#and people seem to be so natural at doing this online but i meanwhile just fucking can't

[solselah]

Pick A Movie ? 💛

(Channeled messages are unrelated to plot)

PILE 1 - TOTAL RECALL

You’ve been noticing recently that your lucid dreaming has gotten so real !! I believe you had an idea how this journey was going to go but you got hit with a mini curve ball the last time you attempted to lucid dream !! Your guides are kind of smirking like just ask us to “lead and guide you and so it shall be” they are definitely protecting during this interesting moment of learning how to “get off the ground” it seems like you start to astral project and you maybe get a bit overwhelmed & feel the need to stop & try again ! On the other hand as you’re sleeping the whole time you’re lucid dreaming to these dimensions & meeting people you actually know in that realm ! So In reality your guides want to lead you into conscious Astral travel !!! Being that you unexpectedly lucid dream almost every night !!! I see for some you really do meet up in the astral realm like it’s a game lol , like okay player 1 is here , player two is here we’re ready to GO! I would just be aware of those you travel with if this is what you choose to do ! Make sure you’re truly okay with sharing your energy on that level !

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PILE 2 - MOONLIGHT

I’m hearing you could be a Sagittarius specifically !! If not you have HEAVY Jupiterian energy! The message I’m receiving is that revolving around your self worth & how it’s been at a 0% when it’s literally always been at 100% with you ! I see people around you are concerned and want you to know they care and are here for you , with anything you may need ! For some you’ve just been watching and listening !! For a few you could’ve really had an imbalanced upbringing, I’m seeing that you may have had your parents, which is a positive thing , but they both seem to have “filled the same glass consistently”

meanwhile the other “glasses” (🍷)that were in need of attention remained empty ! So maybe they raised you based off how they were raised or how they simply wanted to. There were usually no input from others , especially family ! They could’ve been so Focused on your goals making sure you don’t make them look any less than they deem themselves to be ! I’m so picking up a mothers energy , she is toxic yall!! And would rather you “raise yourself” than put energy into molding you & raising you with the love that nourishes and not the back handed guilt of love ! Things will be so different when you decide to have kids or even if you do ! You move so different than your family and I commend you for it ! 💙

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PILE 3 - HIDDEN FIGURES

So I see your having doubts about if this person is literally your twin flame like you don’t have any clue about what that even means or looks like for you & your not the type of person to look online and associate your experiences with the next , you need to experience these things for yourself to really solidify it in your eyes ! So you are doubting which is so okay because I do feel it’s a natural reaction to such a powerful dynamic ! Now as far as labeling it as twin flame that part you’re not sure about , like you rarely like saying boyfriend and girlfriend ! You are okay with being Partners or just people who love each other ! You are my pile that moves independent mostly , what you want you really go out there and get it for you ! To make you feel good , to add to the list of your accomplishments! You feel like this

“Twin flame “ thing might take you off your tracks as far as being independent , you’re not really ready for that level of emotion !! You definitely are dealing with someone who is KARMIC to you and is capable of mirroring to you , your faults ! You’re just not ready for that !! I wouldn’t 100% say you have interacted with your twin flame if you even have one ! I just feel like one of you may think that and the other is feeling so off about it. You’re hiding from the things that are triggering you which is so normal but at some point you’ll HAVE to face it !! Take it gently! Never with force ✨

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PILE 4 - BRIDESMAIDS

(Mini 18+ warning )

You’re so not good with rejection of any kind !! lol you can be the type of person who is like go big or go home ! you will literally pay an arm and leg for something you really want !!! You have a very abundant mind set and can actually create and manifest with that gift so amazingly !! You take action you’re not lazy whatsoever , you are a money maker and may even work from home to where you still are in the comfort of your own Space ! The message for you is to maintain this abundant mindset and you never know where you’ll end up in the next 6 years as far as goals are concerned!! Venus is ushering in some good sex for you ! It’s almost like you work with a goddess connected to Venus and you can manifest the person , place & time lol your definitely a Conjurer or a sorceress an empress , you may work with water as well , I’m seeing water offerings !! So you have a deep connection to the element of water. You could be a Pisces I’m feeling that sign heavily! you may also have a Scorpio Venus for some or even a Jupiter in Taurus for others ! You are really so godly ! The shape , the body, the energy its all goals !!! 🔥🔥

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Hope you enjoy 💛

IG: @ soleccentric

[joyce-stick]

The Beef Stroganoff Song! (arbitrary subtitle discourse edition)

So, you may have noticed here that the subtitles in this clip (from Symphogear GX episode 3) are fairly different from what you're used to seeing when people post this video, and the phrasing in the subtitles is fairly different from what the associated memes often say

For those who don't know, Symphogear got itself released on blu-ray by Discotek, and with that came with a new translation authored by Noelle (@ulsairi on twitter ) who is notable for being the only trans lesbian anime translator I know of off the top of my head.

Her translation appears, in my opinion, really rather polished and very good, and I strongly appreciate the way it's written and how much character it adds to the dialogue by giving everyone distinct voices and adapting things into more natural English. It's also a fair bit gayer. I haven't encountered many people who've seen these subs, but I think most fans of the series would consider these a net positive change. There are some people who are mad about these subtitles, and they can die mad.

Anyway, let's talk about the different phrasing of the beef stroganoff song. I'm mostly going to compare to Crunchyroll's subtitles for reference since that seems to be what most others go off of. Here's a link to that version.

So right off the bat we can see here that while CR's translation appears to be a lot more, for lack of a better word, functional, Noelle's translation tries to apply more dialectal force "it's beef stroganoff/Yes! It's THAT beef stroganoff!" And generally communicate through the tone how excited the girls are to get started. Additionally you'll see throughout that the latter is a fair bit more lyrical, there's a lot more punctuation and verbal tics and filler phrases written into the dialogue to express that they are singing, which makes sense since Japanese tends to omit a lot of the sorts of prepositions that Noelle threw in here,

Like, Yumi (yes I went and looked up her name on the wiki) just says "beef stroganoffu" because it's obvious from context that it is beef stroganoff, she doesn't need to spell it out, at least, not in Japanese

(We know like maybe ten hiragana and 1 kanji do not trust us on Japanese this is all just basic shit we learned from online guides)

So this probably leads to a rushed translator from Crunchyroll (they are notoriously crunched for time) who's just trying to Get It Done probably not really bothering to throw in extra additional connecting letters to express the tone of the character, only doing so when it's required to make basic grammatical sense in the target language. So they likely didn't think to make the subtitles have flourishes like this that aren't explicitly in the original Japanese. Noelle meanwhile had the time to consider things like this and take such liberties in order to attempt to convey the same tone that was arguably implied by the Japanese, even if not explicitly put forth

And that's about all the things I should not repeat I guess, TL;DR, these subtitles are more fun to read because the translator had more time to think about the best way to make them more fun while still being accurate to the spirit of the original dialogue, who'd have thought!

(In case you're wondering, the Commie subtitles say kind of the same thing here, and y'know, it doesn't seem like a wrong translation, but also I really dislike this subtitle styling, orange on pink with that font and that drop shadow is just kinda bad. I appreciate the effort but like. Come on. Please fansubbers, please think about if the font and colors you chose actually work with the image you're putting them on)

Moving on!

horizontal and middle rhyme with each other so you can almost actually sing this, actually let me take a moment to try it right now- never mind, I can't sing. Hahaha. I don't actually think it lines up that well with the melody But I thought it did! Didn't I? That's significant, that this actually reads like plausible lyrics to a silly song someone made up instead of a literal translation of a Japanese song

Anyway, here comes the first major difference!

So in the Crunchyroll subtitles, Yumi says "it doesn't have to be beef" which in English (in my estimation) sounds a tad scatterbrained, like, "oh yeah sure beef but whatever really it doesn't actually matter," while Noelle's subtitles rather say "Got no beef? Don't you worry!" Which implies something different.

"It is recommended to use beef, but you may substitute something else if you are sorely lacking in beef" as opposed to "Oh the beef doesn't actually matter, zoinks lol!" CR's translation is kind of a bit funnier in how it sorta comes from nowhere without this qualification, which probably lead to this phrase's memeticness, but Noelle's translation seems more reasonable to me so yeah again, tada, yay for sensicalness.

Now here's another interesting change:

Again, the flat manner in which the CR subtitles say "finish with salt" with rendezvous only being included because that's literally what they said, is sort of absent any stronger emotional implication,

Noelle's translation meanwhile going with "don't forget them, they need it" imparts personhood upon the salt and pepper. The implication being that the girls are saying, "the salt and pepper are in love, please reunite them, they must be in gay love together." Or maybe you think the salt and pepper cannot be forgotten and must be reunited because they are Only Friends.

Whether you choose to believe that this is the salt and pepper getting married, or merely subtext, or an interpretation, or salt and pepper shipping bait, this is a deeply important tonal indicator because it reminds you that these girls are ultimately playing with their food!

