For starters, this post will probably be talking about Sunlit Man quite a bit, so be forwarned there will probably be spoilers in some form. Also, this turned into quite the essay, so prepare yourself.
That aside, I want to build a new Warlock subclass for my next DnD campaign, a warlock that works like Nomad sounds incredibly fun. Warlocks already have shardblades in the form of their pact weapon, and they have a similar magic system where they have a ton of power but it goes in quick bursts, so if seems fitting.
What I have so far:
•1 BEU will equal 1 level 1 spell slot, and can be used as such. Level 2 spells require 2 BEUs, level 3 requires 3, and so on. Upcasting spells works the same as regular casters, casting a level 2 spell as level 4 would require 4 BEUs(a level 4 spell slot). They would be able to choose the level they cast their spells at, rather than having to always cast at the highest level like standard warlocks but they are still limited by their casting level, no upscaling to a level 5 spell when they only have level 2 spells.
•they won't regain any BEUs from resting, short or long. They will only be able to regain BEUs by drawing on investiture in the world. They will not be limited in how many BEUs they can have, only by how many they can collect.
•At certain thresholds, they will gain additional abilities to corelate with Heightenings. Currents plan is at 5 BEUs they regain 1 hp per turn due to passive healing, with the healing increasing by 1 per heightening. At the second heightening (15 BEUs) they will be able to manipulate connection and communicate with others regardless of shared language(only 1 language at a time, can only be used once per day), at higher levels this may include buffs to persuasion and loosen the limitations on how effective it is and often it can be used. At the third heightening,(25 beus) they will gain a +1 to perception and wisdom checks, with an additional +1 on each subsequent heightening. At the 4th heightening(50 BEUs) they will gain +1 to strength, dexterity, and constitution with an additional +1 for each subsequent heightening. At the 5th heightening (75BEUs) they gain improved Investiture Efficiency, reducing the cost of all spells by 1(would free first level spells be too strong? Or could that potentially work?) and increasing investiture gain by 50% when drawing from a non-living power source(living things just have their 1 BEU, unless they are also invested in some form) and getting a bonus on rolls to steal investiture from slain enemies. While I'm not sure what effects to include, I feel like 100 for the 6th, 125 for the 7th, 150 for the 8th, 175 for the 9th, and a full 200 BEUs for the 10th heightening would be appropriate.
So what I really help with need is:
1) a way to recharge investiture, aka warlock spell slots, I want to sacrifice the short rest recharge and instead gain power from drawing on things around them (kind of like how you need to feed Gale enchanted shoes and such in Baldur's Gate 3, but maybe not just restricted to magic items since they tend to be rare in DnD) I need something that will allow them to keep a moderate baseline, and eventually grow in power through the course of the campaign that isn't brokenly weak/overpowered. Buying BEUs from merchants in towns could be 1 way, as well as convincing people to transfer theirs to the warlock and drawing the power from magical items and potentially spells cast on them(maybe 1 BEU per spell level, absorbed as a reaction, similar to how Nomad draws on investiture) I also need some tables on how many BEUs various levels of enchantment would give. Also considering if it would be too strong for them to gain 1 BEU from each kill as they absorb the enemy's Breath(maybe lock that behind a roll, have a chance to draw their power)
2) A balanced heightening chart, including possible changes to what I have already listed as well as buffs all the way up to the 10th heightening.
3)Some forms of Torment, in case things start to get too overpowered. They could even be tied to the heightenings, so that the stronger they become the more they have to fight around their limitations. Also potentially a baseline Torment that is always active decided by a roll on character creation.
4)I need some ideas/feedback for class specific level buffs. So far all I've got is increasing the complexity of their shardblade, allowing basic moving parts(chains, ranged weapons like bows, etc.) at level 5, and more complex devices with multiple moving components at level 9(think clocks, locks, a jack stand, etc). Maybe at a decently high level(like 13) they gain the equivalent of a Divine Breath, granting the buffs of the fifth heightening without the need to hoard enough BEUs to reach that point. Subsequent heightenings will still require the full number of BEUs(the Divine Breath Equivalent is still just 1 BEU, it just grants the buffs)
5)and of course, if y'all come up with anything else that I missed, additions are welcome and wanted.
Thanks in advance to any who take the time to read and/or pitch in.

Hello everyone, I been posting here a bit and thought I would do a intro. I'm 31, never really dated, obliviously Christian men in the US are at the bottom of the barrel in the dating market, I know most Christian women rather date a nonbeliever as many hold hatred and prejudice against us Christian men but that is not stopping me form trying 😅
[Picture/physical description]
I don't feel as Christian we should be focused outwardly and there is a lot of outwardly to back this up but it seems to be a requirement here, so I'm white, 6ft, dark blond, not fat, but not skinny.
Area of study/work:
I was home schooled and completed school a 3 years early, I spent those 3 years learning all sorts of things most people would not know, I thought myself how to plumb, to basic electrical work, fix cars, computers, appliances, and so many other handy things. I ended up becoming a car wash tech working on most of the systems at a local car wash and helped renovate homes on the side, after that car wash closed down I volunteered at a local charity and was quickly hired on full time, I been there for nearly 10 years now and love the job, most of my co workers are disabled in some way so a lot of friends I have happen to be disabled ether mentally or physically, I wanted to point that out as I know not everyone likes to be around those with mental disabilities and much of my circle is made up of people with all sorts of disabilities.
Hobbies/interests:
A lot of my hobbies revolve around me leaning new things or working with my hands. I love fixing things and tinkering, in the past I raced nitro powered RC cars, fixed cars, I often like to play around with vintage computers and electronics, cooking is anther paste time of mine as well.
Tell us a bit about your Christian journey:
I grew up in a Christian house hold but my family was more legalistic, most my family did not have a personal relationship with the Lord and sadly many of them has fallen form faith. I on the other hand was the black sheep of the family and was saved as a rather young age and I currently go to a non denominational church online with a overseas autistic friend of mine. TBH I'm not picky when it comes to denominations so long as its a good bible believing church I'm happy with it. I feel a lot of Christians should not be hung up on how we worship as we are commanded to love the Lord with all our heart ad to love one anther. That being sad I don't go to church in person anymore as many in my area are not preaching the Gospel and peach hate more then anything
What sort of person are you looking for?
First and foremost I'm looking for someone who is putting Christ first in their lives, I'm rather flexible passed that. I don't have a type when it comes to looks and feel that judging a date on the way they look is foolish. However there are a few things I wanted to bring up, I don't believe in divorce what so ever, to me its never a option nor will I do anything sexual outside of marriage, I also prefer to be around people who don't beat around the bush. I also never been able to date anther christian before, sadly in today day and age Christian man are not wanted in the dating market so my experience in dating and knowing what I want is next to zero so I'll be learning as I go so to say.
Age range:
I'm not picky on age at all, older or younger is fine, to me age it just a number but given my personality I think younger would be far better. Someone 18-25 on a personality level would likely be more compatible with me however I tend to have interests that would liable me a old soul and most of my closest friends are far older then me. I also grew up in a bit of a cultural bubble and form a pop cultural stand point you would think I'm from gen X. So I can see things working out just as well with someone older too.
Would you be willing to do long distance/relocate?
Being a Christian man living in the USA I know that 99% women would not want anything to do with me and I'm fully open to dating outside the US so distance is not a problem, I'm not to keen on relocating but given the right person I would think about it. I'm a home owner and live in a very good, safe town and have a good job so I think it would be best if you moved to were I live.
EDIT:
I wanted to point out I come form a rather wealthy family and my family can be rather snobby and prime/proper about some things, wile I am nothing like then and live very humbly I wanted to point that out as it can be a shocker to find simple old me comes form such a family.

Hello all!
47 F at the beginning of this journey. Already a spoonie, fibromyalgia, multiple other ways my body is trying to unalive me…which is so rude, you know?
I’ve been having episodes for a few years now, but they came to the forefront a few weeks ago when I took a little tumble out of a hot bath. Yeah, I stood up and then I was on the floor. I thought my heart was going to beat right out of my chest! It felt like an adrenaline dump and an anxiety attack had a baby. Not cool, bro.
Cut to now, I’m having issues when I stand up too quickly, or when it’s too hot, or I’ve done “too much”…whatever that means now.
Finally saw my doc, I’m currently on a Holter monitor. Had an EKG today, having an echo and a MRI on the 21st.
My doc said that I’m not presenting classically as dysautonomia, by my blood pressure checks. I’m like, look at my heart rate tho! But that’s not the whole story, apparently.
It’s not like I want this to be POTS. I don’t want it to be anything, I want to feel like a human again. They took a bunch of blood as well. I mean, I should be glad that my doctor is taking me seriously, right? I’m just…I’m dead ass tired of all of this.
Is there anything y’all think my doc is missing? She took the blood for regular testing plus thyroid function.
Thank you for any thoughts or advice you have. Sending you so much love!

I'm finding that when I hold my aero position on my training rides that I'm starting to experience numbness in the nether regions after about 20 minutes. I'm currently using a road saddle and would be happy to convert to a trip saddle, but before spending the money I wanted to ask if I would see any improvement.
Is it normal to be numb after a period of time? And should I just expect to stand up every 10 minutes to circulate?
When I'm seated in a non aero position I'm fine like that for hours.

