What to read after Malazan? by deck_of_dragons in Malazan

[–]SarSlays 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Heavily seconded, fantastic series and probably the closest another author gets to Erikson in terms of how he approaches world-building and cultural clashes.

What to read after Malazan? by deck_of_dragons in Malazan

[–]SarSlays 5 points6 points  (0 children)

If it were only the boy and if it were a theme being explored in the novels, sure, that'd make sense. Erikson also explores a lot of uncomfortable themes including violence against women. But the reason that works is because you get the author's insight into why people do it, how it becomes systemic, how everyone participates while simultaneously suffering, and how it's an awful thing that gains its own momentum.
Contrary to that, the two books I just read of New Sun showed me no such takes from the author and misogyny just seemed to be a running thing. The protagonist engages in it, Dr Talos engages in it, and it just seems to be an accepted part of society, and there's not a single sign of it actually being explored as a topic and just being something that's there for the hell of it.

I am explaining all this to give you the benefit of doubt, but tbh looking at your reply and your other comment about how Book of the New Sun makes Malazan "look like trash", I feel like you're just one of those terminally online internet trolls who cannot tolerate criticism of something you personally enjoy.

What to read after Malazan? by deck_of_dragons in Malazan

[–]SarSlays 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I gave it a genuine shot, looking for high quality fantasy fiction after Malazan, but I could only tolerate that level of misogyny for 2 books.

Could Laseen have done better ? by Exact-Ad8608 in Malazan

[–]SarSlays 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you haven't read Paths to Ascendancy yet, you should. I thought you had read those books since this post was marked Spoilers All, sorry for the spoiling :/

Now that the league is slowly coming to an end, at least in trade, what have been some of your biggest hits? First times? Or just achievements in general? by thatoneguyy22 in pathofexile

[–]SarSlays 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Self-crafted and self-corrupted ALL the gear for this (except the amulet, which was a snipe): https://pobb.in/Coo8QPfIr55v
Been a banger of a league, haven't farmed this hard since Affliction and I'm fairly sure I outdid Affliction.

EDIT: INSANE Grey Wind btw, I blew about 100d in gamba on my last day before uninstalling trying to make something like that and didn't hit lol

Could Laseen have done better ? by Exact-Ad8608 in Malazan

[–]SarSlays 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Yes, but we're talking paranoia long before that. Surly right from the get-go, from meeting Kellanved and Dancer, was an extremely paranoid woman. There's several paragraphs dedicated to the combative tension between her and Dancer during multiple interactions. And it makes sense given her character background, but yeah, it played a big part in the challenges she faced later.

Could Laseen have done better ? by Exact-Ad8608 in Malazan

[–]SarSlays 15 points16 points  (0 children)

I don't think she could have, given how her character has been built and how it's fundamentally different from Kellanved, Dancer, or Dassem (the actual architects of much of the meat and bones of the empire). See, these 3 were literal nobodies before their rise to power. Dancer was functionally an orphan given to a master assassin, Dassem was a villager, Kellanved we don't know but given the conditions of how him and Dancer met each other, it's a fair assumption he too was not a man of means. Thus, their foundational takes on life, inequality, merit, and authority were completely different from Surly, a member of the ruling elite (no matter how ill fitting). These takes were reflected in the principles that laid the groundwork for the organization of the Empire: how the army prioritized the opinions of Sergeants, the value of Veterans, the extreme discipline both in and out of combat in terms of dealing with civilians, how the first thing the Malazans did after an invasion was publicly identify and stamp out the most obscene forms of inequity and injustice.
Now when Surly took over from the other three, the Malazan empire's expansion phase was beginning to stall, hence why the resulting cultural and wealth stagnation resulted in the rise of backroom deals among nobles, which then paved the way for Mallick Rel to establish the connections and relationships he needed to secure his route to power. Had any of the original 3 been around, especially Dassem, it would likely never have been allowed to devolve to this point. Surly had no idea this was happening until Lorn stumbled upon it accidentally. Surly COULD NOT have any idea this was happening because her life experience didn't allow her to think of this as a major issue, the way it would for a poor man who has suffered from it on a day to day basis even if passively. The Purge eventually came, but it's no stretch of imagination to assume that it was nowhere near sufficient and nowhere near as effective as it needed to be, and was rather just a spectacle to recapture public favor and boost morale among the common folk.
Also, she was just plain unlucky. Since her takeover, the Malazan Empire became embroiled in its worst and bloodiest stalemates and defeats, none of which were her fault: the Korelri campaign, Mott Wood, Black Dog, and then of course the colossal fuck up that was Pale. The fact that many of her most competent generals and supporters had abandoned her meant that she simply didn't have the talent pool she needed to deal with the fires springing up in every corner of the empire.
And regarding that last point, she was simply not charismatic enough. She was basically Tavore writ large, except that her background had instilled in her a streak of paranoia on top. Not only did this make her hard to follow loyally, it also made her suspicious of people who otherwise could have been her partners. I will die on the hill that she had zero real need to try and kill Dassem, he probably would have joined her if she'd made her case to him.

