So one issue i see in servers and smps, is that there are lots of moments where people are usually alone trying to progress (which is boring). The main thing people solo grind is mining, as you usually lose profits and loot by hanging out with friends and having fun. I propose a genius idea, proximity luck.
Basically, when you are in a nearby proximity with other players while mining (or mainly fishing), you will get temporary boosts in fortune or luck, thus encouraging big excursions with your friends. The reason I say mainly fishing is: 1: Mining with friends will likely result in the splitting of profits, which is tough to do as that will easily offset the profits of the buffs, unless you buff it way to much but that could be exploited (silk touching ores and mining them in a group)
2: Fishing could be made so treasure drops can only be fished when you have a buddy
3: Fishing is just fun to do with friends, being rewarded for doing something fun with friends is just good design The issue is that the closest I've come to making my own mod is MCreator, and I don't know how to make this. If anyone could tell me some basic ideas on how to do this, or even better steal the idea and make it yourselves (credit the thread or som) I'd really appreciate it as I'm working on a forge 1.18 server and the idea is really good in my opinion. Thank you.
Tldr: Give temporary buffs to fishing luck or mining fortune when in proximity of other players doing the same activity, promoting friendship and removing some boring solo grind from smps.

I watched an IG video about parenthood and this particular advice (title) really resonated with me - wanted to share and discuss!
At 31, I’m fortunate to have an enriching life — I have many joyful and fulfilling hobbies, good friends etc., things that I’m only fully enjoying as of the last 2-3 years because I was a late bloomer who spent my teens and 20s in severe deep depression. And I grew up in a family that clearly defined good parents as those who sacrificed and changed their entire lives after having kids, ie “your life belongs to your children once you have them,” “have fun now because you won’t have that anymore when you have kids” and so on. So it terrified me to have kids, as it suggested I’d need to lose everything when finally, FINALLY after so much sadness, I am experiencing a happy life.
The message in the headline resonated with me because it was an image of parenthood that felt compatible with the happiness I have now. The idea of bringing my children into my world, into dancing and painting and travel and friendship, instead of leaving all that behind to make a world just for the child. Perhaps it’s romanticized but I just found the idea really lovely, especially since it’s not one i saw in my upbringing.
Would love to hear any thoughts on this :)

So one issue i see in servers and smps, is that there are lots of moments where people are usually alone trying to progress (which is boring). The main thing people solo grind is mining, as you usually lose profits and loot by hanging out with friends and having fun. I propose a genius idea, proximity luck.
Basically, when you are in a nearby proximity with other players while mining (or mainly fishing), you will get temporary boosts in fortune or luck, thus encouraging big excursions with your friends. The reason I say mainly fishing is: 1: Mining with friends will likely result in the splitting of profits, which is tough to do as that will easily offset the profits of the buffs, unless you buff it way to much but that could be exploited (silk touching ores and mining them in a group)
2: Fishing could be made so treasure drops can only be fished when you have a buddy
3: Fishing is just fun to do with friends, being rewarded for doing something fun with friends is just good design The issue is that the closest I've come to making my own mod is MCreator, and I don't know how to make this. If anyone could tell me some basic ideas on how to do this, or even better steal the idea and make it yourselves (credit the thread or som) I'd really appreciate it as I'm working on a forge 1.18 server and the idea is really good in my opinion. Thank you.
Tldr: Give temporary buffs to fishing luck or mining fortune when in proximity of other players doing the same activity, promoting friendship and removing some boring solo grind from smps.

I made a post the other day introducing GAS to the idea I had of us as a community building the best Ye album possible being limited to only one song per album, while trying to keep it under a cohesive story that represents Ye and his career. See that post here https://www.reddit.com/GoodAssSub/s/7D4z7OKSuW
We had just recently came to the decision of Through The Wire being the intro track to this album, so the official tracklist currently is…

1. Through The Wire

The prompt for Track #2 reads; Following the release of his debut album in 2004, Kanye had officially established himself as one of the top names in Hip Hop as someone who would continue to reach new highs and push more boundaries. Still in the blooming stages of his career, Kanye retained most of the soulful, uplifting sound he had showcased on The College Dropout, while expanding upon that soundscape with innovative use of instruments and more.
Please comment which Ye song you think matches that prompt best, remember that the songs don’t have to be chosen in any specific order, so any song from any released Ye album is eligible.
Whichever song is mentioned in the highest upvoted comment within the next 24 hours will be the official song chosen for the album. Thank you and I hope this is fun for the goons while we await the return of Ye.

I'm teaching a special class to a group of seniors, all beginners on Friday, June 21st for International Day of Yoga.
I'm looking for some fun ideas or themes to incorporate into the 55 minute practice. Any fun resources to check out? Inspirational quotes? Decor or trinket ideas?
Thank you!

So one issue i see in servers and smps, is that there are lots of moments where people are usually alone trying to progress (which is boring). The main thing people solo grind is mining, as you usually lose profits and loot by hanging out with friends and having fun. I propose a genius idea, proximity luck.
Basically, when you are in a nearby proximity with other players while mining (or mainly fishing), you will get temporary boosts in fortune or luck, thus encouraging big excursions with your friends. The reason I say mainly fishing is: 1: Mining with friends will likely result in the splitting of profits, which is tough to do as that will easily offset the profits of the buffs, unless you buff it way to much but that could be exploited (silk touching ores and mining them in a group)
2: Fishing could be made so treasure drops can only be fished when you have a buddy
3: Fishing is just fun to do with friends, being rewarded for doing something fun with friends is just good design The issue is that the closest I've come to making my own mod is MCreator, and I don't know how to make this. If anyone could tell me some basic ideas on how to do this, or even better steal the idea and make it yourselves (credit the thread or som) I'd really appreciate it as I'm working on a forge 1.18 server and the idea is really good in my opinion. Thank you.
Tldr: Give temporary buffs to fishing luck or mining fortune when in proximity of other players doing the same activity, promoting friendship and removing some boring solo grind from smps.

