My best friend who is engaged kissed a girl at a festival
TLDR: My recently engaged drunk best friend kissed a girl of our friends friend group and I want to know why would he do such a thing despite me and my other friends warnings? He knew what he was doing and he kept talking to her, when he didn’t want her at all, according to his words.
My friend M, J and myself (M/26-30) went to a concert that lasted all day today. J, who is engaged, considers myself and M as really good friends and all 3 of us went together. We met with some of M’s friends later in the day which included 3 girls and 3 guys. I notice J saying hi and introducing himself to one of the girls (which, IMO AND M’s opinion, wasn’t attractive at all). When we all decided to walk over to another stage they were still talking and I noticed they got closer and closer and more flirty as time went by.
As more time went by, when J had the chance to come talk to M and myself, he rushly asked for our help to get the women away from her and that she wants his dick and what not. Me and M agreed that he shouldn’t be talking or flirting or whatever with her, however he said to us that he already told her that he was engaged and has a child, then says that she had 3 different baby daddies and has 4 kids… okay cool so the boundaries are set - only talking as friends.
We reach the stage and find a spot for our group to settle. More time passes as the performers blast ther edm music, I look over to J at some point and see them kissing - like full on grabbing each others hips, lip on lip action right in front of the whole group. I side step close to them and discreetly KICK his leg to have him stop, but no reaction and they are still kissing…
I should mention that the whole time J telling us to get her away from him was mentioned to us several times - there were many times he walked away from her to tell us to help him. Myself and M kind of stepped in to stop her from talking with him however did not help cause they started talking again after maybe 20 more minutes. It wasn’t all night more like on and off they were talking, before the kiss. We stopped “interfering” and just let them be. Fast forward to the stage, yeah we see them kiss.
Now my question is why is J continuing to flirt and talk to this women despite several warnings not to and that he did not want her flirting with him? Is it cause he was drunk and horny and knows he can keep it secret from his wife from a festival? There were times he would literally look back and fourth at her and initiate the conversation with her.
Another thing to mention is he is in love with his fiancée and fucking loves his child that he had with her, he does everything for his future wife and would die for her. I was very surprised to see what I’ve seen J do at the concert.
I understand concerts and festivals are prone to such things but it’s not a good excuse imo to be kissing another person while in a relationship. I just hate that I put the time and energy to try and stop J only for him to give into this women he met today

Sense is heart (i.e., mind), has three significances: clear discernment is named as sense; mean and measurement are named as intention; Aggregate Arousal is named as heart. Aggregate Arousal has three significances again: first, heart can aggregate and storage juristic seeds; second, heart is those juristic seeds being aggregated; thirdly, juristic seeds grow by fumigation, and heart can arouse ripened seeds into performances, has them become bodily orally and intentionally behaviors currently. See section 14.1 for more explanation of Aggregate Arousal.
Among Buddhist 100 laws, there are eight positions of sense laws totally, namely, (1) eye-sense, (2) ear-sense, (3) nose-sense, (4) tongue-sense, (5) body-sense, (6) intent-sense, (7) preconscious-ness, and (8) unconsciousness. The seventh pre-consciousness is the mobile working platform of the former six senses. The eighth unconsciousness is the total root of the former seven senses, also known as the fundamental sense.

11.4.5-1 Differentiations of the Eight Senses

(1) eye-sense, which is the seeing of seeing colors. (2) ear-sense, which is the hearing of hearing sounds. (3) nose-sense, which is the smelling of smelling fragrances. (4) tongue-sense, which is the tasting of tasting tastes. (5) body-sense, that is, the feeling of feeling touches. (6) intent-sense, which is the know of knowing laws. The six senses are exactly seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, feeling, and knowing; and they also have the name of six feelings.
(7) preconscious-ness, is called Mana-sense in Buddhism, and Eve-sense in Godly religions. Ancients said that it is subtle and difficult to distinguish, so they use its major companion "Intent" to represent it. Therefore, we call Preconscious-ness as Intent in Buddhism. Preconscious-ness is root for six former senses, is ever updating work platform of heart (i.e., mind), which is constantly updating itself with the change of intention.
https://preview.redd.it/o2m5ay0xb64d1.jpg?width=1213&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=46154375848bf459ede2c57be05d54b650e80643
Ancient people often used "measuring worm" (see fig. 11.4.5.1-1) to describe the behavioral characteristics of preconscious-ness. When the measuring worm moves, the back feet are always grasping something; the front feet are looking for a place to land, as if pondering. After the front feet have grasped something, the back feet follow. The behavior of preconscious-ness is very similar to that, preconscious-ness is also always grasping something, and looking around, pondering. When it discovers and moves to a new target, it renews its attachment, and then searches for a new target to move on to. The preconscious attachment, which has the function of internal along-thoughts ego, was called Abel by the ancient Egyptians, and Quetzalcoatl by ancient Mexicans. The attachment that Eve-sense's hold is the precedingly faded thoughts, and that belongs to Adam-sense (i.e., the contaminated part of the unconscious).
Because of the above characteristics of Eve-sense, the ancient Egyptians used the breastfeeding of Abel to indicate that the woman is Eve (see Figure 11.4.5.1-2). Eve's neatly arranged pattern (motif) hair in the figure represents “500 majesties 108,000 charms” (cf. section 16.2), which is the woman's skin that God coated on Eve. Figure 3 shows the ancient Mexican Eve, Chalchiuhtlicue, who also signaled her status as Eve by breastfeeding Quetzalcoatl. The tree she is facing is her Enlightenment Tree that grows from her Ollin Heart (i.e., bodhicitta, the oath she took when she was child).
In addition, preconsciousness has a promoting effect on the formation of language, so the ancients also call it as Escalatory Language Feeler, meaning that preconsciousness has escalatory function on language.
(8) The greatest characteristic of the unconscious is mutably mature. Mutable matureness means that the seeds in the unconscious are ripened by fumigation and mutation. Mutation is ripening because mutation is capable of holding karma. Here is a brief description of the unconscious in the words of a poem by Tang Tripitaka, “Receiving the fumigation, holding the seeds, it is the root, the body, and the vessel world (i.e., the material world); leaving later, coming first, being the non-lord executive.”
https://preview.redd.it/jjt6okjyb64d1.jpg?width=2020&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=aff3835c0eb03c8149cfaed571dd5e8913b671c5

11.4.5-2 Correspondences between Eight Senses and Nine Heartlands

Nose-sense and tongue-sense exist only in Desire Boundary (Fig 11.4.5-2-23). Eye-sense, ear-sense, and body-sense exist in the Five Interests Mixed Dwell Land (Fig. 23) and the Leave Producing Laugh Land (Figure 24). The former five senses are absent in the third land (Fig. 25) and above. The sixth and seventh sense are prevalent in all the three boundaries nine lands, except for the Thoughtless Retribution and the Longevity Sky. The eighth sense, unconsciousness, prevails in all the three boundaries nine heartlands.

11.4.5-3 Correspondences between Eight Senses and Environments

The 8 senses have 3 kinds of objective environments, namely, nature environment, solitary head environment, and qualitative environment.
I) Nature Environment, which environment has its own nature, has factual function, is what the aggregative heart manifests after gain of the objective nature, has the following five significances. A) It is obtained from the present quantity. B) It has media qualities, such as a sound must have hearable media qualities. C) It is born from its own seed, cannot be produced directly by the aggregative heart. D) It has factual function and usage. E) Its nature and boundary category do not change along heart’s change.
II) Solitary Head Environment, which is projected by the aggregative heart itself alone, its presentation is projected and held on by the internal thoughts, has no other nature. There are four states of mind studied in Buddhism, namely: A) the wakeful state of mind; B) the still state, i.e., hallucinational state, such as the phenomena talked in Chapter 12 Meditation; C) the state of dream; and D) the state of loose mind, such as the occasionally popping up thought by the mind on its own. The last three of these four states are all Solitary Head Environments.
III) Qualitative Environment, that the objective environment has its own based on quality, the subjective viewer cannot get its real natural phenomenon. The kind of environment has following two types. A) Truly Qualitative Environment, means that heart aggregates heart, i.e., the sixth sense is to aggregate all other hearts and heartland laws, and the seventh sense alone aggregates view-quadrant of the eighth sense. B) Similar Qualitative Environment means that heart aggregates color (color means matter in Buddhism), the saying is that the projected objectives have similar quality to its own, such as according to sutra’s teaching to make view, which view is not the present environment aggregated by the former five senses.
The former five senses and the eighth sense only aggregate Nature Environments. The sixth sense can aggregate all the three types of environments. The seventh sense only aggregates Qualitative Environments.

11.4.5-4 Correspondences between Eight Senses and Three Quantities

The quantities processed by eight senses have three types, namely Present Quantity, Metaphysical Quantity, and Non-Quantity.
I) Present Quantity is the environment being aggregated by the capable measuring heart, when the heart aggregates the objective phenomena, not having distinguishments and cognitions. Present Quantity has the three significances. A) It is the present time, not past or future. B) The object of cognition must be manifesting, i.e., it must be a law in the present position; seeds cannot be Present Quantity. C) Presently have, the able heart and the being measured environment, both must be clearly presenting at front, mutually combined.
II) Metaphysical Quantity is measurement fruit obtained through speculative comparison and conjecture. For example, if you see smoke on a mountain, you know that there must be a fire there; if you see two horns outside your courtyard wall, you know that there is a cow outside the wall.
III) Non-Quantity is a collective term for “similar present quantity” and “similar metaphysical quantity”. Similar present-quantity is that there is distinguishing intelligence that takes measurements on environmental differentiations, such as a wise man who knows that vases and clothes, etc., which are born from treatment and discrimination, because of those significances not based on their self-phenomena. Similar metaphysical quantity, which arises in accordance with the similar causing intelligence at first, such as in the case of mistaking fog for smoke in a mountain and deducing that there is fire there. Another example is to see a vivid stone lion and be afraid, not thinking it is just a stone. The inability to understand correctly that it is a stream of the true but not the true is called the similar metaphysical quantity.
The former five senses and the eighth sense only aggregate present quantities. The sixth sense can aggregate all the three kinds of quantities. The seventh sense only aggregates non-quantities.

11.4.5-5 Correspondences between Eight Senses and Morality

Morality can be simplified to the three kinds: benevolence, memoryless-ness, and ferocity.
I) Benevolence means the behavior that can benefit this and other generations. Eye-sense, ear-sense, etc., the former six senses have benevolent nature.
II) Ferocity means the behaviors can cause damages in this and other generations. The eye-sense, ear-sense, etc., former six senses have ferocious nature.
III) Memoryless nature, morally neutral, neither good nor evil behavior leaves behind unrecorded karma, i.e., karma without memory or immaculate karma. There are two kinds of memoryless nature, namely, Convertible Memoryless-ness and Nonconvertible Memoryless-ness.
A) Convertible Memoryless-ness is saying of the seventh sense, preconscious-ness, its behaviors are contaminations, but it does not produce good or evil karma, which is called Convertible Memoryless-ness. Preconscious memory is like the memory of a computer, updating all the time, which means that preconscious-ness is Convertible.
B) Nonconvertible Memoryless-ness is talking about the eighth sense, unconsciousness. Many unconscious natures remain unchanged throughout life, and it does not distinguish good and evil, its nature can’t be contaminated, nor good and evil, hence name of Memoryless-ness. The Nonconvertible Memoryless-ness means that everything is remembered unconsciously from the time a person is born to the time of death, and the memory of its past experiences comes into play whether the person's consciousness remembers it or not.
Among the eight senses, eighth sense, unconsciousness, aka God-sense, is only nonconvertible memoryless nature; seventh sense, preconscious-ness, aka Eve-sense, is convertible memoryless nature. Eye-sense, ear-sense etc. former six senses have all the three ethical natures, which is saying that they appear as good nature when they are among good laws; when they are among evil laws, they show as evil nature.

11.4.5-6 Correspondences between Eight Senses and Heartland Laws

The former five senses correspond to the 34 heartland laws (cf. section 11.4.4.1), which are the 5 Omnipresent Heartland Laws, namely, attention, touch, acceptance, think, and mean; the 5 Particular Environment Heartland Laws, namely, desire, resolution, spell, stillness, and gnosis; the 11 Benevolent Heartland Laws, namely, belief, shame, sin, greedless-ness, non-irritability, non-ignorance, diligently advance, light ease, non-indulgence, acting renunciation, harmlessness; the Fundamental Annoyances, namely, greed, irritability, ignorance; the 2 Medium Following Annoyances, namely, shamelessness and sinlessness; and the eight Large Following Annoyances, namely, drowsiness, depression, unbelief, slackness, indulgence, lost spell, agitation, incorrect know.
The sixth sense, intent-sense, corresponds to all the 51 heartland laws (cf. section 11.4.4.1).
The seventh sense, preconsciousness, corresponds to the eighteen heartland laws, which are the 5 Omnipresent Heartland Laws, namely, attention, touch, acceptance, think, and mean; the 1 Particular Environment Heartland Law, gnosis; the 4 Fundamental Annoyances, greed, ignorance, arrogance, and Seth view; and the 8 Large Following Annoyances, drowsiness, depression, unbelief, slackness, indulgence, lost spell, agitation, incorrect know.
The eighth sense, unconsciousness, corresponds only to the 5 Omnipresent Heartland Laws: attention, touch, acceptation, think, and mean.
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I live in the UK and I was in the job for just over 6 months, passed 3 month probation with flying colours and manager was raving about me. One day he randomly changed his tone, bringing up some 'performance' issues around the speed of tickets getting done and saying if there wasn't improvement seen that he 'would have to make it more formal'. No problem, I knuckled down and was flying through tickets for a new project and when we had the next catch up he said he had seen a big improvement and to keep it up. The following week, literally 3 working days since that last chat, I'm called in for a termination call and told they'd seen 'no significant improvement'. Bullshit, but ok.
I decide to do a Subject Access Request because things weren't adding up, and holy shit the notes kept were fucking terrible. Sometimes it's a very short sentence in a spreadsheet, others are photos of the 3 or 4 words he scribbled in a notebook for a 1to1. There was feedback that was never passed onto me, stuff that was completely wrong: he noted me down as living in a different city (even though they have my address on file) and said I couldn't travel to meet the team enough (only 1 in-person meet was organised while I was with the company, and I was there), and quoting things that I never said!
It's a fucking mess. I don't know if everything is wrong because he's incompetent, or because he was deliberately lying, but I'm glad I asked to see it because now I can stop wondering if I was really as terrible at that job as they said I was.
I was there such a short time I don't think I have any legal rights to challenge them, but I'm amazed at the bullshit I just read and experienced at a company that has been winning awards for Best Place to Work! Also, never feel afraid to do the Subject Access Request, so long as you're specific about what you want to see and it isn't across a crazy timescale, they legally have to comply.

