#i AM however drawing from my own experience and research

[falconfate]

Hello ranger’s apprentice fandom can we talk real quick about the stupidest thing Flanagan ever wrote

It’s about the bows. Yanno, the rangers’ Iconique™️ main weapon. That one. You know the one.

Flanagan. Flanagan why are your rangers using longbows.

“uh well recurve arrows drop faster” BUT DO THEY. FLANAGAN. DO THEY.

the answer is no they don’t. Compared to a MODERN, COMPOUND (aka cheating) bow, yes, but compared to a longbow? Y’know, what the rangers use in canon? Yeah no a recurve actually has a FLATTER trajectory. It drops LATER.

This from an article comparing the two:

“Both a longbow and a recurve bow, when equipped with the right arrow and broadhead combination, are capable of taking down big game animals. Afterall, hunters have been doing it for centuries with both types of bows.

However, generally speaking and all things equal, a recurve bow will offer more arrow speed, creating a flatter flight trajectory and retain more kinetic energy at impact.

The archers draw length, along with the weight of the arrow also affect speed and kinetic energy. However, the curved design of the limbs on a recurve adds to its output of force.”

It doesn’t actually mention ANY distance in range! And this is from a resource for bow hunting, which, presumably, WOULD CARE ABOUT THAT SORT OF THING!

Okay so that’s just. That’s just the first thing.

The MAIN thing is that even accounting for “hur dur recurves drop faster” LONGBOWS ARE STILL THE STUPID OPTION.

Longbows, particularly and especially ENGLISH longbows, are—as their name suggests—very long. English longbows in particular are often as tall or taller than their wielder even while strung, but especially when unstrung. An unstrung longbow is a very long and expensive stick, one that will GLADLY entangle itself in nearby trees, other people’s clothes, and any doorway you’re passing through.

And yes, there are shorter longbows, but at that point if you’re shortening your longbow, just get a goddamn recurve. And Flanagan makes a point to compare his rangers’ bows to the Very Long English Longbow.

Oh, do you know how the Very Long English Longbow was mostly historically militarily used? BY ON-FOOT ARCHER UNITS. Do you know what they’re TERRIBLE for? MOUNTED ARCHERY.

Trust me. Go look up right now “mounted archery longbow.” You’ll find MAYBE one or two pictures of some guy on a horse struggling with a big stick; mostly you will actually see either mounted archers with RECURVES, or comparisons of Roman longbow archers to Mongolian horse archers (which are neat, can’t lie, I love comparing archery styles like that).

Anyway. Why are longbows terrible for mounted archery? Because they’re so damn long. Think about it: imagine you’re on a horse. You’re straddling a beast that can think for itself and moves at your command, but ultimately independently of you; if you’re both well-trained enough, you’re barely paying attention to your horse except to give it commands. And you have a bow in your hands. If your target is close enough to you that you know, from years of shooting experience, you will need to actually angle your bow down to hit it because of your equine height advantage, guess what? If you have a longbow, YOU CAN’T! YOUR HORSE IS IN THE WAY BECAUSE YOUR BOW IS TOO LONG! Worse, it’s probably going to get in the general area of your horse’s shoulder or legs, aka moving parts, which WILL injure your horse AND your bow and leave you fresh out of both a getaway vehicle and a ranged weapon. It’s stupid. Don’t do it.

A recurve, on the other hand, is short. It was literally made for horse archers. You have SO much range of motion with a recurve on horseback; and if you’re REALLY good, you know how to give yourself even more, with techniques like Jamarkee, a Turkish technique where you LITERALLY CAN AIM BACKWARDS.

For your viewing enjoyment, Serena Lynn of Texas demonstrating Jamarkee:

Yes, that’s real! This type of draw style is INCREDIBLY versatile: you can shoot backwards on horseback, straight down from a parapet or sally port without exposing yourself as a target, or from low to the ground to keep stealthy without banging your bow against the ground. And, while I’m sure you could attempt it with a longbow, I wouldn’t recommend it: a recurve’s smaller size makes it far more maneuverable up and over your head to actually get it into position for a Jamarkee shot.

A recurve just makes so much more SENSE. It’s not a baby bow! It’s not the longbow’s lesser cousin! It’s a COMPLETELY different instrument made to be used in a completely different context! For the rangers of Araluen, who put soooo much stock in being stealthy and their strong bonds with their horses, a recurve is the perfect fit! It’s small and easily transportable, it’s more maneuverable in combat and especially on horseback, it offers more power than a longbow of the same draw weight—really, truly, the only advantage in this case that a longbow has over the recurve is that longbows are quicker and easier to make. But we KNOW the rangers don’t care about that, their KNIVES use a forging technique (folding) that takes several times as long as standard Araluen forging practices at the time!

Okay.

Okay I think I’m done. For now.

#to be VERY clear. I Am Not An Actual Expert. #i AM however drawing from my own experience and research #and literally i can find Zero literature about recurve arrow flights dropping faster than longbows #all i could find was that recurve range is worse compared to compound bows #which. OBVIOUSLY. compound bows CHEAT. #(said lovingly. ish. if you use a compound more power to you but also It’s Doing All The Work For You.) #this article was literally all i could find from a couple hours’ search comparing recurves and longbows #anyway recurves are cool. flanagan why did you do recurves so dirty. #for that matter why are all your women blonde. #(i’m not including brotherband here sorry) #(but also why did it take a spinoff series for him to create a named female character that wasn’t a blonde) #(flanagan explain) #god these books have so many problems. truly this is my ‘i could fix him’ #thank you flanagan for getting me into this special interest. now Tell Me Why You Did It Wrong. #rangers apprentice #anyway if you REALLY want to read about some bangin historical horse archers #look up the parthians :) #specifically how they fucking Decimated an entire roman contingent :) #crassus getting absolutely demolished by mounted archer parthians is definitely my favorite bit of roman trivia

[writingwithcolor]

Sri Lankan Fairies and Senegalese Goddesses: Mixing Mythology as a Mixed Creator

[Note: this archive ask was submitted before the Masterpost rules took effect in 2023. The ask has been abridged for clarity.]

@reydjarinkenobi asked:

Hi, I’m half Sri Lankan/half white Australian, second gen immigrant though my mum moved when she was a kid. My main character for my story is a mixed demigod/fae. [...] Her bio mum is essentially a Scottish/Sri Lankan fairy and her other bio mum (goddess) is a goddess of my own creation, Nettamaar, who’s name is derived from [...] Wolof words [...]. The community of mages that she presided over is from the South Eastern region of Senegal [...] In the beginning years of European imperialism, the goddess basically protected them through magic and by blessing a set of triplets effectively cutting them off from the outside world for a few centuries [...] I was unable to find a goddess that fit the story I wanted to tell [...] and also couldn’t find much information on the internet for local gods, which is why I have created my own. I know that the gods in Hinduism do sort of fit into [the story] but my Sri Lankan side is Christian and I don’t feel comfortable representing the Hindu gods in the way that I will be this goddess [...]. I wanted to know if any aspect of the community’s history is problematic as well as if I should continue looking further to try and find an African deity that matched my narrative needs? I was also worried that having a mixed main character who’s specifically half black would present problems as I can’t truly understand the black experience. I plan on getting mixed and black sensitivity readers once I finish my drafts [...] I do take jabs at white supremacy and imperialism and I I am planning to reflect my feelings of growing up not immersed in your own culture and feeling overwhelmed with what you don’t know when you get older [...]. I’m sorry for the long ask but I don’t really have anyone to talk to about writing and I’m quite worried about my story coming across as insensitive or problematic because of cultural history that I am not educated enough in.

Reconciliation Requires Research

First off: how close is this world’s history to our own, omitting the magic? If you’re aiming for it to be essentially parallel, I would keep in mind that Senegal was affected by the spread of Islam before the Europeans arrived, and most people there are Muslim, albeit with Wolof and other influences. 

About your Scottish/Sri Lankan fairy character: I’ll point you to this previous post on Magical humanoid worldbuilding, Desi fairies as well as this previous post on Characterization for South Asian-coded characters for some of our commentary on South Asian ‘fae’. Since she is also Scottish, the concept can tie back to the Celtic ideas of the fae.

However, reconciliation of both sides of her background can be tricky. Do you plan on including specific Sri Lankan mythos into her heritage? I would tread carefully with it, if you plan to do so. Not every polytheistic culture will have similar analogues that you can pull from.

To put it plainly, if you’re worried about not knowing enough of the cultural histories, seek out people who have those backgrounds and talk to them about it. Do your research thoroughly: find resources that come from those cultures and read carefully about the mythos that you plan to incorporate. Look for specificity when you reach out to sensitivity readers and try to find sources that go beyond a surface-level analysis of the cultures you’re looking to portray. 

~ Abhaya

I see you are drawing on Gaelic lore for your storytelling. Abhaya has given you good links to discussions we’ve had at WWC and the potential blindspots in assuming, relative to monotheistic religions like Christianity, that all polytheistic and pluralistic lore is similar to Gaelic folklore. Fae are one kind of folklore. There are many others. Consider:

Is it compatible? Are Fae compatible with the Senegalese folklore you are utilizing? 

Is it specific? What ethnic/religious groups in Senegal are you drawing from? 

Is it suitable? Are there more appropriate cultures for the type of lore you wish to create?

Remember, Senegalese is a national designation, not an ethnic one, and certainly not a designation that will inform you with respect to religious traditions. But more importantly:

...Research Requires Reconciliation

My question is why choose Senegal when your own heritage offers so much room for exploration? This isn’t to say I believe a half Sri-Lankan person shouldn’t utilize Senegalese folklore in their coding or vice-versa, but, to put it bluntly, you don’t seem very comfortable with your heritage. Religions can change, but not everything cultural changes when this happens. I think your relationship with your mother’s side’s culture offers valuable insight to how to tackle the above, and I’ll explain why.  

I myself am biracial and bicultural, and I had to know a lot about my own background before I was confident using other cultures in my writing. I had to understand my own identity—what elements from my background I wished to prioritize and what I wished to jettison. Only then was I able to think about how my work would resonate with a person from the relevant background, what to be mindful of, and where my blindspots would interfere. 

