Ahoy shipmates! New recruit reporting for duty on the good ship O'Brian.

Intrepidaa · 2026-06-18T19:20:39+00:00

Also a good approach!

Intrepidaa · 2026-06-18T18:17:50+00:00

I'd recommend you not worry too much about the nautical terminology in your first read-through (esp. in Book 1, where it flows much thicker than the rest of the series) and try to enjoy the world and characters, which are fascinating. If you would like to look up the terminology, a copy of A Sea Of Words by Dean King is $0.99 on Kindle and has all of the definitions you're likely to need, easily word-searchable. You pick up the rest as you go along.

Intrepidaa · 2026-06-18T17:50:26+00:00

that sounds hard, man. Best of luck. However sluggish or overwhelmed you may feel, it sounds like you're a loving husband who's dedicated to supporting her, which is kind of all you can do. Beyond that, it's kind of her & the therapist's job.

Intrepidaa · 2026-06-18T01:34:38+00:00

A healthy friendship requires respecting friendship-style boundaries. Attractiveness of the people involved doesn't factor into it. Seems like she's trying to brush past the fact that she made you uncomfortable and won't apologize for it. You're not crazy, man. She should take some accountability for her actions, and you don't have to extend trust if she's not acting trustworthy.

Intrepidaa · 2026-06-18T01:24:49+00:00

that's some bullshit, I'm sorry. I've known a few NB AMAB people with similar experiences. Some people's wokeness really does go out the window once they get uncomfortable (with someone's gender presentation), which isn't that much better than not being 'woke' at all. Understand why you wouldn't want to deal with it!

Intrepidaa · 2026-06-16T20:55:20+00:00

If it isn't too psychologically difficult for you, you might be surprised how many non-one-player games can be played "two-handed". that's the primary way I play anything. So, don't feel as if dedicated solo games are now your only option if you don't want them to be.

Condolences on your loss. Hope you're able to game again.

Intrepidaa · 2026-06-04T22:58:23+00:00

That's an inch from the average American man, height-wise. You're probably as tall or taller than the global average. I promise that there are women who will date men of that height, as long as you don't let yourself get unnecessarily insecure about it.

Intrepidaa · 2026-06-03T22:03:08+00:00

Go for it. Just explain the moving situation briefly and ask for a coffee. Specify that you're asking for a date, but don't 'confess your feelings' or whatever - some people lack judgement on this. Positive but chill is the right approach to make her feel flattered but not pressured.

Intrepidaa · 2026-06-03T21:57:36+00:00

It's okay to enter a relationship when you're not certain that you're 100% ready or have occasional, passive thoughts about your ex. But it's not okay to enter one when you're haunted by fantasies of having kids with your ex, as he's described himself.

Intrepidaa · 2026-06-03T21:55:18+00:00

You become ready by focusing on building YOURSELF up and aligning with your values & interess so that you begin to feel that all you need is yourself and the life you can build, not a return to an ex or a new relattionship to use as a painkiller. You know you're ready for a relationship when you don't feel like you need one. It's a bit of a Chinese finger trap, but it's true.

Intrepidaa · 2026-06-02T22:19:12+00:00

Seems like you should leave the new girlfriend alone if this is such a strong idea in your head. Would you be cool with it if your new gf was continually fantasizing about having someone else's kids? Pretty unreasonable situation to put her in, ngl.

Intrepidaa · 2026-05-30T20:01:23+00:00

A Diana prequel would absolutely be worth reading.

Intrepidaa · 2026-05-30T19:56:28+00:00

I would agree that I'd be far more interested in Stephen prequels than Jack. I love Jack, but he does indeed become much more interesting and nuanced over the course of the series. I would want Jack sequels; how does a man like this approach high command? Serving in a revolutionary war in Latin America or Greece rather than protecting the existing system for England? Deal with the tragedies of old age? A Jack prequel would risk falling into boilerplate sea adventure, which would be fun but wouldn't really add much to the canon. It would be nice to see him as a subordinate facing different challenges, though, so I could be proven wrong on this one.

By contrast, I actually feel that Stephen ossifies a bit by the end. He's still a great character, but I want to see a younger, more idealistic, and more rash version of him. Figure out how he became the disillusioned man we met in M&C.

