#i know there's a lot of factors that play a key role in that but still.. it feels so weird to me

[eightspringdays]

Idk how to explain this without sounding like I'm bullshiting you but 0°C in Canada feels like 15°C in Chile. And here my bones don't hurt like in that supermarket aisle shaped country

[acoraxia]

So what exactly *is* your cotl au? /gen

And also I need to know the lore of lambs blindfold (they are so freakin cool)

SO my COTL AU is called Gods Calamity and it’s mostly centered around the worldbuilding in game rather than, say, narilamb’s dynamic though it is a big part of the AU since the Lamb and Narinder are chained together — lots of symbolism and parallels going on between them honestly :)

Shamura, for instance, plays a very very important role to my Lamb (Aluhe) and is a key factor to why the Lamb is so bloodthirsty towards the Bishops when they’re gifted the crown.

They actually got their blindfold after running away from the Goat’s family — they took them in and they started feeling guilty over bringing them danger/trouble and decided it wasn’t worth risking them getting hurt so they ran away!! Terrible choice considering they got their eyes snatched by a heretic when they tried to fight back

(They do eventually get their sight back but they still wear the blindfolds :))

[corviiids]

i loved your answer to the ooc question... penny for your thoughts on the Core of ren and goro? 👉👈🥺

rubbing my little bug hands together i dunno that i can capture all my whole... mental Akeshu Bible... in one post... but here are some notes on what i'd consider one of the most key points for each.

basically the way this works for me is ill have like a central piece of understanding sitting at the core of how i work with a character, and then let instinct guide their dialogue/behaviour from there.

i wrote a thesis again. two in fact. jesus christ

goro - sincerity is mystifying, dangerous, and impossible, but alluring.

can i talk about light yagami for a second. are we all going to be okay with it if i do that. that's going to make this easier for me to explain

i think light yagami and goro akechi have almost nothing in common once we get past the most obvious similarities - the cynicism borne of shattered once-upon-a-time idealism, the willingness to turn to radical action, the bad hair. anyway the difference i want to point out arises from another key similarity which i think only exists on the surface - the "evil underside true self" counterpart to the "pleasant preppy perfect boy" persona. looks the same. but the difference is that light never struggles with that falsehood, and akechi clearly does.

what i mean by that is i think to light, his perfect persona is nothing more than a simple disguise, albeit one he's been wearing a while without knowing why. he doesn't really have a fractured sense of self, because it's clear that the light yagami who is kira is the True self. the light yagami who is just a nice young man is mostly a falsehood to the point light sees him as a character to be played. (ok this is also an oversimplification but go with me for now. okay. that's the basic of it. just accept this for the sake of argument. this aint about him)

goro is very different. i think in the lead-up to the interrogation room, goro understands himself in a similar way, but after the interrogation room that perception is called into question. okay, i think about the interrogation room scene a lot, because i really didn't like goro's behaviour in that scene when i first played it, i thought it was a very cheap and superficial way to reveal his identity as the traitor by making him act as cartoonishly villainous as possible. and tbh i dont want to give atlus too much credit for creating a super nuanced scene there so what im about to propose is probably unintentional. but anyway, i eventually came around to it because i decided that that cartoonish villanousness must be a choice to goro. at that point in time, goro's perception of himself is akin to light's understanding of kira: black mask/shido's assassin/evil motherfucker is "the true goro", and pleasant boy detective prince is nothing but a mask.

and here i would like to bring up a complicating factor which makes light and goro very, very different. light wants to live. he refuses the shinigami eyes because he wants to exist in his new world to rule over it indefinitely. goro's plan on the other hand has a fixed timeline. goro is aware, and tells us in the engine room, that once his public reputation is shattered, he has nothing. goro's plan involves outing shido by outing himself. ergo, goro's plan is to take shido to the top and then torpedo them together, leaving them both with nothing.

what does this mean? light yagami's mask protects kira - light's true self and a man who wants to live. goro akechi's mask serves the black-masked assassin, but the black-masked assassin serves shido, a role which is just as deceptive as the detective prince. which means goro akechi's disguise protects a self that isn't real, either. it feels disingenuous to say that the version of akechi who exists to be shido's attack dog is his true self. so that goofy villainous smile in the interrogation room is, to me, goro convincing himself that that evil face is who he really is, not realising it's another facade he's playing up - but while the prince's audience is the public, the assassin's audience is goro himself. after that whole thing goes down, i think it becomes clearer that that evil face was goro pretending to himself that he's just a straight up villain who doesn't care about anything because that's easier than conceding that you might feel some complicated way about the self-loathing and bitterness you've been nurturing since childhood.

but wait, there's definitely also truth to the black mask. there's no way to deny that the akechi who attacks them in the engine room had a ton of truth to him that the detective prince lacked. but, wait. goro doesn't perfectly keep up the facade with the detective prince, either, because there are definitely times where he's being honest even when he's being the pleasant boy.

okay, where does that leave us? light has one layer of falsehood (light protects kira), but goro has at least two (detective prince protects black mask protects ???) so what the hell is goro hiding? where's the true self? is the version of akechi who showed up in the interrogation room the black mask, or is it shido's assassin? are those two different guys who overlap? does this mean everything the detective prince said is suspect? we don't know which one is true, but we know they're both lying.

okay. why? what's wrong with him? i should get to my actual fucking point maybe?

this is the central thesis of his shadows in palacefic btw. rather than being divided into a relatively clean true/false like light, goro's true self is split between his personae. every time you talk to any version of goro akechi, you're getting some lies but you're also getting some sincerity. i think goro doesnt know who he is because he doesn't see any particular use for having a real self at the end of the day, only masks he can use to achieve his ends.

except you can't actually kill your true self. it sticks around. so the most he can do is fragment it. but the consequence is the shards get stuck in his masks. every time he tries to put on a mask, a shred of truth peeks out. i think goro wants to not exist and not be known, but inside every mask he wears is a true part of him that desperately DOES want to be known, but can't allow it, but wants it, but is scared of it, but wants it, but hates it, but will die if it happens, but wants it.

what you end up with is a really self-contradictory guy where every time he talks, the things he's saying are simultaneously true and false. it's the worst with ren, because he's really interested in ren, but allowing ren to know him is suicide. light's really good at playing the part because he has no investment in the part, it's purely fake, and all his investment is in his true self. but goro is invested in each of his masks, because each of his masks contains part of him for real and there's no unified self to return to at the end of the day. so he struggles way more with the act than light does, because there's a part of him, however small, that really wants to drop the mask. but he can't, because there's nothing behind it, so there's nothing he can do

anyway when i write goro's dialogue and behaviour, it's not just writing a guy lying and playing a part because he needs the cover, it's goro injecting himself into mould after mould after mould and trying to keep a balance of how much he can reveal vs how much he needs to keep close to his chest. this is why he talks so fucking much, it's why his speech mannerisms aren't always perfectly polished, it's why the mask slips so often, it's why he's so cartoonishly evil at times, and it's why while light yagami is a popular guy who has everyone around him perfectly fooled, goro akechi is really only able to appeal to the subset of fans who are keen on his particular celebrity style while other people find him kind of annoying and disingenuous. when im writing akechi in xyz situation, it's a process of working out which mask he's wearing, what he wants to achieve, what he's hiding, how much he can or would slip, and what that slip might look like. i think this is heightened because of his circumstances, but i also think goro would be incredibly guarded and paranoid no matter what his circumstances were (although the murder might decrease a little).

tl;dr: goro akechi tries to do away with his sense of self but only succeeds in splitting it into a hundred million pieces covered in lies, each of which is desperate to be known but shies away with equal desperation

ren - in a distant relationship with the sense of self

idk that thats the right word but basically i think in true persona protag fashion, and as alluded to by beneath the mask / the power of the wild card / etc the relationship between ren's personae and his 'true self' is more complicated and detached than most of the other characters. i dont agree that the protags are true "blank slate" protagonists in the meta sense but i do think ren is a "blank slate" person in-text in that simultaneously he has extremely strong core values and beliefs which are absolutely immovable, and traits which shine through even in his limited speech, but the manifestation of his personality is a lot more malleable than say ryuji's is. ren is very flexible and wears a different mask depending on who he's talking to. i think that requires a level of detachment which manifests as basically centering his companion's character + needs in a given interaction over his own. this doesnt just come through in his dialogue but also in the way he internally reflects on what's happening.

the way this manifests most obviously in how i write him is that my ren (in texts especially but also in dialogue) has a tendency to omit his personal pronoun (in subject position).

that gives him kind of a laid-back vibe. he has a habit of omitting the first part of a sentence entirely.

he adds it back in when he's talking about something more serious, very alert, feeling uncomfortable, etc. it happens a lot when he talks to akechi because he needs to be very switched on during those conversations to keep up.

idk i know that for some people the joy of having a protagonist character is being able to make them into whoever you want them to be - so your ren might be extra flirty for example which i think is a really popular characterisation of him because it's fun and it has some basis in his dialogue, and it's a choice i went with for a while before i started shifting away from it. recently i've been way more interested in trying to reconcile this really strong-willed guy with a clearly rich and rebellious inner life with the quiet slouched character who says like 3 words every conversation and who really never reveals anything about himself. like, imagine he's a real person and not just a blank slate protagonist i can push and pull - how do i make his little mousy 8< self work with the fact that he's an international criminal without adding something on top that isn't already there in him? i think there's a way to do it and i think the way to do that is to have him internalise as much as possible. for everything he says, there are a billion things he doesn't say. that makes it really fucking difficult to actually portray him sometimes because his rich inner life can really only come through if we have access to his inner monologue, and if he's not the pov character we don't, but you know, i love a stupid fucking self imposed challenge. ren amamiya is like laying breadcrumb clues in his dumb ass 3 word dialogue options that im crawling over like weevils with a magnifying glass

but he DOES leave clues! so many of his dialogue options are sarcastic and dry or straight up goofy. so he's funny, he's deadpan, he can be impatient. but if you take that too far in dialogue, it gets overplayed, and he loses his taciturn charm, so you have to pull it back, because he's restrained, not overt. he's quippy, he's not wordy. he's a show-off, but in a self-assured way. he will never indicate in any way that he wants you to look at him. he'll just make sure he's so impressive that you can't look away. if he winks, it's like he's keeping a secret between you, not like he's putting on a show. he delivers one-liners only, not full jokes, and the setup and knockdown has to be in the same breath. if his thoughts can't be condensed into one sentence, two or three max, he doesn't say them, he keeps it to himself. whether his emotions show on his face depend on how well you can read him, and it depends who he's with, it depends how recently he's been joker, it depends if there's some extenuating factor in there that's going to make him crack. ren's more likely to crack if he's standing up for someone else.

his inner monologue is just as interesting to grapple with because my ren is pretty repressed. the more upset he is, the more he distances himself from how he's actually feeling. he's very good at deflecting people and he's also very good at deflecting himself - focus on someone else, focus on the environment around him, focus on some physical sensation, don't get too far into his own head, or else

tl;dr: ren handles himself with a mix of internalising and externalising by swallowing down everything he might want to say out loud but outsourcing and distancing from his sense of self to keep himself steady

[the-mortuary-witch]

THE 9 SATANIC SINS AND THEIR MEANINGS

STUPIDITY: the top of the list for Satanic Sins, the Cardinal Sin. It's too bad that stupidity isn't painful. Ignorance is one thing, but our society thrives increasingly on stupidity. It depends people going along with whatever they are told. The media promotes a cultivated stupidity as a posture that is not only acceptable but laudable. One must learn to see through the tricks and cannot afford to be stupid.

