Shevanel's recent activity
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Comment on #YesAllMen #NotAllMen #MaybeSomeMen How to be better? in ~life.men
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Shevanel (edited )Link ParentMajor(?) story spoilers You may be referring to things further along, but we just discovered that Lea is an “Evotar” AI. She and the copy of Schneider were pulled into that weird off-limits city...Major(?) story spoilers
You may be referring to things further along, but we just discovered that Lea is an “Evotar” AI. She and the copy of Schneider were pulled into that weird off-limits city on the edge of the map. I’m now back in the main game area (the “Track,” I think?) and about to start the first jungle dungeon.
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Comment on Saros: Zenith update brings more ways to play for newcomers and veterans – boss rush mode, New Game+, new gameplay modifiers, trophies, accessibility options, and more in ~games
Shevanel LinkI hope the extra accessibility options encourage more folks to pick this up, Housemarque could use the love. Returnal and Saros are some of my favorite games from the last few years (even though...I hope the extra accessibility options encourage more folks to pick this up, Housemarque could use the love. Returnal and Saros are some of my favorite games from the last few years (even though I’m quite bad at them and only slightly under halfway done with Saros if I had to guess).
Can I gush about the sound design for a minute? Playing Saros with headphones is dictionary-definition awesome. The weapons sound incredible and everything is so clear and distinct, even in the chaos of a huge fight.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Shevanel Link ParentAh, sorry to disappoint. I haven’t even been keeping track of the EA releases to be honest, I just played and enjoyed the demo and told myself I ought to go back and play through CrossCode. But...Ah, sorry to disappoint. I haven’t even been keeping track of the EA releases to be honest, I just played and enjoyed the demo and told myself I ought to go back and play through CrossCode. But here’s to hoping the development continues at a good pace!
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Shevanel (edited )LinkI finally decided to check out CrossCode in anticipation of the upcoming (eventual) release of Alabaster Dawn and I’ve really been enjoying it! It doesn’t do anything terribly unique, but...I finally decided to check out CrossCode in anticipation of the upcoming (eventual) release of Alabaster Dawn and I’ve really been enjoying it! It doesn’t do anything terribly unique, but everything it does do, it does quite well. Great mash up of RPG mechanics, real-time combat with surprising depth that allows for more passive and hands off play but also allows for plenty of aggression and reflex-oriented approaches à la Souslike combat if desired.
Cute and smart writing with very pretty, if relatively simple and clean, visuals. Platforming and puzzle elements very reminiscent of Legend of Zelda with a surprising depth, and clever use of its top down camera to throw platforming challenges at the player. My only complaint is that sometimes hunting down a platforming path to solve a jumping puzzle is a little tedious, but that’s a drop in the bucket of what has otherwise been a really great experience.
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Comment on Popcorn! What's the best way to make it? in ~food
Shevanel Link ParentMy wok came with a lid, just a big thin metal dome with a handle on top. It’s not an airtight seal, it rests inside the wok itself and it moves around a good amount while I swirl the wok over the...My wok came with a lid, just a big thin metal dome with a handle on top. It’s not an airtight seal, it rests inside the wok itself and it moves around a good amount while I swirl the wok over the flame, so I just use that to save on foil. I think either would probably work!
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Comment on Popcorn! What's the best way to make it? in ~food
Shevanel Link ParentThanks friend, annoys the hell out of me that YT does that by default anymore.Thanks friend, annoys the hell out of me that YT does that by default anymore.
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Comment on Popcorn! What's the best way to make it? in ~food
Shevanel (edited )LinkWok is love, wok is life. If you’re willing to put in some extra steps (and you have a wok), it is bar none the best way to make popcorn at home in my experience. I’ll find a link for some more...Wok is love, wok is life. If you’re willing to put in some extra steps (and you have a wok), it is bar none the best way to make popcorn at home in my experience. I’ll find a link for some more details in a little bit here.
Edit: Alton Brown’s most recent version uses a steel mixing bowl topped with foil which is even more accessible, but a wok will provide the same, potentially better results since the cooking method is the same (unpopped kernels fall to the small bottom surface and are cooked, popped kernels jump up and rise out of the way of the heat). He also goes over the quintessential toppings (ie “popcorn salt”) and some other fun accoutrements.
