[I play Elden Ring in Japanese (as it is my native language), due to From Soft being a Japanese developer, so is Miyazaki himself.]
The most striking difference is within how they address the main protagonist (you as the player), as in Japanese he or she is referred to as 褪せ人 (lit: "verblasste Person") from the NPC dialog and cutscenes, however in the official German localization, it's: "Befleckten". In regards to the Japanese original, the kanji used is 褪 + 人 but 褪せ is from the ichidan verb:

褪せる

lit. trad: verblassen / entfärben
Example sentence: 日光で看板の文字が褪せた。
(Die Buchstaben auf dem Schild sind von der Sonne verblasst.)

人 (Person)

Combine from 褪せる which is now merged as 褪せ人 [あせびと]

I have a rough list of the stuff that is named in Elden Ring, between the Japanese (original) and official German localizations of the game (Though I won't list everything, as it'll be too much).
Legendary Armaments:

日本語	Übersetzung aus dem Japanischen	Offizielle deutsche Lokalisierung
マレイー家の執行剣 \1)	Das Henkersschwert des Hauses Marais	Henkerschwert der Marais
黄金律の大剣	-	Großschwert der Goldenen Ordnung
世界喰らいの王笏 \2)	Königliche Zepter des Weltenfressers	Verschlingerzepter
剣接ぎの大剣 \3)	Schwertgelenktes Großschwert	Großschwert der Verpflanzung
夜と炎の剣	-	Schwert der Nacht und der Flamme
グランサクスの雷	-	Blitz von Gransax
蝕のショーテル	-	Shotel der Eklipse
暗月の大剣	-	Dunkelmondgroßschwert
遺跡の大剣 \4)	Das Großschwert der Ruinen	Trümmergroßschwert

*1 In Japanese: マレー家 ("Haus / Familie Marais") already states that it comes from a family of executioners who resided in the shaded castle.
*2. The presence of Japanese 世界 ("welt") + 喰らう ("essen") then with a portemanteau of the Kanji 王 ("König / königlich") + 笏 ("zepter") forming the word 王笏 [おうしゃく].
*3. From Japanese: 大剣 literally means "großschwert" followed by the noun 接ぎ (lit: "Veredelung") with the word 剣 ("schwert"), as you can see the literal translation from the Japanese name insinuates that the boss used it during battle, as you alrady fought him.
*4. From Japanese: 遺跡 means "Ruinen" (as in abandoned or in ruins) insinuating that the sword is created from ruined stone.
Bosses:

日本語	Übersetzung aus dem Japanischen	Offizielle deutsche Lokalisierung
満月の女王レナラ	-	Rennala, Königin des Vollmonds
最初の王、ゴッドフレイ \1)	Der erste König, Godfrey	Godfrey, Erster Eldenfürst
ラダゴンの赤狼	-	Roter Wolf von Radagon
忌み鬼、マルギット \2)	Eine Abscheulichkeit Male, Margit	Margit, das Grausame Mal
忌み王、モーゴッド \2)	König der Abscheulichkeiten, Morgott	Morgott, König des Mals
ゴドリックの軍兵 \3)	Soldaten von Godricks Armee	Soldat Godricks
火の巨人	-	Feuerriese
死竜フォルサクス \4)	Fortissax der Todesdrache	Lichdrache Fortissax
獣の司祭 （黒き剣のマリケス）\5)	Priester der Bestie (Maliketh des Schwarzen Schwertes)	Bestienkleriker (Maliketh, die Schwarze Klinge)
黄金律、ラダゴン	-	Radagon von der Goldenen Ordnung
神肌のふたり	-	Duo der Götterskalpe
神喰らいの大蛇（冒涜の君主、ライカード）\6)	Götterfressende Schlange (Blasphemischer Monarch, Rykard)	Götterverschlingende Schlange (Rykard, Fürst der Blasphemie)
ミケラの刃マレニア （腐敗の女神、マレニア）	Miquella, Klinge Malenia (Malenia, Göttin der Verderbnis)	Malenia, Miquellas Klinge (Malenia, Göttin der Fäulnis)
還樹の番犬 \7)	Wachhund des zurückgekehrten Baumes	Wachhund des Erdenbaumbegräbnisses
鉄茨のエレメール \8)	Elemer von Eisendornen	Elemer von den Dornen
百智卿ギデオン \9)	Herr Gideon der Weise	Gideon Ofnir, der Allwissende
写し身の雫 \10)	Schatten einer Person	Imitator-Träne
暗黒の落とし子、アステール \11)	Astel, Bastard der Finsternis	Astel, Stern der Finsternis
星砕きのラダーン \12)	Radahn, der Sternzerstörer	Sternengeißel Radahn
爛れた樹霊 \13)	Wunden Baum Geist	Baumgeist mit Geschwüren
接ぎ木のゴドリック \14)	Gepfropfter Godrick	Godrick, der Verpflanzte

*1. The Japanese title for Godfrey uses the kanji 王 ("König") since he is the elden lord, as opposed to German: they replaced that with "Eldenfürst" [エルデ王子] but the overall expression from the original Japanese is not connotated in German.
*2. The meaning of 忌み isn't conveyed correctly (in both Margit & Morgott) as it literally means "Trauernde" alone, but in the context of the game, it is connotated as "Abscheulichkeit" (from Japanese), which in no way it means "Grausame" So it is obvious that German just got it from English. Also, the presence of both Kanji 鬼 ("Oger / Geist") and 王 ("König") indicates their differences in hierarchical status too. Morgott bares the kanji 王 while Margit has 鬼 within his title, but in German (& English) the one with Margit is lost in translation.
*3. The word 軍兵 is a portemanteau comprising 2 kanji from ゴドリックの軍兵 implying that he was a soldier serving under Godrick at one point, as 軍 ("Armee") including 兵 ("soldat") forms 軍兵 (lit: "Kampftruppen") but this nuance from Japanese gets lost in translation.
*4. Fortissax's title in Japanese is a portemanteau of 2 kanji that have seperate meanings: 死 ("Tod") + 竜 ("Drache") forming the word 死竜 as he has the ability to inflict death blight towards the player, hence the presence of the kanji 死.
*5. In Japanese, Maliketh's title from his first phase has the word 司祭 ("Priester") instead of him being addressed as a cleric.
*6. The Japanese version of Rykard's title bares the kanji 君主 ("monarch / souverän") while in German it has been adapted to "Fürst" instead, but the intended meaning is lost from Japanese.
*7. The word 番犬 - literally means "Wachhund" while a portemanteau of 還 ("zurück") + 樹 ("Baum") are 2 kanji used together coining the term 還樹 - literally means amongst the lines of "Rückführung eines Baumes an seinen ursprünglichen Standort" and の is just a word particle present in Japanese.
*8. Elemer's Japanese title has 2 kanji: 鉄 ("Eisen") + 茨 ("Dornen") forming the word 鉄茨 (lit: "Dornen aus Eisen") saying that Elemer has thorns encompassing his iron armor. (Which is not conveyed directly in German.)
*9. The word 百智卿 beside Gideon's name is comprised of 3 kanji: 百 ("hundert") + 智 ("Weisheit") & 卿 ("Herr") - but 卿 is keigo as it is a very formal word (you only encounter with stuff to do with Feudal Japan.), the word 百智 literally means: "alles wissen" when combined, as the kanji 百 is used in a personified manner (as it is metaphorical) in conjunction with 智 ending with 卿.
*10. The word 写し means "duplizieren" followed by the kanji 身 ("der Körper (eine Person)") + 雫 ("Tropfen (Wasser)") as it spawns with the animation akin to a tear drop, and の is just a word particle present in Japanese, forming the word 写し身の雫.
*11. Astel's title in Japanese states 暗黒の落とし子 ("Der finstere Bastard") while the German localization went for Stern der Finsternis.
*12. 星砕き means "Sternenzerstörer" comprising from the godan verb: 砕く (lit: "zu zerschlagen ") and the kanji 星 ("Sterne") - coining the word from 2 kanji: 星砕き. From German, why did they change it to "Sternengeißel"?
*13. From Japanese, the ichidan verb 爛れる (lit: "Wunde / entzündet sein") is present in the tree spirit's title, while 樹霊 ("Baumgeist") is a portemanteau of the Kanji used 樹 ("Baum") - it's a fancier kanji since 木 is commonly used, but 霊 ("Geist") is also used in conjunction.
*14. Godrick's name in Japanese has the word 接ぎ (lit: "Veredelung") present, followed by 木 ("Baum") which is used here, as opposed to 樹 - found in for instance 黄金樹.
Locations:

日本語	Übersetzung aus dem Japanischen	Offizielle deutsche Lokalisierung
漂着墓地 \1)	Angeschwemmter Friedhof	Höhle des Wissens
崩れゆくファルムアズラ	-	Zerfallenes Farum Azula
深き根の底 \2)	Tiefgründige Wurzeln	Tiefen von Tiefwurz
リムグレイブ	-	Limgrave
湖のリエーニエ	-	Liurnia, dem Seenland
啜り泣きの半島 \3)	Halbinsel der Verschmutzungshalbinsel	Halbinsel der Tränen
ミケラの聖樹	-	Miquella's Haligbaum
聖樹の支えエブレフェール	-	Elphael, Stütze des Haligbaums
モーグウィン王朝 *4	Mohgwyn-Dynastie	Mohgwyn-Palast
魔術学院レアルカリア	Raya Lucaria Akademie für Magie und Zauberei	Akademie von Raya Lucaria
赤獅子城	Schloss des Roten Löwen	Schloss Rotmähne
腐れ湖	-	Fäulnissee
ケイリッド	-	Caelid
忌み捨ての地下 \5)	Abscheu Untergrund	Unterirdisches Reservat der Scham
ストームヴィル城 \6)	Schloss Stormveil	Schloss Sturmschleier
ゲルミア火山 \7)	Gelmir-Vulkan	Gelmir
月光の祭壇	-	Mondlichtaltar
禁域	Unantastbares Gebiet	Verbotene Lände
聖別雪原	-	Geweihtes Schneefeld
巨人たちの山嶺	Bergrücken der Giganten	Berggipfel der Riesen
アルター高原	-	Altus Plateau

*1. From Japanese: 漂着 (lit: "treibend an der Küste") as you can enter via the beach behind, followed by 基地 ("Basis / Friedhof") implies that you are in a graveyard (metaphorically as Limgrave is not far from it, baring a dark undertone.)
*2. 深き根の底 literally translates to "Tiefgründige Wurzeln" but in German, they renamed it as "Tiefen von Tiefwurz" which is very different. From the Japanese adverb: 深き > 深く ("tief") + 根 ("Wurzeln (einer Pflanze / eines Baumes)") due to the presence of large tree branches and roots within the area you tread on, followed by 底 ("Boden (einer Grube / eines Brunnens)") as you're underground.)
*3. The word 啜り泣き is derivatve of the godan verb 啜り泣く ("zum Schluchzen"), followed by the word 半島 ("Halbinsel")
*4. The word 王朝 ("dynastie") is present as it is passed down from family, the Japanese name refers to the fact that the area where you fight Mohg contains Miquella's egg, saying that Mohg is Miquella's half brother.
*5. 忌み捨て literally translates to ("Buße (gegen die Trauer)") implying that Mohg is down there, perhaps he was condmened to be underground (you can find him as a boss, as hinted by the word in Japanese: 地下 ("untergrund").
*6. The Japanese name is closer to the English release as indicated by katakana, but in German they renamed it as "Sturmschleier".
*7. The Japanese 火山 ("vulkan") clearly states that you're not far from the volcano, the manor is even close to it.
Note: It's difficult to convey directly from Japanese > German while keeping the original nuance in-tact, due to how different Japanese is to Indo-European languages.
The annotations within the original Japanese names are marked with * [numbered] there for further explaination, based on my own understanding to convey it from Japanese.
Since most translations into European languages are obviously from the English release of the game, therefore already loosing the intended meaning.
In hindsight:

• From the literal translations between JP to DE (in italic) found on second column of the table, and the official translation in German, which one actually stays faithful to the source language?
• Have you played the game in German? If so, how accurate is the translation? (I mean, did they localize it from the source language or English, still resulting in mistranslations?)

