#I hate that it infects like so many aspects of life social and otherwise

[corset]

I can’t wait for tiktok’s inevitable death and fade from relevance but I do fear what will replace it :-)….

[sunmihyung-blog]

☽ ┊[ IM JINAH / APHRODITE ] IS THAT [ SUNMI HYUNG ] ? I HEARD THAT THE [ 23 ] YEAR OLD [ CISFEMALE ] IS A [ SOCIALITE ] FROM [ MANHATTAN ]. I HEARD THAT THEY’RE [ + ALLURING & + CHARMING ] BUT ALSO [ - SPOILED & - SENSITIVE ]. RUMOR HAS IT THAT THEY HAVE A REPUTATION FOR BEING KNOWN AS [ THE BABY DOLL ].

MAIN HEADCANONS: –– sunmi hails from a  wealthy family, daughter to a south korean ceo & a very ruthless lawyer, her parents never once missed their important meetings and job calls to tend to their daughter’s needs. –– both her parents climbed the social ladder very early in life. she’s never had to beg or ask for a thing, because they’d make up for the lack of love & attention by showering her in gifts and money. sunmi had her first pony when she was five, being a passionate lover of animals ( i will delve deeper into this !! ) –– they moved to nyc once sunmi was two years old, in 1997, leaving south korea for yet another territory to be explored by her father’s company. she never had to learn south korean ( although she does speak it at home ), so her main language is english. –– her father owns a cosmetics company, and her mother works for her father; it’s how they met: through work. sunmi used to think it was a beautiful love story until the day she caught her father cheating on her mother. she never mentioned it once though, too afraid that the divorce was going to tear her mother apart. –– she was expected perfection from everywhere. sunmi’s still traumatized by the demands that her parents made, and she found comfort in the little things of life. this is what ultimately makes her so sensitive ( something which will be talked about ! ) and solonely, too.

PERSONALITY HEADCANONS: –– she’s extremely love & attention hungry. because her parents never once gave her the attention and the love she truly needed, she’s a child that comes from neglect. of course, the optimistic side in her refuses to see it that way, but putting it truthfully, they weren’t one bit mindful of their child. –– being a socialite comes easy to her. sunmi is good at smiling, at playing pretend and dressing up. she’s the ultimate girly girl in every aspect, sometimes shockingly so. even her mother, who gladly imposed these ideals upon sunmi, is shocked at times. –– a little childish at times. she’s also a little too competitive and tends to take things way too personally. one would call her ‘ oversensitive ’, but i like to think her sensitivity hails from a good place. even though she’s spoiled, a socialite and someone who never truly had to face the trials that a regular person would, she’s good-hearted. –– sunmi knows she’s pretty. she’s never shied away from the spotlight, and she thrives on being the center of the attention. from papparazzi harassing her for pictures to desperate fans wanting one bit of her minute, she knows she’s relevant and she fully embraces it. –– her personality was slightly based off of songs by marina & the diamonds, with lyrics such as “hollywood infected your brain / you wanted kissing in the rain” and “got a figure like a pinup, got a figure like a doll”, it’s hard not to compare her to the archetypes established by marina in her sophomore album, ‘ electra heart ’. i took bits of these archetypes and incorporated them into her personality, such as the idle teen ( “i wanna be a bottled blonde / i don’t know why but i feel conned” ), the homewrecker ( “every boyfriend is the one until otherwise proven”, “deception & perfection are wonderful traits / one will breed love, the other, hate” ) the primadonna ( “primadonna girl, yeah / all i ever wanted was the world” ) and the heartbreaker ( “this is how to be a heartbreaker / boys they like a little danger” ) –– her signature look is her hot pink lipstick, it’s a mark of her passion, her infatuation with love & her spontaneous personality. –– a quote that describes her perfectly is one famous quote by marilyn monroe whom i personally adore ( and i will ellaborate on the parallels later !! ),  it goes: “i’m selfish, impatient and a little insecure. i make mistakes, i am out of control and at times hard to handle. but if you can’t handle me at my worst, then you surely don’t deserve me at my best.” –– i have based her off of famous personalities such as audrey hepburn and marilyn monroe. i like to think she’s a mixture of both, for her generosity ( which audrey so vehemently was ) and for her beauty, as well as her passion, a passion that reminds me of how spontaneously marilyn lived - she had a short life, and i like to thing it was as good as she portrayed in her pictures. she was envied by many women and even hated by them ( this was something that bothered her greatly ), but she always put herself first and wasn’t afraid to be a beautiful, powerful woman. these aspects are what make sunmi so closely similar to these two women. –– CHARACTER FLAWS: superficial / childish / sensitive / fickle. –– CHARACTER QUALITIES: generous / loving / spontaneous / fun. TESTS & OTHER LITTLE HEADCANONS: –– her MBTI type is ESFP, they’re enthusiastic and fun-loving, as well as social butterflies who thrive on attention. they tend to have a special bond with children & animals, and are known as natural “performers” & “entertainers”. “ESFPs get caught up in the excitement of the moment, and want everyone else to feel that way, too. no other personality type is as generous with their time and energy as ESFPs when it comes to encouraging others, and no other personality type does it with such irresistible style. ESFPs are welcome wherever there’s a need for laughter, playfulness, and a volunteer to try something new and fun – and there’s no greater joy for ESFP personalities than to bring everyone else along for the ride. ESFPs can chat for hours, sometimes about anything but the topic they meant to talk about, and share their loved ones’ emotions through good times and bad. if they can just remember to keep their ducks in a row, they’ll always be ready to dive into all the new and exciting things the world has to offer, friends in tow. ” i handpicked ESFP for her because it perfectly matches with her generous, loving and spontaneous style, which i talked about a little bit earlier, but i imagine sunmi as the type of fun person in your life whom you never quite forget. –– her hogwarts house is HUFFLEPUFF. because of her softness, i do not see her fitting anywhere else but hufflepuff. her amity, her love for people and her generosity truly make her a great hufflepuff, as well as a daring one, for her fearlessness to be herself and her spontainety. hufflepuff is the most inclusive of the houses, they are known for being fair and for being loyal, something which i definitely thought about before sorting sunmi into hufflepuff. if she were a harry potter character ( yes, i’ve thought about this !! ) she’d be famous in her house, not only for her beauty, but for her great and loving personality as well.

