My IGSRep page
My SGS Flair.
Selling picks in bundles from February 2023 to January 2020, and keys from December 2019. Just make an offer and we'll go from there! I'll look into offers, but do prefer Paypal. I will also gladly part with many of these keys for \*cheap**.*
Extra games:
- Vikings - Wolves of Midgard
- Boundless
- Train Valley 2
March 2023 Humble Choice: 8 picks remaining
- Biomutant
- Jurrasic World Evolution 2
- Edge of Eternity
- Hero's Hour
- Rogue Lords
- Demon Turf
- Golden Light
- Monster Crown
February 2023 Humble Choice: 6 picks remaining
- Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous
- Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales
- Shady Part of Me
- Scourgebringer
- Fobia - St. Difina Hotel
- Five Dates
January 2023 Humble Choice: 8 picks remaining
- Doom Eternal
- Tribes of Midgard
- ENCASED
- Olliolli World: Rad Edition
- Grow: Song of the Evertree
- Conan Chop Chop
- Hokko Life
- The Serpent Rogue
December 2022 Humble Choice: 8 picks remaining
- Wasteland 3
- Greedfall
- First Class Trouble
- Backbone
- TOEM
- Where The Water Tastes Like Wine
- Blade Assault
- Super Magbot
November 2022 Humble Choice: 8 picks remaining
- Hell Let Loose
- Kingdoms of Amular: Re-Reckoning - Fate Edition
- Shadow Tactics: Aiko's Choice
- Roboquest
- Eldest Souls
- Unmetal
- Raji: An Ancient Epic
- Morbid: The Seven Acolytes
October 2022 Humble Choice: 3 picks remaining
- Maid of Sker- Epic Chef
- Railroad Corporation
- Golf Gang
September 2022 Humble Choice: 4 picks remaining
- The Dungeon of Naheulbeuk: The Amulet of Chaos
- Forgive Me Father
- Crown Trick- Industria
- Shapez + Puzzle DLC
Also a 35% off CK3 Expansion Pass
August 2022 Humble Choice: 4 picks remaining
- In Sound Mind
- Mind Scanners
- Emily is away <3
- OMNO
July 2022 Humble Choice: 7 picks remaining
- Necromunda: Hired Gun
- Legion TD 2
- Legend of Keepers
- Lawn Mowing Simulator
- Banners of Ruin
- Yes, Your Grace
- ATOM RPG Trudograd
June 2022 Humble Choice: 6 picks remaining
- Star Wars Squadrons
- Call of the Sea
- Gamedec
- Pumpkin Jack
- Siege Survival: Gloria Victis
- I Am Fish
May 2022 Humble Choice: 4 picks remaining
- Command & Conquer Remastered Collection
- Spellcaster University
- Surviving The Aftermath
- If Found...- Genesis Noir- Embr
April 2022 Humble Choice: 6 picks remaining
- Ghostrunner
- Monster Sanctuary
- Killsquad
- Rogue Heroes: Ruins of Tasos
- Chicken Police
- Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Striker
March 2022 Humble Choice: 6 picks remaining
- Mass Effect Legendary Edition
- Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl
- Red Solstice 2: Survivors
- Nebuchadnezzar
- Police Stories
- Evan's Remains
February 2022 Humble Choice: 4 picks remaining
- Black Book
- Just Die Already
- Paradise Lost
- Everhood- Calico
January 2022 Humble Choice: 7 picks remaining
- Project Winter
- Rebel Cops- Rustler
- The Henry Stickmin Collection
- Farmer's Dynasty
- Between The Stars
- Retrowave
- Midnight Protocol
December 2021 Humble Choice: 7 picks remaining
- Mordhau
- Endzone: A World Apart
- Beyond the Wire
- The Survivalists
- Lacuna- 8 Doors
- Fling to the Finish
- Tohu- Voidigo
November 2021 Humble Choice: 6 picks remaining
- Due Process
- Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion
- SimpleRockets 2
- Timelie
- Wrath: Aeon of Ruin
- Mobius Front '83
October 2021 Humble Choice: 12 picks remaining
- Katana Zero
- Amnesia: Rebirth
- John Wick hex
- 112 Operator
- Guts and Glory
- Ring of Pain
- Garage: Bad Trip
- The Textorcist: The Story of Ray Bibbia
- Tools Up
- Hiveswap Friendsim
- Black Future '88
- Syberia 3
September 2021 Humble Choice: 6 picks remaining
- Roki- Narita Boy
- Heaven's Vault
- Swag and Sorcery
- Fort Triumph
- Orwell: Ignorance is Strength
- Framed Collection
August 2021 Humble Choice: 6 picks remaining
- Out of Space
- We Need to go Deeper
- Carto
- As Far As The Eye
- Drake Hollow
- Blue Fire- Encodya
July 2021 Humble Choice: 9 picks remaining
- Hammerting
- Nimbatus - The Space Drone Constructor
- Paradise Killer
- Kill it with Fire
- Bee Simulator
- Elderborn
- S.W.I.N.E. HD Remaster
- Deadly Days
- ADOM (Ancient Domains of Mystery)
June 2021 Humble Choice: 9 picks remaining
- Stubbs the Zombie in Rebel Without a Pulse
- Worms Rumble + Legends pack DLC
- Going Under
- Panzer Paladin
- Milky Way Prince - The Vampire Star
- Desolate
- Paw Paw Paw
- Effie
- Disjunction (GOG only)
May 2021 Humble Choice: 5 picks remaining
- Hellpoint
- Cook, Serve, Delicious! 3
- Levelhead
- Fury Unleashed
- Size Matters- Morkredd- Relicta- Retimed- Family Man- Vane
April 2021 Humble Choice: 10 picks remaining
- Shenmue III
- Main Assembly
- Rock of Ages 3: Make & Break
- Remothered: Broken Porcelain
- In Other Waters
- Aven Colony
- Simulacra + Simulacra 2
- Colt Canyon- Skully
- Popup Dungeon
March 2021 Humble Choice: 5 picks remaining
- XCOM: Chimera Squad
- WWE 2K Battlegrounds
- Hotshot Racing
- Peaky Blinders: Mastermind
- Cyber Hook- Pesterquest- Wildfire- Boreal Blade- Ageless
January 2021 Humble Choice: 10 picks remaining
- Pathologic 2
- Warhammer: Chaosbane
- Total Tank Simulator
- Song of Horror Complete Edition
- Not Tonight
- Vampire: The Masquerade - Shadows of New York
- Tales of the Neon Sea
- Minoria- Deleveled
- The Ambassador: Fractured Timelines
December 2020 Humble Choice: 10 picks remaining
- The Beast Inside
- Indivisible
- Shining Resonance Refrain
- Zwei: The Arges Adventure
- Zwei: The Ilvard Insurrection
- Tabletop Playground
- The Haunted Island, A Frog Detective Game
- Frog Detective 2: The Case of the Invisible Wizard
- Still There- Struggling
November 2020 Humble Choice: 7 picks remaining
- Darksburg
- Little Misfortune
- Smile for Me- Tsioque
- Rover Mechanic Simulator
- Youropa
- Townsmen - a Kingdom Rebuilt
May 2020 Humble Choice: 3 picks remaining
- Rise of Industry
- Niche - a genetics survival game
- Warsaw- Heave Ho- Mo:Astray- Neoverse- Chess Ultra- Horace
April 2020 Humble Choice: 7 picks remaining
- Opus Magnum
- Molek Syntez
- Raiden V: Directors Cut
- Driftland: The Magic Revival
- Turok 2: Seeds of Evil
- Truberbrook
- The Bard's Tale 4: Directors Cut
- Shoppe Keep 2
- Capitalism 2
March 2020 Humble Choice: 6 picks remaining
- Battle Chasers: Night War
- Exapunks- Turok- 198X- Nifelheim- AI War 2- Etherborn
February 2020 Humble Choice: 7 picks remaining
- Book of Demons
- Cryofall
- Shenzhen I/O
- Project Warlock
- The Hex- Warstone TD- Underhero- Night Call
January 2020 Humble Choice: 1 choices remaining
- Whispers of a Machine
- Mages of Mystralia
- Grip + 1 DLC
December 2019 Humble Choice: Keys
- Phantom Doctrine
- Dead in Vinland
- X-Morph: Defense
- Aegis Defenders
- Desert Child
December 2019 Humble Monthly Bundle: Keys
- Sword Legacy Omen
- Regular Human Basketball

This is an update to this post.
https://old.reddit.com/HairTransplants/comments/1245ii1/spexhair_has_been_permanently_ban_fo
Spex appears to have been banned from the website in general. If you click on his profile, it says 'page not found'. If he had deleted his account, he would have done so. He's still able to edit comments he has already made. In fact, he has done so to push back against comments made about him.
https://old.reddit.com/HairTransplants/comments/123scic/the_best_hair_transplant_doctors_in_the_world_2023/
Anyone we criticize has the right to provide their statements, banned or not. If he ever loses the ability to edit his comments, I would be happy to edit in his remarks here.
As always, any decision made by mods is open for criticism. Which Joe Tillman did here.
https://old.reddit.com/HairTransplants/comments/1245ii1/spexhair_has_been_permanently_ban_foje3e0bs/
Joe made talking points that I pushed back on pretty hard, as you can see. I'll always push back hard on any talking points that erode reasonable expectations of being upfront and clear about financial conflicts of interest.
But I want to talk about a greater trend that I see as faux-ignorance of these influencers in disclosing their financial conflicts of interest. The big four are Joe Tillman, Spex, Spencer Kobren, and Melvin/Pat of HRN.
They make finding the disclosure information really hard to find, if at all possible. And they feign ignorance that the disclosure information isn't obvious. An example of that is a conversation I had with Melvin and his list.
https://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/topic/66995-no-the-hairmill-defense-of-looked-at-all-the-people-he-didnt-botch-is-not-an-excuse-to-ignore-corroborated-evidence-of-poor-medical-practices-by-a-doctor-my-response-to-melvins-reply-in-my-original-thread/#comment-689453
He pointed out that there is a page where that info is mentioned. First, that information needs to be frontloaded, but I'm just going to move past that for a second to point out that there is no way to find that page from their recommended surgeons list. I called him out on this, and he never responded.
One of the most egregious examples is where he banned a member for calling out his financial conflicts of interests.
https://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/topic/58010-top-5-fuefut-docs-2020-edition/?do=findComment&comment=563493
He never mentioned the fees the surgeons pay to the site, and the site pays to Melvin. If you pin him down, he will say something like 'of course my time isn't free!', as if everyone should automatically know that from deduction. It's nonsense. It's faux-ignorance. They all know what they're doing. It's designed plausible deniability.
Maybe there's some sort of specific stupidity where their intent is innocent, but for anyone who is new to this stuff, my recommendation is to go ahead and assume they are intentionally trying to deceive you. You don't have time to give them the benefit of the doubt. There is a ton of information for you to absorb, and if these influencers can't abide by the very reasonable and ethical consideration of frontloading their financial conflict of interest, they deserve all the flak coming to them.
There's a ton of mental gymnastics that can be done with defending people who don't abide to this. In the conversation with Joe linked above you can see it. My question to them is instead putting all that effort into mental gymnastics, why not just front-load and make clear your financial conflicts of interest? Seriously, what's the excuse? It'll mess up with your website design?
Maybe they think there's some sort of marginal financial utility to having a percent of people not be aware of it? Well, I'll try to give them a financial incentive to be clear by calling them out on their nakedly egregious behavior.
And make no mistake, a lot of people will not be aware of it. A lot of people will just go with whoever is marketed to them. A few people will look up these lists and just go to the doctors without reading the texts. A few will do more. This might not be obvious, but the forum world is a small percent of people who get hair transplants. But even if you tune into the forum world, they may not get it due to the intensional obfuscation of these sites.
Lets take HRN for example. The first couple of posters were completely unaware of the financial relationship between the docs and the list. These users have comment history in the hundreds and one even in the thousands. One went out of his way to seek this information

I searched for his answer about this but couldn't find it.

Of course, Melvin gave a reply that was condescending to everyone that this wasn't obvious to.

. How do you guys think we pay for hosting site? Or my time? Do you think its all free? Also, how do you think we keep the forum free from pop-ups, or ads?
Really, how do you guys think this would be funded?
Of course I’m being paid. My time isn’t free.