I'm curious where everyone stands on the idea of God when it comes to consciousness. I know some people will be atheist and that's fine, I'm not trying to change any minds, but I wanted to offer a perspective I thought about. It discusses consciousness with a perspective as if God were real and tries to answer both how and why it will happens.
In the same way we communicate with one another, our entire conscious experience is the understanding of the universe, or God. The universe, or God, is the part of us that we experience, in many forms, from humans to dogs.
As humans, we’re all on the same frequency, just as other animals are on their own frequency. All conscious beings are working on tuning their frequency to make it easier to understand the universe, or God. It's like a symphony of sound, colors, smells, tastes, feelings and emotions.
Honesty is key for your soul to tune into it. It’s difficult when you first begin to learn how to tune into the frequency of God. You will need to forgive yourself and others and apologize for your own wrong doings. You will need to live a life of honesty and truly want the world to be a better place to live for all beings. All of this will be understood in due time.
The arrangement of atoms in our universe is the work of God and the holy Spirit, and when you realize how your entire life has been influenced by this, you will hopefully see the lessons you learned from it. Once you truly understand, it's like all of the stress and fear leaves you and you can fall backwards onto a bed of pillows that's God's love.
Here is a way to visualize it. First, imagine the two hemispheres of your brain. On one side is where your consciousness exists and where you analytically think about things. The other side is directly connected and tuned into the universe, or God. Your entire understanding of the universe from mathematics to language, were influenced by the part of you connected to the universe, or God.
What messages has God been giving consciousness through history? How has this energy influenced evolution? What examples of order and balance do you witness in nature?
To sum it up, the left hemisphere of the brain is where our self and soul resides. On the right is where we connect to the universe, or God, and we’re trying our best to understand it. Beneath, or beside, our consciousness in the subconsciousness, or God.
When experiencing things such as meditation, transcendental breath work, psychedelics (including marijuana), and near death experiences, we better connect with the part of us that teaches love and understand what we’re a part of. How have these activities influenced humans throughout history? What messages does God share when tuned into and understood?
It’s like consciousness is on one side, looking at itself in the mirror on the other and realizing it is part of God. The mirror is God, you are "the son", and the "holy Spirit" is how it is all created and operational. Things like art, music, movies, games, sports and more, all show us the message from God.
How cool is it to be on a planet in a universe? What do you think about when you see the stars? What things do you enjoy about consciousness? What things stress you out?
Imagine a world where we all understand our reason for being. LOVE. The purpose of consciousness is love. Not taking advantage of each other and war. Not hating the differences that make us unique. Not destroying the environment and home graciously given to us.
Drawing I did that represents how I think the magic happens.
https://imgur.com/a/fYMKlhg

What I mean is I'm looking for mod or bunch of mods that make creatures act more natural, they do their thing, they feel like real animal. For example in RDR2 you can find wolves chasing deers or other weak creatures while akso running away from bear, bears scratch their back on a tree shrub, wolves sometimes don't attack player instantly but look at player and call out for their buddies. Also overhauling the attack animation of animals. There's a mod called "definitely not a furry animation" that makes wolves attack better, like it feels they're their own animation and a proper one at that . Cougar can Chase deers, cougars lick water from the river or lakes, cougars swimming through rivers, you can place bait to attract animals, animals not noticing yoy when put on a lotion that blocks off your scent, you need to be careful about your behaviour based on what animal you're hunting, every creature having its own unique animation that makes them stand out feel real
More of something like that for Skyrim ? I need as much as I can have.

We all know that anyone who eats beef will never be happy and successful in his/her life ever because cow is the most revered and sacred animal in this world and Vishnu Ji never accepts the prayers of beef eaters or meat eaters in general and always punishes them for doing this heinous sin. But, I have always had this doubt. If you look at people in countries like the USA, Canada, Western Europe, Arabic countries like UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and other developed and rich countries like China, Japan, South Korea, Australia. They eat a lot of meat and particularly, a lot of beef then why are they so well off in their life and why is their country so rich and developed? Most vegetarians live in India and almost 80% population is hindu and they don't eat beef but still India is way behind these countries. I don't understand why? Why are beef eaters and non vegetarians in general so happy, rich and well off in their life living in one of the most advanced, rich and developed places of the world as compared to non beef eaters and vegetarians in general? Almost everyone in America eats beef but still America is so rich, developed and powerful, why? Why are Arabic countries so rich and developed despite so many people there eating beef? Just look at Dubai or any other Arabic country like Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain. They are so rich and developed and the people living there who eat beef are living their life to the fullest. I don't understand why? And in India people are having so many problems despite not eating beef or any other meat and worshipping good, for example me.

Is there a name for the style of animation that has defines borders and features but no outlines? I guess some examples would be Samurai Jack and South Park?

Hi people of Reddit,
I wish to build an animated plot using gganimate in R. My challenge is the following: I want to create a dynamic graph that combines two plots: a line plot of Column B against Column A that progresses over time according to the timestamps in Column A, and a bar plot of Column D against Column C that displays a single bar at the end of each day. This means having two nested but synchronised time scales in the animation. I tried to build two separate datasets for each pair of columns but I could not find a way to have two timescales to be recognized by the transition functions. See the following example dataset:
toy_dataset <- data.frame( Column_A = as.POSIXct(c( "2023-05-15 00:00:00", "2023-05-15 04:00:00", "2023-05-15 08:00:00", "2023-05-15 12:00:00", "2023-05-15 16:00:00", "2023-05-15 20:00:00", "2023-05-16 00:00:00", "2023-05-16 04:00:00", "2023-05-16 08:00:00", "2023-05-16 12:00:00", "2023-05-16 16:00:00", "2023-05-16 20:00:00" )), Column_B = c(47, 189, 154, 91, 196, 53, 169, 92, 65, 139, 143, 186), Column_C = as.Date(c( "2023-05-15", "2023-05-15", "2023-05-15", "2023-05-15", "2023-05-15", "2023-05-15", "2023-05-16", "2023-05-16", "2023-05-16", "2023-05-16", "2023-05-16", "2023-05-16" )), Column_D = c(150, 150, 150, 150, 150, 150, 100, 100, 100, 100, 100, 100) )
I thank you in advance for any input that would help me move forward on this graph!

I find that I am best able to process and work through themes I need to work on in myself through art. A common way I do this is by covering up something “ugly” with something “beautiful”- for example, right now I am working on a painting about self love, and self hate- something I struggle with a lot. I like to think that the act of transforming something I want to change with something creative is a spell in itself.
I started by writing on the canvas with a sharpie everything mean I could possibly think about myself. Every insecurity, thing I hate, etc. I’ve painted over it and changed things many times, but I’m finally almost done. I’m not gonna post or describe the whole thing, but the important part is that I have two blob like creatures in the middle who are see through with their organs exposed (symbol for me of vulnerability, turning myself inside out, the two figures being the sides of myself who war with eachother). On the wall next to them, I have painted two frames, but for now they are empty.
I have gone back and forth with what I want to paint inside them, but I think I’ve landed on some kind of animals, flowers, herbs, foods etc that might symbolize self love or one’s inner child. I want them to be a sort of representation of a memory of a past version of myself who wasn’t so self hating.
I’ve thought of a rabbit, a baby chick, even a cat, maybe cinnamon sticks or a narcissus.
Any other ideas? I’m open to any and all kinds of symbolism that any of you can think of that ties in with this!!
Thank you and be well❤️

Shortly after Final Fantasy VII hit the gaming world in 1997, Cloud Strife’s howls of grief at the loss of his beloved companion Aerith Gainsborough were echoed by droves and droves of fans. These echoes gathered in swarms, reaching the developers in the form of petition signatures, each begging the makers of the game to allow Aerith’s resurrection. Though these prayers remained unanswered —until now—, there soon came more protests: this time, fans pleaded with the developers to consider making a remake of the original game. Both of these wishes were met with considerable derision, with large chunks of the fandom calling the requests delusional— which is why the Final Fantasy world had to prepare for another meteoric hit when the Remake project was finally announced in 2015. With Kitase, Nomura, Toriyama, Nojima, Uematsu and more of the original developers at the helm, along with longtime FFVII fan-turned-developer Hamaguchi, the Remake trilogy was met with great expectations. These were nevertheless surpassed, though one aspect of the trilogy’s first entry seemed to thoroughly puzzle some and enrage others. Far and wide, the resounding questions were “What are these Whisper things?”, “Why is Cloud having visions unrelated to Nibelheim and Zack?” and “Why and how in the hell did Zack survive?”
Friends, I believe the answer lies within this post. Welcome to my literary-analysis-based theory on the Remake trilogy’s most important and most secret plot point: Cloud’s hidden mission. I want to make this fun and suspenseful to read, so I will write my analyses in the same order and manner in which I encountered them while putting my theory together. You will be reading what initially sparked my curiosity, the path I took while researching for answers, the conclusions I made every step of the way, and only then will you read my theory, after which we’ll try and apply it to the Remake trilogy so far and see if it fits! I want you to experience the rollercoaster that I did when digging through SE content to bring you this post. Thank you so much for waiting for and anticipating this analysis, and I do hope you read every word to soak in every last bit of Clerith you can get. I also hope it’s really fun and touching for you (I cried at least once making this)! Let’s embark on our adventure through the compilation, other FF games and real-life events to find out what the Remake project is truly all about and anticipate the events of part 3.
N.B.: Please be aware that I have never seen this theory navigate online, so I have no idea if anyone has ever come up with a similar hypothesis. The big reveal I’m building toward might be something you’re already aware of or suspected. In that case, I hope this post doesn’t disappoint you if you’re one of the lovely people who requested it! At the very least, it will provide you with valuable literary and musical analysis, a ton of evidence you haven’t considered yet, and hopefully, entertainment too!
WARNING: Please be careful with the censored spoiler text, because I'll be referencing other FF games in this analysis and I don't want to ruin anything for you! Obviously, this analysis contains spoilers for the entirety of the FFVII compilation. Additionally, if you're not a fan of Clerith and you've stumbled upon this post, please stop here. I would hate it if something I worked on and posted made you angry, so please don't read this analysis. I have only good intentions and I just want everyone to enjoy the FFVII world as much as they can.

I. Groundwork: The Remake Timelines Theory

Before I take you on this ride, we must lay down the framework of the Remake Timelines Theory. In this section, we’ll be reviewing the general consensus of theorizers within the fandom on timeline/multiverse shenanigans, with some added specifications on my part. Please keep in mind that because the timeline mechanics are kept quite vague by the devs, there might be certain inaccuracies in my iteration of the timelines theory. Thankfully, these potential variances won’t have any effect on the legitimacy of the theory I’ll be presenting to you in this analysis.
I. a) Sephiroth’s Plan
The premise of the Remake trilogy is widely thought to be the result of post-OG Sephiroth attempting to succeed where he failed in OG. There are six key points we need to keep in mind to understand how this was possible.
I. a) i. Sephiroth in the Lifestream
Firstly, it’s important to remember that Sephiroth is dead and located in the Lifestream before OG even begins, and remains that way for almost all of OG's duration. He is only able to operate in the world of the living via his/Jenova's control over the living Sephiroth clones. In the OG timeline then, Sephiroth is sent to the Lifestream by Cloud twice: once before the game takes place on the night of the Nibelheim incident (pre-OG), and a second time during the final battle against Sephiroth (disk 3, chapter 3). During the long period between the Nibelheim incident and Sephiroth’s rebirth at the Northern Crater (disk 2, chapter 2), he exists in the Lifestream. After his ultimate defeat (post-OG), he returns there for good.
II. a) ii. Sephiroth Unintegrated
Secondly, because he is full of hatred and unyielding determination, Sephiroth’s spirit cannot become one with the planet. After both occasions where Cloud kills him in OG, Sephiroth retains his individual will and the memories of his lifetime, remaining a separate entity in the Lifestream. He says so himself in Nojima’s Advent Children prequel novel On a Way to a Smile:

“[Sephiroth] could sense the Lifestream trying to erode his spirit— the memories of his former experiences, thoughts and emotions. If he allowed himself to be taken into the current, the being he once was would soon disseminate and disappear amongst the spirit energy cycling around the planet. [He] thought this unacceptable. The planet was to be his to rule, and to become a part of that system would be nothing short of defeat” ("Lifestream Black 1").

Combined with Bugenhagen’s basic lesson on planetology (FFVII OG, disk 1, chapter 19), this excerpt provides interesting information on how the Lifestream normally works. Usually, when a life returns to the planet, its individuality (personality, will, consciousness, memories, etc.) is stripped away. The trappings of a soul’s former lifetime are progressively dissolved so that all that is left is the spirit itself, ready to integrate into the Lifestream. This way, soul energy can be “recycled” by the planet to animate new lifeforms in a sort of reincarnation process. The erasure of one’s memories in the Lifestream is necessary for the creation of a brand new life, poised to make its own memories: the slate must be wiped clean, so to speak. Sephiroth’s sheer hatred for and desire to dominate the planet is enough to keep him from undergoing this process.
It is also thought that Sephiroth cannot be integrated into the Lifestream because he was conceived with the use of Jenova cells in vitro. Given that so much of his consciousness and genetic makeup originate from an alien life force, it is impossible for him to become one with the planet.
Regardless of the reason, it is precisely this persisting individuality in death that allows Sephiroth to meddle in the world of the living during the post-OG events of Advent Children, as explained to us by post-OG Aerith in On a Way to a Smile:

“[Aerith] had sensed a different presence within the Lifestream cycling around the planet. It was the vehemence of a strong will, one that would never join with the planet. She knew this consciousness. It was [Sephiroth]. A merciless spirit hidden behind a beauteous wall. That spirit was now operating from within the Lifestream. [She] sensed that he was planning to exert his influence to the surface of the planet“ ("Lifestream White 1").

