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uvtrade: Trade Your Digital Movie and TV Codes So Everyone Gets What They Want!

2013.08.31 05:34 przacjames uvtrade: Trade Your Digital Movie and TV Codes So Everyone Gets What They Want!

A place to trade Movies Anywhere, Vudu, iTunes, and other Digital Movie and TV codes. Please see the wiki for everything you need to know! RIP UV. Gone but never forgotten. A gentle service in a cruel world, ripped from our hearts too soon. From your ashes, Movies Anywhere was born but this sub REMEMBERS UV and your memory shall live on through us.
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2019.11.01 05:58 thegreatunitor DCE: Buy, Sell, & Trade Digital Movie and TV Codes!

A place to buy, sell, and trade 4K, HD, and SD Movies Anywhere, Vudu, iTunes, and other Digital Movie and TV codes. RIP UV. Accepted digital currencies vary by seller. Please see the wiki for everything you need to know!
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2024.05.14 18:37 Mark_Alpha_JDS Emigration Questions ($, Employer, Logistics) (UK -> US)

I’ve been blown away by the level of responsiveness and expertise from Redditors for a few related topics which have been a huge help to me. Thanks in advance for any feedback here and I hope I’m in the right place!
I’m in a level of ‘negotiation’ with my Employer (a global Tech company) about a relocation from Southend, SE England to either Alpharetta or Tampa as part of a promotion within my existing Team on what is expected to be a ‘3 year gig’ (at which point the company is expected to be sold which would inevitably see changes of personnel almost certainly those who I am currently ‘negotiating’ with!). Naturally there are a million and one things to consider, especially as a (married) father of two young children.
As I await more formal details of the offer (including the $!), I am trying to speed through all the various research needed which I am simplifying into the below, in order to make negotiations effective and ultimately lead up to a point where I will be able to make an actual decision (likely in the next two weeks)
  1. Understanding the ancillary costs associated with relocating to the US as well as the expected on-going living costs in either location (to also include the likely requirement to relocate BACK in ~3 years time)
  2. Understanding which of the many risks associated with this opportunity I should attempt to have mitigated by my Employer
  3. Understanding any fundamental blockers/showstoppers that could prevent the move from being viable
I’m starting to build up a picture across all three but there were some specific questions I’d really appreciate some insights on. We’re mostly concerned about the number of ‘hidden’ costs there may be, to the extent where the financial gains we are expecting could end up being significantly diminished by the end of the 3 year period (our main objective here is primarily to financial gain – to ideally outright purchase a large family house back in the UK after 3 years and not primarily the ‘experience’ for our family, which we would of course consider a bonus).
·
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Entirely personal, but also wondering on recommendations for Alpharetta vs Tampa? It would seem cost of living would be comparable (of course, dependent on neighbourhood) with the major differences being probably differences in climate, and I suspect Tampa would be generally much busier, perhaps less safe? For a reasonable 3 bed house it seems around $3K rent per month is the norm, with Alpharetta prices seemingly due to proximity to the tech hubs and Tampa due to the pull of the beaches, climate?
My Wife and I are very excited about the prospect, just trying to be as cautious as possible especially given this will be likely to move quickly!
Many thanks in advance
Mark

submitted by Mark_Alpha_JDS to MovingToUSA [link] [comments]

2024.05.14 18:35 Mark_Alpha_JDS Emigration Questions ($, Employer, Logistics) (UK -> US)

I’ve been blown away by the level of responsiveness and expertise from Redditors for a few related topics which have been a huge help to me. Thanks in advance for any feedback here and I hope I’m in the right place!
I’m in a level of ‘negotiation’ with my Employer (a global Tech company) about a relocation from Southend, SE England to either Alpharetta or Tampa as part of a promotion within my existing Team on what is expected to be a ‘3 year gig’ (at which point the company is expected to be sold which would inevitably see changes of personnel almost certainly those who I am currently ‘negotiating’ with!). Naturally there are a million and one things to consider, especially as a (married) father of two young children.
As I await more formal details of the offer (including the $!), I am trying to speed through all the various research needed which I am simplifying into the below, in order to make negotiations effective and ultimately lead up to a point where I will be able to make an actual decision (likely in the next two weeks)
  1. Understanding the ancillary costs associated with relocating to the US as well as the expected on-going living costs in either location (to also include the likely requirement to relocate BACK in ~3 years time)
  2. Understanding which of the many risks associated with this opportunity I should attempt to have mitigated by my Employer
  3. Understanding any fundamental blockers/showstoppers that could prevent the move from being viable
I’m starting to build up a picture across all three but there were some specific questions I’d really appreciate some insights on. We’re mostly concerned about the number of ‘hidden’ costs there may be, to the extent where the financial gains we are expecting could end up being significantly diminished by the end of the 3 year period (our main objective here is primarily to financial gain – to ideally outright purchase a large family house back in the UK after 3 years and not primarily the ‘experience’ for our family, which we would of course consider a bonus).
Entirely personal, but also wondering on recommendations for Alpharetta vs Tampa? It would seem cost of living would be comparable (of course, dependent on neighbourhood) with the major differences being probably differences in climate, and I suspect Tampa would be generally much busier, perhaps less safe? For a reasonable 3 bed house it seems around $3K rent per month is the norm, with Alpharetta prices seemingly due to proximity to the tech hubs and Tampa due to the pull of the beaches, climate?
My Wife and I are very excited about the prospect, just trying to be as cautious as possible especially given this will be likely to move quickly!
Many thanks in advance
Mark
submitted by Mark_Alpha_JDS to HENRYUK [link] [comments]

2024.05.14 17:40 deadboltwolf Facing Our Own Mortality, the Fragility of Life and the Illusion of Choice

(I understand this is a bit of a read so I included a tl:dr at the bottom)
This may end up becoming a wall of text so I apologize in advance. I'm not sure how to properly start this so I'll just jump into it. I've been living with my best friends for the past 8 years. The 4 of us moved in together in early 2016 after deciding it would be beneficial financially and because we all get along so damn well that we knew there wouldn't be any issues living under the same roof. Fast forward to today and although 2 them have moved out, I'm still living here with my one buddy and his girlfriend. Things are still great there, no signs of friendship deterioration, tolerance or anything that might cause friction between us. However, I've been witness to a few things as well as started experiencing health issues that have completely changed the outlook I had on life back when we moved in together nearly a decade ago.
A little over 3 years ago I began dealing with awful IBS issues that to this day are still not properly being treated as doctors can't figure out what's wrong with my gut. Over the past 4 months I have begun dealing with nearly debilitating anxiety that has left me pretty much unable to leave the house except for doctor's appointments or the extremely occasional outing to a family or friend's house where I'm only able to stay for about an hour before having to leave. I do see a psychologist as well as a psychiatrist and I am on medication for both the IBS and anxiety, which helps but is in no way a cure. Due to these issues, I have become a shell of the person I used to be. No longer do I wake up and just decide to take a drive to the Jersey shore, a trip to Six Flags or head into the city to catch a Phillies game. Instead, I sit in the house and play video games or watch youtube as doing almost anything else is sure to set my anxiety or IBS off which may or may not land me in the ER.
My buddy that I still live with has been through absolute hell the past few years but luckily he's the kind of person who can just raw dog life (as in, he doesn't deal with any physical or mental issues, rarely gets sick and has no trouble going anywhere, doing anything, can eat whatever he wants without issues, etc.). He lost his mom to cancer last year. She passed exactly one week after Mother's Day. She lived here with us for about the final year of her life. Me and him have been friends for a good 20+ years at this point so his mom was like a mother to me as well, especially being as I don't have a proper relationship with my own mother. Watching her suffer through years of cancer only to pass away at 54 years old was heartbreaking. At least she's finally at peace now, of course. Now, his dad is also going through cancer treatment which is a recurrence of cancer that was found years ago, which automatically makes it stage 4. His prognosis is not grim but to many of us, his dad just seems done with it all. He stays here with us on weekends and with his sister during the week. We can see how much of a toll it's all taking on him. He won't admit it but we know that he doesn't want to put his son through all of this again after losing his mom just last year. If he was given a choice to "go" right now, he would take it, 100% to alleviate any more potential suffering at his or anyone else's behalf. His (my friend's) girlfriend also deals with chronic health issues both physical and mental which has helped open his eyes to the things that other people (who can't just raw dog life) go through on a daily basis. She lost her father when she was in her early 20s so it's helpful to him that she understands what losing a parent feels like.
Watching all of this happen just makes me realize how little our health care industry and government actually seem to care about our true wishes regarding life and death. Why did his mom have to suffer all those years with a terminal diagnosis? Why does his dad have to suffer now? Just because they're both in their 50s and not elderly it seems like care is always about treatment and not giving them the option to leave this life with their dignity intact. I myself would choose to leave this world if the door was opened for me. That does not mean that I am currently having thoughts of killing myself. It means that if the option was presented to me, to go out on my own terms, I would take it. Suicide is still extremely taboo in our society for some reason. Religion and government would have you think it is a crime against humanity but what is more humane than letting someone decide on their own terms that they're ready to move on? We are given this broad illusion of choice as children that we will get to grow up to be who we want to be and if we just try hard enough, we can accomplish anything. But for the vast majority of us, that is just not true. It is an illusion. We work and work and work just to barely earn enough money to survive and many end up in unhappy marriages solely because that's what society made them think they had to do as an adult.
Watching someone you love like family suffer and die will change you. Developing health issues that flip you from being someone outgoing, spontaneous. hard working and passionate into the complete opposite of those things will change you. Discovering that our healthcare system and government will do everything it possibly can to keep you as a "functioning member of society" no matter whether you're going through cancer treatment or dealing with chronic health issues will change you.
I'm 37 years old and I've never felt older in my life than I do right now. It's been almost 3 months that I've been on FMLA from work for the second time in 3 years. I'm wearing a heart monitor because my cardiologist wants to rule out any issues as my heart racing/palpitations are most likely just due to anxiety. Medication doesn't feel like it's doing much of anything and I'm watching the people around me grow older and deal with new problems every day. Yet our society says that we must keep going, no matter if you're suffering because the gears must keep turning. If we truly have the choice to do whatever we want to do in life, why aren't we allowed the choice to leave when we are ready? Why is it taboo? People kill themselves in horrific fashion every single day, more than once every *minute* worldwide. They want a way to fix that and the solution is right there in front of them. Give people the option to leave on their own terms. I've had plenty of conversations about this with friends and family and almost every single one of us would choose to leave on our own terms, when we are ready if the option were available. Hell, even my psychologist agrees with me on this. There's always a big debate about the ethics of it all but until you witness firsthand someone suffering and dying or begin dealing with your own health issues there really isn't any way to understand it. The vast majority of people are out there just raw dogging life and thoughts like these never cross their mind even once. But once it's brought up to them, they understand and accept it, at least in my own personal experiences from talking with friends and family. Ethics, health, religion, government, society, all of these things play a role in determining our fate. I just hope that someday a program is put in place so that people no longer have to suffer.
Finishing up, I understand that my condition is nowhere near as bad as what many others may be dealing with. Some people will look at me with disdain for wanting to walk through the door at only 37 years old while others will understand exactly where I'm coming from and feel the same. Everyone is entitled to their beliefs. I am appreciative of the healthcare system while also criticizing its flaws. I'm glad that religion provides so many with the means to live a happy and healthy life while also believing that many views (and laws) put forth by religious folk are vile and extremely outdated. I am glad that there are systems in place to help people in their darkest hours while also understanding completely why so many choose to leave. At 37 I still have plenty of my life left ahead of me, even if I don't want to get old. I still have things to look forward to such as video game releases or a new series to watch that keep me going. But I also acknowledge that there is a part of me that is ready to go. I have seen what life has to offer. I have lived with my family, on my own, while in a relationship and with my best friends. I do not want to get married or have kids. I do not want to work until I'm 65 (retirement age is likely to rise during my lifetime anyway). I do not want to get old and become a burden on anyone, either family/friends, healthcare workers or the average citizens who would have to pay for my social security.
Lose the illusion of choice and give people the option to go when they are ready.
If you managed to read through all of that, I just want to say thanks! Life is a beautiful thing and I am incredibly thankful for all of the amazing people I've met over the years and for the things that I've been able to do and see. This is not a post about wanting to commit suicide, it's main focus should be that we are forced into this world against our will and given the illusion of choice but when it comes down to it, we really don't have that much choice in how we live our lives and especially not when it comes to wanting it to end. Life can be incredibly fragile and many of us took that for granted until health issues decided it was time to show their ugly faces. I truly do not believe that feeling like you are ready to go should be considered taboo in any way. It should be something that everyone is provided a safe and comfortable space to discuss, whether with loved ones or medical professionals. For all of you out there just raw dogging life, I see you and I hope that someday I can get back to that, I really do miss being able to do whatever I wanted without a second thought. And of course, for anyone who knows what it feels like to be ready to go, to feel confident and comfortable with that decision, I see you as well and hope that the rest of society someday sees that as normal.
tl:dr I am 37 years old and over the past half decade I've watched family and people who were like family to me suffer and die from cancer or other health-related issues. I also deal with debilitating anxiety and IBS issues which obviously are nowhere near the level of something like cancer. However, I've discovered I have a feeling of "being ready to go" and I believe that people should be able to choose to leave this life with dignity and on their own terms without having to do something horrific. The healthcare industry, religious beliefs or government should not force us to remain here against our own free will just so we can keeps the gears of society turning. Let people leave on their own terms when they know that they are ready and get rid of the stigma surrounding talking about death.
submitted by deadboltwolf to RedditForGrownups [link] [comments]

