Lurker > ChocoboMog123

LordMarshal posted...

And CT shits all over all of these.

Damn, ya got me. I'm convinced.

LordMarshal posted...

What secrets? Theyre pretty basic and even then Chrono triggers end game, new game+ and multiple endings stomp the shit out of the very few secrets in SMRPG.

Secrets like:

• Die to the Shy Guy training in Booster Pass, repeatedly
• Go behind Knife Guy to trigger a secret mini-game, win many times to get the Bright Card, then find the specific golden chomp and jump 3 times over it to find Grate Guy's Casino, then play the secret mini-game in there and win 100 times to win the Star Egg
• Equip the B'tub ring to Toadstool and use the Mystery Egg, an otherwise useless item with high sale value, 10 times with only Toadstool to get the Lamb's Lure. Then use that 48 times to get Sheep Attack.
• Lazy Shell questline
• Beetle Mania minigame
• Hidden chests
• Culex
• Marymore servant
• Fireworks ending
• And then all the little minigames that are presented to you throughout the game.

None of the other RPGs listed ITT have better secrets than SMRPG. Pokemon tries to capture that, "Tell your friend on the playground about this cool secret you discovered"-vibe, but SMRPG actually implements those ideas in a rational and exciting way.

I didn't realize the SNES classic was discontinued :( I actually bought several and ended up not owning one because I'd always give them away as gifts.

It's weird the people waving swastika flags (not that Kirk is one) are complaining about bakeries treating them like Nazi Germany.

Here's some articles on the same news: https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/18/starbucks-shareholders-vote-against-executive-pay-plan.html
https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/18/business/starbucks-executive-pay/index.html

cjsdowg posted...

No it was just bad writing all around. And she beyond not telling him the plan. She didn't tell him that plan existed. Poe literally did nothing wrong. And why did people have to stay on the other ships say they blew up. And hell how can they go ship to ship without being noticed. I hate that movie so much.

TBH, the ship warfare throughout the trilogy is awful. The Resistance just destroys ship after ship of The First Order with almost no resources and few causalities. If I had to guess, the average Resistance pilot is worth probably 100-1000 First Order soldiers. People without control of the Force basically decimating soldiers trained from birth. If they ever did receive help from friendly planets and alliances, I don't see how The First Order stood any chance.

DarkRoast posted...

I actually very much appreciate what he tried to do with the second film, but I don't think it was a very well made movie. One of the problems I had with it, perhaps the biggest, is that Holdo has nowhere near enough character development to justify the smug unwillingness to tell anyone what's going on while the rebellion is crumbling around them. Watching the film, I actually thought it was possible she was a saboteur. So I wound up agreeing with Poe, Finn and Rose. I found it pretty disconcerting that the movie goes to great lengths to chastise those characters for not following her plan. I certainly wouldn't have followed her plan.

I'm sure that wasn't his intention as a director, but coming into the movie with zero knowledge, and given the limited information I had about her, I could only conclude that her actions were irrational. Although that did not turn out to be the case, hindsight is something the characters don't have. I'm not so sure it was the goal of the director to convey that kind of message, but nevertheless that's how it panned out to me.

I forget, was there a specific reason she didn't share her plan with an main character? Clearly other people were in on it.
Maybe Poe's plan would have succeeded with her support, but she didn't even seem willing to open discussion to two war heroes.

Gotta say, I was pretty pro-vegetarianism before this thread and the pro-vegan arguments are turning me off.
I have neighbors in my suburb who have a chicken coop. No killing baby chicks, just a bunch of chickens who walk around their yard. Are those eggs responsible for any more suffering than owning a dog? What about small scale dairy farms? What about honey? Bug-based food dye? Snake ownership? Or just leaving animals to exist in nature?

Like this?
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/1/1/1/AAA_yAAAC7hv.jpg

(I wish this topic was spoiler marked.)
I liked the general themes of TLJ. "Fuck the past, focus on the present and the future, no reason to retread old ground." A whole lot of that comes from Kylo, but he's gripping with the reality of his actions. I really wish the movie pushed Kylo a little harder, forced him to deal with killing Han more openly, forced him to confront Snoke without Rey... I think the movie flounders a bit in the second half, especially the "attack" on Luke, but the story beats are besides killing Snoke so early.

TRoS has story issues, but I think more of its issue come from just being a bad movie. The action is boring, characters unexciting, lines are droll. It really feels like fanfiction more than a Hollywood produced blockbuster. If it kept the same exact plot and fixed all the cringey lines, developed Palpatine a bit more, and had more consistent choreography it wouldn't be such a disaster.
Still better than Attack of the Clones.

