#it is the skill issue of the other person

[elvishdemigod]

As someone who use to use Wattpad, I can agree with this exactly because of the last two points.

Personally, it's actually more sad to see someone go through and spam a Vote (Which is basically Wattpad's Kudos) every chapter within a matter of seconds. Because it's telling me they didn't actually read my stuff, they're just spamming the Vote button. The intentions may be nice, but it's actually disheartening, seeing that my work isn't ACTUALLY being read. It's just being seen as something to leave a like on. It's like being a chef making a delicious meal that looks amazing, and takes effort to make, and the the customer who came looking for a shop like yours just gave it a smile and walked out without even tasting it. Sure, they paid for it. But it feels like food and skill wasted.

There's also the fact that there's times where you can see that the Most Voted chapter is the Smut chapter. Nothing against smut (I myself am currently writing a one-shot smut). But I want people to come to my story for, y'know, the story. Not just the sex scenes. And it's easier to remember to leave a Kudo once than it is to leave a Vote every single chapter.

But also unlike Wattpad, Ao3's systems work differently. Like you said, it could lead to issues like a DDoS attack.

I can get the sentiment of wanting to give someone many Kudos throughout their story. But from a personal standpoint as a writer, it's actually sadder to see. Especially since when I posted more to Wattpad, I got more spam likes than actual spaced likes, more than any other forms of interaction with my works. It's probably one of the reasons I even stopped caring about posting much books whether they be just fun memes or a story,

i wish ao3 allowed people to give kudos per each chapter. These 100k word NOVELS need more love than 200 tiny digital hearts ☹️

[riversenchanted]

Where you are most powerful based on your Pluto placement

Each placement of Pluto brings its unique energy to the themes of power and transformation, influencing how individuals navigate their lives and respond to the challenges they encounter.

Pluto 1st house/ Aries: Assertiveness, pioneering spirit, and leadership. Individuals may experience power through initiation, courage, and a desire to break new ground. These placements may find transformation through self-discovery and identity. There can be a strong drive to assert oneself and overcome obstacles.

Pluto 2nd house/Taurus: Material wealth, stability, and sensuality. Power may come through financial resources, values, and a connection to nature. Transformation may be found in redefining self-worth and material security. Individuals may undergo transformations in their relationship with possessions and comfort.

Pluto 3rd house/ Gemini: Communication, intellect, and social connections. Power may come through knowledge, adaptability, and networking. Transformation of ideas and beliefs. This placement may emphasize the importance of mastering communication and understanding dualities.

Pluto 4th house/ Cancer: Emotional depth, family, and nurturing. Power can be found in domestic life and emotional bonds. Transformation is found through emotional healing and transformation of family dynamics. Individuals may confront deep-seated emotional issues and redefine their sense of security.

Pluto 5th house/Leo: Creativity, self-expression, and leadership. Power may be expressed through artistic talents and personal charisma. Transformation of ego and personal identity. Individuals may need to confront their need for recognition and validation.

Pluto 6th house/Virgo: Service, analysis, and health. Power can be derived from attention to detail, organization, and practical skills. Transformation through work and self-improvement. Individuals may face issues related to perfectionism and health and need to find ways to overcome those obstacles.

Pluto 7th house/Libra: Relationships, balance, and harmony. Power is often found in partnerships and social interactions. Transformation of relationships and social dynamics. Individuals may confront issues of dependency, fairness, and justice.

Pluto 8th house/Scorpio: Deep emotional insight, Magnetism,Passion, exploring the taboo, sexuality. Those with this placement are equipped to navigate the complexities of life with intensity and purpose, often emerging as powerful agents of change in their own lives and the lives of others. Their journey is one of embracing both the light and dark aspects of existence, leading to a rich and transformative life experience.

Pluto 9th house/Sagittarius: Exploration, philosophy, and freedom. Power can come from a quest for knowledge and truth.Transformation of beliefs and worldviews. Individuals may seek to expand their horizons and challenge dogmas.

Pluto 10th house/Capricorn: Authority, structure, and ambition. Power may manifest through career achievements and societal status. Transformation of ambition and societal structures. Individuals may grapple with authority and their own ambitions.

