#compare it to the state of anime 10 years ago can you realize how far we've come???

[morallygay]

every time i watch a frieren episode i feel the need to sing 26135 praises like. there are so many female characters and they're good they're fucking normal it feels too good to be true T~T

#frieren #compare it to the state of anime 10 years ago can you realize how far we've come??? #when frieren and kusuriya no hitorigoto are the 2 biggest animes of the season?? (and last) #it makes me wish i liked fantasy bc if i already love frieren this much while being fantasy averse #can you imagine if i liked fantasy??! the manga would already be sitting on my shelf #is all I’m saying #such a shame 😔 #anime #animanga

[the-eldritch-it-gay]

no. 10 from the general questions for the Tav companion ask game? 👀

10. Are there any unique NPCs associated with your Tav that can show up during the course of the game?

Ooooh. I think there would be a few, but here's what I imagine are the 2 key npcs that would be related to their personal quest and a brief idea of their role. I did also start to write up something that would happen in act 2, but it wouldn't technically be an npc because it would be an animal so I cut that from this.

Act 1:

Calnys Greenwood (Halfling Druid) would be found in the Emerald Grove, in the Druid Chambers. If you talk to her without Majexatli in the party, she just has a few lines about being newer to the Grove and having come from a different circle further north. She’ll comment on what happened with Arabella and offhandedly mention it reminds her of something that happened in her old circle. If Majexatli is in the party, she will notice them during this and mention they look somewhat familiar. Calnys will ask if they know of her circle and where their circle is based, trying to figure out if they know each other. Majexatli will be visibly uncomfortable and say she is probably mistaking them for someone else, that they only became a druid very recently and aren’t familiar with the druid circle she’s referring to. Afterward, Majexatli will have a ! over their head. When clicked on, it will initiate a short dialogue, where they say that the group shouldn’t linger here too long and should get a move on helping the tieflings. You can choose from some dialogue options asking if they’re okay, if they know the woman they were just talking to, or asking how the grove compares to their circle. With a successful insight check during the dialogue with Calnys and a DC 12 persuasion check during this, Majexatli will admit that they are somewhat familiar with the woman and have met her before but say that they last saw each other “a lifetime ago” so there’s no reason for her to recognize them (on a failure, Majexatli says that they should be focusing on helping the tiefling refugees right now instead of looking for gossip). On a DC 20 persuasion check, Majexatli will mention that they can’t compare their circle to the grove because they’re fundamentally different (Majexatli will echo some lore about Circle of the Moon Druids) and mention it’s been a while since their last meeting with their circle. They will, though, during this dialogue, let it slip that the situation with Arabella is far too familiar, letting the player realize that they indeed are likely from Calnys’ circle. Failing the persuasion check, Majexatli will disapprove and excuse themselves from the active party and return to camp by themselves.

Act 3:

Ervalon Selydyrn (Wood elf druid) can be found in Rivington. When the player approaches him, he will come up to them and initiate dialogue. If Majexatli is not in the party, he will ask the player about Majexatli’s whereabouts, introducing himself as someone from their old circle (If the player has not at this point, learned about Majexatli’s semi-voluntary exile, Ervalon will be confused and explain that Majexatli left the circle and their title roughly 20 years ago, and share some details about it all). If Majexatli is in the party, he will explain that Calnys sent word to the circle about them and he had to come see for himself and for “His sake”. Ervalon will express disappointment and disdain at Majexatli’s current state and their forsaking of Silvanus, but will offer them a place back in the circle conditional on Majexatli rejecting Malar as their god and going on a quest to prove their faith in Silvanus and loyalty to the circle. This would be the point where Majexatli’s story could diverge (much like Vampire Ascendant Astarion vs Vampire Spawn Astarion, and such) where they could either at the player’s insistence, agree to return to their circle and return to worshipping Silvanus or refuse and continue worshipping Malar and living in exile. The “good” ending would be their continuing to worship Malar and stay away from their circle, embracing their freedom and found family rather than returning to a circle that treated them poorly and trying once again to gain their abuser’s favor.

#eldritch it speaks #eldritch it answers #anonymous #salam plays bg3 #oc: majexatli

[yourdailykitsch]

No question, Just to say so sorry about your family member passing away. Thoughts and prayers go out to you and your family. I know how that feels, my husband passed away July 6. Glad the gas leak got fixed. And, congrats on the new kitten.

Thank you all for the kind messages. Just a rule of thumb that all of us will go through some downs in our life and these past few months have been pretty rough. It’s been a tough year but I hope that the holidays bring some joy to all of you, even if they’re paired down or not the usual. Going to try to get back into the swing of things with Taylor updates. Though he’s very quiet lately as well. 

Ask #2: Is Taylor single?

Not that I know of. He’s dated someone for a long time and though this year it’s hard to keep track of Taylor let alone his relationship, given their history, I have no reason to believe that they’re not still dating. If I learned something different I’d let you all know.

Ask #3: Did Jessica white & taylor kitsch date ? Or was it just a photoshoot?

Answer: I do not believe they’ve ever dated. I’ll quote my answer from another ask about this: “You know, I don’t really know where that rumor got started as far as them dating. I’ve been a Taylor fan since FNL started and I don’t really remember it ever even being a rumor that they dated. It just showed up on that “who dated who” site and was just stated as fact. I actually don’t think it’s true. I think it started based on that photo shoot they did together for GQ but there was never any evidence that they were a thing. No sightings, no mentions of them together, he never talked about her she never talked about him. The timeline doesn’t match up either. He was with Minka Kelly for much of 2006 into 2007 which is when he was supposedly dating Jessica.”

But they did make a gorgeous couple in this shoot

Ask #4: Hello. Is this still a good address to request an autograph from Taylor? Untitled Entertainment 350 S Beverly Dr?

Answer: You can try this address. I know I’ve given it in the past and is the address for his manager. He has a new management group that is representing him, his agent has moved to this agency and it’s Range Media. But they’re very new and I don’t know if they have any information out there yet about their location.

Ask #5: Is taylor working on anything? He seems not to work alot compared to alot of other actors,which is a shame. I know its covid now but he still doesnt work alot. Does he doing anything else other than act apart from his acc charity?

Answer: I do not believe he’s working on anything. I think that this year has created it’s own set of challenges. He has committed to a project which has been delayed due to COVID. Because it’s technically an independent film it’s running into some issues with starting production because of cost for the insurance that they will need to carry in order to film with COVID restrictions/protocols. It also doesn’t help that the state they’re supposed to film in (New Mexico) is one of the tougher states on restrictions. 

As far as him not working more. We know he’s super picky about what he chooses to devote his time to and what he chooses to dive into because he does truly dive into these projects...it does seem like he’s really taken to photography and has spent a period during this year traveling to remote locations to photograph nature/animals. 

Ask #6: It’s weird that there are no details as to why Taylor dropped out of Wash Me In The River. I would find it hard to believe that it’s got to do with pay. But if it’s scheduling conflicts I wonder what he’s shooting? Maybe Shadowplay Chapter 2? Or Inferno or something else? Just kinda strange that he has now also dropped out.

Answer: Easy answer would be scheduling conflict. He was signed on for literally two weeks before dropping out. So it wouldn’t shock me that we hear he’s doing something new or Inferno is going or he is in the second chapter of Shadowplay. ‘Wash Me in the River’ still hasn’t begun filming, so say it starts by early December and would take at least four weeks...maybe he has something coming up next month or early 2021 that he’s committed to. Maybe it’s something we know about, maybe it’s something completely different. 

Ask #7: Do you think Taylor will be spending the holidays here or in Canada? Restrictions are still on but as a citizen he can enter

Answer: I really don’t know. My guess is he’ll stay in Texas because Canada has a 14 day quarantine requirement. So say he wants to go home for the holidays he’d have to leave two weeks prior to Christmas and quarantine those 14 days before he can be out and about and see family. If he’s following the rules...who knows if he has time to do something like that or if he’d want to travel if he does have work coming up that he needs to be healthy for. 

Ask #8: I hate the fact that I found out about Taylor during covid. I wish I knew about him earlier in his career so I could keep up with him during the years.

Answer: Taylor has always been really super private, so even during his busy years the most we see of him is usually when he’s out promoting projects. We saw a glimpse into his life and more about him when he started using Instagram a few years ago but he’s really really slowed down with that, understandably. Hang in there, I think he’ll bounce back. 

Ask #9: Was Neil with Taylor during the 21 bridges press tour? Since that was around the time he had his baby? Also do you think he’d be with him for when he films Wash Me in the River?

Answer: Taylor was solo, but did have his manager Stephanie with him for 21 Bridges press. Normally he’d have Neil with him or his friend Kevin as kind of his PA during press tours and just to hang out with. I don’t now if Neil will continue to be Taylor’s PA on set now that he has started a family. We’ll have to wait and see.

Ask #10: I feel like i always see the fandom say things like he needs to work more, he’s getting older, projects he does aren’t up to standard blah blah blah. But we do know that he does offered the bigger roles but he doesn’t enjoy those stories, and he def doesn’t like the press tour and the spotlight as much as the work itself. I think people fail to realize that he is carefully picking and choosing roles, and he could do a RomCom but chooses not to. He likes his privacy and people fail to understand.

Answer: I think you hit the nail on the head. A lot of fans want him to be A-list and crazy popular and on magazine covers. That’s just not in his DNA. He has, without specifically naming projects, admitted to turning down some really big roles that were more mainstream. I think part of it might have been that he went this route in 2012, did some really big budget/mainstream tentpole projects and they failed by no fault of his own. He might still to this day shy away from something like that again. I think he’s completely comfortable with being a character actor. 

Ask #11: Has Taylor ever lived with Jennifer? Even back when he was in the apartment or condo?

Answer: Yes, I do believe that they lived together in his condo at some point. She also sold his condo a few years back when he moved into his new house. 

#taylor kitsch #ask me anything #Ask Me

[empathdespoina]

Social effect of unhealthy minds hurting others...

This isn’t a post in regards to being an Empath. But it does affect Empaths, because this is happening close to their home...their families, community and towns bordering your own; besides state you live in.

I was reflecting and realized that Donald Trump (I know, I know you don’t want to hear about him, but hear me out, it has a ripple effect) grew up abused by his father and mother and child abuse is something that should seriously be address; due to the mental health issues that stem from this and it’s a cycle that gets put onto the next young innocent victim, or a victim not blood related. Seeing how Trump still refuses to acknowledge that he lost, due to his psychological mindset that he’s still trying to please his father...that’s a very unsettling mindset; especially that his father died so long ago...I honestly don’t know.

So here is a man that’s in charge of a nation, that’s mentally unstable and this is causing others who have been abused as a child and NEVER got psychological help...are ever so lovely continued the sick cycle. I say this because my mother was abused by her mother as a child - it was verbal, emotional and psychological; plus my mother’s older sister (my aunt) was abused and then her sister turned it onto my mom. This has caused my mom to follow in these foot steps. Yet my mother and aunt don’t see anything wrong with the way they treat me and sadly my brother has learned to treat me very similar; but in a worst way...due to him bringing his NYPD job home and blowing up on me for no reason, and I feel he’s not to far away to unleash his physical anger on me. I have suggested to my mother on several times to go to therapy and her response is always... I’m okay there’s nothing wrong with me. As of recently my mom wants very little to do with her sister, on the way her sister treats her. I am my mother’s and brother’s emotional punching bag of dumping their bad days on me...all because I do something small that a healthy minded person would be upset; yet for these two, flip off at me as if I did something so damn horrible as if killed a wild animal in the house and destroyed the house in the process.

Now seeing how my family is...my mom likes Trump and is very pissed that he lost; due to her being very negative towards me, anytime there’s a reference around our new leaders for the nation. And the negativity outburst is nothing more than childish, but her being an adult and the years of how she destroyed my mental health on causing me to have very high stress anxiety; that if I do something similar to what would have upset her in the past...I start freaking out, in an unsettling reaction. Reason why? Because spilling a drink on the floor isn’t a big deal for healthy minded people. Yet for my mother it was the straw that broke the camel’s back and completely lost it with me. My father tried his best to protect me when he was alive; yet reflecting on the past and understanding my mother’s past; he was most likely abused along the same line like me, due to his last famous words to my mother, as he died from cancer: “You did this to me and put me here!” Which I believe was him lashing out on the abuse she did to him and it was always a passive aggressive to then shouting and bringing up every damn past mistake and making you feel worthless and that you’re nothing more then an embarrassment to her. Since she’s always concern of how others perceive her, due to the fact she never was popular in high school and that mindset still hasn’t been let go...seeing how she was ecstatic when my brother was the popular kid back in the day, in school and she could hang out with the popular moms. -face palms herself-

Having a mentally sick man as our president who won’t admit to losing or that he’s fucked up because yeah he was abused as a child...since around that time, it was considered ACCEPTABLE. Now you’re getting all these other people who were abused as a child and mentally sick to be encourage to let all this out, let all the abuse out and to hurt others. To attack people out of nowhere to let racism fly. But for some people at home, to deal with those we know, are getting worst than they were before...all because they admire this man like a Korean Idol or a Kardashian. The most dangerous ones are who are less educated; then following under that is people (more now my mother’s age group compared to my age group...to an extent on my age group), who are getting addicted to FB - which has always used ads and fake news to convince people of what the democrats are doing and to believe everything the republicans are saying...when what they are saying, is very dangerous school of thought; for these people to become nothing more than sheep that can rage and hurt others without a care; since Trump has been doing that in the public eye and social media.

