I remember the general plot, but not the episode title. I'm looking for a particular scene.
The plot is that Rimmer and the crew are trying to program a new Holly-like program, but Rimmer is so loose with it that everytime a spec is requested of him, he says "don't care!" Meanwhile, Lister's trying to watch a video from his future self, but the video keeps telling him to get surgery done before watching the rest. Lister does not and tries to fast forward, but the video scolds him every time until eventually getting him kicked off the ship.

Last time, at the beginning of the new era of killing games, seventeen familiar players were given a choice…
On the one hand, today we’ll indeed be playing the standard killing game you’re all oh-so used to by now. Kill someone and get away with it at the trial, blah-blah-blah, you win the prize and everyone else dies. The spotless prevail, and they win their continued survival only.
The prize?
You’re making it sound like we’ve got another choice. Just say it already!
Get out of this Ultimate Academy through the underground hatch, and everyone here gets to stay alive another day.
Puhuhu…the prize for the blackened who wins their trial…is this world.
Everyone, there’s nothing to think about. We’ve never had an alternative like this before, and we can’t waste it! We just need to find all the Monokubs and escape!
With the games put in motion and mass execution on the line, they did their best to get out without bloodshed…
Papa Kuma, I-I’ll do better! Gaaaaaahhh! I’ll…I’ll conform!
Daddy, no, please don’t! I don’t want to die again! I did everything you asked…!
What the hell?! H-how’d you three chumps get in here?
THEY-WILL-NOT-TAG-YOU, BROTHER.
Run, run!
But what kind of killing game era ends without any killing?
...
And what kind of killing game doesn’t have a Class Trial?
You know, there's actually one person outside the Dream Team who knew Makoto was going to be in the Library.
You. Madam Prime Minister. Kirumi Tojo.
No signs of a struggle... Hmph. I don't see how someone could've gotten the drop on him if he was already standing guard. He was planning to meet the person who did him in.
...
Yes. I did kill Makoto. But, I did not lie about my motives. I intend to claim the Administrator title and create a world for you all that is free of Monokuma. Because, Mukuro is right. We must vote for Kokichi to ensure that this game ends here and now. To ensure that nobody else suffers.
And so, just as it began, in the end, they were left with another choice to make…
This wasn’t a unanimous vote by any means, but your decision is clear: Kokichi Oma killed Makoto Naegi…Nope, that’s wrong!
The spotless have ultimately chosen to sacrifice themselves. After their deaths, the blackened will become the new Administrator of this simulation.
Congratulations, Kirumi Tojo. You win…
Kirumi's strategy paid off, leaving the rest to be punished in her place. But this killing game couldn’t just end there.
Celeste, about those vampire butlers and your castle…
What the hell did you do to Kirumi, Monokuma? Where is she?! Get back here and answer me!
Huh. You guys don't look happy. I thought you wanted this ending.
We didn’t vote for this! We voted to get rid of you! We voted for her to win!
Whatever. Bottom line is, Kirumi’s won her prize. However, you guys still need to be here.
Isn’t this a virtual world? Why do we “need” to be here, anyway?
You guys voted to sacrifice yourselves, remember? It’s time for your punishment.
...
Ah-hahahaha! By the time this baby’s done with you, you’ll be lucky if you remember your own name!
Now, fifteen players remain, and it’s time for their next chapter. What will become of them?
Puhuhuhu…perhaps a better question is, who will they become?

Ultimate Academy for Gifted Juveniles, morning

...
In the Ultimate Entomologist Research Lab, a small girl in an orange kimono cowered behind the large tree-like table. At the sound of the door opening, she flinched and unleashed a verbal assault on the new arrival.
Stay away from me, you creepy pervert murderer! D-don’t come any closer! Just leave me alone and go kill yourself already!
...Sorry.
The small boy dressed in a prisoner’s jumpsuit paused, and then shut the door again. The chain attached to the cuff around his left ankle clattered ominously as he walked away.
A floor above them, another confrontation was about to take place. A green-haired boy and a redheaded girl carefully watched a girl with short black hair. She was armed with a knife, and demanding answers.
What the hell is this place? Talk. Now.
I-I...
Look, this is a sketchy situation for all three of us. Why don’t you put that knife away so we can actually talk?
Elsewhere in the Academy building, someone had gotten hurt. A blonde girl wearing a backpack exited a classroom, rubbing her head. A blue-haired girl in the hallway saw her.
Hey there, are you okay?
Y-yeah, I will be. It’s a little embarrassing to just admit this, but I fell out of a locker…
Others were alone.
A boy with one arm out of a sleeve of his pink jacket stared at the Ultimate Astronaut Research Lab around him.
Whoa...
A girl with twin-drill pigtails waited at the Casino reception desk. No one seemed to be coming.
...Ugh.
At the underground hatch, an innocent-looking boy eyed a colorful control panel, one that begged for someone to input a five-digit code. Only the gatling gun pointed at the panel gave him pause.
Huh...
A girl with a diamond-flecked ribbon in her hair raced through Hotel Kumasutra, searching for a way out.
...!
A pink-haired boy was restrained to the bed in the Ultimate Inventor Research Lab. Despite his attempts to get free, he was seemingly trapped.
Someone, anyone, goddammit, get me outta here!
A blue-haired girl walked down the First Floor hallway, towards the basement. At the top of the staircase leading down, she paused, but eventually put one foot in front of the other.
...
Down in the basement, she tried the door to her right, and ended up in the Library. There were three people inside.
...
...
Two of the three, a boy and a girl, stared down at the third person. The third person’s eyes were closed. There were bruises visible on his neck.
...
He wasn’t moving. He wasn’t breathing.
DING DONG BING BONG!
A black-and-white bear was suddenly on every screen in and around the Ultimate Academy.
Mic check, mic check! Can you all hear me? Everyone, head on down to the Library in the Academy building’s basement. See you soon!
Soon enough, the fifteen who were scattered around all made it down to the basement Library. One in particular, upon seeing the dead boy, took the horrible sight particularly hard.
H-he was one of my middle school schoolmates…
The fifteen were not by themselves among the dead for too long, however. Two bears stood in the doorway. One they recognized from the earlier message.
Hiya!
Until now, it had been mostly quiet in the Library. The bears’ arrival opened the floodgates.
Shut up! Just shut up! I-I want out of this stupid shithole!
What, exactly, is this place?
Who cares about that? We're all getting out of here!
You two talking bears have anything to do with what happened to this poor guy?
You do, don’t you? Y-you probably killed him!
These demands and questions were ignored.
My name is Monokuma. Welcome to the Ultimate Academy for Gifted Juveniles!
...
...?
Oh! And my name is Monotaro, you bastards!
What Monokuma had to say next was enough to get everyone else to stop talking.
You’re all here to take part in a killing game. That boy dead on the floor was, too…well, until the mastermind behind all of this murdered him.
It’s horrible, isn’t it? Being killed right when you’re in the prime of your life?
But…your own deaths could be right around the corner. We’ve already got today’s victim, but our mastermind’s not about to stop there. They’re gonna kill another person tomorrow, and one person the next day, and the next, and so on…
The only way to stop the mastermind’s killing spree is for someone else to kill someone first. If not, I’m sure the mastermind’s got a whole lot of other murders planned. You could be stabbed, poisoned, electrocuted…well, you get the idea! Here today, gone tomorrow!
Horror was reflected on many faces in Monokuma’s audience. But, then, there was an abrupt change of topic.
Say, I know you all know me and my precious Kub Monotaro…but what about you guys? Anyone here know their name?
Silence.
No one answered him. It seemed everyone had forgotten.
Collective amnesia, huh? How strange and mysterious. But, let’s not dwell on it. Instead, to make it easier for everyone, go ahead and think of a cool codename for yourself! No pressure!
So suddenly confronted with this new reality, the fifteen killing game participants were forced to then somehow think of suitable codenames for themselves. What names would they choose?
Who would they become?
Hey everyone, Tri here. I'm very glad to be able to actually host this second Tri-al. Just like with the first one, I hope I've put together something you all can enjoy.
More previews are on the way, but I don't know exactly when they'll be ready. I'll be reaching out to the original cast soon to see who's available to return. A signup date and time for any open roles will be posted in a later preview.
More to come. :)

I'm (20) with my boyfriend (29) together for six years straight. We started to date when I was 14, when he told me he likes me on the phone. I know thats odd. From the very beginning our relationship is only at a distance, we meet once in a while for a few days or weeks. He lives far away, around 300 km from my place. Before, I was happy, everything was going well and everything was fine, except when there were moments of doubt.
For around 2 months I have felt indifference to everything that surrounds me, even when a family member dies, I cannot cry. I stopped caring about learning, I look at everything with distance. I don't know where it came from - this indifference, probably started when my mom asked me if I'm sure that I want to be with my boyfriend forever. I had my doubts. I stop feeling anything for my boyfriend, I burst into tears during sex and I can't explain why... Im blaming myself because I'm harsh on him. I can't do anything about it, I feel lost. I haven't talked to him about it because I know how he'll react. I'm also a person who's talkative and is being friends with a lot of guys, so I know that the fault of not feeling what I once felt, could fall on one of my friends. I realized I wasn't getting what I needed from him. I don't feel what I had before and I don't know how to fix it and if I can fix it or if it can be fixed at all. I can't bring myself to talk to him and I don't know what to say to him. I have no one to talk to, I can't trust anyone, and my parents don't like him and have been against this relationship from the beginning. I think about what they think and I take it to heart, but I don't agree that we should break up.
I wonder how he will react and if it can be saved. I feel guilty and can't function if the matter is not cleared up because I'm constantly stressed about this. What would be your advice?
TLDR: For around 2 months I have felt indifference to everything that surrounds me, even when a family member dies, I cannot cry.I stop feeling anything for my boyfriend, I burst into tears during sex and I can't explain why... Im blaming myself because I'm harsh on him. I can't do anything about it, I feel lost.

