PancakeCats's recent activity
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Comment on The great Tildes Archipelago multiworld randomizer! Interest thread! in ~games
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
PancakeCats Link ParentYakuza comparisons and inventory management is an instant pull for me, and the game seems super interesting. Thanks for the rec, will hopefully pick it up soon.Yakuza comparisons and inventory management is an instant pull for me, and the game seems super interesting. Thanks for the rec, will hopefully pick it up soon.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
PancakeCats Link ParentI too havent had much of a toxic experience in the few games I have played without a preordained group. Generally I am pretty lucky with online games though, I never run into much toxicity in most...I too havent had much of a toxic experience in the few games I have played without a preordained group. Generally I am pretty lucky with online games though, I never run into much toxicity in most multiplayer games I put time into. They definitely got more generous woth the grind for gear, so agree on it being an improvement.
The monetization isnt awful either you're right, but often the presence of it can feel a little gross. I know its a necessary evil in some aspects of keeping an online game going and updated. It also helps that content expansions are free instead of gated by money, so it doesnt segment a playerbase or reduce access to those with less disposable income. Still though, knowing its always there and the game is designed to encourage more spending always feels a little gross.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
PancakeCats Link ParentWell we have three of us, so i grow and harvest, one of us mixes and packs, and one of us deals. It definitely speeds up the process. But the automation comes from talking to the fella upstairs in...Well we have three of us, so i grow and harvest, one of us mixes and packs, and one of us deals. It definitely speeds up the process. But the automation comes from talking to the fella upstairs in the Night Market. The game eventually directs you there, but if you go to the warehouse behind the pawn shop after 6pm, you can get some more illicit goods as well as hire employees.
There a couple different types that have different tasks split amongst them, increasing in price as you move up the job types. A cleaner for trash, someone who just moves things from point A to point B and packs for you, an herbalist who will do a lot of the basic weed process for you, and a chemist who will do mixing as well as later game drug production from the sounds of it. They all have a sign on cost, and then need to be paid daily to work, the highest being the chemist at 300 cash a day. You can seemingly get granular with the automation for them, my buddy was the one doing it but you can assign them shelves and workstations and they'll just do their thing. Combine that with the dealers and theoretically you can just automate the entire business from top to bottom, only needing to collect the profit and pay your employess.
They do have drawbacks though. Obviously the startup cost here is going to be steep, so you need significant capital already, and dealers take a 20% cut and the employees eat into your revenue as well, so its something we have been putting a lot of money away for. They also need a bed to sleep at on site, which makes space limitations even more challenging. And on top of that, they are just slower than you by default, at the trade off of keeping things moving while you progress further in the game. But if you are playing solo, maybe getting someone to help you pack might be worth it, and relying on dealers more to move product while you keep producing. Or vice versa, the game is kind of freeform on what it lets you do as you scale up which i really appreciate.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
PancakeCats Link ParentSchedule 1 really surprised me. I initially wrote it off as another boring simulator game, but after hearing so mych good press about it, i convinced a friend to pick it up with me. the loop is...Schedule 1 really surprised me. I initially wrote it off as another boring simulator game, but after hearing so mych good press about it, i convinced a friend to pick it up with me. the loop is very enjoyable and involved, and you are actually doing everything, its not abstracted by a menu like most sim games i see. It's really a blast with friends and there are lots of fun little systems to find in game finding the clothes and tattoo shop led to some fun moments and decent personalization. We have been weed maxxing in game, we have a really good setup to divy up labor and keep things from getting too overwhelming. Next time we play we are gonna try and get that almost fully automated and move to the next drug up. Definitely up there as one of the best surprises of the year so far.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
PancakeCats LinkLately the game I keep coming back to and putting a lot of time in is Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix. I played the original PS2 release of the game quite a bit as a kid, beating the game multiple...Lately the game I keep coming back to and putting a lot of time in is Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix. I played the original PS2 release of the game quite a bit as a kid, beating the game multiple times. It was flashy and fun and the combat didnt take any real thought or effort, and it was fun to play games in disney movies i liked and hang with sora donald and goofy. After a recent ish replay of the original Kingdom Hearts, which i really fell in love with after finally learning the RPG systems i kind of ignored as a kid, im finally getting around to replaying the second, specifically on the Steam Deck. The one crucial difference of this replay and the whole reason im making this post, is that I decided to play through the game on Critical Mode.
For those unaware, Critical Mode is a new difficulty added in the Final Mix version of the game. Its positioned by the game as the hardest difficulty, handicapping your health by quite a lot, making enemies hit harder, and changing some movesets that bosses will throw at you. The juicy bit however, is that it ups your damage to compensate, and gives you a higher starting AP (ability points you allot to abilities that change how Sora plays) and a slew of attack and mobility abilities right at the start that really lets you hit the ground running. Instead of being slow and weak, you are a force to be reckoned with right off the bat, fast and agile. If you know the combo system well, you can shred bosses really fast and finish enemy encounters quick. The enemies hit hard though, and you have so little health its often just one or two hits until you are down for the count. This results in high intensity combat where mistakes are often fatal but rewards skill with satisfying lethality. You are forced to block or really focus on dodging to stay out of harms way, which is something bordernline unnecessary on standard. You have to be agressive but act with intent, keep your combo's flowing but know when to pull out. It makes the combat so engaging and forces you to actually earn it, while reaction commands become a powerful boon to be used carefully as some can leave you open and lead to a quick demise. Parrying is actually useful and can be game changing. All of these mechanics were fine to good on other difficulties, but it really feels like Critical gives you a reason and need to engage with them.
