CannibalisticApple's recent activity
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Comment on Offbeat Fridays – The thread where offbeat headlines become front page news in ~news
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Comment on Huge fines after drone surveillance catches Californians with illegal fireworks in ~news
CannibalisticApple Link ParentIt's kinda weird, but also makes sense to me. It feels like a more proactive version of how fire marshals handle building inspections and safety reports. Especially since the article mentioned...It's kinda weird, but also makes sense to me. It feels like a more proactive version of how fire marshals handle building inspections and safety reports. Especially since the article mentioned they focused on neighborhoods with prior complaints. Seems like a logical extension of fire investigation.
I also don't think they're enforcing the ban themselves so much as identifying and reporting violations? The city seems to be the one doling out the actual fines, they're just compiling the evidence.
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Comment on Girlie pens, again? Why ordinary things go pink. (2012) in ~life.women
CannibalisticApple LinkGendered marketing is so bizarre to me. I can get it to an extent, but so many products are absolutely unisex. Of the products shown in the article, I do think the phone and pillow fight kinda...Gendered marketing is so bizarre to me. I can get it to an extent, but so many products are absolutely unisex. Of the products shown in the article, I do think the phone and pillow fight kinda make sense though. Pillow fights at girls' sleepover is a major cliche, while teenage girls would probably care more about having a phone and matching it to their room.
The "lab technician set for girls" could also get a pass from me since hey, it was at least encouraging girls to do science! That's actually pretty awesome for the time period! I wonder how many girls got into science because of it, since I can see some people buying it only because it had "for girls" on it.
Rolled my eyes at the razor and train though. The train is especially dumb to me since... Well, most people who like model trains want them to be like real trains. It's dumb how so many companies literally just make stuff pink with no other changes and say it's for women. And often with an upcharge, to boot. This article may be from 2012, but it still rings true.
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Comment on Stardew Valley just became the highest rated steam game of all time in ~games
CannibalisticApple Link ParentI think that's exactly why Stardew Valley is so successful. This was a passion project, plain and simple. Still is. Every developer hopes for major success, but I'd say he didn't expect it simply...I think that's exactly why Stardew Valley is so successful. This was a passion project, plain and simple. Still is. Every developer hopes for major success, but I'd say he didn't expect it simply because he just wanted to make a good game.
Fun little tidbit: I first heard about Stardew Valley in an article about how people who pirated it wound up buying it to support him, and asking how to transfer their save files to the legitimate copies. It just shows how that sort of pure passion really does move people in ways that money-driven projects don't.
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Comment on Stardew Valley just became the highest rated steam game of all time in ~games
CannibalisticApple Link ParentI think the "darker" elements just come with the gameplay. From what I've gathered Haunted Chocolatier has a bigger emphasis on combat, and it's also... Well, about a haunted chocolate shop....I think the "darker" elements just come with the gameplay. From what I've gathered Haunted Chocolatier has a bigger emphasis on combat, and it's also... Well, about a haunted chocolate shop. Ghosts are part of the package.
I doubt anything will be too bad or dark. I think it will just have more of the mysterious elements like the Junimos, Wizard, cursed mannequin, etc., and present them more prominently.
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Comment on SOMA | Nintendo Switch trailer – releases 24th July 2025 in ~games
CannibalisticApple Link ParentPlus the Switch 2 just came out. It's barely a month old. Consoles tend to get games for a while after a successor comes out, if only because a bunch of those games were already far in development...Plus the Switch 2 just came out. It's barely a month old. Consoles tend to get games for a while after a successor comes out, if only because a bunch of those games were already far in development before the new console was confirmed. And since the Switch 2 is backwards compatible, just makes sense to maximize the potential player base.
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Comment on On the increased popularity and serious risks of choking during sex in ~life
CannibalisticApple Link ParentI think it does an effective job at emphasizing that choking is lethal though. Pretty sure the people who need this message most aren't thinking about it in terms of torture and lethality.I think it does an effective job at emphasizing that choking is lethal though. Pretty sure the people who need this message most aren't thinking about it in terms of torture and lethality.