PRETENTIOUSNESS: empty posturing can be most irritating and isn't applying the cardinal rules of Lesser Magic. On equal footing with stupidity for what keeps the money in circulation these days. Everyone's made to feel like a big shot, whether they can come up with the goods or not.

SOLIPSISM: can be very dangerous. Projecting your reactions, responses, and sensibilities onto someone who is probably far less attuned than you are. It is the mistake of expecting people to give you the same consideration, courtesy, and respect that you naturally give them. They won't. Instead, one must strive to apply the dictum of "Do unto others as they do onto you." It's work for most of us and requires constant vigilance lest you slip into a comfortable illusion of everyone being like you. As has been said, certain utopias would be ideal in a nation of philosophers , but unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately, from a Machiavellian standpoint) we are far from that point.

SELF-DECEIT: It's in the "Nine Satanic Statements" but deserves to be repeated here. We must not pay homage to any of the sacred cows presented to us, including the roles we are expecting to play ourselves. The only self-deceit should be entered into is when it's fun, and with awareness. But then, it's not self-deceit!

HERD CONFORMITY: it's all right to conform to a person's wishes, if it ultimately benefits you. But only fools follow along with the herd, letting an impersonated entity dictate to you. The key is to choose a master wisely instead of being enslaved by the whims of the many.

LACK OF PERSPECTIVE: again, this one can lead to a lot of pain. You must never lose sight of who and what you are, and what a threat you can be, by your very existence. We are making history right now, every day. Always keep the wider historical and social picture in mind. That is an important key to both Lesser and Greater Magic. See the patterns and fit things together as you want the pieces to fall into place. Do not be swayed by herd constraints—know that you are working on another level entirely from the rest of the world.

FORGETFULNESS OF PAST: be aware that this is one of the keys to brainwashing people into accepting something new and different, when in reality it's something that was once widely accepted but is now presented in a new package. We are expected to rave about the genius of the creator and forgot the original. This makes for a disposable society.

COUNTERPRODUCTIVE PRIDE: that first word is important. Pride is great up to the point you begin to throw out the baby with the bathwater. The rule of Satanism is: if it works for you, great. When it stops working for you, when you've painted yourself into a corner and the only way out is to say, I'm sorry, I made a mistake, I wish we could compromise somehow, then do it.

LACK OF AESTHETICS: this is the physical application of the Balance Factor. Aesthetics is important in Lesser Magic and should be cultivated. It is obvious that no one can collect any money off classical standards of beauty and form most of the time so they are discouraged in a consumer society, but an eye for beauty, for balance, is an essential tool and must be applied for greatest magical effectiveness. It's not what's supposed to be pleasing—it's what is. Aesthetics is a personal thing, reflective of one's own nature, but there are universally pleasing and harmonious configurations that should not be denied.

[s-soulwriter]

Do you have any suggestions from distinguishing the difference between male voice and female voice while they talk

And their accents

Or how to show that some characters speak less than others

Hey, thanks for your questions. I hope I was able to answer them as thoroughly as possible

1. Distinguishing Male vs. Female Voices

The first thing to understand is that male and female voices can be distinct in several ways, though these differences are not set in stone—individuals may deviate from these general trends. Here are a few elements you can consider when creating male and female voices for your characters:

Pitch and Resonance:

Male voices are often lower in pitch due to having longer and thicker vocal cords. This gives them a richer, fuller sound, often described with words like "deep," "baritone," or "gravelly."

Female voices are generally higher-pitched, more fluid, and can often be described as "melodic," "soft," or "bright." Women typically have shorter, thinner vocal cords that create a more airy or lighter resonance.While pitch is a significant factor, it’s important to avoid overly stereotypical descriptions—there are men with high voices and women with deeper ones. Focus on your character’s personality and the role their voice plays in the narrative.

Speech Style:

Male voices can often sound more direct and less emotionally expressive, although this varies greatly. A male character might use more straightforward language or fewer qualifiers. For example, they might say “I’m fine” without further explanation.

Female voices, traditionally, might use more emotive or detailed language, often adding qualifiers or hedging

Tip: A good way is also to observe the people around you. How do they speak and express themselves?.

2. Writing Accents for Characters

Accents add a lot of depth to a character’s voice and help give them a distinct identity. Here’s how you can approach writing accents:

Avoid Overdoing It:

A common mistake when writing accents is to phonetically spell out every word, making it hard to read. For example, trying to write out a Southern accent as “Ah reckon I’m gonna go fer a walk, y’all” can quickly become exhausting. Instead, subtly hint at the accent by using word choice and occasional phrasing.

Choose Key Words or Phrases:

Rather than altering every word, focus on incorporating distinctive phrases or slang that are characteristic of that accent. For instance:

Southern U.S. accent: “Y’all,” “ain’t,” “fixin’ to.”

British accent: “Blimey,” “mate,” “cheers.”

Australian accent: “G'day,” “no worries,” “mate.”

Phonetic Tweaks:

You can show an accent by slightly adjusting common words or sounds that reflect the accent’s uniqueness. For example:

A Scottish accent might have a rolled "r" or drop the "g" in words like "going" (e.g., "goin’").

A French-influenced accent might emphasize certain vowels, like turning "r" sounds into more of a soft "ah" sound (e.g., “I will hahve a drink”).

Consistency:

It’s essential to maintain consistency throughout the dialogue. If a character has a French accent, they should maintain it across the conversation, but you don’t need to overdo it in every sentence. Instead, sprinkle a few key phrases throughout the dialogue to remind the reader of the accent.

Tip: The goal is to hint at the accent without overwhelming the reader. Think of it like a background texture—it should support the character without overshadowing them. It’s also important to understand why this character has an accent. Why is it important to you? Why does it belong to the character or the story?

3. Writing a More Silent or Reserved Character

If you have a character who speaks less or is more reserved, you can emphasize their quiet nature in several ways without constantly having them “say nothing.”

Less Dialogue:

A quiet character doesn’t need to speak often, but when they do, it should be impactful. Short, concise lines of dialogue work best. For example: “I don’t know,” or “It’s fine.”

By speaking less, the character creates a sense of mystery or depth. People may start to wonder what they are thinking or why they are so silent. This makes every word they say feel significant.

Actions and Body Language:

Instead of always relying on dialogue, show what the character feels through their actions. A reserved character might communicate through gestures or facial expressions rather than words. A small nod or a brief glance can convey a lot.

Use body language to communicate their silence. “He didn’t speak, but his fingers twitched and his lips formed a grin.” Or, “Her gaze was steady, but her lips remained sealed.”

Internal Dialogue:

A reserved character might be silent in the external world, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t thinking. You can give them internal thoughts to let readers into their mind without forcing them to speak aloud. For example: “He wanted to say something, but the words felt stuck, trapped behind the walls he had built around himself.” This is really important if the silet OC is your Main character.

Contrast with Other Characters:

The more talkative characters can help highlight the quiet ones. When they interact, the differences in speech can be stark. A talkative character might over-explain things, filling silence, while the quieter one answers with one or two words, creating a natural contrast.

Tip: The silence of a character can often speak louder than their words. The less they speak, the more meaningful their words become, and the more the reader may connect with their inner conflict or calm

[nenelonomh]

the effect of what (and how) you eat

okay, this is a big topic. and so this is a long post. i'm going to be going over the effect of what you eat and why it's important to think about what foods you are consuming. don't worry! i do my research-- at the end of the post will be a few resources, and i'll show where i've gotten my information.

lots of dietary advice is available over the internet, but often the people absorbing the information do not understand the why. knowing where your information is coming from,, and not believing everything you read online is key to actually maintaining a good, healthy diet.

before you read: TRIGGER WARNING THERE IS MENTION OF EATING DISORDERS,,

let's start with this: like everything in this age, food is a double-edged sword. overconsumption and underconsumption can both kill you. what you eat; how you eat--it can help or hinder whatever your goals may be.

here's the effect/s: the connection between diet and mental health is profound. while we’ve long understood that diet plays a crucial role in overall health, emerging research in the field of nutritional psychiatry sheds light on how what we eat directly impacts our emotional well-being and mental state.

the brain-gut connection: the gut is closely linked to the brain. trillions of living microbes in our gut have essential functions, including synthesizing neurotransmitters. these neurotransmitters send chemical messages to the brain, regulating sleep, pain, appetite, mood, and emotions.

to improve your gut health, here's what you can do:

by eating a varied diet that includes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds, essential nutrients are provided which feeds the beneficial bacteria in the gut. high fibre foods promote gut health by supporting good bacteria.

fermented foods, such as yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi, and miso are rich in probiotics—live beneficial bacteria that boost gut health. kombucha (a fermented tea) is another option.

avoiding reducing processed foods can reduce the diversity of good bacteria in your gut. when i say processed foods, i'm referring to ultra-processed foods, for example, fried foods and frozen meals. they may be easy and cheap, but they include preservatives, artificial colouring, chemical flavouring and texturing agents. all of which our bodies are not made to consume. it's ignorant to tell you to avoid processed foods at all costs. that's not realistic, and a horrible mindset. instead, you should manage your intake. enjoy treats every now and then and don't punish yourself for it.

