So just for context, I like to do creative writing exercises by trying to string along connections between fictional characters that have no connections, I've seemingly incidentally come to the conclusion of something about Courier 6 and The Lone Wanderer.
I'm not gonna beat around the bush beyond that. I will explain what my thought process is. I'm going to explain why Courier 6 is a con artist, and the Lone Wanderer is the beginning of the story of what would become the West Coasts most dangerous Mailman. A hero who truly lived long enough to become the villain in a world of his own making.
The Lone Wanderer, and why his character is designed to have a sequel story.
Upon completing Project Purity, certain things to note happen in the general Lore of the game. The Lone Wanderer is confirmed to have purified the wasteland upon delivering the G.E.C.K (keep note of this entire sentence), and also confirmed to have lost his Father and Sarah Lyons before the time New Vegas is taken place. The Dialogue of the Lone Wanderer is unique because people actually are consciously aware of his fame due to Three Dog's radio station. James alludes to this in dialogue. In fallout 4, Megaton is alluded to have been destroyed.
This leads me to believe the Lone WandereCourier 6 may be the same individual, due to James' untimely demise, would lead anybody to be stricken with severe mental illness. (I KNOW ITS A REACH BUT HEAR ME OUT)
Let's discuss Courier 6's past
His earliest known accomplishments is being a Postman for a California based Mailing Company in the early 2280's, now traveling across the entire nation (extremely treacherous, yet not really a sweat for someone as powerful and dangerous as loss-stricken Lone Wanderer). The violent actions of the Lone Wanderer are yours to create as you play the game of course. Same for New Vegas. What leads me to believe they are one in the same is due to Lonesome Road, Ulysses alluding to some sort of "Talk" about the man that is the Courier. There's also the idea of how the Courier traveled the Divide with a straight up nuclear weapons detonation device.
It's literally stated by Ulysses and even your OWN BRAIN that YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE. Responsibility is a common theme in dialogue between people of importance in the stories and the Lone WandereCourier 6. Why? Because the Lone Wanderer was abandoned by his father, and lost his mother during child birth. The loss the Lone Wanderer has experienced, as a staunchly well esteemed vault dweller (passing all exams, escaped, saved the wasteland from being exposed to the Modified FEV). Dude is a straight up Hero, yet, if we are to assume this character would go on after the end of the story of Fallout 3, what exactly would a man like this do? He'd find a new home, far far away, doing a job similar to what would amount to being his calling (other than annihilating every single thing in his path). Being a Mailman.
I don't know why nobody has realized this but the story of the Lone Wanderer in Fallout 3 is actually a story about a young adult man finding his calling in being a Mail Carrier. Having been dealing with so much trauma, a 19 year old man that is the Lone Wanderer, would definitely have a psychopathy after all that happens. Imagine what it must be like for a man like Ulysses to be from Cali, and meeting the Lone Wanderer (nobody knows what the Lone Wanderer looks like on the west coast, but know OF him.)
Now into the REALNESS ZONE because I wanna explain what I was thinking that made me connect the dots, besides the fact that the idea that being able to set your age in FNV means it's impossible for it to be a sequel to Fallout 3 due to the Lone Wanderer is confirmed 19 years of age. You JUST TURN to adult age by the events of Fallout 3, by New Vegas, that man has experienced a LOT. And that LOT, has got to be all of the events of Fallout 3 for one reason.
Ulysses knows who Courier 6 truly is, but due to amnesia, and Ulysses own psychopathy (recurring theme for people who become exceptionally dangerous and powerful in the Wasteland), and its this dialogue that basically has been in front of ALL OF US the entire time, and nobody has ever known what it actually means. The Courier definitely doesn't, but the Lone Wanderer, if he were talking to Ulysses, I know for a fact that all of Ulysses dialogue would remain unchanged, but the Lone Wanderer would say very different things than what the Courier 6 said.
"Name's died twice to history. If the West thanks you... the East won't, in time. Fall apart, back to the tribes, maybe."
Implying that Courier 6 had a double life, or a life before the current one Ulysses met him. He met him before Benny shot him, but clearly wasn't close in any capacity. Referring to knowing where he came from, and possibly knowing he's the Lone Wanderer. If anyone could get the signal from DC of any news regarding the Lone Wanderer, it is Ulysses (Ulysses' Point in Big Mt. Big Mt. contains many many clues as well.)
"Let the land do the killing for you, that's one of the things you taught me."
Whether the Courier at the time of transporting the Platinum Chip, had either intentionally or unintentionally set off the nukes in his path, the idea of him being completely unaware of it before Benny shot him is completely false according to Ulysses' statement. Basically, whatever was already there; nuclear missile silos, were what would be the land that killed everything for the Courier. He says he taught it to him because, well, as someone who's talked about on the other continental shelf, he must know what he's doing. He must be deliberate in his intention. Maybe it's alluding to this man being not actually a Courier... Maybe...
Courier 6's Brain's Dialogue: "I don't know. I'm afraid the trauma of our separation rendered me quite insensate. I didn't come around until I was safely ensconced in this tank." (separation anxiety is one of the biggest hints in my opinion. Not just every wasteland powerhouse experiences subconscious anxieties of the nature that someone living in a cozy environment would. Like the Lone Wanderer, having lost his father, and mother, and Sarah Lyons, and Megaton.)
"Oh, lovely, we've reached the mindless violence portion of the program. Tell me, what exactly are you - and I use the word loosely - planning?" (clearly there's a separation of intention between the Courier's subconsciousness and his actual actions. That's indicative of someone who cannot fathom responsibility for his actions.
"Ah yes, there's that greed and general sense of malice. I'd nearly forgotten it. What's the plan, then?" (I think this just reinforces everything even more because it's obvious from lines like this that this man has a serious history and even his own subconsciousness knows he did something extremely bad... like nuking an entire trade route in a drunken stupor? Don't believe me? Why does your brainless body say this then?)
Brainless Courier 6:
"I would. And I'd follow it up with an alcohol-and-ant-nectar cocktail every night." (a truth. Without the brain to develop conscious lies, clearly this was what Courier 6 has done before. Must be lots of ants where the Courier 6 is originally from, and intentionally moved somewhere where he could still realistically acquire ant nectar)
More Ulysses dialogue that reinforces the idea of the Courier's intentions being significantly different than the narrative:
"That violence in the sky, had a source. Tracked it. Like following a river current. Left the colors to mark my way, like always, case someone finds them, learns the pattern - the Courier might." (James unintentionally left a paper trail for the Lone Wanderer to follow. His tracking skills are significant enough that Ulysses knew.)
"Not a camp - vigil, maybe. Never claimed it as mine. {More a question}If anyone owns the Divide... {"well..."}your claim is stronger than mine." (sort of a jab at how dangerous you are.)
"Words aren't the only way couriers meet... sometimes it's the paths we walk. But no... we've never spoken before now." (he's seen him visibly possibly many times before they first spoke.)
"You may not know my voice, but we've walked the same places. The Long 15 to Primm... that wasn't the only road you ever walked." (He knows a secret)
"I've been to your home, the place you kept returning to... may not be the place you were born, was the place you gave life to, same thing." (He knows he's foreign to the West Coast region.)
I know this is all a reach, but the thing that cements my idea, is because there is no official dated time for which Courier 6 began his activities. To me, it reads like things happened in a very short span of time, the time between F3 and FNV chronologically is 4 years. Now I wanna provide EVEN MORE hints, because there's so many weird interactions between the Courier and just random people. People even confusing him for something he's not, and it's evident that is the case due to established lore, its not like people are lying, its just purely subtle hints.
(The Courier is initially unaware of the rarity and value of the Sunset Sarsaparilla star bottle caps as Malcolm Holmes says the Courier did not express any reaction upon finding their first one.)
And let me get the Montana Connection to the Courier bit out of the way before people start saying, "uh but he shagged a broad in 2260-something:
"That would explain how they could forget what happened at The Divide... but then there's all this other weird stuff the Courier does remember, like a shtupping he gave a dame in Montana 17 years earlier. (Interestingly, this also establishes a ballpark minimum age for the Courier of around age 30, if said doinking occurred when he was a teenager).
More strangely, (with a high Intelligence stat), the Courier can speak Latin to Silus while interrogating him, but is totally dumbfounded by a phrase in Latin spoken to him by Arcade. (This is all the weirder because the Latin the Courier uses when speaking to Silus is more advanced than Arcade's "Nihil novi sub sole", which -- even without being proficient in Latin -- is fairly easy to figure out from the English words descended from it.)"
And finally, the one thing I predicted just by thinking about all of this. The Courier is a Con Artist. He flat out tells Keith he is one.
And lastly, the ED-E and Courier connection. What is that connection? They both long to return to their true homes, the Courier remarks, "Why do you think I became a courier?" HE WAS ONE WHEN HE WAS HOME, AND HE CONTINUED TO BE ONE AFTER AS WELL.
Any counter argument would be greatly appreciated, however, I believe I've covered all bases without saying Sarah and Sheldon Weintraub are the Courier's/Lone Wanderer's long lost siblings lmao. And also, before people get confused about the Montana Connection, the implication I'm making with that is the fact that going off of specifics like, for example, a Brain Damaged Courier saying he messed around with a woman in a place like Montana, but not knowing what Illinois is, or what Chicago is, or what Denver is. Oh and also, the Latin thing too. His brain was too damaged before he went to Big Mt. where his subconsciousness is fully revealed to be a sorta nihilistic, psychopathic, and bitter as well. The emotion of being bitter in that fashion, regarding violence, greed, malice as a end-all-be-all means the Courier wasn't always like that. He was once a not-so greedy, malicious, and violent individual. To me, everything from that dialogue between Brainless Courier and the Courier's Brain tells me he was once a Vault dweller.

I'm trying to improve my MCR skills but compared to other games I play and study regularly (backgammon, bridge, poker) I find that finding resources regarding MCR strategy is really difficult. I've read the Hatsune book and pretty much everything written here on MCR, and I'd like to find something more since I'm constantly being butchered by better players.
In all the other games I play I study mostly with the help of AI, which in pretty much any game beats almost all humans or any human, and I actively study and read theory on why does AI want to do this or that way. However, in MCR, even though I play against bots online, I can't see what they do, how they build hands, and I haven't found any AI that would for example give advice on what to discard in a certain situation.
What I've tried to do lately is to go through my own games and other players' games to see what better players do in certain situations, and I have been able to deduce some patterns (for instance they aggressively go for Melded Hand much more often than I do) but I still feel pretty much lost in the dark.
I feel like one of the major reasons better players butcher me is that too often when I don't have a clear direction where I'm headed with my hand, I get stuck and just end up either in a discard loop, waiting hopelessly only a couple of tiles that can improve my hand, or then locking my hand with an improvised meld.
Any advice from better players is greatly appreciated, thank you in advance!

I wanted to give back a bit after receiving some great information from folks on this sub before a (very short notice and sparsely planned) solo trip to Panama in late April/early May of 2024. I'm subtitling this post "I did a lot in Panama so you don't (necessarily) have to". Truth be told, I started the trip with 4 nights and one in-country flight booked and built the rest of my itinerary on the fly. I definitely could have used an extra week or so before the trip to do some itinerary planning, deeper research on where I chose to stay, etc. but I really enjoyed most of the trip and would absolutely recommend Panama as a solo trip destination.
Rough pre-departure itinerary:

• Panama City: Arrive at about 2 PM on a Thursday, stay three nights at Selina Casco Viejo, depart at 8 AM on Sunday via plane to David (Copa Airlines)
• Boquete: Arrive at about noon Sunday (after transit to town from airport), stay two nights at the Bambuda Castle
• Bocas for unknown amount of time/other stuff in the west off the country
• Return to Panama City from David via plane (Copa) Sunday Morning
• Return to USA on a redeye flight Tuesday night

