Good charades list

I wasn't big into the Mario games. Kinda dumb baby games, or at least that was what I thought of them. My friend convinced me to play this new one though.... or maybe it was a remake. Either way I booted it up, of course I didn't wanna pay for a game I wouldn't like, and started to play. I got pretty far in it. It was pretty darn good. Odd focus on the world and characters. That was whatever though, not like it actually mattered. I played a bit more into it and got to a new area called the temple of experiences.
Fun gimmicks all around. As Mario you had to do certain tasks as different types of creatures from the world. Stuff like Goombas and Toads to more obscure stuff like a Shadow Siren or Broodal. But oddly, while I was nearing completion I felt more and more tired. But I got to the end... and oddly the boss wasn't a few jumps and you could beat them. It was some weird thing that asked questions. Then there was one of the final questions. "Have you tried all your possibilities?" I answered yes. then they asked "Good, which would you prefer?" A bunch of options appeared, each something from the universe. I selected and slowly fell asleep... guess I was tired.
I woke up in a jolt though, I felt odd... and then when I opened my eyes everything looked weirder... It only got weirder when I looked down to find myself... yet not myself. I was now stuck in the Mario universe as whatever I had picked!
So! You may be asking, "Why did you make this plot?" The answer? Paper Mario. I love the world and characters in that series and thought it would be fun to play out some stuff in the world! So speaking of that world, we should set some ground rules for it. These can be human versions, anthro or even just how they look in the games. All depending on what you're comfortable with. I'm fine with anything really. It could be a bob-omb or cheep cheep for all I care! I'd love to make my new character in there!
As for you? Who do you play? Well, I would like if you played a character who was in the world. No, not someone we already know like Mario or Luigi or Peach or Daisy. No... a background character basically. A toad or a goomba. Again, I am fine with anything. We could be a Yoshi and a Birdo for all I care! I do have a list of the ones I would like to play though! Just ask for that! Aside from being a background character... well... we can make up details about who you are and what you do and where this all is whenever we want! Mario has a pretty big world so we can use a new town we make up or a pre-established town like Toad Town or Petalburg. The sky is the limit... except if we do galaxy stuff and then it's even further!
I would like this to be a kinda chill RP, long term with a lot of slice of life stuff mixed with some fun Mario shenanigans. Like we can jump and run around all we want but really... we're a bit weak so it'd be best if we don't go too far out of town! Anyways... that's the jist of all this. A chill RP in the Mario world with fun elements all over! I would love to see exactly who wants to do this and what will come of this! Please don't hesitate to respond! I'll see ya soon!

Hello! I just finished my new build, and everything seems good, but I noticed that whenever I enable docp in my BIOS, it’ll save the changes and then the video output won’t work. Also, the DRAM light on my motherboard will glow orange.
Everything else stays on and works, it’s just that the video output doesn’t work. Do I need to update my BIOS before enabling DOCP? I’ve had to CMOS reset twice now.
Here is my build

I have a lot of well-respected white papers about C# & programming in general. You're probably familiar with my more notable publications: "Obfuscationeering: The Mathart of Obfuscationology" & "Use Dynamic Instead of Var". I haven't published anything industry-shifting for a couple of years, but I think it's time to return to revolutionerizing the discipline of the home computer sinuses.
Let me explain: You know how when you take fistfuls of bath salts & huff an entire tank or two of butane, you're able to hyperfocus on activities such as repeatedly drop-kicking Ronald McDonald statues, or fighting 6 cops after running through plate glass?
That was sorta me last weekend, but instead of just screaming that I can taste colors & attacking people with a spoon, I also exercised my brain and randisomoly invented a new programming paradigmogy:
Exception-Driven Eventoring.
I plan to write a guide explaining at readers how one would throw events, how clients could subscribe to receive any & all exceptions you raise, re-re-throwing events, and types such as ExceptionEvent, ExceptionEventHandler delegamanators, ExceptionEventArghs, and of course ExceptionEventException exceptions. I'll even show an example using LeftMouseButtonClickClickExceptionEvent (obviously the event that is thrown when a user click clicks the anterior mouse button).
The performance implications at the prototype stage are pretty good so far. I eyeball all of my benchmarks.
I'll skip over explaining general exceptioneering concepts, assuming most readers are familiar with catching objects of the Exception base class and doing nothing with them (you shouldn't handle exceptions if they are not your fault).
I believe we can all agree about how groundbreakening this is for the .NET community as a whole. The problem is I need somebody else listed as the author. I don't want people to see my name and think "OH, THAT'S THE 5th GANG OF FOUR GUY ". I want the article to hold up on its own.
What do you say? Are you ready to commit academic fraud with me for the good of the industry? There's a hot Canadian bacon & peanut butter on rye in it for any of you who are serious about doing this with me. DM for more details.