Odysseus

Class: Rider True Name: Odysseus Gender: Male Source: Greek mythology Region: Europe Alignment: Neutral Good Height: 179cm Weight: 63kg
 

Parameters	Rank
Strength	C
Endurance	A+
Agility	D
Mana	B+
Luck	EX
Noble Phantasm	B

 
Scenario writer: Hikaru Sakurai Character illustrator: redjuice CV: Kirimoto Takuya
Main appearances: Fate/Grand Order
 

Class Skills

Magic Resistance: B Cancel magecraft performed with a chant of below three verses. Even if targeted by greater magecraft or rituals, it is difficult for them to be affected. The rank is originally C, but it has been increased due to the effects of the Aegis.
 
Riding: B+ Can handle most vehicles and mounts. Unable to handle Phantasmal Species.
 

Personal Skills

Insight of the Cunning General: B++ A skill representing the knowledge Odysseus displayed, not only during the Trojan war, but throughout all his adventures. Those acting with Odysseus on their side will surely be victorious.
 
Single-Mindedness (Love): A A most focused state of mind...the source of his unwavering will. His devotion to his loving wife Penelope will never sway. Calypso the nymph, the witch Circe of Aeaea, the ephemeral Queen Nausicaa...all these women fell for Odysseus. Even the blessings he received from Athena were likely an indication that she too had fallen for him. While Odysseus seemed to be a lady-killer, he himself was fully devoted to his love. It's just that during his long voyage back home to his Penelope, for some reason he kept encountering women. (At least that's how he sees it.)
 
Divine Body Bounded Field: A The crystallized armor of the gods, combining defense and offense in one. It is a skill-version of the Noble Phantasm of the same name.
 
Grace of the Gods: B+ A skill that represents the grace received from the gods of Olympus. It can create numerous different effects. Because Athena's love was especially intense, Odysseus was given a special allowance to use the Noble Phantasm Aegis, the gods' own defense. (Fundamentally not utilized as a skill in FGO.)
 

Noble Phantasm

Colossal Trojan Horse of Obliteration Rank: B++ Type: Anti-Nation Range: 2-80 Maximum Targets: 400 people
Troia Híppos. Near the end of the Trojan War, Odysseus arranged for a large wooden horse that would be brought within the impregnable walls of Troy, hiding numerous Greek soldiers (Achaeans) within this "offering." Ultimately, the Trojans brought their enemies inside, and were defeated by getting in the resulting ambush, leading to the Achaean army's victory. According to literature, it was said that Odysseus was among those inside the wooden horse, and that he fought alongside these warriors.
The Noble Phantasm's wooden horse is in fact a giant mount covered in divine steel armor that suggests it has the blessings of the Aegis thanks to Athena. After its True Name is revealed, the wooden horse becomes a titanic being that annihilates everything around it in a demonstration of the fierceness of the Trojan War.
 
Divine Body Bounded Field Rank: A Type: Bounded Field Range: ― Maximum Targets: 1 person
Aegis. A defensive armament created by the gods of Olympus. It is said to be armor or shield, and an extraordinary powerful bounded field, a conceptual defense mechanism of divine creation. However, Odysseus is able to don it as a physical armor, likely thanks to Athena's deep affection for him, granting him an invincible suit of armor made of divine steel, possessing conceptual defenses.
A Noble Phantasm that is continuously active. It is expressed as a skill in FGO.
 
Love's Radiant Stringless Bow Rank: C Type: Anti-Unit Range: 0-50 Maximum Targets: 1 person
Penelope. A Noble Phantasm named after his beloved wife. Odysseus, in proving his complete love for Penelope, made a show of effortlessly stringing his bow, which no one else was able to. In other words, Odysseus is someone adept at handling stringless bows. As a Noble Phantasm, it manifests as Odysseus shooting an "arrow of light" using neither string nor even a bow, in an act reminiscent of the gods of Olympus. It is a continuously active Noble Phantasm, and in FGO, releasing its True Name has no additional effect.
 

Character

Pronouns used: First person: Ore (俺) Second person: Omae (おまえ) / Anata (あんた) / Using their name without honorifics Third person: They/them (奴) / Using their name without honorifics
 
○ Personality A man with an unwavering will, a hero of the Trojan War, and one of the greatest adventurers in Greek mythology. He went on numerous adventures and overcame countless adversaries, and there is no question of why his name became the basis for the word "odyssey."
Even were he boasting, he could back up his claims. If he says he'll take down Troy, that is what he'll do. If he says he'll flee from a scene of carnage, that is what he'll do. If he says he'll defeat monsters and Demonic Beasts, that is what he'll do. And if he says he'll head home to reach his beloved Penelope, that is what he'll do...one day.
At first glance he might appear overly confidant, but in reality he has a perfect grasp on his own abilities and capabilities. He never acts with arrogance, always directly accepting the truth that he "just narrowly seized victory and glory" or "if the slightest thing changed, he would have met with death".
 
○ Motivation and Attitude toward Master: He views the Master as someone on their own journey; an adventure of constant hardships. In a way, he sees in them the part of himself that once wandered the world in the hopes of reuniting with their loved one.
 
○ Dialogue Examples: "There is nothing I cannot accomplish. Might as well give it a try." "In your great adventure of saving Pan-Human History, let me be of some assistance." "How heavy and painful even a single step forwards can be...I know a bit about that." "I'll overcome every single one of these challenges. Indeed, I shall remain by your side." "Aegis!"
 
○ Historical Image and Character: A hero of ancient Greek mythology. The protagonist of Homer's famed epic "The Odyssey." His role in the Trojan War is recorded in "The Iliad."
Odysseus was the Achaeans' greatest strategist during the Trojan War. Following the death of Achilles, it was Odysseus who came up with the idea for the Trojan Horse, which directly led to the fall of Troy. After the war, he sailed for home to return to his beloved Penelope. His journey was complicated by many obstacles, among which were: a vicious cyclops, Poseidon's curse, temptation at the hands of Circe the witch and Calypso the nymph, the enchanting song of the sirens, the dread monster Scylla, the wrath of the sun god Helios, and myriad other hardships. Eventually, though not without sacrifice, Odysseus overcame these many trials and made it home.
◇
In Atlantis of the Fifth Lostbelt, he manifested as a Servant from Pan-Human History, going up against the Lostbelt Odysseus who sided with the gods. Both were neck and neck, but for a brief moment it looked like the Odysseus of Pan-Human History had the upper hand. However, the Klironomia granted by Zeus were activated, ultimately granting the Lostbelt Odysseus victory.
While the memories of the battle in the Lostbelt should not have been retained by the Odysseus summoned to Chaldea, he actively searched through Chaldea's records, and so there's reason to believe that he knows what happened. Despite having a different upbringing and end than his own, the great debt his Lostbelt self owed to Charlotte Corday is something that he will never forget, and he vows to repay her one day.
 
○ Standard Weapons: Arrow of light, via his Noble Phantasm "Love's Radiant Stringless Bow".
 
○ Related Characters:
Circe: (Quietly smiles and nods intently)
Achilles/Prince Paris: (Smiles broadly while patting them both on the back)
Ajax: (Smiles with nostalgia)
Hector: (Closes one eye after greeting him, and then, without saying anything, makes a toast)
Medea: (Smiles as if seeing something he cares for)
Penthesilea: (Gives a nod of admiration)
Jason/Caenis: (Smiles and pats them both on the back twice)
Charlotte Corday: (Folds his arms, thinking about what's the matter)
Europa: (Scratches his head with a troubled look)
Penelope: (Looks up at the night sky, calling her name out loud)
 
 

Comment from Illustrator:

He was a great hero who, during the span of 10 years, travelled more than an air distance of 300km (some theories say the total distance travelled was more than 3000km) to return to his hometown of Ithaca. A tactician and a great man alike. He would fundamentally be a good-looking guy, but he had so many funny episodes, like when he washed up on the beach stark naked, when he was turned into an old man, and when he was tied to the mast of the ship. Because of this, I was worried about how how to really flesh out his design. About the "chest hole" which became a popular topic...I thought it would be necessary to have something like an exhaust vent for the pheromones produced by his unmatched chad energy, so I made that opening. I was also happy to see the implementation of a simple costume with the helmet being made playable. Oh, and I also designed the transforming robot horse. I would have never imagined it would be launched from a catapult, though... (redjuice) ~~~~

Hi there,
I'm a Canadian trans man moving to Ireland over the summer and going to attend school there in autumn, so it would be pretty cool to meet some people in Europe, but I'm also fine to chat with anyone from anywhere.
I enjoy playing video games sometimes, namely Terraria or Fallout, but I like anything that I can play with another person.
I occasionally draw, and I'm pretty good at playing the piano--though I haven't played in a while. Classical music is one of my absolute favourite genres, but I also equally like some indie stuff.
I like appreciating the little things in life and taking walks or doing outdoors activities in general. My biggest interests are in wildlife, palaeontology, and astronomy.
As for build, I'm 175cm (5'9") and thin but a bit muscular. I've been on HRT for 4 years, and I'm 3 years post-top surgery.
DM me anytime about whatever you want, like a fun fact or tell me about something you are very interested in.

