Is it a big commercial failure? I noped out of the series after seeing the direction they went with Inquisition, but I haven’t really seen any negative press about it. Kinda seems like the article’s just trying to stir up some shit

The sentence can be interpreted either way.

They’re just more people who’ve fallen victim to a well-funded propaganda campaign. Not much different than trumpets—in fact, they share many talking points! Amusingly, both groups would be offended by the comparison.

I’d hazard a guess that they were referring to the “targeted killing of ethnic Russians” made up shit. That’s just a Kremlin talking point. Shades of Operation Himmler. I don’t suppose you can cite any reputable sources for it?

I do, too, and sadly I’ve yet to fly on one! I wonder how much TaleSpin has to do with this.

I had similar feelings about this post. Reminds me of a pansexual family member of mine who claims that everyone is pansexual, really, if they just get over their hang-ups. I’m all for people being who they want to be, and feeling free to express themselves. I dislike the patronizing implication that if I don’t want to wear a crop-top and skirt, it’s because I’m not sufficiently enlightened or liberated.

I don’t think that was at all OP’s intent, to be clear—just thinking out loud as it were. I appreciate your thoughtful response.

Yeah, I don’t worry too much about my GD builds being “end-game viable”, I just like finding combinations that are fun to play, and there are enough unique item sets and abilities to keep me entertained for a while. I’ll check out Last Epoch—looks like it might be up my alley!

Have you by any chance played Grim Dawn? I really enjoy the mechanics and aesthetics of it, and I’m wondering how PoE2 compares. I don’t think I’ll ever be in the market for Diablo 4; the P2W cash-grab of Diablo Immortal really soured me on the franchise.

Only tangentially related, but when I was a kid I’d write stream-of-consciousness type stuff in a “code” consisting of the first letter of every word. Whenever I run across one of my old notebooks, I spend some time trying to decipher it, generally without much luck. Sometimes it’ll spark a bit of remembrance, like dipping madeleines in tea.

I think it’s the difference between punching down and punching up. Boomers in general have far more money and power than the people using the term. So complaining that it’s ageist, and comparing it to a homophobic slur will get you about as much traction as white people being offended by cracker, and comparing it to slurs used against African Americans.

I think you could make a very strong argument that the proportion of the population that isn’t under dubious leadership is vanishingly slight.

Yeah, I tried Black Flag a while back—because I’d heard good things—but just couldn’t be bothered with all the busy work. I did really enjoy Mafia 3, The Witcher 3, RDR2; I’m not anti-side quest by any means. I think I need a more compelling story, and that’s never been AC’s strong point (based on ~3 AC games I’ve picked up and quickly dropped over the years).

People are saying it. Many great people.

Someone call Tom Bombadil!

I mean, what else are you gonna wind a piece of string around?

I think 75% is far too generous an estimate, tbh. Every policy I’ve acquired through the ACA-mandated marketplace has been garbage, right from the start. For-profit health care is evil, and the ACA just served to further entrench this evil in our lives. It did some marginal good, and I’m certainly not advocating for its repeal in favor of ‘concepts of a plan’. But 75%? I can’t get on board with that.

This is something I do, so I’ll take a crack at it—though, bear in mind, it might be total bullshit.

It’s a defense mechanism. Many popular things are—in my estimation—objectively terrible. Every time something utterly devoid of merit (and often actively detrimental to the public good) is generally agreed to be a popular sensation, the connection I feel to my fellow human beings takes a hit.

I want to believe in people—in society. But I’m clearly a judgmental sob. So maybe by avoiding the popular things, I’m trying not to further my own alienation.

I mean, not to put too fine a point on it, but what the fuck is normal? Nobody’s really normal. Even the so-called neurotypical are riddled with undiagnosed disorders. Normalcy is just a social fiction. Don’t let it limit your options.

I think that you’re probably right. I also think I may be projecting a bit, and conflating my country’s apathetic embrace of fascism with my own executive dysfunction. Seems all of a piece. Anyhow, thanks for the words.

The headline is a little ambiguous, but he didn’t give in; they relaxed the dress code.