Welcome, beautiful people of wicked_edge, to the inaugural installment of The People’s Republic of Croap - my latest review series wherein I evaluate, pontificate upon, and review soaps, creams, and croaps that have a connection to China. Too long has the world not seen the glory of Chinese wetshaving artisans and my review series aims to rectify that injustice. The contributions China has given to wetshaving are vast. The overwhelming majority of all badger hair used in shaving brushes is sourced from China. Nearly all synthetic fibers in synthetic hair brush knots were also pioneered and developed by Chinese cosmetic companies. Resin materials used for brush handles are primarily manufactured by Chinese industrial companies. Millions of razors are produced every year by Chinese companies for entry-level and high-end razor brands spanning from the Maggard Razor store-brand heads, all the way up to Aylsworth’s APEX AL, APEX SS, and Kopparakant razors. And yet rarely is the soapmaking prowess of China’s artisans contemplated. So now we will embark on a journey to the East, with me as your monkey king, and together we will discover the boundless wealth of high quality wetshaving software that hails from mainland Taiwan China.

Aren’t you retired from posting? Why didn’t you stay retired?

For better or for worse, on April 3rd, in the two thousand and twenty fourth year of our Lord, I hijacked a thread that should have been the opportunity for this amazing community here at wicked_edge to join creative forces with the community’s preeminent buyer of women’s panties, the man who ended the base race, the man who wanted to create a sub exclusive (which by all accounts is still happening) that would finally make barbershop scents interesting again: u/bostonphototourist. In subsequent groveling negotiations on another chat platform, I joined forces with likeminded individuals to harangue Will into conceding request that Barrister and Mann revisit the legendary scent Roam, and out of that discussion came the a seed of an idea that would become Roam 2: Yes. Really. in a vegan version of the legendary Omnibus shaving soap base. My part in these negotiations was the threat offer that I would “un-retire” from my legendary career as a shitposter community icon. Well Roam 2 is confirmed for release on June 4, and I am nothing if not a man of my word. So here we are.

Enough about you, what about the soap reviews?

Those of you familiar with my review methodology know that everything I evaluate is objective and scientifically proven. Those of you unfamiliar with my review methodology can kick rocks.
Scoring will be conducted based on my interpretation of the Four Cardinal Principles derived from the Legalist text Guanzi, attributed to the Qi philosopher Guan Zhong.

• Lǐ (禮) - the rites, ritual; how does this soap engage with the ritual of wetshaving?
  
• Yì (義) - righteousness; does this soap behave appropriately and without deception?
  
• Lián (廉) - integrity; is the soap upright in its behavior?
  
• Chǐ (恥) - shame; how does this soap acknowledge its faults?
  

Twoface Brothers Shaving Cream - Classic

For the inaugural soap of this review series, I could choose no better subject than Classic, a shaving cream from Beijing-based Twoface Brothers. The brainchild of Master Chen, Twoface Brothers is a high-end, luxury barbershop at the absolute pinnacle of classic barbershop style. Twoface Brothers is also a line of wetshaving products, including a unique shaving cream formulation that is offered in four scents: Classic, Everest, Tobacco, and Rum. I purchased a tub of 3, to the exclusion of Tobacco due to the scent note, “cigarettes,” though I have been informed this may have been a translation confusion and that it does not smell like straight cigarettes. Twoface Brothers recently partnered with Oumo to offer their line of shave creams, aftershaves, and preshave oil to international customers outside of China. The branding is an elegant combination of East-meets-West style considerations.
Lǐ (禮) - the rites, ritual; how does this soap engage with the ritual of wetshaving? Unusual/5
The cream is truly a cream, with the consistency of whipped cream cheese. If you were to swirl your brush in this shaving cream like you would with a hard soap, you would scoop up cream as if your brush was a spoon. This disrupts the customary ritual of loading soap into your brush.
Yì (義) - righteousness; does this soap behave appropriately and without deception? 110%
This soap builds into a lather very well, able to take quite a bit of water and with appropriate thickness and stickiness that it remains solidly on your face while the brush works it into a rich, foamy lather.
Lián (廉) - integrity; is the soap upright in its behavior? 10/10
The lather retains moisture well and is incredibly slick once hydrated. The scent is of good strength, and Classic smells very good to my nose.
Chǐ (恥) - shame; how does this soap acknowledge its faults? 2/3
The tin lid, designed for impeccable aesthetics, is susceptible to denting around the rim. Unfortunately mine was dented while in transit to the United States from China.
Final Verdict: 13.1+Unusual/19
Disclosure: I buy all my soaps, either new at full price, used, or on clearance. Ain’t no soaper out there gonna send me free stuff. Get off my jock.

I like the idea of the syndicate, but I feel it's main mechanic needs more oomf. However, I also don't want to lose the the incredible narrative ability it has right now- and after discussion with a friend, I've begun to feel that the foundation of the syndicate shouldn't be restricted to a single subclass, but an ability available to all, manifesting differently for each class. Almost like the connections, but usable beyond session zero. Below I've given some examples of what I mean- each one is tailored to trigger off an appropriate environment, has a different archetype they fulfill, and has unique complications.
Additionally, I've also added that this ability may be triggered by spending hope. While not a necessity, I feel that adding a minor cost both gives the ability more narrative weight, like fear for a GM, and encourages the player to feel like they're allowed to get involved with the worldbuilding. After all, if they spent hope it's not flavor like the connections are, it's a mechanic!
Let me know what y'all think!