I. a) iii. The Lifestream Beyond Time
Our third point is that the Lifestream has existed for as long as the planet, and has therefore touched every part of its history— including, of course, the events of OG. On that account, one could think of the Lifestream as atemporal. Considering this, it is possible for a spirit in the Lifestream to communicate with or even travel to the past, provided the necessary circumstances and/or abilities. For instance, the Aerith that appears in Cloud’s resolution scene in Remake (chapter 14) is commonly considered to be a post-OG Aerith, appearing to him from the future to try and dissuade him from falling for her. This time-defying event is made possible by the fact that post-OG Aerith’s spirit has access to the atemporal Lifestream because she's deceased. In my view, this explains why she dissolves into green light (Lifestream visual cue) at the end of the resolution scene (5:19-5:45). This is not time travel per se, but it is a manner of communication unobstructed by the one-directionality of a linear timeline that only spirits can perform.
I. a) iv. Sephiroth Beyond Time
What we’ve covered so far amounts to our fourth point. Please familiarize yourself with the graph below before you continue reading. Refer back to the graph when you encounter text in bold.
The Remake Timelines Theory: FFVII OG Timeline
As we discussed in section “I. a) i.”, Sephiroth is dead and located in the Lifestream for the duration of the green arrow and beyond point D: in the context of the OG timeline, he can only ever be considered “alive” during the period highlighted in purple. In section “I. a) ii.”, we asserted that Sephiroth retained his individual will in the Lifestream, enabling him to exert his influence on the world of the living by manipulating his clones on the surface. In section “I. a) iii.”, we covered the atemporal nature of the Lifestream, which allows post-OG Aerith’s spirit to communicate with her past, living self thanks to her Cetra abilities. Now, I will explain to you how Sephiroth was able to do virtually the same thing, albeit his lack of Cetra blood.
To the characters of the story and a fully immersed first-time player of OG, the timeline above was not always an established series of events: when they first started playing FFVII OG, the player began at point B, with nothing existing beyond it. It is only as the player moved Cloud forward that the black, arrowed timeline was drawn, accumulating lived events (or points) in Cloud’s wake. The picture you see above is only available to Cloud and to the player with hindsight. All this to state the obvious: at point B, Cloud could not know what would occur, say, at point C.
During the period highlighted in purple, Sephiroth was “alive” again, accumulating new memories on the surface of the planet and adding them to his consciousness. When he entered the Lifestream for the second time at point D, he brought these memories with him. Simply put, after returning to the Lifestream at point D, Sephiroth remembers what happened during the period highlighted in purple. However, given that the Lifestream exists beyond time, upon Sephiroth’s consciousness’ return to the Lifestream at point D, his newly acquired memories were also made available to him at all points on the green, double-arrowed line— including point A, before the OG timeline even begins at point B. So while it is true that Cloud cannot know what will occur at point C if he is only at point B, Sephiroth indeed knows what will occur during the period highlighted in purple when he is only at point A. While a living, pre-OG Aerith would be able to receive post-OG Aerith’s spirit’s knowledge through the Lifestream thanks to her Cetra powers, Sephiroth has no need for this ability. The fact that he resides in the Lifestream for practically the entire FFVII OG timeline renders the limitations of time irrelevant: as far as the FFVII OG timeline is concerned, Sephiroth exists beyond time itself.
In summary, after point D was first encountered in OG, pre-OG Sephiroth (in the Lifestream) is made aware of his eventual defeat, and begins plotting an alternate path to victory. This time, with the benefit of hindsight, he will do things differently: we experience his "second” attempt at FFVII as the Remake trilogy.
I. a) v. Sephiroth Against Fate
Of course, the Whispers stand squarely in Sephiroth’s way. This leads us to our fifth point, which Remake Ultimania describes better than I ever could:

“According to Red XIII, who gained knowledge through his contact with Aerith, ‘The Whispers are drawn to those who attempt to alter destiny’s course and ensure they do not’ […]. It would appear that what the Whispers deem to be ‘fate’ is the original story of Final Fantasy VII” (section 08 “Secrets”, “Newly Arisen Mysteries”, “What Is the Goal of the Elusive Whispers?”, page 733).

OG’s plot line is the fated timeline, and the Whispers are tasked with its preservation. They prevent alternative paths from even beginning to branch out from the OG timeline, which poses a problem for Sephiroth: he cannot win FFVII if his destiny is to lose it.
I. a) vi. Sephiroth and the Multiverse
Consequently, our sixth point is that Sephiroth must dismantle the mechanisms of fate before he can even try to accomplish his dreams of godhood.
As Sephiroth explains in chapter 14 of Rebirth, “the planet encompasses [an ever unfolding] multitude of worlds”, and these “[new worlds are born] when the boundaries of fate are breached.” Since the Whispers uphold the “boundaries of fate”, a world in which Sephiroth’s evil plans succeed can only emerge after the Whispers have been defeated. Otherwise, destiny will continue to protect the OG plot line by preventing any significant deviations. Consequently, before the party vanquishes fate, the Remake timeline and the OG timeline are one and the same: before chapter 18, Remake Barret is OG Barret, Remake Tifa is OG Tifa, Remake Hojo is OG Hojo, etc. After the defeat of Destiny, the OG timeline is no longer protected by fate: there are now an infinite number of timelines or worlds, including those we see glimpses of in Rebirth: Remake Barret is no longer necessarily OG Barret, Remake Tifa is no longer necessarily OG Tifa, Remake Hojo is no longer necessarily OG Hojo, etc. Perhaps this is why Aerith gives the party the following warning at destiny’s crossroads in Remake:

“[This] is the wall of destiny. If we go through it… if we go beyond it… then all of us will change, too” (FFVII Remake Material Ultimania Plus, VA script notes, “Destiny’s Crossroads”).

I. a) vii. Sephiroth’s Plan
Now that these six points have been elucidated, we can compose a solid hypothesis on how Sephiroth plots to win FFVII.
After gaining knowledge of his eventual demise (disk 3, chapter 3), pre-OG Sephiroth began thinking of what he must do in Remake from the Lifestream. First, Sephiroth must antagonize the Whispers in the initial stages of the OG timeline. He accomplishes this by commanding his clones to commit acts that drastically violate the fated timeline, engendering plot-line deviations that the Whispers must course-correct. The most extreme example transpires in Remake’s chapter 17 when the Sephiroth clone in President Shinra’s office kills Barret, forcing the Whispers to restore the fated plot line by coming forth and reviving him. The Whispers react to Sephiroth’s prodding by rushing in to protect fate, their efforts culminating in the protective wall of destiny that surrounds Midgar in chapter 18.
Secondly, after he’s created an opportunity for a battle against the Whispers, Sephiroth must convince the party to seize it and beat fate for him. After all, a mere Sephiroth clone is probably no match for Destiny. This second step is accomplished in Remake’s chapter 18 when Sephiroth successfully tempts Cloud to breach the boundaries of fate. Now that destiny is no longer a limitation, worlds deviating from the OG timeline can finally emerge; Sephiroth has a chance at victory.
The steps Sephiroth plans to take going forward are unknowable at this stage, but we do get more hints in Rebirth’s chapter 13. At the Temple of the Ancients, Sephiroth reveals a part of his plot:

“Sephiroth: My fragmented mother, these errant worlds... All shall be one again.
Aerith: The ‘Reunion’…!”

It seems Sephiroth eventually plans to merge the worlds created by destiny’s defeat in Remake’s chapter 18. My guess is he hopes to achieve godhood in part 3 and consolidate all diverting worlds into a single timeline protected by destiny once more— only this time, his victory will replace the ending of OG as the destined outcome. If he succeeds, Sephiroth’s Black Whispers will likely replace the planet’s Whispers as the arbiters of his desired fate.
I. b) Aerith’s Intervention
But Aerith can’t let this slide unchallenged!
We know that before chapter 18 of Remake, while the OG plot-line is still protected by fate, Aerith has knowledge of its future. This is insinuated by certain slips of the tongue: for instance, when Aerith reveals she knows Cloud is a mercenary upon meeting him for the second time in chapter 8, just like she knows Tifa will ask her to retrieve Marlene at Seventh Heaven in chapter 12. In the run-up to Remake, post-OG Aerith's spirit likely sensed Sephiroth planning his second try at FFVII in the Lifestream. She’s been able to anticipate Sephiroth’s plotting in the Lifestream before, namely in the context of Advent Children:

“[Aerith] had sensed a different presence within the Lifestream cycling around the planet […]. It was [Sephiroth] […]. That spirit was now operating from within the Lifestream. [She] sensed that he was planning to exert his influence [on] the surface of the planet” (On a Way to a Smile, "Lifestream White 1").

If you’re wondering how Aerith was able to maintain her individuality in the Lifestream like Sephiroth, On a Way to a Smile provides the following explanation:

“[Aerith] was an Ancient, which explained how she was able to maintain her individuality even within the Lifestream. If she so wished she could become part of the planet at any time, but [she] thought it too early for that just yet” ("Lifestream White 1").

It is thought that, as a countermeasure to Sephiroth's scheming, post-OG Aerith’s spirit used the atemporal nature of the Lifestream to inform her past, living self (pre-OG Aerith) of this new threat to the planet. Because the Cetra can commune with spirits, pre-OG Aerith would have been able to receive post-OG Aerith’s message from the Lifestream without a problem. Essentially, pre-OG Aerith received post-OG Aerith’s memories of the fated OG timeline. As a consequence, pre-OG Aerith embarks on the OG timeline with knowledge of the fated future that demands she give her life: the player experiences this version of her in Remake.
Be that as it may, it’s unclear how much Remake Aerith is aware of. You would think she’d be completely opposed to defeating, destiny since it protects the planet, but Aerith shows ambivalence toward the idea instead. Had she gotten a clear message from her future self that she must keep fate intact, she would not have allowed the party to enter the battle against fate in chapter 18. She doesn’t seem to know what the Whispers are the first time she encounters them either. Regardless, what’s important is that the Aerith seen in Remake is the result of pre-OG Aerith receiving knowledge from post-OG Aerith via the Lifestream.
I. c) Ambiguity: Memory Transfer or Time-Travel?
There remains an ambiguity pertaining to the Aerith we see in Remake and the question of time travel. What I’ve described to you in section “I. b)” is post-OG Aerith's spirit transferring her memories to her past self through the Lifestream. However, it’s possible that post-OG Aerith’s consciousness used the atemporal nature of the Lifestream to inhabit her living OG body instead, effectively time-traveling. There is no evidence to outright refute either explanation, since the gaps in Aerith’s memories of the OG plot-line in Remake can be explained in both cases. For instance, in a memory transfer scenario, it’s possible that post-OG Aerith only communicated the most essential information to pre-OG Aerith. On the other hand, in a time-travel scenario, one could interpret the following quotes as proof that the Whispers are progressively erasing Aerith’s memories of OG as Remake advances:

“Aerith: Every time the Whispers touch me, a piece of me falls away” (FFVII Remake Material Ultimania Plus, VA script notes, “Aerith Speaks”)
“At any rate, Aerith is perplexed at how, like a flower being scattered, something inside is being taken away by the Whispers and lost to her” (Toriyama in FFVII Remake Material Ultimania Plus, VA script notes, “Aerith Speaks”, “Scenario Staff Q&A - Answered by Motomu Toriyama”).

This ambiguity is completely irrelevant to Sephiroth’s situation in Remake, as we established in section “I. a) iv.”.
The specifics don’t matter nearly as much as I’m impressing upon you by explaining all these little alternatives. Simply keep in mind that: regardless of why, the Sephiroth and Aerith we see in Remake know the events of the OG game because they have acquired this knowledge from the future, and the events of Remake occur squarely within the OG timeline until the Whispers are defeated in chapter 18.
So there! That’s my iteration of the Remake Timelines Theory! I hope I’ve made it clear in your mind, or at least clearer. Now that we’ve established the widely theorized premise of the Remake trilogy, we can get into our theory on its hidden premise.
II. My Initial Curiosity
My theory first burgeoned upon going through Remake for the second time. I noticed something strange going on with Cloud, something that could not be explained by the Remake Timelines Theory. Key moments in Remake Cloud’s experience of the OG timeline (aka, everything before chapter 18) stuck out to me as strange and mysterious, and certain inexplicable audiovisual cues struck me as hugely significant. It was upon watching the tear fall from Cloud’s eye during my second go at chapter 8 that I knew I had to look into this.
At the very end of Remake’s chapter 8, Cloud watches Aerith walk away from him, humming happily into the night air as she sets off to lead the way to Sector 7. According to the VA script notes, “his heart skips a beat” and watching her walk away provokes a sudden “anxiety” within him. Triggered by the familiarity of the sight, a strange sensation overcomes Cloud:

“[There’s a] close-up shot of Cloud’s fingertips (they’re tingling). He presses them to his temples (his eyes are burning). A trickle of tears quickly rolls down from the eye hidden behind his hand” (FFVII Remake Material Ultimania Plus, VA script notes, “A Midnight Ambush”).

If you’re clever, you’ll recognize these lines as a reference to the speech Cloud makes in OG following Aerith’s death at the City of the Ancients (“My fingers are tingling. My mouth is dry. My eyes are burning!”) (disk 1, chapter 28). In this small moment in chapter 8 of Remake, Cloud experiences a flash of the profound grief he is destined to feel upon Aerith’s fated death.
Many players immediately recognized the composition of this scene: the blue-greenish air, the straight path Aerith heads down, the sight of her walking away itself… this moment closely resembles Cloud’s Sleeping Forest dream of Aerith in OG, wherein Cloud and Aerith’s very last words are exchanged (disk 1, chapter 25). Toriyama, codirector of the Remake project, comments on this scene thusly:

“It’s possible these similarities […] cause a memory of the future to be called forth in Cloud” (FFVII Remake Material Ultimania Plus, VA script notes, “A Midnight Ambush”).

