This Week’s Topics:

• Rundown Preamble Ramble: Humanity Has Declined
• Natalie Rambles About Pokémon TCG Pocket (This Poison Takes Like Fruit Punch!)
• Sega is Delisting Their Classic Games Library (They Probably Just Want to Re-Release ‘Em for the Thirteenth Time)

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Rundown Preamble Ramble:
Humanity Has Declined

For all the liberal posturing that has been made over the past four years, that did not stop the American people from electing a fascist tyrant yet again. And nothing can change that. There were not hundreds of thousands of ‘missing ballots’ to be recovered, and there is no argument to be made that the sane candidate got more votes. A fascist won both the popular vote and under the restrictions of the fundamentally flawed electoral college. 

I was optimistic leading into this, thinking America would take a cue from the recent elections in France and the UK, where reasonable parties reigned victorious. Alas, such fortunes did not occur. Now the primary discussion is to ask why this happened, what went wrong, and what’s next.

There are a lot of things that were working against the sane candidate in this election. Legacy media— major papers, TV stations, were attempting to appear neutral throughout their coverage, though in practice they routinely ignored the GOP candidate’s behavior. Bafflingly stupid statements were unaddressed, fascist rhetorics and Hitler quotes were glossed over, and the media failed to paint him as the crook he has been proven to be. 

He is a convicted felon. He is an outrageous liar. He staged an attempted insurrection and packed the courts to defend him. He is not a reliable person by any metric, and he has almost certainly had sex with an enslaved minor due to his relationship with notorious pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. He was routinely made a joke throughout the past four years, yet he was always handled softly. The evidence of countless crimes was overbearing, yet the machinations of the legal bureaucracy are slow and deliberate delays have prevented him from being imprisoned. And now, as the president, he will be able to wipe away his crimes.

There is a desire to point at his 72 million voters and blame them for their compliance with these actions. For looking at this overbearing display of hatred and avarice and not only say nothing, but encourage it. However, I would also state that millions of voters for this man were not voting for his policies, but rather for his optics. He is one of the most iconic men of the 21st century and has been able to foster a cult of personality over the span of a decade, making him into a figurehead for… many things. For a movement, for a vibe, for an alternative government. And in their defense, it is an alternative to the likes of Reagan, Clinton, Bush, and Obama that have defined the last 40 years of American politics.

There is a desire to point at the Harris campaign for not doing enough to get people excited, to spur up hope, and for trying to be too centric, too catering to right-wingers while throwing others under the bus. Particularly with regards to the genocide going on in Gaza. In retrospect, it was a mistake to even consider having Biden run for a second term, given his cognitive decline and faltering approval ratings. The Harris campaign would have had a far better chance if it launched sooner and was the plan from the get-go, rather than being thrown together following an assassination attempt of her political opponent. The Harris campaign would have done better if they put a White guy in charge during a time of high racial tensions and high sexism. Mistakes were made, and they misread how racist and sexist many Americans are.

There is good cause to point at the role of money in politics and the obscene funding the GOP campaign received from the ultra wealthy, which was used to literally buy votes in some respects. Money in politics only hurts the democratic process by giving the wealthy the ability to distribute propaganda and launch smear campaigns. It is something that should have been abolished long ago, but has remained due to the fact it benefits those with the most power in this capitalist country.

I have seen a lot of pointing and blaming directed toward Gen Z— used as shorthand for kids these days— for falling victim to right-wing grifters and campaigns. However, I have never found convincing numbers to really support the idea that ‘the majority of young men are right-wing radicals’. While I am in a bubble, that narrative simply does not add up to me, and I am more inclined to believe that many of them simply… chose not to vote, as they felt neither candidate represented them.

The key deciding factor in this election was not shifting ideologies, it was the lack of turnout. 2020 was a massive year for the political process, featuring over 155 million voters. 81 million for the Democrats and 74 million for the GOP. Meanwhile, the 2024 election featured only 140 million voters. 68 million for the Democrats and 72 million for the GOP. To me, that indicates that at least 10 million would-be Democratic voters chose to not vote in this election, which is as disheartening as it is baffling. 