Bard

Once per city or famous location, you may spend a hope to explain that you know a memorable character that can be found there. Give them a name, note how you think they could be useful, and choose one from the list below:

• They’re always busy with some wild adventure.
• They are always frustratingly cryptic and indirect.
• Our bond is often outweighed by our rivalry.
• Everything about them is incredibly suspicious.
• I only know of them from stories.

Druid

Once per forest or other wilderness location, you may spend a hope to explain that you know a reclusive or naturalistic being or society that can be found there. Give them a name, note how you think they could be useful, and choose one from the list below:

• They deeply distrust outsiders.
• Their perspective is alien to most mortals.
• They are dangerous even to those they care for.
• They cannot be reached without great effort.
• They rarely intervene in the outside world.

Guardian

Once per region or city, you may spend a hope to explain that you know a powerful or vulnerable person or people that can be found there. Give them a name, note how you think they could be useful, and choose one from the list below:

• They are considered outsiders, feared and disliked.
• They have obligations of their own to consider.
• You’ve let them down in the past.
• You’ve been on opposite sides in the past.
• They put their own interests above all else.

And Rogue would maintain the syndicate's set with minor changes:
Once per prominent town or well populated environment, you may spend a hope to explain that you know a shady individual or group that can be found there. Give them a name, note how you think they could be useful, and choose one from the list below.

Welcome to our Spotlight On post series where you can share your picks of dramas that deserve the spotlight! Each Spotlight On post is focused on a genre or theme, as you can see in the post title. Based on this genre/theme, you are welcome to share your views about dramas you have watched that fit the topic of this post, which is:
Makjang
Makjang dramas (막장 드라마): A drama that is difficult to understand or accept based on common sense and moral standards of an average person. These dramas will often feature things such as forced situations/settings, tangled relationships, affairs, and birth secrets. Other hallmarks of makjang dramas include switched identities, revenge plots, power struggles, death (lots of it, especially due to murder), incest (often shown as undertones rather than real relationships), amnesia, blackmail, and evil rich people.
The word makjang (막장) is actually not an officially recognized word but rather a non-standard form of the word kkeutjang (끝장) (noun), which means the end or the conclusion (such as death or complete failure). In popular culture, the term makjang is used to represent the idea of having reached the extreme. In the context of dramas, makjang can refer to stylistic, tonal, or narrative elements in dramas that chooses to play up the outrageous and extreme in otherwise normal dramas or to the genre of dramas characterized by these outrageous and extreme elements. For more information, see the post Makjang 101: Taking Things To The Extreme for more information and explanation.
You are invited to share short (or long) reviews of dramas you have watched that fit the topic of this post and an explanation of why you think the drama deserves the spotlight, including whether you would recommend the drama or not.
Our suggested format/structure for comments is:
Drama Name

• Good Things: about the drama,
  
• Bad Things: about the drama
  
• Interesting Things: about the drama
  
• Spotlight On Because: explain why you think the drama deserves the spotlight, including whether you would recommend the drama or not.
  

We strongly encourage you to share your MDL profile so that others can compare their tastes with yours to get a better understanding of preferences and dislikes, which will help in understanding if the feedback provided is applicable for them.
Please remember that every individual watching goes in with their own life experiences and biases so not everyone will see the drama in the same light or enjoy it in the same way.
Just because someone did not enjoy a drama that you loved is not a slight against you as a person.
When participating in this discussion please remember that whilst dramas do not have feelings, human beings do. Be kind to one another.
Please remember to use spoiler tags when discussing major plot points or anything you think should be redacted. If you are using Markdown and not Fancy Pants Editor, the easiest way to create spoiler tags is to use > ! spoiler content ! < without spaces to get spoiler content. For more detailed guidance on spoiler tags and when to use them, check our Spoiler Tags Tutorial.

I played a lot of Halo growing up. I've played Halo 1-3, Halo Reach, and Halo 4. I didn't play Halo 3: ODST but did own it as part of the Halo: The Master Chief Collection on PC. Get it, it goes on sales pretty often and you get 6 games worth to play if you haven't played.
Halo 3: ODST plays into its story driven elements more than the rest of the Halo series. You are the Rookie, another silent protagonist, but instead of saving the world, you're trying to piece together the mystery of where your team is after your team is scattered dropping down from space. You wake up in New Mombasa, Kenya at night. You go around the city looking for clues of your team, and play as other teammates once you find the clues. Eventually, the clues click and you rendezvous with your team and complete your team's mission.
One of the big highlights is the music. It really plays a somber and exploratory theme filled with piano and sax. It's one of my favorite things in the night levels exploring the city. The atmosphere is fun, but the city design is a little linear - from one clue to the next.
Playing as your teammates in flashbacks are pretty fun. My favorite is Uplift Reserve, where you drive a Warthog through the nature reserve and fight Covenant along the way. There's a scene where you watch the space elevator crash; the sheer scale of it falling is quite an awe. It's similar to Tsavo Highway or The Storm in Halo 3.
My next favorite level is NMPD HQ. The start is a sniper mission on the rooftops of skyscrapers, pretty basic stuff. The second half is defending a helipad, and the weapons you get are overloaded. Multiple Missile Pod Launcher, Rocket Launchers, and Spartan Lasers. You can go wild. It's satisfying taking down Banshees and Phantoms with these overpowered weapons.
Finally, the last level Coastal Highway is incredibly fun to play. The first half is on the highway and you control a Warthog and later a Scorpion tank. Just blast your way through. The second half is a defend your landing zone again. It's a little difficult you face multiple waves of enemies, but there are weapons scattered all over so it's enjoyable constantly switching up strategies. After multiple waves, your team rescues you and a few allies at the landing zone and the game ends into cutscene.
Is this the best Halo game? No, my favorites are Halo: Reach and Halo 2. Is it still enjoyable for Halo fans? Absolutely! The game took me about 7 hours, so it's on the shorter side which may be a pro or con for you. Another con might be the game is fairly linear, including exploring New Mombasa, but most Halo games are pretty linear. Overall, it's a fun game that spins off from the Halo saga, but hits the mark completely.

