EsteeBestee

I don't think you'd be overly doomer to be worried about this. You hit the nail on the head that the scariest part of this is that it lets cops do whatever the fuck they want even more (or allows maga fucks to go extrajudicial). It's just one more legal way for asshats to discriminate against minorities. If this passes, sure, if you're trans in WV, you won't likely be arrested just by going outside, but you bet your ass some cops will probably be willing to assault or arrest you for the smallest shit, or that if anybody assaults you for being trans, they can probably get away with it. If a bill like this passes, it would be wise for all trans people in WV to leave if they can, even if it doesn't mean that trans people are going to be arrested on sight, necessarily.

Haiku, the Robot is a very fun metroidvania that you can blast through in under 10 hours if you want something in that genre, but also something short and sweet that wont consume two weeks of your life.

That's pretty much my story, too. I was one of the biggest readers in my class at school growing up and even as a young adult, I still read a lot (probably 10 books a year or so). Somewhere along the way in the last few years, I just fell off. I think part of it is finding a book or genre that really reignites me in that regard. I had a book a few years ago that did do that for a few months, but I need to make it a habit. I want to reduce screen time in my life, in general, and getting back into reading will help so much with that, while still allowing my hyperactive mind to explore cool universes!

I actually just played the Telltale Expanse game yesterday, too, and that was excellent! And yeah, I heard that the books are different enough (and that there are 3 more of them), so that a read-through would likely feel new to me. I've actually had the first book on my shelf for 10 years after a friend gave it to me and I never started it, nor knew what it was until I started watching the TV show, ha.

I also have a hard time catching up with established shows. It sounds like a lot, but it averages to about ten 45 minutes episodes per season, so it's not so bad. I had to get in the mindset of "nobody cares how long I take to watch it". I just casually watched an episode or two a night for a few weeks. I recommend watching, it's awesome! If you do start, I'd say that season 1 is slower than the rest and with lower production value, the show doesn't really ramp up until season 2, I feel, but then it's a wild ride the rest of the way.

Work is normally not complete shit, but it certainly is this week. I think the universe knows I'm going on vacation next week and then decided to make this week hell instead of a normal week.

That said, I finished The Expanse (amazing show and I just want more!!!) and I'm hopelessly addicted to Cobalt Core. I've completed about 6 runs now and have one more ship and character to unlock, and then I "only" have to beat it about 20 more times to get all the memory logs. It's a very addicting game!

I'm going to have to find a show or two to occupy me in the next 2 weeks on vacation, though. I like traveling, but I'm skipping it this time to be frugal and I'm just having a staycation. I may drive somewhere for a couple days, but nothing crazy.

I'm also trying to get into the habit of reading more. I don't think I'll ever get to the point of reading double digits books per year (my adhd riddled brain just needs too many vidya games), but I'm trying to at least read a few days a week. That said, with me growing increasingly frustrated with computers (a thing I'm calling ROBS, rapid onset boomer syndrome), maybe I'll get more into reading to get away from screens (I work in software, so I really should be using a screen at home as little as possible).

I don't work in games, but I do work in software and the people you describe are infuriating and have absolutely no idea what it's like to work on a big piece of software. Thanks for the comment.

America: where 18 years old is old enough to go die in some foreign land because the rulers want oil, but where you're belittled and called a kid and people argue against your rights because you dared to make your own legal medical decisions that will make you happier and don't effect anybody else.

It's utterly disgusting that what is essentially propaganda and lies have convinced so many people here that trans people are some evil instead of just normal people who want the right to be themselves. Fuck conservatism, it's a poison.

As someone who loves RPGs and Star Wars, it took me about 10 attempts to actually get more than an hour into the game before turning it off. It's just that dated. I did eventually power through the first few hours and then the non-aged moments (story and writing) became good enough for me to stick around. I can definitely see how most people wouldn't want to play it for the first time at this point though.

People in the fediverse talking about how much they don't use reddit anymore reminds me of people that are "totally over" their ex.

I know there are some out there who legitimately believe in the witchcraft they're performing, spells they cast, crystals, etc., but for me, I do practice wicca, but it's less about thinking that I'm having a physical effect on the world and more of a way to almost meditate and for sure a way to connect to my spiritual side.

Even though I know that me performing a ritual to bring a friend some good luck or something won't actually do anything in the real world, it puts me in a space where I can reflect on my friend and what they mean to me, for example.

It certainly can be a bit silly, but many of us practice because we like the state of being and state of mind it can put us into, vs truly believing we're performing magic.

Surprisingly, Baldur's Gate 3. I absolutely love D&D, but I tried playing through the Pathfinder video games, Pillars of Eternity, Divinity: Original Sin 2, and nothing stuck with me. I just wasn't a fan of the CRPG genre, despite me playing in-person tabletop RPGs multiple times a week.

I bought BG3 thinking I probably wouldn't get hooked, but I didn't want to miss out when literally every one of my friends is playing it. Well, I am absolutely hooked and have 40 hours in the game and will likely do multiple playthroughs, and I kind of "get" the genre now. I know PoE, PF, or DOS2 may not be as good, but I feel a lot more confident at the prospect of playing them now.

So in this case, FOMO helped me a great deal.