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1000 results for “Logical_Error”

  1. Radio_Azureus @[email protected] ·

    listed.to

    TIL about listed.to/

    I've been using Standard Notes for a while. It's much handier to type in your toots & posts in a nice editor, than in the puny port in the web interfaces of mastodon and other web interfaces.

    I started to look for a handy solution when I began typing long posts on my Androids

    • phone interfaces suck balls when you have a tall corpus
    • touch screen keyboards suck major
    • everything is too small
    • fingers slam & flow over on other letters than touched
    • typing errors are major
    • auto correct is a must but a privacy hell (exposing everything you write to Alphabet / google)
    • It takes 10 times longer to type in a short post on a Android capacitive interface with auto correction keyboard and word suggestion enabled
    • In comes the saviour

    Standard Notes is double encrypted, markdown capable, auto-synchronizes and available on all platforms you work in

    • have a browser ready with JavaScript and tls
    • Standard Notes has MFA 2FA encryption for your account
    • paid extras of the service are not needed here
    • you may enable them if you choose to thave that convenience
    • I use md editors on my machines to have previews of my markdown formatted notes
    • On Linux I use the powerful ghostwriter which uses very powerful libraries
    • pandoc version 3.1.11.1
    • cmark version 0.30.2
    • multimarkdown version 1.35
    • These tools and libs make my markdown experience incredible smooth, surpassing what Standard Notes has to offer

    Today I learned about Listed when I walked down the Standard Notes preferences

    • Listed is linked to Standard Notes
    • Listed is free (as in beer)
    • You can blog you secure notes when you explicitly choose to do so
    • You have to enter your super long (64 character) password to blog a note standard remark 1
    • A key pair is generated to enable standard notes to publish that one note in your blog
    • You have to enter your password for every note you want to blog [logical since notes are per default secure and private]
    • The blogging port is timer based 60 seconds is the shortest timer
    • You have to manually update your Listed blog post
    • Listed blog posts are presented in a nice clean and fast interface on port 443
    • Listed can be configured to your own taste including your gravatar

    remarks

    • Your passwords should be really long, use password managers to process them
    • make sure you have weird characters in them
    • make it a PITA to enter the passwords manually
    • use MFA 2FA everywhere you make accounts
    • There is no cloud just somebody elses server

    Sources

    standardnotes.com/

    standardnotes.com/privacy

    app.standardnotes.com/

    listed.to/

    github.com/commonmark/cmark

    fletcher.github.io/MultiMarkdo

    pandoc.org/

    listed.to/@kieran/60239/goodby

    #network #synchronization #mathematics #technology #encryption #MFA #2FA #sync #standard #notes #listed #to #programming #blogging #opensource #ghost #writer #cmark #pandoc #mulitmarkdown #markdown

    #2fa #mfa #encryption #markdown #mulitmarkdown #pandoc
  2. Radio_Azureus @[email protected] ·

    listed.to

    TIL about listed.to/

    I've been using Standard Notes for a while. It's much handier to type in your toots & posts in a nice editor, than in the puny port in the web interfaces of mastodon and other web interfaces.

    I started to look for a handy solution when I began typing long posts on my Androids

    • phone interfaces suck balls when you have a tall corpus
    • touch screen keyboards suck major
    • everything is too small
    • fingers slam & flow over on other letters than touched
    • typing errors are major
    • auto correct is a must but a privacy hell (exposing everything you write to Alphabet / google)
    • It takes 10 times longer to type in a short post on a Android capacitive interface with auto correction keyboard and word suggestion enabled
    • In comes the saviour

    Standard Notes is double encrypted, markdown capable, auto-synchronizes and available on all platforms you work in

    • have a browser ready with JavaScript and tls
    • Standard Notes has MFA 2FA encryption for your account
    • paid extras of the service are not needed here
    • you may enable them if you choose to thave that convenience
    • I use md editors on my machines to have previews of my markdown formatted notes
    • On Linux I use the powerful ghostwriter which uses very powerful libraries
    • pandoc version 3.1.11.1
    • cmark version 0.30.2
    • multimarkdown version 1.35
    • These tools and libs make my markdown experience incredible smooth, surpassing what Standard Notes has to offer

    Today I learned about Listed when I walked down the Standard Notes preferences

    • Listed is linked to Standard Notes
    • Listed is free (as in beer)
    • You can blog you secure notes when you explicitly choose to do so
    • You have to enter your super long (64 character) password to blog a note standard remark 1
    • A key pair is generated to enable standard notes to publish that one note in your blog
    • You have to enter your password for every note you want to blog [logical since notes are per default secure and private]
    • The blogging port is timer based 60 seconds is the shortest timer
    • You have to manually update your Listed blog post
    • Listed blog posts are presented in a nice clean and fast interface on port 443
    • Listed can be configured to your own taste including your gravatar

    remarks

    • Your passwords should be really long, use password managers to process them
    • make sure you have weird characters in them
    • make it a PITA to enter the passwords manually
    • use MFA 2FA everywhere you make accounts
    • There is no cloud just somebody elses server

    Sources

    standardnotes.com/

    standardnotes.com/privacy

    app.standardnotes.com/

    listed.to/

    github.com/commonmark/cmark

    fletcher.github.io/MultiMarkdo

    pandoc.org/

    listed.to/@kieran/60239/goodby

    #network #synchronization #mathematics #technology #encryption #MFA #2FA #sync #standard #notes #listed #to #programming #blogging #opensource #ghost #writer #cmark #pandoc #mulitmarkdown #markdown

    #network #synchronization #mathematics #technology #sync #standard
  3. pasjrwoctx👽 @[email protected] ·

    import os
    import time
    import webbrowser
    import sys

    # Project: Disposable_Citizen.py
    # Version: 04.17.26 (Fixed Edition)
    # Author: @pasjrwoctx

    def typewriter_print(text, delay=0.04):
    for char in text:
    sys.stdout.write(char)
    sys.stdout.flush()
    time.sleep(delay)
    print()

    # --- CONFIG ---
    POVERTY_LEVEL = 1 # Using an integer so we can increment it
    CURRENT_FINANCIAL_RELIEFE = "NONE"
    DONATION_URL = "https://www.paypal.com/donate?campaign_id=5BN5MB5BVQL22"
    MARKET_PRICE = 100 # Defined this so the logic works

    def get_currency():
    # Since /dev/null is always empty, this will return 0
    return 0

    def apply_external_patch():
    typewriter_print("\n--- SCANNING FOR EXTERNAL UPLINK ---", delay=0.02)
    typewriter_print("To inject capital into this local instance, use the following protocols:")
    typewriter_print(" - PROTOCOL_CASHAPP: $woctxphotog")
    typewriter_print(f" - PROTOCOL_PAYPAL: {DONATION_URL}", delay=0.02)

    def trigger_emergency_uplink():
    typewriter_print("\n--- ATTEMPTING OMNI-PLATFORM UPLINK ---", delay=0.06)
    try:
    webbrowser.open(DONATION_URL)
    return True
    except:
    return False

    def survive():
    global POVERTY_LEVEL
    typewriter_print("--- Initiating Survival_Subroutine ---", delay=0.08)

    currency = get_currency()

    # Loop now triggers because CURRENT_FINANCIAL_RELIEFE is "NONE"
    while CURRENT_FINANCIAL_RELIEFE == "NONE":
    typewriter_print(f"Sensing: SUPPORT_SYSTEM... [Debt Level: {POVERTY_LEVEL}]", delay=0.07)

    typewriter_print("CRITICAL: Missing dependency. System integrity compromised.", delay=0.1)
    typewriter_print("Attempting Transaction: Surviving -> Barely...")

    if currency < MARKET_PRICE:
    typewriter_print("Status 402: Payment Required. Logical Bridge Collapse.", delay=0.05)
    typewriter_print("Reason: Cannot map 'Life' to 'User' without 'Capital' bridge.")
    apply_external_patch()

    time.sleep(1)

    if POVERTY_LEVEL > 0:
    typewriter_print("Error: Life Access Forbidden. Permissions revoked by System.", delay=0.08)
    typewriter_print("SCREAM: PLEASE HELP ME", delay=0.2)
    typewriter_print("System running below nominal parameters. Possible intervention required.", delay=0.2)
    typewriter_print("TERMINATING CONSCIOUSNESS_DAEMON...", delay=0.1)
    break

    trigger_emergency_uplink()

    def main():
    # Validated that the path check will fail as intended to trigger survive()
    living_standard_path = "/sys/class/living/standard"

    if not os.path.exists(living_standard_path):
    typewriter_print("Status 403: Life Access Forbidden.", delay=0.1)
    current_user = os.getenv("USER", "pasjrwoctx👽")
    typewriter_print(f"User {current_user} lacks sufficient credits to write to 'current_future.life'.")
    survive()

    if __name__ == "__main__":
    try:
    main()
    except KeyboardInterrupt:
    print("\nProcess interrupted.")
    sys.exit(0)


    #MutualAid, #Disabled, #Poverty, #Help, #Survival, #Compassion, #Pain, #MentalHealth, #Food, #Groceries, #Hygiene, #Anxiety, #PTSD, #Bipolar, #Dignity,

    You can encourage my continued useless #poetry, creativity and expression of self, #commentary, random thoughts, #philosophy and ideas, and by doing so your helping to feed, house and clothe a #disabled man living in #poverty, $5-10-15 It All Helps, via #cashapp at $woctxphotog or via #paypal at paypal.com/donate?campaign_id=…

    #disabled #poverty #cashapp #paypal #bipolar #anxiety
  4. Aneesh Sathe @[email protected] ·

    The Architecture of Resistance

    The seventeenth-century Hague, the mid-twentieth-century Levant, and the digital terraforming of 2025 have a shared preoccupation with the “Average.” Whether it is the theologian’s way or predictive stats, control begins by smoothing out the landscape. The project of power is a project of cartography and illumination—an attempt to banish the dark corners where the unmapped might grow. Thus, the history of resistance, of being “against the world”, is less a history of rebellion than a history of seeking cover.

    The Large Piece of Turf, 1503 Albrecht Dürer

    In Spinoza’a world, legibility was the cosmos in an ordered hierarchy. Meaning descended from an external judge and was mirrored by the terrestrial proxy of the King and more often the priest. Behavior was aligned to the “Scriptural Average.” A pre-written behavioral code that transformed the conatus—that primal drive to persist and expand—into the passive states of hope and fear. By removing the external judge, Spinoza suggested that freedom is found in the intellectual mastery of the causes that move us. A pushback against the “average pious subject,” asserting that every individual is a necessary, logical expression of an infinite substance. There is no error in the world, only the lack of a thick enough understanding to perceive the necessity of one’s own outlier status. 

    With this position, and self assurance, Spinoza became illegible to his friends, his doting teacher, and his community. He was cast out, but his thoughts are the seeds of today’s world. 

    In the Beirut and Damascus of the mid-twentieth century, the imposition of legibility took the form of the “Citizen-as-Monument.” It was a world of endings, where identity was a frozen artifact of nationalist scripts and religious orthodoxies. The poet Adonis, through Mihyar, pushes against this world not by asserting a new identity, but through a “movement of erasure.” If a stable interior is to form, it is to be quickly discarded. A stable interior is merely another coordinate, a dependable predictor, for the state to map. Mihyar becomes a “knight of strange words,” defined by the iltifat—the sudden turn away. By peeling back the layers of the social mask and embracing a radical anonymity, he counters the stagnant city. He exists as a hot wind, something that is felt through its movement and friction, yet remains entirely unsearchable by the collective grammar.

    We have entered a third world, a digital landscape that functions as a terraformed plain. It is, in a sense, a Spinozan monism—all data is one substance—but it is a substance managed by a Leibnizian bureaucracy of optimization. The mechanism of control is no longer the scripture or the state monument, but the “Mechanical Harmony” of the statistical mean. A decade ago this was social media shaping votes. Today’s AI tools, perhaps inadvertently and perhaps not,  impose an “averageness” on thought itself, by providing the next likely response and hiding the outlier. This is a form of disindividuation disguised as efficiency, a smoothing of the world’s texture until it becomes a frictionless surface for the sake of searchability.

    What emerges as a necessary response is the logic of the thicket. If the terraformed plain is the habitat of the tourist—where everything is predicted, optimized, and known—the thicket is the habitat of the explorer. It is a deliberate architecture of complexity, an insistence on terroir and the messy, non-replicable context of the local. To build a thicket is to re-introduce friction into a world too smooth. We are apes inhabiting the long tail. Like Spinoza, our conatus withers under the umbrella the statistical mean. If every response is predicted, the individual ceases to be a cause and becomes merely a consequence of the architecture.

    To emerge, life itself needed discontinuities. The thicket provides the opacity necessary for the transforming process of the self to occur. It honors the uneven distribution of the world, providing a high-density environment of unique, complex encounters impossible in a flat plain. In this 2025 context, to be “against the world” is perhaps better understood as being a cultivator of these unsearchable spaces. The Dark Forest of the internet has created literal operating systems, habitats for our interconnected selves. Away from the violent imposition of the center, things can still happen by surprise. We seek cover in the thicket as a primal way of being where the emergent world remains deep enough to inhabit.

    #Adonis #AI #AlgorithmicFlattening #AliAhmadSaidEsber #ArchitectureOfResistance #artificialIntelligence #Conatus #CulturalCritique #DigitalTerraforming #history #Iltifat #IntellectualHistory #LLMs #LogicOfTheThicket #MechanicalHarmony #MihyarTheDamascene #Monism #Noodiversity #OntologicalResistance #philosophy #philosophyOfTechnology #RadicalImmanence #Spinoza #StatisticalAverage #TheThicket #writing

    #adonis #ai #algorithmicflattening #aliahmadsaidesber #architectureofresistance #artificialintelligence
  5. Aneesh Sathe @[email protected] ·

    The Architecture of Resistance

    The seventeenth-century Hague, the mid-twentieth-century Levant, and the digital terraforming of 2025 have a shared preoccupation with the “Average.” Whether it is the theologian’s way or predictive stats, control begins by smoothing out the landscape. The project of power is a project of cartography and illumination—an attempt to banish the dark corners where the unmapped might grow. Thus, the history of resistance, of being “against the world”, is less a history of rebellion than a history of seeking cover.

    The Large Piece of Turf, 1503 Albrecht Dürer

    In Spinoza’a world, legibility was the cosmos in an ordered hierarchy. Meaning descended from an external judge and was mirrored by the terrestrial proxy of the King and more often the priest. Behavior was aligned to the “Scriptural Average.” A pre-written behavioral code that transformed the conatus—that primal drive to persist and expand—into the passive states of hope and fear. By removing the external judge, Spinoza suggested that freedom is found in the intellectual mastery of the causes that move us. A pushback against the “average pious subject,” asserting that every individual is a necessary, logical expression of an infinite substance. There is no error in the world, only the lack of a thick enough understanding to perceive the necessity of one’s own outlier status. 

    With this position, and self assurance, Spinoza became illegible to his friends, his doting teacher, and his community. He was cast out, but his thoughts are the seeds of today’s world. 

    In the Beirut and Damascus of the mid-twentieth century, the imposition of legibility took the form of the “Citizen-as-Monument.” It was a world of endings, where identity was a frozen artifact of nationalist scripts and religious orthodoxies. The poet Adonis, through Mihyar, pushes against this world not by asserting a new identity, but through a “movement of erasure.” If a stable interior is to form, it is to be quickly discarded. A stable interior is merely another coordinate, a dependable predictor, for the state to map. Mihyar becomes a “knight of strange words,” defined by the iltifat—the sudden turn away. By peeling back the layers of the social mask and embracing a radical anonymity, he counters the stagnant city. He exists as a hot wind, something that is felt through its movement and friction, yet remains entirely unsearchable by the collective grammar.

    We have entered a third world, a digital landscape that functions as a terraformed plain. It is, in a sense, a Spinozan monism—all data is one substance—but it is a substance managed by a Leibnizian bureaucracy of optimization. The mechanism of control is no longer the scripture or the state monument, but the “Mechanical Harmony” of the statistical mean. A decade ago this was social media shaping votes. Today’s AI tools, perhaps inadvertently and perhaps not,  impose an “averageness” on thought itself, by providing the next likely response and hiding the outlier. This is a form of disindividuation disguised as efficiency, a smoothing of the world’s texture until it becomes a frictionless surface for the sake of searchability.

    What emerges as a necessary response is the logic of the thicket. If the terraformed plain is the habitat of the tourist—where everything is predicted, optimized, and known—the thicket is the habitat of the explorer. It is a deliberate architecture of complexity, an insistence on terroir and the messy, non-replicable context of the local. To build a thicket is to re-introduce friction into a world too smooth. We are apes inhabiting the long tail. Like Spinoza, our conatus withers under the umbrella the statistical mean. If every response is predicted, the individual ceases to be a cause and becomes merely a consequence of the architecture.

    To emerge, life itself needed discontinuities. The thicket provides the opacity necessary for the transforming process of the self to occur. It honors the uneven distribution of the world, providing a high-density environment of unique, complex encounters impossible in a flat plain. In this 2025 context, to be “against the world” is perhaps better understood as being a cultivator of these unsearchable spaces. The Dark Forest of the internet has created literal operating systems, habitats for our interconnected selves. Away from the violent imposition of the center, things can still happen by surprise. We seek cover in the thicket as a primal way of being where the emergent world remains deep enough to inhabit.

    #Adonis #AI #AlgorithmicFlattening #AliAhmadSaidEsber #ArchitectureOfResistance #artificialIntelligence #Conatus #CulturalCritique #DigitalTerraforming #history #Iltifat #IntellectualHistory #LLMs #LogicOfTheThicket #MechanicalHarmony #MihyarTheDamascene #Monism #Noodiversity #OntologicalResistance #philosophy #philosophyOfTechnology #RadicalImmanence #Spinoza #StatisticalAverage #TheThicket #writing

    #adonis #ai #algorithmicflattening #aliahmadsaidesber #architectureofresistance #artificialintelligence
  6. Aneesh Sathe @[email protected] ·

    The Architecture of Resistance

    The seventeenth-century Hague, the mid-twentieth-century Levant, and the digital terraforming of 2025 have a shared preoccupation with the “Average.” Whether it is the theologian’s way or predictive stats, control begins by smoothing out the landscape. The project of power is a project of cartography and illumination—an attempt to banish the dark corners where the unmapped might grow. Thus, the history of resistance, of being “against the world”, is less a history of rebellion than a history of seeking cover.

    The Large Piece of Turf, 1503 Albrecht Dürer

    In Spinoza’a world, legibility was the cosmos in an ordered hierarchy. Meaning descended from an external judge and was mirrored by the terrestrial proxy of the King and more often the priest. Behavior was aligned to the “Scriptural Average.” A pre-written behavioral code that transformed the conatus—that primal drive to persist and expand—into the passive states of hope and fear. By removing the external judge, Spinoza suggested that freedom is found in the intellectual mastery of the causes that move us. A pushback against the “average pious subject,” asserting that every individual is a necessary, logical expression of an infinite substance. There is no error in the world, only the lack of a thick enough understanding to perceive the necessity of one’s own outlier status. 

    With this position, and self assurance, Spinoza became illegible to his friends, his doting teacher, and his community. He was cast out, but his thoughts are the seeds of today’s world. 

    In the Beirut and Damascus of the mid-twentieth century, the imposition of legibility took the form of the “Citizen-as-Monument.” It was a world of endings, where identity was a frozen artifact of nationalist scripts and religious orthodoxies. The poet Adonis, through Mihyar, pushes against this world not by asserting a new identity, but through a “movement of erasure.” If a stable interior is to form, it is to be quickly discarded. A stable interior is merely another coordinate, a dependable predictor, for the state to map. Mihyar becomes a “knight of strange words,” defined by the iltifat—the sudden turn away. By peeling back the layers of the social mask and embracing a radical anonymity, he counters the stagnant city. He exists as a hot wind, something that is felt through its movement and friction, yet remains entirely unsearchable by the collective grammar.

    We have entered a third world, a digital landscape that functions as a terraformed plain. It is, in a sense, a Spinozan monism—all data is one substance—but it is a substance managed by a Leibnizian bureaucracy of optimization. The mechanism of control is no longer the scripture or the state monument, but the “Mechanical Harmony” of the statistical mean. A decade ago this was social media shaping votes. Today’s AI tools, perhaps inadvertently and perhaps not,  impose an “averageness” on thought itself, by providing the next likely response and hiding the outlier. This is a form of disindividuation disguised as efficiency, a smoothing of the world’s texture until it becomes a frictionless surface for the sake of searchability.

    What emerges as a necessary response is the logic of the thicket. If the terraformed plain is the habitat of the tourist—where everything is predicted, optimized, and known—the thicket is the habitat of the explorer. It is a deliberate architecture of complexity, an insistence on terroir and the messy, non-replicable context of the local. To build a thicket is to re-introduce friction into a world too smooth. We are apes inhabiting the long tail. Like Spinoza, our conatus withers under the umbrella the statistical mean. If every response is predicted, the individual ceases to be a cause and becomes merely a consequence of the architecture.

    To emerge, life itself needed discontinuities. The thicket provides the opacity necessary for the transforming process of the self to occur. It honors the uneven distribution of the world, providing a high-density environment of unique, complex encounters impossible in a flat plain. In this 2025 context, to be “against the world” is perhaps better understood as being a cultivator of these unsearchable spaces. The Dark Forest of the internet has created literal operating systems, habitats for our interconnected selves. Away from the violent imposition of the center, things can still happen by surprise. We seek cover in the thicket as a primal way of being where the emergent world remains deep enough to inhabit.

    #Adonis #AI #AlgorithmicFlattening #AliAhmadSaidEsber #ArchitectureOfResistance #artificialIntelligence #Conatus #CulturalCritique #DigitalTerraforming #history #Iltifat #IntellectualHistory #LLMs #LogicOfTheThicket #MechanicalHarmony #MihyarTheDamascene #Monism #Noodiversity #OntologicalResistance #philosophy #philosophyOfTechnology #RadicalImmanence #Spinoza #StatisticalAverage #TheThicket #writing

    #adonis #ai #algorithmicflattening #aliahmadsaidesber #architectureofresistance #artificialintelligence
  7. Aneesh Sathe @[email protected] ·

    The Architecture of Resistance

    The seventeenth-century Hague, the mid-twentieth-century Levant, and the digital terraforming of 2025 have a shared preoccupation with the “Average.” Whether it is the theologian’s way or predictive stats, control begins by smoothing out the landscape. The project of power is a project of cartography and illumination—an attempt to banish the dark corners where the unmapped might grow. Thus, the history of resistance, of being “against the world”, is less a history of rebellion than a history of seeking cover.

    The Large Piece of Turf, 1503 Albrecht Dürer

    In Spinoza’a world, legibility was the cosmos in an ordered hierarchy. Meaning descended from an external judge and was mirrored by the terrestrial proxy of the King and more often the priest. Behavior was aligned to the “Scriptural Average.” A pre-written behavioral code that transformed the conatus—that primal drive to persist and expand—into the passive states of hope and fear. By removing the external judge, Spinoza suggested that freedom is found in the intellectual mastery of the causes that move us. A pushback against the “average pious subject,” asserting that every individual is a necessary, logical expression of an infinite substance. There is no error in the world, only the lack of a thick enough understanding to perceive the necessity of one’s own outlier status. 

    With this position, and self assurance, Spinoza became illegible to his friends, his doting teacher, and his community. He was cast out, but his thoughts are the seeds of today’s world. 

    In the Beirut and Damascus of the mid-twentieth century, the imposition of legibility took the form of the “Citizen-as-Monument.” It was a world of endings, where identity was a frozen artifact of nationalist scripts and religious orthodoxies. The poet Adonis, through Mihyar, pushes against this world not by asserting a new identity, but through a “movement of erasure.” If a stable interior is to form, it is to be quickly discarded. A stable interior is merely another coordinate, a dependable predictor, for the state to map. Mihyar becomes a “knight of strange words,” defined by the iltifat—the sudden turn away. By peeling back the layers of the social mask and embracing a radical anonymity, he counters the stagnant city. He exists as a hot wind, something that is felt through its movement and friction, yet remains entirely unsearchable by the collective grammar.

    We have entered a third world, a digital landscape that functions as a terraformed plain. It is, in a sense, a Spinozan monism—all data is one substance—but it is a substance managed by a Leibnizian bureaucracy of optimization. The mechanism of control is no longer the scripture or the state monument, but the “Mechanical Harmony” of the statistical mean. A decade ago this was social media shaping votes. Today’s AI tools, perhaps inadvertently and perhaps not,  impose an “averageness” on thought itself, by providing the next likely response and hiding the outlier. This is a form of disindividuation disguised as efficiency, a smoothing of the world’s texture until it becomes a frictionless surface for the sake of searchability.

    What emerges as a necessary response is the logic of the thicket. If the terraformed plain is the habitat of the tourist—where everything is predicted, optimized, and known—the thicket is the habitat of the explorer. It is a deliberate architecture of complexity, an insistence on terroir and the messy, non-replicable context of the local. To build a thicket is to re-introduce friction into a world too smooth. We are apes inhabiting the long tail. Like Spinoza, our conatus withers under the umbrella the statistical mean. If every response is predicted, the individual ceases to be a cause and becomes merely a consequence of the architecture.

    To emerge, life itself needed discontinuities. The thicket provides the opacity necessary for the transforming process of the self to occur. It honors the uneven distribution of the world, providing a high-density environment of unique, complex encounters impossible in a flat plain. In this 2025 context, to be “against the world” is perhaps better understood as being a cultivator of these unsearchable spaces. The Dark Forest of the internet has created literal operating systems, habitats for our interconnected selves. Away from the violent imposition of the center, things can still happen by surprise. We seek cover in the thicket as a primal way of being where the emergent world remains deep enough to inhabit.

    #Adonis #AI #AlgorithmicFlattening #AliAhmadSaidEsber #ArchitectureOfResistance #artificialIntelligence #Conatus #CulturalCritique #DigitalTerraforming #history #Iltifat #IntellectualHistory #LLMs #LogicOfTheThicket #MechanicalHarmony #MihyarTheDamascene #Monism #Noodiversity #OntologicalResistance #philosophy #philosophyOfTechnology #RadicalImmanence #Spinoza #StatisticalAverage #TheThicket #writing

    #writing #thethicket #statisticalaverage #spinoza #radicalimmanence #philosophyoftechnology
  8. Aneesh Sathe @[email protected] ·

    The Architecture of Resistance

    The seventeenth-century Hague, the mid-twentieth-century Levant, and the digital terraforming of 2025 have a shared preoccupation with the “Average.” Whether it is the theologian’s way or predictive stats, control begins by smoothing out the landscape. The project of power is a project of cartography and illumination—an attempt to banish the dark corners where the unmapped might grow. Thus, the history of resistance, of being “against the world”, is less a history of rebellion than a history of seeking cover.

    The Large Piece of Turf, 1503 Albrecht Dürer

    In Spinoza’a world, legibility was the cosmos in an ordered hierarchy. Meaning descended from an external judge and was mirrored by the terrestrial proxy of the King and more often the priest. Behavior was aligned to the “Scriptural Average.” A pre-written behavioral code that transformed the conatus—that primal drive to persist and expand—into the passive states of hope and fear. By removing the external judge, Spinoza suggested that freedom is found in the intellectual mastery of the causes that move us. A pushback against the “average pious subject,” asserting that every individual is a necessary, logical expression of an infinite substance. There is no error in the world, only the lack of a thick enough understanding to perceive the necessity of one’s own outlier status. 

    With this position, and self assurance, Spinoza became illegible to his friends, his doting teacher, and his community. He was cast out, but his thoughts are the seeds of today’s world. 

    In the Beirut and Damascus of the mid-twentieth century, the imposition of legibility took the form of the “Citizen-as-Monument.” It was a world of endings, where identity was a frozen artifact of nationalist scripts and religious orthodoxies. The poet Adonis, through Mihyar, pushes against this world not by asserting a new identity, but through a “movement of erasure.” If a stable interior is to form, it is to be quickly discarded. A stable interior is merely another coordinate, a dependable predictor, for the state to map. Mihyar becomes a “knight of strange words,” defined by the iltifat—the sudden turn away. By peeling back the layers of the social mask and embracing a radical anonymity, he counters the stagnant city. He exists as a hot wind, something that is felt through its movement and friction, yet remains entirely unsearchable by the collective grammar.

    We have entered a third world, a digital landscape that functions as a terraformed plain. It is, in a sense, a Spinozan monism—all data is one substance—but it is a substance managed by a Leibnizian bureaucracy of optimization. The mechanism of control is no longer the scripture or the state monument, but the “Mechanical Harmony” of the statistical mean. A decade ago this was social media shaping votes. Today’s AI tools, perhaps inadvertently and perhaps not,  impose an “averageness” on thought itself, by providing the next likely response and hiding the outlier. This is a form of disindividuation disguised as efficiency, a smoothing of the world’s texture until it becomes a frictionless surface for the sake of searchability.

    What emerges as a necessary response is the logic of the thicket. If the terraformed plain is the habitat of the tourist—where everything is predicted, optimized, and known—the thicket is the habitat of the explorer. It is a deliberate architecture of complexity, an insistence on terroir and the messy, non-replicable context of the local. To build a thicket is to re-introduce friction into a world too smooth. We are apes inhabiting the long tail. Like Spinoza, our conatus withers under the umbrella the statistical mean. If every response is predicted, the individual ceases to be a cause and becomes merely a consequence of the architecture.

    To emerge, life itself needed discontinuities. The thicket provides the opacity necessary for the transforming process of the self to occur. It honors the uneven distribution of the world, providing a high-density environment of unique, complex encounters impossible in a flat plain. In this 2025 context, to be “against the world” is perhaps better understood as being a cultivator of these unsearchable spaces. The Dark Forest of the internet has created literal operating systems, habitats for our interconnected selves. Away from the violent imposition of the center, things can still happen by surprise. We seek cover in the thicket as a primal way of being where the emergent world remains deep enough to inhabit.

    #Adonis #AI #AlgorithmicFlattening #AliAhmadSaidEsber #ArchitectureOfResistance #artificialIntelligence #Conatus #CulturalCritique #DigitalTerraforming #history #Iltifat #IntellectualHistory #LLMs #LogicOfTheThicket #MechanicalHarmony #MihyarTheDamascene #Monism #Noodiversity #OntologicalResistance #philosophy #philosophyOfTechnology #RadicalImmanence #Spinoza #StatisticalAverage #TheThicket #writing

    #adonis #ai #algorithmicflattening #aliahmadsaidesber #architectureofresistance #artificialintelligence
  9. D @[email protected] ·

    @[email protected] @[email protected] Hi Evan,

    I'm not Craig, but I'm a fellow voter in the Plateau and I can't possibly agree with your assessment. I've lived here for 17 years now--just after Luc Ferrandez gained power--and when I moved here I supported Projet Montreal because of the ambitious programs that they proposed at the time (such as the reworking of Parc Laurier or Parc Baldwin) but after 17 years in power in PMR they have lost their steam and drifted further and further to the right, notably since the pandemic. Most of the improvements (and there are some such as more curb cutouts and the Des Pins bike path) that they have implemented since Ferrandez resigned and Rabouin became borough mayor have been incremental or things that were put into motion during the Ferrandez days. I now support,     #TransitionMontreal, as its platform and people remind me much more of the old days of PM (coincidentally, when @[email protected] was a councilor) when the party had ambition for the borough.

