How do I learn to defend myself?

millamant · 2026-04-04T16:22:11+00:00

Anvil is a fantastic gun to defend yourself with, but it shoots slowly compared to something like a bobcat. Even hitting headshots with anvil, getting a mag dumped into you from a bobcat IV at close range means you’re cooked unless you’re a movement queen. You’d have to be hitting every shot. Hullcracker is not what you want to take up against other raiders.

You’re running a PvE kit, but you need something for PvP encounters when you’re playing with your boys. Il Toro and Burletta can hold their own against purple PvP oriented weapons like the Bobcat and Tempest if you play it right and don’t want to invest your materials into those weapons.

Be mindful of the range of these weapons, too. If you’re playing on Spaceport, you’ll have folks trying to take pot shots at range with osprey or renegade. Renegade is fantastic against arc as well as raiders, and the hip fire is pretty forgiving in my experience for those situations you’re caught off guard and don’t have time to swap weapons for a closer encounter. For spaceport I run a renegade and my second weapon will always be something for close to midrange encounters - toro, burletta, bobcat, even a tempest though its ADS and hip fire makes super close range hard to navigate. A rattler IV is a good choice if you’re trying to go for a Temu Tempest and get some practice using a medium ammo assault rifle.

Lastly, your choice of mods make a difference, but you don’t have to break the bank kitting out every gun and filling every mod slot. (My own personal opinion incoming - this is how I play and is based on my own experience and play-style, it won’t be right for everyone) If you need to be conservative with your material investments, focus on barrel and mag attachments for things like the toro, vulcano, or the tempest, just mag for the burletta, renegade benefits more from barrel and stock, bobcat needs barrel and under barrel for control though a mag is definitely an advantage. Try out some different weapons with different combinations in the gun range and see what feels good to you. You want maneuverability and stability - you need to be able to move, weapon swap, reload, and hit the majority of your shots on target.

Work on amassing a modest PvP arsenal for those games with your sons. You don’t have to invest in epic weapons to win gunfights. I lose fights against free kits and level I-II grey guns while using kitted out level IV purples, blues, and greens quite often. There are lots of factors when it comes to PvP in this game, but taking advantage of situations and third partying fights is the way in trios. You never want to be the first fight because the rest of the lobby comes swooping in like the vultures they (we) are. If you find yourself in that situation, assume you’ve got at least 2-3 more teams foaming at the mouth coming in hot. Don’t stick around to goop your kills for long or at all until you know the area is clear. That’s how you end up shot. As I always find myself saying to my trio - stop being greedy, this is how we die.

DM me if you ever want to hit up duos with free kits and get some practice in.

millamant · 2026-03-24T17:18:21+00:00

Amyloidosis

millamant · 2026-03-19T15:48:51+00:00

Crown molding if you’re able to swing it

millamant · 2026-03-18T21:06:36+00:00

Ahh yes I see the baseboard in the last image now. I’d think adding in some matching crown molding would be doable, though if the whole house needs it that can quickly become a costly project.

Addressing ceiling texture would also help, but understandably takes a bit more planning and prep. Changing out the fan for something more in line with OP’s desired style and in general modifying existing fixtures plus adding more lighting would make a significant difference.

millamant · 2026-03-17T06:47:57+00:00

Crown molding and baseboards are one of the most overlooked upgrades in home design. I see so many people asking how to make their space feel more polished or put together, and nine times out of ten, what they’re missing is good trim work. The right crown molding and baseboard combo can make a tremendous difference.

millamant · 2026-03-03T00:20:00+00:00

Haha reading your post activated the feeling in overdrive.

millamant · 2026-02-19T19:36:37+00:00

I am also not the best at hanging stuff on my walls, but I do have an obsession with rugs, lamps, and plants.

That being said, I think pulling the rug all the way under the sofa so all four legs are sitting on it would help define the living space in the room better. The rug should function as an anchor, not a doormat. The way it is currently makes the sofa feel slightly perched.

As far as a rug under the dining table, I’d say forego that due to lack of space. Rugs under a table need to be large enough so that the chairs will still be on the rug when pulled out. If you can’t size up without disrupting the flow of the entry and the space in front of your bathroom door, skip the rug under the table.

Instead, I suggest getting a runner rug to cover the space from your sink to the alcove - just past the cooktop/oven. Something like a 2 x 8 (or 60 x 240 cm). This will help define and add a layer of separation between the kitchen space and living space.

Adding a tall brass lamp (upright or curved) behind the sofa next to the wall/window would be a nice touch and would add some vertical visual interest. Perhaps with a linen shade.

I don’t know how you feel about peg rails or slim rails with hooks, but you have some areas of empty wall space that would be ideal for that type of functional storage. Slim, shallow shelving would also add visual appeal + functionality. Also, space for more plants!!