Hello. I was fined 2000€ whilst in hospital (5 months) for late submission of my declaration 625 and listings clients. That wasn’t taken into consideration only that it wasn’t for fraudulent purposes and now from my new job they have already taken 2000€ and I only have the interest to pay and I’m done but I know with a good recourse and a comprehensive judge I can get some of that money back.
I already have an appointment at bureau d’aide juridique but if you know anyone who could signpost me to a lawyer who just wants to help and take an hour of their time to submit those documents I would be really grateful.

When I was a kid, my neighbor would often mention that I have pretty hands. That leads me to look at my own hands and try to comprehend the compliment. It was perplexing. I could stare it for some time and yet, not a silver thought would spring that says "It's pretty". At some point, I understood and can "feel" what my neighbor said. I can say, "Yeah, they are pretty nice hands". There was a gap between the child me and grown-up me.
As I grow up, I keep noticing this pattern. If something's not ideal, something's missing. A distance from the ideal condition. Some gaps used to bother me, and I managed to fix it in some way. And there are some that probably will never get filled, but I've learned to live with it. I used to ponder upon the meaning of life, but I stopped thinking about it. These days, I ponder more upon what I want to do with my life. Hopefully, future me found something to fill the gap. If not, that's fine. Go wherever the wind blows.
Random things.
Work's been okay. Progressing here and there. Got deadlines this month, a bit nervous. Recently, I figured out how to replay network packets, it was exciting! Makes troubleshooting and testing easier since I can easily record network data and replay it without hardware access.
My colleague jokingly said that I have no life. I know he didn't mean any harm, but he's darn right lmao. I don't do much outside of work and my interests. It's public holiday next Monday, and I see many people going to their hometown and having a vacation. Someone invited me to Genting Highland. I would really like to go there, especially for the thrill rides (I'm an adrenaline junkie!) but gosh, I don't like the person who invited me. There was a part of me who say things like "Go for it, going out is a good thing to refresh your mind". So far, I only plan to stay at home and chill. And organize my never ending my to-do list, lol.
I remembered how I used to imagine a world in my mind, and sometimes it would collapse/behave erratically against my will. I just realized today that it's odd. I would just try to resist the change without questioning why it's happening. E.g. I would imagine chilling on an island, but the floor would start to behave gooey like honey, or fall into the void world beneath it.
When there's someone that I feel might leave a lasting impact on me or someone I feel comfortable enough with, I would create a note and write down things about them from time to time. There's this one person that I started writing about. They might be reading this right now >.< . Thanks for replying to my silly messages, I guess. You seem like a very nice person.
A few weeks ago, I reached 9000th days of being alive. Been that long, huh. Fascinating how I'm still alive. I wonder how long I could last.
Auroras are so beautiful. Its color is are pleasing to the eyes, dressing from rose pink to soothing blues. I love the smooth gradient, combined with curves. Perfect in being imperfect. It dances in the sky, truly a sight to behold. I want to hug the sky and eat it.
I was eating with my colleague. The restaurant owner received a small parcel. She initially walked towards me but changed her path towards my colleague to ask about the parcel. But then, my colleague pointed to me. I supposed my colleague's appearance of being older potrays an experienced person than I do. And/or I have a baby face :3 . Nothing to think much about, just an observation.
Thank you for taking your time to read my silly post. Have a nice day! 💕

I'm getting analysis paralysis from looking at all of the tool brands, battery systems, sales, models... It's too much!
I have resisted buying battery tools because I don't want to deal with a bunch of batteries. I'm a weekend warrior and DIYer that works on rusty old trucks, home repairs, and occasionally builds something off my wife's honey do list. This time around it's repairing/replacing/adding onto our privacy fence. My 16 year old Milwaukee 12v screw gun made it through a couple panels. Sure, a new battery will help but I think it's a good excuse to buy an impact driver. And hey, I have other projects that'll benefit.
This is where my confusion comes in. The Milwaukee is the only cordless tool I own (that matters). I use air tools for the vehicles or corded stuff for wood working. I think it's time to bite the bullet and buy some cordless. I'm not brand loyal. I like to buy for life when I can but I've bought cheap before when I'll never use it again.
My local options are (ordered by distance) Harbor Freight, Menards, Rural King, Ace, Lowe's, and Walmart. No Home Depot for the Ryobi fans. So I'm trying to pick a brand that has some basic options (if I need to grab a battery compatible tool on a Sunday evening, well, you understand) and will last.
I've read through a lot of posts here, watched videos, read the articles, looked at the retailers, and I can't really decide. Ryobi is usually recommended for home users but that goes with a close Home Depot (over an hour away). I can get the usual brands like DeWalt, Milwaukee, and Metabo HPT locally. I'm also looking at store brands like Hercules, Kobalt, and Masterforce. With the sales, I can pick up an impact driver with a battery or two for $100-150. Some also have a drill or Kobalt is throwing in a free second tool of my choice.