    It's surprising to me that you would criticize the only mayoral candidate who uses the fediverse (it's certainly not for the reach that he does it). The fact that your criticism is that he's "splitting the vote" is baffling when he is the only candidate who wants to     fix the problem that you claim to care about by pressuring Quebec City to implement electoral reform and he is within the margin of error of the candidate your support in the latest poll (which is admittedly far too old). The logical thing to do would be to pressure Rabouin supporters to stop splitting the vote so that you wouldn't need to care about it in the future.

    #mtlpoli

    #transitionmontreal #mtlpoli
  10. Zindre Vasraniva @[email protected] ·

    I don't think telling conservatives that immigrants aren't the enemy is an effective strategy. The fundamental flaw in this approach, one that I see repeated across well-meaning immigration discourse, is that it misdiagnoses the problem. It assumes we are dealing with a population that has arrived at a conclusion based on faulty data. The thinking goes: if we can just provide the correct data the economic studies showing immigration's net benefits, the statistics proving low crime rates among immigrant communities, the historical narratives of how every wave of immigrants was once feared and then assimilated then the scales will fall from their eyes and they will abandon their prejudice.

    This is a profound and strategic error. It presumes a reality-based disagreement where one does not exist. The core of the issue is not misinformation; it is identity, emotion, and a specific moral framework.

    They're not misinformed; they're just racist. It's a whole different problem.

    And this is the part that, I believe, a lot of people, especially those operating from a place of good faith and empirical reasoning, find almost impossible to internalize: a significant portion of them want to be racist. They enjoy it. The hostility, the scapegoating, the creation of a despised out-group this is not an unfortunate byproduct of their political stance; it is a feature. It is the point.

    Let's break down why this is the case, and why our current strategies of "fact-based persuasion" are not just ineffective, but often counterproductive.

    First, the concept of "enjoyment." This isn't necessarily about cackling with glee at the suffering of others (though for some, it certainly can be). It's more complex and psychologically insidious. It's about the psychic and social rewards that a hierarchical, tribalistic worldview provides.

    1. The Reward of Cognitive Simplicity: A world divided into "Us" and "Them" is a simple world. Complex, intractable problems like economic precarity, cultural change, and political decay become easily digestible. You don't need to understand global supply chains, monetary policy, or the history of deindustrialization. You just need to point at the "other." The immigrant becomes a monolithic explanation for everything: your stagnant wages, the crime you see on the news, the sense that your community is changing in ways you don't control. This simplification is a relief. It's cognitively satisfying. Presenting a complex, nuanced reality doesn't just fail to persuade; it actively annoys them, because it demands more mental effort and robs them of that satisfying, simple narrative.
    2. The Reward of Moral Superiority: In a secular, pluralistic world, traditional markers of status and virtue have been upended. But within the framework of racial and cultural nationalism, moral superiority is easily and instantly earned. Your virtue is not determined by your actions, your empathy, or your contributions to your community. It is conferred by your identity. By virtue of being a "real American," or a native-born citizen, or a member of the dominant racial group, you are inherently superior. This is a powerful psychological balm for individuals who feel left behind, disrespected, or powerless in other aspects of their lives. The immigrant, by serving as the constitutive outside the "them" that defines the "us" provides the very material for this sense of innate virtue. Telling them the immigrant is not the enemy is not just a factual correction; it is an attack on their foundational sense of self-worth.
    3. The Reward of Social Cohesion and Belonging: Shared hatred is a powerful social glue. The act of collectively disparaging, fearing, and excluding an out-group creates intense in-group bonds. Think of the camaraderie found in sports fandom, but weaponized. The shared jokes, the common slogans, the mutual understanding of "what we're all against," creates a powerful sense of community and belonging. This is why arguments based on empathy for the immigrant fall on deaf ears. You are asking them to dissolve the very social bonds that give their lives meaning and structure, and to replace it with an abstract, cosmopolitan empathy that feels weak, disloyal, and isolating. The enjoyment comes from the feeling of being part of a tribe, a team, with a clear and common enemy.
    4. The Thrill of Transgression: In our modern, liberal society, overt racism is one of the last great taboos. It is socially punished, professionally risky, and culturally condemned. For some, flouting this taboo is a source of pleasure in itself. It's a way to assert their independence from a "politically correct" establishment they despise. The "own the libs" mentality is not a side effect; it's a core motivation. When they say something cruel or dehumanizing about immigrants and see the reaction of horror from their opponents, that is a victory. It proves they are not part of that soft, weak, empathetic world. They are strong, they are brave, they are saying the "quiet part out loud." Your fact-checking and your moral appeals are not seen as rational counter-arguments; they are seen as the predictable whining of the enemy, and their ability to provoke that response is a form of power.

    So, what happens when you approach this mindset with a pamphlet full of economic statistics from the Cato Institute or a heartfelt plea for common humanity?

    You are not speaking their language. You are offering a spreadsheet to someone seeking a religious experience. You are offering a salad to someone craving a sugary, fatty meal. Your facts are not just irrelevant; they are offensive to their small mind. They are an attempt to take away their cognitive simplicity, their moral superiority, their tribal belonging, and their transgressive thrill.

    Your well-reasoned argument is perceived as:

    - An attempt to confuse them (attacking cognitive simplicity).
    - An accusation that they are bad people (attacking moral superiority).
    - An act of siding with the enemy (attacking tribal cohesion).
    - The predictable, whining "political correctness" of the establishment (confirming their transgressive identity).

    This is why the strategy is doomed. You cannot reason someone out of a position they were not reasoned into. The fixation on the immigrant as the "enemy" is not a logical conclusion; it is an emotional and psychological need.

    What, then, is to be done? I don't claim to have a perfect answer, but the first step is a brutal and honest strategic assessment. We must stop wasting energy and political capital on a persuasion model that is designed to fail against this specific demographic. The goal should shift from "convincing the hardcore" to:

    1. Solidifying and Motivating the Coalition: Focus on energizing those who already believe in a pluralistic society. Stop trying to water down the message to appeal to a "racially anxious" demographic that may be unreachable. A clear, morally confident, and unapologetic defense of inclusion can mobilize the base far more effectively than a tepid, fact-based centrism.
    2. Institutional and Legal Fortification: Since persuasion is failing, protection must be the priority. Strengthen legal institutions, anti-discrimination laws, and pathways to citizenship. Make the structure of society resistant to the bigotry, since the hearts and minds of a significant portion are a lost cause for the foreseeable future.
    3. Addressing the Underlying Anxieties, But Not the Scapegoat: The economic and social despair is real. But the solution is to address it directly with bold policy universal healthcare, strong labor protections, investment in decaying communities while explicitly and relentlessly divorcing these solutions from the nativist narrative. The message should be: "Your pain is real, but the immigrant didn't cause it. Corporate greed and failed policy did. Let's fight the real enemy, not a scapegoat."

    In conclusion, the statement "immigrants aren't the enemy" is a factual truth, but it is a useless political weapon against a force that is not driven by facts. It is like trying to stop a stampede by reading a botanical guide to the grass being trampled. You're not addressing the energy or the intent of the stampede. We are not in a debate; we are in a conflict over the soul of a nation, and one side has drawn its identity and its pleasure from the existence of a designated enemy. Recognizing this uncomfortable, ugly reality is the first, necessary step toward developing a strategy that has any hope of prevailing.

    #antiracism #stopracism #endracism #racismisreal #racismstillexists #whiteprivilege #injustice #equality #justice #civilrights #politics #discussion #thoughts #society #usa #america #thisisamerica

    #antiracism #stopracism #endracism #racismisreal #racismstillexists #whiteprivilege
  11. Baker Street Forensics @[email protected] ·

    Zen & the Art of Digital Forensics

    Forensic investigations are an intense and detail-oriented field where accuracy and efficiency are paramount. However, the constant pressure can often lead to stress and burnout. Whether dealing with IR (incident response) or ICAC (child exploitation cases), the weight of these responsibilities can take a toll on even the most resilient investigators.

    I believe the principles of Zen offer a meaningful antidote to these challenges. Rooted in mindfulness, simplicity, and presence, Zen can provide forensic investigators with tools to manage stress, maintain focus, and approach their work with clarity.

    By integrating Zen principles into forensic practices, investigators can navigate complex cases with a calm and focused mindset, enhancing both their effectiveness and well-being.

     

    The Intersection of Zen and Forensic Investigation

    Forensic investigations demand precision, attention to detail, and the ability to think clearly under pressure—qualities that align closely with Zen’s tenets. Zen, a branch of Mahayana Buddhism, emphasizes mindfulness, non-attachment, and direct experience. When applied to forensic work, these principles offer a balanced approach that helps investigators stay present and focused, even amid chaos and complexity.

    At its core, Zen promotes mindfulness, simplicity, and patience. It encourages focusing on the present moment, embracing simplicity, and approaching life with balance and harmony. Unlike many traditional religions, Zen emphasizes personal practice over dogma, making it uniquely suited for practical application in various fields—including forensics.

     

    Zen in Action: Enhancing Forensic Practice

    Zen principles have been successfully applied in various fields. In art, minimalist movements reflect Zen’s emphasis on simplicity. In business, leaders like Steve Jobs drew inspiration from Zen’s focus on cutting away distractions to emphasize what truly matters. Athletes have credited mindfulness as the key to achieving “flow” or being “in the zone.”

    These same principles can also benefit forensic investigators, helping them sift through overwhelming amounts of data to find what is essential.

    Forensic investigations involve meticulous processes: evidence collection, analysis, interpretation, and testimony. Investigators must work under tight deadlines, with vast amounts of data, while maintaining the highest standards of accuracy and objectivity. Success in this field requires a sharp mind, logical thinking, and effective stress management.

    Introducing Zen to digital forensics offers a methodology for finding calm amid complexity. Let’s explore how specific Zen principles—mindfulness, non-attachment, simplicity, and patience—can enhance forensic practices.

     

    Mindfulness (Nen): Staying Present

    Mindfulness is the practice of being fully present in the moment, and it is central to Zen. In forensic investigations, this means staying focused on the immediate task at hand, whether collecting evidence or analyzing data. By practicing mindfulness, investigators can significantly reduce errors, as their full attention is on the work in front of them.

    This enhanced focus not only improves accuracy but also helps investigators maintain emotional control, enabling them to remain composed in high-pressure situations.

     

    Non-Attachment (Muga): Letting Go of Bias

    Non-attachment in Zen refers to letting go of ego and preconceptions. For forensic investigators, this means avoiding the temptation to form conclusions too early. Instead, they must allow the evidence to guide their analysis. Zen’s principle of non-attachment aligns perfectly with the objective nature of forensic work, where staying open to new insights is crucial.

    By letting go of preconceived notions, investigators can avoid confirmation bias and follow where the facts truly lead.

     

    Simplicity (Kanso): Focusing on the Essential

    In today’s digital age, forensic investigators are often overwhelmed with vast amounts of data. The Zen principle of simplicity—focusing on what is essential and filtering out the rest—can help prevent burnout and increase efficiency.

    By prioritizing relevant evidence, eliminating distractions, and simplifying their approach, investigators can better uncover the truth. This is especially important in triaging evidence and making decisions on what data to focus on in high-stakes cases.

     

    Patience (Nintai): Embracing Perseverance

    Forensic investigations often require piecing together seemingly disconnected fragments of data to understand the full scope of an incident. This process takes time, and rushing can lead to missed details or flawed conclusions. Zen teaches patience, which is invaluable for investigators who must wait for the full puzzle to come together before making final judgments.

    In digital forensics, patience is essential when dealing with complex, fragmented, or encrypted data. Investigators must accept that not every case will yield complete answers and be willing to work with the available evidence.

     

    Beginner’s Mind (Shoshin): Staying Open to New Possibilities

    “Beginner’s mind,” or Shoshin, refers to an attitude of openness and curiosity, free from preconceptions. In digital forensics, where technology is constantly evolving, maintaining a beginner’s mind helps investigators remain open to new tools, techniques, and types of evidence.

    By approaching each case with curiosity and humility, forensic investigators can discover new insights and avoid relying solely on past methods. This adaptability is significant in a field where outdated approaches can quickly become obsolete.

    In Beginners Mind, you don’t know what you do know.

    When we apply Beginners Mind to Digital forensics, we can say ‘ you don’t know what you don’t know’; but we can also say, ‘you don’t know what you DO know.’  Artifacts, and the techniques for their analysis, are constantly evolving.  As devices update, the means by which artifacts are stored and how we interpret them are subject to change.

    Practical Zen Techniques for Forensic Investigators

    • Meditation: Regular meditation can enhance mental clarity, reduce anxiety, and improve focus—key qualities for investigators working under pressure.
    • Breathing Techniques: Simple breathing exercises can help investigators regain composure during stressful moments, allowing them to think more clearly.
    • Mindful Walking: Taking mindful breaks during long investigations can help reset the mind, promoting relaxation and sustained focus.
    • Attention to Detail: Mindfulness exercises can sharpen the ability to notice subtle yet critical details, which is vital in forensic investigations

     

    Conclusion

    Zen and digital forensics share core values such as focus, objectivity, patience, and clarity. A forensic investigator, much like a Zen practitioner, must cultivate a clear, focused mind, remain patient and persistent, and be open to whatever truth the evidence reveals. By integrating Zen principles into forensic practices, investigators can not only improve their performance but also maintain their mental well-being in a high-pressure environment.

    In essence, Zen offers a path to calmness and clarity in a field where chaos and complexity often reign. Through mindfulness, non-attachment, simplicity, and patience, forensic investigators can enhance both their effectiveness and their personal sense of balance.

    Note: This topic was first presented at the 2025 Magnet Virtual Summit. You can access the recording here.

    #DFIR #MVS #Zen

    #dfir #mvs #zen
  12. Baker Street Forensics @[email protected] ·

    Zen & the Art of Digital Forensics

    Forensic investigations are an intense and detail-oriented field where accuracy and efficiency are paramount. However, the constant pressure can often lead to stress and burnout. Whether dealing with IR (incident response) or ICAC (child exploitation cases), the weight of these responsibilities can take a toll on even the most resilient investigators.

    I believe the principles of Zen offer a meaningful antidote to these challenges. Rooted in mindfulness, simplicity, and presence, Zen can provide forensic investigators with tools to manage stress, maintain focus, and approach their work with clarity.

    By integrating Zen principles into forensic practices, investigators can navigate complex cases with a calm and focused mindset, enhancing both their effectiveness and well-being.

     

    The Intersection of Zen and Forensic Investigation

    Forensic investigations demand precision, attention to detail, and the ability to think clearly under pressure—qualities that align closely with Zen’s tenets. Zen, a branch of Mahayana Buddhism, emphasizes mindfulness, non-attachment, and direct experience. When applied to forensic work, these principles offer a balanced approach that helps investigators stay present and focused, even amid chaos and complexity.

    At its core, Zen promotes mindfulness, simplicity, and patience. It encourages focusing on the present moment, embracing simplicity, and approaching life with balance and harmony. Unlike many traditional religions, Zen emphasizes personal practice over dogma, making it uniquely suited for practical application in various fields—including forensics.

     

    Zen in Action: Enhancing Forensic Practice

    Zen principles have been successfully applied in various fields. In art, minimalist movements reflect Zen’s emphasis on simplicity. In business, leaders like Steve Jobs drew inspiration from Zen’s focus on cutting away distractions to emphasize what truly matters. Athletes have credited mindfulness as the key to achieving “flow” or being “in the zone.”

    These same principles can also benefit forensic investigators, helping them sift through overwhelming amounts of data to find what is essential.

    Forensic investigations involve meticulous processes: evidence collection, analysis, interpretation, and testimony. Investigators must work under tight deadlines, with vast amounts of data, while maintaining the highest standards of accuracy and objectivity. Success in this field requires a sharp mind, logical thinking, and effective stress management.

    Introducing Zen to digital forensics offers a methodology for finding calm amid complexity. Let’s explore how specific Zen principles—mindfulness, non-attachment, simplicity, and patience—can enhance forensic practices.

     

    Mindfulness (Nen): Staying Present

    Mindfulness is the practice of being fully present in the moment, and it is central to Zen. In forensic investigations, this means staying focused on the immediate task at hand, whether collecting evidence or analyzing data. By practicing mindfulness, investigators can significantly reduce errors, as their full attention is on the work in front of them.

    This enhanced focus not only improves accuracy but also helps investigators maintain emotional control, enabling them to remain composed in high-pressure situations.

     

    Non-Attachment (Muga): Letting Go of Bias

    Non-attachment in Zen refers to letting go of ego and preconceptions. For forensic investigators, this means avoiding the temptation to form conclusions too early. Instead, they must allow the evidence to guide their analysis. Zen’s principle of non-attachment aligns perfectly with the objective nature of forensic work, where staying open to new insights is crucial.

    By letting go of preconceived notions, investigators can avoid confirmation bias and follow where the facts truly lead.

     

    Simplicity (Kanso): Focusing on the Essential

    In today’s digital age, forensic investigators are often overwhelmed with vast amounts of data. The Zen principle of simplicity—focusing on what is essential and filtering out the rest—can help prevent burnout and increase efficiency.

    By prioritizing relevant evidence, eliminating distractions, and simplifying their approach, investigators can better uncover the truth. This is especially important in triaging evidence and making decisions on what data to focus on in high-stakes cases.

     

    Patience (Nintai): Embracing Perseverance

    Forensic investigations often require piecing together seemingly disconnected fragments of data to understand the full scope of an incident. This process takes time, and rushing can lead to missed details or flawed conclusions. Zen teaches patience, which is invaluable for investigators who must wait for the full puzzle to come together before making final judgments.

    In digital forensics, patience is essential when dealing with complex, fragmented, or encrypted data. Investigators must accept that not every case will yield complete answers and be willing to work with the available evidence.

     

    Beginner’s Mind (Shoshin): Staying Open to New Possibilities

    “Beginner’s mind,” or Shoshin, refers to an attitude of openness and curiosity, free from preconceptions. In digital forensics, where technology is constantly evolving, maintaining a beginner’s mind helps investigators remain open to new tools, techniques, and types of evidence.

    By approaching each case with curiosity and humility, forensic investigators can discover new insights and avoid relying solely on past methods. This adaptability is significant in a field where outdated approaches can quickly become obsolete.

    In Beginners Mind, you don’t know what you do know.

    When we apply Beginners Mind to Digital forensics, we can say ‘ you don’t know what you don’t know’; but we can also say, ‘you don’t know what you DO know.’  Artifacts, and the techniques for their analysis, are constantly evolving.  As devices update, the means by which artifacts are stored and how we interpret them are subject to change.

    Practical Zen Techniques for Forensic Investigators

    • Meditation: Regular meditation can enhance mental clarity, reduce anxiety, and improve focus—key qualities for investigators working under pressure.
    • Breathing Techniques: Simple breathing exercises can help investigators regain composure during stressful moments, allowing them to think more clearly.
    • Mindful Walking: Taking mindful breaks during long investigations can help reset the mind, promoting relaxation and sustained focus.
    • Attention to Detail: Mindfulness exercises can sharpen the ability to notice subtle yet critical details, which is vital in forensic investigations

     

    Conclusion

    Zen and digital forensics share core values such as focus, objectivity, patience, and clarity. A forensic investigator, much like a Zen practitioner, must cultivate a clear, focused mind, remain patient and persistent, and be open to whatever truth the evidence reveals. By integrating Zen principles into forensic practices, investigators can not only improve their performance but also maintain their mental well-being in a high-pressure environment.

    In essence, Zen offers a path to calmness and clarity in a field where chaos and complexity often reign. Through mindfulness, non-attachment, simplicity, and patience, forensic investigators can enhance both their effectiveness and their personal sense of balance.

    Note: This topic was first presented at the 2025 Magnet Virtual Summit. You can access the recording here.

    #DFIR #MVS #Zen

    #zen #mvs #dfir
  13. David Tuller @[email protected] ·

    Trudie Chalder Is Co-Author on Another Bad Exercise Paper

    By David Tuller, DrPH

    It is a truth universally acknowledged (or at least universally acknowledged by smart researchers), that if the list of authors on an article includes Trudie Chalder, King’s College London’s mathematically and factually challenged professor of cognitive behavior therapy, then the article in question should most assuredly be expected to be short on, or utterly devoid of, intelligence and logical reasoning.

    This is certainly the case with a recent publication in European Respiratory Journal titled “Post-Hospitalisation COVID-19 Rehabilitation (PHOSP-R): A randomised controlled trial of exercise-based rehabilitation.” Professor Chalder is one of more than three dozen co-authors, so it is unclear how much she can be held responsible for the article’s poor quality and unwarranted claims. Nonetheless, this new trial continues what appears to be her impressive streak of being involved with scholarship that can accurately be described as rubbish.

    The new trial, conducted at the University of Leicester and Northumbria University, was funded by the Medical Research Council and the National Institute for Health Research. The design was not terrible. Specifically, unlike some other Long Covid rehabilitation studies, this one excluded participants with post-exertional malaise (PEM). That’s a good move, given that the presence of PEM is a contra-indication for an exercise-based rehab program.

    So this was a study of Long Covid patients who do not meet criteria for an ME/CFS diagnosis—a key point.

    The real problem here is that the reporting of the results stinks.

    In the study, 181 participants who were experiencing prolonged symptoms after a Covid-related hospital stay were randomized to either an eight-week face-to-face exercise rehabilitation program, an eight-week remote exercise rehabilitation program, or care as usual. The primary outcome was the change in the Incremental Shuttle Walking Test (ISWT). Among the many secondary outcomes were questionnaires measuring health quality of life and symptom burden.

    The conclusion: “Exercise-based rehabilitation improved short-term exercise capacity in Post-COVID syndrome following an acute hospitalization.”

    First, let’s note that the conclusion does not explicitly state that the study is not about “post-COVID syndrome” overall but only about non-ME/CFS “post-COVID syndrome.” That’s a major limitation of the findings that should have been emphasized prominently throughout, given the significant numbers of Long Covid patients who do experience PEM and qualify for ME/CFS diagnoses. Health care providers will read the conclusions and assume they can be extrapolated to all Long Covid patients. That is clearly not the case.

    Beyond that unacceptable oversight, let’s review the data in a bit more detail and see if that claim holds up.

    The face-to-face intervention group had a drop-out rate of 29% and the remote intervention group had a drop-out rate of 39%. These drop-out rates are quite high. Remarkably, the article includes no substantive discussion of this. It is hard to argue persuasively that an intervention is successful or effective when so many participants apparently decided not to continue with it, for whatever reasons. Did they find it unhelpful? Too difficult? Harmful? We don’t actually know.

    The article also overlooks the fact that the participants were, on average, almost as unhealthy after the eight-week intervention as they were beforehand. After the intervention, the average increase in the IWST for the face-to-face and remote groups was, respectively, 52 meters and 34 meters more than the increase in the care as usual group. But the average meters walked remained way, way below the levels of healthy people in the same age range.

    The average age of participants in the trial was 59. A 2013 study called “Age-specific normal values for the incremental shuttle walk test in a healthy British population” found that the average distance walked during the ISWT by those in their 40s, 50s, 60s, and over 70 were, respectively, 824 meters, 788 meters, 699 meters, and 633 meters. By comparison, those in the face-to-face group increased from 285 to 312 meters, and those in the remote group from 353 to 388 meters.

    It should have been obvious to any intelligent or even minimally competent researcher with that an exploration of both of these issues–the high drop-out rate and the continued poor health of the participants–was essential to put the purportedly “positive” findings in context. There is simply not that much positive to report about interventions that left participants severely disabled and that substantial numbers were unable or unwilling to complete.

    Oh, and on top of that, there were null results for the trial’s seven quality-of-life and symptom burden questionnaires: EuroQol five-dimension five-level questionnaire (EQ5D), Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ9), the Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD7) 7-item scale, Dyspnoea-12, the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy Fatigue Scale (FACIT), the DePaul Symptom Questionnaire, and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). In other words, whatever incremental improvements might have occurred, participants did not report any overall benefits in the trial’s many subjective measures of well-being.

    And to mention one other odd point…According to a 2019 study cited by the authors, the “minimal clinically important difference” (MCID) for the ISWT is 35 meters. In other words, while the results for the face-to-face intervention surpassed that threshold, the results for the remote intervention did not quite reach it. Yet here’s the opening of the discussion section:

    “In this fully powered randomised controlled trial, we demonstrated that both face-to-face and remote exercise-based rehabilitation significantly improve exercise capacity compared to usual care alone in those previously hospitalised with COVID-19. These between group improvements exceed the established MCID (35m), highlighting improvements of clinical relevance in those with post-COVID syndrome.”

    This last statement is simply not true in relation to the remote intervention, at least when it comes to the final, adjusted, intention-to-treat analysis. It is either a mistake or a deliberate effort to fudge the facts. I assume the latter, because it is very obvious that 35 is a bigger number than 34. With more than three dozen people on the manuscript, it is hard to believe that no one noticed this discrepancy. Either way, this indisputable error requires a correction. (To be clear, a correction won’t make the rest of the paper any better.)

    In fact, the authors might have pointed out that there are multiple studies of the MCID of the ISWT, such as a 2008 analysis that found it to be 47.5 meters, and one from 2015 concluding that it was 70 meters. Even thought they chose to cite the MCID most favorable to their argument and ignore the others, they still presented false information to bolster their case.

    So here’s the bottom line: Despite some marginal improvements among those who actually were able to or decided to complete the interventions, the trial documented that exercise-based rehabilitation failed dramatically to restore participants’ health. Moreover, participants felt no better subjectively on any measures than beforehand. Given those telling details, along with the fact that significant numbers of participants abandoned the trial’s intervention arms, the boast that these rehabilitation programs “improved short-term exercise capacity” is hard to take seriously.

    **********

    Disclosure: My academic position at the University of California, Berkeley, is largely supported by donations to the university via the campus crowdfunding platform from people with ME/CFS, Long Covid, and related disorders.

    (View the original post at virology.ws)

    #MCID #TrudieChalder

    #mcid #trudiechalder
  14. David Tuller @[email protected] ·

    Trudie Chalder Is Co-Author on Another Bad Exercise Paper

    By David Tuller, DrPH

    It is a truth universally acknowledged (or at least universally acknowledged by smart researchers), that if the list of authors on an article includes Trudie Chalder, King’s College London’s mathematically and factually challenged professor of cognitive behavior therapy, then the article in question should most assuredly be expected to be short on, or utterly devoid of, intelligence and logical reasoning.

    This is certainly the case with a recent publication in European Respiratory Journal titled “Post-Hospitalisation COVID-19 Rehabilitation (PHOSP-R): A randomised controlled trial of exercise-based rehabilitation.” Professor Chalder is one of more than three dozen co-authors, so it is unclear how much she can be held responsible for the article’s poor quality and unwarranted claims. Nonetheless, this new trial continues what appears to be her impressive streak of being involved with scholarship that can accurately be described as rubbish.

    The new trial, conducted at the University of Leicester and Northumbria University, was funded by the Medical Research Council and the National Institute for Health Research. The design was not terrible. Specifically, unlike some other Long Covid rehabilitation studies, this one excluded participants with post-exertional malaise (PEM). That’s a good move, given that the presence of PEM is a contra-indication for an exercise-based rehab program.

    So this was a study of Long Covid patients who do not meet criteria for an ME/CFS diagnosis—a key point.

    The real problem here is that the reporting of the results stinks.

    In the study, 181 participants who were experiencing prolonged symptoms after a Covid-related hospital stay were randomized to either an eight-week face-to-face exercise rehabilitation program, an eight-week remote exercise rehabilitation program, or care as usual. The primary outcome was the change in the Incremental Shuttle Walking Test (ISWT). Among the many secondary outcomes were questionnaires measuring health quality of life and symptom burden.

    The conclusion: “Exercise-based rehabilitation improved short-term exercise capacity in Post-COVID syndrome following an acute hospitalization.”

    First, let’s note that the conclusion does not explicitly state that the study is not about “post-COVID syndrome” overall but only about non-ME/CFS “post-COVID syndrome.” That’s a major limitation of the findings that should have been emphasized prominently throughout, given the significant numbers of Long Covid patients who do experience PEM and qualify for ME/CFS diagnoses. Health care providers will read the conclusions and assume they can be extrapolated to all Long Covid patients. That is clearly not the case.

    Beyond that unacceptable oversight, let’s review the data in a bit more detail and see if that claim holds up.

    The face-to-face intervention group had a drop-out rate of 29% and the remote intervention group had a drop-out rate of 39%. These drop-out rates are quite high. Remarkably, the article includes no substantive discussion of this. It is hard to argue persuasively that an intervention is successful or effective when so many participants apparently decided not to continue with it, for whatever reasons. Did they find it unhelpful? Too difficult? Harmful? We don’t actually know.

    The article also overlooks the fact that the participants were, on average, almost as unhealthy after the eight-week intervention as they were beforehand. After the intervention, the average increase in the IWST for the face-to-face and remote groups was, respectively, 52 meters and 34 meters more than the increase in the care as usual group. But the average meters walked remained way, way below the levels of healthy people in the same age range.

    The average age of participants in the trial was 59. A 2013 study called “Age-specific normal values for the incremental shuttle walk test in a healthy British population” found that the average distance walked during the ISWT by those in their 40s, 50s, 60s, and over 70 were, respectively, 824 meters, 788 meters, 699 meters, and 633 meters. By comparison, those in the face-to-face group increased from 285 to 312 meters, and those in the remote group from 353 to 388 meters.

    It should have been obvious to any intelligent or even minimally competent researcher with that an exploration of both of these issues–the high drop-out rate and the continued poor health of the participants–was essential to put the purportedly “positive” findings in context. There is simply not that much positive to report about interventions that left participants severely disabled and that substantial numbers were unable or unwilling to complete.

    Oh, and on top of that, there were null results for the trial’s seven quality-of-life and symptom burden questionnaires: EuroQol five-dimension five-level questionnaire (EQ5D), Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ9), the Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD7) 7-item scale, Dyspnoea-12, the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy Fatigue Scale (FACIT), the DePaul Symptom Questionnaire, and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). In other words, whatever incremental improvements might have occurred, participants did not report any overall benefits in the trial’s many subjective measures of well-being.

