#but i guess there were more factors to influence that decision

[mountaincryptid]

so poland's going for an internal selection this year

[hyperlexichypatia]

Please explain the relationship between HIPAA and second wave feminists being ok with calling adults girl

Okay, but you must understand that this is truly my most unhingéd, crack-est opinion that I would generally reserve for High Rambling. If I were a vlogger, I would be saying it in my car. I do not have "evidence" or "logic" or "a coherent argument." You cannot hold this against my actual thoughtful arguments that I promise I also have, because this is not one. But. Okay. If you still want to read my unhingéd crack. Here goes.

So, for most of the 20th century, it was colloquially common to call adult women "girls," and this was part of a pattern of women being infantilized and treated as children, and a big part of second-wave feminism in the 1970s was pushing back on that infantilization, including insisting that adult women be called "women" instead of "girls." Right? Right. But then by the 1990s/2000s, many of those same feminists were openly calling women "girls" and using infantilizing language (like dismissing women voters as "girls trying to impress boys"). What changed?

Now obviously the most obvious explanation, and undoubtedly biggest factor, in this shift is just the passage of time and ageing. The older people get, in general, the more they tend to infantalize younger people. Somebody in their 20s in the '70s would be in their 50s by the '00s. They might have grown children of their own. This is the logical explanation. Okay.

But also...

Until the 1990s, the status of patients' rights to medical privacy, autonomy, and decision-making in general was, well, abysmal. A lot of people who grew up in the post-HIPAA era don't realize the extent of it -- they think the laws around medical privacy were just codification of what was already an established cultural and ethical norm. And of course it was worse for women, people of color, disabled people, poor people, queer people, etc, but honestly, even for a straight white abled middle-class man, it wasn't that great. Doctors would tell patients' families a patient's diagnosis and tell them to lie to the patient about it! Doctors would go around in public talking about Mrs. Smith's gallstones! There were some ethical guidelines around privacy, but patients had no real recourse to enforce them.

'70s feminists somewhat supported medical freedom and privacy as part of women's rights -- like, they opposed the common practice of doctors bringing a woman in for a biopsy and just scooping out some organs while you're in there -- but they also weren't especially pro-privacy or pro-autonomy in general, and were generally sex-negative, transphobic, etc. We know this.

When patients' right to privacy became legally codified (HIPAA being the most prominent example), privacy rights were primarily defined based on age. Thus why "parents rights" advocates were outraged! That minors could have privacy rights for reproductive healthcare (but depending on the state, not for any other kind of healthcare!). See, prior to that time, "adulthood" as a status didn't necessarily confer a medical right to privacy.

(I'm actually working on writing something longer with actual thought and evidence and logic about the social construction of the "age of majority" and how it's not necessarily meaningful to talk about different times/contexts having a "higher" or "lower" age of majority without unpacking what that meant at that time... but this is not that. This is unhinged crack.)

And... around that time... you just... quietly... heard less and less about "Don't call adult women 'girls'" and more about "Influences on Our Girls."

So I guess the actual grain of theory behind my rambling, if directly stated, would be: As "adulthood" became ontologically defined as conferring an individual right to medical privacy, the authoritarian wings of the feminist movement quietly rescinded the claim that women are "adults."

I guess I could've framed this around Lawrence v Texas and sexual autonomy rather than medical privacy, but I happened to be thinking about HIPAA at the time.

Anyway, bet you're sorry you asked, huh?

[fullscoreshenanigans]

Is CloverWorks entirely at fault for TPN S2's mangled production?

I see so many people default to blaming CloverWorks for being the sole arbiter of S2's horribly disappointing production (sometimes Shirai is added into the mix too, especially by anime-onlys), but every time I do I'm genuinely asking the question of whether that's true and where they're pulling their information from.

I'm not involved in the animation industry at all so I'm interested in receiving input from people who are more familiar with it, but my understanding is the people in charge of the decision to truncate S2 would be The Promised Neverland Committee listed at the end of the opening credits.

(I could not find a single video of the English dub that aired on [adult swim] for the English credits of S1, so a screencap from the Japanese credits)

TPN Committee is comprised of the following entities: Aniplex (Distributor), Fuji TV (TV Station), Shueisha (Manga Publisher), Cygames Anime Fund, Dentsu (ads)

(Sources 1 | 2 | 3)

kViN from Sakugabooru details what a production company is in this post:

"I personally find it enjoyable to see who is involved in a show, and as you’ve seen there is plenty of information to draw from that. Animation production studios are listed in the credits for each show, so it’s understandable why audiences would imagine they have a ton of influence over a production. It’s even natural to think that the company that is actually manufacturing something would have great input! If you start paying attention to these committees though, you get a clearer picture of the finances of production and how each show is actually made rather than assume that studios that often don’t have much of a say are in charge of everything."

And CloverWorks is the more prominent name, especially for English speakers watching the subbed version of the series.

This is also something that Geoff Thew brings up in the last seven minutes of this video around the 18:50 mark:

"I'd bet good money that the last credits were supposed to roll right after that big stone door slammed shut, and I'd further wager that a combination of fan reactions to and dipping ratings for early episodes is what caused the production committee—who are the ones who actually have final say in this, not Cloverworks or even Shirai—to cut their losses and turn that cliffhanger into a skeleton of a conclusion."

I disagree with him on them making the call to retool the series during the clipshow episode between S2e05 and S2e06 though. It doesn’t seem like they had enough time to do that when a single episode of animation takes on average nine months to complete, even with the ridiculous crunch they seemed to be in. My guess is it was made back in early 2020 after Shirai made everyone involved in production aware the manga was ending that year, with the pandemic potentially factoring in to a degree.

He also mentions this a bit earlier:

"It's just such a slap in face to anyone who ever gave a shit about any version of this story. Including the people telling it, apparently, since neither of the anime's screenwriters nor mangaka/series composer Shirai wanted to take credit for the last two episodes. They probably didn't have much say in how it all went down. That's important to keep in mind before you start yelling at animators or even studios on twitter. I guarantee that every adaption that hurts you personally was ten times harder on the people who actually had to make it. As hackishily slapdash as this finale is, a lot of people probably slept under their desks to get it out the door, if they slept at all."

I always come back to this tiny addition toward the end of S2 episode 2 as an indication that on the creative side of things, in storyboarding and animation at CloverWorks, the care was still there at some level.

It was just squashed down in order to cut and condense 146 chapters into 11 episodes for a production that, as ZersEditor puts here, was "bleeding money."

But CloverWorks is less to type out, so they get the majority of the ire over a tragically butchered production in casual conversation.

[smashstappen]

Not some Checo fans saying losing the WDC is on Max (???) because RBR haven't listened to Checo saying the car is sh*t.

There are so many things wrong with this, I don't even know where to start...

This has turned out too long so I'll write a summary: Max has gently been vocal for a really long time now about the car being cr*p, defended Checo's performance at every opportunity because the car is sh*t, has been completely ignored by the team when saying how bad the car is, even mocked by some of them coughHornercough, has been tasked with bringing the team to wins with a sh*t car relying only on his talent, Marko and his Verstappen factor, anyone, because his team has ignored drivers' feedback, when he finally snapped and talked back to his team, y'all called him rude, yet now you blame him for not relaying information back to the team about the undriveability of the car, unfuckingbelievable.

Long version below.