I've been thinking about making this post for months! I have absolutely no idea how to start it but I've decided it's time to make it. I am a (26M) Sikh guy in Canada that would like to find a S/O through online dating, meeting up, hook ups, whatever, etc. I was born and raised in Canada and have never been outside of the country, my family's been here for 4 generations and I've been raised around diverse backgrounds and people that aren't like me. However, being a Sikh and having a turban is like an identity to me (like a blood type, natural eye colour, etc) and not something that defines that I have limitations to who I can date/ what I can do. I believe I've achieved everything outside of dating and have perfected myself enough that I'm super confident in myself (I still acknowledge I have flaws) and don't feel insecure about anything that could cause me to feel down for being rejected by everybody. I went to a T20 school to study a STEM field, have a great career that I love, am financial stable in a rough economy to grow in, am confident in my attractiveness (understand appearance is massive in dating) and emotionally intelligent to be calm through any challenges.
However, I feel like there's many walls I have to climb over that I need advice for. How do I possibly present my identity and myself in a way that a girl is willing to date me? That doesn't her feel like I'm in it for short-term fun, that my parents won't accept her (my parents will accept a girl outside of my faith happily), and that'd she'd have the freedom to do anything? I'm very liberal in my views. She's going to look at my turban first and immediately assume that there are religious differences, she's going to take a massive risk to even allow me to make a move/make a move herself?
I, like most guys, just want an attractive S/O that I can grow with and share experiences and interests with. How do I present myself? How do I make my dating profile to look 'normal'? How do I start convos with my interest in a girl? Ah so many questions, I hope I can gain some guidance...
TL;DR: Sikh guy (26M) that has to climb walls to be dateable for a girl, need advice on how to present my identity so it doesn't hinder my ability as a guy

So one issue i see in servers and smps, is that there are lots of moments where people are usually alone trying to progress (which is boring). The main thing people solo grind is mining, as you usually lose profits and loot by hanging out with friends and having fun. I propose a genius idea, proximity luck.
Basically, when you are in a nearby proximity with other players while mining (or mainly fishing), you will get temporary boosts in fortune or luck, thus encouraging big excursions with your friends. The reason I say mainly fishing is: 1: Mining with friends will likely result in the splitting of profits, which is tough to do as that will easily offset the profits of the buffs, unless you buff it way to much but that could be exploited (silk touching ores and mining them in a group)
2: Fishing could be made so treasure drops can only be fished when you have a buddy
3: Fishing is just fun to do with friends, being rewarded for doing something fun with friends is just good design The issue is that the closest I've come to making my own mod is MCreator, and I don't know how to make this. If anyone could tell me some basic ideas on how to do this, or even better steal the idea and make it yourselves (credit the thread or som) I'd really appreciate it as I'm working on a forge 1.18 server and the idea is really good in my opinion. Thank you.
Tldr: Give temporary buffs to fishing luck or mining fortune when in proximity of other players doing the same activity, promoting friendship and removing some boring solo grind from smps.

Two summers ago, I drove 7 hours one way to buy a 2019 Manual Genesis G70. It was used, not certified preowned, with just under 12K miles. The OEM tires were approaching the end of their useful life. It had one scratch on the rear passenger door and an annoying dealership permanent sticker on the trunk. It also only had one key. The head unit infotainment screen also had a small delamination crack - visible if you looked close but not perceptible if you ran your fingers across it. I bought it as is, though Genesis has a stellar warranty that transfers to the second owner so I still had 2 years warranty remaining. It was too far away for me to get it to a trusted mechanic to PPI, so the warranty was a huge factor.
On a long drive to the beach, the screens began to flicker. The car still ran mechanically fine, but it was alarming. I also noticed I couldn't get the Genesis Connected Services to work. A few weeks later, the screens were flickering again in my driveway. I shut the car off thinking if I just shut it off and turned it back on it would fix itself - for about 5 minutes I couldn't restart the car. It was as though it had a completely dead battery. I took it to my local dealer which unfortunately is an hour away but fortunately is reached through a combination of great back roads and highways. They were unable to replicate the issue but decided to attribute it to the head unit and replaced the entire thing on the basis of the delamination crack being covered by warranty. A week after I got the car back, the screens flickered again. I tried doing an over the air software update with Genesis Corporate over the phone and it kept failing, so we went back to the dealership. They manually did the update. After a few more weeks, the screens flickered again. I took it back down and they decided to go nuclear, completely uninstalling all software and updates from the car and then reinstalling the latest software as a clean slate. When I got it back - my genesis connected services were working and the screens never flickered again. BUT. My backup camera would now randomly stop working. I took it back and they tried a patch update to the backup camera software as well as replacing a crush washer that's apparently a known failure point for the backup camera. The problem persisted. They informed me there is a sensor in the transmission that tells the backup camera when the car is in reverse and when to turn on. That sensor apparently failed, and the solution is apparently to replace the entire transmission. I personally found that insane, but a new clutch and transmission covered fully under warranty? Sure, I'll enjoy your courtesy car a little longer. Yeah, on that note. Having the car in and out of the shop so often was annoying, but it was all covered under Genesis phenomenal warranty, the dealership was surprisingly patient, understanding and communicative, and since they're an hour away I had an opportunity to enjoy some courtesy cars on a good mix of backroads and highways. The courtesy cars I had in no particular order...

• 2023 Genesis G70, 2.0 Turbo AWD. Felt heavy and the automatic transmission seems to take up more space in the center console than the manual. Definitely quicker than my car, but I don't enjoy the weightyness to it. I think it might have something to do with how the power is being put down? Like it IS faster than my car and it DOES have better traction in corners but it FEELS much heavier.
  
• 2023 Sonata N-Line. Feels fast and light but not for me. The interior after getting out of a G70 is a let down and the front wheel drive and extra power don't do enough to make up for it. To clarify - I think this is a fun car if you want a quick, front wheel drive sedan - but it's not my cup of tea.
  
• 2022 Genesis G80. Cannot say enough good things about this car. Feels like a true luxobarge. Gorgeous, comfortable, quiet interior, everything feels heavy and expensive but it also has the power to get out of its own way. This was by far, hands down, no comparison, the best courtesy car I've ever been given. I'd go as far as to say it's one of the best cars I've ever driven in my life. That's relative of course, but it really was just such an impressive vehicle. It was hard to find anything not to like about it.
  