Me (15f) is writing this down right now cause for a long time i had thoughts of just leavin my mom to stay with my dad. My mom is a great mom she tried her best but that not the problem it her old husband that the problem and my brother is the problem as well my brother (9m) is currently living with his dad let him his dad aj for now
aj was in my life until i was 8-7 years old and everyday when i am reminded of aj i just get an ick everything i see my brother i hate my brother and not a sibling hate like i generally hate my brother and this is why
Ever since my mom married aj my mom basically stopped caring for me she would feed me and bathe me and stuff but she would always be by aj side everything was about aj soon aj got my mom pregnant and my brother was soon born
i was happy at first to have a sibling that actually lives with me but over time i hated it because everything was about him now .. my mom on the weekends would take me to my dad house while she has the weekend with my brother and her husband aj
my dad is a kind man but he drinks a lot he would drink around me but he never hitted me or yelled at him or even pushed me aside my dad made everything about me
My dad never hitted me but aj did he wasnt even my father and he still hitted me, he forced me to eat food and my mom didnt care my mom just let it happen i told my mom that aj hitted me on my butt so hard i couldnt sit down cause how bad it hurted i remember crying so much that i fell asleep starved cause i didnt wanna go downstairs and see aj face
Aj forced me to call him daddy I never called my dad , daddy
i hated aj and my brother so much that at a young age i thought killing myself would set me free from even seeing aj
So i tried to do it , i tried to kill myself , but since im here typing this the attempt didn’t work so after a few years of AJ, and my mom dating ages got an abusive with my mom, hitting her yelling at her and hitting me yelling at me, but never at his son, my brother, my mom’s first boy, so what my mom did is she ran away with me and my brother we became homeless we went to the homeless shelters and AJ was stalking my mom finding my mom stealing from my mom and even trying to hurt my mom while we ran away. My mom tried her best after from moving to different houses in different parts. Ages still found us. I never finished 3rd grade. Because the amount of times we had to move because of aj I never made friends I never had a normal childhood like other people did. I soon gain social anxiety. And nightmares I remember I tried to tell my dad that AJ was hitting me, but when I told my aunt first, my dad sister she told me to not tell him and I asked why and she told me that my dad would kill him meaning I would never see him again, so I kept quiet this running and hiding and moving because of AJ‘s been happening my whole life last year in 2022 my brother told his school that my mom abuses him just because he wanted to see his dad, so CPS and DCYF came to my mom’s house, and I was questioned my brother was questioned. My mom was questioned, and my mom went to court. She told the court that AJ could have custody of my brother now this is where hell starts because I hated my brother ever since he was born I can’t stand being in the room with him. I can’t stay in a room with him because he makes me so mad so every time my mom told me to watch him I would but I always stay in my room I would sleep the whole day just so I can ignore my brother until my mom gets home now. My mom doesn’t get home until eight or 9 o’clock at night. Meaning I don’t cook for my brother until my mom gets home my brother ever since I first watched him always eat bread just bread because I wouldn’t cook for him now I know I’m in the wrong on this because I am the asshole for not feeding my brother when I did watch him but I hated him so I figured if I ignored him and I never talk to him and I just act like he’s not there. He would hate me too, but no, he never did he never hated me. When I went to Puerto Rico for my summer break every year he would call me and ask me when I was coming back just so I could watch him and I told him I might stay here forever and he got upset but I told him to give the phone back to mom and he did every year on summer vacation when I went to Puerto Rico to see my family he would call me and ask me when I was coming back in 2022 near December my brother stayed with his dad My mom gave full custody to AJ and ever since he getting custody AJ went to court testified for domestic violence against my mom say my mom abused him and my brother this year in 2023 my brother told CPS that I sexually assaulted him. My brother is nine years old and he likes cars he likes games. He likes talking to people and he loves my mom but when I heard my brother, my own brother called CPS and dcyf that I touched him I cried I cried so much, because even though I hated him, and I couldn’t stand being in the same room as him, he went and told a lie after I heard that I wanted to leave my mom because this all started because of my mom is my mom never married AJ never created my brother I I wouldn’t have these problems. I was never dragged into these problems after I heard with my brother told those people I never hated my brother more, if I ever see my brother, I would cry because I’m related to that thing I don’t even wanna call him my brother because he really isn’t. He don’t consider him as family, so am I the asshole for wanting to live with my dad and leave my mom

Hello everybody. I hope you are doing well.
Compilers can optimize a tail-recursive function to get rid of the overhead of creating additional stack frames. But can they transform a non-tail-recursive function (for example, the classic recursive factorial function), into a tail-recursive function to eventually turn it into imperative code? Are there any existing algorithms to do this?
The problem is to create a generalized algorithm that can work with any recursive function that accepts -or returns- any type of value. I believe it is relatively easy to create algorithms that only deal with integers, for example (however implementing those optimizations would probably introduce a lot of bugs and edge cases).
What distinguishes a tail-recursive function from a non-tail-recursive one? I think the answer to this question is the following:
In the body of a non-tail-recursive function, the function's return value is used as an argument to another function call in the function's body. This creates a need to wait for the function call to return, which requires the creation of additional stack frames.

fac(n) = if n = 1 { 1 } else { n * fac (n-1) } 

This is essentially the same as this:

fac(n) = if n = 1 { 1 } else { MUL (n, fac (n-1)) } 

We need to turn this into a function in which it calls itself as a "stand-alone" function call (so, the function call is not an argument to another call). As an alternative, we would need to come up with an algorithm that somehow stores every n in the current stack frame, so we don't have to create a new stack frame every time fac gets called.
I hope this makes sense. I am waiting for your answers.

