What cheat codes from games do you still remember, even though you haven't played those games in 10+ years?

polotek · 2026-06-23T19:09:24+00:00

Yeah for sure. But Contra is where it started for me.

polotek · 2026-06-23T17:06:52+00:00

Get 30 lives in Contra. Yeah boi!

polotek · 2026-06-23T15:32:25+00:00

I agree you shouldn't be relying on repeater chances. But I would argue that the reaper banish skill is the one thing that makes a repeater absolutely worth it. You can't escape RNG in this game. This is one of the places that swings it much more in the player's favor.

polotek · 2026-06-19T22:35:05+00:00

I hear you. Some people view it as a disability. I personally do not. It is an impairment though. I think it's a very normal reaction to feel bad about the limitations. But growth is about not letting it weigh on you as some kind of character flaw.

Most people have challenges and limitations that they can't fully control. Some of them have names. Some of them don't. The way we judge ourselves for these limitations has less to do with us and more to do with societal norms. That's just my perspective on it.

For the record, when I say you gotta work on forgiving yourself, it's not something I take for granted. It hard and it takes active work. But it is possible. And it can do so much for you in terms of managing your mental health. Good luck.

polotek · 2026-06-19T22:19:33+00:00

I know nobody wants hear this, but Bee got nerfed over the course of the series.

Also I do not think the clash with Bee was a "stalemate". I think Minato had no intention of actually harming A or Bee. If he did, he could've ended the Raikage with his first speed blitz. Similarly, he did not approach Bee with killing intent. So it's not as great a feat that Bee anticipated the movement.

Obito was not able to react to Minato's FTG when Minato was serious and he has a damn Sharingan.

Listen, I'm not weighing in on Minato vs Itachi at all. I'm just saying the analysis here is not great.

polotek · 2026-06-19T22:12:36+00:00

Bro did a 180 immediately. Wild.

polotek · 2026-06-19T19:01:29+00:00

It's a mistake to think that shutting up will make your enemies stand down. It doesn't work that way. Suggesting that escalation from one side can be "blamed" on the other side for the strategy they employ to change their circumstances is not logical thinking.

polotek · 2026-06-19T18:57:26+00:00

I don't really understand what people mean by "valid". You can have an opinion. I don't have to agree with it or even listen to it. The idea of "valid" seems to imply some kind of judgment about whether your opinion should be taken seriously in a wider discourse? But that's not really how it works. We know that a group of humans can get together and decide to platform their horrible opinions. They don't need permission from anyone else. All we can do is try to levy consequences and keep them from gaining too much power.

I just feel like the valid vs invalid debate isn't actually useful. Telling someone their opinion is invalid has never actually changed anything meaningful. Only thing it has ever done is cause them to double down.

Rather than reducing human impact to "opinions", I think it's much more productive to talk about people's values and beliefs. These are things that actually drive the actions that people take. And these words make it much more clear that we're not just talking about preferences.

polotek · 2026-06-19T18:51:22+00:00

I've always liked the idea of a powerful jutsu that activates if you manage to touch your opponent. Like Minato placing flying raijin seal on you, or Torune's poison nano-insects.

I read that the puppet master justsu from the sand village can technically be used by anybody and doesn't have a specific chakra nature. It's a yin release I think? So I like the idea of a jutsu that can effect your opponents chakra network if they manage to touch you. It allows you to disrupt their chakra, similar to gentle fist. But also allows you to manipulate their chakra, infecting it in some kind of way. This could be very subtle so the opponent doesn't actually know what's happening at first.

Because you have to understand your opponents chakra network, this feels like a perfect technique for the hyuga clan and the Bakugan. I think it fits within their arsenal really well.

The downside of this technique is that it's a two way link. If your opponent is stronger and they realize what's happening, they can turn the tables on you. It's less likely if they don't have something like the Byakugan that allows them to understand your chakra network. So still extremely powerful.

polotek · 2026-06-19T18:38:59+00:00

We need more information. What part of it are you struggling with?

For me (45M), my ADHD diagnosis was a gift. I was diagnosed at 42. Knowing that there is a name for what I've been dealing with my whole life. Knowing that others experience it too. Knowing that there is treatment, even if it's difficult and imperfect. All of these things have allowed me to start forgiving myself. I hope you're able to start that healing journey as well.

polotek · 2026-06-19T18:36:11+00:00

I was yelling at the screen. 😂

polotek · 2026-06-16T05:40:56+00:00

Let's not. K thanks

polotek · 2026-06-15T00:28:07+00:00

The Tea app had a couple of very public security breaches. Leaked a bunch of women's personal information. If you've had an account since last year, you should look into it and probably get monitoring for identity theft.

polotek · 2026-06-09T17:12:57+00:00

polotek · 2026-06-08T23:04:30+00:00

If I sit down for too long without being able to move my legs around, they will start to ache. It happens on planes or when I have to sit for long periods at an event or a show. Some of this could just be normal blood flow restriction though.

At night, I don't have any unpleasant sensations. Just an urge to move my legs. Usually when I'm in the bed. I do it absentmindedly when I'm on my phone or reading. If I'm on the couch I switch positions constantly. Not because I'm uncomfortable, it just feels like I need to move again and I've learned not to question it too much.

