Reverse1999: I Overlooked an entire Timeskip (spoilers for Ch 3)
And more character analysis because I can't help it. A deeper dive into Vertin and Sonetto's dynamic.
I was under the assumption the time Vertin gave Sonetto the frog and the Break-away events were relatively close but I was mistaken (Why do I have eyes if I'm not going to use them?). Take a look at these avatars. Sorry about the image quality:
This is Vertin and Sonetto in the hallway during the frog event.
This is them during the Parade Ceremony:
Years must have passed after Vertin had her feelings hurt. Look how fluffy Sonetto became and Vertin started putting her hair up. Idk why I didn't notice this right away but the two had more tension between them than I originally thought. Kids feel things very deeply. Even if you're an adult and your memory is foggy, it's easier to recall the way you felt in those moments than the events themselves. This changes some of the context I see things.
These two rarely interacted but are keenly aware of each other's presence for better or worse. Even when Sonetto's confronting her years after the frog event, Vertin is very soft/quiet in those interactions. The usual sass and dry humor we see her treat situations with in Ch 3 is suddenly gone. Also, this is Vertin we're talking about. She's the rulebreaker. She doesn't care about the handbook or the bullies who pick on her. She steps out of line. She asks the questions no one wants to answer. She's used to being berated by teachers but still carries on catching frogs, even if it means getting hurt by the electric fence.
Yet, Sonetto's rejection cut her deeply.
Vertin values Sonetto's opinion above most people's in chapter 3.
On one hand you could say it's because of a crush but on the other hand, maybe she's still hurt from that day in the hallway. Maybe she doesn't know how to handle Sonetto, especially since the top student tends to avoid her unless necessary. Vertin mentions this when Sonetto lends her notes after the tear gas incident. Not to mention her confusion when Sonetto shows up to help her fight Lilya. There's so many things she wants to ask, yet there is not enough time. The two say their goodbyes. Sonetto wants to make sure Vertin won't regret her decision. By leaving, Vertin will be throwing away everything the Foundation gave her. It's symbolic of Vertin the rebel leaving the Foundation's top dog behind.
But the scene invokes sadness rather than triumph. Sonetto was never her enemy. Vertin overcame every moment of hesitation until this point. When the door slowly lowers between them, they watch as it closes. Vertin only leaves once its completely shut.
Despite all this, Vertin never truly left Sonetto behind. Present Vertin remembers Sonetto's quirks and habits from back when they were children (we can see this in the prologue). In Vertin's dreams we see her still wishing to show Sonetto the world. She's living rent free in the Timekeeper's head.
As for Sonetto, I don't think she ever hated Vertin but she was frustrated by her rule breaking. Vertin's already a troublesome student because of her weak arcanum but she exacerbates it by being rebellious. Sonetto won't bite the hand that feeds her. She is grateful for the Foundation's "care".
However, She'll reluctantly come over if Vertin calls, even if she knows Vertin is being a rascal again. She warns Vertin constantly about behaving but we've never seen her snitch. Perhaps she knows what will happen if she does. Vertin will get hurt. She tries to stop her herself because the instructors have no patience for Vertin. She threatens to tell on Vertin before the Parade when she realizes Vertin is up to something. She could have easily reported Vertin before the Parade, but she doesn't. First time seeing this I read it "I've got my eye on you." The second time, I read it as "I don't want you to get hurt." She's trying to deter Vertin from acting out because the Parade Ceremony is huge and Vertin's already spent time in the guardhouse. The instructors are pulling out all stops.
When Sonetto was ordered to fight her friends she was confused and froze up. When the kids were locked in the guardhouse, she tried to bring them food but was turned away. She tries to show kindness while working within the Foundation's parameters but doesn't understand that won't be enough. There is a very loving person and curious person underneath the Foundation's indoctrination. I think Vertin saw glimpses of that in Sonetto but didn't understand why Sonetto couldn't act on them like she did.
Here we have two people who care about each other but can't overcome the differences between each other to make it work.
Although, it makes you wonder, why Sonetto? It could have been any other student with a sense of curiosity.
But its always Sonetto.
And what the hell happened between in the time Vertin became the Timekeeper to make Sonetto's attitude do a 180? Is it because she had more freedom to be herself after becoming an investigator? Did she try to get closer to Vertin after the break away event because she was worried about her? How much contact did she have with Vertin after this because Vertin is treated differently after becoming the Timekeeper.
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How is my pharmacy running out of my ADHD meds a thing that can happen? Like, this shit is on a schedule. My doctor set it up. Ya'll work for the same organization. You know for a fact that Foone B. Turing is gonna want 60 Adderall every thirty days unless they die or change meds.
And if they change meds, it would be ordered by their doctor, WHO WORKS FOR YOU. You would know immediately that you no longer need those pills. You can be forgiven if it turns out I died, but that just means there should be some extra pills left over.
Is it an unexpected rush on pills? Maybe 10,000 people are getting freshly prescribed Adderall this month, and you ran out. That's fine I guess but you'd think the "new Adderall prescriptions" rate is relatively flat. You estimate from previous months and figure out how many people on average get newly prescribed, and then make sure to order enough for both your existing prescriptions and the new prescriptions.
And this isn't like regular retail, where you have to just guess and estimate how many people will want milk or shoes or a nintendo switch this month, and if you get it wrong, you lose money. You are selling something that's tightly regulated. if some rando walks in and asks for it, you can (and are legally required to) tell them "no. go away and get a prescription first".
And as for repeat customers? You literally have a list of their names, how often they buy the thing, and how long it has been since they last bought the thing. You have to, to keep track of prescriptions. It should be trivially easy to estimate how many of a given pill you'll need per week, with incredible accuracy. Most retail establishments would kill to have this kind of information on their customer's buying habits!
This is basically the most easy it is possible for running a retail establishment to be.
And you don't really have competition! Sure, the customer could ask for their prescription to be taken to a different pharmacy, but you're an HMO. 99% of customers are just going to get prescriptions from your own pharmacies. Your only real competition is internal: are they going to fill the prescription as pharmacy A, or pharmacy B?
And remember, you're an HMO: YOU KNOW WHERE THEY LIVE.
How often is someone living in town X going to randomly decide to get their meds from a pharmacy 200 miles away? pretty rarely! So you know vaguely which pharmacies they might go to, and you can even look over the past orders and make up a decent estimate as to which pharmacies they attend.
Your only real sources of uncertainty are new prescriptions, people dying/changing insurance, and people just forgetting to fill their prescription/going off their meds without talking to their doctor. This should be almost trivial to handle.
AND YET
I order my meds on monday. I go in on tuesday. They're out of my meds, completely. They say they'll get them in wednesday.
I go in on thursday. They have 1/6th of my dose available. Will I accept that for now? YEAH I GUESS BUT MAN WHAT THE FUCK HOW ARE YOU FAILING AT RETAIL THIS HARD?
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Longpost.
Another unpopular opinion: I think when Hank dies, Connor will follow. And I don’t think that this is somehow bad or wrong.
People are used to thinking that androids can function for many years, but this is not true, in fact, androids are only more difficult to kill, but they are no less fragile than humans. Humans have a kind of natural regeneration, thanks to the food and vitamins they consume, our wounds tend to heal and illnesses are cured. Androids will probably have viruses, and in order to update their skin or replace a damaged organ or limb, they will have to invest quite a bit of money, because pills and medical treatment are clearly not as expensive as actual cyber prosthetics. I want to say that androids were not created to be immortal or invulnerable, they were not created with the goal of “functioning as long as possible.” First of all, they are equipment and merchandise, which is replaced with new ones each year, old models disappear and new ones appear, this is how the economy in real world works.
Connor, for example, was functional for about a few months, and if we have a “bad ending” Connor is replaced literally immediately. Doesn't it look like a waste of money? If only CL never planned him to function longer. So why ctreating spare parts for his model? Old models of any equipment will not be produced when new ones begin to be produced. And parts for old equipment are almost impossible/impossible to find. That is, in fact, androids will not even be able to buy/get and replace outdated parts for themselves, because it wouldn't be even possible to find those parts.
By my calculations, Connor will “live” about 20 or 15 years. Perhaps even less. Perhaps Hank will be the one to outlive him. Even Markus has about five or ten years left to live unless androids find a way to transfer consciousness to another body. And we saw only Connor having and using such abilities and he transferred his consciousness to the very same model. And after the revolution there were no more Connors left. I don't think that the body and processor of a regular android can handle Connor's "consciousness". Markus was and is able to live longer probably because he was created by Kamski, and there is a possibility that after the good ending, Markus will think of asking his creator for help (I am sure Kamski will not refuse. Let me remind you I don’t consider him a villain, I think him as a completely good person who only watches how his creations, his children, change the world).
And I think this prospect will not make androids feel sad. If you think about it this way, they are capable of processing information millions of times faster than the human brain (so it is not surprising that their mechanical brains wear out so quickly).
I mean, the fact that androids live less does not mean that they are unhappy or that they lose a lot by living such a "short" life. I mean, their brain is capable of obtaining any information, absorbing and applying any knowledge that a human would have to learn throughout their life. Perhaps over time, technology will advance even more and, in search of relatively longer life, humans start helping androids to improve their bodies. Perhaps androids and humans start cooperating much earlier (considering that technologies as nanorobots capable of extending human's life already exist), but still, I believe that Connor will not want to live without Hank.
You can say as much as you want that this is cruel, but I believe that androids fall in love once and for life (and that human/android couples will actually be a very rare occurrence) and if they choose a human as a companion, they will be aware of the risks immediately and approach the choice of a partner with full responsibility (considering that when choosing they will not be guided by hormones, which they do not have, not by lust, because sex does not matter to them and not by looks. They will choose a person to love according to some of their unique tastes and needs. Therefore, if some android decides to be with a human as forever partner, it may be even a human over 50 or even over 70. I think sucha a choice won't surprise anyone except humans themselves. It seems to me that androids will never choose a bad person as a partner, simply because they are not able to make wrong choices the way humans are).
Someone can also say that Connor is new to this life but doesn't this mean every android is?
I think androids will not have such a need as gaining life experience the way humans do.
Connor has chosen Hank. We saw this with our own eyes, so I believe that he made his choice consciously and won't ever change it. He'll have some happy years with Hank, and that's more than enough. After all, it’s not the number of years that matters, but how he spends them with his loved one.
I think Connor will discuss this with Hank beforehand, and most likely, if Hank, as other people often headcanon, says that he would like Connor to move on after his death, Connor refuses. But most of all, I believe that they will discuss this as soon as they start living as a couple, or maybe even sooner, and Hank will respect Connor’s choice. They will just decide that they are together as long as time has in store for them. Androids are not humans, they are not fixated on looks or sex, if they fall in love with a person, then the main thing for them will be to spend as many happy moments with this person as possible, such partnerships will ultimately be the strongest, happiest and most real.
