Explore the depths of dark fantasy writing with our all-inclusive guide on enhancing your themes and drawing readers in with symbolism. Discover key strategies, delve into the background of dark fantasy literature, and let your imagination run wild with an enjoyable writing assignment. Regardless of your level of experience as a writer or your level of interest, this guide will assist you in creating dark fantasy stories that are memorable and impactful.
Writing in the dark fantasy genre is a journey into the depths of the human psyche, where symbolism and imagery rule supreme, and it goes beyond simple stories of magic and monsters. We'll look at how to use symbolism to enhance your themes, draw in readers, and craft worlds of dark fantasy that will stick with you in this extensive guide.

Understanding Symbolism in Dark Fantasy Writing

Let's examine the history and development of symbolism in dark fantasy literature before delving into its specific applications. Gothic literature is the source of dark fantasy literature; early works such as Bram Stoker's "Dracula" and Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein" established the themes of terror, mystery, and the paranormal. Dark fantasy has evolved over time as authors like H.P. Lovecraft, Anne Rice, and Clive Barker have explored themes of power, corruption, and the human psyche.

The Power of Symbolism in Dark Fantasy Writing

A powerful tool in the dark fantasy writer's toolbox, symbolism enables you to give your works a deeper resonance and meaning. You can add layers of intricacy and depth that captivate readers and hold their interest throughout by employing symbols and imagery to symbolise abstract ideas, feelings, and themes.

Essential Techniques for Using Symbolism in Dark Fantasy Writing

Let's now examine some crucial methods for enhancing themes in your dark fantasy writing with symbolism:
Pick Your Symbols Wisely: Whether it's a menacing raven perched atop a gravestone, a mysterious amulet with dark powers, or a sinister castle shrouded in mist, pick symbols that speak to your themes and characters.
Establish Symbolic Motifs: To reaffirm themes and provide a feeling of coherence and unity, incorporate reoccurring symbols and motifs into your narrative. Including symbolic elements in your story can enhance its depth and richness. Some examples of such elements are the moon, which denotes mystery and transformation, or a colour like red, which stands for blood and passion.
Employ Symbolic Imagery: To evoke mood and atmosphere, use rich descriptive language to paint vivid pictures with your words. Use imagery to draw readers into the dark fantasy world you've created, whether you're describing a haunted forest shrouded in shadows or a dilapidated mansion full of secrets.
Investigate Archetypes and Myths: Use mythological motifs and archetypal characters as inspiration to give your narrative enduring themes and universal lessons. Using these classic themes, such as the hero's journey, the underworld's descent, or the conflict between light and darkness, can give your dark fantasy story more depth and resonance.

Fun Writing Exercise: Unleash Your Imagination

Select a Theme: Choose a theme or idea that you wish to explore in your dark fantasy story to begin with. Select a theme that appeals to you and piques your interest, such as the nature of power, the duality of human nature, or the quest for salvation.
Determine Your Symbols: The next step is to make a list of images and symbols that are connected to the theme you have selected. These could be places with symbolic meaning, animals, colours, or even objects. For example, you could use symbols like a decaying city, a black rose, or a serpent if you're examining the theme of corruption.
Create Your Story: After deciding on a theme and symbols, begin creating your story by incorporating these components into it to give it depth and resonance. Employ evocative language to create a sense of atmosphere and mood, and allow your symbols to direct the course of your story and the character development.
After writing your story, consider how the symbolism you employed enriched your themes and make any necessary revisions. Seek chances to hone your imagery or add more nuance to your symbolism in order to produce a more compelling and meaningful reading experience. And don't be scared to edit and polish your narrative until the power of symbolism shines through!

Famous Writers and Works in Dark Fantasy Literature

Dark fantasy literature boasts a rich history and a wealth of influential writers and works. From classic tales of Gothic horror to modern masterpieces of dark fantasy, here are a few notable examples:
The Cthulhu Mythos of H.P. Lovecraft: Lovecraft is recognised as one of the pioneers of contemporary horror literature, and the dark fantasy subgenre has been greatly impacted by his Cthulhu Mythos. Lovecraft's stories, replete with cosmic horror.), ancient gods, and secret knowledge, tackle existential dread and humanity's smallness in the face of cosmic forces that are beyond our comprehension.
Neil Gaiman's "The Sandman": This graphic novel series is a masterwork of dark fantasy that masterfully combines dream sequences, mythology, and folklore. With its sophisticated storyline, nuanced characters, and rich, vivid imagery, "The Sandman" has won both praise from critics and a devoted readership, solidifying Gaiman's place as one of the leading authors of contemporary dark fantasy literature.
George R.R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire": George R.R. Martin's epic fantasy series "A Song of Ice and Fire" is a sprawling saga of political intrigue, war, and magic set in the fictional continent of Westeros. With its morally ambiguous characters, intricate plot twists, and gritty, realistic world-building, "A Song of Ice and Fire" has redefined the boundaries of the dark fantasy genre and inspired a cultural phenomenon with its adaptation into the hit HBO series "Game of Thrones".

Embrace the Power of Symbolism

To sum up, symbolism is a powerful tool that can enhance your themes, draw readers in, and help you write darker fantasy fiction to new heights. You can write dark fantasy stories that stick in the reader's mind long after the last page is turned by carefully selecting your symbols, coming up with symbolic motifs, employing vivid imagery, and taking inspiration from myths and archetypes.
So embrace the power of symbolism, let your imagination run wild, and set out on an amazing adventure into the shadowy depths of fantasy literature. Your readers are just waiting to be enthralled with the wonders of your writing!

Elevating Your Writing Experience

With pen and paper in hand, set off on your dark adventure, reflect on the deep experience that the GC Luxury Quill Set provides. Each stroke of the quill seems like a fall into the depths of darkness, capturing the essence of your darkest fantasies with unmatched precision thanks to its superb craftsmanship and timeless elegance.
The GC Luxury Quill Set transforms writing into an art form, drawing you into the intricate web of your own invention whether you're creating suspenseful dialogue or narrative twists. It becomes an extension of your will, channelling the raw emotion and atmosphere necessary to creating a genuinely unforgettable dark fantasy tale thanks to its ergonomic form and fluid ink flow.

My Own Dark Fantasy Realm

Hi there, fellow fans of dark fantasy! Thanks to your unflinching support, our blog—which is packed with tales and inspirations of dark fantasy—is making waves on TikTok, Pinterest, and YouTube. Even more thrilling is the fact that we're creating a captivating Trading Card Game to further engross you in Twilight Citadel's eerie mysteries. Explore the depths of the shadows with our website, where you can get eerie yet lovely phone wallpapers and posters. Furthermore, we've got you covered with free resources like desktop wallpapers and profile pictures to make sure your gadgets are brimming with eerie fantasy atmosphere. Come along with us on this surreal adventure, where fears come true and shadows dance. Are you prepared to welcome the gloom?

Two years ago my rapist was found guilty of second degree rape in St. Mary's County, MD. Little did I know, that the neat end to my tragedy would hardly be over.
Sentencing, is the act in which the judge determines the punishment of the convicted felon. Usually felons are taken into custody and the time they spend in jail will later be considered part of whatever jail time they are issued. For me? The Judge allowed the man to have a ankle monitor until sentencing and rest at home. How did he spend his time? Well, he showed up to the soccer games I would've been at (luckily abroad at the time) and he got picked up at a party he lied about attending and was then held in jail until sentencing.
The sentencing happened nearly two months after the trial--but no one told me. The State's Attorney contacted me and informed me I had to drop everything to rush to the court to give my statement. I went first and because I was not prepared--didn't say half of what I wanted and wasn't nearly as eloquent as I wanted to be.
Afterwards, the judge allowed the Defense attorney to comment on my mental health because I had a therapist and then asked if I had ever been sexually assaulted before. Yes, this is not trial--he was already guilty--but the judge allowed me to be crossed anyway at the sentencing. Thankfully the States Attorney objected to that line of questioning and I got to listen to all his supporters sum my rapist up: He's good at soccer, he translates for the community, and he never raped them--so how bad was he really? And my rapist? Well, since he was found guilty he found god, saw he had an alcohol problem, and realized he would never get the life he wanted. Apologized to the judge, his parents, and supporters. Oh yea, and me!
The Judge deliberated and despite the Maryland minimum guidelines being 5 to 10 years--she gave him 18 months and included whatever time he already spent in jail. 10 months later, he was out reoffending against young girls. By the time the warrant went out, he knew he was done for and took his life in the parking lot by my apartment complex--did I mention he only spent three months out of jail and most of it was spent in my apartment complex with his significant other?
Thankfully, a corner apartment, locked doors, and a big, big dog made me feel a lot safer. Remember to get therapy! My therapist was crucial in my mental recovery. But to be honest, his death was the most freeing aspect of it all.
I'll never see him at the soccer field. Never see him turning the corner of a store. Never see his distinctive car flying across an intersection.
But it's never over. The uninformed from soccer mourned his suicide; I didn't have the heart to say he was a convicted rapist who raped me. His obituary was glowing--a loving, helpful, generous community man taken too young.
Then the judicial election. 1.5 years later I am still being dragged into this. When there was a question of the judge's competency in going so far below minimum guidelines for someone who immediately reoffended potentially multiple people/times--the judge's response was a mass text saying I was older than the victim, I had previously been consensual, and I was hiding it from my boyfriend.
??? I would very much like to be excluded from this narrative. After all, my boyfriend was my biggest support in all of it--I just didn't want him listening to me describe my rape? Also, last I checked a large portion of rapes are from former consensual relationships that don't take closed doors as an option.
Regardless, I wrote an Op-ed, connected with the Maryland Crime Victim's Resource Center to coordinate a release...and...nothing. No one wants to post it. I got one response that they claimed they researched for 7 hours but took only a quote on how disappointed I was about the outcome.
Why? Because politics are running behind the scenes. This judge was appointed by former governor Hogan who is running for Maryland senator and his daughter recently took post in the State Attorney's office.
Is my outcome common or to be expected? I guess not. But the next time you tell a rape victim go ahead and report your crime--this is what they get. Silenced.
That being said? Even with tape over my mouth and my hands tied behind my back, I don't regret a goddamn thing--except that I wasn't more vocal sooner.
Nevertheless, persist my friends.