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Hey, Dives! In a little over a week, I'll be attending IVE's concert in Berlin in Uber Arena (formerly known as Mercedes Benz Arena). I am not German nor do I speak German but it was the closest I could get to my home country and I have travel and shelter all sorted! But the thing is, I have never been to any kind of concert or festival before, I'm not very socially apt and rarely go out, let alone to a big social event like this!
As such, I have a few questions that came up that I would like to ask of those who perhaps have more concert experience or better social skills than I do! For reference, in case this is relevant to my questions: I have a seat ticket.
1, Arrival times How much earlier do I need to be there before the show starts? I have my digital ticket to be scanned but is there any other stuff I might need? Should I show up an hour early, two maybe? On a similar note, I keep seeing videos like these (TikTok link: as an example); where does this take place? Is this where the Idols come into the stadium, is this some kind of VIP perk or is it just a matter of getting there on time and getting in a well enough position to see the girls passing through?
2, Personal Items & Bathrooms I assume you can't bring in food or water for obvious reasons but how about small bags? Am I allowed to bring in small, personal items like a light bag or purse? What are the size limitations to this? (Small backpack, handheld bag, fannypack even, etc.) And how possible it is to go to the bathroom during the concert? My bladder is comically small and I have gone 3 hours without using the restroom before but not often and not without some discomfort, is it possible to slip out into the restroom? If so, do I ever have to be worried about my seat potentially being filched?
3, Dress code & Merchandise I know you need to be dressed reasonably, so shirt and shoes and all that! However, is there some kind of other dresscode rules I should know about? No big jackets or certain kind of shoes, jewelry, etc. not allowed? On that same note, could I get in trouble for wearing non-legitimate merch? I have a bootleg recreation of the jacket the girls wore for Kitsch and a joke shirt design, featuring Rei (Imgur link: the design in question) that I intend on wearing. Could this outfit possibly have consequences because the "merch" was not officially produced by Starship?
4, Fanchants How exactly do fanchants work? I have been aware of their presence since I first got into K-pop years ago but I was never sure when to do it or what the words are, does anyone have any resources they could provide that features a list of fanchants and their timings for IVE performances?
5, For those who have been to Uber Arena before Does the staff speak English and are they patient? As I said before, I don't speak any usable German, I can make out a few words here and there thanks to my primary school education but that's about it! Will the people ticketing me or security guards or any such folk be able to speak English to make myself understood? And, in your experience, have they been kindly and more patient or have they occasionally been rude or even straight-up unpleasant?
6, The Fans I have heard mixed things about the K-pop fans at these events. I've heard that 9/10 people will wanna talk and discuss their faves and so on, but there is also that stereotype that Germans are grumpy and curt with tourists, but I don't want to believe just random outdated stereotypes on the Internet, so I'd love to ask how your experiences have been at IVE concerts or German K-pop concerts in general?
Thank you in advance for your answers and replies!

I swear I tried Googling this (imperfect) pun/joke, but I couldn't find an example.
Maybe... "What do you call a performance where a girl in blackface has her period on stage? A menstrual show."
I know. I'm bad at making up jokes. But can anyone find me an example of this sort-of play on words being used?
Thanks ahead of time.

There’s a lone peasant on the beach of Saru Island in Ghost of Tsushima’s Iki Island DLC.
Last night he burned the final pieces of wood from the Bamboo Strike to stay warm under the moonlight. If Jin wishes to practice his swordsmanship, he’ll need to supply his own wood.
…at this point in the game you have 9827346 bamboo pieces. A few to spare should do no harm.
After three perfect slices, Jin and the Peasant exchange words again. Noticing the lack of any other humans in the area, Jin asks why the peasant makes his home in a location so remote. The Peasant replies:
“As you just demonstrated, the quiet helps one focus.”
--
Ghost of Tsushima (GoT) is a game about slicing up bad guys while dressed as a cool samurai-ninja dude heavily tied to nature and spirituality. It mirrors and puts to use a staple of Japanese culture; Shinto — a spiritual tradition which holds that deities are found in nature.
I do not pretend to be an expert on Shinto or Japanese culture. Au contraire, I'm a basic-bitch white dude in America. I just like writing about video game elements that catch my attention, and GoT uses nature in ways that really capture me. If you'll allow me to explain with a nice wall of text...
ELEMENTAL EMPHASIS
You don’t need me to tell you that GoT is a visually and audibly incredible game.
You don’t need me to remind you of its golden forests, its snowcapped mountains and its rugged seaside cliffs — you’ve seen them for yourself.
It’s clear that jaw-dropping visuals and natural environments were something the devs wanted players to experience rather viscerally — take, for instance, sunrise and sunset being their own distinct times of day, not just a few scant moments between the day/night cycle. Or the sheer dramatic bombast of the autumnal forests, floral fields or sun-splashed mountains of Tsushima and Iki.
The realism in audio as well still impresses me — crackling bamboo forests, crashing waves, rushing waterfalls and powerful wind gusts all sound incredible. They sound more than that, they sound enveloping, three dimensional — they sound as they should; like you’re really there.
These are all great, yeah, but plenty of games look and sound great. What I noticed was the subtle ways the devs prompt additional emphasis on them.

• Minimal HUD for maximum eye candy
• Minimal music during open world traversal to lean into the sounds of nature
• Rule of Thirds camera angle at all times gives plenty of room to see the sights
• Camera pull-outs on horseback and in select locations (shrines, certain mountains & fields) to drink in even more beauty
• Incredible vistas and plenty of rocks, mountains and hills to summit to view them from

Naturally, you’ll slow down to appreciate these at least a little, even if you are the most impatient kind of player (assuming the game doesn’t get in your way when you try).
Again, the game was crafted in such a way that tells me that the devs want you to slow down and experience these things. Take, for further evidence, some of the game’s activities and waypoints:

• Hotsprings — encourage the player and Jin to reflect on the story
• Haikus — encourage the player to meditate on circumstance and emotion
• Sanctuaries — encourages Jin to reminisce on his childhood and contemplate music’s place in his life
• Keirei (Bowing) Interaction — encourages Jin to honor and then interact with the locale’s fauna
• Freeing Caged Animals — encourages the player and Jin to value natural life

Reflect. Meditate. Reminisce. Honor. Value.
GoT’s activities aren’t all combat, time-trials and races. They’re communion with nature, and GoT is telling you that it must be achieved slowly, with respect and in the quiet.
“As you just demonstrated, the quiet helps one focus.”
ELEMENTAL POWER
But the landscapes and vistas of GoT aren’t just pretty pictures for the sake of being slowly-consumed eye candy. Sucker Punch leans deeper into Shinto than just the aesthetic, nearly personifying Tsushima’s natural wonders.
Nature is Spiritual

• Jin’s honoring of deities at Shrines (all placed in secluded, naturally wonderful locations) grants him gifts and upgrades.
• Haiku meditation grants Jin a vanity piece, but also represents his grappling and overcoming of circumstance and emotion, balancing his spiritual well-being
• Yuriko mentions that Jin’s deceased father, Kazumasa, is the Guiding Wind and his late mother the Golden Songbird
• Foxes leading you to Shrines of Inari are implied to be Inari themselves leading you to their graces

Nature is Knowing

• There’s a subconscious realization that nature sees you in GoT
• The Guiding Wind points you on your way, it knows where you are and where you need to go
• The more Ghost actions you perform, the more stormy Tsushima becomes. Nature sees your actions and reacts to them.
• Inari foxes and Golden Songbirds know where you are on the map and jump in to help you when you’re near something you could miss. In both instances, that thing makes you stronger, leading me to…

Nature is Powerful

• Hotsprings add to your maximum health
• Charms gifted by Mother Nature bolster Jin’s abilities
• Storms sweep the trees and send startling cracks of thunder across the land
• Mount Jogaku is frigid and dangerous to summit without additional sources of warmth
• Jin & co. rely on the strength of a storm to aid their final attack on the Khan

Be it spiritually, intellectually or physically, nature holds power in GoT.
WHERE MAN MEETS NATURE
So GoT emphasizes natural wonder and gives it agency… Cool, whatever.
Where do we come into this? Where do man and nature meet and how do they interact in GoT?
SuckerPunch (and myself) are hitting you over the head with it; Man meets nature respectfully, in the tranquility of the quiet. When he does so, he receives its blessings.
He becomes stronger of body (hotsprings, shrines) and sounder of mind (haikus, sanctuaries).
GoT interactions, activities and more demonstrate to us that when man communes with nature and approaches it carefully with reverence and appreciation, he grows.
He learns, he sees, he remembers, he feels, he discovers, he opens.
Even the seemingly trivial headband vanity rewards we receive at haikus represent this — their namesakes denote some mastery or acceptance of the quality, circumstance or emotional subject of the poem. Consider the Handbands of Strife, Fear, Uncertainty, Perseverance, Rebirth and Hope, for example.
Jin is facing his mental struggles and conquering them not with force or ignorance, but with quiet contemplation using nature as the vessel.
Respecting nature brings it joy (Keirei interactions at signposts). It allows nature itself to thrive (sanctuaries) and allows us to thrive (haikus). Even freeing hawks and monkeys at Mongol camps grants us additional awards.
Conversely, when man meets nature violently, destruction is usually reciprocated in return.
Consider the storminess of the game’s major battles, or the increase in rainfall as you perform stealth kills and your Ghost Meter fills. The Mongol’s burning of the Endless Forest leaves death and devastation; their final battle with Jin is shrouded in storm.
Antagonistic and wrathful actions bring about destruction — they upset nature’s balance.
WHERE JIN MEETS NATURE
What if, genetically speaking, you were… “the lightning in the storm?”
That sounds an awful lot like destruction.
And that is the fate of Jin Sakai. Aside from the fact that the devs have more-or-less confirmed this, consider not just Kazumasa’s words above, but also… well, the game’s default sword kit, passed down in Jin’s family — it’s the Storm of Clan Sakai.
Not to mention Jin’s ownership and use of the flute, a mechanic that allows him to change the weather.
Jin is the storm. We, the player, are the storm.
We sweep across Tsushima, wreaking havoc in our wake of bloodshed, piling up countless Mongol corpses and stirring the island’s inhabitants.
Jin’s descent from honor into becoming the Ghost is his own internal storm (represented externally by, well, storms), and creates a similar uncertainty and disjointedness in Jin’s character as the island of Tsushima is experiencing under the Mongol invasion.
With such internal and external unrest, how can Jin achieve his goals and halt the Mongols?
PERFECTLY BALANCED
Jin may be the storm literally genetically, but remember that only half of his parenthood bore the Sakai name.
If Jin’s father — by his own admission in so many words on Iki Island — embodies a wildness, a propensity for conquest and might, then Jin’s mother brought him the opposite.
Indeed, it was two mothers — one biological, and one of nature.
We mostly learn of Jin’s biological mother through his own recollections at Sanctuaries. I wish I had a bank of this dialogue for further support here — I couldn’t find it while searching around.
What I remember is that she contrasted Kazumasa.

• Where he brought wildness, she brought calm.
• Where he brought brute force, she brought emotion.
• Where he brought seriousness, she brought lightheartedness.
• Where he brought conquest, she brought peace.
• Where he was uncertain, she brought thoughtfulness.

Raised by the opposing sides of a single coin, Jin is naturally bound to land somewhere in the middle.
But, under the stress of a terrifying invasion on his homeland and, as a result, mentally and emotionally unbalanced, he’s bound to land more on his father’s side. He’s bound to bring that wildness to his endeavors and potentially cause unnecessary harm and destruction.
Thankfully, with his mother’s principles swirling subconsciously, Jin remembers the importance of the land around him. He remembers to honor the very ground he is trying to liberate.
Rather than rushing Castle Shimura off rip, Jin engages with the land of Tsushima.
He rests at hotsprings, contemplates haikus, pays homage at shrines and reaps the physical, mental and emotional benefits that follow his reverence.
He does not ever quell the storm that lies inside of him — no, he is clan Sakai — but because of his attention towards and engagement with nature, he does gather it. He does control it. He does master it.
Through his late mother and through mother nature herself, Jin takes the weight of saving an entire island off his shoulders. Sound of body, mind and spirit, he becomes perfectly balanced. As all things should be.
--
Jin can do incredible things on the battlefield and in the shadows. He’s an absolute freak of nature when it comes to swordsmanship and athleticism.
Jin Sakai is, indeed, the lightning in the storm. All its power, all its might, all its destruction — importantly — captured in one single space. Honed into one prong, one moment, one man.
By prioritizing Shinto practices, Jin is not a reckless, swirling, chaotic typhoon — he has balanced his internal turmoil with peace and meditation and is now a controlled force, focused vigilantly at Khotun Khan.
“As you just demonstrated, the quiet helps one focus.”

There’s a lone peasant on the beach of Saru Island in Ghost of Tsushima’s Iki Island DLC.
Last night he burned the final pieces of wood from the Bamboo Strike to stay warm under the moonlight. If Jin wishes to practice his swordsmanship, he’ll need to supply his own wood.
…at this point in the game you have 9827346 bamboo pieces. A few to spare should do no harm.
After three perfect slices, Jin and the Peasant exchange words again. Noticing the lack of any other humans in the area, Jin asks why the peasant makes his home in a location so remote. The Peasant replies:
“As you just demonstrated, the quiet helps one focus.”
--
Ghost of Tsushima (GoT) is a game about slicing up bad guys while dressed as a cool samurai-ninja dude heavily tied to nature and spirituality. It mirrors and puts to use a staple of Japanese culture; Shinto — a spiritual tradition which holds that deities are found in nature.
I do not pretend to be an expert on Shinto or Japanese culture. Au contraire, I'm a basic-bitch white dude in America. I just like writing about video game elements that catch my attention, and GoT uses nature in ways that really capture me. If you'll allow me to explain with a nice wall of text...
ELEMENTAL EMPHASIS
You don’t need me to tell you that GoT is a visually and audibly incredible game.
You don’t need me to remind you of its golden forests, its snowcapped mountains and its rugged seaside cliffs — you’ve seen them for yourself.
It’s clear that jaw-dropping visuals and natural environments were something the devs wanted players to experience rather viscerally — take, for instance, sunrise and sunset being their own distinct times of day, not just a few scant moments between the day/night cycle. Or the sheer dramatic bombast of the autumnal forests, floral fields or sun-splashed mountains of Tsushima and Iki.
The realism in audio as well still impresses me — crackling bamboo forests, crashing waves, rushing waterfalls and powerful wind gusts all sound incredible. They sound more than that, they sound enveloping, three dimensional — they sound as they should; like you’re really there.
These are all great, yeah, but plenty of games look and sound great. What I noticed was the subtle ways the devs prompt additional emphasis on them.

