#clarity expanded edition

[fletcherwilbury]

@febuwhump Day 21: Unresponsive

Warning for Overworking, exhaustion, illness, coughing, wheezing, pneumonia, physical abuse, child abuse, medication

[prettieinpink]

HOW TO START IMPLEMENTING CHANGE + STAY MOTIVATED

HAVE A REASON. It is going to be hard to start inputting change in your life if you do not even have a reason why. That reason also has to come from within, not from any other externalities (friends, school, work, family). This reason has to make you strive to be better.

If you’re unsure about your reason, write down times when you feel your happiest and when you feel your lowest, then notice any common themes. 

BUILD DISCIPLINE. Discipline is the ability to be productive without hesitation or distractions. The only way to build it, is to practice it. Do the things you need/want to do, regardless of how you feel in the present.

Just remember, that you always feel better after committing to yourself.

MAKE YOUR PLAN SUSTAINABLE. Your routines and habits you want to implement, need to be at arm’s length for you. While I do believe in challenging yourself if your mind perceives that specific activity as ‘too hard’, it is going to make you avoid that task.

This is a reaction from your ego coming out of your comfort zone because it is so unfamiliar it wants to protect if anything ‘bad’ happens e.g. failure, loss of control and criticism. 

Reminder, that part of you is not bad at all nor is it holding you back. It is the part of you that wants to keep you safe. For your ego to allow you to do tasks out of your comfort zone, it needs to be simple and easy. Then from there, you can build it up to your ideal habit or routine. 

MAKE YOUR ENVIRONMENT INTENTIONAL. Your mind, space and the people around you need to be decluttered and serve a purpose. For your mind, avoid feeding it with an overload of information especially if you are not going to apply it. Minimise social media use and journaling instead of looking for a quick fix. 

Your space, specifically your bedroom has to be the best place for you to grow. Everything in your room needs to serve a purpose, it has to be kept clean to ensure mind clarity and place intentional items around to support your goals (mantras, workout mat, water bottle, instruments). 

The people around you have to support you and your journey. I don’t believe in the ‘value’ or ‘worth’ people have, but rather what you think of them. Someone could be the most overachieving and productive person ever, so they may inspire you, but what if they don’t wish the best for you? People who will support you regardless are the best resource ever.

BE FLEXIBLE. The ability to edit your habits or routine when needed so you can stick to a schedule or adapt to change is a powerful but underrated skill. Anything in life can happen, but if we want to stick to our goals, we need to develop flexibility. 

The best way to develop flexibility is to try everything. For example, meditation. Do 5, 10, 15, and 20 minutes, try it in the morning, afternoon or evening, do a guided one or do it by yourself. To get flexible in a habit, you need to expand your capabilities in that habit. 

ALWAYS SOMETHING RATHER THAN NOTHING. Typically during the day, we procrastinate because we want the challenging task to be perfect or we believe there’s not enough time/resources to do it. 

However, just having that small progress each day is always better than nothing. One sentence is better than none, one healthy meal is better than none, 2 minutes of exercise is better than none etc. 

HAVE GOALS THAT YOU LIKE. The reason so many people dislike doing their habits or routines is because it’s not stuff that’s enjoyable for them. It’s habits and routines that they got online from someone completely different. 

Choose your favourite way of exercising, read your favourite books(even graphic ones!) and journal the way you want. If the steps to becoming your best self are steps that you dislike, then it is not your best self. 

IDENTIFY THE WAY YOU SELF-SABOTAGE. If you are struggling to implement change, chances are there are small self-destructive behaviours that are in your routines that hold you back. 

This could be major procrastination, doom-scrolling, an addiction or binge eating. You either have to completely extract these habits from your life or you can do these things in moderation. 

TAKE REGULAR BREAKS. If you are being productive back-to-back and not allowing yourself to cool down, your motivation will deplete quickly. Have around 1-2 hours in your day doing anything you like.

If needed, after each task, take 5-10 minutes for yourself. However, do avoid your phone for these periods and try to be present in whatever you do here. 

HAVE SOFT DAYS. Days in which you do not have to do anything hardcore or intense, and you’re just living. While yes, be somewhat productive but nothing too intense.

This can be your reset, detox or self care days, or all of them combined!

[hwaightme]

ateez as signs of love (relationship hcs)

(masterlist) (perma-taglist)

8️⃣ pairing: bf!ateez x gn!reader 8️⃣ genre: headcanons, fluff, established long-term relationships 8️⃣ summary: the lessons, the comfort that love teaches and gives you, in a series of 8 headcanons with each of these beautiful souls 8️⃣ wordcount: 2.4k total 8️⃣ warnings/tags: not edited, drabble-style hcs, enamoured simping activated, soft and focused on subtle signs of love, energies that people give 8️⃣ taglist: at the bottom of the hcs 8️⃣ a/n: this anniversary holds a lot of significance to me, and i want to celebrate ateez together. i am forever grateful that they are in my life, and are a source of joy and hope. happy ateez day everyone. much love~

hongjoong

matching outfits, both in subtle and in louder ways - sharing accessories like earrings and rings, or colour coordinating for events you are attending together - a quiet signal that even if you are not loud about it, you two belong together and are on the same wavelength

lyrics dedicated to you and to what you have been through as a couple - how you have evolved and what you have seen and experienced; evolution through musical genre and through musical complexity - nods to travels, movies, conversations…

adoring glances across the room, wide smiles and hearty laughter at the silliest jokes simply because they are inside jokes in the language you two invented

challenging one another, proposing new viewpoints and debating on creative projects and ways forward in a healthy manner, while being each other’s number one fans and supporters; you can count on one another’s honest opinion, open arms and mind

late night calls, or calls that run through the entire night where you two either work remotely, or first connect under the pretense of sharing something but end up updating, chatting away, calming your hearts

becoming the second voice of reason, counting on the other to support and be the clarity when one is feeling distressed or unable to make a quick call of judgement or decision

encouraging freedom - two people with their own dreams and goals, respectful of space and time and working to maintain this even in a relationship; a powerful dynamic where the sky's the limit, and even then, you find a way to go above and beyond

having clear priorities and plans that span years, facing the future side by side and mapping it out against both individual and couple variables

seonghwa

feeling comfortable and safe to discuss feelings, fears, hopes, dreams, curled up on the couch together, drama left frozen on the television screen; bodies intertwined, hearts beating steadily, calmly, in a world built for two; deep conversations turning into pivotal moments, not being afraid to reveal and expose yourself to the other, being accepted and facing inner turmoil no longer alone

exploring and introducing each other to your interests and passions, learning and growing together, and in turn forming an even stronger connection through shared references, media, jokes; knowing each other's preferences and orders by heart, wordlessly sharing any meal with smiles on your faces and knowing what to send to one another when physically apart

order in a comfortable silence when doing chores or walking side by side in places you both love and cherish, wonderful chaos when both of you let go and play like kids again; reconnecting with all versions of yourselves and finding each one precious

encouraging each other to accept yourselves but also to expand horizons and to love both the world and the small things - operating by the “no harm in trying” principle

seeing each person as a universe, and other people, things, interests and events in their life as stars that form beautiful constellations - linking what is previously seen as disparate and making a new direction to develop into

making playlists for different moods, activities to suit the season, planning evenings days and mornings and then living through them with a serene enjoyment; reevaluating and rebuilding habits, finding fun in frustrations

returning home be it to an actual house or through the phone, talking about everything and nothing, and encouraging one another to try your best while maintaining a healthy balance

a safe space, because you are each other's home and no matter what you will be there to listen, to speak, to write the next lines in the poem of life together

yunho

reading each other's emotions and wordlessly showing support, be it through a touch of the hand or through the offering of a favourite snack or a kind word

playful competition, racing one another to the front door of your home, laughter ringing in the air; seeing the brighter side of the world together, and reminding one another that it exists when the going gets tough

spontaneous getaway to a beloved holiday destination, healing and relaxing together away from commotion and chaos - finding peace in quiet conversation and taking flights or drives as an opportunity to reflect, to free oneself and to simply focus on the journey itself

walking in nature, holding hands and listening to birdsong and shrill cries of cicadas - valuing the process of grounding oneself and listening to inner thoughts, beliefs and feelings

road trips and long walks, exploring new sights and making every place a shared new memory and a precious moment; moving beyond a set “base” when it comes to home, and treating the world like your home to find the place that you both truly belong to

remembering even the smallest events and details from years ago and holding them as invaluable, celebrating anniversaries by revisiting representations of said memories

quoting your favourite lines from films or video games, re-enacting scenes together and crafting impromptu performances in the living room before collapsing in adorable giggles

finding the world in one another’s eyes, catching each other off guard in the best way with sweet comments and with absent-minded touches of the hand, reassurance that even when your mind is elsewhere, you have an anchor, you have a person who you are racing… not against, but with

yeosang

perseverance - in times where you face trouble, a hurdle, a tumble downwards, you reach out to help the other to stand up again, and take pride in having gone through so much and now having that special someone with whom nothing is as scary

surrounding yourselves with kindness and positive energy - having a home that is safe, secure and reflects both of you perfectly; gradually and subtly learning about each other’s hidden parts, adoring them all the same