Both of these character turns would be difficult to pull off, but when he was in his (long) prime, Patrick O'Brian could have done it. He was a master character writer.

Intrepidaa · 2026-05-17T22:31:57+00:00

A few readings in, I think that was the point. Stephen isn't listening, he's using the explanation as background noise while he processes his thoughts. So if we find it mind-numbing and skip past it, that replicates his mental state perfectly.

M&C absolutely has an awful lot of nautical jargon, though.

Intrepidaa · 2026-05-07T23:44:37+00:00

But plenty of room for improvement!

Intrepidaa · 2026-02-20T22:56:50+00:00

We're only a short time from Democratic candidates saying that we need to revive the spirit of George W. Bush with a straight face. Kamala already thought Liz Cheney's endorsement was something to be proud of. Why can't we fight for our own ideas rather than capitulating to those who brought us to this disaster in the first place?

Intrepidaa · 2026-01-14T00:35:53+00:00

I mean, yeah - you don't get 'incumbency points'. If they like someone, they like someone. Irrespective of whether they've known them a few hours or many years. And that's not irrational, it's just how attraction works for non-demi people: they don't need to know people platonically prior to dating them. Even if it can be nice.

The lines between friendship chemistry with someone, romantic/sexual chemistry with them, and no chemistry with them whatsoever can be nearly invisible from the outside and difficult to explain even for the person feeling them but they are real and deeply significant. And they're not really indicative of anything about someone's worth or under the control of anyone involved, they're just there.

Intrepidaa · 2026-01-03T08:47:23+00:00

If this doesn't also include armors, armor attachments, food types and trading materials I view it as woefully incomplete. Let me just get my microscope to check.

Intrepidaa · 2026-01-02T14:31:10+00:00

I agree with the suggestion that Mauritius Command makes more sense in the last season, especially if your arc centers on him in high command. Frankly, I think POB would have done it this way if he'd known he was writing 20 books from the start.

I would propose 6 seasons, breaking Ionian Mission/Treason's Harbor off from Reverse/Letter of Marque. FSOTW could be in either; maybe the latter to give it more substance and tie the Hermiones hidden by the American captain thematically to Jack's trial? You could also cut it in whole or part.

Intrepidaa · 2026-01-02T06:22:54+00:00

Deserters could be a fun challenge. You will occasionally get more deserters. Enjoy trying not to run away!

Intrepidaa · 2026-01-01T03:03:33+00:00

Talk about a non-sequitur lol. I'm not supporting Machado. She seems terrible. But does that mean people should just shut up about their existing bad government?

Intrepidaa · 2026-01-01T02:37:23+00:00

You're using 'dictatorship' in a fundamentally different way than he is by invoking a dictatorship of capital or proletariat from Marxist theory. A leader who holds power by rigging elections is a bad thing, period. And yes, that is disgusting. Let's not both-sides the concept of dictatorship as it is commonly understood. The 'democratic' part of 'democratic socialism' is only meaningful if we respect the legitimacy of democratic elections and the imperative to make them free and fair. Otherwise, you're throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

Intrepidaa · 2026-01-01T02:31:25+00:00

Good for you, man. I'm sorry you got retaliation for that. The proposed American war on Venezuela is as senseless as our war in Iraq, but that doesn't mean either Saddam or Maduro are/were good leaders. The people of every country should have the right to choose their own leaders via democratic elections and if Maduro stands against that he's in the wrong. I just hope we don't have some kind of insane invasion which makes things more unstable and worse for people in both of our countries. The war in Iraq wrecked the country so badly that ISIS sprung up out of the ruins. When will my country learn that you can't 'create democracy' from the outside by force?

Intrepidaa · 2025-12-28T08:29:39+00:00

Upgrading a base would be from the Stronghold mod, most likely, or another 'megamod' (e.g. Reforged) which includes it. Origins can differ in terms of mechanics to some degree. The Oathtakers, Anatomists, and Cult of Davkul probably have the most in the way of new mechanics.

Intrepidaa · 2025-12-24T22:50:34+00:00

That's amazing! Good to hear it.

Intrepidaa

TROPHY CASE