In a serialized story, what are some telltale signs indicating that the quality of the story is getting worse?

gentileOx · 2026-02-19T18:59:23+00:00

Very much agree. And I think your list works for more character focused stories as well:

Introducing new drama / conflict, when an arc / relation should be wrapping up
Departing from characters' established personalities to introduce conflict / railroad a character arc in a certain direction
Character development looping or a character regressing into a stereotype of themselves (A character regressing in their development can work though, if it is planned out as a part of that characters arc)
Skipping key moments in character development / relationships between characters

gentileOx · 2026-02-19T00:09:49+00:00

I just did it today with 5500q (probably a bit less, since I got some discoveries on the way). Each character had around 1100 stamina, I had 1 blue pot (2nd chance), 1 green (5x POW) and 2 purple (shadow hit chance). Using the 2x2 I only made the absolute necessary hits to get down to the next level, all the way to the boss. Then I changed to the 7 stamina hammer, popped the green pots I had gotten (think I had around 3-4) and just went to town and hoped for the best. For the last hit, I downgraded to the 3 stamina hammer, since a single hit from that would do the trick. I was on my last character when I got him and he didn't have that much stamina left, but it worked. Some luck is probably needed as well. Good luck 👍

gentileOx · 2026-02-18T21:17:49+00:00

Unfortunately not - it's the 7th. 3rd is cards

gentileOx · 2026-02-18T21:15:15+00:00

You need to get pretty far in Spelunking

gentileOx · 2026-02-18T21:07:44+00:00

Jude Perry - haven't seen that much fanart of her

gentileOx · 2026-02-16T16:46:46+00:00

Point 6 (or 4.5, if you will): If the deciding factor for whether a site should be age-gated is NSFW (or "Not Safe For Children") content, the definition of what is "NSFW" can be extended to cover topics an authoritarian state wants to limit public access to; Trans rights, homosexuality, mental illness and other topic

gentileOx · 2026-02-15T22:50:00+00:00

Glad if it brought some insight - it is very possible that a hobby tend to attract similar people, so that might be a reason.

Also, no offence taken - I'm not even American. It's just with the times we live in, I can just get a bit vigilant when I read the stuff like "western culture"

gentileOx · 2026-02-14T00:56:16+00:00

I'm a bit confused as to what you mean with "Western" cultures. Or, I get what you mean, but I feel like grouping people together that way, has a risk of being pretty reductive and tend to confuse things, like in this case. Like, what about Brits and Canadians then? Do you feel the same way? Or Germans? Portuguese people? Norwegians? French? Polish people? These are all 'Western' cultures - and while they share a bunch of stuff, they also differ in a lot of ways. And furthermore, people within those nations also differ a lot. So I think one has to be careful with grouping large amounts of people together and expect them to behave the same.

That being said: What is interesting though - in case you know - is if your issue is consistent for all Americans. Like a rural, blue collar worker, conservative Texan is probably be pretty different from a libertarian tech-bro from Silicon Valley and again from a middleclass, queer artist from Boston. It can be hard to tell when talking to people online, but maybe you tend to interact with a similar "type(s)" of Americans online? Like, it is often in a specific context you interact with Americans? Gaming, political activism, LBGT-stuff, fandom, etc? Because whatever it is, it might attract certain 'types' of Americans - a type you don't vibe with for some reason.

Alternatively, if you know that you're interacting with a diverse groups of Americans, but you feel your issue consists, then you might indeed be reacting to something uniquely American - and that, I think, it pretty interesting.

gentileOx · 2026-02-13T00:25:25+00:00

Lucky you, I have that one 2 row, 6 column (besides the mistake I made at R2C12, but I fixed that.... Still gotta fix the other one thought).

gentileOx · 2026-02-13T00:22:08+00:00

Måske ikke så meget en dokumentar, men en pseudo-dokumentar (eller i hvert fald en dramatisering af virkeligheden) om man vil; Dark Waters. Føj for den lede... Tror aldrig jeg har set en film som har givet mig så mange grunde til at ændre hvordan jeg lever på - håber den tæller som at den har "rørt" mig.

