"This lowly worm before me is quite pathetic," sneered the proud Shen Tzu, the youngest son of the Tzu clan's patriarch. "Tell me, fool: If you're truly a follower of the Golden Blade sect, then why is your cultivation so weak?"
"Sorry," Ken muttered. "I keep trying to make more time for my training, but I've got a job."
"Haha!" Shen snorted. "You're neglecting your development for mere money? A mindset like that will leave you a mundane mortal forever!"
"Hey, I'm barely in the outer sect!" Ken said sheepishly. "Cut me some slack, elixirs don't pay for themselves."
"What's your job?" asked Shen,
"Food delivery."
"Is that like an actual job with some benefits or did you sign up for an app?"
"I signed up for an app," Ken admitted.
"Yeah, that's not gonna pay for any fucking elixirs either, scrub," Shen said dismissively.
"Jesus, I know!" said Ken in frustration.
"Okay," Shen yawned. "Listen, I'd normally kick your ass for daring to cross my path while showing such disgraceful weakness, but I'll give you a pass this week since these harsh economic conditions will do the job for me. Get out of here."
"I'm grateful, young master," Ken bowed. Woo, that was a close one, he thought to himself.
"Your gratitude can eat a dick, kid," replied Shen as he turned his back. "Take it easy...wait. One moment." He turned back around to glare at Ken suspiciously.
"Yeah? Can I help you with something?" Ken asked nervously.
"Which app do you work for?" demanded Shen.
"Huh?" asked the confused Ken.
"Which one of those stupid apps do you take requests from?" asked Shen.
"Door-flash," Ken said. As soon as he saw the expression on Shen Tzu's face, he regretted his honesty.
"Okay. Changed my mind, I'm kicking your ass," Shen said as he began to stalk toward Ken.
"Huh?! What for?" Ken asked with rising panic.
"Door-flash always fucks up my orders, bro. How many cold fries do I need to suffer the indignity of before you assholes learn how to hustle?"
"Wait! Wait! You can just get your money refunded, young lord!" Ken said desperately.
"Of course, I can!" Shen retorted contemptuously. "But what good will that do me if I'm still hungry at the end of the night?"
"Can't you just reheat your fries?" Ken suggested.
"You're telling me to eat reheated fries? " Shen asked in amazement. "The sheer disrespect! You're really courting death now, shithead!"

Path of the Barbarian: Barbarian
What makes a Barbarian a Barbarian? Is it their unbridled rage, tenacity for violence, symbiotic relationship with nature? The answer is a simple yes to all those questions and to some a Barbarian is too dense to even ask.
This is not only a revision to some features, but also its own subclass. If you're looking for thrills and frills then look elsewhere. If you’re looking for what should be a hard hitting rough and tumble tank that most players are asking for then look no further. Enjoy!
P.s. Tasha’s optional rules shouldn't be glossed over for any campaign.
Redesigned Rage Beginning at 1st level, rage is no longer a flat damage bonus. •Instead you add 1d4 to your melee weapon attack damage. •This Damage die increases to 1d6 at 9th level then to 1d8 at 16th level. •The number of times you can Rage per day increases by 1.
All Fight, No Flight Starting at 3rd level, while raging you throw all caution to the wind, never willing to back away from a good scrap you push yourself further than any sane person would. •If you're three-quarters below your health point maximum, your attacks deal an extra 1d4 points of damage. •If you are below half it becomes 1d6. •If you are below one-quarter it becomes 1d8.
Improved Fast Movement Starting at 5th level, your speed increases by 10 feet while you aren't wearing heavy armor. •Your speed increases by an additional 5 feet at 9th, 13th, and finally 17th level.
Rugged Outdoorsman Starting at 6th level, you’ve become quite adept at surviving in the wild; From hunting big game, to fishing, even exploring exotic landscapes. •You no longer suffer exhaustion from extreme climates. •You gain a climbing and swimming speed equal to half your movement. •You have Advantage on Perception and Investigation checks when tracking and/or finding traps. •While raging you gain resistance to your choice of Cold, Fire, or Poison damage. °You become resistant to another choice from this list at 10th level and again at 14th.
Built Different At 10th level, your rage singles out the biggest baddest sumbitch in the yard. When you enter your rage for the first time in combat you can target a hostile creature that is causing you to become irritated. •When you use the attack action to attack the target creature twice, you can make a third attack against the same creature. •If the creature is reduced to 0 hit points this way, you can use a bonus action on subsequent turns to target another creature that is making you irritable. °You can use this feature a number of times equal to half your proficiency bonus, and regain all uses after a long rest.
Improved Reckless Attack At 11th level, not only are you more fierce you are even more desperate. When you make your second attack on your turn, you may do so recklessly. •Doing so gives you advantage on melee attacks using strength during this turn. •Until your next turn you have disadvantage on Wisdom and Charisma saving throws.
Reckless Abandon Finally at 14th level, with countless battles fought and scars worn as trophies you feel brazen in face of violence. As a reaction to taking damage from a spell or an attack, you may forgo all your resistances while raging. •You then spend and roll any amount of unspent hit die + your Constitution modifier, to give up to 6 creatures you can see temporary hit points equal to the total rolled. •Any creature that has Temporary hit points given to them this way has advantage on attack rolls made if they are within 10 feet of you or a creature that is making you irritable. °You can use this feature once between rests.
Towering Presence Starting at 14th level, your presence chills down the spine of weak willed individuals. •You add your Constitution modifier to intimidation checks. •While raging you add your Constitution modifier to any wisdom saving throw.

Prologue: The Catalyst Awakens

Rochester, NY had always been a quiet town, but all that changed when The Catalyst, a super mutant x-gene, began to spread. This gene transformed ordinary people into extraordinary beings with abilities beyond imagination. For some, these changes brought about prosperity and power, but for others, it was the start of a nightmare.

