[Drive Screen] UIOffsetBottomPct=0 ; Shift bottom of UI up by specified percent VirtualMirrorSize=1 ; Size of virtual mirror, 0-large, 1-med, 2-small, 3-X-small, 4-XX-small [User Options] DriveUIFullScreen=0 ; Let triple headed driving UI expand to fill full display DriveUIMaxAspectRatio=1.800 ; Adjust driving UI maximum aspect ratio up or down DriveUITransparency=1.000 ; Adjust driving UI transparency up or down forceCrowdVisible=0 ; Force the crowd in the grandstand to show up on practice/qualify sessions ForceVisibleWhenMove=0 ; Force all movable controls to become visible when moving UI elements hideCarNum=0 ; Hide car numbers/decals in test sessions, so you can paint your own versions KeepUIHiddenOnFocus=0 ; If set to 1 then the UI can only be enabled with the space bar maxParticleThreads=6 ; #workers (0 to 6) NotifyOfDirtRequirements=1 ; Should the Session screen notify about too-low graphics settings? particleThreadPriorityAdjust=0 ; belowNormal=-1 normal=0 aboveNormal=1 reduceFramerate_WhenFocusLost=0 ; Set this to 0 to hold full framerate when another program has keyboard focus SessionUIFullScreen=0 ; Let triple headed session UI expand to fill full display SessionUIMaxAspectRatio=1.800 ; Adjust session UI maximum aspect ratio up or down SessionUITransparency=1.000 ; Adjust session UI transparency up or down [Display] border=1 ; window border? deviceIdx=0 ; which adapter displayRotateMode=1 ; 0-auto, 1-landscale, 2-landscape inv, 3-portrait, 4-portrait inv fullScreen=0 ; fullscreen? fullScreenDepth=32 ; Color depth fullScreenHeight=720 ; full screen Window's height fullScreenWidth=1024 ; full screen Window's width HDRFormat=0 ; 0=8 bit color (SDR) 1=HDR10 or HDR16F (depends on fullScreenDepth 32/64 bit) ModeScaling=0 ; 0=unspecified 1=centered 2=stretched pixelRatio=1.000 ; Full screen mode - Adjust for displays with non-square pixels pixelRatioWindowed=1.000 ; Windowed mode - Adjust for displays with non-square pixels RefreshRate=0.000 ; Refresh Rate windowedAlignment=0 ; windowed mode alignment: 0 - none, 1 - center, 2 - top left windowedHeight=720 ; windowed mode height windowedMaximized=0 ; Window is maximized in windowed mode windowedWidth=1024 ; windowed mode width windowedXPos=106 ; Window top left corner in windowed mode windowedYPos=99 ; Window top left corner in windowed mode [AutoCfg] AutoCfgCompleted=1 ; 0=need to run 3D autocfg at startup Version=1 ; Version of this file [Graphics Options] AllowTSOSelfShadows=1 ; 0=off, 1=more self-shadowing objects when shadow mapping DNSMFilter=2 ; 0= none 1= Fetch4 2= PCF4 3= PCF4P 4= PCF8P 5= PCF16P DNSMShadowFadeTime=25 ; 0 to # = time to fade in night shadows in 100ths of a sec (5 default) DNSMNumLights=1 ; 0 to 128 = Max number of shadow mapped lights at night DNSMWallsCastShadows=0 ; 0= off 1=track walls cast shadows DNSMTSOsCastShadows=0 ; 0= off 1=track objects cast shadows DNSMDownsampleFirst=0 ; 0=per-AA-sample shadows 1=per-pixel shadow DNSMEnable=0 ; 0=off 1=dynamic night shadow maps AutoExposure=1 ; 0=off, 1=on (only functions when HDR is also enabled) Reflections=0 ; 0=off, 1=render higher quality reflections TwoPassTrees=0 ; 0=off, 1=render trees with higher quality in two passes NumFixedCubemaps=0 ; number of fixed cubemaps to render per frame(100 = 1/frame) NumDynamicCubemaps=0 ; number of dynamic cubemaps to render per frame(100 = 1/frame) ReplayRenderModes=0 ; 0=off, 1=Replay Render Modes enabled Distortion=0 ; 0=off, 1=Distortion enabled SharpeningClamp=9 ; sharpening clamp (0=min, 10=default, 100=max) SharpeningAmount=125 ; sharpening strength (10=min, 125=default, 300=max) SMAA=0 ; 0=off, 1=Subpixel Morphological Antialiasing enabled FXAAQualityEdgeThreshold=166 ; 333=too little(fast),250=lowqual,166=default,125=highqual,63=overkill(slow) FXAAQualitySubPix=75 ; aliasing amt (100=soft,75=default,50=sharp,25=low,0=0ff) FXAA=0 ; 0=off, 1=FXAA enabled Sharpening=1 ; 0=off, 1=sharpening enabled SSAO=0 ; 0=off, 1=screen space ambient occlusion enabled MotionBlurBroadcastCams=1 ; 0=disabled, 1=enabled MotionBlurDrivingCams=1 ; 0=disabled, 1=enabled MotionBlurStrength=0 ; motion blur strength: 0=off, 1=low, 2=med, 3=high, 4=ultra HeatHaze=0 ; 0=off, 1=heat haze enabled DepthOfField=0 ; 0=off, 1=depth of field blurs enabled ShadowMapType=0 ; map onto: 0=off, 1=on (Turn on on for clouds/overcast to work best) DynamicShadowMaps=0 ; 0=off 1=dynamic shadow maps for cars, etc. (Day only!) ShadowDetail=0 ; 0=fewer shadows, 1=maximum shadows VirtualMirrors=1 ; 0=off, 1=virtual mirrors enabled MaxCockpitMirrors=0 ; Maximum number of cockpit mirrors to enable (0 to 4) MirrorDetail=0 ; 0=low detail, 1=high detail in mirrors ParticlesSoft=0 ; soft particles: 0=off, 1=on ParticlesFullRes=1 ; full resolution particles: 0=off, 1=on ParticleDetail=2 ; particle detail: 0=low, 1=med, 2=high WeekendDetail=0 ; event detail: 0=low, 1=med, 2=high FoliageDetail=0 ; foliage density 0=off, 1=low, 2=med, 3=high ObjectDetail=0 ; object population 0=low, 1=med, 2=high GrandstandDetail=0 ; 0=low, 1=med, 2=high CrowdDetail=0 ; 0=off, 1=low, 2=med, 3=high PitObjectDetail=2 ; 0=off, 1=low, 2=med, 3=high CarDetail=0 ; 0=low, 1=med, 2=high SkyRefreshRate=0 ; 0=low update rate, 1=med update rate, 2=high update rate Trilinear=1 ; 0=off, 1=improved texture quality LODPctDynoMirrorsMax=500 ; above 100% increases FPS and decreases LOD (25 to 500) LODPctDynoMirrorsMin=100 ; below 100% decreases FPS and increases LOD (25 to 500) LODPctDynoMax=400 ; above 100% increases FPS and decreases LOD (25 to 500) LODPctDynoMin=100 ; below 100% decreases FPS and increases LOD (25 to 500) LODPctMirrorsMax=500 ; above 100% increases FPS and decreases LOD (25 to 500) LODPctMirrorsMin=100 ; below 100% decreases FPS and increases LOD (25 to 500) LODPctMax=400 ; above 100% increases FPS and decreases LOD (25 to 500) LODPctMin=100 ; below 100% decreases FPS and increases LOD (25 to 500) LODMinFPSTarget=60 ; Reduce LODs (see LODPct* settings) when FPS is below target. MaxPitObjsToDrawInMirrors=6 ; 0 to 192: Max number of pit objs to render per mirror camera MaxPitObjsToDraw=40 ; 0 to 192: Max number of pit objs to render per camera MaxCarsToDrawInMirrors=20 ; 4 to 64: Max number of cars to render per mirror camera MaxCarsToDraw=40 ; 10 to 64: Max number of cars to render per camera MaxAniso=16 ; 1=off, or 2, 4, 8, 16 - improved edge-on textures FarTerrain=1 ; 0=no far terrain, 1=far terrain in separate pass HideCockpitObstructions=0 ; 0=hide nothing, 1=hide halo, 2=hide a-pillarockcage, 3=hide everything DriverHands=1 ; Show driver hands? 0=no, 1=yes SteeringWheel=1 ; Show steering wheel? 0=no, 1=yes, 2=fixed, 3=show only if has display EnableSPS=0 ; 0=off 1=Use Single Pass Stereo VR (nvidia Pascal/Turing) EnableTireMarks=1 ; 0=Disable Tire marks 1=Enable tire marks DynamicCubemapType=0 ; 0=RGB8, 1=RGBE, 2=RGB16 EnableHDR=0 ; 0=LDR rendering, 1=HDR rendering ResolutionScaling=0 ; Render to lower resolution and upscale (0=off, 1+ on) NvReflexMode=0 ; Low Sim to Render Latency Mode (0=off, 1=on, 2=on+boost) ContrastAdj=0 ; Adjusts scene contrast: -6 to +6 BrightnessAdj=0 ; Adjusts scene intensity: -6 to +6 GammaAdj=0 ; Adjusts gamma encoding: -6 to +6 ToneMapping=0 ; 0=off, 1=on ZBuffer32Bits=1 ; 0=off, 1=on LowQualityTrees=1 ; 0=off, 1=on EnableSwayTrees=0 ; 0=normal trees, 1=trees sway with wind TrackDisplacementEnable=1 ; 0=render without displacement, 1=render using track displacement shaders DNSMMaxLightsPerPass=3 ; 0- 6 = Shadowing lights per-fullscreen pass StaticShadowNumber=3 ; Maximum number of high quality static shadowmaps (3-8) StaticShadowRes=2 ; (For 3 or more maps) 0 = 512x512 1 = 1024x1024 2 = 2048x2048 3 = 4096x4096 4 = 8192x8192 DynamicShadowRes=1 ; (For 3 maps! So, x3) 0 = 512x512 1 = 1024x1024 2 = 2048x2048 3 = 4096x4096 4 = 8192x8192 DynamicTireRendering=0 ; 0=render without dynamic tires, 1=render with dynamic tires DynamicTrackTextureUpdateRate=2 ; 0=min, 1=low, 2=med, 3=high frequency of dynamic track texture updates DynamicTrackDataRendering=1 ; 0=render without dynamic track data, 1=render with Dynamic Track Data ShaderQuality=3 ; 0=low, 1=med, 2=high, 3=max HeadlightLevel=2 ; 0=low quality, 1=medium, 2=high quality. *** -1=disabled *** ParallelSorting=1 ; 0=disabled 1=multithreaded scene sort MonochromeHeadlights=0 ; 0=color headlights 1=all white (less blotches/banding) HeadlightsInMirrors=0 ; 0=off 1= headlights illuminate track surface in mirrors LoadTexturesWhenDriving=1 ; 0=only load when out of car NumMultiGPUs=1 ; Number of GPUs in Crossfire/SLI (1=off to 4). Set low as works. CompressTexturesSuits=1 ; 0=uncompressed 1=block compress (recommended) CompressTexturesHelmets=1 ; 0=uncompressed 1=block compress (recommended) CompressTexturesCars=1 ; 0=uncompressed (warning! no!!) 1=block compress (highly recommended) CompressedVertices=1 ; 0=off 1=Use compressed vertices ReduceCockpitFlicker=1 ; 0=off 1=enabled CarPaint2048x2048=1 ; 0=1024x1024 car textures res, 1=2048x2048 car texture res (max) CacheSwap3HighResCars=1 ; 0=shrink to fit 1=cache swap higher res for nearest cars WorldNearPlaneDistance=10 ; In 1/10 meters, min=1(0.1m) max=30(3m), helps z-fighting but may clip track. VisibilityFrameDelay=5 ; Number of frames to wait before re-testing object visibility. 0 = no delay AAQuality=0 ; 0=low - 16=max (GPU & AASamples specific) AASamples=8 ; 1=off, 2, or 4 - num samples MipLODBias=0 ; % bias texture lookup 100 is a mip level, positive is blurry, negative sharp OcclusionCull=1 ; 0=disable occlusion culling, 1=enabled (usually best) LimitFrameRate=1 ; 0=no limit, 1=use DesiredFPSLimit DesiredFPSLimit=84 ; Enabled when LimitFrameRate=1 and on ext. power MaxPreRenderedFrames=1 ; 1=normal 0=disabled/multi-gpu VerticalSync=0 ; 0=allow tearing, 1=lock FPS to refresh rate TwoBackBuffers=0 ; 0=1 back buffer, 1=try to create 2 back buffers MaxWorkingSetMB_64Bit=26992 ; (64-bit) 1024 to 32768 MB - Lower to reduce page faults! VidMemMB=6326 ; Maximum GPU video memory to consume (MB) UIScalePct=99 ; User Interface Size [Laser Scan] PointSizeMM=80 ; desired physical point size width (mm): 1 to 120 PointSizeMin=1 ; min point size in screen pixels (1 to 256) PointSizeMax=1 ; max point size in screen pixels (1 to 256) MaxLaserScanVidMem=192 ; Max scan density to load into vidmem 128-768 (MB) [OpenXR] UIScreenWidthCM=130 ; The width (cm) of the user interface screens in 3D world space UIScreenDistCM=70 ; The depth (cm) where the user interface screens are rendered in 3D OpenXREnabled=1 ; Enable OpenXR Support TwoStageAA=1 ; Repeat AA after the UI draws (note: consumes more vid mem) MirrorViewVerticalShiftPct=0 ; -30 to +30 percent - shifts the mirror image up/down (if clipped) AutoSelect=1 ; Use OpenXR without prompting AutoCenter=0 ; Re-center the HMD pose when health/safety warning disappears 