1st, where have you been since...hmmm...Bahrain?!?! Max has been saying, for those who actually cared to listen, since the beginning of the season that the car feels off, he has DEFENDED Checo's performances and put it down to the car, he started being more than vocal when the freaking team principal mocked him and went manic with power, "the car is fine" my a**, the only thing fine about that car is the paint, if at the start Max has been gently pointing out the faults of RB20, his voice grew momentum the more the team played deaf to both drivers' pleadings, to the point in the last few races before summer break he has been down right screaming from the top of the factory just how bad the car is and has been totally ignored, apparently not just by the team, but also certain fans, I guess it didn't fit their Max is the villain and hates Checo narrative.

2nd, how exactly is it Max's fault if the car is sh*t?!?!?! You expect him to start designing the car now that Adrian is leaving? Then what's the point of Waché and the rest of the engineers and designers? Hey, if Max designs the car then RB can fire those people and have a bigger budget! 👍🏻

3rd, why is it Max's fault Horner went mad with power and completely ignored feedback from his drivers? Even if RBR did not listen to what Checo was saying, they also didn't listen to Max, please see 1st above, how is Max responsible for it? Do you think Max walks into the factory and everyone falls to their knees going "our lord and saviour, we are at your service, command us"?! They don't or else the points above would have existed. As much influence as you think Max has within the team, he cannot control how other people behave. If Horner didn't take into account Checo's feedback it's because he did. not. want. to, not because Max told him so.

It took RBR's effin rivals laughing at them and pointing out just how bad that car looks for Horner to take off his tinted glasses and realise that he might not have a team to lord over if he doesn't come back from his RB20 is fine shaped cloud to God's not so green earth and the reality that RBR are losing the constructers and are in danger of losing the drivers' too if he doesn't start listening when his drivers, the people who actually drive the sh*t box, tell him the car is UNDERIVABLE.

Note: Not only Checo and Max have been pointing out the faults of RB20, but Adrian had a whole a** list of faults and how to fix them, maybe you should give him a call for that, eh, Christian, but most of RB20's faulty parts were designed against Adrian's advice, the decision to include them being Waché's, who still acts like that was a good idea, it was not, with Horner's blessing approval

Note 2: I am not sure Horner has woken up to reality, might still be floating on the RB20 is fine shaped cloud.

Note 3: There is a lot of drive at the end of the last paragraph.

[devsgames]

Hi there, sorry if this is an odd question. As someone with experience in the industry and as an indie dev (you), is it even worthwhile these days to be wanting to work in the games industry? either as an indie or otherwise? I ask due to the very state of things, Professionals are not safe from layoffs, indies have insane high bars to reach to even hope to be sustainable, it would seem better to maybe choose another career path in life (if you don't have an attachment that is). I say this as a long time hobbyist, occasional dreamer, but things have changed so much over the past decade that I often wonder if it should be anything but a hobby(speaking personally for myself). Like many indies I still love games and the craft itself, but it truly is like a roll of the dice just to stand out in such a naturally highly competitive field. that's not even mentioning the sometimes demanding volatile nature of the games community, or the work itself.

I guess it's all just kinda getting to me and bringing me down, I'd be curious to hear your thoughts on the matter, thanks.

I'll be frank: there are parts of this question I am simply not equipped to answer because there are so many factors that influence decision making like this. It's like someone asking you "should I have a child" - like I dunno, it depends on your whole life's situation and your personal values and priorities!

"Is it worthwhile" to get into game development entirely depends on what you want to get out of it in the first place, how far "in" you want to get, and in what capacity. As much as I wish I could tell people to go into games and have it just work for everyone, it depends far too much on what you value in life. It's impossible for me to reliably tell someone to do it or not to do it.

Generally, is it financially smart? No. Is it easy? No. Is it a safe bet? No. Does it take a lot of time and hard work? Yes. Does it offer stability like other careers? No. Is it fair? No.

Is it rewarding? Depends what about the craft you find rewarding. Is it better than something like factory work? Depends what type of work you like. Is it a good career choice? If you don't mind low pay and periods of instability. Is it stress free? Depends on where you work and with whom.

The industry is a shitshow right now with all the mass layoffs. This is true. It's The Thing on everyone's mind. It's undoubtedly going to make job seeking 100x more competitive and challenging for basically everyone hunting around the market right now in an industry that is already notoriously competitive, especially to juniors. Many people who got laid off likely are never going to work in games again, either for trauma or instability. It's taken the latent abuse and issues with technocapitalism and exposed it for everyone to see. If you get a job in games, you will possibly get laid off down the line. It happens to many of us.

However, it has always been this way. There were mass layoffs in '07 during the housing crash, and people got through that. Getting a job in video games has been an incredible challenge for the lst 20 years, and people have made it work. People have been making games in spite of shit working conditions, oversaturated market and lousy pay since modern games were invented. There are people whose lives have been dramatically changed by these layoffs, and some will never work in games again. It's increedibly heartbreaking.

Yet people will still keep working on games. I don't see that changing.

I've personally never had any illusions that games were somehow an easy path in life, nor have I minced those words with people seeking to enter the field. It's hard, time consuming and in many cases soul-sucking. I've always respected anyone who hung up their hat and went off to do something else with their life.

I know some people who left games to go work for banks where the pay was better and the industry way more stable. I know people who have dropped out of school because they realized job prospects were weak and they wanted to start a family down the road. I know people who left gamedev school because frankly they were broke and couldn't afford the massive debt that seeking a job in games would likely cost them. I know people who left games because frankly they just hated making games.

I don't blame any of these people for making these types of decisions because at some point it's a question of balancing your ability to survive with the ever-increasing demands of a needlessly aggressive industry (and it's a shame these factors - as any brought on by capitalism - weigh heaviest on folks on the margins). Sometimes I worry I'm too real when I talk to students about this stuff, but I think it's a survival skill to internalize these sort of things and factor them into your decision-making.

The point here is I can't in good faith tell any one person if going into games or not is implicitly a good or bad move because it's such a personal decision based on their personal contexts. All I can do is advocate the costs and risks associated with trying to tie it so intimately into your life - I think as long as people can see the cards they will have to find out how to play them themselves.

Same as above, I can't in good faith stand here and tell people whether they should or shouldn't do something like indie dev, because it has just as many risks as a regular dev career, if not more. Volitile game sales, highly competitive market, lots of work, little pay, self-management, etc.

I talk about this all the time, but unless you're the 1% of indies who suddenly get blown out of the water and everyone talks about, odds are good you won't be making enough money to survive on it. Way way way too many people who only hear of the most successful games treat them as the rule, not the exception, and then are shocked to find their game only making like, $30 a month. I generally don't think anyone should treat indie dev as a 'career' but rather more like a side hustle that might eventually turn into a career. Like, right now I have shipped 4+ games in various capacities, and my game sales are only enough for 1/2 a rent payment per month. It's why I took a part time job! Indie dev """fame""" I think is also a hidden factor that motivates people (why? Who knows), but it too is a lot like the money element, in that it's not really common and doesn't matter anyway because it doesn't put food on the table. Take these factors into account and weigh them as you weigh indie dev too. I

However I will say that I think like any craft, the current state of the industry surrounding the craft shouldn't (and in many cases won't) affect interest in the craft itself. I think if people want to make games and like doing it, they're going to do it no matter how easy or profitable it is, and no matter how fucked up the industry is.

I make games not because I want to be an indie dev or make money, but simply because I enjoy doing it and want to keep doing it. In fact, the times I've hated it most was when I was using it solely to make money from it to survive. It's why people still weave tapestries or practice weird obscure hobbies. It doesn't make enough to eat and usually they have regular lives and jobs on the side - they do it because they just like doing it.

People are gunna keep making games, because game development is not actually implicitly tied to the games industry in any way. You can make art no one plays. You can make art no one buys. You can make art for the sake of it. You can work as a line cook and make art in your free time. Game dev is easier and more accessible then it ever has been before. People will still keep doing it.

