Another Senator saying he holds out hope for a continued movement to a "further right"

 What exactly is this "further right" he speaks of?   Is he certain that his definition and ideal "further right" are even remotely similar to other "fellows" ideals for "further right?"  

 Does he consider the agendas of well-armed fringe groups, who would certainly paint themselves with the brush of "further right" as they send what little $ they can to support a blatantly outspoken, yet clearly deluded man with whom, in reality, they've precious little in common beyond admiration for his disrespect of anyone who disagrees with his wild and varied speculations which reflect his puffery and egomaniacal imaginings based mostly in anger and self-doubt and a need to silence all dissention.  

Are these disparate pieces of "further right" in any way unified or in balance outside of their vitriolic, almost hateful energy - fueled by fear of losing control - over self and over others - over destinies.  Is racial bigotry and fear the unifying force within the "further right" today?  Does this man believe his religious righteousness is reflected, in ANY significant measure, within the agenda of those fringe groups who were emboldened by a recklessly deluded ex-president's rhetoric, filled with an endless chain of utterly false, baseless accusations fueled by one absurd conspiracy-theory after another... anger and - distrust and hate born of fear being the GLUE for this unhealthy reflection of a very malignant, tumorous growth upon the heart of what was once an honorable, if still fearful, basis for a shared vision of a return to honor and wholesome values which are based in a positive message of togetherness and not upon any judgment or inflation of gulfs which separate us from our fellow citizens.  All sides have allowed a sickness to penetrate and permeate within our ranks - highlighting our differences and exaggerating them - widening the gulf until we're no longer united within these "United States" which we all claim are ours, and ours alone.  We must find a way to STOP this division, this single, sinister path to .. what I believe is certainly ruinous - we have to recognize and acknowledge our own actions which contribute to this angry, subversive disunion.  In our democracy, when our votes have been tallied and we have suffered what we view as a loss, due strictly to a majority which has not agreed with our own agenda - we do not immediately cry "foul" and throw a temper tantrum, threatening revolution and sowing seeds of hate or violent discontent!  THAT IS NOT AMERICAN!!!!

   We work to bridge the gaps - to understand the things which compel ourselves and those who do not hold with all of our tightly held beliefs... we seek to learn and - to _compromise_ -- not our values or beliefs - but compromise with our fellows, by seeking common ground and SHARED dreams for the future.

Damn - we have to MAKE ROOM, in our visions for the future, for those fellow humans with whom upon all subjects we are NOT in full agreement.  How dull and -- truly dystopian the world would be if no one ever disagreed with any of our own opinions and beliefs.  Lord save us from such a false and malevolent vision of a shackled and constricted future.  WE ARE BETTER THAN THAT.  FUCK MAN... "Love thy Neighbor!"...   it doesn't say "Love thy Neighbor, so long as he agrees with you on all matters of opinion, taste and politic."

 RIGHT!?????

All of this is easier said - FAR easier said - than done, of course.  Well of course it is - 

Behavior on a forum. I rant against the ranters, or don't "doucherant" the noob

I had fun with this.  I had asked a question on a forum for satellite TV users, and got a scathing reply from some douchebag who didn't even realize I had asked a question, but rather thought I was making some technical assertion for my ego's sake, so he felt he had to put me in my place with a " we already know that" and "newbs always say what they know without reading...".  I had read the entire thread, had come across two completely contradictory posts, and was asking which one was correct.  Anyway, I decided to mess with the fragile forum-junkie for a bit.  The reason I decided to blog it was that I was so amused with myself and my utter brilliance with the hastily crafted response.  You already know that I am "aprilia1k" everywhere I go:

"

Quote:

Originally Posted by subeluvr I agree, but it's not too much to expect anyone looking for help to read back at least the last two or three pages in a long thread to see what the current info is because in many cases the answer to their question is in those last pages. Let's not forget that these are self-help forums and not do it for me forums...

Aren't they just called "forums"? ;-)

Or, perhaps "support forums?". I Really don't mean to be argumentative, but I am not seeing any mention of "self-help" OR "help me" in the naming. Just think the nomenclature is not necessarily universal. My point was clearly conceding that reading a little first is a good idea, but the venomous chastising (whether you think it is "deservedly" dispensed or not ) is never warranted. It's negative, infantile and rude. No need to say it again (do i need the last word or do you? etc...). I don't disagree with you about proper usage of such a thread; it's a courtesy to pre-read a bit to be sure. I am sure there are cases, as you say, where the answer is a page or two back. 

