mikelpen
@mikelpen.bsky.social
Probably mostly spouting my dumb opinions about Doctor Who. Other geeky stuff too, I’m sure. Pro-lgbtqia. Language and society are constantly evolving; change can be painful, but it doesn’t need to be hateful. He/him.
If any mutuals (or anyone, really) wants to see my ugly mug or hear my ramblings, I’ve got some TikToks under my belt. Mostly Gen X thoughts on nerd shit; hopefully a safe space for all but bigots and phobes.
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May 31, 2025 at 10:13 PM
If any mutuals (or anyone, really) wants to see my ugly mug or hear my ramblings, I’ve got some TikToks under my belt. Mostly Gen X thoughts on nerd shit; hopefully a safe space for all but bigots and phobes.
‘The Robot Rebellion’ worked for me. It’s not among the best of the best openers, but if you mixed it in with the pile of weak to middling premieres, it could mistakenly be seen as peak.
Though I don’t know why it wasn’t titled ‘A Planet Named Belinda.’
Though I don’t know why it wasn’t titled ‘A Planet Named Belinda.’
April 14, 2025 at 8:06 PM
‘The Robot Rebellion’ worked for me. It’s not among the best of the best openers, but if you mixed it in with the pile of weak to middling premieres, it could mistakenly be seen as peak.
Though I don’t know why it wasn’t titled ‘A Planet Named Belinda.’
Though I don’t know why it wasn’t titled ‘A Planet Named Belinda.’
Not sure about Sanderson post-Mistborn trilogy, but so far The Hero of Ages is definitely better than The Well of Ascension. Lots of good internal conflict with every character, multiple povs keep it interesting, and a deeper exploration of the world and its cultures is SO welcome.
Brandon Sanderson does get better, right? The Mistborn trilogy is a fun (if rather middling) read so far, so I’m not sure if I should bother continuing beyond it if Sanderson just keeps delivering more of the same.
April 8, 2025 at 12:58 AM
Not sure about Sanderson post-Mistborn trilogy, but so far The Hero of Ages is definitely better than The Well of Ascension. Lots of good internal conflict with every character, multiple povs keep it interesting, and a deeper exploration of the world and its cultures is SO welcome.
Brandon Sanderson does get better, right? The Mistborn trilogy is a fun (if rather middling) read so far, so I’m not sure if I should bother continuing beyond it if Sanderson just keeps delivering more of the same.
March 24, 2025 at 12:15 AM
Brandon Sanderson does get better, right? The Mistborn trilogy is a fun (if rather middling) read so far, so I’m not sure if I should bother continuing beyond it if Sanderson just keeps delivering more of the same.
Saw a request for recs for fantasy lit that is “actually written for adults, not YA,” and the number of people coming back with “Brandon Sanderson, Mistborn!” is honestly depressing.
I like Sanderson’s work, but as a suggestion for quality fantasy lit for adults? Mistborn? Goodness, no.
I like Sanderson’s work, but as a suggestion for quality fantasy lit for adults? Mistborn? Goodness, no.
March 11, 2025 at 12:53 AM
Saw a request for recs for fantasy lit that is “actually written for adults, not YA,” and the number of people coming back with “Brandon Sanderson, Mistborn!” is honestly depressing.
I like Sanderson’s work, but as a suggestion for quality fantasy lit for adults? Mistborn? Goodness, no.
I like Sanderson’s work, but as a suggestion for quality fantasy lit for adults? Mistborn? Goodness, no.
Anyone who wants Cavill as Bond doesn’t understand Bond. Not the movie Bond, and ESPECIALLY not the book Bond.
February 22, 2025 at 4:41 PM
Anyone who wants Cavill as Bond doesn’t understand Bond. Not the movie Bond, and ESPECIALLY not the book Bond.
I like Brandon Sanderson’s books. They’re page turners with cool world building, fun magic, and good characters. They’re quality pulp, and I like pulp.
But seeing Sanderson defenders praise him as being BETTER than more literary fiction? BECAUSE he writes at a 6th to 8th grade level? Nah.
But seeing Sanderson defenders praise him as being BETTER than more literary fiction? BECAUSE he writes at a 6th to 8th grade level? Nah.
February 21, 2025 at 2:10 PM
I like Brandon Sanderson’s books. They’re page turners with cool world building, fun magic, and good characters. They’re quality pulp, and I like pulp.
But seeing Sanderson defenders praise him as being BETTER than more literary fiction? BECAUSE he writes at a 6th to 8th grade level? Nah.
But seeing Sanderson defenders praise him as being BETTER than more literary fiction? BECAUSE he writes at a 6th to 8th grade level? Nah.