Sorry this all boils down to "it depends" but sometimes for big life and career decisions it does indeed just depend. I hope that no matter what choice you end up making that it involves making games regardless. Life's too short not to make art!

[maddiviner]

I don't believe everyone consents to everything that happens, but remember that in magic at least, there is the Law of Consent? Often used where you show someone your spell result before you do it on them. If you show them in a movie for example, your spell will have more power when you cast it because the person will receive it with consent.

Hoooboy here we go. Google was my friend looking into this, for once, but only barely.

My thoughts?

( In magic, you should be thinking about things like consent. Me, I wouldn't do anything with magic that I wouldn't do without it; that tends to be my moral code magically. It doesn't mean I never curse, but I do try to be mindful of how my magic might affect others. That said, this question isn't really about that... )

Spells and magic don't need the target's consent to be effective. If that were the case, the occult would look a lot different, and we'd get very different results. Furthermore, you can't make someone consent because... that'd be the opposite of consent, which is a willed action.

Showing someone media representations of your goals beforehand could have mixed effects just because people react differently to different media. It won't necessarily affect their decisions or the outcome of your own magic. There's no magical media mind control Law of Consent, sorry.

Of course, as is often the case, it's more complicated than just saying "it's bunk," so I'll explain my views in more detail, the why of it, etc. You might be surprised to learn where this idea is coming from, who is promoting it, and why.

I found the below meme, clearly an example of the concept, on a couple different sites using Google image search.

Statements like this of "I do not consent to negativity, spells, or curses!" posted in memes online, etc? Like this? I saw a couple more like it, a lot of them said stuff like "Type 11:11 to affirm." I don't see those as particularly productive, either.

I guess the latter part of that (above) particular meme "I call upon..." could be seen as some sort of attempted proactive protection magic in and of itself, but it's very vague...

No curse is going to ask for consent, because that's not the point of a curse. Curses are hostile. They're meant to be. Not all witches curse, but I'm pretty sure most of us that do aren't worried about permission from the target. If a curse is effective, the target's consent won't matter.

Your average malicious spell isn't hung up on the notion of consent. Spells that are more positive likely already have the target's consent. They, too, would also be effective without it, if well-designed and properly-cast.

The typical ambient forces, nonhuman? Usually have no notion of consent in that sense, either. That doesn't mean they're hostile - they're more like curious stray dogs. The stray dog's not going to ask before sniffing you, and that's not hostility - that's just how animals work. There's other critters out there, of course, but that's beyond the scope of this article.

There's no such thing as unconscious or subconscious consent, either. That's not a factor. There may be unconscious drives that influence someone's decisions, but consent occurs willfully. You can't consent to something without knowing it; and it's kinda creepy to say otherwise? I could see people going in bad directions with the notion that consent can be "unconscious" (it can't). Not really the topic here, though.

And anyways? An image of your desired outcome won't cause people to consent to it. When you show someone a representation of what you want, you're, at best, giving them the idea of it. That won't make them necessarily more comfortable/receptive to it, though. It'll put it in their head, for better or worse. In some cases, if the concept is vile enough, it may very well inoculate them against it, in a way.

That's all. This isn't magic, it's just how people's heads work. Yes, fictional representations of things can influence people. It doesn't overrule their ability to make up their own minds, though, nor can it make them "consent."

Here's an example. Reading 1984 definitely puts the idea of a vast surveillance state in people's minds. It sure doesn't get them comfortable with the idea, though, or make them want to consent to it. If Orwell had been promoting the idea, it might've been different? But even then, people would've made up their own minds reading the book, just like with anything. It probably would've just made them conclude that Orwell was a hack writer.

With magical results, it'd be similar. Showing a spell, or its planned results, to a target beforehand would have mixed results. In the case of some curses, it would make the average person more defensive or spook them. That may or may not be useful to the witch, but it isn't, in and of itself, magic - it's psychological manipulation.

With a more positive spell, I'm not sure what the result would be. It'd depend a lot on the target and their mindset. Some might find it inspiring, but others might see it as disturbing. In both cases, this could work with (or against, if you're not careful) the magic, but isn't magic itself.

I know that the concept of a Law of Consent in the occult and New Age community goes much further than this. It's not exactly easy to google and research. Searching for "law of consent" pops up resources about SA (as it should, imho). Though it's a bit hard to dig into, the origins of this idea in occultism deserve attention.

In most cases, it's tied up with conspiracy theories about aliens, "reptilians," etc controlling the world, drinking blood, etc. This article, as well as most others I've seen, argues that these "archons" must "obtain consent" for our "victimization." The Illuminati ask permission, apparently?

They, apparently, do this by showing us their plans in fiction/etc before enacting them. A lot of it relies on a reworking of antisemitic blood libel lore and the Satanic Panic. It mostly revolves around sacrifice and ritual abuse by these nebulous "Elite" archons who control everything secretly. Despite their world-spanning power, they still need our permission, apparently. It's not terribly coherent.

In other words, this idea (a "Law of Consent") didn't come from occultists, actually. It seems to have been a notion propagated alongside existing Satanic Panic legends. Most of these, while embracing some quasi-occult New Age notions, are actually anti-occult. They're also covertly antisemitic, resembling blood libel tales of children sacrificed. Seems like this "Law of Consent" idea has seeped into the mainstream New Age movement? Ugh.

Again, I don't believe consent is necessary for, or even helps, magic. Giving your spell's target a "preview" of the intended results can have mixed effects. The idea of a Law of Consent doesn't really hold water, imho. It also originates with bigots and awful people.

That said, fiction, media, and art can be magic. This would be what we call a hypersigil. They function like a regular sigil, but can be way more complex and hard to wrangle, in my experience.

Hypersigils can be works of art like paintings or digital pieces. They're more often works of narrative fiction, though. This is probably because most mages etc love writing? I've also seen computer games as hypersigils.

Either way, hypersigils are a real thing that people use. They tend to have wider, longer effects than regular sigils, in my experience. Grant Morrison (I'd consider them kinda an expert) says they can be "dangerous," and I'd agree. They almost always involve a lot of factors, and it can be a hard situation to control in the longterm.

They're not designed to "obtain consent" from other minds, though. They function like souped-up versions of normal sigils. The intricacies of them are a bit beyond the scope of this article. You might design a hypersigil to help you advance at work, or find love. Yes, you could, in theory, curse someone with one, like with any form of magic. I've never seen that done, though.

They're also, in my experience, really fucking hard to succeed at (compared to other forms of magic). I've attempted more than a few hypersigils over the years and had success with only a couple. Compared to normal sigils, that's not much. I'll admit, though, the (few) ones that I did manage were a resounding success.

A lot of it depends on how capable you are in your chosen medium for the hypersigil (writing, art, coding etc). It can also depend on the scale you're working on. A smaller hypersigil ("I'll write a fanfic" or "I"ll paint a picture") might be less difficult to manage. I'm not good with scale sometimes.

If you want to see a good example of a hypersigil in action, check out Grant Morrison's The Invisibles. Sometimes famous people (almost always artists) create hypersigils, usually to shape their own public image, but sometimes for other reasons, too.

So yeah. There's no such thing as a "Law of Consent" in magic, and those in power aren't using it against us. Fictional (and other) media representations can play a role in magic, though, and often do.

[dutchdread]

Hello Dutch! Do you think the loss of mystery and less impact on certain scenes in the narrative was caused by long-term fanservice?

