Inanimate's recent activity
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
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Comment on The Nintendo Switch 2 is the fastest-selling gaming hardware in US history in ~games
Inanimate Link ParentYeah, I was surprised when I found out my best friend didn't have a TV after she moved into her new apartment. She's been talking about getting one, but she's lived there for more than half a year...A lot of people, especially young adults, don't even have TVs. Not out of financial burden necessarily, but space and need. If you've grown up watching netflix and youtube and whatnot, what use is a TV? Just use your phone or laptop.
Yeah, I was surprised when I found out my best friend didn't have a TV after she moved into her new apartment. She's been talking about getting one, but she's lived there for more than half a year now, and still hasn't gotten one. She has a Switch Lite, but as you say, she actually rarely plays the Switch Lite on the go as far as I can tell - she just plays it on her couch, in her bedroom, etc... With that and her laptop, she never felt the need for a television before. She's only considering one now because she wants to host people at her apartment now, and feels like a TV would be useful for that.
Even going back to handhelds such as the Game Boy and DS series, I would guess that most of my time spent playing them was indeed at home. They were definitely more conveniently portable than a Switch or Steam Deck, but there wasn't a strict delineation in my mind between "you play console in the house, and handheld when on the go".
Anecdotally, I know many young adults with young children enjoy having a Switch because it makes it very easy to entertain multiple people at once. Another important thing to remember is that the Switch and Switch 2 come with two controllers if you split the Joy-Cons, which is way more convenient than any prior Nintendo console, and is another point in its favor for this use-case.
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Comment on The Nintendo Switch 2 is the fastest-selling gaming hardware in US history in ~games
Inanimate Link ParentI, at least, am very much enjoying my machine that lets me receive my regular auditory dose of OH BANANA.I, at least, am very much enjoying my machine that lets me receive my regular auditory dose of OH BANANA.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Inanimate Link ParentIt's truly a wonderful game! I noticed the same, that it's only very lightly a platformer, and much more of a destructible sandbox. It makes for an interesting and novel experience, and there's...It's truly a wonderful game! I noticed the same, that it's only very lightly a platformer, and much more of a destructible sandbox. It makes for an interesting and novel experience, and there's just a general spirit of creativity throughout the entire game. So many of the enemies and environments in the game really add to the 'playground' feel, and it's clear that the developers must have had so much fun brainstorming ways to interact with the game's destructibility and emphasis on environmental interactions. (Trying to be vague to avoid spoilers, because when you see each of these things for the first time, it's such a delight!)
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Comment on ‘Legend of Zelda’ live-action movie casts Bo Bragason and Benjamin Evan Ainsworth as Zelda and Link in ~movies
Inanimate (edited )LinkI have high hopes for this movie, and I'm really hoping it captures the fun vibes of some of the 80s and 90s fantasy classics - Willow, Dark Crystal, Neverending Story, etc... What I'm curious...I have high hopes for this movie, and I'm really hoping it captures the fun vibes of some of the 80s and 90s fantasy classics - Willow, Dark Crystal, Neverending Story, etc...
What I'm curious about is that the Zelda series, nowadays, has so much breadth to it. So much of each of the games is about traveling to a wide variety of locales, each with their own peoples facing their own problems, and tackling dungeons to collect something necessary to defeat or seal Ganon (or whatever). To me, it feels quite tough to condense this into a movie of reasonable length! Not that it can't be done, of course, but it feels almost like a lost art nowadays, with so many long-form TV series rather than films being done for adaptations recently. I'm excited to see it done as a more cinematic experience, with grandeur.
It's also going to be interesting to see what Nintendo and the writers of the film decide to prioritize as the most 'essential' elements of the Legend of Zelda. Zoras, Gorons, Gerudos, the Great Deku Tree, the Lost Woods, Death Mountain, etc... will they all make an appearance? Only some of them? If so, which? It'll be cool to see what Nintendo thinks is most important to put into the first film presenting Zelda to a larger audience.