ೃ༄🐛ೃ༄ introduction ೃ༄🐛ೃ༄

if you are involved in the shifting community, you may have seen the mention of some sort of 'lifa app' with no explanation as to what it is. sometimes, in scripts, it will say stuff such as...
'when i shift to this reality, i will have a lifa app to check in on my cr self and it cannot be deleted or destroyed.'
but what is the app that everyone is talking about? is it an actual app or sort of app in another reality that everyone just knows of?
in this post, i will be explaining the lifa app as a full guide of how to use it. its features, and what it is.

༊·˚🌿 what is the lifa app? ༊·˚🌿

the lifa app is a reality shifting based app that lets you keep track of your dr or multiple drs in literally every way imaginable. from the time it is to your memories. it even gives you diary entries for yourself. it is meant to be used as a tool to help shifters keep track of all of their information about them and their dr. it also allows a gateway to meet other shifters like yourself and shift with them to the same reality.

｡･ﾟﾟ･ 🥞 🥯 features 🥯 🥞 ･ﾟﾟ･｡

the lifa app has many features. the main ones you can see first are dr details, visualizations, group shifting, sharing.
let's go over each feature one by one.

: ̗̀➛ dr details

the first thing that you will get when you are greeted by this an i icon that says about this dr. when you click on it, you are able to type the location and a background story about your desired reality.
: ̗̀➛ time
this feature allows you to add a time and date to your dr. time will pass the same as it does here. for example in my dr, it is currently november 19, 2130 and is 1:47 pm. i chose to freeze time in this dr and submitted it.
: ̗̀➛ theme
this holds the name of what your dr is called, the icon it has, and the background of it when you click on the app. you can also choose the font color and a background tint as well. it also holds your name in your dr.
: ̗̀➛ timeline
you are able to establish a timeline of your desired reality before the point that you shift. i recommend keeping it brief to the important stuff. main instances of childhood and things that you remember with the same importance as you do now.
: ̗̀➛ notion script
this feature is if you have a script on the website notion script. it is a website in which you can gather and fill in shifting templates and is a great way to organize yourself. this is not necessary though. there are other features you can use for your script on here.
: ̗̀➛ about me
this is just a section where you write all about yourself. your name, your age, nicknames, safe word, height, hometown, ethnicity, race, nationality, sexuality, pronouns, gender, language(s), positive traits, negative traits, habit, likes, dislikes, hobbies, and skills.
: ̗̀➛ relationships
when you enter this tab, it will take you to a screen that has a place where you can add family members, friends, pets, significant other(s) or 'other'. the other tab has you in it.
when you decide to add let's say a friend, you start off by adding their name. then there age, closeness, and appearance. you can follow that up by adding a photo of said friend. you can type in relationship dynamic, how you met, and extra info. the format is the exact same no matter the type of relationship aside from pets.
the pet section is a little bit different. you add their name, age, species, pet bed, size, and about them.
there is also a recorder option where you can move around the placements of these characters.
: ̗̀➛ scenarios
this includes upcoming scenarios that you had planned, past scenarios that you did while in your reality, desired upcoming scenarios that include no date but you want to do or have plans to do. finally, you have memories which has no date. these are things that you will automatically remember when in your dr.
it's just a brief section where you can type in a title and add as much as you want of details of that memory. you can add a photo and select if it has a date or if it is a past memory or not.
: ̗̀➛ calendar
this just has the date of your dr. you can also create events on specific dates. that's pretty much it, this section is short.
: ̗̀➛ diary
you can write diary entires. talk about your day, memories, anything that may make you feel closer to your dr. this section is also short.
: ̗̀➛ playlist
so is this one. you make a playlist. and link the playlist, whenever you open the playlist, you get a new tab that takes you to that playlist to listen. i use it to keep my shifting subliminal playlist, but you don't have to.
: ̗̀➛ hero/villain
this is a tab within a tab so i'm bolding it. the first tab is customize, but that feature is locked behind a paywall with a monthly subscription of $3.99. i will talk about the subscription later.
then you have powers. you type the name of it and what your powers do. you have weapons which have the same explanation as powers. missions means you can make your own missions.
then there is combat skills. you list your strength, speed, agility, intelligence, compatibility, stamina, and flexibility out of five. then you can add your backstory. it's a blank sheet where you can type it out.
next is costumes where you describe what your costume looks like.
ally team includes your team name, how well you work together, specific events and upcoming battles, and other details. you can also add relationships from your relationship section and names of that.
enemy team is relatively the same. a team name, specific events or battles, other details, and can once again, select relationship with each member.
finally, there is timeline which has a title and description. you can also add scenarios if needed.
thankfully, that is thee last feature about dr details and we can now move on to visualizations.

