#and now i'm potentially losing even more in a short period of time

[strawblemon]

I'm sick, tired, and bored. Even though nobody asked, here's how I would handle the Persona content in the next Smash Bros. if Sakurai asked me for help:

I would remove Joker's Rebellion Gauge and replace it with an SP gauge. His grappling hook and gun would still work like they do now, but without their upgraded version. Instead of Eigaon, he would use the wild card ability and charge an attack with his Side Special. If the attack is used uncharged, he uses Arsène with Eigaon. Depending on how long he charges his Side Special, he will use a different Persona with a different elemental attack. If the attack is fully charged, it summons Alice, who uses Die For Me! which has the potential to KO other players if they are at a high percentage of damage. His Down Special is still Tetrakarn/Makarakarn. When using his Side and Down Specials, he loses some his SP. His Side Special uses more SP the more he charges it, and if he doesn't have enough SP left, the attack stops charging beyond its currently affordable Skill. If he runs out of SP, his down special changes to a simple guard, which can nullify attacks with low knockback and cut down the damage received. Other changes include giving Joker more game-accurate idling poses, walking/running animations, and normal attacks. He would also have his Dancing in Starlight design as an alternate costume.

I would add Aigis as a playable character. She would use close-range firearms and kicks as Standard Attacks and her Persona's Physical Skills as Special Attacks. When she is in danger, she charges up a Theurgy gauge, and when that gauge is full, she can use her Down Special to enter Orgia Mode. If she is attacked during the switch to Orgia Mode, she will lose the ability to enter the mode until she is KO'd. If she successfully enters Orgia Mode, some of her attacks give her Armor during build-up, and her Smash Attacks are more powerful and can break Shields more easily. However, she is lighter during Orgia Mode and can be KO'd much more quickly. If she is KO'd during Orgia Mode, she will be slightly nerfed during a short period after respawning. The only way to exit Orgia Mode is for Aigis to be KO'd. Her Final Smash is Maximum Firepower, her second Theurgy in Reload.

I would replace Mementos with the Casino of Envy. The stage would take place on the chandeliers above the casino's hall. It's an important location in Persona 5, being the introduction to the game as well as the first and last palace in the original game to feature all playable party members at the same time.

I would add Tartarus as a new stage. The stage would take place on the roof of the Gekkoukan High School observatory, with Tartarus actually being in the background. Party members from Persona 3 appear behind fighters. If the game is played during a day when the moon is full in real life, the party members are replaced with Shadows.

I would remove Wake Up, Get Up, Get Out There! and replace it with Life Will Change, as both songs are pretty similar but Life Will Change actually plays in battles in Persona 5. I would also add music from Royal and Persona 3 Reload, namely: Take Over, I Believe, Burn My Dread -Last Battle Reload-, and a remix of Color Your Night.

I would add Teddie from Persona 4 as an assist trophy. He wouldn't use his Persona and would instead punch fighters with boxing gloves and stumble into opponents, harming them in the process.

[a-student-out-of-time]

Mod, I’m worried about the future. I’m young, but I’m worried about WW3 and potential imminent nuclear war. Why? Because I don’t want people (like my favorite artists and VAs) to have their lives tragically cut short, as well the planet to become inhospitable./gen

//I'm not going to dismiss your concerns, because I was at that same point when I was a teenager. Instead, I'll tell you what I wish I'd been told back then: the mainstream news tells you the worst things possible because it's how they make money.

//Our brains have a natural bias toward negativity, since it probably helped us survive while we were still running from predators in the wilderness, but it's been carried into the modern day and become one of our worst attributes. I'm not joking, there's business incentive in the news to bombard people with negative information because it draws in more clicks and views since we have a natural inclination toward it, and that comes at the cost of truthful, factual information.

//Add obvious political bias in both directions and you have a recipe for misinformation and propaganda that can easily drive one to catatonic depression. I know because that was me as a teenager, and I still get that way sometimes. But let me tell you right now that it's all bullshit.

//Yeah, it's time for some real talk because I've been in a major funk myself.

//I'll start by saying the danger of a full-scale nuclear war is, in all honesty, incredibly exaggerated. They tell you that nukes could destroy the world or render it uninhabitable because that's the best way to deter anyone from using them, but when you get posturing and saber-rattling (not uncommon since 1945), then people start to believe nuclear war is inevitable. It is not.

//That isn't to say that nuclear weapons aren't still incredibly dangerous and should never be used, because they are and they shouldn't be. What people neglect to mention is that Russia's nuclear arsenal is, in all likelihood, so old and obsolete that they probably don't even work anymore. Nukes are actually quite fragile things, requiring delicate machinery to even detonate properly.

//Seeing how badly Russia's performed in Ukraine, using all their resources and still losing so many valuable vehicles and military figures while also trying to suppress a rebellion at home? They tried to gamble on scaring everyone with nukes, but after 2 and a half years, they've done nothing with that. It's an empty threat especially because the moment anyone actually fired a nuke at a smaller nation, they would become an international pariah state. Putin and Kim Jong Un have no reason to actually bomb anybody because that would simply guarantee the destruction of everything they still have, and they're desperate to cling to power even as their nations crumble under their own actions.

//But even if worst comes to worst? There's no consensus that nuclear winter is even a real possibility. The initial estimates were based on cities in Japan that were firebombed during World War II, and their buildings were mostly made of wood and paper. Modern cities are mostly concrete and steel, which probably don't burn in the same way. It's not a theory we should test, but it's worth contemplating.

//Even if that did happen, any idea that you've heard that nuclear war would throw us back to the stone age, that we'd lose all our knowledge and have to start over? False. Most of our storehouses of knowledge, along with common knowledge about how to create things, would survive untouched. Hell, our global fiber optic cables are mostly on the ocean floor, so we might get the internet back up pretty quickly.

//The ecological effects of this would also dissipate within 10-15 years, and so a generation after nuclear war, the world might be back to being relatively normal. Yes, it would be a period of intense misery and hardship, but we would survive and recover. We're actually in a better spot now because the global nuclear arsenal is much smaller than it was in the 1980s.

//But that's a direct event. What about the issues regarding climate change? Progress is being made on that front, so much so that it all would've seemed impossible just a decade ago. We have more ecologically-friendly products being produced, alternative energy sources are coming closer to overtaking fossil fuels entirely, building materials that can actually capture and store carbon dioxide and being developed, ecosystems are growing and recovering at an astonishing rate, the ocean is being cleaned of plastic, and better methods of farming are allowing more efficient use of land.

//These are all just a few examples. With new revolutions in the field of fusion power and proof of concept tests for power-beaming satellites succeeding, I'm honestly convinced we will overcome and reverse the issues regarding climate change. Yes, it can be reversed, we can re-wild the environment, and we're getting to the point that we can actually bring extinct species back. Hell, we can directly grow raw meat and milk in bioreactors now, potentially eliminating the need for cattle and dairy farming while eliminating the risk of disease or contamination.

//For some other great news, global crime rates are at a historic low point, new medical technologies are restoring everything from mobility to hearing in patients, a ban on plastic bags in one state has removed 1.5 billion from the environment, and so many other inspiring stories from just the LAST YEAR AND A HALF.

//In short, while there are plenty of things to be concerned about for the future, we cannot and should not forget that there are great things happening all the time and that there are people working hard to make it possible. People who don't simply lay down and give up when things are difficult.

//That's the big problem nobody talks about enough. The real problem in the world today is misanthropy; this prevailing hatred and disgust with our own species ironically allows the worst issues to flourish because that's simply what we expect. When you don't expect better out of people, things won't get better. Pessimistic nihilism isn't intelligent or cool or mature, it's a self-fulfilling prophecy that breeds laziness and lets the worst things in our world persist.