hydration is key to a healthy gut. water supports digestion and nutrient absorption.

stress management, eating well and exercise can also help your gut microbiome's health.

by having a healthy gut microbiome, you are helping your body to have lower chronic inflammation, have regular bowel movements and more effectively absorb nutrients. therefore, you will have a stronger immune system, have clearer skin and support your digestion and metabolism.

why eating protein matters: proteins are made of amino acids, which serve as the fundamental building blocks for various structures in our bodies. these amino acids are essential for forming enzymes, hormones, tissues, and DNA. protein is vital in maintaining and building muscle mass. when activities like strength training and physical exercise are engaged in, protein helps build and repair the muscles.

hemoglobin, a protein in our red blood cells, transports oxygen from our lungs to other tissues. without adequate protein, oxygen delivery would be compromised. antibodies, which defend against infections, are made of proteins. a well-functioning immune system relies on sufficient protein intake. collagen, a protein, maintains the integrity of our skin, hair, and nails. adequate protein supports healthy skin elasticity and wound healing.

the recommended dietary intake for protein relies on factors such as age, weight, height, gender, activity and overall health. remember that individual needs can vary, so consulting with a healthcare provider or registered dietitian is advisable to determine your specific protein requirements.

many diets exist that cut out entire macronutrients (keto for example) but that is not the way. each macronutrient has great importance in helping the body function.

carbohydrates are the body's (including the brain) preferred energy source. they enable muscle contraction during exercise and even at rest. carbs maintain body temperature, support heart function, and aid digestion.

the keto diet comes from the belief that when carbohydrates are not providing energy (are not being consumed), the body will use reserved energy stored in lipids (fat). while this is true, this diet is not maintainable-- it throws the body out of whack, storing more energy to maintain homeostasis.

fats provide energy and are essential for hormone production. they contribute to cell growth, brain health and vitamin absorption.

our brain is composed of ~60% fat. fats are essential for neurotransmitter production, affecting mood, cognition, and hormonal signalling. cholesterol, often associated with heart health, is a precursor for steroid hormones (testosterone, estrogen, progesterone). without adequate cholesterol, our body cannot produce these essential hormones.

effects of diet on mood: firstly, going long periods without eating can cause a drop in blood sugar levels, leading to tiredness and irritability. secondly, consuming excessive amounts of food can make you feel tired and lethargic.

choosing the right carbohydrates can help maintain blood sugar levels. our brain primarily runs on glucose (obtained from carbohydrate-rich foods). you can opt for slow-release carbohydrates to maintain steady energy levels. slow-release carbohydrates (a.k.a low GI food) provide a more sustained and gradual release of energy compared to other carbohydrates. examples include fruits, vegetables, whole grains (grainy bread, brown rice, oats) and sweet potatoes. high GI foods rapidly spike blood sugar levels due to their quick digestion and absorption.

going too long without eating can lead to low blood sugar levels, resulting in irritability and fatigue. overeating to discomfort can also leave you feeling tired and lethargic. consistent, moderate-sized meals help maintain stable blood sugar levels and promote an even mood.

i know, overeating is an issue that one cannot simply 'turn off'. it's important to know the psychology, and if you struggle with it--please talk to a health professional.

here is what i can tell you about overeating:

overeating is typically a learned behaviour and habit. certain foods are associated with pleasure and reward. when enticing food is encountered, we engage in eating behaviour and immediately experience pleasure. this reinforces the habit, making it challenging to change.

overeating may be serving as a coping mechanism for emotions. when feelings of sadness, disappointment, frustration, or even joy arise, someone may turn to food. emotional eating provides temporary relief, reinforcing the behaviour.

the first delicious bite triggers pleasure, satiates our appetite, and improves our emotional state. our memory associates this reward process with eating, leading us to continually seek that pleasure. this is due to immediate reward.

people with eating disorders may disregard their health, body, body image and lifestyle goals. they use food as a way to punish themselves and gain control over their life. restrictive eating disorders can lead to 'binging behaviour'. bingeing serves as a way to numb emotions. anxiety, stress, and depression can trigger binge behaviours. consuming certain foods or substances (like junk food or alcohol) releases dopamine, the “feel-good” neurotransmitter. this chemical rush can lead to physical addiction, reinforcing bingeing. a culture (unfortunately which is abundant in the world today) that emphasizes consumption as a measure of worth can contribute to bingeing. messages about thinness, drinking, and material possessions can drive these behaviours.

i hate that i am having to say this but alcoholism is bad. and caffeine addiction is bad. in no way is harming your health aesthetic or 'a vibe'.

limiting caffeine and alcohol can also improve mood. again, i'd like to stress that there is never going to be one perfect diet, and allowing yourself to enjoy whatever food you like is perfectly fine- as long as you are doing so in moderation.

everything is a balance.

resources/further reading, to end: Fat Requirements For Optimal Hormonal Health - Clean HealthHow Dietary Fat Benefits Hormones - Women's International Pharmacy (womensinternational.com) The truth about fats: the good, the bad, and the in-between - Harvard HealthDietary fats | healthdirectMacronutrients: Definition, importance, and food sources (medicalnewstoday.com)Know Your Macros-Why Macronutrients Are Key to Healthy Eating | Cedars-SinaiWhy the Proper Balance of Macronutrients is Vital for Good Health - Functional Diagnostic Nutrition What Is Protein & Why Do You Need It? (eatingwell.com)Protein: Why Your Body Needs It (webmd.com)Protein | The Nutrition Source | Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public HealthBinge-Eating Disorder (Compulsive Overeating) | Psychology Today AustraliaThe Psychology Behind Binge-Watching | PsychregBingeing: Why It Happens and What You Can Do About It (greatist.com) Understanding Overeating: The Psychology Behind It - Listen-HardWhy stress causes people to overeat - Harvard HealthThe Truth About Overeating | Psychology TodaySlow-release carbs list (medicalnewstoday.com)Why understanding carbs (and how to count them) matters | Diabetes UK Food and your mood - Better Health ChannelHow food can affect your mood | Nutrition AustraliaStress-related stomach pain: When to see a doctor - UChicago MedicineWhat Is Gut Health? A Comprehensive Guide to Digestive Wellness | U.S. News (usnews.com)Why Gut Health Matters More Than You Think | Well.Org Probiotics: What They Are, Benefits & Side Effects (clevelandclinic.org)Probiotics: What You Need To Know | NCCIH (nih.gov)What should I eat for a healthy gut? - BBC FoodLet’s Eat: How Diet Influences the Brain (brainfacts.org)

i know the fact that the resources are one big block may be annoying, but i don't have the commitment to in text reference lmao. hours of research and writing for a blog post, yes, but in text referencing is just too far.

i hope you learnt something

❤️joanne

[definitelynotshouting]

just read thru ur hunger au loredoc and now am going to read the fic…. LOVE the worldbuilding, aaaahhhh……

a couple of curious questions now though!

do ender dragons serve any specific purpose/have connections within the ecosystem at large, or are they just kinda like… internal organs for servers as Entities?

is there any particular way that game updates manifest, or is it sort of a presumption that they were there “the whole time”? and if the former, where are the updates coming from? 👁️👁️

and last! are there any servers outside of those connected to grian‘s specific arc that you have had any interesting thoughts about? ie empires, new life, vault hunters, dsmp, origins, mianite, etc

This has been sitting in my inbox for MONTHS but i finally have some brainpower to answer it so!!! Firstly i really hope you ended up enjoying the fic if youve gotten around to reading it :]] and im really glad you like all the worldbuilding and lore!! These are such great questions so im gonna try my best to do them justice >:]]

So i only recently puzzled this out with the Ender Dragon's role in the overall universe's ecosystem, but to explain it i need to go on a bit of a tangent. So if youve been through my loredoc, then you probably already know that Players are what drive the creation of server worlds-- ive likened this before to the protective shell of an egg, surrounding a Spawned Player to shield it from the inhospitable environment of the in-between. For the purposes of this analogy, we'll say a server is like the eggshell, while the Player inside it is the chick growing within. Once a Player has developed enough, gone through the majority of their progression advancements, the universe will direct them to one last task-- kill the Ender Dragon. This is the egg-tooth, what will essentially hatch the Player so they can emerge from their shell and enter the universe at large (aka join and discover other servers, mingle with other Players, etc etc).

The way Ender Dragons function in servers is that they essentially lock travel to and from them-- while the dragon is alive, nothing comes in, and nothing comes out. Once killed, the return gateway at the center island is opened up to the overworld-- but thats not the only function it has. Return gateways can actually serve as a portal to other open servers!! Players can adjust the server address via their comm, and spawn in at a completely different location than the server they just left. This is how basic intra-server travel occurs!!

Relatedly, Hypixel is what i consider a "hub" server-- aka a large, traffic-heavy server that acts as a bridge point for Players hopping between distant worlds. The distance between two servers is a very distinct factor in how easy it is to travel between them, and after a certain point, you cant hop directly across that gap without needing to use a hub server as a bridge. Its sorta like a rest stop during long road trips, if you look at it sideways. Because of this Hypixel is very touristy in my mind and hosts a lot of constant entertainment for Players who stop there on their way to another destination!!!

(an additional fun little fact for you: when MCC isnt hosting its monthly tournament, it acts as a hub server as well!! Noxcrew are in charge of upkeeping its maintenance :] )

For servers other than those already mentioned, ive definitely had some thoughts about empires and dsmp. Most of them boil down to the fact that 90% of what Players do is basically LARP 😂😂😂 so Empires??? Entirely LARPing. These guys are living their best lives just making shit up and my gods are they having fun with it. My thoughts on DSMP are actually on a similar note, with one key difference: i think it started out as pure LARPing, and then everyone just got a little... too into it, per se. Like huge case of "got too invested and now theres actual emotional stakes here in what was supposed to be a silly play-pretend conflict" and then things just started spiraling out of control. I havent put a WHOLE ton of thought into it beyond that tho

As for updates, my thoughts are a bit complex-- for things that arent mobs (aka structures), im operating more on the basis of "theyve always been there"-- but for mobs themselves, i think the process is sorta akin to randomized and rapid evolution. New mobs arent uniformly pushed out into server worlds-- i think they just sometimes appear, and then gradually more and more Players begin to encounter them; sorta like randomized rollouts, in a way. Newer worlds are more likely to host newer mobs, while older ones may not see them soon or even at all, depending on where theyre at in their own life cycles. Smth ive also been thinking a lot about lately which i promise is vaguely related to this is that Player-kept information isnt centralized!! They dont really have the internet like we do, so any news about new mobs showing up in vanilla worlds has to be spread purely by word-of-mouth

I hope these answered your questions well!! Thank you for being so patient with me while i cooked :]]❤️

[mintartem]

I really like Zophiel, especially in evilmenshoe80‘s fic he played a key role! Now, I want to use him again so here’s an idea.