Firstly i want to apologise for my bad english since its my third language & im sorry for the long text but i would appreciate it if you guys could help me out of this dilemma 😅
So i think i should beginn a bit with my past so you guys can understand the narrative 🤣
I was 14 when i was on a school bus, and infront of me was this cute boy, i could not take my gaze from him. It was a first for me to have these feelings. After a while he saw my gaze, he looked at his friends & said haha look at this fa**ot he stares at me all the time, they laughed at me. I knew they made fun out of me but i didnt undersand the meaning of that word. So when i came at home after school i asked my father what that word meant? He got all red over & he screamed at me: why & who told you that word? He said that homosexuals came apart of the true path of allah, that they are perverted human beings and that they will surely burn in hellfire for all eternity. I was severly traumatized by his words but i understood them. So i thaught i rather suppress my nature as to loose my family, religion, faith & god. It didnt take long until i had depression anxiety & panik attaks. Sometimes i prayed please allah make me normal or at least kill me but y'all know god doesent answer 🤣 At 24yo i was on the edge of depression & i tried to kill myself, i unpacked one pill after the next and then i begunn to trink them one by one. After the second one tears dropped without me realizing it. I asked god: why do you hate me like this, when its you who created me like that? And it was that moment when i heard my own voice so full of despair that all the faith & love i had for allah left in an instand. I said i dont deserve this & that was the last time i believed in allah
Im 29 now, since that time i tried to heal myself, i was better now but alot of trauma and pain still remained as if these things left scars into my soul. I never had sex or even a kiss because o hated my self, i could not accept myself. But since i was better now i downloaded hornet, i made myself an account and i chatted with some poeple but 90% where all assholes and i was done so i wanted to delete it. But in that last moment i saw an account with an picure of socrates, i readed his profile and i direktly liked him, we spoke about all kind of stuff, in the end we had the same role, but we became best friends 🤣 he was my first gay friend & my first friend i didnt needed to wear a mask arround him. It was so refreshing & healing to have him by my side. One day he said i have a very good friend & i would like when you guys meet and i said yes sure.
One day we 3 where on a party & it did get very late so my friend said lets make a sleepover at my house. We both said yes, so we where on his house but he had only 2 beds so my best friend slept on his bed and we 2 slept on the couch. It was a pretty big enough that 3 people could sleep there easily but he came to me and he snuggeld into me, he looked at me with those golden brown eyes and he laughed shyly, that was the first moment that i realized that i have very strong romantic fealings towards him, i didnt say anything but i snuggeld with him too. The last week he came at least 4 times to my home, we cooked & eatee togheter, watched movies & he insisted to hold my hands & put his head at my shoulders. These feelings became stronger and stronger every day. He allways says kiss me pls on my neck or on his cheeks and when i do it he allways gets flustered and he laughes, he is pretty straight forward not like me 😅
I think he loves me too, its kinda obvious. The way he looks at me its diffrent. But the thing is he is alot younger then me. Im 29 and he is 21.
I allways said i would never date someone younger then me 25-40 is ideal but now i fell head over into him. He destroyed the walls i build since my childhood as if it was build from sand. Since i meet him it feels like all the scars healed completly, i acctually like myself now but the age gap is kinda big. I feel bad when i think about it but the second i see him i feel like im flying.
Do you guys think the age gap is too much? What should i do?