• 2023 Genesis G70, 3.3 twin turbo AWD. Holy hell this thing moves. So, this car has the sunroof - which I hate. In G70s with the sunroof, I have to put the seat all the way on the floor to have headroom. I'm 5'11" with a 32 inch inseam if that gives you an idea of my torso/leg ratio. It also had the same heavyness I felt in the 2.0 AWD courtesy car - it's something to do with the AWD but I don't know if it's how the system moves power around or if it's literally just the added weight of the system. It doesn't feel flickable the way my RWD car feels. And before you call me an idiot for describing my G70 as flickable, understand it's all relative and I haven't owned or driven that many performance cars in my life. I know my car isn't a miata. That all being said. So. Freaking. Fast. The V6 has a really unique sound to it unlike any other V6 I've experienced, I can't decide if I like it or not but it's definitely unique. The speed is really incredible and the AWD makes it so usable. You can floor it turning right or left off the line at a stoplight and it will hold the road and put the power down. If I weren't so sure this car would get me arrested, I'd want one.
  

I got my car back and I haven't had any issues with screens or backup cameras or anything else since the transmission replacement. So what's to love? Small, sporty, rear wheel drive car that has the power to break traction but isn't so powerful that you can't use all your gears. To me this car is straddling the line of slow car fast. It's incredibly comfortable, has a great stereo, looks cool, and it's got enough room for me, my spouse, my dog and a child seat. Also so glad I got the manual when I did - manual G70s are not easy to find. This was one of four for sale within 500 miles of my zip when I bought it. The rear seat is actually usable, but the foot room is tight. I'm 5'11 with a 32 inch inseam. If I take my shoes off, I can sit behind my driving position. I have the knee and hip room - but the foot room is very tight for an adult male. Decent gas mileage if you're not driving it like a hooligan. Feels light and eager to turn, even at speed.
What's not so good? The trunk has a high load floor so even though you have a good opening and footprint, it's shallow. It's not unusable, it's just not as deep as you'd expect it to be. I was still able to fit everything my spouse, my dog and I needed for a week at the beach. Speaking of long trips - no spare tire. That pissed me off. Not even a space saver? Come on. I think it should be a legal requirement that all cars have at least a space saver. In any case, this car can accept the same space saver spare kit the 3.3 model comes with or the Kia Stinger comes with. I ordered the parts online and installed a space saver spare myself. The backup camera shuts off as soon as you're out of reverse, even if you're rolling backwards in neutral. This is a nitpick, but I do wish the backup camera would stay on until I was rolling forward. Speaking of reverse, the pedal box is tight and I usually wear an 11 or 12 shoe depending on the brand. With certain shoes, I have to modify my left foot motion because my toe will catch the arm of the clutch pedal. Not impossible, but it can be annoying in certain pairs of shoes or if you have big feet.
Clutch and Transmission :: I'm gonna give this it's own section because I feel like this is a very case sensitive matter. Manuals I drove before this - a 2011 Subaru Outback. First manual car I bought and I drove it for 120K miles before an old dude in a Yukon totaled it. Some people have said they don't enjoy the feeling of this transmission, I don't have much to compare it to. I think the stick feel is fine. The actual clutch is a toss up for me. It's hydraulic, so on one hand it's buttery smooth and easy and very forgiving if you're doing a drive through or in stop and go traffic - things I took pains to avoid in my outback. The flip side is, the pedal gives you very little feedback. The bite point is harder to feel and it definitely numbs the experience a bit. If you're looking for a very raw, analog feeling transmission this is not it. This feels much more like an entry level luxury sport sedan that was given a manual just because it would be cool to have a manual, but also trying to do one in such a way that it wouldn't alienate luxury car buyers who generally find manuals to be a nuisance.
Would I go through it all again? Absolutely. The dealer trips were annoying but it let me test drive some cool stuff and I never paid a dime. The only thing I paid for was an oil change, a new set of tires (not from the dealer) and a new key cause I wanted to have two. The key was $700 which is offensive but unfortunately not unheard of with modern cars. The car is a blast. If you want a smallish, luxuryish, sportscarish vehicle that gives you a lot of nice stuff without being too expensive or too harsh, check out a G70. If you're a manual purist, you may love it or hate it - the clutch is definitely a sticking point for many people. Genesis Dealer? Mine is great, thank god. But I have heard plenty of horror stories from other owners who went to more Hyundai focused dealers. Maintenance? No mechanical issues at all, just weird software related glitches that were all covered under warranty. Mods? Not really planning anything big. I added a sun strip to the windshield, a dash cam and wiring for my radar detector. Also the spare tire. And I put PS4s on it. I plan to keep it stock - at least until it's paid off and the warranty is out.
Questions for reddit :: Catch cans! Should I have one on this car? Is there a recommended brand? Do your mechanics charge you more to empty them or do you empty them yourselves? What does a catch can do that the OEM air oil separator doesnt?
TL;DR :: I like my manual G70. It isn't very fast, but I like it.

Currently, I really want to curb my use of prepackaged foods. But I’m not really sure where to start. I feel like I only have a choice between standing beside a stove for hours or eating easy but probably unhealthy foods.
I am okay with dairy and eggs and vegan sources of protein. I’m not sure how to make meals that will actually be fun to eat. I mean, I suck at cooking and kinda hate it too. Plus, I’d really rather not spend all my free time watching water boil.
Sorry if this sounds negative! A lot of vegan recipes seem so complicated. I just get overwhelmed.
Anyway, if anyone has any ideas for affordable, time-effective recipes, please let me know! They can be vegan or vegetarian.

There seems to be a good amount of conversation today about issues with mechs and whether they're usable. As an avid mech player, who the mech was a huge reason to keep leveling, I use it whenever applicable, but I do so knowing that there is a lot to be improved (better targeting with missiles, unnecessarily long cool down time, limited applicability, the addition of mech modularity, etc.)
My post isn't to highlight the functional, common-sense fixes, which definitely need to happen, but talk more about useful and fun additions to make mechs more desirable slot options.
The below ideas are just a few I've come up with during my time playing Helldivers 2, but feel free to add on:

1. Mechs drop with a backpack. A la the Fallout Amazon series. The backpack would contain a partial reload (50%) for the machine gun and rocket launcher, as well as an "armor patch," which would heal the mech by up to a 1/3 of its health. The backpack would take (x) seconds to deploy, and the action would either be performed by the pilot, or they could drop the pack to another player, enabling the mech to provide cover while being reloaded/patched.