When I read this thread, I see a huge amount of chastisement, and these scoldings rarely ever ANSWER or ILLUMINATE, as though for punishment the offender must "keep reading" or seek elsewhere. If you're honest, you know I'm right. Go back and read it. All of that content just further obfuscates, hides the information a "NOOB" is looking for. And it explains why so many people start off their post with "I apologize if this question is stupid or has already been answered...". People shouldn't have to start off their posts in this manner. If, instead, the knowledgeable amongst us (not meaning myself) behaved like Rich and simply answered, helped - then the thread would be FULL of answers and illuminating info, instead of peppered with them, interspersed with the policing of the few upon the many.

It is clear that you are trying, and somewhat successfully for sure, to calm and soothe the "ogre" ;-), and I applaud you for that. Think that's likely why you posted this last one, to say "we understand', and yeah - kudos for that. Still, hope there's room for discouraging rudeness and perhaps for change. I stress this as being perhaps the most important point of all, on my part - while your "prickly but cool EE" is my "ogre under the bridge" within the forum, it bears remembering that, if he learns to lighten up, adjust the frown towards more of a smile with time, and to cut everyone a whole lot of slack - well, he will LIVE LONGER, be less-stressed and more healthy. That's not speculation, that's a fact.

Mods: I apologize if you think it's disruptive; I hope you see a little entertainment as well as a pertinent reminder for some serious-minded folks to enjoy themselves a little and to try being a little more courteous and friendly.

I apologize for the apparent "beating-of-the-deceased-equine", sincerely. But I think it's important to effect a shift in this unhelpful and discouraging behavior. People are afraid to post here. They start their posts with "I apologize" to try to avoid flames.

Speaking of which, I just got a private flame from the "ogre under the bridge" as I've decided to call him. You know who he is, he says he's an "EE" and at least half of his posts are attacks without any subsequent informative content. He says I "have nothing to show in public against (his) knowledge and experience". He just doesn't get it. It's not a contest. I also am not "out to get him" or compete. I am talking about rude behavior that discourages newcomers from even participating. I have analyzed the thread and there are _very_ few queries that had already been answered recently, if at all. There are numerous posts berating people though. If, like Rich, a person just simply sighed and "answered again", then the thread would be full of answers - and there would be fewer offensive NOOBs for the ogres to deal with.

My original post here was a question, stating (correctly and undeniably) that there was contradictory info regarding FS used by HR's... , and asking what was really correct please?

 He read it partially, didn't glean that there was a question, and thought I was asserting some technical info perhaps to inflate my ego or something, and - threatened by this - he posted an insulting reply that "everybody knows that" and "newbs always do this", paraphrased. It was very revealing in terms of the fragile ego and what-not, but it was also rude, unproductive and unjustified. He has never apologized to anyone on any threads I've perused, and is often, as was the case with me, outright mistaken about what was said or asked, or intended, cuz he's made it where it's impossible to tip-toe without hitting one of his toes. ;-) 

SMILE. I WANT YA TO LIVE LONGER, HONEST BROTHER.

Said equine thoroughly thrashed and buried. No more justifications. Wrong or Right, I'm asking for a little civility to future "NOOBS" (short for "NOt OBSessed with satellite forums) ;-) Just kidding, really."

Adaptation

Just need to get this down, before feeding the kid and hooking up my headset/mic so's I can give "talking" my blog and ... attempting the voice or speech interface of driving one's computer. 

The thing that others perceive as the person who is "me" - it's really, at best, a representation or a facsimile... no not a copy, a...  well, it's the interface, or interface , that is interacting with them.  The mind, well --- the speed of thought, for some - myself anyway - is just way faster than the speed of speech.  Like, for me, the idea of thinking out loud is ludicrous - beyond just verbalizing one or two specific thoughts anyway.   I couldn't possibly speak quickly enough to narrate, to verbalize, that mess.  By the time I speak a sentence, I've had dozens of separate thoughts - at least.  The sentence is, of course, often made far less comprehensible no doubt.  By the sound of it, you'd think that with all that time available, that every sentence spoken would be a gem, a true work of brilliance.  Heh.  Well, it is for some, more so than others - certainly more than I.  My problem is, I'm not really in control, not truly the master of my mind.  I envision trying to ride a wild horse that doesn't like being ridden, being sat on.  That's how I picture trying to "drive" this thing.  So - the fact that speech is a slow medium relative to thought means nothing, in terms of being able to do something amazing with any individual verbalization.  Sometimes I feel lucky to get a sentence, any sentence, out - in a semi-coherent manner.  I started out thinking about when I was a child - a bright, semi-precocious yet very naive (i.e. not street smart) child.  I started doing that supposed thinking-out-loud thing, I think in response to having just watched a movie that had a ton of voice-over narrative, y'know - inner thoughts stuff, done in voice-over.  Nic Cage was really damn good.  Guy has evolved a ton.  This was a movie done nine years ago too, 2002.  Oh well, better late than never.  I have to go do that feed-the-kid thing.  Eh.  My dog's my kid.  Maybe you understand.