• Minimal HUD for maximum eye candy
• Minimal music during open world traversal to lean into the sounds of nature
• Rule of Thirds camera angle at all times gives plenty of room to see the sights
• Camera pull-outs on horseback and in select locations (shrines, certain mountains & fields) to drink in even more beauty
• Incredible vistas and plenty of rocks, mountains and hills to summit to view them from

Naturally, you’ll slow down to appreciate these at least a little, even if you are the most impatient kind of player (assuming the game doesn’t get in your way when you try).
Again, the game was crafted in such a way that tells me that the devs want you to slow down and experience these things. Take, for further evidence, some of the game’s activities and waypoints:

• Hotsprings — encourage the player and Jin to reflect on the story
• Haikus — encourage the player to meditate on circumstance and emotion
• Sanctuaries — encourages Jin to reminisce on his childhood and contemplate music’s place in his life
• Keirei (Bowing) Interaction — encourages Jin to honor and then interact with the locale’s fauna
• Freeing Caged Animals — encourages the player and Jin to value natural life

Reflect. Meditate. Reminisce. Honor. Value.
GoT’s activities aren’t all combat, time-trials and races. They’re communion with nature, and GoT is telling you that it must be achieved slowly, with respect and in the quiet.
“As you just demonstrated, the quiet helps one focus.”
ELEMENTAL POWER
But the landscapes and vistas of GoT aren’t just pretty pictures for the sake of being slowly-consumed eye candy. Sucker Punch leans deeper into Shinto than just the aesthetic, nearly personifying Tsushima’s natural wonders.
Nature is Spiritual

• Jin’s honoring of deities at Shrines (all placed in secluded, naturally wonderful locations) grants him gifts and upgrades.
• Haiku meditation grants Jin a vanity piece, but also represents his grappling and overcoming of circumstance and emotion, balancing his spiritual well-being
• Yuriko mentions that Jin’s deceased father, Kazumasa, is the Guiding Wind and his late mother the Golden Songbird
• Foxes leading you to Shrines of Inari are implied to be Inari themselves leading you to their graces

Nature is Knowing

• There’s a subconscious realization that nature sees you in GoT
• The Guiding Wind points you on your way, it knows where you are and where you need to go
• The more Ghost actions you perform, the more stormy Tsushima becomes. Nature sees your actions and reacts to them.
• Inari foxes and Golden Songbirds know where you are on the map and jump in to help you when you’re near something you could miss. In both instances, that thing makes you stronger, leading me to…

Nature is Powerful

• Hotsprings add to your maximum health
• Charms gifted by Mother Nature bolster Jin’s abilities
• Storms sweep the trees and send startling cracks of thunder across the land
• Mount Jogaku is frigid and dangerous to summit without additional sources of warmth
• Jin & co. rely on the strength of a storm to aid their final attack on the Khan

Be it spiritually, intellectually or physically, nature holds power in GoT.
WHERE MAN MEETS NATURE
So GoT emphasizes natural wonder and gives it agency… Cool, whatever.
Where do we come into this? Where do man and nature meet and how do they interact in GoT?
SuckerPunch (and myself) are hitting you over the head with it; Man meets nature respectfully, in the tranquility of the quiet. When he does so, he receives its blessings.
He becomes stronger of body (hotsprings, shrines) and sounder of mind (haikus, sanctuaries).
GoT interactions, activities and more demonstrate to us that when man communes with nature and approaches it carefully with reverence and appreciation, he grows.
He learns, he sees, he remembers, he feels, he discovers, he opens.
Even the seemingly trivial headband vanity rewards we receive at haikus represent this — their namesakes denote some mastery or acceptance of the quality, circumstance or emotional subject of the poem. Consider the Handbands of Strife, Fear, Uncertainty, Perseverance, Rebirth and Hope, for example.
Jin is facing his mental struggles and conquering them not with force or ignorance, but with quiet contemplation using nature as the vessel.
Respecting nature brings it joy (Keirei interactions at signposts). It allows nature itself to thrive (sanctuaries) and allows us to thrive (haikus). Even freeing hawks and monkeys at Mongol camps grants us additional awards.
Conversely, when man meets nature violently, destruction is usually reciprocated in return.
Consider the storminess of the game’s major battles, or the increase in rainfall as you perform stealth kills and your Ghost Meter fills. The Mongol’s burning of the Endless Forest leaves death and devastation; their final battle with Jin is shrouded in storm.
Antagonistic and wrathful actions bring about destruction — they upset nature’s balance.
WHERE JIN MEETS NATURE
What if, genetically speaking, you were… “the lightning in the storm?”
That sounds an awful lot like destruction.
And that is the fate of Jin Sakai. Aside from the fact that the devs have more-or-less confirmed this, consider not just Kazumasa’s words above, but also… well, the game’s default sword kit, passed down in Jin’s family — it’s the Storm of Clan Sakai.
Not to mention Jin’s ownership and use of the flute, a mechanic that allows him to change the weather.
Jin is the storm. We, the player, are the storm.
We sweep across Tsushima, wreaking havoc in our wake of bloodshed, piling up countless Mongol corpses and stirring the island’s inhabitants.
Jin’s descent from honor into becoming the Ghost is his own internal storm (represented externally by, well, storms), and creates a similar uncertainty and disjointedness in Jin’s character as the island of Tsushima is experiencing under the Mongol invasion.
With such internal and external unrest, how can Jin achieve his goals and halt the Mongols?
PERFECTLY BALANCED
Jin may be the storm literally genetically, but remember that only half of his parenthood bore the Sakai name.
If Jin’s father — by his own admission in so many words on Iki Island — embodies a wildness, a propensity for conquest and might, then Jin’s mother brought him the opposite.
Indeed, it was two mothers — one biological, and one of nature.
We mostly learn of Jin’s biological mother through his own recollections at Sanctuaries. I wish I had a bank of this dialogue for further support here — I couldn’t find it while searching around.
What I remember is that she contrasted Kazumasa.

• Where he brought wildness, she brought calm.
• Where he brought brute force, she brought emotion.
• Where he brought seriousness, she brought lightheartedness.
• Where he brought conquest, she brought peace.
• Where he was uncertain, she brought thoughtfulness.

Raised by the opposing sides of a single coin, Jin is naturally bound to land somewhere in the middle.
But, under the stress of a terrifying invasion on his homeland and, as a result, mentally and emotionally unbalanced, he’s bound to land more on his father’s side. He’s bound to bring that wildness to his endeavors and potentially cause unnecessary harm and destruction.
Thankfully, with his mother’s principles swirling subconsciously, Jin remembers the importance of the land around him. He remembers to honor the very ground he is trying to liberate.
Rather than rushing Castle Shimura off rip, Jin engages with the land of Tsushima.
He rests at hotsprings, contemplates haikus, pays homage at shrines and reaps the physical, mental and emotional benefits that follow his reverence.
He does not ever quell the storm that lies inside of him — no, he is clan Sakai — but because of his attention towards and engagement with nature, he does gather it. He does control it. He does master it.
Through his late mother and through mother nature herself, Jin takes the weight of saving an entire island off his shoulders. Sound of body, mind and spirit, he becomes perfectly balanced. As all things should be.
--
Jin can do incredible things on the battlefield and in the shadows. He’s an absolute freak of nature when it comes to swordsmanship and athleticism.
Jin Sakai is, indeed, the lightning in the storm. All its power, all its might, all its destruction — importantly — captured in one single space. Honed into one prong, one moment, one man.
By prioritizing Shinto practices, Jin is not a reckless, swirling, chaotic typhoon — he has balanced his internal turmoil with peace and meditation and is now a controlled force, focused vigilantly at Khotun Khan.
“As you just demonstrated, the quiet helps one focus.”

There’s a lone peasant on the beach of Saru Island in Ghost of Tsushima’s Iki Island DLC.
Last night he burned the final pieces of wood from the Bamboo Strike to stay warm under the moonlight. If Jin wishes to practice his swordsmanship, he’ll need to supply his own wood.
…at this point in the game you have 9827346 bamboo pieces. A few to spare should do no harm.
After three perfect slices, Jin and the Peasant exchange words again. Noticing the lack of any other humans in the area, Jin asks why the peasant makes his home in a location so remote. The Peasant replies:
“As you just demonstrated, the quiet helps one focus.”
--
Ghost of Tsushima (GoT) is a game about slicing up bad guys while dressed as a cool samurai-ninja dude heavily tied to nature and spirituality. It mirrors and puts to use a staple of Japanese culture; Shinto — a spiritual tradition which holds that deities are found in nature.
I do not pretend to be an expert on Shinto or Japanese culture. Au contraire, I'm a basic-bitch white dude in America. I just like writing about video game elements that catch my attention, and GoT uses nature in ways that really capture me. If you'll allow me to explain with a nice wall of text...
ELEMENTAL EMPHASIS
You don’t need me to tell you that GoT is a visually and audibly incredible game.
You don’t need me to remind you of its golden forests, its snowcapped mountains and its rugged seaside cliffs — you’ve seen them for yourself.
It’s clear that jaw-dropping visuals and natural environments were something the devs wanted players to experience rather viscerally — take, for instance, sunrise and sunset being their own distinct times of day, not just a few scant moments between the day/night cycle. Or the sheer dramatic bombast of the autumnal forests, floral fields or sun-splashed mountains of Tsushima and Iki.
The realism in audio as well still impresses me — crackling bamboo forests, crashing waves, rushing waterfalls and powerful wind gusts all sound incredible. They sound more than that, they sound enveloping, three dimensional — they sound as they should; like you’re really there.
These are all great, yeah, but plenty of games look and sound great. What I noticed was the subtle ways the devs prompt additional emphasis on them.

• Minimal HUD for maximum eye candy
• Minimal music during open world traversal to lean into the sounds of nature
• Rule of Thirds camera angle at all times gives plenty of room to see the sights
• Camera pull-outs on horseback and in select locations (shrines, certain mountains & fields) to drink in even more beauty
• Incredible vistas and plenty of rocks, mountains and hills to summit to view them from

Naturally, you’ll slow down to appreciate these at least a little, even if you are the most impatient kind of player (assuming the game doesn’t get in your way when you try).
Again, the game was crafted in such a way that tells me that the devs want you to slow down and experience these things. Take, for further evidence, some of the game’s activities and waypoints:

• Hotsprings — encourage the player and Jin to reflect on the story
• Haikus — encourage the player to meditate on circumstance and emotion
• Sanctuaries — encourages Jin to reminisce on his childhood and contemplate music’s place in his life
• Keirei (Bowing) Interaction — encourages Jin to honor and then interact with the locale’s fauna
• Freeing Caged Animals — encourages the player and Jin to value natural life

Reflect. Meditate. Reminisce. Honor. Value.
GoT’s activities aren’t all combat, time-trials and races. They’re communion with nature, and GoT is telling you that it must be achieved slowly, with respect and in the quiet.
“As you just demonstrated, the quiet helps one focus.”
ELEMENTAL POWER
But the landscapes and vistas of GoT aren’t just pretty pictures for the sake of being slowly-consumed eye candy. Sucker Punch leans deeper into Shinto than just the aesthetic, nearly personifying Tsushima’s natural wonders.
Nature is Spiritual

• Jin’s honoring of deities at Shrines (all placed in secluded, naturally wonderful locations) grants him gifts and upgrades.
• Haiku meditation grants Jin a vanity piece, but also represents his grappling and overcoming of circumstance and emotion, balancing his spiritual well-being
• Yuriko mentions that Jin’s deceased father, Kazumasa, is the Guiding Wind and his late mother the Golden Songbird
• Foxes leading you to Shrines of Inari are implied to be Inari themselves leading you to their graces

Nature is Knowing

• There’s a subconscious realization that nature sees you in GoT
• The Guiding Wind points you on your way, it knows where you are and where you need to go
• The more Ghost actions you perform, the more stormy Tsushima becomes. Nature sees your actions and reacts to them.
• Inari foxes and Golden Songbirds know where you are on the map and jump in to help you when you’re near something you could miss. In both instances, that thing makes you stronger, leading me to…

Nature is Powerful

• Hotsprings add to your maximum health
• Charms gifted by Mother Nature bolster Jin’s abilities
• Storms sweep the trees and send startling cracks of thunder across the land
• Mount Jogaku is frigid and dangerous to summit without additional sources of warmth
• Jin & co. rely on the strength of a storm to aid their final attack on the Khan

Be it spiritually, intellectually or physically, nature holds power in GoT.
WHERE MAN MEETS NATURE
So GoT emphasizes natural wonder and gives it agency… Cool, whatever.
Where do we come into this? Where do man and nature meet and how do they interact in GoT?
SuckerPunch (and myself) are hitting you over the head with it; Man meets nature respectfully, in the tranquility of the quiet. When he does so, he receives its blessings.
He becomes stronger of body (hotsprings, shrines) and sounder of mind (haikus, sanctuaries).
GoT interactions, activities and more demonstrate to us that when man communes with nature and approaches it carefully with reverence and appreciation, he grows.
He learns, he sees, he remembers, he feels, he discovers, he opens.
Even the seemingly trivial headband vanity rewards we receive at haikus represent this — their namesakes denote some mastery or acceptance of the quality, circumstance or emotional subject of the poem. Consider the Handbands of Strife, Fear, Uncertainty, Perseverance, Rebirth and Hope, for example.
Jin is facing his mental struggles and conquering them not with force or ignorance, but with quiet contemplation using nature as the vessel.
Respecting nature brings it joy (Keirei interactions at signposts). It allows nature itself to thrive (sanctuaries) and allows us to thrive (haikus). Even freeing hawks and monkeys at Mongol camps grants us additional awards.
Conversely, when man meets nature violently, destruction is usually reciprocated in return.
Consider the storminess of the game’s major battles, or the increase in rainfall as you perform stealth kills and your Ghost Meter fills. The Mongol’s burning of the Endless Forest leaves death and devastation; their final battle with Jin is shrouded in storm.
Antagonistic and wrathful actions bring about destruction — they upset nature’s balance.
WHERE JIN MEETS NATURE
What if, genetically speaking, you were… “the lightning in the storm?”
That sounds an awful lot like destruction.
And that is the fate of Jin Sakai. Aside from the fact that the devs have more-or-less confirmed this, consider not just Kazumasa’s words above, but also… well, the game’s default sword kit, passed down in Jin’s family — it’s the Storm of Clan Sakai.
Not to mention Jin’s ownership and use of the flute, a mechanic that allows him to change the weather.
Jin is the storm. We, the player, are the storm.
We sweep across Tsushima, wreaking havoc in our wake of bloodshed, piling up countless Mongol corpses and stirring the island’s inhabitants.
Jin’s descent from honor into becoming the Ghost is his own internal storm (represented externally by, well, storms), and creates a similar uncertainty and disjointedness in Jin’s character as the island of Tsushima is experiencing under the Mongol invasion.
With such internal and external unrest, how can Jin achieve his goals and halt the Mongols?
PERFECTLY BALANCED
Jin may be the storm literally genetically, but remember that only half of his parenthood bore the Sakai name.
If Jin’s father — by his own admission in so many words on Iki Island — embodies a wildness, a propensity for conquest and might, then Jin’s mother brought him the opposite.
Indeed, it was two mothers — one biological, and one of nature.
We mostly learn of Jin’s biological mother through his own recollections at Sanctuaries. I wish I had a bank of this dialogue for further support here — I couldn’t find it while searching around.
What I remember is that she contrasted Kazumasa.