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Comment on Women's pockets are inferior in ~life.women
CannibalisticApple Link ParentBeautifulBeautiful
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Comment on Women's pockets are inferior in ~life.women
CannibalisticApple Link ParentI mean, Rika is subject of much thirst in the Pokémon fandom and she wears suspenders. So, it's definitely possible.I mean, Rika is subject of much thirst in the Pokémon fandom and she wears suspenders. So, it's definitely possible.
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Comment on Women's pockets are inferior in ~life.women
CannibalisticApple Link ParentI have accepted purses as a necessary evil, but I stick to small crossbody bags. Just big enough to hold my phone, wallet, my 3DS and small spare necessities as the need arises. The small size...I have accepted purses as a necessary evil, but I stick to small crossbody bags. Just big enough to hold my phone, wallet, my 3DS and small spare necessities as the need arises. The small size makes it easier to just keep it on my body while sitting out in public without getting uncomfortable, and the crossbody strap is comfortable and more secure compared to those single-shoulder bags. I also don't need to pull it on my lap to root around for just my phone like the behemoth my mom carries.
Though I will never get the appeal of clutch bags. Purses are a necessary evil at this point, but at least they have straps so you don't have to hold it constantly. Clutches are their even more inconvenient counterpart.
Also: you might want to check at a sports store like REI for hiking shorts and the like in the summer. Ended up going there after borrowing my aunt's shorts from there, purely because they had decent pockets. I think they're a bit on the pricey side, but as someone who loathes jeans, I found it worth it.
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Comment on Women's pockets are inferior in ~life.women
CannibalisticApple Link ParentI want an update too mainly because I know cell phones are a bit bigger now. I feel like there's a chance that even if women's pocket sizes have grown, they're still inadequate. And also a...I want an update too mainly because I know cell phones are a bit bigger now. I feel like there's a chance that even if women's pocket sizes have grown, they're still inadequate. And also a possibility that men's pockets have grown to comfortably hold these bigger phones...
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Comment on What are some cross-media adaptations/tie-ins that you'd recommend? in ~talk
CannibalisticApple LinkIn the manga sphere, Corpse Party: Another Child is a spin-off of the Corpse Party games with an original story and cast that I enjoyed a lot. There are a lot of neat manga spin-offs of video...In the manga sphere, Corpse Party: Another Child is a spin-off of the Corpse Party games with an original story and cast that I enjoyed a lot. There are a lot of neat manga spin-offs of video games with original stories, but that's the main one to come to mind since it came up in a recent conversation.
Well, that and the Pokémon Adventures manga. That series explores the darker sides of the world-building in ways the games and anime never touched on. Super fun!
There's also an old manga adaptation of eight Ray Bradbury short stories called R is for Rocket. The art style is very dated and pretty cartoony, so a bit of an acquired taste, but I think it fits the tones of the stories. The adaptations are pretty faithful with some mild changes (biggest one is that Come Into My Cellar introduces a teenage daughter as the protagonist instead of the dad). I'm actually curious how this one came to be, since it never got licensed in English. I assume they got permission, but I can't find any English-language sources that reference its existence outside mentions on profiles for the mangaka, Hagio Moto. So, who knows?
Then there's the short story collection Dark Water by Koji Suzuki, author of The Ring novels. It's an anthology of water-themed horror stories. As the Wikipedia page notes a few of them have been adapted into films or TV shows outside Japan, namely the Dark Water film (an American remake of the original Japanese adaptation), Open Water 2: Adrift, and the Masters of Horror episode Dream Cruise. So if you're a fan of any of those or horror in general, worth reading the collection!
Outside the manga/anime and horror sphere, Indiana Jones has a whole novel series. I've only read the twelfth one, Indiana Jones and the Secret of the Sphinx, way back in seventh grade. Apparently it's the last one so it felt like there was some context I didn't have (something about him looking older...?), but even then it was pretty fun.
