#with higher production value this time lmao

[honkytonka]

I am mentally ill. Have this Ramattra x listener scnario in which the listener is hiding from him. (she/her pronouns for listener, it was what was available)

[bobzora]

there are some bits of what they did with the rooftop scene that i like and others where i was like :/ this isn't as good as it could be. and this is an important scene lmao

[prettieinpink]

REBRANDING YOURSELF

COLLAB WITH THE HOTTIE????!!!!!!! @honeytonedhottie. LMAO NOT US PLANNING THIS IN LIKE DEC THEN RELEASING IN APRIL. I luv you so much ur my fav moot. moots who collab together, stay together. Check out her post on her page too, as usual, she makes the best points so y'all better listen.

Rebranding is a process in which you redefine who you are and how others perceive you. Each journey of rebranding yourself is personal and individual. When you rebrand yourself, you further align yourself with your higher you. This post is a guide to getting started on your journey!

UNDERSTAND YOUR CURRENT SELF.

So, take a step back and think about who you are as an individual right now. What are your values and beliefs? Does your external self reflect your inner self? Are you comfortable in your current environment?

These questions and more will help to see which aspects of your life you may need to redefine. See if there’s anything that doesn’t align with your higher self. 

After that, pick those aspects that need to be redefined. Why do you want to change this? How has this been impacting you internally/externally? Does this aspect stem from your environment or yourself? See why this aspect needs to be improved. 

DESIGNING YOUR BRAND

This is more of a fun step! So, using your aspects design how you want that specific thing to look and feel like. Avoid being vague or non-specific. Try to put in as much detail as you can for each aspect. 

If you’d prefer, you don’t have to use ‘aspects’ and instead use your life generally. This is your redesign, so do whatever is more comfortable and achievable for you.

ASPECTS

Health

Social life

Career

Hobbies

Family

Finance

Spirituality

Personal development (mindset, goals, improvement)

Self care

Culture

Well-being

Things to include

Achievable goals

How your environment looks like

How your daily life like

How you see yourself

What do you feel after

Why this is alignment within yourself? 

You can do this any way you want. The one I would recommend for redesigning your life would be a vision board, preferably a physical one. If you don’t want to do that, there are still a lot of options such as writing it down into a pretty poster, creating a playlist that will reflect your brand, creating a pretty list, or having sticky notes around your room as reminders. 

Be creative and detailed with this. You should spend at least an hour if not more trying to redesign your life/aspects.

CREATING GOALS

Goals are so important, especially when we are moving in a different direction than we were before. As we’ve got the current status of who we are and what we want to be, creating goals should be easy. 

Make your goals visible. Put a sticky note on your mirrors, put it as your laptop background, put a reminder on your phone, listen to a playlist that motivates you of your goals or anything else that will constantly remind you of your goals. 

Other than that, remember that goals have to be achievable, mindful, and flexible.

ESTABLISHING HABITS

Habits are so important to rebrand yourself. Habits make up your identity. The way you act, speak, and do daily, can subconsciously influence you to be someone who isn’t in alignment with your higher self.

 As much as it’s important to establish new habits that align with you, you have to root out the habits that are pushing you off track from achieving your goals. 

The good thing is that you can do both at the same time. Replace those old habits, with brand new ones. For example, when you open your phone first thing in the morning instead of opening up TikTok, get YouTube opened and start a 5-minute meditation to start your day.

However, just because a habit is beneficial for you, it doesn’t mean it is in alignment for you. For many people, they prefer to read books as a productive alternative for leisure, however, you may not be able to read a book and focus. In that case, you may want to watch an educational video instead. You’re still getting the benefits, but just in a different way. 

STEP FIVE: IMPLEMENTING YOUR BRAND DAILY

Think about all the little details of how this person would act, from morning until night. Embody their actions, words, aura, and vibes. This is when having a visual of your goals is good, so you can see what you need to do.

This includes no longer indulging in things your higher self wouldn’t do. Regardless of how much comfort, entertainment, or dopamine something gives you, you have to let it go if it is destroying your mind. 

I way I recommend implementing your brand daily by creating a daily routine that focuses on a different goal each day of the week. E.g:

Monday - Practicing being mindful (meditation, journaling, connecting with your religion)

Tuesday - Fitness (pilates, weightlifting, hot girl walks)

Wednesday - Socialising (going out to meet new people/connecting with old friends)

Thursday - Productivity (Schoolwork, studying, business, workplace tasks)

Friday - Self-care (taking a slow day however you’d like)

ta-daa!! thanks 4 reading. now go follow @honeytonedhottie 💕😍

[a-bit-too-much-of-a-zelda-fan]

Recently I've come to appreciate that pre-HD video games don't always wholly benefit from being played at HD resolutions with HD texture packs. This goes for emulation and official remasters. Even the best, most faithful texture packs (like Nerrel's Majora's Mask 64 HD) can create a lack of visual cohesion when the textures are fantastic but the models, world geometry, and animations are still very clearly products of their time. More below.

I can appreciate wanting to play Ocarina of Time or Majora's Mask at 1080p/4K with HD textures and interpolation making it look like it's 60fps. That's cool as fuck that we can do that now. But it's not me. No, I'm one of those freaks who turns on Ship of Harkinian (the fanmade PC port of OoT), activates N64 mode to shift it to 240p and 4:3 aspect ration, then layers on a CRT filter to make it look extra shitty. See, I see the value in the shit. Appreciating art in its original context is very important to me, especially video games.

I'm also playing Twilight Princess on Dolphin now at 480p, 4:3, and original textures. Does TPHD make a lot of great quality of life improvements? Are its new textures impressive? Does the higher resolution make everything look sharp and crisp? All yes. But is it nice to appreciate how the lower resolution smooths out rough model edges? Is it fun to let my imagination fill in the blanks of the texture work instead of having it all laid out for me? Is there cohesion between all the visual elements of the game? Also yes. I'm having a good time with it, too. Helps that I'm not chained to my Wii U to play it too lol

Oh, but there's one old game that I think absolutely shines with high resolution and HD textures. The Wind Waker. Hoo boy, this one is crazy. I played through the game twice on Dolphin, both times at 720p (my shitty computer can't manage 1080), and the second with Hypatia's HD texture pack too. My brother in Christ, it looks phenomenal in HD. Not the official remaster, mind you, that thing looks like hot ass with the new lighting engine. Nah, I mean Gamecube original, bumped up resolution, Hypatia textures.