I arrived in Panama City on time and took an Uber straight to Selina (cost $28). The Selina there is in a decent location, kind of on the edge of Casco Viejo but walkable to everything. I checked in and was told there was a welcome happy hour with a free drink and a free walking tour every day at 10. The 6-person dorm had a dedicated bathroom, but wasn't much for the price ($30/night) and I'm just now realizing I booked a 4-person dorm then was put in the wrong lodging... There is a bar and allegedly a pool on the roof of the property, but the pool was not open when I was there. The welcome drink was an underwhelming event, though I did meet a few cool people I ended up doing more with later. There really isn't much in the way of common space at Selina Casco Viejo and I found it to be overpriced, underwhelming, and not a great place to meet people. I ended up booking the canal tour ($60ish) with them (which was via the personal vehicle of the guide, a small sedan cramming 4 of us in plus the driver), but I did a different free walking tour after hearing poor reviews of the one provided by Selina. While Selina felt like a huge waste (would not recommend this location), I really liked Casco Viejo. The food was surprisingly good, especially ceviche at Marea https://maps.app.goo.gl/MdWBJ1uw4mWLB7r2A and a nice stop for middle eastern at Estambul Casco https://maps.app.goo.gl/qFq8wAm5NEzJw84F8 . I also made a quick stop with some people from the hostel at La Fabrica https://maps.app.goo.gl/WdAG1KAhwmkj1TbS8 which had a decent tap list and cool vibe and the Pedro Mandinga Rum bar (highly recommend) for some beers and a rum flight https://maps.app.goo.gl/seXCnetthN18BbUB9 . I also, as a cigar smoker, made a stop at the official La Casa del Habano store https://maps.app.goo.gl/uhswvnFPe1Y1Uzbu9 where the staff was chill and the cigarum selection was good. I finished out my cigar and partook in a bit of happy hour across the street at Finca del Mar which had a decent outdoor area for a drink https://maps.app.goo.gl/kPSiTHdd2mJmtakGA but the food was not recommended so I didn't try it.
I was up early to get to David on Sunday morning, so I figured I'd just grab food and coffee at the airport lounge (mistake). It turns out the Copa flight to David departs from the "domestic" gate, which is a standalone area on the ground floor of the airport. There are no amenities, just a single vending machine, and you get bussed to the plane. Do not go early for a David flight, security was very easy and I ended up waiting in the small seating area for way too long. The flight was fine, but don't expect to access a lounge or coffee shop after security.
I got to David pretty early and hadn't done my research on transit, but knew there was public bus service to Boquete. I was trying to figure out how to get to the bus terminal when a taxi offered to drive me all the way to Boquete for $40 which seemed like a decent deal so I went for it. Boquete is pretty small, a little mountain town with a relaxed vibe. I spent quite a bit of time at the brewery which, if you know craft beer pretty well, wasn't the best on beer quality but had good live music and a fun atmosphere https://maps.app.goo.gl/EJFiRiwQsbJ89UPa9 . I worked from here a little bit too, definitely where I spent the most time. I got a delicious dinner at RetroGusto which was really reasonable https://maps.app.goo.gl/8gcU1GHqXrfbTCoX9 and a good lunch at Donde Giselle which was a little more expensive, but also delicious https://maps.app.goo.gl/uNsz1EqCDfnSpYfk8 . I did a coffee finca tour through Bambuda ($35) at Don Pepe. It was pretty cool, not a lot of walking but the guide was knowledgeable and we got to see the full operation in a small footprint. I bought one bag and was happy I did, they were 3 times the price in the airport on the way home. The Tres Cascadas (three waterfall) trail was a must, it does have a steep section that has ropes affixed to help but was otherwise a pretty straightforward trail. It did cost a few dollars to hike as it's on private property. I took a taxi there ($20) but took the bus back ($2.25). The bus comes by every 30-40 minutes and they generally wait a bit at the entrance to the trail from the road to see if people come down. We did end up picking up a whole bunch of kids leaving school, but it was pretty funny and we managed to fit everyone. I did do the Volcan Baru hike, which cost $18 for a taxi to the trailhead but was otherwise free. It is a grueling hike, it took a little over 5 hours for me to get to the top and I was not having fun. I was very lucky to encounter a couple who was dropped off at the same time at the trailhead and, while we did not hike together, we did take a few breaks together and it was nice to be within sight of their headlamps. It was COLD at the top and I was happy I had a light down jacket and a fleece. I did a good job of timing up my climb with the sunrise, only needing to wait at the top for maybe 30 minutes before the sun came up. You can go up in a jeep, and I was very lucky to beat the offroad vehicles up as they were very loud coming up the mountain. It did get pretty crowded at the top by the time all of the jeeps had emptied out and their clients climbed the last bit to the summit. The view was phenomenal, you can see both the Caribbean and the Pacific on a clear day and the sunrise was beautiful. It was a little annoying that the 6 of us who climbed it had to share with the 25 or so who rode up in cars, but worth it. One spot I wish I had visited, but it just didn't work out, was a wood fire pizza spot that came recommended by our coffee guide and by several travelers https://maps.app.goo.gl/T93KKqHxXoQ7AFhf6 . I got lucky at the Bambuda Castle as I booked a 3 bed room but had it to myself. It had a nice restaurant and common space within the castle itself that was a good working space and had a fantastic view. The food was pretty good, with a few vegetarian options and smoothies. It's a pretty decent walk from the center of town, and about $4-5 taxi ride from the Boquete center. If I went again, I would probably look to stay somewhere in the center of town but I don't regret giving the Castle a shot.
I traveled out of Boquete to Bocas del Toro the same day I did the Baru hike, leaving via shuttle at 1 PM ($37) which I arranged through Bambuda. I ended up using a discount QR code at Bambuda Castle to book their Bocas town Hostel for three nights. The shuttle was fine, but it's a quick trip through winding mountain roads so be prepared if you get carsick. A big bonus, that I would recommend you ask about, was that this shuttle did not go all the way to Almirante, but instead stopped at Chiriqui Grande and proceeded via small boat (lancha) from there. The longer boat trip was fantastic, much better than the long/boring road which runs the rest of the way. I got stopped right off the boat in by several people trying to sell tours and got one person's number for a potential $35 Cayo Zapatilla tour but didn't commit, choosing to get to Bambuda Bocas Town first and settle in before making decisions. While I wish I had spent some more time at either red frog beach or another island, with only 3 nights and having booked late my options were limited. For Bocas Town, Bambuda was great. The front desk folks were pretty helpful and the restaurant was good for breakfast (the vegetarian burrito option is better than the sandwich). The hostel deck goes right out to the lagoon, and it's always busy with people hanging out in the sun or jumping into the lagoon. It was a great spot to do some work over coffee and, frankly, I wish I had spent more time here or at the Bambuda Lodge. I ended up doing the Caya Zapatilla tour (highly recommend, if only for the stop at Caya Zapatilla) for $35 with the operator I met right off the boat. This included pick up and drop off from Bambuda, and they had a cooler that I threw a few Balboas of my own in for the trip. We did stop mid-way for lunch which was not included and was a little expensive. This was the only actual tour I did during my time there, I spent my other full day just kind of hanging out and went to Starfish Beach (not as nice as Caya Zapatilla, but worth an afternoon) with a group from the hostel. I also did salsa night at Selina (fun, but a bad instructor) and karaoke at Aqua Lounge (get there in time to get a round of the happy hour special, the screen is behind the stage so not ideal for karaoke but it's easy to get on the list). I did not do Filthy Friday, I ended up departing Bocas that day but I would have been on the fence about it anyway. I guess it's a "when in Bocas" thing, so I probably would have gone for it. I really wish I had spent another night in Bocas, I regretted not having another day out there as soon as I left. It turned out to be the best place on my trip to meet people, it's definitely a general party vibe, and actually the best place to get work done of the hostels I stayed at. I did dinner at Pier 19 which was pretty nice, if not a little expensive and probably not a good solo traveler vibe https://maps.app.goo.gl/6vJG1rdUPCqEf9W3A . I did brunch one day away from Bambuda at Casa Papaya, their typical Panamanian breakfast and it was a great deal/meal https://maps.app.goo.gl/9CPFCxu6woWwKuwM7 . I did hear from some people that the bird island was a fun tour, and worth the day/cost. I did some bonus late night, unofficial stuff like swimming after midnight at Selina and an impromptu midnight trip out to see the bioluminescence and the stars with a random lancha taxi from the Selina dock. Not sure how I'd direct someone to arrange that, but say yes if it's an option.
I took off from Bocas via shuttle for the Lost and Found Hostel on Friday around noon ($20) which I arranged at the main lancha dock. This shuttle did not include a boat all the way to Chiriqui Grande, it was the short boat with the long road segment. A few people did get car sick during the first leg of the trip, the road is in pretty rough shape so lots of speeding up, slowing down, and swerving potholes. Lost and Found really caught my eye because of how much I enjoyed Secret Garden Cotopaxi in Ecuador. In the end, it didn't live up to that lofty expectation and I should not have squeezed it in. The allure is that it's isolated in the jungle, you have to walk about 15 minutes up the trail from the road to reach the hostel property. There are several buildings, with one primary common area with a few tables and hammocks. A big downside is that everything is outdoors, under cover of roofs but open still, which wasn't ideal in the evening during the season I went where it rained in the afternoons. There is a community kitchen if you bring your own food along, or there is an option to get breakfast/lunch/dinner from the hostel. I had a few meals there: the smoothie bowl was good, the lentil curry was a little on the salty side. The hiking is pretty cool and I ended up going up over the mountain to the big tree, the lookout, and the river. I didn't bring water, but definitely should have brought a liter along. In the end, with only about half a dozen other people staying there and 2/3 of the staff being pretty insular and not really socializing with the guests, it just wasn't a great addition to my trip. It might be a better option for a group or during a different season, but it provided a logistical challenge to make my flight back from David to Panama City and it wasn't really worth the risk of making it work, so I hired a car ($30) to take me to David and just ate the price of my second night at Lost and Found. It was beautiful, but it just wasn't on the same level as Secret Garden Cotopaxi which inspired me to give this a shot. I think, all in, my stop at Lost and Found cost me about $76.
The combination of having scheduled a flight on election day (oops) and the lack of help from lost and found staff meant that my best bet was a night in David. I used Hilton points to book a night at the Hampton and had myself a recovery night. I got a hot and ready pizza from the Little Caesar's next door and two Sam Adam's Boston Lagers from the bar. Fantastic recovery night, vey nice Hampton, and a pretty nice little breakfast. It refreshed me at a point where I was not really enjoying the trip and pushed me to go for one more stop rather than laying low in Panama City.
After my flight back to Panama City, I took the metro all the way to the Avenida Terminal (less than $1 total, it is very easy to purchase a card and load it at the station) to grab the bus to Valle de Anton. It was fairly easy to find the window to buy the bus ticket ($4.25). It's important to buy for El Valle and not just Anton, a town which is not where you want to end up. There was a confusing bit of business related to a transit card (not the same transit card as the metro. I couldn't seem to find a machine to buy one from, and eventually the guy at the turnstile took pity and just used his own to let me in. I paid him back, but it was very confusing that you needed to buy the ticket then a card with which to pay an additional 10 cents to get to the bus at Gate 53. I can't really offer advice other than you should try to figure out how to get this card, or if you can just pay with a dime, right when you buy your ticket. I let the bus (not a very big bus, somewhere between a van and a bus) driver know where I was headed on the way and they dropped me right at Bohdi in Valle de Anton. The whole trip is about 3 hours, with lots of local stops the whole way. Bohdi was a pretty cool spot, with a great yoga space with a guided lesson on a TV every morning. It has a kitchen if you want to cook for yourself and free coffee plus breakfast every day from 7:30-10:00. Both breakfasts were pancakes, but it was free and they were pretty good. There are some cool lounge spots out back, a few cafe tables out front, and a loft space as well. It was a decent, but not perfect spot, to do work if that's what you're looking for. The dorm does have 3 levels of beds, and they aren't all that comfy, but I'd recommend Bohdi. The first night I was in town I went to the Golden Frog Inn on a recommendation and it turned out to be a great spot to watch the sunset and have some pretty good (although a small) vegetarian tacos https://maps.app.goo.gl/pzRuyYuwHZvMVnAo8 . One afternoon I chose to do the India Dormida hike, I left and walked all the way back to Bohdi, it was a few hours total. It's a quick climb up to the top and you can walk the whole ridge that forms the edge of the caldera. It was a beautiful view and you can really see the old crater rim formations from the top. It's clear up there, no trees and wide open, and the breeze was very refreshing. I ended up coming down about halfway across the ridge, starting from the north. I grabbed a vegetarian dinner at El Rincon Colombiano which I'd recommend https://maps.app.goo.gl/tRcAAnAm9fYni7Nv8 and some guacamole and a beer at La Ranita which was pretty good https://maps.app.goo.gl/BcdB8uCqaSRv1RyE8 . Overall, I really liked Valle de Anton and I'm happy I made it happen. It's a little drier and warmer than Boquete, with a lot less coffee influence, but I liked the vibe and wish I had done more hiking around the area.
For my last evening in Panama, I grabbed a room just to have a place to put bags and clean up before my flight at Hotel Caracas, a recommendation from someone I met in my first stop in Casco Viejo. I did not plan to work from here, nor did I spend a night, but for $35 it was a perfect spot to leave things as I went to knock out a few more items before my flight home. I popped into Tantalo for a quick bite to eat https://maps.app.goo.gl/9pA9Dmw8AE9doabT7 which I don't know if I'd recommend for food, but the view was good. I think I meant to go to CasaCasco, which was recommended for ceviche and sushi, but ended up in the wrong spot. I then went over to Element to get some cocktails https://maps.app.goo.gl/mwYt2D7X43ua4jGu6 . Element has an interesting vibe, kind of a steampunk theme to the décor. The two guys behind the bar, who I believe own it, were fantastic. They don't have a set menu but instead try to match a drink to what you're feeling at the time. I had a classic daquiri and an old fashioned, which both came with a little bit of a twist on the classic recipe. They also pulled down a few different spirits which we tasted together, overall I'd highly recommend a stop and it was especially fun as the only patron there. After two cocktails, I cleaned up and called an Uber and headed to the airport. Just a heads up, the Copa Club is pretty nice, has limited food, but tragically closes at 9 PM. I had a flight that left at nearly 11 PM, so this was a little disappointing.
Overall, I loved Panama. The people were friendly, even if the service in many places was pretty lackluster. It's more expensive than Colombia or Ecuador, but several people told me it's slightly cheaper than Costa Rica. It's a good stop if you're not sure about central or south America as it's extremely safe, if you use common sense, and it's not too hard to get around using shuttles/taxis/ubers if you don't want to brave public transit. It offers very good food options in Panama City, and it's easy to find a Hampton Inn/Hooters/McDonald's/Little Caesar's/Wendy's if you need a break from being adventurous. The Spanish isn't difficult, and most people speak at least some English. I would have dropped lost and found hostel from my itinerary if I planned it again, but did not regret any of the other stops. I do kind of wish I had focused on Bocas and Boquete, saving Valle de Anton and maybe San Blas together for a future trip, but I had already painted myself into a bit of a corner with my David-Panama flights by the time I realized this. I hope this helps someone as they plan their Panama trip, or helps them decide Panama is a worthwhile visit! Please do not make as many changes as I did, I absolutely did at least one to many stops and wish I had spent more time in Bocas and probably Valle de Anton. Anyway, feel free to ask questions in the comments and I'll try to address them as they come in!
Final Itinerary:

