#dan shive says stuff

[danshive]

Tier list idea: Villains who would actually know what they're doing after taking over the world.

To be clear, I don't mean "make things better", or anything like that.

I mean actually know how to govern an entire planet, as opposed to winning being a massive "…now what?" moment.

[egscomics]

I don't know if the current story arc part is the darkest EGS canon has ever gotten, or if such things can even be measured, but I think it's the darkest I've actually shown in this much detail (as opposed to a quick description about a past event).

[danlearnjapanese]

意 - Ideas and thought 味 - Flavor and taste

意味 - Imi, meaning, significance, sense.

So the meaning of a thought is how it tastes 👍

[tfnonsense]

Something I like about the "casual" TF nonsense approach is that there's usually the question of *why* someone is transforming in transformation fiction, and then there's the standard tropes of "huh-WHAAA?!" and trying to write people reacting with varying degrees of realism, AND matters of proving identity and such.

I'm not saying that's all bad, I write a comic in which all that's the deal, BUT what I AM saying it's nice to be able to just say "yeah, Steve transformed for some reason. It's just a thing that happens. We're not sure how we know they're Steve, but that's how it is."

[reactionnonsense]

A Reaction Side Blog

Dan Shive here. I've created this blog because I hyperfixate on things I've watched / read / whatever, and that can be a huge distraction 🙃

I want a place where I can regularly share my lengthy, possibly rambling thoughts, hopefully releasing some of the tension on that hyperfixation.

I'd also like all of these reactions to be in one place, because Tumblr search can be a nightmare.

Also, since these are about stories, they will frequently be a "this is what I'm talking about" followed by a "Keep Reading" button to click to see more.

I don't want my main blog (danshive) to have a bunch of posts that look like that all the time, hence the side blog. Plus, anyone following this knows what they're in for.

[danshive]

You'll know it's me if I ever write adult material under a pseudonym because there'll be a disclaimer somewhere about all the reasons why certain things wouldn't be okay in real life.

"This is an indulgent fantasy that is perfectly fine to enjoy, but cursed tomes should be used more responsibly."

[danshive]

Please refrain from the consumption of ominous mushrooms.

This was originally in response to someone who actually did consume ominous mushrooms, but I concluded it was good general advice for all.

[danshive]

My hot take is that you should be able to be critical of the gameplay flaws in Fallout New Vegas without acknowledging the specifics of its short production.

If discussing WHY those flaws exist, yes, it should be brought up in regard to some things.

In general, though? It's fair to just point out the flaws.

[danshive]

"Side? I am on nobody's side, because nobody is on my side,"

Treebeard, Lord of The Rings

[danshive]

I enjoy adding "as one does" in parentheses after describing a strange thing to do (as one does).

[danshive]

YOU! Are granted the power to suddenly own ONE video game franchise, and to hire the best people who have ever worked on it (and/or anyone else you want in on it).

What video game franchise are you rescuing--er, acquiring?

[danshive]

I think personal labels can be useful for “there’s a word for it”, “I’m not alone”, and “oh neat, I know what to put in a search engine now” reasons, but I also think they can be troublesome.

Plenty of people won’t fit 100% neatly into a label, and when they encounter a rare exception to what is otherwise an accurate label for them, it can feel like an identity crisis.

The labels aren’t literally what you are. They’re words. They’re meant to assist communication and organization, not to control you.

[danshive]

I sometimes see people argue about one of these circles as though it were all three circles.

Sometimes something can totally make sense in-universe, and fit with the themes of the story, the characters, etc... And you just don't like it for whatever reason. Maybe it wasn't done well in spite of that, or touched a nerve, etc.

Maybe you loved a story, and it was an excellent exploration of a character, but it would be totally fair to call out the technical nonsense, and how, even in-universe, it doesn't add up.

And maybe you thought this episode of a show was GREAT! But it was non-canon, nothing made sense, and, ultimately, it was UTTER NONSENSE.

And so on, and so forth. Heck, you could fairly add more circles to this. I'm keeping it simple with three.

My point is mostly that there's nuance to opinions, and sometimes, someone not liking something in a story has nothing to do with whether it made sense, or complimented the narrative.

Those things can be separate points. Stories don't have to be a failure at everything to be disliked, or succeed at everything to be liked, and arguing as though that were the case is silly.

[danshive]

"You shouldn't judge people for their political views" is such a nothing statement.

Political views can range from "I don't think we should have sales tax" to the most horrifically bigoted nonsense imaginable, and if someone is saying that instead of being more specific, that itself is suspicious.

[danshive]

“Why write a character as bisexual?”

Because it’s essentially the default in my head. It’s more a conscious decision to NOT make a character bi.

[danshive]

If you want to really, truly have moral choices in video games, forget "evil 😈 - good 😇" options.

What you're REALLY looking for is "convenient 🙂- inconvenient 😰" options.

Seriously, the #1 most common test of morality is that little bit of extra effort required, and that's what will actually test people. Well, that, and "the best weapon is locked behind an evil choice", but I still want the games to be FUN, you see 🎉