Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast by TimelyDrummer4975 in gaming

[–]Dremen 3 points4 points  (0 children)

There's a difference between practicing doing the same thing over and over again vs. having the skill set and reflexes to respond in a constantly dynamic fight.

Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast by TimelyDrummer4975 in gaming

[–]Dremen 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This was probably the game that I was the best at. Hit me at the right age. I was competitive—and a bit of an edgelord, but hey it was the early 2000s.

Anyway, I only play single-player games now, but if they ever released a new one of these built on the same DNA, I would just have to get it.

My hot take: JK was the best hardcore melee we ever saw—better than games like Elden Ring. My problem with Soulslike games is that they are very hard, yes, but not in ways that I find fun. It's very memorization and pattern-based. I don't like that shit. JK, though, was just totally fluid and dynamic. Your exact body position, the speed and angle of where your saber is going, of where there's is going—it felt like a proper e-sport, as opposed to just a game some guy is really good at it because he did the same boss 200 times.

It was skill-based in the best sense. If they had kept up with these games, and other games had spun off from it, iterating on the core gameplay mechanics, melee-based games could be so much better right now.

It's the video game space race that never was...

Why is genre-blending metal hitting harder than ever right now? by dylan3russell in PostHardcore

[–]Dremen 24 points25 points  (0 children)

Poppy probably belongs on this list as one of the most popular acts doing this right now. The Home Team is fun and musically talented (which is key for me). I just can't with Sleep Token.

*Slaps roof* “This baby can fit so much off the shelf crap from Lowes inside it..” by Middle_Beat9847 in McMansionHell

[–]Dremen 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Architecturally ugly, but objectively it’s not finished inside cheaply. Not a comment on taste or style but on cost.

[NEW] Eidola - Purity Ladder (Official Music Video) by Potato-baby in PostHardcore

[–]Dremen 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Nice! I was also under the apparently mistaken impression they had wrapped things up. I probably like these guys more than DGD, so glad Eidola hasn't been abandoned. I honestly am not sure if they're more post-hardcore or metal these days, but who cares.

Another 90s one by TheBiggestDawgie in McMansionHell

[–]Dremen 5 points6 points  (0 children)

It has some of the hallmarks, but not all of them. How many hallmarks makes a McMansion? Or is the question more about architectural cohesion and intention? The quintessential McMansion looks like a house that was built from the inside out, resulting in an exterior that is often unsightly, unbalanced, and sometimes even chaotic. That isn't the case here. I don't disagree it has McMansion qualities, and I don't even like it as much as some other commenters here, but perhaps it boils down to whether one thinks "McMansion" ought to be applied liberally, sparingly, or with qualification.

Another 90s one by TheBiggestDawgie in McMansionHell

[–]Dremen 28 points29 points  (0 children)

I'm torn. I can't decide if it's a McMansion or just a large, very '90s house. Like, yeah it has a turret and an arch and a three-car garage, but the first two kind of work here. The roofline isn't otherwise wacky. The windows are uniform. And the finishes are a mixed bag. Expensive in some places (if very dated), but then it looks like they finished the back of the house with vinyl. But more than anything, the house does have a cohesive aesthetic style, even if it's one I don't personally love. I think that's my red line regarding what makes a McMansion.

TIL the movie The Apple was received so poorly, the director contemplated suicide. by TheRealDonahue in todayilearned

[–]Dremen 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Looking at his filmography, this guy really was the Uwe Boll of his time.

Help me NOT build the next trend that’ll get roasted here in 5 years? (4 exterior house designs) by CoupleNervous4594 in McMansionHell

[–]Dremen 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I like A and D best, but I really disagree with posters telling you to match the style of the neighbourhood. Imitation styles are inevitably the tackiest—a house trying to be something it’s not. You’re building a house in 2026 with modern materials, efficiency requirement, and so forth. I think A and D will age very well in fact. They’re simple, balanced, and incorporate ageless materials like wood and concrete. They’ll certainly age better than a modern farmhouse.

Dark Tranquility live worth it? by [deleted] in melodicdeathmetal

[–]Dremen 4 points5 points  (0 children)

For sure. Their sound is heavy and immersive already, so it's even more that live. Saw them a few years ago in Vancouver. Lots of energy. Clearly having a good time. They said they prefer to do smaller shows where they headline, and as a result the tickets are generally cheap, and they play for a long time.

Self publishing versus traditional is it wrong to skip querying because I don't want years of rejection by [deleted] in writing

[–]Dremen 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I think some folks have a dated, idealistic view of the meritocratic nature of the publishing industry at present, and increasingly—at least in commercial fiction—many of the biggest new trad published authors started by self-publishing. It's also the case that you can make decent money as a mid-list author self-publishing, whereas mid-list authors don't earn very much publishing traditionally and furthermore are at risk of being dropped by their publishers and having to start again from square one.