Throwaway because my GF knows of my main account.
So I was out at a gay club last night, at one point I was on my own and I was approached by a friendly seeming gay guy. I explained that I was straight but he was persitently hitting on me, he pointed at his cheek and I thought that if I kissed him maybe he would leave me alone, which I admit is probably not very clever. But being a pushover and a little intoxicated I did, then he indicated that I do it again but this time as I went to kiss his cheek he turned his head and our lips touched. I know right, I fell right into it, anyway after this I stopped entertaining him and he finally left me alone.
I recounted the story to my GF (we've been dating almost 6 months), she felt it was my fault for encouraging him, I feel that I never consented to kissing him on the lips although I was very naive in the situation. I let that slide. Later in my conversation with my GF I brought up wanting to kiss her (we are doing long distance) she then asked who is a better kisser, herself or the person that groped me?
Am I right in feeling it's a bit gross and that she shouldn't be jealous in this situation?
Thank you for reading. I'm not sure groping is the right term but it's the best word I can think of.
TL,DR I got groped and my girlfriend is jealous of the guy that groped me.

My ex and i were in a short relationship a few years ago. We stayed friends after and he is now one of my closest friends. Sure it was a bit weird at first as the feelings were still present but since we broke up our relationship was purely platonic.
Last week we went to a party with some friends. Everything was as always. After the party he brought me home to make sure i'm safe and he wanted to wait for the next bus to get home himself. Nothing unusual, we have done this many times when we went clubbing together. Well this time we started cuddling as we were waiting which turned into making out and then hooking up. The next morning we just got dressed and talked like always and haven't even mentioned the hook up.
And i'm not sure if we should talk about it. We were both drunk and i don't think it would have happened if we were sober. I don't regret it but if i could go back then i would make sure it didn't happen. I don't want to hook up with him again and i don't want to be in a relationship with him. My feelings for him are purely platonic. But i'm not sure if he feels the same. We are both bad with talking about our feelings. Normally i would just act like nothing happened but it does complicate things, doesn't it? Is it really a good idea to be this close of friends? What if we get into new relationships? Before that night i could proudly say that even though we have history we have a purely platonic relationship. Well not anymore. I can't confidently tell a new partner that my ex isn't someone they should worry about.
We both hadn't been in relationships since we broke up. We went on dates with other people but nothing really stuck. I always thought that we might be a bit too close maybe and that our dynamic will greatly change once one of us gets into a relationship again. Well maybe it's already time that we put up boundaries. I don't know anymore.

My family and I own a motorcycle. My dad works with it, but lately we’ve been really needing a car. So I’ve just been affirming for the past week: “I love my new car” “I got a brand new car” for about a week.
Yesterday my dad got into a motorcycle accident and I felt guilty about it because maybe this could be part of the bridge. He didn’t get hurt and I was still very afraid, but kept affirming since we needed a car more than ever.
This morning, still in bed I was imagining vividly that someone was handing me the keys to a car and saying “congratulations! This car is yours”.
Well, 5 minutes later my mom comes to my room and tells me that my uncle (who sells cars) said that he knows I’ve been looking for a car and he got worried about my dad’s safety. He said he had the perfect car for me!!! I said I didn’t know if I would be able to afford it and he insisted and said he was going to make it easier for me to pay. He even rejected someone who was willing to pay much more for it so he could sell it to me.
1 hour after this conversation the car was in my garage and my dad was the one who gave me the keys as he congratulated me. Just like I imagined!
Life is nothing but a mirror.

Hi, I would just like to ask because I need to buy 3xDisplayport cables. Two for gaming and one for photo editing. Im puzzled are the 1.4 displayport cables equal in specifications and for use. I currently need for gaming 1440p 240Hz, 1080p 360Hz and one for 1440p 60Hz photo editing. Also does the length matter for quality and stability for example between 1-2 or 3meter cable ? I currently need 2 or 3 meters.
So is there a difference for my use with the following im looking at ? Seems like every manufacturer has some difference in specs.
Akasa 8K DisplayPort 1.4 (2 meters)
HBR3, 32.4 Gbps, [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]
​
​
InLine DisplayPort 1.4
7680 x 4320 (UHD-II / FUHD) 30 Hz, RGB / 4: 4: 4 and 60 Hz, RGB / 4: 2: 0 or DSC
3840 x 2160 (UHD) 120 Hz, RGB / 4: 4: 4, 8-bit, HDR OFF
3840 x 2160 (UHD) 120 Hz:, RGB / 4: 2: 2, 12-bit, HDR ON
3840 x 2160 (UHD) 60 Hz, RGB / 4: 4: 4, 12-bit, HDR ON
1920 x 1080 (FHD)
1280 x 720 (HD)
​
Club 3D DisplayPort 1.4
- HBR3, 32,4 Gbps
- Display Stream Compression (DSC) 1.2
- Forward Error Correction
- 32 Inline Audio Channel
- max. 8K @ 60Hz resolution
​
DeLock DisplayPort
• Connectors:
1 x DisplayPort male >
1 x DisplayPort male angled
• DisplayPort 1.4 specification
• Downwards compatible to DisplayPort 1.3, 1.2 and 1.1
• Pin 20 not connected
• Cable gauge: 28 AWG
• Cable diameter: ca. 7 mm
• Copper conductor
• Triple shielded cable
• Contacts gold-plated
• Transmission of audio and video signals
• Data transfer rate up to 32.4 Gb/s
• Resolution up to:
Display with DSC support:
7680 x 4320 i 60 Hz
5120 x 2880 i 120 Hz
3840 x 2160 i 240 Hz
Display without DSC support:
7680 x 4320 i 30 Hz
5120 x 2880 i 60 Hz
3840 x 2160 i 120 Hz
(depending on the system and the connected hardware)
• Supports Display Stream Compression 1.2 (DSC)
• Supports HDR (High Dynamic Range)
• Supports HDCP 1.4 and 2.3
• Supports HBR3 (8.1 Gbps) data rate
• Up to 32 audio channels for speakers
• Up to 1536 kHz audio sampling rate
• Supports colour sampling in 4:4:4, 4:2:2 and 4:2:0 format
• Colour: black
• Length incl. connectors: ca. 2 m
Are the DSC and Forward error correction and 32 inline audio channels something that are in every 1.4 displayport cable, and are they better or worse for gaming, read somewhere that the DSC might cause some sort of lag while gaming ?

LETS GOO NUGGETS!!!! FINALLY WE ARE HERE!!! Waited 20 years for this can't believe we really are ONE GAME away from championship!! 😭 Happening all so fast.
Are there any bars or clubs that SF Bay Area people frequent to in Denver? Or any people from SF Bay Area and will be in Denver week of 6/12 and want to link up?
If not all good! Where will everyone go and party after we win the championship 🏆 I just want to be with fellow Nuggets fans and savor this moment!
Let me know what's the move after game 5 :) TIA!

Hi all, sorry if this is not allowed, but I'm looking for specific tips for MSP.
I've got a 955 departure Tuesday, haven't flown int'l in years and lost my status years ago as well.
Flying FC, so I'll have Sky priority and I've got precheck. I need to check a large suitcase.
Does delta have a hard cutoff for int'l checked bags? I know other carriers have specifics, but I don't see much outside the standard "arrive 3 hours early".
For a 955am departure out of MSP, I'm assuming 910 boarding, 15 minutes for security, 20 minutes for bag check. Drive time is about 25 minutes, plus "don't fuck around" cushion... leave for the airport at 7? Or is that cutting it too close?
Does FC get access to the clubs? I'd love to check out the new one at MSP.
TIA!