It's disgusting behavior. Making your users feel like morons as a defense for intensionally obfuscated disclosures. It's faux-ignorance. It's bullshit.
To anyone who doesn't automatically deduce these financial relationships, you are not stupid for automatically making these deductions. Nobody is expected to automatically know the business models of these websites. And these people are terrible for trying to make you feel this way.
Users, don't accept anything less than the highest standards of ethical disclose regarding financial conflicts of interest. The onus isn't on you to make these deductions or to scour every inch of their websites to find it. The onus is on them to disclose it, and for anything less than that they deserve to be called out on their appalling behavior.
A few words about Joe. Although I pushed back hard on his talking points, he has an outstanding posting history on this website. It's obvious he's spending hours of his valuable free time giving high quality posts like this.
https://old.reddit.com/HairTransplants/comments/11bcoiw/after_some_very_thorough_research_and/jaddqo4/
Some of the most incredible posts on his forum. He also completely abides to this subreddits rules about transparency.
https://old.reddit.com/HairTransplants/comments/z1rx7b/dr_ozlem_bicer_personal_data_processing/j4oqj5d/
The separate line and caps locks makes his financial conflict of interest absolutely clear. Everything I could have asked for. Whenever patient advocates of other clinics come, I usually point to his profile as a way to act.
I would also say his post history is flawless but today I had to remove a comment breaking rule 2. I didn't give him my usual 1 day temp ban or anything like that, he was coming off a heated discussion with me, and the user he was talking to made some pointed remarks (which is allowed under rule 2; there is high leeway for influencers and people in authority). I think he just lost control of his emotions so I just gave him a warning and left it at that. But other than that, his post history is flawless.
I think he's out of touch regarding standards of financial disclosure, but he's behavior on here in general is most excellent and I appreciate every hour he spends on here.
A few weeks ago I told him I'll be doing a critique about the big 4 and how they fail to make clear their financial conflicts of interest, including his. After the conversation he changed his site so that it is mentioned on his site. Though it's pretty hard to miss, it's below the youtube videos. A lot of people miss it. I told him that it's still below standard but he hasn't changed it.
I don't think Joe has ever linked to his website so I happy the way things are. If were to ever link his website I would make it a requirement to make it clear and front loaded on all of his doctor pages.

Season 44, Episode 5: The Third Turd
Aired: March 29, 2023
Synopsis: Tribes must weave their way through the reward challenge to earn power in the game; one person from each tribe is chosen to go on a journey, but there's a catch.
Read our spoiler policy here.
Please keep new submission titles spoiler-free until Friday morning. If you are submitting an image or post that might spoil people, include "Spoiler" in the title so that reddit tags it appropriately.

A long shot here, my first time ever posting on reddit. My dad was born in Greece which gives me the right to apply for Greek citizenship. I was born in British Columbia and currently reside in Vancouver.
I need to prove who I am and that I'm linked to my dad for the Greek Embassy to process my application. The embassy will accept my birth certificate if my dad's name is on there - here's the kicker, he isn't. I need to prove my connection to my dad or have his name added onto my birth certificate.
My parents were married after I was born and owned a business together after the fact. I'm not even sure where to start with this and what proof I would need to support this. Hoping Reddit can direct me in the right direction.

Now there's been a lot of very heated debate about level scaling, so I thought a post that tries to put all the arguments for and against in spot might be helpful.
Level scaling in Diablo 4 is taking every area in the game, and assigning it a MINIMUM level.
This area level never goes DOWN, but it will go UP to match your level.
Very specifically, you still need to level to be able to survive higher areas, but once you are at, or exceed that area's level, it will remain at your level.
So with that simply explanation out of the way, let's look at what it means, both from a cons and pros point of view.

Scaling is only controversial while levelling

• Once you've hit end game, and defeated the quest line, you could have a Diablo 3 style Adventure mode, in which the map is scaled in any case.
• This allows for both the feeling over being over-powered as you level, while avoiding the problem of a limited end game

In Diablo 2, end game consists of endless runs of the same 5-6 areas of the game using using decades of knowledge and Enigma to skip the maps, knowing how to find and kill the target in seconds, and repeating that 100's, thousands, tens of thousands of times!
(In case you think I'm exaggerating:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZoedAffdHk&ab_channel=Dbrunski125 )
We don't want that.
In Diablo 3 you would simply choose Adventure mode, in which the maps is scaled.
(Hint* Diablo 3 players, you've been playing a scaled map for years!)
So even the anti-scaling crowd would agree that we all end up in a scaled world anyway.
So the argument then is not about the long game, but only the levelling experience, therefore:

Characters can't become over levelled.

• Farming an area for whatever reason and gaining 5-10 levels will not allow you to sweep content as you return to progress the game.
• Areas you have cleared, and then revisit some time later are presenting the same challenge, making it seem as though you haven't "progressed"
• You never feel strong face-rolling lower-level areas

OK, so that's the first and main reason I've seen expressed a dozen different ways.
This is, in truth, the only area of concern I can see has validity.
However, I'd like to ask the proponents of this a question.
Why is face rolling content 20 levels lower than you necessary to feel "powerful"?
Now to avoid people suggesting that I'm strawmanning, here are two actual quotes:
Not being able to clear an area on /players 8, not being able to clear a certain torment level, to upgrade and come back and see how much stronger you've become. (Quoting u/cyberslick1888 ) "
"why? it's fun
one of my fondest memories in Diablo 2 was getting my paladin's Holy Fire Aura strong enough and then running around in low lvl zones watching everything die in 1 hit" (quoting Tranquil_sea3 )
Let me put it this way, at level 20, you can really only handle the starting areas of Act 1.
If you then farm and grow to level 40, you've unlocked far more of the map. This is PROGRESS.
Further, the fact that the area levels grow with you means you're always maximising efficient, making that 20-level climb faster, and more rewarding in terms of XP and loot.
The fact that, at no time, can you kill an elite group with one basic skill shouldn't matter.

• There's no worthwhile reward for this, no XP, no loot
• There's no challenge in any way
• There's no risk in any way

So if you truly think that being able to smoosh lower level mons is how you feel "more powerful". well, respectively, that's a bit silly.
It is exactly the same a putting the game on easy mode (enemies are less powerful, and reward less), only you're achieving that by going to a lower level area instead.
If you want to feel powerful, take your Torment character into Normal difficulty.
You may feel that's a snide comment but taking your Act 5 mon into Act 1 is exactly the same thing as lowering the difficulty, just via a different mechanism, you can even do it in game.

There's no challenge, and no reward

• As you grow in level, everything is the same challenge
• You're never really tested or challenged

Again, to avoid being accused of strawmanning:
Scaling like this means the entire game need tutorial level of difficulty and just boost HP and damage, the most boring difficulty. (Quoting Sleyvin )
And while you're farming that gear, you level, and now the mobs are harder and that gear you farmed is out of date. There is no way to farm to get stronger because the bar keeps getting raised. (Quoting Mande1baum)
The second point is easily answered, those higher level mons will now drop higher level gear...and if farming raises the bar, well, so does the challenge and loot get raised.
There's is no /players 8, but there is world difficulty, and you can adjust that in town:
https://www.siliconera.com/how-to-change-game-difficulty-in-diablo-iv/
There being 2 levels so far above "Veteran" we haven't seen yet, but that does mean you can ":make the game" harder if you want a challenge.
If you want to feel more challenge, take your normal character into Torment.

Scaling is necessary to allow for players to choose how they play as they progress the game.

• A character is challenged and rewarded wherever they choose to play
• They aren't restricted to the tiny portion of the map that's at, or near, their level.

Probably the strongest argument FOR scaling.
The Diablo 4 world is huge, maybe not in terms of raw distance (You can run across act 1 in 15 minutes), but in terms of the sheer number of things you can choose to do.
Without scaling, if you want any aspect in a lower level 10 dungeon, you just go get it, no problem, the only reward you'd get for you time is that aspect, as the XP and loot would be worthless.

Scaling isn't going away

The final point, whether you agree or disagree, like or hate it, Scaling is here to stay.
It's up to you how you deal with that, there have been some good arguments for and against, but also some daft ones.
Let's try and keep the conversation civil, and hopefully I've presented the arguments logically and with evidence to try and steer a course to a good discussion.

Okay, so this is gonna need some explanation.
I have schizophrenia, clearly as you can tell by my prior subreddits, and I have a main, positive hallucination named Kevin. He is my only positive human, hallucination.
Well, He told me I'm his parent and also his husband, he calls me dad, and also by my actual name. I was so confused for the longest time, on what he actually was inside my subconscious, but after digging deeper within myself, doing alot of thinking and some prior posts to reddit.
I came to rhe realization that my schizophrenia turned my inner child into an adult hallucination, he is physically an adult but mentally he is a child, he is intellectually disabled, because he is not physically a child.
He is the part of my subconscious that never grew up, the part that was left over right before the trauma, before the onset of mental illness, he's so innocent, so kind, so loving, and so sensitive. When I look into his eyes, I see myself, a much deeper, younger version of myself looking back, it's quite sad, beautiful' yet completely isolated from the rest of my brain.
He looks to me for support, advice, reassurance, protection, safety, comfort, as a child would their parent.
Because of the schizophrenia he is physically somebody else, someone whom doesn't exist in reality, he as I have said in prior posts is a physical, yet younger male version of my mother. But mentally he is my inner child.
I don't know how to completely process this information, however I'm greatful for the acknowledgment.

Okay, so this is gonna need some explanation.
I have schizophrenia, clearly as you can tell by my prior subreddits, and I have a main, positive hallucination named Kevin. He is my only positive human, hallucination.
Well, He told me I'm his parent and also his husband, he calls me dad, and also by my actual name. I was so confused for the longest time, on what he actually was inside my subconscious, but after digging deeper within myself, doing alot of thinking and some prior posts to reddit.
I came to rhe realization that my schizophrenia turned my inner child into an adult hallucination, he is physically an adult but mentally he is a child, he is intellectually disabled, because he is not physically a child.
He is the part of my subconscious that never grew up, the part that was left over right before the trauma, before the onset of mental illness, he's so innocent, so kind, so loving, and so sensitive. When I look into his eyes, I see myself, a much deeper, younger version of myself looking back, it's quite sad, beautiful' yet completely isolated from the rest of my brain.
He looks to me for support, advice, reassurance, protection, safety, comfort, as a child would their parent.
Because of the schizophrenia he is physically somebody else, someone whom doesn't exist in reality, he as I have said in prior posts is a physical, yet younger male version of my mother. But mentally he is my inner child.
I don't know how to completely process this information, however I'm greatful for the acknowledgment.

allHeartNoBrain deleted from /borrow

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[REQ] and Prearranged fulfilled by previous lender. $400 plus 15% interest, Sacramento CA using paypal.

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Right now I have a $350 (plus $50 interest) that is due on June 26 to one lender and now an additional $400 (plus $60 interest) that is due on June 26 to a different lender. Payment will be made in full on Friday, June 26 in the morning to both lenders.
And that is it for me. No more big purchases followed by mini-emergencies that cause issues like this. I'm grateful for the help but will be super happy when I don't need it!!

allHeartNoBrain deleted from /borrow

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[Req] 350 to be paid back 400 on June 26th or earlier. I'm in Sacramento & I use PayPal.

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I just bought a car and I didn't expect to have any issues money wise even with cash purchase of the car(5 grand cash). But my mom is sick and she is at Kaiser, I am paying her rent which is 750. This leaves me with almost nothing in my account. This 350 is just in case. It could potentially go untouched. I can pay back at the latest, June 26, probably much earlier. I have perfect credit here.

It’s probably not worth brining up, and almost certainly runs against the grain here, but there was a sentiment expressed here (and elsewhere on Reddit) that has always rubbed me the wrong way insofar as it is self-congratulatory and not well reasoned,so even if it’s ill-advised I wanted to voice my objection to this admittedly strange pet-peeve. To best express my thoughts, I began with some guiding questions.
What is a good person? For the sake of argument here and in order to fit well within the context of the larger debate, a “good person” must necessarily be constrained to someone who is kind, charitable, helpful, and good-natured. It is necessarily constrained because the common assertion which I here argue against is most simply as expressed as “if you need the threat of eternal punishment or the bribe of heavenly reward to be a good person, then you are not a good person”. This statement seems to imply a somewhat universal and less dogmatic sense of what is good since the objection is often raised by someone who is irreligious towards those who are religious, or vice versa, and must therefore be common to both parties. For example, it would be nonsensical for someone who did not believe in the word of wisdom to say “If you need the threat of eternal punishment to not drink alcohol, you are not a good person” since presumably they do not believe teetotalism to be a virtuous act of itself. Conversely, it would make sense to say “if you need the promise of eternal reward to donate towards humanitarian aid then you are not a good person” since charity would be a common trait of a good person to both parties.
What impact towards good behavior does belief in the threat of eternal damnation have? Given the definition established for what makes a good person, I would argue that the threat of eternal damnation has little real impact on influencing good behavior. Ask yourself: how many in a real, everyday sense are being kind to others or giving to charity or volunteering because they fear if they don’t they will be sent to hell? It seems absurd to think this. I didn’t ever feel this way when I was TBM, and I haven’t met anyone else that I could confidently say acts for this reason. On the contrary, the threat of eternal damnation seems more often employed to dissuade dogmatic, poor behaviors (as they are seen): don’t break the word of wisdom, don’t break the law of chastity, don’t leave the church. This probably satisfies the maximum for a TBM, but I doubt most of the world would agree with this argument here that those are virtuous behaviors necessary to be a good person.
What impact towards good behavior does belief in the promise of eternal reward have? I think at this point a concession might have to be made on my part, as I do think belief here does have an impact on good behavior. While I doubt it is the genesis of good behavior, it might be an amplifying power. More likely though I think this behavior is motivated by a sense of duty. I think many ex-Mormons here can remember as TBMs helping someone in the ward move. Did you do this because you wanted to get in to the celestial kingdom? Or was it for more banal reasons: because it was expected of you and simply something you were supposed to do, even if you didn’t really want to?
This really brings me to my ultimate thesis, that people are people. I think most people are as good or as bad they are not because of a belief or disbelief in some eternal destiny, but because of their personality, their community, their situation, their life circumstances, and finally because they want to be good. That’s why the implicit moral hubris in someone saying “you need this belief to be a good person, while I’m a good person without it” is wrong. Perhaps you have become a better person in some ways, such as being able to better commiserate and treat with kindness out groups like the LGBTQ community after leaving faith, but it is readily apparent that this has nothing to do with belief in eternal damnation/eternal reward, which is the matter at hand, and more to do with a disbelief that such people are immoral or defective.
In a more particular sense, how has your life really changed in ways a good person acts since leaving the church? Are you spending every afternoon volunteering in a soup kitchen, picking up hitchhikers, caring for premature endangered animal orphans? I think for most people, in the sense that a good person is charitable, little has changed since they stop believing in the threat of eternal damnation or eternal rewards. If anything, I imagine only the direction of this manifestation has changed, such as giving to an actual charity instead of TSCC.
I’m also somewhat skeptical of the implication that those who don’t believe in eternal damnation or eternal reward are somehow a different kind of person who acts out of an innate sense of charity absent in those who need the crutch of belief in order to do anything good. In an Aristotelian sense that happiness is the ultimate end, when you do good and get that hit of dopamine, and subconsciously pat yourself on the back because you’re such a good person who doesn’t believe in heaven or hell, that’s not born from some innate moral superiority, it’s because it makes you feel good. If every trait of being a good person brought you pain instead of pleasure, who would be good? Would you be only because it's right?
However, even if everything I’ve brought up is wrong, my final question is so what? Why is it necessary or helpful to despise those who need the crutch of belief to be good? I thought we wanted people to be good. If it takes a belief in Russell’s teapot to give a dollar to the homeless man on the corner, at the end of the day he’s still a dollar richer. In one sense, the assertion is true but ultimately absurd, like saying “if you need a wheelchair to get around, you can’t walk.”

