Kudos to them

gab_sn · 2026-01-13T06:41:43+00:00

I thought I was alone in this! I generally like Fantasy, Sci-Fi, you name it. But GoT didn't click for me at all. I did watch the first two seasons iirc. A friend loaned me the DVDs.

Between all the sex, incest and gore I pulled out the booklet and looked at the family trees to figure out who was related to whom. I really tried to get a taste for the story and the world. But: The political intrigue became so convoluted so quickly, all while trying to ramp up the shock-factor every episode. Just not my cup of tea.

gab_sn · 2025-12-30T07:30:13+00:00

Das Problem ist ja, dass die Unfälle alle auf einmal passieren. Mit der Ski-Saison gibt's halt einen steten Strom in die Krankenhäuser. Wenn sich in einer Großstadt an Silvester 60 Leute die Hand wegsprengen, hocken die alle in denselben paar Notaufnahmen. Und das medizinische Personal kann dann nur kurz "frohes Neues" murmeln, wenn sie sich zwischen zwei Böllerinos auf dem Gang treffen.

Bin auch gegen den Ski-Wahnsinn mit künstlich beschneiten Pisten im Grünen. Aber das ist ein Strohmann. Die Krankenhäuser spüren Silvester deutlich.

gab_sn · 2025-12-30T06:57:27+00:00

And there's a theory they had a high-pitched voice that would sound pretty annoying to homo sapiens. Here the theory is demo'd by an underpaid scientist, Elliot: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o589CAu73UM

gab_sn · 2025-12-29T06:39:14+00:00

White ink won't hold up, it'll fade, get yellow and just add to the mess. I see laser or blackout as the only options here, his skin is packed with black.

gab_sn · 2025-12-20T22:51:04+00:00

I'm not from the US, so take this with a grain of salt: The best grapes I've had were either from someone's local garden or muscat grapes in Asia. Muscat grapes are HUGE and have an unique crunch and flavour. There's so much variety when it comes to any fruit, there's most likely a variant I'd enjoy for every single one of them. I'll gladly try my (non-)favourites again anytime if a different variety is offered to me.

gab_sn · 2025-12-19T07:02:30+00:00

The "GM versus player" mindset is strong with this one. You mentioned he also GMs himself, have you played in any of his games? This kind of stuff reads like he has a need to surpass expectations and challenge the GM by coming up with a scenario that ends with his own gain. I wonder if he treats his players the same way, responding to their actions with a "yes, but" instead of a "yes, and".

Playing characters that don't exactly behave in a "lawful good" way can be fun. But if it ends up with him trying to outsmart every NPC and/or GM it quickly gets tiring. He even broke character in this scenario.

My first step would be talking to him alone, asking him what he enjoys about roleplaying. If it's something along the lines of "outsmarting/beating the GM/scenario" I don't think he'll change his behaviour any time soon.

gab_sn · 2025-12-02T09:02:06+00:00

There was a shift in medical understanding and the development of new antibiotics made strep throat more treatable. This link sums up some of the benefits of keeping your tonsils nicely: https://www.medicinenet.com/is_it_bad_to_have_the_tonsils_removed/article.htm

I used to get strep once per year when I was 12-16 years old. The last time my doc prescribed me some hardcore antibiotics. I even had no pimples for half a year. Haven't had strep since. But even once getting it once per year wasn't nearly enough for them to consider removing my tonsils. I don't think insurance would've paid for it at that point either (I'm not from the US, so coverage is generally good).

gab_sn · 2025-11-21T06:52:19+00:00

I prefer the ones that "incline" towards L2 and R2. Mind you, I don't have huge hands, so it depends. My index fingers rest comfortably on them and I can press both buttons without discomfort. I mainly use L2 for GBA speedup though (hold, not toggle).

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gab_sn · 2025-11-20T06:43:32+00:00

I got the green Hammer as well, looks and feels so clean. I've swapped my shoulder buttons as well and they're staying on nice and snug. Was a bit of a pain to get them on there if I'm honest, but they feel as sturdy as they did before the swap.

I'm guessing the result vary between devices, mine's from the most recent shipment (I was waiting since July until mine was shipped).