The seed is M-RAD-C-1252958682
I played it multiple times with full achievements.
Features: (i only list most significant geysers, not all)
On your base Radioactive planetoid you have 2 salt water geysers good for geotuning infinitely. + 1 water geyser + 30 C PWater geyser.
On the other side of teleporter you have flipped one, that have steam geyser. Also have geode with iron so you can skip to steam rocket.
On the Metallic Swampy one you have all metal volcanos (2 gold, 1 aluminum, 1 iron, 1 cobalt, 1 copper) and polluted oxygen geyser to farm clay.
The most cool thing, ALL story traits are located on oil planetoid, very conveniently. It also have minor volcano to build petroleum boiler.
So if you have never played Radioactive Ocean Asteroid (Spaced Out!), which is one of the hardest because you have to travel space before you have plastic or atmosuits, a limited metal ore. This seed is as good long term as it could be.

Good afternoon.
Just wanted to ask about something which is regarding the reserve list which I am currently on at the moment (For clarity, it's for a scheme know as the Care Leaver's Internship). To give some context, last year in 2023, I had an interview and was offered an AO role with one of the departments. Went through security clearance which all passed, and they were just about to hand me over an official offer. I then received a letter with them apologising and saying that they had withdrawn my provisional offer "accidentally" (Not much I could do except be frustrated because of their blunder).
So I was placed on the reserve list since October 2023, and they informed me that they would be receiving roles for the next intake period of the internship for 2024 in May. Now I did contact them around the 20th asking for an update to which they informed me that they were still receiving bids from the departments and that they would assign myself a role as soon as possible. The idea was that I was going to be assigned a role before they made the next intake live from June 10th.
However, our PM of course announced a general election a couple days later after that response I received. I then received a message a few days ago from another care leaver whom informed me that they were delaying the application process for new applicants for the 2024 internship scheme. Now that only explained info on new applicants, but I'm just wondering right now if that would also affect those actively in the reserve list waiting for a new role.
My initial thoughts were that they wouldn't stop hiring individuals for the civil service, since you would of course need civil servants to still maintain the workflow of each department. So while I have requested a response myself to DfE in regards to this, I was wondering if anyone could possibly give some potential insight as to what is likely to happen.
Fingers crossed, I'm hoping that they just come back saying that they can get me onto a role since I was a part of last year's intake and I wouldn't be going through the same process "new" applicants would be going through (As that would not make sense to keep those on the reserve list waiting until after the new wave of applications and interviews have finished).
(To be clear, this is NOT a post about where I am on the list. So I would appreciate the automod not deleting the post)

