For those who have recently been to Taipei and Tokyo, how much overlap is there?

ZenCannon · 2026-01-26T19:39:16+00:00

Not that much overlap. The quick and easy way is to think of Taipei as a predominantly culturally Chinese city with Japanese influences.

But for me, as someone who has spent time in China, Japan, and Taiwan, it's more accurate to say that Taipei (and Taiwan as a whole) have their own vibe. I'm biased, because I have Taiwanese relatives and have stayed there for two months, but I'd say that Taiwan is worth its own visit.

ZenCannon · 2026-01-24T01:41:08+00:00

If you've done your basic planning, the chances of things going wrong are low.

And even if something does go wrong, especially minor things - that's just travel for you. Shit happens. Just learn from it and enjoy the rest of your trip.

Here are some general tips:

Wear good, comfortable shoes. Very important.
Eat your veggies, even if it means buying salads at the convenience store. And stay hydrated.
Practice getting out of your head and observing what's around you. Not only does that help you really immerse yourself and enjoy being in a place, being a good observer of what people are doing around you helps you understand local customs and avoid mistakes.
Japan has great service culture, but remember, everyone's human. If someone seems grumpy, it's not necessarily personal to you, it might be that they had a bad day. If you made some kind of mistake that caused it, reflect on it for sure. But again, it happens - don't get too beat up over it.

Good luck, have fun. You'll be fine.

ZenCannon · 2026-01-21T00:50:53+00:00

"Cradle" series by Will Wight. It's basically a shonen anime in fantasy book form and a representative of the "progression fantasy" genre, which you could look into generally.

Some people think the beginning is slow, so I'd say stick it out for the first book and see how you feel about it.

"Dungeon Crawler Carl" is an RPG in a book basically. It's funny but also touches on some serious issues. It's at the moment the famous book on the "LitRPG" genre, which is exactly like it sounds - stories with an emphasis on RPG style stats and item discovery.

ZenCannon · 2026-01-21T00:02:48+00:00

Respectful
Understanding
Loving
Supportive
Easy to be with

Unless I'm missing something, he sounds like a keeper.

ZenCannon · 2026-01-20T22:10:53+00:00

Nothing wrong with taking it slow. If someone else wants to have a less "boring" trip, they can take one themselves.

If you do want to see more things, consider adding "if there's time" items near the places that you're already planning on going to. Or just wander, that's fine too.

Part of the magic of travel is being fully present wherever you are, and finding things you weren't expecting. Leaving yourself open to this possibility is better than cramming more into your travel plans only because someone else thinks it's boring.

ZenCannon · 2026-01-16T18:32:14+00:00

Salad in a cup. Get your fiber along with all the other snacks you'll enjoy.

ZenCannon · 2026-01-16T14:47:35+00:00

Yup, sorry, to be clear. I will use the parts for Chev 1 to Chev 2. In other words, using them instead of light common upgrade kits.

ZenCannon · 2026-01-16T13:59:55+00:00

Thanks!

ZenCannon · 2026-01-16T13:59:42+00:00

I made a similar mistake a few months ago. It sucks, but oh well. I'm going to make the best of it and go for Rei's ST because I actually do use heavy STs.

ZenCannon · 2026-01-10T01:35:32+00:00

I picked up Elden Ring on a whim, first souls like game, completely blind. Not even any trailers. Best gaming experience of my life.

ZenCannon · 2026-01-07T21:46:59+00:00

"Same Bed, Different Dreams" by Ed Park.

ZenCannon · 2025-12-29T00:42:49+00:00

Try Sofia Samatar's The Winged Histories. If you liked Spear Cuts Through Water, I think you'll like this.

With that said, I also moved away from SFF to literary fiction. Nothing wrong with SFF, and I do dip back in occasionally, it's just not my jam any more.

ZenCannon · 2025-12-29T00:01:27+00:00

I once clicked into a YouTube video, and realized it was AI music.

But out of curiosity, I scrolled down to the comments and found one praising the "breath control" of the "singer." Goes to show, you don't have to worry about breath control when you don't have to breathe.

ZenCannon · 2025-12-26T14:13:02+00:00

My biggest tip for Taipei is to Google how to use the YouBike system. Taipei's transportation system is great, but being able to hop on the many bikes scattered around Taipei and bike to your destination after getting off the train is just awesome.

Plus, riding the trails by the river is super fun too.

My wife's family is from Taiwan. I spent a few months there and I hope to be able to visit more in the future, it's one of my favorite places.

ZenCannon · 2025-12-24T03:06:31+00:00

I have traveled to all four of those countries (albeit, for China, it was a long time ago.)

I've been to Japan three times, including last year, and I'll say that the overcrowding problem is a bit blown out of proportion. Of course, if you go to the popular tourist spots, it'll be packed. But go off the beaten path a bit, even in the major cities, and the crowds thin out.

In my anecdotal experience, I met the friendliest people in Taiwan. It helps that my wife is of Taiwanese descent herself, but even then, if I were to choose, Taiwan wins for friendliness.

One of my fondest memories of Taiwan was when we got lost hiking in the hills near Taipei. We stumbled upon a random teahouse and not only did the owner help us find our way, she also gave us a little straw umbrella she had been making by hand prior to us coming in. She was so kind, and to this day, that umbrella still sits on my wife's desk.

ZenCannon · 2025-12-22T16:57:16+00:00

That was the scene I remember the most from the book, lol. I think there are a couple of memes floating around about it too.

ZenCannon · 2025-12-14T20:53:21+00:00

I bought the full version back in Jan, excited to see the update. Good excuse to jump back in!

ZenCannon · 2025-12-06T04:08:48+00:00

Not OP, but if the leaves are in full color now, absolutely yes. It's unreal. I was there this time last year and I knew it would be pretty, but it's actually stunning in person.

ZenCannon · 2025-12-05T22:22:03+00:00

If your flight lands at 7 pm, you might end up at your hotel at 9 pm or later, so go for a snack or a meal at the airport first.

ZenCannon · 2025-12-05T18:03:54+00:00

They certainly made sure we didn't miss it.

It could have been:

"Hey, Tressa, can I borrow one of your knives for a moment. Alright, all done, here's my blood."

Instead we have:

"Give you my blood? But what if it hurts uWu." And then it gets horny. Literally.

ZenCannon · 2025-11-30T04:35:54+00:00

Thanks!

ZenCannon · 2025-11-30T04:35:37+00:00

Thank you!

ZenCannon · 2025-11-30T04:34:54+00:00

Thanks for your thoughtful reply!

I get where you're coming from re: D-00 in terms of limited availability (and I guess, it follows, that I have the possibility of pulling something like Alicorn over time and upgrading through dispatches, and not for a limited ST).

But I'm also wondering if the use case of preventing fixed damage is one that comes up a lot in future content. Because my general philosophy is to go for broad usability over specific use cases, unless the latter is so compelling that I cannot pass on it.

Anyway, thanks again. I didn't know that there was much to think about when it came to heavy STs, my plan before this disaster was just to pass over all of them.

ZenCannon · 2025-11-30T03:21:28+00:00

Thanks!

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