My point about what others perceive as the person we are - just that it's clearly just the person we present.  Since most folks, in their daily lives anyway, are generally honest and not continuously duplicitous, then it's likely that the person presented is a fair representation of what's going on inside.  No way to be certain of that - not always - but it's probably safe to go ahead and assume it in most situations.  As far as really knowing someone - well, that is probably a lifelong endeavor for most reasonably intelligent people.  Maybe worthwhile every so often.  And of course there are exceptions - the rambling barrage of the over-sharer, the occasional verbal-dysentary afflicted narrator of one's own life.  There are always exceptions.  For me - I don't even know me.  Would probably make it difficult to be very good at acting - at least according to some.  Then again, perhaps I do, and don't see it clearly - a recurring problem for me.  Heh.  Oh yeah - kid.  food.  now.

Another ghost response to a proudly asserted falsehood - misconception maybe..?

"Lionesses are the true badasses of the Serengeti. they will kill a male lion at will ." - HUFFPOST SUPER USER lizsobelcolumbus

In Reply:

I don't disagree that Lionesses are badass -- but saying "..they will kill a male lion at will.." is pretty inaccurate.  The pride male is typically nearly twice as large as the largest lioness - and far more powerful - and she moves the hell out of the way when he charges in to take the first spot at her kill (their kill).  There are, naturally, quite varied personalities in any pride (like people - they're individuals), but by and large the pride male is definitely the badass - but he's also smart enough to avoid an angry lioness outside of the kill site or when attempting a pride takeover.   The stereotype of the lazy male letting the lionesses do the hunting and cub-rearing is well-deserved, but - credit where it's due - that same male is at least half the reason that her cubs will make it adulthood.  His continual "marking" the territory, dissuading, killing or chasing off all sorts of  threats - including competing males who will kill all their cubs as part of taking over the pride (a very common occurrence - unthinkable, but a part of the lion's genetic diversity imperative).   For a lioness to defeat, let alone kill, a healthy male lion - is the extremely rare exception. 

I knew this for a fact myself, but - anticipating some stubborn refusal to acknowledge (my apologies, just a gut feeling you could say) - I found a renowned and honored expert, and quickly located a quote of his assertions regarding this subject:

Prof Craig Packer, director of the University of Minnesota's Lion Research Center, told the BBC this sort of attack is "unprecedented".  Said Professor Packer, "We've seen examples of males killing females, and groups of females chasing away males, but a single female killing a male? Never heard of it."

Ph.D. in Behavioral Ecology, From 1978 was the head of the Serengeti Lion Project, the founder and director of both the Lion Research Center and Whole Village Project, as well as the co-founder of Savannahs Forever Tanzania. 
 

As for my own experience and reading, (naturally not worth mentioning after listing Craig packer's background ;-) - I've visited a few preserves in S. Africa, and to be honest never witnessed these confrontations, except for the male charging the lioness' kill (they usually do get outta the way) - but this is general knowledge that's easily verified.  The "cool" male lion - the "Pride Male", earns his keep by protecting his (and her) cubs from invading males intent on killing the cubs - as well as standing his ground with water buffalo (cub killers for sure -- they hate lions), packs of hyenas, etc..  (btw,  hyenas are an example of a true matriarchal species).    Anyway - I totally share your admiration of Lionesses, but the fact is that, frequently (i.e. statistically frequent), even two or three lionesses are too few to defend their cubs from a nomadic male lion in his prime.  Cubs get killed - all the time; the lionesses posture, fight valiantly, and often inflict injury but are no match for a massive male in prime -- and a few weeks later they go back in to estrus and end up mating with the new pride male - the very male lion that killed their cubs (provided he killed or chased off the previous pride male).   Brutal and unthinkable - but it's the way nature runs it's course for lions.  To give credit where credit is due, there are certainly times when lionesses succeed in fighting off a hopeful usurper, and there is plenty of ying & yang to be had - on average, a male lion is only able to remain dominant for about 2-1/2 years.  His reign is pretty brief, and his life is certainly no cup of tea on the whole (ejected pride males generally subsist - beaten and chased away from their pride/family, their large size and huge manes make them too visible to be the efficient stealth hunters the lionesses are.  They rely on scraps, etc.. and stealing kills from other predators like hyenas, cheetahs, etc..  Wow -- better go take a ritalin.  ;-)

This reply was a bit over twice the maximum size for a reply.  I didn't want to pare it down, even though it's far too verbose and straying...  oh well -- I'll simply post it here (or rather, add it to my unpublished posts -- which number about 8-10 for each published...  doh.