EDIT: Just realized that they might also go with a Lord of the Rings style trilogy, which would be AMAZING.
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Comment on ‘Legend of Zelda’ live-action movie casts Bo Bragason and Benjamin Evan Ainsworth as Zelda and Link in ~movies
Inanimate Link ParentAgreed, it'd be really cool if a part of Link's character is that he doesn't talk much. I'm okay with him talking sometimes - he does in the games as well, usually through dialogue choices, and as...Agreed, it'd be really cool if a part of Link's character is that he doesn't talk much. I'm okay with him talking sometimes - he does in the games as well, usually through dialogue choices, and as mentioned in Zelda's journals and whatnot - but it'd be nice if they gave a nod to his role as a silent protagonist by having him talk relatively infrequently, even rarely, throughout the movie.
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Comment on ‘Legend of Zelda’ live-action movie casts Bo Bragason and Benjamin Evan Ainsworth as Zelda and Link in ~movies
Inanimate Link ParentI'd be surprised if they adapted Ocarina of Time, that'd require adult roles as well, and I feel like its plot is relatively complicated to convey in a movie. I'm expecting it to be a very loose...I'd be surprised if they adapted Ocarina of Time, that'd require adult roles as well, and I feel like its plot is relatively complicated to convey in a movie. I'm expecting it to be a very loose and spiritual adaptation, in which case I think they'd primarily take inspiration from the original for NES for its plot structure and choice of dungeons and whatnot, but incorporating any major elements introduced in later games if they can.
If they were to adapt a game more closely, I think ALTTP would the best choice. It has a robust enough story and worldbuilding to be adapted into a movie, without too much that it would be difficult to squeeze it into a movie (which I think would be the case with many of the later games).
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Comment on ‘Legend of Zelda’ live-action movie casts Bo Bragason and Benjamin Evan Ainsworth as Zelda and Link in ~movies
Inanimate Link ParentAbsolutely, and it seems to almost be canon at this point that Link can be a bit goofy and eccentric. There's plenty of silly dialogue options you can pick, and Zelda mentions a couple times in...Absolutely, and it seems to almost be canon at this point that Link can be a bit goofy and eccentric. There's plenty of silly dialogue options you can pick, and Zelda mentions a couple times in her journal entries how Link can be quite eccentric. (Usually just as a joke about gameplay mechanics and whatnot, but it still seems to be a part of his character.)
I do still think that Link is relatively quiet and reserved, though. I might be wrong, but I swear I remember Zelda mentioning this a few times in her journal entries as well. It'd be cool if they made it so that he talks little, but when he does it's either something significant, something silly, or something heartfelt to Zelda. : )
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Comment on ‘Legend of Zelda’ live-action movie casts Bo Bragason and Benjamin Evan Ainsworth as Zelda and Link in ~movies
Inanimate Link ParentI'd like it if they incorporated that into Link's character, rather than entirely ignoring it. I may be wrong about this, but I feel like I remember in BOTW and TOTK that in Zelda's journal...I'd like it if they incorporated that into Link's character, rather than entirely ignoring it.
I may be wrong about this, but I feel like I remember in BOTW and TOTK that in Zelda's journal entries and whatnot, she notes that Link can speak, but he does so pretty infrequently. So it'd be cool if they leaned into that, with Link as a nontraditional protagonist that is relatively taciturn. Again, not entirely silent or anything, but just one who speaks a lot less than the average protagonist. Perhaps Link is shy and soft-spoken, or he's taciturn and struggles to convey and communicate his thoughts and feelings. Either way, I think that'd be fun and interesting, and could be used in a lot of different ways to show why Link embodies courage.
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Comment on Playtiles: The pocket-sized gaming platform in ~games
Inanimate LinkThis seems really cool! It's pretty tempting to jump in and at least give it a shot, especially for this price... I like the idea of it, at the very least. I hope that the games are more GBC...This seems really cool! It's pretty tempting to jump in and at least give it a shot, especially for this price... I like the idea of it, at the very least. I hope that the games are more GBC styled than GB styled, though - I am a sucker for the GBC aesthetic, but very much not a fan of the GB aesthetic.