MISCELLANEOUS HEADCANONS: –– some of her aesthetics would include: pink bubblegum, fresh & long manicured nails, flirting with strangers, fake smiling, flashing cameras, perfectly curled hair, big hugs, frilly dresses, the colour baby pink… and more here. –– i have chosen the colour baby pink & an off-white colour for her aesthetics because they represent many of the things which i believe she encompasses: pink is a very feminine, delicate and sweet colour, it is also the colour of unconditional love ( channeling her inner aphrodite here !! ). here are some aspects i’ve found interesting about the colour pink that apply to her: “a combination of red and white, pink contains the need for action of red, helping it to achieve the potential for success and insight offered by white. it is the passion and power of red softened with the purity, openness and completeness of white. the deeper the pink, the more passion and energy it exhibits. pink is intuitive and insightful, showing tenderness and kindness with its empathy and sensitivity. if you have a friend who constantly wears pink as it may indicate a need for acceptance, support and unconditional love! pink is a non-threatening color seeking appreciation, respect and admiration. It doesn’t like to be taken for granted and just loves to hear the words ‘thank you’. it is the color of uncomplicated emotions, inexperience and naiveté. a constant and exclusive use of pink can often lead you to become immature, silly and girlish, abandoning your adult responsibilities.” i believe she can be immature and sensitive sometimes, as well as someone who isn’t too keen on her own responsibilities, someone with a peter pan syndrome, someone that never quite let go of her childish aspects.

[dinahinthehat]

PART I

BASIC INFORMATION.

What is your character’s full name ?

Dinah Moon

How is it pronounced ?

ˈdaɪnə mun

Is there a meaning behind it ?

The name Dinah means judge or judgemental. It’s a biblical name that appears only once: as a daughter of Jacob who is raped and then avenged by her two brothers.

She doesn’t particularly feel identified with the name’s meaning and backstory, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t interesting to read about. She’s asked her parents many times before why they’d chosen said name, to which her mother often answers with a wonderful tale ( different every time ) about a lady she met with said name on one of her many travels. His father has confessed the name was actually just picked out from a magazine, but she chooses to ignore this piece of information.

Does your character have any nicknames ?

Little kitten

When and where were they born ?

Born on March 4th, 1998, in Carthay.

What’s their zodiac sign and what traits do they most relate to ?

Sun Pisces: empathetic, intuitive, imaginative,

Rising Cancer: sensitive, nostalgic, creative

Moon Gemini: cheerful, open-minded, need to communicate

What’s their nationality ?

She holds two passports, one for the United States of America and one for the Republic of Korea (South Korea).

What’s their occupation ?

Student

What gender do they identify themselves as ?

Female

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE.

What’s their eye color ?

Brown

Do they wear glasses or contacts ?

Neither. Only wears glasses when she feels her sight is tired.

Hair color ?

Dark Brown

Have they ever dyed their hair or wanted to ?

Yes, she has dyed her hair multiple times, though she’s rarely ever kept the color for more than a couple of months. Most of the times, she’s gone for pastel tips and a caramel brown.

Height ?

5′ 4″

Body build ?

Slim

Do they have any birthmarks ?

A small light brown mark on her stomach’s right side. It’s no wider than a quarter and shaped like a paint brush stroke.

Do they have any piercings or tattoos ?

She has both of her ears pierced ( one in her right lobe and two on her left lobe– one just above the other ) and a small tattoo on her right ankle: A handful of daisies in colorful ink.

If not, do they want to get some ?

She's not entirely sure if she’d want any more. Probably only an extra piercing on her right ear to match her left one.

Do they have a healthy life style ?

Hell no. she doesn’t smoke or drink often and she’s never done drugs, but, Dinah hardly ever has a healthy meal on purpose and considers exercise as her mortal enemy. Yoga and tea are probably the healthiest parts of her life.

How easy do they get sick ?

Yes. She constantly has the flu and gets throat infections at least once every three months. That’s about it though, her stomach can handle just about any abuse by now.

Any marks on their body ( injuries, … ) ?

Surprisingly, no. Most of her scars fade.

What’s their personal style/how do they like to dress ?

She loves dresses and sandals. The color pink is very present in her closet and she’s hardly ever spotted outside without a piece that glitter– whether it’s a shimmering shirt, glittery shoes or shining jewelry. If she’s spotted wearing full-length jeans, you should stop and ask if something’s wrong.

What is their favorite and least favorite feature about themselves ?

Favorite: Her hair because she loves to play with it.

Least Favorite: Her height. She doesn’t mind it sometimes but it just makes things hard. She hates not being able to reach things.

PERSONALITY.

Positive traits ?

Creative, optimistic, adventurous

Negative traits ?

Selfish, sensitive, scared

What do they consider to be the best and the worst part of their personality ?

Best: Her open mind.

Worst: Her dependency on others.

Are they more extroverted or introverted ?

Extroverted whenever they know you, introverted the rest of the time.

Any talents ?

Collage crafting, flower growing.

What are their fears ?

Ending up alone, horror movies, large bodies of water and creepy things in the dark.

Do they have any phobias ?

Large bodies of water.

What is their soft spot ?

Flowers, art and Alice Lee.

List 3 pet-peeves they can’t stand ?

People talking with their mouths full, when my nail polish chips & whenever anyone judges me for not making my bed.

EDUCATION.

How far did they go in school ? Are they still studying ?

