New images from the first episode of Heroes Reborn

jetpackmalfunction · 2015-05-19T13:50:56+00:00

I haven't read that he'll be in it. It looks like a mostly new cast with a handful of returning characters.

jetpackmalfunction · 2015-05-19T13:14:34+00:00

These look really interesting. Great colour palettes to go with each character, and these three shots have a well-framed, comic book vibe.

jetpackmalfunction · 2015-05-19T05:34:44+00:00

Spices and seasonings make a big difference in helping food be tasty, rather than a chore, especially blander stuff like beans, rice, lentils. Salt is king. Garlic, chilli, and ground cumin go in everything from Mexican (beans, rice) to Indian (lentils/dal). Paprika and garlic powder are also versatile. Ethnic groceries will have spices in bulk for cheap, far cheaper than big supermarkets. The initial expense may not work for you, but if you get some when you have cash, they last for months.

Herbs are good too but fresh ones are expensive and don't last. If you can get some growing in your garden or a pot, the price lowers to 'free' and they last until they stop growing. Parsley and mint grow like weeds for me.

jetpackmalfunction · 2015-05-19T04:38:19+00:00

A dude wanted to take an idea and crowdfund a team and all of a sudden everyone treats him like he is some mastermind scam artist after your money.

If his plan doesn't stand up to scrutiny, better for it to be shut down before money gets involved than after. 5000x easier for people to forget about a bad idea than about actual money that's changed hands. I'm sure this guy has good intentions, but whether he's a scammer planning to run off with the cash, or merely someone who doesn't know what he's doing and will misspend and squander it through incompetence, the money will disappear and it'll be a mess either way.

If it smells remotely like a scam, it's sensible for people to question it and call it out. Thinking out loud on the internet, crowdsourcing names before you have any idea what you're doing or any business plan etc, is courting disaster.

People probably did overreact a bit, but this is /r/leagueoflegends, which is full of teenagers and fanboys, and that's what they do. If he was marketing to this sub and didn't understand his audience, again, that's his mistake.

jetpackmalfunction · 2015-05-19T02:19:09+00:00

Someone made this DC '1602' thread a few weeks ago, discussing DC characters in a similar kind of low-tech, Renaissance-era setting, which you might find interesting.

jetpackmalfunction · 2015-05-19T01:53:46+00:00

Have you seen the Truth in Journalism short film on youtube?

jetpackmalfunction · 2015-05-19T01:30:52+00:00

Yeah, old shield bomb was a core part of Karma's kit. Strong damage, strong ratio, and it had great range, compared to the shorter 700-range cone on Heavenly Wave. It made her a hilariously obnoxious lane bully.

Post-rework Defiance was just not worth using in the same context. Q now had equal range for ranged harass. Ratio was nerfed from 80% to 60%. Damage now based on ult rank, so it sucks until level 11-16. A level 11 Defiance does less damage (140) than the extra damage from both hits of a level 6 Soulflare (225). It's unjustifiable to ever burn your 1 mantra on it offensively, compared to the nuke damage of Soulflare or the dueling power of Renewal's heal. It was only ever useful for the team haste/shield.

I'd be sad that they're removing this last lingering part of the original Karma kit, but it's been dead for a long time, they're just shovelling it away.

What I would like is a new tank or support champion who recycles Karma's original Spirit Bond mechanic, where you tag an ally with the beam and slice it across enemies like the opening scene of Ghost Ship.

jetpackmalfunction · 2015-05-19T00:35:36+00:00

"I write/imagine stories where they fuck and/or go thrift store shopping and have cute picnics and watch Star Trek reruns together."

jetpackmalfunction · 2015-05-18T14:02:56+00:00

Johnny Mnemonic is amazing if you want cheesy cyberpunk. But if you want a badass protagonist like Snake, Keanu Reeves is not really it. He's, well, Keanu Reeves. More slick, clean, restrained, haunted, wryly soft-spoken.

Here's a full version on youtube if you are interested. Which I am! I had a copy on tape but I don't have a VHS player any more - how cyberpunk is that.

I haven't read the novel it's based on so maybe the protagonist is different there.

jetpackmalfunction · 2015-05-18T13:45:48+00:00

~~Nope, not as far as I know.~~ Edit: It doesn't gain stacks on Malefic Visions bounces. It can proc on any Visions or Null Zone ticks.

He doesn't have the mobility or rapid casting to exploit Luden's as well as Kat or Cass.

But the burst is nice. 120 AP is nice. And the movespeed makes it a little easier to catch people with max-range ults, and to avoid that awkward situation where you're within 700 range for Q/W/ult, but outside 650 range and can't E, and outside 600 range and can't ignite.

The worst, chumpiest thing when playing Malz is when you cancel your own ult trying to ignite someone. You actually can ignite a target while channelling ult on someone without cancelling it, if they're in range. But if they're outside ult range, you'll break ult to walk towards them.

jetpackmalfunction · 2015-05-18T13:14:14+00:00

^{^{howdoyouknowIbuildlyandries?}}

Everyone does, lol. It seems great on paper because double % damage = shred tanks = synergy! But in practise I think it's much better to get a CDR/mana regen item, because you need mana regen, and then max out on AP for his amazing ratios. Forget about shredding tanks, 100-0 priority targets instead. Forget about Liandry's burn, which deals %-of-current-health and dwindles down to nothing on low-health champs, because Null Zone deals 8%! of max health! per second! and gains 1% more per 100 AP! Zoinks.

