I idle with screen activity flashes so that if someone catches me online and pokes me, I can have an option to respond.
I struggle with FOMO. A lot.
...And then I accidentally fall asleep with the game running and miss some invites and the cycle perpetuates.
Admittedly, I haven't watched Cowboy Bebop through the lens of anything but an early-00s teenager, so I can't speak to how it's aged. That being said, even at the time I felt there were too many 'story of the week' episodes and not enough arcs, but at the time, it was such a breath of fresh air that I didn't much care.
Viewed through a 2020s lens, with anime in monumentally wider supply and Japan becoming gradually more progressive in its views (so... very... gradually...), I imagine its representation isn't the best by contrast.
But all that changed when the melon lords attacked.
Thanks!
Yeah, I know sobriety doesn't make me a bummer by default, I more meant it feels frustrating to be the only sober person in the room while desperately wanting to join in. I was never a heavy drinker, but I miss my usual habit of an occasional margarita or two. Not currently possible without immediately feeling like I need to crawl into bed and pass out, because that just don't play.
Thank you for this.
Transparency is arguably the most important element to these proceedings, and I think it's been where some of the major heartburn has stemmed from. I would urge the three of you to reevaluate some of the decisions that were made in the heat of the moment, and I hope that's being considered.
Bannings, especially, should be reserved largely for people who have gone far beyond the pale, and I think when the door was locked to the hogpit, it's quite natural that it spilled out. Some folks in that initial wave got slapped down for what were, ultimately, pretty innocuous statements.
I don't think it's impossible to restore goodwill, and I do think that even if unbanned, plenty of folks wouldn't come back anyhow, but it represented an inconsistent application of moderation, and I think everyone involved struggled with keeping a level head about it as the situation compounded.
I'm nevertheless glad to hear that course correction is being considered, and codifying the rules of engagement to be less floaty (to avoid inconsistent application of moderation) is something that should be considered. It needs a second pass to remove some of the ambiguity, which can currently be read as, "You can be banned if we feel like it."
While that's generally true of any online space, I don't think that was quite your staff's intentions with revising the rules of engagement, and it's how it reads from a mostly-neutral stance.
I do hope this is taken in the spirit it's intended, with the intent of being constructive.
While also totally understanding and agreeing with many of the prior arguments for it, I too am not thrilled with Because of the Artstyle, but only because I hear it so often when I recommend shows that it's just become an instant sigh-producing event for me. Especially when people don't use it to shut down a single show, but the entire medium.
"I just don't like art." Is how I then hear it, and that's when I am feeling charitable.
Side-tangent. I'll retreat back to my anime cave.
Calorie deficit has worked for me in the past - I'm definitely not weighing in on the larger science because honestly? Nutritional science is an oft-contradictory nightmare that I simply don't have the resources to take a deep dive into.
That being said, I did not stick to my lifestyle changes and - more importantly - my lifestyle was altered without my consent in the forms of other issues like mental health, ruining my back by deciding that working in the back room of a book store was a great idea because it would be close to books. (PS: It doesn't matter what's in the boxes if you're on a time crunch to open as many as possible, and you destroy your back doing it.)
@ganymede said in Health and Wealth and GrownUp Stuff:
I realize that fat-shaming and dieting can cause psychological damage to those who cannot seem to lose the weight, but I refuse to believe this is a damned-if-you-do-or-don't situation. If anyone wants to lose weight, I'll cheer them on, and if they relapse I will still cheer them on because addictions, obesity, and cancer are all fucking monsters that aren't easy to beat but, dammit, I'm in your corner if you're going to give it a go.
And that's the attitude I'd argue most if not all people need to take. People don't need shame or pity, just support.
It's not great. And we keep getting performative theater instead of actual action. They asked that less people come to the morning stand-up meeting.
Literally with a fraction of the positivity and a fraction of the cases, we were shut down in 2020. The amount of head-in-sand bullshit it takes to be putting a 'This is fine' hat on when we don't know the implications Omicron may have toward Long Covid, the very real danger to people who are immuno-compromised or have comorbidities is all just fucking galling to me. The only reason we're not shut down is because people got tired of the logistical changes.
