#coupled with design thinking approaches and adaptive thinking

[borngeniusworld]

Thinking differently

Thinking differently Quotes 50 Quotes 1. “The ones who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones that do.” – Steve Jobs 2. “Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds.” – Albert Einstein 3. “The only way to do great work is to love what you do.” – Steve Jobs 4. “Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.” – Steve…

[togglesbloggle]

Evolution, Metaphor, and the Meaning of Gay Alligators

A few times recently, I’ve run across discussions about animal sex that are wrong in interesting ways.  I don’t want to derail those conversations, and I certainly don’t want to call out anybody in particular, so I’m branching off here- but the most recent one was in the notes about the discovery (original paper) that most alligator sex is between two males.

Anyway, a not-uncommon element of these discussions is for somebody to frame animal homosexuality as ‘confusion’, particularly with simpler animals.  The idea behind this isn’t too tricky: it proposes that the animal’s sexual instinct is functionally oriented towards (or intended for) heterosexual coupling and reproduction, but that the perceptions and processing power of the animal’s brain are too limited to reliably distinguish between the sexes.  As a result, simpler animals of the same sex may occasionally copulate with one another by accident, as one of the failure modes along the way to biological reproduction.

If you are a card-carrying member of the Tumblrati, the word ‘heteronormative’ might well be in your brain already, and fast approaching your tongue.  You might be building an argument about how sexuality has social as well as reproductive functions, that a lack of human imagination doesn’t prevent evolution from building towards homosexuality for its own reasons, and anyway human sociolinguistic concepts are a lousy fit for animal behavior.  These are pretty good arguments, but I’m asking you to pause that line of thought briefly; it’s not where I’m going.

Animals confound us in an interesting way: their agency is without question, but their sapience is limited, and we struggle to imagine ‘what it’s like to be an alligator’ for that reason.  What is it like, after all, to be conscious but not self-aware?  So when we ask ourselves why an animal does what it does, we tend to use evolution as a way to paper over that gap, and say “well, the alligators must be having sex in order to reproduce and succeed as organisms.”  Persistently, in odd and elaborate ways, we make this assumption that animals are themselves pursuing adaptive fitness in a way that’s much more direct than humans do, as if natural selection were a motive for animal behavior and not just an explanation for it.

This is the deeper and more interesting error that I’m trying to chew on.  The ‘mistake’ theory of animal homosexuality assumes that animals are motivated to pursue biological reproduction, not because of what we know about them as individuals or as a species, but because of what we know about the forces that produced them.  This assumption gets silently made in the case of alligator sex in part because we often make this assumption, it’s nearly our default way of thinking about these things.  

I’m very sympathetic to this error!  Biology and especially anatomy is our go-to example of purpose in nature; questions like “what are your lungs for?” have obvious (if surprisingly sophisticated) answers.  Behavioral instincts are a little more complicated, but it’s still kind of the same thing- we can cogently talk about the reasons why we shiver when we’re cold, for example.  And every time we have this conversation, natural selection is looking over our shoulder waggling its eyebrows at us.  This kind of language can be very, very misleading, inviting a slip from “we <are born with an involuntary reflex to> shiver in the cold because it helps us survive,” to “we <agentically prefer or choose to> shiver in the cold because it helps us survive.”  It’s practically designed to trip us up like this.

I think this happened in our language because of the theological fights around evolution in the early days of its discovery.  You know how it was- Darwin, the monkey trials, all that nonsense.  Natural selection accounts for biological diversity and the seeming-purpose of natural forms in a way that requires no conscious designer (or Designer), and so what might have been a purely scientific discovery also ended up blowing a hole in the social and religious functions that that sense of purpose provided- and was called upon, in some ways, to fill that hole again.  Evolution got smooshed into a sort of theological shape, and now we have the sort of culture where the phrase “evolutionary imperative” feels like it makes sense to us instead of being an obvious contradiction in terms.

That theological shape comes back again and again when we try to speak poetically about natural selection, because it’s always lurking very shallowly under the surface.  In these failure modes, we talk about natural selection in almost filial terms, a generative entity that hangs out in a workshop occasionally holding up new animals for our perusal; it’s hiding behind Kipling’s ‘gods of the copybook headings’, NRx’s ‘gnon’, Scott’s ‘Goddess of Cancer,’ and so many others.  I did it a little bit myself, not three paragraphs ago!  I called evolution “a force that produced them,” like it was some sort of creator-deity sculpting gay alligators out of clay.  Like “what evolution wants” is something that a person can talk about…

Metaphors and language are hard, but I’ve been trying to think a lot lately about how to build a story about evolution in my head that doesn’t have this problem.  Something passive, you know?  Something that doesn’t have the property of being a designer, doesn’t tempt us into treating ourselves and the organisms sharing our world as if we were all agents of some Lovecraftian entity.

I’m not entirely satisfied with my answer just yet, but for now, I’m trying to let evolution be a labyrinth.  It’s filled with twisting corridors and strange rooms, dead ends and loops, and terrible, deadly traps.  It’s unfathomably large, and mostly empty- even though trillions and trillions of us have explored this maze, we’ve only really seen a small part of it, and out beyond the edges of our knowledge, there’s still mile after endless mile of quiet, dark corridors that have never known a footfall.  

It’s not a comforting place, and even though we were born here, it’s not really home; it’s not something built for us, or one that’s especially concerned with our wellbeing.  But the thing about this labyrinth is that most of the rooms have prisoners in them, strange and unfamiliar beings held in stasis and waiting for the door to open so they can spring into life and begin their own wandering.  And this is a treasure of a kind, if you want to see it that way; not wooden chests full of gold coins, perhaps, but something new and beautiful all the same.  And if that’s not reason enough to explore the maze, to go out beyond the relative safety of the room you were born in- then, well, there’s always the rumors that there’s a real exit, hidden somewhere among the twisting corridors.

It’s… not bad, I guess?  The metaphor has its uses.  

I think it does a decent job of capturing and illuminating lots of our moral intuitions; bioconservatism (and to a lesser extent, social conservatism) as a refusal to explore the maze, rejecting the insane dangers of exploration and the questionable rewards of the search and instead preferring to stay at home in the room where we were born– still trapped in the labyrinth, but at least alive, at least for a while.  It shadows that position with the correct amount of irony, reminding us that human existence follows from a four-billion-year history of discovery, adaptation, and mutation by nonhuman organisms; it reminds us that the discovery of human beings came at a terrible cost for those who came before us.  And importantly, it allows any given organism to be a thing-in-itself.  Sure, life originates in certain places and certain patterns according to the latent shape of the labyrinth (though my metaphor isn’t very good at describing that shape…), but it’s free to act as it prefers, and live or die by those choices.

My hope, anyway, is that by dwelling on this metaphor, and stepping back from all the talk about creators and purposes and imperatives, you’ll find it easier to see what ought to have been fairly obvious to us: alligators have gay sex because they think the other alligators are sexy, and they want to have sex about it.

The questions that follow after, like “why do alligators find each other sexy?,” are also important!  It is vital to learn as much about the shape of this labyrinth as we can, the better to traverse it safely, to explore it comprehensively, and maybe even to find the exit.  But those are different questions, and conflating them can only lead to confusion.  We must begin by acknowledging that we and our fellow-travelers on Earth do not exist for the sake of natural selection, and that any willful concessions to it are strategic, not moral.  The creatures all around us- human and otherwise- carry their own motives and their own reasons within themselves.  To live in the world as it is, we have to confront that radical pluralism head on, and not try to wipe it away by pretending these are all just masks over some domineering force of nature puppetting them towards inscrutable ends.

[sunshinesmebdy]

Weekly Business Newsletter: Strategic Insights and Astrological Guidance

June 16 — June 22, 2025

This weekly newsletter is designed to provide business owners with strategic insights, aligning daily operations with the week’s astrological transits. Each day offers a unique energetic landscape, providing opportunities for thoughtful decision-making and effective implementation.

Monday, June 16, 2025: Embrace Innovation and Intuition

This Monday, the Moon’s transition from Aquarius to Pisces, coupled with its trine to Jupiter in Cancer, fosters a dynamic blend of innovative thinking and heightened intuition. This period encourages visionary approaches and empathetic decision-making, setting a positive tone for strategic growth.

Daily Business Application and Implementation Tactics

Foster Innovative Solutions: Leverage the Moon in Aquarius to brainstorm unconventional and innovative business strategies and marketing plans. This is an ideal time to apply unique ideas, especially in technology, internet-based businesses, or creative fields.