learning to accept help, and leaning on one another when difficulties arise; openly communicating and being able to voice concerns and questions - feeling comfortable to do so

playful banter and witticisms, knowing when to humble one another but also when to lift one another up; being able to non-verbally communicate when in larger groups

appreciating one another’s efforts and valuing improvements, hard work, acts of service that have been done discreetly

walking huddled under a large umbrella to your favourite cafe, ordering ice cream and drifting to the seats that have become yours and his; speaking quietly, recollecting the happenings of the day, calmly making puzzle pieces connect into a bigger picture

finding comfort in routine; one that starts as a schedule and slowly becomes automatic; you two moving in one space like in a fluid dance, clockwork from one task to another

playing not to win but for the sake of spending time together - becoming an unbeatable duo in matches and subconsciously knowing each other’s style and approach when it comes to both communication and video games

san

reading excerpts from books and poetry aloud to one another in the late evening, bundled up together in a warm throw blanket

learning your favourite songs, humming or singing them to you as you slow dance in the kitchen - monologues and confessions said through music and little gestures of affection, though in a private space, the words spill and you are wrapped in reassurance

hand on the small of your back, a subtle reminder of how even in the busiest spaces, in places where you feel like you are fading away, there is always someone beside you, ready to support you and someone who cares

recounting stories from childhood, talking about home together and building a new one, first through conversation, then in reality; seeing the picture of you and him as clear as day

headpats, nuzzling, ruffling of the hair, sleepy embraces in the early morning that transition into a hand on the thigh, a soft brush of the upper arm, a move of a strand of hair from your face, a stolen kiss, or simply sitting so close that you almost become one

learning to set up healthy boundaries, barriers and principles, and respecting each other’s - having unspoken unbreakable rules that lead to healthy communication and mutual support, and supporting one another in finding limits externally and enforcing them for the wellbeing of oneself

living passionately, and taking each day into the heart to experience it fully; taking the time to evaluate all of its elements and taking what serves you best while still appreciating things that might not be as valuable

remembering your roots and loving your origins, being proud of your individuality and of what an who you represent; finding or strengthening the connections with who you are and who you want to be, separately and together

mingi

waiting to watch a movie or a show together - watching it twice because you were analysing every moment and chatted away, intrigued by one another’s minds

dispelling each other’s concerns and worries when it comes to perception, communication and achievement - being able to whittle down to exact doubts and unravelling them until a smile forms on your beloved’s face

checking in on each other’s emotional capacity and learning to ask for signs when the other might overflow - encouraging minimising the bottling up of emotions and dedicating time to talk things through

spending time getting lost in history and in innovation, expanding intellectual horizons by visiting events, exhibitions, talks to see all that the creatives and innovators of the world are conjuring - pondering all you have witnessed together

giving each other courage, hyping each other up and loving every colour - inventing cheers and chants, secret handshakes, signals, making up songs about random things on the spot and their recital becoming a tradition

admiring differences, and studying them with a beautiful curiosity; not fearing to ask the ‘why’, the ‘how’ continuously because there is no limit to wonder

comfort in introspection and self-discovery; encouraging exploration of the self and of own interests, but always reconnecting, forming a network of possibility between thought, learnings, ideas

going with the flow, and bringing the flow to each other - sometimes, transition into a new landscape or environment is easy, other times, you need a helping hand; both of you are ready to lead the other into a new world and will wait for as long as necessary

wooyoung

family, the feeling of belonging - “you are my person and I will fight for you”; strong circle of trusted people, a network that you can rely on and of course, the strong bond between you

even when alone, you are not lonely; the feeling that even when you have to be apart for some time, you are still there with and for one another, one call away; even though you would be playful, you are always emotionally available, and past the teasing is boundless love

adventures to places far away, still home because it is the two of you travelling; exploring with an open mind and daring one another to step outside of comfort zones, to take the leap, to bloom

candlelit dinners after a cooking turned jam session - dancing with spatulas in hand, yelling out the lyrics to any and all songs, learning them on the fly; long stares and cheeky jokes exchanged across the table, dressing up for no reason except to impress each other

love that expands past the two of you - your friend groups, your families, pets… the social landscape is boundless and you trust each other to navigate it smoothly - permanent plus one, double trouble, partners in crime, the best team

gentle scolding to take care of yourselves, prioritising each other’s health and wellbeing, keeping each other out of harm’s way while retaining a fiery spirit

healing from past insecurities through words and actions - nurturing beauty that is both internal and external, and giving each other hope in every tomorrow through warm smiles and even warmer hugs

not being afraid to stand up for one another, for what you believe in, for the greater good - lover and fighter do go hand in hand after all, and lead to a respectful relationship where adventure and a blazing passion are still very much alive

jongho

evenings spent at a noraebang you now frequent, singing songs that have grown to describe your relationship, the months, years you have known one another; serenades you dedicate, classics you belt in a duet

retaining the air of pleasant mystery until both of you break into a grin and melt into a soft laughter; knowing glint in the eyes, you do not need to say much, for your actions speak volumes

being considerate, making space and in this way, turning home into an ideal, stable equilibrium where company feels natural, essential, even if all you do during the day is sit in different rooms - there is bliss in knowing that in that other room is the one you love and the one who loves you

walks in the park, stopping to sit on a bench in a particularly scenic spot overlooking a pond, under the trees - reminding each other to pause and to look around you, enjoying the moment and appreciating how much has changed, and for the better

beauty and love in order - from how you like your coffee, to what you prefer to wear and how, to how you carry yourself and to what side of your loved one you prefer to walk, these small points all make you who you are and are details that make your story

praising and joining in a little bit of mischief - you know you have to act a certain way, but sometimes, nothing feels better than letting go and playing a cute prank or a game

noticing the tiniest changes in one another, and either raising them as a question, or complimenting them depending on what it is - well-attuned, responsive, kind, attentive

sometimes, you might support different teams, or do so simply for harmless fun, but at the end of the day you find the same goals to score, the same game to place, and will always back each other up and assist towards great successes

8️⃣ taglist: @acciocriativity @justhere4kpop @byuntrash101 @shakalakaboomboo @starillusion13 @hongthoven @cqndiedcherries @uwuheeseungie @cheollipop @frankenstein852 @charreddonuts @miriamxsworld @mingigoo @michel-angelhoe @innsomniacshinestar @foxinnie8 @preciouswoozi @wooyoungjpg @nebulousbookshelf @wowie-hockey @hongjoongs-patience @ssaboala @jaehunnyy @kitten4sannie @maddkitt @lightinyreads @ren-junwrld @pyeonghongrie-main @marsstarxhwa @pocketjoong-reads @alyszaen @archivesummer @little-angel-k @yeooclock @yeonjunnie @asjkdk @lucky-cat-cafe @northerngalxy

[letomills]

Download: SFS / Mega

A set expanding on afbodykimono from the Happy Holiday Stuff pack. I added a preg morph to the AF mesh and converted it for a bunch of body shapes. All in all, these are for: • Maxis-size TF, AF, EF • Lifa's trans TM, AM-EM • Melodie9 fat TF, AF, EF • Momma Lisa AF-EF • Trans Momma Lisa AM-EM

They come in the 3 Maxis textures + textures by @katsurinssims and Bunny. You need the Happy Holiday Stuff pack for the AF mesh default replacement and the 3 AF Maxis recolors to show up in game. For the other body shapes, the recolors can be either standalone or repo'd to AF. The non-Maxis body shapes are BSOK'd.

Polycount: 2,736. All have fat morphs, teens & adults have preg morphs. Details and previews under the cut.

The swatch

All recolors are categorized as everyday & formal, the recolors with tabi are also categorized as outerwear.

I found the MaxisMatchWhite texture in this default replacement file by Ariadna, I don't know who originally made it. The Katsu_Tabi textures are by @katsurinssims (originally as default replacement here). I added the same tabi onto MaxisMatchWhite.

Bunny textures found on TSR. The AF recolors are on the same files (with edited sortindex and renamed for clarity and consistency).

The Katsu_formal textures are from this post from their tumblr, I edited them to make the socks less bright and fix the shadows on the wrists and neck. The TF, AF & EF recolors are on the same file as Katsu's (with edited sortindex and renamed for clarity and consistency).

The Katsu_Obaasan textures are from this post on MTS. Same edits as above, darker socks and fixed shadows. The AF recolors are on the same files as Katsu's (with edited sortindex and renamed for clarity and consistency).

To note, Katsu also made these formal kimono revamped recolors which I chose not to include in this set not to overwhelm myself.

The recolors for Maxis-size TF-AF-EF are pinned to HHS so that they display in that section of the CAS catalog where the original AF kimono are found:

The other body shapes will be more towards the front and BSOK'd as usual.

~

The meshes

AF ↓

Just a default replacement mesh with added preg morph (compatible with texture-only default replacements). If that's all you need out of this set, here it is on its own: SFS / Mega

TF ↓

Though I reconverted it, the TF mesh is on the same file as the @whattheskell TF mesh from here (Skell's version doesn't have a preg morph). You can't have both meshes at the same time; recolors for one will work on the other.

