#it'd take a while for them to assess the vibe

[l-bubee-l]

We getting some double Poseidon action up in here folks.

I absolutely love @ghostly-creator's Poseidon like oml he looks absolutely amazing. There's so much about him that makes me want to just— ahsfandvn I'M IN LOVE.

—

[orcelito]

LARPing as a productive and clean adult is Going Well! Cleaned and set up the cat food/water station, then cleaned their litter box (and even SWEPT afterwards!!!!). Also brought in all the new stuff, & the dishes r set aside for now, but i went and washed all the towels... and FOLDED them after!!! And for the kitchen towels I bought, i even set one out in the kitchen!!! Hung on the handle of the oven like a normal person!!!! I may even dry my hands after using the kitchen sink instead of just letting them drip dry or wiping them on my clothes!!!!!

Having in-unit laundry is helping a Ton honestly. While my previous apartment had the laundry room in-building and it was next to my unit so I didnt even have to walk far for it, I still had to worry about quarters and all that business. And about grabbing my clothes from the washer and dryer as soon as they were done. It was an entire Production every time. But now, I can just toss some shit in the wash and get to it when I get to it. Still don't want it to sit for more than a few hours at the most in the wash, but theres still wiggle room!! And i did a 2nd load for blankets, put them in the dryer... and now im in bed!! Blankets still in the dryer, bc it doesnt matter!!! I will fold them tomorrow and they can stay in there for now. And since I don't have to pay per cycle, if my clothes arent entirely dry after the cycle ends, I can just put them in for a little bit longer!!!! No longer have to fucking hang dry my clothes on my bathroom shower curtain rod the rest of the way!!! Dry clothes every time!!!!!!

It's freeing. It makes it a lot easier to Do Stuff. And it's really really nice.

[sincerely-sofie]

no worries if you aren't sure/rather not answer, take as long as you need, public response over private is okay does schizophrenia come under dissociative disorders, and if not, what's the difference?

i know i have /some/ form of dissociative(-like?) thing, as many people with DID or similar have pointed it out. but i don't have the alters separate memory different people fronting thing. what i do have is myself, logic brain, emotion brain, possibly other stuff, and

the part(s) that's actually relevant here - what feels like a peanut gallery of cptsd-induced hecks reinforcing internalised stuff. why i'm asking is your description of the hallucinations sounds more like them than a lot of experiences i've read, so i'm wondering if it'd be worth me looking into (i'm already in the process of signing up for therapy, but more info for initial assessment always good)

it's definitely not identical because as far as i know i don't hallucinate images or sounds (besides that i used to hear my sibling calling my name when they weren't for some reason?), and i don't know how to identify anything distinctly let alone have mental images of any of them like your drawings, but.

i'd appreciate any insight you may have, but no obligation of course (i know you probably know that already but peanut gallery yells at me if i don't make it clear) thanks even just for reading even if not sure how to answer :)

Media portrayals of schizophrenia vs. dissociative disorders oftentimes blur the lines between them. It's very understandable to be uncertain on which you may or may not be experiencing period--- but throw in the public confusion on the differences and it's a muddy mess to understand their distinctions. ESPECIALLY Dissociative Identity Disorder, oh my goodness. You mentioned DID by name, so I'll be using it and schizophrenia as the main apples and oranges I compare. Keep in mind that there's various forms of schizophrenia and dissociative disorders, though.

(Obligatory disclaimer that I am not a medical professional and the only qualifications I have to answer this is that I'm a field researcher of sorts. Good on you for starting signing up for therapy, PLEASE keep that process going. Do not take my word for gospel. I'm one person with no degree or training. Anyone reading this and relating to the mental illnesses I'm describing here should seek out medical professionals and be particularly wary of self-diagnosis for these disorders.)

The DSM-5 (aka The Big Book of Mental Bad Vibes) classifies schizophrenia and DID under two different umbrellas: psychotic disorders vs. dissociative disorders. They're two distinct, but similar, conditions. Schizophrenia's diagnostic criteria centers on a disconnection from and altered perception of reality. DID's diagnostic criteria, meanwhile, revolves around a disconnection in identity, awareness, and memory. People with a textbook case of schizophrenia, while they likely experience delusions, do not display alters--- though there may be erratic behavior and moods in individuals that can come across to outsiders as such.