I was recently recommended this game for its supposed similarity to Disco Elysium and Fallout: New Vegas, and after playing it I became surprised by its lack of mention on this subreddit. It's made by Obsidian with Josh Sawyer as its director, but I found the writing to be significantly more memorable and compelling than The Outer Worlds. Set in 16th century Bavaria, the game is still rife with commentary on religion, gender, and class. Pentiment understands historical movements through historical materialism, and there are heavily embedded class distinctions between the peasantry, the townsfolk, and the abbey. Conflict between these classes is what pushes the game’s story forward, rather than simply the actions of the protagonist. Although Josh Sawyer says it pretty directly in his YT videos discussing the games development, the writing of the world rejects 'great man' theory very explicitly.
Similar to DE, a complete lack of combat and RPG mechanics means that this game is composed entirely of conservations. Although the game lacks voice acting, the appearance of text is still compelling as each character scribbles their dialogue. Monks and nuns of the abbey write in a near illegible gothic script while the illiterate peasantry writes much more simply, and the divisions are further emphasized by the different meals that the townspeople offer to the protagonist. The more well off townspeople can afford things like venison while peasants can only offer bread and cheese during times of heavy taxation. Like in actual history, Pentiment is also filled with representation of marginalized groups and other individuals that go unmentioned in many accounts of the past, with queer, Romani, Jewish and Ethiopian characters. The game itself is meant to question how we interpret the past and how historical events are reckoned with by those who come later, like in DE.
Apart from the themes, the visual and audio experience of the game is stunning, and it really tries to make use of the setting to tell a compelling narrative about the protagonist’s life and the people he interacts with. I truly recommend trying out Pentiment if any of this sounds interesting!

Throwaway for above reason.
A few months ago, I took a new job with a new retail store opening in my area and was hired on as a third key. Everything started out ok when the schedule was 8-4 M-F, however, after the store actually opened and the schedule changed to opening/closing and weekend shifts - all of a sudden there was an issue with the assistant manager wanting to close.
For background information, I am a single, mid-20s single woman without children. The assistant manager came to me one afternoon asking to switch her one closing shift the upcoming week with my opening shift that day because closing shifts “make her tired” and she also referenced the fact that she is a mother, and that she needs to “get home to get kid, otherwise her husband has to take off work.”
I refused to switch shifts with her and honestly made up a reason as to why I couldn’t, even though I shouldn’t have felt like I needed to. I then went and reported this to the store manager, because she also disclosed to me that she claimed that she was told in her interview she would “never have to take a closing shift.” I presented this to the store manager and basically told him he needed to handle it, because I felt uncomfortable to have someone in a supervisor position come to me and ask me in a pressuring way to switch shifts.
The store manager was perfectly understandable of this, and he did speak to the assistant manager about it. However, she quickly figured out who spoke to him about it as I was the only one she had asked to switch shifts with. This then started some pretty extreme retaliation.
Despite being told not to talk to me one on one, the next day after being spoken to by the store manager, the assistant manager approached me and asked to speak privately in the office, without a witness. She approached me somewhat aggressively, and I had an uncomfortable feeling about this conversation. I agreed to talk to her there, however, on the way, I began recording the conversation on my phone. I live in a one-party recording state.
During this conversation, the assistant manager started the conversation by asking multiple times if “we can just keep this conversation a total secret, just between you and me” and then violated open door policy by telling me that I was incorrect to go to the store manager, that she “didn’t mean anything by asking to switch shifts” and if I was uncomfortable, I should have come and talked to her instead of going to my direct supervisor (the store manager). During the course of the conversation, I counted over 4 times that she said “next time don’t talk to SM name, just come talk to me” and told me I should be understanding to the fact that “she’s a mother” and why she wouldn’t want to close. It was a very uncomfortable and unprofessional conversation overall.
I of course reported this almost immediately to the store manager and showed him the recording. He agreed this was fully out of line and spoke to the assistant manager again asking why she approached me when specifically told not to. Not knowing the conversation was recorded, the assistant manager proceeded to lie and say she just “wanted to smooth things over” and made up a completely different narrative that what actually happened. She outright denied ever telling me I could not report anything to the store manager.
After this is when the retaliation started to come out in full swing. One of my job responsibilities is to visually merchandise the store. The next day when I came in for my shift, the assistant manager was tearing down and completely resetting a floor set I had just done the day prior. I asked very plainly “what are you doing?” And she immediately told me “I am not going to deal with your attitude today and I will send you home right now.” This was 20 minutes after I arrived for an 8 hour shift.
I walked away and went to the back office and interrupted the store manager who was in a district zoom meeting at the time and let him know the assistant manager was threatening to send me home. He left the meeting and then proceeded to “mediate” on the sales floor the rest of the day, as the assistant manager did not act out of pocket when under the direct supervision of the store manager.
Another notable incident was an act of attempted physical violence before the assistant manager was fired. I was in the back stock room with the inventory manager when the assistant manager, who was pushing a large rack on wheels of very heavy merchandise (I can’t be too specific as to what the merchandise was as I’m scared it may give away where I work, but this rack would have weighed 350+ lbs easily) burst through the back stock room swinging doors without warning into my direct path. I jumped out of the way with mere seconds to spare or I would have been run over and definitely injured at the speed she was going and yelled out “excuse me!” To try and illicit a response, just in case she did not see me there.
I got no response. No apology, no excuse me, just dead pan silence as she then stared at me as she went by. It felt VERY intentional. She even dropped off the merchandise at the back of the room, turned around and walked out without ever saying a word to me. The inventory manager even rushed over to me and asked if I was alright because she could see how aggressive it was.
The next incident involved the assistant manager threatening insubordination against me, and this is when I felt like she was using language to try and write me up for something. Over the weekend, the store manager (and NOT the assistant manager) completed a new visual set as directed by corporate. Since I was not present for it, I have been previously instructed by the store manager that if I feel there is a better option to fit the set to the corporate visual standard, I have the full power to make those changes behind him. This is because he prefers to set the floor set from the beginning himself and then let me go behind and tweak his work to “make it perfect.”
Since I was previously instructed to do this, when I came into work after the set had been changed, I then proceeded to “tweak” it. My honest contributions were changing the pants on one mannequin, swapping a necklace on another mannequin, and setting a hat shelf for a group of hats that were not set on the floor at all. While setting the hats, I was told that I immediately needed to stop what I was doing because “this floor set has already been set, so you changing it right now is insubordination.” I am smart enough to recognize when she adopted new vocabulary often seen in write ups that she was probably working on one. It was at this point I finally decided enough was enough, and I called HR.
The HR rep was very understanding and listened to my complaints. I do realize HR is there to protect the company more than anything, but with the hostile work environment she was creating I felt like she was a big liability to have on their hands. I complained about hostile work environment, retaliation, harassment, and discrimination because I was made to feel as if I should close because I’m childless. She told me she would investigate my claims and then report back.
To make a long story short, my suspicions were correct and the assistant manager has created an entire write up for my “attitude”that conveniently started the day after I told the store manager about the “private” conversation she had with me in the managers office. It took about a week from when I reported it, but HR did fire her for retaliation. I did not find out about the write up she had written until after she was fired.
There were a couple incidents in the week when HR was investigating her like her calling the district manager because I took our register money to the bank to get change as instructed by the store manager. She skipped calling the store manager entirely and just went straight to the district manager and attempted to make it seem as if I was stealing. The other incident involved her yelling in my face loudly at the register in front of multiple customers and calling me a liar because I corrected her on a work policy.
Once she was fired, she immediately started calling my personal cell phone multiple times. I did not answer. She then sent me a string of multiple threatening texts messages and also tried to say that my recording of our conversation was illegal (again, we live in a one-party recording state). She had a printed out copy of the law and I think is honestly dense enough to not understand that I am the one party to the recorded conversation, therefore making the recording not illegal. I told her to never text me again, and she then proceeded to get violent and threaten to fight me if I ever saw her again and call me multiple curse words. I decided to block her number, hoping that she’d move on.
The HR rep called to tell me they had “closed their investigation” and I’d be notified of the findings on my next shift, however I told the rep that I knew she was fired because she was calling me and sending me threatening text messages. IMO, the rep started to act indifferent and told me to “report it to my local authorities if I felt uncomfortable”
Now, over the past two weeks there has been an anonymous number calling the store asking to speak with me. I have yet to pick up one of these calls, however one of my coworkers did tell the person the first time that I was there. They asked to speak with me, and then when put on hold they immediately hung up. I was nervous she may try to show up, but nothing happened that I know of that night. I chalked it up to maybe it was just an actual customer.
However, today an anonymous number called again asking to speak with someone with my first name. We have two people who work there with my first name, so when my coworker asked “which one?” The anonymous caller immediately said my last name and described my physical features to a T. My coworker told the caller I wasn’t working that day, and they asked when I would return. She told them she doesn’t know the schedule so she can’t say, and then the caller hung up.
I have NEVER shared my last name with a customer, EVER and anyone who knows me well enough to know that information would just call my cell phone and definitely not from a blocked number. I have a strong suspicion this is her, although I’m extremely nervous as to why she would keep calling after it’s been weeks since she’s been fired.
What can I do to protect myself? Am I entitled to protection from my employer given the circumstances around her termination? Does this qualify for some kind of protective order? I genuinely do not feel safe going to work right now. I do not feel like I’ve been protected enough. I understand times are hard and the job market is tough, but she put herself in a position to be fired. The state of the economy makes me nervous that she may feel as if she doesn’t have anything to lose now.
TLDR: my assistant manager was fired for retaliation against me and is now threatening me and has physically harassed me in the past and is probably calling under a blocked number to get my work schedule.

