 6 (bought in September 2014, sold the phone on eBay in September 2015)
• iPhone 6S (bought in September 2015, sold to my cousin's daughter (17F) in October 2016)
• iPhone 7 Plus (bought in September 2016, sold the phone on eBay in November 2017)
• iPhone X (bought in November 2018, sold to my cousin's husband (55M) in September 2018)
• iPhone XS Max (bought in September 2018, sold to my cousin's husband (55M) in October 2019 with him giving me his iPhone X to help use that towards my iPhone 11 Pro Max)
• iPhone 11 Pro Max (bought in October 2019, sold to my cousin (53F) in November 2020 with her giving me her iPhone 7 Plus to use as a spare device)
• iPhone 12 Pro Max (bought in November 2020, device started breaking down, so I traded the phone in December 2021, initially planned to keep it for longer)
• iPhone 13 Pro Max (bought in December 2021, sold to my cousin (53F) in September 2022 after complaints that her iPhone 11 Pro Max is breaking down, with her giving me her iPhone 11 Pro Max)
• iPhone 14 Pro Max (bought in September 2022, still using it now)

Secondary iPhone (mostly for iOS app development, listening to music, not including any iPhone/smartphones I bought on eBay for a collection):

• iPhone 5 (September 2015-November 2017): my cousin's husband (55M) upgraded from an iPhone 6 to a Galaxy S6 Edge+ and decided to give his iPhone 6 to my cousin (53F) due to him preferring Android over iOS (he kept the S6 Edge+ until May 2020 when he bought the S20+ and then he gave his S6 Edge+ to me in May 2020 via mail, but between 2017-2020, this acted as his 2nd phone as he was daily driving the iPhone X/XS Max mentioned above)
• iPhone 6S (November 2017-November 2020): my cousin's daughter (17F) upgraded from the 6S to the 7 Plus, along with both her parents (55M, 53F) not only due to the family switching from T-mobile to Verizon but also due to her cracking my old iPhone 6S, which caused her parents not only to replace the screen but also the battery)
• iPhone 7 Plus (November 2020-March 2022): my cousin (53F) received my iPhone 11 Pro Max, but since the iPhone 6S fell off my bike mount a month before, it cracked, and since the battery is so horrendous on the 6S, my cousin (53F) decided to give me her iPhone 7 Plus and I decided to take the 6S to the Apple Store in Cambridge MA to recycle it
• iPhone SE (2020) (since March 2022): Even though my cousin, and later I took very good care of the iPhone 7 Plus, the phone started breaking down on several fronts: the silent switch, charging port pins, and even battery started to die hard, and plus, since the phone is getting unsupported, I started deciding on the iPhone SE. After finding out the iPhone SE 3 was $429 and finding out I could get a prepaid iPhone SE 2 on AT&T for $150 ($50 plan+$15 activation fee but I cancelled auto pay immediately after buying the phone), I got the brand-new SE 2 instead. Nowadays, the battery started to fall apart (even though the battery is currently at 93% capacity) and even though this phone is not in a beta, there are a lot of bugs even on 16.3.1 (I am thinking of updating to 16.4 tonight)

Things my Samsung Galaxy does better than my iPhone

There are many things that Samsung Galaxy phones and other Android phones do better than iPhones, including the fact that on Android:

• notifications are not cluttered in the lock-screen unlike on iOS
• Android is more customisable than iOS and Android is an open-source mobile operating system
• Many new features such as reverse wireless charging, in screen fingerprints, foldable phones, 5G, triple camera setup, phablet size phones,
• there is a real back button on Android
• No need to use iTunes; you could just transfer music and photos/videos between your computer and phone without the hassle of iTunes
• Some Samsung Galaxy phones (S1-S20 excluding the S6/Note5) have microSD and older Samsung Galaxy phones have removable batteries
• Some Samsung Galaxy phones in certain markets have dual sim support, but since e-SIM was introduced, first with the Pixel 2, and later with the iPhone XS, dual sim is less of an advantage
• There are a lot of options, including the M/J series for budget conscious buyers, the A series for the average folk in many countries, the S/Note series for power-users, business users for extra productivity (mostly the Note series) and phone enthusiasts (like me), and the Z series for certain business users for extra productivity and for Flexers
• On my Samsung Galaxy devices, I could share the Wi-Fi password to other phones using the QR code; on iPhones, I could only share the Wi-Fi connection with other iPhones
• Samsung Galaxy devices support split screen view and pop up view, but these two features are restricted to the iPad, and iPhones only support picture in picture video