//The world can be better and that starts when we believe it can be better, and most people believe that. I believe that. I hope I've helped you start to believe that too.

//If you want some more, here are a few that I recommend:

This video by SF Debris: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQHVGqgHD2A

The entire channel Science & Futurism w/ Isaac Arthur: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZFipeZtQM5CKUjx6grh54g

The blogs Reasons For Hope and Hope For The Planet, both great sources for real inspiring news

Good News Network, my most trusted source of information: https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/

//Above all, stop worrying about the worst case scenarios. Spend your time learning, creating, sharing and just enjoying life. Some of the best works of literature came out of some of the most tumultuous times in history, and we survived those. We'll survive this one too.

//I really hope all that helps and I hope you have a great day ^^

[dangerously-human]

Hmm. Potential complication for my future plans, but in a good way? Or maybe something that could slot in perfectly. Had a meeting with my mentor-director this morning. First, and only related in the sense that perhaps my current aggravations have hope of being resolved: finally got to address my lingering concerns that have come up in this period of me being expected to unofficially supervise my teammates, so maybe it actually was really good that I ended up working from home due to spoon depletion today. Some things are harder to say in person, but I managed to say it compassionately and without crying from frustration. Well done, me! The ball is well and truly in the directors' court now. One very difficult transition year of me filling in for my previous supervisor more than anticipated, but if this goes as hoped, I could actually get back to thriving here. And that brings me to point #2: mentor-director is applying for some big internal funding that he wants to list me as long-term staff on. This is probably the most likely path to the DIY job description we've been trying to make happen for a while now, although it could get complicated - he hasn't told my uber-bosses yet, and isn't sure what their reactions will be, because this would involve splitting my time between his program and my current center. And we used to think they'd rather lose part of me than all of me, but the last 6ish months has indicated that may not in fact be the case - though he's more optimistic this time. Anyway. Odds are iffy that this would even happen, and even if it does, funding is up in the air after a couple years, which was the latest excuse given for not allowing me research time even on funded grants: not enough runway to justify a transition.

So here we get to both complications and perhaps good options. First thought: oof, should I really accept this opportunity - knowing how much risk it involves for other people - if I know my hope is to take a job in Ireland probably a year after this would start? But then again, that year would be so worth it for me. Also, it could give me the opportunity to push back against the runway excuse: if they only have 1-2 years of runway with me anyway that they'd have to fund, rather than worrying about decades of stability (which like, I respect very much that they want to keep me as a lifer, but that's not the timescale I'm making employment decisions on at this stage), then would they be more willing to allow the transition? And yeah, I'd feel guilty about a short-term commitment, but for me, this could be perfect: get in now and help build this thing, leave for a couple years to live my Ireland research dream (likely staying on as a collaborator, albeit at another institution), develop new skills, then come back when there are more grants coming in for this new program and it's more doable for them to fund my time. In my head, this is perfect, now that I'm talking it out. But of course, asking for any of this is pretty audacious. And the timing continues to be tricky. And it's all very up in the air anyway! Still, I feel more energized about my future in this job than I have in a while. It helps to know that even with more pushback than anticipated, my mentor-director is continuing to try really hard to make a space for me where I want one.

[autisticwriterblog]

Welcome to: gender thoughts and worrying with Riley

Putting this under a cut because it's all about gender dysphoria, my thoughts about potentially starting HRT, transphobia and misgendering, and also some pretty TMI details.

Okay, so I've been comfortable describing myself as a transmasc person, or a NB trans man. Something very man-adjacent. And I'm happy with he/they pronouns (although I wish my family would use he/him more often - but that sounds ungrateful because I'm so glad they all got used to they/them, even my grandparents). Basically, I'm comfortable in my gender. But I sometimes wonder if I want my body to be different.

Top surgery was, without exaggeration, one of the best things that ever happened to me. I'm so much happier in myself, I can actually look at myself shirtless now, and I love touching my scars and seeing my flat chest under my shirts. I love everything about it.

But it sometimes doesn't feel like enough. I worry that everyone still views me as a girl who just cut her tits off. I met my aunt's boyfriend and within five minutes, he was talking to my aunt and said, "I was just asking Riley what sort of video games she likes." And I was sitting there in my clothes from the men's department and my buzz cut hair and my pretty androgynous appearance (I've naturally got a deeper voice for someone AFAB, I'm not that short and I have big feet, and I have a bit of very dark facial hair on my upper lip that the women in my family all pluck or bleach because they're self conscious about it, but I like it) and as I said above, my flat fucking chest under my POTF T-shirt. And yet he she/her'd me and it infuriated me. I clearly can't pass well enough to fool even someone who never met me before I came out.

(Side note: I really don't like the guy. He's a conspiracy theorist weirdo and he misgendered my aunt's god-son (not actually their relationship but it's easier to explain this way) multiple times and it was so fucking awkward. He kept asking about this couple's 'daughter' and I said "X and Y don't have a daughter" and he still kept doing it. Fucking prick.)

Anyway, this whole thing got me thinking about T again. I've always said I don't want it because you can't pick and choose what it'll give you. And for example, whilst I'd love my voice to be deeper and facial hair sounds pretty rad, I'm really not sure about the going through puberty all over again thing and there's a chance I'd lose my hair and I don't want that, and I'm 50/50 on if bottom growth would be an improvement or not. So, yeah, I always ruled it out.

But... I want to pass. I want to be read androgynous or masc, not just a butch woman. And I really think some parts of T would help. And who knows? Maybe I would like bottom growth? Who fucking knows. I'm already dysphoric about my genitals, so even though I mentioned worrying about that above, I'm not sure bottom growth could make things worse for me down there. I'm also a bit concerned about libido increase, but it's actually already been up recently since I got my first crush and I'm learning to deal with it. Plus, I did experience some of that during puberty and I survived.

Oh, and the hysterectomy thing is very likely to fall through because my doctor is fatphobic, so I'm kinda fucked about my painful periods for ages. But for a lot of people, T weakens or even stops their periods. And I keep thinking about how if that happened to me, it'd possibly solve my period dysphoria problem without having to pay £8000 for private surgery (because the NHS would never do it), assuming that my doctor would even do it even though he said he didn't have a fucking weight limit when I fucking paid £200 for a consultation. But I'm getting off topic.

Plus, I'm an impulsive person who changes his mind really easily, so my anxiety is being bitch and making me think "what if I regret it?!" even though that almost never happens and it's a fucking TERF talking point in my country. I don't even know what I'm trying to say anymore.

But the biggest part is... I live with my parents and I need help with a lot of things bc autism (I can't drive or go anywhere on my own and I need help with phone calls and all sorts of shit that mean I'm never going to be independent), so if they had a problem with me taking T for whatever reason, I'd be fucked. They've always been supportive and say that they'll help me with whatever as long as it makes me happy... but what if me taking hormones would be a step too far for them? My dad still hasn't seen me shirtless and I worry it's because he still thinks I'm a girl. So he might freak out. Or maybe my mum would and that would hurt even more because she's the person I love most in the world and I wouldn't want her to hate me.

I just get scared of everything. And I want to be happy and I wonder sometimes if hormones would help. Or if even bringing up the topic with my family would make everything fall apart.