Trust Your Intuition: As the Moon enters Pisces at 2:08 PM EST, allow your intuition and emotional intelligence to guide your decisions, softening purely logical approaches. This transit enhances openness to new ideas and supports compassionate leadership.

Capitalize on Growth Opportunities: The harmonious trine between the Moon in Pisces and Jupiter in Cancer promotes optimism and expansion in professional pursuits. Focus on strategic growth and networking, balancing intuitive insights with practical considerations for enhanced success.

Tuesday, June 17, 2025: Harmonious Communication and Practical Action

Tuesday brings a focus on emotional intelligence and efficient execution, with the Moon in Pisces trine Mercury in Cancer, the Moon in Pisces sextile Venus in Taurus, and Mars entering Virgo. This alignment supports profound negotiations and detailed, methodical work.

Daily Business Application and Implementation Tactics

Enhance Communication and Negotiation: The Moon in Pisces trine Mercury in Cancer facilitates smooth communication and emotional understanding. This is an excellent time for profound negotiations, harmonious interactions, and intuitive decision-making in business.

Strengthen Relationships and Customer Relations: The Moon in Pisces sextile Venus in Taurus fosters harmony in emotional and social contexts, benefiting relationships. Leverage this energy to improve interpersonal interactions, enhance customer relations, and make thoughtful, harmonious decisions by blending intuition with practicality.

Implement with Precision: With Mars entering Virgo, direct your energy towards efficiency, precision, and practical action. This transit encourages a detail-oriented and methodical approach, enhancing productivity and strategic planning in career projects. Focus on self-improvement and practical solutions.

Wednesday, June 18, 2025: Creative Solutions Amidst Potential Confusion

Wednesday’s transits, including the Moon in Pisces sextile Uranus in Taurus, Jupiter in Cancer square Neptune in Aries, and the Moon entering Aries, suggest a day for imaginative problem-solving alongside potential ambiguities.

Daily Business Application and Implementation Tactics

Seek Innovative Breakthroughs: The Moon in Pisces sextile Uranus in Taurus promotes originality, imagination, and mental independence. Embrace innovative and emotionally intuitive approaches to unlock creative problem-solving and growth opportunities, welcoming change and unconventional strategies.

Navigate Uncertainty with Vigilance: Jupiter in Cancer square Neptune in Aries can blur the lines between dreams and reality, potentially causing idealization and confusion. Focus on clear communication and remain adaptable. Avoid over-optimism and be vigilant against unrealistic expectations.

Initiate New Ventures Boldly: As the Moon enters Aries at 7:07 PM EDT, you will experience a surge in courage and an entrepreneurial spirit. This is an opportune time to initiate new business projects, embrace bold risks, and pursue leadership roles.

Thursday, June 19, 2025: Strategic Empowerment and Communication Challenges

Thursday features the Moon in Aries sextile Pluto in Aquarius, alongside challenging squares from the Moon in Aries to Mercury in Cancer and Jupiter in Cancer, and a conjunction with Saturn in Aries. This day emphasizes strategic empowerment while highlighting potential communication and emotional tensions.

Daily Business Application and Implementation Tactics

Leverage Transformative Energy: The Moon in Aries sextile Pluto in Aquarius encourages deep emotional insight and transformative energy. Focus on strategic empowerment, resourceful problem-solving, and utilizing organizational skills, especially in leadership and public service. Integrate your deepest desires into practical actions for growth.

Mindful Communication: The Moon in Aries square Mercury in Cancer creates tension between impulsive emotions and cautious communication. Practice patience and clear communication to navigate potential misunderstandings and inner conflict.

Balance Ambition with Patience: The Moon in Aries square Jupiter in Cancer challenges balancing sensitive emotions with expansive impulses, potentially leading to overreach or impatience. Avoid overcommitment and remain attentive to emotional cues for effective strategic decision-making.

Structured Approach to Challenges: The Moon in Aries conjunct Saturn in Aries signifies emotional intensity combined with disciplined ambition. Manage responsibilities carefully, avoid impatience, and face restrictions with a structured approach. This transit offers an opportunity to refine strategies through perseverance and realistic assessment of obstacles.

Friday, June 20, 2025: Stability and Practicality

As the Moon enters Taurus on Friday, the focus shifts to stability, practicality, and deliberate action in business decisions. This period is ideal for building solid foundations and focusing on sustainable growth.

Daily Business Application and Implementation Tactics

Prioritize Stability and Sustainability: Embrace strategies that prioritize stability and sustainability, avoiding impulsive actions. This is a favorable time for substantial and material actions that yield solid results, particularly financial activities.

Focus on Long-Term Investments: Grounded investments and long-term planning are favored. Exercise patience for returns, as persistence and reliability are key to success.

Incubate New Ideas: Use this period to create new business ideas or incubate new plans, leveraging the peaceful and grounded Taurus energy.

Saturday, June 21, 2025: Actionable Growth and Emotional Shifts

Saturday brings a blend of practical action, intuitive insights, and intense emotional dynamics with the Moon in Taurus trine Mars in Virgo, quintile Mercury in Cancer, conjunct Venus in Taurus, and square Pluto in Aquarius.

Daily Business Application and Implementation Tactics

Implement Plans with Precision: The Moon in Taurus trine Mars in Virgo fosters practical, steady energy and assertive action. This is an excellent time for implementing plans, refining operations, and boosting productivity with calm determination and attention to detail.

Blend Intuition with Logic: The Moon in Taurus quintile Mercury in Cancer supports strong instincts and practical decision-making by blending practical, steady emotions with sensitive, intuitive communication. Leverage insightful business hunches for wise strategic decisions.

Enhance Financial Security and Relationships: The Moon in Taurus conjunct Venus in Taurus signifies financial security and fulfillment, boosting relationship harmony. Focus on stability, comfort, and material growth, leveraging increased charm and attractiveness for networking and client interactions.

Embrace Transformative Change: The Moon in Taurus square Pluto in Aquarius signifies intense emotional tension and power struggles affecting business stability. Challenge rigid patterns, reassess control dynamics, and remain open to transformative change for growth and resilience.

Sunday, June 22, 2025: Adaptability and New Beginnings

Sunday brings a mix of intuitive communication, sudden changes, challenges in balancing emotions and ambition, and a shift towards enhanced communication and adaptability as the Moon enters Gemini.

Daily Business Application and Implementation Tactics

Foster Empathetic Communication: The Moon in Taurus sextile Mercury in Cancer promotes emotional understanding and effective communication. Emphasize empathetic dialogue and practical planning to enhance collaboration and decision-making outcomes.

Adapt to Sudden Changes: The Moon in Taurus conjunct Uranus in Taurus signals sudden changes impacting financial stability and material resources. Be ready to adapt strategies, explore unconventional revenue streams, and leverage breakthrough ideas for competitive advantage.

Balance Ambition with Emotional Security: The Sun in Cancer square Saturn in Aries creates tension between emotional security and assertive ambition. Adopt disciplined, structured approaches to manage responsibilities and overcome obstacles. This period highlights the necessity for resilience and careful decision-making.

Embrace New Projects and Partnerships: As the Moon enters Gemini, benefit from enhanced communication, adaptability, and intellectual curiosity. This is an ideal time to initiate new projects, renegotiate collaborations, and explore new partnerships. Focus on clear self-expression and strategic financial planning.

[galaxyspeaking]

hi!! i just wanted to say your work has been such an inspiration to me for such a long time. the colors, the composition, the storytelling, everything is so beautiful. i’m actually also really interested in going into visdev and comic arts, but the school i am currently attending does not actually offer such related courses. seeing that you were in a similar position in the past, if its not too much of a bother, i was wondering if you had any advice on how to self-learn the skills needed in those industries and build a portfolio! tysmm!

Hi Anon!! That is so kind of you to say, truly! I deeply appreciate it <3.

I have actually been thinking about your question for a couple days now because I wanted to answer it the best way I could.

I think it's difficult for me to give advice on this because I started working 10 years ago and it was a completely different landscape then, both in terms of what the industry and social media were like! So I wanted to be truthful and preface this with a warning that what worked for me at the time might not be replicable now >.<.

I think something that will hopefully be more accessible to you now than it was for me at the time will be online courses and tutorials. I would say for visdev (I am not knowledgeable enough about comics to talk about them, so I hope that's okay) what you generally need to learn about are: color, light, perspective, composition. If you have disposable income, there might be paying classes that you could enroll in. From memory, Nacho Molina's, Yuhki Demers', Kat Tsai's and Ty Carter's have been lauded. Learning blender seems to be a really useful skill these days. Most of my friends working in visdev have taught themselves blender in the past few years!