Those who voted for the Republicans will learn to regret their mistake. And those who chose to not vote this election… fuck you. Just fuck off, you lethargic pricks. They had the chance to make a difference, and you didn’t. I don’t care if Harris ‘didn’t motivate you.’ You have a civil duty as a citizen to participate in elections! To drop one of the illest and truest lines ever spoken, “the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” And that’s what you people are. Good folks who chose to do nothing. And now, we will ALL pay the price!

For the world at large… this is just terrible news. Like it or not, America is highly relevant on the world’s stage and policies enacted by America will have ripple effects across the entire planet. From sanctions to tariffs to environmental policy, to just the air of political discourse. Millions will die because of these actions, and if one is pessimistic enough, this might doom humanity to a climate collapse. Under his regime, the rich will get richer, the poor will get poorer, and the economy, despite whatever the stock market says, will continue to suffer as he bends over backwards to the ultra-wealthy. 

This is bad for Ukraine, bad for China, bad for the Palestinians, who I believe will be effectively genocided from their homeland, bad for Canada, bad for Europe, bad for Taiwan, and bad for over 90% of all Americans. It’s good for Russia and Israel, but what’s good for them is bad for humanity as a whole. Because Project 2025 is indeed a playbook and part of the Republicans’ plan to reshape America and demolish the democratic system.

This is also very bad for trans people, as the goal of the upcoming administration is to basically erase them from existence and remove the ability to define them in Federal law. However, I am not extremely worried about my own well-being, as I am in a far more beneficial position than many other trans people. I have updated my birth certificate and ID. I have gotten all surgeries I intend on receiving. I live relatively close to a pro-LGBTQ healthcare organization that will fight tooth and nail to defend queer people. Arguably, most importantly, I pass. And arguably more importantly, I live in a blue state where there are currently laws protecting trans people and few anti-trans bills. 

However, based on the current trajectory, I very well may need to pursue DIY HRT, as if I do not have a steady supply of estrogen supplements, I will probably die. And goodness do I not like the look and feel of these shady drug sellers and their expensive shipping costs. Really makes me wish that I could just get a 4 year prescription and cash it all in. (I’ll need to ask about that during my appointment next month.)

Beyond me being, you know, trans, this also sucks for a variety of reasons. For one, I am going to want to use a VPN at all times in order to keep myself safe on the internet. Because I do not trust the upcoming administration to respect digital privacy and will need to take measures to defend myself from bad faith prosecution for what should be, at worst, seen as benign actions. And if a Federal porn ban goes into effect, then I may need to take Natalie.TF offline. 

I try to avoid showing anything that can be considered ‘visual porn’ without censoring it, but these laws would not be written or practiced in good faith. So merely describing a work of fiction, or writing a (gay) sex scene could be seen as comparable to showing photos of children in sexual torment. That sounds illogical, but when evil people are writing the laws, logic is not the point. Punishing the other is the point!

Professionally, this puts me between a rock and a hard place. I am a tax accountant, and that ultimately means I am helping people fund the US government’s ambitions and goals. I personally operate under the perspective that I am helping people minimize their liabilities, avoid (not evade) taxation, and protect them from higher tax burdens by filing timely and accurate returns. However, my boss is less charitable to that perspective and is deliberating ending his practice. Mostly because he is an old man who, like President Biden, is suffering from an accelerated mental decline.

Now, I do not believe that income tax will or could ever possibly be abolished, as that would have truly devastating consequences… and negatively affect the military. However, I do believe that dramatic and illogical reforms will be enacted for the 2026 tax year, and those reforms will be mostly bullsit. And in the event that my status as a tax professional becomes untenable, my experience as a crypto accountant will prove to be very useful as companies begin incorporating more crypto. Something that the upcoming administration will be in favor of, even though the IRS bloody hates it.

I am also unfortunately kind of stuck living in the US, as I took out a mortgage last year and have an immense debt to pay off. However, I have spoken to my mother about getting passports in case I need to flee the country to avoid a state sanctioned genocide. Because while I think even the most staunch conservatives will balk against Concentration Camps for Gentile White People Who Can Claim to be Catholics™, I cannot assume anything at this point.