[hearthomelesbian]

i would love to hear more about your mia project if you'd like to share.. ^^

!! absolutely!! i would love to talk about it :D thank you for asking!!

mia fey: ace attorney is a fan game i was working on, based on the period between mia breaking off from grossberg's law office and phoenix's first proper case. I have 4 cases planned and a rough overarching plot (though i'm still ironing out the details 😅). i was thinking a sequel would be fun too, but there is so much work i need to do for even the first one!!

phoenix is the co-counsel for the most part, in a sort of transitionary state between how we see him in turnabout memories and how he is in the first ace attorney game. i've been working on a detective lana theme (you can here the work in progress here) and doing some sprite editing! i have phoenix and detective lana done, as well as a younger maya started ^-^

we start the game with mia's first case out on her own, nothing incredibly interesting, but a quick one day case to get her and phoenix's relationship established. she's still settling in to her new office, brand new charley gifted, when phoenix shows up looking for work. she's kind of reluctant considering the last time she saw him, about a year ago, he ate decisive evidence, but he begs her to just take him for one case. when phoenix proves he's actually got some raw talent, she decides to give him a chance (despite the fact he keeps calling her chief...). he asks why she left her last firm and she brushes him off, but it leads us to...

case 2! a flashback to mia's final case with grossberg, and with edgeworth prosecuting, it's doomed from the start. their client is on the stand for a crime they didnt commit, but with redd white pulling the strings, it's an uphill battle to try prove anything. with grossberg wrapped around his finger as well, mia is left with just the detective on her side, an old friend from school: enter lana skye!

pre-SL9 lana is the happiest we've ever seen her, enjoying her work as a detective and obviously attracted to mia... intellectually, of course! this case sets the baseline of their relationship - honest, flirtatious, with a genuine connection. a bit of fun in an otherwise discouraging case, lana tries her hardest to help mia find the truth.

when they lose, grossberg clearly holding out on her, mia calls it quits. despite the loss, her and lana managed to find a crucial lead, and mia starts fey and co. law, determined to find the truth without anyone else getting in her way. she calls maya down for burgers (and to give her some evidence to hold on to), and the case ends on a hopeful note.

case 3 is a bit of a silly one ^-^ and the only case where i've got an idea of the case and not the overarching plot around it. our defendant, a younger desiree delite (though that her last name isn't yet) is accused of art theft, and her girlfriend diana key (or di for short) is adamant she would never do it. di ends up being (correctly) implicated, but her partner in crime takes the fall. the case being art based gives phoenix plenty of opportunity to be judgy about the art involved.

case 4 comes around and phoenix is out of the picture, stuck in exams. mia has maya for the week when a case pops up that she has to take. it has redd white written all over it, and their brand new chief prosecutor is on the opposing side.

lana is closed-off and distant now, avoiding mia as best as she can except in court. we find out she hasn't been answering mia's calls since SL9. mia corners her for answers but gets nothing out of her other than "ema is doing fine". mia gets an incredibly hard won victory despite evidence appearing seemingly out of nowhere whenever the prosecution needs it, adds the new evidence against redd white to her collection, and sends maya home with it, more determined than ever.

i'm sort of torn with a potential game 2, because i love being canon compliant, but the protagonist dying before she gets to take down the guy she's been trying to take down kind of sucks as an ending... perhaps game 2 builds up to the final case being an alternate turnabout sisters, where mia lives and gets to work together with phoenix to take him down? i would love to see mia introduce maya and phoenix, and clue him in on whats going on with redd white... mostly im just excited to explore the relationship between mia and all these characters she never really gets to interact with... maya, lana, young phoenix, maybe even pearl and morgan? i would love to do a kurain case... there is just so much potential there!!! mia fey rftaa would also be fantastic, though it's so long i wouldn't want to rehash it all as it would probably go down pretty similar LOL

here is some of the art i've done for it already ^-^ winking lana is a favourite of mine, and i gave young phoenix a trucy-esque bounce animation! i'd probably edit some of this now, i was working on it a fair while ago... but still cute!! and here's the lana theme wip - i tried to adapt ema's theme the same way that turnabout sisters is adapted for mia, maya and pearl! i've also put a little bit of mia's theme and gumshoes theme in there, but its definitely a wip still ^_^

thank you for asking about it!! it was a lot of fun to think about it again even if its a project on the back burner for now. i would love to come back to it someday!!!

[scarlet--wiccan]

Do you have any thoughts on Wanda and Hank (McCoy’s) relationship? They seem like decent friends when they’re on the avengers together (and they both kinda dated wonder man), but idk where they stand (and have stood) post m-day.

Things are obviously even more complicated with beast being a fully blown supervillain now, but they also all-but-declared evil x-force villain Hank a different character than avengers Hank. I know it was a throw away gag, but I so wonder about that email from him to her in strange academy. What were his intentions there?

I'm going to be completely honest, Hank is one of those characters I just don't think about very often. I'd have to re-read a lot, and I mean a lot, of comics to make any kind informed statement about his relationship to Wanda prior to M-Day, so I'm not gonna do that.

I will say, though, that out of all the original X-Men, he definitely has the closest relationship to Wanda by virtue of proximity. He's certainly known her longer than most people, and we can definitely infer that they had a friendship just based on how well Wanda usually gets along with her teammates, and of course, their mutual affection for Simon. In fact, I'd say they have the potential to be great friends-- they're both people who are very good at overlooking differences, and at one point time, they were both written as very outgoing, charming individuals. She probably responds really well to his overly-genteel manner-- when Hank addressed her as "Dearest Wanda" in that email, I was like, "oh, of course this is how they talk to each other."

After the Decimation, Hank threw himself into researching the cause and trying to develop a cure. This was a big turning point in his life, as he ended up working with Dark Beast and crossing a lot of moral boundaries. His search actually led him to finding Wanda when she was living as an amnesiac in Transia, although it's not clear whether that was actually her or the Doombot. Although he certainly holds Wanda accountable for M-Day, he didn't betray her location to the X-Men, and later, during Children's Crusade, he was actually sympathetic to Wanda's circumstances and wanted to help her use the Life Force to undo the Decimation. Compared to most of the other Avengers and X-Men, I'd say he was one of her very few allies, and he's on the short list of mutants that I would expect to advocate for her, if only because he believed she'd be part of the solution, not just the problem.

Avengers: Children's Crusade #15

The thing with Hank's psychic backups is really weird, but it gestures at some of the more philosophical questions that Krakoan resurrection poses-- or at least, the questions it would pose if the writers would actually commit. If the "self" is a replicable, modifiable computer file, then the idea personhood begins to lose coherence. One of the things I find frustrating about the Krakoan era is that they don't often follow through on the bigger implications of their world-building, and this is one of those subjects where they'd clearly rather divert into cape-comic genre beats then get into the speculative philosophy. It's probably for the best.

Anyways, Beast. In Wolverine #31, we learn that Hank has built his own little clone lab and taken charge of his own resurrections. To that end, he basically stole his backup files from the Cerebro system, but, weirdly enough, he left the records of his time with the Avengers untouched. It's not clear whether or not the backups Hank is using to clone himself include that period, but we do know that if the Five wanted to resurrect him at this point, they'd be bringing back a version from before Krakoa-- which is to say, a version which hasn't yet taken the same moral downfall. If I had to guess, I'd say this is the loophole that they'll use to bring the character back without having to worry about "redeeming" him or reconciling his actions. This is a staple move for supherhero comics-- come up with an excuse to for the character to say "that wasn't really me"-- but I don't think we've seen it played straight with Krakoan resurrection yet.

Oh, and as for the e-mail-- I wrote a bit about it here, but I genuinely think he was just trying to test out whether the gates would recognize her. It came across as very sinister at the time, since this was before Trial and Wanda was still basically an enemy of the state, so inviting her to the island definitely felt like a trap. At the time, I said that this page was probably non-canon, but then the exchange between Wanda and Magneto ended up being a lot more prescient than I could have anticipated, so I guess we should take it seriously.