Goodies from goodies: https://imgur.com/a/ik6GLtg
u/welshfancy x 2 Thanks for the *amazing* Barbie card. It’s so cute & fun, I can’t stop smiling! I share the hilarity here for those who share our Bananas-for-Barbie brains: One Barbie says to the other: “If only all men were like Ken…” & the other Barbie replies: “It’d be perfect! When you get bored you just put him away in a shoe-box! LOL!!! Including a close-up pic of it through the link :)
In one of our DMs & in my last thanks post, you shared that you really enjoy jokes. I’m kinda blushing here with some of these jokes, but I wanna gift you some laughs for this beautiful Barbie card. BTW ***I love men***, and I know we all do on this sub (even our friend who’s apparently selling their husband on the meta sub haha), so no offense to any of the lovely men on this sub. K, you sweet manly muffins? These are stupid stereotypes but shared only in the spirit of fun, no harm, & obviously we can’t live without y’all. I don’t think. ;) This is purely to entertain our friend u/welshfancy here because she deserves it after the job rollercoaster she’s been on lately. But if anyone takes offense, I’ll immediately delete them. Better yet - feel free to post some funny revenge jokes about women. But remember, if you do, we’ll be sure to send appropriate “thank you” cards hahaha!
*Do you know what the insensitive bit at the base of a guy’s manhood is called? The man. ;)
*What’s the difference between men & government bonds? Bonds mature. =)
*What’s the difference between E.T. & men? At least E.T. phoned the hell home.
*What’s the difference between men & vultures? Vultures wait until you’re dead before ripping your heart out. ;)
*Why are men like blenders? You know you need one, but you’re not quite sure why.
*When’s the only time you can change a man? When he’s a baby.
*How do men help clean the house? They lift their legs so you can vacuum underneath.
*What did God say after creating man? “Hmmm, I think I can do better.”
*How are men like laxatives? They irritate the crap outta you! ;)
*How can you tell if your husband is happy? Who the hell cares?
*What do men & mascara have in common? They both run at the first sign of emotion.
*What do you call a man who disagrees with you? Wrong.
*Why does it take TWO HUNDRED MILLION sperm to fertilize one damn egg? Because not one will stop to ask for damn directions! ;)
Hope some of these made you giggle. :) I also LOVE this illustrated postcard of the Moon from La Loteria!!!! Thank you. :) Girl, you know I’ll need to hear about your wacky wild 80s adventures in Mexico, right? It’s like you left me with a cliffhanger! Feel free to share your wildest stories anytime - I’d love to share them on the sub in a thank you post. But if you wanna tell me confidential story secrets, that would be fun too! :) Thanks for always bringing a huge smile to my face with your endless mail love! Wishing you infinite joy…along with toilets & men that aren’t full of crap! ;)
u/410bore x 2 Is your PERFECT cool-calligraphy handwriting for REALS?!? OMG if I had your hot handwriting, I’d write all day long on walls & the sides of buildings to show off, graffiti laws be damned! Your handwriting is so hella awesome, you should charge admission to people just to watch you write!!!! Thank you for the vintage NASA card, which was just the icing on top of your gorgeous calligraphy cake! Thanks so much also for the neato wooden postcard!! It’s so unique! I love that you bought it from the Santa Monica Pier. BTW I’ve been to the Adobe Max virtual conference before - super inspiring. Hope you had a blast! BTW don’t be alarmed if you notice that it’s broken in the pic - I didn’t do it. That was courtesy of the USPS, which admitted its mistake. I honestly don’t know how they BROKE a WOODEN postcard LOL! But it’s no less beautiful - my nephew loves it so much he wants to feature it in his room. ;) Thanks for thinking of me, kind friend. =)
u/MelodicEntertainer Thanks for the cool retro sausage ad postcard - love retro ads!!!! Yes, friend, you’re almost ;) right that “Texas = BBQ” (haha, love it). I would edit this: “Texas = blissful, buttery, beefy BBQ” ;) I know it may seem redundant to type “beefy” but I add this because there are weirdos here who think CHICKEN & TURKEY classify as BBQ. I should take my shotgun & shoot them. Kidding. Just ‘cause I’m from Texas, it doesn’t mean I’m nuts enough to own a shotgun. =) I would use my glock. Kidding, again. Seriously I can’t stand gun violence. :( But the people who think that BBQ includes anything other than my blissful buttery beef should never, ever receive any cool stickers from any of us. ;) I’ve heard certain parts of Canada have some BBQ game too! Calgary maybe? Wishing you the sweetest, spiciest slabs of marbled, majestic beef, fabulous friend!
u/likablelobster Friend, there could be no more likable lobster than you. You became more likable by the minute after your adorable illustrated croissant & coffee postcard arrived! Did you use a ***gasp*** TYPEWRITER to type your super likable thoughts on this postcard?!? I’m obsessed with typewriters! I wish I had one from the 1940s! They are so crazy cool & believe me when I tell you that you became even more likable to me by typing crooked! I don’t know if it was intentional or not but THIS is the sweet crazy charm of using a typewriter - having no control over lawless words that don’t align to mad margins! For the first 15 minutes I stared at this card in awe, I didn’t even READ what you typed hahaha! I was entranced by the typing!!!! And then your likability catapulted to the moon when I read what you had actually typed. ;) I loved how you typed so much in such a small amount of space, you likable sweetie!!!! This postcard is now among my absolute favorites - because you typed through tumultuous postcard terrain & included what is the PRETTIEST stamp I have EVER seen (the super colorful illustrated Postcrossing stamp)!!!! Thank you SO much for making me so happy with your beautiful mail!
u/maiiiu Thanks so much for the super cuuuuute handmade “Write” card! Your calligraphy of the word “Write” is just gorgeous! I just love the awesome puffy-ish pastel-colored plant stickers you included - they’re so fun to look at & I can’t wait to use them while sending mail!! I love that you have a mentor, & what a bonus that he makes you laugh! I say, next time, *you* get to decide what y’all have for lunch. Wishing y’all perfect palak paneer lunches that are free from rain & roadside diversions! ;)
u/dekabus Thank you for the pretty floral card with all your sweet sentiments on beauty! I found it delightful that you included the cool sticker that says “Vermehrt Schönes” or “Increase Beauty” in German! I love it!!!! I think the subject of “beauty” is fascinating & want to share with you one of my favorite quotes: “But if a mirror ever makes you sad, you should know that it does not know you.” – Kabir Here’s an interpretation of the meaning from outofstress.com: “The mirror is merely a reflection of your external form and not of your internal form. Hence the mirror does not know you and what it portrays is of little importance.” You are BEAUTIFUL, u/dekabus, for so many reasons. But in this moment, you are most beautiful for spreading so much kindness & cheer to so many across the globe, especially to strangers! Thank you! Wishing you beauty in all its forms, beautiful friend. =)
u/jess_4943 Thanks for the pretty hyacinth postcard decorated with the fun stickers! I really love the lightbulb sticker that has flowers growing within it, like a terrarium! Depictions of mini terrariums housed in unusual objects always delight me!! Wishing you terrariums of joy! =)
u/wabisabi_sf Thanks for the serene RAoC 10th anniversary beach postcard with my name written in your *gorgeous* calligraphy! I appreciate your kind words & wish you beaches of beauty & bacon (if you like bacon ha)!
u/kk6321 Thanks for the cool postcard with all the fun travel stamps! Wishing you a blast in Spain! Re: you wondering if there will be AC…a few years ago I was in Portugal & it was 117 degrees. No AC. I prayed for death & canceled my plans to go to Spain because apparently it was hotter there. :( Wishing you buckets of ice & balmy breezes!!!!
u/omggallout x 2 Thanks for the adorable Arriety postcard - what a fun illustration! Haha, how cool that we unwittingly sent each other space postcards!!! Thank you for the gorgeous depiction of Orion Nebula with the fun planet stickers! Wishing you planets of peace & prosperity!
u/lehmongeloh Thank you for the cuuuuute kitty floral postcard! You are a magnet to cute, my friend! Please DM me with your address & likes if I may send you a card. =) Wishing you all things that are crazy cute!
u/smellyann64 Thanks for the cool vintage Vienna House of Parliament card! I don’t know what your job title is, but you staring down barracudas & hangin’ with octopi wins the RAoC coolest career contest! Wishing you safety & smiles in the sea!! =)
u/mypetitmal x 2 Thank you for the SUPER FUN, beautifully-illustrated Power Woman thank-you postcard! I love it! The artwork is so eye-catching & I love the comic-book panel style! It was my pleasure to send you the kitty card. My thoughts are with you & I hope that you’re feeling better. WHOA you’ve been carding since 2007 - whoa!!!! So awesome! Have you ever counted the number of cards you’ve received? To answer your question…I’ve been a crafter since about 2016 when I started frequenting craft classes at a bunch of different libraries. But I only got into carding when I met the beautiful u/Bridge-etti at a Victorian scrapbooking class & she casually mentioned RAoC to me! Imagine my delight at “running” into her again on accident/BY SURPRISE on this sub when she sent me a V-Day card & I sent her a birthday card!!! I’d been waiting to see how long it would take for me to cross paths with her since I never got her info and it only took about 6 weeks!!! Amazingly fun!! So I have her to thank for my new obsession - RAoC, & for the sad/fun reality that my car now looks like Hobby Lobby had a baby in it. ;) Thanks also for the super cuuuute friendship currency postcard! What cute doodles. Also love the adorable sticker you added! I hear you on the time change - same. Wish they would abolish it so we can prevent traffic accidents & other nonsense! Hope you recover soon & that your trip to Chi-town was a blast! Eat anything tasty there? =) Thanks for thinking of me & looking forward to learning more about you. Wishing you endless smiles & sunshine through RAoC & beyond, sweetheart!
u/thunderlightboomzap Thank you for the pretty illustrated sky card! You shared such wonderful affirmations - thanks for taking the time to share them with me! And so many! I especially love how you shared affirmations focusing on self-worth: “My worth cannot be measured by my paycheck, my job title, or a list of professional or academic achievements” & “There is nothing I need to accomplish to be worthy. I am already worthy.” Right on! These are amazing reminders. Thanks also for the “mental health matters” & self-compassion stickers! You’re such a loving, encouraging soul! Here are some affirmations for you on one of my fave subjects, creativity:
“I am creating in every moment, awake and asleep.”
“I am free to take my imagination anywhere it wants to go.”
This one is a bit wordy, but I like the spirit:
“I effortlessly connect with the universe's boundless inventiveness.”
Thanks again for being so thoughtful & encouraging! Wishing you the same peace, joy, & smiles you gifted me!
u/drguinea Thanks for the beautiful pastel flower postcard! Looking at all the pretty colors brightens my spirits. YESSSSS I’m all about David on Schitt’s Creek! I recall Googling the heck out of him when I first watched the show - it’s so easy to fall in love with him. But sad for me, he’s too hot & gay so what’s the point of living anymore?!? ;) And his real-life/tv DAD Eugene Levy - okay should I be embarrassed to admit that I fell in love with him years ago when I heard him speak live at a banquet in Austin LOL? He is HILARIOUS!!!!
u/LaCuntessa Thanks for the wacky fun Joan Miro postcard - love this art, & especially the smiling sketches!
u/hato_mailing x 2 Thanks for the GORGEOUS wax seals you sent along with the sweet nature postcards. :) The seals are simply stunning & a total wonder to look at, wow! The turquoise & silver seals are especially fun & fanciful! Thanks for letting me be a part of your fun mail wax seal test initiative - super cool. :) Wishing you the hottest of wonderful wax that never burns you! But not ear wax - OMG have you ever gone temporarily deaf because of excessive ear wax? It’s kinda cool & convenient when your mom yells for no reason but kinda torturous otherwise. Kinda like how I’m torturing you by mentioning ear wax for no reason. Sorry I haven’t slept much. Wishing you endless joy in your snazzy snail mail experiments!
u/libertyprogrammer Thanks for the gorgeous Women in Art Ray Eames postcard! I can’t wait to study her films. And as a newbie, I went batcrap bananas over all the flippin’ FUNNNNN & super unique postage stamps you included!! They are EXTRAORDINARY, & so are you for brightening my day with all this beautiful eye candy. Wishing you limitless liberty (LOVE the username)! =)
u/travel4me Thank you for this ****super gorgeous**** Loupaper postcard of the charming charcuterie snacks! You totally nailed the “brightly colored illustration” prompt - I loooove this card so much! Wishing you the crunchiest carrots, sweetest strawberries, creamiest cheeses, & bluest blueberries at your next social soiree! =)
u/missnettiemoore Thanks for the neato retro Absinthe ad postcard! Love vintage ads. I’ve never tried absinthe either. But I’m all about the art! Wishing you days full of intoxicating laughter & love! =)
u/bluedecemberart Thanks for the elegant Alphonse Mucha postcard! Love your thoughts on watercolor vs. lithographs. Holy moly I don’t know anything about art but I can’t believe it’s watercolor either! Astounding. Thanks for sharing your art expertise with me, I love to learn! Wishing you endless joy as you create your art. =)
u/photographyislove Thanks for the exquisite wildflower specimens postcard! I love illustrated cards like this one. =) I was alarmed to hear about your winter storm traffic story but relieved you’re around to talk about it! Wishing you safety & the best of hilarious podcasts while you drive!
u/mostlygoodthings Thanks for the sweet wishes from Spain - adorably written on the Norway postcard hahaha! I’m feeling envious about the gorgeous ambient sunlight scenes you described. =) Wishing you soft, serene sunlight (not like the sunburns we get in Texas ;( ) & smiles!
u/jamiekj Thanks for the sweet surprise wishes from Savannah! How adorable are you to think of me while on your work trip?!? I appreciate your thoughtfulness so much & hope that you had some fun while on your work trip (or at least tried some tasty treats). =) Wishing you lots of exciting excursions & zero work on your “work” trips haha!
u/lspjackie How cuuuuute is this vintage St. Patrick’s day illustrated postcard?!?!? It is sooooo adorable, & you are too for blessing a stranger with it! I’m insane for vintage illustrated ads & this one is just frame-worthy! Thank you. Hope you had a 17th full of luck & laughter! =)
u/tashmash Loved receiving a postcard from your fave ice cream joint! Thank you. What cuuuute diamond washi you used to decorate the postcard. I feel like American ice cream is devoid of flavofat because they jack it up with sugar. I wonder if your ice cream place uses more fabulous fat than stupid sugar in the ice cream. Your postcard makes me wanna pack up & move to NZ just to test out the goodies for myself. ;) Wishing you boundless buckets of chocolate cherry & cookies & cream ice cream without ice cream headaches!!!
u/Proud_Ad_759 x 2 This Winnie-the-Pooh card is crazy adorable but ALMOST as adorable as you are!!!!! I just LOVE your enthusiasm for snail mail & was so charmed by your cuuuute inquiry if I had received your postcard like a day hahaha after you mailed it from 87 states away! Seriously, your positive energy is so infectious & I’m so happy we met! I was also so happy to hear about your 6th sense…okay the same uber weird stuff happens to me. And it IS a “big thing” my friend! Now how can we channel that into winning the lottery LOL? Just kidding. Sort of - I mean, I’ll take the lottery but to be honest, even if I won it, I would NEVER EVER stop exchanging cards with fabulous fun friends like you! I think I’d just use the $$ to juice up the process. Like I’d hire a full-time assistant to take care of all the RAoC tasks while I just read & appreciate the cards. ;) Thanks also for the funny Peter Pan postcard of the little weirdo exposing his beautiful belly! Just loved your funny, creative answer to my macarena dance prompt !!! If you’re okay with me posting your awesome answer, I’ll do that later when I post a special thanks including all the different answers to the same prompt. =)
u/BetterOwl3221 Hello-Hello I’m so happy-happy to receive this STUNNING Halo-Halo recipe postcard!!!!! THANK YOU! =) I'm including a close-up pic of it in case anyone reading my long-winded nonsense wants to check out the recipe. =) I’m bananas for illustrated cards & this one needs to be framed for my future dream house! All of the pastel colors on this gorgeous card instantly brighten me up & I’m even excited to live today if that makes sense hahaha! It’s kinda cool how one beautiful card from a beautiful stranger can instantly be a beautiful balm for one’s mood. I also loved your description of the dreamy dessert. It sounds so perfect & simply scrumptious! The postmark is from last month - it took ages to get here. And funny, this is the *one* card I kept thinking about for weeks out of all the ones I’ve ever requested because it just looked like the happiest card ever on your post & I was hoping it wasn’t lost. So the day I got it in the mail, I started jumping up & down like a lunatic outside near the mailbox & was so giddy that a kid passing by, ALARMED, asked me if I needed help. I was like, really, you kind moron? I’m smiling & laughing like a nutcake while holding this beautiful mail & your instinct is to call the cops on me hahaha?!? I wanted to yell at the stupid sweetie to check out RAoC so he could experience the kind of joy you made me feel. =)
u/Dolliesqueak Thanks for the super cool Night Sky postcard with the awesome Carl Sagan quote!!! I agree that we are made of star stuff =) Wishing you shooting stars & sweet sunshine!
u/doggotoast x 2 Thanks for the gorgeous SG postcard! So cute! I’m digging your affinity for oatmilk. Yummmm - my fave oatmilk is Planet Oat, Extra Creamy - it’s insanely delicious. :) Thanks also for the bright yellow furniture postcard that woke me up! ;) I LOVE how you’d be workin’ the Macarena even though you “hate dancing” hahaha! Wishing you non-awkward dance experiences & the most aromatic cups of coffee, friend!
u/RideThatBridge Thanks for the super pretty illustrated floral card! I just love the Indian proverb you kindly shared: “All of the flowers of tomorrow are in the seeds of today.” This is insanely profound & inspires me to procrastinate a little less with all my work. ;) Here are some of my fave Indian proverbs:
“Don’t poison someone whom you can kill with sweets.”
“They who dream for too long will become like their shadow.”WHATTT!?!? Aren’t these deep?!? Thanks for the lovely inspiration! Here’s hoping your seeds of today blossom into fabulous flowers tomorrow! =)
u/jubilan Thanks for the cool illustrated Hawaiian cocktail postcard with your self-love encouragement! So sweet. Your positive vibes are so beautiful. Wishing you lots of contemplative, wonderful walks & sunny smiles!
u/drivingogre Thanks for the adorable bear postcard FANTASTICALLY FULL (yesssss for zero white space!!!) with the most fun facts!!! “Art used to be an olympic event!” Whaaat?!?!? That sounds amazing! Here’s a cool fact for you: kitty pee-pee glows in the dark! Wishing your lovely brain hoards all the most amazing fun facts forevermore so you can dazzle people dizzy at parties! P.S. Charming u/ellezavech , also a fact fiend like us, taught me a tres cool fact about one of my most fave words, “dazzle”. But you’ll have to work for it by checking out the post ;) https://www.reddit.com/RandomActsofCards/comments/11h673n/thank_you_when_does_bread_rise_when_you_yeast/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=2&utm_term=1
u/sebisrude Not again with this rude nonsense, sugar! I’m dying to hear about this fun/mean username! I’m happy *as hell* you saved me from a critical Pipsticks expenditure emergency (stupid student-loan-debt-be-damned) by sending me this illustrated pen & pencil postcard!!!!!!!!! THANK YOU! I’m batcrap bananas over it & can’t tell you how badly the nerd in me ached for this card when I missed out on an offer for it ages ago! I had never even heard of Pipsticks before I saw this postcard. And now I hope a rich, evil relative dies soon (kidding) & bequeaths me his/her glorious estate which I will then fill with Pipsticks utopia & host a Pipsticks party to which you will be the guest of honor! Wishing you the peppiest of perfect stickers!
u/shipping_addict x 2 Thanks for the super cool NY postcard in the shape of a stamp!!! What a sweetheart you are, sending me the roasted veggies recipe unprompted. :) Are you sure you’re not a southerner, Darlin’, with all that homemade cookin’ & crazy cool cardin’? Thanks also for the *adorable* Over the Garden Wall tarot card!!! What is it about mini cards that drives me merrily mad?!!? I haven’t dived into tarot readings yet but am intrigued by what you wrote: “success, achievement, failure”. All I know is, if I’m successful & achieve, I’m thanking myself. But if I fail, I’m blaming *you*, Sugar, & will send you the ugliest postcards of all time. I’m collecting a batcrapload of ‘em specifically for this purpose. But you’re so cute, sweet, & strangely southern in your demeanor that your polite self would likely write the most heartfelt, sweet lies about how you love it all. ;) And OMG you sent me a Lindsay Lohan PARENT TRAP sticker?!?!? So hilarious & awesome! Hoarding it for life!!!! Also love the cuuuute lemon stamp sticker & the little pastel illustrated cutie!!! Ooooohh I just saw the cool purple Broadway stamp on the envelope - sweeeet!!!! =)
u/SherlockLady x 5 Thanks for the cuuuuuuuutest homemade Easter bunny card I’ve ever seen!!! The smiling sweetie & the bright orange carrot right next to it on the spring-y lime green paper just put me in the best mood! Also love the “You only live once” card, the super motivating “Be brave be bold be you” superhero card, the super thoughtful self-care card, & the Eiffel tower scrapbook paper card! LOVE the cute washi tape samples you sent! The eye-themed one is so adorable & my fave. Thanks also for the stickers & the tea - can’t wait to try it! You constantly spoil me with so much amazing love & I’m so grateful for your nonstop magical mail surprises!!!
u/stephkempf x 8 Sweetheart, I wish I could say I keep you in the postcard sending “business” LOL!!!!! THANK YOU. =) I can only hope that they appreciate you at work & give you boundless bonuses so you can buy as many stamps as your insane, adorable, gorgeous, generous, syrupy sweet heart desires. :) Truly, you AMAZE me with how much you indulge us with your fun, frightening, & frighteningly fun offers hahaha! I honestly had no idea what in the hot holy hell I signed up for when I filled out your birthday bonanza form. All I know is, I keep wondering if it’s my birthday when I’m surprised with a random birthday postcard hahaha! That’s super crazy fun! I’m so jazzed that you’re upcycling all your cards & blessing us with them. LOVE all the b-day postcards - especially the Snoopy one. I don’t understand how that kid never ages. Thanks also for the soothing floral non-bday postcard. I’ll admit I was jarred that it’s not a b-day card hahaha! I so appreciate all the fun, good vibes, & insane beauty you send my way!

