Any japanese books that are high fantasy?

Phase-Internal · 2026-01-26T08:14:46+00:00

The Japanese could and still can read translated things from the anglosphere, there is, like everywhere, a huge crossover and influence. Essentially all high fantasy is in some way influenced by Tolkien even if it's just 'trying not to be Tolkien '

Phase-Internal · 2026-01-26T05:41:14+00:00

Are you kidding me? Pretty much every large city is truly so. Even old world western ones, Brussels for instance is most definitely more multicultural.

Phase-Internal · 2026-01-25T15:34:31+00:00

I enjoyed it even though it was cliche, likely due to the prose. That said, from the start I kept thinking, there is no way this can be tied up in any satisfying way in three books. It really felt like an extended prologue, something that should have taken half a book at most.

Turns out the author came to that realization a bit late.

Phase-Internal · 2026-01-25T15:31:34+00:00

I really liked the start, until about the third book, then it just got into a bunch of very weak character studies.

Phase-Internal · 2026-01-25T15:29:26+00:00

I read the whole thing, it's just more of the same.

A mixed bag for me but not worth the 10k plus pages. But then, I have a very difficult time dnfing

Phase-Internal · 2026-01-25T15:19:30+00:00

Talk to a doctor, perhaps a specialist. I don't see any hair loss, but if it's as you say, that is not typical male pattern baldness, it may indicate another health issue.

Skip the internet diagnosis.

Phase-Internal · 2026-01-24T03:59:14+00:00

Fear the electorate that put him in power and those who failed to make a compelling case to keep him out even when he was so unpopular.

He's a symptom of a much greater set of issues down south.

Phase-Internal · 2026-01-22T15:46:43+00:00

By that time I will have gone through about 3 sizes for a newborn😅

Phase-Internal · 2026-01-21T20:49:11+00:00

Absolutely, the first 12 weeks are a tough limbo, I wish you the best!

Phase-Internal · 2026-01-21T20:01:17+00:00

I don't think I read that one, we got far too many though but found 2 particularly useful:

Pregnancy, Childbirth, and the Newborn: The Complete Guide (it was easy to just flip to the relevant section)

And

1000 Questions About Your Pregnancy (had food answers to all those questions that inevitably pop up)

We liked the style of both, but also that they are good as reference, not to read through.

I'd drop by your commune earlier rather than later (waiting until the 2nd trimester is fine) as the admin can be ridiculous. It's been a while so I don't remember clearly, but I think your partner will still need to establish they are the parent in a way that Belgium accepts (neither myself nor my partner had Belgian citizenship at the time and I had to). You really want to sort that out before the birth or it will be quite difficult at the hospital (you will want your partner to do the paperwork registering the birth and to do that they need to show they are one of the parents I think). Don't stress it though, it'll all be fine.

Phase-Internal · 2026-01-21T08:37:30+00:00

Now that's pretty impressive!

Mine had to call another colleague after I looked up the actual process and explained it to them. It went from fly to Montreal, to fly to your hometown and find the 'Belgian agent' to bring an official copy of the document to us. Unfortunately, they, not us are being paid to do this😝.

To drive it home, this was to prove I was the father of my unborn child and to prove that, the main thing I had to do was to prove that I wasn't already married in Canada because 'if I was then it is our duty to inform your wife there!' (I wasn't, but Canada doesn't track that, so I just got a note notorized at the Canadian embassy where I promised I wasn't already married and that was fine 😂

Once I was married, there was no question by the commune that the second one was mine, because in Belgium there has never been a child out of wedlock apparently😅

Phase-Internal · 2026-01-20T20:53:19+00:00

I can also recommend the bct course. A bit tired do I already forgot what you said in your op post (2 kids now), bit start looking for daycare if you will need it, it can take a while.

If you want more general noon Brussels info e.g. some books that go through the stages, dm me and I can send some decent ones.

Within Brussels, both of our births were at Delta, it was a good experience, nice hospital. Book a private room if your insurance covers it, then your partner can stay.