Pluto 11th house / Aquarius: Innovation, humanitarianism, and individuality. Power can be derived from progressive ideas and social reform. Transformation of social norms and collective consciousness. Individuals may focus on breaking free from tradition and embracing change.

Pluto 12th house/ Pisces: Spirituality, intuition, and compassion. Power can be found in emotional depth and a connection to the mystical.Transformation through spirituality and surrender. Individuals may confront issues related to escapism, addiction, and emotional healing.

[gatheringbones]

If I'm 23 and have never been in a sexual or romantic relationship, is there a point in trying? I feel like I missed the boat on developing the skills necessary to make either of those things work, and it'd be selfish of me to expect others to hold themselves back so I can unlearn all of my emotional and sexual issues with them. Part of me feels like it's possible to unlearn all of that by myself, but another part feels like it's like any other two-person activity and no amount of solo practice can really prepare you for actually engaging with another person. And honestly, it just hurts that I'm this old and this far behind, that there's this whole side of the world that I haven't experienced, these whole new facets of people's inner worlds and intimacies that I haven't been exposed to. I feel like I have only a very surface-level relationships with even my platonic friends because I don't actually understand or relate to anything going on in their romantic or sexual lives. Like I'm an overgrown child. It doesn't help that I'm very isolated by the material conditions of my life and I can't see those changing anytime soon. I dunno. I realize that I'm just demonstrating all of the negative traits you were talking about and that I'd just be using a partner as a tool for my own masturbatory self-aggrandizement (i.e. caring more about wanting to float around in a sea of my own feelings instead of forming an actual connection to another human being.) It just sucks to admit the truth that I have to become a whole person before I can stop being alone and that it'll probably take me like years before that happens and then I'll be a thirty year-old virgin in a world of people looking for someone to settle down with that I'm going to have to ask to be the equivalent of a high-school fling. I'm sorry for ranting in your inbox, I guess if anything it's a good indication that your post struck a nerve in the insecure do-nothing fandom lol

I realized partway through reading this that what you are reacting to in such horror is in many ways the story of my life and I found it very funny. when I reached the part about the terrifying fate of being a 30 year old virgin I laughed so hard I scared the dog.

I met c when I was twenty nine. my life was unrelenting isolation and horror. I’d kissed all of three people. I didn’t stop being a quote unquote virgin until six months into our relationship. I spent most of my twenties doing exactly what you described: floating through the motions of dating using other human beings to play out preconceived ideas about myself that only left me bored and bewildered. Everyone I met was doing the exact same. We treated each other abysmally; like objects.

then I kept looking and kept throwing out my net and c showed up (because she was looking and throwing out her net). your question made me so exuberant with joy I upset the senior citizen chaweenie mix she adopted five years before she ever met me.

everything will turn out all right.

[arceus-insanity]

My Hero Academia vs Assassination Classroom: Becoming Teachers

Now I recently saw a post going on about how people dislike Deku becoming a teacher in chapter 430. And another user chalked it up to Westerners' disrespect for teachers vs Japan's great revere for them, plus shipping discourse

And while I feel that those definitely don't help, I do feel that that isn't the balk of why a lot of us hate it. It also reads as one of those elitist takes in fandom where they are talking down to those who don't agree with them

Now I'm a Westerner, and I hate Deku becoming a teacher. It's not because I don't respect teachers, and when it happened in Assassination Classroom I was all for Nagisa Shiota becoming a teacher. I would have preferred to see him and/ or Karma become assassins but I was still satisfied with how it ended. So why is that? Especially because we know Hori was a fan of Assassination Classroom, prototype Bakugou was based on Karma for crying out loud.

Achieved vs Happenstance

A big part of it is framing, everyone in 1A, 1B, and basically everyone else explicitly want to be heroes, or at least something adjacent to it. That's why they are in the hero course, and Izuku Midoriya especially has a one-track mind for heroes until the surprise reveal. He was constantly told no, pick something else, for a decade but was still hyper-focused on being a hero leading up to the show. Nor do we see or otherwise learn that he has other developing interests. There's a ton of fanfics and headcanons of him helping his classmates with school work or even just their quirks, but there's nothing in canon. The only character who does anything like that is Momo Yaoyorozu. The vast majority of 1A and once again especially Izuku Midoriya are only interested in being heroes. Izuku is also the only one who didn't become a hero (until years later) despite the need for them totally going down and them being paid per arrest.