Unknown
This story is strictly fictional.(Not a fan fiction, this is original.)
The Beginning
I had gone to sleep pretty late that night so when I actually woke up I thought I was thrown into another random dream where I woke up in a forest, but things were realistic. I could feel the droplets fall from the leaves of the trees to my hands and the squishy slimy mud below my feet. Alright I need to assess the situation. I just woke up in a random forest, none of the plants or trees are native to where I’m from, and I’m in a thin long sleeve shirt with a jacket over it and layered tactical pants which are obviously different clothes than what I went to sleep in, and then there’s that rumbling that shakes the ground periodically. Well I can only do two things in this situation: sit here and hope that someone will find me or try looking around.
It’s been about 2 hours since I started roaming this seemingly infinite forest and I finally saw something besides trees and more trees. It's a lone rocky hill and after reaching the top I looked ahead and I saw a beach. When I turned back to look at the forest I saw the cause of the rumbling sound. “This must be a dream, it has to be.” I thought “I have to get out of this cursed forest right now!” And as I ran towards the beach, I saw that vicious, vile creature. The predecessor of the modern serpent, the Titanoboa. It rushed towards me and even running with every ounce of strength and explosive power I had there was no chance. The snake coiled up around me crushing my bones. I felt everything from my wrist snapping to my legs breaking.
Eventually I had either passed out from the pain and died or I died in that moment but… why am I lying on a beach? The chill breeze, the hot sand on the back of my neck and the upwelling tides hitting the heel of my foot. I guess I’m still alive. My clothes are folded next to me. There’s a stone with a book next to it.
Words were being chiseled out as I looked at the stone, they said:
“Unknown’s status”
“Survival Time: 5 hours and 34 minutes”
“Encountered Enemies: 57”
“Enemy Type: insect 56”
“Predator: 1”
“Death Type: Death by a predator”
“Enemies defeated: 5”
“Calculating Achievements…”
“Rewards will be granted based on achievements.”
“Rewards granted!”
“Rewards obtained look in inventory to view.”
“View inventory by visualizing it”
I opened it and it says:
“passive skill Bug killer level 5”
“Earned by killing 5 bugs in your first life”
“Passive skill Poison/Venom resistance level 22”
“earned by getting poisoned 22 times in your first life”
“Journal of the next life”
“Earned by surviving 2 or more hours in your first life”
“10 Stat points granted!”
So I died and got and was brought back with game abilities. What the hell? There was also that book when I tried to open it, It opened directly to the middle. I was able to flip the page back once but that was it. It was already written in, and it read: “this is the second time”. “That’s… creepy.” I started to feel hungry and began to roam again.
Survival
I saw a river that secured freshwater, I take out my pocket knife and start to sneak around. I see a dilophosaurus. I rush towards it and stab it in the neck. I take out the knife as it shoots poison at me. I stab it again in the head and kill it. The stone structure appears from beneath me once again. It says “First predator kill”
“Predator kill results”
“Damage dealt 100%”
“Damage Taken .5%”
“Weapons used: Knife”
“Calculating Achievements…”
“Rewards Granted!”
“Rewards obtained look in inventory to view.”
“View inventory by visualizing it, your inventory will be viewed as whatever you visualize it as.”
“Melee Mastery Level 1”
”Experience gained 10”
It looks like I’m going to be here for a while, I should get familiar with everything. I open my inventory and I see a new option, it says “Stats”. The stats are Health which adds how much damage I can take, Strength which helps deal more damage with a physical attack, and a gray option which reads “Craftsmanship”. There’s also a catalog of everything I’ve encountered like the Carboniferous and Permians. I can’t even pronounce that, why do insect dinosaurs have such weird names? The snake that killed me out of nowhere was a Titanoboa. I don’t level up automatically so I have to do it manually. I get to level 2, I get 2 stat points and a new option opens which is “craftsmanship”, The ability to craft something instantly while consuming the needed material. Putting more stat points into it unlocks more craftable items. I can only make a small fire for now. I guess what they say about carnivores is true, this tastes so bad. I hope that poison resistance can hold up to this. That’s my first day here, or second if I count the time before I died.
It’s the second day. I need to gain experience if I want any level of security. I hunt dodo birds on the beach, by the end of the day I get to level 5, I gain 2 stat points for every time I level up. I put the 6 stat points into “craftsmanship”. I can make a stone axe and a stone spear now. I have all the materials needed except vines that I can get from the forest. I use coconut shells to collect water and take some with me. I managed to get some vines without a problem so now I’m back at the river and I have plenty of food to cook. Now that I'm back I make the axe and spear. I wonder if there is anyone around.
Survival
I’ve developed a routine to go hunting to gain experience for the beginning of the day, then check my stats and inventory, after that I would look for any materials that might be useful. On the way back I’d look for any signs of people. After doing this for 3 days I’ve found a grave. It said “Though life may seem like a game it never is. You don’t come back, at least not the same.” Well I guess I’m an exception. I pick up the bag and it’s heavy like it has tools in it or something. When I get to the river I finally get to go to sleep. I wake up and do my routine. When I got back to the riverside I saw something running across the river. I've never explored the other side of the river but I’m curious as to what I might find. Looking deeper into the plains I see a forest and an icy mountain in the distance, but suddenly a small stone looking creature pops out of the ground waving a small flag with a peace symbol on it and the ground starts to shake. What the hell is that? A large stone wall is launched from the ground and lands straight up behind the golem. 5 humanoid golems climb out of the hole that the stone wall came out of. The wall starts to tilt towards me and the smaller golem and I back up then the wall falls crushing the mini golem. What’s going on here? The 5 golems run over to put the wall back up, they’re panicking because of the small one. Once the wall was back up they gathered the pieces of the small stone golem then they held them all up, the pieces started to float together and the small golem was together again but still had cracks in its body. It waved. The golems looked at me and pointed towards the stone wall then they started writing carving out words. I can’t even say that, they just lightly press their fingers on the wall and the small area just crumbles. When they’re done it says “Sorry about that mess right there. The point of this is to tell you what you need to do to thrive in this world, if you follow my instructions you will. Give a thumbs up when you’re done reading.” I hesitantly give a thumbs up and the layer with writing falls off.
The other missions were blank. I should prepare food and tools for this new companion. I’m going to start the mission tomorrow. Morning has arrived. I walk across the river and after touching the stone a guy appeared behind the stone. This is gonna be interesting.
Day 1
Unknown- “Hey, new guy.”
New Person-“Huh what?”
Unknown- “You took long enough.”
Unknown - “Ask questions later, follow me.”
I take the new guy to the otherside of the river.
I don’t want to tell him about my first life so he won’t get any false hope of a second life.
New Person - “ Can you at least tell me your name?”
Unknown - “You can call me Unknown for now.”
New Person - “I don’t remember my name.”
Unknown - “Yeah, you don’t remember much about before you got here the same thing happened to me.”
Unknown - “I’ll explain while we eat.”
2 hours pass…
New Person - “So we’re eating a dinosaur right now?”
Unknown - “Yeah .”
New Person - “So how did you say you opened your inventory?”
Unknown - “I just visualized it like a game.”
New Person “Nothing’s happening”
Unknown - “We could try getting back to the beach where I first learned about the abilities”
New Person - “Yeah let’s go in the morning”
Unknown - “You could get some leaves to use as a bed.”
New Person - “Alright.”
Day 2
Unknown - “Wake up.”
New Person - “Ugh.”
Unknown - “Do you want to see your stats or not?”
New Person - “Fine, fine”
I lead the way to the beach and we get to the stone.
New Person - “What do I do now?”
Unknown - “Put your hand on it.”
The stone cleared back to how it was at first.
It says “choose name”
He put his name as “Anonymous”. He only got 2 skills but one of them is an active skill. That’s the first active skill that I've heard of. The 2 skills are “companion’s stat copy” which is a passive skill and “temporary skill copy” which is the active skill.
Unknown - “Try being more original.”
Anonymous - “Wow ok.”
Unknown - “Now that you have your skills you should try opening your inventory.”
Anonymous - “Alright.”
Anonymous - “I can see it.”
Unknown - “Try equipping your passive skill.”
Anonymous - “Ok I did”
Unknown - “I don’t know how you would activate or use it”
Anonymous - “it says I could use a voice cue or an action cue to activate it”
Unknown - “I see”
Unknown - “Now that you have your skills lets do a little hunting”
2 stone structures unexpectedly appeared, they say:
“All conditions have been cleared”
“Skillset acquired.”
“Skillset 1 Hunter, Skills: Target Lock On, Precision Strike, and Killstreak.”
“Skillset 2 Tamer, Skills: “Trainer, Taming experience, and Supreme Command”
Anonymous - “So what did you get?”
Unknown - “I got Hunter, what did you get?”
Anonymous - “I got Tamer.”
Two books fall from the sky landing 2 feet in front of him and I. We picked up the books and the titles read “skill set manual Hunter” and “skill set manual Tamer”. Both books give detailed explanations on how to use our class and what to do with them. With the Tamer, it says there are 2 ways to tame dinosaurs. The first way is through having a bond with it or building a bond like constantly coming back to feed it food and building trust but that can only be used with the trainer's skill. The second way is to put the dinosaur on the brink of death and nurse it back to health. It also includes how difficult it would be to tame the dinosaur and the recommended “method” to tame the dinosaur.
Anonymous - “This really does remind me of a video game”
Unknown - “Yeah it does…”
This guy seems more excited than anything but that made me remember that I didn’t open the bag from the grave, I’ll check that out when we get back.
The Hunter skill set is for hunting as it says in the name. The manual includes the weaknesses for encountered dinosaurs, it also said the recommended hunting spots for certain levels.
We are back and eating to get ready for the first hunt. Opening the bag, I see Rusted Iron tools. There is a “Rusted Iron axe”, a “Rusted Iron spear”, and a “Rusted Iron Blade”. We go to the edge of the forest without going in too deep simply so we can hunt a dilophosaurus.
Anonymous - “Did you hear that?”
Unknown - “Yeah copy my skills”
Anonymous - “Alright what do I do now?”
Unknown - “We’re going ahead just stay to my left side”
I pull out the Blade from my inventory.
Unknown - “This should be enough to damage it and give you time to kill it with your axe ok?”
Anonymous - “Alright”
The dinosaur leaps from the bushes. I activate the skills precision strike and target lock-on. I stab it but it doesn’t pierce far through its skin.
Unknown - “Now!”
He struck the dinosaur on the head with the flat side of the axe and knocked it out. A screen appears saying: “Conditions complete taming possible”.
Unknown - “You know how to tame this thing?”
Anonymous - “Yeah we just have to feed it. Its taming difficulty isn’t that high either.”
Unknown - “Help me carry it back to the river.”
We carry the dinosaur to the river. In about 10 minutes it woke up and we held food to its face. It ate the food and didn’t attack us. A screen pops up again and says “Velociraptor tamed”. I doubt it’s an adult Raptor. I didn’t even think it was a raptor to begin with; it’s too small.
Unknown - “Hey why don’t you try using your skill or something?”
Anonymous - “It worked! I could also give you control of the Raptor”
Unknown - “Cool, let’s head back.”
Day 3
Unknown - “We should go hunting with the raptor”
Anonymous - “You sure?”
Unknown - “What, you scared it’ll turn on us or something?”
Anonymous - “No.”
We head to the beach where all the dodo birds are. Anonymous sends the raptor to kill the bird.
It rushes toward the bird and it bites its head off. It doesn’t eat the body, it just drops the head.
Unknown - “Well that’s just brutal.”
We feed the Raptor and go hunting for the rest of the day. It got to level 10 and Anonymous is level 5 and I’m level 8. I put my stat points into strength and health. Now my strength is at +12 and my health is at +4. Tomorrow we’re going to the forest edge so we can level up more now that we are stronger.
Day 4-8
We’ve been hunting on the forest edge for the past few Fr days and I’m at level 23, Anonymous is at level 18, and Rapt is now level 25. He levels up faster than the both of us because he does most of the hunting for Anonymous. Anonymous does get 45% of the exp that he earns from targeted kills though.
Day 9
Today we head into the deep forest.
Anonymous - “What was the recommended level for this area?”
Unknown - “To go alone the recommended level was 12, but with the most dangerous creature it said recommended to be level 25”
Anonymous - “You really are a cautious guy”
Unknown - “This is our lives on the line here ya know?”
Anonymous - “Yeah I get it. Let's just go already.”
On the way there he starts to ask questions. Now that I think about it we haven’t talked about much besides trying to survive.
Anonymous - “Hey do you remember anything about before you came here?”
Unknown - “Not much but if you ask questions I might remember something.”
Anonymous - “Ok, how old are you?”
Unknown - “ 15”
Anonymous - “Yeah you are young”
Unknown - “How old are you then?”
Anonymous - “I’m 17”
Unknown - “Huh, well we’re here”
Anonymous - “Ok I’ll be on alert”
There’s just a group of Raptors around level 10.
The group only has 3 of them.
Unknown - “Copy my skills.”
Anonymous - “Ok”
Unknown - “I got the 2 on the right”
I take out the rusted blade swiftly as I rush behind the Raptor and stab it. Anonymous does the same and both of our weapons break as soon as we hit them while killing the dinosaurs but there is still one more. I bring out the spear and kill the last one before it could rush after me.
Anonymous - “Wow, that was close!”
Unknown - “Yeah I suppose they only had 2 hits each”
After collecting everything we store it in our inventory. Anonymous calls back Rapt and he comes running back. We switch back to the stone tools that we’ve been using on the forest edge.
Unknown - “Are you still up to hunt?”
Anonymous - “Yeah; you’re the one that almost got killed.”
As we continue into the forest I notice a grave.
Anonymous - “Is that a grave?”
Unknown - “Yeah I’ll check it out”
The grave said: “Time elapsed 255 days”
Beside it was a heavy bag.
Anonymous - “You sure it’s a good idea to take from a grave like that?”
Unknown - “It would be wasteful to let things go unused like this.”
Anonymous - “Yeah.”
We go back to the campsite and open the bag. In it is a book, the book’s title is “Caster Skill Set manual”. I’m too tired to read it so I toss it back in the bag to read in the morning. In the middle of the night, I hear Anonymous flipping through the pages of the book, but I continue to sleep.
Day 10
I get woken up in the morning by Anonymous.
Unknown - “Huh,what is it?”
Anonymous - “Last night I stayed up and read the book and I got some really valuable information.”
Unknown - “Like what? It said it was a caster Skill Set. Can we even use it?”
Anonymous explains how there are 2 ways to get mana availability or access to magic. The first way was to find a mana river or water source with mana and absorb it. The second way is to find a magic stone and you could do one of 2 things with it, you can absorb the mana out of the stone to increase your mana capacity or use the stone as a staff to increase your magic power.
Unknown - “Did it say where the mana river could be found?”
Anonymous - “It didn’t say where but it did show an image of the river and it looked like a snowy area.”
Anonymous - “The only place that has snow is where I saw I first got here; the icy mountain.”
Finally something new that I can look forward to.
Unknown - “We should head over there tomorrow after the first challenge is completed”
Unknown - “I've been putting stat points into “Craftsmanship” for a while and I’m finally able to make all the things needed for a house. Now we just need to gather the materials. Deforestation time!”
Anonymous - “Finally, I’m tired of sleeping on palm tree leaves.”
A few hours pass…
Building the support beams is the worst because we have to make sure they are aligned, and that alone takes about an hour.
Thanks to the auto crafting feature, all we have to do is gather the wood in one place and I can easily select the option in the crafting menu. The walls fit like wooden puzzle pieces because they have slots to lock it in with smaller blocks. The end result is about the size of a classroom.
Unknown - “I can finally get some shade without going into that insect-infested forest!
A shadow comes from behind the wall and raises its scythe to strike Anonymous.
Unknown - “Anonymous get outside now!!!”
Anonymous runs out not knowing what's going on.
I dash outside, the reaper follows Anonymous and he still can’t seem to see it.
Unknown - “Go across the river!!”
Anonymous - “Why what’s going on?”
Unknown - “Just trust me go!”
As soon as Anonymous gets in the river, the dark figure stops at the river bank. I equip my axe and swing causing it to phase through it. But water splashes on it and it seems to have taken some damage from it so I quickly take out my shovel and splash the water on it. It melts into green slimy goo and Anonymous appears to be able to see it now. A screen now appears, it says: ”Special Achievement! You've defeated the grim reaper! The minimum requirement was to survive from it. I'm impressed. As a reward you and your companion shall receive mana accessibility! The next mission will be revealed shortly.” 2 copies of the same book explaining about mana dropped. The basic casting skills are “heal” and “ally heal” . We can use them just as we would use active skills. Anonymous crosses the river to come back and we make our way into the base but it’s pitch dark, we make torches and hang them up. The first thing I want to learn is ice magic. Though it’s called caster skill, the term magic is more convenient. In my stats I have a high Ice magic proficiency and a high earth magic proficiency. Anonymous has an electricity magic proficiency and a wind proficiency. To cast spells we have to visualize it just like we would visualize our inventory. The more we master the specific skill the less mana it takes to perform the skill. I tried to make a sharp ice projectile but all that happened was I made a small ice sickle. I’ll just read more into the book, and if I increase my knowledge of this I might get better at it. I walk back and anonymous is sleeping on the wall with his book in his hand. I make a sleeping bag for myself because I had unlocked that with the house parts. I just go to sleep. I'll read it in the morning.
Day 11
I wake up and Anonymous is still sleeping. I can just continue to read until he wakes up. The book says that not having proficiency can make using other elements difficult to use but we are still able to use them. The effectiveness of the magic depends on your current physical state. For example, if you’re dehydrated and using water or ice magic it will be less effective. This doesn’t apply for all elements, this rule doesn’t apply to earth, lightning and wind ect. The rule only applies to anything rooting from fire or water. Using magic can work 2 ways. You can use purely mana to create your magic or you can use the surrounding area and use less mana. Training mana does not expand the mana capacity but it does make it easier to use magic and not use all your mana at once like I did the first time. Mana replenishes over time but it is faster to meditate. Anonymous wakes up when I finish reading it.
Anonymous - “You done reading it?”
Unknown - “Oh you’re awake.”
Anonymous - “Yeah let’s see the next mission.”
Unknown - “Alright”
We walk across the river to the stone, it says “It seems you have already completed the second task which was to tame a dinosaur of choice. As a reward, you can choose to stop the timer for another 5 days or continue on to the next mission right away.” I discuss it with Anonymous and he agrees. We choose to use the next 5 days to train our new skills. It’s still bright out so I feed Rapt, we haven’t gone hunting in a while. I decide that I should start to train my earth magic. Using earth magic is more convenient because it’s everywhere so I won’t have to use much of my mana. We head over to the beach where all the dodo birds are first. I'm just trying to at least make a small part of the ground collapse like a sinkhole. With magic, it is not limited to anything as long as we have the mana and creativity for it. When I have more control of it I want to try to combine elemental attacks. The ability to become stronger here is what makes this world even slightly enjoyable. Trying to make a sinkhole without any open space below it didn’t work but splitting the ground and closing it did work. It’s only the size of my foot right now. As I continue to practice it gets larger and starts to take less mana in comparison to the skill size. I eventually run out of mana and so does Anonymous.
…
My attack is now able to fit a fully grown dodo bird and I’m also able to execute the attack quickly. I’m able to split the ground and close it as soon as the victim gets inside, crushing it and having blood spill out of it. It feels like a rubber band when I split the ground then it snaps back when I release it. Too much detail maybe? The Sun is still up so while Anonymous meditates I stand guard just in case something happens. After 10 minutes he’s done and stands guard for me. We continue to practice magic until the end of the day guarding each other when meditating. It’s the end of the day and I can confidently say that I can practice in the deep forest right now. I’ve practiced moving around while casting and it feels like streams of mana coming out of my body and pulling the ground apart. It would be nice if I’m able to move and cast at the same time. We go back to the house and I just read through the other elements and fall asleep.
Day 12-14
We continue to train in the forest for the next 2 days. I am now able to use magic in different ways now, I’m able to use earth as spikes from the ground and pierce the target. I’m not sure what Anonymous is able to do because we train in different areas so we don’t interfere with each other. Tomorrow we should be ready for the next mission.
Day 15
Today I’m just going to relax and check out my stats and options. I forgot that I didn’t level up automatically and I’m able to level up 5 times now. There is a new option that is called “Mana Strength”. I was able to strengthen my mana the whole time. Although I’m able to strengthen it through stats, the practice for control is still useful. I’m going to see the difference so I go to the backyard of the house. I’m able to make spikes out of the ground larger and I’m able to make multiple at the same time. Splitting the ground is less efficient but after some experimentation I found that I can soften the ground to make areas in the ground like quicksand or slippery.
Anonymous - “Still practicing?”
Unknown - “Yeah, I didn’t know that I could put my stats into mana strength”
Anonymous - “Oh ok, I’m going back to sleep.”
I continue to practice until I run out of mana for the 5th time. I cross the river to check how much time is left until the next task and there are 5 hours left. After Anonymous goes outside to practice when I’m done and I go to sleep because I’m tired from practicing. A few hours later Anonymous wakes me up to say the next mission is about to appear. We go across the river to the stone and the stone crumbles and it says:
“I hope you enjoyed your training, but now it’s time for your next mission.”
“Go to the town near the peak of the mountain”
“The map and route is accessible through your inventory.”
“You will be able to see the missions through your inventory as of now.”
The stone crumbles and leaves nothing but rubble on the floor.
Unknown - “It hasn’t even been a week since we had the house.”
Anonymous - “Yeah but If we take down the house and store the parts in our inventory we might be able to rebuild it when we get to the town.”
Unknown - “Yeah, I guess that could work if it doesn’t take up too much space.”
We take the house down, our inventories can’t fit everything so we leave all the food that we didn’t need in Rapt’s inventory. We can’t afford to waste time so we quickly prepare. I check my inventory and see a message from “???” a blank space. It's the map. The mountain is about 15 miles away so it should take at most 2 days to make it to the base of it. 5 miles ahead is a forest with fairly large trees. Anonymous finishes his preparations and we are on the way. An hour later we are still walking 2.5 miles in and we both get a new stat option “stamina”. Stamina can be gained naturally, but stat points can also be added to it. By the next hour we make it to the forest and our stamina stats are at +10 by just walking. Rapt is keeping up like it’s no problem. We rest once we get to the forest. We take a break for about half an hour and continue for another 5 minutes and a triceratops appears. The triceratops seems aggressive and is trampling the area. This is exciting! Something that might be a challenge to test my strength.
Anonymous - “Wait! I might be able to to tame it”
Anonymous runs towards it but it’s too aggressive to approach. I loosen the ground below it and it slips around and falls. Anonymous continues to go towards it then puts his hand on it and I can see particles of electricity leaving the dinosaur and it falls down.
Anonymous - “You got any berries?”
Unknown - “Yeah, but not that many. I gotta get more”
Anonymous - “Ok I’ll watch it for now.”
I go to get more berries deeper in the forest and come back.
Anonymous - “Ok place the berries in front of it, I’m gonna wake it up.”
I pull all of the berries out of my inventory and drop them in front of it. He wakes it up forcefully with electricity and it wakes up aggressively again. Anonymous puts it back to sleep. We do this process 3 more times and Rapt is still on standby to attack but it finally works. The screen pops up just like last time and it says “Triceratops Tamed”. It’s night time now so we set up a fire and sleeping bags and we rest for tomorrow.
Day 16
I wake up before Anonymous so I check for new options and I see that I can make a saddle for our newly tamed dinosaur. I have all the materials to make it except animal hide (Skin or Leather) so I go hunting for a while and I find a lystrosaurus. It looks ugly but kind of like a dog so I can’t kill it. I continue to look for something while not going too far from the camp and I find a dilophosaurus. I kill it with earth spikes and I skin it for the animal hide. I walk back to make a saddle but I make two instead of one. I could still use the other one if we tame another one. I attach the saddle and wake up Anonymous.
Anonymous - “ Oh you made a saddle, nice.”
Unknown - “Yeah I made 2 so if we find another one I can use the second one”
Anonymous - “Alright, let’s continue”
We continue on two feet because it would be difficult to maneuver with all the trees on Trike. That’s the nickname I decided because it has three spikes (Triple Spike). We continue for the rest of the day. We don't need to take any breaks because of our built up stamina. About 6 hours later we are about to make it to the base of the mountain. From the corner of my eye I see another triceratops.
Unknown - “Look! There’s another one.”
Anonymous - “Hey do you have any leftover berries, I don’t need as much as I did the first time.
I give him the berries that I got just in case of a situation like this. He walks over to it and gives it berries “Triceratops Tamed” the screen appeared. Just like that! It would be that easy compared to the first time.
Unknown - “How is it this easy now?”
Anonymous - “It’s less aggressive and there was a skill from the trainer skill set, it was called “Taming experience ” it makes it easier to tame dinosaurs that I’ve already tamed before.”
Unknown - “Well that’s convenient”
I put on the saddle and we use the dinosaurs to get up the mountain. We reached the snowy part and to get to the village it is another 5 miles. They are slower than us running but it’s safer to ride them because of the risk of getting sick. Catching a cold is a possibility for us after all. Since I’m in a snowy area I start practicing Ice magic. By the time I run out of mana I check “Journal of the next life.” I’m able to see day 17.
“Day 17”
When I wake up I see the village and Zephyr is awake before me as always. When we reach the village there’s a gate with 2 people guarding it side by side with iron spears and wearing real world jackets. We walk over to greet them. I notice the chilling breeze stops when we get near the village.
Aster - “Hey there”
Guard 1 - “Hello you must have had a long journey here, what's your name?”
Guard 2 - “You know they probably don’t remember their names.”
Guard 1 - “Yeah I’m just messing with them.”
Aster - “My name is Aster”
Zephyr - “My name is Zephyr”
Guard 1 - “Oh you came up with names already, that’s surprising.”
They look fairly young then what I would have thought the stereotypical guard would be. They look around my age. They lead us in the village. They have an abundance of people and large wooden houses that looked like they could hold many people living there. When we left the gate another 2 guards took their place.
Zephyr - “What about our dinosaurs?”
Guard 1 - “So there's another tamer, huh”
They then open the second gate and it’s way larger. We lead all our dinosaurs to the pen.
The town has a warm glow that makes it feel comfortable. They lead us to a small building. There is a woman sleeping at a desk with papers all over the desk.
Guard 1 - “Hey Lauren, it’s time for you to do your job. Stop acting like you're so busy.”
She wakes up drooling. She has glasses and is wearing a business dress, like a secretary. She wipes the drool off of her face
Lauren - “That’s Ms. Lauren to you.”
Lauren - “So you survived?”
We explain the situation to Lauren and the guards.
Lauren - “Hahaha. That guy has a weird way of wording it making it sound like it’s that urgent, but it’s fine. The fate of the world isn’t all in your hands.”
Aster - “What do you mean by him?”
Lauren - “Well to summarize it there is a threat to this world and the creator of this world summoned us to defeat it. We will fight it in about 5 years. It’s a war between 2 worlds. The “Plunderers'' as they've called themselves have been invading our land and routes for about 10 years.”
Zephyr - “Sorry to interrupt, but why were we summoned?”
Lauren - “Well, 10 people from earth were chosen to create a world. I don't know the main details but they all had a level or skill system. One of the world’s creators lost control of the people so as a result they left and went back to earth leaving the people of their world stranded. This happened 10 years ago.”
Zephyr - “Sorry to interrupt again but-”
Lauren - “I’m getting to it ok!”
Zephyr - “Sorry, Sorry.”
Lauren - “So, to continue Free is what we call the one who summoned us. Because the other creator abandoned his world he opened what we call routes which connect the other worlds so the people from his world who aren’t Plunderers could escape and go to another world, but in that process Plunderes were able to invade. The plunderers have a mark given to them by the creator of their world. In its early days this used to be a calm paradise, hopefully we can go back to it.”
Lauren - “But to answer your question you were summoned to defend this world.”
Guard 1 - “You love telling this story don’t you?”
Lauren - “It’s not like I get to tell it much anymore.”
Guard 2 - “Ok we got the story now let’s give them names already.”
Lauren - “Whatever name comes to your mind.”
Aster - “Aster works.”
Lauren - “Ah I see, the violet flower nice choice,”
Lauren - “And for you mister interruption?”
Zephyr “Zephyr.” Lauren - “Interesting.”
Zephyr - “Yeah”
The guards lead us out of the building to head to the housing district. As we’re walking we see many people wearing modern clothing.
Aster - “So, how do they have modern clothes?”
Guard 2 - “The one that created the routes trades with us. We give valuable materials from our world that we can’t use and we get modern comforts.”
Aster - “Cool.”
We get to the housing district and there are furniture shops and dining halls.
Zephyr - “The town didn’t look this large from the outside.”
Guard 1 - “That’s because this is a cleared dungeon.”
Guard 2 - “Yeah dungeons are basically-”
Guard 1 - “There are plenty of books on it. You can check it out if you're that interested, but I’m tired.”
They lead us to different houses and I go back to sleep. I'm too tired.
It’s been so long since I’ve felt the comfort of a soft mattress. I wake up and I see a letter on the desk by the bed. It says: There are clothes in the closet and a shower in the door to the right, please prepare and go to the main hall for your documents to be written. I get ready and head out but I have no Idea where to go.
Mist - “Hey my name’s Mist, are you new here?”
Aster - “Why do you ask?”
Mist - “I’m supposed to lead the new people to the main hall to get all the documents done if you saw the letter.”
Aster - “Was there another guy here?”
Mist - “Yeah I saw him but he’s still inside, did you want to wait for him?”
Aster - “Eh he’ll be fine.”
Mist - “So what’s your name?”
Aster - “... Aster”
Mist - “Ok let’s go then.”
We walk down the main street and get to a small office building.
Office lady - “Weren’t there supposed to be 2?”
Mist - “Yeah but the other guy is still inside resting.”
Office lady - “Well I can get this one outta the way, but get the other guy in as soon as possible I want to go home.”
She asked questions about how I got here and my encounters with dinosaurs and when I responded they were both in shock.
Mist - “So umm, what type of lifestyle do you want to live.”
Aster - “What do you mean?”
Mist - “Would you like to get stronger.”
Aster - “yeah.?”
Office lady - “Would you like to be an explorer? You can bring your friend too?”
Aster - “What would I get out of it?”
Office lady - “Well, when you’re on break you get to live the luxury life. There’s a process to it though.” Aster - “And that is?”
Office lady - “Well first you have to take “classes” then combat training, then you will be able to prove yourself through an achievement if you want to be a high rank.”
Aster - “I’ll go wake him up.”
Mist - “Alright I’ll be waiting here.”
At the office…
Office lady - “So how’s Misty?”
Mist - “She’s becoming an explorer.
Office lady - “Are you joining too?”
Mist - “Nah she’ll be fine, I already have a job to do and I don’t want to have to go through all that fighting again.”
Office Lady - “That’s shocking, the overprotective brother letting his sister do what she wants?”
Mist - “Shut it.”
Back to Aster
I walk over to the house and I see him standing outside confused.
Aster - “Zephyr follow me.”
Zephyr - “Do you know where the Main Hall is?”
Aster - “Yeah follow me.”
We head to the Main Hall.
Mist - “Hey my name is Mist, we just need to sort your documents.
Office Lady - “So first what’s your name?”
Zephyr - “My name is Zephyr” Office Lady - “Ok how old are both of you?”
Aster - “15.”
Zephyr - “17”
Office Lady - “Now, I’m going to explain what an explorer is and if you’re not interested you can choose another job. An explorer is a part of the military. You have the potential to become an explorer if you can use magic and have combat experience. You get to live a luxury life if you have a high position. Although it is difficult to get to a high position you both seem to have the potential for it. You might be fighting in dungeons or defending routes from the plunderers. You might even get to meet Misty.” Zephyr - “Who’s Misty?”
Office Lady - “Oh, she’s Mist’s beautiful sister that he’s been hiding from the world, but the bird has escaped from the nest and is going to explore and She’s about your age Aster.”
Mist - “Hey hey hey. Calm down there Jade”
Jade - “What, are you afraid that she’ll get taken away from you?” Mist - “Don’t pay attention to her.”
Jade - “Sorry about that but what’s your decision?”
Aster - “I’ll become an explorer.”
Jade - “And what about you Zephyr.”
Zephyr - “I’ll do it.”
Jade - “Ok I’ll get everything sent through to the teachers.”
Mist - “The next entrance is in another 6 months so you guys should find temporary jobs.”
Aster - “What are the options?”
Mist - “I would recommend becoming guards if you guys do fit the requirements. You can apply after I show you around.”
Aster - “Alright”,
We walk out of the building and he shows us around and there are libraries, stores, Training grounds, and different housing districts. We go to the job application center. Mist talks to a guy and he comes over to the desk.
Mist - “You’ll start tomorrow there should be a clock in your inventory, be ready by 12pm you’ll be out by 6pm. Set an alarm now.”
Aster - “What about payment?”
Mist - “We use a system which can be seen through your inventory; it's called the points system. You will receive your pay automatically once you reach the end of your shift.”
Zephyr - “That’s interesting but I’m tired so are you ready to go back?”
Mist - “Yeah that should be it for now”
We head back to the housing district, but I stray off to head to the library. It really is a warming place. “There are a lot of magic related books here.” I finish reading by 10pm and I head back to the house. “Ugh this is such a pain, to think I would have to have a job at this young of an age.” I fall asleep as soon as I hit the bed.
Beep Beep Beep! I go to guard the gate with Zephyr. I grab a chair and read until the end of my shift.
Aster - “Nope I don’t have the patience for this I’d rather go back to living and hunting in the forest”
​
Thank you for tolerating my 8th Grade Writing. Part 2 is already completed, stick around for it!