It's unreal how well the game visually holds up. The world geometry is even blockier than TP, and the character models are simple, but those all work in its favor. It looks like a cartoon. It's so stylized that it aged like fine wine. Increasing the resolution and texture quality doesn't create any visual dissonance because the modelling is so stylized already. God it looks gorgeous. If your computer can handle it, I highly recommend trying that out. Use the Better Wind Waker mod to add the official remaster's QoL updates too and it'll be smooth sailing. Get it lmao. ANyway that's enough ranting. Back to playing TP on Dolphin.

[myrmyrtheorca]

Myeeeeell! Hi, hi~!! I hope you're doing well, dear! I'll ask about my personal favourite: Lidija. "What would your character wear if they were told they had to gussy up?", "Would your character prefer something bought or made personally?" and "What type of environment does your character like best?"

Hello Momo 🩵🩵 boredom at work strikes again so it's time to be productive and keep answering questions~

Putting this under the read more jail because Lidija has a lot to say about dresses LMAO

- What would [Lidija] wear if they were told they had to gussy up: ok disclaimer, I've never heard of this expression before so I had to look it up, hopefully I understood the assignment here and answered correctly if not please feel free to tell me if I missed the mark 🙏 if there are any subtle meanings to the phrase I'm pretty sure I didn't catch them lel

After freaking out from the excitement of being invited to some event where she can dress up and taking approximately one week (in the best case scenario) to choose what to wear, our little princess will be up and running ready to blind you with her sparks! This sounds like PR and it is, this is a Lidija-sponsored post here we celebrate the marshmallow

Her favourite choices include long dresses, because she feels really uncomfortable when her legs are showing, even if it's just the ankles. The puffier/larger/more full the skirt is, the better: anything too tight will show her silhouette and hinder her when it's time to ✨dance✨ (she's convinced it's an established part of every social gathering) So no cocktail or sheath dresses, and mermaid ones only when she's super confident about it.

She has much less problems with showing her shoulders and arms, though, and this makes her a big fan of strapless dresses! I'd say her perfect fit would be a strapless top with a gown-like lower half, and an empire or basque-style waistline.

You'll probably notice I've only talked about dresses, and that's because it's her favourite thing to wear. Long palazzo pants are the most daring piece of clothing she'll wear. She's a big fan of blouses knot right under the bust though! So if it's a more informal type of gathering, she'll probably attend with one of those and a long high-waist skirt.

As for shoes and accessories, high-heel boots are her go-to for anything. In general the higher the heels are, the better. She likes to style her hair a lot and has scrunchies/pins/circlets for every occasion. She must stand out, she's royalty!

Favourite colours: pastels, shades of red, ABSOLUTELY NOT PURPLE.

Favourite patterns: polka dots, Scottish,plain with sparkles/small shiny decors, lace.

- What type of environment does [Lidija] like best: the bustling streets of a big city! Much like Myr, Lidija likes places full of stimuli (and shops). She's very extroverted and feels at ease in the crowd. Bonus points if it's one of those picturesque villages aimed at tourists like Cortina d'Ampezzo.

- Would [Lidija] prefer something bought or made personally: if you make something for her with your own hands she'll find that very sweet and thank you profusely.

Having said that, if you bring her to one of those fancy malls and there's a Celine or Yves Saint Laurent boutique... she'll find that VERY sweet and will thank you PROFUSELY.

May the lord himself financially help whoever she ends up with.

Ok memes aside, she really values it when someone takes the time to make stuff for her, because it doesn't really happen often. But if given money, she's a menace and spends it in the blink of an eye, so letting her indulge in her shopping habits by giving her a hand would also make her super happy.

[paper--machete]

idk if you did this before but ummm rank all qotsa albums including them crooked vultures

I'll do you one better! I'll include the desert sessions 11+12 cus imo it's too thoroughly produced to not include

10. lullabies to paralyze

no hate on lullabies but honestly the whole vibe of the record is just sooooo 2005. in my head has to be their worst song just because of how embarassing that chorus is and also there's just a lot of fluff, even the deep cuts on this album feel like throwaway tracks (which I would even say about my favorite songs on the album, tangled up in plaid and broken box). the whole album just feels like a radio-friendly attempt to prove they still had their edge after Nick was kicked out

favorite songs: tangled up in plaid, little sister, i never came, the blood is love, broken box

9. villains

villains gets too much hate. people always point to Mark Ronson for ruining the album but honestly I'm glad we live in the alternate timeline where qotsa made a pop album. the way you used to do is awesome (ESPECIALLY the live version), domesticated animals is awesome, un-reborn again is one of their best songs. hideaway has always sucked tho and I hate the ending of the evil has landed because it just sounds like they were trying to do 3s and 7s again for some reason (with the slide guitars and Josh going "way-ee-ay") but otherwise also one of their best songs. also I wanna mention that Jon Theodore is at his best on this album, you can really hear his background in prog shine through on certain songs

favorite songs: the way you used to do, domesticated animals, fortress, un-reborn again, the evil has landed