EF ↓

Though I reconverted it, the EF mesh is on the same file as the @whattheskell EF mesh from here. You can't have both meshes at the same time; recolors for one will work on the other.

Lifa's trans AM-EM (aemTr) ↓

Lifa's trans TM (tmTr) ↓

Melodie9 fat AF (afFat) ↓

Melodie9 fat TF (tfFat) ↓

Melodie9 fat EF (efFat) ↓

Momma Lisa AF-EF (aefML) ↓

Trans Momma Lisa AM-EM (aemTrML) ↓

[archivalofsins]

I feel like people really do pick and choose when Jackalope is an unreliable source of information.

This would be fine if it this were ever tied to any of his characterization over the course of series. Yet, half the time it just boils down to him saying something that a person subjectively doesn't agree with.

Then that someone going,

"Remember the characters can lie, they aren't infallible, this includes Jackalope~ <3 Please and thank you!"

Without explaining or even going over any of times Jackalope has been overtly bias. Of which they are many to actually elaborate further on why they believe this is the case. It's honestly why I've been getting really sick of the blanket term vibes when it comes to describing the character of an individual or concept.

It's such an easy way to discount something without giving it much thought.

Saying that the characters can be bias is pretty much the same as that to me. Except it oddly glances over the fact that the audience can be bias as well and usually when someone tells someone something is the case without evidence that means one of two things,

A. They don't want to think about the topic too much themselves.

B. They don't want you to think about the topic too much yourself.

Either way they don't want anyone thinking which is never a good thing.

(Edited for clarity and to expand on certain points: 07/19/2024 12:58pm)

For example- if I were to say,

"Ya, know I don't like how Jackalope discussed Yuno. I feel like he was being a bit dishonest in the report on her at the end of trial two. I mean we know he has a bias for cute women and it seems like he's just agreeing with her statement because she's his type."

That would still have more thought put into it than what people have been saying about his report on Mikoto and I could actually prove that. Because it directly aligns with how he has consistently been portrayed.

But I didn't say he was fucking lying for her because even though he has a bias towards cute girls he has no fucking reason to. But you just said he has a bias towards her so he would lie to keep her looking good and make us think it was really that simple if he liked her.

Have none of you been watching? Do you not know what makes Jackalope go apeshit? From the web series and the novels yet? What really gets this motherfucker heated more than any woman- Let me give a quick refresher.

"It’s not easy. Of course it’s not easy. Crime is not easy! Punishment is not easy!! Don’t I know it! But don’t you see! What I’m looking for is there, in that decision arrived at only after wading through all that morass!! …Ahem. Sorry, got a little heated."

His Milgram. His Experiment. The thing that he is here to test. The first novel goes to extra lengths to expand on this hyper focus he has on this experiment and what Milgram sets out to do.

So, I don't have to question his honesty on Yuno because I know whatever he says is being said in a way as to not mess up the process. Because that is what he is the most interested in. Regardless of if he doesn't always agree with the results.

That's why it personally irks me when someone just goes- Remember, the characters can be swayed by their own subjective beliefs and experiences. So, they can be unreliable narrators. This includes Jackalope without delving into any of his characterization.

Because I don't know, some people may really believe that Jackalope just shows up to tell lies and has no vested interest in Milgram as a facility or the experiment taking place.

But secondly-

Yeah, that's how good characterization works. Like yeah that's just characterization...

Sometimes, I feel like in this day and age if some were to read a first-person novel where the narrator was unreliable for any number of reasons.... Ugh, they might legitimately believe the book was lying to them. Like the book was being dishonest. Instead of that being a very specific aspect connected to the characterization of the character perceiving the events of the story.

So, I'm gonna do it myself because some people are honestly doing Jackalope dirty right now. Which I thought I'd never have to defend the rabbit but-

Jackalope does not care about Mikoto Kayano. Let's dissect.

Firstly Mikoto is the prisoner Jackalope admitted from the very beginning he doesn't give a damn about one way or the other-

In the very first voice drama. He didn't even want to spend more than one second talking about the man when they got to him.

Like oh he's biased. Yeah but was he ever biased against prisoners for personal reasons not pertaining to their crimes?

Jackalope from day one-

No he admitted to not being interested in the prisoners personal information to the point of not even remembering their ages. So, he wouldn't even know enough about Mikoto to hate him personally. Yet he notes that he doesn't know anything about their personal lives he never states he doesn't know anything about their crimes just that this is something for the guard to discern on their own.

I mostly bring this up because it showcases just how little Mikoto is on Jackalope's personal radar. There are other things that show this as well that we'll get into but this is the very first.

Honestly, from this alone it feels like Jackalope does not and has never cared that much for Mikoto. He didn't even care enough to check what the fuck was going on with him and his strange sleeping patterns even though they're fucking noted on his prisoner description on the website.

You know the thing that tipped Kotoko off that he may have dissociative identity disorder to begin with.

Kotoko is more emotionally invested in Mikoto than Jackalope ever has been,

"I already noticed Mikoto Kayano's weird behavior a while ago, and since I'm in the room right next to his, I kept and eye on him."

Why did you save me...? "Because your existence is helpful to me." That's... not an explanation... "I guess you're right. I'll be answering that question when it's my turn." ... ... "I don't mean to pre-empt things here after all." ...gh... Damn it... Mikoto... Suddenly lashing out like that... "Warden-san, look over here." What is it not Koto-...ko? "The hit got blocked in midair...? So, it's true that inmates can't attack you. Then why was Mikoto Kayano able to hit you...?" ...This is bad for my heart. Stop it. Besides, that's what i'd like to know as well... Ngh... It's time... Get out, Kotoko. "The song extraction thing, huh. Are you trying to say that something I'm not allowed to see?" I'm ignoring your question. Get out. "...Hm. Either way this has become interesting, hasn't it?" Kotoko...

"You've realized it too, haven't you? Based on this confirmation, it's likely that Mikoto Kayano has dissociative identity disorder, or in other words, a split personality."

Kotoko even blatantly admits to stalking Mikoto in her first voice drama,

"For example, me being suspicious of Mikoto Kayano's actions, carefully tracking him and his behavior."

Jackalope didn't care enough to look into any of the prisoners personally then and he still doesn't care now.

Hell, he cares more about being Futa's number one, day one, never gonna stop hater-

Then he will ever care about Mikoto. That is how little he cares.

But he cares enough to say he hates Futa without knowing anything about him personally. So, he could. Yeah, again, he doesn't know anything about them personally, but he knows their crimes/what they are in here for and can easily like or dislike them based on a number of biases outside of that information.

He just has never liked Futa and has done nothing to hide that fact.

Seriously, Jackalope said this shit from the beginning but I still had people up my ass like Jackalope would never lie about the severity of Futa's injuries in comparison to Mahiru's. Whaaaa- What do you mean?!

Meanwhile-

Jackalope what time is it? Hating o'clock you say, damn I guess-

"Because he was found “guilty”, he’s tormented, engulfed with anxiety. Shaking in his boots, I’d say. So amusing."

If Futa has one hater, I know it's going to be Jackalope. It will be no one else. If someone out there believe they're Futa's number one hater, they are wrong it is this rabbit. Jackalope is the guy in this niche situation.

Jackalope doesn't even give enough of a fuck to know Mikoto's name. If it wasn't on the incarceration sheet I doubt he would even know it. (this is hyperbole for comedic effect. I think he'd at least remember the dudes name.)

Still seriously I don't get what some people are on. Mikoto is not everyone's main character and that's fine. He doesn't need to be.

Jackalope said,

"This boy is bland and I don't cook without spices."

"A dime a dozen, a million like him. I could skip a stone in the street and hit five."

That's his opinion he stood on that, and he's free to have it. That has been his characterization on this since day one. He did not look any deeper to his own detriment and admission.

He really side eyed this dude like,

"Mm fake ass, phony ass, never told the truth in his life ass."

Then second trial went,

"We have a problem. MILGRAM’s control didn’t seem to work on him. That is to say, he’s got a real case of multiple identity disorder." - "Hey now. Don’t judge me so harshly! I’ve been doing this a long time, but… there’s a first time for everything. We’re in a bit of a mess ourselves over this, you know." X

Really went look, look, look this isn't on me- Mistakes happen don't look at me like that. But suddenly now I'm supposed to believe Mikoto is so much more intriguing to him that he'd lie and risk mucking up his own experiment?

Over Mikoto someone he didn't even bother to mention the feelings or reference the statements of in his end of second trial report on him? Like he failed to mention a damn thing Mikoto said himself while directly referencing what Yuno said basically cosigning her confession.

He really went for this man,

"Do you all not know how to count? Did you not see the bodies-"

And nothing else! I don't know how to explain this any differently. He does not care about this man. He cares more about these victims none of us have fucking seen! Because they've only been alluded to outside of the one other person we see in MeMe other than Mikoto.

That is how little he cares about this dude.

He made his report on Mikoto about the impact Mikoto's actions had on the lives of others instead of anything to do with the prisoner himself. The best we got in regards to Mikoto as a person was once again the recognition of his diagnosis and how that is impacting his memory and nothing else.

