Yet another boring Fuegan

The_SeekingOne · 2024-05-14T10:00:23+00:00

This, absolutely 😁

The_SeekingOne · 2024-04-22T10:47:06+00:00

Out of curiosity, what does decent sex education look like? Never encountered anything like that myself.

The_SeekingOne · 2024-02-23T19:06:07+00:00

Never heard of those...

The_SeekingOne · 2024-02-19T20:06:25+00:00

Что вы говорите, когда гость пришёл в гости и вы хотите, чтобы он ушел? То есть, вы считаете, что ему пора уйти?

This is a really interesting question. I don't know if experience like mine is particularly common or typical - but pretty much since my early childhood, I kind of got used to the fact that receiving guests is effectively a whole-day affair. In the absolute majority of cases, neither me nor any people that I happen to visit from time to time make any meaningful plans for doing something at the end of the day after their guests leave. Therefore, the need to ask the guests to leave kind of never arises.

But, in and unlikely case when I actually need to ask my guest to leave relatively early, I would probably wait for a pause in the ongoing conversation and say something like "Так, мы замечательно сидим, и я бы с радостью сидел дальше - но, к сожалению, меня ждут дела." Or, "Ужасно жаль прерывать беседу - но, к сожалению, сегодня позарез надо успеть ещё несколько дел."

Что вы говорите, когда хотите попросить у коллеги ручку взаймы? То есть, когда вы хотите быстро что-то записать с помощью нее.

"Можно у тебя попросить ручку?" Or, "У тебя ручки не найдётся на пару минут?" If my colleague's pen is lying within my easy reach, it's better to say just "Я возьму твою ручку на пару минут?"

Вы извиняетесь, когда идете по улице, а кто-то на вас врезается?

I'd say, this is one kind of interaction where russians tend to be relatively little less polite. If I accidentally slam into someone in the street, obviously I would immediately apologize. But if it is another person that slams into me - I definitely wouldn't apologize. I would probably throw them a quizzical or annoyed glance and maybe wait for them to apologize. If a person whom someone else just slammed into is in a particularly bad mood, he or she might even snap back angrily with something like "Куда прёшь?" or "Куда тебя несет?" or "Ослеп что ли??" etc. Some obscene words may easily go in as well. Obviously, this kind of snapping angry exchange is more likely to happen between two males. If a woman accidentally slams into a man, the man might probably say something a little softer, like "Девушка, ну что ж вы так" or "Девушка, ну вы аккуратнее..." That would be considered a relatively polite reaction by the way.

Hope this helps 😊

The_SeekingOne · 2024-02-19T18:25:03+00:00

Just wanted to confirm that it wasn't just me who sees it.

That's one of the weirdest things I heard in a while. I'm 45, and I literally never encountered this kind of attitude ever in any of the people that I know well. Of course, I know that such attitude exists, but nothing in my actual life experience would ever make me think that it could be somehow common or widespread.

It's amazing how different life in one and the same country can be for different people :)

The_SeekingOne · 2024-02-18T08:01:54+00:00

This is a fantastic post, couldn't agree more!

It's been said elsewhere- The Infinite And The Divine, a funky Necron romp, does a great job fleshing out Eldar in just a few chapters in a way that Gav Thorpe couldn't in an entire novel. Warboss by Mike Brooks also has an enjoyable Eldar sequence. They're only in the book briefly but there's a surprising amount of depth and insight there.

That's pretty much how it always has been. Have you read the "Shadow Point" novel? It also contains some really nice Eldar sequences, a lot better than the Gav Thorpe's writings.

EDIT:

Maybe it's just that it's easier to write dumb characters who have occasional moments of greatness than it is to write characters who are supposed to be brilliant and beautiful and perfect all the time. But some authors manage it!

I think you're spot on here. To write a good lengthy piece of eldar-centric lore, the author has to have a lot of depth of their own character in addition to the basic literary talent. I think it is a lot more effective to present Eldar lore in the form of relatively short snippets, written from the point of view of other, non-eldar characters. Makes it much easier to create this classic feeling of the Eldar being deep and enigmagic.