Re: portfolio advice I might parrot the same age-old advice but studios will want to see how you approach tasks they might give you. visdev isn't just about pretty paintings, I'd say that's actually 10% of the job. The rest of it is designing environments, props, doing lots of callout sheets for other departments. So include props, show that you're thinking of a project in context. Something I did myself and tell other people to do is to either make up a story and treat it like a movie (what would this location look like? what choices would I make to convey the emotional beat of this moment, color and shape wise?), or use an existing one to do the same (do try not to pick one that has already been adapted or done a lot by other artists).

That's mostly what I did, and I also learned on the job which unfortunately doesn't seem to be the case for juniors anymore...

I also want to acknowledge that I got to where I am right now with a combination of hard work, but also and mostly luck and slowly building a network of peers (both online and offline). I was lucky enough to share my art online and have people resonate with it, which led to building genuine friendships which I'm incredibly thankful for. I wish the same to you and I hope my rambling helps, if even a little bit!

[hoardingpuffin]

I once again have to sing the praises of "Scrooge" [2022]. It's genuinely my favourite adaption of "A Christmas Carol" and I read the original every year and have done so for ages now.

First of all: I love the cast. Luke Evans as Scrooge, Johnny Flynn as Bob Cratchitt, Fra Fee as Nephew Fred, or Harry in this version, Olivia Coleman as Ghost of Christmas Past, Trevor Dion Nicholas as Ghost of Christmas Present and Jonathan Pryce as Jacob Marley. Each of them is amazing. So are of course all the side character actors.

Secondly: I love how sassy and introverted and I do not want to interact with humans ever unless absolutely nessecary Ebenezer is. I love his little quips. He is the definition of skrunkly.

Third: The way the arrival of Marley is foreshadowed for the first chunk of the film through the blue flame and blue ice crystals, and then the detail of the coins on Marley's eyes that are also flaming blue. I love that design choice.

Fourth: Speaking of design choices - so much in this film is beautifully designed. There are chain details everywhere, on Scrooge's balcony, on his clothes, chains that are looser in his youth and tighter in age. Past, who is often depicted as a light or candle, is shaped out of yellow beeswax. Present is a glittery drag king, who turns charred and fiery as he becomes Future. It's beautiful. I am obsessed. [though they really should have done without the Cheeries/Meanies [the small creatures. They were a bit annoying and useless]

Fifth: They show Scrooge as shutting out his feelings out of habit and misguided attempts of protecting himself from the start. Even before his first song we see hints of it - him regretting docking Bob's pay as he sees Tiny Tim's coughing fit, the sadness that befalls him seeing a happy couple, the way he seems to almost punish himself with the engraving inside his pocket watch. It's not that the ghosts magically make him realize greed and antisocialness are bad, they help him onto a path of a healthier way of coping and of no longer bottling up - or chaining up, if you will - his trauma and grief and emotions.

Sixth: The way they focus on Tiny Tim. He is so central to the film, we see his impact on his family and on Scrooge, especially since he mirrors Bob, and Bob mirrors his own father, whilst Scrooge mirrors Jacob. It's a cycle that Evenezer chooses to break - and not for his own sake. Usually, he reaches his breaking point where he begs for his life when he sees his own headstone. "Scrooge" takes a different approach that I personally think is much more impactful: Scrooge reaches his breaking point when he sees Tim's grave. He begs not for his own life, he begs for Tim's. He wants to save an innocent child, knowing he has the power to do it, to protect Tim from the fate his little sister Jen and he himself suffered - and that is what he begs for the opportunity to do. This is my favourite part of the film. I feel like way too often we take the "I shall honour Christmas" part of "A Christmas Carol" too literally. It's not about Christmas. It's about empathy. Selflessness. Care. Forgiveness.

I know not everybody liked this film. I know people called it silly, childish, even "not christmassy" [which. Again. "A Christmas Carol" is not about Christmas. It takes place on Christmas.] But personally, it's my favourite adaption of the book. Even more so than "A Muppets Christmas Carol". Of course it is sillier than some adaptions, since the target audience are families with children. But silly is not nessecarily a bad thing. I think it remains faithful to the spirit [no pun intended] of the original story and does it justice. It is my favourite adaption to date.

[ofmermaidstories]

i think a barbarian bakugou au would be soooo fun because you could like. make his people plains-based??? maybe??? 🧐 like if you wanted to include dragons and also make him fearless i think having him—his people—be raised in a wide open space would be so funny, because then of course they could a) see any threat that approaches but also b) they’re also kinda sitting ducks for the dragon/s LMAO. so then you’re kinda forcing them into a thing of like, do they adapt by like, changing how they build (do they go from being above-ground tent settlers, maybe, to more permanent dwellings to then maybe starting to building into the earth, like sunken homes with defensive fences??) or do they just. conquer the dragons LMAO. if they just start like, conquering the dragons then you have a reason for bakugou to be kickass and also have a dragon 😌 like maybe by the time he’s a kid, they play a courage game of like, trying to out race one of the older, bigger dragons that’s been saddled by one of their parents or grandparents for decades—and the dragon kinda plays along, either because he thinks these tiny things are kinda amusing or because he still has that prey drive in him LMAO. 💀 anyways.

ohhh you know, maybe we could make them (Bakugou’s village) like, textile people. so tapestry weaving and whatnot, maybe for wall dividers but also now for sitting rugs and MAYBE maybe as part of the saddlery they use for their dragons, every rider gets a ceremonial rug to use under it or whatever? 🧐 and it’s gifted to them, bc it can be time consuming to make so, you know, they’re expensive and you either pay upfront or you haggle and barter with other things (a couple of spring lambs killed and dressed or a crate of the best laying six silky black hens or a bridal headdress made by someone else etc etc) so it’s like. a good present, because so much has gone into making them/getting them. 🥹 and sometimes they have really cool designs. like bakugou’s first one should be a pattern of red dragons curling around stars or something. 🥹🥹

[dankdungeonsrpg]

FF X MtG Revised

Recall Illus. Richard Kane Ferguson

First of all, a big shout out to @uncleasriel for really digging into my last design post on this! Sorry it took so long to put this next post together. I hope to answer (most) of your questions.

One line in particular really stood out to me from their post: "Does this lead to fun gameplay? Or does it slow down the game? I feel I'm trying to make Magic: the Gathering with RP elements rather than a Roleplaying Game with MtG elements"

This is an important design decision that is so easy to lose sight of. Do we want Magic to be central to the game (ie, all characters use it, this is a game about dueling sorcerers) or do we want it to a sub-system within the RPG (ie wizards have this spell mechanic, rogues and fighters have their own things going on)

Personally, I like it as a sub-system. That behooves us to be slim in our design for risk of making the game overall too cumbersome.

Buckle in. This is a long (and somewhat disjointed) post.

Fighting Fantasy Skeleton

Kjeldoran Dead Illus. Melissa Benson

I spend a lot of time in these posts talking about Magic, but let's talk about Fighting Fantasy. I did a whole video series breakdown on the system if you're interested.

But actually, let's not talk about Fighting Fantasy. Let's talk about TROIKA. As I've said before, Troika makes one extremely smart mechanical change that fixes a lot of Fighting Fantasy's issues. It reduces base Skill. This ends up making rolls matter more because in the original game a high Skill (by and large) ensures victory. Let's adapt that.

Sidenote: I've done this before with my game AZAG

So here's our stat generation:

Skill - Roll 1d3+3

Stamina - Roll 2d6+12

Luck - Roll 1d6+6

And how we determine starting spells:

9 minus your Skill Stat are how many Ability Points you have

There are 5 Colors of Magic: Black(B), Blue(U), Green(G), Red(R), and White(W)

Distribute your Ability Points among them. Putting a point in a color allows you to cast it. Also, for each point you may choose 3 Common Spells of that color

Another very good thing to look at Troika for is flavor. Troika is a weird science fantasy rpg. It communicates this through it's backgrounds. They are delightful. Ranging from Burglar to Fellow of the Sublime Society of Beef Steaks.

from TROIKA! Numinous Edition

We could make all sorts of character archetypes inspired by MtG's multiverse. Or we could just do one per color. Lots of options in this framework. Plus both settings have multi-planar themes, they just approach them very differently.

