Im struggling. A lot. I was recently diagnosed with Schizophrenia and my partner of 4 years left me when I had my first really bad episode. It was bad, I dont have medication yet either and need to wait till the end of the month. He also has mental health issues and has been emotionally abusive as well, which I think contributed a lot to my diagnosis. 3 days ago we talked about a new life together and building it together.
He was everything. I never walked away through EVERYTHING he went through. I feel defeated and in absolute agony. Nothing helps
How do you cope? Advice is appreciated deeply

I (22F) am awake typing this because I can’t sleep no matter how long I lay here. This is the most ridiculous and horrific experience I have, and hopefully will, ever had. My sister (17F) started dating her boyfriend (16M) in June of 2022. He’s a junior and he’s a senior, and me and my sister are very close but she never mentioned anything about him to me at first because she was embarrassed that he was younger. I had a bad feeling about this from the beginning, esp bc of my sister graduating soon, but I brushed it off.
We’re a traditional Pakistani Muslim family, kids born here but my parents immigrated. Dating for us girls is absolute taboo and I always thought if one of us were caught it would end up with us moving to Pakistan. Her bf is a nice kid and I liked him. My sister would be pretty risky about seeing him and I always had a feeling she’d get caught. Never like this though.
His parents found out first (they’re Indian, not strict on dating like my parents) and his mom actually was supportive at first. She met my sister and liked her. Somewhere though the moms brain switched and she started hating my sister. I think she was definitely jealous of her in some weird twisted way. She started telling him to break up with her and finally pushed him to do it - obviously they didn’t and just faked the breakup. His mom caught him a few times and would get mad at him every time until she finally took his phone away. My sister then gave him her old phone to still talk to him and his mom found that quickly, and really had it out for my sister. His mom threatened to contact our parents, but despite all of this they still kept talking and even got caught in my car at one point after this.
I invited him to my bday dinner, where I wore a mini dress. I have my mom blocked on Instagram so I thought I was safe posting pictures from the dinner. Fast forward and the bf gets rlly sick (coughing, sneezing, pooping, and peeing blood) to which a stupid ER doctor told him he was gonna die (70% chance???). Since then it’s been downhill. My sister was worried sick for weeks thinking he was gonna die, and his parents kept neglecting him and refused to allow him admission into the hospital. I was ready to call DCF at this point but I held out. Then soon after his parents found out he was still talking to my sister and beat him with a rod of metal. He then ran away from home and stayed with a friends house for a few days. During this time he would spend hours talking to my sister and convincing her with “evidence” that he would be murdered when he went back home. We were like okay, let’s call the cops then. He refused to get anyone involved and just “accepted his fate” essentially. The decline my sister took during these days was so insane and I was really worried her health and about this kid actually dying, so I sent a email detailing the abuse to the school. I felt responsible as an adult knowing that this kid was beat up and sick and certain his parents would kill him - I felt I had to do something. The parents of the friend that he was staying at had already contacted the school which got the police involved, but nobody detailed the abuse, including the parents and him. I was hoping this could get them arrested for neglect and abuse, but the bf denied everything and got upset with me. The police visited his house and questioned his parents, and I think somewhere in this situation my name may have been mentioned. This will def teach me to not meddle again, or if I do at least do it anonymously.
Fast forward, he goes home and isn’t killed (wow!) and they actually had a real break up conversation this past weekend. He shows his mom and everything seems to be okay. I guess she wanted the last laugh because she found our home address and pulled up and told my mom everything. My mom hasn’t talked to us about what she said yet but I’ve never seen her so upset. She thinks that my sister and her bf had sex, and I have a huge feeling she showed her pictures from my Instagram because she took his phone multiple times and he follows me on Instagram; my mom also said I wasn’t out of the woods either so she def saw something. Probably that mini dress picture from my bday or something. His mom even went as far as insulting my mom to her face because she thought she was “incompetent” for letting us wild out like this.
This all feels surreal. I never thought anything like this would ever happen. If anyone has advice for me that would be great. She said she’s probably gonna tell my dad everything, which is the last nail in the coffin because if he finds out it’s really over. We will def move back to Pakistan. This is just such a horrible situation and I rlly hope if I sleep this nightmare will be over.
TLDR; my sisters bfs parents are abusive and exposed her (with the fact that she has a bf) and me (with my inappropriate outfits probably) to my traditional Muslim paki mom. Our lives are over and I can’t sleep.

Book 1 of the Anderson series, tells the story of Alley Hudson a surgeon and Ryan Anderson the famous Hockey player.
Ryan and Alley were childhood friends, until Ryan breaks Alley's heart. 6 years later they cross paths again when Ryan has a shoulder injury and needs surgery.
If you (like me) love a good cliche romantic story with some twists, this is the one for you. Tthompson34 definitely knows how to make you feel everything the characters are feeling and more.
I'll leave the link below 💕
https://www.wattpad.com/story/257076426?utm_source=android&utm_medium=link&utm_content=story_info&wp_page=story_details_button&wp_uname=WENkrokosmos&wp_originator=UobZ1Cx6hHY3D9vJv0Etvx7FNP7gqQ2ZYrmfogwwg6qrDNhH46fMja7keH6jjXcgBtOZiu%2Fk4XeSSXYUeERZhPJnTRc%2FKEOi3TRJ649FcgDAZ0cRFWgoS%2BKdXIqSSMFF

/LonghornNation Daily Off Topic Free Talk Thread

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1. Ohtani strikes out his Angel teammate Mike Trout for the final out and wins the WBC for Japan!
2. ‘Don’t Say Gay’ lawmaker pleads guilty to COVID relief fraud
3. To dance with the girl
4. Stabilised footage of the Bigfoot film from 1967.
5. Bouncer potentially saves a lot of lives. Stops armed man in devils mask from entering strip club wielding a firearm and flashlight.

/CFB

1. The Twelfth Annual /CollegeBasketball Bracket Challenge
2. Alabama's Tony Mitchell drove 141 mph before arrest
3. [Kollmann] USC’s field is basically a lake right now and the indoor facility is apparently not long enough for a 40 so they have to do [pro day] out here.
4. 2024 4 star running back Jordan Marshall commits to Michigan
5. Pac-12 has ‘solidarity’ between remaining members, Utah president Taylor Randall says
6. Per Jon Wilner: The PAC 12 Presidents didnt meet today.

/LonghornNation

1. [3/22/2023] Wednesday's Off Topic Free Talk Thread - Testing
2. [Post Game Thread] ⚾ Texas defeats Incarnate Word, 17-11
3. Hopefully this puts any Ewers/Arch QB battling to rest
4. [Game Thread] ⚾ Texas vs. Incarnate Word - 6:30 pm
5. Steve Sarkisian Media Availability [March 21st, 2023]
6. Vic Schaefer: "I need to apologize to the University of Texas for today and how my team played. I'm accountable for that. I'm the head coach. It's my responsibility to make sure we play a lot better than that. This university deserves better than that."
7. [3/21/2023] Tuesday's Sports Talk Thread

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This isn't a power-scaling question, but I was curious about how the vs battles wiki page describes the Dovahkiin's intelligence as 'gifted' (https://vsbattles.fandom.com/wiki/The_Dovahkiin). This alone is pretty decent, but I've had a feeling that his intellect would be genius or even supergenius, largely on account of his Dragonborn abilities.
Some examples of reasons why I think this:

• He consumes the knowledge of the dragons: The Dragonborn consumes the souls of the dragons he slays, and subsequently, their knowledge (mainly in order to understand dragon-shouts), and each dragon - being a species as old as time itself - would possess a lot of said knowledge (I know knowledge and intelligence aren't the same thing, but the former does heavily influence the latter).
• He consumed Miraak's soul: Due to also being a Dragonborn - a mortal with the soul of a dragon - the Last Dragonborn is also able to consume the soul of Miraak after defeating him (though Hermaeus Mora finished him off), and subsequently the dragon souls the he has consumed. The vs battle wiki page describes Miraak as being a genius, both due to the knowledge and the dragon souls, and due to the millennia of reading limitless knowledge in Apocrypha (https://vsbattles.fandom.com/wiki/Miraak).
• Siding with Hermaeus Mora (player-determined): The Dragonborn has the opportunity after this to pledge to Hermaeus Mora and also have access to the secrets of Apocrypha, but this is up the choice of the player.
• Elder Scrolls: The Dragonborn can read elder scrolls.

So these are some reasons why I'd say the Dragonborn is a genius or beyond , but just out of curiosity, do you think this is an accurate description of the Dragonborn's intelligence? If not, how would you describe it?