"And there, now you're in for a treat!" I don't think I need to explain this one.

Now, here's an interesting one!

In the Crunchyroll subtitles, it just says the memetic "boys don't know this." With no context, no elaboration, no clarity, no qualifiers. Boys don't know. Did the boys magically get their brains wiped? Are the boys biologically incapable? Who knows. Nothing is said but that.

Noelle's subtitles, on the other hand, qualify this statement by saying "Boys aren't taught to cook, so they may not know" (And note again how, it says "kno-ow" to emphasize, once more, that they're singing, and also this lines up with the long "ooooo" sound they make at the end of this lyric, so cool)

There is now context! Boys aren't taught to cook! Anime and Japan's culture in general still pigeonholes people into gender roles! And an anime translator just wrote you a hidden translation note about it! You might be a boy, you might know how to cook, but certain boys in another part of the world aren't traditionally taught cooking, so they may not know

They may not, but they could!

Trust a trans person to express gender facts with subtle nuances like this in anime translations.

And with that lovely bit of good translation and good writing and good localization of a thing to make it make sense to people

Mew!

[dailycharacteroption]

Pactbound Intitiate (Pathfinder Second Edition Archetype)

(art by Kalfy on DeviantArt)

Yesterday we looked at those who swear oaths in order to gain power, but sometimes accepting a pact means taking on a great burden first and foremost. If you’re lucky the vow comes with some neat powers or privileges, but for the most part, it’s all about the duty that one accepts.

Such is the case with today’s entry, one that’s gonna take some setup to understand.

In the real world, the saumen kar, or Tornit or Tuniit, are sometimes compared to the legends of sasquatch as seen through the lens of Inuit culture, though online resources are admittedly rather limited, so that may be entirely wrong.

In Pathfinder, however, the saumen kar are a horned, yeti-like people with glowing blue runic brands covering their bodies, shining through their fur, who typically live in isolation but occasionally interact with the peoples of the Crown of the World.

Not much is known about the Saumen Kar, even to themselves, for it seems that most of their own history has been lost, with not even the purpose of the runes on their bodies being remembered beyond the passive and active elemental benefits.

It wasn’t until the Monsters of Myth book in Second Edition did we get the reveal of what little these people of the snow remember. I recommend reading the full version in the book, but the cliffnotes version is that the saumen kar discovered the source of the black blood of Orv deep belowground, and in a bid to seal this great evil away, they made a deal with their god, erasing nearly all knowledge of their culture and identity (including their worship of said deity) in order to bind a seal around the great evil and the blood-corrupted undead and whisper-corrupted mortals (including several of their own) beneath the earth.

The runes and spells of the binding are spread about on the skin of every living saumen kar. The exact amount of writing on each on fluctuates with the deaths and births of their people.

There’s just one problem: The saumen kar are dying out. Not only do they lack a stable population for reproduction (many haven’t seen another of their king in ages), but over time the nature of the magical burden they carry has worn down the life expectancy of their species. What once stood for several millenia now reach elderly age after only a few centuries.

Nobody knows exactly what will happen when the last saumen kar dies. Maybe that final sacrifice will complete the seal and lock the evil away for eternity, or maybe they’ll break free. Either way, some saumen kar are not willing to let the world find out. To those among other ancestries they trust, they sometimes offer a chance to share their burden, adding willing beings from outside their species to the binding to help keep the world safe.

Which is where today’s archetype comes into play, representing those that have chosen to accept the responsibility, gaining some of the secrets of saumen kar magic in the exchange. So without further ado, let’s begin!

The base dedication of the archetype requires initiation by a saumen kar. After which, other saumen kar can sense the bond and what it means. Meanwhile, as a base benefit, the initiate gains the ability to blend in with falling snow, hiding their presence.

The saumen kar once could infuse magic into ice to make weapons and items that never melt. What’s more, they are infused with a primal power similar to cold iron, making them quite effective against certain foes.

The pact sworn by their ancestors was meant of the saumen kar alone, and as such, many who accept it find their bodies changing. One such transformation grants a strong sense of smell, stealthy instincts, and mighty horns of the icy primates.

Eventually, many find the icy runes of their patron appearing on their skin. These ward the initiate against evil, let them sense the presence of undead. Meanwhile, they also chill ice-crafted weapons and their horns, dealing additional harm to foes.

Just as many saumen kar trap their foes in icy domes, so can some of these initiates, entrapping foes to be dealt with later.

Finally, there is a point of no return where mortals become truly bound to the pact, becoming very saumen kar-like as their bodies grow. With it, their bodies become even more resistant to cold, and their runes finally provide protection from fire as well. Finally, they gain the ability to reflexively discorporate into icy wind and snow, avoiding attacks and punishing those they engulf with chilling frost before returning to their corporeal form.

This archetype is extremely thematic, so much so that it’s not going to see use outside of a campaign that takes place at least partially in the arctic. That being said, it grants some fun utility such as crafting magic items from ice, as well as melee options for passive extra damage and attacks, as well as escaping harm at the zenith of their power. Pretty much any class can make use of this power, but it seems to do best with natural attack builds.

Now, like yesterday’s entry, this archetype is begging for homebrew. After all, there are a lot of mystical forces and the like that one could take a binding oath to serve and protect, even at great personal cost, so this archetype is a handy template for just that!

Though massive for a shoony and always cold to the touch, Billbram has been a loyal caretaker of his people’s lore for ages. He was not always so, however, but returned from adventuring to the far north with the blessings of the “wise one” that he speaks little of. Even so, the process blessed him with a very long life as a fixture of the community, but even one such as he cannot live forever.

Rimed by frost and bearing a legacy of curses and duty, two foes are set on a collision course. One a disgraced warrior turned graveknight seeking purpose in a power hidden in the farthest north, while the other is blessed by the icy-blue runes that mark his role in guarding that power. When they finally meet, the ice will tremble with their battle, and many forces watch the outcome.

They say that in the center of the ruins of Pelgana lies an ancient weapon that spelled the city’s doom. Greedy nations, blind to the danger, have tried to claim it, but they have all been thwarted by those who guard it, ordinary men and women mostly descended from the citizens of fallen Pelgana, who bear on their brow the rune of the bleeding eye which is emblazoned on the side of the weapon’s outer casing.

[comikadraws]

Sorry, but there are some misinformations in your latest ask, which i would politely correct (I'm not attacking you).

Itachi in general is a more loved character than Sasuke, by the general public and naruto's fans. For example; on tiktok (a very popular app used by billions of people on daily basis) he is the only naruto's character that gets viral every week here with everybody loving him (hardly the otherwise happens) meanwhile Sasuke there is not that much popular or loved, in general he is very much slandered here and ignored unlike Itachi. For the daily accounts on Twitter you have to put in consideration that the daily Sasuke account has been active since 2022, meanwhile the Itachi's one since months ago and just in these recent months they started to blow up. For the Naruto's polls; Itachi was #1 in a poll in which japanese people's favorite character is and Itachi was #1 and in the 99 poll Itachi was #2 not because his fanbase mass voted, But because has too many stans and in general he is loved [ i should inform myself on more polls ].

And for tumblr.... Most naruto's fans on this site are frighteningly chronically online, Most of their takes are awful and almost every character suffer from getting horrible takes on their name.. and Sasuke stans found their way on this site. Also Tumblr is is not even remotely close to the popularity of Twitter and Tiktok and Itachi stans are not chronically online to do the shit Sasuke stans do on daily basis on this site. And Sasuke lost so many polls on this site, which i find it funny, They're always in every character's business and yet they can't even get their fav to win a poll.... That's hilarious.

Thank you for reaching out, though I actually have to disagree with you on a couple of points there. I hope you don't mind.

Purpose of the Statistics

First of all, I admit that my post was very Tumblr-centric and that experiences might vary a lot between platforms. Tumblr is currently my primary social media platform due to its versatility. This is also why most of my experiences relate to this platform, on which Itachi hate is rampant, and Sasuke endorsement is the standard.

My previous post was mostly focused on Sasuke being a beloved character (in opposition to fandom's perception that he is hated). This is especially true for fandom spaces (ie. Tumblr, Ao3, and Twitter to a degree - I explain why these spaces in a minute) and how his fans act like victims on this platform while, ironically, victimizing other characters and their fans. They seem to believe that hating on one character somehow uplifts the other and that they are "justified" because Itachi doesn't receive "enough hate".

And of course, of all the platforms to unload their frustrations on, they choose Tumblr. The one where they are the furthest thing from being a victim.

How to Measure Popularity?

But back on topic. Measuring popularity is a complicated thing. As you correctly pointed out, popularity varies in nature (ie. quantity and quality), and between platforms (influenced a lot by the platform's features and target audiences). This can also impact social media statistics, which is why character polls are probably the most reliable data to work with.