• 3 nights at Selina Casco Viejo (meh, not recommended)
• 2 nights at Bambuda Castle Boquete
• 3 nights at Bambuda Bocas Town (recommend)
• 1 night at Lost & Found Hostel (not my jam, would not do again)
• 1 night at Hampton Inn David (saved my trip, loved it, would recommend)
• 2 nights at Bohdi Valle de Anton (solid, would recommend)
• 1 kind of night at Hotel Caracas (did exactly what I needed)

I already understand that it would be accepted with an expired ID, but my friend lost his ID and it was his first and only one. So he doesn’t have an expired ID and it won’t be here in time for EDC. In an email from the company, they said other IDs like a work ID, credit card with a name, etc would help but not GUARANTEE entry, and it’s up to the discretion of security. He lost his entire wallet which means no ID, no physical credit card etc. He has a picture of his original ID but other than that, it’s just his work ID.
Is security really that strict where as they wouldn’t allow entry? What are the chances?

me(21F) and my bf(20M) have been dating for 1.5 years now. Lately I've been contemplating leaving but I think I feel obliged to stay.
trigger warning - mention of sa and thoughts of suicide
so we've been in an LDR and have been able to meet only a couple of times in the last year. my boyfriend and I met on tinder in June of 2022 and started dating by November. But within a week of us dating i almost got SAed. It was a childhood friend of mine n i don't wanna get into the details now. But my bf was on call the through it all and I think the guy only stopped because of my bf. he called me about 20-30 times n almost called the cops and that's when the guy stopped. ik it affected my boyfriend a lot. Me and my bf both have a history of SA from our childhoods and it was really difficult for the both of us. I was suicidal and had lost the will to live. my bf also felt really guilty and helpless because during the whole thing he was on call but couldn't do anything. i still cannot imagine how hard it must have been for him. But he was like my rock and helped me through everything. I dont think i would've been alive today if it wasn't for him. I am really grateful for everything he's done for me til date. hes super caring and affectionate and i can see how much he loves me in the way he talks to me. he is the first bf who's treated me right and I'm so grateful to have him. The first 6m of our relationship was very tumultuous and we had broken up and gotten back together a couple of times but now he is just not the same anymore. the whole thing took a huge toll on him. i think i was recurrent depression ( if it's a thing ) never been diagnosed but used to go to a therapist regularly but i don't think I've ever I'll ever been fine. My bf is in 3rd yr of uni and stays on campus. i m doing a professional course and currently stay at home.( i didnt stay at my home when the whole friend stuff happened ). My bf doesn't really share much with me n I think it becomes he thinks I have a lot on my plate already. now i don't think I can talk to my bf about how I feel because after the whole thing happened we took a break for a bit and after that whenever i tried to talk to my bf about anything it just doesn't help. We either end up fighting or he dismisses it or it just turns into a communication lesson for our relationship. i know and I can see that he really tries but nothing has been working and it's been a year. we are in a LDR n i feel the only thing we have is communication. i think we both should feel comfortable enough to talk to each other. i also feel like I have been taken for granted now or maybe he just doesn't not care ( i know he does but i just don't see it) but we still fight about the same small things over n over. i would understand fighting about the same issues if the issues were complex but okay so give an example I'm not really a text person i usually hate texting but idm texting my bf because he feels more comfortable on text but personally for me texting doesn't really feel like talking to me . I have told him that whenever I'm upset or if my mood's a lil off i don't really like texting. so about the whole communication part. i have been very hesitant while talking to him but in the end have always tried to talk to him. i know he cares a lot and notices even if my mood's a lil off and always asks me if something happened or why my mood is off. i usually hesitate because it never end well for me. i hate being vulnerable in front of people but w my bf it's different. but i usually take my time to open up but lately about a couple of months ago I just tried not to talk to him about stuff because i wasn't really in a good place. i had my exams coming up and I kept getting flashbacks of me getting SAed while was kid. usually i didn't mind it turning into a communication lesson for us but about this i rarely ever talk about this to anyone ( noone actually) but when I do talk it turns into a meltdown and i need help. so I stopped talking to him about this but felt really guilty. hed also get frustrated when i didn't talk to him which i kinda don't blame him for because ik he cares and i didn't tell him anything but i just couldn't afford that then. Even at that time he'd rather text than call. we've had a fight about this for almost 10-12 times. i have always told him that atleast when I'm upset I'd rather talk on call because i usually can't express and feel like I'm alone while texting. we've also had fights about the whole communication thing and he does try but they only last a couple of days. i usually don't really like fighting over these things n just let it go. he always tells me to point out his mistakes as n when it happens I tried that but we ended up fighting everyday. i don't want that. i also i have a feeling that he's w me just because I was around. it can't be true because he went through so much for me n honestly it would've been easier for him if he had left but ik I felt obligated to stay at the beginning. he tells me that he struggles to feel emotions and doesn't really have any friends. i kinda feel guilty. ik he usually has a lot of academic pressure+ he's also working+ i also think he's doing atleast a couple of projects ( i don't really understand I'm from a different field) i think he's wasting his residual time in front of a screen talking to him instead of actually going out n having fun. i feel responsible ik he's scold me for even considering this . i just feel really guilty because I think we could've built a meaningful relationship w someone there if it weren't for me n that person could've been there with him there. i think we're both really young and I feel like I'm just wasting his college days . i don't really go to college and only go to college for my sem exams so I'm not missing much anyways. Hes the sweetest guy and i only want the best for him. but now I've think I feel obligated to stay because he's been there for me but i don't see any changes in him. ik he's trying but i just don't see it and it's been a year. id understand no positive results but it keeps getting worse. i hold do much love and respect for him. i think he's the only guy I've ever truly loved. but I don't want him to suffer because of me . so ik i do wanna stay w him. I love him so much but it makes me wonder if it's right I'm so sorry for this being so long idk ifanyone will actually read this but thank you so much and I hope anyone reading this has a nice day

It's really not going to look like anything special tbh. The Vocab cards would just be the Spanish word on the front then, answer on the back with an example sentence and a contextualizing image or clip on the back... if relevant.
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But I wasted alot of time curating a personalized example sentence for (almost) every single vocab word I discover. Key word is discover imo.
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Right now my example sentences contain a simple concept I already comprehend, atleast within the context of that sentence, for the word that I am learning to be applied to. Like my lunes card is ´´lunes es antes martes´´. As I create the vocab cards I try to keep main vocab word part as the primary focus in usage and less that of the sentence itself for the sake of simplicity which means that the vocab card usually ends up as the first word of the sentence unless I personally see no reason actually care. Like another card I have that was luckily easy to make for desde is ´´el imperio de mongol duró desde a 1206 a 1368''. Every example I create is with words I already know or do not feel a remote need to understand - to understand the sentence. but IDK. Also I'm more concerned with audio than I am with imagery though. But If I could make the back into a really simple clip and very quickly that would be nice, but I dont care about imagery too much as most of it is going to end up in immersion anyways. Sound matters for me though. Sound is really so i can read something out loud before I hear what it sounds like, which helps me make comparisons and judge myself while I flag cards to make filtered decks out of later. And of course, for words that I already knew before starting studying I do not even consider making vocab cards out of as it will be fluff. completely random words like mañana or lanzar are weirdly glued to my head specifically because I have a specific memory with them. like for lanzar I watched a little game trailer and a text prompt showed up saying ''lanzar roca'' for this fucking kid to just launch a whole ass rock at a dude across a bridge. which is goofy as fuck. the game was called pedros adventures btw.
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Also on the back of one of my vocab cards for the word 4th... I literally just put ''cuarto y cuarto'' fucking 10 times. because if you say cuarto 10x fast, it sounds like Squidward in Japanese which is fucking HILARIOUS.
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But if I could imagine imagery in a specific way it would really just be for nouns and numbers... and anything that has a very concrete meaning with just an image. like for example, you could have a game where an image flashes on the screen and you need to translate that image in your head or if you want by typing it or speaking it out loud. And you get feedback for elements of the image relayed... but I haven't spent much time thinking about that kind of thing cos its not on any to do list, but it would be pretty cool.
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its quite easy to curate examples as I'm watching these dreaming Spanish videos which is why id like to make some kind of sentence cards out of the clips. this is really because there is like a mix in my head between a sentence card and an example sentence on the back of a vocab card. Vocab cards are really the gateway for sentence cards imo. For any vocab card that has multiple definitions I need only create 1 vocab card for its primary use, and create sentence cards for its primary use and its different usages as I discover them through immersion. I can work out the nuance as I watch, read and write. and then as i immerse and gain enough vocabulary i will eventually bury more and more vocab cards and instead replace them with sentence cards. But of course, still using both in a balance.
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And ideally, all of this comes from something I highly associate with in my head. As in English; for any single word and phrase and etc., I have in my subconscious a lil smth-smth associated with that word in so many ways that I do not even realize. But I do not care to understand the little neural networks, just as I do not care to actually develop some stupid ass grammatical understanding before I even begin speaking or listening. but only to just create a 24 7 immersive study environment conducive to an almost gamified consumption that gradually improves my abilities over time. Right now it feels like i'm just trying to make a build, and I cant even start grinding the way I want to. I have tidbits here and there but I haven't worked it out entirely.
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And I do apologize if I seemed like there was friction between me and watching the dreaming Spanish videos when you had brought it up. it was just that as of now; everything I've been doing is just thinking of how to make this situation fairly seamless without needing any weird in-between steps just to do a single repetitive task. Like tagging and flagging cards is something you dont want to do manually, you want to do it with a key stroke or command. Books are easy to get, and I will be consuming the dreaming spanish videos now that I'm feeling how helpful they are compared to what I was doing before... Spanish dubs... alot of scrolling in tiktok... ALSO that one Spanish youtuber for chess called rey engima. He's like gotham chess but for Spanish which i absolutely love because I love chess and I needed a spanish way to consume it. Ive made alot of Spanish accounts for things and translated alot of UI into spanish. and I also downloaded urban VPN but i think that part was unnecessary asf.
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But really the annoying thing was how to approach anki. also, that 4 hour video I linked is really just an oversimplified text book to just get a general idea of a concept. Which is all I care about. Things like grammar are terribly taught in classrooms and that video just goes about it in a way I really like, atleast compared to every other explanation ive seen. I planned to just do just 30 minutes per day on that video as I focused on other things. but I got caught up with other random shit and then I kind of just set that video to the side... which is why i only watched 20 minutes of it.
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I am a really slow thinker, and things get to expedited when I get a foundation.
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In regards to what I mean when I said 'gamified element'. I don't mean to say things like grind and such like this is some MMORPG. I mean gamified in the sense that I get some kind of gamified feedback or feeling in a dopamine inducing form that encourages me to do really weird things to lock in that I dont anyone actually does. Like if im at the microwave and the numbers are going down, im literally saying those numbers in Spanish as they go down because in the end the main goal is to entirely quit using English as a crutch for the language and reach a point where you need only convert your conceptualizations into language and vice versa i.e., other Spanish speakers. But gamified elements provide for me an extremely significant way for me to engage with the language that I also really enjoy... cos im a weirdo. Being able to see how long I've spent on each card and other visual inputs about the outputs of my efforts are also cool, especially if displayed in a consumable manner to increase my receptivity.
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Anyways, hopefully I could at least give you an idea of what's going on in my head and what my goals are. This process has been poopoo stinky, and my brain is very poo poo stinky.