I was a damaged person. But I was on the mend.
I had a pretty traumatic break up with my childhood best friend, turned girlfriend. I had known her since we were 8 years old. We had been boyfriend and girlfriend since we were 13 and had been so for 9 years until my junior year of college when she cheated on me in a very cruel way. It came to light that she had cheated on me many times before as well.
I loved her so god damn much! I thought we were one of those stories where two souls were knitted together from eternity to eternity, or some hallmark card bullshit like that.
I was emotionally shattered and it took me a while until one day about 2 years later, I woke up and thought about her, but then realized that I hadn't thought about her at all the previous day. It was glorious and I knew then that I was on the mend. After that, my healing process sort of exponentially snowballed and I was back in the saddle as far as relationships went. I started going on dates and meeting up with women.
I was a software engineer working for a large corporation. Because I was good at my job, and because I didn't have a family, I was given the opportunity to move to Singapore and lead a project there for what would be a couple of years but turned out to be 7 years.
The great thing about Singapore is that they speak the "King's English" when they're not speaking "Singlish" (a patois of mostly English with funky grammar, but with Malay, Chinese, and Hindi thrown in). So I didn't have to learn a whole new language to fit in. I just had to learn how to translate Singlish to English, which wasn't too hard after a couple of months of trying. I even learned the lingo and it would amuse my coworkers a whole lot when I spoke Singlish. They thought it was hilarious.
I was a good looking guy (still am!!) but I really let myself go in my depression. I was a tall, muscular 210 pounds when I broke up with my ex, but I had ballooned up to over 300 pounds. I started a workout regimen and lost it all but the workout regimen became sort of an obsession. It was the one thing that grounded me. After I went to Singapore, one of my business perks was a gym membership at "Fitness First", a local gym franchise. I was down to my previous weight, but I had to practically camp out at the gym because the best thing about Singapore is the FOOD. The food is incredible! However, you WILL pack on the weight if you don't get your ass to the gym.
The meet cute
I was working out one day much later than normal due to some overtime on my project and I saw a girl on a treadmill. The treadmill was the one I usually use because it was in the back and kind of out of the way. The girl was stunning! The thing that stuck out to me was that she was had her hair in a pony tail through a ball cap, which is a look I find very attractive. I was a little nervous because, even though I was fairly confident about the way I look, I was definitely batting out of my league with this girl.
I went to her and chatted her up after she got off of the treadmill. She didn't look me in the eye and didn't really engage. I figured that I had acted like what is now known as a "gym creep" and I figured it was a "swing and a miss!" I apologized and said I wouldn't bother her anymore. I stuck out my hand and said "I'm OP, by the way. What's your name?"
She hesitated and looked at me for a bit and said "Lilly" (not her real name).
I remember this exactly because she later said that it was what intrigued her about me. At the time, she was an actress/model who had done some print/public billboard type ads, product demo booths at expos, and even a bit part in a local tv (Mediacorp) series. She had started to attract public attention because of these (mainly the TV show and the ads that were hanging all around town at that time) not just from men but from women too and it was super uncomfortable for her.
The fact that I had no idea who she was relaxed her and made her think that I was attracted to her for her and not because her face was everywhere at the time. After she told me about it, I did notice her face everywhere. But photoshop was a thing even back then, so I didn't recognize her from her ads and I really don't look at ads, tuning them out. I also didn't watch her TV show because it was in Mandarin Chinese and I don't speak or understand any Chinese, and I wasn't in a position where I was required to attend or arrange trade shows.
In the years prior to meeting me, Lilly had undergone a lot of plastic surgery (breast, eyelid, facial contouring, nose job, lipo, etc). She said it got to where she didn't recognize herself in the mirror and it disturbed and depressed her. She hadn't particularly wanted the surgery but she got the procedures done at the behest of her family who wanted her to bring in more money and the people in charge of her career development (don't know the term). It was all very expensive and she felt like she owed her family and the talent people who managed her.
Later, I found out that she hated the public recognition. Not just from men, but mostly from women who were really catty about her plastic surgery. The people in charge of her were pushing her to start singing but she didn't have a good voice and would need a bunch of training for that. She was depressed due to not recognizing herself in the mirror any more and didn't want to follow the career track that she had been on. They were pushing her to do more figure/body modeling which was why she was in the gym. She was SUPER uncomfortable with that and constantly hungry and pissed off.
She was afraid that she would do some more modeling and then get married off by her parents to some rich mainland Chinese man that she would be ambivalent about (she preferred Caucasian men) and she'd be forced to be a traditional pampered Chinese wife living in Beijing.(Doesn't sound that bad to me. Some of those Chinese businessmen live crazy luxurious lifestyles.
Since I was working a lot of overtime, I kept going to the gym later at night and we saw each other and I would wave and smile and she would smile and wave back. OK I was kinda hoping to meet her regularly. I spotted her on a couple of exercises and we began to chat with each other a bit. A couple of times I had to steady her because she was fainting from being hungry and working out at the same time. I used that as an excuse to take her out to a hawker center, which like a mall food court but with delicious local food (not chain restaurants). We chatted and got along really well. It became a regular thing until I confessed I had a crush on her. We started dating after that until it got to a point where she practically moved into my place.
She, of course, had her share of guys interested in her. She was on livejournal at the time (remember livejournal??) and she was doing that and posting pictures of herself for her career mostly, but I'm sure she did enjoy the attention. She had one guy from Belgium who was really after her. He actually bought her 800 thread count sheets, which is an oddly practical but vaguely inappropriate gift. He actually visited Singapore on business (he was a tech sales guy) and wanted to meet up with her in a public place, a hawker center. I still had trust issues from my previous "love of my life" betraying me. To this day, I cringe at my behavior at the time, but I laid down a clear boundary. She could absolutely go see and hang out with this guy if she wanted to, but if she did, she'd be doing it as a single available girl and we would be through. She said she saw my face "turn to stone" and it was clear that she would lose me if she went to meet up with that guy. That honestly gave her pause about our relationship and she really considered ending it at the time. I didn't know that until much later, though. Certainly, I'm glad that she didn't. She didn't go meet up with the guy. To this day, we call the incident "The Belgian Waffle". OK so I call it that, she thinks it's stupid.
Meeting her family
Eventually, Lilly asked if I could have dinner with her parents, saying that they wanted to meet me. I bought some gifts, basically Japanese cookies in really nice packaging, and then we met. I did the traditional thing and formally introduced myself and asked them about their family and history.
At the time, Lilly got some criticism from her extended family because I am a white guy. There was a certain stigma attached to local girls who liked white guys. They called those girls "SPGs" which stands for "Sarong Party Girls", a derogatory name for the prostitutes who would entertain British expats at after hours parties "back in the day".
Over the next few months, I won over her family mainly by eating their food and being accepting of their culture. I grew up in Texas, so pickled jalapenos were common in my house...like salt and pepper, we put them on everything. Later on, I was the kind of guy who put tabasco or sriracha on everything. So eating their spicy food was no problem for me. I remember us both going shopping at an open air market and seeing an older woman cutting up cili padi. I asked if I could try some. She looked at my pale face and then at Lilly and she said I could. I bit into one and chewed it up as the woman looked at me with an amused look on her face. She was waiting for me to jump up and down with fire shooting out of my mouth, I guess. I disappointed her, but she and Lilly were impressed. She later told her mother and she was impressed too. She wanted me to eat one for her as well. Oh well, trained monkey time I guess.
The real test came when I tried Durian for the first time. This is the same food that "defeated" Andrew Zimmern, the "Bizarre Foods" guy. I actually liked it. I had a D24 durian, which admittedly is like the "beginner version" of durians. There are like 16 different types. When you get past the smell and actually taste it, it doesn't smell that bad any more. It's very sweet and creamy. It's like the taste overwrites your disgust of the smell. I think that's what really impressed them to an extreme degree. They started calling me an "egg", because I was "white on the outside but yellow on the inside."
I would visit her grandmother with her. In true Chinese fashion, Lilly and her brother Johnny were raised by their paternal grandparents while their parents worked full time jobs, so her grandmother was like her mom. She was in an elder care facility at this point, though. She didn't like living there, but it was all they could afford. We would visit her every week and she'd be very happy. She didn't speak any English at all so she and Lilly would just chat speaking Hokkien Chinese while her grandmother would pet my hairy forearms like I was a dog. She was absolutely smitten with my hairy forearms.
Meeting my family
After a little over a year, I took her back to Texas to meet my family. It was quite the culture shock. Lilly was amazed by red barns and hay bales, black and white Holstein cows, things she saw in movies about the USA. She particularly was impressed by the cluster mailboxes lined up on country roads ("So cute, leh!") We actually had to stop the car and take pictures of her standing next to them, smiling goofily for the photo. I made sure to take her to the Texas hill country during spring, when the hills are covered with soft green grass and festooned with bluebonnets, sunflowers, indian paintbrushes, black eyed susans, daisies, etc. I had to practically hold her down to keep her from picking them. It's not illegal or anything, it's just frowned upon and tradition to leave them alone. OK, I let her pick some. Give me a break, I was in love with the girl.
Driving was also something that kind of boggled her mind. Texas is huge, and traveling from my parents' place to visit my brothers and their families was a seemingly endless trek. Driving from Houston to Austin, to Corpus Christi was crazy long, even with the stops to visit my relatives.
Lilly was practically agoraphobic at the big sky in Texas. She was used to being in a forest of tall concrete and steel buildings, with only strips of blue sky available at the top. In Texas that sky went from horizon to horizon. She was also amazed at the uncountable numbers of stars at night away from the city lights. She later told me it was like visiting Narnia or something.
In Texas, she got her share of looks from guys, especially in the bigger cities. I wasn't jealous. I've never been a jealous guy, although my experience with my ex "love of my life" really put my radar up, I still was proud that other guys were attracted to her. My attitude was "go ahead and eat your hearts out, she's with me!"
When she met my oldest brother, it was like a cultural thing with her, so she was very deferential and respectful. I knew that my oldest brother was attracted to her because he was stumbling and stuttering when he was speaking to her, looking at her but kind of avoiding looking at her. I wasn't too concerned because he was a married guy with 2 sons and not a scumbag, but it was still pretty amusing to see "Mr. Smooth-don't-let-em-know-you-want-em-kid" at a loss for words.
My parents met Lilly finally (she was super nervous but she did really well) and later my mom brought me aside and asked me if she should re-set her mother's diamond engagement ring. I thought about it a bit, and then told her "yes". My mom's eyes started sparkling with images of unborn grandchildren and she smiled bigger than I had ever seen her smile (kind of unsettling actually). My dad later brought me aside and basically told me I couldn't do any better and I would be a "god damn fool" if I let her get away from me. I agreed. My dad then told me something that remains with me to this day: "She will make your life sparkle, son." (she has).
Before our time in the US was up my mom gave me the ring and I asked Lilly to be my wife in a field of wildflowers, which had become her favorite place to be in Texas. She said yes. Looking back, that was one of the happiest days of my life. It was up there with losing my virginity to "the love of my life" (who turned out to be a duplicitous crazy person but at the time it was really special), my wedding day to Lilly, and the births of our children.
The Engagement
When we got back to Singapore we had to pretend we weren't engaged because I had to ask her parents for their daughter's hand in marriage. I spoke with them and explained how my prospects in my career were good. I told them that I loved their daughter and that my family also loved their daughter. We had to schedule a phone call between my parents and her parents.
I had clued my parents in as far as the traditions go. In Chinese culture, the groom pays for the wedding rather than the bride. The groom also has to give the bride's parents certain auspicious gifts. My parents luckily had done a tour of China a few years before and knew all of this beforehand, having befriended their local tour guide who was saving up money for his own wedding at the time. On the call, they agreed upon a pinjin, which is basically "betrothal money". We started to plan the Guo Da Li ceremony which would take place in 3 months time, and 3 months before the wedding.
Unfortunately life threw us a curve ball and Lilly's grandmother died. It was bittersweet because, while Lilly missed her, her grandmother had become very old and infirm to the point where her quality of life was pretty low. All wedding stuff was put on hiatus until the funeral was over plus 100 days for mourning.
After that, we were able to do the Guo Da Li ceremony. I gave my future in laws a red packet of money plus special cakes and 12 mandarin oranges and gold jewelry. It all went very well.
Wedding planning started in earnest. I got some money from my dad (who insisted) but the lion's share was out of my pocket. During this process I was able to meet some incredible people. The stand outs were Richard and Jimmy. Rich and Jimmy were tailors and dressmakers. They were a couple and they gave my fiancée a really good deal on a wedding dress and cocktail dress if she agreed to do some print modeling for their business. They also made me a tuxedo and a suit. I offered to model for them as well and we all had a good laugh at that prospect (OK they were doing most of the laughing - ego still hurts from that one, guys).
The venue we were using was Chijmes. It's the same one used in the move "Crazy Rich Asians". It was back when they had first started offering it up as a venue so it wasn't crazy expensive at the time. Plus, it was a smaller venue for weddings. Usually weddings are held in large hotel ballrooms and are huge affairs (this is what I was told). The families both invite everyone they've ever met to come: Neighbors, business contacts, everyone. They all bring red packets filled with cash. We opted for the "small" wedding.
The Bachelor Party
We had planned bachelobachelorette parties on the same night (separate venues). Lilly's MOH threw hers while Rich and Jimmy threw mine. My best man was my dad (because he's the best man that I know) and so cigars and brandy would have been disappointing to my work friends and my future brother in law and cousins. I don't think anyone was prepared for what happened.
We had the party at the sushi restaurant of a friend of Rich and Jimmy's. It was after hours. We had some incredible sashimi and rolls. I even tried fish sperm. Didn't like it. I asked Jimmy are you sure it's FISH, sperm?? He said of course he'd never do that to me. To be fair, it did taste and smell very fishy. I don't know how human sperm tastes like (or maybe I do now, I don't know).
After the sushi was done, it was time for the entertainment, and oh boy. Rich and Jimmy hired a trans entertainer who sang show tunes. The thing is, she had an incredible voice. She was obviously biologically male, but she really carried herself with a lot more femininity than I've seen from biological women. She sang and told jokes and roasted me pretty thoroughly. My dad was there and he thought it was funny as hell. My friends from work, especially the Aussies and Brits, thought it was great, my future BIL and most of my future cousins did too. Other cousins politely excused themselves and left. I think the free flowing booze and beer kept most people there, though.
After her thoroughly entertaining performance, it was time for the dancers. This is kind of where it went off the rails. Rich and Jimmy hired exotic dancers...but they were all male or trans. Now, to be fair, it wasn't like they didn't tell me about it beforehand. They did. Personally, I thought it would be hilarious to announce that the strippers were here and then have male dancers come out. I have a twisted sense of humor, I suppose. I certainly wasn't going to cheat on the most beautiful woman in the world mere weeks before our wedding, so prostitutes and female dancers were completely out of the question for me. They jokingly suggested male dancers it and we laughed. I thought about it a bit and I guess I'm "take-the-joke-too-far" guy so I encouraged it. Lilly knew about it and thought it was funny as well and wanted me to video tape it while it happened. ("Yeah right you just want to ogle the dancers" "Of course, lah!")
What I wasn't prepared for was the PLATOON of banana hammocks that marched out into the restaurant. Smooth greased up Asian chests everywhere! My dad was of course shocked at first and then looked at me and we started laughing and the ridiculousness of it. My dad stood up and clapped his hand on my shoulder and put a mock serious look on his face. The people immediately around me witnessed my dad telling me that he loved me and accepted my life style choice and that nothing I could say or do would ever change the fact that he and mom loved me and accepted me. Thanks, dad. I was laughing during the whole thing and my future BIL and work buddies who were around me were laughing as well. My dad excused himself and said he had to go find my mom and tell her the "bad news about her future grandchildren" and left ("Can adopt, lah! Can surrogate, meh!" Thanks for the support, guys). My future BIL laughed and said that since all of the available male dancers were at my party, there were none available to attend his sister's party, so she was "safe".
Among the highlights of the evening is that I discovered that a few of my co-workers and future cousins were in fact gay. I was told to stay out of the ladies' room no matter what. I wasn't planning on going in but thanks for the warning. I was proud that we all only vomited in the trash cans and not on the floor (what a waste of some damn good sushi....and fish sperm). Rich and Jimmy stayed next to each other all night. I even saw them holding hands and looking at each other lovingly. To my shame, I was under the common misconception that all gay men were very promiscuous and I kind of expected them to pair off with the dancers. What I saw that night was a very loving monogamous relationship.
The Wedding Day
The day of the wedding came a few days later and I had the good fortune of being the first one in my family to experience the fun and interesting experience of a groom going through a Chinese-style wedding. I say "Chinese-style" because while we did do a lot of the traditions from a Chinese wedding, we did say vows to God before a Christian minister. This was something she insisted on as her family had converted from Taoism to Christianity (but still kept the Taoist traditions and festivals).
First up was the gatecrash. I went over to the her family's apartment and the MOH and bridesmaids stood at the door refusing to let me in unless I gave them $9999.00. Nine is a significant symbol to them. It means "longevity" I think. So the whole idea is for me to haggle the price down by doing challenges and games. I had to do a handstand and walk with my hands. I had to answer trivia questions ("What is her nickname for you?" "Cranky old man" "What is your nickname for her?" "Baby"). BIL and I had to do "the worm". I haggled them down to $99 which I paid to them in a red packet. My BIL and wife chided me for not going lower but my dad was there and was in his 70s and couldn't do any feats of strength.
After I "secured" my bride, we did the traditional tea ceremony with her parents and my parents. Lilly was dressed in a traditional red silk qipao, tailor made by Rich and Jimmy. I gotta tell you people, the qipao really does it for me! Not gonna lie, it was like cupid gut punched me when I saw her dressed in it . My parents were pretty stoic throughout but my mom sympathy cried with Lilly's parents when she tearfully did the tea ceremony with her mother and father. We received red packets from each set of parents. I was told the red packet her parents gave us had most of the bride price we paid in it. Her mom gave her her grandmother's jeweled antique watch and my mom gave her a sapphire ring (sapphire is my birth stone). As we left her home to go to Chijmes, I told her "we're keeping that dress, understand me??" She laughed.
We got to Chijmes, did the photos and she walked down the aisle in a beautiful white dress with a small train behind it with sequins on it. My dad gave me the ring. He was my best man. He was my best man because he's the best man I know. After the wedding, she changed into a champagne colored strapless cocktail dress another Rich and Jimmy original. THREE wardrobe changes, people! THREE! All with different hair and make up and she did it super quick. I don't know what wizardry was invoked but we may be indebted to the hoary netherworld.
We honeymooned at the Fullerton Hotel. The old British colonial Post Office was converted to a luxury hotel in 2001. We stayed there for 3 days ordering overpriced room service ("Go to hawker center, lah! Much cheaper better food, meh!).
Emigration and Immigration
So a little bit before this time, a little event happened in New York. You might have heard about it. Anyway because some sexually repressed incels decided to murder thousands of people, USA's immigration was all jacked up. The INS went bye-bye. Then we had the BCIS for a brief moment, followed by the USCIS. I saw that my project was ending and my company helped me with her immigration. It was a pain, though. It seems like we had new forms to fill out every week while the old ones became obsolete. That's how I remember it, anyway. It was a pretty frustrating time and I almost had to leave her behind (it wouldn't have been permanent but it would be a long time). Luckily we were able to make it time.
For explanation purposes, we didn't get LEGALLY married in Singapore. We had the religious ceremony but no "government contracts" were involved. This is because, at that time at least, it was easier to bring over a fiancée than a wife, for some reason. So Lilly was a "90 Day Fiancée"!! We got married at the county courthouse when we finally were able to go to my new project. We didn't wait 90 days. We did in three (jet lag).
Unfortunately for her, we moved from Singapore, a 24 hour international class city, to a sleepy seaside town in the USA near a military base. Lots of fun was had with that. A total fish out of water story for another time (What is this "coin laundry"? Do you Americans have a place to wash your coins?).
My BIL got married to a beautiful girl and moved to Australia and opened a Bait and Tackle store in Surfer's Paradise on the east coast of Australia. He has 2 daughters. In 2012 he was caught cheating on his wife and lost everything. She moved back to Singapore with his kids, and he kind of struggled for a while. He got another bait and tackle store eventually and tries to see his daughters whenever he can. They don't have a good relationship.
Rich and Jimmy celebrated the decriminalization of homosexuality in Singapore in 2022, but they still can't get married. We still talk from time to time. Writing this, I find myself missing them. I had some really fun times because of them. I've never had better conversations in Singapore than with them while at Lilly's dress fittings (and my suit fittings).
We have been married for 21 years. She has never given up being a Singaporean citizen. She keeps her passport current. She's a "permanent resident" here in the USA. We have three kids, two boys and a girl. We are still married. She still wears her hair in a pony tail with a ball cap when she works out. She still wears that qipao on special occasions, which I try to achieve as often as possible. She's still my Baby and I'm still her Cranky Old Man.
Thanks for reading.