Even if some stories DO suck because “more effort was put into woke messaging than telling a good story,” I don’t give a fuck. That is not remotely the result of a story being “woke.” That’s just bad writing. Well-intentioned but shitty stories get written all the time.
February 16, 2025 at 12:48 AM
Even if some stories DO suck because “more effort was put into woke messaging than telling a good story,” I don’t give a fuck. That is not remotely the result of a story being “woke.” That’s just bad writing. Well-intentioned but shitty stories get written all the time.
Expecting that the likes of Trump and Elon will root out corruption is like thinking you’ll clean your dirty kitchen by spraying it down with raw sewage.
February 12, 2025 at 9:24 PM
Expecting that the likes of Trump and Elon will root out corruption is like thinking you’ll clean your dirty kitchen by spraying it down with raw sewage.
Just saw someone on FB 🤢 post the stat “54% of Americans read below the 6th grade level,” with the quip “guess who those people voted for?” with a pic of Trump.
To which someone confidently replied “WAY more than half of the country voted for Trump, so your numbers don’t add up!”
🤔
To which someone confidently replied “WAY more than half of the country voted for Trump, so your numbers don’t add up!”
🤔
February 11, 2025 at 7:20 PM
Just saw someone on FB 🤢 post the stat “54% of Americans read below the 6th grade level,” with the quip “guess who those people voted for?” with a pic of Trump.
To which someone confidently replied “WAY more than half of the country voted for Trump, so your numbers don’t add up!”
🤔
To which someone confidently replied “WAY more than half of the country voted for Trump, so your numbers don’t add up!”
🤔
Please, someone come at me if I’m off here, because this is coming from a cis white man…
Surely cis women who freak out at the prospect of sharing space with trans women are just projecting their suppressed fear/anger of cis men onto people they see as a safer target. Right?
Surely cis women who freak out at the prospect of sharing space with trans women are just projecting their suppressed fear/anger of cis men onto people they see as a safer target. Right?
February 11, 2025 at 1:57 PM
Please, someone come at me if I’m off here, because this is coming from a cis white man…
Surely cis women who freak out at the prospect of sharing space with trans women are just projecting their suppressed fear/anger of cis men onto people they see as a safer target. Right?
Surely cis women who freak out at the prospect of sharing space with trans women are just projecting their suppressed fear/anger of cis men onto people they see as a safer target. Right?
“wE nEEd tO GEt bAcK To BEinG a tRUe mERitOCracY!”
Bitch, we’ve NEVER lived in a meritocracy in this country. What kind of bizarro alternate reality have you been living in? Oh, yeah, the “reality” of you being racist.
Bitch, we’ve NEVER lived in a meritocracy in this country. What kind of bizarro alternate reality have you been living in? Oh, yeah, the “reality” of you being racist.
February 11, 2025 at 1:43 PM
“wE nEEd tO GEt bAcK To BEinG a tRUe mERitOCracY!”
Bitch, we’ve NEVER lived in a meritocracy in this country. What kind of bizarro alternate reality have you been living in? Oh, yeah, the “reality” of you being racist.
Bitch, we’ve NEVER lived in a meritocracy in this country. What kind of bizarro alternate reality have you been living in? Oh, yeah, the “reality” of you being racist.
“But wHO’s GoiNG To CheCK tHe FAcT CheCKeRs? Who DEciDEs wHAt’s TrUe?!”
While they just guzzle gargle and spew fire hoses of lies.
While they just guzzle gargle and spew fire hoses of lies.
February 11, 2025 at 12:46 PM
“But wHO’s GoiNG To CheCK tHe FAcT CheCKeRs? Who DEciDEs wHAt’s TrUe?!”
While they just guzzle gargle and spew fire hoses of lies.
While they just guzzle gargle and spew fire hoses of lies.
Listening to a first time Tolkien reader podcast, and it’s great, because as a long time Tolkien fan it’s fun to hear takes from a younger new reader, even when their takes annoy me. But enough with the opinion that “the Scouring of the Shire ruins the pacing/makes no narrative sense.”
February 6, 2025 at 2:00 AM
Listening to a first time Tolkien reader podcast, and it’s great, because as a long time Tolkien fan it’s fun to hear takes from a younger new reader, even when their takes annoy me. But enough with the opinion that “the Scouring of the Shire ruins the pacing/makes no narrative sense.”
The absolute balls deep irony of still declaring “drain the swamp” is as horrifying as it is disgusting.
February 4, 2025 at 9:50 PM
The absolute balls deep irony of still declaring “drain the swamp” is as horrifying as it is disgusting.