The language used by Toriyama here is strange in both the English translation and the Japanese original: the term “memory of the future” makes no sense. One cannot remember things they haven’t already experienced, so why did Toriyama use the word “memory” to describe a "future" event? Couldn’t he have simply said that Remake Cloud experiences “visions of the future” rather than “[memories]”?
Cloud experiences a few moments like these throughout the game. These pseudo-premonitions are just as markedly exclusive to Remake as the Whispers are. I did not want to dismiss them as a foreshadowing device the devs included just to elicit emotional reactions from OG players; I felt they were more important. And thus began my digging! My mission was initially to figure out what these “[memories of the future]” (MOTFs) could signify… I had no clue it would turn into what I’m writing right now.
II. a) Each MOTF and Its Context
I began by finding every one of Cloud’s MOTFs so I could better understand them.
MOTF 1 occurs in chapter 2 on Sector 8’s Loveless Street, when Cloud sees Aerith struggling against the Whispers. The VA script notes reveal that even though this is only his first time seeing her, Cloud recognizes Aerith’s face:

“Recognizing Aerith’s face causes Cloud to experience [a hallucination]. Sephiroth is suddenly standing between him and Aerith” (FFVII Remake Material Ultimania Plus, VA script notes, “Encountering Aerith”).

Sephiroth then taunts Cloud with words that, according to the script notes, “[live] inside of Cloud's heart”: “You can’t protect anyone. Not even yourself”. Cloud should not recognize Aerith’s face at this point in the OG timeline, nor should he associate it with not being able to protect people.
MOTF 2 occurs in chapter 3, at the plaza in front of the Sector 7 slums support pillar. Cloud experiences a MOTF of the plate falling, which is fated to occur at a much later point in chapter 12. The Whispers float near him, “watching Cloud alertly as he sees a vision of the future” (FFVII Remake Ultimania, section 08 “Secrets”, “Newly Arisen Mysteries”, “What Is the Goal of the Elusive Whispers?”, page 733).
MOTF 3 occurs in Aerith’s church at the start of chapter 8, when Aerith mentions that her mother’s materia is “not good for anything at all”. Triggered by the mention and sight of the White Materia, Cloud’s fourth MOTF takes the form of a vision: he sees quick flashes of the materia falling into the lake of the Forgotten Capital and Aerith holding her hands together in prayer. These are evidently visions of her death in OG (disk 1, chapter 28).
MOTF 4 is the one we first discussed, occurring at the very end of chapter 8 as Cloud watches Aerith walk away from him to lead the way toward Sector 7.
MOTF 5 occurs in chapter 13 shortly after the Sector 7 plate has fallen on the slums. Cloud tells Barret that Marlene is safe at Aerith’s house, and they begin heading there. As Cloud thinks about Aerith, the VA script notes describe the very next moment as follows:

“Cloud: Tifa, you know anything about the Ancients?
Tifa: I’ve heard of them before, but…
Barret walks on ahead, showing little interest in the topic.
Barret: Read a book on planetology and they’re sure to come up. They’re a tribe that cultivated the planet a real long time ago. Used to talk to it. That sort of stuff.
Cloud: That must be why the Turks were after her.
[Psychic] interference starts up.
[Cloud has a] flashback of Sephiroth from five years ago, after learning of his ancestry at Shinra Manor […].
Sephiroth [(in flashback, voice tinged with madness)]: Within my veins flows the blood of the Ancients. I am the rightful heir to this planet!
The flashback ends and Cloud looks lost in thought. The interference starts up once more. Cloud makes agonized sounds. When he opens his eyes, Sephiroth is actually standing before him.
Sephiroth: You failed again— failed to protect [her]*.
Cloud is startled. He shrinks back. Tifa watches what’s happening. The other two can’t see Sephiroth. All they see is Cloud acting frightened.
Sephiroth: But loss will make you strong. […] Isn’t that what you want?
With that, Sephiroth departs.”

*Sephiroth does not use a gendered pronoun here, because the grammatical structure of the original Japanese sentence doesn’t necessitate it. I've seen some debate as to whether the proper translation is “her” (Aerith, who’s just been kidnapped), or “them” (Jessie, Biggs or Wedge, who have seemingly just died). I believe Sephiroth was referring to Aerith for a few reasons. First, Cloud’s hallucinations of Sephiroth always appear as a response to whatever he is perceiving or thinking about at the moment. At this point in the scene, Cloud has been thinking and talking about Aerith for some time, and not about Jessie, Biggs or Wedge. The Sephiroth hallucination must therefore be referring to “her” rather than to “them”. Secondly, Cloud was never tasked with “[protecting]” Avalanche, but he was in fact tasked with “[protecting]” Aerith as her bodyguard back in chapter 8: it makes far more sense for Sephiroth to be referring to Aerith when he speaks about someone Cloud “failed to protect”. Finally, FFVII Remake Ultimania describes this piece of dialogue as “[Sephiroth aiming] these profound words at Cloud, who not only failed to prevent the tragedy in the Sector 7 slums but allowed Aerith to be abducted” (Sephiroth’s profile in section 01 “Character & World”, “Impressive Words”, page 29): the specific mention of Aerith here seals my decision to translate the line with the pronoun “her”.
Contrary to Sephiroth’s words, this is the first time in Remake that Cloud “[fails] to protect [Aerith]”, and he hasn’t “[lost]” her either— not yet, at least. So why use the words "again" and "loss"? This fifth MOTF must be similar to MOTF 1, in that Sephiroth is referring to Cloud’s guilt surrounding Aerith’s death in OG.
MOTF 6 occurs in chapter 17, in Aerith and Ifalna’s old room at Shinra HQ. The Whispers swarm Aerith as she tells the party earnestly that she wants to do everything in her power to help her friends and the planet: according to the script notes, it is at this very moment that, “for some reason, Cloud feels his chest constrict tightly” (FFVII Remake Material Ultimania Plus, VA script notes, “Aerith Speaks”). In the corresponding cutscene, this unpleasant physiological reaction to Aerith’s words makes Cloud glance down at his chest with a confounded frown. This physical response to her speech about wanting to fulfill her duty to the planet implies that Cloud somehow knows deep down that saving the world will cost Aerith her life.
At this point, I noticed that five out of the six MOTFs Cloud experiences in Remake are triggered by and/or revolve around Aerith specifically, the one exception being a MOTF of the Sector 7 plate fall. One could actually argue that this MOTF revolves around Aerith too, considering the plate fall marks the first time Aerith is taken away from Cloud since reuniting with her in the Sector 5 slums church. This is more than plausible, as MOTF 5 proves that in the wake of the Sector 7 plate fall, Cloud’s main concern is Aerith (see section “II. a)”). How fitting is it, then, that the merc of few words’ longest uninterrupted piece of dialogue in all of Remake is:

“We found an underground Shinra lab where they've done human testing. This wasn't the first time and it won't be the last. I know these people, and I know they're never gonna let Aerith go. She's the last living Ancient on the planet. Think about what that means to Shinra's scientists. Especially to that son of a bitch Hojo. We're all just numbers and meat to him—“ (Remake, chapter 13).

Cloud would’ve gone on too, had Elmyra and Tifa not stopped him.
At this juncture in my research, my questions were only stacking up. What are these MOTFs? Why is Cloud the only one experiencing them? Why do all of them implicate Aerith? What did the devs hope to accomplish with their inclusion in the game? What do they mean for Remake’s story? But most importantly:
II. b) What Does Cloud Know?
The first assertion we have to make is simple, yet essential: the only reason Cloud would experience MOTFs is that whatever’s triggered them is significant to him in one way or another. Some part of him must recognize his triggers for them to be triggers at all. It’s clear he doesn’t consciously understand the meaning of his MOTF triggers, just like his Jenova triggers: for example, Cloud doesn’t know why Zack’s name causes him to experience psychic interference, but it sure does. We as players know Cloud’s MOTFs are hinting at Aerith’s fated death because of our awareness of OG, but as a character navigating the OG timeline, Remake Cloud shouldn't even be unconsciously aware of Aerith’s eventual death in the slightest! Whatever the nature of the MOTFs, it’s essential to understand that if Cloud “[recognizes]” Aerith’s face the first time he sees her, it must mean some part of him knows Aerith’s face in the first place. If this recognition triggers a hallucination of Sephiroth telling Cloud he “can’t protect anyone”, it must mean some part of him knows he was once unable to protect Aerith. The same goes for every other MOTF: subconsciously, Remake Cloud somehow has memories of the OG timeline. Most interestingly, it looks like he either only has OG memories related to Aerith, or like his OG memories of Aerith are simply the only ones prominent enough to trigger his MOTFs. Why and how does Remake Cloud have memories of OG, and why are they so focused on Aerith in particular? What does he know?
When examining a situation with no explanation, it’s wise to examine similar situations that have already been explained. Maybe the mystery of Remake Cloud’s MOTFs will become more approachable if we consider the cases of the only other Remake characters who seem to know the future: Aerith and Sephiroth. Remake Sephiroth knows the future of the OG timeline because his consciousness exists beyond time in the Lifestream, while Remake Aerith likely obtained her knowledge of the future from post-OG Aerith’s spirit via the Lifestream. But what about Cloud? Where does his weaker, fragmented knowledge come from?
(continued in part 2)

That’s it! I love nerdy things. I love taking about them or things associating with them. I want to meet a woman who is excitable about some of the things I am or even partakes in some of the same hobbies. Of course, have your own life and interests but something like tabletop rpg's is such a big social thing for me, it would be nice to share for example some of the stuff I enjoy...
 
Dungeons and Dragons! I love it. I enjoy other tabletop rpg systems in general but it’s a big part of my life and it would be wonderful to meet someone who is into the hobby as well. I also try other systems as well like Cyberpunk Red and Call of Cthulhu. And so many more, I also really like showing people and teaching them.
 
I like reading. I’ve gotten back into reading since covid. It made it hard but I’m in a book club for less serious material. It’s once a month and I always look forward to it.
 
I LOVE Star Wars. Unfortunately i do, I can’t help it. I’m an Episode 8 defender but sadly most of the new shows aren’t kind of average. Andor is incredible nd I will love it for ever. Love the games, the TTRPG’s and everything about it. Someday I’ll go to Star Wars celebration. Video games! Naturally I play video games. Currently playing Helldivers and Cyberpunk 2077. I enjoy Halo infinite and other co-op stuff. I’m trying to stream on twitch now even but I still feel awkward.
 
More important stuff
 
Look, I am fat. Not chubby. Just fat. I’m not ashamed of it. I have no health issues but I am working on losing weight because damn, since quitting my career (yes I have quit) I realized I really wore myself out. I was mentally and physically exhausted from my career and it made me just well get up in weight. I like being with friends. I’m social but introverted. I like to call people. I like to hang out and watch movies. I like talking over a drink for hours. I have a great group of friends and we’re all a bunch of nerds.
 
And some more stuff central to me. I’m Latino, progressive/liberal, vaccinated, and just assume i support BLM, LGBTQ+, women’s rights, and Free Palestine. I love my city. While I don’t have plans to leave anytime soon I would for the right reasons such as a new career, partner, or Nintendo calls me up and asks me to advise on the next Zelda.
 

• I like animals.
• I prefer calling over texting but will text
• I enjoy music but I generally like it quiet near me if I am alone
• I am 420 friendly, I do like edibles and some other stuff but it's not really a habit I partake in regularly
• I'm mostly Child-Free, I am open to children but I am seriously considering getting snipped
• Love Languages: Spending time together and physical touch
• I generally don't like getting gifts (unless if the gift is food)...I just hate having too much stuff
• I am generally a homebody but if you are outdoorsy, like to be out, I will 90% of the time join you unless if I am feeling socialized out

Anyway, that’s me. If you message me, please actually say more than one sentence, give me your age, location, and a selfie and I will do the same!

