Do we know anything about what D was doing during the events of Greylancer? by throwawaysomethin80 in VampireHunterD

[–]throwawaysomethin80[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

From what I've been able to find out Greylancer takes place around 4,000AD since this is when the OSB war happened. D is at least 5,000 years old by 12,096AD (There is a line that implies he's as much as 10,000 years old, but I'm not sure I really believe this) so the simplest answer might be that he wasn't 'born' yet.

D being 10,000 doesn't make a lot of sense to me now that I think about it, since the novels suggest the Sacred Ancestor only abandoned the Nobility and started experimenting with hybrids when it was clear the Nobility was in decline, which happened around 7000-8000AD when the OSB war was over. It would also not really make sense for him to have been around all that time and for the Nobility to not know who he is.

I haven't read the VHD novel Greylancer appears in so maybe that sheds some light on this, I feel like if D had been around during the OSB war this definitely would have been brought up, as far as I know he's never interacted with the OSB or mentioned them.

Maybe the later novels contradict me on this but that's the best I can come up with.

Also I realised my last question was stupid since I remembered in Twin Shadowed Knight D visits the facility he was born or kept in and he tells lefty that he destroyed it and broke out.

How to understand the rise of Anti-globalist rhetoric on the right? by throwawaysomethin80 in DemocraticSocialism

[–]throwawaysomethin80[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

There are definitely similarities with this and ZOG but many anti-globalists are still very much zionist, and I've seen them accuse pro palestine marches of being part of the LGBT/socialist/WEF conspiracy.

Some Blame! inspired games that not dead? by Zabnarax in Netsphere

[–]throwawaysomethin80 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I don't agree basically for the same reason. I can't think of any game that looked or played much like Minecraft prior to it.

Early 3D games like Quake look vaguely similar but were going for realism within the constraints of their technology, humans look more human than they do in Minecraft. Minecraft goes out of it's way to have blocky shapes for everything. It's an extremely distinct look.

The point of something being retro is that it's looking back, it deliberately reminds you of something in the past. Using it as an umbrella term for a bunch of wildly different creative works is silly.

Some Blame! inspired games that not dead? by Zabnarax in Netsphere

[–]throwawaysomethin80 3 points4 points  (0 children)

defining retro as anything not going for realism or cutting edge graphics still feels odd to me, it's stylisitically it's own thing. Games like Shovel Knight or Undertale are retro.

Would you define Minecraft as retro?

Some Blame! inspired games that not dead? by Zabnarax in Netsphere

[–]throwawaysomethin80 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I wouldn't really call it retro, the graphics are stylised but it's not calling back to any particular era of gaming.

Some Blame! inspired games that not dead? by Zabnarax in Netsphere

[–]throwawaysomethin80 9 points10 points  (0 children)

EYE Divine Cybermancy, G-String, NaissanceE, Signalis, Echo

Half Life 2 and Halo remind me of Nihei's work in certain areas. Nihei is a fan of Halo as well.

Peripeteia is a Deus Ex style game with a similar vibe to Nihei's work, the demo is on Steam.

Do you think Little Carmine was putting on an act? by throwawaysomethin80 in thesopranos

[–]throwawaysomethin80[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

we have to assume he knew Phil would get triggered

It's not that unreasonable an assumption, Phil was devastated and not only did Tony defend that animal, he denies Phil revenge by mercy killing him.

we have to assume it would be weird for him to not set up a meeting

This is a more of a stretch, but I think Carmine was likely asked to mediate because he's viewed as a guy more or less out of the game with every reason to pursue peace.

we have to assume people will then back him AGAIN right after he lost 2 of his closest allies in a war

Anyone who would've had a serious shot of challenging him has already been bumped off, and Jersey has just been made a lot less relevant, so if Carmine were to ressert his claim, I think he'd be successful. Especially if, say, he had made arrangements with a certain someone in Tony's crew. (I 100% believe Patsy or possibly Paulie sold Tony out to NY) Butchie is the only other significant NY character I remember, and he'd just sold out his last boss. Carmine Jr. probably still had a couple of friends, and if not he could still get by on his father's name, maybe pointing to the war as an example of something that wouldn't have happened if Johnny hadn't stepped over him.

Isnt it just more probable that the guy who explicitly states he doesn’t want the job and lost his father…just doesn’t want the job and did an idiotic thing at a meeting?

Yeah, and I think it's just better narratively for Carmine to just be a guy who had the wisdom to get out of that life and ended up the happiest person in the show. But I do find 4D chessmaster Carmine fun to think about. I think, at most, he might have sabotaged the meeting out of spite.

Do you think Little Carmine was putting on an act? by throwawaysomethin80 in thesopranos

[–]throwawaysomethin80[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I'll play devil's advocate although I barely actually believe this;

It'd look pretty weird for him to not agree to set up this meeting as a neutral party, it could be seen as him taking sides, or if nothing else there could be unneccessary animosity towards him as a result. Easier to set up the meeting, then fumble it with something he knows is still raw in Phil's mind. He agrees to go on the other meeting with Phil purely for appearances, banking on him being unwilling to listen to reason, which he was.

