It’s a meme apparently. NerdyShades has the answer, but if you Google “hear me out cake”, Forbes has an article about it.

We’re all officially old!

It’s even better than that - they sometimes acknowledge they’re talking to a frog, or a rat, or even a puppet. It’s just normal.

I’ve lived in Kansas City for about 15 years, and I’ve seen a gun get pulled on someone once. SUV almost clipped a motorcyclist while making a left turn into the lane a little ways in front of us. Motorcyclist did a quick u-turn, caught up to the SUV, and pulled a gun on the driver. The driver quickly and frantically apologized, the biker shook his head and reholstered his gun, and got back on his bike and both drove off in different directions.

I started slowing down to increase distance when I saw the motorcycle do its initial u-turn, but I was pretty much trapped in the lane. I had my whole family in the car with me - I’d have been willing to testify after, but no way I’d be willing to put them all at risk to intervene. I was looking for ways to get us to safety, and was pretty much down to popping us up on the sidewalk to get around and get away if things got bad (it was rush hour, there was no room in the other lanes for us).

What I see of the drivers in the video is a) It’s early morning, and they’re paying just enough attention not to hit each other in a rush hour crawl; and b) they’re trapped by everyone else in the rush hour crawl. Not getting shot at this point (because you can’t tell he’s just targeting a CEO) means not getting noticed, because you don’t have good options for getting away.

I like grow up, myself

Hah, didn’t catch that when I saw the episode - Pelia knew Cary Grant!

Many microwaves have a timer that can run without microwaving things.

You didn’t read them in the car on the way home?

You’re taking the utterings of keyboard warriors as reflective of reality?

That’s not what I’ve seen. The stories I’m familiar with usually involve defending those things where they already exist, not establishing them. Even in cases where that needs established, as often as not, they’re usually protecting someone else who embodies that ideal.

I’m sure there are stories similar to what you’ve described, but I don’t see that in the stories I’m familiar with.

It’s always seemed strange to me that earth never made any sort of meaningfull technological progress despite having access to a galaxy full of new tech.

This actually seemed reasonable to me - if alien tech is anything like ours, we lack the parts to make the parts to make the parts to make the tech, so we can’t mass produce any of it yet. And we’re a bit of a backwater - what resources we do have of galactic interest (vibranium, maybe?) isn’t for sale. So we make do with what scraps do find their way to earth.

Stories don’t need to be told, humans need to tell stories. That’s what makes us human, and is how we spread ideas like honor, justice, and even civilization itself.

Hero stories reinforce all of these ideas, and others besides.

I don’t think it’s bullying, because bullying involves tormenting them - finding what they react negatively to, and pushing on that. Here, you’re letting them know that there’s something you need them to do before you’re comfortable playing with them. You might think of it as modelling how to protect your own bodily autonomy!

For me, when my kids were going through that, I’d say something like “Ack! Don’t touch me with poo hands! Go wash first, then you can climb on me!” It’d generally get a giggle, then they’d go finish washing up. You’ll want to pay attention to their reaction whatever you do, but if you make it clear they’re still welcome to play, I don’t see how it could be bullying.

…how kid friendly? Haven’t been able to introduce my kids to his stuff yet!

I want a horror movie where some of the heroes are genre-savvy, Practical Guide to Evil style. I picture it starting as a horror, and shifting into a kind of heist storyline

That is such a frustrating storyline… Why couldn’t they just slap a suppression collar on him? Or see if there’s a material that might block his power, and make him a suit out of that? Or get him a LMD and let him live virtually through that while he stays safely stashed somewhere? Why do they go straight to “kill him, he’s bad PR for us!!!”

We love ours!

so many fuckin Worfs

…so it’s a party van!

Dragon’s not completely gone; she’s just attending to other stuff while the characters are handling their slice of things. She does show up more towards the end, IIRC. I think she also had some plot resolution; though my memory is fuzzy here.

And some of my other favorites feature in Ward!

That’s a really tough thing to deal with, but that doesn’t mean what you did was wrong.

Ugh, okay - I suspected something hinky was going on with Adam just from the summaries I’d seen, but I’m just as happy to give that game a miss now! Think I like him better as a brain in a box, but it still colors their relationship…