I mean, age matters not in android/human couples, I am sure. And to be honest, for some reason it seems to me that androids (if they choose a human to be their mate) would most likely choose an older person, most likely over forty (and I can even discuss this topic, but this is not what we’re talking about now).
So to sum up, I think Connor has a right to follow Hank if Hank dies, just as Hank has a right to follow Connor if Connor stops functioning. It isn't wrong.
Still, I'm sure Hank and Connor will spend these years happily, madly in love with each other, and when the time comes for one of them to pass, the other will immediately follow. You can't live with half a heart, you can't live with half a soul. I think they understood this from the very beginning.
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Between Them, There Are Doors
Another incomplete one, this time because I convinced myself midway through that I wasn’t doing it justice and that the only way to write it properly was to go far more in-depth than what I was doing. It’s a bit of a pity, because I really like the idea of ‘Gear Station as a liminal space’, but who knows, maybe I’ll come back around to it.
---
Without a trace of doubt, the first of the wormholes had been the most devastating-- even without accounting for what it had cost Emmet, personally.
An attack on Gear Station would be [devastating] regardless of the source, and they had done their utmost to ensure safety within. When Team Plasma had reared their heads, of course they’d tried for a [???] opening move, and it was only due to the dutiful staff and aid of the trainers in attendance-- whether they be subway trainers or challengers-- that this initial, overwhelming attack had been repelled.
Fighting back a tear in time and space was something all together more impossible.
Ingo had bought them time, though, doing his best to ward bystanders away from the active hazard, instructing each of his team members near simultaneously to keep everyone safe in such a massive thoroughfare. Emmet, meanwhile, had been busy with the evacuation efforts-- coordinating the crowds in orderly fashion whilst also juggling the timetables. Inbound lines couldn’t be allowed to let their passengers disembark into [danger], and the order in which to contact them and reroute was key.
Emmet hadn’t actually been present when this hitherto-unknown threat flared to life and stole his brother away. It wouldn’t have changed anything if he had, but he’d never quite been able to get past that fact.
That wasn’t to say he hadn’t seen it happen, though. He’d watched the footage back so many times that he sometimes saw it in his sleep; not even front and center, but in the otherwise foggy details of dreams-- on a passenger’s Xtransceiver or playing out in the reflection of a window.
As terrible as the [footage] was, it was also something of a saving grace.
There was no keeping such a [massive] supernatural disaster quiet, and neither had Emmet particularly wanted to do that. He wanted to understand, both for all that it might help his own agenda and in keeping the public safe, should the worst happen and such a phenomena reoccur. While he hadn’t known who to contact, it hadn’t mattered; Interpol had found him.
The agent he’d spoken with had been relatively certain that the Ultra Wormholes themselves were… if not harmless, not a deadly threat. Even then, with his attention being pulled in a dozen different directions, Emmet had realized that he wasn’t being given the whole story-- but it had been enough to know that, wherever or whenever he was, Ingo was still alive, could still be reached. He’d been more than happy to comply with the investigation, completely willing to allow whatever readings and offer a copy of that day’s security feed. He hadn’t realized the in he’d given himself at the time, favoring, instead, the fact that Interpol would assist him in turn.
If the fallout hadn’t been overwhelming enough, there was also abrupt beginning and end to the missing persons case. Part of Interpol’s [support] had been the fact that they were an international organization; under normal circumstances, even a large-scale search might never [broach?] the borders of its region. Maybe, in high profile cases, news could make its way to the neighboring provinces, or if the [missing] individual had ties to another region there might be a token attempt abroad, but both exceptions were rare.
Those lost to time and space-- fallers, they were called-- could appear anywhere in the world, even years out. Unless one was incredibly lucky, a localized effort would do very little, meaning Interpol’s involvement was the best chance of actually finding Ingo.
And… to their credit, it had seen success.
That said, nobody had expected the overwhelming response of ‘you mean that weird Warden we have to learn about in trainers’ school?’ from across Sinnoh.
It was baffling, even to the individuals Emmet had been working with. There were cases of people being thrown across the world or hurtled forward in time, but never backwards. The revelation came as something of a mixed blessing; it was a definite arrival point, albeit one far from their [reach], all but eliminating the element of mystery. They knew the when and where, but as things currently stood, could do nothing to access it.
There were exactly two factors that kept Emmet from taking matters into his own hands, from storming the very region that had [solved the mystery] and taking on Dialga itself.
The first was that there was surviving record of the Warden Ingo. While aspiring trainers learned the name in regards to the gym challenge they [aspired] to undertake, he was less known for the [mystery] surrounding his tenure: he’d arrived in Hisui under impossible circumstances, and years later had vanished just as abruptly. The former was undoubtedly caused by the Ultra Wormhole, so was it so far fetched to think the latter might be, as well?
Second was the fact that, while Interpol lacked the resources to [intervene] yet, this entire disaster had the distinction of throwing a great deal of information directly into their laps. Technology was incredible, always advancing, finding new, previously unthought ways to connect people. Perhaps waiting and assisting wasn’t so dramatic as forcing the [hand] of the Temporal Pokemon itself, but it was… kinder. Safer for everyone involved, regardless of where in time they fell.
It was just as well that Emmet had stayed his hand. Before even a month had passed, another Ultra Wormhole formed in the station.
While still difficult to weather, there had been a precedent this time. They hadn’t been dealing with a complete unknown, and the best ways to keep the public safe had been fresh in mind; the efforts were enough to avoid any undue tragedy, even when the small-scale disaster veered harshly off the projected track.
Nobody had been lost, but… something had been found, to put it loosely.
A Pokemon they’d thought, in the moment, and they hadn’t been entirely wrong. It attacked like a Pokemon and took a blow like a Pokemon-- its delicate antennae suggested it was bug-adjacent, and it had responded to Archeops’s [rock type attack] like any other Pokemon weathering a super effective hit-- but any attempt at containing it failed.
As it turned out, one couldn’t fight a tear in time and space, but they could certainly fight something into one.
[interpol divulges Ultra Beast info]
The wormholes didn’t stop after that. It was hardly constant, but there was nothing that could keep them from forming. There was a suggestion, at one point, that Gear Station be sidelined, that there should be an effort to convert one of the non-central stations into the main hub-- and while it stung, Emmet couldn’t say he was wholly against the idea. Ultimately, it came to nothing. None of the other subway stations were equipped to handle the traffic the [central] one did, and once protocols were put into place to deal with the Ultra Wormholes, it… somehow became another factor of public transportation. Through the turnstiles, [instruction], avoid the tear in the fabric of reality, and your platform will be on the left.
In time, Emmet decided he was best suited to remaining at the ground zero that Gear Station had become, where he could assist directly whenever such a problem arose. The process of selecting and then hiring the trainers who would succeed the first Subway Bosses was a bittersweet one, but infinitely easier than the specter of [hiring] a single replacement that he would then be expected to work with.
It also gave him the time he needed to deal with Interpol.
Now that Gear Station was a hotbed of interdimensional activity, it was infinitely more valuable to researchers than it had been in the first place. Emmet himself refused to become part of the agency, preferring the freedom to ensure [safety] in his [station],
[...]
The sensor on platform 6 went off. While Emmet didn’t need to afford the monitor even a glance to know it would be all but abandoned at this hour, he still checked, just to be thorough. As expected, it was completely deserted; the last train to Anville had departed hours prior and any stragglers had long since seen themselves out.
If there was no one to keep back, it would be a one man job. At best, it was a hazard to watch over for a few minutes before it dissipated-- at worst, a sorely needed battle to cap off the day. Either one was better than sitting idle in the office, and he shrugged on his coat before departing for the soon-to-be-affected platform.
The predicted wormhole sparked to life a mere thirty seconds after he arrived on the scene, and as it established itself, he decided this was a fortunate circumstance. All of its predecessors had manifested vertically at floor level, and this one was angled down, roughly eight feet in the air. He didn’t know what it meant, if anything, but it was a plus that he would be able to observe without concern for any civilians.
For several minutes, it hung in the air, inert. Emmet was just beginning to wonder if it would remain in that state until it disappeared when it finally did light up, section by section. In rapid succession-- if not simultaneously-- the interdimensional countdown hit zero, the mouth of the [wormhole?] crackled with electricity, there was a heavy thud, and the tear immediately resealed itself.
Blinking the spots from his eyes, Emmet’s attention strayed from the [?] to the site of impact.
Only then did he draw nearer, kneeling next to the dark shape that the wormhole had spat out. One hand idled just shy of making contact.
Beneath it, there was a heavy exhalation. Irritated? Frustrated?
...scared?
Not hurt-- not right this moment, anyway. That was good. That was-- fantastic.
He laid his hand down on what he was reasonably sure was a shoulder-- on what was a shoulder on him, at least-- and was rewarded with a startled look upward. Without quite meaning to, he felt his smile shift; not his widest or most dramatic, but something small and genuine.
Ingo didn’t fight it as Emmet helped him up, too busy watching with wide, searching eyes. For all that Emmet knew the effects Ultra Wormholes wreaked, he would be hard pressed to call that expression uncomprehending; confused, yes-- maybe even disbelieving-- but there was a measure of [comprehension] mixed in that he never could have anticipated.
In so many other ways, Ingo had already proven to be the outlier among fallers. So then maybe…?
Slowly, he raised a hand up. Settled it along the edge of Emmet’s jaw. Whether by accident or design, a thumb brushed the corner of his mouth. When Emmet mirrored the gesture, Ingo’s expression flickered, lips somehow [flickering] up into the very same smile.
It was a very, very long time before either of them moved from that spot.