8. desert sessions 11+12

first and foremost noses in roses forever is one of the best songs jho has ever written. DS11/12 basically feels like josh decided he wanted to do his own Gorillaz style collaborative project thanks to the increased production values and honestly it just makes me want another desert sessions release just like it.... which contradicts the other thing I wanted to say which is that there's really no album that sounds like 11/12 out there. nowhere else will you hear a song like chic tweetz because any other album would’ve left it on the cutting room floor for being too stupid. i love it

also I wanna say that i think crucifire is for royal blood what ultralight beam was for chance the rapper lmao

favorite songs: noses in roses forever, chic tweetz, easier said than done

7. in times new roman

damn I'm surprised the recency bias isn't getting to me on this one lmao. ITNR has a lot of really good songs on it but put together into an album it really feels like they’re just treading old ground. (I was originally gonna write a review of it when it came out titled “new dog, old tricks”). despite this there’s a lot of great stuff, paper machete and emotion sickness are two of my fav qotsa songs and straight jacket fitting might be their best closer? idk. this would be higher if it didn’t just feel like a “more of the same” type album

favorite songs: paper machete, negative space, made to parade, emotion sickness

6. self-titled

this placement hurts so much because like a year and a half ago this wouldve been #2 😭 anyway i love the self titled so much because it sounds so different from the rest of their discography… you can hear alot of the leftover kyuss influence in the heavier songs and riff writing, plus what other album is gonna try some crazy shit like walkin on the sidewalks or hispanic impressions? (btw hispanic impressions is their most underrated song) also the expanded edition is better for having spiders and vinegaroons but worse for having droids

favorite songs: regular john, avon, how to handle a rope, hispanic impressions, you can’t quit me baby

5. songs for the deaf

i’ve always had beef with songs for the deaf…. i’ve always felt like the best songs on it are so good that they make the lesser songs seem worse in comparison. like another love song is great but when it’s sandwiched between god is in the radio and song for the deaf its like. well obviously this is one of the weaker songs on the album. anyway it’s still good, being the other nick-era qotsa album you can really hear the collaboration between the band’s all-star lineup across the whole thing

favorite songs: hanging tree, go with the flow, god is in the radio, song for the deaf, mosquito song

4. them crooked vultures 

TCV is just a really, really solid album. the sequencing is great, the songs are all great, the musicians are all at their A game, ESPECIALLY josh as it’s not an unpopular opinion to say this album is where he really started tapping into his skills as a vocalist. while i consider TCV to be the honorary bonus qotsa album, i feel like it also manages to stand on its own thanks to the creative contributions of dave grohl and john paul jones.

favorite songs: mind eraser no chaser, dead end friends, bandoliers, warsaw, spinning in daffodils

3.5. over the years and through the woods

maybe I'm biased cus qotsa brainworms but the dvd of this is the best concert film/album I've ever heard. there's a perfect balance between songs being played as they are on the record and songs having things tweaked or even reworked entirely, which is something i’m picky about when it comes to concerts (i saw jack white two years ago and he changed waaaaay too many songs :P) also there’s a lot of neat little bonus things in the set, like an early version of make it wit chu, another desert sessions track (covered in punk’s blood) and of course the live performance of fun machine which is a top 3 song for them and always will be

favorite songs: feel good hit of the summer, avon, little sister, you can’t quit me baby, the fun machine took a shit and died

3. rated R

rated R is a perfect album! i think its greatest strength is its sequencing tbh, it succeeds at both giving the impression of it being a concept album (while not necessarily conforming to the concept) as well as having a super diverse tracklist where no two songs sound alike. also characteristic of nick-era qotsa, i love how rated R isn’t afraid to have short songs or long songs, though unlike on songs for the deaf the short/long songs here feel like they don’t sacrifice length for substance relative to other songs. 

favorite songs: feel good hit of the summer, leg of lamb, auto pilot, better living through chemistry, i think i lost my headache

2. era vulgaris

there is no album that sounds like era vulgaris. why does misfit love sound like that? why does battery acid sound like that? WHY DOES I’M DESIGNER SOUND LIKE THAT??? it’s so fucking weird and rich with ideas, there isn’t a single moment on era vulgaris where the band isn’t trying something new. even my least favorite songs on here have something new and unique to offer while also being the most fucked up little beast creature thing youve ever heard.

favorite songs: turnin on the screw, i’m designer, into the hollow, 3’s and 7’s, run pig run

1. ...like clockwork

i’m an artsy kid, i like artsy albums, and i love like clockwork for how mature it is. every song feels like a statement, an emotion concentrated into a 4-minute masterpiece. while the lows on here are lower for me than on other albums, they still make important contributions to the album experience as a whole (not to mention the highs soar, i appear missing and fairweather friends are top 5 material for them. I appear missing might even be top 1 tbh.) i’m out of things to say so uhhh yeah like clockwork is my favorite :)

favorite songs: i sat by the ocean, the vampyre of time and memory, fairweather friends, i appear missing

[femmmie]

smoshblr tag game wheee!!!

“tagged” by the amazing @lumiereandcogsworth thank you <333

1. how long have you been watching smosh? I actually didn't know about their youtube channel for a minute while I did frequent smosh.com the website LOL so I don't really recall, but it's a long ass time lmao!

2. favorite smosh cast member(s)? Ian for suuuurrre also Anthony but I'm still mad at him for leaving x33 and I really love Amanda she is so magical. She is truly the best thing to happen to Smosh like, what an actress. What an ICON. She's larger than life and I am at her feet.

3. favorite pairing(s)?

I mean, let's be real. It's Ianthony <3 I do love Amangela, but the thing is... my eyes are on Amanda only, I've found out about myself x3 maybe a self-insert ship with me and Amanda hahaha what?

4. favorite reoccurring character? Listen, Fred Darts is an instant classic, he NEEDS to return and continue to be iconic.

5. favorite smosh video? yesss another opportunity to spread the Claus Winklestein agenda >:) the bi-con we need but don't deserve x)

The video is so problematic for so many reasons lmao but it remains my absolute favorite. Something about Anthony as a girl *_* is always SO mesmerizing like?? The whole concept is genius, there's subplot, there is character development, the bisexual energy is off the charts and I have lots of thoughts about lots of scenes that I won't get into here bc I hate discourse lmao. But it's really something. I was like 'bring back claus winklestein!' in one of the member chats and they didn't even remember him and I was very offended LMAO <3

6. first video that got you into smosh? truly I don't remember but one of the first ones I do remember are the lip-syncing ones of course.

7. favorite picture of the cast?

I love this moment lmao the dynamic of Angela and Chanse being reverse boomers like they have no idea what is going on

8. favorite picture of your fave?

I love everything about this whole shoot 🙏🙏🙏

9. what smosh series do you want to see more of?