Chapter 1: Esther Elkind

Esther Elkind was a small, fragile girl with a heart of gold and an unyielding spirit. As a Jewish girl in Rochester, she often found herself the target of bullies who didn't understand her kindness or her faith. Esther’s days at school were filled with dread, as each day brought new torments from the mean kids who found joy in her suffering.

Chapter 2: The Storm Drain

One cold, rainy day, the bullies decided to play a particularly cruel prank on Esther. They blindfolded her, telling her it was a game, and led her to the edge of a storm drain. Before she could react, they pushed her into the swirling water below. As Esther was swept away by the raging currents, the bullies laughed, not realizing the severity of their actions.

Chapter 3: The Search

Bystanders who witnessed the horrific act immediately called the police. The bullies were arrested and charged with assault, but despite an exhaustive search, Esther’s body was never found. Her parents, devastated and desperate, refused to believe she was gone. They searched the sewers day and night, praying for a miracle.

Chapter 4: The Transformation

Deep in the sewers, something incredible happened. The Catalyst, a mysterious force, saved Esther. She emerged transformed, her body now a sad, dripping form that cried softly in the darkness. She could hear the world above, but no one could see her. Her cries echoed through the pipes, haunting those who listened. She took the name Kezpul, a name that seemed to resonate with her new existence.

Chapter 5: Echoes in the Dark

Kezpul wandered the sewers, her heart aching with loneliness. Her cries for her parents could be heard faintly through the pipes, but she dared not emerge, for fear of the reactions to her new form. The sewers became her home, a dark, damp labyrinth where she could hide from the world.

Chapter 6: A Parent's Love

Despite the warnings and the dangers, Esther's parents never gave up hope. One day, as they listened to the faint sounds of their daughter’s cries, they decided to venture into the sewers themselves. Equipped with flashlights and hope, they navigated the twisting tunnels, following the echoes of Kezpul's voice.

Chapter 7: Reunion

"Here, Mommy. Here, Daddy," the faint voice called out from the darkness. Guided by the sound, Esther's parents finally found her. Kezpul stood before them, a vision of their lost daughter, but changed. They embraced her, their love overpowering the smell and the fear. In that moment, Kezpul felt a sense of peace she had thought lost forever.

Chapter 8: The New Beginning

With her parents by her side, Kezpul began to explore her new abilities. The Catalyst had given her powers beyond her wildest dreams, and with her family's support, she learned to control them. They helped her find a way to live both above and below ground, bridging the gap between her two worlds.

Chapter 9: Acceptance

Word of Kezpul's story spread throughout Rochester, and slowly, the community began to accept her. The once cruel bullies were replaced by friends and allies who saw the strength and resilience within her. Kezpul became a symbol of hope, showing that even in the darkest of places, light could be found.

Epilogue: The Echo Lives On

Kezpul’s journey was far from over, but she knew she was not alone. With her parents and new friends by her side, she faced each day with courage and determination. The echoes of her cries still resonated through the sewers, but they were no longer cries of sorrow. They were cries of hope, strength, and the enduring power of love.
And so, the story of Kezpul, the girl who became more than just a victim of bullying, but a beacon of resilience and transformation, lived on, inspiring all who heard her tale.

So, I begin playing the first part of Turnabout for the Snow, when all the suddenly I meet this guy:
\"And I don't like outsiders. Not. One. Bit.\"
And HOLY SHIT, he looks like a fusion between Manfred von Karma and Damon Gant! And its already giving me the chills... (Not talking about how cold his office was, that's for sure.)

Path of the Barbarian: Barbarian
What makes a Barbarian a Barbarian? Is it their unbridled rage, tenacity for violence, symbiotic relationship with nature? The answer is a simple yes to all those questions and to some a Barbarian is too dense to even ask.
This is not only a revision to some features, but also its own subclass. If you're looking for thrills and frills then look elsewhere. If you’re looking for what should be a hard hitting rough and tumble tank that most players are asking for then look no further. Enjoy!
P.s. Tasha’s optional rules shouldn't be glossed over for any campaign.
Redesigned Rage Beginning at 1st level, rage is no longer a flat damage bonus. Instead you add 1d4 to your melee weapon attack damage. This Damage die increases to 1d6 at 9th level then to 1d8 at 16th level. The number of times you can Rage per day increases by 1.
All Fight, No Flight Starting at 3rd level, while raging you throw all caution to the wind, never willing to back away from a good scrap you push yourself further than any sane person would. •If you're three-quarters below your health point maximum, your attacks deal an extra 1d4 points of damage. •If you are below half it becomes 1d6. •If you are below one-quarter it becomes 1d8.
Improved Fast Movement Starting at 5th level, your speed increases by 10 feet while you aren't wearing heavy armor. •Your speed increases by an additional 5 feet at 9th, 13th, and finally 17th level.
Rugged Outdoorsman Starting at 6th level, you’ve become quite adept at surviving in the wild; From hunting big game, to fishing, even exploring exotic landscapes. •You no longer suffer exhaustion from extreme climates. •You gain a climbing and swimming speed equal to half your movement. •You have Advantage on Perception and Investigation checks when tracking and/or finding traps. •While raging you gain resistance to your choice of Cold, Fire, or Poison damage. °You become resistant to another choice from this list at 10th level and again at 14th.
Built Different At 10th level, your rage singles out the biggest baddest sumbitch in the yard. When you enter your rage for the first time in combat you can target a hostile creature that is causing you to become irritated. •When you use the attack action to attack the target creature twice, you can make a third attack against the same creature. •If the creature is reduced to 0 hit points this way, you can use a bonus action on subsequent turns to target another creature that is making you irritable. °You can use this feature a number of times equal to half your proficiency bonus, and regain all uses after a long rest.
Improved Reckless Attack At 11th level, not only are you more fierce you are even more desperate. When you make your second attack on your turn, you may do so recklessly. •Doing so gives you advantage on melee attacks using strength during this turn. •Until your next turn you have disadvantage on Wisdom and Charisma saving throws.
Reckless Abandon Finally at 14th level, with countless battles fought and scars worn as trophies you feel brazen in face of violence. As a reaction to taking damage from a spell or an attack, you may forgo all your resistances while raging. •You then spend and roll any amount of unspent hit die + your Constitution modifier, to give up to 6 creatures you can see temporary hit points equal to the total rolled. •Any creature that has Temporary hit points given to them this way has advantage on attack rolls made if they are within 10 feet of you or a creature that is making you irritable. °You can use this feature once between rests.
Towering Presence Starting at 14th level, your presence chills down the spine of weak willed individuals. •You add your Constitution modifier to intimidation checks. •While raging you add your Constitution modifier to any wisdom saving throw.