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Been thinking about the concept of "uniqueness vs. specialness (and the gray area in between)"
(I'm using the word "special" here with the specific connotation of "something that is unusual", even though technically the word doesn't always carry that implication and comes from the latin word for "semblance/appearance/display")
The phrase "when everyone is special, no one is", in that sense, is...kind of self-evident by definition, since a rare thing by its very meaning can't be ubiquitous; On the other hand, "when everyone is unique, no one is" is...a non sequitur. It's like saying you can't have a unique social security number unless 90% of people have an identical string of zeros as theirs
Both of these are pretty elementary points to make, but the thing I find interesting is how uniqueness can also be...kind of relative? Take names, for example. There are some family names which are more common (sometimes MUCH more common, like in Korea and Vietnam, relative to others of shared origin) and there are given/personal names that are common enough for their commonness to be a joke in itself (e.g. John in the anglosphere); there are combinations thereof which are shared by many individuals, even taking middle names into account (and various cultures lack these as well! There must be a ton of people named "Tanaka Yuuko" or "Watanabe Shou" in Japan, for one). So names have degrees of uniqueness as well: you will find far more "Peter West"s than you will find "Mykayla Frampton"s out there
I think the name example also has something else fascinating about it: technically, you can imagine a hypothetical scenario where people combine sounds and phonemes and letters in such a way to make similarities WAY more rare, if not necessarily guarantee uniqueness per se. But that's not how things shook out: while there are several different conventions regarding names across all cultures, many places end up having names repeat themselves - because of family lines, homages, social conventions surrounding identity and commonality, and so forth. It's an "uniqueness" that is constrained not by the sheer number of possibilities per se, but by the ties that people have to each other in scales both big and small and by a craving for belonging through lingustic identifiers
That aside, though, there's the fact that, on a large scale, uniqueness end up existing on a fine grain: you might be very different from person X, but you'll end up extremely similar to at least a couple different people. Faces are a great example: human brains are usually very good at picking up subtle details that differentiate faces, but it's hard to describe an exact face with words alone in such a way that doesn't also voer hundreds or thousands of other human faces past and present (not to mention faces change over time due to aging and sometimes trauma)
This is all to say that "uniqueness" and "specialness" may not be the same thing, but they are not completely divorced concepts
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A lot has changed since Beckett first wrote his lines. Never in American history has a generational divide in wealth and outlook been so pronounced. Americans are dying younger and poorer than their parents. They are more likely to live their last few decades in chronic pain, and more likely to live in debt. This is not an accident or the accumulation of millions of individual random choices. It is the product of deliberate policy decisions that have stripped younger generations of opportunity so that older ones can live in relative comfort.
And last week, the Republican Party made clear its decision to continue down that path, shedding all pretense of caring about young voters. A 2024 budget proposal released by the Republican Study Committee sets out the party’s priorities: Make the next generation work longer, and essentially guarantee them an unlivable planet.
Although it is rare that both parties agree on anything, it is an established fact that Social Security is headed fast off a funding cliff. At its current rate, the pension scheme will be insolvent by 2033, meaning that recipients will see an up to 25 percent decrease in their monthly benefits unless something happens.
There are two ways of fixing this problem. One is to increase revenue so that the fund has more money and can pay for the increasing number of retirees. The second is to raise the age of full retirement, which at 67 is already three years above the OECD average. A third but less palpable solution, to Republicans, would be to increase immigration so there is a larger ratio of workers to retirees.
After months of deflection, with Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy vowing that cuts to entitlement programs are “completely off the table,” the Republican Study Committee’s 2024 budget scheme proposes $16.3 trillion in spending cuts and $5.1 trillion in tax cuts. Eliminating so many trillions isn’t easy, especially considering that Social Security and health spending eat up nearly half the entire federal budget with a yearly price tag of $2.7 trillion.
One key figure that haunts Republicans isn’t the size of the national debt or the ever-decreasing tax rate paid by the richest Americans but rather the average age of GOP voters that make up their constituents. The only age group that voted overwhelmingly for Trump in the 2020 election were those over the age of 59 and therefore the most likely to be rattled by any changes to their retirement plan. Given that young people are consistently and increasingly rejecting the Republican Party, this left lawmakers with only one acceptable solution: raise the retirement age for everyone except boomers.
The 2024 budget plan proposes what Republicans believe are “modest changes” to raise the retirement age from 67 to 69. Virginia Representative Ben Cline, chairman of the group’s budget and Spending Task Force, said the plan would not apply to Americans who are current retirees or nearing retirement but would only kick in for those below the magic boomer age of 59, who would see an increase in the retirement age of three months per year starting in 2026. Everyone born after 1971 will have to wait until they turn 69 to retire.
Raising the retirement age for everyone except those who consistently vote for them was not the only solution to shaving trillions from the national budget. Included in the budget was a plan to scrap all funding from what the Republicans called a “radical green agenda” that would make the planet livable for generations to come. Although Biden’s Green Deal was supported by the majority of Americans, 38 percent of those over the age of 59 opposed the legislation, compared to just 18 percent of millennials.
Nowhere in the budget was funding for things that would make life easier for younger generations, such as childcare provisions, public transportation projects, or funding for higher education. This month, President Biden vetoed a GOP-sponsored bill that would cancel his plan to provide $20,000 in student loan relief. Of course, if university was as affordable now as it was in 1964, when the average boomer paid $553 per year for tuition at a four-year public college, there would be no need to forgive all those student loans in the first place.
On display in the budget proposal is a rejection of the very sort of governmental protections that allowed older generations to thrive and accumulate wealth. Although voters in Ron DeSantis’s MAGA-dominated state of Florida reported that affordable housing is their number one priority, Republicans lawmakers are more concerned with banning trans people and books than they are with making owning a home and raising a family achievable for anyone without inherited wealth for a home deposit or childcare. And while funds for things like anti-poverty programs and the National Endowment for the Arts would disappear, money for defense and building The Wall would be guaranteed.
One solution that would have allowed more Americans to retire at a younger age would have been to scrap the cap on payroll taxes that fund Social Security. In 2023, those earning a salary below $160,200 per year are taxed at a rate of 12 percent, with 6 percent coming from the worker and 6 percent from the employer. According to the Center for Economic Policy and Research, 94 percent of workers earn less than $160,000 per year. The remaining 6 percent pay no additional payroll tax, even though they are more likely to live longer than those earning near the poverty line. A millionaire earning $88,000 per month stops contributing to Social Security by the end of February. This means that the burden of paying for Social Security falls disproportionately on low- and middle-class earners.
It is the propensity of every generation when they are young to complain about the old, and when they are old to complain about the young. And while each generation grows and faces its own unique struggles, one constant is the desire to make the world a better place for those who come after you. But never in the history of U.S. politics has one party advocated so fiercely to take so much from the young and give to the old. The world is literally burning, and for millions of young Americans, finding a home and earning a decent living is something they will read about in textbooks as a promise once given to their ancestors. A generation ago it may have been true that speaking ill or well of a generation was absurd. Now it would be an absurdity not to.
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theoretically could an iterator turn themself into a lizard. for science
RP:
FTL: Depends on what you mean by 'turn themselves into'. Do you mean a 1:1 of all the cells being transformed into those of a lizard? Or do you mean their consciousness getting transplaced into or replacing that of the lizard?
FTL: Because the answer to the first one is 'no'. Not only is the total mass of an Iterator much, much larger than that of a lizard - any type of lizard - but there is the simple fact that Iterators are biomechanical. Lizards are biological (except for in rare edge cases). You cannot transform one into the other without losing something.
FTL: As for the latter, well... maybe? It would rely upon isolating and containing the Iterator's personality and most important functionalities. Doing so would lose nearly all of said Iterator's capacity to do anything at all. An Iterator's consciousness is impossible to pin down in one place. Even if you were to simply take the main personality matrix and use that, that would still be a devastating loss of ability. And even then, said container would have to be mechanical or digital, and then implanted into the brain of the lizard, overriding its own consciousness. Which one could say completely defeats the purpose in some ways.
FTL: So though it may be possible in that way, it really wouldn't work out in any way at all. You cannot degrade such a vast and complex being that much. A lizard's brain cannot handle even the most basic thoughts of a much more complex being, not on any level, unless it becomes a biomechanical being via the implantation of said personality chip, in which case it's still highly questionable. The Iterator whose mind now hypothetically occupies that of a lizard, would not know how to function, how to do anything at all. We're not made to be lizards, we're made to solve problems and do things, with nearly everything we need just a thought away (though that particular quality has eroded over time). We rely upon processes that do things for us. It'd simply be impossible to sustain oneself like that. Drastic change never does anything good.
FTL: I will conclude that the answer is 'no'. Any other possibilities I can think of are clearly preposterous and make even less sense than even the second option presented here. Unless some external force with unmeasurable power - a true god, not a relative god such as an Iterator - exists and decides to change the very laws of reality or perform such a transformation for incomprehensible reasons (most likely amusement), which I do think is unlikely, then no. It's impossible.
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Moontouched
“And as she wept upon Her face, her tears fell to the dust in which she knelt. Her grief and loneliness was soon met by gentle hands, her third miracle of creation, come to her unbidden in her time of need. The hands holding and consoling her were gentle and kind, soothing the stinging reminders emblazoned upon her face, and assuring that she need not weep for what has been, but should smile for what might be.
She remained with them until the final throes of war were calmed. They shared her sorrow at the horrors below them but never faulted her, nor she them. Their place was at her side, never her feet. When her tears fell no longer, they brought her to a doorway, where she made her eternal home, promising them the afterlife she could now provide. This offer was met with laughter and gifts in kind. Their lives and afterlives were to be their own, not needing her favour to justify their kindness and mirth."
—Unknown Author, ’The Lunar Queen’
The moontouched are a mysterious race dwelling on the moons surrounding most planets. With large heads and noses, expansive ears, and small eyes and frames, the moontouched hold some superficial resemblance to bats. They rarely venture down to the planets below them, and it is unknown if they have the means of doing so without outside influence, but they are incredibly friendly and welcoming to any outsiders they do come across.
Moonfolk’s Mirth and Mischief
With no worries for resources nor kingdoms to rule, the moontouched spend their lives seeking joy and entertainment above all else. They spend their free time pursuing their chosen path or paths of entertainment. Dancers, musicians, sculptors, pranksters, comedians, and anything else that may bring smiles or laughter to themselves and others are all paths they will take. If they come across someone sad, they will do whatever they can to help cheer them up. The concept of wanting to be alone when sad is foreign to them, and entire communities will come together to comfort or entertain anyone feeling sad, unless explicitly told that they want to be alone.
If someone responds negatively to an act of entertainment from a moontouched’s path, the moontouched will either become distressed and uncomfortable or will redouble their efforts and provide the individual more acts until they find something that entertains the critic. The most common example of this occurs when an outsider is met with a prankster moontouched. While their pranks are rarely harmful, and even the most extreme pranks are all in good fun and accepted by the moontouched, outsiders see them as disruptive and rude, or may even misinterpret them as dangerous. This has led to individuals feeling tormented for long periods of time by a moontouched desperately trying to make them laugh, but the moontouched will usually change tactics if the misunderstanding is explained to them.
Lunar Lifestyle
The moontouched have an abundance of resources and a relatively small population, with reproduction occurring rarely. They hold fertility festivals, where they celebrate the blessed lives they lead, which are held when the moontouched are fertile. These festivals last for up to ten cycles, as measured by complete rotations of their moon around the planet, and during this time is when moontouched and any partners they have or choose will attempt to conceive young, but do not often succeed. Approximately halfway between fertility festivals, successful pregnancies end and the young moontouched are born. Moontouched that conceived during a previous festival will often refrain from attempting so again for several future festivals, or even altogether. While population growth is slow, if resources ever begin to dwindle, many moontouched will leave their home and find new moons to live on. Without a shared day and year between the moons they inhabit, exact numbers are impossible to find. For the purpose of age, the moontouched will measure their life by the number of fertility festivals they attend. They usually have one festival every year that passes on Praece, making their age similar to that of Praecians.