I really would like more Sword AF but with video x3 I would even like it to have higher production value so they can cut to scenes of them in full constume, cgi stuff and playing out some scenes 🥹

10. dream guest on smosh mouth?

*heavy breathing* I'm pleading the fifth

tagging: @only-frann @generaltrashshecox @smoshidiot @hecoxthirst @wazurenaide @lilac-hecox + anyone else who wants to do this! :D I'd love to read and watch your answers!

[balaclavacharles]

Sleep deprivation is a prevalent issue affecting a significant portion of the global population. In today's fast-paced society, individuals often prioritize work, social activities, and electronic devices over obtaining sufficient sleep. The detrimental effects of sleep deprivation on various aspects of human health and functioning, including cognitive abilities, emotional well-being, physical health, and occupational performance are vast and by understanding these consequences, we can emphasize the importance of prioritizing healthy sleep habits for overall well-being.

One of the primary effects of sleep deprivation is cognitive impairment. Lack of sleep negatively impacts attention, concentration, memory, and decision-making abilities. Reduced sleep duration and quality impair information processing, reaction time, and problem-solving skills (Alhola & Polo-Kantola, 2007). Prolonged sleep deprivation can lead to cognitive decline, resembling the effects of aging (Banks & Dinges, 2007).

Sleep deprivation also has a significant impact on emotional well-being. It is associated with increased irritability, mood swings, anxiety, and depression. Chronic sleep deprivation disrupts the regulation of emotions, resulting in heightened negative emotional responses and reduced emotional resilience (Banks & Dinges, 2007). Proper sleep is essential for emotional stability and mental health.

Moreover, chronic sleep deprivation increases the risk of developing various chronic diseases. It is associated with diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and certain types of cancer. Disruptions in metabolic processes, hormonal imbalances, and inflammation caused by sleep deprivation contribute to the development of these conditions (Cappuccio et al., 2010). Prioritizing adequate sleep is crucial for maintaining long-term physical health.

It has a profound impact on occupational performance. Sleep-deprived individuals experience reduced productivity, increased errors, and higher accident rates. Attention lapses, reduced vigilance, and impaired decision-making are common consequences of sleep deprivation (Williamson & Feyer, 2000). In safety-sensitive professions, such as healthcare or transportation, these impairments can have severe consequences.

Going without sleep poses significant risks to various aspects of human health and functioning. It impairs cognitive abilities, disrupts emotional regulation, compromises immune function, increases the risk of chronic diseases, and undermines occupational performance. Recognizing the detrimental effects of sleep deprivation highlights the importance of prioritizing healthy sleep habits and ensuring adequate sleep for overall well-being. It is essential to create a culture that values and promotes sufficient sleep to optimize individual health and societal productivity. In conclusion :sparkles: sleep :sparkles:

Citations

Alhola, P., & Polo-Kantola, P. (2007). Sleep deprivation: Impact on cognitive performance. Neuropsychiatric disease and treatment, 3(5), 553-567.

Banks, S., & Dinges, D. F. (2007). Behavioral and physiological consequences of sleep restriction. Journal of clinical sleep medicine, 3(5), 519-528.

Cappuccio, F. P., D'Elia, L., Strazzullo, P., & Miller, M. A. (2010). Sleep duration and all-cause mortality: a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective studies. Sleep, 33(5), 585-592.

Williamson, A. M., & Feyer, A. M. (2000). Moderate sleep deprivation produces impairments in cognitive and motor performance equivalent to legally prescribed levels of alcohol intoxication. Occupational and environmental medicine, 57(10), 649-655.

Lmao, okay Rinno, thanks 😂😂

[thetoxicgamer]

The LMAO Major: English-Speaking Dota 2 Fans Are Upset With the Lima Major Production

The group stage matches for the Dota 2 Lima Major started today. Delays and overlay issues on the first day of the tournament's broadcast made it difficult for viewers to enjoy watching the event on Twitch. The poor viewing experience has left many questioning the quality of the tournament’s coverage from the get-go, with some fans even saying they’d prefer PGL, Dota 2’s controversial tournament organizer. The hype levels for the Major were at an all-time high, with 4D Esports dropping a banger anthem, and other broadcasts than the English, hosted by Epulze, seemed to be doing fine throughout the day. While South American and Russian Dota 2 fans were enjoying the Major in their native language broadcasts, though, English-speaking viewers were dealing with constant broadcast errors that made the event unwatchable. From overlay oversights to panels talking over each other, the English broadcast had its fair share of troubles, especially during the first hours. Given PGL’s absence from the event, fans were also expecting a higher production value but instead were treated to a low-budget setup. The production panel was a hit or miss, depending on which fans you asked. Some viewers expressed their dislike of the panel, while others appreciated the local touch. Considering Dota 2 has been in a downward trend in tournament productions since the AniMajor, production companies can’t seem to get on fans’ good side. The quality of Dota 2 matches has been making up for the shortcomings of productions and streams for over a year now, but the fans are getting frustrated by the representation that their favorite game gets in some of the biggest tournaments of the year. Read the full article

[sailorspazz]

After the last update with Aki being like "bruh, what's wrong with you", I hoped that it'd be the push Suzuki needed to finally break free from his shackles of angst and go to his fucking man already. And wow, he's actually doing it!! When he said, "I'm such an idiot", I couldn't help but yell YEAH WE KNOW lol.

Side note, his hair is very bouncy and cute as he rushes around the city in this chapter.

Another side note, this one about language use, it's interesting to see the development here from earlier chapters. Before, Suzuki was mainly using English while speaking to Norman, then started mixing in Japanese, and then in this chapter addressed him solely in Japanese (with the exception of one line in Spanish, which is also not Norman's native language but presumably one he knows a little bit). Granted, he didn't have a lot of dialogue, and wasn't saying anything particularly complicated, so he assumed Norman could understand well enough. And maybe it's been a while since Norman had a significant number of lines, but I noticed particularly in this chapter that his English (as portrayed in Japanese) includes regular use of somewhat archaic terms and grammar. Now knowing his secret background, I'd guess it's done to give him a bit of royal flair. Just one of those interesting things that stuck out to me, and makes me appreciate the detail that goes in to this series.