I spent the remainder of the evening after the "hike" sorting out my thoughts. Trying to, at any rate. Writing it all down helped, but I was still exhausted and confused.
I woke up in Frankie Preston's bed the following morning. I instantly knew it wasn't mine due to the lack of Dorito crumbs in the sheets. Even so, it took me a while to come to. Once I'd rubbed my eyes and untangled myself from the blanket, I found the man himself sitting upright beside me, fully dressed with his shoes on, presently reading a book. "Morning, Sunshine," he muttered, not looking up. "There's water on the nightstand for you. A muffin, too. I wasn't sure what to get."
I let out an incoherent murmur to which he huffed a laugh and rested his hand on the side of my face. "You were still as a rock, you know."
"I'm sorry for messing up last night," I said, my voice cracked and dry from sleep. "I shouldn't have gone looking for trouble. I should've stayed low and just watched those two."
"What's with that tone? I'm not about to lecture you. I get wanting to take revenge. You did fine as far as I'm concerned. And I think Markov is okay with everything, too. After all, any proceedings against the Collective are highly legitimate now or whatever. Plus, she got that lady cultist in custody now, and she's looking forward to the interrogation. She called and explained it to me on the phone earlier, but I wasn't paying attention." He shrugged to himself and I reached up to tug aside his book's cover. "It's Wuthering Heights," he told me, gently removing my hand. I tried to grab it again, but he pulled it out of my reach. "Oh!" He sounded amused as he finally set the book aside to hug me. "You could have just said something."
"Don't you have to work today?"
"I called in sick. Of course, my six moms know I don't actually get sick so they'll suspect something's up. They're probably gonna be all over me."
"You never get sick?" I inquired.
"No. It's one of the nicer aspects of inhuman nature."
"I'm still not getting any answers on that?"
"Don't worry, you will. Sooner or later."
We went out and took a walk in the park, which was equally weird and nice. It seemed such a normal thing to do. It was a bright, nearly windless day, and the sun shining down on us provided a gentle warmth. The previous days' rain had left the trees heavily laden with drops of water. Occasionally, some would dislodge from the leaves and branches they occupied and plop down on our heads.
I asked Frankie whether he would be alright with checking in on Nettie Peterson together. He chuckled, joking that she would probably just love to see him, but ultimately agreed. Once my best friend was due to be off work, we went around to her house.
Strangely enough, the most drastic changes in other people seem to happen without me really being there to witness them. Kit Sutton had somehow turned into a somewhat responsible roommate without me even noticing. Before I knew it, we had become friends. When my savior human opened the door for us, I felt distinctly reminded of that other development. Nettie, not unlike a butterfly emerging from whatever they call that odd little sleeping bag caterpillars make for themselves, had apparently come out of her dark state of mind all by herself. Her eyes lit up when she saw me and she wheedled us inside with much the same enthusiasm I was used to. She had us sit down in the garden while she tended to her flowers.
I watched her closely. Her skin had regained much of its healthy glow, her hair was washed and shiny, the clothes she wore clean—a flowing blouse, mom jeans and sneakers. She had clearly picked them out with care, like she normally did. It was good to see her restored to her old self, but I couldn't help but feel like something was wrong.
"Are you sure you're okay?" I asked.
"I have to be, don't I?" she replied, her cheerful tone coming out more forced than she'd likely intended. She was cutting away crushed and wilted leaves from one of her small bushes, shaping it in the process. "It's over. Life goes on."
"Does it?" I tilted my head at her.
"Can we talk about anything else? Literally anything?" The snapping movements of her garden shears came faster; more forceful. Frankie Preston and I exchanged uncomfortable looks. Figuring it would make for an interesting topic, I proceeded to tell Nettie about our exploits the night before. Halfway through my story, she had ceased her plant styling activities, blankly staring at me from where she sat on the ground. By the time I was done, she had taken off her rubber gloves and was slowly massaging her temples.
"One of these days, Eva. One of these days, you're gonna give me a heart attack. I don't even want to ask about what you get up to anymore, I think. I'm afraid of the answer." She threw Fran a grateful glance. "Thank you for getting her out of there safely."
The waiter smiled placidly. "Sure." Turning to me, he added in a whisper, "So we're not going to mention that you saved me from the FunFlair guys twice before this?"
I grinned mildly and shook my head before assuming a more serious tone. "Nettie, it's great that you're all better, but you were really down before. If this is just an act, I'd prefer you didn't put it on."
"It's not an act," she said sternly, raising her hands to her hips. "I've resigned myself. That's all. There's nothing to be done, I've accepted it and I've moved on."
"That can't be healthy," Frankie remarked. "You know what would help? Punishing the world in some way. You could take it out on your kindergarteners. Tell them a scary story so their parents have to stay up all night with them. Incite a dirt throwing fight and send them home all muddy. Set up a boxing ring and have them go at each other like in a dog fight. Wouldn't that be far more rewarding than sucking it up?"
Nettie Peterson looked unimpressed. Her dark eyes roamed the young man like she was trying to gauge whether or not he was serious. "You're some kind of sociopath, aren't you?"
That she shouldn't have said. Frankie's serene expression morphed into his customer service smile. I don't know when I started deciphering this being's voice and countenance, but there I was, picking up on the spiteful undertone in what he said next.
"I'm just saying, if the woman I fancied disappeared in such a way, I'd find outlets for my grief." His eyes darted over to Nettie as if to ensure she'd heard him correctly before settling on me, observing my reaction. All I could do however was stare at my best friend.
Her glossy lips had parted. She met my gaze, her thick, expressive brows rising a good deal. "I…" she began, faltering and starting to fumble for words. "That's to say, Kit was… we, um…"
"Oh, Eva didn't know?" Frankie asked, perfectly flat and monotonous. "I had no idea it was a secret. I'm sorry, it wasn't my place to say. I wouldn't have mentioned it, really."
Something about that sent a chill down my spine. I shot him a glare, to which he drew himself up and turned away. Meanwhile, Nettie finally broke from her stupor and blurted out, "We were together, okay?"
For a moment, I sat quietly. “Frank, please go home,” I said at length, not quite looking at him. “We’ll talk later. We will.”
He looked like he wanted to say something, but quickly thought better of it, rising to his feet and storming off. Ignoring the queasy feeling in my stomach, I walked over to Nettie and plopped down on the ground beside her. “So that’s what this was about,” I began.
My savior human nodded meekly. “We… we didn’t want to tell you. Not for the time being, at least. We hadn’t defined the relationship yet, i-it was all so new and weird, I felt weird, but it was good, you know? I just wasn’t ready to think about it that way yet. And you’ve only ever seen me date guys, I didn’t know what you’d think…”
“I wouldn’t have thought anything,” I replied. “How long has this been going on?”
“Not long. She called me up before she came back to you a couple weeks ago. That’s kind of when we started seeing each other in… in that way.”
“Romantically?”
“Yes.”
I hesitantly extended a hand to caress her upper arm, locking eyes with her. There was a profound sadness in her expression, a watery gleam. She took a deep breath. “Before that, we used to text back and forth occasionally. I always felt kind of weird about her. Somehow, she got under my skin everytime she was goofing off, what with her little jokes and all. We kept talking, though. I was always so irritated when she was around, and that’s so unlike me, I just ended up wondering… And then when she showed up here, it all kind of came together. W-we did. She stuck around and we spoke and everything simply made sense all of a sudden. I didn't know she liked me, too.” She swallowed audibly, her voice brittle and husky as she went on. “Kit isn't like anyone else I’ve ever had feelings for.”
“Not like anyone else, as in… a woman?” I prompted, raising a brow.
Nettie grunted. “Oh, shush! Don't make me feel guilty for being hesitant at first. I know it’s not a big deal to you, but try going through life believing you’re straight and suddenly running into some cute ditzy punk girl and realizing you’re not. It’s all sorts of confusing, believe me. I was scared it was gonna be weird because it was my first time with a woman but Kit somehow made it easy. It was a bit of a whirlwind, sure, but it felt natural and… just good.”
“Did you tell Eli?”
“No. But I think he suspected. That man knows me like the back of his hand. We’re basically siblings, remember? He was always tactful, never really pressured me into admitting anything, but he made a couple puns here and there, so… I do believe he knew.” She fumbled with her limp gloves, fixing me with a wavering smile. “So?”
“So what?”
“What do you say?”
“Is there something you want me to say?” I shrugged. “I’m only glad I understand now. I wish you’d told me sooner, but that’s your business. Also, I didn’t tell you that I’ve been running around with our waiter, so I guess we’re essentially even. By the way, I’m sorry he put you on the spot like that. You didn’t deserve that. How did he know about you two anyways?”
Nettie pursed her lips. “He might have seen us around the diner or something. I’m not sure. I’m, uh, not gonna comment on whatever you two got going on. You know what you’re doing. Hopefully.”
“Ah, thanks. Then I won’t be giving my opinion on whether or not I consider that deadbeat dork Kit to be worthy of you.”
My savior human snorted. “Much appreciated. Though I guess it’s not really an issue anymore either way.”
I shook my head. “Don’t think like that. We can’t let her go. I certainly won’t, not after this.”
“What do you mean?”
I rose to my feet. “I’m going to drag her blue ass back out of the ocean and have her make an honorable woman of you.”
I don’t believe she thought I was serious. The realization had set in by the time I’d dragged her down to the beach with me, though. We had taken Wammawink for the drive. Wammawink is the name of Nettie’s pastel pink motor scooter. It has a sidecar, which she straps me into with great care whenever we ride. It took her about twenty minutes to get us down to the shore. The more I talked about possibly retrieving my roommate, the brighter and realer the shine in her eyes became. Hope was not yet dead, that much was for certain. I led her down the cliffside and past the rocky expanse to where the concert had been held. It seemed ages ago. Some wistful part of me thought I could hear the faint sound of Kits singing above the gentle murmur of the waves.
The beach was golden in the afternoon sunlight. The sleepy tide sent water steadily dribbling into the sand beneath our feet, the drier patches giving way ever so slightly as we walked along. The faint outline of a plan had taken shape in my mind. We headed for the grotto.
"It makes sense now," I thought aloud. "The creature we fought at the concert was targeting you. The deep ones must have known that you two had a bond."
"I guess so," she replied uncertainly, eyeing the maw that opened up in the natural stone wall before us. "Going spelunking will help us how, exactly…?"
"I figure it tried to take you in there for a reason. This place has to be special. If you want, you can always wait here, but I'd prefer to have you with me. I only want to look around a bit. Maybe there's a clue of sorts on how we can contact Kit."
She sighed. "Now I know why you wanted me to bring my flashlight." She produced the object in question and handed it over before linking arms with me. "Of course I'll stick with you."
The inside of the cave was far too quiet for comfort. The eerie silence was only broken by the occasional plinking of water dripping from the walls and ceiling. We made an effort to step around the puddles glittering on the bumpy ground as we proceeded into the dimness. The sunlight threading through the grotto's mouth didn't reach very far, so we were glad for the bright beam of our torch. I let it travel the hollowed rock, the light crinkling oddly as it reflected off the pools of water that seemed to grow larger the further we got. Nettie Peterson was hanging onto my arm, her grip growing a little tighter with every passing minute. Her face was a set mask of grim determination, belied by the nervous twitch of her eyelid and the occasional quiver of her lower lip.
My own discomfort was undeniable as well. My heart was thundering in my chest and clammy beads of perspiration were running down my face. Every step we took caused a dull thud, the echo of which bounced off the rough stone walls to be funneled by the length of the cave. There were several smaller passages leading off into all directions, but Nettie and I agreed on always picking the largest entrance. This way, the path we took was far easier to memorize and there was little possibility of getting lost. After the third or fourth time we ducked through one of the doorframe-like archs, we were met with an imposing sight. A large room with high ceilings opened up before us. There was natural light seeping through several small cracks overhead. Stringy, pale plant life hung down or clung to the walls. A round lake filled up its entire bottom half.
Both Nettie and I stopped in our tracks. There was no solid ground to walk on anymore. On top of that, the beauty of this subterranean body of water had literally stunned us. Ripples were rolling off the center of its surface, casting a faint shimmer onto the ceiling. The stone-filtered light from outside set the lake aglow, bright speckled dancing across it like sprightly wisps. All I could do was taken in a soft, reverent breath while the very thoughts running through my head escaped Nettie's trembling lips.
"Have you ever seen something so beautiful?"
I would have told her yes, but I truly could not remember when. Unfortunately, the lake also appeared to form something of a dead end. I considered turning and checking out another passage, only for my savior human to point out a ledge running along the side of the room. It was narrow, but no doubt wide enough for the two of us to walk it single-file. We clambered up the shelf-like protrusion and, hand in hand, began to move along. It was bumpy and wet, and I almost regretted continuing this way. I couldn't seem to properly place my feet, my soles slipping a few inches with every step. Glancing over my shoulder, I could tell from Nettie's grim expression that she was experiencing similar difficulties. My pulse was racing, my lower lip caught between my teeth as I attempted to focus on safely making it across.
The cold sweat that leaves my palms was actively working against me at this point, and before I could react, the flashlight had slipped through my shaking fingers. It bounced off a bump in the shelf, then rolled off the edge entirely to disappear in the dark water with a thick, loud plop. I cursed, turning to Nettie with an apologetic expression.
"It's fine," she assured me, squeezing my hand. "It's bright enough here as it is and we'll still have our phones for light later."
I smiled gratefully, about to take my next step when a deep, guttural gurgle came rumbling up from the depths of the lake. The sound hovered in the damp, salty air for a moment or two. My best friend and I froze in place, her grip on my hand turning into an iron vice. For a split second, I believe even my own heartbeat stilled.
"What was that?" Nettie Peterson whispered, her voice barely audible over the sudden charged hum of the water below. Her question would not remain unanswered for long. The droning noise of vast water masses shifting began to fill the air as from deep, deep beneath, something made its way up. My savior human and I helplessly pressed our backs up against the wall, trying to keep steady against the force of the vibration shuddering through the rock. The ledge we were standing on was quaking as though the cave itself had come alive and was trying to throw us into this growling, cold abyss.
Within seconds, the thing broke the surface, causing enormous splashes and sending countless drops of water raining down on us. I blinked them out of my eyes just in time to see it unfurl.
It was not a living being in its entirety, merely part of one. That however only made the sight before us all the more terrifying. Simply put, it was a human arm. Just not of any human I had ever encountered. It was enormous; every webbed finger of the hand it ended in was about my size. There were six of them, each bending in far too many places—I thought I could count as many as eight joints on the longest one. Its nails were more like claws, long and sharp with what looked like barnacles growing underneath them. The thin, nearly translucent skin between its fingers was stony gray, just like the rest of it. The hand slowly began to grope around, searching the walls of the cave. I knew right then and there that I couldn't possibly fight it. If it came to it, I'd try to hold it off with everything I had, but something this huge couldn't possibly be defeated. We had to flee, as long as we still could.
"Oh God," Nettie breathed. "Oh God, oh God, oh God…" Her hand was trembling in mine.
"Quick," I hissed. "Turn around, we gotta get out of here!"
She nodded helplessly, her eyes blown wide in terror. When she began her retreat from the ledge, she nearly took up running. I pulled her close just in time to prevent her from slipping. "Watch out!" I uttered, unable to suppress the fear in my tone. "Don't slip, we're dead if we fall in."
My savior human let out a whine, then took a deep breath and bit her lip. Slowly but steadily, she placed each foot in front of the other, leading us off the ledge. My ears were ringing. I couldn't tear my gaze away from the gigantic arm as it blindly felt along the walls, its nails coaxing a grating sound as they scratched upon the rocks. It was getting closer and closer, the side of its thumb nearly brushing the top of my head for a split second before I could withdraw. I had to press my eyes shut for a moment as my chest tightened painfully. Finally, we had reached the end of the shelf and wasted no time in jumping off.
We didn't even bother with any cell phone flashlights. As soon as we were on solid ground again, we darted through the entrance of the room, back through all of our carefully chosen passages before finally staggering out the mouth of the cave into the sunlight. We were panting like dogs; Nettie was forced to crouch down and sit still for a while to catch her breath. Meanwhile, I was seeing stars. Colorful dots and sparks of lightning seemed to dance before my inner eye as I blinked furiously into the afternoon sun.
"What the fuck was that?" my best friend, having regained her ability to speak, rasped out.
I turned to face her, my knees wobbling like jello. "I have no idea."
"You think it… you think that fish person from the concert was trying to take me there? Dump me into that lake?" She lowered her voice. "It would have fed me to that giant thing, wouldn't it."
I held her gaze, my mind racing. "I don't know. Maybe the giant's different."
"What do you mean?"
"I think we might have just seen Kit's father."
X
1
2: deadbeat roommate
3: creepy crush
4: relocation
5: beach concert
6: First date
7: Temp work
8: roommate talk
9: a dismal worldview
10: warehouse
11: staircase
12: explanation
13: hurt
14: hospital
15: ocean
16: diner
17: government work