    And to mention one other odd point…According to a 2019 study cited by the authors, the “minimal clinically important difference” (MCID) for the ISWT is 35 meters. In other words, while the results for the face-to-face intervention surpassed that threshold, the results for the remote intervention did not quite reach it. Yet here’s the opening of the discussion section:

    “In this fully powered randomised controlled trial, we demonstrated that both face-to-face and remote exercise-based rehabilitation significantly improve exercise capacity compared to usual care alone in those previously hospitalised with COVID-19. These between group improvements exceed the established MCID (35m), highlighting improvements of clinical relevance in those with post-COVID syndrome.”

    This last statement is simply not true in relation to the remote intervention, at least when it comes to the final, adjusted, intention-to-treat analysis. It is either a mistake or a deliberate effort to fudge the facts. I assume the latter, because it is very obvious that 35 is a bigger number than 34. With more than three dozen people on the manuscript, it is hard to believe that no one noticed this discrepancy. Either way, this indisputable error requires a correction. (To be clear, a correction won’t make the rest of the paper any better.)

    In fact, the authors might have pointed out that there are multiple studies of the MCID of the ISWT, such as a 2008 analysis that found it to be 47.5 meters, and one from 2015 concluding that it was 70 meters. Even thought they chose to cite the MCID most favorable to their argument and ignore the others, they still presented false information to bolster their case.

    So here’s the bottom line: Despite some marginal improvements among those who actually were able to or decided to complete the interventions, the trial documented that exercise-based rehabilitation failed dramatically to restore participants’ health. Moreover, participants felt no better subjectively on any measures than beforehand. Given those telling details, along with the fact that significant numbers of participants abandoned the trial’s intervention arms, the boast that these rehabilitation programs “improved short-term exercise capacity” is hard to take seriously.

    **********

    Disclosure: My academic position at the University of California, Berkeley, is largely supported by donations to the university via the campus crowdfunding platform from people with ME/CFS, Long Covid, and related disorders.

    (View the original post at virology.ws)

    #MCID #TrudieChalder

    #mcid #trudiechalder
  15. David Tuller @[email protected] ·

    Trudie Chalder Is Co-Author on Another Bad Exercise Paper

    By David Tuller, DrPH

    It is a truth universally acknowledged (or at least universally acknowledged by smart researchers), that if the list of authors on an article includes Trudie Chalder, King’s College London’s mathematically and factually challenged professor of cognitive behavior therapy, then the article in question should most assuredly be expected to be short on, or utterly devoid of, intelligence and logical reasoning.

    This is certainly the case with a recent publication in European Respiratory Journal titled “Post-Hospitalisation COVID-19 Rehabilitation (PHOSP-R): A randomised controlled trial of exercise-based rehabilitation.” Professor Chalder is one of more than three dozen co-authors, so it is unclear how much she can be held responsible for the article’s poor quality and unwarranted claims. Nonetheless, this new trial continues what appears to be her impressive streak of being involved with scholarship that can accurately be described as rubbish.

    The new trial, conducted at the University of Leicester and Northumbria University, was funded by the Medical Research Council and the National Institute for Health Research. The design was not terrible. Specifically, unlike some other Long Covid rehabilitation studies, this one excluded participants with post-exertional malaise (PEM). That’s a good move, given that the presence of PEM is a contra-indication for an exercise-based rehab program.

    So this was a study of Long Covid patients who do not meet criteria for an ME/CFS diagnosis—a key point.

    The real problem here is that the reporting of the results stinks.

    In the study, 181 participants who were experiencing prolonged symptoms after a Covid-related hospital stay were randomized to either an eight-week face-to-face exercise rehabilitation program, an eight-week remote exercise rehabilitation program, or care as usual. The primary outcome was the change in the Incremental Shuttle Walking Test (ISWT). Among the many secondary outcomes were questionnaires measuring health quality of life and symptom burden.

    The conclusion: “Exercise-based rehabilitation improved short-term exercise capacity in Post-COVID syndrome following an acute hospitalization.”

    First, let’s note that the conclusion does not explicitly state that the study is not about “post-COVID syndrome” overall but only about non-ME/CFS “post-COVID syndrome.” That’s a major limitation of the findings that should have been emphasized prominently throughout, given the significant numbers of Long Covid patients who do experience PEM and qualify for ME/CFS diagnoses. Health care providers will read the conclusions and assume they can be extrapolated to all Long Covid patients. That is clearly not the case.

    Beyond that unacceptable oversight, let’s review the data in a bit more detail and see if that claim holds up.

    The face-to-face intervention group had a drop-out rate of 29% and the remote intervention group had a drop-out rate of 39%. These drop-out rates are quite high. Remarkably, the article includes no substantive discussion of this. It is hard to argue persuasively that an intervention is successful or effective when so many participants apparently decided not to continue with it, for whatever reasons. Did they find it unhelpful? Too difficult? Harmful? We don’t actually know.

    The article also overlooks the fact that the participants were, on average, almost as unhealthy after the eight-week intervention as they were beforehand. After the intervention, the average increase in the IWST for the face-to-face and remote groups was, respectively, 52 meters and 34 meters more than the increase in the care as usual group. But the average meters walked remained way, way below the levels of healthy people in the same age range.

    The average age of participants in the trial was 59. A 2013 study called “Age-specific normal values for the incremental shuttle walk test in a healthy British population” found that the average distance walked during the ISWT by those in their 40s, 50s, 60s, and over 70 were, respectively, 824 meters, 788 meters, 699 meters, and 633 meters. By comparison, those in the face-to-face group increased from 285 to 312 meters, and those in the remote group from 353 to 388 meters.

    It should have been obvious to any intelligent or even minimally competent researcher with that an exploration of both of these issues–the high drop-out rate and the continued poor health of the participants–was essential to put the purportedly “positive” findings in context. There is simply not that much positive to report about interventions that left participants severely disabled and that substantial numbers were unable or unwilling to complete.

    Oh, and on top of that, there were null results for the trial’s seven quality-of-life and symptom burden questionnaires: EuroQol five-dimension five-level questionnaire (EQ5D), Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ9), the Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD7) 7-item scale, Dyspnoea-12, the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy Fatigue Scale (FACIT), the DePaul Symptom Questionnaire, and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). In other words, whatever incremental improvements might have occurred, participants did not report any overall benefits in the trial’s many subjective measures of well-being.

    And to mention one other odd point…According to a 2019 study cited by the authors, the “minimal clinically important difference” (MCID) for the ISWT is 35 meters. In other words, while the results for the face-to-face intervention surpassed that threshold, the results for the remote intervention did not quite reach it. Yet here’s the opening of the discussion section:

    “In this fully powered randomised controlled trial, we demonstrated that both face-to-face and remote exercise-based rehabilitation significantly improve exercise capacity compared to usual care alone in those previously hospitalised with COVID-19. These between group improvements exceed the established MCID (35m), highlighting improvements of clinical relevance in those with post-COVID syndrome.”

    This last statement is simply not true in relation to the remote intervention, at least when it comes to the final, adjusted, intention-to-treat analysis. It is either a mistake or a deliberate effort to fudge the facts. I assume the latter, because it is very obvious that 35 is a bigger number than 34. With more than three dozen people on the manuscript, it is hard to believe that no one noticed this discrepancy. Either way, this indisputable error requires a correction. (To be clear, a correction won’t make the rest of the paper any better.)

    In fact, the authors might have pointed out that there are multiple studies of the MCID of the ISWT, such as a 2008 analysis that found it to be 47.5 meters, and one from 2015 concluding that it was 70 meters. Even thought they chose to cite the MCID most favorable to their argument and ignore the others, they still presented false information to bolster their case.

    So here’s the bottom line: Despite some marginal improvements among those who actually were able to or decided to complete the interventions, the trial documented that exercise-based rehabilitation failed dramatically to restore participants’ health. Moreover, participants felt no better subjectively on any measures than beforehand. Given those telling details, along with the fact that significant numbers of participants abandoned the trial’s intervention arms, the boast that these rehabilitation programs “improved short-term exercise capacity” is hard to take seriously.

    **********

    Disclosure: My academic position at the University of California, Berkeley, is largely supported by donations to the university via the campus crowdfunding platform from people with ME/CFS, Long Covid, and related disorders.

    (View the original post at virology.ws)

    #MCID #TrudieChalder

    #mcid #trudiechalder
  16. David Tuller @[email protected] ·

    Trudie Chalder Is Co-Author on Another Bad Exercise Paper

    By David Tuller, DrPH

    It is a truth universally acknowledged (or at least universally acknowledged by smart researchers), that if the list of authors on an article includes Trudie Chalder, King’s College London’s mathematically and factually challenged professor of cognitive behavior therapy, then the article in question should most assuredly be expected to be short on, or utterly devoid of, intelligence and logical reasoning.

    This is certainly the case with a recent publication in European Respiratory Journal titled “Post-Hospitalisation COVID-19 Rehabilitation (PHOSP-R): A randomised controlled trial of exercise-based rehabilitation.” Professor Chalder is one of more than three dozen co-authors, so it is unclear how much she can be held responsible for the article’s poor quality and unwarranted claims. Nonetheless, this new trial continues what appears to be her impressive streak of being involved with scholarship that can accurately be described as rubbish.

    The new trial, conducted at the University of Leicester and Northumbria University, was funded by the Medical Research Council and the National Institute for Health Research. The design was not terrible. Specifically, unlike some other Long Covid rehabilitation studies, this one excluded participants with post-exertional malaise (PEM). That’s a good move, given that the presence of PEM is a contra-indication for an exercise-based rehab program.

    So this was a study of Long Covid patients who do not meet criteria for an ME/CFS diagnosis—a key point.

    The real problem here is that the reporting of the results stinks.

    In the study, 181 participants who were experiencing prolonged symptoms after a Covid-related hospital stay were randomized to either an eight-week face-to-face exercise rehabilitation program, an eight-week remote exercise rehabilitation program, or care as usual. The primary outcome was the change in the Incremental Shuttle Walking Test (ISWT). Among the many secondary outcomes were questionnaires measuring health quality of life and symptom burden.

    The conclusion: “Exercise-based rehabilitation improved short-term exercise capacity in Post-COVID syndrome following an acute hospitalization.”

    First, let’s note that the conclusion does not explicitly state that the study is not about “post-COVID syndrome” overall but only about non-ME/CFS “post-COVID syndrome.” That’s a major limitation of the findings that should have been emphasized prominently throughout, given the significant numbers of Long Covid patients who do experience PEM and qualify for ME/CFS diagnoses. Health care providers will read the conclusions and assume they can be extrapolated to all Long Covid patients. That is clearly not the case.

    Beyond that unacceptable oversight, let’s review the data in a bit more detail and see if that claim holds up.

    The face-to-face intervention group had a drop-out rate of 29% and the remote intervention group had a drop-out rate of 39%. These drop-out rates are quite high. Remarkably, the article includes no substantive discussion of this. It is hard to argue persuasively that an intervention is successful or effective when so many participants apparently decided not to continue with it, for whatever reasons. Did they find it unhelpful? Too difficult? Harmful? We don’t actually know.

    The article also overlooks the fact that the participants were, on average, almost as unhealthy after the eight-week intervention as they were beforehand. After the intervention, the average increase in the IWST for the face-to-face and remote groups was, respectively, 52 meters and 34 meters more than the increase in the care as usual group. But the average meters walked remained way, way below the levels of healthy people in the same age range.

    The average age of participants in the trial was 59. A 2013 study called “Age-specific normal values for the incremental shuttle walk test in a healthy British population” found that the average distance walked during the ISWT by those in their 40s, 50s, 60s, and over 70 were, respectively, 824 meters, 788 meters, 699 meters, and 633 meters. By comparison, those in the face-to-face group increased from 285 to 312 meters, and those in the remote group from 353 to 388 meters.

    It should have been obvious to any intelligent or even minimally competent researcher with that an exploration of both of these issues–the high drop-out rate and the continued poor health of the participants–was essential to put the purportedly “positive” findings in context. There is simply not that much positive to report about interventions that left participants severely disabled and that substantial numbers were unable or unwilling to complete.

    Oh, and on top of that, there were null results for the trial’s seven quality-of-life and symptom burden questionnaires: EuroQol five-dimension five-level questionnaire (EQ5D), Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ9), the Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD7) 7-item scale, Dyspnoea-12, the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy Fatigue Scale (FACIT), the DePaul Symptom Questionnaire, and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). In other words, whatever incremental improvements might have occurred, participants did not report any overall benefits in the trial’s many subjective measures of well-being.

    And to mention one other odd point…According to a 2019 study cited by the authors, the “minimal clinically important difference” (MCID) for the ISWT is 35 meters. In other words, while the results for the face-to-face intervention surpassed that threshold, the results for the remote intervention did not quite reach it. Yet here’s the opening of the discussion section:

    “In this fully powered randomised controlled trial, we demonstrated that both face-to-face and remote exercise-based rehabilitation significantly improve exercise capacity compared to usual care alone in those previously hospitalised with COVID-19. These between group improvements exceed the established MCID (35m), highlighting improvements of clinical relevance in those with post-COVID syndrome.”

    This last statement is simply not true in relation to the remote intervention, at least when it comes to the final, adjusted, intention-to-treat analysis. It is either a mistake or a deliberate effort to fudge the facts. I assume the latter, because it is very obvious that 35 is a bigger number than 34. With more than three dozen people on the manuscript, it is hard to believe that no one noticed this discrepancy. Either way, this indisputable error requires a correction. (To be clear, a correction won’t make the rest of the paper any better.)

    In fact, the authors might have pointed out that there are multiple studies of the MCID of the ISWT, such as a 2008 analysis that found it to be 47.5 meters, and one from 2015 concluding that it was 70 meters. Even thought they chose to cite the MCID most favorable to their argument and ignore the others, they still presented false information to bolster their case.

    So here’s the bottom line: Despite some marginal improvements among those who actually were able to or decided to complete the interventions, the trial documented that exercise-based rehabilitation failed dramatically to restore participants’ health. Moreover, participants felt no better subjectively on any measures than beforehand. Given those telling details, along with the fact that significant numbers of participants abandoned the trial’s intervention arms, the boast that these rehabilitation programs “improved short-term exercise capacity” is hard to take seriously.

    **********

    Disclosure: My academic position at the University of California, Berkeley, is largely supported by donations to the university via the campus crowdfunding platform from people with ME/CFS, Long Covid, and related disorders.

    (View the original post at virology.ws)

    #MCID #TrudieChalder

    #trudiechalder #mcid
  17. David Tuller @[email protected] ·

    Trudie Chalder Is Co-Author on Another Bad Exercise Paper

    By David Tuller, DrPH

    It is a truth universally acknowledged (or at least universally acknowledged by smart researchers), that if the list of authors on an article includes Trudie Chalder, King’s College London’s mathematically and factually challenged professor of cognitive behavior therapy, then the article in question should most assuredly be expected to be short on, or utterly devoid of, intelligence and logical reasoning.

    This is certainly the case with a recent publication in European Respiratory Journal titled “Post-Hospitalisation COVID-19 Rehabilitation (PHOSP-R): A randomised controlled trial of exercise-based rehabilitation.” Professor Chalder is one of more than three dozen co-authors, so it is unclear how much she can be held responsible for the article’s poor quality and unwarranted claims. Nonetheless, this new trial continues what appears to be her impressive streak of being involved with scholarship that can accurately be described as rubbish.

    The new trial, conducted at the University of Leicester and Northumbria University, was funded by the Medical Research Council and the National Institute for Health Research. The design was not terrible. Specifically, unlike some other Long Covid rehabilitation studies, this one excluded participants with post-exertional malaise (PEM). That’s a good move, given that the presence of PEM is a contra-indication for an exercise-based rehab program.

    So this was a study of Long Covid patients who do not meet criteria for an ME/CFS diagnosis—a key point.

    The real problem here is that the reporting of the results stinks.

    In the study, 181 participants who were experiencing prolonged symptoms after a Covid-related hospital stay were randomized to either an eight-week face-to-face exercise rehabilitation program, an eight-week remote exercise rehabilitation program, or care as usual. The primary outcome was the change in the Incremental Shuttle Walking Test (ISWT). Among the many secondary outcomes were questionnaires measuring health quality of life and symptom burden.

    The conclusion: “Exercise-based rehabilitation improved short-term exercise capacity in Post-COVID syndrome following an acute hospitalization.”

    First, let’s note that the conclusion does not explicitly state that the study is not about “post-COVID syndrome” overall but only about non-ME/CFS “post-COVID syndrome.” That’s a major limitation of the findings that should have been emphasized prominently throughout, given the significant numbers of Long Covid patients who do experience PEM and qualify for ME/CFS diagnoses. Health care providers will read the conclusions and assume they can be extrapolated to all Long Covid patients. That is clearly not the case.

    Beyond that unacceptable oversight, let’s review the data in a bit more detail and see if that claim holds up.

    The face-to-face intervention group had a drop-out rate of 29% and the remote intervention group had a drop-out rate of 39%. These drop-out rates are quite high. Remarkably, the article includes no substantive discussion of this. It is hard to argue persuasively that an intervention is successful or effective when so many participants apparently decided not to continue with it, for whatever reasons. Did they find it unhelpful? Too difficult? Harmful? We don’t actually know.

    The article also overlooks the fact that the participants were, on average, almost as unhealthy after the eight-week intervention as they were beforehand. After the intervention, the average increase in the IWST for the face-to-face and remote groups was, respectively, 52 meters and 34 meters more than the increase in the care as usual group. But the average meters walked remained way, way below the levels of healthy people in the same age range.

    The average age of participants in the trial was 59. A 2013 study called “Age-specific normal values for the incremental shuttle walk test in a healthy British population” found that the average distance walked during the ISWT by those in their 40s, 50s, 60s, and over 70 were, respectively, 824 meters, 788 meters, 699 meters, and 633 meters. By comparison, those in the face-to-face group increased from 285 to 312 meters, and those in the remote group from 353 to 388 meters.

    It should have been obvious to any intelligent or even minimally competent researcher with that an exploration of both of these issues–the high drop-out rate and the continued poor health of the participants–was essential to put the purportedly “positive” findings in context. There is simply not that much positive to report about interventions that left participants severely disabled and that substantial numbers were unable or unwilling to complete.

    Oh, and on top of that, there were null results for the trial’s seven quality-of-life and symptom burden questionnaires: EuroQol five-dimension five-level questionnaire (EQ5D), Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ9), the Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD7) 7-item scale, Dyspnoea-12, the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy Fatigue Scale (FACIT), the DePaul Symptom Questionnaire, and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). In other words, whatever incremental improvements might have occurred, participants did not report any overall benefits in the trial’s many subjective measures of well-being.

    And to mention one other odd point…According to a 2019 study cited by the authors, the “minimal clinically important difference” (MCID) for the ISWT is 35 meters. In other words, while the results for the face-to-face intervention surpassed that threshold, the results for the remote intervention did not quite reach it. Yet here’s the opening of the discussion section:

    “In this fully powered randomised controlled trial, we demonstrated that both face-to-face and remote exercise-based rehabilitation significantly improve exercise capacity compared to usual care alone in those previously hospitalised with COVID-19. These between group improvements exceed the established MCID (35m), highlighting improvements of clinical relevance in those with post-COVID syndrome.”

    This last statement is simply not true in relation to the remote intervention, at least when it comes to the final, adjusted, intention-to-treat analysis. It is either a mistake or a deliberate effort to fudge the facts. I assume the latter, because it is very obvious that 35 is a bigger number than 34. With more than three dozen people on the manuscript, it is hard to believe that no one noticed this discrepancy. Either way, this indisputable error requires a correction. (To be clear, a correction won’t make the rest of the paper any better.)

    In fact, the authors might have pointed out that there are multiple studies of the MCID of the ISWT, such as a 2008 analysis that found it to be 47.5 meters, and one from 2015 concluding that it was 70 meters. Even thought they chose to cite the MCID most favorable to their argument and ignore the others, they still presented false information to bolster their case.

    So here’s the bottom line: Despite some marginal improvements among those who actually were able to or decided to complete the interventions, the trial documented that exercise-based rehabilitation failed dramatically to restore participants’ health. Moreover, participants felt no better subjectively on any measures than beforehand. Given those telling details, along with the fact that significant numbers of participants abandoned the trial’s intervention arms, the boast that these rehabilitation programs “improved short-term exercise capacity” is hard to take seriously.

    **********

    Disclosure: My academic position at the University of California, Berkeley, is largely supported by donations to the university via the campus crowdfunding platform from people with ME/CFS, Long Covid, and related disorders.

    (View the original post at virology.ws)

    #MCID #TrudieChalder

    #mcid #trudiechalder
  18. David Boles @[email protected] ·

    The Generative Excess: Soul, Dream, and Idea

    There are three things you cannot show me. You cannot open your hand and reveal your soul. No technology exists to replay your dream from last night with any fidelity. And no surgeon can extract from your skull the moment a thought first assembled itself into an idea. Each of these phenomena exists, if it exists at all, only as a first-person event, invisible to external observation, resistant to measurement, and stubbornly private. That shared inaccessibility is worth taking seriously, because it suggests that the most important operations of human consciousness happen in a place that science can describe from the outside but never enter.

    Start with what each one does. The soul, across most Western and Eastern philosophical traditions, answers the question of continuity. It explains why the person who fell asleep last night and the person who woke this morning are the same agent. Whether you locate it in the Aristotelian psyche as the animating form of a living body, or in the Cartesian res cogitans as a thinking substance separate from matter, or in the Hindu atman as an eternal self passing through incarnations, the soul functions as the ground of identity. A dream, by contrast, disrupts continuity. You enter a dream stripped of executive function, unable to recognize logical impossibilities, occupying spaces that shift without transition. You become a spectator inside your own mind, watching a performance you did not commission and cannot direct. A waking idea occupies a third position: it is an act of construction, a moment when the mind assembles discrete elements into a new configuration that did not previously exist. Souls persist. Dreams intrude. Ideas emerge.

    That tripartite distinction exposes different relationships to volition. You do not choose to have a soul or to lack one; it is either a feature of your ontological situation or it is a fiction, and in neither case does your preference matter. You do not choose to dream, though the content of dreams appears to draw from waking experience in ways that suggest unconscious editorial selection. J. Allan Hobson’s activation-synthesis hypothesis, proposed in 1977, argued that dreams arise when the brainstem sends random electrical signals during REM sleep and the cortex, desperate to impose order on noise, weaves those signals into narrative. If Hobson was even partially correct, dreaming is the brain telling itself stories to explain its own involuntary electrical activity. A waking idea, however, carries at least the sensation of agency. When Archimedes stepped into his bath and recognized the principle of displacement, or when August Kekulé reported seeing the structure of benzene in a half-waking vision of a snake consuming its own tail, the idea arrived with the force of discovery, as though the thinker had earned it through effort.

    Both of those famous examples blur the boundary between dreaming and waking thought. Kekulé’s breakthrough came in a hypnagogic state. Archimedes’ eureka arrived during the kind of relaxed, unfocused attention that resembles dream consciousness more than analytical reasoning. Henri Poincaré described the same experience in his 1908 essay on mathematical creativity: after days of failed conscious effort on Fuchsian functions, the solution arrived unbidden while he was boarding a bus, carrying with it an immediate certainty of correctness. The conscious labor had been necessary, but the synthesis itself happened somewhere else, in a cognitive region that shares more architecture with dreaming than with deliberate calculation. This pattern appears so often in the history of science and art that it demands explanation. The waking mind prepares the ground; the sleeping or distracted mind plants the seed; and the idea appears at the border between the two states, as if consciousness needed to look away before it could see.

    All three phenomena involve pattern recognition operating below the threshold of awareness. The soul, if we follow the phenomenological line from Edmund Husserl forward, is the unified field of intentionality that makes pattern recognition possible in the first place. It is the subject that does the recognizing, the “I” that precedes every act of perception. Dreams are pattern recognition run wild, freed from sensory constraint and logical discipline, which is why dream content so often features the recombination of familiar elements into unfamiliar arrangements: your childhood kitchen with the ceiling of a cathedral, a conversation with a dead relative conducted in a language neither of you spoke. An idea, when it arrives, typically feels less like construction and more like recognition, as though the pattern was already present and the thinker merely noticed it. That feeling of discovery rather than invention has troubled epistemologists for centuries, because it implies that ideas have an existence independent of the minds that think them, a position that leads straight to Plato and the theory of Forms, where all knowledge is recollection of truths the soul apprehended before birth.

    The differences become sharpest when you examine communicability and persistence. An idea, once formed, can be externalized. You can write it down, speak it, encode it in mathematics or music or architecture, and another person can receive it with reasonable fidelity. Euclid’s geometric proofs remain operative twenty-three centuries later. Darwin’s natural selection survived its author by more than a hundred years and shows no sign of weakening. The idea is the one member of this trio that outlives its host. A dream, however, resists translation. Anyone who has tried to recount a dream knows the experience of watching its internal logic evaporate in the telling. The narrative that felt saturated with meaning at 3 a.m. becomes, by breakfast, a string of non-sequiturs that embarrass the teller. Dreams are experiences that degrade upon export; their meaning, if they have meaning, may be inseparable from the neurochemical state that produced them. The soul occupies the most isolated position of all. You can describe your beliefs about the soul, argue for its existence or its absence, construct elaborate theological frameworks around it, but you cannot transmit the thing itself. If the soul is real, it is the most private object in existence, the one possession that cannot be shared, stolen, or photographed.

    I want to take a position on truth-value here rather than retreat into academic equivocation. A waking idea can be tested. It can be wrong, and its wrongness can be demonstrated. Kekulé’s benzene ring was either an accurate model of molecular structure or it was a fantasy, and subsequent X-ray crystallography confirmed the model. Ideas submit to verification, and that submission is what gives them their power and their danger. Dreams make no truth claims and therefore cannot be falsified; they operate in a space where contradiction is a feature rather than a defect, where you can be simultaneously yourself and someone else, where gravity applies in one room and not the next. The soul occupies the most precarious epistemic position of the three, because it asserts an enormous truth claim (that personal identity has a metaphysical ground, that you are more than your biology) while offering no mechanism for verification. This is why the soul has migrated over the past four centuries from philosophy into theology: it requires faith in a way that ideas and dreams do not.

    Yet there is a way to read all three as expressions of a single underlying capacity. Call it generative excess. A soul posits a self that is more than the sum of its biological processes. Dreams generate entire worlds from stored fragments without any current sensory data. An idea produces a new structure from existing elements that, in their previous arrangement, did not suggest that structure. In each case, something appears that was not contained in its antecedents. The mind, whether sleeping or waking, whether reflecting on its own nature or assembling a new theorem, keeps producing more than its inputs would predict. Whether you call that capacity consciousness, emergence, or grace depends on your commitments, but the surplus is common to all three phenomena. Differences among the three lie in duration, controllability, and communicability. Souls endure, or claim to. Ideas can be transmitted. Dreams do neither, and perhaps that is why, of the three, dreaming remains the most mysterious and the least respected, despite being the one phenomenon whose existence no one disputes.

    What holds these three together is the stubborn fact that the human mind refuses to be merely reactive. It insists on generating experience that exceeds what the world hands it. That insistence may be our defining characteristic as a species, and it may also be our greatest vulnerability, because a mind that generates more than it receives is a mind that can deceive itself with its own productions. The soul may be one such self-deception. The dream is a nightly demonstration of how persuasive such deceptions can be. And the idea, when it is wrong, can lead entire civilizations into error. The generative excess gives us Euclid’s geometry and astrology, penicillin and phrenology, cathedral architecture and conspiracy theories. The capacity itself is neutral; what matters is whether we can distinguish its products from its illusions. That question has occupied philosophy since Socrates, and we are no closer to settling it now than we were in Athens. The soul, the dream, and the idea all emerge from the same restless source, and the fact that we cannot see that source directly may be the most important thing about it.

    #archimedes #boundaries #cogency #dream #explanation #idea #philosophy #soul #thought #tradition #understanding #writing
    #archimedes #boundaries #cogency #dream #explanation #idea
  19. Radio_Azureus @[email protected] ·

    curl

    Daniël Stenberg

    facts and praise

    I'm fortunate that I am allowed to follow Daniël, lead programmer of the mightycurl. The reason I formulated the line in this way, is because only through the power of the FediVerse I've gotten a boost from someone I follow, who found a post of the lead programmer or curl interesting

    stats:

    install base => 20000*106 devices

    20 billion+ installations!

    curl is used in command lines or scripts to transfer data. curl is also libcurl, used in:

    • cars
    • television sets
    • routers
    • printers
    • audio equipment
    • mobile phones
    • tablets
    • medical devices
    • settop boxes
    • computer games
    • media players

    Curl is THE Internet transfer engine for countless software applications in over twenty billion installations!

    curl is used daily by virtually every Internet-using human on the globe!

    curl is 30 years old

    Let that sink in!

    Opinion

    curl is mature critical network infrastructure software that we all need to have our internet powered software / hardware to function in respect to data transfer.

    The syntax to use curl in simple implementations is IMHO quite easy. In case you need to know an extra option, the executable and libcurl have excellent documentation. End users normally interact with curl using the (elf) binary on Linux based POSIX operating systems. The more mature BSDs have another binary format

    Just type curl to get an initial output which looks like this on my current system

    curl
    curl: try 'curl --help' or 'curl --manual' for more information

    then type

    curl --help
    Usage: curl [options...] <url>
     -d, --data <data>           HTTP POST data
     -f, --fail                  Fail fast with no output on HTTP errors
     -h, --help <subject>        Get help for commands
     -o, --output <file>         Write to file instead of stdout
     -O, --remote-name           Write output to file named as remote file
     -i, --show-headers          Show response headers in output
     -s, --silent                Silent mode
     -T, --upload-file <file>    Transfer local FILE to destination
     -u, --user <user:password>  Server user and password
     -A, --user-agent <name>     Send User-Agent <name> to server
     -v, --verbose               Make the operation more talkative
     -V, --version               Show version number and quit

    This is not the full help; this menu is split into categories.
    Use "--help category" to get an overview of all categories, which are:
    auth, connection, curl, deprecated, dns, file, ftp, global, http, imap, ldap, output, pop3, post, proxy, 
    scp, sftp, smtp, ssh, telnet, tftp, timeout, tls, upload, verbose.
    Use "--help all" to list all options
    Use "--help [option]" to view documentation for a given option

    When you type curl --manual|less you get the manpages which I delimited with less through a vertical pipe

              _   _ ____  _
          ___| | | |  _ \| |
         / __| | | | |_) | |
        | (__| |_| |  _ <| |___
         \___|\___/|_| \_\_____|
    NAME

        curl - transfer a URL

    SYNOPSIS

        curl [options / URLs]

    DESCRIPTION

        curl is a tool  for transferring data  from or to a  server using URLs.  It
        supports these protocols:  DICT, FILE,  FTP, FTPS,  GOPHER, GOPHERS,  HTTP,
        HTTPS, IMAP,  IMAPS, LDAP,  LDAPS, MQTT,  POP3, POP3S,  RTMP, RTMPS,  RTSP,
        SCP, SFTP, SMB, SMBS, SMTP, SMTPS, TELNET, TFTP, WS and WSS.

        curl  is  powered  by  libcurl  for  all  transfer-related  features.   See
        libcurl(3) for details.

