I used to doubt that I'm depressed because my depression manifests in a way that's odd. When I'm depressed I wake up on time, I do my work like I'm supposed, I smile when talking to people & engage with everyone like it's all good. It's like I go into autopilot where I do & say what seems to be the right things while inside all I want to do is not exist.

It's been like that since I was in high school. Whatever happens during that time good or bad just doesn't matter. If something good is happening Its like I'm a piece of shit that can outwardly seem to be enjoying themselves but on the inside I'm not so my mind says I should just disappear if I cant enjoy the simple pleasures of life, on the flip side if someone sad happens outwardly it seems like I'm taking it well but on the inside I feel dead. Which leads me to hate myself because I'm suppressing whatever emotions I should feel.

I honestly dont know what the point of this post is but I guess it's just to say that I frustrate myself & at times feel like I'm just doing life wrong. I think I deserve happiness but end up back at this same point where I wonder if life is even worth it, its honestly tiring but I know tomorrow I'll get up & try again. I wish I hd the strength to end this seemingly never ending cycle but I don't.

If you got this far thank you. From another lost human wishing it all made sense

I’m Thomas Bollyky, director of the global health program at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), which provides independent, evidence-based analysis and recommendations to help policymakers, journalists, business leaders, and the public meet the health challenges of a globalized world. I’m also the founder and managing editor of Think Global Health, an online magazine that examines the ways health shapes economies, societies, and everyday lives around the world, and the author of the book “Plagues and the Paradox of Progress,” which explores the history of humankind's struggles with infectious diseases like the new coronavirus now known as COVID-19.

My work has appeared in publications ranging from the Washington Post and the Atlantic to scholarly journals such as Foreign Affairs and the New England Journal of Medicine. I’ve testified multiple times before the U.S. Senate and served as a consultant to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and as a temporary legal advisor to the World Health Organization.

I’m here from 12 – 2 pm EST to take any questions you may have about coronavirus, the role plagues and parasites have played in world affairs, the efficacy of quarantines, or anything else you want to ask about infectious diseases. AMA!

Proof: https://i.redd.it/zlffyrjp8qj41.jpg

I've said it before, I'll say it again; Saint-14 is one of the most iconic characters in Destiny lore, and it's only fitting that his prized weapon should get revamped to Exotic status.

As for perks, I would either restructure it as a Primary-ammo Shotgun (like Universal Remote was in D1, maybe have it deal more damage in PvE and nerfed in PvE), and/or allow it to fire through friendly Titan Barricades and Wards (Saint-14 is the quintessential Defender Titan, and it would pair extremely well with the Helm of Saint-14).

Maybe have a couple of Ornaments, with each member of the Vangard (and Osiris) paying respects by offering a cool motif for the weapon. Like a sweet Egyptian-themed makeover to Osiris, bland "Vangard VII" paintjob for Zavala, tufts of fur and warpaint for Shaxx and Saladin, etc.

Either way; that's honestly something that would get me excited.

Anyone else thinks an Aquatic Species Pack would be interesting?
Like, new portraits inspired by aquatic creatures, being an empire that can only colonize arctic, ocean, and continental worlds, have frozen worlds as terraforming candidates, special habitats and origins, maybe an ascension perk that allows you to modify pops to be amphibian (can live on both surface and aquatic biomes, but with harsh penalties).

Special Origins could be things like:
- Aquatic Origin: just a standard origin to make your empire aquatic, gives the "Aquatic" trait to your main species and some slight buffs to output to account for reduced colonization oppurtunities.
- Drowned But Not Dead: originally a surface civilization that was forced to adapt as their world was flooded. Can colonize surface worlds, but have severe penalties to both sea and land habitats.
- From the Depths Arisen: your species evolved around geothermal vents on an ice world, giving more mineral districts and unique energy, but a severe habitability penalty for worlds that are not ice or arctic. Can terraform any frozen world once the right techs are researched.
- Shallow Birth: your species evolved close to the shoreline, giving increased habitability for tropical, gaia, and continental worlds as well as special food and energy districts on the homeworld, but has penalties for ice and arctic worlds.
- Stalker of the Tides: militarist only. "That which is not an ally or mate is food." You unlock a special bombardment stance that kills pops for food and have primitives in your system, as well as the ability to livestock xeno pops even if you are xenophile.
- Deep Ones: you start with an industrial-age primitive surface civ on your homeworld. You would have to integrate, invade, or exterminate them before they reach the space age or they'll take control of your system, but there'd be unique interaction oppurtunities through special event chains.

There could also be special anomalies, archeological sites and event chains from when you colonize/explore worlds with different habitability types, but that's more in line with story packs than species packs.