Me (44F) and my husband (45M) got married four months ago. We combined houses two months prior. This is a second marriage for us both (I was widowed and he was divorced) and we both brought grown and teen children to our blended family. Before that, we were together nine and a half years but owned our own homes and lived separately (within the same neighborhood so we were typically at one or the other’s home). During our dating years, I accepted that he is not much of a housekeeper - tidy but doesn’t dust, leaves cups on the counter, clothes by the bed, etc. I am also someone that enjoys cooking so that falls on me, unless he grills. He is pragmatic and not a romantic. I once commented to a friend that he was most likely to propose on a holiday or my birthday (which he did). His love language is acts of service. That all being said, I love him, and I know he loves me. He does not mistreat me. However, since we returned from our honeymoon, I’ve often felt like a glorified housekeeper. I have stressed to him that we need to have date nights. I need words of affirmation and physical affection. While we were dating, they were not frequent, but they were present. I feel as if it’s gone down to zero and while I felt that I’ve communicated this need, it’s not been met. I’m a strong woman but my self esteem and perceived attractiveness have hit rock bottom. How can I go about encouraging his participation to rekindle this aspect of our relationship?
TLDR: Ten year relationship, middle aged newlyweds, need to feel attractive and appreciated.

I've been trying to find this game that i remember playing for several years. I've tried search engines, asking people, chatGPT etc. I don't use Reddit too much but I thought I'd give this a try, I'll write the details to the best that I can remember :)
Platform(s): PC (At the time I would've played this on Windows 2000, intel core), it could've either been on a plain CD disk or downloaded off a website.
Genre: Possibly Sci-Fy/Fantasy. Definitely a Point'n'Click, Adventure/Story game (A similar style of game play to this game is a flash CBC game "My Goldfish is Evil: Evil Plans!" or Abc3's PC Flash game "Figaro Pho: Creatures & Critter") or if there's no gameplay footage of those games "Broken Age" also has a similar game play style & the game i'm referencing somewhat reminds me of this as well however is not as refined/ quality in graphics.
Estimated year of release: 2000's - Early 2010's. I remember playing around the time that Wizard101 was gaining popularity or a little before then.
Graphics/art style: Colourful (saturated/ not muted colours), 2D, cartoon-ish style. From what I remember it always stayed at one angle (looking into a scene/location) and you could click to the left/right side of the screen to move around or to the next area. You could also click on highlighted items to view them or interact with them.
Specifically there is one section/ scenery of the game that I remember (the one I would always get stuck at & not know how to get past that point). There were red rollercoaster looking carts (3 columns of 3 stacked on top of each other) and they had eyes on them. I believe behind them/ the background of the location looked like garage doors/ inaccessible or closed shops.
Notable characters: This isn't a definite but when thinking of the game I'm pretty sure the main character's name was Leo, a young man who was a tall, thin with brown hair looking character? and possibly a female side character. You play as the main character and as you click to each side of the screen most of the time he would walk into the next location unless he wasn't able to access the area but you as the player were able to view the area.Notable gameplay mechanics: I don't remember there being levels it was more of a collect & interact to get to the next location or point in the story however I don't think I ever finished the game. There weren't any boss fights or specific quests from any characters from what I remember, you more just had to get through the game.
Other details: The game started with a cut scene of the main character and side character starting to lose control of/ falling inside what seemed to be a spaceship (pretty much the interior of this ship shaking witch the characters) & I'm pretty sure the side character mentions or shouts a phrase along the lines of "Leo be careful!". The cut scene either ends or continues after the spaceship's crash (stil only view of the interior) & after the cut scene you can explore the buttons/broken factors of the spaceship & other areas outside it.
That's all, I hope this information is useful. Thankyou to anyone willing to help me find the game :)

Hey I’m 21F now, the instance I’m talking about was from when I was in 17. I was hanging out with a few of my friends and we were all getting drunk at the beginning of the night. I was starting to sober up more around 3-4 am but still was a little bit drunk. (Not drunk enough to not remember anything) My friend was also 17 and was hugging me a lot throughout the night but I didn’t think it was weird I’ve usually been always physically affection (hugs and cuddles) with all of my friends, and nothing sexual ever came out of it. I knew this guy for about 4 years at this point. I got hungry and I wanted to go to McDonald’s at like 5 in the morning so we all loaded up in one car. There was 6 people and only 5 seats, so I just sat in my friend’s lap. The whole ride there I could feel him grinding on me. I didn’t wanna make a huge scene because there was alot of people in the car that I didn’t really know that well, so I didn’t say anything. Whenever we got back to the house I was really scared to move at all because I didn’t want to give him the wrong impression. After everyone got out of the car he reached his hand over me and started rubbing my vagina through my leggings for like a split second before I pulled his arm away and got out of the car. He hopped up and said “I’m sorry I’m sorry” then went back inside really quickly. The next morning I asked him why he did that and he just said “I don’t know” and went back to sleep so I went outside to smoke a cigarette. His brother was another close friend of mine and he was asking to come smoke with me and I told him what happened. Him and his brother started gaslighting the fuck out of me saying that he didn’t even remember that happening, we were all drunk, and he even said “how do we know you weren’t going around touching us?” So I just started crying and I left. He texted me again trying to apologize but he was still saying he didn’t remember doing that so I went off on him pretty bad. He worked with me so I went to work and went off on him again (he got in trouble 🫣 but no one said anything to me lol). He grew up in an abusive home and got removed a little after I first met him. His brothers mom adopted him. He ended going to prison maybe not even a year later (not really sure what for). I feel really bad for treating him that way now because I know he didn’t have much guidance growing up and I don’t really know if I should’ve been so mad about that. Was that even a sexual assault? Or should I just let it go when he said sorry the first time?

Checking what is available at the moment, considering my budget and my optimal fit (backed by bike fitting and my own fitting knowledge I gathered other the years) - I am left with two options.
Yes I ride in the wet. Not on purpose but it happens. Yes I ride in the winter. Yes I ride descents. Not terrible steep or long but it frequently happens. I go fast. So no leisure riding. Looking at the price it is a no brainer. Specs and geometry are roughly the same.
My concern with rim brakes are:

1. in the long run I may have to spend more money on wheels, evening out the saved money in comparison to the disc. I mean, wheelsets are expensive, even alloy ones and I don’t wanna buy those used.
2. safety regarding emergency stop. If you expect something happening, you can simply brake earlier. If not - can the shorter braking distance save me from hospital or not?
3. less confidence while descending. I mainly rode disc brakes before and feathered the brakes pretty often and consistent to keep a speed where I feel safe - probably 25mph, so that I am able to stop quicker. Would this be possibly with rim brakes? probably not?

I know that in the country where I live there is much traffic on every road, so it is rare that I get into a terrain, where I don’t have to expect other people, putting me in dangerous situations. So I need a braking system, that is reliable regarding emergency stops. I don’t really worry about weather conditions, because if it rains I drive more slowly anyway. But how is rain in combination with descending? Even more difficult?
I would appreciate detailed experiences, rather than bashing one of the braking systems. I know there is a lot of passion involved, but I don’t wanna start a warfare.