Meanwhile, no one in 3E the end class, chose to be an assassin, Kuro Sensei just decided that he was going to teach that class, and the world needed him dead. A lot of students explicitly have other interests and none of them have a personal interest in being an assassin past killing Kuro Sensei. Yes, Nagisa Shiota is shown throughout to be surprisingly good at assassination work, and he is explicitly given an offer to join the world as an assassin. But when he gets the offer he asks himself do I really want to do this. We also learn via the little girl who suggests the career to him in the first place, that he has been tutoring her. We also get to see how he takes the uniqueness and skills from 3E into his teaching job.

So in short the premise of Assassination Classroom is much better suited to have it's characters enter very different fields to begin with.

Better Focus on Academics

Yes, My Hero Academia takes place largely in a school, but they don't put any focus on the school part. Whenever they're doing something in class it's either big combat test or self-directed training. And in the later seasons, more and more time got taken up by the big-name pro-hero fights. The two teachers we see the most of, both have bad teacher tags on Ao3 and I have seen numerous takedowns of their teaching skills accurately citing the series.

Assassination Classroom however has school and studying as a constant theme throughout the series. We see 1E being taught both standard school stuff, and learning various assassination techniques to achieve their goal. Kuro Sensei also makes it very clear that if they are just going to bank their futures on killing him and winning the money, then he sees no point in staying around for them to do it.

Getting it Regardless vs Earning Respect

One ongoing issue I have with MHA is that I largely got into the series because I thought that it was going to criticize societal issues. Instead, it ended up doing a 180. Now this mostly applies to the pro-hero worship, largely because once again there is barely any time dedicated to the actual academic part of the show. But with both the teachers and pro heroes their failures and shit behaviours aren't treated as reasons to lose respect, making any respect for them empty. This also leans into the very real issue of roles that come with unconditional respect, will attract people who will abuse it.

Meanwhile, 3E came into the show without this innate revere for teachers, because their past teachers especially in their school have actively screwed them over at every turn. Karma is even elated at the idea of killing a teacher after his last one betrayed him. Nagisa Shiota was being very blatantly abused at home, and Kuro Sensei is the first teacher to stand up for him. The teachers of 3E have to earn the students' trust and respect. When Bitch Sensei treats them like shit when she first joins, the students return the favour, she has to apologize for her poor behaviour for the class to give her a second chance. So when it ends with the students having a deep connection to their teachers and a renewed appreciation for school it's because that respect was fucking earned. Also, the principal who created this system set up 3E to be abused and sabotaged them every chance he got, got fired for his shit leadership aka actions have consequences. They also didn't feel the need to excuse the bullies shit behaviour either

So in one setting, we have authority figures constantly being shit but being revered anyway. And the other, where the respect has been lost and needs to be earned back, thus the respect they get has a much stronger foundation.

Side notes

Deku sucks at explaining, I've said it both on my main and AU blog, but Deku is horrible at explaining. One of the main aspects of teaching, and he sucks at it because he overcomplicates and goes off on tangents, plus mumbling. If it was just his thought process, it would be a mildly annoying but harmless habit, but he does it when talking to people

Also, Assassination Classroom has a way less bloated cast, allowing us to actually get closer to the characters.

[yanderes-galore]

Just curious, what would a yandere blackbeard from one piece be like? Concept of course

Ah, yes, evil man. Here you go! I hope the idea is okay as I wasn't quite sure what to do with him...?

Yandere! Marshall D. Teach Concept

Pairing: Romantic

Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, Obsession, Manipulation, Possessive behavior, Violence, Murder, Kidnapping, Isolation, Deception, Forced companionship/relationship.

Teach is a very unpredictable man when it comes to anything....

Yet I will say he's persistent when it comes to getting what he wants.

He spends a lot of time plotting certain events to get what he wants.

Also, out of all the One Piece pirates, he's probably one of the most accurate pirates to real world pirates.

He cheats, lies, steals, and is selfish through and through.

He wants power and makes elaborate plans to get it.

If he wanted someone, well I don't doubt he'd steal them like everything else.