Okay so I need some serious help and guidance. This is going to be a bit of a story, so i apologize for the length.
Info: 23 yr old male, gay, 5”5, 130 pounds-ish
(Sidenote: I used to be a fat child so I’ve always had body image issues, and in high school I was anorexic/ bulimic for a few years. The issue I’m going to be discussing is separated from these past occurrences, but I thought my past with eating disorders was worth mentioning as it’s related).
My issues began about 3 years ago. I started getting more into fitness for aesthetic reasons. Before this decision I was already very healthy (exercised about 3 times a week, no alcohol, lots of Whole Foods, good sleep, and have been a vegan for many years beforehand). Once I made this decision to get more into fitness, I developed an eating disorder over time and bad body dysmorphia. I over-exercised and under ate, I was not fueling or recovering properly from lifting sessions, which made me lose a lot of weight that I did not need to lose as I was already skinny beforehand. Eventually after about a year and a half i realized my issue and began eating more, which lead to great results both physically and mentally. However it seems that since recovering from the eating disorder, the over exercising has come back. I’m no longer afraid to eat enough, but i just am doing wayyy too much. I’ll put my full current routine below, but to sum it up I’m working out everyday, at least an hour and a half. I have two hardcore leg days (Mon/Fri) along with a lighter leg day that is combined with one of my 2 arm days (Weds), 2 arm days (Weds/ sun), and 3 abs/ core/ full body yoga days (Tues/ Thurs/ sat). I do lifts at home using dumbbells, kettlebells, and resistance bands, as I don’t like working out with others. My current routine gives me the aesthetic goals I want, which is strong legs/ glutes, a toned waist, and toned arms, but this routine is taking away a lot from my life. I don’t want to progressively overload with weights as I already did this going from a 20 to 30 to 40 pound dumbbell I’m currently using, plus I’m ok with my current muscle size. I just want to modify my current routine to give me similar results but not have it take over my life. I wake up between 4:30 and 5AM every day since i workout in the morning, as this is the only time i can do so. I have to wake up so early because the workouts I listed above take so damn long. My 2 hardcore leg days (Monday and Friday) used to only take 2 hours, and now they’re 3 hours. I get results, but the rest of the day I feel weak, exhausted, and like I’m running on stress hormones. This is the major issue I’m having, as my main goal with weightlifting was to have juicy thighs/ glutes, which I’m getting, but at what cost. My remaining lighter leg day (Wednesday) is also combined with arm lifts and a 45 min walk. For 2 of my 3 abb days (Tuesday/ Thursday) I do an hour and 20 mins of stomach vacuums, an intense 25 min core/ full body yoga video, and then a more relaxed 30 min full body yoga video, which ends up being about 2 1/2 hours counting rest and bathroom break. For the remaining 3rd abb day (Saturday), I do the vacuums, the intense core/ full body yoga, and then a 10 min jog ending in a sprint (about two hours total). My remaining day (Sunday) is just arms and a 45 min walk which I have no issue with.
Current Routine: (5:20-8:20)AM LIFT: LEGS Monday-10 x 4 (40) reverse lunges, 12 x 4 (48) squats, 9 x 4 (36) deadlifts, and 20 x 3 (60) glute bridges. ALL USING SINGLE 40 LB DUMBBELL
(5:30-8:00)AM VACUUMS/ABS/YOGA Tuesday- floor vacuums, 25 min core yoga, 30 mins full body yoga.
(5:40-8:10) AM LIFT: ARMS/ LEGS/ WALK Wednesday- arm lifts, 30 glute kickbacks (each leg) with 20 pound, 15 x 4 exercise- band hip abductions, 10 x 4 (40) glute bridges, 45 min walk. ALL USING SINGLE 40 LB DUMBBELL
(5:30-8:00)AM VACUUMS/ABS/YOGA Thursday-floor vacuums, 25 min core yoga, 25 mins full body yoga.
(5:00-8:00)AM LIFT: LEGS Friday-10 x 4 (40) reverse lunges, 12 x 4 (48) squats, 9 x 4 (36) deadlifts, and 20 x 3 (60) glute bridges. ALL USING SINGLE 40 LB DUMBBELL
(5:00-7:00AM) VACUUMS/ABS/JOG Saturday- floor vacuums, 20 min core yoga, 10 min jog with spring at finish.
(5:30-7:00)AM ARMS/ WALK Sunday- arm lifts, 50 min walk.
⚫️I need help in reducing this routine. It is taking over my life. I have to go to bed by 9:30 every night in order to sleep enough for a morning workout everyday, which has drastically killed my social life. This exercise disorder has killed my libido, and I’m almost certain my cortisol levels are too high because I go through days of water retention/ bloating most likely due to constant physical & mental stress. My Goal is to restructure and lessen the entire routine overall to be more sustainable, but my main focus is to reduce the length of time for leg days.
⚫️I need help Specifically with shortening the mon/ fri leg days so they don’t take 3 hours. Theoretically I understand it shouldn’t take 3 hours, but because of the large number of sets & reps, I need to take more rest periods in order to finish the full leg workout. I like the leg exercises (reverse lunges, squats, deadlifts, and glute bridges), but just not the excessive reps. Ive accepted that reducing these leg days may result in some muscle loss. I just need to find a way to still do these 4 leg exercises with similar results I have now, but not taking as long. I’ve heard that excessive reps actually hinders muscle development. Are my rep numbers considered excessive? and would reducing my rep numbers cause muscle loss, even if they’re excessive?
⚫️Is two leg days (instead of 3), enough to maintain my current muscles? I want to cut out the additional 3rd day of leg lifts on my Wednesday arm day, but I’m worried that cutting out these lifts will make glutes smaller.
⚫️ Is 2 abb/ yoga days enough for tone? Would cutting off the 3rd day negate or improve my goal of have a defined but slim torso? I’m worried this 3rd abb day I’m currently doing could eventually overdevelop my core, which I don’t need as my torso is already square shaped. However I’m also worried that only doing 2 abb days a week will make me wide torso less defined. This 3rd abb day is on Saturday, the day after one of my intense leg days, so I always feel depleted and exhausted for this workout.
⚫️LASTLY…. I need outside perspective. I’ve already spoken to my cousin about this as she’s a personal trainer, and she Told me I was really overdoing it. Ive already reduced my Reps for leg days to my current routine, but it still feels like too much. I know I’m overdoing it, I’ve known for a while but I just feel stuck and that I’ll lose my results if I modify my routine to be more sustainable. I love fitness but this is taking a toll on my life. I know that I need to lessen this routine, I just have no idea where to start, and no idea how to restructure it in a way that still gives me similar results to what I have now. Please any help is helpful, I’m desperate.