She's a College Junior. Currently majoring in business– not that it was her choice. She just doesn’t really identify herself with a single major, but her parents insist she must get herself a degree in something.

Do/Did they like school ?

She did, the social aspect of it. Classes where interesting and meeting new people was great, but that doesn’t mean she was specially fond of homework and exams.

What type of student are/were they ?

She was the kind of student that pays attention whenever she’s interested and daydreams whenever she’s not. Very brilliant in some subjects such as history and literature, but hardly ever the straight-A student since she struggled to actually sit down and do her homework or study.

What is/was their favorite subject ?

Art

And their least favorite ?

P.E.

What were they/would they have been voted as “most likely to…” in the yearbook ?

Most likely to sleep through an earthquake.

FAMILY.

Who are your character’s parents ?

Hanna & Joe Moon

How would your character describe them ?

She would describe her mother as one of the strongest, yet kindest women she’s ever met. Her father is a big softy, though he’s more of a logical thinker ( which might just be the reason why he has such a hard time understanding his daughter ). They’re both very caring, yet independent. A couple of overachievers that have decided not to owe anything to anyone.

Do they have any siblings ?

No.

Are they close with their family ?

She is very close with her parents, she trusts them with everything.

ROMANCE & SEXUALITY.

What’s their romantic and sexual orientation ?

Pansexual.

Are they seeing anyone right now ?

Nope.

Have they ever been in an relationship ?

She has, but nothing ever that meaningful.

Have they ever been in love ?

With nutella, yes.

How easy do they fall for someone ?

Not that easy. She develops crushes every now and then but she hardly ever sees them as nothing more than a pleasant view. While she’s a romantic at heart, the fact that romance might be found in real life and not only in her dreamland escapes her some times.

In their view, why didn’t any past relationships work out ?

Because she wasn’t what they were looking for.

What do they look for in someone ?

An open heart, caring ways and a sure companion for her many adventures.

Do they believe in love at first sight ? or fate ?

Fate maybe, but not love at first sight. She thinks it takes a little more than a glance to know the other person’s a compatible.

What’s their views on romance ? Do they go after it or avoid it ?

She doesn’t go after it, but she doesn’t avoid it either. She believes it must be the most beautiful of adventures.

Did they have their first time already ? How was it in their point of view ?

She has, but it wasn’t exactly the best experience ever. She felt used rather than loved and that feeling didn’t sit well with her.

What is their view on sex ?

She thinks it’s a nice and fun adventure. Not that big of a deal, really. BUT, that doesn’t mean she goes about her life giving free sex to anyone. Sex itself is nice but... it’s like this: If somebody goes to the movies with you just because they want to see a movie and you’re the only one available, then the experience is kind of sad because they don’t actually want to go with he movies with you. Going to the movies with someone is only nice when they want to go to the movies because they want to spend some time with you. Otherwise, you’re better off watching the movie on your own.

What are their turn ons and turn offs ?

Turn ons: DIMPLES, pretty eyes.

Turn offs: The smell of cigarettes or fish.

Were they ever cheated on or have they cheated on someone ?

She’s been cheated once by some high school boyfriend. She’s never cheated on anyone, though.

Do they want to get married in the future ?

She thinks so, yes.

Have kids ?

She’s not sure about that one just yet.

QUIRKS.

Are they right or left handed ?

Left-handed

What’s a word that’s always on their lips ?

Gosh & pretty!

Is there a saying they keep on repeating ?

Not really.

Do they curse ?

Never. If she does, then she’s super scared or angry.

What’s their worst habit ?

Secretly resenting her close friends whenever they spend time with other people.

Do they drink or smoke ? How frequently ?

Almost never.

Are they an early bird or a night owl ?

Night owl, definitely.

How tidy is their room ?

Not at all. However, it’s not dirty. Things are just all over the place.

How long to they usually take getting ready in the morning ?

About two hours.

FAVORITES.

What’s their favorite color ?

Pink

Favorite movie ?

Breakfast at Tiffany’s

Music Genre ?

Pop and alternative rock??

Food ?

Sweet

Book ?

Emma by Jane Austen

Favorite non-alcoholic drink ?

Green Tea with Jasmine.

Ice Cream Flavor ?

Strawberry

Indoors or outdoors ?

Both, really.

PART II

The cutie

https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TheCutie

Dinah fits quite well in the trope. She’s cute, she’s sweet and she can be a little childish. Although her voice is not child-like and she’s not exactly naïve in many subjects, she remains a sweet natured girl with a cute personality.

Innocent flower girl

https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/InnocentFlowerGirl

Although the trope states this girl is supposed to make a living out of growing and selling flowers, Dinah fits in every other aspect. She’s nice and kind, with a good heart. But most importantly, she loves to do all kinds of things with flowers: from growing them in her tiny garden, to making flower crowns and flower pressed art with them.

Spoiled sweet

https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SpoiledSweet

She grew up never needing anything. Although she’s not crazy rich, her family is wealthy. Meaning, Dinah grew up a little spoiled and pampered. This did not affect her good nature, though. She remains to be generous, kind and only a little selfish when it comes to the attention of the ones she loves the most.

Spirited young lady

https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SpiritedYoungLady

A very proper lady. Grew up knowing all about etiquette and proper speech and good education. And though she applies most of it into her everyday life (by having correct posture, never swearing and always being polite), she’s got that spark the spirited young lady has. The one that makes her go off into adventure and makes her eyes be curious ones.

Flower in her hair

https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/FlowerInHerHair

It’s pretty simple. She’s the kind of girl that wears flowers in her hair. She often seeks the company of others that too love making flower crowns and braiding pretty daisies on their braids, so they can do each other’s hair.