    URL

        The URL syntax is  protocol-dependent. You find  a detailed description  in
        RFC 3986.

    I can also type man curl to get a nice output:

    curl(1)                                         curl Manual                                        curl(1)

    NAME
           curl - transfer a URL

    SYNOPSIS
           curl [options / URLs]

    DESCRIPTION
           curl  is  a tool for transferring data from or to a server using URLs. It supports these protocols:
           DICT, FILE, FTP, FTPS, GOPHER, GOPHERS, HTTP, HTTPS, IMAP, IMAPS, LDAP, LDAPS, MQTT,  POP3,  POP3S,
           RTMP, RTMPS, RTSP, SCP, SFTP, SMB, SMBS, SMTP, SMTPS, TELNET, TFTP, WS and WSS.

           curl is powered by libcurl for all transfer-related features. See libcurl(3) for details.

    URL
           The URL syntax is protocol-dependent. You find a detailed description in RFC 3986.

           If  you provide a URL without a leading protocol:// scheme, curl guesses what protocol you want. It
           then defaults to HTTP but assumes others based on often-used hostname prefixes.  For  example,  for
           hostnames starting with "ftp."  curl assumes you want FTP.

           You  can specify any amount of URLs on the command line. They are fetched in a sequential manner in
           the specified order unless you use -Z, --parallel. You can specify command line  options  and  URLs
     Manual page curl(1) line 1 (press h for help or q to quit)

    The reasoning behind curl --manual is simple. On a machine without the manual system you still need access to the full manual. This is one of the reasons why man curl is also implemented as curl --manual

    An important RFC is echoed to my terminal in the man curl output which is RFC 3986

    A Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) is a compact sequence of
    characters that identifies an abstract or physical resource. This
    specification defines the generic URI syntax and a process for
    resolving URI references that might be in relative form, along with
    guidelines and security considerations for the use of URIs on the
    Internet. The URI syntax defines a grammar that is a superset of all
    valid URIs, allowing an implementation to parse the common components
    of a URI reference without knowing the scheme-specific requirements
    of every possible identifier. This specification does not define a
    generative grammar for URIs; that task is performed by the individual
    specifications of each URI scheme.

    I shall not quote the whole RFC 3986 here. You can read all about it on the RFC site (see sources)

    As you can see curl is thorougly documented, has all the features a simple end user needs to fetch all kind of data, scaled up all the way to the extensive complex features router hardware et all, needs to transfer data.

    programming route

    I came to this toot when I saw that certain external feature code, which lives in stable external libraries, is now being removed from curl. I should say the code is depreciated then phased out.

    This is a logical step

    • It takes resources to maintain external code
    • If the (shared) libraries are stable and mature, it's much better to just call those libraries and be done.
    • The more external code you can remove from your project the better it is for all the programmers

    The same is also happening in the Linux kernel, they are following in the footsteps of curl

    Conclusion

    There is a treasure trove of information in the sources. Just reading the pages on RFC 3986 will keep you occupied for hours.
    Have fun and keep reading / learning and programming!

    sources:

    curl.se/

    rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc3986

    curl.se/mail/lib-2026-03/0026.

    #curl #programming #mathematics #linear #algebra #libcurl #Linux #BSD #freeBSD #openBSD #netBSD #POSIX #bash #csh #ksh #sh #fish #radio #TV #smartTV #router

    #curl #programming #mathematics #linear #algebra #libcurl
  20. Radio_Azureus @[email protected] ·

    curl

    Daniël Stenberg

    facts and praise

    I'm fortunate that I am allowed to follow Daniël, lead programmer of the mightycurl. The reason I formulated the line in this way, is because only through the power of the FediVerse I've gotten a boost from someone I follow, who found a post of the lead programmer or curl interesting

    stats:

    install base => 20000*106 devices

    20 billion+ installations!

    curl is used in command lines or scripts to transfer data. curl is also libcurl, used in:

    • cars
    • television sets
    • routers
    • printers
    • audio equipment
    • mobile phones
    • tablets
    • medical devices
    • settop boxes
    • computer games
    • media players

    Curl is THE Internet transfer engine for countless software applications in over twenty billion installations!

    curl is used daily by virtually every Internet-using human on the globe!

    curl is 30 years old

    Let that sink in!

    Opinion

    curl is mature critical network infrastructure software that we all need to have our internet powered software / hardware to function in respect to data transfer.

    The syntax to use curl in simple implementations is IMHO quite easy. In case you need to know an extra option, the executable and libcurl have excellent documentation. End users normally interact with curl using the (elf) binary on Linux based POSIX operating systems. The more mature BSDs have another binary format

    Just type curl to get an initial output which looks like this on my current system

    curl
    curl: try 'curl --help' or 'curl --manual' for more information

    then type

    curl --help
    Usage: curl [options...] <url>
     -d, --data <data>           HTTP POST data
     -f, --fail                  Fail fast with no output on HTTP errors
     -h, --help <subject>        Get help for commands
     -o, --output <file>         Write to file instead of stdout
     -O, --remote-name           Write output to file named as remote file
     -i, --show-headers          Show response headers in output
     -s, --silent                Silent mode
     -T, --upload-file <file>    Transfer local FILE to destination
     -u, --user <user:password>  Server user and password
     -A, --user-agent <name>     Send User-Agent <name> to server
     -v, --verbose               Make the operation more talkative
     -V, --version               Show version number and quit

    This is not the full help; this menu is split into categories.
    Use "--help category" to get an overview of all categories, which are:
    auth, connection, curl, deprecated, dns, file, ftp, global, http, imap, ldap, output, pop3, post, proxy, 
    scp, sftp, smtp, ssh, telnet, tftp, timeout, tls, upload, verbose.
    Use "--help all" to list all options
    Use "--help [option]" to view documentation for a given option

    When you type curl --manual|less you get the manpages which I delimited with less through a vertical pipe

              _   _ ____  _
          ___| | | |  _ \| |
         / __| | | | |_) | |
        | (__| |_| |  _ <| |___
         \___|\___/|_| \_\_____|
    NAME

        curl - transfer a URL

    SYNOPSIS

        curl [options / URLs]

    DESCRIPTION

        curl is a tool  for transferring data  from or to a  server using URLs.  It
        supports these protocols:  DICT, FILE,  FTP, FTPS,  GOPHER, GOPHERS,  HTTP,
        HTTPS, IMAP,  IMAPS, LDAP,  LDAPS, MQTT,  POP3, POP3S,  RTMP, RTMPS,  RTSP,
        SCP, SFTP, SMB, SMBS, SMTP, SMTPS, TELNET, TFTP, WS and WSS.

        curl  is  powered  by  libcurl  for  all  transfer-related  features.   See
        libcurl(3) for details.

    URL

        The URL syntax is  protocol-dependent. You find  a detailed description  in
        RFC 3986.

    I can also type man curl to get a nice output:

    curl(1)                                         curl Manual                                        curl(1)

    NAME
           curl - transfer a URL

    SYNOPSIS
           curl [options / URLs]

    DESCRIPTION
           curl  is  a tool for transferring data from or to a server using URLs. It supports these protocols:
           DICT, FILE, FTP, FTPS, GOPHER, GOPHERS, HTTP, HTTPS, IMAP, IMAPS, LDAP, LDAPS, MQTT,  POP3,  POP3S,
           RTMP, RTMPS, RTSP, SCP, SFTP, SMB, SMBS, SMTP, SMTPS, TELNET, TFTP, WS and WSS.

           curl is powered by libcurl for all transfer-related features. See libcurl(3) for details.

    URL
           The URL syntax is protocol-dependent. You find a detailed description in RFC 3986.

           If  you provide a URL without a leading protocol:// scheme, curl guesses what protocol you want. It
           then defaults to HTTP but assumes others based on often-used hostname prefixes.  For  example,  for
           hostnames starting with "ftp."  curl assumes you want FTP.

           You  can specify any amount of URLs on the command line. They are fetched in a sequential manner in
           the specified order unless you use -Z, --parallel. You can specify command line  options  and  URLs
     Manual page curl(1) line 1 (press h for help or q to quit)

    The reasoning behind curl --manual is simple. On a machine without the manual system you still need access to the full manual. This is one of the reasons why man curl is also implemented as curl --manual

    An important RFC is echoed to my terminal in the man curl output which is RFC 3986

    A Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) is a compact sequence of
    characters that identifies an abstract or physical resource. This
    specification defines the generic URI syntax and a process for
    resolving URI references that might be in relative form, along with
    guidelines and security considerations for the use of URIs on the
    Internet. The URI syntax defines a grammar that is a superset of all
    valid URIs, allowing an implementation to parse the common components
    of a URI reference without knowing the scheme-specific requirements
    of every possible identifier. This specification does not define a
    generative grammar for URIs; that task is performed by the individual
    specifications of each URI scheme.

    I shall not quote the whole RFC 3986 here. You can read all about it on the RFC site (see sources)

    As you can see curl is thorougly documented, has all the features a simple end user needs to fetch all kind of data, scaled up all the way to the extensive complex features router hardware et all, needs to transfer data.

    programming route

    I came to this toot when I saw that certain external feature code, which lives in stable external libraries, is now being removed from curl. I should say the code is depreciated then phased out.

    This is a logical step

    • It takes resources to maintain external code
    • If the (shared) libraries are stable and mature, it's much better to just call those libraries and be done.
    • The more external code you can remove from your project the better it is for all the programmers

    The same is also happening in the Linux kernel, they are following in the footsteps of curl

    Conclusion

    There is a treasure trove of information in the sources. Just reading the pages on RFC 3986 will keep you occupied for hours.
    Have fun and keep reading / learning and programming!

    sources:

    curl.se/

    rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc3986

    curl.se/mail/lib-2026-03/0026.

    #curl #programming #mathematics #linear #algebra #libcurl #Linux #BSD #freeBSD #openBSD #netBSD #POSIX #bash #csh #ksh #sh #fish #radio #TV #smartTV #router

    #curl #programming #mathematics #linear #algebra #libcurl
  21. Radio_Azureus @[email protected] ·

    curl

    Daniël Stenberg

    facts and praise

    I'm fortunate that I am allowed to follow Daniël, lead programmer of the mightycurl. The reason I formulated the line in this way, is because only through the power of the FediVerse I've gotten a boost from someone I follow, who found a post of the lead programmer or curl interesting

    stats:

    install base => 20000*106 devices

    20 billion+ installations!

    curl is used in command lines or scripts to transfer data. curl is also libcurl, used in:

    • cars
    • television sets
    • routers
    • printers
    • audio equipment
    • mobile phones
    • tablets
    • medical devices
    • settop boxes
    • computer games
    • media players

    Curl is THE Internet transfer engine for countless software applications in over twenty billion installations!

    curl is used daily by virtually every Internet-using human on the globe!

    curl is 30 years old

    Let that sink in!

    Opinion

    curl is mature critical network infrastructure software that we all need to have our internet powered software / hardware to function in respect to data transfer.

    The syntax to use curl in simple implementations is IMHO quite easy. In case you need to know an extra option, the executable and libcurl have excellent documentation. End users normally interact with curl using the (elf) binary on Linux based POSIX operating systems. The more mature BSDs have another binary format

    Just type curl to get an initial output which looks like this on my current system

    curl
    curl: try 'curl --help' or 'curl --manual' for more information

    then type

    curl --help
    Usage: curl [options...] <url>
     -d, --data <data>           HTTP POST data
     -f, --fail                  Fail fast with no output on HTTP errors
     -h, --help <subject>        Get help for commands
     -o, --output <file>         Write to file instead of stdout
     -O, --remote-name           Write output to file named as remote file
     -i, --show-headers          Show response headers in output
     -s, --silent                Silent mode
     -T, --upload-file <file>    Transfer local FILE to destination
     -u, --user <user:password>  Server user and password
     -A, --user-agent <name>     Send User-Agent <name> to server
     -v, --verbose               Make the operation more talkative
     -V, --version               Show version number and quit

    This is not the full help; this menu is split into categories.
    Use "--help category" to get an overview of all categories, which are:
    auth, connection, curl, deprecated, dns, file, ftp, global, http, imap, ldap, output, pop3, post, proxy, 
    scp, sftp, smtp, ssh, telnet, tftp, timeout, tls, upload, verbose.
    Use "--help all" to list all options
    Use "--help [option]" to view documentation for a given option

    When you type curl --manual|less you get the manpages which I delimited with less through a vertical pipe

              _   _ ____  _
          ___| | | |  _ \| |
         / __| | | | |_) | |
        | (__| |_| |  _ <| |___
         \___|\___/|_| \_\_____|
    NAME

        curl - transfer a URL

    SYNOPSIS

        curl [options / URLs]

    DESCRIPTION

        curl is a tool  for transferring data  from or to a  server using URLs.  It
        supports these protocols:  DICT, FILE,  FTP, FTPS,  GOPHER, GOPHERS,  HTTP,
        HTTPS, IMAP,  IMAPS, LDAP,  LDAPS, MQTT,  POP3, POP3S,  RTMP, RTMPS,  RTSP,
        SCP, SFTP, SMB, SMBS, SMTP, SMTPS, TELNET, TFTP, WS and WSS.

        curl  is  powered  by  libcurl  for  all  transfer-related  features.   See
        libcurl(3) for details.

    URL

        The URL syntax is  protocol-dependent. You find  a detailed description  in
        RFC 3986.

    I can also type man curl to get a nice output:

    curl(1)                                         curl Manual                                        curl(1)

    NAME
           curl - transfer a URL

    SYNOPSIS
           curl [options / URLs]

    DESCRIPTION
           curl  is  a tool for transferring data from or to a server using URLs. It supports these protocols:
           DICT, FILE, FTP, FTPS, GOPHER, GOPHERS, HTTP, HTTPS, IMAP, IMAPS, LDAP, LDAPS, MQTT,  POP3,  POP3S,
           RTMP, RTMPS, RTSP, SCP, SFTP, SMB, SMBS, SMTP, SMTPS, TELNET, TFTP, WS and WSS.

           curl is powered by libcurl for all transfer-related features. See libcurl(3) for details.

    URL
           The URL syntax is protocol-dependent. You find a detailed description in RFC 3986.

           If  you provide a URL without a leading protocol:// scheme, curl guesses what protocol you want. It
           then defaults to HTTP but assumes others based on often-used hostname prefixes.  For  example,  for
           hostnames starting with "ftp."  curl assumes you want FTP.

           You  can specify any amount of URLs on the command line. They are fetched in a sequential manner in
           the specified order unless you use -Z, --parallel. You can specify command line  options  and  URLs
     Manual page curl(1) line 1 (press h for help or q to quit)

    The reasoning behind curl --manual is simple. On a machine without the manual system you still need access to the full manual. This is one of the reasons why man curl is also implemented as curl --manual

    An important RFC is echoed to my terminal in the man curl output which is RFC 3986

    A Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) is a compact sequence of
    characters that identifies an abstract or physical resource. This
    specification defines the generic URI syntax and a process for
    resolving URI references that might be in relative form, along with
    guidelines and security considerations for the use of URIs on the
    Internet. The URI syntax defines a grammar that is a superset of all
    valid URIs, allowing an implementation to parse the common components
    of a URI reference without knowing the scheme-specific requirements
    of every possible identifier. This specification does not define a
    generative grammar for URIs; that task is performed by the individual
    specifications of each URI scheme.

    I shall not quote the whole RFC 3986 here. You can read all about it on the RFC site (see sources)

    As you can see curl is thorougly documented, has all the features a simple end user needs to fetch all kind of data, scaled up all the way to the extensive complex features router hardware et all, needs to transfer data.

    programming route

    I came to this toot when I saw that certain external feature code, which lives in stable external libraries, is now being removed from curl. I should say the code is depreciated then phased out.

    This is a logical step

    • It takes resources to maintain external code
    • If the (shared) libraries are stable and mature, it's much better to just call those libraries and be done.
    • The more external code you can remove from your project the better it is for all the programmers

    The same is also happening in the Linux kernel, they are following in the footsteps of curl

    Conclusion

    There is a treasure trove of information in the sources. Just reading the pages on RFC 3986 will keep you occupied for hours.
    Have fun and keep reading / learning and programming!

    sources:

    curl.se/

    rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc3986

    curl.se/mail/lib-2026-03/0026.

    #curl #programming #mathematics #linear #algebra #libcurl #Linux #BSD #freeBSD #openBSD #netBSD #POSIX #bash #csh #ksh #sh #fish #radio #TV #smartTV #router

    #curl #programming #mathematics #linear #algebra #libcurl
  22. Radio_Azureus @[email protected] ·

    curl

    Daniël Stenberg

    facts and praise

    I'm fortunate that I am allowed to follow Daniël, lead programmer of the mightycurl. The reason I formulated the line in this way, is because only through the power of the FediVerse I've gotten a boost from someone I follow, who found a post of the lead programmer or curl interesting

    stats:

    install base => 20000*106 devices

    20 billion+ installations!

    curl is used in command lines or scripts to transfer data. curl is also libcurl, used in:

    • cars
    • television sets
    • routers
    • printers
    • audio equipment
    • mobile phones
    • tablets
    • medical devices
    • settop boxes
    • computer games
    • media players

    Curl is THE Internet transfer engine for countless software applications in over twenty billion installations!

    curl is used daily by virtually every Internet-using human on the globe!

    curl is 30 years old

    Let that sink in!

    Opinion

    curl is mature critical network infrastructure software that we all need to have our internet powered software / hardware to function in respect to data transfer.

    The syntax to use curl in simple implementations is IMHO quite easy. In case you need to know an extra option, the executable and libcurl have excellent documentation. End users normally interact with curl using the (elf) binary on Linux based POSIX operating systems. The more mature BSDs have another binary format

    Just type curl to get an initial output which looks like this on my current system

    curl
    curl: try 'curl --help' or 'curl --manual' for more information

    then type

    curl --help
    Usage: curl [options...] <url>
     -d, --data <data>           HTTP POST data
     -f, --fail                  Fail fast with no output on HTTP errors
     -h, --help <subject>        Get help for commands
     -o, --output <file>         Write to file instead of stdout
     -O, --remote-name           Write output to file named as remote file
     -i, --show-headers          Show response headers in output
     -s, --silent                Silent mode
     -T, --upload-file <file>    Transfer local FILE to destination
     -u, --user <user:password>  Server user and password
     -A, --user-agent <name>     Send User-Agent <name> to server
     -v, --verbose               Make the operation more talkative
     -V, --version               Show version number and quit

    This is not the full help; this menu is split into categories.
    Use "--help category" to get an overview of all categories, which are:
    auth, connection, curl, deprecated, dns, file, ftp, global, http, imap, ldap, output, pop3, post, proxy, 
    scp, sftp, smtp, ssh, telnet, tftp, timeout, tls, upload, verbose.
    Use "--help all" to list all options
    Use "--help [option]" to view documentation for a given option

    When you type curl --manual|less you get the manpages which I delimited with less through a vertical pipe

              _   _ ____  _
          ___| | | |  _ \| |
         / __| | | | |_) | |
        | (__| |_| |  _ <| |___
         \___|\___/|_| \_\_____|
    NAME

        curl - transfer a URL

    SYNOPSIS

        curl [options / URLs]

    DESCRIPTION

        curl is a tool  for transferring data  from or to a  server using URLs.  It
        supports these protocols:  DICT, FILE,  FTP, FTPS,  GOPHER, GOPHERS,  HTTP,
        HTTPS, IMAP,  IMAPS, LDAP,  LDAPS, MQTT,  POP3, POP3S,  RTMP, RTMPS,  RTSP,
        SCP, SFTP, SMB, SMBS, SMTP, SMTPS, TELNET, TFTP, WS and WSS.

        curl  is  powered  by  libcurl  for  all  transfer-related  features.   See
        libcurl(3) for details.

    URL

        The URL syntax is  protocol-dependent. You find  a detailed description  in
        RFC 3986.

    I can also type man curl to get a nice output:

    curl(1)                                         curl Manual                                        curl(1)

    NAME
           curl - transfer a URL

    SYNOPSIS
           curl [options / URLs]

    DESCRIPTION
           curl  is  a tool for transferring data from or to a server using URLs. It supports these protocols:
           DICT, FILE, FTP, FTPS, GOPHER, GOPHERS, HTTP, HTTPS, IMAP, IMAPS, LDAP, LDAPS, MQTT,  POP3,  POP3S,
           RTMP, RTMPS, RTSP, SCP, SFTP, SMB, SMBS, SMTP, SMTPS, TELNET, TFTP, WS and WSS.

           curl is powered by libcurl for all transfer-related features. See libcurl(3) for details.

    URL
           The URL syntax is protocol-dependent. You find a detailed description in RFC 3986.

           If  you provide a URL without a leading protocol:// scheme, curl guesses what protocol you want. It
           then defaults to HTTP but assumes others based on often-used hostname prefixes.  For  example,  for
           hostnames starting with "ftp."  curl assumes you want FTP.

           You  can specify any amount of URLs on the command line. They are fetched in a sequential manner in
           the specified order unless you use -Z, --parallel. You can specify command line  options  and  URLs
     Manual page curl(1) line 1 (press h for help or q to quit)

    The reasoning behind curl --manual is simple. On a machine without the manual system you still need access to the full manual. This is one of the reasons why man curl is also implemented as curl --manual

    An important RFC is echoed to my terminal in the man curl output which is RFC 3986

    A Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) is a compact sequence of
    characters that identifies an abstract or physical resource. This
    specification defines the generic URI syntax and a process for
    resolving URI references that might be in relative form, along with
    guidelines and security considerations for the use of URIs on the
    Internet. The URI syntax defines a grammar that is a superset of all
    valid URIs, allowing an implementation to parse the common components
    of a URI reference without knowing the scheme-specific requirements
    of every possible identifier. This specification does not define a
    generative grammar for URIs; that task is performed by the individual
    specifications of each URI scheme.

    I shall not quote the whole RFC 3986 here. You can read all about it on the RFC site (see sources)

    As you can see curl is thorougly documented, has all the features a simple end user needs to fetch all kind of data, scaled up all the way to the extensive complex features router hardware et all, needs to transfer data.

    programming route

    I came to this toot when I saw that certain external feature code, which lives in stable external libraries, is now being removed from curl. I should say the code is depreciated then phased out.

    This is a logical step

    • It takes resources to maintain external code
    • If the (shared) libraries are stable and mature, it's much better to just call those libraries and be done.
    • The more external code you can remove from your project the better it is for all the programmers

    The same is also happening in the Linux kernel, they are following in the footsteps of curl

    Conclusion

    There is a treasure trove of information in the sources. Just reading the pages on RFC 3986 will keep you occupied for hours.
    Have fun and keep reading / learning and programming!

    sources:

    curl.se/

    rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc3986

    curl.se/mail/lib-2026-03/0026.

    #curl #programming #mathematics #linear #algebra #libcurl #Linux #BSD #freeBSD #openBSD #netBSD #POSIX #bash #csh #ksh #sh #fish #radio #TV #smartTV #router

    #router #smarttv #tv #radio #fish #sh
  23. Radio_Azureus @[email protected] ·

    curl

    Daniël Stenberg

    facts and praise

    I'm fortunate that I am allowed to follow Daniël, lead programmer of the mightycurl. The reason I formulated the line in this way, is because only through the power of the FediVerse I've gotten a boost from someone I follow, who found a post of the lead programmer or curl interesting

    stats:

    install base => 20000*106 devices

    20 billion+ installations!

    curl is used in command lines or scripts to transfer data. curl is also libcurl, used in:

    • cars
    • television sets
    • routers
    • printers
    • audio equipment
    • mobile phones
    • tablets
    • medical devices
    • settop boxes
    • computer games
    • media players

    Curl is THE Internet transfer engine for countless software applications in over twenty billion installations!

    curl is used daily by virtually every Internet-using human on the globe!

    curl is 30 years old

    Let that sink in!

    Opinion

    curl is mature critical network infrastructure software that we all need to have our internet powered software / hardware to function in respect to data transfer.

    The syntax to use curl in simple implementations is IMHO quite easy. In case you need to know an extra option, the executable and libcurl have excellent documentation. End users normally interact with curl using the (elf) binary on Linux based POSIX operating systems. The more mature BSDs have another binary format

    Just type curl to get an initial output which looks like this on my current system

    curl
    curl: try 'curl --help' or 'curl --manual' for more information

    then type

    curl --help
    Usage: curl [options...] <url>
     -d, --data <data>           HTTP POST data
     -f, --fail                  Fail fast with no output on HTTP errors
     -h, --help <subject>        Get help for commands
     -o, --output <file>         Write to file instead of stdout
     -O, --remote-name           Write output to file named as remote file
     -i, --show-headers          Show response headers in output
     -s, --silent                Silent mode
     -T, --upload-file <file>    Transfer local FILE to destination
     -u, --user <user:password>  Server user and password
     -A, --user-agent <name>     Send User-Agent <name> to server
     -v, --verbose               Make the operation more talkative
     -V, --version               Show version number and quit

    This is not the full help; this menu is split into categories.
    Use "--help category" to get an overview of all categories, which are:
    auth, connection, curl, deprecated, dns, file, ftp, global, http, imap, ldap, output, pop3, post, proxy, 
    scp, sftp, smtp, ssh, telnet, tftp, timeout, tls, upload, verbose.
    Use "--help all" to list all options
    Use "--help [option]" to view documentation for a given option

    When you type curl --manual|less you get the manpages which I delimited with less through a vertical pipe

              _   _ ____  _
          ___| | | |  _ \| |
         / __| | | | |_) | |
        | (__| |_| |  _ <| |___
         \___|\___/|_| \_\_____|
    NAME

        curl - transfer a URL

    SYNOPSIS

        curl [options / URLs]

    DESCRIPTION

        curl is a tool  for transferring data  from or to a  server using URLs.  It
        supports these protocols:  DICT, FILE,  FTP, FTPS,  GOPHER, GOPHERS,  HTTP,
        HTTPS, IMAP,  IMAPS, LDAP,  LDAPS, MQTT,  POP3, POP3S,  RTMP, RTMPS,  RTSP,
        SCP, SFTP, SMB, SMBS, SMTP, SMTPS, TELNET, TFTP, WS and WSS.

        curl  is  powered  by  libcurl  for  all  transfer-related  features.   See
        libcurl(3) for details.

    URL

        The URL syntax is  protocol-dependent. You find  a detailed description  in
        RFC 3986.

    I can also type man curl to get a nice output:

    curl(1)                                         curl Manual                                        curl(1)

    NAME
           curl - transfer a URL

    SYNOPSIS
           curl [options / URLs]

    DESCRIPTION
           curl  is  a tool for transferring data from or to a server using URLs. It supports these protocols:
           DICT, FILE, FTP, FTPS, GOPHER, GOPHERS, HTTP, HTTPS, IMAP, IMAPS, LDAP, LDAPS, MQTT,  POP3,  POP3S,
           RTMP, RTMPS, RTSP, SCP, SFTP, SMB, SMBS, SMTP, SMTPS, TELNET, TFTP, WS and WSS.

           curl is powered by libcurl for all transfer-related features. See libcurl(3) for details.

    URL
           The URL syntax is protocol-dependent. You find a detailed description in RFC 3986.

           If  you provide a URL without a leading protocol:// scheme, curl guesses what protocol you want. It
           then defaults to HTTP but assumes others based on often-used hostname prefixes.  For  example,  for
           hostnames starting with "ftp."  curl assumes you want FTP.

           You  can specify any amount of URLs on the command line. They are fetched in a sequential manner in
           the specified order unless you use -Z, --parallel. You can specify command line  options  and  URLs
     Manual page curl(1) line 1 (press h for help or q to quit)

    The reasoning behind curl --manual is simple. On a machine without the manual system you still need access to the full manual. This is one of the reasons why man curl is also implemented as curl --manual

    An important RFC is echoed to my terminal in the man curl output which is RFC 3986

    A Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) is a compact sequence of
    characters that identifies an abstract or physical resource. This
    specification defines the generic URI syntax and a process for
    resolving URI references that might be in relative form, along with
    guidelines and security considerations for the use of URIs on the
    Internet. The URI syntax defines a grammar that is a superset of all
    valid URIs, allowing an implementation to parse the common components
    of a URI reference without knowing the scheme-specific requirements
    of every possible identifier. This specification does not define a
    generative grammar for URIs; that task is performed by the individual
    specifications of each URI scheme.

    I shall not quote the whole RFC 3986 here. You can read all about it on the RFC site (see sources)

    As you can see curl is thorougly documented, has all the features a simple end user needs to fetch all kind of data, scaled up all the way to the extensive complex features router hardware et all, needs to transfer data.

    programming route

    I came to this toot when I saw that certain external feature code, which lives in stable external libraries, is now being removed from curl. I should say the code is depreciated then phased out.

    This is a logical step

    • It takes resources to maintain external code
    • If the (shared) libraries are stable and mature, it's much better to just call those libraries and be done.
    • The more external code you can remove from your project the better it is for all the programmers

    The same is also happening in the Linux kernel, they are following in the footsteps of curl

    Conclusion

    There is a treasure trove of information in the sources. Just reading the pages on RFC 3986 will keep you occupied for hours.
    Have fun and keep reading / learning and programming!

    sources:

    curl.se/

    rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc3986

    curl.se/mail/lib-2026-03/0026.

    #curl #programming #mathematics #linear #algebra #libcurl #Linux #BSD #freeBSD #openBSD #netBSD #POSIX #bash #csh #ksh #sh #fish #radio #TV #smartTV #router

    #curl #programming #mathematics #linear #algebra #libcurl
  24. SummerSimo Travel Troubles Notes and The Purring Page @[email protected] ·

    The Grand Barbie Lockdown

    The dust of the Outback was still settling in the tread of their tires as the 4WD screamed back toward the city skyline. It was late arvo, and the sun was a low, angry orange, mirroring the urgency in the cabin. The Three Best Friends were flat out like a lizard drinking, their laptops open on their laps, tethered to a satellite link that was barely holding on.

    Chapter 5: The Grand Barbie Lockdown

    “The Raven isn’t just attacking a site,” Dev shouted over the roar of the wind. “They’ve hijacked the ‘Grand Barbie’ event app. Fifty thousand people are trying to register for the raffle, and the interface is carrying on like a pork chop“.

    Liam scanned the app’s homepage on his phone. It was a disaster of unnecessarily complex language. The registration instructions looked like a legal manifesto. “It’s a classic Raven move,” Liam growled. “They’re using unnecessarily technical language to confuse people, especially those with cognitive and learning disabilities”.

    “Look at the registration form,” Dax added, pointing to a screenshot. “The contrast ratio between the ‘Submit’ button and the background is almost zero. Some people can’t read text if there isn’t sufficient contrast“.