/LonghornNation Daily Off Topic Free Talk Thread

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3. @TexasFootball It’s a battle in the trenches 😤 https://t.co/qtiTSCeRri
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Trending on Reddit

/All

1. Ohtani strikes out his Angel teammate Mike Trout for the final out and wins the WBC for Japan!
2. Stabilised footage of the Bigfoot film from 1967.
3. To dance with the girl
4. ‘Don’t Say Gay’ lawmaker pleads guilty to COVID relief fraud
5. Bouncer potentially saves a lot of lives. Stops armed man in devils mask from entering strip club wielding a firearm and flashlight.

/CFB

1. The Twelfth Annual /CollegeBasketball Bracket Challenge
2. Alabama's Tony Mitchell drove 141 mph before arrest
3. [Kollmann] USC’s field is basically a lake right now and the indoor facility is apparently not long enough for a 40 so they have to do [pro day] out here.
4. 2024 4 star running back Jordan Marshall commits to Michigan
5. Pac-12 has ‘solidarity’ between remaining members, Utah president Taylor Randall says
6. Per Jon Wilner: The PAC 12 Presidents didnt meet today.

/LonghornNation

1. [Post Game Thread] ⚾ Texas defeats Incarnate Word, 17-11
2. Hopefully this puts any Ewers/Arch QB battling to rest
3. [Game Thread] ⚾ Texas vs. Incarnate Word - 6:30 pm
4. Steve Sarkisian Media Availability [March 21st, 2023]
5. Vic Schaefer: "I need to apologize to the University of Texas for today and how my team played. I'm accountable for that. I'm the head coach. It's my responsibility to make sure we play a lot better than that. This university deserves better than that."
6. [3/21/2023] Tuesday's Sports Talk Thread
7. Julien Alfred your women’s National Track Athlete of the year!

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E - today your name appeared on my phone telling me you texted me and then it was gone in a flash. But there wasn’t a message from you and I still don’t know why that happened. But it was enough to send me into a tailspin today. I thought you were finally giving in and reaching out to me but I know it’s stupid to even think you would after four months. I don’t think you know how much I think about you still, how badly I want to hear from you. After our last conversation, I know this won’t happen, but the incorrigible part of me still holds on to that tiniest sliver of hope even though I KNOW in my heart you won’t. But seeing your name pop up telling me you texted me and then there being no message really fucked with my head today. I can’t help but think what if? Feeling that rush of nervous butterflies followed by crushing defeat was an emotional rollercoaster. I just hope you know that I would answer, forever and always, I’ll answer. I still love you.

Saw a sneak preview of the D&D movie and, I gotta be honest, I don't think that I can recommend it.
So, anyway, the movie starts in this halfling village, and there's a guy, I think he's a farmer (who writes "farmer" for their backstory when they could be the prince of the kingdom?), but he's trying to take his first level in wizard, which really doesn't make much sense to me, because everyone knows that that's a class that halflings aren't great at. Tasha's rules, maybe?
So, he finds a human baby in the river near their village, and the head of the village is like "take her back to her fellow humans!", which totally nixes the idea of that baby getting some sweet Custom Lineage options. The halfling takes the baby and some hirelings and leaves the village, where they meet the next PC, like half an hour later. Really? What kind of shitty DM keeps the party separated like this? And what kind of smooth-brain plays a human fighter? At least he has the criminal background, which makes him kind of cool...
So they adventure around, and the human fighter is kind of a jerk (I think he's supposed to be Chaotic Neutral, but they never really explain it), and they end up meeting even more PCs (clearly this DM loves his homebrew Brownie race). They fight the BBEG's daughter for a while, but then the daughter ends up switching side (DMPC much? And she's a human fighter, too!), they go to a castle and fight some trolls which have clearly been homebrewed, because standard trolls don't have a climb speed, and the halfling uses a completely OP flesh-to-stone spell.
Finally, they get to the final battle with the BBEG, and how do they defeat her? Prestidigitation. A stupid cantrip. Any BBEG worth her salt would have totally made her saving throw to figure that out.
So, in the end, the halfling finally gets his wizard dip (all that effort for one level? shitty DM strikes again...), and the human fighter goes off with the other human fighter which, again, totally kills any chances for Variant Human options... two regular humans making more regular humans, I guess. I don't know what happened to the brownies; they must've dropped out of the group.
I heard that Disney is doing a series that continues the campaign, but I have to be honest, if that's as confusing and homebrew-y as the movie, I won't be watching it.

Every time I get this event Some AI empire gets to them first and kills them because I can never get there fast enough. How the hell did these dudes get moving so damn fast and so damn far with our shitty tier 1 technology anyways?
Also I'm super salty because I was literally in the system to defeat the final flagship and some mofo AI kills them literally as I'm about to enter firing range and I get diddly-doo from this quest even though I had entered combat, but I didn't get the killing blow.
Alright, I'm done ranting.

Hello, everybody! Nice to see you all again.
You might not remember me, but i was the guy who 4 months ago posted this text about being playing Kingdom Hearts 1 for the first time and after 4 months i finally finished and wanted to share some thoughts.
Before everything, i just wanted to say that if this kind of post is not allowed i will delete it, just need a mod to talk to me. Also
THERE WILL BE SPOILERS
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First of all, it's been 4 months but obviously i didn't played 4 months straighted, i played for like 40 hours. I stopped for some time to play another game
So...i loved it. This game was fantastic. It's hard to put how i'm feeling now in words, it's been just 1 hour since i beat it
The worlds are beautiful. The story was intriguing and had twists i was not expecting. I was not expecting for Maleficent to not be the final boss. I was not expecting for Ansem to be the bad guy, i thought he was going to be an ally, and i pictured him more like an old man, not someone so young.
And what a fight he was, the hardest boss in the entire game for me. His final form almost got me
I was out of itens and just one more hit would kill Sora. Donald had fallen and Goofy was still fighting while i was dodging the attacks waiting for the right time. When Goofy was defeated, i decided to go for it, it was all or nothing. And when everything seemed to be lost i gave the final blow and defeated him
The final cutscene felt deserved. It was beautiful. I was watching with a straight face, thinking of everything i went through, all the times i died, all the worlds i've explored and all the characters i've met. I liked them more than i thought i would. I was tired, but satisfied
When Sora and Kairi were separated and Simple and Clean started to play, my eyes widened for less than 1 second. And i started to cry. This is one of the only pieces of media to every make me cry along with The Little Prince, Klaus (the 2019 movie) and Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts.
I'm 100% going to play the other games, and i will start Chain of Memories tomorrow. I don't care how long it takes, i'm going to play up until KH3. I have so many questions. I'm seeing this through to the end.
Sorry if this post is relatively short, i'm still a bit dizzy from the ending and i'm very, very tired. Thank you for reading, and as they say on the Earthbound fandom:
"No crying until the end"
​
P.S.: During the journey i've also made a ranking with all the worlds. I also gave then 1-5 stars depending on how much i enjoyed it. 1 star is bad, 3 stars is average and 5 stars is the absolute best:
1- Hollow Bastion (5 stars)
2- Deep Jungle (5 stars)
3- Halloween Town (5 stars)
4- Olympus Coliseum (5 stars)
5- Destiny Islands (5 stars)
6- Traverse Town (4 stars)
7- Neverland (4 stars)
8- Wonderland (4 stars)
9- End of the World (3 stars)
10- Agrabah (3 stars)
11- 100 Acre Wood (2 stars)
12- Dive to the Heart (2 stars)
13- Monstro (1 star)
14- Atlantica (1 star)

And I'm going to prove it.
What follows is an in-depth analysis of the Pokemon world and its culture (hereafter referred to as the “Poke'verse.”) Where I’ll attempt to understand just what these beings actually are, and how they relate to the humans of their universe. The relationship between human and pokemon is obscure, but we'll be defining it today. For this post, I will reference the video game lore, but I will, to a large extent, be pulling examples from the anime. While I can understand why some might say this invalidates my points, I truly think the anime should be considered fair game. It depicts what the Poke'verse is truly supposed to be like, as the writers intend it to be, unhampered by the restrictions of a video game.

Let's dive in.