Because he certainly isn't winning you over with looks alone. (maybe....)

He does have charisma, though.

It's hard to read a man like him but somehow he manages to trick people.

He's damn good at it too.

Another thing to note is that Teach acts like a walking contradiction.

He's both brave and cowardly... careful yet also reckless...

He's an opportunist who's guided by greed.

There's a good chance he's going to be horrible with his obsession.

Especially if he likes you as a romantic partner.

It would be so hard to tell if he actually cares about you... or just wants something in return.

He can be pretty rough at times.

Although, since he's so much bigger than you, he would need to be gentle too.

Teach is a deceptive yandere.

I imagine at first he tries to charm you naturally.

You're a pretty face who caught his eye... Why don't you come over and let him have a look?

He's surprisingly charismatic with you.

Despite his appearance and abhorrent behavior at times, he can sweet talk someone.

He's calm, playful, relaxed... and believes pirate life should be fun.

He no doubt tries to convince you to join his crew when he meets you.

He isn't really one for courting or taking his time.

He can have varied patience when getting what he wants.

If he sees the chance to just take what he wants...

He's obviously going to do that.

He no doubt met you on an island his crew stayed at while his boat got fixed....

After that he's been fascinated.

You're like a treasure in your own right...

You're nice to look at, soft to the touch, and have such a sweet voice....

Such traits are what made Teach want you.

He sees you for a few days in passing, always wanting to speak to you and see your charms again.

Eventually he's going to ask you to join his crew...

Then he'll make it a demand...

After that he's just taking you, not caring about kidnapping you in the slightest.

Pirates steal, don't they?

He doesn't bother tricking you if he knows his words won't work.

Instead he decides to order his crew to capture you.

To him, it's all very easy.

He can just have what he wants.

Teach is a ruthless person too, he has no issues killing.

He isn't much of a fighter though... He much rather uses deception to have others fight his battles.

Teach may also be possessive of you due to his competitive nature.

Teach would expect his obsession to get used to him.

Look, you'll love being by his side eventually, right?

He'll show you being on his crew is fun, especially when he gets the power he wants.

One may not think it but Teach is skilled in manipulation and lying.

He wouldn't threaten you, but there is some coercion.

He tells you that he chose you to be his partner.

You're going to be the spouse of the future Pirate King.

He'll show you that it's the best role you can get.

He isn't too bloody when getting rid of those he thinks are in his way.

Mostly because his Devil Fruit takes care of that for him.

Although... He may also finish them off.

He has a tendency to finish fights when he knows he can win.

He's an opportunist, after all.

Teach also seems like the touchy type.

He no doubt wants to hold his obsession in some way, after all, he thinks you're soft.

You're his treasure, sometimes he's considerate of how you feel.

Most of the time he's trying to force you into activities though.

It would be difficult to get away from Teach since he always has an eye on you as his partner.

That and his Devil Fruit allows him to set up traps, so he could easily have his fruit spit you back to him.

Teach may even make crude remarks, like it's his form of teasing.

Teach would not care if he had to get rid of anyone close to you to have you.

All he cares about is making you his.

A lot of blood is on his hands, unfortunately.

So if you're close to anybody...

He may just use his Devil Fruit on them.

Teach is a terrifying man, especially as a new Emperor of The Sea.

While he is incompetent at times, Teach is still one of the strongest out there on the seas.

He'd be a fool to let you escape and wander without him.

All you can really do is play the role of loyal lover until he's defeated... Which considering his power...

Who knows when that will be?

[utilitycaster]

Been burning through the third campaign of NADDPOD recently off of your recommendation and it's been incredible. Though it has made me think of what exactly makes its callbacks and references to the previous campaign work so well compared to C3. As you pointed out in your post about the podcast, they share more than a few similarities. I'd guess that the lighter tone overall helps quite a bit, though the Irondeep Saga and Hardwon's return to the adventuring life is genuinely very effective!

To me, most if not all of C3's returning characters and callbacks were self-aggrandizing and distracting. The initial return to Whitestone for Laudna especially.

I have not finished NADDPOD's C3 yet so maybe I'll be proven wrong, but I was just wondering if you had any insight on why it just, works better than its counterpart? Also, big fan of the blog! Your meta post have kept me sane during the various errands that Bells Hells half heartedly accomplish.