Practicably every PI game would benefit from it but currently pitched battles are all that are simulated.

Games being just passable are worth the money now because in a few years it'll all get better?

What if all aliens who were above us on the consciousness ladder commited suicide willingly? What if having higher intelligence makes them realize something that we cannot understand or comprehend? Something that makes you lose your will to live? It is common for people with higher intelligence to commit suicide right? Could be why we don't see super intelligent aliens and civilizations that have conquered the universe.

Edit:Oh yes I agree with you all that this seems unlikely and there are far more likely reasons, I just wanted to put this out there.

I’m a history major and I’m taking a Russian history class rn and playing EU4 has given me such a better visual of the dynamics. My paper is focusing on medieval Lithuania and all the research I’ve done is true to what I see in 1444: boyars controlling the majority of Lithuanian land, orthodox domination in the country, a greatly weakened Kyiv, an ascending Muscovy that cannot take on Lithuania or the Hordes easily at first, but one that grows with ease thanks to external weakening. Paradox did a really good job with the Third Rome immersion pack and it’s great that it’s not gimmicky to make Russia pay to win, but a lot of realistic historical features.

101 Targets. 77 Receptions. 953 Yards. 13 TDs.

These are the numbers that opposing Tight Ends have put up against the Arizona Cardinals through 12 games this season.

Translating to a 16 game projection, that equals 102 Receptions, 1,270 yards and 17.33 TDs or 281.98 .5PPR Fantasy points. That is 2 points better than Rob Gronkowski's 2011, the greatest season from a fantasy Tight End ever (granted, these stats include all opposing tight ends rather than just the TE 1, so Gronk still stands alone). The Cardinals D has allowed 38 offensive touchdowns this year, meaning that over 1/3 of the touchdowns they allow come from the TE position.

Before we look forward on how to capitalize on this in your fantasy playoffs, let us look back on the TE performances that got us here:

Only 2 weeks all season has a team failed to provide an individual performance of at least 10.3 PPR points. One week was from an injured Jared Cook (Whose backups provided nearly 9 points). Leaving the only true outlier performance as Tyler Eifert and CJ Uzomah who disappointed despite a nice game from Andy Dalton.

To make this actionable - the Cardinals face the Steelers next week, the Browns in week 15, and the Seahawks in week 16. In my opinion Vance McDonald is not only a must grab if available for those who need help at TE but he is also a startable option at flex in all formats. For week 15 it will be worth monitoring whether Njoku is activated off the IR, otherwise it is tough to trust Demetrius Harris given that he has not excee

I find it so weird, that they kept replacing the launchers of their games one after another and always it made things worse, broke mods or broke the games themselves. Why isn't Paradox addressing this, making some sort of statement that they acknowledge their mistake? Why did they keep adding this new launcher to other games when every single time they added it, it was badly received?

Paradox Interactive is Not Immune to Propaganda: Leftist Politics in Grand Strategy

In this video, I take a look at how Paradox Interactive portrays leftist ideologies in two of their most popular Grand Strategy games: Victoria II and Hearts of Iron IV. I argue that in trying to simplify history for the purposes of the game, Paradox ended up (perhaps completely unwittingly) repeating narratives that originate in anti-left propaganda. Communism and Anarchism are misrepresented in sometimes bizarre ways, while fascism is given a neutral to positive portrayal. Subtitles are available on this video, and a transcript is posted here for those who want or need it for accessibility purposes.

If you ask Rick Astley for a DVD of the movie Up, he won’t give it to you because he’s never gonna give you Up. However, by not giving you Up like you asked for it, he’s letting you down. This is known as the Astley paradox.

After seeing the great amount of detail put into focus trees such as Mexico and the Netherlands as part of the Man the Guns DLC, when compared to those of Poland, the Raj, and Romania, it's clear to see that more depth and features should be added to the previous DLCs.

Ideas for a Together For Victory Update

• A new status for British Alligned states (e.g. Oman and Nepal, who contributed to the Allied war effort since 1939)
• More indepth options for alternative history : e.g. New Zealand only has 3 focuses to take after becoming Fascist, two of them being mutually exclusive
• More decisions implemented, e.g. ability to create Dominion of Newfoundland, British Ceylon
• Possible representation of Egypt
• Better integration of focus trees e.g. South Africa (https://i.imgur.com/h3t3BkT.jpg)
• Better Naval trees, especially after changes from Man the Guns