even writing this post makes me absolutely sick lol any help is greatly appreciated.
Pretty new to reddit so my apologies if this isn't formatted correctly. I (21f) go to an in-state school and am a bio major, initially hoping to pursue a career in child psychiatry. I was on the dean's list both semesters my freshman year and held competitive mental health internships the following summer. I excelled in my courses, but in fall 2021 I had a severe breakthrough covid case that I was hospitalized for, as well as later complications from being immunocomp (lower kidney infection, strep throat, lol it was awful.) I was forced to do a medical withdraw that November due to this and received tuition reimbursement, both of which were very involved processes.
I was devastated to be set back midway through so much hard work but resumed my courses the spring semester. This is where things get worse...
I experienced a traumatic sexual assault midway during this semester. I ended up withdrawing from every class except a child psych class (I had a great relationship with my professor and had her both semesters freshman year, so this was the only prof I shared the assault with at first.) I intended on not returning to this school the upcoming semester and planned on taking a semester off and transferring after I finished my summer mental health job. My Dean of Students representative was supportive and encouraged me to stay at my school and contact my past professors. So I returned!
During this semester (Fall 2022), I was disowned by my family for being gay (I am a brown first-gen American with a religious family, my dad died when I was in highschool, my extended family was generous enough to pay until they knew) and lost all financial help from them. I still have no idea how they found out. My school has a partnership with UPS that night shift workers at this job can have tuition paid for, and I chose this route over loans. Big mistake.
The schedule was 11pm-5am nightly, and come November it was 11:20pm -8am, M-F. I was taking 12 credit hours, but I still could not keep up in my 300 level courses. I failed every class.
I feel like a complete failure. I have unpaid tuition left from last semester. I feel like my dream is completely unattainable and like my life is over now. It all feels like excuses and that if I worked harder or tried more I would've been able to not let my assault ruin my academics or be able to work third shift and do pre-med.
Anyways. They have now reached out and said they would pay for my school despite being gay. I am incredibly grateful, but I don't know what to do. What are my options? Do I give up on med altogether?? My transcript is terrible. Can I transfer schools? Would any school even want me? I feel so discouraged and lost. I'd appreciate any advice at all.