Been looking for an analysis of the game as a text along with it's narrative progression, character development, the emplotment along with the storyline itself as a separate text. Any leads will be a great great help. Been interested for long!

So I’m reading the trilogy alongside having Andy Serkis narrate with audible. I enjoy them overall though I have trouble picturing what he describes. He is so detailed and I have little imagination so I often google images to have the right mental picture. Is there such a thing as a book that goes chronologically with the trilogy that contains pictures depicting the scenes as he describes? One day I hope AI can reach a point it can generate pictures based exactly on the text which would help me follow along. But for now I’d be interested in a photo book, but really only if it has everything I’d need for the 3 main books in it. Thanks!

WARNING: MASSIVE YAPPING INCOMING. SEE BOTTOM FOR THE TLDR.
So, genocide. If you're here, you probably know that people have a lot of varying thoughts about how it exactly works. a lot of people blame Chara, or the fallen human, which is only partially fair, but we'll get to that. What I want to yap about now is the Emotion theory; it's got a few names, but the base idea is that Frisk, the player character, does or doesn't have a say in the actions they take in UNDERTALE. This is, like, a proper essay on the topic, so really, yapping incoming.
first, we'll talk about geno. in neutral and pacifist, Frisk is a lot more expressive and emotive, at least according to the charrator text (if that's any point, really.) Say, their face scrunching up at papyrus's spaghetti, answering questions mid fight or making decisions, or the questionable situation in true lab with snowdrake's mom and "not saying that", which is already a situation in it of itself. we'll come to that, coming back to genocide, frisk, on the surface, doesn't seem too emotive, not partaking in puzzles and such. this is, to my understanding, is a point of evidence to say that frisk has less input or control in genocide, pinning the blame on the player as the villain. this is also contrast with their, in the same genocide route, making a "creepy face" when talking to flowey, and smiling at encounters after ruins, which I interpret to mean that they do, in fact, feel emotion regarding the genocide. thus, the player themselves isnt "forcing them" to do it.
Getting back to the true pacifist True Lab encounters, with the snowdrake mom fight being my point of interest. the describer text, which we will say is chara due to the genocide new home texts indicating such, seem very confused in true lab, not fully understanding what's happening. if you choose to heckle, they will talk about how you berate her and so forth, until suddenly backtracking- "what? you didn't say that?"
with how chara seems to react to this, having a warped or underinformed understanding of frisk's actions, it's safe to assume that they aren't omniscient regarding it all. thus, they must be talking to frisk themselves when saying what they're doing; they can't know, and are making observations and educated guesses in-the-moment: watching frisk's face scrunch up when eating the spaghetti, relaying what they hear frisk say to people. that said, with the aforementioned point that the player isn't a canon force in the game, who are they talking to? my best guess is frisk themselves: either simply explaining what they're doing to the unaware frisk, or acting as the outside impression for frisk, who doesn't seem the most expressive outside of chara saying what they do; again, outside of narrator text, the ONLY emotion we see frisk have is during genocide with the smiling.
Let's recap all the information provided, obligatory TLDR:
frisk, based on how they act in genocide and pacifist, is, in lore, unaware yet controlling of their own actions.
the player, based off previously stated information, has no canon influence on frisk's actions or decisions, beyond pure game-play mechanics.
Chara, according to the true lab text, isn't "part of" frisk or omniscient to their actions, and is pretty much going on-the-fly when it comes to text, relaying frisk's actions to them while acting as the outside emotion, though not perfect.
that's all the yapping i have. If you have any counterpoints, additions, or just want to hate on my essay about the game, do so! i want to further my understanding of the lore, through conversations. have a good rest of your scrolling!

o7 fellow piloteers!
I'm looking for YouTube series recommendations, specifically narrative focused ones like Chloroken's "A Nomad Tale" and Wingspan's "Going South", the latter of which brought me back to EVE, and the former of which made me settle in Anoikis.
I'm caught up on Lumin's "Authentic new player" series and am enjoying it, but also looking for something with a more cohesive storytelling.
I was thrilled to hear of a new Wingspan video being released, but I could only muster 15 minutes of it as it was only text over a black screen and sped up compilations of ganks in jspace with ai generated music which made me lose interest rather quickly.
Any amazing series you guys could recommend? The longer the better!
Edit: Thanks for your suggestions, much appreciated. I will be catching up on Tabarnouche's "Corvette to Cynabal" series then having a look at the other recommendations.

Sorry… this is a bit if a stream of conciouness. (and probably too positive but…)
There are 2 devices in my lifetime where I had the need to “insta-buy”… meaning that using it meant I “got it” straight away and can see a future different to today. The first was a Tesla Model 3… the second Apple Vision Pro.
This surely is a view into the future. It is AR + VR disrupted in a way only Apple has the patience to execute … late-ish but in a way that shows they absolutely have a long term and deep commitment to a brand new platform… and get it. They have built a platform on which from day one everything you need to be able to do seems to be available. This really shows the real benefit of the core apple platforms and walled garden working to bring a V1 experience second to none in the VAR world.
I am simply amazed at how the UI just works, is responsive, and thought through as a platform. The iOS roots are there and it just works as you might expect. iPad apps and vision apps are great (for V1), the eye tracking and interaction model, again for a first go is just effortless.
The way it can be used without EVER taking it off - from the first use - shows that the Apple teams have deeply understood a use case for a brand new platform that within 10 years could be the natural way of using technology.
When these actually become apple glasses and get smaller the iPhone will be replaced… it might take 10 years but the vision and building blocks are all here.
I have worn these solidly now for 6 hours and was comfortable throughout.
Amazing that from now we have the Office Suite essentially native, so many existing apps available for iOS / iPadOS available and working is phenomenal. I remember the first days of the watch, the iPad and the Phone… this is actually pretty complete.
I just love the iris authentication … just seamless for me and I have 1-Password installed which works as advertised.
It is also amazing that in a text editor like Notes you can basically look at a letter click your fingers, and the text cursor appears there. Long hold of the fingers allows you to move the cursor around, a double click selects a word. A triple click gets you the iOS text selection options. None of this is perfect yet, but it is amazing to see and you can see the possibilities.
Can I also say that the personal Spatial Audio is my absolutely favourite, genius, and undersold feature…. no headphones required and great sound.
All in all just brilliant for a V1 product and it is so nice to see so many of the Apple technologies that have been released in recent years find their way into this product.
Now… back to the future.
For international users:
Don’t be afraid of buying in the US and taking it back home. I am from Australia and was very worried about the narrative from Apple on the risks. Basically you can setup and configure everything without a US Apple Store account. You do not need a US AppleID to get going.
It will be functional and useable and only the apps that rely on region-locked services will not work … AppStore, Music, TV. This might seem like a killer but so much actually works including iCloud syncing and files etc that are based around your own account.
In a month or so (June 10 likely) it will be released in more markets and it will start working with your local AppleID.
If you can get a US AppleID then you can actually use Apple services which then work and remember your settings and playlists from your home territory… including Disney+, Apple Store, Apple Music etc.
I got a US AppleID by CHANGING THE REGION of one of my old less-used AppleIDs. This involved getting a US SMS service based on SlySMS which is the critical step. Every other avenue based on creating a new AppleID seemed to get blocked at one stage or another.