I echo Abhaya’s recommendation for much, much more research, but also include my own personal recommendation for greater self-exploration. I strongly believe the better one knows oneself, the better they can create. It is presumptuous for me to assume, but your ask’s phrasing, the outlined plot and its themes all convey a lack of confidence in your mixed identity that may interfere with confidence when researching and world-building. I’m not saying give up on this story, but if anxiety on respectful representation is a large barrier for you at the moment, this story may be a good candidate for a personal project to keep to yourself until you feel more ready.

(See similar asker concerns here: Running Commentary: What is “ok to do” in Mixed-Culture Supernatural Fiction, here: Representing Biracial Black South American Experiences and here: Am I fetishizing my Japanese character?)

- Marika.

Start More Freely with Easy Mode

Question: Why not make a complete high-fantasy universe, with no need of establishing clear real-world parallels in the text? It gives you plenty of leg room to incorporate pluralistic, multicultural mythos + folklore into the same story without excessive sweating about historically accurate worldbuilding.

It's not a *foolproof* method; even subtly coded multicultural fantasy societies like Avatar or the Grishaverse exhibit certain harmful tropes. I also don't know if you are aiming for low vs high fantasy, or the degree of your reliance on real world culture / religion / identity cues.

But don't you think it's far easier for this fantasy project to not have the additional burden of historical accuracy in the worldbuilding? Not only because I agree with Mod Marika that perhaps you seem hesitant about the identity aspect, but because your WIP idea can include themes of othering and cultural belonging (and yes, even jabs at supremacist institutions) in an original fantasy universe too. I don't think I would mind if I saw a couple of cultural markers of a Mughal Era India-inspired society without getting a full rundown of their agricultural practices, social conventions and tax systems, lol.

Mod Abhaya has provided a few good resources about what *not* to do when drawing heavily from cultural coding. With that at hand, I don't think your project should be a problem if you simply make it an alternate universe like Etheria (She-Ra and the Princesses of Power), Inys (The Priory of the Orange Tree) or Earthsea (the Earthsea series, Ursula K. Le Guin). Mind you, we can trace the analogues to each universe, but there is a lot of freedom to maneuver as you wish when incorporating identities in original fantasy. And of course, multiple sensitivity readers are a must! Wishing you the best for the project.

- Mod Mimi

#asks #multiracial #multicultural #south asian #sri lankan #senegalese #west african #identity #representation #worldbuilding #fantasy #mythology #folklore #fairies #deities #adoption #identity issues #mixed experiences #coding

[copperbadge]

In the ongoing discussion of aphantasia (see "an aphantasia fantasia" tag for more) an article popped up recently which has some details to share, including a history of how aphantasia was discovered in the scientific sense. I don't have "spatial thoughts" the way the author does, but it's also a pretty good discussion of how people who don't form mental images (or can't access sound, smell, etc in their minds) still interact normally with the world.

Here's some fucked up shit I didn't expect, however:

In a 2015 paper, a group of researchers [...] identified a new syndrome they called “Severely Deficient Autobiographical Memory,” or SDAM for short. People with SDAM lack the ability to relive past experiences in their minds. While this condition is rare among the general population, a preliminary survey hints at a link with aphantasia, with as many as 51 percent of a sample of 2,000 SDAM individuals also having aphantasia. My own experience is similar. Past episodes of my life—when I can recall them at all—feel distant and non-sensory. [...] I would describe my recollections as summaries of key facts rather than first-person “mind movies.” When asked, out of the blue, about an experience I’ve surely had—say, any childhood birthday party—my mind first responds by drawing a blank. It feels as if my episodic memories were filed into a “mental cabinet” without an index. Many memories are in there, somewhere, but retrieving them is a daunting task unless I’m provided with very specific prompts. With some groping work of deduction (where did I live at the time? Who did I hang out with?) I can gather enough hints to bring out some locations and non-visual facts: I had a big party in our countryside garden when I was 11 or 12; there was cake; a lot of kids running around and … that’s about it.

This is one hundred percent how I access memory and how I assumed everyone did -- I am well aware I don't remember chunks of my past (or only remember them if prompted by something) but I do the same thing he does. I ask myself where I was living, or what other things were happening at the time, or I snag on a rare memory of a piece of clothing or a feeling, and I extrapolate from there. I don't relive memories in the way that the article implies regular people do, and while I will recognize say, the smell of a specific library, a deeply ingrained scent for me, I don't remember the smell if I'm not standing there smelling it. And this explains my dedication to making an annual photobook documenting the past year, each December -- the photobooks are powerful memory triggers and have more than once reminded me where I was or what year it was when I did XYZ thing.

Also, turns out that one of the key methods for emotional regulation in most people is calling up a happy memory to counteract sad ones, which is why depression is so pervasive, because depressed people have literal biological impairments to remembering or reliving positive memories.

And SDAM, associated with aphantasia, is an impairment to reliving any memory at all, so...

Big ol' neurological yikes, guys.

#sam has adhd #an aphantasia fantasia #aphantasia

[romanarose]

Banner by @winniethewife

Oscar Issac/Pedro Pascal Fan Art and Fiction Pride Event 2024

Hello friends!

Let's try this again and I'll try to be more clear to not invoke discourse. That being said, it is *my* event and if you'd like to run one a certain way, go nuts. However, this is how I'm doing it.

I had a lot of fun doing Dead Dove December and the Triple Frontier Anniversary Event so I decided I wanted to do an event for pride this year! I know it seems far away right now, especially given how many of us in north America are still cold af, but I wanna give everyone time!

Each week of pride will have a theme to write or draw for (you don't have to do all of them! Think of it like kinktober.) at the end, I will put out a masterlist (or multiple depending how many)so we can all share each other's work.

Why?

Oscar Isaac and Pedro Pascal are both allies to LGBT people, Pedro having played multiple queer rolls and having likened his sexuality to that of Prince Oberyn. Despite none of the characters being canon queer, Triple Frontier specifically lends itself to queer stories. Recently, theres been a rise in stories of Oscar characters in relationships or Pedro characters in relationships which I love.

What I'd really like to do is encourage people to think past x fem!reader or canon presentation of characters. I want to encourage gay, lesbian, bisexual relationships, trans readers, trans interpretations of characters etc. More content guidelines will be in the what section.

Where?

Primarily tumblr.com, our very own shithole hellsight. However, especially given tumblr's censorship vs. twitter, I am encouraging posting on twitter or wherever you'd like. If you post something elsewhere, send me a link or send me a post you made about it on tumblr and I'll promote the link.

Additionally if you only write on ao3, I'd love for you to participate too! Once again, just send the link!

When?

in order to do the week by week themes and hold all of June, there will be 6 weeks from May 26th-July 6th

Each week will have themes. I won't be policing the weeks and these so if you do the 1st week on july 3rd, that's fine. The themes are keeping in mind both artists and writers. I only got one artist for DDD, a great piece and I've love to see more! Ideas are just for spit balling, do your own take!

May 26th-June 1st: Coming out. Ideas: Coming out to family, lover, friend. Finding gender affirming clothes/hair, first pride

June 2nd-8th: Transitioning Ideas: Surgary, surgery scars, starting T or E, binding (safely!!!)

June 9th-15th: Sex/kissing First time together, first time with certain biology or the same sex, sweet kisses, smut showing scars,

June 16th-22nd: Food, fashion, fun

All things queer culture and culture of different religions, racial or country backgrounds, queer fashion, gender affirming clothes, Keshet (קשת), listening to Lady Gaga or Bruce Springsteen, watching a queer movie

June 23rd-29th: Struggles Rejection, reconciling faith and identity, missing family that rejected one, comfort, candlelight vigil, day of remembrance.

June 30th- July 6th:Strength Asserting ones or a partner/friend/family's pronouns, standing up against hate, being loudly and proudly yourself, pride events

Who?

Writers and artists in any form are welcome. I also want to encourage working with each other, writers and artists together!

For characters: Any Oscar Isaac or Pedro Pascal character has to at least be in the relationship. Other characters in universes can be done, such as FishBen.

Reader can be anyone, just properly tag! If you want to come out to Marc Spector as bisexual, do it!!! If you want Joel to take care of you after top surgery, do it!

YOU DO NOT NEED TO BE QUEER TO PARTICIPATE!

However! Please do your research if writing or drawing an identity not yours. There are trans, nonbinary, gay, lebian etc bloggers all over tumblr who write about their experience, please divert to first person testimonies rather than assumptions.

What?

A few rules

MUST contain more than male character x fem!reader. Male character x fem!reader x male character does not count unless the two male characters are romantically or sexually involved or one or the reader is trans. Any Q's, dm me!

This is not a dark event. I'm not going to be policing the content matter but I really want to primarily focus on the pride. However, as a bisexual, gender non-conforming person I know a lot of pain can still be involved. What we are not doing is suicide, death, self-harm, or non consensual activity. If you have questions or would like to make a case for something, just dm me!

This is not inherently NSFW, but there is absolutely NSFW allowed. Always tag everything properly.

The usual no's like bestiality, incest, underage nsfw etc

As far as minor characters, SFW MINOR CHARACTERS IS ALLOWED. You can write or draw lgbt themes because being LGBT is not inherently sexual. For example, teenage Santi coming out as trans to Frankie or your own version of Ellie and Joel's talk about Ellie and Dina kiss. That being said, I'd prefer to reserve this to teens. Again, any questions or ideas that don' quite fit into parameters, just ask!

As always, I am allowed to use my discretion. If I do not want to include something, I won't. However, I know that there are rifts in the fandom. I won't be excluding you out of personal bias. As long as I don't have you blocked and you haven't plagerized or done something really bad to people, you'll be included. I'm not letting petty beefs get in the way. Harmful actions will, however. I need to protect my peace and keep

NO REAL PERSON FANFICTION. Do not write about Oscar Isaac or Pedro pascal being gay or trans and do not make any assumptions about their sexuality or gender identity. Oscar is happily married to a woman and Pedro has expressed his sexuality is like that of Oberyn Martell but has not elaborated much further, nor should he have to. Just leave ‘em be. You can speculate elsewhere but that’s not what this event is for.

How?

Simply tag me, @romanarose and use the #OscarPedroPrideEvent2024 please please please use BOTH so it's easier for me to find!!!

When the event is over, much like DDD I will compiled them into a masterlist and posted. This is a chance for every blog, big and small, to get a moment in the sun and to share each others works! Remember, reblogging, comments, and interacting is what makes this a community! I want to create an environment that is welcoming and we all help each other.

