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David K. Boo-urns

@davidkbarnes.com

1.7K followers 300 following 520 posts

Writes lots of serious whimsy | Wooden Overcoats | Cry Havoc! | A Spark of Darkness | Doctor Who | The Tiny Angry Witch | He/Him | Bi linktr.ee/davidkbarnes

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Reposted by David K. Boo-urns

Keith W. Dickinson @keithwdickinson.bsky.social · 23h

Today is a day when arts degrees are worthless, but the product of those degrees is so valuable it would kill an entire industry if they were made to pay for it.

The Verge @theverge.com · May 26

Nick Clegg says asking artists for use permission would ‘kill’ the AI industry

Nick Clegg says asking artists for use permission would ‘kill’ the AI industry

Paul McCartne, Elton John and others signed an open letter.

David K. Boo-urns @davidkbarnes.com · 23h

First policy: increase the size of Dairy Milk chocolate bars

Second policy: eat them

David K. Boo-urns @davidkbarnes.com · 23h

I studied Classics and still haven't had my invitation from the Conservative Party to be their leader. Absolutely fuming tbh

Reposted by David K. Boo-urns

Marc Morris @marcmorris.bsky.social · 1d

Reposted by David K. Boo-urns

Corey Brotherson - ready for my close up--NOOO TOO CLOSE! @coreybrotherson.bsky.social · 1d

Hey kids!

Remember when the pandemic struck and eventually the (Tory) government told everyone to stay at home, and the arts and entertainment industries were one of the few things keeping everyone from pulling our own eyes out of our skulls from abject fear and boredom?

Remember that?

Tim Worthington @outonbluesix.bsky.social · 1d

How is this repeatedly made into a policy issue - by *all* parties - when the blunt fact of the matter is that grown adults who are obliged to pay for their own education, and relentlessly pursued to repay their loans, should be able to study whatever the fuck they want.

Reposted by David K. Boo-urns

Rhianna Pratchett @rhi.bsky.social · 1d

Dad’s books are full of empathy, common sense, and a healthy suspicion of the powerful. But at its heart his work is also about how systems keep people poor while pretending it’s their own fault. So I hope Kemi’s taking notes as well as reading the jokes.

Paul Haine @paulhaine.bsky.social · 2d

Kemi Badenoch claiming Terry Pratchett as her favourite author is wild

David K. Boo-urns @davidkbarnes.com · 1d

Uploading to Bluesky introduced an audio hiccup into the clip, so the Brigadier sounds like he’s angrily ordering pizza

Which also works

David K. Boo-urns @davidkbarnes.com · 2d

If I were in charge, every scene on television would begin exactly like this

David K. Boo-urns @davidkbarnes.com · 2d

[Last para I promise!] On paper, it's not really the sort of game I'd have expected to like. "Keep failing!" doesn't sound fun. But I guess the Greek mythology sucked me in, and then I realised that "failing" meant I got to spend more time with the other characters, and then the game hooked me!

David K. Boo-urns @davidkbarnes.com · 2d

And each time you "fail" and get sent back to the start, you've got characters to talk to and advance lots of story elements, and things to spend and unlock, and so on. A lot of the game revolves around advancing character relationships (as well as hacking and slashing at monsters!)

David K. Boo-urns @davidkbarnes.com · 2d

I started a brand new save file for Hades yesterday (just to see how it felt after playing some Hades 2), and even knowing the game inside-out I still died pretty early into the first run, and the second, and the third...!

David K. Boo-urns @davidkbarnes.com · 2d

Absolutely! It's expected that you'll die pretty early during your first run on Hades (many options are locked off). Gameplay is based around experimentation, learning new tricks, getting a little further each time, etc.

David K. Boo-urns @davidkbarnes.com · 2d

I got into the rhythm of it reasonably fast, and my partner (who doesn't generally play games that often) did too. I'd say it's worth another bash if you had the inclination? But if it's no fun to play, then definitely don't!

David K. Boo-urns @davidkbarnes.com · 2d

It's certainly a game that stacks the deck against you early on, until you get upgrades and such. Hades II arguably does a better job of letting you know it's deliberate, with characters basically telling you, "Yep, you're gonna suck for a while."

David K. Boo-urns @davidkbarnes.com · 2d

Hades II is a really satisfying way to expand on the first game in every way, without losing the “just pick up and play it” qualities that made the first game such a blast. I’m finding some of the weapons trickier to use, but I’m looking forward to working ‘em out

David K. Boo-urns @davidkbarnes.com · 2d

The first Hades became my gold standard for video games. Easy to pick up, terrific balance between varied and overwhelming, great characters etc.

But the main thing is that it’s FUN. Every aspect is working towards giving the player the most fun they can have in 10 / 30 / 120 / 12000 minutes

David K. Boo-urns @davidkbarnes.com · 2d

Hades II is a wee bit fiddly to begin with, but after playing it for a few hours I can tell that I’ll be doing nothing else for the rest of the year.

Artwork for Hades II video game

Reposted by David K. Boo-urns

The A.V. Club @avclub.com · 9d

The David K. Barnes series hides a large heart behind its acidic exterior.

www.avclub.com/podcast-cano...

Podcast Canon: Retreat to the stealthily cozy Wooden Overcoats

Podcast Canon: Retreat to the stealthily cozy Wooden Overcoats

David K. Boo-urns @davidkbarnes.com · 7d

Thank you so much for a wonderful article - the whole team is feeling very chuffed!

David K. Boo-urns @davidkbarnes.com · 8d

Feeling very proud about this write-up on Wooden Overcoats in the AV Club. We've just celebrated our 10th anniversary and it seems incredible to us that the show is still picking up new listeners!

www.avclub.com/podcast-cano...

Podcast Canon: Retreat to the stealthily cozy Wooden Overcoats

Podcast Canon: Retreat to the stealthily cozy Wooden Overcoats

David K. Boo-urns @davidkbarnes.com · 13d

Ahh! Thank you chap!

David K. Boo-urns @davidkbarnes.com · 14d

A moment of high drama in Doctor Who as the Master menaces a cherry bakewell

Reposted by David K. Boo-urns

Emaux @emauxstylo.bsky.social · 21d

BBC News captures Doctor Who himself Sylvester McCoy at the Trump protest seemingly unaware of who they're interviewing.

David K. Boo-urns @davidkbarnes.com · 21d

“What a sexy fool YOU ARE!”

David K. Boo-urns @davidkbarnes.com · Sep 4

Tom Baker meets Cleopatra! I wrote this way back in 2018 - I’m looking forward to finding out what happens in it!

Big Finish Insider @bigfinish.bsky.social · Sep 4

🚨 OUT NOW! 🚨 Tom Baker, Louise Jameson and John Leeson star in Doctor Who: The Last Queen of the Nile.

Click https://bgfn.sh/lastasp to listen to this brand-new full-cast audio box set as a download to own and collector's edition CD.

Sean Longmore's cover artwork for Doctor Who: The Last Queen of the Nile, featuring a central image of a Silent. On the left side is Egypt, with Leela, K9 and Cleopatra pictured. On the right is the Fourth Doctor, the Brigadier above an oil rig. A lightning storm and a helicopter hover overhead.