fefellama's recent activity
-
Comment on Russia poisoned Alexei Navalny with dart frog toxin, European nations say in ~society
-
Comment on Russia poisoned Alexei Navalny with dart frog toxin, European nations say in ~society
fefellama LinkIt's almost exactly two years since his death. I'm curious why this information is coming out now. Read the article but maybe I missed it? Did they just test it now? Did they know before and are...It's almost exactly two years since his death. I'm curious why this information is coming out now. Read the article but maybe I missed it? Did they just test it now? Did they know before and are just releasing it now? Does it just take that long to test for these sorts of toxins (I really have no clue).
Anyways, his death really stayed with me at the time. As someone who studied/studies a lot of history, it's always strange to be reminded that the things you read about that feel like distant memories of the past, like war and slavery and the purging of political dissidents, are actually still going on regularly with absolutely no end in sight.
I still vividly remember his phone call with the agent who poisoned him where he pretended to be the guy's higher up and was grilling him about why he fucked up the assassination, and getting the guy to explain exactly how he carried out the poisoning (the whole toxin in the underwear thing). Crazy stuff.
At the time when he turned himself in I really hoped his imprisonment (and eventual execution) would lead to some lasting change, but it seems that was not the case sadly. A real-life martyr if I've ever seen one.
-
Comment on Disney’s Beauty and the Beast [1991] vs Jean Cocteau’s La Belle et la Bête [1946] (2015) in ~movies
fefellama (edited )LinkReally interesting read, thanks for sharing. I'll preface this by saying that I've never seen La Belle et la Bete, but the Disney version of the story is my wife's favorite film, so I've seen that...Really interesting read, thanks for sharing. I'll preface this by saying that I've never seen La Belle et la Bete, but the Disney version of the story is my wife's favorite film, so I've seen that version like ten times.
First off, I like the differences in the French version. Lots of details that are reminiscent of other Disney films. There's the evil sisters (Cinderella, like the author mentions), but also the daughter taking the place of her ailing father (Mulan), as well as a magic mirror that shows her anything she wants to see (Snow White, and I guess Beauty and the Beast too, of course).
Secondly, I think it's inherently silly to point out plot holes in a kids fiction movie. (You're telling me Gaston doesn't actually eat five dozen eggs every single day?) Still good fun though.
Also:
Question: Where in the hell is Beast’s castle located? Belle and Maurice go back and forth between it and the village rather quickly and the mob seems to reach it in a matter of minutes. Did everyone just forget about this castle that was apparently just down the road?
Uhhh, yeah, they literally did forget. That's the whole spell/curse thing from the beginning of the movie. The
old ladybeautiful enchantress that curses the beast and his servants also puts a spell on the nearby town so they forget their loved ones (where do you think the servants came from?). There are little hints to this throughout the movie I believe, like in the beginning when Belle asks the guy in town if he's forgotten something and he says yes, he just doesn't remember what. And then at the end when the spell is lifted the townsfolk reunite with their loved ones who were trapped in the castle (the servants). So yeah it totally tracks that they wouldn't remember this castle until Gaston whips them into a frenzy.This is France but only one character has a French accent.
Someone else already pointed out the feather duster lady also has a French accent. Regardless, I feel like most Disney movies don't really have 'appropriate' regional accents. If they did then Emperor's New Groove definitely wouldn't be starring David Spade as the leader of the Inca.
Sure you can poke holes in the story structure of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast but what you can’t do is deny that it had some fantastic songs. Howard Ashman and Alan Menken put together one fantastic score, one so good that it went on to make Beauty and the Beast a Broadway hit.
I appreciate that the author mentioned this (how could one not?). These classic Disney movies have a ton of staying power because of the catchy and well-written songs (cough cough Alan Menken cough cough). And I'll say that the couple of songs they added to the remake were pretty good too. One of the best Disney remakes of the last decade or so, if not the best. They kept nearly everything that was good about the original, and just added a little bit more context for some things (like what happened to the mom), and some additional great songs. If only they had kept that formula for the other remakes...
-
Comment on Offbeat Fridays – The thread where offbeat headlines become front page news in ~news
fefellama Link ParentNow I'm trying to imagine other medalists competing against their own phobias. Like a swimmer with a fear of water. Or an equestrian with a fear of horses. Maybe a bobsledder with a fear of...Now I'm trying to imagine other medalists competing against their own phobias.
Like a swimmer with a fear of water. Or an equestrian with a fear of horses. Maybe a bobsledder with a fear of confined spaces. Would make for a much more entertaining Olympics if you ask me.
-
Comment on After 1,600 years underwater, remains of the Lighthouse of Alexandria emerge in ~humanities.history
fefellama (edited )Link ParentDidn't know that, pretty cool! Hmm actually I'm not so sure that it comes from the same place. I just did some etymological research since I love that kind of thing, and it seems like fyr is also...Didn't know that, pretty cool!