Jackalope said he had no interest in Kazui but still spoke on that man's feelings enough to call him emo,

"He’s a self-admitted liar, have you been able to solve the mystery? It all feels very emo and I can’t bring myself to be very interested in him, but the fact that you’re so accommodating to him, is commendable."

There's a recognition of emotions there.

With Mikoto, Jackalope just reiterated what several other people, including Mikoto himself, have said. That Mikoto doesn't remember and then stated that just because he doesn't remember doesn't mean he's any less responsible for what he did, basically.

Which is an absolutely fucking true statement.

Like I can say that I don't remember something that impacted someone else. I forget a lot of things, but that doesn't negate the impact the action had on them. Plus, when I say that I don't remember something, I'm not saying that to negate or lampshade the impact I've had. I'm saying it as a neutral statement because that's what "I don't remember" is when you have a disorder that fucks with your memory. It's literally I don't remember that can you explain more. That's all that is. It's a really neutral statement. No one with a disorder that fucks with their memory is trying to gaslight anyone into believing it didn't happen that way when they say they don't remember something.

Mikoto is literally gaslighting people, though. Because his I don't remember is attached to phrases like,

"Maybe you got the wrong person.", "How do you know I even did that?", "All I did was dream."

In their second voice drama they even go as far as to call into scrutiny the song extraction itself. Something being done by a machine completely devoid of any individual bias as it is solely meant to display how the prisoner perceives their actions.

Downright stating that the footage extracted could have been fraudulent or more extreme due to his Dissociative Identity Disorder,

"That too could be just a fake or attributed to the multiple personalities, right?!"

Mikoto's Second Voice Drama- 9:10

These statements when combined with "I don't remember" lead the viewer to question,

If they are remembering/perceiving things accurately.

If the information they received previously is accurate/can be trusted.

If any of what they know is true/genuine.

If they are being mislead/lied to.

"I don't remember" by itself is a neutral statement, and many mental health diagnoses can impact a person's memory.

What Mikoto is doing here is not neutral, though. He is behaving in a purposely misleading way in the hopes of possibly benefitting from it. Through sewing doubt and confusion. This is gaslighting plain and simple.

And it worked too,

National Domestic Violence Hotline: What is Gaslighting?

"Generally, gaslighting happens very gradually in a relationship; in fact, the abusive partner’s actions may seem harmless at first. Over time, however, these abusive patterns continue, and as a result, a victim can become confused, anxious, isolated, and depressed. Altogether, they can lose all sense of what is actually happening. Then they start relying on the abusive partner more and more to define reality, which creates a very difficult situation to escape."

Also, just because someone has diagnoses that negatively impact their memory that doesn't mean those people cannot be held accountable for what they did that they don't remember or can dismiss discussions about what they did by simply going, "I don't remember."

It is so easy to just say, "I don't remember doing that, but I see that what I did impacted you greatly, and I'm sorry for how it's affected you." Especially when one has fully understood the hurt they've caused another regardless of if they understand how they did so or remember doing it.

No one should have to jump through hoops to convince someone their feelings and experiences matter or happened. Whether that person has a memory issue or not. For someone to just sweep those things to the side with an "I don't remember" is dismissive and unfair to the individuals hurt by their actions.

That is the entire point of what Jackalope is talking about. Just because someone doesn't remember hurting another person or understand how they may have done so does not mean they didn't.

He brought up the victims because no one else did.

Attention should have actually been placed on the victims from the beginning. Since those were the ones impacted by Mikoto's actions the most. The victims were discussed in some capacity with every other prisoner. But- like, I'm not in the tag because of a lot of things. So, it may not be my place to speak on this. There's a thousand reasons why I may not have seen this being discussed.

However, around Mikoto's trial, I don't remember seeing any discussion regarding the people or person he had admitted to killing and no one I know who was into Milgram brought up anything discussing that to me either. In fact at a point around that time I was blatantly told by someone that he killed no one.

Despite him- Yes, admitting to killing random strangers, he had no connection to. All because he was upset in his second voice drama,

Can I ask...why you killed them?

"They annoyed me."

Who did you kill?

"Just whoever was walking around nearby."

Even going as far to state that he himself doesn't remember how many people he killed. Never once saying he only killed one person.

... How many did you kill?

"Can't remember. I was just born back then, you know. It's kinda fuzzy."

So, I don't really know where the idea that he only murdered one guy even came from at this point.

Now, I can understand how someone could conclude he didn't kill anyone at all more because of the whole gaslighting thing but this...

He didn't even claim he only killed the one guy.

In all honesty, I don't think Jackalope is being dishonest here because he's been the only voice of reason when it comes to Mikoto's case.

He is actually being quite rational and considerate about the circumstances overall. Even outside of all the foreshadowing that supports Jackalope's statement. Just taking it from a characterization level it seems to me that Jackalope could not care less about Mikoto if someone paid him to.

There was no emotional investment positive or negative when it came to Mikoto.

To me, it seemed as though Jackalope was only invested in Es' (the guards) opinion on the matter. Because outside of him alluding to how many people Mikoto had killed, he gave us nothing else. Like literally nothing. Other than talking about Mikoto's actual impact.

How many bodies does it take to make a person irredeemable? What's the difference between one life or multiple?

At the end of the day Mikoto's still a murderer. Again not even touching on the foreshadowing of him killing multiple people before Jackalope just came out and said it.

But really, how many deaths can an individual find negligible?

One, two, three- Oh we won't count it as murder until it gets to the double digits, huh?

Jackalope's statement on Mikoto eloquently expands on what he pondered with Yuno.

What constitutes as a life? What constitutes as a crime? What constitutes as murder? Further expanding on the main question brought up with Amane at the very beginning of Milgram- At what age do we suddenly have enough free will where we can be held fully and earnestly accountable for the actions we commit to as individuals?

How many bodies make a murderer?

The answer should always be one. Anything after that is just clocking in overtime.

It doesn't become less negligible the lower the body count. Someone is dead regardless. So what about Mikoto as a character makes people so down horrendous that they need to find a negligible amount of killing?

What about him makes a person think,

"I can excuse one death that person probably wasn't living their life properly anyway."

What about any of the characters does that?

That's the question of Milgram isn't it?

It's to redefine sin to redefine murder. To test what every day people of this era are willing to let slide if pushed far enough. Through Mikoto's second trial Jackalope saw the answer was a lot.

He saw the answer and it was nothing to joke about. It was hard to keep the atmosphere light. It was heavy, it was rotten.

I personally don't believe the heavy atmosphere was because of any disdain Jackalope holds towards Mikoto. If anything Jackalope has always regarded Prisoner 009 Kayano, Mikoto with indifference.

All of the prisoners have been and will always be devices to pose a question for Jackalope. Yes he is biased and he's shown who he is biased too quite clearly. Yet, Mikoto has not been alluded to being one of the characters he feels strongly about.

He's usually been all business while discussing him and that's what he was during the second trial end report as well.

Jackalope's issue wasn't with Mikoto in my opinion but the audience's and Es' judgment.

The line that makes me believe this is,

"But even so, "Innocent"..... I see, I see. Hey, the judgment of the guard is absolute, of course!"

Did nobody catch this? Did it go over some heads? Did it really need highlighting? Jackalope disagrees with the verdict and he combats the decision pointing out the holes in it.

But he has no choice but to accept it because,

"The judgment of the guard is absolute."

He really did what he said he was doing when speaking about Mahiru,

"Sorry. I’m like the guy on the couch watching the sports highlights and complaining, don’t mind me."

Something that once again isn't surprising to me. Because from the beginning in the This is Milgram video Jackalope said,

"I mean, I personally would just say GUILTY to all of them to avoid all this hassle."

The end of the second trial report really was him going,

"Do you see this shit- You see what you've become?"

At the audience.

But- ya know, that's just my interpretation of the second trial end report.

Let's stick to the facts.

Like how Jackalope is only a dishonest narrator when he's saying something the audience doesn't want to hear. Like I said earlier in this post-

No one was talking any shit about what he said about Yuno.

Someone he clearly favors and has done nothing to hide the fact that he does,

"By the way, I love frosty girls like her."

When he cosigned that what Yuno told us was the truth. That wasn't because he has a thing for cold girls like her. Or has shown the female prisoners more favoritism.

No, there's no need to question the authenticity of that narration.

Why would Jackalope ever be someone's accomplice? He's only bias in one direction. That rabbit only has hate in his heart. He's just trash talking Mikoto because he isn't a girl- He's so biased.

He wasn't just sympathetic towards Mu's guilty verdict because from the beginning he said,

"Yep! Finally, a pretty little thing. On the other hand, I'd vote this one "innocent". Those beautiful genes have gotta be passed on!"

"I see, maybe you have the tendency to need to see the remorse, to give the “innocent” verdict. Was her crime really so infinitely worse than the other murders?"

No, he's only biased when it comes to things he says that I don't like. Things that don't confirm what I'm already feeling or want to believe. Jackalope isn't a character in his own right with patterns of behavior and easy to spot biases.

No he's a menace just here to sew chaos and confusion. Because the one thing he wants to do the most is ruin his own experiment.