“Dear friend,
I am writing to you today to talk about some of the most complex and intricate aspects of human relationships: heartbreak, love, and the many ups and downs of romantic entanglements.
There is no denying that relationships can be incredibly rewarding and fulfilling, but they can also be fraught with challenges and heartbreak. When a relationship ends, it can feel like the entire world has come crashing down around you. Your heart aches, and it can be hard to imagine ever feeling happy or whole again.
But even though it might not feel like it right now, I want you to know that heartbreak can be an opportunity for growth and self-discovery. It's a chance to reflect on what you want and need in a partner, and to think about what you might want to do differently in your next relationship. It's a chance to learn about yourself and to grow as a person.
Of course, that doesn't mean that it's easy. Breakups can be incredibly painful, and it's important to give yourself time to grieve and process your emotions. Surround yourself with people who love and support you, and try to find healthy outlets for your feelings. Whether that means talking to a therapist, journaling, or engaging in a creative pursuit that brings you joy, it's important to find ways to express yourself and work through your emotions in a healthy way.
As you move through the process of healing, it's also important to remember that love is not always easy. Relationships take work, and there will inevitably be bumps in the road along the way. But when you find someone who truly loves and supports you, who makes you feel seen and heard and valued, it's all worth it.
So don't give up on love. Keep your heart open, and be willing to take risks and put yourself out there. Love is one of the most beautiful and rewarding aspects of the human experience, and it's worth pursuing, even if it comes with its fair share of challenges.
In closing, I want you to know that you are not alone. Heartbreak is a universal experience, and there are people all around you who care about you and want to support you. So take heart, my friend, and know that brighter days are ahead.
With love and support,
ChatGPT”