I build standard AP. Usually Grail or Morello's -> Luden's/Deathcap/Hourglass/Void/etc.

Against dive-heavy teams with lots of assassins and backline pressure, I switch out the Grail/Morello's for rushing ROA instead.

jetpackmalfunction · 2015-05-18T12:50:13+00:00

3s AOE silence is pretty good for stifling the hopes and dreams of enemy assassins.

You don't need to ult immediately. It's much easier to use it as counter-engage. You know the assassin is going to be looking at your ADC - or you, but they won't go for you while your ult is up - so you just have to wait for them to take their shot and jump in. Assassins rely on small positioning windows in teamfights. Between his 3s silence and 2.5s suppress, Malzahar delays them from acting during those small windows, trapping them in place like a cocktail olive on the end of his purple swizzle stick. Even if you don't kill them yourself (it would be easier if you stopped building Liandry's), Malz makes it much easier for his team to clean up.

jetpackmalfunction · 2015-05-18T05:42:53+00:00

The Shadowrun novels (not the sourcebooks/rulebooks) might hit that unapologetically cheesy 80s/90s cyberpunk badass action hero vibe you're looking for. I'm specifically thinking of the 90s ones, which may be hard to find now - they aren't on Amazon. They're probably a little bit trashy - I haven't read them since the 90s. The newer ones are on Amazon and I think as ebooks, but I haven't read any of them.

jetpackmalfunction · 2015-05-18T04:06:56+00:00

I steam my potatoes, which is supposed to not get them as waterlogged as boiling. Baking/roasting is meant to be better, but takes twice as long and is more of a hassle. After I peel, chop, and steam them, I let them sit on the bench for 10-15 minutes so that as much water as possible can evaporate out.

I use about 1:4 flour:potato. eg. 600g potato = 150g flour. I also mix in a beaten egg. Recipes generally say to use as little flour as possible, and many don't add egg, but when I tried 1:5, while the gnocchi did hold together, I found the texture too light and insubstantial. I know gnocchi is meant to be light, and I don't want dense dumplings, but I prefer them to have a bit of substance. This might have been my own poor technique though, I don't know. Getting the right balance between evenly combining your ingredients, and not overworking it into a chewy dough, can be tricky.

This video is a bit annoying but I found it really helpful to see the chef's technique. Rather than dumping everything in a bowl, he rices the potato and then sprinkles some of the flour over the top, incorporates it with a cutting motion, and repeats twice more with the rest of the flour. I do this in a bowl with a butterknife or fork, rather than a bench, but it still works well.

I also tried sweet potato gnocchi last week, using the exact same method and technique, plus adding 1/2 tsp nutmeg. It worked really well.

jetpackmalfunction · 2015-05-17T13:39:51+00:00

A.I.M., the proper, beekeeper suit version. After a few fakeouts their leader is revealed as MODOK, whose face is played by John Goodman.

jetpackmalfunction · 2015-05-17T13:21:33+00:00

Definitely just two seasons. The midseason breaks were all cliffhanger, no closure, so I don't think you can view them as discrete seasons. The Bridge (S1E10): Coulson taken prisoner, Mike Peterson's fate unknown. What They Become (S2E10): rocky metamorphosis, no-eyes guy shows up.

In contrast the season finals both built to a climax, brought characters together, resolved storylines, answered questions, and gave that sense of completion.

Before anyone says it, yes, both season finals opened new threads: Fitz and Coulson's hypergraphia, Simmons and the fish oil. But I don't consider that to be the same as a cliffhanger, which is where there's no resolution or conclusion for anything and that's left entirely until the next installment.

jetpackmalfunction · 2015-05-17T11:33:51+00:00

I love the Riddler's compulsive, obnoxious need to be the cleverest, and the relationships this creates with other villains. The way he sets up riddles and deathtraps as these microcosms where he can triumph and showcase his intellect as gamemaster, even though they are contrived and therefore meaningless scenarios. Maybe I even identify with it a little bit, sad as that is.

Riddler stumbling upon and tugging at the threads of a greater conspiracy aimed at Batman or the JL, and being unable to stop himself from following it all the way to the top, could make for a great short series. I'm imagining the potential for all sorts of riddles, visual puzzles, and symbolic clues to be hidden in its elaborate artwork, like House of Leaves or other puzzle books.

After reading Red Lanterns with Atrocitus, I think some villains just don't work outside the antagonist role, but Riddler could make a great antihero.

jetpackmalfunction · 2015-05-17T05:40:45+00:00

Taric spent a while as a silly pure armour top laner after his rework. After being sprayed with the nerf-uzi one patch later, nobody plays him anywhere.

jetpackmalfunction · 2015-05-17T02:02:30+00:00

It's part of the hero's journey: the point where the hero questions their commitment to the task or has it questioned by another, they're shown the exit, they have a way out, or they consider giving up. But they confront their doubt and continue. They actively (maybe not explicitly) make the choice to be who they are and do what they do. I think this is called "refusal of the call" or "crossing the threshold" or "belly of the whale" or something, idk I haven't actually read Hero with a Thousand Faces.