[kelocitta]

Any tips for leaving Artificer's starting area,,,, I went both ways and been killed by Scav gangs like a dozen times... I'm trying so hard to be braver and it's backfiring

Okay so artificers campaign is rough if your not used to dealing with scavengers- you have to be ready to engage a fight because scavenger squads do not leave you alone (this is where the bombs come in, the cost of making an explosive is paid back when you actually kill with them) the way most predators will when you start running away. (More under cut)

1) You want to head to the right starting off. The starting gate is rough but its really to prep you for scavenger fights along with getting you used to the second mechanic of Artificer (if you havent noticed, there's always a dead scavenger in one spot because its communicating significance. The left has a toll and while you can get through those, thats a big choke point to immediately deal with.) Also if you've made it to the shelter to the right, you go up from that. You've probably already noticed it but I have bad eyesight and it was hard for me to see so thats where you wanna head. 2) bombs are great for groups while spears are good for picking off individuals. When an explosive spear blows up, you lose the spear but gain rubble that can be used for a bomb. Scavengers who have their own bombs are now SUPER GREAT because you can't be killed by explosions (only stunned. Explosive spears are still spears) and they can set off large blasts in their own group. Just be aware that in an explosion scavengers to the sides will likely only be stunned, not killed, so even if the entire group blows up be ready for at least one to potentially get back up. 3) try and get yourself to vantage points where possible. Pipes and corners are good, because scavengers arent armored you can pick them off as long as you can hit them, and the biggest issue is being overwhelmed by numbers. You can also make spears in pipes without leaving them if theres chaos on screen, in prep. 4) slug senses is great for noticing off-screen scav gangs and keeping track of the individuals in the room. This can help you avoid getting sniped. Also listen for clacking noises, theres a certain sound that scavengers walking around make. Throwing a bomb offscreen if you think there are scavs coming towards you can be surprisingly rewarding. Threat visual pulse is also probably very usefully for immediately detecting that scavs are in the area. 5) if your trying to flee or dodge, try going up rather than to the sides. Artificer's bomb jumping means you can get into the air or on high ledges that are much harder for scavengers to access or target spears at faster than they can climb to them. Just be aware you can only use this safely about three times before Artificer starts overheating (will stun themselves next blast) so dont hit it too rapidly. 6) holding down will change the blast from a booster to a small AOE stun. Its a short period, but it can buy you time. I don't think it can parry spear throws, but it can stop grabs or bites. 7) If your good at dodging, Scavs can easily end up disarmed by throwing everything they have at you. Scavs that dont have any items can not hurt you and are easy prey, so tracking how many "shots" a scavenger has before its only option is run can be helpful. Just make sure that theres no other spears on the ground for them. When there is only one, you can also try getting in close with the bomb jump and stealing the weapons from them directly (and then immediately using it on them) 8) Predators of scavs are your friends now. Thats free wasted spears and focus off you (if your careful) Artificer having 24/7 bomb access means a lot of predators are super killable (because they're not designed to survive the relatively rare bombs) even big ones like vultures or centipedes. Scavengers are strong because they aren't alone, but many threats are only one or two "targets" and can be taken out in one bomb spear or regular bomb. 9) I found "Scavenger kill squad leniency" to be a very helpful toggle for Artificer. I played most of the campaign without it, but eventually got tired of having multiple deaths directly outside the shelters. It doesn't make things easy, but having that extra bit of time to make progress or get to a vantage point made things way more interesting for me! All it does is give you a small window to prevent most scavenger attacks at the cycle start or entering a region- helpful if your getting overwhelmed too quickly to feel fun. And finally... DEATH IS FREE! In a normal campaign deaths lower your karma but Artificer has no karma to lose! They're already at a big fat karma one! So remember that everything is just about being as stubborn as possible and you only lose progress to the next shelter on death rather than karma progress for the gates. So its just about putting your head to the wall and going for it rather than surviving everything.

Hope that helps!! Artificer is a rough start but as soon as things open up they become insanely fun because of the platforming options. The starting zone is really a sort of trial by fire and dumps you in the deep end so that you know exactly what your up against.

[jeetwdx]

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4. What are the risks of investing in a HYIP?

5. How can I find a reputable HYIP?

6. How do I get started?

7. I'm already invested. Now what?

1. Get rich quick! Invest in a HYIP today!

If you're looking to get rich quick, investing in a HYIP (High Yield Investment Program) is one option you can consider. HYIPs are investment schemes that offer high returns - sometimes up to hundreds or even thousands of percent - in a relatively short period of time. While they may sound too good to be true, there are people who have made a lot of money from investing in HYIPs.

However, there are also many people who have lost money from investing in HYIPs. This is because HYIPs are often scams. Many HYIPs start off paying out high returns to attract investors, but after a while they stop paying out and close down, leaving investors out of pocket.

Before investing in a HYIP, you should do your research to make sure that it is a legitimate investment. There are many HYIP monitoring websites that can give you an idea of whether a particular HYIP is paying out or not. You should also be aware that even if a HYIP is paying out, it could still be a scam. For example, the HYIP might only be paying out for a short time to attract more investors, before closing down and running off with the money.

Investing in HYIPs is a high risk investment, and you should only invest money that you can afford to lose.

2. What is a HYIP?

A HYIP, or High Yield Investment Program, is a type of Ponzi scheme that promises high returns to investors. HYIPs typically require investors to make a minimum deposit, and then exorbitant fees are charged for withdrawals or early termination of the program. In many cases, the promised returns are never paid out, and investors lose all of their money.

3. Why are HYIPs a good investment?

There are many reasons why HYIPs (High Yield Investment Programs) can be a good investment. They offer the potential for high returns, they can be diversified, and they can be accessed by anyone with an internet connection.

HYIPs offer the potential for high returns. This is because they often invest in high-risk, high-yield ventures. This means that there is the potential for big profits, but also the potential for big losses. So, it is important to do your research before investing in a HYIP.

HYIPs can be diversified. This means that you can spread your investment across different programs, which can help to mitigate the risk. This is because if one HYIP fails, you will not lose all of your investment.

HYIPs can be accessed by anyone with an internet connection. This means that you do not need a lot of money to get started. All you need is a computer and an internet connection.

4. What are the risks of investing in a HYIP?

There are a few key risks to be aware of if you're thinking of investing in a HYIP. The first is that, because HYIPs are not regulated by financial authorities like the SEC, there is a higher chance that they could be scams. If you invest in a HYIP, there is a chance that you could lose all of your money.

Second, even if the HYIP is not a scam, there is still a risk that it will not be successful. This is because HYIPs are often reliant on new investors to keep them going, and if there is not a steady stream of new investment, the HYIP could collapse.

Third, you could also face legal risks if you invest in a HYIP. This is because some HYIPs could be considered to be Ponzi schemes, and if so, you could be liable for losses incurred by other investors.

Overall, investing in a HYIP is a risky proposition, and you should only do so if you are prepared to lose all of the money you invest.

5. How can I find a reputable HYIP?

When it comes to finding a reputable HYIP, there are a few key things that you will want to keep in mind. First and foremost, you will want to make sure that the HYIP you are considering investing in is registered with the SEC. This can easily be done by visiting the SEC's website and searching for the company in question.

Another thing to keep in mind is that you will want to research the company as much as possible before investing. This includes reading reviews, talking to other investors, and getting a general feel for the company. You will also want to make sure that you understand the risks involved in investing in a HYIP.

One final thing to keep in mind is that you should never invest more money than you can afford to lose. This is true of any investment, but it is especially important when it comes to HYIPs. By doing this, you can protect yourself financially if the investment does not go as planned.

6. How do I get started?

Assuming you would like tips on how to get started with a HYIP: 

It is important to do your research before investing in a HYIP. You should start by reading forums and reviews to get an idea of which HYIPs are legitimate and which ones are scams. Once you have found a few reputable HYIPs, you should then take a look at their investment plans and decide which one is right for you. 

You should also be aware of the risks involved in investing in a HYIP. HYIPs are often very volatile and can lose a lot of money very quickly. You should only invest what you can afford to lose, and you should always withdraw your profits as soon as possible. 