Foundations of Humanity 26 (First Impressions) - an NoP fanfic
Thank you u/SpacePaladin15 for establishing the Nature of Predators Universe, and for allowing Fanfics to flourish!
Thank you again, u/Braquen, u/Acceptable_Egg5560, u/Liberty-Prime76 and u/BiasMushroom721 for proofreading! This is my side of the Nature of a Giant crossover!
Huu boi this got to 34k characters, so had to split the chapter. Hooray making a backlog!
First - Previous - [Next]
Memory transcription subject: Valek, Venlil tourist
Date [standardized human time]: Sept 11th, 2136. Middle of 3rd Claw
I thought of happy memories of the last time my class and I had visited, “I couldn’t figure it out last time, but I was just a pup with a bunch of other pups back then. I know it has something to do with reattaching lines in the right configuration, but every time I got close--”
A black mass. A yawning, toothy pit! Hungry barks! “Teeth! TEETH! PREDATOR!”
I could see the beast’s gaping maw crawling forward to swallow me whole! I couldn’t let it get me! It would eat me! I couldn’t stop my momentum; I just kept getting closer to the inky void and gnashing teeth! I collided with the predator and thrashed and flailed against its wild mane, before my back legs found purchase and I launched myself back from whence I came.
Maeve’s voice shouted from behind just before her arm wrapped around me and halted my retreat, “What the hell, Valek? There’s no Predators he-EOLY SHIT!”
Finding sanctuary against my mate, I found my voice once more. “Big! Teeth! Call the Exterminators! Help! Teeth!” I thrashed in Maeve’s arm, trying to scratch at my prowling assailant.
A voice echoed from near the threat as another form appeared. “What happened?” A human? Another threat? He’s near the predator! He was looking at us! “Y’all okay?” His head turned toward the beast. “You okay?”
“I’m fine! Mostly surprised!” It imitated a Venlil with its movements, but I knew better! “It’s okay! I’m not here to hurt you!”
It was toying with us! Trying to get us off-guard! “Don’t eat us!” Protect your mate! “She’s dealt with Predators already! You’ll be sorry!”
I suddenly felt Maeve shake me. “That’s enough, Valek; get a hold of yourself.”
Get a hold of myself? Doesn’t she realize the threat? The-
“You forgot to say I should be set on fire, or that I’m a freak of nature.” I heard the beast say, now grabbing the edges of the hallway. “In case you need suggestions for insults.”
My voice faltered as I tried to understand it. The words were there, but my mind just couldn’t accept them. Maeve fell silent above me, but continued to hold me fast.
The other human brought itself beside the giant, “Oh my! ‘Nother human! Howdy there!” He raised his hand to his head, touching two fingers to his forehead, then flicking them in our direction. A gesture of greeting.
My ears snapped to the human as I tried to reconcile the friendly gesture amid my panic. Maeve, however, was undeterred and floated past me, coming closer to the monster. Alvi held my shoulder, and supported us against a nearby rope.
“Wow! You… You’re huge!” She had that same wonder in her voice that she always had when she found something new.
In response, I heard the familiar whistle of a Venlil laugh. It was coming from the… it’s a Venlil? “Yes. It’s a condition.”
Maeve continued her approach. She didn’t look the least bit afraid. Even though her arm remained in a cast; a cast given to her by the last predator she tangled with. But continue, she did. “I didn’t know Venlil could display gigantism! That’s incredible!”
I blinked. Gigantism? The translator was unhelpfully vague, something about making things big. The giant seemed similarly confused, “I’m sorry, my translator didn’t quite get that. Display what?”
Maeve reached back to us and I took her hand, and Alvi’s in my other, before she pulled us with her along the corridor. “Gigantism. It’s when a tumor grows on the pituitary gland controlling growth hormones, which causes it to overproduce. It can cause people to grow extremely tall.”
The creature’s confusion seemed to grow, though its body wobbled along with its tail; excitement? “Humans have Marklen-Jauntes syndrome??” Maeve asked for clarification before it continued, “Marklen-Jauntes Syndrome, named after twin giants. Its symptoms are basically exactly what you described!”
Maeve clapped her hands together with a quiet snap, “Oh! It sure sounds like it!”
The giant pushed off from the doorway, and Maeve pulled us into the boxy junction. Their conversation faded in my ears as the realization hit me. It was a syndrome. A medical condition. Maeve had moved to float around the giant as she and the other pair began talking in earnest. I felt Alvi squeeze my paw. “Valek. You okay there?”
My ears fell in worry, “I… I don’t know. I mean look at it! How can Maeve not be terrified of that?”
Alvi ran her paw through the fur on my shoulder, “I think she may have seen worse by now.”
The memory of those shadestalkers on the ground, and Maeve’s shriek of furious pain on the wind sent a chill down my spine. “But shouldn’t that make her more cautious? Make sure that doesn’t happen again?”
Alvi tapped the tuft of her tail against me, a lilt of humor on her voice, “If Maeve were cautious, do you think she would have joined the program? Or came to the Berrypatch?”
I pulled Alvi tighter against me; she was absolutely right. My attention drifted back to their conversation; they were talking about the medical issues of giants. I fully focused on what they were saying as Maeve was finishing her thought,
“... Hopefully, with the Venlil's help, that will change!"
The giant’s ears fell in...shame? It has shame? “You would have to keep it secret. If it was known it was to help giants, the Venlil might refuse.”
Hold on, we would gladly help! “W-we wouldn’t!” The giant’s eyes and ears focused on me, while Maeve and the other human turned to face me. "Our people wouldn't keep secrets like that just because they're big! We may not be the ones in the clinic, but we would gladly offer medicine and equipment.”
The giant let out a deep huff, as if I told a bad joke! “Sir… I’m guessing you haven’t heard of me. Is that correct?”
“N-no?” My tail curled around Alvi and I at my admission. “Should I…?”
The giant’s massive tail swayed behind them, “I guess introductions are in order. My name is Tarlim.”
“The Venbig!” The human announced with a flourish while he slowly floated past ‘Tarlim’s’ front, while the latter whistled in amusement.
“Yes. The ‘Venbig.’ And the Texan there is Jacob.” I saw his tail wag at the name. A sign of fondness for a friend. “May I know who all of you are?”
“I am Maeve, a pleasure to meet you,” She nodded, as she shifted her grip on the rope to reveal Alvi and I behind her. “This is Valek, my exchange partner,” I reflexively flicked my ears in acknowledgment, “And this is Alvi, a close friend of ours.”
Alvi hadn’t moved much beyond floating. She had one eye turned to stare fully at the giant, but otherwise seemed to have locked up, as she had before.
The giant, Tarlim, returned our greeting with a polite bow as he steadied himself on some overhead netting. “Good to meet you. Now, the reason I asked is this: I was imprisoned in a correctional facility before I was able to escape.”
Escape?! I exclaimed, in thought and in voice, “Y-You escaped??”
The giant tried to deceive us, but it couldn’t keep its condition a secret! I put myself between it and Alvi, “Get away from him! He’s dangerous!”
Maeve tried to be kind, “Valek if he’s here I would hardly think-”
But she didn’t know what that meant! We made a promise that we would teach each other about our people, even the bad parts. I had to warn her about it! “Correctional Facilities are where we put dangerous Venlil! People with Predator Disease who have shown themselves to be a threat to the Herd! We try to teach them how to live with the Herd, but if he escaped? He's gotta be dangerous if he had to break out!” I kept the threatening beast in my sight as I put myself between them and my herd.
The beast crouched threateningly, Fixing me with a predatory stare as its ears locked onto me, “Dangerous? Do you know what they put me through in there? The people running those places are monsters!”
“They help people!” I protested, amazed that someone could see their own care as harmful. “They treat people so they are safe around the herd!”
“Oh, HA!” The beast’s face cracked in an angry snarl, “You must feel so safe when we’re strapped into chairs and electrified! Or jammed into rooms where the only safe floor is too small for everyone! It must be soooo perfect to hear about that!”
“Th… That…” They WHAT?! No! “No! Even if that were true, it would be to teach you to stick together! They… They wouldn’t do something like that if it didn’t work!” …right?
A tiny voice spoke behind me, but the beast bore down on my senses, “Stick together! Suuuure!” It’s tail lashed behind it. It was going to pounce! “That’s why they tried to kill me for making sure more people could fit in the Circle! And obviously the electric chair was for proper fear response! That's why they commissioned a chair with enough voltage to fry me from the inside out!”
“Electric chair? You were in an electric chair?” That same tiny voice. Alvi’s words pulled me from my maelstrom and I reached for salvation. I needed Maeve.
“Yes!” The Giant had turned his attention to Alvi as I flew towards my human. “I have been put in that-”
“I saw you on the TV!”
I was wrapping myself around Maeve when Alvi said that. She… saw him? He was on TV? All of us had fallen silent to watch her, including the giant.
“Which part?” It asked with a heavy breath. “The final judgment? The election debates?” I heard a whimper coming from its throat. “When… when my father…?”
Father? It had a father? Wait, why is that a surprise? They were born, so they must have had one.
Alvi spoke with what kindness she could, “I don’t remember much. I was still just a pup when the trial started, but I remember seeing your photo on the TV. My parents didn’t let me watch it after that. I started to research it after I moved out, that’s when I saw the Chair.”
I heard the giant growl. “That Brahking photo! They were so proud to hold me up even though I couldn’t!” Their attention swung back to me. “I don’t suppose, mister Valek, that was also justified?”
I stood tall at the challenge. This… They would not get past me. “I…! I don’t know about any photo! My Family doesn't have a TV, just a radio.”
They flicked their ears dismissively, before bringing them back to Alvi. Was it… kinder? When it was addressing her? “So you saw the chair.” They sighed. “It was only shown after the trial was done. Then you had to have seen what that management did. Instead of letting the place be investigated, they drove all the inmates outside so they could cause chaos! And slipped away while everyone was trying to figure out what happened!” It whistled a derisive laugh, “What about the crimes revealed? Producing and testing drugs to sell on the streets? How the sessions were altered for higher voltage? Oh! And do I even need to mention what happened to the women there?”
Its eye never left me, and I shrunk beneath it while Alvi spoke behind me, “No. No you don’t. What happened there was terrible, there’s no grooming that!”
“Worthy of the Arxur!” It huffed again. “What a title for that place. And you know what the worst part is?” It pointed directly at me with its primary claw; the insult clear in its seething voice. Singling me out as outside of the Herd. “I was in there because of that! Not some test, not Predator Disease, just stupid people Scared. O-Of. My. Size!!”
The rage in its throat was broken by its sobs, as its eyes bubbled with gathered tears, unable to fall for lack of gravity. This thing was crying? It had family, and it cried from remembered pain?
Maeve pushed off of her line, and drifted to the giant, her hand curling around their pointed claw and putting its paw back to their chest. Her words were quiet, a sharp contrast to the giant’s anguish. “I think that’s enough of that. I’m sorry that we had a rough start. We were in the wrong, and it wasn’t, and isn’t, ok for us to react like we did.”
We weren’t wrong! Look at it! How can we be wrong to be careful around something that could eat us without a thought?
I bet your dad thought the same thing.
The thought stopped my heart and flared my wool. When I saw it - No. Saw Him. - when I saw him I scratched and kicked, and I came out unscathed. He hadn’t so much as taken a single step toward us. Only talking. What happened? Why was I so afraid…
Maeve’s voice continued as my thoughts swirled, “We… are sorry for what happened, and want to make it right. I don’t want to intrude any more on your day with your partner, but can we treat you to something here? Valek tells me they have really good fried veg? I’ve never had Venlil Tempura before.”
Why is this familiar? What about this fear… The Meetup.
It-He… Tarlim? Heaved and hacked against waning sobs, barely croaking, “Y-You…you can’t make it right,” the words were only a whisper; barely captured at this distance. “This, all this, just made you more afraid of me. E-Every moment would be forced and shamed. Not genuine.”
This is the same fear I felt when I met Maeve. The same fear that was wrong. Fundamentally and completely. This fear…
Maeve answered without pause, “I think we could surprise you. But I won’t press it. Before I let you go, I’d like to end on a good…noooote…” Maeve checked her empty pockets, as her voice grew a more boisterous timbre, “ah man, I left my pad in the locker. Anyway, you’re way fluffier than the average Venlil, aren’t you? Well, humans have recorded something else called Hypertrichosis; Jacob may know it as Werewolf Syndrome. It manifests in humans as rapid and thick hair growth over their entire body! Jacob can show you when you get back to your pads. ”
Tarlim’s tail thrashed in distrust, but it-NO! HIS! ears fluttered, giving away their conflict. Maeve turned away and pulled herself back down the corridor we came from, scooping up Alvi and I as she passed. But I pulled away from her hand, meeting the eye of the giant.
Nothing about this fear is real. Who I am and what I do is MY CHOICE, and I had the gall to forget that.
“I reacted to you the same way I reacted to seeing Maeve for the first time - well, her hair, anyway. I’ve tried to be better, but I mess up sometimes. I’m… I’m sorry I messed up with you.”
I pushed off down the hall, and met my herd before we continued on.
“Wait!” We found our anchors, and turned to meet the bellowed plea. Tarlim dried his tears on his wool, before looking back at us. “There's a food court near the arcade.” Barely a pause as Tarlim took another breath; the same one I take when I make a Choice. “If we see each other there maybe… maybe we can start over…”
My mouth cracked in a human smile, and my tail swayed at the invitation. “I think I’d like that.”
Tarlim returned our kindness as we floated back down the corridor.
I wanted to just get back to having fun. I had come here with Maeve and Alvi to get away from reactions like that! Not… Not Be the reaction! This was- this was a vacation! Please just…
Breathe.
In. and Out. The Paw is not gone. We can make this work.
“Hey, Valek?” It was Maeve. My love, and my Choice. Her mask met my eye as I spun to meet her. “Are you OK?”
“I will be. I’m sorry for how I reacted.” I feigned a joyful flick and invited them to follow, “Come on! We can take another path and find something fun that way.” I floated ahead of my herd and led the way.
I checked behind me at the next turn and they were following a distance behind. Alvi showed her concern with her tail, while Maeve was unreadable through her mask. It was ok, we can put this behind us once we find something else to occupy us.
Well that was a disaster.
The Maze was more of a problem then I expected it to be. The maze itself was easy enough, but the ‘puzzle rooms’ turned out to be all of the rooms, but they were randomly activated. Sometimes we would fly into a room and it would shift color, pulling the supports into the wall and starting to list the game rules. The last room before we got out kept shifting the gravity, so by the time we made it to the exit we were exhausted in mind and body. Well, Alvi and I were. I don’t believe I had seen Maeve so energized.
“Wanna go again?!” Her voice was bubbling with sarcasm, and she couldn't contain her mischievous cackle when Alvi and I met her mask and signaled an emphatic No! In unison.
She pulled Alvi against her and asked her to hold on, quickly doing the same to me. She pushed off from the Maze exit to the open air in the center. She did the same kick as back in the maze and we started to spin, at which Maeve let go of the two of us to slow our inertia. We spun there together, holding paws and hands, before I spoke into the space between us.
“I’m sorry that I ruined the day. I thought we could go back to having fun, but I spoiled the mood.”
Maeve spoke first, “It’s alright Valek,”
Then Alvi, “It may not have been the best start, but he offered to try again.”
Maeve squeezed my paw and met my eye, “And I look forward to it. That's all we can really do: move forward.” She pulled us back into a tight hug, “Thank you, both of you, for a wonderful day.”
An angry gurgle bubbled up from our embrace, and Maeve continued, “But I could really do with a proper meal. Valek, you mentioned something about fried veg?”
I pulled away and looked around at the various signage, pointing at the exit we had entered from. “The food court connects with the Visor Arcade, so we can go out the way we came in.”
“Alright! Alvi, you hold on, and Valek? Don’t.”
“What?”
Maeve kicked her legs again and set us spinning quickly, before flinging me in the direction of the exit, and she and Alvi the opposite way. I may or may not have squealed in terror during my hasty flight.
I was able to catch a support line as I passed. I looked out to see that Maeve had done the same, and was just pushing off to come my direction; Alvi was completely wrapped around her torso, like she was caught out in Galetime.
My tail thrashed behind me in admonishment when Maeve was in ear-sense. “You evil woman! You could have killed me!”
I could hear her - no, Alvi! - giggling as they floated over! She was having the time of her life! Maeve defended herself breathlessly, “Oh, come on, that was barely a brisk walk. I knew you’d correct yourself, that’s why I threw you instead of Alvi.”
I hit the pad and opened the bulkhead as they met me, Maeve barely correcting against a passing line to float cleanly through the threshold. Alvi disengaged once we were all inside. “Also because I’m her favorite.”
I flattened my ears in playful anger while she stuck her tongue out at me, and Maeve spoke up from the button. “Now, now, children, I love you both equally. One is just a little more biblical than the other.”
A little more religious? What?
“But I think it is time to come back to earth.” her hand hovered over the button while Alvi and I found our supports.
A button pressed, a growing hum, and our feet met the floor … Eventually. We had forgotten to remember that the floor was White, so we all collapsed on the semi-soft ground head-first. Thank the Sun for padding!
“Okay!” I heard Alvi comment, “Seems we’ve been re-educated on where the ground is.” She stood, shaking her wool. “Wish it hadn’t been a crash course.”
Maeve cackled from the floor as I stood, “HaHa! Multilingual pun! I love it!”
She was still giggling when we walked over to help her up. We were just dusting ourselves and flattening errant tufts when the exit hatch opened, and we stepped outside.
Alvi was last to step over the bulkhead, nearly tripping as her paw caught its lip. Having recovered, she asked, “Anything else you would like to do before lunch Maeve?”
Maeve took a quiet breath as we all waved an excited goodbye to Shishi, cold can of Sprunk in paw. “Speaking from experience, if we wanna do VR, and I kinda do, eating before may be unwise.”
Having reached our locker, I waited for Maeve to don her burka, “The Visor Arcade is on the way, and I’d love to show you this quick sightseeing game. It’s pretty basic, but it will show a few other Federation Homeworlds too!”
Maeve’s voice lit up, and I regretted that her eyes were hidden, as I knew they were shining! “I can see More worlds?! Yes, please! Let’s do that!” Maeve bounded forward almost to around the corner. “Uh… Where is it?”
I flicked my tail teasingly, “It is where we are going. You shouldn’t go running off, you know how strangers are.”
Maeve stood at the corner with her good hand on her hip, “Well then be a good boy and lead the way!”
I could feel my snout quickly blooming.
Oh, that’s not fair.
First - Previous - [Next]