It has been a lot fun to fully engage with a childhood classic in a new light. It also helps i tend to really enjoy high lethality difficulties in games and for the most part dont get too frustrated with repeat deaths. I really love when game devs add things like this, difficulties or modes that significantly change the experience and let you see the game in new eyes.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
PancakeCats Link ParentAgree on the story. The game feels caught between wanting to be a live service coop shooter and wanting to be an interesting story in the 40k setting. I dont think it threads it very well though....Agree on the story. The game feels caught between wanting to be a live service coop shooter and wanting to be an interesting story in the 40k setting. I dont think it threads it very well though. I do appreciate the character creation and feel like it does a fairly good job at getting you invested in the immediate experience, especially with the different voices and personalities you can select. My Ogryn, Nork, is such a freak and i really love him, but long term i just dont really care when most interactions with npcs are glorified menus.
Gameplay is kind of a similar story, the moment to moment is great, but the overarching systems dont really grab me. I often err on the side of annoyance rather than enjoyment in gear based systems like this, where there are so many different resources and dozens of drops with mostly negligible differences unless you really really invest into them. They did a good job at making the skill investments more meaningful after a recent update, but the gear system is still lacking to me. Often with randomized gear like this, i find that the lack of intentionality damages the experience for me. I dont care about the weapons or gear im getting, and that makes it hard to care about the game in turn.
That said, mid mission fighting Chaos and its followers, boy does the game sing. Fatshark has really mastered the first person melee/ranged hybrid combat, the weight of your attacks feel so heavy and impactful, and the slight tactical control of your swings based on movement keeps it from just being a button masher. The different weapon types also do feel varied enough to be interesting as well, so points there. All in all a very conflicted experience.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
PancakeCats LinkBeen playing through Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice again, after having gotten all the way to the final boss before taking a short break for 5 years. After shaking off a little of the rust, i have been...Been playing through Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice again, after having gotten all the way to the final boss before taking a short break for 5 years. After shaking off a little of the rust, i have been moving through this game like an unstoppable force. As a longtime Souls player, the first time i played Sekiro was probably tens of hours of trying to untrain dodge rolling as my instinct and learning to parry instead, which i remember being supremely frustrating. But when it clicks oh boy does it click. The parrying is generous enough but when you get a proper deflect, the sound is so satisfying and clean, and then when you really get into a flow state with the boss/enemy it really is a high all of its own. A lot people compare Sekiro to a rhythm game which defenitely has merit, as a lot of the boss fights feel like a dance, a back and forth between you and your opponent until one of you makes a fatal slip. After learning a boss, you start to instinctively feel out the patterns and upcoming keypresses in your song, leading to an intense exchange that feels choreographed. Few other games can make you consistently feel like you are in a choreographed anime swordfight quite like this one does.
Its also been REALLY satisfying to trounce on these early bosses that took me hours my first time around. Lady Butterfly on my third attempt, and Genichiro i was able to learn and conquer in an evening instead a week. Most recently, after struggling a bit with No. 1 on my hit list, the Guardian Ape, i proceeded to go further down and take on the follow up 2 on 1 Ape Battle on my first try. Believe me when i tell i have not experienced natural highs of that caliber in a long time. FromSoft games tend to have themes of Determination and Perseverance in the face of overwhelming adversity, and i think Sekiro exemplifies that well in both story and gameplay, which resonates a lot with me as an American staring down an uncertain and dark future.
It also looks and plays very well on the Steam Deck, which alongside playing GTAIV on there, were the first games to really make me feel like i was living in the future my kid self wanted, to play amazing console games in a handheld form factor. Playing a good looking console GTA game on a handheld was truly a trip, even if it is from 2008, but a face paced game like Sekiro from 2019 is more impressive.
On the other end of the gaming spectrum, I have been playing Caves of Qud, an RPG Roguelike that plays almost like a bespoke dwarf fortress adventure mode, or an old Brogue/Nethack Style game but with an interesting setting and expansive world map full of mutated monstrosities. The character building mainly comes in the form of Mutations which drastically change how you play. Physical mutations like Wings that let you fly in the air to avoid some melee attacks and travel the overworld more efficiently, but cant be used underground where most of the major dungeons are. Carapace that replaces your body armor slot with a turtle shell or other natural armor, in which you can hunker down to raise your armor value and with enough investment can be on par with some of the best armor in the game, at the cost of useful secondary effects. Burrowing claws that let you have natural claw weapons which scale with your strength stat and let you burrow through terrain and walls. And then there are mental mutations like Clairvoyance that lets you see through walls and hidden enemies nearby, sunder mind which makes targets head explode, mental mirror to raise your own mental defences and reflect a mental attack back at the sender.