Also worth noting that Troika advises 12 Ability Points when creating a custom background. This makes sense, but I just want to dial that back a bit for testing.

Testing Set: 5th Edition

It's not just the most popular D&D edition, it's also a great MtG Core Set.

For testing, I think a core set is important to keep things simple and avoid expansion specific gimmicks, but why use 5th ed in particular? Mostly personal preference. I think it represents a good cross section of the early days of the game, which are the days I'm most interested in.

Maybe it would make the most sense to use a starter set...

Banned Cards, Rarity, and Finding Spells

So what cards do players have access to? The basic rules are:

Remove the Creatures

Remove the Artifacts

Remove the Lands and land dependent cards (Enchant Lands mostly)

Remove Bounce (Unsummon/Boomerang)

Low cost creature destruction bumps up in rarity to Rare (Terror, Pyroblast/Hydroblast)

Remove Reanimation (Raise Dead/Reanimate)

When players choose their three spells on character creation they're looking at commons.

When they find spell scrolls or spell books? Random cards! Maybe not even in a color anyone can cast. Really make it feel like opening a pack. If they're easy to find then maybe just Commons, but if its the archmages study? Gotta be Rares.

Multiple copies of Commons are fine, a couple copies of Uncommons, maybe okay. More than one Rare? I wouldn't recommend it.

Monsters

Chub Toad Illus. Daniel Gelon

As I talked about in my last post on this topic, summoning creatures slows the game down to a crawl!

They're great as enemies though! (as long as an NPC isn't summoning them)

So right now that's all I'm using them for, but in future play tests I may introduce (very) limited use of them as summons.

In terms of creature abilities, particularly those that cost mana, I'm currently ruling that GMs get a Mana Die (see A Round of Combat with: The Mana Cube below). So creatures can activate or do more later into combat.

There are obviously a bunch of edge cases, even in a core set. Honestly I'm just flying by the seat of my pants on a lot of these.

Players fighting spell casting NPCs is something I've tried a bit. Still not super worth it for enemies to be able to summon creatures but starting with minions is fine.

An evil goblin sorcerer with a Flame Spirit, a couple Mon's Goblin Raiders, and a small deck of spells was a great boss encounter!

A Tale of Two Decks

Here's a thing that may change, each spell caster has two decks: One for combat, and one for narrative.

A wizard can decide which spells from their repertoire go in which deck at the start of the adventuring day.

Combat Decks are similar to MtG

We'll get into Combat later, but you're basically just casting these spells as written. You draw, you have a graveyard, the whole thing. One rule I'm not sure on yet is what happens when this deck runs out. In some instances we've reshuffled the graveyard back into library, in others we just view the casters as depleted for spells for that combat...baring a Feldon's Kane.

This deck lends itself to the crunchy cards we may see as better outside the narrative. I'd rather have a Brainstorm in here than in deck number two.

We just don't really care much about color symbols. If you can cast Green spells and Red spells than any mana you generate (outside of an artifact) is Green or Red in any combination you choose.

Outside combat cards are Narrative Decks

This is all about flavor and role playing. You're taking about taking a card name and interpreting it.

Flashfires creates spreading flames

Stasis holds objects or creates in place

Giant Growth makes a creature big

Portent gives a sign of weal or woe

Tsunami summons a wave

Flight...well you know

In a previous post I referred to this as Miltonian Casting, citing the way spell effects work in Ben Milton's Maze Rats, although unlike that game, we're not really generating spell names on the fly, just what they do. Also, pretty sure Milton is not the first person to do this. So I'm just going to call it Narrative Casting for now.

There are some limits, most obviously that if spells are in your Narrative Deck they can't be in your Combat Deck. Also, Narrative Casting is fire and forget. This allowed me to justify Armageddon. Ongoing spells last a number of Turns (10min intervals) equal to their Mana Value. Saving throws isn't something I've tried yet, but tying that to Mana Value in some way also feels like a good first step.

A Round of Combat with: The Mana Cube

Mana Vault Illus. Mark Tedin

I tried out the Hearthstone mana method mentioned in previous posts. It worked pretty well! We used a d6 (since it's the only die type in FF) that ticks up each round to track mana for casting.

Here's how Round 1 of combat currently breaks down:

Place character sheet, any artifacts or other items you control, your Combat Spell Deck, and a d6 (Mana Die) in front of you.

Set the Mana Die to 1

Draw a card

Take an Action (This can be casting any spell, activating an Artifact, or swinging a sword. Tap cards as normal and consider yourself tapped when you're done. Remove the Mana Die if you spend your 1 mana)

Pass Turn

Subsequent Rounds:

Untap

Increase Mana Die to 1 higher than it was last round (it's like lands, so spending your 1 Mana on Round 1 doesn't mean you're starting over at 1 Mana on Round 2)

Draw a card

Take an Action

Pass Turn

You can do things like activating abilities or casting Instants whenever, as long as you have the Mana.

We were worried this would be slow, but actually the narrowing of choice helped a lot. When players started with a multi card hand and could cast with Stamina it was overwhelming. Remember, it's still an RPG. You can use your action to attack with a sword or climb a way. There's still plenty to do while you wait for your Mana Die to increase.

You may also have noticed that the Mana Die (being a d6) means players cap out at 6 mana. Yes. I may change that later but for play testing right now. It's a workable limit. Get your hands on a mana generating artifact, play a Dark Ritual, or just play Green if you want more.

Misc Rules

Pentagram of the Ages Illus. Douglas Schuler

Artifacts: They're basically just items. Find them in the word and use them as written in most cases. They're not spells so you don't draw them. They're just on your character and thus "in play" when combat starts. Outside, as with any card, we interpret narrative-ly.

Enchantments vs Auras: Currently Enchantments are what you cast on yourself and Enchant Creatures are what you cast on others. Sometimes you can cast Enchant Creature cards on yourself too...its a bit squishy right now.

Lands: Still not involved. Not that there weren't some great ideas thrown out about them, but it's just an element I don't feel comfortable incorporating yet.

Attunement: I really liked the Attunement ideas in @uncleasriel's post. It's something I want to mess with in my next play test.

What even is Banding? Scientists just don't know.

End Step

The next thing to do here is just to write this up as a play test rules doc. That probably would have been quicker than writing this whole dang post...whoops. Anywho, that's my next thing, along with another play test.

[quincywillows]

a scattered and overall supportive review of percy jackson season 1

let me just say first of all, it's extremely fun to be enthused about a tv show like this again. the adaptation isn't perfect, but it's a lot of fun, and you can tell there's plenty of heart and good intention behind what they're doing. i'm very much enjoying tuning in every couple of episodes and catching up -- and avoiding the relentless commentary of the internet while i do so lol.

but now it's time for MY commentary!! to preface, i was a huge fan of the books when i was younger, am a stalwart long-term advocate of the original five books as some of the best children's lit of our lifetime, but i also enjoyed the films a decade ago for what they were and think people (including cough rick cough) are way too harsh about them. justice for logan lerman. anyway

i'm not going to do like a play-by-play, but in summary, here are my takeaways from the first season -- what i thought worked, what did not, and things i'm optimistic about going into the future seasons.

the good

for an adaptation of the original series (which, to be fair, i have not reread in years), i felt this was honest and faithful. there were tweaks, obviously, but none that took me too out of it or felt irredeemable. there was a lot to like about this show, so i want to start right from the top with my highest highs.

the worldbuilding / production design. i absolutely loved getting to see how they imagined certain iconic characters, locations, and sequences from the books. it was so exciting to get to see camp halfblood for the first time on screen (at least, in this adaption) -- that moment in episode two definitely felt like a turning point where we picked up from the somewhat laggy pilot episode. i especially loved the design of mount olympus, aspects of the underworld (hades and his upside down castle were baller, though how did percy and grover get up there lol; and i absolutely loved the choice for asphodel and the ghosts being rooted like trees, i never would've thought of that myself but it was so chilling and unique... just wish i could see it better through the terrible lighting, but we'll come back to that), and of course, camp. even down to the small details, like the camp beads... it's just very cool to see it come to life.

the casting. i wasn't sure about some of the casting when the news was breaking, but i'm very happy to have been pleasantly surprised all around (and have majorly avoided people bitching about every single thing). there wasn't any role where i felt like someone was horribly miscast, and you could tell that everyone involved really wanted to be there and committed. i thought the casting of the gods was especially inspired at times. some of the highlights for me personally:

adam copeland as ares. i had no idea he was apparently a wrestler turned actor until my sister told me, but i thought he was absolutely spectacular. very charismatic, with just the right amount of cringefail that ares needed. i found him thoroughly enjoyable in all his scenes.

