Like the other guy said, it’s not always true.

For example, even when you’re physically in the store, a T-Mobile employee may require you to read back a code that their system texted to you for certain transactions like buying a new phone for someone on your account or something like that.

upvotes Linux meme

But my achievements…!

(I’m serious about this.)

Just an FYI for the RSS thing: if a Bluesky account is set to be viewable to logged-in users only, its RSS feed will not work. It only works if the profile is viewable publicly without logging in.

No, I think the point here is that the kids never learned the material, not that AI taught them the wrong material (though there is a high possibility of that).

Pretty sure the ampersand (&) doesn’t work in website URLs like that. (Yes, it does work in URLs, but, without going into detail, it’s typically only used towards the end of the URL.)

That’s what tipped me off about the fake URL.

Yeah, I’m just a big JRPG fan.

As for the Trails series, I’ve been told that the best place to start is (understandably) the beginning. Play in release order. The first three games are in 2.5D (as opposed to 3D), but they actually hold up really well.

Most people (myself included) will recommend that you use a spoiler-free guide to avoid missing hidden quests and collectibles (such as a book series you’ll collect in its entirety over the course of the first game). I’m using this spoiler-free guide for my playthrough of the first game.

It’s also recommended that you go around talking to every NPC in the town you’re in every now and then. Dialogue updates as the main quest advances and, at times, if you’ve had an interaction with an NPC in (for example) a side quest and that NPC later pops up in the main quest, the NPC will remember that interaction from the side quest. Some NPCs also pop up in later games with their stories continuing (or so I’ve been told).

Almost every single Trails game is also available DRM-free with achievements on GOG. The only one missing is the latest game (which has a “coming soon” page). The series goes on sale on GOG pretty frequently, too.

Also, examine every chest twice: once to open it and once to see the “empty chest” dialogue. The English localizers noticed that, in the Japanese version of the game, instead of having the empty chests call a single line of dialogue multiple times, each chest had its own line to call. (It was the same thing copied and pasted every single time.) So they had some fun with it and made nearly every empty chest have unique dialogue.

Also, just today, during the Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase, The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky the 1st, a remake of the first game in full 3D with the modern Trails aesthetic, was announced for a 2025 release worldwide. Though I don’t know how faithful it’ll be to the original game or to its localization. So you could wait for that if you want or just play the original trilogy immediately. But, again, the originals still hold up really well.

I’ve started playing through it, but I’ve got other games currently that I’m focusing on (currently Trails in the Sky FC, then Persona 3 Reload: The Answer, and then Metaphor ReFantazio).

13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim

Sadly, it’s not available on PC, but it is available on Nintendo Switch (US eShop page linked above) and PlayStation 4 (and PlayStation 5 through backwards compatibility).

It’s a sci-fi game made by the creators of some games you might’ve heard of in passing (namely Dragon’s Crown, Odin Sphere, Muramasa: The Demon Blade, etc.), Vanillaware. I can’t go into any details about the game itself because of spoilers, but I will say it is quite simply the best and most uniquely told story I have ever seen in a game. It’s a game you have to experience for yourself. You should go into it as blind as possible, too.

I will say the English dub of the game is also surprisingly good, considering it was recorded almost entirely in COVID lockdown. The Atlus West sound engineers (Atlus published the game in the west) must’ve worked some incredible magic to get it to sound as good as it does.

Your GPS doesn’t do the Cha Cha Slide?

Unfortunately, bullets fired straight up need to… come down. And the wind means it won’t always land in the same spot.

I still remember some idiot fired a pistol or something straight up at a local fireworks show a few years ago. A little boy died. It was really sad. I don’t think they ever found the guy who did it, either.

… I just googled it. That was ten years ago. Dang…

“What directly benefits the user?”

“Heated seats.”

“Okay, start charging a subscription fee for that.”

I know it’s not what you meant, but it’s what I immediately thought of.

They didn’t show full episodes from the show. Rather, it was clips from the show organized around specific characters, themes, or moments from the show. Sometimes (not often, but sometimes), they would use voice lines from the show as well.

For example, (Avatar: The Last Airbender spoilers)

For the encore they made an entire song out of

deleted by creator

At least it’s routing you to a department instead of trying to help you solve the issue yourself by showing you different help pages you already looked at before trying to contact support.

I’ve had to literally perform a Google search to find a customer support phone number before. Because the website of the company just kept redirecting me in circles.

Their phone support was just as useless, though.

It was GameStop, by the way.

Tickets to Avatar: The Last Airbender in Concert and the merch I bought at it. I spent something like $200 in total, but it was WORTH. EVERY. PENNY.

I mean, just schedule the appointment, put it on your work schedule, and ask that doctor (or whatever you call them) for a note for work. That’s what I do.

This is the first time I’ve ever encountered “GP”. Most people I’ve seen just use “OP”, and people just understand which comment the person is referring to based on context.

To be fair, who wouldn’t?