However, there are many lesser-known things that my Samsung Galaxy phones do better than my iPhones (based on my experience over the past 11 years), and some might be controversial:

• iPhone batteries start to massively degrade after a new iPhone and iOS version comes out

Even though the iPhone batteries are mostly very good during the first year of usage and have extremely good standby compared to Android phones due to software optimisation, by around July 2016, my iPhone 6S's battery is starting to fail, and I did need to rely on battery packs for my iPhones to survive as the iPhone 6S's battery would go from 100-0 after 4-6 hours of heavy use. My cousins did replace the iPhone 6S battery in October of 2017, but by October 2020 (please note according to battery health, IIRC, the 6S stands at 85%), on iOS 14, the iPhone 6S would drain from 90 to 35 in as little as 10 minutes and sometimes, during cold weather, the iPhone 6S's battery (on iOS 14) would die at 30%. Turns out this is not only an issue on my 6S as I bought a 6S on eBay in 2021 for my smartphone collection and that phone (with 80% capacity) also behaved the same, draining from 80 to 25 in around 10 minutes. The iPhones before the 6S also had a poor battery life after a year in my experience, and even though the iPhone 7 Plus, X, XS Max, and 11 Pro Max's battery holds better than the 6S due to the batteries being bigger, the batteries still started to become bad after 1-2 years.
My iPhone 12 Pro Max (I got rid of it in December of 2021 after it accidentally fell out from my nightstand drawer and the back cracked a month before) started seeing its battery fail sometime in September 2021, when the 13 Pro Max came out. Say I leave the house at 10:00 and were to return home at 19:00. By 17:00, with medium usage + hotspot, the iPhone's battery would have depleted to around 20 percent. Plus, my iPhones typically consume more battery if devices are connected to hotspot than my Samsung Galaxies are.
Also, I did receive the Galaxy S7 Edge (2019), Samsung Galaxy S9+ (earlier this month as my cousin's husband upgraded to the S23+), and the Samsung Galaxy S10+ (last year), and given that I would sell these phones on the second hand market, I would test the phones for a week or two to see the phone's condition before assessing it and selling it on the second hand market. What I found is that even though the S10+ cracked and therefore, I donated it rather than sold it, all three phones seem to have solid battery, considering their ages. The S7 Edge with its 3600 mAh battery under heavy use after 3 years would go about for 6-8 hours before needing a recharge, and my S9+ would go about for around 5-6 hours as well before hitting down to 20% of battery (that is after 5 years and given the fact my cousin's husband is a power user), and even though the S10 cracked, it would go for 8-10 hours under heavy usage before draining to around 20%. I also got back my Note5 from 2015 once my cousin's son upgraded to my cousin (50M)'s S8 Active in 2019 once my cousin upgraded to the Note10+, and even on that phone, the battery is still very good considering its age and its 3000 mAh size, doing around 4-6 hours going down from 100-20.