While they're very distinct, they have a number of similarities and a distinct amount of overlap between symptoms at times. I've seen statistics saying that anywhere up to 50% of schizophrenia patients meet the criteria for DID--- though I'm personally wary of that statistic, as DID's diagnosis criteria and treatment has been shifting all over the place in recent years and I'm not sure when the statistic was said. It also reeks to me of the fear-mongering a lot of classic horror movies used when lumping the two disorders into a scary boogeyman figure.

All of that context aside, I'm a very strange example of schizophrenia, and my doctor has said at times that the diagnosis was more so something I received because it checked enough boxes and less so because it was something I truly embodied. He's said that if Anxiety with Psychosis were in the books, he'd have given me that diagnosis in a heartbeat. It's not, though, so I got the shiny moniker of Early Onset Undifferentiated Schizophrenia--- which basically means "Your brain exploded while you were a teen and the aftermath sort of fits into this one psychotic disorder's box, but only sort of". My experience with schizophrenia is not typical, and knowing what I know now about my mental health background, I'd say that PTSD and C-PTSD is the strongest overlap with my experience--- just with added psychosis for extra spice. Ultimately, my hallucinations were largely manifestations of my various complexes and neuroses--- this makes them a lot more comparable to thought processes in patients with a form of post-traumatic stress than your average schizophrenia patient's hallucinations.

It's important to note that a small degree of hallucinations / psychosis is normal--- we've all thought we heard a notification from our phone when no such thing happened, and hearing someone call your name when they actually didn't is a pretty typical experience. It's not cause for immediate concern. Heck, I thought hypnagogic hallucinations were part of my diagnosis--- it turns out over half the population experience them!

TL:DR; if my description of my hallucinations resonates with you, you're more likely to have some form of trauma or anxiety disorder than straight up schizophrenia or DID. I'm a weird case, and the way my hallucinations formed was apparently very atypical. So I really would recommend looking into the anxiety disorder / trauma angles before you start gaslighting yourself into questioning your perception of reality. Check out Cognitive Behavioral Therapy strategies. The ones described in this workbook in particular ultimately did more for my recovery in the end than medication did--- and medication did a lot for my recovery. Absolutely keep seeking out therapy, because you need a medical professional to sift out whatever may be going on in your head--- ESPECIALLY if you suspect a psychotic or dissociative disorder is at play. Others with disorders might be able to identify someone with a similar condition, but they may also be only identifying symptoms which merely overlap with their own experiences. They are not professionals. Their word is valuable, but ultimately you need a doctor for this kind of thing.

[jesncin]

Hi Jesncin! Long-time appreciator of your Supes fanart, first-time anon. As someone that also has a lot of love for American Alien, Smashes the Klan, and thought MAWS was pretty ok/good, my vibe is that the generally warm response to the show stems from it being a consolation/reprieve to the dour state of non-comic Supes media from the last decade, though certainly as you’ve pointed out it could benefit from being less cowardly about what it wants to say politically and taking advantage of that less restrained Adult Swim label. 

I really like your assessment of immigrant solidarity between a proudly Asian Lois and Supes being the factor that makes him appealing to her. However, I'm also curious how you think that would change if you specifically throw in conflicting generational statuses into the mix, and perhaps remove that aspect of cultural pride from Lois' character while maintaining her immigrant status. 

While I certainly don’t think it was the authorial intent, part of me wants to read the downplaying of MAWS Lois’ heritage as possibly reflective of a contradictory feeling of disconnect, intentional or otherwise, to one’s native culture as an early-generation immigrant—similar to how Tommy Lee is presented as eagerly assimilative at the start of Smashes the Klan. As someone that is native Chinese but spent most of my childhood and adolescence abroad in predominantly English-speaking countries (without being subjected to excessive prejudice), I’m personally in a similar boat as Tommy of not possessing an innate fondness for my heritage beyond the occasional surface-level ornamentation and even sometimes even having derisive things to say about it. In my own experience this inverse difference in valuing cultural identity between first and second gen immigrants can be a real obstacle in forming relationships between them.

As Clark was wholly raised Kansan and typically knows so little about Kryptonian culture yet wants nothing more than to understand it, I think it makes for a more dramatically contrasting dynamic if he disagrees with a first generation immigrant like me or (theoretically) MAWS Lois on the value of discovering/retaining heritage. If the show had the stones to more concretely define her generational status, I think a Lois that shamelessly couldn’t care less about valuing her native cultural identity would have a more tangible angle for why she isn’t able to initially empathize with what Clark goes through in MAWS, despite them having that commonality. That by itself could be something that upsets the Clark/Supes/Lois dynamic in the beginning but could be reconciled with time and dialog going forward.

