#but i'm more than aware that there are plenty of great dudes in this community

[sortanonymous]

BREAKING: Local Sonic newbie* has no clue how to play through them for the first time

With this year already shaping up to be an exciting time for Sonic, I've basically decided to just start playing through at least an assortment of Sonic games. (Thanks, random guys online for those PC decompilations of the first two games (even if the Spring Zone boss is the worst)!) And it's kind of weird because even though I've had a bit of interest in Sonic for eight years now (longer than most franchises) and have kind of dipped my toes in even some of the newer classics over the years (Colors, Generations, and Mania), I'm still pretty new to most of the actual games. So a part of me feels like going with some casual, safe picks, Safe bets like the Genesis classics, Colors, Generations, Mania, and the other consensus good Sonic games, maybe also slightly iffier ones or ones that might not have aged so well like the Adventure games (on GameCube).

That said, my more daring side that loves planning whole marathons for game series (and then giving up by the end of game #3 at the absolute max) is thinking, "ALL OF THEM" (okay, maybe not the allegedly really bad ones like 3D Blast, Shadow, Forces, or vanilla '06). Play the good ones! Play the meh ones (I guess like Heroes, Lost World, and Superstars)! Play the 8-bit games and handheld exclusives, even the ones that are just shrunken 2D versions of console games like Colors on DS or Generations on 3DS (funny how we now have the big versions of both games on a Nintendo handheld, even if at least one of the ports got botched)! It's not even like accessibility is a huge issue, as having a Windows laptop that can at least run 16-year-old Valve games really well at 1200p/60fps as well as both a modded 3DS and modded Wii U means I've got plenty of options for at least the pre-Switch stuff!

[rei-ismyname]

X-Men #6 FROM THE ASHES

Last issue is starting to make a lot more sense - I think Jed McKay might have strong feelings about the Morrison era. Spoilers, obviously.

Hi Xorn! Hi Magneto! Good to have you join us. It's nice to see Magneto is progressive, polite and welcoming. It's still an ideological regression from where he was at in X-Men Red/RoM/Uncanny X-Men #700, but I guess he's mostly scenery in this comic sadly. As a fellow disabled burden on society I empathize with him, but I'd like to see him still be a character of focus. Otherwise, why put him in the book? It's a shame his moment makes Xorn look like a fool - is that really his first question? Dude is a fucking monk and these people are right there.

He's wearing his Morrison/Quitely uniform too, which is not a great comparison to be drawing imo. He was last seen hanging out with his brother and Legion in Way of X, but I suppose this is as good a place as any for him to be now. Hopefully we see more of him.

Look how much Quentin has grown since Riot at Xavier's. Or maybe he's depressed. Either way he's definitely looking sharp. Idie notices one of the protesters throwing up the M.

People want Beast to solve their problems but he doesn't have the same experience and knowledge as old Beast, not that X-FORCE Beast did any of that. It's a character beat, but one we've seen before. Maybe he'll learn magic again! Magik is still very defeatist it seems, and perhaps her determination is waning. Can't say I blame her.

Quiche is dope but jokes about it aren't. Not this millennium. The Glob/Quentin dynamic is another Morrison callback. Don't worry, there's plenty more this issue 🙄. One pitfall with light-hearted quippy nostalgia is it undermines serious events happening next to it and gives mood whiplash. Somehow Idie knows Ilyana is communicating secretly with her brother. It doesn't come up again. Based on how McKay has been seeding beats we'll find out in issue #10.

Okay, so we know Magik is smart and now Idie does too. It'd be nice if more of this team started acting like friends - maybe this is the start of something beautiful. I can't say I buy Magik undermining Cyclops on a whim but she lays out the dilemma then puts Idie in charge.

They walk into the trap by putting Cobb Sr to sleep. Idie's secret is pretty cute and an effective 'cost of magic' shorthand. I am wary that it refers to nostalgia about a time that was already hyper nostalgia, but I'm getting used to it. We get to see the Cobb family dynamic, utterly predictable.

I enjoy everything on this page.

- Cyclops and Psylocke sparring

- Expanding on Hank and Mags' budding relationship with reference to their history.

- Building on Beast's fear of becoming a monster again.

- Magneto being emotionally supportive.