lance reddick as zeus. having just played horizon zero dawn recently, oh my lorde was this an inspired choice. he was absolutely brilliant. i'm so so sad about his passing, i don't know how they're going to recapture his performance, but i have faith now that they'll find a way.

timothy omundson as hephaestus. i love that they took a softer, more mad scientist approach to his role than like ugly basement blacksmith vibes... i just thought it was really refreshing. his scene with annabeth, where we got so much humanity from him in such a short span of time, was one of my favorite scenes of the season.

jason mantzoukas as dionysus. i mean. what else can be said. obvious choice, but he was so fun lol. i hope they give him more to do next season.

other standouts beyond the main youth cast for me were jay duplass as hades (his brief appearance in 107 was thoroughly enjoyable) and dior goodjohn as clarisse (she was by far the acting standout of the first couple episodes to me). also very happy to see jessica kennedy parker and sinclair from the 100 get work, lol.

walker as percy jackson. it was really wonderful watching walker grow as an actor even just through the first eight episodes. the difference from 101 to 108 is almost night and day. you can tell how much he cares about the project and percy as a character, and he upped his game with every episode. i cannot wait to see what he turns out in the coming seasons. to be fair, i thought all of the youth cast did a decent job, and i'm giving them a lot of leeway and room to grow since they are literally child actors -- it takes time to hone your craft, and im optimistic they're all going to do a great job as the series goes on. but walker was, definitively and thankfully as the protagonist, the standout.

charlie bushnell as luke. i was so excited when i heard he got cast because i loved him in diary of a future president, and he did not disappoint. i kind of wish he had more to do, but all of that was forgiven in the finale when he had his final confrontation with percy. oh, the acting popped off then -- i can't wait for him to get to chew up the scenery more in the coming seasons.

grover and percy's friendship. it was so sweet to see this come alive, and i thought walker and aryan had excellent natural chemistry together. they were so endearing, and i really believed their friendship basically from the start (them swapping their sandwich fillings is a tiny detail from the pilot that has stuck with me since; i just loved that choice so much). they definitely provided a lot of my favorite moments in the season, and i think evoked the most genuine "aw wow" moments from me.

percy's relationship with sally. since sally was, understandably, absent from the original novel, it was awesome to get the flashbacks here that allowed us to more deeply understand their bond. i thought walker and virginia did a great job with this, and the young actor who played little percy also did a surprisingly great job (he was actually one of the stronger youth actors in the pilot imo lol). you totally understood why percy was doing everything he was, because that mother-son bond felt believable. big shout-out to the absolutely baller line "i am sally jackson's son." one of the first writing moments where i was like oh snap!

the music. a good score really can't be understated, and this one did not disappoint. did just what it needed to do. i also loved the closing title sequence and the art direction there with the epic music -- just such a nice touch that i'm so glad they included.

some of the writing. i'll get more into some of my qualms with the writing below, but there were definitely some great moments that deserve their flowers. i thought they did a great job weaving in some early themes without being heavy-handed about it (percy having to define who he is for himself, mostly). there were some genuinely funny moments that made me laugh out loud, including "i am impertinent," annabeth's "i'm multitalented," and the entire exchange on the road side when the trio to ares are like no... we're fine... ahaha bye... oh and percy trying to drive the taxi out of the garage at the casino was absolutely hysterical.

pivotal scenes hitting their mark. when the show needed to deliver, i thought they really delivered. i absolutely loved the staging and acting in the final luke and percy confrontation -- the lighting of the fireworks was such a cinematic touch. percy's arrival at olympus and scene with zeus was also a big standout. i loved a lot of the st. louis arch episode, and thought the hephaestus golden chair sequence was really well done. overall, the episodes i thought were strongest were without a doubt 104, 105, and 108.

expansion where expansion was welcome. one of my favorite aspects of the series is how it's giving more nuance to the monsters and "villains" of the books. i loved that we got a little more motivation for alecto beyond evil -- that she clearly wanted to accomplish her own mission and retrieve the helm, whether out of loyalty or fear. i loved how medusa got much more depth and humanity, that we're sort of reexamining the fairness of how myths are told rather than just taking it all at face value. i'm really looking forward to seeing how that continues in the next seasons.

the decent

percy and annabeth. to be fair, i think my issue with this is more on the fan reaction than the show itself. i think the show is doing a decent, if somewhat awkwardly paced job, of building their friendship and offering small little hints of what could blossom in the future in classic youth awkward ways -- unexpected hugs, banter, etc. i think walker and leah are both doing a good job, and i look forward to seeing how it develops. but my god, people on the internet are really jumping the shark so hard here. i can't handle seeing more "uwu percy is in love" posts when it's like. y'all. THEY ARE 12. THEY JUST MET. LET THEM ORGANICALLY BECOME FRIENDS FIRST... i just hope the creators don't feed into that and also jump the shark. like yes, we all know where this is going, but can't we enjoy the actual journey to get there instead of forcing what isn't there yet? in any case, on the positive side, some of the moments between them i really enjoyed: the conversation on the train when grover was asleep, the hephaestus chair sequence, annabeth giving him her camp beads before going to olympus (that was a slay... that was a legendary slow burn start moment worth hyping up), the way percy smiled at her in their last scene... that's the good stuff. let's not rush through what we're getting folks. the water is fine.

lin manuel as hermes. here is the thing. i thought lin did a good job. i thought his casting was apt, and fun, and he did a great balance of hermes charisma and like, a darker edge. it's just... the thing about lin manuel is that he's lin manuel. and this is coming from someone who likes him, but it's like he shows up on screen and i'm just like. hey it's lin manuel. it's a bit of a "takes you out of the moment" stunt casting, but i'm not mad about it. i wouldn't call it a bad thing. hopefully it'll wear off (though i doubt it). i guess i'm just deciding that hermes is just lin manuel, which honestly, would kind of track.

the youth acting. mentioned this above, but again, some of that early delivery was rough. but i am giving a lot of grace, and i think they've already improved plenty in the first eight episodes. i felt the same way about shadowhunters back in the day when i thought kat mcnmara was hard to watch in season 1, but by season 3 she was my absolute favorite cast member and came so far. i have no doubt these kiddos will do the same. so very much looking forward to that.

the not so great

the pacing. this was definitely the weakest part of the story writing wise. it wasn't irredeemable, but it did hinder the first half of the show (which didn't lock in for me until about 104, when the stakes truly shot up at st. louis). and that also affected how dynamics and plot points were able to unravel. the biggest victim of this...

the luke reveal. from the start, i was worried about this. since luke was only really in episode 2, i had doubts about whether the reveal of his betrayal would be at all satisfying or earned. i don't know that i can speak on it for sure, since i knew what was going to happen as someone who read the books, but i still feel we should have gotten more of those luke-and-percy-bonding scenes and convos earlier in the series rather than tacked onto the finale as flashbacks. it worked there, but i think it could've been better. thankfully, all of that didn't hinder the delivery of the finale confrontation, which as i said, was a standout moment for me.

the fight scenes. with rare exception, i was pretty underwhelmed with many of the monster battles and confrontations this season. given that's such a huge gimmick of the novels, i hope they're able to revisit and polish up the pacing of these in the future... i just felt that scenes like the museum clash with dodds were so rushed and anticlimactic. or not even confrontations at all, like the scene with crusty. we got a bit more of this at the back half of the season, in the sword fights with ares and luke, but i wanted more of that epic feeling throughout. i'm hoping it's maybe just a budget concern and that it'll improve in the coming seasons -- especially as the bosses get bigger and the stakes get higher -- but i'm not sure i'm optimistic just yet.

some of the dialogue. it was... wooden, to say the least. i think the worst moments of this were when they were trying to force Kid Bants -- which just felt stilted in the earlier episodes -- and whenever they were explaining greek myths point blank to the audience. there were moments it worked, but many where it didn't, and i hope they flesh out how to better info dump in the future episodes. i didn't mind the change of having percy be more familiar with the myths and thus more aware, but they could afford to finesse how they relay that information to us in the audience without basically reading from wikipedia in percy's voice.

the ugly

oh my god i can't see. i can't SEE. this show went to the teen wolf academy of employing one lightbulb and it's actually criminal. there were so many scenes where i really wanted to see what was happening because the stakes were high or the scenery was so pivotal -- the entry into the underworld for the first time, the vastness of medusa's basement of stone, THE FIELDS OF ASPHODEL -- but the lighting was so god awful i legitimately couldn't see a thing. in asphodel i literally could barely see the trio's expressions, it was that bad / flat. the audience is smart, we understand it's dark out. we can suspend our disbelief so you can add some visibility to this thing. i was turning up my brightness constantly but it wouldn't go any higher. please, disney execs, rick, anyone -- GET ANOTHER LIGHTBULB. i'm losing key immersive aspects of the show to this and it's a bummer. when they were walking through waterland for the first time and annabeth was like "wow can you believe this craftsmanship" i was like i don't know, girl, I CAN'T SEE ANY OF IT. begging on my knees that they fix this next season.

well, that ended up longer than expected, but oh my gods it is so nice to be writing paragraphs about a tv show again. all in all, i'd say 7.5/10 from me in this first season. there's so much to be keen for here, and i'm really happy with how it's going so far.

friends and fellow demigods, what did we all think?