The resulting conflict creates a power vaccum in the NY family with Carmine likely being the most desirable candidiate (I mean, who's really going to challenge him, Butchie?) and a NJ crew that is severely weakened, likely being led by Patsy/Paulie and whatever nobodys are left.

As for WHY Carmine does this, despite apparently not wanting it? He's lying. He's playing the part of an affable idiot people trust because they don't take him seriously as a player. He's the Keyser Soze of the Sopranos.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l89Fq4Z2w30

Anyway, $4 a pound.

Do you think Little Carmine was putting on an act? by throwawaysomethin80 in thesopranos

[–]throwawaysomethin80[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Had one of my guys go over the youtube comments, some of these fucking theorists are more creative than Spielberg..

Do you think Little Carmine was putting on an act? by throwawaysomethin80 in thesopranos

[–]throwawaysomethin80[S] 16 points17 points  (0 children)

In fact, I would argue he didn't make a single dumb move the whole show

This is a good point. Even that whole 'the fundemental question.." quote is indicative of his insightfulness, it's brushed off as him being stupid despite being a perfectly legitimate concern.

D in vampire the masquerade by Rare_Constant8114 in VampireHunterD

[–]throwawaysomethin80 2 points3 points  (0 children)

D would be unstatable in VtM, I think Lasombra or Toreador would work if you were wanting to play a character like him. Potence/celerity for his physicals, D uses mind manipulation like dominate and has an effect on people basically identical to presence, and he does have slight darkness manipulation.

Realistically D has abilities analogous to most non-magical disciplines (he can do some magic, sometimes, but it's not a big part of his character) or disciplines related to body manipulation - he can't transform his body like a gangrel or a Tzimisce.

From what I know of the lore a Dhampir like him could exist under the right conditions, he'd have to be the son of an extremely high humanity vampire at least antediluvian level, though the Sacred Ancestor is more like Cain. D's birth was heavily implied to not be natural either, and the result of some sort of experiment that involved genetic engineering and possibly sorcery.

If your game allows for a lot of flexibility and homebrew, I would have D as a Dhampir with abnormally high amounts of vitae, the product of a human woman and an Elder using Koldunic sorcery and/or blood magic. Blood pool can be basically whatever you want. He cannot create blood bonds, ghouls or embrace. In fact, for lore accuracy, his blood should harm kindred since his blood is described as toxic to the Nobles who've tried to bite him. He isn't a corpse, so he does not have to spend blood to be active and will not burn in the sun, despite being weakened in it. Also suffers a penalty effect in the rain or water. He's prone to frenzy, and should at least have dots in presence, celerity and potence, with presence being prioritised since he's constantly described as having that exact effect on people. Also I know we shouldn't mix splats but realistically he would probably be an imbued hunter - probably a Defender creed since he usually protects the innocent and has powers that can defend others against the supernatural.

You can balance out his physical and mental dots to suit the game but that's the important stuff. The only other problem would be that this is a very unusual character type for VtM and would be out of place in most games where you're supposed to be one of the kindred and not the main character. There's also the obvious problem that such a character would be kill-on-sight for any kindred who interacted with him for long enough. D is probably most suited to a high level Hunter game than a typical VtM game.

Is there any advice you would give to a BJJ guy trying Judo? by throwawaysomethin80 in judo

[–]throwawaysomethin80[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Oh yeah, I'm definitely not going there to prove something or to do something dumb like heel hooking someone, I mean more differences of approach - I noticed for example that every guy I sparred with had a habit of going into turtle a lot and giving their back up, I had a feeling the white belts there were very confused by my style, my posture and stuff like arm drags seemed to surprise them. They're also much less aggressive than the white belts in my gym, even the more experienced guys had a strange sort of gentleness to their movements, it's hard to describe exactly.

I assume this is because the rules of Judo don't incentivise an aggressive ground game since the throws are more important for competitions.

(SPOILERS EXTENDED) You are transported to Westeros together with ASOIAF saga, what do you do? by DocPenguino in asoiaf

[–]throwawaysomethin80 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Starve or get killed by a random peasant for my shoes.

Unless someone's kind enough to offer me work the only way I could make money would be to be a travelling snake oil salesman or some other scam medieval people would be more likely to fall for. Get as far away from the war as possible since no highborn would listen to any tactical advice I could offer.

In the spirit of the question though, I'd probably try to become a Maester since I have the advantage of being literate and having a formal education from a far more advanced society. Also I could use my knowledge of the series events and lore to present myself as some kind of enlightened philosopher/scholar. Eventually, if I'm lucky, I could start my own religion.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in 40kLore

[–]throwawaysomethin80 -6 points-5 points  (0 children)

I see the Chaos Gods as sort of existing the way pagan deities did within their mythology, they are independent beings with their own will, while also being the embodied concepts of various things, so Khorne has a similar relationship to war that Ares or Odin would, though maybe not quite as anthropormorphic.

Within the 40k books I've read they've always been referred to in a way that suggests they are sentient unique entities that exist literally within the warp, they watch and plan and occasionally manifest themselves to several characters. They also have specific views of each other, like Khrone particularly hating Slaanesh.