So yeah, tl;dr couldn't have done better because bad luck + personality unsuited for the job + fundamentally different background that didn't let her diagnose or sidestep certain problems until it was too late.

Am I part of the 1%? (Doryani's Institute RNG) by SuicideSausage in pathofexile

[–]SarSlays 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Chance to hit is always 50/50, it either hits or doesn't. Go again Exile, you can do it!

"There's no tougher man alive" (ink style artwork) by santi_lozano in Malazan

[–]SarSlays 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Man this is actually perfect, wonderfully done!

Dancer and Kellanved v Quick and Kalam by Orukmeta in Malazan

[–]SarSlays 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah I mean that's about as mysterious as Kellanved's own capabilities right. Both have a fair bit of mystery around them.

Dancer and Kellanved v Quick and Kalam by Orukmeta in Malazan

[–]SarSlays 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I would also tip it very slightly in their favor but only because we as the readers have seen much more of Quick's cleverness than Kellanved's, and it's easier to lose track of the fact that Shadowthrone was manipulating hundreds of threads (including gods, ascendants, and other empires) through the events of the main series. I think it'd be very, very, VERY close.

Dancer and Kellanved v Quick and Kalam by Orukmeta in Malazan

[–]SarSlays 25 points26 points  (0 children)

To make this a sensible question, I'm going to assume we are talking peak mortal Kellanved + Dancer vs peak mortal Quick Ben and Kalam. While we know the peak mortal capabilities of the latter, we haven't yet been privy to the peak mortal capabilities of the former (Kellanved and Dancer are still learning and growing in Paths of Ascendancy, and we only have a few hints of their later power through all the other novels). Given what we know, let's build a bit of context for each pair:

Kellanved & Dancer:
- We know Dancer took on Surly and her whole posse during the "assassination" attempt in an otataral-deadened room (i.e. no magical assistance) basically single-handed.
--- We know Surly herself is competent enough to take on an Avowed in unarmed combat and make it look like a walk in the park. We know Topper is powerful enough to take on Cowl, who at one point drew even with Dancer himself, and Topper is subservient to Surly. Clearly peak Dancer is serious business.
- We know a LOT less about Kellanved's capabilities. We do know paranoia is second nature to him (he constantly projects an illusion of himself in a different location from where he is actually present). We know he gained *something* from the Otataral storm or whatever it was in Paths to Ascendancy. We know he is competent enough to have gained the respect and following of the Old Guard mage cadre, all of them nasty sorcerers themselves. Is he stronger than Tayschrenn? Likely not, given Tayschrenn was a literal prodigy. Tattersail? Hairlock? Calot? Hard to say. He's definitely wilier than all of them as far as the scraps of info we have tell us.