[librarycards]

i hope it's okay to ask you questions about pursuing a masters / phd ! im hoping to do my masters in a field completely unrelated to my degree ( studying graphic design but aiming for english masters ) and im just wondering the steps i'd take to ensure i'm a good masters candidate??? idk if i worded that right LOL but the last thing i wanna do is pay for my masters n that's the general consensus i see from others ty!

it's always okay, i'm happy to help as much as i can!

first - i'm not sure if i misunderstood, but do want to mention that i very rarely see someone going for a terminal master's in english. typically, people interested will either take a master's in, for example, english education, or an MFA in creative writing, or go for a phd in english. particularly if you (correctly) don't want to pay, i recommend considering a phd/fully-funded MFA which will allow you to teach as part of your funding package.

alas, now that a master's degree has become the new bachelors/less valuable in terms of prestige, most universities that offer phds consider masters degrees to be easy cash, leaving you with less advising attention, fewer teaching and research opportunities, and often, a lot of debt. i think you'd be much better positioned in an MFA (if you're a creative writer) or a PhD (if specifically interested in literary studies). so take that for what you will!

as for advice: given that you're pursuing a field separate from your undergrad field, take this time to do a couple things. first, try to hone an area of focus. it doesn't need to be perfect or exactly what you'll write a dissertation on, but admissions committees are going to be judging you more harshly than those with an english-focused undergraduate education. a specific genre, period of time, author/author group, and/or disciplinary intersection, this helps a lot, especially if you can readily reference particular authors and theorists whose work you're interested in thinking with. consider name dropping one or two in a statement of purpose, especially if you're asked explicitly to summarize your research interests. also, consider looking into schools that take GRE scores into account, and study for your essay/english GRE portion. it's not difficult, and a good score will help them know that you're ready for grad level coursework.

check out conferences (MLA, regional MLAs [these are very cozy and approachable], CCC if you're into rhetoric/comp, American Studies Association (ASA) literary-related panels) and journals open for submissions, especially those that take book reviews/criticism. what you're trying to do here is build out the portion of your CV focused on panel presentations and publications -- while these are not always required to get into grad school, they are really helpful when you're coming from a separate discipline. make no mistake, though, a website/links/portfolio of your graphic design work is also valuable here - it's a testament to your discipline, professionalism, and ability to learn. other jobs are the same way: no, your time as a barista or cashier might not be directly related to your degree, but it is still illustrative of patience, reliability, and adaptability that is necessary to success in grad school.

lastly, talk to your old professors! talk to english/humanities professors you had at some point in college, even if they weren't part of your major! depending on your closeness with them, they'll be able to write you recommendations (necessary) and offer you other tips specific to english grad programs. usually, if programs want at least 2 of 3 references to be academic; one can be an employer. professors testifying to your abilities makes a world of difference. oh, and talk to professors in the schools you're applying to, too, especially if someone works in the same fields you want to work in. read a couple of their papers and ask them about it. tell them about your situation and your goals. sometimes it takes a while for them to respond, but my responses have been overall very positive when i've done this.

i hope this helps!!

[shelandsorcery]

some left-handed gouache studies from the past week, after taking a couple months off thanks to the arm surgery and a deep fear that being bad at it would take all the fun out of it for me. painted on 12x16 paper, so I can get less mad about my wobbly left hand and focus more on larger marks and color and composition. good news! I'm not quite as bad at it as I had worried I would be, and it is mostly still very fun. bad news: not being able to draw a straight line continues to be a legit problem.

I don't know if this arm recovery stuff is interesting to anybody besides myself, but not talking about it would make me crazy, so allow me to update you on all of the weird side effects of being able to partially but largely mostly not use my dominant hand:

- as expected, I continue to attempt to use my dominant hand for things despite the fact that it: cannot hold any weight, it cannot get my fingers out of the way when I go to grab something, portions of the back of my hand and fingers are completely numb and don't notice when they bump against things, and despite the fact that I get weird nerve pain if I attempt to manipulate anything smaller than a tennis ball for any length of time

- I am most likely to thoughtlessly switch to my dominant hand in the middle of drawing or painting, in the middle of brushing my teeth, and while eating. apparently these are the three things I do where I get into a flow state.

- I am starting to confuse right and left, not so much as absolute directions, but as used to determine which way to tighten or loosen the lid on a jar or similar rotational acts that it turns out I absolutely do not have a logical structure for solving for anymore.

- I am starting to think of using my dominant hand for any purpose as "cheating", which is definitely counterproductive, but that's the ol' internalized ableism for you.

- I am more convinced than ever that our entire society has been designed to be subtly infuriating to deal with using your left hand, and there is no way anyone who is left hand dominant needs to hear my opinions on the matter, but wow. gosh. geeze.

- I oscillate wildly between being deeply deeply grateful for adaptive tools and being deeply deeply angry about their limits. again, there is nobody out there who has been using any of these adaptive tools for more than 2 months who needs to hear my thoughts on the matter, so this message is just for able-bodied people: you cannot call a tool a successful replacement for abled usage methods if it does not allow self-determination in how you use it. Microsoft, I'm looking at you and the many useful swearwords you censor when i try using your speech to text tools.

I do still really love painting, and drawing, and writing, even though they are all now very much new challenges all over again. I suspect mostly I'm just speed running the same experience many people will go through as they age of having to modify and realign their approach to their usual modes of expression and interaction and creation, which is something people have been doing for as long as society has existed, which just means I'm going to be better at it, obviously, thanks to getting this Head start

and maybe a year from now I will have the ability to hold things in my dominant right hand for more than 30 seconds, and definitely a year from now I will have a lot more precise control over my left hand, so I guess there's lots to look forward to 👍

in the meantime I will continue to paint my favorite things!

[galene-gothic]

final ask:

initials: ACK

question: what’s my future spouse’s job/career?

thank you 🤍🤍

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ What is your future spouse’s job/career?

Your future spouse is going to be involved in a field where balance and harmony are challenging to achieve. They work in a high-pressure environment or a profession that requires constant adjustment and adaptation. They’re involved in a profession that requires strong leadership and intellectual capabilities but might face issues such as miscommunication, lack of clarity or ethical dilemmas. This could point to roles in fields like law, politics or any area where strategic thinking and authority are crucial but where they may face internal or external conflicts. In the early years, they are going to or have struggled with expressing their ideas clearly and maintaining professional boundaries. They have had to or will face issues related to emotional control or assertiveness, which could affect their performance or relationships at work. I’m getting that those older than them were bitter and wanted to chew them up. There could have been a couple or a couple of friends who could not stand them in the earlier years. Not to mention, the field seems to be demanding and draining as it is. They’re likely involved in a profession that values teamwork and the application of specialised skills. Where the ability to work well with others and contribute to a collective effort is essential. It often denotes roles in fields where craftsmanship, expertise and collaborative projects are important, such as in architecture, engineering, creative industries or any profession that involves building or creating something of value. It could very well be a doctor since they’d need nurses and interns to assist them. In summary, your future spouse’s profession is in a field where intellectual and strategic skills are required but where they also need to navigate complex interpersonal dynamics and adapt to changing circumstances. Professions that involve leadership, detailed work and collaboration, such as in project management, consulting, creative design or technical fields, could align with these influences. Additionally, roles in sectors where one must manage significant responsibilities or deal with high-stakes decisions might be fitting, such as doctors, lawyers, judges. However, there’s another scenario coming through where your person could be studying to be a high skilled professional which could result in them becoming an intern which leads to them facing all these problems which is why they’ll most likely change their path. Let’s look at why they are most likely to change their path. They are going to start or have already started their career with great enthusiasm and a strong desire to learn and develop their skills. They are going to approach their role with curiosity and a willingness to invest in their growth. Despite their initial eagerness, they will encounter limitations in their role that hinders further professional development. The work environment will not fully support their learning or provide opportunities for advancement. Despite this, they are going to manage to achieve a level of success or stability in their first career. However, this stability will not entirely positive. It’s possible they feel that while they reached important milestones, the work environment became stagnant or unfulfilling over time, or was always that way to begin with. This sense of accomplishment will lead them to realize that despite their achievements, the work environment is not conducive to their personal growth and happiness. They will start valuing their own happiness and peace. They will want to be more successful, to achieve more and especially have a work environment that’s a bit more community-like. Their work will lead them to feeling really lonely and drained so it’s only understandable for them to want something else. They are going to feel disconnected from their true self or struggle with understanding their and other’s deeper motivations. They might experience a work environment that is opaque or does not foster self-reflection and personal insight.