The virtues are arguing among themselves. Gabriel and Uriel against the idea of redemption and Hazbin Hotel, Remiel and Cassiel approves of it, and Raphael and Azrael chose to abstain from this decision. This leaves Michael as the deciding factor on which side will win.

He was pressured by all of them to give his answer but instead of answering, he ran away and went immediately to a balcony to calm himself down. (He is still grieving about the news of Adam’s death and being reminded of this “Hazbin Hotel” was hurting him more and more.)

On one hand, he can side with Gabriel and shut down the hotel as a sort of revenge against them for killing Adam, but if the concept of redemption is possible he’d like to give everyone a fair shot of redeeming themselves. This shows his angelic nature (and former title as the Angel of Justice) showing.

Suddenly a specific phone (he has a lot of phones) calls him. This phone is used specificially for one purpose: Zophiel. Only Michael knows of Zophiel’s existence. Everyone else thinks that Michael has connections in all sorts of places.

“Yes?” Michael asked.

“What’s with the cold tone, boss? Are you mad at me for giving the info late?” Zophiel asked in a teasing tone. Michael growled in anger.

“Okay, okay, I’m sorry. That’s quite insensitive of me” Zophiel sounded regretful and guilty. Good.

“I know you’ve been missing Adam. But I have an important news from Hell for you” Zophiel’s tone sounded serious.

“What is it?” Michael asked curiously.

“Well you know how that angelic steel can permanently kill angels, hellborns, sinners and all?” Zophiel asked.

“Yes.” Michael replied, one eyebrow raised. “Where is this going?”

“I’m getting there. I showed you the clip of Adam getting stabbed of said steel, correct?” Michael’s clenched his fists in anger.

“Yes.” Michael replied with bitterness.

“Well, I got some news for you. He did die, but he is back,” Zophiel paused while Michael felt his hand become cold in anticipation. “As a sinner” Zophiel finished.

Michael almost dropped his phone in surprise and relief. He felt his eyes water but he immediately wiped them away.

“Any clue where he is?” Michael asked.

“He is staying in the Hazbin Hotel. Why? I heard it’s to give this redemption thing a shot. Seems like he must really want to get back to heaven” Zophiel replied.

“Thank you for the info, Zophiel.” Michael replied, grateful for the info that Zophiel provided.

“I’m always at your service, Sir Michael. I’ll call again to give you more info. Call me if you need me.” Zophiel replied in a comforting tone. The last part was said with a comforting gentleness to it. The phone went dead as Zophiel hang up on his side.

The next day, Michael gave his answer. He sided with Remiel and Cassiel much to Gabriel’s annoyance. As Remiel celebrated and excitedly told Emily that the Hotel is approved, Michael looked away in guilt. Only Uriel saw the guilty face he is making.

“It’s alright, Chief. You decided on what you thought was right. Don’t mind Gabriel.” Uriel said with a smile while patting his head. Michael nodded. Guilt stirred inside him even more. He didn’t agree because it was “what he thought was right,” but for a selfish reason of wanting Adam back.

Meanwhile, Zophiel sighed tiredly. He observed the hotel from afar using his angelic power. Adam got himself a deal with Lucifer. How is he suppose to tell the Prince of Heaven that his beloved’s soul is now owned by the King of Hell?!

Like I said, this is just an idea. I just like the thought of using Zophiel! For those who are curious, here’s the info I posted about Zophiel. I also used vee’s (i hope you don’t mind I call you that evilmenshoe80) version of Zophiel.

[rjzimmerman]

I am rapidly turning into a person terrified by red blobs on weather maps heading in my direction, thinking tornadoes. WTF is going on?

Excerpt from this story from Vox:

Tornado season is here again, with twisters striking in Indiana, Pennsylvania, and Florida over the past few weeks. But while severe storms in spring are nothing new, there have been subtle changes in tornado patterns in recent years that portend a more dangerous future for communities across the country. 

According to a preliminary count from the National Centers for Environmental Information, there have been 547 tornadoes documented from January through April 2024. That figure is higher than the year-to-date average — 338 — the organization calculated between 1991 and 2020 but in line with the number observed in 2022 and 2023 in the same time frame. 

And even as the number of tornadoes has stayed relatively consistent in the last few years, experts say there have been key changes in their behavior over time that could have major consequences. 

More tornadoes are now concentrated in fewer days, meaning they are less spread out and there’s a higher number occurring on the same day, according to a 2019 study published in Theoretical and Applied Climatology. A growing number of tornadoes are also occurring in the southeastern part of the US in addition to the Great Plains, where they have been historically most common. 

There’s still a lot experts don’t know about why both these trends are occurring and it’s not clear if climate change is playing a role. What is more certain is that these shifts mean people will have to prepare for these natural disasters in new ways, with some communities enduring more severe storms in rapid succession and others being forced to build infrastructure for tornadoes they had rarely experienced before. 

Scientists have some information about why there are more concentrated tornadoes, or clustering, and why the locations of tornadoes have shifted slightly. With clustering, it’s tied to the presence of atmospheric and wind conditions that fuel dozens of tornadoes at once. And with changes in geography, it’s related to parts of the country drying out while other areas are seeing more rain. 

What’s still unknown is whether such shifts are related to climate change as the Earth has gotten warmer due to human-generated greenhouse gases. 

“It’s hard to pull out the different trends — maybe the natural variations are impacting tornadoes, maybe the broader climate change, maybe it’s a combination of both,” says Jase Bernhardt, a climatologist at Hofstra University. “We want more research done to understand why it’s happening.”

Experts similarly have some sense of why tornado geography has shifted, though they’re still working to untangle the factors involved.  

[looniecartooni]

Why is Mimic Mimic?

I have a Mimic theory I've been debating a long time now. I'd like to start it off by saying- whatever I say or conclude does not justify his actions and that even someone who may have been through these circumstances can still be an awful person. And these are not main factors for his actions, nor am I a licensed psychiatrist who did a lot of research. This is mainly the observation of someone who lies to theorize too much about these things. Trigger Warning: Mentions of bullying and abuse.

Whether or not Mimic was born evil or always an awful person, it's clear that he's has some unaddressed trauma and mental health issues that have lead him to become the awful person many of us hate today. He claims that the start of his "shattered psyche" happened when the war broke out (which definitely played a role in worsening his likely already existing mental health issues).

But as we've seen and as he's even admitted, he's always had a desire "to be in the spotlight", "to be seen", recognized, belong. To a point he even questions if he really even wanted to be in the spotlight.

So why might he have been so desperate for attention? Could it have been that he saw stardom as his key to love? Had the arts industry crushed his spirit so much that he thought no one would ever notice him? Possibly. And that's definitely his justification- everyone was out to get him and no one wanted to give him what he wanted to a point he could never trust anyone that gave it to him. But was it really the acting industry that instilled that in him or was it something else?

Mimic has a funny way of acting around people he thinks/knows that can hurt him. He starts to stammer, back away, get away from the conflict. As we see in the picture above when that feeling of unease starts to take over and he's questioning why he feels the way he does. But we also see it when he talks to Eggman (understandably).

We also see him stammer a bit when he meets Whisper for the first time.

These situations he's understandably nervous- Eggman's threatening his life and he's been caught off guard. We see him get caught off-guard in Bad Guys by Zavok too, but he's seemingly not scared of him despite knowing what he's capable of. We actually see him get the most nervous when Clutch gets upset visibly in the Phantom Riders arc when he reveals who it was. Completely quiet shut down at the very mention of possible violence... not really even aimed at him. (Granted- Clutch was holding a gun and Mimic probably did some research about Clutch's said temper).

(I made a post once about how I hate the shoulder grab Clutch does after he's angry as that's usually an abuser's way of preventing you escape and claiming "oh- it's fine, it's not you".)

Another sort of odd thing about Mimic is how quickly he seems to latch on to people he perhaps views as stronger authorities to help him get what he wants. As mentioned before, he shows no visible signs of fear around Zavok in the Bad Guys miniseries other than when he gets snuck up on. In fact- he almost has an immediate amount of trust towards him after Zavok lets him out. Let me repeat that- Mimic: the guy who doesn't even trust validation from genuinely kind people, is constantly afraid of getting backstabbed by employers, trusted the manipulative Zeti that wants to destroy the world and could crush him in an instant, to be his ticket out of Eggman and Starline's clutches. Not only that- as soon as he was let out of his cage by Zavok, there were several instances of him just casually talking to him and not really trying to distance himself from him.

He did still betray him of course because- well the trust issues and saving his own skin issues I am trying to get to. And this may not be because 3 separate writers have worked on his characterization. We see that Mimic tends to remain calm and gravitate towards people he sees as stronger and able to help him get what he desires. It is perhaps one of his main and least talked about character traits: always getting someone bigger to get him out of trouble (usually Eggman).

Hence likely the main reason he keeps moving from one team to the other. If they can't help him, they are holding him behind. That or they can potentially hurt him.

So what the heck does all this you probably already knew about Mimic have to do with the trigger warning? Well- let's loosely tie this together and say perhaps that needing to be seen and belong alongside trusting but being afraid of certain authority figures stems from.... childhood trauma.

You don't believe me? Well then- let's look at some more possible evidence. It's heavily hinted at that at one point Mimic did have friends or knows what friendship "should" feel like.

But he also has seemingly convinced himself on numerous occasions (often when confronted about his true feelings towards the Diamond Cutters or when feeling very lonely) his feelings/friendship is weak. Childish.

Why is it weak? Because care gets in the way. Why is it childish? It fills a void inside of him. It hurts when he can't be himself or he feels he doesn't deserve it/people that care about him don't know his true self. Mimic is not absent of care, he's just learned to suppress it. To hide his true self.

(the "grief" in this image could just be referring to how he basically lost his chance to be in the spotlight/ his job in the arts rather than the people whose lives were lost, but we do see that he still craves to be around people even if he's not always fond of people so... point still stands)

A self he now hates and he probably knows others hate (if that even was himself to begin with).

