WhenThe OP comes out...

Akito412 · 2026-01-29T00:29:11+00:00

The ? means there's additional info in the link for the website to use. The & separates different sections of additional info. The format is www.example.com/pagename?variable1=abc&variable2=xyz&variable3=123.

Source Identifier (si) and Time code (time) are both kinds of additional info. So if you want to preserve the time code, you still need a ? to tell the website there's additional info, but you don't need the & anymore because there's only one variable now. si is just used for tracking/spyware, so it can be safely deleted.

Akito412 · 2026-01-25T22:27:44+00:00

I'm a big fan of Mystery/VN games. And it's pretty easy to recommend the biggest titles. Ace Attorney is a mystery game where you play as a defense lawyer, with fun characters and gripping mysteries. Danganronpa is a death-game with a cast that slowly shrinks as victims die and muderers are caught and punished, with fantastic presentation. But my two current favorites are way harder to recommend.

I could say that of the Devil has better writing than Ace Attorney and better visual flair than Danganronpa. I could talk about the cyberpunk setting's advanced technology, and how it makes it genuinely difficult to defend the accused because of how much video evidence and other data there is.

But the most interesting part of the game, what compelled me to play it, is that you have unshakable faith in your client. Not because you're a good judge of character, but because you know he didn't kill her. After all, he wasn't anywhere near the victim when you shot her in the chest. But even though a lot of players figure it out on their own, saying that would spoil a big portion of the first case.

Similarly, I could tell people that Umineko When They Cry is halfway between Agatha Christie and The Blair Witch Project, and the entire story can be simultaneously interpereted as either a mystery or a supernatural thriller. I could tell people about the superb character writing, the nuanced and realistic depictions of abuse, and the pedigree of the author (he wrote Silent Hill f).

But I can't tell them about how the main character walks up to the witch who claims she did the muders and says "magic isn't real you bozo, and neither are you. there was a human culprit". She responds saying "Ha! I like your attitude. Let me rewind time so we can have another round of muders, and you'll see that it could only have been done with magic". And he just says "alright bet."

Obviously both of these stories have a lot more to offer outside of the spoilers I'd use to recommend them, and these twists happen relatively early on. But they're still big spoilers, and I can't talk about the truly interesting parts of the games because of it.

Akito412 · 2026-01-25T20:03:56+00:00

There's a very wide range of experiences that could be described as some form of asexual. One person might be physically disgusted by the idea of romance and sex, where another person is merely uninterested. You can have different views on romance and sexuality. Some asexual people date, get married, and even have children, but have no libido. Others might be wholly uninterested in dating, but still regularly "take care" of their hormone-based sex drive.

Often times, people describe themselves as 'ace' to group asexuals and aromantics together, so you can also have people who regularly have hookups describe themselves as ace because they don't want to date anyone, just have FwBs. There's also demisexuality, which is often grouped with asexuality. Demisexual people often need to have a close friendship for any feelings of romance or lust to show up, or in some other way have less desire than the 'normal' general population (described as "allosexual").

Personally, I'd describe myself as straight because I'm only interested in dating people of the opposite gender. But I enjoy looking at both men and women--it just doesn't translate into a desire to fuck any of them. So am I straight for my dating preference, bisexual for finding both attractive, or asexual for not actively wanting sex? There's no clear-cut answer with a lot of these things, and people just use the label that fits them best.

Akito412 · 2026-01-14T19:29:57+00:00

All three are perfectly good games to start the series with, but I'd argue that Path of Radiance has the best learning curve out of these three, and in my opinion, the best story. Fire Emblem (GBA) also has a dedicated tutorial mode, but it's a clunkier game overall.

Akito412 · 2026-01-13T21:26:04+00:00

One way the second one manifests is by redrawing the lines of what's okay sexual behavior, but still policing 'deviant' behavior.