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Comment on Disney reportedly planning full reboot of the Indiana Jones franchise in ~movies
Inanimate Link Parent“Nazis doing secret occult stuff” isn’t unique or specific to Indiana Jones though, unlike e.g. Jedi to Star Wars or Klingons to Star Trek. Nazis are a part of actual history and really did have...“Nazis doing secret occult stuff” isn’t unique or specific to Indiana Jones though, unlike e.g. Jedi to Star Wars or Klingons to Star Trek. Nazis are a part of actual history and really did have an interest in the occult (even if Biblical lasers weren’t real, haha)
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Comment on Disney reportedly planning full reboot of the Indiana Jones franchise in ~movies
Inanimate (edited )LinkI'd be so excited about a new franchise inspired by Indiana Jones, done well with quality and passion... but rebooting it just seems utterly pointless. My thinking is thus: What is so specific to...I'd be so excited about a new franchise inspired by Indiana Jones, done well with quality and passion... but rebooting it just seems utterly pointless. My thinking is thus:
What is so specific to Indiana Jones that it's worth rebooting? Star Wars, Star Trek, those have established, unique universes. Trying to create a 'spiritual successor' to any of those is very difficult, as the elements that people really enjoy about them are quite specific to their worlds, and it's much easier to screw up in taking inspiration from them and produce something that only feels derivative, not original. So I can understand and sympathize with companies persevering in trying to reboot those series. I might not like most of what they put out, but when they do make something great (such as Skeleton Crew), it's truly wonderful, because it really is difficult to capture the magic of that franchise's idiosyncrasies anywhere else.
But Indiana Jones is literally just historical fiction, inspired by real-world mythologies and events. Indiana Jones himself is very cool and swaggering and all, but is his hat and whip really that important to what made the movies so appealing? I wouldn't say so... Indy is cool and all, but that's not what I really like most about the movies, and I bet most people would probably agree with that? Besides, just sticking the hat and whip on a new actor is not going to recapture Harrison Ford's charisma anyway, so what's the point?
To be clear, that's rhetorical... I know the point is that when people see the name 'Indiana Jones', they theoretically know exactly what to expect. But given that the last two Indiana Jones were failures with audiences, one would think the name 'Indiana Jones' to be an active detriment at this point, especially with the inherent skepticism that will come with a reboot... And again, the premise of Indiana Jones is not that out there. To me, it seems pretty easy to convey "it's like Indiana Jones: a historical-fiction globe-trotting archaeology-adventure" in a trailer or poster. Uncharted did that just fine, after all.
But still, I'm tentatively hopeful. If they focus on just making a good movie without needing to feel beholden to the 'legacy' of Indiana Jones or whatever, that'd be great. If I can watch it and mentally redact it to be called "Montana Smith", renaming the main character "Monty", and it comes out just fine, then great! I'm all for that. I just fear that starting from the premise of a reboot will inherently saddle it with the expectations of a 'legacy', referential writing, fanservices, easter eggs, etc...
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Comment on Midweek Movie Free Talk in ~movies
Inanimate Link ParentI’m pleasantly surprised to hear it’s good! It looked fun from the trailers but I was still worried given how bad the other Jurassic World movies have been. Will have to check it out!I’m pleasantly surprised to hear it’s good! It looked fun from the trailers but I was still worried given how bad the other Jurassic World movies have been. Will have to check it out!
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Inanimate LinkI've been playing RAIDOU Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army! It's an action-RPG take on the 'Shin Megami Tensei' series. For those unfamiliar, SMT is an RPG series about taming 'demons'...I've been playing RAIDOU Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army!