Yes and no. I certainly think it was a factor, but I don't think it was the biggest one. If I had to guess, and since I am not a mind reader a guess is the best I can do, I think the biggest reason is the necessary change of the pacing of the game. In remake the developers made the (in my opinion) mistake of constantly showing Sephiroth, almost from the start of the game even. The decision to do this was based on three main factors I think. 1: "In the OG the first time you see Sephiroth is in Kalm, however, that is only a few hours into the game. If we did the same with the Remake we wouldn't see Sephiroth until game 2 and we can't have an entire FFVII game without Sephiroth." 2: "People already know Sephiroth, so the mystery is gone anyway, so it doesn't make sense to treat his appearance as one when everyone already knows him". 3: "People love Sephiroth so lets give them a bunch of Sephiroth!!!".

I personally think all of these are flawed. For one people are capable of influencing their mind state to resemble someone who is watching something for the first time. It's not exactly the same, but close enough, there is a reason people can watch the same thing over and over again and get similar responses on repeat viewings. When people love a story they are willing to watch things as though it were the first time. They can feel mystery and suspense even though they know the answer. I also think that there is enough happening in FFVII that you can keep the player occupied while playing a long game when it comes to mystery. If anything I think that the extra time to let mystery build could be used to enhance the experience, rather than making it feel drawn out. Especially in remake I think Shinra was MORE than good enough to qualify as the main villain for the story segment, and I think Sephiroth being only "a shadow on the edge of memory" for 90% of the game would make his unseen appearance in shinra HQ all the more terrifying. And ofcourse the reason people love Sephiroth is how effective he is as a villain, and part of that is the mystique. If you give people more Sephiroth you are actually giving them LESS Sephiroth, because Sephiroth isn't just the man, it's the idea, the presentation, and that presentation requires restraint in implementation.

My suspicion is that the mystery surrounding Clouds condition was approached very similarly. They figured they had the new mystery surrounding the "parallel worlds" as an overarching mystery and since people already know whats going on with Cloud that mystery could essentially be spoken about more openly. But this suffers from the same problems I mentioned above. I can totally watch FFVII as though I do not know the mystery, and experiencing said mystery was what I was looking forward to most. To me it's the best part of FFVII, and without it I barely even consider it a remake. And yes, I think fan-service did play a part. One of the things you hear most often when discussing the LTD is the retort that FFVII is not a romance story and that we're too focused on something that FFVII just isn't about, and while I disagree with that assessment, since romance ABSOLUTELY is a massive and crucial element to the story, I do agree that the romance is, for the most part, something that is in the background, it is the underlying backdrop that is required to understand the characters and their actions. But the focus is still on the actions themselves, as well as feelings and events that the romantic backdrop have caused, namely Clouds alter ego and accompanying mental problems. However, in rebirth the romance is NOT the backdrop, it's the focus of a large part of the game. Hell, the main play loop of the game revolves around you getting the party members to like you. And while it is true that this also involves, for instance, Barret and Nanaki, I think it's pretty clear that this entire core aspect of the game was implemented mostly as a way to explore romance in the game and satisfy fan desires. The question is, did that impact the mystery? And yes, I think it did. For one, everything related to Aerith and Zack in chapter 14 is PURE fan-service bait. The entire "can we save Aerith" plotline was fan-service bait from the start. And both these things, on account of both not being well handled, and overshadowing the actual mystery of FFVII, have a negative impact on how well rebirth is able to tell the story of the OG. Not only that, but SE tried to avoid burning bridges by not being clear with their story in regards to Aerith. I've heard people say that SE was wishy washy when it comes to choosing between Tifa and Aerith, they weren't, this game is about as pro-Cloti as it could be, Cloud and Tifa are a thing, if that weren't already obvious it's even more obvious in rebirth. No, the thing SE is being wishy washy about, is between Aerith and Aerith. Between the interpretation of Aerith loving Zack and simply using Cloud as a stand in, or Aerith as having "genuine" feelings. And the problem is that by trying to keep that a mystery they've made themselves incapable of properly examining either idea. There could have been deep meaningful scenes and conversations about how Aerith is still searching for the guy she lost. But they can't be that explicit without alienating fans, so they instead are vague, which results in a whole host of issues. But the most important issue for this question is that this approach creates an unfocused story, one that lacks clear direction. And a story without clear focus and direction will never be able to tell its mysteries in the most engaging and enthralling way. They want to show Zack, they want to discuss Zack, so they can't have Zack be a twist, but they also can't properly discuss Zack since that would be too explicit and so they half-ass it. They want to imply that Aerith is looking for Zack in Cloud, but they don't want to burn bridges, so they also want to hold open the possibility that Aerith actually likes Cloud for Cloud, and by doing all this nonsense you're creating a teenage love drama where you could have had a meaningful story about two people helping each other where the scenes could be directed to maximize the effectiveness of the mystery of Zack, rather than playing into a "I love him, I love him not" soap opera that got boring 27 years ago.

[wardrobeoftime]

what do you think about hotd costumes?

Some people think these ara bad.

What is your opinion?

I think the word bad is too simple to express my feelings because they are quite complex. In general, I think season 02 improved to season 01 and I really like a lot of costumes. But let's start on the fandom attitude.

I saw people criticising that Alicent has too many costumes and then also that characters rewear clothes too often. It feels like you can't please the fandom whatever you do. I personally don't support either opinion. Costumes should be worn more than once, to safe money but also storywise. Even in universe all clothes are handmade and throughout our own history clothes were not only worn once, even by the wealthiest people, but altered and refashioned again and again. I wish however, we saw the alteration part a bit more. Game of Thrones for example added further embroidery to many of Cersei's dresses for the second and third season and gave them a different look this way. I think some of the first season's costumes could be altered to fit the actors better as well as the new art direction.

Which I agree is bad is actually the quality of many season 01 costumes but we must not forget this was a Covid season and we don't know how much budget was actually allocated to costumes. From what I read and saw, they couldn't really do proper fittings due to social distancing. So costumes not fitting 100% became only worse with the unfortunate choice of some of the fabrics which looked cheap on camera, e.g. Alicent's red & black dress or Rhaenyra's golden dress that some dubbed the potato sack dress which I found hilarious. I don't know how to fix Rhaenyra's tbh but Alicent's dress in velvet or brocade would have looked amazing in my opinion. I will still cut the designer and costume department some slack since we don't know budgeting. Covid safety measures were for example so expensive that Good Omens season 02 cut its episode lengths from 60 to 45 minutes to budget for them. House of the Dragon definitely didn't safe on the special effects, actors or set building from what I saw, so my best guess is that costuming got way less founding than we'd expect. Still I think some dresses worked out well, like young Rhaenyra's orange dress and the brown coat or older Rhaenyra & Alicent's dresses at the last dinner with Viserys.

In conclusion, I don't think they are bad or the people making them lack talent. I think the fandom is impossible to please and there were outside factors that influenced decisions to the worse. But overall these costumes are fine and are doing their jobs. I personally can't wait to see what they'll do for the third season.

(Off topic but I also think people are talking way too bad about Reign's clothes and only superficially look at the first few episodes. But that's a topic for another day.)

[evwritesgames]

On Ideology and Practicality in the Age of Grift

I'm probably not going to be a successful independent creator. And there's lots of reasons for this that are beyond my control. We often talk, amongst ourselves, about those reasons. External factors like what artists are paid are situations we'd like to change, but require a lot more than one person's pushing to get it done. So we can safely say it's beyond a single creator's control and we can commiserate about this when we need to, raise awareness, and write primers that tell people about these problems.

