T w e n t y S i d e d

Once upon a time I was elated with the MCU. There were consistently fun movies coming out multiple times per year to look forward to. They were funny, action packed powerhouses. Slowly over time, though, I grew exhausted with the formula.

I was never a HUGE super hero guy to begin with. I always loved Spiderman and Batman because of their shows. Batman the Animated Series is still elite television, by the way. However that’s basically where my interest began and ended. So when Iron Man came out and was an absolute banger I was pleasantly surprised. Then Thor and the Edward Norton Hulk were pretty great too. That made me a lot more interested in the Avengers Universe.

Honestly the build to Infinity War and then Endgame felt amazing to me. The series built up a big head of steam but the payoff felt a bit lackluster. And that was it for me. I had my fill, since I’d watched nothing MCU except the Spiderman movies.

I had officially become overwhelmed by the content. I can’t be expected to watch all the MCU content out there to keep up with story beats and character development. I’ve heard great things about several movies and shows, but I just don’t really care anymore.

I say all this because The Punisher brought me back in. Maybe it’s the edgy boy in me that wants my content more gritty and dark. Maybe the lack of a constant drive to have levity injected into scenes to keep the tone lighter. Whatever it was, I’m interested again. I like the somewhat grounded feel. I like the lack of superpowers bailing characters out. I’m enjoying the adult tone. I only wish it went all out on that tone instead of pulling all the punches and ending up with a PG-13ish tinge. That’s a conversation for another time, though.

But that leaves me curious. Have any of you guys fallen off the MCU bandwagon and hopped back on? I’m genuinely curious where that happened for people.

Just a little bit this week.

Played some Rimworld. Maximizing melee stats has been funny, I accepted a quest that had my colony fight off 48 cougars in exchange for ~600 gold and some armor. My colonists faired quite well, having only the loss of a hand as any injury of significance.

We got a new fridge today. It keeps things cold.

How’s everyone else this week?

Issac Young Youngest child of Shamus Young. He/Him

After the successful conclusion of the practice battle, while Miho and the other Sensha-do team members are perusing the “redecorated” tanks, Student Council President Anzu suggests to Momo (monocle girl)

…to which Momo replies “I’ll go call them.”

We don’t find out until later, as I documented last time, this will be a practice match against St. Gloriana Girls’ College. St. Gloriana is a consistently strong team that has won the national championship.

Continue reading ⟩⟩ “Girls und Panzer: Captain does her best! Pt. 1”

Paige Francis He/him

I say all the time that horror and comedy are the two most personal areas of life in terms of taste. They both prey on expectation to make their impact. That’s why hearing your drunk uncle tell the same joke for the 50th time is exhausting instead of humorous. It’s why knock knock jokes are mentally draining by the time you hit adulthood, too. Same goes for scares. The first time I watched Jeepers Creepers 2 I immediately developed a fear of scarecrows that I haven’t fully shaken, but I won’t have a panic attack watching the same scene again and again because the novelty is gone. The only scare left is the residual fear from the first time I saw it. And it’s also why the “mirror scare” in horror movies just doesn’t really work anymore unless you throw in a misdirect. We expect it now as a culture.

Continue reading ⟩⟩ “Bad vs Not For Me”

Ethan Rodgers

“I try to imagine what Twenty Sided would be like if Pat was running it. That would be a very different kind of website.” – Shamus, Jul 7, 2016

I don’t know about running it. How about some totally unprofessional hot takes on a beloved franchise, instead?

Continue reading ⟩⟩ “It’s called a segue”

Patrick Young I once picked a fight with a Chevy Blazer. And won.

This week I’ve been all over the place.

I played a bit more BALL x PIT. It’s a good game, I had fun, but I wasn’t really in the mood to hunt down a bunch of item fusions. It wouldn’t even take that long, I just don’t feel like it.

I played a bit of Rainbow Six Siege with some friends. I don’t know if many peoples here are even interested in that game. But for anyone curious about the state of the game, the character Dokkaebi just got changed from being able to make peoples phones ring too making them explode.

I’ve been playing Rimworld a bit. Just dabbling with making a melee focused xenotype. They run fast and can hit things with sticks real good.

Right before writing this I was messing around with hammer(the source engine map editor). Not much interesting in that regard, but it’s funny how fast muscle memory comes back for that kind of program.

What’s everyone else doing this week?

Issac Young Youngest child of Shamus Young. He/Him

Right after I wrote the last Girls und Panzer post, my mother found a deal on Facebook marketplace. My spouse’s primary vehicle was in the shop with a so-far un-findable problem. It *drives* fine, but there is a concerning warning light about the automatic transmission fluid temperature coming on as soon as the car is driven. And only if it’s driven, if you let it *sit* idling the error doesn’t come on, lending creedance to the idea that it may actually be a transmission oil temperature problem. But no one can actually *prove* that so far and the only solutions mechanics have been willing to pursue is “find someone who knows more than me” or “swap out expensive parts until the problem goes away.” Well, my mother saw a marketplace listing from a known family friend (I don’t know these people, but I know who they are. They are actually related through marriage.) These people were selling off an uncle’s possessions (basically an estate sale) who had recently been diagnosed with a life-threatening disease. He was being moved into assisted-living at that very moment, was likely facing multiple surgeries, and they wanted to sell his excess “toys,” cars, and utility vehicles to raise immediate cash for the family. He didn’t need them, no one wanted them, etc. Plausible? Possibly.

Here’s were it gets questionable. The list of things for sale were *mostly* of the description I mentioned…toys. There was a side-by-side, a couple of motorcycles, a jet ski, a couple of good lawnmowers and a small Kubota garden tractor. A pressure washer and a diesel generator, which I had questions about because the picture provided looked like…someone had taken a picture of the diesel generator when they decided to buy at Home Depot or Tractor Supply. But there was also a fridge, a stove, a PlayStation 5 and some games. Two older vans, but both kind-of rare camping models; a Vanagon and a Ram. Both in good shape. I mean, that’s a real interest; but not something you run across often. And then there were the “regular” cars. There were five that I remember; a couple of late model pickups, nothing special. An almost new Outback, and a late-model CR-V and RAV-4. All three of which they were advertising VERY cheap. My mother asked if any of those cars would make good substitutions for what was in the shop with an unknown problem, as the price was PHENOMENAL and she knew these people and trusted them.

Continue reading ⟩⟩ “Getting Scammed on Facebook”

Paige Francis He/him