So let's try tying this together again:

- Mimic hates being vulnerable, readable, and weak.

-He knows friendship is supposed to "feel good- like a foundation", but he also views it as a weakness because it shows care.

-Care often leads to not being able to follow through on what you want to do or leads to pain.

-Mimic tends to latch to strong authority figures that can promise to do what he wants, but greatly fears the very idea of that hurting him.

-He wants to be recognized for who he is and what he does, but he doesn't trust when he gets genuinely gets recognition for it. This trait becomes later seen as "childish" in his mind after a long while of war, abandoning people, feeling an empty void inside, and getting validation from the Diamond Cutters.

So at some point, Mimic at least had one friend, possibly got hurt for caring about that friend, was possibly hurt and/or ignored multiple times by an authority figure, and likely joined the arts in the first place as a means of expressing himself/using his abilities. Mimic's pattern of betraying team members also likely did not appear out of nowhere. Perhaps he got used to running away from personal issues, turning his back on old friends for meaner stronger ones, or someone or something kept making him turn his back on people for "holding him back".

We could attribute this behavior to his acting career as (in my personal acting experience), you often really get to know the people you are working with through games, activities, rehearsals, hangouts, ect. But often after the show is over, you almost never see the people you get close to in the acting setting ever again. Not unless you are in multiple shows and classes or get really close to someone and hang out with them outside of rehearsal. And often if there is someone you don't like or someone doesn't like you, you are stuck with them and they can hurt you or constantly correct you. A director often dictates every little bit of your approach to a character and could change it on the fly- you're on their schedule. How does this apply to Mimic?

Mimic seems to usually emotionally and physically distance himself from other people and seems to definitely be that one kind of actor most people hate to work with on set. Perhaps this could have contributed to him becoming more and more hateful towards his collegues- no one liked him for being a spotlight hog that kept complaining how he should be in a better part. Hence, he grew to resent them for not liking him which later evolved into turning into resentment for ever even wanting the attention and spotlight or even friends. He definitely praised himself on having a unique, "overlooked" ability multiple times which has been shown in the annual more than once to have annoyed his fellow actors.

Likely- from what we all understand and what IDW writers such as Gigi and Ian have told us- that's pretty much Mimic's story. An always selfish person who only got worse as he got stuck in his own head and limited his true feelings. Could he possibly redeemed or given therapy? Is he a horribly unredeemable monster at this point that deserves nothing but death by the hand of Whisper? The jury is divided on this juncture.

But because I am me and me likes to overthink things, it feels like there is more to Mimic's story than his literal origin story. Was he a selfish actor brat because he was always selfish and entitled? Or is he selfish and entitled because of events before his acting career? Well- since he was always supposed to be bad, but also shows issues with trust, validation, and fear of being hurt, it could likely be a mix of both. Like he was bullied for being a selfish or spoiled brat and/or often sided with bullies at the expense of his friends, seeing being with previous friends was a lost cause. Or perhaps due to his nature, no one wanted to be his friend and he tried really hard by showing off how "cool" he was with his powers.

Ignoring possible childhood trauma and back to my own childhood, perhaps in the same vein where actors hated working with him, he also felt stuck with people who didn't like him (or thought didn't like him)/ didn't like, but thought if he could impress them by showing off his talent or becoming the lead, they would like him more. Because people usually like the lead. The lead gets everything.

I almost forgot another trait about Mimic- his desire for rewards.

This could likely be an after/during the war kind of thing, but it kind of ties into his spotlight desire as well. Being seen means more benefits. Bigger fish give bigger prizes.

Back to the conclusion though- we have seen multiple times with the Diamond Cutters that when he gets seen and validated, he's nervous and confused constantly by how nice they are. How they joke around (which he joins in on too to a degree. Likely as an act, but still-). What he learned during the war was to pick up on others traits and incorporate them into his own act towards them, but as we've seen he wants to be validated as himself. The person that perhaps gets on everyone's nerves. Or as I remember seeing somewhere "they don't deserve his true self" (because he thinks they are not true).

So you suffered along my over analysis ramblings on an evil octopus. You probably think, "these can all be valid conclusions" or perhaps you think I am way off the mark on a lot of these. Well there is one more probably a lot of you will be tilting your heads at and that is... Mimic is still an awful person that's always been bad, but as stated before- he "trusts" yet fears people stronger than him. People older than him that have a lot more power than he does (Eggman, Zavok, Clutch). And the one he holds the most fear for while also seemingly feigning the most trust for... is Clutch.

Now I'm not saying he's like projecting daddy issues onto Clutch or anything like that. I'm just saying it would appear that Mimic has dealt with someone like Clutch before. Constantly checking to make sure Clutch has everything under control, willingly doing what Clutch asks of him (unlike with Starline where he was constantly complaining that he just wanted to leave and get away from him and Eggman), fearing the very idea of Clutch hurting him for something he's not even really upset at him for (though he did let it technically slip rather than privately unmask the Phantom Rider and Clutch is literally holding a fire arm).

Given Mimic's track record- yes, he has sided with awful people to do awful things and threaten his life. But it being a pattern... his reaction in this one scene and the nervous demeanor, the crave for validation and to be seen...

A lot of awful people tend to be victims of abuse. That does not validate their actions, but it could provide an explanation towards some of them. Like how Mimic feels about hurting other people after he's been hurt (or thinks he's been hurt) multiple times.

He knows its bad. He claims to like it, but from the tone of the annual, he's more of relying on this persona of himself to validate against his actual feelings. A coping mechanism for having felt weakness with his emotions. Often toxic parenting can lead one to invalidate their emotions and take joy out of harming other people. And him wanting to be seen could be the result of neglect or just not having his voice heard unless he wanted to suffer the consequences of being out of line. At one point, perhaps he would have had enough, and tried getting into a career he thought would help him be happy.

Now- it's very unlikely that the main IDW comics would ever touch on anything like child abuse. Many people including me were very surprised that Mimic even got a backstory. There have been characters such as Lanolin who off panel are suggested to have negative upbringings and of course we have all that happened to Surge and Kit. We got Mimic's backstory already and likely there isn't much to explore on it anymore as much as there is to explore Whisper's backstory or the Diamond Cutters as a whole. But it's interesting to over analyze this backstory and I hope we all think a little too much about Mimic because of it. Thank you for sitting through my 1-3 am ramblings. I really need to go to bed.

[rebelcourtesan]

I just played . . .

Taking place in a small town of Gallows Creek during the 1980's, you are Forrest Nash, the new radio DJ from Chicago who assumes the role of a late night show host for the town's only radio station. While expecting a slow night of music and silly contests, things take a dark turn when you receive news of a murder which throws Forrest into the role of savior for the town.

There's a killer loose in Gallows Creek and people are in danger and Forrest Nash is their only hope of saving lives and uncovering the town's dark secret.

Okay, a lot of things to point out.

Strong Narrative - Meaning there is a LOT of dialogue between Forrest, his producer Peggy, and the numerous callers who need their help eluding a killer. Walking a jogger who lost her keys hotwire her car to escape the killer and aiding teenagers trapped in an abandoned house come up with an escape plan are just a couple of the things you'll be doing in this game.

Puzzles - The puzzles that range from easy to mid level difficulty. I actually had a pen and notebook next to me to take notes of anything that seemed important, but they were all fun. As long as you pay attention and be investigative, you should figure them out. However, be sure to save often incase you get something wrong and want to retry, you can easily reload to a previous save so you can try again.

Interactive - You are literally a radio dj. Meaning you can put on songs from a collecting of vinyl records, fulfilling song requests, and play ads. There are hidden records you can find throughout the studio as you explore to find clues to aid you in recusing the citizens of Gallows Creek.

Game Length - The game is only a few hours long. Easily beatable in an afternoon or evening. (Better to play at night for the creep factor).

Atmosphere - Perfect. It really captures the tension and atmosphere of 80's slasher films. Every time I left the booth to explore the studio, the music would change to a low tense beat, reminding me there's a killer out there.

I know Diablo 4 is just around the corner for a lot of people, but I would for this gem to be buried under the hype for Diablo 4. While I'm sure Diablo will be a great game, I also believe Killer Requency is a great game too. And I also believe great games deserve great attention.

So give this game a shot on Steam, PS5, and there is also a VR version available.

[violant-apologia]

firmament theory! spoilers for chapter two of firmament below the cut

what is firmament for? aside from the story, the lore, the new locations, mechanics, etc. the railway was tied to a replacement of the old level overcapping system, and evolution was a vehicle for a more advanced set of destinies. i've got an idea of the mechanical purpose firmament could be leading up to, and it's to do (of course) with the alternate history stuff.

so far, with the vulgate, the caustic apocrypha and the library of impossible things, firmament has already seeded the idea of in-universe "retcons", and two versions of history (like the gullet falling/not falling) existing at once. the advent text when caustic apocrypha were first introduced even indicated this was the case with the PC – "a person unmistakably you, but living a life that bears little resemblance to the one you inhabit now." what would this all allow, mechanically speaking?

resetting – or playing multiple – ambitions. you can easily see how this works: an in-canon reset of one's own history to allow for a different path through the neath, even competing and incompatible histories existing at once with multiple ambitions or multiple endings of the same ambition. i think it's very possible that the final reward of the firmament storyline will be a way to reset ambitions.

failbetter have talked before (and even started, and abandoned, plans) about allowing players to play a second ambition. the planned iteration of this was metempsychosis (or "meeting your end") which would allow old characters to find an ending to their story and leave some of their key achievements to a new, earlygame character. eventually they scrapped this plan; here are some of the reasonings given in the relevant blog post (which i think they should have called "meeting your end meets its end" but whatever) and whether they still apply to an "ambition retcon" in firmament:

A lot of existing content would need to be retrofitted to work with MYE [...] and a lot of individual judgement calls would have to be made on which items and qualities would transfer over to a new character.

this is clearly not an issue; only selective parts of history need to be rewritten, you're not creating an entirely new character here.

Announcing the feature caused a lot of anxiety for those of you who didn’t want to put a permanent end to your characters.

again, this isn't a problem if a new character isn't being created.