If you are still unsure about investing in a HYIP, you can always start with a small investment and gradually increase it as you get more comfortable with the program.

7. I'm already invested. Now what?

When you're already invested in a HYIP, there are a few things you can do to ensure that your investment pays off. First, do your research. Make sure you understand how the HYIP works and what the risks are. Second, monitor your investment. Keep an eye on how the HYIP is performing and be prepared to pull your money out if it's not doing well. Finally, diversify your investments. Don't put all your eggs in one basket, and don't invest more than you can afford to lose. With a little bit of planning and monitoring, you can make your HYIP investment pay off.

If you're looking to get rich quick,HYIPs may seem like a tempting investment. However, before you hand over your hard-earned cash, it's important to do your research. HYIPs are high-yield investment programs that promise incredible returns, but many of them are actually scams. Even legitimate HYIPs can be incredibly risky, so it's important to approach them with caution. Before investing in a HYIP, make sure you understand the risks and potential rewards involved.

[lehdenlaulu]

Going to be vibrating with excitement for the next few weeks until BG3 comes out, but in the meantime -- if it's ok to ask -- what are your plans are for your first playthrough? Character details? Any backstory thoughts? Plans and goals for the playthrough?

Of course it's okay! 😄

Okay, some things might change a little once I see all the background options etc. at full launch, but for now, my first playthrough is going to be the following:

Name: Valisa Falconswoop Race: Wood Half-elf Alignment: Neutral Good (I know they're not implemented in the game but that's how I'll play her) Class: Ranger (Beastmaster + Sanctified Stalker) Animal companion/familiar: Raven (unless I can have a falcon, which is unfortunately unlikely, or a big feline) Origin: Artisan from The High Forest (if possible)

My backstory for her is that she's a child of two half-elves themselves, a druid mother and ranger father who has largely retired from his wild-wandering due to injury and become a woodworker, teaching her his craft as well. She grew up in a small village on the western outskirts of the Forest (possibly Noanar's Hold, I have to look into that), but has traveled the northern Sword Coast in particular a reasonable amount in her 60-ish years, sometimes settling down for a time in smaller settlements to work as local ranger and artisan. She does not mind larger cities, but as a ranger partially raised by the local druid circle, she does not feel entirely at home in them, especially for extended periods. (I'm also thinking she's probably at least worked with the Harpers if being one isn't a background option.)

So yeah, I'll probably be playing her as practical, observant, and generally kind and benevolent. She comes from a druid stock and rangers are very much not fans of goblins in general (it's even a class-specific dialogue choice to call them pests) so I'm absolutely siding with the druids, ousting Kagha's bitch ass by exposing her short-sighted plans, helping the tieflings etc. And while the Halsin romance route would probably make more sense for her than a Waterdhavian ex-archmage with a... colorful past, I'm thinking I'm sticking to Gale -- depending on how much they've potentially changed him. If he's still the generally good dude with some big secrets (though I can't imagine the Archmage of Waterdeep losing his powers for any reason remaining a secret instead of a massive source of gossip for long, but we'll see), I can work with that and hopefully encourage him on the path of redemption. It has all the potential for some juicy drama for sure.

My temperamental storm sorcerer playthrough will inevitably be quite a bit more chaotic at least, so I'm thinking with Valisa I'm trying to be honorable, avoid using the mindflayer parasite as much as I can, leaning towards mercy and kindness even if it sometimes bites me in the ass (though it's more like a 'fool me once shame on me, but the next time you're getting an arrow in the eye'), that kind of thing. The boring hero archetype, if you will. 😆

And obviously I'm going to talk to every single animal I see.

Did that satisfy your curiosity? 😂

[bigqueervillain]

TW: Miscarriage, grief

So I had a miscarriage at 5 weeks on Friday. It's ongoing. I feel like a giant, sad sack of blood.

I've had a miscarriage once before when I was pretty deep in addiction and very mentally unwell. Back then though I didn't even know that I was pregnant, and I wasn't trying to get pregnant. So I counted it as a blessing. This time the circumstances couldn't be more different.

I really wanted this pregnancy, this baby. Rachael and I both did. I'm sure that most of it was hormone driven, but even so I was so excited and so happy and so ready. I had Christmas announcements to our families all planned out because I'm a control freak. I was anticipating so much joy coming our way. And instead we got this.

When I called the midwife on Friday, she was very sweet and kind and gentle. But it was just so hard to hear my fears confirmed. "Is this your first baby? Oh you must have been so excited. It's really just a late period at this stage though, so unless you start to feel sick it should pass okay" keeps ringing in my ears. It's trauma. I know it. I've had enough of it over the years that I intimately know the way it winds through and sticks in my brain. There are things that stay with you in trauma and grief, even when they'd normally be so innocuous in any other situation. The things that are said ring in your ears whether you want them to or not.

And it is passing through me. That's the fucked up gothic primal animal horror and beauty of it. When you become pregnant, the only way out is through no matter what stage you're at when it ends. I'm pro choice and I always will be, but all the viscera coming out of me had the potential to be my baby in August. And I feel like I owe that potential the duty of witnessing and grieving every bit that comes out of me. When it started, I reached into the fucking toilet to touch it and make sure. There's really no mistaking pregnancy tissue though. It's hard and looks like string with little baby grapes attached to it. Like a vine from an alien nightmare orchard.

I keep thinking of sad art that's stuck with me over the years. The fucking two headed calf; so short lived but still so cherished while it lasted. Maybe I'll get it tattooed. The Johanna reprise from Sweeney Todd; "and though I'll think of you I guess until the day I die, I think I'll miss you less and less as everyday goes by." Sondheim really knew how to get to the heart of a very specific emotion. Fucking hell.

And maybe all of this is incredibly maudlin and dramatic. I tend towards that in times of extreme emotion, which I worry makes the whole thing tedious for other people to experience along with me. And it was so early and really is just a very late, very heavy period. But this grief is mine goddammit. No one can tell me how to feel or how to navigate through it. I would have protected this kid with my life had they been born, and I feel like I have to follow through with that promise even if it'll never come to fruition.

I'm left with all this blood. My body feels like a fucking graveyard. Going to the bathroom, standing up, sneezing, coughing are all reminders, so I don't even have the courtesy of long periods of distraction from it. I feel like next time we try I won't even be able to be excited when we get a positive test, because I'll be so afraid of losing it again. We had that exciting positive pregnancy test moment already with this one, and now that memory's tainted. Next time I'm going to feel cautious and afraid, instead of happy and hopeful. I know myself enough to know that. I know I have to force myself to process my emotions and heal through this so I can enjoy pregnancy when it happens again. And it will happen again. We're not going to stop trying; Rach and I both want to be parents too much for that. But I hate this part. It's just so fucking unfair.

A close friend of mine is lowkey a very powerful medium/witch. She told me that this is all confusing because she can feel our baby working hard to come through, that they want us as parents and want to come earthside and live. And I believe her. Her partner is our sperm donor so she's attached to it in some way too. And I know that any child of mine is going to be stubborn and strong willed and unstoppable.

And then I think of my (unfortunately) Catholic upbringing and my own spirituality. I believe that creation is a god realm, even if I don't believe all the pro choice bullshit that comes along with it. So I have to believe that this loss has purpose. But I don't know what that purpose is, other than to make me afraid and sad. But then maybe there isn't any purpose in it and that's just part of the awesome swirling chaos that is life on this goddamn bitch of an earth and I have to accept that for what it is.

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, etc.

Anyway if you've read this far, thank you. I don't expect anyone to read this. It's mostly rambling nonsense. Writing has long been how I process my emotions. The best way. Sitting alone with headphone and screaming it all out on a keyboard is healthy for me. I'm just...metaphorically licking my wounds and shyly casting my hurt into the internet in the hopes that it'll swirl around and leave me for good.

