Daily Dialogues

Blogs About Anything and Everything

  • Job Hunting

    Over the course of one’s life, there are some things that are certain. Job hunts are not one of them, but I wish they were because then everybody would understand how frustrating it is. It isn’t just about getting a job, although that’s already difficult.

    When you get a job, you also have to think about transportation. The US has been dominated by cars for over a century and every other form of transportation has suffered. This is not a walkable or even a bussable country for the most part. One of the few jobs I could find was a thirty minute drive away. That sounds fine, but a thirty minute drive translate to over two hours on the bus.

    You could move closer, but that brings house hunting into the equation which makes things even more complicated. You’re looking for a job so you can’t get a apartment close to the job unless you’re sure that the job will give you enough money to keep the apartment. Even one person studios are over a thousand dollars a month.

    I’m sure I’ll get something eventually, but god damn is this annoying.

  • Mental Imagery

    I’ve always thought that having internal dialogues and mental imagery was normal. I thought that everybody had it since that’s the only experience I’ve had both with myself and media. It can be nice to play out the events of a movie whenever I want as long as I’ve memorized it. I can imagine color, movement, music, and voices. The only thing my brain is bad at is proportion. In my head, characters constantly change height when they’re next to someone else.

    I don’t know if I’m just writing to people who know what I’m talking about and think that this post is redundant, but apparently around 50 percent of people don’t even have an internal dialogue, let along imagery and the strength of that imagery. I can’t imagine what it’d be like to not have a song constantly playing in your head and not be able to pull up any scene from anything. Sometimes it’s distracting to never be truly left alone, but the imagery is great for my memory and it’s fun.

  • Nostalgia

    Nostalgia is a silent killer. It can be fun to look back at things from your past and reassess them now that you’re older. The issue is that it’s easy to be trapped in that trance. At a certain point, you have to get your head out of the past and start looking at the present.

    I’ve been going through a bout of nostalgia recently and it can be difficult to get out. I always have to remind myself to live in the present and think about my future in a productive way. It’s especially easy to fall into when you’re at an uncertain point in your life. I don’t know what my future is going to be like so it’s easier to fall back on the past instead of trying to move forward. Instead, I need to use what I’ve learned from the past to move on instead of living in the past.

  • My Little Pony Had a Character Problem

    In My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, there were only a few characters that the story was allowed to follow. The mane six, Spike, the Cutie Mark Crusaders, and Starlight. Almost every episode of the show was told from one of their perspectives. This was a problem.

    I got this thought when I was watching videos about the Simpsons and I remembered that Slice of Life was compared to 22 Short Films About Springfield in terms of both episodes focusing on short scenes with many different characters. The difference is that 22 Short Films About Springfield was about previously established side characters while Slice of Life mostly focused on background characters that never talked before.

    MLP had side characters, but they were never allowed to carry stories. If they had a bigger role, they were seen through the eyes of a main character. Lesson Zero fixed an issue that Twilight had to be shoved into every episode, but it didn’t fix the larger issue preventing side characters from getting spotlights.

    Hearts and Hooves Day was the biggest role that Cheerilee ever got, but that episode had to be told through the perspective of the CMC. When Trixie became a side character she had to be seen through the eyes of Starlight. The same went for Sunburst. We couldn’t see the Crystal Empire, Griffonstone, the Dragonlands, or the Changeling Hive unless a major character was going there. Every side character had to be seen through the eyes of a major character.

    The show started to move away from that in its later years. We got episodes with the students which largely left the major characters out. Frenemies was the only episode without a single appearance from any major character.

    It’s frustrating because the show came really close sometimes. Brotherhooves Social began from Big Mac’s perspective, but then switches to Apple Bloom’s. Hearts and Hooves Day could’ve been a better story if it put more focus on Cheerilee instead of shoving the CMC in it. A Royal Problem shoved Starlight into an episode that would’ve been better if it just featured the princesses. Between Dark and Dawn did the same thing with a useless B plot.

    This issue culminated in the show constantly adding new characters. People say that Starlight and the students were needed to keep the show from becoming stale. I disagree not just because the show proved that there were still stories to be told with the main cast (The Washouts), but also because the side characters were right there to be fleshed out if the show could just get away from the main characters.

    In a serialized story, I understand needing to focus solely on the main characters. There’s a story to tell and the side characters should just play their role as supporting characters, but MLP wasn’t serialized. For the most part, MLP was episodic so it could’ve easily given more attention to other characters. If it did, I think it would’ve been a better show.