tl;dr Only the FIPS and Security Key support FIDO L2 and firmware 5.7 for the FIPS key is in the certification process which takes about 18 months (the Security Key already has 5.7). The FIPS might soon support FIPS 140-3 in approx. 18 months. The Yubikey 5 Series will NOT support FIDO L2.
As someone who wanted to use FIDO L2 with ID Austria (Austria's e-government service), I was waiting for firmware 5.7, which seems to enable it at some point (https://docs.yubico.com/hardware/yubikey/yk-tech-manual/5.7-firmware-specifics.html#fido-level-2).
I just asked support if the Yubico 5 series supports it, as their website says it does not:

[...] a subsequent version of 5.7.x firmware is targeted for later in Q2 along with submission for FIPS 140-3 validation. The process is estimated to take ~18 months to receive validation and certificate, based on our understanding of current processing times.
The information presented in the Technical Manual is correct. Regarding FIDO Level 2 and the new 5.7 firmware, this will undergo FIDO Level 2 certification for assurance of attestable hardware-bound credentials, which as stated above, is estimated to take ~18 months to receive validation and certificate, based on our understanding of current processing times

This however is for keys already supporting FIDO L2 (read down below). At the moment this will probably only affect a small number of people as only a few services require FIDO L2. But I thought I would share this in case someone googles it like I did.
EDIT: I just received a reply:

The FIDO2 Level 2 certification process is only applicable to our FIPS and Security series keys. So if you require the expanded credential storage and FIDO2 Level 2 certification, waiting for the release of the updated FIPS series keys is your only option. It does not require a firmware update or revised hardware, it is simply a matter of obtaining the certification and integration with the YubiKey.

So any purchase from our web store a YubiKey 5 Series (non FIPS), it will come with the 5.7 firmware as standard. The FIPS version will have the older firmware and without the expanded limit.
I just asked again to confirm but this sounds like firmware 5.7 is being certified for the keys already supporting FIDO L2 (FIPS and Security Key). So maybe no FIDO L2 for Yubikey's 5 Series
EDIT2:

So the FIDO L2 certification process for firmware 5.7 applies only to the FIPS and Security Key?
I assumed all keys on firmware 5.7 will be FIDO L2 certified at some point. Do I understand correctly that the Yubikey 5 Series keys will not be FIDO L2 certified despite having firmware 5.7?
I was assuming the Yubikey 5C NFC will also undergo FIDO L2 certification with firmware 5.7.

Their reply:

Yes you are correct! And as to all the 5.7 firmware and FIDO2 Level 2, as it stands, our FIPS and Security Key series keys will be the only ones with the the certification for FIDO2 Level 2 and 5.7 when they receive the certification.

Perhaps for future releases, things will turn out to be different, but as it stands, this is the way for now.
Apparently, firmware 5.7 is in the certification process for the keys compatible with FIDO L2. It does NOT add support for keys not supporting it.

Please tell me I'm expecting too much from something that never really started, before I talk to him about it. Sorry, in advance for the long post.
I (32 f) met him (28 m) online in the middle of April. We instantly clicked. Problem was/is that I'm in a long term (9 year) relationship. We have a lot of issues from anger, finances, (suspected) infidelity, spending very little time together, household responsibilities, ideas for the future, etc. But I was so jaded, I was just kind of... okay with going day by day dealing with all that shit and never really confronting it.
Then I meet this guy. And all of a sudden I remember "Wait... guys can be.. nice?" I never hid from him that I was in a relationship, how long it was, or what was going on in it. He asked me about it and I said I was okay if he wanted to stop talking - I genuinely was, after all, it had only been an hour or two by the time we got to this part if the conversation. He said no and that he wanted keep talking. That he "can wait." We talked more and more and I realized I can't stay in my relationship. However, it's not easy to leave a 9 year relationship when we are on the same lease, have shared bank accounts and when - even if we have our problems - there is still genuine love&care there, bacause it's nearly a decade of our lives together.
But I've already started quietly making moves. I set up my own bank account to save up more of my paycheck before depositing it into our joint account. I started looking up apartment options for him to check out (the apartment we rent out is the 2nd floor of my parents house) once things are over so he's not left with no clue where to start looking, (though I suspect he'll be to angry/upset to read the listings). I also realize I've been standing up for myself a bit more during our arguments and I didn't even mean to be doing that.
This guy I met online, I told him how I'm realizing I need to leave and I want to. We spoke about him being worried he'd make me leave such a long relationship, and I wouldn't like him when we met and regret leaving. I told him the truth, that even if he and I didn't make it, I still realize I need to end things in my current relationship. That even if he is the catalyst to my process of breaking up, I'm not necessarily breaking up with my boyfriend "for" him - and I really do mean this.
But I'd be lying if I said I don't hope he's in my future. I'm not the kind of person who goes online and tries to dm people and start private conversations. I don't go out and flirt with people. When people have flirted with me, it's always been easy to turn them away, ignore the messages, or block them when they got weird. He is different though. During 2nd conversation on the 2nd day since meeting, he said he could see himself developing real strong feelings for me. He asked that I simply promise him that if there are ever problems between him and I or if I am overwhelmed with my relationship and talking to him at the same time, that I please not ghost him, and that instead we just talk about it like adults. He said he had a terrible experience with someone ghosting him and he never wants to feel that again or do that to someone.
There's a 6 hour difference. We messaged every day for a couple weeks for maybe 3 hours. Then it became mostly in the evenings for about an hour. Now it's become a single 'How are you, hope you had a great day, sweetie <3' from him at his 11 pm - 1 am hour time zone, right before he falls asleep. I could message him 3 minutes later and not hear from him til the next day, where again, it would just be a similar "how are you" kind of message right before he falls asleep. Lately, there have been days I don't hear from him at all, even if I've messaged him.
I want to talk to him about it. Is that weird? Am I expecting too much from a guy who is 6 hours ahead of me and who I'm not even in a relationship with? Sometimes I feel like I am expecting too much. He has pretty stressful job and friends he hangs out with. Other times I feel like it really shouldn't be that hard to send a single message during his waking hours if he actually wanted to see how I was. I don't know. Someone please tell me I'm expecting too much. I have a whole message/letter written out, but haven't sent it because I don't know if I should. Sorry, again, for the long post.

First and foremost, I want to acknowledge the privilege inherent in my post. Nonetheless, it's been bothering me, and I need to express it. Please be kind but feel free to humble me if necessary. New perspectives are always welcomed.

I'm 31, as is my best friend. We had similar upbringings: raised in single-parent homes below the poverty line, with no relationship with our other parent. We met in high school and grew up in a lower- to lower-middle-class area.
By the time we turned 18, we were both in the same situation: no resources or support to rely on. We had to achieve everything on our own.
Our paths began to diverge when my friend secured a government job without a post-secondary education. Around 2014, she was making approximately $60,000 a year, which was substantial for a 22-year-old, especially 10 years ago. As a result, my friend started experiencing lifestyle creep, buying a new car, moving out, going on vacations, and dining out and shopping frequently.
During this period, I continued working low-wage jobs, which taught me financial responsibility. I eventually went to university at 24. Now, at 31, I earn $100,000 a year. Despite my increasing income, I've remained in the same rental for eight years to save money and have never owned a car. My friend is still earning around $60,000, in the same job she's had for 10 years, which doesn't stretch as far in 2024, especially in our high-cost-of-living area.
Today, I'm in a much better financial position. I earn more and have substantial savings. Meanwhile, my friend lives paycheck-to-paycheck, had to sell her car, and likely has a negative net worth due to living beyond her means. My frustration stems from the fact that I've been financially responsible and ambitious in my career, while my friend, due to health issues and poor financial choices, has not.
Whenever we discuss the future, she expresses hopelessness, saying "we" don't have well-paying jobs or savings. She doesn't know my current income or savings. I feel annoyed that she assumes we're in the same shitty financial situation. I think I feel offended because her financial situation is the result of her complacency in her job and poor financial management, while I've lived frugally and sought better opportunities. Maybe I am losing touch with my roots, but I don't like that she groups us together. Yes, we started in the same place, but we have made very different decisions and it shows in our current financial standings.
It's a strange thing to be annoyed about, but for some reason, it bothers me.

