Chemslayer's recent activity

  1. Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books

    Chemslayer
    Link Parent
    It was great! I had the version read by Anton Lesser (from Libro.fm), he has a very good storytelling voice, and the poem lends itself well to listening. That's actually why I started this shower...

    It was great! I had the version read by Anton Lesser (from Libro.fm), he has a very good storytelling voice, and the poem lends itself well to listening. That's actually why I started this shower series, I have trouble keeping my attention on older books' vernacular, but as spoken word it's a lot easier to move through. Being an audiobook there weren't any footnotes, but this version did have a short summary before each chapter that explained the plot of that chapter in modern English, so you could immediately grok what was going on and could just enjoy the prose

  2. Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books

    Chemslayer
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    Just finished the audiobook for Paradise Lost, by Milton. I picked it up as part of my "classic books to listen to while I shower series", inspired by the previous book Frankenstein where the...

    Just finished the audiobook for Paradise Lost, by Milton. I picked it up as part of my "classic books to listen to while I shower series", inspired by the previous book Frankenstein where the monster mentions having read it.

    As a quick overview, it's a retelling of the biblical story of Adam and Eve being tempted by Satan to eat the tree of knowledge, and thus being kicked out of Eden. The author greatly expands the myth, taking many creative liberties to expand the "world" of Christianity with new important characters and events, so the story covers everything from Satan's original rebellion and fall, the creation of earth, the Eden incident, and even has a cute little "flashforward" sequence showing some other biblical events to come.

    The story, despite being a nearly heretical amount of made-up, obviously has very Christian roots, and the constant theme of "God is #1" is omnipresent, and not subtle at all. It still does a decent job of creatively analyzing some of those ideas, if not intended by the Author at least for a modern reader; Satan is legitimately sympathetic at several points (balanced of course by the occasional "but remember he is actually super evil"). The story of Adam and Eve and the fall is also interesting; I enjoy that in this telling, Adam doesn't get "tricked" into eating the fruit, but rather makes the conscious decision that he loves Eve so much he'd rather die with her than live without, very bittersweet and human motivation. (This is more or less immediately undermined in following chapters, but alas).

    Obviously, a book being written in the 17th century is going to be a product of its time. But even through that lens, a lot of the Eve descriptions were tough. She's described as heavenly beautiful, but more importantly as servile and obedient at all times to Adam. Her sin is not even framed as eating the apple, it's not listening to Adam when he wanted to stick together. And this isn't a one-time event; it is drilled in repeatedly that Eves best purpose is to be obedient and serve Adam, and she is super thrilled to do that every time it gets brought up. I feel like there is a more interesting characterization to be made for Eve (and given the age and renown of this work I'm sure several authors have made their own take), but it was the only real cringe moments of the book.

    Overall enjoyed the book, it had some proper hype moments and cool language, and it was cool to see a classic mythologization of Christianity. I even made this niche meme inspired by one of the events. https://imgflip.com/i/ajdp3e

    1 vote

  3. Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games

    Chemslayer
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    Well into act 4 of Rogue Trader! I've already act 4 spoilers killed both of the other Rogue Traders (Corda by aiding with Vladym, Winterscale by revealing his pal's demonic-ness and finishing him...

    Well into act 4 of Rogue Trader! I've already

    act 4 spoilers

    killed both of the other Rogue Traders (Corda by aiding with Vladym, Winterscale by revealing his pal's demonic-ness and finishing him off after on grounds of heresy), and have landed on Eufrates.

    I've also wrapped up (I believe) the two story arcs related to the DLCs. As a note, the DLCs are amazing value, both added tons of missions with unique settings and quirks, and they also did a good job of weaving the DLC companions and stories into the base storyline seamlessly.

    Hoping to finish by the 10th to play Mewgenics, but I'm definitely coming back for another run, maybe once more DLC releases this year

    1 vote

  4. Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books

    Chemslayer
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    Reading the 8th Discworld book, Guards! Guards! Guards!, I'm reading the series in published order and have been looking forward to this one as I know "The Watch" sub-series is a fan favorite....