The State of the DAW Address - posted, un-posted, re-posted... a bit long in the tooth, but still representative of essential truth

First published 11th July, 2012 responding to forum posts discussing the top DAW tech of the day.

2021 - time-warped 9 years since writing the following correction to one or two posts I'd seen at that time.  I'm recovering and plan to rediscover my musical proclivities and continue creating my dream studio here, in home.   *********   -  Type a lengthy reply to an old thread, then chuck it... then revive it... and one more time now - 2013 - 2021 still the draft...

Damn - I'm officially "lurking". Well, I think you'll find that as the time goes by, it's going to be more and more difficult to wade through the debris of old posts - eventually we'll probably need a tech solution (perhaps HTML V's got something... dunno) to maintain relevant (this post is relevant and still current, even two years later) versus mostly ancient (reviews of hardware & s/w from 2001 are hardly relevant 11+ years later, after all.. yep, it's been awhile that we've been surfing now)... search engines will certainly continue evolving their ability to de-prioritize aged content yet recognize when it's useful or.. once more... relevant. Heck - I think I might need an upgrade m'self. oh well.. lurking or not, I've taken the time so I'm going to go ahead and share....

Dan Chapman: I remember using "Cakewalk for DOS" a very long time ago - 1991, in fact - using a Tascam 1/2" 8-track with my Korg M3R (M1 racked), Dx7, etc.. killer times. "Striping" the tape with a midi timecode track - I remember how cool it was the first time I went to record in sync with the synths - starting the sequencers when I hit Record (& Play iirc) and hearing the count-in before laying in to my (mic'd) guitar; pretty primitive to be sure - it was just cool how that "stripe" track told Cakewalk where to jump-to, and then kept it in lock-step with that MTC. If I'd only stayed with it... maybe tried midi-consulting, getting in to the studios early-on... (got married, went corporate (s/w), & shelved music for a decade or more... c'est la vie, eh? Cling to security and flee your dreams... let that be a lesson, kids.

One of the posts which prompted me to begin this response mentioned Cubase as follows: "I used Cubase and couldn't get anywhere with it"...   I wouldn't so readily admit that if I were you.  Cubase is patently easy to use, with tutorials and free video instruction available from Steinberg. Of course, if it was not a licensed copy or an active free trial, then that would explain such a statement. If you want to crack/steal, i.e. not-pay-for - an insanely killer DAW program like Cubase (or yeah, Pro Tools), then stick with the free/nag DAW ware.

Cubase, despite being strategically ignored by huge numbers of shill* bloggers (not Nathan, definitely) is arguably the most complete and powerful (features and function) DAW around, and is used by professionals all over the planet and within the environs of many highly prestigious commercial studios.  It's a digital audio powerhouse, despite PT being "Industry Standard" in the U.S., most notably in La-La Land as well as Nashville. 

Steinberg is arguably the most innovative and influential contributor to DAW technologies and standards, that's Industry standards.  They literally invented VST, significantly altering the DAW landscape and benefiting the entire community, irrespective of the particular vendor offerings and tools chosen.  Steinberg robustly support Cubase, their flagship product, with regular worthwhile updates and improvements , along with droves of highly usable (and often free) add-ons & plugins. Of course they are on the forefront of R&D as well, and maintain a wide array of products and tech across the entire range of DAW user-level, base tech and budget.  They were the quickest to fully embrace and support 64-bit (digital audio is among the most appropriate applications of 64-bit processing - at least for non-corporate s/w), for both Windows _and_ OS/X.   Cubase  6.5 has amazingly enhanced usability and state-of-the-art features & functionality - you're able to manipulate audio as easily as midi (real-time, super accurate and detailed audio editing - including individual note pitch and (event) length - we're talking audio, not just midi. It's incredibly easy to fix that one timing and/or pitch boner in an otherwise flawless performance (not talking about "autotune"-type features, which it also has for more general or sweeping usage). Of course a skilled editor could take a mediocre performance and turn it into a masterpiece as well, but clearly there's nothing like a true live-take performance for most of us.

