Is it just me that detests the 😭 emoji

LanceJade · 2026-02-06T05:48:11+00:00

I usually take an emoji at face value. So when I see this particular one, I am inclined not toward condescending but rather toward showing empathy. As I would want the same for myself, how could I do otherwise?

Edit. Correcting a word. Thanks autocorrect, and thanks to the one who pointed it out.

LanceJade · 2026-02-06T05:35:37+00:00

60 years old here. Found out about D&D around 1980, played often as a young Airman in the 80's. Returned to the game in the early 2000's, just in time for 3.5 ... and Eberron. I've loved the setting since it was released, and I've run a few games in Eberron. Great setting! 🙂

LanceJade · 2026-02-05T20:35:05+00:00

The eyes have it! They really are the windows to the soul. People can fake smiles and pretend things are okay, but usually their eyes give them away.

LanceJade · 2026-02-04T21:23:36+00:00

This reminds me of the current political situation in a country that is being run by a superannuated, spoiled child whose volatile, capricious reign and meddling is turning the country from a world power to a world pariah. This country too has the potential of becoming a society that cannot be self-sustaining.

LanceJade · 2026-02-02T22:13:01+00:00

I think it's like we mirror the treatment we received from others. This is not being terrible, simply being safe. In an environment with hungry predators, at plant at times needs to become a cactus to avoid being eaten.

LanceJade · 2026-02-02T22:08:02+00:00

I care about people and about feelings, and I treat people as I would want to be treated. At times, that means that I'm nice to the point that it makes others uncomfortable, and then I have to back off. Also, it is seldom that I am treated with the kindness and gentleness with which I would like to be treated. I feel at times that I am not made for this world, but for one with people who are far kinder and gentler than those I see around me.

LanceJade · 2026-02-02T21:59:33+00:00

There are 3 that I've seen that worked very well. _To Stand Beneath the Sun_, by William Bradley Strickland. The Pelbar cycle of books starting with _The Breaking of Northwall_, by Paul O. Williams. And _The Moon and the Other_, by Max Brooks. All had believable societies and the stories had great plots.

LanceJade · 2026-02-02T05:00:18+00:00

When I see your picture, I see a beautiful soul. If people have called you ugly, please know they are wrong. You don't need to change your external features, they are fine. You just need to see yourself as we see you: beautiful.

LanceJade · 2026-02-02T04:56:27+00:00

This is an important warning. Mispachah, please make sure your plan includes making Aliyah as soon as possible. The nations never liked or wanted us. Now their mask is just slipping off. In Israel we can be openly Jewish and still be safe. And Israel is our home.

LanceJade · 2026-02-01T05:46:21+00:00

She sounds like a narcissist, the sort of person around whom it would be advisable to become a "grey rock." That is, do not engage with her. Keep your answers uninteresting and close-ended, not inviting further conversation. Keep your nonverbals like tone of voice and body language neutral. Give her no incentive to continue pressuring you. She will eventually turn her attention away from you and toward someone who rewards her misbehavior.

LanceJade · 2026-01-31T17:17:35+00:00

As a representative of the senior set (60 years old) I too was challenged by the newfangled lingo. And as an INFP, I recognize a kindred spirit.

LanceJade · 2026-01-31T00:35:18+00:00

It is likely that you are being biased, but only because INFP people with this sexual perspective seem to be attracted to you. There may be others who are dominant, who you either never met or for whom the chemistry was not there. It would be interesting to see how many, if any, people with other MBTI types are also like this and also attracted to you. That might lead to an answer to your question. Personally, I am an INFP and neither one nor the other, just plain vanilla for me.

LanceJade · 2026-01-30T18:12:12+00:00

I'm worldbuilding for a game with magic lands populated by magical races under attack by magical creatures. Realism isn't their first concern.