2024.05.14 17:36 Weqrwr How to Smurf: A Comprehensive Guide

Smurfing is intentionally deranking to rank 15 or lower to ensure that your arena battles are 1v1s instead of 2v2s. The point is that 1v1 matches end a lot faster than 2v2 matches, allowing the smurf to initiate (and win) a lot of arena battles in rapid succession.
Because the clan reward system is based on the number of wins that clan members accumulate, regardless of rank. And one of the best clan rewards is tokens, Supermech's scarce premium currency. You get 10 tokens when the clan reaches 200 wins and 50 tokens when the clan reaches 1000 wins.
The average smurf is capable of racking up wins at a rate of around 1-2 times per minute, so if you have a full 24-member clan of smurfs all collecting wins in the arena at the same time, you're looking at about 1000 to 2000 wins per hour, or around 60 to 120 tokens every single hour. This estimation is very idealistic and usually not the case because not all members of any given clan contribute, and not all of them smurf efficiently. But I will show you how you can smurf efficiently and where you can find smurf clans that'll help you generate an egregious number of tokens.
All you need is two mythical Frantic Brutes and a mythical Rock Recoiler. These items are all obtainable at epic rarity, so you won't have too much trouble finding them. Frantic Brute is the highest damage dealing weapon in the game that isn't a scope, which will allow you to end battles very quickly. But that's not all.
If you look at regular smurfs in the game, you'll notice that almost all of them are using common torsos and legs, and there's a very good reason for this. You see, in order to protect lower rank players who don't have items that are as good as what a more experienced player would have, the game seems to have a process by which it averages the strength of the items you have equipped, and then matches you against a player of similar average power (correct me if you know more about this than I do). For example, if you were to make a full max mythical mech and matchmake at rank 15, you would match against a player who also has a max mythical mech. Similarly, if you had a mech with mostly epic items, you'd match against a player with mostly epic items. However, if you were using 1-3 mythical items and the rest of your items were common rarity, you'd match against someone of that average power, which is usually a mech with epic/legendary items or more likely, another smurf. It is important to mention that simply stacking common items onto your mech will only increase the average strength of your mech and won't make your battles any easier. This is why the typical smurf build is so barebones.
You'll find that with a common torso and legs, your mech becomes very weak and you probably won't be winning many games if you're on a newer account. Smurfs usually balance out the strength of their mechs with the help of arena buffs (they make a huge difference if you have them all maxed out) and modules, which as far as I can tell, do not affect the game's power detection mechanic. So having strong modules won't make your battles more difficult (but having a strong drone will, it's best not to use a drone at all). So, if you do not have strong modules, and if your arena buffs are still weak, you'll have to use torsos and legs that are slightly stronger. How much stronger depends on your mech and what you have. You will need to experiment a bit in the arena to optimize the items that make your mech as strong as possible while also making your arena battles as easy as possible. You might have to use something like a legendary torso and epic legs, which is fine as long as your battles aren't too difficult. Here are some items that might make your life easier as a smurf: The Claw or any of the monkey torsos at level 1 legendary (keeping it at level 1 is important) which offer a lot of hp, iron and platinum plating offer good bonus hp, platinum fortress which offers bonus hp and a significant increase in physical resistance (very useful for fighting other smurfs), and mighty protector which is the same as platinum fortress but without the bonus hp. Defense matrix or maximum protector are also solid options if you don't have good physical resistance modules. You can refer to the following Workshop for smurf build planning, as it allows you to see all the items currently in the game:
SuperMechs Workshop (workshop-unlimited.vercel.app)
Remember that the priority is fast wins. If you match against someone you can't beat, quit and matchmake again. If your battles are taking too long, quit and adjust your mech. And if your opponent gets salty and starts delaying the fight to waste your time, remember that smurfing requires very little attention. Make a second smurf account. While they're cussing you out on one account, you'll still be collecting wins on the other. It's very easy to make another smurf account if you utilize the level 12 and level 16 glitches shown in the following videos (credit to AEROST):
[SuperMechs] 12 level Glitch 5x Chest. (youtube.com)
New Supermechs 16 Level BUG !! 5 gift XD !! (youtube.com)
Well honestly, they're fucking everywhere because smurfing is the most efficient way to farm tokens. But here's a few that're the most active (that I know of):
Go to the clan search bar in the game and type these "revenge." and "Lord evolution."
This'll show you several clans, some of which are run by the same group of people. You might not be able to join some of them or might be kicked after joining others because they typically prioritize players who they know are active and have a lot of weekly wins. Your best bet will be to join one of these clans and politely ask if you could stay and farm wins with them. Most smurf clans are South American, so you'll probably have to ask in Spanish or you will be ignored. If you seem like an active player who can get them a lot of wins, they might accept and one of them might share some form of contact information with you so that you can be in on their groups and not get kicked when the clan leaders don't recognize you.
There are more smurf clans which you can find by going to the arena chat, clicking on other players in rank 15, and inspecting their clans. If you're active enough, you'll find one eventually.
If you are completely unsuccessful in joining any smurf clan, you can always clan-hop by simply searching for a clan with 170-199 wins or 900-999 wins, joining that clan, getting the rest of the wins, collecting the reward, then leaving. You can repeat this until there aren't any of them anymore or until a smurf clan allows you entry.
No. Smurfing is the only efficient way to farm tokens indefinitely. It allows the smurf to buy almost every single token offer as they come if they're active every day. This is what the Supermechs developers have intended, and this is what the player base deserves.
New players can (without much difficulty) get past the ranks that are popular among smurfs if they understand how smurfing works, which I hope this post has helped with.
It's a time sink, especially if you're in a smurf clan that demands your activity. It's also a bit boring, but I suppose the average Supermechs player is used to staleness by now. But the tokens you'll make will be worth it if you want to pull a lot of premium items very quickly.
I mostly made this as a middle finger to all the fedora-wearing neckbeard justice pseudo-warriors on this sub who always get hissy and pissy every time someone so much as mentions smurfing, and also because there is surprising no information on this sub (or anywhere for that matter) about smurfing in SM and how it works. Supermechs is a severely flawed game in almost every way, and that is no one's fault but the developers'. And many of this sub's semi-regulars, who are top rank players, made it to the top ranks by smurfing.
And honestly you can downvote this post to hell for all I care. Just know that so long as this post is up, if anyone goes to this subreddit's search bar and types "what is smurfing" or "how to smurf" they'll find this post eventually and they'll know all they need to know. Knowledge is found by those who seek it. And if this post becomes inaccessible, I'll find a way to immortalize it elsewhere and get it to as many SM players as possible.
If you think I made a mistake in any of the information mentioned above, or if you have any inquiries about SM and smurfing, feel free to dm me and I'll reply eventually.
.
Edit: One thing I forgot to mention is that there's a glitch with the clan rewards, in that sometimes you'll be able to collect the same reward three times (i.e. your clan gets 200 wins, and the members receive 10 tokens x3). I'm not sure why this happens, but my theory is that it's because so many players are getting so many wins at the same time that three of them were able to secure a win at roughly the same time when the clan was one win away from a reward, resulting in the reward requirement being triggered three separate times.
submitted by Weqrwr to SuperMechs [link] [comments]

2024.05.14 17:31 HeroOfOurTime08 Sharing my story of being ghosted as a job candidate

It was around August in 2022. I was working as a technical media producer (technical directomaster control operator hybrid) at a local TV station for my 10th year. I randomly received an email from someone claiming to be the general manager of a station a couple of hours away in a bigger market with competition from other stations. He said he found me on LinkedIn and was impressed and wanted to schedule a phone interview. I had not logged into LinkedIn for a couple of years at that point, so I got on and updated it and scheduled the phone interview.
This seemed too good to be true, because I’d been dating a girl from around the area for a while and the hour and a half drive to see each other on weekends was a show of commitment so I’d need to move up there sooner or later.
Good phone interview, learned they didn’t do automation like my station, so production was its own thing and master control was its own thing. The job was for a production manager, so not only would it be the top dog director, but be over the production department. I was told an internal candidate wasn’t quite where the GM wanted the production manager to be, so that’s why I was being recruited. It was also a different media company than my station, so I had some reservations about jumping ship, but the salary was a $15k bump from where I was.
Leading up to the first interview, I did some social media sleuthing. Found out a director that had been fired from my station was working at the station I was interviewing for. He had more years of experience than me, so I suspected he was probably the internal candidate. I came up for the first interview, still under some pandemic restrictions, but it all went very well. At the end, I inquired about the director I knew, and my suspicion was correct. He was the internal candidate. Maybe I shouldn’t have mentioned him, but I felt it would be better to address the situation then rather than later if I showed up as his boss.
I was given an assignment to put together a 30-60-90 day plan due at the next interview. Keeping my father updated on the situation, he wondered if the assignment was a means of getting a free “how to fix the department guide”. At the time, I lived about 20 minutes from my dad in the town over. So if I moved, I’d be an hour and a half away. But I had to live my life and look toward my future with my now wife.
I come back for a second interview, get to talk with the news director this time, and learned he had a different vision for the role than the GM. He thought the job would be normal workday hours for the most part being a managerial position. The GM had mentioned needing to be flexible to cover the whole team. Early mornings for the morning newscasts here, late nights for evening newscasts there. And of course the weekend crews. I of course wanted to get a “normal” schedule after all my years in TV because I was looking ahead to a family and such. But it was odd that I heard two different visions for the position.
Following up with the GM again, we went over my 30-60-90 day plan, which I had intentionally put in an outline form so I could verbally expand on it and avoid what my dad worries it might become. GM started tackling the subject of the director I knew. He asked how I would manage him. I threw out some crap about using him as an asset since he knew the team and routines. GM was concerned that he might bail if he didn’t get the job, and had allies in production who might bail with him because they wouldn’t work for someone from the outside over the other guy.
Here came the swerve. GM decided to, if hired, I would be brought in as a “senior director” on the same level as the internal candidate. Then we could basically tryout for and earn the manager position promotion. He said he hoped to contact me on Monday with a job offer.
I never heard from him or the station again.
Now, I was livid after that interview because that was not the job I was brought in to interview for. And all of it had gotten too messy. I was going to turn it down anyway at that point. But the ghosting. That was so unprofessional. Could I have reached out and inquired about the status of the position? Yes, but I didn’t care. I’d been burned.
Everything worked out in the end. A year later, I got a much better, 8-430 weekdays only, far higher paying job out of TV, moved up here, and married the love of my life.
But the TV job curveball and candidate ghosting, bruh. Still aggravating to think about two years later.
Thanks for reading if you did!
submitted by HeroOfOurTime08 to jobs [link] [comments]

2024.05.14 17:18 MichaelPP3 Hustling Cargo (a Lucky Charm excerpt)

original setting by Michael McNeill
Myrla sat at one of the tables in the food court area of Nantrella Station. The Greylin’s crew had discovered several ships docked with family members on board and this had led to a rather impressively large impromptu family reunion with several dozen kwonese spacers gathered up in one space.
She was sitting slouched over the table, the only human in a sea of furry ratfolk, nursing her drink. It was a chocaf that one of the family from another ship had spiked with something s/he said was an intoxicant that she would enjoy. Myrla wasn’t sure if it was intoxicating, but it did add a pleasant richness to the drink and it warmed her in a way chocaf didn’t normally do.
She was reaching the end of her drink and was starting to wonder if she should try to find the kwonese who had spiked her drink to ask for a second round when she realized some of her crewmates nearby were talking about her. She hadn’t been listening, really, her mind just floating along in the comfortable feel of the “group-snuggle” as they called it, so she wasn’t sure what was going on.
After a few seconds of focusing on the conversation, she realized they were bragging about her. That was when one of them turned to her, dragging her into the conversation.
“Yah, see! This Myrla, she top stevedore, better than ya porter drone!” Nellin, one of the crew-family she had little interaction with other than when it was time to hustle cargo, had grabbed her by the sleeve and was tugging her into a small cluster of kwonese sitting around one of the tables. She only recognized one other face as being part of the Greylin crew. Nellin served as the ship’s load-master and chief stevedore, so she assumed the others in the group likely held similar positions on their own ships.
Myrla hoisted her cup in greeting, a lopsided smile on her face. Then she realized she did know another of the faces in the group – the cousin who had spiked her chocaf. Grinning, she pulled her arm free of Nellin’s grip and pointed to him then to her almost empty cup. “I’m going to need some more of that, cousin.”
This set off titters of laughter around the crew as the kwonese in question hauled out a silver flask from his vest pocket. “Powerful stuff, yah!” He made smacking sounds as he fixed her another chocaf from the table’s dispenser. “Makin’ it on the Yeongja, we do. Best you find.”
She drained her first cup and picked up the second. If it was an intoxicant, it was either incredibly weak or it was so smooth that it would hit her like a sledgehammer later. Either way, it was a delightful pairing with the bitterness of the chocaf. She took a sip of the fresh drink, smiling as the warmth seeped into her. The group shuffled around to make a spot for her to sit.
One of the others, a grizzled older kwonese, looked at her one eyebrow raised. “Nellin say you top stevedore. Say you outwork drone. Been load-master on Yeongja ten year and four more now on /San Matteo/. Not seeing that happen yet.”
She looked over Nellin and raised her cup in his direction. “[Samchun ]()[[MM1]](#_msocom_1) has never voiced displeasure with my work. If he wishes to say I work harder than a cargo drone, that is his choice.”
Her comment brought hoots of laughter from around the table. Out-bragging in a family was something of a sport with the kwonese and diplomatically saying they were boasting without calling them a liar was an integral part of the game, even better if you were doing so in support of them.
“Well-saying, [olinee]()[[MM2]](#_msocom_2) .” The grizzled cargo-chief crinkled his snout and raised his glass at her. “But now chincheog making me curious. Never seeing such a thing not being the same as impossible thing.” He paused to scratch his whiskers. “Not working much with your kind, true, so never seeing how much you can do.” Several of the group lightly slapped the tabletop and looked in her direction.
She glanced down at Nellin, seeing his whiskers twitching. His body language was just like it would be if they were playing cards and he were holding a winning hand, waiting on the pool to grow. Long seconds passed before the one she’d mentally dubbed “Mister Flask” leaned in.
“Let’s make it interesting.”
And there it was. Cred-chips started hitting the table and in moments, crew from all the ships were aware of the betting taking place. She sat, sipping her doctored chocaf, as the kwonese around her seemed to turn into a boiling pool of sleek fur and whiskers. Across the table, “Mister Flask” raised his cup to her … and winked.
She grinned back at him, returning the gesture. Now what was that all about?
One of the twins – probably Mikkeulon, from the scent – saw the exchange and leaned close to her. “Oh-ho! You catching Peulla’s eye, then! Good choice, but he wild.”
Myrla sputtered into her cup, but before she could say anything, the twin was gone. Then Nellin leaned in close. “You got this, girlee. Seen you move more easy. Just be going slow and easy and Greylin family got drinks for all station-time, ya.”
Myrla smiled to herself, shaking her head. The cargo-master may have said the Greylin’s crew would have all their drinks covered during their port-time, but given the kwonese need for these family get-togethers, “hajog-poog” they called them, every kwonese on the station would be regular visitors to the Greylin. The betting was just the method they used to pick which ship the party was held on.