Trump doesn’t want to hear the truth and those who don’t agree with him and make it known on news channels...where he takes comfort in social media; which he can easily bend those to his thought process and believe in it. I shit you not my mother believes in this thought process; which I believe is from FB. She’s now on FB more often and her friend who is too (the one that’s got chemical brain and talks to her daily)...that the three red strips in Biden’s campaign design is related to China...because some asshole who wanted to stir things up and cause chaos; when Biden was mimicking Obama’s campaign design. I couldn’t tell my mother other wise due to her hard belief in this...and this was a woman, who years ago when my father died- she did massive research on the pesticides that cause my dad’s cancer, which lead to his death. And she would always look into things. Yet due to her being chair bound as her ankle heals...she’s been on social media more and more; which I am not addict to social media like I was to an extent 10yrs ago. She believes in the republicans on what the democrats are going to do, on making our American country into one of socialism and the socialism very that is being inferred is the one in which we have no rights. Then there was another time this reference was brought up- note by my mothers and believing that by destroying all the stores, would cause this country to quickly turn into a socialism nation. I told her we have three branches of government and it isn’t going to change, due to how the three branches of government works. She replies go ahead and believe that it will stay the same, once Biden is in office.

This is what I mean about a ripple effect of these dangerous school of thoughts and to be violent to others and keep the cycle of abuse going. My mother is a woman who could think for herself...yet these past four years under Trump it’s more of the social media fake news to scare people in buying guns...in order to “protect” themselves from an uprising of the minorities; who will come and attack our home and to protect ourselves... I am not making this up - this actually came out of my mother’s mouth when I question my mothers on why my brother had three guns and a SNIPER RIFFLE. And the other push for buying guns that Democrats would ban guns-  this causing my brother to buy so much damn ammo for his “guns” that he can be his own militia army...where these people are too stupid to realize the rights to have guns is within our 10 Amendments. It is as if no one remembers our Amendments and how our three branches of government works any more of history.

And if I have to show you dangerous school of thought to cause chaos look to the dr who lost his medical license due to things that endanger a patient, because he was putting his believes onto this woman...instead of the best care to help her. He went on social media on video saying the 5G towers were “causing the COVID” and he would go on and on about it...where he’s clearly not right in the head...but of course you have mental sick idiots who will believe someone that “appears” smarter than them. And what did they do...they went around in Europe and destroying those 5G towers.

Trump’s legacy should be of a different social experiment (which they refereed to the prohibition), on how a man could use social media to bend people to his unhealthy thought process and make others stupid to believe in everything he says. Look how some republicans are believing the election is a fraud still, due to Trump losing, and this is a man who’s always got his way and his energy aura has to be very intimating for no one to say “NO” to him. For an other average person to pull the same shit off as Trump; would be arrested in a heartbeat, yet they are afraid of this man. Which I believe, when it comes time for him to leave office and we know he won’t go peacefully; to get a trank-gun and shoot him with it; then put a straight jacket on him and haul him away to a really heavily secured mental ward. Trump has caused healthy minded people to do things, that were not seen under Obama and Bush’s time in office. I only pick them, due to the fact I was more aware of how the president worked and being able to vote. Trump is a mental disease in his own way and to see others catch this and treat those around them...like Trump treats others, as if they are beneath his feet. I don’t know how much more rage outbursts that I’m going to have to deal with, in regards to my mother as this year ends and Biden will soon be in office. Plus keep in mind, I am the only one of her two children home (due to can’t find a job) to help her out and drive her around and she treats me like this...also I wasn’t the one who left something in my mother’s path of walking for her to fall and hurt herself, it was my brother. Yet he’s not helping out as much more, due to him being happy that his back working Narcotics unit; since he was desked for awhile due to he, himself breaking his leg and ankle of the right side a year ago from mom hurting herself.

I am really concern seeing what this nation has become and seeing how my mother and brother are on board with the words coming out of Trump’s mouth; especially my mom’s friend. I guess I felt compelled to write out my fear on seeing this...awhile ago, I read two articles that psychoanalyzed Trump by some professional therapist, as they watched and observed him on tv and looked into his history, on the life he had growing up. I honestly don’t know how long it will take to make society more...I honestly can’t find the right word....less violent and more willing to hurt others in a sick twisted obsession...? Yet that still happens in this world...maybe I’m looking for is......less negative fuel to fuel the monsters that are wearing masks and are two face to people...pretending by day to be a respectable person of society and when not watched by those people...take the mask off and reveal the monster underneath willing to hurt others; as they see Trump has done, and what he’s encourage to happen in this country.

So if you have family members, friends or co-workers/bosses who have similar thought process like my family... try your best to endure it and make sure you have something you can discreetly touch to ground you... or go for more pee breaks and just say you’re body’s off...if you get questioned.

[reading-writing-revolution]

This is truly magnificent analysis. It's a bit of a long read, but it is ABSOLUTELY magically clarifying. I'll include my thoughts in a follow-up because this is perfectly in line with something I've been thinking about for a while.

Buckle up, this one is a bit of a roller coaster.

Let’s talk population density.

Do you know the population density of the zip code you live in?

What about the population density of where you spent your formative years?

That’s a bit of a rhetorical question, because I’m guessing the answer is no. I certainly didn’t, so I’d be impressed and surprised if I asked someone this question in casual conversation and they rattled off the number to me.

I’d never thought about population density until I traveled to India in 2018. We flew into Mumbai which has a population density of 75,000 people per sq. mi. To give you some perspective, NYC has 27,000 per sq. mi. (post originally said 10,431people but that is per sq. km. not mi.) and as most of my friends are familiar with King of The Hammers, in Johnson Valley, when Hammertown doesn’t exist, it has a population density of 15.2 people per sq. mi.

Mumbai has the highest population density of any city in the world, and until you’ve experienced it, it’s hard to describe. If you have ever been in the first 10 rows of a sold-out standing room only concert, that is as close as I can relate to how people move through the streets of Mumbai. There is literally no such thing as personal space. Not for you, not for your vehicle. I think one of the most fascinating things our entire group realized in Mumbai is whatever you do, do NOT stop. Merge in, merge out, but sudden stops cause pile ups of humans, vehicles, etc. Everything is in fluid motion, when you step into the stream you go with the current, when you need to leave the stream you move to the edges and hop out. What was also interesting was the lack of rage or frustration we saw, and the lack of accidents! I don’t think I saw two people yell at each other the entire time we were there. Same with car accidents, I saw one slight bumper brush. Nothing worth stopping over, as every car had marks from similar encounters.

You would think with so much closeness fights would break out often, accidents would be on every corner. But something strange happens. There is no space for the individual in that type of population density. If you wanted to stop and be mad or outraged, you would literally be trampled. So you move with the flow, or you step outside of it. One person cannot go against the current and be successful, individual needs simply cannot matter for society to function in that type of population density. This is different from NYC where you do see individuals disagree on street corners. Because even as dense as NYC is there is room for the individual. Even our most densely populated cities are nothing compared to other countries. America has space and the individual has rights.

When this country was founded the population density of even our biggest cities was a fraction of large cities in Europe. Which is why our constitution so heavily outlines the liberties and freedoms of the individual compared to places like England where their population density even today is 10 times that of the United States as a whole.

Ever since news of the pandemic broke I’ve found myself fascinated with population density in the US. This fascination started because it seemed obvious to me that the transmission of COVID would happen far faster in our highest population density areas of the country. Wikipedia has a list of cities by population density. Here’s how the top 20 most dense cities breaks down: 9 in New Jersey (NYC metro area),4 in CA (LA metro area), 3 in NY (NYC metro area), 2 in Florida (Miami metro area), 1 in Mass (Boston metro area), and 1 in Kentucky (Louisville). Except for Kentucky these population dense areas directly correlate to the highest areas of infection in the country.

But my fascination with population density didn’t stop at the pandemic. I wanted to understand population densities of different areas. I started looking up places I’d lived and visited that felt both dense and sparse population wise. It should come as no surprise that cities are always the most dense and rural areas are always the most sparse.

Then as the mask debate started unfolding in my newsfeed, I found myself loosely assigning a population density to people as they made their stance on masks known. Those that lived in higher population densities were usually more for masks than those who lived in less population dense areas.

Again, this made sense. Those that live in cities encounter more people in a day going about their routine. If they live in high-density housing, they share elevators, stairwells, mailrooms, lobbies, etc. The needs of the individual matter less the higher the density, so fighting the mask goes against the stream. You can do it, but it’s not easy.

Those I know that live more rural were less inclined to want to wear masks. I’ve found a general rule of thumb in casual conversation is if you can walk to your nearest market (even if it’s a gas station or 7/11), you understand the need for a mask. If you MUST drive to your nearest market, you likely don’t have to encounter many people in a day if you choose not to, and masks feel like just another unnecessary restriction imposed by the government. The individual has more freedoms and rejects government oversight more the lower the population density.

At some point this year I saw some people sharing an image of the US broken up by red states (Republican) vs. blue states (Democrat), compared to a map of COVID cases. At the time, the blue states almost directly correlated to where the highest COVID outbreaks were happening. The conclusion those sharing this map were trying to draw was that COVID was political and made up by the political leaders of blue states. It was largely those living in unaffected areas sharing this map and drawing these conclusions.

What I took from these images was that the higher the density the more likely an area was to be run by Democrats. Which lead me down a rabbit hole. Apparently, someone named Dave Troy noticed the same thing, and wrote an interesting article based on the 2012 election between Obama and Romney. 98% of the 50 most dense counties voted Obama. 98% of the 50 least dense counties voted Romney.

And this Dave guy sounds like someone I would enjoy having a discussion with. Because this data drew him to the same question I had. Where is the crossover point in population density between those that vote Republican vs. those that vote Democrat? The data says that at about 800 people per sq. mi. people switch from voting primarily Republican to voting primarily Democrat. Below 800 people per sq. mi. there is a 66% chance that you voted Republican in 2012. The data doesn’t appear much different in the following years.

So why does this matter? Because how you were raised and how you live has a huge impact on what matters to you from your politicians and your government.

Those I know that grew up in less dense areas had to be self-reliant. When calling 911 means you’re likely waiting 20 minutes or longer for police, an ambulance, or a fire truck. You have to be able to defend yourself, handle your own first aid, and rely on your neighbors to help in critical emergency situations. When I tell people in Southern California that where I grew up had volunteer firefighters and EMTs they don’t believe me.

The more rural you are, the less you rely on government entities for your day-to-day needs. The most rural have well water, septic systems, take their trash to the dump, if it snows, they have a vehicle that can plow, and the truly rural use propane for power and heat. They are not reliant on most services provided by the public utilities. They use guns as tools to protect their animals and their family from prey and from vermin. They do not really encounter homeless people, as even the poorest can usually find a shack to live out of and require a vehicle to get around. These people in less dense areas do not depend on the government to solve their problems. They’d prefer government stay out of their lives completely. Less taxes, less oversight, less being told what to do. To the rural, it seems like every time the government interferes in their life, they lose another freedom, and their quality of life diminishes.

Those I know that grew up in more dense areas are used to calling 911 to handle emergencies. Their streets are swept in the summer and plowed in the winter. Their trash is picked up on the same day weekly. They don’t have space for cars and tools, so they tend to take public transportation or walk. They call someone when something breaks that requires tools they don’t own. They are used to encountering the homeless on the streets as part of their daily life. The truly poor and homeless usually end up in cities as the services to help the sick, mentally ill and the poorest among us are more available in dense areas. So the wealthy interact with the poor in cities far more than they do in rural areas. Those in higher density areas are willing to pay for government services because they are a regular part of their daily lives and make life more manageable. Without these services, the quality of life they know would not exist.

This got me thinking about some research I did a few years ago, when I learned that the average American only lives 18 miles from their mother. Those in NY and PA only live on average 8 miles from their mothers. From Kentucky to Louisiana the average is 6 miles. Less than 20% of Americans live more than a few hours drive from mom. The further you move from home depends greatly on your education and income. For the most part, the wealthier you are, the more you can pay for child and elder care, making it easier to travel further from home. Also, the more educated, the more likely you are to travel to utilize your education in a specialized career field.