Hello!
I need someone to take care of the environment for a fully accessible school building (a mix of modern/fantasy). This means creating any needed props and doing the level design for a school ground in Unreal Engine 5.
This is going to be some long-term work for a hobby project of mine, so there are no hard deadlines.
Requirements:
Some experience with modeling and level design in UE5.
Point me to any relevant works that showcase any sort of hand-painted and stylized interior design.
Shoot me a DM if you're interested.
(Some irrelevant text to have more words)
I'm embarking on an exciting long-term hobby project centered around the creation of a fully accessible school building within Unreal Engine 5. This project is a fusion of modern and fantasy elements, offering a unique and immersive environment for exploration and interaction. As I delve into this endeavor, I'm seeking a talented individual to collaborate with me in bringing this vision to life. The primary focus of this collaboration will be on crafting the environment of the school building, ensuring every detail contributes to its realism and allure. From meticulously designing classrooms and corridors to embellishing common areas and outdoor spaces, we aim to create an open-world experience that captivates and inspires. To qualify for this role, I'm seeking someone with a background in modeling and level design, capable of seamlessly integrating various elements to construct a cohesive and visually stunning environment. While previous experience in Unreal Engine 5 is desirable, a strong foundation in digital artistry and a willingness to learn are equally valuable. In addition to technical proficiency, I'm particularly interested in individuals who possess a flair for hand-painted, stylized interior design. The ability to infuse personality and charm into every corner of the school building is crucial for immersing players in its rich narrative and atmosphere. As this project is a labor of love with no rigid deadlines, it offers a flexible and collaborative environment for creative exploration and experimentation. Whether you're a seasoned professional looking for a passion project or an aspiring artist eager to refine your skills, I welcome you to reach out and join me on this exhilarating journey. If you're intrigued by the prospect of shaping the environment of a modern yet fantastical school building and believe you have the skills and passion to contribute, I encourage you to send me a direct message. I look forward to discussing this project further and exploring the possibilities together.

DISCLAIMER: This theory uses text from the leaked 2.3 relics, Firefly's signature light cone, the current Glamoth planar relics, and relevant lines from dialogue in the story. I'll do my best to cite my sources for everything!
Let's get down to business! Who, or what, is Titania exactly?
According to both planar relics, she's the "Empress". That's about the only thing they agree on though, because the sphere describes her as a benevolent ruler who brought civilization to Glamoth's outer colonies, while the rope actually tells us that she's got no power (but I think they mean political power, since it also claims she telepathically commanded the Iron Cavalry and that seems kinda powerful), and that the ruling council created her in response to the Swarm's attack. Here's a longer excerpt from the rope's description:

"In the dreams that these warriors are woven into, the sole meaning of their existence is to guard Titania and her 'empire'. In their short lives, they studied, fought, received the Empress' commands, faced the enemy fearlessly, and died with honor."

It's pretty damning evidence that "empire" is written in quotation marks like this in most of these relics, and I've got theories about what kind of state Glamoth was (cough cough. Interstellar colonizers, cough), but that's another discussion. What matters here is that Titania definitely isn't a real Empress. Maybe she's a puppet ruler, or a symbol but not a person, or even some kind of war tactic AI skynet situation to direct troops, or whatever floats your boat.
I don't think she's Firefly, though. IMO it'd be a little tacky to get another identity reveal after Sam, but I wouldn't be making this post if I didn't have a stronger argument than that. Before 2.2, there were a lot of theories about her identity as Sam, the Stellaron Hunter... specifically theories that wanted to separate that identity from "Firefly", either by claiming Sam might be an AI or a second personality, or by claiming that Firefly is an ordinary girl (or Titania) who found the armor and decided to wear it. Lemme go over my counterarguments for both these points, and then I'll get to my own theory.
After her first "death" to the meme, Black Swan helps us investigate what Firefly was doing in the hotel, and a certain line of dialogue raised many questions. To quote:

Firefly: "Let's get going..."

(Here Black Swan proposes that she's with another person)

Firefly: "Why did you...!? This isn't what we agreed on..."

(Here Black Swan proposes that somebody betrayed her)

Firefly: "Mecha...!? Why..."

(Here Black Swan points out it's weird of her to say 'mecha')
Thing is, Black Swan's memory magic never shows us this second person, so we can only assume she's talking to the armor, right? Except... we've never seen her and Sam in the same place together. I know that sounds cheesy, but it's actually pretty big proof here. When she transforms into Sam, or back out of Firefly, the armor just appears and disappears in a bunch of flames. Of course it's probably that her transforming device is the reason why, but even without it there's a line in Genshin that could explain this too. In one of the Traveler's profile voicelines, Paimon confirms that weapons and personal items simply appearing out of nowhere is a regular thing that happens in-universe, and it's likely HSR uses this same rule. I don't think there's any hard evidence to suggest the armor even exists physically until she uses her transforming device, so we can rule out this mystery person being Sam.
IMO, it was probably more like an upset reaction to somebody else who brought up the 'mecha' thing first. Maybe something like this:

???: "Sorry Firefly, you can't go off-script. You have to activate your mecha."
Firefly: "Mecha...!? Why..."

It could've been Silver Wolf on the phone, or maybe even Elio, but it doesn't really matter.
Another thing I've seen people argue is that her personality when we first meet Firefly in Golden Hour just doesn't match up with Sam. Voicelines from the Stellaron Hunters, dialogue from SW visiting the Express, and one of Blade's story chapters all describe him as the ruthless and cold-blooded muscle of the group, which is very different from the sweetheart tour guide we met. I think people can't understand how these two versions of her coexist, but they're not mutually exclusive at all. What if Sam's efficiency is because she dislikes being a weapon, and wants to get her jobs over with quickly? What if her mission in Penacony is Firefly's first chance to actually explore herself as "Firefly", without her scripts asking her to cause destruction? It's not like she's living a double life, more like she's still in the process of growing into her actual self. Maybe texting us stickers from Blade's phone was a baby step for her to experiment, since TB hadn't met Sam yet and she could be less serious, or maybe her armor's fingers have trouble typing, who even knows?? I think the "inconsistencies" in her behavior can be explained pretty easily once you realize she's still figuring herself out, y'know?
There's also tons of dialogue before and after her reveal that implies she's pretty familiar with combat, too. Her accurate description of Sampo is the obvious one (that man is NOT 5'9 though), but she also mentions that a baseball bat isn't an efficient weapon, and later in the story if you picked the Hanu trial for the auditions thing, she complains about not having her armor, brings up that it'll be hard for her to let go of the bazooka, and compares Hanu's rocket launcher to something called the "Soaring Locust II" (some kind of weapon attachment for her armor maybe?), so it's pretty clear that she's not a stranger to fighting. I don't think she's just some ordinary girl who picked up the mecha.
Finally, there's an inconsistency between her and Sam when talking about dreams. On the balcony, Firefly describes her dream about the scorched earth and the sapling, while Sam outright says he was "born without the ability to 'dream'." Thanks to her upcoming light cone, we've got an answer to this problem:

"Dreams remained too distant for her, as she gazed into the infinite darkness. Even as she sensed her consciousness slipping away, her mind replayed the same lingering memories over and over again..."

I think the simplest solution is that Firefly's 'dream' was a metaphor to explain her wish to the Trailblazer, like a visualization to help her and others understand those feelings. The light cone kinda implies she doesn't dream at all, instead she relives her memories from being in the Glamoth military. The rest of that paragraph goes on to describe a Swarm attack and her fellow Cavalryman dying around her without anybody to honor their sacrifice, which is a memory she'd only have if she fought alongside them.
So dreaming isn't an issue anymore, and her two personalities aren't mutually exclusive, and she wasn't talking to her armor in the hotel. But I hear you, none of that really proves she isn't Titania, right? Because at least the Empress has the same origin as the Iron Cavalry pilots... And that's a good point, but I've got evidence against it too.
According to Firefly's drip marketing, she was "Born as a weapon", and is "afflicted with the agony of Entropy Loss Syndrome due to genetic modification.", both of which line up perfectly with our understanding of the Cavalry pilots so far. One leaked relic says "Identical-looking warriors were birthed from the incubators", the rope says "the ruling council threw down the gauntlet and resolved to alter the essence of humanity", and even Firefly herself says "[Sam] is the cradle of my vitality, and the meaning of my birth." when asked about it in Dreamflux Reef. These statements only make sense if Firefly is one of these lab-grown humans, and literally born to pilot her armor.
If you're still not convinced, that line about Entropy Loss gives us another clue: since it's due to genetic modification, that means her "altered essence" is what causes it, so how exactly is she different from a regular human? Another leaked relic says "The armor deeply synchronized its sensory organs with that of the pilot", which is very weird phrasing until you remember that Welt told us Sam has superhuman perception after we got SW's message. That ability kinda contradicts everything Firefly said about her condition, so what if her genetic modifications are meant for that "synchronization"? Maybe it's supposed to increase combat effectiveness with some kind of symbiotic relationship between her and the armor? It definitely plays into more mecha anime tropes (NGE comes to mind), which she's already got a crazy amount of, and might even explain why she's naked while wearing her armor.
When she calls Sam the "cradle of [her] vitality", she means it's literally the only way she can guarantee her Entropy Loss won't flare up and cause her to dissociate. The armor keeps her grounded and conscious, even though it might be extremely painful to use it, given how Adin Rudd in the English dub almost seems to grunt out his lines, and how her kit and the boss' kit both include HP-draining mechanics. This is also why she appreciates the Dreamscape so much, as she told us in her secret balcony spot that she's able to "listen, and see, and touch, and think, and understand whatever I want with my body", as opposed to doing these things with Sam instead. Her cutscene with Blade suggests that it's not impossible for her to exit the armor, but I'm guessing she can't do this for long stretches of time, or that it comes with a risk of having her Entropy Loss worsen. The "icy medical cabin" she mentioned turned out to be Sam, after all.
This one's a bit more subjective, but I'll die on this hill so I might as well include it as a final argument. I honestly think her narrative themes benefit more if she's a regular Iron Cavalryman than if she's Titania. Her story is about an experimental soldier born to be a weapon, living only to kill bugs by the orders of a fake Empress she swore loyalty to, and never having a chance to experience life as a regular young girl. It's about recovering from war trauma, overcoming a medical condition and physical disability, and finally discovering an identity for herself instead of being defined by her use to other people. I'm so in love with this character concept, and while I plan to bankrupt myself over this girl no matter what direction Hoyo picks, I've got my fingers crossed that I'm right about her because it would be so amazing to see that story come to life about a character who stole my heart like this. ^w^
In conclusion? Firefly ≠ Titania, and I believe it's a more cohesive, impactful, and beautiful story if she's a soldier instead of an Empress.
Thank you for reading!
P.S. I'd love to hear anybody's thoughts in the comments, whether they agree with some of my points, or if they've got arguments of their own! Just remember to be civil, because at the end of the day we're all Firefly enjoyers and everybody's ideas are valid until we get more official information about her! :D

