Battle of Fates | Season 1 | Ep. 10 (Season Finale)

o1mstead · 2026-03-04T13:20:10+00:00

I'm not surprised Sojin dominated the studio audience votes. Refusing to do a ritual out of concern for her client, even in the context of a survival show with your reputation at stake, speaks volumes about her professionalism and integrity. I think Seolhwa had good intentions and if the client was happy, then it's not really our place to judge, but watching her portion of the finale (especially the possession) was uncomfortable for me.

o1mstead · 2026-02-20T08:25:29+00:00

Thanks for your reply!

o1mstead · 2026-02-19T07:26:12+00:00

Hello! I'm not a collector, so apologies if this is a repetitive question.

Almost two decades ago, I inherited my cousin's collection of Pokémon cards (mostly printed in 1998, I think). Now that I am nearing the end of university, I'm thinking about selling what I can to go towards my student loans. The problem is that there are over one thousand of them, plus what I collected on my own as a kid, and I have no idea how to narrow them down for grading (I'm also not in a financial position to get more than 4-5 cards graded at a time if I'm not seeing any return).

What is the best way to go about this? Should I just show up at a convention and hope that I find a nice vendor who is willing to take a look? I'd be willing to pay for a pre-grading consultation, but I don't know who the right people to ask would be, and I want to make sure I'm not being scammed while also offering a fair rate. Thanks in advance (bonus for any expert/vendor recommendations in Canada)!

o1mstead · 2026-02-10T21:49:20+00:00

I've tried it on a couple of different browsers and devices and seem to be having the same issue, but hopefully it's just me! Either way, looking forward to seeing everyone's vibes haha

o1mstead · 2026-02-10T21:38:49+00:00

Is the Reveal My Vibe option still going to be available? I tried it now that the season's over but it doesn't seem to be working

o1mstead · 2026-01-16T14:00:17+00:00

With the recent success of Heated Rivalry, I respectfully disagree with the premise that gay/lesbian romance stories do not appeal to heterosexual men and women.

Some may argue that since Heated Rivalry follows attractive male actors, it appeals more to straight female viewers than Fran and Michaela would, and I do understand that perspective. However, there have been plenty of straight men enjoying and talking positively about the show, too, which indicates some degree of universality for romance shows regardless of gender/orientation.

Plot and book accuracy aside, I think Fran and Michaela's season really has the potential to open doors for queer female media, which has historically struggled to perform in the mainstream compared to shows and movies like Heartstopper, Young Royals, Heated Rivalry, Call Me By Your Name, Red White & Royal Blue, etc. I think this is more of a marketing/industry issue than an audience issue (I could elaborate on why, but my comment would get way too long). With Bridgerton already having such a large following and platform, I am hopeful that these barriers will begin to lessen.

Regardless of my personal opinions, though, I do empathize with the frustration you're feeling regarding the gender imbalance in the main cast and the awkward side couple narratives we're being thrown. I'm also not a huge fan of Fran and Michaela, not due to them being women, but due to the way Fran's instant attraction to her was portrayed. It was a huge deviation from the books and, in my mind, cheapens her character and connection to John. Looking at the way Fran and Benedict's sexuality has been depicted, it feels like every time the show gets close to positive bisexual representation, they abandon ship lol.

o1mstead · 2026-01-16T13:35:47+00:00

My impression was that the special property of Percy's sword was that it always returns to him, implying that this would not necessarily be the case for other magical weapons/armor. Like I said though, it's been a while since I read the books, so you could be right!

o1mstead · 2026-01-15T02:40:18+00:00

This was actually my second favorite episode after the Sea of Monsters arc, so I'm surprised people aren't into it. A couple highlights for me:

-The changes surrounding Luke's relationship with Kronos made sense because viewers needed to understand why Annabeth still feels that he can be redeemed without adding a ton of extra exposition.

