France on Sunday took a step closer to delivering what was once seen as an unthinkable nightmare: a far-right government taking power in Paris for the first time.

Well… the first time in a while. And just as the last time was exiting living memory.

I’d vote for ToS era Pike over Trump. I’d vote for a candidate who only communicates via ouija board over Trump. I’d vote to not have a president for 4 years before I’d vote for Trump.

It’s crazy that Trump can get convicted of fraud, be found liable for sexual assault, promise to abuse presidential power to get revenge against those who cross him, actively undermine both national and global security, promise to round up millions and put them into camps, attempt to overthrow the election and refuse to not try it again, and so on, and his side is still so loyal they’ll wear solidarity diapers for him.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hilbert's_paradox_of_the_Grand_Hotel

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ship_of_theseus

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sisyphus

I like wireless, I just fucking loathe earbuds. Unfortunately, they have completely replaced the wrap around on-ear headphones that were the best for wearing while running errands or exercising.

I don’t want something big and bulky while I’m walking around, but I also don’t like having shit jammed into my ears. And critically, those on ear headphones are just the right size to have a convenient button layout so I can easily pause or go back a few seconds in my audiobook whenever I need to.

But Apple decreed that wireless earbuds were the future and the market for everything else fucking died.

Why do people defending Star Wars keep shitting on sci-fi and fantasy? “It’s just a movie about space wizards with laser swords” they say, as though having fantastical elements negates all criticism.

The original trilogy isn’t schlock. It’s fun, relatively lighthearted adventure in a fantastical setting. It has its flaws, but there is genuine artistry there, and it resonates with people because of that.

And even if I am looking at classic Star Wars through nostalgia goggles, that doesn’t invalidate criticism of new Star Wars stuff. Rise of Skywalker is a train wreck of a movie all by itself, no comparison needed.

He’s firing from both ends.

It now has a bonus against evil outsiders and undead.

Not in a million fucking years Sony. I would have gladly given you my money, but apparently that’s not good enough for you.

I guess Sony didn’t want my money after all.

I had to double check before posting because I wasn’t sure either.

Those are in the future, not a long time ago.

Yes?

In this case it’s corporate being especially protective of Batman, and terrified of anything that might affect toy sales (among other things). IIRC Justice League unlimited had quite a few episodes shot down or rewritten because of various Batman related edicts from on high. And parental backlash after Batman Returns is part of why we got Joel Schumacher. Hell, it’s how we got Robin and the no killing rule, because they wanted to make the comics more marketable to kids.

Shit on the other side of the 4th wall is often the biggest problem superheroes face, and not just through censorship. It’s why Spider-Man made a deal with the devil. And it’s why Arkham has a revolving door, since popular and marketable villains need to keep coming back (which is why the “Batman should kill people” argument is idiotic, as any villain that won’t stay in jail will also refuse to stay dead).

These are corporate owned characters. The company in charge is going to care far more about making money and protecting their brand than they will about art, consistency, or even whether their policies are rational. Hell, they canceled a Green Lantern show that was popular and successful because they weren’t happy with the fucking toy sales.

I definitely want more games like New Vegas. I’m just not sure how much Obsidian wants to go back to Fallout as opposed to doing their own thing. It’s also been a decade and a half, so I’m not sure how much obsidian has changed since then.

My point was that if I was Microsoft, I would want to get a Fallout game out while there is increased interest. Bethesda can get around to making Fallout 5 sometime in the next decade, but in the meantime, I’d have other teams working on other Fallout projects.

These don’t have to all be massive new games that push every conceivable boundary. They just need to be good games that can satisfy audiences who are craving more Fallout. I wouldn’t rush things at the expense of quality, but I would try to plan things with a more narrow scope and efficient design.

For example, I’d probably want to remaster Fallout 1 & 2, as well as 3 and New Vegas. Don’t have to reinvent the wheel, just update them for modern systems, polish them, add some modern conveniences, and maybe a little new content.

Simultaneously, I’d have someone working on a new Fallout game that takes place in a new location, (Alaska, Florida, Hawaii, whatever seems fun). This doesn’t get rushed, but it also gets a limited scope. Solid core gameplay and an interesting setting with good writing.

I’d also be open to something other than an open world rpg. A city builder, a real-time strategy game, an xcom style turn based tactical game with base building, Pokémon but with irradiated mutants, metroidvania in a vault, whatever. As long as there is also a more traditional Fallout game in the works, there’s no reason why you couldn’t also do something weird and different.