Demographics: Rising senior, first gen, Latino male living in LA county with a below-average hs, and eligible for free-lunch
Intended Major: Aerospace Engineering
SAT: 1450 (retaking and aiming in the ballpark of 1500+... not too worried since my target/reach schools are test optional or test blind)
UW GPA and Rank: 65/611... I'll put my 2nd Sem GPA for each year since it best represents how much I was able to make of a given year:
9th - 2.8, 10th - 3.86,11 - 4.0
Hook: Without getting into the personal details, I experienced some devastating family issues when I was little that left my family super financially unstable until about 2 years ago and it resulted in me growing up without my dad and although I did well n middle school, I collapsed from academic exhaustion my freshman year. I then transferred to a different hs sophomore year where I got my bearings and set myself up for when I transferred to a new high school and started developing my passion for math. It got to the point where I finished my prerequisites for Calculus in the same summer and joined Calculus at the third high school I transferred to. I've never had much, but I'm still squeezing water from stone with every chance I get.
TLDR: comeback story where reaching for oppurtunities helped me discover improve and my interests(of which I left a lot out to keep this from paragraph from dragging on too long).
DE:
10th: College Algebra, Trig/Precalc (both in summer)
11th: Statistics (Spring), Intro to Info Sci, Geology (both in summer)
12th (planned): Multi Var Calc, Differential Eqs, and Linear Algebra
AP:
10th: CSP (5)
11th: CSA, Calc BC, Spanish Lang, Chem
I was forced to self study CSA, Spanish, and Chem since the teachers either quit or didn't care to teach the material fast enough to be ready for the AP test. Chem was the worst cuz the teacher had only made it to unit 2 of 9 by the end of the first semester TwT
12th (planned): Gov, Lit, Physics 1
Awards: I only have sports related ones like CIF (swim and cross country) and recognition for placing in the top 5 for my swim events in my league.
Extracurriculars:
Church Volunteering: 1000+ hours total between two churches. Most of it was in the church I grew up in and I started doing it in January 2020 after the last guy stepped down. To keep in accordance with COVID policies once the pandemic kicked up, I'd stay for 3 services all day every sunday before things tapered into 2 services a day and eventually into the regular 1 service. I'd also be volunteering at the Friday mini-services every week and prepping things for the main service. I was essentially the IT guy for my church, being the first responder for issues with the church's hardware (ie projector and computer) and software (the propresenter used to control the preacher's slides and lyrics during the first part of the service). I was also the "guy in the chair" responsible for actually controlling which slides/lyrics would be displayed during services. Aside from the main services, I was regularly setting up events for all sorts of events in the church like helping my mom decorate for the kids' church camps or setting up and taking down supplies for conferences taking place at my church. After I moved away from that area and to a new church, I was recommended by my original pastor to my new one and I'm performing the same role, albeit differently since I'm rotating with other people every Sunday, but I'm still responsible for training new people and I've pushed the new church to improve it's software to propresenter from their software that hasn't been updated in years and I'll also be responsible for training people in using it. I'm also going to be responsible for doing lyrics + slides control during bigger district services which include people from all over the county. This is the longest EC to explain since it's the one I've invested the most into by a light-year and what I've made the biggest impact with.
Swim: 2 seasons (JV in 10th, Varsity in 11th, Captain in 12th)
XC: 1 Season [11th] (I was only with them for ~2 weeks because of the timing of my transfer to this high school, so I was only JV, but I still qualified for CIF and would've been varsity had I been able to join earlier)
CyberPatriot: Co-Captain of the team in it's first year and made it to the states round
Robotics: Programmer and team made it to Worlds (FRC)
Mathlete: smaller club I joined to participate in local competitions
Tutor: Mostly in Trig and Algebra 2
LOR: My Calc teacher is going to be most helpful for Caltech since she herself is a Caltech alumni and she'll be able to brag about me a fair bit since I was the only junior in her BC class (everyone else was a Senior and it took some convincing to my counselor to let me skip AB, which is what every other junior was doing for Calculus). I'm also going to try getting one from my pastor at the church I grew up in since he's been like a dad to me and he's a pretty big figure in the Apostolic Assembly (the national organization my church is a part and of which my pastor's been the president and is currently the secretary).
Schools: UCLA, USC, Caltech, MIT, CSULA, CSUB, CSULB

If you count load management for a degenerative knee condition as “being injured,” then you’d likely disagree, but it’s not an injury. It a measure taken to prevent injuries since his condition makes him more susceptible to them. Given the condition he has, it’s impressive that he has played as much as he has in his time here.
Doomers doom but this is just not true.
In his first season in LA, he missed 14 of 72 games. Only three of those absences were consecutive. All others were load management (this post is not about whether he should manage his load as much as he does). This is 80.55 percent of all regular season games (in a standard length season, the minimum games a player can play while still being eligible for awards is 65/82, or 79.3 percent, which he surpassed). He played all playoff games in this season.
Season 2 in LA saw Kawhi played 52/72 games, or 72.2 percent. This would be too low to consider for any awards in a standard length season with the current requirements. This is mainly because of a foot injury that saw him miss 9 of 10 straight games. There were a few blips of 2-3 missed games (often the result of load management, but still missed games) and he missed the final two game of the regular season, not because of injury, but because they were the last two games of the regular season (PG also sat fwiw). The ACL tear in the playoffs was the result of dirty play and not because he is made of glass or something.
He missed all of season 3 recovering from the ACL tear, an amount of time that is common for players to miss for such an injury. This is a result of the previous playoffs.
In season 4, he had some very clear rust that needed to be worked off after not playing for over a year. He also had an ankle sprain at the beginning of the season. These were both done and over with by the first week of December. From then on, he never missed two or more consecutive games. The playoffs were obviously disappointing, but we don’t know all the details, and given what his family was dealing with off the court, he probably was not mentally ready to try to play through a knee injury.
In his time in LA, Kawhi missed no considerable time in year one, missed 9/10 games recovering from a foot injury, and then missed 12 games straight in his fourth season as he came back from a year away and a sprained ankle. The load management adds up, but I truly don’t see how someone can, in good faith, argue that to be an injury. The narrative that he never plays is perpetuated by people who only pay attention to the team during the playoffs, which is why he gets so much hate. He has just had bad luck in the playoffs, which is nothing new for this franchise (2016 game 4 against the Blazers, for just one example). Deeming him as someone who can’t stay healthy because he had two season ending injuries in the three playoffs isn’t entirely fair imo. He played several months straight this season and in his first year (and other than the one serious foot injury that led to him missing 9/10 in his second season, he was otherwise healthy the whole time then too.
Tl;dr: Kawhi is not much more injury prone than the average player. This is just a really, really unlucky franchise.
I really think him getting blame for the lack of success so far is unwarranted. Unrealistic bad luck is something that has tortured this franchise for decades.