Hmm actually I'm not so sure that it comes from the same place. I just did some etymological research since I love that kind of thing, and it seems like fyr is also fire in Swedish? Makes sense since fyr and fire look so similar. So in that case I'm not actually sure that it would relate to the Pharos-based words like phare and farol. Like in other nordic languages it appears to be things like fyrtårn which combine fyr (light/fire) and tårn (tower) which seems as descriptive as light+house is in English. So seems to be just a funny coincidence that fyr in Swedish resembles phare or faro in Latin languages.
Edit: did some more digging (again I really love this kind of stuff) since I was curious if fyr and pharos both shared an acestor or something. Turns out probably not. Fyr comes from Proto-Indo-European. That was just their word for fire which explains why its fire/fyr/feuer in various Germanic languages.
Meanwhile pharos has a murkier history. Per this /r/etymology thread, it seems like the island at Alexandria was named after the lighthouse that was on it, since pharos was the Greek word for lighthouse already. And that itself probably came from either the Greek phao (meaning "to shine") or the Egyptian pharez (meaning "watch tower").
-
Comment on After 1,600 years underwater, remains of the Lighthouse of Alexandria emerge in ~humanities.history
fefellama LinkI went to go find a comment I made on a previous thread about this lighthouse, and noticed the article from that thread was remarkably similar to the information in this one, even including some...I went to go find a comment I made on a previous thread about this lighthouse, and noticed the article from that thread was remarkably similar to the information in this one, even including some of the same photographs. I thought it was strange since that article was from October, so what's actually new this time around? But then I saw that that previous article had been updated on February 11th, so I guess they just added in any new info or photographs.
Anyways. here's a little tidbit about the lighthouse in case anyone is interested:
The word 'lighthouse' in many Latin-based languages directly ties into the Lighthouse at Alexandria. It was actually on a small island called Pharos, so we ended up with terms like faro (Spanish and Italian), phare (French), farol (Portuguese), and pharology (English, the study of lighthouses).
-
Comment on After 1,600 years underwater, remains of the Lighthouse of Alexandria emerge in ~humanities.history
fefellama (edited )Link ParentSuper interesting read (and very technical). I'm curious why the government decided to block the retrieval of objects over 100kg. Is it for fear that the objects be damaged? Safety concerns?...the Egyptian government has imposed a weight restriction on elements eligible for refloating, limiting them to 100 kg. In contrast, the 30 blocks with inscriptions found at the site each weigh between 1 and 7 tons. Consequently, none of these significant artifacts can be refloated due to this regulation,
Super interesting read (and very technical). I'm curious why the government decided to block the retrieval of objects over 100kg. Is it for fear that the objects be damaged? Safety concerns? Logistics? At least we can still scan them underwater, but would be awesome to see some of these larger chunks resurface so that a replica or some sort of monument could be made out of them.
Edit: and wait a second, some of the photos show blocks that are definitely way larger than 100kg being craned out of the water. So now I'm a bit confused.
-
Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
fefellama Link ParentHey that's pretty neat. Have never seen it before but I like those style of games, so thanks for recommending it! Apparently there is a sequel too that is equally praised.Hey that's pretty neat. Have never seen it before but I like those style of games, so thanks for recommending it! Apparently there is a sequel too that is equally praised.
-
Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
fefellama Link ParentA+ taste in games. Every game you mentioned I either love already or have on my wishlist, lol. Monster Train and Slay the Spire as 2/3rds of my GOATs for roguelike deckbuilders (Balatro is the...A+ taste in games. Every game you mentioned I either love already or have on my wishlist, lol.
Monster Train and Slay the Spire as 2/3rds of my GOATs for roguelike deckbuilders (Balatro is the third). And actually I never realized it before you mentioned it but you're totally right that it has some tower-defense elements to it with the way the train floors are set up. Maybe that's part of its magic. I love that it has a lot more variety than StS, since you pick two clans and each clan has a few archetypes, so you can end up with a TON of variety in decks and strategies. StS, while still great, has four characters and like three major archetypes for each one, so less overall variety.
Haven't picked up MT2 yet but I've heard it's a decent sequel.
-
Comment on Humble Choice - February 2026 in ~games
fefellama Link ParentYeah region locks feel so... artificial nowadays. I get that different currencies mean games can cost cheaper or more expensive depending on where you are in the world, but it just feels so...Yeah region locks feel so... artificial nowadays. I get that different currencies mean games can cost cheaper or more expensive depending on where you are in the world, but it just feels so ridiculous to tell the customer 'hey sorry this set of numbers and letters that we generated only works for people in that other country, you'll need to purchase this other set of numbers and letters to be able to play in your own country'. I'm sure there are economic factors that I'm missing, but from a user perspective it just feels dumb.
Anyways, enjoy the game!
