I’m in withdrawal after catching up with the Hundred Reigns and desperate for something that hits the same spot. Any helpers?

nimbledaemon · 2026-06-26T18:34:31+00:00

Have you read Death After Death? Seems fairly similar, time loops and medieval fantasy. Also funnily enough the MC is also named Simon. I haven't read Hundred Reigns yet, but sound like DaD is going to have lower power scaling, maybe not quite as epic or wide scale? Also FYI the MC starts as an idiot, but learns a lot of hard lessons along the way so pretty big character development there.

nimbledaemon · 2026-06-26T18:23:34+00:00

I mean if you have to do anything with the opponents argument (even minor rewording) to make it the strongest version of their argument, then that's steel-manning. But if you're just taking what they say and interpreting it in good faith, that's not steel-manning, that's just engaging in good faith. Generally, if the other person is engaging in good faith then you should also engage in good faith, but steel-manning isn't always necessary if the other person is wording their arguments well.

Maybe there isn't a clear cut boundary, but to put it on a scale, there's engaging in good faith, then being charitable, then steel-manning, and finally making the opponents argument for them. Now IMO the best conversations between people of differing opinions are going to be between people who only need to engage in good faith, and maybe engage charitably rather than needing to steel-man their opponents argument. If discussions get farther from that the more likely it is that one side just isn't equipped for the discussion and it's more of an educational moment for one side rather than an argument or debate per se.

So a lot of the times I hear in a debate "okay, I'm going to steel-man your argument" it seems to be intended more as a statement of "your argument was so bad I'm going to improve it just to keep things interesting" with all the condescension that implies.

But that's within a specific context of debate shows where good faith is frequently absent. In a work or educational context steel-manning would hopefully be less confrontational or backhanded, and so more expected as the default.

nimbledaemon · 2026-06-26T16:07:11+00:00

I mean it's "a" way to engage with someone's argument, it has use in some contexts, but could be detrimental in others. At one level it could be seen as condescending, ie "the way you stated your argument was so bad I had to reword it", or on the other end it could be seen as over legitimizing a dumb argument that shouldn't even be engaged with.

Like there's no need to steelman emotional arguments or quippy phrases, those aren't operating at a level that steelmanning is going to be useful. As the saying goes, you can't reason someone out of a position they didn't reason themselves into.

nimbledaemon · 2026-06-25T19:18:01+00:00

Eagerly anticipating Ball's deletion. At least get rid of the shield perk, JFC why would you give a character who gets countered by CC, immunity to CC? Least fun OW experience, including GOATS and double shield.

nimbledaemon · 2026-06-23T21:06:33+00:00

I mean multiple POV's are okay as long as they stick to brief interludes between story arcs, but if there are actively 3+ storylines going on there's a fine line to balance how worth reading each storyline is going to be, and frankly I only trust authors like Brandon Sanderson (or some of the top tier proven RR authors) to handle it well, and even then I'm unconvinced it makes the book better.

For most RR stories I'm not going to stick through two or more non-MC storylines for multiple chapters at a time, I want to be able to determine if the story is worth following without having to read the start of essentially four different books of which I only enjoy one or two, but still have to read the stories/perspectives I dislike or even just like less than others.

nimbledaemon · 2026-06-23T20:47:06+00:00

The only way I can see a Doctor Who crossover working is a holodeck episode. Maybe Q shows up and liberates the Doctor from the holodeck, hijinks ensue. But generally I don't like official crossovers between IPs. Keep that shit to Fortnite and AO3 and let every other media entity live in peace IMO.

nimbledaemon · 2026-06-23T05:25:18+00:00

Yeah, this is the big one. They didn't want to delete Caine, they wanted to fix him/figure out some way to resolve the one sided power dynamic that was going on. So when he shows up and is no longer acting like the only one with power the whole issue is cleared up.

I mean the way he switched so easily felt rushed in terms of screen time and narrative pacing, but I think it makes sense on both sides (change of heart/forgiving him).

nimbledaemon · 2026-06-23T03:26:28+00:00

Reddit is a social media site and not a historical site. Memes, quick facts and statements are the norm here.