    Reading the 8th Discworld book, Guards! Guards! Guards!, I'm reading the series in published order and have been looking forward to this one as I know "The Watch" sub-series is a fan favorite. About a quarter through, and it's got all the usual Discworld humor and witticism that I love

    2 votes

  5. Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books

    Chemslayer
    Link Parent
    I loved Way of Kings! My first Sanderson as well (and Stormlight in its entirety is till my only Sanderson up to this point). I will say he throws a LOT of jargon at you in the first few chapters,...

    I loved Way of Kings! My first Sanderson as well (and Stormlight in its entirety is till my only Sanderson up to this point). I will say he throws a LOT of jargon at you in the first few chapters, but don't worry it calms down a lot after that. And if things seem mysterious, you'll have it revealed eventually!

    I also really enjoyed Hail Mary, although a little less than The Martian (Hail has quite a few more Deus Ex "alien tech" cards, as opposed to Martians mostly-grounded depictions), but they are both very enjoyable. Hard to believe it's not the same protagonist in both books though ha

  6. Comment on Listing for GOG Galaxy developer cites Linux as “next major frontier” in ~games

    Chemslayer
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    Hooray I'm glad! I used to be GoG when possible, but I since I got a steam deck the added convenience and stability of steam has been too much to pass up. I have a love for/paranoia about...

    Hooray I'm glad! I used to be GoG when possible, but I since I got a steam deck the added convenience and stability of steam has been too much to pass up.

    I have a love for/paranoia about archiving which comes through my books/music, but I've had to cede to Steam as they are far and away the best in the game, and seem to actually want to treat their customers to great features and customer service. If I knew that would go ok forever I'd have no qualms, but companies go evil every day, and the idea of my 20 year gaming history going away scares me bad.

    So if GoG can offer real Linux support (even if it's just making sure proton works easily with their games) I'll probably make the swap back as much as possible

    4 votes

  7. Comment on What have you been watching / reading this week? (Anime/Manga) in ~anime

    Chemslayer
    Link
    Starting Lone Wolf and Cub manga, got the full series off humble bundle. Nearly done with Vol 1, so far it's just been "Look at all the clever ways MC does his thing", but I assume a narrative...

    Starting Lone Wolf and Cub manga, got the full series off humble bundle. Nearly done with Vol 1, so far it's just been "Look at all the clever ways MC does his thing", but I assume a narrative will develop over time, and already there's been some cool story drips.

    The series is way more sexual and has way more gratuitous nudity than I was expecting, not an issue but just was surprising (and makes it slightly awkward to read on planes sometimes). One of the issue covers in the first volume straight up has full dick and balls of the 3 year old Cub (he's peeing a la those Calvin bumper stickers), the 70s really were a different time I suppose. Neat to be reading a much older manga though, since all my experience so far is newer stuff.

    (Minor note, but this version by Dark Horse reads left-to-right, which was confusing for the first few pages until I figured it out. Unsure why they decided to westernize it like that but idk. Unless old manga was like that and the right-to-left is a newer development? I'm not up on my manga history)

    2 votes

  8. Comment on The Dark Tower Wizard in Glass, is the second half better? in ~books

    Chemslayer
    Link Parent
    Ha, funny you mention liking his endings, a running joke with me and my friend who both read a good amount of Stephen King is that he writes a fantastic first 2/3rds of a book, and then seems to...

    Ha, funny you mention liking his endings, a running joke with me and my friend who both read a good amount of Stephen King is that he writes a fantastic first 2/3rds of a book, and then seems to kind of flub the ending in weird ways. IT, The Outsider, and Cell all started with strong concepts but the actual endings were so bizarre (well, except for Cell, which was kinda bad the entire time lol) (okay, it had some neat ideas). The Stand had a great end though, and the Shining was good although it felt a little rushed. I've loved the dark tower so far, but I can't quite comment on the ending yet as I haven't gotten there. None of the endings above are bad enough to sully the rest of the book, but IMO King is much better at the creation of the cool monster/concept, rather than the showing it being defeated.