But not all polls are equal, are they? Look at that one popularity poll on Tumblr in which Sasuke lost to Ten-Ten or the one where Itachi lost to Yamato. It is not always the intention of respondents to measure popularity. Sometimes it is to troll. Sometimes it is to chase a reward.

Naruto 99

While it is an official poll in which Itachi managed to outrank Sasuke in terms of popularity, the Naruto 99 poll is also peculiar due to its voting conditions. Respondents were permitted to vote once EVERY DAY (giving fans both the ability to vote for multiple characters or pile votes on a singular character).

Additionally, fans were given an incentive to vote, which is the promise of a designated one-shot manga. This is what, in the end, caused minor characters like Sakumo and Shisui to show up in the top 10. It's because they are characters with grand reputations and/or importance to the plot but a severe lack of content.

However, Sasuke is the deuteragonist of Naruto and still a major character in Boruto, regularly receiving content. The blanks are 99% filled for Sasuke - with official manga content, even! With Itachi, content is so scarce that people are completely capable of distorting his intentions of being a Konoha bootlicker and a genocidal sociopath.

So it was most definitely not just popularity that influenced the poll results - It was curiosity.

Other Official Popularity Polls

It becomes more apparent that the Naruto 99 poll results likely don't reflect reality very well when looking at previous Naruto polls. In all previous polls, Sasuke has consistently gotten better results than Itachi.

Itachi's popularity usually improved alongside his plot involvement (most notably his debut in chapter 139, Sasuke's memories starting chapter 220, Itachi's battle with Sasuke starting chapter 383, and Itachi's reveal starting chapter 396). While there's been a sharp decrease during the Tenshi Bridge Arc (likely due to his lack of plot relevance), Itachi's popularity largely appears to be mostly stable during the latter half of the manga.

Aside from plot involvement, Itachi's popularity was also influenced by sympathy, as it managed to climb up the furthest (excluding chapter 107 because it was before his debut) after the truth reveal. Sasuke's popularity experienced a similar improvement after the Uchiha Massacre flashbacks.

But now, ever since that last poll (and especially since the manga's conclusion), Sasuke's character has only become more sympathetic with his return to Konoha and mentoring of Boruto. Itachi, meanwhile, didn't appear in the manga in the past 10 years. It is rather unlikely that, of all things, Itachi's popularity increased rather than decreased in comparison to other characters.

Fandom vs Fanbase

Now, even assuming that Itachi's general popularity is, indeed, higher than Sasuke's, this does not have to reflect the fandom experience on every site (which is what bothered me so much in my previous post). The reason is that there are multiple types of fans more common on different platforms - namely "fandom fans" and "fanbase fans".

Fandom members are those who interact with other fans regularly by contributing their creativity and/or expertise. But that requires space for discussions, writing, and posting pictures. Tumblr fulfills all of those criteria! Platforms like Ao3 and Twitter/X also allow for worthwhile fandom interactions. Ao3 allows for posting fanfic. Twitter/X allows for discussions and sharing fan art.

Additionally, neither Ao3 nor Tumblr are known for any form of algorithm, meaning that fans need to make a conscious effort to seek out content. It requires effort and involvement that not just any fan has.

Then there are casuals and, how theheirofthesharingan likes to call them, "dudebros". They are mostly consumers. And even when they are creators, they take less of an interest in characters as "people" (ie. their personality, psychology, etc.) and therefore usually don't really interact with the fandom platforms to analyze and appreciate them. They are part of the greater "fanbase" but not the "fandom".

This often causes them to adopt the ideological standpoint of the source material. Characters who are not outright explained may end up misunderstood. Real-world parallels remain unnoticed. Ask a dudebro whether the Uchiha Massacre (a genocide) was justified and they might just answer "yes".

Like you said, Sasuke fans are way more active contributors to the fandom. Itachi fans are more active consumers. What I and other Itachi fans perceive is that, usually, Itachi has more "casual" and "dudebro" fans, likely due to his characterization as a "hero" or "martyr" by the narrative. Sasuke, meanwhile, suffers under the stigma of being an antagonist with complex trauma responses. To understand and appreciate him, a lot of effort is required, actually.

At the very least, this is the explanation that makes sense in my mind. It is a fact that the sites most known for fandom activity (ie. Tumblr and Ao3) have more Sasuke content than Itachi content, even if the general public might hold different opinions.

Itachi's Popularity on TikTok

TikTok is actually what I personally consider to be a space for "dudebro" or "casual" fans. The videos I see there are primarily song edits, focusing on vibes and aesthetics. They are cool but they are not deep or particularly big additions to the fandom. This is perfect for dudebros and casuals who are not looking for complex, in-depth content (or maybe not even fandom content at all but just canon content). Same dudebros and casuals who have a hard time getting to like Sasuke.

While this is just a hypothesis of mine, Itachi's popularity on TikTok might also be the result of "market saturation". Two types of market saturation, actually.

First, there is actually a great supply of Sasuke content already thanks to the manga and anime alone. In the case of Itachi, the manga ended 10 years ago. The anime 7 years ago. There has barely been any official content, hence the desperation for fan-created content.

And second, while I cannot confirm with 100% certainty (because TikTok's search feature sucks and always hides posts from me), Itachi content might go viral more often than Sasuke content, but Sasuke content might still get uploaded with greater frequency. Hence the #sasuke tag has 6.2M posts and the #itachi tag has 3.7M posts.

While this might also instead just be the result of Sasuke offering more source material to make edits with, the unequal amount of Itachi vs Sasuke content might create a certain "exclusivity". This might pile Itachi fans on just a few TikToks rather than spreading them out over multiple posts, causing disproportional view numbers.

There's a similar phenomenon on Ao3. Fandom content there does not rely on canon material for its generation. Its frequency mostly relies on popularity, not source material. Yet, the amount of Sasuke-centric fanfics stands in a 3:1 ratio with Itachi-centric fics.

Here you can see the amount of Sasuke- vs Itachi-centric fanfics uploaded each year to Ao3.

However, the first couple of most recent Itachi-centric fanfics still have more kudos than the Sasuke-centric ones. But that only applies to the first couple of fanfics. The obvious explanation here is that Itachi fanfics are scarce, hence fans don't get to be choosy (the other explanation is that people just really like crossover fanfics, because that's what the two most popular Itachi-centric fanfics happened to be, haha).

Itachi's Popularity on Twitter

It is absolutely true that the daily Sasuke account is older than the daily Itachi account. The claim that the daily Itachi account has only been around for a couple of months is incorrect, though, as it has been around since August 21st of last year. So more than a year, actually. Doesn't change that daily Sasuke has been active since March 2022 (2.5 years), but I felt like pointing it out.

Of course, follower counts might develop in either direction. Maybe the daily Itachi account will gain an additional 35k followers on top of its current 6k within the next 1.5 years. Regardless of which, I've actually got another source for comparison to offer, which is the daily Naruto account.

I looked at Sasuke and Itachi posts between August 1st and September 16th (today) and compared like counts. On average, Sasuke posts received 8488 likes, whereas Itachi posts received 5569.

Either way, the fact remains, namely that on Tumblr Sasuke content is more popular both in terms of consumption and contribution. And the disproportionate hate is what I am hoping to get rid of.

If not... blocking spree. I am no longer willing to deal with people who find that bullying and shit-talking is a fine behavior while also being hypocrites about it.

[drbased]

Do you have an opinion of the online rational-sphere? (Such as lesswrong and everything adjacent.)

Separately from your opinion from them as a movement/community, what do you think of their "teachings" about rational thought?

I must admit, I'm not aware of them. I associate the word 'rational' with atheism, but from what I can see, 'lesswrong' is about teaching you how to think. And straight off the bat, this whole concept screams manosphere-adjacent. 'Rational', like 'logical' is one of those heavily male-coded words that allows a man to think he's better than you with your silly emotional woman-brain. And just to confirm my suspicions, this website seems a bit too interested in AI. Like hell, AI is mentioned in the fist entry on the library page.

Just think about this for a second: the three subjects here are 'rationality, ambition and AI'. Those things, especially the last one, have nothing to do with each other. Not according to him though:

This is so funny because no it's not. Maybe this guy's niche area is, but the majority of AI is being used to steal data, steal artwork, steal jobs and make spam. If your understanding of AI isn't that it's primarily a tool to make our actual human lives better, then you're a damn fool.

These techbros are obsessed with the idea that AI - something that processes the world from a bottom-up approach, that is, learns by understanding each individual pixel/fragment of information - can share the same word and therefore meaning of intelligence that humans - something that processes the world from a top-down approach, that is, learns by understanding the broad picture first without needing to know details - have. To me, to think our minds can be replicated and 'improved on' is such a devaluing of the value of not just humanity but life itself. And I fail to see how you can think rationally when you don't understand that a world of perfect autonomous machines making perfect decisions means nothing if none of them can feel anything.