It wasn’t long before the entire party had relocated to the docks where San Matteo was set to disgorge its cargo. The grizzled cargo-master, who Myrla now knew to be named Tostiklin, had one of the enormous cargo bays set up for the impromptu competition. She’d sent Orak off to the /Greylin/ to retrieve her backpack, leading to a humorous scene as the young kwonese came running into the docking area dragging the pack that was easily as large as he was. She stripped away the actual pack and her possessions that it held, leaving just the pack-frame. She tasked Orak with perching on the pack itself, to make sure it didn’t get lost in the excitement.
She walked over to the small cluster of cargo-masters and hefted her packframe. “I assume I’m allowed to use a cargo rack, since the drone has one?” She watched as several of them suppressed snickers and Tostiklin wrinkled his snout in amusement.
He waved absently. “Yahyey, of course! Wanting a fair run, we.” He motioned the cargo drone over, which stood almost twice as tall as its crewmates. The crowd settled down to a low murmur as the cargo master addressed the two. “This being the rules. Moving cargo for one minute, as much as you can, ya. No helping from others. No interfering with other stevedore. Move you stack from where it is to indicated position.” He pointed to a pair of chalked squares some thirty feet away from the initial stacks. “Is good?”
The drone’s head rotated from the kwonese to Myrla to the two stacks of cargo containers and back. “I to compete against this gentlebeing? Moving cargo like normal work?”
“Yes, Ledo.”
The drone dipped its head. “Understood but I do not understand why.”
Myrla leaned close to the drone. “They gambling on us. Who can shift more.”
The drone tipped its expressionless face first to one side then to the other while looking at her, a low whir of servos barely audible. Then it looked toward the group of kwonese for a moment. “Oh. Oh. Then … perhaps I should apologize now?”
Myrla grinned. “Apologize for what?”
“I am made to shift significant amounts of cargo. You do not appear to be. I shall apologize now for embarrassing you in front of your shipmates.”
Myrla laughed and patted the drone on its arm. “It’s all in fun, Ledo. I won’t be embarrassed.”
She could detect a faint note of smugness in the mechanical’s speech. “Very well. Then let us proceed.”
“Geebees, are clear on rules?” Myrla and Ledo both indicated their assent. “Then please stand by cargo.”
When they had taken their places, Tostiklin pulled a whistle from his pocket and blew on it. Myrla and Ledo began quickly assembling their loads. Remembering Nellin’s admonition, she carefully restricted her load, adding two containers more to hers than the drone loaded onto itself. It was enough weight to slow her down considerably, but she could still keep up with Ledo without straining.
Together, they dropped their cargo loads inside their assigned squares and Myrla fought the urge to race ahead of the drone, keeping pace with it instead. Twice more the cycle repeated itself, with Myrla carrying just enough extra to stay ahead in the count.
When the whistle blew a second time, the gathered cargo-masters counted the crates in each stack. Tostiklin’s face was a study in surprise as he counted Myrla’s stack again.
He looked at Nellin. “Your stevedore has clearly won. By a mere six crates, but she has won.” The kwonese erupted into cheers and groans, depending on the amount of credits they had won or lost. Tostiklin held up a hand and the crowd quieted down. “But you say she outwork drone. Win by six is much as keep up with drone.”
The crowd inhaled as a whole. /San Matteo/’s cargo chief was treading the fine line of being rude, almost accusing Nellin of lying. The older kwonese narrowed his eyes, looking for at Nellin, then Myrla, then at the crowd. “I like very much to be seeing her truly outwork drone. What is prize money?” One of the younger cargo-masters gave him the figure. “I say offering own creds to match that, double or nothing.”
The crowd went wild, the line of propriety saved. Myrla doubted Nellin had that sort of funds available, based on his change in body language. From behind her, she heard a female kwonese start chanting, “Match! Match!” She and Nellin turned to look, seeing Captain Wanniv shaking her fist in the air. In seconds, all the /Greylin/’s crew was chanting with her.
“Match! Match! Match!”
Nellin looked at her, his nervousness evident, even though things were going exactly like he’d told her they would. She winked at him and gave him a quick nod.
His bearing changed imperceptibly as he turned back to Tostiklin. “Yahyey, chincheog. You be seeing truth.”
Ban Baekui had sidled up beside her, patting her arm. “Time be taking off the governor, ya.”
She nodded absently, her gaze wandering around the room, watching as dozens of groupings indicated the level of betting taking place. “Got your bets made, chief?”
“Already making creds plenty. This to be sheer kwaja!”
She looked down at him, grinning. “The captain plays cards with Nellin, doesn’t she?”
Ban gave her a curious tilt of his head. “Frequently. Why you ask?”
Myrla nodded to herself, looking around again. “She backed him up at the perfect time. This gonna bring some notoriety to the Greylin. And that converts to …” She looked back at the ship’s lead mechanic, grinning broadly.
“Jobs. Bigger and better.” Ban nodded, grinning back. “Not playing cards with you, girlee. Best getting ready, then.”
Ban faded back into the crowd, leaving her with Nellin. “You good with this? Tossi want longer timeframe for this.”
Myrla dropped to one knee, making it so she had to look up slightly at the cargo master. “I need some advice, chief.” Nellin blinked in surprise at the abrupt change in the situation. When he signaled his assent, she continued. “There’s more going on than what I’m seeing. You just used a blood-kin name for him. The captain backed you up publicly under his challenge, so she’s now tied the two of you together, your win is now her win, and your loss her loss. Tostiklin almost called you a liar in front of everyone, but pulled it out by upping the bet.” She scanned the crowd, seeing several non-kwonese beginning to intermingle. “And that is interesting. More geebees are joining the party. And those aren’t spacers.” Her eyes narrowed. “Those are brokers – I recognize two of them.”
Nellin wrung his hands, a faint tang of nervousness coloring his odor. “Is … is complicated.”
“Not from my end, chief. Tostiklin wants to see how hard I can work, because he wants to learn more about my people and is willing to pay for the privilege. And he wants to see me lose to gloat…” She looked at Nellin as he started squirming again. “He doesn’t want me to lose.” She narrowed her eyes in suspicion. “Who is he related to by blood on the Greylin?”
“He brother to captain’s father…” Myrla’s eyes lit up in sudden understanding. “…and is brother to my mother’s mother.”
Myrla’s jaw dropped slightly as several puzzle pieces clicked into place. “He … he doesn’t want us to fail at all. He’s loaning the captain operating money as well as boosting the ship’s reputation.”
Nellin put his hands out to shush her. “Not be saying this!”
The good side of her mouth pulled up in a smile. “Don’t worry, not a word. Plus, by challenging you like this, you gain even more credibility with the family after I smoke that presumptuous cargo drone at his own game. You gain a reputation for understating how good something is.”
“See … is complicated.”
“Chief, go make your personal bets. This run is about to get interesting.”
The next ten minutes was a flurry of action as bets were made and new spectators arrived from stationside. At one point, Peulla drifted by, pressing another cup of that deliciously spiked chocaf into her hand with a wink. Soon, the cargo masters were huddled up again.
Tostiklin had found a voice amplifier somewhere, letting his voice be heard over the noises of the much-larger crowd. “We be setting round two. Nellin, loadmaster of the Greylin Bostlin, say he crewmate outwork cargo drone. We see earlier this geebee do that.” He indicated Myrla and she waved at the crowd, to delighted cheers from more than just her shipmates. “I say she barely beat cargo drone and I ask for a rematch. I offer double to see she truly outwork drone!” The crowd roared excitedly. “I ask to see geebee outwork drone and just minutes not enough. I ask for one whole hour!”
The crowd erupted into a frenzy and Myrla blinked in confusion. Nobody mentioned hauling cargo for an hour, she thought.
Captain Wanniv had slipped up beside her. “Just another day on the docks, ya?”
Turning to the captain with a smile, she said, “Using my own words against me as inspiration? I’m … well, I don’t guess I’m shocked. And yes, I’m good for it.”
“Is good. All this good.”
Myrla gave the captain a wink. “I love how they brought in some of the local cargo brokers and the Dockworker’s Guild to watch. San Matteo is a respected crew. To see them give the Greylin respect will carry weight later.”
The captain’s eyes crinkled. “I have no idea what you mean.”
Finally, the crowd calmed down again. Siezing the moment, Myrla stepped forward to address the Matteo’s cargo-master. “Samchun, it seems to me that all of our competition is being done handling cargo from the San Matteo. If we are unloading cargo, then am I working for you? And, if I am working, then as a member of the Stevedore and Dockworker’s Guild, I have to be paid or I lose my license. And I cannot bet on myself.”
The crowd fell to a dead silence as Tostiklin’s eyebrows rose slowly, first one then the other.
“FAIR!” Someone in the crowd shouted.
Tostiklin glanced in the direction of the speaker and turned back to Myrla, nodding slowly. “Wisdom speaks.” A grin slowly spread across his face. “I will pay you one hour with a bonus in proportional to how well you outwork the drone.”
Myrla nodded. “I accept these terms and your grace in offering them.” This brought a round of applause from the crowd.
“Again! This being the rules! Moving cargo for one hour, as much as you can, ya. No helping from others. No interfering with other stevedore. Move you stack from where it is to indicated platform.” He pointed to a pair of conveyor platforms some thirty feet away from the initial stacks. “Is good?”
Both workers gave their assent.
“Geebees, to your starting places!” Again, a blast from the whistle signaled the start of the competition. Both fell to their task and worked steadily, but Myrla thought it looked as though the drone knew it had already been beaten. For every stack of crates it moved, she moved twice as many. When it tried to match her volume, its speed dropped off significantly to the sound of overloaded drive motors.
They were well and thoroughly inside the cargo bay of the /San Matteo/ and the crowd was only able to keep up by watching on a series of holoscreens that had been set up for the purpose. True to Bae’s request, she “pulled the governors off,” falling into her work-trance, letting the crates guide her flow. The conveyor platforms advanced with them, never more than thirty feet away, making the job a bit less arduous. The cargo-master group was inside with them, as well, and Myrla shut them out by treating them like she did any other client who hung out to watch her work.
She was so deep into her work that the whistle caught her by surprise and Nellin had to physically intervene to get her attention.
“Is good, girlee. We done it. YOU done it.”
Myrla walked out of the cargo hold, blinking and shaking her head, trying to get refocused on where she was. Then she realized the entire hajog was chanting her name. Bae and Wanniv were waiting on her at the bay-door. Bae handed her a bottle of water and Wanniv grabbed Myrla’s free hand in both of hers. “You best lucky charm!” As the crowd caught sight of her, the chant broke into a wordless cheer that threatened to overwhelm her.
Finally, the cargo-masters made their counts and conferred together with a lot of nodding and one shaking their head incredulously. Tostiklin motioned her and the cargo drone forward to join them.
“Thinking it clear who wins.” He broke off with a grin as the crowd erupted into cheers again. He tried to continue twice before the cheering died down enough to let him be heard. “Seeing you never slowed down, girlee. Thinking maybe you having another gear or two.”
Smiling, Myrla shrugged as the crowd went wild again.
“And!” He held up a pouch for everyone to see. “And, here is your payment. One hour’s wage for a class five stevedore. And since you performed double what the drone performed, your wages are doubled.”
Again, the crowd roared and she fought to keep the surprise off her face. She was a class one stevedore and class five rates were significantly higher than she was used to getting. As she accepted the pouch from him, she leaned in to be heard above the crowd. “You are a wise and honorable gentlebeing, Samchun. May your words echo among many gajog.”
That got her an extra cheer from the cargo-chiefs and a pat on the cheek from a grinning Tostiklin. “You taking good-good care of the Greylin crew, then. So, let’s be drinking to this!”
submitted by MichaelPP3 to HFY [link] [comments]

2024.05.14 16:52 MakeshiftApe Those of you worried it'll last forever: It can get better, even if it's been long-lasting! (Warning: Long and rambly)

I haven't browsed this subreddit in a while, but I thought I'd pop in and share my experience to hopefully maybe encourage some people here.
I experienced psychosis for the entirety of 2023, and the first couple months of 2024. Due to how long it was, having only dealt with psychotic episodes lasting a few days before (always due to drugs, that would wear off when the drugs were removed), I truly thought I was stuck dealing with it for life, but to my immense relief it finally gave way and ended in March of this year.
The full story:
My psychosis was initially triggered by drugs, specifically heavy stimulant abuse. I was staying up for 3-4 days at a time, repeatedly over the course of months, taking absolutely insane amounts of stimulants during that time, and basically in constant stimulant psychosis. I was hearing voices, paranoid my family were going to kill me or send me to rehab. I even thought that people from rehab were in my ceiling or walls planning to break in and grab me any moment.
I finally ended up landing myself in hospital after it reached its worst point and I called the police and fire brigade thinking my family had set my room on fire to kill me (spoiler alert: there was no fire). They carted me off in an ambulance, but the psych ward was full so I was just put in a regular bed with all the other patients and being still fully psychotic I ripped out my IV and walked out of there about half an hour later, not fully treated, with a $150 bill to deal with (I'm in the EU but on private healthcare). Regardless of the fact I wasn't treated, that event scared the life out of me so much that it was finally what made me decide to get clean.
I stopped the drugs in April 2023, but unfortunately, the psychosis did not go away. It certainly lessened over the few days after I quit drugs, but I was still hearing voices, convinced my family were going to kill me and that I could hear them plotting about it, thought I was constantly being monitored by cameras and spyware on my PC, and thought the neighbours were helping with my family's plot. Months passed with no improvement, I was terrified every day, and it was absolute torture.
Improvement for my symptoms all started with me seeing a psychiatrist in August of last year. I only reluctantly did that, because I wanted to tell the psychiatrist about my fears that my family would hurt me, so that if anything happened some authority figure would know and could contact the police. Once I saw her, and talked to her about my symptoms, I was put on Risperidone. It didn't completely cover my symptoms, my paranoia in particular seemed to be hard to treat and I was still constantly feeling like I was being watched and monitored - but while it was active in my system I almost never heard voices anymore, those mostly only cropped up if I took one of my doses a couple hours late or forgot a dose. After some dose adjustments I mostly stopped believing that my family intended to kill me (occasionally something would trigger those thoughts resurfacing but it was always temporary and would pass).
After a while I tried Haloperidol to see if it would rid me of the paranoia and be less sedating/numbing than Risperidone, it seemed to work better in that regard but gave me horrible akathisia, which was unbearable, so after a few days I returned to Risperidone, just at a slightly lower dose. The sedation and numbness was gone at that dose and it ended up still being enough to provide symptom relief (FWIW: that was, 0.5mg in the morning, 1mg in the afternoon, 1mg before bed).
Then in October I started seeing a therapist. I really can't recommend therapy enough. I truly didn't initially believe therapy could help at all, I figured since psychosis has a neuropharmacological basis, the only thing that could offer any relief was meds, and if the meds weren't ridding me of it entirely, then I was just stuck dealing with those remaining symptoms and my only option would be to try other meds and hope I eventually found something that gave me complete relief.
To my surprise though, therapy actually helped a LOT. My first therapy session I went to, I didn't connect with the therapist and they were very dismissing and patronising, so I booked a session with another therapist instead, and I'm so glad I booked that second therapist and didn't give up. My therapist helped me understand how a lot of my psychotic symptoms seemed to be a protective mechanism that my brain had, trying to protect me from certain things I was afraid of and underexposed to. I started exposure therapy, and started talking about my delusions and figuring out the reasons behind them. This eventually led to me starting to experience days when I no longer felt paranoid or like I was being watched.
Eventually, somewhere around December last year, this became the new norm. I was almost entirely symptom free. I did however still need to depend on my meds to keep it that way. If I was late to take or missed a dose, paranoia and even hallucinations would come back with a vengeance.
Fast forward to March this year though, and I ran out of Risperidone. It was a Sunday so my local pharmacy was closed and I had to wait an additional day to get meds. The longest I had ever missed a dose for before was a few hours, and that would always send me back into full blown intense auditory hallucinations, and sometimes mild visual ones, as well as deep paranoia like thinking my family were going to kill me.
But the day passed and.. Nothing. No voices, no thinking my family wanted to hurt me, no feeling like I was being watched. I just felt normal the entire time. From that point forward, when I forgot to take my doses on time, or forgot them entirely, nothing bad happened. I eventually spoke to my psychiatrist about this and she said I could start taking whatever dose I felt was right on a given day, anywhere from 0mg to 2.5mg total. Now I take far less, and often don't take it at all. In fact in the last week I think I've taken 0.5mg total over the entire week.
And no symptoms have returned. I'm not going to get myself too excited and say it's gone forever, I know there's a possibility I have schizophrenia and that this was one of potentially many episodes I may go through during my life. I'm also not going to stop my meds entirely for the time being, as I know that being on APs for at least a year substantially reduces the risk of a recurrent episode. That said, I at least discovered that a long episode CAN come to an end, something I truly didn't believe during the midst of it. I thought I would be suffering forever, but now I'm finally feeling better.
I thought I would share this story in case anyone else is in the thick of it right now and scared that they'll feel the way they do forever. It can get better.
If you aren't medicated already, I highly suggest it, and making sure to adjust dose or meds as necessary until you get relief from at least most of your symptoms. If a med or dose doesn't work for you, please tell your doctor right away and get it changed, don't suffer in silence!
& Just as importantly, if you aren't in therapy yet, please consider it and don't underestimate just how much therapy can make a difference. Also if therapy doesn't help or you don't gel with your therapist, switch therapist! There are so many different therapists out there with different approaches to therapy, you CAN find one that's right for you. Meds are what kept the majority of my symptoms at bay, but I think therapy is actually what allowed me to improve until the symptoms were gone entirely. Without it I don't think I'd be symptom free today.
Wishing you all the best in your situations, stay strong and hold out hope 💗
submitted by MakeshiftApe to Psychosis [link] [comments]

2024.05.14 16:48 MathsGuy1 The Rise of the Soulmancer pt6: Graduation

The Rise of the Soulmancer pt6: Graduation
/uw context: part5
/rw
Months had slipped away as Deamor delved deeper and deeper into the intricacies of soulmancy. While still nowhere near the proficiency required to start to meddle with his Spirit to completely solve his affinity problems, he still made a significant progress in understanding how Souls and Soul magic worked. Moreover, it seemed his book treated not only about soulmancy, but also contained plenty useful tips about magic in general.
This newfound insight into inner workings of magic allowed him to excel in many of his classes. While he still couldn't channel as much power as them, his ability to manipulate and use mana greatly improved. He got rid of many flaws and inefficiencies in the way he cast spells. This process would normally be done through years of honing a particular spell, but combining his Mana Vision with his newly acquired Soul Vision allowed him to quickly spot many of his shortcomings. Although he couldn't quite master spells from the get-go, of course, the learning curve was significantly shortened.
Over time, the prices of potion ingredients and potions themselves stabilized, reverting to the pre-crisis levels. Consequently, Deamor required considerably less coin to buy his supply of mana elixirs. Thanks to that, he had to undertake the "special jobs" far less often. The fact that he become a quite skilled burglar also meant that his pay was incomparably greater than before. He now could stick to merely doing relatively low-risk missions every now and then, which left him with plenty of time to further his study of soulmancy or to simply rest and enjoy life. This was an abstract concept to him so far and thus he made sure to relish it while he could.
In the end he opted not to tell Kate and Markus about his illegal activities nor about his secret studies. He was sure his friends suspected the former anyways, they just respected him enough not to breach the subject. As former waifs as him, they understood him well. They knew that even if they offered help, he would refuse. As for soulmancy, he decided that it would bring far too much risk for both them and himself. This school of magic was dangerous to even have knowledge of, not to mention pursue it. Perhaps he would tell them at some point, but in the current circumstances it was far too risky. For now, he just relished in the extra free time he had and used it to finally have some fun together with his friends at the various bars and taverns in the Capital.
The years went by peacefully, however the more Deamor delved into the secrets of the art of divination, the more anxious he felt. Initially it was hard to notice, but now it became clear. The results of any divinations related to his person, or things closely related to him, would be extremely vague or often even downright wrong. In theory the opposite should be true - the closer an object was related to the caster, the more precise the visions should be.
When he tried to divine the location of his parents, he found something particularly distressing. In reality, they were supposed to be lying in the graves for almost a decade, yet more than half of the time his visions shown them to be in their old house or other places they frequented back when they were alive. It shouldn't have been possible! He saw their bodies being buried with his own two eyes! Divination was a fickle art, true, but it shouldn't have be so wrong so consistently in such simple matters.
Deamor checked all of the places his visions have shown him, multiple times even, yet there were never any traces of his parents there. He even employed his Soul Vision, to see if maybe the Souls of his parents lingered in this world as ghosts, but he hadn't spotted anything out of the ordinary.
At first he considered consulting his professors, but in the end he refrained from doing so. There was a chance he would end up as a test subject for some experiments and the increased scrutiny might end up uncovering his other secrets. The only two people he trusted enough to confide in were his friends. They confirmed his results, but even though they were less talented in divination than him, paradoxically their results were wrong less often.
Deamor spent days pouring over tomes about divination anomalies, however he struggled to find anything similar to his predicament. The existence of spells and curses that could impede divination was widely known, but something that would work only sometimes and which was more pronounced the more someone was skilled at divination was extremely weird and unheard of. Not to mention that this anomaly, spell, curse or whatever else this was must have been quite powerful, as it affected not only him but even people and objects related to him and was seemingly permanent.
He was puzzled, as he couldn't think of any reason why somebody or something would target him. Apart from his secret soulmancy book, there was nothing particularly remarkable about him. Perhaps that book was the key?
Eventually, he decided that there was no point in dwelling on the mystery. There was little he could do about it for now. Furthermore, his "divination protection" could be not only a curse, but a boon as well - it might protect him from his enemies and hide his secrets. When faced with uncontrollable circumstances, seeking opportunities in them rather than surrendering to defeat was paramount.
The remainder of his time at the Academy was fairly uneventful, until the end of his studies grew near. A major exam was supposed to take place and only those that passed would be allowed to bear the title of an official trained wizard. Thanks to countless cups of coffee and other... stronger brews, he managed to rank among the top ten scores in his two favorite subjects: abjuration and divination. His knowledge of soulmancy helped him in many other subjects, such as necromancy, enchantment and transmutation. Not just his spellcasting was examined though - he was tested on subjects such as history, mathematics, rhetoric, martial arts and even etiquette. As his weak Spirit didn't hinder him in these areas, he did fairly well. By far the hardest test for him was the evocation exam, as it required constant channeling of plenty of high-tier spells. Fortunately, he managed to pass, if barely.
Many others weren't so lucky, however. Only about two thirds of the students that started along with him were still around by then and the exam brought that percentage down even further. In particular, out of around 70 commoner students that were admitted, only 24 remained. Fortunately his friends were among them.
Following the exams, a ceremony conferred special pendants upon successful candidates, symbolizing their new status. Afterwards, a grand ball was held to celebrate this event, with many high-ranking nobles, powerful wizards and other important figures present. Even the Emperor himself came and congratulated the young wizards. Deamor used this time to make new connections, hoping to perhaps enter some fruitful partnerships in the future. Despite his low birth, graduation from the Academy elevated his status similar to that of a minor noble. Given how influential the mages were in the Empire, attempting to gain favor of the promising graduates was a common practice.
Deamor quickly grew tired of the fake smiles and formal introductions. Engaging in polite conversation with powerful nobles, where he had to consider his every word, proved more taxing than casting even the most complex spells. Well, at least he managed to invite Kate to dance and the wine here was better than anything he's ever tasted. Still, he wished he could simply get drunk with his friends instead of sitting here. Nonetheless, he recognized the rarity of the opportunity such as this ball and persevered.
After hours of the ordeal, he managed to catch a moment of respite. He gazed through a grand window, surveying the sprawling city below. Sipping wine, he reminisced about his past. He has entered the Academy as a naive, 15 year old waif, barely knowing how to read, write and cast a few simple cantrips. Now, eight years later, he was a full-fledged wizard, member of the high society, master of the arcane and graduate of the most prestigious magic school in the known world. He has learned much during his time here, but not just in terms of knowledge. His interactions with classmates, his friends, as well as his involvement in the criminal underworld has allowed him to see the worst and best the humanity had to offer. Or at least so he thought.
Deamor had only precious few moments to celebrate his accomplishments though. It was finally time to pay back his debt. He would soon be joining the Imperial Army.
"But first, a few more hours of entertaining these stuck-up fools. Well, at least the wine is good." - Deamor mused as he rejoined the festivities.
/Uw Thanks for reading, tell me what you think! Sorry for the wait, the next chapter - "The Battle of Hjor's Ford" should be out pretty soon this time.
The story happens thousands of years in the past, so it's not really interactive.
submitted by MathsGuy1 to wizardposting [link] [comments]