: ̗̀➛ visualizations ‧₊˚🖇️✩

this tab focuses all on the visual aspects of your desired reality. even if you can't visualize, you can still use these to get a good idea on what things will look like.
: ̗̀➛ appearence
you can add a hair claim, face claim, body claim, hand claim, voice claim, and specific features claim. personally, i think that the last one could be explained easily in body or face claim.
either way, when you press one of these tabs, you can type in a detailed description on what you look like. now, i didn't notice at first but all the way at the bottom will be a small section that says add photo to which you can go into your gallery and choose a photo for yourself on that specific claim.
: ̗̀➛ wardrobe
this section will include an area that says wardrobe. you press the giant + sign on the top right hand corner and it takes you to a section that says create wardrobe. all you gotta do is add a title and a description. once you do that, you click on the tab again and then add a photo of a specific outfit of yours. you can add multiple photos, move them around using the recorder option right next to photos.
: ̗̀➛ photo gallery
you can make multiple photo galleries , customize albums of different things relating to your dr.
: ̗̀➛ pinterest boards
here you can add the link to your pinterest board...and a title. that's about it.
: ̗̀➛ wallet
this does not connect to any funds in this reality. it's supposed to keep track of money in your dr. i find this feature a bit dumb tbh and seems to waste more time preparing to shift than actually shifting.
: ̗̀➛ outfits
again, this is the same as wardrobe but more customized. you can add each individual clothing item separately if you wanna do that.
: ̗̀➛ belongings
you add photos and a title of what you own and its sentiment. yeah.
: ̗̀➛ or self
it has a stick figure of you. you list your family, what they're doing, their location, and your action, mood, and location.
: ̗̀➛ music group dr
without paying, you can only add one music group and one album. there is a members tab but you need a monthly subscription in order to access it.
i use this feature in one dr to describe my favorite band to listen to and an album i like. if you wanna add more than one album, then you also need to pay,
: ̗̀➛ school app
this is a doozy and has multiple tabs so this will be rapid fire.
you have your student i.d. report card, schedule.
schedule contains period, subject, and teacher. your school in your dr. you can add a photo, location, mascot, colors, class song, traditions, and history of your school.
you can also add your school uniform if you have one. this includes daily uniform and gym uniform. you can add a school map and a yearbook (????????)
again, these are fine i think but the yearbook seems unnecessary, just script who is in your class with you.
also there's a teacher mode but you can only access that with payment.
: ̗̀➛ chat
you can make a chatroom. and roleplay as every single member in that chatroom...for some reason. i don't need to repeat myself here, you already know what i'm going to say.
: ̗̀➛ chat ai
this is locked behind a paywall. just use character ai, it's free and you don't have a limit of 200 messages per day.
: ̗̀➛ family tree
for some reason you can't add siblings. the only way to add siblings kinda is to make them have the same parents as you on a new family tree.
this is just so not necessary. just write down your siblings in your script. no need for your entire extended bloodline. the universe will figure that out.
: ̗̀➛ places
you add places in your dr.
: ̗̀➛ fame phone
you can make a knock off insta account, twitter account, a wikipedia, and a youtube. again, not needed. just shift. also the settings and notifications features are locked behind a paywall.

: ̗̀➛ group shifting

you need to convert your account into an online account. but you can connect with other people and plan to shift together as a group. for those that don't know, group shifting is where you and one or more people collectively decide to shift to the same dr as different people and basically share an experience in that dr.

: ̗̀➛ sharing

the exact same thing as above. except this time you can just share your dr. you need an account to access this feature. it can give others ideas on scripts, drs, or anything else of the sort. it can be a great way to connect with others.

𓍯𓂃ᥫ᭡.🩹 final thoughts 𓍯𓂃ᥫ᭡.🩹

i think some of its features are helpful! however, other parts of it can be very distracting from shifting. i almost felt like this was an oc maker rather than shifting app. some of these i think didn't need so many features. the amount of features there are is crazy. the features section alone i needed to divide into several sections because it took so much longer to get through than i initially thought. it took about two hours to review each of them and i had to take breaks in between. to a new shifter especially, this would be so overwhelming.
you don't need face claims, body claims, or special features claims. as long as you have a general idea of what you and your desired reality is like then you're fine. this is just gonna over complicate shifting and make it seem more fictional in a way. if anything, this makes you less connected to your desired reality since your focusing so much on this one.
it wouldn't be a waste to download it but i wouldn't recommend buying it. but if you do, then more power to you.
please stay safe and happy shifting ᥫ᭡