So the main content here is the conversation with Norman. It's fascinating to see the dichotomy between Norman's inner and outer dialogue here, my man is having two entirely different conversations lol. It hadn't seemed up to this point that he really cared about Suzuki; even his inner thoughts in 39 when he saw Sugiki and felt sorry not sorry about fooling around with his fave, he was still thinking "we're just using each other". Whether that's what he really felt or just what he was telling himself so it wouldn't hurt when it ended isn't clear. From the very first time they slept together, he thought about how kind and compassionate Suzuki was and that it might be hard to let him go. So maybe he enjoyed the companionship and closeness they shared and didn't want to give thst up, rather than truly falling for him in a romantic way...

But then Norman went and gave him a watch of incredibly high monetary and sentimental value, and now I don't know what to think. From the start of this fuck buddies arrangement, I wasn't sure if they were joking about Norman paying Suzuki to sleep with him, and I guess the answer is nope, they meant it. Suzuki is now officially a (very highly paid) sex worker lol. I looked into the watch brand Norman mentioned, on the low end you're looking at products in the $20,000 range, going up into hundreds of thousands and even millions of dollars! Given that Norman's was an inherited royal heirloom, it has to be on the higher end of that scale. So he has to care about Suzuki quite a bit to give him something so valuable, even though he was trying so desperately to appear like he didn't care. I don't know if Suzuki realized anything, but he is a good-hearted man (despite being told he's awful lol), and his expression looked gentle, maybe a bit pained. He's definitely not in love with Norman, but is concerned for him and didn't want him to be hurt by this. Norman may have successfully held in his feelings until Suzuki left, but if Suzuki looks up the value of that watch he might suspect something. I also wonder if he's going to start wearing it (doesn't really seem his style to wear something so valuable, unless for a special occasion), or give it to someone. Norman would be seething if he gave to Sugiki I'm sure, it seems bad etiquette to regift something from a client(?!) to your boyfriend lmao. He did suggest someone "trustworthy", which Suzuki has called Saichi before...though that would probably be an overly extravagant gift for him as well. Depending on if anything happens with it, this parting gift could possibly result in some kind of drama.

I felt bad for Norman when he broke down. He's my problematic son, a bitter bitch who's wormed his way into my heart. Don't worry, babygirl, Max is there to comfort you! I had to laugh a bit when he showed up, since I thought he might be the one to console Norman, but I didn't think it'd be so immediate, like literally as he's still crying from getting dumped lol. And he's brought a bottle of sake, I guess he knows the way to man's heart is through his alcoholism. As always, I have questions about his motivation, like is it really as simple as just wanting a drinking buddy, or did he think about Sugiki's accusation that he *gasp* likes Norman and decide to give it a shot? And will that bottle of sake lead to Norman making some questionable decisions, possibly opening his heart and legs to Max? I'm invested in these two becoming a couple, so I'd like to see this scene continue.

But most exciting of all is our main couple of stupid Shinyas finally seeming to be on the right path. Suzuki is running, Sugiki is sensing him, they just have to reunite in the next chapter! And what will happen once they do? A serious conversation about what they need to figure out to be a couple? A passionate haze of making out? Pent up emotional release through dance? They desperately need all of these, I genuinely don't know what I want to see most. But I very much want them to fuck sooner rather than later. I am salivating at the thought of the next chapter, and am more hyped than ever to see where this leads!

10 Dance - chapter 41, part 2 summary

Suzuki comes to a decision upon hearing Aki's love advice. After stopping to have an important conversation with Norman, Suzuki heads down a new path.

Full summary and highlight images under the cut.

Chapter 41, part 2: Time to Say Goodbye, and

Published online on March 8th, 2024, available to purchase on Comic Days, or rent for 10 days on Yanmaga.

Suzuki places a call to Saichi as he runs down the sidewalk, telling him that their photoshoot is finished and asking if he can come pick up Aki. Suzuki says that he has something he needs to take care of alone, and thinks about what a complete idiot he’s been as he recalls Aki urging him to be happy with the one he loves.

Suzuki arrives out of breath at Norman’s place, who greets him with the comment that he didn’t think Suzuki would be coming to see him anymore. He asks if he wants to come in and have some tea, but Suzuki chooses to stay in the entryway. He states that this is the last time he’s coming here, and Norman asks if that’s because he’s in love with Sugiki. Internally, Norman wishes that Suzuki would choose him and be his Lovely, but aloud he says that Sugiki is now as vulnerable as a kitten due to his situation with Suzuki, and in his opinion Suzuki should take advantage of that and beat him while he’s down. However, Norman found out on the day of the Japan International what sort of relationship the two Shinyas shared. Suzuki says that makes no difference, and he's still going to win. Norman declares that their “lover’s contract” is hereby terminated and takes off his watch, saying that Suzuki can have it as payment for the use of his body. Norman thinks that he wishes he never met this man, and is peeved that he has to hand him over to Sugiki of all people. He internally recalls when Sugiki took the championship title away from him, and remembers the feelings he had while watching him dance that day, thinking that Sugiki was masculine and powerful yet still elegant, and his dynamic lead showed how competitive dance would evolve from there on; he was the man-made epitome of the ideal man. Aloud to Suzuki, he explains that this is a Patek brand watch, and he inherited it from a princess. It would probably fetch a very high price if he sold it, but this isn’t the kind of thing that should be sold off. It has some wear since Norman has used it for a long time, so he suggests that Suzuki could change out the band to a new one. If he doesn't want to keep it for himself, he should give it to someone trustworthy. Suzuki says that he can’t take such a valuable watch, but Norman insists that he have it, so Suzuki accepts and says he’ll take good care of it.

Suzuki says “Thanks for everything” in Spanish and reaches forward for a hug, but Norman puts his hands up to stop him, saying he never wants to touch him in that way again. He says Suzuki truly is an awful man except when he's dancing. Dance is nothing without connection, and all sorts of feelings can arise when paired up with a partner. As the lead, they need to carefully envelop their partner like a treasure, and it's their duty to make them contentedly enjoy the dance; Norman came all the way to Japan to drill this idea into him. If a man who ruins people like Suzuki does can manage to incorporate Norman's technique, he may truly become unbeatable. He says starting today he will no longer be Suzuki's teacher and will instead become his master. With that, Norman tells him to get going; he's sure Suzuki has somewhere else he needs to be, so he shouldn't keep dawdling here. Suzuki thanks him and heads out the door. Once he's gone, Norman breaks down in tears.