No new information here, though I love a jab at Fabian Cortez. This is more of a reference than anything else, though it's good to see some self awareness from Max. Although, Cortez showed a lot of growth on Krakoa.

This is a nice moment too. This version of Hank was a massive horn dog. Not saying that's where it's going but he's gregarious and it does make sense to have him be welcoming to another non-passing mutant. Glob too, though he comes off as massive dork. We still don't know much about Jen or Ben which makes it hard to get invested. If they do stick around they'd be inflating a cast that's already being covered unevenly.

Okay, Piper is here and Scott isn't pleased. Idie would have a point but it would have taken 2 minutes to talk about it. Yeah she asked for help and came willingly but as Scott says she's a minor. Her home life looks miserable and tracks closely enough to many queer experiences, but society unfortunately says children are property. It sucks, but she needs support. Nobody wins when her mother calls the cops. Is this about Piper or Idie here? I would love to see Idie being the moral core of the team but this just makes her look naive and impulsive - which is at odds with her 15+ years of characterisation. She was in jail last year!

Piper reveals that the 'Wild Sentinel' was after her and the Iron Night was her 'fault.' It's left on a cliffhanger but let's hope this doesn't torch the X-Men's relationship with Merle, Alaska.

The Morrison thing - Psychic rescue, Quentin and Glob, scientists making mutants, Cassandra Nova, Xorn is still in his uniform from the time, wild sentinel mention (which is super bizarre and out of place.) It's a lot and I'm probably missing stuff. My question is who this is for? New readers will just be confused. Morrison super fans are more likely to roll their eyes, judging by responses to last issue.

Overall this issue was pretty good. It progressed the plot, gave us time with the 3 characters who'd been ghosts, introduced new information and setup conflict with the town for next issue. I really wish the creative team would get their batting average a little higher in terms of solid issues. 33.3% is low enough in the abstract to make me drop the book - and this is one of the better ones. I know we can do better than this and it disappoints me how aggressively mid the X-books are right now.

I'm starting to recognise the formula they're working off, with information dribbling out at a snail's pace to the point that any issue becomes skippable then ending on a cliffhanger that's rarely paid off quickly. Uncanny has the same issue, which makes me think it's an editorial problem. Hell, solicits usually give more information than issues do. I'm not talking about tropes, I'm talking about the narrative tricks that allow them to publish issues that move at a glacial pace and use nostalgia to disguise the characters not being developed. One can hope :)

[escape-rock-bottom]

Hey There (Discomfort Challenge)

One day, a harsh reality hit me like a crowbar slamming me square in the face: I don't have many friends. I literally only had three very close ones, and two of them were high school friends I haven't spoken to for years. As you know, humans are social creatures and rarely is someone truly content with little to no social interaction and friends.

I personally fall into the category of people who are highly social but prefer a handful of really good friends over a large amount of acquaintances. I'm also in the category of socially anxious shy dudes who are secretly extroverts and love a good conversation. I just find it insanely hard to approach people for a variety of reasons I discussed in more detail in a previous blog. To summarize, I overthink things regarding socializing.

Apparently, the answer is painfully straightforward: People tend to ignore you unless you approach them. It seems like 90% of your relationships exist because you approached first, and 10% are from them approaching you.

Also, people generally keep to themselves and assume that others do the same. In my case, my resistance to making eye contact and approaching people makes it seem a whole lot like I'm not interested in chatting regardless of my actual intentions and desires.

People can't read minds, but they're great at reading body language. The difference between me and most other people is that my body language rarely betrays my intentions, emotions, or thoughts. That in itself creates complications with communication.

In order to take the guesswork and misinterpretation out of social interactions, I have to verbally express my intentions. If I want to talk, I need to make it clear with a greeting. If I want to be left alone, I'd need to ask for space. In reverse, I'd need to ask the other person what they need and learn to understand general social cues.

Yeah I can argue its unfair that I have to put in so much work into socializing but I have to be honest with myself: Who doesn't? Most people struggle with relationships in a variety of different ways.

Alright, I know my problems, but what good is that without a potential solution to them? How do I extinguish my anxiety regarding approaching people without freaking myself out? I came up with one idea after trying a previous method and realizing that was a little too scary at that time:

Just say hi to people I am familiar with.

That's a full on entry level baby step to conquering my fear right there. About two weeks ago I set out to greet people with a short and simple "hi". As of writing this post, I have still been doing so. It's getting a bit easier, but I still struggle with it. However, I've met quite a few cool people and was able to have more conversations than before.