Lastly: I haven't read it, but for Star Wars fans, the anthology Tales of the Mos Eisely Cantina can change how you see the cantina scene. Specifically:
Spoilers
My teacher pointed out an alien couple on screen and very cheerfully informed us how the female later killed the male as part of her species' mating process.One of my takeaways from my creature design class is that the Star Wars extended universe is fascinating and wastes a lot of potential with so much of the focus on the Jedi parts. They could have spin-offs in pretty much any genre they want with how fleshed out the universe is.
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Comment on Tildes Book Club discussion - June 2025 - A House with Good Bones by T Kingfisher in ~books
CannibalisticApple Link ParentThanks for the compliments! Had a feeling when I saw you mentioned me that there'd be comparisons to that story. I agree on the tone in The House with Good Bones being a bit too light at times. I...Thanks for the compliments! Had a feeling when I saw you mentioned me that there'd be comparisons to that story.
I agree on the tone in The House with Good Bones being a bit too light at times. I was cool with it overall since I've seen plenty of stories that veer too hard in the opposite direction to the point of being a slog (or even lose tension since you just expect failure). The humor and quips kept this one enjoyable even when nothing was really happening, it was fun just seeing Sam interact with people. But as far as I can tell the book isn't classified as horror comedy, so the light tone throughout the whole book came as a surprise. I wouldn't say it deadened the tension, but rather, the tension didn't seem to build properly.
I can get why it took Sam so long to suspend her own disbelief since most of the stuff that happened was so minor and could be (mostly) explained. I also get why her mom was so wary of explaining at first, since it does sound crazy and everything Sam saw was minor. Heck, one of the rational explanations (and source of much angst) was Edie developing dementia, so telling Sam right away would probably just reinforce that concern.
I just wish Gran Mae didn't debut so soon after Edie finally told her, and right after Gail got Sam to actually open her mind to the possibility her mom wasn't crazy. Give her time to come to grips with the fact that supernatural forces might exist and witness some more inexplicable events. Everything else Sam saw up to that point did have some potential rational explanations, even when she knew how flimsy that explanation was (like the refrain about how doll hands don't have dirt under their nails).
As it stood, everything escalated so quickly that we didn't really get to feel the full buildup. Especially since no one actually got hurt in the story until then, so there wasn't a real sense of danger.
Also a moment of silence for poor Phil for getting dragged into this with almost zero context. I don't think the interest was too one-sided since they had some fun talks between everything. The fact he still gave Sam his phone number even after being dragged into the worst family dinner ever suggests he either had a very strong interest... Or the suspension bridge effect hit hard and heavy.
Or maybe he just felt obligated to offer the number after going through that together, and hoped being separated by the state Texas meant they'd probably never talk again anyway. Though he might want to flee the state too, just in case.
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Comment on Tildes Book Club discussion - June 2025 - A House with Good Bones by T Kingfisher in ~books
CannibalisticApple LinkSo I finally finished it last night! Got sidetracked halfway through because my aunt came to town, but also because like a few others have noted, the build-up is slow. It was enjoyable and I liked...So I finally finished it last night! Got sidetracked halfway through because my aunt came to town, but also because like a few others have noted, the build-up is slow. It was enjoyable and I liked the humorous bits, but it didn't suck me in. I'd actually planned to split the final half and finish today, but then Gran Mae made her debut and I knew the action had finally hit.
That said, it felt like it was sudden how everything happened all at once. All the buildup moments were so small and almost mundane. Sleep paralysis and dreams, vultures staring at the house, the photo with the hand (on that note, I now want to put doll hands under our bushes this Halloween), the ladybug swarms (which got me cringing as someone who loathes bugs) and finally the jar of teeth...
There were all so minor, and then suddenly Gran Mae manifests, and then they were sentenced to the Shadow Realm. I knew the underground children would appear, but I'd expected them to show up more... organically, I suppose? Like they would gradually appear more and more around the house before swarming in the climax. Which, they did to an extent, but not enough for Sam to register their existence as an actual possibility even when faced with Gran Mae herself.