This is all good. When you go from there to factors you can control, things get dicier. Ideology, which drives the discourse about uncontrollable external shit, falls by the wayside and convictions suddenly become a lot more flexible. This is about practicality. One must be practical if one is to survive a capitalist dystopia. You won't hear any argument from me about that idea, not in the abstract. I get it. I was raised pretty poor by Canadian white people standards and I know what it's like to wonder where my next meal is coming from, where my mom disappeared off to while looking after a younger sibling, be bullied for wearing hand-me-downs, etc.

As a younger adult, poverty was a badge of honor for a certain type of person and because of economic shifts, the brunt of which are still being born by my generation, being poor in your 20s was no longer a thing you hid because you hate to be pitied, or a cynical yuppie aesthetic, but a norm. Most of my friends were paycheck to paycheck and we knew people who weren't and those were the people who usually threw the parties, hosting their legions of friends who didn't have rich parents buying them a college house in a bear market, providing an "alcohol budget" weekly (this was a common thing, believe it or not), etc. A lot of those more privileged people kept on receiving privilege and not all of them, unfortunately, stayed or became aware of it and sensitive to its absence in others as it became very clear that millennials, at least, are a semi-deliberately impoverished cohort.

Anyway. There are a lot of good reasons to be ethically flexible, ideologically practical, in today's world. But for me, there are limits and they aren't gentle.

For example, I quit Facebook when I found out about Cambridge Analytica. No one else I knew did. I quit Reddit during the Trump years when fascist, racist subreddits were front page and suddenly filled to the brim with angry idiots and the far larger number of young kids being influenced by them. I quit Twitter when Musk bought it and made it a safe space for murderers, fascists, and bigots.

I am sure that, before long, something will happen with Tumblr and I'll say "there it is, that funny feeling". I'll quit, eventually feeling less horrified and more frustrated and angry about sacrificing yet more fragile reach in this vicious online circus. After that, I'll note that my peers ignore the problem and suspend their convictions, if they have any, in favor of something else. A different priority.

Using any of these social media is, in my opinion, a moral hazard. It's worse if you make money through that use, because suddenly you've got blood on your hands. Real blood. Dead people. Unintended consequences. You're probably reading this and something deep inside you is just recoiling from this idea. You do NOT want to be responsible for the unintended consequences of your actions. Who would?

And you or someone else will be tempted to view the above as more shit you can't control. But this isn't really true, is it? You can quit social media, it's just that in doing so you have to say goodbye to what precious little control you have in an Age of Grift. You tell yourself that it's okay, that there's no ethical consumption under griftopia and you'll just consider yourself a fighter by other means.

All of that is fine, too, I guess. It's not really my business to judge the decisions of others except, of course, that's not true either. We all judge each others' decisions all the fucking time. That's what social media, deep in its black heart, really is. It's a social control mechanism that runs on judgment. We've come up with all kinds of euphemisms for this, but it's mostly claptrap that easily reduces to simple monkey logic, playground politics, etc.

So if you feel judged by what I'm saying, I guess that's too bad. Scroll on to the next thing that makes you feel judged and hope the judgment is kind, that the judgment is more like "you are cool if you get this reference" and you can say, "I get this reference" and receive a small dopamine hit for your time.

In spite of my pontificating, I get it. I ask myself every single day if I'm just kidding myself taking these ideological positions that shoot me in both feet. I have made things a lot harder for myself by quitting these spaces, by taking these positions, and by shouting this message from the rooftops -- occasionally, when I'm not busy having a mood spiral or panic attack over the state of things and how, like it or not, we need each other to make things change and when you look around and everybody's eyes are still on the capitalist prize they tweet about despising, you don't feel very revolutionary. I will probably not be a successful independent creator.

[welcome-to-oslov]

Oh man. I just got to the point where Artur told Tilrey that it was him who made a split-second decision to leave him behind when Malsha escaped. The touch about Tilrey saying, "Oh maybe you just got to the apt too early or too late, I was at the gym before..." and Artur saying, "No, I saw your boots in the cold room with melting snow on them," was just 💔

I can see Artur wanting to seize a chance to separate Tilrey from Malsha. Thinking he's helping him. "So what happened? Did the Island Party take you in?" Oh Artur...

If this is definitely what happened, I say Artur definitely made the wrong choice. Though Malsha was evil and def wasn't easing up his mindfucking (and literally fucking) of Tilrey, I say the 3 subsequent years with the Island Party were worse than if he'd gone with Malsha - as Artur said, Malsha had less power in his new locale and Tilrey could've eventually escaped.

Instead, Tilrey got the harm of abandonment, grief, IntSec, and 3 years of various ritual gangrapes, uncontrollable multiple partners, dehumanization, and brutalization with objects, fists, & others by Linden. This continued to affect him all his life: overhearing himself being described in humiliating ways at Council meetings for decades, his own son being shown porn pics of Tilrey that he'd been so upset to be forced to do in the first place (that one hurt me 😢). Tilrey creates an impressive role for himself (his intelligence & strength put to work) and may even be the savior taking down the whole system. But.... I bet he could've found a way to that path through escape from Malsha in Harbour. Poor guy.

(Also agree with you that it's hard to believe Malsha didn't actually want to inflict this on Tilrey. I can't believe Artur, knowing Malsha as he does, would apparently interpret Malsha's reaction at being told he couldn't bring Tilrey as heartbroken?! Maybe Malsha was disappointed because he wanted to see Tilrey's face as he told him he's abandoning him and describe the abuse/fate he'll have now 🤷‍♀️. That said, Tilrey was still very young & they'd "only" had 2 years together, so maybe Malsha was just sad to lose such a hot piece of ass with a constantly distraught mind.)

I think you're right, Artur made the wrong choice, even as he tried to help! Tilrey could have been so happy in Harbour. He could have healed from what Malsha did to him—not quickly or easily, but it would have made a difference.

But Malsha's escape to Harbour was a bit of a leap in the dark: Neither he nor Artur knew much about what to expect. Malsha had lived there as a diplomat, but that was basically living in a walled Oslov compound. He and Artur might both have imagined that he would have more control over Tilrey in Resurgence than was actually possible, or that Tilrey would be too afraid to escape him. Oslov propaganda paints everywhere that isn't Oslov as lawless and terrifying, and even Malsha might have been subconsciously influenced by that.

Then there's the factor of Malsha's pure possessiveness. I do think he wanted more time with Tilrey and didn't want Verán to have his "property." I can imagine him debating the issue. He is a control freak, so he might have trouble knowing someone else was hurting Tilrey and he (Malsha) could neither control nor even observe the process.

OTOH, Malsha was also the one who called Tilrey "the key to Oslov," which could be taken as a premonition of Tilrey eventually leading the rebellion—or just a lucky guess. I do think that if Malsha were still alive by the time the rebellion came to fruition and could know how Tilrey turned out, he would be very pleased and attempt to take full credit for shaping Tilrey into a weapon to take down the system. Because he's just that twisted!

[sevilemar]

This is turning into a coming out post series, but something weird happened today.

Today at the course, we were talking about job interviews, and the kind of questions we as applicants should ask potential employers in that situation. I wanted to know if it's a good idea to ask employers how open I could be with my nonbinary gender identity, if I decide to be out at work in the future. It might be an important factor in my own decision making process, after all.

The instructor's answer was 'No', btw, because it will influence the employer's decision negatively at a point when it really should not matter. Which is its own can of worms, I guess, but also practical advice. That was not the interesting part, though.

The interesting part came in the break immediately after. I went down to the yard alone for a bit as always, and when I came back, everyone in the group visibly clustered around me in a way that hadn't happened before, and they made me the centre of the group's attention for a while, taking very deliberate care to include me in the conversation.

