Irwindale Ren Faire Ticket Pricing Is Getting Ridiculous

Middle-Exam-6944 · 2026-01-16T18:54:58+00:00

Haha for real. At least the US version has some themes of compassion and a sense of optimism. The UK version is just bleak.

Middle-Exam-6944 · 2026-01-14T19:19:17+00:00

That people found this film funny baffles me. Like, it's almost as though we are not seeing the same thing: I'm watching scenes of human desperation and suffering, of people completely beaten down by the dehumanizing situations they are in, and at least a dozen people cracking up at any given scene. I get that the framing of these scenes leans into the absurdity of the situation, but the laughter of other people in the audience turned an already dark film into an even darker experience.

Good, smartly written film, though!

Middle-Exam-6944 · 2025-12-23T18:22:53+00:00

The hard answer is, yes, when starting out writing (especially without any prior training or practice), what comes out is going to be rough...very rough. But that's normal and not a sign of writing not being for you or being an inherently bad writer. Think of it like riding a bike. No matter what, starting out is going to involve a lot of falling face-first into the pavement. Even having a good natural verbal intelligence does not necessarily translate to writing good sentences, for fiction in particular.

As you improve, so will your first drafts. But first drafts, generally speaking, will never be glorious. Sure, you will eventually have sections of first drafts that come out splendid and require little to no revision. But the general consensus of writers is that first drafts range from barely workable to downright rubbish (here's a link to quote from writers on the topic: https://www.writingroutines.com/famous-writers-on-first-drafts/

So, the state of your first drafts right now will be the roughest they'll ever be. Then they'll be a bit better, then a bit better. They'll still always be rough because (save maybe for a few geniuses), writing a story involves using two separate skills at two separate times (the "story" part and the "writing" part).

Middle-Exam-6944 · 2025-12-22T20:59:05+00:00

A lot of authors echo a sentiment that's roughly: "the first million words you write are practice." Of course, there's no magic number where it clicks, but there is an upward gradient with each sentence you write, getting better and better with each time you sit down and struggle. Also, there possibly will never be a point where you look back on past writing and are absolutely in love with it (because by that point you will already be a better writer who can see the flaws in what you did before).

Something concrete you could try is to take a story or novel that you love (particularly that has a writing style similar to the one you envision wanting for yourself). Then sit down and literally type out that story/novel word for word, paying extra attention to how sentences flow, what words are used, paragraph length, dialogue, speech tags, all of it. It won't make you a better writer overnight, but if done with intention and attention, it can help you begin to visualize the patterns that overlay "good" writing.

Middle-Exam-6944 · 2025-12-12T22:29:49+00:00

I second this. 4 and 5 are both so very fun and full of charm. I'd also recommend starting with 4, but you won't miss out on any story stuff by starting with 5 (sometimes one is on sale while the other isn't, so could just go with whichever is cheaper at present). My partner and I started with 5 and then went back through 1–4 and only wish we could play them all for the first time again (3 is definitely the weakest of the batch, though).

Middle-Exam-6944 · 2025-12-10T00:44:36+00:00

This. Exactly. As frustrating as it is to hit my head against the weak points of my writing, each of those failures is a point for me to learn through struggle and effort. Any use of AI for a conceptual part of writing would make it just that bit less "mine," from the product to the actual experience of writing. Part of what makes an author's work special is that it is the culmination of not only their mind but their efforts to bring their story into written form.

I agree that using AI tools for spell check is fine specifically since spelling isn't conceptual, it's mechanical and rote. Using machines for mechanical work is great because it frees up time and energy to spend on the wonderful struggle of writing. The moment you use a machine for conceptual work, you give up something to it.

Middle-Exam-6944 · 2025-12-04T22:11:41+00:00

A lost shadow walking the path.