[goldensadnessdolphin]

Just finsihed A Link to the Past after finally finding a Snes Mini for a decent price. I wasn't that interested in the game as I have played A Link Between Worlds and have no nostalgia for alttp.

So of course I 100%ed it.

Come with me on a journey about what alttp is like for someone who plays it for the first time in 2023:

Short heads-up so you know where I'm coming from experience wise: Loved ALBW, loved Tunic, I play a lot of metroidvania (to the point where I play Hollow Knight multiworld randomizers with a buddy). So, while not heavily interested in alttp specifically, I do like the traditional Zelda-like games.

Notice the phrase "Zelda-like". As much as I did love Between Worlds, I never truly 100%ed it because one heart piece was too much bother. Not too difficult, too much bother. And that's something that has been a common issue between me and the Zelda series. I think it is an important series, but mostly because it's turned into several blueprints with high potential that other games jump off from. Examples include the excellent Death's Door - which you should play if you haven't already - and the aforementioned Tunic.

I'll go into problems first and then finish with the positive/in-two-minds section :3

The main issue I've always had with Zelda games was that they seem to treat mystery and resource depletion with the same gameplay priority. (now there's a wanky sentence!) What I mean by that is that they approach fights with the same mentality as they do with puzzles. Which is not ideal. Because in both cases, they make you experience a period of endurance before a payoff comes. So in puzzles, that's great! You see the puzzle, you think of an idea, that idea likely fails - because it's designed to teach you something - and in the end, you find a solution that makes you feel clever. Or at least relieved, either works for catharsis. Fights are different though. Where puzzles are mostly player focused, fights - by there nature - are mechanics focused. So if you add the typical puzzle contrivance to spread out the payoff, it can get grating fast.

A lot of dungeon rooms in alttp consist of a small handful of simple enemies and one or more HP/Magic drains. For example a few Blue/Red Baris, Helmasaurs or Hardhat Beetles (enemies that bounce you back when you attack them) and bottomless pits. Which means, even if you "do things correctly", i.e. attack the enemy when they're vulnerable, you still get punished. You generally bounce back far enough to fall in a pit or on spikes unless your positioning is the intended one. That means, you can lose health when fighting enemies, no matter who's damaging whom. If they manage to hit you, you get that damage and the bottomless pit damage, which doesn't care for invulnerablity frames.

And that'd be fine - annoying, but fine - if that setup wasn't so prevalent in the game. My perception of it may be increased because I disliked it, but it really felt like some variation of that was part of 1/2 to 1/3 of all dungeon fights, especially the Dark World ones.

This gets compounded with one-way doors, Wallmasters that reset you to the dungeon entrance or fights being on upper floors where you have to replay a significant part of the dungeon just to get back to the fight.

While there is truth in "the harder you work for a reward, the more you value it", if the reward is not proportinal to the investment, it can work against you. Which it did for me. I didn't go back to the fights thinking "ah, finally, I have sussed out the winning strategy!". I went back like "in the time I spent walking back, I would've finished the fight three times without this bullshit". Then, the reward was often just a key to continue the dungeon, so not even a real reward. You wouldn't be delighted to finally read the next chapter of a novel if someone stepped on your foot before allowing you to.

Again, none of this is because it's too hard. It's just fucking the player about.

BUT! Here is where I'll stop the whinge, and if you managed it to here, thanks mate!

Because aside from instances like that, I do think A Link to the Past is a great game. Tight enough that I felt finding secrets was managable without a walkthrough, a lot of upgrades make you feel better (hookshot and tunics, my beloveds) and it's still a very nice looking game. I genuinely don't know whether playing Between Worlds a few years before was detrimental or even helpful?! Because on the one hand, I definitely lost the wonder of experiencing To The Past 100% fresh, on the other hand it meant I was somewhat familiar with the space, if only in it's rough shape. Obviously I also adjusted my expectations, because you'd hope that a reimagining 20* years later would be a significant improvement. So I think that it actually helped me appreciate To The Past more. This time I had the luxury of focusing on the game, instead of having to soak everything in and create a memory of every important thing simultaneously.

Some things can go either way. Being able to bump my sword against walls to check if they can be bombed switches between "cool, Knawlege!" and "do I want to waste time or bombs?". Having the sword beam is cool, but it's incredibly rare to actually keep it for any length of time. While the relatively big inventory and its unique items are interesting to play with, there are some things that shine immensely, while others are very situational (ice rod? Only used it for its intended bossfight) or at worst get replaced (There is no reason to use the boomerang after you got the hookshot).

Also, the Medallions were way less powerful than I expected. Quake seemed good, but is not as effective of a room clear as you want, while I never used Bombos' and got annoyed by how useless Ether was when it was the intended solution. I expect they wanted them to be much stronger, but felt that would unbalance things. Real shame.

It's a bit sad that the upgrades to the sword and tunic don't feel like cool upgrades, but necessary to even keep the same longevity. That felt kinda backwards. However, that is a really tricky problem in general, because it needs to feel like a significant difference while still keeping the challenging aspects of the combat system.

In the end, I think a lot of design choices were a mixture of the consensus of the time and the fact, that there were a lot less games of that type out there. It's still definitely one of the better Zelda games. While I don't think this will ever be my favourite anything, I also don't think everything needs to be an extreme something for me personally. I'm glad I finally got to play it, and I generally enjoyed my time. As I said, I did 100% it :3

[dangerously-human]

Hi! I know this is kind of out of the blue, but i was wondering if you've ever thought and felt so intensely about a show or book that you loved, that you kind of burnt yourself out on it and your mind kind of forced you to take a break by not letting you feel about it? Because i've kind of reached that point with this show that i love and have been obsessing over more than just about any other show i've ever seen, and it's scary to feel so burnt out and i'm scared that if i let it rest for now that i'll lose it and that the love i felt for it will never come back. So i guess what i'm asking is, do you think love comes back? And if you've ever experienced this, how do you rest without fear?

Wishing you a pleasant day 💚

Yes! I feel that way often, especially if I've been stuck on the same special interest for an extended period of time. That's one of the more potentially disabling things about special interests, actually, the way your entire emotional experience and identity can get tied up in it. It feels scary, like you're losing something important to you, and while it sounds strange to people with a different lived experience, it feels like a genuine grief. I think there are a couple ways of looking at it that work for me.

One is to try to vary the way I'm engaging with the interest. Maybe I don't have enough energy to do a deep dive every time I watch my favorite show - that's okay, I can just watch in the background or at a surface level and mull over themes later. Or instead of actively rereading a favorite book, I'll work on and listen to a playlist that lets my mind drift in different directions. Maybe read different fanfics, like something focused on different characters or segments of canon. Maybe take a break to alternate with other things I love, and bring those ideas back to the first thing. Human brains love variety!

The other is reminding myself that even if the interest fades in the moment, it's almost guaranteed to come back, usually at the same intensity, it just might not be right away. Last year was a big year for me in terms of falling back in love with sci-fi I'd been deeply obsessed with in my teen/young adult years, and it was just as much fun as it had been before. So I try not to spend so much energy clinging to the thing when I know I will find my way back to it later.

In short: I feel you, it definitely is hard, yet it doesn't inherently have to turn into a spiral every time where you're scrabbling to cling to your favorite thing and wring as much happiness out of it as possible before it fades.