Being able to stack rewards from multiple Ambitions seemed intractable for game balance and led to players feeling like they would be pressured to play through MYE and restart. But a lot of players wouldn’t want to undergo MYE if it meant giving up on Ambition rewards, either.

the first part of this is still true, if the implementation allows treasure-stacking. but it's much less of an issue without the second part; if it's purely an additive process rather than a replacement of a character, the primary reason people wouldn't want to do it disappears, and multiple treasures can be factored into game balance with the expectation of people having them.

(and again, additionally, this only even matters if you keep your old treasure. an implementation where you only ever have one is also completely feasible.)

Fallen London looks much more sustainable and healthy now than it did at the end of 2019. If the game will keep seeing an expanding endgame and a continuing role for endgame characters for years to come, it makes less sense to reset and replay the early game.

without a new character, the earlygame is left out of it. there's still less of a need to bring back old ambition content given the new structure of updates, but that's something people were clamouring for a lot more than a reason to revisit the earlygame.

they ALSO mention:

However, we know that those original desires – being able to put an ending to your character, definitive or not; playing through different Ambitions or replaying an Ambition – are still there. And we’re still looking for ways to address them.

they've addressed the "put an ending to your character", and it clearly landed on the "or not" side of definitive: the new destinies. the indication they're also looking for a way to incorporate ambition stuff is a sign too.

Another lesson we took from this is that announcing something ambitious and experimental so early on hasn’t really paid off.

and this is why they haven't said anything about it yet. even though this far into the process it's probably either set-in-stone definitely happening or not, it explains why they wouldn't have indicated ambition reset was on the cards if it was.

so, there we go! i hope i was convincing, and i really hope it happens, because it's been something i've wanted in the game for a long time. if you agree or disagree with my thoughts, feel free to comment or note and i'll probably respond!

[eriexplosion]

Getting my finale predictions in before it airs.

Things I'm reasonably sure will happen:

Zillo Beast attack (obviously)

Emerie redemptive death (I don't want this to happen but I feel like she's got a lot to make up for and not much time)

I still don't think we're getting main character deaths, for a variety of factors (a big one being that Omega is worried about getting people killed and so more of her family dying to save her from a situation she put herself in would just validate that)

Continuation of that, Omega will demonstrate her character growth and play a big role in saving one of the batch, probably through some last minute connection with the force

Still think Tech is CX-2 we spent too much time on him this season for him to be irrelevant and no one else will have equal impact on the whole batch, especially Omega. Bringing him back will finally unite the batch and through that get them to a point where they can finally win something. This also pulls together the theme we've touched on this season that people can change no matter how far gone.

Things I just suspect/want:

Crosshair knows Tech is CX-2 and that's what he's been so cagey about. We know about the torture on Tantiss, we know they tried to turn him into a CX, but he still feels like he's holding something big back.

Couple other theories on CX-Tech: has all his limbs but his eyes are cybernetic having been damaged by his goggles, Phee brings back the line "better late than dead" because it feels like one just written to be a callback

Hemlock will survive the batch but all his research will be destroyed so he actually ends up killed by Palpatine for failing him in one last creepy appearance

Rampart betrays the batch and gets one last amazing scream in when the Zillo beast eats him. (Alternate possibility: he survives but is trapped alone on Wayland. In the distance we hear the Beasts. Maybe the Empire will bother to rescue him in 30 rotations. But probably not.)

The Commandos feel abnormally loyal to Hemlock so I'm curious if they're still chipped in some way - if they are, then maybe if they're unchipped they could start reforming Rex's resistance cell?

The batch helps to establish the path with the first people helped by it being our four force sensitive kids, which let's them leave soldiering behind while still actively resisting the Empire

Omega is given the choice to train in the force but actively decides that she would rather stay with her family, giving her a smaller and quieter future but one very in line with her character.

My biggest reason for having a pretty hopeful outlook is that a story needs both high and low points - we've definitely had MAJOR low points, especially in both the previous finales, but we've never really had a big win. Just little ones, small successes along the way but never anything that compares to the losses. If we get another big loss then the story stays flat, nothing ever Peaks and every single season ends on the same tone of loss. Three seasons of slogging towards a sad ending is a hell of a hard sell, especially since it doesn't really show Omega's growth.

She lost Kamino and Crosshair (again) in Return to Kamino. AZI sacrificed himself for her and only survived at all because someone else stepped in. She lost Tech in Plan 99, sacrificing himself for her again and she can't do anything about it.

So season three, do we really need to see her lose again? This time actively because of a choice she made? Does that show us anything about her growth? Or would her being Key to successfully not only getting everyone out alive (remember they're only there right now because of her) but in being able to bring Tech home and, for the first time all series, make their family whole?

This season has been sad, but it's also been about healing the scars of past seasons. Just look at Crosshair's arc. And CX-Tech brings us up to the biggest scar, the one that we've made no progress on healing, the one thing keeping them from being complete. If I'm wrong I'm wrong, but there's simply too much pointing to it for me to think anything else.

[mbti-notes]

Anon wrote: Hi! 18 y/o ENTP here! I’ve always wondered about the role that culture plays in personality development. In my case, I came and know people from cultures where security is highly emphasized (the East Asian and southeast Asian kind, to be more precise) , and it seems like people have suppressed their natural tendencies very well to fit in in order to maintain survival needs , to fulfill their desire for status and well, “face”. I am personally not very adept at these and I eventually convinced myself that these people probably made a lot of unnecessary sacrifices just to live a life that is socially acceptable. Yet knowing that I am just terrible at meeting expectations, i suspect that my ability to adapt to my environment is just pathetically low hence my opinions are not justified. Security is important, no way I can refute against that.

Can oneself change their orientations just to meet the demands of their environment? I am aware that it is not often the case, but I feel like the way such theory may apply differently in more collectivistic cultures, at least from what I’ve observed. There’s indeed a lot of people who deviate from their original self, and they think it is constructive even though their way of thinking is just elitist and doesn’t take account for nuance. It almost seems like the end goal of self-improvement is to fit some idealized community image while tooting their own outstanding qualities (which is ironic, we all know they just wanted to play safe) and save for retirement. Or maybe, i wouldn’t be thinking of this if only I could’ve done what my parents , institutions and corporations expected of me. Things would’ve been less complicated if I tried to suck it up and become that doctor or lawyer that everyone respects. Life would’ve been so much easier when you are in line with society instead of sticking out like a sore thumb. And that is the kind of thing i wish would stop happening to me even though I don’t see the point of doing what everyone does (since that invites more competition and workplace toxicity which i cannot cope, obviously)

Should I stop caring so much about fitting expectations by attaining absolute job security as the end goal, or my self-improvement has to align with a value that is universally important but difficult to achieve? If i go with the first one, it almost seems like I am trying to escape from putting in effort to work with the second option, but going with the second one could leave out other interesting options to live a life that could be equally fulfilling.

---------------------

There are several problems/errors in your thinking because you're conflating many concepts that need to be understood separately:

(1) Oversimplistic View of People

The key point isn't about personality but about values. It doesn't matter the personality type, values play a major role in guiding one's future direction in life. It sounds like you haven't done enough to clarify what your values are, which means you are likely to struggle with making good decisions and finding good direction. What happens when you lack strength and conviction in your own values? The void within is easily filled by external forces.

The void is YOUR problem and it is YOUR responsibility to address it. By blaming external factors like parents or society for pressuring you, you are deflecting responsibility. What this does is set up an attitude of "me vs world". Eventually, the inner conflict morphs into an outer conflict, and you start treating your parents and society as "enemy". It's then easy to irrationally believe that your existence, freedom, individuality, etc, is under constant threat.

When you approach life with a "me vs world" attitude, you are always on defense and come across as combative right out of the gate. This doesn't encourage people to listen to you and understand where you're coming from. While it is true that not everyone is capable of reasonable discussion, you're not going to find out who is or isn't as long as you don't give people the benefit of the doubt.

You seem tempted to adopt an "individualist" mindset to justify going against cultural expectations, but there are significant disadvantages to it. When you focus too much on the individual, it's easy to fall into the trap of blaming individuals for larger social forces that are beyond their control. Culture doesn't just appear out of nowhere.

For instance, East and Southeast Asian countries are populated with people who have been directly impacted by some very extreme and traumatic historical events. It is an appropriate and reasonable response to value security because of it. You are lucky to be born in a generation where security is possible, which means you are among the most likely to take it for granted.

Life is difficult for most people. The majority of us, not born to great wealth, have to make difficult calculations, concessions, and trade-offs in order to obtain what we need from society. Society intersects with personality insofar as different personalities value different things and will thus make different decisions about what aspects of culture to accept or reject.

Having conviction in your values requires you to apply them fairly and consistently. If you hope for people to be accepting of the difficult choices you have to make, then you should be the first to accept the choices they have made. While I recognize your attempt to see the other side of the issue, you haven't reached a full understanding, so you aren't capable of genuine acceptance yet. You still speak about their decision to "conform" with disdain, as though it is a lesser choice that makes them lesser people. Be warned that having a shallow view of people contributes to feelings of alienation.

Acceptance is much easier when you're mature enough to realize that: 1) people are complicated and you shouldn't rush to judge when you don't understand their full experience, 2) what other people do is none of your business, and 3) other people's opinions should only inform yours when they are valid opinions, and validity isn't always easy to determine.

At the end of the day, while you should consider outside opinions, the values you hold have to be chosen by you. The reason you are easily triggered by outside opinions/expectations is because they are exposing the truth of your void within. When you have a deeper psychological issue that remains hidden or you refuse to address it, you end up becoming hypersensitive to any mention of it. If you don't want to be hypersensitive, then the answer is to stop blaming and face the problem head on within yourself.

You seem to want to contrast yourself with your culture by claiming to care more about individual choice, but you can't claim to be an individual when you don't know your own values. As long as your values are unclear, you are in a poor position to advocate for yourself. How can you persuade others to be sympathetic to your perspective or convince them that you are capable of making good decisions when you can't articulate why your values are important and worthy of upholding through your life decisions?

No parent wants to see their kid miserable. Can parents, especially Asian parents, be pushy, bossy, and overbearing? Sure. However, if you meet their pushiness with adolescent rebellion, you won't get far. Culture aside, any normal parent wants to see that you have a good head on your shoulders before they trust you to make big decisions for yourself. If you're able to approach them as a capable adult who takes life seriously, you might find them much more amenable to discussion.

An important aspect of learning how to use Fe properly is to realize that you have a big influence over how social interactions proceed, so learn to wield that influence wisely. But this isn't possible as long as you always see yourself as a victim of outside forces.