At this point, I know that the Pokemon fandom and the general public have a well-established and largely iron-cast interpretation of what it means to be a Pokemon Trainer, but today I’m going to attempt to challenge that interpretation. Because on the whole, it’s not especially flattering, and I think it’s false. You’ve seen the jokes, and the video essays, and the parody comics. You’ve seen it all. People have criticized Pokemon for the premise of the game effectively being a system of romanticized slavery. That the heartless humans kidnap these innocent animals and force them into sadistic dog-fights to further their own power, to the point where it is a global, televised sport. Ask anyone and they’ll tell you, Pokemon…are slaves. It's animal abuse. Those who argue it are in denial.
The funny thing is, most people don’t argue it. Which is because, to a large extent, most people don’t care. It’s just a video game, right? It’s not as though the Pokemon are outwardly suffering. Pokemon fans seem to just accept this premise and live with it, because the Pokemon world is bright and enjoyable and the formula of the games is addicting. To most people, the problematic premise of this universe isn’t a big deal. Nobody takes a passionate stance against it, apart from Gamefreak itself. They have little choice but to dismiss these claims, to argue against them…but nobody really listens. The franchise may do the best it can to play up the whole “friendship” angle, but the majority of fans, casual and otherwise, would say they’re not fooling anyone.

I see things differently.

This conclusion about the Pokeverse is not the only one that can be drawn from analyzing this world. It's also based on several assumptions, headcanons, and interpretations of this world’s symbolism. I interpret these things another way myself, and I’ll try to explain how. But the bottom line is that humans and Pokemon exist together in this world and have a unique relationship. Our world has humans, but not Pokemon, so one can assume that the Pokemon are a deliberate symbol of…something. What that something is will probably vary based on who you ask, but just about everyone seems to interpret them as the “animals” of their universe. As in, living creatures who are not human. (Because Humans…are also Animals, and that’s kind of the whole point right there, but I’m getting ahead of myself.)
We seem to draw an inherent comparison between Pokemon and #RealWorld Animals, which is where all of this stems from. I believe this is a mistake. Or if nothing else, it’s not the definitive interpretation of what they are. If anything, the closest comparison I can think of is…maybe Angels? But even that doesn’t truly describe their role. The more the Poke'verse gets fleshed out, the clearer it becomes to me that catching and training Pokemon are completely misunderstood concepts. They’re not really comparable to anything in real life, certainly not the training of animals or the keeping of pets. I genuinely don’t think that the relationship between Trainer and Pokemon has an equivalent in our world.
I do understand where the impulse to make this comparison comes from. Of course people look at Pokemon and see animals. After all, they're living, breathing creatures, magical creatures that coexist with humanity. A not insignificant number of them do resemble real-life animals or are otherwise based on them. The most crucial bit of evidence for this idea is that the Pokeverse, by all appearances, lacks “real world” animals of its own. There are no recognizable creatures from our world to speak of, apart from humanity. So I can see how people reached this conclusion and I get why they draw the parallel.

However, it’s just not a fair comparison to make. Not at all.

Some animals do have the means to defend themselves, of course. But Pokemon have abilities on another level entirely. They’re basically magic. They have superpowers unique to themselves. Can a human spit fire? Tunnel a hole in seconds? Can they summon storms in the blink of an eye? Can a human block all damage with Wonder Guard? The answer is no. They cannot do this. Humans are one race, and a relatively mundane race at that. While they are distinctly separate from Pokemon…that doesn’t make them superior. It doesn’t make them more powerful. The sheer variety in Pokemon species, not to mention the variety of their powers, means that if war was to break out between the two communities…the humans would not win. It wouldn’t even be close.
Pokemon are baked deep into this culture. If you had to guess which of these two societies was here first, would you really guess humanity? I wouldn’t. Just look at the spiritual side of this world. It has deities who are confirmed to exist, who created this world as we know it..and they’re all Pokemon. Who knows where the humans even came from, but the Legendary Pokemon are the ones who fashioned the universe. It is vanity to assume that Humanity is the dominant species of the Poke'verse.
They are not, nor have they even been in charge of this world. Pokemon explicitly range from human to above-human level intelligence. The humans attempt to understand them, but the Anime clarifies that they’ve chosen to name the Pokemon based on their speech patterns. Pokemon don’t “say their name” and nothing else. It’s the reverse. They speak unique languages that the humans elected to name them for. By contrast, Pokemon can clearly understand human language. There’s no way around it, they are smarter than us. So it’s no surprise that they have their own communities and systems, totally independent from humanity. However, there are also countless Pokemon who choose (read: CHOOSE) to work with humans, on individual and group-wide scales.

In fact, Pokemon and Humans may not be so different at all.

I bet their DNA is remarkably similar. They may descend from a common ancestor. There is consistent flavor text that verifies this, stating that on a fundamental level, Pokemon and Humans are all but the same. Perhaps humankind and Pokemon weren’t always separate beings? Perhaps they were once one and the same? It’s pure conjecture, but according to the Library in Canalave City, there was a time in the ancient past when Pokemon ate at the same table as Humans and would even marry them sometimes. That last bit of trivia is cut from the English version, undoubtedly because of the popular interpretation I discussed earlier. Fans see Pokemon as animals, and the dubbing team probably wanted to avert any weird implications.
What’s odd is that in Legends: Arceus, which takes place in the ancient past…humans and pokemon have clearly already been separated, and have no relationship beyond hostility and fear towards each other. There are exceptions, of course, but by and large, the idea of a “Pokemon Trainer” is a new concept to the humans in Hisui. I’m getting very off topic now, but it does make a fan wonder. Just what happened to separate pokemon and humankind? They were as close as kin at one point, before some kind of split occurred, and it’s taken countless generations for them to redevelop a closeness...there’s a greater mystery here that isn’t relevant to the topic at hand, but these questions are worth asking. Either way, the point is that the two communities are almost fated to come together.
The Pokemon are drawn to humanity, and whether they invest in an official “trainer” or not, they seek out humans just as often as the humans go looking for them.
The Pokemon will form these partnerships out of their own desire. A desire for what, you may be asking? I think it varies, but when it comes to the TrainePokemon relationship, we can assume the typical goal is shared strength. The human and the Pokemon form a symbiotic relationship in the Training system. This is stated numerous times, especially in the Anime - A wild Pokemon will never reach their full potential. Not without a Trainer. You see? It isn’t only the humans who benefit from this relationship, and the Pokemon understand this. The vast majority of them want to be caught, they seek a trainer who can help them harness their powers.
Mewtwo decries Pokemon Training as Slavery during Mewtwo Strikes Back. Pikachu contradicts him, and Ash literally puts his life on the line in the effort to prove him wrong. Much later, in Lucario and the Mystery of Mew, the same question comes up. Lucario asks if Ash is Pikachu’s “master” and Ash rejects that terminology. Because Pikachu is his best friend, nothing less. There is a reason why the word is “Trainer” and not “Master” or “Owner.” Because Pokemon Trainers do not own their Pokemon. Full stop. The Poke Ball isn't a prison. It, and the PC Boxes from the games, are implied to be a kind of virtual reality. The Poke Ball is a symbol, a convenience more than anything else, but not a requirement. Ash is living proof. The Poke-Ball may be the norm, but if you're claustrophobic like Pikachu, or you're just not feeling it, you can abstain. Ash has never treated Pikachu as a captive. Or any of his Pokemon for that matter. We don't ever see anyone keeping Pokemon as prisoners apart from the villains.

But what about catching Pokemon in general? That's still messed up, isn't it?

There is an obvious counterargument to be made to my stance, a Donphan in the room, and I won’t ignore it. The counterpoint here is that capturing Pokemon is almost always done against their will. Or at least, that’s how it’s traditionally done, and the norm in the games remains consistent. Still. Ash winds up befriending the majority of his Pokemon instead, and he’s far from the only trainer we see doing so. James is another human who recruits his teammates primarily through his own likable qualities. You might argue that while obtaining a Pokemon can happen without fighting, that style is still unusual. But again, based on the anime, it doesn’t seem to be that uncommon. I think what’s considered rare is that Ash seems to specialize in doing this despite his intended goal of training Pokemon for battle.
Regardless, capturing Pokemon through battle still happens. It happens quite a lot. The examples that differ from this norm don’t erase that, nor do they erase how repugnant it is. After all, the Trainer is cornering a creature who more often than not, was just minding their own business. (A wild Pokemon is very often the one to initiate battle, but never mind.) The trainer then forcibly kidnaps them after violently assaulting them. Even the term “capturing” Pokemon has problematic connotations. No way around it - on paper, this sounds bad. It sounds horrific. But if I may, I’d like to offer a different perspective based on what I’ve been able to observe of the Poke'verse’s culture. First of all, I’d like to offer a scalding hot take about the violence of Pokemon battles. This may be where I lose a lot of people, but hear me out.

I challenge the idea that a Pokemon battle is “violent.”

