Checklist for dealing with a Lunatic in a panicky/depressive/cranky state:: azurelunatic

Congratulations! You are enjoying the company of one Lunatic. Your model should be blue in color. Some fluctuations in energy level, giggliness, personality, handwriting, and sanity are normal, and are no cause for alarm. Individual variation is part of the charm of the Lunatic. However, like most things, the Lunatic has several error modes. For maximum uptime for a Lunatic, consider these troubleshooting solutions if your Lunatic begins to function in an erratic manner or ceases to function:

Water. Lunatics carry around a gallon sport-top bottle of water as a matter of course. If this is missing or empty, apply water to Lunatic. This bottle is refilled at least twice daily. If your Lunatic attempts to go somewhere with the bottle less than half-full, make sure the Lunatic fills the water bottle and takes the opportunity to drain.

Blood sugar. Lunatics are the daughter of someone with issues that border on hypoglycemia, and Lunatic does need to make sure that she eats right things regularly. If Lunatic's right arm are bandaged at elbow, Lunatic has probably given plasma recently, and should be seated and refueled. Do not attempt to refuel the Lunatic with milk products, bananas, or walnuts, as malfunction may result, but if the Lunatic chooses these items to refuel with, it is her Own Damn Fault, and interference is not necessary.

Temperature. Lunatics are nonfunctional at low or high temperatures. If Lunatics have been sitting without coverings in temperatures lower than 70°F or been sitting in temperatures higher than 75°F for more than an hour or two, malfunction results. Apply motion and heat if chilled; apply motion, fresh air, internal and external water, and a cooler environment if overheated. Temperatures are approximate and may be subject to change, but Lunatics are sub-arctic creatures and can tolerate low temperatures with covering far better than even moderately warm temperatures. Low temperature often results in moodiness, depression, sulking (or curl-up-under-blanket-and-go-to-sleep); high temperature often results in incoherence, sleeplessness, and panic.

Shock. Lunatics have a disturbing ability to go into a state of shock with sufficient emotional provocation. Standard treatment for shock applies. Additionally, apply bondmate or big brother.

Sleep. If Lunatics have been in an active state for more than 16 hours, giddiness and/or crankiness may occur. If Lunatics have been in an active state for 24 hours or more, they should be promptly made horizontal and calm. Note that sleep may not be possible if temperature is outside of operational ranges or water settings are low. Lunatics should have at least 7 to 9 hours of sleep in order to resume full operation. If Lunatics sleep before midnight, lo, they will be Up All Night.

Bonds. Lunatics are unstable without the constant invisible presence of their bondmate. To reset bonds to baseline, make sure that Lunatic's silver star is applied and Lunatic has been recently grounded/centered. Bond may require /renew from time to time, and may not /renew automatically in absence of silver star prompt. Bond is security-enabled and will not connect properly if both ends are not secured; check all firewalls and ground/center before attempting a reconnect. Bond uses address filtering and will not admit additional users who are not whitelisted.

Meds. Lunatic requires 300-900 mg/day of St. John's Wort for proper function. Lunatic may appear to maintain mental health for a time in absence of meds, but will not reset to baseline if disturbed. Lunatic may crash and burn while on meds, but should quickly reset to reasonable baseline once all external factors have been restored to operational states. Malfunction may manifest as depression, lack of enthusiasm, sleep disturbance, panic attacks, agoraphobia, and paranoia.

Air. Lunatic suffers from respiratory allergies, and operates on 10mg Loratadine/day, with occasional cameos of assorted decongestant/nasal saline. If Lunatic cannot breathe, Lunatic's sleep suffers. Lunatic is also sensitive to tobacco smoke, and should be moved upwind of any sources of this. Under no circumstances may the Lunatic ride in a vehicle and/or remain in a poorly ventilated room in which someone is or has been smoking. Failure to heed this requirement will result in malfunction and damage.

Multitasking. Lunatic's processor can only handle so many threads at once. If Lunatic has multiple conflicting tasks, Lunatic may not be able to prioritize effectively. This may result in loss of temper, loss of coherent language skills, loss of all language skills, loss of emotional coping skills, and loss of effective user interface. Inclusion of any new skill in a task set is effectively equal to double the processor demand of a regular task. Inclusion of a close or past deadline on any task also doubles the processor demand. If Lunatic has lost verbal language skills, suggest sign language, writing, or drawing. If possible, remove from stress and make sure blood sugar, temperature, and water are within operational parameters.

Grooming. If a Lunatic's sleep cycle is off-balance, double-check to see that the Lunatic has bathed within the past 18 hours. If not, while the Lunatic may not have reached a state of personal grunge that offends others, the Lunatic will have reached a state of personal grunge that could adversely impact the Lunatic's mood, though she might not realize it. Have the Lunatic go through a complete wash cycle and go to bed. Once the Lunatic is in the shower, the Lunatic will function on automatic.

Checklist for dealing with a Lunatic in a panicky/depressive/cranky state:

Home, minus uterus

Enough

You might have succeeded in changing me / I might have been turned around