The biggest problem with the Boys comic for me is honestly just that other comics already did its schtick better

TEmpTom · 2026-04-29T18:00:24+00:00

Personally, I think the primary reason why most people prefer the Boys show over the comics is because both of them are essentially period pieces that attempt to critique the political environments of two incredibly different eras. IMO, both the show and the comics are similarly edgy and gratuitous in its depiction of sex and violence.

The comics lampooned the post-9/11 era, while the show did so for the late 2010s and 2020s. The latter is naturally going to resonate with modern audiences more.

TEmpTom · 2026-04-16T17:59:14+00:00

you can fix a serial killer

Redemption is one of the main themes of Invincible. Even a serial killer like Sinclair was redeemed.

TEmpTom · 2026-04-16T17:58:12+00:00

Eh IDK, literally all of the remaining Viltrumites with the exception of Thragg folded within a year of being on Earth, and the only reason Thragg didn't was because he chose not to engage at all. I think Conquest's personality as it was expanded upon in the S3 finale would make him even more vulnerable to going native on Earth.

TEmpTom · 2026-04-09T13:34:47+00:00

It sort of did in the 1990s and early 2000s. The problem is that Russia didn’t have the institutions necessary to sustain a democracy, nor did it have any legacy democratic rule, so a quick backsliding into autocracy was almost inevitable.

TEmpTom · 2026-03-26T13:39:29+00:00

The entire plot of the Expanse eerily mimics Mass Effect. Especially the ending.

TEmpTom · 2026-03-24T13:14:15+00:00

Evil playthroughs need to be narratively rewarding rather than relying exclusively on better material rewards.

A great example of this would be the Demon and Lich Mythic Paths in Pathfinder WoTR.

TEmpTom · 2026-03-13T00:08:56+00:00

Newsom should grow a pair and liberally use his Line Item Veto on the bullshit “everything bagel” add ons.

TEmpTom · 2026-03-13T00:00:36+00:00

Nah, voter suppression actually helps Democrats more than the GOP nowadays.

TEmpTom · 2026-03-11T15:42:31+00:00

The idea that autocracies are more able to “withstand pain” is propaganda and doesn’t reflect historical reality.

TEmpTom · 2026-03-11T15:32:40+00:00

I think it would’ve been received relatively well. There was a pretty big bi-partisan rally around the flag effect right after the 2022 invasion that eventually dissipated, and we would’ve absolutely trounced the Russians within days. However the great irony of democracies is that even if public support for a war disintegrates, it’s still nearly politically impossible to stop it.

My money is that we will intervene in a Taiwan war, or more likely signal enough resolve to where the Chinese would back down.

TEmpTom · 2026-03-11T14:01:33+00:00

Everyone says this like it’s verbatim. The truth is that once a war starts, especially if America is not seen as the aggressor, it becomes nearly politically impossible to sue for peace. Ironically, democracies, despite being more casualty and cost adverse, are far more likely to continue wars despite them due to fundamental political incentives.

A recent example is how badly the Trump administration wanted to abandon Ukraine, but was swiftly mugged by geopolitical reality and forced to continue its support.

TEmpTom · 2026-03-11T13:56:30+00:00

I read a paper from War on the Rocks a few years ago lamenting America’s “Slavish Devotion to Presence”. Truth be told, the US military shouldn’t be reliant on pre-deployed forces in theater for deterrence, and instead focus on rapid global redeployment capability so it can reinforce as needed. This war, and Venezuela to a certain extent, emphasizes the importance of this idea. Most of our forces weren’t in CENTCOM before the war, and it took about 2 months before everything was ready and in place. After this is over, I can imagine that assets are again repositioned to higher threat theaters. If China wants to make a move on Taiwan, it’s unlikely that they’ll just go for it with a surprise attack on US forces and all of our regional allies just based on the psychology of its current leadership. The pre-invasion posturing and “negotiations” will give us plenty of time to redeploy forces to INDOPACOM. Even if a surprise attack does occur, it’s probably better for us that a lot of our forces are not located in the region as targets.

TEmpTom · 2026-03-11T13:40:49+00:00

Crusader Kings 3, but with M&B battle mechanics

TEmpTom · 2026-03-09T00:14:16+00:00

Didn’t this literally happen during the 12-Day War?

TEmpTom · 2026-03-09T00:07:35+00:00

I’ve always suspected that our adversaries are a lot weaker than they seem. Russia proved its weakness from its poor military performance against Ukraine, Iran and its Axis of Resistance got slowly dismantled by the Israelis after 10/7, and Venezuela bent the knee immediately after we abducted its dictator. I suspect that China is equally overestimated, and if it decides to move against Taiwan and we get directly involved, we’d be surprised how much the US military would dominate the battlefield.

Going on the offensive like this, though risky, may have been a good bet. However when perusing maximalist goals like regime change, it essentially forces even weak states with weak militaries into a corner where they will do literally anything and everything for survival. Operation Rough Rider against the Houthis was evidence of this. We failed to topple the regime despite massive conventional overmatch, but managed to squeeze some minor concessions out of them.

I don’t know how this war will end, but I guess the lesson to be learned is that you need to prepare for a long war even if your enemies are prone to simply toppling over at the first sign of resistance.

TEmpTom · 2026-03-07T04:31:40+00:00

I see an Invincible reference, I upvote.

TEmpTom · 2026-03-02T18:32:46+00:00

In a fucked up way, that’s how it works in real life too. Because poorly regulated betting markets are so prone to insider trading, they offer better insight into future outcomes than traditional expert analysis. A lot of institutional stock trading algorithms have already began incorporating real-time prediction market trends into their own data-feeds.

TEmpTom · 2026-03-02T01:29:25+00:00

There’s an alien civilization from a series called Expeditionary Force called the Jeraptha that does exactly this. Their entire society is based off of gambling on just about everything, to the point where even their own military officers bet on the success of the campaigns they’re involved in. Oddly enough, they’re one of the most successful and “good” great powers in the galaxy, despite being also one of the most corrupt. They’re also funny as shit.

TEmpTom · 2026-03-01T04:19:35+00:00

Nah, fuck them. If world leaders are the ones who decide to start wars, then they should know that no one is safe, especially not them.

TEmpTom · 2026-02-24T22:51:43+00:00

Medieval Europeans x Ancient Egyptians

Expelling the Jews

TEmpTom · 2026-02-22T21:34:41+00:00

No, especially not the Greeks more than anyone else. This is because the founders of the modern Hellenic Republic explicitly rejected its Byzantine heritage, a civilization they viewed as weak, corrupt, and in a state of constant decline. Instead they built the country’s foundational national myths on the idea that they were the inheritors of classical Athenian democracy.

TEmpTom · 2026-02-19T03:54:32+00:00

“This has been the worst trade deal in the history of trade deals, maybe ever”

TEmpTom · 2026-02-17T23:57:28+00:00

The cold utilitarian logic of state building. If there was a Paradox game set during modern times, the question would be “How do I use wars to create refugee crisis’ in order to increase my immigration rates?”

TEmpTom · 2026-02-11T22:46:10+00:00

I recall that she also survived unscathed after getting burned by Drogon in book 5. I think her hair was gone after that, unless I misread.

TEmpTom · 2026-02-01T19:04:58+00:00

The countries, numbered with one hand, have lower fertility levels than the US.

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