Or at least, I don’t believe the characters consider it to be violent, not in the same way we understand it. A pokemon battle isn’t assault, because they’re not human. But it’s also not animal abuse, because the Pokeverse doesn’t have animals. Again, it’s worth remembering that Pokemon are supernatural creatures with magical powers, and I’d say their powers, the “moves” they learn, play by different rules than conventional fighting. There’s actually quite a bit of evidence to suggest that this is true.
In Mewtwo Strikes Back, the Pokemon very specifically fight their clones without access to any of their actual moves, after Mewtwo psychically blocks their powers. Everything about this scene is meant to convey tragedy. All of a sudden, a series that’s been all about battle is preaching against violence. Sure, we can call it bad writing, executive meddling, or anything we want. But ignore the Fourth Wall and ask yourself, why would the characters react this way in-universe? Why is it that Pokemon battling has always been okay, but in this one instance, it’s not? The movie goes to great lengths to show us that the Pokemon are hurting each other. Which we don’t normally see.

The only difference? The Pokemon aren’t using their normal moves.

From this, we can conclude that the typical, conventional Pokemon battle, where the two Pokemon fight using their special abilities...it doesn’t hurt them. It may tire them out, but a Pokemon Center can heal basically any injuries in record time. Nurse Joy is some kind of miracle worker…or maybe she isn’t. Maybe The Pokemon are being tired out from their battles, but not actually harmed in the long term. Ever wonder why Pokemon can use hidden moves in the field, even when they're supposedly "fainted?" Or why Pikachu is able to get right back up after fainting in battle to cheer Ash on? This would explain why Pokemon attacks don’t cause lasting damage to humans, either. Get hit with a Flamethrower? Don’t worry, you’ll just be temporarily stunned and have soot all over your face. The doylist explanation is, once again, that it’s a children’s cartoon, but that doesn’t explain what’s happening in-universe. Team Rocket has been electrocuted by Pikachu a near-infinite number of times. So how are they even alive?
Simple. Pikachu isn’t actually trying to kill them. Because of course he isn’t. It’s quite possible that Pokemon moves simply are not capable of inflicting serious damage, or perhaps Pokemon have an inherent resistance to them. But I suspect it’s not a lack of ability that stops Pokemon moves from being violent…but an almost universal choice. That when Pokemon go on the offensive with their powers, or at least, when they direct said powers at humans…they are always pulling their punches. That’s why the fight on New Island was so grotesque - the Pokemon were not remotely familiar with battling that way, engaging in true violence, and there’s little doubt that they were figuratively and literally scarred by that night. (The ones who still remember it, anyway.)
It’s no wonder they never use their powers to cause actual bodily harm to anyone - I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s some kind of sacred, unspoken taboo among Pokemon against doing so. A taboo that wouldn't be known to the newborn clone Pokemon on New Island. A taboo that may not have existed centuries ago, in say, the ancient times of the Hisui region. But present day, communities of Pokemon are more civilized, and they a working relationship with human society that ranges from neutral to friendly. We’re in head-canon territory now, but this kind of law among Pokemon kind makes a lot of sense. There may be Pokemon out there who break this taboo, but they would be few and far between - probably outcasts among their own kind. It would add a new dimension to Pikachu's refusal to fight back against his clone counterpart.
Again, this scene makes a point of telling us over and over, that what we’re seeing is wrong. “Pokemon aren’t meant to fight. Not like this.” That line right there is precisely the point. Battling isn’t meant to be like that, and in practice, it almost never is. There’s a reason why Pokemon almost never actually die in battle, and only get “very weak,” a condition that is cured flawlessly with the medical science of a Pokemon Center. It’s almost like a Pokemon’s powers create a kind of invisible simulation system, allowing them to spar with their opponent safely. Because that’s what a Pokemon battle is, at heart. It’s a test of skill. It’s meant to just be friendly sparring. A kind of sport that the Pokemon and Trainers engage in together, and it’s stated many times that they need to be in sync to have any hope of a successful career in professional matches. Again, I refer you to Mewtwo Strikes Back. The Pokemon were able to use their powers collectively to restore Ash to life. There’s clearly a lot more to a Pokemon’s power than just combat. That part is nothing more than recreation for them.

I deviated tremendously from the original question about capturing Pokemon, but I feel that it’s important to address this point.

Pokemon Battling is not violence. It’s effectively a sport that all sides consent to playing, a sport that has safety measures practically built in, as well as further precautions offered like the Pokemon Center. In that sense, it's more or less just another interpretation of Pokemon Contests, and Showcases, and everything else. A human helping a Pokemon study their powers and use them to fullest potential. This is the reason why I don’t actually consider a Trainer fighting a wild Pokemon to be so obscene. However, that only addresses the question of violence. Trainers are still kidnapping Pokemon against their will, right? That’s why one has to “weaken” a Pokemon to catch them. Well, believe it or not, I’m going to debunk that too.
Barring exceptions, the wild Pokemon must be exhausted to the point that they can no longer resist a poke-ball, before you can obtain them. Their opinion about being caught is always a non-issue. By all accounts, it doesn't seem as though this is acceptable. But even this, I think, is part of the cultural dissonance. Among other things, we don’t know what the little “click” of the Poke-ball actually means. It signals that the capture was a success, but is that the Pokemon choosing to yield, or the Poke Ball’s technology locking them in? It’s a little ambiguous, I’ll freely admit as much…but I would argue that the former idea isn’t impossible. Again, wild Pokemon, generally speaking, actually want to find a Trainer. The first episode of the anime even hints that certain wild Pokemon are jealous of those with trainers. With that in mind, why is catching them even a fight to begin with?

I’ll tell you why. When a wild Pokemon battles a trainer, they are essentially giving that trainer a test.

They’re gauging the trainer’s abilities to bring out the potential of their Pokemon. If you’re a trainer, and your Pokemon defeats another Pokemon in the wild…you’ve just proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that your Pokemon is stronger than the wild one. You have now proven that you have something to offer, you’ve passed the test. The wild Pokemon now realizes that it stands to learn something, to grow more powerful, by accepting your tutelage. That’s why it’s considered acceptable to the Pokemon to follow a trainer after they are overpowered and captured. It’s like…right of conquest, but with fully informed consent.
Consent is key here, and I believe this cultural understanding to be the reason that most Pokemon are immediately comfortable with following the trainer who caught them. While one might argue that they don't really have a choice anymore...that simply isn't true. The anime clarifies that Pokemon can release themselves from a Poke-Ball whenever they want. Misty’s Psyduck is the most iconic example of this, but there are countless others. In theory, a Pokemon could just leave a trainer who they find unsatisfactory. Actually, that’s not just a theory. That’s canon. Something that most people don’t seem to realize (or at least, they forget) is that it’s not just Trainers who ditch Pokemon they no longer want. It happens in reverse as well.

Pokemon can and do abandon their trainers, if they deem said trainers to be unworthy of their talents.

Remember when I said that I would be chiefly referencing the anime, because it’s the most reliable depiction of what the Pokeverse is supposed to be like? This is exactly what I was talking about. Because obviously, this never happens in the games. Your Pokemon don’t just disappear from your party or PC boxes, because that would be an incredibly stupid and unfair mechanic. But in the anime, where the relationships between Pokemon and Trainer are more fleshed out? In the first season, Bad To The Bone is about a Marowak who chose to ditch his trainer after said trainer had his badges stolen. While the Marowak eventually changed his mind, at no point did any character voice the idea of trying to return him by force. That was never on the table. It was Marowak’s choice and no one else’s, which is why the trainer was heartbroken.
But that’s not a one-off, it’s not the only example. There are quite a few. Due to a misunderstanding, Gym Leader Pryce once believed his Piloswine had abandoned him. Then there’s Ash. Always the mother hen, he’s adopted many Pokemon who were abandoned by previous trainers, but the opposite has also happened. His Snivy, and his Greninja, are both Pokemon who were explicitly stated to have had previous trainers whom they chose to leave, because they didn’t feel understood. Typically, it seems that Pokemon choose to leave because they feel as though the unspoken contract that is “pokemon training” has been violated somehow, or they’re otherwise not getting what they signed up for. This is why the traditional method of “catching” Pokemon is so vital. Because it’s an honor system. There's a reason we aren't able to capture a Pokemon has already fainted. That would be the most efficient way to go about things, but the MC won't do it. Why? I can only assume this is to ensure the Pokemon gets a voice in whether they're caught.
Any time a human does attempt to force a Pokemon into submission or otherwise harm them through any method that is not the traditional system of capture, the story treats them as unquestionably villainous for doing so. The other humans react in horror, and attempt to stop them. This is because forgoing the “defeat them in battle” route and instead using some kind of technology or whatnot to claim the Pokemon is seen as dishonorable at the best of times, and evil at the worst of times. The Trainer is ignoring the agency of the Pokemon. Attempting capture in the conventional way is a mutually accepted system, the wild Pokemon know and understand that a trainer may attempt to take them, and if they really don’t want to be said Trainer’s Pokemon, they can always choose to leave after they are captured. But the use of other means takes that choice away from them. These villains, usually the evil Teams, are using methods of capture that fail to demonstrate to the Pokemon why they are a worthy Trainer, and likewise rob them of the ability to judge them as unworthy.