  • A Waste of Time

    What qualifies as a waste of time? Some may say that anything that’s not working is a waste of time while others may think there’s not such thing as a waste of time. To me, something is only a waste of time if it doesn’t contribute to your life positively. If what you do is not making you happy in the present or isn’t contributing to something that will make you happy in the future (like a job that makes money), it’s a waste of your time.

    Earlier today, I took a quiz about naming every Pokemon from memory (I got 496 out of 1,025). Was that a waste of time? It wasn’t mindless as I did have to think to remember the Pokemon. I enjoyed doing it. And it even contributed to something more concrete because it sparked an idea for something to write about in my blog. Maybe it didn’t make me money, but it wasn’t mindless and I got something else out of it.

    Whatever you’re doing right now, think about what you’re getting out of it. What’s the purpose? Is it making you money? It is making you more active? Is it just making you happy? If it’s making your life better in any way, then it’s not a waste of time.

  • What Makes a Story Ripe For Fanfiction?

    In my opinion, there are two qualities that make for a fandom with a lot of fanfiction.

    1. The story is good enough
    2. The the story/world/characters leave room for fans to work with

    An example of a story that doesn’t inspire a ton of fanfiction is Severance. I love that show, but it doesn’t make for a thriving fanfiction community. The characters are already fully developed and any questions are either already answered or will be answered. This doesn’t mean that there’s no fandom for Severance. There’s discussion, theories, analysis videos, art, etc. Fanfiction, however, isn’t a part of that. There are 1,727 stories on Archive of Our Own. That’s fewer than one might expect for such a popular show.

    An example of a story with a huge fanfiction scene is My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. The show itself is just okay. With a couple exceptions in both directions, the show is a decent 6/10. That doesn’t mean that everybody sees it that way. My Little Pony has its own fanfiction website with 158,329 stories. Even almost six years after the show ended the scene is still thriving. A 6/10 may not sound good, but it is good enough. The characters aren’t great, but they have enough interesting qualities for fans to work with and develop.

    For example, Fluttershy’s arc is that she learns to stand up for herself and be more social. That sounds pretty boring on the surface. What I didn’t tell you is that Fluttershy is a pegasus that’s scared of heights. She was born in Cloudsdale, a pegasus city where most pegasi live. She lives on the ground. This invites questions about how she survived for so long in a city so high up in the sky and what her thoughts were.

    She also has a childhood friend who’s the stereotypical pegasus. She embraces the sky and lives in a cloud mansion high in the sky. This invites questions about how she felt when Fluttershy moved and when they reconnected later. Fluttershy’s friend also dropped out of school.

    There are tons of these examples for every character along with the large but not particularly well developed world.

    I’m not saying that you should write a 6/10 story so people write fanfiction about your story. You should always aim to write a Severance instead of a My Little Pony. Great stories are also good enough and can have a lot of material for fans to work with. I’m just pointing out an interesting trend that I’ve noticed.

  • Procrastination

    If I had to pick out what my biggest problem is, procrastination would be on the list. Definitely in the top 10. I can’t help but put things off until tomorrow which then becomes next week. I feel like I need to be forced into a schedule in order to actually do things.

    I remember hearing the feeling of being paralyzed by choice and I think that tie into procrastination. It’s the idea that there’s so much out there to do that it’s hard to pick and you spend so much time choosing that you don’t actually do anything. This only gets worse and worse over time as you find more things you want to do which puts me in the situation I’m in now.

    Usually, that isn’t a huge deal, but this becomes a big problem when necessary tasks get lumped in with things I don’t have to do. I should be doing the important things first, but now they’re just another thing to choose.

    The main way to combat this is to force yourself to do things. I don’t mean give yourself a schedule or tell yourself what’s important. I mean make it that you can’t do anything except what you need to do. If you need the computer, make a new window. If not, then shut off your computer. make a designated work space that you only go to for work. Doing work in bed is hard since you associate your bed with relaxing.

    Fighting procrastination is difficult and I’m not good at it, but at least this post is out at 9 instead of 11:59.

  • Ranking Rhythm Heaven Fever Games

    Over the past couple months I’ve been obsessed with Rhythm Heaven Fever. I have 41 perfects and I’ve played through the game many many times. So I thought, why not share my opinion on the game online? There are 50 minigames and while I love this game, not every minigame is created equally.