Please feel free to reach out to me for any questions or clarification!

However, if you go issues with me writing men kissing, chracters being trans, queer readers etc, I'm not really open to debate.

~A nonbinary bisexual <3

#Oscar Isaac #Pedro pascal #Oscar Isaac fandom #Pedro pascal fandom #Joel miller #Joel Miller X reader #moon knight #marc spector #triple frontier #steven grant #santiago garcia #moon knight fanfiction #jake lockley #Frankie morales #Javier Peña #javier gutierrez #pero tovar #inside llewyn davis #Frankie Morales x reader #pride #pride 2024 #OscarPedroPrideEvent2024 #santiago garcia x reader #trans reader #trans fem! reader #male reader #lgbt reader #queer reader #bisexual reader #marc spector x reader

[eurothug4000]

INTERVIEW WITH TAKAYUKI YANAGIHORI - DIRECTOR ON PHASE PARADOX PS2

As I was researching the Japan exclusive PS2 game Phase Paradox (sequel to Philosoma on the PS1), I quickly realised there's very little information available on this sci-fi horror game. Thankfully, the director of Phase Paradox responded to me and I was able to learn more about this obscure title which I'd like to share!

Takayuki: First, let me introduce myself. I started my career as a game developer at Sega, then at SCE (now SIE) and Microsoft. After that, I started my own small studio and am still making games. This time I developed PHASEPARADOX, which was originally a survival horror game for PS1, but changed to an adventure game for PS2.

You mentioned to me that the game was difficult work, what parts of development were challenging? How many years did development take?

The most important thing is that it was an early PS2 title. There was a lack of development equipment, and it was difficult to tell whether bugs were caused by the program or the development equipment, and PS2 development itself was difficult. We also had to handle a large amount of CG, which was very difficult because it was still the 1990s and the CG tools and techniques were not yet up to scratch.

As for the development period, I was in charge for 4 years, but I heard that it took about 2 years before that. (I heard that the game had already been playable on PS1.)

In contrast, what parts of development were the most enjoyable for you?

Game development is always fun. Creating assets using 3DCG, which was the state-of-the-art at that time, building a worldview in accordance with science fiction research, setting scenarios and characters, etc., all of it was both painful and enjoyable.

I was inspired to try new things.

Were there any movies or video games that were a big influence for Phase Paradox? For example, Massimo's character reminded me a lot of Ron Perlman and Arnold Schwarzenegger!

The original idea was to create a "Resident Evil" game based on the world of the "ALIEN" movie. I incorporated a lot of my knowledge of game design and movies into the project.

As you said, the character of Massimo is Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Jude Sutcliffe is Michael Pare. All the other characters have Hollywood star models. I think it was allowed because it was then, but it is not now, lol. The game part was based on Movie Adventure.

The cast for the game is very impressive! Since the voices are in English, was the game planned for worldwide release?

Yes, it was supposed to be a big seller all over the world. However, it was cancelled due to the short playing time and the lack of gameplay. The voice recording was done in L.A.

The presidential election was taking place at the time of recording, and I remember the staff saying to me, "You are in the U.S. on a historic day”.

I love the design of the environments. There are many rooms (like the arcade) that have a very unique and detailed appearance. Did a lot of work go into creating the interior of the Gallant? What were some of the inspirations behind the designs?

The artwork was done by Matsushima-san, continuing from Philosoma. This person has experience working on costumes for the Ultraman series at Bandai, and he drew the foundation of the world, the art settings, and all the original drawings.

Phase Paradox is a sequel to Philosoma. Was it difficult to make a game with a fictional world and characters that were already established? Or did this make work easier?

As I mentioned in 5, it was not difficult for me to continue with Mr. Matsushima. Rather, I enjoyed it very much because I was allowed to add my favorite SF essence to Philosoma.

Do you remember any features that you and the team wanted to include in the game, but maybe couldn't because of time or cost?

Action game elements, mini-games, more options. I am very disappointed. But I think if we had included these elements, we would still be making them, lol. How many more years would have been needed?

At the time, we abandoned the idea of calculating or thinking about that number. We concentrated only on completing it.

What did you and the team want to achieve with Phase Paradox? It feels like a very "cinematic" game, was this rare with games at the time?

The result was a common movie game, but rather than a cinematic part of the game, we were aiming for an innovative adventure game where the situation changes depending on the choices you make.

I was aiming for something like "Detroit: Become Human", if I may say so now in the 21st century. Every time I play that game, I feel strongly about it.

As a final product, what are your personal thoughts on Phase Paradox?

It was a lousy performance, is all I can say. I have always regretted that it was worth it to spend so much money and market value to bring a game with only graphics to the world.

Is there anything else you'd like to share about working on the game? Any strong memories or interesting facts?

As I wrote in #8, I was aiming for a groundbreaking, new game, but I have nothing but regrets about developing on new hardware, not being able to devote the effort to gameplay due to my focus on graphics, and being buried and truncated in various ways by a large amount of work.

More than 20 years have passed and I have sealed my memory, but when I recall it like this, I feel more proud than ashamed, feeling that I was young and ambitious.

Thank you very much.

What are you working on currently?

I am currently making a soccer game at GADE inc.

One is a blockchain game. The other is a 3D action soccer game. I am working on both of them to get rid of my dissatisfaction and regret of the action soccer game I made in Sega.

I am proud to say that I still have new initiatives and high aspirations, so please look forward to them. Both are for the whole world. However, we are having a hard time because we don't have the money for promotion. We would be very happy if someone could help us. We are also planning to launch a new innovative adventure game service on the Web and an action game with an elaborate world view.

If anyone is interested or willing to support us, please contact us.

Thank you to Takayuki for taking the time to provide his insight into Phase Paradox's development! I've made a video on the game which you can watch here: https://youtu.be/bTSFY5M08BU

#phase paradox #playstation 2 #philosoma

[katyspersonal]

😨 🤥 🕷️ 🌌 about your oc Geranea :з

Thank you for asking about her!! I still really need to draw a proper reference of her hunting outfit and weapon, but for now 80% of my WIPs are visual references and it is slowly destroying me т.т

(Asks from this ( x ) meme)

😨 FEARFUL - when scared, do they go into "flight" or "fight"?

'Fight' reaction is her default! If this is some kind of a wild predator animal (or, a dangerous beast, more appropriately to the context), she will fight without a second of hesitation, and very furiously so! It would apply to dangerous people too, like someone trying to rob or attack. She is that kind of person whose body just "knows" how to fight the exact second there is a reason to. If the threat IS too much for her to take on however, she also soon measures it and knows to run.

It applies in less drastic contexts, too, like someone making her scared or anxious in simply conversations. She defaults to scolding a person that alerted her, angrily, blushing and with her fists balled, and if she realises she picked a dangerous opponent in a conflict (like, say, starting a quarrel with people like Brador or Alfred) she will retreat. It is like a second nature, sensing whether default to fight or make an exception and fight. She has good "instincts"!

🤥 LYING - are they good liars? do they have tells to show they're lying?

Geranea is an okay liar when not a lot is at the stake, she could tell a small lie to keep someone's secret or get them out of trouble but would not lie for a personal gain. But when she got sent into Research Hall she had to lie, a lot. She needed to swipe various tools to help herself and others, avoid various chemicals and procedures, even help the patients that still could be saved...

Her face is not the most emotive (I swear her only expressions are 'tired' or 'angry' xD), but it is her body language that gives her lying away. When the cost of her lie being found out is high she blushes up to her very ear tips, hods hands in fists and overall looks stiff and tense. And, well, you don't want to attract unnecessary attention of cunts like Micolash or Brador of all people.... Since this is so inconvenient, Geranea tricks her own body by 'omitting' rather than straight up lying; comforting herself with how she technically says the truth actually helps her to relax and no longer look suspicious!

🕷️ SPIDER - what is their biggest fear? do they have any irrational / mundane fears?

She has quite generic fears of heights and the dark that not even much more horrifying Yharnam experiences weeded out! She will also dwell quite strongly if she had near-death experience recently (like for example someone's weapon JUST missing her head). The fear of ghosts, however, became a thing of the past after she had to fight several! Previously, they were the exception of her 'fight' reaction, the girl was screaming and running away! I guess it is too bad that she can't punch the height or the darkness in the face, then. xD

After leaving Research Hall by herself at last, her biggest fear became being found and returned to it. She still saw nightmares about it even since Research Hall, from her knowledge, got shut down and retooled into an "Orphanage". Even with her kindness, she tries to 'not think too hard' about the fact that most likely they experiment on children now, only to not deal with feeling like returning there and saving whoever she could is her duty.

🌌 MILKY WAY - what was the inspiration behind your oc? what was the first thing you decided about them?

Damn, the story of her appearing is actually such a good memory for me, oh my god! I first thought of her back in Summer 2021! Remember how I told that sometimes I am sitting and minding my own business but random memories about Bloodborne lore bits simply 'appear' in my brain, like if I caught a radio frequency? Well, one day, my brain randomly grasped at the link of "hmmm, Valtr's helmet is missing one eye, he curses "freakish slugs and mad doctors", Yamamura was spyoning on dark Healing Church business as he is a summon for Living Failures, Valtr helps fighting Laurence and Ludwig.... I need to check whether Eye Pendant looks like an eye, ONE SECOND-"

So yeah! I also was and still am 'Valtr has both eyes as we are allowed to see' truther but back then it looked like canon rather than just one of the interpretations for me, so that sorta helped x) I decided whoever owned the Iron Helm previously was missing an eye, for the reason of Research Hall taking it, sought Valtr's help (as a cop??? xD) with their shady business and was significant enough in Valtr's life to make her associated item a symbol of League's mission!

.....and this was just me trying to look like I was super planned from the start lol. x) BEFORE this tangent, I already fell for guilty pleasure of wanting to make an OC deceased member of the League, just ask @val-of-the-north! I loved the concept of her dealing primarily with plant-like "filth", since flowers and alike in Bloodborne are a symbol of reaching for the skies for salvation and many corpses, especially in Hunter's Nightmare and Dungeons, sprout mold or flowers from their bodies. They grow from blood, everyone's blood has human dregs, blablablabla.