Hello! I’ve been trying to get a partner for a specific rp and that didn’t work so here’s everything that I wouldn’t mind doing.
I would be the male in all of these and we would need to discuss the plot. But I generally like romance and slice of life.
DC: - Batman/Catwoman - Batman/Zatanna - Superman/Lois Lane - Superman/Wonder Woman - Nightwing/Star Fire - Mr Miracle/Big Barda
Marvel: - Spider-Man/Mary Jane (any version of Mary Jane so Spinneret included) - Spider-Man/Black Cat - Logan/Jean Grey - Gambit/Rogue
Invincible: - Invincible/Atom Eve
Star Wars: - Anakin/Padme
ATLA/TLOK: - Zuko/Mai
The ones I want to do the most: - Gambit/Rogue (preferred) - Batman/Catwoman - Batman/Zatanna - Superman/Wonder Woman (preferred)
There’s others too but that’s all that I could think of.
About me:

• I have several years of Roleplay experience
• Generally I give Short to Medium responses
• For Narrations I use regular text in third person view
• For Speech I like to put it in quotes
• Anything out of Roleplay I say in parentheses
• I generally also like to match your style so none of my preferences are set in stone
• My time zone is Mountain Time
• For Speech I like to put it in quotes
• Anything out of Roleplay I say in parentheses
• I generally also like to match your style so none of my preferences are set in stone
• I much prefer to Roleplay through here than any other platforms
• My time zone is Mountain Time
• I generally respond whenever I can but if it looks like I won't be able to for a long period of time, I'll send a message saying so
• I also would like to know any triggers for you or any annoyances so I can avoid those to the best of my ability
• Also if there's any problems or issues in what I'm doing please tell me so I can try to fix it or explain why I do what I do

And I think that's it, if there is any questions feel free to ask

So as we've seen with this currrent main order, one of the big drivers as to why we are likely to fail it stems from a lack of player interest. Simply put, bug divers (I am one) just do not care enough to kill a bunch of bots, and you really can't blame them. Personal preferences apart, the current setup of main orders ensures that player engamenent will never be as high as it should be, because it's essentially a huge collective action problem. At best, we will always be inefficient at tackling MOs, at worst, a large enough contingent of players refusing to participate will actively hinder the war effort given how planet liberation works. There are a couple of reasons for this: (1) the free-rider effect, there is no incentive to actually participate in the MO outside of narrative reasons, since if we win, everyone gets a piece of the pie–including those who did not contribute; (2) the drop-in-the-bucket effect, since no individual contribution will ever have a meaningful impact on the MO, players will prioritize their individual enjoyment since whether they participate or not doesn't matter–this starts becoming an issue when its thousands of players thinking in that same way.
There is a way I believe we could solve this: lock the medal rewards (not stratagems or anything else) behind a minium participation threshold in the main order. I propose that MO medal rewards should only be given if a player finishes a single MO-related operation in any difficulty. This is not a perfect solution, as anyone could just go to a level 1 difficulty mission and be done with the requirement in five minutes, but even low participation is better than none–especially if we amplify that effect to potentially thousands of people. This would also have the side effect of making players actually interested in the MO beyond it being a single line of text that may or may not give you free medals at the end of the week. This would also address longer-term issues like players not logging in for months only come back to capped medals without incentives to play to earn more.
I don't know what you guys think, but I believe this could start helping solve that issue without interfering with player choice and enjoyment.

Or rather, in a dedicated repost, because silly me couldn't read the pinned post and wait a few hours before posting my text the first time.
​
After giving a proper rewrite to Ayano, it's now time to do the same for her love interest. But first, I must give my apologises. The title of my post is "Reworking Taro", but it's actually misleading because there was barely any work to redo to begin with. Ok, there was the easy jab at the original character. Reading my previous rewrite posts isn't necessary to understand this one, but would allow you to grasp the differences with the official game better. If you're too lazy to do so, just keep in mind that my rewrite is a bit more social-focused. Anyway, here's my full-fledged take on our senpai.

Just an ordinary upperclassman: Daiki Tanaka (田中 大樹)

Although Taro Yamada is a perfectly valid Japanese name, it's literally the Japanese equivalent of John Doe. This name just gives me the impression that nothing really matters about him, and that it isn't even worth the effort thinking about a proper name. That might have been the dev's intention, given Taro's characterisation in the game, but I personally can't consider being so lazy about the second most important character. So, rather than keeping this name that makes Senpai seem like some background character, I chose names that actually are very common in Japan in order to keep the "average guy" feeling. The most common Japanese surname is Sato (佐藤), but that sounded a bit too generic for me, so I opted for Tanaka (田中), another widespread name that you might already have seen in some anime. Surprisingly, despite also being common, Yamada (山田) doesn't even come close. For his first name, "Daiki" (written like this: 大樹) means "big tree". It's a fairly popular boy name during the last decades and doesn't refer to anything particular, except maybe the fact that he is a big brother.
Just like many other mediocre harem MC, the main problem with Taro is that he is extremely bland. There's literally nothing worth noticing about him. Now don't get me wrong, making one of your main characters an Average Joe isn't a bad thing in itself, and I know that a yandere having a crush on ordinary people is nothing uncommon in modern Japanese media. However, even the most boringly average person that you can think of still has defined personality, goals, and passions that makes them at least more interesting than a slice of stale bread. In our case, you could replace Taro with a random object and the story would still make as much sense, which usually isn't a good sign for a story meant to have a serious tone. Just like my name choice suggested it, I wanted my version of Taro to stay ordinary. However, I tried to flesh out the little characterization he originally has to make him stand out in his own way, so that the numerous girls' interest in him would feel a bit less unbelievable.
This is Daiki Tanaka, a 17-years old Japanese boy living with his parents and his little sister. Like many other Japanese high-schoolers, he goes to high school from Monday to Friday, attends classes, studies for his tests, and hopes he will be accepted in a good university. And just like many other teenagers, he is is having interrogations about what he wants to do after graduation, how his classmates view him, and whether he'll find himself a girlfriend. Clearly, he's just an average student. Among the typical students you can find in a school, Daiki is a hard-working one. Pressured both by his parents and himself to get the best opportunities he can to settle his future, he is self-conscious about his academic performances and is always trying to improve his grades. Thus, he preferred to remain clubless and spend his free time alone to focus on his studies. Most of the time, he is seen studying at the school library, or reading a book of classic literature next to the fountain. But behind this ordinary reserved bookworm loner appearance is a kind and cultivated boy with a strong sense of justice and a clear passion for the old texts he's reading, making him actually quite a charming person to spend time with for those who can see past his plain exterior. Ayano, of course, is one of those few people, but little did she know that she won't be the only one interested in her dear senpai.

Gameplay role

According to the wiki:

Gameplay-wise, Taro is more similar to a "moving obstacle" rather than a regular interactive student, as he cannot be interacted with normally.