This would help address the mech's longevity and functionality while offering balance, as the pilot has to dedicate a backpack slot to the mech's upkeep, the mech can't move while being repaired/reloaded, and the time for the action to occur (presumably out of combat).

1. Ride the mech. The mechs are faster than they appear, and providing up to one player with the option of clinging on to the mech's back offers some interesting potential. For one, allowing players to mount the mech would occupy a hand slot (the player has to grab on somehow), which would free up a single hand.

With one hand, the player riding the mech could fire from a fixed position over or around the mech with one-handed weapons (providing a passive buff to one-handed weapon utility), keeping the mech safe from enemies that sneak up from the mech's blind spots.
Additionally, players riding the mech could throw grenades or stratagems.

1. Plush mech interiors. When I first unlocked the mech, I had the (unreasonable?) expectation that there would be a cozy interior to the mech (e.g. screens showing ammo count, health, armor remaining, speed, etc), but players are locked in a third person perspective. It would be awesome to see how Arrowhead envisions the mech's interior, and I could even see a first-person view serving as a potential fix to the missile problem.
   
2. Mech go BOOM! The mechs in Helldivers live short lives, and they are often abandoned on the battlefield to either be destroyed or run across while escaping hordes of enemies, but what if the mechs could be made to explode?
   

Much like the undetonated hellbombs littering the landscape, the mech operator should have the ability to set their mech to detonate, offering an explosive reward about half the size of an environmental hellbomb.
In the same way that players can set rate-of-fire and scope distance, mech pilots should be able to set a timed mech detonation or a reactive detonation (shooting the mech with an explosive weapon causes it to violently explode). I could imagine some creative bile titan kills or tactical explosions (the robot drone ship factories).

Hey peeps! Im searching for a partner to Roleplay a Fandom Romance with! Im open to many Plots and Fandoms so feel free to tell me about your wish!
My personal Favourite Fandoms are: ♥️Star Wars 🩵Warframe 💚Naruto 💜Valorant
As a plot, i thought we could make a relaxed Romance between us. You can throw your ideas in!
Im experienced and like to play Longterm Scenarios! If this sounds like fun to you, hmu <3