If someone is telling you how to 'think rationally', that's always going to be from the context of their own brain. No-one on this god's green earth thinks entirely 100% rationally - we all have our biases and blind spots, and that's fine. The subjectivity of our experiences is entirely what makes us human. If you're telling me to 'think more rationally' without addressing the nature of the self in its relation to reality, and what morality, emotions and co-operation mean in our collective journey in thinking and behaving more rationally, then I'm naturally going to be suspicious of you.

And indeed, the more I read, my suspicions are increasingly confirmed:

(Jesus christ, just look at how this guy chooses his examples. Look at how these 'facts' are all so politically and morally loaded and yet they're conveniently placed next to each other as if they're on the same level of legitimacy and importance. This whole article screams 'I once hated those SJWs but now I have a more intellectual and balanced approach, meanwhile almost all of the examples of shit argumentation he gives just so happen to be SJW-esque.)

Everything about this website just screams motivational shit for mgtow-ers. It's all about being the thinkiest brainiest boy who can bend reality to his will and therefore achieve success with his pet AI wanking him off, up until the AI achieves sentience and vores him. These men are libertarian individualists - it's all about you being rational, and how you can use that rational thinking to get on in your own life. But also, for all the individualism, there's a deep insecurity where they feel they need to be told how to think.

I'm sure there's plenty of actually good stuff in here but as part of my 'rational thinking' I tend to pick up on vibes very easily. Pro-tip, it's always about what's not said as much as what is said. And the way people phrase things, how they choose to lay out information in order of importance matters. Not to say that you have to dilute their subject matter - I definitely don't with my discussions on radical feminism - but if there's a known evil associated with what you're discussing and you don't mention it straight away, I assume that you have a strong bias and something to hide. (Which is why I always make it clear on my stance on transgender people and why I refuse to be flippant on the subject, by the by).

A few things to note here:

I've already covered the first paragraph

'heavily motivated by trying to improve the world as much as possible' - in what way? What are your end goals, what are your aims? Being this kind of vague can be a dogwhistle to anything, and given the wider context of not just this website but the culture wars in general, I absolutely read this as ayn-rand-esque

because, if these people want to improve the world, why do they think AI has anything to do with it? what about the dismantling of oppressive systems and finding alternative approaches to our government and economic system of capitalism?

What about the environmental impact of AI?

These men are so clearly out of touch with reality (seriously, AI might be an existential threat?):

I've had an admittedly very brief scan of this report but everything I've read so far reminds me strongly of what super-genius elon musk thinks about simulation theory, debunked here.

I also followed a link to their 'alignment forum' which seems to be identical in format. And here's the first post I saw, by some different author:

This all screams so out of touch with reality. That stereotype is old - most people now associate AI with theft, spam, taking jobs away from artists, and using up as much energy as whole countries. For all the obsession with rationality, this is religious apocalyptic ferver - these men want to believe that AI will become so powerful as to destroy us all - as opposed to, say, literal climate change which AI is accelerating.

I've focussed so much on AI here because I think it says a lot about their understanding of 'rationality'. The maleness of all this jumps out. I've spoken on this male obsession before - this idea that people aren't logical enough, but AI is logical, so AI will be better than all of us, and with our new Logical Overlords to guide us society will be Better. This is just repackaged meritocracy capitalism which is repackaged religious thought. And it's all right-wing thought which says that there are certain ways of being and certain types of being which are objectively better and earn and prove their right to run society by being 'better'.

Philosophy is such a broad spectrum of ideas, and trying to compile it all into one place to figure out the One True Way how to think is not something I would suggest. Because in my experience, changing my life was not just about thinking but rather recontextualising my whole concept of myself as an active, present agent in the real world and therefore learning that if I'm not using my thoughts alongside actions then they don't mean anything. I've learned that there is a real value in recognising where your selfhood has been fragmented and seeking to restore a complete sense of self - because if you think about it, you were already a whole: that's literally what you are, there aren't parts of you floating around in the ether. My thoughts are mine, my experiences mine, my beliefs and morality mine. I'm at the center of my existence, and any philosophy/school of thought/psychological discipline that doesn't address that right out of the gate is an immediate write-off to me.

I've actually delved into some really dark existential terrors and came to the conclusion that at a certain level down, you have to think irrationally. If you face pure 'objectivity' then you'll end up obsessing with how having car like next door has would make your life easier, so therefore in order to be more honest about your relationship with the world, you would have to either feel miserable about not being able to drive or seek to remedy that immediately. This is the mechanism by which I tried to live my life through my whole adulthood and this is what caused me to stay depressed. In the end, the only 'logic' you really need to remember is that this is your life and that feeling good feels good - your emotions and actions don't need to line up with your perception of what 'objectivity' is, and you can choose to be happy regardless. Other people would label that irrational and vapid, as I once did, but I've found it's actually the most rational thing there is, and above all it's honest. It requires a humility and honesty that the techbros will always lack, because their obsession with rationality will always be anti-human.

This website wants to be the thinking man's conservatism, but just imagine trying to debate with any one of these men IRL: they're going to start off thinking they're better than you because they ~~think rationally~~ (because they've spent time in a community that is ostensibly dedicated to that) and they're never going to engage with you in good faith, because they're always going to be wanting to deconstruct your arguments on a purely technical level, whilst entirely ignoring their own logical fallacies, biases and agenda. And that's the danger in all this - these men want to think rationally, they want to make the world a better place, but they also don't want to engage with uncomfortable moral ideas, especially those that actually challenge and question their privilege. Being 'rational' is a smoke-screen.

I just scrolled back up to read that you wanted me to comment on this separate from them as a movement, but in all honesty I couldn't have engaged with this any other way - and I think what I've written here illustrates why. If their teachings are any good, then I recommend searching for them elsewhere. Just as with critique of transgenderism, I recommend not consuming right-wing websites for it. Nobody exists in a vacuum; anything proposing to be 'objective' is always going to be dripping with the ideology of the writer. As I said earlier, I don't think any website or community that wants to compile complex philosophical ideas into one space that teaches you how to think is a good thing. Regardless of the legitimacy of some of the teachings, they're all part of a wider whole, and I do not like that whole. Even the name 'LessWrong' screams arrogant to me. You can find these ideas elsewhere, and I would recommend that.

[sabo-valcoran]

I'm not gonna name any names, but I have this one friend who's essentially the perfect trans girl. Voice passes, face passes, pretty much everything. Always posting about how much she loves her life and being trans.

I know I'm such a miserable piece of shit for this, but seeing that is so fucking demoralizing because there's just no conceivable way that I could ever achieve that. I'm fundamentally limited by my body and my genetics and overall it's just fucking impossible to get where she is. I wish I could love myself and my transition as much as she seems to love hers, but that's just a pipe dream ultimately. I have to actively try to be normal around her, which to be honest is almost impossible, so I tend to avoid her as much as I can especially in VCs. She probably doesn't know that and I'm never going to tell her.

I know I'm the asshole here. I should be happy watching someone else succeed like this. I'm not a crab in a bucket and I hate people who are, but goddamn is it frustrating to be in a position like this. I have to work VERY hard to even have a 50% chance of passing, if that, and it seems like people around me do it so much better. And sure, I can ignore the binary, I should be ignoring the binary, my entire life is an act of protest and I've had to acknowledge that I'm hot in more... unconventional ways. That much is true. The binary is bullshit.

Unfortunately, I'm still fundamentally bound by it internally and can't follow my own advice. I would love to just be a cis-passing trans girl but that's impossible with my natural jaw and hairline and voice and height and build and everything. I've spent months and months of wasted life being dysphoric about these things that people tend to actually enjoy in me, despite me feeling disgusting because of them for such a long time. I've wasted years being insecure about things about my appearance I can't control.

And yet it still consumes me to this day. Even though I know without a shadow of a doubt the binary is bullshit, that I should be happy with my transition because every body is beautiful in its own way, that there's no wrong way to be trans, etc. My brain cannot let go of the binary and trying desperately to achieve the impossible. I have to face it eventually. I'm an ugly fuck according to cisheteronormative beauty standards.

I'm not traditionally feminine, like, at all, and I wasn't blessed with any features that can help cover that up. At all. It'd be pointless to pursue it, because failure is guaranteed. I look older than I am, and pretty much every stranger calls me "sir". It makes me feel like it's completely pointless to even continue transitioning.

I've always felt very alienated from the trans girls that I typically see online who put a lot of stock and effort into being as feminine as possible. I've pretty much never entertained the idea because I know it's just going to make me feel worse that I can't convincingly "be a girl" enough to average passers-by. Everyone else seems to have it so easy. Meanwhile, I'm standing over here in the corner with my weird-looking features and weird-looking boobs and weird fashion sense and not fitting any description.

