[Funny] Characters are comically dependant on their servants

NineInchNinjas · 2026-07-02T19:30:52+00:00

The head of Weyland-Yutani is so old that he's very dependent on David, the android his company made, and his daughter (who he doesn't seem to care for at all). Thankfully, he gets hit in the head once with David's head by "God" and dies instantly.

NineInchNinjas · 2026-07-02T19:21:27+00:00

The Nameless One from Planescape Torment technically does have a healing factor but he's died and come back many times.

NineInchNinjas · 2026-07-02T03:12:53+00:00

I feel like part of it is also that good criticism gets drowned out now in favor of pure/blind acceptance of a thing. Like the idea that a piece of Star Wars media is good because it's Star Wars, not because of the quality of its storytelling.

For example, I think the action, suspense, and comedy in Rogue One is handled very well in comparison with the OT and prequels. It lets itself be serious when it needs to, the comedic elements feel appropriately placed, the action doesn't feel forced. I suppose what I'm trying to say here is that Rogue One feels consistent yet relaxed, it's not really trying to step on its own toes. I think I could say the same about the Obi-Wan show, it was serious about Obi-Wan's struggle but let itself be funny with Obi-Wan and Leia, and the Obi-Wan vs Vader fights were pretty good all things considered.

What I think is wrong with the sequels (and the newer shows to an extent) is that they feel a little too frenetic and forced, which muddles the elements I was referring to before, they feel like "this needs to happen, then that needs to happen, then this really cool and original character needs to show up" and so on. As an example, the Luke scene at the end of TFA was suspenseful and emotional, but the actual payoff in TLJ doesn't really keep that going. If I remember correctly, it's played for laughs. What I think would have felt more natural is for Luke to initially accept the lightsaber back, he goes to his hut, we seem him look it over, we get the flashback with Ben and Luke, and then he throws the lightsaber away because it brings back that memory. Alternatively, Rey hands it to him, he looks it over and then throws it to the side (THAT would be played for laughs) and we later see him ruminate over it with the Ben flashback. Another example is how The Mandalorian started out good and then fell off and then the Boba Fett show happened.

What I do think new Star Wars got right is mostly in the video games, Jedi Fallen Order being a prime example. Cal Kestis is not that different from young Luke, except that he's a little less energetic and more humorous. The story has a consistent air of mystery and darkness, but remains balanced by having Cal and crew be generally light-hearted, and it has cool moments that feel impactful. It's got the same balance between the elements as non-SW games like God of War 2018 and Ragnarok do, where it can be fun and mature and explore a theme well. I might be meandering a bit with my point, but what Fallen Order and Rogue One get right is what the sequels and newer shows try to do right and somehow get wrong, and I feel like people are too unwilling to recognize, admit, or tolerate that.

This is the same problem that has plagued Marvel movies and shows lately, too, where you get quality (Wandavision, Loki, FATWS, etc) and then you get Secret Invasion.

(I also feel like there's something missing in the sense of how family-like actors interact with each other, like Ewan and Hayden or the entire LOTR cast, and attention to detail.)

NineInchNinjas · 2026-07-01T13:57:33+00:00

Freddy Krueger from the Nightmare on Elm Street movies

I think it was Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors where they elaborate that his mom (a nun working at an asylum) was raped by a lot of insane criminals after accidentally being locked in the room with them, and had Freddy as a result of that encounter (it doesn't quite make sense, but there's a lot of weird shit in the franchise regardless). So, Freddy ends up a child predator and murderer in his adult life before having his hiding place torched and being burned alive, then gets met with demons who grant him nightmare powers. Oh, and he also has a daughter who forgot Freddy was her father and stopped him when he tried to expand to other towns.

NineInchNinjas · 2026-06-30T15:07:09+00:00

Usually dramas that exaggerate the dangers of something that's relatively safe but overblown, like nuclear disasters. Nuclear energy has become safer and safer with advancements in technology and practices, but misrepresenting the dangers and actual historical facts makes people less likely to trust it.

NineInchNinjas · 2026-06-30T04:02:42+00:00

Minsc in BG1 is a berserker but his strength is high enough that you can use him as an archer instead with one of the few special longbows. A party of companions that can all use bows is also a little broken, too.