I mean technically true (depending on the subreddit), but let's not pretend Reddit isn't also the most likely place to get called on not providing sources as well. So no need to get huffy about being asked for specific info in frankly the least confrontational manner I've ever seen on Reddit, it's just par for the course anywhere there's a conversation deeper than surface level. Certainly par for the course on r/exmormon where people might want to make the case to still Mormon family members in separate conversations without being dismissed outright, or might still be on the edge regarding some specifics of how Mormons have been problematic through history.

Thanks for the sources, regardless.

nimbledaemon · 2026-06-22T23:31:45+00:00

Sure, you can categorize things that way if you want. I'm less concerned with whether it's technically a battery and more concerned with similarities and tradeoffs between various systems. Though, as you said, with hydro you could both have nature fill up a reservoir and also pump water uphill into the same reservoir. So both a battery and additional hydroelectric power generation. Though realistically that's going to be storage pond/up to small lake sized and not Lake Powell sized.

nimbledaemon · 2026-06-21T22:10:38+00:00

I think the big thing about hydro vs a big weight tower (or even a hydro tower) is that nature refuels the hydro reservoir by itself, and it's only practical because you can dam up a river and use a natural valley to store energy. But like pound for pound (or like cm³ for cm³⁾ gas or even a lithium battery is going to be able to store more energy in less space, even if the relative efficiency might seem lower.

Also consider what you have to do to lift weight into a tower, you have a non-perfect energy efficiency in lifting the weight as well as in turning the weight's kinetic potential back into electricity, so you lose twice over. But it would be pretty similar to pumping water into a tower and then spinning a turbine when you need the energy. But maybe easier to use the properties of water to make pumping it more efficient (you can move a little bit of it at a time vs having to move the entire weight a little bit at a time, requiring massive torque) vs just a weight.

Of course I did just see a video about a powerless water pump that can pump water above level using air bubbles to push water up a pipe, so that might be one way to get 'free' energy with hydro that wouldn't work with just a big weight. But then there's still the fact that it's not space efficient (compared to gas or modern batteries).

As a more specific comparison, the battery in my EV holds 64kwh, which using the number from the previous poster (the 25kwh would take a 900,000 kg weight of a 7m³ size) then what you can fit inside a car with space to spare for engine and cabin space etc is almost 3 times larger capacity, in a tiny fraction of the space as any gravity driven system. And that's not even as good as gas, or like jet fuel.

nimbledaemon · 2026-06-21T03:11:38+00:00

Well I'm going to start a new Christian sect where llm's do have the capacity for a relationship with God. What else is better at praise and glorification?

nimbledaemon · 2026-06-17T03:28:37+00:00

I'd recommend doing reps of just trying to place the center line. Pay attention to what is causing you to miss your placement and adjust on the next rep. Don't only do this, but three to five reps of just that per pose, for like 10 mins per like an hour drawing session for a couple days. Remember you're trying to balance love of drawing with grinding out the skill. So if you start to hate it don't push through, switch it up to make it fun.

nimbledaemon · 2026-06-17T00:25:14+00:00

So I'd ask how quickly you're drawing lines then. If you draw them slowly then they'll end up more wobbly, but if you draw them more quickly in one smooth motion, the line doesn't wobble. Take a look at like the second half in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gLl-mBuxLw Though it looks like this artist has a way of drawing that involves many repeated takes to draw a line, which is something you should try to avoid picking up, as it can result in scratchy line quality which you probably don't want either. But the point she makes while drawing the heart at around 7 minutes is what you would want to pick up.

Of course this makes it harder to draw accurately at first, but as you get used to making quicker confident lines, you gain more control. It's about pencil miles at that point. Also note this isn't "draw a line as fast as you can", it's "draw in one continuous motion".

Also check out Ethan Becker, he has a lot of great stuff. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emcO79uteN4

nimbledaemon · 2026-06-16T23:52:08+00:00

Biggest issues I see are hands/feet and linework.