This lack of clarity and support is going to greatly contribute to a sense of confusion or frustration about their role and future prospects, pushing them to seek a career where they can better align with their true aspirations. Your future spouse possesses strong creative and nurturing abilities, which were either underutilized or not fully appreciated in their first career. They might feel that their work environment does not or did not allow them to express their creativity or contribute in ways that were meaningful to them. In their first career, they may face difficulties related to clear communication and decision-making. They might experience a work environment characterized by poor communication, lack of transparency or emotional detachment. These issues could lead to conflicts, misunderstandings or feelings of isolation. At the end, they are going to be motivated by a vision of a more fulfilling and harmonious work environment. They are going to be inspired by the possibility of finding a career that aligns better with their values and allows them to overcome the difficulties they faced in their first career. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if they have multiple sources of income or projects going forward. I’m not getting any specifics for the second profession but it’s either going to be or is going to be similar to be a business. They will likely be in a field that requires determination and a strong will to succeed. They may face obstacles but their ability to persist and push through difficulties will be a key asset. They will have learned from past experiences and are going to be stronger and more prepared to handle any challenges that come their way. The good news is that it’s going to be prosperous and fulfilling. They will find themself doing something that offers financial security and allows them to build a solid foundation for the future. This profession will not only provide for their material needs but also contribute to their sense of accomplishment and legacy. It suggests a career where they can achieve lasting success and leave a meaningful impact. They will likely find a more harmonious and supportive work environment. They will be able to put behind any past conflicts or negative experiences from their first career, allowing them to focus on positive and constructive relationships with those they’re working with - be it bosses, clients, colleagues or subordinates. This situation indicates a fresh start where they can work collaboratively and enjoy a more peaceful professional atmosphere. There could be one group of people or one person in particular who can’t stand them though 💀. It seems so funny because they’ll feel aggressively and act like so with your person for no reason when they secretly can’t help but pick your spouse apart in order to figure them out because they will just admire them so much. They’ll have a need for self-awareness and clarity. In their second career, they’ll need to focus on connecting with their inner wisdom and understanding their true motivations. They might need to work on trusting their intuition and ensuring that their actions align with their deeper values. This process will help them make more informed and authentic decisions, ultimately leading to greater fulfillment in their career. Your future spouse will find their second career to be dynamic and exciting. They will be filled with energy and a sense of purpose, driving them to take bold actions and pursue their goals with vigor. This career will allow them to express their creativity and passion, leading to a vibrant and stimulating professional life. They may or may not receive immediate results but they’ll continue pushing until they manage to build something tangible.

🩰 Thank you for participating in my event, I would truly appreciate your feedback someday. Much love and take care 🐇

[lloydfrontera]

I got many feelings

but also half way tempted at some point to make a fan comic adaption

bc if you, who loves tged is having iffy thoughts on it. Then its concerning

But I also understand where you are going with the adapter bc it feels like their too afraid to be earnest like the text or just doesn't understand where the line is before you fuck up the story

oh my god sameeee, i know it would be a lot of work but like. i want to do it so bad xD

and tbf, i think it's precisely because i love tged that i am so critical of the webcomic. i've read this novel several times, i know the characters, i know the arcs, the development, i have a strong attachment to it! so when i feel like the webcomic isn't portraying it correctly or making fun of it i get defensive.

if i didn't love tged i probably wouldn't care that much. i'd just quietly drop it and get on with my life.

as i guess many of the readers will probably do as the webcomic continues.

it's a bit of a vicious circle.

i think there's two major kind of readers of the webcomic: those who like the characters and plot and would like a deeper read on them and those who like the humor and 'funny' faces and are happy the way the webcomic is going.

the first kind of readers are more likely to get bored with the repetitive jokes and constant mockery of the protagonist, especially when it seems like the webcomic is bent on undercutting every posssible heartfelt moment with the same joke over and over again, because they won't see the point of keep reading it if they feel like it just won't deliver the depth and character and plot development they're looking for. they'll just quietly drop it and go on about their lives looking for a more earnest and heartfelt webtoon.

and then the second kind, the ones that do like how the webcomic is adapting the novel, are ecstatic because they like the humor, they like the jokes, they think it's the height of comedy. and so they'll keep reading. they'll keep leaving comments telling the artists adapting tged that they're doing such a good work, that they're having so much fun, that they really should keep going the same way as they are.

and so they will. and more and more readers of the first kind will keep dropping the webcomic until only the ones that do think the webcomic is a good adaptation remain. and then it'll be an echo chamber of 'this is sooo funny, the faces are hilarious and all the jokes are hysterical' feedback and the artists see no reason to change their approach to the text because. clearly that's what the audience likes. isn't it.

and of course there's the third minority: me <3. who likes to suffer and just has to see how they will destroy the next arc and my favorite moments <333

it feels like their too afraid to be earnest like the text or just doesn't understand where the line is before you fuck up the story

personally i think they're too concerned trying to make every chapter instantly 'entertaining' instead of worrying about setting up a satisfying narrative. they want the immediate reward and none of the emotional and narrative set up.

coming back to the analogy of setting up dominoes. they're the kind of person who likes to set up 10 dominoes and then push them down over and over again every couple minutes, instead of spending a couple hours setting up a beautiful design to push down at the perfect moment. which isn't a bad thing but it's still a bit disappointing :/

[sarahwyland]

Coming Soon: Off The Record

Yes, friends, you read that right. 

I’m self-publishing Off The Record!  

While this novel started off as a ‘Chilling Adventures of Sabrina’ fan fic, it has turned into one of my favorite pieces for a myriad of reasons. It’s the story that got me back into writing. It’s the story that fell from my brain as I navigated the complexities of grief and relief that came with my mom’s passing. I started writing this story the night before her funeral. I published the first update a couple of days later with no idea that I was stepping into a community that welcomed my quirky stories with open arms. I made friends, became a better writer, and also read some great pieces by others. 

When I started thinking about self-publishing, Off The Record was always going to be the first one up. I’ve adapted the story. The characters have new names, a few different characteristics and relationships. It’s set in Blowing Rock, North Carolina, the perfect little mountain town for a serial killer and a detective looking for a reprieve from his demons. If you’ve never read the CAOS Off The Record, you’ll likely never know this was a fan fic back when. 

I’ll share things like cover reveals and release dates in the coming weeks. I’m deep in edits and I need to design a cover and if we’re being honest here, I’m still figuring out how to self-publish. I’m a big fan of the “F**k around and find out” approach to things, so that’s what we’re doing - figuring it out, step by step. 

I’m immensely nervous to share this. It’s scary enough to post something as a fan fic. It’s terrifying in a way that I have no words to express to self-publish without any professional knowledge and put your work out there to purchase. 

We’re doing it though. 

And we’re excited. 

More to come. 

Meanwhile, welcome to Blowing Rock.

