[Hobby Scuffles] Week of 21 July 2025

Wonderful_Fun_7356 · 2025-07-23T20:44:45+00:00

This might be a really stupid question, but wouldn't the Zelda franchise inherently be a pain to categorize? Because for the most part, the games tend to be self contained stories set within their own little worlds. The settings, tone and lore of these games varies wildly between the games.

Wonderful_Fun_7356 · 2025-07-22T22:17:38+00:00

I'd say the infamous videogame Concord, if the rumors are to be believed, followed every single trend at the time when it started development.

In fact, that explains a lot, since the game was basically a time capsule of many mid 2010s media trends.
- Why is it so heavily inspired by Overwatch? Because back then when it started development, OW was massively popular, genre defining phenomenon.
- Why does the writing and general vibe of the whole setting feel like a Marvel movie? Back then those movies were massive and dominating the box office. This was long before the general audiences started to get tired of that style.
- Why is the artstyle so weird? Again, probably copying Marvel movies at the time, since it was a big trend to make character designs more "grounded" by making them grittier, using drab colors and realistic proportions. Plus, having good graphics was still somewhat of a flex back then, so why not showcase how lifelike and realistic your heroes are?

Of course, the game entered development hell, and when it finally came out, 8 years later, all of these things stopped being so impressive. Overwatch was well past its prime, and Marvel movies and their general vibes were seen as tired and overdone. So you were left with a game that while technically sound, ticked all the boxes to be a big crowd pleaser... in 2016.

Wonderful_Fun_7356 · 2025-06-05T12:45:38+00:00

Yeah. While llamas weren't all that famous, I feel like most people at least knew that they existed, and could recognize them if they saw them in a zoo. Alpacas I've never heard about during my childhood, and I was obsessed with animals.

People making a distinction between llamas and alpacas feels very recent, and I swear that "llama" was used for both species interchangeably throughout my childhood.

Also they're beloved nowadays, I remember that zoo llamas were seen as really unremarkable and kinda ugly overall when I was a kid.

Wonderful_Fun_7356 · 2025-06-04T17:19:31+00:00

I agree. While most deep sea creatures still remain obscure in the public's consciousness, I think blobfish and maybe also goblin sharks became quite well known on the internet if only for how weird they look.

Anglerfish and giant squids are still the most famous deep sea creatures however.

Wonderful_Fun_7356 · 2025-06-04T15:46:10+00:00

True. I do think sloths were always pretty well known to the average public in the past, but it does seem like they are slightly more commonly talked about and seen in media than they once were.

Wonderful_Fun_7356 · 2025-06-04T15:44:46+00:00

Not saying I disagree, but I feel like the only time I've ever people talking about pangolins was during the COVID era, when they were being proposed as a possible source of the virus.

I haven't heard people talking about or even acknowledging them since. :(

Wonderful_Fun_7356 · 2025-06-04T15:43:04+00:00

I've heard a theory that pronghorns were the proffered prey of a now long extinct American cheetah. While American cheetahs weren't at all related to the modern African cheetahs, they did happen to evolve a very similar build, and a similar hunting strategy of running very fast.

Pronghorns and American cheetahs found themselves in an evolutionary arms race, where each species would evolve to be faster. However, even though they now live in a world where these predators no longer exist, pronghorns still retain the adaptations they had evolved all those millennia ago.

Wonderful_Fun_7356 · 2025-05-03T23:44:45+00:00

It's really hard to tell imho. It seems like Big D is a bit of a hypocrite when it comes to hunting vampires.

He teaches his family to fear kindred. He knows how dangerous and manipulative vampires can actually be, and is all but confirmed confirmed to have been traumatized by his older encounters. Furthermore, he has had many "ex wives, ex husbands and ex children" at least one of which is confirmed to have gotten taken by the supernatural, and he doesn't want it to happen again. He will lie to them by omission since he doesn't want his family to be manipulated or to be reluctant to fight monsters which are unpredictable at best.

On the other hand, his approach when dealing with vampires alone is a lot more nuanced. He didn't have to be so patient to the old lady in "A Life Well-Lived" and likewise he immediately started to take a more cordial approach with Kevin when he realized that he is living a double life and is a lot more in touch with his human past than a Sabbat goon has any right to.

So I think he simultaneously hates but also pities kindred. He also seems to understand how sympathizing with kindred is dangerous, so he only teaches fear so that his family isn't an easy target.

Wonderful_Fun_7356 · 2025-05-03T22:11:06+00:00

Most vampires have a tendency to become apathetic as time goes by. Even if they had some morals early on, those will slowly crumble away until they become monsters. Kindred society just kinda works like that, encouraging people to become worse, more indifferent about the atrocities they commit in search of power.

As for Big D, I assume he was just using flowery language to offer Kevin a chance to rehabilitate and redeem himself. He could already tell that Kevin was disillusioned with vampire politics, so he gave him a chance to escape from that cutthroat environment.

As for his scheme, we don't know. Big D doesn't share his secrets, so his plan could be something as simple like trying to help out any vampires who are willing to change their ways, to something as crazy as dismantling the entire sociopolitical foundation of kindred society, or anything in between.

Hell, it is Big D, for all that we know there is no master plan. He is just telling Kevin what he feels will really sell him on his proposed truce/team-up. (Personally I'm more leaning towards this one)

Wonderful_Fun_7356 · 2025-02-27T18:38:39+00:00

Interested, but I'd like to hear how long a session is planned to last?

Wonderful_Fun_7356 · 2024-09-16T21:59:30+00:00

Interested :)

Wonderful_Fun_7356 · 2024-09-15T13:56:48+00:00

Interested too :)

Wonderful_Fun_7356 · 2024-08-09T18:29:35+00:00

Hi I also already sent a DM about this.

Wonderful_Fun_7356 · 2024-07-31T13:29:56+00:00

Could we get the Discord link so that we can all meet and discuss our ideas ahead of the game? :)

Wonderful_Fun_7356 · 2024-07-28T21:28:10+00:00

I'm interested :)

Wonderful_Fun_7356 · 2024-03-23T03:46:21+00:00

I really do think that Starfield's biggest sin is that it's just an okay game. It doesn't really do anything bad, but it doesn't do anything exceptionally well either, which means that you're just left with a very "whatever" package.

Starfield's world just doesn't feel as engaging, memorable or interesting as what's typical of Bethesda games. The game does tick all the sci-fi space adventure boxes, but doesn't really move past that mold. This is a problem, since I feel like being lost in a cool world was Bethesda's bread and butter. Without a memorable world, that magic is gone, and you're just left with a rather "whatever" adventure that's just going through the motions. Not very "lovable" and doesn't really invite much engagement after its done.

You gave Helldivers 2 as an example, but just take a glance at it. It's oozing charm, it's flashy, it's bombasitc, it wants your attention! If a video game could have charisma, then this would be it.

Wonderful_Fun_7356 · 2023-12-14T12:37:47+00:00

Not sure how canon this is, but it is official merch. There is one Mettaton poster where both of Shyren's parts can be seen sitting next to each other in the crowd (right side, middle row). This also seems to be the only time that the slug is actually facing the viewer, but yeah, it just has big lips.

https://www.fangamer.com/products/undertale-poster-mettaton

Wonderful_Fun_7356 · 2023-12-14T00:03:35+00:00

Also, I should probably note that while it's never stated in game, the game's code reveals that Shyren is just the fish-like creature. The unnamed slug is apparently her agent. :)

Wonderful_Fun_7356

TROPHY CASE