But after the Research Hall idea I soon decided to combine the characters into one! Again, back then, existence of previous Iron Helm owner felt extremely apparent for me, I was a sweet summer child (literal summer lol) yet to learn just HOW few things in Bloodborne are indisputable :/ And I wanted to breathe life in an "mentioned character" (in Iron Helm description) more than I wanted an OC, at least back then! ...then I screwed myself over with the idea that maybe this helmet is Djura's wielder helmet (it even misses the same eye!), and THEN I screwed myself over more thinking that maybe two-eyed Valtr we see is a snapshot by "Flora of the Moon and the Hunt" of his most efficient stage of life. And THEN Val had to battle me on still keeping Geranea because I deserved one (1) break from fiddling with "the most reasonable" theory instead of just taking it easy fdhfhds

She also was a she from the very start because I just like female characters, but initially her hair was black. I always associated her with cyan/aqua color though, especially darker tones. I guess dark red hair felt like a good contrast in the end!

Thank you for letting me talk about Geranea!

#bloodborne #bloodborne oc #ask replies #geranea #damn does she really have a cool title to go with her name? I dunno #doodles

[uroboros-if]

Please please share some coding/designing wisdom. Your game is so damn pretty 😭😭😭 Could you tell us what template you used and how hard it was to make it look like it is today? I imagine so much work must have gone into it

😭😭 I am no expert, but these are just my rationale/methods behind the visual choices I made!

For the template I used—I used Vahnya's Template! However, this post by @/manonamora-if has a whole section for templates that I wish I saw or checked out before making my IF! In another lifetime, I might've just used nyehilism's template to achieve the bottom sidebar instead of torturing myself learning how to do it... ;;

Below, I go into detail the timeline of designing Uroboros, as well as advice through the process I went!

Design Timeline

I started designing the UI late October 2022, and kept fixing, changing, editing it well into February and maybe a little bit of March 2023.

October 2022 - Early iterations of the design. Looked for stock images and began implementing it to add a background to the sidebar and the actual passages. Swatched some color palettes and began implementing them into the IF. Later decided to make the sidebar on the bottom instead of on the side. Also, added a title screen.

November - Testing different backgrounds for the IF's sidebar. Added a textbox to the passages, also worked on the black fade transitions.

December - Finished working on the sidebar background for both light and dark theme, began work on the background of the IF instead.

January 2023 - Finished working on the dark and light theme backgrounds! Started work on drawing the skill icons for light and dark theme, and finished!

February - Changed the title screen to look better on mobile, created a circle logo, added a border to the textbox. Also, made further edits for light theme.

March - Just remade the "Uroboros" logo.

If you're wondering why it took approximately 5 months to get to the final version—don't worry! I wasn't working only on the design for 5 months. My partner helped make the edits for the design, while I worked on coding them in and writing.

I spent a lot of time trying to get a grasp on Javascript, SugarCube, and HTML all throughout this time as well, to know how to fluidly add these things. Meaning, while I was working on these visual elements, I was also figuring out how to do the "looking" mechanic, black and white transitions, figuring out how Tweego worked, radio buttons, and so on.

Do note I've been busy the entire time throughout, so perhaps you can do this much quicker than I can!

The "Secrets"

1. Please—look at IFs you love! What are some visual aspects of other IFs that you love and want to include in your story? I started by analyzing parts of other IFs that I love. I liked Wayfarer's textbox; I liked how the choices looked in When Twilight Strikes. I liked the textboxes in the beginning of Zorlok. Find the things that amaze you about other IFs, and implement it your own way!

This seems like super basic advice—but trust me, once you think, "How can I put this in my game?" you will not only be able to have it, but most likely, you'll also learn a LOT.

While seeing how I could make the radio buttons, for example, I started researching. I googled "How to live change text?" and then I found out about jQuery, how to use the replace macro, etc. etc. JUST from researching how to do exactly one (1) feature.

2. What is missing in other IFs? Think about your own reading experience. I didn't like the clunkiness of some, how the sidebar is on the side when space on a mobile-screen is severely limited length-wise. So, I put the sidebar on the bottom.

I didn't like how other choices look in IFs, so I wanted a way to do mine that's nice and elegant(though it's still a little hard to read, admittedly).

Again, researching how to do the things you want opens many doors for you. I learned how to style <li> and change how bullets look, learned how to style links in Twine in general, etc. etc. again with just this ONE thing I wanted to change/add.

3. Don't do the work all by yourself. I struggled so hard because I hate asking for help. I was happy to Google other people's problems, but I never thought to open up my own thread or ask anybody in the community for help. Please, not only ask, but also—your work doesn't have to be completely original.

Use templates. Look at manon's amazing masterlist of things you can implement. I also have a few macro's that you can use, like multipronouns for MC, that does the work for you, for free.

Rip people's codes—respectfully. I'm not saying from other IFs, but online in other places. If they appear on help forums or are publicly available through places like CodePen, chances are that they're open-source or licensed in such a way that anyone can use it (e.g. MIT license).

Again, here is Manon's masterlist, which includes custom macros you can use in your game (Chapel, HiEv and Cycy are my high recommendations)! Additionally, here's my code for multipronouns here and my code for setting RO genders here.

4. MAKE IT READABLE!! Even if you want your game to look pretty... please, I'm begging you, make it easy to read. This is the most important thing ever.

I have a short attention span, and so does my partner. We reviewed the game to make sure we are NOT compromising the reading experience with our design. As much as we want fantastical backgrounds, we wanted to make sure it was at least not distracting. As much as we want gaudy styles, we want the actual passage to be suited for the long haul.

The most, most important part is to enhance the reading experience--not by adding things on, but by making it simple and intuitive. As someone in the computer science field, the user experience is CRITICAL. Put yourself in their shoes, think about them first and foremost.

Twine is amazingly customizable, and its powers can be wielded for good and evil. Plenty of amazing writers but inexperienced UI designers, especially from CoG, get into Twine. CoG almost completely takes away the design element, so Twine is a whole new ballpark.

Uroboros has a lot of pomp, but the actual textbox is uncharacteristically simple in comparison. The simplicity against an otherwise fantastical, but non-distracting background helps give it elegance. The sidebar, in contrast, is very eye-catching—but, it's also out of view most of the time, and isn't built for long reading.

To add on, make sure it's readable on mobile. I guarantee 80% of your readers are going to be reading your IF on their phone, and probably at 3 AM, so you will want the mobile to look as good as PC, or even better.

Closing Thoughts

Anyway, as basic as this advice is, this is really what guided my entire thought process behind my visual choices! -- Picking and choosing what you like from IFs, figuring out how to do them through research, and making sure your IF is built to be read for a while.

Thanks so much for asking, thinking that I have wisdom to impart!! 😭🫶💕

#uroboros-if #uroboros #asks #anon #writing reference #writing advice #if resources #twine resources #twine design #twine coding resources #gameplay design

[afyrian]

ch. five - study date <3 masterlist

    you lean your head back, listening to a playlist through your earbuds. the library is filled with an array of research and information regarding the nearby sea life. somehow, every tuesday, you get lost in this building. from the large paper mache whales hanging from the ceiling, to the light blue lighting across top of the bookshelves. honestly, it'd be easy to live there.

  with a deep breath, you look down at the materials sitting on your desk. you flip to a new set of vocabulary, writing them down on notecards. you sketch little drawings onto each of them to match the words. the music fills your ears and your head bobs, enjoying every beat. for a second, there's a sense of peace within you. for once, during the busy school year, you finally feel relaxed. even if you are working on vocabulary cards.

  the only thing that can pull you away from the oasis that you've built is the feeling of someone poking your shoulder. immediately you pull the earbud from your ear, turning around to see the one man you'd hope to see again. "akaashi! nice to see you!" you give him a wide smile, looking between him and your flash cards. 

  "oh, you're working, i will let you study," he puts his hands up, pursing his lips.

  "no- no it's okay! maybe you could help me study, if you're up for that," you raise an eyebrow, crossing your arms in front of your chest.

  akaashi takes in a deep sigh, crossing his own arms in front of his chest. "well, i would.. but i don't think you could handle just how good i am at this," he frees his hands and pulls out the chair next to you, sitting down and crossing his ankles by the ground.

  "oh it's totally on," you shake your head, narrowing your eyes. 

  with your childhood knowledge of ocean life and your higher education, you hope that this should already be common knowledge. but with the final exams coming up for the season, and your quest for a summer internship, you want to be perfectly prepared. which means akaashi sitting across from you with flash cards in his hand.

  his elbow rests on the table and his ankle rests on his other leg. as he peeks at you over the flash cards, it's hard to ignore the way he looks at you so effortlessly. his eyes dancing between your eyes and your smile. even when you're describing the difference between eukaryote microbes and bacterial microbes, he looks at you as if he you're the most beautiful thing in the world. 

  luckily for you, he can't notice the heat in your cheeks.  most of your embarrassing feelings disappearing under the golden and blue lights. "so, how do you think i'm going to do?"

  "i think you'll ace it," he nods, shrugging his shoulders like it's incredibly obvious, "and as a way to prove my support, here's.. my phone number."

  he grabs a pen from your pile of writing materials, writing the number on a notecard that sits rather empty besides some doodles. truthfully you can't hide back the very childish crush you're feeling towards the man. even the way he looks up at you while writing it can send a shiver up your spine. "i got it after your suggestion, with lots of convincing to my uncle to let me be on his plan," akaashi slides the notecard towards you.

  "that was sweet of you, i'll have to pick your brain about some more sea life while i'm at it," you take the paper, noticing the sort of sloppy handwriting.

  it's not necessarily terrible, but it’s clear he isn’t excelling at calligraphy. however, it’s another thing about him that is just oddly adorable. even now, you can’t argue why you feel such an attraction to him, to his voice. for a second, you smile to yourself at the thought of him as a siren. pulling you into a trap with only his voice and seemingly sweet personality. 