    The Battle of the Viewports

    As they hit the city limits, the app underwent a “responsive” transformation that was actually a sabotage.

    “The Raven is using media queries to break the layout on mobile devices!” Dev yelled. “On a narrow window, like a mobile phone, the primary content is disappearing into a single column that doesn’t scroll properly”.

    Dev knew he had to write code that adapts to the user’s technology. He began injecting CSS to ensure the viewport size didn’t clip the content when the font size was increased. He worked to ensure the reading order in the code matched the logical flow, so when users zoomed in to 200%, the “Grand Barbie” map didn’t jump to the bottom of the page.

    Meaningful Links and Hidden Traps

    They arrived at the park just as the first sausages hit the barbie. Thousands of people were staring at their phones, frustrated.

    “The links!” Liam cried out. “The Raven has changed all the navigation links to say ‘Click Here’ or ‘Read More’“. He knew this was ambiguous link text that provided no information for screen reader users like Lakshmi.

    Liam began a rapid-fire edit of the app’s CMS. He replaced the generic text with meaningful link text that described the content of the link target.

    • “Click Here” became “Register for the Grand Raffle”.
    • “Read More” became “View Barbie Safety Guidelines”.
    • He even indicated the document type and size for the downloadable park map: “Park Map (PDF, 2MB)”.

    The Multimedia Meltdown

    On the main stage, the event organizer was giving a live-streamed speech. But the Raven had disabled the captions and transcripts.

    “Dhruv and Marta can’t understand the safety announcement!” Dev said, referring to the user stories they lived by. He immediately began routing a live stenography feed into the app’s multimedia container. He ensured the captions included not just the spoken words, but also important sounds like “crowd cheering” to provide a full experience.

    The Final Form

    The Raven’s last stand was the raffle entry form. It was a gauntlet of unclear instructions and missing labels.

    “No dramas, team,” Dax said, taking over the UI override. “I’m associating a label with every form control“. He positioned the labels adjacent to the fields, ensuring they weren’t too far away for users with low vision.

    Dev ensured the labels were linked to the ID attributes of the form elements in the code. He also added clear instructions for the date of birth field, describing the required format so users didn’t get stuck in a loop of error messages.

    When an error did occur, Liam made sure the error identification was prominent, using an error list, icons, and background color to help users find where the problem was. He provided specific, understandable explanations and suggested corrections

    #bloganuary #curiosity #dailyprompt #Evernote #everyday #Facebook #facts #IFTTT #Instagram #Pinterest

    #bloganuary #curiosity #dailyprompt #evernote #everyday #facebook
  25. SummerSimo Travel Troubles Notes and The Purring Page @[email protected] ·

    The Grand Barbie Lockdown

    The dust of the Outback was still settling in the tread of their tires as the 4WD screamed back toward the city skyline. It was late arvo, and the sun was a low, angry orange, mirroring the urgency in the cabin. The Three Best Friends were flat out like a lizard drinking, their laptops open on their laps, tethered to a satellite link that was barely holding on.

    Chapter 5: The Grand Barbie Lockdown

    “The Raven isn’t just attacking a site,” Dev shouted over the roar of the wind. “They’ve hijacked the ‘Grand Barbie’ event app. Fifty thousand people are trying to register for the raffle, and the interface is carrying on like a pork chop“.

    Liam scanned the app’s homepage on his phone. It was a disaster of unnecessarily complex language. The registration instructions looked like a legal manifesto. “It’s a classic Raven move,” Liam growled. “They’re using unnecessarily technical language to confuse people, especially those with cognitive and learning disabilities”.

    “Look at the registration form,” Dax added, pointing to a screenshot. “The contrast ratio between the ‘Submit’ button and the background is almost zero. Some people can’t read text if there isn’t sufficient contrast“.

    The Battle of the Viewports

    As they hit the city limits, the app underwent a “responsive” transformation that was actually a sabotage.

    “The Raven is using media queries to break the layout on mobile devices!” Dev yelled. “On a narrow window, like a mobile phone, the primary content is disappearing into a single column that doesn’t scroll properly”.

    Dev knew he had to write code that adapts to the user’s technology. He began injecting CSS to ensure the viewport size didn’t clip the content when the font size was increased. He worked to ensure the reading order in the code matched the logical flow, so when users zoomed in to 200%, the “Grand Barbie” map didn’t jump to the bottom of the page.

    Meaningful Links and Hidden Traps

    They arrived at the park just as the first sausages hit the barbie. Thousands of people were staring at their phones, frustrated.

    “The links!” Liam cried out. “The Raven has changed all the navigation links to say ‘Click Here’ or ‘Read More’“. He knew this was ambiguous link text that provided no information for screen reader users like Lakshmi.

    Liam began a rapid-fire edit of the app’s CMS. He replaced the generic text with meaningful link text that described the content of the link target.

    • “Click Here” became “Register for the Grand Raffle”.
    • “Read More” became “View Barbie Safety Guidelines”.
    • He even indicated the document type and size for the downloadable park map: “Park Map (PDF, 2MB)”.

    The Multimedia Meltdown

    On the main stage, the event organizer was giving a live-streamed speech. But the Raven had disabled the captions and transcripts.

    “Dhruv and Marta can’t understand the safety announcement!” Dev said, referring to the user stories they lived by. He immediately began routing a live stenography feed into the app’s multimedia container. He ensured the captions included not just the spoken words, but also important sounds like “crowd cheering” to provide a full experience.

    The Final Form

    The Raven’s last stand was the raffle entry form. It was a gauntlet of unclear instructions and missing labels.

    “No dramas, team,” Dax said, taking over the UI override. “I’m associating a label with every form control“. He positioned the labels adjacent to the fields, ensuring they weren’t too far away for users with low vision.

    Dev ensured the labels were linked to the ID attributes of the form elements in the code. He also added clear instructions for the date of birth field, describing the required format so users didn’t get stuck in a loop of error messages.

    When an error did occur, Liam made sure the error identification was prominent, using an error list, icons, and background color to help users find where the problem was. He provided specific, understandable explanations and suggested corrections

    #bloganuary #curiosity #dailyprompt #Evernote #everyday #Facebook #facts #IFTTT #Instagram #Pinterest

    #bloganuary #curiosity #dailyprompt #evernote #everyday #facebook
  26. SummerSimo Travel Troubles Notes and The Purring Page @[email protected] ·

    The Grand Barbie Lockdown

    The dust of the Outback was still settling in the tread of their tires as the 4WD screamed back toward the city skyline. It was late arvo, and the sun was a low, angry orange, mirroring the urgency in the cabin. The Three Best Friends were flat out like a lizard drinking, their laptops open on their laps, tethered to a satellite link that was barely holding on.

    Chapter 5: The Grand Barbie Lockdown

    “The Raven isn’t just attacking a site,” Dev shouted over the roar of the wind. “They’ve hijacked the ‘Grand Barbie’ event app. Fifty thousand people are trying to register for the raffle, and the interface is carrying on like a pork chop“.

    Liam scanned the app’s homepage on his phone. It was a disaster of unnecessarily complex language. The registration instructions looked like a legal manifesto. “It’s a classic Raven move,” Liam growled. “They’re using unnecessarily technical language to confuse people, especially those with cognitive and learning disabilities”.

    “Look at the registration form,” Dax added, pointing to a screenshot. “The contrast ratio between the ‘Submit’ button and the background is almost zero. Some people can’t read text if there isn’t sufficient contrast“.

    The Battle of the Viewports

    As they hit the city limits, the app underwent a “responsive” transformation that was actually a sabotage.

    “The Raven is using media queries to break the layout on mobile devices!” Dev yelled. “On a narrow window, like a mobile phone, the primary content is disappearing into a single column that doesn’t scroll properly”.

    Dev knew he had to write code that adapts to the user’s technology. He began injecting CSS to ensure the viewport size didn’t clip the content when the font size was increased. He worked to ensure the reading order in the code matched the logical flow, so when users zoomed in to 200%, the “Grand Barbie” map didn’t jump to the bottom of the page.

    Meaningful Links and Hidden Traps

    They arrived at the park just as the first sausages hit the barbie. Thousands of people were staring at their phones, frustrated.

    “The links!” Liam cried out. “The Raven has changed all the navigation links to say ‘Click Here’ or ‘Read More’“. He knew this was ambiguous link text that provided no information for screen reader users like Lakshmi.

    Liam began a rapid-fire edit of the app’s CMS. He replaced the generic text with meaningful link text that described the content of the link target.

    • “Click Here” became “Register for the Grand Raffle”.
    • “Read More” became “View Barbie Safety Guidelines”.
    • He even indicated the document type and size for the downloadable park map: “Park Map (PDF, 2MB)”.

    The Multimedia Meltdown

    On the main stage, the event organizer was giving a live-streamed speech. But the Raven had disabled the captions and transcripts.

    “Dhruv and Marta can’t understand the safety announcement!” Dev said, referring to the user stories they lived by. He immediately began routing a live stenography feed into the app’s multimedia container. He ensured the captions included not just the spoken words, but also important sounds like “crowd cheering” to provide a full experience.

    The Final Form

    The Raven’s last stand was the raffle entry form. It was a gauntlet of unclear instructions and missing labels.

    “No dramas, team,” Dax said, taking over the UI override. “I’m associating a label with every form control“. He positioned the labels adjacent to the fields, ensuring they weren’t too far away for users with low vision.

    Dev ensured the labels were linked to the ID attributes of the form elements in the code. He also added clear instructions for the date of birth field, describing the required format so users didn’t get stuck in a loop of error messages.

    When an error did occur, Liam made sure the error identification was prominent, using an error list, icons, and background color to help users find where the problem was. He provided specific, understandable explanations and suggested corrections

    #bloganuary #curiosity #dailyprompt #Evernote #everyday #Facebook #facts #IFTTT #Instagram #Pinterest

    #pinterest #instagram #ifttt #facts #facebook #everyday
  27. SummerSimo Travel Troubles Notes and The Purring Page @[email protected] ·

    The Grand Barbie Lockdown

    The dust of the Outback was still settling in the tread of their tires as the 4WD screamed back toward the city skyline. It was late arvo, and the sun was a low, angry orange, mirroring the urgency in the cabin. The Three Best Friends were flat out like a lizard drinking, their laptops open on their laps, tethered to a satellite link that was barely holding on.

    Chapter 5: The Grand Barbie Lockdown

    “The Raven isn’t just attacking a site,” Dev shouted over the roar of the wind. “They’ve hijacked the ‘Grand Barbie’ event app. Fifty thousand people are trying to register for the raffle, and the interface is carrying on like a pork chop“.

    Liam scanned the app’s homepage on his phone. It was a disaster of unnecessarily complex language. The registration instructions looked like a legal manifesto. “It’s a classic Raven move,” Liam growled. “They’re using unnecessarily technical language to confuse people, especially those with cognitive and learning disabilities”.

    “Look at the registration form,” Dax added, pointing to a screenshot. “The contrast ratio between the ‘Submit’ button and the background is almost zero. Some people can’t read text if there isn’t sufficient contrast“.

    The Battle of the Viewports

    As they hit the city limits, the app underwent a “responsive” transformation that was actually a sabotage.

    “The Raven is using media queries to break the layout on mobile devices!” Dev yelled. “On a narrow window, like a mobile phone, the primary content is disappearing into a single column that doesn’t scroll properly”.

    Dev knew he had to write code that adapts to the user’s technology. He began injecting CSS to ensure the viewport size didn’t clip the content when the font size was increased. He worked to ensure the reading order in the code matched the logical flow, so when users zoomed in to 200%, the “Grand Barbie” map didn’t jump to the bottom of the page.

    Meaningful Links and Hidden Traps

    They arrived at the park just as the first sausages hit the barbie. Thousands of people were staring at their phones, frustrated.

    “The links!” Liam cried out. “The Raven has changed all the navigation links to say ‘Click Here’ or ‘Read More’“. He knew this was ambiguous link text that provided no information for screen reader users like Lakshmi.

    Liam began a rapid-fire edit of the app’s CMS. He replaced the generic text with meaningful link text that described the content of the link target.

    • “Click Here” became “Register for the Grand Raffle”.
    • “Read More” became “View Barbie Safety Guidelines”.
    • He even indicated the document type and size for the downloadable park map: “Park Map (PDF, 2MB)”.

    The Multimedia Meltdown

    On the main stage, the event organizer was giving a live-streamed speech. But the Raven had disabled the captions and transcripts.

    “Dhruv and Marta can’t understand the safety announcement!” Dev said, referring to the user stories they lived by. He immediately began routing a live stenography feed into the app’s multimedia container. He ensured the captions included not just the spoken words, but also important sounds like “crowd cheering” to provide a full experience.

    The Final Form

    The Raven’s last stand was the raffle entry form. It was a gauntlet of unclear instructions and missing labels.

    “No dramas, team,” Dax said, taking over the UI override. “I’m associating a label with every form control“. He positioned the labels adjacent to the fields, ensuring they weren’t too far away for users with low vision.

    Dev ensured the labels were linked to the ID attributes of the form elements in the code. He also added clear instructions for the date of birth field, describing the required format so users didn’t get stuck in a loop of error messages.

    When an error did occur, Liam made sure the error identification was prominent, using an error list, icons, and background color to help users find where the problem was. He provided specific, understandable explanations and suggested corrections

    #bloganuary #curiosity #dailyprompt #Evernote #everyday #Facebook #facts #IFTTT #Instagram #Pinterest

    #bloganuary #curiosity #dailyprompt #evernote #everyday #facebook
  28. Otome Kitten @[email protected] ·

    Mistonia’s Hope -The Lost Delight- Review (Nintendo Switch)

    Release Date: November 13, 2025 (North America)
    Developers:  Otomate
    Publishers: Aksys Games
    Platforms:  Nintendo Switch
    ESRB Rating: T (Teen)

    SYNOPSIS

    A fairy-tale filled with love and fixation, woven together by those who carry the blood of the fairies. The story takes place in Grand Albion, a kingdom thriving under the rule of the fairy queen. It is toward the end of the 19th century, an era where light and shadow coexist.

    Our heroine Aprose, having lost everything eight years ago, swore to take revenge on those responsible.

    Now, 8 years have passed. Whilst hiding her identity, she begins her search for the truth as she works at a mansion belonging to a potential target for her vengeance. What secrets will she unearth upon her chance encounters with the distinguished noblemen who protect the kingdom? What path will she choose…?

    And so begins the revenge tragedy of a girl bound by a hapless fate.

    ART AND MUSIC

    Director: Mao SekiScenario: Satomi Nakayama, Izumi Koizumi, Akira Natsuno, YuzukiArtist: Karin SuzushiroBGM: Jun Ichikawa (Main Composer), Yoshitake Wada (Sub), Hiroshi Akechi (Sub), Kaito Furukawa (Sub)OP Theme: Tastuya Yano (Composer), Tak Miyazawa (Arrangement), FRAM (Artist)ED Theme: Asaka (Artisit & Lyrics), Hiraoki Suzuki (Composer)

    Mistonia’s character designs were done by Japanese artist/illustrator Karin Suzuhiro, known for their work on otome games such as Cendrillon palikA and Meiji Haikara. They also previously worked as assisting-artist for titles like Norn9 and Charade Maniacs.

    The chara-designs for Mistonia were stunning btw! Heck, I looooved them! There were so many different outfit variations too!🤩 Plus, I feel like the CGs really convey the characters’ emotions so well! I am beyond pleased! I also have a soft spot for this game’s OST, especially the BGMs. No surprise there, since it’s by the same studio behind Virche’s soundtrack! If you’re someone who’s also an otoge OST-enthusiast, Aksys Games offers a bundle that includes both the game and the soundtrack, so definitely grab that if you’re interested!

    Voice Acting

    Yuichiro Umehara as “Alfred Creswell” – Paschalia (Radiant Tale), Serge (Genso Manege), Kohei Minato (Sympathy Kiss), Benkei (Birushana), Canus Espada (Café Enchanté), Enishi (Jack Jeanne), Demento (Period Cube), Shingen Takeda (IkeSen), Sage (Nekopara Catboys Paradise), Rain (Shiro to Kuro no Alice), Oochidori (Touken Ranbu)

    Ryota Suzuki as “Lucas Sullivan” – Ash (Desperadrops), Koyo (9RIP), Ginnosuke (Him, the Smile and bloom), Yona (Tengoku Struggle), Kiito Minorikawa (Jack Jeanne), Trey Clover (TWST), Ink (Gunka Haita Neko), Caster (FGO), Mizuro Tamaki (Tokyo Ghoul)

    Shuichiro Umeda as “Linus Ward” – Haiji Yu (Kazura Uta), Akira Tendou (Zoom100), Kanato Kamio (Star Melody), Hikaru (The Summer Hikaru Died), Jougorou Kobato (Shoshimin: How to Become Ordinary), Sable (The Dawn of the Witch), Koga (9RIP Sequel), Mitsuki Oshino (UN:LOGICAL)

    Atsushi Tamaru as “Edward Bernstein” – Ichigo Hitofuri (Touken Ranbu), Tenya Minami (Him, the Smile and bloom), Kasuga (Variable Barricade), Tsukioka Tsumugi (A3!), Kohei Natsume (Kitty Love), Semi Tokitaka (Dairoku), Azul Ashengrotto (TWST)

    Jun Fukuyama as “Ascot Lindell” – Karatachi (Illusion of Itehari), Mizuchi (Hana Awase), Tomomori (Birushana), Vyn Richter (Tears of Themis), Mozu (BUSTFELLOWS), Goro Fujita (Meiji Tokyo Renka), Liberta (Arcana Famiglia), Rin (Togainu no Chi), Aido (Vampire Knight), Tokiwa Etsuya (Dairoku), Goke Kanimitsu (Touken Ranbu)

    Shirai Yusuke as “John” – Scarecrow (BUSTAFELLOWS), Luciole (Genso Manege), Eltcreed Valentine (Steam Prison), Watson (London Detective Mysteria), Amemura Ramuda (Hypnosis Mic), Garu (NU:Carnival), Ars (Period Cube), Usui Masumi (A3!), Miki Hiraizumi (Fashioning Little Miss Lonesome), Tsuzumi (Ken ga Kimi)

    Natsumi Fujiwara as “Oberon“ – Shiki Toono (Tsukihime), Matsushita Outa (AI Somnium Files), Soga Asuma (ANONYMOUS:CODE), Glinda (OVER REQUIEMZ)

    Saki Fujita as “Tia” – Hibari Tojo (Variable Barricade), Hatsune Miku (Hatsune Miku: Project Diva), Ymir (Attack on Titan), Seiko Kimura (Danganropa 3), Ruri Hijiribe (Durarara!!), Basho (Senran Kagura Peach Ball)

    Naomi Iida as “Goneril“ – Queen Victoria (Code Realize), Evelina (Even if Tempest), Tara (Haruka 7), Sakai Tadatsugu (Sengoku Hime), Miwa Asahina (Brothers Conflict), Renoman (Desert Kingdom) Otoha Amamiya (Hiiro no Kakera – Shin Tamayorihime Denshou)

    Ikumi Hasegawa as “Lily Bernstein” – Erica (EPHEMERAL), Setsu (GNOSIA), Riho (Hatsune Miku: Colorful Stage), Ulrica (The Legend of Heroes), Ciaccona (Wuthering Waves), Arcueid Brunestud (Tsukihime), Tsumugi Hibiki (Ready or Not!), Subaru (LACKGIRL), Ginka Shinomiya (GINKA)

    CHARACTERS AND ROUTES

    Mistonia has seven routes total: 6 LI routes and 1 Truth Route. The game lets you start with Alfred, Lucas, and Linus. After clearing two of the three starter routes, Edward and Ascot’s routes will unlock. Once you finish either Edward or Ascot’s, John’s route becomes available. And finally, after clearing John’s route, the truth route unlocks as the game’s finale.

    A key aspect of Mistonia’s story is how it gradually unveils major plot points that shape the overarching “who’s who” mystery of the game when you play in a certain order. So, if you want to experience the game with its revelations unfolding from the lightest to the heaviest spoilers, I highly recommend following this route order: Alfred → Lucas → Linus → Edward → Ascot → John → Truth.

    This play-order allows the story’s twists and (at the same time), mystery-building flow smoothly all the way to the finale. On a side note, the devs have also shared their own soft recommended route order, which is quite similar to the one above. If you decide to follow their version, I’d definitely advise caution, as Ascot’s route contains some of the biggest spoilers in the game leading up to John’s. So if you’re someone who prefers to save the major reveals for later, it’s worth keeping that in mind.

    That said, if you don’t mind spoilers early on, feel free to play whichever routes you prefer, just remember that the game does have certain route restrictions, so some paths won’t be available right away.

    Walkthroughs:

    1. Alfred
    2. Lucas
    3. Linus
    4. Edward
    5. Ascot
    6. John
    7. Truth

    Note: The CGs shown below are promotional images for the game, Mistonia’s Hope -The Lost Delight- . All spoiler-related content in this review will be hidden behind a spoiler drop-down, that you can choose to view at your own discretion.

    ⬇️ Click to view Content Warnings Violence, murder, mass murder, village destruction, death, blood, classism, discrimination against poor people, sexual manipulation, manipulation, gaslighting, multiple sexual partners, NTR/partner being stolen.

    ALFRED CRESWELL

    • workaholic, hot & 30 🤭

    Alfred is one of the heads of the Five Houses of Grand Albion, specifically the Creswell House, and a descendant of Spriggan. He is serious, strict, and stoic. Always thinking one step ahead, he approaches every situation, and decision logically.

    Alfred is probably the route you’ll want to start first in the game, as the core of his story focuses on the political tension between the Queen and the country’s citizens. In a way, it’s a good route that expands on the Common route’s world-building, as well as familiarizing you with the different issues at hand in Grand Albion and how they are addressed or well… ignored by their grand ruler, the Queen.

    Depending on how invested you are in the game’s *political* plot here, you may or may not find this route a drag. Personally, though, I quite liked it! (And that’s coming from someone who usually hates political palavers in otome games). It’s probably because I enjoyed the romance and the back-and-forth between Alfred and Aprose, the heroine.

    Alfred is extremely pragmatic and logical in everything he does (and he stays consistent like this throughout the game). He’s always the one with a contingency plan for every single thing, and this route really highlights that trait of his. It’s kind of amusing how this mirrors Aprose, who also sort of tends to make backup plans for everything. Their personalities really complement each other (me thinks), and it’s fun watching them constantly try to one-up each other (at least in Aprose’s POV).😆 On a side note, this is also a decent route that highlights the heroine’s drive for revenge.

    ⬇️ Spoilers

    My high spot of this route was definitely how likable Aprose is as MC. This is probably the route where she comes across as rather snappish or brusque toward her LI. I mean, she still has her fiery moments in other routes and with other guys, but she really embodies being ‘rough around the edges’ here, with Alfred. Perhaps this dynamic comes from both of them having reserved personalities, which sometimes makes them struggle to express what they truly feel? Idk, but it’s cute! I like that their chemistry sometimes is like:

    Alfred: You.. like me..?
    Aprose: Ew, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but yes. I like you! 😠

    I esp love how Aprose whacks Alfred to sleep because the dude insists on working even though he’s sick and overfatigued, lol.😭 I also loved the bonding moments between Aprose, Evelyn, and Charlotte here! 🥺 it’s nice seeing Aprose find girlfriends she can chit-chat with about matters of the heart!🥺

    This route can go from interesting to cliche, but I didn’t hate it. It’s a decent route for starters!

    LUCAS SULLIVAN

    • tsundere 🥺
    • best boi!🤧

    Lucas is the expected head of the Sullivan House and a descendant of the Will-o’-Wisp.
    He’s a peculiar pessimist who shows little interest in the political affairs of the Five Houses, and his desire is to only to become a purefae. Though he’s a noble, he detests political strife and speaks to others with a cold, detached tone. He does, however, show a kinder side to those he’s close to although he can also become quite belligerent.

    I freaking love this route! 😭 First of, tsun tsun Ryota Suzuki, is an auto-biased-by-default! (cackles) But I was really floored by how this one even surpassed my expectations. The romance was so stinking good! The way the scenario in this route naturally set up and built the relationship between Lucas and Aprose was so perfect. I think it’s also probably one of the few routes in this title where the MC and LI’s bond just naturally developed organically, instead of the story enforcing it.🥹

    Lucas was also a really endearing character.🥺🤲 You can tell he’s always thinking of Aprose’s best interests. He’s sincere and kind, and even outside his route, he continues to support the heroine, even if he doesn’t always explicitly show it. His “Astray” End was also one of my favorite endings in this game for reasons! 🤭Definitely a great LI and a great route all around! 10/10 would replay it again!

    ⬇️ Spoilers

    I am in the clouds! Lucas is such an amazing LI! But the route itself was also pretty good, albeit predictable, but very enjoyable nonetheless! I loved the little story nuance where each of the servants at Bernstein Mansion were dispatched to the Sullivans one by one, only to come back either fired or they personally quit after 24 hours. 😂(laughs) Poor little Charlotte! It also made me cackle how Evelyn and Charlotte described Lucas to Aprose as some sort of deranged weirdo who yells and throws things at the wall in his lonesome. Like, damn, that’s a wild piece of work right there! Lmao.😂 (Not knowing that the real reason he does this is actually kind of heartbreaking.)🥲

    Contrary to Alfred’s route, Aprose was also very different here with Lucas. Both men contributed to the murder of her family and the burning of her village. The only key difference is that Lucas was unconsciously manipulated by the Queen, while Alfred was fully aware of what he was doing when he cast the barrier that prevented the villagers from escaping. However, Alfred did it because it was the Queen’s direct order and he wanted to protect his house, showing his logical yet passive nature, willing to yield to a threat he had no leverage over. It makes sense, then, that Aprose was more lenient toward Lucas, who was essentially a puppet during the Eltbeak disaster, while Alfred had a choice but was forced to participate.

    On the plus side, this route probably has one of the best romances in the game. I adore the little gestures of love, like Lucas giving her hand cream because he feels guilty about the housework she has to do in his mansion, or giving her leeway and free time under the guise of instructing her to “only do certain chores during the day,” awkwardly having her make tea for his “flighty visitors” (read: he doesn’t really have any), only for Aprose to stand in and drink the tea with him. It’s also hilarious how Aprose caught on to his little BS early on but decides to go with the flow anyway, because she enjoys his company too! Oh…my heart is full!😭

    His bad ending, where he becomes a bit OOC and takes on the role of being Aprose’s wannabe lover while she’s married to Alfred, definitely clicked all my guilty pleasure 3P boxes! Like, what the heck, yes please!!🤤

    P.S. The paint splatters on his sprite hands was such a nice detail!

    LINUS WARD

    Linus is the next head of House Ward, descendants of the Cu Sith. He has such a bright and friendly personality that even his childhood friend, Edward describes him as someone who’s like a ray of sunshine. He’s deeply loyal to his clan and also devoted to the Queen, a trait inherited from his Cu Sith blood. Once he immerses himself with work, he tends to forget to sleep or eat. He still can’t seem to let go of his first love, and romance plays a passive role in his life.

    Linus is another character who, by chance, I ended up really loving (to the point of brainrotting).😂 I honestly didn’t think I’d enjoy this LI as much, but here we are. It’s kind of interesting because, on the surface, Linus seems like your typical vibrant LI (cute, sweet, cheerful… you know the type!) But dont be fooled! His route brings a lot more to the table than you’d expect. Personally, this worked really well for me (hence my brainrotting lol), but I can definitely see how it might not land the same way for others. 👀 Also, Umeda, his VA was unbelievable! I hope we get to hear him voicing more otome LIs in the future!

    ⬇️ Spoilers

    Linus is…….. QUITE SCARY, ISN’T HE??? This route kind of lowkey bordered a bit on red flag territory. At first, you’d think he’s harmless with his labrador retriever energy, but nope! fake genki alert! He’s actually one of the most dangerous targets for Aprose because of his Cu Sith blood. Aprose even recognizes how sharp Linus is as a tactician. Even when she tried to play innocent after getting caught red-handed, he was still on to her like a hawk. And was never dissuaded on her feigning ignorance. What an interesting character! Tbh its his terrifying side that made me love him more.

    I also really like that Aprose isn’t an airhead about the obvious things. Like the fact that she realizes she was Linus’s childhood friend right away, instead of the story dragging it out. She was also such a good critical thinker here, because after realizing how dangerous it was to deal with Linus and the Ward lackeys, she treads back for the time being and carefully rethinks her actions, and later on decided that the only way to get the upper hand on Linus was to use lust. OOOH SNAP! YES QUEEN GO SEDUCE YOUR MAN! The woman has balls of steel honestly!

    I also didn’t think lovers-to-enemies was even a thing but I’VE COME TO LOVE THIS TROPE. I thought Linus’s route utilizes the trope pretty well that I was living for every heated exchange between Aprose and Linus all the way to the end.😂 This route just kept me awake! Ha!

    My only complaint was that I don’t think they really banked on the tension between Aprose and Linus’s dynamic enough? I feel like they could’ve gotten away with it being more dramatic than it is, maybe commit to Linus’s red flag tendencies, cause his route had so much potential to go all the way. I just think this route needed a bit more oomph or a little more push on the angsty side to make it really satisfying, in my opinion. Still, I definitely enjoyed it more than most of the others!

    Lastly, Linus totally pissed me off in other routes. Like, come on, my dude, get off the Queen’s ass! I get that it’s your Cu Sith blood talking, but gosh, don’t make me hate you man!😩

    EDWARD BERNSTEIN

    • soft
    • daddy issues

    Edward is the next head of House Bernstein, descendants of the Sylph. He’s honest and fair, refuses to conform to Grand Albion’s classist ideals, and always treats everyone as an equal. He believes that those with power should help those who lack the same privileges. Polite to everyone regardless of status, Edward also has a strong dislike for conflict.

    This route was… maybe a little too all over the place, if I’m being honest. I didn’t dislike it, but at the same time, it wasn’t one of the stronger ones in terms of plot and narrative pacing. Aprose, wasn’t at her best here either. Unlike in previous routes, her drive for revenge was more toned down, and perhaps it’s influenced by Edward’s kind-hearted nature?

    Speaking of which, what really redeems this route for me is Edward himself. What a soft and genuinely kind-hearted guy! I could never bring myself to dislike him. Plus, his VA is one of my comfort seiyuus!🥺 Some might find him too vanilla or boring, but I just love how level-headed and consistently kind he is (maybe even a little too kind). Edward’s story also unravels some key pieces of the game, so I appreciated the reveals thrown in here as well. I’d definitely do this route first before Ascot’s, otherwise, Edward’s plot-revelations won’t have as much impact.