So I do want to note my issue with Whitestone and Laudna's resurrection isn't so much seeing Percy and Vex and Pike and Keyleth; it's much more that having that available so early cut off some notable opportunities in Marquet. Going to Jiana would have probably made the Delilah issue much more of a factor (since I doubt anyone she'd have known would have been a L20 cleric familiar with Delilah), would have done interesting things for Ashton's story, and would have kept the party on the continent and in the city, possibly spending more time with Eshteross and maybe even giving them an additional chance to encounter Otohan in person. In retrospect this could have fixed like five different things. I actually found that the previous character callbacks were one of the strongest elements and increasingly I also feel the original NPCs of C3, Otohan and Ozo aside, while few and far between, would have been great if Bells Hells like, cared about them and spent time with them.

I think the more important part is that Murph is not trying to wrap up an overarching plot across multiple campaigns; he's simply telling, well, the campaign after the campaign. He was pretty clear about that in the initial discussions for NADDPod C3 - it's heavily influenced by the decisions in the initial Bahumia campaign but like, the plot isn't to end the astral plane god-battles that set off; it's to save Bahumia from Mothership (and those two factions evolve to have other implications, but the core conflict is introduced early and remains as is). Now, I also think that having a smaller party that is generally absolutely fearless when it comes to decision-making is an important part and they deserve credit (just as, while I think Matt's errors were most significant for C3's issues, the cast's waffling and fear of picking the wrong choice is a factor - even a "wrong" choice would have been better in most cases), but a lot of it is that it's a pretty standard D&D style plot executed well. (This would be another really long post but I really do think D&D can handle a range of plots and genres, but it's still a limited range of plots and genres, and if you try to subvert it, as people increasingly try to do, it will not reward you for cleverness but rather backfire. I don't think C3 tries to subvert D&D nor do I think D&D is the problem here; also just to stave off dumb comments, Pathfinder has the same exact limitations and Daggerheart likely will have very similar ones - this is about a combat-skills-forward fantasy game with level progression in general of which D&D is the most prominent but by no means only example. However since I just answered about Neverafter, while that's not the question, I think Murph has a particularly good understanding of what D&D can do.)

I think it's a few things but I think one reason Murph has such a track record is first, he identifies pretty strongly as a comedy writer, though he's also obviously a performer; secondly, he is as far as I can tell cautious and surly and he came to TTRPGs as an adult; and thirdly, two major influences he has that others tend not to cite are gaming and wrestling, and I really think this is important.

I think as a writer, he tends to have a good sense of narrative and where things have to go. That doesn't mean there aren't unexpected turns, but I think he does a good job of planning for contingencies and having a confident hand in turning the story back. And again, I think having a 3-person party makes it easier to get back on the rails (or to build a new track very quickly) but I think he, to quote a truly stupid but not entirely wrong self-help quote, begins with the end in mind.

The cautiousness and surliness are in my opinion the secret to NADDPod. Look. Niceness is, well, nice, though Brennan has a great bit that I watched recently and have since forgotten the source of about how kindness and niceness are two separate concepts. I think Murph is really willing to tell his players "No" and I think it is always to his benefit. I think making your players explain what they want to do, or being willing to turn your player's riffing into something that might not be their intention (Sol and Albie and the whole reveal that the Academy made everyone feel like a hero while essentially churning out manufactured duos stands out to me) is important. I don't want to say every home game should have this because it shouldn't - if you are playing at home casually and just want to make your friends feel like the coolest people ever, you don't have to do this! But if you are an actual play show you should be telling a story, and to tell a good story you do have to kill a few darlings and make a few edits, and Murph is willing to do that and Matt is sometimes too generous for his own good to the detriment of story (and, imo, I think it's ultimately less rewarding for the players in the long run much of the time too!)