It's an action-RPG take on the 'Shin Megami Tensei' series. For those unfamiliar, SMT is an RPG series about taming 'demons' - which is a broader label including gods, deities, yokai, cryptids, and many other mythological identities - as well as fusing them to make new demons, and fighting alongside them in battles.
The Raidou series is different in that, unlike SMT and Persona, it's not turn-based, but instead, fully an action-RPG. Battles take place in a small arena, where (in this game) you fight alongside two summoned demons. Raidou himself has a variety of combat skills, so he can strike the various elemental weaknesses of enemies or take on a more supportive role. The action-RPG gameplay is executed extremely well, and from what I've heard, the remaster improves IMMENSELY on the original game. Raidou has a lot of fun options in his toolkit, and it just feels extremely satisfying building up combos, timing perfect dodges, and so on. There are three branches of weapon you can equip (sword-type, spear-type, axe-type), and they each have their own unique feel in combat. The demons you summon handle themselves, and their AI seems quite good. But you can always pause the game and issue commands directly if you feel the need to.
Plot-wise, it's really fun! Set in the year 'Taisho 20' of the Japanese calendar (1931, in Julian) the titular Raidou Kuzunoha XIV is the latest in a line of Devil Summoners charged by the organization Yatagarasu to defend Japan's capital, Tokyo, against supernatural threats. Assigned to work under Narumi, a private detective who specializes in cases involving demons, the two of them become embroiled in a national conspiracy when they investigate the kidnapping of a young woman.
The historic fiction is great fun, and reminds me of the Shadow Hearts series, which I also really enjoyed. Unlike the globe-trotting in Shadow Hearts, though, it's solely focused on Tokyo. The plot focuses on the conflicts and stresses caused by the modernization of Japan, which is quite interesting to learn about. But it's also a very goofy and fun adventure, channeling period pulp two-fisted tales. In the cutscene that kicks off after the 1st 'episode' of the game, you get a glimpse of what is to come, which includes naval destroyers that transform into giant robots, a magitech death-beam satellite, Rasputin, and more. LOVE IT.
For anyone looking for a fun action-RPG experience, who likes collecting and leveling up and fusing monsters, I can't recommend the game enough! Really hoping they remaster the second game to this level of quality as well, and heck, that we get a NEW Raidou as well, which would be a dream come true!
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Inanimate Link ParentI’m glad to hear good things about it!! Will have to listen to the episode. This game has always piqued my interest but I just wasn’t sure if it had been executed well.I’m glad to hear good things about it!! Will have to listen to the episode. This game has always piqued my interest but I just wasn’t sure if it had been executed well.
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Comment on SEL thread: Teachers, how did your school year go? (Optional sentence stems in the comments) in ~talk
Inanimate Link ParentYeah, my wife was absolutely disbelieving my first two years of teaching when I came home exhausted pretty much every day for the first month of school. But eventually - as she got promoted at her...Yeah, my wife was absolutely disbelieving my first two years of teaching when I came home exhausted pretty much every day for the first month of school. But eventually - as she got promoted at her own job, and ended up in teaching-adjacent positions for a while - she realized that I was being 100% serious about how mentally exhausting it was.
I had a colleague who put it very well: You get used to being able to relax and unwind for the summer, and then when you get back to work, you're suddenly required to "always be on". You put it perfectly with those two analogies.
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Comment on SEL thread: Teachers, how did your school year go? (Optional sentence stems in the comments) in ~talk
Inanimate (edited )Link ParentThank you for the kind words and advice. Yeah, I've gotten used to having to adjust to different classes, curriculums, etc... over the years. I like to think I'm pretty good about not being too...Thank you for the kind words and advice.
Yeah, I've gotten used to having to adjust to different classes, curriculums, etc... over the years. I like to think I'm pretty good about not being too attached to my job, or any particular subject. Honors was different though, but you're right, it's good to learn to let go. It was a great opportunity while I had it.