2024.05.14 16:20 PetrZitskiy Navigating Online Casino Bonuses and Offers

Navigating Online Casino Bonuses and Offers
[ Navigating Online Casino Bonuses and Offers ]
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submitted by PetrZitskiy to BestCryptoCasinosUS [link] [comments]

2024.05.14 16:00 Drustan1 AITA for not wanting to take our host out to dinner after spending a week at her home

This happened a while ago, but I’d love y’all’s feedback. I (18m) and my girlfriend (20f) went to visit a friend of ours from HS. Penny (22f) went to school a few states away in their capital and was staying for a summer term. She had a break before it began, no money to go anywhere, no friends left in town and wanted us to drive out to keep her company. We saved up some money, borrowed a car and drove 10 1/2 hours to get there. She was all excited to see us and said that she was taking us to a show that night at a club for driving all the way there. She said that we’d go dancing, so we brought one casual outfit to dance in, but she said it’d be fine for going to a show. She then told us that she couldn’t afford to feed us at all, so we were going to her grocery store to buy our food. She took us to the fanciest and most expensive food store that I have ever been in, even to this day. We got what we could afford and returned home kinda worn out by then, but she insisted we had to go to this show to that night. So she took us- and made us pay for the tickets ourselves. Apparently she thought that taking someone to a show was reserving tickets for them to pay for and Physically Taking Them To The Show. We were quite tired by the time the show ended kind of late that night and we had fun, but looked forward to bed. When we finally got home, she pulled out a big bottle of rum and magazines that she’d bought at the store and told us that we were going to make an anonymous threat letter to our old boss at a big box store we’d all worked at. She poured herself a drink and got to work looking for letters as we tried to stay awake. We weren’t offered any rum, or even water to drink while she got drunk over the TWO HOURS she spent threatening old Mr Carter. When she was finally done, Penny announced that we were all going to bed- and that her house rules were that me and my girlfriend were forbidden from having sex in her home. She went on and said she’d be able to hear it, that somehow she would be able to tell and that wasn’t something that grownups did - she simply wouldn’t stand for it and she would throw us out right away. With that she marched off to bed. We were both pretty shocked and I was just mad, not because we couldn’t sleep together but because she was ordering us around and would throw us out in the middle of the night. Mostly we were both offended because we weren’t the kind of people who would be tacky enough to obviously and intentionally have sex in a small apartment when we weren’t by ourselves.
Well, the rest of the time we had fun, believe it or not. I guess I’d forgotten how bossy Penny was, and Sam (my gf) was always deferential to her and she fell back in to that pretty fast, although it wasn’t sitting too well with her anymore and I was glad about that. This brings us to the end of the trip and our falling out: Sam and I were running out of money. We’d gone to a bunch of places, eating and drinking and shopping and had been pretty open and loud about our shrinking bankroll. We had enough for the gas to go home and an emergency fund which we weren’t going to use because we were responsible and realistic with money. Beyond that we had maybe $$25 for food or whatever on our way home. So it came as a shock when Sam came and told me on our last morning there that we were going out to dinner that night. Penny had told Sam that it was was customary for guests to treat their hosts for all their hospitality and either give them an expensive gift to complement their decor or treat them to a nice meal. Since she was renting, we were taking her out- and she had made the reservation weeks ago. I had never heard of this, but since my parents had no friends and hers didn’t entertain much, we honestly couldn’t say. I resented it from the beginning, because probably more than once a day, Penny had said this this smartass comment about how we should be really happy/thankful about her letting us stay at her place for free instead of having to pay for a hotel. Only, she wasn’t kidding, she meant it. As dinner approached, we realized that we’d have to blow all our money and probably a fair chunk of the emergency fund as well. We were waiting in our club clothes when Penny came out dressed up fancier than I had ever seen her except for senior prom. We both were immediately alarmed and wanted to know exactly where we were going. She said that it was just really the only nice place in town that the kids went to for nice dates, not that it was fancy. Sam asked about her dress and Penny said she just felt like looking nice for a change. Since she was a card carrying tomboy, Sam was sure we were under dressed. We both worked at upscale department stores and had killer wardrobes, so her not telling us that we were going to need a dress outfit was bullshit. On the way, Penny got more and more excited on the way there, telling us about how her friends had all been there and that she hadn’t because she couldn’t afford it. Alarm bells were now ringing in my ears and I was just about to say we shouldn’t go when she said that we’d arrived. She darted into the fanciest French restaurant in that state’s capital! Sam and I looked like Walmart wannabes while Penny flounced up and asked for her reservation. The walls were hung with silk, the chairs were gold leafed, and the prices were . . . I don’t know how to explain it. The menu looked normal on the left side that listed/described the extravagant food, but when I looked at what everything cost? It looked like a price list for diamond rings. Sam and I were stared at each other and quietly began discussing our options. I wanted to leave, just tell Penny that we couldn’t afford it either and that we’d take her somewhere else. Sam would not have that- she said that we’d be fine, spend the emergency money and move on. Penny had to have heard us saying all this, she had put down her menu and was looking at us when we looked up. Sam asked her what she was going to have, since we had realized that our options were based off of what whatever was leftover from her dinner. Surf and turf she said with a smile. The most expensive thing on the menu. Sam insisted that Penny get what she wanted for her dream meal; I insisted that Sam eat a meal, so she got the cheapest sandwich they had. I had a small side salad, Literally the cheapest thing they had. We had just enough for the bill and a miserable tip, which I still feel bad about.
I have probably never been so mad about a person doing something that they knew was wrong and did it anyway because they knew that they would get away with. I was done. That was it for me and Penny. I’m not able to hide my feelings about people who behave like this and she knew that I was angry. She felt that she had every right to be taken out to dinner and get whatever she wanted (I forgot to add that she purposely got the most expensive meal that was meant for 2 so she’d have food for days) and that I was being a bad guest for making her feel uncomfortable about it. She got all snarky about it towards me afterwards- like I cared- but it made trouble for Sam. It also probably made me and Sam end our 4 year relationship, too, or at least it started it. Which was a shame, really, but maybe for the best.
I still think that since she didn’t do anything for us- LITERALLY NOTHING- that we didn’t owe her shit. If she had fed us, at least once, given us something to drink, besides tap water, paid for our show tix, bought us drinks when we were out, Anything besides letting us sleep on her floor, which she kept making such a big deal about- saving us the price of a hotel. Well, we wouldn’t have needed a hotel if she hadn’t been so lonely and begged us to drive 21 hours and spend tons of money to amuse her. Yes we enjoyed it, but we would have had fun by ourselves at home with our friends, without repercussions for borrowing a car and would have had all that money to spend on things at home.
submitted by Drustan1 to AITAH [link] [comments]

2024.05.14 14:46 coppergolden RANT: Ugliest Pieces of Spring’24 (imo)

RANT: Ugliest Pieces of Spring’24 (imo)
I need to rant about these ugly ass “clothing” that make me wanna puke everytime I open my closet. I DON’T want to have them. Like, Covet can lower my closet value or whatever, I still would’ve given these away for free. I hate them so much. So I need to share these feelings with you guys, I don’t want to be alone in my own delusions.
• Imo the WORST offender of this season: Natori, with the ugliest, most horrendous abominations they chose to call “kaftans”. I get a jumpscare everytime I click that “Swimwear” section. What was the vision here? Potato printing with kindergartners? Art pieces induced with LSD? What are these even supposed to be?
Monsters, monsters everywhere…
• Madison Maison:
If you wear loafers and you like them, I’m sorry. But I hate them and I will (slightly) judge you from afar, staring at your metallic Madison Maison loafers because they’re so shiny that I know for a fact, a pilot in a plane flying over us, right then and there, will get blinded by the reflection, which will cause him scream in agony while accidentally pulling the wrong lever or whatever, resulting in 300 passengers and the poor pilot dying in a plane crash.
All because of those 700$ metallic Madison Maison loafers. I hope you’re happy now.
• Karen Walker:
Think of a brand so sustainable, so environmentally friendly that they REFUSE to use an another print until one gets used up until its last fibers.
The fabric manifacturer would be like, “But Ms. Karen Walker (they’re talking to the CEO of the brand, ofc it would be THE Karen Walker, duh), we have other prints I believe you’d find interes-“
And THE Karen Walker would say something like, “NO! Until I use every little molecule of that ugly ass blue and orange flower print that resembles the curtains found in almost every Balkan household ever, I will NOT buy another printed fabric.”
And the Walker she is, she walks out of the factory empty handed, just as she planned.
(I actually don’t know if the CEO is Karen Walker lmao and I can’t be bothered to look it up really.)
• Arayani:
Not only they use the most boring, drab colors ever invented for their bags with the flower and butterfly print commonly found on toilet paper, they have the audacity of pricing them at 500-700$. I can think of doing so many better things with the 500-700$. And that includes holding the 500-700$ infront of me and burning it.
• Botkier:
Now I have to give them props for something: their consistency. They are consistently boring, ugly and irritating. Irritating because the bags themselves aren’t that ugly without the straps. I can imagine the designers at the headquarters saying something like, “Nah, we did too good of a job. The bags look almost decent, how can we make them look worse? Oh I know, just add the widest strap with the most clashing colors known to mankind. That’ll definitely sell them!”
• Camilla (are we suprised?)
If Camilla has 1 million haters, I am one of them. If Camilla has 100 haters, I am still one of them. If Camilla has only one hater, that is me. If Camilla has no haters, that means I’m dead.
Nothing can be uglier than THAT Wonder Woman hoodie (I still have PTSD from the leopard print, thanks a lot), so this season wasn’t the worst among the Camilla Cinematic Universe. And don’t get me started on those “scarves”.
If you ever want to get an epilepsy attack just for funsies, doesn’t even matter if you have epilepsy, just clad your doll only in Camilla pieces and enjoy the view. Some of them look even wearable, but most you wouldn’t catch me dead in. Who is buying those 1200$ hoodies from Camilla? And why? How are they still in business? Should Camilla even be allowed to design any more of those hoodies? Clothing in general? Why do their designers feel the need to use red and green in almost every piece even though they know the colors will clash with each other? Do they hate earning money? Or do they hate us more?
So many questions, yet no answers. I don’t even care if they are useful to boost Unworn. I still can’t use them, because, unfortunately, they are visible. Like I can see those sad little pixels building up a Camilla kaftan just for my poor eyes to see, my poor brain to acknowledge. I feel the need to apologize from my phone, my eyes, my brain and myself.
• Conclusion:
Was this a little dramatic? Sure. It’s just for shits and giggles though. If you work in the aforementioned brands and somehow you’ve seen this post, I apologize for my rude comments. I just like to exaggerate a lot for my own entertainment.
submitted by coppergolden to CovetFashionGame [link] [comments]

2024.05.14 14:45 LChris24 Fire, The Hound & the Lord of Light (Spoilers Extended)

Background
The septons preach about the seven hells. What do they know? Only a man who's been burned knows what hell is truly like. -AGOT, Sansa II
GRRM has been hinting around about Sandor Clegane and his relationship with fire since the beginning (its the first thing mentioned about him in AGOT, Eddard I). In this post I thought I would explore that a bit and see what it could mean for TWoW.
Note: I don't think gods exist in ASOIAF, they are just sources of magic. So when I say R'hllor throughout the post I pretty much just mean "fire magic".
The Initial Burning
While the Hound is walking Sansa home from the Hand's Tourney, he gives Sansa the story of how he was burned:
"Most of them, they think it was some battle. A siege, a burning tower, an enemy with a torch. One fool asked if it was dragonsbreath." His laugh was softer this time, but just as bitter. "I'll tell you what it was, girl," he said, a voice from the night, a shadow leaning so close now that she could smell the sour stench of wine on his breath. "I was younger than you, six, maybe seven. A woodcarver set up shop in the village under my father's keep, and to buy favor he sent us gifts. The old man made marvelous toys. I don't remember what I got, but it was Gregor's gift I wanted. A wooden knight, all painted up, every joint pegged separate and fixed with strings, so you could make him fight. Gregor is five years older than me, the toy was nothing to him, he was already a squire, near six foot tall and muscled like an ox. So I took his knight, but there was no joy to it, I tell you. I was scared all the while, and true enough, he found me. There was a brazier in the room. Gregor never said a word, just picked me up under his arm and shoved the side of my face down in the burning coals and held me there while I screamed and screamed. You saw how strong he is. Even then, it took three grown men to drag him off me. The septons preach about the seven hells. What do they know? Only a man who's been burned knows what hell is truly like. -AGOT, Sansa II
Bran's Vision
Several chapters before that, we see the Hound's "terrible face" in Bran's vision of the shadows during his coma dream (note that the scope of the series was much smaller here):
He looked south, and saw the great blue-green rush of the Trident. He saw his father pleading with the king, his face etched with grief. He saw Sansa crying herself to sleep at night, and he saw Arya watching in silence and holding her secrets hard in her heart. There were shadows all around them. One shadow was dark as ash, with the terrible face of a hound. Another was armored like the sun, golden and beautiful. Over them both loomed a giant in armor made of stone, but when he opened his visor, there was nothing inside but darkness and thick black blood. -AGOT, Bran III
worth noting that R'hllor is referred to as the "god of flame and shadow" as well:
On one side is R'hllor, the Lord of Light, the Heart of Fire, the God of Flame and Shadow. Against him stands the Great Other whose name may not be spoken, the Lord of Darkness, the Soul of Ice, the God of Night and Terror. Ours is not a choice between Baratheon and Lannister, between Greyjoy and Stark. It is death we choose, or life. Darkness, or light." -ASOS, Davos III
The Blackwater
In his next encounter with fire, the Hound flees the Battle on the Blackwater:
The night of the battle, Sandor Clegane had come to her chambers to take her from the city, but Sansa had refused. Sometimes she lay awake at night, wondering if she'd been wise. She had his stained white cloak hidden in a cedar chest beneath her summer silks. She could not say why she'd kept it. The Hound had turned craven, she heard it said; at the height of the battle, he got so drunk the Imp had to take his men. But Sansa understood. She knew the secret of his burned face. It was only the fire he feared. That night, the wildfire had set the river itself ablaze, and filled the very air with green flame. Even in the castle, Sansa had been afraid. Outside . . . she could scarcely imagine it. -ASOS, Sansa I
Trial by Combat
When Sandor fights Beric we see a flaming sword seemingly begin to defeat the Hound:
The flaming sword leapt up to meet the cold one, long streamers of fire trailing in its wake like the ribbons the Hound had spoken of. Steel rang on steel. No sooner was his first slash blocked than Clegane made another, but this time Lord Beric's shield got in the way, and wood chips flew from the force of the blow. Hard and fast the cuts came, from low and high, from right and left, and each one Dondarrion blocked. The flames swirled about his sword and left red and yellow ghosts to mark its passage. Each move Lord Beric made fanned them and made them burn the brighter, until it seemed as though the lightning lord stood within a cage of fire. "Is it wildfire?" Arya asked Gendry.
"No. This is different. This is . . ." -ASOS, Arya VI
but at the very end we see Sandor somehow win this "holy thing":
Smooth as summer silk, Lord Beric slid close to make an end of the man before him. The Hound gave a rasping scream, raised his sword in both hands and brought it crashing down with all his strength. Lord Beric blocked the cut easily . . .
"Noooooo," Arya shrieked.. . .
but the burning sword snapped in two, and the Hound's cold steel plowed into Lord Beric's flesh where his shoulder joined his neck and clove him clean down to the breastbone. The blood came rushing out in a hot black gush.
Sandor Clegane jerked backward, still burning. He ripped the remnants of his shield off and flung them away with a curse, then rolled in the dirt to smother the fire running along his arm. -ASOS, Arya VI
so he is set free by the Brotherhood, minus his gold (Fun Fact: The Brotherhood ends up with a good amount of gold from the Hand's Tourney).
What's Next?
When the Hound begins to follow them, some members want him dead but Thoros states that there must be some purpose left for Sandor.
Lord Beric shook his head. "Clegane won his life beneath the hollow hill. I will not rob him of it."
"My lord is wise," Thoros told the others. "Brothers, a trial by battle is a holy thing. You heard me ask R'hllor to take a hand, and you saw his fiery finger snap Lord Beric's sword, just as he was about to make an end of it. The Lord of Light is not yet done with Joffrey's Hound, it would seem." -ASOS, Arya VII
and I seem to think that similar to the show, the next step in Sandor's plotline (after Brother Ray (show) and Elder Brother (book series) is another encounter with the Brotherhood without Banners.
"Where is she?"
"A day's ride. I can take you to her, ser … but you will need to come alone. Elsewise, the Hound will kill her." -ADWD, Jaime I
Sandor in Hell
Doesn't really deserve its own section, but I thought this matched up really well:
The septons preach about the seven hells. What do they know? Only a man who's been burned knows what hell is truly like. -AGOT, Sansa II
and:
Lem grabbed her wrist and twisted, wrenching the dagger away. She kicked at him, but he would not give it back. "You go to hell, Hound," she screamed at Sandor Clegane in helpless empty-handed rage. "You just go to hell!"
"He has," said a voice scarce stronger than a whisper. -ASOS, Arya VI
Random Thoughts
Note: Sorry this post is pretty choppy. The new reddit posting interface is pretty terrible to deal with.
TLDR: It is no secret that GRRM has been building up Sandor Clegane (formerly the Hound) and fire from the beginning. With him surviving his fight with a flaming sword (not wildfire) there is some potential "purpose" left for his life (Arya wouldn't end it for him either).
submitted by LChris24 to asoiaf [link] [comments]