It's not how people usually behave around me, and they certainly didn't before. It was noticeable, weird and a little uncomfortable, but not unpleasant. I just talked like normal, and they also went back to normal when break was over.

I did not make the connection to my question and maybe the instructor's reaction for a while, but I think it might be connected? Nothing else happened, after all, and everyone there seems like decent, reasonably kind and reflected people; the kind that are/want to be/want to think of themselves as inclusive, even if they might not have much experience with it in practice. Maybe this was their way of showing it?

Another thing of note: A few hours later when we were doing our last exercise, the instructor referred to me and the only women in the group as 'ladies', which she has never done before. I am undecided if she had already forgotten I'm not female even if I might look the part, if it was an unconscious reaction to reassert categories in her mind, or if it was more or less deliberate.

Could also be all three, or none of it. I don't have a good enough read on her to decide. She is a very smooth talker with a lot of meta knowledge about communication, she has a very pleasant professional facade and a lot of experience in giving these courses, and her self-confidence shows in a rather laid-back teaching style. Combined it makes it difficult to read personal likes or dislikes, which I very much appreciate in any kind of teacher or instructor in general.

So far, experiment coming-out in a temporary professional environment is going well.

[orszemgyorgy]

Walking Away for Your Well-being

In our journey through life, one aspect that we often overlook or struggle with is the ability to walk away from people, places, and things that no longer resonate with who we truly are and the potential we have to offer. Strangely, this isn't a subject that garners much attention or discussion. I, too, was once under the impression that sticking around, regardless of the circumstances, was a way to demonstrate the value that certain individuals, situations, or objects might hold in our lives. It seemed logical to me that the more we invested, the more we'd discover their worth.

However, what I failed to recognize was the profound revelation that emerged from persisting in situations that were, ultimately, detrimental to my well-being. It wasn't until later that I comprehended the toll this "stick it out" mentality was taking on me. Instead of proving worth, it had become a source of self-sabotage, emotional exhaustion, and pervasive misery.

Navigating the fine line between when to stay and when to leave is a deeply personal and often agonizing endeavor. It's a choice that differs for every individual and is influenced by countless factors. The decision is never straightforward; it's riddled with complexity and emotional turbulence. However, I've come to a transformative understanding: choosing oneself is neither selfish nor arrogant.

In reality, it's a sacred and profoundly beautiful act. It demands that we practice the art of prioritizing our own well-being in a manner that is both wholesome and nurturing. The power and significance of this act should not be underestimated, especially when it comes to the processes of healing, transformation, and personal growth.

This choice, this act of self-determination, is a cornerstone of personal development. It serves as a cornerstone upon which we can rebuild our lives, recalibrate our sense of self-worth, and rediscover our innate potential. As we embark on this journey of self-discovery and self-prioritization, we unveil a path toward healing, a catalyst for change, and the fertile ground from which we can cultivate personal growth.

So, my message is simple: Do not second-guess the power of choosing yourself. Embrace the courage to walk away from what no longer serves you, for it is through this act that you can truly find your path to healing, transformation, and authentic growth.

[jankslide]

Individualism and Community

Something that I have been thinking about lately is how individualistic we are as a society. I was discussing with Matt. Basically we were talking about how Japan's population growth is so fucked, it looks very top heavy because of the absurd amount of elderly and the waning young population. Now by all means we are no experts on population growth or the social/political standards of Japan in general, let alone specific factors that can cause this. But the kinda general idea we were getting at was how could a culture as community based as Japan be having these issues? Like it's built into their culture the value of family and how they care for the elderly and the elderly stay active mentally/physically longer, in part because of sense of community within family and geographic neighborhood. Like the layman's understanding of Japan's issue is that the younger generation have no interest?, or some sort of barrier preventing them from having intimate interactions with each other. The Japanese young adult male has been characterized, the accuracy is up for debate, as isolated/lonely/overworked. Whether it's the work that leaves no mental energy for interpersonal connections. Or it's the overwhelming dread of the dating market. They have found solace in other forms, most recognized being anime or vocaloids. Which has in our amateur opinion, really harmed the population growth of Japan as a whole, causing these issues with a waning upcoming generation.

This entire discussion on Japan kinda just served as a precursor to some of the other issues with individualism. The use for television, and cable, as a member of the internet generation is basically nonexistent. You need it for sports, but streaming alternatives exists in league pass (or national games have the youtube TV option). Most people rely upon youtube, a number of streaming services, and various video sharing social media (tiktok being the largest that comes to mind, vine/musically once shared this market space) for video entertainment. The content that people engage in is so specific and individualized at this point. Couch socializing is dead. The fuck is couch socializing? I guess i would characterize this term I've just created as this: the communication and conversations that occurred from a shared bonding experience of indulging in TV. This is a time when everyone had the TV as their only source of video content. There were multiple people in the household, so the decision of what to watch may commonly have been an executive decision, but a decision that everyone would partake in ( a child's influence on what channel's on Friday night was likely nonexistent in comparison to their parent). This was a time when conversation could be had during the program, during the commercials, while you were waiting for "your show" ( another phrase that seems to have died) to start. This time just provided such a natural instance for you to converse with your family, roommates, whoever was there to watch.

I used to hate commercials, but I really see the positive perspective of them at this point. TV commercials were such a natural break in programming. The annoyance of the unskippable youtube ad doesn't exist here. You know roughly when the commercials are coming, you know roughly how long the commercials last. Need to use the bathroom? Want to get a snack? Need a beverage before the climax of the episode? The commercial gives you that break, involuntarily; yet so uniform was the experience, you could plan around it. The amount of marketing and consumerism fed to the average person cant possibly have been at a higher point than it is currently. Ads have more variety than commercials? Maybe, but not in my experience. I do have a strong guttural feeling that im exposed to more commercials(ads) than ever before in my life. Whether youtube midrolls, the youtuber's sponsor, or the myriad of scrollable suprise sponsorships on tik tok, the amount of messaging you're exposed are at astronomical levels. Theyre just as ivoluntary as TV, but the sheer number we must because of how diverse video content is; honestly, tragic how much of my visual intake must be ads at this point. You get trapped in the tik tok or instagram feed; the addiction of social media helps to feed more messaging to you (consequently increasing the value of advertising on their platform). Commercial were involuntary but uniformly lasted long enough for you be able to plan breaks. The trap of social media addiction doesnt allow this luxury of natural breaks. One swipe eliminates a tik tok ad. 5 seconds allows you to skip a youtube ad. This skippability is beneficial from an impatience stand point. But it secretly ruins youre self-discipline. No natural commercial break to let you think, yeah i'll turn off the tv and do something else. The ads are too short for you to divert your attention elsewhere, another design to help trap you in the app. It's crazy how these realizations have induced a longing for TV as it used to be.

The final point in this i want to mention is the value of limited television. There are just so many different shows, on so many streaming platforms, that cater to so many different demographics, it's hard to find the commonality of shows between people. Seinfeld is probably one of the most well-known examples of the idea I'm getting at. Seinfeld was a cultural phenomenon. Everybody watched Seinfeld and knew what it was. After the new episode premiered, you know that's gonna garner some level of discussion the next day at work. This was a show that brought so many different people together. It was so huge you knew that other people had seen it, so an immediate conversation topic presented itself. Streaming has its heavy hitters (stranger things for one) but it really isn't the same. You were limited to what was on TV. A show you didn’t love would still likely be one you indulged because the other options werent present. Now with such an abundance of media, you can find it hard to carve the time to binge a show. Binging has also killed this weekly conversation topic, but thats a discussion for another post. The point was the limitation of television shows helped to create that sense of community, which is somewhat lost at this point. Streaming, youtube, vimeo, access to bingeable older media has given too many options to oppose the popular culture show. You dont even need to watch other high production media as a substitute ( you got youtube with its variety of content). No need to buy the boxset of an older show with some reruns that intrigued you to watch the rest; streaming and piracy give you this option at limited cost or free. There's just too many options; the shared indulgence of visual culture is not gone by any means, but the point is how specific and catered it is at this point. The wide appeal and connection that this medium once provided has significantly been diminished. I just wish for a more community based environment; it's tough living in an individualistic society without a sense of how to socialize.