• My Samsung devices have proven more reliable as a whole than many of my iPhones

Even though all the 4 Samsung Galaxy S phones I have repossessed were slightly slow compared to when they were first purchased, all of them, apart from the front cracks on the S10+, are still highly reliable, and according to my usage as well as from the 4 people who have used my phones, they have commented that the phones I gave to them gave them minimal issues and they JUST WORK. Fun fact: during my ownership, I have never experienced any major problems with any of my Samsung phones.
Fun fact, my cousin (28M) switched from the iPhone 7 Plus to the Samsung Galaxy S10+ in March of 2019 and is now currently using a Galaxy S23 Ultra. From his 4-year long experience using just the Galaxy S10+ (he bought the ceramic colour with 512GB of storage and currently his father is using the S10+), even though he is a power user with him customising the phone with themes, being a heavy user, and having cracked his S10+ last year, the phone was still extremely reliable, working fully as intended, apart from the battery, which has been shortened to 6 hours of heavy usage before dying.
My iPhones however, were not so bright. Even though pre-2015 iPhones are mostly reliable during my time using it, since the 6S, there have been some phones which have showed issues here and there, sometimes within the first year of ownership. As for the iPhone 6S, it is basically only the battery, which has been extremely bad after a year and the fact it would sometimes shut off at 30% during cold weather.
Starting with the iPhone 7 Plus however, and there started to be a lot of problems. Even though my iPhone 7 Plus didn't show any problems during my ownership, even though my cousin took good care of the 7 Plus, when I got her 7 Plus in November of 2020 (she got the phone brand new at Verizon in November 2017), the silent switch started to wear down and get stuck, meaning it is hard to turn on silent switch, the charging port pins started to wear, making it very hard to charge the phone or connect the phone to the computer, and the battery started to struggle real hard.
Starting with the iPhone XS Max and there started to be real struggles. Even though I didn't see any problems with either the iPhone XS Max and 11 Pro Max during my ownership and took good care of these two phones, when these two phones got passed to their second owners, problems started to arise. For the XS Max, in May of 2020, it got bricked, and it wouldn't turn on even if he plugged it in the charging cable or through iTunes, and my cousin's husband had to bring it to service, and that got him to purchase an S20+ given he prefers Android over iOS, and after fixing the XS Max, he gave it to his daughter (17F), who is his only child. For the 11 Pro Max however, the phone's battery drained fast and my cousin always had to rely on the charger, and plus, there are issues of connecting Bluetooth devices as well as with calls and volume whilst connected to Bluetooth devices, and my cousin always complained about these issues and even though I did attempt to fix, the issues didn't get resolved (I am tech savvy by the way, so I could get through a lot of issues, such as reset my bricked iPad using iTunes, etc.).
And now onto my iPad Pro 9.7. I bought the iPad in June of 2016, and even though I used it mostly for watching YouTube videos, Udemy and edX courses, the iPad started having a bricking issue in November of 2017. What happened was that I was charging and overnight, the iPad just shut itself off and never powered on again. I tried connecting it to iTunes and even though iTunes could recognise the device, whenever I reset it, errors keep on popping up and it is impossible to reset. I tried bringing it to the Apple Store, but they couldn't reset it either and they suggested that I replace the iPad Pro 9.7 with an iPad Mini 4 for $300. Then, I started taking matters into my own hands and finally resetted the iPad Pro successfully after multiple attempts in January of 2018. Four months later (in May 2018), the iPad bricked again, and I had to do the same process, and it took until August of 2018 after at least 5-10 tries for it to work again. And then in August 2020, whilst charging overnight, the iPad turned off and I thought it was toast. Turned out it was, as after countless times diagnosing the issues on iTunes, the iPad would keep on bricking after multiple reset attempts and after more than 2 years. Then, there was a miracle. In November of 2022, I finally got my iPad working again and I felt like I was very lucky, because I thought that the iPad was bricked forever and wouldn't go back on, ever.
Then, finally, it is my iPhone 12 Pro Max. I bought the phone on 20 November 2020, and by mid-September 2021, things started to go south for this phone. The top speaker started to fail and even though I cleaned it, the speaker was so muffled that I could barely hear anything from the top speaker. I brought it to the Apple Store and they said it is a digitiser issue and they couldn't even clean it for me, and around that same time, the touchscreen started to act up. With a lot of ghost touches, it started to become very hard to use the iPhone (and keep in mind, I have never replaced the screen since I never cracked the front screen). In October 2021, the phone started to have lose cellular signal when I enter the MBTA train and still didn't recognise cellular signal for minutes after I exited the MBTA and was at least a mile from that station on my bike, but luckily, resetting network settings did fix the issue with the cellular signal however. By the time the phone accidentally fell to the ground and the back did suffer some cracks in November, I started to give up on the iPhone 12 Pro Max and in December, I upgraded to the 13 Pro Max.
Even though my Galaxy Buds and my cousin (28M)'s Galaxy Buds did not show any issues (he bought the Galaxy Buds in March 2019 and after heavy usage, it still held up very well and he even gave it to his father), all 4 of my AirPods, even the AirPods Pro 2, have shown issues here and there. My first AirPods (January 2017-July 2018) basically stopped working, and hence, I bought another pair of AirPods in July 2018 and used it until February 2022, when I dropped it in the toilet. Even though I was using the 2nd pair of AirPods half the time (July 2018-January 2020, December 2020-April 2021, November 2021-February 2022), by late 2021, the AirPods started showing major problems. First off, the battery drains so fast even indoors that it only lasted about an hour. Then, once I am outside, the right side would disconnect after only 5 minutes of usage and the left side would keep soldering on. Once it fell to the toilet, it was game over (however, I still kept the AirPods, it is just in the nightstand sitting there, and I did clean it as well). I bought the AirPods 2 in February 2022, and after 2 months, at least once every week or two, the right side would discharge, even in the case (the case is clean by the way), until it went out of battery. I tried resetting the case and putting the case to charge again, but to no avail, and it took several reset attempts for it to return to normal. The same exact scenario happened to the AirPods Pro 2, which I got in October as my cousin wanted to gift me the AirPods Pro 2, in exchange for my AirPods 2. Except that sometimes, my iPhone 14 Pro Max couldn't even connect to the AirPods Pro 2 or even recognise it.