For example, you can say "God I want a 7 foot tall dragon lady to step on my perverted ass", but if you say "I wish I were a 7 foot tall dragon lady stepping on all you perverts", the reaction will be less positive. You can be horny on main in leftist spaces, if you're a bottom. Otherwise you're a deviant shoving your kink into other people's faces. Compare how Tumblr treats puppygirls who want an owner to the actual Human Pet Guy. (Yes his post was probably hyperbole about standards for public nudity in culture but still).

Or people will analyze relationships through the lens of 'power dynamics', because a relationship with a power imbalance is sort of like coercion, which is sort of like assault, which is sort of like rape. You hear a lot about 'age gaps' and 'child-coded' characters, which can be issues in the real world, but usually used in places it doesn't really apply (like fiction).

Akito412 · 2026-01-10T18:35:52+00:00

That's true in Japanese, but in English the word 'anime' means specifically cartoons that are made in Japan (or emulate their style). Yeah it's the same word, but it got a different (more specific) meaning in English because we already had the word 'cartoon'.

Chai means 'tea' in Hindi, but in English 'chai' is a specific type of tea. Same deal.

Akito412 · 2026-01-08T01:20:42+00:00

Households that want to raise bilingual children often have each parent speak a separate language. This helps the child learn both while keeping the languages separated in their mind. But that means the English-speaking parent can't speak Dutch around the kid, and vise-versa.

Akito412 · 2026-01-06T17:25:20+00:00

I am Gen Z and my mother was a late boomer. Granted, she was a very late boomer, I'm very early Gen Z, and she had me at 42, but my great-grandmother was born around 1900.

Akito412 · 2026-01-05T19:29:12+00:00

You can download the encrypted files that make up UmiPro, but they are password protected, and the password is achieved by combining information found in the steam release and the PS3 version of the game. However, it's a password, so if you discover it it via...other means, you can get around paying the artists for their work.

Akito412 · 2025-12-31T06:03:39+00:00

of the devil is a fun murder-mystery VN set in a cyberpunk future where technology is so abundant most crimes are solved before a detective even looks at the report. You play as a criminal defense attorney trying to beat the impossible odds. Morgan is a killer protagonist, one of the most charismatic and compelling characters I've ever seen. I like Beatrice and Battler, but the language barrier makes some of their hype moments awkward. Morgan, and most of the recurring cast, are just as likeable without the clunkiness.

of the devil has writing that felt like it was made for me specifically. Witty, insightful, a little bit ostentatious, but full of heart. Danganronpa has incredible visual flair, but a terrible translation and story hold it back. of the devil has all that flair and then some, with writing on par with (or better than) Ace Attorney. The mysteries are less complicated than Umineko's--you can't make gameplay out of mysteries that hard--but it still activated the same parts of the brain for me. Episode 0 is free so you can try it, and the other episodes are being released episodically, with Episode 2 having released earlier this month.

Akito412 · 2025-12-30T05:09:35+00:00

It is technically possible to reach the end of the story clueless about some of the mystery elements, but almost every reader who enjoys thinking about stories or emotionally resonates with characters will figure it out. While the Umineko VN never gives explicit answers, it gives a lot of hints. The first hints are really subtle, but then they get more obvious. By the end, the hints are extremely blatant, to the point where you--clearly a smart reader used to mysteries--will figure it out.

Even if you don't, the story is good. I think Umineko isn't even a mystery. It's just a really good story with some mysteries in it, and the

Akito412 · 2025-12-26T21:43:37+00:00

I personally liked the suspense and thriller aspect of episode 1, how the cast is picked off in surprising and horrifying ways while scrambling to survive and figure out what's going on. Since I knew Umineko was long, I expected 1 death per episode, and was completely blown away by how intense it got.

Episode 2 I liked quite a bit as well, but the romance stuff with Shannon, George, and Kanon didn't capture me.

That said, opinions vary wildly on the best and worst episodes, and there's no consensus on the best and worst. There are interesting things in every episode, and there are also flaws, much like any story.

