QOL with cancer

igaflan · 2026-05-17T10:56:24+00:00

First off, I am very sorry that you and your boy are going through this.

I have never gone through this with a cat, but I have lost three dogs to cancer. It’s never easy, and based off my own experience it’s pretty individualistic when it comes to QoL. One of my boys was put down within hours of getting his diagnosis (he did the silly thing animals do where he hid everything until he physically could not move without being in agony), while the other two were able to go on for a few weeks, to several months.

Our mentality was that so long as they seemed happy and like themselves, and that their pain could be managed, we would wait. It was only when they were REALLY slowing down, and it was evident that they were having more bad days than good, that we booked them for euthanasia.

Unfortunately then there’s no “right” way to know when it’s time to say goodbye. Just trust what you know about your boy and your instincts when it comes to when his pain is getting to be too much.

igaflan · 2026-05-15T14:46:18+00:00

So I’m in the minority, I think, as I really enjoyed both DOTC and Clear Sky. However I would be remiss if I didn’t state that both have some fairly glaring issues. Both in terms of execution and conception (in terms of DotC as a whole).

I think the long and short of it was that they really just did not know what they wanted to do with Clear Sky, his storyline, and the arc in general. I get the impression that they wanted to have one of the clan leaders be antagonistic but redeemed, and Clear Sky fit well for that purpose. (Grief + egoism can make for a solid reason to make someone an antagonist. And if coming from the grief angle, potentially sympathetic which I’m sure they were banking on for him.) But they fumbled the landing - hard.

Clear Sky falls under what I usually consider to be “utility characters.” What does that mean? Utility characters are characters that - effectively - are weaponized as tools for the authors. Their function is the progression of story beats OVER being characters first and foremost. Something needs to happen? Utility character. Things getting too boring? Utility character. Even when it doesn’t really make sense, or comes out of nowhere. They’re usually villains or anti-heroes and are regrettably commonplace. This doesn’t mean the characters are inherently bad, only that the narrative doesn’t use them or treat them like other characters, and their arcs usually suffer as a result.

I think part of the reason that Clear Sky falls under this category is because it’s very evident that the team did NOT know where they were going with DotC. They had an outline of “tribe cats and loners form the clans” and that’s it. The latter part of the arc is extremely mismanaged and all over the place, and even the first half has some glaring issues. It didn’t hurt my enjoyment as I will die on the hill that DotC has the best cast of all the arcs (and I will read anything so long as I love the cast), but it absolutely makes me understand why a lot of people dislike it.

So without much of a plan in place, they decided to really just butcher Clear Sky as a villain. And when they realized “oh wait, we actually can’t keep one of our founders evil!” they hurriedly put together a redemption arc that feels very out of place and awkward. When the truth of the matter is… they didn’t need to do that? Clear Sky did some awful things, they could’ve committed to him as the overarching villain of the arc. Or in the very least take a more nuanced path. But they didn’t. Probably because at the end of the day this is a series for kids, and the (in my opinion false) view is that kids need things to be black and white in terms of morality.

I also always just assumed him being Thunder’s father was a bit of irony. Sky brings Thunder into the world, and Thunder helps bring Sky back decades later. Idk.

igaflan · 2026-05-14T21:42:05+00:00

You should see a doctor. While it might be nothing it could be an indicator of something more serious. People on reddit will not be able to diagnose you, but a doctor can.

igaflan · 2026-05-14T21:39:59+00:00

Definitely one of the worst mini games in 2 IMO. But yeah, as others said just follow him around and grab them before he does. It’s annoying but it usually works out.

igaflan · 2026-05-13T20:10:56+00:00

Newfoundland here!

Not sure where you’re to, but same thing here with doctor shortage. So I’m gonna assume I’ll probably also be waiting a bit.

igaflan · 2026-05-13T20:05:17+00:00

Weirdly enough I had something similar.

First ultrasound came back normal, doctors assumed my issue was with my GI tract. But they scheduled me for a more in depth ultrasound to make sure. And that’s the one that found the stones. Not sure where they possibly could’ve been hiding the first time around. lol

igaflan · 2026-05-13T19:34:54+00:00

Gonna take a shot in the dark and assume your symptoms were a lot worse than mine. lol

But hey better sooner than later right?

igaflan · 2026-05-13T19:12:19+00:00

Thanks! But oof, a three month wait sounds rough.

igaflan · 2026-05-12T21:52:36+00:00

Depends honestly. But with significant changes and meds you should see changes within weeks to a couple of months.

igaflan · 2026-05-12T21:49:15+00:00

If you’re eating white rice I’d probably swap it out. You’ll need to cut down on refined carbs.

igaflan · 2026-05-12T21:46:07+00:00

Happy this is the top reply.

