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| Topic | Do you think Brandon Sanderson will be a household name within 20 years? |
| TheShadowViper 02/02/22 8:03:24 PM #56 | Sure. He has a bunch of "safe" fantasy books that could go mainstream fairly easily in a time where streaming services are gobbling up content. But that may not be a good thing for him. Brandon Sanderson is an excellent author, but is very tied to a specific kind of fantasy that could easily be labeled with his name. Which I think would not only greatly limit his options, but also the people willing to watch or read anything by him. Frankly, I think the Brandon Sandersons of the world are what streamers like Netflix need more of, someone who is prolific in writing reliably good series, series that won't rock the boat ala GoT or Squid Game, but will be well received if done according to his vision. |
| Topic | FTC will be reviewing the Microsoft/Activision deal |
| TheShadowViper 02/01/22 1:45:36 PM #19 | You say that like the FTC "reviewing" something means anything. Regulatory agencies balls got snipped a long time ago. |
| Topic | Most fantasy books are bad |
| TheShadowViper 01/28/22 6:42:51 AM #13 | Most fantasy books are badYou need to describe what you are actually looking for. While it may seem on the surface that ASoIaF and Mistborn don't have much in common, they actually have a number of similar elements. If you are looking simply for "gritty fantasy" or "political fantasy" then say that, saying you like one book that has a million fantasy tropes and not another that has a million fantasy tropes doesn't do much to narrow things down. If you like an easy enjoyable read that has lots of action and brutality, I found the Gotrek and Felix Warhammer series to be quite enjoyable. |
| Topic | If you have the credit, why would anyone Rent over owning a home ? |
| TheShadowViper 01/22/22 8:46:27 AM #9 | Many people want to live in certain areas with certain housing and do not have the means - or it is quite simply completely unavailable - besides renting. |
| Topic | Book of Boba Fett has built a very satisfying experience so far *Spoilers* |
| TheShadowViper 01/21/22 12:00:09 AM #14 | Kim_Seong-a posted... This was canon before Disney >_>No it wasn't. And saying that proves you have no idea what "canon" even was pre-disney. Hint, it had levels, and a shitty cartoon was lowest of the low. |
| Topic | Only a month to go until Elden Ring is upon us |
| TheShadowViper 01/20/22 11:58:04 PM #19 | [LFAQs-redacted-quote] Doubtful, the livetest put to bed any of that shit. They also have one of the best track records of any company. So there is that. People who like From games will not likely be disappointed. |
| Topic | Microsoft is buying Activision-Blizzard |
| TheShadowViper 01/18/22 8:48:15 AM #62 | Antifar posted... If I'm being generous, maybe it's phrased that way because they can't do anything about Kotick until the deal closes?He is going to be swimming in cash so does it really matter? Blizzard met Bioware's fate a long time ago. It isn't like moving KoDick out is going to change that. People need to drop the delusion that Kotick will ever be held accountable. |
| Topic | Microsoft is buying Activision-Blizzard |
| TheShadowViper 01/18/22 8:42:00 AM #48 | littlebro07 posted... until Disney buys MicrosoftMicrosoft is the second most valuable company in the US behind Apple. Disney ain't buying Microsoft. Disney isn't actually even close to being able to afford Microsoft, the only ones close in value are Amazon and the parent company of Google. |
| Topic | Why are engineering students so insistent that engineering is a difficult major? |
| TheShadowViper 12/30/21 10:40:49 PM #23 | Engineering is not nearly as hard as engineering students would have you believe, mathematical equations are not the sole representative of what makes a major hard. Obviously, a major based entirely around mathematics would have more difficult mathematical problems and thus be more difficult for people who suck at math. But if you are competent in math (let's say you completed through Linear Algebra and understood it), it is not more difficult than many other majors, and there is much less subtlety involved in being successful than some other majors that require more creative ingenuity. In fact, math classes themselves are more difficult than engineering because application is one of the greatest drivers of the human experience and engineering consists largely of application based principles. The equation shown above for heat conduction is only difficult if you don't know what hyperbolic functions or series are. That is, it looks scarier to those who have not actually taken the math courses necessary to understand them, but is not actually that difficult. The one thing that does make engineering more difficult than other majors is you are expected to have no problem doing the math you have done in school for years, so it is much more difficult to just come in and blast through it - most need a solid foundation in math in order to thrive. All in all I consider engineering to be more exhaustive in terms of work load than many other majors, but not necessarily standing out as a more difficult major. The judgement of the difficulty of a major is heavily dependent on the skills that the POV looking at it possesses. Kloe_Rinz posted... No room for failure because if you fail there will be many deathsThere is also almost always a correct answer to a problem. A luxury that engineering and math students frequently forget. |