2024.05.14 14:44 CellistRealistic4311 Need internet wisdom

Hi all,
This is my very first post and English is not my native language. Please forgive me for any errors.
I admit I don't really know what to expect from this post, creating mainly to let off steam.
It might be quite long haha. So me (24M) and my ex (24F) were together since we were 17.
So we have met in high school. We quickly decided to stay together despite studying in different cities. To be honest we never had a real argument during our 6 and a half years of relationship. Small arguments about boundaries that should not be crossed and which were resolved in a healthy way.
To give some context. My ex has an alcoholic mother and a father who more or less abandoned her at a young age but eventually came back. She also comes from a much more difficult economic background than me.
I am lucky to have a very united and supportive family. We also have no money problems and are there to help us in difficult times.
After a few months of dating, I very quickly integrated my ex into my family. We hosted all the parties at our house, my parents took her on trips with us, and I always did my best to help her in her life (picking her up from work, bringing her meals when she finished work, I took the train every weekend to see her in her city).
She always said that I was an excellent, even perfect boyfriend. I have always proven my loyalty and my love for her. She still seemed extremely happy with it and was a bit boastful about it haha. We ended up moving in together in 2022.
This is where we had our first real problems. Since she had no financial support from her parents, she had to work at the same time as her studies. She was naturally very tired physically and mentally. Personally, at that time I really didn't like my studies and I was very stressed because 1 year later I had to find my first job.
Our first arguments therefore revolved around personal investment in cleaning and maintaining the house. I was never really satisfied with her investment. We had a few arguments but we got there in the end. I naturally relaxed with my reduction in stress and I realized that I had a tendency to want to control my environment during my stressful periods. So I made an effort and things got better.
From summer 2023, we changed apartments and I had my first internship and then my first job. With a significant salary, I told her to stop working and focus on her studies (she repeated her year once because her work took up too much of her time).
So, I took care of everything and I gave her €400 per month so that she could continue to live a normal life. In September 2023, she started to go to her business school and I start to see some personality change.
For more context, I am a very introverted person. I have never smoked, never tried drugs, never gone to nightclubs and I drink very little. I spend my free time playing PC, role-playing games or playing sports. My ex was also very introverted, she loves reading at home while drinking coffee. She went out once every full moon to have a drink with her best friend.
But, once she arrived at her new school, she started going out more often, going to nightclubs (in 6 years she must have gone 3 times). She also started smoking an electronic cigarette.
The fateful moment was at the end of January 2024. As part of her studies, she had to go to Barcelona for 3 months. I was very happy for her knowing that we had already established a long-distance relationship (however, it was me who left and she stayed in our hometown).
The beginning went very well but she ended up joining a shared accommodation in February. From there, she started going out 3 or 4 times a week. She went out to a nightclub with roommates except the girls whom decided to go home and she decided to go only with the boys (I never met them and she only knew them for two weeks). I admit that I may be a little old-fashioned and I consider that the nightclub is necessarily a place of seduction (not that my ex wanted to seduce but she was inevitably going to be hit on). I didn't say anything about it but she quickly understood that I didn't like it. I told her that I wouldn't forbid her anything but I found that knowing me she could suspect that I wouldn't like it.
So we had a change that I found radical in her personality. She went out a lot more. Not to exonerate myself, but it was also a difficult time for me. Again for context, I usally give off the impression of someone who always knows what I do, what I want and who I am. However, during this period I was externally uncomfortable in my skin. I had problems in my job and I was overall very stressed and I had very little self-confidence (which had almost never happened in 6 years).
Coming back to my ex, I noticed this personality change and became increasingly dissatisfied with our call times, the amount of messages and generally the amount of attention she gave me. So we had a lot of disagreements over that. She told me that I was suffocating her, that I was too controlling (again I never told her that I didn't want her to go out or stop having a relation with one of her roommates (my instinct really told me that something was going on with one of her roommates but I didn't know who was the main actor in this potential flirtation).
She started lying to me about insignificant things (she ended up telling me that she was lying to me so I wouldn't get angry???) but I became more and more controlling. Big argument after an evening where she told me she was going home to sleep but I saw her in the club with the localisation of her phone. She offered me a break, I got really angry for the first time in our relationship. For me a break means a breakup (it may be stupid but with everything that was happening that's what seemed to happen to me).
After my outburst (no insults and barely raised my voice (I don't know how to get angry lol)), she came to join me to try to repair things (I was very happy). However, we argued for 8 days, sometimes things went well but it remained tense. Also I saw her staying on her phone every night when I went to bed. I found it too weird. I finally broke down and looked at her messages (first time in 6 years), I found exchanges between them. Nothing blatant but I personally find them flirting. At least she spoke to him the same way she spoke to me at the beginning of our relationship.
She ended up returning to Barcelona and we made small promises to improve the relationship. But once she got back to Barcelona she didn't answer me all day. I blamed her a bit for that and set a little trap for her (it's not good, I know). I told her that I didn't like this guy (I didn't tell her to cut contact (I've had already cut contact with girls that my ex didn't like)). And I told her not to talk to him about this discussion (she talked to him about it that same evening). I asked her if she had told him and she told me that she hadn't told him anything. So I told her “we’ll probably have to separate” and then she left and didn’t want to hear anything more. I told her right away that I loved her and that I didn't want to break up but that I didn't know what to do anymore given her behavior.
So we parted ways. I went back and forth between « I love you more than anything » and « I have to cut you out of my life to move forward ». She told me to leave her alone while she figured out what was happening while saying that in any case it was over. I couldn't leave her alone to think. I learned through a TikTok that she had kissed this famous roommate…. I also had to manage all the administrative formalities alone...
I did everything to heal in the healthiest way possible (sport, therapy, seeing my friends and family). I didn't fall into a band-aid relationship, I didn't fall into alcohol, parties or other palliatives.
It will now be a little over 2 months since we have been separated. I accepted it, I still love her even if her behavior disgusts me. And I find it hard not to blame her for not knowing how to help me during this period (even though she obviously tried even if it was never enough for me).
I admit I'm still a little lost. I still love her even if I don't necessarily want to get back with her. I returned to work, I continue to exercise but the lack of physical and emotional affection is a bit difficult. Having to start all over again seems so difficult to me, I admit that I don't like the culture of one-night stands. I want to get married and have children. I'm a little lost and don't really know what to expect from this post. If you have any advice, explanations for her behavior or need more details, don't hesitate.
Thank you.
submitted by CellistRealistic4311 to BreakUps [link] [comments]

2024.05.14 14:39 That-Independent-200 Reach Out Soon to Reconnect or Wait?

About a year ago I (mid 20s M) was seeing this girl who I was very into. We hadn’t been going out very long when she moved for work a couple hours away (for one year and then she’d be back). I saw her once after she moved (many months ago now) when I was in her city for other reasons and suggested we keep visiting one another, but it never happened due to lack of effort on her part
Despite having a couple of relationships since then, I can’t get this girl out of my head and need to at least try to rekindle things. Even if it doesn’t work out I could use the closure.
My initial thought was to wait until she moves back (I’ll see it on social media) to see if she messages me (unlikely, but would be awesome) and if not I can at least use that I saw she moved back to kickstart the conversation and pretend I haven’t spent the past year thinking about her
“Hey! Saw you’re back in town and was reminiscing about the fun we had last year. Would love to grab a coffee and catch up sometime :)”
However I’ll be in her city again in a few weeks and am tempted to try and see her then.
“Hey! Know this is super out of the blue but I’m gonna be in X city for Y reason on Z date and wanted to see if you were free to grab lunch or something while I’m there”
Given that she was the one who ended things in the past I don’t want to come across as desperate. Does waiting till she’s moved back really change anything, or should I try my luck when I’ll be there even though it’s still a month or two till she moves back?
Thank you internet strangers :)
submitted by That-Independent-200 to dating_advice [link] [comments]

2024.05.14 14:31 LongjumpingGap1636 Overton Window ..

Overton Window ..
Overton Window ..
funny .. as I enjoy this EXQUISITELY beautiful day here on my tiny little spot in this gorgeous, biological planet we call earth .. I am walking around and listening to the odd conversation .. then I scroll through a few spaces on a social sites, read comments here and there .. and conclude that:
the vast majority of the humans in this world .. really and truly .. are deaf, dumb and blind to reality 🥺
there are real people dying in the streets every day, children being starved and abused, animals mistreated and food supplies being tainted .. yet somehow no ones really cares enough to DO anything about these travesties
they’ll complain and they say they’re preparing, however .. are you?
let me ask you .. have you ever heard of the Overton Window 🤔
the actual definition: “The Overton window is the range of policies politically acceptable to the mainstream population at a given time. It is also known as the window of discourse. Overton described a spectrum from ‘more free’ to ‘less free’ with regard to government intervention, oriented vertically on an axis, to avoid comparison with the left or right political spectrum. As the spectrum moves or expands, an idea at a given location may become more or less politically acceptable.”
in layman’s terms, if you want to change the community opinion in the public domain .. to be modified well beyond where they are now .. and your desired goals are SO FAR AWAY to be considered ‘main stream and acceptable’, all you need do is push and shove the community to accept the most extreme, radical concepts .. which would NEVER normally be accepted .. and sit back
because suddenly, incomparison to what you just shoved down their throats is now seen as ‘better than that radical shit’ .. and you win
😢 the bad guys win 😔
THAT describes those deaf, dumb and blind folks today .. they’re so distracted by the fear and anxiety that they have retreated into a coma like state; doing nothing but hoping and praying this radical new world doesn’t happen .. and if and when everything settles down, they’ll be compliant and grateful regardless of the freedoms they just lost 
 it’s sick and twisted, yes
friends .. open your mind to see what they’re doing, clear your heart and soul of all hatred, anger and judgement and open up those baby blues Wide Open so you can see, and think, clearly 🙌
and render smart decisions for you and your family .. no we cannot help those dying, the kids in pain and the foods being poisoned .. we cannot save them all but god can and will
what happens tomorrow will be the direct result of the actions (or inactions) of the people within their community
will we stop the madness? only we we awaken .. TOGETHER 
 god knows us all by name
my personal intentions are to follow GODS requests and not those of the demons pretending to be leaders and rulers and shoving us around 
 how about you?
have a blessed rest of your evening 🪷🌱💜 those who shift their mindset out of their darkness and depravity DO win in the end 
 we will shift to sheen
submitted by LongjumpingGap1636 to FollowMeIntoTheMystic [link] [comments]

2024.05.14 14:01 Zappingsbrew A post talking about 400 words

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submitted by Zappingsbrew to u/Zappingsbrew [link] [comments]

2024.05.14 13:20 Careful_Telivision5 Hoot Hoot Shelly

The bug with hoot Hoot Shelly for those who don't know,hoot Hoot Shelly came on the shop for a very little time span,but was suddenly removed right after which it was replaced by Squad buster Shelly
The skin is an halloween exclusive skin,which is a mythic skin which requires gems. So why is it that people can get it for free? It just becomes a scam for the people who bought the skin,and additionally it's removal instantly,which prevented people who even saw it from getting it
I feel like the skin should either be compensated after the skin is taken away,simply taken away,or the skin should be just given for free,and removing it's exclusivity(not likely for this one)
P.S.:- pls stop sharing the fact that you got hoot Hoot Shelly,it just makes it difficult to look at,and we already know
submitted by Careful_Telivision5 to Brawlstars [link] [comments]

2024.05.14 12:55 Hot_Bandicoot_3839 How to Convert RAW to NTFS Format Without Losing Data?

How to Convert RAW to NTFS Format Without Losing Data?
https://preview.redd.it/eks0x6cjgd0d1.png?width=1920&format=png&auto=webp&s=1308983c2fa17502e258f3f11a75aaf0fe71a6b7
When you try to copy or view a file from a memory card you put into your computer, have you ever discovered it's unreadable? Any file system on memory cards, USB drives, external HDD drives, storage devices, and even internal drives might experience this regrettable circumstance. Your circumstances may make this inability to obtain that info disastrous.
When a partition becomes RAW, for whatever reason, you cannot access the data on your drive and it won't be useful until you format it. For you to obtain that data, you must therefore act. Using a data recovery program on Windows or macOS is one such way to succeed.

RAW partition

It's critical to know what a RAW partition is before we discuss recovering lost data. Said another way, a RAW partition is one that has not been formatted using the file system that the computer is using.
It's never really out of the box with removable USB devices and memory cards. If you put an SD card into one computer and it reads it correctly, the next computer may not be able to comprehend the file system structure and may destroy the partition layout, making that device inaccessible. Almost always, you've just taken out that USB device or memory card without first letting the operating system securely remove it. “
The file systems most Windows computers use, for instance, are FAT12, FAT16, FAT32, NTFS, or NTFS5. Conversely, macOS supports NTFS solely in read-only mode and uses APFS, HFS+, FAT32, and exFAT. Linux systems use XFS, BTRFS, reiser, ext3, ext4, and more.
Sometimes the file system type of a device formatted in one platform can be read by another. Regretfully, there is no assurance here. You will therefore likely be told the disk was unreadable by the computer when you try to read, say, an SD card formatted with the ext4 file system on a MacBook Pro.
The important thing is that Initialize option. It is telling us, in other words, that the card is not formatted so that the computer can read it. While clicking Initialize will undoubtedly remove all of the data on the device, it is still an option.

Can I Get My Data Back from a RAW Partition?

The excellent news is that data lost or unavailable from a RAW partition can be recovered. Occasionally all that has to be done is plug the disk (or SD card) in issue into the computer that was originally used to generate the files and folders on the device. After that, you can format the card to a file system the target computer can read, copy the data back, and insert the card into the target machine.
You will have to fix the damage and retrieve the data on the disk if you can no longer access the original machine (or one with a comparable file system) or if the reason isn't incompatibility between your operating system and the current file system.

