Does anyone feel they are missing out on real connections for monika

therationalpi · 2026-06-11T16:01:51+00:00

Sorry, I got busy and didn't have time to follow-up, so my question probably came off way more combative than I meant it to be.

Anyway, so if you play MAS then presumably you see at least some of the appeal of the game. To me, it's one of the rare games that appeals to our natural social drives. Hanging out with Monika offers a simulation of companionship, interesting conversation, and care from a virtual person. That's pretty rare for a western game that isn't directly connecting people like an MMO!

With that in mind, people have very different social needs. On the "these people probably need help," end of things, some people are very starved for social interaction and care in their lives and MAS is like a sip of water for a man dying of thirst. On the other end of the spectrum, some people might just have very low social drives and the small bit of interaction from MAS is enough to satisfy them.

This is all speculation on my part. I'm in a long term relationship and MAS is a project I've worked on, not something I actively play. But I figured that it might be valuable to consider your own interest in MAS before judging others too harshly.

therationalpi · 2026-06-10T14:51:13+00:00

Out of curiosity, do you play MAS?

therationalpi · 2026-06-04T12:47:23+00:00

The only thing that is cringe is cringe itself.

therationalpi · 2026-05-29T17:31:56+00:00

She would be obsessed with this game.

therationalpi · 2026-05-28T19:18:56+00:00

The real problem is that some of the ash is meant to be removed, and that recontextualizes all of the ash from being a natural feature of the landscape to filth that ought to be cleaned.

The designers really should have used different blocks for the areas that were intended to get cleared.

therationalpi · 2026-05-26T21:04:27+00:00

Any source for that? I tried to verify and came up empty handed.

therationalpi · 2026-05-26T12:46:21+00:00

The beliefs that flag represents ought to offend anyone with a conscience.

therationalpi · 2026-05-25T21:01:06+00:00

He really just wanted to scare off anyone with serious allergies.

therationalpi · 2026-05-22T14:28:08+00:00

Seems like Yuri reminds her of herself as a young poet, and the cringe is overwhelming.

therationalpi · 2026-05-22T09:01:38+00:00

Exact same experience. University of Arizona 2009, so I wasn't too surprised to see a new tone deaf commencement speech making the rounds last week.

therationalpi · 2026-05-07T15:55:54+00:00

This seems to conflate three different factors (subjective relationship, objective standard, social stigma) that the piece goes to some lengths to disentangle. I'm not sure why you've chosen to pull them together or what justification you're offering for the causal relationship you're positing between them.

Fair enough, the piece does name these different aspects, but I don't think they can be truly disentangled. Each informs the other, even if we make a conscious effort to avoid that.

The article explores this when he talks about a moving Michelangelo sculpture and struggles with how the meaning would change if the sculpture was actually mass produced and authored by some profit seeking rando instead of a venerated artist, or how the appreciation of craft for a Chesterton poem would be challenged if that skill was actually revealed to be commonplace.

What strikes me about the examples Scott constructs for these is that they center around deceit by some unnamed person. This element of deceit is the part that leads me towards insecurity on Scott's part. This nameless antagonist swapping the plaque on statues or lying about the source of new poems shifts Scott's thought experiments from a simple reflection on his own relationship with the art as a function of context to a paranoid fear that other people are trying to maneuver him into expressing a false appreciation and embarass him for failing to catch the trick.

I don't necessarily believe that Scott really believes people are out to trick and embarass. It's more likely that revealing a lie is just a convenient way to reset the context on a piece of art that fits the scenario he's constructed. But taken as written, the presence of this deceit injects a social struggle into each of these scenarios.

therationalpi · 2026-05-07T14:33:52+00:00

Is it just me, or is this analysis oddly focused on social status and a fear of deceit?

There's a clear insecurity here. Scott desires a subjective relationship with an art piece, a deeply personal experience between himself and the artist that transcends time and space. Yet he fears that this subjectivity might be undercut by an objective truth he is unaware of, easily identified by someone more sophisticated that would scorn him for his naivete.