While the moontouched rarely venture to a planet’s surface, they can be found on many moons throughout Mythspace. Their connection to Alune draws them inexorably to settle on moons rather than planets, but it isn’t unheard of for the occasional moontouched to find themselves on a planet’s surface. On most standard moons, there are two variations of moontouched, each named after a bat on the planet they orbit which they bear a resemblance to. Those who live on the surface are the pallid moontouched, and those living in the deep craters of the moon are the hoary moontouched. On more diverse moons, other types of moontouched can be found with adaptations to suit their homes.
Children of the Moon
The moontouched were first encountered by, likely even created by, the distressed goddess Alune on a place they refer to as Luan, which is the moon orbiting the planet of Praece, shortly before the War of Day and Night. Their lunar habitat is often seen as inhospitable, but the moontouched are thriving regardless. This is in part due to Alune’s gratitude to them, with the Goddess blessing their crops to flourish and produce oxygen at an increased rate. In addition, the moontouched can survive with little to no oxygen for long periods of time, often describing the atmosphere of the planets they orbit as rather thick. Every moontouched settlement has a tribute to the Moon Goddess, and only rarely are other faiths practised in these communities. They do not turn away from the worship of other gods, however, and many find faith in gods of art and joy, or even other aspects altogether.
Moontouched Names
The moontouched have three names; One given to them at birth, one chosen by either the individual or the community they live in, and a title befitting their pursuits in life. Their birth names are unisex and usually related to either the name or the features of the moon they were born on. Their chosen name is sometimes the same as their given name, but can be anything they want it to be, usually something that suits their personality or a reference to a favourite joke or song, but they will occasionally make up a name that sounds nice. Finally, their title can be as simple as calling them a singer or comedian, but it can extend to any personal paths they take.
Given Names: Alu, Crater, Dust, Lua, Lune, Moone, Powder
Chosen Names: Aliyah, Hehe, Laughter, Luney, Joy, Smile
Titles: Adventure, Comedia, Dancer, Mischief, Voice
Moontouched Traits
Between the blessings of Alune and their life on the moon, the moontouched possess several traits that set them apart from other races.
Ability Score Increase. Your Charisma score increases by 2.
Age. A moontouched child is considered an adult by their thirteenth Fertility Festival, which is celebrated at the beginning of the thirteenth festival, despite their birth being halfway between festivals. By Praecian terms, this means that they are considered adults after twelve and a half years. Moontouched often live to see over a hundred festivals, with some of the eldest making it a bit over a hundred and fifty festivals.
Alignment. Due to their closeness with Alune and their views of joy and laughter being important, many moontouched fall into a more chaotic good stance.
Darkvision. You have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern colour in darkness, only shades of grey.
Natural Entertainer. You have proficiency with the performance skill.
Excellent Hearing. You have advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on hearing.
Low-Oxygen Survivor. You can hold your breath for twice as long as most other races. In addition, in cases with limited oxygen, you expend the air at half the rate of other races.
Innate Spellcasting. When you reach 3rd level, you can cast the Hideous Laughter spell once per day. When you reach 5th level, you can also cast the Moonbeam spell once per day. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and one additional language of your choice.
Subrace. Two main subraces of the moontouched populate the moons of Mythspace: pallid and hoary. Choose one of these subraces.
Pallid
Living on the surface of moons, the pallid moontouched are named such because of their white fur and small frames. Their ears are larger than their hoary counterparts, and they use them to use a form of echolocation, similarly to the bats they resemble. Communities of pallid moontouched live in simple wooden huts, made from the tough wood found in the small forests dotting Luan. The pallid moontouched enjoy watching the stars, and will often pass down fantastical stories about seemingly nonsensical constellations they create.
Ability Score Increase. Your Wisdom score increases by 1.
Size. Pallid moontouched adults stand between three and a half and four and a half feet in height. You are surprisingly dense for your size, often weighing as much as an elf. Your size is small.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 25 feet.
Cantrip. You know the Thaumaturgy cantrip.
Echolocation. You have blindsight up to 15 feet, and can extend this to 30 feet as an action. This effect does not go through solid material. You cannot use this trait while you are Deafened.
Stargazer. Whenever you make a Nature or Survival check related to the stars and constellations, you are considered proficient in the skill and add double your proficiency bonus to the check, instead of your normal proficiency bonus.
Hoary
Within the craters and crevasses on the moons of Mythspace, climbing the walls and rolling in the moon’s dust, are the hoary moontouched. This name comes from their brown, grey-tipped fur and the white moon dust they cover themselves in, working it into their fur both to add to their camouflage and to help clean the fur in the pools of water they build their homes around. Villages of hoary moontouched are built diagonally or even vertically, up the sides of craters and crevasses. These villages are easily traversable thanks to the hoary moontouched’s claws allowing them to climb around. While moving about is easy for them, they have adapted a form of telepathy, in order to converse without needing to climb towards each other.
Ability Score Increase. Your Strength score increases by 1.
Size. Hoary moontouched adults usually stand between four and five feet in height. You are surprisingly dense for your size, often weighing as much as a human. Your size is medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Cantrip. You know the Message cantrip.
Expert Climber. You have a base climbing speed of 25 feet. In addition, you can move up, down, and across vertical surfaces while leaving one limb free, and upside-down along ceilings, also with one limb free, as if it were difficult terrain. Keeping a limb free reduces your base climbing speed to 20 feet. You can remain hanging on a vertical surface with no effort, allowing you to rest and even sleep while holding onto most surfaces, so long as you are not hanging from a ceiling.
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Muse Preferences - Intimacy
((About time I updated this given how many muse changes have happened. I may not write smut in threads, but since I write drabbles and happily discuss those elements with rp partners, and also will send memes for them to others, I figured I’d put down a little about my muses in that regard for those who might find it relevant or interesting???? (or useful if you’re writing anything for our muses) Have only done these for muses who are likely to wind up in those kind of relationships/dynamics.))
Aida - more submissive than dominant but doesn't have much of a preference
Alanna - very dominant, rarely allows her intimate partners to take control (even if it seems like they are, she is still pulling the strings)
Andi - very much a switch, depends on her mood, but she likes the simpler things in life
Ben - mostly a switch, ever so slightly more submissive leaning, bottom for position
Benji - primarily submissive but can show a dominant side if his partner wishes, bottom for position
Bertie - a little bit on the dominant side, but doesn't really mind as long as she is enjoying herself
Charlotte - mainly dominant but isn’t against allowing her partner to be the dominant one if she feels like a change, quite experimental
Cris - can be both dominant and submissive, tends to not experiment much, switch for position
Dani - slightly a switch but mostly submissive, for all her outgoing displays in public, she can actually be a bit shy in the bedroom
Dante - silently very submissive bottom, but can be very demanding and bratty
Ellen - leans more towards dominant, enjoys being in control but likes to let herself be dominated on occasion
Eric - used to be a lot more dominant in his youth, not as much anymore but will put on a dominant personality unless he trusts his partner and then he will hand over control, switch for position
Eva - primarily submissive, but if encouraged she can test the waters being a little more dominant, silently experimental but wouldn’t admit it
Evan - switch for both, perhaps ever so slightly prefers submissive but just enjoys intimacy
Fran - dominant primarily, likes to get what she wants
Freddie - submissive leaning switch, bottom for position
Gabi - submissive leaning switch, depends on her mood
Gen - dominant unless she is around someone who she trusts a lot and feels comfortable with, enjoys feeling control over her partners but likes to focus on their pleasure while getting what she wants
Grace - dominant leaning switch, likes to experiment and push herself
Harry - switch for both, enjoys experimenting a little but nothing too daring (can’t switch off his mind to the potential risks being a med student)
Hollie - dominant leaning switch
Ilsa - dominant leaning switch, very touch driven
Isabella - much more submissive, not too experimental but she is open to trying new things for her partners
Jayne - complete switch, enjoys taking care of her partners
Jimmy - switch for both, he just mostly enjoys pleasure
Jon - bottom leaning switch, also a switch regarding d/s - he just likes to have some fun with someone he finds attractive
Jude - depends on his mood as to whether he's sub or dom, bottom for position
Kara - switch, open to mostly anything and will give it a shot as long as she feels safe
Katrine - dominant leaning switch, enjoys being in control but likes to change things up now and then
Lia - switch, sees sex as a means to an end after this many years alive
Lou - classic switch, she likes what she likes
Maria - not the most adventurous, but she enjoys pleasure however it comes
Matt - slightly submissive leaning switch, not the most experimental but is open to trying most things once, bottom for position
Michael - top leaning switch, quote dominant but has a secret desire to submit
Mira - relatively even switch, doesn’t really mind, whatever feels right in the moment
Nigel - switch for position, a little more submissive than dominant but isn't against being adventurous
Nyah - dominant leaning switch
Olivia - switch, she’s used to her past as an escort where she would happily offer whatever her clients wanted
Oscar - primarily dominant but if he trusts you implicitly then he will let his walls down and allow you to dominate him, bottom for position
Prue - switch, not that experimental but has a daring side after a few drinks
Rose - dominant leaning switch but sometimes desires the comfort that she finds in being submissive
Steven - definitely more on the submissive side, likes to feel protected because he puts up a front of not needing protection for his work, bottom for position
Tamara - does whatever she feels into at any given moment, and also gauges what her partner is into
Theo - very much a switch depending on his mood, primarily bottom but enjoys to top when he feels like it
Vera - a little more submissive but she'll just go with the flow
Will - dominant leaning switch, top for position
Zara - depends on her mood, she likes to take control with her partners but if you take control unexpectedly she will melt in your hands
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What kind of foods do your OCs cook? (I dont mean favourite food as a note, just if they have to cook a meal for themselves, what might they make? Do they burn everything they touch? Who is surviving off instant ramen?)
Okay, so:
RUINA OCs
Q is a surprisingly good cook! She barely has the energy for it in her day-to-day life, but she's spent a lot of time learning how to safely cook meat. She likes her meat rather rare, so she's taught herself a lot of safe ways to prepare it after a quick sear or even straight-up raw. She doesn't bake much, but she loves baked goods a lot. Her hands just aren't meant for delicate goods.
Morg is not a good cook at all. She subsists off of stolen food from the shelves of convenience stores and whatever she can mooch off of others. She's ludicrously stingey with money, so never really buys anything food-wise unless she's desperate- or she'll just kill for it. She would never eat a person like Q would, but she would kill for a candy bar. If she tried she'd definitely cause a fire or something. Trying cooking for the first time when you can't see is... difficult.