Suzuki rushes through the train station, thinking that he needs to see Sugiki right away. Meanwhile, at his studio, Sugiki raises his hand up and seems to sense something through the intangible thread that connects the two of them.

Max, holding a bottle of sake, suddenly peeks in from the porch at Norman's place, asking why he's crying (addressing him as Edward). Norman yells that he can't just show up uninvited and to get out of his house. Max explains that he just wanted to share his sake with someone, but Norman tells him again to leave.

Previous chapter: #41 part 1

Next chapter: There is currently no information on the next release date.

[silent-partner-412]

i get why so many people say xenoblade 1 has the worst quests in the series but i just don’t agree lol not even a bit (minor spoilers for all 3 games, i’ll be ranting about a side quests a lot lmao)

pretty sure the main problem people have with them is the lack of meat to most of them, to the point where every area has quests that are literally just numbered “go collect/kill this thing”, which i think is honestly a little overblown. there are plenty of quests that start off bland but build into another quest, or whole chains of quests that only get better as they go along. this is compounded by the affinity chart being by far the best in this game; it’s easy to follow and pretty much every single relationship link change makes sense (unlike in 3 where sometimes shit would just change and i would have no idea why). i definitely understand wishing there was more to a lot of these, and i would never say no to better content, but also this was something that never really bothered me because they’re SO EASY TO DO… especially in DE, the UI in the game is so good that it’s super easy to just accept literally every quest you see and just follow the exclamation marks. there’s still some shit you’re probably gonna look up here and there to make your life easier, but you have to do that in 2 and 3 as well. it’s so easy for me to lose track of time doing quests in this game because they just feel good to do; the rewards are good, leveling up the colonies feels good, watching the little affinity stars pop up feels good, and nothing is super cumbersome like the other games (especially 2) can be.

i’m comparing this to 2 where i’m gonna be honest, i think the quests are so bad in this game lol. the UI for this game is much worse so most of the “generic” quests just are not as satisfying to take care of. you don’t have a quest log or affinity chart to track your progress, so there doesn’t really feel like you’re gaining anything from doing the quests, which is especially bad when they just feel worse to do. i don’t feel like the content of these quests on average are significantly better than 1 either, but maybe that’s just me idk. the major good thing 2 has over 1 is the introduction of blade quests, which clearly have higher production value than 1���s quests did and feature our fun rare blades, but even that i feel is hindered by the fact that half the blade quests are either extremely mediocre and forgettable or so bad it hurts. i would rather do the late game high entia quests or the nopon drug ring quests in 1 over the best blade quests in 2 any day of the week.

the one saving grace to 2’s quests is the existence of Torna having just. better written quests that i actually end up caring about. but overall it’s just a really weak system and one of the weakest parts about 2 in my opinion.

of course, the punchline here is that 3 improved upon both of them thanks to the introduction of heroes making literally everything better. almost every hero quest is as good or better than the best blade quests in 2 (plus the worst hero quests aren’t nearly as bad as the worst blade quests), and the heroes don’t stop being relevant once you finish their quests. pretty much every commander is involved in most of the quests of their colonies, which makes the heroes more compelling as characters and makes you get more attached to the colonies as a result. i really enjoyed teaching the kids in colony gamma, growing potatoes with zeon in colony 9, learning how insane colony 11 is, helping the poor children in colonies mu and 0, and honestly the list goes on. i think the only issues i have with 3’s quests as a whole (other than that some of them just aren’t very good, though the ratio for that is much smaller than in 1 and 2) are that material quests are soooo much worse than they were in DE for some reason cuz they fucked up the UI somehow, and also the affinity chart isn’t nearly as neat and organized as it is in 1 (though having it back at all is really great regardless).

tl;dr: xenoblade 1 quests good and way overhated, xenoblade 2 quests bad and overrated, xenoblade 3 quests better than 1 or 2 easily

[or-ng-c-ss-dy]

my brain is broken today, i’m about to drink a fourth cup of coffee, and i’m ignoring every single one of my responsibilities for as long as humanly possible so

let’s talk porn au lmao, nsfw under the cut

au where dustin, needing to do something with his production degree, ends up responding to some ad for a small studio that ends up being a pretty low budget pornography studio. and he needs the money, and the work is fairly easy, he just stands around and films mainly women who also need money. and he gets sort of a reputation for being a good guy because he’s not some creep, he’s just there to earn some cash to live, he didn’t sign up to look at naked girls.

but, also, working in porn sorta kills porn for him. like he used to watch it like any guy, just some material to get off to but, now, it’s like work to him lmao. like he can’t watch a finished video without picturing some broke dude fresh out of college, standing there with a camera, getting that angle from behind that no one really likes, all while some other poor asshole fresh out of college stands besides him with a mic to get the fake moans of “ooo yes daddyyyy right there~”

anyway, he does it for long enough that he ends up getting a much better, much higher paying offer from a company with actual production value, some modicum of respect for the performers, and just less seediness all around. the studio just happens to be gay porn but that’s fine, he didn’t take the job to look at women, it’s just...now the people watching actually want to see that angle from behind, and the fake moans are deeper, it’s the same thing, there’s just two (or more) men.

first day on the job, he’s checking out the camera they’ve provided for him, a lot higher quality than the one from his old job. he’s messing around, zooming in and out, when he happens to zoom in on a hot lil bod, all abs and what looks like fuckin gils, and wow, this guy is good looking. he zooms out, sees blond and a trim little beard and pink pink pink lips, and dustin has to put the camera down to take in the whole picture.

“who is that?” he ends up asking his new co-worker, some guy similar to him, a little further out of college, needing money still.

greg’s worked there longer than him, and he looks at him for a long time like he’s stupid, which is annoying because the first words that greg said to him that morning upon first meeting was asking him if he sits or stands to wipe his ass.

