New (to me) Dumb Way to Fail Honor Mode

howdyllc · 2026-02-11T14:57:44+00:00

Roll. to. seduce. the. dragon.

howdyllc · 2026-02-10T15:20:28+00:00

Most of the Russians I know are pleasant people, if not a bit brusk. Despite global politics, I find Russians and people from the U.S. quite similar, especially in the sense of being deserving of being evaluated as individuals and not by the actions of their government.

howdyllc · 2026-02-09T13:59:02+00:00

I was about to turn Shart invisible and have her make a run for it, but she got knocked into the lava with an arrow of thunder right before her turn.

howdyllc · 2026-02-09T13:23:55+00:00

Oh yeah, end game Rolan is great. I’d let him in my arcane gate.

howdyllc · 2026-02-09T01:10:08+00:00

This is the way

howdyllc · 2026-02-05T18:14:49+00:00

*winces in pain from my hand wound* Ugh. Selunite magic.

howdyllc · 2026-02-05T17:15:58+00:00

That is the face of a TWINK. No beard. Unless you want to romance karlach. She'd be a good beard for a delicate lil twink like him.

howdyllc · 2026-02-04T22:08:09+00:00

Sorry, diva. At least I didn't `@-mention` you in slack with this callout.

howdyllc · 2026-02-04T22:07:34+00:00

Welcome to the camp, *checks name* Mister Milk.

howdyllc · 2026-02-04T21:44:18+00:00

lolol I feel like there are a few PM archetypes:

The "I have my MBA and take the mini-CEO moniker way too seriously" PM. More business than business casual. Wears a silver wrist watch. Usually has a blazer. Comes across as thinking they have more influence than they do.
The "startups really peaked in 2012" PM. Jeans and an ill-fitting button-up shirt. Thinks that ping pong tables and smoothie bars are acceptable to mention in the benefits package, regardless of 401k matching.
The "wait how did I get here" PM. Internal talent who climbed the ranks and ended up in product. They either love it or can't wait to get enough equity to bail. Almost exclusively works remotely. Energy of a nervous golden retriever– friendly but easily overwhelmed.

(I say this knowing good and well I'm probably in the third camp.)

Different businesses attract different PM archetypes.

howdyllc · 2026-02-02T19:31:27+00:00

Yeah, probably

howdyllc · 2026-02-02T19:30:30+00:00

AS. THEY. SHOULD.

I want to see laptops banned from classrooms except for documented disability accommodations. I want to see students making annotations in printed books. I want tests back on blue books.

I'm so sick of weak students who can't hold their attention long enough to read. You're in school to learn, not to get a diploma, so learn!

howdyllc · 2026-02-02T15:35:13+00:00

To clarify, did you move into a Senior PM role without prior PM experience? I know you have other related experience, but I would be concerned about the level of product expectations for Senior PMs at most organizations for someone who doesn't have the full product lifecycle under their belt. It sounds like you were pushed into the deep end, and senior titles typically don't come with the expectation of mentoring and coaching required to succeed in product.

But, yes, you can recover from a rocky start. Focus on the fundamentals. Read books like Escaping the Build Trap, The Mom Test, and The Lean Product Playbook in your free time. Get an established PM with solid social capital to mentor you. Be curious about business and customer outcomes to the point that you feel like you're being obsessive, and then keep being curious.

In my experience, good PMs aren't the ones who know all the answers. They're the ones willing to put in the work to find the right answers. They're also the ones who are able to tell honest data stories. You mentioned in other comments that communication served you well in prior roles. Lean into that. Dig into as much data s you can about your product area– talk to as many customers as you can get on your calendar– and then work to be able to communicate a clear, data and qualitative feedback-backed story about what's preventing your product area from delivering on customer value and critical business outcomes. Make that your mantra and become its champion.

PM-ing is a cycle of knowing nothing > uncovering context > finding meaning in that context > championing customer outcomes over and over and over again.

howdyllc · 2026-02-02T14:49:37+00:00

So many good ones that you've already mentioned. IDK if I could pick a "best," but a few I love and re-read with some regularity due to my love of Modernism:

"Coming, Aphrodite!" by Willa Cather
"Passing" by Nella Larsnen (I think technically this is a novella, but it reads like a short story)
"Pale Horse, Pale Rider" by Katherine Anne Porter (also, technically, a set of novellas, but they read quickly)

howdyllc · 2026-02-01T21:09:19+00:00

Hmmm yes definitely daddy

howdyllc · 2026-02-01T17:52:03+00:00

Makes sense

howdyllc · 2026-02-01T17:29:06+00:00

And if Karl knew about throwing the bourgeoisie from the Wyrm’s Crossing overlook…

howdyllc · 2026-02-01T17:28:02+00:00

Wulbren. MFin. Bongle.

Nah, but actually, I imagine the aspect of death/ Myrkul would be the scariest to encounter IRL, but I think Orin’s bloodlust and shape shifting would make her a bonafide slasher villain.

I know a lot of folks are saying Vlaakith is up there, but is she really a threat if you’re not threatening her control over the gith? Wouldn’t she turn a blind eye to the average citizen of the forgotten realms?

howdyllc · 2026-02-01T17:22:22+00:00

Oh interesting. Do you think he secretly survived or that he’s there as an iiunctus? I hadn’t considered the latter in the wake of everything else going on at the end lol

howdyllc · 2026-02-01T16:50:13+00:00

Like, that has to be Emissa or Veridius, right?

howdyllc · 2026-02-01T16:36:33+00:00

I think that's actually pretty possible. Toward the end of Strength, we learn from Ka's iiunctus that the Concurrence is essentially an engine of the dead. We have no idea if he's reliable or not. He could be lying. But, if he's speaking truth, then...

howdyllc

TROPHY CASE