And you see, to me, that's a big problem. You spend the entire game keeping rivals away from Senpai by killing them, making them uninterested in him, or ruining their reputation, and after all the bad experiences he had with those (rather) normal girls, you expect me to believe that the girl Senpai, the perfectly normal guy at all levels, ends up choosing is the creepy lonely student that he has barely spoken to? Nah, I don't buy it. This is why, in my rewrite, my Senpai would be (most of the time) considered as a regular student that you can actually interact with. That means, first, that Ayano wouldn’t get immediately flustered by him when approaching him. I understand that people, especially teenagers, can act shy, nervous, or a little clumsy when their crush are at sight, but seriously, the depiction of this behaviour in the game is completely ridiculous. So, in my hypothetical game, you will have a small amount of time where you will be able to act normally near Daiki and talk to him before your heart starts beating louder and the screen gradually turns pink. Past this point, things pretty much happen the same as in the official game, since Ayano is emotionally unstable. Naturally, the more you interact with Daiki, the longer you will be able to remain calm in his presence.
Now that Senpai can be interacted with, it’s time to explore the potential of this addition by giving him another feature regular students have: tasks. Even if you can withstand his aura a bit better than in the official game, most of the conversations you’ll have with him won’t be long due to Ayano’s shyness. So, if you want to befriend Daiki, those little errands are the key to increase your affinity with him. For a more immersive narration, Daiki's tasks won't be your usual fetch quests that you can accept or refuse, but small talk where you must pay attention and figure out what to do to by yourself. The tasks will be at first very simple, like bringing him his schoolbag that he forgot in his classroom or gifting him the book he wanted to buy. Then, as he feels more comfortable around you, he will start talking a bit more openly about his life and his preoccupations, naturally leading to more complex tasks with more vague formulations and less obvious solutions, such as helping him become less invisible among his classmates. What would be the point of doing all that, will you ask? Having a higher affinity with Daiki will allow Ayano to make him follow her if you need to tactically move him for one of your eliminations. He will also be more likely to reject the rivals’ love confessions in case you don’t have the time to deal with them yourself. Moreover, narrative-wise, I think having the main character interact with their love interest would be a more realistic and healthier depiction of romance in the story. Well, as “healthy” as a yandere can be. But of course, you could also completely ignore this mechanic and focus on eliminating if you want to.
Finally, I would like to improve the reactions he has regarding students' disappearances. Despite all those things happening near him, he is shocked for a bit and then just kinda... accept it like nothing strange happened? The second most important character of the game, ladies and gentlemen. I get it, Senpai is a loner, he is passive, and he is dense. But at this point, that's not being passive anymore, that's being a wooden plank. So, this is my take: Daiki's sense of justice and passion for literature gave him a natural curiosity for crimes because of its depiction in novels. When facing murder, he will mostly act according to the loner archetype. However, if too many deaths or disappearances near him stay unresolved by the police and his sanity is high enough, he will find the courage to take a more active role and investigate on the crimes himself. Obviously, Daiki won't be able to arrest anyone by himself, but he has the advantage of being directly at the crime place and closer to the people at school than the police. Thus, he could report them additional details that they might have missed, like a student acting stranger than usual, missing tools or places cleaner than usual. This could put you in trouble unless you cover your tracks very well, or just prevent him from investigating. And of course, I would also implement Senpai's sanity meter that has been promised for I don't know how much time (but honestly, are you still hoping for it to be implemented after all that happened?), although slightly reworked. Daiki's sanity would decrease with any person dying. The closer the person is to him, both physically and figuratively, the lower it would drop. The deaths that would affect him the most would thus be those of his sister, his childhood friend, or anyone murdered right in front of him. On the opposite, a random student dying at the other side of the school would barely have any effect. A low sanity would have various effects on Daiki depending on its value and the amount of time he has spent with the other students. Those effects could be taking private lessons due to his grades dropping, joining a certain club to feel safer, or shutting himself in at home in one of the worst scenarios. In any case, this would affect his routine. Just like in the official concept, he would be able to recover sanity with a long enough crimeless period or giving him gifts. Only now would the rivals also be able to use the later method to gain affection, making them act a bit more like romantic rivals. I hope you don't mind actually caring about your senpai's mental health.

Relationships with other characters

The rivals
Obviously, a reworked senpai means reworked dynamics with your main targets. Since detailing everything would be way too long for a single post, I'll just link here my take on the romantic rivals that I decided to keep in my hypothetical game, and here, what I'd do with the discarded ones. Since they are Daiki's closest people, and the most likely to affect his mood in the game, I'll still put here what I have in mind for my version of Osana and Hanako.
His sister
Just like his canon counterpart, Daiki loves his sister very much. A feeling that is reciprocated a bit too much. Unlike her brother who has a balanced lifestyle, the middle-schooler is a very clingy girl who can't imagine being away from him. She has the bad habit of leaving her school during lunchtime just to visit him, which greatly embarrasses Daiki. Even if he appreciates the time they spend together in the end, he knows that this behaviour is unhealthy, and hope that, one day, his sister will find the confidence to become more independent. In my rewrite, the little sister isn't a romantic rival, but someone that I'd call a "big obstacle", as her role is mainly to appear at random (or maybe not, I haven't decided yet) days during lunchtime and potentially mess up your planification for the day. You wouldn't want to kill someone in front of your crush's beloved sister, right?
His childhood friend
Daiki and his sister have known their neighbours' daughter for more than a decade. All three of them used to play together during their childhood. The neighbours' daughter is a brash and impulsive girl, whose personality clashes with Daiki's quieter nature. Despite frequently being at odds and arguing about trivial things, both of them deeply care about each other and would be the first person to help the other if they were having problems. Daiki and his friend didn't have many occasions to see each other since elementary school, until the girl coincidentally transferred to the same high school as him. Even if he is now more serious and reserved than before, deep inside, he is still the same kind boy that she knew. Now that they can once again spend much time together, the girl has come to realize she was in love with her dear friend, but her internal turmoil and her personality make it difficult for her to act sincere and confess her feelings. She stays otherwise pretty similar to Osana, except for the greater consequences when dealing with her by using lethal eliminations, and maybe the fact that she won't be the first rival to appear.
Budo (or whatever name I'll end up giving him)
Yes, you read it right. That guy that overshadows Senpai among the fans is one of his friends in my rewrite. Because even the most introverted individuals are able to develop relationships with people that aren't potential romantic interests. The leader of the martial arts club is an outgoing action-oriented boy who is pretty popular at school. Unlike Daiki, Budo always knew in his heart that his place would be in a dojo, and thus doesn't have much interest in academics. But despite having such different backgrounds and personalities, both boys share the same sense of justice and admiration toward heroes. When he's not attending classes, studying or reading, Daiki hangs out with Budo, and is sometimes invited to watch the martial arts club members practicing. If too many dangerous events happen around Daiki, Budo, as an aspiring hero and good friend, will propose to escort him at certain periods, becoming basically a part-time bodyguard.
Ayano
Nothing much to say here. Daiki unknowingly reminded Ayano, who has locked her heart for years, how great it is to have feelings when they first met, and now she wants to make sure nothing stands between them. How she will reach her ends is your decision. If she decides to spend time with him and do his tasks, he will think of her as a peculiar, but well-intentioned girl. Just like in canon, Daiki is oblivious to Ayano's feelings, but it's more due to the fact that they barely know each other.

Trivia

• Regarding his career choice, Daiki is hesitating between becoming an author, a lawyer or a criminologist.
• Like Taro, he also likes nature and gardening, but to a lesser extend.
• Sometimes, instead of a book of classic literature, you can see him reading the latest crime novel at the fountain. With a pen and a writing pad, because he's just that invested.
• Since he is friend with Budo, he sometimes feels too plain and boring compared to him regarding romance. If you use matchmaking to eliminate a rival, his self-consciousness will grow a bit stronger.
• He has never bought a panty shot from Info-chan, but honestly, do you really find this surprising, or even relevant? He has never even contacted Info-chan.
• I had quite the choice among popular Japanese boy names. Daiki could've been named "Yamato", "Daisuke", "Hiroto", "Yuto", "Yuu", or even "Satoshi" instead.
• In the official game, if Ayano commits a crime in his sight while wearing a mask, Taro will rip the mask off her face with no regard for his safety or his character consistency. I would like to get rid of this behaviour for Daiki, except for one specific circumstance.

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And that was my full-fledged take on Taro. When you have an ordinary person as a character in the middle of very colourful ones, the key to make the public care about him is to give them tangible preoccupations that, even if they aren't always relatable, make this character at least feel like a real person with human struggles and dreams, and not just a barebone plot device. And that might seems obvious, but if you have to write a love interest, make sure you actually show your public what your main character likes about him. That's even more important in the case where many people are attracted to this character. I tried to take those two things into account when rewriting Taro, and I know it's far from perfect, so don't hesitate to tell me what I should improve. In any case, if you made it to the end, thank you for taking the time to read this long post. I hope I'll find the motivation to do the same with other characters.