    50. Built to Scale

    This is by far the easiest minigame in Fever. You don’t have to think when playing this game. You just hit the button when the rod hits your block and shoot it in. It’s mindless busywork when these minigames should be more fun. The difficulty is supposed to come in the changing tempo, but the gameplay is still the exact same. Even the music is bland since it’s so repetitive and just as boring as the game itself.

    49. Built to Scale 2

    This has the exact same problems as Built to Scale 1. The only difference is that the rod hits on the off beat. Everything else is the same.

    48. Flock Step

    I do not like Flock Step This was my last superb, even after Remix 10, and that’s because I don’t understand the timing. Even when I do it right I don’t understand how I’m doing it. The entire minigame feels like I’m guessing and that’s not fun. It’s kinda fun to look at when all of the birds are jumping together, but that’s all I like

    47. Working Dough 2

    This is one of the few times that I like the sequel less than the original. I actually think the original is more difficult because the sequel just takes things away from the first. The longer breaks between the dough is supposed to be harder, but it actually just makes it more boring. Hitting the dough is satisfying because of the interesting rhythm, but Working Dough 2 takes that away.

    46. Packing Pests 1

    The problem with most of the worst minigames is that they’re either too easy or too boring. Packing Pests 1 falls into the first issue. The candies and spiders came at the same time every time with only one very telegraphed mix up. The game is both fast paced and short enough that it’s not as bad as the others, but it’s still too repetitive.

    45. Exhibition Match

    This is yet another repetitive game. It’s just counting to five with no mixups. This is only better because of the aesthetic. I like how the rivalry of the pitcher and hitter is shown as the pitcher gets more frustrated and the reveal of the monkey at the end is funny. The music is also pretty good even though it feels like it’s playing in a loop for the most part.

    44. Fork Lifter

    I think this one should be better than it is. The peas only come in three patterns with only two exceptions and of course those two exceptions are the best part of the game. I wish there were more mix ups. Maybe it’d help if there was a sequel, but instead we have one underwhelming game. The music is also weak. It gets better after the burger, but that’s close to the end. Still, it’s satisfying to stab the peas and the exciting ending keeps this from being outright bad.

    43. Love Rap 1

    I know a lot of people hate Love Rap, but I’ve learned to appreciate it after my long grind for the Love Rap 2 perfect. Still, I can’t defend how boring most of Love Rap 1 is. The fast section is fun, but it comes late into the game and you have to wait through a lot of long pauses to get there. Also, even though I got the Love Rap 2 perfect, I still don’t fully understand the timing. “Crazy into you” especially feels inconsistent.

    42. Remix 5

    This is definitely the worst remix both because of that cruel first baseball hit as the song is starting and the awful first transition between Flipper-Flop and Flock Step that has no cue. It’s also slow which makes things both harder and less interesting. I do like the song, but I’d rather listen to the song on its own than play the remix it’s in.

    41. Packing Pests 2

    Who knew that adding a new pattern could make a game more interesting? It’s still easy to get used to and the game is short, but that might actually be to its benefit since a longer game would definitely wear out its welcome with how simple this is.

    40. Donk Donk

    I think the concept and aesthetic is the past part of Donk Donk. The whole concept is weird and the game admits that it makes no sense, but it’s definitely one of the most interesting minigames of the bunch. The issue is that the timing feels both easy and too difficult. The voice is helpful and distracting. The visuals are nice to look at, but can also make it harder. There are so many contradictions which I guess makes sense for this game. Something I can say for sure is that the music is great and keeps the game fun, especially if you do it blind, which I think is the best way to play it.

    39. Remix 6

    The circus theming just isn’t as interesting as the other remixes and the music also doesn’t stack up. I also don’t think that Love Rap was integrated in well. I think it would’ve worked better only showing up a few times instead of the whole game revolving around it for the most part.

    38. Tambourine

    This is a call and response game and those are usually simple. This one is fun with how the monkey reacts to you doing things right and wrong. The game is paced well as the rhythm gets more complex over the course of the game. I don’t have any real complaints with this game. It’s just a baseline decent game. Nothing that stands out positively or negatively.

    37. Remix 7

    As the first ending of the game before the sequels it fulfills its purpose well. My only major issue is that I wish the difficulty was spread out more evenly. As is, the game is easy until Tap Troupe where there’s a sudden difficulty spike. I also think Shrimp Shuffle was too much of an afterthought and not integrated well, but I also understand why it was shoved off to two short sections.