I downloaded Tinder when I moved in the Nordics. In January I matched with this girl. We chatted for a few weeks and we went out two times in February. I wasn't sure at first if I felt attraction, but I really liked her as a person, we discovered we had some past shared traumas that got us closer and I felt I was incredibly at ease with her, as it rarely happens with people I barely know (I am extremely introverted and she didn't believe I was). Both times we stayed together for 7-8 hours and time flew. We didn't talk about our feelings but we agreed on the fact that we had good vibes. Most of all, I innately felt I could trust her. Then I went to my home country, but we stayed in contact. When I came back she texted me that she wanted to clarify that she had decided she had no romantic intentions but it was nothing personal. She had cancelled Tinder and she just wanted to stay single. I told her that if she meant a long-term relationship I wasn't so sure as well and I just wanted to see how things went without pressure.
We met in March, and while we were talking about wine she interrupted me to make a call. Later, she said that she had talked with her best friend "who obviously knew about me". She added that they had both broken up with their boyfriends in summer, and they had felt terribly. Now her friend was hanging out with a single father in his 30s (so I presumed it was quite a serious thing), and since they had been talking for months of going to some wine tasting event she wanted to tell her that they could finally organise that as a double date. I accepted, but I was a little bit taken aback given her previous message. This made me wonder that maybe there were some expectations, and, since I still wasn't sure about my feelings and I knew what kind of frailties she could have, I went into overthinking mode. I wanted to balance my words and, when in doubt, be on the safe side without promising things lightly. I realise this made me seem cold sometimes. When she asked me if I was interested in sharing an apartment (we both live on our own) in the capital (she wants to move there and I often have to commute there) independently from an eventual romantic relationship, I was quite firm in my no. After 8 hours, she asked me if it was time to have sex, but she wanted to discuss if it really made sense and to uncover our intentions. I said that I liked her but the last thing I wanted was to hurt someone so I didn't want to take commitments. I was maybe realising I was growing feelings for her but I didn't say that. She then decided we needed a solemn deal: if the sexual/romantic vibe was not good this would have not been cause of bitterness between us, we had acknowledged that we liked each other as people so much and this had to stay. I agreed and we went to her place.
There we kissed, then she went to her neighbours to ask for tobacco. When she was back she told me that she was sorry but she had decided she didn't feel like it, but it was 5 am and I could stay. She got out of the bathroom naked apart from a tiny slip, and we went to bed. I turned my back on her trying to think about something else and sleep, but she laughed and told me "Well, we can still have some cuddles". One thing leads to another and while we didn't have proper sex we definitely had more than some cuddles. I remember that at a certain time she said "Oh no, this is definitely not going to end well", and the anguish in her voice freaked me out.
The day after, she texted me "I really enjoyed it but I have this persisting feeling that we would be better as friends", she insisted a lot that it wasn't sugarcoating but she was really convinced that we would have been great friends and we both knew that. I asked her to talk about it the next time in person and she agreed. Two days later she texted me that she was just going to a bar for a couple of hours before a meeting, that she was such in a good mood and asked me to join her (this spontaneity from a Scandinavian sounded super weird to me). I couldn’t join her on time and I still regret that. Then I left the town again, but we kept in contact. This was also when I realised that I was missing her and the feelings I had where a little bit deeper than what I had thought at first. At my return, I noticed that something had changed, but she attributed this to her Master's thesis' deadline. A few more days and she ghosted me, then she texted me a week later "sorry, I was busy. But I should also tell you that I have entered a relationship :) :) :)". I replied that I was sure there was something behind her silence and she didn't feel the need to explain further. She didn't owe me anything, but I expected some better communication, especially with all her worries about the possibility to ruin our personal relationship. After ten days with no communications, I texted her that I was a little disappointed 'cause I thought we had a deal. She asked me "what deal?" and I replied "what? were you drunk that night?" (she wasn’t) and she told me "Indeed I was. In fact I don't remember what happened. And honestly I don't want to know" (which was the thing that hurt me the most). I asked her if she had considered that people have feelings and she told she was going to terminate the conversation and she blocked me on WhatsApp.
That's how it ended. Her relationship hurt me, but it was her choice and I certainly couldn't contest that (I regret a lot that I should have been quicker in grasping and communicating my feelings). But the way she handled the thing felt like a treason in human terms to me and made me wonder if everything else she said was false as well. Thoughts? (I’d like to know if the replies come from men or women, sometimes perspectives are different).