On the note of 'letting go', ironically, earlier this year I had actually began to consider moving schools. Our school's previous principal was... not great, and the culture and discipline were on an extremely bad negative trend. And my best friend's new school was great, comparatively, and she was really hoping we'd get a chance to work together again. But we'd just gotten a new principal, who was immediately addressing all of our concerns, and it was literally the week that I told myself, "You know what, I want to stay here!" that I was told "You're not staying here". Which sucked. I can manage change, but I'd like to have managed it on my terms, you know?
The really annoying thing about all this isn't that I'm being moved: it's that the district has been flagrantly violating the contract. I was supposed to be informed weeks before the June 1st deadline about my rebalancing, and by June 1st they're legally required to tell me my new position, at which school, and what I'm teaching... and they didn't do any of that. The union seems to be pretty toothless in actually doing anything about it. They've told me they're doing negotiations, escalating a grievance, etc... but what does that actually do for me, you know? The most recent update I got from them was basically just "Well, it sucks but what can you do? You'll hopefully find out your new position before August." So it sounds like there's no consequences for the district failing to meet their deadlines and whatnot? Like, I'm ready to roll with whatever, but it'd just be reassuring to know what that whatever is.
Anyway... I've been leaning towards venting in these posts, but just to reassure anyone else reading: I'm doing alright. Unlike a lot of my friends, I'm guaranteed a full-time job next year, which is great. My best friend has taught at 4 districts in 4 years, and it's been an uphill battle to get hired each time, even though she's literally the best teacher I've ever seen. My other closest colleague was screwed over by the district and is working part-time at three jobs now. Compared to those circumstances, I know I'm very lucky, and that really helps. I've got a great summer to look forward to, I love teaching, and the rest of the past year was wonderful. My classes this year were filled with some of my favorite students I've ever had, and while potentially leaving is hard, the outpouring of appreciation from my students and colleagues was really touching. And wherever I end up, I'm excited to experience a new school, potentially teach new subjects, and keep expanding my horizons and learn from new perspectives.
But gosh, does it feel good to let loose and rage about it a little, lol!
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Comment on SEL thread: Teachers, how did your school year go? (Optional sentence stems in the comments) in ~talk
Inanimate Link ParentOne funny thing I overheard that comes to mind: Some of my repeat-students were talking amongst themselves about what I'd be in a medieval alternate universe. Some of them were arguing I'd be a...One funny thing I overheard that comes to mind:
Some of my repeat-students were talking amongst themselves about what I'd be in a medieval alternate universe. Some of them were arguing I'd be a wizard in a tower; others said I'd be a merchant; then they all compromised and agreed I'd be a scam-artist of some kind, peddling snake oil and the like. That was pretty great.I feel like I saw/heard funnier this year, but they're not coming back to me at the moment.
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Comment on SEL thread: Teachers, how did your school year go? (Optional sentence stems in the comments) in ~talk
Inanimate (edited )LinkIt was a tough school year. Lots of wonderful moments, lots of struggle, and ultimately a really rough end to the year. Last year, we lost a lot of our youngest, brightest, and most passionate...- Exemplary
It was a tough school year. Lots of wonderful moments, lots of struggle, and ultimately a really rough end to the year.
Last year, we lost a lot of our youngest, brightest, and most passionate teachers, including two of my closest colleagues, one of them a best friend of mine. Coming into the school year, pretty much every teacher was overloaded or given way more preps than usual. Suffice to say, morale was pretty low.
I was excited to be teaching two Honors classes (Algebra II and Geometry), but it was a constant struggle throughout the year to stay on top of my lesson planning, grading, etc... I've made it a policy of mine to never work outside my contract hours, but this was the first year - ever - that I had to do work over the weekend in order to just stay float, let alone get meaningfully on top of anything. Many of my students that I'd had in previous years noticed pretty quickly that this year was different, as more typos and mistakes were sneaking into my assignments, tests, and lessons. But they were understanding and patient, which was appreciated...