His Milgram.

[luna-azzurra]

Tips for creative writers:

1. Read widely: Read books, articles, and poetry across different genres and styles. This exposure to diverse writing will expand your vocabulary, inspire new ideas, and help you develop your own unique voice.

2. Write regularly: Establish a writing routine and stick to it. Set aside dedicated time each day or week to write, even if it's just for a short period. Regular practice is key to honing your skills and maintaining creative momentum.

3. Embrace creativity exercises: Engage in writing exercises or prompts to stimulate your imagination. Explore free writing, brainstorming, or visual prompts to spark new ideas and challenge your creative boundaries.

4. Edit and revise: Don't be afraid to revise your work. Editing is a crucial part of the writing process, allowing you to refine your ideas, improve clarity, and enhance the overall quality of your writing. Embrace feedback and be open to making changes.

5. Develop unique characters: Create well-rounded and believable characters by giving them depth, flaws, and distinctive voices. Explore their motivations, desires, and conflicts to make them relatable and engaging for readers.

6. Show, don't tell: Instead of telling readers what is happening or how characters feel, strive to show it through vivid descriptions, sensory details, and compelling dialogue. Engage the readers' senses and immerse them in your storytelling.

7. Pay attention to pacing: Balance the pace of your writing to maintain reader engagement. Mix moments of tension and action with quieter, reflective scenes. Vary sentence length and structure to create rhythm and keep the narrative flowing.

8. Create compelling dialogue: Craft dialogue that is realistic, purposeful, and reveals character traits. Use dialogue to advance the plot, reveal conflicts, and deepen relationships between characters.

9. Embrace constructive feedback: Seek feedback from trusted peers, writing groups, or mentors. Constructive criticism can help you identify blind spots, refine your writing, and grow as a writer.

10. Stay inspired and curious: Maintain a sense of curiosity about the world around you. Seek inspiration from art, music, nature, and everyday experiences. Keep a journal to capture ideas, observations, and inspiration that may fuel your writing.

Happy writing!

[frankenshane]

while i had a great time this episode could have been at least 30 minutes longer because i really wanted the weight of the destruction of the theater, louis leaving lestat in magnus' dungeon for armand, that final fight with armand, and a little more clarity on the editing, rehearsing, and directing of the trial. while i hope that that's expanded upon in s3, that's not enough as we round out this portion of the story. (also need more gremlin activity from my gremlin.)

but also big oof on the dubai penthouse apparently being the primary thing that louis got in the divorce. like. least sexy thing he did this episode, which is replete with him being sexy and unhinged.

[falciesystemessays]

Into the Breach is important.

If you somehow have not heard of it, Into the Breach is a microtactics roguelite about giant mechs fighting giant monsters by the developers of FTL. It is superficially similar to games like Fire Emblem and Final Fantasy Tactics, but it turns so many genre conventions on their head. There is basically no output randomness. No misses, no criticals, and the enemies telegraph exactly what they're going to do next turn. Each turn becomes its own self-contained puzzle about pushing and manipulating enemies to prevent damage to the buildings and yourselves. It shows so beautifully that the best part of a tactics game isn't having the highest damage numbers, but manipulating the battlefield.

If you care about tactics games At All, Into the Breach is a must-play, even just to see how you feel about it. As a game designer, there is so much to learn from this game, whether it's about randomness, UI clarity, or just general tactics/roguelike design. I'd also recommend this GDC talk by one of its designers about the process of designing the game. It is very insightful, especially as a companion piece to the game itself.

Okay, with that out of the way, let's talk about the Advanced Edition update.

This took me by surprise. They just kind of shadowdropped a free expansion four years later. Now, I suspected this might happen, they did an advanced edition for FTL too. But I didn't expect it to be so... interesting.

I say "interesting" as both a positive and a negative. Many of its additions are, to put it in scientific terms, fucking awesome. But not all of its choices are ones I agree with. It's especially interesting as many of the design choices are ones that Subset avoided when developing the base game. For better and worse, ITB Advanced Edition is fascinating trying to understand. I've had this essay on my mind for two years, and now that I have this blog, I feel like I have space to make it. So, let's get into it.

Probably the most immediately compelling part of this update is the addition of five new squads, many of which have become some of my favorites to play. They have easily the most creative and unique powers in the game, and many of them revolve around controlling the battlefield, with effects like fire, smoke, and even breaking cracked tiles to create abyss. To be perfectly TBH, my favorite part of a tactics game is getting to play with a new toy, and Advanced Edition has new toys in spades!

This brings us to the new weapons, though, which is a different matter. I like a lot of the weapons that are attached to the new squads, but there are plenty more that you can get randomly from shops and the like that I am much more negative on. Many of them are weirdly situational, like one that depends on the level you're playing on having water. And many are incredibly unwieldy and difficult to understand, like The Big One, which pushes you back but sends a projectile forward which deals damage in a cone shape but decreases in damage as the cone expands. It's difficult to understand, and more to the point, difficult to explain. That's probably why it was scrapped from the original game. But Advanced Edition puts it back in, betraying the game's value of clarity. It's a strange decision, and one I still bristle at.

And on the topic of scrapped things that were brought back in Advanced Edition, Unfair Mode is a thing! I feel like I should give some context for this. So, in that GDC talk I linked, Matthew Davis talks about all the concessions Subset had to make to get the game feeling good. Like, they betrayed their game's determinism by adding Grid Defense, a random small chance for a building to survive impact. They hated doing this, but it was necessary to make sure players saw the game through to the end. Well, Unfair Mode removes Grid Defense, or at least starts it out at 0. Similarly, they had to curtail spawn rates for enemies, because if a turn was even just a bit too difficult, the game stopped being hard and became unsolvable. Into the Breach is a kind of puzzle game, and a puzzle you can't solve isn't exactly a fun time for most of us. Well, Unfair Mode raises the spawn rate, but compensates by letting you recover from building damage faster. The enemies spawn in so fast that they actually hit the limit for enemy count fairly often. This comes with a very funny consequence that once they hit that limit, the game won't spawn in any more next turn, so if you can kill a bunch of them this turn the next turn becomes super easy. It's a very fun back-and-forth. Unfair Mode, I feel, captures the essence of Advanced Edition pretty well. "We tried to avoid doing this before, but we're giving you the option to do it now."

The game isn't just theirs anymore. It's ours.

There's plenty more I could talk about. I mean, I love the new pilots and skills, I'm mixed on the new missions, and I'm trying to like the new enemies. But they all amount to the same thing really. The game is weirder now, for better and worse. As someone who really appreciated the completeness of Into the Breach at launch, it can feel very strange thinking about what the game is now. Because the game can be whatever you want it to be. You can turn off advanced enemies, missions, weapons, individually. You don't have to play on Unfair, or use any of the new squads. This is unlike even FTL's advanced edition, where the choice is mostly just advanced or not.

It feels like Advanced Edition comes from the designers of Into the Breach letting go of their vision, deciding they've already made the game they want to make, and letting the player decide what the game becomes instead. As a designer, I don't know whether to admire or admonish this. But I do know that I still love Into the Breach. It's clear that this game is going to be on game developers' minds for years to come, and plenty of devs are taking direct inspiration from it. Like the upcoming deckbuilder ARC SEED, or Mobile Suit Baba, which is exactly what you think it is. I myself hold ITB as a major inspiration for my own tactics work, (and incidentally if you want to see my work then you can check it out here) but while the base game gets me thinking about the nuts and bolts of design, AE has me thinking more philosophically about the role of the game designer. Is there more value in the finished work, or the open work? Is it more important to stick to your vision, or to give players the tools to make their own vision? It's the kind of question that only games have to ask, and I think that's beautiful. As I spend another eon thinking about it, I'm gonna play some more Into the Breach.

[reel-fear]

Henry And Norman's Canonical [and unexplored] Friendship and why it needs more focus in canon and fanon

An essay by me~

So I've talked a lot either in tags or in other posts about Henry and Norman's implied friendship in the canon of Bendy, however implied isn't really the right word, unexplored is more accurate because despite the fact we've never seen them interact, Henry and Norman having been friends is entirely canon with a lot of proof for it!

Don't believe me? Well let me show you why I am obsessed with this duo~

So first we're starting with the games since they are the ones most barren for this implication. We only really have one line in BATIM to go off of in terms of this, but they are interesting and important ones. Specifically we have one line from alice and an achievement to look at. [EDIT: I forgot a note written by Henry! I have added it now below]

Just from Alice's line we know she was under the impression Henry and Norman were friends, which not only shows they were in fact friends but close enough that others knew they were friends. Combined with the theory that Alice created the projectionist [one that is slightly backed up by BATDR confirming she was the one who mutilated the butcher gang] her teasing tone here could be rubbing in the fact such a horrible fate fell on someone Henry was close to...

It's an idea I think fits really well with Joey having created the cycle specifically to torment Henry too, why not make his friend one of the most mindless and horrible monsters down there just to make him feel worse. So close yet so far from one of the friendliest friends he knew.