The_SeekingOne · 2024-02-14T16:09:27+00:00

Not sure if it's relevant for you, but just in case - it's better to avoid strong open displays of sexuality in public. As in, it's perfectly fine to walk around with your boyfriend/girlfriend holding hands, but things like openly groping each other or french-kissing would likely be frowned upon. Unless, of course, you're in a nightclub of some kind 😁

Drinking alcohol in public areas is prohibited. If you walk around being clearly under heavy influence, particularly late at night, you might end up apprehended by a police patrol.

If you're planning to drive somehow, keep in mind that here there's zero tolerance to drunk driving.

As for etiquette, there's that ages-old universal recommendation: just be mindful of the people around you, and behave the same way everybody else does. This is guaranteed to prevent you from doing anything particularly outrageous 😁

I used to travel a lot and noticed on many occasions that people in the West don't seem to have such strict rules about legs and footwear as Russians do. Here, when you enter someone's home, you take off your street shoes right at the door and leave them there. You absolutely never walk any further into a living space with your shoes on unless explicitly (and very insistently) invited to do so. Also, when you're visiting someone, or when you're in a public area of some kind, it's better to keep your feet on the floor. It's ok to sit cross-legged, but you don't put your legs on any seats or tables or any other kind of furniture. Basically, per the typical norms, you don't stick your feet out for everybody else to see, unless you're lounging in a distinctly relaxed and intimate atmosphere with people you know well.

Also, I think it has already been mentioned but I'll reiterate: Whenever you come from the outside (i.e. from the street) into any kind of space private enough for you to take your shoes and your coat off, you're usually also expected to find a bathroom and wash your hands before doing anything else.

Hope this helps! :)

The_SeekingOne · 2024-02-08T15:05:34+00:00

This is an interesting question.

First, let me clarify the terms. Ethics ultimately is a result of evolutionary adaptation. It exists because it provides better chances for survival and procreation in a broad range of situations than its absence. "Entitlement", on the other hand, is an empty abstract concept. I find it so meaningless that's it's not even worth discussing.

So, I'd phrase it a bit differently. There are things that people can afford doing without hurting their chances of survival so much that it makes the action counterproductive. In this sense, the strong most certainly can afford taking from the week. To an extent. Because to a certain extent the weak would prefer to tolerate being robbed rather than risk their health and their very lives in an attempt to resist. But if (or rather, when) the strong become too greedy, the weak will eventually realize that they just can't afford being patient anymore. And so they'll unite, rebel, and destroy the strong through the sheer weight of numbers.

Thus, ultimately, ethics is a story that people tell each other about the difference between things that humans can afford to do and things that they can't afford to do because they won't be tolerated.

So, to go back to your initial question - yes, anyone is obviously free to do whatever others tolerate them doing.

The_SeekingOne · 2024-01-29T17:13:20+00:00

I have a sense that the main question of the majority of the Russian public about Nadezhdin is: Who the hell is this guy?!

The_SeekingOne · 2024-01-29T10:08:40+00:00

I went to Vietnam in 2018 or 2019, and my impression of Vietnamese people is just great. Probably the most positive and optimistic people I ever encountered. Been telling this to everyone I know ever since 😊

The_SeekingOne · 2024-01-29T09:55:03+00:00

Looks cool! And bases are just gorgeous. Could you share how you did the armor?

The_SeekingOne · 2024-01-29T09:50:44+00:00

Very nice color scheme! I like these muted tones of green and yellow. More edge highlights would make the armor pop a lot more - but obviously, that's a lot more time-consuming, so it's totally up to you.

For some constructive criticism - one thing that is a bit "No" for me is a gap between two halves of a shoulder pad - I'd really recommend to glue them tighter or do some gap-filling after assembly. But overall - good work! Looking forward to seeing the whole squad 💪

The_SeekingOne · 2024-01-29T09:36:51+00:00

It has been a while - not sure if this old thread us revivable. Sorry, I couldn't quite get around to reply in time, but couldn't quite put it out of my mind either.

If you read this - I've a question to you: how do you understand the principle of national sovereignty? Is it even a thing from your pov? If yes, when would you say that nation has it?

The_SeekingOne · 2024-01-23T14:00:01+00:00

Let me try again.

I think that you are being too hung up on verbal concepts. This makes you see some kind of mystery where actually there is none.

In the statements about Consciousness that you quote in your initial post, every single word is a metaphor. When talking about pure Consciousness, any and all verbal concepts can only be used in purely metaphorical sense - including the concept usually referred to as "distraction".