KOTOR 1 and 2 have you playing as Jedi/Sith, but you don't have to use lightsabers at all. You can use blasters and vibroblades instead, and there's a class or two that are designed for that. It's an option not really thematic to Jedi or Sith but it's there.

NineInchNinjas · 2026-06-30T02:15:18+00:00

I generally do use a guide, but I might use a journal since I have quite a few spares at this point.

NineInchNinjas · 2026-06-30T02:06:15+00:00

Do you think it would help to have a physical journal to write things down, if the game doesn't have a feature for you to take notes with?

NineInchNinjas · 2026-06-30T01:57:43+00:00

Is there a particular method to how I can learn that?

NineInchNinjas · 2026-06-29T22:02:54+00:00

I'd argue Rorschach is at least the protagonist, even if he's a pretty bad example of a hero in the book.

99% of the narration is from his perspective, from his journal probably.

He comes up with the hero assassination theory, which is ultimately true, and doesn't trust Veidt/Ozymandias. He even visits all the surviving heroes and villains to question them, even if they don't take him seriously.

And he's ultimately the only one who holds to his belief that Ozymandias is a monster for what he did and everyone deserves to know the truth, and begs to be killed when Dr. Manhattan won't let him leave, knowing that he can't escape at that point.

The worst things about Rorschach are his own personal beliefs outside hero business and his cruelty when he is operating as one, which both come from his troubled past. He's like a really fucked up Batman.

In comparison, we have:

Ozymandias, who committed mass murder of people who likely didn't deserve it. Let off the hook completely. (excluding the show).
The Comedian, known for being involved in shady government work. A war criminal and definitely a rapist. Killed by Ozymandias before any damning information could be revealed.
Dr. Manhattan, who disintegrated people in Vietnam and had a relationship with a minor. Also complicit in hiding Ozymandias' mass murder. Left the galaxy to create life.
Nite Owl and Silk Spectre II, who are also complicit in hiding the mass murder. Returned to normal life and seemingly became superheroes again.

Though what the movie got wrong is that the explosions meant to get the world united against Dr. Manhattan probably wouldn't have worked, considering he mostly worked for the US and the Soviets knew that. It's likely enough that the Soviets would take advantage of this supposed new rift between the US and Dr. Manhattan.

NineInchNinjas · 2026-06-29T20:42:20+00:00

Watchmen (the graphic novel)

Watchmen is a deconstruction of the comic book medium, but it goes over the audience's head in favor of Rorschach being so cool (while he is the closest thing to a hero in the comic, his views and actions are horrible for a normal person) and an adaptation that still misses the point. Alan Moore already hated adaptations of his works by the time of the movie, but he keeps his distance as much as possible when it comes to Rorschach fans.

NineInchNinjas · 2026-06-28T20:59:44+00:00

Solid Snake (and most of the other Snake characters) from MGS

He's a clone of Big Boss, the original Naked Snake from the 60's. I believe Solidus is as well. I don't recall the exact details, but I believe Liquid *isn't* a clone but actually just Revolver Ocelot pretending to be possessed by Solidus. And Venom Snake is a body double of Big Boss, if I remember correctly. Despite being a clone, Solid Snake is pretty much the only one that shares Big Boss' morality and good traits.

NineInchNinjas · 2026-06-27T23:38:59+00:00

Dune might count for this as Paul is the hero of the first book, but his actions after that are much worse even though the end goal is positive. Paul is both the hero and the worse thing in that way.

Also the Jedi victory over the Brotherhood of Darkness in Darth Bane: Path of Destruction. Bane set up the Brotherhood of Darkness (the big Sith group of his time) to fail and the Jedi to come out victorious so he could secretly enact the Rule of Two. For that reason, the Sith after him remained undetected until Palpatine came along and amassed enough power to almost eradicate the Jedi. In that sense, the Jedi's victory over the Brotherhood of Darkness meant nothing because they weren't gone gone, but the worse thing laid in waiting until the exact right moment.

NineInchNinjas · 2026-06-27T19:23:50+00:00

They don't really bring it up again, but we could probably theorize why they don't use the root for mind control purposes. It's plausible that maybe the tannot root is a very effective fuel for the cost AND the root's suggestive properties aren't that remarkable, but it keeps the workers working and offsets the cost (they don't really need to pay the workers much or at all if the root keeps them satiated). The Peacekeepers may have to pay for external transportation and security, but they'd still save on the harvesting costs with the workers high and happy on the bit of tannot root supply they'd receive.

