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Joined 1 year ago
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Cake day: June 16th, 2023

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  • I was on both sides of the coin growing up - Often the bullied but sometimes getting my chance to be the asshole kid.

    It wasn’t until high school when a kid was insulting one of my friends that really turned it. The kid decided, because I “stuck my nose in their business” that he wanted to fight me. The fight was one-sided because I didn’t want to fight but the result was me getting myself into boxing and wrestling. Most people didn’t know I had gotten fight training but people largely left me alone after that simply because I didn’t back down or go passive anymore. It’s not worth it for a bully to go after someone who could hurt them when they have so many targets who won’t bother or don’t know how to defend themselves.

    I’d say, my best advice, learn how to protect yourself. Having the confidence to stand in-front of a bully and let them know that you won’t take their shit anymore is often enough to deter them. Should they choose to “fuck around and find out”, defend yourself. Try not to embarrass them, especially if you are in the US, but showing them that not only can you defend yourself but can fight, they are more likely to leave you alone in the future.

    Before I got fight training I suffered multiple trips to the hospital for stitches and concussions. Afterwards, I never had to defend myself. Violence is not a great answer but when faced with violence, we must know how to and be willing to protect ourselves.


  • My writing resolution was to simply put less pressure on myself to write “a thing” and to spend more time just writing. So far it is going well. Whether I want to write something that is only 3 paragraphs or 30 pages, I’m giving myself that freedom.

    I wrote a cyber-punk short that ended up only being a few pages with a time-skip in the middle because I couldn’t figure out how write the middle part. Then I decided “it’s cyber-punk, everyone knows how the middle goes” and wrote the last bits instead. Not something that would be published but always trying to write something that would be publish-able is what stopped me from writing in the first place.




  • I understand the purpose of the article and it is important to be critical of whatever party is in power because they certainly aren’t going to do the right thing for the sake of doing the right thing. I’m not a supporter of the Liberal party but this article doesn’t really point out the issue. The issue is the misplacement of blame.

    The article talks about how the Federal Liberals aren’t doing anything about housing and consumer affordability but those are provincial issues. Yukon, Newfoundland, and British Columbia are the only provinces currently not run by conservatives. The most effective communications the Federal Liberals could do would be to educate the populace on what is within their power to change and what is a provincial responsibility. It likely won’t matter much because a large number of voters aren’t interested in educating themselves on politics. But the majority don’t understand Federal vs Provincial vs Municipal jurisdiction.

    Ultimately, I think the only thing the Federal Liberals can do is focus on the messaging. They are achieving important things but they can’t change the things that are impacting the average Canadian on a day-to-day basis. Minimum wage is a provincial issue. Rent and housing is a provincial issue. Health care is a provincial issue. Heck, even the climate change stuff the Provincial Conservatives fought tooth-and-nail on and lost but continue to refuse to address it themselves. I’m not sure what the writer of the article is expecting the Federal government to do other than trying to inform the populace of what they can control and where they need the provinces to do their part to solve these crises.


  • I cycle through feeling like I’m not doing anything and feeling like I’m too tired to do anything. Largely I’ve accepted that, in my situation, I can help best by ensuring I’m creating safe spaces for people and sharing my differing opinion when asked.

    I’ve learned what people it is safe to share these opinions around and who it isn’t. I don’t interact with certain members of my family because of their conservative viewpoints. But I’ve made it clear to others in the family that I am more socialist and accepting and willing to give them a space to explore and ask questions.

    I get anxious a lot. I struggle with mental health issues and wish there was a way I could have a bigger impact. But it is also important to recognize how much energy you have to give. It might not feel like a lot but if it is what you can handle without burning yourself out, that’s very important. The fear of backlash from the wider community in your situation is a very real fear and you are not failing anyone by acknowledging this and keeping yourself safe. But making the groups of people who are seeking someone to talk to when they don’t agree with the local consensus is a huge step in changing the way an area thinks. Or, at the very least, could help some people realize they don’t fit/aren’t welcome somewhere and go somewhere they are.



  • While what you say is absolutely correct, keep in mind that the profits a game makes go to the company. The workers are already paid. If a game doesn’t make money it would likely mean those people at the bottom would lose their jobs but the people at the top will absolutely get their share. But stealing a game like this doesn’t mean people aren’t getting paid. If Bethesda feels like the game doesn’t need all of the staff it took to make it, they’ll still get rid of them, regardless of how popular the game may be doing at any given time.

    Indie game studios stand a better chance at doing right by their employees but a capitalist society means the profits go to the top and the losses go to the bottom and rarely are indie studios exempt from this rule of economics.

    This person is being punished because they found a weakness in Bethesda’s setup and exploited it. It MIGHT be that if they had gone to Bethesda and let them know of this vulnerability rather than trying to sell what they had found that they would be been rewarded. But, more often than not, the companies who are shown a vulnerability still seek to punish those who point it out to them.


  • My friend, I was where you are now and have been multiple times. It took realizing that the people who made me feel that way were the very people who were supposed to love me. I’m sorry for your parent’s response to you, that is unacceptable. You are someone who needs help and needing help is not a weakness, it is just part of being human. Also, as their child, you didn’t ask to be born and you certainly didn’t ask to struggle with depression. You need support right now and I think you’ve done the right thing in looking for people to chat with.

    When I started to be more open about my struggles, a lot of people who I always thought “I don’t want to bother them with my presence” came forward and started making sure I felt included. Despite how your parents have made you feel, there are people out there who will love you for you and want to you to get better and will help you in their ways.

    You aren’t alone. There are far too many of us in the same situation. Medication, if it is available to you, can go a long way to helping you feel better. It isn’t the solution but it is a band-aid. If therapy is available to you, talking to someone impartial can truly be a life-saver. They can help you re-contextualize events and show you how and why the way you were treated wasn’t fair. A lot of things you may have internalized that feed your depressive beast can get unpacked and be a lot easier to deal with going forward.

    “Just be happy” is the most ableist shit ever. I was told the same by someone I was close to and they even admitted to me they struggled with depression, which really rocked me when I was young and didn’t have a name for what I was dealing with. If it were that easy, people with cancer would “Just not have cancer”.

    Good luck and I hope you can find a support network who actually care about you and want you around. There are definitely more people who will fall into that category as your life goes on than you probably believe right now. Be kind, especially to yourself.



  • Love seeing PE and LoD on here, both incredible games. I would also love to see Xenogears get a remaster that actually fleshes out a lot of the stuff left on the cutting room floor. I know we got Xenosaga - another one that would be great to have on modern hardware - and Xenoblade Chronicles but I truly miss that PS1 era of RPGs sticking with the turn-based model while trying to find ways to be unique.