That all being said… fuck. Just fuck. I genuinely did not think this would happen, and I am at a loss with what I could or even should be doing. But I know well enough to not give up on hope that things will get better in the long-term, that the future can be mended… and that this awful man dies before his first four years are up. Which could happen. His health is bad, his head is bad, and while the assassination attempts have failed so far, all it takes is one lucky motherfucker with a gun to kill a world leader. All it takes is one person willing to throw their life away to change history.

…That is a purely factual statement that should not be seen as a call to action.

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Natalie Rambles About Pokémon TCG Pocket
(This Poison Takes Like Fruit Punch!)

This past week, I have been playing Pokémon TCG Pocket. The latest mobile game sensation that has been sweeping each and ev’ry nation with its Pokémon-ness and the fact that collecting cards appeals to some base reptile instinct within all sane humans. I actually sleuthed  my way into accessing the New Zealand early release about a month back using a VPN and lie-filled Apple ID.

As a game, I think it is a fair enough simplification of the almost 30-years-running card game, featuring fairly basic yet straightforward mechanics that, combined with the digital framework, make it more approachable. It is, of course, a bit basic as most live phone games are, but it has ample room to grow with various expansions and subtle power creep. And by being a fairly straightforward card game with dailies that can be done in… five minutes, it has the makings for a great casual game. Or ‘toilet game’ for freaks who use their phone on the toilet. 

(I, admittedly, do bring my phone with me to the bathroom when showering, but that’s because I want to listen to something while stripping, shaving, and getting dressed.)

Now, despite having an awful case of Pokémania that cannot be cured, merely treated, I have never really been too big into the card game, or card games in general. I collected Pokémon and Yu-Gi-Oh! cards as a kid, but playing competitive games with other people wasn’t really my thing as a child. Most of my fondness for them lies with the fact that they had art and stats, which I found to be very neat. Hell, I loved cards so much that I used to make cards on printer paper, drawing designs that were mostly plagiarized from Super Mario Sunshine (2002).

However, this game has recently sunk its hooks into me, as I both love and hate it. Deck building card games are games where victory is heavily driven by luck. If you get a good starting hand, you can do a lot to set-up a strategy. If you get a really good hand, you can basically win the game. But if you get a bad hand, then you are screwed outta luck. Sure, the idea is that you want to have a good hand regardless by building better decks, but Pocket is not a game that just gives you every card. You need to get them by opening card packs. 

Every player can open up two packs per day, and $10/month premium pass subscribers can open three per day. Each pack contains three basic and boring T1 cards, with two cards guaranteed to be T2 or greater. There’s no pity system, and the rarest of the rare cards only have a 0.20% chance of appearing in a pack. However, there is a sparking system in the form of Pack Points, which can be redeemed for any card of the player’s choosing. Every card drawn gives the player one Pack Point, and if they want to get the super-duper rare cards with exclusive art, they need to invest… 2,500 points. Or 250 (or 167) days worth of draws.

Now, the Pack Stamina can be refilled using both the freely available Pack Hourglasses, but you can also just refill it with the premium/freemium Poké Gold currency. So yes, you can just buy card packs that way, and the game does limit people to only spending a theoretical maximum of $144 on the game, per day. …Oh! So that’s how the game made $12 million in a weekend. I hate it! 

Now, I knew about this dubious monetization strategy going in, and installed this game when it was still in its early regional testing period in New Zealand. This meant I played the game for roughly three weeks longer than most players and scored an extra 40-something packs, or 200+ cards that they were unable to receive. This should have put me at an advantage over most players, right? Well, you would think.

Something that has been driving me mad about the way Pocket is designed is how reliant it is on RNG for what cards you obtain. Now, I have gotten some good-ass cards. I have two Pikachu EX cards, two Mewtwo EX cards, and a stacked water deck with EX versions of Starmie, Articuno, and Blastoise. However, something about its formula just infuriates me, because I am constantly struggling to find relatively common cards. 