We’re busy people.
Between work and home, family and friends, full schedules and unending tasks, it’s tempting to hurry through our days without even stopping to look up.
But, speaking through the psalmist, God said:
“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭46:10‬ ‭NIV‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬
When was the last time you were intentionally still (and not just when you were sleeping)? When was your body and mind quiet enough to acknowledge that God is God?
Regardless of the past, what will you choose today? You can close this app, check “time with God” off your to-do list, and continue on with business as usual. Or, you can allow the knowledge and truth of God to bring peace to your restless heart.
There’s something about stillness that compels us beyond ourselves. There’s something about stillness that heightens our awareness of our need for God.
It’s one thing to acknowledge God with our words, but another to put Him above every other good, bad, and distracting thing in our lives—to live in a way that honors and magnifies Him.
There will come a day when, ready or not, God will reveal Himself fully. There will come a day when, willing or not, every secret will come to light. There will come a day when, like it or not, He will be exalted above the nations and honored throughout the world.
But you don’t have to wait to worship Him. You don’t have to wait to call Him your God. You don’t have to wait to make Him the Lord and King of your life.
You can be still —right now—and know that He is God.

I've really been into roleplaying my undead half zombie type characters lately. But at the same time I've also really been interested in bosmer lore lately. But my current half zombie character is currently one that I picked the nord race for. So I took the backstory I shared here recently and decided to expand on it a bit and decided to incorporate some cultural stuff that would be similar to bosmer culture.
So anyway what started out as another undead ranger character suddenly ended up developing into further ideas. A type of undead lawman whose job is to keep the peace between the mortals, undead, and the beasts. Seems silly and dumb, but I'm having fun with it so far. I'm even continuing to use the druid mod and kind of acting as though the animal summons are my characters partners. It's been a fun roleplaying moment so far as now I'm a zombie that can talk to animals and undead and try to maintain balance.
I probably would have been better prepared except I did not plan this. Just kind of made stuff up as I went along i guess. But I'd like to share some mods that have been helpful for this so far since I already had them installed anyway. So here's my list so far for some mods that I've used...
Ineed continued and extended- still a zombie, so when you gotta kill some bad guys, might as well get your cannibalism while you're at it.
Googles simple vampire hunting- sometimes part of the job means you gotta fight some vampires. Might as well get paid for your job.
Druid- the animal summons being cop buddies was too fun of an idea to pass up. Probably the same for cc's zombie summons if you have ae.
Bosmeri cuisine- for your zombie meals.
Deyja shamanic music- really good music mod in general. But shamanic music seems to be a good fit here too.
Runic eyes- I wanted to make my "ashborn" pretty distinguishable. So I had my character have very dark skin as well (probably through extended character creation options mod) but runic eyes seemed to be good for a signature bright glowing eyes look. Even in mortal form.
Hunterborn and scrimshaw expanded-you are no longer just a ranger. Luckily mammoth hide armor and light troll skull look good for a wild character.
Inigo and sda- they were followers I have been using before this sudden change. I figured storywise after you complete the dawnguard questline, marrying serana, and talking to inigo about forgiving him, some time passes before you're just suddenly a different profession.
Headhunter- as a lawman you need jobs for handling criminals. This mod seems good for this so far. Also getting paid for your work.
Dark isles war and mythos- I've been using this as the place that my character is from.
Yeah it's stupid. But it's stupid and fun. Let me know what you'd add.