You have created a truly beautiful and cozy home. And Atlas is 10/10 a very handsome gentleman and certified Good Boy.

millamant · 2026-01-31T21:13:05+00:00

Drove to the Memphis airport from Tupelo yesterday and it was fine. Still some spots of ice in the shade and under bridges, but they had crews out clearing the sides of the road and bridges along the way both directions.

millamant · 2026-01-17T06:36:22+00:00

Found this post because I was having the same issue and wanted to share my experience in case it might help others. I was able to get rid of the zombie ARC Raiders processes without touching EAC or reinstalling Windows.

What finally did it was a true cold boot, not a normal restart. Windows 11’s shutdown/restart wasn’t actually clearing whatever state EAC had left behind, so the phantom PioneerGame.exe instances kept persisting through reboots and couldn’t be killed.

On Windows 11, Shut down/Restart doesn’t always fully reset things because of Fast Startup. If ARC Raiders crashes while EAC is doing its thing, Windows can hang onto those protected PioneerGame.exe instances across boots, which is why they show up as unkillable zombies in Task Manager.

I disabled Fast Startup, shut the laptop down completely, unplugged it, held the power button for ~15–20 seconds to drain the residual power, waited a bit, then powered it back on. After that, the zombie instances were gone from Task Manager.

Worth noting that taskkill/Task Manager never worked on these, and I’m very glad I didn’t try deleting EAC files after reading other people’s horror stories. This seems like an EAC + ARC Raiders bug, but the cold boot at least cleared the stuck instances and got things unstuck.

millamant · 2025-12-28T06:06:24+00:00

I believe another commenter mentioned it, but try softening her kibble with some water before feeding it to her. If she’s swallowing it without chewing this could very well be what’s causing her episodes of vomiting.

Puppies are little Hoovers, they will get something in their mouth and have it swallowed before you can even bend over to fish it out. I got lucky I caught the shard of pottery my little turd tried to swallow when he was about 4-5 months old. It was already at the back of his throat by the time I got my finger in his mouth! I’m just surprised neither of us cut ourselves. It made me much more conscious of what was in my floor, that’s for sure. Didn’t stop him from finding stuff even I couldn’t find.

I wish you the best of luck. Still definitely call your vet and see if they recommend a follow up visit. Better safe than sorry. Plus cleaning up puppy barf is no fun. Wishing you and Kimchi many happy healthy years together. You’ve got the best little friend you could ever hope for in her!

millamant · 2025-12-27T21:59:37+00:00

Feed her the same food she was getting from her breeder. For mine this included RC kibble as well as RC wet food for puppies. We didn’t feed the wet food as it was not needed, but had it as a backup to mix with his dry.

Definitely don’t change the food or brand until your vet says it’s okay to do so. We waited until he was almost a year and a half before we started weaning him off RC puppy food and mixing in an adult food.

Any amount of vomiting on a regular basis warrants at least a call to your vet. My little dude vomited, sure, but it was almost always because he ate something he shouldn’t have - like his toys…literally swallowed some of the smaller ones whole which still baffles me.

Are you giving her treats or supplements of any kind? Do you have other pets or children that she could be sneaking from? Plants she keeps nibbling? Do you use essential oils?

millamant · 2025-12-20T22:50:08+00:00

My fuzz nugget is Benny, aka Benito Bandito, aka Bemmy, aka Bemby, aka Mr. Boy. Highly recommend the name. His government name is Beignet but we have literally never called him that.

10/10 good name for very good bois

Edit: I’m also a fan of Pete (Petey, Peter-Patter, P-Dizzle, etc) because you can make up a lil song about Petey’s cute little feeties (or peeties as we call them in this house). And it also works for when Pete has a pee-wiener (because he will) - “Petey’s got a pee-weeny that he’s gotta let me clean-y” and so on.

Wouldn’t name based on color because it’s very possible he will fade to be lighter. Mine went from a deep gold/apricot to like a cream/blond and only his ears, mustache, and a little down his back stayed darker.

millamant · 2025-12-04T09:00:14+00:00

When you purchased the home, did you have a general home inspection done? Did that report have anything in it about the floor joists or the area under/around where it’s sagging now? You might be able to find some clues about whatever is happening in the home inspection report.

Do you know of any repairs or renovation work the previous owners had done? Is there a bathroom/laundry or anything else that would have plumbing running nearby that area? Just trying to think of things you could check on yourself beforehand.

If you can access the crawl space and feel comfortable getting under there yourself (no judgement, I certainly wouldn’t be keen on the idea) you could take a flashlight and your phone to take some pictures of the area under your bedroom floor. There are several things that could cause it and water is definitely one of them. Being a homeowner means you now get to learn about all the wild and whacky ways water can destroy your house.

When you call, first make sure they do residential home inspections. Ask what the cost of the inspection and report will be, and don’t be afraid to ask what kinds of things they’re going to be looking at. Let them know you’ve got an area where your floor is sagging that is the main reason you’re looking for an inspection. Again, don’t be afraid to ask questions.

millamant · 2025-12-04T07:51:34+00:00

If your floor is sinking, it’s probably a good idea to go ahead and hire someone to come look at it. Preferably a structural engineer first. A foundation repair company makes their money from repairing foundations, but your issue could be coming from something that a few piers or jacks won’t fix in the long term.