It doesn't seem like anyone's ever going to notice they're not talking to a man when they talk to me. Try as I might, it rarely, if ever happens. I don't feel comfortable using the women's restroom because I don't pass. I'll get yelled at or kicked out or have the police called on me for being a pervert, or something. I managed to do it approximately once at a university when the bathroom was completely empty, and even then I was panicking so hard it took me three times as long to take a piss. There's been so many times I've contemplated dropping out of society entirely just so I don't have to worry about ever being seen again by anyone. Hell, my biggest life goal is to build a house in the middle of a large plot of land so I never have to be looked at by anyone, ever.

I'm still afraid people would just say I'm an asshole and a traitor to queer people for having these feelings. It's why I just try to keep a low profile. My existence feels like it won't ever bring anything to both queer communities and the world at large and I've almost never felt welcome anywhere I've been, digital or physical. I wish I could let go of the fear and just be Me. Ivy, the goth knifemaker. Ivy, the woman. Ivy, the force for good in the world.

Those chances were lost a long time ago, erased by forces I did not create nor did I control or participate in. It's just the status quo, and I'll never break that on my own.

[afuckingsystemsthoughts]

the plural community is so toxic. its also very confusing. its stressful, its mentally draining. (note:this rant is not anti endo, even though it seems like it. i just dont like the black-and-white dogmatic structure of the plural community.)

i dont like how the plural community is so divided. and how theres so many stereotypes in it encouraged and/or created by the plural community itself. the anti endo side is all about negativity and gatekeeping. they dont like when systems love their alters, would miss their alters, are friends with some of their alters, do activities in the innerworld or real world with their alters, have shenanigans with their alters, have plenty of fictives or celeb or friend factives, dont have abuser factives, dont dissociate severely all the time, or anything seen as "cringe" especially according to systemscringe. then you have the pro endos and endos themselves who spread positivity, are for systems loving and being friends with their alters, and realize not every system has dissociation all the time and some DID systems dont even dissociate more than half of the time. but some pro endos have also said DID and osdd can develop without trauma if the person is just naturally dissociative enough and that DID and osdd develop from being naturally highly dissociative instead of trauma (when really DID and osdd develop from disorganized attachment/emotional trauma according to the theory of structural dissociation.) ive been downvoted and called out for saying DID and osdd can only develop from trauma. and i usually dont fakeclaim people but sometimes peoples alters are just cringe I wonder if they're faking and usually its bc of the anti endo standard but i saw a system have an alter that was supposed to cutesey up autism even more, a tbh creature alter with aw/tism pronouns. i got the ick. they are endos btw. i hate how anti endos make it seem like if youre a "real" DID system you dissociate all the time severely. when the average DID system has a DES score of 48 (ill send the link) meaning the average DID system only dissociates a little less than half of the time. sure some dissociate a little more or a lot more than that, but anti endos are openly exaggerating symptoms and making an exclusionist environment based on what makes them feel valid. pro endos, meanwhile, literally go for anything. do you think DID and osdd develop without trauma? most pro endos seem okay with that. do you think its okay to create tulpas/willogenic systems to cope with trauma and call it traumagenic when its endogenic? pro endos are okay with that. do you have an alter that uses pronouns offensive to people with trauma (ive seen someone use rape/rapeself as pronouns in the endo community and murder victims and their families ive seen kill used as pronouns or disabilities like the aw/tism or wtv thing i saw? theyre ok with that too. pro endos are too lenient, theyre too scared to call out misinformation or even fakers because it might make the endogenic community as a whole look bad, when im ngl it already does. because of the whole "anti endo vs pro endo" the plural community looks like a joke or some dumb trend. both sides are toxic. anti endos spread hate and make unrealistic standards, but pro endos support anything and think people have the right to identify however they feel no matter how disrespectful it is to other people (like the "i created my system consciously so it didnt develop from trauma but because i created it to deal with trauma im traumagenic!" thing) im definitely not anti endo, but i also dont like what most of the pro endos ive seen support or let happen. basically the whole online plural community is exhausting and confusing. and it makes me wish i never knew i was plural.

[literaticat]

i'm sure you're soooo over author/agent drama, but there's been more, and honestly, i'm freaked out. i feel like a lot of agents close to mine (not my agent but in the same circle) have been making some bad calls and getting trashed online, and it's making me worry something bad will happen for my agent/agency. am i being unreasonable? should i be worried?

A LOT of agents? Yikes. I did log on to Xitter just to see what the drama was this time, and I saw something about ONE agent, so I don't know about LOTS.

Long story very short, and what I presume you are talking about, this weekend an agent did a terribly ill-considered tweet basically saying that they loved the premise of some query but didn't love the material, and would love a story like that if somebody else wanted to write it. Which is a bonkers thing to tweet -- first, because the smallest child should realize that would be insulting as hell to the author whose work with that premise you JUST TURNED DOWN -- but also, because it makes YOU look like you are an idea-thief encouraging idea-thievery.

Naturally, the writers of Xitter took umbrage and had themselves a dog-pile, the agent deactivated their account, and by the end of the day, the agency announced that agent had been fired. Meanwhile, there are a ton of agitated writers talking about "toxic and predatory agents" and how "this is so typical of agents" etc -- which just ISN'T TRUE, actually.

I would say that this is not an example of a schmagent, or predator -- it's an example of somebody whose brain was on vacation while their fingers were working overtime. Agents should not be talking about queries publicly at all, and should CERTAINLY not be insulting queriers -- it's hard as hell to write a book, and it's brave as hell to put your work out there!

That being said, I don't really buy the "idea thievery" of it all -- they gave general comps in their tweet, not any kind of specifics; if you gave 30 writers the same comps, you'd come up with 30 different works. LOTS of books have the same comps or similar premises and in fact are totally different from one another. Authors put their own premises and comps on twitter all the time, and don't seem too worried that somebody is going to steal them. ALSO, If an agent were TRYING to idea-thief, they wouldn't do it on twitter, they'd do it under cover of night. But hey -- it's for sure not great.

Here's the thing, though. OK actually multiple things:

a) The agency in question is a reputable agency with great agents and amazing clients, and they took decisive action pretty much the moment they realized an agent of theirs EFFED UP, which is far from an easy thing to do. I don't know the agent in question, but the boss is my friend -- but even if she weren't, I'd know she's a GREAT AGENT with GREAT CLIENTS, and pretty much a walking green flag.

b) This comment was careless, yes. Ill-considered, certainly. EVIL, probably not. But in any event, it's truly NOT reflective of how most agents think or behave.

c) twitter is not the real world -- long-term, this will not be likely to have a negative effect on the agency's ability to make great deals or anything else. The authors who just had their agent vanish will continue to either be supported by other agents at the agency, or they will find other agents quickly if they decide to leave. The other authors repped by the agency will, I'd assume, remain loyal to their fine agents who had nothing to do with anything. The agency, then, will continue to have good agents, good clients, and work with good publishers, and this rough weekend will be in the rearview except for maybe now and again some twitter snark that most people will not even understand because the origin of it will be forgotten and most people aren't on twitter, actually. Perhaps most importantly,

d) Dumb internet comments are not contagious.

If you are happily agented, I see zero reason you need to concern yourself about what internet buffoonery MIGHT happen. It probably won't happen! And if something unforeseen and weird ever DID happen with an agent at your agency, I would hope that the agency would handle it with grace and you'd be affected as little as possible. I just don't think that's something you need to worry about, there's enough to worry about IRL without INVENTING bad scenarios!

[feekins]

wooooo, more Gung-Ho's! let's jump right into it! here are my thoughts and things and translation weirdness I stumble upon as I re-read ch 2 of Trigun Maximum vol 2!

(NOTE: I'm reading the Dark Horse [physical] and the Overhaul [online] translations side-by-side)

so, a few pages in, Dark Horse does that weird thing where they have a character spell out a word as they're talking? this time, it's Midvalley. in response to Hoppered being all like (paraphrasing here) "yo, don't mess with Legato! he's not like he was before Fifth Moon," the Overhaul has Midvalley saying (quoting word-for-word here) "That's exactly what I'm saying." it's the same wording in Dark Horse, except they spell out 'e-x-a-c-t-l-y'. I'm still not sure why 🤨

but ohhhhhh, trimax Midvalley is SO different from his '98 anime counterpart! iirc the anime painted him as like...kind of a ladies' man? which could've been due to the times. but anyway, trimax Midvalley is SO complex. I've always loved that about him. he's similar to Wolfwood in doing what he has to in the name of survival...but he's not stuck between a rock and a hard place the way Wolfwood seems to be. I mean, look at him - Midvalley doesn't hesitate to pull a gun on frickin' Legato.

oh, and here's a little translation discrepancy: while he's subjecting Midvalley to a little, uh...non-consensual yoga...