Then, about a month before the end of the school year, I was informed that I was going to be 'rebalanced' - assigned to a different school. Too many students had signed up for alternative CTE math classes, so there weren't enough math classes, and I was going to be cut as the most junior teacher of my math department. We'd just hired two CTE teachers, but they weren't math, they were CTE... so they didn't get cut, even though they only taught these CTE-math classes.
The deadline to notify me of my re-assignment passed nearly a month ago, at this point... and I still have no idea where I'm going to be placed. Which is extremely annoying, as even though I don't intend on doing any planning over the summer, I'd at least like to know where and what I'm going to be doing. And if they assign me to a middle-school, I'll have to take some self-defense classes over the summer. (The horror stories I've heard... at least two separate incidents of middle-school teachers in our district being choked-out by students.)
It was also very frustrating to have to tell my students I wouldn't be back next year, and not even be able to reassure them with where I was going to end up. Worse, I'm a club advisor, and the head of multiple committees at my school, so I had to juggle preparing for finals with scrambling to find a replacement advisor for my club and pass the reins for the committees as well.
My students took the news hard. Many of them were still reeling from having lost a lot of their favorite teachers last year, and they were made even more upset that I was going to be leaving as well. Some of my students I've had before, and who were in my club, put together a wonderful going-away present for me: a massive, custom-order donut with my face on it. (They know I love donuts.) It was - literally - the sweetest gift that students have ever gotten for me.
It was a really hard year, but I did love what I taught this year. I've been working hard to improve my Honors Geometry curriculum and sequence, and it paid off this year wonderfully. And while my Honors Algebra II class was shaky - I hadn't taught it before - I had a lot of fun teaching it, and my students seemed to really enjoy it by the end. I've also taught only freshmen for years, so it was really great to get to teach upperclassmen, many of which I'd had before as freshmen, and be able to connect more with the students.
It was so exhausting, though, knowing that all of the work I put into these courses, under the expectation I'd be teaching it again next year, may have gone to waste. It also made the end of the year incredibly emotionally draining, even more so than usual. Normally, you get these nice, bright spots in between the struggles of ending the year... but my rebalancing cast a bittersweet light on everything, and it made any work I was putting into lesson-planning or designing assignments feel absolutely futile.
My colleagues at my current school are also wonderful. Many of them are good friends, and compared to any other school I've taught at, the math department at my school is absolutely the best. Not only do we work well together professionally, but they're just kind, honest, open people, and there's a real sense of community and camaraderie amongst all the staff that you don't often see. I'm nervous and anxious about having to move to a new school again, get to know new colleagues, and so on...
Here's hoping my district can't find somewhere else to put me, and just gives up and sends me right back to my current school. And thanks for the post, it's nice to be able to vent about this... now I'm curious how many other teachers we have on Tildes.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Inanimate Link ParentYeah, I liked my time with the demo well enough, but the NPCs just felt very lifeless and lacked any charm. Likewise, the boss fight I got in the demo did not seem very fun. The core gameplay was...Yeah, I liked my time with the demo well enough, but the NPCs just felt very lifeless and lacked any charm. Likewise, the boss fight I got in the demo did not seem very fun. The core gameplay was intriguing, so maybe I'll have to try giving it another go!
Unfortunately, I doubt they'll do that... it's pretty much designed around being an auto-battler at the moment, and auto-battle games are pretty popular now, a burgeoning genre of their own, really. I do hope that they add more interesting decisions to be made when it comes to the out-of-battle experience, though, and more exciting possibilities in the battles themselves. More synergies, more surprise upsets, more modifiers, etc...
I know it probably goes against the appeal of an auto-battler for some people, but if you're playing an auto-battler and you can calculate with 100% certainty going into a battle if you're going to win or lose, what's really the point? Critical hits, bonuses with a percentage chance, etc. are nice for making it so you can calculate the minimum guaranteed victory, but still potentially come out of a scrap more on top than you thought, if that makes sense.
I agree that it seemed light on content, but as a proof of concept, it was quite appealing.