• Hotspot doesn't always work on my iPhones, but always does on my Galaxy

I currently have two phone plans: my main Verizon phone plan with my iPhone 14 Pro Max and my secondary MetroPCS phone plan with my Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra. I do carry a third phone with me (without a phone plan), which is the iPhone SE 2020. Due to me not having a phone plan on my iPhone SE 2020, I do have to rely on hotspot when I am outside. For my iPhone SE 2020, I primarily use it for music streaming and to test my mobile applications, whilst my two other phones are used for more intense purposes, with me spending the most time on my Samsung.
For my iPhone 14 Pro Max and previous iPhones (iPhone 13 Pro Max, iPhone 12 Pro Max, etc), personal hotspot is very buggy. My Samsung connects just fine to the iPhone hotspot, but my iPhones don't. To preserve the battery, after several minutes, the iPhone SE would get disconnected from the iPhone 14 Pro Max hotspot (which is acceptable), but it gets worse. Even if I am currently streaming Apple Music on my iPhone SE with the screen on as well, the iPhone would disconnect from the iPhone 14 Pro Max, and it is very hard to connect it to hotspot. Sometimes, the iPhone SE would say 'Unable to join network' and others, it said 'Personal Hotspot Failure', which would force me to restart both the iPhone SE and 14 Pro Max. Now the Remote Hotspot Failure started happening since I got the 11 Pro Max in 2019, and at the time, my 16:9 phone was the iPhone 6S, and even then, there were hotspot failure problems. I restarted the 11 Pro Max, but the hotspot failure would return after a week or two. Even after resetting network settings in 2021 right before my 13 Pro Max because my iPhone 12 Pro Max would lose cellular connectivity even after I exited the MBTA tunnel and I am outside a mile from the MBTA station, once I got my 13 Pro Max, the remote hotspot failure still appears. My Samsung Galaxy over the years connects to the iPhone hotspot without any issues, and would stay connected even if I am not using the phone until I basically turn off hotspot on my iPhone.
Now due to the fact connecting my iPhone SE to the iPhone hotspot is so bad, I would typically use the Samsung hotspot as a backup (keep in mind my iPhone plan gives unlimited hotspot whilst Metro only gives 5 GB). Both iPhones connect to the Samsung hotspot flawlessly, without any issues.