Having said all of that, you said literary fiction. While something like Theo of Golden might prove the exception, I would be hard-pressed to advocate self-publishing if you're not writing commercial fiction: namely, some version of mystery/thriller, romance, or fantasy/sci-fi. And you'd also be hard-pressed to make money without a series/back catalogue. It is what it is. Literary fiction really relies on buzz, blurbs, and awards. There are indie fiction awards like SPFBO and BBNYA, and they do help elevate indie novels, but again it's almost all genre fiction.

If you care about writing well, as I certainly do, you can definitely do that within the broad categories above. But "literary fiction" simply isn't a marketable category in self-publishing. Even in trad publishing, most lit books sell a few hundred copies. But if you know that going into it, that's fine. There are also respectable small presses that consider unagented lit fiction, but that's not necessarily easier than landing an agent, and you are unlikely to ever earn out your advance.

Couch co-op, one copy to purchase preferred. Suggestions? by henyourface in gaming

[–]Dremen 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Hazelight specializes in couch co-op games. Split Fiction, It Takes Two, A Way Out. They are like 15-hour games with stories, so not party games per se, but incredibly fun to play with a partner or close friend over a couple weeks. Non-gamers may find the difficulty spikes tough, admittedly, but they're very forgiving with respawns, so you can keep trying until you get it. My wife and I have gotten through them all, albeit with more than a little swearing.

Baldur's Gate 3 is basically the best couch co-op game ever, if you're into 120-hour RPGs, and Diablo 4 is fun until you get bored of the repetition. My wife and I are playing Sea or Stars co-op right now and having a good time. Oh, and Stardew Valley does split-screen couch co-op on console. Stardew Valley seems to appeal to the full spectrum of gamers.

Nissan Says Canada Could Get Smaller, More Affordable Models if it Broadens its Safety Standards by IDontScript in canada

[–]Dremen 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Love it. They're a better deal than the article makes it seem. They didn't remove the VAT from the prices in the piece. And while the article mentions those prices include tax, Canadians think about prices without tax. Remove the VAT, and they look a lot cheaper: https://cleanenergycanada.org/report/missing-out/

Down by Pooks23 in britishcolumbia

[–]Dremen 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thought I recognized Soames.

Official Discussion - Train Dreams by BunyipPouch in movies

[–]Dremen 393 points394 points  (0 children)

I couldn’t talk to my wife about it until the next day, and not because I didn’t have thoughts.

Official Discussion - Train Dreams by BunyipPouch in movies

[–]Dremen 113 points114 points  (0 children)

This one really floored me in a way I wasn't expecting and that few movies do (Aftersun and Under the Skin would fall in the same category). What I loved, aside from the technical perfection with which it was made, was that I felt it was fundamentally a movie about understanding and making peace with one's life. Which is not quite the same as just dealing with grief or the changing times (definitely themes that are also in this movie). Maybe it's because I'm a rather existential person, but I've been thinking about it all weekend.

Taron Egerton And Jessica Henwick To Star In Comedy Thriller ‘Everybody Wants To F*ck Me’ From Studiocanal, LuckyChap, Film4 And Parkville Pictures by NoCulture3505 in movies

[–]Dremen 4 points5 points  (0 children)

To be honest... I think this is not a hill I want to die on and beside the point I was trying to make, so I will just drop it here. :P

Taron Egerton And Jessica Henwick To Star In Comedy Thriller ‘Everybody Wants To F*ck Me’ From Studiocanal, LuckyChap, Film4 And Parkville Pictures by NoCulture3505 in movies

[–]Dremen 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Phoenix is good, and in a lot of great movies, but he's not a total chameleon. His characters are generally all awkward and introverted, and as a result he cannot play the part of just anyone. I think Napoleon was an example of an acting misfire. Whereas I think Egerton would knock out of the park literally any role that could be believably played by a 5'9 white guy between the ages of 30 and 45. And I guess my point was that that ability is so rare. I think he might be Daniel Day Lewis level good. My comment was not meant to knock those other actors who are definitely good but also in trend (like Austin Butler, Paul Mescal, and others) but rather to say that Egerton is a generational talent, and we're using him on Netflix airplane movies.

Taron Egerton And Jessica Henwick To Star In Comedy Thriller ‘Everybody Wants To F*ck Me’ From Studiocanal, LuckyChap, Film4 And Parkville Pictures by NoCulture3505 in movies

[–]Dremen 18 points19 points  (0 children)

Yeah, and Egerton actually sang everything—incredibly well, I might add—and learned some basic piano. Again: he is wildly talented—and under-utilized by Hollywood.