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Lots of thanks to u/Killsode-slugcat for helping me work through this chapter with editing.
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Memory transcription subject: Tevri, Venlil Romanticist
Date [standardized human time]: August 11, 2137
With eyes still closed, I stretched my legs and arms, paws pushing up against the inside of my sleeping bag. A sigh of contentment escaped my mouth.
I let the world in—light falling down in shafts that struck my still-waking eyes. No trees were around to provide cover from the rising sun that hung low in the east. The sounds of life surrounded me, occasionally being broken up by particularly strong gusts as well as a hint of something else.
My head turned to that hint, who still slept somewhat soundly off to my side. Last night Jack had set up his own sleeping bag less than an arm’s length from my own, citing our lack of a fire as the reason to gather closer to each other.
He tossed and turned, occasionally, muttering incoherently. At least he’s found some rest. After carrying me for over half of yesterday, he had certainly earned it.
It was actually quite surprising how well he had managed it all. His slim build compared to other humans that I had seen was betrayed by a hidden strength and incredible endurance. I suppose millions of years of evolution tends to allow such a thing.
Some part of me still felt bitter about what he had done the night prior to our last, but it was clear to me that his apology was sincere. I gave a quiet snort. He probably wouldn’t have carried you on your shoulders if he wasn’t at least somewhat sorry.
The covers of my too-big bag were thrown off and I sat up, holding my knocked knees with my paws.
Rocky rolling hills with low-grown shoots of grass lightly waved towards me. The nearby mountain range looked down upon us with its well-kept snow despite the summer season. Even three days of standing beneath them didn’t eliminate their wondrously looming presence.
I reached over to my nearby pack and grabbed my pen and journal. I clung to every thought that passed its way through my mind, marking them down the old fashioned way. There was something special about writing my feelings down on something physical rather than some pad or computer. It felt real in comparison to the alternative.
It was incredible to me how one of, if not the most dangerous planet to be found within known space was simultaneously one of the most fantastically beautiful worlds I ever had the pleasure of setting foot on. What a travesty it would have been had the federation actually managed to glass the biosphere. Ironically it had been the Arxur that prevented such a disastrous outcome. Those same savages had…
“Gah!”
Jack shot upright from where he had lain. He heaved harsh breaths, chest rising and falling as though he had just sprinted up the incline of a hill. I looked on with alarm, but didn’t think to disrupt the startled man. His eyes stared down at the dirt in front of him as he hung his hands between his legs.
“You okay?” I asked. He whipped to look at me like he had forgotten I was there. Slowly, he turned back to face the dirt. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine.” He took a curt sniff and ran his hands across his face as he took a deep sigh.
He was lying.
The restless sleep, the violent rise into consciousness, the obvious distress within those wild eyes—all signs of nightmares. It had been years now since I last worried about such things, but I knew all too well how difficult they were to deal with.
A thought, as intrusive as it was unwelcome, pushed its way through the crowded thoughts of my mind, forcing my heart to skip a beat. What would be enough to scare a predator—human—to scare a human within their dreams? Instantly, I shoved it back from wherever it had come. He needs you right now, just like how you needed her.
I gently crawled over to the distraught man and set a paw on an arm while he leaned forward. At my touch, he turned his head towards me, staring with those forward-facing eyes. “Are you sure you’re okay?” I asked.
A slight snarl of a smile crossed his face, but no answer came. Jack stood up and stretched his arms outward, leaning back and forth.
“C’mon, let's pack up and head out. S’always good to start out early.” He extended a hand down to me where I sat still. How could he just brush something so terrifying off so easily? My tail flicked absently I guess they always have been a rather resilient species. Why should they be any different mentally? I relented to his proposal, grabbing his hand and allowing him to pull me upright.
Breakfast—much like last night’s meal—consisted of dry pre-prepped rations. Without surrounding trees from which drywood could be scavenged, we were left fireless. The ‘breakfast bars’ as Jack called them were a sufficient substitute for warm food. Every meal with the human increased my interest in the cuisine of his species. I hadn’t imagined it would all be so wonderfully varied and delicious.
The bar itself was chewy, made of oats, filled with dried fruits and sweetened by sugar. Each bite gave a satisfying crunch as my taste buds reveled in the impeccably delightful taste.
After hydrating and filling ourselves with calories, we set off once more on the trail.
This time, I was actually able to walk properly, though less than an hour after we departed, I was left wishing that Jack could scare me sleepless again—that way I could guilt him into carrying me.
While we continued, I walked without thinking much about the placement of my paws. I worried for my human friend. His mind was clearly plagued by something terrible, but the answer of what continued to evade me. The only lead I had were my own experiences, and in chasing that lead, my mind wandered back to the past.
As I was dragged from our home without protest, Devra lambasted our parents. Velnik cowered to the side as he watched the ordeal, helpless with widened eyes. Dad practically had to peel my sister away from mom as I was shoved into our vehicle. The echo of her shouts faded away.
It was the first time my parents admitted me for predator disease screenings.
An iron grip held my hand and led me forward through the stark featureless halls of the facility. A glance over my shoulder revealed my parents walking along. They dared not to risk a look in my direction. Tears welled at the edge of my eyes as the echoes of distant screams shocked my ears and flooded my brain with fear-chemicals.
My tail wrapped around my body and my ears bent towards the ground. Why did they want to throw me in here with the monsters? All I did was explore.
The facility worker threw me in a chair within a purely white room other than the single large black wall. From the ceiling hung a projector that faced one of the three white surfaces. After the worker left, my eyes floated through the room, narrowing at a sight that practically screamed of its existence. Dark lines were scrawled into the furthest corner of the sterile chamber.
I didn’t have the time to think about its implications when the screen clicked on and the lights dimmed, enhancing the image before me.
The metal chair fell backward with me in it, creating a resounding clang that bounded back and forth across the walls.
My hands slipped and slid across the slick floor, carrying my body backwards. This scramble led the wall to smash against my back. Without a thought, my claws joined the countless other marks of those who had come before me.
A towering, onyx-shaded visage of the malevolent beast prowled beyond the edge of my vision, obscured by tears of terror that practically blinded me. The blood-orange eyes glowed greedily and its mouth was stuck in a perpetual snarl. Viscera of a horrifically familiar color dribbled down its chin from where the meat was in the Arxur’s razor-sharp teeth.
With a click, the sanguine show moved forward to yet another horrific display. Another click. Another. One more. Click. Click. Click. Silence.
My eyes were as raw as my bloodied paws. Their scraping and scrabbling joined me with the other souls who had faced this same experience. When the lights flicked on and the worker came back to collect me, I curled up trying and failing to back away. She stood me up, patting me down before pulling me from the room. Everything was a collective white blur, compressed into a single moment of unfocused voices until I heard the vehicle’s door slam.
The ride home was silent as I leaned my head against the padded surface of my seat. Shallow breaths rose and fell from my chest while Mom and Dad stared ahead. They hadn’t looked at me once since we left the facility—or even talked to me—since we left the facility.
Among the many questions I had, one clung to the surface of my mind before being swallowed by its sea of screams. Why?
When at last we arrived at home, I barely even noticed. Only when the door to the passenger cabin flung open did I somewhat rise from my stupor. A sudden surprise wrapped around me and pulled me from the car, dragging away from my supposed guardians.
In an instant, I was rushed to my room and placed upon the familiar comfort of my bed before being coated by two layers of warmth; one was the plush cloth of a blanket and the other the fluffy warmth of my sister’s fur. “It’s ok, Tev. You’re home. You’re safe.” My empty eyes had no tears left to give, so Devra lent me hers.
You’re home. You’re safe.
“Tev? Tevri?”
My repeated name yanked me from the memory. Ugh, I’ve got to stop wandering off like that.
“You in there sheep?”
With a grumble, I responded. “I told you to stop calling me that.”
Jack uttered a mischievous chuckle. “C’mon, let's get over this next hill then break for lunch. Sure seems you could use a rest.” Despite it going unnoticed moments prior, I now felt my heart pumping hard and each breath heaved just as harshly. A short break will probably do me some good.
Together, we crested the hilltop and sat down both our packs and ourselves. I greedily lapped up water from my bottle while the man beside me calmly took several swigs from his own canteen. The food he grabbed was a pair of packaged items that he called ‘pasta salad.’
The small noodles were coated in a layer of creamy sauce and mixed with a variety of colorful vegetables that I didn’t recognize, but just like everything else cooked up by these humans, it was delicious. The sweet, creamy sauce contrasted nicely with the savory taste of the noodles and the soft texture of the pasta paired with the lovely crunch of the vegetables made for a wonderful meal.
As I munched on my food, the wind lazily played with my tail. My heart drummed onward, steadying into an agreeable rhythm before finally, my breathing leveled out.
A field of purple flowers greeted us, climbing and falling with the rolling land. Down below us was the river we had loosely followed, bordered by nondescript bunches of shrubbery. Rapid white waters splashed up and against rocks, breaking the flow and sending up spray.
When together we finished our food, we sat there, enjoying the world around us. “So, Tevri,” as Jack spoke, I met his forward eyes, “we’ve been out here for two days now and I still know next to nothing about you. Why don’t you tell me a bit more ‘bout yourself.”
The sudden question caught me by surprise, but I tried my best to answer anyway. “There isn’t much to tell. I write stories and poetry about the nature of worlds I’ve visited.”
“Well, you must be one hell of a writer to throw around money like you do.”
At the compliment, I felt a rush of warmth to my face. “I—”
Jack’s calm demeanor became one of surprise in an instant. “Is your face ‘sposed to do that?” A pair of my paws clapped to my face, trying and failing to hide the spreading orange.
“Y-yes!” I squeaked. “It’s p-perfectly fine.”