Anyways, I really appreciate your art and your thoughts on MAWS. Girl Taking Over is also on my list to check out now, thanks for the reco!

Why hello there! Welcome happy to have you here. Yes, read Girl Taking Over! It's very good.

Yeah, I've said before that things like the Snyderverse has burnt a lot of Super fans out into the habit of celebrating and fixating on the shallowest characterizations. But again, we've got to ask ourselves what story are we celebrating! Because it's bizarre that even the radio show arc Superman Smashes the Klan is based on (in the 40s) is way more political than this supposed Adult Swim show is in 2023. Never mind that shows like Supergirl didn't have nearly as warm a reception, and it's a far better written show.

I feel there's a misunderstanding here, never in my essay did I say I wanted a "proudly Asian Lois". In fact, my suggestions leaned towards her dealing with some manner of assimilation, cultural distance or even shame. I praised this aspect in Girl Taking Over, and I've written her that way for Indonesian Lois too- because I think that's a stronger parallel to what Clark allegorically represents. It'd make the hope they give each other meaningfully go both ways. At most in my essay I've said MAWS!Lois should at least be sentimental to her hanbok, and that her reactions to things should be informed by her Asian American experiences. Nothing to do with cultural pride. A desire to see an Asian Lois inspired to connect to her culture again sure, but not pride.

While I see where you're coming from, I caution projecting a read where no effort was made to tell that kind of story. I've said in my essay that it isn't impossible to write an Asian American character with internalized issues regarding how they perceive themselves and other marginalized groups, but that requires community specificity and time to explore that specificity because otherwise you've got the optics of Black Character Is Racist to The Blue Elves. The show failed to express that with Sam Lane, so we can't project that being the case for Lois. In Smashes the Klan, Tommy's actions are a result of following his dad's desire to assimilate. Gene Yang made it a point that Roberta and her mom still cling to their culture and cope with it differently.

I think ultimately even if you try to repurpose Season 2 with this dynamic, it just doesn't work with what S1 set up. Lois isn't detached or resentful of her culture, she's just whitewashed. If she had complicated feelings about her heritage, you'd think that would be explored when she chose to wear a hanbok to a party- or when her dad came over they'd showcase the generational divide they had. MAWS wrote a white character pizza and sprinkled Asian toppings on top, with no intention to create any kind of narrative.

I get not having the desire to connect with some aspects of your heritage, I feel that way towards my East Asian ancestry. And I've certainly met Asian Americans who can be viciously judgmental of more culturally connected Asians. But unless that kind of thinking is unpacked, especially with how cruelly xenophobic it can be to other immigrants- I can't help but reject it as a dynamic. Let alone a romance.

Girl Taking Over is largely about the dynamic between Lois and her frenemy roommate Niki- someone loud and proud of her Asian identity (that it makes Lois uncomfortable). The story works because it unpacks both of their resentment towards each other as foils. I don't see that happening in MAWS. Clark and Lois don't have that foil, Lois is just allegorically bigoted towards a guy who's trying.

[daverossisbored]

2025 music so far, pt 3

Listened to 8 more new albums, so I'm up to 20 for the year now.

Cowards by Squid sounds like something I should like, but I don't remember it, and that was only 3 weeks ago when I listened.

Violet by L.S. Dunes I remember liking, I saved 3 of its songs to my current playlist, including the title track, but I always seem to skip them when they come on shuffle.

$ome $exy $ongs 4 U by PARTYNEXTDOOR & Drake I enjoyed, but in the last couple weeks, I've only really gone back to "Nokia." And it's one of my favorite songs of the year so far. Drake is weird musician for me, he's got seemingly a thousand songs, most I don't like at all, but he's got like 6 or 8 I really like, so add this one to the list. I know this is the time of year we are all supposed to be fawning over Kendrick Lamar. And I saw a persuasive video explaining his side, about authenticity and LA and Compton and 2Pac and community, and I sort of concede Kendrick is correct. But his music isn't really for me, and I actually like those 7 or 9 Drake songs.

Heard Noises by Matt Berry I don't know what to make of. I liked "Canada Dry." I think this music is a throwback to the '60s maybe? Maybe I need to listen to it again.