* READ TO LEARN HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF FROM SCAMMERS! THIS MESSAGE WILL REPEAT EVERY 12 HOURS \*
As the sub grows, so does it's exposure to scammers. As mods, we do our best to protect the sub, but need y'all's help as well. We are a community. We do not like reading modmails when our fellow members get scammed, but do know that most could have been prevented given they follow the tips we've laid out. Below are these tips on how to stay protected:
How to message the mods - https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=/fragranceswap
Banned and sketchy users - https://www.reddit.com/fragranceswap/wiki/banned
* Always use PayPal/Venmo G&S when buying from someone with under 15 flair on the sub. A scammer will give a BS reason why they can't accept G&S. Anyone with under 15 flair MUST accept G&S as a form of payment according to the rules of the sub. This rule is non-negotiable. If they will not, please report them to the mods.
* Ask a potential seller to comment on your post. This proves that they are not banned from the sub. That doesn't always mean they are a scammer though. It could just mean that they do not meet the sub requirements to become an approved member. They still need to accept G&S though. Check the banned list and vet the seller through their profile.
* Ask for specific timestamped pictures. A "timestamp" is a picture a seller takes with a handwritten note including their username and date next to the item they are selling. Ask for this with "odd" requests such as a picture of the bottle on its side or with the cap off, etc. If they are not willing to provide that then avoid the transaction and report them to the mods. Scammers are becoming crafty and often try and photoshop the timestamp in with a picture they found on google. Be aware and inspect timestamps closely for evidence of photoshopping. Look for blurred edges of paper, shadows not matching up with others in the picture, etc. If you are in doubt, don't hesitate to contact us with the picture.
* "Sellers" who start the conversation off with "WTS (insert frag you're looking for)" are 99.99% most likely a scammer. Scammers will always give you a great deal, or ask you to name your price. Any "seller" who is willing to accept half payment upfront then the other half after delivery to avoid using G&S is most likely a scammer. If it seems to good to be true or fishy, it most likely is.
Please do your due diligence, folks. If you're ever in doubt, reach out to us. Stay safe!

Got a call from a guy (local black male) that said he was from Vodacom. Apparently I had won an Audi, 35k in cash and a phone. I was very skeptical and asked to speak to a manger or supervisor. A few minutes later a guy claiming to be the supervisor called (Afrikaner white male). He was extremely convincing and I 99% fell for everything he was saying. He had an answer to every question that I had, and I had some very challenging questions for him because I am naturally very skeptical of these calls. They wanted me to purchase vouchers in order to activate my Vodabucks. Even though I did not enter any competition I was selected based on network usage. As we were chatting I was researching in the background. The competition they mention is on Vodacoms website but the prizes which I apparently won are not listed on the website, which I found strange. He was very good at explaining how the Vodacom apps work and all the numbers which I need to dial to activate the prize. They wanted me to purchase the vouchers and activate my prize before 18:00 or else it rolls over to the next person. When I dial these numbers they actually are Vodacom numbers. I eventually called Vodacom customer care and they confirmed that there was no competition offering those prizes. I survived to tell the tale but these scammers are very good and very convincing. I was on the phone with them for about an hour going back and forth with all the questions I had. The guy even sent me links to vodacoms website about the Vodacom unlock 30 competition via WhatsApp. He had a Vodacom logo as his profile pic and his number came up as “Vodacom” on the Truecaller app. Be careful out there people. There are vultures out there waiting to take advantage.

Hi guys! I'm trying to upload/preview my book for publishing on Amazon KPD and I've run across a problem. Because of my bookcover design I've had to select 'bleed' so I've converted my manuscript to PDF (on word). So far, so good. But now everytime I try and preview it it tells me that there is an issue with the font not being embedded properly and lists a load of page numbers (about 20 in total). I've tried to follow the instructions to 'embed' the font, but am having no luck. It just says the same thing over and over. (I have NO idea what it's talking about!). I'm using the font Aptos(body), if that helps. A fellow self-publishing author told me it was the new 'standard' font. Thanks!

Got a call from a guy (local black male) that said he was from Vodacom. Apparently I had won an Audi, 35k in cash and a phone. I was very skeptical and asked to speak to a manger or supervisor. A few minutes later a guy claiming to be the supervisor called (Afrikaner white male). He was extremely convincing and I 99% fell for everything he was saying. He had an answer to every question that I had, and I had some very challenging questions for him because I am naturally very skeptical of these calls. They wanted me to purchase vouchers in order to activate my Vodabucks. Even though I did not enter any competition I was selected based on network usage. As we were chatting I was researching in the background. The competition they mention is on Vodacoms website but the prizes which I apparently won are not listed on the website, which I found strange. He was very good at explaining how the Vodacom apps work and all the numbers which I need to dial to activate the prize. They wanted me to purchase the vouchers and activate my prize before 18:00 or else it rolls over to the next person. When I dial these numbers they actually are Vodacom numbers. I eventually called Vodacom customer care and they confirmed that there was no competition offering those prizes. I survived to tell the tale but these scammers are very good and very convincing. I was on the phone with them for about an hour going back and forth with all the questions I had. The guy even sent me links to vodacoms website about the Vodacom unlock 30 competition via WhatsApp. He had a Vodacom logo as his profile pic and his number came up as “Vodacom” on the Truecaller app. Be careful out there people. There are vultures out there waiting to take advantage.