| Topic | John Madden is dead |
| TheShadowViper 12/28/21 7:46:14 PM #32 | I was just thinking the other day how I was just starting to miss his frequently annoying Maddenisms. RIP to a legend. |
| Topic | Is Abby the main point of contention in TLOU2? |
| TheShadowViper 12/20/21 11:38:35 AM #97 | g0ldie posted... Except this is incorrect. |
| Topic | Is Abby the main point of contention in TLOU2? |
| TheShadowViper 12/20/21 11:32:45 AM #92 | I'm sure it has already been mentioned numerous times, but the innumerable contrivances and characters acting completely out of character is what that game gets shit for. Many character decisions only make sense if thought of from the POV of the player (that is, what Naughty Dog thinks the player's POV should be) and not the characters themselves. The game is one long example of idiot ball. |
| Topic | Joseph Anderson's Witcher 3 video is going to be over 10 hours long |
| TheShadowViper 12/19/21 11:40:17 AM #14 | The Witcher 3 is a masterpiece and I have no problem with someone making an in-depth review of it. Moreover, according to his twitter he split it up as so: E1 - White OrchardI could talk about each of those topics for an hour, so I don't really have a problem with a review being that long. As to why it is important, not only do these help you notice details you hadn't noticed or even come across before, but such analysis also helps explain why some game elements work and why some don't. Something that is sadly missing from most reviews these days. I probably won't watch it, but I appreciate the effort of someone who thoroughly analyzed a game that deserves such attention |
| Topic | Don Lemon does a 180 on Jussie Smollet |
| TheShadowViper 12/10/21 3:59:38 PM #11 | SSJPurple posted... At the time it didnt sound all that crazy. It only started to seem like bullshit once we learned all the facts.Don Lemon supported him AFTER all the details of his supposed attack came out including walking at 2am in below freezing temperatures to go get sandwiches from Subway. You didn't need checks or text messages to know his story made no fucking sense. You certainly didn't need those things to know to not put your support behind an obvious fraudster. He's a clown and his support of Smollet is not defensible. |
| Topic | Don Lemon does a 180 on Jussie Smollet |
| TheShadowViper 12/10/21 3:50:57 PM #7 | SSJPurple posted... So youre saying he changed his opinion based on new information concerning what happened?"New information" His story was always laughable garbage. Him being convicted is just the legal system catching up. |
| Topic | I've gone a month without alcohol, after about 4 years of daily drinking. |
| TheShadowViper 12/04/21 4:50:05 AM #5 | First off, don't associate drinking with something that is to be "left out" of. It is something you do not want to take part of. Then maybe look to improve your health through gyms and other activities and make buddies that way. |
| Topic | Honestly, I never could get into Pokemon |
| TheShadowViper 12/01/21 2:07:19 PM #4 | Many people don't like Pokemon and for diverse reasons. You are not obligated to like every franchise or type of game. Pokemon is popular because many people like stat based collectable battlers. They like the idea of a world that is ripe for exploration and documentation, they like the idea of training a team over time and then pitting them against another team. They like that feeling of climbing the latter to some title. In short, they like the elements that Pokemon games provide. |
| Topic | Why is Prius hated so much? |
| TheShadowViper 12/01/21 12:39:19 PM #26 | Got a bad rap from people's experience with drivers who bought it when electric vehicles were more the territory of "upper middle class" elitists. Many of these people drove like they thought they owned the world and/or were saving it by driving a Prius. |
| Topic | I feel like if you didn't try being social young, you get fucked as an adult. |
| TheShadowViper 11/30/21 12:16:08 PM #25 | Focus on activities you enjoy and then join groups doing those activities. |
| Topic | Hmmmm wife's dad has cancer. |
| TheShadowViper 11/30/21 3:42:45 AM #3 | Really a question of what made her not see him in 20 years. There really aren't many answers short of severe abuse that warrant ignoring someone's attempts to patch things up (to a degree) when that someone has cancer. Particularly if it has a poor prognosis. And it isn't just for him that would be the case. If he dies or is otherwise debilitated to where he is no longer what he was, she will forever have to look back and wonder what could have been. |
| Topic | So is Arcane actually that good? Does it deserve a 9.3 on imdb? |
| TheShadowViper 11/28/21 9:27:17 AM #20 | SergeantGander posted... How is this an example of her being everywhere? I think they road the line between dangerous and overpowered exceptionally well with Jinx. There are certainly moments where one can question how she pulled it off, but it wasn't so flagrantly bad as to warrant pulling out the Batman comparison. |