chapters 1&2
chapter 3
chapter 4
chapter 5
chapter 6
chapter 7
chapter 8
chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
The lecture was supposed to be on Rationality 101, apparently not for Newcomers only. Serene was there to have her back but G was having a hard time focusing.
The boring black uniform more fitting for a hotel receptionist defaced the godlike beauty standing in front of a huge screen. Gentry couldn’t believe her eyes: this was the man she had her hands on a little while ago?
No, it couldn’t be.
It had been just an avatar, too perfect in its unblemished visage, too pure for this world. Yet the man whose face she remembered as if it was etched on the back of her eyelids, who she’d been constantly thinking about, who her hands itched to snatch, was standing right there, in the flesh.
Back in the dreamy simulated world she caught herself thinking that a trim waist like this couldn’t anatomically work on a human, yet here he was: a towering spread of fit shoulders perfectly balanced above the flexible whip of his midsection. The light-grey eyes that betrayed every movement of his pupils were as real as the ones that reflected the mock moon during her test. Below them lay the sharp slope of the cheekbones one could cut themselves on.
The only thing a bit different, apart from the outfit choice, was the young god’s hair. In the simulation, it was flowing and probably too long to be practical. This person’s mane was much shorter and fell down his neck in a neat ponytail, tastefully tamed with a single hairpin.
She had to get her hands on this treasure.
He was making last minute preparations for the lecture, looking through the papers on the desk, dark strands framing his face, light grey eyes sharp in careful concentration.
Professor Q, huh.
He said this was his name, and so did the note on the lecture hall door.
She was sure it was the man who had melted in her arms making the most delicious sounds a male throat could produce.
Had he recognised her?
Unlikely.
At the time of the simulation session, she didn’t have a camera that could pick up her facial features but just to be on the safe side, she decided to go by “G” in his class. There were bound to be lots of people with a name starting with a G, right? What would be the odds it was this particular newcomer that Q had tested that would end up in his class?
The man finally lifted his eyes at the audience and a gentle smile momentarily graced his features before disappearing as if he didn’t see someone he’d expected to.
The holoboard on the wall behind him obediently lit up following his nonchalant gesture. Gentry found it annoying that one needed a pair of special glasses to see all the augmented reality stuff and really navigate the city but again, with Sereen’s help she had more or less gotten used to it in the couple of days she had to deal with the necessities like settling down, getting food and finding her way around Ashtapada.
Still, could they use a piece of chalk or, at least, a marker to write on the board? No need to show off your Fully Automated Luxury Space Communism tech just to write a couple of notes on the board!
On second thought, high-tech-crazy or not, if this city brought up men like this one, she would definitely do her best to stay here to… reap the benefits!
They took a desk next to a huge clear floor-to-ceiling window that overlooked the winter garden.
“Professor Q seems a little distracted today,” Sereen said, swiftly tapping a couple of buttons on G’s wrist to show her how to confirm that she was attending the lecture. “He’s usually much more chatty and friendly. I wonder what got into him.”
“Is he?” Gentry responded with an artificial air of indifference. “I just hope he’s more open to a discussion than that Poe guy.”
“He is! And Professor Poe isn’t that bad,” Sereen reprimanded before chuckling a little — since his little secret became known to students, he became known as Holopoe. “Just wait and see, it’s gonna be a blast. Q’s lectures are always very engaging.”
It proved to be utter bullshit.
After fiddling with the symbols on the interactive screen for ten minutes into the class, students getting more and more agitated behind his back, the lecturer seemed to give up. Turning back to the audience, he absentmindedly nodded to a couple of people in the lecture hall and sighed with a painfully fake smile.
“For today’s class, we are going to need to read a certain extract from a book,” he said, tone apologetic for some reason, but it solidified G’s conviction that she already knew this person. “I’ve just sent it to each of your wristcomms. We’ll have some quiet time and read it by ourselves, alright?”
“Reading from the comm?” Sereen mumbled to herself. “Couldn’t he just print them out?”
The rest of the students’ grumbles showed that they shared her disappointment. Q could only hopelessly smile again before returning to his work on the board.
Reading from the little semi-transparent screens was indeed torture. Quickly giving up on trying to awkwardly use gestures for scrolling through the text, she looked out of the window to entertain herself with the garden outside. From the modest height they were sitting at, the people below were quite discernible, partly hidden by the greenery, spread here and there in small groups and pairs. Gentry longed to be there, too. What was the use of being here with the most attractive person in the whole world if the only thing she could see was his back?
Well, the back didn’t look half bad, if she was honest, and what was below also pleased the eye.
But still. It would soon bore even the most easily entertained.
Her gaze fell to a small clearing where a lone male figure was sitting, writing something in a notebook. By the looks of it, the notebook was a real paper-made thing without the bells and whistles usual for Ashtapada. The next thing G noticed was a pair of slender legs, barefoot, stretched to dip the toes into the clear water of the artificial stream.
God bless the urban designers of this place!
The figure lifted the head and in an inconceivably graceful motion, swung the long blond bangs away from the face.
G straightened her back. Was it... Ok, maybe Q was the most handsome man she’d seen in her life but this... This was the younger boy she’d noticed a couple of days back, the one in a plaid skirt, shamelessly flirting with everyone within reach. Today, he wasn’t wearing one but the blue jeans hugging his thighs, rolled up almost to the knees, presented a picture just as tantalizing. Even with the hair was a completely different colour, even though the half-up, half-down style kept his face hidden, she was absolutely certain it was the same person.
Just you wait, young beauty, as soon as this “lecture” was over, your princess in shining armour was coming to pick you up!
Suddenly snapping out of the dull weariness, she turned on the auglasses S helped her obtain earlier and tapped away on her comm screen.
What a chance to give the local text sharing feature a go!
“The garden is pretty, but with a blossom like you, it is truly breathtaking. I wonder if anyone has picked this sweet flower or if anyone dares to,” she typed a cheesy note and folded the message into a neat 3D figurine of an origami paper crane with her fingers in the air.
Was S watching? Screw it, even if she was, she couldn’t read the message with her glasses off, right?
Carefully aiming the device at the lone figure, she launched the crane downwards, and it fluttered like a weightless butterfly in spirals, through the glass and right into the young man’s lap, not disturbing the notebook pages. He started at first at the intrusion but then turned his own glasses on and unfolded the message. A shy smile appeared on his plump lips, and he looked flattered, turning his head around to see if the sender was in sight. Catching no one, he typed something below the initial message and deftly folded it back into a crane that, to G’s surprise, flew directly at her, in uneven spirals along the wall. The man traced it with a smile, propping himself back on his arms, his whole slim body and face on full display now.
God, was he good-looking.
Easily passing the physical border of the glass again, the crane crashed into Gentry’s wristcomm, dutifully delivering the message and betraying her tactical position at the same time. An amused kind of surprise showed on the young man’s face and he waved at her to show that she had been exposed. She waved back, trying to look nonchalant but probably failing miserably.
Very smooth, G, way to go.
The message read, “Is a flower only good for looking at? Not this one.”
Oooh, this boy was playing with fire!
“Hey, G,” Sereen nudged. “Have you finished reading?”
“Mm? Oh, yeah.” Gentry lied easily. She had skimmed the first couple of paragraphs and was sure she’d be able to come up with something if asked.
“Done everybody?” the deep gentle voice called from the holoboard and G’s attention snapped back to the dignified face.
The class murmured affirmatively.
“I’m sorry today’s lecture isn’t as fun as usual,” he admitted. “I must say I’m still unsure how to approach such complex topic as this one. But with your help, I hope we’ll figure it out.”
Everyone seemed to perk up.
“You just read an extract on paradoxes,” Q went on. “And you might be wondering why we are raising a philosophical topic on a rational thinking course.”
“There you go,” Sereen whispered. “He’s back to normal!”
G humphed. This did seem interesting. Was it a good idea to read the extract after all?
Q continued, “In the text, you might have encountered the definition of a paradox. Would anyone explain it with their own words?”
A raised hand and the lecturer’s nod brought some courageous soul to their feet.
“It’s when you start with the correct premises, use consistent logic but wind up with an impossible conclusion,” they said. “There are three types: falsidical, veridical and antimony-type, which are...”
“Correct,” Q smiled and nodded the person back down. It was a smile worth starting a thousand wars over.
“Now there’s a reason why I asked you to read about them. Why do you think people have been fascinated with paradoxes for such a long time?”
S raised her hand and received a kind invitation.
“I might be wrong,” she said. “But it seems that they point at the limitations of our thinking, things that seem rational but in fact aren’t. We feel that with our all-conquering logic we can solve any puzzle but it’s not always the case. Right?”
“This is very insightful,” the teacher confirmed. “It is believed by many that what’s rational is true and therefore what rationality cannot explain must be false.”
“I definitely know someone who would die on that hill,” Gentry grumbled under her breath.
“I’m sorry?” Q asked. “Is there something you wanted to add... sorry, I don’t know your name?”
Still half mad with professor Poe, Gentry stood up. “It’s G, I’m a Newcomer. I was saying how a human mind can fool itself into thinking it knows what it looks at as long as it makes sense. But in reality, it’s not there, like the sky.”
That was the only thing she remembered from that last lecture! She felt the tips of her ears heat up but the kind and considering look on Q’s face showed her gamble paid off.
“These are very insightful observations, G, why don’t we try exploring them together?” — he waived her to sit down and turned back to the class — “Five minutes to discuss how paradoxes might reveal the weaknesses of rational thinking. Send your answers to the board when you’re done.”
“Whoa, daring as usual,” Sereen smiled. “I knew you’d enjoy his class.”
“Now, consider these two questions,” Q said to another student who stood up at his hand wave. “If an unstoppable force meets an indestructible object, what is going to happen?”
The person seemed to contemplate it for a while and the teacher didn’t rush him.
“Isn’t it one of those which are impossible to solve because the existence of the one automatically disproves the existence of the other?”
Q nodded, “Correct. The second one about the barber in a small town is of the same sort. Sereen?”
S stood up too, “The one that shaves all and only men that don’t shave themselves?”
“Yes,” he confirmed. “At first, a premise like this seems perfectly reasonable, doesn’t it?”
“It does,” S responded, somewhat rashly. “But it’s clear that a barber like this cannot exist.”
“Wait, really?” Gentry whispered as Q nodded in satisfaction and urged her friend to go on.
“Yes, if we ask ourselves if this barber shaves himself. If he doesn’t, then he is part of the group which he does shave that do not shave themselves, but if he is in this group, then he does shave himself which makes it impossible for him to be this barber by definition.”
While the rest of the class was catching up with the logic, Q’s smile got only wider, more inviting.
“What does it tell us about the nature of the premise then?” he asked.
“That although it seems that it sounds logical on the surface, it is in fact nonsense and we don’t even need to hear the rest of the riddle to discard it completely,” S concluded.
The man chuckled.
“Well, I wouldn’t be that brash, to be honest, but on balance, you’re right,” he said. “If you stay after the lecture, I might recommend a couple of books on the topic. Your Newcomer friend is welcome to stay, too.”
G put up the best of the aloof fronts, “I’d be happy to, Professor.”
“Q is fine,” he smiled again and went on addressing the rest of the class that immediately exploded into a heated discussion.
***
“Basically, what I think we’re supposed to learn from this,” S concluded after a while, standing up so that everyone could hear her. “Is that before applying rationality, we have to make sure that all the premises we are dealing with are in fact realistic. Otherwise, there is no way rational thinking will help us.”
“Excellently put, as always,” Q applauded. “I’d love to see if everyone agrees or has something else to add to the discussion but our time is up. Feel free to write me a letter with your reflections on the topic.”
As interesting as the class was, the urge to leave the premises as soon as the teacher dismissed everyone seemed to be universal and applicable even to the Ashtapadans.
“I have to go now,” Sereen said. “Text you later, ok?” And with a reciprocal nod to Q, disappeared in the doors, joining the rest of the students.
Sadly, she couldn’t recall what they were talking about after the lecture, nor what titles Professor recommended for some home reading. She just hoped she didn’t make a fool of herself.
What Gentry did remember though was that after Q left as well and she came up to the panoramic window, Sereen and the mysterious flower boy were leaving the garden together. And it was hard not to notice that her new friend took off her wristcomm before they took off, and hid it in the tall grass.