Its a lot fun to spin up a build and see what works, and though i havent really left the starting biome yet, i have already found a lot of interesting locales and mutants to keep me interested. The writing is also alien and poetic, really provocative but economical with its word count, which is a really impressive feat to pull off in a game with such a colossal scale where just about everything you can look at has a unique description. Truly a triump in fictional writing in an expansive interactive medium such as this.
And suprisingly enough this game also plays great on the deck, due to the devs implementing some masterful controller support. Its a little complicated at first, though even off the bat its leagues better than other controller implementations in games of similar complexity i have tried in the past. But once you get it internalized, it becomes very comfortable, to the point that im almost starting to prefer it to KB+M. A lot of the keybinds are spread out and harder to remember on KB+M, but on controller, its often just a variation of one of the triggers and a face button. And the menus just feel better to navigate with stick than the arrow keys, as an arrow keys hater (mainly just for when its replacing wasd as a form of movement both character and menu based.)
Finally Nubby's Number Factory. The game is a Balatro-esque plinko roguelike where you shoot our leading lad Nubby at a bunch of numbered pegs which when hit give you their score towards a round goal you have to clear, and bounce Nubby rapidly. Hitting a peg will also halve it down to one where it will then pop and Nubby will pass through and if he falls through the bottom of the stage, he dies. Clearing a round goal gives you a gold and restocks your board, adding new pegs and doubling the ones you have left, as well as giving you a life, and these stack if you clear the goal multiple times over. The balatro part comes in the form of perks and items you get/buy that interact with and manipulate all these mechanics. A finger puppet that every time nubby bounces, adds a score equal to the number of times nubby has bounced that round. Kazoo which will double a random peg every 1.5 seconds. A sea cucumber which when nubby dies will give points equal to the total number of pegs popped that round for each empty space on the board. There are tons more items that all play off similar effects, as well perks that will force trigger items in specific slots at specific times. There are also black market items that are rarer to find but substantially more powerful, like King Baby who turns the lowest value peg into the highest peg every 1.5 seconds or a pregnancy test that on the first peg hit will spawn a copy of nubby. These items cant be force triggered, but can be upgraded like the normal items to get more powerful affects. So all the systemic fun is there and satisfying, but then its wrapped in this late 90s claymation/flash game aesthetic, with a truly juicy soundtrack that brings to mind vaporwave and operating system beats. Its a really good time and only 4.99, and as is the theme for this post plays great on the deck. Trackpad works wonderfully for the aiming and cursor interactions, and the form factor turns it into feeling like a random DS cartridge you found in a bin that turned out to be a true gem.
I also recently picked up the Kingdom Hearts Integrum Masterpiece and Art of Rally on the steam sale, so i plan to start playing through those after i wrap up some other loose ends.
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Comment on What have you been listening to this week? in ~music
PancakeCats LinkFlipturn's Lastest Album Burnout Days has been on loop in my speakers since it dropped. Every song is a banger, the vocalist is constantly killing it, and whether calm or intense, his voice always...Flipturn's Lastest Album Burnout Days has been on loop in my speakers since it dropped. Every song is a banger, the vocalist is constantly killing it, and whether calm or intense, his voice always has a real soothing tone to my ears. The songs i was initially lukewarm on later grew to be earworms and bangers, specifically the first two. Those songs are great, and set a good vibe for the album off the bat, but the Album really gets pumping for me at Inner Wave. Every song from there to Tides are all vying for #1 in my mind, Sunlight and Right are two especially big ones for me. The percussion and bass are both really satisfying as well. The whole thing feels cohesive and flows well. Its all just such an amazing package, i really do highly recommend taking some time to listen if Indie Rock is your thing.
I have been a fan of this band for a while, since their first EP Heavy Colors popped up in my spotify weekly, and i have been hooked ever since. Hearing their progression in skill has been delightful because they started off amazing and really honed their craft into a unique sound. I highly recommend their previous album Shadowglow if you like Burnout Days, though the mood is much different. Space Cowboy is probably the highlight here for me. Something You Needed EP is also definitely worth a listen, which has my all time favorite of their catalogue, Glistening
Yap fest over. Thanks for reading and let me know what you think of them if you end up giving them a shot.
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Comment on Lucasfilm boss Kathleen Kennedy expected to retire this year in ~movies
PancakeCats Link ParentYou are right, but it is important to note that the first three had different directors and the last four were all one director. David Yates. Arguably those four are when the series starts to feel...You are right, but it is important to note that the first three had different directors and the last four were all one director. David Yates. Arguably those four are when the series starts to feel a little samey production wise. Also in my opinion i would say the last four just dont hold up the same. They just feel less inspired to me, maybe its the loss of color and whimsy, maybe its that trying to follow up Alfonso Cuarón, director of the third, and best imo, HP film is just a really tough hand to stand out, or maybe its what this potential director feared. Making more of a product to keep with a brand than an artistic film.
Edit that popped in my head literally seconds after i posted. Thematically the stark shift in tone and color id say is most present after the fourth book, which ends with Cedric getting murdered right in front of Harry. This used as an explanation for why the rest of the films lose the color could be a visual reflection of Harry truly losing his innocence in that extreme way.