I have two T3 Gardevoir and T2 Kirlia cards, but only one T1 Ralts. I have two T2 Elektrik, but I cannot use them because I do not have any T1 Tynamo. I also don’t have any T2 Tentacruel or T2 Parasect, and only one copy of cards that should be very common. Even after getting about 700 cards, I still have many gaps in my basic, T1 to T3 rarity, collection. But I also have eight to nine copies of seventeen cards. In a game where there is zero mechanical benefit to having duplicate cards. And all I can do with them is exchange them for gaudy sparkles that appear on them while playing. 

Now, I know the answer is to just pick up cards via the Pack Point shop… but no. I’m not doing that with low rarity cards. Cards there follow a pricing structure of 35, 70, 150, 500, 400, 1,250, 1,500, 2,500 points based on rarity. (Don’t ask me why, but T5 is more common than T4.). Given the drop tables, it is a waste to spend these precious points on anything but highly rare cards bought when there is a nil chance of ever getting them again. In the debut Genetic Apex expansion, the chances of the T1 to T3 cards makes it foolish to ever buy them, as if you keep pulling, you will get them eventually. That’s just math, yo.

I just wish there was some adjustment to the algorithm so that players have a better chance of encountering cards they have not seen before, or at least stop seeing cards they already have nine copies of. But no! That would mean the game would make less money and be more fun, and we cannot have that. 

Theoretically, this will be addressed with a trading feature that the game plans on rolling out, though I have no clue how that will be managed. Because people will just sell freely obtained cards from burner accounts for real money. But goldarn do I want to clean up my basic card sets so that I have a good foundation for tackling the rest of the challenges in the game. 

However, for as much as I hate the RNG on these card packs, which is far less honest and noble than a rate-up gacha system, Wonder Picks are far in a way worse. Wonder Picks let players see packs pulled by their friends and other players and take one randomly selected card in exchange for Wonder Pick Stamina. A simple approach, but one that really just grinds my gonads. 

Wonder Picks are a pain in the butt to sort through for cards you want or are looking for, and when you do select one, you are dealing with a 20% chance of getting a card. The card you are going to get is NOT predetermined before you select it, so selecting the desired card comes down to how lucky the player is at guessing a number. If I get the card I want, I feel like the divine lips of Gabriel just gave my anus a nice pucker. If I don’t get what I want in a sea of options, I feel like the dumbest bastard on the block. 

It sucks, and I have developed a newfound disdain for it after the game’s first event, the Wonder Pick Event Part 1. An event where the player has the chance to Wonder Pick two Meowth card variants, two Chansey card variants, event tickets, or stamina items for Wonder Pick. These event Wonder Picks appear semi-randomly, potentially every 30 minutes and give the player a varying chance of obtaining the desired cards.

Both cards are, frankly, unremarkable, but this is seemingly the only opportunity where players can obtain these variants, and the stamina items, while limited, are still technically free. In the mind of a sane player, this does two things. Encourage them to check Wonder Pick every 30 minutes and encourage them to aim for both variants. Specifically two copies of each, because there is a related event reward, and you want two of every card in this game. Just in case. However, the Chansey variant had eluded me for five days of this fifteen day event, despite rigidly checking, and I had to fail at least ten 20% chances to obtain it. …Then hours later, after writing this, I got my second Chansey variant card. Cripes do I hate when I am blighted by things I cannot control!

This was maddening to me. It completely changed my relationship with the game from something I check during lunch and before bed, and all for what? Half a damn pittance! It’s like when Fire Emblem Heroes (2017) had that stupid voting event where it encouraged players to simp as hard as possible for the most popular waifu and use their points when the multiplier was highest. Except this is somehow worse! Do not make a casual five minutes a day game any more intensive than that!

This ‘mechanization of human input peripherals’ problem also appears with Pocket’s community showcases. A deliberately FOMO-inducing communal social microgame where the goal is to press the ‘like’ button on as many collections of backgrounds and cards as possible. Doing so gives users up to five shop tokens per day and allows them to purchase additional stamina reserves. In theory, every player should make this part of their dailies and should give their friends as many likes as possible, as it benefits the playerbase as a whole. 