“Huh, right.” He didn’t sound convinced in the slightest. “Well, uh, what about your family? You’ve met mine already, why don’t you tell me about yours?”
Just as the orange began to fade away, a shroud of mist met my eyes and my voice sunk with my ears. “I’d rather not.” The whiplash of jumping from a sense of contentment, to embarrassment, to sad longing was jarring to say the least.
“Ah.” He held his silence for a moment, allowing the blowing breeze and the distant rush of water to fill the space between.
“I’m sorry.”
“S-sorry? Sorry for what?”
Jack gave a huff. “You know it's funny really. You Venlil, us Humans. I never really saw it before, but even just a few days around you, it’s shown me just how similar our people really are.”
Again, wind and water.
“If it means anything, I’ve felt your loss.”
What?! How does he know? How could he possibly know?
He must have picked up my confusion before he responded. “After the battle of Earth I got used to hearing that answer of yours.”
Oh.
Jack rose, swinging his pack around his shoulders. “C’mon sheep, sun’s not getting any higher. Let's get going.”
“YOU—!” The dour mood was immediately washed away by my guide’s hearty laughter. Again with the emotional whiplash.
It was amazing how easily he managed to do that. Try as I might, I couldn’t stay mad at him. As I shook my head, I followed my guide’s motions and grabbed my bag to join him.
For a while we walked quietly, but once again, Jack tried to strike up a conversation. “So, you mentioned you’ve visited other worlds. What were they like?”
I gave the human equivalent of a shrug with my tail. “Some were better than others, but for the most part, they were quite beautiful.”
“You have any favorites?”
My ears perked up. “Oh yes! The sky cities of Nishtal were incredible. Dwelling among the clouds, it was a rather uplifting experience.” Jack groaned with a smile still on his face.
“That might be one of the worst puns I’ve ever heard.” In response, I simply chuckled.
“Nishtal, huh?” The smile on his face faded. “That’s the world of feathered sacks-of-shit, right?”
“What? The Krakotl? Don’t be dense now, they aren’t all that bad.”
Jack scoffed. “That’s easy for you to say. They didn’t try to wipe the Venlil from existence.”
“If they succeeded during the battle of earth, they very well could have. Not that it matters anymore. Nishtal’s skies are clouded by the ash of their once-lush swamps and their cities have been plucked from the skies. Their world died.”
Jack gave a gruff grunt. “What goes around comes around I guess.”
I was genuinely shocked at what I heard. The anger that began to bubble within me was not the same lighthearted stuff from earlier. “How can you say something like that?”
“They brought it upon themselves,” he barked.
“That bastard Kalsim was the one who brought destruction to his people and you know it. Billions of Krakotl were killed or captured by betterment. Can you honestly tell me, or even yourself, that any species deserves such a fate?”
Silence.
“No. No I guess I can’t” Mentally, I gave a sigh of relief.
With my tail, I gave him a gentle flick. “The Krakotl are functionally endangered now, you know? They may have killed a billion humans, but for each life taken, tens of their own were paid.”
My voice began to choke. “I had—have—friends among the Krakotl. If you think that the mourning you humans experienced was harsh, I just want you to think; how would you feel if less than a percent of your people survived death or capture”
These words of mine were followed by an air of silence. I wasn’t sure what it was exactly, but something I had said clearly struck a chord with the man. Unlike me, Jack seemed to ground himself in reality, but for the first time since I met him, his distant unfocused eyes made it clear enough that his mind was elsewhere.
The remainder of the day flew by beneath this same blanket of silence.
We passed from the wide grassy knolls into a sparse forest that was more brush than tree. The trail led beneath their branches and through the tall shrubbery, rarely veering one way or the other.
When we eventually stopped to make camp for the evening, the sun was still slightly above the horizon. The campsite was similar to the one we had stopped at on our first day. An old steel fire-pit was set in the middle and a steel food container lay to the side.
Even as we set up, the cold quiet remained.
Progress was slow. Jack usually did the majority of the work, but tonight, his movements were taken with less purpose than I was used to. More than once, his hands fumbled, dropping something only for him to robotically reach down and pick it up again.
Once he did finally unpack his belongings, he left to find wood for the fire. At least this time, I found myself less frightened than when he had last done so. The deafening silence of my thoughts was more disconcerting than the idea of any hunters prowling nearby.
Whatever I had said, it didn’t just strike a chord. No, this had shaken him. Not even those nightmares of his had affected him this deeply.
In much the same way that I hadn’t wanted to talk about my own family, it was clear that whatever this was, he had no desire to elaborate further. I did find it odd however that only after mentioning the near-annihilation of the Krakotl did he seem to change. Perhaps it had to do with whoever he had lost? If this was the case, then I couldn’t fully blame him for his hatred towards the Krakotl. Grief is a powerful accelerant for the fires of rage.
On the other paw, my poor heart broke for the poor avians. So many lost. So few left. When the news had arrived back on Venlil prime, I devoted every moment possible to comforting my grieving friends; to Dualo, Oqui, Icatl and Haiula.
For some though, the grief of their new reality was too strong. Several of my dear friends had been unable to overcome that grief. My ears fell and my head bowed. If nobody else would remember them, I would ensure I never forgot them. They deserved that much.
Despite the clouds looming over my mind, my ears perked up at the sound of footfalls and I turned to see a bundle beneath Jack’s arms. Minutes later, a brilliant blaze burned before us.
It felt good to have a fire again. The protective warmth felt like a familiar embrace. From my pack, I grabbed the same blanket my guide had lent me the day before and wrapped it across my body.
While I found myself shrouded in comfort, Jack prepared our food above the pit. It was yet another warm meal of packaged food. The smell of spice wafted up to the tips of my taste buds as he stirred it about with a metal ladle.
The clink of utensils against our metal bowls rose above the crackling flames. Their sun still peeked out from behind the trees, though soon enough, it fell and with it, came the night’s chill.
Countless stars that you simply didn’t get to see on Venlil Prime appeared in the night sky. A glance told me that I wasn’t the only one impressed by their appearance. My wide field of vision managed to capture nearly the entire sky. I wonder, which of those stars is home?
A gust of wind blew by sending shivers down my spine. The effect of the Wendigo’s story hadn’t been completely lost on me, but the terror it inspired had at least died down to a manageable amount. Staying near to Jack certainly helped.
Speaking of him, I’d had enough of this silence.
“Hey Jack, how would you like to hear a campfire story?” I asked, tossing aside the quiet that had covered.
“Hmph. A promise is a promise. Didn’t really have a fire last night to tell a story ‘round did we. Guess it’s only fair to give you a chance.”
My tail gave a flick of excitement at his agreeance. “I must warn you, this is a bit less of a story and more of a poem. It’s one of the last few that I wrote before my travels across the Federation ended. It isn’t quite as long of a tale as that Wendigo story you told me, but it means a lot to me.
Jack gave a thoughtful nod. “Very well, I call this poem ‘The Wandrer’s Curse.’”
“Across the stars we wandrers go, not caring much for threat or foes, The skies we see are not our own, But from them wonder’s always shown.
From Nishtal’s clear and crystal skies, To Fahl where golden deserts lie, And ‘cross the cradle’s fruitful lands, Our own horizons do expand.
It is amidst these very sights, That we the wandrers oft delight, For friends we seek and friends we find, Across the worlds of species kind.
Thru mountains, oceans and the woods, Where those long past once walked and stood, The wandrers seek to find the past; A simpler time, no clouds o’er cast.
Despite the friends which we have made, The clouds above us cast their shade, Upon the surface of our minds, And seek our hearts with chains to bind.
It is our lot to flee from pain, Brought on by smashing, lashing rains. Til weary broken and undone, We fall with legs which fail to run.
But such is life—that beautiful thing, That brings one joy and suff’ring. So with this final cloudless verse, Remember thee, the wandrer’s curse.”
At the end of my poem, the crackling fire picked up where my words left off. My eyes raised to the heavens once more and I realized just how wonderful this life was. There was something truly sublime about existing right here during this exact moment; under the stars, surrounded by trees the whistling, beside a warm fire that staved off the cold.
Sharing it with Jack made it that much better.
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https://pix4free.org/assets/library/2020-12-13/originals/alaska022.jpg (Cover Image)
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Radges
Radges are giant goblinoids that are closely related to cyclops and ogres. Their name is a lesser known term for an ill-tempered and violent person,and boy oh boy does it fit... they are visibly taller and heavier built than humans,averaging at a height of around 6 feet 5 inches (195.5 cm) to 7 feet 6 inches (230 cm),with few individuals exceeding 8 feet (240 cm) although it's not abnormally rare. They weigh on average around 300-550 pounds (135-250 kg),and resemble heavy built goblins with bat-like elongated ears,clawed hands and large guts,both naturally and often caused by their inherent gluttony and laziness. Their skin is covered in slime and mucus,and their eyes are yellow,and they have vampiric fangs protruding from their upper jaw as well as disproportionately large heads (resembling that of a person with microcephaly),all of these traits combined giving them a freakish,ghoul-like appearance. They often wear large metal boots that are said to cause small earthquakes whenever they walk,with these boots always having large spikes on top of them. Their lifespan is 50-60 years on average and they are omnivores who will eat pretty much anything,including scavenging carrion which,as you may have guessed,means they are not exactly the most hygienic creatures.
Alongside their slimy skin and freaky appearance,another thing about radges is that they're dumb as a brick:few radges can count to 100,even if you lined up 100 objects which were all the same next to each other and told them to count one by one. They are described as a big lazy brutes that roam around the forest bullying smaller creatures and looking for food. They are solitary creatures,living in caves on mountains where they spend most of their time sleeping,only leaving their caves when they get hungry. They are also known to start violently drooling,spitting and foaming at the mouth whenever they get angry and start yelling incoherently,giving them a reputation as lazy brutish bullies with vile tempers that throw tantrums and attack any random creature that happens to be near them whenever they can't get their way.
They are inhumanly strong:they've been known to use small uprooted trees and 500+ lb (230 kg) boulders as improvised weapons in battles,although usually they just rely on their battleaxes,hammers and spike/nail-covered wooden clubs,as well as a variety of other blunt weapons/bludgeons in combat.