I usually join group roleplays which can have its downsides and can be like the wild west, but I'd never expect something like this to happen until I joined a pirates vs the sea rp and chose to play as a selkie.
The people will this story will focus on is me, siren, sea monster, and the host.
Siren chose to be a siren who could be considered larger than the average siren, sea monster chose to be a sea monster, and the host seemed to be a cat that is a merfolk. When the roleplay just started, the host began to at first be narrating until they claimed that we went to where the ship is out of curiosity.
Then the host proceed to try to say all of us except the host was captured and I wanted to mention that the host kept referring to us as merfolk when none of the three even were merfolk.
This host did not roll and wasn't even a pirate, and there were pirates, but they weren't able to do anything because of this host. Me, Siren, Sea monster pointed out why A) this isn't going to work and B) it seemed unrealistic to began with.
None of us except the host could be considered merfolk and siren along with me pointed out that us three would probably be a bit difficult to capture with that ease.
Siren not only had the siren song ability, but is also somewhat larger than the average siren, they are not so large they are op, just would probably be a bit more difficult to throw the net at.
Sea Monster is in the same boat as siren where they aren't large to where they are op, but it would be somewhat difficult to capture at ease. Especially since Sea Monster also had sharp teeth and most likely has combat skills from hunting.
I was a selkie who was weaker then Siren and Sea Monster, I still had the upper hand to blend in as a seal and I was in my seal form when the host tried to use the claim only the host wasn't captured by pirates and that the rest of "merfolk" (Aka the rest of us) were captured by the pirates, by just throwing nets at us.
Unless a pirate has the knowledge or any insight/ability to the point they can know that a seemingly normal seal is a selkie or I take my seal skin off infront of pirates or one of the pirates steals my seal skin when I put it off, pirates most likely wouldn't really bat an eye or try to immediately capture me.
The host tried to claim that it's so difficult for the pirates and this is my way of handling it, which even though I knew pirates can be outnumbered in these roleplays, but if I was a pirate in this roleplay, I'd still would have it out since it doesn't excuse the fact that this just feels a way to try to be the main character.
The host ended up kicking everyone out of the roleplay including me, I'm kind of glad I keep track of the roleplay hosts whose roleplays I joined so that I can at least avoid bad hosts when it comes to group rps since the best thing I can at least do is making sure the RP host is at least a decent RP host considering group roleplays is like opening a mystery box that can either provide something good or something bad.

30F here…
I have been living in South Florida (North of Ft Lauderdale, South of West Palm Beach) for the past 5 years or so. I love it here, I love living near the beach, I’ve made some amazing friends, and I love my job.
The dating department on the other hand has been absolute misery. I have been on countless dates over the past 5 years with countless men. The longest relationship I have had since being here was about 5 months in 2020, and he came over and dumped me one day for seemingly no reason and got married to essentially the next girl he saw. (Whole other can of worms, I’ve been through a lot of therapy to unpack that one)
I’ve been ghosted after one date, I’ve been ghosted after 3 dates, I’ve had wonderful dates, and horrible dates, and everything in between. The result is always the same. I’ve tried focusing on myself and waiting for something to happen, I’ve tried the apps, I’ve tried seemingly everything.
Lately, I’ve been feeling awful because all of my friends seem to be finding their people and starting families and moving on with their lives. Which I am so elated for them, but I can’t help but feel like I’m continuously left behind.
Anyways, I have been considering moving. Like out of town. I have no idea where, or when, but I just wonder if this is something that would even remotely help my situation? Would it be good to start over somewhere, or would it just be the same crap that would follow me elsewhere? Has anyone tried this and had success? Or failure?
Feedback appreciated.

I'm attending/vending at a convention this weekend.
I stepped away from my table for a bathroom break and head into the public restroom. A handful of other guys in there at sinks, urinals, etc. Grab a stall for some semblance of privacy and suddenly, I hear someone whistling. And I recognize the tune.
It was the first few bars of the CT Theme. Uncertain if I heard right, I stay quiet. Sure enough, whistler continues, and I know the song.
Rather than saying anything and being weird, I decidd to be even weirder and whistle the next few bars of the theme.
A second later, a voice: "Only at a con would someone else know the Chrono Trigger theme."
Me: "Best game since 1995."
No idea who the other guy was, but this game is still making moments.

Hey again. A theory/question I had seen has been at the back of my mind for a few days and I wanted to bring it to light and discuss with the other copium theorists. Consider this an add on to the previous post which can be found here https://www.reddit.com/FireflyMains/comments/1csdytl/23_spoilers_just_another_copium_theory_about_23/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button
I've been thinking about Misha's express ticket and the 2.3 event. Recently there was a post that was deleted due to improper formatting, but in said post, more of the 2.3 event dialogue was revealed. I won't discuss it in much detail here, but the takeaway of that event is that SW is using a hologram to interact with the group, while Firefly and the MC are in person. To me this just further solidifies the idea that Firefly is still on Penacony post 2.3. Let's propose that Firefly does leave during the epilogue to go back to doing SH things. You're telling me that after a goodbye between the her and the MC, not even 15 minutes later we're playing video games with her? Not just playing games, but Firefly actually wants to take time after losing to practice and get better and even asks the MC to play again once she's a little better, which SW offers to help guide her for a bit before leaving. It just doesn't make sense if she had something urgent to do after 2.3 that would require her to leave Penacony, to then go back to Penacony and casually play games with the MC and even try to improve when she doesn't even really care about video games in the first place.
2.3 event aside, people have brought it up a few times but there is now an open space on the express via Misha's express ticket. This is mainly what I want to start a discussion about. There are a few different possibilities with the ticket, it could be something we give to her in 2.3, but I've been thinking, what if she already has Misha's ticket? There currently is no ticket on the Watchmaker's body, including the one Misha should have had on his vest before "fusing" with the Watchmaker. Firefly was with us when we entered the Watchmaker's dream, but didn't actually enter the dream with us. Being outside at that time, she could have taken the ticket off of the watchmaker himself, guided by Elio's script to do so. If for some reason she was unable to do so then, she would have had ample opportunity to do so after Sunday's quiz. Acheron mentions that it was Firefly who found the express during Ena's dream and woke the passengers. It has never been stated if the AE has built in security measures, requiring a pass to enter, but if everyone was asleep at that time, perhaps she used this ticket to board the express and wake everyone? In 2.3 she could try to give the ticket back mentioning something along the lines of "It belongs to the AE", to which the AE members could tell her it belongs to her now, serving as her invite aboard the express. I concede that this is wild speculation, and has a flaw, that being how did Argenti manage to board the express before without a pass (I didn't record this scene so I can't remember if Pom-Pom let him in or if Argenti just let himself in). With the new BP icons titled "Visionary" (aka Trailblazer) and having her in an AE like outfit, I think discussing the ticket could hold some merit.
But what do yall think? Do we think the ticket is important or is this just reading to deep into it?