This is a long one and the details are important to the situation so a TLDR can not possibly do it just but is required for this sub, please read the whole thing if you plan to give advice. Thank you.
TLDR: I’m into a semi-coworker and can’t tell if she’s flirting or being cordial and polite, need help navigating the situation.
I’m (32M) a real estate agent and a few months ago I went into an open house and met a lovely agent (31F) from another company. (Because of the nature of how real estate works, agents know other local people within the field possibly more so than in any other business. Two accountants at two different car companies probably will never cross paths, but two real estate agents at two separate firms almost certainly will, so this is an ever se slight “shitting where you eat” situation. Anyway.) We chit chat a bit and part ways. This happens a few more times until the third time I make a joke off a particular situation that was happening and she started dying of laughter (this was about 2 months ago). I friend requested her on instagram later that day and messaged her a continuation of the joke. We haven’t messaged much but we have liked a few of each other’s posts here and there and we’ve seen each other a few more times for work between then and now, having some banter each time.
Recently (about 10 days ago) I was at an open house she was sitting and when I walked in we greeted each other and she went for a hug. Not one of those polite one arm hugs you give to an acquaintance or that aunt you don’t like, a full double arm wrap around hug. We chit chat and she does it again as I’m leaving. I see her again about a week ago and she does the same thing. We’re chatting a bit and I think of a movie I wanted to recommend to her but couldn’t think of the name but said I would text it to her. A few hours later I go to text her and realize I don’t have her number. I message her on Instagram instead and say “this is the movie I was talking about earlier. I was gonna text you but apparently I don’t have your number.” She responsds “Ahhh, I’m gonna have to watch it!” And then “lol it’s (number) in case you ever need”. I respond “I’ll have to think of a reason… maybe some more movie recs” as a cheeky light flirt. I text her a quick message saying “hey, here’s my number”. The next morning she thumbs up reacts to the text and then 10 minutes later she “likes” the Instagram message from the night before with the standard heart reaction when you like something on instagram.
What I am confused about now is if my light flirting was received well. In my head the like reactions feel cold but I might just be reading way too into it. What are some ways I can further test the waters?
I want to tread carefully with this, as no matter the outcome, we will have to see each other for work. Any advice and insight is greatly appreciated but please keep things positive.

First one’s got two girls and two guys and functions in a four panel (?) strip format. One of the girls and one of the guys definitely end up falling in love but they’re part of a friend group with the other girl and guy. They are all chibis and probably kids? I specifically remember one strip where one if the girls is taking out her pigtails and her floppy eared dog sees her and wonders how she’s undoing her ears. I remember one other strip where one of the girls and one of the guys are walking in the cold with their friends and they end up holding hands in their pockets.
Second one is about this guy who gets his period in the shower and starts dating at his school and is too feminine for the girls and too manly for the guys. It’s a boarding school and whenever people graduate they’re never seen again. He has some big love interest which I think which is a guy and the whole time they make a big deal abt him picking a gender. At the end, it’s revealed that the academy is for souls that haven’t been born yet and when thry graduate they’re born. The main character is actually twins and he has to pick his gender bc the one that’s not picked dies in the womb (he picks girl and the boy twin dies). Seventeen years later, she and her love interest from before she was born meet for the first time on a bus.
Help me find these please!!!

This is a long one and the details are important to the situation so there won’t be a TLDR. Let’s get into it:
I’m (32M) a real estate agent and a few months ago I went into an open house and met a lovely agent (31F) from another company. (Because of the nature of how real estate works, agents know other local people within the field possibly more so than in any other business. Two accountants at two different car companies probably will never cross paths, but two real estate agents at two separate firms almost certainly will, so this is an ever se slight “shitting where you eat” situation. Anyway.) We chit chat a bit and part ways. This happens a few more times until the third time I make a joke off a particular situation that was happening and she started dying of laughter (this was about 2 months ago). I friend requested her on instagram later that day and messaged her a continuation of the joke. We haven’t messaged much but we have liked a few of each other’s posts here and there and we’ve seen each other a few more times for work between then and now, having some banter each time.
Recently (about 10 days ago) I was at an open house she was sitting and when I walked in we greeted each other and she went for a hug. Not one of those polite one arm hugs you give to an acquaintance or that aunt you don’t like, a full double arm wrap around hug. We chit chat and she does it again as I’m leaving. I see her again about a week ago and she does the same thing. We’re chatting a bit and I think of a movie I wanted to recommend to her but couldn’t think of the name but said I would text it to her. A few hours later I go to text her and realize I don’t have her number. I message her on Instagram instead and say “this is the movie I was talking about earlier. I was gonna text you but apparently I don’t have your number.” She responsds “Ahhh, I’m gonna have to watch it!” And then “lol it’s (number) in case you ever need”. I respond “I’ll have to think of a reason… maybe some more movie recs” as a cheeky light flirt. I text her a quick message saying “hey, here’s my number”. The next morning she thumbs up reacts to the text and then 10 minutes later she “likes” the Instagram message from the night before with the standard heart reaction when you like something on instagram.
What I am confused about now is if my light flirting was received well. In my head the like reactions feel cold but I might just be reading way too into it. What are some ways I can further test the waters?
I want to tread carefully with this, as no matter the outcome, we will have to see each other for work. Any advice and insight is greatly appreciated but please keep things positive.