I'm not saying that Cubase is the only smart choice - in fact, the competitive climate and the wide selection of available DAW platforms is of huge benefit to us consumers - keeping developers on their toes, working hard to keep or gain user market-share. It's natural to be somewhat bigoted when it comes to the DAW we eventually settle-in and get comfortable with, but statements like "nothing comes close to [my choice]" usually serve to betray an individual's ignorance - it's unlikely they've really taken the time to do an objective feature comparison, and their unique usage and needs may be quite different than the next person's.

Still - I have to admit that I've grown weary of the Pro Tools marketing/hype machine, and especially the shill-network, which consists of a large number of "musician/journalists" - PT (Digidesign for some time) were brilliant at penetrating the pro-studio market before the Music Business was totally wiped-out and re-written by the internet, and now the supposed "new economy" (Pro Tools was, and often still is, a lavish and enormous expense - proprietary, hardware-specific software - that really worked, and was easy enough for exhausted engineers to work with after a long night of recording. PT sales/reps were genius (devs too, yeah) - and, recently have wisely been relaxing that tight-coupling to proprietary hardware, although none-too-soon). The point is, Pro Tools is not the "only-game-in-town" that it is continuously billed as. Cubase has a large pro-community as well, both in the U.S. and especially in Europe and the southern hemisphere. There's definitely no "resting on their laurels" going on.

Use whatever works for you and floats your boat - and make music.


* SHILL: . "...someone who purposely gives onlookers the impression that he is an enthusiastic independent customer of a seller (or marketer of ideas) for whom he is secretly working..."

Best DAW review top five pick anyway:

"Cubase is a DAW with a storied history, created by German manufacturer Steinberg and released for the first time in 1989 on the Atari ST. Since then, Steinberg created not only successive versions of Cubase, but also created the VST plugin protocol, which is now widely used by software manufacturers to run programs, such as virtual instruments, within DAWs. Cubase is widely known as the DAW of choice among orchestral composers and orchestrators who create film music in so-called "synthestration," a virtual orchestra painstakingly recreated "in the box." Automation is spot-on, if the native effects are perhaps not as impressive as some other competitors in the field. The latest version includes the longstanding HALion sampler, the Time Warp Tool, as well as a real-time stretching and pitch-shifting function called Audio Warp" ed note: this was originally written nearly 9 years ago.  Needless to say, there have been plenty of changes these past 9 years, but - even without getting down to refreshing my DAW nous to 2021, I have little doubt that Steinberg are still delivering a top-tier, professional studio environment. When last I had looked, the now ancient ver 6+ had expanded Audio Warp to make it a seriously useful and powerful tool.. called vari-audio or ... vari... var.. something... ed. apology

Aishiteru - IxSHE Tell - reflection upon a single VN, and then upon them all

The following diatribe began as a response to a review of a Visual Novel on reddit - actually to part-1 of a 2-part review. That review was extremely interesting, and most certainly not your typical review:

Raven Reviews: IxSHE Tell Part 1, The Mechanics of a Book

This mostly stream-of-consciousness entry began as a positive response to Raven's review.

IxSHE Tell Part 1, The Mechanics of a Book

Post: aprilia1k 2020-09-15 19:00

Fantastic critical analysis. Kudos.

Bottom-line: I was constantly nodding in agreement - almost point-for-point, I believe. 

Your comparative of the more "traditional" approach to multi-route/"harem" VNs, and the various ways in which those frameworks can "black-box" (borrowing from s/w dev terminology) elements of a VN - be they dialog, CG, exposition, _choice_, etc..; serve to confine or block P-kun's progression with little or no advance info, reducing contemplation to guesswork - let's just say that it was an effective way to illustrate how such approaches can subtract from the overall experience in myriad ways. You said it way better than I can, and I'm glad you didn't mince too many words to do it. An excellent deconstruction.

I may put up a separate group of my own reviews sometime soon, and when I do, I'll include this title early on.  My appreciation of Raven's write-up, above, was in regard to the detailed study he made of the VN's structure, i.e. mechanics and how they relate to the potential for enjoyment, the process of discovery and etc.. He "hit the nail on the head" as they say.  In the wider sense - well, hell - I did say I am going to write a proper review sometime soon, so for now I'll just say that I quite enjoyed "IxSHE Tell", Aishiteru - the characters, the story, the presentation - all of it.  I didn't even have to employ very much of my "forgiving" nature with this one - the whole is definitely greater than the sum of it's parts - and I'm hovering between 8 and 9 at this point, and I don't believe that is excessively generous in the slightest. 😎

tl;dr -- I'm more forgiving than most when it comes to rating VNs - I can readily overlook many reviewers' criticisms, especially if they are in regard to "overused" tropes, archetypes and the like. If you read enough material, from a variety of authors and formats, the time will come when you will cease complaining about "overused" anything - IMHO. In the past eight or nine hundred years, nearly all has been "done" before. In the hands of a talented and properly motivated writer, even the most "cliche", "overdone", "tired" trope can excite, awaken, evoke and even surprise us. That's my opinion at least.

