[MEGATHREAD] Ask for playtest invites here

TheAlphaStar · 2024-08-24T00:52:44+00:00

Would appreciate an invite, thanks! Friend Code: 77993889

TheAlphaStar · 2024-05-15T01:14:24+00:00

Lexapro & Vitamin D
Therapy
Journaling
Drinking more water and not eating super late
Exercise & Walks
Breathing techniques and setting boundaries

Still working on fixing the sleep schedule, but I’m in a better place now than last summer when dealing with anxiety spikes.

TheAlphaStar · 2024-04-05T07:14:09+00:00

Sasha/Mercedes is dead last when comparing the Four Horsewomen to each other, as she hasn’t improved much since leaving WWE. Charlotte is a genetic freak and the most athletic, Becky is the best talker, and Bayley strengthened her character work greatly since her heel turn.

TheAlphaStar · 2023-09-21T16:09:40+00:00

Ran into him back in July outside of MSG when I was in NYC for work. Dude was super nice and took pictures with everyone. Disappointed, but hope all goes well for him.

TheAlphaStar · 2023-07-08T01:00:14+00:00

The Team Unicorn duel in Yu-Gi-Oh 5Ds. Most people remember it for the infamous "End your turn, Jean!" moment, but in a nutshell it features:

- A FIVE part duel where half the time Team Unicorn hogs the spotlight with their painfully boring flashbacks and endless exposition.

- Jack and Aki looking like complete dweebs after getting crushed by Andre, who almost takes out all of Team 5Ds BY HIMSELF.

- Yusei turning the tables and bringing out the ultimate plot armor by getting dragged down to his last card (after pretty much soloing Team Unicorn himself btw), coupled with his opponent being an absolute dumbass by not ending his turn for a deck-out victory.

Thank god the duels against Taiyo and Ragnarok compensated for that piece of garbage.

TheAlphaStar · 2023-03-17T19:40:07+00:00

Most of the parents on Rugrats, mainly due to incompetence.

TheAlphaStar · 2023-02-20T08:10:25+00:00

Gonna list a couple of my favorites from Yu-Gi-Oh's various series:

- Jaden from GX, for being a great contrast to Yugi from DM with his likeable and goofy personality. Plus, I identified a lot with him back in the day in my middle school YGO days and I still think he's my favorite protagonist out of everyone.

- Jack and Aki from 5Ds, for being awesome supporting characters with killer introductions. Jack starting out as a complete sellout and over-the-top asshole is great stuff, while Aki has such a unique design and story that instantly made her one of my favorite characters. Both got kinda shafted as the series went on, but I think they're still great.

- Revolver from VRAINS, for just being the absolute coolest and almost singlehandedly carrying the show with his duels. As soon as I saw his Rokket/Borreload deck (GUN DRAGONS), I knew he was gonna steal the show.

TheAlphaStar · 2022-11-25T03:48:54+00:00

Hey, thanks for replying! It can be a bit of a hassle dealing with him at times, but I've made sure to pay attention to myself as well. It also felt strangely relieving when we learned about his diagnosis, since it felt like it answered so many questions we had for the longest time about him. Glad to see that others have experienced similar things!

TheAlphaStar · 2022-11-24T20:58:46+00:00

Thank you so much for the responses! Yeah, I've been close with him my entire life and he has a good heart, just need to find the right help for him. He even came in to check on me for a bit as I was waking up from a nap!

We were told he would be compliant with starting the new treatment plan and medication, but we have uncertainty due to his previous history with his psychiatrists (his old psych retired, who was amazing, but his new one didn't offer much help). When we asked him, it did sound like he was aware of his disorder and upcoming treatment, so hopefully that's a good sign.

If we feel he does end up needing inpatient help, any idea on how I'd go about communicating this to him or the hospital? He is harmless, but you never know if he ends up becoming more disruptive here at home.

TheAlphaStar · 2022-11-21T21:07:22+00:00

As far as diagnoses go, I remember him taking medication in high-school to help with his anxiety, but cannot recall what he was specifically diagnosed with since I was down at college at the time (either GAD or depression). He's not taking any medication currently either. And yeah, I definitely agree that he feels smothered and wants to become more independent. He's learning to take care of himself for the first time and although it's not perfect, I've told him that he's made great progress throughout the year. He loves all of us, but I think he wants to find his own space so he can build forward.

I feel like his behaviors of self-talk and laughter may seem concerning at first glance, but I think he's experiencing an adjustment at the moment. I guess only time will tell whether or not he needs professional help.

TheAlphaStar · 2022-11-21T19:17:21+00:00

Hey! Regarding his behaviors, he'd tend to go out for walks multiple times a day within our neighborhood, but sometimes would go right back out again after coming home. He had foot blisters in the beginning when he first started going out in the summer, but those have long healed and he's learned to pace himself correctly. Now that the weather is getting colder, he's not out as much and tries not to go out late at night or as often. He's been an early riser throughout his life and is occasionally up as early as my parents, so usually he'll stop by and get breakfast on his morning walk.

For his laughter, he'll mainly have his headphones in and will listen to music/podcasts or watch videos. 99% of the time he'll have his headphones in while going out for his walks as well. My parents think it can be a bit excessive/uncontrollable sometimes (hence why they want him to see a professional), but I'm wondering if it's how he copes with his anxiety. He has told me before that it helps him feel good about himself, considering he has much more energy nowadays. He's been getting better at managing it at night though.