So, to be clear, me and my boyfriend had an issue between us three months ago because I lied to him and hid from him that I had a surgery. I had liposuction, and I did not want him to know about it simply because he doesn't understand why I decided to have it nor supports me about it, he is also has a very negative form of speech.
I struggle with eating disorders and PCOS, I stress eat and I've had so many issues with my mother since a very young age because of food. It's really extreme. He knows about those and has always encouraged me to start diets because I'm really insecure about my looks, but I always failed committing to them. I'm not fat, I'm only quite full in the belly area and I couldn't resist my appetite, so I decided to have liposuction. I decided to tell him a week after the surgery because I couldn't bear the guilt of hiding anything from him. And he called me disgusting, fake, lazy etc.. then broke up with me. I tried to get him back two weeks after the incident, and I promised him to change for the better and to earn his trust again. And I've been genuinely trying so hard and doing my best in the past three months. I asked him whether he forgave me or not for lying, he said he never will forgive it. We then had many discussions about it and he said he'll try to forgive but it'll take a long time. Which I understood and promised him to try my best to earn his forgiveness.
Now yesterday, we were talking about something related to talking to the opposite gender in real life. To be clear, we both belong to a very strict community and talking to the opposite gender in real life often is seen as a bad thing here. I told him that I never talk to men in real life because I'm scared for my reputation, and that our relationship isn't the reason why I don't talk to other men in real, but it's a reason I never get close to them. Then I mentioned a situation that happened 3 years ago, in which I spoke to another guy in real life, casual talking, because my friend didn't want to meet him alone as it was her crush.
And I did vent to him about it three years ago, because it made me feel bad since I might be viewed in a negative way in my community because of it. He told me that I'm lying, he said that I never told him, and that he doesn't believe me, and then I told him not to deny me telling him these stuff because he knows very well how much I care for my reputation and pride and I wouldn't hide such thing from him especially when it comes to other men involved. And that if he can't trust me when it comes to these stuff in specific, I don't want to be with him any longer. He started saying that I'm gaslighting him into believing I told him.
Then, I told him that I knew that because of the incident that happened three months ago, he has issues trusting me because I lied about my surgery, but when it comes to other men, I would never hide those things and he knows it best. Then he said that it's not gonna be the first time I lie to him about something. And that frustrated me so much. So I told him it was over, and blocked him. Please keep in mind that I don't have a history of cheating, and I never gave him a reason not to trust me with other men because I'm very loyal to him.
I'm genuinely sure that I did tell him, I'm a hundred percent sure I did. I even remember what he said back then about it. But what shocks me most is that he would accuse me of such thing that would literally hurt my pride, knowing that I've spoken to him (my bf) so many times about this topic in specific, and he knows how careful I am when it comes to other men. It's not something major for me to even lie about it especially that I didn't cheat, it was a casual conversation, and he was my friend's crush.
I somehow feel like, just because I hid that surgery from him, I now have to live the rest of my life being accused of so many different things. He never forgets things, he struggles with forgiving. He is very negative, and he struggles to move on many things, even the simplest ones. He used to get upset for months over little things, like me not paying attention to something he said, etc.. and I try my best to understand him, and try to help him feel less stressed about stuff because he had lived in a bad environment, but I genuinely don't believe this gives him a right to doubt me with something like that since it's a very sensitive thing to me that I've always been real careful with.
Should I unblock him and explain the situation further? Or just try to move on? There are many ways he can reach out to me, but he hasn't tried since yesterday and it makes me question my worth to him. I love him still, but I'm really very hurt by what he had said yesterday, and I'm overthinking it. In the past three months, things were going very well, we were very happy especially in the last month. I know that I blocked him too soon, but I don't know whether I should regret it, because throughout our whole relationship I've worked really hard to have his trust about the other gender. I never made him jealous intentionally and I never let him feel insecure about another man. Yet he still doubted me about something that happened years ago, and decided to mention me lying previously about my surgery although we had many discussions and agreed never to mention past mistakes.