    Serious Spoilers for the end of The Outsider

    I mean c'mon, the big bad literally gets one-shot by a tube sock full of batteries!

    I get King was probably working under publisher deadlines, and in that context I'm glad he took the time to figure out the Blaine resolution rather than poop out something to make it in time for the 3rd book. But if there's ever some kind of remaster of the series I hope that'd get moved over, it's just such weird pacing especially for someone like me who doesn't read the books of a series one after another (coming back from a ~6 month break to resolve it and then immediately moving on was jarring)

    1 vote

  9. Comment on The Dark Tower Wizard in Glass, is the second half better? in ~books

    Chemslayer
    Link
    Well, I'll start by saying I really enjoyed the book, and am nearly done with book 5 myself. That being said, most of book 4 is that Susan flashback. There is a little more non-Susan plot towards...

    Well, I'll start by saying I really enjoyed the book, and am nearly done with book 5 myself.

    That being said, most of book 4 is that Susan flashback. There is a little more non-Susan plot towards the end, but it's not a ton. Re:Susan, there is action and showdown and etc like you're hoping for, but there is a lot of the intrigue to get through. My suggestion would be check the page # for that Part of the book to be through, and decide if you'd rather have the context or the summary from Wikipedia, and if you skip start up at the end of the Susan section.

    I do think 4 was the weakest of the series so far (spending almost an entire book on a flashback felt odd, and the Blaine part at the beginning really should've just been at the end of book 3 instead of that obnoxious cliffhanger ending), so if one got skipped that would've been my vote. I haven't finished the series yet tho so ymmv

    4 votes

  10. Comment on What have you been watching / reading this week? (Anime/Manga) in ~anime

    Chemslayer
    Link
    Nearly done with Mob Psycho 100 manga. While I previously said it was very similar thematically to One Punch Man, and it certainly started that way, it very quickly grows into its own thing, and...

    Nearly done with Mob Psycho 100 manga. While I previously said it was very similar thematically to One Punch Man, and it certainly started that way, it very quickly grows into its own thing, and in my opinion has a lot more "heart"! (Btw I love OPM, but it's mostly silly fun anime trope parodies, Mob Psycho has like morals and such alongside the jokes).

    I am sad that I have Vol 1-15, but Vol 16 (the last one) doesn't release in English until May, ack!

    Also, while it's not going up in the louvre, I think ONE gets unfairly criticized for his artwork. Especially as the series goes on, he pens some legitimately detailed and creative art, and has a great sense of motion and framing.

    1 vote

  11. Comment on Any good sites for e-book bundles besides Humble Bundle? in ~books

    Chemslayer
    Link Parent
    Thank you! I didn't realize Fanatical also did book bundles, I'll definitely keep an eye on them. And thanks for the golden roll tip, I'd never heard of that site but glad to have a place to get...

    Thank you! I didn't realize Fanatical also did book bundles, I'll definitely keep an eye on them. And thanks for the golden roll tip, I'd never heard of that site but glad to have a place to get Saga again! Now I just have to come to terms with the fact that volumes are $16 each, they know what they got ha

    2 votes

  12. Comment on What have you been eating, drinking, and cooking? in ~food

    Chemslayer
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    Gonna share my recipe for Texas Fried Rice, which I've gotten back into eating a lot lately. The backstory is senior year of college I lived with 3 Korean friends, and as a white boy who didn't...

    Gonna share my recipe for Texas Fried Rice, which I've gotten back into eating a lot lately. The backstory is senior year of college I lived with 3 Korean friends, and as a white boy who didn't really experience asian foods very much I was pretty uninformed. One time I walked through the kitchen while one of them was cooking fried rice, and later attempted to make fried rice using only that knowledge for some reason. Later I discovered this is nothing even close to actual fried rice ha, but it's one of my favorite dishes that my inexperienced self makes, especially since it's my creation.

    Ingredients per serving:
    1-1.5 links good sausage (should be meaty. My personal fave is Opa's Jalapeno Cheddar, but this may be very regional. Sorry to California but you don't have any good sausage everyone, moving back to Texas and finally being able to make this again is how the dish got its new name ha).