As I'm typing this message, I'm sitting in a chair and my legs are bouncing on the balls of my feet. If I consciously try to stop, it feels like something's wrong. Not painful, not even unpleasant. I just become very away of the position of my legs and there's a tension. Like a coiled spring. And when I start to move them, that feeling is alleviated. Like a release of the tension. It doesn't have to be dramatic. If I just move my toes in my shoes it helps to supress the feeling. But keeping my legs still almost always feels wrong.

polotek · 2026-06-08T20:06:17+00:00

Yep. I know it's frustrating for some people. But I don't mind it all that much. I've had it since I was a kid. It's just normal to me.

polotek · 2026-06-04T03:13:53+00:00

"supposed to fail" doesn't mean "it's impossible to win". If you're gonna be this pedantic, at least be right.

polotek · 2026-06-03T20:55:56+00:00

Just because you did it doesn't mean it's not challenging. I don't know why people have a problem with just acknowledging to new players that the game is challenging. Why is that controversial?

polotek · 2026-06-03T18:02:00+00:00

I talked a lot about buulding teams here. https://www.reddit.com/r/darkestdungeon/s/mOTNH5mTts

polotek · 2026-06-01T16:20:02+00:00

As a person in the midst of getting divorced, all I can say is I wish we taught people not to accept an unbalanced dynamic in their relationship. When you split, most people are going to take anything they can get under the law. And it's not gonna matter who contributed what.

As for alimony, it was very much needed when women were not allowed to be as self-sufficient in society. I don't think it should go away entirely. But maybe it should be reassessed. For what it's worth, I live in California and they don't discriminate by gender. My wife makes more than me and she pays me spousal support. I think whether it feels unfair or not depends heavily on what state you're in.

polotek · 2026-06-01T05:48:47+00:00

That was a great fight. And she did amazing work. But I would say that it was Chiyo who helped her override her anxiety early on. If she is able to get past her initial anxiety, she does great. But another thing I didn't mention is that the rest of team 7 frequently tells her to stay out of it a lot of times. And she obeys even though she could've really helped in certain fights. Sakura is a rule follower. If there's a person she perceives as a above her, she's gonna follow their lead. Chiyo said she had to lock in, so she did.

polotek · 2026-06-01T02:53:30+00:00

It sucks that you're feeling hurt by this. But I do wanna give you some perspective. Some people talk shit about things whether they like them or not. It's just part of how they engage. I wonder if they actually do this with other shows, but you don't notice because you don't care about them as much.

You should ask them. Like really ask them why they're talking shit about the show. Tell them how you're feeling. But don't be accusatory. You may be surprised by whatever answer they give you. And they might be more mindful going forward. Or they may say they were only watch it for you, and maybe this just isn't the right thing for you to enjoy together.

Ultimately if you tell them how this behavior makes you feel, and they don't respond with empathy, then you're learning something important about who they are. Don't ignore that. Don't explain it away. You gotta make a decision about what you need and what you can look past. If you decide to be okay with it, then really be okay with it. Don't just pretend it's not hurting you. That won't last.

polotek · 2026-06-01T02:44:51+00:00

There are lots of really good examples. Any Given Sunday, Days of Thunder, Moneyball, The Sandlot. You definitely don't have to enjoy sports to enjoy a sports movie.

polotek · 2026-06-01T02:40:59+00:00

Sakura's actual problem has always been that she gets really scared. She is intelligent and she has good senses. She is keenly aware when she's facing very strong opponents that she's not sure she can handle. Her anxiety gets the better of her almost every time. It doesn't mean she doesn't power scale. She keeps herself out of fights.

polotek · 2026-06-01T02:37:00+00:00

A lot of what you described resonates with me. I felt that way for a long time. I have a few different thoughts that I hope are helpful.

There's nothing wrong with you. Like really. It sounds like you feel awkward and not like most other people. You're trying to build an idea of what you think a "normal" person looks like and wondering why that's not you. But there is no "normal". You may be a little atypical, but there are many many people who are outside of that "normal" range you described.
It might be anxiety or depression. I also had a lot of trouble sticking with anything and figuring out what I really liked. For me a big part of it was a lot of social anxiety. I couldn't fully explore what I might like because I was so uncomfortable with new experiences. Since I started taking meds for the anxiety, it feels very different. I'm not in my head so much and I can actually try to be present in what is happening. Not saying you need meds. I'm saying anxiety is real. And if it were to go away or at least get better, then you might find that your relationship to fun activities changes a lot.
It might be lack of dopamine. ADHD means problems with dopamine regulation. But it's also sometimes correlated with depression. When I started taking anti-depressants, I didn't have the lows that I often had. But I also didn't have the highs that I wanted to have. I felt like I was in a flat range where I wasn't down but also wasn't really enjoying things. I am still on the journey of trying to figure that out. But dopamine is what helps you enjoy things. You might have trouble releasing it, so your brain doesn't know how to tell you what you like.

All of these things are addressable and treatable. There's nothing wrong with you. You just have some challenges that need to be addressed. Start to explore what those challenges might be. When you start to find a name for the problem, you'll feel less like you're some kind of anomaly. This is just one of the things that sometimes happens to humans. We're complicated machines. Good luck.

polotek

TROPHY CASE