This is a long one and the details are important to the situation so there won’t be a TLDR. Let’s get into it:
I’m (32M) a real estate agent and a few months ago I went into an open house and met a lovely agent (31F) from another company. (Because of the nature of how real estate works, agents know other local people within the field possibly more so than in any other business. Two accountants at two different car companies probably will never cross paths, but two real estate agents at two separate firms almost certainly will, so this is an ever se slight “shitting where you eat” situation. Anyway.) We chit chat a bit and part ways. This happens a few more times until the third time I make a joke off a particular situation that was happening and she started dying of laughter (this was about 2 months ago). I friend requested her on instagram later that day and messaged her a continuation of the joke. We haven’t messaged much but we have liked a few of each other’s posts here and there and we’ve seen each other a few more times for work between then and now, having some banter each time.
Recently (about 10 days ago) I was at an open house she was sitting and when I walked in we greeted each other and she went for a hug. Not one of those polite one arm hugs you give to an acquaintance or that aunt you don’t like, a full double arm wrap around hug. We chit chat and she does it again as I’m leaving. I see her again about a week ago and she does the same thing. We’re chatting a bit and I think of a movie I wanted to recommend to her but couldn’t think of the name but said I would text it to her. A few hours later I go to text her and realize I don’t have her number. I message her on Instagram instead and say “this is the movie I was talking about earlier. I was gonna text you but apparently I don’t have your number.” She responsds “Ahhh, I’m gonna have to watch it!” And then “lol it’s (number) in case you ever need”. I respond “I’ll have to think of a reason… maybe some more movie recs” as a cheeky light flirt. I text her a quick message saying “hey, here’s my number”. The next morning she thumbs up reacts to the text and then 10 minutes later she “likes” the Instagram message from the night before with the standard heart reaction when you like something on instagram.
What I am confused about now is if my light flirting was received well. In my head the like reactions feel cold but I might just be reading way too into it. What are some ways I can further test the waters?
I want to tread carefully with this, as no matter the outcome, we will have to see each other for work. Any advice and insight is greatly appreciated but please keep things positive.

We will be going into the Xiao Man (小满) solar term (节气) starting from 20 May to 4 Jun 2024. Xiao Man is the 8th solar term out of the entire 24.
The reason it is called Xiao Man is because during this period, grains like barley (大麦) and winter wheat (冬小麦) start to get fuller (饱满). However, the grains still need more time to become fully ripened. Hence it’s called ‘Xiao Man’ (小满, on its way to being fully ripened) instead of ‘Man’ (满, meaning fully ripened).
During this solar term, we can expect to see more rainfall and high temperatures at the same time. This means the environment will be very humid, resulting in dampness (湿邪) developing in the body.
When the body has too much dampness (湿邪), the person will experience symptoms like poor appetite, bloated stomach, lack of energy or not having the urge to drink water.
The dietary direction for this solar term should be 健脾化湿, which means strengthening the spleen to remove dampness.
Before we go into the recommended list of foods, I strongly recommend you to avoid consuming cold drinks and sweet stuff during this period as it will worsen the dampness in the body.
The following are the top 5 foods recommended during this solar term:
Green Beans (绿豆) – Also known as mung beans, they not only can help to clear heatiness in the body but they can also help to remove dampness by increasing the urination frequency. Compared to red beans, green beans have stronger heat-clearing and anti-inflammatory properties.
Red Beans (红豆) – Red beans have the properties of clearing heatiness and removing dampness in the body. This is the reason why some people like to mix Chinese barley with red beans for dampness removal. Red beans have stronger dampness removal properties than green beans.
Winter Melon (冬瓜) – Winter melon is a good food to eat during this period because it helps to remove the dampness in the body through urination. It can also reduce body heatiness due to the summer heat.
Chinese Yam (山药) – Chinese yam is very suitable to be consumed during this period because it can help to strengthen the spleen and improve its ability to get rid of accumulated dampness in our body.
Chinese Barley (薏苡仁) – Another highly recommended food to eat during this period is Chinese barley as it has very strong properties to help with clearing dampness, especially if you have water retention issues in the lower part of your body.

General Wellness Recommendation

During this period, the heart can easily accumulate fire (心火), resulting in insomnia, dizziness, feeling frustrated, and/or irregulaheavy heartbeat.
The main lifestyle recommendation is to reduce the heart fire or prevent it from going into an excessive state.
Meditating is an effective way to reduce heart fire. Do consider meditating before sleep. It can help to reduce the heart fire and calm the mind.
For best results, you can enjoy a book after meditation (instead of using mobile devices) and go to bed when you start to feel sleepy.
Another important thing to note during this period is to avoid doing strenuous exercises.
The reason is that such exercises will make you sweat a lot and in TCM, there is a saying “汗为心之液” – which means the sweat is actually fluid from the heart. This also means that excessive sweating will deplete the heart’s Yin energy and thus, making one’s heart go into the heart fire (心火) state easily. Try to go for light exercise so you won’t sweat so much.
If you have been sweating a lot during this period, make sure you add some lily bulbs (dried or fresh) to your diet as lily bulbs can help to replenish your heart Yin energy.
Another simple way to replenish heart Yin energy is to drink more water. But if you’re unable to do so for practical reasons (especially during work), then consuming lily bulb will be a better way.
Hope you find this post helpful and have a healthy Xiao Man solar term!