I find it a bit unfair how the show talks about Tyler's affection (specifically in his texts) for Sean during their friendship as unusual or suspicious, insinuating that male friendship can't have any genuine care without romantic intentions? It's also these same narratives that perpetuate the idea that men expressing love for their friends is somehow weird or "gay."
I appreciate seeing my boyfriend and his friends openly showing appreciation, it's SO important for everyone to cultivate healthy friendships and seek out emotional support. It also gives me confidence in our relationship when I see the healthy emotional connections he’s made with those around him!!
Also, when they were acting as if Tyler sending gifts to Sean were somehow meant to "seduce" him, is not only untrue but also just perpetuates harmful stereotypes about male relationships :/

You CAN co-sleep and night wean! We went from waking to nurse every hour to 11 hours of no nursing in 3 nights!
I literally made an account just to share this story because I am floored at how well this worked and hope it gives someone the courage to try.
I still cuddle her to re-settle a few times a night, she’s not sleeping through totally unsupported. But it is a huge weight off to not be breastfeeding constantly at night! She is slowly needing less and less support through the night and is resettling herself a lot more.
Synopsis:
Fill them up with food and tire them out during the day.
Have a set bedtime routine.
At least a week before teach the idea “the sun is shining” and have a visual like a specific window in the bedroom.
Prep them mentally “soon we will only have milk when the sun is shining”.
Use a narrative with a character in a book or photos or drawings of your baby.
Use a stuffed animal to narrate/process the emotions/what’s happening to baby.
Use the same language over and over when they request milk and just hold strong!
Be sure to center your resolve and stay super calm and loving.
Support them to sleep however they need but keep repeating your “we’ll have milk when the sun is shining. I love you!” mantras to them.
Your baby understands a lot more than you think, they’re resilient, and they know you’re always there for them!
Background:
My 16-month old is what many would call a “high needs”, “sensitive”, “clingy” or “demanding” baby. She literally only slept in my arms or on top of me. Sometimes we’d get a two or three hour stretch but generally, she wanted a boob in her mouth every hour. I was really starting to feel the exhaustion here after 16 months of never sleeping more than 3 hours at a time.
I was SO AFRAID so start night weaning. She’s a stubborn baby. She was used to me responding every time she needed me. I was worried she’d feel betrayed. I was fully prepared for her to fight it and not sleep at all, since she’s already such a hard sleeper. I had snacks ready and imagined I’d be up for hours rocking and pacing in the living room like I was with a newborn haha.
(I had already tried to do the Elizabeth Pantley pull off method where you pull the boob out as they start to fall asleep, but it just made her angry and got us in a cycle of overtired crying. )
Preparation:
I prepped her a week in advance just teaching her what “the sun is shining” means, and she picked it up quickly! I pointed to the window a lot ”look! The sun is shining!” Made sure she associated it also with a specific window in the bedroom.
I ordered the book on Amazon “Sally weans from night nursing”. I didn’t really read the whole text to her, just used the pictures to explain like “the baby is sad and crying for lechita in her bed! But the mama says no baby, lechita is sleeping. I will pat your back. We will have lechita when the sun is shining!” You could make your own pictures too, the book was just easier for me.
Once she got the concept “the sun is shining”, I prepped her mentally, “in three days, lechita is sleeping at night. We’ll only have lechita when the sun is shining!”
Day 1:
Kept the reminders up all day “look the sun is shining! Tonight there is no more lechita in bed. Lechita will be sleeping. We will have lechita when the sun is shining.” We had a big day with the library, park, children’s museum. I wanted to really tire her out haha.
At night we did our usual bedtime routine but I pushed her to nurse a lot before we brushed teeth.
I made a big show of putting band aids on my nipples and a bra and shirt on. Saying “lechita is sleeping! No more lechita until the sun is shining!” She seemed concerned looking and lifting my shirt and touching them haha.
When we laid in bed she was definitely confused and frustrated. I stood up and swayed with her a bit to calm her down and then laid back down.
She fussed a little bit and tugged at my shirt but I kept saying “lechita is sleeping! No more lechita at night. I know it’s hard, I love you. I’ll pat your back. We will have lechita when the sun is shining.” She pointed at my boobs and at the window like she was getting it!
Then my baby started this, I can’t take credit for it, I just followed her lead. She took her Elmo doll and was pretending to make him nurse. So I took him off and said “you want lechita Elmo? Are you sad? Are you crying? I’m sorry! I know it’s hard! Lechita is sleeping! We will have lechita when the sun is shining!” I would pat Elmo’s back too. She seemed to process the change through Elmo so we did A LOT of that haha.
She fell asleep after 20 minutes cuddling next to my boob but no nursing! She woke up throughout the night every 2 hours but would resettle herself or go back to sleep with a few back pats and shushing. I actually comforted her maybe 3-4 times before she had milk 7 hours after falling asleep!
I was so surprised how well it went! She resettled so quickly throughout the night and only fussed, no crying! At dawn when I said “the sun is shining!” She quickly grabbed Elmo and went for the boob like “we did it together Buddy!”
Day 2:
Kinda the same story falling asleep with Elmo to process the emotions, the mantras, etc. She fell asleep after 30 minutes on top of me with me singing to her. Throughout the night she needed less support, I could just wrap my arms around her and she’d re-settle. I comforted her like that maybe 3-4 times, and she nursed after 7 hours just like night 1.
Day 3:
She was a little harder to get to sleep, maybe took 40 minutes, but never cried, just talking and rolling around and fussing a bit. Eventually she fell asleep on top of me. She had a good long stretch and then just needed some cuddling to re-settle maybe 3 times. This time I tried to push that early morning feed and just patted her back to sleep. She had her first nursing session 11 hours after bedtime this time!
In the morning she went at it so hard and my boobs were so engorged that she spit up a lot for basically the first time in her life! So I would be careful on that, maybe hand express before and take it easy.
Reflection:
I am kicking myself for waiting so long and being so scared to make this change! But maybe this was just the right time, she was old enough to understand what was happening, and I was firm in my resolve that it was time. I am so proud of baby and have so much more respect and trust that she can handle big changes! I hope this gives someone the courage to try!
I also want anyone struggling with a “hard” baby to know that they might just blossom into a super sweet, chill, independent, flexible toddler. I am slowly seeing that with my “hard” baby!

Aside from signposts, the ancient glade poem is one of very few places in the game where text is visible without opening a dialog box. The fact that it also shows up at the eye of the universe makes it seem like it should be pretty important, but I never really got a sense of what it was trying to communicate during my playthrough. It seemed like flavor text in a game that makes a great effort to only provide actionable information to the player
More recently though, I was thinking about Outer Wilds' non-linear storytelling and realized the poem might be intended as a metaphor. Take a look at this quote from Alex Beachum in The Making of Outer Wilds (9:20)

Early on the idea for the structure of the game was that we were going to have these four major secret locations. They were each going to answer a major question about the world that we were going to try to get players curious about

I could definitely be wrong about the specifics, but I interpret these four locations, and their secrets, as being:

• The Ash Twin Project tells you the Nomai attempted but failed to find the eye of the universe with a time loop
• The Sixth Location tells you the eye of the universe is the source of macroscopic quantum mechanics
• The Ruptured Core tells you ghost matter killed the Nomai
• The Vessel tells you the universe is ending

Perhaps one of these should be replaced with the probe tracking module
Regardless, the cool thing about Outer Wilds' story is that the narrative you experience is made up of those four specific parts, but the order in which you encounter those parts is unique to your playthrough. It's a pretty incredible achievement to create a story that can be rearranged to create multiple different narratives that all ultimately tell the same story
And that's where I realized that's exactly what the poem is - four interchangeable parts that each tell a different narrative, but ultimately communicate the same meaning