Got a call from a guy (local black male) that said he was from Vodacom. Apparently I had won an Audi, 35k in cash and a phone. I was very skeptical and asked to speak to a manger or supervisor. A few minutes later a guy claiming to be the supervisor called (Afrikaner white male). He was extremely convincing and I 99% fell for everything he was saying. He had an answer to every question that I had, and I had some very challenging questions for him because I am naturally very skeptical of these calls. They wanted me to purchase vouchers in order to activate my Vodabucks. Even though I did not enter any competition I was selected based on network usage. As we were chatting I was researching in the background. The competition they mention is on Vodacoms website but the prizes which I apparently won are not listed on the website, which I found strange. He was very good at explaining how the Vodacom apps work and all the numbers which I need to dial to activate the prize. They wanted me to purchase the vouchers and activate my prize before 18:00 or else it rolls over to the next person. When I dial these numbers they actually are Vodacom numbers. I eventually called Vodacom customer care and they confirmed that there was no competition offering those prizes. I survived to tell the tale but these scammers are very good and very convincing. I was on the phone with them for about an hour going back and forth with all the questions I had. The guy even sent me links to vodacoms website about the Vodacom unlock 30 competition via WhatsApp. He had a Vodacom logo as his profile pic and his number came up as “Vodacom” on the Truecaller app. Be careful out there people. There are vultures out there waiting to take advantage.

My solo indie game just reached the 10000 wishlists last week (10484 to be exact). I never thought I could reach that number on my own without a proper marketing team, budget or big following.
I'd like to share with you what worked and didn't in the hopes it can be helpful to you too.
Disclaimer: I did sign with a publisher two months ago, and while they are already working on marketing stuff, nothing has been published yet. Those numbers are 100% from my own "marketing" efforts. There are people way better at this than me! I'm just sharing my experience here and I'll let you judge if it's helpful. Some things that did not work with me might work with others (and vice versa)!
Let's sort what worked out the best for me. Steam Events > Influencers > Reddit > Twitter > Devlogs (I can't put image on this subreddit, but you can take a look at my wishlist graph with key notes on my original free patreon post)
It might sound obvious, but take the time to check your wishlists regularly, especially whenever you're trying to give visibility to the game with a post/video/announcement/mail. It will allow you to know what works and doesn't. I usually check out youtube and twitch for gameplay videos or press articles whenever there's a bump while I'm not in an event or did not post anything.
Keep posting stuff on social networks. I know it takes time for a small reward, but it's good to have those regular wishlists. It also shows development is alive and you never know when it will reach an influencer or press. When I stopped sharing my stuff for a while, wishlists completely dropped, I was even loosing some everyday! Reddit is harsh, but very rewarding.
I publish devlogs on my youtube channel. I got ~200 wishlist from more than 100k views that took me weeks of work. I don't think publishing devlogs is an efficient way to promote your game, UNLESS you go viral or that your videos also target players by being more accessible without too much technical stuff (mine are definitely targeting game devs for now). I'm only speculating here, but I think game developers are mostly interested in learning from your journey than actually wishlisting/playing your game compared to players which results in less wishlists. So do it only if it makes you happy and you want to share your journey (and be careful not to overwork while doing it)!
Influencers are great for 3 reasons:

1. They give your game visibility.
   
2. They give you feedback to make your game better.
   
3. They are usually keen to do it for free to help small indie devs.
   

Build yourself a press list: a list of press and influencer that might be interested in playing your game. Find their mails online, on their website, channel page or social networks. When you have something very interesting to show them (a new demo, event or announce) send them all a mail (but don´t spam them)!
Here are two accounts you should follow to get tips about how to properly reach to influencers (and other game marketing in general): Clemmy and Wanderbot (subscribe to their newsletters!)
Events are huge for wishlists. It's easy and it does not take time to submit and they are usually free. But there are two big issues with events:

1. You have to find them.

The best free place to find most events is on the HTMAG discord created by Chris (@AdventureMtn). There's also this amazing calendar with all the events (thanks to u/mreliptik for sharing this with me)!