    1 cup fresh white rice

    Thick pad of butter

    Some frozen mixed veggies (the peas/corn/carrot mix) ~1/2 cup

    Shredded cheese, big handful (I prefer Mexican)

    Instructions:

    Melt butter in pan. Chop sausage into semi-circles, fry in butter until crispy. Meanwhile, microwave frozen veggies 2 mins to mostly thaw them. Add veggies to pan and cook for a little while. Add rice, and use two wooden spoons to thoroughly mix other ingredients in. Sprinkle large handful of cheese on top, mix again to mix cheese into rice, and serve.

    Simple, easy, has rice and vegetables. You can also season, but the sausage and cheese usually adds enough for me.

  13. Comment on Any good sites for e-book bundles besides Humble Bundle? in ~books

    Chemslayer
    Link
    Another random tangent, but does anyone know how to get Saga comic series DRM-free? The only storefront I can find is Google books, but the downloadable DRM-free copies have some pretty severe...

    Another random tangent, but does anyone know how to get Saga comic series DRM-free? The only storefront I can find is Google books, but the downloadable DRM-free copies have some pretty severe formatting issues that require hacky calibre editing. I got vol 1-10 in a humble bundle and those copies were perfect, so I know they exist in the world, but idk where!

    2 votes

  14. Any good sites for e-book bundles besides Humble Bundle?

    ~books Ask (recommendations)
    Hello, I want to pick your brains for recommendations for good, cheap e-book bundles. I buy a lot of my e-books the old fashioned way, one at a time, but Humble Bundle book bundles has scored me a...

    Hello,

    I want to pick your brains for recommendations for good, cheap e-book bundles. I buy a lot of my e-books the old fashioned way, one at a time, but Humble Bundle book bundles has scored me a ton of great reading for cheap, including the entire Wheel of Time series, the entirety of Discworld, lots of Comic and Manga bundles, and such, usually for $18 a bundle which is a crazy discount. I'm very happy with them and will continue to refresh their bundles regularly, but my desire to hoard books is great and I'd love to know if there's any similar sites out there regularly offering those kinds of sales.

    My only strict requirement is said books have to be either DRM-Free or (the very trivially-cracked) Adobe DRM. I'm also looking specifically to purchase books, I know libraries etc are really cool (and also easy to crack) but I get a lot of enjoyment from owning the books I own (and don't feel good about cracking library copies, I don't judge anyone else for doing so but I'm privileged to have the ability to easily afford my books and figure I should do my part, even if my part is heavily discounted ha).

    As an aside, for anyone who doesn't already know, humble bundle normally has at least half a dozen book bundles at any given time, and there's some crazy value on occasion (see above), would highly recommend if you're into ebooks!

    20 votes

  15. Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books

    Chemslayer
    Link Parent
    Curious to hear why you give Moby Dick the #1 spot? I finished it recently myself (via audiobook), and really enjoyed it, including the in-depth tangents into whales and whaling that I have not...

    Curious to hear why you give Moby Dick the #1 spot? I finished it recently myself (via audiobook), and really enjoyed it, including the in-depth tangents into whales and whaling that I have not bothered to verify the accuracy of. I wouldn't put it at my #1, but I do agree it's a great story, and I'd like to hear about what you enjoyed if you're happy to share

    1 vote

  16. Comment on As Hitman 3 turns five years old, we surely have enough hindsight to declare it – this is one of the greatest of all time, right? in ~games

    Chemslayer
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    I absolutely adore Hitman 3, it's a fantastic stealth, assassin, secret puzzle game. The campaign is fun, the alternate missions are great, the rogue like mode is genius, overall one of my...

    I absolutely adore Hitman 3, it's a fantastic stealth, assassin, secret puzzle game. The campaign is fun, the alternate missions are great, the rogue like mode is genius, overall one of my favorite games of all time. The only mar on its otherwise stellar performance is the continued existence of the absurd always-online requirement, I really wish they'd drop that so the game could be perfect (and also properly archived for future generations)

    10 votes

  17. Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games

    Chemslayer
    Link
    Continuing the grind on Rogue Trader and having a lot of fun. I'm nearly done with Chapter 2, based on my quest log. I really enjoy how it's sort of a "Monster-of-the-week" type adventure, there...

