Ive actually thought about this a lot, specifically since 2020, but for the past 15 years as a white LGBT person.

I think the reason millennials are the ones to make fucked up depression jokes is in part because of the crisis after crisis being shoved in our faces through social media at an extent never really seen before compared to newspaper and TV. But the other part is how we could learn about all the atrocities that have happened. Like, in WWII’s Pacific theater, a lot of that never got discussed in school. Or how Korean war or Vietnam war or even civil rights were all just a footnote after the WWII section which took the bulk of my history class’s time.

I feel the Internet wasn’t mainstream as a kid, at least not in today’s sense. My whole family didn’t get a Facebook till the 10s. And I think millennials got to see past a lot of the propaganda because even the gov hadn’t figured out how to monopolize on the idea. Which I think is why GenZ is turning more fascist. Since the powers that be have figured out how to reach out through YouTube shorts and insta reels or whatever. It’s like it skipped millennials for a minute and swung full force once it figured out how to target a generation who grew up on iPads instead of IRC or AIM chats.

To add to that, the black loves matters movement and civil rights in the 2020 era, is the first time there was an awakening to white folks like me at a deeper level to start researching heavily into what civil rights even meant beyond who MLKJr was and who the Black Panthers even were beside ‘militant black people.’

I feel like the 2020 era was when white millennials as a whole, but also Gen X and Z to a degree, started to really see how much systemic injustice really effects us all, but especially POC and native Americans. I only had a vague awareness of anything up until I was in my 20s.

Now, the more I learn of the struggles, the more I can see how easy it is to be buried by propaganda. So when I hear “make America great again” all I can think is how it was finally starting to be truly great with progressive movements and that my definition of ‘great’ hasn’t even existed before.

And as a final note, that making America great again, to the standards of those who tout that concept as a banner, is to revert to where everyone who’s in the struggle together just goes back into silence and submission.

And that ain’t too great, imo.

Lol, could’ve been bad. I hate the new UI.

If you swipe down on the notifs twice, you can edit them to be similar to the previous style.

On topic of your post, fuuuuck everything about their forcing AI, but my biggest gripe is how they moved the audio display (from, like, Spotify or audiobook readers/podcast apps) to the bottom of the lock screen as a tiny bar on the bottom instead of showing me all the info as it did before. It’s super annoying when I swipe to unlock and pause what I’m listening to.

I like NHL and MLB. Both my teams are on the other side of the country, though. I cannot watch unless I pay out the wazoo. It ain’t worth it. Plus, cable? No thanks. Can’t afford it anyways, really. I used to listen to MLB radio at my old job with the AtBat app but they changed the subscription and it got too expensive.

Plus, it’s just not accommodating to people like me. I mention liking a team and I get bombarded with questions like “who was the 2nd baseman during 1998?” Or “what’s the current batting average for the designated hitter?” Or “who’s the coach right now?”

Like I have to prove I’m a ‘true fan.’ I don’t care about that. I see ball go fast, and get hit out the park, it is fun. I see a hockey player toss a puck across the ice, it is fun. I love games but I don’t know who the developer is by name. Just the company. Dunno where the best loot chest was in the dungeons of Oblivion/Skyrim/whatever. I just enjoy things the way I enjoy them.

After work, I’d rather spend time reading or playing video games or playing an instrument. Watching ads on TV makes me want to pull my eyes out with a fork. Ads on anything.

Overall… expensive. Ad breaks. And sports fans are not a welcoming bunch. Communities for them are awful, and filled with the kind of men who don’t realize it but have every stat memorized and have to belittle everyone about it to prove they’re the highlander of sports. The one and only true fan. No thanks.

The aesthetic is on point. I think it has a vibe that is definitely not something I’ve seen before. Minus the phantom flayers (⁠ب⁠_⁠ب⁠)

Tunic is super cute! I haven’t played the crab one, but I’ve seen vids. Maybe one day I’ll pick it up.

As for your point, that’s part of the fun for me (as outlined in the post). When I played Diablo and Diablo II as a kid, I’d always have to see every inch of the map. In Elden Ring, it was always my goal to explore any corner or dungeon or castle that I could see. The stories are all good and fine, but for me, it’s the escapist dream of being a knight witch that can enter a big castle and completely dominate the occupants. Like a one-person siege machine. And if I can do that while pulling huge spells for area effect, I’m even happier. Just hiking up stone steps, throwing fire tornados or meteors… The dream!