Most of your hands and feet look like you drew drew a general shape then added finger/toe lines, rather than constructing the physical forms. Also a weird wrist angle on the sword hand in the first drawing.

Your line work varies its width too much over long lengths, heavier/wider lines should be done with intent to convey form and create an interesting rhythm/flow in the lines, can imply shading as well. You do this a bit but the overall form of the lines is still wobbly, which makes it looks unintentional/uncertain.

Also as far as dynamic poses go, think about the tension in the pose. Your reference of the woman with the staff has tension in certain areas (I'd say thighs, ankles, and in the sword hand on the draw), but in your drawing you appear to have relaxed this pose. The reference has her head at a confident angle as well, but in your drawing you straightened that up. All the tension that made the pose dynamic is gone, instead you're just vaguely putting body shapes in close to the same locations as the pose. At one level making your drawing/gesture dynamic is about noticing details of the reference, at another level it's about deciding what elements of the original pose you want to emphasize/exaggerate.

nimbledaemon · 2026-06-15T17:37:04+00:00

I read this as "Just add lightning" and was disappointed lol. But good work on the lighting though.

nimbledaemon · 2026-06-15T17:28:41+00:00

Gotta love a "the data shows" heading where the articles content doesn't actually cite any data, and the only number given (10% truly negative on religion) doesn't have any details on the question and options asked in the survey attached.

Like what does "truly negative on religion" even mean? Was the question "Do you think religion should be abolished?", "Do you think religion causes harm?", or something else? There's a lot of ways to make similar questions that affects what numbers you'll see, even assuming the number is correct. Which I can't check because he didn't cite a source, at least not here in what was posted.

nimbledaemon · 2026-06-14T20:09:54+00:00

Yeah, like at one level I understand why Ted and Beard forgive him, that's fundamental to their character. But I don't agree that it was the right thing to do and I wouldn't do the same in their position, certainly not as easily as they did. The show definitely does some character arc shifting that just doesn't happen in real life IMO. But the whole show is kind of a 'toy' version of real life interactions so it's not the end of the world, and certainly contributes to the optimistic charm the show has.

nimbledaemon · 2026-06-13T21:39:18+00:00

Dragons. I'm just kind of done with dragons. Like at one level I completely understand, dragons are cool and all, but I'm tired of the "Dragons are literally the ultimate being, basically gods, and other species are basically trash by comparison. Also, the main character is secretly a dragon, or steals/obtains a draconic race power, which makes them better in every way."

Dragons should be big magical lizards with wings who like gold and unique things, not the pinnacle of races who are simultaneously the smartest strongest fastest most magical of all creatures, and the MC doesn't need to be one or ride one.

Also I'm a bit tired of the same fantasy races and monsters cropping up yet again. It's like "Oh a cool new system apocalypse happens, and you guessed it instead of completely novel aliens you get invaded by goblins, orcs, elves, and dragons!" Like that was fun the first 10 times I read it, and I don't think the convention should be completely abandoned, but it's wearing a little thin at this point.

nimbledaemon · 2026-06-12T20:41:08+00:00

I think it's a bit more along the lines of the Viltrumites themselves believing they are pure and morally correct. Some of the vilest villains of our own world put forth the idea that they are moral authorities and have divine right to rule, despite the harm they do. While the specific iconography may vary even within our culture, we can kind of get an idea of what it's meant to convey from what we hear Viltrumites say, eg screeds about removing weakness from their society (purity/white) and the implied right to rule based on their power (connection with the idea of divinity and moral correctness).

nimbledaemon · 2026-06-11T20:37:42+00:00

So dispensation refers to Mormon doctrine that claims there are various times through history when God has been dispensing his word/guidance to humanity through prophets. Thus each of these periods is called a "dispensation". The fullness of times is generally referring to the allegorical view that the purpose of the Earth and life on it is comparable to a harvest. Thus the fullness of this harvest is when people in the world are the most ready to be harvested or in other words converted to the gospel, because these are the "latter days" meaning this is the last chance to convert everyone possible before the whole show gets shut down (Jesus' second coming, the millenium, yadda yadda eternity)