However, this is one of the most egregious bird-ifications I have ever seen masqueraded as a game. The goal is not to look at the cards or the artwork— you should not even see the art— it is just to press the button as quickly as possible while scrolling to the right. There is no skill, just the social quid pro quo promise of getting a micro-pittance, i.e. bird seed, in exchange for mindless pecking, and it sucks a robin’s cloaca.

Then there is the actual battle system, which I both love and dislike, depending almost solely on the difficulty of the content. I enjoy the act of outsmarting and getting outsmarted by comparable opponents. I also enjoy trouncing on fools with comparatively primitive tools compared to me. And I will admit that it feels fulfilling to punch up to a deck marginally better than yours through careful maneuvers. However, I have negative affection for getting trounced by someone with objectively superior cards, so elegantly arranged that victory against them is the result of luck, not skill. 

Or in other words, Pocket, like most card games, is the most fun when it is an even match. But in order for it to be even, you need to have a robust deck, forged through either monetization or dedication. And… I don’t like that! Not at all! 

This is especially frustrating given some of the single-player content present in the game. It’s all pretty paltry, hardly a campaign, but offers a considerable challenge with its expert levels and supplemental tasks. Dealing X amount of damage, getting Y KOs, or completing the match by turn Z. While others are far more devious. Like beating a decked out and optimized deck with four super powerful EX cards and two RNG devils using T1 to T3 cards. Or beating them with a type that lacks the +20 damage super effective buff. 

These challenges are where the more narrow limitations of the battle system really crop up, and turn these feats of strategy into mystical-mathematical rituals where one prays to RNGuddha. Hoping that things go exactly as planned while building a deck specifically to do certain things. 

For example, the Lapras EX Drop Event is the first solo battle event, and while I can generally win with my two busted Pikachu EX cards, beating it with only T1 to T3 cards is far more challenging. Even without looking up any peripheral information, I know how the strategy should work. The only applicable card that can take out the imposing Lapras EX, with 80 attack and 140 HP, in a single turn is Raichu, who can deal 140 damage. However, this is a high-risk move that requires three energy to be attached to them, or three turns of prep time. In order to generate this energy, one should use a Magneton, as they have the ability to passively generate energy, and transfer it to Raichu using the LT. Surge support card. 

This is not the only approach that can work… but it is the most surefire approach. And if you just do not have a good electric deck… get dunked on, dude! Now, I should specify that the rewards for completing these challenges are micro-pittances. Just more Wonder Pick stamina for the Lapras event, and shop tickets for the permanent content. So is it important? No, not really. But it is always there, taunting me.

Also, I was so obsessive with this game that I wound up sinning again and subscribed to the $10/month premium pass. Because I wanted those extra cards, those extra resources, ‘cos I gotta get ’em all! 

Also-also, feel free to bully me into deleting my account, because I will if someone tells me to. And then I will be freeeee~!

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Sega is Delisting Their Classic Games Library
(They Probably Just Want to Re-Release ‘Em for the Thirteenth Time)

I have aped on Sega for their perplexing support of their legacy IPs, and now is another great opportunity for that, as Sega are delisting nearly all of their classic console game re-releases next month! (With the exception of Sonic Adventure 1 and 2) Now, this is nothing too new. Sega has previously done this tactic with the releases of games like Sonic Origins (2022) and Sonic X Shadow Generations (2024). So history would dictate that this move is merely a means of clearing the shelves for a new re-release of their Genesis and Dreamcast libraries. …I say Dreamcast library, but they stopped at like seven games.

Considering the date of delisting is December 6th, I would assume that the big re-release would come sometime in the following few weeks. …Possibly on December 12th, when The Game Awards will be held and a deluge of winter announcements will be delivered. It would make sense for Sega, who announced a deluge of classic IP revivals at least year’s show. And while shadow dropping something during an event like that is a bit questionable… it would also be effective. 

This could be good news— could be Sega releasing better enhanced versions of the same damn games they’ve been re-releasing every few years. Hell, maybe this will be paired with a bunch of older games that have never been re-released! However, I worry that they will take a Nintendo Switch Online or Capcom Arcade Stadium approach. And view this as an opportunity to launch an app to play classic games, and either fill it with micro-purchases or make it a subscription service. When… these are old-ass games you can just emulate.

