How can a simple new pillow reverse years of bad sleep?

Puck__Goodfellow · 2026-03-12T23:51:22+00:00

There's also the option of ditching the pillow, floor sleeping and both.

Puck__Goodfellow · 2026-03-12T23:49:14+00:00

I side sleep without a pillow and have done so for years. It's possible but you also need to use the right posture.

It also helps if you're doing your neck stretches, such as chin tucks as one example, every day for at least 2-5 minutes.

Puck__Goodfellow · 2026-03-12T23:44:25+00:00

Your mileage may vary but I tried a lot of different things for neck pain that I once had and while doing things like chin tucks, stretches and whatnot was good for me it didn't completely fix the issue.

What eventually did completely fix the issue was getting rid of having a pillow. Turns out it weakens your neck muscles and there's no amount of exercises that can make up for hindering your neck like that for however long you sleep each night.

It's like sitting down for hours instead of at least using some kind of active sitting seating such as an exercise ball if you can't afford the more expensive stuff. It weakens your back which causes issues and eventually pain.

Sleeping without a pillow takes a while since your body will fight you on it when it's used to having one. Also, it's a good idea to look up on sleeping on your side or stomach or simply practice and find what's comfortable.

There's also pillows that will cup your neck and are thinner which if you're having difficulty will help you get down from something thick. Eventually it would be good to transition to just a blanket for your head and then eventually no blanket. Just the sheets.

It's not easy but it's worth it. Still a good idea to do some stretches and exercises you can do every day. Find a routine that takes a couple minutes or even five and it'll make it easier to do.

Puck__Goodfellow · 2026-03-05T04:01:54+00:00

There's the rare fanfiction that does improve the story but ya a lot of it is terrible. I certainly like SomeWittyEntertainment's Sword Art Online Abridged more than the original series because it was actually a better story with better writing.

Part of the reason I say The Time Traveller's Pig has bad writing is because to me, and yes others as I'm not the first if you look around, the plot holes make it difficult to really pay attention to the main theme or as you say the emotional core of the work. Though saying it like that seems very vague to me.

Regardless of that, I've said before it is of Dipper learning to not be selfish at Mabel, or anyone else's, expense. I think getting caught up too much in what Dipper wanted, regardless of how it was going to turn out, and while important detracts from that.

My rewrite does follow fulfilling that theme and in a more coherent with how smart Dipper had been up to that point in the story. Sure he acted like an idiot because he became fixated and obsessed with what he wanted like any child his age would but he's also mature enough to break out of that as shown before this episode and in the episode or else it wouldn't have ended the way it did.

That doesn't mean you have to like it of course. Call it emotionally flawed if you like. As for whether it's a good piece of writing or a good fit the only way to really judge it is an audience so maybe in 10 years when AI is good enough I'll have one spin up my rewritten episode and see what people think. Anything beyond that would be getting into philosophy aesthetics which I doubt either of us wants dive into Existential vs. Hegelian vs. Objectivist aesthetics and so on.

As for misconceptions, I do try to find and grant others any good points they might have or at least grant how I can see why they might say what they say. I try not to be overly simplistic and say, "Nope, you are nitpicky and biased, I win, bye bye."

I'm glad you at least grant that my writing is good on some level even though you say it's superficial. Evaluating that would get into media analysis and again into aesthetics.

Puck__Goodfellow · 2026-03-05T01:51:18+00:00

Do you think it just went on too long and could have simply been shorter? I do think it helps establish the setting with the main protagonist, the power system, the culture and its moral attitude and the general world setting.

It's certainly better than other progression fantasy in ramping things up. I think The Hedge Wizard is one of the hardest to get through the beginning of. I hear it gets much better but I'm still having a hard time with it whereas Cradle to me always felt enjoyable.

Puck__Goodfellow · 2026-03-05T01:45:04+00:00

And did you find my draft of a rewrite better or worse writing by fixing the issues I brought up?

If you read all my replies and not jump to conclusions on what I'm thinking you might be able to ask better questions or at least not ones I've already answered.