Apologies for the somewhat confusing title, let me elaborate:
Currently, Clash Royale works with a reward/punish system. If you beat a higher trophy player, you get more trophies (31, 32, or 33 for example). If you lose to a higher trophy player, you lose less trophies (27 or 28 for example).
When fighting a lower trophy player, it flips. You gain less trophies when winning (27 or 28 for example) but you lose more trophies if the opponent beats you (32 or 33 for example).
To make it clear: I'm not here to argue about the practicality of the system. I think it has some benefits too. However: I'm here to argue that it is quite illogical, and somewhat unfair. This becomes especially clear when you start losing a few games and try to make your way back up.
My statement is mostly supported by one argument:
The argument concerns the misrepresentation (of skill) and the infuriating effect: Someone with a slightly lower trophy amount, isn't neccessarily worse than you, and should therefore not make you lose more trophies than usual. Sometimes, even when playing at your best, the deck of your opponent (with a lower trophy amount) can absolutely destroy you. This will obviously make you lose about 31 up to 33 trophies (depending on the trophy difference). Even though this is a small amount, I have to say, it is extremely frustrating. The same goes for winning against an opponent with a higher trophy amount; you can only gain 27 up to 28 trophies depending on the difference.
I would like to add my personal experience in this, which is mostly frustration. I'm pretty sure everyone has tilts, or at least a bunch of losing games back to back. It's extremely painful to see yourself lose 33 trophies every single time, especially when you know there was not much you could do (sometimes the algorithm matches you against an impossible deck). Obviously, after a while, I did win a game. But then to see yourself gain 27 trophies after 'trying your hardest' and 'tilting' is one of the most infuriating things I've seen in this game. It feels like clash royale is 'flipping you off' in a way.
My argument is obviously immediately met with 'But the opposite is also true'. And yes, you do gain more trophies when winning against an opponent with a higher trophy amount (and you lose less trophies when losing against one). However, from what I've seen so far (this could be pure chance), this does not work as well in practicality.
I've stopped playing Clash Royale for a year, but I've decided to come back into it. I'm trying to climb the now 9000 trophy ladder which is a lot of fun! However, when playing long runs, where I lose and win the same amount of games (7 wins, 7 losses for example) I NEVER end any higher than the amount I've started with. (I'd start with 8730, and end with 8712)
Though this amount seems insignificant, it is extremely annoying knowing you've wasted about an hour, playing break even, but somehow ending up with a lower trophy amount than you started with.
The statement above can of course just be unlucky, but I've been noticing (when I do win and lose the same amount of games) it is always the case. I always end up lower. When looking back at my record, I do get really unlucky match ups with someone that has a higher trophy amount than me. After reviewing my games, there was really nothing I could do.
I would also like to take into account that all players I fight against are higher level than me, which makes it even more frustrating.
To summarize my argument in a question: What is the actual point? I see no use in it, as a matter of fact, I can only see it cause frustration and misrepresentation.
What are you guys' thoughts on this?

Need validation if my understanding is sound. I have some form of cost reduction that reduces instant/sorcery cost by at least 4 (ie [[Mizzix of the Izmagus]]). I also have [[Storm-Kiln Artist]] and [[Urabrask]] in play.
I cast [[Finale of Revelation]] where X = 10. This triggers SKA and Urabrask. I let the triggers resolve refunding me essentially 2 mana. Then I cast [[Reiterate]] with buyback for free targeting the Finale, which refunds me 2 mana again. Reiterate resolving nets me one treasure from SKA's Magecraft, and bouncing the card back to my hand due to buyback. The copy of Finale resolves, I do what it says. After, I cast Reiterate again doing the same thing, tapping the 5 lands I just untapped in the process for 5 floating mana.
This would net me 5 x (cards left in deck/10) mana rounded down correct? Thats if I decide to draw my deck just before I deck out. Plus the mana and treasures I get from Urabrask and Magecraft triggers.
Although I understand it doesn't net me infinite mana my question mostly lied with the first paragraph rather than the semi-infinite on whether is it something I can do.
Another semi-related question I have is if I held priority after casting a spell, does the second spell I want to cast go on top of the cast triggers or does the triggers wait before I cast my second spell. For example, the situation I mentioned earlier where Finale with SKA and Urabrask, what if I wanted to Reiterate before the triggers. I'm guessing that is not how it works and my assumption is the former.
Another is due to the nature of it being a combo thats limited by how many cards in my deck, realistically its not possible for me to shortcut that I have infinite mana right? I'd have to actually count how much mana I have although most tables would rightfully scoop right then.
Thanks in advance!

Tomorrow's the History exam, and instead of revising and helping myself, I'm doing it for you guys as I have been seeing a lot of memes of people saying they're cooked. I don't want any of y'all to fail so here's how to answer every question on the AQA paper, specifically Germany and Asia as I know quite a lot of schools do these topics. I'm sorry for y'all who do different topics, this is what I do sooo...
Section A: (Germany - Democracy and Dictatorship)
(4) HOW do the interpretations differ?

• Aim to make 2 differences (so you'll need 2 quotes for each source).
• Include content, NOT provenance.
• Refer to the interpretations, using brief quotes.
• Back points up using your own knowledge. The marks are for identifying key differences in each interpretation of an event/idea..
• You don't need a lot of your own knowledge, literally only use what's in the question by comparing quotes. You can literally get full marks by not including your knowledge. It saves you time as well

(4) WHY do they differ?

• Again make 2 points for each source.
• Refer only to the provenance, NOT content (the provenance is the description of the source that gives context to the source).
• Back up points using your own knowledge. In order to get full marks, you have to refer to the origin of each interpretation (when it was written, who wrote it etc.) and use that to identify the agenda of the person writing it in order to explain why the two interpretations demonstrate differing opinions. Back this up with historical context.
• So 2 points relating to provenance in each source (4 in total) while backing it up with your knowledge.

(8) Which is more CONVINCING?

• Needs a paragraph on each interpretation and a conclusion comparing them.
• Refer to content only.
• Pick out 2 points from each source (4 in total) while backing them up with your own knowledge. Lots of your own knowledge.
• To secure full marks, make sure you have a nice little argument at the end that compares the source and their usefulness.

(4) Describe two problems... The question will ask you to describe two problems/challenges etc. facing, for example, Kaiser Wilhelm II in 1914.
Basically, problem 1: why was it a problem(own knowledge to link back to the question)
problem 2: why was it a problem
That's it. It's only four marks.
(8) In what ways did X change due to Y?

• Give approximately three changes, separated out into individual paragraphs.
• For each change, state what caused it and then explain how this led to the changes.
• Remember to include COMPLEXITY in your argument (e.g. did it affect one group more than others?)
• Always relate back to the question.
• Include plenty of own knowledge.

(12) Which of the following was the more important reason why....

• Give an introduction in which you state your argument.
• In each paragraph, explain why the factor was important. Remember to constantly link back to the question.
• Include a comparative judgement in each paragraph.
• Include lots of own knowledge to support each statement.
• For full marks, include a conclusion that draws together your points.

Section B: (Conflict and Tension, 1945-1972)
(4) 'How do you know?' - Source question

• Aim to make at least 2 points.
• Refer to content and provenance in your answer.
• Include own knowledge. You are being asked to explain how the source illustrates a certain viewpoint; identify content in the source that demonstrates a particular agenda and use your own knowledge to then link back to the question. You can also do this using the provenance of the source, by explaining why the person who created it would support the idea in the questiom.

(12) Which source is more useful?

• Make points on the provenance of the source and points on its content for each.
• Back up your points using own knowledge.
• Include a conclusion in which you analyse the utility of the sources together (as a set) as well as explaining which is the most useful. This is a utility question, so if a source appears to show bias, this is probably a positive thing. In fact, if it highlights the views of a certain group about an issue, it is probably more useful in explaining it; the question is likely to involve two sources with differing opinions that are useful together as they show how a concept/organisation was viewed by different people and how it affected them. (This is especially the case for the Cold War unit.)

(8) Write an account of how X led to Y. What you must NOT do is give a step-by-step recollection of an event - the question asks you to explain how it led to something else so you have to relate it to this at every stage of yours response

• Detail around 3 events and order them chronologically.
• Describe each event briefly before explaining how it led to the factor in the question.
• Include lots of own knowledge.
• Do NOT include an introduction or conclusion.

(16+4) The Factors Question ! Make sure you have enough time for this at the end of your paper - about a quarter of the total marks could be lost automatically if you don't. You have to choose two or three other factors to compare with the given one.

• State your argument in your introduction.
• Your first paragraph should be about the factor in the question followed by the one you believe is the most important.
• For each paragraph, explain how that factor is important to the idea expressed in the question, using lots of own knowledge to back it up.
• Include a comparative judgement in each paragraph.
• End with a strong conclusion that draws together your main points. Remember to include a complex argument.

Good luck on tomorrow, I know you will smash it!

Build Help:

Have you read the sidebar and rules? (Please do)
Yes
What is your intended use for this build? The more details the better.
Gaming, old and new single player games mostly.
If gaming, what kind of performance are you looking for? (Screen resolution, framerate, game settings)
1440p high or ultra settings, I can live with 60 fps on the more demanding games but I would like 100+ fps in most games.
What is your budget (ballpark is okay)?
$2000
In what country are you purchasing your parts?
Spain and Argentina
Post a draft of your potential build here (specific parts please). Consider formatting your parts list. Don't ask to be spoonfed a build (read the rules!).
I have these three possible builds 95% locked in:

• AMD AM4 Build (AMD 5800X + 7800 XT)
• AMD AM5 Build (AMD 7600X + 7800 XT)
• Intel + Nvidia build (Intel i5 12400F + 4070 Super)

Provide any additional details you wish below.
I know the price does not amount to 2K, I am going to buy some parts in Argentina where they are much more expensive (for example a 1440p monitor is like $450)
My main questions are regarding:

• AMD 7600X requires DDR5 memory, is DDR5 really that much better than DDR4 to justify the cost difference in memory and motherboard?
• Is the 4070 Super worth spending $100 more instead of the 7800 XT ?
• I am really lost when choosing motherboards. I know I want micro ATX for a smaller build, and I want to install a card for wifi and bluetooth, but beyond that I really can't tell much difference apart from price and socket / DDR5 support.

I'm an enormous DG fan, almost borderline finatic and also a musician myself. I found myself back in 2015 up to today, getting ahold of legally posted bootlegs and just listening over how gilmour changes the way he plays and sings each song note by note, phraze by phraze and just generally fanboying out over songs and playstyles as he went night after night. Its intereasting how he retains a certain over-arching phrase/lick/note relation from either a particular song or songs from the album hes touring and how that slips into the other back cataloug song solos - like a musical marker where you can tell what tour the song was played on but thats me just being a nerd and thats what i find interesting for a tour, as The pipes call has a really resh feel to it and id like to see this new layer applied over old songs as he plays them.
Its interesting reading/listening over the new developments with this upcoming tour on what to expect, the reluctance towards 70's floyd is an interesting turn but then again im a huge DG fan so his reign over floyd on AMLOR and DB are just pure bliss to me so its not a low ball IMO. It seems hes very annoyed with roger at the moment, not from exact words but more or less me reading between lines a bit, with how hes handling things and how things are manifesting, sure little 70's floyd is a little support towards that so im curious what the set list will be like. Im aware of his vocal range and perhaps the very few dates we are all seeing for the tour itself is maybe a sign to his age and abilities physically now, which also play a part of what songs meet the setlist. He said back in 2015 that he and polly sat and listened over every album making notes of what songs they wanted to play so its likly hes going to do the same again. This time though we have more supporting evidence to highlight his strenghts and weaknesses when it comes to vocal and playing ability. A lot of these high vocal range floyd/solo songs are probably not going to meet the tour so it makes me wonder, what will ?
The bootlegs from RTL have shown he has struggled to sing some songs, some more than others and a indications of struggles is his RTL set list which he has said is constructed to tell its own story but i can see its designed to provide as much vocal rest as possible. Rattle that lock (song) was such a vocal killer for him which is why i think it was played in order (5am - RTL - FOS) aka Songs 1, 2 and 3 so it was out the way first rather than played later. Risky but cool that what do you want from me made its way in an early setlist slot which would of really pushed his vocals off as well. I think a lot of people are confusing genuine playing mistakes as a sign of age, for example run like hell, he often bodged the guitar on the main riff, but you can tell with the shades on and the frantic lighting hes just struggling all out just to see what hes doing so little things like that do mask some truths. I am aware of his struggles to play fast as well so that is another factor to take onboard, vocally though he has a suprisingly good range for his age but has lost a lot of power and stamina so i dont think really relentless songs will make the cut, however luck and strange is a first for gilmour in the fact that he has included a cover so perhaps we will see a new for gilmour in the tour as well, which could be that he detunes songs simalar to how roger detuned run like hell on his live shows.
Set list Luck and strange - I think its possible hes going to play the album in full, but that depends on the instrumentation and vocal demand so its 50/50 if he will do it in full like he did with on an island in 06 or just cherry pick like he did with rattle that lock. Assuming hes made the album with live performance in mind, and lets say its going to be played in full
01 - Black Cat
02 - Luck and strange
03 - The Pipers Call
04 - A Single Spark
05 - Vita Brevis
06 - Between Two Points
07 - Dark and Velvet Nights
08 - Sings
09 - Scattered
In relation to rattle, david never plays the opening instrumentals again in tours after so im positive 5am wont feature, RTL will be too vocally demanding and not make the cut. however songs like faces of stone and in any tongue are very open songs for him to play around with, vocally not too demanding at all (assuming his Backing will take the chorus in IAT) and he has the ability to have fun with the solos. DRIFOM requires a orchestra so unless hes performing with one i dont think that or the girl in the yellow dress will feature. the rest I dont think he will take on for various mixture of reasons.
10 - Faces of Stone
11 - In Any Tongue
In relation to island, on an island and the blue are songs hes played on RTL tour, island is an easy vocal song and one he often liked to solo with so im sure that will feature, the blue on the other hand is a song that was very hit and miss on the last tour, the bootlegs made it clear he struggled vocally and guitar wise so its 50/50 but i dont think will be featured. Take a breath, smile and this heaven i think are good picks but I dont think his voice will hold out for them as he struggled with them back in 06. where we start is a very high probability but IMO only to fill out the set list.
12 - On an Island
13 - Where We Start
14 - Take a breathe - (detuned very very unlikly)
in relation to About face, hes never played any since 86 (if i recal correclty) and we know from his interviews about AMLOR that he felt floyd went very 80's with there sound at that point and about face feels exactly the same spectrum sonically so im sure hes got some issues with the sound, but, theres some songs which are good. all of them realistically are pushing his vocal stamina, songs like murder are soft high range to shouty high range which he cant really do, rame for all lovers. realistically Near the End is possible and perhaps out of the blue but i very much doubt that. I get the feeling hed play you know im right but vocally hes going to struggle.
15 - Near the End
I personally dont think we will see any from his first album. unless its an instrumental but id be very VERY suprised. in relation to devision, i think poles appart is quite likly, vocally doable and its a little roger jabb so it might make an apperence. What do you want, a great day, take it back are songs I just dont think hes got the vocal abilities for now. Likly that marooned might appear, coming back to life 50/50, lost for words also 50/50 and high hopes is almost certain.
16 - Marooned
17 - Coming Back to Life
18 - Lost for Words
19 - High Hopes
I dont think we will see anything from a momentry. on top of that I think we will see yes i have ghosts
20 - Yes I have Ghosts
and i think some songs are just set in stone
21 - Wish you were here
22 - Fat old son
23 - Comfortably Numb
I think we are going to see his son and daughter on tour with him this time, and if thats the case its likly we might get some covers as we have seen in the lock down streams as well as maybe an instrumental or two from the endless river.
I know people have high expectations and Ive seen a lot of dream setlists here on this reddit but I really doubt some of these higher vocal and more demanding performance songs will come forward. Given that he usually plays for around 2 hours, its going to be quite mellow I feel with these songs that I think hes going to play. Though I could be totally wrong, Run like Hell back on the rattle tour proved that.
what do you think ?