CUSTODIAN MATRIX NEURO-MNEMONIC RECORDING
USER ENTRY: MORGAN NGANGA
AUTHORIZATION CODE: ENKIDU
MEMORY PROVIDER: CAPTAIN JON’FALIS
The sunlight tickles my skin as if it were liquid fire. I am sitting on a cliff overlooking the vast wilderness of an unnamed planet. A few smoke columns dot the horizon, as the hunter-gatherer societies of this world prepare for the night. After all, this was a night of celebration, the anniversary of the coming of the Red Sword.
I raise my eyes towards the blue skies, no cloud in sight. The star, Kilora, shone with vigour only a younger star could like the star of my home system did at the time of my parents. The blue was nearly a perfect clear slate for the star, were it not for the red dash of light singed across the sky, faint in the daylight, but visible. The locals, a reptilian species with four eyes started worshipping the light as a supposed sign of their deity, the Flamesinger.
I knew it wasn’t. But it wasn’t a comet either. I knew it, and so did the so-called Flamesinger, lying in the grass next to me, his arms still wearing his armour, his eyes closed.
“Gilgamesh, how can you be so nonchalant?”
“I’m resting before the battle Enkidu. You should too”, said the last Elysian.
I couldn’t help but sigh and get up, turning to head towards my ship, the Spartan Wolf. It was currently green, with the camouflage module active. It was practically invisible to the natives. As I entered the ship, the familiar fragrance of the flowers in my terrarium welcomed me. It was a flower native to Terra, and I could feel an amazing sense of belonging every time I smelled it. This ship was my home away from home. The walls were adorned with the memories of my previous selves, a thousand adventures, recorded both within the matrix and my vessel. It was small, with only one small bed, currently messy with disks and a few books.
Gilgamesh never understood why I went to such lengths to maintain this ship. After all, he was able to withstand the void, and I was probably also able to do so, by using psionic abilities. But this vessel allowed me to be myself. To be more than just Enkidu. This was the home of Morgan Nganga.
It made me human.
I sit on the control chair and start the system check until eventually a loud bang echoes through my ship as someone hits the hull. Gilgamesh’s head pops through the door and he asks me if I am ready, to which I reply, not able to prevent my eyes from rolling, that I have been ready for a long while. The hum of the engines replaces the quiet eeriness that anticipates the chaos, as the ship starts levitating, further and further away from the forested ground below. A couple of natives were looking in awe at the rumbling that was shaking the trees and the being, apparently standing in solid air, as my camouflage module was still active and the annoyance called Gilgamesh, my rival and probably only true friend, was still outside, standing on the hull.
We rise quickly towards the blue sky, which quickly turns black, with the nearby star dulling out any starlight from the vast galactic vista, apart from the red dash of light. Gilgamesh jumps off once the gravity is weaker and uses his psionic powers to propel himself forward, gesturing for me to hurry up and follow him.
I mutter an old human curse word, insulting his lineage, based on an old Terran animal called a goat. According to my previous memories, we stopped fighting around two million years ago. I couldn’t help but wonder why, as he was extremely obnoxious and quite violent, relishing in the chaos of battle.
I prepare to enter the hyper-lane that was going to take us towards the origin of the red scar and activate the hyper-drive, following the floating Elysian in front of me through the multi-coloured lane that allows us to travel faster than light, and soon enough, we reach our destination.
The Juk Juk Expansion Border, where a fierce battle had been going on for a few weeks, with hundreds of thousands of ships destroyed.
On one side, there was the current Galactic Community, or as this one called itself, the Galactic Senate. On the other side, the Juk Juk, one of the most technologically advanced empires in the last few million years, with an intense desire for galactic domination.
“Ants playing as gods”, said Gilgamesh’s mind within my own, “If the Elysians were still around, we would have long destroyed them. Even your kind, despite how weak you are, are lengths above these pretenders.”
I always ignored his insults against humanity. He was born out of hate and hate had been his reality for eons. And I believe he was still dealing with his defeat at the hands of the humans and the erasure of his entire species.
I turned off the Spartan Wolf and made my way towards the armoury, in the back of the ship. I entered my armour, the Morrigan Suit. It was a tungsten-titanium alloy with a psionic-nanite lattice overlay, drawing energy from my psionic abilities. It covered my entire body tightly with its silvery shine. On one hand, I had a Gauss cannon, and on the other, an energy shield. I checked both and exited the ship, nodding at Gilgamesh as we made our way towards the battle.
The battle is as chaotic as expected.
The Senate ships are on the defensive, preparing for a retreat until they catch us on their detection arrays.
As Gilgamesh pushes forward even faster, I send a psionic wave through the battlefield, informing the Senate ships that we are friendly and are here to help, reinforcing their minds with a simulated psionic emotion surge of hope.
Gilgamesh flies past them, faster than any fighter. He has his eyes locked on a Juk Juk cruiser and flies into it, penetrating its hull with ease. Inside, I can sense the fear of the Juk Juk crew as a giant maniac starts disintegrating them one by one, shredding the ship to pieces from the inside along the way.
I analyse the battle and notice a cruiser making its way towards the Senate flagship at full speed, its cannons locked on the bridge. I curse and throw my shield towards the flagship, which promptly envelops it in a layer of psionic energy, deflecting the blasts. I then point my Gauss Cannon at the Juk Juk cruiser and start overloading the cannon, as three acceleration rings appear in front of me. I fire the projectile, which, thanks to the acceleration rings, hits the cruiser at a speed 20% the speed of light, punching a massive through the ship.
This spectacle of power causes the Senate vessels to rally and I can hear their minds as they are all clamouring at the sight of a goddess from their mythology. An all-powerful being, sent here to deliver them from the Juk Juk.
“Not a goddess”, I say with my mind, sending the message throughout the galaxy, as my emotions flare up, making me lose control of my powers for a slight moment, “Just a human.”
The worship quiets down, and I hear within my mind the billions of souls say in unison, wonder permeating the word, turning it into something worth of worship.
“Human.”
Start of the Story
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Just got an 85" TCL that weighs about 110 pounds but the base came with the wrong screws. I currently have it about 75% on my couch panel down with 25% hanging off. The plastic wrap is still on. I'm going to pick up a universal stand later today but won't have help to lift it onto our TV stand for about 6 hours. Am I risking damage here? Not much I can do anyway other than try to slide it off by myself.

Hi reddit! I’ma FTM and currently 17 wks 6 days and these past few days I’ve been getting a lot of round ligament pain, which I know is completely normal, and it would usually pop up and go away but today I’ve had it for hours whenever I’m standing and it feels primarily on my left side. I’ve had no spotting or bleeding my entire pregnancy so I’m not too concerned but should I be??? Is this normal??? The pain isn’t severe or unbearable but more uncomfortable and feels almost like pulling a muscle and a period cramp together. I’m absolutely clueless, has anyone experienced something similar??

GGE is not it anymore!! I had stopped listening to GGE for the same reasons as everyone else here- overall I was annoyed by everything they do/say/stand for lol. So I started binging giggly squad from the beginning and absolutely love how relatable, authentic and hilarious it is. I caught up to current episodes and needed something else to listen to as background noise so tried a recent GGE episode. Omg… the way they tell stories, the way everything comes off as bragging, the way Ashley acts like she is the only person to ever have a boyfriend, the way they subtly jab at each other to impress guests. Officially can’t stand it anymore.

I am currently in search of a talented and experienced woodworker to create custom furniture pieces for my home. Specifically, I am looking to commission a large dining table and a matching coffee table.
Dining Table Requirements:
Size: 11 feet by 4 feet
Style Options: I am considering a few different styles and am open to suggestions based on your expertise. The styles I'm interested in include:
Herringbone/Chevron, Patchwork Top, Traditional Single Slab or Book-Matched Slabs
Coffee Table Requirements: Style: Should complement the dining table in design and material. Size: Proportional and appropriate to accompany the dining table in a cohesive set.
Material Preference: Walnut is preferred due to its beauty and durability. I am looking for high-quality wood that will stand the test of time.
Location: I am based in Valencia and would prefer someone local or close to SCV for ease of coordination and installation.
Additional Info: This furniture will be the centerpiece of our home, so I am looking for someone who can provide not just craftsmanship but also artistic insight into making these pieces truly special.
If you are a woodworker or know someone with the skills and passion for such projects, please DM me. I would love to see some examples of your previous work, discuss your process, and talk about estimated costs and timelines.
Thank you!

Welcome to The 100-91 Reveal for the NFL Top 100 Players of the 2023 Season!

Players whose average rank landed them in places 100-91 are on this portion of the list revealed today. Players are associated with the team they finished playing for at the end of the 2023 season
Below you will see some write-ups from the community summarizing the players’ 2023 season and why they were among the best in 2023. Stats for each player are included below. Additionally, their ranks from previous years are available for y’all to see

METHODOLOGY

Link to more detailed writeup on our methodology

• Step 1: A Call to Rankers right after the Conference Championship games
  
• Step 2: Rankers from each team nominated players to rank, with a 11 game minimum threshold. Players are associated with the team they played for in 2023
  
• Step 3: The Grind. We instructed users to tier positions groups into T25, T50, etc based on 2023 regular season play only. This took several weeks as the rankers tiered each position group and discussed them. There were no individual player threads and no arbitrary position caps. Just questions and rankings.
  
• Step 4: Users submitted their own personal Top 125 lists.
  
• Step 5: User lists were reviewed by myself, u/mattkud, and u/MikeTysonChicken . The rankers were expected to answer questions about their lists. They were allowed to make any changes to their list, and were not forced to make any changes
  
• Step 6: The Reveal… where we are now!
  

And without further ado, here are the players ranked 100-91 in the NFL Top 100 Players of the 2023 Season!

#100 - Stefon Diggs - Buffalo Bills - Wide Receiver

Previous Ranks

2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
22	38	10	74	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A​

Written by: u/BlackTieClip
Following yet another offseason of cryptic tweets and drama, Stefon Diggs showed up from the onset of the 2023 season as red hot as the lasers he was catching off the arm of Josh Allen - making it clear he came to play and leave everything out on the field. However, 2023 was a tale of two Diggs’ - and that's not a reference to Stefon's brother, Trevon, who unfortunately was out for the season prior to their two teams facing off in week 15.
Through the first 6 games of the year, Stefon Diggs was averaging 8 catches, 104 Yards, and nearly a touchdown per game. During that time, the Bills passing offense funneled the ball through Diggs and relied on his ability to make plays all over the field to remain productive. Diggs answered the call and delivered the type of results we've come to expect of him, however just like the team itself, Diggs’ season would fall off pretty harshly following the team's week 6 match up against the Giants. In the 11 remaining games of the season, he failed to produce a single 100-yard outing and would only catch 3 more total touchdowns on the year. It's important to acknowledge that the Bills as a whole struggled offensively between weeks 5 and 10, directly leading to Offensive Coordinator Ken Dorsey's firing after Buffalo’s week 10, 24-22, loss to Denver - a game in which Diggs only caught 3 passes for a total of 34 yards.
Once Joe Brady stepped in as Interim Coordinator, the Bills offense began healing as a result of changes made to their strategy, changes which resulted in a more balanced attack that trusted the run game and prioritized spreading passes around to a wider selection of targets in the air. This shift meant Diggs was on the field less, in addition to receiving less targets when he was out there running routes. The impact of this change is most plainly obvious when comparing Diggs’ stats from weeks 1-8 to 9-16. While this adjustment ultimately worked out in Buffalo's favor (they would close out the last 7 games of the year with a 6-1 record), it did drive an unfortunate statistical drop for Diggs. Diggs would still flash his elite hands and skills often enough to finish the season respectively though, earning a spot in the pro-bowl as well as finishing #13 in total receiving yards and #7 in total receptions. Tragically, what he will probably be remembered most for this past year (at least in the minds of Bills Mafia) will be the ugly, game-altering drop he had late in the Divisional round matchup against Kansas City.
Throughout 2023 there were all manner of rumors on whether Diggs was playing through an undisclosed injury or experiencing a falling out with the organization, true or not, it would be foolish to claim that Diggs isn't still a premier pass catcher in the NFL. Now a Houston Texan, Stefon Diggs will serve as another weapon for C.J. Stroud to take advantage of in 2024. Assuming he doesn't destroy the culture in Houston by manifesting into some sort of target-hoovering diva-demon like all the tired sports media personalities predict, expect the former Bills Captain to be a key contributor for the Texans next year.