Maskgirl also doesn't cook much, but just kinda buys microwave meals to stuff down her face. She enjoys very flavorful foods, and without someone else to cook for her- like Q- resorts to basically downing shitty flavorless microwave food mixed with two separate sauce packets.
THE LAVENDER COURT
Lavender, as a vampire, still holds on to a bit of her dignity- even if she doesn't really acknowledge it to herself. Her captives are held in relative comfort, tended to by undead servants in a section of the castle kept under guard. She originally told herself this was more humane, but after living for so long she's completely disconnected herself from it and only maintains it because she doesn't care enough to dismantle it. Those few that are strong enough to survive multiple feedings at least are happy they aren't strapped down as living batteries, at least. She still indulges a bit in mortal food sometimes, if only to change up what taste she has, but her taste buds are pretty much null until she feeds on something proper and her body heals again. While Lavender herself doesn't tend to cook, she can command the undead that upkeep the court to prepare food for them- mostly for things like ambassador visits from the mortal kingdoms.
Black, on the other hand, does not care from where the food comes. She has never really be stingey of what she eats. While both women will eat bodies on the battlefield when their bodies start to break down, Black does it far more readily, using her fangs as a prominent weapon during combat. She indulges far more in human food too, parring a good corpse with wine and honeyed ham on a good night. Such food is either pillaged from locals or prepared by Lavender's undead. Lavender won't eat pillaged goods, but Black has no hesitation.
VIOLETS IN THE SUNFLOWER PATCH
Aster is an excellent baker! She has a passion for sweets and such. She loves to make little pastries and delicacies- her go to for breakfasts is pancakes and some sausage. She isn't as good at other foods, but she can get at least a good grilling sess going. Living as a pilot under the Black Table, you have to eat rations a lot of the time, but she was the best at making do.
Sydney is less of a cook, but can at least cook stuff when she needs to. She could make a good, if not great, meal, and when Aster is too tired to cook she'll pick up the skillet. She burns it a bit most of the time, but not inedibly so. Without Aster around, she does a mix of instant-foods and home-cooking.
Dev isn't a good cook. She's survived her life on instant-ramen and hot pockets. Someone please get them a cook. She survived best on rations compared to the other two because she was already pretty used to bland tastes. After they all defected from the mech-force, she'd switch back to instant-food for a while before picking up cooking as a hobby.
WORLD ORPHAN
Igori is interesting. As a child, cooking would probably be a minor thing she was taught- more of a "we have to teach this thing basic survival skills" and then later in life when she sheds her humanity she doesn't need to cook anymore. Skeinkrofters have the most powerful digestive method of "melt it into goop". She just needs living matter- rotten or not- and she reduces it into a slime to just slurp it up. Mold is living, y'know? The intense bodily functions of the Skeinkrofters require a lot of nutrients, and as a kid they quickly learned she needed four meals a day to stay healthy, with snacks between.
OTHER
Black, White, and Grey - None of them can cook. They are top-tier fucking gods of their craft and none of them can actually cook they're too min-maxed for combat.
Jupiter and Juno (Horus Heresy OCs) - Rations.
I have more OCs but I haven't used them recently enough to really write anything up for them... awawawawa
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PODTAFSEER: CHAPTER 2 - AL BAQARAH, VERSE 79 – PART 8
“So woeto those who write the "scripture" with their own hands, then say, "This is from Allah," in order to exchange it for a small price. Woe to them for what their hands have written and woe to them for what they earn.”
When some face difficulties instead of firstly observing themselves and their behaviour to assess whether they need to change for the better and remain steadfast on the obedience of Allah, the Exalted, patiently waiting for relief they instead turn to uneducated and inexperienced people who claim to fix worldly things for a fee through spiritual means. These people only cause a Muslim to adopt an illness which is far worse than their initial problem namely, paranoia. These people convince Muslims that their problems have either been caused by supernatural creatures, such as jinns, or by black magic which someone has used against them. Even though jinns do exist it is very rare for them to affect people in their worldly matters. This incorrect advice causes Muslims to become severely paranoid and superstitious over petty things and it even causes them to grow suspicious over their friends and relatives. This only leads to enmity and fractured relationships. This attitude will also damage one's faith in Allah, the Exalted, as they will be advised in many cases to do things which are not advised in the Holy Quran or the traditions of the Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him.
It is important for Muslims to strengthen their faith through gaining and acting on Islamic knowledge. This will prevent them turning to such foolish people who cannot even fix their own problems let alone fix the problems of others. Strong faith will prevent paranoia affecting them as they will fully rely on Allah, the Exalted, in all situations. Strong faith allows a Muslim to understand that even if the entire creation desired to harm them they will not be able to do so unless Allah, the Exalted, allowed it. Similarly, the entire creation cannot benefit them unless Allah, the Exalted, wills it. And every case and situation only occurs according to a set and unchangeable plan namely, destiny. This has been advised throughout the Holy Quran and the Hadiths of the Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, such as the far reaching Hadith found in Jami At Tirmidhi, number 2516.
To conclude, a Muslim when encountering a problem should firstly assess their own behaviour and rectify it if necessary and then remain obedient to Allah, the Exalted, by fulfilling His commands, refraining from His prohibitions and by facing destiny with patience and avoid further problems in the form of paranoia by avoiding people who claim to fix worldly problems in spiritual ways.
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What’s the deal with Sister Sizes?
Buckle up, this post is lengthy! As you may know, sister sizing is one of the reasons everyone is in the wrong size bra, but the truth is sister sizes are actually supposed to be a super helpful tool to help us find the best fitting bra.
In my experience, not that many women fit into their true size in every single brand and style there is. This is because of vanity sizing, but it could be the material of the bra and it’s often also cause women have different shapes and fullness and will fill out different bra styles and cuts completely differently as a result. If anyone seems to always fit into the same size it’s likely they have round and even breasts which is most commonly achieved with augmentation, but some laddies do have very round breasts naturally it’s just less common.
Now that I mentioned that, I have my own theory about bra sizing. I’ve actually been fitted this way at Victoria’s Secret (VS rarely impresses me). The woman suggested me 2 or 3 sizes to try on that were neighboring sister sizes. Sometimes the size you come up with is more of a starting point rather than a one stop shop.
My theory is that you may have two or three possible sizes that are consistently well fitted for you, usually including the size you measure. Take a 30C for example this person measures 29, 33. So her sizes could be 28D, 30C, 32B.
See the chart and begin looking at your size, you can find your sister size beside it diagonally to the left or right. If you decrease the band size, you increase the cup and vice versa, if you increase the band size, then decrease the cup. Cups are relative to the band. The boxes are color coded so you can distinguish your possible sister size with ease.
Generally speaking, it’s unlikely you would fit more than one band size up or down assuming your first size is accurate (unless you use an extender which only allows you to decrease your band and increase your cup). I don’t recommend using extenders (it distorts the fit) unless it’s a very temporary fix and you eventually obtain your correct size.
Now, here’s an example of an exception to that rule. Let’s take someone who is also 30C but has the measurements 30, 33. They might seem to rarely fit into 28D but sometimes fit 32B more often. And in some cases fits 34A. How could that be if you usually don’t fit more than one size over? Well, her size is sort of on the cusp in a way. And 30C might feel too tight. She’s veering on 31 inches and that’s when it’s time to round up to 32. So her possible sizes are set practically one size up. At the end of the day, it’s all about what feels comfortable and supportive for you. Always try to get the most accurate measurements and the rest is trial and error.
One more exception example. I’ve noticed this from personal experience. Let’s go back to the first example of a 30C. Her measurements were 29, 33. If you are in a position where you have to add an inch to the band, the likelihood of fitting into one cup size higher is greater. Why? Well your bustline is making up for one inch of volume that your band size isn’t and that inch is distributed among both breasts. In theory this makes your bustline .5 inches larger. And that means you’re between cup sizes and they increase in increments of 1 inch. Because band sizes are every two inches, there is always someone who is in between sizes. And this manifests mostly in the cup if you have to increase your underbust to match up to a band size.
Don’t make your bra size a box you feel the need to stay in because the truth is your bra size fluctuates a lot with weight, age, and hormonal changes.
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Muse Preferences - Intimacy
((Note: updated list [5/11]. I may not write smut in threads, but since I write drabbles and happily discuss those elements with rp partners, and also will send memes for them to others, I figured I’d put down a little about my muses in that regard for those who might find it relevant or interesting???? (or useful if you’re writing anything for our muses) Have only done these for muses who are likely to wind up in those kind of relationships/dynamics.))
Alanna - very dominant, rarely allows her intimate partners to take control (even if it seems like they are, she is still pulling the strings)
Andi - very much a switch, depends on her mood, but she likes the simpler things in life
Ben - mostly a switch, ever so slightly more submissive leaning, bottom for position
Benji - primarily submissive but can show a dominant side if his partner wishes, bottom for position
Charlotte - mainly dominant but isn’t against allowing her partner to be the dominant one if she feels like a change, quite experimental
Cris - can be both dominant and submissive, tends to not experiment much, switch for position
Daniela - submissive leaning switch (more sub, generally) but it relatively tame in the bedroom
Derek - rather submissive, likes stronger men who make him feel safe, bottom for position
Ellen - leans more towards dominant, enjoys being in control but likes to let herself be dominated on occasion
Eric - used to be a lot more dominant in his youth, not as much anymore but will put on a dominant personality unless he trusts his partner and then he will hand over control, switch for position
Eva - primarily submissive, but if encouraged she can test the waters being a little more dominant, silently experimental but wouldn’t admit it
Evan - switch for both, perhaps ever so slightly prefers submissive but just enjoys intimacy
Freddie - submissive leaning switch, bottom for position
Gabi - submissive leaning switch, depends on her mood
Gen - dominant unless she is around someone who she trusts a lot and feels comfortable with, enjoys feeling control over her partners but likes to focus on their pleasure while getting what she wants
Harry - switch for both, enjoys experimenting a little but nothing too daring (can’t switch off his mind to the potential risks being a med student)
Hollie - dominant leaning switch
Ilsa - dominant leaning switch, very touch driven
Isla - isn’t massively sexual, but is mostly a switch depending on her mood and what her partner wants her to be
Isabella - much more submissive, not too experimental but she is open to trying new things for her partners
Jayne - complete switch, enjoys taking care of her partners
Kara - switch, open to mostly anything and will give it a shot as long as she feels safe
Lia - switch, sees sex as a means to an end after this many years alive
Luca - dominant preference, it is a rare moment where he allows his partners to dominate him, top for position
Matt - slightly submissive leaning switch, not the most experimental but is open to trying most things once, bottom for position
Mira - relatively even switch, doesn’t really mind, whatever feels right in the moment
Neve - switch with a teeny tiny slight preference for submissive but doesn’t mind, she likes to make love more than anything else
Nick - more submissive (he’s also super awkward don’t judge him), bottom leaning switch for position
Nyah - dominant leaning switch
Olivia - switch, she’s used to her past as an escort where she would happily offer whatever her clients wanted
Oscar - primarily dominant but if he trusts you implicitly then he will let his walls down and allow you to dominate him, bottom for position
Prue - switch, not that experimental but has a daring side after a few drinks
Ricky - switch for position, but generally is more of a bottom for the most part unless he feels like it (he sleeps around with the guys in his gang and most of them top him), dom leaning switch - everything depends on his mood and who he’s with
Rose - dominant leaning switch but sometimes desires the comfort that she finds in being submissive
Scott - switch for both, leaning more towards bottom for position, he’s pretty awkward especially since he hasn’t explored his sexuality much
Steven - definitely more on the submissive side, likes to feel protected because he puts up a front of not needing protection for his work, bottom for position
Tristan - switch for both, sometimes will voice what he needs but mainly just goes with the flow
Will - dominant leaning switch, top for position
Zach - dominant mostly with an occasional submissive side, switch for position
Zara - depends on her mood, she likes to take control with her partners but if you take control unexpectedly she will melt in your hands
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Persona 5 - Pyramid of Wrath
Table of contents:
Overview
Objective(s)
The Pyramid Itself
Treasure, Traps, & Things to Find
Enemies
Tips & Tricks
Music
My Relationship to this Game
The Ultimate Persona
Overview
In Persona 5, we travel between the real world and a dimension known as the Metaverse, which is shaped by our mental energy. Here, the mental energy from strong willed individuals manifests as a physical "palace" representative of their psyche. Some are literal palaces, others are anything from a casino to a space station.