And thirdly, games and wrestling. Now I am obviously no expert in games, but from a complete beginner's perspective, something that keeps striking me is how many people become affronted when the side quests (or, more accurately, ignoring the side quests) impact the main quest in significant ways, even though it's simply good writing to have side quests that enhance your understanding of the main quest and make you stronger or better able to approach it because of your experiences. This is in fact one of the biggest reasons why C3 is so weak, and one of the reasons why I think NADDPod is consistently strong. And then as for wrestling: I am even less of an expert here, but wrestling requires clear storytelling and especially clear motivations, (hard to be subtle in that medium) and story told primarily through combat that better have a great conclusion. It's also, notably, a remarkably unpretentious thing to be into, even though it's popular with a lot of nerds (Danielle Radford is the guest from last week; Ify's a wrestling fan as well). As a result, I think Murph isn't afraid to be blunt and unsubtle in service of actually making something good and entertaining and cohesive, instead of trying to say something deep and failing. Because nothing crashes to the ground and burns than trying to say something deep and failing. I mean I love pretentiousness, but I know when to drop it, and I think NADDPod on the whole does too.

[unforth]

Revelation: my whole life, when I've responded to sarcasm seriously, people have been like "uh...why you so serious... I was being sarcastic..." and it makes me insane because like... duh? Why am I not allowed to respond to sarcasm seriously? Why does it have to be treated as hOw DiD yOu MiSs ThAt I wAs KiDdInG? Basically: why is it framed as me failing when I absolutely knew it was sarcasm?

Anyway, this just happened with my wife (no shade, it's very rare with her as compared to like, my uncle, and I told her it made me uncomfortable, we're good, it was just the spur to the revelation) and I think I've realized why it happens and why it bothers me so much.

It's always framed as me missing something, but it's not.

I knew they were being sarcastic, and I chose to respond seriously.

THEY failed to interpret MY response.

Or: damn boy (genderneutral) sorry my Yes, And game is just SO FUCKIN SUPERIOR yall should work on recognizing deadpan. Skill issue.

[heylittleriotact]

The workplace at BioWare Edmonton sounds almost identical to the toxic environment at my former funeral home: you have a group of talented, qualified, well-meaning eager to do their jobs, but poor leadership, toxic management, and pocket lining ownership fosters an environment where people are literally too fucking stressed to do their jobs and do them well.

There are mistakes and errors which leads to even more negativity, then management fosters an environment where everyone is fucking pitted against each other like Lord of The Flies, so instead of having a cohesive team ready to engage and work together towards a goal, you’ve got a bunch of burnt out, embittered, angry people with personal grudges, resentments, and chips on their shoulder.

Everyone is constantly at each other’s throats or tossing each other under the bus. Turn over is insane: you cannot hire people fast enough because anyone that completes training without bailing because of all the raging red flags doesn’t stick around for more than a couple months anyway, further increasing the burden of work on an already insanely stretched thin group of staff. Expectations are not adjusted accordingly, in fact you’re heaped with even more responsibility (without a salary increase) and expected to be grateful for the opportunity to serve your community.

In the last year I was with the firm I saw people quit who had been there for well over a decade. I saw people leave who I was SURE would be there forever. I saw multiple people go on the same stress leave referred to above. Hell, I almost went on it myself, but instead I eventually got out too because I was not valued, I was not treated like I was valued, and I was little more than an ass in a seat to be taken advantage of in the name of profit and a sniveling man-child’s daddy issues.

A drank and chain smoked myself through my evenings, turned up at work and disassociated as hard as I could so that I could still try and do some good for grieving families. There were indeed days where I would go and find a closet or empty arrangement office to cry in.

I had a choice: stick it out and hope it got better (I’d done four years of that already) knowing full well that if I stayed this job it would literally be the cause of death on my death certificate eventually, or value myself and my future and get the fuck out of dodge.

Fuck BioWare and fuck every company that treats its highly skilled, specialized employees like they’re a burden.

Now that Veilguard is out, this feels like he was trying to warn us.