I do wish the spells in every game I’ve played were more epic, ya know? My dream game would be to throw a literal tornado at a castle and have the baddies be smart enough to run for cover instead of getting hit. More of a dynamic sort of fighting but with massive spells. The only critique I have of fromsoft is the stagnant worlds. Just a dude standing in the middle of a courtyard, waiting to get shreked is a little bland. I’d love to see a castle that operates as a castle instead of a bunch of waiting-to-die group of baddies.

Ohhhh, PC issues? Sorry. I never had enough money for a decent enough gaming computer to be able to play many games.

I’ll concede the hub in Demon’s Souls is much better than Elden Ring. No matter what, I turned down the wrong corridor. Either looking for the blacksmith, or the twins, or the two fingers, didn’t matter. Every damn time, I’d go down the wrong way.

Plus, it felt… Empty? Demon’s Souls hub is much larger but still has an aesthetic that feels like everyone is scared, tired, or restless. I like that you can “save” people like Dead Rising and see them back at camp. It feels more immersive. Elden Ring has that too, but not as many NPCs end up there from what I remember. It’s more that they’d always leave the hub, like the lady who hugs. Plus, after the burning of the tree, it’s completely abandoned except the black might guy. Always feel bad that I couldn’t get him out. It’s like the people in the hub all just served as exposition on the lore of the world, not “real” people. I didn’t go back there nearly as much as in Demon’s Souls

Without looking down? I’m not sure what that means.

I will say the controls are irksome with sprint being circle. I tend to half-claw my controller. Like, left hand is regular grip, but right hand is thumb on the R3 stick, middle finger for the triggers, and index finger for the circle button. While using thumb for the X, triangle, square buttons.

In GTA, I tend to push the camera forward to look a little down while driving. Helps me see stuff a little better but drives people nuts when they watch me play lol

Bloodborne was my first. It was always… Okay. I still don’t know what the hell was happening. Apparently there’s a night mode you can unlock??? I consider Elden Ring my first true one. I played the hell out of the base game. I’ve only got to complete the final boss twice to unlock all the trophies lol. But I definitely need to pick up the dlc one day soon.

Thankfully I got that ring. The Cling Ring, I think it’s called? Super helpful!

I feel like I’m at least 30% through the game, if I had to guess. It’s a lot of fun, but much more brutally punishing compared to Bloodborne or especially Elden Ring. I still haven’t got a clue what the hell is really going on, but I look forward to manta rays!

Yeah, Scorpion King was fun when I was a kid.

The Tom Cruise one was forgettable. It wasn’t directly related to the OG trilogy, iirc. It has a lady mummy and was mid AF. The 3rd Mummy was awful with the recast of the main actress.ever since, I’ve been craving a solid mummy horror. Watching the 1st as a kid, when that guy gets his eyeballs taken, I was freaked. I can still hear the character sayin, “my eyes!” Without a tongue lol. Need a good mummy film!

Curious what it’s missing for you. I loved it tho haha. Maybe it was too open world? Hopefully they’ll port the games to your system soon!

Oh hopefully the mace will last till late game haha. Good lookin’ out tho! Thank you!

Oh, it’s way different from Elden Ring, if you played that one. It’s a lot more linear. But it’s so fun tbh. Highly recommend. I keep getting my ass kicked and having a blast lol I’m super excited for the other games.

I forgot bloodborne is a fromsoft. I played the hell outta that one but never beat it. The world building in that is wild. Like a Van Helsing horror show. Like a werewolf filled Victorian era. It’s wild and hard AF because of the mechanics of the game. Using the weird gun to stop attacks and the style of attacks with melee are timed really weird. But the aesthetic is on point. Horror, instead of fantasy like demons/dark souls/Elden Ring.

Oh yeah, that’s me for sure. I try not to compare games or listen to the recommended meta or even listen to the hate for not playing a certain way. There’s just not enough wizard media that’s epic. Like Harry Potter was mid until Dumbledore lit up a fire tornado. But that was before J.K. became a J.O.K.E.

I just love it when I can be a knight running castles and throwing massive spells. It might make the game slightly easier, I guess? And people hate that, I guess? But I’m like, my dudes, where else can you cast a spell that calls meteorites to smash a dragon?? Or a freakin’ mana laser beam that melts a god?? Just because I suck at rolling and dodging doesn’t mean I’m not having the time of my freakin’ life!

I keep saying we need more of two types of media:

Epic spells from wizards, witches, warlocks (without a kid friendly setting like HP) that has huge, realistic storylines.