| Topic | So is Arcane actually that good? Does it deserve a 9.3 on imdb? |
| TheShadowViper 11/28/21 8:33:03 AM #15 | SergeantGander posted... Big complaint was how Jinx just kept "batmanning" the show. I've seen this complaint from others as well. She was capable of being wherever she needed to be and do whatever she needed to do to in order to progress the plot, when her whole character early on was the opposite of that.I don't really agree with this at all. She is set up as a proficient shooter and techy in the beginning. Just because they show her fail with those devices a lot does not mean she did not improve over the years. In fact, the entire point of showing someone interested in something failing at it is to show improvement over time. Jinx was definitely a badass, but there were plenty of moments where she lived up to her name - particularly when it came to results for herself. To answer TC, the show is extremely good and definitely worth a watch. |
| Topic | In all honesty, do you fear death/dying? |
| TheShadowViper 11/26/21 6:50:51 AM #76 | I'm a firm believer that those who say they do not fear dying lack imagination or experience...or both. Seen too many brave people who did not fear the death they saw coming die traumatized by the one they actually got to not fear dying. |
| Topic | If God is benevolent, why does he give children cancer? |
| TheShadowViper 11/26/21 5:26:38 AM #127 | If any such God exists, he is most certainly not benevolent. You didn't need the "children" in your topic sentence either. Modern medicine works to try to mitigate the extreme amounts of pain that cancer causes the populace that suffer from it. If God cannot even be more merciful than modern medicine that is run by extremely flawed humans, than he is most certainly not anywhere near being benevolent. |
| Topic | Charizard, Blastoise or Venusaur |
| TheShadowViper 11/23/21 4:15:56 PM #6 | I like both Charizard and Blastoise. I go with the former because I like its prior forms more and hate Squirtle. |
| Topic | Do any of you look down on sex workers? |
| TheShadowViper 11/12/21 1:51:03 AM #41 | Guerrilla Soldier posted... but they do want to fuck somebody for money that's why they're doing that jobNot necessarily, there are numerous circumstances that could make people feel they need to do sex work, and plenty of bad actors trying to convince said people that is true. |
| Topic | David Ayer had an alternative design for Leto's Joker and it's really awful |
| TheShadowViper 11/12/21 1:45:50 AM #7 | The type of design you crumble up and throw into the garbage and wonder for many years after what the fuck you were thinking. Unless you are David Ayer apparently. |
| Topic | What is a fuck boi anyway? |
| TheShadowViper 11/08/21 4:32:52 AM #5 | One of those terms that has many different meanings based on context. Generally it refers to a "boy toy" or someone who is only good for sex or just looking good and nothing beyond that. pegusus123456 posted... New term for scrub.Is also used like this, basically as a synonym for "loser". |
| Topic | Sports fans to non sports fans seems insane. |
| TheShadowViper 11/05/21 3:25:41 PM #22 | It really isn't hard to understand, when you invest time and energy into something, you feel connected to it. People who don't understand sports fans don't understand why people would be invested in something like that. This is no different from the people who don't understand why someone would be invested in video games. Eat More Beef posted... A lot of it is you root for the team that plays in your hometown.This is actually not true for many people. Many embrace new franchises when they move or have favorite teams they've never been geographically near. It is all about the connection to the franchise, whether that is liking the current players and managers, the history of the team, or even the current owners. Sometimes the reasoning is completely random, like you played NFL2K5 and spammed the Rams, and then learned everything about their franchise and became a fan of it as a result. |
| Topic | Elden Ring gameplay being revealed TOMORROW at 9:45 EST |
| TheShadowViper 11/04/21 10:36:49 AM #20 | HagenEx posted... Not impressed tbh. Looks like another run of the mill Soulsborne game.Looks like a souls game in a new universe with additional features. How shocking, that is exactly what I want. |
| Topic | Father killed his daughter's boyfriend for selling her into sex trafficking ring |
| TheShadowViper 11/02/21 6:04:01 PM #134 | Sounds like murder with mitigating circumstances. Even if everything that was said was true, he still doesn't have the right to take his life, especially in the way that he did. This would be straight up 1st degree murder with additional charges if not for the daughter. If he doesn't get the perfect jury he will be lucky to escape with <20 years. |
| Topic | As an Atlanta sports fan I'm so proud of these Braves |
| TheShadowViper 10/31/21 11:30:13 AM #2 | You haven't won yet. The Braves choked 3-1 vs the Dodgers last season, there is still a chance to up the choke level. That being said, I do hope they win and they send the Astros home crying. |