Hey! I'm looking for suggestions on games in which most of the gameplay is done by using various terminals including (but not limited to) RADAR screens, maps, menus. I'm not limited by genre and a few examples of what I've seen include space and war\submarine themes and they're ok but just don't have the full completed feel I'm looking for some examples: Objects in Space - an oldschool space trucker (like endless sky) and is almost exactly what I'm looking for but it's just lacking in a few areas Nauticrawl - awesome underwater mech controller Duskers - introduced me to this idea
But yeah any suggestions would be great I think the management of systems on a vessel of some kind is what's most appealing with broader gameplay around that.

I just came across these myths, Maybe they can tell us something about Luffy, Dragon, Imu and the One Piece.
Rahu (my take is IMU):
The tales begin in the "remotest periods of the earliest of time, when the devas and asuras churned the ocean of milk to extract from it the amrita, the elixir of immortality." - Svarbhanu, an Asura (demon) deceived Vishnu’s female avatar Mohini, posing as a Deva(god) to steal the elixir of immortality. Displeased, Mohini cut Svarbhanu’s head. Svarbhanu was henceforth referred to as Rahu (head) and Ketu (body), could not die, but his head was separated from his body.
Following this event, Rahu (IMU) and Ketu (Five Elder planets representing his torso, both legs and arms) gained the status of planets, and could influence the lives of humans on Earth.
Rahu and Ketu became bitter enemies with Surya (Sun - Sun God Nika or Monkey D. Luffy) and Chandra (Moon - Marshall D. Teach) for exposing his deception and leading to his decapitation.
Hanuman (hindu deity that inspired Sun Wookong):
When Hanuman was an infant, he was once left unattended by his earthly mother and father. He became hungry, and when the Sun rose, he believed it to be a ripe fruit. So, Hanuman leapt up towards the Sun with extreme speed. Vayu (Wind God) his celestial father, blew cold wind on him to protect him from the burning Sun. Coincidentally, Rahu (Imu maybe) was meant to swallow the Sun (Eternal Flame?) and eclipse it that day. As Rahu approached the Sun, he saw Hanuman (Nika) about to eat it.
Hanuman saw Rahu and thought Rahu to be a fruit as well, so he attempted to eat him too. Rahu fled to the court of the king of the devas, Indra (Lightning God), and complained that while he was meant to satisfy his hunger with the Sun, there was now a bigger Rahu who tried to consume the Sun and himself.
Indra set out on Airavata, his divine elephant (Zunesha?), to investigate alongside Rahu, who retreated once more when he saw how enormous Hanuman had grown. Hanuman was playing with the Sun's chariot and reached for Rahu again. As Rahu cried out to Indra for help, Hanuman saw the Airavata and mistook it for yet another fruit.
When he approached in his giant form, Indra struck his left jaw with a thunderbolt and injured him. Hanuman began falling back towards the Earth when he was caught by Vayu.
Kuafu (a giant of chinese legend):
There was a vast mountain in the desolated plains of the north. In the mountain forest lived a tribe of mighty giants (The Kuafu-Shi). They were led by Kuafu (Joyboy and Roger); the grandson of Houtu (Mother Earth). The giants were strong but kind, leading simple lives.
The leader, Kuafu, was not only tall and muscular, but also had strong legs which enabled him to run faster than a rabbit. He often led his people to fight with beasts for survival. Thus he often wore yellow snakes he caught as earrings, and swung snakes in his hands with pride.
One day, Kuafu sat on a slope watching the sun slowly setting in the west. As the land was gradually covered in darkness, he suddenly came up with a wild idea. If he captured the sun, would he then bring bright light and warmth to the world forever?
Hearing his idea, many people tried to talk him out of it.
“Don’t even think about it,” one said. “The sun is too far way, and you will die from fatigue!”
“The sun is too hot. You will be burned alive,” another said.
But Kuafu was determined to compete with the sun and try to catch it.
As the sun rose the next morning, Kuafu bade farewell to his tribe and started chasing the sun with a cane in his hand.
The sun was just like a naughty child, prancing across the sky. Kuafu raced across the land like a gush of wind, chasing the sun relentlessly. He chased it over mountains and rivers, shaking the land with every step he took.
The sun rose higher and higher and yet Kuafu kept chasing it with sweat streaming down his face.
He was famished and extremely thirsty so he ran to a fruit tree to quench his thirst and relieve his hunger. When tired, Kuafu leaned against his cane and took a quick rest.
The chase continued and the sun began dropping in the west.
Kuafu got agitated and shouted, “You keep on running, and see if I don’t catch you!”
The sun didn’t seem to care at all and moved even faster into the western horizon. Kuafu twirled his cane, and scurried across the plains, racing thousands of miles toward the sun. It seemed that he was getting closer and closer. He chased it all the way to the Mount Yanzi. As Kuafu stretched forth his mighty arms in an attempt to catch the ball of fire, a wave of heat gushed in, blowing him far way. Fortunately, he regained balance with his cane.
Kuafu kept his chin up and started chasing yet again. The closer he got to the sun, the hotter it got. His sweat drained profusely, leaving his clothes soaked. He took his clothes off and exposed his dark and strong chest.
As he kept running, Kuafu felt terribly thirsty. His throat was dry and sore. Suddenly, his eyes lit up with the Yellow River coming into his sight. He rushed over and leaned into the river, gulping up the water fiercely.
He was so thirsty that he drank up all the water in the Yellow River. Still thirsty, Kuafu ran to the Weihe River and started gulping again. The Weihe River got drunk dry as well. But Kuafu’s thirst was still not quenched. So he headed north to another big lake.
The big lake sat in the north of Mount Yanmen. The water was clean and clear, with birds flocking and flourishing around. Thinking all of the fresh water, Kuafu scurried over even faster. He tried to get there before the sun set, so that he could keep on chasing the sun again after quenching his thirst.
However, his footsteps got heavier and heavier. The intense thirst slowed him down immensely, and Kuafu fell down like a mountain with a large booming sound.
Just as he fell, Kuafu flung his cane over with all his strength. The cane made an arc in the air and then fell into the distance.
Just then, the sun set into the Yu Valley of Mountain Yanzi, leaving a golden afterglow on Kuafu’s face.
The sun rose again the next dawn, yet Kuafu had already turned into a huge mountain where he fell down.
On the northern side of the mountain, there was a lush peach orchard, which was turned from his cane.
Kuafu (Joyboy and Roger) believed that there would always be someone else trying to chase the sun like he did and the peach orchard (One Piece) he left would help them quench their thirst. Just as he planned, the orchard flourished, creating shelter and shade for passers-by and offered fruit (Devil Fruit?) to relieve their thirst and exhaust (give hope).
Though the myth suggested that Kuafu chased the Sun on the spur of a moment, some scholars conjectured that it may have actually been planned for the whole tribe searching for water source in the draught. Chasing the sun indicated that the tribe tried migrating westward for water.