The reviews which begin by quantifying and categorizing - or stereotyping based upon trope or structure - are usually the reviews I find the least helpful, as they often seem to overlook or ignore that which is unique in their doggedly obstinate efforts to identify and pigeon-hole a title based upon common meta-traits.  Such reviews betray - more often than not, it seems - a blatant or thinly-masked air of superiority and condescension toward any deviations from their own subjective (and typically narrow-minded) notions of what constitutes a "good" or worthwhile title or work.  To be fair, or at least to try to be - were  I to submit reviews of a handful of VN titles, I suspect that from one-third to perhaps half of respondents would accuse me of having poor or very lowered standards for any or several titles.  Just the same, and in fairness to myself as well, I expect that at least half would completely agree with the bulk of my reviews, and I'd wager that - using those responses as a filter - I could further predict from among the whole group, those with whom I would most enjoy grabbing a beer and a pizza.  Not all that surprising, I suppose.  ;-) 

When reading a VN, I actively look for the positive.  I don't imagine it or concoct it with superfluous and weak standards or unreasonably forgiving views; if I find something positive, then it's undoubtedly something which a good many other VN aficionados will agree with.  I can say that with confidence based upon hundreds of reviews and forum posts - my views are mostly in accord with plenty of other people's, especially when breaking things down in to various categorizations, genre  and trope classifications and ... oops!..  lol.  Yes, I jest.  And now I'm undeniably just wasting electrons...    

I will repeat - I'm not an especially critical VN participant/reader. I'm somewhat forgiving if I find elements that I enjoy - I can usually focus on the positives and overlook the shortcomings. I find this significantly enhances my enjoyment, and makes my collection of "favorite" titles larger than it otherwise would be, for sure. The hurdle I find most challenging is the none-too-rare "Donkan" protagonist, or the overly weak-willed, indecisive, self-loathing or simply loathsome protagonist. I can overlook plenty if our hero is at least proactive. I much prefer a harem's attraction to P-kun be demonstrably supported and believable, not - as is typical - utterly absurd, immersion-killing and far-fetched. Hell! - these are supposed to be fantasies - why not fantasize oneself as truly likeable; perhaps possessed of some redeeming qualities beyond "nice guy" - rather than simply as the fat slob you are already, in real-life? If girls are going to be chasing him, or liking him - why have that very behavior be the greatest hindrance to believable immersion?

 The Quality, or lack thereof, of the VN Protagonist

 The topic comes up, from time to time, regarding these kinds of protagonist - uber-popular, "perfect" (which is never the case anyway).  Many VN critics are greatly opposed to any protagonist who's "got it going on".  They seem to prefer what they consider to be "more realistic" characters - which sounds reasonable, right?  The problem is, based upon the frequent rants and critical reviews to be found online, the "more realistic" protagonist in a Japanese Visual Novel seems to vary from what is tagged the "donkan protagonist" (aliases for which include "Romantically Insensitive" and "Dense about Love") to the "hetare protagonist" (aliases: "Wussy Protagonist", "Wimpy", "Worthless", "Good-for-nothing", "Useless" and  "Spineless").  Typically, or so it seems, the "hetare" protagonist is "donkan" as well.  The frequent justification for these types, and various combinations therein, is that they are more _realistic_, more representative of the typical teenage boy in Japan - the primary demographic for eroge of the Visual Novel format.
 
 Apparently, for this demographic, enjoyment hinges upon their ability to immerse within the story in the protagonist's role, but _as themselves_ - as they exist in real life (IRL).  For them, the "stretch" - to what's believable, what's immersive - is a "better me".  They've little problem believing the perfect heroine will somehow be interested in "the real me": plain, uninteresting, weak and pathetic but eventually attractive - because "I'm nice to everyone".  That adorable and talented girl may well "like" you, but - brother - she will never "like like" you... not as long as you readily accept yourself "just as you are", without striving to be more.. to be better.   The break in immersion is the notion that an unmotivated zero can be attractive just for being nice to people.  Better yourself, damn it. Start with your self-image - as in the archetype protagonist you visualize as your near-future-self.  Now I'm trying to turn this in to a pep-talk, so that I might single-handedly influence the creators to start writing more appealing protagonists. LOL.  