Also… the fact they are keeping the crummy Sonic Adventure ports up is very strange. It implies that they are either giving those special treatment at a later date, which would be in line with their alleged plans to annualize Sonic, Like A Dragon, and Persona. Or maybe Sega has just given up on re-releasing Sonic games that are that old after they botched the release of Sonic Origins. 

…Actually, how many major Genesis re-releases were there again? They had them for the Saturn, Dreamcast, Windows 95 PC, PS2, PS2 and PSP, Wii Virtual Console, Xbox 360 and PS3, Windows XP via Steam, Wii U, 3DS, and PS4/XBO/NSW in 2018. Then NSO in 2020. …Jeepers. So I am NOT being hyperbolic!

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Progress Report 2024-11-10

And now for a little skit that Natalie refused to cut:

ZXA Yungboi: “First they came for the trannies, and I didn’t give a fuck, ‘cos I ain’t trans and don’t know any of ’em. Then they came for the gays, and I was like fucking whatever, they’ve only known peace for a decade, and all peace should be temporary. Then they came for the Blacks, and I didn’t care either, ‘cos I’m so White I’m Swedish. Then they came for women, which sucked for my cousins, but that’s humanity, man. And unless they come from a Caucasoid Alpha Male like me, I straight don’t give a fuck!”

…Who the fuck revived you from the 2023 Ramble? Akumako! Get my gun!

Akumako: “You’re too much of a bitch to own a gun! But you probably summoned him with Psycho Shatter 1988. That novel was always going to be relevant after this election, but now…”

Now it’s an escapist alternate history story where fascism had its mask off moment nearly 40 years ago.

Also, TSF Series #019 is NOT going to begin production anytime soon, as I cannot in good faith write about Europeans coming to America and having a good time. Instead, I will start outlining work for Verde’s Doohickey 2.0 Act 3 after I get a good buffer with TSF Showcases. Maybe I’ll go back to the World Information, update that, and release it as a treat.

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2024-11-03: Ah SHIT! So, this day was supposed to be devoted to me getting started on next week’s TSF Showcase. But it was also movie night with Cassie and we wound up watching two movies. Aliens (1986) and The Simpsons Movie (2007). But that ate up… over 5 hours, somehow. And then I had a multi-hour conversation with another friend about music.

2024-11-04: 3,500 word for TSF Showcase, because I got stressed over the election and distracted. Also, did gacha sin

2024-11-05: Wrote 2,200 word Pocket Monsters bit. They should have just called it Pocket Monsters instead of including Pocket twice. Wrote 1,900 words for the next TSF Showcase, before getting distracted by the election and needing to focus on something more responsive than writing.

2024-11-06: Absolute despair. Took a 4 hour nap because I could not sleep after seeing it hit past 270. Wrote 1,600 word preamble because I needed to expunge the poison. Wrote 3,700 words for TSF Showcase. Wrote 400 word Sega bit. So that’s 5,700 words. 

2024-11-07: Edited the Rundown, gathered some images, added some minor bits. Tackled TSF Showcase 2024-44 for editing, then grabbed 48 screengrabs. This shit takes a hecka long time! Still better than video editing!

2024-11-08: Watched an anime for TSF Showcase 2024-45 and wrote a 500 word history lesson. Kinda shitty progress, but I don’t like starting projects at 23:00. Because I am what is known amongst scholars as a Homo Sapiens.

2024-11-09: Chores in the morning, anime in the afternoon with Cassie and Shiba— my lovelies— and a long conversation with another friend that went on for longer than I expected. Only got 2,000 words of writing done for the TSF Showcase 2024-45 before I ran out of gas. LAME! And tomorrow is gonna be a double feature movie night too…

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Also, header image comes from the 2012 anime Humanity Has Declined. Which I reviewed back during the Obama administration. Fuck do I miss Obama. I don’t care if he was a war criminal, I would take a century of Obama and the inevitable stagnation over this stupid shit.