Genuinely, I think the world needs the human touch of bad anime dubs like this, especially in the current media environment.

And I know that people want to help you. The evidence is the community that has shared support of your struggle across my timeline for weeks. None of this is going to be easy, and I know you can probably come up with ten different arguments against me, because I do that too.

Just don’t give up.

I’m just a rando on the internet and we don’t know each other, but I do know that fear of being a burden. And here’s the trick. If you ask someone for help, they can refuse. You can’t force them. This means that people who help you *want to.* You can’t be a burden on people who *choose* to help.

Of course, Durandal was technically programmed as masculine coded, but there’s a strong undercurrent of claimed identity in him embracing masculinity as an independent thinking being rather than as a chained intelligence just as likely to be referred to with “it” as with “he.”

Durandan, Durandal, Durandana. Charlemagne used to always call me Durandana, the fruitcake. All the many implements of war to him were in some way feminine. Not that you know the story. Tycho never got it right either, especially the part about Roland breaking me. He couldn't. No one can.

Random musing: With the (kinda) return of Durandal in the new Marathon game, I’ve seen more than a few people coming away with queer readings of the character, often transfem. I mostly agree, except the text pretty clearly implies transmasc more than anything. See:

Yeah, I definitely agree there. There's something to be said for both having both the player and player character equally dumbfounded and confused by what is going on, the Roxas intro of KH2 is an excellent example of this, but that's a tool for setting up mysteries, not resolving plots.

And it doesn't help that the plot often hinges on both the protagonists and antagonists having wild misconceptions on how anything works and discovering the "truth" is part of their empowerment/undoing respectively.

I think the issue is the difference between the questions "is the linear progression of narrative events comprehensible?" and "are the mechanics underpinning the setting comprehensible?" Because the former, while easy to joke about, is still a solid "yes," while the latter is an emphatic "no."

Castle Super Beast remains undefeated in the realm of unhinged podcast titles.

Pikachu: Hey! Don’t just chomp me out of nowhere!

Cramorant: O-oh! Sorry! You’re just the perfect size, yo. I couldn’t help myself…

They have a serious problem. I love them.

Sure, I count, but identity is a social construct. If I can't communicate it to others (or even myself), then it doesn't matter how "real" it is. It fails at its social function and leaves me isolated. And if the only "best fit" labels I have are wrong, then I wearing them only makes me feel worse.

In the end, I just want to be seen as who I really am, rather than a big pile of ambiguous question marks, but I don’t have a solid enough grasp on who I am to explain anything. It hurts, sometimes. A lot of the time.

It’s Trans Day of Visibility again, meaning I’m forced to ponder what exactly it would mean for me to be “visible.” When most of my identity is “empty,” how am I expected to express it? You can’t prove a negative. The only way for me to be visible is to actively declare myself, but I’m not sure how.

I am so happy we get more Durandal in Current Year. Just got to level 25 and the Cryo Archive unlock cutscene and subsequent contract text made me giddy. I can’t believe the had the restraint to keep him hidden so deep in here.

I think this was @tuxedodragon.bsky.social?

The fact that this is a Mario movie means that there is a non-zero chance of this, funnily enough. Someone toss that bird a Mega Mushroom.

Combine that with the amnesia and she’s like 99% of the way to being a PMD protagonist.

I know this isn’t the case at all, but Peakychu in Pokopia reads as Former Human to me. It’s the combo of the little ear tug tic she has that looks like someone playing with their hair and the fact that she walks around on two legs at all times when normal pikachu are quadrupedal.

"Low tier god, his eyes white with lightning!"

(worf voice) ICE agents are worthless despicable people, who by their choice of career have utterly disgraced themselves; there is but one honorable course of action available to them, but... (clenching teeth, visibly frustrated) i am bound by Community Guidelines, and can say no more on the matter

4) You can tell that the bulk of the effects budget this season went to animating the all of the critter-characters that show up (Laboon, some dinosaurs, The Unluckies, and of course 2/3 of Chopper's forms). This was 100% the correct decision and bodes well for Alabasta's local fauna next season.

So, I ended up watching both seasons of Netflix's live action One Piece adaptation, and I have four big takeaways:
1) I find slapstick way funnier with real actors.
2) If actors are having fun playing their characters, I'll have fun watching them.
3) This show is just tokusatsu and that rules.

I don’t think I’m actually processing anything. I’m just vomiting my misery onto the page and other people can tell. The problem is that I just… don’t have anything else going on. I’m stuck stewing in this 24/7 and I can’t even properly escape into a hobby anymore.

I recently discovered that being depressed and anxious has a serious effect on the tone and quality of my writing, and that writing angsty, depressing shit is not cathartic on its own. I somehow managed to negative feedback loop myself by expressing my emotions and now I’m not sure how to pull back.

The actual proper ending of the game is somehow one of the most mind-blowingly cool things I've ever experienced, but I absolutely don't blame anyone for dropping it in the back half where it's clear that the budget for interesting things to do ran out. It's a shame and I wish they'd trimmed the fat

Promo art declaring Super Lesbian Animal RPG is 40% off!

A screenshot of SLARPG with the party walking through the Amber Woods, past colorful trees and flowers

A SLARPG battle screenshot in which the party faces a Possessed Potion in the darkened corridors of the Guardian's Vault

A SLARPG screenshot. Speaking to Chet (a buff anthropomorphic dog working as a receptionist) in the lobby of the Guardian's Tower, he says: "I've gotten three separate calls today from folks claiming a wizard had broken into their homes and erased their memories of their email passwords in their sleep."

The Spring Sales have sprung! Until March 26th you can get Super Lesbian Animal RPG on sale for 40% off, or just $9 USD!

🦊 Steam: store.steampowered.com/app/2124380/...
🐰 itch: ponett.itch.io/slarpg

I had the exact same thought after my first session playing it. It’s wild how far generalized non-human affirmation goes.

bsky.app/profile/perp...