I noticed this this morning, the two options for m4a (audio) and mp4 have suddenly disappeared. No cloudflare blocking or anything like that (which would display a message), you can see (img attached) the raw data is being reached from the link but no video or audio files are being obtained.

https://preview.redd.it/enu4sbz9zcih1.png?width=723&format=png&auto=webp&s=9a094fc4f51fcebdda2b71bc555d75618d7aa908

Anyway, just raising a flag on the thing here if there's any suggestions or new workarounds for this specific problem or whether it's an end user problem out of the blue. I've updated the version as well and no change. Thanks.

I was thinking about this last time I was playing, how the early edges seem to lay the ground for easy supremacy later on. e.g. Sacrificing three turns early on to gain a Science lead (i.e. build the science building ASAP) = Major Science Lead relatively quickly which amplifies as the game progresses. Science = Quicker Research, Quicker Research = Quicker Building Buildings Built = Quicker Building.

That's one element of it.

So, let's say I'm UE, Hadri Lenko and the first fleet... we don't really need to send Hadri and the patrol ship 'right out' on turn one. He'll probably be gone for a long time so it's worthwhile to hold back, let a little dust accumulate (pun intended), to really flood his ship with sensor probes to 'then' send him out. Now instead of investigating one anomaly in one turn he's able to investigate six in one turn = more dust, special research discoveries, trophies from skirmishes adding to the empire resources at a time when 5 titanium or 200 dust matters.

Anyway, this seems to be the biggest factor in everything else. If you're 100 moves ahead on turn 10, you're 2000 moves ahead on turn 200. This kind of thing. AI players seem to have an early lead points-wise during this little phase but ultimately your first few moves determine the outcome and the point of which the AI can keep up begins to drop away very quickly, determined on those choices.

Look, I get it: depression, anxiety, and all that real shit exists and sucks. People have been struggling with their heads for centuries. But can we talk about how the last 10-15 years of turning "mental health" into this sacred cow has completely backfired?

Every time someone can't hold down a job, ghosts their responsibilities, or just bails on basic adulting, out comes the "my mental health" card like it's a get-out-of-life-free pass. Suddenly quitting a decent job after two weeks because "the vibes were off" or spending years in your parents' basement doomscrolling while "working on myself" gets celebrated as self-care. We've pathologized normal human discomfort. Bad day? Anxiety disorder. Procrastinating? ADHD. Feeling like a loser because you play video games 8 hours a day and haven't talked to a real person in weeks? Undiagnosed trauma, apparently.

I know people (and have been one) who used therapy and meds the right way and it helped. But the mainstream version? It's become this weird mix of corporate wellness speak, TikTok self-diagnosis, and victim Olympics. Employers are terrified to fire anyone because "what if they're struggling?" Schools bend over backwards with endless accommodations. And god forbid you suggest that maybe some discipline, exercise, real goals, or just touching grass might fix 70% of what people are calling "mental illness."

The data's kind of depressing too - more awareness and treatment than ever, yet youth suicide rates, loneliness, and general unhappiness keep climbing. Maybe constantly telling people their brain is broken and they need endless validation isn't the flex we think it is.

Unpopular take: A little shame and social pressure isn't always evil. Sometimes it's what stops you from rotting. We've swung so far from "stiff upper lip, never complain" to "your feelings are everything and nothing is ever your fault" that we've created a generation that's brittle as hell.

I'm not saying ignore real clinical issues. I'm saying the average person posting about their "spoon theory" or how they can't do laundry because of executive dysfunction needs to hear that life is hard for everyone and most of our ancestors didn't have the luxury of labeling it all a disorder.

Change my mind.

Or don't - I'm sure this'll get called ableist in the comments anyway. But I had to say it.

(What do you guys think? Has the pendulum swung too far in your experience?)

ed. coming back to this post in "no surf (a group about people who want to leave social media)" it's fucking incredible to me that 9/10 responses have been nasty shit. And ZERO have even registered the point about negativity. Literally here still doing the same Toxic Trash you pretend to be against. clap clap.

I've mostly muted/blocked anything I don't want to see on this site (or get shown too much of), save nice things like cute animal groups or whatever, but I've noticed that half or more of those subreddits slowly turned into cancer overnight with anti AI rules.

I mean here that we ignored the drama, but they just invented new drama that force people to engage with them and leave their groups. It literally never ends.