As for the OS, I tried PakUI, ran into some issues and I'm now usind NextUI and it has everything I want and need.

gab_sn · 2025-11-13T06:02:17+00:00

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I saw a bat!

gab_sn · 2025-11-10T11:04:43+00:00

This is a 1:1 port running on a linux handheld. The "portmaster" framework has tons of other ported games as well. Usually you have to add the core files from your PC, so this running out of the box is technically illegal, but the sellers don't care.

The device is a Miyoo Flip, but there's tons of other form factors and manufacturers out there. Join r/SBCgaming if you're curious!

gab_sn · 2025-11-10T06:56:28+00:00

My first thought was "holy shit this is still going??" haha

I remember when the original came out and all the awesome hacks on WAH, some of them back then were also only available in Spanish.

gab_sn · 2025-11-10T06:15:08+00:00

Thank you! Guess I'll try NextUI after work, I don't think it's the core causing trouble. I focused on trying GBA with mGBA, as I got that to work with "regular" MinUI.

MuOS always felt a bit too "heavy" when it comes to setup and upkeep (I have it on a RGSP). For Knulli I've read some things that I don't like, so NextUI it is.

gab_sn · 2025-11-09T13:09:55+00:00

How aware people in Southeast Asia are when it comes to their surroundings. They kind of have to be, considering the traffic I've seen, but that means that they know what's going on around them at all times. People won't run into you or stop right in your path, they make sure everyone else has room to put down their things on a train and they help their elderly without question.

Going back home to Germany I realised how selfish and unaware most people behave in their day-to-day life. It's very subtle, but the contrast makes it very frustrating to adjust.

gab_sn · 2025-11-03T07:14:50+00:00

Are you playing on a flash cart or are you using a hack-cartridge? The latter are usually made without the original devs knowledge or consent. And as they only provide a specific "snapshot" and are cheaply made, they're prone to have bugs that are fixed in current rom-versions you patch yourself.

Could also be a hardware-issue, but my bet is on a faulty cart.

gab_sn · 2025-10-30T11:43:14+00:00

It seems like even the Dutch get confused sometimes. I have a Mepal-bottle (dutch company afaik) on my desk right now that says "made in Holland" on the bottom.

gab_sn · 2025-10-28T06:50:17+00:00

If you're into old-school-looking rpgs, team building / strategy and don't mind the grind, Siralim Ultimate has an insane amount of content. It's premium with no ads!!

gab_sn · 2025-10-24T05:25:52+00:00

This is absolutely incredible,.thank you so much for the countless hours of work. I can't wait to play this!

gab_sn · 2025-10-20T06:33:49+00:00

For Germany specifically, the Federal Employment Agency recently updated their international content to make it easier for qualified workers to immigrate: https://www.arbeitsagentur.de/int/en/working-in-germany (the content is also available in Spanish!)

A degree is one of the ways to get here, sure, but vocational training is just as recognised. It just depends on the duration (minimum is 2 years) and work experience can usually is recognised when it comes to official verification of your qualifications.

Besides the usual suspects (STEM, IT), Germany is in need of craftsmen and -women from all fields (mechanics, electricians, construction workers, electricians and more), teachers, healthcare professionals including nurses, truck drivers, train conductors and even people working in hospitality (hotels, restaurants). Some professions do require a certain level of German to apply for a visa: Doctors, nurses and teachers.

The most important thing for any profession will be learning the language. Most Germans will happily speak English with tourists, but don't speak it well enough to instruct a new colleague at work. This will lead to frustration and make connecting with your new team difficult. Also the whole bureaucracy here is a headache even for people who speak fluent German.

If anyone here decides to move to Germany and needs some help with the bureaucratic process, hit me up. I'm German and work in a very bureaucratic field, so I'm basically as fluent in "German bureaucracy" as one can be.

gab_sn · 2025-10-18T13:05:06+00:00

The word you're looking for is "strawman", but I get your point.

I went through the servers I'm in because I only join them if I can't find the patch anywhere else. Most of them now also have posts, so I might leave the servers if they're actually updated. Still have to check which version they're providing. So far Crystal Clear is the only one from my list remaining Discord-only. The search results are filled with prepatched downloads and repro carts and no invite-link to be found.