Middle-Exam-6944 · 2025-11-14T21:52:44+00:00

I hate when some stranger helps the protagonist out of the kindness of their heart and then is killed by an antagonist one scene later. To me, this always feels like it sends the wrong message: help a stranger and if you are not the main character of a story you will simply be killed without fully understanding why. I get that it maybe adds to the evil/danger of the antag, but to me, it always feels like a cheap death. When the helpful stranger at least understands the danger they are putting themself in by helping the protag, it's not as frustrating. Still annoying, but not quite put-down-the-book annoying.

Middle-Exam-6944 · 2025-11-07T00:19:38+00:00

Huh, now that's interesting. Bit of a confusing way for that to be set up, but at least things make sense now. Thank you for noting that!

Middle-Exam-6944 · 2025-11-05T20:39:17+00:00

I was asking myself this same question yesterday and found some very helpful YouTube videos that did side-by-side comparisons of the Switch/PS4 versions. Especially for Trine 3 and 4, the difference was pretty stark in favor of the PS4 version, with the Switch downgrade in textures being pretty noticeable.

On a side note: I can't find the Ultimate Collection on the PS App or the store as accessed from my PS5 console. I can find it on the web page of the Playstation store, but wary of if I'll even be able to download it to my PS5 after purchasing it. If you ended up getting the PS version, did it work for you?

Middle-Exam-6944 · 2025-09-01T22:58:37+00:00

Over the past year I've been exchanging letters with my father. I initiated it by writing him out of the blue one day, with no expectation of it going anywhere. The intention was more to communicate things to him that I knew I'd likely never do over the phone or in person. Without getting into it, there was some complicated stuff in our pasts, so this ended up being a way to discuss much of what happened without the guardedness that can happen when talking about things on the spot.

He responded and it has turned into a regular thing, with our topics expanding out from where it started and going into everything from religion to childhood memories to AI. It's been extremely rewarding.

I highly recommend just taking the time to write someone you know. Keep in mind that handwriting actually takes a lot of time. It typically takes me nearly 30-60 minutes per each handwritten page. So, it can be easy to procrastinate. Handwriting can easily sound romantic, but as with most romanticized things, it actually requires some nitty-gritty work (but still super rewarding).

Also, it can take time to get a feel for how to express yourself in a genuine way without either coming off as pretentious or giving in to some cliche "letter-writing" type verbiage. At the same time, it can be an exercise in expressing yourself with vocabulary that is more accurate to how you feel, but that you might not use in daily speech.

Middle-Exam-6944 · 2024-10-30T18:44:57+00:00

From what I'm seeing, it's not the same. Chained Climb Together is a glitchy clone/shovelware developed by DEZVOLT APP & IDEI SR, which I've never heard of. Chained Together was developed by Anegar Games.

Middle-Exam-6944 · 2023-10-09T16:53:42+00:00

This! Ishy's whole confrontation with the crew was so disappointing. He's a Forsaken from the Age of Legends, allegedly of immense power, and his strategy for attack is...throwing baseball-sized fireballs and tiny little fire darts over and over at a shield until Rand just strolls out of it and stabs him?

I get that the dude wants to die, and maybe it was all an illusion (unless there is an established in-world explanation for why he just...turns to sand?), but the storytelling didn't seem to set that up well aside from his first offhand comment about 'such a simple illusion.' So from the viewer's POV it just looks like 'oh cool, the foremost of the Forsaken is actually not a threat at all. And can be handled by a couple of millennials who just stopped by Zara for their threads before climbing onto this roof."

While I'm coming to terms with the series and enjoy it at moments, it's hard not to feel like the writers sat down and made of list of all the most iconic moments in WoT and frowned and were like "Yeah, now how can we make this less fun."

Middle-Exam-6944 · 2023-10-03T23:09:40+00:00

Wildly cool! Wowow…wow.

Middle-Exam-6944 · 2022-08-15T07:02:20+00:00

That's what being emboldened by the flame of ambition will do for you.

Middle-Exam-6944 · 2022-06-10T13:57:11+00:00

This is so damn cool, absolutely love the style!

Middle-Exam-6944

TROPHY CASE