The other thing I want to draw attention to is the Norman's Fate achievement, this is the Only time the projectionist is referred to as Norman and it comes from Henry's POV. It's a bit of stretch but I think it could be Henry refusing to dehumanize Norman by calling him the projectionist instead calling him by his name. A detail I think is very cute and could show Henry's sympathy towards his friend's suffering... and fate.

EDIT:

However we have another great indicator on how Henry feels towards the projectionist in particular and that's this note left by him on level 14.

Level 14 is the Projectionist's level, one full of the corpses of his victims and where he hunts Henry relentlessly, but Henry still questions The Projectionist being nothing more than an enemy. Their friendship seems to have meant a lot to him, and it seems to be on his mind, even after seeing what Norman has been twisted into. This could also be because the Projectionist literally fights the ink demon too. Who is far more antagonistic to Henry. Either way, I find it very sad but also a nice way of subtly touching on what Henry and Norman's friendship means for how Henry thinks of the Projectionist.

This is also a bit of a stretch but when Norman/The Projectionist peeks into the miracle station Henry is hiding in, in chapter 4, he doesn't seem super threatening, just curious and it even somewhat emulates Sammy's motions when commenting on Henry's familar face. Was there a moment of clarity for Norman there? Seeing his old friend hiding in there? Maybe, it's a little too vague to really dwelve on here but it is something to think about...

But time for us to get into the meat of their relationship, with the books, the media that elaborates far more on Henry and Norman's characters and has the lines from Norman confirming their friendship.

I absolutely LOVE these passages they show off so much more about Norman's character and expand on the idea he and Henry were friends in such a nice way. Norman talks about Henry in a way so unusually positive for him Dot feels the need to point out how much of a compliment it is for him to say he's a decent fellow with a lot of talent. He also speaks with a lot of sympathy towards Henry's blight and the abuse Joey made him endure, doing this all with his feet on the table holding up a projector, a smile on his face and a mug in his hand. He speaks somewhat vaguely and with mystery not exactly with Sammy's theatrics but with his own ominious air.

He also recognizes Henry leaving wasn't personal and that Joey likely held a grudge over it, plus when Dot comments on how odd it is for Norman to speak of someone like this, he doesn't refute it, just agrees with a laugh.

These passages are one of the reasons I think the books are some of the best media to come out of the series and I hope soon others realize what untapped potentional the books hide.

But...

Sadly despite all these interesting implications there's not a lot of canon or fandom content showing Norman and Henry's relationship and even less that attempts to develop and explore it. But for me it's one of the most interesting relationship's we have in BATIM [a series that is rather lacking in implied friendships or relationships between its characters]

Hell Henry's wiki page even mentions their friendship but Norman's page does not, which is strange since he has the most to speak on their friendship in the books. At least it's strange to me

So why is this relationship so fascinating to me? Just because of the dynamic it presents to us and its potentional for fun interactions!

Norman is portrayed constantly as a strange mysterious and almost intimidating figure, he sees everything, he goes to investigate strange noises under his booth with nothing but a light to find out whats making a horrid noise at night, and when Buddy [a 17 year old delivery boy] shows up at the studio and asks where Joey is Norman tells him he's DEAD. Which Buddy can only pick up on as a joke when someone else comes in to tell him Norman's sense of humor is strange, all while Norman bursts into chuckles. He's also pretty easy going esp in comparision to Sammy's dramatic nature.

Henry however is such an every man, a soft spoken and hard working animator who just wanted to have a better relationship with his work and wife. He's always so calm and just a usual guy. How did he come to form a friendship with such a strange and bizzare guy? Did he enjoy Norman's strange sense of humor? What were their interactions like?

There's so many interesting things to do with such a dynamic and that's not even getting into the tragedy of the Projectionist and Norman's fate. I want to see Henry heartbroken by his close friend's fate and death, I want to see more stuff exploring interactions between the Projectionist and the artist.

Whether it's canon or fanon that does it, I want to see more content on Henry and Norman's relationship. Romantic or not, I just want to see more people talk about it! Because it's one of the most interesting relationships in a series that tends to lack a lot of character relationship drama, pushing for more content of these two might be the bridge towards getting more content from canon that generally shows us how these characters all feel about each other.

Something I don't think is an impossible idea too since Meatly straight up asked us what characters we wanted to see interact, showing interest in these two could be a big W for us I'm just sayin [yes that is me down there]

I know I am very biased as a big Norman and Normry/Moving Pictures/Heman fan but I hope this post could show just a few more people the potential of this duo and we get more content of them in the future. Esp since fans have done a lot more with pairings in this franchise with far less content or implications of friendship.

Fingers crossed for a Norman novel where we can see them interact!!

And more content of these two in general <3

[andiatas]

Prince Carl Philip & Princess Sofia launch game in Minecraft

After two years of hard work, the Prince Couple launches their own world in the computer game Minecraft. The game aims to encourage children to read and write, mainly children with dyslexia, but everyone can benefit from it.

- This gives me goosebumps, I think it's so cool, says Prince Carl Philip.

Photo: Ida Åkesson/SPA

With several big bangs and lots of confetti in the air, Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia launched a whole new world in Minecraft Education at the gaming company Mojang's headquarters. Dexi Ville is a game that will increase children's and young people's curiosity about words, letters and reading.

- I had somehow hoped this game had existed when I was your age. I needed something that had awakened my desire to read and my curiosity about words, says Prince Carl Philip from the stage and turns to a school class in the audience.

- Because it is not easy, and I think you know that too, to feel the desire to read when the letters jump around or that it takes a very long time to find the willingness and peace to start reading, says the prince.

Faced many prejudices about dyslexia

The prince says that he has encountered and had to deal with many of the misconceptions and prejudices that people have about dyslexia and what it means for individuals who have dyslexia.

The idea for the game was raised during a meeting at the Royal Palace. Dexi Ville is a development of the prince couple's foundation's method game, "The Big Adventure," which they worked on extensively a few years ago.

- We put so much energy and effort into that game, and it turned out to be a great initiative, but nobody found it. So it was obvious that we had to find someone we could ally with, someone who already has the children and the target group, says Kim Waller, secretary general at the Prince Couple's Foundation.

Photo: Ida Åkesson/SPA

Got to play with the kids

The latest PISA report shows that Swedish children's reading skills are declining sharply. Kim Waller emphasizes the importance of supplementing traditional teaching with more methods.

A while later, Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia get to test Dexi Ville together with some children. A block is broken, and Prince Carl Philip quickly builds a new wall. He sits concentrated in front of a computer screen and plays Minecraft.

- This is super fun, and you're super good at this, he says to a young guy who plays with him.

This is Dexi Ville

Name: Dexi Ville – the Wordcraft Adventure Target group: all children between the ages of 8 and 10. The game is currently available in Swedish and English. Developer: Prinsparets Stiftelse, together with Minecraft Education and Shapescape. Microsoft and Nordea are enabling partners. The purpose of the game: to promote increased reading habit, expanded vocabulary and reading fluency, increased curiosity and reading comprehension. Where to find the game: It is available to all Minecraft Education license holders.

Translation and editing for clarity done by me of an article by Jenny Alexandersson, Royal Reporter at Aftonbladet. The article was published on May 30, 2024.

[chameleonspell]

HTDC commentary - 1: numb

[Looking back at HTDC after nearly ten years: comments on lore, character notes, influences, art, whatever. May contain spoilers for later chapters.]

chapter text: 1: numb

This chapter has had the most edits over time, as my writing skills increased, and I got ever more annoyed at the state of the opening, which ought not to be the worst writing in the fic, if I wanted anyone to stick around. It still needs work, but I was not made of infinite energy. I largely just tried to improve what was already there, rather than do what I really ought to have done, which is do some proper scene-setting. None of the early chapters have much in the way of description, especially of places. I was very much working on the principle that it was fanfic, and the whole point of fanfic was that I didn't need to do that. My assumed reader was intimately familiar with Seyda Neen, because my assumed reader was myself. I was absolutely writing only the bits I enjoyed writing, which was dialogue.

I'm still torn on the first paragraph, because in trying to make it more interesting, I mostly only succeeded in making it florid and purple. The reason I let it stand is because of a favourite excuse of mine for slightly ridiculous writing - it accurately reflects the mental state of the protagonist, i.e. tangled and confused. I will use this excuse again.

(See, maybe there's no description because Iriel's really out of it, and can't register anything! Bad writing is diegetic if the characters are having a bad time!)

Iriel was dragged

Not the exact wording of the original first-draft opening line, but I edited it in for symmetry, after I wrote the last words of the last chapter ("Iriel moved forwards").  Which was, according to an email I sent at the time, in June 2015, so less than three months after I wrote the first words? That seems crazy. I do remember writing a first draft of the ending chapter quite early on, but... that early? Gosh.

When I say I wrote the ending three months after the beginning, I mean that I ONLY wrote the ending. I then spent two more years, filling in the 198 chapters in between.

The contrasting significance of the beginning and ending lines was expanded from something Philip Pullman said about making sure the first and last words of His Dark Materials were both "Lyra", because it's her story, and she encompasses it.

the guard had seized the elf by his bony wrist

A running theme of Iriel's physical trauma triggers: grab him by the wrist and he's liable to shut down completely. A jail thing, of course - make sure the magic user can't cast spells.