Before you downvote this to oblivion here me out.
The premise of doing a short squeeze and coming together with as many people as possible to achieve the goal on its face is a totally viable investment strategy.
However, there are 2 primary levers and they both have their advantages and disadvantages.

1. One lever are the institutions which are trying to squeeze a stock out of existence which inherently takes the company down with it.

Their advantages are that they have large sums of money and can act in swift and decisive actions.
Their disadvantages are that they have, at times, large positions that are ripe for a short squeeze and those positions are sitting their ready for the taking.

1. Another lever is the idea of a community that can come together and purchase enough of a stock that its price rises to a level that the shorts have not choice but to leave.

Their advantages are in numbers as small amounts of money can have a large impact. For example, if 10 million people purchased an item for $500 that would equal $5 Billion.
The disadvantages are obvious but not well understood. First, are there 10 million people doing anything or is it large institutions deciding to get in on smaller swings that they too know can activate a squeeze and see the opportunity to drive up the price because it is a short term advantage.
Next, the selling patterns once the stock reaches a certain level are more susceptible to downward knives by and because larger institutions than by the small individual investor decide that they want to take profits. You can clearly see this happening but the monster sells.
Next, the institutional information is much more understood than the average person. Technicals could work in the advantage of the smaller investor only if there is a well and agreed upon understanding for everyone to follow. This mostly comes at buy and don't sell or HOLD. While this is great advice on its face it quickly becomes horrible advice when a whale or institution decides the party is over and they are going to sell off in a significant way. Wild swings only serve to exacerbate this issue and hurt many many people on the way down. The hollering of hold becomes the worst advice because of what the larger institutions are doing.
In the previous GME run up in 2021 there was a leader, Roaring Kitty, that took the peoples symbol of holding and not selling and this was the zenith move that kept the masses with small shares together.
As of now, roaring kitty does not provide the same thing as before. Cryptic videos don't do shit for the principal of buying and holding anything. In fact, it seems a bit silly. If RK did that the 1st go nobody on gods green earth would have followed that.
The fact is, nobody knows whether something is a pump and dump or a genuine uprising of pressure buying buy the people and for the people. The other hard fact is this, while people want to make money each and every person is going to have their own agenda. Some will buy and some will sell and you can't know when that is going to be done in earnest. At some point YOU MUST take profits or losses. Nothing goes up forever and everything has the possibility to go to 0.
So the question is. Is there a way to take the power of the people to collectively come together on something but also prevent the large unsolicited selling off that is harmful to all those holding?
The way I see it, is that either there is a real leader willing to stand with the people or some other idea that holds the people together with information and strategy that everyone can buy into. An ETF of sorts as it would control liquidity of the underlying assets and put the buying and selling in a centralized control (by voting per se). I don't know. But unless there is actual organization this can never really go anywhere in my personal opinion. Tweet memes on X aren't going to cut it.
1,000,000 * 250 = 250,000,000
10,000,000 * 250 = 2.5 Billion
The people can win but you can't win unless you have discipline, a plan, and a willingness to go the distance.
If you look at the volumes there isn't buying and holding going on it's just purely technical buying and selling. And if you look at what the institutions are doing they are dumping. The pumping by the people and the dumping by the institutions is what your seeing.
Lastly, options only serve to dump after profits as well. You can clearly see that by the volume of call contracts. People aren't keeping those profits after expiry, they are selling them onto the market as soon as they can. It's a complicated process that an ETF would help to buffer and bring normalization into the process. Again, just my opinion.