(Dark Horse on left, Overhaul on right)

...and now I regret saying the yoga thing. except...hang on. Legato's taking away Midvalley's agency here - the same way his tristamp counterpart does to Wolfwood. another SA allegory, perhaps...?

anyway. our next translation discrepancies come in Knives' instructions to Legato. Dark Horse has Knives saying (about Vash):

"We will cause him ultimate suffering...at the hands of you humans! He still doesn't get it. We'll show him the true human nature he so desperately protects. Fuse the futility of his purpose into his very bones."

meanwhile, the Overhaul has him saying:

"Make him feel eternal suffering...at the hands of you humans! He still doesn't understand. Show him the true nature of you humans that he so desperately protects. Engrave the futility of his cause into his every bone."

notice how, in the Overhaul, there is no "we" - just "you humans." that, I think, is an important distinction, Knives separating himself from what he's commanding the Gung-Ho's to do.

a second point in Dark Horse's corner here! the translations are p much the same (except, in the Overhaul, Wolfwood says "ya idiot" and Vash replies "Well, you see...), but that frickin "BeCaAaAuUsE" makes me laugh every. time. 🤣

after these antics, we learn of Tonim Town, another place where all the people just disappeared. it's interesting to note that, same as what happened with Carcasas in the last volume, 'KNIVES' was left, Wolfwood tells us in the Overhaul, "etched on the stone monument at the center of town." Dark Horse's translation only specifies "a stone in the town center." soooooo with the additional info the Overhaul gives us - plus similar visuals of the stone monument - that gives us a neat little worldbuilding detail. Carcasas and Tonim Town have those town-center monuments in common. I wonder how many others do, and how that commonality came about. perhaps an early town had that detail, and subsequent towns adopted similar spatial planning?

anyway. hi. I have 2 degrees in anthropology. I got excited;;;;;;

important difference - just the name VS this, that, and the other thing about this guy.

and I HAD to juxtapose these bits found one page after the next - before and after Rai-Dei introduces himself. serious...and then Vash ruins the mood. classic. 🤣

I never noticed the skull on the back of Rai-Dei's skates has a lower jaw

(Dark Horse on top, Overhaul on bottom)

a couple more translation discrepancies. Dark Horse cuts a whole sentence from Rai-Dei, 'say' VS 'do', and then Wolfwood's line is good either way but I had to show both bc either way, he's hilarious...also, 'terrorist priest' 🤣🤣🤣

'eternal' again in the Overhaul - same as we saw in Knives' instructions to Legato

finally...that's some weird wording you've got there, Dark Horse 😆

[shellyswirlz]

What are your Shroomy headcannons?

Ok ok ok so hear me out on all of these!

____________________________________________________________________________________

Shroomy most definitely would like watching the old silly whimsical cartoons like Mickey Mouse or Looney Tunes.. I could see him turning the cartoons on for the kids, but also watching them cause he really loves them as well.

Human Shroomy would have freckles and be a red head! Also he'd probably wear multiple bandages to show that he has got hurt.. Especially after the bear incident..

Shroomy probably still sleeps with plushies. Not only am I saying this cause he had a plushie in his room in "Mario's Valentine's Advice" but also cause he seems like the type of guy to own several plushies as a grown adult and sleep with them.

I headcanon him as autistic. I could see him owning a little rainbow infinity symbol keychain. It'd probably fit better as a badge, but being autistic isn't really an accomplishment.. It's something you kinda struggle with, but it's also what makes you you! I feel he'd have the keychain because he wants people to know that he's autistic.

Remember how he has a cat..? They don't ever show up again but he definitely has a cat... I'm thinking he used to have a cat but he leaves the pictures up cause he really misses them. He's also not extremely phased over his cat's death because obviously he's a really positive guy. I'm also picturing his cat's name to be something campfire related. I think that'd be really cute. Like Smoky or something.... Maybe he named his cat after Smokavich?

Him and Rob are definitely the holiday duo. I mean listen... they're always next to eachother in holiday specials. They probably love talking about their favorite holiday traditions, what food they eat on Christmas/Thanksgiving/New Years, etc. Betting you they also had matching Halloween outfits one year that'd be really wholesome. I could kinda see them going with a "The Wizard Of Oz" outfit theme. Rob as the scarecrow obviously, and maybe Shroomy dressed up as the wicked witch. Cause I could see him wanting to try being scary but also keep his silliness.

Shroomy probably owns a mug that says "Nature is my home".

...AKA this mug:

Shroomy has a phone but barely uses it because he's not chronically online. He only uses it to call his friends and family. He probably has his aunt and uncle as contacts on his phone, but his uncle probably deleted Shroomy's contact meanwhile Shroomy is still trying to get his attention. He's thinking maybe "oh uncle Doom is probably only ignoring me a little bit! Nothing too big!" but no he deleted his contact without telling him... I'd also love to think that Shroomy gave his aunt and uncle silly little emojis next to their names.

Shroomy loves all food, but is smart enough to know when to stop eating certain foods. I got this headcanon idea from the fact he always seems so joyous when eating food and literally lived in the Luncheon Kingdom at one point iirc..... He's just like me fr fr!

Shroomy's absolute favorite show of all time is "Camp Camp", and his favorite character is David (obviously)! He's singing the lyrics to the theme song and is sometimes quoting David. He's also trying to get Karen into the show because he thinks she'd relate to Gwen.

Shroomy's phone homescreen would definitely be of a camp, meanwhile his lockscreen would probably be of him and Smokavich with a symbol representing the scouts in the background.

Shroomy, Karen, Bob, and Hal Monitor are always matching profile pictures because Shroomy thinks it's fun and silly. Shroomy made them do it..,, He didn't force them but he really wanted them to match with him!

Shroomy owns a swear jar (I think that'll be really funny)...

Shroomy most definitely watches Wander Over Yonder... Like I'm sorry but Wander is way too much like Shroomy.., it's so silly..! /pos

________________________________________________________

Well that's it!!! I'm really bad at coming up with headcanons but I hope you enjoyed nonetheless! :D jsjzjxjxjx.,,

[somnambulant-seraphim]

hi!! the question im about to ask may be a bit out of the left field, but do americans go mushroom picking? or mushroom hunting? recently i realized i dont even know the english word for that activity, and i cant name more than two types of mushroom in english, meanwhile in my native language there is a whole cluster of words to describe this activity. so. do americans go to forests to pick mushrooms and just never talk about this online, or is that not something you do?

sorry if that sounds a bit unprompted, i just have no idea where else to ask, and as someone interested in mushrooms and forests you seemed like a person who would know

(btw absolutely love your trinket collections and crochet projects!! they are adorable!!)

I'm North American, but I'm from western Canada, and not many people go mushroom picking where I live, especially because I live in a city.

There are plenty of nice parks and bits of forest, but not many good completely natural areas to be sure of safe foraging (like from pesticides and such). I'm also no mushroom expert, I can't really identify edible from non-edible, I just like seeing them and taking photos (^_^)

But yeah, I don't think people forage a lot where I live, and I would take a guess that people in America who also live in cities don't really do it much either. I would probably think it depends on how rural the area is, because not everyone has access to good natural spots.

And thank you! I'm glad you like my trinkets and crafts ᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷ <3

Anyway, there's plenty of good fungi blogs out there that are much more credible than me. I'm just a casual fungi-enjoyer who likes cool mushrooms :)

Have a good rest of your day, take care!

[sasquapossum]

Looks like my ex-boss Bobby Kotick is presiding over another debacle. I'll leave the "ex-boss" and "another" parts for another post some day.) Just last night, I was commenting (on Mastodon) about how Diablo IV was fun, but the experience was degraded by the decision to go the cooperative-MMO route instead of staying true to the franchise's nature. I was particularly focused on two things.

Requiring a constant connection also means there's no pause, which I need to use often when my family comes in asking questions or needing help with something.

Even more annoying, the "cooperative" part seems to mean that many bosses are not reasonably solo-able. I'm sure I'll get past this by grinding for better gear etc. but the design seems based on an assumption of at least two-person parties. Unless the bosses auto-scale to party size as well as level.

How did game design, of all things, get so dominated by extroverts? I know Blizzard is just responding to the market, but the market in terms of what makes them money is not the same as the market in terms of what people actually want. That's a whole different rant, though. I'm already doubling up, so I'll let that one pass. Meanwhile, on to the problems with always-online games.

This morning, battle.net (Blizzard's Steam-wannabe) servers have been under a persistent distributed denial-of-service attack. I've heard that the bevy of miscreants that call themselves Poodlecorp are behind it. In any case, the game's unplayable.

This is such a self-inflicted injury. If the game was designed properly, so that a connection wasn't required except when doing specific things like forming parties or buying stuff from stores, most players wouldn't even notice. However, because of Bobby's bad decision (and this one must surely have gone up to his level) this means every player is locked out until the mitigate the DDoS. What a total travesty.