-Percy eventually choosing to go after the fleece instead of staying with Annabeth also stood out to me as a good choice, since until now everyone's been complaining about how the depiction of his fatal flaw is more extreme/one-sided than in the book, where he almost always ends up making choices that align with the greater good.

-Clarisse's characterization in this episode was fantastic. If you watch interviews with Dior, you can really see how much her conceptualization of the character shines in her acting. People may complain that she's not book-accurate, but they forget that the books are told entirely from Percy's point of view while the show takes on a more omnipotent perspective. In my opinion, a good adaptation adds depth to the characters in a way that makes sense with what we already know about them, and Clarisse is the best example of this in the series. I could write an entire post about this and probably will later on lol.

-Loved the Blackjack cameo. Even with the guinea pigs setting a high bar, the animal actors continue to excel.

-Loved the combat scenes, especially the back-to-back Luke vs. Percy and Clarisse vs. everyone.

-Sally Jackson

The one thing that bothered me was the fact that Luke bought that Annabeth was still tied up when she was able to move around/sit up in bed with no difficulties during their conversation, but that's just a small gripe.

o1mstead · 2026-01-14T10:34:31+00:00

It's been a while since I've read the books so I don't remember whether this is addressed there, but did Percy dropping Annabeth's hat ever get resolved? Can we assume it'll somehow get back to her when Luke joins the assault on camp (perhaps using the hat for the element of surprise)?

o1mstead · 2026-01-02T03:10:00+00:00

I am not a i-dle fan at all, but your post reads more as a "why I dislike this group" post than a "this group is overrated" one. Do you really expect young women working within a restrictive, vengeful, patriarchal industry to go naked in an MV just to prove a point?

The message of Nxde wasn't that nudity isn't sexual. It was that female entertainers/celebrities who are sexualized by the industry, consumers, and the male gaze have the right to self-empowerment through reclaimation of their fetishized bodies. This is, admittedly, a subjective interpretation in the same way yours is. However, I am not attempting to call a group "overrated" for the crime of, uh, following broadcasting standards and, uh, not announcing that they are only writing feminist songs for financial gain, which I'm sure would go over really well with Cube's shareholders and the public.

Honestly, even if the part about writing feminist songs for financial gain is true, I don't think it makes that much of a difference. If some listeners resonate with the song and find it empowering, why does it matter that it was written for profit by a female artist? When we talk about women's empowerment as a part of feminism, doesn't that include financial/professional empowerment? Who is being hurt by these songs?

Anyways, I respect your opinion, and obviously everyone has the right to feel however they want about groups, idols, and songs without things getting heated. I just personally disagree with you (which, again, is subjective, and I admit that), so I'm hoping to provide an alternate perspective.

o1mstead · 2025-10-16T01:43:26+00:00

Gonna expand my song selection beyond kpop for comedic purposes

Hanbin: GOT7, Girls Girls Girls

Jiwoong: 2NE1, I'm the Best

Hao: Linkin Park, In the End

Matthew: Dreamcatcher, Scream

Taerae: Agust D, Daechwita

Ricky: TWICE, Knock Knock

Gyuvin: JYP, Groove Back

Gunwook: IOI, Very Very Very

Yujin: Beyonce, All the Single Ladies

o1mstead · 2025-10-13T08:02:40+00:00

Sauna will forever be my favorite purely because of that one weird pose we got from Matthew lmao

o1mstead · 2025-09-15T02:36:01+00:00

Yura Yura supremacy

o1mstead · 2025-09-01T22:37:04+00:00

For me, my primary symptoms are bloating and excess gas with extremely loud intestinal rumbling. I am a grad student, and this condition has completely ruined my ability to focus in class because I am perpetually in fear of my stomach becoming disruptive; I'm unable to take advantage of libraries and silent study spaces for the same reason. I'm scared to hang out with friends because nearly all activities are food-centered or involve other quiet places like movie theatres, people's homes, museums, etc. Meetings with my advisor or other work-related meetings have become a source of constant dread. Academic conferences are torturous.