Without going into too much gruesome details, was it as obvious to Nazi scientists as it is to us, or nearly so, when they had a legitimate question to answer and when it was just meaningless sadism? Were there at least a minority of competent scientists who may have gone along with the evil but continued to think scientifically, if only in diaries or private conversations that some talented historians have been able to find?
I ask in part because Annie Jacobson wrote a good book on Operation Paperclip some time ago and taught me that there was more medical/biological warfare expertise than is widely known in that group, much more than the rocket scientists who served partly as window dressing. She just published something new and unrelated in my library book queue. Some things the medical community did was unambiguously evil but was also rational at some level - consider the hypothermia experiments. With all the soldiers crashing planes into the ocean in the winter, they needed to know more about this and what methods are more helpful in recovery. Even here, one pseudo-scientific method with the German euphemism animalische Wärme must have made the scientists roll their eyes, and I believe Jacobson mentioned their disbelief even as they performed the experiments at the insistence of upper management. In another (Japanese Unit 731) example, substantial research went into figuring out which mosquito species carried malaria, and how they could survive the elevation and cold to be dropped from bomber planes into enemy territory to spread disease. This is evil, but it is also a rational question that competent people may look into. It is tricky to ignore the evil and human suffering on this subject, but to what extent were the scientists aware of what was real science and what was just meaningless politically motivated sadism?

recently i got myself an iq test and since i scored ~150 i was really blown away and i shared that with my family (parents, siblind and aunt)
my aunt was happy for me but also said that they already knew as i got diagnosed as a child which got me confused as to why i never heard of it so i started asking my mom questions and one of things i found out was that i have been diagnosed with autism and god damnit, my life makes so much more sense now. (i suspected it but i am so high functioning and im masking so much that its bit hard to recognize it)
like my odd behaviors i had as a child, the social stuff, etc. but also the unexplainable hate i felt from my mother all my life (even till now) and the worse treatment then any of my siblings that i received (like she was never as harsh, mean and cold to them. she never forced them to overwork themselves as much as me. like for example she was forcing me to work since 14yo which is illegal so she had to find me odd jobs, while my siblings never had to work even through some of them are over 18 now).
she also for example often overwhealmed me, i think even on purpose as she never did such stuff to my siblings and never acomodated me for such stuff.
just wanted to vent a bit. its not all that i have on my mind now but i guess its enough. if yall had any useful input in this matter i would be really thankful
also sorry if this is hard to read. i am still trying to sort out my thoughts + its quite late

When I asked GPT4o about The Paria Diving incident, he replied:
GPT4o: The case of The Paria Diving, also known as the Paria divers accident, refers to a tragic incident that occurred on May 29, 1989 in Lake Maracaibo, Venezuela. Five divers died after being sucked into a suction pipe of an oil pumping system of the company Lagoven, a PDVSA subsidiary. Etc...
Then I clarify to GPT4o that I am referring to the Paria Fuel Trading Company incident (2022), and I ask him where he got that news from 1989 and why I can't find it anywhere on the internet.
GPT4o: I'm sorry for the previous confusion. I made a mistake and it appears that the information provided does not correspond to any actual documented events. There is no incident recorded in 1989 in Lake Maracaibo similar to the one described. There may have been confusion regarding the details or I mixed up diving incidents in the oil industry.
OMG. Honestly, these errors seem quite SERIOUS to me. These AIs, if they can be called that, respond as if they know what they do not know, they invent details, they vomit a lot of information that "seems" coherent, probably for commercial purposes (looking like a good product), but they do not make an effort to verify the information and facts, they never tell you "I don't know", "I'm not sure" or "I need more details to answer you properly".
Those of you who say that an AGI is close, do not know what you are saying. Perhaps compared to humans who are more clumsy and do low-skilled or entertainment-oriented tasks.
It reminds me of the cold reading technique used by mentalists, tricksters and crazy people, ha ha. They make you think they know a lot about you when telling generalities, but for example they are unable to guess your phone number or ID (unless they spied on you). Likewise, these AIs seem very intelligent until you ask them mathematical problems.

So basically I recently entered to a call center job. When February was ending, was the time when I started my training for the job and my coworkers were really nice since the begging, but I found myself feeling interested in this boy. When we first met I realized we had a lot of things in common, like our taste in music, clothes, taste of humor and we just matched in some kind of way. At first I felt intrigued since he is a very extroverted person, and I tend to be more shy normally, so what I felt for him first was a feeling of admire. After that, I realized I caught myself liking him in a romantic way. I never wanted something serious with him since I knew from the start that he was no good for me, he was full of red flags like: Alcoholic, addicted to nicotine and weed, and a player. Overall, he was still a nice person, he treated me in a nice way, we would make jokes with each other and I never told anybody that I liked him, but those first 2 months he was really sweet with me and he made me feel special, it was the first time I had a crush for a long time.
One day, on our last days of training we had an activity of making confessions, and they asked my crush if he had ever liked somebody from the class and he mentioned my name. My heart dropped and they asked me the same question and I had no other option than tell the truth, It was the first time I had ever confessed my feelings to someone.
The next days we started giving each other hugs, or talk about our feelings, but itdidn't last long because he started avoiding me(? you could say. I would try to hug him or do things with him but he started giving me the cold shoulder, which left me thinking what the actual fuck. I decided to start being cold with him and let me tell you I was devastated, I felt so confused even though I didn´t want anything with him.
We went to a party together with some other coworkers 1 week or 2 after all of that happened. I got high for the first time with him and he told me what did I think of him and I expressed everything with no filters. He gave the the most genuine speech of how he like me so much but knew that I wasn´t good for him, that he would corrupt me if he was with me and how he didn´t want to destroy my inocence and if we kissed, he would end up falling deep for me. I belived him and understood, and stated that we would only be friends.
Now, a couple of weeks have passed since that day, and I felt so much better with myself and was starting to forget but one friend of mine from my workplace that I shared very personal things told me that she wanted to talk with me. She said: "I need to confess something because I feel bad if you don't know". I kind of suspected where she was going because I had a bad feeling but wanted to trust in her, that she wouldn´t do smth like that. I guess I was wrong 🤡. She told me she did things with him. I said, well, at least you could kiss him not like me LMAOO, he will be our humble moment. She replied with, I went lower than you, since I slept with him with tears in her eyes. They both did it after knowing that I had feelings for him, a couple of weeks after the day we confessed to each other.
I understand my friend, she just went through a heartbreak and he manipulated her into sleeping with her and he played with my feelings as well, but I can´t help to feel a little bit of disappointment in her. I don't want to ruin our friendship due to a man, but I can't avoid feeling kind of sad and disappointed in her, is it normal or am I being to emotional and overthinking the situation I wonder. Since I was never anything with my crush anyways.
He is now being cold with the both of us wtf 😭

