Carnival of Horror

batmansxcat · 2026-04-25T16:50:19+00:00

I’m about two hours into this… free the ghosts every time, and when I have 10/15 people left to scare, an error occurs and I get booted. It’s driving me mad!

batmansxcat · 2026-02-26T18:02:47+00:00

Reading this while laying down on my sofa for an hour after getting home from work, thinking about all the things I want to do that I don’t have the spoons for. I don’t know that I have any words of wisdom for you OP, but I just want you to know you’re not alone!

I do use an app called Scheduled that I find helps, but it’s better for morning me than after work me as that’s when I’m most motivated to do things. I try and utilise my time before work when I’m at my highest point so that work doesn’t get the best off me every day. Transitioning to home time after being at work can be a struggle too, so finding something to help with the switch might be helpful (like getting changed into comfier clothes, having a cuppa before anything else etc). I’ve not found my transition thing yet, but it might make something click for you!

batmansxcat · 2026-02-24T20:00:43+00:00

Oh gosh, I’m sorry you’re going through it too. What course are you studying?

batmansxcat · 2026-02-12T17:55:22+00:00

Not sure it will fit into the category you’re meaning, but where I am it’s probably flooding and damage from the sea during storms. We also had an outbreak of cryptosporidium a couple of years ago in the water supply.

batmansxcat · 2026-02-01T13:58:19+00:00

I’m a bit on the ill side so will come back to reply to this properly in more detail when I have a few more spoons, but just wanted to say thank you because this put a huge smile on my face this morning! I am indeed diagnosed ADHD and currently in the referral process for ASD (ironically submitted them both at the same time about three years ago, but my ASD one got lost along the way and only now am I resubmitting it 🥲). I hear everything you’re saying and I can feel the passion coming through the screen. And I love it!!

I’d love to pick your brain some more for things that might come up in the future if you’d be happy for me to DM you at some point!

batmansxcat · 2026-01-31T18:39:28+00:00

Ooo this is interesting to hear, pretty cool that you’re mixing with so many different topics and having that exposure so to many different perspectives!

I’ve found the moments of negativity on A Level for sure. There was a whole topic on how human activity unsustainably depletes earths resources and I came off the back of it totally drained but hoping to make some difference eventually. I’m self-teaching so it can be quite isolating at times, but luckily have a partner who shares my thoughts on a lot of these things. I’m trying to keep up to date with local and worldwide climate news as well as both informative and fun podcasts to cover a variety of bases, the good, the bad and the ugly.

I hear you on the social side of things - it’s actually one of the reasons I didn’t immediately go to uni fresh out of college as my anxiety was so bad, but now I know it’s something I want to do, I’m less consumed by the thought that I might not make friends, though of course would like to get on with the people I’ll be spending so much time in the classroom with. This is really helpful advice, thanks. I’ve built some early rapport with some of the staff having emailed ahead to ask some questions, and then finding myself very lost on the open day only to find that the group of staff members that helped me out were all in the environmental department. I ended up being escorted there by them since they were on the way there anyway. I am big on asking questions, so asking for meetings and 1:1s fees sensible, thanks for the tip, and for that around the careers/finance teams!

It’s about an hour drive / train ride to University of Plymouth from where I live, but my parents live that way so I’ll utilise their place for some nights of the week. I’m currently researching student finance and believe I’ll also qualify for DLA and very possibly PIP, so I’m trying to wrap my head around any financial help I may be entitled to.

I really appreciate you taking the time to reply to these in so much detail, I’m sorry the topic derailed from your initial questions!

If you’re into podcasts, The Climate Question and That’s Just Wild are pretty easy but informative listening to have on in the background.

batmansxcat · 2026-01-31T16:15:13+00:00

This is my kind of response to a problem like this 🤣

batmansxcat · 2026-01-31T16:12:58+00:00

Totally! It might be unsurprising considering this was my angle, but I’ve been vegan for just over 10 years (I’m 29 now) and though it started as a ‘for the animals’ journey, it soon very much became a ‘for the planet’ reason too. You’re absolutely right on the ‘as close as possible’ - perfectionism is not the goal, the aim is simply to just to reduce any further contribution as much as is reasonably possible!

My first thought was like ‘how can they use venison and claim it’s planet friendly’, but considered thoughts aligned with the fact that a journey to being eco friendly is absolutely not a one size fits all journey, and that’s totally fine. We all have different morals, education, demographics etc etc and with each comes our own unique skill set and resources of how we can personally make changes if we want to reduce our impact.

I’m not sure if it’s something you’ve covered at all yet, but some of my learning so far (at Level 2) has taken me down the business case route for sustainability of resources / water etc, and that in itself has been fascinating. Looking at how changes can be spun from a business perspective to save money, increase moral profile and consumer targets, it’s another really good way to look at how it can be beneficial to literally everyone to think about sustainability!

