#like—i don't necessarily need a reviewer to have exactly the same views as i do

[aeide-thea]

tfw you're reading a review of a book you haven't read (when we were sisters, by fatimah asghar), and can't tell whether the way it chooses to gender one of the characters—which is in tension with what's suggested by every quote it features—is justified by however the story ends, or whether it's just plain old cissexism…

[likegemstone]

just me puzzling through some issues there have been re: posting HBM online

So, HBM is posted on 4 different sites: Royal Road, Inkitt, Tapas, and Webnovel.

Episode one has now been up for *checks calendar* 3 months and 10 days. According to the analytics from each of those sites, HBM has been viewed, across all sites: 1,893 times. Now, each new chapter counts as a new view, so it hasn't been 1,893 people, but only Inkitt shows me the views on each chapter (as far as I can tell) so idk exactly how many people just pulled up the first chapter or whatever and then bounced. Royal Road says the average views are 21 (out of the total views on that site of 494) but I don't know enough about math anymore to be able to properly interpret/estimate how many people actually finished all the chapters. Anyway, none of that really matters

What matters is: of all 1,893 views across all four sites, HBM has gotten exactly 7 comments.

6 are from the same person, the fiancee of one of my best friends who read the story as a favor to said best friend. The other comment is from me replying to one of her comments LMAO

Although all four sites allow and encourage reviews of stories, it has gotten no reviews, nor any ratings.

I'm going to assume, if only for my own sanity, that this is very normal. That readers in this day and age on these sites are not inherently inclined to comment/like/review/rate random stories they read, even if they did enjoy them enough to read all the way to the end of Episode One. That if there isn't some other factor (like being my bestie-in-law) to nudge them toward actually engaging with the story, they won't.

Part of it is also an issue of how I posted Ep 1 I think. I, for the most part, just dumped the whole thing on there at once when, from what I've seen, it would have been much smarter to update one chapter per day until the whole episode was out. However that's more factoring in to bringing in new readers, not necessarily getting readers to engage. I think.

(This is all completely new to me and I am just theorizing for like 99% of this)

So what do I do about this? Aside from just post more of the story (which I will be doing soon, hopefully!) and hoping that as people get to know the characters and the story more, they're more inclined to engage?

If I put myself in the mindset of a reader (who is not also a writer and therefore doesn't immediately then put myself in the mindset of the person who wrote what I am reading) then I think I would just not really. Think to interact with the story unless it like REALLY grabbed me and made me Feel a big Feel. I think it wouldn't even occur to me that the writer needs me. I would see myself as just a number to the writer, and I would think "oh they're just going to keep doing what they're doing no matter what I do or say, so why take the time?"

Also there's the fact that HBM is free, right? I want it to always be free if I can afford to do that because I want it to be as accessible as possible. No paywall, and if people want to and are able to support me financially then they can and hopefully will.

Some might think that readers would be like "wow this person is offering something they have sunk years of their life into for free I am so grateful for that, I should do what I can to show that appreciation and let them know I support what they're doing!" but in fact it's the Free element that emphasizes this kinda mentality that it's just. It's just content, right? It's just online content and I am just a number. I don't matter to the writer.

It's weird how that works. But I totally get it because I am totally that way with, for example, video content. Like there's that whole "like comment and subscribe if you like this video!" thing and that always felt so impersonal and like the youtuber or whatever was just saying it because other people always said it and they didn't even actually care about the comments/feedback they were just trying to play to the algorithm so it didn't actually matter if I did those things. I just always saw it as a creator trying to increase their numbers because "bigger number better person" and all that.

Okay so what do I do with all of this that I've just talked through?

Wait I'm going to reblog this with further commentary that is not under the cut and I don't know if it will show up like I think it will but let's give it a try

[archivalofsins]

This is just a note before the Mikoto thing. Though it's been something eating at me for a while since everything happened and I just feel like I need to say it here before doing anything else.

At the end of the day I’m just a person with my own experiences and beliefs. All of which create the lens I view the world through. The point of theorizing to me isn't to be completely right but to engage with a media one enjoys in a new and innovative way. I am not trying to be a prophet and if I turned out to be that would be boring.

If anyone believes that anything I state within my theories is wrong that’s all well and good. In fact, I encourage people to form their own opinions. Especially if those people are willing to remain open-minded and interrogate the factors within their lives that would lead them to have those beliefs/form those opinions. Though that's not mandatory, just what I would find to be the most favorable outcome. Because I enjoy people getting to know themselves better more than anything.

This may be a surprise to some people but even I don't think I'm completely right. Even, I’ve gone well, maybe it’s not that deep. Even bigger shocker half of the conclusions I come to within my theories I came to while writing out my theories over the course of looking over the information further. People’s opinions change and develop over time and as new information presents itself. It’s up to each person to decide whether that change will be for the better or worse. I don’t think remaining closed-minded and stuck in one's ways is a good thing. However, I know it can be a comfortable thing. So, I can personally understand why some people would not like the conclusions I’ve drawn throughout most of my theories.

However, this is a labor of love. I’m rather sure people would have some misgivings around messaging a Milgram fan artist about not liking how they draw or leaving a long-winded review on a fanfic just to go to great lengths to explain why you disliked it. I’m not claiming that people don’t do these things just that the people who do are viewed as rude individuals and it is usually considered more appropriate to just leave well enough alone unless someone is doing something incredibly problematic that has resulted in real people being victimized in some way. At which point it is great to warn others about the individual and what they do if it can actively cause harm.

However, most fan works don’t actively cause harm to anyone and theories about fictional works are on the bottom of the list of things that can cause real world harm. I’m a proud believer in an eye for an eye and admittedly restraining myself to the extent that I have for such a long period of time is a testament to my own character but not necessarily a good one.

Even though I suspect I could very well do the same thing to someone else at any time. Knowing for certain that even if I couldn't do that I could at least test if this happened the way I believe it happened I still haven’t done anything. I literally have suspicions about who did it and even I’m like nah that’s going too far nobody deserves this. They especially don’t deserve it over just enjoying something in the different way than I do. Their enjoyment isn’t hurting me even though I’ve been hurt do the right thing let it go because the price of knowing is higher than the price of doing nothing.

Would you really want someone to have to go through this. No, yay I passed the good person test. But also, fuck being a good person. Being a good person in this regard isn’t fair to me. It doesn’t make the situation resolve itself faster. Hell, it doesn’t even make feel better. It’s just constantly sitting here like I know exactly how to get revenge but apparently, I’m just too much of a coward to even do that.

Like I personally don’t view that as an honorable thing to do. Just suffer in silence fuck that. I’m the first person to go hey take everybody down with you man ya’ll all here we can go into the ground together. Then I think man how sad would that be, how insecure would I have to be with myself and my own opinions to get that heated over someone’s personal view of a fictional work.

How unhappy of a person would I have to be to see someone enjoying themselves and go no you stop that when minding my business was right there? I think harassing someone for how they enjoy something, especially in the fandom built around fictional murderers is kind of something no one here should have the audacity to do. Just to then go defend fictional murderers sometimes on the basis that they’re hot alone.

Like I’ve said it before, and I will keep saying “People who dig through garbage shouldn’t complain about the smell.” If anyone here is under the delusion that they are better than anyone else or enjoying Milgram the right way here’s a reality check, YOU ARE IN THE FICTIONAL MURDERER FANDOM. As much as I love Milgram which is a lot people have gotta admit there’s a reason others stay away from it or find the concept too dark even by normal anime standards.

People within this fandom and any fandom are lucky enough to find other people who enjoy the same thing they do. Others that are just as passionate about it as them. Even luckier to have good fan artists, fic writers, theorists, people who translate the minigrams and voice dramas. Many people who put their passion and love for the series on full display for some to still go hey, hey no not like that though.

Even doing the same with the creators of the thing going on about how they translated their own songs incorrectly. The fanbase instead of building upon what was given sometimes actively works to tear down what's there. Which is all fine and dandy if that's what's enjoyable to some.

Yet sometimes it seems like some of the people here will never be satisfied at anyone’s hard work even the fucking people who created the thing. Right now, Milgram is on the precipice of going the way of so many other media because of its fanbase. Being hated and disliked solely because, “Man, I wanna like it but the fandom is just so toxic you know and I-I just can’t look past that I don’t want to get  involved in that sort of thing. Like it feels like the only way I could enjoy it is by myself, so I’ll just wait until it’s over. I’ll come back when it’s over.”

Which would be fine with any other fandom, but Milgram expressly wants audience involvement and I think it’s a terrible thing that the very thing they wanted is going to be its downfall in a way. It's like if the Unus Anus fandom was like no you can't watch it you don't get it but in that case you literally can't just come back when it's over. Because that was the purpose of it creating something that ends and disappears and uploading the videos after that would be a direct contradiction of the project!

Like I get it we don’t all have to get along or be chummy but actively harassing others over how they enjoy something… Look, I’ve waited for someone to explain to me how it’s okay for someone to get my main blog sent to the shadow realm basically, all over theories. How it’s alright for people to lament about some folks in the fandom not deserving to be able to vote.

Again, something that the series encourages and actively wants people to do. So, this is directly against the core premise of the series. Like, if I just bothered Milgram fan artists whose art I personally didn’t enjoy or messaged fic writer’s about certain character depictions of theirs I didn’t like explaining in length why I did not like them and how they should write it instead that would be rightfully viewed as harassment.

However, when it comes to theorists it seems as though anything goes in this fandom no holds barred. So, instead of feeling the need to send me an ask going oh ho, ho but see if you play MeMe at 10:06 pm the time that aligns with Mikoto’s date of birth on a Monday the day of the week Mikoto was born you'll see a completely different scene after the credits of the video that blows his case wide open.

Okay great you write an essay on that, you make a theory and leave me alone I've been through a lot at this point and I don't have the patience. Take everything I say with a grain of salt if you want to. Unless you're willing to put in the same amount of fucking time and effort I did- Which by the way if the people who do bother others like this were doing that bothering anyone wouldn't even need to be a part of that process at any point. Like my opinion and everyone else's is already here you can just take it and write your own counter theory completely debunking everything I said with our paths never needing to cross.

Bothering anyone isn't gonna prove your point because you haven't worked to make one you just dislike theirs. Which in and of itself is fair, but at what point did the person they disagree with knowing that become a priority?

I am not being nice about this anymore. This fandom has displayed an overbearing toxicity that is counterproductive to what Milgram as a project seeks to accomplish. Something that’s incredibly funny given most of the people here agreed that cyberbullying over a stolen hat design was unforgivable but harassing people over theories about stories totally okay.

Does it have to get to the point it did with Futa for people in this fandom to understand this sort of behavior isn't good. That creating this sort of intolerant fandom space is bad actually. Personally, I don’t need an inviting fandom space I’m an adult with multiple friends who I can discuss this with in real life for hours. However, there are a lot of people younger than me in this fanbase who deserve to have a good experience with it.

Budding new artists, fic writers, people who for all I know this fandom could be their first experience when it comes to being in fandom spaces. So, I’m pleading with the Milgram fandom to at least make a more inviting space for those people and for everyone to recognize whether your favorite Milgram character is voted Guilty shown to be horrid later down the line or the one you hate the most is voted Innocent does not matter more than the positive experiences you could create, can, and will have with people in this fandom.

People who you'll probably meet through this fandom. It doesn’t have to go the way of worse fandoms. There doesn’t need to be this hostility. This can be fun even when our opinions conflict or the verdict we personally want isn’t the one that wins. I’m not above displaying my own toxicity or putting my bias on full display every once and a while. So, I'm definitely not saying this from a place of superiority.

I’m sure there have been people whose feelings were genuinely hurt by some of my opinions or who just don’t like me. Yet, I’m not forcing anyone to see me or my posts. I’m just talking about what I enjoy and tagging it correctly to look back on later. Me discussing my interests in a way I find enjoyable shouldn’t have led to what it did and I’m dead serious about it not happening to anyone else. I care about Milgram as a series and want as many people to enjoy it as possible.

I feel like that won’t happen if the fandom stays so divided and reactionary. Though maybe it could just be the tumblr part of the fandom which is oddly surprising given what some here have said about twitter but I definitely haven’t had that issue there. So, this may be the rare case of a tumblr fandom being worse than twitter and I feel like that’s the biggest insult I can leave this off on so I’m gonna head out.

Mikoto murders breakdown coming Saturday and remember you always have the choice to be kind.

Honestly, can’t some people just let people go and live their life?