• On my Samsung Galaxy phones, I can disable Wi-Fi using the Quick Settings (swipe down) menu, but for iPhones, it is less consistent

Sometimes, I don't want my main iPhone 14 Pro Max to connect to the Samsung hotspot due to it having its own data. I would turn off Wi-Fi on the control centre and after 5-10 minutes, it would reconnect the Wi-Fi, therefore wasting hotspot data on my Samsung metroPCS plan and making me mildly angry. iPhone does say turning off until tomorrow but in reality, Wi-Fi is turned on after 5-10 minutes. For Samsung, I turn off Wi-Fi on the quick settings until I turn it back on or I flick on airplane mode, which seems more intuitive in my case. However, when I am at home without any hotspot devices, whenever I use quick settings for iPhone, nearby Wi-Fi does disconnect until tomorrow

• Connecting to Bluetooth devices is better on my Samsung Galaxy phones than my iPhones

Pretend I have two Bluetooth devices (AirPods Pro, JBL Clip 4), and I wanted to connect to the JBL speaker. On the Samsung, if I accidentally clicked on the AirPods Pro, I could click JBL Clip 4 immediately and within 5 seconds, I would be connected to the JBL Clip 4 speaker. For the iPhone however, things are not so bright, as if I were to accidentally click the AirPods Pro, I had to wait 15 seconds for Apple to search for the AirPods Pro, and then once it says it couldn't find the AirPods Pro because I left my AirPods Pro at home, that is when I could click on JBL Clip 4 and connect it. That turns a 5 second process into something like a 15-20 second process.

• Apple Pay sometimes doesn't work on my iPhone

On several occasions since 2021, my iPhones would sometimes not pay using Apple Pay and would fail to pay. Sometimes, the iPhone couldn't even detect a reader even though the reader does work. Once I use Samsung Pay on my Samsung Galaxy devices as a backup, the payment did go through and it finally worked.
Yesterday, I was at the MBTA station, and I was attempting to pay for the Monthly pass. Ironically, even though the reader did work, the iPhone 14 Pro Max kept on saying 'Hold near Reader', and even though I held it near the mobile payment reader for 10-15 seconds, it still didn't do anything. Fed up, after the second time, I repaid the MBTA ticket and used my S22 Ultra and the payment did go through. However, at the restaurant around 1 hour later, even though I didn't restart the iPhone, Apple Pay finally worked again as I was able to pay my meal using Apple Pay.

• Automatic updates are better on my Galaxies than my iPhones

My Samsung automatic updates are set overnight, and even with airplane mode turned on during the night, my Samsungs are always up to date without ever having to go to the settings app to update the firmware to Android 13. As for iPhone, they did schedule automatic updates between 4-5 am, but in reality, automatic updates keep failing even with Wi-Fi turned on overnight. If I wanted to update my iPhones, I would typically have to manually update via settings

• Wi-Fi is far better on my Samsung Galaxy/Android phones than my iPhones, iPads, or Macs

I attended university between 2018 and 2022, and in late 2021, at university (I majored in CS by the way), my iPhones, iPads, and Macs would often struggle with Wi-Fi. My iPhone 13 Pro Max and iPhone 7 Plus (as of November 2021) would sometimes even outright refuse to connect to Wi-Fi and same goes with the MacBook 15' Core i9 (2019) (I have since upgraded to the M1 MBP 16 since the logic board on the MBP 2019 failed in November 2021), and if connected, at some parts of the university, they are extremely slow, and sometimes, borderline unusable. My S21 Ultra however, at the same place, worked far better and was able to load websites. Even my Windows laptop was able to load websites as well as my Galaxy A51 (I brought an A51 one day to MIT to see if the Wi-Fi issues only occurred on Apple products).
Fun fact: the Galaxy S21 Ultra was the first phone to offer Wi-Fi 6E and not even the iPhone 14 Pro Max supports this feature
Then in July 2022, during a flight from Dallas back to Boston, my iPhone 13 Pro Max and iPhone SE 2 would fail to connect to JetBlue's Wi-Fi network several times and if connected, the Wi-Fi was painfully slow and near unusable whilst my Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra connected to JetBlue's Wi-Fi network just fine and worked as expected, with websites loading reasonably quick, just like at my university with the S21 Ultra.

