I've lately been pondering NF's original cry of "For the Rebellion!" and how abandoning that identity has really changed the feel of the forums. But when the establishment is touting "heroic" values that are at best not beneficial and at worst actively harmful, turning to villainy is the true heroism.   Which, now that I think about it, is basically the plot of Wicked, aka the best musical to have ever musicked, in my very adamant opinion. Do we need a group Wicked challenge for the next cycle? Yes, yes I think we do.

Thanks; you too!

Fascists hate this one simple trick!

I've been lurking quietly in the background of this thread, because I've also been pondering the same types of questions a lot lately. Been a little reluctant to interject, which, incidentally, is something that I think the guilds helped a lot with. Jumping into someone else's thread, especially someone who has been a member for a long time and has amassed their own core followers, feels kind of like inserting yourself into an ongoing conversation that you weren't really invited to. The guild sub-forums helped balance that out some because belonging to the same guild as someone else gave not just an invitation but an expectation to engage with one another.     I think this concept of rebellion is what NF was originally built on, and what is currently missing, for me. The whole premise originally was that I can be a giant nerd who loves Star Wars and Lord of the Rings and D&D, and still enjoy working out and being strong. It used to be, the people I knew in real life who shared my nerdy interests thought I was ridiculous for working out, and the people I knew who wanted to lift or do outdoorsy things thought fantasy as stupid. So when I first discovered NF, it really felt like I had finally found my people. But now nerdy things have become mainstream, so the fact that I lift on my lunchbreaks and then go play TTRPGs in the evenings really isn't a big deal. So that's one point of rebellion that NF has lost.   Secondly, NF was rebelling against the current fitness industry. But now it's closer to being part of the current fitness industry. I'm not blaming NF or Steve for the direction things have gone. Ye Old Academy with its one-time payment for lifetime access is not going to provide long-term sustainable income for a business, so you switch to a subscription model, and forums are no longer the dominant thing on the Internet, so you switch to a more Facebook/Discord based model, etc. etc. It's just the natural progression of a business trying to stay in business, but it has changed the identity of NF from what it was when I first started using it circa 2012/2013. But, despite having just said I don't blame them for this, there are certain things that I think they could have done better to stay current on profitable business practices while still maintaining their identity a little more. For instance, their coaching tagline, motto? whatever you'd call it, of "Just tell me what to do!" really strikes me as antithetical to the original vision of NF. I think there's a much better way to market a more hands-on, one-on-one approach without completely ceding responsibility or decision-making in your fitness journey the way that tagline appeals to.   All of which kind of leads me to the point I'm most conflicted about, connecting back to the idea of rising up in rebellion: NF is working hard to make things easier for people. And I certainly don't want to sound like I'm against lowering the barrier for entry into fitness for people. But the rallying cry of NF was that fighting against the prevailing trends that are preventing us from leading full, happy lives is hard work, but necessary and satisfying and maybe even, with a good group of people around you and a little gamification, actually fun. But they've really toned down that vibe of fighting and rebelling, which again was, for me, the heart of NF. (I almost typed "the heart of the rebellion" which just goes to show how much that was the aspect of NF that originally drew me in and made me want to stay here.)   Removing entry barriers and avoiding judgmental statements is not negative, but I do think it comes with the downside of making NF really bad at accountability. I've had this conversation with a couple long-term members who have drifted away from the forums, but I stay in touch with on other platforms. NF is really good at encouraging people, and making allowances for failures and setbacks, and I've certainly respawned enough times myself to not throw any shade at anyone else who needs to do so. But a large part of the purpose of a community like this is accountability. Is having people post on your thread when you're drifting away mid-challenge and kick you back into gear. Of calling you out on stuff. And it's really hard when all you know is someone's online persona to know when to say, "It's okay if you need to bail on this one," and when to say, "Don't you quit on me now." But on balance, I think we've tipped too far to the former and don't have enough of the latter.   With all that being said, I'm really enjoying my current string of D&D Cleric themed challenges. But, to earlier points made, it's more like me playing a solo RPG than being a member of an adventuring party. Which is giving me the inkling of an idea to form a PbP Adventure Party on the forums, but I am volunteering to run games way too freely at the moment and need to reel myself in. But it's a cool idea that I shall allow to percolate in the back of my mind for a while.

I’m so proud of you for following up on a difficult conversation the next day when you both were more clear-headed. I’m sorry it didn’t go the way you would've wished.    Her acknowledging she is a selfish person doesn't mean she gets to actively be selfish in ways that step over your boundaries. You have worth! You are likeable and fun and deserve to be treated with respect and compassion. 💜

I'm glad it's not just me who says things like this to myself  

Knee strikes done, and totally made me feel like I was doing a Billy Blanks dvd   🐝

I prefer not to give conditional confirmations because then I feel anxious and guilty. It's better to say no if I know I'm unlikely to want to go.  But yeah people get confused by the fact that the fatigue is invisible, and my limitations are less like a hard barrier and more like a high interest loan that I have to pay off.     Thank you ❤️      Thank you kindly, Mistr. ❤️      I got some good cuddles the last couple of days without asking. Maybe something is penetrating Mr Harriet's awareness or maybe he's in a good mood. We shall see if a strict quota must be drawn up.  Thank you ❤️