[papirouge]

Papi, I need your wisdom. Lately, I've been checking some channels that stream games and for some reason I've been really wanting to do the same on Youtube. Truth to be told, it seems sort of fun, and it's not like talking while you play a videogame it's too difficult. I guess I'd like to do something different in my life, even if its something small like this, and I'd like to try Youtube and get comments and engagement.

I do admit though, that another thing that I find compeling it's that you can also win money. Like if you open a patreon or through ad revenue, you could monetize your content. It'd be nice to have some money for myself aside from my usual job.

The thing is, I don't know if it'd be worth it at the end. i really don't want to show my face, I'm pretty shy and with all of this ai porn it really scares me that something like that could happen to me. But it seems that for a lot of female streamers, showing your face and how you look in general its part of the appeal. I don't know if I could get a following only because I talk about stuff while playing games without revealing who i am.

I feel like I could get somewhat popular because I'd be filling a niche that's not really very popular in my language, which is retro games. But I don't know how well received a female gamer would be, like its not like gamers are the kindest of demographics, lets be honest.

I've also thought about playing those games that are aimed at girls, because that's also something that tends to get ignored, and if it is reviewed or played, its by a male gamer that makes fun of it. I think if I go for this, I could have a bigger female following, and perhaps other girls could feel more confident in also exploring these kind of endevours...

I'm gonna be honest, anon:

Gaming is a nest of scrotes, groomers, pedo, perverts and there's hardly a way for women to make a place for themselves if they don't A)whore themselves out OR are B)extremely good at what they're doing. And even when they dl, they still get sexualized.... Are you A or B ?

If A : sexualizing yourself online is a very slippery slope and you will inevitably end up regretting later (especially if you already have self awareness issues showing yourself online). Don't do it.

If B: if your skills are good enough, you might as well not show your face altogether. Plentiful of streamer are very lowkey with their face, and some HUGE walkthrough channels NEVER show their face. But you'd have to be EXTREMELY productive and regularly update. As a YouTuber wannabe, I can tell you that filming and editing is EXTREMELY time consuming and that you'll have to dedicate a lot of effort that won't necessarily translate into view/engagement.... That's a very long and one-sided effort that you'll have to provide before finally reaping the fruits of.

The only way to bypass this long process is finding a niche. Do something that might not be for everyone, but will stil attract a committed audience. Exactly like some Tumblr have a very limited amount of followers but who still engage a lot with their posts (it happens when most of their followers are friends or mutuals). For example I follow a male french YouTuber (which is quite exceptional bc male YouTuber feel like nails on a black board) but dude is committed to a very defined theme of video : Five Nights at Freddy's, Hollow Knight, The Binding of Isaac, Minecraft, One Piece and Berserk new chapter analysis. That's it. I like his channel because it feels like what YouTube early days : passionate, rough but authentic. His biggest video is a 2 hours analysis of Fnaf timeline (825k views, when he only has 32k followers) - that's how I knew his channel.

Dude hardly shows his face and I think covering a very limited range of games helps him stay focus and upload more frequently. I think if you want to start on YouTube, you should take a few pages of his book.

But making videos is marathon anon, I wouldn't advise it to you if you want short term results. You should really to it because you *like* making videos, not only what you *do* on video. Like yeah playing video games is cool but do you like talking for hours? Even when no one's watching? Maintain a regular updating schedule? etc etc

Filming is only 20% of the work. Editing is A LOT. ...unless you only want to do streaming? But it goes back to point B and how to detach yourself from the gazillion of other streamers. Tbh I'd recommend you to do something no one else can. That's why I decided to do YouTube/podcast imo In the long run I'd like to show more of my unhinged Christian side but also vulnerability (see my laster video talking about my hair issues). I'm just struggling to find a way that's not to weird or cringe bc video format is very demanding.

[seravph]

Hi, I didn't really know who to reach out for this question, but do you have any tips on how to find your own unique fashion style? I'm not really looking to hop on popular clothing trends on social media e.g. eboy/girl or cottagecore, so I'm not exactly sure where to start! I come to consult you because I've seen some of your posts and you look very well versed in fashion and you seem to know your own personal style. My wardrobe is very outdated and I would like to update it to reflect the truest expression of myself. Thank you 😊 You don't have to answer this if you don't feel like doing so btw 😅

EEEE more fashion asks i love these thank you!!!! warning this got a lil (very) long so its under the cut :^)

so first and foremost the most important part about curating your own style is to learn more about your body and what flatters/doesnt flatter it. it's learning some basic fashion 'rules' pertaining to proportions, cuts, etc. there are plenty of resources on this if you dont know where to start (kibbe body test, video, video) but keep in mind this step has nothing to do with your weight!!!! i could talk wayyy more about this but at the end of the day, some clothing is just more flattering for specific body shapes - that doesnt mean you cant wear something that isnt perfectly flattering, but knowing your body and knowing what flatters it will make you understand your own style and help guide the pieces you buy. fashion 'rules' arent necessarily meant to be followed, but just understood so that 'breaking' them is a conscious choice. (it also really helped with my insecurities???? like this step is basically recognizing that its not your body thats unflattering, its the clothing, if that makes sense???)

also remember that every 'style' works for every body type. i.e if you want to be a 60s vibe but youre too curvy for shift dresses, there are plenty of clothes in a similar style that would look great on you <3 basically, if you dont like the way a piece looks on you, you can still achieve the same vibe with a different article of clothing thats more flattering. but also umm.... you can just wear the unflattering thing if you want LOL if it makes you happy... then it becomes your own controlled decision <3 live love laugh follow your heart

okay. now that you have that out of the way. there are a million ways to develop a sense of style, and no particular order in which i recommend them. what i love doing is creating pinterest boards for the spring/summer or fall/winter seasons and just filling them with pieces i would wear in a perfect world. i dont mean like cottagecore aesthetic boards, just boards full of runway looks and clothing pngs that i like. i also love making little outfits for characters which can influence my own style. everyone thinks of their style differently; i think of my own outfits as little vignettes with narratives behind them, but other people are more concerned with just wearing things they think are pretty, other people view it as an expression of art or their identity, and other people just want to feel comfortable!!! its all up to you and what youre drawn to!!

one thing that tan france mentioned once was to go online window shopping by going onto the website for a brand you like (regardless of whether its affordable or realistic!) and just adding things to your cart that youre interested in. dont worry about how expensive they are or anything, and when youre done, remove all the items you like the least. and then keep reviewing and removing until you have just a handful of really nice items you really like, and keep doing this with other brands until you can identify common threads between the pieces you like. you dont have to buy them!! in fact maybe its better if you dont!!! and the websites dont have to be like zara or h&m ... go on balmain or chanel if you want, play pretend and have fun!!

re: the last bullet point, i think a big turn off for people in terms of fashion is the idea that you need to wear something palatable and 'appropriate.' its like looking at a runway and thinking "its nice, but i would never wear that in real life." but honestly????? in a perfect world i would be wearing full gowns to the supermarket!!!! if your ideal style is imaginative but unattainable, your style in practice will be a microcosm of it. basically... dream big... dont be afraid to 'overdress' if its what you like!! one of the best pieces of advice i ever got was from my aunt, who offered to by me a plastic tiara. i asked her when i was ever going to wear it irl, and she just looked at me and said "??? you can wear it whenever you want to!!" so true!!! wear a tutu to mcdonalds. wear a bedazzled tux to prom. who cares

accessories, nail polish, hair, jewelry, perfume and makeup goes a long way in developing style. i dont wear a ton of makeup, but just putting some color on my cheeks achieves a kind of sunkissed lovestruck vibe that i strive for. i paint my nails red because i think its chic or bright colors so they contrast with a toned down outfit. even wearing no accessories is an accessory in itself. accessorizing (or specifically not accessorizing) is like adding texture to an outfit imo

anything that advises you about 'absolutely necessary essentials everyone needs' is entirely wrong. there is no one size fits all; i.e everyone says you need one good pair of denim jeans, but i havent worn jeans in two years!!! an essential for ME is a pair of neutral wool shorts, but an essential for another person could be a thick knit sweater or for another person, a flannel. the idea that everyone needs a 'little black dress' or a 'basic white t shirt' is preposterous. YOUR essentials depend entirely on YOUR style. a pair of denim jeans is useless if you hate wearing jeans!!!!

as for my personal style, im mostly influenced by movies, books, songs, characters, feelings, colors, high fashion, and costumes. ultimately, you should worry less about what you want to be and worry more about what you already like. every piece i have kind of plays into some narrative ive constructed, or otherwise theyre all special to me :) if you want to update your wardrobe, dont feel the need to over consume fast fashion (or any fashion for that matter) to do so. if you take it slow and buy pieces you really love, every item will have a story and you'll begin to develop a more stable internal style and they'll last longer :)

let me know if you have questions or want me to talk more about any of this because i really love answering these kinds of questions!!!!!! especially the body type thing because thats such an important but long winded thing i couldnt really fit it all LOL

some more videos + resources about style and fashion i think are interesting:

deep dive into kibbe body types

pinterest aesthetics, fatphobia, and white washing

lies about clothes to unlearn in your twenties

studio ghibli: how clothing shapes identity

breakfast at tiffanys style analysis: the reinvention of onself with fashion

will the millennial aesthetic ever end?

go viral, post #spon, get canceled: how social media transformed fashion in the 2010s

analyzing the "is it a cute outfit or is she just skinny?" meme

[sendnotes]

books i read in april.

this is going to be my thing from now on. i'll compile a list of all the books i read in a month and share my thoughts on each one every end of the month.

just so you know, i'm a little forgetful, and i have a tendency to forget names, plots, and other details. i'm hoping that writing these will aid my memory in recalling how i felt about each novel.

you can also find me on goodreads

so, let’s begin, shall we?

101 essays that will change the way you think (wiest, brianna)

self-help book

this book got off to a good start! some of the essays written (or should i say a collection of articles originally published on the thoughtcatalog website) made me think and consider my outlook on life, love, and so on.

the title overstates the case though. when i think of an essay, i picture something more argumentative and philosophical. not to mention that the majority of the ideas in this book are redundant. it made it difficult to get through. nonetheless, i was able to get past it because there were so many fantastic concepts and topics discussed.

overall, it's an interesting & worthwhile read for those who enjoy thinking outside the box.i lost count of how many times this book gave me aha moments. i swear, most of the entries soothed my mind and provided a great pick-me-up when life seemed to be frustrating.

the midnight library (haig, matt)

science fiction, fantasy fiction, psychological fiction

regrets, self-remorse, what ifs, family approval, drugs, dreams, love, passion, hatred, death, afterlife, multiverses, quantum physics, and a plethora of possibilities packed into a 304-page book.

i'll be honest: this book is already on my list of favorites. i'm simply blown away by how well-crafted and diverse the entire story unfolded.

a sci-fi novel with a dash of fantasy and a smidgeon of philosophy. if that's your thing, you should give this book a shot.

the first few pages of the book gave me an impression and led me to surmise it was going to be a cheesy ass chick lit novel that i'd only read and find enjoyable in high school. i was completely off base. it proved to be very mature, full of lessons, but delivered in a fun and entertaining manner— exactly my cup of tea.

it reminded me of a disney pixar film called soul, in which the afterlife is depicted in vivid detail. they differ on so many levels, but they both imagine life after death for people who are unsure of their path, purpose, and passion.

every chapter served a significant concept, so this book is well-deserved of a 5-star rating!

norwegian wood (murakami, haruki)

fiction, romance novel, bildungsroman

as i read the book and neared the end, all i could think about was how this book became one of murakami's most popular and influential works.

murakami offers a sprawling glimpse into the lives of a group of severely damaged youths grappling with the realities of what emptiness entails. take what you will from it.

i know a lot of people like it, which is fine. but please keep in mind that this book hit me square in the gut. it alternated between making me angry, sad, annoyed, and disgusted almost constantly. there isn't much else.

this book should come with a warning: "this is not a good place to start if you're new to murakami's works. this is not a representative of murakami's brilliance."

fist and foremost, the characters in this book are all repulsive.

toru watanabe was a fuckboy and a softboy rolled into one. what could possibly be worse than that? he'd have as many casual sexual partners as he could while also buttering a girl up by appealing to her emotions and displaying a "sensitive" and "vulnerable" side.

this book was made even more depressing by the fact that each female character was needy, weak, dysfunctional, and dependent. since they're all the same, i'm not going to go over each of these female characters one by one. you already get the idea.