Ideally, I would have started work on this stuff as soon as the show got the greenlight. But even if they started right now, that’s still better than waiting for Bethesda.

If they can have something nearly complete to cash in on hype from the show, and something else they can announce that keeps people excited, even if that thing’s another year or two away, that would be perfect. And if not, they can at least get something out while the show is still relevant.

If I’m the guy pitching a Fallout project right now, I’d probably be pointing to Baldur’s Gate 3 as an example of how much desire there is for a quality role-playing game. Quality being the keyword.

“When is Season 2 happening. What are we doing on mobile. What are we doing in [Fallout 76]. What are we doing with this thing. What are we doing with this other thing. And when are these landing. And again if I could snap my fingers and have them all be out and ready I would. But the main thing is how do we deliver these at a high quality level. That is always most important.”

I shouldn’t be surprised that mobile is the first thing he brings up after season 2. But it’s still a terrible indicator.

Honestly, if I was Microsoft, I’d be looking to get a new Fallout game rushed into production immediately. And it probably wouldn’t be Bethesda making it. Not necessarily Fallout 5, but a new game in a new, interesting location. Something that can capitalize on the interest generated by the show, especially if it can come out near the release of season 2.

They also sucked in Mos Eisley. They aren’t trying to let them escape, nor are they trying to take them alive or anything like that. They completely give up the element of surprise by loudly shouting “blast them!” and then fail to hit anything despite having an entire squad of troops ready to open up on them.

That said, ESB shows them as being competent, and the only shots they miss are from long range and against targets with good cover. Sadly, the same cannot be said of ROTJ, as basically everything the empire does on Endor is idiotic and makes them look incompetent.

Babylon 5.

I rewatch it every few years, this time with the SO who finally caved and decided to watch it with me. Despite having seen the entire series half a dozen times I’m still finding things I never noticed before. And while it’s always been rather timeless, a lot of its themes are so much more applicable now than ever before. Cannot recommend it highly enough.

Other recent rewatches shared with the SO and found to have stood the test of time: Gargoyles, Batman TAS, Brisco County Jr, Daredevil, Star Trek TNG.

Ultraviolet. It makes other colors look cool. And it kills stuff.

5, 6, 4, 3, 2, R1, 7, 1, Solo, 8, Holiday Special, 9

Empire is the best. It has solid writing, a clear vision, and is surprisingly tight in its execution. Just look at the duel between Luke and Vader, where every action they take communicates something about the character, it’s not just mindless action filler. Hell, they even avoid the incompetent stormtroopers problem, as they only miss shots that are actually difficult.

RotJ has some silliness and the emperor’s plan is idiotic, but it’s still a satisfying end to the trilogy, even with the damn ewoks.

3 is improved over 1 and 2 but still has weak writing, spotty acting, pacing problems, and a lot of little issues that add up.

Rogue 1 is a mess. The droid is mildly amusing, Donnie Yen is full of wasted potential, and Grand moff Shrek is jarring, but everyone else is bland and forgettable. It’s only saving grace is a cool fight at the end, but that doesn’t excuse the boredom leading up to it. At least AotC was interesting in its incompetence.

7 is an empty husk. It wants to echo a new hope, but it doesn’t know how to do that without just undoing the original trilogy. It’s Star Wars designed by committee and sanitized by the marketing dept.

Bad mouthing TPM is beating a dead horse. Darth Maul is cool. Episode 1 pinball was fucking awesome. And everything else sucks.

The best thing I can say about Solo is that it was forgettable.

Last Jedi thought it was brave for giving us unsatisfying answers to the questions that TFA probably shouldn’t have asked. Too bad it wasn’t brave enough to do anything interesting or different with the actual plot, like having Kylo or Rey actually switch sides during the cliche “join me” scene. Wouldn’t want a scene of him coming back to his mom looking for redemption and her needing to deal with the conflicting emotions that come from wanting her son back, but knowing that he killed his father. No, we couldn’t do that, it would be too unexpected and different. And it wouldn’t leave time for angry milking, the pointless casino quest, and unjustified paranoia driving a conflict that in no way serves the plot, and all the other time wasters that make up this piece of shit.

Yes, the Star Wars Holiday Special is better than RoS.

RoS barely qualifies as a movie. It’s like someone took random pages from ten different scripts for possible sequels and shuffled them together. The Room, Troll 2, and Plan 9 From Outer Space are all smarter movies with better stories. The only things separating this shit from those movies are a huge budget and the Star Wars IP.