I'm so beyond tired, so beyond furious, so beyond betrayed. This is/was the best job I've ever had, but their callous disregard for the wellbeing of their workforce is enough to make me want to slap my resignation down without a plan lined up. That's a fantasy, and I won't do it, but it squeezes the pit of my stomach in the exact same way.
Stop pretending everything is fucking fine.
Am I taking crazy pills?
@ganymede said in The Work Thread:
Or continued operation is necessary for the business's continued existence, which means failure to adhere means everyone losing their jobs.
I'm sure this is the case in plenty of for-profit sectors. For what it's worth, it's a non-profit that doesn't rely on sales of any kind and could operate on its endowment alone. They actually lose less money by people not being present.
So yeah, no out for them, there. It's entirely motivated by archaic 'You're not productive if you're not in your seat' wisdom.
I can very clearly see why you'd think that, when this schism was largely along the lines of whether you were suitable to hold power.
Now you do so nearly unilaterally, with two admins racing one another to upvote your every take.
Best possible outcome for you. Thus, healthy.
@il-volpe said in Antagonistic PCs - how to handle them:
I didn't want my Game of Thrones MUSH to be all sword-swinging women.
@il-volpe said in Antagonistic PCs - how to handle them:
Especially when you get on great with the dwarves who are on around when you are and there would be no problem if people would stop bitching about how corny and wrong elf and dwarf players are if they RP not hating one another too much to interact.
What? That's stupid. Even in games where there's supposed to be a history of distrust between species, those are the NPC rules. It's just the theme - which as a PC, you then choose to make efforts to gird up or tear down based on the actions of the PCs. Do people not understand this? Is this something that's not understood?
Horimiya is an absolute adorable marshmallow of a show. Good on you for stepping outside of your usual sphere.
This is where I frantically tell to anyone who listens that even though 95% of all things are shit, that 5% still exists for anime, and if anyone needs a starting point, let me know.
- I would actually appreciate some solid recommendations, @Solstice. There is some great anime out there, I'm sure, but I definitely grew up in the late 90s/early 00s when it was taking the general nerd world by storm, complete with overzealous fans who insisted that all anime was great and fantastic and must-watch and and and purely based on the fact that it was anime, without any regard for whether or not it was actually good. That put me off it for some time (with the exception of Miyazaki, who is beautiful and charming and I adore everything he does) as those sorts of fanbases often do.
Well now there's a THREAD.
@ominous said in Good Anime:
My recommendation is watch the original Fullmetal Alchemist anime through episode 22, then switch to Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood starting at episode 9 and finish it out.
See, this is a really good take on it. Completely agree. They zipped through the original material in brotherhood. I endorse this watch order, if you can deal with the occasionally antiquated animation of the original.
@wizz said in Good Anime:
I'll maybe throw some more suggestions up later, but in terms of comedy I def feel like The Disastrous Life of Saika K deserves a mention!!
Okay, I'm really going to have to watch this now. This is like the fifth time I've had it recommended.
Avoid Maryland. It's crazy expensive, and medical weed only.
It's still in progress, but...
To Your Eternity - God casts an orb of light to earth. A complete blank slate, whose purpose is to experience anything it comes into contact with. Naturally, the very first thing whose form it takes on is a rock. It's a pretty chill rock for awhile, until a dying domesticated wolf-dog collapses next to it. It's a bit of an idiotic creature, and frequently dies, because it doesn't know how to feed itself, but it always regenerates, because by its very nature, it's an immortal entity. Making its way through the frozen tundra, it comes upon the dog's former master, an endlessly optimistic but alone young man who's making it work by surviving on his own.
Together, the two resolve to experience all sorts of experiences, to find other people and a less desolate, hostile world, and their journey begins.
In the vein of Kino's Journey, Mushishi, and Violet Evergarden, it's episodic while maintaining a consistent through-line. Its first three episodes have been absolutely wonderful to behold, with beautifully rendered backgrounds, lively and sympathetic characters, and explorations of what it means to be an immortal creature, gradually figuring out what life is all about.