reiko ishida, imo, was one of the best rendered sections of the novel. most likely because she had a better grasp on her emotions and goals than the still seeking youths... until, *spoiler alert* she wanted to do it with toru as well. a big disappointment.

to summarize, this book is primarily concerned with two topics: sex and death.

hidden meanings are everywhere, but when you get to the core, that's all that remains.

the four agreements: a practical guide to personal freedom (ruiz, miguel)

self-help book

first agreement ⏤ be impeccable with your word

this essentially means that you should not spew gossip or use words to harm others. because words have tremendous power and can cause significant harm. you are not only negatively affecting others with your hateful and thoughtless words, but you are also hurting yourself. this is something with which i generally agree. how i see it, when people are unhappy with themselves, they turn to others to make themselves feel better. as a result, they gossip about others in order to divert attention away from themselves.

second agreement ⏤don't take anything personally

alright. sure. don't let what others say about you bother you. it has everything to do with them and nothing to do with you. well, i don't entirely agree, but i think it's a fantastic idea in general. however, achieving this goal will be extremely difficult. i believe it would take a lot of practice to reach this level of zen. plus, i honestly believe that other people's opinions still matter because they keep you in check. the best advice is to not be swayed by these opinions, but to consider why they were expressed in the first place. see what you can do to improve yourself from there. sure, it can be difficult to deal with; after all, no one likes being told they're wrong or whatnot. but it's not all bad news because you can sometimes use criticism and judgment to give you a competitive edge. i mean- don't you think hearing someone else's point of view is also an opportunity to learn and progress? ruiz should have stressed that it's not just about "not taking it personally because you know you're not that person," but also about not retaliating with an extreme knee-jerk reaction even if you believe you're being unfairly criticized.

third agreement ⏤ don't make assumptions

this is a real eye-opener for me. i've noticed that whenever i become enraged by someone's words, it's usually due to my tendency to assume. personally, i can't help but make assumptions. i don't know what other people's motivations are, and i can't help but draw conclusions based on the information i have. even if the other person had no intention of causing me harm, it's too late. the thought has become ingrained in my mind, and i never ask for clarification out of pride or fear of appearing overly sensitive.

fourth agreement ⏤ always do your best

this section did not seem particularly useful to me. i mean, aren't we all reminded of this all the time? this section is filled with sloppy writing, in my opinion. as if he badly wanted to finish the book and impulsively thought: "okay, fourth agreement: always do your best. that should suffice. lmao"

overall opinion: the third agreement was my favorite, but the rest were a no-go. don't get me wrong, i appreciated his ideas, but i've heard them all a hundred times before. basically, the book's sole takeaway is that we are all suffering in some way in our daily lives, and we are all dealing with different issues. regardless, we all need to be kinder and gentler to ourselves and others.

the song of achilles (miller, madeline)

romance novel, historical Fiction, war story

i'll keep it short and sweet:

i really wouldn't have had this book any other way. miller's writing is breathtaking, so rich and full of lovely detail. it's incredibly a unique concept to me that authors are rewriting such ancient history and stories to make them lgbt+!

some suggest it's tedious, but i disagree. it isn't slow; rather, it is just right.

'cause at the end of the day, it's not about war, tragedy, or heroes - it's a slow-burning, organic love tale between two young men and their inevitable connection.

it's sad, tender, and painful, but in the best way possible.

circe (miller, madeline)

novel, historical fiction, fantasy fiction

"greek mythology, but with a feminist twist"?! sign me the hell up! this piqued my interest... only to leave me feeling completely let down. seriously now. circe was described as a "badass empowered woman," which was the single most compelling selling point for me, and thus the most wrenching disappointment, i must say.

sure, it demonstrated the value of feminine power, but it also did represent how this power can be a force of good or evil.

not to mention the fact that circe fucked a married man or two in this book- i mean- how is that an ~empowered woman~?

let's be clear right off the bat: madeline miller's follow-up to the song of achilles is epic in scope but not necessarily in execution. to me, this read more like a tedious island tale. regardless of how many five-star reviews this book has received... i just don't think it's well-deserved. don't get me wrong here. miller is a fantastic author with a lush writing! istg- i'm blown away by how beautifully she wrote and carefully chose her words. even the most mundane phrases were written poetically. after-all, it’s greek mythology. but how did she manage to make circe seem so... bland?

[cherrygorilla]

Time for me to be nosy as heck for the fanfic author thing! Hope you don't mind if I ask a lot like you did to me! Here you are: 4, 5, 6, 7, 14, 17, 20, 21, 22, 24, 25, 27, 29, 30, 31, 33, 34, 35, 37, 40 A bunch are the same ones you asked me, but I'm really curious as to what your answers would be. If there's anything you'd like to answer that I didn't ask you, then feel free to add it on if you feel up to it! 💖

Okay, I'm known to ramble at the best of times but I really ran away with myself here. You may want to grab a snack or something first; it's hella long. You've been warned! 

4. What made you start writing fanfiction? 

When I was like 11/12 I was obsessed with the musical Starlight Express and after trying to google just about everything I could about it I think I stumbled across some fanfiction for it. Well, instantly my little english-class-loving brain grabbed this concept and ran with it. I remember writing my own stories in this cheap little notebook I would hide in my bedside table drawer and it was around this time that TBM came out, so naturally I decided to see if that had any fanfiction too. Turns out it did, and significantly more than Starlight Express might I add, so my creativity ran away with itself and next thing I knew I was setting up my own account and getting properly involved this time. And I guess, as they say, the rest is history... 

5. Favourite pairing? 

This is pretty tricky for me. Most of the pairings that I have set up are littered with little flaws and things that make them more interesting to write about (and hopefully read about lol) and more realistic. And the already established pairings that I use (i.e. Mack & Brady in old stories or Lela & Tanner) just feel too bland for me to really connect with them, which is probably why I always struggle so much to write for them. I suppose Lela & Tanner can be cute, or at least their potential is; I don't feel like the movies did them justice lol. But for my stuff, at the moment I just feel so out of practice with writing and at such an early stage in the story with Wheels and Waves that I'm not really attached to any of the pairings yet. And besides, the only one I've really established so far is Butchy & Giggles, but if you've read my last chapter then you'll know that that's not exactly doing so hot atm. So, since I can pick holes and find flaws in everyone's relationships too much to pick a favourite, I think I'll pick one I'm excited about that has some of the biggest flaws imaginable: Coral & Hyde. And that's all I'm going to say. Unless you're curious, then ask away lmao. 

6. Least favourite pairing? 

Okay, I may be a bit controversial here- Actually, this is probably really controversial judging by some of the reviews on my old stories that I was just reading. But I don't really like Mack & Brady… Hear me out! Maybe it's just because I haven't watched the movies for ages and I haven't been thinking about them writing-wise since I abandoned my old stuff but they just seem really bland to me. Don't get me wrong, they're super sweet, but I like giving my characters a bit of grit to work with and make them a little more interesting beneath their 'perfect movie character in an idyllic world' surface and I just could never seem to do that with Mack & Brady. I could never manage to give them any depth and because of that I feel like I just grew to resent them haha. Other people can write for them much better than I can, let's just put it that way. Apart from them though, non-canon-wise in my stories it's got to be Butchy & Coral. Hands down. Honestly, what was I thinking? It was cringey. It was basic. And I think because of it Coral became super one-dimensional and kept losing her way as a character because my whole focus was trying to get them to work as a couple. Spoiler alert: they don't. And since I ditched them I think I was really able to get her to come into her own and develop a much more interesting, albeit worse, side of her.

7. Favourite type of au? 

This is probably going to be a quick one because I don't do a lot of au stuff but modern day/high school aus are always a lot of fun. I feel like TBM2 could have done so much cool stuff with that premise but then they went and dumbed down all the characters and really ruined their chance but I think the concept in general is so cute. I'm actually working on something in this vein for my sims blog, but that's not what we're talking about so let's move on. 

14. Do the people in your life know you write fic? How do they feel about it?

 Nope. I haven't ever mentioned it to my family because I just don't think that they'd 'get' it. I think I mentioned it to one of my best friends ages ago because she also read/casually wrote fanfics but I don't think that she still knows that I've kept it up; she probably just assumes that it was something we both just did when we were 13/14. So they don't really think anything of it; they don't know and probably never will lol. So I just struggle over chapters and ideas and things by myself. 

17. What's the harshest criticism you've ever gotten on a fic? 

To be honest, I don't think that I've ever really had any super harsh criticism. None that I can remember, anyway. I was reading through the reviews on one story recently and someone told me that I should work on my dialogue for Mack & Brady because it wasn't true enough to their characters and tbh they probably weren't wrong. That's barely criticism but it was the closest that I could find to it in my five minutes of looking and nothing else stood out in my memory so I guess that's what I'll go with. I know that probably sounds super cocky like "omg i'm amazing i never get any criticism from anyone because i'm amazingggg!!!1!!" but honestly all the reviews on my old stuff were just people being nice to me because I was friendly to them and I get next to no reviews on my current stuff, so there's no real opportunity for criticism if there's no interaction in the first place lmao. 

20. What's your biggest struggle when it comes to writing fic? 

Actually finding the time to write it when I have uni work, family life, stuff with friends and a somewhat healthy sleep schedule to balance as well. I just don't have enough hours in a day. Besides that, when it actually comes to writing I guess I find it hard to stick solely to ideas that progress the plot. I've been trying to work on that a lot more lately and be more ruthless with my planning but sometimes I just get inspired by something fun and in sheer creative desperation I just wedge it into the plot somewhere. And I think that for the reader's sake I need to stop doing this. 

21. Your biggest strength? 

I don't know if this is what anyone else would consider my biggest strength but I personally really like the way that I can develop the characters beyond what little personality we get to see in the movies. I love working on their story arcs and experimenting with how they 'exist' in my head, like finding out who the quiet souls are, who the loud mouths are and why they act like that. From the snippets we actually see of them in the movies and how basic they are, I'm pretty proud of the characters I've rounded them into in my stories; they feel a lot more real now, to me at least. 

22. Which do you do more: read fic or write fic? 

I know it's hard to believe, but probably write. I only really keep up with a handful of stories now and I always find I'm more actively thinking about kicking my butt into gear and writing something myself instead of setting out to read someone else's stuff. 

24. What's your process? 

Daydream and plan out future plot lines for most of the waking hours of the day. Find the fleeting shred of time available in said day to sit down and work on something if both inspiration and motivation are working in my favour. Actually sit down and open up a google doc, perhaps with a cup of tea if I'm feeling particularly adventurous and fancy treating myself for doing something productive. Painfully struggle through the first ten minutes of warming up my writing muscles and getting my creative juices flowing again. Settle into a good rhythm and just let my fingers and the words work their magic until something boring from the real world interrupts me and drags me away from my fictional one. Then repeat. 

25. Of all the fics you've written, which is your favourite? 

I know it's not necessarily a single fic but I really liked when I was writing the one-shots for Surf, Sun, Sand because I knew that I was writing the things people wanted to read, so I knew there was more of a chance that they'd enjoy them. And it was nice not being constrained to one timeline, I could jump around and play with different pairings, ideas and settings as much as I, well, the requests, wanted. I also really liked my Twelve Days of Cruisin' for a Bruisin' Christmas story, but I can't put that at the top spot because I'm so frustrated that I never got that final chapter up. It was really fun to write though and that's one of the few things that I've written that I'm still happy with to this day lmao. I just think it's sweet and I like how I wrote all the characters, so I'd say that's a win for me. 

27. What's your most popular fic? Do you think the popularity is warranted, or is there another fic that you think deserves it more? 

Statistics-wise it's Paper Flowers, by a long-shot. 77,485 views and 331 reviews. Now, I think that the fact that there are about a million chapters and I wrote it back when the fandom was thriving has quite a lot to do with that, if not all of it, because I'm almost certain that it can't be the writing, character quality or whatever crap I threw into the plot back then. But for nostalgia's sake, I'll allow it. And to be fair, it was probably alright at the time. I do think, however, that I've developed and improved my writing style over the years, so it would be nice if Wheels and Waves could get a little more popularity (since it's something I'm actually semi-proud of lol). But I just don't have the audience, so what can you do? 

29. Which of your fics was the hardest to write? 

Just Like Me. By a country mile. Like I mentioned earlier, I really struggle when it comes to writing for Mack & Brady and although I liked the concept (and a few other people did too) I just wasn't ever happy with what I ended up with. The chapters felt boring (which probably had something to do with the fact that I wrote them in my phone notes at 11:30pm), their relationship felt bland and the plot felt like it was going nowhere. I sort of had a vague structure of where I wanted to take it, but when I couldn't seem to get the hang of writing for them every chapter felt like such a challenge. 