Desperately looking for a purpose in life

https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/DesperatelyLookingForAPurposeInLife

Although she’s a happy child, Dinah can get a little sad sometimes– Not that she’d let anyone see. It’s just... growing up. She sees all of the people around her growing up and getting a sense of purpose and she’s just left feeling kind of stuck and alone. She’s yet to find her own thing.

[newstfionline]

The Ten Most Important Aspects of Reinventing Your Life

James Altucher, LinkedIn Pulse, January 5, 2017

I wanted to write the book that 20 years ago I wish I had read.

That ten years ago I wish I had read.

That five years ago I wish I had read.

That yesterday I wanted to read.

So today I published it. “Reinvent Yourself.”

When I turned 40, a friend of mine threw a birthday dinner for me. He invited all his friends. I knew none of them.

So on my 40th birthday I was basically by myself, with people I didn’t know, doing nothing in my life that I had ever wanted to do for the prior 40 years. I hated my life.

And, as usual, I was going broke, getting divorced, and scared out of my mind.

Anti-depressants didn’t work for me so I gave up on them. Meditation didn’t work. I couldn’t keep my mind from racing all the time.

I had nobody to talk to. Nobody to turn to. I was lonely and scared and wish I had just one person I could love and say, “Help me.”

Why was this happening to me AGAIN? What didn’t I know about reinventing myself so I could finally get “started”?

I had so many passions as a kid. So many dreams of what I could mold my adult life into.

But first…always “but first…” and those firsts turned out to be distant seconds.

“But first I need to make money.” “But first I need a family.” “But first I need this certificate, or goal achieved, or person to like me and validate me.”

Or “But now I’m too old.” Or “Now I failed too much.” Or “Now the world is against me.” Or “I don’t have the right credentials.”

People ask me, “Do you ever get embarrassed revealing so much personal stuff?”

I would be embarrassed if I didn’t reveal personal things in each article.

When I talk to people, I want them to reveal to me also. So who am I to ask a hard question if I don’t come forward and answer them first.

I’ve spent the past six years asking a lot of hard questions. I ask them to the people I meet. To the books I read. To myself.

I’ve reinvented my career 14 times. I’ve gone from barely making ends meet doing things I hated, to loving the work I do now every single day.

After talking to hundreds of people and reading probably 2,000 books trying to figure out how people reinvent their lives to achieve their dreams, I wrote the book I wish I had read in the very beginning.

This is my biggest book. And you don’t have to read it. I’ll summarize right here the basics of what I’ve learned.

First, the world is changing. It’s not a good thing or a bad thing. But your life is going to change with it.

94% of the 15 million jobs created in the past eight years are either part-time or freelance.

The job landscape is changing. Corporatism, which ruled the world for 100 years, is ending.

Technology and necessity have taken each industry, destroyed it, and then created 1,000 new and different ways to succeed in it.

Understanding what is new in the world is the LAST step in reinvention though.

TEN key aspects of Reinvention:

A) Reinvention is a Habit. Every day we are reinventing. A river doesn’t stay still. Every time you step into it, it’s a different river.

You and I are that river. We either move forward or we freeze like ice.

B) The One Takeaway. From every one you meet, learn one thing. You don’t need to learn two. Learn one thing that fascinates you.

You’ll learn and make use of 1000s of things a year. And your set of knowledge will be unique.

Everything I read or listened to or asked or learned, I said, “how does this bring me forward in my own reinvention”. I answered that question and put each item in my book.

C) Meaning. Victor Frankl talks about it in his classic “Man’s Search for Meaning”. Dan Ariely talks about it in his recent book, “Payoff”.

Meaning is the building blocks for motivation.

Spend an hour, spend a day, spend a month--write down the things that give you meaning.

What is the “meaning” that can drive you forward today. That can help you survive the worst circumstances (as both Frankl and Ariely have).

D) Contagious. Everything in life is contagious.

Who you are with, the words you hear and read, the things you see, the things you seek out to learn.

Make sure you are infected with the secret special super man virus that propels you each day to live a better life than the day before.

I was taking to Mike Massimino, who has been into outer space on two missions, including fixing the Hubble telescope.

He told me that among his ten classmates at MIT, four became astronauts. The odds of this are billions to one.

This is not luck. This is how you create luck.

D) Ideas are Currency. Someone asked me earlier today: “How do I reinvent if I am starting with no money.”

Let me tell you something: Almost every time I have ever had to reinvent, I started with nothing.

I get out the waiter’s pad and I start writing ideas. I exercise the idea muscle every day. I become an idea machine. I use those ideas to help other people, to build my network, to write articles that further my sense of meaning.

The person with ideas will meet the person with money when the idea person is going up and the money person is going down.

Ideas have saved me from bankruptcy on five different occasions.

E) What are your five? I write every day. I do something for my podcast every day. I think about investing every day. But there are other things I want to reinvent in.

I think to myself every day: I want to learn to be a better writer today than I was yesterday. I want to be a better podcaster than I was yesterday. And so on.

I used the techniques described here to try and get better at the above three things each day.

And then the next two, which are currently giving meaning to my life, and which drive me forward each day.

I don’t think about ANYTHING ELSE. Otherwise, it’s too scattered.

But, who knows, the sea of the world changes and next year will be a different five. That’s reinvention.

Ultimately, I want to be a better person than I was yesterday.

F) Perseverance. Angela Duckworth, in her excellent book, “Grit” talks about the difference between the high IQ kids and the ones who eventually succeed. It’s not about intelligence. It’s about how they overcome a setback and keep going.

Carol Dweck talks about this in her book, “Mindset”.

Ice Cube talks about this in the movie, “Straight outta Compton”.

Dan Harris talks about this in his book, “10% Happier” when he describes a drug-induced panic attack on live television and how he came back from it.

Tim Ferriss talks about it in “Tools of the Titans” when he describes his one-time feelings of suicide and how he continually bounced back.