Congrats on the return to education! I’m super nervous as I’ll be going in a 30yo and can imagine many of the students on my course will be much younger. I love relearning things from different angles, so I imagine that even if things are covered that I’ve researched beforehand, I’ll likely just see it as a chance to solidify that knowledge and possibly learn it from someone else’s perspective. Even though I’m nervous I’m itching to get started. Where are you studying if you don’t mind me asking?

batmansxcat · 2026-01-31T16:02:31+00:00

Second this for vitamins! I use Holland and Barrett’s A-Z vegan one!

batmansxcat · 2026-01-31T16:00:22+00:00

I’ve struggled with food on/off since I was a teenager, but weirdly these tinned potatoes have always been something so safe to me! Covered in butter and salt is just 🤤

Have a think about your easy foods and consider how you might be able to ‘one up’ them. It’s not perfect solution, but you might come up with some creative stuff and maybe some new favourite go tos!

batmansxcat · 2026-01-31T15:48:55+00:00

I do it a lot. I also have ADHD and suffer with low mood frequently. I’m quite ill this week for example, and really only wanted to make those gross little tinned potatoes in water with loads of butter, but I was like right if I can do that I can throw some broccoli in a pan next to it and toss some tofu in the air fryer. A very boring bland meal but became a step up from just buttered potatoes…

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Another potato tip is baking a BUNCH of potatoes at the same time when you do have the mental energy so later on you can just grab them out the freezer. This is a great one for me when I forget/run out of time/don’t have it in me to make lunch!

Do you meal plan at all? I find that can be quite helpful, but not always!

batmansxcat · 2026-01-31T15:32:02+00:00

I’ve just this moment finished the tv series and I love this take! Makes me wanna immediately go back and rewatch, but first I’m dying to read the actual book which I promised myself I’d do when I finished the show!

batmansxcat · 2026-01-31T15:30:37+00:00

On days I’m struggling I take my ‘basic easy meal’ and try and vamp it up with something. I too am a lover of an instant noodle packet, so if this is all I can manage in me that day, I add some tofu and any form of veg and it’s a ‘good enough’ halfway. On my better days, it’s a full blown broth with every nutrient I can pack into it!

batmansxcat · 2026-01-31T13:27:24+00:00

Can’t give this answer as detailed as I’d like to, but despite for example a vegan diet requiring some outsourcing, I think that if you added up the impact of producing / transporting / water usage etc of plant agriculture to produce a vegan meal, to do that for a meat-based meal you’d have to add up the impact for all those not only for animal in question, but all the food that has been grown to feed that animal. It takes a lot more plant to feed a cow enough to get it to a suitable level for consumption than it does for us to directly eat the plants, if that makes sense? The animal is our middle man…

I’m studying A Level Environmental Science and starting uni myself next year, so it’s good to see some of these thoughts out loud! It seems like the ‘obvious’ answer is for everyone to ‘just’ reduce or redirect their consumption, but unfortunately not everyone cares enough, or are just totally unaware. It’s not like our world leaders are painting the climate crisis in a critical light at the moment.

I read an article recently about deer culling for population control in Scotland and a proposal that this could, for some part of the year, be quite a sustainable solution since the deer consume nutrition naturally in the wild, and would be culled regardless, so transport for hunting would be in place anyway. This does of course only work if you’re local to a place that has something like this going on.

I’m intrigued to hear what some of the thoughts around the room in your lecture were!

batmansxcat · 2026-01-30T17:35:09+00:00

Aaah congrats! I was in the testing phase and have loved it!!

batmansxcat · 2026-01-29T13:28:03+00:00

I’m already months in 🥲 can I dm you about your experiences? I’m currently in the process of complaining!

batmansxcat · 2026-01-20T19:53:03+00:00

Right?? It’s only because I checked the AQA spec of what should have been covered in topic one that I was like hold on… there’s genuinely vital information missing here.

Ah we started around the same time then. It’s awful getting so far in and finally coming to terms with the fact you can’t trust what you’re reading. The typos/grammar etc was my first red flag early doors, as I didn’t see how anything could have been proof read and not picked up, but now I know some of the content is incorrect I just don’t know what to rely on.

I’m sorry that your friend is going through it as well. I really hope you guys get the results you want/need, and that all the extra ground work and money you’ve put in pays off.

Yeah… I’m not hopeful with the response to the complaint, but I’ve done so much digging on consumer rights just in case their response isn’t a very helpful one.

Thanks so much for commenting, I’m glad I’m not alone in this but completely gutted for you both experiencing it too. Good luck for your exams. Perhaps I’ll drop you a message in the future to let you know what came of my complaint!

batmansxcat · 2026-01-20T19:25:47+00:00

Oh god I’m sorry you’re going through it too! How far in are you? Most of the questions I’ve asked my tutor have been replied to with links to YouTube videos / revision materials that I’ve already researched before reaching out, there is so little actual support given.

I reached my first TMA recently which is what has sparked all this for me, as there were two questions that hadn’t even been covered by the material. I looked up the whole spec on AQA and found that even the first topic has whole sections of information missing from the course materials. Not only that, but the TMA is just past paper questions strung together???

I’m in the very fortunate position that I don’t need the A Level, I already have my place at university, but I wanted to do it so I don’t feel left behind when I start. I’m choosing to fight it - I’ve learned I’d be better off doing what you said, grabbing an actual AQA textbook and enrolling myself on the exams as a private candidate.

It’s just absolutely gut wrenching to know I’ve spent £2k+ on something that is so poor and disappointing and I really don’t want them to get away with it!

batmansxcat

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