Even with the most minimalistic contact with reddit I'm still finding that 95% of my interactions feel like I'm being spat at.

• down vote, perma ban for ai, post denied by auto mod, comment shadow banned for mysterious keyword, etc.
• the 'up votes' mean nothing at all when weighed to the constant drip of daily negativity

anyway..

I just noticed that it really does seem like the 'reddit blob' is desperately seeking new ways to get in touch with users who are tuning out in order to force them into these negative scenarios.

Curious how the 'no surf' reader has experienced the same thing; trying to get away and finding they're being clawed at as they go.

there's a chicken on her back, with it's beak pecking her crack,

Lydia the tattooed lady

today my school teacher, Mr Churchill Nelson Mbungo, shouted at me that custard is a Japanese lie.

What did he mean by this? My ChatGPT keeps changing the subject.

anyone else stumbled across this classic soundboard prank call from 1993? i mean, it's obviously a prank call.. x d

Hey hey, I've been putting together a fun China Harem mod, basically allowing the Chinese Imperial ruler access to a long list of honorary titles with attached events and interactions modeled on the Qin, Western Han and Jin court titles.

I won't say anything in massive depth about how cool this is until it's ready but, as a really brief overview of some of the more fleshed-out concepts, here's some of my favourites so far which illustrate where the project is going,

Taihou [Characters Name] of [Empire Name]: Dowager Empress (Mother of Player/Emperor)

The Emperors Mother "rejoins the court" and becomes Taihou (Dowager Empress) making unreasonable demands (demands castration and execution if 'offended' by courtiers if she's Cruel, events never fire is she's Content, she can be made Content by fulfilling her insane gift demands) (she cannot have the title removed, unless imprisoned) (failing her demands loses Grace with China)

n.b. intended to create an extremely difficult trade-off for an otherwise SuperPowered Imperial Court, reflecting realism of how this actually operated in Imperial China

example events (some very rare, some common),

• Mother demands to be made Designated Regent; 100+ piety / 250+ grace if Yes (Your Mother is Pleased, -500 piety / -750 grace if No (Your Mother is Insulted)
• Mother demands land for one of her other sons (brother only); 100+ piety / 250+ grace if Yes County, 250+ piety / 500+ grace if Yes Duchy (two county options and/or full duchy option) (Your Mother is Delighted), -250 piety / -500 grace if No (Your Mother is Angered)
• Mother demands your Wife becomes her personal servant; Wife gains Stressed, 100+ piety / 100+ grace if Yes (Your Mother is Delighted, Your Wife is Insulted), -250 piety / -500 grace if No (Your Wife is Pleased, Your Mother is Insulted)
• Mother demands to be appointed First Minister on the Council; 100+ piety / 100+ grace if Yes (Your Mother is Pleased, -500 piety / -750 grace if No (Your Mother is Insulted)
• Mother imprisons your Wife and demands she be Publicly Humiliated for offending her; 250+ piety / 500+ grace if Yes (Your Mother is Delighted), -250 piety / -500 grace if No (Your Mother is Angered)
• Mother demands gifts (e.g. 15% of total gold for lavish palace refurbishment, or 1000 gold for dresses) w/ slight chance of Mother gaining Content trait (note. which mitigates the cruel/lunatic events); 250/50+ piety / 50+ grace if Yes (Your Mother is Pleased, -500/100 piety / -100 grace if No (Your Mother is Insulted)

n.b. actually the Taihou is insanely difficult and this could easily become an optional package for the main mod if people don't want to deal the crippling loss of Grace and Piety

https://preview.redd.it/5bkyj604re1h1.png?width=397&format=png&auto=webp&s=aced4539321a7ab48433ae52283ac68a236fa5c6

Bazi [Characters Name]: Any Female Courtier

Arguably the Most Fun one so far, reflecting the actual origins of the Shangqing School and Lady Wei Huacun as a taoist priestess and the modern 'bazi astrology'; Bazi is a minor title rank from the Qin and Western Han Eras as an appointed "learned lady". Most importantly: this title enables Chinese Animal Year divination for courtiers aged 12/15, assigning them childhood traits matching their animal years (as the easiest way to do this without inventing a whole layer of animal icons and traits).

example events (some very rare, some common),

• Bazi teaches Erudite to one random child (age 6/15) courtier (Event: Helping With Homework)
• Bazi performs Shengxiao (Chinese Astrology) onto one random child (age 10/15) courtier, gaining them the corresponding trait/s to their year of birth (note. high likelihood to trigger event once per child when the age threshold has appeared, i.e turns 10 or is 10/15) (Event: Shengxiao Reading)

