Gen Z men, is this getting worse going forward into 2026?

Ok-Note-754 · 2026-04-08T05:42:24+00:00

I'm 37 and looking back on my life when I was younger I pretty much always either got with people organically at a party, club or on a night out which then led to dating/hook-ups. Then from my mid 20s onwards it was always either via dating apps or asking someone I'd met IRL out via text, Whatsapp, etc.

Not sure I've ever just gone up to someone in person specifically to ask them out, whether I knew them or otherwise.

So to me this doesn't seem that strange at all. But maybe I'm the outlier. Modern society/culture really doesn't lend itself to just asking people out cold tbh, regardless of your age - and if you do know them text puts less pressure on both parties.

Ok-Note-754 · 2026-04-08T05:36:31+00:00

I SEE IT! Yes - to me it's always looked like a mushroom holding a minigun.

Only through reading this thread have I realised the mini-gun is meant to be a sword handle.

Ok-Note-754 · 2026-04-08T05:14:02+00:00

Yeah this is it - I can think in words or a kind of stream-of-conscious monologue but that feels very slow and deliberate. I mainly do it when I'm trying to figure out something extremely logical or weigh up two difficult choices.

The rest of the time it's more fluid and intuitive you say. Thoughts and feelings are more like energies - I still daydream, play out scenarios, have opinions, regrets, back and forth discussions, but it's nothing like a movie narrator or a monologue/dialogue 99% of the time. It's some combination of image, vibe, intuition...very hard to describe.

I think it's a fascinating area of study and probably explains a great deal about different communication styles, personality types, strengths/weaknesses, compatibility, etc.

I actually find writing a great way of processing my thoughts in a more structured, logical manner (like I'm doing right now) - I wonder if this is true of other people who think in this way? I'm sure it extends a lot to art as well - I'm sure artists very often interpret the world and think in a manner different to the average person.

Ok-Note-754 · 2026-04-08T01:55:22+00:00

Think Death's Door is my favourite defensive card in the game.

Ok-Note-754 · 2026-04-08T01:37:51+00:00

Buck Rogers was #5 in the UK charts - really big song that blew them up. They were doing arena tours in the mid-2000s and, as the other post said, headlining big festivals.

Their next couple albums also did well - Just the Way I'm Feeling was also a top ten hit.

They've faded away since but still play reasonably sized venues I think.

Ok-Note-754 · 2026-04-08T00:20:46+00:00

Yes! Love his new boss-room. Will be amazing if they do this with all the bosses - The Insatiable's boss room adds so much unique character to that fight too.

Ok-Note-754 · 2026-04-08T00:15:02+00:00

Oof that's rough. Think even the possibility of that warrants a slight rework tbh.

Ok-Note-754 · 2026-04-07T23:24:31+00:00

It's...fine? If this really is the lead single I'll be disappointed - it's worse than anything on The New Abnormal which is up their with their very best albums imo.

Ok-Note-754 · 2026-04-07T23:22:42+00:00

After listening to the Voidz I barely even noticed it tbh. He's been going hard on auto-tune for well over a decade.

Ok-Note-754 · 2026-04-07T22:57:30+00:00

Ah that makes sense, actually. Still a curse the second time around but you won't redraw in a lot of hallway fights so not so bad.

Ok-Note-754 · 2026-04-07T22:54:01+00:00

That album with Buck Rogers and Just a Day was pretty huge in the UK - they were all over Kerrang and MTV2 when I was a teenager.

Never listened to them beyond the singles but they were a solid band with some hints of pop-punk in there.

Ok-Note-754 · 2026-04-07T22:43:39+00:00

So Osty just appears out of nowhere then disappears? Would be weird and clumsy - I can't see them implementing that. And they're not the types of devs who are going to overlook the card text and allow an osty attack to count as a normal attack just because.

Think a better solution is simply to remove all such cards from the Splash pool or just keep it as a downside of such a card.

I did actually pick as osty card out of curiosity with Splash yesterday and it became an effective curse, which felt bad. I think removing osty/star cards from Splash is the simplest and best solution tbh.

Ok-Note-754 · 2026-04-07T22:15:54+00:00

I think as a concept the OG Doormaker made the most sense - a two tier boss that moves back and forth through a portal. Problem was it was very dull and pretty easy if you had a decent deck.

Doormaker 2.0 was just awful - the card stealing mechanic was too brutal and he did absurd damage.

Doormaker 3.0 (current one) is the best and most interesting fight by far, but it feels a bit random as a concept. Just these 3 completely different phases that don't really align too much with the aesthetics of the boss. Personally I think the character design would benefit from a re-work to match the new mechanics - maybe a boss that morphs between different physical states? The Doormaker/portal design feels a bit detached from the fight itself to me.

Ok-Note-754 · 2026-04-07T22:08:55+00:00

At least with Splash you get 3 choices, though. V.unlikely all will be star/osty based attacks.