We had our first season for 14 team Head-to-Head Cats Keeper money league consisting of pretty close friends. The first season was super successful and had a lot of activity and participation. With that kind of created this organic situation where on occasion, a team would challenge the team they were playing for the week in a side wager (example - whoever loses this week has to pay for a pizza for the winner). Additionally, about 3-4 teams in the league were a little less active than the rest, so my goal as Commish for this season is to get them more engaged by making each week more meaningful, therefore increasing waiver wire activity, trades, banter talk, etc.
We're looking to expand on that wager premise this season with a formal "Challenger" award - the team that wins the most challenges throughout the season wins a small money prize (only like 5% of the league pot). The idea behind it is to keep people super engaged each week with side wagers for anything (money bet, a vanity bet, food bet, etc etc). It can be for anything and everything that people want to wager on, and I'd like to give the league some more "standard" options - whether it's for a 1v1 or for multiple teams to "opt-in". It's all completely voluntary and given the relatively insignificant prize, won't piss off anyone. For background, we often hang out in discord watching NHL games while playing video games.
My questions is - does anyone have any unique side wagers that would be fun to add in each week? Some of the best ones so far (outside strictly $):

1. Loser has to buy a meal of some sort to the winner
2. Winner gets to change the name of loser's team (and/or discord name) for X weeks
3. Loser has to write a daily complimentary speech of at least 250 characters to the winner praising his/her greatness
4. Loser buys a subscription loot box of some kind for the winner.

If you folks have any cool ideas for what a wager outcome could be, or for what the wager could be placed specifically on (the whole scoring period, a specific NHL game, or specific NHL players), then I want to hear them!

**********************************************************
If anyone likes this idea, we have implemented it into our league rulebook. More than welcome to use it for your own =) --- (excuse the poor formatting after copy/pasting from Word into here).
Challenger Corner
a. The Challenger Corner is where formal & friendly wagers/bets/challenges of any kind can be made in the discord, specifically under #challenger-corner.
b. Managers are encouraged to keep the league fun and engaging by challenging their peers to fun bets based off the fantasy week! Managers have many options on how they want to do week to week bets, such as (but not limited to):
i. Challenge the specific team you are playing for the scoring period.
ii. Challenge another team that you are not specifically playing (can simply just compare stats at end of period to determine victor)
iii. Create a multi-team challenge for the period (like who’s team can score most points – everyone who’s interested puts $5 into a pot)
iv. Create a challenge where every manager involved picks 1 player to score the most points during a 1 week period
c. Examples of challenges include (but certainly not limited to)
i. Monetary bets
ii. Bets for loser has to buy winner a meal
iii. Name Change/Vanity Bets (winner changes name of loser for X period)
iv. Speech Bet (loser has to write a speech about the winner)
v. Whatever else you can think of that’s fun!
d. As we now include a “Challenger Award”, we will begin tracking a running tally of managers who have won/lost bets. In order to qualify for a formal win, you must do the following:
i. Challenge and its conditions must be formally posted under #challenger-corner before the start of the first game of the scoring week (or a specifically designated timeframe if occurring during the period – I.E. making a challenge based on one specific NHL game being played).
ii. The opponent(s) you are challenging must formally accept under #challenger-corner prior to game/period start.
iii. You must notify the Commissioners of a formal challenge accepted, and notify the Commissioners as to who the winner(s) are.
iv. Commissioners will keep a running tally and whoever won the most challenges in the year wins the “Challenger Award!”
1. In the event of a tie, the award winners can choose to either split the winnings or enter into another bet/challenge for the amount.
v. For any challenges that are agreed to during the week, it is the duties of the managers to hold themselves accountable and honor the bet – Commissioners will not enforce these side-wagers, however if the loser ultimately does not honor the commitment, they may be excluded from the formal Challenger Corner award in the future.