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Comment on Recommend me music similar to that of Tool? in ~music
Shevanel Link ParentGiven the parameters of no harsh vocals, I’m going to narrow this down to a couple specific albums from these groups: TesseracT’s album “Altered State” (100% clean vocals, really proggy vibes) and...Given the parameters of no harsh vocals, I’m going to narrow this down to a couple specific albums from these groups:
TesseracT’s album “Altered State” (100% clean vocals, really proggy vibes)
and
The Contortionist’s album “Clairvoyant” (not quite 100% clean vocals but much less prevalent harsh vocals than the rest of their discography)
and
Sleep Token’s most recent album “Even in Arcadia” is probably the safest bet from their discography, but probably the weakest of these three choices overall. IMO the later you get in their discography, the less heavy they get, but also the less proggy they get, so it’s kind of a double edged sword. The other two albums here would probably suit OP’s interests better, I think?
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Comment on What single episode of a show would you recommend as a standalone? in ~tv
Shevanel Link ParentWhile this is a great episode that stands on its own, I would argue that the primary weight behind it is lost without the context of the rest of the show. Having watched the entire series, the...Game of Thrones, The Viper and the Mountain
While this is a great episode that stands on its own, I would argue that the primary weight behind it is lost without the context of the rest of the show. Having watched the entire series, the outcome of that fight was actually one of the most gut-wrenching moments of the entire series for me, because
major spoilers
it all but guaranteed Tyrion’s imminent death (and then in addition, the subversion of him surviving was legitimately shocking as well). Up until this point of the show, there were really no deus ex machinas or surprise happy endings—if someone looked like they were gonna die, they were gonna die (Ned Stark in S1 being the prime example and great tone-setting).
Again, not arguing it was a great standalone, but for anyone not familiar with the series, this episode carries a lot more weight when you have context around the fight and have emotional attachments to other characters.
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Comment on Queen’s Domain | Release date and console reveal trailer in ~games
Shevanel (edited )LinkReally excited about this announcement. Any fans of the King’s Field series, or similarly styled games like Lunacid, should absolutely be checking this one out. I’ve played all of the original KF...Really excited about this announcement. Any fans of the King’s Field series, or similarly styled games like Lunacid, should absolutely be checking this one out. I’ve played all of the original KF titles (as well as a few adjacent entries like Shadow Tower: Abyss) and the demo for this game feels like an excellent spiritual successor to those titles with all of the QoL improvements you’d expect from a game 20+ years newer than FromSoftware’s last entry.
Edit: forgot to mention that the demo is available on Steam!
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Queen’s Domain | Release date and console reveal trailer
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Shevanel LinkMy perpetually-lagging gaming habits finally brought me to The Case of the Golden Idol this week. I completed the main game in two sittings over the weekend and completed one of the two DLC...My perpetually-lagging gaming habits finally brought me to The Case of the Golden Idol this week. I completed the main game in two sittings over the weekend and completed one of the two DLC entries today.
What a great experience. I’m not huge on puzzle games but it had me feeling like a bonafide detective. I appreciated that the gameplay loop was not at all interested in forcing the player to clue-hunt. Everything is highlighted so you can focus on deduction. I also appreciated that there were several optional challenges which almost always served to help the player deduce what happened in a given scenario.
I felt like, across hundreds of puzzles and questions to be deduced, I only really had to “guess” at a blank a single time, and I’m sure that was a shortcoming of my own, not the game’s. The internal logic is that tight - really no moon logic to be found.
I’m excited to pick up the second DLC and buy the sequel sooner than later!
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Comment on Ultima Online retrospective | The last hurrah in ~games
Shevanel (edited )LinkFor anyone even marginally curious about the King’s Field series, Majuular also has several retrospective videos about those titles (and associated games like Shadow Tower). They’re excellent! I...For anyone even marginally curious about the King’s Field series, Majuular also has several retrospective videos about those titles (and associated games like Shadow Tower). They’re excellent! I never got into any Ultima games but I ought to check these videos out as well.