I took four pickleball beginner lessons in May and played about 1-2 times a week outside of lessons. I’ve been playing about 5 weeks now. I just took a lesson for the “next step up” to learn how to do a third shot drop and dinking. My pickleball club offers open play for 1.5-4.5+ players. I went to the 1.5-2.0 level open play and most had only taken one lesson or had just picked up a paddle that day after watching some YouTube videos. I didn’t really enjoy it as most players couldn’t return a serve, or keep the ball in play, or some players who should clearly move into the next level would slam it down on the newbie players just to get a point and win. I found that behavior to be very unsportsmanlike since most were there to learn. I was also told to go up to 2.5-3.0 once most of my serves are in, I knew how to keep score, and knew the rules.
So I decided to go to a 2.5-3.0 open play, and if I had to guess, most are probably around the 2.75-3.0 level. A few would do well in 3.5 too. I was a little surprised to find out that most have been playing for 6 months - 1 year, and I kinda felt like I shouldn’t be playing with them after only playing for 5 weeks. I can keep a rally going and get good shots in, and I’m improving my game by playing them but I’m also not on their level yet (which I don’t expect to be). I do lose most of my games unless I’m paired with a better player than me, but I’m more focused on improving my game rather than winning. There are a few more close to my level of playing though. I kinda worry that I don’t belong in that level of playing yet, but I also don’t feel challenged in the 1.5-2.0 group.
So I guess my question is, as a beginner, is it better to play a level down or a level up if you feel you are between levels?