[selamat-linting]

so, last time i left off on homestuck, i was introduced with the cherubs, and meenah peixes' bizarre (afterlife) adventure. as always, some thoughts :

-i kinda feel bad for dirk lol. out of all the group, he was the one caliborn felt is the most tolerable to talk to. and worst of all, he kinda let him play his shitty games. eugh, if that was me, i'd just scoff at caliborn's threats on killing his sister and accidentally kickstarted the apocalypse too early since my ignorance pissed him off. to be fair, the porn drawing game feels like a pretty lackcluster attempt at trolling. its so cute how dirk draw himself kissing his crush.

-poor calliope though. last time i saw her she's very much a ghost, maybe stuck around the furthest ring along with the other very dead ghosts, but is somehow able to subtly influence things like guide caliborn into doing his quest from the viewport, and allegedly maybe stop meenah and vriska from having their duel and waking up john. this is only a maybe though, im not very convinced at my perception of events here.

-speaking of calliope and caliborn, this is where things started getting meta right? homestuck has always have a bit of metafiction elements to it, and a lot of its themes seems to be deconstructing and examining popular culture. act 6 is where things started getting off the rails, i mean, where references to internet subcultures gets more blatant, more up to date with the current time it was made (direct meme references instead of making its own inner jokes derived from irl shit like sbahj), and started to put a mirror on homestuck since it has grown into a notorious major fandom now. it makes sense that hussie would start writing about homestuck instead writing about the internet in general. there is no way act 6 can be something else. and it has its negatives just as much as it has its positives

-first of all, meme references in media has always been hard to do right. remember that burger ad fiasco? some of the jokes on act 6 doesnt land as well as in act 5 and 4

-wait shit i went off the rails. i want to talk about caliope and caliborn first. caliope is a hypothetical fan of hs meanwhile caliborn is a hater right? he was also a representation of misogyny which fits with the times. a lot of cringe culture ppl in the 2010s, at least the loudest ones, tend to be misogynists. i've seen the case over and over again. people who said they hate the fandom when actually they just hate to see teen girls having fun. they also tend to be ableists esp their attitude around bullying and autistic ppl but hussie is also an ableist too, so even though he was the one being bullied by cringe culture people online and benefitted from autistic kids making fanworks, he made caliborn to be the guy with a learning disability. hilarious bitch ig.

-but other than that, caliope's insult to caliborn implies that the murder he did was detrimental to his growth as person. not just metaphorically, but literally. im not so up to date with cherub lore and alien biology, but killing your headmate before their natural death and integration Sounds Bad. and based on calliope's word alone, it might even make caliborn perpetually stunted in cherub equivalent of puberty forever, unable to reach maturity. poor dude. but, is actually a pretty good commentary on toxic masculinity preventing one's full growth as a person because he can't allow himself to gain emotional maturity and do so called female activities.

-okay, moving on from the cherubs. the dancestors. personally, i like their designs, i spesifically love meenah, porrim, and aranea. meenah is scratching the vriska itch but with a different flavor. and i guess kankri, despite his massive annoying factor was nice too. i know a kid who actually act like him. the kid in my town went drunk with his friends and when his friends started being sad about his ex, the kid called him a sexist pig. a few weeks later i got news that this same kid persistently try get girls into having sex with him. educating him was a bitch and a half yknow and im not even that sad the kid decides to withdraw from organizing for now. but it is a bit hopeful to see that a kid like kankri, in another timeline, if given the chance to grow up and learn would be a terrific leader. maybe a few years later the kid in my town would change too?

-but other than that its... man how do i say this. okay, its bad. a lot of the characters are just there just for the sake of having to be there. hussie, you dont have to complete all 12 of the dancestors its okay. youre just wasting more energy animating stuff that you obviously dislike by now. like idc what they says, but the 12 dancestors wasnt even a good mirror of tumblr subcultures. its just there as a one off gag instead of something they wants to delve into later on. the jokes wasnt even that funny like, i've spent two years on reddit making fun of softboy nice guys and gamer gurls the joke is old at this point. and hussie seems to delve deeper into being an ableist asshole the more people criticize them. its pathetic to make a strawman character of your haters and criticizers. honestly, caliborn would have been a better character if its just a stand in for toxic masculinity instead of a homestuck hater. the story is too bloated at this point. just give it a rest.

-also, act 6 weakness is that most of the story elements would fly over someone who never know the heydays of 2012-2015 tumblr. okay, this applies to homestuck as a whole honestly. like its about the internet and american 90s nostalgia. only a terminally online person would fully appreciate it. but dear god the mental illnes you'll get if youre one of lucky demographics to understand... hussie might have hit and miss on some things, but when they're right theyre right. i do think there are merits on making things that will never have mass appeal.

-okay, now thats out of my system im gonna say that from now on, im not gonna take homestuck as seriously as i did yesterday. i can see this is the point where things started to fall apart. bloated character sets, too many authorial self inserts, plot is becoming overly convoluted, the social commentary are becoming incoherent. hussie can make an entire page about dirk explaining the downfall of western civilization using historical materialism to jake but this will always be the webcomic where the 'scariest' troll is a rapper who made vodka pie, slept in a bed of honks, and taped wings on his godtier cosplay.

-okay this is getting too long. on to facking part 2 of my post!!!!

[greenmansgrove]

RDNA 60th Anniversary; Beltane 2023

I came to druidry at a difficult time in my life. I felt the need for ritual amid all the personal turmoil, even if there wasn't much spiritual involvement to it as an atheist. Having not found much attachment to other practices (largely because of my atheistic leanings), I was surprised to find druidry still very much alive in my online searches, and it just so happened that there was a nearby active grove!

I actually intended to start attending their rituals last year around Beltane, but as a known insomniac, I slept right through both their Beltane and Midsummer rituals. Meanwhile, though, I began my own practice. According to the journal/grimoire I keep, I dedicated myself and my altar space to this path on May 1st of last year. I composed my own liturgy and everything, and I've continued to do so since then.

For a year, I've debated officially associating with the RDNA. I've shied away from other spiritual practices for many, many reasons, one of them being that I am cautious of any doctrine that imposes practices or beliefs of any kind. Reading @minnesotadruids's posts over a couple months was helpful in that regard, however. If nothing else, the RDNA seems to encourage wariness, making fun of its history and practices, and creating a path for oneself. Druidry, to them, is all-inclusive of spiritualities, and one can be a druid, no matter what one believes, including atheism or agnosticism. In some ways, this was an intellectual challenge for me, but a good one, and one I sorely needed in my lifelong, never-ending pursuits at personal growth. Ultimately, this way of thinking about things and practicing in the world is what I needed. It allows me to focus more on meeting people, creating community, listening to others, and acts of service than on practicing in any one specific or particular way. And at the end of the day, or when I go home from a ritual, I can still do things and practice in my own ways, without the permission or oversights of any singular authority. I'm also lucky that my local grove is mostly LGBTQ+ and vehemently proclaims their inclusivity and anti-racism.

I first started attending and getting to know my local grove at their Lughnasadh ritual last year. I've hardly missed an event since, aside from one or two casual hangouts. I've also done my best to continue my explorations of other practices, but continue to find the most joy with Oakdale Grove. I even began having dreams about joining the RDNA or about people I'd met in the grove--all of them happy, with an emphasis on community and creating a path for myself.

But I've still been anxious or cautious about officially declaring my attachment to the tradition of Reformed Druidry. Because of some undiagnosed neurodivergence, I've always taken up and then tossed aside rather quickly my various hobbies. I'm afraid druidry would be like that for me. I'm also afraid of not being "worthy" in my spiritual pursuits. I've never had any particularly strong spiritual experiences. But this past year has shown me that I'm not only capable of finding joy enough in something for it to keep my attention, but also that the experiences I do have are actually deeply spiritual. I've had a deep love for and connection with nature since my childhood, and studying druidry has only strengthened that and driven my curiosity.

So, I decided I would take a chance by joining the First Order during the 60th anniversary of the RDNA, just 45 minutes south or so from the Twin Cities. It's yet another strange bit of syncronicity in my life that I should find my job and move to the state where Reformed Druidry began, and especially as an act of protest, depending on how you look at it.

It was really a very nice time, between Saturday and Sunday, though both days have blended in my memory and I am struggling to separate them. Saturday was a little calmer, with fewer in attendance, but a lovely bonfire surrounded by people from my local grove and those who'd come from across the US to attend. Stacey Jo, who would be ordained into the Orders of Belenos, Sirona, and Ogmios Saturday night, presided as Arch Druid and showed us how she led rituals. During the ritual, one joined the First Order who would be ordained into the Second Order Saturday night, and then the Third Sunday morning, if he made it through his ordeal. In his own words, he said he'd been waiting 20 years for this moment, and I experienced both a mix of relief and imposter syndrome. Each member's story for their path is unique, but I'm continually in doubt if my path is the "right" one--something I'd like to write on more in the future.