• Where he brought wildness, she brought calm.
• Where he brought brute force, she brought emotion.
• Where he brought seriousness, she brought lightheartedness.
• Where he brought conquest, she brought peace.
• Where he was uncertain, she brought thoughtfulness.

Raised by the opposing sides of a single coin, Jin is naturally bound to land somewhere in the middle.
But, under the stress of a terrifying invasion on his homeland and, as a result, mentally and emotionally unbalanced, he’s bound to land more on his father’s side. He’s bound to bring that wildness to his endeavors and potentially cause unnecessary harm and destruction.
Thankfully, with his mother’s principles swirling subconsciously, Jin remembers the importance of the land around him. He remembers to honor the very ground he is trying to liberate.
Rather than rushing Castle Shimura off rip, Jin engages with the land of Tsushima.
He rests at hotsprings, contemplates haikus, pays homage at shrines and reaps the physical, mental and emotional benefits that follow his reverence.
He does not ever quell the storm that lies inside of him — no, he is clan Sakai — but because of his attention towards and engagement with nature, he does gather it. He does control it. He does master it.
Through his late mother and through mother nature herself, Jin takes the weight of saving an entire island off his shoulders. Sound of body, mind and spirit, he becomes perfectly balanced. As all things should be.
--
Jin can do incredible things on the battlefield and in the shadows. He’s an absolute freak of nature when it comes to swordsmanship and athleticism.
Jin Sakai is, indeed, the lightning in the storm. All its power, all its might, all its destruction — importantly — captured in one single space. Honed into one prong, one moment, one man.
By prioritizing Shinto practices, Jin is not a reckless, swirling, chaotic typhoon — he has balanced his internal turmoil with peace and meditation and is now a controlled force, focused vigilantly at Khotun Khan.
“As you just demonstrated, the quiet helps one focus.”

There’s a lone peasant on the beach of Saru Island in Ghost of Tsushima’s Iki Island DLC.
Last night he burned the final pieces of wood from the Bamboo Strike to stay warm under the moonlight. If Jin wishes to practice his swordsmanship, he’ll need to supply his own wood.
…at this point in the game you have 9827346 bamboo pieces. A few to spare should do no harm.
After three perfect slices, Jin and the Peasant exchange words again. Noticing the lack of any other humans in the area, Jin asks why the peasant makes his home in a location so remote. The Peasant replies:
“As you just demonstrated, the quiet helps one focus.”
--
Ghost of Tsushima (GoT) is a game about slicing up bad guys while dressed as a cool samurai-ninja dude heavily tied to nature and spirituality. It mirrors and puts to use a staple of Japanese culture; Shinto — a spiritual tradition which holds that deities are found in nature.
I do not pretend to be an expert on Shinto or Japanese culture. Au contraire, I'm a basic-bitch white dude in America. I just like writing about video game elements that catch my attention, and GoT uses nature in ways that really capture me. If you'll allow me to explain with a nice wall of text...
ELEMENTAL EMPHASIS
You don’t need me to tell you that GoT is a visually and audibly incredible game.
You don’t need me to remind you of its golden forests, its snowcapped mountains and its rugged seaside cliffs — you’ve seen them for yourself.
It’s clear that jaw-dropping visuals and natural environments were something the devs wanted players to experience rather viscerally — take, for instance, sunrise and sunset being their own distinct times of day, not just a few scant moments between the day/night cycle. Or the sheer dramatic bombast of the autumnal forests, floral fields or sun-splashed mountains of Tsushima and Iki.
The realism in audio as well still impresses me — crackling bamboo forests, crashing waves, rushing waterfalls and powerful wind gusts all sound incredible. They sound more than that, they sound enveloping, three dimensional — they sound as they should; like you’re really there.
These are all great, yeah, but plenty of games look and sound great. What I noticed was the subtle ways the devs prompt additional emphasis on them.

• Minimal HUD for maximum eye candy
• Minimal music during open world traversal to lean into the sounds of nature
• Rule of Thirds camera angle at all times gives plenty of room to see the sights
• Camera pull-outs on horseback and in select locations (shrines, certain mountains & fields) to drink in even more beauty
• Incredible vistas and plenty of rocks, mountains and hills to summit to view them from

Naturally, you’ll slow down to appreciate these at least a little, even if you are the most impatient kind of player (assuming the game doesn’t get in your way when you try).
Again, the game was crafted in such a way that tells me that the devs want you to slow down and experience these things. Take, for further evidence, some of the game’s activities and waypoints:

• Hotsprings — encourage the player and Jin to reflect on the story
• Haikus — encourage the player to meditate on circumstance and emotion
• Sanctuaries — encourages Jin to reminisce on his childhood and contemplate music’s place in his life
• Keirei (Bowing) Interaction — encourages Jin to honor and then interact with the locale’s fauna
• Freeing Caged Animals — encourages the player and Jin to value natural life

Reflect. Meditate. Reminisce. Honor. Value.
GoT’s activities aren’t all combat, time-trials and races. They’re communion with nature, and GoT is telling you that it must be achieved slowly, with respect and in the quiet.
“As you just demonstrated, the quiet helps one focus.”
ELEMENTAL POWER
But the landscapes and vistas of GoT aren’t just pretty pictures for the sake of being slowly-consumed eye candy. Sucker Punch leans deeper into Shinto than just the aesthetic, nearly personifying Tsushima’s natural wonders.
Nature is Spiritual

• Jin’s honoring of deities at Shrines (all placed in secluded, naturally wonderful locations) grants him gifts and upgrades.
• Haiku meditation grants Jin a vanity piece, but also represents his grappling and overcoming of circumstance and emotion, balancing his spiritual well-being
• Yuriko mentions that Jin’s deceased father, Kazumasa, is the Guiding Wind and his late mother the Golden Songbird
• Foxes leading you to Shrines of Inari are implied to be Inari themselves leading you to their graces

Nature is Knowing

• There’s a subconscious realization that nature sees you in GoT
• The Guiding Wind points you on your way, it knows where you are and where you need to go
• The more Ghost actions you perform, the more stormy Tsushima becomes. Nature sees your actions and reacts to them.
• Inari foxes and Golden Songbirds know where you are on the map and jump in to help you when you’re near something you could miss. In both instances, that thing makes you stronger, leading me to…

Nature is Powerful

• Hotsprings add to your maximum health
• Charms gifted by Mother Nature bolster Jin’s abilities
• Storms sweep the trees and send startling cracks of thunder across the land
• Mount Jogaku is frigid and dangerous to summit without additional sources of warmth
• Jin & co. rely on the strength of a storm to aid their final attack on the Khan

Be it spiritually, intellectually or physically, nature holds power in GoT.
WHERE MAN MEETS NATURE
So GoT emphasizes natural wonder and gives it agency… Cool, whatever.
Where do we come into this? Where do man and nature meet and how do they interact in GoT?
SuckerPunch (and myself) are hitting you over the head with it; Man meets nature respectfully, in the tranquility of the quiet. When he does so, he receives its blessings.
He becomes stronger of body (hotsprings, shrines) and sounder of mind (haikus, sanctuaries).
GoT interactions, activities and more demonstrate to us that when man communes with nature and approaches it carefully with reverence and appreciation, he grows.
He learns, he sees, he remembers, he feels, he discovers, he opens.
Even the seemingly trivial headband vanity rewards we receive at haikus represent this — their namesakes denote some mastery or acceptance of the quality, circumstance or emotional subject of the poem. Consider the Handbands of Strife, Fear, Uncertainty, Perseverance, Rebirth and Hope, for example.
Jin is facing his mental struggles and conquering them not with force or ignorance, but with quiet contemplation using nature as the vessel.
Respecting nature brings it joy (Keirei interactions at signposts). It allows nature itself to thrive (sanctuaries) and allows us to thrive (haikus). Even freeing hawks and monkeys at Mongol camps grants us additional awards.
Conversely, when man meets nature violently, destruction is usually reciprocated in return.
Consider the storminess of the game’s major battles, or the increase in rainfall as you perform stealth kills and your Ghost Meter fills. The Mongol’s burning of the Endless Forest leaves death and devastation; their final battle with Jin is shrouded in storm.
Antagonistic and wrathful actions bring about destruction — they upset nature’s balance.
WHERE JIN MEETS NATURE
What if, genetically speaking, you were… “the lightning in the storm?”
That sounds an awful lot like destruction.
And that is the fate of Jin Sakai. Aside from the fact that the devs have more-or-less confirmed this, consider not just Kazumasa’s words above, but also… well, the game’s default sword kit, passed down in Jin’s family — it’s the Storm of Clan Sakai.
Not to mention Jin’s ownership and use of the flute, a mechanic that allows him to change the weather.
Jin is the storm. We, the player, are the storm.
We sweep across Tsushima, wreaking havoc in our wake of bloodshed, piling up countless Mongol corpses and stirring the island’s inhabitants.
Jin’s descent from honor into becoming the Ghost is his own internal storm (represented externally by, well, storms), and creates a similar uncertainty and disjointedness in Jin’s character as the island of Tsushima is experiencing under the Mongol invasion.
With such internal and external unrest, how can Jin achieve his goals and halt the Mongols?
PERFECTLY BALANCED
Jin may be the storm literally genetically, but remember that only half of his parenthood bore the Sakai name.
If Jin’s father — by his own admission in so many words on Iki Island — embodies a wildness, a propensity for conquest and might, then Jin’s mother brought him the opposite.
Indeed, it was two mothers — one biological, and one of nature.
We mostly learn of Jin’s biological mother through his own recollections at Sanctuaries. I wish I had a bank of this dialogue for further support here — I couldn’t find it while searching around.
What I remember is that she contrasted Kazumasa.

• Where he brought wildness, she brought calm.
• Where he brought brute force, she brought emotion.
• Where he brought seriousness, she brought lightheartedness.
• Where he brought conquest, she brought peace.
• Where he was uncertain, she brought thoughtfulness.

Raised by the opposing sides of a single coin, Jin is naturally bound to land somewhere in the middle.
But, under the stress of a terrifying invasion on his homeland and, as a result, mentally and emotionally unbalanced, he’s bound to land more on his father’s side. He’s bound to bring that wildness to his endeavors and potentially cause unnecessary harm and destruction.
Thankfully, with his mother’s principles swirling subconsciously, Jin remembers the importance of the land around him. He remembers to honor the very ground he is trying to liberate.
Rather than rushing Castle Shimura off rip, Jin engages with the land of Tsushima.
He rests at hotsprings, contemplates haikus, pays homage at shrines and reaps the physical, mental and emotional benefits that follow his reverence.
He does not ever quell the storm that lies inside of him — no, he is clan Sakai — but because of his attention towards and engagement with nature, he does gather it. He does control it. He does master it.
Through his late mother and through mother nature herself, Jin takes the weight of saving an entire island off his shoulders. Sound of body, mind and spirit, he becomes perfectly balanced. As all things should be.
--
Jin can do incredible things on the battlefield and in the shadows. He’s an absolute freak of nature when it comes to swordsmanship and athleticism.
Jin Sakai is, indeed, the lightning in the storm. All its power, all its might, all its destruction — importantly — captured in one single space. Honed into one prong, one moment, one man.
By prioritizing Shinto practices, Jin is not a reckless, swirling, chaotic typhoon — he has balanced his internal turmoil with peace and meditation and is now a controlled force, focused vigilantly at Khotun Khan.
“As you just demonstrated, the quiet helps one focus.”

There’s a lone peasant on the beach of Saru Island in Ghost of Tsushima’s Iki Island DLC.
Last night he burned the final pieces of wood from the Bamboo Strike to stay warm under the moonlight. If Jin wishes to practice his swordsmanship, he’ll need to supply his own wood.
…at this point in the game you have 9827346 bamboo pieces. A few to spare should do no harm.
After three perfect slices, Jin and the Peasant exchange words again. Noticing the lack of any other humans in the area, Jin asks why the peasant makes his home in a location so remote. The Peasant replies:
“As you just demonstrated, the quiet helps one focus.”
--
Ghost of Tsushima (GoT) is a game about slicing up bad guys while dressed as a cool samurai-ninja dude heavily tied to nature and spirituality. It mirrors and puts to use a staple of Japanese culture; Shinto — a spiritual tradition which holds that deities are found in nature.
I do not pretend to be an expert on Shinto or Japanese culture. Au contraire, I'm a basic-bitch white dude in America. I just like writing about video game elements that catch my attention, and GoT uses nature in ways that really capture me. If you'll allow me to explain with a nice wall of text...
ELEMENTAL EMPHASIS
You don’t need me to tell you that GoT is a visually and audibly incredible game.
You don’t need me to remind you of its golden forests, its snowcapped mountains and its rugged seaside cliffs — you’ve seen them for yourself.
It’s clear that jaw-dropping visuals and natural environments were something the devs wanted players to experience rather viscerally — take, for instance, sunrise and sunset being their own distinct times of day, not just a few scant moments between the day/night cycle. Or the sheer dramatic bombast of the autumnal forests, floral fields or sun-splashed mountains of Tsushima and Iki.
The realism in audio as well still impresses me — crackling bamboo forests, crashing waves, rushing waterfalls and powerful wind gusts all sound incredible. They sound more than that, they sound enveloping, three dimensional — they sound as they should; like you’re really there.
These are all great, yeah, but plenty of games look and sound great. What I noticed was the subtle ways the devs prompt additional emphasis on them.