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Comment on You can change ONE thing about a game. What do you change? in ~games
PancakeCats Link ParentI know a lot of people despise durability, but i think it can work if it reinforces the themes of the intended experience. For example, im a true freak and love Far Cry 2, which is a game with...I know a lot of people despise durability, but i think it can work if it reinforces the themes of the intended experience. For example, im a true freak and love Far Cry 2, which is a game with almost absurd rates of weapon degradation. It works for me though because the game's themes of decay and meaningless conflict are reinforced through this mechanic. Its meant to make you feel like you are under equipped and in a hostile environment, where nearly everything is working against you, including your equipment. I think they could tune it down just a smidge, but even still i think the game is better for having this mechanic. I also didnt mind it in breath of the wild (outside of the master sword, that should have been infinite), because the games setting is a post apocalypse, and a major theme is rebuilding in a destroyed world, it makes sense that most of the equipment you use is old and not durable. Again, i think they could have dialed back the rate at which things degrade. I find that usually its not the mechanic itself thats a problem,nthey are just tuned to to break too fast, and extending the durability a bit can go a long way. That said most implementations do not meet these thresholds, and it often feels tacked on because its a current trend.
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Comment on What are some favorite books with themes of grit, endurance, resilience, living through hostile circumstances? in ~books
PancakeCats Link ParentCame to comment exactly this! The Road is an all timer for me, and Cormac McCarthy might be my goat author. I will say the movie is one of the best book adaptations ive personally seen, but even...Came to comment exactly this! The Road is an all timer for me, and Cormac McCarthy might be my goat author. I will say the movie is one of the best book adaptations ive personally seen, but even then its not quite as harrowing as the book. For example, to my memory the section where they are trudging through the mountain pass has always stuck with me as one of the bleakest things ive ever read, and that didnt make the cut in the film. Still a phenomenal movie though.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
PancakeCats LinkI've been playing the new Indiana Jones game for the past few days, and i continue to be surprised just how fantastic the game is. I've never been more than a casual Indy enjoyer, but I heard the...I've been playing the new Indiana Jones game for the past few days, and i continue to be surprised just how fantastic the game is. I've never been more than a casual Indy enjoyer, but I heard the game was both good and giving Immersive sim energy, which is the closest analogue to crack cocaine in my life. So i picked it up through gamepass and found myself hooked almost instantly. The combat is fun and crunchy, stealth is good enough with light disguise systems thrown in, and the puzzles are just engaging enough to not slow it down but also not feel like a waste of time either. Visually the game is stunning, and the two different environments i've been to so far have both been varied and interesting. The adventure feels properly grand, and the music supports the whole vibe really well. Not to mention Troy Baker somehow doing a really good harrison ford voice, or at least what I remember Indy sounding like. It all culminates in a fun romp that feels like playing through one of the films in the best way possible. Also in the current politcal climate of my country, beating up Nazis is very cathartic. Would love to know if anyone else has any thoughts on the game.
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Comment on <deleted topic> in ~tv
PancakeCats Link ParentI think one of the core themes of the show, and one of the main questions it asks is, "can people change?" Overall, I think for the most part the show's answer is no they cannot, even if they...- Exemplary
I think one of the core themes of the show, and one of the main questions it asks is, "can people change?" Overall, I think for the most part the show's answer is no they cannot, even if they appear to. One of the more interesting throughlines in the show that I picked up on in a more recent rewatch is that each season is building to a performance for each of the Main Characters, Barry, Gene, Hank, Fuches,And Sally. And in each of these performances, they are on the precipice of growth and sincerity, but they all turn out to be lies or are built on lies, and they in essence reject change. Reject growth. I have like three pages of thoughts supporting this, but it would spoil the whole show so I'll post them below in a spoiler block. Id recommend giving it another watch though if you ever feel so inclined, the show is so quick that you can knock it out in a few days, and i feel it really benefits from a rewatch.
Barry Spoilers inside
Barry in season one, is grappling with the morality of what he does to his friend and noted good guy Chris, and delivers an amazing performance using the emotions fueling him at the time. He uses this to then fuel his own personal growth or the appearance thereof, convincing himself and the others around him that he can be happy and functional, but almost immediately kills to solve his problems once again. He continues to lie to himself that he can change for the rest of the show, its his main motivation really, to prove to everyone but most of all himself that he is and still can be a good person. But each season finale serves to reinforce that Barry is a violent person, and cannot or will not truly change that.
Sally in season two is doing her performance about her abuse story. In the process of making the scene, she realizes she has been lying to herself about what really happened. She recognized this, and intended to show the more raw and real version. She pushes for this, pushing Barry into a role he isn't comfortable with due to not wanting his violent life to contaminate this idealized life he was trying to live. Right up until the actual moment comes, with the whole audience watching, and she caves, and tells the lie instead, letting that be her "truth" shown to the world. She rejects change, rejects acknowledging the pain and raw emotion of the situation, to feel the hollow vain glory of telling the lie she wished was true. And she is praised for it, it gives her everything she's ever wanted. But the positive reception seems to ring hollow to her, wearing a distressed face after the crowd forms to offer their adoration. Later in season 4, after running away with Barry due to her dream falling apart and escaping her grasp, Sally is shown to be performing in most of her everyday life. Performing for a son she doesn't yet truly love, and can't be close to because of the trauma he physically represents. Performing at work as a completely different person. (Barely) Performing for Barry as a wife and mother who loves him and their son. Until the final episode, where I think the near death situation pulls her out of the mud she's been stuck in the whole show, and lets her love her son, and finally break free from the situations that have been repeatedly traumatizing her and dragging her down. This is the only real change I think we see from her in the whole show, and they seem to have a close relationship in the future, where she is doing relatively well for herself.