    36. Monkey Watch

    There’s a lot of debate over the difficulty of this game. A lot of people have trouble with it while others can breeze through it with no problem. Personally, this is one of the nine games that I haven’t perfected and I don’t think I ever will. That’s not my issue though. My issue is that this is a huge difficulty spike from the games before this. The grading is much stricter compared to both the earlier and later games. I think people would be much more accepting of this game if it was put in the fifth column next to Flock Step. As for the game itself, it’s cute and creative even if it’s frustrating just because of how many claps there are and how easy it is to get off beat and miss a bunch of them, which then ruins the superb.

    35. Shrimp Shuffle

    While this is a simple game, I think what makes it work is how tightly packed the shrimp are. It makes the game feel more tense than it is and keeps it engaging. Still, once you get the rhythm it does lose some of its appeal.

    34. Micro-Row 1

    The same goes for Micro-Row, but I think the concept of Micro-Row is more interesting than Shrimp Shuffle.

    33. Micro-Row 2

    It’s slightly more complex that Micro-Row 1 which makes it slightly better.

    32. Catch of the Day

    Even though there are only three types of fish, they don’t feel too similar and I think the game is paced well so the two more interesting fish stay special instead of becoming stale. The long delay fish can be annoying, but it’s not too difficult and it only shows up a few times.

    31. Remix 1

    It makes sense that the first remix would be less complex than the others, but I think Remix 1 does a great job at introducing players to what remixes are and how they’re going to work before the later complexity. See-Saw and Screwbot Factory feel a bit shoehorned in, but they’re fun games so it’s not a big issue, especially because the music more than makes up for any problems.

    30. Hole in One 1

    I think this is the perfect level of difficulty for the first game. It can challenge people who have never played a Rhythm Heaven game before, but it’s also easy to get a superb on so people are motivated to continue. It helps that there’s a more difficult sequel to take advantage of this game’s potential.

    29. Samurai Slice 1

    I like the gimmick with the game turning into a storybook. It adds an extra layer to the simple controls so it stays interesting. I think there’s a bit too much time spent slicing monsters in the same way, but there’s enough variation and the music is really good.

    28. Flipper-Flop

    This is similar to Shrimp Shuffle, but I think the music and visuals are better. I also think Flipper-Flop is more difficult as it’s easy to accidentally get a barely if you get distracted.

    27. Double Date 1

    I like this game, but in terms on difficulty I think this one is too easy coming after Screwbot Factory. I’m not saying See-Saw is that hard, but the difficulty progression is broken with Double Date. I think the structure would’ve been better if Double Date came after Hole in One followed by See-Saw and then Screwbot Factory.

    26. Double Date 2

    It’s just Double Date 1 but with more balls coming on the offbeat.

    25. Screwbot Factory 1

    I think this has the perfect difficulty for the first column. The timing on the robots can be hard to get the hang of and you might have to try more than once, but it’s still simple and just like Hole in One, there’s a harder sequel to take advantage of untapped potential.

    24. Launch Party

    I think it’s the music that carries this one. It sound triumphant and makes the game feel more tense than it actually does. I actually have some trouble with the timing of the rockets, but it’s satisfying to get them right and I especially love the ending.

    23. Tap Troupe

    It was hard to get the timing of this one right, but getting it was still fun to try and finally getting the perfect was satisfying.

    22. Working Dough 1

    I’m not good at this one, but trying my best is fun because of how the rhythm of the call and response constantly changes from slow to fast and slow again.

    21. Figure Fighter 1

    I like this as an introduction to what Figure Fighter can be, but it doesn’t reach its potential until the sequel. The original still works at its place in the overall game as it is fairly difficult compared to what’s around it, but the sequel makes the original look like a tech demo.

    20. Screwbot Factory 2

    This one uses the potential that Screwbot 1 had with more white robots ways to distract you.

    19. Cheer Readers 1

    This game is such a funny concept that it didn’t have to do much for me to like it. Thankfully, the game is complex and even before the sequel it’s layering multiple calls on each other in an interesting and difficult way.

    18. Cheer Readers 2

    This layering is taken even further in the sequel which takes full advantage of the many calls to create a tight and fun game.

    17. Remix 2

    This is one of the best games in terms of integrating all of the minigames in a way that feels natural. My only real issue is that it’s too short.

    16. Bossa Nova

    I’ve seen people say that the voices make them uncomfortable, but I find this game to be calming. It’s not that hard, but it’s still nice to play.

    15. Samurai Slice 2

    It’s just Samurai Slice 1 except faster and more fun.