  “go for it, i have some experience down there,” akaashi nods, letting you stuff the number into your backpack for future use.

  you furrow your eyebrows, confused, “really? i didn’t know you spent a lot of time in the ocean. were you a diver or was it more educational?”

  akaashi shrugs, “a little bit of both, my family is filled with people who love the ocean so i’ve just basically lived in it my whole life. i learned to swim before i learned to walk honestly…”

  “that’s so cool, i assume that’s why you went into this field of work then? so do you plan on staying here for a while then, getting some experience and such?” you bring your legs up onto the chair, crossing them to resemble an odd pretzel, cheek resting on your knuckles.

  asking him about his plans weren’t your initial plans upon entering this conversation, especially being that forward. but the way he makes you feel is something you don’t want to ignore, not again. it’s easy to ignore advances or simply not take them yourself, but watching as he stammers over his words, it makes you want to know him even better. 

  “yeah- yeah, i just love nature so much! uh, i’m not really sure… i would love to, but my family is from here. here as in this area, this town. so i’d like to be near them,” he bite his lips, nodding at his own answer, as if he was trying to convince not only you, but himself. 

  “right, well, thanks for the help, and i’ll make sure to text you.”

taglist: @zombriesworld

#haikyuu #haikyuu x reader #haikyuu fic #a seaward spark #akaashi keiji #akaashi keiji x reader #keiji akaashi #keiji akaashi x reader #mermaid au #merman au

[hapshistrionicsdo]

Histrionic pd criteria/behviours and examples

The DSM is notoriously vague, and it's mainly because of this that so many people with hpd don't realize/know that they have it. Personally, I think the criteria desperately needs to be revised.

It is because of this that most people, in the course of figuring out if they have hpd, have to base a lot of their research off of other people with hpd, rather than use the dsm. In this post, I want to discuss the hpd criteria/bahviours associated with hpd as well as give examples of how they manifest in my own life/how they could potentially present. However, please keep in mind that I do not meet every listed criterion, and exhibit a mild/moderate presentation of hpd, as well as having npd and bpd! This is also based off of my own subjective experience, these symptoms may present differently in another person.

1. I get uncomfortable when I am not the center of attention.

I find that I do experience this criterion. Feeling uncomfortable/upset when not the center of attention can show up in a lot of ways. I also think that it is important to mention here that hpd can be more covert, and that the idea that it is always obvious is an outdated and borderline ableist idea, rooted in stereotypes.

In my life, this criterion shows up in a myriad of ways. A few examples being: I tend to interrupt people, because I need the focus of the conversation on me. I have a HUGE issue with shifting the conversation to revolve around me and my life. I will exaggerate stories to make them more interesting (eg. Making myself out to have more of a backbone than i do/say more shocking things.), and I dress very noticably. In a less socially acceptable light, I also use a lot of my opinions as ways to get attention/make more friends, when I really don't care about the opinions I put out (these things also mix into the second criterion: 'when interacting with others, I make them pay attention to me', so I will skip to the third criterion).

3. I have rapid mood swings.

When people hear this criterion in regards to hpd, people tend to think these emotions are 'fake', or 'shallow'. While this may be the case and is relatively common, I think it is important to mention that people with hpd can and do experience intense emotions and express them authentically. What differentiates these intense emotions from bpd is the main need that motivates the behaviours. In bpd, it is usually in response to abandonment and other personal triggers, whereas in hpd it is more likely to be in response to lack of attention and other personal triggers. However, anyone (esp. cluster b individuals) can experience a fear of abandonment and react accordingly, as these disorders do overlap, hence why they are cluster disorders.

In my experience, I do both. I experience shallow and intense feelings, and I do tend to play them up, usually in a way that is disguised as a joke/in an environment where that type of behaviour is seen as normal (eg theatre, which is an AMAZING outlet for that type of stuff). I have a lack of empathy, which I really don't try hard to hide, and while I do feel it, it is very shifting and shallow. Music heavily influences my mood as well. Along with rapid mood swings, I feel that my identity instability sorta ties into this. I will take on different aesthetics/personality traits/etc based on how I'm feeling and what will get me the most attention/appreciation/makes me feel most superior (npd trait).

4. I often use my physical appearance to draw attention to myself.

HUGE HUGE HUGE thing with me. I wear bright makeup, weird patterns, unusual outfits, excessive/tacky/bright jewelry, dye my hair, etc to get people to notice me. I will forsake my own comfort for that type of attention. It gets me compliments, stares, helps me stand out (which i take huge pride in), etc. I also dress skimpy sometimes in order to achieve sexual attention, to compensate for my lack of physical confidence.

5. I have a style of speech which is impressionable and lacking in detail.

Personally, I'm not sure if I really exhibit this one. I feel like when it comes to school projects such as essays, I do take a while to get to the point/put a lot of emphasis on wording more than actually getting my point across.

6. I am incredibly hyperbolic or theatrical in how I express myself.

In a lot of instances, the way I naturally move is very spinny and flowy. I walk very fast, heavy and confident in order to be paid attention to and seen as confident.

7. I am easily influenced by others or circumstances

This shows up in a much less obvious way for me. Eg if someone says 'hey that colour really works on you' or 'that piercing would work well with your facial features', I will probably start wearing that colour or go get that piercing. If someone says I seem very extroverted, I will act more extroverted. If someone says that I am smart, I will act smarter/see myself as smarter, which ties into my npd as well.

8. I often misread relationships and consider them to be closer than they actually are.

For this, I am actually not sure. I do get attached fast to people who give me my desired forms of attention/hang out with them more, so I'm not sure if that counts?

So, as you can see, experiences are very subjective in nature and can be vastly different for everyone. The point of this post is to show that the vagueness of the DSM is harmful and that people should definitely make sure that they are fully understanding each criterion.

#honestly histrionic #actually hpd #hpd safe #hpd #actually histrionic #histrionic pd #histrionic personality disorder #cluster b #cluster b pd #personality disorder #personality disorders #pro endogenic #pro endo #hapshistrionicsdo #mental health #mental illness #actually mentally ill #mentally fucked #mad pride #mad punk

[dontlookheswatching]

Okay here are the doodles! They all feature Ben, in ways that can be seen as either friendship or as a ship, I dont mind what you see it as although a few I did make specifically to be seen as a ship, because while they aren't a canon couple in au, my god they are so adorable and I can't help but draw them anyways-😭

There will be some lore underneath the pictures, and also I'll discuss a little more about the relationship chart and character refs im working on afterward

Okay, lore time. Im not a big pokémon fan. Nor am I big on the pokepastas, which seem, to me, to have honestly spiraled into their own mini fandom on the sides of creepypasta, which is actually pretty cool, I'd love to explore more of it, but again, im not big on pokémon, I've only played like two or three games throughout my life, and I just can't find the interest to do it. My sincere apologies if my lore for Silver upsets anyone who is super big on Pokémon or pokepastas for not being accurate, but then again, that's what headcanons are for, things that aren't canon. I've tried doing little research and the closest thing I could come close to developing lore for Silver was 'Snow on Mt Silver'. Im not sure if its the same character or something entirely different, so bare with me as I say im merging the two ideas from each into one. Now, lets get this mess over with because I have no idea what I'm doing im kinda revamping my own lore as I write this😭

If anyone noticed, on the birthday chart I have, next to Silvers name, in parentheses, is the name;

Jae-Ing.

It doesn't sound like an American name, now does it? No, thats because, im my lore, Silver had a life before death, he isn't just a glitch in the coding and what not. He was Korean. Throughout the more I explain, the more resemblance you'll see in Ben's story, thus why they get together well, because they share a somewhat same experience.

Going to a private high school in Korea wasn't easy. At all. 'Jae' didn't have it eady, either. He had to have a job ontop of all the schoolwork he was required to do to help his mother pay off the payments for attending a private high school. His father is out of the picture, having died before Jae was even born. He and his mother were extremely close, and even though they struggled at times, they never let their bond break.

Jae was 16 the year he died. He was a big fan of Pokémon, owning every game possible and knowing every small detail. He was harassed and bullied for his interests, and was always considered a nerd, barely having any friends. He was considered an outcast, and was always excluded of things other students did. He was very intelligent though, and did well in school.

Of course, that didn't matter to the other students.

Nearing the end of the year, staff had presented a field trip, one that would last three days, to hike Mt Hallasan. It was winter, however, so the mountain was covered in snow, so students were told to be extra prepared and to be cautious and stay within their assigned groups and to NOT leave the trail.

Jae wasn't going to go, but his mother had insisted on it, saying it would be a fun experience, and that he deserves a break anyways. So he went.

Not having any friends is why the whole trip backfired on Jae's side.

He was paired with kids who had commonly made fun of him, and being on an exciting field trip was no excuse. They'd constantly steal his things, such as his small console he kept with him in which he'd play his favorite games on. Or sometimes jackets or blankets he so very needed.

He was miserable and wanted to go home, but it was too late to turn back by the time the though occured to him.

On the second to last night, when their group had finally managed to reach the top, they thought it'd be funny to fall behind their supervisor, to walk with Jae, who walked behind all of them, to suddenly act like friends, forcing them all to walk slower and slower until the supervisor was far enough ahead to where he didn't notice one of the girls start pushing him as they resumed their bullying tactics. She kept pushing and pushing, trying to get him to fight, but Jae wasn't the fighting time.

She got angry, and kept pushing, until, before someone could say something, she pushed him over the edge of the trail, down a steep hill.

They ran off.

Didn't look back, didn't bother to try and help him. Instead, they ran, not wanting to be caught at the scene.

The impact left Jae scratched up and bruised. One arm was broken. He couldn't get back up to the trail, especially with a broken arm. He tried to find a way down the mountain, a way to find help. But night fell quickly and made it impossible to see. The temperatures dropped. His limbs began to freeze as he got colder and colder. He kept his bag close, scared. Scared, alone, nearing death. He kept going until he physically couldn't. Until his body gave out and left him a lying heap in the snow.

He died. Cold. Frozen, black limbs. Alone, scared, wishing he stayed home with his mother. Oh, and how the news broke her when her sons body was eventually discovered.

His soul was sucked into his console, into the very game world he loved, due to dark magics of some sort that I might explain in another post.

He lost any memory of his former life. He didn't know why he was so sad, why he was always scared, why he didn't like the cold. He didn't have the answers to his questions. He still doesn't to this day, even after exiting the console by the force of Slenderman and with the help of Ben.

He is yet to remember his past. But perhaps for now its a mercy that he doesn't.

---

ANYWAYS yeah that's my take on Lost Silver. Its kinda shitty and definitely not canon but it's whatever.

Moving on, I finally have the icons done that I'll be using for the relationship chart!