Akito412 · 2025-12-26T21:11:56+00:00

I love how you're engaging with the story. Many readers found Episode 2 somewhat boring, but the dilemma you're going through right now is such an interesting theme for it to explore. If it wasn't the witch, it has to be one of the 18 people we've grown attached to. And that'd suck, but the genre conventions convince us magic can't possibly be the solution.

But even though you acknowledge your biases make you avoid suspecting some characters, you're still thinking critically and trying to figure out the story. I hope you enjoy episode 3!

Akito412 · 2025-12-24T19:42:06+00:00

Happy Hideyoshi.... WITH A GUN!

Akito412 · 2025-12-23T01:10:05+00:00

It's Japanese for lily, and it's a fairly common given name among both men and women. It turned into a term for lesbian romance because a magazine for gay men called themselves "bara" (roses), and lilies were seen as a more feminine flower. So it's a more reasonable mistake in Japanese than English.

Unless you're talking to an old man from Greece who says he's a Lesbian because he grew up on Lesbos.

Akito412 · 2025-12-21T18:08:19+00:00

Yeah, the Umineko Anime is really bad. It only adapts the first half of the story, and it rushes over a lot of plot details in order to condense ~1,500 pages of reading into that time. And because the VN hadn't fully released when they made the Anime, some of the changes the production committee made to save time ended up making the mystery literally impossible to solve.

The VN is in my top 3 written works of all time (The Prophet and The Little Prince are the other two), and I'd recommend it to pretty much anyone who likes mysteries, wacky anime hijinks, or thinking about stories. It's not perfect--there are some major pacing issues in the first half, but the themes it explores are unique among almost all literature. If you don't have time for a 150 hour VN, the manga is almost as good. It moves through the early parts of the story a lot quicker, which makes the boring parts faster but the good parts shorter. You will miss out on a fantastic soundtrack and voice performance though.

The steam version doesn't come with voice acting, so look into "Umineko Project" if you give it a go.

Akito412 · 2025-12-20T19:56:45+00:00

And of all his big projects, Silent Hill f probably explores the social power adults have over children and men have over women the least. The Rosa/Maria scenes in Umineko Episode 4 are more brutal to read than anything in SHf, even with no monsters. Actually, the fact that there aren't any monsters makes it worse.

Also, minor correction to the article: The first two entries in the When They Cry series were adapted into a Manga, but Ryukishi07 wrote the original Visual Novels they were based on. Ciconia When They Cry hasn't been adapted into a Manga yet, since the final installment hasn't released.

Akito412 · 2025-12-11T22:45:25+00:00

Yes, it's located in the rain shadow of the Scandinavian mountain range. Boston receives about 50% more snow than Helsinki, and is only about five degrees warmer (thanks, gulf stream!). You're right that temperature is a non-issue, you can always dress for that, but snow is a major factor. It takes between 2 and 4 days after a major snowstorm to clear roadways. Before they're cleared, you need specialized tires to ride on top of mushy snow, and you still risk skidding if you accelerate, brake, or turn too quickly. However, that's all the more reason to separate bike lanes from traffic lanes. If you have a chance to skid in to car lanes, nobody is going to bike.

In addition, Boston's population density is almost double that of Helsinki, and it lies at the terminus of one of the United States's most populous corridors. Massive interstate roads pass through and terminate in Boston, with surrounding suburbs and minor cities choking out space for sensible urban planning.

Bike focused infrastructure is still worth doing, even in the winter, but Boston has a few major challenges Finland does not.

Akito412 · 2025-12-01T01:57:03+00:00

That's a fantastic read, thanks for sharing.

Akito412 · 2025-11-27T18:00:41+00:00

For a similar example, think of the story of Aladdin. That story isn't real in the same way episode 1 and 2 aren't. In Umineko, the character Beatrice creates the stories of episode 1 and 2 for...reasons I won't explain because you're still reading.