In season 3, Cousineau, having learned of Barry's involvement in his love's death, tries and fails to get revenge, then spends the whole season talking his way out of a death sentence from a character he formerly held a fatherly relationship with. After Barry gives Cousineau a large amount of money and dips out of his life, he starts to appear to genuinely change, recognizing his past behavior for what it was and taking painful steps to make amends with those he has wronged. This comes to head as Gene calls Barry, telling him he intends to kill Moss, as Moss is allegedly trying to pin everything on Gene. Barry, as he usually does, responds with anger and violent intent, comes to stop Gene from killing and instead perform the killing himself. This is then revealed to have all been a farce, an act put on by Cousineau to ensnare Barry in a trap he finally can’t wriggle away from. Amusingly this performance from Gene is the most deadpan and monotone performance one could give, but still fools Barry anyways. Barry gets put in prison, Cousineau gets career and life back on track due to Barry’s efforts to do so throughout the season. However, almost immediately, he puts on another performance to a reporter investigating the whole Berkman case, and shows that he hasn't really changed at all. He lies and twists the truth during the performance to make himself look better, unwittingly damning himself in the process. In season 4, after 8 years in hiding seemingly a changed man, he comes back out after hearing of the movie about Barry, and tries to get the film shut down. That is until an agent drops the nugget that Daniel Day Lewis would be coming out of retirement to play him, a boost to his ego that Gene just can't refuse. He takes the bait, and pays the price for it, as doing so leads to him being implicated as the true mastermind behind the events of the whole show, with his one man show being used to back up this accusation with evidence from his own words. Each time Gene was on the precipice of true growth and change, his ego and vanity led to him rejecting that growth, and lying to feed said ego and vanity.
Hank’s arc is a little unique, as he is one of the two main characters who are not actors in the traditional sense, so he is not building to a traditional Performance. I also think it's debatable how much of the hank we see throughout the show is the real hank. In one lens, the show is showing Hank’s true persona getting ground away by the violent life he pursues. But in the other, he is shown to consistently turn his back on every opportunity he had to just walk away. I think this comes from Hank, and by extension Cristobal, wanting both things. They want to have a peaceful life with each other, but neither can resist the allure of criminal endeavors and power. Each time they are shown a way out, they choose to reject change and return to the ways that have been eroding them as people since the start of the show. Hank also has a noted change in persona in season 4, after hearing his friends die horribly and just barely escaping a near death situation at the end of the previous season. He is hardened, more willing to get his hands personally dirty, a change from the previous seasons of him always having someone else do the hard work for him. This builds further after the time jump, where Hank is a ruthless criminal, still with the veneer of a friendly persona on the surface, but even faster to the violent actions. I'm still not entirely sure whether or not I think Hank ever truly changed in the show, or if he was just weathered into what he always was deep down, a power hungry criminal with little remorse for anybody but those closest to him. But in either case, he rejected Change just as much as the rest of the main cast. Consistently, over multiple seasons.
Which leaves Fuches, who is one of the most complicated characters in the show, and one of the only ones to truly change, albeit only in a small way. Fuches has a similar but decidedly more obvious arc to the other characters in consistently rejecting change. In two or three different instances, Fuches had the golden ticket to walk away, live a happy peaceful life with a lovely woman inexplicably infatuated with him, but rejects these each time to pursue a petty vengeance against Barry. He is shown to hold a deep love for Barry, but not in a healthy way, constantly flipping back and forth on whether or not he is trying to kill Barry and ruin his life, mostly out of anger from Barry rejecting Fuches and later attempting to kill him. That said, in the back half of season 4, Fuches finally sheds his persona of friendly lovable figure, and shows what he truly is and always has been, a manipulative monster. In doing so, and being truly honest with himself about his motivations and what he is, I think he is the only other character to have truly, consciously grown by the end of the show. After having put on an act for four seasons, he finally drops it, and stops performing, which is an interesting mirror to the rest of the show's characters.
There are so many spinning plates in the show its hard to fully capture my thoughts and tie everything together in a cohesive way. The show changes and progresses so much that each season has its own themes in addition to this overarching theme across the show. But the show goes to great lengths to make you question if any of these people changed at all, and my answer is mostly no, a little yes. Did the characters change or their environment? Does being more honest with yourself about who you are constitute change?