[roobylavender]

Hello. Hi. I’m the anon who sent that ask some time ago about Jason and Barbara and about that topic and the connection and hurt that would accumulate from that. I think I used an example of something I was reading at the time, if you still have it I’m okay with you sharing it. I don’t know if you had any thoughts on it and if not that’s okay, I love your blog and find your connections with characters so great to read. I understand why people shy away from talking about that kind of subject but Yale and Ostrander asked themselves the same question and wrote what they could with what they had. It just bubbles in my mind how DC had their hands on their million dollar batgirl and then they allowed something like that to happen to her and I guess in a way I see that transitioning over to how she might have been seen by those who knew her at the time and who were working with her up until that point.

I saw a synopsis for a story that dealt with this fourteen year old boy who admired the older golden girl from their town from afar, and then she gets raped in their small town one day. I’m assuming in the story you end up seeing how the town handled it and how different characters come to gripes with it. But this really got me thinking about DC characters and rape because there are many characters that have been sexually assaulted and very few of them are handled with care and many more are written accidentally or have racist meaning behind the decision, but almost every character has been written with a scene (whether intentional or not) of sexual abuse or sexual assault but the most famous is of course Barbara Gordon’s. And I don’t mean to make this about another character but it did get me thinking of Jason Todd’s reaction in the one issue written by Starlin and ultimately how this character would have handled hearing about what happened to her, and it was connected to the same person who would later murder him. It’s interesting to think what they would have thought of each other knowing that they both knew younger versions of their characters because they didn’t interact when they return into other respective roles. But that connection of Jason saw a woman hang herself and saw the unfairness - to here is Barbara (who was also his batgirl who he followed and likely had some kind of friendship with) also has this horrible thing happen - really had me thinking thoughts and connecting what a genuine conversation of them meeting again would look like.

no worries, i don't mind posting it at all! and yeah truly like obv with any character you can't ignore the editorial perception and influence but with barbara in particular it's really striking.. i'm not sure whether it was apathy or hatred or a combination of both that led to all that happened to her, but even beyond that classification i'm simply confused what was so uninteresting about her. she retired obv but at the time batman editorial was about to move into a decade of increased focused on civilian characters so i'm not sure why she couldn't have maintained a part in that. maybe if that collective of writers had gotten to her in time things might have been different. but in either case ig we're really lucky that despite the circumstances of the killing joke she was able to fall into yale and ostrander's hands. i really would have loved to see them factor jason into her healing process, it's a shame the idea escaped them given the way jason was treated wholesale at the time

[historyman101]

This Tumblr blog is retired.

No, this is not clickbait. This is real.

And no, I’m not nuking this blog off the internet. But I will no longer be actively posting.

Read on below, if you care.

To get right to the point, this is a decision that I have thought about for at least a year now if not more. Several factors influenced this, but chief among them was how the site is little more than a ghost town. Whenever I post there is barely a peep or any kind of feedback. Not dissing the people who do give me likes and all that, it’s just the reality of the website now. 

Another major factor was...well...all the friends I made on this site are gone now. They’ve either left Tumblr, fallen off the radar, cut ties with me or have simply migrated to other platforms. The group of friends I had on here has whittled away and the ones I still do keep in touch with are now on Discord, essentially eliminating the need for me to talk to them through Tumblr.

In addition, Tumblr as a website has been on a very long and very slow downward trend really ever since the apocalypse happened in 2018. You know the one. The one that the devs finally reversed, almost three years after the fact when the site has lost most of its userbase. Nice job breaking it, staff. I had half a mind to leave right then and there but I stayed on because, well, I still had some attachment to it. I still do now, but it’s been hard to keep that up as the years go by. 

While I haven’t been posting as often, one thing that has continued are the angry messages and PMs from people picking a fight with me about drama in the Astral Army server and about Eureka 7 in general from five years ago. Yes, I know, you’re all sick of hearing about it. I’m sick of talking about it. Even when I have long stopped talking about E7 and I posted about something completely unrelated like my recent overseas vacation, there were still people trying to gaslight me. I really do wish people would just let that drama go and leave the past in the past. But I guess that’s just too much to ask of some people. I won’t name any names, but to those people all I have to say is this: Grow the fuck up. Get over it. The world has moved on and so have I.

While I’m on the subject, I might as well say this now. To the people who knew what was going on and stayed silent, it really would not have been hard to disavow or condemn what was happening. And no, I don’t mean a mealy-mouthed, anemic “people should just be nice to each other” kind of disavowal. I mean “what’s happening to Historyman is wrong and it shouldn’t be happening at all. People need to chill out, check themselves, and leave him alone.” That’s all you had to say. That’s all I ever asked. Was it really that difficult to do? 

If you try to come back to me on Discord with some weak explanation, spare me. I don’t want to hear it. You had plenty of chances to curb this and you did nothing. Your silence was deafening and now, I’d rather you stayed silent.

Ugh, okay, enough bitching and moaning. I want this last post to be pleasant.

I started this blog when I had finished college in 2012 when Eureka 7: AO was still airing. I was in the middle of rewriting my historical fanfiction series set in World War II which got me tons of attention and introduced me to many cool people. I still talk with a few of them to this very day, 10 years later. In the time I’ve been on here, so much has changed both in my life and in the world in general. I wrote not just one, but six books, including my historical series (still aiming to get those published by the way. I’m not giving up!). I lost my father to heart failure. I traveled to so many exotic and fascinating places. Germany, Russia, the Czech Republic, Austria, Hungary, Switzerland, Hawaii, and most recently, Ireland and Iceland. I earned my masters’ degree from one of the top graduate schools in America. I got a job in a field that I love and have dreamed of all my life. And now, come next year, I’ll be a homeowner. 

On Tumblr, I almost religiously followed developments with Eureka 7 and forged some tight bonds with fellow fans, some of which last to this day. I watched the fandom thrive despite AO’s failings, slowly disappear in the following years, and then rise like a phoenix for Hi-Evolution before it disappointed us all and splintered it possibly forever. I can still remember vividly the close friends I made in that community, all the talented artists I met and worked with to create fanart for the historical series, and the many nights spent in tinychats having fun. Ever since Hi-Evo came out and after my public divorce with the Astral Army, there is still a group of people who want to paint a picture that I caused this fandom to fall apart. That somehow, whether due to my own personal vendettas, my own aggressive nature, or something else entirely, the decline and fall is on my shoulders. Obviously, I reject those accusations in full, but I also have stopped trying to make my case because frankly, it’s too exhausting. If people want to think of me as this fandom’s devil or Judas Iscariot, fine. It’s not like I could do or say anything to change their minds anyway. All I will say about Eureka 7 is the following.

I still owe a lot in my life to that anime. I owe it my presence on Tumblr. I owe it my surviving friendships. I arguably owe it my writing career. While I can’t help but be sad about how the franchise has gone over the last 15 years and how it’s all ended, I am still deeply thankful and grateful to have watched it when I did. It will always be my favorite anime, the series that made me into an anime fan. I will forever be an Eureka 7 fan, even if the fandom no longer includes me. To my long-lost friends in this fandom, I hope that you continue to prosper and thrive, wherever you are. To those who call me their enemy, I’m sorry things turned out how they did. I’m sorry for all of it. But like Renton and Eureka, it’s time for me to leave the nest.  