The groundbreaking research of Dr. Michael Gershon, an expert in the nascent field of neurogastroenterology, and author of The Second Brain, has clearly demonstrated that the human body has a second brain: the abdominal brain. In fact, “gut instincts” are actually the biological function of this second brain. Some researchers suggest that the abdominal brain is actually the “first”, rather than the “second,” hypothesizing that it may have evolved in animals long before the cranial brain took its current form.
https://preview.redd.it/bmu5stw01q0d1.png?width=1200&format=png&auto=webp&s=1bb6e088de3910ced1cf7a1bc2e5719d44ff11b5
Dr. Gershon writes: “The second brain doesn’t help with the great thought processes…religion, philosophy and poetry is left to the brain in the head.” However, this mass of abdominal neural tissue secretes important neurotransmitters, and it strongly influences mental state and plays key roles in certain diseases throughout the body.
Disturbances of the abdominal brain require a broad spectrum therapeutic response featuring dietary change, nutrient supplementation, exercises, breathing exercises, hydrotherapy, therapeutic sunbathing, improved rest and sleep habits, etc. The protocol presented in this article is being offered as an example of adjunctive measures that may prove of good service when implemented in concert with the more fundamental elements such as said dietary changes and breathing exercises, etc.
Read the full article here (5000+ words): Soothing the Abdominal Brain with Synergy of Blue Chamomile Essential Oil, Labradorite Gemstone Essence and Blue Light Therapy

This will be my first time ever openly sharing about my addiction; from the root cause to the effects and struggles that having a porn addiction has impacted my life to this day
So I just recently turned 21 and I'm beginning to look around and realize that for as long as I've acknowledged that I have a problem and need to quit, I keep feeding the addiction KNOWING that it's ruining my life. I'm going to split this post into 3 sections explaining the following stages: The root causes/early development, Progression of my addiction to current day, and Main struggles from my PA and how I go about everyday life to heal. Not exactly sure why I'm posting this but I just feel like it's something I need to let out. Hope someone can relate or give me their take on it.
The root causes/early development: So I believe that my PA manifested due to a few different reasons: Playing "doctor" with my sister as a child, early age porn exposure, and then using porn as a coping mechanism to deal with any negative emotions. So starting w/ "playing doctor", it first happened at a very young age, somewhere between elementary school to 6th grade. I think most people know what that is but to keep it short basically my sister who is a year older than me introduced my to basically role playing as doctor and patient. I wasn't sure if SHE even knew it was wrong but the point is, it happened. I genuinely don't think she was doing in an abusive way but I'll never know. I don't remember the small details of exactly how it happened but what leads me to think this was a factor that contributed to my porn addiction is that I know now as an adult that it's wrong, however as we "played doctor" I only grew to enjoy it and occasionally we took things outside of "playing doctor" - which is why I don't know what to make of it... Long story short it went from "doctor" to us making up our own games like "spy" where we pretended to fight each other as spy's, getting "knocked out" unconscious while she'd touch... and I specifically remember wanting to play these games in hopes that it led to that. But even outside of playing games I grew to wanting to touch her and act on perverted thoughts as a child that were NOT normal for my age or in general. And sometimes I would sneakily act on them - which as I'm reflecting on right now makes me think that me KNOWINGLY trying to be sneaky and act on perverted thoughts at that young of an age had to have carried on with me as I got older (contributing to my porn addiction).. And then the last thing that I vividly remember was when I was probably 10-12 years old is when again we were actually kind of aggressively play fighting, somehow ended up with each other's hands DOWN THERE mutually and we kept going on with each other until she made me.... yeah. And that was the last memory I had of what started out as us "playing doctor". Fast forward to current date since that last memory and we've never spoken about those experiences (more on that later). Going onto the actual exposure of pornography and WATCHING porn, I was exposed to it somewhere in between the same timeframe as when I'd play doctor and the last memory of us playing (somewhere between the ages of 8-12). I can vividly remember the scene that played late at night on the tv that my parents had left on (I shared a room with them). And then moving forward from there, somewhere in between I would find videos on YouTube of this "prank" channel where he'd go up to paid actors, bet that if he beat them in rock paper scissors that they'd have to make out with him. And as a young kid at the time seeing a girl in a bikini making out with a guy as he grabbed on her ass just made me horny and I learned to masturbate from there. And I cant think of a stronger dopamine hit for a 8-12 year old little me at the time than seeing those videos and pleasuring myself. After this, I'd hit middle school where I was bullied a lot, all while lacking social skills necessary to make any genuine friends or deal with the emotional turmoil of being bullied. Fast forward a few months and I think I just progressively began to normalize using porn as a coping mechanism - All the way from whenever I just got mad while dying repetitively on the videogame, to avoiding the fact that I hated my life everyday that I went to school. I'd use porn to receive that "good feeling" whenever I could. And I think my sexual addiction got worse when I began touching myself in the shower almost everyday in middle school to the imagination of the pretty girls that were at my school, even though I had neverarely talked to some of them. It was just a thing for me where every night I took a shower, I closed my eyes and fantasized about doing stuff with them. And then the cycles of me normalizing these things continued and eventually I found out about REAL porn sites.
Progression of my addiction to current day: So shortly after finding the real porn sites I entirely opted to use those as much as possible as the cycle continued. So by my freshman year of high school I was already using porn sites regularly. I remember during summer and winter breaks, sometimes I'd sleep at my grandmas and stay up all night switching from ejaculating to porn, to watching my favorite youtuber and streamers, to going back to jerking off. It was a multiple times a day/night occurrence OFTEN. Sometimes even during the middle of the day I'd pretend to use the bathroom but really I had a porn video pulled up and I watched until I was done. And as time progressed one video didn't exactly cut it for me. I don't think its that I couldn't get off to the first video, but more so that I just had the urge to see more and didn't want to nut yet. I didn't even know if I was purposely edging or not. I did not even understand that edging was a concept yet. Its just something that occurred naturally for me. And during all of this, I am still somewhere in the age range of 13-15. Consistently ejaculating to pornography, further exploring the more basic categories of porn like anal and lesbian. I think a notable memory was one of the first times I watched porn in the middle of work during summer break (extended family owns a construction company so I worked over breaks). It's crazy because in construction all we have are porta-potties that are always hot and nasty and the urge just came over me one day to pretend like I was using the bathroom and get one off before I went back... I don't think I even realized at the time that I had an addiction because this was still early high school. It was just something I looked at as a good feeling and whenever the urges came to me I took any chance I got to fulfill them. Even if I was sharing a room with a family member, I'd be as slow and quit as I could, touch myself under the covers, finish in my underwear and then showechange the next morning like it was normal. Moving forward, this type of behavior continues all the way throughout high school and the feeling of ejaculating just is not as intense as it use to be, so I look up ways to spice it up and I tried shit all the way from sitting on my own hand til it goes sort or numb so it "feels like someone else is touching you", to doing it in more risky places like my backyard outside when I was home alone and had my pants pulled down all the way, to whatever else I could try. Reflecting back, I just look at all these actions as the progressions of a sexual/porn addiction that is still developing. And this is how I rationalize the way I developed a porn addiction. Now it wasn't AWFUL in high school but it was getting bad. I realized that I had actually had a bad addiction that needed to be addressed a few months after graduating high school. From that point forward It was something that I had acknowledged was an issue but nonetheless, continued to do out of habit and as a continued coping mechanism. Whether it was from the lack of relationships, to my current life situation/direction I was headed in, or just any negative emotion - I used porn to release. Sometimes I'd even just do it out of boredom, not even because I had a dying urge to get one off. And then after that point of realization, I sat in "depression" for a few months still going about my everyday life until one day my dad mentioned that I should try therapy. He knew nothing about the addiction but I did let him know I feel depressed and the many struggles that I faced - which I believe is due to my porn addiction. So long story short, I go to therapy for about 3 sessions and end up dropping it because it just wasn't something I felt was helping or enjoyed (more on that later). From there to current day, I've gone at MOST one week periods attempting to quit porn and every time I relapse. From the age of 1 to-current day 21 years old, the progression of the categories of porn that I watch has grown and a few different fetishes like face sitting, femdom, and role play has increased. I don't NEED to watch these specific categories to get off, however these are ones I've found myself most recently watching and edging to, sometimes for 1-3 hours at a time, usually at night on weekends or before I fall asleep. And to take it a step further, I had started pouring money into camgirl sites, phone sex sites, only fans, etc.. I live with my parents still so it's not to the point that I'm broke and have no money, but still what the fuck am I doing putting my hard earned money into a porn addiction... (I'm a functioning adult on a pathway to financial freedom, more on this later).
Main struggles from my PA and how I go about everyday life to heal: So I believe that the main struggles with my porn addiction consist of: the inability/struggle to create and maintain healthy relationships, low self esteem, poor social skills, lack of motivation, and the cognitive dissonance of continuing my addiction to porn even though morally I believe it is wrong to lust over. I believe all of these struggles that come with porn are connected to each other - minus the cognitive dissonance. But everything else kind of stacks on top of each other. So my thought process is that I already dealt w/ low self esteem and confidence from a very young age, and porn just completely enhanced those problems and made it even harder to fix/work on. If you're anything like me and have watched videos on the sciences of porn on your brain, and possible struggles that we deal with, I'm assuming you know how it goes for the most part. I'd say I show symptoms of all effects of being a porn addict, however I've learned to "act normal" to an extent. Like YES I struggle to make friends and hold conversations with people in general but I can make it happen. Sure it'll be a little awkward depending on who I'm speaking to, but I feel like I act normal enough to not be a total outcast and all out weirdo around people. But I just feel like every relationship I have with anyone is extremely surface level or unfulfilling. I feel like as a person I lack so much substance and personality due to the fact that I never really put myself out there and learned social skills when I was coming up. My mindset was molded into something like "keep your head down and stay out the way" in order to avoid conflict. So I never really put myself out there to develop any type of super crazy/interesting personality. I work, play videogames, go to the gym, watch anime. I feel like there's not much else - which might also be a side affect of my porn addiction. Lack of emotion. And I refuse to call it depression. Kind of got red pilled by Andrew Tate Philosophy and it entirely HAS helped me. Maybe it's real, maybe it's not - because when I was fresh out of high school and hyper focused on the bad parts of my life, I felt depressed as shit. Legit like I couldn't do anything to fix it. And the more I identified as "depressed" the more I allowed myself to look for things in my life to confirm that belief. So eventually I went on a self improvement journey and just stopped allowing "depression" to hold power over me. Now I don't believe in it so it's not something that can hold me down in that crippling way. HOWEVER, I DO believe in just being in a shitty situation - which is what I feel like having a porn addiction along with it's effects and symptoms is. It's a shitty situation and I can either allow it to keep ruining my life OR I can get up everyday and attempt to fix it. And I refuse to play the victim card. Sure, I may have been exposed to some fucked up shit at a young age and used porn as a coping mechanism. There is no denying that it happened and that it may have been unfair and out of my control. YES, that's my problem. I may be a victim of pornography but I do not have to ALLOW it to continue to ruin my life. Easier said than done but it's definitely possible and I will not blame my lack of discipline or call it "depression" because I'm unable to quit. The way I see it is, there is a lot of shit that happened to me in the past that I have to come to terms with, and then I must come up with a plan to improve and learn how to be better. For example, struggling to hold eye contact with people, hold basic conversation with people (specifically women), find confidence within myself, become more social, etc... These are all skills that we can practice and learn. Simply by going outside and putting ourselves in uncomfortable situations that allow us to put the reps in. I believe that if I quit porn and start walking up to 10 strangers a day and try having simple conversations with them, in time I can only get better at being social and connecting with people. It's gonna suck and feel like shit at first, but I truly believe that it's a way to improve and get better. As I stand in my current situation I would say I have a lot of work to do but I'm still a functioning addict. I have friendships and relationships with family but they are very lack luster and I long for something deeper and more intimate. I know I'm not ugly and have the ability to pull a good looking girl, shit I've turned down this really pretty girl who always asks to hangout simply due to the fact that I feel like I'm gonna fuck it up and have bad social skills. And its getting to a point where friends and family are wondering why I haven't had a girlfriend in years. Overall its a lack of self esteem, which hinders me from being able to confidently put myself out there as a person who's deserving of love/companionship, which then makes me sort of self isolate and stray away from any type of connection or opportunity to be vulnerable. Which just leads me to feeling like a loser or someone that is undeserving of love because I'm just in a shitty situation. And yeah. Its kind of a self sabotaging cycle because I feel like I understand what's going on but I don't have the discipline and don't put the work in to get better. But that's just my two cents. This post was extremely long and I probably rifted off topic a few times and had my thoughts all over the place, and I still have a lot more I could give input about but this is the jist of everything
If anyone has a support group or needs someone to talk to, 1. I'd like to join the group, or 2. Feel free to message me for any support or conversation.