Part of why childcare is so expensive is because of the strict regulations around it:
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2021-11-18/biden-s-build-back-better-wants-to-save-america-s-child-care-business

Thats because child care doesnt work like a normal business. Looking after young children comes with a litany of regulations to ensure the programs are safe. There are square footage requirements, zoning restrictions, earthquake preparedness plans, fire safety codes, CPR certifications, nutritional guidelines, rules about parking and outdoor space, liability insurance.
The priciest regulation is a child-to-staff ratio requiring one caregiver for every three or four infants, depending on the state. Thats a lot of employees, and it explains why quality care for one baby costs more than many families can afford. Cheaper options are often unlicensed and unregulated, and parents have no guarantee their kids are secure.

But the regulations that surround it exist so that your children don't die. The only ways to fix that issue are:
1) ease regulations
2) subsidize it (maybe vouchers on a sliding scale?)
There's just no way, mathematically, to have good affordable childcare so long as we don't address one of those points.
Here's some more from the same author in an NPR interview: https://www.npr.org/2021/12/16/1064794349/child-care-costs-biden-plan

Other countries subsidize child care, but the U.S. market, while heavily regulated, is largely private which makes the industry particularly vulnerable. President Biden's Build Back Better plan outlines a path toward more affordable child care. Suddath says that's a start, but what's really needed is a full system overhaul.
"The U.S. Treasury a few months ago released a report ... and they found that your typical child care business in the U.S. entered the pandemic this has nothing to do with COVID [with] about a 1 percent profit margin, which is not a lot of wiggle room."

When you talk to economists, they say this is a perfect example of what they call a "classic market failure," which is when the price point for a good or a service in this particular instance it's child care is too expensive for the consumers, by which I mean families, and too expensive or unaffordable for the providers, the people providing that service, in [this] case, child care owners and workers. And there's no way to fix that in a private market setting.

Let's play "Who was 13 when they were popular?"

Slim Shady EP dropped in 1997 Gen X was 17-35, Millenials were 1-16. So, older Millenials and college aged Gen X'ers would've been the audience.
What's My Name? dropped in 1993. Gen X was 13-31, Millenials were unborn-12. So definitely Gen X, but Millennials would've been around for Snoop's later projects.
Straight Outta Comptom dropped in 1987. Millenials were 6 at the oldest. So NWA is Gen X, but his later work is spread over Millenials.

BTW, Gen X was 3-18 for MJ's first moonwalk. That's solidly a Gen X event. They were the target for all of MJ's peak popularity. Boomers are the gap between the Jackson 5 and Thriller, Gen X is the generation of Billie Jean.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/3/2/1/AAA_yAAAC7Fx.png
This might help visualize it. A lot of schools have blocks like this to help understand the logic: https://www.amazon.com/Learning-Resources-Blue-Plastic-Base/dp/B000F8R5KK

Gritty adventure of random pokemon scientist first subjugating Mewtwo, then fighting his way through Blaine and Team Rocket to free Mewtwo.

I only play non-political games, like Final Fantasy.

WingsOfGood posted...

Have you heard of wage stickiness as well?
Companies are arguing wages increase inflation and they are reluctant to give them. hahahaha

Wages are usually thought to be sticky-down. They move up easily, but not downwards. Companies would rather cut jobs before they lower wages.
But, I remember arguing on GameFAQs about a $15/hr minimum wage by 2020. Now it's 2022 and it sure as hell seems like we should've implemented that with a tie to inflation...

The background art looks great.

Because they're all franchises. Skeleton crew = more money for owner.

Price stickiness is a concept you learn in high school Economics: https://www.investopedia.com/terms/p/price_stickiness.asp
Basically, in some markets costs go up, prices go up more. Costs go down, prices stay the same (sticky-up). McDonald's is usually very reluctant to raise prices, but when given an excuse ("Hey, there's inflation, sorry, not out fault,") they take it. Higher prices means higher margins. Later, prices of shipping and meat go down, but McD's customers are already used to new prices and no one else is competing for bottom-dollar burgers, so even better margins and more room to expand.

Also, the McDonald's app is pretty sick. It saves like 20% on every order.

One of those series where I wish the manga was progressed enough just to watch the Best Of from the anime. Not interesting enough to read the LN, but gotta trudge through the anime for the legit satisfying parts.
Good OP, though.

There's a whole lot of boring trolls out this week...