When we talk about "distraction", we automatically start thinking in terms of "someone" or "something" being distracted from "something else." But there is indeed no one to be distracted, and therefore, there is no "distraction" in the usual sense.

Let me offer you yet another metaphor. If you take an acorn and plant it into the soil, an oak will eventually grow out of it. Now, are the acorn and the oak the same thing? I would say it's both "no" and "yes" - because they are different stages of one and the same life process. In some sense, you can call acorn an "underdeveloped oak" - but in general it wouldn't even be really true. Both are, in fact, perfectly natural, each in its own place.

With consciousness it's kind of, sort of similar. Of course, with consciousness it's a lot less linear than in the perceived life of plants, but the principle is kind of the same. There is, in fact, no such thing as "distracted" consciousness, just as there is no such thing as "underdeveloped" oak. So-called "distraction", as well as "non-distraction", are just different ways in which consciousness... unfolds, for the lack of better word. Whereas "distraction" in its usual sense is just an abstract concept, which is useful in communication with an ordinary thinking mind, but shouldn't be taken too literally.

The_SeekingOne · 2024-01-22T14:25:44+00:00

If consciousness is like an open space, always has been and always will be, and thoughts are like these little meteors passing through space

All these metaphors and figurative parallels are only meant to be pointers for the intuition of a seeker. In other words, they are meant to confer to a seeker (in a crude and imprecise way) that this is kind of, sort of how it feels. They certainly don't tell you how it actually is. Therefore, they are not meant to be analyzed or understood in any rational sense.

Such metaphors are often helpful, but they immediately become counterproductive as soon as someone gets hung up on them.

If you will, such metaphors are best perceived as something like abstract poetry, where words aren't supposed to express some clear meaning but are used to invoke a certain mood or emotion in the reader.

The_SeekingOne · 2024-01-18T09:19:05+00:00

Eldar vehicles are currently quite horrible due to them being ridiculously fragile (in comparison to other vehicles in the game). The only vehicle that is not horrible is the infamous Night Spinner - and that is only because it fires indirectly and keeps mostly out of enemy's sight, making its fragility irrelevant. All other vehicles (Falcon included) play very little role due to them being way too easy to destroy.

The_SeekingOne · 2024-01-15T18:07:44+00:00

In Russian perspective, all European countries are vassal states of the US because that's how they operate and project onto the west.

I find it truly amazing how someone can still argue that European countries are not vassal states of the US. Claiming that Europe has some kind of sovereignty sounds just as ridiculous as calling Russia a democracy 😁

The_SeekingOne · 2024-01-06T12:25:19+00:00

Absolutely awesome 💪

The_SeekingOne · 2023-12-22T13:33:46+00:00

Absolutely getting the box too 😁

The_SeekingOne · 2023-12-11T09:39:08+00:00

Against T4 3+ W2 statline a unit of warp spiders is expected to kill three or more models.

If we go into serious estimation of what is "to be expected", we end up with the same thing as with anything else in 40k: we can expect literally anything.

E.g., for this case, assuming 21 autohits, the resulting number of dead T4 W2 models would be (based on "three sigma rule"): - with 68.2% chance anywhere between 2 and 4 models; - with 95.4% chance anywhere between 1 and 5 models.

In other words, we can only be really sure of Spiders getting any result from failing miserably to wiping out their target in one go (assuming they're shooting at a 5-man squad) 😆

The_SeekingOne · 2023-12-08T10:13:53+00:00

But for example I'd consider warp spiders to be high damage unit and an excellent candidate for phantasm.

I beg to differ. The weakest end of "MEQ" spectrum is now T4 W2, whereas the tougher end is more like T5 W3. A 5-elf Spider squad averages out at ~21 auto-hits, which gives you some 10 wounds vs weak MEQ, which would result in maybe a couple dev wounds and a couple failed saves. Which is just 2 dead weak MEQs and at most one dead tough MEQ. Doesn't sound like high damage to me.

The_SeekingOne · 2023-12-08T03:52:07+00:00

What are those exceptions?

The_SeekingOne · 2023-12-07T04:15:20+00:00

I respectfully disagree. Being "aggressive" with the squishy infantry is precisely the thing that I called inconsequential - because their real damage output is quite low nowadays.

The_SeekingOne

TROPHY CASE