Brian Koppelman talks about it when he described to me how he wanted to leave the music business but he had to figure out how to start from scratch in the movie business. “Write what fascinates you” he told me.

But it’s not about writing. Do what fascinates you and no matter how many times you are pushed back by the bullies of life, you will be able to pick up and work your way around them.

The bullies stay stuck and negative. You’ll forget about them and find the shiny objects in life that were so fascinating you couldn’t stop.

G) Do the Unexpected. I watched Pamela Sisson create the cover for my book. She put about 100 books in front of her. I would say, “That looks good” and point at a book.

That would mean she was not going to do it. “It has to be new. It has to be unexpected.”

Magnus Carlsen won the recent World Championship Chess match only by making the moves nobody else would expect.

Pope Francis doesn’t live in the palace in Vatican City. He lives…in a studio apartment down the street. And makes phone calls to random letter writers.

Bob Dylan, Andy Warhol, Elon Musk, kept saying: what has nobody done that I can now do. Elon Musk, up against NASA and every world government, learned from books how to build a spaceship.

The Unexpected is the God of Reinvention. It’s hidden in between the spaces of everywhere. It’s the secret train that goes to the magical school of Hogwarts.

H) Combination Sex. Online Payments + Ebay = PayPal Identity + Social Network = Facebook

Take two things. Take three. Combine them. Now you are the best in the world at the intersection.

I) PLUS, MINUS, EQUAL. Ryan Holiday told me about MMA instructor Frank Shamrock who said everyone needs a Plus, Minus, Equal to learn.

PLUS: Someone to mentor you (real or virtual)

EQUAL: People to challenge you.

MINUS: People to teach. Because teaching solidifies your learning and students have their own unique ways of challenging you.

Every example, 100%, of reinvention I researched had a plus, minus, equal.

J) The Daily Practice. Nobody reinvents while sick in bed, hanging out with people who are no good, not exercising their creativity muscle, and not being positive in the face of almost certain failure.

The daily practice I’ve written about before, but add one thing: get 1% better at each aspect of health each day: physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual.

Compounded, that makes you 3800% better each year. It works.

I’m not done. I’m still reinventing.

I want to do new things this year. I want to be great at things I haven’t even started yet.

Reinvention is scary and hard and wonderful and exciting at the same time.

[entergamingxp]

The Last of Us Part II Review — A History of Violence

June 24, 2020 11:00 AM EST

Tense, heartbreaking, and profound, The Last of Us Part II is an affecting examination of consequences and a masterful sequel by Naughty Dog.

**Editor’s Note: This review, while being largely free of major story spoilers, does mention some of The Last of Us Part II’s second half that changes the perspective of what players experience in-game. I felt this aspect of the game was important to address in order to highlight the direction of the story and tone that Naughty Dog chose with The Last of Us Part II and to better inform what to expect from the game. However, other than that, the rest of the review will try to be as vague as possible regarding some of its larger story moments and reveals to avoid spoilers.**

The ending of The Last of Us, which saw Joel raid a hospital occupied by the Fireflies in order to rescue Ellie, ultimately left players with a question–rather than a definitive statement–of whether his actions were the right ones to take. Saving Ellie’s life was a result of their growing bond, but also came with a heavy cost for the rest of humanity. More importantly, the ending cast Joel’s actions in a different light and was willing to let the player make their own judgments about what had happened and where things could go from there. The ending, more or less, put a period on an emotional story about love and compassion, while forcing players to reexamine how they ultimately felt about Joel’s actions, whether they were noble, reckless, or otherwise.

The Last of Us Part II, by comparison, changes that period to an ellipsis and forces an entirely different read on the events of the first game. Picking up from where Joel and Ellie’s story left off was never going to be an easy task, let alone trying to wrangle the complex emotions of the first game, especially in its final moments. However, calling it “Part II” feels like an appropriate extension of what Naughty Dog was trying to accomplish with this title. On that part, the studio has crafted a game that doesn’t just build off of its predecessor in every way, but puts it into a very different, challenging context.

For a multitude of reasons, The Last of Us Part II is probably one of the most complicated games that I’ve ever had to review. Like many others that loved the first game, I initially was hesitant about what a sequel to The Last of Us could add to its story, given how Joel and Ellie’s journey was told so effectively by Naughty Dog. Then there were the leaks in April that revealed several of the game’s major story beats months before its release, some of which I had (unwittingly) ended up seeing, and the resulting fallout of internet backlash and discourse about those reveals. Then there are the real-world situations surrounding it, from the ongoing effects of the coronavirus pandemic, to a current political and social climate fueled by tension, division, and hate. Though The Last of Us Part II is obviously removed from the circumstances that we’re facing right now with very different contexts, there are moments where it doesn’t feel too far off either, making the game’s similarities to the current state of our world feel even more prescient.

The polarized response to the direction of the story in The Last of Us Part II, in many ways, speaks to the strengths of its writing, performances, and its overarching themes. Initially described as a game about “hate” by director Neil Druckmann, The Last of Us Part II definitely reflects those emotions once players begin their initial quest for revenge as Ellie. But by its end, The Last of Us Part II encompasses so much more than that. Though the game often shows people as their absolute worst through violence and cruelty, its moments of humanity and levity save it from becoming the worst version of itself, in a lot of ways. Whether you’ve seen the leaks beforehand or not, The Last of Us Part II is an experience that can only be fully understood by playing through it for yourself to come to terms with what it has to say.

“The Last of Us Part II is an experience that can only be fully understood by playing through it for yourself to come to terms with what it has to say.”

There is a lot to unpack from the story that Naughty Dog tells in The Last of Us Part II, both thematically and emotionally. Sometimes that’s to a fault as the game’s story is dense and complex when taking it all in, compared to the precise, focused storytelling of the first game. Part II’s unique narrative structure twists players’ expectations at every turn, and in a lot of ways might warrant a second playthrough to fully grasp it. And as much as Part II manages to tell a captivating story over a much longer experience than the original game, it often loses grasp of the many narrative threads and themes it is trying to pull at once. But long after I’ve rolled credits on the game, seeing where Ellie’s path of vengeance winds up hasn’t left my thoughts for days, and likely won’t for some time to come.