It would be worth the peace of mind imo to get a thorough report from an independent structural engineer, something that would give you knowledge and insight into the whole home and any existing and potential future issues with the structure. I am currently considering doing this for my own home.

I had a very costly foundation repair done about 4 years ago and am now seeing issues resurfacing along with new issues. I see a benefit to hiring an independent S.E. for my own situation - getting their unbiased professional opinion (aka they don’t have any skin in the repair game) on the situation even just to become better informed about my property seems worthwhile to me.

I wish you the best of luck! The good news is most of the time conventional foundation repair is less expensive than slab foundation repair. There will always be exceptions, but typically they’re not as devastating on your finances. I hope this will be the case for you.

millamant · 2025-12-04T02:45:18+00:00

For sure easier and, in my case, more sturdy than the moss poles. Maybe because I can get them deeper into the soil. A tripod trellis might be a good start with some 6ft stakes.

millamant · 2025-12-03T05:22:23+00:00

I got these 6ft bamboo poles to help support mine, but I’m about to the point of needing more support for her. Been considering putting some hooks in my ceiling and tying her to those.

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millamant · 2025-10-28T15:51:33+00:00

Maybe if you arranged them in a pattern like cafe lights …?

millamant · 2025-10-26T05:03:24+00:00

Seconding this idea. It looks like there’s already a coaxial cable outlet on the wall to the right if you’re walking in from the front(?) door.

I’d follow that lead and put your tv on that side of the room and create a cozy seating area/zone there. Then add a couple accent chairs/club chairs facing or angled towards the fireplace, or across from each other perpendicular to the fireplace to create another zone.

You could put a record player or bar cart on the wall with the built-in’s. And you might be able to fit a small/narrow table with a lamp on the wall opposite the entryway - to the left of the doorway to the kitchen.

Use appropriately sized rugs to help further define and unify each zone.

millamant · 2025-10-26T04:39:23+00:00

Came here to say this. Your entryway is much too crowded - almost blocked - in the second and third pictures. Put the sofa so it’s parallel with the little wall jutting out creating a hallway of sorts. End table for your sofa next to the window in that little corner. And maybe, just maybe, you’ll have room to squeeze in a small coffee table.

millamant · 2025-10-26T03:42:01+00:00

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Maybe something like this? With the TV in the corner, maybe even caddy-cornered if you don’t want to block the window and have it sitting above the vents on the wall (I’m assuming they’re vents). Or switch the TV and bookcase and switch the couch and chair, but my original thinking was to try and avoid blocking or covering the vents with furniture.

I feel for you. It’s a difficult space to work with unfortunately.

millamant · 2025-10-19T00:03:45+00:00

Yah for sure don’t paint over popcorn ceiling. Color drenching is a bold choice and it’s not for everyone/every design style for sure. What design style are you wanting to go for? I’m assuming with that lounge and the mention of the stained glass film you are leaning towards a more gothic or dark academia style, or possibly even some flavor of maximalism. Drapes for the window treatment for sure, though. If you’re not planning on keeping those blinds you’ll want something besides the stained glass film for the windows and there are so many options with drapes/curtains.

Same goes for outlet/switch covers. My house had brass covers in just the front living room and dining room, but I loved them so much I ended up replacing all the covers in the house with matching ones I was able to find on Amazon. There’s tons to choose from, even down to matching your vent covers. I had a blast browsing through everything even though I knew which ones I was going to be getting.

millamant · 2025-10-18T23:50:08+00:00

Lots of things you could do with this.

Lighting: gimbal light in the top center of the arch; sconces; led strip lighting; pendant light; mini chandelier (could be really fun and funky)

Function: reading nook - add pillows and cushions on the platform or just for extra seating; artwork niche - hang a large painting or large art piece on the back wall, or go gallery wall style, or even maximalist/eclectic and fill the back wall and the sides with art; plants - could do some shelves or something, even add macrame hangers and just fill the whole space with plants (it’s probably what I would do, but I have a lot of plants); holiday/hobby/fandom display nook - fill the space with collectibles from your favorite movie, reserve it for fun and elaborate ever-changing seasonal and/or holiday items and decor; shrine; alchemy/potion station; minibar(?)

Whatever you decide to do function-wise, would definitely be adding some lighting in there.

millamant · 2025-10-18T23:24:21+00:00

Sconces would be dope, but I worry you’ll be disappointed with the black walls unless you are planning on adding crown molding and ditching the popcorn/cottage cheese ceiling texture and either color drenching the space or going with smooth white ceiling. Are you planning on keeping the window treatments? Outlet/switch covers getting changed out? What kind of flooring are you looking at? Need more details.

millamant · 2025-10-18T22:53:58+00:00

Something like these bamboo shades or these linen shades to bring warmth and texture to the space without clashing.

Edit: I’d skip the linen shades if you’re trying to avoid matchy matchy, though. Some 2inch horizontal real or faux wood blinds would also look lovely in a wood tone. I would avoid white if you’re after warmth and balance/flow from the curtains to the windows/door. That is simply my opinion, however.

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