[arsenicflame]

happy "our marriage is never gonna recover from this" day

[louismygf]

some louis tomlinsons i never posted ^_^

[secretagentspydetectiveninja]

(Alright, going to stop procrastinating and finally make this post.) After playing through the new trilogy in French to see what was different, here are some things about the French localisation of Spirit of Justice I thought you should know:

First of all, I usually like the French and English versions of the games equally. This marks the first time I've actually enjoyed the French version... more than the English one?? Especially Turnabout Revolution? Don't get me wrong, I already loved it in English, but I think the next time I replay it I'll actively choose French. Idk man it just hits different when a bunch of French people are talking about revolution and overthrowing the tyrannical regime etc

Oh yes, speaking of which, yes, the "Japanifornia" parts of the game take place in Paris, France, as usual. No, I have no idea how Kurain village can be next to the mountains and also the sea while also being in the vicinity of Paris. I also don't know why the entire population of a small country in the Himalayas are fluent in French and use it on a daily basis. But seriously, the main characters mention SO OFTEN that they're French and from France, like, all the fricking time. Remember the incredibly Japanese rakugo case? Imagine that taking place in France.

The Khura'inese pun names are hysterical in French. An example that English speakers can get too: the first culprit's name in French is Sterh'uey Tu'heiven. I'm not making this up. That's his name.

RAYFA'S FRENCH VOICE ACTUALLY SOUNDS LIKE A TEENAGER INSTEAD OF A 30 YEAR OLD, THANK THE HOLY MOTHER

Unfortunately the Holy Mother giveth, but she also taketh away, and they gave Nahyuta a crunchy old man voice that doesn't suit his ethereal appearance at all...

Athena has now added German and Italian to her random English and Spanish phrases from the prev game. I mean... it made sense before, since she was meant to have lived in the USA in this version, but now I guess she just does it for fun? Who knows

French Roger Retinz uses €50 notes (euros) to fan himself instead of dollar bills

Inga's full name is "Inga Karkhuul Kel Nomh Bowkhou Tro'lon Pohm'peu Eh'Duhr Apronh Ons'ai Khura'in III" ("quel nom beaucoup trop long, pompeux et dur à prononcer")

Nahyuta's nickname in French is just "Yuta"

Ema and Apollo now use informal pronouns for each other, so do Ema and Trucy now, Maya starts using informal pronouns for Apollo from almost the first moment she meets him (though he uses formal pronouns for her lmao), and yes Dhurke and Apollo use informal pronouns with each other the whole time, even when things are awkward at the start. Rayfa and her mother always use formal pronouns for each other, which is a little depressing.

AS FOR NAHYUTA AND APOLLO... HOHOHO. Obviously they're both using "vous" (formal) in court, but in the scene afterwards Apollo switches to "tu" (informal) when he asks Nahyuta if he remembers him. Later in Turnabout Revolution, Apollo has gone back to vous but he's at least saying "Nahyuta" rather than "Prosecutor Sahdmadhi" or whatever (I think that happened in the English version too). Then during the final trial, after that one insanely angsty scene, Apollo starts using tu again and even (internally) uses the nickname Yuta once! Nahyuta eventually starts referring to him as Apollo and starts using tu after finally openly acknowledging Apollo as his family aaauuuuuugh ;o;

(Listen Apollo usually always tries to be formal and professional in court so this is a big deal!!! It's a big deal to me at least!!!!!!!!!)

In the English version there were a few times our good ol' American Apollo had a sort of "haha I'm just a foreigner I don't know anything here" vibe which... no you're not lol. The French version didn't have that (or at least toned it down a lot) and made him feel less like a tourist and more like an immigrant returning to his old home country with complex feelings, which he is. It makes it more personal that he's the one to bring about the revolution imo -- he's not some random foreigner swooping in to save the day, this is his home and his family, he belongs here. (As an immigrant myself I find aspects of him relatable and will defend his Khura'inese backstory to the death DON'T TEST ME)

The "what's crack-a-lackin' homie" line in all its glory:

[hasufin]

think the biggest myth I encounter about H-1b visas in left-leaning circles is the belief they can be paid less.

The law requires they be paid at or above the prevailing wage for their job in their location. I know of some companies who have tried to engage in some convoluted [and costly! It would have been cheaper to just pay more!] gymnastics in order to pay less: changing job codes, changing locations, &c. Because, yes, the employer's impulse is always opposition to paying a higher salary regardless of how much sense it would make.

But there are actual legal safeguards to assure H-1b recipients are not underpaid. Moreso than there are for US citizens, who can be paid as little as minimum wage regardless of the position. I've heard of one case where the company reported one salary to USCIS and then paid the beneficiary less... and that got caught and the employee received backpay. Naturally I can't say it doesn't happen more often - wage theft is by far the most common form of theft - but once we're in "But companies break the law!" territory there's no discussion to be had regarding the law.