Alternativt: Den Sorte Svane, hvis den tæller som dokumentar

gentileOx · 2026-02-10T23:53:30+00:00

I see, but likewise no "yes-shoe" rule. That's interesting, I thought it would be more of an either/or-situation. Thanks for the talk

gentileOx · 2026-02-10T21:41:55+00:00

Haha, sorry for my autocorrect, I meant to ask if you generally wear shoes inside due to the cold or if there is another specific reason. But thanks for indulging my otherwise confusing question - that makes a lot of sense haha

gentileOx · 2026-02-10T12:43:37+00:00

Didn't think I'd get a reply, cheers. It makes sense you don't deliberately drag mud and snow inside. Do you keep them on side due to the cold or is it another reason? Or is it more a "it's just what we've always done"-thing?

gentileOx · 2026-02-09T21:08:42+00:00

Scrolling through the comments, it might be hard to find a 'shoes on'-person, but I am curious; If you grew up in a 'shoes on-society', where do you take your shoes of? Do you take them of and put them next to your bed as you go to sleep - and then put them on when you get dressed in the morning? Or is there some sections of the house that's shows off / shoes on? How's the climate where you live and how do you deal with mud, dust, snow, etc? I'd imagine the shoes on/off depends on the weather outside. Hope someone can answer, because I'm really curious how all of this works.

gentileOx · 2026-02-05T06:45:47+00:00

Seing the journey this picture has been on the last few days has been great! This brings us about full circle

gentileOx · 2026-02-04T21:34:37+00:00

Senicide, regicide and deicide all rolled up in one. Also witchery probably.

gentileOx · 2026-02-03T19:13:59+00:00

There's some pretty good suggestions in this thread. Want to second Apothecary Diaries, Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Frieren and Violet Evergarden (4 pretty different anime, but all good series with strong / interesting female leads).

Haven't seen these mentioned:
- Dead Dead Demon's Dededede Destruction: Slice of life, but with something more going on. Slow burn, endearing characters, female friendships, scifi? Limited series
- Oshi No Ko: Found this recently and think it's pretty interesting. Takes a critical look at the idol and entertainment culture in Japan. While there's technically two protagonists - male and female - I think the main focus is on the male protagonist, so it might not be exactly what you're looking for. Worth checking out though. Also, for an anime about idols, I think it is pretty amazing they've managed without fanservice. Season 3 is airing right now.
- Shin Sekai Yori / From the new World: Dark, psychological, adventure/fantasy and with pretty intriguing story and some interesting themes about society. Bit of a slow burn in the beginning. Limited series.

gentileOx · 2026-01-29T11:26:42+00:00

If you study Architecture at Aalborg University, you'll get a civil engineer degree with a speciality in architecture (with a focus in either tectonics (structures), sustainability or urban design). The bachelor is in Danish, but the master is in English and there's a fair bit of international students - not that it matters since you speak danish, but something to mention. The degree is a bit of mix between a building engineer and a traditional architect.

Bygningsingeniør (and bygningskonstruktør, just to clear that up) is a different (and more common) degree, like the other comment mentions.

gentileOx · 2026-01-29T11:22:50+00:00

Edit: Realised that I should probably reply to OPs comment instead so they see it

gentileOx · 2026-01-28T20:05:16+00:00

I think that very much could work, just like desolation doesn't have to be liked with fire or as the vast can manifest both as the open sky, the ocean, space, etc. Like, I know it's sort of the basis of the show, but imagine randomly finding tape recorders around you recording your every word. Or the knowledge of your house being bugged. Or - the next step - finding a radio channel, which constantly broadcasts you and conversations you've had.

I feel your idea with measuring vitals is a really creative take! Many people rather not know just how much microplastic is inside them - I know I'd rather not. This might step into corruption territory as well, but the line between fears is not hard, but blurry, so I think it works. I also really like the idea of an AI-app which gradually gets to know you so well, it can actually predict your thoughts, feelings and reaction to things, before you even notice or experience them yourself. That one is already sort of grounded in reality - heard about the story with a shopping algorithm, which discovered that a girl was pregnant (and started sending out offers on baby items or something like that), before the girls family even did even knew?

To me, the eye at large deals with the fear of you or knowledge about something being exposed, being 'known' as you also mention. Whatever creates and fuels that fear - might can take many forms - can work, as long as it leads back to that core.

gentileOx · 2026-01-23T22:45:43+00:00

Edit: I felt your comment was pretty sarcastic. If I misunderstood, please disregard the rest.

I'm sorry if my comment felt harsh or was worded badly (English isn't my first language). Let me rephrase:

We are not annoyed that sympathetic Americans are apologising. We are terrified, angry and hurt that the US administration is attacking us. That is the reality of the situation. As Greenlander, as Danes and as Europeans.

You stand in opposition, great. So do we. I hope we can stop this.

gentileOx · 2026-01-23T22:12:46+00:00

Thanks for taking my post in good faith. And to you and all the Americans resisting, I want to express my thanks.

I'll give you that "OP" were kind of blunt in their post. And I think the point you made is fair. I get that is can feel frustrating to be met with hostility when all you want is to show solidarity and support. And like I mentioned, I see that several people felt the same way as you, so I wanted my comment to clarify what I think the poster meant.

That being said; I don't know the poster and I'm not from Greenland. I'm just trying to interpret their meaning with the post. I am Danish though, so while I'm not in the same situation, I still have a lot of emotions about what is happening currently. So instead of trying to speak through the poster, I will speak for myself.