• USB C lasts longer than lightning connector

Finally, one thing Samsung and Android OEMs do better than Apple is the fact that many Android devices, including Samsung Galaxy devices, come with USB-C which is the future compared to Apple's ancient lightning connector (frankly, Apple now uses USB-C on most of their iPads except for the entry level iPad 9). It allows for faster charging and transfer speeds and USB-C is basically superior to lightning, which is a relic from a bygone era. Plus, USB-C seems to last longer. Whilst my lightning connectors generally worn out between 6-18 months before having inconsistent connections or connectivity issues, my USB-C connectors would keep soldering on for at least 5 years before breaking down like the lightning connectors.
TL;DR: Even though there are many benefits to owning an iPhone over an Android device, based on my user experience, after over 11 years of using various Samsung Galaxy phones, two Samsung Galaxy Tabs, and one Galaxy Bud and after over 12 years of using various iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches, and AirPods, I could safely assure that there are a lot of benefits to using Samsung and Android products over iPhones, namely due to the fact that notifications, customisation, features, options, Wi-Fi, multitasking, batteries, hotspot, Bluetooth, mobile payment, etc., are better on Samsung and Android products than on iPhones, based on my user experience.

Fiancé (26 M) and I (31 F) have been together for a year (things moved quickly between us). We had a rocky start to our relationship because he was hiding stuff about his life/ex. Example he said he only communicated with her through mediator and not her directly, and that he would just pick up his child and drop them off so it was minimal contact. I want to point out that I had no problem with him speaking to her as I know she is the mother and they need to co parent.
My issue was that he lied about it and was shady regarding the whole situation. Found out later on they were communicating over text and he would go over to her house to spend time with his child there. All while dating me and trying to hid it. I also found out she was the one that broke off their 6 year relationship and left and it was only a month before he started dating me! He initially told me he broke things off with her 4 months before meeting me. This made made really uncomfortable and his lies did not sit well with me. But I continued because he said he only hid it from me because he was scared I’d break up with him him over his ex drama and didn’t know how to tell me.
Fast forward, he is in a custody court battle with her and she’s made it known she wants him back. He keeps reassuring me that he doesn’t want anything to do with her and he loves me. However the current situation with her makes me uncomfortable. My fiancé told me he would start telling me everything and be transparent with me and he wouldn’t lie again. He himself said he’d even communicate with me and show me or tell me when his ex would message him. I set a boundary with him and said he isn’t allowed to text her without me present. And I always go with him to pick up and drop off his child. This is mostly because of safety due to court issues and he wants a witness there but it also makes me feel better and we always do things together as a team anyway.
This worked for a while, but we have been fighting recently and he brought up that he is no longer going to follow my “rules” and he’s going to do things his way. He says he wants to be able to text his ex when he’s at work whenever he wants to ask about his child (who is a toddler) and not have to wait until he comes home to text her with me there. He said it’s my fault he feels like a part time parent not being able to ask about his child when he wants. I said it’s not like I’m saying not to talk to his own child and there’s a time and place for everything. I said I didn’t want to be with someone that doesn’t respect my boundaries and now things have been distant between us but I don’t want to lose him. AITA for setting boundaries or should I be okay with him texting her whenever and be unaware of what is said?