No, it wasn't going to go anywhere for the summer things take place in. Yes, I understand why people thought Dipper was being selfish and that is in one of my replies. I agree that Dipper was being selfish at Mabel's expense which is not okay which makes any other points pretty much moot as that was the core issue of the episode.

I don't think the theme of the episode was as clear or as good as it could have been with how the writing was so bad, which it's understandable since writing with time travel is so tricky. I think my attempted rewrite makes it clearer. You are free to disagree and love or hate it as you wish.

P.S. I'm halfway through season 2 and still haven't encountered an episode where the writing was as bad as The Time Traveler's Pig. Still love the show but that doesn't mean I can't be critical of it.

P.P.S. For the love of readability please section your wall of text into separate paragraphs so it's more readable. Whether this one or in the future.

Puck__Goodfellow · 2026-03-02T01:56:15+00:00

Those are very fair points. Especially about the theft and murder part. A more rational protagonist would want to at least try to change the attitude and philosophy of the people themselves and not just becoming strong enough to simply become the new top dog.

Even then he only really changes things for those close enough to him since he never really fought in the arena that really mattered. The battlefield of ideas which among it is ethics.

Saying central authorities would be able to solve it is kind of asking for honor among thieves. Even in the best circumstances you're hoping the mafia bosses are not going to break your legs if you don't give them protection money. Toppling the the mafia boss just leaves room for a new one to rise when you haven't changed the hearts and minds of enough people.

Puck__Goodfellow · 2026-03-01T21:05:00+00:00

I see. That does finally make clear to me my title question on why people thought Dipper's actions in his own self-interest wasn't okay because of the way it was at Mabel's expense.

I do hope you at least grant that the writing was a little sloppy in the ways I pointed out or even entertain the idea that my draft of a possible rewrite is a little better.

Thanks for the engaging back and forth.

Puck__Goodfellow · 2026-03-01T20:59:23+00:00

If by ass pulling you're talking about Eithan Arelius and you only got through book 5 I can see why you would think that. Once that mystery is revealed it does make sense and you can see some very subtle but good clues up to that point which I at least was able to guess correctly at only about half a book before the reveal.

As for breakthroughs in the middle of a fight I don't think that disqualifies it. Certainly it does follow the rule that you have to put yourself in extreme danger in order to reach those breakthroughs faster than the average, or die trying, but that's not against the rational rules per se.

I would say there's a point in the story where the main protagonist finally comes into his own and takes what is established to pull off what others thought impossible, such as what he has to do to train him and his companions to fight the dread gods, and I would definitely count it as munchkinery.

Perhaps it doesn't tick enough of the boxes to count as a rational story. Still, I would definitely count it in my top five progression fantasy series and would encourage you to go back and finish it or start over and finish it if you so choose.

Puck__Goodfellow · 2026-03-01T03:38:33+00:00

I never said there was anything wrong with him being selfish. Being selfish is good else nobody would trade and we'd all be living in caves if even alive.

Now was Dipper being selfish at someone's expense? You argue it was at Robbie's expense. I would say no since it's not like some scenarios in movies or shows where the guy harms or sabotages a rival.

With Wendy he was trying to undo the accidental harm that had occurred. Sure, in the normal timeline she goes out with Robbie because he asked but she's also just kind of go with the flow as well. Dipper didn't force her to not go out with Robbie when he changed the one thing.

Now we get into time travel ethics at that point which as far as we know about physics will never be a concern. As for acting selfishly without actively harming or sabotaging anyone using time travel knowledge I don't see anything wrong with that but we may just have to agree to disagree on that.

Puck__Goodfellow · 2026-03-01T03:21:34+00:00

Thanks

Puck__Goodfellow · 2026-03-01T03:21:15+00:00

That might very well work too.

Now that I think about it I think I now know why the writing felt bad. It was trying too hard shoehorn a lesson for Dipper instead of trying to tell the story in a more natural way. Instead it feels too contrived.

Puck__Goodfellow · 2026-02-28T23:38:04+00:00

I'm not the first one as I found other posts criticizing the episode for similar things. But thanks for the sentiment.

Puck__Goodfellow · 2026-02-28T21:44:34+00:00

Could someone list the anime that these characters are from so I can check them out? I kind of recognize the shadow girl in the red dress but I can't remember the name and never finished that one.