30. Favourite fic writers? 

You, girl! I literally don't even bother to keep up with anyone else anymore because I just don't have the time (uni will do that to a bitch, lol) but I never miss a post of yours and will frequently go and re-read your stuff (especially if it's in preparation for a crossover lmao) if I need a pick-me-up. And like you said, we're practically family now and what kind of internet sister would I be if I didn't support my fam?! 

31. Do you write just for fun, or would you ever consider pursuing writing? 

I don't think I'd ever actually pursue it as a job. I'm in dentistry school atm so I'm pretty set on becoming a dentist, but even if that wasn't the case, I don't think I have the creativity to create my own unique story with original characters and a whole universe under my control. I just think it's fun to expand on other ideas and grow my own ideas from them. 

33. Fanfiction pet peeves? 

Bad grammar is really frustrating. But I also just think it's really boring when people will basically re-write the whole movie/story pretty much word-for-word with only the slightest of alterations. Like, I've already watched/read this once, why would I want to do it again? I came here for creativity and fun stories with my fave characters, not the flat-out plot all over again with a cookie-cutter, paper doll inserted into the mix to steal a few lines. It just bored me. 

34. First person, second person or third person? 

I'd probably put second person last because I just find reader-insert things weird and cringey. Like they legit make me feel uncomfortable sometimes. And then I'd go with first person because although I don't really have a problem with it, it's just never a style I'd choose to write in; I just can't really get the hang of it and I prefer to be able to see and show everyone's perspective on a situation from the outside, which is why good old third person has to be my favourite. 

35. OCs, reader inserts or canon pairings?

 Like I said, reader inserts creep me out a bit so definitely not those. Canon pairings are a pretty safe bet and can be cute most of the time (I just personally seem to struggle with them lol) and if they're done well (i.e. not basic bitches with no personality that just double as weird reader inserts *cough cough* Coral in Paper Flowers smh 12 year old me) then I think OCs can be really fun and can add another layer to fanfics that takes them beyond the bubble of what's canon. 

37. Which character is your favourite to write for? 

Saying Coral would be too easy because she's literally my own character, so of course I'm going to enjoy writing for her. So, other than that I'm going to have to say Seacat. I feel much more comfortable writing for the surfers than the bikers anyway, so that definitely plays into it. But I really like the version of him I've created. I really leaned into his sort of fiesty, stubborn side that occasionally showed itself in the movies, which created a super interesting dynamic with his inherent relaxed nature that all the surfers have. He's a really fun character to work with and I've got lots of fun things planned for him, so I think he's earned that top spot. But I'll mention Giggles too because it's been fun developing her character more deeply for Wheels and Waves. I just like a bit more drama, which Seacat can deliver more than my sweet bby G. 

40. Imagine yourself 10 years in the future, do you still think you'll be writing fic? 

Honestly, who knows? Back when I started I never thought I'd still be writing it at 18, so never say never, I guess. 

And since you said I could choose another one, I'll go for 38. From where do you draw inspiration? 

I wanted to include this one because I'm literally listening to my Wheels and Waves playlist as I write this to try to get me into that #writingmood. A few different things influence me but music has always been my biggest inspiration. I'm constantly adding new songs to my playlist and finding songs I want to use so badly that I'll rearrange and shift around plot points to work them into the story. For example, that Coral & Hyde relationship I mentioned earlier? Grown entirely from songs. But yeah, I'm always getting inspired by songs, which is why I'm really trying to get a general plan of Wheels and Waves set in stone so that I'll stop being tempted to switch things around and ruin the plot with convoluted ideas I get on a whim because I heard a fun song. On another note though, if you have any song suggestions then hit me up lmao; I'm always looking for more haha.

[serenagaywaterford]

Note: no spoilers. Just speculation based on vague things actors and reviewers are saying. Maybe it's all a lot of crying for nothing and the season will be amazing but these sorts of things... seem ominous in terms of the craft of character development (which is only one of my many concerns now...)

Normally I agree with Yvonne but I gotta say, I think she and the showrunners have it wrong this time about the audience finds interesting. And maybe it's my very strong bias, but judging by comments from fans everywhere other than tunglr dot hell (and reddit), I think the majority WOULD find serena blowing up on Gilead with June & Co. interesting to watch! That is very much an interesting story, to take someone so entrenched in an evil, narrowsighted ideology and win them over, and have them fight (maybe not necessarily redeem themselves) on the side of the "good guys". The conflict that entails, the emotional labour, the psychology and nuance! That is an exceptionally provacative story, especially in current times when people are, in real life, so polarized, so intolerant of differing views, the fact that some of these people can and will be educated, can understand, and CAN CHANGE for the better is an incredibly important narrative to push. This show keeps spewing that it's about hope, and yet misses the point that that sort of story is incredibly hopeful!

The idea that "well everyone that disagrees is just bad and hopeless so why bother, they'll never change anyway!" is both lazy writing and depressing. The frustration at Serena's choices starts to really grate after a while, and I love the character so I can't imagine what it's like for casual viewers or people who don't like her to suffer through this stupid seesaw again. It must be worse. I don't even think it's a "love to hate her" thing anymore. A lot of people are just TIRED of the Waterfords in general, and think they're pointless to keep around now... so rehashing the same wornout crap with them is not helping. This isn't making Serena relevant to the story or themes. It's doing exactly the opposite.

I get that in reality, a journey like this is not a nice straight forward line. It loops and backtracks and stumbles. There's regression and growth and regression again and hopefully more growth. That's what s2 was for. The person fucks up, falls prey to their own evil ideology (cos damn is that sort of brainwashing hard to break) and it's not an easy path. That's fine. I don't mind that. I also think exploring Serena's own trauma and how it relates/contributes to the horrible decisions she allegedly makes AGAIN (her safety zone really) in s3 could be really interesting. If done well.

I do mind when it's done year after year as if the showrunners can't figure out what to do with the character, and they need someone to give Moss something significant to do and play off of. (There is no better onscreen dynamic than those two, in whatever capacity you look at it. Whether they hate each other or not.) But enough already. We get it. And why can't that dynamic shift?

I do mind when the journey is painted as interesting and it's not. Cos it's the same old bullshit. And when significant growth is then counteracted with absolutely appalling and completely character destroying asinine plot contrivances in order to maintain the "interest" or "conflict". (Yes, I'm looking at you 2x10.) Which then discredit ALL previous growth entirely. Like what is the fucking point at all? Just make her evil (or have her move on, in a positive direction for good) and have done with it cos otherwise you're just wasting our time with the exact same story we've seen for 2 seasons now.

You know what is boring, Yvonne & Miller? Serena doing the SAME OLD BACK AND FORTH BULLSHIT FOR A THIRD YEAR IN A ROW. You wanna talk about a lack of creativity, a lack of insight, and sheer audience boredom and frustration--THAT'S IT RIGHT THERE.

[sagebodisattva]

Epistemological Solipsism

So much of the externalization conditioning, and any kind of conditioning really, is set in place by erroneous assumptions. We overlook this, as, early on in existence, in the more immature stages of our egoic development, without consciously knowing it, we establish dubious premises that quickly solidify into foundational beliefs that shape our entire view of reality. And if these types of shoe'd in assumptions manage to put down roots on firm grounds, which they almost always do, they will be almost impossible to undo. And so imagine the type of quandary this presents when the kinds of assumptions that one has accepted, hence becoming the potential bedrock of a belief system without any pensive review, are actually false or faulty! This is the beginning of mental slavery, as any false assumption about existence will necessarily have you assigning power to something you are imagining to be outside of yourself... or perhaps to something you are APART of, or are a byproduct of... as the case may be... but in each and every case, it is voluntary self disempowerment... and whether it was willful, innocuous, unconscious, or deceptively introduced, matters not. What matters now is that you are anchored to a false position, that becomes the trap to which you remain tethered, which will thereby direct assignments of power to illusions, based on the default designs of this organizational arrangement.

This is important to understand, as so much of mental illness, or spiritual sickness if you will, relies on sustaining ignorance of the truth. But it's totally up to you if you want to break free from the false programming. And this doesn't mean a conversion to an alternative programming. This means a liberation from all programmings, and standing in the light of the truth, which needs no support, needs no selling points, needs no shuck n' jive, nor song and dance. The truth always speaks for itself, while the lie requires contrived narrative. And this is exactly why false existential assumptions are deceptively introduced into your qualitative being; because despite what most of us would like to believe, there's no way to really force delusion on anyone. Yeah, maybe you think you could try to torture someone into accepting it, but any such acceptance wouldn't be authentic, as anyone would pretend to accept anything just to stop the torture. One does not hold what is not held in the heart. Or maybe you think you could force it into a mind through coercive re-education or brainwashing, but a truly strong mind can never be forced into delusion. If the mind relents, it's due to it's own immature strength and the natural tendency to compromise as an easy way out.

And sometimes we hear about other such things, like harsh physical circumstances having the ability to break a spirit, but I think stoicism has pretty much demonstrated this to be a fallacy. Oh, am I saying this only because I haven't suffered to the proper degree? Or, did you just give up and are now cynically guising that failure beneath a sneering justification? No. The only way a conditioning can successfully infect a consciousness is by invitation, compromise or unchecked deceptive infiltration, all of which gain access through avenues of permission. The fact that that they are granted entry with permission is exactly why the programming is so grueling to unseat. A belief forced on someone will not long be held. A belief willingly embraced by someone, unconsciously or not, will be defended to often extreme limits. And it's not too hard to figure out why, as the conditioning has become a best friend. The conditioning provides security and comfort to a contrived identity that seeks normalcy, familiarity, predictability and routine; all of which combine to form a malaise of deprivation, lethargy, and boredom. A sitting duck, aptly primed to be stalked by death itself.

So this is why there is so much circumvention of solipsism, a so called philosophy that's implications could be called to be in accord with the truth; because if you ever figure your way out of the externalization conditioning, you will inevitably attain power of mind, and then less power will be assigned to the illusions, and if that happens, you will become difficult to control. Hence why "they" must do every thing they can to stop you.

So this brings us upon the subject of epistemological solipsism. What is epistemological solipsism? Epistemological solipsism is the variety of idealism according to which only the directly accessible mental contents of the solipsistic philosopher can be known. The existence of an external world is regarded as an unresolvable question rather than actually false.

And so, this is why I don't consider epistemological solipsism to be all that useful of an application. It's kinda like solipsism lite; with light being spelled "L I T E", clarified as such so as to invoke the correct tone of connotation. Of course, as usual, we note that epistemological solipsism is touted as a variety of idealism, which frames the entire consideration as unrealistic, ie: existing only in the imagination; desirable or perfect, but not likely to become a reality; which thereby downgrades the significance of the truth that only directly accessible mental contents of a solipsistic philosopher can be known. As if there was some other way for knowns to be accessed by a philosopher. Whether knowledge is acquired directly, indirectly, empirically, or dogmatically, matters not, as any possible synthesis or transference of knowledge is only going to be through a mental medium.

But then comes the funny part: The existence of an external world is regarded as an unresolvable question rather than actually false. Hmmmm. Might this position be more aptly called agnostic solipsism? I guess this position is one more interested in upholding the integrity of intellectual honesty rather then standing in the light of the existential truth. It's an interesting position to be sure, as it teeters on the fence of the truth, afraid to fully commit because it knows it can't prove the truth by the rules that the externalization conditioning demands, and yet, oddly, still seeks to placate and pander to it somewhat, by upholding it's standards. It's obvious from this, that the epistemological solipsist has a lot more work to be done nihilistically, and might prove to benefit from some psycho-nautical exploration, or deep meditation.

And so, by this epistemological standard, which is actually less solipsistic due to it's externalization mindset of an extrinsically existing universe who's qualities can only be known through a set of separated sense organs, epistemological solipsists claim that realism requires the question:

“Assuming that there is a universe independent of an agent's mind and knowable only through the agent's senses, how is the existence of this independent universe to be scientifically studied?"