I’m very confused about my life, my cognitive potential and so on.
I was categorized (at 17 yo) by a psychotherapist (in our last meeting) as an HSP (highly-sensitive person) with the addition of being a “person with VERY high cognitive resources”, without trying any WAIS test or something similar, just through a deduction; she just told me and my parents about this sure trait of hypersensitivity and the “high cognitive resources” thing. I actually never understood what she meant to say with that sentence and, a part from the rest, I will be very glad if someone could explain deeply, because I interpreted that as she was telling me I was gifted, but I’m not that sure.
Anyway, we were both aware of the fact that I actually had some skills that my peers didn’t seem to manifest, but everytime I asked her the motive why I was born with them, she would always tell me that she didn’t know, and couldn’t explain how this was possible because it was just a coincidence that I was born like this.
Now I’m 18 and since our last meeting I’ve start reading and learning a lot about giftedness by watching videos of ascertained people or reading books. The more I compared myself with the stories I read, the more I realized that I could perfectly mirror in them (both in lifestyles and in thought processes).
Now the worst part is that, when I think about myself as a “high cognitive skills person” I always find it impossible to believe. I perceive myself as a very stupid, inconsistent and naive person and the very last thing I could imagine is that I could be somewhat gifted, even if a lot of my relatives and friends have always noticed my abilities and congratulated with me. It seems like I’m unable to notice them as they do.
I feel trapped in a sort of vortex in which I don’t know who I really am and what kind of potential I have, what are my limits…
I also thought of trying an IQ test, but the truth is that I don’t need a number to confirm my identity, I just need a long chat with someone that could help me understand my real nature to be more aware of my skills and make the most of them in the future.
some advice?