“that’s jim. he’s like...one of the lead stars here, did you do no research?”

“...i’m not gay...” which doesn’t even sound convincing when he’s still looking at very pink lips, but greg doesn’t seem to notice.

“neither am i, man,” greg says, sounding way more sincere than dustin, “but still, you gotta watch a video or two to see what you’re working with.”

which sounds dumb because porn is porn, it’s work. he points the camera at the action and then someone edits it and posts it online. he’s used to being around dicks, so what if there’s more than one this time?

anyway, the whole thing freaks dustin out, he records hot little jim doing porn, all abs and slender hips, definitely fake moaning while he takes some guy’s dick only it kinda sounds real as it hits his ears, and then has to go home and do.....research.........

watching jim work doesn’t feel like work though, fisting the arms of his chair, pants too tight, and it’s going to be a real big problem for everyone involved, but mainly dustin!

[cavity-collector]

i don’t personally like monomania more than htlt but there are definitely reasons why one might prefer monomania

monomania continues and concludes (not counting FtF because thats a remake) the themes and “storyline” (im aware its based on toledos real relationship and stuff but im not analyzing it that way because it gets into weird intrusive territory) explored in twin fantasy and most of toledos early work, and for someone who was heavily effected by that period of wills stuff it makes complete sense to prefer the heavily self referential lyricism of monomania. (woah big word! i could not figure out how to phrase it less pretentiously lmao) htlt is a lot different than basically all of the csh albums that came before it, and for someone who started with earlier stuff it’d definitely be a pretty extreme shift. htlt dropped the extreme lofi bit of early csh which adds to the possible alienation of early listeners, as well as removing some of the personality of the old stuff.

personally, i prefer the higher production value and love htlt. i think monomania has earned the title of “incel album” pretty well and its kind of uncomfortable to listen to at points (ESPECIALLY anchorite, despite my love for that song it can be really :| ) but i also started listening with TF FtF so i didn’t get into them at the right time to experience the shift in sound and subject matter. only recently got rlly into monomania so pre basically a month ago i would probably have the same question, but i think i get it now. (i am very autistic about this band)

Round 3

How to Leave Town vs Monomania

[antiloreolympus]

14 Anti LO Asks

1. The nepotism in LO is so bad, and also gets justified. Minthe is literally getting replaced by Persephone, despite literally being dependent on Hades for living. Hades is repeating the same cycle with Persephone, as well. The only difference is Persephone does zero work and gets everything, but Minthe actually does her job. The entire scene before Minthe turned into a plant just rubs me the wrong way and shows how possessive Hades is over his lover's lives. P is in the same state as M, but rich.

2. I’m curious to see if the later LO books will be honest and at least credit each artist who actually had to do the work for Rachel, because if not that will be really shitty to claim that’s all her work when it’s clearly not. I would also hope they’d get some residuals from the books sales too since that’s their work being sold at a much higher price, but something tells me Rachel isn’t going to do that, just off her history of low pay in working for her in general. 

3. My new fav defense of LO is claiming its actually diverse because “the whole cast is made of people of color”

Yes, they’re unironically claiming being pink and blue is now the same as being BIPOC, and Rachel is now the most diverse creator ever for it. I hate these white kids so much lmao. 

4. I just realized Persephone has told everyone about her trauma EXCEPT her therapist asfgjakdh WHY CAN'T RACHEL JUST FUCKING HAVE HER TALK ABOUT IT IN A SAFE SPACE WITH A TRAINED PRACTICIONER? THAT ONE SESSION WITH THE THERAPIST COULD HAVE SO MUCH MORE POTENTIAL AND INSTEAD IT WAS A ONE TIME THING.

But no, instead she's forced to talk about it with someone who she's known for a month, whose only reason to be attracted to her is his lust (anything aside from that is bullshit, there's no chemistry between them, and their "relationship" had literally no time to progress in any way that's healthy) AND SHE WON'T EVEN TELL HER MOTHER. DEMETER SHOULD BE THE FIRST PERSON SHE OPENS UP TO (if at all) NOT THE PINK GUY WHO DRUGGED HER AND PUT HER IN A STRANGER'S CAR, OR HADES WHO MEANS NOTHING TO HER COMPARED TO THE RELATIONSHIP SHE HAS WITH HER MOTHER.

5. It’s just wild to me that even ancient sources of mythology all made a point the gods loved and cared for humanity and mortals yet LO claims to be “modern” and “progressive” and has the gods not caring about them and even being openly ok with their mass murder and torture because of any little annoyance they may have. Even this trial is more focused on trying (and tbh, failing) to make you feel bad for Persephone over the thousands of innocent people she murdered! Only like three farmers were responsible for the nymphs who died, yet we’re supposed to be on persephone’s side for murdering countless innocent people? How is this “modern” with modern values? 

6. The sexualization in the early part of LO is ... odd, but not too offensive. It's post her being r//ped and she's still being sexualized to an extremes especially by Hades and even when she's alone, is what I take massive issue with. I'm not saying a victim can't be confident in their body, especially if helps them reclaim their autonomy, but Rachel even admitted Persephone has no idea she's being viewed this way, so it's just Rachel using Persephone's body as something to ogle at and that's it.

7. ok but the "rachel has put years in lo" is actually a worse excuse bc that means shes spent so much time on it and its still bad? like thats actually a negative, not a positive.

8. lo must be having slumping numbers or something if theyve kept it on banner for over three days now. they never do this unless LO needs a bump back up. dont they have other series that need the promotion way more than one with millions of subscribers?

9. webtoons is now forcing lo on banner for literal days now while completely ignoring hooky is getting countess award noms for being one of the best graphic novels of the year. go figure they need to appease the white lady's ego on her mediocre product thats still doing fine (are the numbers declining behind the scenes or something? why the promo out of nowhere?) while the mexican woman's comic is actually making huge strides without webtoons' help or them even mentioning it exists 😒

10. i absolutely hate that line of poseidon pointing out an emotional affair is just as bad as a physical one because not only is it immediately undercut as a "joke" by poseidon being dumb, but its literally rachel ADMITTING hades & persephone are cheating with each other but its ok and we're supposed to cheer it on because its against minthe? the woman who was actually trying to make the relationship work and was being exclusive with hades while he cheated on her with his teenage intern? no thanks.