Futaba is a child prodigy living with her uncle. She is the founder (and only member of) a hacker "group" named after the Egyptian deity Medjed. And Futaba's Palace is a pyramid.
It is the 4th level (of 8) and starts off deep in the desert with the pyramid only visible as a light in the far distance, peeking between the dunes. There's a small town built near the pyramid. After a little kerfuffle where a boulder trap boots us out of the pyramid, and a brief trip back to town to retrieve a map of the pyramid from some looters, we enter the dungeon for real… only to fall into a pit trap and into the basement.
Objective(s)
In this dimension, the mental energy of exceptionally strong willed individuals creates a physical palace representative of their psyche. The protagonists realize this means one's corrupt desires will physically manifest here too. And if they can be removed from the palace, they would be removed from the person, triggering a change of heart.
In Persona 5, we mainly travel into the palaces of corrupt authority figures and muck about with their heads against their will, but Futaba asks the protagonists to do this to her. In fact, she blackmails them into it. She wants them to remove her self-destructive behavior and guilt over her mother's death, because she fears without help she will shut herself away from others until her home becomes her "tomb."
So the goal is, essentially, to get in, steal the physical representation of these behaviors, and get out.
The Pyramid Itself
The first time in this pyramid, we traverse straight up a wide set of stairs with many landings. At the top we’re chased out by a big boulder trap, and a large set of doors closes off each landing. When we return, we’re dropped into a pit trap. The first half-ish of this level is moving through the pyramid’s basement and back up to the pyramid proper.
The first underground room is quite novel and merits special mention.
When dropped into the basement
It dumps us into this big pit-like room, which has a bunch of short scaffold-like paths built in ring-like tiers, with designated points allowing us to climb up / drop down to a lower level, making a simple 1 room maze. The way out of this is pretty clear, but the area is expansive to hide a fair number of chests and items among the nooks and dead ends. Even though it's hard to get lost here, it can still be easy to get turned around or lose track of where we've been if trying to explore the whole room. And not only is this open design pretty unique in P5, but it's also uniquely engaging. The verticality changes how we stalk enemies and get the jump on them since we aren't just using shadows to creep in. And the careless are more likely to stumble right into the way of an enemy when changing levels than in the relative safety of the games many hallways. Enemies rarely get the jump on the player in this game (unless the game spawns them in on top of us), and I really appreciate how this little twist makes exploration more cautious.
Shortly, we return to the wide set of stairs from our initial visit. Each landing is still sealed by massive doors. To open them, we need to travel into a side chamber next to each door and complete a series of puzzles, mainly switch puzzles and moving gems between pedestals with each area ending in a scrambled mural puzzle. Each mural shows a scene from Futaba's past, and this exposition is not only the main way we learn more about her, but also confronting her with things she's repressed.
There are 3 sealed landings in total, with a save point on each accessible after its doors are unlocked. The steady ascent up this staircase makes up the bulk of the dungeon and builds anticipation for the boss fight. This design is interesting in how it lets the player explore side rooms and discover secrets in the pyramids maze, all in service of opening a straight pass through the heart of the pyramid so it's easy to return to exactly where we left off.
With a clear way forward and the dungeon split into many smaller zones, this pyramid isn't really one to get lost in. While the dungeon is quite linear, there are puzzles seemingly designed to subvert it feeling too linear. Some of the small zones are mainly a large room or two made of an intricate series of paths, none of which lead to the next room. There are switches that manipulate the geography, so to progress we'll need to find detours and backtrack as the puzzle closes off one path to open another.
Treasure, Traps, & Things to Find
This pyramid has almost no traps. There are plenty of things that LOOK like traps, from floors with hidden spikes, to rolling boulder hallways. However these aren't there to surprise or punish incautious players, but to impede our progress until we can deactivate them. Outside of the trapdoor the party falls into in a cutscene, really the only traps are sarcophagi that look ornamental but are hiding an enemy. They're mainly in the latter half of the dungeon, but as long as we stay on our toes they'll mainly serve to put us into combat without a preemptive round.
As for treasures and things to find… being an RPG this place is littered with loot. Though the dungeon is linear, and all chests display on the map, so I’ll simply be listing items in the order they’ll be found:
Black Rock - Itemize Persona into accessories
Seishiki Sword - Sword for Yusuke
Gale Cape - Evade Wind (med) accessory
Mind Choker - +20 SP accessory
Black Robe - Itemize Persona into equipment
Spirit Belt - Reduce physical damage (low) accessory
Blitz Ring - reduce electric damage (med) accessory
Snuff Soul - restores 50 SP to one ally.
Turquoise - sells for ¥2,500
Magic Ointment - Ally gains a magic reflecting barrier. Works on the next non-almighty spell.
Stamina Sash - +20 HP accessory
Dogwatch Kimono - Sleep resisting armor. Equippable by females.
Black Rock - Itemize Persona into accessories
Turquoise - sells for ¥2,500
Dust Crusted Gear - wash it to see what it is.
Retention Vest - Forget resisting armor. Equippable by males.
Turquoise - sells for ¥2,500
Ruby - sells for ¥3,500
Ignis Ring - Reduce fire damage (med) accessory
Timeworn Armor - wash it to see what it is.
Enemies
There are a few versions of Persona 5, each changing the enemies up slightly as well as what monsters are where. But for this blog I'll comment on the original P5's enemies, which will be arranged by level.
Note: enemies in Persona are inspired by religious, mythological, and mystical figures from all over the world, Persona (and Megami Tensei, the franchise Persona spun off of) has largely been using the same set of enemies for decades, and each enemy generally has a specific level range associated with them. Because of this, instead of finding characters from Egyptian myth in the pyramid level, it had what may seem to be an arbitrary assortment of figures.
Also, I would like to apologize for the image quality. Persona 5 doesn’t let players take screenshots of their Persona (even before beating Kamoshida’s Palace, after which it doesn't allow streaming the game). And at the time of writing the images available online are… inconsistent, with many websites settling for pictures of these enemies from other games entirely. Thus I opted to just use my phone and take photos of the TV screen.
Stone of Scone
Treasure Demon
Fortune - level 20
Weak to: Curse
Unlike every other Treasure Demon, this one nullifies physical moves. Unfortunately, they can’t just be taken Down with a crit. They’re able to know any of the 8 elemental single target medium damage spells. They’re weak to curse skills, which can be a little tricky to come by. It may be easiest to summon up Arsene just to have on hand for this enemy. We can have 10 Persona with us at this point and we really only need 2 for this dungeon (I’d recommend Lean Sidhe and Flauros or Setanta. More on that in Tips & Tricks).
Naga (Cavern Snakeman)
Gloomy
Hermit - level 24
Weak to: Wind
Naga has some bite. They've got nasty electric moves curbed by not the levels/stats to really back them up. Just give them some respect early on, especially on harder difficulties. Play cautiously and by the end of the dungeon we'll cleanly out-level them and can take them easily. . . when encountered randomly. A few enemies in this dungeon can summon allies to fight with them, and they generally summon Naga. With this enemy being fairly ubiquitous it'd be wise to keep Morgana around.
Naga makes a dangerous enemy, but an even better ally. Not only can ours get leveled up and grow into their skills, but its best electric moves are yet to come. Also, Naga is needed for an advanced fusion to summon Vasuki. So even if they don't look interesting they're still worth picking up. And thanks to their ubiquitous presence, we never need to go out of our way or grind encounters to find one.
There are 76 ways to fuse this persona. The simplest involves a Treasure Demon: Regent + Ippon-datara. Alternatively, Matador + Eligor if you never got Regent.
SANDMAN (Envoy of Slumber)
Irritable
Magician - level 24
Weak to: Electricity
Sandman is (unsurprisingly) all about sleep. As an enemy, his only attack is to try and put someone to sleep. That doesn’t sound too bad, since characters wake up on their own eventually, or right away if attacked, but if Sandman puts a healer to sleep we may find ourself in a sticky spot. Have healing items on hand so in a pinch anyone can heal.
There are 69 (nice) ways to fuse this persona. The simplest involves a Treasure Demon: Regent + Nekomata. Alternatively, Suzaku + Nakami if you never got Regent.
ANZU (Thief of Tablets)
Irritable
Hierophant - level 25
Weak to: Gun & Nuke
Anzu is one of the few "nothing special" enemies in this dungeon. Not only are they weak to gun, but outside of a heavy damaging physical skill they're just a few wind skills on an HP bar. Simply choose to not have anyone weak to wind along and this enemy is no problem.
One step in levelling the Strength Confidant involves showing them a Neko Shogun with Dekaja. Anzu makes that easy. Anzu learns Dekaja at level 28, and can then give it to Neko Shogun via advanced fusion. Alternatively, putting Anzu in the electric chair with a Blank Card turns it into a Dekaja skill card.
There are 58 ways to fuse this persona. The simplest involves a Treasure Demon: Regent + Phoenix. Alternatively, Setanta + Sudama if you never got Regent.