All I have to do now is digitalize them, make the chart, and boom, it'll be done. FinaLLY. so expect that MAYBE later today or tomorrow, we'll find out and see which happens first.

Now, about the character refs. I plan on doing them for Ben(which is done), Jeff(Hes next), Toby, Liu, and EJ, as they'll probably be the most frequently seen on the blog.

I would like to mention the fact my ref for Ben was a total flop. Its quite saddening especially since I spent more than a day on it, but its in the past, and can't control everyone's preferences. Hopefully the ones in the future will be more appealing, and if not, oh well, that just means I've got work to do and revamping and redoing them, because there's always room for improvement. I'd like to thank everyone real quick for the support I've already received so far, because even if the ref was a flop, im still extremely grateful for everything else!

Anyways thats the end of my super long post thank you goodbye im going to sleep this was too much writing

#creepypasta #creepypasta fandom #ben drowned #art #creepypasta art #gaymer ramble #gaymer art #bendrowned #Lost silver #Ben drowned #creepypasta headcanon #creepypasta fanart

[centrally-unplanned]

Here is my Comiket haul, for those who may care!

Arranged on the apartment chabudai for maximum weeb vibes. I won't go through all of them, just note a few to showcase the diversity of things that were on offer. If there is one someone wants a deep dive on, let me know, happy to take photos!

First up, the centerfold star - A Bocchi/Shimo-Kitazawa Fan Celebration doujin in the shape of a vinyl record:

Its extremely adorable, these guys went all in. It comes in an album case with "tracks", the vinyl-shaped doujin has an A side and a B side with totally different content when flipped, and when you are reading it the text slowly rotates page by page as if you are "playing" the disc.

Some of it is the circle's thoughts on Bocchi, but more is about their love for the part of Tokyo that Bocchi takes place in, Shimo-Kitazawa, with sections on show-accurate locations and favourite cafes and stores. They even included a map with all of the spots they recommend you visit in the area!

This one is to me the most "magic of doujin": we all have favourite parts of our cities, and if we sat down could maybe make a map like this. But why would we do that? Who would care? The joint power of a locally-set anime & Comiket, however, makes that personal map into a piece of art people want to own. This piece is pure creativity & passion, and its very special for that - a symbol of doujinshi.

Also one of their members spoke fluent English and aggressively upsold foreigners at the event ^_^ Successfully so! Good job.

For something a little less high concept, this tiny artbook of Rin from Laid-Back Camp as Ghibli characters is adorable:

A smol kiki, too cute. And look at her as Nausicaa! Full blue and ready to kick ass.

Its like 5 pages and each page is a gem, great buy.

This next one is a genre of book I really love - the photography/anime composite book focusing on scene locations, starring our girl Haruhi Suzumiya:

I appreciate how much fun this one has with its concept, lots of cute drawings on the margins; and the photographs are not all Haruhi related, instead it is just the author's own journey put through a Haruhi lens. This book is another great example of how "transformative" these works are, breaking the bounds of their source material.

"Hey, its me!"

Okay, now for some extreme Ash-brand doujin - Flowers for Yamada-san, a history doujin about Hiroyoshi Yamada, also known by the name Koji Kawamoto, a manga & magazine editor who played an instrumental part of the lolicon boom of the 1980's:

He passed away this year, and so this doujin is a memorial to him, an accounting of his influence and role in early manga, a wider discussion of the lolicon boom in general, and its own creative work; sandwiched between essays are comic depictions of moments of his career done in a mimicry the classic loli/bishoujo early 80's style:

This will of course take some time to read - I am excited to dig into it. As I have mentioned before, I am toying with the idea of a deeper research project on the "lolicon boom"; its, for understandable reasons, extremely neglected in western discourse of the history of anime & manga. But that moral aversion doesn't change how instrumental this period was, so I think a lot of good work could be done documenting and explaining its place. This book was an amazing find to stumble upon, and the creators are extremely well-researched on this period.

Anyway this is probably long enough lol. I did find some ero-doujin as well of course, though very few - as I mentioned, Comiket was a warzone, and I did not 'prep' for that side of things. I laughed at the idea of people doing days of research to prep of their porn buying adventure - I was the fool, they the wise, you absolutely need to do that if that is your goal. It wasn't really mine but I respect it now for sure - and I actually found the Comiket experience sort of liberating on that front, I "get it" now in a way I didn't before.

This is of course a tiny sliver of the book buys from Japan - hopefully I can make a few posts about the rest soon.

#Ash Japan Adventures #Comiket

[billiejean485]

Okay - a long rant ahead and some explanations.

I would also like to point out that what I'm about to talk about mostly concerns the Christian community and it may not be interesting to anyone else or would just lead to pointless arguments that I don't want to be a part of, so - read at your own discretion after the explanations.

EXPLANATION

Yes, you have probably all noticed that I haven't completely stopped indulging in Miraculous stuff, especially after this post, and the reason is - I am simply enjoying (or have been doing so up till now) the concepts, the fan art and the never used possibilities and lost potential of the show and its characters. Which leads me directly to the second part of this post.

TO THE CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY WITHIN MIRACULOUS LADYBUG FANDOM

Yesterday, I gave this vid a watch and discovered something I wished I knew from day one of this show.

Among all the good points, something really struck me, and it was this:

.... Look.

I know Thomas Astruc is an atheist (or however he defines himself) and that he's a very anti-religious person - but this is downright offensive.

So, what I wanted to bring to attention.... was that this show really isn't just some goofy fantasy x sci-fi mix that doesn't delve into religion or myths - but that that is far from the truth.

Miraculous goes directly into everything and reshapes it to the viewing pleasure of people who have no religious beliefs whatsoever and are, like it's creator, of a mindset that it's all just nonsense, thus disrespecting culture and faith of humongous groups of religious communities.

As an (Orthodox) Christian, I can't talk much about people of other faith, though I know there were also big problems with the Muslim communities. Because of that, I am just going to stick to what I'm capable of concluding.

... You know, we all have the right to believe whatever we want to believe in. If atheistic people don't want to believe in anything, that's their choice. But spitting in the face of absolutely everyone who is of different opinion, especially through a worldwide known show (and directed at kids, to make matters worse) is definitely not alright. We have the right to choose our faith as much as any other individual and absolutely no one should be allowed to say that we should keep to ourselves as some kind of 'minority' and let the 'majority' take over, because they're right since there's a bigger number of them.

Speaking up about something negative within a certain religious community that affects everyone is one thing - telling them to shut up altogether is another.

If you think I am blowing things out of proportion with this.... do a little research on Astruc's X (formerly Twitter). I kid you not when I tell you that I have practically quoted him in the last line of the paragraph above my previous one. Amanda does the same in her video as well.

But what am I really getting at here with this post?

I wanted to send out a warning to fellow Christians that are watching the show and to boost up the awareness to this problem.

Literally... all the problems I've been having with the show for the past two years come down to this. The way the characters are treated, the direction the show is taking... everything. If I had known about the creators' opinions on this topic I would have seen disappointment a mile away, and it never would have affected me as bad as it did.

I stopped drawing for a whole year for crying out loud! And I've seen during that period that many people are absolutely unaware of what is lurking behind the curtains. The show is meant to take you to a certain point of viewing the world the way its creators believe are right, and it's not going to stop doing that anytime soon. What's more, I believe (and I am talking from experience here, from other disappointments in my past) that things are only going to get worse.

The Love Square is bait. The prolonged plot is there to keep the viewers interested. Heck, Astruc confirmed that publicly - it's needed to exist in order to keep the show successful and running. He thinks he's doing a good job at it, and, to be fair - business-wise, he is. That doesn't speak about the quality of the story though. But that's another topic I'm not going to bring up here...

I just wanted to give a heads-up to peeps, who do have an incorporated belief system in their lives, to not get swindled. It's not innocent fun, and that's going to get more obvious as time passes and the creators get more freedom to express their opinions.

I'm sorry if you've invested yourselves in this show as much as I have. I truly believed there wasn't another system directed against religion somewhere in its shadows and that it was a safe watch - however, it isn't. If you do have a life dedicated to something this show is against, all I can tell you is - re-evaluate what you're watching here.

For all the rest of you.... I suppose I have nothing to say. If you read all the way up to here and still disagree with me... well, feel free to do it. But I have no discussion to be made with you.

#miraculous ladybug #miraculous ladybug salt #ml salt #thomas astruc #thomas astruc salt #christianity #orthodox christianity #religion #tv show #atheism #miraculous ladybug fandom #ml fandom

[hsenvs3000w24]

Nature Interpretation for change

At its core, I believe that nature interpretation is all about the feelings you have toward nature, whether it's in that moment or in general. However, the more textbook definition is an educational activity that analyzes the meanings and relationships within nature, through use of original objects and first hand experience to communicate information (Beck et al, 2018. Chpt1). Nature interpretation can and should be done by anyone and anywhere. 

What is my personal ethics as a nature interpreter? I feel as though everyone should have the right and access to nature interpretation. This means that as interpreters we need to make interpretation easily accessible to everyone, especially public areas (Beck et al, 2018. Chpt7). This means adding more ramps for wheelchairs in public parks, and making sure there are enough benches for people to sit at whenever they need. There needs to be trash cans and picnic tables for people to eat lunch, or use at their own leisure as some people may need to change their diabetes patch or throw out a diaper. We also need to make nature interpretation a safe space for people to share their own thoughts. Some reasons people, especially minority groups, might not want to get involved with nature interpretation is because of cultural barriers, communication barriers, and economic barriers (Beck et al, 2018. Chpt7).

I also believe that as interpreters we should encourage the future generation to become interpreters, and open this up to children as well. I think it is so important for children to understand the beauty of nature at a young age. Knowledge of the world and natural history breeds “fond familiarity” with people and nature experiences (Beck et al, 2018. Chpt21). It is so important for people to create these relationships with nature because it’s in ecological literacy that makes people understand the impact of climate change, pollution, and other environmental problems (Beck et al, 2018. Chpt21). I believe that the next generation needs to be more exposed to nature and being outside. With today's technology, the appeal of going outside and playing has faded and we need to bring it back. I think some new initiatives to enforce this can be through having more outdoor school trips in elementary schools, and trying to incorporate more outdoor classes into our schedule. There are even simple activities that we can try and get children into to deepen their love for nature. Some of these activities include nature portraits where you paint or draw everything around you, or pattern wandering where you pick a pattern and search an area for anything that has a similar pattern (Evergreen, 2023). All this is to say that I believe the next generation needs to develop their sense of place. This is the feeling you feel when you find a place where culture and history speak for itself. Finding your “A raison d’être” or a reason for existing is crucial for wanting to protect the environment (Beck et al, 2018. Chpt1). I think that our next step is to engage children in more nature interpretive activities. 