My name is Emily. I'm from the United States and I wanted to end my 20's with a bang, and I'm happy to say that I ended my 20's in Korea.Actually, Korea was not a country that I had much to do with.Originally, I was a person who was immersed in Japanese culture since college.Japanese anime became my friend. There's a lot of interesting things about Japanese anime, like the fact that they depict real places in Japan, and they depict real food, and so I fell in love with Japan, and I even traveled to Japan a couple times, and I thought that Japan was the sum of everything that I longed for.
But then, in my late 20s, I met a friend who would change my life. It was a simple meeting with a long-lost college classmate, Sarah, who had gone on to work at a large firm in New York City, and whom I had shared anime and Japanese food with in my dorm room in college. She told me honestly that she had recently traveled to Korea and was seriously thinking about moving there. Unfortunately, the large company she worked for in New York had recently gone through a business crisis, and she was laid off.
She said that she was confused by the sudden betrayal of a well-known company, and to clear her mind, she went to the airport with the intention of leaving anywhere. She thought she would go to Japan, but when she arrived at the airport, she changed her mind. When she thought back to the places and restaurants she frequented most often while working at the company in New York, she remembered that she often went to Korean streets and Korean supermarkets in New York, and she thought that going to Korea on an impromptu trip was a really good idea, so she chose to go to Korea rather than Japan, which she already knew.
And buying a plane ticket on the spot at the airport was more than twice as expensive as booking a ticket in advance, but Sarah said that she didn't care, because she was depressed after being fired from her job, and she went to the airport to leave, but the curiosity about Korea that came over her made her want to leave right away, even if she had to pay for the expensive plane ticket.
He expressed that although he went to the airport courageously, he knew that the plane ticket would be too expensive, and he thought that maybe he should just go back home again, but his curiosity about Korea came from somewhere deep inside him, and it exploded like a bomb, and he was naturally drawn to it.
Sarah, who likes emotional things like essays and poems in college and enjoys such poetic expressions, but even so, I wondered if it was a little overdone, but when she said that she had been to Korea, I became more focused on her story.
However, I was able to understand why she expressed herself in such an over-the-top way after listening to her Korean stories.
"Korea is an amazing place, the people are so kind and warm, and most of all, the employment system is very well organized. There are many programs and support for job seekers, which is very helpful for people who are in a difficult situation like me."
When Sarah started with this story, I realized that she was really traumatized by being laid off.Now, she had been through a big ordeal and was in the process of recovering from it through Korea, so I decided to focus more on her story."You said you traveled to Korea, so what else did you do?" I asked."For example, what kind of programs were there?" I asked her.
"I happened to visit a job fair in Korea," she said, "where job seekers can get free career counseling and get the training they need." "I got a lot of help there, and it gave me the strength to get back on my feet, and maybe even get a job in Korea." "And most of all, the work culture in Korea is really family-like," she said, "I was impressed by how much my coworkers cared about each other and supported each other."
Sarah said that she was curious about what Korea was like, so she visited a large convention center in Korea and participated in various fairs, one of which was a job fair, and she interviewed with several Korean companies, and the Korean companies were ready to accept her as a colleague if she applied as an American. I also learned that Korea has many companies with global reach, and they are open to foreigners with various experiences, but in Korea, unless it is a large company, people don't prefer them, so if it is a small company, they want foreigners, but there is a sad reality that no one applies.
Unlike in the U.S., where you have to report your performance every week, and if you fall short, you are threatened with termination, Korean companies are definitely not more performance-oriented than in the U.S. They value their employees and do everything together to grow together, not threaten them with termination. In the past, I knew that corporate culture in Asian countries such as Korea was more collectivistic than individualistic, and as a student, I thought that such a collectivistic culture was a bad culture with a high level of disease in Asia, but after experiencing social life in the United States, I heard that the tendency of companies to be extremely individualistic, talking about job insecurity, and treating people ruthlessly, caused me to be fired from a good job overnight, and the future plans I had planned in advance became uncertain, and I even talked about envying the Korean culture that does not have such disadvantages.
Sarah, who has never worked in Korea, but was always afraid of being fired, said that she learned a lot about Korean corporate culture by interviewing many Korean company officials.
She said that she even considered settling down and living in Korea because, besides the culture, there were so many other conveniences and benefits.
She talked about her experience of working in New York, being left alone in the office to get things done because of her performance, having to leave late at night and being afraid to go home, sleeping in the hotel next door, and having to live with the exorbitant rent in Manhattan and the two-hour round-trip commute to work, and how she realized that unlike in the U.S., where it is difficult to see a doctor, she would not have to worry about these things in Korea.
Sarah's story made me even more curious about Korea.The warmth, systematic system, and various charms that she experienced in Korea couldn't help but have a great impact on me.I've been experiencing a lot of stress every day due to the pressure of performance and the threat of being fired, and I've recently been undergoing expensive psychotherapy.I decided to learn more about Korea, and eventually decided to travel to Korea.
Of course, I didn't travel to Korea with the intention of moving to Korea or settling down in Korea, but rather to spend my last 20s in a new country, Korea, and to see a different world than the familiar Japan.
I made my preparations and headed to Korea sooner than I expected, arriving ten days before my birthday and extending my itinerary beyond what I had originally planned, staying in Korea until after my birthday and then flying back to the United States.
The first day I finally arrived in Korea, I started walking around the streets of Seoul.The first thing that greeted me was the warm spring weather in Korea.The sky was clear and the air was crisp.I was told that it is common for Asia to have very bad air quality in the spring due to the influence of China, but I didn't have to deal with that during my trip.
The streets of Korea are very different from the United States, and everything was new to me.There were many beautiful flowers in bloom, and the well-maintained trees were really beautiful.It has been a long time since the common people's neighborhoods in the United States have such beautiful landscaping because of people who destroy these trees and flowers for no reason, or secretly take them and sell them.But this was not the case in Korea.The streets were like a beautiful flower garden.
I was walking down a beautiful street lined with flowers, and I was looking at them, looking at the big big map that was displayed on the screen at the bus stop.I was just curious to see what my neighborhood looked like, so I was looking at the map and taking my time, and a middle-aged woman came up to me and said, "Where are you looking for?" She didn't speak fluent English, but I was so grateful that she was trying to help. I was too embarrassed to tell her that I was just looking at the map, so I told her one of the destinations I was planning to go to, and she gave me direct directions to the place I was looking for, and I was able to get there without any difficulty.This unexpected kindness opened my eyes to the Korean people and warmed my heart at the same time.
I was ready to accept everything in Korea with an open mind.The first impression was very good, I was touched by the kindness of the people.I couldn't ask for anything more from Korea.The food was so fresh and amazing to me.I visited Gwangjang Market, a famous traditional market in Korea.
Unlike a regular restaurant, it was a place where you could sit down and try a variety of food. As a traditional market, it was full of Korean food. There were no pizza, pasta, or burger joints, but I liked it better that way. It was a place where you could see the traditional look and feel curious about everything.
I also tasted foods such as tteokbokki sundae and hotteok.Everything else was fine, but I was a little worried when I first tried sundae because it looked so strange and a little gross, but I decided to give it a try and the moment I put it in my mouth, the rich flavor filled my mouth.Korean food often seems difficult to eat, but when you try it, you can see why it is so popular in Korea.
I stayed at Gwangjang Market for a long time and tried a lot of different foods, especially kimchi and pajeon, which I still remember because of their crispy texture and spicy flavor. I would recommend them to everyone.Experiencing the deep flavors of Korean food firsthand made me fall in love with Korean food.
And then there was a shocking thing that happened to me in Korea.I was having a lot of fun traveling around Korea and everything was interesting, because Korea is really the best place to be, you know, you're running around, you're busy, you're going from place to place, and I had the misfortune of losing my passport, which was really stupid.
I was traveling in Korea, and I got an international call. Someone was calling me from Korea, and when I saw the international call indicator on my phone and realized that the call was from Korea, I had a million questions.
I thought I shouldn't answer the call, but then I realized that it was an international call, and I thought maybe they were calling me because they had some business to take care of. I answered the call, and I was told a really crazy story, because I heard a calm English voice asking if it was Emily, and she introduced herself as a police officer and asked if I could come to the nearest police station.
I thought I had done something terribly wrong, because I had just eaten delicious tteokbokki and sundae, kimchi and pajeon, and I was so happy to eat them, and afterward I was just walking around the streets of Korea, smelling the flowers and seeing the pretty trees.
I started to check my belongings one by one and realized that my small pouch containing my passport and some of the money I had exchanged was missing.
I quickly headed to the police station, which was where I was told to go, and from the front gate, I was controlled as to what I was visiting.
The great thing about Korea is that even for someone like me who doesn't speak Korean, it's not difficult to navigate these government offices. Not all Koreans speak English, but at least the ones I've met have been able to communicate with me in a simple way. Even if they don't speak perfect sentences, they understand most of the words, so I was able to communicate the reason for my visit to the police station.
I had never been to a police station before, even in the U.S., but here I was in Korea, and I was greeted by friendly people.The pouch with my passport in it had my contact information written on the inside, and they said they would contact me with that.The bag was found in a marketplace, and the first person to report it was the stall owner of the place where I had my first sundae.It also had all of my clean, new Korean money in it, which I had exchanged separately.
I was so impressed with how conscientious Koreans are and how good they are that I was able to find the pouch, sign the paperwork, and walk out of the police station.
I went back to Gwangjang Market, and when I got there, the owner recognized me and looked like he was about to say something. I held out the bag and showed it to him, and he smiled and liked it.
I thanked the Korean boss, and we ate another snack on the spot. It was an experience that made me realize how heavenly Korea is.
And like Sarah said, I didn't just want to see how clean and pretty Korea is, I wanted to see what an American working in Korea could do and what life would be like.Through the Reddit community, I was able to get in touch with Americans working in Korea and even met some of them in person.
David, the American I met, works for a company that is not a large Korean company, but rather a small or medium-sized company. As Sarah said, Korea is a country where products are produced for the global market, and many things are actually exported overseas.
However, in Korea, unless it is a large company, every company is experiencing a job shortage, and because of the atmosphere in Korea, where foreigners are not welcome at all, it is not difficult to get a job in a company that specializes in exporting overseas, even if you are in the United States.
And David told me that he put all his passion into the first company he worked for in the U.S., and even made a lot of money for the company, but when he didn't perform, the company fired him without mercy, and he said that he was so shocked, not to mention the feeling of betrayal, that he took depression medication at that time, and it was so hard that he took depression medication, and then he found Korea by chance and settled in Korea, and now he is so happy. He told me that he was fired from his job because of the unrelenting treatment in the U.S., that he found a second chance in Korea, and that he is happy with his life here.
I'm not sure I have the courage to move to Korea right now, but I learned that there are a lot of people like Sarah and David who have been hurt so badly that they end up leaving the country. I'm scared that this could be my future, but I also learned that Korea is an option for me if it happens to me.My trip ended like this: experiencing the culture, food, and hospitality of Korea, and getting to meet and talk to Americans living in Korea, made my trip much more rewarding than my trip to Japan, which could have been an anime trip.
Korea has given me new perspectives and experiences, shattered my notion that Japan is only good, broadened my horizons, and opened my eyes to another gem that is Korea.
I now like to say to my friends, "Go to Korea, you'll see how good it is." Korea has taught me so much, and I will cherish my experience in Korea, which now holds a special place in my heart.
If Sarah goes to Korea and settles down, I will be there to congratulate her and support her in her new relationship in Korea.

Hi guys :) I have something cool to show you.
From my studies, mostly introspective, I believe I have come across a great discovery: that the ancient primordial language of man is METAPHOR (and possibly also for animals as well; this might be a bridge). In other words, pictures. But there is a catch: metaphors are not mere pictures. If I say "God is the sun" I am not saying that God is literally a sun.
How I came about this discovery: if you try really really hard to express yourself, to come up with exactly the right sentence -- or even exactly the right WORD, you hit a massive wall. The closer you come to perfection, the more tantalizingly far away becomes the prize. You think you've found exactly the right word to describe something, or to describe your feelings but nothing quite fits. You get really close. But then you look in closer and see if the word truly resonates with what you want to say, and it is amiss. It is a fun game to play, in a way.
For me, when I hit this massive wall, it is very frustrating. I cannot truly capture what I mean and feel. But then a vista opens up, the walls disintegrate into light dust. A picture appears to me. An image. A symbol, if you will. AND this picture/metaphor captures what I wanted to say, what I really mean, PERFECTLY. And that is what shocks me, that anything can be perfect. But this is.
So my hypothesis is: preverbal metaphors are translated into words. We are generally not aware of this process. That's why it may require introspection. In other words, there is meaning, which is invisible and empty (or so it seems) which then, when we want to speak or write or make it materialize, we convert into words. Like one energy being translated into another. This translation is not perfect. This invisible energy is actually the metaphor.
Metaphors, such as "God is the sun", trap an enormous amount of meaning into them. People say "A picture is worth a million words." But this is even better -- metaphors trap a trillion words within them. This metaphor can be unpackaged, but the resulting words will never fully reflect its original state.
Here's some dumb examples:
"There is electricity all over my body" (I try to find the word to describe what I am feeling. I try "anxiety", "nervous", "scared", "worried", "tense". None of them fits. It is very frustrating. Perhaps I am a perfectionist. But, then, like I said perfection can actually be achieved. The image comes to: my body with electricity zigzagging through my whole body. This fits the feeling exactly, it is a perfect fit. Just the right resonance.)
I had another example but I forget it 🙁 My memory is very bad. (If I think of it I will put it in a comment.) What I mean by "dumb" examples isn't really that they're dumb, but just that's it's hard to find an example that isn't super personal and embarrassing but not too boring either so that the example loses all vividness entirely.
A softer version of my hypothesis: This metaphor stuff is only true of me. But I doubt that. It is possible that I am more visual than most, because I am deaf. These days, since this discovery, I think of metaphors as my natural language, my mother tongue. It is beautiful. My second language is writing (I don't know why). And my third language, quite dusty, is talking.
What about you? Do you share this experience too? Are metaphors your primordial harbingers of meaning? (Do you believe in the preverbal? And if so, what is its nature?) Thank you so much! I would love to hear your experiences.
Note: in my other posts I said I wasn't going to reply to comments, but I change my mind. I will definitely reply to your comments. I don't have much to say/post anymore, so I have time to reply now.