disturbing content i guess he was beautiful, he had a charm i couldn’t shake
he was so charming, that when he sa’d me (more than once) i convinced myself he was incapable and made a mistake, me loved me and wouldn’t hurt me
so charming that i convinced myself he didn’t mean to coerce me into having sex way before i planned to
so charming that i nearly lost my best friend, because he hated him and i was afraid of upsetting him now that he’d taken my virginity
he was so charming that when i had to beg him not to message people, including my ex i was convinced maybe his hearts in the right place, bad execution
he was so charming that when he forced me into positions i hated i still complied
so charming that i lost myself, i was petrified to talk to anyone, i was nothing but a bank and human fleshlight, who am i? i couldn’t tell you anymore i was just desperate for love from such a calloused heart.
when he said horrible things, because i hadn’t let him see my phone i had to dig a box cutter into my thigh and wait it out, 3am i get the sweet relief of an apology
the next day i go over to his house, i hug him as my heart pounded because i hadn’t seen him for the vessel of a person he truly is. i wanted to talk it out, he wanted to fuck it out i guess
the last condom, the ones i bought because i bought everything in that relationship. “you’re so beautiful, so thin, so pretty, so hot” those words matched with that smile i adored so much haunt me, and the way his hands grazed me,
the first person to make names like “baby” sound comforting and not icky
i remember my heart pounding out of anxiety but his presence made it go away and now what? he found me as a girl who just loved getting drunk to fill the void and now i get drunk to forget about the way he ravaged my body with his deceitful caress,
sometimes i consider s*cide which even shocks me, im not usually the type
but the fact i did everything right, gave him my patience, love, body, soul, money, care makes me wish i went out of line at some rate to deserve this
no, he decided i was uninteresting so uninteresting yet he didn’t mind fucking me 18 times as i pleased every single desire every single thing i did for him.
and now some chick is at his house, probably cuddling him like i did and he’s telling her how wonderful she is
i yearn for him to be beat bloody, yet i know some foolish part of me would rush to his rescue. he could apologise and id forgive him i cant resist him
obviously he’s not what i want, he’s pure evil
sometimes i want to be sa’d by him just one last time.
he blocked me on everything,
why do i love him? this is practically a death sentence
how will i believe someone loves me after this
perhaps it’s not in the cards for me, im not made to be loved by someone i’m ruined
if i die, i want that parasitic man to end me, end me once more. i’m 16, living the “teenage dream” hahahahaha i thought id never get sa’d how did i let this happen, let alone by a boyfriend
i’m waiting for the next person to ruin me, i don’t care anymore.
i find myself yearning for his abuse once more, it’s twisted, i’ve lost myself and i’m sorry everyone.
i’m sorry

I wanted to get some thoughts and feedback on something a few friends and I have been discussing recently: the problem with green based land ramp in commander, and how we have been considering addressing it in our playgroup.
The Problem: Land-searching ramp ≤ 3 offers green decks too much consistency and safety compared to options available to non-green decks The Solution: Removing all land-searching ramp ≤ 3 mana ([[Nature's Lore]], [[Farseek]], [[Sakura Tribe Elder]], [[Cultivate]] etc.) from the format
I'd also like to preface this by saying that I acknowledge that this could be a bad/dumb take, and that it is not a definitive way to solve a highly diverse and complicated format; it's just an idea we've been tossing around that we might try to implement into our own playgroup, and I wanted to get some outside opinions. I also acknowledge that this sort of "fix" will almost certainly never see the light of day on any sort of grand scale, as I imagine most commander players would not like to see a mass banning/format warp to solve a problem that you could argue doesn't even exist. I'd also like to say that this is all in regards to non-cEDH gameplay/playgroups, as I feel that cEDH is its own format and this discussion doesn't really apply to cEDH gameplay. All that being said, here are my thoughts:
In the current era of EDH gameplay it's pretty much been established that turns one through three are the setup turns where you deploy your ramp and mana fixing so that you can cast your proper board impacting beaters, card advantage engines, interaction, etc., on turns four and beyond. For decks not in green this typically involves playing mana rocks such as [[Arcane Signet]], talismans, signets, and maybe a [[Sol Ring]] if you're lucky. For green based decks, this usually means playing cards like [[Nature's Lore]], [[Farseek]], [[Rampant Growth]], etc., which are predominantly viewed as the inherently correct choices to run over the aforementioned mana rocks played by the non-green decks. These are often viewed as the preferred sources of ramp for green decks because they offer your deck more mana consistency (often able to ramp out shock lands and triomes in multi-colored decks) with greater safety and reliability.
Now why is this a problem for the format? I feel like the innate reliability and safety of land-searching ramp puts green decks at a significant advantage over other decks in both the early game as well as the late game. In the early game these ramp spells offer mana fixing, flexibility, and consistency at a much better level than most early game mana rocks available in non-green decks. For example, a Temur deck can easily keep a hand with two Forests and one of their ramp spells, such as Farseek or Cultivate, since they can search out a [[Ketria Triome]] or their two other basic lands they need and immediately have access to all three of their colors. If an Esper deck, on the other hand, has an opening hand with two Plains and one of their ramp spells, such as a [[Talisman of Hierarchy]] or [[Azorius Signet]] , they might be forced to mulligan since they don't know when they'll get access to their third color. In essence, green decks are able to keep greedier hands with greater consistency due to the mana fixing that their land-searching ramp spells often provide them.
The other problem with land-searching ramp spells is the "safety" they provide. The benefit of running land-searching ramp spells is that lands often remain safe from interaction from the rest of the table. When the board starts to fill up with too many troublesome creatures and other nonland permanents, some sort of wrath is almost always inevitable. Nowadays these wraths often include spells like [[Farewell]], [[Cyclonic Rift]], [[Austere Command]], [[Ondu Inversion]], etc., usually leaving the board empty, all mana rocks gone. This often gives the green decks a considerable advantage over the non-green decks, as they are often left with their ramp intact and are able to redeploy and build up a new board state quicker and more reliably than the rest of the table. Often times the solution to this particular problem is to run some sort of land destruction to counteract this, with [[Ruination]] being mentioned more as of late. Land destruction in EDH is a touchy subject; some people think it should be utilized more often, some people think it shouldn't be allowed at all. Personally, I don't think that destroying lands should be the solution. The problem is that single-target land destruction is inefficient, making it a poor solution to land ramp, and mass land destruction often goes against the "Spirit of Commander" because it often leads to prolonged games and a "feels bad" state of play. This is why I believe that the best way to "solve" the green based land-searching ramp problem is to cut it off at the source: removing land-searching ramp ≤ 3 mana from the format.
I am not advocating from the removal of green ramp, or even land ramp as a whole. I believe that ramp is a core part of the green color identity, and I believe that green should be able to ramp better and more efficiently than the other colors. I just believe that there should be a sort of check and cost to green ramp that can potentially be punished, rather than land-searching early spells that are almost always strictly better than what the rest of the color pie can play. If green decks want to ramp hard in the early game, I am all for them playing creatures like [[Delighted Halfling]] or [[Birds of Paradise]], or enchantments like [[Wild Growth]] or [[Utopia Sprawl]] - ramp that can be punished with a wrath or with interaction like everything else. And I am all for big land-searching ramp spells like Explosive Vegetation or Hour of Promise, where you actually have to sacrifice a turn and potentially leave yourself exposed, rather than taking advantage of the first three turns of the game when everyone is trying to setup for their future games. I don't think that removing land-searching ramp spells ≤ 3 mana would remove the viability of any decks and leave them unable to function; I just think it would lower the consistency and advantages that I feel green decks, particularly 3+ colored green decks, are currently taking advantage of in the format.
Anyways, that went on way longer than I'd anticipated. I'm just curious what the communities thoughts are. Is this just a god-awful take, or do you agree with me to some extent or another? Is there even a problem to address? Hell if I know, I'm just rambling based off of the experiences I've had with my playgroup at my LGS.
TLDR; I believe that land-searching ramp spells ≤ 3 mana give green decks a greater advantage in your average EDH games, and that removing them from the format would help balance the format.

Posting here because I need help/advice. I 28f have been with my bf 27m for 5 years now. My bf has difficulty holding down jobs. He was always looking for something better which was fine. However last year he quit his job and took on drinking and taking edibles daily. It’s embarrassing to admit but I stayed thru it all. He used insta cart and doordash to make his monthly bills but it’s not enough. I’ll pitch I here and there to help with his car payment. I’ll break down in bullet points bc i don’t know how else to tell my story.
Holidays: For Christmas I bought his family gifts and had him say it was from both of us. I knew they were getting us gifts and I didn’t want to get something without giving them something?? None of my family knows how bad it is. I’m really close to them and I just brush things off. I lied and told them he finally found a job but he hasn’t. I didn’t get a Christmas gift. But I gave him money. He took me to a steak house for my birthday. Paid for it. Then asked I pay back for my meal bc he miscalculated and needed the money. He did buy me flowers for Valentine’s Day. I bought us an expensive dinner for his bday. I will admit I like a certain type of lifestyle even if I can’t afford it so I may overspend on things.
Addiction: Recently he lost his wallet which meant no Id which meant he couldn’t go to the dispensary or buy alcohol. He ended up finding his wallet but I offered to hold onto his id. It was going well but one day I left an expired id with him so he could buy a beer. I left and came back 24hrs later and he was drunk at 5pm. He gets overly emotional and depressed when he’s drunk and I don’t know what to do other than comfort him. Before I would say I was going to storm off or leave him and that would send him into a deeper spiral so now I nod and try to appease him.
Credit card debt: I’ve been swiping my card for food and drinks for both of us. He uses my car for DoorDash which means I pay for the gas. Before he quit his job (he had been unemployed for 3 months before his most recent job) he really wanted and oled tv and asked I put it on my card and he would pay me back. He made payments for the three months that he was employed then stopped. He ended up selling the tv it was $1,100 he kept the money to pay his bills and buy weed. I finished paying off the card myself. I’m in such a hole borrowing money in hopes I can cover my ass until the next paycheck. I got a part time job im starting soon which should help me a lot. I make a decent wage.
Financially irresponsible: we went on a trip to the casino (he was still employed at this time) I booked the hotel on my credit card. He ended up winning $5,000!!! The first night there. Want to guess what he did next??? He took copious amounts of edibles and blew $3,000 of it on more gambling. He won another $1,000 and also blew that. With the remainder he bought a pc AND I had to beg him to pay me for his half of the hotel room. He did pay for dinners and lunch while we stayed there.
Promises: he says he’ll pay me back. I’ve helped him make his car payments. I help him with food. He says things are going to change. He paints this really pretty picture that I so badly want to be true. But it’s MAY 2024. He quit his job June 2023. He promised me Christmas he promised me my birthday gifts. All which fell flat. And now I just feel like a fool. He says once he starts working he’ll pay me back.
I’ve been helping him apply to place none call him back. He also can’t pass a drug test currently.
Relationship: aside from the money I think we’re okay? We trust each other we love each other. When we’re together we’re always laughing and having a good time. We get along. On weekends we take turns on who gets to pick the movie. He’ll watch twilight and mean girls with me.
The only thing is when he is in withdrawal or hungover he becomes easily agitated and needs space to calm down. The worst he’s done is raise his voice and so do I. Normally he just needs to walk it off or blow off the steam and things get better. He’ll hyper fixate on something I did and call me out on it. I’ll apologize but he won’t let off of it when he gets like that there is nothing I can say to change things. In my mind if I did something wrong I get it I’m sorry but there’s nothing I can do to change it? But if he lies or does something he brushes it off and gets upset with me for being upset at his lying?! He’s a terrible texter and never answers his phone. If I needed immediate help I’d be out of luck. But I always have to be there for him. Let’s say he’s having a bad day he needs me there and wants me there. I have to drop everything and if I don’t he feels bad and guilt trips me.
In the end what I would like to see is him get clean and sober find a good job so we can buy a house have a family. Right now he is on an upswing where he makes his promises that things will get better and things will change. If things crash again and he fails to find a job I will have no choice but to leave even if I don’t want to. Go ahead and roast me bc I know I should know better but I can’t bring myself to leave him.