(2) Oversimplistic View of Society

What your parents expect of you may or may not overlap with societal expectations, however, one should not simply assume they are the same. From a Jungian perspective, parents often act as a stand-in for understanding society. However, how can two individuals adequately represent an entire society made up of thousands or millions of people? They can't. This would be an illogical leap. At best, your parents represent only a few aspects of society as a whole.

Of course, you don't only see society through your parents. You also have peers, friends, school, or work experiences. However, keep in mind that people tend to segregate themselves based on factors such as class, race, ethnicity, religion, educational attainment, common interests, etc. It is very likely that the people you've been exposed to outside of family are very similar to your parents with regard to the above factors. Therefore, it is still only a small sliver of society you are seeing.

Of course, you also learn about society through media. However, media companies are mainly interested in making money rather than providing a realistic, nuanced, and comprehensive view of society. What makes money for them? Lowest common denominator stuff; images that appeal to the simplest and often basest aspects of human nature. It is not only a small sliver of society being presented here, but a heavily distorted view of it as well.

All of this is to say that, with the little life experience you possess at 18, what you think you know about culture and society is extremely limited. You feel constrained by this thing called "society" and don't realize that what you're actually being constrained by is your own oversimplistic or distorted idea of what society is.

You are clashing with your parents and you've extended that clash to society, to the point of believing that the world is antagonistic toward you. This sort of thinking is emblematic of the adolescent drive toward independence. But society is an abstract concept; it is not a conscious entity that is capable of expecting things from you in the same way a parent does.

When you have a "me vs world" attitude, it's easy to trap yourself in the position of victim, rather than see yourself as an agent of change. If you were to confront every real person in your life who expected something unreasonable from you and resolved those differences as constructively as possible, it's likely that the antagonism you feel from "society" would disappear.

In other words, this problem is to be resolved in the realm of the practical, in your actual relationships. Thinking about the problem through sweeping overgeneralizations about "society" at large doesn't help because it just makes you feel lonely, cynical, and, eventually, depressed.

(3) Oversimplistic View of Culture

As part of your overgeneralizing, you seem to be conflating culture and society; they aren't the same thing. Society refers to a large group of people that are held together by some kind of commonality. Culture refers to a specific set of beliefs, values, norms, and practices that a group of people share and honor. Culture is more related to ethics, in terms of prescribing what is/isn't acceptable behavior.

A society can contain several different cultures and subcultures when there is a higher level of commonality to link them together, such as nationality. Perhaps you haven't realized that society is big enough to house a variety of cultures. Maybe you have to look harder for your kind of people or create a community better suited for yourself.

Calling cultures "collectivist" or "individualist" is actually one of my pet peeves because of how it leads people to stereotype or make insulting assumptions. It is important to note that this terminology was coined by western intellectuals, some of whom had obvious prejudices against any "eastern" peoples living east of Germany. Also, contemporary research has not been able to find compelling evidence for the distinction except when using the most extreme cultures for comparison. In other words, these are outdated concepts. There are newer and more useful concepts available.

Yes, it is a fact that some cultures place more pressure and perhaps even try to coerce members into conformity. However, calling this kind of culture "collectivist" is misleading. It doesn't account for how people really feel, deep down, about the pressure. Go to a "collectivist" culture and you'll find plenty of people who are critical of it or even openly rebel against it. Go to any "individualist" culture and you'll find plenty of people who spend a lifetime conforming to mainstream standards. What does this tell you?

We are all individuals. As an individual, you have a choice to make about the degree to which you subscribe to and participate in your culture. And I use the word "degree" very intentionally because you seem to have trapped yourself in a false dichotomy.

Thinking in polarized either/or terms is a sign of intellectual immaturity at best and intellectual dishonesty at worst. It hampers good decision-making and can even lead to helplessness because you lose access to the full range of possibilities available to you. The choice does not come down to either: individual or group; respectable or shameful; security or poverty; etc. Most people actually live life with more nuance than that. You accuse others of lacking nuance but you are the same.

You're living through a rocky time of transition between adolescence and adulthood. The brain doesn't reach full maturity until around 25. Eighteen-year-olds still suffer from certain childish thought patterns. Children have a very small and narrow understanding of the world, only concerned about whether the world brings them pain or pleasure. However, as you grow up, you should start to realize more and more that: 1) the way the world works is much more complicated than simple dichotomies, and 2) your subjective experience is not necessarily representative of the larger objective world.

(4) Oversimplistic View of Economy

In 2024, there's no such thing as "absolute job security". And it's not the case that every job can be easily sorted into either "stable" or "unstable".

As an example, I live in an area that has traditionally been great for computer science and engineering. Many members of my immediate and extended family are engineers and I was pressured to become one. For the longest time and even now, both of these careers were touted by all parents and teachers as foolproof, always secure. But that is not the case today. The economy has changed and these jobs have been disappearing or moving to more favorable places. Today, every job opening has hundreds of applicants and even those with advanced degrees find themselves unemployed.

What this should teach you is that the work society considers to be valuable changes over time in accordance with economic shifts and needs, but the culture doesn't necessarily keep up with those changes. Once upon a time, business people were looked down upon as dirty, greedy, and selfish. But now look at all the people in Asia clamoring to get a business degree.

To be aware of economic changes, let alone try to predict them, requires expertise and imagination most people don't possess. That is why all they can do is stick to what is known or what has worked in the most recent past. Unless you live in North Korea, nobody knows for sure which direction the economy is going to go. It's not something within your control. However, you can learn enough about it to make some good guesses and take smart risks. You can take time to research the full range of career possibilities open to you and make an informed decision.

The more useful question to ask is: Are you able to find or create work that the economy values enough for you to build a fulfilling life? It is largely irrelevant what the culture thinks about it because they are always behind the curve. What matters most is whether you can contribute/create something valuable given the socioeconomic conditions you live under.

.

Opinions are just words; they need not mean anything unless you ascribe meaning to them. Everyone has an opinion but not all opinions are equally valid. If you want to make good decisions in life, you shouldn't be easily swayed by every opinion thrown at you, rather, you should only be swayed by opinions that are backed by solid expertise and evidence - this is what Ti development should help you with. In the end, the results will speak for themselves.

However, if you can't get over the adolescent mindset of reflexively rebelling against "expectations", you will always be overreacting to every opinion that comes your way (which is a recipe for getting stuck in tertiary loop). Even if you end up choosing a so-called "secure" career, the underlying inability to carefully analyze and evaluate the quality of the opinions you encounter (i.e. underdeveloped Ti) will nevertheless result in an unstable life.

[kamenstranger]

Several years back I did a review on Kamen Rider Black and my opinion hasn't changed much since. Like a lot of my older stuff, I think that review is a bit long winded describing the ending stretch of the series, but overall it still conveys my love of Kamen Rider Black.

The short of it is Black was a return to basics for the franchise while at the same time breathing new life with more contemporary themes of 1980s Japan excess. Very cult like villains akin to what what happening in the late 70s and coming to a head by the 80s. You have plot lines centered around the ever rising cost of living, the booming idol industry satirized as a means of brainwashing, a greater emphasis on the horror aspects, the strongest environmental message since the original Manga, and uh, cults infiltrating politics.

It's a fantastic series and it's one of my highest recommended Showa era shows alongside V3.

Today, I mainly want to focus on the Bluray release by Discotek, which primarily means talking about the special features. However, I quickly want to run down a few key factors. First off, the image quality; it's the exact same as the Japanese release, which is what my old review used as a basis so I don't have much to add. It's a crisp gorgeously detailed transfer with those annoying seizure inducing attack sequences of the original broadcast and DVD release removed. Nothing is removed except those flashes in-between frames. This is the ideal way to view the series for that improvement alone. There is a special feature that shows the original attacks from the first couple episodes, should you happen to have a TV Power belt laying around.

As for the subs, truthfully I wasn't even gonna mention them cause I think you know Discotek has a long proven track record for quality. Still, someone might ask, and yes, they're good. They're also your best option nowadays, anyway. The Century King subs are so old you'd be hard pressed to find them, and the redone version that came about with the JPN bluray had a number of misspellings and other typing errors.

I will admit I've not finished this watch, but nothing in Discotek's release has stuck out to me as egregious. The only thing I can think of that might bug some people is that Kaijin is interpreted as Monster rather than Mutant, which is… whatever. I can understand why the old Century Kings translation used Mutant, it's a good way to keep it separate from how we typically associate Kaiju = Monster. Mutant invokes the more human/jin aspect as opposed to a beast. But that's a level of semantics even I don't care about. Hell, it's not even as if it plays a massive narrative or thematic role, with the possible exception of Whale, who has humanity in a morale sense. The monsters in Black by in large exist as humanoid animals, they're rarely ever humans turned into animal hybrids like the other Showa shows, so I don't think that distinction is all that important in the grand scheme of things.

I should also note, as always, the movies are treated separately, meaning "Hurry to Onigashima" and "The Phantom House of Devil Pass" are not included in the set.

With all that out of the way, first and foremost we have to talk about how Discotek handles presentation of the special features on this set. I will say it's a marked improvement over Gavan, which didn't even mention Special Features on the back of the case. They list the special features on Black's case…but they don't list what discs those features are on. So I started with 5, which had a almost everything but the cast reunion I was looking for. So I pop in disc 1- no special features. So I start working backwards with disc 4; Cast Reunion part 3. I then had a sense of déjà vu because I did this same song and dance with Gavan. It's a minor thing, but one that could've been easily resolved by simply stating which discs had what, either on the case or the disc themselves. Hell, even just a "Special features discs 2-5" I don't know how they look on RX and Sharivan, but I'm gonna laugh if I get my V3 Bluray and the special features aren't listed as clearly as my Generation Kikaider set.

Anyway, the first special feature is on disc 2 "This is Kamen Rider Black" which was a special that aired one week before the series premier and acted as a sneak preview. I'm glad it's here and not left out or relegated to some bizarre compilation disc (looking at you, MillCreek.) It's an interesting time capsule and stuff like this should be preserved.

Note that the image quality here looks significantly worse than the remastered episodes because this was on tape, although still quite clear for what it is. You will however notice lines at the bottom of the screen now and then.

