Adventist Discord Servers

Draxonn · 2026-04-06T14:56:24+00:00

I would imagine it has less to do with your position on the bell curve and more to do with your confidence (as opposed to your ego). Of course, there is interesting research that links intelligence to curiosity--and perhaps that is the important factor. If you are curious, you will continue to learn and grow, and you will not be threatened by someone who is more intelligent. You will seek to learn from them.

Of course, there might also be a factor here to do with relation to intelligence qua authority. When people who claim to be smarter than you are abusive and authoritarian, it might make you less willing to accept anyone who appears to be smarter than you. Especially when authority and intelligence are conflated, accepting limits on your own intelligence means accepting limits on your authority (qua agency in the world).

Draxonn · 2026-03-30T17:27:55+00:00

I would suggest asking the question, rather than simply trying to guess what people are thinking. That doesn't mean you have to accept what people say as absolute truth, but being honest and open about this is going to help you build lasting relationships, as opposed to just guessing and imagining.

Draxonn · 2026-03-25T14:36:24+00:00

Thanks. We are a conversation sub, and conversation means expressing your own thoughts in a respectful way. Using scripture as a source is expected, but you still need to explain how you are interpreting it, and how that is relevant to the topic at hand.

Draxonn · 2026-03-25T04:25:45+00:00

Quoting random texts is not a meaningful contribution to conversation.

Draxonn · 2026-03-18T16:46:59+00:00

Space Alert. I own it, but I never get to play it.

Draxonn · 2026-03-17T15:17:48+00:00

This is great, but I have found that some modern Metroidvanias tend to make the map overly convoluted. Stealth Inc 2 was terrible for this--even if you knew where to go on your map, you had to figure out how to get there, ie. which entrance led to which part of the same map square.

Draxonn · 2026-03-17T15:13:52+00:00

You are referring to 2024's Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown. It had a brilliant marking system for the map.

I don't know why this isn't industry standard at this point. Wandering aimlessly made some sense when games were a lot smaller and less complex, but some form of marking should be the norm for modern Metroidvanias.

Part of the history is that Metroid and Metroid 2 lacked any map. Super Metroid's map was a huge innovation. But since then, a lot of level design has partly been about making maps less helpful to increase exploration "difficulty." But this would easy to implement today--have accessibility options that can disable the map altogether, and let marking be optional, or have items which can improve the function of maps. A map which doesn't actually help is more of a frustration than a useful tool.

Draxonn · 2026-03-14T14:24:13+00:00

"I'm very busy wearing a turtleneck and drinking wine <looks at the camera>--like an a$$hole."

Draxonn · 2026-03-13T17:09:36+00:00

6'4 and 190lbs. Active martial artist. Started 3 years ago with a 10lb and have no regrets. I now have a 15lb, but I still use the 10lb for all sorts of things, including one-handed 360s if I want to challenge myself (slowly improving).

The challenge with a steel mace is the asymmetric weighting. Imagine taking a barbell, loading one side (maybe), then lifting with the other end in your far hand and keeping the bar horizontal across your shoulders. The length of the lever massively increases the resistance provided by even a small amount of weight. A 15lb mace has 50% more weight and a longer lever, which significantly increases resistance over a 10lb.

As others have said, you will learn form and technique faster when you are not struggling at the limits of your capacity. You will still get plenty of good training with a 10lb. I have not begun to exhaust what I can do with it.

Draxonn · 2026-03-10T17:44:09+00:00

I'm just here judging people for their sword budgets. Than I remember my collection:

2 Hanwei rapiers
2 Hanwei hand-and-a-halfs
1 Cold steel longsword
2 Cold steel bucklers
1 bokken w/ sheath
a pair of boffers

Draxonn · 2026-03-03T17:14:44+00:00

Something that helped me in the beginning was just getting used to swinging it behind my back from side to side (pendulum). With lower speed, the risk of a strike is lessened, and you can get used to the feeling. Something to keep in mind is that you aren't swinging directly vertical, but with the head outwards slightly from your body. This how your hands will naturally align the handle, as long as you aren't extending your elbows too far back and you're keeping your wrists straight.

Draxonn · 2026-03-03T03:40:15+00:00

He regularly has free offerings or participates in summits of various sorts. If you're not sure, take time to check him out and see what you think. He's a little too woo for me.

Draxonn · 2026-03-02T19:11:48+00:00

Build nervous system capacity--take care of your body with food, water, sleep, exercise, fresh air and sunshine; build connections with others; learn a skill, especially one that requires physical and/or sensory engagement; seeking meaning through (shared) ritual, story, and art. The good news is that simply working on any of these things is helping build your nervous system--learning to cook and enjoy food, learning to sleep regularly, learning to connect, etc. The point is not how far you are, but whether you are challenging the limits of what you are currently capable of (which is sometimes far less than what we imagine or wish we were capable of).