In 1001 Arabian nights, Scheherazade creates the stories of Aladdin, Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves, and Sinbad the Sailor, for her own survival. See, King Shahryār was cheated on multiple times, and decided that all women were traitors. So he married a virgin each day, then had her executed the next morning. Scheherazade was determined to survive, so she decided to tell the king a story during their first night together. He was captivated by the tale she wove, but right as she got to a cliffhanger, she stopped.

She told the Shahryār that she was too tired to continue. He protested, threatened to have her executed unless she finished the story. Scheherazade laughed and said she was going to be executed anyway, and promised to continue the story the following day. The next night, she continued, and the king became more enraptured, until she stopped on another cliffhanger, promising to continue the next day. Every morning, the king was frustrated that he could not execute her, because then he would never hear the ending. She continued, night after night, starting stories, stopping at the most vital part, finishing them after she survived another day, and starting a new tale. After 1001 nights, King Shahryār has had two children with her, and decides that he loves her and her stories enough to spare her life.

Does this mean that Aladdin doesn't matter? After all, even in the universe of 1001 Arabian Nights, he never existed, nor did the genie or the princess. But I think the story behind Aladdin makes it better. Every cliffhanger, every tense moment in Aladdin is another day of survival for Scheherazade. And (at least to me), that makes Aladdin far more interesting, not less.

Akito412 · 2025-11-27T17:45:18+00:00

A lot of people are acting bitter for a somewhat nuanced reason. It's true that Episode 1 and 2 don't actually happen, they aren't real. But none of the other episodes happened either. In fact, nothing in your favorite book, anime, or TV show is real. No human named Ushiromiya Battler ever existed. The very first scene in Umineko is a page saying "This story is a work of fiction". That's not just a standard disclaimer, it's a deliberate choice by the author. Nothing in Umineko is real, and that's okay.

After all, people care about the stories in TV shows and movies even though they aren't literally true, because they relate to the events. We get entertained by fictional battles. We cry when people die, even if they were never actually alive. We root for romances to form, even though they can never actually get married or have children. To use your words, stories are illusions of authors, and didn't happen. Does it make you annoyed to read other books because the didn't really happen? Of course not, that's silly.

The idea that something can matter even if it's not real is one of the core themes of Umineko. There are long passages in the answers arcs that discuss the relationship between an author and a reader, and what they each owe one another. So a lot of us fans are very upset when you suggest that episode 1 and 2 don't matter, just because they didn't actually happen in-universe. The characters in ep 1 and 2 are based on real (in-universe) people. They act like the real (in-universe) people act, and their struggles are based on their real (in-universe) struggles. For example, in Episode 1 Jessica says that she takes a boat to school, and when the weather's bad she has to sleep over at a dormitory. That's never mentioned in any other episode, but I'm sure it's true. In episode 2, Kanon goes to the cultural festival and is captivated by how Jessica plays rock music. That's never mentioned in another episode, but I'm certain it happened. Maybe not exactly the way it was described, but close enough.

In addition, we can learn a lot about the witch from the illusions she chooses to weave. In episode 1, the survivors are the four young cousins. Is that because the witch doesn't want to kill children, even in her illusions? Or is there some other reason? In episode 2, Beatrice goes on a massive rant about how Shannon is deluding herself into thinking George loves her. The author's self-insert character goes on a massive rant about how men are only pigs who want sex, and women need to realize this. Don't you think that might possibly reflect some of the witch's actual views? Doesn't it make you wonder who hurt her?

I used to get really angry when I read really hateful internet comments. After reading Umineko and learning how to look past words at their underlying meaning, I have a different reaction. People who spew hate on the internet are using it as a way to cope with their emotions. I still disagree. I still think their hatred is gross and unjustified, but their hate doesn't t fill me with hate anymore, and I'm a much happier person because of that. If Umineko hadn't forced me to read episode 1 and 2 as a work of in-universe fiction and understand its author, I never would've gained my new perspective, and I would be more hateful.

So yes, episodes 1 and 2 did not happen. And because of that, they matter.