Well, that's the thing. Sure it's a required question for realism, but it's also an equally required question for the epistemological solipsist, who probably never thought to answer it himself. What is the alternative to knowledge based on the interpretations of the five senses? As a solipsist, the answer should be clear, but let us not forget that what we are dealing with is, not so much a solipsist, but rather, an externalist who's merely conceded that anything known about the universe is confined to sensory data. Despite admitting the purely mental nature of existence, they are not yet ready to go as far as admitting the universe is completely imaginary and that reality is a production of the mind. And so, here we find it: the epistemological solipsist's willingness to take on the false existential assumption, while afraid to commit to implications of the truth of his own position, in order to satisfy the dictates of physical science, which is completely constructed upon the externalization conditioning. It seems the only thing epistemological solipsism wants to clarify is that objectivity requires an assumption; and as long as this point is understood, it's completely willing to concedes to the outlines of the physical model of existence. But why? If it's false then why take on such a assumption at all? Yeah, I know people don't wanna let go of their ideological attachments. People don't want to let go of old physical science, in the same way they don't want to let go of religion.

“Oh Sage, they are not the same thing!”

Yeah Charlie. That isn't the point, and not what I was saying anyway. Science may have a bit more credibility then religion, as it does seek to build knowledge on observable phenomena, but it still falls short, as it is founded on a false premise about reality that simply isn't true. The false premise that calls itself, "realism". Isn't that some shit? Realism and idealism are both supposedly philosophical concepts equally up for debate, yet mind independent reality gets the title of realism, why mind dependent reality gets the title of idealism. Hmmmm. Doesn't it seem that someone wants to slant the favor towards realism? Doesn't it seem that by these types of classifications, one position is being assigned a handicap while the other is assigned a disadvantage? One should wonder why this is.

So it seems that epistemological solipsism doesn't want to posit anything about what so obviously exists firsthand, and instead only wants to concern itself with the claims of knowledge within the illusion. Like a persona in a dream who doesn't want to concern itself with lucidity, but instead wants to make sure that it's clarified with the other personas that any knowledge in the reality is only applicable to the context of the sense perceptions of a subject. That's nice, and while it does stick one toe into the waters of solipsism, it doesn't hardly go deep enough into the truth. And that's because, in the grand scheme, knowledge is irrelevant to the nature of reality, and to uncover and become intimate with the nature of reality, doesn't involve learning, study or the acquisition of knowledge, which I know for many of you, presents an impasse that cannot be breached. Hence, the reason for the advent of epistemological solipsism: for those willing to explore only so far as it relates to what can be argued in conjunction to claimed knowledge and the mind of a subject.

So the utility of epistemological solipsism seems to support the maintenance of a general non-committal skepticism that asserts that truth is only that which can be be known directly through the five senses. Other then shattering the usually unchallenged authoritative assumptions of contemporary philosophical realism, what epistemological solipsism achieves is questionable. It isn't conducive towards lucidity, so what function does it serve within delusion? Perhaps merely to make for a more interesting offering of skeptical doubt to an argument made in philosophical discourse? Perhaps.

For, isn't that always the MO of a skeptic? Not so much to present an argument, but rather to just throw wrenches in existing arguments, and perhaps ridicule them for the sake of entertainment? But I dig the rigors that this places on the externalist. It certainly narrows the borders of what a realist can argue as knowledge. Which brings us many intriguing novelty considerations, such as when the epistemological solipsist asserts a classic argument typical for the position, such as: if a person sets up a camera to photograph the moon when he is not looking at it, then at best he can determine that there is an image of the moon in the camera when he eventually looks at it. Logically, this does not assure that the moon itself (or even the camera) existed at the time the photograph is supposed to have been taken. To establish that it is an image of an independent moon requires many other assumptions that amount to begging the question, which means to assume the conclusion of an argument—a type of circular reasoning, which is an informal fallacy, in which an arguer includes the conclusion to be proven within a premise of the argument, often in an indirect way such that its presence within the premise is hidden or at least not easily apparent.

This really puts the realist in a tight spot, as it also puts the burden of proof on the realist to show how aspects of reality are ontologically independent of our conceptual schemes, perceptions, linguistic practices, and beliefs, of which, might not even be possible to demonstrate. Yet, when all is said and done, epistemological solipsism doesn't really go as far as it should, and suspends any assertions that awareness is the primary foundation. So, as it stands, it is merely a position that imposes a standard upon what can be accepted as truth within knowledge.

As for answering the question of, if a philosopher can only truly know the aspects of his own mind, then how should a philosopher go about studying the universe, it loses it way, for it would rather assume objectivity in the name of science with a stricter standard rather then follow the implications of the position and discover the accurate premise; which reveals that there really is no universe "out there" to assume exists objectively in the first place. Lucidity, or awareness of the dream, is revealed through focusing on the source of attention, not through the examination of dream details.

[juliettespencerus]

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Will The Fat Decimator System Work For Me?

Fat loss for womenUnlike various other fat burning programs that are either for men or women, young or grown-up, this program has a global approach. Although, everybody is different but the basics of weight-loss are same.

This makes good sense to me since I believe weight reduction does not need to be specific to society, age or sex.

When I first checked out this program, I had lots of concerns regarding it. I am sure you will certainly have a lot of them as well. In this The Fat Decimator System evaluation, I will certainly attempt my best to respond to several of the most common inquiries and experience what program is ( and also what it isn't).

After reading this question if you will have any inquiry, then you can utilize the remark box below or send a direct message to me with the get in touch with type, as well as I will certainly try my best to answer it as best as I can!

What Is The Fat Decimator?

The Fat Decimator System in an all-around method in the direction of weight management that integrates weight loss hacks, workout plans, inspiration keys and also a lot more to give secure and quick weight management. It created by Kyle Cooper for people who require little added assistance to get healthy and balanced. Its objective is to make you reduce weight fast and also in a healthy means.

What Can You Expect?

The Fat Decimator System is the thorough program that integrates great deals of clinically verified weight-loss methods like reducing carbs, a good diet regimen, healthy and balanced way of living modifications, inspirational keys and a lot more techniques to supply fast and also risk-free fat burning.

Fat Decimator SystemMany customer examines insurance claim this program is quick showing several of them observing adjustments in their body in just 72 hours. Keep in mind, everybody is various, and it might take much longer for you to see results. (You have complete 60 days to attempt this program without any danger).

With numerous researches as well as evaluates done on this program, it assisted some overweight individuals to lose as long as 20 pounds in simply 4 weeks.

I recognize losing 20 pounds in simply a month seem too much for some people, but scientific research studies showed losing 20 extra pounds in a month is feasible with a good, well-balanced weight reduction strategy and also It is REALISTIC as well.

Among the factors you may keep falling short to slim down is, you do not have a specific as well as tested fat burning plan to follow. When I was attempting to slim down, I normally think I am placing whatever correctly, consuming healthy and balanced, doing exercise on a regular basis yet at the end of the day, I was not 100% sure if I am going to slim down or otherwise.

Once I don't see cause couple of weeks I assume something is not appropriate as well as begin trying to find another weight management strategy.

With The Fat Decimator System, you don't have to make your very own plan, and you don't need to go-through complex dimensions, BMI computations, calorie-counting, macro-tracking, etc. since every little thing laid inside this program. You will certainly get every little thing you wish to reduce weight safely as well as quickly.

Diet regimen

The diet regimen consists of 3 distinction phase that is all 1 week long. It is expected one will certainly a minimum of experience 10 pounds of weight reduction. You will be receiving information on exactly how to shed one pound of fat a day and even a lot more just by altering the food you eat.

From the recipes provided, there was a great deal of focus on salt intake, minimizing carbs and also avoiding particular food. I certainly find out a fair bit from here-- like exactly how certain daily food has an effect on our body.

You'll likewise learn more about controlling diseases with food. Illness such as joint inflammation, thyroid inequality, diabetes mellitus, excessive weight and etc.

It additionally goes into detail on how to manage your blood glucose level and also how insulin has an result on the body.

The program additionally suggests eating regularly-- like 5-6 meals a day. The basic physical fitness way of eating.

For those that are surprised by the number, the meals can include treats or smoothie mixes. It doesn't necessarily indicate like a full course meal.

I assume it is a excellent place to begin to adopt a healthy and balanced diet.

Exercise Strategy

I understand for a fact that the majority of people who adhere to a normal weight-loss program just can't handle high impact exercise. That's why most programs fall short because it accommodates the wrong group.

I think that fat decimator system was designed for a quick and easy workout that can be done in 20 mins. In this way individuals who are older can follow too. It is recommended to follow up a couple of times a week to accelerate weight reduction procedure.

You are given the option to either do.

a) a health club exercise routine.

b) home workout regimen utilizing body weight and also one solitary tool.

Truthfully, it doesn't truly matter what you decide. Select what you  fit with. No every person suches as mosting likely to the fitness center.

Supplements?

The supplement record provides you an summary of some of the most preferred diet plan supplements on the marketplace today.

This info includes testimonials of supplements that are not consisted of in The Fat Decimator System itself. It recommended adding CLA, Whey Protein, Leucine, Fat Heater and also a couple of more. You definitely do not have to obtain every little thing.

I directly do not advise you to obtain any till you're couple of months in the program. However I   would certainly make Whey Healthy protein an exemption.

If you can not eat a lot of healthy protein, Whey Protein will assist you supplement your body with ample healthy protein to repair muscular tissue cells as well as recuperate. It's completely safe for you to take in too.

This is optional, depending upon an person's goal.

Motivation & Way of thinking?

Without proper inspiration or way of thinking, one can guide far from their goal. You wish to remain truly focus and starving to seek whatever you want.

This is quickly among the variables why the majority of people fail in reducing weight. They just do not know what they want. Most definitely a excellent addition to a weight reduction program.

Final thought

The Fat Decimator System is a tried and also examined system which uses results or your money back. Anybody tired and also bored of consistent fad diets and also weight management programs can be comforted that this is a real health and wellness program which has actually been used in the armed forces and also was found to offer extraordinary outcomes. The web has a great deal of positive feedback as well as client reviews of the method, and also consistent motifs appear to include just how simple the system is to adhere to, and how terrific the results are.

So, if you are trying to find quick, phenomenal results, the Fat Decimator System must go to the top of your list. Kyle is a caring and real guy who is committed to ensuring that every person that utilizes his technique obtains the results that they are trying to find.

KEEP IN MIND: In my evaluation I do not recommend the Fat Decimator System. This is due to the fact that it's really a very extreme program that calls for a great deal of initiative. The diet as well as workout program would be challenging for most individuals to stick to for the time required time to lose that persistent belly fat. If you want to learn how to lose 1lb of stubborn belly fat every 72 hours with much less initiative, view this video now. The video clip will teach you about a warm brand-new African tea diet regimen that quits you really feeling hungry. Learn exactly how to drop your unwanted stubborn belly fat fast as well as easy with this superb new diet plan that's obtaining going crazy evaluations.

If you prepare to place in old college try, and also still intend to offer the fat decimator system a try, below is the special price cut link where you can get the complete 131 page e-book for simply $17.

All web links to the Fat Decimator System and Lean Tummy Advancement are associate web links. This indicates we are paid compensation when you get though the associate links on this page.

[symbianosgames]

Narrative designer Patrick Redding and the team behind Far Cry 2 at Ubisoft Montreal have worked for several years to produce a game that operates outside of the strictures of genre -- in fact, to deliver a game that operates outside of the strictures of expectation, period.

With great attention paid to dynamic gameplay systems and expansive design, the game has won plaudits from many progressive-minded gamers, but has not satisfied all audiences.

Here, Redding looks back at what the team learned over the course of its three-year development cycle, reflects on current industry trends that informed its development and those that will affect development in the future.

As he moves from this project into a new, unnamed and unannounced inheritor to its innovative design at the Ubisoft Montreal studio, Redding takes the time to reflect on what the team truly accomplished.

Far Cry 2 has been out for a couple of months now. How do you feel about it at this point, having completed the cycle?

Patrick Redding: Well, there are obviously lots of mixed emotions on a game that you spent upwards of three years on. There's the weird postpartum depression that comes from having finished the thing and having a hard time believing that you're not actually working on it anymore. I think everyone in the industry has experienced that at some point or another.

Then obviously, we're dealing with the more specific emotional rollercoaster of seeing reactions to it and hearing what people say about it, what they like, what they don't like. Obviously, there's seeing the scores come through in your sales figures -- all that usual stuff that in one moment either validates or crushes your dreams, right? [laughs]

What do you think of the reaction to the game? Compared to most of the big triple-A games that are in the same market category, it seems like there's more of a gap between people who understand what the game's going for and those who don't.