Picking up about five years after the events of the original game, The Last of Us Part II shows what happened once Joel and Ellie reached the end of their journey across America. After reconvening with Joel’s brother Tommy in Jackson County, Wyoming, Ellie and Joel have made a life for themselves in its survivor encampment. While the Jackson community has established itself as a safe haven in the midst of the post-apocalypse, Joel and Ellie haven’t been on good terms in some time once the truth is revealed about what happened at the hospital in Salt Lake City.

After a brief introduction to the idyllic Jackson community and a few new characters that play a big part in Ellie’s life, such as Jesse and her partner Dina, the wheels of The Last of Us Part II’s story are set in motion by the arrival of a group of survivors led by Abby. After a violent confrontation with Abby and her group, Ellie is left physically and emotionally devastated by the encounter, and begins a plot to track the group to their base in Seattle, Washington to settle the score.

“There is a lot to unpack from the story that Naughty Dog tells in The Last of Us Part II, both thematically and emotionally.”

There is obviously much, much more to the plot of The Last of Us Part II than that, but it’s difficult to truly reveal what ends up provoking Ellie’s search for revenge without completely spoiling the context for the rest of the story. Even the trailers and gameplay footage since its reveal have had to dance around some major events that set-up the entire premise of the game and to hide its biggest reveals. That said, what sets The Last of Us Part II apart from what initially seems like a simple “revenge story” plot is a major perspective change that alters the course of the story dramatically, and provides a clearer picture of the “cycle of violence” that defines it as a whole and its characters.

After playing as Ellie for the first half of the game where she and Dina venture out to Seattle, a major turning point leads to a perspective change for players in the second half of the game by playing as Abby. By switching perspectives midway through the story, The Last of Us Part II not only completely recontextualizes what happens in the first half from experiencing Ellie’s point of view, but also reframes the events of the first game entirely. Gradually players uncover Abby’s role in the story, while also highlighting Part II’s larger theme of portraying flawed characters that don’t neatly fit into black-and-white moral archetypes. For all intents and purposes, Abby is the “antagonist” of the story, making it remarkable that the second half of the game is able to show her in a much deeper, more empathetic way. For a character that players are almost immediately meant to hate, Abby’s story proves just as compelling as Ellie’s, which is a testament to Naughty Dog’s writing and Laura Bailey’s performance of her character.

“Part II’s unique narrative structure twists players’ expectations at every turn, and in a lot of ways might warrant a second playthrough to fully grasp it.”

The narrative and emotional weight of The Last of Us Part II does much of the heavy lifting for what players will experience in its 20-30 hour journey, alongside its standout performances from Troy Baker, Ashley Johnson, and newcomers like Shannon Woodward. However, the devastating and enthralling story of Part II is also backed by its tense, dynamic gameplay that consistently engages players to fight for survival. While Ellie and Abby both have their own unique feel to them–Ellie being more agile compared to Abby’s more strong-armed approach to encounters–The Last of Us Part II makes a number of refinements to the series’ stealth-oriented gameplay that is incredible in motion.

This is especially compounded with the diverse range of enemies that players will encounter throughout the game, human or otherwise. The Infected–humans mutated by the cordyceps fungal outbreak–once again are a major threat, and The Last of Us Part II introduces a few new variants of the Infected alongside the infamous Clickers and Bloaters. There are also the two main human factions that players will face throughout the game, the pseudo-militarized Washington Liberation Front (colloquially known as WLF or “Wolves”) and a religious cult known as the Seraphites (or “Scars,” who unsettlingly communicate by whistling). Notably, these two factions are at odds with one another throughout the game, leading to some situations where players (as Ellie or Abby) are able to use these opposing factions against each other to their advantage.

“While the violence in Part II at first is meant to be unsettling and brutal, I can’t help but feel that it begins to lose its meaning when every encounter leads to essentially a bloodbath.”

Whether fighting off Clickers or hunting down Wolves or Seraphites, the combat and moment-to-moment gameplay of The Last of Us Part II is undoubtedly satisfying and a big improvement over the original game. But perhaps more noticeably than its predecessor, Part II delivers a much more brutal approach to combat and violence, as a means of both upping the intensity of encounters and making the player reflect on their own actions. Enemies are killed and eviscerated in far more graphic detail, and taking out an enemy will often have their companion shout their name or call out for them if they’ve gone missing.

This intention of humanizing the enemies you’re facing is undoubtedly chilling, and Naughty Dog went the extra mile in making the player feel tense and uncomfortable with the combat in Part II. However, while the violence in Part II at first is meant to be unsettling and brutal, I can’t help but feel that it begins to lose its meaning when every encounter leads to essentially a bloodbath. In the major story moments where violence is impacted on the characters we know and are meant to sympathize with, the brutality and callousness of it absolutely works and reinforces the story’s theme of violent actions having violent consequences. But when faced with a group of enemies that stand between you and the next objective to move forward in the story, killing them in cold blood begins to show the seams where Part II’s narrative ambitions run against the limitations of using horrific violence to make a point. Part II makes us feel and mourn major character deaths (of which there are many), while also leaving Ellie and Abby with a heap of bodies behind them.

“With Part II, Naughty Dog has outdone itself with some of the most meticulously crafted levels and environments that I have seen in a game.”

Much like the original game, players will have to utilize stealth and careful resource management to navigate Part II’s series of environments, which have notably been expanded from the original game. Taking a cue from the more recent Uncharted titles such as Uncharted 4 and The Lost Legacy, The Last of Us Part II features more extensive open areas that not only give the player flexibility in how to approach incoming enemies, but give far more room to explore, gather supplies, and witness more of the story through its world and setpieces.