Saint Motel & the Symphony in the Sky by Saint Motel I liked when I heard it the first time. I remember grooving. It was cool. I was like, who are these guys to put their band name into the name of their album? They seem to be prolific but I've never heard of them. I thought I often think, I am into music more than most people I know, but there's so much music I don't know. I only have such a short time on this planet to explore more of it. As I write this, I really haven't listened again. I'm listening to "Get It At Home" again because I remember liking it. I need to listen to this again too, maybe a double feature with Matt Berry, it'd only take an hour and a half, maybe while I'm working on a creative task at work this week.

Ghostholding by venturing I was blown away by the opening track, "Play My Guitar." But not in the way of a standalone song, more of the feel that it was the start of a whole vibe, like I'd have to love the entire album after hearing it. I listened to it walking around a soccer field during my younger son's tournament. I want to take a walk by myself around a some city and listen to this again and pretend it's the '90s.

Blindness by The Murder Capital I was so disappointed because I loved their last album so much. Two years later I'm still listening to that one. Maybe I'll find something to do that will take me just over 2 hours, the combined length of all 3 of their albums and listen to them all in a row. Maybe that will get me to enjoy this new one. Maybe a hike or a drive.

Constellations For The Lonely by Doves what can I say about Doves? I loved their 2002 second album so much. And their 1st and 3rd albums are good too. But that 2nd album, it is so good. Put "Catch the Sun" from their first album with the entirety of their 2nd album, that's like the peak of music for me. I was just out of college, didn't know much about life, listened to Doves over and over, should have listened to more closely the lyrics and acted upon them. I will listen to anything they put out. And this new album isn't too bad.

Any of these with a chance to make my favorite 5 or 10 of the year? I don't know, maybe all, maybe none. I think I've been too busy or preoccupied lately, I need to listen to all of these again to adequately assess. But they are all exist under the spectre of Hadestown, 2 hours of genius that I was introduced to 2 weeks ago, and is currently dominating the empty spaces after I do my album per day thing.

[ereh-emanresu-tresni]

Pulling this comment of mine out of context (and cleaning it up a bit) bc it was a tangent from the original thread and like I'm sure y'all probably can assume the type it's about anyway lol but yeah wanted to complain more lol:

"Objectively good" is uselessly superficial at best and an outright oxymoron that reveals a lack of thought or willingness to explore the subjective preferences and goals for something that actually go into value judgments, or worse actively hiding those if unsightly. It objectively looks clean and organized as well as balanced in contrast and lighting with several plants to add color vibrancy to an otherwise mostly stark black/white/brown palette, but the second you say "good" it turns subjective and demands an answer to "good for what and by whose metrics?"

Places that do this can be off-putting not because they simply look "too good" (as if "good" is a simple trait of an object to measure alongside size/color/temperature rather than an abstracted assessment of how the space meets the interests/biases of a subject judging it), but because they look like their focus is on interior design that'll get them more aesthetic Instagram/Yelp influencer traffic, often at the cost of attention to the food quality, and because many characteristics like hard metal low-if-at-all backed chairs/stools are actively uncomfortable so that people don't linger and the next guest can be served, and also don't have too many crevices or porous surfaces so that they can be cleaned quick and easily. It's good at online marketing photogenicity and handling high-volume with low staff, but that doesn't make it good at the things that people more actively go to restaurants for like a comfortable and well-made meal in a warm/welcoming atmosphere (because while it may look it in a snapshot that doesn't necessarily translate to the reality when physically there).

Where the disconnect gets especially apparent is like cafes where they have a bigger counter dedicated to their branded merch than they do the actual coffee bar: those are good at selling you the image of a lifestyle and the perceived class and character that comes with being their customer and supporting them. They sometimes sell good food too, but so often it can feel akin to places where bars are legally required to serve food so will put like a $50 instant ramen pack to technically cover the base.

In short, it's not about whether they're good but rather what they're good at.

Also, it'd be one thing if it was just "so many places do this" but at least make their own variation on it, but the entire vibe is usually literally explicitly supposed to feel "authentic/unique/expressive of our founder's real individual soul" but usually ends up just taking a template no less cookie-cutter than a Starbucks/McDonald's, just more rich foodie/hippie-themed. "Customers want unique local holes in the wall? Alright time to get globally mass-producing some"