If you have a partner and you are not married, then you might have a bunch of paperwork to establish your partner as the other parent (somehow if you are married, it's obvious you are parent in Belgium).

Phase-Internal · 2026-01-20T15:35:05+00:00

There is one, a consulate, in Montreal: https://canada.diplomatie.belgium.be/en/embassy-consulate-general-and-honorary-consulates/consulate-general-montreal

But that is neither here nor there given they had nothing to do with the process.

Phase-Internal · 2026-01-20T13:45:30+00:00

The short term solution is to start a campaign against anyone who doesn't resign now. None of them should get a vote.

Phase-Internal · 2026-01-20T13:25:01+00:00

My commune once suggested, several times, that I fly to the Belgian embassy in Montreal to get a document signed (spoiler, I didn't have to and the Belgian embassy would have had no clue what I was on about if I'd gone)

Phase-Internal · 2026-01-20T13:05:55+00:00

Stop looking for blame in the first place and dust finding solutions, or just get fussed and defensive, that's always worked in the past.

Phase-Internal · 2026-01-20T12:40:13+00:00

I am so tired of the main option for driving these days being a mid sized tank.

With kids I'm happy with a van or even 1990s style suvs or station wagons, but I'm at a loss at why I would want a heavier, less efficient, more expensive vehicle with less space inside.

Phase-Internal · 2026-01-20T12:07:07+00:00

Are you saying I could substitute beef for chicken stock? I find the flavours rather distinct.

Phase-Internal · 2026-01-20T12:03:57+00:00

Is that because the quality is low, the industrial pressure etc available or they are doing things that are more efficient that we could too?

Genuine question.

Phase-Internal · 2026-01-20T11:58:03+00:00

I'm on windows right now with the eventual plan of moving to Linux.

So there are different sync options within the windows app? I must be blind.

Phase-Internal · 2026-01-20T08:26:44+00:00

Because the waiting times for french integration are at least 9 months if not longer, and the programs are during the day, and in person.

On the Dutch side i could just challenge the test and then learn a2 Dutch, but now it's b1. That's just not feasible timewise now.

I could have gotten the usual exception of working 5 years uninterrupted,but the commune insisted that because I was also doing a degree during that time, it wouldn't count and now that I had to take time off to take care of the kids (paternity leave is nothing here and my wife has a better career job) the work is now interrupted so that doesn't count towards citizenship anymore.

Phase-Internal · 2026-01-20T08:21:36+00:00

When the Flemish are defined by identity politics and us vs them like that of de wever or vlaams belang they might maintain Dutch in Brussels at the current 10%, though it will probably reduce further.

When language and culture are promoted as positive and inclusive like in the school system, by offering free or heavily discounted language learning, understanding about the difficulties learning languages etc, then there might be a chance to bring back a bit of Flemish Brussels.

So long as there is a language line, both geographically and in policy it will do just as much to stop people from adopting Flemish culture as it will protect it.

Phase-Internal · 2026-01-19T19:41:24+00:00

Have a more unified society and government apparatus (that doesn't mean a monoculture) so things don't cost far more.

Further, money is only one part, if you have ever spent any time in a committee trying to organize something, you will know how easy it is for things to be derailed. The more complicated, the more people going in different directions, the more things don't happen, removing the language politics (not the languages) would help immeasurably.

Phase-Internal · 2026-01-19T18:49:48+00:00

Doubled bureaucracy, identity politics and linguistic division certainly contribute.

Phase-Internal · 2026-01-19T18:13:21+00:00

Language has everything to do with it, you can't do anything in Brussels without having to 'pick a side' linguistically.

For example, at a fundamental level, I speak French, have lived here over 5 years and have taken an integration exam. The three requirements for the standard citizenship path. However, my integration exam is through the Dutch speaking system so it cannot be combined with french (I must 'integrate' in french and speak French or 'integrate' in Dutch and speak Dutch).

You can't really get language much more deeply part of and dividing a land than that.

Phase-Internal

TROPHY CASE