WingsOfGood posted...

so what is positive masculinity, start

Groups formed during the mythopoetic men's movement typically avoided political and social advocacy in favor of therapeutic workshops and wilderness retreats, often using Native American rituals such as drumming, chanting, and sweat lodges. Their attempts to imitate these rituals was done with the aim of personal growth of participants with an intended purpose of connecting spiritually with a lost deep masculine identity or inner self. The most well-known text of the movement was Iron John: A Book About Men by the poet Robert Bly, who argued that "male energy" had been diluted through modern social institutions such as the feminist movement, industrialization, and separation of fathers from family life through working outside the home. Bly urged men to recover a pre-industrial conception of masculinity through spiritual camaraderie with other men in male-only gatherings.[3][4][5] The purpose of these activities was to foster greater understanding of the forces influencing the roles of men in modern society and how these changes affect behavior, self awareness, and identity. [...]
Other causes claimed by advocates for the loss of the "deep masculine" include:
Men no longer being comrades who celebrated their masculinity together. Rather, they had become competitors within their workplaces.[8]
Men spending more time in their houses with women than they did with men (in non-competitive terms outside of work). Excessive interaction with women generally kept men from realizing their internal masculinity.[8]
Feminism bringing attention to the 'feminine voice.' Through this, the mythopoetic men felt that their voices had been muted (though Bly and others are careful in not blaming feminism for this).[8]
The separation of men from their fathers kept them from being truly initiated into manhood, and was a source of emotional damage.[9]
Men were suffering further emotional damage due to feminist accusations about sexism. Men should celebrate their differences from women, rather than feeling guilty about them.[9]
Men being discouraged from expressing their emotions. Male inexpressivity is an epidemic and does not correspond to their "deep masculine" natures.[8]

The original idea of toxic masculinity is that it's toxic to the male gender at large. It boxes men into a hyper competitive, emotionless world devoid of friendship and bonding. Postive masculine traits would simply be undoing the harm of toxic masculinity. Like feminism, men's movements should be focused on giving people room to be who they want, not boxing them into societal models.

Metal Bat and Garou are just meant to be Goku/Vegeta. I'm sure (hopefully) he'll get scary when he starts beating the shit out of Tatsumaki and Flashy Flash.
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/3/0/8/AAA_yAAAC6Ws.jpg

rexcrk posted...

I legit want a remake of that game that eliminates the unbearable loading times.

If you want unlegit ways, that's pretty easy...

Also, Sonic '06 is way better than it's given credit. There's a lot of bad things to it, but also some fun things. Minus the load times, it's a better game than Sonic and the Secret Rings which is almost unplayable without a perfect Wii set up. The story has a nice time-loop element, reminiscent of FF1; Shadow gets a job and learns how to drive; Silver's powers are actually pretty cool in an anime way (when they work); Sonic is cheat mode with mini + bounce; there's a huge variety of gameplay that's sometimes interesting and rarely frustrating.
If you play through the game as someone who knows videogames, it should be a nice little 3D platformer. The princess is totally cringe and the romance just shouldn't exist, but it's also Sonic the Hedgehog. Actually play through the game (minus load times) and ignore the stupid Game Grumps video and you'll see the formings of what could be a fun videogame.

"He's not racist/ homophobic/ transphobic, he's just really stupid." - like there's a significant distinction.

Why do people come into topics just to say, "Nuh uh! I don't like <thing>!"? It's incredibly childish.

Yeah, AoT hits some huge peaks. Glad the hype manga readers felt is still going strong for anime watchers.

CNN is just Joe Rogan for boomers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hS7N75og5Zg

A very similar case was decided in 2020: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/nba-2k-publisher-beats-copyright-suit-lebron-james-tattoos-1286847/

Defendants are entitled as a matter of law to summary judgment dismissing Plaintiffs copyright infringement claim because no reasonable trier of fact could find the Tattoos as they appear in NBA 2K to be substantially similar to the Tattoo designs licensed to Solid Oak, writes U.S. District Court Judge Laura Taylor Swain. The Tattoos only appear on the players upon whom they are inked, which is just three out of over 400 available players. The undisputed factual record shows that average game play is unlikely to include the players with the Tattoos and that, even when such players are included, the display of the Tattoos is small and indistinct, appearing as rapidly moving visual features of rapidly moving figures in groups of player figures. Furthermore, the Tattoos are not featured on any of the games marketing materials.