So what does this have to do with population density? Most Americans never leave the population density we were raised in. Why does this matter? Because that means most Americans can’t understand or relate to the needs of those that live in population densities that differ from their own.

My friends that have been raised in cities see guns primarily as a source of violence. My friends that live rurally see guns as a necessary tool for their way of life. My friends that have been raised rurally don’t understand the need for taxes and government services, where they come from you take care of your own problems. My friends that live in cities, could not imagine a life without public utilities and governmental oversight of social problems.

Neither are wrong. Their needs and perspective are just vastly different.

I also realized that I’m probably in a small percentage of the American population. I have spent the last 20 years living more than 2500 miles from my closest family members, which puts me into the 20% category plus I was raised and lived in both high density population areas and low density population areas throughout my life.

Here’s my life by population density:

Age: 0-10 Zip: 14613 Pop Dens: 7323.5 people per sq. mi.

Age: 11-18 Zip: 14468 Pop Dens: 345 people per sq. mi.

Age: 18-22 Zip: 14850 Pop Dens: 5,722 people per sq. mi.

Age: 25-32 Zip: 92606 Pop Dens: 4,913 people per sq. mi.

Age: 33-43 Zip: 91773/91750 Pop Dens 2,163/1245 people per sq. mi.

I went to inner city schools as a young child. I was upset that my mother could not put my hair in corn rows with the pretty beads like my friends wore. I learned civil rights songs taught to me by our bi-racial music teacher and came home and sang them for my disapproving father who was raised in Shinglehouse, PA with a population density of 26.5 people per sq. mi.

Then at the age of 11 my family moved out of the city and into the country. We lived on 20+ acres of land and the population was 98% white. I didn’t walk to school anymore, heck, we didn’t really walk to our neighbor’s house because country roads don’t have sidewalks.

Then I went away to college for 4 years where I lived part of that time on the 11th floor of a tower, with a shared elevator, lobby, and I didn’t own a car. I walked everywhere, took the bus or would grab a ride from my few friends with cars if it wasn’t feasible to take public transportation.

After college I moved to Southern California. I spent my first 10 years as an adult mostly living in condos and townhomes in wealthier higher density areas, where I would say the majority leaned slightly left, but there was a fiscally conservative undertone. But I spent most weekends taking my Jeep to lower population density areas to live a life more closely to what I had on the farm growing up. Less government oversights. No one ticketing my Jeep for a few stickers as a commercial vehicle, etc.

Currently, I live in Los Angeles County, one of the highest populations in the country. But I live in one of the lowest density zip codes within that county. We have horse property and rodeos, and one of the only country bars in Southern California. Our population is almost completely split down the middle between left and right. I don’t have a sidewalk but a half a mile down the road they do. I can walk to the 7/11 and the subway around the corner but need to drive to the closest grocery store.

I’ve come to realize that just about every polarizing debate I see my friends having; I can see both sides of the argument. And I’m starting to suspect it’s because I’ve lived in both their worlds. I can relate and understand their needs and where they are coming from because I’ve experienced each of their way of life to a certain extent. Most in this country are raised one way and live that way for life. And how we want to live really comes down to the population density in which we have existed.

I truly believe our population density experience matters more to our political views than education, income, race, gender or sexuality.

As a society we are so wrapped up in left vs. right. Liberal vs. conservative. We figure out which we identify with and lump every social/political issue we agree with into “our” category, and everyone we disagree with into “their” category. I don’t see this really helping us hear each other any better. It more results in people trying to prove why they are right.

Since I’ve started considering people’s population density experiences in life (if I know them and have a reasonable idea) I have found a new filter with which to view information that is far more conducive to understanding their point of view than the filters we currently use.

Mark Twain once wrote, “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime.”

And while I think there’s some truth to that, travel in Mark Twain’s day and age is different than how we travel today. For instance, when I go to Baja, I like to stay in the small towns and eat at the local restaurants. But I have many friends that only go to all inclusive resorts, or stay in tourist areas, never venturing outside of the luxury they are there to enjoy. They don’t spend time in the rural areas seeing what life is really like. Traveling with ULTRA4 and for off road has kept me outside of most tourist areas. Where there’s only one place to stay and you have to explore local eating options. Seeing the countryside and how people live both in US and in Europe. I prefer to travel this way.

Many of us with the means to travel prefer to vacation how we live. The more rural we live day to day, the less spending a week in NYC sounds like fun. But going camping in the woods likely appeals to us. And those that live in cities, tend to not choose wilderness adventures for their downtime. The travel to help us see how other people live that existed in Twain’s time doesn’t really happen in our service oriented society where restaurants and hotels are abundant most places. We can eat at the same restaurants and sleep at the same hotels from one side of the country to the other. We’ve stopped getting outside of our own bubbles even when we travel.

I don’t know what we can do that would expose us to other ways of life like travel in Twain’s age did. But we probably need to figure it out to stop the divide from separating this country further.

From the beginning of 1900s through the Vietnam War between 7 and 9 percent of Americans were in military service. Today less than 0.5% of Americans serve in the military. That was one way that we used to expose Americans to life outside of what they grew up with. College is another way, but as costs have risen, more students continue to live at home and attend community colleges or local universities vs. leaving home to experience a different way of life between 18 and 22.

I find myself thinking about kids who go off to the army or away to college. They are forced outside their comfort zones. Some thrive there, some don’t. But they learn a different way of existing, at least for a little while. The type of travel Mark Twain is talking about. Part of me wonders if we shouldn’t offer some sort of service requirement for our youth between say 18 and 20 that requires them to get involved in something to help the country, away from where they were raised, military or civil service. If they were raised in a city, working on rural projects. If they were raised rurally, working on urban projects. Just to have a frame of reference for how diverse this country truly is and how different our needs are based on that diversity. But this is a topic for another day. You’ve already been too kind reading this far.

I don’t have the answers. But I’m glad I’ve finally put down some of the thoughts I’ve had floating around in my head regarding population density. Kudos to those of you that stuck it out.

If you’re like me and are curious about your own population density experiences, I’ve included a link in the comments where you can throw in zip codes and see what your exposure has been.

https://medium.com/@davetroy/is-population-density-the-key-to-understanding-voting-behavior-191acc302a2b

[dropintomanga]

10 Years of Manga Therapy

Today is a very special day as it’s the 10th year of this blog. Yeah, it’s been that long.

I think back to what the manga world was like 10 years ago. I remember how huge Naruto, BLEACH, and One Piece were to fans in 2010 and now we have a new generation of Jump series to follow (My Hero Academia, Demon Slayer, etc.) today. I remember how the manga industry decided to take steps to deal with scanlations in the start of the decade albeit they were very weak attempts. Now there’s better digital manga services with more to come. I remember how the closing of Borders bookstores hurt manga in the U.S. and in 2013, the 1st season the Attack on Titan anime’s success gave the U.S. manga industry new life. Today, I see so much manga series I heard about online in bookstores.

What hasn’t changed over the past 10 years is the perception of watching anime compared to reading manga. Reading still feels frowned upon as a leisure activity. Many fans prefer watching anime since visuals and voices are they’re often easier to follow. There are attempts to get anime fans to read manga as anime adaptations still drive manga sales overseas. What I would like to try and do is come up with some ideas on how to get interested fans started on reading manga and go on to become lifelong readers of it.

It’s easy to think about all the changes I’ve seen in manga, but I want to talk about my own changes over the past 10 years.

I still remember when I first started the blog, I made 2 serious posts along with a few quotes. Then I made a post stating my commitment to take the blog seriously. I wanted to have some kind of fame. I hoped that I would get a great job/career with help from my blog. And here we are today. I had social media pages and decent enough followings at the start, but over time, my attitude towards the blog began to change. 

I realized how I was beginning to obsess with metrics like SEO, analytics, retweets, likes, etc. I remember a friend pressuring me to do online ads. Thank god I didn’t since ad-blockers are now a thing. To be honest, I was really surprised that my blog did well. I still can’t believe my top article ever is the one I wrote about why incest is popular in Japanese otaku culture back in my first year.

At the same time, my life was starting to change around 2015. I wasn’t really watching as much anime as I used to. I also got back into gaming thanks to watching speedruns of Japanese RPGs. I felt that video games were always my first love. Thankfully, my second love was reading, especially of the comics and manga kind.

The first half of the decade was fun for me, but the 2nd half was where I managed to grow into my own as a person. I started to see life outside of the blog and social media in general as I was tired of seeing so much online discourse over topics that are so nuanced and devoid of proper context. I began to take more walks, check out sights and sounds offline, observed people in the streets and spend more time with my family.

When I started Manga Therapy, I had so much self-hatred. It was a big problem that held me back. As much as I had support at the time, I felt so dependent on other people helping me to feel better. I wanted to help others so bad because I wanted to ignore my own problems.

Some of you may have read my Anime NYC yearly recap posts and those were the years that I felt like I’ve made a huge stride in getting past my persistent depression. I finally stopped hating myself. I started to put my own care first. I stepped away from unnecessarily comparing myself to other people. I walked away from any rhetoric (especially online) that sounds super-ideological and/or full of “-isms.” I feel like I have a sense of self-worth and peace of mind that I wish I felt 10 years ago. Hell, even 20 years ago, I wish I had that feeling. I still suck at a few things and I’ll continue to work on them.

The more I’ve changed, the more I feel both compassion and sympathy for people who’ve been through so much and have been ignored by most of society. I realize that even people considered “good” aren’t exactly good. The people you need to worry about aren’t necessarily your enemies; it’s sometimes the people closest to you. That was perhaps the biggest lesson I’ve learned in my life so far. I also learned that chasing happiness is a trap that leads to less happiness.

I think about how different I am from most people. I don’t fit into systems labeled in black-or-white fashion. I despise both extremism and groupthink. I see that notable folks in the manga industry are outspoken about things I don’t necessarily agree with. I see notable folks outside of it are outspoken about things I don’t necessarily agree with. While I do enjoy talking to the people who work in or cover the manga industry, I feel that I occupy this in-between area that not many people want to reside in.

I’m starting to believe that not being too involved in fandom has helped me process life better. Fandom is fun to get involved in, but you have to be able to deal with and/or accept BOTH the good and bad sides of it. I don’t know where manga fandom is going because both the fans and industry are going to struggle finding a middle ground with regards to digital manga. Yet I do know that manga fandom has to continue fighting for acknowledgement because it’s not just anime fans who may not care about manga; it’s also the Western comics industry and fans who still ignore the continued success of manga for whatever reason.

Don’t worry, I’m not going to make a prediction list of what’s gonna happen in the next 10 years. I do hope to see a bunch of manga titles that discuss mental health and illness licensed here. Other than that, the one thing that’s certain is uncertainty. Life is always full of randomness. I didn’t think I was going to start a blog 10 years ago about my own experiences. I didn’t think I was going to last as long as I have. I didn’t think this blog would leave me feeling heartbreak and later renewed joy from a healthy distance. I don’t know where Manga Therapy is going to take me. All I know is that I’ll enjoy this ride for the time being. It’s what I’ll do for myself and my readers. 

So, thanks to all my readers for reading and huge props to anyone who’s read for the whole 10 years I’ve been around. Reading manga still provides value to my life. To everyone who has mental health problems or mental illness, I hope that manga with all its complexities can help you cope and build resilience in ways that last not just 5, 10, or 20 years, but a lifetime.

#manga industry #manga #fandom #mental health #psychology #decade retrospective #blogging

[melodrawmah]

Steven Universe: Future Finale Analysis

*WARNING* Interpreted spoilers.

This isn’t an analysis on the last episode(s). It’s more so an overall analysis on the impact of the finale , as well as the impact on the show to my life. I’ll say this cartoon in particular, has had the biggest impact on my life so far! If you haven’t watch it I recommend you do, especially for reasons explained later in this text.

So I finally finished watching Steven Universe: Future. Although the final few episodes of the series felt rushed, it definitely had a great impact emotionally. Since the show started 7 years ago, it has always brought up many topics that people avoid. Topics that make us uncomfortable. However, as the show displayed throughout its run, the stuff we go through is valid and normal- regardless of how you were raised, the people you know, the experiences you faced, etc.

It was definitely a show that many can relate to, especially if you deal with any mental health symptoms/ illness/ disorders. Particularly stress, childhood trauma, depression, and anxiety. It is a show that those from unconventional families can relate to and apply to their lives to the storyline (ex: multicultural families, single parent households, homeschooled children, etc.)

This is one show in particular that I am both satisfied and unsatisfied with the series finale. There are so many unanswered questions about the show, so many sub plots we are wondering about, characters that didn’t appear in the last 10 episodes. However, that is exactly how life is. Things go unanswered. People who were there for you in the beginning may not be there anymore. People become distant, but can always still be there for you. Life isn’t certain. It’s natural to not know what path in life to take. One thing I loved about the series finale is that it showed you can’t bottle your emotions inside or else if will eat you instead (loved what happened in the last 2 episodes. Trying not to spoil!).