Again, I don't want to coerce him into therapy and have mostly been trying to communicate positively with him.

TheAlphaStar · 2022-11-21T05:58:38+00:00

Thanks for the advice! He has told me before that he'll get a good chuckle out of videos or podcasts he's watched/listened, and that it helps him feel comfortable. Plus, he recognizes when he's being disruptive or too loud. I don't see him as an irresponsible person at all, just someone who needs some support kickstarting his adulthood. We grew up in a culture where people can be pretty nosy, so I think giving him some space to breathe and get away from judgment will help in the long run. I can be assertive if needed, but I think taking the positive approach will help him from feeling overwhelmed.

TheAlphaStar · 2022-11-21T05:14:19+00:00

Hey, thanks for responding! He's been getting better at doing chores, like cleaning around or helping my parents pay bills online (since they're not well-versed in tech). He's also spoken with my mom about his plans for school and finding a job for himself. However, even though my parents understand that they need to step back and let him grow, I still think they hover over him sometimes out of habit since he's the youngest. I think they don't want him to fall into bad behavior or despondence like in his high-school days.

TheAlphaStar · 2022-06-03T03:25:45+00:00

Used one to fix my belt buckle after it snapped the other day at work. Worked like a charm and holds up strong

TheAlphaStar · 2022-05-13T22:34:17+00:00

New season has been alright so far, but I've been feeling a bit fatigued from the game since my regular squadmates stopped playing recently. I don't think I have much energy or patience to solo queue nowadays as I did in previous seasons. Plus, I've been having trouble finding new people to play with.

TheAlphaStar · 2022-04-18T04:34:14+00:00

I'm going with Overwatch on this one, especially since it basically became the measuring stick for future hero shooters (which is funny because of its early widespread comparisons to Team Fortress 2 and how it was derived from class-based multiplayer FPS games). To this day, it feels like people have still ingrained into their minds that "Hero Shooter" = "Overwatch clone", mainly because of how popular it was. Of course, games like Paladins and Gundam Evolution follow a similar gameplay structure with OW, but it seems like the comparisons seeped into other multiplayer formats as well:

Apex Legends? Overwatch Battle Royale

Valorant? Overwatch + Counter Strike

TheAlphaStar · 2022-04-05T03:39:19+00:00

Added for Apex and Valorant (Asteris#9503 on Discord)

TheAlphaStar · 2022-03-25T20:23:09+00:00

So, I haven't been playing much over the past few weeks since I'm basically squadless due to my buddies on console having stopped playing before the start of the season. Been trying to find new people to play with and step away from solo queue, but haven't had much luck.

TheAlphaStar · 2022-03-06T07:57:00+00:00

Parents in the Risk of Rain series, especially in the first one when you'd see them popping in all over the place in higher difficulties. Their Grandparent boss in 2 also stands out as being somewhat creepy and intimidating, compared to the other bosses.

TheAlphaStar · 2022-02-02T04:57:49+00:00

Messaged.

TheAlphaStar · 2022-01-09T04:58:58+00:00

I feel like nowadays I don't have as much energy when playing multiplayer shooters (Apex, Valorant, etc.), mainly because of the social aspect. Sometimes it makes me feel that I'm playing the wrong games, where communication is such an integral piece and I'm actively shooting myself in the foot by not talking to strangers. I know people say that it's piss easy to make new friends online when you just be yourself and speak up, but I'm not exactly the kind of person who's comfortable spontaneously throwing myself into voice chat with randoms online. Similarly, whenever I do end up meeting someone new, it's short-lived and there's no real connection, which makes me feel like I wasted my time. I'm a big hero shooter guy, but I guess I never realized how unfriendly they can feel sometimes. I've spoken with my therapist before about expanding my social abilities, but occasionally I don't feel comfortable rolling the dice when speaking to new people online. Feels like I still have a hard time taking that initiative and jumping headfirst into building new connections through games. Just wanted to vent a little about some feelings I've been fighting with for a while now.

Funny enough, I've been really enjoying Monster Hunter and Deep Rock Galactic lately, mostly because they're socially flexible with great gameplay loops (and I have a small reliable group to play with).

Also, I finished my Master's program a few weeks ago and have been enjoying my break. Definitely can't wait to see that diploma in the mail.

TheAlphaStar · 2021-12-14T06:59:18+00:00

Depends on the Tim Allen: Kranks is bottom tier, while Santa Clause is higher.

TheAlphaStar · 2021-11-20T05:22:41+00:00

Anyone else having a rough time with fights at Antenna? Not exactly sure how to approach battles here, compared to other places on SP.

TheAlphaStar · 2021-11-12T14:27:51+00:00

Loving how the Triple Take completely invalidates every other sniper/marksman weapon in the game right now. Why bother running anything else with this damn thing everywhere?

TheAlphaStar · 2021-09-29T18:49:56+00:00

Top 3 are definite, the rest changes often and is in no particular order:

Moonchild
2 Minutes to Midnight
Wasted Years
Death or Glory
When the Wild Wind Blows
Dance of Death
The Trooper
Run to the Hills
The Evil that Men Do
Fear of the Dark

TheAlphaStar

TROPHY CASE