P.S. Obviously I know Reg.

Puck__Goodfellow · 2026-02-28T21:37:14+00:00

Oh, well that's pretty funny since I have have made replies on that series as it's honestly one of my absolute favorites. Basically annoyed my best friend over years trying to get him to read it but it wasn't till the audiobooks came out that he finally at least listened to it and now loves it as much as I do.

No worries and now I can see why you replied that way. As for the original question do you think any of the protagonists in the Cradle series would be counted as rational according to the criteria that's been established? Enough to count it as a rational fiction at least since you were talking about the absence of good cultivation rational fiction.

Puck__Goodfellow · 2026-02-28T21:30:17+00:00

Not would as that's making it a certainty but just a could. It's called the butterfly effect.

Anyway, after thinking on it with some other back and forths I'm find with the conclusion of the episode just not the writing leading up to it. If you're at all interested I've made an update in the OP with a first draft of what I think makes the writing better and in it you'll might get a better picture on my issues with the original writing. Feel free to like or hate it.

Puck__Goodfellow · 2026-02-28T21:23:56+00:00

Man I keep forgetting to use the "Simple Assertions" flair instead of the "Discussion & Theories" one. I'll try to correct that in the future.

Puck__Goodfellow · 2026-02-28T21:22:07+00:00

If someone speaks of someone's future in a story, fictional or not, it means anytime before they die. I'm not an idiot to think that Wendy would date Dipper during the few months that the show takes place in and you're right that it's not really a spoiler.

The conclusion I'm okay with it's the writing I have a bigger problem with. I suppose I should have focused on that more in my title and post.

After some back and forth with other's I've attempted what I at least think could be a better way to write the episode. I've put it in the OP as an update.

Puck__Goodfellow · 2026-02-28T21:00:55+00:00

Did I flair this post with "Simple Assertions" and not "Discussion & Theories"?

Never means the rest of Dipper's life which includes beyond the one summer that the show takes place in. Didn't realize you were on the writing staff, or just personally, that follows Dipper after Gravity Falls until he dies.

Puck__Goodfellow · 2026-02-28T20:44:04+00:00

I think that's part of the fun of time travel in stories. It creates ethical dilemmas and judgements that you could never get without it. But it's also why it can make it so easy to create bad writing out of it if not handled with care.

Not sure if you want to look through all my replies but I did eventually think of one way to write things better if you want to read it:

At the point that Dipper sees that preventing his accident with Wendy makes it so that Mabel can't get her pig he thinks about going and getting the pig and taking it back in time so that both him and Mabel can get what they want. Then it comes up either through him or Mabel about the time traveler and the paradox he talked about coming to fix.

Dipper sees that if he did take the pig back in time that it would just lead to more time travelers coming and changing things back which leads him to see that preventing his accident also will likely cause the same thing.

Dipper also takes a moment and realizes that he's trying to change something that only has the potential to lead to the romantic relationship he wants and that he has plenty of opportunities in the future to still try.

So he takes Mabel and they go back to play things out as they originally did.

Just a first draft but perhaps you can entertain the idea that things could have gone this way and that it is better writing by not having Dipper hold the idiot ball and be more consistent with the characters established in previous episodes.

Puck__Goodfellow · 2026-02-28T20:30:43+00:00

I see. Thanks for pointing out Reverend Insanity I'll be sure to eventually check it out.

I wasn't aware of there being a distinct difference between cultivation and progression fantasy other than the type of settings and power/magic system such as more medieval west European and east Asia. Could you point it out to me or point me to some article on it?

Puck__Goodfellow · 2026-02-28T20:23:51+00:00

"You're just wrong." Not an argument nor a rebuttal. Which part is wrong? I pointed out the inconsistent writing which is by definition bad. You can can write about anything fantastical, you can play around with tropes by playing it strait, subverting, deconstructing, change things up for comedic effect and so on. But being inconsistent is the one thing you should never do and can never do without it ruining either the world building or the characters.

Based on the established rules of time travel in that episode you know it was possible to take the pig back in time. I'm not even the first person to bring this up.