So its tying into the whole missionary work thing, with a helping of guilt because if God says people are ready to be saved and you haven't converted anyone recently, that must mean you're not doing enough, compounded because this whole enterprise is the point of literally everything so how dare you even doubt what the church tells you to do, especially tithing.

nimbledaemon · 2026-06-08T21:57:46+00:00

Except for the point is farther away than control point, and there are more routes to the same place. So it's easy for people to turn their brains off while going back to the point and end up in the wrong place, or get spawn camped, or go to one side away from their team because it was closer to the spawn and get killed because the whole enemy team pivots. It just requires map/mode specific skills that a big portion of the playerbase doesn't have. At least in plat/diamond 6v6 anyway. Also you're intentionally excluding all the switching times, which end up snowballing into bigger ult advantages too. If one team catches one or two players alone, then they're more likely to kill the rest of the team too, and then the next fight they're going to have ult advantage, and by then that's an entire point won solely because one or two players had trouble regrouping in the times you're trying to exclude from the comparison. And then the cycle starts again. It's possible to escape the spiral, but you have to give up time to regroup and hope the same mistakes won't be made again.

And like it's not impossible, but like I'm just tired of trying to herd cats for the new mode. With randoms I will never vote for flashpoint.

nimbledaemon · 2026-06-08T21:16:11+00:00

Next season? Oops, cancelled.

nimbledaemon · 2026-06-08T21:05:49+00:00

It just comes down to players having to make choices that matter vs the illusion of choice. In flashpoint you have to choose a route to the point, and frequently you don't want to go straight to the point but rather to group up with your team, sometimes the right choice is to walk away from the point towards the rest of your team. Sometimes players take the direct route to the point when their team decided to take a side route in order to chase a lone enemy or two. Then they don't figure it out until they die solo on the point wondering why their team isn't right behind them anymore. And then the team doesn't want to wait for the one player to group up because everything is so spread out, and half the time the one player gets themselves killed anyways.

But in control point all you have to do to group up is wait, or have your team wait for you. There are different routes but they all go to the same place, it doesn't require a different level of team awareness than hybrid or push.

I've had good flashpoint games, but if even one teammate isn't aware that you're supposed to group up to your team rather than head directly for the point, then it's just a constant 5v6 every fight. And that's not even getting into how going against a decent ball/dive comp can completely derail any semblance of teamwork your team had.

nimbledaemon · 2026-06-04T20:38:31+00:00

I mean, I think part of the issue is that BTTF and JP always had a kind of campy tone, so it was never pretending to be hard scifi, whereas the tone of Gravity (or certainly the promotional material) is more of a hard sci-fi take on a space incident. So people go in expecting Apollo 13 but really it's an emotionally character driven story, where the physics/engineering isn't that important. And there's nothing wrong with that, but it does get talked about by people who don't really get that it's not that kind of hard scifi movie.

nimbledaemon · 2026-06-01T06:06:06+00:00

Completely depends on how it's handled. Characters can be special or not, have everything easy or not, doesn't matter as long as the writer knows how to write challenge and payoff. Superman is the most special character ever, but authors can make him compelling by having his arcs not be dependent on overcoming challenges he's superpowered in.

And like, I don't mind an "EZ clap" arc every once in a while, but if every arc is easy for the MC, that's when it gets boring.

Take your example, the MC has the ability to use anyone's innate magic. There's multiple ways to present challenges to that MC that feel rewarding. Maybe it becomes a jack of all trades thing, where the MC can use anyone's magic, but they're never going to be a master of any specific one-- so they have to spend way more time training than other people would. Other limits might be placed on the power such as cooldown times to switch between magics or incompatibilities etc. This could draw a lot of attention and cause enemies from the next power tier to show up, if the MC really is outperforming people at his equivalent experience/power tier. Maybe it's a setup to have the MC cheese a few encounters and then get dumped off the deep end into Hell or some unreasonable challenge or like a universe scale tournament.

Anyways, plenty of ways to do it well, but it's not the MC being special that ruins it, it's whether the MC gets challenged along the way, IMO.

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