There are exceptions, but for the reasons I have described, I fail to see how the idea of “slavery” is applicable to properly trained Pokemon.

They have the power to attack their trainers whenever they choose. Sometimes they do. They have magical abilities that enslaved humans in real life do not have. Legends: Arceus does a great job of highlighting just how dangerous Pokemon could be toward their human counterparts if they really wanted to be. They also have the power to leave. A Pokeball is not a chain. The only time a Pokemon struggles to escape a Ball is when it is first used on them, and the connection is initially forged. But, as I’ve talked about, I believe this to be a ceremonial process and little else. Trainers will immediately send out freshly caught Pokemon to heal or train, and the Pokemon don’t run. But once again, they could. What is stopping them? Ash’s Charizard never saw fit to abandon him, but if he had, what could Ash have actually done about it? Basically nothing. He’d get a flamethrower to the face and then Charizard would fly off. The same thing is true for any of Ash’s Pokemon, or the trained Pokemon of any Trainer ever.
There’s another Donphan in the room that I’d like to touch on real quick. I’ve talked a lot about how the anime clarifies the nature of Pokemon and their relationship to their Trainers…but I also mentioned that the developers have openly tried to beat back the claims of animal abuse, of slavery. The anime speaks for itself, but what about the time Black and White openly addressed these criticisms? You were probably waiting for me to bring it up, but the truth is, I don’t have much to say. The idea of Pokemon and Trainers having a symbiotic relationship, and needing each other…the idea that they shouldn’t be separated…all of that is touched on in the games, but the subject is mostly used as a scapegoat by a wannabe dictator.
I have yet to see any character in Pokemon honestly make the same comparison that critics make in real life, and I doubt we ever will see that happen. It’s just not an idea that can be properly explored in the Pokeverse, because our world is unknown to them. Our way of doing things isn’t something that any in-universe Trainer could hope to understand. It’s an entirely different culture. The way we personally view Pokemon as creatures is colored by our context, by the fact that we’re on the outside, peering into this world with the perspective of a society that doesn’t have Pokemon. To the humans, this is the way their world works. Team Plasma came the closest to approaching that idea, but even then, they were the villains. It was made abundantly clear that they were wrong.
​

• In theory, Pokemon are servants at the whims of their Trainers. In practice, they’re actually the ones with real power and the relationship is balanced, nuanced, and heavily based on mutual trust.
• In theory, Pokemon are the wild animals of their universe. In practice, they have no equivalent to our world. They are, as we're told many times, "wondrous creatures." They have no explanation.
• In theory, Pokemon are forced to engage in senseless violence day in and day out. In practice, Pokemon battling is an art form that the Pokemon themselves choose to pursue, and it is not remotely dangerous.

If you've stuck with me this long, know that I appreciate you. Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk. If you need me, I'll be shiny hunting for Klawf.

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This is something that may have been brought up in another post somewhere, but I don't remember seeing it mentioned and it struck me as blindingly obvious.
Most of the theories regarding Jack usually involve the Pah-wraiths (reinforced with his red-eye moment in episode 5), a Borg connection because he is Picard's son, or that he may be a Human-Changeling hybrid as a result of experimentation. But what if the antagonists' interest in Jack is something much more simple and in plain sight.
We know that his older brother displayed an ability to control the flow of time. In the last episode of TNG he appeared in, Wesley actually stopped time altogether. The ability to manipulate time and space would be very appealing to the rogue Changelings as a means of undoing their defeat in the Dominion War. Starfleet would've undoubtedly maintained records of Wesley's interactions with the Traveler via reports from the Enterprise-D's logs, which would be pilfered by the Changelings when they infiltrated the Federation.
With Wesley beyond their reach since he joined the Travelers, they've turned their sights on Jack as they believe he may share his brother's abilities.
Jack's visions, sinister as they appear, support the idea that he does have similar abilities that are just beginning to awaken. In his first vision during his near-death experience, he is told to "connect the branches," possibly referring to branching timelines.
And in his waking dream at the beginning of episode 5, he sees himself wearing a Starfleet uniform gunning down the bridge officers. Later, Seven dresses him in a uniform to hide him among the ship's crew and he later kills the four Changelings disguised as Starfleet officers. This vision could be a form of precognition. The elements of his being dressed in the uniform and killing Starfleet officers are there, but the context was missing.
I'd compare Jack's visions to how Paul Atreides' visions are portrayed in the 2021 Dune film. The important elements are there, but the contexts of the visions and what actually happens don't match one for one. They are suggestive; they imply what is to come.

This past Saturday I had been working on my soon to be new home, and after a long day of labor I got home and immediately collapsed and went to bed. I live right outside of Wilmington Delaware, in a condo complex with a C- in crime score. Not particularly bad, not too good either. A convenient location right off the highway to get to the majority of east coast cities.
Sunday morning I woke up, took a shower, and then gunned for the door to go back to work on the house. I gave my wife and daughter a kiss goodbye, grabbed my phone, keys and wallet, and leave. As I’m approaching my car in the parking area I notice my door is slightly open… not a great sign. I opened the door and noticed my glove box and center console have been completely ransacked. Paperwork I had just gotten two days prior now laid dormant on the floor of the driver and passenger seat. I had also forgotten my day bag in the back seat.
It happened, my car had been robbed. Typically I’m great about locking my car door, Saturday night though, I suppose I missed a critical step in ensuring the safety of the contents of my car.
This is an important time in my life right now, I’m in the middle of a house purchase, work is going crazy, and my second kid will be here in two months. I brushed it off, told my wife what happened, and drove to the house I’m working on. During my drive I gave the Non-Emergency line a call. The gentlemen who answered was very kind.
He collected important information and asked for my location. I let him know that I was on the road and that it would be a few hours before I returned home. He asked that I gave the non-emergency line a call back when I’m home so they could send an officer out. Ugh. Now, in my life I haven’t had the best experience with police. Nothing directly involving me, but lots of second hand interaction and stories from family, so I was naturally inclined to assume the local police wouldn’t be useful. Admittedly, I wrote the entire situation as a loss, I felt hopeless.
Over the next few hours I took mental inventory of what was missing. Originally I had only thought that change and a Bluetooth speaker were missing, some of which was in my center console and others in the bag that was in my back seat. I began to fully remember what I had lost: An Android cellphone, an Apple iPhone, Bluetooth Speaker, home purchase paperwork, $10 in cash, and a few other things.
At this point I was mostly nervous about the iPhone, as it was a backup iPhone 12 I got some time ago which had all my Apple Wallet cards on it. Once I realized I logged into Find my IPhone and activated lost mode on the iPhone. I figured the best case scenario would be to ensure my data was protected. The evening settles in, I’ve accepted defeat, and head to bed.
This morning I clock on for work, and as I’m sitting in a work meeting I get a pestering notification on my phone. Lost iPhone has been turned on. I immediately open Find My iPhone to see the device had checked in, but then immediately was turned off. I was frustrated… not only did this person steal my property, they rubbed it in by trying to further use the device they stole.
Only for a moment however I was frustrated. I further read the information on my phone screen and a smile went from ear to ear. That minute or two the phone was turned on was long enough for the iPhone to pick up an address.
I was motivated at this point. I didn’t know what would happen, but I figured hey, what the hell, let’s give the non-emergency line a ring again. I called in, gave them a recap. They collected my information and let me know I should hear back soon. At this point I half expected the officer to tell me too much time had passed for anything to be done… but boy was I totally wrong.
Officer Thomas gave me a call and let me know that he was outside of my condo. He asked for a recap of the situation, what was taken, and if I had any additional information. I shared the Find my IPhone information. Officer Thomas had another officer come along to swab for DNA and collect finger prints off of my car - I was stunlocked! He then let me know that he was filing a warrant for the address listed on my Find my iPhone. I’m not sure what I thought would happen, but given what I was always taught, and believed, I thought I would have eaten dust.
After about an hour or two Officer Thomas and the officer taking DNA and finger prints finished up with me. I made more assumptions… I’m sure nothing will come of it, this is probably the last I’ll hear of it. Officer Thomas then proceed to send me several texts over the next few hours, he wants pictures of the Bluetooth Speaker, Pictures of my Bag, Cell Phone Serial Number, and various credible bits of information.
I scour my iPhone photos going years back finding the best pictures I possibly could for the items stolen. I sent some blurry and dark photos that I had taken, and then also some screenshots from Walmart and Amazon listings for the original items.
Again, I made assumption. I assumed he was just doing his typical paper work for his reports. Mind you, hours earlier I had also filed with my insurance regarding the situation, so at the minimum I was happy to have a police report for my claim.
A few hours pass and I get a missed call from Officer Thomas… I was playing video games and had my headphones up pretty loud. He took the time to text me however and let me know that they had recovered a phone, but it was smashed, and asked if I could send over the devices IMEI.
I sent the information, this time assuming that if they did actually goto the persons house there would be no way they were silly enough to leave a stolen phone right there.
A few hours later go by again, I received a call, and a third officer lets me know that he’s outside and that he’d like me to come out. I step outside and he lets me know that he believe he has my property. Officer Thomas was working overtime to get everything settled today so this officer was stepping in to help get everything tied up so he could go home. I was shocked. Jaw on the ground floored.
The iPhone was taken for evidence. I’m guessing the thief immediately smashed the iPhone once they realized it was out in lost mode. I got everything else back besides the few dollars of cash I had in the glove box.
The entire time I made assumptions against the police. Assumed they wouldn’t help, or weren’t able to. I was wrong every step of the way. Not only did New Castle Police impress me, but Officer Thomas was a godsend.
I cannot say how immensely shocked I am even now. I’m not sure what happened with the person who stole my items and broke into my car. I’d assume it’s more then a ticket, but I’ll have to find out next time I speak with Officer Thomas.
I just wanted to share my story. It may be benign to some, but it was a truly eye opening experience for me. These guys showed me they care about their jobs and their community.