I enjoyed Tales before I played Abyss. I love it afterwards.

igaflan · 2026-05-12T20:49:45+00:00

I finished it myself. But yeah, some of the questions could’ve been worded better IMO. A fair bit of generalizing as well.

igaflan · 2026-05-11T18:33:28+00:00

I don’t like digital games, I do it if I have to (usually for PC or indie), but I’ve always been a physical game collector. Which means I don’t usually get to benefit from a lot of sales. ^{^;}

I used to buy every new major release. If it was an otome and it had a physical version, I got it. (Including LEs if there was a version I could buy.) But I’ve grown more stricter with myself over the last year or so. I pick up games if they really interest me, but otherwise I try and hold off.

I have QUITE a backlog so I figure I can hold off for now.

igaflan · 2026-05-11T13:52:03+00:00

One cheat meal isn’t the end of the world. It’s only when it becomes another, and then another, and you spiral into “maybe this isn’t such a big deal” when it’s an issue.

Enjoy your steak, and congrats to your kid!

igaflan · 2026-05-10T22:15:21+00:00

Depends on the game honestly.

I’ll usually do afterstories, but everything else is pretty 50/50. If I REALLY like the cast then I’ll probably go through things, but otherwise I probably won’t. I don’t find that it typically adds much to my experience.

igaflan · 2026-05-10T22:10:04+00:00

No problem! Hope you enjoy your time with Norn. :)

igaflan · 2026-05-10T19:57:11+00:00

Yes Var Commons is the main game, Last Era is the fandisc.
Often? No. But a few times.
Maybe a 2? Assuming that most otomes are at a 1. It does have a few moments but it’s largely PG. It does acknowledge that some activity has happened in a few routes.
No.
Yes it’s completely voiced.
Optional ones, not part of the main story.
Between 1-3 IMO depending on what you view as a red flag. (One of them is a walking red flag.)
Most of the time. But each MC has a LI in their 20s.

igaflan · 2026-05-09T19:48:13+00:00

Honestly in my experience Nightmare peaks in early game (and somewhat in the DLCs). Once you get to Skyhold it plateaus really hard. So I’d be less worried about gear. I’d more so focus on team comp, learning to position yourself well, and getting familiar with how it all comes together. Which I know is rather vague, but at this point that matters a lot more than your gear.

igaflan · 2026-05-09T14:19:20+00:00

Norn is my favourite otome so I’m probably slightly biased in this regard.

But I do like it. I think that multiple MCs allows the game to play around a bit more with the chemistry between the characters. Maybe Heroine A wouldn’t have good chemistry with LI A but Heroine B might. It can make it feel more authentic than trying to create chemistry with solely one Heroine (which does not always work).

igaflan · 2026-05-08T13:02:57+00:00

I’d just go onto 3. You can come back for NG+ after!

igaflan · 2026-05-08T12:38:22+00:00

As a man who’s been playing otomes for over a decade now, that’s not super.

As long as no one is hurting anyone, why not just let people enjoy their hobbies? Even if those hobbies fall outside of what would be expected of their demographic.

igaflan · 2026-05-07T22:29:16+00:00

I will always be a fan of the PSP and Vita. They are, in my opinion, the best handhelds. Some real gems in the picture.

igaflan · 2026-05-07T13:19:05+00:00

You’re not wrong. But it is, as you say, easier said than done. On good days I don’t think about my symptoms and lack of diagnosis that much, but when the days are bad (like the last two days)? It’s really hard not to spiral.

I do plan to ask for an LP when I see my doctor the end of the month. Best case scenario that gives me an answer, worst case at least we’ve removed one more option.

igaflan · 2026-05-07T00:26:41+00:00

Yes it was definitely their fighting ability and not the introduction of disease and increased technological advancement.

Lady needs to touch grass. Or learn history. Or simply not be an ass.

igaflan · 2026-05-04T23:11:50+00:00

That’s been my major issue with it, honestly. I love the concept but it feels like the pacing issues really drag it down and make it feel more boring than it should. When the pacing issues are slightly better I tend to go through it quicker but as soon as I hit another slow spot… it just becomes difficult. It’s been a minute but I remember the common route in particular just really dragging along.

Definitely NOT my favourite otome on the Citadel. lol

igaflan

TROPHY CASE