Metal Monday

Youtube Obsession

One of the nightmares about surviving in a society that worships the delusion of the “free-market” is being confronted with absolute immense amount of capital that is actually being hoarded by the upper-class. But, like an itch I cannot scratch, I cannot help looking at what the ultra-rich are buying in terms of fashion and homes. Not only because rich people have no taste and its funny to laugh at them but also because it fuels the fire of revolution in my heart.

It’s infuriating and it makes me wish I learned how to make pipe-bombs on 4chan.

ANYWAY…

I’ve spoken about Ene Yilmazer before but he’s recently started touring yachts and these are just whole other level of privileged disconnectedness.

While watching these I can’t help but think of the map "Hijacked” from Black Ops 2.

Watching

Three Body Problem on Netflix has the same air of intellectual elitism that the book suffered from and I just find that shit very hard to push through.

Let me qualify that I have only watched the first 2 episodes (and of course the nano-wire scene) but the amount of “only stupid people are breeding” and “ignorance must be bliss” burdened smart people is just too annoying to bare.

Though I do find it funny that these former “gifted students” addicted to praise after their first A+ in finger painting resort to suicide after running into the first problem they can’t get right.

Playing

I really, really wanted to enjoy the original Darkest Dungeon from 2015. The Mignola inspired art style, the eldritch themes, a narrator voice made of gravel and turn based combat are all elements that drew me to the game. I played it for hours and unfortunately never get a firm grasp on it’s progression mechanics. Even after watching Highwang’s excellent and in-depth Let’s Play, my brain would mush the moment I began to move on the board. Coupled with it’s brutal (But fair!) difficulty I moved on to other games (MGSV).

Darkest Dungeon 2 maintains the brutal (but fair!) difficulty, excellent style and brooding themes of it’s predecessor with one major caveat: Slay the Spire was released in 2017 and forever changed roguelike design for the better.

With it’s improved progression system, Darkest Dungeon 2 is a very addictive game, making me choose between going to bed on time or staying up to make one last run. Each run ends with a new lesson learned and because of it’s dark and foreboding themes, every victory feels epic. Despite it’s difficulty, there is a marked feeling of progression so I never feel like I didn’t gain something from a failed run.

Also, the updated 3D models look great and move so smooth. I was wary on the upgrade ruining the “vibe” but that couldn’t be further from the truth. There’s a fun story mechanic as well; Each character has a 5 part backstory that you access when you reach certain areas. Some story parts are playable in creative, relevant ways. And (surprise surprise) they are sufficiently dark and melancholic.

Also, throughout a run, certain characters may grow affinities or distastes for other members of the party. This can result in certain buffs or de-buffs for characters or skills.

It is still a brutally hard game, but all it’s mechanics reward sticking through those impossible runs. I highly recommend Darkest Dungeon 2.

Other Notables

**Israeli Spy Chief Exposes Himself 

**A great 404 article on pale Discord cypto babies living out their Scarface fantasies.

 ** “Miley never apologized, or really acknowledged, what was obvious to everyone—that she was nakedly counterfeit and in way over her head while buoyed by a distinct flavor of woe-is-me defensiveness often found in the psyche of besieged nepo children.”