Hell yeah, I stole 5 stimpacks, sold golden gecko skin to get leather armor (or jacket, dunno how it in english), then used 10mm pistol in combination with stimpacks - and I defeated rat king. Very cool

I am a pantser, and am writing a novel, and I was unsure how to proceed so I figured I'd explain the situation to chatGPT because I use it for all sorts of things and it is outstanding overall.
And it gave really helpful advice. In fact it was so helpful that I felt dirty even reading the response, and am not sure I'll do it much more if ever. I read its suggestions and it was super helpful to see different directions I could go and how they might play out to a reader vs when I write I don't have that ability to perceive how things would come off.
It's a strange situation to be in because the essence of pantsing for me is being in the story as I'm writing and really trying to connect with the heart of the character, the emotions, etc. And if I'm writing and I'm tired and don't have the energy to fully put myself in their shoes and understand how to properly challenge them and lead the story forward, then AI is quite the helpful tool!
Not sure what to think about this experience besides feeling like it defeats some of the purpose of my writing. But the voice in the back of my head recognizes how helpful it could be at the same time. I don't really care if my book ever does well or anything. My main goal is to feel proud of the story I wrote and to publish before I'm an old man, and I guess that conflicts with relying on AI to problem solve something that I would better be served problem solving myself.
I do like how my mind expanded when I read its suggestions, so I think my main take away if I don't use AI for writing is to stop being so narrow minded. It is hard not to be, and it is sometimes helpful to be narrow minded, but when I get stuck it is because I'm too narrow minded to openly consider random possibilities.
Thanks for coming to my TED Talk. Anyone else try something similar?

I’ve put this off with all my therapists and I really need to talk about it because it’s important but it’s just awkward for me. I wanna talk about, well I really don’t but I need to because I can’t just keep it to myself all the time I never talk about this with anyone but it’s what bothers me the most in the world. I’ve never kissed a girl. I’m 22 years old and I’ve never kissed a girl and it makes me want to kill myself every single day. I try to think about it rationally like it’s okay to be a virgin whatever but I feel terrible about myself. And I know it’s a gross way to view the world but obviously you know where I’m going with this if a guy is a virgin he is obviously a worthless loser and if he gets with a lot of girls he is better than most. And I know I shouldn’t feel that way and at the root it’s misogynistic but I can’t help but feel that way because that’s what I believe people truly think like at least 70% of people literally including women consciously or subconsciously view men who have sex with a lot of women as superior and in a much more aggressive way view men who are virgins as inferior losers like actual fucking subhumans. I feel like a fucking creep if anyone ever asked me who I’ve hooked up with and I said no one they would always look at me different like I’m some kind of fucking freak and I cannot take it anymore. All I want and all I’ve ever wanted is just for a girl to actually love me I don’t care about anything else all I need in my life is for a girl to think really highly of me and I can actually grow because I cannot fucking do it by myself. But such is the problem because I don’t have the confidence to actually talk to girls in the way that other guys do. I have never heard a guy say “I really like this girl I wanna spend time with her” the only reason 85% of guys go out of their way to talk to a girl it’s because they want to hook up with them. I do not have the capacity to flirt with a girl even if they show some interest in me I can never defeat the part of myself that tells me that no one actually likes me. But I definitely have the capacity to see women sexually it just feels wrong that I am thinking those things bc I’m a loser. There are times when I look at myself and feel kind of good looking but I’m not in particularly good shape I have no abs no jaw line my dick isnt 8 inches I don’t know how to kiss and I wouldn’t be good at sex bc I would be so nervous so what is the point there’s no way I could ever make a girl cum because I’m not actually attractive so there’s no way a girl would ever be into me enough for it to even feel good. I’ve attached myself to the idea of stupid fucking smut fanfictions where the girl is in love with the main character bc he’s perfect in every regard and can literally fuck for 4 hours straight with a 9 inch dick and washboard abs and I feel like I can never actually be loved by anyone because I’m so attached to the idea that I need to be perfect for a girl to love me. Even though I know that there probably are girls that would love me I can never open myself up to that because in my mind what I truly believe is that a girl would never love me totally and the way I want love to be unless I was this totally perfect fucking god basically. And I have considered it all so much and so deeply I have definitely realized I am kind of misogynistic but there are plenty of guys who are insanely misogynistic with girlfriends so I don’t really think that’s the problem plus I’m not like outwardly an incel and I certainly don’t blame women for me hating myself. I try to think about things fairly and I think if I was a girl, I would want to fuck a hot guy and I would want to fuck a hot girl so obviously with logic applied you can’t blame women for basic human nature but I’m just so insecure about the idea that someone would have to accept the way I look or settle for me rather than them thinking I am really hot and actually wanting me. And I also think the very idea of being so insecure and self deprecating is super unattractive to most women but at this point I feel like it’s just the way I am. And I’m so painfully fucking aware of all of this but I feel totally powerless to change it and it makes it even worse because I feel creepy for even having to think about stuff like this. And I know people are going to say just put yourself out there etc. but it just makes me so miserable to even think about how people perceive me to the point where I feel like I can’t even act genuinely in front of anyone because they will judge me. I don’t know what to do can someone at least just tell me they feel the same way because I feel like a disease around women.