I found it very deep and I hope this resonates well with you!

“Dear friend,
I am writing to you today to talk about some of the most complex and intricate aspects of human relationships: heartbreak, love, and the many ups and downs of romantic entanglements.
There is no denying that relationships can be incredibly rewarding and fulfilling, but they can also be fraught with challenges and heartbreak. When a relationship ends, it can feel like the entire world has come crashing down around you. Your heart aches, and it can be hard to imagine ever feeling happy or whole again.
But even though it might not feel like it right now, I want you to know that heartbreak can be an opportunity for growth and self-discovery. It's a chance to reflect on what you want and need in a partner, and to think about what you might want to do differently in your next relationship. It's a chance to learn about yourself and to grow as a person.
Of course, that doesn't mean that it's easy. Breakups can be incredibly painful, and it's important to give yourself time to grieve and process your emotions. Surround yourself with people who love and support you, and try to find healthy outlets for your feelings. Whether that means talking to a therapist, journaling, or engaging in a creative pursuit that brings you joy, it's important to find ways to express yourself and work through your emotions in a healthy way.
As you move through the process of healing, it's also important to remember that love is not always easy. Relationships take work, and there will inevitably be bumps in the road along the way. But when you find someone who truly loves and supports you, who makes you feel seen and heard and valued, it's all worth it.
So don't give up on love. Keep your heart open, and be willing to take risks and put yourself out there. Love is one of the most beautiful and rewarding aspects of the human experience, and it's worth pursuing, even if it comes with its fair share of challenges.
In closing, I want you to know that you are not alone. Heartbreak is a universal experience, and there are people all around you who care about you and want to support you. So take heart, my friend, and know that brighter days are ahead.
With love and support,
ChatGPT”

I found it very deep and I hope this resonates well with you!

Evening!
I’m a police officer (UK) and I’m going through the process of getting my first dog with my partner… GSD aged between 1 & 2 (rescue so age not confirmed).
I work a rough minimum of 50 hours per week (no nights) and can dedicate up to 3.5 hours per day for walks/training. My partner works from home three days per week & two in the office, 50 minutes away, and when home can dedicate 3 or so hours for training.
We have just moved to our new place & theres 8 miles of open green to walk/run/train on. We’ve got a garden (9mx5m) which obviously isn’t big enough - hence I’m here today:
I have gone through every single comment on this post & I’ve taken note of everything I can, but before getting our GSD, I need to understand from owners what I should be doing, ways to keep them mentally and physically occupied & the best advice for learning to deal with specific fears (has fears of cars & roads).
We are first time dog owners but, through work mainly, but also friends dogs, am used to dogs of a considerable size. I aim to walk them for an hour in the morning & an hour in the evening - on lead for the first month in an attempt to train restraint around other dogs (unsure how they may react).
I have researched the breed to a great length, read & watched about them but after reading the linked post, I really need your advice, so thank you in advance.

((Undertale Roleplay // Chara/Asriel // AU in which they had dropped the buttercups plan // Both are 18, I can change Chara to male if desired, just lmk // TL;DR: Asriel asks Chara out, she rejects him out of panic.))
When she had been required to help Asriel with his slipping marks, Chara had agreed to do so with mild annoyance. She felt bored at the idea of explaining concepts that seemed obvious to her, and apprehensive at the perspective of mastering the few ones that were not. Besides, there were many other books to read, almost as many knitting projects to continue on, and only so little time. But since there were not many other options for either one of them, and she was a wonderful friend, Chara took the tutoring matter rather seriously; she went to the library, collected the right amount of reading material, planned a balanced study schedule, and even wrote out a few tests for him to complete.
Asriel did not bother with asking too many questions, even during the times when she knew that she was being far from clear. At first, she felt delighted that these sessions were shorter than what she had expected them to be, but then, as the pages flipped over, as the hours and days went on, the contradiction progressively dawned on her. If everything was so limpid to the young monster, could it be that he had simply been too lazy to open the textbooks on his own? It did not seem likely. Her pen still in her hand, she had asked him if he was sure that these first three chapters of public finances were clear, because really, they were dense, and the next ones would only get more complicated if he lacked the basics. And then, right as she began insisting that they still had plenty of time and that there was no question to be ashamed about, he blurted out words that she struggled to immediately process through.
At first, she squinted her eyes, let out a confused snicker, and asked Asriel to repeat himself, certain to have poorly heard him. The library room felt as though it had started to spin as she realized that he was indeed asking her to go out with him. She felt her muscles tense, and her cheeks tingle to the point that it was all she could feel. Could it be some sort of joke? Given how terrified, and embarrassed she felt for her prolonged silence, she certainly hoped that it was. As she tightened her grip on her pen, she replied with the gentlest response that she could improvise: she loved him far too much to fall in love with him. For some reason, she soon drifted off about how much she loved monsterkind as a whole, and how grateful she was that they had formed a bond such as the one that they already shared. She had barely begun explaining that she was not interested in the social construction that was romance, or any sort of partners, for that matter, when Asriel let out an awkward laugh, said that he had understood, shoved his things into his bag, and left.
Even after he did, she remained sat at the wooden desk, trying to make out what had just happened. It was only when she stood off her chair that she realized that her knees were uncontrollably shaking.
---
Over the next few days, Asriel had grown distant. He had already kind of been before that evening, really, -- but she did not quite expect learning through Toriel that they would soon be sleeping in separate rooms. And that, at his request, under the guise of a need for space. The news felt like a cold shower as she strove to act unaffected in front of the Underground queen. They were already spending little to no time together, as of late -- aside from these cursed studying sessions, that was. Removing their old shared room out of the equation would mean that they would barely even talk to one another, and while she enjoyed her own company... she remained attached to him. Much more than she let on, as much as she tried to not think too much about that.
In little to no time, Chara grabbed her coat and hurried through the Underground. With her knowledge of Asriel's preferred places and the help of the occasional monsters passing by, it did not take her too long to find the prince standing on Snowdin's wooden bridge.
"Hey!" she called as she approached him, cheeks looking all the redder because of the biting cold. "'Everything alright? You, huh... asked for your things to be moved into the guest room?"
---

• [My word/paragraph range: I write around 200-500+ words per reply, and would like you to write around the same amount.
• What I want to see from potential partners: proper grammar, fluid sentences, creativity, or at least some ability to suggest different ideas instead of merely asking me "How do you want me to continue this?", let alone expecting me to carry the entire roleplay.
• My preferred writing platform(s): Discord and Reddit Messages!]