[chronicalchronicles]

One of the things many people will never understand is how much your body can change in a short period of time. And how hard can it be. Especially with the stigma around weight and other properties that for many people would be a sign, that you're "not taking care of yourself." I've been changing weight for years (sometimes losing, but mostly gaining), and I've been called fat almost all the time. I've gained so much more weight since I was called fat for the first time. And all the time, it was all blamed on me, even by doctors, no matter what I'd do. As if they were forgetting all these meds they prescribed me and all these illnesses they diagnosed me with - "weight maintenance" - somehow is still my responsibility. I've developed a terrible fear of medical professionals because each time I go to the doctor, I hear how I should lose weight. I'm excercising regularly, my diet is quite decent, I'm pretty fucking sure that all these steroids you pack my body with are not helping. And all these hormonal changes. But I don't say it out loud, I just nod my head and keep quiet, because if I only open my mouth to try and defend myself, I know I'll burst into crying that I won't be able to stop. Every day, I look into the mirror and try to soothe myself, try to love my body no matter what, because it's the only one I have. But at the same time, I'm aware of how people see me, and I can't change that. I don't even care about losing weight anymore, I just hope it stops changing. I pray for being able to get used to my body in its shape, I pray for not having to exchange the whole wardrobe every couple of months, I pray into the void, I don't think anyone is listening anyway. Recently, I developed stretch marks in new places - it's not even weight gain anymore, it's hormones. My body is covered with stripes pretty much everywhere below my neck. I am ashamed to get naked, I'm wondering how my boyfriend doesn't seem to notice them. Doesn't he care, or is he just nice? I'm afraid to ask. I wouldn't get naked in front of any other potential sexual partner now, I just can't, even though I know that my value isn't defined by that and stretch marks are normal. Well, mine aren't really "normal". I'm used to having them since I was a teenager, but I haven't gotten used to this new pattern yet. The cracks in my skin are like cracks in my soul, making me so vulnerable to the outside. If I don't ever get better, could I at least not keep getting worse?

[madcatdaderpydrawer-blog]

Think using one brother to lure the other in would work? They still care enough about each other to want to protect each other in the au where they're both infected right? Maybe they can catch one of them to drag down to parts and service and use that to get the other in with threat of disassembly or just the general fear of parts and service since I think you mentioned they were both scared of it! At the least I'm sure they'd be scared of losing the other if they still care, though I'm not sure how well this idea would work in particular. But parts and service does have a lot of spare rooms and the cylinder itself to keep other animatronics in probably!

Okay, this has SO MUCH ANGST POTENTIAL and I am so lowkey tempted to write it--

Because while it's definitely SUCH AN ANGSTY OPTION, It would 120% work if executed properly. They do care about each other when infected, and both are scared of parts and service. But more importantly, disassembly isn't a ridiculous sounding threat to them and is one that they wouldn't be able to call their bluff on.

It could be possible for them to separate Moon from Sun, though for short periods of times. Sun trusts Freddy, and so if Freddy asked Sun to watch Gregory and asked Moon with something security related it would be possible to briefly separate them. Moon is very rule and security oriented, so he would be happy to help the bear ensure that everything is going as dictated. Sun is of course a daycare attendant so he loves children, and hasn't had the chance to play with children in a long time much less take care of one! (even though Monty is there, mainly to make sure Sun doesn't hurt Gregory).

Moon would definitely need to be the one used as the bait, though. And no it's not just because I like making him suffer. That too, but it's also because he is the most physically capable. Being the one with the security features, and far quicker to go all feral "rip your skin off", trying to use the threat with SUN would result in him most likely grabbing Gregory and turning it right back on them.

But grabbing Moon would change a lot of these problems: They could restrain him in the cylinder, as there are absolutely restraints made for this crackhead cause he is NEVER easy to deal with in the cylinder. If they did that and then posed the threat to Sun, his initial reaction wouldn't be "kill him I'm killing the child" because he isn't as physically violent. Now, his first reaction would be to deny it because "there's no way you got Moon", moving on to vicious insults and threats. Finally able to bring him down into parts and service, seeing that they were telling the truth Sun would lose it.

He hates seeing Moon scared just as much as Moon hates seeing Sun hurt. And holy shit would he be a nervous wreck, which would only make Sun panic more.

The main issue with it would be... well, if they could handle taking advantage of their bad emotional state. Freddy would have to keep up the lie that Moon is going to get disassembled for being "disobedient", and that lie would give Moon a fucking melt down, of which Freddy would have to deal with while ignoring the urge to calm him down. Moon is so highly paranoid about rules when infected that it is quite possibly one of the worse situations to him and his reaction is insanely explosive.

Monty would have to deal with being berrated by Sun, and have to be the one to administer the "just listen or we'll break the other one" ultimatium to him. Seeing the reaction change so quickly from annoyance and lashing out verbally to senseless panic would not be pleasant.

It definitely would work, but they better hope they never never recover those memories when they get uninfected or things will get awkward.

[meara-eldestofthemall]

Here’s something that in my personal opinion should be a chief writing rule regarding the Batfamily, maybe not necessarily a holy text that should be obeyed at all times but a general guideline that would be helpful when implemented:

Often times, whenever Batman doesn’t have a Robin, unless you’re establishing a world where such a partner won’t entirely be necessary and even proven a real danger to said partner I.e. the Nolan Trilogy and the first two films of the Burton-Schumacher series, Batman will have not just have a rougher time in dealing with supervillains but his entire demeanor darkens to such an extent the amount of scrapes Alfred has to patch up, the amount of criminals being transported to a hospital for even minor offenses and the amount of fear regular citizens and even potential Allies have of Batman, all that increase by 10 fold.

Opinions on this? I could be just talking out of my butt here but I remember both those panels in Batman #20 after he briefly lost custody of Dick and during that period after losing Jason (both the present day parts of Batman Year Three and part 1 of A Lonely Place of Dying) where it might be evidence of the guideline above

You are 100%, absolutely right, although you may be sorry you asked. I'm going to give a lengthy explanation here. After over 50 years of reading, writing and lecturing about comic books, I'm not sure I'm capable of giving a short answer anymore.

Tim's whole "Batman needs a Robin" is more than just a catch-phrase. Part of it is Robin being the light to Batman's darkness. That's why both Dick and Tim have worked better with him than Jason and Damian's Robins.

Jay and Dami have their own strengths as characters but they clash with the already grim Dark Knight. Jason particularly since his origin was retconned after the Crisis on Infinite Earths series back in the mid 80s. Remember, he was originally a Dick Grayson clone right down to his family being the Flying Todds.

After Crisis on Infinite Earths he gained the tire stealing, Crime Alley street kid origin in an effort to make him different from Dick.

Jason got darker, which may have actually sealed his fate with the fandom. The writers kept trying to make him darker and more edgy to prove he was a different kind of Robin than Dick was. How dark and edgy, you ask? Remember when Felipe Garzonas fell to his death after Jason Robin chased him?

Even back in the 80s Batman was dark and somber enough for a dozen heroes. A grim Batman and an edgy Robin are out of balance. It upsets the dynamic of the Dynamic Duo and can be down right depressing to read. This is the same problem that Damian has...

... but is also why he work so well when Dick Grayson was Batman. The dark and the light were balance between them. Thankfully, Damian is now light years from the unlikeable baby assassin he was when he first showed up.

ln the cases of both Jason and Damian their bad behavior canonically wasn't their fault. Jason was a severely traumatized child who had to do all sorts of awful things to survive on the mean of Gotham. Damian was raised as the Heir to League of Assassins, a place where it was perfectly acceptable to lob off someone's head if they took the last cup of coffee and didn't start a new pot. They're both products of their horrifically abusive environments. Slapping the domino mask on them and sending them out to fight crime was never going to end well. I'd ask what Bruce was thinking but this is a man who dresses as a giant bat and goes out nightly to beat up criminals. He's not exactly the poster boy for healthy coping mechanisms.

Without the balance Robin provides, Batman inevitably flounders. We all know how Bruce reacted to Jason's death. He was increasingly harsh; progressively more and more violent with street level criminals

And was allowing himself to get hurt. He was headed for death by vigilantism until Tim showed up.