PR: Sure. I think we're coming to grips with the fact that there are a few challenges that a game like Far Cry 2 is up against. One is when you create a game that is ostensibly a first-person shooter, we have to understand that that market encompasses an awful lot of people who are not particularly hardcore. There are guys that are going to get a fifteen-second or ten-minute impression of a game by watching their buddy play it, and say, "Yeah, okay. This looks cool. This is a game I want to try."

And I think that when people hear that you're releasing a first-person shooter, they're kind of thinking in terms of this very accessible type of experience that is going to be at least sort of similar to what they've played if they've played Call of Duty or Half Life 2 or Halo or Gears of War, even.

The reality is that we certainly have struggled with accessibility issues with the game because the openness of it made us take a much more systemic approach, for one thing. But also, it has a rhythm -- the rhythm associated with the game is really different, because of the amount of objective-to-objective movement, and the way the player is invited to use the training, use the landscape as kind of a game ingredient.

And that's not something that most players have necessarily done. But at the same time, there's also the part of the market that's totally fine with that, and is totally anxious to see something that's new and different -- a new wrinkle in the treatment on the first-person shooter.

For them, I think our challenge is to not mislead those people by making them think that what we've given them is some kind of RPG/first-person shooter hybrid. There are folks who kind of compared it to Fallout 3 -- that tendency to view it as a first-person experience that involves a lot of like exploring the world, meeting people, having conversations with them. Players hear things like that.

Managing an inventory.

PR: Exactly. Like resource management. They hear there are factions in the game -- that immediately implies a different kind of dynamic, right? They're like, "Oh, why is everyone shooting at me?" [laughs] Well, it's still a first-person shooter.

So, communicating those differences to those different parts of the market is something I think we contended with. That's something that we're still trying to do.

I think the reviewers who had an opportunity to take their time with it -- not just kind of blaze away through the critical path, but got to know the dynamics of the game world -- tended to end up giving us a very positive reaction because they went, "Wow, okay. I understand after a certain amount of time, this thing kind of clicks, and then I understand how to maximize my enjoyment with it."

Obviously, some reviewers have five games they need to get through that week, they're going to try to play it and think, "I'll sit down for a couple of days and play Far Cry 2." And they may be left feeling a little frustrated by it. That's something I think we dealt with. We're learning a lot about how better to communicate.

It's an interesting game in that respect, because the movement of a lot of shooters these days is more of a linear progression, and structuring Far Cry 2 like that would basically make it pointless.

PR: Yeah, I think there's an agreement there with the player, and the player has to be willing to commit themselves to that idea, and that's fine. I don't think there's a problem with that. I think there are players out there that are willing to.

But then the onus is on us to make sure that that commitment is clearly spelled out in advance, right? [laughs] You know, we can't mislead them or make them think, "I can play for fifteen minutes at a time and be fine."

For me, a huge part of the value and quality of the game came out of simply investing myself into the African savanna and just letting interesting things happen as I tried to get the most out of the game's systems. It's not only different to the "play for fifteen minutes at a time," it's basically the opposite of that mentality.

PR: I think a good way to think of it -- or at least the way we thought of it -- is that a lot of what you're describing grew out of necessity, as soon as we realized that we were going to be supporting an open world and having to support a certain amount of exploration and a certain amount of non-linearity.

What you're describing, that sense of being in the environment and letting the environment kind of drive the experience, is a function of us building that foundation. We needed to build an infrastructure, a framework for supporting the player moving around the world kind of at his own will and using whatever resources he wants -- whether it's vehicles, boats, on foot, or what have you.

That's kind of like the base layer of the gameplay experience to a certain extent, because in the absence of anything else, that's what the experience is going to default to. Then, subsequent efforts and other iterations of the game's development were about adding these additional layers of experience on top of that.

So I think players may find that there are circumstances in which some of those other layers have been throttled back a bit and they're experiencing just the basic undistilled physical sense of being in that world.

I think that's something that we executed on well. And I think that it's good to have a strong foundation, right? The game becomes a lot more unpredictable and dynamic, obviously, when these other layers have an influence and an impact on the experience. But they kind of come in and out at different moments in the game, depending on the player's style of play.

[chpatdoorsl3z0a1]

Sony a9 shooting experience: Here's why I'm impressed

Introduction

Sony's looking to storm the sports photography market with its new a9 mirrorless camera.

When I started shooting sports for college publications, I was stuck working with 3 fps. Then I graduated to a new camera offering 5 fps, and gravitated towards weddings and events. Now that I've been with DPReview for a year and a half, I've gotten used to 12, 14, 18 and 24 frames per second for shooting just about everything.

To be blunt, past a certain threshold, burst shooting speeds don't net me appreciably more keepers in my usual style of photography. But that won't be the case with everyone, and honestly, it doesn't hinder my enthusiasm with regards to the new Sony a9, even though that's one of its headline features. Even setting burst speeds aside, this camera is among the best I've ever used, bar none. Here's why.

Background

During my time at DPReview, Sony's always left me feeling a little conflicted.

On one hand, the technology and features crammed into the company's cameras are always impressive; during my interview for this job, our own Rishi Sanyal showed me Eye AF on an a7R II, and I accidentally blurted out an expletive as my jaw dropped – it was something I'd never seen before. On the other hand, I've consistently found the usability of Sony's cameras to be a primary concern for me. The interface and general operation were laggy enough to be irksome, I got lost in the menus all the time (movie options should never be nonsensically shuffled among stills options), and there were times that I felt I was fighting the camera to get it to just do what I wanted.

Sony's RX100 V is an incredibly capable pocket camera, but the series hasn't seen any ergonomic or UI improvements in two generations. Photo by Samuel Spencer

The list of qualms I have with the a7-series in particular is full of items that, on their own, are quite insignificant; but as the list grows, they all combine to make for cameras that I almost never choose for personal work or play. But the sheer volume of improvements and refinements in the a9 are having me singing a different tune.

So, what exactly has changed with the a9?

Despite similarities to the a7-series at first glance, a lot.

The buttons and dials all come with better haptic feedback. The AF joystick replaces an eternity of clicks when moving the AF point. When you flip the screen out, the eye sensor is disabled, which resulted in fewer missed shots when working at odd angles. Boot-up time is shorter. Battery life is way better. The interface is more responsive. I don't get lost in the menus at all anymore. All of these changes add up to a camera that is more transparent, in the sense that it just 'gets out of the way' more than any previous Sony camera I've used, and lets me get on with taking pictures.

The controls, the feel and the operation of the new a9 have all been improved relative to Sony's a7-series of full frame mirrorless cameras.

Even if you don't use the full 20 fps (electronic shutter) burst speed, shooting anything you could want without any intrusive shutter noise (important for delicate moments during, say a wedding reception) without any blackout whatsoever is a revelation. Sure, the RX100 V and Olympus E-M1 II both also offer fully electronic shutters and silent operation, but neither has a full-frame image sensor, neither can show you a live view during bursts (only slideshows of images being taken), and the a9 suppresses rolling shutter so ably that it's one more thing that I almost never have to worry about.

I had a big hand in the reviews of Nikon's D5 and Canon's EOS-1D X Mark II, and while the optical viewfinder blackout on both of those cameras is incredibly short, I have to stress that the Sony a9 goes one step further in that it shows no blackout whatsoever. None. This camera makes it easier than ever to simply follow the action, and catch exactly the moment you want.

An additional plus - this camera has taken the preliminary crown (review units are forthcoming) for the best mirrorless autofocus system I've ever used. We were given the opportunity to photograph hockey, figure skating and a full-on track meet, and the a9 rarely let me down. Watch our site next week, when we'll be able to post actual photos and videos from these events for you to examine for yourself.

What's the catch?

Okay, there's a few catches here.

First of all, do you need 20 fps? I don't. There are, of course, those that will. But that feature, that incredibly fast readout speed of that new 24MP sensor, is something you're paying for if you shell out $4,500 for this new camera, even if you're only interested in the other (not insignificant) improvements outlined above.

I shot over 2,800 images during our shooting experience with Sony in New York. That caused me worries about card space (even with a 128GB card), cost me hard drive space, and cost me time during downloading and editing. I'm no pro sports shooter, so take this with a grain of salt, but I'm having a hard time convincing myself that I got an appreciably greater number of keepers because of the a9's burst rate than I would have with a slower-shooting camera. Heck, I even switched to 10fps halfway through to save card space, and I still came away with images I was pleased with. And it's worth noting that the absence of any blackout whatsoever is still incredibly awesome, even at 10fps.

This image is from the first occasion where I really soaked a camera in the name of a shoot; photographing the King County Search and Rescue team during a training exercise as part of my job for Puget Sound Energy. That D800 and 24-70mm F2.8 are still in good working order, though the rubber zoom ring on the lens had started to come a little loose. ISO 1600 | F4 | 1/100 sec Photo copyright Puget Sound Energy, image via Flickr

Also, Sony's made claims that the a9 is weather resistant, but after handling the camera and flipping out the port doors, battery door and memory card doors, I just don't have the same faith that it would survive a downpour that a D5, 1D X II or E-M1 II could shrug off. That said, this isn't necessarily a common requirement, but it's something to keep in mind. Were I to take a personal a9 into a rainstorm, I'd gaff tape the heck out of it.

And lastly, where are the XQD card slots? Yes, the a9 has an amazing buffer that I never once hit, but that buffer takes a good amount of time to clear. Incorporating XQD cards would also have meant my download times would be closer to three minutes instead of thirty at the end of the day, plus they're simply more durable for demanding situations. After having used them extensively on Nikon's D500 and D5, I'm sold: for sports cameras, faster media is the way to go.

The wrap

Looking forward - does the a9 have what it takes to steal the hearts of sports shooters around the globe? Only time will tell. Okay, time, durability and quality of professional service and support.

Professional sports and action photographers have demanding jobs, and it goes without saying that learning a new camera system is not usually something they're looking to add to their workload. But the a9 might just be worth it.

Sony says it's rolling out more robust professional support, with one-day turnaround for loaner units when a camera needs repair, and walk-in service centers in New York and Los Angeles (with more coming soon), and better support throughout Canada. That's promising, for sure, but in a chicken-and-egg dilemma, do you want to be among the first to adopt the Sony system and test the validity of those claims for yourself, or wait to see what other professionals who switch have to say? 

For a professional wedding and event photographer who isn't spending hours in inclement weather, I'd say the Sony a9 is worth a look if you're used to Dx-series cameras from Nikon, and 1D-series models from Canon. With the a9, you'll save a ton of weight, have a higher frame rate (again, only relevant if you need it), and likely have an easier time following the action than with even the best DSLRs. 

But it must be said, the cost of switching systems isn't something to be sneezed at – and it's something we'll be looking at in detail in a forthcoming article, so stay tuned.

from DIYS http://ift.tt/2p53TWM

[repwincoml4a0a5]

Sony a9 shooting experience: Here's why I'm impressed

Introduction

Sony's looking to storm the sports photography market with its new a9 mirrorless camera.

When I started shooting sports for college publications, I was stuck working with 3 fps. Then I graduated to a new camera offering 5 fps, and gravitated towards weddings and events. Now that I've been with DPReview for a year and a half, I've gotten used to 12, 14, 18 and 24 frames per second for shooting just about everything.

To be blunt, past a certain threshold, burst shooting speeds don't net me appreciably more keepers in my usual style of photography. But that won't be the case with everyone, and honestly, it doesn't hinder my enthusiasm with regards to the new Sony a9, even though that's one of its headline features. Even setting burst speeds aside, this camera is among the best I've ever used, bar none. Here's why.

Background

During my time at DPReview, Sony's always left me feeling a little conflicted.

On one hand, the technology and features crammed into the company's cameras are always impressive; during my interview for this job, our own Rishi Sanyal showed me Eye AF on an a7R II, and I accidentally blurted out an expletive as my jaw dropped – it was something I'd never seen before. On the other hand, I've consistently found the usability of Sony's cameras to be a primary concern for me. The interface and general operation were laggy enough to be irksome, I got lost in the menus all the time (movie options should never be nonsensically shuffled among stills options), and there were times that I felt I was fighting the camera to get it to just do what I wanted.

Sony's RX100 V is an incredibly capable pocket camera, but the series hasn't seen any ergonomic or UI improvements in two generations. Photo by Samuel Spencer

The list of qualms I have with the a7-series in particular is full of items that, on their own, are quite insignificant; but as the list grows, they all combine to make for cameras that I almost never choose for personal work or play. But the sheer volume of improvements and refinements in the a9 are having me singing a different tune.

So, what exactly has changed with the a9?

Despite similarities to the a7-series at first glance, a lot.