But as others have pointed out, to employers the appeal of H-1b recipients is their exploitability, not their low cost. Because their ability to exist in the country is at the pleasure of their employer, they're largely unable to advocate for themselves and prevent abuse. They can be required to work excessive hours in abusive and dangerous conditions which no US citizen would accept. The cure for this is more protections for H-1b recipients, better reporting structures to handle abuse including whistleblower protections, and proactive enforcement of employment regulations. In other words, the problem isn't the H-1b recipients.

Now, I am aware that companies do choose to employ H-1bs when they should be hiring US citizens. This can be very frustrating to US workers, as in theory qualified US citizens should be hired first, but employers have already decided they'd prefer an indentured servant; granted if that's the case it's probably NOT a job you'd want, but I do get the desire to be able to pay rent...

Perhaps of equal importance is that this misuse of the H-1b program actually sabotages the official reason for its existence. The H-1b visa is supposed to bring in skills and talent which the existing US labor pool lacks. That is, if there just aren't enough AI developers available in the USA to meet our needs, then we can issue H-1bs to bring in developers from China who have that specific skill and want to work here for a bit, getting paid more because they're in high demand. Instead, we're seeing H1-b visas issued to network engineers because AT&T would rather have someone who will clock out after 8 hours and work 4 more; and the clever startup which is trying to use AI to improve semiconductor fabrication can't get a visa for the one person who understands algorithmics and semiconductors.

In all this, though, I think the big takeaway is that the visa recipients are not the problem. The problem is that employers see this as a system to enable exploitation and abuse, and are using it as a tool to drag the workforce down rather than improve our economy as a whole.

listened to my very first powerpoint presentation abt how to apply for h1b visa, yeag every single leftist who had anything to say abt how h1b visas negatively impact american workers needs to die. kinda crazzy how noone else is bothered by the fact that elon musk, the guy who recently did 2 sieg heils on stage, had a less fascist opinion on this immigration issue than many americoid leftists. what can i say, i will never forgive i will never forget

[altschmerzes]

omgggg shipping is not arophobic in the LEAST but keep making us look like whiners with no real problems by continuing to complain about it I guess

yeah that's definitely what i said in any post ever man great job

average person who has made shipping their entire identity will see a post where someone says 'hey please don't say these specific types of things that are degrading and cruel about nonromantic relationships while enjoying your ships and maybe examine the thought processes and beliefs and prejudices that led to saying them' and be like 'oh so you're a whiner with no real problems who thinks shipping is arophobic?'

telling on yourself there bud

[quins-makeshift-menagerie]

Why are you so closed off with your story? Other Mewtwo creators are very open with a lot of their plans.

That’s their choice! It’s mine to be more secretive about details.

[chellychuu]

Me; when I stare at a blank canvas for hours instead of actually drawing something

[officeobject]

Look, I reblog without the expectation of an actual reply, because the majority of people either don't give a fuck, or don't give a fuck because it's how I write and myself, specifically. I don't get along with teens - like, I seriously mean we will NOT get along and do NOT communicate well together (assuming the teenager will even TRY to communicate or is even capable of it), and, as most of them do say, they "do not care", so, I can reblog from them, most likely won't get a reply, damage most likely not done, might as well do inside-jokes or something - and my judgement of who's gonna reply in what way and how it will emotionally impact me (and how to deal with it) might be wrong at times, and in those times, I just pray for the other to quit writing, which typically leads me to either be nice (which would count as me being fake), to avoid trouble and out of fear, or, to hope they get mad or bored or whatever, enough - or lose interest - by actually being myself - often achieved by not having communication skill issues like 99% of teens for some reason, and by info-dumping about things they wouldn't wanna know, and also by, of course, honestly saying how I feel (I probably won't even get deep enough in detail, before they quit), because my feelings are somehow oh so pathetic for the average person whom is literally in the hormone age.

Hey... maybe you should go send some asks on my secret sideblogs that nobody will figure out ever

@drgregmousebites

@therealmacmcdonald

😲😲🙀😱😲😲