Ahead of the S2 premiere next week, I thought it prudent to catch up courtesy of Max. In short......IT's GREAT!!!! I think unlike some other well known adaptations, MAWS does a far better example of showing the Clark/Superman connection, in that Superman isn't compelling without a compelling Clark. Not to mention, the light hearted romcom approach gives Lois a bit more agency within the story, and i think making them young adult allows for potential threads they couldn't do with older takes. Some additional random takes:

1. Goddamn this show is HORNY haha. It's refreshing having even nervous Clark wear his heart on his sleeve everytime he crushes on Lois, and it's literal seretonin by the time they kiss at the end of Zero Day pt 2. Just squeeing both on the outside and inside
   
2. I love Jimmy. He manages the embody the traditional ighthearted, idealistic characterization without sacrificing any sort of agency to his role in the story. He's not simply a third wheel to Clark and Lois. He shows competence at his job, and he's a true G 'cause he chooses to hold Clark's secret.
   
3. The General is an interesting character. He's a complete hardass, and for most of the episodes, he's so wantonly cruel to the criminals he kidnaps and exploits. However, you still understand his fear of Superman throughtout, given how we see Superman piecing together his not so innocent origin, and with Superman's ship activation in the season finale which of course sets up Brainiac and Zod, i expect more butting heads, so to speak, between Lois, the general and Superman.
   
4. I find it interesting how Jor El's hologram stays mostly untranslated besides some select words. I think that choice works for this particular story, because Clark's superpowers are alien to himself, especially as he's discovering his superpowers. It's less an instance of realism and more a choice that suits itself to Clark finding his own existence and origin alien.
   
5. In episode 2, he buries the ship after saving his parents from falling in the hole in the ground. This, to me, is such a small, but significant defining moment for me in establishing Clark's innate protectiveness. He would rather keep his history literally buried than harm falling on his Ma and Pa. That, to me, feels as much in line with Clark protecting Lois from the guns in 1x06 out of pure instinct rather than knowledge of his powers.
   

All in all, a great, damn time. The show seems to play to 2 tones: the lighthearted, romantic comedy angle with the young Clark/Lois/Jimmy trio, and the more serious stake-heavy storylines with the criminals and their stolen tech and whatnot. It balances both fairly well. This is solid proof, for me that Superman does not need to be a grimdark character to be compelling. You can still inject plenty of compelling pathos and dark subject matter without making Superman Omni-Man or, god forbid, Homelander.
I really look forward to Season 2. I'm fully on the twunk Clark train :)
P.S Studio Mir also animated X-Men '97(finale aired on D+ today), which is also awesome and great-looking. Superhero animation FTW :)

I don't know much about the Mushoku Tensei reddit but i decided to post my idea here anyway just cause.
I've been a fan of reaction fanfictions for a while, I just get a kick out of seeing characters i like reacting to stuff and my favorite genre of reaction fanfics are characters reacting to their own series.
One of my favorite examples of this being the Re:Zero fanfiction Watching Him Die Again and Again. Now i don't know how to write for anything but i'd love a fanfiction based on that but with Mushoku Tensei. Of course it would mainly be them watching the Anime with perhaps a bit of other content from the light novel. Regardless i'd love to see this become a thing. Perhaps the characters could be taken after s2 episode 18 happens, as that's where the anime is right now.
Of course this fanfic idea would include the Rudeus' family along with the three main girls. (I'm an anime only so i have no idea what's going on with Eris. So i wouldn't mind tiny spoilers in said fanfic eluding to where she's been) Of course Ruijerd would be included as well as the main students in the Magic Academy. (Ariel, Luke, Elinalise, Zanoba, Etc.) Rudeus would be there asleep just like Subaru was in WHDAAA. I imagine Nanahoshi would be similar to Beatrice in WHDAAA, explaining stuff from her world that would confuse the others. I think it would be amazing to see everyone react to Rudeus and his struggles and journey's as he grows up.
The title of this post could possibly be the title of the fanfic? But that would be up to whoever would be up to making this. This is assuming no one has already made this and i'm just ranting like a mad man. Of course i don't actually expect this to be made, but i thought i'd just share this anyway. Link to WHDAAA below. Also make sure to check out Watching Arc 4 in The Theater of Despair, it's an amazing continuation of WHDAAA. That's all from me, bye!
https://archiveofourown.org/works/27548665/chapters/114242317
https://archiveofourown.org/works/54336964/chapters/137623861

For thousands of years, and to this day, Christians of various kinds have tried to demonstrate the truth of Christianity by claiming that Jesus was prophesied about specifically in the Hebrew Scriptures. It is argued that Jesus fulfilled these prophecies about the Messiah in the OT and, therefore, is the promised one. Only Jesus could've fulfilled these Messianic prophecies, so they say. Additionally, Christian theology, building off the NT paradigm of quoting the OT, has claimed that the OT looks forward to the founding of Christianity and the formation of the Church.
What this post will argue is that this is anachronistic and that Christians are incorrect in their claims about the OT. The OT prophets do not look forward to a supposed Messiah figure who would arrive hundreds of years later in 1st century Roman Palestine or that this Messiah figure would crucified and raised from the dead. Nor do they prophesy the establishment of the Christian religion. Instead, the OT looks forward to an imminent, glorious, material restoration of ancient Israel meant to happen in their day, not centuries later when Christianity was founded. Nor is the OT looking forward to supposed events that have yet to happen, like the second coming of Jesus or a future restoration of the land of Israel. These were supposed to happen in ancient Israel but did not occur.
Before I begin, I would like to say that this is the consensus of biblical scholars and historians. This is not just my opinion or the opinion of secular skeptics. All critical scholars of the OT, including Jews, Christians, and non-religious ones, agree that OT needs to be understood in its ancient Israelite context. They agree that these texts and oracles are not about Jesus or the Church. If you want to read an excellent scholarly resource, I highly recommend John J. Collins, Introduction to the Hebrew Bible, 2018. He is a leading OT scholar at Yale and a Roman Catholic. The New Oxford Annotated Study Bible is also a beneficial resource, giving a critical scholarly introduction and notes to the Hebrew Bible.
For this post, I will look at some of the principal prophetic literature of the OT. I cannot analyze every single relevant passage.

Isaiah

The Book of Isaiah is among the most popular books in ancient Judaism and Christianity. I could be wrong, but I believe it is the most cited book in the NT after Psalms. This is relevant to this discussion because Christians cite many passages in Isaiah, believing them to be predictions about Jesus. This precedent is set in the NT, for example, in Matthew's or Luke's gospel. However, Jesus/Christianity is not prophesied in the book. Instead, Isaiah predicts the imminent restoration of the Kingdom of Israel and the gathering of the twelve tribes.
Let's examine Isaiah 7:14, a passage often misconstrued as a prophecy about Jesus. In reality, it's not a prophecy about the Messiah at all. The passage states, 'Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son and shall name him Immanuel.' This is not about a virgin giving a miraculous birth. The word used here is 'almah ', which simply means young woman. If Isaiah intended to convey that this woman was a virgin, there was a word for that, 'betulah '. Matthew's use of the Greek translation of Isaiah 7:14, which is a mistranslation of the Hebrew, as a prophecy about Jesus's virgin birth is a misinterpretation. The context of Isaiah 7 is an oracle of consolation given to King Ahaz, promising him a sign through the birth of a son that Jerusalem will be preserved from the Assyrian crisis.
'For before the child knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land before whose two kings you are in dread will be deserted. The Lord will bring on you and on your people and on your ancestral house such days as have not come since the day that Ephraim departed from Judah—the king of Assyria. On that day the Lord will whistle for the fly that is at the sources of the streams of Egypt and for the bee that is in the land of Assyria. And they will all come and settle in the steep ravines and in the clefts of the rocks and on all the thornbushes and on all the watering holes. On that day the Lord will shave with a razor hired beyond the River—with the king of Assyria—the head and the hair of the feet, and it will take off the beard as well.'
So, Isaiah 7:14 refers to the Assyrian crisis in the 8th century BCE and the preservation of Jerusalem, not events that occurred hundreds of years later. Matthew's misquotation of the OT is a clear example of misinterpretation. It's quite ironic and even amusing that the most famous and well-known prophecy about Jesus's virgin birth, cited every year at Christmas, is quite literally not about that. This highlights the importance of understanding the historical context and the original intent of the texts.
There is a cluster of oracles in Isaiah 9-11 that Christians cite as a prophecy about Jesus. But when we look at the context of Isaiah 7-12, we see that these are about the restoration of Zion and the re-establishment of a Davidic king who would rule in the ancient Near East in Israel, not in 1st-century Judea.
Let's look at some of the famous passages.
'For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders, and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Great will be his authority, and there shall be endless peace for the throne of David and his kingdom. He will establish and uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time onward and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.' 9:6-7
This is not a prophecy about Jesus. The text presupposes that this son is already born and will fulfill this vision in Isaiah's day. Again, the passages surrounding this one set the historical context for fulfillment in the ANE. This Davidic King would preside over the physical restoration of a united Kingdom of Israel and the unification of the twelve tribes.
'On that day, the remnant of Israel and the survivors of the house of Jacob will no longer lean on the one who struck them but will lean on the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, in truth. A remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, to the mighty God. For though your people, O Israel, were like the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will return.' 10:20-22
'On that day, the root of Jesse shall stand as a signal to the peoples; the nations shall inquire of him, and his dwelling shall be glorious. On that day, the Lord will again raise his hand to recover the remnant that is left of his people from Assyria, from Egypt, from Pathros, from Cush, from Elam, from Shinar, from Hamath, and from the coastlands of the sea.' 11:10-11
The King, through Yahweh, on that day will also,
'raise a signal for the nations and will assemble the outcasts of Israel and gather the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth. ¹³ The jealousy of Ephraim shall depart; the hostility of Judah shall be cut off; Ephraim shall not be jealous of Judah, and Judah shall not be hostile toward Ephraim. ¹⁴ But they shall swoop down on the backs of the Philistines in the west; together, they shall plunder the people of the east. They shall put forth their hand against Edom and Moab, and the Ammonites shall obey them.'
So, it's clear what these oracles were intending to describe. Isaiah predicted that after the Assyrian crisis of the 8th century BCE, Yahweh would raise up a Davidic ruler who would preside over a literal Israelite Kingdom that would become the dominant power of the ANE. This was expected to happen in the ancient world, but it did not occur. The historical context of Jesus and the first-century Church is not the fulfillment of these oracles. These oracles are failed. Isaiah's vision of an eternal, glorious Israelite Kingdom did not come to pass.

Jeremiah

There are two passages in Jeremiah I would like to discuss.
Jeremiah 29:10 promises that after 70 years, the Jews will return from the Babylonian exile, and God will restore Israel to its former glory.
'For thus says the Lord: Only when Babylon’s seventy years are completed will I visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope. Then, when you call upon me and come and pray to me, I will hear you. When you search for me, you will find me; if you seek me with all your heart, I will let you find me, says the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, says the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.'
This never happened historically. Yes, some of the Judeans in exile did return to Israel. Israel was rebuilt with the help of the Persians. But, this was not the glorious restoration predicted by the prophets. Israel would continue to be dominated by foreign powers until the establishment of the secular state of Israel in 1948, which, of course, has no relevance to this ancient oracle. Further, while some Judeans did return, this promise of a gathering of Jews from all the nations did not happen. After the Assyrian and Babylonian conquests, Jews have remained permanently dispersed in the diaspora. This is another failed oracle. It cannot be interpreted exegetically as being fulfilled in the 1st century with Jesus and Christianity.
More famously, however, is Jeremiah's prediction of the establishment of a 'New Covenant.' (31:31) Christians see this New Covenant as being fulfilled in the Church, and indeed, the New Testament frequently refers to the New Covenant being fulfilled in the Christian community and Jesus's work. However, the historical context of this passage is surrounded by a cluster of oracles in chapters 30-31 that were meant to be a consolation to ancient Israel. The passage itself is clear that this is not talking about Christianity or events hundreds of years later, but is a word of consolation to Jews who experienced the Babylonian conquest:
'The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah.' 31:31
What is the context?
'At that time, says the Lord, I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be my people.' 31:1
'The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when the city shall be rebuilt for the Lord from the tower of Hananel to the Corner Gate. And the measuring line shall go out farther, straight to the hill Gareb, and shall then turn to Goah. The whole valley of the dead bodies and the ashes and all the fields as far as the Wadi Kidron, to the corner of the Horse Gate toward the east, shall be sacred to the Lord. It shall never again be uprooted or overthrown.' 31:38-40
'For the days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will restore the fortunes of my people, Israel and Judah, says the Lord, and I will bring them back to the land that I gave to their ancestors, and they shall take possession of it' 30:3
Then, it is clear what prophesy about the New Covenant means. It's about the imminent restoration of the ancient Kingdom of Israel and its ascent into power and glory. Again, these oracles remained unfulfilled and precisely falsified.