• Minimal HUD for maximum eye candy
• Minimal music during open world traversal to lean into the sounds of nature
• Rule of Thirds camera angle at all times gives plenty of room to see the sights
• Camera pull-outs on horseback and in select locations (shrines, certain mountains & fields) to drink in even more beauty
• Incredible vistas and plenty of rocks, mountains and hills to summit to view them from

Naturally, you’ll slow down to appreciate these at least a little, even if you are the most impatient kind of player (assuming the game doesn’t get in your way when you try).
Again, the game was crafted in such a way that tells me that the devs want you to slow down and experience these things. Take, for further evidence, some of the game’s activities and waypoints:

• Hotsprings — encourage the player and Jin to reflect on the story
• Haikus — encourage the player to meditate on circumstance and emotion
• Sanctuaries — encourages Jin to reminisce on his childhood and contemplate music’s place in his life
• Keirei (Bowing) Interaction — encourages Jin to honor and then interact with the locale’s fauna
• Freeing Caged Animals — encourages the player and Jin to value natural life

Reflect. Meditate. Reminisce. Honor. Value.
GoT’s activities aren’t all combat, time-trials and races. They’re communion with nature, and GoT is telling you that it must be achieved slowly, with respect and in the quiet.
“As you just demonstrated, the quiet helps one focus.”
ELEMENTAL POWER
But the landscapes and vistas of GoT aren’t just pretty pictures for the sake of being slowly-consumed eye candy. Sucker Punch leans deeper into Shinto than just the aesthetic, nearly personifying Tsushima’s natural wonders.
Nature is Spiritual

• Jin’s honoring of deities at Shrines (all placed in secluded, naturally wonderful locations) grants him gifts and upgrades.
• Haiku meditation grants Jin a vanity piece, but also represents his grappling and overcoming of circumstance and emotion, balancing his spiritual well-being
• Yuriko mentions that Jin’s deceased father, Kazumasa, is the Guiding Wind and his late mother the Golden Songbird
• Foxes leading you to Shrines of Inari are implied to be Inari themselves leading you to their graces

Nature is Knowing

• There’s a subconscious realization that nature sees you in GoT
• The Guiding Wind points you on your way, it knows where you are and where you need to go
• The more Ghost actions you perform, the more stormy Tsushima becomes. Nature sees your actions and reacts to them.
• Inari foxes and Golden Songbirds know where you are on the map and jump in to help you when you’re near something you could miss. In both instances, that thing makes you stronger, leading me to…

Nature is Powerful

• Hotsprings add to your maximum health
• Charms gifted by Mother Nature bolster Jin’s abilities
• Storms sweep the trees and send startling cracks of thunder across the land
• Mount Jogaku is frigid and dangerous to summit without additional sources of warmth
• Jin & co. rely on the strength of a storm to aid their final attack on the Khan

Be it spiritually, intellectually or physically, nature holds power in GoT.
WHERE MAN MEETS NATURE
So GoT emphasizes natural wonder and gives it agency… Cool, whatever.
Where do we come into this? Where do man and nature meet and how do they interact in GoT?
SuckerPunch (and myself) are hitting you over the head with it; Man meets nature respectfully, in the tranquility of the quiet. When he does so, he receives its blessings.
He becomes stronger of body (hotsprings, shrines) and sounder of mind (haikus, sanctuaries).
GoT interactions, activities and more demonstrate to us that when man communes with nature and approaches it carefully with reverence and appreciation, he grows.
He learns, he sees, he remembers, he feels, he discovers, he opens.
Even the seemingly trivial headband vanity rewards we receive at haikus represent this — their namesakes denote some mastery or acceptance of the quality, circumstance or emotional subject of the poem. Consider the Handbands of Strife, Fear, Uncertainty, Perseverance, Rebirth and Hope, for example.
Jin is facing his mental struggles and conquering them not with force or ignorance, but with quiet contemplation using nature as the vessel.
Respecting nature brings it joy (Keirei interactions at signposts). It allows nature itself to thrive (sanctuaries) and allows us to thrive (haikus). Even freeing hawks and monkeys at Mongol camps grants us additional awards.
Conversely, when man meets nature violently, destruction is usually reciprocated in return.
Consider the storminess of the game’s major battles, or the increase in rainfall as you perform stealth kills and your Ghost Meter fills. The Mongol’s burning of the Endless Forest leaves death and devastation; their final battle with Jin is shrouded in storm.
Antagonistic and wrathful actions bring about destruction — they upset nature’s balance.
WHERE JIN MEETS NATURE
What if, genetically speaking, you were… “the lightning in the storm?”
That sounds an awful lot like destruction.
And that is the fate of Jin Sakai. Aside from the fact that the devs have more-or-less confirmed this, consider not just Kazumasa’s words above, but also… well, the game’s default sword kit, passed down in Jin’s family — it’s the Storm of Clan Sakai.
Not to mention Jin’s ownership and use of the flute, a mechanic that allows him to change the weather.
Jin is the storm. We, the player, are the storm.
We sweep across Tsushima, wreaking havoc in our wake of bloodshed, piling up countless Mongol corpses and stirring the island’s inhabitants.
Jin’s descent from honor into becoming the Ghost is his own internal storm (represented externally by, well, storms), and creates a similar uncertainty and disjointedness in Jin’s character as the island of Tsushima is experiencing under the Mongol invasion.
With such internal and external unrest, how can Jin achieve his goals and halt the Mongols?
PERFECTLY BALANCED
Jin may be the storm literally genetically, but remember that only half of his parenthood bore the Sakai name.
If Jin’s father — by his own admission in so many words on Iki Island — embodies a wildness, a propensity for conquest and might, then Jin’s mother brought him the opposite.
Indeed, it was two mothers — one biological, and one of nature.
We mostly learn of Jin’s biological mother through his own recollections at Sanctuaries. I wish I had a bank of this dialogue for further support here — I couldn’t find it while searching around.
What I remember is that she contrasted Kazumasa.

• Where he brought wildness, she brought calm.
• Where he brought brute force, she brought emotion.
• Where he brought seriousness, she brought lightheartedness.
• Where he brought conquest, she brought peace.
• Where he was uncertain, she brought thoughtfulness.

Raised by the opposing sides of a single coin, Jin is naturally bound to land somewhere in the middle.
But, under the stress of a terrifying invasion on his homeland and, as a result, mentally and emotionally unbalanced, he’s bound to land more on his father’s side. He’s bound to bring that wildness to his endeavors and potentially cause unnecessary harm and destruction.
Thankfully, with his mother’s principles swirling subconsciously, Jin remembers the importance of the land around him. He remembers to honor the very ground he is trying to liberate.
Rather than rushing Castle Shimura off rip, Jin engages with the land of Tsushima.
He rests at hotsprings, contemplates haikus, pays homage at shrines and reaps the physical, mental and emotional benefits that follow his reverence.
He does not ever quell the storm that lies inside of him — no, he is clan Sakai — but because of his attention towards and engagement with nature, he does gather it. He does control it. He does master it.
Through his late mother and through mother nature herself, Jin takes the weight of saving an entire island off his shoulders. Sound of body, mind and spirit, he becomes perfectly balanced. As all things should be.
--
Jin can do incredible things on the battlefield and in the shadows. He’s an absolute freak of nature when it comes to swordsmanship and athleticism.
Jin Sakai is, indeed, the lightning in the storm. All its power, all its might, all its destruction — importantly — captured in one single space. Honed into one prong, one moment, one man.
By prioritizing Shinto practices, Jin is not a reckless, swirling, chaotic typhoon — he has balanced his internal turmoil with peace and meditation and is now a controlled force, focused vigilantly at Khotun Khan.
“As you just demonstrated, the quiet helps one focus.”

The Fresh and Fit channel experienced a meteoric rise due to several key factors: 1. Provocative and Controversial Content : The channel gained traction by tackling controversial topics related to dating, relationships, and gender dynamics in a confrontational style. Their bold and unapologetic takes, often deemed misogynistic by critics, generated significant buzz and attention. 2. Charismatic Hosts : The dynamic chemistry between hosts Myron Gaines and Walter Weekes (Freshprinceceo), along with their charismatic personalities, resonated with a significant portion of the audience seeking advice on dating and self-improvement. 3. Capitalizing on the "Red Pill" Movement : Fresh and Fit tapped into the growing "red pill" ideology, which promotes traditional gender roles and criticizes modern feminism. Their content aligned with and amplified these views, attracting a dedicated following within this community. 4. Leveraging Social Media : The hosts effectively utilized social media platforms like Instagram to promote their content and engage with their audience, further amplifying their reach and popularity. 5. Controversial Guests and Debates : The channel frequently hosted controversial guests, such as OnlyFans models, Instagram influencers, and other "red pill" figures, leading to heated debates and confrontations that fueled engagement and viewership.
The Rise and Fall of Fresh and Fit: Unpacking the Controversial "Red Pill" Movement on YouTube In the ever-evolving landscape of social media, a new breed of content creators has emerged, captivating audiences with their bold and divisive perspectives on gender dynamics, relationships, and societal norms. At the forefront of this movement stands Fresh and Fit, a YouTube channel that has garnered both fervent support and intense criticism for its unapologetic embrace of the "red pill" ideology.Hosted by Myron Gaines and Walter Weekes (known as Freshprinceceo), Fresh and Fit has amassed a staggering following, with over 1 million subscribers and videos regularly garnering millions of views. However, beneath the veneer of their provocative content lies a complex web of ideologies, controversies, and societal implications that warrant a closer examination. The "Red Pill" Ideology: A Primer To understand the phenomenon of Fresh and Fit, one must first grasp the core tenets of the "red pill" movement. Originating from the 1999 film "The Matrix," the term "red pill" has come to symbolize a metaphorical awakening to perceived harsh realities about gender relations, feminism, and the dynamics of power between men and women.Adherents of the "red pill" ideology often espouse traditional gender roles, criticize modern feminism, and advocate for a hyper-masculine approach to dating and relationships. They reject what they perceive as societal conditioning and embrace a worldview that emphasizes male dominance, female submission, and the pursuit of sexual conquest.In the words of Myron Gaines, the author of the controversial book "Women Deserve Less," the "red pill" philosophy is about "leveling up and the double-edged sword of social media." This sentiment encapsulates the movement's emphasis on self-improvement and the perceived need for men to assert their dominance in a world where gender dynamics are perceived as skewed in favor of women. The Rise of Fresh and Fit The meteoric rise of Fresh and Fit can be attributed to several key factors, each contributing to the channel's ability to captivate and polarize audiences. 1. Provocative and Controversial Content: Fresh and Fit gained traction by tackling controversial topics related to dating, relationships, and gender dynamics in a confrontational style. Their bold and unapologetic takes, often deemed misogynistic by critics, generated significant buzz and attention. As one Reddit user aptly described, "They invite the weirdest pornstars and only fans women with the trashiest mindset and act as if they are representative of all women." 2. Charismatic Hosts: The dynamic chemistry between Myron Gaines and Walter Weekes, along with their charismatic personalities, resonated with a significant portion of the audience seeking advice on dating and self-improvement. "Myron led a sinful lifestyle, with high body count n all, n his wealth will attract," commented a Reddit user, highlighting the allure of their personas. 3. Capitalizing on the "Red Pill" Movement: Fresh and Fit tapped into the growing "red pill" ideology, aligning their content with and amplifying these views, attracting a dedicated following within this community. As one critic noted, "They are scamming young guys hard and it makes me sad to see. They are selling courses for like $800 to 'teach' guys how to hit on girls on Instagram." 4. Leveraging Social Media: The hosts effectively utilized social media platforms like Instagram to promote their content and engage with their audience, further amplifying their reach and popularity. "They give off insecure vibes and only bring on girls that are 10 years younger then them," observed a Reddit user, highlighting their strategic use of social media. 5. Controversial Guests and Debates: The channel frequently hosted controversial guests, such as OnlyFans models, Instagram influencers, and other "red pill" figures, leading to heated debates and confrontations that fueled engagement and viewership. As one critic noted, "They bait them or subtly try to make them agree with them to go like 'See guys? What have we told you?'" 6. Appealing to a Specific Demographic: Fresh and Fit's content primarily targeted young men seeking dating advice and validation for traditional masculine ideals, filling a perceived gap in the market. "A friend of mine started watching Fresh and Fit and Kevin Samuels religiously a couple of months ago after a break-up. Went from being a normal guy to someone who genuinely hates women and rants about gender roles to me all the time," shared a concerned Reddit user. While controversy played a significant role in the channel's initial growth, it ultimately contributed to its downfall as well, with YouTube demonetizing the channel due to violations of its policies. The Cult of Fresh and Fit: Indoctrination and Manipulation As Fresh and Fit's popularity soared, concerns arose regarding the potential for indoctrination and manipulation of their predominantly young male audience. Critics argued that the channel's content perpetuated harmful stereotypes, fostered misogynistic attitudes, and promoted a distorted view of gender relations.In a thought-provoking video essay titled "The Cult of Fresh and Fit," YouTuber Aba & Preach delved into the psychological tactics employed by the channel, drawing parallels to cult-like behavior. The video highlighted how Fresh and Fit leveraged techniques such as love-bombing, us-versus-them mentalities, and the creation of an echo chamber to solidify their influence over their followers."They give me revenge of the nerds vibes," commented a Reddit user, alluding to the channel's appeal to a demographic of disaffected young men seeking validation and a sense of belonging. This sentiment underscores the potential for Fresh and Fit's content to foster a toxic subculture that perpetuates harmful attitudes and behaviors. The Societal Impact: Misogyny, Extremism, and Radicalization Beyond the confines of the Fresh and Fit channel, the "red pill" ideology has been linked to broader societal issues, including misogyny, extremism, and the potential for radicalization.In a study conducted by researchers at the University of Melbourne, a strong correlation was found between adherence to "red pill" beliefs and endorsement of hostile sexist attitudes towards women. The study highlighted the potential for such ideologies to contribute to the normalization of misogynistic views and the perpetuation of gender-based discrimination.Moreover, there have been instances where individuals associated with the "red pill" movement have been implicated in acts of violence and extremism. In 2018, a self-proclaimed "incel" (involuntary celibate) carried out a deadly attack in Toronto, claiming to be part of a "rebellion" against women. While Fresh and Fit has not been directly linked to such incidents, the potential for their content to contribute to the radicalization of vulnerable individuals remains a concern. The Countermovement: Voices of Reason and Critique In response to the rise of Fresh and Fit and the "red pill" movement, a countermovement has emerged, comprising voices of reason and critique from various spheres, including academia, journalism, and social commentary.Prominent figures such as Dr. Nerdlove, a dating coach and author, have actively challenged the harmful narratives propagated by the "red pill" community. In an interview with The Guardian, Dr. Nerdlove stated, "The red pill is a toxic ideology that encourages men to view women as objects to be acquired and discarded, rather than human beings with agency and autonomy."Journalists and social commentators have also played a crucial role in exposing the flaws and dangers of the "red pill" ideology. In a scathing article for The Atlantic, Laurie Penny criticized the movement's embrace of "reactionary masculinity" and its perpetuation of harmful gender stereotypes.Furthermore, online communities such as exredpill on Reddit have emerged as safe havens for individuals seeking to disengage from the "red pill" mindset and engage in constructive discussions about healthy relationships and personal growth. The Way Forward: Promoting Healthy Discourse and Accountability As the debate surrounding Fresh and Fit and the "red pill" movement rages on, it is imperative to address the underlying issues and promote a more constructive dialogue on gender relations, personal growth, and societal progress. 1. Fostering Healthy Masculinity: Rather than perpetuating toxic masculinity and misogynistic attitudes, there is a need to promote healthy expressions of masculinity that embrace empathy, respect, and emotional intelligence. Initiatives that encourage positive role models and mentorship programs for young men could play a pivotal role in this endeavor. 2. Emphasizing Consent and Mutual Respect: Discussions surrounding dating and relationships should prioritize consent, mutual respect, and the recognition of women's autonomy and agency. Content creators and influencers have a responsibility to promote healthy and ethical practices, rather than perpetuating harmful narratives. 3. Promoting Media Literacy and Critical Thinking: In the age of social media and online echo chambers, it is crucial to equip individuals with the skills to critically evaluate information and identify potential biases or manipulation tactics. Media literacy programs and educational initiatives could play a vital role in empowering audiences to make informed decisions. 4. Holding Platforms Accountable: Social media platforms and content hosting services must take a proactive stance in enforcing community guidelines and content policies, ensuring that harmful or extremist content is promptly addressed and removed when necessary. 5. Encouraging Diverse Perspectives: Rather than perpetuating a singular narrative, it is essential to amplify diverse voices and perspectives on gender relations, relationships, and personal growth. Inclusive dialogues that embrace nuance and complexity can foster greater understanding and progress. As the Fresh and Fit phenomenon continues to evolve, it serves as a poignant reminder of the power of social media to shape narratives and influence societal attitudes. By fostering healthy discourse, promoting accountability, and embracing diverse perspectives, we can navigate the complexities of gender dynamics and relationships in a manner that upholds respect, empathy, and the pursuit of mutual understanding.

