Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

rowan kaiser @rowan.monster · 10h

It was six years later!

Reposted by rowan kaiser

rowan kaiser @rowan.monster · 18h

Hi, I'm Chris Pratt, you might know me as "Star-Lord". But there's nothing "Star-Lord" about the attacks of October 7th, 2023,

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rowan kaiser @rowan.monster · 11h

I'll talk more about the specifics of the game's story choices at some point when I'm more awake but what an odd experience. a fantastic meal with a confusing aftertaste

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rowan kaiser @rowan.monster · 11h

the whole narrative aspect stands in bizarrely stark contrast to the moment-to-moment game design, which feels absolutely sensational.

It's like story was siloed from the rest of the game, which is quite normal with most games, but not Supergiant's!

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rowan kaiser @rowan.monster · 11h

meanwhile the game just doesn't do an effective job of weaving its themes throughout the game, there are multiple New Things that appear in the ending cutscenes. They're things that would make for perfectly good story in most cases but they're not built up, like, at all

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rowan kaiser @rowan.monster · 11h

The pacing is completely off, everything feels like it takes 20 runs too long to accomplish. And I've finished the main story without a full resolution on ANY side quests, and only one of the special weapon aspects unlocked

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rowan kaiser @rowan.monster · 11h

finished the main story of Hades 2. There's a lot of issues with the story but honestly I think it's less that there's a narrative explanation than that the game just needed another pass or two through the tightening to get right

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Reposted by rowan kaiser

Curb Your Malthusiasm 2.0 @manucleardevice.bsky.social · 1d

"This Whole Thing Smacks Of Gondor," i holler as i overturn my uncle's funeral pyre and turn the 4th Age of Man into the 4th Age of Shit

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Reposted by rowan kaiser

jacobbles @jacobbles.bsky.social · 1d

Ghost of Yotei got me thinking about this one

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rowan kaiser @rowan.monster · 15h

For those not up on the lore, thread here: bsky.app/profile/rowa...

rowan kaiser @rowan.monster · Sep 23

"sicko games" is what I'm starting to use

Tanya X. Short @tanyaxshort.bsky.social · Sep 23

hi hello it would make my life a lot easier if ya'll would get used to connecting Project Zomboid and Dwarf Fortress and Ostranauts etc with a more useful, specific word than 'simulation'. I've suggested 'megasim' but feel free to find a better one, just whatever it is, use it a lot ok ty

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rowan kaiser @rowan.monster · 15h

Oh, good for her

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rowan kaiser @rowan.monster · 15h

Sicko games! Sicko games! I did it!!!!

lincoln carpenter @lincolnhello.bsky.social · 18h

"'The more we try to understand what's going on in the world around us—the more we don't just withdraw into a hermitude of my family and I as a nuclear unit, the more we try to understand our society—I think the more these kinds of games speak to us,' Short said."

Founder of Dwarf Fortress and Caves of Qud publisher Kitfox Games says its procgen sims for sickos are 'giving storytelling tools back to the people when games and passive media took them away'

Streets of Fortuna, Kitfox's own in-development "megasim," is chasing that same systems-driven storytelling.

pcgamer.com

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rowan kaiser @rowan.monster · 15h

Oh man I remember that reality show. Wonder what happened to the winner

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rowan kaiser @rowan.monster · 16h

sure! I cannot guarantee that I have the attention span for it but I just got credits on Hades 2 so now's a good time

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rowan kaiser @rowan.monster · 16h

probably for the best I missed when the steam sale was ending huh

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rowan kaiser @rowan.monster · 18h

it would work if not for the, uh, completely static writing and progression

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rowan kaiser @rowan.monster · 18h

Hi, I'm Chris Pratt, you might know me as "Star-Lord". But there's nothing "Star-Lord" about the attacks of October 7th, 2023,

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rowan kaiser @rowan.monster · 18h

yeah, icarus. only character who speaks to her with any kind of subtext

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rowan kaiser @rowan.monster · 18h

honestly, the yuri isn't even that good, the only character Melinoe has any chemistry with whatsoever is a *boy*

Deepak Choppa @adamsandler.click · 1d

good writeup. you would think "hades, but for lesbians" would be a slam dunk for someone like me, but yeah, the writing in it falls so so so flat that it, at times, felt like the implied yuri was there as a smokescreen trying to prevent me from seeing that the story was half baked

Aftermath @aftermath.site · 1d

Hades 2's story doesn't change the status quo
aftermath.site/hades-2-ending

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rowan kaiser @rowan.monster · 20h

my serious answer to this is Keith Mars

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rowan kaiser @rowan.monster · 20h

no but this one will be both listened to for being right and not beholden to big donors

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Reposted by rowan kaiser

flipinidaho @flipinidaho.bsky.social · 1d

southsideweekly.com/federal-agen...

The building is in a 27 million dollar foreclosure filed by Wells Fargo. The next day, Wells Fargo filed an emergency motion for receivership. The fascist regime kindly emptied the building for donor Wells Fargo.

Federal Agents Storm South Shore Building, Detaining Families and Children

Families were woken by flashbangs and helicopters as hundreds of federal agents raided their homes. Days later, neighbors are still searching for the missing.

southsideweekly.com

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rowan kaiser @rowan.monster · 20h

this is nicer to the poster's strike than I would be but otherwise is a good overview of all the context surrounding Bluesky trying to go mainstream by ditching the trannies

Nico Mara-McKay 🦇 (they/iel) @nicomaramckay.com · 2d

tl;dr: Bluesky began with genuine promise: a new social media platform where users could feel safer, but inconsistent moderation quickly eroded trust.

When systemically marginalized users pushed back, Bluesky’s leadership minimized concerns and began to target them for bans.

Bluesky’s CEO meltdown: How leadership continues to fail its most marginalized users

tl;dr: Bluesky began with genuine promise: a new social media platform where systemically marginalized users could feel safer, but…

plutopsyche.medium.com

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Reposted by rowan kaiser

Nico Mara-McKay 🦇 (they/iel) @nicomaramckay.com · 2d

tl;dr: Bluesky began with genuine promise: a new social media platform where users could feel safer, but inconsistent moderation quickly eroded trust.

When systemically marginalized users pushed back, Bluesky’s leadership minimized concerns and began to target them for bans.

Bluesky’s CEO meltdown: How leadership continues to fail its most marginalized users

tl;dr: Bluesky began with genuine promise: a new social media platform where systemically marginalized users could feel safer, but…

plutopsyche.medium.com

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Reposted by rowan kaiser

August J. Pollak @augustjpollak.bsky.social · 21h

As someone who worked there, the reason CAP isn't trying is because they're not a liberal Heritage Foundation devoted to generational furtherment of liberal ideals. They were a 501c3 dedicated to making Hillary Clinton and possibly her daughter president and they catastrophically failed at it

Oliver Willis @owillis.bsky.social · 21h

The very well funded Center for American Progress has been in operation since 2004. The Democrats do not have “nothing” they’re just not trying.

LouFromBoston @loufromboston.bsky.social · 21h

The Republicans have a very well organized think-tank (Heritage Foundation) for strategizing and coordination of messaging. They control what we are seeing day to day.

The Democrats have nothing. No sense of leadership, no direction, no messaging. We need a think-tank asap!!

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