His bare toes snagged between the planks of the jetty

Every time I read this, I flinch, and feel the exact sensation, because it is such a terrible, terrible sensation. I know I do worse things to Iriel later, but I might hate this one the most.

Oh gods. Come on, Ire.

Many people have told me they found they were pronouncing Iriel wrong, when they read him sound it phonetically in chapter 90: "Iriel. Eye-ree-el." I can see their point, but in that case, I want to know how they were pronouncing "Ire", the shortening he gives, right at the start! Which is an English word, pronounced like the Ire in Ireland, so I hoped that implied the pronunciation of Iriel

Regarding Iriel's name: I chose it because it was visually short, having a lot of long, thin letters in it, and I liked the symmetry of the capital I and the lower-case L at the end. The shortened version, Ire, is even more featherweight, barely more than a pronoun. This is a real boon for a protagonist name that's gonna turn up in almost every sentence - you can throw it in a lot, for clarity, and it doesn't look awkward. 

I think I found it in a name list on uesp.net, and I don't think it was specifically feminine-coded at the time? ESO was only just out, so I refuse to be blamed for things it added to canon, such as two female NPCs called Iriel. My personal headcanon is that it's a unisex Altmeri name and the first i is pronounced short when it's feminine, and long when it's masculine. In his not-strictly-canon tumblr bookclub with @quickchangeartist's OC Moraelyn, Iriel says of his name:

P.S. i rolled my eyes gently at your “dear little bird” bit, but did you actually know my name is avian-derived, or was that an adorable accident? an iriel is a very pretty but sadly extinct type of finch (I am less pretty, but also less dead, a condition with which i am (on good days) content.) My mother selected the name in order to make me more matrimoniably palatable to her bird-mad noble friend. So mercenary

Iriel’s eyes jittered from surface to surface. “I was in the hold! I didn’t see anything! I don’t know anything about boats! I mean, the sail’s clearly square-rigged, but a brig should have at least two masts, I really have no idea what you’d call it, I didn’t get a chance to examine, I… I was in the hold. I don’t know anything.

In draft one, all Ire said was that he didn't know anything about boats. Then I reread it later, when it had been established that Iriel's dad was a fisherman, Iriel knows how to sail a simple boat, has absorbed a fair amount of nautical terminology, and, in general, KNOWS ABOUT BOATS! Which, I have to warn you, from a writer's perspective, is a fucking terrible thing to have your character know about. The research is a nightmare. Never have a character know anything about boats!

Anyway, I decided it was much funnier if he reeled off a bunch of technical stuff about boats, while still claiming he didn't know anything about them, because... he's just that confused? His reflexive paranoid guilt makes him deny knowledge under questioning on general principle? He doesn't think of himself as someone who knows about boats, in comparison to his dad? Yes.

someone a head taller than he was

I forget at what point I established Iriel's precise height. He's 6'4", which is below average, for an Altmer, but tall for Morrowind, a shift of identity and perspective he never quite adjusts to.

“Oh. Well… my name is Iriel of Lillandril. Which is far too many Is and Ls in one name, and really, you’d think my parents would’ve known better. We Altmer use loconymics, as I’m sure you know, so–”

Again, I chose Lillandril more or less at random from the Summerset map, based on it having a lot of Is and Ls, which felt right, all tall and Altmery, and a little bit ridiculous. Say it three times fast and you're basically yodelling. Later, I established Lillandril as Fantasy Wales, accent-wise, which made it even better.

ESO might have since established something different with Altmer surnames, lore-wise, but I don't know or care. Loconymics (being named for the place you come from) seem the norm for Altmer in Morrowind, and I like that.

I made up "loconymic", though googling now, there are other uses. I probably should have used toponym, as loconym is a greek-latin mix, which is bad practice. But I wanted a word for "named after a place" where the meaning was easily inferrable, without knowing either Greek or Latin, and "locus" is more familiar from words like "location" than "topos" is. I was trying to keep my linguistic technobabble vaguely intelligible!

In the very first draft, Iriel claimed he was a foundling in this line mentioning his parents, which was my attempt to stick to the exact terms of the whole Morrowind "uncertain parentage" thing. But I very quickly retconned it, realising there was far more mileage in having Iriel know he was connected by blood to his parents, and all the Altmeri angst he has over that. Only the first of many, many in-game "facts" I decided to bend or outright contradict! But it took me a while to realise I was allowed to do that, now, that I didn't have to keep to canon, as long as everything hangs together. In this case, I justified it later, by saying that the Empire had recorded Iriel as having unknown parents, because that's what he told them when he was arrested, in a futile attempt to prevent his family finding out.

pale-gold Altmer face, amber eyes and soft brown hair.

I had read something that advised writers to give hot, fiery angry characters warm colouration, and cold, reserved characters cool colouration, and I thought that was stupid. Iriel's not exactly cold (just numb), but Altmer in general are seen as cold, especially in contrast to fire-themed Dunmer, and... anyway, I wanted a warm-toned Altmer, because why not? Amber eyes is pretty, but not extravagantly so. I didn't want him to be exceptional, in any way - he's someone who can easily vanish from sight and memory, after all. So, he gets the most "boring" hair colour, mouse brown, which I have a soft spot for.

@Sinilakki sent me a picture very soon after I posted this chapter, and I was delighted, because clearly my limited physical description had worked - it was perfect. My first ever picture of Iriel, and it's still one of my absolute favourites.

“You are male, aren’t you? Hard to tell with you elves.” Ire racked his addled brain for the sort of lacerating response he would have given to that, in better days, but failed miserably.

The first thing to produce an actual spark of defiance in Iriel, even if he doesn't manage to act on it. Ire's experiences of Imperials having offensive ideas about elven gender will reoccur, once he's in a fit state to lecture about it.

Ire squeaked, and shifted as best he could, stumbling towards the door and struggling with the handle until it finally obeyed him.

All this is so early Pratchett, isn't it? Rincewind, but younger and gayer. Make a wet, nervous wizard and give him problems.

previous: 0: intro next: 2: labels

[twosides--samecoin]

chapter 1 - spotify - chapter 12

Just another Robert Joseph MacCready Fallout story that asks a simple question: What if Med-Tek didn't work out?

Explicit/Graphic Depictions Of Violence

Notable Tags: Slow Burn, Neurodivergence, Immigration, Culture Shock, Martial Arts, Hiking, Found Family, Longfic, Fix It, Dreams, Character Study, Canon Divergence, Fanon, Inspired By Music, Angst With A Happy Ending, Canada fanon in Fallout

Hancock reveals what happened the night Olivia disappeared. Featuring a chapter companion playlist & CSS/HTML, clarity edits and expanded scenes & dialogue updates for each previous chapter.

“Ah, you’re funny, Sunshine. You know, you coulda just said..”

Hancock looked up and sighed toward the ceiling of the State House. He didn’t want to ruin it between them.

..Said that you’re RJ’s girl. I would have cleared up that wife thing for you, real quick. Could have helped give you the night you were really looking for all along.

Hope a list of bangerz makes up for the long wait. Featuring: house, hyperpop, rap, 90's classics, vogue, k-pop, Bizarre Inc, Cakes da Killa, Rosalia, Charli XCX, Tyler the Creator, Shygirl, Cobrah, Slayyyter, Sophie & more.

thanks for reading. xox tssc

[xuune]

what did you use to make the bkdk animatic? and well, how long did it take you to make it? it flows so well with the song. it’s,, so cute. my heart, the way baku looks at deku.

ty!! glad you enjoyed watching it and i'm happy that it successfully conveyed the romance between them :]

programs i used were clip studio paint, storyboard pro, and premiere pro. i don't know the exact hours spent, but i finished it roughly within a day. storyboarding didn't take as long since i had enough references for poses (i.e. photos of my hands) to help me get thru it. and also bc i wanted my boards to be clear, not clean. most tedious part was compositing/editing the audio and effects like the blur.

here's my whole process if you wanted to know the specifics:

did my initial thumbnails in clip studio paint since i work better getting main ideas down first. i expanded on a few thumbnails later on:

then i used storyboard pro to draw the storyboards, added more panels in between the key moments, and did camera moves. i imported the song in the timeline to check for the timing i wanted:

since the animatic was already timed within storyboard pro, i just needed to composite subtitles, audio effects, and the blur vfx in premiere pro. my timeline looked like this:

for the audio transition from hearing it faintly thru their earphones to hearing it in clarity, i was inspired by this clip of baby driver. its a simple but neat audio transition of starting the song at a lower volume to raising it once you want to show BEING in the song with them rather than SEEING them listen to the song. originally, i was only gonna edit in the faint speaker/radio effect without transitioning into the volume raising + removing the radio effect, but watching it on playback made it feel very lackluster.

only minor tedious thing about adding blurs was just for this part since i had to mask around a specific area, rather than applying it on the entire thing like in the first scene with dk's vision blurring:

but thats pretty much it. its a very basic animatic, so it wasn't that labor intensive :]

[letomills]

Download all: SFS / Mega

A set expanding Xandher's Vision Holiday outfit. I added morphs to the AF mesh and converted for TF, EF, Melodie9 fat TF-AF-EF and MartaXL edit AF-EF.