[okthatsgreat]

hiiii could you talk about billie and andi a bit? i absolutely love the vibes

RRAAGHJHG YES I CAN TALK ABOUT THEM!!! 💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥 i love you whoever this is btw. and also very unfortunately i cant tell you as much as i would like bc both of them are being used in an rp im running and the people in the rp FOLLOW ME 😭

its set in the year 2006 !! but like. a parallel universe where technology is considerably more advanced. here are their actual references :]] ill ramble under the read more LMFAO

BILLIE LANE is the ultimate lucky student from weston, florida. this killing game is comprised of primarily former ultimates (age 18-40), however billie is the youngest participant of the bunch at 15!! and she is the most fifteen year old girl of all time. shes awkwardly polite and can get a bit judgemental even if it is well intentioned, and is dealing with a whole lot of teenage angst (<- undiagnosed mental health issues 😔). shes a character created to be adaptable in the rp, meaning she is VERY susceptible to the more charismatic presences and will often pick up traits and phrases she hears from them, and shape what she believes to be right and wrong around the people she trusts. and when she thinks something is right or wrong, she is STUBBORN about it!! even if shes awkward, she despises feeling helpless because of her age and has a very strong sense of justice! :0

billie considers herself to be extremely unremarkable and desperately wants to stand out, which leads her towards a more alternative style (featuring clothes she sees in magazines and tv shows). she is soooooo painfully aware that she has no talent, which further plays into this debilitating feeling of helplessness shes been experiencing for the past few years lol. shes got a whole ton of hobbies but they never last long-- recently its been button collecting :]

ANDI my best friend andi is an artificial intelligence designed alongside the virtual reality experience the cast is in!! she uses a female interface when talking with the houseguests and was designed to be and LOOK as approachable as possible, with a blue colour scheme (the company she works for is called New Waters lol) and an ever changing rotation of hotel clerk outfits. it is extremely polite and helpful, and holds very little bias towards quite literally anything. they're also the sole rule enforcer of the simulator, with a very strict internal law that they follow wholeheartedly. so hopefully nobody 😋 fucks with that internal law 😋 because that could mean bad things 😋

very very unfortunately i cant go in depth with her just because a LOT of andi is a spoiler to the people in the rp but ASK ME AGAIN IN A COUPLE OF DAYS!!!!!! 😁😁😁

THANK YOU FOR ASKING I LOVE TALKING ABOUT MY GUYS MWAH <33

[bloobluebloo]

Recently discovered that one of ToTK’s writers worked on skyward sword and I have a feeling that’s why the story went from “slightly darker majora’s mask” to “botw mixed with skyward sword” and in all honesty it explains why Ganondorf was written the way he was.

Bro probably saw people misunderstand the Demise curse and went “Alright, no. You see Ganondorf is the way he is, not becasuse of Demise, but because of his own upbringing, his selfish heart, and this crusty ass mfer.” Bro wanted to make a Proto-Ganondorf and tripped the finish line, and the worst part is that I conceptually understand what he was going for.

Are you speaking about Fujibayashi? If so, he directed Skyward Sword, Breath of the Wild, and Tears of the Kingdom (and I should mention he also directed Oracle of Seasons/Oracle of Ages, Four Swords, and the Minish Cap). If you look at his main titles, there is a sense that he likes to tell stories that are heavily intertwined with the idea of fated destiny, of being born into a role and having to fulfill said role. His game design philosophy is making the fundamental rule set very clear to the player, and I sense that this is also the way he approaches story telling (very clearly defining in no uncertain terms who is the hero and who is the villain). So when it comes to Ganondorf's writing, considering all this, I am not surprised, but there are other things to consider that I had pointed out even before TotK came out. Considering that TotK did start out as a BotW DLC that they eventually adapted into an entirely new game, I had already sensed that there were some core tenants they would keep (being able to retrieve story bits in any order one wanted, the freedom to tackle the final boss immediately, making the story secondary so that the player had the ultimate freedom to do whatever they wanted without any sense of urgency from the game etc). In other words, Ganondorf himself had to be at least basic enough that should you decide to rush him immediately you would get a sense of who he was without having viewed any of the story. What I didn't expect is for them to keep him that basic throughout the entire story lmao, but going back to the sort of trend I see in Fujibayashi games, I am not surprised that he made Ganondorf the way he is. TotK Ganondorf speaks as if he is not even human, as if he is destiny manifest and always meant to have been this Demon King that would destroy everything in his path with no other motivation save for bottomless ambition. There is no real acknowledgement of the fact that he had an entire life before this, a couple of decades at least, where he must have lived what would be a normal life for a Gerudo chief. If he had always been evil, you would think that the people of Hyrule would know at least something about it, especially Rauru. It feels like it does come out of nowhere for him. Zelda also falls under this issue in a different way; no matter what her interests are, what her personal priorities are, when destiny calls the noble thing for her to do is for her to answer to it and become what it demands of her. Again, it goes back to the entire idea of destiny, that you are born fated with a certain role and you will fulfill it. I'm not here to say Aonuma directed LoZ games that had more complexity, but I feel like he added a human element to his storytelling that didn't necessarily tie everything back to destiny and being forced to follow fate. At the end they still fulfilled their roles mandated by destiny, but there was a personal element to their character that sort of allowed them to fall into their roles rather than just, ya know, being put into the role because that is their role. It's funny because in some ways Demise had more personality than Ganondorf; at least he sought to have his demon tribe inhabit the surface and wipe out Hylia and her people which is at least *something*. In any case, different directors have different approaches and to be frank, so long as Fujibayashi directs LoZ games I'm going to expect more of this ahaha.

[leia-organaa]

Okay so I’m back and only a really spectacular piece of media could bring me back to fandom life. I’m talking about Moving (무빙) (2023). Warning: spoilers ahead.

Wow, this show. So, so, so good. I know the whole teenagers with superpowers and protective parents vs evil shady government/bad guys thing has been done before in different ways, but this one still felt so refreshing in its approach. Why? I don’t know. Maybe I’m biased towards kdramas, but there’s something about this show that its western predecessors like Heroes and Stranger Things etc. don’t have, and I think it is its distinct cultural and political identity that makes it unique.

To be honest, I didn’t catch the show when it was initially released last year because life caught up to me, and I regret not being there during its height of popularity. I just binged it in two days during a holiday break because the Baeksang nominees came out recently, and got curious because of the list. I have no regrets losing sleep over it. It was genuinely exciting and heart-wrenching, and so beautifully made. Thank you, Disney+, for the big budget, and for letting Kang Full adapt his work.

Anyway, I don’t really want to make a whole essay about how good the show was so I’ll just list down my thoughts and ramblings.

Jo In Sung is gorgeous. I already knew that prior to this show but he makes such an excellent Doosik, a smooth and dangerous spy with superpowers, who can be tender and romantic at the same time.

Han Hyo Joo — love her. So pretty as a spy, and to see her transform into a mousy single mother who is simply trying her best? Amazing.

Doosik and Mihyun’s storyline is my favorite. Spies who fall in love, and in the nineties? Omg. Mulder and Scully, seriously. The retro styling and production design was well done, too. Not cartoonish or obviously fake like they do in some kdramas. You can see there was genuine effort made to make it look somewhat realistic and believable to have been set during that time period. Maybe the shoulder pads and women’s blazers could have been slightly bigger, but the hair and unflattering trousers on Mihyun and Doosik’s and Juwon’s oversized coats? The filters? Excellent.

Back to their storyline. The set up was so good. The way it developed was so natural. The cutlets! Those trees! Their life together! All the tender feelings! God. What a beautiful couple. I love them. I want them to be happy. It broke my heart that their lives were stolen away from them.

There is a reason why Ryu Seung Ryong was nominated and why he is a legend. That man is a force. He is a beast. Juwon is their Wolverine. But my favorite parts are when he is being an awkward suitor then husband to Jihee and loving dad to Huisoo.

Lee Jung Ha’s smile as Bongseok can light up the world. What a sweetheart. I’m excited to see what happens next for him in the sequel (there will be a sequel, right?).

Cannot wait for Huisoo to become even more badass than she already is. If she takes after both her parents, she’d be terrifying.

Ganghoon is definitely the kind of guy I would have had a crush on at that age. Handsome, mysterious, a good son. Kind of sucks to see him turn into the very thing all the parents wanted their kids to avoid, but seems like he has the potential to be the new Doosik.

Now that I’ve read the story behind Hyewon, okay, I’m really intrigued to see where this goes.

Kim Sung Kyun as Ganghoon appa! My Reply 1988 heart.

The North-South conflict really gives the show its distinct flavor. The espionage is cool and all, but the traces of commonality give the show a lot of heart and humanity. I like how a lot of South Korean media humanize the enemy. It’s a reminder that they were one people a long time ago.

How does this have only 40-something fics on AO3????? Please, people, this deserves everything.

I had a lot more thoughts on this as I was watching but these are what stuck. I really hope to see more of these characters, hopefully soon, but I’m also interested to explore the other stories in this same universe that Kang Full has created.