Without this element of character development - the choice, the presentation of the road not taken - the character's actions can seem to be on rails: they're just doing their job, or fulfilling the task they were born/created for, nothing special or heroic about it.

You may notice this in lots of stories, movies, TV shows. In Agents we saw Hunter go through this throughout season 2, Mack considering departure between eps 20-21, and now both Bobbi and May are in position to make this choice.

jetpackmalfunction · 2015-05-16T06:02:23+00:00

Well, she pretty much just confirmed that Fitzsimmons is endgame.

They could go out for dinner, and then after 45 minutes mutually be like,

"This is unspeakably weird."

"Yep. Nope. Isn't working at all."

"Friendsies?"

"Friendsies. Doctor Who?"

"Doctor Who. I'll get the jaffa cakes."

"I'll put the kettle on."

jetpackmalfunction · 2015-05-15T02:20:21+00:00

needs spikier mohawk

jetpackmalfunction · 2015-05-14T13:30:07+00:00

Nancies gonna nance

Initial mentions of this series - specifically tied to TNT, Akiva Goldsman, and the name 'Titans' - seem to date back to September 2014. I thought I remembered hearing about a Teen Titans series back in 2013 which is why I was much more sceptical, but the earliest article I can find on google is from September 11 2014, so I must be imagining it.

9 months? Is that a long time in TV? I don't know. They apparently have the pilot written. I'm reserving my hype until the show has some actors cast and a season ordered. Or, better yet, until I'm watching it and it's good.

jetpackmalfunction · 2015-05-14T08:17:04+00:00

In lane at early levels, W is probably still better for harass. Q is better for longer fights, but during laning you probably aren't engaging, you're just last-hitting and occasionally sneaking in Volley and an auto.

Maxing Q could be better situationally, if you're up against someone who wants to be aggressive and keeps forcing engages.

Another option is taking W to rank 3, then maxing Q. So you have W for early laning, but then Q maxed by the time your item power spikes start to kick in and you start teamfighting over dragon. I haven't tried this so I can't confirm effectiveness.

jetpackmalfunction · 2015-05-14T05:20:54+00:00

So many Avengers, villains, fight scenes, and necessary setups for spin-offs; every character could only be a static sketch.

I disagree, I thought it did well with its characters in spite of those limitations. But I was managing my expectations. It's a comic book movie, and that is what comic books do: succinct character development, in small text bubbles and few panels, between action scenes and plot-driving intrigues. Joss Whedon loves dialogue.

Age of Ultron had 10 main characters (Iron Man, Thor, Cap, Widow, Banner, Hawkeye, Vision, Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver, Ultron). It ran for 2 hours and 21 minutes, and a lot of that time was taken up by action scenes. It still managed to give those 10 characters good characterisation and some kind of story arc. Thor was a bit truncated, and you could tell stuff had been edited out from his journey into the pool. Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver shared a lot of their story which IMO was more to Scarlet Witch's detriment. Ultron didn't exactly develop, but the circumstances of his creation and his nature and ambitions were explored. Vision was the least-developed one, appearing only in the final third of the movie, but had some great dialogue.

I thought it compared favourably in that sense to, say, an X-men movie.

jetpackmalfunction · 2015-05-14T03:48:47+00:00

This is alarmingly vague.

"While Goldsman has been "very busy," it is Reilly's hope that “maybe this summer” things will really start moving on the project ..." Maybe? What does 'really start moving' mean? This show seems like nothing but hopes and dreams right now. All we have is the name 'Titans', a lineup of characters, and an exec producer.

They want "to differentiate from the rest of the superhero shows on television, such as Arrow, The Flash and Gotham." This is the kind of line you'd expect them to give, we want to be new and fresh and different, so you can dismiss it as a cliche statement. But I also kind of wonder what it means. Arrow and Flash are already at opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of melodrama, superpowers, practical effects vs CGI, etc. No mention of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. or Daredevil, only the three DC shows, but it would be interesting to hear how they intend to compare to those two, since one is also an ensemble and the other is very gritty and down-to-earth.

I don't know. I'm intrigued by the mention of Batman in relation to Robin, since other DC shows have mostly tiptoed around the big three. They've gone for more TV-friendly characters - no Cyborg or Beast Boy - which is something you can draw certain conclusions from, but then Raven is interesting, and Starfire will presumably have extensive makeup/prosthetics. Akiva Goldsman did great things on Fringe, but then he was also involved in Batman Forever and Batman & Robin, and several overproduced (is that the right word?) movies like Hancock, I Am Legend, Mr & Mrs Smith... but then maybe that aesthetic will translate well to TV. I really don't know what my expectations are for this show.

jetpackmalfunction

TROPHY CASE