As far as the special itself is concerned… it's kinda just marketing fluff hosted by Ishinomori's son, Jo, and Jiban's own Michiko Enokida. You get a very brief interview with Ishinomori, a pretty cool behind the scenes bit of the casting process, Tetsuo Kurata in the recording booth for the main theme and a… pretty awkward as hell interview with Kotaro, Kyoko, and Katsumi. Notice I'm using the character names. It's awkward in both a delightfully and painfully 80s way.

However, the real meat of these features is the 3 part cast reunion, which was included in the 3 sets released in Japan back in '22. Each part is about 40-ish minutes and consists of Testsuo Kurata, Moe (Ayaumi) Taguchi, Hitomi Yoshii, Producer Susumu Yoshikawa, and Director Yoshiaki Kobayashi. Quite the eclectic mix and even a bit odd in the case of Kobayashi, who only directed the opening episode of Black and is slightly infamous for being a bit of a hardass, which the actors do not hide at all. Although they do credit him with pushing them to be better, so there's no ill will. That was, after all, a grueling month long shoot for everyone.

Compared to Gavan's cast special, it's not quite the same wealth of knowledge, or at least it doesn't seem like it because it can feel a tad disjointed. Although that doesn't make it any less interesting. There's simply more reminiscing filled with small personal stories, both entertaining and occasionally insightful. My favorite was Ishinomori insisting Kurata's purchases at a particular restaurant be put on his personal tab. Charming tales aside, there are still major gems about the industry and not just with Black. Such as Kobayashi mentioning the influence of Easy Rider on Kamen Rider due to Ishinomori liking the movie and being fascinated by the counterculture movement. It's nice to have a more direct source on it, since the only other place I can readily cite that claim is dubious at best.

Kobayashi also goes into the complication of not having time to watch your own work as it's airing, which makes it difficult to do adjustments on the production, get audience feedback and see where your own faults lie. There's also discussion about JAC and how incredibly strict their standards are, mainly because hesitation more than anything else is what results in injury. (Although Gavan has a far more in depth look into that area) We even get some tidbits about Toei's Spider-Man, which both Kobayashi and Yoshikawa worked on.

But perhaps my favorite production story with Black specifically is the theme song, which was the duo of Yoko Aki writing the lyrics and her husband Ryudo Uzaki handling the music. It was less a decision on the production side and simply Ishinomori happened to be great friends with Aki, so why not? Which, if you're unfamiliar with the two, they were a HUGE deal. Aki and Uzaki wrote several hits for Japan's biggest idol, Momoe Yamaguchi, in the late 70s, including her biggest hit "Yokosuka Story." Incidentally, Yamaguchi has a son, Takahiro Miuram, who you're probably familiar with as Bilgenia in Black Sun.

Susumu Yoshikawa's only instructions to Aki was to keep the lyrics simple and use very little English since it's a program for children. Uzaki sung on the demo tape with a backing guitar. The original lyrics, according to Kurata, were a bit different in the opening, something along the lines of "Last through the ages, race through the Sky." Although that original demo tape is now sadly lost. Kurata would listen to the tape on repeat in preparation for the recording, which took 6 hours in the booth, all while Aki and Uzaki were present, which made the pressure even harder. Although by Yoshikawa account, it was on the faster side of recording.

There's other production stories I won't cover, some small, some as interesting as the theme, such as the still fairly new Jiro Okamoto taking on the challenging suit acting role (Which it's a shame he isn't part of this feature.) But I won't spoil everything. It's a good three part special that's worth the price of admission alone, but it did leave me wanting more. Thankfully, we still have more.

Most of the other special features are what you would expect; original post credit commercials for Giveaways and Toei's various festivals and events, the U.S. Bluray Trailer, a trailer for RX's Discotek release, the aforementioned segment showing the original attacks in their flashiness. But, as with Gavan, we have a wonderful write up by MachDent.

This is the cherry on the sundae right here. Again, not to deride the other stuff. Trailers and the like should be here, I'd be complaining if they weren't. But this is what I'm interested in most; historical examinations of a show. Frankly, it's quite a bit more informative than the cast reunion while also having a clear concise time line of how Black came to be. Stuff like this, having the Japanese special features, and of course quality subtitles for the main event is really what sets these Discotek releases apart from others. I'd be happy with a relatively bare bone but quality release, but I'd be lying if I didn't say a big selling part was getting these features. I'm not going to pretend these are cheap set by any means, but they're also not cheapening out. I greatly appreciate Discotek not only gathering the stuff on the JPN side, but adding their own special features that elevate the whole thing. Now that we're in an era of having fewer and fewer indie shops and smaller distributors, I feel almost an obligation to support what few remain-- less Sony or Toho gobble them up next.

[cboffshore]

Sorry I know you are not a fan of thinking about it but I’m curious. Is your disgust of Skybound angst baced on a moral problem with Sa being represented and talked about at all? From what I’ve seen of your work you also uses Nadakhan’s canon creepiness that uses the fear that he is going to do worse things. It’s like you’ve drawn a certain line and shame those who write worse. Didn’t Nadakhan kiss Nya against her will? Is it because of jay focus specifically? No shame in staying away from all that of course but it’s strange like Skybound “as it is” so much but also dismiss and explain away things that happened you didn’t like or act like everyone should just not think about implications you’ve acknowledged as there. I don’t see how you could be more upset at fanfic writers than people actually paid to write and produce what clearly caused that kinda fic to be written. Again sorry to bug I don’t usually interact here but yeah.

I've read this over a few times and I think the best way for me to respond is with line by line replies because... this is a lot at once, ngl. Under the cut we go!

Is your disgust of Skybound angst baced on a moral problem with Sa being represented and talked about at all?

No. I should clarify that I'm neutral to positive on angst in general - done well, it's a great way to examine a character or situation. My specific problem with the most representative chunk of Skybound angst is how it misinterprets/misrepresents the themes of the season, usually in a way that comes off to me (key words: to me) as pointless and unfair to the characters and underlying story. It's not a moral issue. I'm just sick of the scene being flooded this way.

From what I’ve seen of your work you also uses Nadakhan’s canon creepiness that uses the fear that he is going to do worse things. It’s like you’ve drawn a certain line and shame those who write worse. Didn’t Nadakhan kiss Nya against her will?

Good point. I do use the canon creepiness factor, it's true, because that's a crucial part of Nadakhan's character. However, I draw that line and try to play within the bounds of what the show would do, because that helps me process it both to understand 1. why it's uncomfortable as-is and 2. how it serves the narrative. 2 there is kind of how I handle any analysis - no point in ragging on the writers or their intent (more on that later) because I'm analyzing the story for what the story holds. I'm not into cranking things up for the sake of angstifying my work, because I believe that with enough analysis of the existing material, I don't need to. I'm certainly not trying to shame anyone, and I understand that it might come off like that sometimes. Genuinely: I'm not trying to shame anyone, and I'm sorry if I've made it sound like I am.

Is it because of jay focus specifically?

Only kind of. (I'm writing this as if "it" in this phrase refers to my discomfort with the field of overblown Jay angst, just so we're clear.) I'm all for Jay character analysis! I like him as a character, and I love his arc in Skybound. What bothers me is when the SA themes that, by all canon means, should be applied to Nya get shuffled over to Jay even though there is zero indication in canon that he experienced it. I'm all for creative license, yes, but it also baffles me when people analyze and write Jay through that "SA was a huge cornerstone of his trauma" lens, because it wasn't. I think there are so many better questions to ask about Jay's arc and experience than "what if he was assaulted on top of all his other suffering?" On a similar note: I also think there are way better questions to ask about Nya's arc, and Nadakhan's, but unfortunately all three of them get shoehorned into reductive roles in this specific type of work, which is a disappointment. I think all three of them deserve focus in different ways, and deep dives into the things they actually did and experienced. Again: nothing wrong with a Jay focus, but I think it's more compelling to dive deep into what did happen to him than to transfer Nya's implied experience to him and crank it up.

No shame in staying away from all that of course but it’s strange like Skybound “as it is” so much but also dismiss and explain away things that happened you didn’t like or act like everyone should just not think about implications you’ve acknowledged as there.

This is where I think you're misunderstanding my position. If I've come off as saying that we should just handwave the problematic elements of the season (both of and onscreen), then please know that has never been my intention. To be perfectly clear, I'm not trying to explain these weird things away - I am simply trying to explain them. Fact of the matter is that those elements are there, stuck in a story I've found unusually compelling for eight years running; I can't get rid of them, so I may as well dig in and see why they're there and how they contribute. Does that stop the uncomfortableness from being uncomfortable? Absolutely not. However, I like to examine what role that discomfort plays in the narrative instead of giggling like a middle schooler asking you to spell ICUP and then saying you're gross for saying that. Yes, I do like Skybound as it is - because it utilizes that discomfort well to say a lot of interesting stuff about the characters involved in it.

I don’t see how you could be more upset at fanfic writers than people actually paid to write and produce what clearly caused that kinda fic to be written.

Once again: I'm not terribly interested in analyzing the deeper motives behind why the story came out the way it did. Of course it's important to consider the origin of the season, and I do that when necessary; however, keep in mind that I'm doing this for fun. I find the story layered and compelling enough on its own, and while its origins may have been questionable, I don't think that invalidates what the story has to say at all. I also find the story interesting enough on its own that I think it's weird when authors ignore all those interesting things in favor of writing hundreds of thousands of words of Jay getting assaulted in every sense of the word. I'm definitely more focused on the fic writing side of it than I am on the canon writing side because, well, the fic side is the one I'm on! These are peers I share a digital space with in a way I can't with the showrunners.

Or, put another way: This is Tumblr. You've heard of the two cakes principle, right? The idea that the audience will appreciate having more art and writing available even if it's not as fancy as the famous stuff? This situation, to me, is like that in a way. This is like me showing up to a bake sale staffed by bakers who I know are talented and have access to the best equipment and ingredients. Except I roll up and the tables are eighty percent supermarket cupcakes. Sure, sometimes a supermarket cupcake hits the spot, and generally they're crowd pleasers - they'll sell well! But this is a bake sale staffed by wildly talented bakers. I know they're capable of cooler things and I know they have access to the time and resources to make those cooler things. Maybe they just care about the bake sale in a different way than I do, and that's fine, truly... but it's still disappointing.

I hope this cleared some stuff up for you, anon. If you've got any other questions, please let me know. (And you don't have to go anon for it if you don't want to - we can even discuss it via DM if you'd like to.)