Event: Shengxiao Reading (extended note. gives two traits, mostly childhood traits that develop into something else when reaching adulthood. SHENGXIAO READING: Rat = Shrewd and Playful, Ox = Wilful and Conscientious, Tiger = Haughty and Ambitious, Rabbit = Timid and Conscientious, Dragon = Wilful and Just, Snake = Brooding and Fussy, Horse = Playful and Rowdy, Goat = Idolizer and Affectionate, Monkey = Curious and Playful, Rooster = Wilful and Conscientious, Dog = Affectionate and Honest, Pig = Affectionate and Conscientious)

• if Scholar: Bazi teaches Erudite and Humble to one random female child (age 9/15) courtier, and Erudite and Envious to two random female children (age 9/15) (Event: Essay Contest - Scholar)
• if Scholar: Bazi suggests an Artifact Search (note. if accepted initiates normal artifact search chain of events) (Event: Promising Lead From Old Manuscript)
• if Scholar: Bazi teaches Genius to one random child (age 6/15) courtier (Event: Exceptional Child)
• if Mystic: Bazi teaches Idolizer to six random female relative children (age 11/15) (Event: Emulation of the Learned Lady)
• if Mystic: Bazi teaches Shangqing (Taoist modifier) and Gardener trait to five random female child relative (age 9/15) courtiers (who have no Taoist modifier) (Event: The Story of Lady Wei Huacun)
• if Mystic: Bazi establishes Scholar Foundation (province modifier) in random player demesne province (Event: Petition from the Scholars)

and then we get into the traditional 'actual harem' roles for female relatives like,

Chonyi (Favoured Assistant), Shizhi (Coiffure Attendant), Shijin (Towel Attendant), Yezhe (Night Attendant), Shaoshi (Junior Waiting Lady)

as well as the classic honorifics, e.g.

Lady of Handsome Fairness

Jieyu [Characters Name] of [Empire Name]

• Must Be: Strong, Robust, Sturdy
• Must Not Be: Feeble, Weak

Lady of Beauty

Meiren [Characters Name] of [Empire Name]

• Must Be: Fair, Groomed
• Must Not Be: Ugly, Uncouth

That's a fair overview of what this project is looking like so far, a sort of mix between 'lecherous emperor demands his cousin becomes his bathing attendant' and a stronger reflection of the actual role in the cultivation of younger women in the real world harems; educated women filling tutor roles, and the rivalries of the powerplayers like the Dowager Empress and the Empress, so on and so on. Lots of fun.

Now to the IMPORTANT question/request part of this,

ONE QUESTION I HAVE is regarding the brickwall I've run into on the China Priest Sprite which is beyond my time/ability to do (i.e. to fix the bamegames broken sprite) for what's really just a cosmetic change:

Here's the thing (as any taoist player has discovered) the Taoist priest sprite (be it male or female) defaults to the Western European priest/nun (major oversight by devs) when at bare minimum it should be the Buddhist sprite. Imperial China actually did have female libationers and taoist priestesses, so this should just exist already.

Now, I've been able to give a temporary workaround for this by changing chinesegfx to buddhistgfx in the religion text file, this did exactly what I thought it would do,

• changed the priest sprite model on the world map to a sexy buddhist woman (desired outcome)
• changed the taoist gold frame shields (dynasty/province/kingdom banner/s) on the map to the generic buddhist ones (undesired outcome)

Looking at the map shields it's not exactly 'terrible' - there's a greater sense of cohesion with the buddhist and the hindu maps which is almost better in my opinion (more realistic i think) but... I hate to sacrifice the cool taoist gold frames just to accomplish the fix for the sprite. Nobody wants to lose those things, I'd think.

The serious solution for this is that the entire chinesegfx file needs to be recreated/modified to just change the priest sprite from the 'western european blank character' to the buddhist male and female priest sprites, whilst allowing the gold frames on the shields to stay in place:

So, cutting to the chase of the matter, if anybody better understands the gfx files and can make these changes by creating a new chinesegfx for this project (likely it's as simple as swapping out one line of text in the chinesegfx for one line of text in the buddhistgfx) don't hesitate to message me about this in the next few months whilst I'm putting together the events.

Thanks in advance!