Ideas for a Death Or Dishonour Update

• Again, more focus trees. Bulgaria fits perfectly into this category, as well as potentially Austria, Greece, or even Albania
• A mechanic similar to the Dutch's trade balance between Britain and Germany, but perhaps including the Soviet Union too, showing the balance between these nations, specifically for Yugoslavia.
• More detail put into focuses, e.g. Yugoslavia's "Invite Germany Military Mission"- could provide a German General, research boosts, a focus than increases maximum command power- only removes a negative idea held from the start of the game (https://i.imgur.com/0VgxuBn.jpg?1)

Waking the Tiger update ideas

• For a DLC about the Sino-Japanese war, there should be a more accurate portrayal of the war, China shouldn't be either getting steamrolled by or steamrolling Japan, the flooding mechanic seen in the Netherlands could be used here, as well as making it easier for China to defend the mainland, but very difficult to counterattack Japan effectively.
• A focus tree for Siam, showing Major General Plaek Phibunsongkhram and the rise of Fascism in Siam as they supported Japan. Also a possible minor focus tree for Mengkukuo, they won't receive a tree otherwise and do have some content to fill it out, e.g. Mengjiang iron deposits, Japan establishing the Bank of Mengjiang, having Cavalry divisions

Flavour Pack Ideas

• Poland: United and Ready needs more love, such as ideas about Danzig / German minorities, pressure towards Czechoslovakia and Lithuania, better incorporation with the new Exiled Government mechanic
• A possible new flavour pack, possible

Imperator Rome's manpower mechanic will look very familiar to anyone who has played EU4 before. At first it seems like the only difference is the rate at which manpower recovers. In Imperator Rome it recovers over a period of 25 as opposed to 10 years in EU4, which can be seen when holding your mouse on the manpower icon in the city view.

Knowing this I went to look at how much manpower I was earning each month, expectinging it to be 1/300 of my Manpower Cap, since 25 years = 12 months. It turned out that it wasn't though, 102,000/300=340, but as you can clearly see I am only making 290, a whopping 15% less than expected! Why, I hear you asking. It took my quite a bit of headscratching but it turns out that the answer can be found back in the city view.

You see, there is a a second, less obvious differance in how Manpower works in Imperator Rome when compared to EU4. In this game, monthly Manpower is being calculated once per city rather than being done nation wide like in EU4. I assume this is because you're supposed to lose a cities monthly Manpower if it gets occupied, which would make sense. The problem is that it also means that your monthly Manpower is being rounded once per city. This alone, which in and of itself sounds pretty bad, could however only explain me missing 15% of my monthly Manpower if I had a lot of cities with less than 150 Manpower Cap (the monthly manpower there would get rounded to 0) since the other cases of Monthly Manpower being rounded down would in an ideal scenario get cancelled out by it being rounded up in other cities.

What we are missing from this equation is that this is a Paradox game, which like all other Paradox games, suffers from a rather severe case of Paradox Maths. It turns out that your monthly Manpower does not just get rounded once per city, but rounded down once per city. In the example of the first screenshot, I am getting almost 1 Manpower less per month than I should since 2,075/300=6.917, but it gets rounded to 6, about 13% lower than it should be.

The lower the Manpower Cap of a city, and therefore monthly Manpower, the larger percantage of your monthly Manpower you lose. Any cities with less than 300 Manpower Cap give 0 Manpower per month. Scaresly populated areas obviously get it worst. Leaving countries the

The ledger is honestly one of if not my favorite feature in games like EU4, CK2, and V2. Literally anything you could want to know is available in a sortable, easy-to-read spreadsheet. But Stellaris, HoI4, and now Imperator are all conspicuously missing the ledger.

And its not like they don't want you to have the information. You can see a nation's army and income and such on their diplomacy screen, but there's no way to easily compare yourself to others without tediously checking each nation individually.

I really just don't understand this mentality.

I recently played my first game as the U.S. and am really liking this game. The economics are simple after you get a hang of it, especially if you aren't socialist, polotics are easy to follow, and the tech tree is simple once you know the meta. This is the type of thing I cant seem to get with other paradox games, a kind of calmness when running your nation, like you know everything will work out and you canpirsue great goals, and acheiving them seems fun as there are often multiple steps to it.

When I play other paradox games I usually just get bored or confused as to whats going on, or random events kick my ass. I dont get this with Victoria 2, and I think people shouldn't be afraid of this game just because the menus LOOK daunting. My only gripe with the game so far is that when playing the US, all the events leading up to the civil war just clog up your screen every month, and make progresion slow. Im talking about things like the underhround railroad, Copperhead Democrats, and the golden circle, and the fact they occur in every single state.

To summarize, love the game, hope more people play it, and hope this community grows even with how old this game is.

I had to say it.