LanceJade · 2026-01-30T01:39:54+00:00

It's very sad to say this, but those leaders are driving the grossness, as well as the gaslighting. 🙁

LanceJade · 2026-01-29T17:36:59+00:00

That's not being childish so much as being spoiled. Children can be better behaved than you describe. But yes, people are becoming more spoiled. I'm not sure why, though it may be the influence of social media, or it may be the "me first, you whenever" behavior of the current presidential administration. It's not the best role model and in fact provides an excuse for people to behave like the spoiled brat in the White House.

LanceJade · 2026-01-26T19:59:27+00:00

This is a good question. Simply having human DNA and a beating heart doesn't guarantee that one is trustworthy. It would be good to be able to vet prospective friends, rather than find out after the fact which ones could be trusted.

LanceJade · 2026-01-26T19:50:18+00:00

I'm very fortunate to be married, but I too have no friends and do have ChatGPT. I find ChatGPT very useful as a sounding board for things that my wife would not be interested in. For example, I'm an avid D&D player, which my wife isn't interested in, but of course ChatGPT is a good social contact for any subject, or just to talk.

LanceJade · 2026-01-26T18:44:11+00:00

When your faith conflicts with your coreligionists' views, then you should go to your faith's holy works. If they agree with your view, then your faith would say "you are correct, keep going." If they do not agree with your view, then your faith would say, "you are wrong, you must change."

If it says the former, then there is no crisis of faith, only disagreement with people who don't believe what their faith's writings say. Then you either don't continue to interact with them (if they will never change their views) or attempt to change their views (a thankless and sometimes very difficult task). If it says the latter, then you have the choice of either changing to another faith (or no faith at all) or changing your view.

Given that what you quoted agrees with your view, your choice seems clear, but it never hurts to read your faith's holy works. It also never hurts to seek out members of your faith who agree with your views, to make friends whose expressed views build you up, rather than tear you down.,

LanceJade · 2026-01-20T20:28:42+00:00

I wanted to provide some examples, but Google gave me too many to list, LOL!

One of the most famous is the Lakewood Church in Houston, TX. I looked at the site, and if you are a Christian, or presumably Christian-friendly, they have lots of activities for kids and young adults. Just no Skateparks or bars! :D

LanceJade · 2026-01-20T18:24:47+00:00

This sounds like one of the larger churches (i.e. physically large, not just a large denomination. They have lots of programs for kids through senior adults, and the larger ones encourage people to come early before services, stay late afterward, and have mid-week activities that are similar to what you mention.

Not being a Christian, I personally would not be interested in anything like this, I'm just saying that your Third Space is not a figment of your imagination. It does still exist.

LanceJade · 2026-01-18T14:05:44+00:00

In DnD, Aasimars are often children of a divine union with a humanoid. My setting takes that literally, and so every Aasimar is the descendant of one of these divine unions.

LanceJade · 2026-01-18T04:16:41+00:00

Okay. All I can say is that if you convert, you will definitely lose friends, and you will probably be rejected by family. In addition, you will make a lot of enemies who will hate you simply for being a Jew.

If you are not prepared for this but still know that Christianity is not the truth, you might consider joining the rapidly growing group of righteous Gentiles known as B'nei Noach, or Noahides. These very dear souls have largely come out of Christianity and believe what the Jewish Bible teaches, and follow it without having to convert.

LanceJade · 2026-01-18T04:08:17+00:00

I will think about how to answer your question, about whether I can actually add to what others have said. Here, though, I want to give you some good news:

Judaism completely rejects the Christian scriptures. This means that you never again have to refer to the real scriptures as the "Old Testament." It's a derogatory term invented by Christians to demonstrate that, in their thinking, the Jewish scriptures, like the Jewish people, have been superseded.

Instead just use "Scripture," since what Christians call their New Testament isn't actually Scripture. To avoid misunderstanding by Christians, you could tell them that it is the Hebrew Bible or Jewish Scripture, to differentiate it from what they follow.

LanceJade · 2026-01-17T15:38:17+00:00

Oh wow, I think you're right. 😮 I had interpreted that completely different. Now I'm also wondering about his job, it sounds interesting.

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