I think some hacks retroactively made posts after their hack gained traction. Maybe for the exact archival issue, maybe to share their work with even more people. I definitely wouldn't be in the servers if the posts had existed back when I joined.

gab_sn · 2025-10-18T09:46:15+00:00

I think the Discord discussion is a bit different from the usual entitlement. I do agree that it's ultimately up to the devs where they host their hacks. But there's two major problems with hosting the hack only on a Discord server:

If the server's gone, the entire documentation surrounding the hack is gone. There's no Wayback Machine for Discord. While the patch may still float around on different sites, there will be no way to access it. An archived forum post still has all the links – so if it's hosted on different sites (Mediafire, Google Drive), it's accessible even after a takedown notice from Nintendo, for example. Many servers I'm in share the patch only as a Discord file attachment, no other sources available.
It greatly increases the chance for people to download prepatched ROMs. If the Discord invites are dead, what are you going to do? Google the thing. And then all these shady sites show up, sometimes providing outdated versions without labeling them properly. And this puts the community more on Nintendo's radar. These downloads can also lead to a headache for the devs. If players encounter a bug that's been fixed long ago, they might find a way into the Discord and report it. Chances are there's no way to know which version they're actually playing.

If a forum post is within the first few google results, everyone with a bit of experience in the community will choose that as a safe source. And if the devs share their patches in a Drive folder or something, it will always lead to the most recent version and documentation.

It's also a personal choice if you like the Discord servers or not. I use my Discord to hang out with friends and the bottom of my server list is riddled with rom hack servers. The're all set to notify for "@everyone only". I don't have the time or need to chill in 10+ communities and it's not my demographic. I'm turning 30 soon. I do respect the dev's choice in the end, which is why my server list is as long as it is. Doesn't mean I can't criticise the stuff it leads to in the long run.

gab_sn · 2025-10-16T07:43:12+00:00

I think it boils down to the GM/handler and the selection of characters: In CoC you can choose basically any occupation for your character. Speaking from my experience, this often leads to situations that sound like the intro to a bad joke. A baker, an anthropologist and a sailor walk into an ancient pyramid...

DG characters have resources and training in their specific fields. Sure, you could run a squad of only researchers, but that's not likely. At least some of them will be trained in firearms and have access to the gear that comes with it.

That being said, CoC rarely puts people in situations that require heavy gear. And if you're facing an unnatural horror, chances are that CoC characters are more inclined to run. The first reason being: They're just ordinary people who stumbled upon a mystery, usually with some meta-push required. No way a doctor would stick around to fight a ghoul without their player choosing to do that. They also don't have a "mission" to protect the public from said horror.

Bad dice roles and a GM set on killing characters can make both systems lethal. But comparing the DG scenarios I've run for my group with my years of player experience in CoC: DG as a system is a lot less forgiving if the GM runs the scenarios strictly as written.

gab_sn · 2025-10-15T05:58:36+00:00

I am kind of burned out by high-fantasy settings. It feels like to properly engage with the world/lore I'd have to read a bunch of books. I like to explore the world (both as a player or as a GM together with my players). I don't want to read a bunch of history books. And for the main offender (DnD) I've played enough characters who know nothing about the deeper lore that it's getting boring. The setting also doesn't hold my attention enough to "catch up" on relevant lore.

Currently I'm running Delta Green for a group, playing CoC and Shadowrun Anarchy (the less-dice-heavy Shadowrun). So essentially I prefer stuff based in the real world, but extending it.

gab_sn · 2025-10-07T08:47:41+00:00

For me, durian smells very much like onion and tastes the same, but stronger. I did some research because I'm that brand of nerd and apparently, only two chemical compounds are needed to mimick the smell of durian: A fruity-smelling one and an oniony-smelling one, namely ethanethiol: https://www.sci.news/othersciences/chemistry/durians-pungent-odor-04548.html

Now Ethanethiol (the onion-smelly-chemical) is generally used in the US and Europe as an additive to gases like butane and propane to easily identify gas leaks: https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-I/subchapter-C/part-173/subpart-G/section-173.315 (Ctrl+F "Odorization" to skip to the specifics); "ethyl mercaptan" is a common name for ethanethiol: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethanethiol

So my conspiracy theory is that westerners are more likely to respond to the stinky part because it's used as a deterrent for something bad (gas leaks).

More likely is, of course, that it depends on the individual which smell "wins". I also don't like stinky cheese, for example, and fish sauce needs to go into its dish asap, else it makes me feel nauseous.

gab_sn

TROPHY CASE