I grew up a closed book. I was shy by nature. Too afraid to tell people my feelings. I always used to spread myself thin trying to be there for those who I loved, but I never allowed myself to be vurnable. I waited until I was at an all time low in life to begin to open up, and I’m so fortunate I did! Life isn’t easy. Steven Universe: Future showed that even though Steven achived his original goal , resolving conflict between gems on Earth, and those on Homeworld, he still had a lot of unresolved conflict and emotions bottled inside and refused to seek help until it broke him! It caused his loved ones to flip the perspective of how they viewed and interacted with him. This displayed the “sometimes the savior needs to be saved” narrative, which is 100% true!

The last few episodes shows how it is a progress to fixing your health (physically and mentally). You have to be patient with loved ones and wait until they’re ready to make process , but at the same time, NEVER turn a blind eye to the situation! It showed that parents and other caregivers can have their own reasons for their actions. (Greg’s choices for how he chose to raise Steven, versus his own upbringing).Those actions are all valid, but it’s unpredictable how it will impact a child’s wellbeing (As shown in the episode of Steven Universe, where Steven was a baby, and neither Greg or the Crystal Gems understood how his gem worked and which person show raise him).The best thing to do is just adapt to the given circumstances and be there for your loved one . It showed that you can’t compare your relationships to others (ex: Steven comparing Garnet to his own). Everyone has their own path in life (shown with Steven and Connie). Same goes for every relationship, and the two partners must be there for each other but at the same time do what’s best for them individually.

What the last episode did beautifully is show that sometimes when the “strong” or “savior” figure breaks, instead of using that to reflect on your wrongs, try just being there for that figure you love so much. Especially when they were the one carrying all that unresolved trauma, emotions, and thoughts with a smile on their face. Steven did this through most of the series , and it literally broke him down towards the end! Not every situation can be fixed with a smile or not resolving issues!

As much as as I would love another continuation of the Steven Universe series, I am just thankful for a animated series that used real life themes and combined it perfectly with a fantasy world. I love how even though it’s a children’s series, it can be really watched by all ages. If anything, I feel it’s a show to hit those harder when they get older. I am thankful for a show which showed many aspects of love from perspectives not represented in mainstream media. This show showed a variety of relationships. There were queer relationships, (many that weren’t even questioned but just existed in that world). Multicultural relationships, step families, plutonic relationships that just stayed plutonic (Lars and Sadie), despite what everyone thought! I’m thankful for a (American) cartoon that’s not just action and comedy. A show with multifaceted themes and motifs!

The show in particular came out at a perfect time for me. It was released in 2013. I was a 16 year old who had just realized a few months ago that they were not straight. From a culture where being queer isn’t accepted. At that time I dealt with symptoms of stress, anxiety and depression. By the time I got to college, those symptoms got worse. I thought of doing the worse I can do to myself. Despite all the achievements I’ve made in those 4.5 years, like jobs, internships, two degrees, many friends, a partner, and many connections- I still wasn’t happy with my life ! I felt I had no direction in life, even past December 2019 , when I graduated college. Even just last month, March 2020, when the pandemic affected my mental state, right when I was just getting back on my feet. But this show has taught me through these critical points in life (teen and young adult years) to OPEN UP, STAY POSITIVE, and to show LOVE . It’s okay to be vurnable , scared, lost. It’s what makes you human. But don’t make the negatives make you lose sight of yourself. I thank Rebecca Sugar and the rest of the Steven Universe team for making such a beautiful show .💖

I would love to put my knowledge from studying cartooning and film in school and make a show that impacts so many lives.⭐️

#steven universe analysis #steven universe finale #steven universe future #su analysis #cartoons #mental health #depression #stress #anxeity #suicide

[mattginnow]

JFK

Matt Ginnow Matthew Ginnow

President Pitzer, Mr. Vice President, Governor, Congressman Thomas, Senator Wiley, and Congressman Miller, Mr. Webb, Mr. Bell, scientists, distinguished guests, and ladies and gentlemen:

I appreciate your president having made me an honorary visiting professor, and I will assure you that my first lecture will be very brief.

I am delighted to be here, and I’m particularly delighted to be here on this occasion.

We meet at a college noted for knowledge, in a city noted for progress, in a State noted for strength, and we stand in need of all three, for we meet in an hour of change and challenge, in a decade of hope and fear, in an age of both knowledge and ignorance. The greater our knowledge increases, the greater our ignorance unfolds.

Despite the striking fact that most of the scientists that the world has ever known are alive and working today, despite the fact that this Nation¹s own scientific manpower is doubling every 12 years in a rate of growth more than three times that of our population as a whole, despite that, the vast stretches of the unknown and the unanswered and the unfinished still far outstrip our collective comprehension.

No man can fully grasp how far and how fast we have come, but condense, if you will, the 50,000 years of man¹s recorded history in a time span of but a half-century. Stated in these terms, we know very little about the first 40 years, except at the end of them advanced man had learned to use the skins of animals to cover them. Then about 10 years ago, under this standard, man emerged from his caves to construct other kinds of shelter. Only five years ago man learned to write and use a cart with wheels. Christianity began less than two years ago. The printing press came this year, and then less than two months ago, during this whole 50-year span of human history, the steam engine provided a new source of power.

Newton explored the meaning of gravity. Last month electric lights and telephones and automobiles and airplanes became available. Only last week did we develop penicillin and television and nuclear power, and now if America’s new spacecraft succeeds in reaching Venus, we will have literally reached the stars before midnight tonight.

This is a breathtaking pace, and such a pace cannot help but create new ills as it dispels old, new ignorance, new problems, new dangers. Surely the opening vistas of space promise high costs and hardships, as well as high reward.

So it is not surprising that some would have us stay where we are a little longer to rest, to wait. But this city of Houston, this State of Texas, this country of the United States was not built by those who waited and rested and wished to look behind them. This country was conquered by those who moved forward–and so will space.

William Bradford, speaking in 1630 of the founding of the Plymouth Bay Colony, said that all great and honorable actions are accompanied with great difficulties, and both must be enterprised and overcome with answerable courage.

If this capsule history of our progress teaches us anything, it is that man, in his quest for knowledge and progress, is determined and cannot be deterred. The exploration of space will go ahead, whether we join in it or not, and it is one of the great adventures of all time, and no nation which expects to be the leader of other nations can expect to stay behind in the race for space.

Those who came before us made certain that this country rode the first waves of the industrial revolutions, the first waves of modern invention, and the first wave of nuclear power, and this generation does not intend to founder in the backwash of the coming age of space. We mean to be a part of it–we mean to lead it. For the eyes of the world now look into space, to the moon and to the planets beyond, and we have vowed that we shall not see it governed by a hostile flag of conquest, but by a banner of freedom and peace. We have vowed that we shall not see space filled with weapons of mass destruction, but with instruments of knowledge and understanding.

Yet the vows of this Nation can only be fulfilled if we in this Nation are first, and, therefore, we intend to be first. In short, our leadership in science and in industry, our hopes for peace and security, our obligations to ourselves as well as others, all require us to make this effort, to solve these mysteries, to solve them for the good of all men, and to become the world’s leading space-faring nation.

We set sail on this new sea because there is new knowledge to be gained, and new rights to be won, and they must be won and used for the progress of all people. For space science, like nuclear science and all technology, has no conscience of its own. Whether it will become a force for good or ill depends on man, and only if the United States occupies a position of pre-eminence can we help decide whether this new ocean will be a sea of peace or a new terrifying theater of war. I do not say the we should or will go unprotected against the hostile misuse of space any more than we go unprotected against the hostile use of land or sea, but I do say that space can be explored and mastered without feeding the fires of war, without repeating the mistakes that man has made in extending his writ around this globe of ours.

There is no strife, no prejudice, no national conflict in outer space as yet. Its hazards are hostile to us all. Its conquest deserves the best of all mankind, and its opportunity for peaceful cooperation many never come again. But why, some say, the moon? Why choose this as our goal? And they may well ask why climb the highest mountain? Why, 35 years ago, fly the Atlantic? Why does Rice play Texas?

We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too.

It is for these reasons that I regard the decision last year to shift our efforts in space from low to high gear as among the most important decisions that will be made during my incumbency in the office of the Presidency.

In the last 24 hours we have seen facilities now being created for the greatest and most complex exploration in man’s history. We have felt the ground shake and the air shattered by the testing of a Saturn C-1 booster rocket, many times as powerful as the Atlas which launched John Glenn, generating power equivalent to 10,000 automobiles with their accelerators on the floor. We have seen the site where the F-1 rocket engines, each one as powerful as all eight engines of the Saturn combined, will be clustered together to make the advanced Saturn missile, assembled in a new building to be built at Cape Canaveral as tall as a 48 story structure, as wide as a city block, and as long as two lengths of this field.

Within these last 19 months at least 45 satellites have circled the earth. Some 40 of them were “made in the United States of America” and they were far more sophisticated and supplied far more knowledge to the people of the world than those of the Soviet Union.

The Mariner spacecraft now on its way to Venus is the most intricate instrument in the history of space science. The accuracy of that shot is comparable to firing a missile from Cape Canaveral and dropping it in this stadium between the the 40-yard lines.

Transit satellites are helping our ships at sea to steer a safer course. Tiros satellites have given us unprecedented warnings of hurricanes and storms, and will do the same for forest fires and icebergs.

We have had our failures, but so have others, even if they do not admit them. And they may be less public.

To be sure, we are behind, and will be behind for some time in manned flight. But we do not intend to stay behind, and in this decade, we shall make up and move ahead.

The growth of our science and education will be enriched by new knowledge of our universe and environment, by new techniques of learning and mapping and observation, by new tools and computers for industry, medicine, the home as well as the school. Technical institutions, such as Rice, will reap the harvest of these gains.

And finally, the space effort itself, while still in its infancy, has already created a great number of new companies, and tens of thousands of new jobs. Space and related industries are generating new demands in investment and skilled personnel, and this city and this State, and this region, will share greatly in this growth. What was once the furthest outpost on the old frontier of the West will be the furthest outpost on the new frontier of science and space. Houston, your City of Houston, with its Manned Spacecraft Center, will become the heart of a large scientific and engineering community. During the next 5 years the National Aeronautics and Space Administration expects to double the number of scientists and engineers in this area, to increase its outlays for salaries and expenses to $60 million a year; to invest some $200 million in plant and laboratory facilities; and to direct or contract for new space efforts over $1 billion from this Center in this City.

To be sure, all this costs us all a good deal of money. This year¹s space budget is three times what it was in January 1961, and it is greater than the space budget of the previous eight years combined. That budget now stands at $5,400 million a year–a staggering sum, though somewhat less than we pay for cigarettes and cigars every year. Space expenditures will soon rise some more, from 40 cents per person per week to more than 50 cents a week for every man, woman and child in the United Stated, for we have given this program a high national priority–even though I realize that this is in some measure an act of faith and vision, for we do not now know what benefits await us.

But if I were to say, my fellow citizens, that we shall send to the moon, 240,000 miles away from the control station in Houston, a giant rocket more than 300 feet tall, the length of this football field, made of new metal alloys, some of which have not yet been invented, capable of standing heat and stresses several times more than have ever been experienced, fitted together with a precision better than the finest watch, carrying all the equipment needed for propulsion, guidance, control, communications, food and survival, on an untried mission, to an unknown celestial body, and then return it safely to earth, re-entering the atmosphere at speeds of over 25,000 miles per hour, causing heat about half that of the temperature of the sun–almost as hot as it is here today–and do all this, and do it right, and do it first before this decade is out–then we must be bold.

I’m the one who is doing all the work, so we just want you to stay cool for a minute. [laughter]

However, I think we’re going to do it, and I think that we must pay what needs to be paid. I don’t think we ought to waste any money, but I think we ought to do the job. And this will be done in the decade of the sixties. It may be done while some of you are still here at school at this college and university. It will be done during the term of office of some of the people who sit here on this platform. But it will be done. And it will be done before the end of this decade.

I am delighted that this university is playing a part in putting a man on the moon as part of a great national effort of the United States of America.

Many years ago the great British explorer George Mallory, who was to die on Mount Everest, was asked why did he want to climb it. He said, “Because it is there.”

Well, space is there, and we’re going to climb it, and the moon and the planets are there, and new hopes for knowledge and peace are there. And, therefore, as we set sail we ask God’s blessing on the most hazardous and dangerous and greatest adventure on which man has ever embarked.

Thank you.