Sorry I haven't updated for a while, things got hectic and a bit chaotic honestly. Firstly, I'm working on getting an apartment still and have applications in at three different places and will hopefully hear back from them soon. I'm still going into work here at the new location, so I don't have to worry about burning through my emergency savings completely. I've gotten a lot of emails from Alex, his family and our old friend group asking question after question. I have only sent one return email to Alex, explaining that I don't believe we are truly compatible, and it is best we separate now. That his treatment of me when I'd done nothing to deserve as such was just as much of a deal breaker as cheating was for him.
I ended the email with the statement that I would not be contacting him further and anything else he needed to pass on to me or vice versa would be done through my lawyer. For his family and friends, I just typed up one email outlining everything that had happened and why I left. I told them I wished them no ill will, but that such treatment of his wife and partner was not acceptable. That should Alex get remarried in the future, I wished they would help support both partners and not just Alex.
Alex, from what my lawyer told me, was livid when he was served. The sheriff actually ended up booking him for assault on an officer and menacing due to the threats he was shouting. His father bailed him out in a few hours, but with the testimony of the sheriff, my lawyer believes I have a very good chance at getting a restraining order. Alex, upon returning to the house, apparently lost his temper again, breaking the dining table into pieces as well as the tv, and putting several holes in the walls. At least that's what one of the emails from one of our friends reported as Alex called him to help him clean up the mess.
My lawyer already has pictures of the house I took, with timestamps as evidence nothing had been damaged by me. My friend reported that Alex tried to claim I'd been the one to trash the house but the holes in the wall were at head height - Alex is 6'3", and I'm 5'4" so he knew that was false. Either way, taking the pictures definitely will help me so again thank you everyone here for the advice because I never would have thought of that on my own. My work won't share details of where I am, as I do work with some higher end clientele who value security and that information won't be gossiped about and no, I'm not some stripper or escort. I deal with contracts, notary and business management. As such, even if Alex tried to use my work to find me, he wouldn't succeed.

Hello! This week I'm running Chariot of the Gods. This is my first Alien game and at the same time first experience as a GM in any TTRPG. I've gone through several YT videos for tips, this subreddit and whatever I could find, like GM map for the ship, summaries, etc. Honestly, I'm still a bit nervous since the rules are sometimes a bit unclear and the scenario book sometimes doesn't help either. I've read both multiple times and still feel a bit unprepared.
I have some questions and would appreciate your answers or tips in general.

1. Can players just go from A-1 junction to other floors? It looks like they can, so basically most of the ship is opened for exploration since the beginning?
   
2. How does the air scrubber repair work? Can they repair it from just one floor of the ship? The other players just roam the ship in a meanwhile? Won't that just be quite boring for the repairer?
   
3. How do you count turns for the consumables purposes? Do you do it arbitrarily? In general I'm a bit lost with how to track time, do you have any tips?
   
4. If I get it correctly, the Event for auto destruction of Montero happens automatically. Is there any reason for Wilson to do anything?
   
5. I honestly have a bit of a trouble with Stealth system - one of the weird examples for me is the Abomination in Reactor room. The Room description says that if players move there quietly they might not wake it up (Mobility roll). Do I get it correctly that the player would specifically say "Hey, I'm going there STEALTHILY" then roll and if rolls badly, then go to Panic? It feels so weird, when even the rulebook says that you should roll sporadically
   

Thanks a lot for your answers, if you have any other tips I'd appreciate it!

Edit: If you are going to comment on the length of this post, please don't. This is not a simple snark but rather an actual critical think piece about feminism and Taylor Swift.

Introduction

Pertaining to Taylor Swift, "Female Rage" has deviated from its intended meaning after Swift debuted a new performance of The Tortured Poets Department during the Eras Tour. Now, according to Swift's use of the phrase, female rage is interpreted as public backlash against Swift's dating choices rather than as a response to the broader injustices against women and women's rights. This post examines Taylor Swift's flawed feminism, philanthropy, branding, and the controversial trademark petition for the phrase "Female Rage: The Musical". Swift's background as an entertainer, indeterminate politics, and alignment with capitalism over feminism pervades her legacy, again threatening her public tolerance as not just an individual but as a brand.

Once Upon a Female Rage...

If you were cognizant in the early 2010's, you've heard countless jabs at Taylor Swift in the media. Magazines, radio, or online. Music critics did not take her seriously as a songwriter; parents put a woman on an unrealistic pedestal as the ideal role model for their children; she dated too much and used men as lyrical fodder. No matter the story, it inevitably spread, conjoined with everyone's respective opinions, and you'd be left to wonder, "Why does everyone hate this girl so much?"
Taylor's target demographic has always been young or adolescent girls, more so when Swift herself was one. She made music that spoke to the awkward misfit, cultivating a para-social relationship with fans on MySpace, then later twitter, Instagram, and YouTube, where Taylor posted relatable vlogs showcasing the life of a homegrown American girl. Taylor had a delayed public "growing up" and, compared to her female pop contemporaries, Swift never "gratuitously sexualized her image and seems pathologically averse to controversy" (and, apparently, never even had a sip of alcohol until she turned 21). She was more than happy to spin this narrative to allude to an inherent moral superiority above other women in the industry (Better Than Revenge, heard of it?), engaging in the very slut-shaming that she herself endured (the Madonna and Whore archetypes). The victim complex arose with the need to prove Taylor as a different type of pop girl. Based upon her holy and clean image, Swift had been dubbed "a feminist's nightmare", and that "[To Swift] other girls are obstacles; undeserving enemies who steal Taylor’s soulmates with their bewitching good looks and sexual availability." Feminism and Tennessee-Christian country values don't exactly mix, it seems.
Years later, Swift befriended Lena Dunham and thus experienced white feminism osmosis, where Dunham taught Swift that real feminists defend rapists, makes insensitive jokes about rape and abortion, and prioritize all-white casts. Swift then declared herself a feminist in 2014, saying,

"Becoming friends with Lena – without her preaching to me, but just seeing why she believes what she believes, why she says what she says, why she stands for what she stands for – has made me realize that I’ve been taking a feminist stance without actually saying so."

I suppose the male-centric songwriting subject that permeates Swift's discography contained covert feminism and that we just didn't see that. Perhaps, the "Bad Blood" song and music video were written only in jest and not about poor Katy Perry, for Swift, as a feminist, would "never make it a girl fight" or tear other women down (though all Katy did was date your terrible ex-boyfriend and allegedly steal three backup dancers from your tour). In 2013, Swift said, in response to Tina Fey and Amy Poehler's joke towards her serial dating, "There is a special place in hell for women who don't help other women."
There was that time in 2015 Taylor said that Nicki Minaj was "invited to any stage [she is] on" (as if Taylor expects to have access to every stage, award, and platform that Nicki might not otherwise have as a black female artist...yikes!) in response to Nicki's criticism of the white + thin VMA nominations. Later, Nicki responded with confusion, as Swift continued, "It’s unlike you to pit women against each other. Maybe one of the men took your slot..". Of course, this 'beef' was 'squashed' when Nicki performed with Taylor at the VMAs, with Nicki quite literally only having 38 seconds of stage time without Taylor. Maybe all that parading around with a legion of famous white women - similar to the way Taylor might've done with her numerous 1989-era handbags - was in fact a stance against gender inequality, and that this display of "girl power" should be enough to constitute Swift as a feminist icon.
Even while Swift says that Dunham informed her feminist outlook, she dances around the exact contents of those beliefs: "what she believes, what she says, what she stands for" is not exactly insightful towards what beliefs Swift might have inherited. Taylor never broaches women's rights topics such femicide, FGM, forced pregnancy & marriage, sex trafficking, women in slavery, women's financial and political oppression, women's educational rights, women's health, or women's autonomy, so we can assume she only gives a fuck about "girls supporting girls" (whatever that fucking means).
Despite some questionable (and sometimes vindictive) behavior, Taylor as a young woman did not deserve every media lashing that she received. We cannot deny that most headlines and criticisms perpetuated a misogynistic rhetoric which has plagued Swift for a majority of her career. Acknowledging events such as the development of her ED, her sexual assault trial, "Famous" lyric and MV depiction of Taylor, and the explicit Twitter deepfakes, for example, as both disgusting and unfortunate things that happened to a young woman in Hollywood does not negate the fact that Taylor is mostly a performative feminist.

Get Your Fucking Ass Up and Be a Philanthropist, It Seems Like Nobody Wants to Be a Philanthropist These Days

In 2013, Taylor Swift cut the ribbon at the grand opening of the Taylor Swift Education Center at the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville, Tennessee. The donation amount - $4 million - was the largest individual artist gift ever donated to the Country Music Hall of Fame, which is, of course, mentioned on Swift's website. The two-story facility features three classrooms, an instrument room, and an interactive children's exhibit gallery. Swift also performed at "All for the Hall" charity shows and has donated numerous artifacts from her career (such as notable guitars, tour costumes, etc) to the museum.
This was over 11 years ago, and it is still the only notable philanthropic contribution Taylor Swift has made.
For a woman of her net worth and stature, and a woman who recognizes the difficulties for women in film and music, you would think that Taylor Swift might establish a scholarship program for women to study the arts or something. Perhaps Swift might even consider becoming a member of organizations that support female artists, or one that supports LGBTQ+ causes (since she is now proudly an ally), yet she remains superficial with her graces. Broader philanthropy, such as donating relief aid to Palestinian women or women impacted by violence and discrimination will probably never receive any financial support from Miss Swift because then she'd be using her money towards philanthropies involving anyone but white entertainers.
She even says herself in Miss Americana, "My entire moral code as a kid and now is a need to be thought of as 'good'." Well, she's certainly thought of as good, though her actions say otherwise. She's more than happy to do a vaguely altruistic song and dance for a clip-worthy interview quote and mass appeasement, then fuck off to one of her mansions on a 20 minute private jet flight, rather than actually contribute to anything pertaining to the causes she has endorsed. Yet, far too many people continue to give a woman such as her their money, time, and energy, and she hoards these resources to herself.

I Like Some of the Taylor's Songs, But What the Fuck Does She Know About Feminism?

Swift continued with her self-proclaimed feminist campaign, positioning herself as a political activist and LGBTQ+ ally in the Miss Americana documentary. The primary focus of the documentary consists of the sexual assault trial, Andrea Swift's cancer diagnosis, Taylor's ED and body dysmorphia, media scrutiny, and, largely, finally speaking up about her politics publicly, mostly her opposition to the 2018 Tennessee Republican senate candidate, Marsha Blackburn, and Blackburn's beliefs. Swift says, following a scene discussing her experience during the trial,

"I just couldn't really stop thinking about it. And I just thought to myself, next time there is any opportunity to change anything, you had better know what you stand for and what you want to say."

We must ask ourselves, though: when has Swift ever spoken up to change anything? Okay, pulling her entire catalogue from Spotify because they didn't pay their artists enough and similarly pulling her catalogue from Apple Music are changes that she leveraged due to her revenue potential and power, but they are not pertinent to the average woman's rights. Moreover, these are issues that directly impacted Taylor's income, which was enough reason for her to protest in the first place. Swift has sold the most units for a female artist in first week sales, is the first female artist with 100k monthly Spotify listeners, is the first female artist to win the Album of the Year Grammy 4 times, and is the first female artist to do X, Y, and Z, all while being inoffensive and family-friendly to boot. The actual Taylor Swift seems unwilling to compromise the brand of Taylor Swift by contributing in meaningful ways to feminist causes, especially if it is for women outside of America and Hollywood.
The reason political anthems such as "The Man" and "Only the Young" of the Lover era feel disingenuous and corporate is because, well, it is. Taylor has taken every opportunity to advance her career or public image at the expense of other women. What is truly genuine to Taylor's outlook on other women is vying for male attention, taking down female competition, and vocalizing feminist injustices only if they directly impact her and her money. Some will argue that it's satisfactory for a woman with such a huge platform to even TALK about feminism, but that just isn't enough. It's even less impressive when you candidly look at the scope of her feminist lens: "If I was the man, then I'd be THE MAN", or "I really resent the ‘Be careful, buddy, she’s going to write a song about you’ angle, because it trivialises what I do", and, of course, "We all got crowns". Feminism, but only when it happens to me. It gets worse when you look at Taylor's track record of copying other famous women and removing other female artists as potential threats to her pop prowess.
It's good for PR to align yourself with certain blanket feminist and political beliefs, therefore good for branding, therefore good for ticketing and merchandise sales, therefore good for business. And Taylor Swift is a business.
She's not a feminist. Taylor Swift is a capitalist.