When the botw master mode dlc came out in late 2017, I'll be honest, I didn't enjoy it at all. It felt like an unnecessarily difficult mode that took away from the enjoyment of the game and added too much stress to what I saw as a relaxing game. But after playing it again and giving it a fair try, I can confidently say that it's now my favorite way to experience the game. It's a fresh take on the game mechanics that challenges players to think more strategically, and the payoff is worth it. To say that it’s changed my perspective on the game mechanics would be an understatement.
As someone who’s a HUGE zelda fan, I’m used to charging headfirst into battles while relying on the good old z-targeting, however, in Master Mode, I quickly realized that this strategy just wouldn’t work. The enemies hit like a tank and their health regenerates quickly...a little bit too quickly, making it difficult to take them down in the classic Zelda way. So, I had to change my approach and do something I never thought I'll do, use stealth and actual strategy in a Zelda game, I mean sure the normal mode of botw did have those options but besides lynels and the early part of the game there wasn't really any reason to be careful and plan ahead .
I found myself appreciating the open-world aspect of the game even more, as I had to be creative and use the environment to my advantage. Trying out different strategies and discovering new ways to take down enemies was an exhilarating experience that made me feel like I was constantly learning and growing as a player and it reminded me of metal gear solid v which just made me love this game even more.
Speaking of games I love,the new difficulty with the bosses reminded me of monster hunter and how I'd spend hours preparing for one hunt, the bosses in Master Mode were challenging,I mean I remember struggling with Thunderblight Ganon in my original playthrough, but now that cammel bastard felt almost impossible! But the satisfaction of finally him taking down after multiple attempts was incredibly rewarding, and just brought out that dark souls/monster hunter dopamine rush I love so much.
However, it's not all good, there is one aspect of Master Mode that I’m not particularly fond of: the enemy health regeneration. While it does add to the challenge, I found it to be a bit excessive and doesn't really blend well with the whole weapon durability thing. There were moments where I felt like I was making progress, only for my weapon to break and the enemy to regain all their health forcing me to just run away with the annoying fact of losing a weapon for nothing. In my opinion, a slower health regeneration rate would have been more appropriate.
Anyways, if you haven't tried Master Mode yet, I highly recommend giving it a shot. It’s a challenging but rewarding experience especially if you're a fan of difficult games. And if you have tried it let me know your thoughts I'm interested to know if u guys liked it as much as I did or absolutely hated it.

Well, I suppose this might warrant some explaination.
For people who might not be familiar with star wars, Anakin Skywalker is star wars Jesus of sorts; he was born of the force, so he had no father, he has a ridiculously high midochlorian count, and he is prophecized to be bring balance to the force, a gifted pilot, commander and a general war hero.
All well and good, until you read his story. He was a slave in tatoine, when he was given his freedom and was given to the Jedi order, he continues not be trusted by the Jedi council, which continues to be a thing for a while. His caring nature ended up causing his downfall when Darth sidious uses his fear of losing padme to turn him. And it worked, although what sidious got was only a shadow of what Anakin could have been; he then becomes his metaphorical slave until the events of return of the Jedi, in which he fulfills the prophecy, because by the end of it, one Jedi, one sith, but he does die shortly after.
So what this have to do with Yuno? Well, Yuno is gifted too. He wasn't born of the force, but the anime suggest his birth was a blessing to the spade kingdom, he has a ridiculously large innate mana, a good leader, a gifted magician, and recently hyped to be the only one who could do anything to Lucius, though us readers knnow better.
All well and good, until you see so many theories of yuno's downfall. As early as the spade arc, during the zenon fight, I encountered many theories of his four leaf turning to a five leaf from despair, after seeing his friend and squadmates die. It hasn't happened yet, but people now theorizing he becomes a paladin, in a way becoming Darth Vader for Lucius. Who knows maybe he kills Lucius, but loses bell or the elf spirit in the process.
Anyway that's it. Seeing all this theories, that Yuno falls, asta becoming wizard king, made me think of this: a hero who never gets his dreams and that Yuno could end with this.

So my phone (OnePlus Nord CE 5G) updated during the night and this morning I found I couldn't hear audios or videos properly. The sound is like trying to listen from bluetooth earphones from more than 10 meters away all the time, even with no earphones or headphones. Only the notification and system sound effects work. Please, does anybody know how to solve it?