The buttons and dials all come with better haptic feedback. The AF joystick replaces an eternity of clicks when moving the AF point. When you flip the screen out, the eye sensor is disabled, which resulted in fewer missed shots when working at odd angles. Boot-up time is shorter. Battery life is way better. The interface is more responsive. I don't get lost in the menus at all anymore. All of these changes add up to a camera that is more transparent, in the sense that it just 'gets out of the way' more than any previous Sony camera I've used, and lets me get on with taking pictures.

The controls, the feel and the operation of the new a9 have all been improved relative to Sony's a7-series of full frame mirrorless cameras.

Even if you don't use the full 20 fps (electronic shutter) burst speed, shooting anything you could want without any intrusive shutter noise (important for delicate moments during, say a wedding reception) without any blackout whatsoever is a revelation. Sure, the RX100 V and Olympus E-M1 II both also offer fully electronic shutters and silent operation, but neither has a full-frame image sensor, neither can show you a live view during bursts (only slideshows of images being taken), and the a9 suppresses rolling shutter so ably that it's one more thing that I almost never have to worry about.

I had a big hand in the reviews of Nikon's D5 and Canon's EOS-1D X Mark II, and while the optical viewfinder blackout on both of those cameras is incredibly short, I have to stress that the Sony a9 goes one step further in that it shows no blackout whatsoever. None. This camera makes it easier than ever to simply follow the action, and catch exactly the moment you want.

An additional plus - this camera has taken the preliminary crown (review units are forthcoming) for the best mirrorless autofocus system I've ever used. We were given the opportunity to photograph hockey, figure skating and a full-on track meet, and the a9 rarely let me down. Watch our site next week, when we'll be able to post actual photos and videos from these events for you to examine for yourself.

What's the catch?

Okay, there's a few catches here.

First of all, do you need 20 fps? I don't. There are, of course, those that will. But that feature, that incredibly fast readout speed of that new 24MP sensor, is something you're paying for if you shell out $4,500 for this new camera, even if you're only interested in the other (not insignificant) improvements outlined above.

I shot over 2,800 images during our shooting experience with Sony in New York. That caused me worries about card space (even with a 128GB card), cost me hard drive space, and cost me time during downloading and editing. I'm no pro sports shooter, so take this with a grain of salt, but I'm having a hard time convincing myself that I got an appreciably greater number of keepers because of the a9's burst rate than I would have with a slower-shooting camera. Heck, I even switched to 10fps halfway through to save card space, and I still came away with images I was pleased with. And it's worth noting that the absence of any blackout whatsoever is still incredibly awesome, even at 10fps.

This image is from the first occasion where I really soaked a camera in the name of a shoot; photographing the King County Search and Rescue team during a training exercise as part of my job for Puget Sound Energy. That D800 and 24-70mm F2.8 are still in good working order, though the rubber zoom ring on the lens had started to come a little loose. ISO 1600 | F4 | 1/100 sec Photo copyright Puget Sound Energy, image via Flickr

Also, Sony's made claims that the a9 is weather resistant, but after handling the camera and flipping out the port doors, battery door and memory card doors, I just don't have the same faith that it would survive a downpour that a D5, 1D X II or E-M1 II could shrug off. That said, this isn't necessarily a common requirement, but it's something to keep in mind. Were I to take a personal a9 into a rainstorm, I'd gaff tape the heck out of it.

And lastly, where are the XQD card slots? Yes, the a9 has an amazing buffer that I never once hit, but that buffer takes a good amount of time to clear. Incorporating XQD cards would also have meant my download times would be closer to three minutes instead of thirty at the end of the day, plus they're simply more durable for demanding situations. After having used them extensively on Nikon's D500 and D5, I'm sold: for sports cameras, faster media is the way to go.

The wrap

Looking forward - does the a9 have what it takes to steal the hearts of sports shooters around the globe? Only time will tell. Okay, time, durability and quality of professional service and support.

Professional sports and action photographers have demanding jobs, and it goes without saying that learning a new camera system is not usually something they're looking to add to their workload. But the a9 might just be worth it.

Sony says it's rolling out more robust professional support, with one-day turnaround for loaner units when a camera needs repair, and walk-in service centers in New York and Los Angeles (with more coming soon), and better support throughout Canada. That's promising, for sure, but in a chicken-and-egg dilemma, do you want to be among the first to adopt the Sony system and test the validity of those claims for yourself, or wait to see what other professionals who switch have to say? 

For a professional wedding and event photographer who isn't spending hours in inclement weather, I'd say the Sony a9 is worth a look if you're used to Dx-series cameras from Nikon, and 1D-series models from Canon. With the a9, you'll save a ton of weight, have a higher frame rate (again, only relevant if you need it), and likely have an easier time following the action than with even the best DSLRs. 

But it must be said, the cost of switching systems isn't something to be sneezed at – and it's something we'll be looking at in detail in a forthcoming article, so stay tuned.

from DIYS http://ift.tt/2p53TWM

[repwinpril9y0a1]

Sony a9 shooting experience: Here's why I'm impressed

Introduction

Sony's looking to storm the sports photography market with its new a9 mirrorless camera.

When I started shooting sports for college publications, I was stuck working with 3 fps. Then I graduated to a new camera offering 5 fps, and gravitated towards weddings and events. Now that I've been with DPReview for a year and a half, I've gotten used to 12, 14, 18 and 24 frames per second for shooting just about everything.

To be blunt, past a certain threshold, burst shooting speeds don't net me appreciably more keepers in my usual style of photography. But that won't be the case with everyone, and honestly, it doesn't hinder my enthusiasm with regards to the new Sony a9, even though that's one of its headline features. Even setting burst speeds aside, this camera is among the best I've ever used, bar none. Here's why.

Background

During my time at DPReview, Sony's always left me feeling a little conflicted.

On one hand, the technology and features crammed into the company's cameras are always impressive; during my interview for this job, our own Rishi Sanyal showed me Eye AF on an a7R II, and I accidentally blurted out an expletive as my jaw dropped – it was something I'd never seen before. On the other hand, I've consistently found the usability of Sony's cameras to be a primary concern for me. The interface and general operation were laggy enough to be irksome, I got lost in the menus all the time (movie options should never be nonsensically shuffled among stills options), and there were times that I felt I was fighting the camera to get it to just do what I wanted.

Sony's RX100 V is an incredibly capable pocket camera, but the series hasn't seen any ergonomic or UI improvements in two generations. Photo by Samuel Spencer

The list of qualms I have with the a7-series in particular is full of items that, on their own, are quite insignificant; but as the list grows, they all combine to make for cameras that I almost never choose for personal work or play. But the sheer volume of improvements and refinements in the a9 are having me singing a different tune.

So, what exactly has changed with the a9?

Despite similarities to the a7-series at first glance, a lot.

The buttons and dials all come with better haptic feedback. The AF joystick replaces an eternity of clicks when moving the AF point. When you flip the screen out, the eye sensor is disabled, which resulted in fewer missed shots when working at odd angles. Boot-up time is shorter. Battery life is way better. The interface is more responsive. I don't get lost in the menus at all anymore. All of these changes add up to a camera that is more transparent, in the sense that it just 'gets out of the way' more than any previous Sony camera I've used, and lets me get on with taking pictures.

The controls, the feel and the operation of the new a9 have all been improved relative to Sony's a7-series of full frame mirrorless cameras.

Even if you don't use the full 20 fps (electronic shutter) burst speed, shooting anything you could want without any intrusive shutter noise (important for delicate moments during, say a wedding reception) without any blackout whatsoever is a revelation. Sure, the RX100 V and Olympus E-M1 II both also offer fully electronic shutters and silent operation, but neither has a full-frame image sensor, neither can show you a live view during bursts (only slideshows of images being taken), and the a9 suppresses rolling shutter so ably that it's one more thing that I almost never have to worry about.

I had a big hand in the reviews of Nikon's D5 and Canon's EOS-1D X Mark II, and while the optical viewfinder blackout on both of those cameras is incredibly short, I have to stress that the Sony a9 goes one step further in that it shows no blackout whatsoever. None. This camera makes it easier than ever to simply follow the action, and catch exactly the moment you want.

An additional plus - this camera has taken the preliminary crown (review units are forthcoming) for the best mirrorless autofocus system I've ever used. We were given the opportunity to photograph hockey, figure skating and a full-on track meet, and the a9 rarely let me down. Watch our site next week, when we'll be able to post actual photos and videos from these events for you to examine for yourself.

What's the catch?

Okay, there's a few catches here.

First of all, do you need 20 fps? I don't. There are, of course, those that will. But that feature, that incredibly fast readout speed of that new 24MP sensor, is something you're paying for if you shell out $4,500 for this new camera, even if you're only interested in the other (not insignificant) improvements outlined above.

I shot over 2,800 images during our shooting experience with Sony in New York. That caused me worries about card space (even with a 128GB card), cost me hard drive space, and cost me time during downloading and editing. I'm no pro sports shooter, so take this with a grain of salt, but I'm having a hard time convincing myself that I got an appreciably greater number of keepers because of the a9's burst rate than I would have with a slower-shooting camera. Heck, I even switched to 10fps halfway through to save card space, and I still came away with images I was pleased with. And it's worth noting that the absence of any blackout whatsoever is still incredibly awesome, even at 10fps.

This image is from the first occasion where I really soaked a camera in the name of a shoot; photographing the King County Search and Rescue team during a training exercise as part of my job for Puget Sound Energy. That D800 and 24-70mm F2.8 are still in good working order, though the rubber zoom ring on the lens had started to come a little loose. ISO 1600 | F4 | 1/100 sec Photo copyright Puget Sound Energy, image via Flickr

Also, Sony's made claims that the a9 is weather resistant, but after handling the camera and flipping out the port doors, battery door and memory card doors, I just don't have the same faith that it would survive a downpour that a D5, 1D X II or E-M1 II could shrug off. That said, this isn't necessarily a common requirement, but it's something to keep in mind. Were I to take a personal a9 into a rainstorm, I'd gaff tape the heck out of it.

And lastly, where are the XQD card slots? Yes, the a9 has an amazing buffer that I never once hit, but that buffer takes a good amount of time to clear. Incorporating XQD cards would also have meant my download times would be closer to three minutes instead of thirty at the end of the day, plus they're simply more durable for demanding situations. After having used them extensively on Nikon's D500 and D5, I'm sold: for sports cameras, faster media is the way to go.

The wrap

Looking forward - does the a9 have what it takes to steal the hearts of sports shooters around the globe? Only time will tell. Okay, time, durability and quality of professional service and support.

Professional sports and action photographers have demanding jobs, and it goes without saying that learning a new camera system is not usually something they're looking to add to their workload. But the a9 might just be worth it.

Sony says it's rolling out more robust professional support, with one-day turnaround for loaner units when a camera needs repair, and walk-in service centers in New York and Los Angeles (with more coming soon), and better support throughout Canada. That's promising, for sure, but in a chicken-and-egg dilemma, do you want to be among the first to adopt the Sony system and test the validity of those claims for yourself, or wait to see what other professionals who switch have to say? 

For a professional wedding and event photographer who isn't spending hours in inclement weather, I'd say the Sony a9 is worth a look if you're used to Dx-series cameras from Nikon, and 1D-series models from Canon. With the a9, you'll save a ton of weight, have a higher frame rate (again, only relevant if you need it), and likely have an easier time following the action than with even the best DSLRs. 

But it must be said, the cost of switching systems isn't something to be sneezed at – and it's something we'll be looking at in detail in a forthcoming article, so stay tuned.

from DIYS http://ift.tt/2p53TWM

[stormdoors78476]

Sony a9 shooting experience: Here's why I'm impressed

Introduction

Sony's looking to storm the sports photography market with its new a9 mirrorless camera.

When I started shooting sports for college publications, I was stuck working with 3 fps. Then I graduated to a new camera offering 5 fps, and gravitated towards weddings and events. Now that I've been with DPReview for a year and a half, I've gotten used to 12, 14, 18 and 24 frames per second for shooting just about everything.

To be blunt, past a certain threshold, burst shooting speeds don't net me appreciably more keepers in my usual style of photography. But that won't be the case with everyone, and honestly, it doesn't hinder my enthusiasm with regards to the new Sony a9, even though that's one of its headline features. Even setting burst speeds aside, this camera is among the best I've ever used, bar none. Here's why.

Background

During my time at DPReview, Sony's always left me feeling a little conflicted.