I’ve been on reddit for many years now and a lot of subreddits, especially the popular ones, have historically been pretty male-dominated, at least from what I’ve seen. Thankfully I’ve noticed that seems to be improving which is always a good thing, because as a man myself, I recognize that gendesex diversity allows people to gain new perspectives and not only be exposed to one-sided opinions and experiences.
Concerning this specific subreddit, I find that it’s pretty equal in terms of men and women, which is awesome. Like I said though, reddit has been pretty male-dominated for a number of years in my experience, which is why even having an equal number of women makes it significant to me. Am I the only one who thinks thinks this? I am so sorry if this is coming off in a bad way or if this in anyway offensive, I just thought it would be an interesting discussion point.
I’d also love to hear from the women here, has WFH changed your life in a significant way? How so? From what I can tell, being out of the office can help prevent terrible circumstances like harassment and sexual assault, among other things. I also know being in an office can advantage men in ways you don’t even think about. For example, most offices have a temperature 5 degrees too cold for a women’s body, since the temperature is often based on a men’s metabolic rate and not a women’s, which I know is small but those things can add on to each other and make things much harder I imagine.

note: This is really wordy but I have too many thoughts about this show and am so excited to continue with similar shows! Feel free to scroll down to (***)
I am a little past halfway through The Hope, which I started watching because I had nothing better to do (and because Zhang Ruoyun always delivers). I had no expectations coming in and thought it would be something like Go Ahead or maybe Gen Z, Dr. Romantic (kdrama), etc. so I thought it would be a nice drama about family, friend, and mentor relationships. Nothing could have prepared me for how blown away I am by the writing, realistic depictions of traumas/abuse/mental illnesses that both the teachers and students experience.
I love cdramas but I have never seen characters so fleshed out and alive than in the Hope. I have never cried so many times and so frequently when watching a cdrama. The stories are so compelling and everyone's narratives get told without me feeling like skipping the "boring" one, because all of them were so real. The cinematography, screenwriting, acting, soundtrack, and plot are genuinely among the best I've seen in cdramas, so I can't believe this isn't universally watched in the cdrama community!
I did not share every character's experiences, but I felt like I could relate to so many of them. There was no one-dimensional backstory for any of the students--they were all so alive and I cried when they cried, laughed when they laughed, felt pain when they felt pain.
I really like all sorts of dramas and very much enjoy all kinds of modern/historical romcoms/action/youth dramas. Coming-of-age dramas are also great, and the really good ones take a lot of emotional effort to even watch (which is a good sign). Sometimes I like to watch something motivating/inspirational, like sports or campus/youth cdramas where the main characters are depicted as the underdog or fueled by determination and passion for a sport or subject. I really enjoyed ones with a good balance in emotional depth of relationships and passion/competition/grit: top ones would be Hikaru no go, Cross Fire, and The Heart of Genius (mostly first half), Oh no! Here comes trouble (Taiwan), Rising with the wind; also liked Ping Pong life. There are other good ones (but spend more time with romance/less focused on the main character's passion or usually depicts their passion for sport/academic subject in the context of the romantic interest for the plot): Skate into Love, You are my hero, You are my glory, lighter & princess. I also like historical cdramas (liked Joy of Life, Mysterious lotus casebook, Legend of Shen Li a lot) but I just find modern ones more realistic when it comes to something motivating.
I am still in school so recently I've been looking for motivating cdramas that would show main character(s) fighting for their passion. i.e. if the setting is a campus, one that focuses wholly on a character's devotion to an academic subject, or for a sports drama, one that doesn't just have a stadium backdrop but actually shows them overcoming training obstacles. I also appreciate when it's realistic and the relationships they build don't just occur in that environment (like where the only thing they share is an academic or sports goal; maybe they start out like that but they want to actually understand each other outside of that competitive zone). Though not the most realistic, I have a soft spot for "genius ML/FL" characters -- not the obnoxious perfect cold romcom ML that happens to be academically gifted in every STEM field (and whenever they exhibit that, it's just them calculating something at the speed of light) -- but rather ones like Li Ran and Cheng Yushan in The Hope, or just very talented/hardworking characters like Xiao Feng and Lu Xiaobei in Cross Fire. I actually like dramas with romance in them, but there is an issue with them where whenever one character is some kind of genius, it's always the ML. Or if both characters are very smart, the ML has to somehow be on a different level of academically gifted. The closest I got to finding a FL who is on par with the ML or better is a) historical dramas like Journey to Love and My Journey to You where the FL is better at fighting/scheming (or smarter in the practical sense like Minglan and Imperial coroner and b) Heart of Genius, but the ML is still the one with some kind of God-given talent for math.
The Heart of genius was really great in fleshing out the FL and her relationship with her father and made me cry multiple times, and it made me start looking for something super niche and not a typical cdrama trope: genius FL (specifically math?) -- where the drama will actually try to portray her relationship with the subject and growth inside and outside academia. It's such a strange request, so I didn't really have any hopes of finding dramas or new upcoming releases with that kind of character. I broadly searched for FLs in STEM since math is also very specific, and if there was no romance, I was also ok with a ML who loved math, as long as that's what the drama focuses on. I had to pause The Hope when Lei Ming first meets Cheng Yushan and he realizes she's not just smart, but also a math genius, because I couldn't believe I found something impossible that I had been looking for (but had no hopes of finding). It was motivating on a different level, since this drama was already so inspiring academically. As someone also studying math in college, I saw myself in her avoidant tendencies, closed-off personality and how she takes time to warm up to friends, but prioritizes her friends over everything after getting closer to them. I loved small things that showed her kind (but never timid) personality, like when Yu Yang joins Class 11 and she defends him without hesitation. She is so strong and doesn't succumb to peer pressure or prioritize romantic relationships over her relationship with her mom, friends, teachers, and math. She somehow checked all of my boxes, the most impossible one being a top student in math second to none, and I never see a FL in STEM where the drama focuses on her studies and also consistently doesn't try to make a ML superior in talent. She motivated me to want to grow as she did, to work and care for my friends like her. I couldn't collect my thoughts after seeing this genius female character in math who is so well-written and acted, where the other genius male student in physics/robotics (Li Ran) neither outshines her nor somehow has a more complex narrative of his academic field compared to hers, depicting not just her happening to have amazing math intuition but also showing her hard work, traumas, relationships, growth, while not straying away from her abilities & passion for math.
(***) TLDR / The main point after all my yapping above:
Can anyone recommend a drama that is similar to The Hope not necessarily in terms of the plot, but rather how inspiring it is as a result of the complexity and character portrayals? Or (this is much harder since I imagine only The Hope has done this with specifically math) does anyone know of any cdramas where the FL is genius-ML-level type of genius in some sort of field? If there is an ML, he could also be extremely smart, as long as if it's the same field as the FL, he's not somehow more gifted, and if it's a different field, it's not something "more STEM" than the FL--I loved Li Ran in The Hope. Could be a sport, academic subject, etc. (I think I am just bored with dramas where the FL has some sort of unique business sense or something) Bonus points if it really is STEM!
(Now I go back to studying for my exams and praying for some nerdy writer to pitch my dream genius math major FL cdrama so I can be delusional about next school year lol)