It's nice to feel like I'm connecting to people where before I just sat there being pathetically lonely even though people were reaching out and engaging with me. It's even nicer to know that most of my relationships grew distant because of my lack of reaching out to them. Yes, I previously lacked that awareness and I will admit it's knowledge I only recognized after 24 years of my life.

Once again, with most types of anxiety, the way to deal with and overcome it is to take small steps to face it. Ignoring it or shifting blame to some other circumstance doesn't help you conquer that anxiety. Since I know my anxieties mainly surround social interactions, I set discomfort challenges to put me in a position to face my fears, but I know plenty of people who suffer the same or similar anxieties in their life.

Of course, it's up to you to test methods and choose the best fit. What will work for me may not for you, but the concepts themselves are universal: To overcome fear of socializing and building relationships, you need to practice putting yourself out there.

[surrsilver]

Let me say something else, while I am still up. It may be that there are couples who are "meant to be," "soulmates," etc. There may well be some events that are "meant to happen" as well as some individuals with a "personal destiny." There is no outcome, however, that is absolutely certain to happen regardless of the subjects associated with it persistence in partaking in bahavior that is counterproductive to that end. Same with relationships, a couple may be especially compatible, possess magical chemistry, whatever...if they refuse to treat one another with respect, or communicate important facts about their individual lives, devote time and ebergy toward getting to know one another, etc they have the same chance as a couple with none of their advantages: none. For over a week, I begged to be informed as to what was going on in a certain person's life (because, there WAS, no doubt, something serious afoot. I knew, or basically knew, of a couple issues...but, held a strong feeling that there was something else...something I needed to ear, prior

To commenting on what I already knew...I knew, also, that I had to get clean...and I planned on discussing this with her, as well)) I wanted to know so I could attempt to do something to help her. She may have thought there was nothing I could possibly do....she should have told me anyway...even if I could do nothing, I qould then be aware. I could, at least, say that it was important for me to know. When I made her aware that during certain times, she did hurt my feelings, she completely invalidated them and continued the behvior. The thing is, this is her right.....but, it is suicide for any future connection with me. When I message her and she attempts to cause me to believe that she doesn't even know who I am because I included mme in the "ask" and right now, what's important to her important to her is the stupid image she has with stupid people on tumblr as she behaves like a fucking pig. She has somehow convinced herself that this ultra loose behavior is "cool," "irreverent" and "sexy" It takes absolutely no innate talents or abilities to get a bunch of dudes hard and jacking off to you. The unfortunate thing is that she has plenty of legitimate, rare, genuinely impressive ways to get the attention of others, and has ignored these in favor of bullshit.

She likely has, or has had many men who eould jump at the chance to build a great life with her. Men with great jobs, terrific personalities, good genetics, what have you. She has never done so...i'm guessing, in part, because she has never addressed certain addictions. The fact that, at any given time, 100 different shitheads, alk claiming to be her "friend" are pulling her in the opposite direction because they don't want to, or can't substitute for a good piece of ass.

I am no catch, it's true...even though what her fuckboy, who has apparently become an exponentially larger piece of fucking garbage with age, told her about my situatiob is not exactly true (there is no time...none, when I can't make a phone call and get money. I don't always do it, but it's always an option. Unfortunately, this was not even close to the most disgusting lie told. Anyway, da sad that i am not automatically motivated anyway, and need some outside influence to care.....yeah z, sorry. Anyway, I wouldn't want her to worry about having to pay for everything, nor would I want her to be embareassed....and I make good money when I work. I've made much more money than the dipshit who assigned himself her gatekeeper, and, hey, she stamped that claim. It's not even close, though...you'd think she would have, at least....fuck it, nevermind. that.... But, I digress....I know I am one of many, many, many men who were, at one time, excited beyond belief, and now are scattered. I simply do not believe that she wants irmit this way....she knows no other. She doesn't believe in herself....why don't some of her friends start being her friends? It seems she could really benefit. Obviously, I wrote this while PARTICULARLY angry and upset with her. I am sure that I will look back upon it a few days from now, and it will seem even more over the top, and insensitive than it does now....let's be sure we aren't the ONLY side who accepts responsibility for slacking in the sensitivity department.