Matt Ginnow, Matthew Ginnow

[rahullkohli]

about the weight watchers app for kids...i’m thinking it may be for overweight/obese kids? i can see it being mentally taxing for those who are at a normal weight for their size. can you explain more about how it’s child abuse?

hello. thank you so much for actually being chill and open for a dialogue, unlike how aggressive people have been about the post.

anyway, i have been thinking about how to tackle this one the entire day, and i am afraid it’s gonna be a long one, so i’ll put it under a cut. i’m just gonna start out with a little background about myself, to explain how i am forming my opinions on the subject, and where my knowledge comes from.

i have been overweight more or less my entire life, even though i have gone through anorexia and bulimia, and have been eating below my necessary calorie intake literally my entire life (i grew up very poor, so we just simply didn’t have enough, or satisfyingly nourishing, food in the house). to this day i struggle with disordered eating patterns and body dysmorphia. i have been lifting weights on/off for 12 years, and i have been seeing a licensed nutritionist for a year and a half now, which has helped me lose 22 kg. i am still working on it. i have worked with a long line of fitness trainers (my mom is a licensed fitness trainer, for one), and about three different nutritionists. so while i don’t have any education in either of those fields, i have worked with professionals that have taught me a lot. i have also studied psychology in college for a year, and specifically child psychology for another year - i also spent a year working with kids ages 2-6.

my two youngest sisters did a weightwatchers program when they were around 8 and 10, so i have also seen upclose how that works. that was many years ago - and not in america - so i do know that the way things worked then/works in america compared to where i live, may not be the exact same. but the guidelines for the company, and their strategies should be the same, since it is afterall the same company. now, both of my sisters lost weight. they also gained it back. and more, and more, and both of them are extremely overweight today. in the way that i am the “thin” sister, compared. and they are eating disordered. they have no grasp of how to deal with food. they are intelligent women, and they know the basics of “if you eat too much pizza and ice cream, you will gain weight” but they don’t know, and don’t have the energy, to apply it to how they live. they are not only compulsive overeaters, they also don’t have a healthy eating pattern that could help stabilize their metabolism.

okay, so with that out of the way, let’s get to the actual app - and weightwatchers.

the app offers a diet, even though it is a fact that diets do not work. they literally do not. people who go on a diet will gain the weight right back on, and more. because diets are short-term solutions, and they are designed to make someone lose X amount of weight in X amount of time. it is not sustainable - just as with the oh-so-popular juice cleanses. for someone to lose weight, and keep it off, a complete lifestyle change is needed, but that is just not as simple as some companies, magazines, blogs, etc. will make it sound. because every single person is unique and what their body needs to maintain a healthy weight is unique to them specifically. in order to lose weight your daily calorie intake needs to be in a caloric deficit, but this depends on your height, your current weight, how your body is built, and more. those are things the app simply don’t take into account. now, i haven’t actually downloaded the app myself (i refuse to give them the clicks), but a licensed trainer i follow on instagram posted screencaps on her story. as far as i could see they take height and weight, and that’s that. but the human body is much more complex than just height and weight - especially when it comes to children and teenagers, who are growing, and going through tremendous hormonal changes. but i will get to that later.

what should also be taken into account are things like hormonal imbalances, and the fact that people breaks down macronutrients (carbhohydrates, proteins and fats) differently. fx, my sisters have poly cystic ovary syndrome (pcos), which means that their bodies can’t handle carbohydrates very well, whereas i need most carbs, medium protein, small amounts of fats. but apps like these don’t take that into account, because it is impossible for an app to do a check for what every single individual needs. i for example recently found out that my body doesn’t break down dairy very well. i have been using plant based milk, yogurt, ice cream and butter, instead of animal based for years, and only very small amounts of animal based cheese, so when my nutritionist had me switch to animal based yogurt i started gaining weight. i went back to plant based and the weight went off.

nutrition and a healthy lifestyle cannot be taught simplistic, because it is about the individual, and it takes a trial, error and do-over period to find what works for your specific body. and what works for your body now, might not have worked ten years ago, or ten years from now, because hormones changes how our bodies processes macronutrients. but this app is a “one size fits all”-system.

and this system. the system it is using is based on shaming children; making them feel inadequate, making them scared, and ashamed of their bodies. the “before and after” photos i have seen, have all been kids who weren’t even that big to begin with. and the fact that the “goals” to choose from when signing up includes choices such as “make my parents proud” is manipulative and destructive for a child/teenager. no kid should ever even have the thought that they need to be a certain weight/size, or their parents won’t be proud of them. the entire set-up is sowing the seed that their weight is the deciding factor for their worth as people, which is the beginning to eating disorders.

now, kids’ bodies really start changing around the age of eight (the age of which you can sign up for this monster); these years are called pre-teens for a reason. hormones really start flowing, and body fat is really needed to help the hormones and toxins take care of the body. but if a child is forced to lose excessive amounts of body fats, this can’t happen. this is one of the reasons that professional child ballerinas, gymnasts, ice skaters, etc. don’t develop until very late. some don’t even get their period until their twenties, because their development has been stunted by excessive dieting and exercising.

their psyche of children and teens are also really delicate, and they are in the process of developing what kind of people they are going to be. not only that, also what their relationships with their bodies are gonna be like. if they are constantly told by their parents/siblings/apps that they need to lose weight, that they have to track and count every calorie they consider eating, and every step they take, does that seem like a healthy foundation for how they view their body, nutrition and exercise in the future?

the way the app works is with the so-called stoplight system, where if when you put in a food it will either give you a green light (good), yellow light (medium) or red light (bad) - but the thing is that, again, that is not how simple nutrition is. you would think that the red foods would be soda, ice cream, chips etc., and the green foods would be stuff like fruits and vegetables. but again, the trainer i followed said that she put in her food for the day: a protein bar, two eggs with bread, and a piece of fruit. the protein bar came up red, the eggs and bread yellow and the fruit green. now, all of these foods are things that are written down in my carefully calculated meal plan from my nutritionist. in my plan i also have lots of vegetables, pasta, rice, chicken, even chocolate and chips. but the thing is that it’s all about how much of it i eat. and that is another thing the app doesn’t seem to take into consideration. if i was to put in nothing but vegetables it would give me green light the whole way, but it would not be nourishing for a whole day. 

this app is forming their minds to spend all their energy worrying about what they eat, when they eat, how they eat. think of an eight year old with this app going to a birthday party - do you think they would be able to enjoy regular kiddie birthday party food, with the red light in the back of their heads? even if it is just one day? this app is gonna rob them of their childhood, and being able to enjoy life.

so, what i am trying to say is that the app is bad because the system doesn’t work. it is not teaching healthy habits, it is not giving advice on how to obtain a sustainable weightloss, and it doesn’t care about whether the children are actually overweight or not. it is created by a company whose sole purpose is to make money.

i don’t think that all of the parents who are buying into this are doing it because they are evil; i do believe that they think they are doing what is best for their children, but their views on body images and nutrition have also been skewed by the media and the diet culture we are living in. parents may look at their daughter’s chubby cheeks and think she’s unhealthy when she is literally just a kid with puppy fat that she will grow out of once adolescence hits. sure, there are kids who are truly in an unhealthy state with their bodies, but then the parents should have the help from a licensed professional, starting out with seeing a doctor who can tell them whether their child truly is overweight to a degree that it is dangerous, and from there on be referred to professionals that knows what they are doing. kids shouldn’t feel guilty when eating, but they will with this app.

i do realize that overweight is a problem, for both children and adults - not just in america, but most of the western world. (fun fact: the other day i saw a program that said that china is, as of 2017, the “fattest” country in the world, so it’s not just the western world, i just don’t have enough information about other places to say anything about that.) but a “one size fits all”-app is not the way to handle this issue. there are way too many layers to the problem to fix that.

not only is it important to remember that overweight does not equal unhealthy, regardless of age, gender, race, or anything else, but unhealthy overweight is especially tied to low-income persons, as nourishing food is much more expensive and accessible to people with middle-class and above incomes.

there is also the fact that education about proper nourishment is non-existent. what people know about dietary information is what they get from the media, where they will tell you garbage like goat milk is bad one day, and literally the next the same publication will tell you it’s the fountain of youth. it’s unreliable, and has no roots in actual science. even statistics can’t be trusted, because those often stem from surveys and projects paid for by big cooperations who are paying for an outcome in their favor.

so, to sum it all up; this app is based on a system that uses bodyshaming and guilt to throw kids and adults alike into a vicious cycle of yo-yo weight patterns, eating disorders and hateful relationships with themselves, their bodies and their sense of selfworth. i don’t think parents who buys into this app are overall evil, but it is an obvious tool for abusive parents who uses guilt, shame, punishment and scare tactics to manipulate their children into the above mentioned unhealthy patterns, because the parents themselves are victims of the fatphobic diet culture we are living in. not to mention that the parents don’t have access to proper information themselves.

aside from that, you can also see in the notes of the original post, that there are incredibly many people, who will tell stories about how forced diet in their childhood/teen years has been a kickstart to a lifelong series of mental and physical health issues.

this app is preying on scared parents to capitalize of a beauty obsessed ideal that is completely unrealistic.

i have also written a post about nutrition here that may be of interest to anyone reading this.

i am open to any questions, and constructive criticism. other than that i just hope i have been able to explain why i believe this app is harmful, and that it has been an informative read. thank you so much for reading to the end.

xxx

#anonymoose #ask #wwasks #nutrition #mental health #food tw #eating disorders tw #body image tw

[metalgearkong]

MediEvil 2019 - Review (PS4)

10/28/19

Developed by Other Ocean Emeryville / Sony Computer Entertainment, released October 2019

It has risen again! The original MediEvil from 1998 is one of my favorite games of all time, and one of the games I have completed the most. Like other games from the PS1 era, I discovered MediEvil on a demo disc and replayed it constantly. I loved the Nightmare Before Christmas aesthetics and music, and liked that it stared a cowardly bumbling skeleton. The late 90′s was a time of experimentation for 3D action/adventure games, and while some people hold Ocarina of Time or Super Mario 64 as their favorites of the genre, MediEvil has always been my personal favorite. MediEvil II released two years later, but lost a lot of its appeal for me because it took place in Victorian London instead of the graveyards and spooky locations of the original. MediEvil: Resurrection was made in 2005 for the PSP, but was more of a re-imagining of the original game, and not a true remake.

I had heard about MediEvil being remade yet again a couple years ago, but tried to have tempered expectations, and not buy into what could amount to be rumors. I imagined it would be akin to a big screen version of MediEvil: Resurrection, or at least the developers would butcher the original game. Last year was when I saw the trailer for this MediEvil remake, and I felt more confident in it. While most people were anticipating big triple-A or franchise games for 2019, my sights and hopes were dead set on this. Finally, after all this time of waiting, MediEvil 2019 has released exclusively for the PS4, and I couldn’t be happier with the final product. Other Ocean Emeryville has created a deeply loyal and extremely faithful remake of the original game I cherish so much, but I feel like only true fans will be able to truly appreciate it for the accomplishment it is.

Before I talk about the game proper, I have to elaborate on the unexpected odyssey it took to actually get the game going. Not only do I have to make a three hour round trip to the nearest Gamestop to get a copy, the game had to immediately download a day one patch: version 1.01. This update was a massive 16GB, and with my super slow mountainous wi-fi speed, my PS4 predicted it would take at least 50 hours. There was no option to begin the game without this update. I was floored. It put me in a state of blue-balled depression and denial. So I took my TV, PS4, and all the necessary cords, and physically hooked in my PS4 to my work’s ethernet cable in a public building, hoping no one would disturb it. The estimated time dropped to a meager four hours, and it made me feel a lot better. Ironically, my PS4 only realized I didn’t have enough storage space to download the update, and somewhere along the line it quit. Thankfully, it let me play after giving up.

Expectations mean a lot, and leading up to this MediEvil releasing, I intentionally did not do a lot of research on the game in order to discover it in person as I was playing. I didn’t realize this was a fully committed remake of the original. MediEvil: Resurrection disappointed me because it changed a bunch about the game and left out a lot of my favorite levels. 2019′s MediEvil recreates every inch of the original game with modern graphics. I was so thrilled I can’t even describe how cool it was to see one of my favorite games of all time with a new coat of skin, especially because I never thought THIS game would be chosen to be remade. Not only that, but the game uses the same exact audio for most of the dialog; each and every gargoyle head and character Dan meets plays the same audio as I’ve had engraved in my skull for over twenty years, only with new character models and more elaborate animations.

The developers even used the same music for each level, only re-recorded it with only small differences or flourishes. Even insignificant things like textures on a doorway or on the ground were recreated in 3D to look just like they did. I would have been perfectly okay with the developers simply using modern graphics and textures to remake certain pieces of architecture or focal points in this game, but no, every corner of Gallowmere represented the original locations, and I constantly had to pick my jaw off the floor (no offense Dan). Cinematics also play out exactly the same, with the same camera angles and movements. Part of me thinks about how maybe Other Ocean Emeryville could have taken these short cinematics sprinkled throughout the game and elaborated slightly on lore, but that would veer dangerously close to a “re-imagining” territory, and I’m just thankful everything is kept so faithful in the end.