#99 - Lavonte David - Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Off-Ball Linebacker

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2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015	2014	2013	2012
60	95	43	76	N/A	35	N/A	99	27	11	N/A​

Written by: u/Ronon_Dex
After flirting with retirement and leaving Tampa Bay last offseason, Lavonte David stuck around for another year as a Buccaneer - year 12 (and soon to be year 13). And it paid off, yet again, as David stayed the impactful, complete LB he has been for over a decade.
Playing 956 (98%) defensive snaps, David was impactful across the board, recording 99 tackles (134 combined per pfr) with a 5.7% missed tackle rate, 4.5 sacks with 19 total pressures on only 76 pass rush opportunities, 5 forced incompletions and 1.1 yards per cover snap, and a ridiculous 61 run stops and 17 TFLs. His coverage stats took a bit of a dip from the past, but he was still solid while being incredibly impactful against the run. He's smart - see here how he diagnoses quickly, and beats the blocker to the spot before sticking the TE for a loss. He's exceptional at slithering through OLs - see here and here how he uses his speed and awareness to split through holes in the line and finish the play before it can start. Despite being 33, he's still really fast - if you're late on rotating in pass protection, he's already past you and sacking the QB. And he's always had a nose for the football.
David has been one of my favorite players of the 2010s and it will be sad to see him go. Few LBs are as complete as Lavonte has been for his career - he can do everything you want from an offball LB. Given that he's likely to retire pretty soon, this might be the last time he appears on this list, so I'm gonna break the rules a bit. Lavonte has always stood out statistically in two ways, by forcing fumbles and TFLs. As for FFs, the only LB with more is Cornelius Bennett, who was somewhat of a hybrid rushbacke4-3 OLB. Which means that among true off ball LBs, nobody has forced more fumbles than Lavonte David (tbf only tracked reliably since 1993). Similarly, I've never seen a player as adept at slicing through blockers to make a TFL. He has 160 career TFLs, 9th all time. No other offball LB is in the top 20, and only 4 other LBs have even 100. We might as well start giving out the "Lavonte David award" to whoever leads LBs in TFLs.
Put him in the HOF, cowards.

#98 - Bradley Chubb - Miami Dolphins - EDGE Rusher

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2022	2021	2020	2019	2018
N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A​

Written by: u/cnvas_home
One word has followed Chubb throughout his career: Dynamic. Coming into his second year in a Dolphins jersey off a five-year, $110 million contract extension (recently restructured in the wake of injury)—Chubb managed to arguably elevate to higher levels of said dynamic play than even in previous seasons that saw him earn Pro Bowl recognition.
In 16 games this season, Chubb managed to thrive in a defense that utilized its front 7 in unconventional manners. Of the 837 snaps Chubb played: 36% of snaps against the rush, 57% against the pass, and 7% in pass coverage (top 20 in EDGE coverage snaps…over a dozen in the slot). Amongst his position, Chubb posted a top 10 pass rush win rate per ESPN along with top 15 pass rush and top 5 coverage grades per PFF respectively. This showed with 11 sacks, 73 total tackles, 44 hurries, and 6 forced fumbles (t-1^st in NFL) over the season.
Chubb has an uphill battle going into the next season with a torn ACL acquired in Week 17 against the Ravens. Still in the prime of his career and a leader within the locker room, Chubb certainly seeks to return to this level of form as soon as possible. There's a lot of money on the table for him.

#97 - Kolton Miller - Las Vegas Raiders - Offensive Tackle

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2022	2021	2020	2019	2018
N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A​

Written by: u/ExpirjTec
Offensive tackles have always been highly sought after for one important reason; to keep their franchise quarterback healthy. Miller had a slightly different objective; keep Jimmy Garoppolo handsome, it's fine if he misses the season since he was far from a franchise quarterback; but Miller excelled, allowing the least pressures (only 16 pressures per PFF, compared to 18 for Tyron Smith and Trent Williams) out of any premier tackle. While he missed a few games due to a shoulder injury, Miller put in enough work to prove he's a top 100 player in the league.
Always one of the more underappreciated OTs in the league, Miller's impact was best felt by his absence; in the first missed game of his career, Jets defenders got to Aidan O'Connell several times, and the rest of the offensive line just looked flimsy.
Combining agile, quick footwork with enough armpower to seal off some of the biggest men in the NFL, Miller quietly dominated opposing pass rushers, and #74 could even scale multiple levels on the run to help his team generate big plays. Even when it didn't seem like there was much worth fighting for, Miller never gave up hope.

#96 - Dion Dawkins - Buffalo Bills - Offensive Tackle

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2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A​

Written by: u/Man_0n_F1re
The shnowman cracks the top 100 this year after a dominating performance in the trenches all season long. While offensive line play can be hard to parse and judge, Dawkins ranked 4th in the league among OTs in pass rush win rate at 93% and only allowed 1 sack. The 30-year-old from New Jersey (famously the home of the Giants and Jets) also provided numerous rare O-line highlights, such as the absolute shnowplow of a block he delivered against the Cowboys’ Damone Clark. His arguably career-best season also saw him named to the Pro Bowl for the third straight year.
The Bills shook up their skill positions on offense this off-season, but the core of the offensive line remains largely the same, and Dawkins will certainly be a leader of the unit. This off-season he signed a 3-year, $60.5 million extension, making him one of the highest-paid offensive linemen in the league. He has played in at least 15 games each season of his career so far, and Buffalo is clearly banking on his production to continue as the rest of the offense takes a new shape.
This year, Dawkins was also Buffalo's nominee for the Walter Payton Man of the Year award, due in large part to his foundation Dion's Dreamers, which provides mentoring services to troubled youth. Dawkins has become highly involved in the Buffalo community since being drafted in the 2nd round in 2017.

#95 - James Cook - Buffalo Bills - Running Back

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2022
N/A​

Written by: u/packmanwiscy
Being a running back in Josh Allen’s offense is a bit tricky. Allen is virtually a one-man offense, willing to not only sling the rock deep but also bruise out some yards on the ground for himself. For most of Allen’s tenure in Buffalo, Bills running backs haven’t been the most productive, failing to produce a single season with more than 1,100 scrimmage yards. When Buffalo selected James Cook in the 2nd round of the draft last year, they sought to give Allen a workhorse back that could efficiently eat touches and take the load off of Allen just a bit. After a timeshare in the first year, the Bills let Devin Singletary walk and gave Cook the lead back role, and he did not disappoint.
James Cook is a true modern running back. His lightning quick acceleration allows him to hit holes hard and bounce outside if they’re plugged. He’s not the biggest or strongest back, but he can still shrug off arm tackles and churn for extra yards. Pass catching out of the backfield is a key part of his game as well, for a running back he’s very proficient at route running, catching the ball in stride, and running after the catch. He does everything you want out of a running back in the 2020’s NFL, and he rewarded the Bills with the 6th most scrimmage yards in the league. He’ll have to do quite a bit to pass his brother in career stats, but this season was a great start.

#94 - Elgton Jenkins - Green Bay Packers - Offensive Guard

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2022	2021	2020	2019
N/A	N/A	77	N/A​

Key Stat:
Written by: u/Letsgomountaineers5
One of the most powerful and positionally versatile offensive linemen in the NFL, Elgton Jenkins’ value to, and dominance on, the Packers OL has more than earned him his place on this list. Elgton is the engine that makes the Packers' run game go. Whether it be trapping, wrapping, or pulling to lead, Elgton is the Packers’ most-pulled lineman and their best (and one of THE best in the league) elevator to the second level on inside zone and duo run plays. Finally able to hunker down and stay, more or less, in the same position for a full season, Elgton was the driving influence on the Packers finishing top 10 in yards per attempt and top half in overall rushing offense, even while being near the bottom of the NFL in called run plays. It has yet to be mentioned how great he was in pass protection this year, as well. With a younger QB who at times held the ball a bit too long, Elgton allowed 0 sacks and had one of the lowest pressure rates allowed in football.
As mentioned before, Elgton is a dominant player in the run game because of the power he executes his blocks. His main weakness throughout his career has been his feet and ability to play in space, but this year he was tasked with reaching, trapping, and pulling to lead more than ever before. And as demonstrated here, he excelled in that role. The Packers were at their best when Jenkins was tasked with doubling and elevating or climbing to the second level immediately. Here, he displaces the LOS, comes off the 3T, and gets to the backer to create a lane for the back to follow into the endzone. In this example, the player engaged with the LT does not cross the LT’s face, so he quickly climbs to backer and creates a cut back lane for the back to gain 6-7 yards. As you can see, much of what the Packers did in the run game centered around 74, and he delivered time and time again.
In the pass game, Elgton used his strong anchor and well-timed striking to shut down every interior defensive lineman he faced. 0 sacks allowed, an absurdly low 4.4% pressure rate allowed, and the sheer dominance he displayed on tape has led many experts to call him a top 3 pass protecting guard in all of football. This is probably his biggest area of growth once making it to the NFL, as he always had the power in his lower half, but has improved his base and hand placement to truly stonewall any bull rushes he faces. And if you try and get cute by swimming or, god forbid, knowing your beat and jumping to swat the ball. Well, you will probably end up on your ass. He rose to the highest levels of competition, repeatedly shutting down (three examples there) the likes of Aaron Donald on a game-by-game basis.
Overall, Elgton Jenkins continues to push the established elite at the guard position, and with continued technical improvement, he looks to rise even higher on this list next season.

#93 - Will Anderson Jr - Houston Texans - EDGE Rusher

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N/A
Written by:u/ExpirjTec
Will Anderson. What a full grown manderson. Only a rookie, but already the most electric pass rusher we've had since JJ Watt. His early season stats didn't quite show it, but since week 1 he's performed at a high rate already producing one of the top pressure rates in the league and opening up opportunities for the rest of the banderson. In four months, people went from criticizing Demeco and Caserio for trading a supposedly massive draft haul to Arizona for Anderson to realizing the incredible positive impact that the trade had. All according to planderson.
In his first season, Anderson showcased great pass rush ability, always working his way into the pocket, stuffed the run effectively, and even blocked a field goal; WAJ Swat, amirite? In fact, Lil Jon is rumored to be working on a song called "Turn Down for Wanderson", Daniels music video and all. JJ Watt is one of the all-time greats, but are the Terminator-Megawatt comparisons valid? Can Area 51 stand on the same ground as the Milkman?
(Yes, those are all real nicknames.)
Anderson's rookie year compares nicely with JJ’s , both on stat sheets and the eye test, and both got even better as the year went on; WAJ also walked away with the DROY award (though he didn't have to compete with Von Miller and... Aldon Smith?) Will he follow the same trajectory as JJ? In fact, he doesn't need to. It's fine if he doesn't. We don't need the greatest defensive end of the century, because Will Anderson is already damn good, does his job, and is certain to improve even further. Maybe he'll end with a gold jacket in Canton, maybe he won't, but we don't need that. What expectations we do have of him, he's easily exceeding, and on his current trajectory -- whether JJ-like or not -- he'll continue to exceed them for a long, long, time.