Have been playing since the start of the league and have witnessed many of the bugs, unintended interactions, and simply bad choices made with mechanics. Scarab changes are another story and I'll leave them out of this bit one for thing, involving the future of the league mechanic.
The idea behind the graveyard and corpses I think was solid, but caters way to much to such a small percent of players at the later stages. I personally don't like any mechanics that require 3rd party applications just to function, and that was the heart of this mechanic. Needing to use resources like Craft of Exile and whatever Graveyard layout we were able to find. I have no suggestions on how to fix this ingame other than adding a "random outcome" option where we can see maybe 5 potentials results before committing to sacrificing all the coffins.
Second, is storage and variety. Remove the creature types. No more beast, construct, ect, and let us stack coffins of the same type. They don't need names or anything, no ones really looking at that anyway. Are they? This would also help trade so much, as people maybe willing to store even a stack of 5.
Graveyard UI. Give us a top down view where we drag and drop into the spot we want. No more running around. This top down UI should also save a few custom layouts. No more spreadsheets.
Allflames are another interesting idea, and I think should they be added to the base game, will be the only way to get corpses. Allflame drop locations are from areas / mechanics associated with them. Breach only drops from breach, legion from legion, ect. Bosses drop their own. You can use ONE a map, and it always additional packs of that type. Could replace the scarab, could be used on the map itself like a deli orb, or a new slot. Rare one like Meatsack can only drop in maps that have an allflame used on it.
The lantern was kinda fun, but I think I'm apart of the minority who got the Divine drops from it. 3 actually, making over 200 divines total. Apart from the convert to x currency or chance to drop x I wasn't much of a fan, and it felt mandatory to grab things on the atlas no matter what I was doing. I'm indifferent if this stays, but for the health of the game and accessibility to new players I think it should be removed, OR turned into a special Allflame that allows us to add the modifiers.
Lastly, scarab interactions with league mechanic. Necropolis set of scarab! One monster in the map will drop a random allflame. Allflames gave a chance to duplicate. increase chance of coffin droprate. increased chance of of a higher tier coffin. Chance for all monsters to be converted to type of Allflame.
My ideas arnt perfect, but I wouldn't prefer to see the mechanic stay rather than never be seen again. Inventory management was by far the worst part. From holding corpses to burying them.

So after seeing all the negatives and division in the fallout community I wanted to try and find some positives. So I have a challange idea, keep in mind this is a bit of fun but I wanna get people's positives about the games, new Vegas fans I'm looking at you here to be fair to the other games .
So from each of the fallout games you played what's your top thing or 3 things.
As I've only played 2 hours of 1 and none of the others till 3 I can't give mine on 1, 2, tactics and bos
So fallout 3: I liked the wide and expansive world, the quests, side characters.
New Vegas: story was the best ive played, loved the dialogue system, and the dlcs
4: the world again was great love the commonwealth, love the settlement and crafting mechanics, and I feel the companions are the most in depth and thus the best.
76: love the world again such a beautiful and vibrant landscape, the fun and interesting creatures such as the scorched or the molemen (which I love is yet another reference to lovecraft this time being the lurking fear) and the ability to play with friends
Please keep it civil and don't bash me or others for what they like,

hi!
i’m a FTM to a 4.5 month old boy and i am, for the most part, mentally checked out when it comes to pumping. i struggled so much and was absolutely brutal on myself to only peak at 23oz (only happened once). i averaged 18-20oz after many power pumps and bootcamps. then i was just exhausted and dropped from 8 - 7 pumps to 6 - 5 over a few weeks and now average 16oz a day.
i’m going to canada for a festival the first week of july and i just want to HAVE FUN and not worry about figuring out how to store my breast milk at an air bnb and transporting it here and there. i want to be free and spend more time cuddling my son.
however, i have no idea where to start. how many days is recommended between pump drops? or should i just drop pumps until cold turkey? also terrified of getting mastitis. can someone suggest a healthy timeline for me? 😭

I've been waiting to play this one for a while now, originally I had SOCOM: Fireteam Bravo on the PSP, which I got rid of because it was just a borderline unplayable experience trying to move around and aim with the little circular PSP analog stick thing. I wanted to re-visit the series, but this time decided to swap it out with the most popular SOCOM game instead, hoping to have a less sour experience.
After about 4 hours, I put it back down again, having lost all interest in the series.
SOCOM II is very much a game from the before times, being a third person tactical shooter in the years before anyone had any idea how to do controller aiming well. To make a long story short, trying to raw-aim with an analog stick on PS2 is an awful experience, the crosshair will just swing around the screen on you. There's built in auto-aim you can toggle off and on, which has a comical implementation. Sometimes, you will see a red box on the screen, miss the target by 1/4 of the screen, then they just drop dead anyway, probably due to an act of God. Sometimes, you will be pointing right next to their head with auto-aim on, and all of your bullets completely miss, leading you to being killed in one or two hits. That's so fun...
The ai companions are sometimes so strong that you can play out entire missions by sending them in to "clear area" where they just instakill all the enemies without taking any damage (this is on the highest difficulty available to new players.) Other times, you will be on the second floor of a house, they are in the basement, you send them in to clear area or breech a door...And they just never show up. They get stuck on the stairs or something, and just never fucking come. I shudder to think of all the times I've died because my AI companions just refused to follow very simple orders. Sometimes they will die in the absolute dumbest of ways too. On the first brazil mission I had Jester die to falling off of a building literally.
Oh, and on the subject of dying, don't forget that there is *no checkpoints*. If you die you reset to the very beginning of the mission. This means that if you're doing a slow stealth playthrough, 20 minutes deep on a level, and you get instant killed by some guy with a shotgun because the room was too dark for you to see him, you have to do the whole thing over again. How exciting! Eventually, after a few resets on the same mission, the only sensible way to proceed is to run and gun every single enemy, already having their positions memorized, and just accept that the game is going to chastise you for not being stealthy enough.
I could see SOCOM II being a very good game if the controls were about twice as good, the AI were about twice as responsive, and checkpoints were added to key sections of various missions. Without them, the game feels unpleasant to play for me, and I feel no qualms about retiring it from my backlog without even finishing half the single-player campaign.

One thing that stands out to me is that the advice for getting laid while you are either cohabing and/or are going through a divorce is abstinence. It's good advice, to be sure, but in reality works about as well as teaching only abstinence in school - leaves you without the knowledge you need to succeed!
Basically, the steps below are designed to destroy her map of you. She knows what you do, she knows your routine, and women are pretty good at knowing the importance of suddenly different things. You will have to destroy her ability to know what to expect and normalize unpredictability.