ISIS (She of Life and Death)
Timid
Priestess - level 26
Weak to: Psychic
She has a Fire, Electric, and Wind attack. So someone in the party is probably scared of her. Bring a Persona with a Psychic move to deal with her quickly before she gets extra turns.
Isis is used in an advanced fusion with Thoth, Anubis and Horus to produce Seth.
There are 199 ways to fuse this persona. The simplest being Jack Frost + Kodama.
LAMIA (Slithering Snakewoman)
Gloomy
Empress - level 26
Weak to: Ice
As an enemy, she’s pretty well rounded. All 5 of her moves are something worth knowing about.
She can deal heavy physical damage to 1 person.
She has a medium damage fire attack.
She can make someone more vulnerable to ailments, which doesn’t just combo with Sandman, but also with her ability to inflict the dreaded Despair ailment.
And if that weren’t enough she can summon more Lamia. Fortunately, she usually seems to summon allies when she’s alone.
As a Persona, she’s not a bad unit to bring into the boss fight. She starts with a single target heavy damage physical skill, which is really useful since the boss takes 5x damage from physical attacks.
There are 55 ways to fuse this Persona, and none of them are particularly simple at this part of of game, but the simplest is Clotho + Makami.
THOTH (Chanting Baboon)
Gloomy
Emperor - level 36
Weak to: Psychic
Thoth is used in an advanced fusion with Isis, Anubis and Horus to produce Seth.
They are possibly the most dangerous enemy in this level.
They've got an Almighty attack that hits the entire party, and another that inflicts rage on a target.
There are 75 ways to fuse this persona. The simplest involves a Treasure Demon: Regent + Eligor.
Alternatively, Principality + Choronzon if you never got Regent.
ANUBIS (Bearer of the Scales)
Gloomy
Judgment- level 37
Weak to: Nothing
Beware, Anuibus slings around instant death spells. If possible, try and bring some equipment or a persona that nullifies such moves.
Anubis is the first persona of the Judgment arcana. If looking to recruit this enemy, the best bet is to try and crit it. But watch out, they have both light and dark instant death attacks and don't hesitate to use them.
Fortunately, the social link with the Judgment confidant only ranks up through MSQ, so we're not pressured to grab them for the sake of social links.
However, it may be good to nab Anubis anyway as they're used in an advanced fusion with Isis, Thoth, and Horus to produce Seth.
There are 128 ways to fuse this Persona. The simplest way being Angel + Pixie.
RAGING BIRD GOD
Mini-boss
Weak to: Gun
Encountered in the village outside the pyramid, this is one of the first battles in this level. And it's a pushover, as it's basically just a big Anzu. They've got a few wind attacks, and some status ailments skills, but won't really get a chance to use them because they're weak to gun. Exploit that weakness and move on.
COFFIN-BORNE GOD
Mini-boss
Weak to: Wind
This mini-boss starts the battle by turning someone into a rat. This isn't really a big deal but on its own, but it does mean that it may be wise to bring 2 healers (especially if running low on items) just in case one of them is turned into the rat. This battle doesn't put out too much damage, but don’t relax because the coffin-borne god has a party wide medium damage almighty attack.
The mini-boss can also summon some zombie adds. They're weak to ice, so they can be taken out quickly.
Cognitive Wakaba
Boss
Weak to: Physical (x5)
The boss is a sphynx, which is pretty neat. We don't get to see those as enemies often in video games. Wakaba is fought in 2 phases. During the 1st she'll fight from the skies where she can't be hit by melee attacks. There's little we can do to her during this phase. Gun and Magic skills can hit her, but she has so much HP that at this point it'll amount to little more than poking her. It's best to play conservatively and spend most of our turns defending, which helps resist ailments. Not only does she have a physical skill that can inflict dizzy, but also a skill that can inflict despair, which should be avoided at all costs.
The gun shop sells Hope Shirts for ¥23,200, which give despair resistance and can be equipped by everyone but Morgana. Additionally, it may be wise to stock up on Relax Gel from the clinic, especially since they're just ¥900 each.
Wakaba ends the first phase with a dive bomb attack. This hits hard even when defending. Fortunately the game is very clear about when she'll come crashing down, giving us a countdown for when we need to be healthy, buffed, and defending by.
Phase 2 starts with Futaba creating a ballista nearby. We can send a party member off to operate, letting us shoot Wakaba down and making her vulnerable for 3 turns. Use a different character to load and fire the ballista each time. If the same character is picked twice it'll take them 1 turn longer to shoot her down.
Like with the divebomb, there's a clear signal when the ballista will shoot her down. Wakaba takes 5X damage from physical skills, so take full advantage of those 3 turns and buff party members beforehand.
Ryuji's physical prowess is very valuable here. But as he's weak to Wakaba's many wind skills, he's quite the liability until she's shot down even if he's chosen to operate the ballista.
Yosuke, another physical powerhouse, may be the safer option, though it's definitely possible to take both, especially if Ryuji has Tarukaja. Additionally, Yosuke is able to counter Wakaba's divebomb. It isn't very common, but it's hilarious when it happens.
Morgana does a great job healing here, and can quickly top the party off before a dive bomb. Their Lucky Punch is also very effective when the boss becomes vulnerable, and Me Patra is another way to cure Despair.
Makoto is also a solid member to bring along. She hits about as hard as Ryuji or Yosuke, and her Energy Shower ability can cure the party of Despair.
Tips & Tricks
In the last palace, many Persona still used skills that dealt “light damage.” Here, most attacks deal “medium damage,” with a few heavy damage moves trickling in through Anzu and Lamia’s physical skills. This may make the first half of the pyramid painful, but as we push on the damage plateaus. Especially since the enemies here are of a much smaller level range than in many of the other palaces.
7 of the 12 enemies in this dungeon share 3 weaknesses:
Anzu and one miniboss are weak to Guns.
Thoth and Isis are both weak to Psychic.
Naga and the other two minibosses are weak to Wind.
The other 5 enemies have no overlapping weaknesses.
In short: bring Morgana. Not only do they bring wind attacks, but Morgana’s Lucky Punch is valuable to help ensure we can down any odd enemy we don’t have coverage for, especially since no one here resists physical damage (except for the Stone of Scone which nullifies it).
Lean Sidhe is a very useful Persona to bring into this dungeon. She innately has a single target medium damage psychic skill, and if created by fusing Sui-ki and Agathion she can also pick up a light damage electric skill from Agathion and some nice ice attacks from Sui-ki. Not only does this gives her effective type coverage for this dungeon, but her naturally high Magic growth means she'll deal some decent damage too. Between her and Morgana the only enemy we don’t have a way to down is Anubis, who just doesn’t have a weakness. A word of warning however: she is weak to fire and both Isis and Anzu have fire skills. But since Isis is weak to Psychic, and Anzu is weak to Guns, so as long as we're faster and down them first everything should be fine.
Lamia is useful against the boss. They take 5x regular damage from physical & gun attacks, and Lamia happens to have a heavy damage physical attack. But if you want to go the extra mile, check out Flauros.
Flauros is an advanced fusion made only by combining Eligor, Andras, and Berith. They start at level 25, and learn their heavy damage physical attack at 29. They resist the bosses Wind attacks, have a passive to help dodge her physical attacks, and a passive that buffs their crit rate. Additionally, they can inherit an attack buff from Eligor.
Eternal Lockpick crafting materials first appear in this dungeon, though the drops are a bit of a pain to get. If the party is healthy and down to grind I highly recommend getting this infinitely reusable lockpick sooner rather than later. If not, don’t worry, the materials will be more easily available in the next dungeon.
To make the lockpick we need:
20 Aluminum Sheets (rare drop from Anzu)
10 Liquid Mercury (rare drop from Anubis)
Reminder: The enemies must be defeated to get their drops. We can't get them through negotiation.
Persona 5's dungeons, for better or worse, are each notably longer than the last. And, perhaps because of the exposition heavy back half, this dungeon is something of a tipping point for a lot of people where the dungeons really start to feel their length. Going forward, consider not pushing to complete a dungeon in one sitting.
Music
Persona 5 doesn't often reuse music between different areas. Because of that, every song played in this level is unique to it (with the exception of music for general things like battles, safe rooms, menus, etc.). Along with songs for various cutscenes and the village in the desert, this level also has 3 unique songs for Futaba's Palace:
When Mother Was There (Another Version)
Which plays outside the pyramid.
When Mother Was There
Which plays inside.
And
The Collapse of Wrath
Plays during a cutscene as her palace collapses.
My Relationship to this Game
When I was living in Japan, my fiancé (who was a few towns away) played this when it came out, loved it, and eagerly lent it to me. When I first played this game… I hated it. I was so busy at the time that for every real world day I wasn't able to play more than 1 in-game day. It was a slog. I came into the game identifying with all the slumped and exhausted businessmen in the subway. I didn't have the emotional energy to deal with the protag’s hopeless situation, or all the inescapable negative gossip/chatter popping up across the screen. And as Kamoshida's power trip at "Prisoner Academy" drug on it all really wore me down. I couldn't bring myself to finish even the first level. I tried returning it to my fiancé , but after she realized I was playing it at a snail’s pace she said, “Are you kidding? Of course you aren’t enjoying it if you play like that. Wait until you have a day off or something, don’t drag yourself through it.” So I did, and I kept at it. Then part way through Madarame’s palace it finally clicked with me, and I got into it hard. I was still in a bad place, but Persona 5 was now helping me through it instead of adding to it. I fixated on it and got real deep into it. Deep enough I ended up homebrewing what I consider the ultimate persona, which I would like to share with you.
The Ultimate Persona
I realized a few key things
We can grind infinite money off of Abbadon.
Persona have the same stat pools by level.
We can see how a Persona’s stats will go up when you fuse them.
We can fuse any skill onto anyone.
Result:
What I mean by all this:
1. Grinding infinite money off of Abbadon
If we raise the Sun confidant past Rank 3, we unlock the Fundraising bonus, which allows us to ask for large amounts of money during negotiations. Careful though, if we raise this confidant to level 8 we unlock a bonus that, counter intuitively, lets us skip negotiations all together.
Abbadon is weak to Psy and Nuke damage, but absorbs physical damage. Use a weak Psy or Nuke skill to down it, then just harass them for money until they get upset and break off negotiations, resuming the battle. Then, simply down them again to grill them for more money. Rinse and repeat, basic attacking every now and again to keep their health up, and we’ve got a money fountain that lasts as long as our MP does. And in the final area Abbadon isn’t too uncommon to find, so we’re able to rest and re-engage a new one pretty easily.
2. Persona have the same stat pools by level
Take Jack Frost for example. They are encountered at level 11. If we add together all of their stats (8 Strength, 9 Magic, 7 Endurance, 9 Agility, & 7 Luck) we get a total of 40.