    ⬇️ Spoilers

    Unlike the previous routes, where there’s a thread of tension stemming from Aprose’s drive for revenge against her LI, Edward’s route feels kind of different, in a sense that he actively tries to prevent Aprose from being consumed by her revenge, sharing her burden in a positive way and helping her heal. I liked this approach actually and I thought it was very true to Edward’s character. I just wished this theme had been executed a bit better. The last chapters of Ed’s route just had a lot of things happening that its easy to miss important details due to that. The story however, does give you enough space to process each plot point before the next twist or reveal happen so I guess there’s also that.

    GOOD ENDING: I cackled when Aprose called out her son, but also said she’s preggy with another baby! Like DAYUMMM BRO! It’s only been 3 years (?) BUT EDWARD SURE GOT TO BUSINESS RIGHT AWAY! LOL

    As for Aprose getting her revenge, it’s actually in Edward’s bad end that things get juicy! Idk about you, but as a Linus enjoyer, I looooove Edward’s ‘astray’ end (bad end). It’s Linus who helps Aprose exact her revenge on Edward and eventually the Queen. Thinking back, it was also Linus who helps Aprose execute her revenge in HIS OWN bad end too! Now, isnt he just perfectly consistent with his role as a “hound”? Ha!

    For Edmund and his backstory… Look, I can admit the dude’s a hot DILF, okay! I even liked how deranged and delulu he is with his obsession over Aprose’s mom. But man, he’s such a classist and a bootlicker to the Queen, which is definitely a turn-off. I didnt liked him at all. The way he treats Edward, his own son, is completely reprehensible! What an absolute trash.

    ASCOT LINDELL

    Ascot is the representative head of House Lindell, descendants of the Puca. A handsome young man with a reputation as a womanizer in high society. A lot of women flock to him and want his company. Despite his responsibilities as head of his house, he does as he pleases and, most of the time, comes across as unserious.

    I… don’t know how I feel about Ascot, tbh. He is an a$$cot for sure! Admittedly, I started this route with a grin on my face. Like dead serious, who could resist Fukujun’s eccentric teasings, hmm? But that grin almost instantly turned into furrowed brows because this route was an absolute hot mess!🔥🗑️👌

    For one, (after clearing his story) I could kind of see what the writers were going for here (read spoilers to expound this point). But something about how the route was written, paced, and pieced together just completely threw me off. By the end, I couldn’t take Ascot’s route seriously. I mean, I didn’t hate it, and I still enjoyed all its absurdities if anything. I guess it’s one of those routes that’s so bad, it’s actually good!🤣

    ⬇️ Spoilers

    So I think the devs really took the “Puca” reference from Shakespearean literature to heart when they wrote Ascot’s character. The Puca, a mythical creature known for being whimsical, a trickster, and having a flip-floppy attitude, certainly reflects Ascot’s personality down to a T, no? It’s exactly how his route plays out too. One moment, he toys with the heroine’s feelings, and the next, he’s moving mountains for her. Since he’s also a purefae, it explains why he’s pretty selfish and only thinks of himself, just like the other purefaes in the game, Oberon and Tia.

    Aprose kind of annoyed me in this route too. She wasn’t as sharp and thorough as she was in Alfred, Lucas, or Linus’s routes. It felt like she lost the fire in her, and has completely let Ascot run her around his fingertips! But what I really could not get behind though was the fact that Ascot was just nonchalantly galivanting around, draining Aprose’s life force, AND KNOWING ABOUT IT, but didn’t give two shits because she “seemed fine”. Like, what the hell dude? What do you take Aprose for? Free life support?! 😡 It’s such a dick move honestly! Then again, the story kind of gets away with it by going, “He’s a purefae, he’ll say things that are downright heartless, with zero consideration for others, not even the heroine.” So…. yeah… I’m not sure if I’m liking this route at all.😒

    It didn’t help that this route dragged out so many plot points for no reason, like for example: the changelings. I also thought Riley’s subplot would be a major twist in this route, but it mostly felt like it fell into the background. And don’t get me started on the scene at the Queen’s tomb with Alsie’s body. All the dilly-dallying in the previous chapters just to get to this scene was such a mess! But hey, the route seems to get away with it by throwing in spicy scenes out of nowhere, so I guess it’s forgiven!😜

    Lastly, the bad ends were so raunchy. It’s funny that I can’t even hate it!🙈

    JOHN

    • the goat
    • wears Burberry and designer perfume

    John is Aprose’s attendant and childhood friend who diligently accomplishes any task without error. He is very skilled in both literary arts and combat, and was the one who taught Aprose basic self-defense when she was younger. He’s very cautious and studies his surroundings as he aids Aprose in her quest for revenge.

    John is definitely a goated character… too bad his route is not! It was however, a very interesting run because it didn’t follow the structure of the previous LI routes, Ascot’s aside. I’m a huge fan of Shiraimu, so maybe this is my biased brain talking, but I love John.🥺 He’s a great character, in fact! Smart, capable, badass in combat, and always able to accomplish whatever tasks Aprose asks of him with ease, no questions asked. He’s always there for the heroine, come hell or high water, and I think he had a really solid character development arc in this game. I can’t really fault him for the fact that his story’s pacing completely took a nosedive.

    ⬇️ Spoilers

    I can’t believe we’ve reached an era where an otome LI is actually named John Doe. 😭

    Anyway, I actually really loved this route, mostly because I liked John’s character, so I didn’t care that the pacing was off. It was kind of nice how the game added that eerie prenotion where the heroine would feel a chill run down her spine every time John looked at her. It was an obvious hint that it had to do with Oberon. There was so much foreshadowing in the earlier routes that you could pretty much connect the dots and realize John was part of Oberon. I mean, they pretty much looked the same from the start, right? That was already a big giveaway right from the get-go!

    John was also one of the strongest characters in the game, though his powers seem to vary depending on how much Oberon allows him to use. He is technically, a purefae just like Ascot, Oberon, and Tia, so he wields the same strength that purefaes do. I kind of got the sense he was someone not to be messed with when he defeated old Nick, Edmund’s butler, who was also known to be the goat back in the day!🤣

    I did feel that John was kind of shafted in the game though. IDK, the writers must’ve hated him or something because he really went through so much suffering for having to conceal his identity for so long and probably would’ve taken it to his grave in the other routes. I just feel bad for him. Poor Guy.😞 Clearly, he didn’t want to betray Aprose, but in his case, it was the nature of his existence as Oberon’s avatar, a literal NOBODY created to aid the heroine, and in the long run, betray her in the process. This route was kind of angsty, though I think they could’ve executed the angst better, which is pretty much a common problem that I have with the game.

    On a different note, I can’t believe the other LIs get so many sprite variations with elaborate outfits, and then you have John with his sprite variation of: a waiter outfit, 1 black dress shirt, 1 dirty rag shirt.😭 Like, damn, give the man some fancy fits too! Well, at least he’s rocking Burberry in his regular sprite!

    APROSE E. RANDOLPH

    After dealing with a few disappointing MCs this year, playing Aprose was such a delight! I love this heroine. She’s always guarded, highly proactive, and very efficient. I can’t really stress enough how efficient this MC is. She really be doing A LOT! -like, finishing an all-day chore in just an hour, running around spying on LIs, chasing pick-pocketers, fighting bad guys, climbing trees, doing embroidery…among many, many other tasks, all while sporting her infamous poker face!

    She’s also a really good critical thinker and 99% of the time has predominantly navigated the story on her own, with very little help (maybe a bit from John and Goneril). She has a backup plan for everything and can think on her feet in perilous situations.

    I guess the only thing she can’t do, and is terrible at, is cooking! The girl can’t season food to save her life! 😭But she’s so oblivious to how bad her dishes are that it’s actually hilarious. We love an overconfident queen who thinks she’s Gordon Ramsay!😂

    I also really loved how stern and uptight Aprose is at first, but as the story progresses, you can slowly see her walls coming down. What’s great is that she reflects on all her experiences, both old and new, which makes her growth very satisfying, to me. I also really appreciated her bonding moments with the girlies Evelyn and Charlotte. 🥺 It’s really nice to see this more human side of her when she’s with them, the part that isn’t too focused on revenge. I think Aprose really needed this type of connection, girlfriends she could confide in, and let her guard down so she can be more of herself. The friendship she has with the girls is such a lovely, heartwarming layer to her character.🥹

    Perhaps my little quibble with the entire game is that Aprose’s drive and motivation for revenge greatly vary in every route. She sort of lost her fire in the last three routes (me thinks). In contrast, she was much more on top of things and determined with the first three LI routes, and was completely dead set on what she wanted/ willing to do anything to achieve her goals. I guess I could chalk this up to inconsistent writing rather than paint it as a flaw of the heroine.🤷‍♀️

    SYSTEM AND LOCALIZATION

    The shard exploration can be a mixed bag. Initially, I did like how it lets you roam around the Bernstein mansion, investigate different areas, collect clues, and eavesdrop on conversations between characters and other NPCs. But the repetition of these segments quickly became tiring for me. Especially the last exploration. I think the fourth one took forever to finish. It wouldn’t have hurt to cut the exploration segments in half, as I feel it was the only thing dragging the common route for hours.

    PROS:

    • Mouth movements, blinking sprites
    • Heroine’s Name Customization
    • Chapter Select
    • Flowchart
    • DICTIONARY section
    • Scrapbook – (these are short stories that unlock after finishing certain endings)
    • Love Catch and Status Bar
    • SKIP to the Next Choice function
    • Skip READ function
    • Quick Save/Quick Load
    • CG Gallery
    • Music Library
    • Movie Library
    • Backlog and Rewind function

    CONS:

    • Heroine not voiced
    • The 2nd – 4th exploration segments cannot be skipped.
    • Localization has a lot of typos.

    TRAILER

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAjx7WoCrM0

    OVERALL THOUGHTS

    Mistonia’s Hope -The Lost Delight- took me around 60–65 hours to finish. The common route, with all its exploration segments, took roughly 3–4 hours, while each love interest route ran about 5–6 hours to reach an ending, give or take. I also played mostly in docked mode for the majority of my playthroughs and had it on auto-play most of the time. 

    Aprose’s Journey: Came for Revenge, Stayed for Love

    While the story introduces the theme “revenge”, what makes it interesting to me is how the heroine actually navigates her own desires and emotions for revenge. You see, not all revenge is cold; it can take many forms, whether grandiose or subtle. And its kinda interesting that the game explores those nuances through Aprose’s journey.

    It’s also curious, because as Aprose grows as a person, makes friends, spends time with her LI, and develops her feelings for them, she will also start to question herself. Is this really what I want? There’s that constant push and pull within her, so in turn, sometimes she’s determined to see her plans through, and other times her resolve wavers. I think I really enjoyed this part of the protagonist actually, because it makes her feel so human. Sometimes we think revenge will give us closure, but when we’re finally facing it, we realize it’s not what we truly want.

    The sentiment I take from all of this is that Aprose’s pursuit of revenge is closely tied to her path of healing…and I think this reinforces the game’s underlying message “that love can heal even the most painful scars.” After finding and accepting love, Aprose gradually lets go of the hatred in her heart, allowing herself to slowly heal and move forward.

    Tangy Bad Ends

    That’s not to say our girl doesn’t get her cold revenge served in the game, because oh, they definitely happen! And you’ll find them all in these juicy BAD ENDINGS. It’s funny how the game is cloaked in shiny glittery fairy dust, but the bad ends can really hit hard with some seriously dark stuff when you least expect it!

    It surprised me even by how much I enjoyed all of them. I’m normally someone who only does bad ends out of due diligence of being a completionist 😂(hey, can’t be the only one!). Maybe curiosity got the better of me, because I’ve seemingly picked up the habit of looking forward to unlocking the “Astray” and “Clown” endings in this game.🙈These endings can spiral into something that’ll get you clutching your pearls to scenes that are just outrageously raunchy. The raunchy endings were a hoot ngl! Admittedly, I enjoyed every single one of them.🤭

    I love Aprose! What a QUEEN~💅

    Shakespearean References and Celtic Myth Inspired Characters

    Another aspect of Mistonia that also caught my curiosity was its rich Shakespearean influence. So many of the characters feel directly drawn from Elizabethan culture, like say, Oberon and Titania (Tia), the regal king and queen of fairies, while others are heavily inspired by Celtic myths like the mischievous Púca, the ethereal sylphs, the Cu Sith, Will-o’-Wisp, etc. I like and appreciate this because, in a way, the writers didn’t just pull these ideas out of their a**es. LOL. They were clearly working within a theme. And I think there was even a sense of intent behind how they wrote the characters according to their original references, which, after I looked into them, made me go: “Ahh, so that’s why…” (cough cough Ascot cough)

    Below, I’ve listed some of the references I’ve compiled and compared them to how the developers adapted their characters based on these myths. Keep in mind, these contain spoilers for the game, so click at your own risk!

    ⬇️ Shakespearean Characters in Mistonia (Spoilers!!)

    Oberon – King of the fairies, oversees the fairy realm.
    Tia (Queen Titania) – queen of the fairy realm.
    Also, probably the most common name for the ‘Queen of fairies’ in any fantasy lore. We also see a different version of her in Cafe Enchante.lol 🤭
    The Púca – A mischievous, shape-shifting creature from Celtic folklore. A trickster and unpredictable spirit, known to tempt and play tricks on humans. Often takes the form of a horse with glowing eyes, but can also appear as a goat, dog, or cat.
    As much as this annoyed me, this is probably the reason why Ascot was so flip-floppy in his route and was so unpredictable all the way to the very end.
    Cu Sith A massive, mystical hound known for its otherworldly strength. The most loyal among the fae servants. Rarely acts independently and follows the orders of the fae or their rulers.
    Will-o’Wisp – A ghostly light from that leads travelers astray. In another folklore, Will-o’-the-Wisps are believed to be the souls of the dead who cannot find eternal rest because of evil deeds they committed while alive.
    Sylph – An ethereal spirit of air, generally depicted as beautiful and graceful.
    Spriggan – small, supernaturally strong fairy-goblins that guard treasures (hidden gold, jewels, ancient relics). They also protect mines from greedy humans, and can grow huge when defending their territory.
    Alfred probably has the loosest connection to the actual Spriggan of folklore. The game takes creative liberty by portraying the Spriggan House as skilled in crafting weapons and able to manifest magical barriers using the power of stones.Perhaps this barrier ability is inspired by the way traditional Spriggans were said to grow to enormous size when defending their territory.

    Aprose| Tamora, the Queen of Goths – Aprose is likely inspired by Tamora, the Queen of the Goths in Titus Andronicus. Tamora is one of the fiercest, most vengeful, and ruthless she-villains in English Literature. Her method was visceral, and gruesome, cementing her status as one of Shakespeare’s most horrifying villains.
    Of course, this isn’t a 1:1 comparison. Otherwise, Mistonia might end up with an M rating on the ESRB.

    Lily Bernstein| Regan (King Lear) – Lily or the “White Lily” in Mistonia is likely inspired by Regan in King Lear, another viscous she-villain in the Shakespearean lore. She lacks compassion entirely and shows no remorse of her actions. She was killed by Goneril (King Lear) at the end.
    Just like Lily, Regan was also willing to betray and use her husband to achieve her goals.

    Goneril | Goneril (King Lear) lol you cant name your character “Goneril” and expect people not to get SUS! 😂 The Goneril in Mistonia is probably loosely based on the real Goneril from King Lear.
    In Shakespeare, Goneril was also the one who killed Regan (the character I compared to Lily).

    NOTE: I’ll probably add more examples to this later, as the game clearly takes heavy inspiration from many of Shakespeare’s works. If you have suggestions for other character references, feel free to drop them in the comments, and I’ll try to add them here as well.

    As for the overall story, I actually like that the game has a plot structure where each LI has, in one way or another, a connection to the heroine’s tragedy. And if you play the routes in a certain order, the story kind of just unpacks little by little on its own. Each route also contributes something that shapes the overarching plot in the game. Highlight for minor spoilers >>> I‘d say Alfred, Lucas, Linus and Edward’s routes give you more insights on the Eltbeak incident, while Ascot and John’s routes explore more of the game’s fantasy setting.<<<

    This title, to me, was pretty solid, thematically. It stayed true to what it initially set out to be and didn’t try to become something it wasn’t. Although, I do have to say that the execution of some routes and certain storylines fell a bit short of my expectations. The routes definitely vary from being great, to mediocre, to “what the heck is even going on?” 😭 There were also plenty of plot inconsistencies that, at one point, I just kind of gave up, turned off my brain, and went “well, okay, fine...”😅 So yeah, if you’re very particular about plot consistencies and a stickler for pacing, some of these routes will tick you off for sure!

    I’d say the characters were definitely the heart of this game and what kept me invested all the way to the very end of the finale. I loved the main cast, and I thought the side characters played important roles in the story as well. Aprose, the MC, was astounding and quickly earned a spot in my fav MC shrine‘!

    As for the LIs, Lucas snatches “best boi” title in my book! I also thought his route was among the best-written in the game. Linus came barreling in second place, and this actually surprised me! To tell you the truth, I brainrotted on Linus for a few days before moving on…🫠 Idk, something about the “wolf in sheep’s clothing” trope always gets my knees buckled. I’m such a sucker for this trope it’s not even funny!😭 John was an amazing LI as well, though I wish his route could’ve been paced better. On the other hand, I had a love-hate relationship with Ascot and his route, but by the end of the game, my opinion of his character hopped onto the more favorable side.🙂‍↕️ (thankfully!)

    💖LI RANKING: Lucas > Linus > John > Edward = Alfred > Ascot

    📝ROUTE RANKING: Lucas > Linus > Alfred >>>> John > Edward > Ascot

    For the romance, I found the game decently romantic. I was smitten by Aprose’s chemistry with her guys.🥺 The sweet, sugary moments between them were also woven naturally into the plot, which kept me glued to the story the whole time. I also loved that this title utilizes LI rivalries in every single route! It really cranks up my love-triangle guilty pleasures, which is also why I couldn’t bring myself to skip a single bad ending. (cackles)🫣😂 And as for the spice, there are a couple of suggestive scenes, some even with accompanying CGs. So I think anyone who loves a little extra heat will definitely get their fix in this game.

    Yes, I shall pour all my *HONEST FEELINGS* in your room, my prince… 👅🤭

    Do I recommend this game? YES.
    I was actually very taken and fully immersed throughout my entire playthrough of this title. The plot wasn’t grand, and it certainly had its share of glaring flaws at times, but Aprose, the LIs, and the rest of the cast made this game truly a worthwhile experience. I’m also a fantasy-girlie, so this was an easy read for me.

    I definitely think you will enjoy Mistonia’s Hope -The Lost Delight- if you: love fantasy/dark-fantasy settings, mysteries and revenge plots, a capable MC who’s determined to achieve her goals, a mixed cast of lovable and *twisted* love interests you’ll want to add to your collection, Shakespearean nods scattered throughout the game, and some really (emotionally) beautiful art that hits you right in the feels! If you tick all these boxes above, you’re in for a real treat with this otome title! Definitely don’t even think about passing this game up!

    ***That said, I will actually be partaking in Otomate’s Winter Market merch war this year. Gotta get my hands on those new Mistonia merch! All import tariffs be damned! 😤

    #aksysGames #MistoniaReview #MistoniaTheLostDelight #MistoniaSHopeReview #MistoniaSHopeTheLostDelight #MistoniaSHopeTheLostDelightReview #nintendoSwitch #otomate #OtomeGameReview

    #aksysgames #mistoniareview #mistoniathelostdelight #mistoniashopereview #mistoniashopethelostdelight #mistoniashopethelostdelightreview
  29. Otome Kitten @[email protected] ·

    Mistonia’s Hope -The Lost Delight- Review (Nintendo Switch)

    Release Date: November 13, 2025 (North America)
    Developers:  Otomate
    Publishers: Aksys Games
    Platforms:  Nintendo Switch
    ESRB Rating: T (Teen)

    SYNOPSIS

    A fairy-tale filled with love and fixation, woven together by those who carry the blood of the fairies. The story takes place in Grand Albion, a kingdom thriving under the rule of the fairy queen. It is toward the end of the 19th century, an era where light and shadow coexist.

    Our heroine Aprose, having lost everything eight years ago, swore to take revenge on those responsible.

    Now, 8 years have passed. Whilst hiding her identity, she begins her search for the truth as she works at a mansion belonging to a potential target for her vengeance. What secrets will she unearth upon her chance encounters with the distinguished noblemen who protect the kingdom? What path will she choose…?

    And so begins the revenge tragedy of a girl bound by a hapless fate.

    ART AND MUSIC

    Director: Mao SekiScenario: Satomi Nakayama, Izumi Koizumi, Akira Natsuno, YuzukiArtist: Karin SuzushiroBGM: Jun Ichikawa (Main Composer), Yoshitake Wada (Sub), Hiroshi Akechi (Sub), Kaito Furukawa (Sub)OP Theme: Tastuya Yano (Composer), Tak Miyazawa (Arrangement), FRAM (Artist)ED Theme: Asaka (Artisit & Lyrics), Hiraoki Suzuki (Composer)

    Mistonia’s character designs were done by Japanese artist/illustrator Karin Suzuhiro, known for their work on otome games such as Cendrillon palikA and Meiji Haikara. They also previously worked as assisting-artist for titles like Norn9 and Charade Maniacs.

    The chara-designs for Mistonia were stunning btw! Heck, I looooved them! There were so many different outfit variations too!🤩 Plus, I feel like the CGs really convey the characters’ emotions so well! I am beyond pleased! I also have a soft spot for this game’s OST, especially the BGMs. No surprise there, since it’s by the same studio behind Virche’s soundtrack! If you’re someone who’s also an otoge OST-enthusiast, Aksys Games offers a bundle that includes both the game and the soundtrack, so definitely grab that if you’re interested!

    Voice Acting

    Yuichiro Umehara as “Alfred Creswell” – Paschalia (Radiant Tale), Serge (Genso Manege), Kohei Minato (Sympathy Kiss), Benkei (Birushana), Canus Espada (Café Enchanté), Enishi (Jack Jeanne), Demento (Period Cube), Shingen Takeda (IkeSen), Sage (Nekopara Catboys Paradise), Rain (Shiro to Kuro no Alice), Oochidori (Touken Ranbu)

    Ryota Suzuki as “Lucas Sullivan” – Ash (Desperadrops), Koyo (9RIP), Ginnosuke (Him, the Smile and bloom), Yona (Tengoku Struggle), Kiito Minorikawa (Jack Jeanne), Trey Clover (TWST), Ink (Gunka Haita Neko), Caster (FGO), Mizuro Tamaki (Tokyo Ghoul)

    Shuichiro Umeda as “Linus Ward” – Haiji Yu (Kazura Uta), Akira Tendou (Zoom100), Kanato Kamio (Star Melody), Hikaru (The Summer Hikaru Died), Jougorou Kobato (Shoshimin: How to Become Ordinary), Sable (The Dawn of the Witch), Koga (9RIP Sequel), Mitsuki Oshino (UN:LOGICAL)

    Atsushi Tamaru as “Edward Bernstein” – Ichigo Hitofuri (Touken Ranbu), Tenya Minami (Him, the Smile and bloom), Kasuga (Variable Barricade), Tsukioka Tsumugi (A3!), Kohei Natsume (Kitty Love), Semi Tokitaka (Dairoku), Azul Ashengrotto (TWST)

    Jun Fukuyama as “Ascot Lindell” – Karatachi (Illusion of Itehari), Mizuchi (Hana Awase), Tomomori (Birushana), Vyn Richter (Tears of Themis), Mozu (BUSTFELLOWS), Goro Fujita (Meiji Tokyo Renka), Liberta (Arcana Famiglia), Rin (Togainu no Chi), Aido (Vampire Knight), Tokiwa Etsuya (Dairoku), Goke Kanimitsu (Touken Ranbu)

    Shirai Yusuke as “John” – Scarecrow (BUSTAFELLOWS), Luciole (Genso Manege), Eltcreed Valentine (Steam Prison), Watson (London Detective Mysteria), Amemura Ramuda (Hypnosis Mic), Garu (NU:Carnival), Ars (Period Cube), Usui Masumi (A3!), Miki Hiraizumi (Fashioning Little Miss Lonesome), Tsuzumi (Ken ga Kimi)

    Natsumi Fujiwara as “Oberon“ – Shiki Toono (Tsukihime), Matsushita Outa (AI Somnium Files), Soga Asuma (ANONYMOUS:CODE), Glinda (OVER REQUIEMZ)

    Saki Fujita as “Tia” – Hibari Tojo (Variable Barricade), Hatsune Miku (Hatsune Miku: Project Diva), Ymir (Attack on Titan), Seiko Kimura (Danganropa 3), Ruri Hijiribe (Durarara!!), Basho (Senran Kagura Peach Ball)

    Naomi Iida as “Goneril“ – Queen Victoria (Code Realize), Evelina (Even if Tempest), Tara (Haruka 7), Sakai Tadatsugu (Sengoku Hime), Miwa Asahina (Brothers Conflict), Renoman (Desert Kingdom) Otoha Amamiya (Hiiro no Kakera – Shin Tamayorihime Denshou)

    Ikumi Hasegawa as “Lily Bernstein” – Erica (EPHEMERAL), Setsu (GNOSIA), Riho (Hatsune Miku: Colorful Stage), Ulrica (The Legend of Heroes), Ciaccona (Wuthering Waves), Arcueid Brunestud (Tsukihime), Tsumugi Hibiki (Ready or Not!), Subaru (LACKGIRL), Ginka Shinomiya (GINKA)

    CHARACTERS AND ROUTES

    Mistonia has seven routes total: 6 LI routes and 1 Truth Route. The game lets you start with Alfred, Lucas, and Linus. After clearing two of the three starter routes, Edward and Ascot’s routes will unlock. Once you finish either Edward or Ascot’s, John’s route becomes available. And finally, after clearing John’s route, the truth route unlocks as the game’s finale.

    A key aspect of Mistonia’s story is how it gradually unveils major plot points that shape the overarching “who’s who” mystery of the game when you play in a certain order. So, if you want to experience the game with its revelations unfolding from the lightest to the heaviest spoilers, I highly recommend following this route order: Alfred → Lucas → Linus → Edward → Ascot → John → Truth.

    This play-order allows the story’s twists and (at the same time), mystery-building flow smoothly all the way to the finale. On a side note, the devs have also shared their own soft recommended route order, which is quite similar to the one above. If you decide to follow their version, I’d definitely advise caution, as Ascot’s route contains some of the biggest spoilers in the game leading up to John’s. So if you’re someone who prefers to save the major reveals for later, it’s worth keeping that in mind.

    That said, if you don’t mind spoilers early on, feel free to play whichever routes you prefer, just remember that the game does have certain route restrictions, so some paths won’t be available right away.

    Walkthroughs:

    1. Alfred
    2. Lucas
    3. Linus
    4. Edward
    5. Ascot
    6. John
    7. Truth

    Note: The CGs shown below are promotional images for the game, Mistonia’s Hope -The Lost Delight- . All spoiler-related content in this review will be hidden behind a spoiler drop-down, that you can choose to view at your own discretion.

    ⬇️ Click to view Content Warnings Violence, murder, mass murder, village destruction, death, blood, classism, discrimination against poor people, sexual manipulation, manipulation, gaslighting, multiple sexual partners, NTR/partner being stolen.

    ALFRED CRESWELL

    • workaholic, hot & 30 🤭

    Alfred is one of the heads of the Five Houses of Grand Albion, specifically the Creswell House, and a descendant of Spriggan. He is serious, strict, and stoic. Always thinking one step ahead, he approaches every situation, and decision logically.

    Alfred is probably the route you’ll want to start first in the game, as the core of his story focuses on the political tension between the Queen and the country’s citizens. In a way, it’s a good route that expands on the Common route’s world-building, as well as familiarizing you with the different issues at hand in Grand Albion and how they are addressed or well… ignored by their grand ruler, the Queen.

    Depending on how invested you are in the game’s *political* plot here, you may or may not find this route a drag. Personally, though, I quite liked it! (And that’s coming from someone who usually hates political palavers in otome games). It’s probably because I enjoyed the romance and the back-and-forth between Alfred and Aprose, the heroine.

    Alfred is extremely pragmatic and logical in everything he does (and he stays consistent like this throughout the game). He’s always the one with a contingency plan for every single thing, and this route really highlights that trait of his. It’s kind of amusing how this mirrors Aprose, who also sort of tends to make backup plans for everything. Their personalities really complement each other (me thinks), and it’s fun watching them constantly try to one-up each other (at least in Aprose’s POV).😆 On a side note, this is also a decent route that highlights the heroine’s drive for revenge.

    ⬇️ Spoilers

    My high spot of this route was definitely how likable Aprose is as MC. This is probably the route where she comes across as rather snappish or brusque toward her LI. I mean, she still has her fiery moments in other routes and with other guys, but she really embodies being ‘rough around the edges’ here, with Alfred. Perhaps this dynamic comes from both of them having reserved personalities, which sometimes makes them struggle to express what they truly feel? Idk, but it’s cute! I like that their chemistry sometimes is like:

    Alfred: You.. like me..?
    Aprose: Ew, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but yes. I like you! 😠

    I esp love how Aprose whacks Alfred to sleep because the dude insists on working even though he’s sick and overfatigued, lol.😭 I also loved the bonding moments between Aprose, Evelyn, and Charlotte here! 🥺 it’s nice seeing Aprose find girlfriends she can chit-chat with about matters of the heart!🥺

    This route can go from interesting to cliche, but I didn’t hate it. It’s a decent route for starters!

    LUCAS SULLIVAN

    • tsundere 🥺
    • best boi!🤧

    Lucas is the expected head of the Sullivan House and a descendant of the Will-o’-Wisp.
    He’s a peculiar pessimist who shows little interest in the political affairs of the Five Houses, and his desire is to only to become a purefae. Though he’s a noble, he detests political strife and speaks to others with a cold, detached tone. He does, however, show a kinder side to those he’s close to although he can also become quite belligerent.

    I freaking love this route! 😭 First of, tsun tsun Ryota Suzuki, is an auto-biased-by-default! (cackles) But I was really floored by how this one even surpassed my expectations. The romance was so stinking good! The way the scenario in this route naturally set up and built the relationship between Lucas and Aprose was so perfect. I think it’s also probably one of the few routes in this title where the MC and LI’s bond just naturally developed organically, instead of the story enforcing it.🥹

    Lucas was also a really endearing character.🥺🤲 You can tell he’s always thinking of Aprose’s best interests. He’s sincere and kind, and even outside his route, he continues to support the heroine, even if he doesn’t always explicitly show it. His “Astray” End was also one of my favorite endings in this game for reasons! 🤭Definitely a great LI and a great route all around! 10/10 would replay it again!