Micah

There is one famous passage in Micah 5, quoted in Matthew and frequently cited by Christians as "proof" that Jesus's birth location was prophesied about hundreds of years prior. The idea that Jesus was born in Bethlehem is, of course, historically dubious. Matthew and Luke's accounts are contradictory and rife with historical problems. Mark and John assume Jesus has always been a native of Nazareth (Mk 6:2-3, Jn 1:46, 7:42). It seems then that Matthew and Luke invented their passages about Jesus being born in Bethlehem to give him more Davidic status. But this is beside the point, even if Jesus was born in Bethlehem. It is not a fulfillment of this passage.
'But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah, who is one of the little clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to rule in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days.' 5:2
What is the historical context of this oracle? Again, the context of the chapter and the book is Israel's restoration and the Israelite kingdom's imminent establishment.
'Then, the remnant of Jacob, surrounded by many peoples, shall be like dew from the Lord, like showers on the grass, which do not depend upon people or wait for any mortal. ⁸ And among the nations the remnant of Jacob, surrounded by many peoples, shall be like a lion among the animals of the forest, like a young lion among the flocks of sheep, which, when it goes through, treads down and tears in pieces, with no one to deliver. ⁹ Your hand shall be lifted up over your adversaries, and all your enemies shall be cut off.'
On that day, says the Lord, I will cut off your horses from among you and will destroy your chariots; ¹¹ and I will cut off the cities of your land and destroy all your strongholds; ¹² and I will cut off sorceries from your hand, and you shall have no more soothsayers; ¹³ and I will cut off your images and your pillars from among you, and you shall bow down no more to the work of your hands; ¹⁴ and I will uproot your sacred poles^\)g^\) from among you and destroy your towns. ¹⁵ And in anger and wrath I will execute vengeance on the nations that did not obey.
What about this future King? Again, I find it amusing that Christians cite this text to show that Jesus fulfilled it. It shows they have not read and understood the historical context of the oracle. The text goes on to say that this King will conquer the land of Assyria, the land of Nimrod.
Micah 5:5–6
'When the Assyrians come into our land and tread upon our soil, we will raise against them seven shepherds and eight rulers. They shall rule the land of Assyria with the sword and the land of Nimrod with the drawn sword; he shall rescue us from the Assyrians if they come into our land or tread within our border.'

Conclusion

I've, of course, been very selective. There are many more examples of this that could've been pulled from. I hope you will see what I've briefly tried to show. The Prophets of the OT predicted that in their own time, they would see the salvation of Yahweh as their God. A Davidic King would be raised, and Israel would be restored to glory after the Assyrian crisis in the case of Isaiah or the Babylonian crisis in the case of Jeremiah and Micah. The same goes for the other prophets. My thesis, then, is that historically understood, not only did these oracles fail in their prediction, but they are demonstrably not about events in 1st century Roman Palestine or the wider Greco-Roman world. They're not about establishing the Church or a dying and rising messiah figure who brings spiritual salvation. Yes, the NT does interpret passages in the OT as being fulfilled in Jesus. But they are taken out of their historical context. The NT and early Christians were not novel in this practice. This was standard Jewish exegesis of the OT. Because Christians and Jews believed that the OT writings were sacred scripture that couldn't be wrong, they reinterpreted them in the light of their situations. The Essenes at Qumran, like the early Christians, also thought that their community and Teacher of Righteousness was the fulfillment of the bible prophecy, and the Rabbis in the Rabbinic literature frequently apply ancient scripture to their community.

I have a kickstarter project. It aims at digitizing tabletop wargames (like warhammer 40k). I currently have several sample/placeholder images that I am using that were AI generated, but I would like to upgrade them for actual human art. Most of the images involve some form of "digitizing" process of miniatures and can range from sketch drawings to full art. I have attached a google drive folder showing off some of the look and feel and even some images I need replaced.
If you feel like you would be a good fit for this project, let me know. The deadline is within a few weeks and I need approximately 5 images "humanized". Basically the concept of what they are showing.. but better and by a human.
Here is link to the google drive with example images:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1ZevjFr9K9_WiBIPTVugRxBl1t0bwWv-H?usp=sharing
What I don't really need is semi-realistic anime style drawings.

In the same way we communicate with one another, our entire conscious experience is the understanding of the universe, or God. The universe, or God, is the part of us that we experience, in many forms, from humans to dogs.
As humans, we’re all on the same frequency, just as other animals are on their own frequency. All conscious beings are working on tuning their frequency to make it easier to understand the universe, or God. It's like a symphony of sound, colors, smells, tastes, feelings and emotions.
Honesty is key for your soul to tune into it. It’s difficult when you first begin to learn how to tune into the frequency of God. You will need to forgive yourself and others and apologize for your own wrong doings. You will need to live a life of honesty and truly want the world to be a better place to live for all beings. All of this will be understood in due time.
The arrangement of atoms in our universe is the work of God and the holy Spirit, and when you realize how your entire life has been influenced by this, you will hopefully see the lessons you learned from it. Once you truly understand, it's like all of the stress and fear leaves you and you can fall backwards onto a bed of pillows that's God's love.
Here is a way to visualize it. First, imagine the two hemispheres of your brain. On one side is where your consciousness exists and where you analytically think about things. The other side is directly connected and tuned into the universe, or God. Your entire understanding of the universe from mathematics to language, were influenced by the part of you connected to the universe, or God.
What messages has God been giving consciousness through history? How has this energy influenced evolution? What examples of order and balance do you witness in nature?
To sum it up, the left hemisphere of the brain is where our self and soul resides. On the right is where we connect to the universe, or God, and we’re trying our best to understand it. Beneath, or beside, our consciousness in the subconsciousness, or God.
When experiencing things such as meditation, transcendental breath work, psychedelics (including marijuana), and near death experiences, we better connect with the part of us that teaches love and understand what we’re a part of. How have these activities influenced humans throughout history? What messages does God share when tuned into and understood?
It’s like consciousness is on one side, looking at itself in the mirror on the other and realizing it is part of God. The mirror is God, you are "the son", and the "holy Spirit" is how it is all created and operational. Things like art, music, movies, games, sports and more, all show us the message from God.
How cool is it to be on a planet in a universe? What do you think about when you see the stars? What things do you enjoy about consciousness? What things stress you out?
Imagine a world where we all understand our reason for being. LOVE. The purpose of consciousness is love. Not taking advantage of each other and war. Not hating the differences that make us unique. Not destroying the environment and home graciously given to us.
God wants you to feel, hear, and understand. Will you tune in?
Drawing I did that represents how I think the magic happens.
https://imgur.com/a/fYMKlhg

Today I was in toddlers (I'm a floater) and we have a few screamers but one kid was particularly bad today. He always has a ton of energy, plays rough, and runs around the classroom making a lot of noise. Sometimes he screams when he's mad, other times I have literally no idea why he does it. He's 3. I also have no idea how to make it stop. Today he was running around on all 4s (he does this a lot) and I cannot get the image out of my mind of when he was in this position on the floor screaming up at me so intensely and with such (unprevoked?) pure rage that his face was red, he looked like he was sweating, and I felt like his veins were going to pop. I hate to compare a child to an animal, but he looked like a wild animal. Like a dog about to bite you (thankfully he's not a biter). After many failed attempts of getting him to stop, including just leaving him alone, I finally went down to get our admin but when she came up he just hid from her quietly. Sometimes just the threat of her works I guess, and the kids love her so sometimes they just want a visit from her and it's almost like a reward for bad behaviour unfortunately, but I wish the behaviour was not happening in the first place, let alone requiring me to bring her in every time to stop it. I thought about recording it on my phone next time to show her that I'm not crazy (even though she does believe me) because by the time she gets up there they've usually stopped after I'm at my wit's end with them.
We have another kid who just turned 2 who has turned into a serial biter (10 bites in the last 3 days I think) and who has also gotten very aggressive lately in general. The babies are usually pretty well behaved, but when another child steals a toy for example, they might cry or whine or yell like a normal baby would, but yesterday the way this child yelled "no" over something as small as wanting to use a toy another child was playing with, again, it was such intense rage it was scary. Her whole tiny body shook and she wasn't crying crying but she had tears in her eyes.
Do your kids ever scare you with the sheer intensity of their anger that seems really out of place? Like I know they're super young but that level of rage taking over their whole body is actually frightening and doesn't seem like anything the other kids have displayed and I don't know how to make it stop. The biting/aggression just keeps getting worse and she clearly doesn't understand at all when we try to talk to her about it. The 3 year old boy knows better and half the time seems to scream for no reason.

Hello! First of all please forgive me as I am new to this community and learning.
I have been in a relationship for some time and was introduced to my girlfriend’s children 6 months ago. One of her children is autistic and I am trying to understand some of their behavior. I have noticed a trend of what I feel are extreme reactions to situations with abusive language directed at their mother.
For example, we changed the channel on the television and they ran back into the room screaming at us asking “what the hell we were thinking” and “how stupid could you be to do this” even though they had moved on to another activity in another room.
Another example would be berating verbally their mother about anything they are told no to with extensive and obscene insults. This is very difficult to watch and sit by saying nothing. They also are extremely violent towards their dog and other people when losing in a competitive environment. Often times intentionally hurting the animal or another of their peers when things don’t go their way.
My question is whether these are reactions that are considered usual/acceptable? I have discussed with my gf and am trying to understand but am struggling feeling my silence is encouraging this behavior. Any input or information to help me process and assist positively would be greatly appreciated!
The physical aggression they have towards animals and their sibling/peers makes me nervous about what they would do to my kids. The way they speak to their mom seems downright cruel. I want to help but have no idea how to properly assist/intervene. Thanks in advance and I apologize if I used any language incorrectly.

I'm working on a setting that is heavily inspired on marine biology, except where the ocean essentially comes out of the water and onto land. As such, I've been trying to think of ways of blending traditional fantasy locations with a more oceanic theme. Think coral reefs growing on hills, or kelp forests growing where trees would. An excellent example of this being done before is Monster Hunter World's Coral Highlands.
Specifically, I'm trying to think of ways how animals would adapt to living in a highly aquatic environment. Originally I thought it would be cool to mix and match some ideas about fish, like how scales work in the water, with mammals. But I'm also pretty sure most mammals aren't going to grow scales, logically at least. Other than platypuses, which are of course nature's strangest animal, I can't think of how mammals would change to survive.
Does anyone have any thoughts? What kinds of animals would survive the best? I'd love tips that lead to fantasy style animals, ones that wouldn't exist normally. Things like lobsters are cool and all, but I'm aiming for something more creative.

Disclaimer: This will Not Involve all bad isekai tropes, these tropes are not present in all and sometimes even most isekai, these are not tropes that are not all always bad but are often bad when they are used.

• Complacency one of the most common ones also probably the least complained about on this lists also is a big issue with other tropes because they often involve complacency but on a more specific subject. Simply Most Isekai worlds are fucked up morally and not how the modern world is fucked up morally like the us is worse than 99% percent of fictional evil empires but most people don't realize that or are know it and don't care, But isekai worlds are bad in ways that are obvious to a modern human especially one from a country like Japan that is relatively well off were these protagonists are from. Counter Arguments i know some people will use the fact that change would cause bloodshed, war, and strife, and it will but so do these terrible systems war and bloodshed is a necessary part of societies progression. Now for time where's its okay and simply these are only if the characters moral compass meaning someone whose evil or doesn't care at all i was gonna mention people that are like stop imperialism by voting but their just idiots at least some of them are actually trying to make the world better.
• Slavery This is actually complained about a lot but their are a some things people get wrong so the basic thing against slavery is that the main character buys slaves and keeps them for his own instead of fighting against slavery as a system, fighting to free the specific slaves he comes across, just buying all the slaves and freeing them, or at least fucking freeing the specific slaves he buys. Counter Arguments. the first counter argument is that slavery was common in the time and thats not true most isekai take aspects from multiple time periods mostly the middle ages specifically the high and late middles ages mostly the late. Simply slavery was not common during that time period at least in western Europe where most isekai are inspired by. their was serfdom but not much slavery. The times where slavery was around was before the fall of the roman empire and after the slave trade to the late nineteenth century so if theirs an isekai during that period that's an okay argument. Note: I'm not against mixing time periods just don't use historicity as an argument. The Next counter argument is they would face discrimination if freed, and be roped into pseudo slavery for the discrimination yeah but they would also well left in bonds. As for pseudo slavery yeah but that's not 100% the case plus they can still stay as the protagonist's party member either for gratitude or because they know about the pseudo slavery and think its the best option. Scenarios where its good i think their is no good scenario for this unless its just an evil protagonist or at least cast as the wrong thing to do.
• Nobility This Is For when theirs a strict system of nobility and hierarchy this is really bad because its exploitive and bloodline doesn't affect the ability to rule a country and its when its cast in a good light and you just need to get rid of the bad nobles or when its shown to be bad but nothings done about it. Counter Arguments. Historicity yeah but a character with modern world views should still dislike it. the others are mostly monarchist arguments if theirs a case with royality with a special gift for magic or combat then some argument's claiming they should rule because their superior but that doesn't make sense strength doesn't effect how good of a leader you are. case where its okay theirs if the characters moral compass means they should be okay with it as well as using a parliamentary monarchy but that only makes it less bad.
• Legality Guards Almost never arrive and when they do their to late or ineffective i know the medieval period didn't have a complex code of law but stuff like murder, assault and battery, and worst of all tax evasion are punished even if certain things turned a blind eye to because of prejudice or bribery a fight in the middle of the town square for example should have guards crawling over it even if its not some demon or monster but just humans fighting should be a big deal. Counter Arguments. Narrative yeah but just because the narrative requires it you shouldn't just ignore common sense give a reason or change the setting in a way that still achieves the reason its in a public place with tons of guards if it needs to be seen by everyone use broadcast magic or say most of the guards are away fighting an army or monster or say theirs a magic barrier.

P.s Some of these arent just in isekai or even anime but their still common in isekai so i mentioned them anyways