Hey I've been using chat gpt for tips and tricks as google is awful, anyway I was wondering if any one has ever experienced anything like this. I repeat words and similar motions when having a panic attack I'm not sure if it's OCD as it only happens when I have an attack
GPT Response to "involuntary repetition of words during panic attack"
In the context of panic attacks or anxiety, "perseveration" refers to the repetitive, persistent, and involuntary fixation on thoughts, words, or behaviors. It's a common cognitive symptom experienced during heightened states of anxiety or panic. Perseveration can manifest in various ways, including repetitive thoughts, speech, actions, or even physical sensations.

Characteristics of Perseveration in Panic Attacks:

1. Repetitive Thoughts: Constantly thinking about the same worry, fear, or concern, even when it's irrational or unproductive.
2. Repetitive Speech: Continuously repeating words, phrases, or questions, often without awareness or control.
3. Repetitive Behaviors: Engaging in repetitive actions or rituals as a way to cope with anxiety or to try to gain a sense of control.
4. Physical Sensations: Fixating on physical sensations associated with anxiety, such as heart palpitations, shortness of breath, or dizziness, and becoming hyperaware of them.

How Perseveration Manifests in Panic Attacks:

• Word Repetition: Repeating the same word or phrase over and over, either internally or aloud.
• Thought Loops: Getting stuck in repetitive thought patterns that cycle endlessly without resolution.
• Behavioral Rituals: Performing repetitive behaviors, such as checking locks or washing hands, as a way to alleviate anxiety.
• Hyperfocus: Becoming intensely focused on a particular aspect of the panic attack, such as a specific bodily sensation or a perceived threat.

Causes of Perseveration in Panic Attacks:

• Cognitive Overload: The mind becomes overwhelmed with anxious thoughts and struggles to shift focus away from them.
• Hypervigilance: Heightened awareness of perceived threats or bodily sensations leads to persistent monitoring and fixation.
• Safety Behaviors: Engaging in repetitive behaviors as a way to cope with perceived danger or discomfort.
• Automatic Response: Perseveration can be an automatic response to stress, similar to other physical symptoms experienced during panic attacks.

Managing Perseveration in Panic Attacks:

1. Grounding Techniques: Engage your senses to bring your attention back to the present moment and distract from repetitive thoughts or behaviors.
2. Deep Breathing and Relaxation: Practice deep breathing exercises and relaxation techniques to calm the body and mind.
3. Cognitive Reframing: Challenge negative thoughts and beliefs that contribute to perseveration and replace them with more balanced perspectives.
4. Seeking Support: Reach out to a trusted friend, family member, or mental health professional for support and guidance during panic attacks.
5. Medication: In some cases, medication prescribed by a healthcare professional may be helpful in managing severe or persistent symptoms of anxiety and panic attacks.

Self-Compassion:

Remember that perseveration is a common experience during panic attacks and does not define your worth or strength. Practice self-compassion and patience as you navigate through challenging moments, and seek professional help if needed to learn effective coping strategies.

I am back, once again seeking help from one of the best subreddits on Reddit! I sent out a handful of queries a few weeks ago, and while I haven't received responses for all of them, I have only received rejections so far (around 8). They were all pretty fast replying agents so I could get a feel for if my package is working. While I know that rejection is part of the process, I decided I'll start to look at my pages/query letter again, since I obviously can't change my premise at this point 😂 Here was my second attempt, which also has a link to the first!

Dear [AGENT],
When the king of Advani is assassinated by the enemy, eighteen-year-old Illari intends to keep her head down and move on with her life. As a mage working the gambling tables at a circus, she knows she has no business in politics and war. So when the kingdom announces a ritual will choose the next ruler of Advani, Illari pays it no mind, though she wishes she could participate.
But her wish comes true. On her way to a circus performance, Illari is caught in the ritual. A strange magic tethers everyone in place, preventing them from leaving. The only way out is to have their blood judged by the king’s sword, so Illari is forced to participate—and she’s deemed worthy. Branded as the next soul in line for the throne, she sets out to prove that she deserves her crown and can stop the war plaguing Advani, a dream of hers since she arrived in the kingdom.
Advani itself stands in her way, though, deeming her unfit to become queen because of her lack of experience. To add, the military general Aleksandr is hellbent on seizing the crown for himself, using power he gained from his familiarity to the late king. With Advani’s army at Aleksandr’s back, he elects himself as Advani’s next ruler, stripping Illari of any power she had. He offers for her to become a servant of the castle, and Illari plays along, intending to work her way to the top.
While Illari struggles to navigate a war-torn kingdom, dark, mysterious magic blossoms in her heart, twisting her desires and allowing her to manipulate the blood of others. Illari must balance her goal of becoming queen and saving her kingdom with the struggles of her forbidden magic, or Advani will fall to the enemy.
THESE POISONED SOULS is a 99,000 word YA high fantasy novel. It is perfect for fans of the societal opposition and political intrigue in Mara Rutherford’s Crown of Coral and Pearl, and the dark magic and power struggles in Amanda Joy’s A River of Royal Blood. It is a standalone with series potential.
[BIO]
Thank you for your consideration,
[NAME]

Every night at the circus was a new game, and it was Illari’s job to ensure she never lost.
She shuffled her deck of gold-threaded cards, the paper morphing into a blur. She kept her gaze trained on the four men sitting at her table. She didn’t trust them to play fair, especially while drunk, and judging by the way their glares drilled into her set of cards, they thought the same of her.
Since arriving in Advani, Illari had spent years honing her skills at gambling tables, using illusion magic and her wit to protect herself. Her time had given her a sixth sense for deception. Every flicker of a glance, every sneer of the lip, every twitch of a finger crafted a showing of deceit Illari could read as clearly as the cards in her hands.
She surveyed her kingdom: mounds of silver coins scattered across the oaken gambling table, framed by pooling fallen ale gathering on the surface. She knew she needed to tread with caution tonight, especially given the way some of her customers fidgeted with their wooden mugs. It was obvious they were seasoned gamblers, with rough exteriors and calloused hands indicative of living life in the Slums. They had come to the Silvercrest Circus both for entertainment and to test their luck against one of the best in the business—yet they had no issue downing drink after drink of sweet ale. Their trust in their senses was inflated. Illari smiled to herself.
A customer at her table belched, pointing an unsteady hand at the performers spinning ahead on a makeshift platform. “You’re telling me that soldiers on the war front dress like that? If that’s the case, then sign me up!”
Laughter rippled across the oaken table. One man banged his fist against the wood, shaking the surface, and Illari pulled back with a grimace.

Thanks y'all! This subreddit has been so useful in the process of querying.

The Fresh and Fit channel experienced a meteoric rise due to several key factors: 1. Provocative and Controversial Content : The channel gained traction by tackling controversial topics related to dating, relationships, and gender dynamics in a confrontational style. Their bold and unapologetic takes, often deemed misogynistic by critics, generated significant buzz and attention. 2. Charismatic Hosts : The dynamic chemistry between hosts Myron Gaines and Walter Weekes (Freshprinceceo), along with their charismatic personalities, resonated with a significant portion of the audience seeking advice on dating and self-improvement. 3. Capitalizing on the "Red Pill" Movement : Fresh and Fit tapped into the growing "red pill" ideology, which promotes traditional gender roles and criticizes modern feminism. Their content aligned with and amplified these views, attracting a dedicated following within this community. 4. Leveraging Social Media : The hosts effectively utilized social media platforms like Instagram to promote their content and engage with their audience, further amplifying their reach and popularity. 5. Controversial Guests and Debates : The channel frequently hosted controversial guests, such as OnlyFans models, Instagram influencers, and other "red pill" figures, leading to heated debates and confrontations that fueled engagement and viewership.
The Rise and Fall of Fresh and Fit: Unpacking the Controversial "Red Pill" Movement on YouTube In the ever-evolving landscape of social media, a new breed of content creators has emerged, captivating audiences with their bold and divisive perspectives on gender dynamics, relationships, and societal norms. At the forefront of this movement stands Fresh and Fit, a YouTube channel that has garnered both fervent support and intense criticism for its unapologetic embrace of the "red pill" ideology.Hosted by Myron Gaines and Walter Weekes (known as Freshprinceceo), Fresh and Fit has amassed a staggering following, with over 1 million subscribers and videos regularly garnering millions of views. However, beneath the veneer of their provocative content lies a complex web of ideologies, controversies, and societal implications that warrant a closer examination. The "Red Pill" Ideology: A Primer To understand the phenomenon of Fresh and Fit, one must first grasp the core tenets of the "red pill" movement. Originating from the 1999 film "The Matrix," the term "red pill" has come to symbolize a metaphorical awakening to perceived harsh realities about gender relations, feminism, and the dynamics of power between men and women.Adherents of the "red pill" ideology often espouse traditional gender roles, criticize modern feminism, and advocate for a hyper-masculine approach to dating and relationships. They reject what they perceive as societal conditioning and embrace a worldview that emphasizes male dominance, female submission, and the pursuit of sexual conquest.In the words of Myron Gaines, the author of the controversial book "Women Deserve Less," the "red pill" philosophy is about "leveling up and the double-edged sword of social media." This sentiment encapsulates the movement's emphasis on self-improvement and the perceived need for men to assert their dominance in a world where gender dynamics are perceived as skewed in favor of women. The Rise of Fresh and Fit The meteoric rise of Fresh and Fit can be attributed to several key factors, each contributing to the channel's ability to captivate and polarize audiences. 1. Provocative and Controversial Content: Fresh and Fit gained traction by tackling controversial topics related to dating, relationships, and gender dynamics in a confrontational style. Their bold and unapologetic takes, often deemed misogynistic by critics, generated significant buzz and attention. As one Reddit user aptly described, "They invite the weirdest pornstars and only fans women with the trashiest mindset and act as if they are representative of all women." 2. Charismatic Hosts: The dynamic chemistry between Myron Gaines and Walter Weekes, along with their charismatic personalities, resonated with a significant portion of the audience seeking advice on dating and self-improvement. "Myron led a sinful lifestyle, with high body count n all, n his wealth will attract," commented a Reddit user, highlighting the allure of their personas. 3. Capitalizing on the "Red Pill" Movement: Fresh and Fit tapped into the growing "red pill" ideology, aligning their content with and amplifying these views, attracting a dedicated following within this community. As one critic noted, "They are scamming young guys hard and it makes me sad to see. They are selling courses for like $800 to 'teach' guys how to hit on girls on Instagram." 4. Leveraging Social Media: The hosts effectively utilized social media platforms like Instagram to promote their content and engage with their audience, further amplifying their reach and popularity. "They give off insecure vibes and only bring on girls that are 10 years younger then them," observed a Reddit user, highlighting their strategic use of social media. 5. Controversial Guests and Debates: The channel frequently hosted controversial guests, such as OnlyFans models, Instagram influencers, and other "red pill" figures, leading to heated debates and confrontations that fueled engagement and viewership. As one critic noted, "They bait them or subtly try to make them agree with them to go like 'See guys? What have we told you?'" 6. Appealing to a Specific Demographic: Fresh and Fit's content primarily targeted young men seeking dating advice and validation for traditional masculine ideals, filling a perceived gap in the market. "A friend of mine started watching Fresh and Fit and Kevin Samuels religiously a couple of months ago after a break-up. Went from being a normal guy to someone who genuinely hates women and rants about gender roles to me all the time," shared a concerned Reddit user. While controversy played a significant role in the channel's initial growth, it ultimately contributed to its downfall as well, with YouTube demonetizing the channel due to violations of its policies. The Cult of Fresh and Fit: Indoctrination and Manipulation As Fresh and Fit's popularity soared, concerns arose regarding the potential for indoctrination and manipulation of their predominantly young male audience. Critics argued that the channel's content perpetuated harmful stereotypes, fostered misogynistic attitudes, and promoted a distorted view of gender relations.In a thought-provoking video essay titled "The Cult of Fresh and Fit," YouTuber Aba & Preach delved into the psychological tactics employed by the channel, drawing parallels to cult-like behavior. The video highlighted how Fresh and Fit leveraged techniques such as love-bombing, us-versus-them mentalities, and the creation of an echo chamber to solidify their influence over their followers."They give me revenge of the nerds vibes," commented a Reddit user, alluding to the channel's appeal to a demographic of disaffected young men seeking validation and a sense of belonging. This sentiment underscores the potential for Fresh and Fit's content to foster a toxic subculture that perpetuates harmful attitudes and behaviors. The Societal Impact: Misogyny, Extremism, and Radicalization Beyond the confines of the Fresh and Fit channel, the "red pill" ideology has been linked to broader societal issues, including misogyny, extremism, and the potential for radicalization.In a study conducted by researchers at the University of Melbourne, a strong correlation was found between adherence to "red pill" beliefs and endorsement of hostile sexist attitudes towards women. The study highlighted the potential for such ideologies to contribute to the normalization of misogynistic views and the perpetuation of gender-based discrimination.Moreover, there have been instances where individuals associated with the "red pill" movement have been implicated in acts of violence and extremism. In 2018, a self-proclaimed "incel" (involuntary celibate) carried out a deadly attack in Toronto, claiming to be part of a "rebellion" against women. While Fresh and Fit has not been directly linked to such incidents, the potential for their content to contribute to the radicalization of vulnerable individuals remains a concern. The Countermovement: Voices of Reason and Critique In response to the rise of Fresh and Fit and the "red pill" movement, a countermovement has emerged, comprising voices of reason and critique from various spheres, including academia, journalism, and social commentary.Prominent figures such as Dr. Nerdlove, a dating coach and author, have actively challenged the harmful narratives propagated by the "red pill" community. In an interview with The Guardian, Dr. Nerdlove stated, "The red pill is a toxic ideology that encourages men to view women as objects to be acquired and discarded, rather than human beings with agency and autonomy."Journalists and social commentators have also played a crucial role in exposing the flaws and dangers of the "red pill" ideology. In a scathing article for The Atlantic, Laurie Penny criticized the movement's embrace of "reactionary masculinity" and its perpetuation of harmful gender stereotypes.Furthermore, online communities such as exredpill on Reddit have emerged as safe havens for individuals seeking to disengage from the "red pill" mindset and engage in constructive discussions about healthy relationships and personal growth. The Way Forward: Promoting Healthy Discourse and Accountability As the debate surrounding Fresh and Fit and the "red pill" movement rages on, it is imperative to address the underlying issues and promote a more constructive dialogue on gender relations, personal growth, and societal progress. 1. Fostering Healthy Masculinity: Rather than perpetuating toxic masculinity and misogynistic attitudes, there is a need to promote healthy expressions of masculinity that embrace empathy, respect, and emotional intelligence. Initiatives that encourage positive role models and mentorship programs for young men could play a pivotal role in this endeavor. 2. Emphasizing Consent and Mutual Respect: Discussions surrounding dating and relationships should prioritize consent, mutual respect, and the recognition of women's autonomy and agency. Content creators and influencers have a responsibility to promote healthy and ethical practices, rather than perpetuating harmful narratives. 3. Promoting Media Literacy and Critical Thinking: In the age of social media and online echo chambers, it is crucial to equip individuals with the skills to critically evaluate information and identify potential biases or manipulation tactics. Media literacy programs and educational initiatives could play a vital role in empowering audiences to make informed decisions. 4. Holding Platforms Accountable: Social media platforms and content hosting services must take a proactive stance in enforcing community guidelines and content policies, ensuring that harmful or extremist content is promptly addressed and removed when necessary. 5. Encouraging Diverse Perspectives: Rather than perpetuating a singular narrative, it is essential to amplify diverse voices and perspectives on gender relations, relationships, and personal growth. Inclusive dialogues that embrace nuance and complexity can foster greater understanding and progress. As the Fresh and Fit phenomenon continues to evolve, it serves as a poignant reminder of the power of social media to shape narratives and influence societal attitudes. By fostering healthy discourse, promoting accountability, and embracing diverse perspectives, we can navigate the complexities of gender dynamics and relationships in a manner that upholds respect, empathy, and the pursuit of mutual understanding.