    ⬇️ Spoilers

    I am in the clouds! Lucas is such an amazing LI! But the route itself was also pretty good, albeit predictable, but very enjoyable nonetheless! I loved the little story nuance where each of the servants at Bernstein Mansion were dispatched to the Sullivans one by one, only to come back either fired or they personally quit after 24 hours. 😂(laughs) Poor little Charlotte! It also made me cackle how Evelyn and Charlotte described Lucas to Aprose as some sort of deranged weirdo who yells and throws things at the wall in his lonesome. Like, damn, that’s a wild piece of work right there! Lmao.😂 (Not knowing that the real reason he does this is actually kind of heartbreaking.)🥲

    Contrary to Alfred’s route, Aprose was also very different here with Lucas. Both men contributed to the murder of her family and the burning of her village. The only key difference is that Lucas was unconsciously manipulated by the Queen, while Alfred was fully aware of what he was doing when he cast the barrier that prevented the villagers from escaping. However, Alfred did it because it was the Queen’s direct order and he wanted to protect his house, showing his logical yet passive nature, willing to yield to a threat he had no leverage over. It makes sense, then, that Aprose was more lenient toward Lucas, who was essentially a puppet during the Eltbeak disaster, while Alfred had a choice but was forced to participate.

    On the plus side, this route probably has one of the best romances in the game. I adore the little gestures of love, like Lucas giving her hand cream because he feels guilty about the housework she has to do in his mansion, or giving her leeway and free time under the guise of instructing her to “only do certain chores during the day,” awkwardly having her make tea for his “flighty visitors” (read: he doesn’t really have any), only for Aprose to stand in and drink the tea with him. It’s also hilarious how Aprose caught on to his little BS early on but decides to go with the flow anyway, because she enjoys his company too! Oh…my heart is full!😭

    His bad ending, where he becomes a bit OOC and takes on the role of being Aprose’s wannabe lover while she’s married to Alfred, definitely clicked all my guilty pleasure 3P boxes! Like, what the heck, yes please!!🤤

    P.S. The paint splatters on his sprite hands was such a nice detail!

    LINUS WARD

    Linus is the next head of House Ward, descendants of the Cu Sith. He has such a bright and friendly personality that even his childhood friend, Edward describes him as someone who’s like a ray of sunshine. He’s deeply loyal to his clan and also devoted to the Queen, a trait inherited from his Cu Sith blood. Once he immerses himself with work, he tends to forget to sleep or eat. He still can’t seem to let go of his first love, and romance plays a passive role in his life.

    Linus is another character who, by chance, I ended up really loving (to the point of brainrotting).😂 I honestly didn’t think I’d enjoy this LI as much, but here we are. It’s kind of interesting because, on the surface, Linus seems like your typical vibrant LI (cute, sweet, cheerful… you know the type!) But dont be fooled! His route brings a lot more to the table than you’d expect. Personally, this worked really well for me (hence my brainrotting lol), but I can definitely see how it might not land the same way for others. 👀 Also, Umeda, his VA was unbelievable! I hope we get to hear him voicing more otome LIs in the future!

    ⬇️ Spoilers

    Linus is…….. QUITE SCARY, ISN’T HE??? This route kind of lowkey bordered a bit on red flag territory. At first, you’d think he’s harmless with his labrador retriever energy, but nope! fake genki alert! He’s actually one of the most dangerous targets for Aprose because of his Cu Sith blood. Aprose even recognizes how sharp Linus is as a tactician. Even when she tried to play innocent after getting caught red-handed, he was still on to her like a hawk. And was never dissuaded on her feigning ignorance. What an interesting character! Tbh its his terrifying side that made me love him more.

    I also really like that Aprose isn’t an airhead about the obvious things. Like the fact that she realizes she was Linus’s childhood friend right away, instead of the story dragging it out. She was also such a good critical thinker here, because after realizing how dangerous it was to deal with Linus and the Ward lackeys, she treads back for the time being and carefully rethinks her actions, and later on decided that the only way to get the upper hand on Linus was to use lust. OOOH SNAP! YES QUEEN GO SEDUCE YOUR MAN! The woman has balls of steel honestly!

    I also didn’t think lovers-to-enemies was even a thing but I’VE COME TO LOVE THIS TROPE. I thought Linus’s route utilizes the trope pretty well that I was living for every heated exchange between Aprose and Linus all the way to the end.😂 This route just kept me awake! Ha!

    My only complaint was that I don’t think they really banked on the tension between Aprose and Linus’s dynamic enough? I feel like they could’ve gotten away with it being more dramatic than it is, maybe commit to Linus’s red flag tendencies, cause his route had so much potential to go all the way. I just think this route needed a bit more oomph or a little more push on the angsty side to make it really satisfying, in my opinion. Still, I definitely enjoyed it more than most of the others!

    Lastly, Linus totally pissed me off in other routes. Like, come on, my dude, get off the Queen’s ass! I get that it’s your Cu Sith blood talking, but gosh, don’t make me hate you man!😩

    EDWARD BERNSTEIN

    • soft
    • daddy issues

    Edward is the next head of House Bernstein, descendants of the Sylph. He’s honest and fair, refuses to conform to Grand Albion’s classist ideals, and always treats everyone as an equal. He believes that those with power should help those who lack the same privileges. Polite to everyone regardless of status, Edward also has a strong dislike for conflict.

    This route was… maybe a little too all over the place, if I’m being honest. I didn’t dislike it, but at the same time, it wasn’t one of the stronger ones in terms of plot and narrative pacing. Aprose, wasn’t at her best here either. Unlike in previous routes, her drive for revenge was more toned down, and perhaps it’s influenced by Edward’s kind-hearted nature?

    Speaking of which, what really redeems this route for me is Edward himself. What a soft and genuinely kind-hearted guy! I could never bring myself to dislike him. Plus, his VA is one of my comfort seiyuus!🥺 Some might find him too vanilla or boring, but I just love how level-headed and consistently kind he is (maybe even a little too kind). Edward’s story also unravels some key pieces of the game, so I appreciated the reveals thrown in here as well. I’d definitely do this route first before Ascot’s, otherwise, Edward’s plot-revelations won’t have as much impact.

    ⬇️ Spoilers

    Unlike the previous routes, where there’s a thread of tension stemming from Aprose’s drive for revenge against her LI, Edward’s route feels kind of different, in a sense that he actively tries to prevent Aprose from being consumed by her revenge, sharing her burden in a positive way and helping her heal. I liked this approach actually and I thought it was very true to Edward’s character. I just wished this theme had been executed a bit better. The last chapters of Ed’s route just had a lot of things happening that its easy to miss important details due to that. The story however, does give you enough space to process each plot point before the next twist or reveal happen so I guess there’s also that.

    GOOD ENDING: I cackled when Aprose called out her son, but also said she’s preggy with another baby! Like DAYUMMM BRO! It’s only been 3 years (?) BUT EDWARD SURE GOT TO BUSINESS RIGHT AWAY! LOL

    As for Aprose getting her revenge, it’s actually in Edward’s bad end that things get juicy! Idk about you, but as a Linus enjoyer, I looooove Edward’s ‘astray’ end (bad end). It’s Linus who helps Aprose exact her revenge on Edward and eventually the Queen. Thinking back, it was also Linus who helps Aprose execute her revenge in HIS OWN bad end too! Now, isnt he just perfectly consistent with his role as a “hound”? Ha!

    For Edmund and his backstory… Look, I can admit the dude’s a hot DILF, okay! I even liked how deranged and delulu he is with his obsession over Aprose’s mom. But man, he’s such a classist and a bootlicker to the Queen, which is definitely a turn-off. I didnt liked him at all. The way he treats Edward, his own son, is completely reprehensible! What an absolute trash.

    ASCOT LINDELL

    Ascot is the representative head of House Lindell, descendants of the Puca. A handsome young man with a reputation as a womanizer in high society. A lot of women flock to him and want his company. Despite his responsibilities as head of his house, he does as he pleases and, most of the time, comes across as unserious.

    I… don’t know how I feel about Ascot, tbh. He is an a$$cot for sure! Admittedly, I started this route with a grin on my face. Like dead serious, who could resist Fukujun’s eccentric teasings, hmm? But that grin almost instantly turned into furrowed brows because this route was an absolute hot mess!🔥🗑️👌

    For one, (after clearing his story) I could kind of see what the writers were going for here (read spoilers to expound this point). But something about how the route was written, paced, and pieced together just completely threw me off. By the end, I couldn’t take Ascot’s route seriously. I mean, I didn’t hate it, and I still enjoyed all its absurdities if anything. I guess it’s one of those routes that’s so bad, it’s actually good!🤣

    ⬇️ Spoilers

    So I think the devs really took the “Puca” reference from Shakespearean literature to heart when they wrote Ascot’s character. The Puca, a mythical creature known for being whimsical, a trickster, and having a flip-floppy attitude, certainly reflects Ascot’s personality down to a T, no? It’s exactly how his route plays out too. One moment, he toys with the heroine’s feelings, and the next, he’s moving mountains for her. Since he’s also a purefae, it explains why he’s pretty selfish and only thinks of himself, just like the other purefaes in the game, Oberon and Tia.

    Aprose kind of annoyed me in this route too. She wasn’t as sharp and thorough as she was in Alfred, Lucas, or Linus’s routes. It felt like she lost the fire in her, and has completely let Ascot run her around his fingertips! But what I really could not get behind though was the fact that Ascot was just nonchalantly galivanting around, draining Aprose’s life force, AND KNOWING ABOUT IT, but didn’t give two shits because she “seemed fine”. Like, what the hell dude? What do you take Aprose for? Free life support?! 😡 It’s such a dick move honestly! Then again, the story kind of gets away with it by going, “He’s a purefae, he’ll say things that are downright heartless, with zero consideration for others, not even the heroine.” So…. yeah… I’m not sure if I’m liking this route at all.😒

    It didn’t help that this route dragged out so many plot points for no reason, like for example: the changelings. I also thought Riley’s subplot would be a major twist in this route, but it mostly felt like it fell into the background. And don’t get me started on the scene at the Queen’s tomb with Alsie’s body. All the dilly-dallying in the previous chapters just to get to this scene was such a mess! But hey, the route seems to get away with it by throwing in spicy scenes out of nowhere, so I guess it’s forgiven!😜

    Lastly, the bad ends were so raunchy. It’s funny that I can’t even hate it!🙈

    JOHN

    • the goat
    • wears Burberry and designer perfume

    John is Aprose’s attendant and childhood friend who diligently accomplishes any task without error. He is very skilled in both literary arts and combat, and was the one who taught Aprose basic self-defense when she was younger. He’s very cautious and studies his surroundings as he aids Aprose in her quest for revenge.

    John is definitely a goated character… too bad his route is not! It was however, a very interesting run because it didn’t follow the structure of the previous LI routes, Ascot’s aside. I’m a huge fan of Shiraimu, so maybe this is my biased brain talking, but I love John.🥺 He’s a great character, in fact! Smart, capable, badass in combat, and always able to accomplish whatever tasks Aprose asks of him with ease, no questions asked. He’s always there for the heroine, come hell or high water, and I think he had a really solid character development arc in this game. I can’t really fault him for the fact that his story’s pacing completely took a nosedive.

    ⬇️ Spoilers

    I can’t believe we’ve reached an era where an otome LI is actually named John Doe. 😭

    Anyway, I actually really loved this route, mostly because I liked John’s character, so I didn’t care that the pacing was off. It was kind of nice how the game added that eerie prenotion where the heroine would feel a chill run down her spine every time John looked at her. It was an obvious hint that it had to do with Oberon. There was so much foreshadowing in the earlier routes that you could pretty much connect the dots and realize John was part of Oberon. I mean, they pretty much looked the same from the start, right? That was already a big giveaway right from the get-go!

    John was also one of the strongest characters in the game, though his powers seem to vary depending on how much Oberon allows him to use. He is technically, a purefae just like Ascot, Oberon, and Tia, so he wields the same strength that purefaes do. I kind of got the sense he was someone not to be messed with when he defeated old Nick, Edmund’s butler, who was also known to be the goat back in the day!🤣

    I did feel that John was kind of shafted in the game though. IDK, the writers must’ve hated him or something because he really went through so much suffering for having to conceal his identity for so long and probably would’ve taken it to his grave in the other routes. I just feel bad for him. Poor Guy.😞 Clearly, he didn’t want to betray Aprose, but in his case, it was the nature of his existence as Oberon’s avatar, a literal NOBODY created to aid the heroine, and in the long run, betray her in the process. This route was kind of angsty, though I think they could’ve executed the angst better, which is pretty much a common problem that I have with the game.

    On a different note, I can’t believe the other LIs get so many sprite variations with elaborate outfits, and then you have John with his sprite variation of: a waiter outfit, 1 black dress shirt, 1 dirty rag shirt.😭 Like, damn, give the man some fancy fits too! Well, at least he’s rocking Burberry in his regular sprite!

    APROSE E. RANDOLPH

    After dealing with a few disappointing MCs this year, playing Aprose was such a delight! I love this heroine. She’s always guarded, highly proactive, and very efficient. I can’t really stress enough how efficient this MC is. She really be doing A LOT! -like, finishing an all-day chore in just an hour, running around spying on LIs, chasing pick-pocketers, fighting bad guys, climbing trees, doing embroidery…among many, many other tasks, all while sporting her infamous poker face!

    She’s also a really good critical thinker and 99% of the time has predominantly navigated the story on her own, with very little help (maybe a bit from John and Goneril). She has a backup plan for everything and can think on her feet in perilous situations.

    I guess the only thing she can’t do, and is terrible at, is cooking! The girl can’t season food to save her life! 😭But she’s so oblivious to how bad her dishes are that it’s actually hilarious. We love an overconfident queen who thinks she’s Gordon Ramsay!😂

    I also really loved how stern and uptight Aprose is at first, but as the story progresses, you can slowly see her walls coming down. What’s great is that she reflects on all her experiences, both old and new, which makes her growth very satisfying, to me. I also really appreciated her bonding moments with the girlies Evelyn and Charlotte. 🥺 It’s really nice to see this more human side of her when she’s with them, the part that isn’t too focused on revenge. I think Aprose really needed this type of connection, girlfriends she could confide in, and let her guard down so she can be more of herself. The friendship she has with the girls is such a lovely, heartwarming layer to her character.🥹

    Perhaps my little quibble with the entire game is that Aprose’s drive and motivation for revenge greatly vary in every route. She sort of lost her fire in the last three routes (me thinks). In contrast, she was much more on top of things and determined with the first three LI routes, and was completely dead set on what she wanted/ willing to do anything to achieve her goals. I guess I could chalk this up to inconsistent writing rather than paint it as a flaw of the heroine.🤷‍♀️

    SYSTEM AND LOCALIZATION

    The shard exploration can be a mixed bag. Initially, I did like how it lets you roam around the Bernstein mansion, investigate different areas, collect clues, and eavesdrop on conversations between characters and other NPCs. But the repetition of these segments quickly became tiring for me. Especially the last exploration. I think the fourth one took forever to finish. It wouldn’t have hurt to cut the exploration segments in half, as I feel it was the only thing dragging the common route for hours.

    PROS:

    • Mouth movements, blinking sprites
    • Heroine’s Name Customization
    • Chapter Select
    • Flowchart
    • DICTIONARY section
    • Scrapbook – (these are short stories that unlock after finishing certain endings)
    • Love Catch and Status Bar
    • SKIP to the Next Choice function
    • Skip READ function
    • Quick Save/Quick Load
    • CG Gallery
    • Music Library
    • Movie Library
    • Backlog and Rewind function

    CONS:

    • Heroine not voiced
    • The 2nd – 4th exploration segments cannot be skipped.
    • Localization has a lot of typos.

    TRAILER

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAjx7WoCrM0

    OVERALL THOUGHTS

    Mistonia’s Hope -The Lost Delight- took me around 60–65 hours to finish. The common route, with all its exploration segments, took roughly 3–4 hours, while each love interest route ran about 5–6 hours to reach an ending, give or take. I also played mostly in docked mode for the majority of my playthroughs and had it on auto-play most of the time. 

    Aprose’s Journey: Came for Revenge, Stayed for Love

    While the story introduces the theme “revenge”, what makes it interesting to me is how the heroine actually navigates her own desires and emotions for revenge. You see, not all revenge is cold; it can take many forms, whether grandiose or subtle. And its kinda interesting that the game explores those nuances through Aprose’s journey.

    It’s also curious, because as Aprose grows as a person, makes friends, spends time with her LI, and develops her feelings for them, she will also start to question herself. Is this really what I want? There’s that constant push and pull within her, so in turn, sometimes she’s determined to see her plans through, and other times her resolve wavers. I think I really enjoyed this part of the protagonist actually, because it makes her feel so human. Sometimes we think revenge will give us closure, but when we’re finally facing it, we realize it’s not what we truly want.

    The sentiment I take from all of this is that Aprose’s pursuit of revenge is closely tied to her path of healing…and I think this reinforces the game’s underlying message “that love can heal even the most painful scars.” After finding and accepting love, Aprose gradually lets go of the hatred in her heart, allowing herself to slowly heal and move forward.

    Tangy Bad Ends

    That’s not to say our girl doesn’t get her cold revenge served in the game, because oh, they definitely happen! And you’ll find them all in these juicy BAD ENDINGS. It’s funny how the game is cloaked in shiny glittery fairy dust, but the bad ends can really hit hard with some seriously dark stuff when you least expect it!

    It surprised me even by how much I enjoyed all of them. I’m normally someone who only does bad ends out of due diligence of being a completionist 😂(hey, can’t be the only one!). Maybe curiosity got the better of me, because I’ve seemingly picked up the habit of looking forward to unlocking the “Astray” and “Clown” endings in this game.🙈These endings can spiral into something that’ll get you clutching your pearls to scenes that are just outrageously raunchy. The raunchy endings were a hoot ngl! Admittedly, I enjoyed every single one of them.🤭

    I love Aprose! What a QUEEN~💅

    Shakespearean References and Celtic Myth Inspired Characters

    Another aspect of Mistonia that also caught my curiosity was its rich Shakespearean influence. So many of the characters feel directly drawn from Elizabethan culture, like say, Oberon and Titania (Tia), the regal king and queen of fairies, while others are heavily inspired by Celtic myths like the mischievous Púca, the ethereal sylphs, the Cu Sith, Will-o’-Wisp, etc. I like and appreciate this because, in a way, the writers didn’t just pull these ideas out of their a**es. LOL. They were clearly working within a theme. And I think there was even a sense of intent behind how they wrote the characters according to their original references, which, after I looked into them, made me go: “Ahh, so that’s why…” (cough cough Ascot cough)

    Below, I’ve listed some of the references I’ve compiled and compared them to how the developers adapted their characters based on these myths. Keep in mind, these contain spoilers for the game, so click at your own risk!

    ⬇️ Shakespearean Characters in Mistonia (Spoilers!!)

    Oberon – King of the fairies, oversees the fairy realm.
    Tia (Queen Titania) – queen of the fairy realm.
    Also, probably the most common name for the ‘Queen of fairies’ in any fantasy lore. We also see a different version of her in Cafe Enchante.lol 🤭
    The Púca – A mischievous, shape-shifting creature from Celtic folklore. A trickster and unpredictable spirit, known to tempt and play tricks on humans. Often takes the form of a horse with glowing eyes, but can also appear as a goat, dog, or cat.
    As much as this annoyed me, this is probably the reason why Ascot was so flip-floppy in his route and was so unpredictable all the way to the very end.
    Cu Sith A massive, mystical hound known for its otherworldly strength. The most loyal among the fae servants. Rarely acts independently and follows the orders of the fae or their rulers.
    Will-o’Wisp – A ghostly light from that leads travelers astray. In another folklore, Will-o’-the-Wisps are believed to be the souls of the dead who cannot find eternal rest because of evil deeds they committed while alive.
    Sylph – An ethereal spirit of air, generally depicted as beautiful and graceful.
    Spriggan – small, supernaturally strong fairy-goblins that guard treasures (hidden gold, jewels, ancient relics). They also protect mines from greedy humans, and can grow huge when defending their territory.
    Alfred probably has the loosest connection to the actual Spriggan of folklore. The game takes creative liberty by portraying the Spriggan House as skilled in crafting weapons and able to manifest magical barriers using the power of stones.Perhaps this barrier ability is inspired by the way traditional Spriggans were said to grow to enormous size when defending their territory.

    Aprose| Tamora, the Queen of Goths – Aprose is likely inspired by Tamora, the Queen of the Goths in Titus Andronicus. Tamora is one of the fiercest, most vengeful, and ruthless she-villains in English Literature. Her method was visceral, and gruesome, cementing her status as one of Shakespeare’s most horrifying villains.
    Of course, this isn’t a 1:1 comparison. Otherwise, Mistonia might end up with an M rating on the ESRB.

    Lily Bernstein| Regan (King Lear) – Lily or the “White Lily” in Mistonia is likely inspired by Regan in King Lear, another viscous she-villain in the Shakespearean lore. She lacks compassion entirely and shows no remorse of her actions. She was killed by Goneril (King Lear) at the end.
    Just like Lily, Regan was also willing to betray and use her husband to achieve her goals.

    Goneril | Goneril (King Lear) lol you cant name your character “Goneril” and expect people not to get SUS! 😂 The Goneril in Mistonia is probably loosely based on the real Goneril from King Lear.
    In Shakespeare, Goneril was also the one who killed Regan (the character I compared to Lily).

    NOTE: I’ll probably add more examples to this later, as the game clearly takes heavy inspiration from many of Shakespeare’s works. If you have suggestions for other character references, feel free to drop them in the comments, and I’ll try to add them here as well.

    As for the overall story, I actually like that the game has a plot structure where each LI has, in one way or another, a connection to the heroine’s tragedy. And if you play the routes in a certain order, the story kind of just unpacks little by little on its own. Each route also contributes something that shapes the overarching plot in the game. Highlight for minor spoilers >>> I‘d say Alfred, Lucas, Linus and Edward’s routes give you more insights on the Eltbeak incident, while Ascot and John’s routes explore more of the game’s fantasy setting.<<<

    This title, to me, was pretty solid, thematically. It stayed true to what it initially set out to be and didn’t try to become something it wasn’t. Although, I do have to say that the execution of some routes and certain storylines fell a bit short of my expectations. The routes definitely vary from being great, to mediocre, to “what the heck is even going on?” 😭 There were also plenty of plot inconsistencies that, at one point, I just kind of gave up, turned off my brain, and went “well, okay, fine...”😅 So yeah, if you’re very particular about plot consistencies and a stickler for pacing, some of these routes will tick you off for sure!

    I’d say the characters were definitely the heart of this game and what kept me invested all the way to the very end of the finale. I loved the main cast, and I thought the side characters played important roles in the story as well. Aprose, the MC, was astounding and quickly earned a spot in my fav MC shrine‘!

    As for the LIs, Lucas snatches “best boi” title in my book! I also thought his route was among the best-written in the game. Linus came barreling in second place, and this actually surprised me! To tell you the truth, I brainrotted on Linus for a few days before moving on…🫠 Idk, something about the “wolf in sheep’s clothing” trope always gets my knees buckled. I’m such a sucker for this trope it’s not even funny!😭 John was an amazing LI as well, though I wish his route could’ve been paced better. On the other hand, I had a love-hate relationship with Ascot and his route, but by the end of the game, my opinion of his character hopped onto the more favorable side.🙂‍↕️ (thankfully!)

    💖LI RANKING: Lucas > Linus > John > Edward = Alfred > Ascot

    📝ROUTE RANKING: Lucas > Linus > Alfred >>>> John > Edward > Ascot

    For the romance, I found the game decently romantic. I was smitten by Aprose’s chemistry with her guys.🥺 The sweet, sugary moments between them were also woven naturally into the plot, which kept me glued to the story the whole time. I also loved that this title utilizes LI rivalries in every single route! It really cranks up my love-triangle guilty pleasures, which is also why I couldn’t bring myself to skip a single bad ending. (cackles)🫣😂 And as for the spice, there are a couple of suggestive scenes, some even with accompanying CGs. So I think anyone who loves a little extra heat will definitely get their fix in this game.

    Yes, I shall pour all my *HONEST FEELINGS* in your room, my prince… 👅🤭

    Do I recommend this game? YES.
    I was actually very taken and fully immersed throughout my entire playthrough of this title. The plot wasn’t grand, and it certainly had its share of glaring flaws at times, but Aprose, the LIs, and the rest of the cast made this game truly a worthwhile experience. I’m also a fantasy-girlie, so this was an easy read for me.

    I definitely think you will enjoy Mistonia’s Hope -The Lost Delight- if you: love fantasy/dark-fantasy settings, mysteries and revenge plots, a capable MC who’s determined to achieve her goals, a mixed cast of lovable and *twisted* love interests you’ll want to add to your collection, Shakespearean nods scattered throughout the game, and some really (emotionally) beautiful art that hits you right in the feels! If you tick all these boxes above, you’re in for a real treat with this otome title! Definitely don’t even think about passing this game up!

    ***That said, I will actually be partaking in Otomate’s Winter Market merch war this year. Gotta get my hands on those new Mistonia merch! All import tariffs be damned! 😤

    #aksysGames #MistoniaReview #MistoniaTheLostDelight #MistoniaSHopeReview #MistoniaSHopeTheLostDelight #MistoniaSHopeTheLostDelightReview #nintendoSwitch #otomate #OtomeGameReview

    #aksysgames #mistoniareview #mistoniathelostdelight #mistoniashopereview #mistoniashopethelostdelight #mistoniashopethelostdelightreview
  30. Otome Kitten @[email protected] ·

    Mistonia’s Hope -The Lost Delight- Review (Nintendo Switch)

    Release Date: November 13, 2025 (North America)
    Developers:  Otomate
    Publishers: Aksys Games
    Platforms:  Nintendo Switch
    ESRB Rating: T (Teen)

    SYNOPSIS

    A fairy-tale filled with love and fixation, woven together by those who carry the blood of the fairies. The story takes place in Grand Albion, a kingdom thriving under the rule of the fairy queen. It is toward the end of the 19th century, an era where light and shadow coexist.

    Our heroine Aprose, having lost everything eight years ago, swore to take revenge on those responsible.

    Now, 8 years have passed. Whilst hiding her identity, she begins her search for the truth as she works at a mansion belonging to a potential target for her vengeance. What secrets will she unearth upon her chance encounters with the distinguished noblemen who protect the kingdom? What path will she choose…?

    And so begins the revenge tragedy of a girl bound by a hapless fate.

    ART AND MUSIC

    Director: Mao SekiScenario: Satomi Nakayama, Izumi Koizumi, Akira Natsuno, YuzukiArtist: Karin SuzushiroBGM: Jun Ichikawa (Main Composer), Yoshitake Wada (Sub), Hiroshi Akechi (Sub), Kaito Furukawa (Sub)OP Theme: Tastuya Yano (Composer), Tak Miyazawa (Arrangement), FRAM (Artist)ED Theme: Asaka (Artisit & Lyrics), Hiraoki Suzuki (Composer)

    Mistonia’s character designs were done by Japanese artist/illustrator Karin Suzuhiro, known for their work on otome games such as Cendrillon palikA and Meiji Haikara. They also previously worked as assisting-artist for titles like Norn9 and Charade Maniacs.

    The chara-designs for Mistonia were stunning btw! Heck, I looooved them! There were so many different outfit variations too!🤩 Plus, I feel like the CGs really convey the characters’ emotions so well! I am beyond pleased! I also have a soft spot for this game’s OST, especially the BGMs. No surprise there, since it’s by the same studio behind Virche’s soundtrack! If you’re someone who’s also an otoge OST-enthusiast, Aksys Games offers a bundle that includes both the game and the soundtrack, so definitely grab that if you’re interested!

    Voice Acting

    Yuichiro Umehara as “Alfred Creswell” – Paschalia (Radiant Tale), Serge (Genso Manege), Kohei Minato (Sympathy Kiss), Benkei (Birushana), Canus Espada (Café Enchanté), Enishi (Jack Jeanne), Demento (Period Cube), Shingen Takeda (IkeSen), Sage (Nekopara Catboys Paradise), Rain (Shiro to Kuro no Alice), Oochidori (Touken Ranbu)

    Ryota Suzuki as “Lucas Sullivan” – Ash (Desperadrops), Koyo (9RIP), Ginnosuke (Him, the Smile and bloom), Yona (Tengoku Struggle), Kiito Minorikawa (Jack Jeanne), Trey Clover (TWST), Ink (Gunka Haita Neko), Caster (FGO), Mizuro Tamaki (Tokyo Ghoul)

    Shuichiro Umeda as “Linus Ward” – Haiji Yu (Kazura Uta), Akira Tendou (Zoom100), Kanato Kamio (Star Melody), Hikaru (The Summer Hikaru Died), Jougorou Kobato (Shoshimin: How to Become Ordinary), Sable (The Dawn of the Witch), Koga (9RIP Sequel), Mitsuki Oshino (UN:LOGICAL)

    Atsushi Tamaru as “Edward Bernstein” – Ichigo Hitofuri (Touken Ranbu), Tenya Minami (Him, the Smile and bloom), Kasuga (Variable Barricade), Tsukioka Tsumugi (A3!), Kohei Natsume (Kitty Love), Semi Tokitaka (Dairoku), Azul Ashengrotto (TWST)

    Jun Fukuyama as “Ascot Lindell” – Karatachi (Illusion of Itehari), Mizuchi (Hana Awase), Tomomori (Birushana), Vyn Richter (Tears of Themis), Mozu (BUSTFELLOWS), Goro Fujita (Meiji Tokyo Renka), Liberta (Arcana Famiglia), Rin (Togainu no Chi), Aido (Vampire Knight), Tokiwa Etsuya (Dairoku), Goke Kanimitsu (Touken Ranbu)

    Shirai Yusuke as “John” – Scarecrow (BUSTAFELLOWS), Luciole (Genso Manege), Eltcreed Valentine (Steam Prison), Watson (London Detective Mysteria), Amemura Ramuda (Hypnosis Mic), Garu (NU:Carnival), Ars (Period Cube), Usui Masumi (A3!), Miki Hiraizumi (Fashioning Little Miss Lonesome), Tsuzumi (Ken ga Kimi)

    Natsumi Fujiwara as “Oberon“ – Shiki Toono (Tsukihime), Matsushita Outa (AI Somnium Files), Soga Asuma (ANONYMOUS:CODE), Glinda (OVER REQUIEMZ)

    Saki Fujita as “Tia” – Hibari Tojo (Variable Barricade), Hatsune Miku (Hatsune Miku: Project Diva), Ymir (Attack on Titan), Seiko Kimura (Danganropa 3), Ruri Hijiribe (Durarara!!), Basho (Senran Kagura Peach Ball)

    Naomi Iida as “Goneril“ – Queen Victoria (Code Realize), Evelina (Even if Tempest), Tara (Haruka 7), Sakai Tadatsugu (Sengoku Hime), Miwa Asahina (Brothers Conflict), Renoman (Desert Kingdom) Otoha Amamiya (Hiiro no Kakera – Shin Tamayorihime Denshou)

    Ikumi Hasegawa as “Lily Bernstein” – Erica (EPHEMERAL), Setsu (GNOSIA), Riho (Hatsune Miku: Colorful Stage), Ulrica (The Legend of Heroes), Ciaccona (Wuthering Waves), Arcueid Brunestud (Tsukihime), Tsumugi Hibiki (Ready or Not!), Subaru (LACKGIRL), Ginka Shinomiya (GINKA)

    CHARACTERS AND ROUTES

    Mistonia has seven routes total: 6 LI routes and 1 Truth Route. The game lets you start with Alfred, Lucas, and Linus. After clearing two of the three starter routes, Edward and Ascot’s routes will unlock. Once you finish either Edward or Ascot’s, John’s route becomes available. And finally, after clearing John’s route, the truth route unlocks as the game’s finale.

