Both, we know AI cannot create anything new, hence the churning of slop decelerates any potential progress or pivots. Why innovate or find new meanings if there is no pressure for you to come up with new stuff? AI does it for you from what’s already there.
Scented candles? Relatively affordable, easy to re gift if they don’t like it
When they get withdrawals, even if mild. Some people get a bit cranky if they don’t get their daily fix (and yes, it has to be a daily habit). That’s evidence for me of an unhealthy dependence.
Of course, if they always have alcohol available it’s going to be difficult to see the withdrawal and it’s also difficult to draw the line because not all people tolerate it in the same way.
Okay the key here is what you mean by “constantly”. Telling a story about something so life changing once a year hardly goes as “constantly” in my books.
What may come across as manipulative is you mentioning she’s trying to get you to do as she says or trying to get guilt or compassion from you. And this with a pinch of salt, because it’s very hard to tell from what you share here. I would have to become a fly on your wall for a long time to have my own opinion about it.
You tell me she’s telling you this every week and making reference to it every day, several times a day, and now that’s what I consider “constantly”. That she hardly has anything else to share about her past or that she somehow finds a way to spin everything to a framework of scarred pregnancy mother, or similar.
My own mother has told me about her pregnancies several times a year, I heard her stories so many times. Hundreds. Yet that was never the only story she had, and it was always brought up more or less naturally in conversation. The same happened with several other favorite anecdotes of her own past and me and my sister’s childhood. I would consider this aspect to be normal.
I never felt manipulated by her retelling of a story though. And I know she could manipulate pretty well. She also had a few topics she would constantly harass me about, yes, daily or nearly to a point. But retelling the past was not part of it, even though she did frequently.
I’m positively surprised on this one
Anything that forces you to build your own sentences, be that writing in any genre or public speaking or heck even casual conversation
Yep, that’s me whenever seeing “Salsa sauce” in the mexican or sauces section in supermarkets
I think that’s it, you’ve found it, it’s Shuma-Gorath. It’s really close chronologically, it’s in a very popular publication, and also in the oldest depictions I could find it also sports something like the “chitinous plates” the beholder description has. According to Wikipedia too, Shuma was/is one of the most popular kaiju-type villains in Marvel. It also says Shuma can levitate and shoot rays off his eye and tentacles.
Eyeballs on tentacles/eyestalks were much more popular back in the day than now, especially for alien or extraterrestrial designs. So there isn’t a huge leap from Shuma gorath to Beholder.
I was hoping for more sci fi or fantasy fans to crop up and point at other characters from 60’s or earlier novels, however, no luck so far. Someone pointed a beholder wouldn’t look out of place in a Lovecraft story and I agree but yours was the only concrete example so, congrats, enjoy your trophy!
There is plenty of similar, I also recall a Powerpuff girls episode with something like a beholder, also in the 90s I think. No infringement either, because it wasn’t exactly a beholder nor it was called a beholder.
That Pixar movie did use a proper beholder though.
Anyway… They’re all after 1975 so…
My question was “where were the beholder -like creatures in the media before 1975?” Specifically looking for examples of similar things that were already in circulation before.
iirc Wikipedia doesn’t mention Big Trouble in Little China as copyright infringement, but it mentions that example as something similar, whereas other media does get mentioned as infringing copyright.
Apparently the only one who got to use a beholder as such and not get a lawsuit was Pixar, who managed to get permission from WotC. I guess this means both have similarly strong lawyers
Nice connection there
Advanced D&D Monster Manual 1977
added for context not to be argumentative … it came out in '75 … my copy of the MM is from 1977>
Yes, I think I mentioned it came out in the '75? According to Wikipedia at least, although it is unclear whether it was publicly released that year. The material there cited is also from the '77.
Depends on what the magic does. I would pick the treehouse as long as it has some kind of magical camouflage. If not, I’d go for the fort, as long as it has some kind of good ventilation system.
Let’s cry together 😭
Okay and for those who live in places where ice and snow don’t happen, what’s the image supposed to be explaining? I believe you that there is something wrong here, but I’ve no idea
This is a pretty comprehensive answer, I’d say the best so far. I’d like to add two items to the list:
Surveillance: there is always surveillance implemented one way or the other. Usually this involves a scheme in which people are rewarded for reporting anything suspicious or that could be considered a form of dissent against the leader.
Borders: entering and exiting the territory can be difficult, with lots of extra screening and paperwork. The logic behind this is that the regime doesn’t want external influences disrupting their control, but also doesn’t want to lose their workforce. Deserting means your anti patriotic sentiment is too high so it gets a very severe punishment, often death.
Your appreciation of sweeping under the rug for handsome people is true, however, not the only outcome therefore I disagree that beautiful always wins. I’ve seen beautiful lose just as much.