I am very passionate about protecting the environment and I am always looking for new ways to become more eco-friendly and sustainable. As nature interpreters, it is our responsibility to look after the environment as it sustains everything that we need to survive. I think one way in doing this is researching and donating to researchers trying to find new ways to help in the climate crisis. One organization called rainforest alliance hopes to bring harmony to people and the environment by implementing scalable solutions to the climate crisis (rainforest, 2024). Rainforests are ecosystems under pressure from climate change, and organizations like this that put emphasis on protecting them are crucial. Another new initiative that is being researched is carbon sequestration. Everytime a farmer tills their soils, they release large amounts of carbon into the atmosphere and this increases our greenhouse gas emissions. Scientists are trying to find ways to keep the carbon in the soil, and this is through practical farming techniques like reducing tillage, cover crops, precision fertilization and more. A scientific article called Shaky Grounds by Gabriel Popkins discusses all of the ways that carbon sequestration could show promise to the climate crisis (Popkin, 2023). Supporting research for this is one simple way that we can all become more sustainable and aid the climate crisis. Another very simple way is by adapting a more reusable lifestyle. Some ways of doing this are through not using disposable bottles, using reusable initiatives such as beeswax to preserve food instead of plastic wrap, and using reusable makeup wipes instead of disposable ones. I think it is our responsibility to adopt these small changes in our lives and in the lives of the people around us. 

Everyone will be able to tackle these changes in their own unique and important way. However, the way that I believe I should tackle these issues is through social media. I think social media is the future whether you choose to admit it or not. It is so important to use social media as a tool to engage and teach people. Something I can see myself doing, and that I already partly do is posting and reposting climate change initiatives and ways to save the planet. I think that using social media as a platform to encourage change is amazing! I currently run a couple TikTok pages for different clubs and it is so exciting to see the way different people respond to what we post. Some TikToks also reach thousands of views in only a couple hours. This goes to show the power that social media has. The National Park Service Climate Change Response Program has slowly begun to emphasize the importance of climate change and ways to help the crisis. Some of the ways they are doing this is through using science to help manage parks, finding ways to reduce our carbon footprint, and through public awareness and communication (Beck et al, 2018. Chpt5). I think that climate change needs to become an active influential part of the interpretation of nature as these go hand and hand, and I believe that spreading awareness through social media is my way of doing this. I will be posting more photos of nature to encourage a deeper appreciation in others and repost articles that talk about ways that we can aid in the climate crisis. 

So why is nature interpretation so important? It is absolutely essential to create heightened appreciation, make deeper understandings, and find new ways to view the world around us. It can be one of the solutions to the climate crisis, and it can help one's mental health (Beck et al, 2018. Chpt1). The environment is beautiful, and one way to appreciate it is through nature interpretation. I know that everything I have learned over the last couple of months will be put to good use going forward! 

Here are some of my favourite nature moments

Beck, L. Cable, T. T., & Knudson, D. M. (2018). Interpreting cultural and natural heritage: For A Better World. (Chapter 1). SAGAMORE Publishing.

Beck, L. Cable, T. T., & Knudson, D. M. (2018). Interpreting cultural and natural heritage: For A Better World. (Chapter 5). SAGAMORE Publishing.

Beck, L. Cable, T. T., & Knudson, D. M. (2018). Interpreting cultural and natural heritage: For A Better World. (Chapter 7). SAGAMORE Publishing.

Beck, L. Cable, T. T., & Knudson, D. M. (2018). Interpreting cultural and natural heritage: For A Better World. (Chapter 21). SAGAMORE Publishing.

Evergreen. 10 fun and easy outdoor activities for Kids. (2023). https://www.evergreen.ca/stories/7-fun-and-easy-outdoor-activities/?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjw-_mvBhDwARIsAA-Q0Q4Rj4rHzCu8PxRJ0ob-7Kpuq0TrABZKSyTIQgnCzAcIxronevCsfZAaAujcEALw_wcB 

Popkin, G. (2023). Shaky ground. Science, 381(6656), 369–373. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adj9318 

Rainforest Alliance. (2024). https://www.rainforest-alliance.org/

[softguarnere]

hello! :) i'm working on a bob fanfiction right now, and i wanted to know if you had any tips for aspiring bob fanfic writers (or if you had talked about this before?) i'm especially curious what you have to say about balancing the historical accuracy of the story vs deviations from history, as well as how to weave an oc into the original plot of the show while still keeping the content fresh and (somewhat) original

oh! and also how you go about doing your research (if you do any)

your writing is a huge inspiration to me, so thanks so much!! i hope you have a good day :D

Hi Anon! I answered something similar here if you want to check that out

Aside from just going for it and having fun with it, I do have some thoughts (everybody act shocked), but I'll try to keep it concise 🤗

Balancing historical accuracy with fiction

First and foremost, I feel like it's helpful to point out that Stephen Ambrose made some mistakes in BOB. Not trying to disparage his name or anything, just to be clear! Several of the men (Speirs, Shifty) pointed out mistakes he made about them in the book.

Why am I mentioning this? Because I'm a historian and I'm annoying about it lol Because the historical narrative we're drawing our inspiration for fics from isn't a narrative that everyone agrees on -- then again, good luck finding one that people do, but I digress -- I think it gives some wiggle room for bending the story a bit to make it work for the narrative that we as writers are trying to create

Similarly, I feel like it's important to invoke the disclaimer that many of us put on our fics: these stories about fictional representations from a show (though it is based on real people and events)

In the end, we're all taking liberties with the narrative for the sake of our writing. Most people in the fandom probably won't bite your head off if you use plotlines that are alternate histories because most of us are doing them, too -- and a lot of writers here have some very cool ideas and plots with alternate histories that are really good reads!

At the end of the day, don't feel pressured to stick directly to the historical narrative. After all, we're writers -- having imagination is what we do

Weaving an OC into a well-known narrative

Oh boy. I'm not sure if there's a great way to answer this. Personally, I knew who my OC was, what her background, wants desires, etc. were, and then I just sort of . . . set her free into the story? There are moments directly from the show where I wove her in and made her a part of that scene, and then there are interactions and plotlines that I came up with myself.

Honestly, it probably depends on your plot and your character. No one really wants to read a re-write of BOB -- after all, that's why we're all out here writing fics with our own ideas and stories. However, if you feel that a certain scene would further your plot/advance your character, and that you can weave them into it, then go for it! It's all about how you write and what feels right to you for your story.

Research

Have I abused some of my historian privileges during my time in this fandom? Perhaps 👀 But if you don't have university archival access, never fear! There are still lots of good ways to research

In terms of background, I found that reading the memoirs and biographies of the Easy Company men was really helpful when figuring out how to write them. It was also good for learning stories and experiences that did not make it into BOB. Watching interviews with them on YouTube and watching interviews with the actors was also extremely helpful for things like speech cadence, mannerisms, etc.

Definitely branch out, though! I was lucky in that I had to do some projects about WW2 around the time that I joined the fandom, so researching different aspects of the period was helpful for me when I started writing. Don't feel like you have to rush out and read every WW2 book or watch every documentary, but it can definitely help with learning different perspectives and experiences, as well as providing context.

If you ever want book recommendations, feel free to reach out! Especially if you need book recs about paratroopers in general, because I have a whole shelf space dedicated to those haha

Lastly, thank you so much for the lovely compliment, Anon -- and thank you for trusting me enough to reach out! 🥹 Feel free to reach out if you ever want to chat, and I look forward to reading what you write in the future 💕

(Other BOB writers feel free to add on!)

#'just go for it' I sound like the Nike catchphrase and I am sorry for that - but also not really because that is my writing philosophy #band of brothers #writing advice #asks #anonymous

[blacknidstang]

Tagged by @juststartingtobebrothersagain 💜

Ask game bellow the cut ✧⁠◝⁠(⁠⁰⁠▿⁠⁰⁠)⁠◜⁠✧

1. Are you named after anyone?

Nope. But my nickname, Ashi, is taken from a nursery song if it counts

2. When was the last time you cried?

Actually half an hour ago. I was rereading some part of Franny and Zooey for thousandths time and it always gets me

3. Do you have kids?

No and i never will

4. What sports do you play/have played?

5. Do you use sarcasm?

I have always been pathetic when it comes to sport. However i am both a good runner and swimmer but i only do those recreationally. I can't handle stress of racing. I've tried basketball and volleyball and i have been incredibly tragic like a wet miserable cat.

I try not to because it really creates communication issues especially with added language barriers. With some friends tho, we have shared sarcasm i believe so it works

6. What's the first thing you notice about people?

Hmmmmm... Their gaze. And whether they notice me or not.

7. What's your eye color?

Dark brown

8. Scary movies or happy endings?

Neither exactly? I don't vibe hard with jumpscare horror but i do love bad devastating endings, not in tragic movies but ones that are meant to invoke discomfort.

9. Any talents?

I think i'm a good speaker in person. I have been the constant project presenter since 10th grade till end of my masters. I also think, or hope, tha i have quite an imaginative mind. Also whenever i'm making one of those huge 1000 puzzles i usually can grab one single piece and figure out where it belongs. I used to get mocked for this bc but hey if i take pride in that 😤

10. Where were you born?

Somewhere in middle east.

11. What are your hobbies?

Drawing, writing, hoarding academic papers (especially regarding religion and mythology recently), digging through all sorts of true crimes, unsolved cases, internet mysteries, fucked up cults. Puzzles and riddles, i also used to be so invested in Notpron (an insane & amazing internet puzzle) & i went to level 50 something & am planning to get back too. Also just grabbing internet courses related ro physics, geometry, astronomy for fun, i used to be a theatre kid but it's been some years since ive been a part of.