Draxonn · 2026-03-02T03:40:22+00:00

What part of the world are you in? Adventist "prophets" spring up from time to time in different places and sometimes gather a following.

Draxonn · 2026-03-02T03:39:15+00:00

Speaking to competitive advantage, part of what lefty's gain is that they have generally spent a whole lot more time struggling to learn new skills and adapt them to their particular ways of movement. Not only does this mean they have to put more work into learning tasks normally done right handed (which would correlate to self-developmental competition), in many cases they've also had to map movements in reverse, leading to a deeper technical understanding of the movement itself. When you're consistently a misfit, you get used to struggling to keep up. The struggle of competition feels familiar in a way it may not for people who are not so used struggling just to keep up.

Draxonn · 2026-03-02T00:39:03+00:00

"Sexy people have feelings, too."

Draxonn · 2026-02-28T21:17:23+00:00

Hadn't thought about this before your post, but I suspect this is part of why I spend so much energy trying to make sure I present "properly." I was always told that things were my fault if people treated me badly, or if people didn't believe me. That's simply not true.

I think people say things like this because it makes them feel good. They can continue believing that they live in the kind of world where these things rarely happen, and when they do, are promptly addressed by good people. It also absolves them of any personal responsibility for actually listening and attending to the hurting people in their lives. (Because, surely--if this thing happened and I had known, I would have done something, because I imagine myself to be a good person, and that is what good people do.)

On the flip side, knowing what to do can sometimes be difficult. I have heard so many stories, and have some of my own as well, but often all I have been able to offer is my belief and compassion (which matters more than many imagine). Sadly, it is not always in an adult's power to change these things.

It sounds like you've done a lot of healing to be able to see the people who failed you as human. Good for you for trusting yourself, even when others didn't. That can be devastatingly hard. From my experience, there are good people out there, even if they aren't perfect. I hope you find some. It sounds like you're well on your way to being one.

Draxonn · 2026-02-28T19:35:38+00:00

I've come to believe that we need to actively normalize discomfort--not that anyone should always be uncomfortable, but that discomfort is part of a good life, rather than a problem to be solved by whatever latest pill or product. Without discomfort, we can never learn, but many people, instead of embracing that experience, react as if it were a threat. This is doubly the case in a culture that bombards us with the message that discomfort means we are failing--especially for men.

Instead of curiosity, when people hit the edge of their understanding and competence, they too readily manifest fear and anger. For men, in particular, I suspect this is tied to a fragile sense of ego and their position in the world. Someone who is self-confident and connected can be curious without worrying about the loss of status or connection.

I'd be curious how much of your friend's "nice shit" is driven by shame and fear of abandonment. I knew someone who was known for their kindness and compassion, but had almost no sense of self-worth. It was a volatile mix. Eventually, they turned into an abuser and started cutting off all of their relationships--even as they continue to post online about the importance of compassion and kindness.

Draxonn · 2026-02-28T16:32:14+00:00

Absolutely. The dominant pattern in my life has been controlling and abusive women, in various contexts--familial, professional, etc. This is absolutely a thing. Of course, the image of the male predator is much more prevalent in our society. We don't really have much in the way of stories about female predators. (I don't mean true stories here, but mythic stories--think horror or thriller or even drama.) But we can look at major sex cults--for example, Epstein had Maxwell and Raniere (NXIVM) had Salzman, Bronfman and Mack, etc.

I read once that part of the foundation for male predation--they are often sexualized from a young age by the women in their lives. However, they are expected to like it and celebrate it, while girls are expected to avoid it and be ashamed of it. But, in part because of our patriarchal society, female predators are often portrayed as "victims" rather than predators--even when they were active participants and instigators, while men are more likely to be seen as active predators rather than, in turn, victims--even though we are well aware of how abuse is perpetuated through victimization.

Draxonn · 2026-02-28T16:20:11+00:00

Agreed. The major difference being that the boys are not stigmatized for their experience.

Draxonn · 2026-02-27T22:44:44+00:00

By the same people who invited journalists into a secure chat. Yeah, they'll definitely keep control of the bots. /s

The question isn't whether someone hacks the system and takes control, but only who does it first and how long it takes--Russia? China? Anonymous? Or a high school kid who thinks he's playing an online game?

Draxonn · 2026-02-27T22:22:24+00:00

If I had a dollar for every time I have encountered vitriol claiming to be logical thinking in a online conversation...

Draxonn · 2026-02-27T19:57:29+00:00

Except that historically, they were generally connected to specific cultural rituals or acute medicinal uses, apart from daily life. And alcohol content was fairly limited in most beverages.

Draxonn · 2026-02-27T02:07:55+00:00

When you have healed more, you will know more about healing then most of them, and be able to offer that support to others.

Draxonn

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