As much as I enjoyed the book and humorous narration from Sam, I feel like the atmosphere didn't really get to build effectively, which I think is the source of all the mixed feelings people mention. Some of the biggest events didn't even happen in the story proper, namely the backstory exposition about Marie and real estate agents once Sam finally talks to her mom. Seeing someone actually hurt by the hantings would have added so much to the suspense and sense of danger, but we only get told about it long after the fact, and right before Gran Mae debuts. (Classic case of show vs. tell.) I don't think we got an explanation for why this only started in the last year, either.
It reminds me of Horrorstör by Grady Hendrix. It's a horror comedy about a haunted IKEA and that one started similarly light, with some genuinely freaky moments, before it also went all-in on horror all at once. And it went for the gorey, torture kind, which disappointed me. Compared to that, I enjoyed this book more since the horror didn't just rely on torture. This one felt more creative, and also had some pretty major emotional themes to explore beyond surviving.
One more detail I want to mention is the teeth. Namely when Edie talked about seeing Gran Mae sorting through her husband's ashes for his teeth, and mentioned her telling the undertakers how she didn't want him "ground up like meat". That got me to pause because... Well, my dad died and was cremated. So I had to reread that section a few times because that phrasing made me think it referred to before the cremation. So uh. That part stuck with me for reasons the author (probably) didn't intend.
Overall I think I'd rate this an 8 out of 10. I didn't mind the light tone (yes, even with the mewling underground children), but the horror aspect felt a bit too lacking until the final act. Balancing tone is one of the trickiest parts of writing, and I think this one was just a bit too light for too long (especially since as far as I can tell, this one isn't classed as horror comedy). It didn't feel "haunting" to me like the back cover describes it. Maybe it would if I had experience with intergenerational trauma, since that's a big theme in the book? The horror might hit harder for readers who have experience with that or just messed up relatives of any sort.
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Comment on Propane Genesis Evangelion - King of the Hill Anime OP in ~anime
CannibalisticApple Link ParentLove the English comment saying "Finally, a version I can sing along to properly" Also the cat faces are mildly creepy in this. The smiles and eyes feel so empty...Love the English comment saying "Finally, a version I can sing along to properly"
Also the cat faces are mildly creepy in this. The smiles and eyes feel so empty...
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Comment on Weather forecast is for extreme heat in Europe. Heat related deaths are expected. in ~enviro
CannibalisticApple Link ParentHeh, I remember in my first semester in college we got emails warning us to wear scarves covering our mouths "to protect our lungs". Ever since then I've been wondering what sort of climate is...Heh, I remember in my first semester in college we got emails warning us to wear scarves covering our mouths "to protect our lungs". Ever since then I've been wondering what sort of climate is ideal for humanity, because I feel like we're not meant for temperatures that are dangerous to just inhale.
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Comment on How did you ruin a game for yourself? in ~games
CannibalisticApple LinkI played Minecraft a lot years and years ago, had a nice little survival save file. It wasn't fancy but it was fun enough, and I was proud of my little house. Even after I left my house and got...I played Minecraft a lot years and years ago, had a nice little survival save file. It wasn't fancy but it was fun enough, and I was proud of my little house. Even after I left my house and got horribly lost, I was still proud and wanted to find it again.
Then I joined a server where a bunch of people had mods. The main one I wanted: flying. Because I loved to build in the sky, and I kept falling to my death on accident. I changed the crouch button to Caps Lock because you wouldn't fall off edges when crouching and Caps Lock kept it permanent, but I still wanted to fly.
Problem was I had a Mac, which made installing mods trickier than on Windows. In the end, my attempts to install the mod borked some files and deleted my survival file. So I started a new one since I lost track of the house anyway... Then tried to install the mod again, and the same thing happened.