I Can't Pay Those Sweatshop Workers a Livable Wage or Benefits! How Else Would I Make My Billions?

Recently, Taylor's team filed to trademark the phrase "Female Rage: The Musical" after Taylor said during Paris N1 of the Eras Tour,

"So you were the first ones to see The Tortured Poets at the Eras Tour...or as I like to call it, 'Female Rage: The Musical'."

This trademark petition was filed last week on Saturday, and news comes about just as numerous unofficial fan-made merch designs have cropped up with this phrase plastered on Fruit of the Loom basics. I'm of the opinion Swift's team motioned for a trademark so that they can send out cease & desists to all those that make knockoff merch, which disrupts potential sales for Bravado, UMG's choice merchandising company; however, since it was filed earlier, perhaps Swift has bigger plans with the bizarre use of the gendered phrase. One Swiftie referred to the phrase "female rage" as "a funny Eras Tour joke". Could it be a possible fourth version of the Eras Tour Movie? Whatever the reason, the motion to capitalize off of such a concept is disgusting, but not unsurprising, for a woman that profits on her vain feminism.
Swift, through her company, TAS Rights Managements, has also trademarked over 200 phrases, including "1989", where she owns the property rights to this calendar year on keychains, phone cases, sunglasses, stationary, bags, beverage ware, clothing, entertainment services, your subconscious, and, of course, Christmas ornaments.
The vapid consumerism in Swiftie culture is, frankly, disgusting. Bravado's sustainability statement is non-existent, the quality control is abysmal, and the materials they use are horrible. The materials, such as acrylic and polyester, are made from petrochemicals. This means they are non-renewable, shed microplastics, and are quite toxic in production. The manufacturing process to make all of those lazy-rushed Eras Tour logo graphic tees is a huge blow to environmental well-being. Apparently, though, Swifties don't give a fuck. They sell out products in seconds and either have to face the manufactured scarcity or buy from a scalper that resells for 200% of the already ridiculous retail price. This doesn't include the environmental impact of vinyl records, CD, and cassette production, of which Taylor produces many variants that sell unsustainable amounts.
If we're talking about women's rights violations, why is no one acknowledging the women that work in the inhumane sweatshop conditions that have to pump out fugly t-shirts and hats? The millions of plastic microfiber dander they are inhaling, or the toxic dyes that touch their bare skin? Are they being compensated fairly for their skilled labour and are they in safe working environments? Do these women have minimal bargaining power, and do they have authority over their worker's rights? Is Taylor Swift female raging at their injustices? Does Taylor Swift ever feels bad that her wealth was built on the backs of women of color, disadvantaged by the demands of the global economy and garment industry? Do you think she ever says a little white feminist prayer for them before she goes to sleep at night?
What's even crazier is not that Taylor herself doesn't care, it's that Swifties don't care. There CANNOT BE ethical billionaires. You only make a billion dollars if you are exploiting other human beings for capital gain. Based on public perception of the possible "Female Rage: The Musical" trademark, it seems like Swifties are already asking for merch with this phrase. "If Taylor made it, I'd buy it." Oh, cool. So not only do you champion Miss Swift's avarice and billionaire status, but you also are unashamed to admit to your blind consumption of her music and merchandise, no matter where they might originate in production or sincerity. Just as Swift takes and takes and takes, Swifties' consumerism of Taylor Swift cannot be quelled.
The tortured artist's most vulnerable and sincere poetry...available now in 21 different versions!

I Am Tortured Poet, Hear Me Whinge

Look - even if Taylor's intention is to characterize TTPD as more "tortured" and "angry", the main thread of the album is "I was ghosted by my decade-long situationship with a controversial indie boy and my fucking stupid fans wrote a 'Speak Up Now' open letter prompting me to drop him" anger, which is adequately expressed in the lyrics and performances. The extent of Taylor's "female rage" on TTPD is on tracks such as "Who's Afraid of Little Old Me?", which contends with relentless media scrutiny; "But Daddy I Love Him", where Swift firmly states she'll date whoever she likes no matter how "Sarahs and Hannahs" may react; and "The Albatross", a track mythologizing her reputation and the consequences of dating her. Of course, these coincide with deep psychological wounds that formed during Swift's early years in the media, and so, from her feminist perspective, these subjects tackle the misogyny and double standards that she faced.
Yet Taylor Swift still has no grounds to be claiming that TTPD best exemplifies female rage and therefore she, in the context of this album, is female rage incarnate. As the daughter of a stock broker and mutual fund marketing executive, Taylor was born into wealth and allowed privileges like trips and subsequent relocation to Nashville all so that she might get a record deal. Her father even invested at least $120,000 into the then-fledgling label, Big Machine Records, which ensured Taylor's place with Borchetta after leaving her dead-end development deal with Sony. The fact that her parents were able to buy her a fucking brand new guitar for Christmas and pay for music lessons says so much about the financial security and safety of her childhood.
Money is privilege and protection, and despite Swift's experiences with misogyny and loser boyfriends, she does not know what female rage is.
Her rage is derived from her frustrations with her obsessive fans pulling the moral superiority card on Taylor in response to her rebound with Matty Healy. That's literally it. She's just pissed that the monster she created is no longer obediant, it's become a feral, sovereign entity that depletes the world of its natural resources and thinks it is more intelligent than it actually is because it's mommy has started to talk to it with big words. Apparently, 'illicit', 'elegy', 'nonchalant', and 'precocious' are considerably big words for the oafish monster, and I find it strange that this level of literacy is present in a group of fans that allegedly have GPAs of 3.5 or higher, but I digress.
Taylor Swift has never been one paycheck away from destitution. Taylor Swift has never experienced racial discrimination. She may have instances of gender discrimination, but she possesses the ideal white, blonde American beauty standard and therefore reaps the benefits of being a conventionally attractive woman. Taylor Swift has sufficient social capital. Taylor Swift is a billionaire woman prolonging her victimhood though she, as a woman, has mostly had control over her image and music (unlike her contemporaries). Taylor Swift is NOT entitled to be championed for her "female rage", nor should she be. Taylor Swift has never even been the struggling artist, for fuck's sake. I don't give a fuck if she's trying to fill the empty lunch tables of her past. Taylor Swift purporting herself, her unpolished album, and her lukewarm feminism as a musical bleeding with female rage is asinine.

Sigh Try and Come For My Job, Poors

Out there in the world right now is a 23-year-old woman, a recent college grad, who works as a barista. She has to wake up and get ready to go into a minimum wage job because she cannot get a job in her field. She doesn't have healthcare benefits or sick time, so she has to go into work no matter how she's feeling. All day long she is berated by vicious customers and creepy men, and, exhausted from being on her feet, she knows she has to go home to her shitty roommate that never does the dishes and her roommate's shitty dog. To comfort herself, she considers getting a treat, but thinks against it when she remembers that matcha lattes cost $15 and they taste like milky dirt. She knows that she needs to buy groceries this week, and so the woman resolves to go home, but notices that her gas tank is low. She goes to put gas in the car, but the pump stops at $27.86 because that's all that she has in her checking account. The woman, bereft and reeling, sinks into the driver's seat. "Well," she thinks, her head in her hands, "at least I don't have Taylor Swift's job. I just couldn't imagine."
Fame is somewhat of a choice. If at any moment Taylor feels that she is misunderstood, misconstrued, or overwhelmed by public opinion, she can LEAVE the public eye - Lord knows she has the retirement fund and residuals to do so. In "I Can Do It With a Broken Heart", the TTPD song about meeting the demands of your career-zenith mega-tour while in the relationship trenches, Taylor ends the song by rambling,

"You know you're good when you can even do it with a broken heart...you know you're good...and I'm good, cause I'm miserable, and no one even knows!...try and come for my job."

Yeah, obviously we wouldn't know, you recently passed the billionaire threshold and are the most famous and in-demand performer in the world right now. Taylor Swift makes an estimated $10 to $13 million dollars A NIGHT on the Eras Tour. Furthermore, the Eras Tour movie grossed $261.6 million globally, (which, as the producer, Taylor takes home 57% of the ticket sales) not counting the streaming revenue from Amazon Prime Video and the estimated $75 million deal that Disney paid to have it on Disney+. We're not even considering the income from cheap plastic popcorn buckets and drink cups plastered with colored squares in her Era-specific likeness.
It's funny. Taylor Swift often said that being famous wasn't hard, that she "isn't complaining". I'm sure it is difficult to always have to present in a good mood, else you'll end up misrepresented in the media, and I'm sure it's invasive to virtually have no privacy or semblance of anonymity. Still, Taylor Swift shows up each night of tour and performs. For a majority of her career, she has penned her sad songs while on the road. Most of "Red", her breakup album, was written in the thick of the Speak Now World tour. Now, some Swifties say they almost "feel bad" for attending the Eras Tour with Swift's revelations in this song, that they have had a 'dimmed experience' upon hearing Taylor's misery whilst performing. Despite the fact that Taylor said that "this was the happiest she's ever been" at Gilette Stadium in May, the lyrics "boohoo, woe is me, smile for the cameras and make the fans happy!!!" are jarring for Eras attendees.
While Taylor Swift was making double-digit millions a night in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and feeling miserable, Ana Clara Benevides Machado passed away due to heat exposure. The concert promoters, Time For Fun, are now the subject of a criminal investigation due to their lack of adequate hydration and safety. Taylor Swift cancelled the Sunday show that was to follow and offered VIP tent tickets to Benevides Marchado's family, which was a kind gesture, but perhaps incongruous to the incident of which they were offered as consolation. Everyone grieves differently, of course, but I'm not sure attending the very show at the very same venue that my daughter or sister passed away in two days prior, where the singer CONTINUED the show despite her death, would be healthy for closure.
There was no female rage at the show as Swift never saw Benevides Machado pass out. There was no female rage towards the disregard for fans as humans while Swift elected to proceed with her Brazil tour dates despite the country being in historic heatwaves (at risk of overheatting herself). If Taylor Swift was so shaken by touring with a broken heart or a fan's passing, she wouldn't have added an additional North American leg of Eras just two months after the Matty breakup. She's brokenhearted but willing to mend the cracks with your money and move onward with her worldwide female rage induced pillaging.
No matter what happens, even if you die at a Taylor Swift concert, Taylor collects a big fat check and flies away. She doesn't know you as anything other than a conversion rate or earning potential despite what her nearly 20-year long parasocial relationship with fans might otherwise indicate. She knows that, while some Swifties are without disposable income, they feel obligated to spend on a "48 Hours Only!" exclusive vinyl variant instead of necessities because they are so entrenched in Taylor Swift's intoxicating celebrity, they'll prioritize materialistic fandom before their needs. This is good enough for her because this means she can expand her real estate portfolio and finance her cat's lavish lifestyles. They're worth an estimated $100 million dollars. Her three cats could pool their net worth and solve world hunger.
While you and I might be denied bereavement leave and barely surviving the current political and economic climate, Taylor Swift has to, instead of gets to, perform for stadiums at full attendance for three nights in a row across the globe. You and I might be replaced by AI at our longtime jobs, but Taylor Swift is threatened with losing more and more money each time you listen to a "Stolen Version" of her songs. If we don't buy every variant of all of her albums, then who is going to pay for the fucking cats?
It is tone deaf to spend as she spends and lives as she lives in this economy, but this is her reality. She was able to donate $100,000 to all of her tour truck drivers, and that's wonderful, but it leads me to wonder about the ethos of the 2020s where one woman can hoard such life-changing amounts of money. Remember in 2014 when she gave a fan $90 ($120 in today's money) to get Chipotle because she had no fucking clue how much it cost? This is a 34-year-old woman who is increasingly out of touch with the reality for working class people and women in general. Normal everyday adults must wake up and go to their thankless jobs, and yet Taylor Swift, despite all her riches, incessantly references the lows of her life and career as a public figure and entertainer to farm sympathy and drive sales. And still, the corporate women have latched onto "I cry a lot, but I am so productive! It's an art!" as their cubicle battle cry.
Do you think that, from up in her private jet, Taylor Swift gazes at the world through her poetic, tortured eyes, and thinks, "All the little people, in their cars, walking, going about their lives...all those girls that don't support girls...do they know that I've made an album about female rage?"

Conclusion/TLDR

Thank you for reading. I would love to hear your critical insights towards this entire ordeal: TTPD, the trademark, the implications of it all.
TLDR: Taylor Swift is a bad feminist and is delusional to think that the TTPD eras set exemplifies female rage at women's injustice.