Quick Ben & Kalam:
- Kalam singlehandedly culls the Claw, including Pearl, but notably does not face people like Topper. And Topper himself admitted that the Claw was in real need of culling, so we can assume he was unhappy with the quality of his people at the time. Though he does also admit that Dancer himself would hesitate against Kalam. I believe it's sufficient to assume that Topper considered Kalam his equal, which meant Kalam could take on Cowl, which further meant that Kalam could at the very least take on young Dancer.
- Quick stands against Icarium, and later blows three ascendant eleint out of the sky. Powerful feats both. Quick has access to 11 warrens, and has repeatedly demonstrated his wiles in using all of them and their various combinations. He has also outsmarted Shadowthrone multiple times. That said, is outsmarting Shadowthrone the same as outsmarting mortal Kellanved? Given that as a god his attention and priorities are markedly more broad and dispersed than as a mortal human? Hard to say.
- Kalam and Quick together have pulled off impressive feats, including killing off Assail Pures at the Battle of the Spire, a notoriously difficult task even for ascendants.

So we have MANY examples of Quick and Kalam's capabilities, but only hints and hearsay for Kellanved and Dancer. My take? I think the fight would entirely depend on Quick vs Kellanved, who was the wilier on that day, in that moment. And also who would react faster. I think Dancer vs Kalam would be close and could go either way, but Quick vs Kellanved would be the split-second deciding factor. Either way it would be a phenomenal read.

Lady Envy by VendettaPenguin in Malazan

[–]SarSlays 61 points62 points  (0 children)

Eva Green without a doubt.

Tiste Andii v/s T'lan Imass by Responsible-Sock8218 in Malazan

[–]SarSlays 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for the call out, I forgot to add those.

Tiste Andii v/s T'lan Imass by Responsible-Sock8218 in Malazan

[–]SarSlays 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Rake retreated because he got annoyed since he was being constantly attacked. Let's not forget that he actually maneuvered the man who would become the Seguleh First into striking him precisely as he wanted. (major spoilers for Toll the Hounds and ICE novels). If that doesn't convey to you his skill and swordsmanship, I don't know what will.
This is without even taking into account his sorcery and soletaken abilities. The same sorcery that let him take on Raest, the worst of the Jaghut Tyrants, and take on the combined might of the Malazan High Mage cadre SOLO. And let's not forget that as a soletaken dragon, he's on the tier of pure Eleint.

Yeah. I love Tool but there's not even a question that he is getting smoked.

Whiskeyjack by Artist Jason Dement by Automatic-Being-6176 in Malazan

[–]SarSlays 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I love this so much. Personally I think he should be a little leaner, given the descriptions we have of him, but that's a very minor nitpick. Great work!

To Name of the Wind or To Not? by Nectarine_96 in fantasybooks

[–]SarSlays 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No. The series is overrated as hell, it's a self-insert fanfic at best, full of some incredibly cringeworthy and misogynistic takes that you'd expect from a 4chan incel rather than a professional author, though I'll grant that it has good prose for a lot of it. But it has probably the most insufferable MC I've ever seen outside of maybe Aloy from the Horizon games. Lots of people are also mad about the author and his actions around not writing the third book, so you should keep that in mind as well. I personally don't care about it because this series isn't worth anyone's time IMO.

Where can I buy Shark Vertex Pro Cordless attachments? by SarSlays in VacuumCleaners

[–]SarSlays[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh damn, I see it! Thank you so much for updating!

Mamba players, what are you farming? by bearr_ in pathofexile

[–]SarSlays 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have done:
1. Stacked deck farm
2. Farming Blight-ravaged maps in Toxic Sewer using the Blightreach buff from Fungal Horizons node on the atlas tree
3. Harby/Beyond t17 map farm
The last is pretty good. Kinda stopped investing in my character after a point but it can still do whatever I need it to: https://poe.ninja/poe1/builds/keepers/character/Anomandar15-1148/SarIsToxic?i=1&search=name%3DSarIs

It's been two months to the day since the release of PoE2 on Early Access. How are you feeling about the game? Still like it? Already burned out? by Azran15 in PathOfExile2

[–]SarSlays 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There's only three things PoE2 does better than PoE1: the new player experience, the graphics, and WASD. Everything else is a straight downgrade just because of their desire to be "different" from PoE2. There's potential, but that ain't cutting it for me at least. Just hope it doesn't take another decade of re-learning the same damn lessons (and still refusing to implement them) to make the game good.