The banished necromancer Zarok has raised an army of the dead to conquer the realm of Gallowmere. Unwittingly, Zarok also brought back to life Sir Daniel Fortesque, King Peregrine's captain of the militia, who perished embarrassingly years prior in an earlier battle against Zarok and his armies. After Fortesque’s death, fables, songs, and legends told of his false bravery and battlefield accomplishments, but now he has the opportunity to live up to his own mythical status as the hero of Gallowmere. I’ve always loved this story, wherein the bad guy accidentally raises the very hero who would thwart him. I’ve always loved Dan because he’s so unlike most knights and heroes. He has to live up to his own reputation, and prove those wrong who know what truly happened. We play as Dan and travel from the hum drum graveyards of Gallowmere all the way through more exotic levels such as a pumpkin gorge filled with demonic pumpkins, crystal caverns filled with Minotaur-like monsters, an enchanted forest containing a demonic prison, and much more.

The first advantage to the modernization of this game was being able to see the Hilltop Mausoleum (the 2nd level) from The Cemetery (the 1st level). It would make sense if you had an expansive cemetery, and the very next level, adjacent to that level, had a massive building on top of a hill, and you could see it from far away. As a PS1 game I’d never expect to see something like that, but with this remake, they had the care to include things such as this, which only helps the world feel that much more real and connected. The controls and mechanics are nearly the same as the original as well, only made slightly more convenient. Dan can still equip a one-handed weapon and a shield, and switch between weapons in a menu. He can block attacks, but only as long as the shield’s HP holds out, until you need to find a new one. Dan has all the same moves as the original, but the more free-form camera makes the game a bit more convenient to play by making platforming and seeing things easier.

As you slay enemies in each level, you fill a chalice, and bringing back a full chalice to the end of each respective level grants you a visit to the Hall of Heores before the next level begins; this world’s version of Valhalla, where the most accomplished heroes of history drink, feast, and arm wrestle for eternity. A side goal of this game is to collect the chalice from every level so Dan can also become a member of this ethereal warrior’s afterlife (twenty in all). This is something I struggled with as a kid, but in the past many years I’ve always gone out of my way to make sure Sir Fortesque gets into the Hall of Heroes where he rightfully deserves to be. Sometimes items can be found in a level which are to be used in entirely different levels, something the game only hints at. Case in point are the Ant Caves, which is a maze-like level hidden within a level that is completely optional to complete (but not if you want all twenty chalices). 

Some of the original game’s drawbacks could be regarded as similar drawbacks for this remake. Criticisms like haphazard combat and imprecise platforming are somewhat the same case here, but I would argue that’s half the point playing as a gangling hero who hasn’t yet earned his stripes. I honestly can’t take an unbiased position on some of the game’s more objective problems, not only because I’m such a fanatic and have played the original so many times, but also because it’s impossible for me to have a fresh perspective on the game. I can’t tell you how hard the puzzles are or how tough the game is simply because I’ve played the original so many times, I’ve gotten used to any perceived problems and solved all the puzzles so long ago. Reviews for this game seem to be lukewarm, and it’s an opinion I can’t share because I’m so impressed by how faithful one of my all time obscure favorites has been recreated.

In fact the very few changes the developers did make I could count on one hand. Mostly these changes have been made to a few of the game’s boss fights. Most of the bosses have always been very easy, especially compared to today’s obsession where bosses are meant to be extremely punishing. I can honestly say the changes are for the better and improve on these boss fights. For example the fight with the captain of the ghost ship has been improved, allowing you to manual aim a canon before firing it at him, rather than running back and forth between two fixed canons, hoping one of your shots hit the captain as he paces back and forth. Another addition are the “Lost Souls” which are hidden collectibles, one in each level that can be found by Sir Dan. This basically makes you replay every level to find the Lost Souls, as they only appear once you’re already near the end of the game. I can’t say I was motivated to find them, at least not right now, since it appears to be a shallow fetch-quest.

Besides getting the game booted in the first place, I did a have a few technical problems while playing the game. These are probably because the version 1.01 patch never actually downloaded and installed, and I may have been experiencing what the developers were trying to fix. One example was a door not opening once I had defeated all the enemies in the room, effectively trapping me there forever, forcing me to restart the level. The problems were mainly things such as this, and I bet I’m the only person in the world who had to complete the game from beginning to end raw without the day one patch. Otherwise the game ran great, and looks good as Hell.

I’m so glad Other Ocean Emeryville didn’t try to subvert expectations or put a clever twist on certain things, leaving it as is. MediEvil 2019 constantly impressed me, and I don’t think I’ve felt this much fan service and satisfaction since the Shadow Moses chapter of Metal Gear Solid 4 from 2008. The music, dialog, weapons, level design, aesthetics, enemies and controls have been painstakingly remade, giving this cult classic an impressive new look. Its the restrictive nature of the developer’s design philosophy I appreciate the most; this is simply a game for the fans, and very obviously by the fans. MediEvil was my most anticipated game of 2019 and I am deeply satisfied and surprised about how well it turned out. Annoying day one patch download aside, I had an incredible time experiencing this remake. While some gameplay flaws might still exist, and those who don’t already love the original may not see it in the same level of reverence, this was a big payoff for me and I’m sure other dedicated fans feel the same. Thank you Other Ocean Emeryville, this has been a wonderful gift.

9/10

#otheroceanemeryville #other ocean emeryville #medievil #ps4exclusive #ps4 exclusive #1998 #2019 #cult classic #remake #sir daniel forestque #fortesque #sirdanielfortesque #excellent #brilliant #faithful

[beneaththetangles]

A Promise to the Fans: Interview with A-Kon’s New Owner, Frank Powell

A-Kon celebrates its 30th anniversary this year by moving back to Dallas from Fort Worth, taking place this June (27-30) at Fair Park, a historic complex that’s home annually to the State Fair of Texas. By all accounts, it’s an exciting time for the Texas con community, but also a nervous one for the many who’ve come to see this huge convention as an annual pilgrimage, not only because of the venue shift, but because of a change in ownership that was announced in January when Phoenix Entertainment sold the convention to Frank Powell, owner of eventPower, a conference management firm.

Attendees expecting more of the same from A-Kon have been surprised by a flutter of activity and differences from last year’s event. The movement of venue is most obvious, but other changes have have occurred as well. And Frank himself has stepped into the spotlight. Nicknamed “Con Dad,” he’s leading the charge in front (and sometimes taking the bullets for it). I chatted with Frank about all these changes to A-Kon and the bigger picture—why they’re taking place and what the vision is moving forward.

Having a face associated with A-Kon is new for everybody. I think we were all surprised when you revealed yourself, in a sense, by writing a letter to the A-Kon community a couple months ago in response to their interest in new ownership where you briefly explained your background in event planning and past work with the convention—is that experience what makes you the right person to lead A-Kon into the future?

When I took over the convention, I did not expect to be the face of A-Kon. I did not expect people to ask those questions, so until people started asking about it, I wasn’t even thinking of posting videos or becoming that face, but it looked like from the fans’ perspective that they needed that, so I ended up stepping up into it. My background is—and I’ve done it for over 30 years now—producing large-scale conferences and meetings, mostly for the federal government and military, about as far off from A-Kon and the con community as you could possibly get! We’ve had Mayor Bloomberg speak, we’ve had Elon Musk of Tesla speak, heck, I had Barack Obama and George Bush speak as well. What I do bring is experience to improve process and procedure, the back end of the organization, a foundation for the attendees to have a better overall experience. And from what I can tell, and seeing A-Kon in the past, that’s what A-Kon really needs.

I’ve worked on the back end for a couple of years. I love the community and I love the passion of everybody; it’s definitely refreshing. But their concerns were largely about logistics—you mentioned to me earlier, Charles, that you’ve also had similar issues with A-Kon. And that’s where I offer A-Kon a great solution. Once I get the logistics down, and I can fix those, the programming will shine. It may take a while, it might be difficult, but those are ultimately easy things to check off.

The background you’re bringing in is definitely of interest, especially since it’s in conventions, but not anime ones. That makes me wonder—how does your vision for A-Kon differ from that of the previous owner, who had years of convention experience?

I can’t say that I have a different vision. I think they always had a good vision—to provide a good, safe, fun atmosphere for the fans to be able to get together. [Phoenix Entertainment] had some other options when they were looking to transition this and I sat down with them to find out and ask them a little more about the past: why they started A-Kon, what their vision was for the future, and what were some of the obstacles. What I want is to take what was really done well in the past—that’s on the programming side—and accentuate it, while focusing in on the logistic items and get those out of the way. If logistics are getting in the way of fun, I want to get those out of the way. They’re impediments and I want to clear them.  I want to expand the international content, I want to get great Japanese bands, I want to focus on cosplay, fashion, and all that, and get all those logistical items out of the way. That’s kind of where I want to take it.

Speaking of those logical concerns, what’s your response to complaints from last year’s convention and conventions from years past, like the lack of communication and the long opening day lines?

They’re right. There were issues with communication and there were issues with the long lines, no doubt about it. And definite frustrations. It’s a huge hurdle for us to overcome, not because we can’t overcome them but because people experienced them in the past and may not come back because of the experiences they had. The last thing I want is for those logistical things to get in the way of people having fun and that’s what happened in the past.

A couple key things when it comes to the communication side of it is that it’s a really challenging thing. What I’m trying to do is centralize the flow of information. If our volunteers are putting out the wrong information and that gets transmitted, now we’re having an issue. That’s something we really want to focus on. Another is with social media, where information goes flowing out and it’s not centralized from us. Fans are putting out information that may be incorrect. So we’re doing our best to go through that. I don’t want to focus on opinions. I want to focus on facts and information getting out that may distort the brand and make sure people get the right information. I also implemented a customer service center. When people communicate back to us, it goes into this really cool software we use. When someone asks a question, it gets a call tag, a ticket that is associated with it, and that ticket doesn’t go away until the fan’s question is answered. And on-site we want to make sure there’s a help desk, a central place for people to go and get the proper information.

The short turnaround definitely seems to be a challenge as well.

We’re compressing a one-year show into a five-month time period, so I really appreciate the fans giving us the benefit of the doubt. Some do not, but I appreciate those who are, and I hope they come out to see all the work we’re putting into it.

One of the things you mentioned is the lines, by the way. I wanted to focus in on that because that was a huge concern of mine coming into this and whether or not I wanted to take on this project. The reason why was not because I couldn’t fix it. I can fix the line issue—the lines in the registration area are actually one of the easiest things for me to fix! My concern is that after last year, will people come back? I spent a lot of time of focusing in on that aspect of it to make sure we don’t have long lines. We’ve already implemented A-Kon Plus, where we’re mailing out badges. People don’t even have to go to a line—they just walk right in. I have more stations for people to walk up to and register. One of the key problems last year was the timing of when they opened registration. The line started at 5:00 in the morning but registration didn’t open until 10:00, so opening that earlier will be better. The other part is streamlining the questions in registration process. When people walk up there and register, they’re not having to put in information we don’t need and use. We just want them to put in their information, swipe their card, get their badge, and move on to have fun. Registration will be a non-issue.

“My concern is that after last year, will people come back?”

There’s a lot of skepticism though— mixed feelings and strong feedback from the community, much of which has been negative. You’ve noted it, but this is different from the conventions you typically manage. How are you feeling about A-Kon now that you’re solidly into the planning stage?

It’s different and unique compared to all my other events that I’ve produced. In fact, it’s under a separate company. It’s not owned by my company—it’s me. I came in and I purchased this because I feel passionate about it. I kind of laugh. Right after that post that I put out, there was one guy who put out an emoji and said, “OMG My dad is running A-Kon” and of course that quickly solidified my name as “Con Dad.” And now my friends and co-workers joke with me about it! But after that post, granted, there was some skepticism out there, but there were so many who reached out to thank me for taking on A-Kon and making sure it was successful in the future. Over and over, people have come forward to volunteer saying, “It doesn’t matter what role I’m playing. I just want to play a role in the future of this.” Those are things that really stand out to me and make me say, “This is good decision.”

But I do get the criticism. I understand it. I’m not a proven entity in this community and to be honest, I’m not a con guy, meaning it’s not a community where I run other cons. I truly enjoy it and I love it, and I’ve run other conferences that will benefit this, but what I do is try to listen to those fans. Their feedback basically creates the to-do list. Here are the key concerns of the fans and here’s what we need to address to make sure they have good, safe, fun environment.

One item that could present obstacles is also perhaps the biggest change this year—the move to Fair Park. What advantage is there is moving out of a hotel and into a location like this? What are the challenges?