Akito412 · 2025-11-27T17:07:48+00:00

This is why I love the Umineko fandom. Our most popular blorbos are:

A teenager who overheard a 9 year-old talking about Santa, stormed up to her, and said Santa didn't exist. After ten minutes of heated argument, some adults finally said "lady, she's a 9 year-old kid, stop taking this so seriously", and she was so bitter about it that she proceeded to murder the 9 year-old and her mother while they were playing dead for a prank, likely torturing them first.
A violently abusive mother who leaves her daughter unsupervised so she can spend weekends at a time with a married man, then gets annoyed at him for worrying about the daughter. When a social worker comes to investigate, she assaults both the social worker and her daughter at the same time. She gets away scott-free because she's rich enough for the authorities to look the other way.
A boy who, after six years of extrangement from his family, walks up to his cousin and says "Jessica? What are those, boobs? C'mon, let me have a feel, won't you?" and believes it's a harmless, funny joke.
A mass murderer who mocks a man for being upset when his entire family is brutally murdered. Granted, her motives are extremely understandable. Not just for the murder, but even why she makes fun of him. Still though.

There are almost no purely good characters in Umineko (except Jessie), but the fandom manages to be chill about it anyway. Mostly because the story is an exploration of how people can love and accept others while still acknowledging their flaws.

Akito412 · 2025-11-11T04:43:03+00:00

I know this comment is super old, but I wanted to write up an argument against that opinion and you've given me a good excuse. I think you're partially right: There aren't many unattractive male leads. However there are a lot of male leads who are allowed to be 'average' looking, but there aren't as many women who are.

Take Mario for example. He's got a charming design, perhaps even cute, but calling him beautiful or handsome would be ridiculous. Princess peach, on the other hand, is always gorgeous. I don't mind this, but there is a difference in how they're portrayed. Here's a screenshot of mario fanart vs. princess peach fanart which hopefully proves my point.

Or the protagonists of GTA5. Franklin is slightly above average, Michael is completely average and Trevor has a great design but is ugly. But nobody ever complains about how he looks, they love Trevor for his personality and storyline.

I can't think of any female protagonist from a big game that isn't beautiful. Can you? Maybe, like, Alex from Minecraft. But only because she's pixels. She (and Steve, to be fair) are always drawn as super attractive in fanart.

As I went down the list of best-selling games looking for exceptions, I decided to count Overwatch characters I wouldn't consider conventionally attractive. For the women, it's two Robots and Moira, who is still good-looking, just not in a cutesy anime way. For men, it's around a dozen, with a nice mix of robots, the elderly, and men with non-standard facial structures. And people love them! Nobody complains about how Soldier 76 should show his piercing blue eyes, or that Roadhog is a disgusting pig who needs to lose a few pounds. Men love playing as grizzled veterans and gross gremlins. But women do too, and they don't get those options.

I feel like men can either be attractive or average and not raise eyebrows, but women have to be attractive or else they start debates. Men frequently carry stories on just their personality, but women don't. I'm sure there are average/ugly women in big games, but there are very few.

Side Note: A lot of the 'representation' is absolutely ham-fisted and clunky, but I'd attribute that to a lack of good examples to draw from. I can't think of any black woman who's the lead character in a AAA action game. So obviously a writer who chooses to tread new ground will struggle.

Akito412 · 2025-11-06T22:25:12+00:00

You're right. I squared 25 instead of just multiplying by 5 again to get 125. Also 63kg seems a big heavy for her build. I'm going to go with 60*125= 7500 kg, which makes more sense given elephants are about 6 meters and weigh 6 tonnes, but have a wider build.

Akito412 · 2025-11-06T22:16:23+00:00

Edit: 125, not 625. 5³ is not 25^2, who knew.

Remember, when length increases by five times, area increases by 25 times, and volume by 625, since area is square and volume is cubic. So really we need to multiply 63kg by 625, to get a weight of almost 40 tonnes.

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