But… if we added together the stats of any other persona at level 11, they will also have 40 total stat points.
Asparas is also encountered at level 11, and has 7 Strength, 11 Magic, 6 Endurance, 10 Agility, & 6 Luck, which also totals to 40.
And all Persona have the same stat growths. All Persona gain 3 stat points when they level up.
Mokoi is encountered at level 9. It has 9 Strength, 5 Magic, 6 Endurance, 10 Agility, & 4 Luck, which totals to 34. If they gain 2 levels (bringing them to 11) they would gain 6 more stat points, which would bring their 34 stats up to 40.
What this means is: no Persona has better or worse stats than another. A level 89 Pixie will have the same stat totals as a level 89 Metatron or Kohryu. The points may be allocated differently, but stats don't set Persona apart.
3. We can see how a Persona’s stats will go up when fused
All Persona gain 3 stat points when they level up. Normally these points are semi-randomly allocated. For example, more magically inclined persona will be more likely to have those points increase their Magic, and less likely for them to increase Strength or endurance. But, when we level up a Persona through a Sacrificial Fusion (turning one Persona into EXP for another), we can see how these 3 stat points will be applied before we confirm the sacrifice. And if we push B once to back out of the screen, and A to re-enter it, it re-randomizes how the 3 stat points will be applied. We can keep backing out of this menu until we get the stat growths we want from that level up, and we can do this for every level up.
4. We can fuse any skill onto anyone.
In previous games, there were more restrictions when fusing Persona, especially where inheriting attack skills and passive skills is concerned. Often, each Persona only had a small list of skills they could inherit, and they learned most of their skills by leveling up. In some games we don't even choose which moves a newly fused Persona would inherit, the game just selects a couple to carry over.
But in Persona 5, any Persona can inherit any skill, and when fusing we can manually select as many skills as the Persona has room for. Additionally, we aren't restricted to fusing Persona together only to make a new one. We can use "Sacrificial Fusions" to turn one Persona into EXP for another. And this form of fusing allows the sacrificed persona to transfer skills to the other. What's more, Sacrificial Fusion can be done with any two Persona.
So in short: Persona 5's fusion system lets us put any skill onto any Persona. At this point, the main thing that functionally differentiates Persona is what they’re innately weak / resistant to. In all other regards they may as well be blank slates.
Result
With infinite money, we can level any Persona to cap while controlling their stat growth along the way. We can transfer any skill to any Persona through Fusion, so we can make our ideal movepool while we do it. And since no Persona has "bad stats," we can turn literally anyone into the powerhouse of our dreams.
We can take a Persona who already reflects 2 elements and make them reflect the other 8 (and probably max an offensive stat while we’re at it). Some options include: Odin (reflects Curse and Bless), Yoshitsune (reflects Electricity and Bless), Black Frost (reflects Fire and Curse), or Trumpeter (reflects Electric and Bless).
We can meme it up and build Jack Frost into a steamroller that uses Hassou Tobi to unload more damage than the game can handle (Hassou Tobi, Charge, Arms Master, Auto-Mataru, Auto-Maraku, Auto-Masuku, Reflect Fire, Victory Cry). And with their base level being 11, we have 88 levels worth of stat growth (264 points) to spread out any way we want. That's almost enough to max their Strength thrice over.
Pick a Persona you like, max their Magic stat, and load them up with the strongest of each elemental spell. Along with our own basic attack & gun we’re able to hit any weakness and just obliterate our opponent.
The game is a playground. Enjoy.
There are many fun choices, but none of them really felt worth the investment to me (though don’t get me wrong, these builds are wild, wonderful, and will not disappoint).Reflecting every element is hilarious, but with all 8 skill slots devoted to reflects our only offense will be basic attacks. It can take quite a while to whittle an enemy down with basic attacks, we’re in trouble if the enemy resists or reflects physical damage, and enemies and bosses start dealing typeless almighty damage before the halfway point in the game and it only gets more common.
Spamming Hassou Tobi runs into the same issue with physically resistant/reflective enemies, plus using our HP to deal damage always opens us up to getting punked out when we think we’re safe, especially by stray criticals or in boss fights.
Building a Persona that can hit any weakness only works for enemies with weaknesses.
And using up all our skill slots on 8 elemental attacks doesn’t leave room for any of Persona 5’s bonkers passives.
Not to mention that all of these builds are vulnerable to status ailments.
So… for my ultimate Persona, I chose to juice up Oni (who, if I remember right, took somewhere between 4 and 7 million yen to bring to level 99). Their base level is 19, making them the lowest level Persona without any weaknesses. Being super low level, they have a lot of stat growth we can control. 80 levels means 240 stat points to allocate. This is enough to max Magic and Agility while also bringing Endurance near max (which, combined with their innate resistance to physical and gun damage makes them real tanky… when enemies can even hit someone with that much Agility). With this obnoxiously min-maxed pile of stats the plan is simple: go first and do a buttload of almighty damage.Megidolaon deals "severe almighty damage to all enemies," and is backed up by 3 passive damage buffs (+25%, +25%, and +50%), Concentrate, two passive skills that help manage our SP, and Insta-Heal so we passively shake off status ailments in 1 turn.
I considered building this on Anubis (who innately blocks Bless and Curse skills) so we'd be immune to instant death attacks. But those can be negated with equipment, and enemies with those skills aren’t actually all that common to begin with, so I chose to go with the lower level Persona to better optimize their stat growth.
I started making a super cleric too to ensure no battle becomes unsalvageable, and got ready to put each elements big attack on Mothman, but honestly there’s no need. This Oni build completely trivializes even the secret boss on merciless difficulty.
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star transformation dream
The time period of this dream was hard to place; science was a premier focus of the world, but the architecture and dress of the people put me in mind of old Spain or maybe Latin America. I was a scientist at a place called The Institute, one of the leaders of the progress of science across the whole world. The focus of my research was a phenomenon which was extremely rare and almost completely undocumented before I started, and the stories that did exist implied that the condition was always fatal. It had first manifested when I was six years old, and somehow it had stabilized for me and I was alive and healthy in spite of it.
The phenomenon was this: seemingly at random—although most frequently when I was upset—I would instantaneously be replaced with a miniature sun, maybe a foot and a half in diameter, which would hover in the air where I was previously. The transformation would last for seconds at most, and when it happened I usually would be too upset or passionate about something to notice. I remained conscious during an event, but while I was a star, everything was altered somehow. I apparently could still express thoughts and emotions; people around me when it happened told me that they could still feel the meaning of what I was saying even though I no longer had a mouth to speak with, and the star could gesticulate in a way by varying in brightness, heat, magnetic field, and gravitational pull. All of these effects were fairly slight; a person wouldn’t go blind if they were looking at me when I changed and the heat wouldn’t burn them unless they touched me, but it was uncomfortably bright and hot regardless and occasionally papers or other loose articles would burn up.
The usual process, from what I could gather, was that each time this phenomenon manifested, it would get larger and more out of control and last for longer, and after each one ended the person would be more erratic and prone to emotional outbursts than before. Eventually, the star would become too large and would explode during an event, and the person would never come back. However, for some reason, for me it occurred in a relatively stable manner. It never seemed to get any larger and it didn’t make me more violent, I never hurt anyone during my transformations, and I started to develop a sense for when it was about to happen. I could even delay the activation slightly, enough to get somewhere relatively safe away from people. The goal of my research was to figure out what caused it, what made me different, if it could be cured, and if it could be willfully harnessed.
The events of the dream began with me in my lab having made a breakthrough, passionately explaining it to one of my assistants. I was writing on a chalkboard and gesturing as I talked, and as I reached fever pitch it happened. Through it, I didn’t realize, and just kept explaining my discovery. After it ended, though, I realized what had happened and stopped in my tracks as I suddenly was struck by dizziness. After a moment of awkward silence, the doors burst open and my dog, a huge white fluffball of a Samoyed, ran in and trackled me to the ground and started licking my face. I laughed and assured him I was okay, and after calming him down I got up and addressed the person who had just entered along with my dog. They came bearing a letter for me, a summons request for me to put my research to use. A prominent noble family had need of it. I closed the letter and began preparing to go.
The scene cut away to me and my dog and assistants riding in a cart, leaving the Institute, and I finally got a good look at the surroundings. The Institute itself looked like it might have once been a castle or fortress of some kind. It was situated on the edge of a precarious cliff, sheer walls and high towers connected by spindly bridges, the only way in being a track along the side of a ridge. As we got further from the Institute, we began to see the nearby town. The roads were steep and most of them were not designed for carts to pass through, and these roads were lined with tall buildings of smooth brown stone. There seemed to be a festival of some kind going on; plenty of people were about in the streets, flags hung everywhere in colours of red, green, and yellow, and the general mood in the air seemed excited.
After seeing all this, the scene cut again, and I was on foot entering a large, white mansion. I was ushered in by a servant and shown to the head of the house, a woman with a noble air who was with her husband and daughter. After I introduced myself and showed the summons, she ordered the other servants out before addressing why I was called there. She asked about my research and how it was going, and seemed particularly intent on if I had found any way to control when or if it happened. I responded that I had just made what I was sure must be a huge step towards understanding why it happened, but I had been in the middle of that when I was summoned. I didn’t tell her exactly what I had discovered, as I still wasn’t certain and hadn’t tested it, but to myself I was thinking that the phenomenon had to do with the personality of the one afflicted and the progression of the condition was a matter of self-control. The star that appeared might be something close to a soul, a direct reflection of the person experiencing it, and what appeared to be the star getting more aggressive and consuming the person was really just a reflection of the person losing their self-control.
I didn’t want to say something so accusatory, especially when it may not even be correct, for fear of her taking insult and getting my funding cut, so I skirted that while I explained the rest of my research. When I finished, she again asked if I had any way to cure or stop it, and I answered that I didn’t know yet and would need more time. At this, she got angry, jumping out of her chair and yelling at me that my research had no point if it couldn’t fix this.
Then, in the middle of her outburst, it happened. She tranformed into a star, much different in appearance from mine. While the one I transformed into was blue and stable, hers looked more like a clear sphere that distorted the air inside with heat, the edges flickering rainbow like a flaming version of the distortion of oil on water. It was also huge, at least five feet in diameter if not larger, and so hot that it felt like having my face inches from a bonfire. It lasted only a couple seconds, and she transformed back without even seeming to notice while continuing her tirade. I realized that she must have been hiding this from everyone outside her immediate family for a long time, given how far it had progressed and how I hadn’t heard about it despite being an expert on this.
Unfortunately, the dream ended here, with no resolution on the issue.
21 November 2021
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[deranged ranting about spelling and punctuation]
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