    A key aspect of Mistonia’s story is how it gradually unveils major plot points that shape the overarching “who’s who” mystery of the game when you play in a certain order. So, if you want to experience the game with its revelations unfolding from the lightest to the heaviest spoilers, I highly recommend following this route order: Alfred → Lucas → Linus → Edward → Ascot → John → Truth.

    This play-order allows the story’s twists and (at the same time), mystery-building flow smoothly all the way to the finale. On a side note, the devs have also shared their own soft recommended route order, which is quite similar to the one above. If you decide to follow their version, I’d definitely advise caution, as Ascot’s route contains some of the biggest spoilers in the game leading up to John’s. So if you’re someone who prefers to save the major reveals for later, it’s worth keeping that in mind.

    That said, if you don’t mind spoilers early on, feel free to play whichever routes you prefer, just remember that the game does have certain route restrictions, so some paths won’t be available right away.

    Walkthroughs:

    1. Alfred
    2. Lucas
    3. Linus
    4. Edward
    5. Ascot
    6. John
    7. Truth

    Note: The CGs shown below are promotional images for the game, Mistonia’s Hope -The Lost Delight- . All spoiler-related content in this review will be hidden behind a spoiler drop-down, that you can choose to view at your own discretion.

    ⬇️ Click to view Content Warnings Violence, murder, mass murder, village destruction, death, blood, classism, discrimination against poor people, sexual manipulation, manipulation, gaslighting, multiple sexual partners, NTR/partner being stolen.

    ALFRED CRESWELL

    • workaholic, hot & 30 🤭

    Alfred is one of the heads of the Five Houses of Grand Albion, specifically the Creswell House, and a descendant of Spriggan. He is serious, strict, and stoic. Always thinking one step ahead, he approaches every situation, and decision logically.

    Alfred is probably the route you’ll want to start first in the game, as the core of his story focuses on the political tension between the Queen and the country’s citizens. In a way, it’s a good route that expands on the Common route’s world-building, as well as familiarizing you with the different issues at hand in Grand Albion and how they are addressed or well… ignored by their grand ruler, the Queen.

    Depending on how invested you are in the game’s *political* plot here, you may or may not find this route a drag. Personally, though, I quite liked it! (And that’s coming from someone who usually hates political palavers in otome games). It’s probably because I enjoyed the romance and the back-and-forth between Alfred and Aprose, the heroine.

    Alfred is extremely pragmatic and logical in everything he does (and he stays consistent like this throughout the game). He’s always the one with a contingency plan for every single thing, and this route really highlights that trait of his. It’s kind of amusing how this mirrors Aprose, who also sort of tends to make backup plans for everything. Their personalities really complement each other (me thinks), and it’s fun watching them constantly try to one-up each other (at least in Aprose’s POV).😆 On a side note, this is also a decent route that highlights the heroine’s drive for revenge.

    ⬇️ Spoilers

    My high spot of this route was definitely how likable Aprose is as MC. This is probably the route where she comes across as rather snappish or brusque toward her LI. I mean, she still has her fiery moments in other routes and with other guys, but she really embodies being ‘rough around the edges’ here, with Alfred. Perhaps this dynamic comes from both of them having reserved personalities, which sometimes makes them struggle to express what they truly feel? Idk, but it’s cute! I like that their chemistry sometimes is like:

    Alfred: You.. like me..?
    Aprose: Ew, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but yes. I like you! 😠

    I esp love how Aprose whacks Alfred to sleep because the dude insists on working even though he’s sick and overfatigued, lol.😭 I also loved the bonding moments between Aprose, Evelyn, and Charlotte here! 🥺 it’s nice seeing Aprose find girlfriends she can chit-chat with about matters of the heart!🥺

    This route can go from interesting to cliche, but I didn’t hate it. It’s a decent route for starters!

    LUCAS SULLIVAN

    • tsundere 🥺
    • best boi!🤧

    Lucas is the expected head of the Sullivan House and a descendant of the Will-o’-Wisp.
    He’s a peculiar pessimist who shows little interest in the political affairs of the Five Houses, and his desire is to only to become a purefae. Though he’s a noble, he detests political strife and speaks to others with a cold, detached tone. He does, however, show a kinder side to those he’s close to although he can also become quite belligerent.

    I freaking love this route! 😭 First of, tsun tsun Ryota Suzuki, is an auto-biased-by-default! (cackles) But I was really floored by how this one even surpassed my expectations. The romance was so stinking good! The way the scenario in this route naturally set up and built the relationship between Lucas and Aprose was so perfect. I think it’s also probably one of the few routes in this title where the MC and LI’s bond just naturally developed organically, instead of the story enforcing it.🥹

    Lucas was also a really endearing character.🥺🤲 You can tell he’s always thinking of Aprose’s best interests. He’s sincere and kind, and even outside his route, he continues to support the heroine, even if he doesn’t always explicitly show it. His “Astray” End was also one of my favorite endings in this game for reasons! 🤭Definitely a great LI and a great route all around! 10/10 would replay it again!

    ⬇️ Spoilers

    I am in the clouds! Lucas is such an amazing LI! But the route itself was also pretty good, albeit predictable, but very enjoyable nonetheless! I loved the little story nuance where each of the servants at Bernstein Mansion were dispatched to the Sullivans one by one, only to come back either fired or they personally quit after 24 hours. 😂(laughs) Poor little Charlotte! It also made me cackle how Evelyn and Charlotte described Lucas to Aprose as some sort of deranged weirdo who yells and throws things at the wall in his lonesome. Like, damn, that’s a wild piece of work right there! Lmao.😂 (Not knowing that the real reason he does this is actually kind of heartbreaking.)🥲

    Contrary to Alfred’s route, Aprose was also very different here with Lucas. Both men contributed to the murder of her family and the burning of her village. The only key difference is that Lucas was unconsciously manipulated by the Queen, while Alfred was fully aware of what he was doing when he cast the barrier that prevented the villagers from escaping. However, Alfred did it because it was the Queen’s direct order and he wanted to protect his house, showing his logical yet passive nature, willing to yield to a threat he had no leverage over. It makes sense, then, that Aprose was more lenient toward Lucas, who was essentially a puppet during the Eltbeak disaster, while Alfred had a choice but was forced to participate.

    On the plus side, this route probably has one of the best romances in the game. I adore the little gestures of love, like Lucas giving her hand cream because he feels guilty about the housework she has to do in his mansion, or giving her leeway and free time under the guise of instructing her to “only do certain chores during the day,” awkwardly having her make tea for his “flighty visitors” (read: he doesn’t really have any), only for Aprose to stand in and drink the tea with him. It’s also hilarious how Aprose caught on to his little BS early on but decides to go with the flow anyway, because she enjoys his company too! Oh…my heart is full!😭

    His bad ending, where he becomes a bit OOC and takes on the role of being Aprose’s wannabe lover while she’s married to Alfred, definitely clicked all my guilty pleasure 3P boxes! Like, what the heck, yes please!!🤤

    P.S. The paint splatters on his sprite hands was such a nice detail!

    LINUS WARD

    Linus is the next head of House Ward, descendants of the Cu Sith. He has such a bright and friendly personality that even his childhood friend, Edward describes him as someone who’s like a ray of sunshine. He’s deeply loyal to his clan and also devoted to the Queen, a trait inherited from his Cu Sith blood. Once he immerses himself with work, he tends to forget to sleep or eat. He still can’t seem to let go of his first love, and romance plays a passive role in his life.

    Linus is another character who, by chance, I ended up really loving (to the point of brainrotting).😂 I honestly didn’t think I’d enjoy this LI as much, but here we are. It’s kind of interesting because, on the surface, Linus seems like your typical vibrant LI (cute, sweet, cheerful… you know the type!) But dont be fooled! His route brings a lot more to the table than you’d expect. Personally, this worked really well for me (hence my brainrotting lol), but I can definitely see how it might not land the same way for others. 👀 Also, Umeda, his VA was unbelievable! I hope we get to hear him voicing more otome LIs in the future!

    ⬇️ Spoilers

    Linus is…….. QUITE SCARY, ISN’T HE??? This route kind of lowkey bordered a bit on red flag territory. At first, you’d think he’s harmless with his labrador retriever energy, but nope! fake genki alert! He’s actually one of the most dangerous targets for Aprose because of his Cu Sith blood. Aprose even recognizes how sharp Linus is as a tactician. Even when she tried to play innocent after getting caught red-handed, he was still on to her like a hawk. And was never dissuaded on her feigning ignorance. What an interesting character! Tbh its his terrifying side that made me love him more.

    I also really like that Aprose isn’t an airhead about the obvious things. Like the fact that she realizes she was Linus’s childhood friend right away, instead of the story dragging it out. She was also such a good critical thinker here, because after realizing how dangerous it was to deal with Linus and the Ward lackeys, she treads back for the time being and carefully rethinks her actions, and later on decided that the only way to get the upper hand on Linus was to use lust. OOOH SNAP! YES QUEEN GO SEDUCE YOUR MAN! The woman has balls of steel honestly!

    I also didn’t think lovers-to-enemies was even a thing but I’VE COME TO LOVE THIS TROPE. I thought Linus’s route utilizes the trope pretty well that I was living for every heated exchange between Aprose and Linus all the way to the end.😂 This route just kept me awake! Ha!

    My only complaint was that I don’t think they really banked on the tension between Aprose and Linus’s dynamic enough? I feel like they could’ve gotten away with it being more dramatic than it is, maybe commit to Linus’s red flag tendencies, cause his route had so much potential to go all the way. I just think this route needed a bit more oomph or a little more push on the angsty side to make it really satisfying, in my opinion. Still, I definitely enjoyed it more than most of the others!

    Lastly, Linus totally pissed me off in other routes. Like, come on, my dude, get off the Queen’s ass! I get that it’s your Cu Sith blood talking, but gosh, don’t make me hate you man!😩

    EDWARD BERNSTEIN

    • soft
    • daddy issues

    Edward is the next head of House Bernstein, descendants of the Sylph. He’s honest and fair, refuses to conform to Grand Albion’s classist ideals, and always treats everyone as an equal. He believes that those with power should help those who lack the same privileges. Polite to everyone regardless of status, Edward also has a strong dislike for conflict.

    This route was… maybe a little too all over the place, if I’m being honest. I didn’t dislike it, but at the same time, it wasn’t one of the stronger ones in terms of plot and narrative pacing. Aprose, wasn’t at her best here either. Unlike in previous routes, her drive for revenge was more toned down, and perhaps it’s influenced by Edward’s kind-hearted nature?

    Speaking of which, what really redeems this route for me is Edward himself. What a soft and genuinely kind-hearted guy! I could never bring myself to dislike him. Plus, his VA is one of my comfort seiyuus!🥺 Some might find him too vanilla or boring, but I just love how level-headed and consistently kind he is (maybe even a little too kind). Edward’s story also unravels some key pieces of the game, so I appreciated the reveals thrown in here as well. I’d definitely do this route first before Ascot’s, otherwise, Edward’s plot-revelations won’t have as much impact.

    ⬇️ Spoilers

    Unlike the previous routes, where there’s a thread of tension stemming from Aprose’s drive for revenge against her LI, Edward’s route feels kind of different, in a sense that he actively tries to prevent Aprose from being consumed by her revenge, sharing her burden in a positive way and helping her heal. I liked this approach actually and I thought it was very true to Edward’s character. I just wished this theme had been executed a bit better. The last chapters of Ed’s route just had a lot of things happening that its easy to miss important details due to that. The story however, does give you enough space to process each plot point before the next twist or reveal happen so I guess there’s also that.

    GOOD ENDING: I cackled when Aprose called out her son, but also said she’s preggy with another baby! Like DAYUMMM BRO! It’s only been 3 years (?) BUT EDWARD SURE GOT TO BUSINESS RIGHT AWAY! LOL

    As for Aprose getting her revenge, it’s actually in Edward’s bad end that things get juicy! Idk about you, but as a Linus enjoyer, I looooove Edward’s ‘astray’ end (bad end). It’s Linus who helps Aprose exact her revenge on Edward and eventually the Queen. Thinking back, it was also Linus who helps Aprose execute her revenge in HIS OWN bad end too! Now, isnt he just perfectly consistent with his role as a “hound”? Ha!

    For Edmund and his backstory… Look, I can admit the dude’s a hot DILF, okay! I even liked how deranged and delulu he is with his obsession over Aprose’s mom. But man, he’s such a classist and a bootlicker to the Queen, which is definitely a turn-off. I didnt liked him at all. The way he treats Edward, his own son, is completely reprehensible! What an absolute trash.

    ASCOT LINDELL

    Ascot is the representative head of House Lindell, descendants of the Puca. A handsome young man with a reputation as a womanizer in high society. A lot of women flock to him and want his company. Despite his responsibilities as head of his house, he does as he pleases and, most of the time, comes across as unserious.

    I… don’t know how I feel about Ascot, tbh. He is an a$$cot for sure! Admittedly, I started this route with a grin on my face. Like dead serious, who could resist Fukujun’s eccentric teasings, hmm? But that grin almost instantly turned into furrowed brows because this route was an absolute hot mess!🔥🗑️👌

    For one, (after clearing his story) I could kind of see what the writers were going for here (read spoilers to expound this point). But something about how the route was written, paced, and pieced together just completely threw me off. By the end, I couldn’t take Ascot’s route seriously. I mean, I didn’t hate it, and I still enjoyed all its absurdities if anything. I guess it’s one of those routes that’s so bad, it’s actually good!🤣

    ⬇️ Spoilers

    So I think the devs really took the “Puca” reference from Shakespearean literature to heart when they wrote Ascot’s character. The Puca, a mythical creature known for being whimsical, a trickster, and having a flip-floppy attitude, certainly reflects Ascot’s personality down to a T, no? It’s exactly how his route plays out too. One moment, he toys with the heroine’s feelings, and the next, he’s moving mountains for her. Since he’s also a purefae, it explains why he’s pretty selfish and only thinks of himself, just like the other purefaes in the game, Oberon and Tia.

    Aprose kind of annoyed me in this route too. She wasn’t as sharp and thorough as she was in Alfred, Lucas, or Linus’s routes. It felt like she lost the fire in her, and has completely let Ascot run her around his fingertips! But what I really could not get behind though was the fact that Ascot was just nonchalantly galivanting around, draining Aprose’s life force, AND KNOWING ABOUT IT, but didn’t give two shits because she “seemed fine”. Like, what the hell dude? What do you take Aprose for? Free life support?! 😡 It’s such a dick move honestly! Then again, the story kind of gets away with it by going, “He’s a purefae, he’ll say things that are downright heartless, with zero consideration for others, not even the heroine.” So…. yeah… I’m not sure if I’m liking this route at all.😒

    It didn’t help that this route dragged out so many plot points for no reason, like for example: the changelings. I also thought Riley’s subplot would be a major twist in this route, but it mostly felt like it fell into the background. And don’t get me started on the scene at the Queen’s tomb with Alsie’s body. All the dilly-dallying in the previous chapters just to get to this scene was such a mess! But hey, the route seems to get away with it by throwing in spicy scenes out of nowhere, so I guess it’s forgiven!😜

    Lastly, the bad ends were so raunchy. It’s funny that I can’t even hate it!🙈

    JOHN

    • the goat
    • wears Burberry and designer perfume

    John is Aprose’s attendant and childhood friend who diligently accomplishes any task without error. He is very skilled in both literary arts and combat, and was the one who taught Aprose basic self-defense when she was younger. He’s very cautious and studies his surroundings as he aids Aprose in her quest for revenge.

    John is definitely a goated character… too bad his route is not! It was however, a very interesting run because it didn’t follow the structure of the previous LI routes, Ascot’s aside. I’m a huge fan of Shiraimu, so maybe this is my biased brain talking, but I love John.🥺 He’s a great character, in fact! Smart, capable, badass in combat, and always able to accomplish whatever tasks Aprose asks of him with ease, no questions asked. He’s always there for the heroine, come hell or high water, and I think he had a really solid character development arc in this game. I can’t really fault him for the fact that his story’s pacing completely took a nosedive.

    ⬇️ Spoilers

    I can’t believe we’ve reached an era where an otome LI is actually named John Doe. 😭

    Anyway, I actually really loved this route, mostly because I liked John’s character, so I didn’t care that the pacing was off. It was kind of nice how the game added that eerie prenotion where the heroine would feel a chill run down her spine every time John looked at her. It was an obvious hint that it had to do with Oberon. There was so much foreshadowing in the earlier routes that you could pretty much connect the dots and realize John was part of Oberon. I mean, they pretty much looked the same from the start, right? That was already a big giveaway right from the get-go!

    John was also one of the strongest characters in the game, though his powers seem to vary depending on how much Oberon allows him to use. He is technically, a purefae just like Ascot, Oberon, and Tia, so he wields the same strength that purefaes do. I kind of got the sense he was someone not to be messed with when he defeated old Nick, Edmund’s butler, who was also known to be the goat back in the day!🤣

    I did feel that John was kind of shafted in the game though. IDK, the writers must’ve hated him or something because he really went through so much suffering for having to conceal his identity for so long and probably would’ve taken it to his grave in the other routes. I just feel bad for him. Poor Guy.😞 Clearly, he didn’t want to betray Aprose, but in his case, it was the nature of his existence as Oberon’s avatar, a literal NOBODY created to aid the heroine, and in the long run, betray her in the process. This route was kind of angsty, though I think they could’ve executed the angst better, which is pretty much a common problem that I have with the game.

    On a different note, I can’t believe the other LIs get so many sprite variations with elaborate outfits, and then you have John with his sprite variation of: a waiter outfit, 1 black dress shirt, 1 dirty rag shirt.😭 Like, damn, give the man some fancy fits too! Well, at least he’s rocking Burberry in his regular sprite!

    APROSE E. RANDOLPH

    After dealing with a few disappointing MCs this year, playing Aprose was such a delight! I love this heroine. She’s always guarded, highly proactive, and very efficient. I can’t really stress enough how efficient this MC is. She really be doing A LOT! -like, finishing an all-day chore in just an hour, running around spying on LIs, chasing pick-pocketers, fighting bad guys, climbing trees, doing embroidery…among many, many other tasks, all while sporting her infamous poker face!

    She’s also a really good critical thinker and 99% of the time has predominantly navigated the story on her own, with very little help (maybe a bit from John and Goneril). She has a backup plan for everything and can think on her feet in perilous situations.

    I guess the only thing she can’t do, and is terrible at, is cooking! The girl can’t season food to save her life! 😭But she’s so oblivious to how bad her dishes are that it’s actually hilarious. We love an overconfident queen who thinks she’s Gordon Ramsay!😂

    I also really loved how stern and uptight Aprose is at first, but as the story progresses, you can slowly see her walls coming down. What’s great is that she reflects on all her experiences, both old and new, which makes her growth very satisfying, to me. I also really appreciated her bonding moments with the girlies Evelyn and Charlotte. 🥺 It’s really nice to see this more human side of her when she’s with them, the part that isn’t too focused on revenge. I think Aprose really needed this type of connection, girlfriends she could confide in, and let her guard down so she can be more of herself. The friendship she has with the girls is such a lovely, heartwarming layer to her character.🥹

    Perhaps my little quibble with the entire game is that Aprose’s drive and motivation for revenge greatly vary in every route. She sort of lost her fire in the last three routes (me thinks). In contrast, she was much more on top of things and determined with the first three LI routes, and was completely dead set on what she wanted/ willing to do anything to achieve her goals. I guess I could chalk this up to inconsistent writing rather than paint it as a flaw of the heroine.🤷‍♀️

    SYSTEM AND LOCALIZATION

    The shard exploration can be a mixed bag. Initially, I did like how it lets you roam around the Bernstein mansion, investigate different areas, collect clues, and eavesdrop on conversations between characters and other NPCs. But the repetition of these segments quickly became tiring for me. Especially the last exploration. I think the fourth one took forever to finish. It wouldn’t have hurt to cut the exploration segments in half, as I feel it was the only thing dragging the common route for hours.

    PROS:

    • Mouth movements, blinking sprites
    • Heroine’s Name Customization
    • Chapter Select
    • Flowchart
    • DICTIONARY section
    • Scrapbook – (these are short stories that unlock after finishing certain endings)
    • Love Catch and Status Bar
    • SKIP to the Next Choice function
    • Skip READ function
    • Quick Save/Quick Load
    • CG Gallery
    • Music Library
    • Movie Library
    • Backlog and Rewind function

    CONS:

    • Heroine not voiced
    • The 2nd – 4th exploration segments cannot be skipped.
    • Localization has a lot of typos.

    TRAILER

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAjx7WoCrM0

    OVERALL THOUGHTS

    Mistonia’s Hope -The Lost Delight- took me around 60–65 hours to finish. The common route, with all its exploration segments, took roughly 3–4 hours, while each love interest route ran about 5–6 hours to reach an ending, give or take. I also played mostly in docked mode for the majority of my playthroughs and had it on auto-play most of the time. 

    Aprose’s Journey: Came for Revenge, Stayed for Love

    While the story introduces the theme “revenge”, what makes it interesting to me is how the heroine actually navigates her own desires and emotions for revenge. You see, not all revenge is cold; it can take many forms, whether grandiose or subtle. And its kinda interesting that the game explores those nuances through Aprose’s journey.

    It’s also curious, because as Aprose grows as a person, makes friends, spends time with her LI, and develops her feelings for them, she will also start to question herself. Is this really what I want? There’s that constant push and pull within her, so in turn, sometimes she’s determined to see her plans through, and other times her resolve wavers. I think I really enjoyed this part of the protagonist actually, because it makes her feel so human. Sometimes we think revenge will give us closure, but when we’re finally facing it, we realize it’s not what we truly want.

    The sentiment I take from all of this is that Aprose’s pursuit of revenge is closely tied to her path of healing…and I think this reinforces the game’s underlying message “that love can heal even the most painful scars.” After finding and accepting love, Aprose gradually lets go of the hatred in her heart, allowing herself to slowly heal and move forward.

    Tangy Bad Ends

    That’s not to say our girl doesn’t get her cold revenge served in the game, because oh, they definitely happen! And you’ll find them all in these juicy BAD ENDINGS. It’s funny how the game is cloaked in shiny glittery fairy dust, but the bad ends can really hit hard with some seriously dark stuff when you least expect it!

    It surprised me even by how much I enjoyed all of them. I’m normally someone who only does bad ends out of due diligence of being a completionist 😂(hey, can’t be the only one!). Maybe curiosity got the better of me, because I’ve seemingly picked up the habit of looking forward to unlocking the “Astray” and “Clown” endings in this game.🙈These endings can spiral into something that’ll get you clutching your pearls to scenes that are just outrageously raunchy. The raunchy endings were a hoot ngl! Admittedly, I enjoyed every single one of them.🤭

    I love Aprose! What a QUEEN~💅

    Shakespearean References and Celtic Myth Inspired Characters

    Another aspect of Mistonia that also caught my curiosity was its rich Shakespearean influence. So many of the characters feel directly drawn from Elizabethan culture, like say, Oberon and Titania (Tia), the regal king and queen of fairies, while others are heavily inspired by Celtic myths like the mischievous Púca, the ethereal sylphs, the Cu Sith, Will-o’-Wisp, etc. I like and appreciate this because, in a way, the writers didn’t just pull these ideas out of their a**es. LOL. They were clearly working within a theme. And I think there was even a sense of intent behind how they wrote the characters according to their original references, which, after I looked into them, made me go: “Ahh, so that’s why…” (cough cough Ascot cough)

    Below, I’ve listed some of the references I’ve compiled and compared them to how the developers adapted their characters based on these myths. Keep in mind, these contain spoilers for the game, so click at your own risk!

    ⬇️ Shakespearean Characters in Mistonia (Spoilers!!)

    Oberon – King of the fairies, oversees the fairy realm.
    Tia (Queen Titania) – queen of the fairy realm.
    Also, probably the most common name for the ‘Queen of fairies’ in any fantasy lore. We also see a different version of her in Cafe Enchante.lol 🤭
    The Púca – A mischievous, shape-shifting creature from Celtic folklore. A trickster and unpredictable spirit, known to tempt and play tricks on humans. Often takes the form of a horse with glowing eyes, but can also appear as a goat, dog, or cat.
    As much as this annoyed me, this is probably the reason why Ascot was so flip-floppy in his route and was so unpredictable all the way to the very end.
    Cu Sith A massive, mystical hound known for its otherworldly strength. The most loyal among the fae servants. Rarely acts independently and follows the orders of the fae or their rulers.
    Will-o’Wisp – A ghostly light from that leads travelers astray. In another folklore, Will-o’-the-Wisps are believed to be the souls of the dead who cannot find eternal rest because of evil deeds they committed while alive.
    Sylph – An ethereal spirit of air, generally depicted as beautiful and graceful.
    Spriggan – small, supernaturally strong fairy-goblins that guard treasures (hidden gold, jewels, ancient relics). They also protect mines from greedy humans, and can grow huge when defending their territory.
    Alfred probably has the loosest connection to the actual Spriggan of folklore. The game takes creative liberty by portraying the Spriggan House as skilled in crafting weapons and able to manifest magical barriers using the power of stones.Perhaps this barrier ability is inspired by the way traditional Spriggans were said to grow to enormous size when defending their territory.

    Aprose| Tamora, the Queen of Goths – Aprose is likely inspired by Tamora, the Queen of the Goths in Titus Andronicus. Tamora is one of the fiercest, most vengeful, and ruthless she-villains in English Literature. Her method was visceral, and gruesome, cementing her status as one of Shakespeare’s most horrifying villains.
    Of course, this isn’t a 1:1 comparison. Otherwise, Mistonia might end up with an M rating on the ESRB.

    Lily Bernstein| Regan (King Lear) – Lily or the “White Lily” in Mistonia is likely inspired by Regan in King Lear, another viscous she-villain in the Shakespearean lore. She lacks compassion entirely and shows no remorse of her actions. She was killed by Goneril (King Lear) at the end.
    Just like Lily, Regan was also willing to betray and use her husband to achieve her goals.

    Goneril | Goneril (King Lear) lol you cant name your character “Goneril” and expect people not to get SUS! 😂 The Goneril in Mistonia is probably loosely based on the real Goneril from King Lear.
    In Shakespeare, Goneril was also the one who killed Regan (the character I compared to Lily).

    NOTE: I’ll probably add more examples to this later, as the game clearly takes heavy inspiration from many of Shakespeare’s works. If you have suggestions for other character references, feel free to drop them in the comments, and I’ll try to add them here as well.

    As for the overall story, I actually like that the game has a plot structure where each LI has, in one way or another, a connection to the heroine’s tragedy. And if you play the routes in a certain order, the story kind of just unpacks little by little on its own. Each route also contributes something that shapes the overarching plot in the game. Highlight for minor spoilers >>> I‘d say Alfred, Lucas, Linus and Edward’s routes give you more insights on the Eltbeak incident, while Ascot and John’s routes explore more of the game’s fantasy setting.<<<

    This title, to me, was pretty solid, thematically. It stayed true to what it initially set out to be and didn’t try to become something it wasn’t. Although, I do have to say that the execution of some routes and certain storylines fell a bit short of my expectations. The routes definitely vary from being great, to mediocre, to “what the heck is even going on?” 😭 There were also plenty of plot inconsistencies that, at one point, I just kind of gave up, turned off my brain, and went “well, okay, fine...”😅 So yeah, if you’re very particular about plot consistencies and a stickler for pacing, some of these routes will tick you off for sure!

    I’d say the characters were definitely the heart of this game and what kept me invested all the way to the very end of the finale. I loved the main cast, and I thought the side characters played important roles in the story as well. Aprose, the MC, was astounding and quickly earned a spot in my fav MC shrine‘!

    As for the LIs, Lucas snatches “best boi” title in my book! I also thought his route was among the best-written in the game. Linus came barreling in second place, and this actually surprised me! To tell you the truth, I brainrotted on Linus for a few days before moving on…🫠 Idk, something about the “wolf in sheep’s clothing” trope always gets my knees buckled. I’m such a sucker for this trope it’s not even funny!😭 John was an amazing LI as well, though I wish his route could’ve been paced better. On the other hand, I had a love-hate relationship with Ascot and his route, but by the end of the game, my opinion of his character hopped onto the more favorable side.🙂‍↕️ (thankfully!)

    💖LI RANKING: Lucas > Linus > John > Edward = Alfred > Ascot

    📝ROUTE RANKING: Lucas > Linus > Alfred >>>> John > Edward > Ascot

    For the romance, I found the game decently romantic. I was smitten by Aprose’s chemistry with her guys.🥺 The sweet, sugary moments between them were also woven naturally into the plot, which kept me glued to the story the whole time. I also loved that this title utilizes LI rivalries in every single route! It really cranks up my love-triangle guilty pleasures, which is also why I couldn’t bring myself to skip a single bad ending. (cackles)🫣😂 And as for the spice, there are a couple of suggestive scenes, some even with accompanying CGs. So I think anyone who loves a little extra heat will definitely get their fix in this game.

    Yes, I shall pour all my *HONEST FEELINGS* in your room, my prince… 👅🤭

    Do I recommend this game? YES.
    I was actually very taken and fully immersed throughout my entire playthrough of this title. The plot wasn’t grand, and it certainly had its share of glaring flaws at times, but Aprose, the LIs, and the rest of the cast made this game truly a worthwhile experience. I’m also a fantasy-girlie, so this was an easy read for me.

    I definitely think you will enjoy Mistonia’s Hope -The Lost Delight- if you: love fantasy/dark-fantasy settings, mysteries and revenge plots, a capable MC who’s determined to achieve her goals, a mixed cast of lovable and *twisted* love interests you’ll want to add to your collection, Shakespearean nods scattered throughout the game, and some really (emotionally) beautiful art that hits you right in the feels! If you tick all these boxes above, you’re in for a real treat with this otome title! Definitely don’t even think about passing this game up!

    ***That said, I will actually be partaking in Otomate’s Winter Market merch war this year. Gotta get my hands on those new Mistonia merch! All import tariffs be damned! 😤

    #aksysGames #MistoniaReview #MistoniaTheLostDelight #MistoniaSHopeReview #MistoniaSHopeTheLostDelight #MistoniaSHopeTheLostDelightReview #nintendoSwitch #otomate #OtomeGameReview

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