Please stop using variations of “without immigrants, who will do all the cheap labor” to argue against deportation.
I know that conservatives are completely disingenuous when they say it makes you look racist (they don’t give a fuck about worker exploitation), but they have a point.
I know that conservatives are completely disingenuous when they say it makes you look racist (they don’t give a fuck about worker exploitation), but they have a point.
February 2, 2025 at 3:27 PM
Please stop using variations of “without immigrants, who will do all the cheap labor” to argue against deportation.
I know that conservatives are completely disingenuous when they say it makes you look racist (they don’t give a fuck about worker exploitation), but they have a point.
I know that conservatives are completely disingenuous when they say it makes you look racist (they don’t give a fuck about worker exploitation), but they have a point.
The three best Final Fantasy games are IV, VI, and IX. While I do love some of the others, they’re still not close. These are the three that I would have with me on a desert island.
February 1, 2025 at 6:03 PM
The three best Final Fantasy games are IV, VI, and IX. While I do love some of the others, they’re still not close. These are the three that I would have with me on a desert island.
“His rage passes description-the sort of rage that is only seen when rich folk that have more than they can enjoy suddenly lose something that they have long had but have never before used or wanted.”
-J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit
-J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit
January 28, 2025 at 2:32 AM
“His rage passes description-the sort of rage that is only seen when rich folk that have more than they can enjoy suddenly lose something that they have long had but have never before used or wanted.”
-J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit
-J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit
“I don’t believe in the lesser of two evils. You don’t vote for evil, period.”
So you believe in aiding and abetting the worse evil. Got it.
So you believe in aiding and abetting the worse evil. Got it.
January 26, 2025 at 5:06 PM
“I don’t believe in the lesser of two evils. You don’t vote for evil, period.”
So you believe in aiding and abetting the worse evil. Got it.
So you believe in aiding and abetting the worse evil. Got it.
I think it’s important to remember that the U.S. did not enter WWII because we recognized evil and made the right, moral choice. We entered WWII because we were attacked.
We are not experiencing a decline in our values; we’re experiencing an emboldened ideology that has always been with us.
We are not experiencing a decline in our values; we’re experiencing an emboldened ideology that has always been with us.
January 24, 2025 at 9:08 PM
I think it’s important to remember that the U.S. did not enter WWII because we recognized evil and made the right, moral choice. We entered WWII because we were attacked.
We are not experiencing a decline in our values; we’re experiencing an emboldened ideology that has always been with us.
We are not experiencing a decline in our values; we’re experiencing an emboldened ideology that has always been with us.
The irony of people complaining that Star Trek is terrible NOW because of bad writing, when shit tons of pre-DISCO Trek exists. You’re going defend the writing of at least half of TNG? Argue that Voyager didn’t squander its premise? That Enterprise wasn’t a mess? Get real.
January 24, 2025 at 2:43 PM
The irony of people complaining that Star Trek is terrible NOW because of bad writing, when shit tons of pre-DISCO Trek exists. You’re going defend the writing of at least half of TNG? Argue that Voyager didn’t squander its premise? That Enterprise wasn’t a mess? Get real.
“I don’t care about politics.”
*Habitually jumps into posts to talk and complain about political issues.*
🤦♂️
*Habitually jumps into posts to talk and complain about political issues.*
🤦♂️
January 19, 2025 at 8:36 PM
“I don’t care about politics.”
*Habitually jumps into posts to talk and complain about political issues.*
🤦♂️
*Habitually jumps into posts to talk and complain about political issues.*
🤦♂️
TikTok back already? What an absolute joke and shameless con.
January 19, 2025 at 8:16 PM
TikTok back already? What an absolute joke and shameless con.
I know I’m shouting into the void or preaching to the choir, but take it from someone who is getting old… if you have an itch to create, please scratch the fuck out of that fucking itch. Take those ideas that have been tickling your brain and MAKE SOMETHING with them.
January 19, 2025 at 3:23 AM
I know I’m shouting into the void or preaching to the choir, but take it from someone who is getting old… if you have an itch to create, please scratch the fuck out of that fucking itch. Take those ideas that have been tickling your brain and MAKE SOMETHING with them.
Don’t really know which David Lynch project would be my favorite. As far as I’m concerned, he never really missed. Even his weaker stuff was absolutely striking and effecting in profound ways.
January 16, 2025 at 8:45 PM
Don’t really know which David Lynch project would be my favorite. As far as I’m concerned, he never really missed. Even his weaker stuff was absolutely striking and effecting in profound ways.