-
Comment on Humble Choice - February 2026 in ~games
fefellama Link ParentHey no worries at all. I pm'd the key over to @psi so hopefully they're able to redeem it just fine in Germany. If no one else takes Bus Simulator 21 I wouldn't mind giving it a shot. I've played...Hey no worries at all. I pm'd the key over to @psi so hopefully they're able to redeem it just fine in Germany.
If no one else takes Bus Simulator 21 I wouldn't mind giving it a shot. I've played PC building simulator and loved that, but I've never tried those bus/train/truck simulators before. I've heard they can be relaxing, just driving around aimlessly.
-
Comment on Humble Choice - February 2026 in ~games
fefellama Link ParentHey, awesome! Unfortunately Steam did not let me redeem the code because it is region locked to Europe (I believe). So if anyone else would like Resident Evil Village, and happens to NOT be in one...Hey, awesome! Unfortunately Steam did not let me redeem the code because it is region locked to Europe (I believe). So if anyone else would like Resident Evil Village, and happens to NOT be in one of these countries, then feel free to dm or reply here and I'll happily pass it along.
-
Comment on Humble Choice - February 2026 in ~games
fefellama Link ParentSteamworld games feel almost perfectly made for the Deck. Haven't played Build yet but I'm glad to hear it runs well too.Steamworld games feel almost perfectly made for the Deck. Haven't played Build yet but I'm glad to hear it runs well too.
-
Comment on Humble Choice - February 2026 in ~games
fefellama Link ParentHey if no one else takes you up on it I wouldn't mind checking out RE Village. Haven't played a Resident Evil game since 4 (and a tiny bit of 5 at a friend's house way back). I was thinking about...Hey if no one else takes you up on it I wouldn't mind checking out RE Village. Haven't played a Resident Evil game since 4 (and a tiny bit of 5 at a friend's house way back). I was thinking about checking out some of the newer ones but wasn't sure where to start (even asked in one of the weekly 'what games have you been playing' threads here). But if someone else wants it please feel free to give it to them instead!
-
Comment on A site explaining every known juggling trick in ~creative
fefellama LinkCool site! Those animations are almost hypnotic, especially for some of the more advanced tricks.Cool site! Those animations are almost hypnotic, especially for some of the more advanced tricks.
-
Comment on I'm back in ~talk
fefellama Link ParentTilderanians for some reason made me think about Tildemaniacs.Tilderanians for some reason made me think about Tildemaniacs.
-
Comment on I'm back in ~talk
fefellama Link ParentTildonians sounds like we're from Planet Tildo. Tildese sounds like we were colonized by Portugal. Tildians sounds like we are a proud ancient civilization of elves. There are no wrong answers...Tildonians sounds like we're from Planet Tildo.
Tildese sounds like we were colonized by Portugal.
Tildians sounds like we are a proud ancient civilization of elves.
There are no
rightwrong answers... -
Comment on I'm back in ~talk
fefellama LinkFirst thing's first: there are regular ongoing debates on what exactly members of this site should be called and every answer is correct. Tildoes is clearly the funniest. Tilderinos. Tilderites....First thing's first: there are regular ongoing debates on what exactly members of this site should be called and every answer is
wrongcorrect. Tildoes is clearly the funniest. Tilderinos. Tilderites. Tilderistans. Tildes Users if you're formal. Tildidlierinos if you're Ned Flanders.Also, I'd highly recommend the Tildes ReExtended addon/extension for your browser. Adds a few useful features and was made by members of the community!
-
Comment on Save Point: A game deal roundup for the week of December 14 in ~games
fefellama Link ParentThat's alright, thanks for the reply! I'll probably leave most on the backburner as well for the time being. But this is something I want to dive deeper into in the second half of 2026, so I...That's alright, thanks for the reply! I'll probably leave most on the backburner as well for the time being. But this is something I want to dive deeper into in the second half of 2026, so I figured getting the bundle now might be a good idea.
-
Comment on Save Point: A game deal roundup for the week of December 14 in ~games
fefellama Link ParentOh wow yeah, not much overlap at all. Thanks for the detailed info!Oh wow yeah, not much overlap at all. Thanks for the detailed info!
Yup someone else posted the wiki page, here is a BBC clip on it.
It's basically exactly what it sounds like. He called up the dude who poisoned him, spoofing his number to pretend to be one of the guy's superiors, and practically interrogated the guy on why he failed his mission, getting both a confession as well as the details of the failed assassination in the process (at the time they did not know how the poison was applied).
Like imagine you're a hired assassin, you fail to kill a guy, and then your boss's boss calls you and asks you how you managed to fuck it up. You then explain to him how you went about doing it and why you failed your mission. Except unbeknownst to you it's not your boss's boss on the other line, it's the guy you tried to kill. Sounds like something right out of a Hollywood spy thriller.