In regards to the recent anti- trans laws passed I decided to write a poem. I don’t really know it can be considered a poem because it doesn’t have what it seen as the structure of a poem, really. W hen I posted it to Reddit it changed the format also, that hat I had typed it in So I don’t know what you would call it in particular. But I wanted to write something and came up with this.( lol) I didn’t know where I should I put it, but wanted to share it. So I thought it might be a nice place to start.( This is my first post so I’m pretty new to all this) It’s called “The binary!” I hope you enjoy! (Sorry for the grammar)
THE BINARY I hate being trans sometimes But not in the way you think, I hate constantly being excluded in conversation, As it is like my existence is astray I am never even acknowledged, As my entire life is reduced to two options, One or the other, Black or white, To the parts that lie down below, To my presentation, My voice, My Hair, My body, Society, Social norms, Never recognizing intersectionality, Because of course it was how you were born, Because the binary always proceeds No less than two, no more, Because the binary always proceeds It fits us in tiny little cute boxes with a pink or blue bow. But for the ones who don’t fit exactly You better fit, You better fit, You better fit, You BETTER FIT, I hate being trans sometimes, But not in the way you think, I hate how I’m only an extension for one to spread their political views, I hate how I am the victim of one’s infatuation, I hate how I am the butt after every joke for the man to regurgitate from our sight, I hate how I have to make a mark to be recognized, As I’m the only one who has pronouns, a name and a body, But of course my Genitals are what you're more concerned with, not who I am, But as class is in session they split into two groups on either side, I was confused, wary, in a daze, Because no child should have to ask the question what about me?, Why I’m I not included, Why does everyone ignore my existence, Because no child should be told that their identity is a phase, That they are confused, crazy, or just gay, That they deserve less opportunities, to stay silent, and it will go away, Have no access to pay, or health care, No child should have to ask, Why am I different from everyone else, Is there something wrong with me because of the way I am, But You made yourself clear You don’t want us in your bathrooms , You don’t want us in your spaces, You don’t want us in your schools, Restaurants, stores, businesses, houses, streets, parks, You don’t WANT US TO EXIST Because the binary always persists, Forces us into a room one blue the other pink, And if you don’t fit exactly You better fit, Your better fit, You better fit, You better fit, You better fit, YOU BETTER FIT, My life decided by what lies in my pants, Called predators and groomers to children, Rights taken away by your command, Yet you stand, as finely packed lies lie about your fridge, But of course it just about the Children, What about the suicide and murder of trans kids, The lack of rights, Empathy, Reduction of space, Lack of safeness, Lack of acceptance, The homeless rate, But we’re the ones that should be ashamed, But there you stand in your bubble of hate, You made yourself clear with your silly laws and cognitive dissonance, As we lie fault to our own detriment, as we’re supposed to sit as willing participants, But you made you truth evident, You don’t want us in your rooms , grocery stores, clubs, schools, movies, relationships, sports games, businesses, in positions of power, ads, parades, concerts, award shows, YOU DON'T WANT US TO EXIST, BUT THE BINARY ALWAYS PERSISTS Forces us to choice what we’re assigned, Stuffing us tightly and if we don’t fit exactly, You better fit, Your better fit, You better fit, You better fit, You better fit, You better fit, YOU BETTER FIT, I hate being trans sometimes, Not because I hate myself, Because everyone hates me for being trans.
( Edit: I thought this would be nice to also post this in non-binary but I don’t know 100% for sure. So it anyone has any thoughts or feels I should it there also, or that you feel it doesn’t belong here in this particular subreddit, feel free to let me know!)

City have become another one of our rivals that have won the Champions League.

• City
• United
• Liverpool
• Chelsea

It's embarrassing. This club needs to fix up and fast. It hurts to have never won this trophy. Are City a bigger club than us now?