While Eureka 7 is what I was most known for, I did delve into other anime as well. I wrote reviews for the latest hits like Violet Evergarden, Maquia: When the Flower Blooms, Demon Slayer: Mugen Train, and Fena: Pirate Princess. I even watched what is possibly the worst anime ever made, Ex-ARM. But as time has gone on, I find myself less inclined to keep up with modern anime and write reviews for the latest show. Maybe it’s because I’m older. Maybe it’s because I have a busier life than before. Maybe I’m just jaded from the constant and unceasing barrage of new anime that get buried half a season later by newer anime. Either way, nowadays I only rarely watch whatever anime comes out these days; it’s largely what catches my interest and if not that, then older titles. In fact, I’ve told my friends lately that enough anime has been made that you could watch just older titles and get more entertainment from them than any of the newer stuff released in the last 5 years.

Apart from anime, my writings occupied a lot of my time here. Like I said it’s what got me my start and my initial wave of attention. The Historical Eureka Seven series took me five years to do, starting in 2012 and finally concluding in 2017. I have been quietly editing the series for publication really ever since its conclusion and if I posted it now on FP or AO3, it would read extremely differently. As of this post, there is only one book left to edit. However, I have also been writing other stuff too: What Is It All For, a historical romance set in the Spanish Civil War; and Welcome to Wakeford, my first foray into horror. However, in the time since I became gainfully employed, the time available to write the long, expansive epics I used to write has greatly shrunk. I am now at a place where, while I still have a multi-volume novel series set in the Napoleonic era planned (and yes, I’m going to talk about that in a moment), I don’t have the time to write as I once did. In fact, recently I have struggled to get a short horror story done in time for Halloween. I will have to reschedule it for next Spooky Season. Smaller projects seem to be more manageable for me these days even when things get in my way like work, a vacation, and a really bad case of the flu.

To the Frev/Napoleonic Community: don’t think I have forgotten about you. I know full well that people still want to learn about what I’m doing regarding the Jozef Poniatowski Saga. The Polish Bayard’s time will come soon enough, but that’s the thing. Like I said before, my time to write is limited these days, as is my time to conduct research. I still have a day job that requires my full attention. Quite frankly, my situation with that has been nothing short of a whirlwind in the last six months. I had to relocate to the DC metro area and pretty much hit the ground running in my new position. Things can still get hectic at work even now. I’m not saying that to make an excuse or to issue false promises but merely to give you a sense of where my life is right now. I am still committed to sharing Poniatowski’s story as I think his is a tale well worth telling. But like everything else I’ve written in the past, it will take time. This is more than just another historical fiction for me: it’s ultimately a return to the multi-volume epic wartime romance story I used to write. That kind of project requires a massive commitment of time. When Pepi’s time will come, I cannot say for sure, but it will come. 

One thing I’ve learned in the time I’ve been on Tumblr in general is to be humble and self-critical. I always go back to my previous drafts and find something that I could have done or said better. There are things I firmly believed to be true only to be told point blank that it was absolutely false. And yes, you may not believe it, but there are things I have done and said in the past that I do regret. If I could take one thing back, it wouldn’t be one thing; it would be a million things. There are those who I’ve pushed away because I was either too blind to understand what was happening or just too stubborn to admit I was at fault. To those people, even though I most likely will never see or hear from you again, I am sorry, and I wish I could take it all back. My only hope is that your lives are happy and fulfilling.

I’ve also learned that to survive you need to roll with the punches and take life as it comes. Don’t let the distant, abstract things in life get you down. Whether that’s from a troll who won’t let go of the past, an anime franchise that’s decayed and fallen to ruin, a worldwide pandemic, or even just the fear of your own mortality, the best thing you can do is live your life one day at a time. There are always going to be disappointments, but there’s no sense in wallowing in that self-pity and misery. The best thing to do after falling down hard is to get right back up and keep walking. If your legs can still move, then use them.

Before I end this long goodbye, I want to clear some things up and let people know what’s happening. Like I said before, I’m not deleting this blog. I will keep it up if only out of posterity. There is a lot of history on here and I don’t want that to just be erased. In fact, there are still some people who interact with my posts even now. 

I will not be migrating to any new platform. I am not going to Twitter, aka the most cancerous cesspool on the internet. I will not stream on Twitch because the way they enforce their TOS makes me fear I would get shadowbanned right off the bat. I’m sticking to Discord because that’s where all my friends are, and it’s where I’m most comfortable. I will also keep up all the old stories I wrote on this blog as I know for a lot of people it’s really the only way to find them. I will NOT be updating this blog with new projects going forward. However, if any of my followers or friends in Discord want to post my work on their pages, they are more than welcome to do so; I only ask that you tag me in any posts you make. 

For anyone who still wants to keep up with what I do, writing or otherwise, Discord is the best place to find me. Even if you don’t want to join my server, you can hit me up privately. My username is same as here, and my number is #2503. Don’t be shy; I may not answer your PMs immediately, but I do read every message that is sent. I always welcome new friends to chat with. 

To be honest, this still feels kinda surreal. I still can’t believe I’ve been on this platform for 10 years. This feels like I’m closing the book on one big chapter in my life. But at the same time, closing one chapter means opening another one. Whether it’s an exciting pulse-pounder or boring filler remains to be seen, but all I do know is that I have to leave something behind to start that chapter. And this tumblr is it.

I will always have fond memories of this place, even in the bad times. I will cherish the friends I made here, remember the laughs I had, and keep all those memories close as I move onward. To all my followers, new and old, thank you for your continuous support and dedication. You have no idea how much that meant to me.

May the road rise to meet you. May the wind always be at your back. May you get it by your hands. 

Don’t beg for things; do it yourself, or else you won’t get anything.

Until we meet again, drink on, old friend.

[ramrodd]

Is decision-making influenced by individual differences in thinking processes?

The short answer is "Yes"

COMMENTARY:

Mister Spock notwithstanding, decision-making comes down to an emotional evaluation, It feels right,

Every decision ultimately comes down to a SWAG process: Scientific Wild-Ass Guess. The Pucker Factor is engaged, big time, One of the things you have to learn to do to be qualified to fly on instruments is to believe your instruments not matter haw insane it feels, This is where Reason earns its keep.

I have no magic formula for decision making as a process theology guru, I have some useful tools for constantly improving your personal decision-making for fun and profit or in the line of duty, The Pursuit of Happiness requires decision-making, Benjamin Franklin is the source of the Pursuit of Happiness that harnesses the entrepreneurial impulse of the LOGOS being in the world. A self-actualizing, wlf0aware being in the word.

In poker, if you can fuse your Pucker Factor to probability, you will be able to earn an honest and comfortable living, There is more to poker than probability, but if you are a high stakes player, the Zen of your decision making process is reflected in every bet you make. I’m not component at poker, mostly because I don’t like risking money, Period. I prefer cribbage, I learned to play from an Army wife who had been a POW in the Philippines. We played for Blood Points: if you missed a combination, your opponent could them if it could be demonstrated. The first decision is what to discard. Then the cut determined the range of tactics you held. Most of the emotion was wrung out of each decision as the play progressed. The options became pretty binary until there were hats on the green.

So, in your own decision method, identify your Zen moment in all your decisions in something you love. The Zen moment is when you have thrown the dice and they are tumbling, At that moment, you are one with the universe. It should be a moment of serenity,

And that is what process theology is all about in the Gospel of Mark,