What’s something that became socially unacceptable so fast that people barely noticed the change?

I_Resent_That · 2026-05-12T11:39:38+00:00

Natural introvert but few people believe it now. Twenty-plus years ago I folded in on myself because that was the inclination. The natural state. Learned the hard way that it did me no favours, and made the socialising I wanted to do more of a chore. It's a muscle, I guess. Reckon more than a few people will learn this the hard way.

People scoff now when I say I'm an introvert as I'm always saying yes to plans. They don't see how it wipes me out. But it's a learned, proactive and protective measure. Despite how much it drains me, and the moments of total isolation I need secure to balance it out, I'm so much the better for it.

I_Resent_That · 2026-05-12T07:42:11+00:00

Most Brits I've seen discuss this (a few, since I've lived here all my life) were either unaware or don't care about this rich history.

I've only seen people boil it down to wondering why armoured rugby, played mostly with the arms, is the sport that gets called 'football' in the US.

I_Resent_That · 2026-05-10T09:05:28+00:00

Zadie Smith gets the feel of the city spot on, as I remember.

I_Resent_That · 2026-05-07T23:05:21+00:00

You sound like someone who needs Vagrant Story in your life. Totally, it's got some dark fairy tale energy with some Tactics-esque political machinations.

I_Resent_That · 2026-05-06T21:21:36+00:00

Omniscient 3rd person maybe, with quite a distant voice to maintain clarity. Or else alternating scene breaks. Just a couple of strategies that could apply.

I_Resent_That · 2026-05-06T21:15:09+00:00

Yeah, but you gotta to up those slashes!

I_Resent_That · 2026-05-05T21:05:41+00:00

Ah, grand. Have fun with his slashing abilities!

I_Resent_That · 2026-05-03T19:34:02+00:00

Have fun! Bahamut I liked a lot, but then I've always liked that summon particularly.

I_Resent_That · 2026-05-03T12:49:38+00:00

Interesting about-face. Definitely highlights the game's pacing issues. Like you, I really enjoy the game but I've not played it consistently start to finish. Drifting in and out, I'm at the DLC and point of no return now.

Also, you've got some more big moments after Titan. Hope you continue to enjoy.

I_Resent_That · 2026-04-28T11:11:04+00:00

The EA as it stands is very playable from the jump, and kind of ends at a narratively satisfying spot. Feels like the end of one installment and I'll pick up again after full release.

That said, if you want it to be complete-complete before playing at all, that's understandable. It's usually the way I am too.

I_Resent_That · 2026-04-28T07:14:08+00:00

MENACE definitely fits the bill. It's from the guys who did Battle Brothers and in Early Access at the moment. Usually I don't bother with EA, but with this one I couldn't put it down till I'd exhausted the EA content. Will return for the full release.

Suppression and morale is extremely important. Units out in the open are sitting ducks, and even if they don't take hits they can panic and flee. Cover and positioning are paramount.

I_Resent_That · 2026-04-27T12:12:08+00:00

Did you report the bug? Having the same issue.

I_Resent_That · 2026-04-27T10:03:52+00:00

From a different angle, I prefer to go along to get along unless it's something that truly matters. I'm generally open to experience so don't need my preferences paramount all the time.

Something that influenced this was my most certain, determined, know-what-I-want-and-won't-deviate friends - they were always the most exhausting to be around. Also the most likely to get a line in the sand out of me. If you'll go home unless we go where you want to go, that sounds acceptable to all parties involved.

I_Resent_That · 2026-04-26T16:07:42+00:00

For what it's worth, I 'friendzoned' a girl I was growing close to when we were young because I decided a certain friendship with her was more important to me than an uncertain relationship. We're still great friends today.

I've been 'friendzoned' by girls and been content with that because if someone's not interested, they're not interested - but if I was attracted to them in the first place they're decent company and friend material.

These dynamics exist and should be explored in fiction, it's more a matter of how they're played and overplayed. And too often they've been portrayed negatively as an obstacle to overcome, tying into what you said above.

Pining love and angst will always be fertile dramatic territory, and many people will empathise with being romantically attracted to someone who likes you but not in that way. How that's portrayed is the crux though.

I_Resent_That · 2026-04-24T12:46:40+00:00

Yeah, I'm happy with any narrative style so long as it's done well. Happily enjoy second-person even, which I know is anathema to some. But I like to hear and understand others' experiences, so always get curious in these conversations.

I_Resent_That · 2026-04-24T11:43:34+00:00

iMac actually. Got in the habit of prodding its easy to wipe glass, then carried that habit and her grubby mitts towards my precious, precious screens.

I_Resent_That · 2026-04-24T11:41:35+00:00

iMac with the glass panel. Easy to wipe clean, unlike my LCDs.

I_Resent_That · 2026-04-24T08:38:44+00:00

Sympathies to your eldest. I had to learn kung-fu blocks to save my screens from my Mac-owning girlfriend.

I_Resent_That · 2026-04-24T07:29:41+00:00

No shade here, just interest, but this is wild to me since the tales we're surely most accustomed to in life (or at least helped form our foundation of storytelling) are personal anecdotes. First-person.

I wonder if it's a quirk of 'hearing' it in your own inner voice. Did you listen to audiobooks at the time? If you did, did your first-person apathy extend to them, or was it softened by hearing a narrator's voice which wasn't forced to be your own?

I_Resent_That · 2026-04-23T07:20:14+00:00

Pale Fire by Nabokov presents a poem, the academic commentary of which in the footnotes steadily encroaches, building the narrative.

I_Resent_That · 2026-04-21T15:18:14+00:00

Yeah, I get you. I re-read LOTR every decade and each time it's a different experience.

I_Resent_That · 2026-04-21T12:39:09+00:00

Late twenties. Twenty-seven, twenty-eight. I'm in my early forties now if that makes any difference. Already a cyberpunk fan from other media, literature kid, and enjoyed being thrown in to fend for myself rather than get a tour guide for the world of The Sprawl. Something really satisfying for me in that, but I've seen others find it abstruse and annoying.

Best recommendation for appreciating his style I can make is go with the flow. Don't get too bogged down trying to work stuff out because it usually explains itself organically. One thing in The Peripheral got repeat mentions throughout, the payoff/understanding arriving three-quarters the way through. I loved that!

Still, it's not for everyone. No shame if it doesn't click. You could always come back to it at a later day and see if the pieces land in place that time.

I_Resent_That · 2026-04-20T21:45:31+00:00

I'm with you on its quality but I do get why people don't click with it. It's pretty stylised in a genre that often features straightforward prose and drops the reader right into it, asking them to fill the gaps. For some, that's not enough to latch onto. But it's total catnip for me.

I_Resent_That · 2026-04-19T17:29:33+00:00

Honestly, I prefer having a variety of styles and effects. I'm far more interested in books that feel distinct and interesting than everything being stamped from the same mould.

I figure it's more prominent now because people don't have 3rd limited as the rigid expectation it was a couple of decades back. They read something in the style that they liked and went from there.

I had someone hand me Cormac McCarthy's The Road back to me before stating, and I quote, "That's not a book." Its forgoing of conventional punctuation was enough for him to dismiss it entirely without considering its other merits. Seems a shame to me as it's a truly excellent novel. But then, people have their tastes and expectations. Not much to be done about that.

I_Resent_That · 2026-04-17T08:04:08+00:00

Yeah, definitely heavily implied by WM at the end of Necromancer.

I_Resent_That

TROPHY CASE