There are other interesting throughlines in the show, most notably being characters walking into and disappearing into darkness. Barry, after giving into his violent tendencies and murdering almost everyone at the safe house in the season 2 finale, walks into darkness after coming out of his blind rage and realizing the gravity of what he had done. Sally in the season three finale, after her freakout in the elevator and subsequent non apology video she posted, gets dropped by her manager and loses the dream she fought so hard for so long to reach, backs away into darkness. Fuches in the very last moment we see of him, jogs off into darkness after giving Barry his son back. Hank does not do this from what I recall, however Cristobal does walk into darkness in his final moments before he is killed. Each time, the characters walking into darkness symbolize them rejecting change and/or growth, and depressingly accepting what they are or believe they are. Cristobal breaks the mold a little bit as he is positively recognizing that he cannot cross this gap with Hank after killing all their men, and refuses to change his moral ideology on this but it’s really Hank’s darkness he is walking into, paying the price with his life.
I'm sure there is so much more I could bring up to chew on but it's been a few months so maybe it's just time for another rewatch.
Another interesting throughline that is explored most notably in Hank’s storyline but is present in all of the main characters arcs is the fallacy of believing you can have it both ways, and live two conflicting lives. Barry wants to be a good person, and be an actor and find himself, but also cannot stop being violent to solve his problems, and cannot or will not put in the effort to truly grow and change.. Sally wants to give raw and honest emotional performances but cannot be honest with herself, from the play, to Joplin, to the apology video. Gene wants to become a better person and have his life and career on track, but cant help but still want the fame, glory, and vanity. Hank wants to live a peaceful life with Cristobal, but cant stop his criminal actions and intent from interfering with it. (Even though in this case in particular, Cristobal is the one to push for it and literally say “We can have both things.”)
Sorry it took a few days to get back to you, had to collect a lot of thoughts on the show.
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Comment on <deleted topic> in ~tv
PancakeCats Link ParentI know its not the same as talking to someone IRL about it but im always down to yap about Barry. Barry is probably my GOAT for television, and i could probably write essays on its characters and...I know its not the same as talking to someone IRL about it but im always down to yap about Barry. Barry is probably my GOAT for television, and i could probably write essays on its characters and themes with how much time i have spent thinking about it, and each time i rewatch i find new meaning and thematic connections. I agree with others here it is a criminally underrated show, it was a little sad to only see it mentioned here once. Truly a masterpiece in character work and tight pacing.
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Comment on Alan Wake 2: The Lake House | Expansion launch trailer in ~games
PancakeCats Link ParentAs far as im aware, the deal for these sort of situations is that Remedy doesnt see a dime until Epic has made all their money back, and considering the games dev costs of over €50million, and not...As far as im aware, the deal for these sort of situations is that Remedy doesnt see a dime until Epic has made all their money back, and considering the games dev costs of over €50million, and not all to stellar sales numbers being at just over a million as of February of this year, i think its fairly safe to say its only Epic getting that money, not Remedy. Besides, practically speaking Remedy already got paid. They got fully funded development for the game, the brand recognition and prestige of having one of the finest artistic works of the past few years.
And this might just be my american pov showing here, but its not like the actual devs would be seeing that money individually. Maybe a small bonus, if they're lucky? They got paid their salary for the length of game development, and hopefully secured a spot for future projects based on the critical success of the game. Any extra profits would usually go to the people at the top or the publisher. That said, Remedy is a finnish company, they might have a much better pay and wealth distribution structure there than what is standard over here. But i think its safe to say that the devs would care far more about what people thought of their art, rather than the extra money they likely arent even going to see.
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Comment on AI is here. What now? in ~tech
PancakeCats Link ParentI would like to stake my claim that it does steal from artists. Training an ai to create works of art based on others peoples works of art without their consent or fair recompense is stealing. You...I would like to stake my claim that it does steal from artists. Training an ai to create works of art based on others peoples works of art without their consent or fair recompense is stealing. You know that if the situation was reversed, these companies pulling the bs wouldnt think twice to litigate in response. If i took all of microsofts ip and ran it through ai image gen to make and sell my own products, im sure Microsoft would call the lawyers when they found out. But i digress because that is up to interpretation.
What i find not to be up to interpretation is that it is stealing jobs from artists already. Big companies are already using it to do art for promotional material. See this debacle with microsoft. Thats an artist that lost a gig, or even an employed position at another company. Here is a video about a professional graphic design artist getting layed off after find out his company had been training an image gen AI on HIS art and work for months or years. He was literally replaced by an AI that is designed to copy his style. Those are just the first two examples off the top of my head, but this going to get worse. Publicly traded companies will take the path of least resistance, and paying a licensing fee is far cheaper than employing a real human being.
I also find your defense of waymo to be a bit dismissive of the workers it would replace. Known exploiters they may be, Uber and Lyft did create jobs for a lot of people that were otherwise struggling to get anything. It may not be a good job, or a fairly structured job, but its better than nothing. Real people still see real benefit from being employed (contract workers, not proper employment) through them. Nobody sees any benefit from waymo except the people at the head of the company. You are taking these jobs away from already vulnerable and exploited people. I am electronics-pilled guy, and no matter how many times i get impressed that waymo cars are real and functional, its always swallowed by the fact that in the end, the only meaningful thing these cars change is putting another human out of work.