1. You have to be accepted.

You need a demo, quality marketing assets to share and a good steam page. Again, Chris has some awesome tutorials (free and paid) to get a great steam page up. Consider supporting him if his tutorials helped you!
WARNING Do not submit your game to the steam next fest too soon like I did. You want to submit as late as possible, ideally just before your release. Each game gets one shot at the steam next fest, and the more wishlists you have going in, the more wishlists you'll get. I made that mistake because I thought I would release the game 2 months later (lol).
On a side note, you will have tons of wishlist deletions. Don't worry about it, that's perfectly normal (I won't lie, the first 1000 deletions still hit me hard though).
I think the best time to create your steam page is as soon you have a small trailer, screenshots and interesting description that do not look like a prototype full of placeholders. The sooner you have it, the sooner you start collecting wishlists! With the steam page also comes the whole steam community package, which is a plus to keep in touch with people who like your game. I don't really see any disadvantage in having a steam page early, but you might want to plan the communication around the page release to maximize visibility right away. Do not release it without telling anyone! When you demo is out, you can update your page and announce it everywhere too (try to give the exclusivity to a big showcase if you can!).
Things that did not work for me: devlogs, replying to influencers asking for games on twitter, using those spammy hashtags to promote your game (#wishlistwednesday etc...), posting uninteresting stuff about the game developement EVERY day, reposting the same content, posting on the popular subreddits, sharing my game on those "share your work" channel on discord servers, paid ads and plenty of other little things I wasted my time on because I was desperate to get more wishlists.
I hope this was was a nice read! Just to make this clear, this is my experience and it might work very differently for different type of games and game developers. If you'd like to try the game for yourself, you can play the demo on steam. And if you'd like to keep following my journey, you'll find all my links/socials/newslettepatreon stuff here.
Don't hesitate if you have questions, I'll do my best to find time and reply!

I wanted to reminisce about my time at Best Buy. There are so many negative threads on Reddit that I thought it would be nice to share some of the good memories for those of us who’ve been there through thick and thin.
First off, I absolutely hated the blue shirt we had to wear for the first six months. But once you were on the good side of your General Manager, you could get away with a lot. Be careful, though—that’s a double-edged sword. If management didn't like you, they’d use those same incidents against you!
Let’s be honest, Best Buy’s employee discount on shelved merchandise is pretty terrible. Some of you may know, some may not, but the real treasures were in the warehouse, labeled MDC. I know the name Magnolia no longer exists, but I still call it that! Magnolia was a completely different world compared to the retail floor. It was the reason I kept coming back to work. It offered a wealth of knowledge, and I couldn't get enough of it.
My grievance was never about the pay. I’m grateful I never had to worry about my paycheck or payday. Honestly, I hope people don’t take this job just for the money because there isn’t much to gain. But if you crave knowledge, MDC was the place to be. Sadly, it's now replaced by "Premium Audio."
I got my first set of KEF META speakers (gray enclosure with red diaphragm) for $400. I bought a 10’ AudioQuest Rocket 88 bi-wire speaker cable worth $1,450 for $300. A turntable with a MoonStone MM cartridge was also from Best Buy, and it’s not even listed on our website.
Funny story: Best Buy sells a ridiculous amount of stuff through Tylor that’s not available in the inventory, but not the AMP I needed! I had to buy the original amplifier for $1,000 on Amazon. That’s as much as I paid for an analog turntable. In retrospect, it was a stupid purchase. I can’t remember the last time I turned it on. Even when I used it, I didn’t consider that vinyl records only have four tracks per side, and getting up every four tracks got annoying.
If you know much about audio, names like Martin Logan, Bowers & Wilkins, KEF, McIntosh, and REL should ring a bell. That was our secondary showroom for high-potential customers. The main room was for the right customer, or as I like to call it, my playground. It had two B&W 804 and 806 speakers with black leather tops, connected to a Mark Levinson AMP and then to Marantz Cinema 30. Ugh... (Audiophiles will understand how outrageous that combination is.)
The dream setup, though, was the Pro-Ject Y2 with a MoonStone cartridge turntable, paired with a NAD Master Series M17 lossless DAC, connected to a Mark Levinson 534 two-channel amp with 500W per channel. All speaker cables were AudioQuest Rocket 88, and AudioQuest 2.0M Angle RCA-RCA were used to connect to a 1.4KW McIntosh speaker amp “per side." Just the speakers alone were consuming 2.8KW of power every time you played a song. All that power, precision, and quality went to the one and only KEF Blade Loudspeakers.
If none of this excites you, you’ll probably love the new Best Buy. But if you recognize these names and respect original ingenuity, it’s a shame because they’ve fired most of the designers. No more knowledge-based incentives, no more commissions, and no more passionate people.
Sad but true. I can’t believe our highest educated top executives don’t see the decline of such an iconic brand. All for the sake of claiming diversity with a woman as a CEO. Especially a CEO that comes from baking pizza dough.
The only thing that motivates me anymorr is the hope of seeing Corie Barry fired or going back to "FUCKING" Domino's Pizza. (Kudos to you if you get that joke... someone prove me wrong.)
The end. Share something positive that Corie has ruined for our employees and customers!

I'm not going to throw a pity party and tell you all about it but I'm becoming more and more aware my self esteem is terrible
Anyone have experiences of building self worth?
Edit I once wrote and keep on my phone a list of all the good things about me but it's hard to internalise. I also want to start a daily gratitude practice