 But seriously - how is this "loser nice-guy" less of a stretch than believing they can be stronger, more decisive and proactive, and healthier.  Their completely abysmal self-image is a singular driving force for what is perhaps the most prominent design aspect and story element of these VNs.   As opposed to visualizing a "better self" in this role, an idealized fictional self to go with the fictional story world - they would much rather fantasize that cute, popular girls secretly long for plain, "nice guy" losers.  Man - I do not get it.  Why are these guys so unable or unwilling to imagine a "better" version of themselves in that role - such that if the protagonist is attractive or intelligent, or competent in any way - it is just impossible for them to "step-in" and immerse in order to enjoy the title. 

In fairness, there are some portion of VNs in which the protagonist _can grow_, i.e. advance within the confines of the story, gradually acquiring some of the traits to which they aspire - which is, I think, at least a step in the right direction - and one which might actually benefit some of these guys emotionally, psychologically; if they can begin to visualize their "better self" and discipline themselves to expend their efforts in a "self-improvement paradigm"... like most well-adjusted, reasonably healthy people tend to do over the course of their lives.  Damn, do I digress.  All of this is to say that there are a great many Visual Novels which have a wealth of excellent traits and attributes - the makings of "that special VN":

• stunning artwork, with beautifully rendered heroines
• lush and varied backgrounds and settings
• acceptable, sometimes excellent writing, with interesting and unique characterizations and backstories
• compelling plots, with effective "hooks", twists and turns which entice and pull the reader in to the story world
• a worthless, unattractive protagonist - devoid of talent or strength, who is "super nice", in contrast to all the other guys who are totally attractive but are not really nice
• wonderfully in-depth world, completely lacking of any "nice guys" - excepting P-kun
• tons of flying pigs
• a huge, wonderfully-lit ice-skating rink located in the central plaza of Hell
• stunning, magical sunrise in the west
  

The problem with immersing in, or believing the VN with a popular, even reasonably worthwhile protagonist - I believe I would enjoy such as these even were I not myself...  heh..

OK - I'll be honest, and I will suspend my modesty and humility: I had a lot of girlfriends when I was young. In fact, I had a lot of girls "chasing" me, from as far back as I can remember. Incidentally, I was not a bully, by any means - but I was popular, with the boys and girls both - one of the "alphas" you could say, but I really was one of the "nice guys" - I did not harass or victimize the quiet kids, etc.. in fact, I can recall at least a couple of occasions where I became involved in a fight or altercation because I was defending some kid from another - sometimes the offender was one of my "friends", which led to quite unpleasant subsequent circumstances, more than once. Damn - I am not doing a proper job of controlling my direction or degree of elaboration ... my point, above, was merely to mention that I actually did have girls pursuing me when I was in school. I mention this because - the plot of the media title being reviewed, "IxSHE Tell", centers around a H.S. guy who has five girls, the most popular girls in the school, all pursuing him for a romantic relationship.  It was mostly consistent for my first 25 or 30 years... maybe 40... sounds like I am kidding, right? heh... I have never taken this for granted - and I have very much been thankful for any good fortune to befall me. This is not to say that life was perfect by any stretch. I definitely experienced my share of heartache - and I also became very well acquainted, at times, with the feeling of self-consciousness, of complete lack of self-confidence and other aspects of "teen angst" known to most of us.

In truth - my awareness of how popular and or attractive I was with girls was oftentimes very latent; only surfacing long after the fact. There were plenty of times when I felt too shy or verbally constipated to even approach the girl - even when I knew that she was interested and sought my attention. I imagine this is very common, and I'm certain most people would agree. "Tongue-tied" is a condition with which most of us have been afflicted at one time or another in our lives.

Now as far as "far back as I can remember" - this will sound like fiction, but I swear on my life that it is true - one of my earliest memories, one which stuck with me for obvious reasons. We are talking about kindergarten. I was five years old. It was Halloween - or the day before. All of the kids had on their costumes. We were instructed that the entire class was going to march around the school courtyard. I assume this was because all of the parents were there, though that I don't recall with certainty. OK - SO, we were to march - following the teacher - and then return. Simple enough. The teacher instructed the _girls_ to choose a partner. Now this is no lie.