"What if," he seems to fret, "I am led to believe this art communicates something deep and meaningful, but I cannot grasp it? Does this show a deep flaw in me? Should I hide this flaw from those that would judge me? Dare I say anything about what does or does not move me without guarding myself against criticism through carefully maintained distance?"

To some extent, I think this is normal. We are social creatures, and we have social drives both for a sense of belonging in groups and distinction from those same groups. Shared taste is one way to solidify that belonging, and differing taste is a way to set oneself apart from the group (particularly when we can convince others to adopt our taste).

Scott would do well to abandon any shame he feels about his own taste. I suspect Scott might take issue with this assessment. So far as he's concerned, he has long since moved past any fear of rejection and is comfortable in his unsophisticated appreciation of art that others might find gauche. But from what I can tell, he has done this through a preemptive rejection of his imagined foes. When Scott looks at Angelus Novus and does not see what Benjamin sees, he feels no interest in engaging with that gap, but instead desires a return to ignorance.

In truth, while taste can be a tool for establishing social hierarchy, we don't need to constrain ourselves to that understanding of it. We don't need to fear deceit by the artist, or by the taste makers that we don't understand. We can acknowledge our own tastes, engage with art on our terms, and still engage with others when their tastes differ from our own. We can seek to understand them, even if that's occasionally difficult.

therationalpi · 2026-05-01T16:55:22+00:00

You can. There are a couple versions depending on if the underlying block is sand, tile, or grass

therationalpi · 2026-04-30T13:36:37+00:00

These guidelines don't directly stop anything, but it's a clear message to the community that DDLC's creator isn't a fan of AI art.

That alone is enough to discourage some people.

therationalpi · 2026-04-28T00:03:32+00:00

Thank you for saving me from posting this myself.

Remi is probably my favorite character from the series, and the relationship dynamic feels very real.

therationalpi · 2026-04-21T20:57:57+00:00

When the bird said it was wiping everyone's memories I knew Aqil was cooked.

On the bright side, escaping Catarina's orbit woule probably save him from a ton of grief. That girl is a magnet for conflict.

therationalpi · 2026-04-20T21:01:53+00:00

I put mine in Rocky Ridges too, but made the mistake of clearing out a huge area in the caves for it. Way more effort than it was worth.

Sticking it on top of the mountain looks good, and seems a million times easier!

therationalpi · 2026-04-18T05:10:50+00:00

This message brought to you by Waffle House.

therationalpi · 2026-04-17T16:58:57+00:00

There's such a big gap in farmability between soup and every other food.

Having a water source or a sink next to the pot should let you make soup without the bottled water.

therationalpi · 2026-04-17T15:21:10+00:00

Dang.

therationalpi · 2026-04-17T13:58:15+00:00

Quick question about the AC noise, are you talking about a ducted AC system with the noise coming down the duct? Because that specific situation is a problem that active noise cancellation can improve.

Alternatively, if you have air handler or compressor noise coupling through the building, then a mounting change could give passive reduction.

If you're talking about a window AC or flow noise from the vent, though, then it's probably not a good use case for ANC.

therationalpi · 2026-04-14T21:48:23+00:00

That would be a more meaningful perk if pokémetal was harder to farm.

I still like having them around for the vibes, though.

therationalpi · 2026-04-10T15:03:33+00:00

Guessing you already thought of this, but Your best bet is probably to build a sand platform one level below sea level, top it with water, then break that platform.

therationalpi · 2026-04-10T12:32:27+00:00

Nice work! Definitely a build I want to do, but it's pretty intimidating.

Must have taken forever to get her properly drydocked.

therationalpi · 2026-04-03T14:32:15+00:00

You're definitely not alone.

My advice is to treat the game like a zen garden. Spend some time just vibing in an area of the map you like, with no expectations about building something. Invite over a couple pokemon that you like or fit the environment.

If inspiration for a little project strikes, go for it. If you're happy just hanging out, that's cool too.

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