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Comment on <deleted topic> in ~life.men
PancakeCats Link ParentI think the democratic establishment certainly doesnt help things, seeing as most of the old guard are out of touch, ethically questionable, and slippery tongued at best. Additionally in my...I think the democratic establishment certainly doesnt help things, seeing as most of the old guard are out of touch, ethically questionable, and slippery tongued at best. Additionally in my experience, people often tend to either take their parents politics or the opposite, so i think a lot of men who have grown up causually disinterested in politics, subconsciously take a lot negative associations and biases their parents may have with these democrats. At least this was true for me and a lot of the guys in my area and social sphere. It leads to a base line distrust in these figures and resistance towards their messaging. Conservativism and right wing policy generally focuses on keeping things as they are or going back to how they were. This is much more comfortable for politcally inexperienced men, beacuse the left leans towards change and progress, and change leads to scary unknowns, and changing societal standards that they are still struggling to understand their place in and how to navigate.
I personally feel like in person is actually where they will feel the most grace and leniency towards their presence. This is obviously anecdotal and it seems there is enough people saying otherwise in this thread to disprove this theory, but i will stand by it for my own personal experience. I have found throughout my life, even in high school, when challenging each others ideals in person, people are lot more empathetic as a baseline. I had a lot of grace from from different social circles despite my vile beliefs at the time, because i honestly believe they wanted to engage in honest discussion and promote internal change in people who held these vile people. Its a lot easier to sympathize and empathize when you have an actual person who you can read the facial cues, body language, and tone. And because its a shared physical space, i find the vitriol is toned down because there can be a physical reaction. Granted, you wont often see this because of how terminally online a lot of us are, and how the online is increasing in younger people.
Which leads me to the final space, online, which i truly think is the worst offender here. I could go on all day about how the internet is one of the best and worst things to happen to our species. Instant communication but none of the nuance leads to both greater societal progress and divide. You cant see that person, can't feel the weight of your words on each other, you dont know their life or experience or biases unless they explocitly announce them. And with all i described in the last essay, i think all of this leads to the left being explosively hostile towards anyone they perceive as a threat or other or opposition online.
Meanwhile young men and boys who are chronically online are often targeted by the altright pipeline from a young age, even in subtle ways. Jingoistic video games and films to instill a sence of nationalism. Borderline brainwashing patriotism and nationalism into our children in public education settings. The ever present and peddled fairytale of "The American Dream." All of these build a base level of right wing tendencies in young men, who are then ostracized online for not being on the left, or attacked for simply being a man. Not saying men dont deserve to get called on their shit, but i do think people are often blanket assuming the worst from a lot of men, and young men without the wisdom or life experience to see why people feel this way will view it as an attack on them personally.Additionally, a lot of left spaces, especially in younger circles, are heavily moderated (for good reason) or private and exclusionary towards people who dont fit criteria. I personally think this can be a good thing, as long you have a public space for people to engage with. If all the dialogue from progressive or left leaning people is tucked away in private discords or in hard to access/discover forums, the only open discussion young men will find to engage with is from grifters and right wingers. Even if the reason they are being denied acess to these spaces isn't necessarily just because they are a man, that is how they will likely percieve it, as it is at least a factor to a lot of the base on the left. I think all of this will lead them to feeling like the only sense of belonging they have is with fellow white men, and cause more and more people to slip into this rabbit hole of extremist and bigoted thinking.
As for possible solutions, i dont think there is gonna be any easy answer to these issues, nor will it be a quick issue to resolve when we do get an answer. I think it would certainly go a long way to make an attempt to meaningfully egage with young men of all spectrums, assuming they can actually bring a good faith debate to the table. It would help to actually teach them as well. A lot of people will respond to genuine questions or concerns of young men with "Its not my responsibility to educate you" which may be true to an extent, sure. No one has to educate men, but i personally feel like we do have a collective responsibility to educate each other as a society. Without it, we would not have any of the societal progress we enjoy and fight for today. But no matter your view on that, I feel its clear that this attitude also contributes to the isolation these men will feel in left leaning circles online.
Another long one lol. I hope that was worthwhile read for you and a satisfying answer to some extent. Again this is a lot of conjecture and personal experience from my own life, others may challenge some or all of this and i welcome any good faith discussion!
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Comment on <deleted topic> in ~life.men
PancakeCats Link ParentI do think a lot of spaces on the left have been getting more hostile to people they view as outside of their own, and having experienced this myself, I have some thoughts as to why this seems to...I do think a lot of spaces on the left have been getting more hostile to people they view as outside of their own, and having experienced this myself, I have some thoughts as to why this seems to be happening, from an American pov. I consider myself pretty radically leftwing, and i try to stay informed but idk man im kind of dumb, a lot of this is conjecture and not anything i have hard sources and numbers behind, just life experience as ive lived it. Also long as fuck lol.
I think really this comes from the innate tribalism in humans, and the exacerbated consequences of this in the two party system we exist in. Unfortunately, unlike most other civilized democratic systems, americans have only two political groups to represent all 350+ million of us living here. This means a large majority of those politically conscious people here probably dont even really like their party, but stick with it because its not the guys they like even less. There are no niche parties for people to separate into, leading to these parties essentially becoming "teams" to most people. You're with us or you're against us. Americans are already tribalistic enough with our sports teams, leading to an unhealthy relationship with our political parties as well, with a basis in umempathetic arrogant competition.
