NickyPants'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 Mel Manuel, trans candidate for US House, injected testosterone on camera in a campaign ad in ~lgbt
NickyPants LinkMel is running for office in my district. As the article mentions, even though it's a long-shot for them to win (just look at public backlash to librarians in St. Tammany...), even getting 35% of...Mel is running for office in my district. As the article mentions, even though it's a long-shot for them to win (just look at public backlash to librarians in St. Tammany...), even getting 35% of the vote would be a boon for future candidate prospects. Go Mel!
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Comment on What have you been eating, drinking, and cooking? in ~food
NickyPants LinkUnfortunately a lot of meat. Stomach issues (SIBO for those curious) have left me unable to process anything but meat, which has turned me into a complete carnivore. I've gotten decent at cooking...Unfortunately a lot of meat. Stomach issues (SIBO for those curious) have left me unable to process anything but meat, which has turned me into a complete carnivore. I've gotten decent at cooking a steak on the stove, though, and dared to try thanks to a recent Adam Ragusea's video (YouTube link 10:52). A little oil to start, and flip frequently until tender (around 120F by my thermometer). Only seasonings I can tolerate are acid and salt, so been deglazing with vinegar and pouring over with a hefty pinch of kosher salt.
On antibiotics for the stomach issues, and they appear to be clearing up. Me and my purse are looking forward to making meat a rarity again. Thanks for reading!
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Comment on Why flying insects gather at artificial light in ~science
NickyPants LinkThat's a pretty awesome proof. The most common justification given in my entomology classes just a few years ago had to do with celestial navigation interference. Either way, completing our insect...That's a pretty awesome proof. The most common justification given in my entomology classes just a few years ago had to do with celestial navigation interference. Either way, completing our insect collections would have been significantly harder without a black-light and white sheet. Cool to know a solid justification for why.
Metaphor: Re Fantazio
If you ever wanted to play Persona without the trappings of modern-day Japanese high school, this is your game. It's 98% Persona, but considering the fantasy setting, this might reach a wider (or at least less familiar) audience, so I'll expand more than I normally would. I hope it's a success, because it's pretty good so far.
The story is complicated, but generally about the struggles of democracy, public unrest/anxiety, tyranny, and escaping into a fantasy world. A little ham-handed at times given the last decade of politics, but the smaller stories your party members (aka social links) are involved in range from good to amazing. As a relatively recent parent, many heartstrings were effectively tugged in more than one storyline.
The voice acting is great across the board, with one of your later companions absolutely stealing the show. It's a shame that more than half of the lines aren't spoken, and are replaced by small snippets conveying the idea of the text, which you just have to read (i.e. "What are you talking about?!" in text is spoken as "Huh?"). Standard fare for Persona, but disappointing. The main antagonist is similarly well written and voiced.
As in Persona, you'll be a social butterfly and will pursue plenty of self-growth between missions. How you develop as a character and as a party directly effects other elements of the game, most notably combat. The turn-based battles hearken back to simpler RPG combat, but with plenty of nuance (weaknesses triggering additional turns, combo-attacks at the expense of extra turns, any character can be anything ala FF5). I'm about 80 hours in and just started what's presumably the final dungeon. None of the dungeons have felt particularly laborious, but I'm always itching to complete them so I can get back to the interstitial stories and character development between major set-pieces.
One of my favorite aspects of the Persona series is getting to live vicariously in (a heavily fictionalized) Japan, so I have mixed feelings on the setting. The story’s alright and the setting’s alright but they feel quite cliché fantasy, which is a bit less interesting to me than modern-day Japan. Not a knock, I’m glad to play Persona in another skin, but it seems like they chose something pretty generic this time around.
I’m sure there are a handful more twists and turns to come, even being in the final dungeon. I’m eager to level up my party and use their most broken skills, the combat is a highlight for sure. I’m also excited to see how individual story-lines wrap up, less-so the overarching narrative.
Do you like Persona or old-school RPG turn-based combat? Play this game!