Rose Thorne(She/Her)

Isn’t that what some of those “Auto-Battlers” claim to be?

My disappearance will be my sign.

Out in the middle of nowhere with goats, cats, and Great Pyrenees.

They did fucking stellar work with the character growth. I normally hate the “you need to give it a couple seasons” kind of thing, but Venture Bros did so well to have a moment where you feel the tone start to change, and somehow, the goofier start ends up working in the shows favor.

I will never look at a Homies the same way again.

And both are prepared to stab you with a Foreign Object.

“It’s a Japanese balloon! Shoot it down!”

“No, it’s Venus.”

“It’s a Roman god, shoot her down!”

Didn’t they have a problem like that before, but with bots? Like, some obscure artists who suddenly started getting massive listening hours by setting up a bot network to just keep repeating?

Mostly, yeah. He’s practically getting to live his dream these days, after going through a pretty long rough patch.

I’m still untangling things, in my own way, but I can also recognize the strides I’ve been able to make with it. It’s taken many a long year to get to the point where even talking about it didn’t leave me shaking in anger or fear, and I consider that a major improvement. Shaking off the last shadows from the monster.

We had a long driveway. I quickly learned how to position myself to be able to see out the window and prepare before being seen.

That was also around the same time I learned how to quickly make a bug-out bag, a bit of cryptography(My dad and I had a code language, just in case), and just how far I can be pushed before physical response is my only response.

There isn’t enough therapy in the world.

An unfrosted Double Dutch, at that.

That is an offense in itself. You’re making it that large, toss on the fudge or Dutch chocolate icing with it.

I’ve reached the point that I adopt the same attitude back. Like, genuinely told myself “No, fuck these thoughts, we ain’t having this shit tonight”, into just kinda almost meditating myself to sleep.

Probably not a healthy coping mechanism, but it works?

Huh. So that’s what happened to Kaiba after that final duel with Atem in the afterlife.

Good for her.

A clogged drain needs to be taken seriously. Not only does it render at least one drain useless, improper de-clogging can lead to the blockage simply moving further down the plumbing system, and that can cause even more issues.

Plumbing is not a joke. Be up front with your sexual desires.

Y’know what? Fuck yes. I would devour that in a fucking night. That is the kind of glorious trash I go possom over. The Duke and every Nazis nightmare taking on fascist aliens, dropping one-liners and big guns.

Fuck even trying to have a plot. That would work so amazingly well as a monster of the week. Have B.J call out Duke on his shit as someone who can actually go toe to toe with that overinflated ego.

Origins is the “best” of the new set, but there are older titles that beat them out if you’re okay with the older graphics. The AC2 trilogy is often considered one of the best, Black Flag is pretty unique and an absolutely fun time.

That’d work…

In a very strange reboot of Johnny Bravo, who was a much more positive parody of characters like Duke Nukem. Duke is written as the stereotype who’d bag 'em, tag 'em, and jet to the next bed.

And Duke has kinda proven that. 3D has had multiple ports, some better than others, but barely anyone talks about the 2D GBA titles, and Forever will forever be a rotting flop.

The last big commercial success was at an end of an era, at best becoming an archaic parody of a branch of the industry no longer really made, at worst an uncomfortable artifact of a bygone era of entertainment.

I really need to just sit down and watch that. I keep seeing either “It’s insane, but absolutely great” or “It’s absolute dogshit”, and that’s the kinda shit I normally dig.

If they can turn something out with Duke that feels like Duke, I’m down, I’ll support it. He just feels like the most out of left field character to bring back, especially as something outside of a game.

A movie from '93. Which, I believe, influenced what is probably the most recognizable Duke outing, Duke 3D.

That’s kinda part of the point I’m making. Duke is a product of that time, of shallow action flicks with beefy dudes and solid one-liners, often with a little sexism tossed in for spice.

I’d argue both DMC and Castlevania has more depth than Duke. While DMC can be summed down to “Cocky man kicks ass”, there’s been greater depths explored with a lot of the cast. Not an ocean, of course, but there’s more to the characters than mere face value.

Castlevania has a wide cast of characters who, while not always presented in the most complex manner, have implied histories and personalities that can be built upon. There’s enough skeleton to support some good muscle.

Duke has the depth of a petri dish. He’s the embodiment of “What You See Is What You Get”.

Like I said elsewhere, a single movie in his peak, or a low budget tongue-in-cheek throwback, I could get behind.

I just don’t see the potential of a Duke series, or even a film getting beyond cult classic status among a select few.

In the actual time of Duke’s peak, absolutely. Hell, with a clever writer and director team, I would support a low-budget tongue-in-cheek flick.

But Duke is heavily a product of the times. I just can’t see a full take that wouldn’t rip out what makes him iconic, but equally terrible, as a character.