| Topic | Which villain deserved to win? |
| TheShadowViper 10/30/21 10:11:12 AM #47 | Srk700 posted... Tywin LannisterHonestly a great answer to this question because arguments could be made for both sides that are legitimate. Tywin was a bastard, but he was a competent one who kept things in order and demanded respect. The problem is that while he had a track record of keeping things in order, his methods were also something that was eventually going to catch up to him. His use of Gregor Clegane as a tool of terror and revenge was one that had multiple houses plotting against him behind his back, waiting for a sign of weakness. Tywin was good, maybe even the best player of the game, but his problem is that he had made so many enemies that he had to be good in perpetuity, and his blindspot for the one son who could take some of that political burden made his fall only a matter of time. |
| Topic | Which villain deserved to win? |
| TheShadowViper 10/30/21 6:53:07 AM #31 | pegusus123456 posted... Not really. Even if you agree with his ideals, he still didn't deserve to win because he didn't even follow them.Yeah Andrew Ryan's ideology didn't just fail, he didn't even follow it. His audiologs on "the great chain" are particularly telling about how he reacts when he feels things are "pulling" away from him. That is how most ideologues are, steadfast until they feel power slipping away from them, then anything and everything is for sale. Still a fantastic character. Just not one that "deserved" to win. |
| Topic | Why don't people take money investing videos more seriously? |
| TheShadowViper 10/18/21 9:16:37 PM #16 | Because many of these people have alternate motives beyond or in opposition to the well being of their viewers and listeners. |
| Topic | Is The Courier potentially the most badass Fallout protag? |
| TheShadowViper 10/18/21 5:07:41 PM #10 | kage_53 posted... Keep in mind that the Chosen one was |
| Topic | Was American Horror Story always this bad? |
| TheShadowViper 10/18/21 4:53:09 PM #28 | American Horror Story has repeated the same pattern over and over. Either start off strong, or slowly develop into something interesting, and then drive the story off a cliff...and not in a good way. If you treat it as a shitty TV series you watch to laugh at how dumb it is, you can find enjoyment in most of the seasons. But if you are looking for, you know, horror (especially well written horror), you ain't gonna find it with American Horror Story. |
| Topic | Is The Courier potentially the most badass Fallout protag? |
| TheShadowViper 10/18/21 4:45:31 PM #7 | Depends on your story choices, but they absolutely could be the most badass Fallout protagonist. |
| Topic | Mark Hamill's voice for Joker may be the most fitting voice act for a character. |
| TheShadowViper 10/08/21 10:32:30 AM #8 | Mark Hamil's VA of the Joker is simply legendary. He played all aspects of the Joker extremely well, everything from his anger, to his laughter, to his sardonic personality. His final laugh in Mask of the Phantasm is still my favorite of any version of Joker. |
| Topic | Who is the best James Bond VILLAIN? |
| TheShadowViper 10/06/21 5:21:31 AM #42 | Alec Trevelyan was everything a bond villain should be. He was a threat to Bond 1v1, he was a manipulator and strategist, and he was clever without being perfect. He also has one of the best (if not the best) verbal beatdowns of Bond: "Oh, please James, spare me the Freud. I might as well ask you if all those vodka martinis have silenced the screams of all the men you've killed... or if you find forgiveness in the arms of all those willing women, for all the dead ones you failed to protect." He also has an excellent death scene. |
| Topic | Who would win in a fight, Kratos or Doom Slayer? |
| TheShadowViper 10/05/21 6:10:04 AM #15 | It would be a close match but Doom Slayer would win with superior technology. Both have iron wills and are roided out on rage. |
| Topic | Boogie2988 walked 5 miles up and down hill. Might need knee surgery |
| TheShadowViper 09/28/21 2:50:10 AM #8 | Too many people take the wrong approaches to losing weight. You ain't getting anywhere if you destroy your body's capacity to move. |
| Topic | Persona 4 Golden on sale on Steam |
| TheShadowViper 09/24/21 5:37:03 AM #2 | Sure. It's a fantastic game. |
| Topic | this is why DC has problems |
| TheShadowViper 09/23/21 6:07:39 AM #7 | Put a # after the parentheses when posting links to wikis on gamefaqs. This website likes to not include closing parentheses in the links. ex. Instead of: https://dc.fandom.com/wiki/Bat-Cow_(Prime_Earth) Do: https://dc.fandom.com/wiki/Bat-Cow_(Prime_Earth)# |
| Topic | Remember when people got angry over The Last of Us 2 leaks? *spoilers* |