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Gods were now fighting over Markus. On the matter of whether he should feel flattered or terrified, ‘terrified’ was looking to be the stronger adjective.
As many as six different voices had piped up in the last few moments expressing some level of interest over hiring Markus following his defeat of the monster. All of these voices emanated from high-class looking box seats, and all of them carried that same affectation of power and status that one might expect of a deity.
Naturally, the crowd had fallen to silence. Who wanted to interrupt an argument between gods?
It wasn’t long before the already nonplussed Markus was flanked by Drathok, who’d spawned into existence beside him in a flash of purple lightning. The creature took one look at his dead monster, another, much longer look at Markus, then waved his hand up at the gods.
“Sacred ones! Sacred ones… I trust you all enjoyed the performance?”
“I do not wish to converse with an imp baron,” the first god spoke, a touch of ire in his voice. He was the one who’d first propositioned Markus following his fight, and the tallest of all standing to address him now. Despite their distance, Markus could make out his features well, as if he were so defined that the limits of perception need not apply to his visage. “But I will indulge you if only to speed this up. Where did you acquire this one from? Where?”
“An exotic planet in the far reaches, my lord, one heralded to produce only the mightiest warriors with the highest inherent potentials…” Drathok smiled, that same wide smile from before. “Tell me, has your holiness ever heard of the planet Earth?”
“Earth…” the god grumbled, rubbing his fingers against his chin. “No. Can’t say that I have. Sounds rather exotic…”
Markus watched the whole exchange with incredulity, still reeling with exhaustion from the fight, barely staying aloft. He worried that if he fainted now, he’d end up having an important decision be made for him, and somehow, something was keeping him going even in spite of how hard and desperately he’d fought. He had no clue what.
Still, Drathok was lying through his teeth! He’d never even heard of Earth until Markus had told him about it, and he’d pulled Markus here by total accident!
To think that he’d still try and find a way to profiteer from this situation… or maybe he was just trying to cover his own hide. Markus found it difficult to tell. Was there a chance that Markus’ unexpected victory might provoke a god’s anger?
“Question,” another voice piped up, this one female. “You say this human hails from a warrior planet, one so exotic none of us would know of it. Then why is it that your announcer insisted he was a simple, weak primitive impossibly staked to lose his life?”
“A ploy to drive both tension and excitement, your emanence! An outcome so unexpected was only meant to surprise all of you most esteemed patrons with a bout beyond your expectations!”
“Beyond my expectations…” the goddess growled ferociously, the stands trembling around her. “I’ve lost good money betting on this fight! The otherworlder was meant to be eviscerated!”
“And you will be reimbursed in full! An unfortunate cost to provide you with this most glorious turn of events, I do hope you were entertained regardless!”
“I ought to gut you where you stand, but I do suppose lying is in the nature of hellspawn.” The goddess tutted. “I will pardon this deception, but only because the fight was extraordinary. A level one human besting a D grade monster? Almost unheard of.”
“Which is why I should be the one to claim him!” another god roared. “I was the first to take note of this human’s prowess, you all should’ve caught on sooner!”
“Esteemed patrons, sacred ones…” Drathok smiled at each of them in turn, giving a small bow. “I must make you aware, this one is contracted to fight for me for the foreseeable future. To terminate said contract—”
“To buy out his service?” The tallest god sneered. “Please. I care little about your petty soul contract. Name your price. It’s a pittance to me.”
“Do I get a choice in any of this?”
Markus had said it quietly and between coughs, but that was only because his throat was so coarse. He was so frustrated with the way that he was being bargained over that he wanted to scream at them all.
“We will settle this matter later. I’m tired of gawking onlookers,” the tallest god said. “See my new champion is properly cleaned up before I visit him.”
“He’s not your champion, he’s mine!” another god blurted.
“Of course, sacred ones. Any and all of you may visit the dungeons at my leisure, you need only ask. Thank you once more for your most esteemed patronage, and please enjoy the rest of today’s performances!”
With that, Drathok and Markus both were whisked away in a flash of lightning.
Before he blinked out of the arena, he noticed that the body of the bulleater he’d slain had seemed to almost be melting away around the chest area, as if its heart had been absorbed from its body.
When they arrived back in the summoning room, Drathok’s face was split by a massive grin.
“Wonderful, boy. Simply wonderful.” He levitated a far chair over to himself and proceeded to sit, as Markus stood before him, still wracked by pain. “You passed every test I put before you with ease. Truly, you are an impressive specimen.”
“Impressive?” Markus gulped, his throat dry. “You… you mean you expected me to kill that fuck ugly thing?”
“I estimated the chance to be around five percent,” Drathok admitted, eyes glinting red. “To say I expected it might be an overstatement.”
He folded one leg over the other, looking truly at ease. “When I saw your inborn trait, I became curious about your potential, so I started zapping you with just enough magic that you might make use of it, assuming your ability had any potency to it. Seems you drank quite greedily from my mana pool, and look what it ended up leading to!” He laughed. “You’ve done well. Well enough that you won’t be stuck rotting away down here for very long. Isn’t that just splendid?”
“You bastard…” If Markus understood the situation well enough, then it was simple. Drathok had known he might be able to absorb mana from attacks from the start, and that was the precise reason he’d cast his magic on him. Not for intimidation, not for torture, but to give Markus a weapon he could use, should he have the instinct for it.
Only, it was hardly something he should be grateful for, as he’d only done it so Markus could showcase his abilities in front of a bunch of gods, who’d now want to buy him instead.
Presumably, whatever Markus could do with Mana Manipulation was worth more than the cost of replacing that monster he’d slain would be. Good for him. Great for Drathok.
Markus wasn’t gonna take this sitting down. He hadn’t fought for his life just to be sold again. He raised his hand, ready to expel the last of his excess mana despite the screaming warnings of his body, but before he could do more than bring a small pulse of power to his palm, Drathok raised a finger and held Markus completely still in doing so, locking his joints and disrupting the flow of his mana.
“Come, now. Do you really think you have a hope of winning?”
The power difference between the two was so vast that it was indescribable, even after Markus’ victory. Drathok had proven so with that single display of power. Markus struggled and thrashed in place against Drathok’s invisible hold. Any head-on confrontation was likely to be impossible.
Markus began sweating, his body aching immensely. “Fuck you. When I get out of here, I’m gonna find you and make you wish you’d never summoned me. Mark my words.”
“You can talk about your daydreams all you like. It won’t change your fate.” Drathok grinned wider, probably mentally spending the fat purse of coins he’d receive for this even as they spoke. “You want my advice? Sign yourself over to Ciphelos. He’s more lenient than the others.” Drathok began to cackle as he spoke. “After a few decades of service, he might even let you go free!”
With that, Drathok snapped his fingers, and a small, red creature appeared in a puff of smoke. “What’s up, boss?”
“Show this one to his cell. He’s performed exceptionally, so give him a rag to wash himself with. Perhaps some cheese?“
“Got it, boss,” the imp answered, before swishing its tail twice. Immediately, an ethereal chain appeared from nowhere, wrapping itself around Markus’ ankle and clamping shut, as all the while the chain affixed itself to the imp’s right hip.
Markus couldn’t even begin to tug against it. It kept his foot completely in place. When the imp moved, he moved.
As he was pulled away, he turned back only to find Drathok waving, shit-eating grin everpresent on his stupid fucking face.
“Rest well, champion! Your new life awaits!”
Markus hadn’t taken more than two unassisted steps within his cell before he collapsed to the floor. The moment that the shackles had been taken off of him and his forced march through the torchlit corridors beneath the arena had ended, his body had taken its toll on him in full force.
[Mana Poisoning II in effect. Overcharging your body’s mana past 250% of its capacity causes extreme fatigue and a consistent drain in both vitality and strength. Reducing your body’s mana below 100% of its capacity will counteract this.]
[Dealing with Mana Poisoning for long periods leads to Mana Toxicosis, a condition that will render you incapable of casting magic without inflicting heavy damage upon yourself, and in advanced stages can simply kill you.]
[Overcharge (F Grade) in effect: all physical stats have been temporarily raised by 30. Magical affinity and resilience increased. Growth heightened by 50%.]
That didn’t sound good. No wonder he was laying here in such a miserable heap of exhaustion. His whole body felt utterly incapable of moving, to the point that once the promised wet rag and food were passed into his cell, Markus couldn’t even find the energy to get up and use them, no matter how he might want to.
He supposed the temporary boost in stats had probably been necessary to carry out the fight, but if feeling like this after was the cost…
Markus decided to look around at his system more. He’d been simply thinking things and getting answers from it up until now, which seemed fairly intuitive, but he wanted a way to view everything pertinent.
He imagined himself looking at a menu, and something akin to that appeared before him. There was a list of notifications spread out, as well as means to look at various advancement trees that he had yet to realise even existed.
One thing was for sure, between draining that creature and killing it, he’d been showered with levels. There were so many notifications here…
He counted, and there were seven level ups. He’d shot up from level 1 to 8 in a single fight.
44 unspent skill points. That sounded like a lot, but he had no basis for what was high or low right now. Markus opened his stat sheet, trying to determine what he might spend them on. Part of him wanted to wait until he could amass more information, but he was on a time crunch here. He wanted to be rid of this affliction plaguing him, and he was hardly about to ask whatever god came to buy him for pointers on the most meta build for escaping them.
No, he needed to figure it out himself. Head hazy, Markus summoned his status screen, staring at it for the very first time:
[Name: Markus Brown] [Class: Otherworlder (Earth) (Tier: Novice 8)] [Health: 253/340] [Mana: 832/430]
[Strength: 48 (+30)] [Agility: 42 (+30)] [Arcana: 6] [Constitution: 49 (+30)] [Spirit: 17] [???: 0]
Didn’t take a very long look for him to realise where most of his unspent points would be going. He’d deal with the other notifications and passives demanding his attention later. For now, too much mana was the problem, and a hefty dose of Spirit seemed to be the solution.
//
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A/N: Hey! Thanks for reading! Bit of system experimentation and build theorising coming up early next chapter, then straight back to the action! Hope you're enjoying the story so far, it's been a blast to write for all of you!
If you wanna support me and this story, or if you just can't wait for the next chapter, the next six chapters of this story are available right now on my Patreon!

Hi everyone,
I'm seeking advice on applying for a PhD at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) with a slightly unconventional academic background. Here's a bit about my situation:
I completed both my bachelor's and master's degrees in Germany. As some of you might know, the German PhD system differs from that in the USA. My issue is that I have poor grades from my bachelor's degree, and I'm worried this will impact my chances of being accepted for PhD studies in the USA. However, I'm on track to finish my master's degree with a distinction.
Given my situation, I'm wondering:

1. Do admission committees at US universities like CMU primarily focus on bachelor's grades when evaluating PhD applications, or do they also consider master's grades?
2. Is it possible that they might give more weight to my master's performance, especially since I'll be finishing with a distinction?
3. Are there any other aspects of my application that could help offset my lower bachelor's grades (e.g., research experience, publications, strong recommendation letters)?

I appreciate any insights or advice from those familiar with the US PhD application process. Many thanks in advance!

So, I've been training MMA for like 7 months now. I've been going to one of my local gyms. I was satisfied with my training at the beginning, however as my initial excitement faded, I began to question the training methods of my coach.
My training looks like this:
On Tuesdays, we do "technique training". We practice a few techniques, usually ground game connected - takedowns and submissions. We do this in pairs and our coach expects the person that the technique is practiced on to let his training buddy do the technique with no resistance. So, for example, when I practice armbar, the other person allows me to do it and I never really practice it with real resistance. Also, our coach tries to evaluate our technique, however he only checks one person from the pair. I had many trainings during which my coach never really saw me doing any of the techniques.
On Thursdays, we do "sparring training", in which we do mostly ground work sparring, in which we start from a different position like Thai clinch. On this day we also do some pad work, but not very sophisticated. Our coach doesn't really give us advice during or after sparring, so I never really knew what I did well or wrong. During my 7 months of training, I received only one direct advice from my coach.
As you can see, we also rarely practice boxing/kickboxing, but our coach sometimes wants us to do boxing sparring, during which I feel like I don't know what I'm doing. To be honest, pretty much nobody from my gym knows what they are doing. We just throw random punches and of course, we don't get any advice from our coach.
I must admit that I've been struggling to get better. I know that a lot of it is on me, I know that I should watch YouTube videos and so on, however, I have a feeling that my gym doesn't really help me improve. During my training I not only didn't get advice on how to get better, but I have also never got any words of motivation from my coach.
So my question is - is it normal treatment and I am blaming my gym too much? Or do I have the right feelings about it and I should change my gym?