Hey all, at least once a day there seems to be a post in this subreddit complaining about the quality of matches or teammates. In those posts there seems to be a split on whether or not there is a problem or player behavior is justified. I'm going to leave most of my opinions at the end of this post, but from my point of view it's obvious that there is a problem that is clearly illustrated by how often players choose to forfeit, but most players are unwilling or even mentally blocking themselves from the idea that they might be part of the problem. I had already taken up note taking in video games as I played Dark Souls for the first time, so I decided to continue this when I came back to Rocket League and record stats and tallies by hand of instances when my teammates vote to forfeit.
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For context, all of these matches were in the 3v3 competitive playlist from the Diamond 1 to Diamond 2 range. I wanted to come up with a system that made it easy to record quickly during games, so I kept tallies of the basic stats in the first table, and in terms of forfeiting I recorded the time of the first vote, the score, and notes (things I wanted to keep track of but ultimately didn't deserve their own tallies). Right off the bat we can see that it only took 311 matches for me to reach 100 instances of forfeiture, this means almost one third of my games are going to include a teammate forfeiting. Out of those 100 times where a teammate voted to forfeit, 34 times also included the teammate idling or hard throwing. That means almost 1 out of every 9 matches I played was ruined solely by someone on my team not playing the game as intended. It's also extremely important to note that I only recorded instances of this happening on my team. I'm making the assumption that all of this happens at a slightly higher rate on the other team because I personally don't vote to forfeit or throw my matches.
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Here are the results of what I recorded:
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Games played	Wins	Losses	Vote to ff?	idle or hard throw?	OTW (includes W)	OTL (includes L)
311	153	158	100	34	31	27

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	Time left at first vote	Score	Notes
1	0:07	2-1
2	0:37	3-1	toxic in text
3	0:42	3-2
4	3:30	3-0	immediate throw after ff vote
5	2:23	3-0
6	0:07	4-0
7	1:25	up 2-0	conceded immediately after, still won
8	0:35	2-1
9	0:47	4-1
10	1:42	2-2	led whole game then lost
11	2:51	4-1	toxic in text
12	1:26	4-1
13	1:28	3-0
14	3:20	3-0	mid-play vote, teammate threw
15	2:58	2-0
16	2:00	3-0
17	3:17	4-0	teammate quit at 2-0 with 4:00 remaining, ff accepted
18	2:23	2-0
19	0:14	4-2
20	0:15	3-1
21	3:22	3-0	player left the match
22	1:30	4-0
23	3:30	4-1	almost came back
24	3:22	3-0
25	1:07	5-1	teammate left match
26	1:50	3-0
27	1:20	3-0	teammate left immediately after ff vote
28	0:45	3-1
29	2:34	4-3
30	1:55	1-0	mid-play
31	0:36	3-1
32	0:23	5-1
33	2:27	3-0
34	1:26	4-0
35	3:26	1-1	was leading, teammate quit immediately after ff vote
36	2:02	2-2	OT win, teammate voted mid-play
37	1:37	2-1	voted as the enemy team ball rolled into goal to be 3-1
38	0:45	3-1
39	1:08	2-0	mid-play, teammate later left match
40	2:55	3-1
41	2:41	4-0
42	0:52	2-2	mid-play, other team eventually won, teammate left early
43	0:24	5-1
44	0:44	3-3	ff vote @ them tying, we won
45	1:52	up 4-1	ff when other team first scored, we won, this is the only ff vote i feel bad about including here
46	0:09	3-1
47	1:04	3-0	immediate throw after ff vote
48	0:54	3-1
49	0:03	5-3	mid-play
50	0:15	3-1
51	0:07	2-4
52	0:15	0-1	mid play, idle after vote
53	1:49	3-1	was told to kms by probably the only player that got banned during this experiment
54	0:21	3-1
55	2:47	2-1	all downhill after one bad goal
56	0:50	5-1	idle after vote, still got one goal back
57	1:02	4-0	made it 2-4, one guy seemed IRL distracted during portions of the match
58	0:02	5-1	teammate idled and quit after opponent scored a quick goal in 5 seconds. remaining teammate and I played the 2v3
59	0:32	2-4
60	0:06	4-2	mid-play vote, then we conceded, game took longer to end because of the goal and replays than if we'd just played it out
61	0:06	3-1
62	2:20	3-0	teammate threw then left at 4-0
63	2:40	3-0	team played worse after ff vote, 7-1 final
64	3:15	4-0	teammate threw
65	0:15	2-1
66	3:22	3-0
67	2:51	2-0	teammate quit at 2:23 3-0
68	0:06	2-4
69	0:55	4-0
70	2:40	2-0	mid-play, both teammates quit at 2:05 3-0
71	0:01	3-3	mid-play, won in OT
72	2:03	4-0	idle before and after ff vote
73	1:06	3-5
74	2:00	3-3	won in OT
75	1:42	3-0
76	2:25	3-1	first 2 goals because teammate was idle
77	1:26	3-0
78	2:58	1-0
79	2:46	1-0	mid-play, we won 4-2
80	1:52	5-0
81	2:24	4-0	teammate left after we scored to make game 4-1
82	1:24	2-0
83	0:06	3-1
84	0:44	2-4
85	0:35	3-1
86	2:50	0-0	mid-play, we won 4-1
87	1:07	3-2	we won 4-3 in OT
88	0:11	2-0
89	0:32	3-1
90	1:12	3-0	teammate quit at 4-0 0:47
91	0:15	1-0
92	0:36	2-0
93	0:53	3-1
94	1:46	3-0
95	3:18	3-1
96	0:17	3-1
97	2:29	3-0	idle and quit after 4-0
98	2:23	4-4	losing 3-0 at 4:15, ff vote at tying goal, one teammate goading the other to ff in chat, we won 5-4
99	0:49	2-2	won in OT
100	1:38	3-0

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As an information dump, here are some of the statistics I found interesting with these instances of forfeiting.
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• The median time when forfeits were first voted on was 1:25.5 left on the clock. 34 times there were 2 or more minutes left, and 10 times there were 3 or more minutes left
• 60 votes occurred with a 2 goal or less deficit, an additional 15 votes occurred at a 3 goal deficit
• 18 votes occurred with 15 seconds or less on the clock. 4 times the deficit was 1 goal, 11 times the deficit was 2, and one vote occurred in a tie game
• 19 votes occurred with between 30 seconds and 1 minute on the clock, 16 of those votes were a 2 goal or less deficit
• 27 votes occurred with between 1 and 2 minutes left on the clock, 11 times the deficit was 2 or less, 11 more times the deficit was exactly 3
• 44 votes occurred while my team was getting shut out
• 10 matches with votes were won, but this includes the only "joke" ff, 2 games where we were leading and 7 when we were tied. In other words, every game where I was losing at the moment and a teammate voted to ff was lost
• 10 votes happened as the other team tied the game, we lost 3 (see above)

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I'm pretty terrible when it comes to Excel/Google Sheets, but if anyone wants to mess around with this data set to find any other cool stats I'd be very interested.
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My Thoughts
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My original purpose when I started to keep track of my games was to try and prove that most games when my teammates vote to forfeit are still winnable, but I no longer feel that is the case, although for different reasons than I expected. Now, I feel like a lot of matches are lost the moment my teammate voted to forfeit either because of the idling/hard throwing, or because of what I perceive as passive throwing by my teammates. I never recorded "passive throwing" because there isn't a reliable way to do so, but a lot of the time it feels like certain players are mentally out of the game once they've hit that vote to forfeit button. Those players make a habit out of forfeiting, which causes them to lose the ability to see a path to victory in matches that are winnable (example: 4-1 with 1:30 on the clock), and this creates a self-fulfilling prophecy where a large portion of the player population just doesn't see the value in playing matches where they are more likely to lose than win.
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I don't expect most people to have the self-awareness to realize the self fulfilling prophecy they've created, which is why I believe something has to be done to restrict or remove players ability to forfeit in competitive and tournament playlists. Personally, I never plan on forfeiting and I don't want to know when my teammates have voted for it. Why isn't there an option for me to disable the "vote to forfeit" text on my HUD just like people do with quick chat? Additionally, I think one good idea would be to only allow players the ability to initiate a vote a certain number of times per day, and disable the option entirely in tournaments. I didn't record my tournament games on paper, but several times my team would win 3-4 games, go down by 2 goals in the next game, and then one of my teammates votes to ff and checks out of the game. It's ridiculous that this kind of thing happens so regularly in game modes that are advertised as "competitive". I don't want to pretend like I know the perfect solution, I just think in the game's current state it is far too easy for players to give up, and barriers need to be put in place to keep games competitive, therefore something has to change.
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I know a lot of people will believe players will act this way even if forfeiting wasn't an option, but I think the option of an easy way out affects mentally weak players' gameplay in matches where they are losing. I played Overwatch for many years, a game where matches are much longer and forfeiting is not an option. That game can be toxic as hell, but I've never seen the amount of throwing or giving up in Overwatch that I do in Rocket League. Even when Blizzard was having problems with people leaving quickplay matches after one lost fight, I rarely saw people stop trying in competitive matches just because they got their ass kicked in round 1. In Overwatch, there was a sense of commitment once you got into a competitive match that straight up doesn't exist in Rocket League. I believe the fact that forfeiting has never been an option in Overwatch and always an option in Rocket League has contributed to how willing players are to give up in these respective games. To me, there really isn't ever a good reason to forfeit in RL, but there are still instances that are more ridiculous than others. 22 times my team voted to forfeit with under 30 seconds on the clock, and 18 of those times the deficit was 2 goals or less. Why wouldn't you play out 30 seconds or less just to see if you can get 2 goals? The worst that can happen is it takes you less than 30 seconds to get into a new game, in the best case you might be able to get a goal at the kickoff and then a 0 second goal to go to OT. Yet so many players in this community would rather deny themselves an opportunity for something amazing just because it isn't likely to happen, even when the time cost is absolutely minimal.
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I hope that this post inspires some discussion and helps players realize how detrimental habitual forfeiting is in modes that want to call themselves "competitive". I also want to tell the players who want to play out every game that you don't owe anyone on either team a forfeit if you don't want to. I know a lot of people feel pressured when someone tells them to forfeit or when they see 2 teammates vote for it, but any reason you want to play out a game is valid, even if you're getting destroyed 10-0 and just want to get one goal. 5 minutes + replays is not an unreasonable time commitment and if anyone tries to pressure you into forfeiting, they aren't worth considering. I hope this can change in the future, because I want to be put on teams that want to try and overcome a 3 goal deficit, and I want to play against teams the make me fight to hold a 3 goal lead. Instead we have a community that is hyper focused on trying to determine when a match isn't worth effort anymore, and competitive playlists and tournaments have suffered because of it. This makes me sad because Rocket League is so simple and elegant that I consider it to be one of the best multiplayer games ever made, but this community-created problem is big enough where it makes me want to play other games.
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TL;DR Habitual forfeiting is a major problem in Rocket League, and I hope we can actually have an honest conversation about it

I (29F) and my husband (37M) have been married ten years this coming January. We have two kids 4 years and 9 months.
And he has never had a job. We live in a HCOL area where our hobbies are and my career in art used to thrive. The last two years I wanted to work less and be more present with my one kid at the time.
I’ve been asking him to get a job for years. I’ve let our bank accounts get low and nothing. He’s done some substitute teaching here and there and then did a course for UXUI that was supposed to take him 6 months he did it in 9 months.
He hasn’t had a job. He’s gotten some web design clients. But since the beginning of the year I’ve asked him to be in charge and responsible for some of the bills. He’s been late on rent every month this year. When I took full responsibility of everything I made sure our rent was never late.
We now have credit card debt and never more than $300 in our banks. It’s awful.
I’ve lost respect for him. Two years ago I asked for a separation cause I was so tired of this. I went back to him out of fear of paying him alimony and I wanted to stay together for our child.
Well it’s been two years, I foolishly had another child with him and I want a divorce. I’m so done. I just feel like I need to wait until we are visiting my family to present him with the divorce papers. To untangle our life will take so long. We’ve been in couples counseling for months and I’ve asked him over and over to take me on dates so we can reconnect… still nothing.
I’m scared. Both paths are hard. I could stay with him and there’s an ease of raising our kids together, but we will always struggle and I’ll never feel a sense of security.
Or I become a single mom, he’s gonna have to work regardless but this will force him to. I have no clue what my life would look like work-wise… but that seems like the happier path.
I want a partner I’m inspired to be around. He’s such a kind and humble man, but he’s not the happiest or positive person. He doesn’t love me the way I deserve and I’m just all around over it.
I have skills I can build on to support myself but it will definitely be a starting over if I have to move out of our HCOL space to be closer to family.
Custody is another thing. But I’m going to wait till July to tell him we are done.

They "forgave" all the NOCP and late fees this one time - oh how generous of them for forgiving me for their mistake...
If this had been a personal vehicle, sure I'd understand that at some point I should have realized I wasn't getting bills I should otherwise be getting, but thankfully this wasn't for a personal vehicle. This was for my employer.
We have a ton of trucks and trailers, and for various reasons the company wants to pay by mail for a large number of our vehicles and trailers, which results in the occasional late fee since I can't select which transactions I pay online, but that's it. Imagine my surprise when I get two bills in the mail today showing a $600+ bill and a NOCP for a transaction from months and months ago.
I looked through the past 6 months of our bills, and while I had plenty for our other vehicles, I had none for this plate. None.
I went online and saw the last time I had made a payment was back in August 2023. After that it was just tolls, late fees and civil penaltys. When I called them the rep said they've sent 22 statements. Ok, but where?!? Because I didn't just miss all 22, and while the mail has been unreliable, there's no way they lost all of them. The rep didn't even try to answer, just moved on to payment.
Mostly I just want to know how this happened. Has it happened to anyone and if so, did you ever figure out what went wrong?