What Use Is Converting RAW to NTFS?

Said another way, if your data is kept on a RAW partition, you cannot access it. NTFS and other file systems serve the purpose of logically storing your data for simple retrieval when needed. Your data without a file system is just a disjointed mess that is almost impossible to discover anything.
Computers locate and access your data through file systems, hence a RAW disk will not be accessible. Its contents might still be there, but without a functional file system, it will be unusable.

Converting RAW to NTFS Without Data Loss

Converting a RAW partition to NTFS without losing the data on it is possible in just one way. You need CheckDisk for that.
The Windows utility CheckDisk looks for logical and physical problems in the volumes of your drive. If you need to convert RAW to NTFS without losing data, it can even fix any issues it finds with extra settings. Because CheckDisk might be able to identify and fix the damage keeping the volume from reading properly, we're utilizing it.
Using CheckDisk's Command Prompt, convert a RAW drive to NTFS as follows:
  1. Using a right-click on Start, select Windows PowerShell (Admin). Should UAC ask you to allow it, click Yes.
  2. Start with chkdsk D: /r. D: should be replaced with the RAW partition's drive letter. Key in Enter.
See if Disk Management displays the right file system and the volume is now accessible after issuing the command.

Recovery of Data from a RAW Partition

Sometimes the RAW partition cannot be fixed by CheckDisk or Disk Utility without causing data loss. Before manually converting the RAW partition back to NTFS, you should recover your data in such a situation.
You can recover your data using the following techniques before fixing the malfunctioning drive.

Method 1 :- Recover With BLR Tools

A few fast clicks using BLR BitLocker Partition Data Recovery Tool can allow you to recover data from a RAW partition. And you can find the files you need fast with BLR Tools's useful features like file filters. Furthermore, something the command line cannot achieve, BLR Tools adds Guaranteed Recovery and Recovery Vault data protection techniques to the mix.
Proceed as follows to recover files from a RAW partition:
  1. Get BLR Tools for Mac or Windows and install it. Open BLR Data Recovery Tool when it has downloaded and been installed. BLR Tools will detect a drive even while the operating system cannot.
  2. Choose the disputed RAW drive and hit Search for lost data. BLR Tools will now start looking for files on the hard drive.
  3. Click Review identified items to start browsing the found file structure after the scan is finished (this may take some time depending on the size of the drive).
  4. To retrieve the files, click retrieve. Choose the location to save the restored files. Choose an output location on a different physical partition, please.
  5. Recovering will start as soon as you click OK. This can take some time depending on how many files you've chosen to recover, how big those files are, and the state of the examined device. BLR Tools will show you an overview screen with direct access to your data choice after the procedure is finished.

Method 2 :- Try TestDisk to Recover

Use TestDisk to recover the whole partition. Restoring missing or lost partitions is the goal of the open-source recovery program TestDisk. Not to mention totally free. Its absence of a graphical user interface makes it difficult for novices to utilize. Still, you may quickly recover your lost partition by following the detailed methods.
This is a little video demonstrating how TestDisk can recover a lost partition:
  1. Get TestDisk and extract its zip. Try testdisk_win.exe.
  2. To start a fresh log file, hit Enter.
  3. To continue, choose the drive holding the RAW partition and hit Enter.
  4. Choose a partition table type. The one TestDisk thinks it used gets chosen automatically. Press Enter.
  5. To examine the partition structure and search for lost partitions, press Enter.
  6. Once more hit Enter to start the Quick Search.
  7. Press Enter when finished.
  8. Choose the partition and hit Enter.
  9. If nothing shows up, choose Deeper Search to do a more thorough search.
  10. Find the partition and choose Write.
  11. After you confirm by pressing Y, restart your computer.

Method 3 :- Recovering with a Data Recovery Centre

Sometimes data recovery is still not possible with even sophisticated recovery software. Alternatively, you could merely feel uneasy trying to retrieve the info on your own. Still, there is the choice to use a data recovery facility.
To complete the task, a data recovery center hires data recovery experts with sophisticated knowledge of file recovery and equipment of the highest calibre. The most successful approach to recovery is frequently to use a data recovery facility, but it is also the most expensive.
What to anticipate generally if you decide to use a data recovery service to recover your data is as follows:
  1. Launch Recovery by clicking
  2. Complete every field as required. This covers the kind of service you would like, how to get in touch with you, and any drive specific details.
  3. When ready to submit, click Complete my work order. You will be instructed to send your drive away for repair from this point.

Techniques for NTFS Conversion of RAW

It is now time to consider drive repair after data recovery. Generally speaking, once you are not concerned about losing your data, repairing a RAW partition is really simple. It only means replacing the broken or incompatible file system with a fresh one during formatting.
These solutions will walk you through configuring a disk and converting a RAW hard drive to NTFS.

Method 1:- Method with File Explorer

One of the simplest methods, formatting a drive with File Explorer just requires a few clicks. As you are ready to complete the format, just click Restore device defaults if you are not sure what values to use.
  1. Start File Explorer.
  2. To format a partition, do a right-click on it in the left navigation pane and select Format.
  3. When you're ready, set the format's values and hit Start.

Method 2:- Format using Disk Management

A Windows program called Disk Management lets you examine and modify the storage disks on your computer. It provides an overview of the data allocations and general health of your disks. One can format their drives with it as well.
  1. Choose Disk Management with a right-click on Start.
  2. Give the volume a right-click and choose Format.
  3. Specify the format's values, then click OK when done.
  4. Please click OK to verify the format.

Method 3:- Presentation with DiskPart

Though it manages the storage drives on your computer through a command-line interface, DiskPart is a potent command interpreter. Should File Explorer and Disk Management prove ineffective for you, this is a helpful alternative.
  1. With a right-click on Start, choose Windows PowerShell (Admin).
  2. Just type diskpart and hit Enter.
  3. Press Enter after typing list disc. Notify the disk number containing the RAW partition.
  4. Please choose a disk. Replace 2 with your own disk number.
  5. Type list volume and hit Enter. Note down the RAW volume number.
  6. Put in volume 3 and hit Enter.
  7. Kindly enter clean.
  8. Put in create partition main and hit Enter. In doing so, a fresh blank primary partition is created.
  9. Enter format fs=ntfs. This NTFS-formats the volume.
  10. Enter after typing assignment. One is given a drive letter as a result.
Advice on Avoiding NTFS Partitions from Converting to RAW
By now you're undoubtedly thinking, "How can I keep a partition from going RAW?" That raises a really interesting issue. Ultimately, you want to avoid having to perform RAW partition recovery each time you plug in an external HDD, USB flash drive, or SD card into your computer. Thankfully, you have a few options to lessen the likelihood of this happening.
Never take out a USB drive or SD card without first "Safely removing" it with the built-in feature on your computer. A RAW partition is likely if you just remove the drive without letting your operating system safely unmount or eject the device.
As widely used a file system as you can, format your drives with. Almost all operating systems can read the file systems FAT32 and NTFS, hence those are excellent options. NTFS is read-only on macOS, which is one issue; FAT32 is always your better choice. Choosing one of these file systems should leave you with no issues with your platform of choice needing to start a drive or just not being able to read it.
Put your machine to a proper shutdown. Processes on your computer may be interrupted by sudden power outage. The corruption of your file system may follow from this. Avoid forcing a shutdown of your computer whenever possible.
See how your disk is doing. You can get early warning of any possible problems your drive may run into by using a disk monitoring program that can read the SMART data on your drive. You can stop additional damage by acting right away as problems arise.
Naturally, a drive can still turn RAW at any time even with all of this done. Thus, you should regularly backup your data so that a secure duplicate is always accessible if you want to really protect it from such an occurrence. Easy to configure and maintain snapshot copies of your data so you can even restore to a prior version if necessary, built-in Windows backup solutions like File History are a fantastic option.

Conclusion

A RAW partition or drive can be avoided really easily. Know, nevertheless, that you have the resources to handle the situation if it should come up. Data recovery from RAW drive or partition is highly likely with BLR Tools. If in doubt, run BLR Tools's free Basic edition through your RAW drive or partition. Get the Pro license and safely restore your inaccessible data if BLR Tools can locate it.
submitted by Hot_Bandicoot_3839 to datarevivalsquad [link] [comments]

2024.05.14 12:51 MOMSHIEANN Big Excitement, Bigger Wins! Chase the Mega Jackpot at Hugewin's Casino Games

Hey fellow Redditors,
I wanted to share my experience with an online casino that's been gaining traction lately—Hugewin. If you're into online betting and gaming, especially with a penchant for crypto, this might pique your interest. I’ve spent some time exploring what they offer and thought I'd provide a rundown for anyone curious.
A Fair Game for All
One of the standout features of Hugewin is its commitment to fairness. The casino leverages blockchain technology to ensure all games are provably fair. This means each game's outcome is determined by an algorithm that anyone can verify. It's refreshing to know the odds aren’t skewed and every player has a genuine shot at winning.
Security First
Security is another aspect where Hugewin excels. The platform uses advanced encryption to protect personal and financial information. Transactions are verified through smart contracts, adding an extra layer of security and transparency. For those wary of online scams, this is a big plus.
Rewarding Loyalty
Hugewin has a pretty generous reward system. Players earn points and rewards for their activity, which can be redeemed for cash or other perks. There’s also a referral system that lets you earn more by bringing in friends. It's a nice incentive to keep playing and to get your social circle involved.
Game Variety
When it comes to game selection, Hugewin doesn't disappoint. They offer a wide range of options, from slots and table games to live dealer games. The variety in themes and styles means there's something for everyone, whether you’re a casual player or a seasoned pro.
Customer Support
Another thing I appreciate is their customer support. Available 24/7, the support team is responsive and helpful. Whether you reach out via live chat, email, or phone, they’re there to assist with any issues or questions. It’s reassuring to know help is just a message away.
Quick Withdrawals
Withdrawals at Hugewin are processed quickly, usually within 24 hours. This is a big deal if you're eager to get your winnings without delay. The fast turnaround adds to the overall positive experience, making the gaming process smooth and hassle-free.
Mobile Friendly
For those who like to play on the go, Hugewin’s platform is fully mobile compatible. The site is optimized for smartphones and tablets, so you can enjoy your favorite games seamlessly wherever you are. It's a great feature for anyone with a busy lifestyle.
Community Vibes
Hugewin has a solid community of players. There’s a forum where users share tips, strategies, and experiences. It's a great place to connect with fellow gamers, participate in tournaments, and be part of the casino’s social fabric.
Token-Based Economy
The platform uses a token-based economy, with $HUGE tokens as the native currency. You can use these tokens to play games, participate in governance, and receive rewards. This adds an interesting dimension to the gaming experience, blending traditional casino elements with the world of cryptocurrency.
Promotions and Tournaments
Hugewin also runs regular promotions. There’s a Super Wednesday with a 25% slot bonus and a 15% casino discount, plus a 100% welcome bonus up to $1,000. Monthly slot tournaments with a $100,000 prize pool add an extra layer of excitement. These promotions keep things fresh and provide additional opportunities to win big.
User-Friendly Interface
The site itself is user-friendly, with a simple membership form and a clean interface. Deposits and withdrawals are straightforward, with a minimum deposit amount of $1 and a maximum of $5,000,000 at once. Withdrawal limits are similarly flexible, ranging from $10 to $1,000,000.
Crypto Payments
Payment methods include a variety of cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, Tether, Tron, Dogecoin, Binance Coin, Litecoin, and Ripple. This broad range of options makes transactions convenient and caters to a wide audience of crypto enthusiasts.
Overall, Hugewin is shaping up to be a compelling choice for anyone interested in online crypto betting. With its fair games, secure platform, and rewarding system, it offers a balanced mix of excitement and reliability. If you’re looking to try your luck and perhaps chase a mega jackpot, Hugewin might just be worth checking out.
Feel free to explore more on their official website.
Happy gaming, and may the odds be ever in your favor!
submitted by MOMSHIEANN to AltcoinTalk [link] [comments]

2024.05.14 12:45 Errora403 PUBG MOBILE VERSION 3.2 UPDATE ANNOUNCEMENT

PUBG MOBILE VERSION 3.2 UPDATE ANNOUNCEMENT
Report bugs here and earn rewards: https://pubgmobile.live/support
PUBG MOBILE will begin pushing out the update on 5/13 at 2:00 (UTC+0). Service will not be interrupted. To ensure a quick and smooth update, please be in a good network environment and make sure you have enough available storage on your device.
Update Reward: Update the game between 5/13–5/27 (UTC+0) to get 3,000 BP, 100 AG, and a Mecha Warship Theme (3d).

Key Updates

  1. New Themed Mode "Mecha Fusion": Engage in thrilling battles in a brand new battleship themed area with new mecha vehicles!
  2. World of Wonder Updates: Bring your competitive experience to the next level with new mecha gameplay!
  3. Firearm and Vehicle Updates: P90 and Skorpion have been rebalanced. QBZ added to Erangel and Miramar. Select vehicles now have a delayed explosion mechanic. Experience a different kind of battle!
  4. Collection System: The Collection System is here! Start growing your collection today!
  5. Home: The mysterious Elegant Ancient Capital resource pack is coming soon! Build your dream Home and show off your creativity in the Home Competition!

New Themed Mode: Mecha Fusion

Available: 2024/5/13 at 2:00 (UTC+0)–2024/7/9 at 20:59 (UTC+0)
Supported Maps: Erangel, Livik, and Miramar (Ranked and Unranked)
https://preview.redd.it/6m82y04sfd0d1.png?width=1384&format=png&auto=webp&s=a0ce25f8079e2fabcfe43c9bb5b98fb3d648170e

New Mecha Vehicles

  • Strider: A two-seater vehicle with the ability to jump. It's armed with missiles that can be used to bombard designated areas. Missiles can be replenished at the Repair Station in the Assembly Base.
  • Levitron: A special vechile that can switch between a speed form and a magnetic form. Serves as the upper-body component that combines with a Strider to form the Armamech.
    • In speed form, the maximum speed and hover height will be increased, and the vehicle gains a "collision acceleration" ability: it will not slow down when it hits an obstacle. Instead, it will accelerate using the stored magnetic energy.
    • In magnetic form, the maximum speed and hover height will be reduced, but it can activate a "Magnetize" ability to grab and toss characters, vehicles, and specific objects.
  • Armamech: A four-seater vehicle combined from a Levitron and a Strider. It can also be directly summoned from the Steel Ark.
    • It possesses 2 weapons that it can freely switch between: the Strider's missiles, and the Levitron's "Magnetize" ability.
    • It has a boosted jump that enables it to leap high and far with the assistance of jets.
    • Bring a Levitron and a Strider close together to combine them. After combining, the pilot of the Levitron becomes the pilot of the Armamech. It can also be separated at any time.

Brand New Environments

  • Steel Ark:
    • A giant space battleship that will land on the map at the start of a match. You can enter it and explore inside. The core of the Steel Ark is a platform where you can summon the Armamech from the skies! You can launch yourself into the air in this mecha for everyone to see.
    • The ark consists of many areas. You can find all kinds of supplies and Supply Crates at the Command Post, Dormitory, Warehouse, and more.
    • From the landing pad, you can board an evacuation Wingman, which will take you straight to the Playzone!
    • You can use elevators and ziplines in the ark to get around.
    • Steel Ark Air Drop: A Steel Ark loaded with supplies will fly around during the match and drop supplies consisting of an Air Drop Crate and several Supply Crates at specific drop points.
  • Assembly Base:
    • The Assembly Base contains a Mecha Repair Station. Approach it in a mecha to replenish the mecha's health, fuel, and missiles.
    • On the top floor of the Assembly Base, there is a detector that can determine the location of crates within the Assembly Base. An Access Card can be found in one of the crates, which can be used to open the door to the Secret Room and get loads of supplies.

New Items

  • Jetpack: Pick it up and equip it to increase movement speed. It possesses the ability to hover in the air for a short duration. It consumes Energy rapidly when lifting off. Energy will only be replenished when you reach the ground. The Jetpack has a Health bar that protects you from damage to your back and arms. It will be destroyed after taking a certain amount of damage. When reaching a certain speed while moving forward, it can switch to a speed form. You will perform a special action when you tap "Lift Off" as it switches to the speed form. The Jetpack comes with the "Magnetize" ability, but you will not be able to fly fast when using it.
  • Personal AED: If you have this item, you can tap self-rescue after being knocked down. Once successful, you will recover from the knocked down state. Each player can only carry one of these items. Self-rescuing will be interrupted if you move while using this item.
  • Magnet Gun: This is a downgraded version of the Levitron's "Magnetize" ability in gun form. Switch to it by tapping on the firearm bar. It works the same as the Levitron's "Magnetize", but with reduced values.
  • Respawn Beacon: Throw the beacon on the ground to mark a location that the plane will pass over. Recalled teammates can parachute into the match again at the cost of a respawn chance. Teammates who have used up all their respawn chances cannot respawn.
  • Quick Parachute: When parachuting, a quick parachute button will appear at a certain height in the air. Tap it to immediately deploy the parachute which can also be freely put away.
  • Repair Station: Approach the Repair Station in a mecha to replenish its health, fuel, and missiles.