Polycount: 2,526. All have fat morphs, teens and adults have preg morphs. Recolors categorized as formal, non-Maxis body shapes are BSOK'd.

Further previews and details under the cut.

The swatch

All body shapes get the same swatch, non-AF recolors can be either standalone or repo'd to AF.

Original textures by Xandher, though I erased the nailpolish on the hands. The included AF recolors are Xandher's files but renamed for clarity, with fixed shoe sounds, enabled for young adults and disabled as everydaywear (they are now formal-only instead).

~

The meshes

AF ↓

TF ↓

EF ↓

Melodie9 fat AF (afFat) ↓

Melodie9 fat TF (tfFat) ↓

Melodie9 fat EF (efFat) ↓

MartaXL AF-EF (aefMartaXL) ↓

[vdrawsrobots]

Fighting Communication and Gundam Science in G-Fighter

I originally posted this on twitter, but I figured it would be easier to read here--- and I'd love to know anybody's thoughts about my rambles/speculation :) Edited/expanded a little because I don't have to worry about word count hehe

A possible interpretation of how "fighting communication" could be interpreted as a more literal phenomenon instead of Martial Arts Magic when considering the way Fighter-Gundam connections are described in the G-Fighter entertainment bible. Warning for spoilers under the read more!

Gundams in G-Fighter are (to an extent) powered by the emotions of the pilot. That emotional state has an influence on how well they can pilot/communicate their intentions to their Gundam, and in some cases, on the behavior of the Gundam itself.

This is alluded to a few times in the show--- the most direct acknowledgment I can find would be Dr. Kasshu referring to Shining’s “Emotional Energy System” being primarily powered by anger. It's also explored in the training that Schwarz Bruder gives to Domon in order to control Shining's super mode--- in order to properly communicate the pilot's intentions, their emotions must be calm and regulated, easier to translate into data that the Gundam can understand. Therefore, his techniques focus on getting Domon to see past just striking out in blind anger. It's about intention and clarity of communication.

This is more explicitly stated in the Entertainment Bible (which does a better job explaining it than I ever could):

This emotional data is then translated into something that the Gundam’s system can understand— therefore, the clearer/more controlled the emotional input, the more accurate the translation, and the better the pilot’s intentions can be “understood” by their machine. The Gundam understands the pilot on a level that no other human can, a pure knowing of the pilot's consciousness (or "soul").

As stated, mental training is also just as important as physical. After all, when this communication is unclear, it can have disastrous consequences. Master Asia encourages Domon to just get mindlessly mad in their fight in order to weaken him. Kyoji’s extreme emotional state when crashing to Earth, combined with the physical damage to Ultimate’s computer system, accidentally teaches the Devil Gundam to hate humanity.

No wonder the technique Schwarz teaches Domon is about clarity, control and inward understanding of emotion and intent.

Given this translation of emotional feedback into transferrable data, the concept of “Fighting Communication” and Gundam Fighters understanding each other through combat could be interpreted literally.

Battles in G-Fighter involve a lot of physical contact--- obviously, as they are battles, but there are a lot of scenes of the Gundams joining hands when struggling against each other, or otherwise maintaining prolonged physical connection at high-intensity moments of combat.

Often it is during these scenes when characters refer to fighting communication, or what the fists of their opponent are trying to tell them (all the references to the soul of a fighter being expressed through their fists, etc). Another important thing to notice here is that both pilots are in a heightened emotional state. They're also in as close to perfect connection with their Gundams as they can--- they're putting everything on the line, going all-out to win, and so is their machine. Gundam and pilot are one--- implying a very high flow of emotional data and neural input from Gundam to pilot in these moments.

Could it be then that this physical contact accidentally allows for some accidental crossover of emotional feedback? Is there an unintentional spillover caused by the Gundam reaching its limits to handle so much raw emotion, or possible crossover in the same way that electricity jumps between conductors? It's not impossible to imagine that the “understanding of the soul” the Fighter experiences is being caused by the accidental crossover of emotional feedback between the Gundams in these moments of prolonged physical contact— therefore literally allowing fighters to see into and understand each other’s true feelings in the heat of high-intensity combat.

And since the way emotion/thought is translated into something understandable to the machine in a way that goes beyond human comprehension, it could also be speculated that this could occur for the pilots, as well. That the high-intensity causes the literal blurring of the lines between the minds of two pilots (think of something similar to the Drift in Pacific Rim). Maybe for a Gundam Fighter, a battle with your opponent really does allow you to understand them on a deeper level than just words can allow. Maybe a fighter really can communicate with their fists in a way they don't know how to with words.

Or maybe I'm reaching and reading too much into it :) either way, let me know your thoughts if you have any!! I love writing about g-fighter, both fic and analysis (??? i guess???) stuff like this, and tumblr lets me be as long-winded as I want >:) I have a lot of Thoughts about each pilot's specific relationship with their Gundam, and I'd like to write more about them sometime soon...

[chronologically-challenged]

When I first finished isat, I had a strange dream. Not directly isat related, but the feelings and ideas in the dream were obviously inspired by it.

At the time, wrote out what I remembered. Thought it might be interesting to share here (though I did some edits for clarity). Warning for character death, loss of self, grief, and intended suicide.

Time loops. Adventuring party is stuck in an endless tower. They're together. That's enough right? Except, the tower has a deep evil within it. One of their party members is slowly getting possessed. They become less aware over time, thinking both in fantasy and reality. They can't help it. They soon split into two different bodies, not exactly the evil in one or the other but becoming reality and pragmatism with the morals of both. They are the same. They are entirely different people.

But regardless of there being two of them with two different lines of thought, neither want to hurt their party. They will shift the world and lash out and yell, but they can't bring themselves to actively try to hurt their friends. The tower melts. Becomes less real. What used to be stone floors becomes a pier and a shipyard. Another floor becomes an office building that leads into an auditorium. Another becomes shifting hallways and corridors that expand and grow ever harder to navigate in each loop.

In the end, fantasy is stuck singing a lullaby. This lullaby is a mix of a song they sang to the group, a tale of the endless storm they've come to be, and a comfort for the coming days. Through this journey, the party ended up accidently killing one or the other between pragmatism and fantasy. But when one dies, the other eventually revives. It becomes clear that they're controlling the tower. That their reach is expanding. They're hurting people. They're even hurting their friends.

Pragmatism tells fantasy they both need to die. The party clearly was trying to find a way behind their backs to do it quickly. Putting a loved one out of their misery. It's surprising when fantasy agrees to do it freely.

Pragmatism and fantasy eat chocolates full of poison. They hold hands as they fade. Becoming a single song. Their bodies freeze. Turning to wax. But inside their minds they are singing.

This song repeats. Goes on forever. It combines. They drift. They sing and sing and sing and sing...

Until the sea in their mind shifts into a storm. Pain erupts in a way that never existed. Part of them goes dark. What is happening?

Outside the cursed one's mind, there is another adventuring party. One of them was the child in their old party now clearly aged to be an old scholar. Another is the immortal of their party, who hasn't aged a day. There are several knights around them. They are poking at the melted remains of the cursed one's body. They talk. It's clear that it's been a long time since the cursed one left, but while everyone was able to escape, the tower still has cursed problems. The surrounding areas are in trouble, shifting, and they need to deal with the cursed one once and for all. They need to kill their old friend for good.

The knights start the scrap the waxxed form of the cursed one.

The now-scholar is clearly having trouble with all this. They're shaking. The immortal has always only seen the worst in the cursed one. They say, "They're lost in a memory of greed".

In the mind of the cursed one they don't understand. They don't they don't they don't it HURTS. They lash out.

The tower booms, it shakes. The knights keep pushing to finish the job one scrap of wax off the frozen body at a time.

And the now-scholar starts to sing. An old lullaby. Familiar. One they used to sing so many years ago. The sparks start to die down. They keep going, keep scrapping.

In their mind, the cursed one clings on.

The scholar keeps singing, even as it becomes clear that they're holding back tears.

It's becoming darker in the cursed one's mind. The crew in their dreams are drowning they're drowning, fading into the water. Who is there? Why is this happening??? Help!!!

And the scholar in their gentlest voice tells the cursed one to rest. To rest in a name they haven't been called since before they've become this. Please. Rest. You can finally sleep.

The sparks fade. There is one last flash of color..... and then it's clear that the wax that was once the cursed one, once their friend is now dead.

The knights turn to celebrate only for the scholar to collapse in a heap of wails. The immortal goes to comfort them but the scholar isn't having it. They failed didn't they? They failed their friend.

If they looked harder, if they stuck to their guns and tried to keep looking for the bits of their friend that were left instead of giving up. Maybe maybe maybe-

The immortal tells them that they did try. They tried everything. They remember the scholar writing in the wax begging their friend to give them any sign they even know they're here. Whatever was left? These last few moments? You comforted the last embers of the person they knew.

The dream ends as it fades to the memories of a friend long gone and the dream tries to repeat on itself once more. Back to the tower. Back in these moments forever.