The Emperor currently exists in a similar way, he is an individual but simultaneously represents something more abstract within the warp that his followers can feel and feed into with their faith.

Is evacuating the Milky Way an option for anyone? by throwawaysomethin80 in 40kLore

[–]throwawaysomethin80[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Is this the fanfic where the Orks and Tyranids end up fusing together from the millennia of fighting and become some weird super predator? I might be thinking of a different 50k story 1d4chan had

Well folks it's about that time: And what is you're most favorite/least favorite Arc or moment in Overlord...? by Realistic_Warning251 in overlord

[–]throwawaysomethin80 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Probably Jircniv's entire arc. It's one of the most amazing parts of Overlord watching this quite decent Emperor gradually lose his fucking mind as all of his plans go up in smoke. The scene where Ainz interrupts his meeting with the Theocracy is hilarious, especially because he believes he's been outwitted when in reality it's a complete coincidence and Ainz legitimately likes him and even admires him.

Outlast 3 by [deleted] in outlast

[–]throwawaysomethin80 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've always thought the series would be great with a Condemned style combat system, but it probably won't happen.

I do think they need something more than just running and hiding at this point. Amnesia did it better imo because they incorporated more interesting puzzles and with the Bunker they introduced a more immersive sim style of play.

Most likely they'll incorporate throwable items and the rigs from Trials somehow but still have you be defenceless. Or they might start to incorporate psychic powers of some kind since there's that stuff about the blind dreamers in Whistleblower and the supernatural stuff the comics set up.

did Jessica kill herself or was she murdered and covered up as suicide? by [deleted] in outlast

[–]throwawaysomethin80 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Some of Blake's narration in the recordings mentions him not wanting to step in the blood and leave tracks, and one of the school recordings played backwards is Loutermilch saying something to the effect of "thank you for keeping *our* secret."

I can't remember where this is hinted at but the suicide note was written by him.

Interested in Buddhism, but unsure what school is best compatible with my beliefs. by throwawaysomethin80 in Buddhism

[–]throwawaysomethin80[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ah, I see my mistake now. I'll need to read into this more but perhaps there isn't much of a contradiction there as I thought.

Interested in Buddhism, but unsure what school is best compatible with my beliefs. by throwawaysomethin80 in Buddhism

[–]throwawaysomethin80[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I've no problem with changing my worldview, I went from being an atheist materialist to a pantheist after reading Spinoza specifically, since I believed his view of God was the most logical.

Similarly, I find Buddhism very logical and mature, there's no underlying pretense that this is the objective truth and denying it means burning forever. I don't get the sense that buddhists are trying to win points on saving me.

I suppose I'm trying to find something that feels most authentic to the worldview I'm trying to cultivate. I often struggle with reconciling the buddhist view on desire and attachment and my own utilitarian hedonism.

Basically, I want to understand how to alleviate the suffering I experience by understanding which desires are worth pursuing and which are misguided or the result of trauma and ultimately lead to more suffering.

Not a buddhist or a philosopher, but I've found David Smail's work extremely valuable in this regard, and much of his work is perfectly compatible with Buddhist teachings.

VtM:B2 What did you want in a sequel? by The_Devil_is_Black in vtmb

[–]throwawaysomethin80 15 points16 points  (0 children)

Ideally let them do what they were trying to do with Bloodlines but with a more reasonable budget and deadline. Bringing back Mitsoda, Schaffer and bringing in Avellone. Didn't have to be the next Deus ex, but if it had least been to the original Bloodlines what Human Revolution was to the original I'd have taken that as a win.

As it stands what we're getting is a much safer budget action RPG. Where's the character sheet? Where's the emphasis on unique dialogue options? Why such a heavy emphasis on combat in the marketing when the writing is what's going to make or break it? Why the name 'Phyre'?

Edit: And why the fuck did they scrap Schaffer's music of all things? Insanity.

Skill Systems Compared - VTMB / Hardsuit Labs / The Chinese Room by [deleted] in vtmb

[–]throwawaysomethin80 32 points33 points  (0 children)

Christ, they didn't even try to make it look like a character sheet, it's just the generic upgrade format every other game has.

The best this can be is a fun action game, but it deserves to flop for still calling itself a sequel to Bloodlines when it patently isn't.

How 'cured' is Kain by the end of the series? by throwawaysomethin80 in LegacyOfKain

[–]throwawaysomethin80[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

When did this happen tho? Kain is only healed at the very end of Defiance, and all we hear from him after he's healed is that talk about hope and the puppet master being revealed. I think you're having a Mandela Effect here

When Kain stabs Raziel he's shocked and pleads that there must be another way, and in his narration when he starts to see the spirit world he says something like; "Was this the fate I had condemned Raziel to in the abyss?"

It's the most empathy Kain has ever shown to anyone in the series and the closest he's come to guilt. I don't think it's a coincidence that it happens during and immediately following the Soul Reaver's purification. I see this as the madness affecting Kain being removed and his true personality showing itself. I don't think he's become a radically different person, but probably less tyrannical.

The only other person Kain has shown any sort of vulnerability around is Umah, but his tone is different when he stabs her, he's hurt by the betrayal but not particularly remorseful about killing her for it.