1. Set a pin for your phone!

1A. Start by imagining you have something to hide on your phone. Put it on vibrate, keep it on your person at all times around her, if you set it down, set it down facedown. Don't answer a single text message in front of her, but you can and should use it to check the weather or emails, or surf the web. She probably won't say a single thing, but she is GOING to notice this change and now she's suspicious. Silence her messages - she's used to you responding quickly and she WILL find reasons to contact you just to see if you respond quickly. You will need to slow down communication with her - normalize your replies taking a long time. If she calls don't always pick up. Let it go to VM, or text her that you are busy, or will call back, or whatever. The goal of 1A is to break her expectation of you replying quickly so that it doesn't really stand out when you go on dates later.
1B. Pick a few days each and every week to be out of the house. Don't share what you are doing immediately, make her work for it. She may or may not ask for a while, but she's paying attention. What should you do? Well, I suggest buying some new clothes, try out a few gyms, go for a hike, try out new places to eat by yourself, check out bars and find a few cool ones at different parts of the area you are in, try out a musical instrument lesson, go to car meets, go to biker meets (Harley dealerships have huge bike meets and they cook), play poker, go fishing.... It doesn't matter WHAT you do specifically, just that you ARE actually doing things, and you SHOULD be doing things you would never normally do. Take pictures. You should do this for a minimum of 1 month.
***Why? Well, you don't really know who you are as a single man, and this step is partly to help you figure that out, while shattering her map of 'what you do.' At the same time, you are learning to be less dependent on her for emotional support, simply by slowing down communication with her and creating that distance.

1. This step depends on her, not you. She is going to question you about all these new things and probably outright accuse you of having another girl. Tell her you don't have one (don't get defensive), and if you can show a picture of what you were doing that triggered her accusations, then do it. Tell her you are doing new things because you are a single man again, and you need to discover who you are without her now. Tell her you have no interest in another relationship - that you have decided to work on yourself and focus on being happy. All of those things are true, and you should save the bulk of what you'll say for when she confronts you. The goal here is to get her to accept the IDEA you might actually be working on yourself and shutting her out - she's not going to buy it, but this casts doubt in her mind you found another woman, and that's good enough to continue to step 3.
   
2. CHANGE YOUR PHONES PIN CODE! She probably has it by now. We are about to actually have something to hide.
   
3. Sign up for whatever online dating apps, but you need to turn OFF banner alerts! This should be obvious, but don't bring her back to your house, no matter how sure you are your STBXW isn't going to be home or show up. Condoms... this will get you caught. Either buy and dispose of the whole pack (never bring them home) or find a really good spot to hide them in your car that she'll never find.
   
4. Great, now you found some girl and she's making you happy, right? Getting laid, she probably makes you feel like a Million $s. Good. You'll want to see her constantly because you just realized how terrible you have actually been treated, don't. Your STBXW will say some hurtful and mean things and you'll want to drop that you are and have been banging someone else... don't. If your STBXW feels like she's getting more suspicious end things with 'new girl,' let the situation cool and find a new, new girl... or don't, and continue to work on yourself.
   

Why go through all of this? Because even if you stop at step 3 you've helped yourself! Interestingly, like many can attest to, the moment you find another woman she'll be interested in you again. The mere idea that you could do new things and be happy without her will bring her right back - like the happiness sucking harpie she is.
Lastly, I want to say one more time, that I think NOT sleeping around until after your divorce has been signed by a judge is by far the smarter thing to do. What I am describing here is essentially OPSEC for having an affair, but this level of effort is required because while she may be able to get laid without consequence, the system is not 'for you' and she will make sure you get every inch of the justice d*ck without any lube if she finds out you are plowing the younger, hotter, fun version of her.

Soo, this is a throw away cuz I don't want anyone I know to link this to me.
Well, I (19F) am dating my bf (19M) for 2 years and 3 months. We have been through a lot, and helped each other through our paths. We are great and have discussed marriage a few times, but nothing like this year or the next, itd be at least when we finish college.
My only issue is: would I be okay with never starting another relationship?
Cause we work great and I love him, but the 'staying forever' part makes me panic.
We are very young, and could meet new people and fall in love, wouldn't I be missing out on that? I'm just scared I settle down too quickly and regret not having more fun in my young days.
However I do not like partying (never did) nor do I like making out with random people. Im talking about falling in love with people you randomly meet, living a love story, breaking up and doing it again.
I guess its like FOMO (fear of missing out).
I'm just scared of not being as happy as I could in my life, but I don't know how to be happy.
What I'm trying to say is that I really love this boy, but I don't want to end up like my parents, in a crappy marriage, fighting all the time because neither of them want to leave their comfort zone and just break up.
How do people be happy? I have no idea where to go, or what to do. I dont know how to proceed and I also dont want to make bad decisions I can't take back.
But I also cannot possibly break up with my boyfriend, we are too good together, I have a crazy amount of feelings for him and we really complete each other.
Does any one have advice on my situation?
TL;DR My boyfriend expressed desire to marry me in the future, but I dont know if I would ever be ready for that.

I’m so glad to have this space where we can vent and talk openly about how frustrating it can be to be a SM. I would love to hear some positive things about your experiences though.
Here’s a couple of mine:
SD6 lost her first tooth and asked to call me right away to tell me about it
SS4 has started to tell me ge loves me.
SD6 has been putting me in all of her family drawings.
SS4 calls us a family all the time and it just makes me so happy.
We have been doing really well with newly placed boundaries where I get to be apart of the fun stuff and when it’s time for parental duties, I’m free to do my own things.
The insecurity I had with the BM is totally gone and I can now finally look at the kids’ baby pics without feeling jealous or like I missed out on something.
My partner has come around to the idea of us having our own. I don’t even really know if I will want it immediately but I love that I have the option and it made me feel much closer to him.
Please share your wins ♥️

Hey there, I was looking into instant cameras to start taking more photos of my family and our lives as a way to have some fun and document moments from my life.
I am a person driven by physical things, books,video games toys just like to have physical things as they are sentimental to me hence why I would like an instant camera.
My idea would be to keep it on me almost all the time, whip it out and take a few photos and print some here or there. All of our other phone printers shit the bed, and something about the mini film really speaks to me. Does this sound like a good use case for this camera? It’s pretty expensive but with all the features it seems worth it. Also, I’m not a photographer and have zero experience with photography. Just looking for simple point and shoot!