And solid, horrifying mummy films. The two 00s mummy films are fun, but a family-friendly type of fun. The 3rd and Tom Cruise’s version can go to hell. There needs to be an amazing horror version, or at least more of the mummy theme, imo.

Sorry for the rant lol. I don’t get out much. 😅

I ain’t seen a swamp yet, oi vey. Unless you mean the lower latria area with the many faced centipede screaming monsters…? I hate swamp levels lol. I’ll face it when it comes though.

The person in latria was a huge pain to navigate for sure. I beat the mining level and giant dragon with minimal issue. Same for the tower knight, phalanx, and armor spider. But getting around some of the levels is super easy to get lost, I agree. I freaking love it though.

I need a pure glassstone? I think? To level up my mace again. The lizard stopped spawning! 😭

I never go in on the “builds” that I keep seeing recommended. Maybe that’ll punish me later, but I love just finding a good weapon and some epic spells and smash n burning my way through the monsters. Elden Ring was the best for that. Dual weild a staff and holy sword, I was unstoppable lol

Plus, that ending was so fire. I’m at the final boss on ng, but started Demon’s Souls lol

Edit: well, shit. To emphasize my point below: https://lemm.ee/post/63762572

The theory I’ve seen around is the effort to classify trans people as pornography. And by that, I mean, illegalize pornography distribution to minors punishable by death penalty, classify trans people in public as said distribution, and then execute.

The way Proj. '25 is worded gives credence to that theory. Not to be a ‘the sky is falling’ type of bird, but, it does come across as a goal for the fasc.

To borrow from a reditor’s explanation… They (not me) posted the following:

On page 5, it states the following.

“Pornography, manifested today in the omnipresent propagation of transgender ideology[…]“

“Its purveyors are child predators and misogynistic exploiters of women.”

“Pornography should be outlawed. The people who produce and distribute it should be imprisoned. Educators and public librarians who purvey it should be classed as registered sex offenders.”

On page 554 it states the following.

“Enforce the death penalty where appropriate and applicable.”

“It should also pursue the death penalty for applicable crimes—particularly heinous crimes involving violence and sexual abuse of children—until Congress says otherwise through legislation.”

Eh, I hope the best for them too, and that they one day see the errors of themselves for blind hatred. Not much I can do about it. I’ve been out and transitioning for nearly 15 years now. The current hatred has a new form, but it’s not the first time I’ve been called horrible things or told to kms or been scared of politics.

I can’t change anyone’s mind. I just try to live my life on my own terms and be the person I needed. I just see people like terfs as people who grew up in a small town, or had a bad experience with someone like me. Fear of the unknown is a hell of a drug.

I wrote it into a poem once, “I wish you knew me as a person, before you hated me as a perception.” No matter the argument, no matter the conversation, it ain’t gonna change the mind of a bigot. Especially todays works. So I just leave em to it. Block, downvoten, whatever, and move on. Maybe that makes me a coward, I dunno. It’s just not worth screaming to the void, anymore.

Anyway,

Oregon coast seems the tits! I’ve always wanted to see Thors Well nearby like, Newport? I think?

Cheers to a long, uneventful life for you. I hope we may live in precedented times, for the rest of it, and… for once in the past 30 years, maybe.

Same boat as your original comment. I keep telling my wife (cis) we gotta start planning to bailout, but she’s not taking it as serious.

I’m at the point of hoping I just go quick, if it comes. Trying to live my life with more intent and get the things out of it that are important; experience more while time is short, love unconditionally, etc. Very Hallmark of me, I know, but it’s all I can do. Lefties screamed Nazi from the rooftops, screamed project '25, screamed while ripping hair out… it didn’t work, and here we are. I’m trying to be helpful to those I can help, but the political situation on that national level is far beyond my control.

If we gotta bail, hopefully somewhere else lets us in. If we can’t bail, I just hope I’m not tortured before the end. I’ve lived as kind and helpful a life as I could, I think. Struggled when I couldn’t be kind, but I tried. If the end comes, so it goes. History books don’t remember the every day people anyways, we’re already a statistic. I just hope we aren’t a statistic in the Stalin-istic way.

If I were religious, I’d say I’d pray for you, and us. But since I’m not, I’ll just say that I hope things get better for you, and us.

I sincerely hope it swings back to a happier place for everyone. If you can’t live for happiness, love for spite. One day we’ll read the obituaries (of natural causes!) for these awful people and can finally have a breath of ease.

Do try and keep yourself safe. 🧡