Saturday was much longer and busier, and something like 22 druids showed up. Mike Sharding and another Carleton Alum, whose name escapes me, took us on a (semi-)brief tour of the Upper Arboretum to a few of the "holy sites" where Reformed Druidism started, including Monument Hill, the Druid's Den, and the Hill of Three Oaks. I was a little awestruck that so much natural beauty was preserved there and how much work was done to try to keep it that way or improve it.

Finally, though, it was time for the official Anniversary ritual, during which it began to storm. The rites and ordinations seemed punctuated by claps of thunder, which brought some attendees hesitation, but which I personally took as a good sign as a lover of rain and storms who regularly tries to go out and just stand in the rain and splash barefoot in puddles. Besides, the second tenet of Reformed Druidism is thus:

And great is the importance, which is of a spiritual importance, of Nature, which is the Earth-Mother, for it is one of the objects of creation, and with it we do live, even as we struggle through life do we come face-to-face with it. 

I feel that, among many other interpretations, one of them is that nature itself is something through which we struggle, and we are beholden to it. Even for all the offerings and aeromancy that a druid might perform, nature will do as it wills, and we must accept that, especially as part of our spiritual involvement with it. There was definitely much bemoaning of soaked clothes and ritual garb, but I took great joy that my ordination into the First Order was full of laughter and mirth while John the Verbose raised his face and arms to the sky in reciting the second tenet for another initiate and I to affirm.

And so I "officially" became a Reformed Druid. We spent the afternoon drying off, before feasting at a place called "Tanzenwald" (Dancing Forest, in German), retiring to the student union for a break, and eventually reconvening at the Council Ring for the evening festivities and start to the vigils. At one point, while waiting on everyone to arrive, the bonfire re-lit itself, as if signaling to the druids, and had to be quelled by Edward, with dry wood being in short supply.

A handful of Carleton students showed up for their own initiations, Stacey took part in her ordinations, vigils commenced, and the druids dispersed into solitude and meditations throughout the arboretum. I stayed at the Council Ring for quite a while after with Adam, Edward, and John, just enjoying the night. I don't get to spend much time outside at night as a teacher often stuck at home grading and course planning. One of the things I really enjoyed about the weekend is that I didn't feel obligated to speak to anyone or impose myself on conversations. I often just sat on my own, listening to others converse and enjoying being outside. Adam, Edward, and John, though, were all kind and asked questions of me (as many did over the weekend), and as a perpetually socially awkward individual and historic social reject, it was nice to feel included and like I was part of a community. It was something I've sorely needed in recent years.

At one point late into the night, John and I traveled across the man-made lake to the walkable labyrinth they have built into one of the islands. I haven't walked a labyrinth since I was 8 or 9 years old and lived in Arkansas, but I've read plenty about them in my studies and even watched/listened to Sting's (the musician) Songs from the Labyrinth / The Journey and the Labyrinth.

John gave me the lantern and let me go first. I wish I could walk labyrinths more often. It took a minute to get into the rhythm of it, but in just letting my mind wander as I watched my footing, I could begin to feel what labyrinth walking might offer someone. At first, the sharp twists seemed to reflect my inner anxiety, like some strange metaphor for the racing and looping thoughts. But soon enough, the back-and-forth turns opened up into more languishing, longer paths along the outside of the labyrinth, and I felt calmer. That made going back into the tighter turns much easier. I was even surprised when I came upon the center, not sure what to do there. I think my mind expected to find an exit directly out again after making a clock-wide loop around the center, but one is forced to retrace their steps instead. And this, too, was easier and calming. Given more time, I would have walked the labyrinth several more times, but it was getting late and I had two cats at home to feed. After a little more time at the fire with Adam and John, I headed out.

I'm really glad I went. I don't know what the future holds for me within (or without) the RDNA, but I'm eager to see. I don't know yet if I'll join the Second Order and prepare for the priesthood. I've had dreams about it, and my dreams are strangely prophetic at times, but what does/will the call of service sound like for me? I am trying to have patience... and to keep up my studies over the next year. I worry about being over-eager. I need to get better at meditation, and I'd like to finish making one of my staves so I can take up Bodfish's "Salutations of the Day" on a regular basis. I would not say the last year has been smooth for me; I sometimes neglect to perform the rituals I prepare at home and for which I compose my own liturgy. But I will say the past year has brought me more calm and joy than I've had in a long time, especially coming out of several years of chaos and tragedy, both personally and globally. Here's to the safe travel of all the druids who came and to another year of my studies.

[oldcyberpunk2077truth]

dunno about yall, but i think the people who complain that "the popular 30+ white cis mom people are in an exclusive clique and stops newcomers from being in fandom" are most likely the ones who rarely interact with other other than posting their pics then hoping people will like them. meanwhile, i saw wench, wash, gigil and some other people mentioned being the most supportive people ever. they made guides, they make mods, they welcome new people, they always put nice tags in people photos, they include people in activities, they talk and discuss and engage in a lot of things, and they help in organizing events and activities for us. and lemme tell you something, to do all those things requires a lot of time and energy, and they are being nice and welcoming as a concious, deliberate choice.

im not saying that if you don't have time and energy to be like those people you don't deserve to have support and attention back. im just saying don't take those things for granted. if you don't engage with other and people don't engage back with you, it's a natural normal thing, don't expect other to do more than that.

i know it can be intimidating for small newcomers in a big space. but that's always how it is in the beginning be it online or real life spaces. you just gotta step up and be nice yourself otherwise you will get nothing.

I agree people should interact more but at the same time there is a lot of people that come out shy and intimidated or have social anxiety. So it all counts and it would be nice if you don't have any of that and you notice someone who seems shy to be the one to make the first move. I'm not saying you should, but that would be nice.

[adultswim2021]

Space Ghost Week

Wherein we cover an entire season of Space Ghost Coast to Coast over the course of a week

Space Ghost Coast to Coast #42: “Switcheroo” (aka “Switcheroo II”) | September 12, 1997 | S04E09

This episode is titled “Switcheroo”, but enterprising fans have taken to calling this “Switcheroo II” simply because there is already an episode called Switcheroo. What will you call this? Brother, you’re going to have so sort that out for yourself.

In this episode: Space Ghost has his original guests (boring guys) swapped out for sci-fi legends Bill Mumy and Mark Hamill. They were poached from a sci-fi convention that was attended by (or maybe run by) Zorak and Moltar (sorry, I forgot the precious plot details). Meanwhile, Space Ghost pouts and gets jealous that Moltar and Zorak have a better rapport with them than he does. Eventually Space Ghost tries to put on his own convention and it’s a failure.

There was a brief period of time when one of my main hangouts online were South Park related. I forget if this happened on my main hangout board (GoTimmyGo.com) or an offshoot board started by a member of that board, but there was a sub-forum dedicated to other cartoons that weren’t South Park. I started a Space Ghost thread, encouraging people to tune into Space Ghost Coast to Coast on Cartoon Network, which had ceased airing new episodes and seemed like it was quietly going away from the schedule altogether. Adult Swim was looming on the horizon but I didn’t know that.

I remember this being among the first episodes to air after my rallying cry of “hey internet friends, let’s all watch Space Ghost reruns and talk about them in this thread”. This was the era when I would record the show and take said recordings and transfer them to the ends of my Mystery Science Theater 3000 tapes. I edited the commercials out of those MST3K episodes, leaving about 30 minutes at the end of each tape, so I’d put a couple random SGC2Cs on there. The two shows just seemed like they went together really well.

My point is, I remember this episode specifically because I watched it “with” my internet friends, and I remember thinking it was kind of a mediocre episode. Maybe that’s because it actually is, or maybe that’s because I prefaced this one with the promise of greatness. It’s another one of those episodes where the writers are jazzed to have this legendary guest so they lean on a theme. Star Wars is heavily referenced, obviously. In 1997, Star Wars had a resurgence because it was re-released in theaters, but Star Wars nerds were nowhere near as obnoxious as they are now. I guess the prequels were on the horizon, sure, but to those not following too closely (me) it just felt like Star Wars was living a natural life-cycle that every other big-budget sci-fi trilogy had: A series of films that were hits but with diminishing returns which has one final hurrah as Saturday Morning programming (or a comic book) and then hibernates until it’s either released on a new home video format or an anniversary reunion happens. It was good enough for Back to the Future, Robocop, and Alien. Why not Star Wars?

Two big laughs: Space Ghost saying “Duke Fartknocker”. I also remember loving him trying to interject during Moltar and Zorak’s sci-fight with “What do you think of those Ghostbusters?”. Still funny!

DVD NOTE: you can find two deleted bits from this episode. One is of a disheveled man showing up in Space Ghost’s monitor claiming to have escaped from the planet Moltar seemingly made-up earlier in the show. There’s also a parody Star Wars crawl presumably meant to open the episode. Pausing it treats you to a direct Spaceballs reference.