There’s a lot of both. We realize it’s a unique facility. There are challenges with it. One of the big challenges is that it’s not right next to hotels. That’s the biggest one we have to deal with. Therefore, transportation is a key thing and we are looking at a multitude of transportation options. I don’t want to focus on one. I want to have as many options as possible, so we’re talking to DART. We’re talking to the ride share community to say, “Here is when our events are beginning” and “Here’s when we expect the biggest blow” so they have drivers there and available. Transportation for ADA, that’s a big thing. I want to make sure we’re addressing that, and transportation once they’re in the parking lot so they can get to the main facility without walking a long ways.

“We realize [Fair Park] is a unique facility. There are challenges with it.” (photo from Instagram)

How are you planning to make use of the outdoor space? And what about safety in Fair Park?

People have commented on the heat—that’s a little odd because 1) Fair Park offers more indoor space than we’ve ever had, probably about 25% more and 2) last year so many people hung out around the fountains. So that’s what I love about Fair Park, that with all that outdoor space, people can take advantage of it like they did at the previous facility. Getting into the exciting parts of it? The indoor and outdoor space is a huge thing! You have more space for programming. Fair Park is very flexible in terms of the programming and activities we can do, whereas with hotels you get a little bit more handcuffed. We have the room and ability to react to what fans want. We have better food options at this facility, too. We’re not stuck with hotel rubber chicken. At Fair Park, we have a couple of different vendors to choose from who have food trucks, who have indoor food options. So we have a lot more choices at a lower price, which is what I really like. And parking in the downtown areas is expensive, whereas in Fair Park, its ten bucks, so that’s great.

I think another thing that is an advantage while also a disadvantage, is, what are we going to do with late night programming? What I wanted to do is put some late night programming over where the hotels are. We have the dances, we have the late night screenings, things like that, so people who want to stay up late hours, they can go—we just signed the contracts, I don’t know if even announced it yet—to the Alamo Drafthouse at Downtown and also Gilly’s Southside Ballroom. That’s where we’re going to have the Japanese bands, screenings, things along those lines at those locations. I’m excited about that part of it. It’s also connected to security, getting people away from Fair park and toward the downtown area and their hotel rooms at night. It was a huge expense, but we needed to address that safety issue. In this particular facility we’re working with a consultant I’ve hired before, and that consultant knows where to put up fencing. We’ve also hired on a consultant who’s produced other events in Fair Park, so the lessons they’ve learned from their other events can benefit A-Kon.

I also mentioned guest planning—are there any new guests you could reveal to our readers here?

We will have two Japanese bands for certain and it’s looking like there will be an additional group joining us from Japan as well, but the details on that won’t finalize for another week. I can share a few other guests names, though. Voice actor Joel McDonald (One Piece, My Hero Academia) will be joining us. So will Tony Oliver (Robotech, Rurouni Kenshin) and Sarah Williams (Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Sword Art Online). We’ve already announced Phil Mizuno and Evil Ted. Both are fantastic guests and we’re excited to have them. We also have several more international cosplayers signed, including one from Brazil, and are also bringing in other well-known craftsmen and prop makers this year to fill out our judging panel and workshops.

Sarah Williams, the voice of Sayaka Miki, will be a guest at the convention

Thank you for sharing! I have just one final question: When all is said and done, what will it take for you to say, “A-Kon 2019 was a success”?

I have two main goals. I’m trying to create the ground work for A-Kon success not only this year but into the future. In order to create that groundwork, I need to do two things, basically making two promises to the fans:

I want to create an extremely fun environment for people. I want to have a place where fans can safely and openly and unapologetically express themselves no matter what cosplay they’re wearing, that they have the feeling they can do that and do that openly.

The second thing that I really wanted to focus on, which has bogged down the show in the past, is to eliminate all the obstacles that get in the way of that fun, like transportation, security, all those logistics items that people have concern about. That’s the last thing attendees should be thinking about. If we can make logistics easier and not in their face, we’ll be doing the right thing. That will be success.

I have to say, too, that what I have found as the most difficult thing to do in this process is to vulnerably stand up in front of these 30,000 fans—most of them having been around this even far longer than I have—and ask them for help to take this 30-year A-Kon tradition to the next level. It’s been a humbling experience to do that because of the social media activity that I’m not used to. But I really like the feedback from the fans, whether its “ra-ra” stuff or giving us suggestions on how to improve. It’s not an easy task. This whole thing is not an easy task. But I’m up for the challenge of it, and I think the team is up for the challenge of really providing the fans that safe place to have fun and express themselves. So that’s what we’re really looking to do, and I’m really humbled by that experience.

A-Kon 30 will be held at Fair Park from June 27th-30th. Tickets are now available on the convention website. You can also follow the official A-Kon accounts on Instagram and Twitter for programming and other updates.

Sayaka illustration by みそら (reprinted w/permission)

#A Kon #A Kon 2019 #Anime Conventions #Anime #Frank Powell #Articles #Author: TWWK

[zealoptics]

The Tides: Riding the Ups and Downs on the Oregon Coast Trail

By Henley Phillips

I’m in a Safeway parking lot in Lincoln City trying to set a new supported fastest known time on the Oregon Coast Trail (OCT). I didn’t plan to quit when I sat down, but the combination of chair and lapful of Dairy Queen is drawing me down into a comfortable state that I haven’t felt in 139 miles. I do some quick math for the next section - 4 mile wrong turn earlier in the day, 270 miles left to go, 18 miles still left for the day, it’s 5PM, I’ve eaten all the chicken strips, no way I can do this. ** **

Am I quitting?

So far I‘ve covered the miles out of pure excitement and adrenaline, but now I feel well out of my league. I decided to do this just 6 weeks ago. My longest run was only 32 miles; the biggest week a mere 42. This was just to get a taste of what this FKT world is all about. I get it. It’s hard. I don’t want hard. I want a relaxed summer with my wife on the Oregon coast. 139 miles is pretty damn good. 

Am I quitting? I think so.

When you attempt something like a fastest known time, your mind is constantly calculating the gains and losses of the experience to regulate and preserve your physical well-being. In fact our brains work in this mode every day with almost every task. It’s basic survival wherein your mind and body work to maintain a safe equilibrium of pleasure and pain. I think it’s fair to say for most of us, myself included, we do a good job of making sure the scales tip to the side of pleasure more often than not. 

On my first day of the trail I ran in a state of almost pure bliss for 14 hours. The northern terminus of the OCT was windy and cold that morning, the ocean and sky a blur of blue and gray with waves crashing somewhere unseen. The trail had it all that first day - serene beach running all to myself, road miles through Seaside with its tourist trinket shops, enchanting singletrack over Tillamook Head and Cape Falcon, and then the quiet miles of a sleepy highway 101 at the end of the day. That night we stealth camped at the baseball fields in Nehalem. My wife made beef stir fry for dinner. I inhaled it, scrubbed my legs in a community faucet and went to bed like nothing happened, 52 miles later. Pure pleasure. 

Day two. Katie asks how I feel first thing.

“Everything... feels intact.” I do a stupid dance to show it’s true. 

The OCT is unique for two reasons - towns and trails. It’s less of a wilderness route like the word trail conjures up, so towns and resupply come easy. You also have to time the beach hiking just right or else you’ll be caught in high tide with no route off the beach or left with an unexpected road walk. Today the goal is to hit one of the main estuaries at low tide to avoid a 4-5 mile road detour. 

Near the end of the day, trudging up Cape Lookout and nearing a cumulative 100 miles, my mind begins that gain vs. loss calculation - pain developing in my feet and knees, hips tight, stomach still good but then there’s the hamstring. I topped the climb as the sun was setting, and the thrill of making the estuary crossing at night took over. Headlamp, food, layers and a towel in case I had to swim the crossing. I dropped down to Sand Beach and covered the 4 miles to the estuary outlet under a sliver of moon and the beach to myself. 

I sensed the outlet before I could confirm it. In the pitch black of 10:30PM, my headlamp beam was simply swallowed up by the ocean to my right and the now empty space of the estuary void to my left. No low-lying beach topography to bounce light or give perspective. Deep black on either side and moving water underfoot. 

The water quickly rose to my chest on the first try, and I half-panicked and almost threw myself into the flow to swim across, dry clothes be damned. Luckily I took a quick glance across and saw a high, steep bank on the other side, which meant deep water and no easy way up. Trying again further up the estuary, there was no steep bank; in fact, there was nothing at all, which I chanced to mean shallow water rather than endless water.

The water is cold, up to my chest halfway across, but I feel in control, safe. Without thinking, however, I start chanting ‘please’ out loud. Please don’t let me have to backtrack now. Please don’t sweep me out into the dark ocean. Please let there be a safe way out of this channel. Finally my foot hits the bottom a little sooner, the water drops to my stomach, and I spot a level bank to exit the current. I let out an animal sound of satisfaction and relief but immediately realize I’ve crossed too high. Now I have a stagnant tidal lagoon to cross, the remnants of the estuary not carried out at low tide.  

My phone battery is very low, so I forgo using Gaia to navigate and instead head towards where I think the beach should be, which is the other side of this lagoon. Compared to the relatively clear water of the first crossing, this stuff is a muck of seagrass and shoe-sucking sludge. I can’t see the bottom and have no way of judging depth. As I whip my headlamp around in all directions, tens of little fish jump silver streaks out of the water. Then I notice palm-sized crabs floating in the tops of the seagrass, right at chest level. Do crabs bite humans? 

Twenty minutes later I’m back on the beach and running the last two miles to where Katie is waiting. The adrenaline quickly fades. I’m ice cold, and all the pain starts welling up after a day of 58 miles.

In anticipation of the building fatigue and inevitable pain, I quit on day three at the Lincoln City Safeway after a measly 28 miles. The third day was going to be tough, I knew, but my mental focus had already shifted from enjoying the Oregon coast to desperately calculating my next rest and meetup with Katie. I ended the tracking on my inReach and sent a message to my family letting them know I had quit, and to my surprise, I felt a choking, welling tightness in my chest and throat. 

“I think I’m crying about this,” I told Katie.

Sleep came quickly that night, and I went to bed without dinner. We drove further south down the coast to where I was supposed to have ended my day on foot, tucked the van into a side road, and that was the end of my FKT. 

In the morning I woke feeling better than expected. I stretched and jogged a little and figured I should be feeling a lot worse if I’m going to quit. We had a leisurely morning together drinking coffee with a quintessential Oregon coast view. Turns out the record was still doable, and my one-woman crew was still down to keep going. 

I devoured miles for the next five days - 44, 52, 50, 50, 53 and then a casual 20 on the last day into Crissy Field and the California border. 408 miles in 8 days 5 hours 2 minutes. 

I had assumed the most critical moments of a fastest known time attempt would be the cumulative minutes lost or gained during breaks, or, specifically for the Oregon Coast Trail, hitting the river outlets and tides at just the right time. Turns out the key decision for me was quitting on the third day when I thought that I’d had enough. 

The important thing about quitting is that it immediately calls into question your tenacity. The moments directly after you pull the plug on something can be so illuminating and provide deep-gut feedback on the decision. In the past several years the concept of vulnerability has become quite popular, at times creating a culture and mindset of easy outs. Quitting has been flipped and is now strong, follow-through less important and rephrased as stubbornness. What’s worrisome to me about quitting is that the immediacy of relief can sometimes overshadow those moments of truer clarity directly after. Surely there are moments when quitting is the prudent, safe decision, but how often is this truly the case? Or is it more likely that your resilience, grit and ruggedness are simply being called into question?

Don’t hit the damn button. Keep going.

#zealopticsfeatured

[lyntendoswitch]

At the tail end of 2020 I discovered the video content of Tim Rogers who has inspired me to also voice my game opinions in an unnecessarily verbose and personal way. I don’t recommend clicking on the read more, but if you’d like to read a little bit about the best games I played this year, go on ahead.

10. What Remains of Edith Finch 9. A Short Hike 8. Disco Elysium 7. Personal 5 The Royal 6. Persona 3 Dancing In Moonlight 5. Vestaria Saga War of the Scions 4. Ring FIt Adventure 3. Final Fantasy 7 Remake 2. Hades 1. Animal Crossing New Horizons

2020 found me with an unprecedented amount of free time. I spent most of this year working for the government (a job with a very small brain effort that left me with evenings and weekends free to do whatever the hell). Additionally, I spent most of the year in quarantine with video games as my true, real friend and life companion. Compiling this list gave me more titles than ever to choose from, so I feel better about my list than ever. So here are the best games that I played this year.

Before I get into the top 10 I want to give 4 honourable mentions.