    14. Board Meeting

    The concept alone is enough to make me like this, but it’s also extremely fun. There are only two mechanics, but they’re used in fun ways and the game is short so it doesn’t get old. It might be a bit too short, but the mechanics are still explored thoroughly enough.

    13. Remix 4

    This game is able to integrate Packing Pests in a way that makes it fun. I think that’s all you need to know, but it also gives Ringside a lot of attention which makes it even better.

    12. See-Saw

    This may be an early game, but it has a great progression and once it gets fast, it becomes so fun. The way the high jumps hit the ground is so satisfying and the song is one of the best of the whole game.

    11. Hole in One 2

    I love both the new color pallet and the way the simple mechanics of the original are expanded to make this game faster and more engaging. You can’t t go on autopilot like you could in the original as there are more mix ups and faster swings.

    10. Love Rap 2

    The speed was the biggest issue with Love Rap 1 so now there’s no gaps with nothing happening. The rhythms are more difficult and the long section starts earlier and ends later. It’s fun, fast, and hard. The timing of “Crazy into you” is still inconsistent, but you can get used to it.

    9. Remix 10

    Of course the final remix is this high. It’s a three minute gauntlet of every minigame as well as some others you might not expect. The minigames are integrated seamlessly and the music flows between each minigames’ theme so nicely that it’s always so satisfying to play even if it’s difficult. I’ll probably never get a perfect on this, but I don’t care because it’s so fun.

    8. Air Rally

    There are only two patterns in this one, but they’re used so well that I don’t care. The transitions are smooth and hitting the badminton ball is satisfying.

    7. Remix 3

    The vocal remixes are the best ones. All of the songs are bangers and this one is no exception. I just think the others are better. Aside from a few Figure Fighter bits, every game is integrated well and it was so satisfying to finally get a perfect on this. Even Built to Scale was fun.

    6. Remix 8

    Another great song with great games. I can’t get the timing of Exhibition Match right, but that’s just a skill issue on my part.

    5. Ringside

    This is carried by the song which I think is the best in the overall game. Outside of the song, it’s still fun to get everything right and it’s even fun to get stuff wrong with the wrestler’s messed up poses and the reactions. I’d listen to the song on its own, but I think hearing it in the game is better.

    4. Karate Man 2

    Both Karate Man games are also vocal tracks and they’re both great. This one is only slightly worse because it’s a bit slower.

    3. Karate Man 1

    This is faster than Karate Man 2 which makes it slightly better

    2. Remix 9

    I love the song here. It integrates the games perfectly and has the best art style of any of the games.

    1. Fight Fighter 2

    This has everything I love in a Rhythm Heaven game. It’s fast, difficult, and has a banger song. I grinded for so long to get the perfect here and it was so satisfying when I finally got it.

  • Life With Epilepsy

    Ever since I was 15, I’ve felt wrong, like I’m different from everybody around me and I can’t relate to anyone. I have a feeling that there are others who feel the same way so if you have epilepsy and you can’t find anybody to relate to, this is for you.

    Epilepsy has completely changed my life. I look at the world with a more nervous and paranoid perspective, as if anything can set me off. I wasn’t always this way.

    I used to be able to walk with purpose.

    I used to be comfortable in bed. Now, since I feel the worst at night, I always have a sense of unease in the back of my mind.

    I used to need both silence and complete darkness to go to sleep. Now I have to focus on some kind of noise and complete darkness scares me. Even the darkness I currently sleep in.

    I used to love daydreaming. Now I fear getting stuck in my head and losing consciousness.

    Thankfully, my life has gotten better. It’s been five years since I’ve had to dig myself out of my lowest point and it’s been one year since I finally got medication that helps, but that little fear never goes away. I can’t help but think that my medication doesn’t make things better. It just makes things less bad. Having any epileptic symptoms is horrible so having fewer is only less bad. I know that this is a very cynical look things, but it’s hard to be optimistic with epilepsy.

    The best thing I can do is move forward and tell remind myself that “less bad” is a good thing. I’m not as paranoid as I was at my worst and I feel more comfortable. I’ve always had trouble with self reflection, but becoming comfortable with yourself is an important step in making life better instead of staying less bad.

  • Welcome

    This is my blog where I will talk about anything that comes to mind. This may be about media I like or something slightly more personal. It may be light or more dark.

    I mainly made this blog for myself to force myself to do something productive, but I hope that others find something of value.