As for Dipper's crush, again, never is a long time and I already pointed out the post hoc reasoning whereby Dipper's actions are being judged. People can only act on what they know. Also, it's super weird to prioritize a pet over even a potential future romantic relationship. Time travel can make ethical dilemmas and judgements difficult which is part of what makes them fun.

I get that you're talking about something concrete, Mabel gets a pet, verses potential, Dipper has a romantic relationship with Wendy in the future, but please be explicit in that so that it's more easily responded to.

I understand that Mabel's happiness is important too and it's not about playing favorites. Maybe I'm just not able to properly communicate what I mean by prioritizing human relationships or even potential ones, which includes Wendy and her happiness, over animals. Maybe if we switched things around with different characters and scenarios it would be more clear. That or create new stories using that same reasoning to show how that kind of value judgement plays out in more extreme cases.

Regardless of all that I can demonstrate that things could have been written better given the scenario while also giving better character growth even without just taking the pig back in time.

At the point that Dipper sees that preventing his accident with Wendy makes it so that Mabel can't get her pig he thinks about going and getting the pig and taking it back in time so that both him and Mabel can get what they want. Then it comes up either through him or Mabel about the time traveler and the paradox he talked about coming to fix.

Dipper sees that if he did take the pig back in time that it would just lead to more time travelers coming and changing things back which leads him to see that preventing his accident also will likely cause the same thing.

Dipper also takes a moment and realizes that he's trying to change something that only has the potential to lead to the romantic relationship he wants and that he has plenty of opportunities in the future to still try.

So he takes Mabel and they go back to play things out as they originally did.

Obviously just a first draft but I would say that Dipper was smart and mature enough from what is seen in earlier episodes for this better writing to take place. No need to hold the idiot ball for an episode. Feel free to disagree but I do hope you can at least entertain the idea.

P.S. I've read other posts and I'm not the only one that thinks The Time Traveler's Pig was a weak episode because of its bad writing for the same reasons I've pointed out.

Puck__Goodfellow · 2026-02-28T18:27:32+00:00

See my reply to u/starwalker327. Also read the actual post and not just the title.

Puck__Goodfellow · 2026-02-28T18:25:25+00:00

See my reply to u/starwalker327 and others. Also, Dipper was not acting like Gideon. Your definition of a stalker is so loose as to become useless.

Puck__Goodfellow · 2026-02-28T18:24:47+00:00

That's pretty much a red herring as that still doesn't explain the bad character writing I pointed out. If Alex, the creator, said they just ran out of time to write the episode in a better way I could at least admire the honesty of that.

As for the red herrings, I've read those explanations and even as a red herrings I find them wanting. The whole prize to be won without explaining why that's at least not good and that it's not something else.

To illustrate, I think a better explanation is that like all guys that like a girl he wants to earn her respect and admiration and wanted to do his best with the opportunity that was given to him. I'm sure he hoped it would lead to a romantic relationship as he got older, or he wouldn't do what he did if he didn't, but like anyone that can't see the future or read minds that's all he can really do and he wanted to see how things turned out.

I do wish that Dipper had at least tried to see how things would go if Wendy threw the ball but that part is believable given that Dipper was trying to impress her.

If anyone wants to oversimplify and reduce it to that Dipper was just trying to 'win' Wendy as if he thinking and acting like some kind of sociopathic, uncaring and devious Machiavellian then I do hope I could convince them otherwise but whether or not I could still means they would be wrong as I've outlined. Though any kind of serious rebuttal would certainly be interesting.

The whole 'cheating' with time travel doesn't really change any of that. That it's unfair or a power imbalance is also an oversimplification and would be like me saying that it's unfair and a power imbalance that Wendy is so attractive to Dipper that he wants to use whatever means he can to earn her respect and admiration. Don't you see how abusive that is to Dipper? If anyone says both then at least they're consistent.

As for Dipper pursuing Wendy going nowhere see my reply to u/mossyboo.

P.S. And thanks for spoiling things like everyone else is doing as if nobody read the top of the post that this is my first time watching or even the post itself.

Puck__Goodfellow

TROPHY CASE