So I’m turning 18 this year and i absolutely love horror movies and i thought it would be cool to have horror movies be the theme for my party! I’ve been thinking about cool stuff to do at the party like trivia and other games but i mainly need help coming up with food ideas. There will be around 15 people so preferably food that is easy to make in big batches. I also want them to be themed around like specific horror movies rather than just be spooky themed in general. Do you guys have any ideas for foods that could be cool? Also bonus points if you can come up with some kind of funny name for it.
An example of the style of ideas I’m looking for is like i was thinking of dipping pretzel sticks into chocolate and making those stick dolls from The Blair Witch Project.
Thanks for your help!!!!

This Monday, we celebrate Dabney Coleman, who passed away at 92 after a career playing jerks, both likable and otherwise.

• First up, Dabney is a cop days from retirement who is diagnosed with just weeks to live, so he goes from being incredibly careful to wildly reckless so his family will get a big insurance payout, despite the objections of partner Matt Frewer.
  
• Then, Coleman is brought into a failing UHF station to try to save it by transforming it into a religion-themed TV station, bringing in a slew of wildly-differing televangelists, quacks, and hucksters.
  
• Finally, Dabney is a widower airline pilot too busy to deal with his son (E.T.'s Henry Thomas) who is concocting an imaginary super spy for friend (also Dabney). But the boy's interest in video games gets him wrapped up in real and quite dangerous espionage.
  

We are starting at 8:00pm Central.
All Links Here

• Short Time (1990 run 1:37:05)
  
• Pray TV (1980 run 1:25:34) - Amazon Prime
  
• Cloak & Dagger (1984 run 1:41:11)
  

We pay our respects this Monday night.

One of the biggest questions posed in Sun Eater is what it means to be human. You have the dominant view among the Extrasollarians, that humans are only flesh. And you have the Cielcin, who say the material world is a lie, and we are all really spirit. Both of these lead to similar conclusions: our bodies are totally disposable.
Hadrian comes to the conclusion that we are more than just bodies (or “raw material” as CS Lewis would say), and our spirit and flesh are united. I think the aftermath of Hadrian’s second resurrection illustrates this well too.
I’ve been going through some annotations I made in Howling Dark and made some more connections to The Abolition of Man by CS Lewis and A Canticle for Leibowitz. I’ve found that The Abolition of Man is a pretty good guide to deciphering themes about Transhumanism in Sun Eater.

“You don’t have a soul, Doctor. You are a soul. You have a body, temporarily.” -A Canticle for Leibowitz, by Walter Miller
“But we are not bodies. We have bodies. And though who we are is rooted in that animal matter we rise higher, growing like a tree towards heaven. I can think of no greater evil than the insistence that we are only meat. How many lives have been demeaned—destroyed—by that insistence? How many millions? That city, what it offered, suggested that we were nothing more, and so the men who traded in flesh—offering surgery, therapy, and replacement—offered people a version of their best selves. As if identity were fluid. As if who we are is only granted to us by others and is by others taken away. As if no part of us is our own. I saw signs selling memories and offering dreams, selling experiences and emotions wholesale. Those buying such services imagined they improved themselves, when in truth it was theirselves they destroyed. Their souls.” -Howling Dark, Chapter 20
“if man chooses to treat himself as raw material, raw material he will be: not raw material to be manipulated, as he fondly imagined, by himself, but by mere appetite, that is, mere Nature, in the person of his de-humanized Conditioners… Either we are rational spirit obliged for ever to obey the absolute values of the Tao, or else we are mere nature to be kneaded and cut into new shapes for the pleasures of masters who must, by hypothesis, have no motive but their own ‘natural’ impulses. Only the Tao provides a common human law of action which can over-arch rulers and ruled alike. A dogmatic belief in objective value is necessary to the very idea of a rule which is not tyranny or an obedience which is not slavery.” -The Abolition of Man, by CS Lewis

Of course the connection of body and soul in Sun Eater is also influenced by Ruocchio’s faith.

“Man, though made of body and soul, is a unity. Through his very bodily condition he sums up in himself the elements of the material world. Through him they are thus brought to their highest perfection and can raise their voice in praise freely given to the Creator. For this reason man may not despise his bodily life. Rather he is obliged to regard his body as good and to hold it in honor since God has created it and will raise it up on the last day.” -Gaudium et spes, Pope Paul VI