I was literally bowled over by nearly all the girls in the class. No, I was not the only boy. The class was of typical 50/50 proportions of boys to girls. I had NO say in my partner. The most aggressive of the girls grabbed my arm more forcibly than the rest and VOILA... I had a partner. There was a minute or two of commotion as the teacher brought the class under control, and chastised the mob that had accosted me. I am certain that the girl upon whom I had my eye was _not_ the girl who "chose" me. That other girl was not quite as aggressive and forceful, and some other "luckier" boy (yes, I felt this) got to hold her hand and walk the school grounds for the "Halloween Parade".

Artistic Endeavor Or Disposable Commodity

I Tivo'd a show the other day called "Forbidden Science".  A sci-fi show, apparently a series, on.., hmmm.., some channel.  I hit the record button based upon the short description in the "guide" (and I like sci-fi, generally).  The description said:

"Julia discovers a way to erase all her programmed memories; Bethany has nightmares  about her cheating ex;  Bethany searches for a missing Colin.  Adult, AC, AL, N, Series."

In all honesty, I didn't even notice the "Adult" or the "N".  If I had, I may not have scheduled it to record (I prefer my porn to be "just porn", no names, no imbecilic storyline or lame acting).  Of course, within a minute or three it was obvious what the primary "genre" was, and the guide had lied about it; it actually said "Science Fiction".  Still - it was apparent that the creator was actually trying to marry a serious sci-fi/drama ( adj \ˈsī-ˈfī-'slash-ˈdrä-mə\) with a bit of soft porn, and in a series no less.  Perhaps he's trying to create something like "The L-Word", or the like.  There's potential here.  Unfortunately, as I watched for a few minutes I started to realize the challenges he would've encountered, from casting to story, to .. budget (for effects, writers, sets, etc..).   Firstly, finding attractive young people who can act is clearly not easy; factor in that they have to get naked and they have to have sex in front of cameras and crew (it is "soft" porn, so the sex stops being real after the heavy petting, which means they have to portray (act) having intercourse, climaxes and so forth - all convincingly - and they have to look really good doing it.  As a viewer of a plethora of film and television, of all sorts, even just in the last few years, I can say with confidence that it's difficult to find actors who meet even two of those criteria.  Yes - there are quite a few very talented young actors these days, and probably many more in the wings and shadows.  A number of them are fairly attractive, I'm sure.  But - how many of those will do a nude scene?  Then --- how many of those will do quite explicit sex scenes?  I'm not talking the typical Hollywood "nip slip", or darkened room, bodies pressed tightly, brief glimpse from the side shot - no.  More like actual "porn", but where the penetration is just faked (and it's pretty much always very, very obvious that it's faked, by the way.  Anyone in Hollywood or just-outside Hollywood who does these types of scenes out there?  We can tell it's faked.  It's laughable, and it detracts from the scene.  Better to imply it and leave it out.  The thrusting, "air f***ing" just doesn't cut it.  Oh well.  That's a digression.  My point here is that, if we were to agree that such a marriage of serious drama, action, sci-fi or whatever, with explicit (yet tasteful, perhaps?) sexual situations was a good concept, or maybe a great concept.  The task of getting the resources, especially the on-screen talent, is a near impossible one.  Pretty much every filmmaker or producer who tries to make such a work ends up compromising, usually quite seriously, when it comes to the actors.  Either the looks (she's kind of pretty), the acting craft (she remembers most of her lines anyway), the degree of comfort sans clothing on camera - will be a compromise.  The result is, eventually, total failure.  It would be so cool if someone could get this right one day.  I mean, really REALLY get it right.  Like if some of our most beloved actors (women and men) were to suddenly become totally comfortable with the notion of on-screen sex, and were to embrace it and just go for it.  We'd all watch that.  It'd be huge.   For all of that long diatribe, I failed to convey what I was hoping to.  I really liked the concept of this show - forget the sex for a moment - it is just a cool premise.  With proper handling it could be so good.  Then, add the realism and depth of some explicit content, some real physical interaction between these fantastic actors (I use the non-gendered term that applies to both men and women).  I guess it is not a given that sexual situations have to be shown.  Some of the most effectively titillating sexual content happens in our minds after the camera fades or the lights go out.  Maybe trying to make such programs "T&A" simply dooms them to be, well.. just "T&A".   Such content may preclude any other experience, such as the viewing of quality dramatic film entertainment.  I think I was disappointed.  I wanted to believe a show, a movie or whatever, could be gripping and all that, and at the same time could have me salivating over the beautiful actresses, ... leftoff