As we are preparing for the series finale of the owl house called watching and dreaming, I am going to predict how the finale plays out
​
Continuing from " For the Future" Luz now with a Palisman named Stringbean and her friends are facing the final battle against the collector who is now manipulated by Belos himself, the collector trapped Luz in a dreamscape which will be used to break her spirit and turn her into one of his puppets but her friends snaps Luz out of her despair and break free from the collector dreamscape just before Luz's friends are caught by the collector and turned into puppets.
Luz after being free from the dreamscape is shocked in tears that her friend made a heroic sacrifice in freeing her from the scary dreamscape but she has no time to mourn as she must diverge herself from the collectors wrath before she turned into a puppet like her friends, then Luz encounters Eda and King leading to a heartwarming union however it was cut short when the collector finds them and put them in some of his games (just like in the promo) but the trio fight back and defeat the collector.
​
Belos (in Raine's puppet body) witness this, so he possesses the nearly defeated collector and take control of his body, transforming them both into a scary like demon and attacks the trio , so Luz,Eda and King use their magic to attack the combined Belos collector monster from the inside then the trio witness both of the collectors backstories perhaps to see how the collector ends up all alone when he diverge himself from his godlike parents after their encounter with the titans and how Belos furiously kill his elder brother Caleb Wittebane when he married an ancestor of Eda Clawthrone and after the tragic backstories which is for him a betrayal, Luz ,Eda and King after witnessing both the collector and belos past use their magic to finally separate belos from the collectors body and transform the boiling isles back to its former glory especially the residents who were statues and puppets into normal beings again including Luz's friends and then Belos after he revert back to the mortal form of Philip Wittebane rapidly ages into an old man until he turns into a skeleton and then dust leaving only a skull (and believe me it's going to be frightening and scary to younger viewers)
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and after everything is back to normal in the boiling isles and with Belos defeated and dead for real this time Luz,Eda and King are reunited with their loved ones with tears of joy but then they turn towards the defeated ,slightly depowerd and disappointed collector who asks them if they would probably seal him again like last time. But after Luz,Eda and King witness the collectors backstory as he was just a lonely kid who misses his family after their conflict with the titans and return to their world not to mention that King sympathize with him, Luz along with her friends forgive the collector and so with the help of some magicians they returned the collector to his world and reunite with his family,
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Then it is Luz and her mother Camila's turn as they must return to their world through the portal so that Luz might take some time off from her magical adventures for a while , she then says goodbye to her friends along with her girlfriend Amity including her friend and mentor Eda and king and promise to them, she will come back , Eda then gives Luz a portal key and assures her that she can come back to the boiling isles anytime she likes and after some goodbyes and farewells, Luz and Camila returned to their world through the portal door where Vee who was outside the Noceda resident was waiting for them.
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Then many years later , Luz is now a college young adult loosely based on her beta appearance but with the same hairstyle and a long coat , she is about to leave for college with a bag and says goodbye to her mother Camila and then tells Vee ( in her human form but still unaged in her pre-teen form) to take care of Camila and as Camila and Vee went inside back to their house, Luz however in reality is about to go back to the boiling isles as she is shown taking her palisman Stringbean out of her bag and opens the portal back to the boiling isles, there things have changed as the boiling isles is now peaceful and is no longer under the monarchy of Belos but democracy instead as shown with Lilith now a democratic leader with good leadership, Luz is shown reunited her friends and her girlfriend Amity who was waiting for her , then she meets the now older Eda (who is married to Raine) and King (now grown to a medium-sized titan) who are glad to see Luz again as a young confident adult woman, and the final scene of the series has Eda asking Luz "Ready to continue where we left off kid ?" Luz answered while holding her palisman Stringbean with confidence, saying, "Let's do this."
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And then we are treated to a series finale credits (like the previous 2 season 3 episodes) where we see a where are they now to every characters of the series, Camila and Vee are living peacefully at the Noceda residence while webcam chat with her daughter Luz to see how she is doing in the boiling isles, then we see the romantic couples of the owl House fandom going on a date together such as Luz and Amity, Willow and Hunter and Eda and Raine who are now a happy couple there will also be a where are they now moment to Guz who is now a professor and goes to Earth in search of another "human relic" , king who does his thing as usual, a shot of Lilith continue her leadership of the boiling isles,some other shots of the rest of the supporting characters of the owl house as they live peaceful lives, Kikimora who is now imprisoned in a small cell and is still in her rage mode because a group of Passersby is now laughing and mocking her, then a shot of Belos remaining human skull as it resides in the museum marked as "the remain of a cruel dictator" , a shot of the collector now in his home world happily leaving with his reunited family and then the final shot of the credits ends with Luz,Eda and king looking over the boiling isles in their flying brooms ending the series.
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And that's my prediction for watching and dreaming, what do you think?

IDK if this fits the guidelines, but how do y’all prefer to see the format of the final? I really liked how Chuang 2021 did their final 3 songs. They don’t have a “center” or “killing part” in a way. The contestants all have a part for them to shine without the “center” or “killing part” title. I also liked how they let the contestants have their own stage for a brief moment. Like how Santa, Liu Yu, Rikimaru choreographing their own solo performances. They even added a fun twist to the theme song created by Han Peiquan.
Links for the videos as for references of the final from Chuang 2021:
Be Mine
We are the Youth, We are the Future
Definition
Santa Solo Dance
Liu Yu Solo Dance
Just go where you want, Don’t be afraid
There’s more, but I’m just gonna stop here.

https://preview.redd.it/eq7p9akyt7pa1.jpg?width=1000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7e4f3c283f990a692d2ee625074866685cf3301a
“1… 2… 3… 4!”
With a simple, yet energetic count-in, The Beatles were on their way to leaving an indelible mark on popular culture, and it all started here. Released 60 years ago today, Please Please Me marked the first album in The Beatles’ discography. A brisk, lively pop-rock confection lasting just over half-an-hour, over a half century later it remains a stunning document of the unbridled joy of the early Beatles.

Background

The Beatles got their start as a skiffle band in the late 1950s in Liverpool. By 1961, after many personnel changes, their lineup consisted of John Lennon on rhythm guitar, Paul McCartney on bass, George Harrison on lead guitar and Pete Best on drums. The group had cut their teeth playing grueling sets in Hamburg nightclubs, often times playing over 8 hours a day and taking uppers to get through the shows. Their repertoire largely consisted of cover songs, though a fledgling songwriting partnership between Lennon and McCartney contributed a few numbers here and there to the proceedings. In the fall of 1961, a rock and roll cover of “My Bonnie” with the Beatles playing backup to Tony Sheridan was released in Germany. Shortly thereafter, the Beatles met Brian Epstein, who would become their manager. He cleaned up their image and sought out a recording contract for them. A New Years Day 1962 audition for Decca Records would prove fruitless (Decca executives felt that "guitar groups are on the way out" and that "the Beatles have no future in show business"). Undeterred, Brian continued searching, eventually inking the band a deal with EMI Records in May.

The Lead-up to Please Please Me

EMI placed the group on Parlophone Records, which was run by George Martin at the time. Martin was impressed by the group’s charisma and personalities, but was doubtful of their ability to write hit songs. An initial recording session on June 6th, 1962 proved futile. Martin was especially unimpressed with the drumming ability of Pete Best. Insistent on the use of a session drummer, The Beatles used this as an opportunity to drop Best in favor of fellow Liverpudlian Ringo Starr. The next session on September 4th 1962, proved much more successful. With Ringo on the drums, the first version of “Love Me Do” was recorded (this was the version used on the 45). A week later, the band re-recorded “Love Me Do” (this was the album version) with session drummer Andy White, as well as “P.S. I Love You”, which served as the B-side to the “Love Me Do” 45.
Despite Martin’s skepticism, “Love Me Do” was a hit, peaking at #17 on the British charts by November of 1962. Convinced of the Beatles’ hitmaking ability, Martin met with the group and proposed the recording of a full album. This was an alien concept to The Beatles, since the LP market was largely driven by adults rather than teens at the time. On November 26th, The Beatles finished up the songs “Please Please Me” and “Ask Me Why” to serve as another single. Upon release on January 11th, 1963, “Please Please Me” became the Beatles’ first #1 hit on the NME and Melody Maker charts (Retroactively, the Record Retailer chart became the basis of the UK Singles Chart. Here, the song peaked at #2).
Originally, Martin wanted to record a live album of The Beatles at their resident venue, the Cavern Club. However, Martin quickly realized the acoustics of the club were insufficient for the recording of an LP. Instead, Martin came up with the idea of recording 10 additional songs to complement the 4 songs already released. Upon asking for potential album names, Paul McCartney suggested Off the Beatle Track.

The Recording of the Album

February 11th, 1963 was to be what was later referred to as “the 585 most productive minutes in the history of recorded music”. Essentially, Martin wanted the album to reflect the group’s stage show. During a gap of their first national tour, the Beatles arrived that morning with John Lennon suffering from a bad cold and attempting to rectify it with a large amount of cough drops (been there, done that).
For the morning recording session, the group started off with recording “There’s a Place” and “Seventeen” (this would later become “I Saw Her Standing There”). Rehearsing through lunch, the afternoon session produced “A Taste of Honey”, “Do You Want to Know a Secret”, and “Misery”. The evening session was produced covers of “Anna (Go to Him), “Boys”, “Chains” and “Baby It’s You”. An early version of “Hold Me Tight” was also recorded during this session, but it was not used and the song was later rerecorded for The Beatles’ sophomore album, With the Beatles.
At 10 PM, shortly before the studios were set to close for the day, the group launched into a cover of “Twist and Shout”. This was saved for last as Martin feared the song would’ve destroyed Lennon’s voice for the day. The song was nailed in one take, which prompted Martin to say, “We've been recording all day but the longer we go on the better they get." The Beatles attended a full tape playback of the album that night, and left happy with the results.
A week later, on February 20th, George Martin overdubbed piano on “Misery” and celesta on “Baby It’s You”. The Beatles were not present. Settling on the name Please Please Me (Off the Beatle Track was later used for Martin’s orchestral album of Beatles songs), the cover art was taken of the group looking down over the stairwell inside EMI’s London headquarters. This shot was later recreated in 1969 for the Get Back album, but not used when it eventually was as Let it Be in 1970. The 1969 photograph was later used for the Beatles’ “Blue Album”.