12. Do you have any pets?

No unfortunately :(

13. How tall are you?

148 cm/4'10 :D

14. Favorite subject in school?

In school it was geometry, biology, art, literature, and english. In my undergrad i took an anthropology course unrelated to my own degree which was the best experience and in my masters my favorite subject waw something i can roughly translate to architecture analysis.

15. Dream job?

I am somewhat having my dream job right now in a game design project with coolest people, but on the other hand i know big industries are literal hellscape when it comes to game and animation so i dont know really. I do wish to later in life go for phd, at one point i was fearing i'd be permanently a student djeujsisi but i think being a researcher/scholar of some sort is kinda awesome.

No pressure here @lilacpaperbird, @nameslikeguns, @stray-with-a-muffler , @hurricanejane, @fathercain1999, @laurasashtray, @sexwithag, and anyone who wants to do this im quite shy with tags

#about me

[thataurifox]

On Stanley Milgram’s Social Experiments and the Application to Generation Loss

Essay Word Count: 2,222 words

(Title and Headings not included)

About the Poster

Hello! My name is Auri. The start of this essay is a brief blurb of conversational talk from me to you as the reader, largely addressing the credentials I have to begin a discussion on this topic. Which isn’t really much! It really only amounts to the fact that I have passed a singular college/university class in general psychology in which we discussed and researched this specific experiment. In no way am I a professional psychologist, and I do not expect my words to be taken at face value. If you are interested in the topic, do your own research too! I am fully willing to have conversations and debates regarding the material in this essay, especially if you have more knowledge and education on the topic than I do.

All of the information in this essay will be presented for a more rounded basic understanding of the experiment and my thoughts on whether or not the application of the experiment to the events of Generation Loss is appropriate. I will be covering an explanation of one of the simplest versions of the experiment as presented to me by my psychology professor. This will not be an extensive explanation of every variable, although it will go beyond the information that was included in MatPat’s Game Theory video about Generation Loss. Above all, please do not take my words to be the end all be all of this experiment and Generation Loss itself! These are my thoughts with the information I currently have. Doing your own research and developing your own thoughts and opinions on the subject is very important and highly encouraged.

Additionally, please do not give hate to either creator in the discussion of this topic. This essay is meant to be informative so that others may draw their own conclusions. The thoughts and feelings I express in this writing are my own, and I do not expect everyone to agree with me, and the content creators are doing nothing more than freely producing content for viewers to watch and discuss. Be respectful to everyone, including the creators and other Tumblr users who may comment or reblog. Thank you!

Warnings

Please do note that this essay will discuss events such as the Holocaust, World War II, death, perceived torture, Nazis, and concentration camps in uncensored ways. Nothing in this essay will in any way be graphic, but topics in this list may be brought up and discussed in various ways. In no way are anti-Semitic views or intentionally harming another person endorsed in this post, and endorsing either of these in discussion will not be tolerated. Please keep your own mental health in mind while reading, as this is a serious topic.

Introduction

On Sunday, May 30, 2023, MatPat released a video on the Game Theory YouTube channel regarding Ranboo’s horror series Generation Loss. This video, titled Lies of the Founder, covered the events of Generation Loss since the release of the T_1 video. This included information given in The Inauguration and Generation 1: The Social Experiments. During this video, MatPat also included the idea that the social experiment designed by Stanley Milgram could be comparable to the Social Experiments of Generation Loss. However, this should not be taken into account without considering the full scope of the experiment and its design, including ethics, historical context, and social implications.

Historical Context and Social Implications

Milgram’s social experiments occurred in the early 1960s following the end of World War II. During this time, many of the people who had working in concentration camps during the Holocaust were on trial for a myriad of crimes, including the slaughter and injury of Jewish people. This included not only scientists and leaders of the Nazis, but also people of working class backgrounds who believed in the cause. These people were asked why they would intentionally participate in mass murder, to which they responded that they were told to.

Society would largely like to believe that people have a moral compass that would keep them from performing such acts. Therefore, it was thought that these people must either make up a small portion of the population or that they were lying as to their motivations. This was the basis of Milgram’s experiments: to determine whether or not the average person would intentionally cause another harm because they had been told to by a figure of authority. The expectation was that they would not, however this would not turn out to be the case in the majority of situations.

The Experiment

Before discussing the outcome of the experiment, it is important to understand the structure of the experiment itself. It had many different iterations with the same basic design, all intended to simulate a similar experience to the people who had been running the gas chambers in a more controlled environment. There were even iterations that appealed to different demographics, including women, which did show minor variation in data. Despite this, each time the experiment was run the general outcome remained the same.

In a basic version of the experiment, an ad was placed in the newspaper that stated that volunteers could apply to take part in an experiment at Yale, which they would be financially compensated for. However, volunteers were not told the true purpose of the experiment. Volunteers were told that the experiment was a test to see how the introduction of pain impacted how well a person learned. This was similar to other experiments that had taken place to see the influences of pain versus reward in learning behaviors among animals. Upon applying, each volunteer would be given a date, time, and place that they were to go in order to partake, and told that they would be paid upon arrival.

The times and dates were set so that only one participant would arrive at a time for each experiment session, and all of the sessions were done late at night when no one else would be in the area. Even the police had been told that there would be strange and potentially disturbing noises coming from the building, and that these noises should be ignored. Volunteers would arrive to see another person sitting in the waiting room, who would introduce themselves as another volunteer. Unknown to them, this person was not another participant, but instead a paid actor who had been told how the experiment would work. The two would be left alone in the room together while waiting for someone to begin the experiment.

Eventually, a person wearing some kind of designation of power, such as a lab coat, and referred to as the experimenter, would come into the room. The experimenter would then present the volunteer and the actor with the money they had promised the volunteers, and the volunteer was told that they could leave at any time. If they wished, they could take the money at that moment and walk out the door without proceeding further into the experiment. If they chose to proceed, the volunteer would then be given a choice to select a piece of paper from the experimenter’s hand, which they were told would determine their role in the experiment. They were told that they could be either the learner, the person who would answer questions, or the teacher, the person who would ask questions and administer the punishments. It was intended to appear as random chance, however both of the papers in the experimenter’s hands would say teacher, thereby rigging the roles that were given. The remaining paper that wasn’t chosen would then be given to the actor, who would pretend that the paper told them to be the learner. After being given their roles, given that they still wished to participate, the volunteer and the actor would then be taken back to the area that had been set up for the rest of the experiment.

The volunteer and the actor were then separated into separate rooms where they were not able to see each other, although there was an intercom system set up so that they would be able to hear each other. The volunteer was then told that they would be asking questions and would be administering a controlled shock to the actor if the answers that they had given were wrong. In many cases, these questions were a series of associated words that had to be repeated in order. Given that the volunteer might have concerns about shocking someone, volunteers were also given a light sample shock to show that each shock would not equate to more than a pinch. They would then be told how to work all of the necessary equipment and instructed to proceed with the experiment. Nothing would change until the first time the actor intentionally got a question wrong.

After a question was answered incorrectly, the volunteer would be directed to give the actor a shock. For every wrong answer after this, they would then be told that the voltage would be raised by a given interval, so that each time the actor answered a question wrong, the “shock” would be more painful. Eventually the shock would rise to a voltage that should have been painful, and increasingly distressed noises would either be acted out by the actor or played from a previously recorded tape. Should the volunteer refuse to administer the shock, the experimenter had a few statements along the line of, “The experiment must continue.” This was intended to make the volunteer continue to administer the shocks, however the volunteer was still free to leave at any time. In fact, some volunteers would. For those that continued with the experiment, the shock levels would continue to increase to the point where shocks could be potentially fatal.

At this point, the actor or the tape had lines that were intended to convince the volunteer that they could die, such as yelling that they had a heart condition that could be made worse or kill them because of the shocks. Regardless of this, the experimenter would continue to say that the experiment should continue. This had the potential to reach the point that all sound would cease to come over the intercom from the actor’s room altogether, even though questions are still being asked. The experimenter would then inform the volunteer that should no answer be given, it was to be taken as an incorrect answer and a shock should be administered. After a shock or multiple shocks had been administered in pure silence, the experimenter would then tell the volunteer that the experiment had been concluded and escort them out of the room.

The Outcome and Ethics

It is important to remember that no one was ever physically injured in these experiments. All of it was acting, rigged to see how the volunteers would respond. A majority of the volunteers did proceed all the way to the end of the experiments, a number of almost 66%. This shocked the general society at the time, who had estimated that the majority of people would not go through something like this. The rest of the volunteers who did choose to walk out or threatened to call the police were then told how the experiment worked, and were asked to remain silent about their experience so that they could continue to collect accurate results.

However, volunteers experienced major trauma because of this. Instances of survivor’s guilt were recorded years later regarding the experiment, with some volunteers admitting to having persistent nightmares. So while there wasn’t any physical harm, there was certainly potential for mental harm done to the volunteers who followed all the way through. In addition to the deception as to the true purpose and methods of the experiment and the lack of informed consent from the volunteers, this experiment violates multiple sections of the modern code of ethics. As such, this experiment would never have been approved or allowed to continue today.

Application to Generation Loss

In my personal opinion, this is an experiment that should not be applied to Generation Loss. While I do understand the concept of Generation 1: The Social Experiments being about the audience and seeing how far they would be willing to take things, I do not believe there is truly enough similarity to use them as a one-to-one comparison. The roles of learner, experimenter, and teacher are not significantly filled out from the cast we have in Generation Loss in my opinion. Additionally, there is something about using an experiment that breaks the code of ethics and was designed in regards to behaviors from the Holocaust, a very serious historical event, to describe elements of an entertaining horror story that rubs me the wrong way. I do believe the appropriateness of this can be subjective, but I would like to give other people evaluating this all of the information that I also have.

In Conclusion

This essay has been designed to give readers more information as to a particular subject that was brought up in a Game Theory video. It serves the secondary purpose of displaying the reasons that I believe it is not appropriate to use in the way it has been compared to Ranboo’s Generation Loss series. I am more than willing to hold an ongoing conversation and civil debate on this matter, and encourage everyone to do their own research if this matter interests you for if you feel there is something important that I have missed.

#generation loss #genloss #genlosers #genloss the social experiments #the social experiments #genloss theory #matpat #game theory #matpat theory #informative #stanley milgram #tws now #world war 2 #the holocaust #death #physical harm #this is literally just an informative essay about the last game theory video on gen loss please read lol