Next, you have news media. The last forty years especially, 24 hour media has been thriving on divisive and inciting content, excaberated by the rise of the Internet. Tensions are high already, the country is large and relatively seperated from each other, and people profit off the division, so they gleefully fuel the fire. As time goes on, media gets increasingly unscrupulous in its reporting, leaning less on ethical journalism, and more on reactionary divisive clickbait headline content. And few things get the American people riled up like Sports and Politics.
All that to say, in recent years we as a people have been a powderkeg. With the rise of the internet, we have increasingly lost empathy towards each other, because its a lot easier to not empathize with someone who isnt existing in your space, and whatever previous veneer of polite debate has fallen to slinging insults and going for personal attack at all opportunities. Now throw in the rise of progressive culture globally and the steady march toward authoritarian facism exhibited in the leaders of the American right.
People on the right traditionally arent very progressive people, and they might not be facist, but because of the two party system, they have nowhere to go. They have to choose on compromising personal ideology or their personal ethical standards. Most people compromise on the latter first.
People on the left are generally progressive, and even though our leadership is old and sluggish at best, might hold views i disagree with immensely or support causes i am vehemently against (see funding isreal and their genocide), and might not have much more of a backbone than any other politician, but they also arent openly promoting the fall of american democracy and the slow descent into fascism, and they arent trying to legislate queer communites, containing real people feeling real emotions and living real lives, out of existence. I have to choose between compromising my personal ideologies, or my personal ethical standards. Like most people i chose the latter, chosing to support someone contributing to things i vehemently despise, but at least they arent advocating for facism and pushing to legislate people out of existence.I have never met an LGBTQ person identifying with the right, and while they do apparently exist, I think its safe to say that the overwhelming majority of queer people fall into the left. And due to the way the right treats and views minorities, i think its fairly safe to say the majority of their base are white males. This association is bound to be made in our brains, because our brains excel at seeing patterns, even if we conjure our own data points from our own biases to see them.
Queer communties are actively staring down the barrel of oppression and violence, and are reactingly strongly, rightfully so. This is now actually life and death for them. The wrong people win the election and its very likely they will be criminalized for existing within the presidential term. This leads to righteous anger and lashing out at the right, and those who even tangentially support it or figures in the party. Because every single person who continues to support that party in anyway are supporting their extinction. And its not just queer people themselves feeling this fear and fury, its also everyone else in their lives who cares for, loves, and accepts them as they are. Afraid of seeing those they love humilitiated, beaten, killed, ostracized, incarcerated. Im a heteroflexible white guy, im really not that scared for being targeted myself, but im horrified for my loved ones who arent so priveledged, and everyone else that would be affected should the right continue gaining momentum and legislative power. And the face of the right are by and large old white men, or young white men with a few women and people of color thrown in, though, in my experience people tend to use them more as a token, and they dont have much substantial presence in the party media. Which is to say, white men are the face of the party trying to bring about facism and eradicate queer communities, as such are treated less favorably from the getgo.
Indifference to these atrocities is still implicit support, so men who dont even ascribe to all the craziness but dont disavow the right are treated just as poorly. These men feel like they have no place on the left, and fall further to the right and extreme ideologies peddled online. Its a self eating snake, ever widening the divide between us because all the people who could work to alleviate these tensions profit off of them, and thus have financial incentive to continue sewing divide.
When I was a teenager i fell into the alt right circles online bc i was a lonely anxious teenage boy, and felt i didnt belong anywhere. It was easy to see others like me and feel accepted as i was. But when i had an empathy breakthrough and was able to see the harm i had supported and the vile words i had stood behind, i wisened up and escaped that sphere of influence and have been trying to make up for it since. Apologizing to those i had wronged or bullied in anyway, and voting to support policies that support helping people, being more active about checking bigot bs. Small game i know, but its a journey. I was lucky enough to have friends on similar journeys, had significant others who were progressive and imparted that on me in ways big and small, live in a progressive area, and find the right messages at the right times to get me where i am, and most guys just arent that lucky. They fall into these circles, and it pushes them away from people who dont share their views, causing them to slip further and further into the craziness. And now i find myself feeling this anger, this hostility, described in your post from time to time. Because "if you're not with us you're against us" is a very easy position to slip into. Its takes effort to meaningfully engage with opposing views and groups, and many dont have that effort to give, leading to even more division. Its a real mess and i fear it will get worse before it gets better. But thats just like, my opinion maaan.
If you read all that, thank you for taking the effort to meaningfully engage with me. I would love to hear thoughts and/or criticisms. Like i said its all off the cuff reactionary brainzaps to the discussion here, so sorry if it made no sense or is full of holes :^]
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
PancakeCats Link ParentI agree here, the destruction and environmental play is what sets it apart. It also makes the game feel like its truly a fresh take on shooters, an actual innovation in the genre space. Especially...I agree here, the destruction and environmental play is what sets it apart. It also makes the game feel like its truly a fresh take on shooters, an actual innovation in the genre space. Especially compared to most other multiplayer shooters, which are usually the last popular game but reskinned with a new feature here or there.
I would like to join! Probably ocarina of time or the wind waker for me.