I remember a line from Bennet Foddy in Getting Over It about how starting over is so much harder and more demoralizing than starting from scratch, and that absolutely applied there. I stopped playing single-player survival altogether, and one of the server mods graciously gave me Creative mode just so I could fly and stop falling to my death. When I joined another Survival-focused server from the same community later, I'd forgotten most of the basics and had to check the wiki so I wouldn't starve.
Even now years and years later, I have little motivation to get back into it despite a good friend being a very avid player. I think that experience just soured the little passion I had.
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Comment on Weather forecast is for extreme heat in Europe. Heat related deaths are expected. in ~enviro
CannibalisticApple Link ParentAmerican here. I think our heatwaves (and summer temperatures in general) have been historically been more intense than Europe. Several regions also tend to have pretty strong humidity attached to...American here. I think our heatwaves (and summer temperatures in general) have been historically been more intense than Europe. Several regions also tend to have pretty strong humidity attached to it, which makes it worse. High humidity prevents your sweat from evaporating so you and everything else become very sticky and hot, and it can be genuinely hard to breathe. And you aren't always in a position where you can shower to cool off whenever you get too hot.
The one time where I thought that people complaining about being unable to breathe with masks could actually have a point was when we went to New York City during a heat wave. The mask trapping my breath and sweat directly against my face absolutely made it even worse. We ended up going into a pharmacy just to get out of the heat for a couple minutes, and later bought cheap folding fans to fan ourselves just to try to get some relief.
So basically, for some parts of the US at least (especially for the southern states), air conditioning in summertime has been necessary even before climate change started really hitting. I know that it got standardized in more northern states during my mom's lifetime, since she recounted how during college students with asthma got priority on the newer dorm rooms with AC installed. Those students were the most popular people on campus on hot days.
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Comment on Weather forecast is for extreme heat in Europe. Heat related deaths are expected. in ~enviro
CannibalisticApple Link ParentI think part of it really is they just didn't have such extreme heat waves in the past that called for it. I remember reading many stories about foreigners being shocked when they'd visit the US...I think part of it really is they just didn't have such extreme heat waves in the past that called for it. I remember reading many stories about foreigners being shocked when they'd visit the US during heat waves since we also have high humidity to accompany it. The humidity is the real killer I think, I remember getting winded just walking from the car into the library on a day with 80F weather and strong humidity. I guess that combo isn't as common in Europe? Or, wasn't...
Little anecdote: we visited Paris last March and I had to buy new pajamas because the weather was in the 60's F, and the hotel room was too hot for my long pajama pants. We'd packed with cool spring weather in mind, but it ended up feeling like summer and our hotel lacked AC. After hearing most buildings and hotels in Paris lack AC, all I could think was how bad it'd be in the summer during the Olympics.
On that note, I think the other challenge with adding AC in Europe is just retrofitting all the old buildings. The US has a relatively recent history, so a lot of public buildings and houses have been constructed since the invention of air conditioning and had it in mind. Europe... Not so much.
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Comment on Stop Killing Games petitions hit the target for both UK and EU in ~games
CannibalisticApple Link ParentI'm surprised too, mainly because I saw it yesterday for the first time and it was at a bit over 900k signatures. So it got ~100,000 signatures overnight, or maybe the count updates on a delay...?...I'm surprised too, mainly because I saw it yesterday for the first time and it was at a bit over 900k signatures. So it got ~100,000 signatures overnight, or maybe the count updates on a delay...?
I'm glad it got the needed signatures and I hope the EU takes this seriously! Given the vast number of gamers out there, I figured the main roadblock to this petition would be just spreading awareness the petition exists.
Well, their stingers do have venom. I think usually it's just a mild irritant to humans but from what I recall, people can develop allergies to bee stings after being stung multiple times. So being stung dozens of times at once probably adds up.
Also according to that Wikipedia article, killer bees were created by someone crossbreeding European and African bees in Brazil. The fact that killer bees are literally a manmade species is just weirdly hilarious to me. It's the movie cliche where a mad scientists tries to create something good and instead unleashes a horrible monster upon the world.