With Part II, Naughty Dog has outdone itself with some of the most meticulously crafted levels and environments that I have seen in a game. This is especially the case once players reach Seattle with Ellie and Dina, which is easily one of the biggest, most impressively detailed environments that has appeared in a Naughty Dog title. From venturing through lush forests, to wandering the overgrown streets of downtown Seattle, The Last of Us Part II utilizes its spaces to an exceptional degree to make exploration and discovery not only crucial to surviving, but as a way to enhance its storytelling. Granted, these environments can be detailed to a fault; there were several points where I sometimes found myself unclear where to go next and would accidentally backtrack. But thankfully, the game will help point you in the right direction if you end up getting lost, and sometimes it’s for the better to appreciate the intricate details strewn throughout each area.

“The Last of Us Part II utilizes its spaces to an exceptional degree to make exploration and discovery not only crucial to surviving, but as a way to enhance its storytelling.”

Likewise, the signature world-building and environmental storytelling that made The Last of Us so memorable is on full display in Part II. There are ample opportunities to explore different rooms filled with their own stories of the people who once lived there. Some of them are harrowing, some of them are poignant, but they’re never uninteresting and give a huge incentive to more thoroughly explore each environment. Going off the beaten path has always been encouraged in The Last of Us, and Part II draws on the strength of its environments and subtlety to create an even more richly-defined world.

By the end of The Last of Us Part II, I came away from it experiencing some of the most powerful, emotional moments that I’ve ever seen from a video game, let alone any other story told in another medium. Naughty Dog’s long-awaited sequel has the kind of raw storytelling that comes only a few times in a generation, and the fact that the studio was able to pull this off in a follow-up to the original is a feat in and of itself. From the perspectives of Ellie and Abby, The Last of Us Part II succeeds not only as a dark and haunting story of revenge, but as an examination of consequences and redemption. While Part II sometimes falters in its delivery of extremely heavy subject matter, it also proves itself as a poignant exploration of human emotions and all their extremes, whether that is hate, love, or anything in-between.

“Naughty Dog’s long-awaited sequel has the kind of raw storytelling that comes only a few times in a generation.”

Like the journey for revenge that its main characters seek, The Last of Us Part II is often bleak, complicated, and doesn’t provide easy answers for its challenging moral questions. In a lot of ways, The Last of Us Part II will make you angry, it will upset you, and it will break your heart as much as its glimpses of warmth and humanity will lift your spirits. It is a challenging game to play at times; there were several points where I felt completely overwhelmed by what I was experiencing. But the raw emotions and storytelling heights that Naughty Dog reaches with The Last of Us Part II are worth seeing through to the end, as hard as it may be to get there.

June 24, 2020 11:00 AM EST

from EnterGamingXP https://entergamingxp.com/2020/06/the-last-of-us-part-ii-review-a-history-of-violence/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-last-of-us-part-ii-review-a-history-of-violence

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Free Speech Slip and Slide

In the past I’ve written at length about my concern that the newly invigorated attitude that we must outlaw, or at least severely socially punish the speakers, racist/sexist/etc.. speech is a mistake. I have doubts about the efficacy of such punishments and believe that pushing racism adjacent views into a hidden underground where they fester and mutate1 creates more hate. However, the primary thrust of my concern was the usual slippery slope argument (importantly serious harms arise as soon as well-intentioned people start to fear that an epistemic mistake could land them in trouble). Unfortunately, evidence for a steep slippery plastic slope with extra soap arrived all too quickly.

Superiority of Western Culture

First we had this really stupid opinion piece that I would have guessed was written by a machine learning algorithm trained on 1980s era conservative values pieces if it had only mentioned crack (still managed a shout out to the pill for destroying our perfect 1950s society). Personally, I thought it was just as stupid this time around as I did in the late 80s and early 90s except these authors should have seen how that went and known better. However, as far as offensiveness goes it rates as a “kids these days…have no … always on their..” but somehow it has become the subject of accusations of racism and the subject of serious controversy (yes, that last article is written by a friend of the original author so take its slant with a grain of salt).

True, there is no credible effort to have the author fired from her position in the law school but it has generated enough outrage for students to get up in time to picket Wax’s class as racist and its not just some hasty people with signs. At least a non-trivial segment of the Penn campus left is willing to call this piece racist, sexist or otherwise suggest it isn’t just dumb and wrong but deserving of open moral scorn.

While one might try and charitably reconstruct some argument based on the text of the oped2 what is going on is what is always going on with accusations of racism/sexism/islamophobia etc.. Rather than parsing the literal content of a piece and asserting those claims amount to racism (or providing evidence that the author was being disingenuous) people decide to call something racist if it feels like the things racists would say. In this case there is no doubt this oped has that feel. Indeed, it hits many of the points that one would expect from a racist dog-whistle: glorification of European/western culture, suggestion that something associated with whites is superior, a nostalgic comparison to the 1950s, reference to some aspect of black culture the author disapproves of (“anti-“acting white” rap culture of inner-city blacks”) and even the obligatory focus on whites that have the traits you are criticizing.

The problem with taking this as grounds for accusations of racism is that it confuses being the sort of person whose strong affinity for traditionalism and reverence for long lived institutions and practices may make needed reform more difficult with actual racism. However, we are generally quite willing to let the earnest man who is such a strong believer in feminism that he frequently gives a piece of his mind to men who he views as pushing an aggressive male-centric approach on women and thereby does more to perpetuate the stereotype of women as unable to handle these situations than anyone he criticizes. This case is only different in that it is harder to imagine genuinely feeling that these old school conservative values are the secret to a better life and wanting to help minorities by sharing. Also in that often people who feel this way about morals and newfangled social innovations also feel this way about minorities but that’s just a stereotype.