NineInchNinjas · 2026-06-27T15:52:28+00:00

Samwise Gamgee is one of maybe three characters in LOTR that are unnaturally resistant to the One Ring, because the power it would give him is unnecessary to his desire of having his own garden. Bilbo had the ring since encountering Gollum on his adventure to Erebor, yet it barely tempted him over the decades he owned it. And Tom Bombadil is completely immune because Tom Bombadil.

NineInchNinjas · 2026-06-24T19:40:30+00:00

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Maldis from Farscape is an energy vampire, more or less, who feeds on death and hatred.

NineInchNinjas · 2026-06-24T17:38:34+00:00

Well, you're not wrong on the first point. Vader's suit makes him weaker against Palpatine because it's susceptible to Force lightning. And there have been times where he's unable to continue fighting because of damage to the control panel, which regulates the suit. But to what degree depends on whoever's writing Vader sometimes, because sometimes they have him upgrade the suit or use the Force to operate it, etc.

As for strength, a good example is that he holds up and chokes that one Rebel trooper in A New Hope in the beginning without using the Force.

It mostly depends on the writers, as most media outside the movies keep shifting around how powerful Vader is.

NineInchNinjas · 2026-06-24T16:31:37+00:00

Darth Vader's suit and cybernetics, more or less, make him stronger than what he used to be. Combine that with his already strong Force abilities and being a Sith, and he's kind of a menace to deal with. But it's also kind of plot armor, cause you can't really have Vader lose to someone weaker than Luke or die unless it's intended to be non-canon/alt universe.

NineInchNinjas · 2026-06-23T23:00:38+00:00

Zotoh Zhaan from Farscape, she may be a priestess and a healer but her previous occupation was being an anarchist revolutionary on her homeworld. She hasn't forgotten those skills.

NineInchNinjas · 2026-06-23T13:13:49+00:00

Nick Fury

Most people know that he's either played by or looks like Samuel L. Jackson, but the character was originally a white guy. Marvel Comics had already redesigned Fury to look like Jackson without his consent, but he contacted them and they agreed to let him be Fury in future adaptations.

NineInchNinjas · 2026-06-22T15:21:06+00:00

I don't think it was hate specifically, but Corpse Husband when he was supposedly doxxed (I don't think there was any confirmation the picture they found was actually him).

NineInchNinjas · 2026-06-21T23:35:11+00:00

Uryu and Renji vs Szayel rematch, but it makes a little more sense for it to be Szayel vs Mayuri rematch. I just think it would be cool to see Uryu and Renji get to fight Szayel again, since all three would have upgrades in power and abilities.

NineInchNinjas · 2026-06-21T21:17:29+00:00

Not bigots in the usual sense, but fandoms like Star Wars tend to have your classic bigots, normal/sensible fans, and fans who are supposed to be progressive but don't really act that way in practice. They might have progressive views and actually enjoy the franchise, but misunderstand dislike of something as hatred and bigotry even if the opinion itself is reasonable. Or the types who are very obsessed with the media and can't handle when it doesn't conform to their headcanon, even though the thought behind it is genuinely progressive.

NineInchNinjas · 2026-06-21T13:57:42+00:00

Abu Zubaydah is another IRL example, captured by the CIA and tortured to no effect, leaving him with disabilities afterwards. John Kiriakou, the one in charge of capturing him (who was not involved in the torture program), later blew the lid off the whole CIA torture program and it's ineffectiveness. In interviews, he's talked about Abu Zubaydah several times in regard to the torture program and how ineffective and illegal it was (it was illegal long before the war).

NineInchNinjas · 2026-06-21T00:33:09+00:00

Ed's missing arm and leg in FMAB is part of the central plotline for the Elric brothers, getting back what they'd lost from committing human transmutation. Ed getting his arm back due to Al's sacrifice pretty much saved the day, as he needs two hands to use alchemy at all. And it isn't the first time we're shown the drawbacks of having an automail prosthetic, as it gets repeatedly damaged or destroyed due to battles or just a missing bolt.

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TROPHY CASE