• In the ancient glade
• Across old bark
• The quiet shade
• It's always dark

Sorry I’m a little late but better late than never
https://forums.forza.net/t/fm-update-8-0-overview-track-toys-tour-and-mobil-1-partnership-13-may-2024/708906
“Update 8 is headlined by the Track Toys Tour alongside its Spotlight cars – three of which are either new or returning to Motorsport – that you can race in weekly events across Career, Multiplayer and Rivals. We’ve also added Mobil 1 track signage at Maple Valley, placed a barrier along the pit exit at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, and reset leaderboards for Le Mans layouts following changes made to the track in the previous update.
In addition, starting with Update 8, players with VIP Membership can look forward to an exclusive 15% discount on a car every week in the Showroom, which will now be available alongside the Spotlight cars and the month-long VIP discount car.
Announcements
Blog: Experience Track Toys in Forza Motorsport Update 8 9 Community Update May 2024 1 Release Notes: Forza Support 51 Video: YouTube 168 image Dates
CONTENT OVERVIEW
TRACKS
Mobil 1 & Maple Valley - Maple Valley has been updated with new track signage featuring Mobil 1 branding as part of a partnership between Forza and Mobil 1 to celebrate Mobil 1’s 50th anniversary. Placed a barrier along the pit exit at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. To accommodate this change, leaderboards for this track have been reset. Increased the track material luminance to be more physically correct, improving the overall contrast and color saturation of the track. This affects newly released tracks as well as future track updates. Reset leaderboards for Le Mans track layouts following the changes made to this track in Update 7. Update 8 does not include a new track location – our next track release is scheduled for Update 9, expected to be available in June.
FEATURES AND CHANGES
Livery Editor
Update 8 introduces a Vinyl Material tool to the Livery Editor which can be used to uniformly adjust all vinyl materials on a car from matte (non-reflective) to glossy (reflective). This includes a reset option to revert all vinyls to match car paint glossiness. Imported designs from Forza Horizon 5 using its similar feature will automatically inherit these values. When removing a livery from a vehicle, the color will now be reset to the default manufacturer color instead of the color when the player purchases it. Adjusted the arrangement of hint buttons in Livery Editor at the bottom of the screen. The ‘Find Designs’ menu is now accessible for rental cars when players try to open it from ‘Design & Paint Menu’ and ‘Livery Mode Select’ scenes. Added iconography to layers in the Livery Editor. The player can now see icons to indicate if it’s a mask layer or a locked layer. Other fixes listed in the Release Notes.
Tire Wear Scale
We’ve added a Tire Wear Scale option to Free Play and Private Multiplayer, allowing adjustments to the rate at which tires are worn. 1x is the default value. At 2x, tire wear will occur twice as fast. Values range from .5x to 10x. This setting is found in the Event Setup Rules tab and in the Fuel & Tire menu when on track.
Safety Ratings and Matchmaking
We’ve improved Safety Ratings in Featured Multiplayer by increasing the number of previous races the Safety Rating uses to determine your rating from 10 to 20, and by making on-track collisions more impactful to Safety Rating. These changes will take effect after your first race in Update 8. In addition, we’ve updated the matchmaking algorithm to search for a narrower range of Safety Ratings compared to your own. For example, players with an ‘S’ Safety Rating should no longer be matched with players who have ‘E’ and ‘D’ Safety Ratings. Groups will be connected to matches based on the player with the lowest Safety Rating.
Car Divisions and Events
Corrected an issue where the 1969 Lola #6 Sunoco T70 MkIIIB was eligible for the Vintage Le Mans Prototypes Series rather than the Prototype Group Racing Series. The 2020 KTM X-Bow GT2 and the 2020 Lamborghini Essenza SCV12 are moved from the Forza GT Series to the Modern Factory Racecar Series in Featured Multiplayer. The 2019 Porsche #70 Porsche Motorsport 935 has been added to the Forza GT Series. We’re currently working on recategorizing Forza GT racecars into separate spec divisions and expect to push these changes into the game this summer.
Car Balancing
The following cars have been rebalanced in Featured Multiplayer Spec Series: Featured Multiplayer Spec Series Car Name Change Summary Forza GT Series 2019 Ginetta G55 GT4 Engine torque: +25% Car Mass: +13.4% Front Downforce: -45% Rear Downforce: -45% Early Factory Racecar Series 1997 McLaren F1 GT Increased Power 10% Early Factory Racecar Series 1997 Porsche 911 GT1 Strassenversion Increased Power 13% Lowered weight/ballast 3% Early Factory Racecar Series 1989 Ferrari F40 Competizione Increased power 10% Weight decreased 2%
AI Drivatar behavior
We’ve reduced unnecessary braking scenarios for Drivatar AI opponents. Examples of this include braking while attempting to pass, two cars wide in corners, and at the apex of corners.
Other Changes
We’ve updated Featured Multiplayer events to use consistent weather conditions and avoid unpredictable weather transitions mid-race. The Open Class Tour in Career mode has been migrated from the Builders Cup tab to the Featured tab. The Open Class Tour will be found in the Featured tab going forward. Starting with Update 8, VIPs can look forward to an exclusive 15% discount on a car every week in the Showroom alongside the 30% discount on Spotlight cars. Screen Narrator will now read associated credit bonuses as part of the option value names on Free Play Advanced options which affect credits earned during the event. This change also fixes the display of the bonus percentages for all players. Screen Narrator now fully supports the “Series Standings” leaderboard scene accessed from the Builders Cup Event Setup scene. The Tune Setups menu is now fully narrated. Added descriptive text for the SoundCloud Driver Suit.
CARS
Update 8 adds five cars to the game: 2 Reward Cars (Porsche 935 and BMW 1 Series M), and 3 Spotlight cars (Ginetta G40 Junior, Porsche Cayman GTS, and Elemental RP1). These additions bring the total game roster to 590 cars.
Reward Cars
Reward cars are available only from completing events in the Builders Cup Career.
2019 Porsche #70 Porsche Motorsport 935 (Track Toys Tour) 2011 BMW 1 Series M Coupé (Open Class Tour) Spotlight Cars & VIP Car Discounts
Spotlight cars are featured in the Showroom each Wednesday at 5pm Pacific Time, available at a 30% discount with in-game credits. These cars can be used in the new Featured Tour, as well as Spotlight Series events in Featured Multiplayer and Rivals. In addition, starting with Update 8, VIPs can also look forward to an exclusive 15% discount on a car every week in the Showroom.
CAREER
Builders Cup overview Featured Tour - Track Toys Tour
The Track Toys Tour invites you to experience high-performance cars that you could see hot lapping on the racetrack. Compete in a single-make race series with Ginetta Juniors, an affordable entry point into motorsport for enthusiasts. Weekend Warriors sees you racing cars like the exceptional 2015 Porsche Cayman GTS which could be taken to the track on a Sunday before being driven to work the following day. Appreciate the unforgettable shape and undeniable performance of the iconic Caterham R500 in Kit Caterhams. And finally, enjoy a celebration of purpose-built track cars like the aerodynamic 2019 Elemental RP1 in Track Toys.
Each Series within the Featured Tour does not have to be completed before the others. Completing all racing events in the Featured Tour by June 26, 2024 to earn the 2019 Porsche #70 Porsche Motorsport 935 reward car (not available in the Buy Cars menu).
Open Class Tour - Track Cars
With each update to Forza Motorsport, the Open Class Tour gets refreshed with new events and a new reward car. Open Class Tour is where you can continue the journey of your favorite cars. Cars that you’ve already built in a different Builders Cup series can be further levelled up and upgraded in the Open Class Tour. In Update 8, the Open Class Tour celebrates track cars as Drivatar opponents race inexpensive and highly modifiable production cars that you would expect to see at your local track on the weekend in D, C, B, and A classes.
Complete all of these series races before June 12, 2024 to earn the 2011 BMW 1 Series M Coupé reward car (not available in the Buy Cars menu).
Open Tour (May 15 - June 12) D Class Series C Class Series B Class Series A Class Series Reward Showcase: 2011 BMW 1 Series M Coupé
MULTIPLAYER
Multiplayer overview Spec Series Open Series Spotlight Series Dates (5pm PT) Lotus 3-Eleven Spec Series R Class Series P Class Series 2019 Ginetta G40 Junior May 15 - May 22 Early Factory Racecar Series B Class Series D Class Series 2015 Porsche Cayman GTS May 22 - May 29 Mazda Miata Spec Series A Class Series X Class Series 2013 Caterham Superlight R500 May 29 - June 5 Modern Factory Racecar Series S Class Series C Class Series 2019 Elemental RP1 June 5 - June 12 Lotus 3-Eleven Spec Series – May 15-22
The 3-Eleven is an open-cockpit, mid-engine screamer that exemplifies Lotus founder Colin Chapman’s mantra “simplify, then add lightness.” Early Factory Racecar Series – May 22-29
Bespoke racing versions of some of the most sought-after cars from the late 80s and 90s, now valued in millions of dollars by savvy collectors. Mazda Miata Spec Series – May 29 – June 5
The popular MX5 ‘94 version of the best-selling Mazda Miata is perfectly balanced to handle the most demanding road courses with the speed and agility of cars costing much, much more. Modern Factory Racecar Series – June 5-12
Race through a field of ultimate track day specials in the Modern Factory Racecar series. These mid-engine production cars feature unique upgrades designed to achieve extreme performance metrics and ensure victory on the track.
RIVALS
Rivals overview This month’s Featured Rivals event will have you choose your favorite Forza Touring Car and achieve your fastest lap at Viriginia International Raceway – Full Circuit. Cars have been pre-tuned for optimal competition but can be further adjusted to suit your playstyle. VIPs will also race the BAC Mono at Yas Marina - South Circuit. And remember, Spotlight Rivals presents a new opportunity for you to challenge your skills each week!
Later in the month, we’re opening a special Rivals event where you can experience the ultimate track car developed to pay tribute to a world-famous driver – the McLaren Senna – at the same track where he achieved several victories, Silverstone – Grand Prix Circuit. The Senna is one of the lightest and most driver-focused cars McLaren has ever built, with uncompromised performance and aerodynamics that unleash their true capabilities on the racetrack.
Rivals Event Car Track Dates (5pm PT) Featured Spec Any Forza Touring Car VIR - Full May 15 - June 12 VIP – Mano a Mano 2014 BAC Mono Yas Marina - South May 15 - June 12 Celebrate Senna’s Legacy With McLaren 2018 McLaren Senna Silverstone - GP May 29 - June 26 Spotlight – Ginetta 2019 Ginetta G40 Junior Brands Hatch - Indy May 15 - May 22 Spotlight - Porsche 2015 Porsche Cayman GTS Mugello - Club May 22 - May 29 Spotlight - Caterham 2013 Caterham Superlight R500 Grand Oak - Club May 29 - June 5 Spotlight - Elemental 2019 Elemental RP1 Lime Rock - Full June 5 - June 12 GAME FIXES AND RELEASE NOTES
The content update begins rolling out after 10am PT on May 13, 2024. See the full Release Notes at Forza Support. 51
If you experience any issues with the content update installation we recommend that you quit out of your game and restart your device. If this does not solve the issue please report it in FM Report New Issues. Any game crashing issues should be reported directly at Forza Support so the team can investigate your account.”