Most importantly, it renders the standard for racism uselessly subjective. If it is no longer necessary to have overt animus or believe in some particular stereotype then it is insanely easy to apply the term to virtually anyone you want. Especially given that as the sphere of things that have been labeled racist expands fewer and fewer non-racists say anything in that sphere so just imagine the same dialog in 20 years about pieces supporting free speech. It would be something mostly racists talk about as a cover, anyone like me writing about it would explain that we believed in it for everyone (while detractors would point out that we kept focusing on the free speech of the racists as they don’t see it from the context in which that is the right place to make one’s stand), one could raise analogies to the contract rights arguments offered in the civil rights movement (yes its bad but the constitution…we just can’t do anything). The only thing this lacks is the subjective feel that comes from hearing lots of racists say something that sounds similar but we can’t cede to racists the power to decide what is and isn’t considered.

Also, as a practical matter this kind of use of the accusation of racism isn’t productive. The reason to use the term at all is to invoke our shared disapprobation of certain behaviors to change people’s behavior. Telling someone ‘suggesting that blacks only eat fried Chicken or look like Gorillas’ is racist usually results in an immediate change and the world is a better place but when you say that some vague thing about the gestalt I get from your article is racist doesn’t. If I were the author and was willing to sell out my views so I wouldn’t be racist how would I even know where to start?

Call these ideas out as stupid or even the kind of progress phobic thinking that perpetuates racism that’s great but its just not racism.

University of Tampa’s Impolitic Twitter Firing

Also, we have the University of Tampa firing a visiting professor for the following poorly considered and bumblinging inappropriate tweet

I dont believe in instant karma but this kinda feels like it for Texas. Hopefully this will help them realize the GOP doesnt care about them.

This is obviously just a case of someone not realizing how what he said would be taken in context. When he did he apologized. That should have been the end of it.

While at first glance one might feel that this isn’t really relevant to the broader picture at the moment. However, while it wasn’t exactly an academic paper this tweet is fundamentally nothing but an expression of a political sentiment. Indeed, suppose the author really believed this was some kind of divine vengeance on Texas for voting GOP. Surely that is core political-religious speech if anything is so its hard to see how this is anything but a direct attack on the idea that Professors get to comment on current events and broader social issues without fear of being fired for controversial views (assuming they don’t bear on their academic qualifications…mathematicians probably shouldn’t say $\omega$ and $2^\omega$ have the same cardinality).

Mistakes

We need room for people to make mistakes! Even mistakes about what to believe on controversial issues because only when people feel they won’t lose their jobs or be shunned if they get it wrong can they allow themselves to explore the issue and reach the right conclusions.

I know its really hard in these discussions to imagine any other perspective than your own but rarely is it the case that someone just wakes up out of the blue filled with hate and the desire to see another race suffer. Sure, sometimes the reasons are just visceral (your gang is white they are black) but in most cases there is some chain of thought and emotion that made every step they took seem reasonable so if you suspect the target of your criticism of simply reasonless hate you should probably reevaluate that view.

However, that is what makes the situation so dangerous as well. Given that even racists think they have good and sound justifications for their beliefs an atmosphere which imposes severe penalties for even minor infractions allows only one safe response: parrot back the official dogma.

But, if we are going to fix the remaining barriers and harms inflicted by problematic stereotypes and structural racism/sexism we need to find them in non-obvious places and that takes open speculation. We’ve picked all the low hanging fruit so more looking for white or male ‘perpetrators’ (if it could have been fixed easily that way we would have) we instead need to look at the less examined reservoirs of stereotypes such as members of the group themselves or the well-intentioned helper3. That means we need to walk on the edge and consider possibly offensive or unpleasant possibilities if we are going to figure out what is really going on so we can do something to fix things.

I’ve seen any number of scenarios in which the perception that certain topics can’t even be discussed doesn’t erase those ideas from people’s minds. Rather, it pushes them to form groups (the ones that go silent when a woman or minority comes by and we work so hard to eliminate) in which they feel they can comfortably express views they are sympathetic to but are too controversial for general consumption. Unfortunately, when people gather together for the purpose of feeling safe sharing controversial views creates a strong social pressure not to call anyone else’s views in that group out for sexism/racism/etc.. even in a polite friendly way. I’m constantly amazed at how quickly both such groups form and how quickly they descend to the lowest common denominator and serve as a breeding ground where hateful ideas can infect good people because there is no opportunity to apply the corrective of a good counterargument and criticism. ↩

Taking their complaints at face value would seem to suggest the problem is that suggesting WASP culture (not so named) is superior is racist or at least unacceptable and bad. While those of us immersed in liberal sensibilities naturally flinch a bit when the suggestion is made that one culture is superior to another that doesn’t make the claim wrong or racist. Indeed, we all believe that, at least in the modern context, modern western culture is superior to the violent revenge culture in some New Guinean tribes all things considered (of course cultures have so many traits surely we could cherry pick a few improvements but the original piece doesn’t deny this). Hell, the very idea of tolerance and equality that those on the left are fighting for is a rare value for a culture to have and we are right to identify it as something good and important. But I think this “can’t say one culture is better than another” line isn’t a very charitable interpretation. ↩

Everyone knows that a great deal of slut-shaming and outfit policing is done to women by women and we’ve learned recently that it is other women who do the majority of interrupting women and may very well be the ones preventing more competitive female involvement. This matches both my experience at caltech (women who had few if any female friends their whole lives were way more likely to just blunder in and shot their load on the conversation or dismiss someone else’s contribution as stupid) and what evolutionary psychology would suggest (men have little interest in policing women but each gender needs to police rivals). Of course, men aren’t on the hook they are just on the hook for something else perpetuating harmful male stereotypes which can harm women as much as they do men (say by men not being willing to become primary caregivers). ↩

Free Speech Slip and Slide was originally published on Rejecting Rationality