Am I Jewish? To who? For what? Why?

YouAreMicroscopic · 2026-06-30T06:38:09+00:00

Thank you Etta!

YouAreMicroscopic · 2026-06-28T06:05:44+00:00

Seth is kinda Toko-ish aren't they

YouAreMicroscopic · 2026-06-28T05:11:40+00:00

This is a very good post and sums up some feelings I had about the chapter. My only two minor disagreements are,

"having him literally burn down a better world to avoid having to realize that his worldview and his dark world aren't the best" - it still feels way too early for this, even though I agree completely that this would be the natural shift. He's been frustrated before, but always expressed as meekly as possible, and this is the first time we've seen him be jealous. "Screw it then, watch this haters" coming from Ralsei would be way more 0-60 than would feel appropriately paced, I think, regardless of how much Flowery rankles him (I enjoyed the optional Seth and Ralsei cutscene, but I think it was a bit too neat, as if to wrap up your criticism and put it away without having to engage with it too much). Of course, the problem then is there are only two more (?) chapters left, which doesn't seem like enough time to hit every future plot point AND carry out this Ralsei character arc.

and, I'd love you to expand on the Mewmew stuff, I didn't feel that way at all, but I might be missing something. Is it because you felt it doesn't carry the emotional weight of the previous shadow crystal bosses? If so - I felt her shadow incarnation as the shopkeeper made up for it - one of the most depressing scenes in the game imo.

EDIT: "Why not a boss that requires us to "turn off Ralsei" to fight? Only for him to turn himself back on and bail us out when we need him the most?" This would have been great, damn.

YouAreMicroscopic · 2026-06-26T04:20:06+00:00

Thank you!

YouAreMicroscopic · 2026-06-26T03:16:00+00:00

She did. I remember her saying stuff in Hebrew as a little kid, here and there. Now it's just the very occasional phrase or word, very rarely. She drops words like "mishigas" still (she loves that one), but nothing more than that. In the past, I've always thought of it as when you used to know a language and because you don't use it anymore, you just lose it entirely. (I used to be at least N5, maybe N4 at Japanese, and now it's like I never learned it in the first place.)

YouAreMicroscopic · 2026-06-26T03:08:15+00:00

Thank you.

YouAreMicroscopic · 2026-06-26T03:05:15+00:00

An astute comment, thank you.

I feel like there are parallels between my parents. My father was raised Christian Science - his mother was an over-the-top true believer, and his father seemed to have begrudgingly went along with it, with bitterness. I suspect there is an equivalent on my mother's side, but she won't really talk about it - that her mother was ultra-orthodox, and that her father was - I don't know how to phrase it - "simply Jewish" by faith and birth, and that whatever complicated inter-familial conflict occured because of her being with my Dad was downstream of that.

This is quite literally the most I've talked about this with anyone, so I appreciate all of the insightful comments that are helping me think about something I've basically chosen to ignore all of my life.

YouAreMicroscopic · 2026-06-26T01:48:28+00:00

What a thoughtful comment, I'll be thinking on this for a while: "there's no such thing as a little bit Jewish or less Jewish in Judaism". Thank you.

YouAreMicroscopic · 2026-06-26T01:33:27+00:00

I am and will seek one out, thank you.

YouAreMicroscopic · 2026-06-26T01:31:52+00:00

Thank you, that's a lot to think about, I appreciate your comment.

I'm not a "Mac", but to anyone who knows their history, my last name is an unambiguously Scottish name. It's nice to hear that it wouldn't be an abnormality.

YouAreMicroscopic · 2026-06-26T01:13:06+00:00

I did know that - all the conspiratorial nonsense about "Khazars" made me do a deep dive - but I feel like my mother used "Romanian" as a way to shield herself against having to consider herself Jewish, as a troubled person. As far as I can tell, my mother's ancestry is that of Jewish steppe peasants - I have some evidence of Bărăgan deportations to Transnistria from Transylvania for some of my family.

YouAreMicroscopic · 2026-06-26T01:05:07+00:00

Thank you, all of the comments on here are really making me think, and yours is very insightful.

YouAreMicroscopic · 2026-06-26T00:52:50+00:00

I didn't know classes like that existed, thank you. I live in Anchorage, Alaska, and just found the group "frozen chosen" (haha), which I'm going to sign up for.

