Empress of Mars: Undisputed @zebratron2084@awoo.space

@Balina i have this "no brain amoebas i don't know personally" rule

So Gungeon's new update has a "Rainbow Run" mode, which permits you only one item per level but it's an S-class super-item, you choose it from a set of eight, and the stat that usually keeps you from getting multiples of S-class items is suspended.

This includes the Clone item. If you die with the Clone, you immediately restart on Level 1... with all your items and buffs intact, except for the Clone. You can't take a second Clone while you have the first one... but if you pick up a Clone during your Clone run, congratulations, you get a _third_ run if you die.

Well, some guy on Reddit posted evidence he had a SIX Clone run. He just kept getting lucky drops. By the end of the game, he was essentially packing a Death Star in each hand. But he didn't even get to do anything useful during the final boss fight. His companions-- specifically, a tiny space turtle and its Lawful Good baby mimic duplicate-- killed the Lich in approximately five seconds per stage.

Did I mention I love this game and its utter, Gurran-Lagann-level lack of respect for earthly power curves? I would be delighted by any recommendations for 2-D action games with the same kind of absurdist combo potential. n.n

Oh my god, I think Seattle just issued me its formal apology for everything that happened here, in the form of a cup of ramen from the stand in the U District farmer's market. Best thing I've eaten in Seattle that wasn't cooked by @mmsword

If you're anywhere nearby, it's the Ramen and Tacos stand. Thai Curry broth. So fucking good.

@kara_dreamer@plural.cafe And... and... and it's by the author of Mommie Dearest. THAT Mommie Dearest. Christina Crawford. And it has 4.5 stars on Amazon.

I am having a major Philip K. Dick moment right here. This can not be reality. ;____;

@kara_dreamer@plural.cafe Oh, I'm fine with ritual and such being "made-up nonsense" -- it's in the symbolic world, so there's really no alternative to that whatsoever in worldview. :) My problem with this source is that it's terrible *history*...

Specifically, in case you're curious... they've hatched this monumental apophenic conspiracy theory that the missing "Law #13" in the Code of Hammurabi was specific, clear, and reliable evidence of Hammurabi's Vile Patriarchal Suppression Of Purest Utopian Matriarchal Goddess Culture, because 13 is... you guessed it... "a Great Goddess number."

But there's one problem with that, and as a classicist you've probably already guessed. Yup. The earliest sources for the Hammurabic Code are NOT EVEN NUMBERED, and I'm finding multiple sources making a good case that the missing #13 was probably a clerical error.

@kara_dreamer@plural.cafe I am now hip-deep in pseudo-Wiccan nonsense about numerology and the Code of Hammurabi and I am so pissed off at these people and having such a wonderful time. XD

Today I really wish there were such a thing as sinus floss. >_<

@kara_dreamer@plural.cafe Wait, what?! I mean, obviously, Freyja is associated with Friday, which is associated with 13, but... yeah, I can't find ANY support for a connection between Freyja and the number 13 at all. A Google search for "Freyja number 13" that excludes the term "Friday" brings up approximately jekk and dritt. O:) I think your skepticism is correct!

Ask not what the cosmos can do for your gender.

Ask what your gender can do for the cosmos.

That was a real nice parting gift for Washington State:

I left local asswipe pundit Dori Monson a thorough, sourced, multi-comment debunking of a BS climate-denialist factoid he parroted about polar bear populations.

I won't link to it, but I mean, it ain't that hard to find, and it REALLY ain't hard to tell which commenter is me. O:)

o/` It's a beautiful morning... o/` =^____^=

(TL:DR, in case you're curious: he quoted an anti-green rabblerouser's claim that polar bear populations are 4x larger than recorded in the 20th century. Turns out, oops, not only were all the 20th c. stats a wild guesstimate... but the whole population recovery can be easily explained by other things like hunting bans. And real arctic wildlife experts HATE this dumbass talking point.)

@001zlnv I know, right? It's even sadder that the most recent update is the final one, so unless they release a mod kit, there never will be. Which is... almost a little surprising, since a Dig Dug gun would've been right up EtG's alley. Like, maybe 50% of the game's lore is retrogame homage. (So. Much. Metal. Gear.)

"In any case, it is always artificial to talk about 'reality' in regard to a fictional character." -- Ethan Coen

@001zlnv You RADICALLY underestimate the Gungeon.

https://enterthegungeon.gamepedia.com/Compressed_Air_Tank

@001zlnv But not nearly as satisfying as the Bait Launcher gun, which causes the target to be mauled by tigers. I'M NOT JOKING. =^______^=

@001zlnv Nope! However, there are other mechanics that will let you turn enemies into chickens. And you can't eat them either, but you can run right through them and make them explode in a cloud of feathers, and that is exceptionally satisfying.

I have a slingshot, a watch that gives me the powers of the protagonist from Super Hot, and a magic flute that summons attack chickens.

Fuck, I love the Gungeon.

Also we are DONE SHIPPING OUR STUFF. Only minor FedExing and checked baggage from here on out. Again... Amtrak Express could NOT have been more helpful. So much less stress, and we get to have a relatively chill weekend.

KITTY ALERT STATUS:

VERY YES <3 <3 <3

(Apparently his name is Alfie, and both he and his owner are damned good-looking specimens *blush*...)

ACABET99P

(all cops are bastards except the 99th precinct)

#NINENINE!
#WatchLiberalCopFantasyThursdaysOnNBC

@LeDiva (Humph, thanks Awoo. That was SUPPOSED to come out "No Shit Sherlock," but it's more like "No Shit MiB." :p