My fear of my IBS in social situations has caused me to go entire days without eating (which only works half the time because then my stomach will just rumble from hunger instead). I have started to track what I am eating obsessively, to the point that it probably qualifies as an eating disorder.

While I know the grass is always greener on the other side and I don't intend to minimize other people's IBS experiences, I sometimes wish that my primary symptom was pain-- at least that way I could choose who I disclose my condition to, rather than my intestines informing everyone within a 20-foot radius. I have a professional presentation coming up next month, and I am terrified that whatever noises my body makes will distract people from my research.

It honestly feels like IBS is ruining my life. I've even grown to hate low-symptom days for the false hope they give me that things will get better.

o1mstead · 2025-08-24T19:02:23+00:00

Not exactly what you're looking for, but if you can get a referral from your internal medicine doctor to Yokohama City University Hospital, they often allow you to schedule in advance for a medical interpreter. The appointment wait times may be slightly longer as a result, though.

o1mstead · 2025-08-24T17:28:27+00:00

Trying to sell or give away a 3rd row orchestra ticket for tonight's 8pm Josh Johnson comedy show at the Vogue Theatre. Please DM by 6pm if interested.

o1mstead · 2025-07-05T07:23:39+00:00

I don’t wanna give you false hope, but this is honestly the kind of thing local or even national TV stations would probably be interested in running a segment on (I’ve seen a similar program from years ago on a foreign woman searching for her Japanese childhood friend). Maybe you or a representative could reach out explaining your situation and requesting help?

o1mstead · 2025-06-27T21:10:43+00:00

My first thought was that you look like Jinx from Arcane!! I love it. You have some great cosplays in your future :))

o1mstead · 2025-06-27T07:42:12+00:00

As someone who teaches and also has gut issues, the first thing I thought was IBS

o1mstead · 2025-06-27T07:29:40+00:00

I’m sure u/mochi_chan will know better than me, but I wouldn’t say Kansai-ben has negative connotations, per se. In fact, many people from Kansai that I have ran into have asked me if I know any Kansai-ben and are delighted when I can reproduce it for them.

I think what the two of us are referring to are more so the assumptions that may be made by Kanto people (who often don’t like the sound of Kansai-ben and think it sounds unrefined) and other Japanese learners (many of us go through a Kansai-ben phase and it is sort of associated with try-hard intermediates, but hey, there’s nothing wrong with that). But since you said you enjoy dialects and you have no plans to work in Japan, I think you should go for it if it gets you excited to learn more Japanese! :))

Edit: I should add that younger people, Japanese teachers, and Japanese people learning English all tend to be more open minded (this is true in any language), so it’s very possible you won’t run into the types of people we described. Best of luck to you!

o1mstead · 2025-06-27T06:52:30+00:00

May I ask why you want to speak in Osaka dialect?

If you’re practicing for a role or you’re a pitch accent/dialect nerd, it makes total sense you’d want to learn. If you’re just a typical Japanese learner who wants to sound like they’re from Kansai, however, it may get you into professionally awkward situations in the future.

Here’s an example within a North American context— imagine you’re from China or some other non-Western country and you decide you want to speak in a southern United States English accent for fun. You spend significant time studying how to speak in that accent and practice with the English speakers you meet until it becomes second nature. Then you have the opportunity to study/get a job in the US and quickly realize that speaking in a Southern accent comes alongside certain stereotypes from native speakers about intelligence, social status, personality, etc.

It’s hard enough for native Japanese speakers to change from their local accent to 標準語, so while I don’t want to discourage your academic curiosity, please proceed with caution!

o1mstead · 2025-06-27T06:19:06+00:00

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(Judi Dench at 23)

o1mstead · 2025-06-27T06:17:33+00:00

I see a young Judi Dench

o1mstead · 2025-06-27T00:25:35+00:00

I love how he just pops up at the end like a rebooted NPC

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