For a while, it looked like this would become my GOTY at the time of playing.
Control is awesome. It’s one of those games that you just want to play because of how good it feels to play it, which to me, was a Remedy first. I’ve always loved their games due to the aesthetics and narratives they encapsulate. The problem with them was always the mechanical side. From Max Payne to Quantum Break, none of their games have ever played great. Control is absolutely no different when it comes to story and art direction: the game looks incredible, with a very stylised presentation and masterful use of light, colour and cinematic tone. But what it does do differently is showing us Remedy at their gameplay peak.
I am actually somewhat shocked to see how much the studio has evolved on the gameplay front in a three-year span, since Quantum Break. The best example of this, apart from the character movement, can be found in the Arkane-like abilities Control allows you to use. You can shield, levitate, dash, and most notably, you can use virtually anything as a weapon (including enemies) by launching them. The latter in particular feels phenomenal to engage with. With the help of the surprising destructible environments, combat and interactivity become an absolute blast, and Launch becomes your main means of aggression - even if the game also offers you several effective, unique-looking guns to use. Tied to this is a rewarding sense of progression and power fantasy that Control infuses in the game as you through it and improve your abilities. This, more than anything, is the part of the game that I really loved.
Control is much more than that though. In true Remedy fashion, the story is rather mysterious, never straightforward and constantly engaging, even if the ending is a bit underwhelming. There are some truly interesting moments, impactful revelations, and if I had any criticism to levy against it, I’d say that the urgency imprinted on the narrative makes it illogical for the player to deviate from it in order to tackle some of the side content (though you can safely ignore stuff like the somewhat pointless Bureau Alert missions). Control’s story is highly interesting in the way that Max Payne, Alan Wake and Quantum Break’s stories are highly interesting. And part of it is handled through captivating worldbuilding and exposition, not just through documents, but through videos and curated shows (The Threshold Kids episodes are amongst the weirdest, creepiest things I’ve seen in games in recent years).
In fact, after playing it, I don’t understand the criticism I had heard saying there’s ‘too much to read’ in the game. I didn’t feel that - at all - at any point during the main campaign. The only exception to this was the AWE DLC, which in my opinion contained way too many collectibles, was way too driven by a fan-service appeal and, as a whole, was a low point in the whole Control experience. In fact, the introduction of this DLC towards the end-game phase threw off the pacing in a way that was so frustrating that made me ignore it and go back to focus on the main story. A story which, ironically, didn’t even need that expansion to offer the fans really interesting, logical and satisfying connections to the Alan Wake universe. Personally, I think the AWE expansion would’ve worked much better if unlocked only after the main game, since you can continue to play it anyway.
Another thing I loved about Control was its level design, which again, showed us Remedy in a way we hadn’t quite seen before. The Bureau building is incredible, vast, unique, and in a lot of ways a character in itself. Granted, navigation is a bit confusing until you get the hang of it, and if I’m being honest, I wasn’t really fond of the fact that some of the areas are initially locked - metroidvania-style - for no real reason. But the fast travel system works quite well and makes backtracking feel seamless, so no real issues there. Getting to know the building, with all its nooks and secrets, was an absolute joy and delivered no short amount of surprises and really high moments.
So my overall impression after playing Control is a really, really positive one. I ended up not loving it as much as Alan Wake just because I personally felt the story wasn’t as good and didn’t quite stick the landing. But there’s no denying that there are a lot of things in this game that highlight Remedy’s technical evolution and cement them as one of the most interesting, identifiable studios in the industry. Highly recommended. 8.5/10

OK, in this little video, flat earther influencer Jessie Johnson attempts to count the number of flat earthers in the world using something that is a little bit like math. But, the thing that jumped out at me was him talking about an East Pole and a West Pole. That's my first exposure to that flerfy idea.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hd5X5VnZf1Y
And, of course, the estimated number of flerfs that Mr. Johnson comes up with is wildly delusional. He estimates 6.3 billion are kind of flat earthers, and 3.5 billion are hardened flat earthers. The distinction being that if you are a hardened flat earther, there is no possible way that anything would ever dissuade you from the truth!
But the upshot was the whole east and west pole thing. Anyone heard of that silliness before? Inquiring minds want to know!

Hello everyone Two weeks ago, a beautiful black cat broke in to my office building, pooed under 4 desks, and stole my heart.
I took the sweet boy to the vet for neuter and other essentials, and brought him home for recovery. I followed Jackson Galaxy's advice to ween him into the house since resident cat has been an only cat for quite a while, the problem is that new cat (aptly named Michael Scott due to his office antics) refuses to come out from behind the toilet and hisses whenever I get close to him.
I know it takes time, but I feel so bad hiding him away like this, even though he is choosing it.
He uses the litter pan like a champ, he eats like a horse, and he will take treats out of my hand, but he is not interested in my hands when there is no snack in it. He also doesn't want to play. I am afraid to attempt to introduce Gizmo (resident cat) to Michael until Michael knows he can trust me.
A coworker offered to take him to her sister's farm so he could be a barn cat, and I am wondering if that is the best thing for him, but I also don't want to give up on him if he might eventually enjoy his life here.
So any cat pros out there with any guidance would be appreciated!

My WLED/HyperHDR set up is working fine, however I'm pulling out what little hair I have left trying to get my receiver to recognize my capture cards are 4K. I've tried both of these:
DADAWE Audio Video Capture Card 4K 60FPS Game Capture Card
Rybozen 4K Audio Video Capture Card, USB 3.0 HDMI Video Capture Device, Full HD 1080P for Game Recording, Live Streaming Broadcasting
My receiver (Marantz Cinema 50) says it's capable of 4k, but it's downscaling everything to 1080p, and stripping out HDDolby Vision (Atmos and DTS:X work fine). Here are the available video modes, and here's what's available when I switch to 60fps.
I see people using these capture cards as advertised, so I must be doing something wrong. I also find it odd that the drivers for these devices are generic Windows drivers from 2006, and I haven't been able to update them.
I hope this is the right community to be posting in. Anyone have any ideas?

Once Michael Afton's body burnt to ashes in the fire, his soul had no place to go. It wandered around the world of animatronics for a while, lost and confused. Michael had faced so much terror and horror working at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, but now he was beginning to feel as though it was all for nothing.
After a while, Michael's ghost happened upon a brand new establishment - Glamrock Freddy's Mega Pizza Plex. It was a massive, state-of-the-art animatronic entertainment center, complete with games, rides, and the most advanced animatronics the world had ever seen. Michael was shocked - he had no idea that out in the world, things had progressed so much since his time working at Freddy Fazbear's.
But as he roamed around the dimly lit corridors, he suddenly felt a strange pull towards one of the animatronics - a large, hulking figure that seemed to be glowing with some kind of inner energy. As he approached it, the figure spoke to him. "Hello, Michael," it said, its voice smooth and warm. "I've been waiting for you."
Michael was startled - how had this animatronic known his name? But as the figure stepped closer, Michael suddenly felt everything snap into place. He realized that this animatronic was none other than Glamrock Freddy itself - and somehow, it had become infused with his own ghostly essence.
At first, Michael was excited - he realized that he could finally be something more than just a lost and wandering soul. With Glamrock Freddy's advanced animatronic body, he could start anew - maybe even find his way back to the world of the living.
But as he started to manipulate the body, to learn its movements and abilities, he realized that something wasn't quite right. The animatronic seemed to be glitching out - twitching spasmodically, its eyes flickering in and out of focus. And then, he realized with dawning horror that the programming that brought Glamrock Freddy to life was starting to merge with his own consciousness.
As Michael struggled to keep himself separate from the overwhelming force of the animatronic programming, he began to realize the true extent of what had happened. He had become a part of something far greater than himself - a new type of entity that condensed both soul and machine. And as he stood, staring off into the distance, he knew that he was part of something that would change the animatronic world forever.

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So, I’ve recently been thinking about what I actually want to play solo, and I figured I’d bring the discussion outside my own head.
Some of the hyper-popular systems designed with solo in mind are are Narrative-focused. Ironsworn and the many many journaling games—it really just comes down to stats and dice and Oracles. You don’t really have individual class mechanics or “mini games” representing different systems. Fishing is a roll. Finding things is the same sort of rolls.
Most games with individual classes with specific abilities or systems to interact with are not primarily solo and just your standard systems being played with Mythic or something.
Do you guys find that too much in the way of systems (say, like, the crafting portion of Scraps) and less focus on freeform roleplay pushes you away from a game? (Like, at that point, would you rather just play a videogame?)
I was thinking about this when playing Apothecaria and wishing there was more to the potion-making and finding ingredients. And then playing some games on Steam that had the sort of systems I’d like to see… but then, would I actually enjoy that as a ttrpg?
Meanwhile, Scraps has the core crafting system, but then very little surrounding it so that it’s basically just a journaling game with a single mechanical system attached, and that doesn’t feel like enough to me either.
But then I have to wonder… would I actually want to play a solo ttrpg village witch game that had separate systems/mini games for fishing, gardening, potion-making, and “dungeon-delving” for ingredients? Or at that point would I just be like “eh. I’ll go play Stardew Valley”
What do you all think? Where do you fall on the question of “how many systems is too much for a solo ttrpg experience before it’s more appealing to just play a videogame”? Are there any examples of Solo ttrpgs with a variety of systems to cover different activities?