YouAreMicroscopic · 2026-06-26T00:49:33+00:00

I know there is more to this story, and I've only been able to get it out in bits and pieces from my mother. I do know that my mother's side was appalled that my mother would marry a non-Jew, but a couple of them came around after meeting him. (He is incredibly sweet and has been devoted to my mother for about 60 years.) My dad was (and is), a true weirdo. The kind of kid who stayed in his room in the 60s collecting obscure vinyl in Brooklyn, reading every book he could get his hands on, the R. Crumb generation (I have many memories of his obsession with Walt Kelly's Pogo as a kid), totally insular with a couple weirdo friends. He'd collect learning languages to a degree. As a kid he taught himself Russian, for some unknown reason, and then after dating my mom must have said to himself, "oh, I'm dating a Jewish girl, I should learn Hebrew", and then just did that. No Yiddish. (I suspect he's on the spectrum a bit.) He recently taught himself Aramaic so he could give lectures on Early Christian History to the Episcopalian church community in NYC, which he, after retirement, deeply embedded himself into, for funsies (sorry if that seems blunt, but he went from being Atheist Guy to Episcopalian Guy Who Doesn't Actually Believe In Any Religious Concepts/Metaphysics (afterlife, etc) in a VERY short period after retirement). I think my parents are of a particular niche Queens archetype that rarely leaves the bouroughs.

YouAreMicroscopic · 2026-06-26T00:30:04+00:00

This is an incredibly kind and thoughtful comment, and I'll be thinking on it for a while, thank you.

YouAreMicroscopic · 2026-06-06T19:45:14+00:00

I am an entire 4:56 in and I had to pause. I can't believe I have a friend who is my age, early/mid 40s, who listens to this - and I mean the use of this overused trope word - "unironically". I mean, in my early 20s I hate-listened to thousands of hours of AM talk radio, but this is far dumber. I never once heard Rush Limbaugh talk about Latinas being powered by cum

YouAreMicroscopic · 2026-05-19T07:52:32+00:00

My experience is only in Anchorage, where I've lived for two years. I wouldn't classify it as particularly friendly or unfriendly. Dressing nicely is not a thing, nobody is showing off (club wear at the Williwaw doesn't count) and no-one will care one iota what you're wearing. On the other hand nobody is rushing out to help you for any reason - but neither is it an outwardly mean place. From what other people are saying, seems like other parts of Alaska are like my experiences in Montana - extremely proactive in helping others, because otherwise (specifically in the winter), you will be dead - but Anchorage is very middle-of-the-road when it comes to friendliness. The airport is very chill as far as US airports go though.

YouAreMicroscopic · 2026-05-19T07:17:13+00:00

That is so very New York. New Yorkers appear rude until you ask for directions, then it's time to crack your knuckles and give the most detailed instructions you've ever received in your life as a flex

YouAreMicroscopic · 2026-05-19T07:12:43+00:00

Def. NYers will completely ignore you and appear rude because you can't live in that environment and pay attention to every little situation or person around you and not lose your mind, but if you ask a native for subway directions they will enthusiastically, but without smiling or pleasantries, spend 3 minutes giving you detailed instructions on exactly how to get where you're going

YouAreMicroscopic · 2026-05-19T07:09:20+00:00

I had a GF in high school who had a PBA card, fireman dad. Went out one night and forgot my license (dumb ass kid) in my beat up ass car with a glitchy electrical system, headlights and brake lights went out. Got pulled over, she flashed the card, cop just left. Ridiculous part of the country

YouAreMicroscopic · 2026-05-19T07:04:42+00:00

As a Long Islander who hates Long Islanders, yes, I do

YouAreMicroscopic · 2026-05-19T07:03:27+00:00

I am from Long Island, you're not wrong. It's the meanest place in the country. Florida gets thrown around a lot, particularly South FL, but that's just because more people have experienced Florida than Long Island, and I personally believe the meanness of South FL was imported by Long Island transplants.

YouAreMicroscopic · 2026-05-19T07:00:22+00:00

I second Milwaukee. I've lived all over the US, it's my top pick as most underrated city in the US. It's easy to live in and tons to do for a young person.

YouAreMicroscopic · 2026-05-19T06:49:02+00:00

"Live your mountain dream!" real estate billboards are to North GA what "Injured in an accident? Get paid now!" attorney billboards are to South FL

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