The Songs

Kicking things off with a bang is “I Saw Her Standing There”. Paul’s count-in was actually taken from Take 9 and spliced onto Take 1 of the song itself. George Martin left the count-in to simulate the effect of a live album. This song was written primarily by Paul, with John contributing a few lyrics, most notably “Well you know, what I mean.” It should be noted that on Please Please Me, the songwriting credits read McCartney-Lennon rather than the more familiar Lennon-McCartney
Next up, is “Misery”. Foreshadowing some of the Beatles’ later work, “Misery” is a portrait of self-pity. The song was actually originally composed with Helen Shapiro in mind (with whom The Beatles performed with on a national UK tour). When it was deemed unsuitable for Shapiro, Kenny Lynch, who was on the same tour, released the song as a single, making this the first Beatles song covered by another artist. Lennon later claimed he had a bit more input on this tune, was McCartney claimed it was a 50-50 collaboration.
We then make our way to the first cover song on the album Arthur Alexander’s “Anna (Go to Him)”. A personal favorite of John Lennon, his cold-stricken vocals add a tinge of pain to this song, making it a personal highlight for me. The Arthur Alexander original would later play a role in the Season 5 episode of Married… with Children, “Oldies But Young 'Uns”.
The next cover song is “Chains”. Written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King, this song was originally recorded by girl group The Cookies, and immediately became a popular cover song among bands in Liverpool. The Beatles version features George Harrison on lead vocals, the first time many a Beatles fan heard Harrison singing lead on a commercially released song.
The final cover song on Side One of the LP is “Boys”. Originally released by The Shirelles, “Boys” had long been known as The Beatles’ “drummer song”, with Pete Best covering it on stage prior to Ringo entering the band. Ringo also performed the song as a member of Rory Storm and the Hurricanes prior to joining The Beatles. Despite some pronoun changes from the Shirlles’ original, the song retains a large amount of homoerotic undertones.
“Ask Me Why”, primarily written by Lennon in the style of Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, is up next. Close listening can reveal the deteriorating state of Lennon’s voice during the marathon session. “Ask Me Why” was also included as the B-side to “Please Please Me”.
Rounding out the first side of the LP is “Please Please Me”. Originally conceived by John Lennon as a slow bluesy song in the style of Roy Orbison, it took much convincing and rerecording for Martin to release the song as a single. Martin originally felt the song was “dreary” and too slow. Martin wanted to release “How Do You Do It?” as a single for The Beatles. However, the group stood their ground as they only wanted to release original material as singles. “How Do You Do It?” later became a number one hit for Gerry & The Pacemakers. The arrangement for “Please Please Me” was radically altered into the version we know today, and 18 takes of it were recorded before George Martin released the song as a single to major success.
Opening up Side Two of the album is “Love Me Do”. McCartney wrote the bulk of the song, with Lennon writing the bridge. The version on the album was the take with session drummer Andy White playing drums and Ringo on tambourine. The original single version with Ringo on drums was later reissued on Past Masters in 1988. “Love Me Do” was released as a single in the US in 1964 and became a #1 hit.
“P.S. I Love You”, a McCartney composition, was actually produced by Ron Richards in George Martin’s absence (though Martin retained production credit). Like the aforementioned “Love Me Do”, this song features Ringo on maracas with Andy White on drums. Richards was insistent that “P.S. I Love You” had to be the B-side, due to it sharing a name with a 1934 song co-written by Johnny Mercer (who later wrote the lyrics to “Moon River” and “Days of Wine and Roses”).
“Baby It’s You”, another Shirelles cover (with music by the legendary Burt Bacharach), follows. This one features Lennon on lead vocals. The song had been part of the Beatles stage act since 1961, their version differing from the Shirelles’ by repeating the second verse rather than the first. Interestingly enough, a 1969 cover of the song by the band Smith became the highest charting version of the song in the United States (Smith’s version peaked at #5, compared to the Shirelles’ version peaking at #8).
“Do You Want to Know a Secret”, an original song with Harrison on lead vocals is next. Lennon claimed the song as entirely his own, while McCartney later claimed it was a 50-50 collaboration explicitly for George to sing. Lennon was inspired by “I’m Wishing” from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, which his mother Julia sang for him as a child. The song was released as a single in the United States in 1964, peaking at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100, and becoming the highest charting Beatles song with a Harrison vocal until “Something” topped the charts in 1969.
McCartney’s cover of the pop standard “A Taste of Honey” follows. This song was originally an instrumental track written for the 1960 Broadway version of the 1958 British play A Taste of Honey (which was later adapted to film in 1961). The first vocal version of the song appeared in 1961 by Billy Dee Williams (Yes, Lando from Star Wars. He appeared in the original Broadway production of the play). Lenny Welch’s 1962 rendition of the song proved to be a big hit, as well as the basis of the Beatles’ version. Lennon allegedly hated the song, going as far to sing “A Waste of Money” for the backing vocals in concert.
The final original song on the album is “There’s a Place”. While Lennon claimed to write the song himself in the Motown style, McCartney claimed the song to be a collaborative effort. He noted the song’s title phrase originated from “Somewhere” from the soundtrack album to West Side Story, as he owned a copy of the album. Regardless, the song has been praised for its introspective lyrics and depth not commonly found in contemporaneous pop songs.
The grand finale, and arguably the most famous of all the Beatles’ covers, is their raucous, electric take on the Isley Brothers’ rendition of “Twist and Shout”. As previously mentioned, Lennon used every last bit of his voice that day shredding through the song. He initially felt ashamed of the performance, feeling his performance was subpar. The song was released as a single in the United States in 1964, peaking at #2 behind the band’s own “Can’t Buy Me Love”. It was the only million selling Beatles single to be a cover song, and was famously used in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off in 1986.

Release and Impact

The album was released on March 22, 1963. The album had reached the top of the UK charts by May of 1963 and remained there for 30 weeks until being replaced by the group’s second album, With the Beatles. Please Please Me was also the first non-soundtrack album to spend more than a year consecutively within the top 10 of the UK album charts (with 62 consecutive weeks in the Top 10). This was also a record for a debut album until April 2013 when Emeli Sande’s Our Version of Events achieved a 63rd consecutive week in the Top Ten. Please Please Me’s success was unprecedented for a pop album, as the UK charts at the time largely consisted of film soundtracks and easily listening albums. The success of the album has been attributed to the packaging, particularly it’s cover art and linear notes.
Capitol Records, the American subsidiary of EMI, passed on the opportunity to release the Beatles’ material, feeling the music would have limited appeal to American listeners. Instead, Vee-Jay records attempted to bring The Beatles to America. However, the first two American singles (“Please Please Me” and “From Me to You”), failed spectacularly. Vee-Jay lost interest in The Beatles, not releasing a truncated 12-track version of the album until Beatlemania hit in early 1964 as Introducing… The Beatles (more information on that release can be found here). Capitol included “I Saw Her Standing There” on their first Beatles album Meet The Beatles! (It also served as the B-side to the American version of “I Want to Hold Your Hand”) After Vee-Jay’s license to release Beatles material expired, Capitol released The Early Beatles in March 1965, which consisted of 11 out of the 14 tracks from Please Please Me (along with “I Saw Her Standing There”, it excised “Misery” and “There’s a Place”. The latter two songs were released for the first time by Capitol in 1980 on the Rarities album). The first official American release of Please Please Me occurred in 1987 with the standardization of The Beatles’ catalog on CD.
In the decades since it’s release, Please Please Me remains highly regarded as not only one of the best debut albums of all time, but one of the greatest albums of all time period. In 2012, it was voted 39th on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. NME, Rolling Stone and Uncut have all named it one of the best debut albums of all time. For the 50th anniversary of the album in 2013, modern artists celebrated the album by re-recording it in one day. Stereophonics recorded the cover of “I Saw Her Standing There”. The rerecorded album was broadcast on BBC Radio 2.

Discussion

1. What is your favorite original song on Please Please Me? Favorite cover?
   
2. How would you rank the album within the Beatles’ discography?
   
3. Much has been said about how joyous the album feels. Do you feel it captured the energy of The Beatles’ early performances well?
   
4. How does this album compare with other pop albums from the same time?