    Continuing the grind on Rogue Trader and having a lot of fun. I'm nearly done with Chapter 2, based on my quest log. I really enjoy how it's sort of a "Monster-of-the-week" type adventure, there is a consistent narrative through line but the individual adventures are just classic scifi "show up onto the planet and get caught up in shenanigans". The build variety and power/synergy continues to be a blast, and finding all new ways to make my dudes more and more useful and powerful is so much fun.

    As a small gripe, I don't really enjoy the space naval combat. The mechanics themselves are alright, but it just feels so slow, especially since you only ever get the one ship. I did manage to get a second ship through some specific (and DLC-gated) events, but it's just another NPC that you don't control directly. It also feels much harder to find upgrades and equipment for your ship compared to your party. Overall it's a neat idea but I think could do with some fleshing out (or, if I'm dreaming, the option to skip entirely).

    The writing continues to be great, and very 40k, if you love the setting you'll get a consistent kick from the interactions. There nothing mind-blowing about any of the tropes or twists, but it feels very comfortable and fun as a sci-fi adventure.

    2 votes

  18. Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books

    Chemslayer
    Link
    Working on Book 5 of Stephen King's Dark Tower series. I've really enjoyed the series so far, and I appreciate the serious tone that he keeps in his very serious epic fantasy western. Don't know...

    Working on Book 5 of Stephen King's Dark Tower series. I've really enjoyed the series so far, and I appreciate the serious tone that he keeps in his very serious epic fantasy western. Don't know if I'm sad or relieved that this is the first book in the series that he didn't reprint his "On Being Nineteen" intro (which I read dutifully every time, I figured it was part of the experience ha).

    Spoilers for the first 150 pages of book 5

    Holy shit, I just made the connection between that intro and the fact that the number "19" keeps being foreshadowed heavily as important. Was that a setup this whole time?? I guess I'll find out

    Also read the third Murderbot book, as a short and more fun interlude between serious epic novels.

    mild Murderbot spoilers

    Enjoying seeing Murderbot have to deal more and more with its identity, and having to contend with the fact that you can't just opt out of having agency in your decisions and feelings

    Currently shower-listening, recently wrapped Frankenstein and am now on Paradise Lost (inspired by Frankenstein's description of it ha). The only other time I read Franky was in high school, and I must've had an abridged version, as I didn't remember nearly this many details being included, so I was glad to have the full story. Paradise lost has been fun, and the audiobook I got has short chapter summaries before each chapter, so you can quickly understand what the plot is, and just enjoy the following flowery verse without worrying too much about parsing details

    1 vote

  19. Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books

    Chemslayer
    Link Parent
    I don't know exactly what your humor is, but a short silly recommendation I don't see very often is Starter Villain by John Scalzi. Basically some normal dude inherits his formerly-unknown-uncle's...

    I don't know exactly what your humor is, but a short silly recommendation I don't see very often is Starter Villain by John Scalzi. Basically some normal dude inherits his formerly-unknown-uncle's super-villain organization, and figures out how to manage that. It's not very long (kinda wish it was a little longer tbh) but it's got fun goofs and some actual tension too

    2 votes

  20. Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books

    Chemslayer
    Link Parent
    Sorry if slightly off topic for the thread, but congrats on the switch to ebooks! While regular books still have several advantages, I think e-books are one of the places where the digitization of...

    Sorry if slightly off topic for the thread, but congrats on the switch to ebooks! While regular books still have several advantages, I think e-books are one of the places where the digitization of a thing made it way better in almost every way, especially with an e-reader.

    More on task, how did you get Dungeon Crawler Carl working on your non-kindle device? I've been wanting to read the series, but I don't get my books from Amazon anymore since they keep tightening the noose on DRM. Did you find another digital storefront to get them from, or did you perform some sorcery on Amazon files?

    1 vote