New Legendary Pilot Challenge

Get themed items, special vehicle cosmetics, Armamech dance emotes, special Elimination Broadcasts, and more by completing this difficult themed mode challenge.

World of Wonder

Available: Releases with the version
https://preview.redd.it/p1fd1vgtfd0d1.png?width=1384&format=png&auto=webp&s=e85c32e7ca039909f454cf08cf359f0df7137de5

World of Wonder Updates

  • Fuzzy search is now supported. You can search for maps by creation ID, creator UID, creation name, and description.
  • Added the friends tab to check what creations your friends have made at a glance.
  • Gift Access Point: You can now send Space Gifts from the creation details page and the creator's profile page.
  • You can view your play data and creation data in WOW on your player information page.
  • Ranking Improvements: Added support for more variables. Matches will now announce when a ranking player is in the match.
  • Copied Creations Limit: The number of copied creations you can have (including creations that are already published or those under review) is limited based on your Creator Level. When the limit is reached, you can only publish original creations unless you take down an existing copied creation.
  • Improved map recommendations and showcasing. Updated the WOW Creator page.

New Gameplay Devices

  • Contested Object Device: Use this device to spawn a contested object, which players can hold in their hands similar to "capture the flag".
  • Contested Object Handover Device: Contested objects can be handed over to this device for rewards.
  • Defensive Tower Device: Use this device to generate a fixed defense tower and configure its weapon type.

Gameplay Device Improvements

  • PvE Enemy Spawn Device: Supports spawning PvE enemies at random, configuring the PvE enemy's type, and randomizing their weight. You can also configure the PvE enemy's team.
  • Random Action Device: Supports storing the result of a random integer in a custom variable.
  • Special Vehicle Device: Added mechas.
  • Map Indicator Device: Supports real-time display of icons and text in the game.
  • Area Trigger Device: The action of the specific object entering the zone can be detected by the Area Trigger Device.
  • Overall Action Device: The action of players leaving the match can be detected.
  • Humanoid Enemy Spawn Device: Can now add buffs to spawned humanoid enemies.
  • Grouped Object Action Device: Supports configuring grouped objects. Loading any one of them automatically removes the others.
  • Item Issuance Device, Item Spawn Device, Custom Shop Device: Added 5.7mm ammo and the MG3.

New Interactive Objects

  • Target Dummy: A target dummy from the single-player training stage that shows damage numbers when hit and has several poses.
  • Soccer Ball: A soccer ball that moves upon contact.

Interactive Object Improvements

  • New Dynamic Moving Object Actions: Every new movement method for moving objects has a corresponding action. They can be activated by the detectable actions of other devices.
  • Guiding Lines: Launch pads and trampolines have guiding lines that show the trajectory of the player being launched into the air.

Controls & Interaction

  • Guiding Lines When Placing Objects In Midair: When placing objects in the air, guiding lines that project the current object's position on the ground can be shown.
  • Backpack Objects Can Be Interactized: You can take out interactized attachments such as a spinning ferris wheel from your backpack.
  • Object Interactization—Collidable Interactization: Set whether interactized objects move when hit by characters, vehicles, bullets, or throwables.
  • Object Interactization—Holding Interactization: Interactized objects can be held and tossed by characters.
  • Coordinate Editing in Free Editing Mode: In Free Editing Mode, you can select an object directly and move, rotate, or resize it by modifying its coordinates.
  • Object Editing Interface: Each object has an editing interface where you can directly edit the object's orientation, scaling, interactization type, or gameplay device parameters.
  • Object Placement and Alignment Improvements: Improved the usability of object snap and area grid, as well as added more object alignment parameters.
  • Auto Snap Option When Re-Editing: In the previous version, objects automatically snapped to their initial position when brought close to it during re-editing. This setting can now be toggled on and off in the editor's parameter settings interface, and is off by default.
  • Object Movement and Rotation Increment: Added movement and rotation increment settings to the editor's parameter settings interface.
  • Free Editing Top View Now Perfectly Flat: In Free Editing Mode, the previous top view editing was not perfectly flat, resulting in inaccurate positioning when placing objects from midair. Now, the editing view has been changed to be perfectly flat.
  • Added temporary resources. They will be replaced with default resources when they expire.

Game Parameters

  • Retaining Shop Tokens: Shop Tokens can now be kept during a match or across matches.
  • Overall Action Management: Added tag customization and filter features. You can create tags for gameplay devices to classify and filter them based on the tags.
  • Armed AI Customization Interface: Attributes for armed AI and defense towers can be customized, including health, attack, and more.
  • Match Log Interface: In-game logs now include the save feature. You can save and view all logs generated during play tests.

Other Updates

  • Group Editing: The team leader can edit the permissions of team members for better team management.
  • Enchantopia Updates: You can invite friends to Enchantopia and edit your team there. Added more interesting gameplay to the stages.
  • Cost Calculation Improvements: Fine-tuned how the system determines the cost of an object.
  • New map templates.

Classic Updates

Livik Map Updates

  • Added 4 new XT Upgrade Crates on top of the existing ones. New firearm upgrades are for the UMP45, SKS, DP-28, and M762. Upgrade Crates for these 4 firearms can be found in Livik or purchased from the Shop for 10 tokens.
    • UMP45 Upgrade: Reduced hip fire bullet spread by 20%.
    • SKS Upgrade: Faster recoil recovery after firing.
    • DP-28 Upgrade: Faster reload speed.
    • M762 Upgrade: Reduced muzzle shake.

Erangel Map Updates

  • Improved the quality of models seen by players at high altitudes, and resolved the issue of buildings disappearing.

Home Updates

The Home System is permanently available, and will be updated each version with interesting gameplay and building cosmetics.

Home Competition

Submission Period: 2024/5/13 at 00:00–2024/6/1 at 8:59 (UTC+0)
Selection Period: 2024/6/1 at 9:00–2024/7/1 at 9:00 (UTC+0)
  • You must reach at least 200 Home Prosperity before you can register for the Home Competition.
  • If players miss the submission period, they can still register during the selection period. After registering, they will be placed in the next round's matchmaking pool.
  • After registering, the selection criteria will be based on the current look of the player's Home.
  • During the selection period, you'll be matched with players of similar Home Prosperity at random every 3 days, for 10 rounds in total.
  • During the face-off, the player that obtains more votes wins. The winner gets to loot points from the loser.
  • Participate in Home Face-Offs to win Home Points and increase your Home Face-Off Level. The higher the Home Face-Off Level, the better the rewards.
  • Home Votes can be obtained by completing missions and by sending Home gifts. Note: Regular Popularity gifts do not grant Home Votes.
  • Home gifts given during each face-off round of the selection period will count towards Home Votes. Home gifts given outside a face-off round will not count towards the number of votes.

Home Events

  • Elegant Ancient Capital Style Event:
    • Available: 2024/5/18 at 2:00 (UTC+0)
    • Purchase Elegant Ancient Capital Home items during the event to get Style Points that can be redeemed for amazing rewards.
  • Ancient Capital Theme Debut Celebration:
    • Available: 2024/5/18 at 00:00 (UTC+0)–2024/5/31 at 23:59 (UTC+0)
    • The Event Center is launching an event to celebrate Elegant Ancient Capital's arrival. Get a Congratulatory Ancient Capital Object Pack when you reach Home Lv. 3, and use it to build an Ancient Capital Style Home in an instant!
    • Visit your Home and upgrade your Home Level to get additional rewards, including Home Coins, Classic Crate Coupons, AG, Ancient Capital themed items, and more.

Home Building Updates

  • Build With Blueprint & Group Editing:
    • Improved the process of building with blueprints. You can now go to More - Save Blueprint to copy and save the draft.
    • The Home Level required to build with blueprints and publish blueprints has been reduced to Lv. 3.
    • You can set the level of the blueprint you want to edit with a tap.
    • The Home Level required to access group editing has been reduced to Lv. 5. You can go to Blueprint Editing - More - Group Editing to invite your friends to build your Home together.
  • Home Resource Updates:
    • The mysterious Elegant Ancient Capital resource pack will be coming soon, along with a surprise event that will reward the Elegant Ancient Capital doorplate and exclusive background music for a limited time.
    • Reach Home Lv. 3 to get a basic Elegant Ancient Capital object pack.

Home Resource & Content Updates

  • Added an access point to the Home Shop in Home. Not only can you browse and edit freely in your Home, you can also enjoy the fun of shopping at any time.
  • Added an access point to the Home Lucky Spin in the Home Shop, so you can more conveniently acquire your favorite items:
    • Upgraded the Lucky Spin event. There are now multiple Lucky Spins available at once, providing you with more diverse shopping options.
    • Elegant Ancient Capital themed items will be available in the Home Lucky Spin.
  • The Elegant Ancient Capital themed items are now available in the Home Shop. Give your Home style a unique twist.
  • Upgraded the Home's lighting effects so players can take more quality photos.
  • Added customizable atmosphere modules that can be adjusted in visit mode.
  • Added privacy settings so you can now control who has access to your Home. Additionally, after reaching Home Lv. 15, you can enable the private channel feature to enjoy private time with your friends.
  • Improved object interactions. Added new facial expression changes after sitting down. Added new interactive objects: Smith Machine, Treadmill, Bathtub.
  • Improved butler actions. Butlers can now turn around and look at the player when they are within a specific range.
  • Home Tree Status Notification: When coins can be collected from the current Home Tree, you will see a notification icon on the Friends tab, the Enter My Home button, and the Home details page.

Metro Royale Updates

Available: 2024/5/15 at 1:00 (UTC+0)
Matchmaking: 2024/5/15 at 2:00 (UTC+0)
  • Collectibles Cabinet Updates: New Chapter 20 Collectibles
  • After obtaining specific Fabled collectibles, they can be displayed in the player's Personal Space.
  • After obtaining specific Fabled collectibles, turn in collectibles to get certain Fabled collectible decorations for the Home.
  • New Honor Rewards: Chapter 20 Elite Avatar, Chapter 20 Hero Avatar Frame, and Chapter 20 Legendary Name Tag. These rewards can be claimed after reaching the corresponding Honor level.
  • New elite PvE enemy in Misty Port and Arctic Base: Strider.
  • New firearms: P90 (Cobra), P90 (Steel Front).
  • Player EXP can now be earned via Metro Royale matches.
  • Companion EXP can be earned by bringing companions to Metro Royale matches.
  • You can now tap to repair all items at once on the loadout page.
  • You can now tap to open multiple inventory gift packs at once.
  • Improved the firearm status at the preparation stage at the start of the match. Firearms will be reloaded by default and set to full auto firing mode.
  • Fixed the issue of incorrect models for some drop items.

Firearm & Vehicle Improvements

  • Firearm Adjustments:
    • P90 damage adjustment.
    • QBZ added to Erangel and Miramar.
    • Skorpion Improvements: Base damage increased from 22 to 24, 15% faster reload time, 20% faster aim down sights time, 30% reduced bullet spread when moving, 10% less sway when shooting.
  • Delayed Explosion Mechanic for Select Vehicles: When a vehicle's health reaches 0, it won't explode right away. Instead, its engine will stop working and it will catch on fire before exploding after 5 seconds. If the vehicle is damaged by an explosion during this period, it will explode immediately. (Some special vehicles aren't affected by this change.)
  • Mobile Shop Vehicle Modification: Added a new item to the Mobile Shop in Erangel, Livik, Miramar, and Sanhok. Use Shop Tokens to purchase its key and turn the Mobile Shop into a drivable vehicle. Items can only be purchased from the Mobile Shop when it's parked. If the vehicle is destroyed, it can no longer be used as a shop.

General Improvements

  • Victory Dance: The A7 Victory Dance comes with an exclusive camera view. Select it from Creation Mode's Victory Dance tab.
  • In-game Mark: When marking supplies with universal mark/quick chat, the quantity of the marked supply will also be shown.
  • Customize Buttons: When customizing controls, you can now quickly copy your Arena Mode layout to use in Classic Mode.
  • Improved Highlights:
    • Companions that you bring into matches will now show in highlights.
    • When recording highlights, all emotes that meet the requirements will be recorded and displayed during playback.
    • Adjusted the retention priority of highlights and the recording conditions of some clips to make it easier to retain them.
    • Teammate numbers now show in highlights.
    • Smoke from exploding grenades now shows in highlights.
  • Auto Pick Up: You can now choose whether to discard or put your previous melee weapon into your backpack after picking up a new one.
  • Sprinting Interrupts Peek Mode: This new setting is enabled by default. When disabled, if you perform a sprint while peeking, it won't interrupt peek mode and you won't start sprinting.
  • New Individual Companion Display: Players can now choose to display their companions, and companions added to the companion system will take turns showing off. This can be done in the Lobby or in a match.
  • Device Update: 120 fps and 90 fps are now available for select devices for you to enjoy a smoother gaming experience.

System Improvements

  • New Collection System: Collect firearms, finishes, and more to get awesome rewards.
  • Themed Event Shop additions: Mecha themed gameplay cosmetics, social items, fun items, and more.
  • Chat Room Feature Updates:
    • Improved the list of featured chat rooms and added filters for chat room type, language, and more.
    • Added Speaking Mode: In regular mode, the host's permission is required to speak. In free mode, any player can freely speak.
    • Added new discussion topics to the chat room. Share your thoughts to increase the interactive atmosphere.
    • Added new ways to send Space Gifts.
    • Added chat room status updates in the Friends List.
  • Birthday Care System: You can now add your birthday to your Social Player Card as part of the new birthday care system. You'll receive surprise care rewards when you log in on your birthday.
  • Synergy: Complete missions such as adding friends and teaming up during the event to get Synergy items and the Underworld Outlaw Set (time-limited).

New Season: Cycle 6 Season 18

Available: 2024/5/18 at 2:00 (UTC+0)–2024/7/15 at 23:59 (UTC+0)
https://preview.redd.it/4125d8rwfd0d1.png?width=1384&format=png&auto=webp&s=a74a0f8340ef11eecf1c7d4c0e9f9104b22ad806
  • Reward updates: New legendary items: C6S18 Glasses, C6S18 Set, C6S18 Mask, C6S18 Cover, C6S18 - DBS
  • Season Token Event Shop Update: C6S18 - Parachute

All-Talent Championship S19

Available: 2024/5/20–2024/7/4 (UTC+0)
  • New Event Shop Rewards: Pop Sensation Set (Epic), Elven Tracker Cover (Legendary), Elven Tracker Set (Legendary), Finest Flavors - QBZ (Epic)
  • New All-Talent Championship S19 Crate Rewards: Pop Sensation Set (Epic), Elven Tracker Cover (Legendary), Elven Tracker Set (Legendary), Finest Flavors - QBZ (Epic), Labyrinth Scale - M24 (Epic), Inked Battleground Parachute (Epic)
  • New First and Second Runner-Up Rewards: Ducky Fighter Set (Legendary), Ducky Fighter Cover (Legendary), Time Traveler - Kar98K (Legendary), Round Parachute (Camo) (Epic), Mr. Bronze Set (Epic)

Popularity Gift Events

New Redemption Shop

  • Popularity Gift Redemption Shop: The Redemption Shop is permanently available and its rewards will be continuously updated. Use tokens earned from Popularity Battles and Team Popularity Battles to redeem rewards.

Popularity Battle Event

Registration Period: 2024/5/14 at 00:00–2024/5/19 at 8:59 (UTC+0)
Battle Period: 2024/5/19 at 9:00–2024/6/18 at 9:00 (UTC+0)
  • Main Updates:
    • New widget tool: Popularity Battle progress can now be synced to your device.
    • New rewards: Popularity Coin, Stickers
    • Lowered the points required to reach each level so obtaining rewards is easier.
  • Rules:
    • Register to participate in the Popularity Battle event. During the battle period, get randomly matched with a powerful opponent every 3 days for a popularity contest. Lasts 10 rounds in total.
    • During the battle period, the Popularity of both competitors will be compared. The one with the highest Popularity wins.
    • The winner can claim some of their opponent's points.
    • Participate in Popularity Battles to win Battle Points and increase Battle Level. The higher the Battle Level, the better the rewards.