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Comment on Steam recently made a fundamental change to indie game discoverability in ~games
Shevanel LinkThis is cool. I hadn’t noticed the discounts / events being more geared towards my interests; I’ll have to keep an eye out. What I did notice is the new “release calendar” being almost exclusively...This is cool. I hadn’t noticed the discounts / events being more geared towards my interests; I’ll have to keep an eye out. What I did notice is the new “release calendar” being almost exclusively games I’d be interested in. My wishlist has grown so much more quickly since they added that feature..! Very clever move on their part indeed.
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Comment on Nintendo - Customer appreciation sale in ~games
Shevanel Link ParentEchoing what others said, but I’ll add that it is quite short. Worth it IMO but it’s a relatively quick game. How Long To Beat has it at 7 hours to finish, ~20 hours to do absolutely everything it...Echoing what others said, but I’ll add that it is quite short. Worth it IMO but it’s a relatively quick game. How Long To Beat has it at 7 hours to finish, ~20 hours to do absolutely everything it has to offer. I recall it being closer to 7-10 though I certainly didn’t do everything.
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Comment on A very American invention, pushed to an extreme in ~food
Shevanel (edited )LinkMy wife and I left Iowa before settling and starting our family but we have lots of friends and family still in the state. The effects that mass ag and the toxins generated have on the state...A large CAFO in your backyard is akin to living next to a power plant or waste treatment facility […] In North Carolina and Iowa, […] excess manure, when applied to fields, poisons drinking water.
My wife and I left Iowa before settling and starting our family but we have lots of friends and family still in the state. The effects that mass ag and the toxins generated have on the state cannot be overstated - Iowa has the second-highest cancer rate in the country.
I feel fortunate in that I only lived in the state for ~15 years, much of it on the Mississippi River and decently far removed from the super highly-concentrated agriculture of the rest of the state, but I fear for my wife who was born and raised in the dead center of the state for 30 years. Stories like this make the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. It’s like watching a state-sized car crash in slow motion.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Shevanel Link ParentMore light spoilers :) It’s a greatsword that scales best with dex (and slightly with strength). It also has the moveset from Lucatiel’s sword in DS2, which, my heart… Feels like a great weapon to...More light spoilers :)
It’s a greatsword that scales best with dex (and slightly with strength). It also has the moveset from Lucatiel’s sword in DS2, which, my heart…
Feels like a great weapon to build towards with the Idus Knight and the light greatsword as a complement!
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Shevanel Link ParentJust picked ER back up to try out the new DLC gear as well. I’ll keep it vague here (light spoiler for gear name below), but it’s worth buying for a single new weapon. Very light (non story...Just picked ER back up to try out the new DLC gear as well. I’ll keep it vague here (light spoiler for gear name below), but it’s worth buying for a single new weapon.
Very light (non story related) spoiler for DLC content
Leontiel’s Greatsword is so much fun to use. Highly recommend folks give it a shot.
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Comment on Build your own video game listicle in ~games
Shevanel Link ParentI mean hey, somebody always comes in last place in the Olympics, but they’re still an Olympian. (I feel similarly in that DS2 is peak vibes out of the original trilogy and no one will ever...And Dark Souls 2 might be the "worst" game of the series,
I mean hey, somebody always comes in last place in the Olympics, but they’re still an Olympian.
(I feel similarly in that DS2 is peak vibes out of the original trilogy and no one will ever convince me otherwise)
I’m a hetero man as well. I've mentioned something in a similar vein in a previous comment of mine, so I won't go super deep here, but I can resonate with this.
I think part of the problem is of course that feminism isn't a monoculture - "your friends" and "the people calling you out on Instragram" ostensibly overlap a little in a Venn Diagram, but the same voice they are clearly not. So it can be tough to feel like you're "doing everything right" and you get this simultaneous dissonance of your close friends commending you, and the Internet turning on you.
And this is where I point back at my linked comment. Our mob mentality spaces do a good job of pushing people out, but we do a pretty shit job of offering alternatives, so when folks seek an alternative that even slightly affirms their preconceived notions, then it's an easy conversion from there. And I just wish we had a better way to tackle that issue as "men," broadly speaking. Understanding, of course, that "men" is not a monoculture either :)