I decided to move my current PMS from a Proxmox hosted LXC on a NUC10i7 to a baremetal install on a NUC12i3. I had the LXC of PMS running for a couple of years and it was a bit of PITA on the intital setup to get the GPU passthrough working with the iGPU. I figured it would be less work to run on dedicated hardware, but once again it takes many different packages and this time a custom kernel (https://xanmod.org/) to get hardware transcoding working properly on 12th gen. I kludged together my initial instructions from various sites without getting hw transcoding working, but it was a post by u/DartSteven that got me going in the right direction to make it all work.
I wrote this tutorial to document the steps I used to get it all working for all of us *nix newbs and/or those of us who a know enough to be dangerous. I am also adding a bonus tutorial on properly fully migrating a PMS (settings/customizations/play history/library settings) from one computer to another).
I wanted this to be as seamless as possible so that I would not have to re-setup my 30TB of 1000 or so movies, 100's of TV show episodes, music and thousands of photos. Since my LXC PMS had its own static IP address and I had backed up the PMS install directory, I shut down the old server and released the fixed IP my UDMP assigned it. Once the new PMS server came online, I named it the same and gave it the same fixed IP address as the old PMS. So far, no one has noticed that I even moved to a new system 😎

-I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANYTHING YOU MAY MESS UP BY NOT FOLLOWING MY EXACT STEPS--ALWAYS MAKE BACKUPS OF YOUR IMPORTANT DATA BEFORE ATTEMPTING ANYTHING

Hardware Specs: NUC12 i3 16GB RAM 500GB Samsung 970 Pro
This tutorial assumes that you understand the basics of Debian/Linux and command line. I know enough to be dangerous, but by no means am an expert. I am just very persistent at figuring out how to make something work and I spent a couple of days trying to figure this out.
Just to be 100% sure this tutorial is correct (as of today), I wiped my already fully setup NUC12 and typed up this tutorial step by step to make sure everything worked as posted. I am sure there are some easier ways to accomplish some of my steps, but everything posted worked exactly as I expected on my system with a fresh install of Debian 11.6.0. YMMV
These steps are based off of Debian commands. I believe the Ubuntu commands are similar. Please do not ask me about other flavors. For some reason, my Debian install does not let me use sudo and is why I generally just type su then type the root password to be able to work without having to type the root password in all the time.

Install Debian 11.6.0

• I made a bootable USB thumbdrive with BalenEtcher from the DVD ISO of Debian 11.6.0. I chose a standard install and chose the default options, but disabled Debian desktop environment, Gnome and enabled SSH server.
• Make sure the system is up to date

​

apt-get update && apt-get upgrade -y 

• I also installed these packages gpg, htop, nfs-common

​

apt install gpg -y apt install htop -y apt install nfs-common -y 

• Elevate to root

​

su #type in your root password 

• Edit the repositories to give access to intel drivers and firmware

​

nano /etc/apt/sources.list 

• Add the text non-free to the end of the line that says deb http://deb.debian.org/debian/ bullseye mainThe line should look like this deb http://deb.debian.org/debian/ bullseye main non-free
• Save the file

Install the intel firmware and drivers and microde

wget -qO - https://dl.xanmod.org/archive.key gpg --dearmor -o /usshare/keyrings/xanmod-archive-keyring.gpg su echo 'deb [signed-by=/usshare/keyrings/xanmod-archive-keyring.gpg] http://deb.xanmod.org releases main' tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/xanmod-release.list apt update && apt install linux-xanmod-x64v3 -y apt install firmware-linux-nonfree -y apt install intel-media-va-driver-non-free -y mkdir firmware cd firmware wget -r -nd -e robots=no -A '*.bin' --accept-regex '/plain/' https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/firmware/linux-firmware.git/tree/i915/ mv *.bin /lib/firmware/i915/ su - update-initramfs -c -k all reboot 

• Verify that you are running on the custom kernel

​

uname -a [email protected]:/home/plex# Linux pleximus 6.2.8-x64v3-xanmod1 #0~20230322.6ba5bb2 SMP PREEMPT_DYNAMIC Wed Mar 22 21:30:17 UTC x86_64 GNU/Linux 

MOUNT AN NFS SHARE ON YOUR NAS AND MAKE IT PERSISTENT

These instructions are going to be based on how my NAS NFS share is configured previously, please search around on how to do it on your own NAS. On this new system I tried everything to make my NFS mount persistent after reboots and the autofs package was the only thing that worked for me. You can skip this if you already know how to mount an NFS share and make it persistent a different way.

• Edit fstab

​

su nano /etc/fstab 

• Add this line to the end of the fstab file text (based on your NFS share/mount configuration)

​

# NFS_SERVER:/PATH/TO/EXPORTED/DIR /MOUNT_POINT_ON_CLIENT TYPE_OF_FS OPTIONS DUMP PASS 10.0.30.10:/volume1/PLEX/MEDIA /mnt/plex nfs defaults 0 0 

• Save the file
• Mount the share referenced in fstab

​

mount -a 

• Install autofs

​

apt install autofs -y 

• Edit auto.master config

​

nano /etc/auto.master 

• Add this to the end of the file

​

/- /etc/auto.mount 

• Save the file
• Edit auto.mount

​

nano /etc/auto.mount 

• Add an entry based off your configuration

​

# create new : [mount point] [option] [location] /mnt/plex -fstype=nfs,rw 10.0.30.10:/volume1/PLEX/MEDIA 

• Restart autofs

​

systemctl restart autofs 

• Reboot

​

su - reboot 

• Verify that the share is mounted

​

cd /mnt/plex/ 

• If you see your Plex media folders, then you are good to go

INSTALL PLEX MEDIA SERVER

• Install curl

​

apt install apt-transport-https curl -y 

• Add Plex Repository

​

curl https://downloads.plex.tv/plex-keys/PlexSign.key apt-key add - echo deb https://downloads.plex.tv/repo/deb public main tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/plexmediaserver.list apt update 

• Install Plex

​

apt install plexmediaserver -y 

• Verify that Plex can see your iGPU hardware transcoder, it should say Intel 915 Hardware: Found

PlexMediaServer install: Installation Type: NewPlexMediaServer install: Process Control: systemdPlexMediaServer install: Plex User: plexPlexMediaServer install: Plex Group: plexPlexMediaServer install: Video Group: renderPlexMediaServer install: Metadata Dir: /valib/plexmediaserveLibrary/Application SupportPlexMediaServer install: Temp Directory: /tmpPlexMediaServer install: Lang Encoding: en_US.UTF-8PlexMediaServer install: Processor: 12th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i3-1220PPlexMediaServer install: Intel i915 Hardware: FoundPlexMediaServer install: Nvidia GPU card: Not FoundPlexMediaServer install:PlexMediaServer install: Completing final configuration.Created symlink /etc/systemd/system/multi-user.target.wants/plexmediaserver.service → /lib/systemd/system/plexmediaserver.service.PlexMediaServer install: PlexMediaServer-1.31.3.6868-28fc46b27 - Installation successful. Errors: 0, Warnings: 0Processing triggers for mailcap (3.69) ...

• Verify PMS is installed and running

systemctl status plexmediaserver
plexmediaserver.service - Plex Media Server
Loaded: loaded (/lib/systemd/system/plexmediaserver.service; enabled; vendor preset: enabled)
Active: active (running) since Wed 2023-03-29 14:52:22 PDT; 7min ago
Ctrl+C to close out of the PMS status screen

• You can exit and then logon to your PMS web interface by opening a web browser and going to https://yourpmsipaddress:32400 and setup Plex as you like.

If you are not migrating your PMS to a new computeserver, you can stop here and enjoy PMS on your NUC12 with working hardware transcoder.

MIGRATING PMS SETTINGS FROM ONE COMPUTER TO ANOTHER FULLY AND PROPERLY

If you want to migrate your PMS to a new computer and keep all your settings, customizations, play history, and library settings this is how you do it. These instructions are all based off the assumption that your Plex media content is stored on a NAS that your PMS is mounted to and that PMS is installed in /valib/ on the OLD PMS.

• On your OLD PMS, backup your current PMS (settings/customizations/library settings only no media/content). This can take a while depending on how big your collection is. My backup was 12.1GB and took about 4-5 minutes to complete.

​

cd /valib tar cvf plexmediaserver.tar plexmediaserve gzip plexmediaserver.tar 

• Copy or move the tar.gz file to your NAS for safe keeping

​

mv plexmediaserver.tar.gz /mnt/plex/ 

• On your NEW PMS, copy or move the tar.gz file to your /valib/ folder

​

cd /valib cp /mnt/plex/plexmediaserver.tar.gz /valib/ 

• Delete the empty /valib/plexmediaserver folder

​

rm -rf plexmediaserver 

• Extract the plexmediaserver.tar.gz file to the /valib/ folder

​

tar xvfz plexmediaserver.tar.gz 

• Delete tar.gz file (optional)

​

rm plexmediaserver.tar.gz 

• Start PMS

​

systemctl start plexmediaserver 

• Reboot system for good measure

​

su - reboot 

Once you reboot, you should be able access your PMS web interface by opening a web browser and going to https://yourpmsipaddress:32400. In my case, everything was exactly how it was on the old LXC PMS server.
Enjoy!
Sites used to complete this process:
Debian 11 - Nuc 12 - Some questions for you : debian (reddit.com)
XanMod Kernel
Debian 11 Bullseye : Configure NFS Client : Server World (server-world.info)
Install Plex media server Debian 11 [Step-by-Step] GoLinuxCloud
Migrating a Plex Media Server to another system – Observations… (kennethballard.com)

Since it seems that there's still plenty of interest in SwSh, I want to open up my collection for a bit. :)
I'm going to sleep very soon, so I'm not planning to do any trades right now. But feel free to drop comments and I'll be happy to trade tomorrow.

On-hands

I'm happy to give away whatever you'd like from both of my SwSh OH tabs, maybe with a limit of 45 mons per request, because I'm a bit busy. (Oh, if you want something on the SV on-hands tab, feel free to ask for it.)
As always, if you prefer, I can do the boring spreadsheet comparison for you using a little bit of code I wrote. Just drop me a link to your sheet and I'll get back to you when I'm next available.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1IR6rCNQYFccBrc_cxNVv2gEQnVpecEAo58IDRJYWNlo/edit

Breeding (SwSh only)

I need to clear my on-hands before I can breed anything more. (Hence the above!)
However, I want to start collecting some breeding requests now, because this is going to be slightly unusual (and experimental!). I am going to breed for free! In return, you have to read what I'm saying here.
To submit a breeding request:

1. Go to my SwSh tab and pick any Pokemon species that isn't highlighted in green yet. I will breed any number of those ball combos you need (up to all 11).
2. Reply to my top-level comment, telling me which species you've picked and which ball combos you need.
3. I'll start working on the first three species chosen. Before starting, I'll nudge the other people to let me know which ball combos of those three species they need, since it doesn't cost me much to breed extra of the same Pokemon for other people.

Note that it will almost certainly take me a bit of time to do several rows, so please be prepared to wait for, say, 1 or 2 weeks!
Rationale for the above if you're interested (feel free to ignore):
Although my SwSh collection is formally complete, my long-term aim is to re-breed my entire collection so that they have 4+IVs, beneficial nature, HA, and maximal EMs. (I'm not certain if I'll ever finish.) The EM criterion means that it makes sense for me to breed one species / one row at a time; the green rows are ones I've already done.
Given that my eventual aim is to make all rows green, it seems to be a win-win scenario if you pick the rows, I get to fill them in, and you get what are essentially on-hands from my re-breeding process. :)

Hey Data Redditors!
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