And I'd like some idea if I'm building anything worth using XD
So, Bloody Oni style - brutal, impactful, and likely to get its user killed XD You get 3 sorts of chains - the direct offense one, the direct "you will regret hitting me" chain, and a couple war-cries for the barbarians in all of us XD I'm sure someone has written a similar style, but I didn't see anything quite like this in the books I have, so, wrote it.
This style eschews normal defensive practices in favor of all out warfare and mayhem. You will get hurt, you will hurt your opponents, and you will laugh like a madwoman while the streets and fields are stained red. This style excels in two ways – high-impact damage, and vicious counters (just because you accept a hit, doesn’t mean you don’t make them pay for messing with a practitioner). You are also supremely scary when you are about your business, leaving your enemies frightened and angry.
Weapon: Bare fists, natural weapons, or Large 2-handed weapons. You may Stunt to make bare fists Lethal damage. Armor: You may wear nothing providing a Defense bonus, and your pride as a Bloody Oni practitioner is offended by the very thought. Clothing Artifacts which don't provide Defense are acceptable. Barely. The elders and your teacher cluck their collective tongues at the idea.
Oni Overwhelming Impact Simple Cost: 1 mote; Mins: Martial Arts 1, Brawl 1/Melee 1, Essence 1 Prereq Charm: None
The most basic movement of this style is to HURT THINGS. When you use this charm, add your Essence, or Brawl/Melee (depending on what you are attacking with) to your damage dice when rolling successes for determining effect (but do not do so to “hit”), based on which is highest, to a max of your Martial Arts rating.
Mastery: You add 1 success for every 2 points of value you did not use in the above calculation (so, you punch a dude, mote, Essence is higher, roll Essence dice, and then add half your Brawl as additional successes)
Oni Impact Acceptance Reflexive Cost: 1 mote; Mins: Martial Arts 1, Resistance 1, Essence 1 Prereq Charm: None
You are stronger than your opponent. Prove it. You may “give” an attack from an enemy a number of bonus dice to hit you, up to your Martial Arts rating. The blatant display of disrespect and superiority shakes them, weakening their Defense by the same value if you attack them as your next action. You may make a social roll as part of your follow on attack (as a follow-up flurry to an attack against a degraded opponent) to inspire fear in your target. Make an instilling roll of Manipulation+Presence with a target of (5-Damage), to create a Minor Intimacy of fear in the opponent you hit.
Mastery: Once you activate this Charm, you may allow attacks later on to also benefit from your bravado – each time you are attacked this round, you may freely let it gain the exact same benefit (declared before they attack), at which point they risk this reprisal as well.
Bloody Oni Form Simple Cost: 1 mote; Mins: Martial Arts 1, Essence 1 Prereq Charm: None
You take an Extremely aggressive stance. Your Defense is reduced by 1, and you cannot use Evasion to determine your Defense (though you may still use Dodge Charms that do not improve your Evasion). In return, add 1 die to your accuracy, and one die In Addition to that when determining damage (or the amount of initiative you drain from a target). You may enter this form freely on the turn you kill an opponent.
Mastery: You may degrade your Defense for extra dice on your accuracy and the resulting effects, on a 1 to 1 basis, up to your Essence rating, instead. You must declare this when you spend the mote, and at the start of each of your turns.
Oni Disrespect Supplimental Cost: 1 mote; Mins: Martial Arts 1, Presence/Performance 1, Essence 1 Prereq Charm: Oni Impact Acceptance
Your cavalier attitude towards your opponents enrages those who attack you. You may Flurry a social interaction into an attack, proclaiming your disrespect. Everyone within audible range, who you are already fighting, makes a resolve roll against your Presence/Performance+Essence, or gains a Minor Intimacy of anger or hatred against you. IF they already have this Intimacy, this enhances it to Major. This leads your opposition to focus on you in combat when possible. This Intimacy lasts until the end of the scene, unless it becomes more permanent for various reasons.
Mastery: You become more capable in your insults – add your Presence and Performance together to determine the target number of successes. Further, attempts to ignore you are not only more difficult, but aids your allies – anyone with an angry/hateful intimacy towards you (and under this effect), that attempt to attack your allies, find their resolve wavering out of longing to hit you instead, lowering their attack rolls by their degree of Intimacy.
Oni Flesh Sanctification Reflexive 0m; Mins: Martial Arts 2, Resistance 2, Essence 2 Prereq Charm: Oni Impact Acceptance
Bloody Oni practitioners train to take hits. A LOT of hits. This is treated as a sanctification of the flesh, to toughen themselves. When you use Oni Impact Acceptance, you benefit from this training. Since you choose how to take the hit, you take it in a way that is “helpful” – reduce 1 Aggravated damage to Lethal, or 1 Lethal damage to Bashing, if you take damage from an attack enhanced by Oni Impact Acceptance. This reduction occurs on each attack affected by Oni Impact Acceptance separately.
Mastery: you now reduce 1 Aggravated damage to Lethal, AND 1 Lethal to bashing, AND 1 bashing damage is prevented straight out.
Oni Shattering Impact Supplemental, Withering 1m Mins: MA 2, Brawl/Melee 2, Essence 2 Prereq Charm: Oni Overwhelming Impact
On Withering attacks, when you roll Doubles of any sort, you reduce the target’s successes for any movement rolls they make until the next round (including dodge and athletics rolls to move).
Mastery: this penalty to movement lasts for a number rounds equal to your Brawl/Melee rating, as appropriate.
Oni’s Smirk Reflexive, Withering Cost: 1m Mins: MA 2, Resistance 2, Essence 2 Prereq Charm: Oni Impact Acceptance
When you are hit, roll Stamina + Resistance, targeting the opponent’s Essence. If you succeed, roll a withering attack or gambit, with bonus a bonus die for each attack that has successfully hit you this round. (so, if you are attacked 3 times in a round, successfully, you may counter three times, and, assuming you do, the third one is made with 3 bonus dice)
Mastery: You may perform this counter even when Crashed, and if you gambit as the counter, you gain initiative equal to your successes.
Violence Begets Violence Reflexive Cost: 1 will, mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 3 Prereq Charm: Oni Impact Acceptance
Keep a tally of all Lethal and Aggravated damage dealt to you in this Scene. Whenever you attack, you may spend a mote to spend some portion of this count as automatic successes on that attack.
Mastery: You may instead spend some portion of this count to give allies within short range of you automatic successes instead, at the same mote cost.
Cry of Infernal Rage Simple 3m, 1w Mins: Martial Arts 3, Presence 3, Essence 3 Prereq Charm: Oni Disrespect
You howl your bloodlust, inspiring your friends and frightening your enemies. When you do this, your allies gain an Accuracy bonus equal to your current health penalty (so if you are at -2, they gain +2), and any enemies with a negative Intimacy towards you suffer a -1 to Accuracy. This lasts your Essence in rounds.
Mastery: your enemies suffer your current health penalty as a penalty to Accuracy (so, if you are at -2 from health, they are -2 Accuracy), minimum -1, instead.
Oni Savage Bloodletting Supplemental Cost: 1m Mins: Martial Arts 3, Brawl/Melee 3, Essence 3 Prereq Charm: Oni Overwheling Impact
When you make a Decisive attack, you may roll your Strength+Brawl or Melee, target your opponent's Stamina. If you succeed, your target starts to bleed heavily. A target loses 1 bashing damage per excess success each turn, which dwindles by 1 for each round the target has bled. This may be staunched by (Intelligence + medicine), each success reducing the excess successes that controls the bleeding on a 1 to 1 basis. (So if you are bleeding 5 bashing, next round you’d bleed 4. If someone makes the medical check on you for 2 successes that round, you’d go to bleeding 2 bashing damage instead, and stop bleeding 2 rounds from now)
Mastery: You may spend a Willpower to make this effect Lethal, instead of bashing. This damage is reduced at the same rate. The medicine check requires 2 successes to reduce 1 point/round of bleeding.
Oni Saint Body Supplemental Cost: *m; Mins: Martial Arts 3, Resistance 3, Essence 4 Prereq Charm: Oni Flesh Sanctification
Your profound physicality becomes even tougher. Each time you activate Oni Flesh Sanctification, you may roll your Stamina, and for each success, reduce a amount of Aggravated or Lethal damage coming your way to their next lower damage level, by paying 1 mote for each such reduction.
Mastery: You may also reduce bashing damage (that is incoming) to nothing as well. If you pay a willpower, you may add your Essence to your successes.
Blood Warpaint Permanent cost -; Mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 4 Prereq Charm: Bloody Oni Form
Your Lethal attacks cause fountains of blood. Which tend to cover you. Hope you aren’t going to a gala later. This rather daunting display grants you a bonus to your Presence in combat, as might be expected. You gain a +1 charm-bonus to Presence for each Lethal damage you do, up to your Essence max.
Mastery: You may flick the blood on your...everything...into an enemy’s eyes, Blinding them for 1 round; you lose one +1 bonus.
Iron Swing of the Oni Simple Cost: 3m; Mins: Martial Arts 4, Melee/Brawl 4, Essence 4 Prereq Charm: Oni Shattering Impact
You may reduce your accuracy on withering attacks by up to your melee/Brawl rating, in order to hit a number of opponents equal to this reduction with withering strikes. Roll damage once, and compare the results independently to each target. You gain initiative equal to each set of successes, and each target loses initiative based on the independent comparison. (so, for example, facing 3 opponents, you choose to attack all 3. Your Martial Arts is 4, your Dexterity is 4, so You roll 8-3 dice, and net 4 successes (you lucky fighter). Your opponents have Defense 3, 3, and 5 - you hit the first two, and not the last. First has 2 Soak, second has 1, so you gain 5 initiative, and the first loses 2, and the second loses 3)
Mastery: You may attack multiple enemies with the accuracy penalty being one less - so, assuming you pay the 3 motes, you can freely attack 2 enemies with no penalty whatsoever.
Warcry of the Oni Simple Cost: 3m, Mins: Martial Arts 4, Presence/War 4, Essence 4 Prereq Charm: Cry of Infernal Rage
You let loose a cry of war or might. All enemies with a negative Intimacy towards you lose the ability to move for 1 round if they fail a Resolve check, targeting your Presence or War ability, depending on which you declared. You, and all of your allies, gain +1 bonus to attack. Further, if you declared your might, all your allies gain an Initiative bonus equal to your Presence, and if you declared War, you may use a Simple War Charm order with a 1 mote Cost, for free.
Mastery: You may use both the Presence and War bonus effects.
Beckoning Oblivion Simple 10m, 1w, Mins: 5 Martial Arts, 5 Brawl/Melee, 5 Essence Prereq Charm: Violence Begets Violence, Oni Savage Bloodletting Special: Violence Begets Violence must be active.
You rampage, taking terrible and bloody vengeance on all who harmed you in this scene. Spend all the tally left on Violence Begets Violence, dealing Bashing damage equal to this tally (reduced by target stamina+resistance successes) to each opponent who has hurt you, so long as you can reach them (you may move Medium Range from one valid target to the next, plan accordingly). If the target is bleeding, deal Lethal damage instead.
Mastery: You may move Long Range instead. You may spend an additional willpower to include one target who hasn't hurt you. You gain 1 willpower for each enemy you incapacitate or kill with this rampage.
Regret Comes Too Late Supplemental Cost: 1w, Mins: Martial Arts 5, Resistance 5, Essence 5 Prereq Charm: Oni's Smirk, Oni Savage Bloodletting
When you counter an attack and would deal damage, your damage increases one category (Bashing to Lethal, Lethal to Aggravated. If you would already deal Aggravated damage, add one success to your damage instead). If you counter with a withering attack, double your target's initiative loss - you only gain the normal amount, however. If you Crash an opponent as a result of this power, recover 1 willpower.
Mastery: your attacks inflicts bleeding, per Oni Savage Bloodletting.
Last Call Simple Cost: 10m 1w, 3a, Mins: Martial Arts 5, Presence 5, Essence 5 Prereq Charm: Warcry of the Oni
You invoke a terrifying vision with your shouted words, proclaiming blood and horror to your enemies. All enemies within long range with a negative Intimacy to you have this Intimacy increase in severity. They then roll Resolve versus your Presence. If they fail, you then invoke a second Intimacy of fear on all enemies in range, Minor or one level greater, if it already exists. Also, they cannot move, and suffer an Intimacy penalty to their Defense for your essence rounds.
Mastery: Any enemy with a dead or unconscious ally within short range of them loses 1 Defense for each such body, which stacks with the above penalty.
Iron Oni Body Reflexive Cost: 1w, Mins: Martial Arts 4, Resistance 4, Essence 5 Prereq: Oni's Smirk, Violence Begets Violence
For the rest of the scene, when you are dealt Lethal or Aggravated damage, you gain 1 hardness that lasts until the end of the scene, to a maximum of your Essence.
Mastery: You start with Hardness 1, and your maximum is Essence+1. If an attack is Unblockable, Roll your Resistance+Stamina. If you gain more successes than the attack had, it is no longer Unblockable.

Fall in love with Toronto comedy. Comedy Nuggets presents Awfully Funny, which is an evening of hilarious comedy. This show features Toronto comedians performing stand-up, sketch, and improv.
Awfully Funny showcases comedians who have performed at comedy festivals such as Just for Laughs, Winnipeg Comedy Festival, Halifax Comedy Festival, Toronto Sketch Festival, Montreal Sketch Festival, Boston Improv Festival, and Big City Improv Festival (Toronto).
Comedy Nuggets is committed to providing a guaranteed good night out with a date, family (subject matter often R rated) or group of friends. If you’re looking for a good time, this is one of the best things to do this weekend in Toronto.
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VENUE

COMEDY BAR 945 BLOOR ST. W. TORONTO, ON.

• Beverages (incl. alcohol) available for purchase.
• Outside food allowed, no outside drinks allowed.
• Smoking free environment.

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June 23 @ 9:00 pm - 10:15 pm EDT

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ABOUT COMEDY NUGGETS

If you’re searching for a comedy show in Toronto, a Comedy Nuggets show is the only one to consider. Most of the Comedy Nuggets shows, like the Comedy Cellar and The Comedy Store, use a showcase format, as opposed to a headline format like most comedy club shows. Comedy Nuggets shows mix established headliners with hilarious up and comers. We feature comedians who have been selected to perform at the most important comedy festivals in Canada and internationally – bringing the best comedians to independent venues in Toronto. Owned and produced by people who care about your experience, know that repeat customers and word of mouth is the secret to our business. We want you to come back often, bring your friends, we will treat you that way, and would love to hear from you – email us at info@comedynuggets.com.
Follow Comedy Nuggets IG: @comedynuggets Eventbrite: comedynuggets.eventbrite.ca AllEvents.in: allevents.by/comedynuggets/