#92 - Deebo Samuel - San Francisco 49ers - Wide Receiver

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2022	2021	2020	2019
N/A	10	N/A	N/A​

Written by: u/scmsf49
Deebo Samuel's 2023 season saw him compile 1117 total yards and 12 total touchdowns in 15 games (though that 15 includes a weird injured decoy game with 0 targets, a game with 9 snaps, and a quarter in a meaningless week 18). The best metric to summarize the impact that he has on the team: the 49ers were 11-1 when Deebo played more than 33% of snaps in a game and 1-4 when he did not.
8.8 yards after the catch per reception ranked first among receivers, making this the fourth consecutive season that Deebo holds that distinction (and he was 2nd as a rookie). The ascension of Brandon Aiyuk and full season from offensive player of the year Christian McCaffrey shrunk the role of one of the league's most exciting players, but he made the most of the opportunities he got, ranking 8th in yards per target among players with 1000 yards.
The most memorable game of the year for him is undeniably his hat trick against the Eagles amidst a tense race for the 1 seed, capped off by a 46 yard all-YAC touchdown. Contrary to popular belief, this is actually not how he gets all of his touches. His longest touchdown of the season, a 54 yarder against Seattle, and one of his back shoulder TDs (a new feature off the offense this year!) put the wide in wide back to remind fans (and a couple loud players) that Deebo is more than capable of killing you on traditional routes.
This was the final season for #19 in the Bay Area (because he's changing his jersey number to 1) and he once again left it all out there, putting together enough production to clinch a spot on this list despite a diminished role.

#91 - Justin Simmons - Denver Broncos - Safety

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2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016
69	59	55	24	N/A	N/A	N/A​

Written by: u/BlindManBaldwin
Winners are remembered. The glory of sports comes from hoisting a trophy at the end, and everyone who touches it becomes immortal. To those who never touch it, they can still create a legacy through winning in other ways: big regular season games to get into the playoffs, and perhaps even winning a couple games in the tournament.
In this lens — losers have no space. Those who come up short get nothing. Sports are zero-sum. There are always winners and losers. Every immortality comes with a death.
Justin Simmons played 118 games with the Denver Broncos since 2016. In his rookie year, the team went 9-7 but missed the playoffs. In every subsequent season, the Broncos had a losing record. Despite his All-Pro play, Simmons never played in a meaningful football game in late December or January. In a team with a history of winning — Justin Simmons was a loser.
A ball on a memorial in 2021. Spending a weekend at charity events in the city months after getting cut. Maybe the problem is the binary. Pursuit of immortality driving everyone mad to the point of blindness. There is the trophy and that matters, but there are more things in life too. There are the connections. There are the emotions.
Justin Simmons never won a big game in Denver. He never played in one. But in 2023 — as he had done throughout his career — he proved himself worthy of immortality in the Ring high above.

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22M from India. I've messed up my life mentally and physically. I contracted an STD from sleeping with a trans sex worker. As I was depressed about seeing the STD test result, I neglected my hygiene and ended up with a fungal infection. Now, as I'm trying to treat both conditions, I'm feeling unlovable.
These negative thoughts have led to performance anxiety and self-doubt. The only relief is that my parents don't know about my STD, though they found my fungal infection cream in the bathroom, which led to a tough conversation.
I often wish a truck would run over me when I'm walking, as these thoughts come frequently.
I feel inferior to other men and my friends, who seem to have better health and career progress. My friends call me gay and weak, look at me with disdain, and don't value my opinions. I fear they might attack me.
If I liked a woman, I couldn't tell her because I overthink and believe she would reject me after learning about my conditions. I even imagine my close friends ramming my future wife, because she wouldn't want to be with someone weak like me.
I know maybe most girls don't react that way, but I feel more comfortable thinking of myself as unlovable. I believe I'm feeding my negativity bias or ego.
I've always felt weak and was bullied during my school years. I was the last kid picked for groups, and I never had a best friend.
Now I fear being attacked, robbed, and kicked out of my own house. I can't talk properly with my current college friends and get anxious a lot.
Instead of support, I get sarcastic remarks calling me gay (in a negative way) and a pussy. I'm scared to stand up for myself; if a friend insults my mom, I can't think of any witty comebacks and just laugh it off, then try to act tough, but I'm scared. I'm also afraid I won't make my parents proud.
Why are people so mean? What do they get out of hurting me? Or is it all in my head and I'm just overreacting to "teasing"? Why am I always the one trying to stand up for myself but rest of my friends don't get disrespected or teased a slight? Am I attracting bullies in some way?
Things I'm doing to improve:

• Going to the gym, hoping to build myself up big (but isn't it just a mask for my insecurity?).
  
• Acting like I ignore their insults nonchalantly, but deep down, I care.
  
• I don't know if I'm worthy of marrying someone; they'll just leave me.
  

If Dr. K sees this, I just want a video about:

• Bravery and fear.
  
• How to handle insults?
  
• How not to be weak?
  

My boyfriend and I have been together for a little over a year. We having a harder time than normal recently. It started a few months ago when he had his first big moment of reconsidering our relationship. We had a big conversation about things and what we were moving towards and what we both wanted and it felt like we had come out stronger on the other side. Then we had another little moment where he thought maybe we should take a break because he felt like I seemed stuck in a rut of sorts. He wanted me to work harder on my future which I think is a valid concern to have for a partner so I didn’t take it very hard and we again worked through it. Then on the weekend of our one year anniversary he told me he wanted me to lose weight. I’m not super slim but I’m not like obese either and maybe if I had gained weight through our relationship I could’ve understood this conversation but I hadn’t. He even said I didn’t look any different from when we got together his “perspective” just changed. This conversation didn’t go as well but we worked through things and I am currently eating in a calorie deficit and going to the gym 5 days a week. I’ve gone to the gym consistently most of our relationship already so it’s really just the calorie counting that changed. I began to feel a little shaky about our relationship. I love him more than anything and outside of some of these situations he makes me feel loved, helps with chores, supports me, pushes me to be better, and frankly we have very good sex. We are planning to move about 10 hours away in 2 months and I won’t have any family or friends near me, neither will he. I have been feeling some doubts about not if I want to be with him but if he truly wants to be with me. I don’t want to go so far and then he changes his mind. I wonder if part of the trust is gone and if we will stand the rest of time. Most recently we almost broke up because he wasn’t sure I was driven enough which confuses me because we had previously both agreed I would apply to a masters program after we had been living in the new state for a year so I could have in state tuition. I wonder if it’s just because we both are waiting to be able to achieve goals and he feels like he’s in a rut or if this will last and I should cut it off now and keep myself safe. I don’t know if I should go with him. I know sometimes people on the outside can see things you can’t see when you’re in it so any advice or thoughts are appreciated, should I go with him or should I call it quits?

Prepare yourself for a long novel/rant (a lot longer then I thought it would be)...
First off, loving the game so far hence the amount of hours I have put into it. I have just finished playing through my second character completing all tasks. They game has some very strong bones to build off in its current state & I am excited for the future. I am particularly excited for the night cycle and NVGs to arrive as night raids are my favorite in any game (I'm looking at you Tarkov & Arma). With that being said, there are some glaring issues with it currently. Below is my rambling thoughts/suggestions on some fixes that can help (even temp fixes). Keep in mind, I have played 90% of my time as a solo bouncing between both PvP & PvE servers (I mainly mess around or farm keys needed on the PvE servers) so please take that into consideration. Some suggestions are PvP focused, most are just general stuff.
Game Optimization - This is IMO the biggest issue and should be the highest priority on the list above all else. I have friends with a vast range of PCs who either can't run it or it runs like shit & they just gave up. The reasons are everything ranging from FPS, game crashes, server crashes you name it. Some can't even boot the game up without it crashing there system. Performance in some areas tanks like Fort Narith, Midnight and in particular Tiger Bay with losses of up to 20+ FPS. Couple that with the optimization and it becomes almost unplayable for people. Myself, I drop from a constant 75-80fps to 45-50fps in Tiger Bay just standing in the area. Couple that with the FPS loss if using a scoped weapon its just not it. Using a red dot helps with the FPS drop from the scope but also makes it a lot harder to engage/see enemy's at range when they can see you perfectly through a bush with an iron sight AK.
Audio - Needs work across the board. From no footstep audio, no door opening audio at times etc it just needs work. Have also had cases where I'm somewhere like inside Midnight Hotel and the audio just switches from nothing to very loud bugged audio. Everything sounds very loud but muffled sound in a way if that makes any sense...
AI (a couple of parts to this one) -

• I understand they are base AI with limited knowledge as they have explained but they need to dial them back just a bit IMO. I can see them being a bit more difficult in the end game areas (makes more sense) but even the starting town they will just laser you from the heavens. They should always be a threat on the map but not the gods of the map if that makes sense. Nothing worse then an AI spinning around on the spot and instantly 1 shotting you from 100+m.
• The share amount of them in some areas are just insane/over the top. You only need to venture into Tiger Bay to know what I am talking about but its the same case for other places also. With how aimbotty, godlike perception they have even getting close to the area you have 10+ AI all shooting you with pin point accuracy. I'm not saying gut the shit outta the amount but tone the numbers back a little. This should also allow for some better performance gains. Now this might also tie into my next point below..
• AI aggro range is......something. For example, I was in the Tiger Bay mall clearing it out to farm a task key I needed (UNLRA Quarantine). I came in the usual way from Juliet 2, sneaking my way in ensuring to not aggro the AI on the way until I was at the mall. Went in the back door and started to engage the LAF soldiers. While I was in there I was then pushed (& this has happened on multiple occasions now) by all the normal AI from outside of the mall. They looked to have been pushing from where the Lost Girl task is/beach side as they came from that area. I don't know exactly how many there were but estimated well over 70+ AI I had to kill and I didn't even get a chance to leave the door way I came in from. I also didn't even get a chance to loot anything as by that time I was out of ammo and the AI was starting to de-spawn it had been that long. Now this happens from time-time in other places also (there is no consistency), it's not just a Tiger Bay issue and it makes me question if its the amount of AI that's the issue or the aggro range that is the issue making it feel as if the amount of AI is too much.
• Bullet spongy - I don't think I need to go too deep into this but an AI shouldn't be tanking headshots/face shots while wearing nothing but a baseball cap from any ammo. Our players can't so the AI shouldn't either.
• AI in YBL needs some serious looking into. Can almost 100% guarantee that 1 if not multiple spawn inside the walls and just constantly tell you they fucked your mother. Now this happens in other places also but is particularly bad in the YBL Bunker.
• AI respawn timers need some adjusting, particularly on the PvP servers. By the time you have cleared say midnight hotel lord help you if you get into a fight with other players as the AI start re-spawning. Nothing worse then clearing an area, getting into some fun PvP only to have an AI respawn, walk up behind you with no audio and shot you in the ass. Respawn times should be set by location/amount of AI in there areas. Maybe a dev can shed some light on how the respawns work exactly? Like will the AI not respawn if a player is in the vicinity and at what distance etc. At the moment it seems very random and I am unsure if its the respawn times, respawn locations or the what seems bugged aggro range that causes this.