On one hand, the technology and features crammed into the company's cameras are always impressive; during my interview for this job, our own Rishi Sanyal showed me Eye AF on an a7R II, and I accidentally blurted out an expletive as my jaw dropped – it was something I'd never seen before. On the other hand, I've consistently found the usability of Sony's cameras to be a primary concern for me. The interface and general operation were laggy enough to be irksome, I got lost in the menus all the time (movie options should never be nonsensically shuffled among stills options), and there were times that I felt I was fighting the camera to get it to just do what I wanted.

Sony's RX100 V is an incredibly capable pocket camera, but the series hasn't seen any ergonomic or UI improvements in two generations. Photo by Samuel Spencer

The list of qualms I have with the a7-series in particular is full of items that, on their own, are quite insignificant; but as the list grows, they all combine to make for cameras that I almost never choose for personal work or play. But the sheer volume of improvements and refinements in the a9 are having me singing a different tune.

So, what exactly has changed with the a9?

Despite similarities to the a7-series at first glance, a lot.

The buttons and dials all come with better haptic feedback. The AF joystick replaces an eternity of clicks when moving the AF point. When you flip the screen out, the eye sensor is disabled, which resulted in fewer missed shots when working at odd angles. Boot-up time is shorter. Battery life is way better. The interface is more responsive. I don't get lost in the menus at all anymore. All of these changes add up to a camera that is more transparent, in the sense that it just 'gets out of the way' more than any previous Sony camera I've used, and lets me get on with taking pictures.

The controls, the feel and the operation of the new a9 have all been improved relative to Sony's a7-series of full frame mirrorless cameras.

Even if you don't use the full 20 fps (electronic shutter) burst speed, shooting anything you could want without any intrusive shutter noise (important for delicate moments during, say a wedding reception) without any blackout whatsoever is a revelation. Sure, the RX100 V and Olympus E-M1 II both also offer fully electronic shutters and silent operation, but neither has a full-frame image sensor, neither can show you a live view during bursts (only slideshows of images being taken), and the a9 suppresses rolling shutter so ably that it's one more thing that I almost never have to worry about.

I had a big hand in the reviews of Nikon's D5 and Canon's EOS-1D X Mark II, and while the optical viewfinder blackout on both of those cameras is incredibly short, I have to stress that the Sony a9 goes one step further in that it shows no blackout whatsoever. None. This camera makes it easier than ever to simply follow the action, and catch exactly the moment you want.

An additional plus - this camera has taken the preliminary crown (review units are forthcoming) for the best mirrorless autofocus system I've ever used. We were given the opportunity to photograph hockey, figure skating and a full-on track meet, and the a9 rarely let me down. Watch our site next week, when we'll be able to post actual photos and videos from these events for you to examine for yourself.

What's the catch?

Okay, there's a few catches here.

First of all, do you need 20 fps? I don't. There are, of course, those that will. But that feature, that incredibly fast readout speed of that new 24MP sensor, is something you're paying for if you shell out $4,500 for this new camera, even if you're only interested in the other (not insignificant) improvements outlined above.

I shot over 2,800 images during our shooting experience with Sony in New York. That caused me worries about card space (even with a 128GB card), cost me hard drive space, and cost me time during downloading and editing. I'm no pro sports shooter, so take this with a grain of salt, but I'm having a hard time convincing myself that I got an appreciably greater number of keepers because of the a9's burst rate than I would have with a slower-shooting camera. Heck, I even switched to 10fps halfway through to save card space, and I still came away with images I was pleased with. And it's worth noting that the absence of any blackout whatsoever is still incredibly awesome, even at 10fps.

This image is from the first occasion where I really soaked a camera in the name of a shoot; photographing the King County Search and Rescue team during a training exercise as part of my job for Puget Sound Energy. That D800 and 24-70mm F2.8 are still in good working order, though the rubber zoom ring on the lens had started to come a little loose. ISO 1600 | F4 | 1/100 sec Photo copyright Puget Sound Energy, image via Flickr

Also, Sony's made claims that the a9 is weather resistant, but after handling the camera and flipping out the port doors, battery door and memory card doors, I just don't have the same faith that it would survive a downpour that a D5, 1D X II or E-M1 II could shrug off. That said, this isn't necessarily a common requirement, but it's something to keep in mind. Were I to take a personal a9 into a rainstorm, I'd gaff tape the heck out of it.

And lastly, where are the XQD card slots? Yes, the a9 has an amazing buffer that I never once hit, but that buffer takes a good amount of time to clear. Incorporating XQD cards would also have meant my download times would be closer to three minutes instead of thirty at the end of the day, plus they're simply more durable for demanding situations. After having used them extensively on Nikon's D500 and D5, I'm sold: for sports cameras, faster media is the way to go.

The wrap

Looking forward - does the a9 have what it takes to steal the hearts of sports shooters around the globe? Only time will tell. Okay, time, durability and quality of professional service and support.

Professional sports and action photographers have demanding jobs, and it goes without saying that learning a new camera system is not usually something they're looking to add to their workload. But the a9 might just be worth it.

Sony says it's rolling out more robust professional support, with one-day turnaround for loaner units when a camera needs repair, and walk-in service centers in New York and Los Angeles (with more coming soon), and better support throughout Canada. That's promising, for sure, but in a chicken-and-egg dilemma, do you want to be among the first to adopt the Sony system and test the validity of those claims for yourself, or wait to see what other professionals who switch have to say? 

For a professional wedding and event photographer who isn't spending hours in inclement weather, I'd say the Sony a9 is worth a look if you're used to Dx-series cameras from Nikon, and 1D-series models from Canon. With the a9, you'll save a ton of weight, have a higher frame rate (again, only relevant if you need it), and likely have an easier time following the action than with even the best DSLRs. 

But it must be said, the cost of switching systems isn't something to be sneezed at – and it's something we'll be looking at in detail in a forthcoming article, so stay tuned.

from DIYS http://ift.tt/2p53TWM

[grgedoors02142]

Sony a9 shooting experience: Here's why I'm impressed

Introduction

Sony's looking to storm the sports photography market with its new a9 mirrorless camera.

When I started shooting sports for college publications, I was stuck working with 3 fps. Then I graduated to a new camera offering 5 fps, and gravitated towards weddings and events. Now that I've been with DPReview for a year and a half, I've gotten used to 12, 14, 18 and 24 frames per second for shooting just about everything.

To be blunt, past a certain threshold, burst shooting speeds don't net me appreciably more keepers in my usual style of photography. But that won't be the case with everyone, and honestly, it doesn't hinder my enthusiasm with regards to the new Sony a9, even though that's one of its headline features. Even setting burst speeds aside, this camera is among the best I've ever used, bar none. Here's why.

Background

During my time at DPReview, Sony's always left me feeling a little conflicted.

On one hand, the technology and features crammed into the company's cameras are always impressive; during my interview for this job, our own Rishi Sanyal showed me Eye AF on an a7R II, and I accidentally blurted out an expletive as my jaw dropped – it was something I'd never seen before. On the other hand, I've consistently found the usability of Sony's cameras to be a primary concern for me. The interface and general operation were laggy enough to be irksome, I got lost in the menus all the time (movie options should never be nonsensically shuffled among stills options), and there were times that I felt I was fighting the camera to get it to just do what I wanted.

Sony's RX100 V is an incredibly capable pocket camera, but the series hasn't seen any ergonomic or UI improvements in two generations. Photo by Samuel Spencer

The list of qualms I have with the a7-series in particular is full of items that, on their own, are quite insignificant; but as the list grows, they all combine to make for cameras that I almost never choose for personal work or play. But the sheer volume of improvements and refinements in the a9 are having me singing a different tune.

So, what exactly has changed with the a9?

Despite similarities to the a7-series at first glance, a lot.

The buttons and dials all come with better haptic feedback. The AF joystick replaces an eternity of clicks when moving the AF point. When you flip the screen out, the eye sensor is disabled, which resulted in fewer missed shots when working at odd angles. Boot-up time is shorter. Battery life is way better. The interface is more responsive. I don't get lost in the menus at all anymore. All of these changes add up to a camera that is more transparent, in the sense that it just 'gets out of the way' more than any previous Sony camera I've used, and lets me get on with taking pictures.

The controls, the feel and the operation of the new a9 have all been improved relative to Sony's a7-series of full frame mirrorless cameras.

Even if you don't use the full 20 fps (electronic shutter) burst speed, shooting anything you could want without any intrusive shutter noise (important for delicate moments during, say a wedding reception) without any blackout whatsoever is a revelation. Sure, the RX100 V and Olympus E-M1 II both also offer fully electronic shutters and silent operation, but neither has a full-frame image sensor, neither can show you a live view during bursts (only slideshows of images being taken), and the a9 suppresses rolling shutter so ably that it's one more thing that I almost never have to worry about.

I had a big hand in the reviews of Nikon's D5 and Canon's EOS-1D X Mark II, and while the optical viewfinder blackout on both of those cameras is incredibly short, I have to stress that the Sony a9 goes one step further in that it shows no blackout whatsoever. None. This camera makes it easier than ever to simply follow the action, and catch exactly the moment you want.

An additional plus - this camera has taken the preliminary crown (review units are forthcoming) for the best mirrorless autofocus system I've ever used. We were given the opportunity to photograph hockey, figure skating and a full-on track meet, and the a9 rarely let me down. Watch our site next week, when we'll be able to post actual photos and videos from these events for you to examine for yourself.

What's the catch?

Okay, there's a few catches here.

First of all, do you need 20 fps? I don't. There are, of course, those that will. But that feature, that incredibly fast readout speed of that new 24MP sensor, is something you're paying for if you shell out $4,500 for this new camera, even if you're only interested in the other (not insignificant) improvements outlined above.

I shot over 2,800 images during our shooting experience with Sony in New York. That caused me worries about card space (even with a 128GB card), cost me hard drive space, and cost me time during downloading and editing. I'm no pro sports shooter, so take this with a grain of salt, but I'm having a hard time convincing myself that I got an appreciably greater number of keepers because of the a9's burst rate than I would have with a slower-shooting camera. Heck, I even switched to 10fps halfway through to save card space, and I still came away with images I was pleased with. And it's worth noting that the absence of any blackout whatsoever is still incredibly awesome, even at 10fps.

This image is from the first occasion where I really soaked a camera in the name of a shoot; photographing the King County Search and Rescue team during a training exercise as part of my job for Puget Sound Energy. That D800 and 24-70mm F2.8 are still in good working order, though the rubber zoom ring on the lens had started to come a little loose. ISO 1600 | F4 | 1/100 sec Photo copyright Puget Sound Energy, image via Flickr

Also, Sony's made claims that the a9 is weather resistant, but after handling the camera and flipping out the port doors, battery door and memory card doors, I just don't have the same faith that it would survive a downpour that a D5, 1D X II or E-M1 II could shrug off. That said, this isn't necessarily a common requirement, but it's something to keep in mind. Were I to take a personal a9 into a rainstorm, I'd gaff tape the heck out of it.

And lastly, where are the XQD card slots? Yes, the a9 has an amazing buffer that I never once hit, but that buffer takes a good amount of time to clear. Incorporating XQD cards would also have meant my download times would be closer to three minutes instead of thirty at the end of the day, plus they're simply more durable for demanding situations. After having used them extensively on Nikon's D500 and D5, I'm sold: for sports cameras, faster media is the way to go.

The wrap

Looking forward - does the a9 have what it takes to steal the hearts of sports shooters around the globe? Only time will tell. Okay, time, durability and quality of professional service and support.

Professional sports and action photographers have demanding jobs, and it goes without saying that learning a new camera system is not usually something they're looking to add to their workload. But the a9 might just be worth it.

Sony says it's rolling out more robust professional support, with one-day turnaround for loaner units when a camera needs repair, and walk-in service centers in New York and Los Angeles (with more coming soon), and better support throughout Canada. That's promising, for sure, but in a chicken-and-egg dilemma, do you want to be among the first to adopt the Sony system and test the validity of those claims for yourself, or wait to see what other professionals who switch have to say? 

For a professional wedding and event photographer who isn't spending hours in inclement weather, I'd say the Sony a9 is worth a look if you're used to Dx-series cameras from Nikon, and 1D-series models from Canon. With the a9, you'll save a ton of weight, have a higher frame rate (again, only relevant if you need it), and likely have an easier time following the action than with even the best DSLRs. 

But it must be said, the cost of switching systems isn't something to be sneezed at – and it's something we'll be looking at in detail in a forthcoming article, so stay tuned.

from DIYS http://ift.tt/2p53TWM