The judge adds, When the Tattoos do appear during gameplay (because one of the Players has been selected), the Tattoos cannot be identified or observed. The Tattoos are significantly reduced in size: they are a mere 4.4% to 10.96% of the size that they appear in real life. Further, the Players quick and erratic movements up and down the basketball court make it difficult to discern even the undefined dark shading.
According to the opinion, not only cant Solid Oak convince a reasonable fact finder of substantial similarity between real-life tattoos and video game tattoos but also that use of the copyrighted material is de minimis.
And the opinion (read in full here) doesnt rest there.
Writes Swain, Here, the undisputed factual record clearly supports the reasonable inference that the tattooists necessarily granted the Players nonexclusive licenses to use the Tattoos as part of their likenesses, and did so prior to any grant of rights in the Tattoos to Plaintiff.

Previous to that case, it was up in the air, leaning towards the tattoo artist (as they own copyright to the design itself). Barring further challenge, it seems the act of tattooing someone gives implicit liscense to use that design as part of their likeness. There was a similar case involving The Hangover where the wolfpack puts Mike Tyson's tattoo on Egg Helms - they settled, but likely would have lost because they did not meet any of the criteria above.

Kinny100 posted...

but real talk, it's perfectly morally and socially acceptable to be attracted to 18 year olds.

Sure, if you're 16-22. If you're in your 30s and chasing 18 year olds you have a fixation.

Was easily the best candidate for the GOP in 2016.

Who's alt is that, anyway?

FFRK really pushes the ATB system to the extreme and I love it.

The takeaway should be that Allen basically just looks at mod history and doesn't focus on the context. He could probably automate the process for people like Vegy or Rebel.

Metal Bat's probably at 1/10000th of his power. He probably has a bigger disparity between his normal strength and max strength than any S-class, including Child Emperor.
He's probably going to give kill the millipede, give Garou a decent fight, and get 1 good bonk in before he gets taken out.

I get the etymology argument, but then the spelling should be "ark", "arch", "arck", or even "arc'eus".

Look at these words:
https://www.thefreedictionary.com/words-containing-arce
Almost all of them are with a soft C. There's an argument that "arced" is the only word that starts with an A, therefore the most similar to "Arceus", but people generally go with the most familiar pronunciation.

TendoDRM posted...

This is the first time I've ever heard anyone hate on Homerpalooza. Classic episode. I always made my band name Smiling Politely in Rock Band

The jokes and theme are good. The pacing is awful, the plot is dumb (Homer doesn't feel cool / Homer tries to act cool, but fails / Homer shoots himself with a cannon to be cool / Homer stops), and it's pretty cringey even giving it some leeway for cultural shifts. If you just focus on the one-liners, you're going to like it. If you focus on where it sits in comparison to other episodes, I don't know.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/2/1/2/AAA_yAAAC2Lk.png

The Principal and the Pauper
The Simpsons: Season 9, Episode 2

The Simpsons really peaks around seasons 5-6. 7-9 are just a decent sitcom. Some of the jokes are genius but the only reason the lines are revered is nostalgia and lack of competition.

Femputer posted...
marge be not proud

Nevermind, TC has no taste.

Homerpalooza is a big turning point. Some great jokes, but the premise is just trash.
Summer of 4 Ft. 2 is great character building, but really pushing the "cool" theme too hard.

Marge vs. the Monorail is season 4...

When people discuss COVID protocols, they often stick with ideas we've already half-assedly tried and failed to implement. Most of those were emergency measures meant to immediately curb the spread. They were mostly the least we can do on short-notice -efforts, but weren't tested before implementation. Now knowing how people act during a pandemic, here's some policies I think should be discussed moving forwards:

1. Make it illegal to knowingly expose other people. Whether it's someone COVID-positive out shopping, or a manager guilting an exposed employee to coming in to work, these actions should have legal consequences.
2. Enforce mask wearing in enclosed public spaces, nationally. This is one of the easiest measures to stop the spread of COVID and it's a shame that political forces have polarized this issue. This is something relatively easy to enforce and relatively impactful.
3. Implement procedures to encourage people with mild COVID symptoms to stay home. Send supplies of food, drinks, and other necessities to the residence of anyone confirmed (with free testing) COVID positive. Mandate paid sick leave for qualifying employees. Make it easy for people to stay home if they are sick.
4. Put basic hygiene back on the news! When COVID started, we had to teach people how to wash their fucking hands. Since it's become politicized, those people have forgotten those lessons. Put social distancing and mask wearing BACK on the news, especially FOX. Explain it clearly and succinctly from a trustworthy source.