Bruce was even worse when Damian died. The man was now willing to compromise his own previously unshakable ethics. He had no problem causing pain and grievous mental harm to accomplish his goal. He took Jason to where he died and tried to force him to relive it so Bruce could have a clue about how to bring Damian back.

He seems to either have no idea what kind of trauma he's inflicting on Jason or worse yet, does not care. This is the most heinous example of Batman's spiraling into darkness. Bruce is solely focused on his goal to bring back Damian (so, to hell with Jason apparently). Without the outside input of a trusted partner like Robin, Batman is left alone to let the darkness consume him. And it does, each and every time he's alone too long.

My point is that as psychologically disturbing a fact as it is, Batman has to have a Robin or he risks going off the rails. Tim summed it up nicely in a Lonely Place of Dying.

While Batman does work with other costumed heroes, Robin is more than just another capable vigilante. He's more than a side-kick. He's a partner, a son (yes, Tim is included although it took Bruce a long time to admit it) a reminder of his lost childhood and what he fights for now. Most of all Robin is family. Robin allows Bruce to at first recreate (with Dick), then eventually expand the family he lost to gunfire in a dark alley. Succinctly put, Robin keeps Batman sane.

I wish DC would understand this basic character principal and let Robin work with Batman more often. There's a reason that Batman and Robin are iconic. He's better when he works with his children, especially Tim or Dick. I just wish DC would understand that.

[writingwithcolor]

First of all, thank you for this blog, it has been really helpful for me - also thank you for the efficient navigation. Now to my question: I'm toying with the idea of a white OC who has (or earns) the power to basically alter the structure of things and wants to use that to help with world hunger. They gotta see what they change, so they have to visit the places. They don't want to be hailed a white savior, and change their look - should I use obvious fantasy colors like grey or purple?

Solving World Hunger: Changing Skin to Fantasy Color to Avoid the White Savior

My take: this is absolutely positively going to disrespect Indigenous populations, so long as you have an outsider come in and do the thing. This reads as extremely Western-centric and reminds me of misguided “international development” students who think that just because they have a degree in solving global scale problems, it means they can be experts.

See, the thing about sustainable food practices is, the Indigenous populations of the area have already come up with pretty good solutions. They’ve lived in the landscape for thousands of years, after all, and were pretty scientific and focused on long-term gains instead of short-term profit. It’s about as close to perfect as multiple millennia of improving and testing can do.

It’s colonialist to erase culture in the name of “betterment”

Hunter/gatherers don’t always capitalistically “maximize” their food sources in ways Westerners recognize, but it’s sustainable has been part of their culture for thousands of years. Are you going to allow them to continue their practices, or are you going to say that their culture is wrong and they must be assimilated into agriculture (that might actually be completely unsustainable even if done by magic but you won’t see the effects for 50+ years)?

Anthropologists main role over the past few years have been to elevate the voices of Indigenous people who know what works best for the area they’ve been living in for generations. Outsiders, even the most well-educated outsiders, are going to get it wrong.

You can’t make them Indigenous to get around this, because Indigenous people are not a monolith. 

Polynesian practices won’t work in sub-sahara Africa, Iroquois practices won’t work in the Amazon, etc. If you think that one ethnicity can solve the globe’s problems, you need to revisit the concept of expertise.

Eco-fascism is also a thing that happens in environmentalism very quickly, in the form of only certain types of food production/crops are “allowed” to thrive, and capitalism does not like sustainability because sustainability doesn’t exactly turn a profit. The best way to use land is often “inefficient” in the short term, but in the long term will provide a sustained food source even if that system looks much different from what we know.

The Indigenous populations around the globe have already had to deal with people who say their way of life is wrong, which your character is going to end up doing if they are the ones who decide what “the best” is. The Inuit are a fairly high-profile example, with how their seal and whale hunt is targeted; the North is such a place that seal and whale hunting is necessary, agriculture is impossible in the way we know it, and what the North needs is global warming to drastically reverse+ colonizers to stop messing with their ability to eat and for-fun hunters never setting foot in the Arctic again.

The problem isn’t the character’s skin tone. The problem is the fact they believe they can be an authority, when they cannot be at such a scale.

Decolonizing > “Fixing”

I would suggest having your character do decolonization work instead of “fixing” work. Decolonization means dismantling capitalism, restructuring agriculture/horticulture to focus on local species designed to live in the region, allowing populations to return to hunter/gatherer ways, removing invasive species (like the wrong species of earthworms in North America, which actually would need magic to fix), and restoring sovereignty of Indigenous peoples. It also means allowing greenhouses and a degree of sustainable supply chain for those with allergies who can’t eat local.

Indigenous peoples need to be centred in sustainable farming and animal husbandry practices. Their voices and their practices are what need to be elevated, instead of an outsider trying to guess what’s best in such a short period of time.

This means white people will be uncomfortable. 

Because white people do not like to give up leadership positions. They don’t like being told they need to let go of power and remove themselves from authority. But they are not the authority on how best to work lands that they have only seen as capitalistic gains. Indigenous people are.

If you want to see the potential journeys this character can undergo, read Colette’s post below.

~ Mod Lesya

Readers will view your character as white

Even as a fantasy color, your “raceless” MC will be assigned white by the majority of your readers unless you put in work to indicate otherwise. 

To the story’s world they might be an alien of sorts. To us, they are another white person who is saving the world. 

White is seen as the default when you leave it to fill-in-the-blank. Race coding (adding details that would imply they’re from a specific race, ethnic background or culture) is how one avoids this.

Directions you could take 

There’s a few ways you could go about this.

A. Make them an actual alien.

You could make them an alien, and actually develop an alien culture that does not parallel or borrow enough from specific cultures to imply they’re a human race equivalent. You would have to work pretty hard at this, as the elements you choose might come from existing regions and cultures. For example, a lot of “neutral” fantasy places are clearly coded with a European flair and no indication that they’re a Person of Color, thus implying white European descent. Then you’re back to square one with white-coded Alien solving the world’s problems. 

B. Keep them white.

You could keep them white, but face the implications within the story’s world narrative and the perspective of readers. 

Its a heavily discussed topic here, so you’ll find many resources.

White Savior WWC Posts:

How to Avoid Glorifying White Characters

The Mighty Whitey: How to not have a Colonialist Character

Writing With Color - White Savior Tag

The Khalessi Problem (Game of Thrones)

Image: Game of Thrones, the TV series. White woman being lifted up and surrounded by tan and brown-skinned people. Minor spoilers will be discussed below. 

Now, I know you don’t want a scene like the one pictured above. That’s why you’re considering they disguise themselves as a fantasy race. But there are some implications that come with a white person who snaps their fingers and solves a community’s problems like it was nothing. 

“What, like it’s hard to solve world hunger?”

On the show, she is pretty much worshiped here, but does disrespect their people enough to lose the majority of their respect and be seen as the outsider coming into their lives as she is. 

Something similar could happen where she is confronted with unintentional consequences of getting involved. There may be some backlash, mixed feelings, making it so your MC is not completely worshiped for their actions. 

What about all of the efforts that people in the community made before your character came along? Might they confront your character, and how would they feel about them? 

What if solving world hunger came with a price, and there were other issues that cropped up as a result?

What if the job is not done? As if they helped get it started, but maintaining keeping the world feed isn’t as “snap and done” as it seemed and opened up a new layer of problems that people have to deal with?

Think of how in some tales, when you get your wish from the genie, it may be answered almost too literally and the effects can be disastrous.

C. Make them a Person of Color. 

This could still lead to issues too, similar to ones you’d find with the white savior. Just because someone is a POC doesn’t mean they’re immune to disrespecting other cultures and lifestyles, or of patronizing people. 

More reading:

Is there such thing as the White Savior syndrome with a Black main character?

~Mod Colette