13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim This is the most recent game I played since making this list. I loved so many things about this game - the soft art style, the harsh music, the convoluted crazy plot. I love the aesthetic of this game and loved the characters - I believe it is rare to have an anime game where none of the characters irritate you. I even loved the combat, although I did not think I would. Something about shooting so very many missiles is so satisfying even when you don’t exactly know what is going on in the screen. The final battle in this game was definitely my favourite moment in this game - it was stressful, it was engaging, it was so extremely fun. The tragedy of this game comes down to personal taste. All time travel stories with complex timelines are bound to fall apart eventually, because no writer can keep all the threads together in a logical sense. 13 sentinels had so many story beats, plot twists, betrayals, and sci-fi tropes crammed into their storyline that I knew halfway through the story that there was no way they would be able to resolve all of it in a fulfilling way. I was, unfortunately, right - the ending explanation for all the chaos is, in my (correct) opinion, extremely lame. However, I certainly had fun on the journey.

Fire Emblem 3 Houses: Ashen Demons DLC I did not place this on my ranking since it is not really fleshed out enough to be considered its own game (unlike in previous years, where I have confidently but the Splatoon 2 Octoling Expansion as a separate title from Splatoon 2). However, this blog is, above all else, a Fire Emblem stan account, and I will not NOT talk about Fire Emblem. I do not care for the Abyss house. I think the characters are too close to being plucked out of the Fire Emblem Fates universe for comfort, and I mean this to be as profound an insult as possible. These characters are gimmicks above all else. I also do not care for the expanded lore that the sewer city brings to Garreg Mach. The idea of a centralized church school army is already so unstable, and to have a population of rat people living under it makes the whole foundation of the world crumble a little. However, the story and gameplay of the Ashen Demons DLC added something that the base game did not, which is challenge. (As an aside, I play on normal mode and am aware that there is challenge available to me if I wish for it.) FE3H offers you so many characters, so many paralogues, so many opportunities for training and stat increases, that eventually plot missions become completely boring. Ashen demons limiting everyone to new and interesting classes, limiting your available units, and preventing any sort of training made the chapters fun again. I found the chapter where you were supposed to outrun a golem before some gates closed fun as hell - it was my favourite part of the entire side story. 

Kentucky: Route Zero I played this game in February, and I remember not liking it at any point. It is confusing, disorienting, and lacked a clear goal. However, it has now been 10 months and I still think about it constantly - both the vignettes presented in it, and the way it made me feel. The Besties podcast made an excellent point about this game when they said that no one who plays this game ever compares it to other games - only books, movies, or paintings. The whole game is so fascinating and sticks with you - the wretched circle of a highway, the horse funeral. My favourite part is the live performance you attend at a run down diner with your party of four as the only audience. It is so quiet and contemplative and melancholy, and the scene is absolutely perfect. Kentucky Route Zero might be my favourite high concept artsy abstract artwork ever.

Blaseball As with everyone, it is difficult to call Blaseball a game. As the website says, it is a cultural event that I am so happy to participate in. I am so happy to have found a piece of media to fill the aching void that left by Homestuck when it ended, then re-opened the wound with their awful post-epilogue novel. I deleted my Twitter account this summer because I was tired of being angry and doomscrolling. And then, after Chris Plante on the Besties told me about Blaseball, I happily remade a Twitter account that only followed the official Blaseball account, the devs, and the numerous RP accounts. The quality of life improvement that having simulated, pleasant, hilarious social media to check every day is indescribable. It helped me cope with a rough life transition. Thank you, Blaseball. My favourite moment of 2020 is the 11pm boss battle of Shoe Thieves vs The Shelled One’s Pods.

And now....... The List.

10. What Remains of Edith Finch The start of 2020 was incredible because games journalism websites were churning out endless top 10 lists for both the end of 2019 as well as the end of the decade. I religiously picked through all of these lists and wrote down a list of 30 best indie games of this past decade that I missed out on for whatever reason. It was my first and last experience with a backlog - previously, I would simply impulse purchase games I really wanted to play, and I would not rest until the game is beaten. Having a backlog of things to try stressed me out endless and it dampened the impact of almost all of these quirky 1-6 hour indie experiences. However, not even the stress of meeting a self-imposed quota could dampen the impact of What Remains of Edith Finch. Exploring this house and playing through its various scenarios was so fascinating and beautiful. For me, the most impactful moment of the game was playing as the little girl who became an owl who became a sea serpent. That was when I realized I was not playing something that I would be thinking about for a very long time.

9. A Short Hike A Short Hike was the very first game I played off my backlog list of Best Indie Games. And boy, is it ever. This game takes 2 hours to finish but is absolutely saturated with heart and the exploration makes those 2 hours feel like you have been on a much longer and more fulfilling journey than you believed possible with so few hours. It is Animal Crossing and Legend of Zelda combined, condensed, and polished into a beautiful pearl. I was so instantly in love with the characters and loved doing the little side quests. I also loved getting totally lost because I wanted to see how far I could swim and ended up on a different part of the island. The most impactful moment of this game is its finale, which I won’t spoil, but it is absolutely incredible.

8. Disco Elysium Many people more eloquent than me have said great things about Disco Elysium, and they are all correct. As someone who loves character building and creating a character to roleplay instead of playing as myself in a game, I have never been more enabled to do just that than Disco Elysium. The mystery was so cool, the mechanics are exactly what I like, the exploration is great. The one drawback of this game is that I literally cannot remember a single song from it. Maybe it had an amazing OST? Every game that is released nowadays has to have an amazing OST. There is so much reading in this game that the music really has to be unintrusive, and so it faded right into the background and out of my memory. I love that you could create your own persona in the game, but that you find your identification later and discover who you were before. Also, I would die for Kim Kitsuragi. The finale of this game also kicks ass - I will not spoil it but there is a moment that is so quiet and intimate that it took my breath away. What an amazing experience.

7. Persona 5: The Royal In 2017, I did something that is not the deciding factor, but definitely contributed to, my being sent to hell after I die. I was in an unhappy relationship and really wanted out, but my boyfriend at the time had a PS4 and I did not, and I really wanted to play Persona 5. As such, when he got the game and I borrowed it, I tried to finish it as quickly as possible so that I could give it back and break up with him. To my dismay, Persona 5 is upwards of 80 hours long, and I was burned out long before it was over. I finished the game with such resentment in my heart that I could not fathom why anyone would like it. As someone who is older, wiser, PS4-er, and in a better mental state, I decided to give P5R a try. Playing the remake at a much slower pace and really contemplating the story and characters made for a totally different and much more pleasant experience. I finally was able to shed my dislike for these characters who held me hostage 3 years ago and really appreciate them. Additionally, the new content they added to the original was SO good. The new music in Mementos makes that whole section bearable!! Akechi’s entirely reworked social link!! Maruki is one of Atlus’s most interesting characters, and the final dungeon was so so so interesting!! I am profoundly sad that I can’t recommend this game to anyone because 120 hours is just prohibitively long. Most impactful moment: when Akechi joins the party and he is like, totally feral, lol

6. Persona 3: Dancing In Moonlight Every once in a while my palms start to itch because it has been entirely too long since I’ve played a rhythm game. This palm itch feeling sunk me deep into Theatrhythm Final Fantasy back in 2017, and this feeling forced me to impulse buy Persona 3 Dance. I am furious that I liked this game so much, because I know it was created simply to extract money from fools like me. The story was so blatant about it! “It’s a dream, ok? We’re all dancing because it’s a dream and none of this matters. Go play a song, idiot.” I’m not even angry at this - I almost respect the hustle. Additionally, it was so wonderful to hang out with the Persona 3 crew again. I did also play Persona 5 Dancing in Starlight, but since I had already spent a hundred and twenty hours with the phantom thieves, there was no feeling of being reunited like with P3D. Also, in my mind palace, I consider P3D to have “actually happened”, and P5D to be the money grab hustle. S.E.E.S. is a cohesive unit. If Mitsuru Kirijo says it is time to dance, then dance we shall. I cannot be made to believe that Ryuji, Futaba, or Makoto will be compelled to dance even in a dream. Finally, having Elizabeth as your velvet room attendant did wonders. If there is a line between being a loveable eccentric and being annoying, Elizabeth tiptoes just around the former, whereas the twins are squarely located in the latter. The remixes in P3D also all kick ass (Burn My Dread Novoiski Mix? Deep Mentality Lotus Juice Mix?? Neither had any right to go as hard as they did), and I loved how they personalized the dance styles to the characters’ personalities. Even if this game was a money grabber, it was still made with love and respect for the series, and I loved playing it.  Most impactful moment: That first king crazy ranking on all night difficulty... god damn

5. Vestaria Saga: War of the Scions I had mentioned earlier that I appreciated the FE3H DLC for adding challenge back into 3 houses, but then I played Vestaria Saga and I realized I simply did not remember what challenge actually was. Vestaria Saga, the game by Fire Emblem’s creator, is the hardest Fire Emblem game I’ve ever played. This game honestly rules - it closes its door to the waifus of modern fire emblem games and is a return to form with political intrigue and smart tactical decisions and well-rounded characters. Every single chapter has these wonderful and deeply stressful plot twists and you always have to scramble to get all of the objectives complete without dying. There is a moment in this game where the main Lord, Zade, scolds princess Athol for being so reckless, how he had to force the army to fight a losing battle to rescue her, and look at how exhausted everyone is. He gestures to his army, and for the first time in a tactical RPG, I felt it. In all the fire emblems I play, my units end up being able to dodge and tank any hits they receive, but in Vestaria Saga finishing a map was a stressful, long, and sweaty process. I loved every second of playing this game - it is so rewarding in its gameplay and so rewarding in its story. Most impactful moment: the kiss!!! And how all of them face consequences immediately afterwards!!! I adore this game.

4. Ring Fit Adventure Ring Fit Adventure is the most fun I’ve ever had with a gimmicky fitness game. This game finally understands that they key to continuing with the game and building good habits is the ability to unlock and equip beautiful athleisure clothing. I actually got gains from Ring Fit Adventure, and I know this because I stopped playing it for a month, came back, and was unable to finish the reps at the difficulty I set for myself. This game make gym stuff so genuinely fun in a way that no one else has been able to do. I also really like the feel of the ring con! I have a few moderate complaints about it (a fitness game will never be perfect, unfortunately): you always start reps on the same side, and if you kill enemies then you don’t get a chance to try the other side at all, the motion sensor on yoga poses is wack, and FUCK the robot baseball minigame game to hell. Despite this, I absolutely adore this game and what it stands for. I may never beat the campaign, but it will always have a place in my heart. Most impactful moment: the first fight with Drageaux

3. Final Fantasy 7 Remake I was so so so curious about the hype surrounding this game that in the month before its release I manically played through the original Final Fantasy 7 so that I would have enough background information to be able to play and enjoy the remake. I was very glad I did. FF7R kicks ass. It is my favourite Final Fantasy game ever, and maybe it will always be so. I take a lot of issue with most FF games because they get too cosmically big and ridiculous and nonsensical by the end and that ruins the immersion of the story for me. Since FF7R only covers the Midgar portion of the original, it is forced to create grounded characters and a grounded, smaller scale story. And it is AMAZING. I loved every single minute of this game. The OST is incredible, and the art in it is absolutely unbelievable. I love how they incorporated random encounter enemies in this more realistic version. Also the dialogue!!! The way these characters banter with each other is so life-like and true to character that it boggles my mind. Even the NPC side conversations - never has a city or town felt so alive and filled with people than in FF7R. The ending of this game filled me with PRIMAL fear for the future, but it is so clear that the team making this game loves the world and its characters so much that I cautiously say I trust them to take the story further in the later remakes. Most impactful moment: Cloud saying “bring it on bitch” to an enemy made me black out laughing

2. Hades I generally stay away from rogue-likes and from real-time combat because for a game-liker I SURE am bad at video games. However, everything Supergiant Games ever makes seems tailor made for me, so when Hades came out of early access I bought it, and then I didn’t stop playing it until 80 hours later when I had unlocked everything ever. This game is SO good. The voice acting and storytelling is phenomenal. They did a spectacular job blending the story with the core gameplay elements. They made dying in a rogue-like fun and rewarding. The music is (as always) transcendent. I cannot say enough good things about Hades. Most impactful moment: a tie between the first time you watch the sunrise after your first successful escape, and the romance social link between Zagreus and Thanatos

1. Animal Crossing: New Horizons Of course... Death Stranding may have prophesized the pandemic, but Nintendo created it to sell copies Animal Crossing New Horizons. This game saved all of us. The experience of having so many people I knew playing the same game all the time for the entirety of March and April was so incredible. I have plenty of quips about ACNH with relation to old games in the series (I loathe crafting, I loathe printing out Nook Miles Tickets one by one, and I worry that the sandbox landscaping feel of this game makes me less inclined than ever to actually talk to my villagers), but while they are all valid criticisms, they certainly did not stop me from pouring 350 hours and counting into this game. I have loved slowly, carefully crafting my island into a replica of Garreg Mach. I have loved collecting furniture and making turnip money and completing the museum. There is simply no other game that can be 2020′s game of the year. Most impactful moment: checking your mail and having one of your friends mail you an item that reminded them of you

#adventures of big man