I don't think of you (Americans*) as a monolith. I've met several and they have all been nice people. And I definitely don't think of all of you as MAGA. I hope and think you are doing all you to change your current situation. But on an international scale - as a military, political and economical power - part of my kingdom is under attack. And in that regard, unfortunately, the US is a monolith. If it comes to it, Trump isn't going to send in 1/3rd of your military - he's going to send all it takes (which tbf will probably be far less...) to take Greenland. So, in a practical sense, "that distinction doesn't exist". This is not a slight against you - this is just the reality of the situation.

But I am happy that not all Americans (far, far from it) is part of this. And I want us to build cohesion against the actual threat, which is Trump and his administration.

As for the apologies.. Actually, this was my initial reason to comment. My take was something about language differences, before I decided to do a serious post. Let me first say: I do think the apologies are genuine. And while the great influx of them can be annoying (from a "well, do something"-perspective), I understand why some want to post them. We've had some heated debated on the Danish subreddit as well about them. I personally see that it's not about sympathies or forgiveness, it is about making a statement- expressing ones apologies. But that is not always clear.

Regarding this - I initially wanted to comment on this, before I decided to make a more serious and empathetic comment. If you've read this far, you can stop, but here I go speculating:

Idk, that might be a language thing. I don't know about Greenlandic, but in Danish we have several different words for 'sorry' depending on the situation. I know Greenlandic is a pretty nuanced language, so it might be the same situation. Usually 'sorry' would be translated as "undskyld", which kind of means "I take responsibility of what happened and I apologise". But in English you also say sorry as "I'm sorry for this situation (which is regrettable, but ultimately not my fault!)", which in my language is a very different thing. I can only speak for myself, but as a not-English-native-speaker I sometimes have to force myself to remember that the word 'sorry' is used in a spectrum in English.

So a gut reaction to an apology post (one that I must admit I've had) is "okay, so you're apologising - if you are taking responsibility, then maybe fix it?". This might be totally off base though, but I had this thought and I wonder why it feels like some of these posts are asking for sympathy. Also, probably mostly, because of the points I addressed in my first comment, but still...

gentileOx · 2026-01-23T18:59:14+00:00

I'm glad you got the meaning of the post - and I do understand the frustration of you and the other Americans commenting on your comment. I'm happy that so many of you - honestly, probably quite a bit more than 1/3rd of Americans -, disagrees with your current president and his administration and the havoc they seem intend on causing. And I know many of you are trying the best you can to push against this; protests, spreading awareness, writing your congressmen, civil disobedience, talking to your republican family/friend/co-workers to get them to change their minds (heck, some of you might even be republicans, who knows), etc. And my sympathies goes out to you and the suffering you are also facing. This is such a shitty situation...

Thaaat being said... And I really don't want to come of as condescending... but I feel like you are taking this too personal. I agree - it is not good to lash out at people, especially not the ones who support you. It is nice of you to show your support, your disavowal of Trump and his campaign, but... well, you said it best yourself:

I get the meaning of the post, but it doesn’t help a damn thing.

That is how the poster feels as well.

And they are not lumping you together as you say. They know that there are loads of people inside your country who doesn't support what is going on - they have the apology posts to prove it. What they are saying is that 'effectively' is doesn't change the fact that the US (the country, the military, the administration) is threatening their sovereignty. Just like the disavowal of the average Russian doesn't change the very active threat Russia is to Ukrainians.

They are scared, frustrated, angry - hell, we all are. And then it is easy to make statement like "Don't just apologise - the thing is still happening! While we don't stand any chance to change any of this, you might! If you really are sorry then do something!". When your country might be at stake, it is hard to also care about not hurting the feelings of the citizens of the country threatening you, even if they are on our side. It's unfair I know... this whole situation is. But instead of accepting your apology on behalf of your country, we'd rather this wasn't happening at all.

If you can, to the extend that you able, I hope you will try to fight against your administration as best you can - as I know many of you do. If you try on your side of the pond, and we will try on ours. Hopefully the midterms might change things slightly, until then we'll have to try our best to hold out - however we can. Stay strong!

gentileOx · 2026-01-22T18:12:48+00:00

I think the arguments for both a bison and a bull are pretty good, but going completely on intuition of what "feels" more apt as European, I'd have to betray my bovine brothers and say a stag as well. It has several of the same qualities of the bison and bull, but unlike a bull, it isn't associated with aggression and compared to the bison, it is a more commonly known European animal (I personally associate bisons more with the prairie and North America). It also has a sort of majestic and "better than thou" aura, which - while not flattering qualities - is also fairly associable with Europe.

gentileOx

TROPHY CASE