Key drops - Yes it extends the game play time out and keeps people going back to certain areas. But there are some keys that just have abysmal drop rates. BL Restaurant Storage key, Sawmill Office Storage key are classic examples of this. Over my time of playing the game I have only ever found those 2 keys once and that is after spending hours, days even weeks grinding for them. Now it is not just those 2 keys, there are other I have simply just never seen at all. Rare keys like Office Storage or whatever could possibly have something like a 50% chance to drop on the bosses of the area so you do have to do some work for them. If they really want to extend the game play out when it comes to keys they would need to add a usage value to them similar to what Tarkov has.
Loot - 99% of the current loot around the place is garbage/worthless trash that is not even worth picking up. Selling prices need to increase on a lot of them until they add crafting or something to make it worth while to pick up. Loot in general needs to be added in order to keep the gameplay going (more so at the higher levels). They need to add some high tier loot around the different P.O.I to give people something to go back for. This would also help with the PvP side of things and gives players more reasons to go fight over different locations (we love our loot!). When I say high tier loot, I'm talking about containers similar to those in the Pier key or UNLRA container key. Kitted M4s, high tier armor & helmets etc. Currently those 2 places have by far the best loot in the game but are just not worth the shit fight to get into to loot as the risk vs reward is not worth it. Currently as it stands you are better off going to Midnight and farming the safes & Elena garage key. I also think they need to add some gold spawns like gold watches, rings etc that sell for very good money. This also would help with the PvP side of things as where the high tier loot is, generally is where the PvP is. Outside of tasking, there isn't much to do besides PvP or fight AI & adding more things to loot is what keeps the game alive.
Character Stats/Skills etc -

• The weight system/how it works currently feels imbalanced which turns you (mainly speaking for myself here) away from any looting. You will maybe pick up some more ammo or meds and maybe food/drink if required. Either need to increase the carry weight limit or add a skill system we can level up in order to increase the weight limit. Possibly add a stim (similar to Tarkovs MULE stim) to increase the weight carry limit. For people who wonder why I am going in so heavy, I challenge you to try take Tiger Bay with a couple of mags and a couple spare stacks of ammo and see how far you get. Half my carry weight is just in spare ammo & that adds up pretty fast. It's a big reason why I never use the delta bags as you can't even fill it with being a turtle.
• Ability to drop task items in bag. This kind of ties into weight system with thing like those massive containers you need to pick up for Hazardous Treasures or the Terminal Initiative tasks. Once you pick them up, they put you instantly over weight with no way of dropping them if you find yourself in a fight. You are effectively a sitting duck & basically dead with it anyway. Please allow us to drop them and if we leave them there or die well we were going to die & loose it anyway because we couldn't move.
• Leaning while side strafing I think needs to be sped up a bit (not too much or we will have other issues).
• Jumping/mantling/general movement feels somewhat clunky at times.
• Stamina (both arm & running) I feel need to be either increased a bit or like mentioned above, a skill system to be added where we can work towards increasing them.
• Hold breath - I'm not too sure how I feel about this one.....Part of me whats it to be increased (maybe by a second or 2, nothing drastic) & part of me feels like it's fine as it is. You be the judge.

Guns/ Weapons (multiple parts again) -

• 7.62x51 guns/ammo are effectively useless even with the best in slot ammo or builds. There is no reason to use an M700 over an M4 for sniping/long distance shots. The ammo also feels bugged, M80 is just rubbish and the AI or players feel like you are tickling them. M61 seems VERY inconsistent as in sometime it will kill and sometimes you have put an entire mag into them. It also feels as if the damage drop off rate it not correct but I'm not 100% sure on that.
• AKs - 5.45 ammo doesn't feel too bad but can be very inconsistent (possibly could have something to do with the bullet sponginess of the AI). 7.62 AKs are just terrible and the even the BP ammo just basically does nothing. All AKs accross the board need the MOA changed, a kitted AK with all the best in slot parts should not be 3+ MOA where as a stock M4 is 2.15 MOA. Add on top of this the fact that the M4s have 60 round mags there is simply no reason to run the AKs and is a big reason why we see 99% of players running M4 or MK18s.
• M4/MK18 - I don't mind where they currently sit balance wise but we need to bring the AKs/other guns in line with how they are to add more variety. Use these guns as a baseline for how the others should perform with there own little uniqueness.
• Pistols - They need some love, no reason to run them as they can barely kill any of the AI.
• Shotguns - While better yes, I still think they need some more adjusting to make them worth using.
• Mosin - I feel is in a fairly decent spot but please give us the ability to purchase the ST rounds back.

Helis/map travel - Ahh everyone's favorite topic. While it is a cool core part to the game it is probably the most discussed topic & some peoples biggest frustration with the game currently. I can understand it's not as easy as "just add more helis" due to that having an affect on performance etc. But there are some adjustments to the current system that I think would help in the short term. I also understand they are working on an overhaul to the heli system so we shall see what the future holds.

• Showing the destination before the heli lands at base the same as it shows when it leaves the base. This would help if there is a solo or a duo who is going somewhere other players can see it and hitch a ride. Even if it is going close to where they are going they will still jump on to avoid the spamming meta of trying to get a heli.
• Speed them up a tad. Not an over the top amount to make them fucken fighter jets but just a bit faster then they currently are.
• De-spawn them faster after drop off. At the base it's not too bad but when a heli drops someone off at lets say Delta 2, we then have to wait for it to fly all the way to outside of the map to de-spawn. Players do not care to watch the heli fly off into the horizon so there is no need for them to take so long to fly out & de-spawn. This would speed up the time that another heli can be called in speeding up the entire process. Couple this with slightly faster travel times and we have a temp system that is far better then then current system.
• Call in times seem bugged at points. Multiple times I have been at base even sometimes on a server by myself, no other helis have been called or on the map and I get a 5min+ wait time. Unsure on why this is but it should not happen. This also doesn't just happen at base but even out at the LZs calling for pick up.
• Queue system - This is something that I believe should be worked on fairly quickly. Let us call a heli and it just puts us in a queue rather then all trying to fight over who can click the call transport button the fastest. Would possibly need to add a cool down timer of sorts so dicks can't just keep spamming it for the sake of being fuckwits.
• Now this is more of an idea then anything but if the helis could do multiple drop offs/pick ups along its route somehow that could also help. For example if there is a duo at Delta 3 going back to base and another duo at Echo 2 going back to base they could get picked up on the same heli. I don't know how/if that could even work but it is just an idea.
• LOUD NOISES!!! They heli volume is just unbearable lets be honest. Yes you can wear the stupid yellow ear muffs but that shouldn't be the case. Either the headsets we normally wear should have the same heli audio profile as the yellow earmuffs or they need to an Ear Plug key bind similar to what Arma has for that same reason. Currently you can't even talk to your friends or team mates in heli as the noise drowns them out. Game volume/master volume also lowers chat/VOIP volume so you can't even turn that down to help.

Tasks - While I know we only have a small portion of them for now I do have some frustrations with them.

• A lot of the current tasks are very repetitive & would love to see some more variety & possibly some PvP focused ones like eliminate players with a headshot from 100m or whatever. Tarkov does this quite well and some ideas can be gained with there own spin on it would work fine.
• They require you to constantly travel back & forth to base just to turn them only to then be given another task to go straight back. An idea I have (I know others have had also) is to have small safe zones scattered around the map where theses things can be done. Example being lets say 1 LZ has a hut with a radio where you can go to turn in a task/accept another task. This keeps people in the map itself and will in turn help with the heli problem we currently have. Even it was just 1 LZ in each area that allows it and have it change location every so often (Delta 1 for 5mins > Delta 2 for 5 mins > Delta 3 for 5mins then back to Delta 1). This would help (not 100% but help) stop people infill/extract camping those POIs waiting for players to go turn in tasks etc.
• Would love to see some form of daily tasks/weekly tasks at some point to give players who have completed the tasks a reason to keep on trucking rather then just running around aimlessly looking for a fight.

There are stuff I would love/hope to see added are things like face shields, more guns like SMGs, DMRs etc (obvious), more armor variety etc but we could go on for hours about that.
Now I know I have referenced Tarkov a number of times in here but that is because they do some of these things very well (also do some very shit things). I don't want this game to be another Tarkov because it is very different but more just utilize some of the elements that make sense and we know works.
Thanks for coming to my ted talk. Crucify away with my takes/suggestions or feel free to share your own ideas. Apologies for the dragged out post, I even surprised myself with this one.

Our DnD5e group is looking for more players to join our next Friday Campaign which will be starting at 7:30pm EST to roughly 12:00am EST. Our group prioritizes the story over all other elements, recognizing that Combat and Exploration are tools to help engineer tension. As such, our pillar breakdown is approximately: 60% Role Play > 25% Combat > 15% Exploration. We use Discord for Voice Communication and Tabletop Simulator as our virtual engine.
This homebrew campaign's theme is Dark / High Fantasy. The game leans on a more serious tone, however light moments will occur along the way. The character you will play, in conjunction with the other player characters, will be put through excruciating circumstances to test their ideals and mettle. This campaign is not intended for players that cannot distance themselves from their own creations. The goal of the DM is not to antagonize you, but to rather be the force that creates the drama that our group relishes in. As such, dark and gruesome themes will be explored in this story. Be warned, the players will be put into situations where they will not always have successful outcomes, and sacrifices might be necessary. We are requiring applicants to be 21 years of age or older.
Our group is looking for players that desire to create "living" characters that emulate realism. Ones that have goals, ambitions, and ideals that shape the actions they take. If you enjoy getting into the psychology of your characters and acting them as real world existences, then you very well could be the type of player we are looking for. Voice Acting is very much appreciated in our community of drama enthusiasts.
To note, while heavily Chaotic or Evil characters are in fact real, our story wants to prioritize DnD's cooperative orientated platform. Such characters are not in our appetite and will not be allowed for this story. Additionally, this campaign will be getting recorded and streamed for prosperity. Please only apply if this is agreeable to you. Webcam usage will not be required, but is very much desired and does give brownie points.
About the Campaign:
Calamities. Arkelya has had numerous upon its soil, and the continent of Estran has suffered from them greatly. The First Calamity, the Rending, occurred nearly five thousand years ago and ended what scholars refer to as the Eras. The Rending was the first of many extinction level catastrophes, but modern academics agree it was surely the closest the planet has ever been to complete annihilation. The devastation was so significant that the very continent of Estran was sundered and became three smaller continents. Despite the massive turmoil caused by the First Calamity, Arkelya and its denizens have survived but through great sacrifice.
Since then, civilization has persevered through what scholars have labeled as the Ages. Three such ages have come to be, and the current Age of Unity has held firm for several millennia. On the now North Western continent of Nuasol, efforts by the great nations have been spent to bring nearly a century of peace and prosperity to the populace. Alas, it seems conflict is in Arkelya's very blood, as a new war has surfaced for unknown reasons and threatens to bring a darker age to all.
Who will dare to help stall such gloom from encroaching across the continent once more? Who will stand up and unite against the malevolence that seeks to snuff out what light remains in the world? Can your character take on such a mantle, such a responsibility?
At this time we are looking to see if we can find other players that share our values in the DnD experience. Applications will first be vetted and interviews will be done to try and help ensure our group's values work with yours. If approved, you will be invited to a scheduled one shot where we can see you flourish in game and for you to see if you enjoy our Dungeon Master's style. After all, your happiness with the way the game is played is important for this story to see its conclusion.
Our DM's style focuses heavily on concrete descriptions in an attempt to paint in your mind's eye the same exact image they have in theirs. This can, occasionally, make some scenes rather verbose, but our community enjoys scenes that are dripping in imagery. Tokens and maps are generally reserved for combat. The majority of the work will be done within your mental canvas.
If all the above sounds amiable to you and you are interested please submit an application with the below link.
https://forms.gle/hvEGkNCpZRKqFHJ97
Thank you for showing interest in our game!