11. at this point i just want to see what other gods rachel tears down for hxp. how much more stupid can she get with it. at this point even dionysus will be made evil to make them look better.

12. Btw I don't really understand what kind of punishment people want for Persephone like yeah she should get one for killing innocent people in the town, but the ones who picked the flowers were guilty? I'm just genuinely curious, bc in my opinion she should get therapy and controlling powers courses.

13. Hera is awful. Not only does she quickly stop worrying about the age gap of HxP, she's an elitist.  She is written like she never cared for Zeus and only about being Queen of Gods. She cheats on him with Hades too, which goes against everything myth Hera was, and is so stupid. It just makes her a hypocrite. She's also racist to nymphs and rude to lower class citizens. Any good she does it outclassed by selfishness and bias towards Persephone. Guilt tripping w/ Hebe is weird but she does it often

-----

From OP: This next ask mentions the Rittenhouse case so I’d recommend skipping if it’s triggering for you /srs

14. TW: //shootings

Nah, this trial makes total sense. Persephone is a spoiled little rich girl who Rachel casts as white, everyone from the media to the jury and even judge Zeus is being super lenient to her and making any excuse on the book to get her off while she cries on the stand she’s “so sowwy” and she gets away with literal mass murder and won’t suffer a day of actual consequence for the pain and suffering she’s caused so many. We just saw this exact circumstance happen with Rittenhouse, the problem is Rachel thinks she’s the progressive and feminist one because it’s a girl getting away with her mass murder over a boy.

From OP: I get where you’re coming from but I will say that the context make this way different especially since LO’s world has different rules and Persephone didn’t mean to kill (most of) the mortals. I do agree that she shouldn’t get away with what she did though.

[forcebook]

I have now watched both Word of Honor and The Untamed, and I really like both! I think even though The Untamed is an overall “better” show - higher production values, more interesting plot and world building, more consistent acting, etc - and I did enjoy the main characters and pairing plenty, WoH’s characters are just a bit more compelling to me. Maybe two broken people finding something redeemable in each other is just more interesting? Idk. I’m curious for your thoughts on how they compare!

hi there!!! they’re both so good 🥺🥺🥺

i’m pretty much the same as you tho? akdksksk each show has their merits, of course, and while i do think the untamed is better than woh in almost every way, woh is much more personal to me. the amount of times i’d be watching a scene and just know for a fact that i would never forget how that made me feel is too many to count and it made my experience absolutely priceless

i can’t really explain the grip that this show has on me??? but it’s Tight and it is my favorite drama, after all akskaksksk

and i definitely agree that wenzhou’s premise is infinitely interesting, from a storytelling point of view. it goes beyond good or bad, black or white, hero or villain. it humanizes these characters that have explicitly made so many bad decisions for one reason or another, puts them on an even ground and it explicitly tells us that they make each other better through love and understanding. i personally think it was done v well. they rearranged the chemistry of my brain several times over and i can’t even remember who i was before them lmao

but in the end, it’s just a matter of preference ❤️💙

[magnoliamyrrh]

"capitalism leads to more innovation" is a lie for so many reasons but a particularly tragic and obvious one is that it doesnt lead to more innovation, it just funnels most of the innovation into the higher classes & corporations

in terms of artistic, day to day innovation at least, this was much more accessible back in the day. not only could one make a reliable or semi reliable and anyway, decent living being an artisan or knowing a trade; which sometimes you were born into sometimes you could learn, but peasants had the access, time, and resources for the creation of unique products and items of personal/family use (things also used to have spiritual and religious value at some point but whatver were way past that now). whereas, today, art, craft, creation, etc. are often innacessable to the lower and middle classes because of both cost and, again, lack of time. whereas, today, everything is mass produced and imported and exported for pennies by massive inhumane corporations; and despite how theres such a push to commodify every possible talent you have and every minute; competing and making a living from artisanal talent - necessary for much of traditional culture to survive - is quite hard (making a full, complex, traditional costume, from scratch, or a complex rug. - things that used to be so common. whose gonna pay that much money and then wait - what - 1-2-3 years for it to be complete nowadays? whats gonna keep you alive in the meantime? so the traditional costume becomes more and more simplified so that it may be mass produced and also probably commodified for tourism, bc this is the only way it can be profitable enough vs the time invested) (im pretty sure by this point, if i were to have the skill to replicate one of the full traditional costumes i have. and i werent to undervalue the work and time, it would cost way more than buying an old one did; bc ive seen new blouses which were more complex but.. not very, go for at least 150 (more like 200+) dollars. which may sound like a lot, but, doing the math; for the wage to be at least 10 dollars an hour (lower than the min wage here by 5-6), the whole blouse would have to be completed in 15 hours. which... maybe can happen with w a machine. but a hand made, hand sown, somewhat complex blouse is going to take much, much, much longer than that. so, what you end up with is that at least in the online market of today where youre most likely going to be trying to sell this thing... a blouse which through the will of god alone you managed to complete in only a week and a half (10.5 days of 8 hours of work per day, 84 hours total), would be at least 840 dollars. which is an insane price mostly nobody is going to pay you and also, youre not gonna finish that thing in a week and a half anyway....and so. what. a full costume would cost, easily in the thousands of dollars? even if we do the calculations on romanias minimum wage of 15.2 ron/h, approx ~3 euro/dollars, a blouse completed in a week and half would cost ~ 250 dollars; which already means you likely wont be able to consistently sell them every week. and a costume you could complete in 5 weeks of working 8 hours a day, would cost at least 1000 dollars anyway already, on a 3 dollar wage...maybeeee this would b profitable living in the balkans and selling in euro and dollar and not working alone but even then i dont know whose paying this much money when old ones of similar complexity would be exponentially cheaper. these arent fursuits lmao theres no market for this. and thus, uniqued innovation and artisanal craft, cannot survive, in the face of mass scale Capitalist Innovation from Hell)