| TheShadowViper 09/21/21 8:10:21 PM #50 | Darmik posted... Contrivances like this are all over both games.So after most of your bullshit you just go with "it doesn't matter because x - which isn't even remotely as egregious - existed in a superior game with a far better narrative." I don't blame you, you have gotten pretty much every detail wrong and don't seem to understand the concept that not only is that contrived coincidence dependent on multiple variables miraculously working out in Abby's favor, but that isn't even the only laughable part of that opening, which includes shit like Tommy getting knocked out without incident and Elle magically arriving and getting captured without incident. And such poor writing doesn't stop there, you have everything from Elle dropping the map to her secret base to Elle magically sparing Abby despite having no reason to do so (as she cut through hundreds to get to Abby and, unlike the player, has not walked in her shoes). The writer wanted things to happen and didn't care, or didn't have the skill to make those events happen in a believable way. That is called bad writing. Your hand waving denial does not change that. |
| Topic | Remember when people got angry over The Last of Us 2 leaks? *spoilers* |
| TheShadowViper 09/21/21 7:48:44 PM #41 | Darmik posted... Yes they got lucky that Joel was someone who'd patrol but of course he would be doing that.They didn't know what he looked like. They didn't know he would be patrolling. They didn't even know he was in that state. They were there looking for a settlement in Wyoming where they heard Tommy (Joel's brother) was...that is all they knew. While searching for this settlement - that they didn't know was the right one - for Joel's brother, they just happened to run into the target of their search and they just happened to get him herded into their base and he just happened to act like a complete idiot. You don't even know what happened, let alone why it is so laughably contrived. |
| Topic | Remember when people got angry over The Last of Us 2 leaks? *spoilers* |
| TheShadowViper 09/21/21 7:38:33 PM #37 | Stalolin posted... Mm, I just dont agree though. Like I said, if it causes more problems for the protagonists, its fine. Whats the alternative? A long-ass investigation section? Boring.Abby taking people from the area surrounding Jackson in order to find Joel and then launching an attack on it sounds far better than the contrived situation that occurred. Not only are you a hand waver, but you have a shitty imagination. Unsurprising. By the way, do you know why that didn't happen? Because the writer didn't want people to be further against Abby by having her kill or maim people other than Joel before the plot got going. So she just happens to run into him - cutting out the need for collateral damage. Contrived garbage. |
| Topic | Remember when people got angry over The Last of Us 2 leaks? *spoilers* |
| TheShadowViper 09/21/21 7:32:08 PM #33 | Darmik posted... Joel is one of the most notable people of that settlement. Anyone who passed through would know him. Joel, Ellie and his brother are also the people who patrol outside of town. Abby only had a handful of people they could possibly encounter anyway.As suspected, you have absolutely no idea what you are talking about. Much of what you said here is flat out wrong. Stalolin posted... I personally wouldnt see coincidences as bad writing.I didn't say coincidence, I said contrivance. Abby is coming from Seattle and is in Wyoming with her looking for someone purely by name. A person who happens to run into her and then tell her who he is. Do you understand the distances involved here and how unlikely that is? Do you understand that Joel was acting massively out of character by not only trusting these random people, but lowering his guard (something that only happens so the plot can have Elle see him die). Let me be clear, you can excuse bad writing, that doesn't mean it isn't bad writing. You can take your hand waving somewhere else. |
| Topic | Remember when people got angry over The Last of Us 2 leaks? *spoilers* |
| TheShadowViper 09/21/21 7:21:53 PM #22 | Stalolin posted... Why is it garbage?You can find numerous youtube videos that are 40 minutes long describing the numerous examples of why The Last of Us 2's story is garbage. But I'll give you the jist, the story is a giant contrived mess dependent on extraordinary circumstances and characters carrying the idiot ball. Spoilers below. The game begins with Abby journeying from Seattle looking for someone she knows only by name and just happens to run into him in the middle of a snow storm while infected are attacking where they just happen to get herded towards her base where Joel and his brother just happen to forget they weren't complete morons allowing them to just happen to get caught without incident. This happens in order for Elle to witness Joel getting killed. Abby then just happens to spare Elle, despite Elle threatening her life and it generally being monumentally safer to just kill the person who threatened her life and the brother of the man she just brutally murdered and who had already pointed out he had allies nearby. Her decision results in the death of her entire team. Most people were not upset that Joel died, but rather that the circumstances of his death and plot around the game is laughable garbage with characters constantly holding the idiot ball in order to move the game forward. In order to enjoy the game, you have to either ignore the story, or be too dumb to see how poorly written it is. |
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