…“and some of them even like you.”

I have also done the opposite, skipping places and avoiding fights because it was easier to do. Reach the first boss only to get completely annihilated.

A good idea, but what came to mind: You enter a small well lit cave. The walls have assorted moccasins, chopines, poulaines, and other footware spiked to them. A goblin in a colored shirt runs out and greets you in a croaking voice. “What can I help you with today?”

Avatar The Last Airbender. An animated series with a complete story arch that takes place in a unique world. The characters are very relatable and have great development over time, even the villians are better than what most shows have. The animation is sophisticated in the way it is used to help tell the story, and the story is wonderful, it hooks you in from the intro:

“*Water. Earth. Fire. Air. Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony. Then, everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked. Only the Avatar, master of all four elements, could stop them, but when the world needed him most, he vanished. A hundred years passed and my brother and I discovered the new Avatar, an airbender named Aang. And although his airbending skills are great, he has a lot to learn before he’s ready to save anyone. But I believe Aang can save the world.”

I thought it was a reverse sear.

A former boss: “If 24 hours a day is not enough, work nights”. I did not work there for long.

For a thin steak, I agree. However, a thick cut of meat requires a longer cook time and the crust applied at the beginning of the cook tends to lose its integrity. Cooking longer and slower first allows one to apply the desired temp evenly throughout a thick cut, then searing last reduces and even eliminates the tough grey outer layer.

The oldest of GenX were 10 in 1975 when Pong came out and just about half of us not even born yet. The perspective would be slightly different for the 7-10 year olds, but the rest of us would not get nor want Pong. We certainly got to play if we had a family member, relative, or friend who had one, but it didn’t belong to us. By the time the majority of us was of age to get our own game system, the Atari 2600 ruled.

They had Pong.

The Dresden Files is a similar universe with magic and the supernatural existing with the mundane.

None, they’re all gum trees. /s

Who knew there were so many ways to express contempt?