Team Popularity Battle Event

Registration Period: 2024/6/17 at 00:00–2024/6/23 at 8:59 (UTC+0)
Battle Period: 2024/6/23 at 9:00–2024/7/9 at 9:30 (UTC+0)
  • Main Content:
    • New widget tool: Popularity Battle progress can now be synced to your device.
    • New reward: Popularity Coin
    • Lowered the points required to reach each level so obtaining rewards is easier.
  • Rules:
    • Matchmaking: There will be a total of 8 rounds. Teams of similar strength will be matched every 2 days. Players within each team will be ranked by Popularity through 1v1 Popularity Battles.
    • Battle: Both sides will compete to see who can gain the most Popularity during this phase.
    • The total score will be determined by the win-loss record of each player on the team. In the event of a tie (2:2), the total Popularity of both teams will be compared.
    • The team with the higher total score will be declared the winner, and can loot Battle Points from the defeated team.
    • If all players within a team have the same score, they can jointly claim the level rewards and ranking rewards.
    • Teams that have registered can have their team leader create an exclusive Nickname Badge for the team, which serves as a symbol of the close bond between team members and gift recipients.
    • Nickname Badges support custom text and are unique.
    • Players can obtain a Nickname Badge by registering a team or by completing gift missions.

Security & Game Environment Improvements

Account Security

  • Players who are conducting video reviews will now show the status, "Reviewing Video", on the Friend List.
  • You can now log in via QR code with accounts linked to certain platforms.
  • Improved account protection system with better account linking and unlinking procedures, and improved security verification and abnormal login reminders. Enhanced in-game notifications for better player awareness on how accounts are stolen to minimize their occurrence.
  • Improved account recovery tool to enhance account retrieval and self-unlinking, to help more account owners in retrieving their accounts.

Security Strategy Improvements

  • Improved cheat detection for X-Ray vision, auto aim, no recoil, speed hacks, modified resource files, and more.
  • Improved violation detection for unfair cooperation and teaming up with cheaters.
  • Improved the in-game detection and countermeasures against account farming, prohibited transactions, escorting, botting and other violations to better regulate in-game behavior and improve players' gaming experience.
  • Improved detection and penalties for inappropriate text, voice messages, avatars, and Home designs to better regulate in-game behavior.
submitted by Errora403 to PUBGMobile [link] [comments]

2024.05.14 12:41 More_Helicopter_688 Post trip report Two weeks with a toddler (Lake Como, Gardaland, Venice)

We just got back from a wonderful trip in the northern part of Italy with our 3-year-old. Having spent 2 weeks on one of our best trips so far, I really want to thank a bunch of fellow redditors who helped refine our itinerary and suggested places which otherwise would not have made it to our plan!
Day 1 Milan: We took a flight from India and landed in Milan in the afternoon. Milan was just the arrival point for us and we did not intend to visit Milan as such, so we ended up booking a room in the hotel at the Malpensa Airport itself. Nothing much that day; a bit of rest and a delicious dinner were a great start to our trip.
Day 2 Drive from Milan to Bellagio: Woke up after a good night's sleep (a much needed one after the long sleepless flight the day before). Breakfast at the hotel was really good with a lot of options for everyone. We had booked a car through SIXT at the Malpensa airport. Getting the car was a breeze with great service from the representative at the SIXT counter. The drive to Bellagio was a very good one. I was still getting used to the car, since I come from a land of right-hand drive and switching to a left-hand drive meant putting in a lot more focus on the road. Driving along the Lake Como was a fantastic experience. We reached Bellagio by lunch time and our AirBnB was ready for us. The rest of the day was at leisure, with a casual walk around Bellagio, through the city center and along the lake.
Day 3 Bellagio to Varenna: Took a ferry to Varenna and had breakfast at a lake side cafe. With great weather on our side, a cup of coffee and a little pastry seemed more blissful than we thought of! We had signed up for a picnic on the hills of Camaggiore, a 40-minute drive from the Varenna ferry station. We had our representative waiting for us and she drove us to the picnic spot, sharing tales from the towns of Lake Como, showing us amazing views along the way. The picnic itself was surreal, with the most beautiful view of the lake from 1200 meters above. We spend the rest of the day exploring Varenna at our pace, while our little one slept like a log in the stoller.
Day 4 Bellagio: After debating weather to visit the Como town or not, we decided to stay in Bellagio in explore the town a bit more. We took a ride of the Bellagio Express, the toy train that takes you around the town. It was a fun ride, intended for our toddler, who decided to doze off in the train itself! Post that, we saw the gardens of the Villa Melzi. We had rented a boat to explore the lake ourselves during the evening, but rainy weather made us cancel our plans. We spent the rest of the evening, relaxing at our AirBnB, overlooking the lake.
Day 5 Drive from Bellagio to Gardaland: Moving on to the next leg of our trip, which was clearly planned keeping our little boy in mind, we drove to Gardaland reaching there by noon. Thanks to a wonderful fellow Redditor, we got introduced to this wonderland called Gardaland! Our stay was booked at the Gardaland Hotel and while we were waiting for our room to get ready, we decided to pay a visit to the Gardaland Resort park right away. A drizzly weather kept most of the visitors inside the SEA Aquarium, but that also meant we had absolutely no waiting times on most of the rides in the park! The little one was elated to see the Peppa Pig Land, and refused to move away from it. All in all, day one in the park was a super success despite the wet weather. Evening at the hotel was full of fun-filled activities for the kids. The entertainment team at Gardaland Hotel did a fabulous job at keeping kids engaged.
Day 6 Gardaland: Our second day in the Gardaland park was a much more planned one, since we had already explored some of the park on the previous day. We knew the rides we wanted to go on, and so logistics were simpler. Weather was great too, and so we had a wonderful time! The park has a plethora of options to eat, with a ton of sweet treats along the way. The park is huge but very well laid out with clean facilities. Naturally, day two also could not be completed without visiting our favorite Peppa Pig! Evening at the hotel was again fun-filled with the team at Gardaland doing what they do the best!
Day 7 Parco Natura Viva: Gardaland is in proximity to a lot of amusement parks and points of recreation for family and friends. One of them is Parco Natura Viva, a zoo with a drive-through safari. It was a Saturday and the zoo had enormous waiting times for the cars to enter the Safari. After having waited in the queue for over an hour, we finally started the Safari, which turned out to be pretty great. Next, we had the fauna park (the walkable part of the zoo), the one with animals in their enclosures. With the entire park divided into geographical zones, it was fun seeing animals from various continents. The place is well-maintained, and creates a great experience for kids.
Day 8 Verona: We had kept an extra day in Gardaland just in case the little man wanted to visit the park again. However, given the proximity, we decided to do a day trip to Verona instead. We drove to Verona and parked our car in one of the paid parking lots. We had reserved a morning slot for a walking tour, that took us through the streets of Verona, with our very knowledgeable guide sharing tales from historic Verona, the castle and gate to the old city center. The center was bustling with stores and eateries. Very touristy but was all the more fun! Our taste buds were craving for some Indian food and we ended up having lunch at an amazing Indian restaurant named "Maharajah". The food was delectable with very prompt service. As touristy as it sounds, we did go to "Casa di Giulietta", commonly known as Juliet's house that is known for the legacy of Romeo and Juliet having been inspired from there. The so-called Juliet's balcony is missable at best.
Day 9 Drive from Gardaland to Venice: Switching to the last leg of our trip, this was supposed to be the wife's part of the trip. She has wanted to visit Venice for as long as she remembers, and this trip could not have happened without a leisurely stay in the city of canals! This was also the last day of us keeping the car, and we drove to Venice Marco Polo Airport where we returned the car at the SIXT counter. Once again, just like the pick-up the return process was extremely smooth and lasted barely a couple of minutes. Our plan was to catch the Alilaguna airport water bus to the main island, but we decided to splurge at the last moment and took the water taxi instead. And boy were we happy! The water taxi is an experience in itself, especially when entering the canals from the airport. Our AirBnB was located right on the Grand Canal, giving us uninterrupted views of the Canal. For a place that looked better in person than in pictures, what more could we have asked for! We spent the evening walking to the Rialto Bridge, people-watching!
Day 10 St. Marks square and Dodge's Palace: After a good night's sleep, we woke up refreshed, taking in the morning views of the Grand Canal, with the gondola's and the various boats floating by, doing their chores for the day. We had booked a tour of the St. Marks square and the Basilica, along with the Dodge's Palace. Unfortunately, it had to be a rainy day. While we still participated in the tour, the place became very crowded because a lot of people tried to maximize on the time indoors to avoid the rain. Nonetheless, it was a good experience. The little one dozed off in the Basilica and so we let my wife carry on with the tour of the palace, while I took a table under an umbrella at the Cafe Lavena to get myself some coffee, and to let my son enjoy his sleep. We spent the evening loitering around the Rialto market, spoiling ourselves with a few gelatos at Suso!
Day 11 Murano, Burano and Torcello: We woke up early, fixed ourselves some breakfast and were ready to leave. We had booked a tour of the 3 islands and our job was to get to the meeting point as soon as possible. Unfortunately, we missed our group and had to visit the islands on our own. The upside to this was that we could do it at our own pace! This included having a hearty lunch at a beautiful local cafe in Torcello. This place had a chidren's play area too! This also meant spending more time than necessary in Burano, because why not? We loved the colorful houses on the island and we just wanted to be there, taking in everything it had...
Day 12 Leisure and Photoshoot: My wife and I generally have this idea of booking a small photoshoot at every exquisite location we visit. This not only gives us great pictures for memories, but it also allows us to see areas which we would otherwise not know existed. We booked this experience through AirBnB and our photographer was a wonderful man, very learned and a true Venetian at heart! He took us to places that were free of tourists, for some amazing pictures. Not only that, he also arranged for a special Gondola ride for us, which took us through the narrower canals of Venice, adding to the already special experience. A trip to Venice is really incomplete without a Gondola ride, and we were glad we could! This was the last evening of our trip and we could not conclude it without a few more Aperol Spritz's and Gelatos from Suso!
With every trip we take, we learn a lot, that helps us make our future trips better. We consciously chose to skip the more popular locations like Rome and Florence (Tuscany), since we wanted to have ample time of leisure and just do nothing, with a toddler who wanted to just be.
If I could summarize the learnings of this trip, they would be:
submitted by More_Helicopter_688 to ItalyTravel [link] [comments]

2024.05.14 12:41 Any-Classic-5733 Why HW3 feels like a disappointment to fans of previous HW campaigns

I was in two minds as to add my opinion to an already crowded field, but I think I need to write my feelings down on a franchise that has inspired my imagination for decades. I will state up front that I think BBI had a nearly impossible task - how to please veterans and players of old, and attract new players to the franchise that will continue to breathe life into it.
I think they may have succeeded with the latter, but probably failed with the former.
It pains me to have to be so negative, and I don't want to come across as a spoiled entitled gamerdude who's angry he didn't get the game he wanted. I'm sure many will disagree with my points, but I don't think I'm alone either.
TLDR at the bottom.
First, some nice things to say
The game does look lovely. Battles, while chaotic and messy the sound design is wonderful, the battle chatter and PDCs from capital ships/assault frigates are seriously impressive.
Campaign
It's short. Unbelievably so. I completed it in two sittings. Some missions/levels, whatever you want to call them are over in 20 minutes, some take a little longer but usually consist of one or two objectives before the player is hastily moved onto the next mission.
I didn't really gel with the story, it felt a little clichéd - 'the new protagonist is in search of the old one' didn't make any sense to me. The whole thing felt like a missed opportunity. They had free reign to do whatever they wanted, but seemed to have gravitated back to a weird 'prophecy' story where I understood very little considering just how much exposition is forced upon the player.
I must have missed what the 'anomaly' was because I kept seeing it being mentioned but had no idea how it fit into the story.
Gameplay and storytelling pacing is a problem
Gone is the slow and steady story telling of old, no sense of wonder or mystery - instead we're hurried along from beat to beat, always being told something is urgent and frequently being reminded that an objective needs completing.
The player is robbed of agency in a lot of cases. In one mission, we're just given a carrier from the start - no research or objectives to complete in order to earn it - just hey you'll need this. I remember in HW1, the first time you make a destroyer, or the first time you build a carrier it's an exciting moment, you feel a sense of achievement and can't wait to see how this changes the battlefield.
You don't get to feel that in HW3. In fact, some missions you might get access to several new units within minutes of each other, so you never really get to explore how each one affects the battles. The pace of the gameplay means you're constantly under attack or under pressure with few moments of calm.
Also, there are times when storytelling got in the way, especially after a lengthy cut-scene the player would be taken out of the game for a moment to show something on the sensors, sometimes multiple times within a few moments of each other. Infuriatingly this didn't seem to pause the action. It was like the steering wheel was taken away from you while you were trying to navigate around a bend.
Gameplay mechanics are simplified compared to previous HW titles
Because there is little in the way of microing your units, (no attack move, no kiting more powerful ships) you find yourself constantly in the build menu maxing out your unit caps to replace lost ships. And you can do that, by the way, because you have literally infinite resources. At no point during the campaign did I have less than 10,000 RUs.
Resource collecting no longer means a player has to choose how to best manage their resource economy. They've taken all that away by giving the player the easy version. The resource controller does it all for you. I really miss how cool it was that resources would drop off at the MS or carriers, then you could upgrade your economy with controllers. Here we've skipped over that, you get the dumbed down version, the player no longer has to choose between positioning a valuable carrier for their economy or as a forward base for supporting strike craft and replenishing frigates.
I remember a while ago I saw someone post here that they hated HW2 strikecraft squadrons and preferred the individual units of HW1. I honestly thought it was the stupidest thing I've ever read regarding this franchise. Strikecraft squadrons added to the scale of the battles, but more importantly it was much more rewarding to manage. By efficiently microing your fleet, you could 'save' a whole squadron by docking it. Now it feels like you just spaming strike craft endlessly with little hope to save individual ones because they'll usually die before you can react and send them home to dock. I just can't understand why they went back to HW1 with that mechanic when clearly, squadrons are the superior choice for many reasons.
For all the talk of terrain and cover being a major gameplay mechanic, I found myself barely using it. Frigates and capital ship pathfinding meant it was just easier to avoid going near it.
Support frigates look like they have space for strikecraft to dock, but I've never seen them go near it. Feels like a feature that was never implemented.
Enemy faction feels... uninspired
The Incarnate ships have all taken their design from the Progenitors, but I'm surprised just how little variation there is in the design. They all look like mini Sajuuks or Progenitor Dreadnaughts from HW2. Don't get me wrong, they look great - but this is problematic from a gameplay perspective, but you only really see the subtle differences up close. However, you rarely have the opportunity to appreciate that due to the chaotic nature of the battles. Distinguishing between Incarnate units is almost impossible as they all share a very similar profile.
UI is much improved since the demo, controls are much better
I'm glad they listened to the feedback, the UI is more intuitive and micro animations give the player the right clues as to what is going on. However, I still struggled to identify which ships I have selected at any given time. Sometimes there will be little numbers over the top of units, but they don't correspond to the group number - it's quite confusing.
I was one of the biggest complainants of the new control system after playing the demo, however, I found myself switching from classic to modern during the campaign - mostly out of necessity - it's quite difficult to navigate around the terrain elements of the maps in classic mode.
But the improvements BBI have made to the responsiveness of the controls have made that transition much easier, props to them for doing that.
Multiplayer / War Games
I haven't had much luck with either of these modes, quickplay doesn't seem to work - trying to connect to anyone in the lobby results in failure most of the time. Of the few games I've played half the time one or more players drop out. This is going to be a major paint point for players new and old, and it'll need improving quickly if this game is going to hold onto any significant player count.
What I think happened here
Making an AAA title these days is hard. It's expensive, and the resources and investment needed to deliver it are enormous. It's why we see so many games released that feel rushed or unfinished. Investors/publishers want to see a return on that investment at some point, it's just a reality of modern-day game development. HW3 was delayed several times and we still ended up with (in my opinion), a sequel that feels rushed and underbaked.
I suspect a lot of this was down to pressure from the publisher to:
A. Try to appeal to a wider market by simplifying the gameplay B. Cut the amount of content to get the product released sooner
Unfortunately for players like me, who wanted a uniquely Homeworld campaign experience has left me feeling wanting. And I'm really sad about that. There are clearly many talented folks at BBI, and I can't help but feel this isn't the game they wanted to release... like they could have used another year or two of development if they could perhaps?
The campaign ending left it open for the possibility of us seeing more content set after these events. I would be entirely open to that, but they'd need to fix some of issues that I'd outlined above if I thought it'd be worth my time and money. But that doesn't appear to be on the year 1 roadmap. My current experience with War Games sort of tells me I've wasted my money a bit if that's all we're getting.
Maybe, after the Year 1 roadmap we'll see the possibility of a continuation of the story - the hunt for the crew of Karan's ship for example.
TLDR
The campaign is too short, and while punctuated with genuine moments of delight, pacing is problematic and the player is often robbed of agency and a sense of wonder. Battles, while pretty, are ultimately a chaotic war of attrition due to simplified gameplay mechanics.
The campaign experience has felt rather shallow and underbaked. Players of previous HW titles will be left feeling like underwhelmed in my opinion.
However I'm sure many new players will enjoy the game much more, it is still one of the most unique titles out there at the moment.
6/10
Edit: formatting
submitted by Any-Classic-5733 to homeworld [link] [comments]

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