I feel so incredibly guilty about this. I've literally used the machine a dozen or so times and much prefer the gym instead.
What should I do? Should I sell it? Should I push myself to use it more?
I feel so torn. Anyone else have this scenario?
I'm considering just letting my unit go because i enjoy the cold plunge at the gym so much after my workout. ANYWAY if you're in FL and you want one let me know.

Ok so I’m going to use real names because I could care less if they see this, but I genuinely want to know if I was in the wrong.
My (19 F) best friend, Taylor, of 4 years, had been talking crap about our mutual friend, (18 F) Peyton. Her and Peyton had been friends for 14 years, and Taylor would tell me about how abusive Peyton was and it was a conversation we had, and talked about for multiple hours, every time we hung out. However, it would seriously make me mad about what I was hearing and I wanted to call Peyton out on what she was doing, but Taylor made me promise to never say anything to Peyton cuz she was afraid she would try to hurt her.
Here’s a backstory on me, Peyton, and Taylor. I met Taylor through Peyton and became best friends with her not long after. But Taylor started to make me hate Peyton. Taylor had a horrible home life and faced homelessness 2x. She dropped out in 3rd grade, never got her GED, doesn’t have a drivers license, and can’t hold down a job. Knowing this, I paid for everything every time we hung out, but it was all worth it to me to know that I was helping her out and making her life “better” her words. In this time I spent around $7-8K on her.
Back to the story, I started dating this one guy who was bad news and that’s around the time things started changing for the worst. Taylor started role playing S/A, with her being the victim, on Red Dead Redemption, for hours with me in the room, knowing how extremely triggering that was for me. She would fake getting her paycheck and then ask us to go out, then I ended up paying for it with the money I don’t have. She also started telling me about stuff that Peyton was saying about me, regarding my recent trauma and mental illness, but what caught my attention is that I never told Peyton about that stuff, which made me super confused. I asked her to stop telling me about what Peyton was saying about me on multiple occasions, but she persisted in telling me every little detail about how “I’m borderline, which means I’m abusive and manipulative and I will hurt her.” Around then I actually had a pretty good grip on my mental state and rarely ever got mad(Taylor was never there, and I hadn’t had an episode in over 3 years).
I got tired of hearing about it so I texted Peyton, for the first time in almost 2 years as we had drifted apart after the stuff Taylor was saying about her. I asked her to stop talking bad about me to Taylor, or to at least loosen up a bit about it, and then she told me the most guy wrenching truth.
She told me that Taylor was telling her I tried to kill her, used her for money, mentally and emotionally abused her, and a bunch more of stuff. I was completely heartbroken. So I told what she was saying about Peyton, and what she was saying about her was pretty much the same thing she was telling Peyton about me. But Peyton completely disregarded what I was saying and told me she hoped I succumbed to my mental illness and died.
Next thing I did was text Taylor, I just wanted to have a talk with her, since the stuff she was saying about me was pretty recent, as she had never talked about me before this time, I thought that maybe she was going thru something. But she basically accused me of trying to ruin her friendship with Peyton and how bad of a friend I am. She called me a cold hearted wh*re and I realized I wasn’t going to get thru to her so I told her we shouldn’t be friends anymore and blocked her. It’s been over a year and it still bothers me, did I do the right thing? AITAH?
EDIT
As of the mention of my mental issues, the first and only time I ever raged, or got aggressive, around Taylor was when she was getting sexually assaulted right in front of me by an older guy, maybe in his 50s, in their apartment pool. I broke his nose and I grabbed her and ran as fast as I could. This was 2 hours after she was roleplaying rape in front of me in a video game. What I didn’t know is she was intentionally staying in the pool after I asked her multiple times if she wanted to get out while he was trying to touch her, which he progressively got worse every attempt. After the fact she told me she was staying just so she could see if I would get mad.