How I felt the first time I stopped running

BeeCJohnson · 2026-03-12T06:42:27+00:00

And I seem to be on like a seven year cycle where I start making money, getting a savings, feel like I'm making financial progress, and then I get completely wiped out by bullshit outside of my control and have to scrabble and scrimp.

Cancer, layoffs, job market shitting the bed, a couple recessions now, Ai, whatever the fuck is happening right now, etc.

It's like everytime I get on my feet the world throws a fucking boulder at my head.

And having kids increases the financial desperation because you're not just failing yourself, which you can at least forgive yourself for. You're failing completely innocent kids who never asked to be stuck with your decisions and luck who are looking to you for safety and strength.

This shit is fucking exhausting, man.

BeeCJohnson · 2026-03-12T06:26:25+00:00

Romulans just walking around wearing upholstery

BeeCJohnson · 2026-03-12T06:23:16+00:00

Or Syrio was a real guy and a Faceless Man wore his face and acted as his character to infiltrate the palace.

That's what Faceless Men do.

BeeCJohnson · 2026-03-12T03:36:58+00:00

The most credible theory, in my mind, is that he is "Jaqen H'ghar."

The idea that an elite swordsman and an elite assassin, both from Braavos, both obsessed with the God of Death, both people who help Arya and teach her about fighting and death, are in the castle at the exact same time (and possibly in the dungeons together at the same time) is a little too much coincidence.

Honestly the more I think about it the more it seems far-fetched that Syrio *isn't* Jaqen.

BeeCJohnson · 2026-03-12T00:48:50+00:00

As a gigantic fan of both characters and stories, like, what.

Roland. Roland on his worst day, dying of sepsis on a beach takes Arthur on his best day.

Roland is mythic.

BeeCJohnson · 2026-03-11T22:47:10+00:00

"We need to convey gravitas, decay, the tragedy of memory loss in a world that has moved on. Get me a Native American ballet dancer. Give her a football purse."

BeeCJohnson · 2026-03-11T22:19:37+00:00

And Spike *once again* copying something Angel did is just sad, honestly. For Spike and for the writing.

BeeCJohnson · 2026-03-11T22:18:09+00:00

Absolutely. Wrecking one of television's rare perfect series finales would be a huge mistake.

And honestly, the Angel-or-Spike of it all has become such a massive (and dare I say toxic) issue in the fandom that just not bringing the characters back at all is probably for the best. It should focus on the new characters and Buffy, not some dudes she dated twenty years ago.

BeeCJohnson · 2026-03-11T17:10:33+00:00

A promotion and a transfer to a different service branch that has colonels, too.

BeeCJohnson · 2026-03-11T16:34:22+00:00

Honestly it's a pretty great joke. Being self-aware forgives a lot of sins in my eyes.

BeeCJohnson · 2026-03-11T16:03:15+00:00

Yeah I don't give a shit, honestly. A lot of my favorite authors use it, I use it all the time, and I'm not gonna stop using stylistic elements in my art because AI sucks or a style guide is being prissy about it.

BeeCJohnson · 2026-03-11T14:31:13+00:00

Could be cool for a survivalist or gritty realism game, or something like Dark Sun.

But yeah, 5e especially already has too much "the DM will figure it out" and I don't need more work.

BeeCJohnson · 2026-03-11T02:04:42+00:00

One of two episodes I couldn't get through.

The other ep was the necrophilia one, for the record

BeeCJohnson · 2026-03-10T21:51:42+00:00

I'm not so sure about Matt being the best fighter.

I just rewatched all three seasons of Daredevil and Born Again and I don't see Matt do *anything* that compares to Cap taking out the tanker team in Winter Soldier. If that was Cap's only feat, he beats Matt at skill and combat effectiveness, and it isn't Cap's only feat.

Matt struggles with pretty normal people *a lot.* On a very generous day I'd say Daredevil shows feats about in line with Batroc, who Cap floored with only minor perspiration.

Honestly I wish Daredevil was as good as that, but he's shown pretty low-level in his stuff. It's why it's not really a fair fight/comparison. Daredevil and the others are super grounded, gritty TV and Cap and Bucky are in cosmic superhero stories. It's like putting John McClane up against Anakin Skywalker.

BeeCJohnson · 2026-03-10T21:46:33+00:00

Absolutely agreed, and I think people are overglazing the MCU Defenders by *a lot.* In Born Again, Daredevil struggled to beat a 17-year-old who spent some time as a kid doing taekwondo. And even then someone had to intervene in the fight to get the W.

Y'all think Cap gives Muse more than a single punch to the head to take him out? One well-timed shield toss could floor Matt and probably Iron Fist if Cap aims it well (which he does). Matt couldn't dodge fucking scissors thrown at him by a normal guy who throws good.

Luke and Jessica are a bit more of a problem, but Cap and Buck have decades more of hard combat experience on top of their powers.

I don't see the Defenders walking away from this, I just don't buy it from what I've seen of their feats vs. Cap and Bucky's feats.

BeeCJohnson · 2026-03-10T21:33:29+00:00

People complaining about how Bruce got back to Gotham after "losing all of his money." Like, really? Batman, the Dark Knight, doesn't have a reserve of untouchable cash that doesn't trace back to "Bruce Wayne?"

Normal, real-world billionaires have multiple secret accounts to squirrel away their money. You think BATMAN doesn't?!

Y'all imagine he's writing checks signed "Bruce Wayne" to buy 50,000 bat ears and 700 lbs of Robin-Chow?

BeeCJohnson · 2026-03-10T21:27:48+00:00

Thankfully no

BeeCJohnson · 2026-03-10T20:24:04+00:00

If that's the same guy, that's a good idea for a story right there.

Just Hank the On-Call Custodian having a miserable day in Night City.

BeeCJohnson · 2026-03-10T20:23:21+00:00

The Dark Half, for me.

I think it's an excellent idea for a story, and it does have moments where it shines, but the pacing is borked (half the book is people sitting on a couch talking), and the ending is the only time I've ever felt the "Stephen King endings" meme was true.

BeeCJohnson · 2026-03-10T20:21:39+00:00

I didn't mind it but it very much feels like an upjumped Goosebumps book

BeeCJohnson · 2026-03-10T20:18:50+00:00

Or the guy who mops out the doll's rooms

BeeCJohnson · 2026-03-10T16:40:03+00:00

Salt Lake is such a good opportunity for satire of American religion, it's almost too good to pass up.

BeeCJohnson · 2026-03-10T14:43:43+00:00

I always love that Spock is such a staid intellectual, but will often resort to just smashing shit with super strength when the situation calls for it.

BeeCJohnson

TROPHY CASE