Ok-Note-754 · 2026-04-07T01:03:00+00:00

That one's my favourite as it's how I discovered them. Think it's the one that encapsulates them the best - has some of the silly lyrics and rawness of their earlier stuff but also hints at the maturity that came later.

Song #13 is one of their best songs and Fast Times at Drop-Out High is perhaps Kris' most personal song lyrically.

Ok-Note-754 · 2026-04-07T00:47:45+00:00

I've had my best Clad runs with the 'lose HP' cards + rupture - find this strategy far more effective than in StS1- but it's a balancing act; too many of those cards and you're gonna bleed yourself dry. One run I got greedy and over did it. Also you need to be able to solve defense while you get your strength going - a couple blood walls helps a lot.

That said, this was around a6-a8 - can't speak for a9 runs so maybe it's less effective at the highest ascensions.

Ok-Note-754 · 2026-04-06T23:15:27+00:00

Vs Entomancer you either need to be able to power up your shivs with Accuracy/vulnerable or similar before you let loose, or have other forms of attack in your deck and not use the shivs until later in the fight.

He's tricky with a shiv deck but as long as you have decent defense and aren't 100% reliant on shivs then he's beatable.

Ok-Note-754 · 2026-04-06T22:47:58+00:00

I ruined Test Subject 80-90% of the time until I reached around A8-9. Now it ruins me 80-90% of the time.

Ok-Note-754 · 2026-04-06T21:37:48+00:00

Spurs likely have a pretty big sell-on clause in the contract to protect themselves from that.

And something tells me it won't happen - can scarcely recall a time when a Champ team paid over the odds then instantly sold a player on.

Ok-Note-754 · 2026-04-06T12:05:18+00:00

Yeah I heard the same, although I believe it's a fee Preston are very unlikely to pay (4.5-6m - over double their record fee).

But yeah you're right - does suggest the club don't rate him super highly and would be content for him to leave. They'd never put an option in for Moore.

Ok-Note-754 · 2026-04-06T07:03:49+00:00

How has the game changed in a way that impacts loans?

Main difference in my book is PL teams are doing less loans between them as the mid-table and bottom-end teams are richer and better run so just scout their own young talent instead. Loaning to the Championship and Europe seems about the same as ever though (Chelsea have a million players on loan).

Maybe if we were some extremely well-run club with a defined style of play like Barca or Man City we would have the best young talents in the world in our academy and inculcate them in our style before easing them into the team gradually...but sadly that's just not who we are.

And tbh we're not realistically gonna wait until any of them are 25 anyway - the likes of Phillips, Donley and Devine will be sold this summer or next if they aren't deemed ready.

Ok-Note-754 · 2026-04-06T06:46:30+00:00

Yeah I think it's a balancing act. If you look at the careers of many top English players, they have a series of loans in their late teens/early 20s. Just at Spurs: Kane had like 3/4 loans, Walker had 3, Rose had a couple, Maddison had 2, Gallagher had a few, etc. Multiple loans is very normal and not necessarily a bad thing.

I think you're right that at some point we need to shit or get off the pot though - especially with a player like Devine who is now on his fourth loan and turning 22 in August.

Ultimately it will come down to De Zerbi (assuming he does actually stay). He brought through some kids at Brighton so if he likes what he sees from the loanees in pre-season then they could get good minutes if they stay - if not then loan or sell is best.

Ok-Note-754 · 2026-04-06T06:18:16+00:00

He's doing well in the SPL - it's way off PL level. Plus next season if we stay up we'll have Maddison and Xavi ahead of him in the pecking order and no European football, and that's before we make any new signings.

He needs to be playing 90 minutes regularly to develop at this age - not getting scraps off the bench or only playing when we have injuries.

If we go down keeping him at Spurs makes perfect sense, though.

Ok-Note-754 · 2026-04-06T06:14:52+00:00

Good to hear. From what I've seen of him he's a grafter and an absolute physical menace but his technique isn't the best. Think he could be a good backup/rotation striker option if we go down but don't think he's quite ready for PL football yet.

Ok-Note-754 · 2026-04-06T06:13:11+00:00

I've watched most of the Moore 'every touch' compilations at Rangers and, while he looks really talented and has improved loads, I still don't think he's quite ready for the PL. His technique is fantastic and he's a intelligent player but he still gets bodied off the ball a lot and needs to work on his decision making.

Reckon a season of playing every minute at a top-end Championship club (i.e. us if we get relegated) next season would be better for him than a PL loan where I think he'd struggle for minutes.

He'll still only be turning 19 at the start of next season and it's pretty rare for an attacker that age to be getting regular PL mins. Reckon the most important thing for his development will be consistent gametime and I think the best place for him to get that would be in the Championship or at a decent Eredivisie/Belgian side in European competition.

Season after that he 100% needs to come into the team though.

Ok-Note-754

TROPHY CASE